A press-contact connector 10 has a first member 20 which accommodates a plurality of terminals 21 having press-contact blades 21a and a second member 30 which is attached to the first member 20 and holds a plurality of wires 11 in an aligned state. The second member 30 has a plurality of retaining portions 31 capable of retaining the wires 11 respectively, formed in an approximate U shape and arranged in parallel to one another. The retaining portion 31 has claw portions 33 which are provided at inner walls 32 to lock the wire 11 in such a way as to contact with a bottom portion 31a of the retaining portion 31, and lances 34 which are provided at serial directional ends of each retaining portion 31 to urge the wire 11 in the direction of the opening of the retaining portion 31 in a cross section. Since each wire 11 is held bent by the cooperation of the claw portions 33 with the lances 34, compatibility with automation is possible and the wires 11 can be held sufficiently.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a press-contact connector which electrically connects wires to terminals by inserting press-contact blades into the wires.
2. Related Art
There have existed press-contact connectors for electrically press-connecting cables inserted into a press-contact block to press-contact portions of terminals as shown in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-12109. As shown in FIG. 15, this press-contact connector 100 has a terminal block 102, which accommodates a plurality of terminals 101 for press-contacting individual cables to electrically conduct them, and a press-contact block 104 having cable insertion holes 103 for insertion of the cables and set in parallel to the terminal block 102 so that it can be relatively moved close to the terminal block 102 in translation.
To facilitate the cable insertion, it includes inclination holding units 105, 106 and 107 capable of releasably holding the press-contact block 104 in an inclined state with respect to the terminal block 102, and parallel holding units 108 and 109 capable of releasably holding the press-contact block 104 in a parallel state with respect to the terminal block 102.
A box-like dent 110 is provided at one side (the left-hand side in FIG. 15) of the terminal block 102, and the plural terminals 101 are provided inside the dent 110 at predetermined pitches.
A large recess 111 is formed on the other side (the right-hand side in FIG. 15) of the terminal block 102, and the terminals 101 are aligned in parallel and secured in the recess 111, with the root sides of the terminals 101 being bent upward to form press-contact portions 101a and laid out zigzag.
A press-contact connector for discrete wires, which connects discrete wires to terminals is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication Hei. 6-76868. As shown in FIG. 16, this press-contact connector 120 includes a body portion 122 having press-contacting contacts 121a and 121b and a press-contact cover 124 having a guiding unit respective wires 123 to be connected at positions corresponding to the press-contacting contacts 121a and 121b.
As shown in FIG. 17, multiple projections 125 are provided, for example, zigzag at an inner surface 124a of the press-contact cover 124, and the wires 123 run zigzag through the projections 125, thereby holding the wires 123.
Therefore, as the wires 123 are held between the body portion 122 and the press-contact cover 124 and the press-contact cover 124 is put over the body portion 122, the individual wires 123 are held in electrical contact with the press-contacting contacts 121a and 121b.
Because the press-contact connector 100 disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-12109 should have wires inserted from the cable insertion holes 103 of the press-contact block 104, compatibility with automation is difficult, bringing about such an inconvenience that manual wiring is troublesome.
Since the wires 123 are bent between the projections 125 to secure the holding force at the time of holding the discrete wires 123 at the press-contact cover 124 according to the invention of the press-contact connector 120 disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication Hei. 6-76868, it is difficult to attach the wires 123.


A reinforced metal box culvert is provided which has the standard crown, opposing sides and opposite curved haunches. The culvert is characterized in having continuous corrugated metal sheet reinforcement secured to at least the crown of the culvert and extends the length of the culvert which is effective in supporting the load. The corrugated reinforcement has a profile which abuts the crown corrugations with the troughs of the reinforcement being secured to the crests of the corrugated crown. The corrugated reinforcement sheet has a curvature complementary to the corrugated crown to facilitate securement. The continuous reinforcement, as secured to the culvert in an uninterrupted manner, provides an optimum load carrying capacity for selected extent of reinforcement provided by the reinforcement metal sheets.

Culvert design over the last 20 to 30 years has advanced considerably, particularly with respect to large diameter culverts, box culverts and re-entrant arch shaped culverts. Corrugated metal culverts of large diameter have gained general acceptance for use under roadways, railways and the like. Circular culverts have significant drawbacks associated with waterway installations because the stream bed must be disturbed. In order to reduce the impact on the stream bed, arch structures are preferred. The arch structure has an open base and as such relies on a set of design requirements different from circular culverts for supporting the overbearing load. Arch structures have a large radius crown and usually have straight sides as associated with the box culvert. Box culverts are particularly useful in meeting a need for structures with large cross-sectional areas for water conveyance with limited vertical clearance. Normally, metal box culverts are made of either aluminum or steel. Usually the plate which is used in the culverts is corrugated to strengthen the design. The corrugated plate, particularly if it is aluminum, is usually strengthened by reinforcing ribs or the like at intervals along the culvert length.
An example of this type of rib reinforced aluminum culvert design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,666 issued to Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation. The use of reinforcing members on the outside of the box culvert provides for the necessary load carrying capacity. However, sections between the reinforcing members are considerably weaker and hence, when loaded, there is a differential deflection or undulating effect along the length of the culvert. To reduce this problem, unitary extrusions are secured to the inside of the culvert to reduce undulation, particularly along the crown and base portions. It is understood however that when box culverts are used over stream beds or the like, it is not desirable to include inside the culvert any attachments particularly used in reinforcing culvert design structures because they tend to be destroyed during ice flows and floods.
The use of strengthening ribs has also been applied to metal box culverts, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,635. Multiple arched-shaped reinforcing ribs are applied to the culvert interior and/or exterior to provide for reinforcement in the sides, crown and intermediate haunch portions. However, such spaced apart reinforcing ribs, although they enhance the strength of the structure to resist load do not overcome undulation problems in the structure and can add unnecessary weight to the structure by virtue of superfluous reinforcement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,218 discloses a box culvert design which does not involve the use of reinforcing members. Instead, the sheets of metal used in constructing the culvert have exceptionally deep corrugations of a depth in the range of 100 to 150 nm with a pitch in the range from 300 to 450 mm. By using significantly thicker material in the crown portions of the culvert and perhaps as well in the haunch portions of the culvert, significant loads can be carried by the culvert design. However, significant limitations exist with respect to the crown in regard to radius of curvature. Radius of curvature of less than 1 m is avoided with steel because of the significant potential for microcracking and fissuring due to cold working or strain hardening when bending the steel to the desired radius of curvature. With aluminum, the shorter radius of curvature is avoided because of the possible permanent deformation of the cross-section during forming due to the lower modulus of elasticity. Furthermore, the use of thicker metal in the crown or haunch portions of the culvert without reinforcing can add considerably to the overall weight of the structure in order to carry design loads. Metal box culverts are usually designed using plastic theory rather than elastic theory. It is generally accepted that one of the significant drawbacks with existing box culvert designs is that one cannot take full advantage of the plastic theory.
The elastic theory of design requires that the design be based on the allowable stress method whereas the plastic theory of design considers the greatest load which can be carried by the structure when acting as a unitary structure. The advantage in a plastic design procedure is that there is a possibility of significant saving in the amount of metal required and hence, permit culvert design which can give a more accurate estimate of the amount of load that a structure can support. Metal box culverts are often subject to large stresses which are difficult to predict such as those caused by and erection of the structure and subsequent structure settlement. Plastic design criteria however provides for such situations by permitting plastic deformation in the structure. The plastic moment is generally understood to be the moment which will produce plasticity in a member of the box culvert and create a plastic hinge. In design of metal box culverts, plastic moments are distributed between the crown and the haunch. Theoretically, this distribution could be as unbalanced as 0 to the haunch and 100% to the crown which would resemble a simple supported beam. However, current practice in design restricts the distribution to 45% minimum and 70% maximum to the crown. Current design specifications such as AASHTO publish the required plastic moment capacity for the crown and haunch of metal box culverts. These specifications cover spans from 2.5 m to 8 m and cover depths of overload from 0.4 m to 1.5 m In the metal box culvert designs which are reinforced with metal stiffening ribs, there is a complex interaction of the stiffener ribs with the corrugated plate. The section properties at each metal rib provide greater inertia or stiffness at the ribs. The corrugated plate functions as a membrane between the ribs and transfers loads to the ribs. The corrugated plate between the ribs is then subjected to axial stress on two axis or about two axis that is circumferential and transverse. Because of this complex interaction, a rational analysis is difficult and hence there is a need to move towards the plastic design of a section with uniform stiffness and subject to stress on only one axis.
In unreinforced metal box culverts, the difference in plastic moment between the crown and haunch is achieved by changing the thickness of the corrugated plate. In the case of the shallow depth of cover, the plastic moment at the crown is usually much greater than the plastic moment at the haunch resulting in a crown plate thickness usually greater than the haunch plate thickness. In the case of deep covers over the culvert, say in the range of 1.5 m, the plastic moment at the crown can be equal to the plastic moment of the haunch. In ureinforced metal box culvert design the selection of corrugation profile and metal thickness is based on providing the appropriate plastic moment resistance at the haunch or crown. At all other locations more material is provided than necessary and hence, the significant addition of weight to the structure as well as increased costs in manufacture and material costs.
It has also been found that the 8 m limitation with respect to span of existing metal box culvert designs is overly restrictive for the culvert designer. There are several situations where a span of 8 m or greater would be desired. However, with existing culvert design, such spans cannot be achieved. Any attempt to reduce the load above the culvert, such as the use of concrete slabs at surface level or below surface level, but spaced above the culvert crown, considerably increases the total cost of the metal box culvert installation, particularly in regions where concrete may not be readily available. Concrete has also been used to reinforce culvert bases such as disclosed in German patent application 26 57 229. The concrete is retained in position by an outer skin of corrugated metal spaced from the culvert by the concrete thickness. However, the concrete reduces the ductility of the structure and prevents thereby the redistribution of plastic moments and the application of plastic theory.
The continuously reinforced box culvert design of this invention has significant advantages over the prior art and allows one to achieve plastic design procedures while avoiding the problems associated with the unreinforced or reinforced culvert designs.


Devices, systems, and methods (a) receive a predetermined fluid drop volume and an array of cells, wherein each cell in the array is associated with a respective predetermined fluid volume; (b) scan the array of cells according to a scanning sequence for a next unassigned cell and add the next unassigned cell to a respective fill set; (c) add unassigned cells neighboring the next unassigned cell to the respective fill set until an aggregate of the respective predetermined fluid volumes of the cells in the respective fill set equals or exceeds the predetermined fluid drop volume; (d) place a fluid drop in the drop pattern within an area associated with the respective fill set and mark all cells in the respective fill set as assigned; and (e) repeat (b)-(d) until all cells in the array of cells have been assigned and the drop pattern has been generated.

Technical Field: This application generally concerns generating drop patterns for imprint lithography.
Background: Nano-fabrication includes the fabrication of very small structures that have features that are 100 nanometers or smaller. One application of nano-fabrication is the fabrication of integrated circuits. The semiconductor-processing industry continues to strive for larger production yields while increasing the circuits per unit area formed on a substrate. Improvements in nano-fabrication include providing greater process control and improving throughput while also allowing continued reduction of the minimum feature dimensions of the structures formed.
One nano-fabrication technique is commonly referred to as nanoimprint lithography. Nanoimprint lithography is useful in a variety of applications including, for example, fabricating one or more layers of integrated devices. Examples of an integrated device include CMOS logic, microprocessors, NAND Flash memory, NOR Flash memory, DRAM memory, MRAM, 3D cross-point memory, Re-RAM, Fe-RAM, STT-RAM, MEMS, and the like. Examples of nanoimprint lithography systems and processes are described in detail in numerous publications, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,349,241, 8,066,930, and 6,936,194.
The nanoimprint lithography technique disclosed in each of the aforementioned patents describes the formation of a relief pattern in a formable material (polymerizable) layer and transferring a pattern corresponding to the relief pattern into or onto an underlying substrate. The patterning process uses a template spaced apart from the substrate, and a formable liquid is applied between the template and the substrate. The formable liquid is solidified to form a solid layer that has a pattern conforming to a shape of the surface of the template that is in contact with the formable liquid. After solidification, the template is separated from the solidified layer such that the template and the substrate are spaced apart. The substrate and the solidified layer are then subjected to additional processes, such as etching processes, to transfer a relief image into the substrate that corresponds to the pattern in the solidified layer. The patterned substrate can be further subjected to known steps and processes for device (article) fabrication, including, for example, curing, oxidation, layer formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, formable material removal, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like.

Systems and methods for generating drop patterns


A method, system, and computer program product for processing traffic tickets is provided. In one embodiment, a department of motor vehicle (DMV) server receives, from a portable law enforcement data processing system via a network, citation data and stores the citation data. The DMV server then determines and notifies a court of jurisdiction of the citation data and receives, via the network, instructions from a client representing an accused about how the accused would like to proceed with the case. Based on the instructions received on behalf of the client, the DMV server modifies the citation data.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to computer software and, more specifically, to methods for processing traffic tickets via networked data processing systems.
2. Description of Related Art
With urban sprawl causing increased commuting distances and the transient nature of the workforce in the United States causing people to be on the highways more in order to visit family and friends in distant locals, people are on the highways and roads of the United States more than ever before. With this increased number of cars on the road and increases in the number and length of trips, road congestion has become a major problem. Furthermore, society has become increasingly time conscious. Frustrated or time rushed drivers driving at speeds above the posted speed limits are becoming more common. Therefore, municipalities and states are placing more resources into enforcing traffic laws.
Because of the transient nature of the American workforce, speeders and alleged speeders, in traversing long distances between their homes and family and friends, are receiving citations for speeding in locations greatly removed from their homes. Contesting these citations may be a problem because the court may be quite far from the individual's home. Similar problems exist for other types of legal violations as well.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and system for processing traffic tickets utilizing the Internet, thereby enabling people to pay or contest traffic tickets from the convenience of their home or offices and avoid time consuming trips to distant locals to process traffic tickets.

Method to use DMV web connection to process traffic tickets, appeals, and court fines

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for making 0.25-micron semiconductor chips includes annealing the metal interconnect lines prior to depositing an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) between the lines. During annealing, an alloy of aluminum and titanium forms, which subsequently volumetrically contracts, with the contraction being absorbed by the aluminum. Because the alloy is reacted prior to ILD deposition, however, the aluminum is not constrained by the ILD when it attempts to absorb the contraction of the alloy. Consequently, the likelihood of undesirable void formation. in the interconnect lines is reduced. The likelihood of undesirable void formation is still further reduced during the subsequent ILD gapfill deposition process by using relatively low bias power to reduce vapor deposition temperature. and by using relatively low source gas deposition flow rates to reduce flow-induced compressive stress on the interconnect lines during ILD formation.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to methods for improving the reliability of 0.25-xcexcm technology semiconductors by alleviating stress in interconnect lines that might otherwise result in the formation of voids in the interconnect lines.
Semiconductor chips or wafers are used in many applications, including as integrated circuits and as flash memory for hand held computing devices, wireless telephones, and digital cameras. Regardless of the application, it is desirable that a semiconductor chip hold as many circuits or memory cells as possible per unit area. In this way, the size, weight, and energy consumption of devices that use semiconductor chips advantageously is minimized, while nevertheless improving the memory capacity and computing power of the devices.
In chips that hold integrated circuits, the individual circuit components are interconnected by conductive elements referred to as xe2x80x9cinterconnect lines.xe2x80x9d These interconnect lines are typically arranged in a multi-layered pattern that is deposited on a semiconductive substrate such as silicon. To insulate the interconnect lines from each other, insulative material is deposited between adjacent interconnect line layers.
With the above in mind, so-called 0.25-micron technology has been developed, in which the distance between adjacent layers of interconnect lines in an integrated circuit on a semiconductor chip is equal to or less than about three-eighths of a micron. With such a small spacing between interconnect lines, which have heights of about 1.1 microns, the size of the circuits on the chip can be reduced to result in the above-noted advantages.
Typically, each electrically conductive interconnect line is made of a xe2x80x9cstackxe2x80x9d of metal layers that typically includes a layer made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and one or more other metal layers. The aluminum is deposited as a film over the substrate and is then lithographically patterned and chemically etched to form a desired pattern for the circuit""s connector lines. Then, a process referred to as high density plasma (HDP) inter-layer dielectric (ILD) formation is used to fill the gaps between adjacent metal stacks with an electrically non-conductive material. Ordinarily, the ILD deposition step is undertaken at relatively high temperature, incidentally precipitating the formation of an intermetallic structure. In current applications, titanium is commonly used as an underlayer for the aluminum, and the intermetallic structure that forms in such a device is TiAl3. Also, an overlayer that includes TiN anti-reflective coating (ARC) is disposed over the stacks, for lithography purposes.
As understood herein, however, voids caused by hydrostatic stresses undesirably can form in the aluminum, and the voiding of the aluminum can be accelerated by the formation of the intermetallic structure. This is undesirable, because when a void forms in a thin aluminum line, the current path through the line unfortunately is diverted, thereby adversely affecting the reliability of the chip.
The present invention understands that the above-mentioned hydrostatic stresses arise because the thermal expansion coefficient of the aluminum layer is different from the thermal expansion coefficient of the encapsulating ILD and the silicon substrate, both of which mechanically constrain the aluminum. Furthermore, when an intermetallic structure such as TiAl3 is formed, the intermetallic structure can volumetrically contract (by 5.9%, in the case of TiAl3), and the aluminum in the intermetallic structure, which is the most compliant metal in the stack, will consequently absorb the contraction-induced strain and thus have an even higher stress state as a result. Additionally, we have discovered that the undesirable voiding can be accelerated by relatively high compressive stress caused by high silane volume flow rates of sixty six standard cubic meters per minute (66 SCCM) and higher and relatively high temperatures (caused by applying relatively high bias power of 3500 watts and higher) during ILD deposition.
Fortunately, the present invention recognizes that contrary to previous methods based on larger-geometry chips, in which pre-annealing interconnect lines prior to ILD deposition would have undesirably formed hillocks, i.e., extrusions of metal, in the chip structure, it is possible to anneal the metal stacks prior to ILD deposition in 0.25-xcexcm semiconductors, when only the substrate, and not the ILD, constrains the aluminum in the stacks. As recognized by the present invention, the consequence is that the likelihood of void formation in the interconnect lines is reduced, thereby improving 0.25-xcexcm chip reliability. The present invention moreover understands that relatively low temperatures and silane flow rates during ILD deposition can be used to further reduce the likelihood of void formation in the interconnect lines.
A method is disclosed for making a semiconductor chip having electrically conductive interconnect lines. The method includes providing at least one substrate, and establishing at least one predetermined pattern of electrically conductive interconnect lines on the substrate. In accordance with the present invention, prior to depositing a dielectric layer between the interconnect lines, the lines are annealed, and then the dielectric layer (ILD) is deposited from a source gas with a flow rate maintained at a volume flow rate of no more than sixty five standard cubic centimeters per minute (65 SCCM).
In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is disposed on a support, and a bias power of no more than three thousand four hundred (3400) watts is applied to the support. More preferably, the bias power is no more than 3000 watts. Further, when the source gas is silane, the particularly preferred volume flow rate of the source gas used to deposit the ILD is less than sixty standard cubic centimeters per minute (60 SCCM), and can be between forty (40) SCCM and 60 SCCM.
As intended by the present invention, each line establishes a stack including at least one layer having aluminum, and an alloy of titanium and aluminum is formed during the annealing step. As disclosed in detail below, the annealing step is undertaken by heating the electrically conductive lines to a temperature of between three hundred fifty degrees Celsius and four hundred fifty degrees Celsius (350xc2x0 C.-450xc2x0 C.) for a period of between ten minutes and ninety minutes. If desired, the ILD source gas can be silane or TEOS, and the ILD is deposited by directing the ILD source gas onto the lines while simultaneously removing excess ILD material by sputtering. A chip made according to the method, and a computing device incorporating the chip, are also disclosed.
In another aspect, a semiconductor chip includes at least one substrate and at least one predetermined pattern of aluminum lines supported by the substrate. Adjacent lines are separated by distances equal to or less than about three-eighths of a micron. An alloy of aluminum and titanium is formed on the lines, with the alloy being reacted prior to insulating the lines from each other. In accordance with the present invention, the lines are insulated from each other by vapor deposition of an inter layer dielectric (ILD) from a source gas at a volume flow rate of no more than sixty standard cubic centimeters per minute (60 SCCM).
In still another aspect, a method for making a semiconductor chip includes establishing plural electrically conductive lines on at least one substrate. The lines are spaced from each other by distances equal to or less than three-eighths of a micron. The method further includes depositing a dielectric between at least two lines that are adjacent each other using a source gas at a volume flow rate of no more than sixty five standard cubic centimeters per minute (65 SCCM).
Other features of the present invention are disclosed or apparent in the section entitled: xe2x80x9cDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.xe2x80x9d

METHOD FOR REDUCING STRESS-INDUCED VOIDS FOR 0.25-xcexcM AND SMALLER SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP TECHNOLOGY BY ANNEALING INTERCONNECT LINES AND USING LOW BIAS VOLTAGE AND LOW INTERLAYER DIELECTRIC DEPOSITION RATE AND SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP MADE THEREBY


A method of forming prosthetic sockets is provided that first creates a negative mold of the patient's residual limb while it is disposed in a positive flexion position. The mold is then removed and shaped to permit the desired range of flexion when the mold is repositioned on the residual limb. A second cast is made of the residual limb that incorporates the mold. A positive model of the residual limb is then formed, from which test or definitive sockets may be formed. The present method further lends itself to the formation of sockets using a cast-in-place methodology while the limb is disposed in a positive flexion position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sockets for below-knee prosthesis and more particularly to a socket that permits maximum necessary flexion while the prosthesis is secured to a residual limb.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the Middle Ages, sockets have provided a measure of protection for the residual limb of amputees, as well as a point of attachment for artificial limbs. Crude forerunners to the modern socket were constructed from iron or wood, which provided limited functionality and even less comfort. Advances in biomechanics and the development of materials such as moldable plastics and plastic laminates have dramatically improved the function and comfort of prosthetic sockets.
Although the modern transtibial, or below-knee, prosthesis can be found in a wide array of designs and configurations, the major components are typically the socket, a suspension system, a pylon and a foot system. As the primary point of contact between the residual limb and the prosthesis, the socket protects the residual limb and transmits the forces associated with standing and ambulation. Any relative motion between the residual limb and the socket oftentimes results in less than satisfactory ambulation and an increase in discomfort and fatigue. In order to obtain a precise fit, transtibial sockets are typically made by first creating a cast of the residual limb in a generally extended position. The cast is later filled with plaster or other molding material to create a positive model for a check socket. The prosthetist manually adjusts the check socket to compensate for any pressure points or bony protrusions. A second positive model of the residual limb is formed by filling the check socket with the molding material. The definitive socket is then prepared using the second positive model.
An increasing number of modern transtibial prosthetics are suspended using a suction suspension, such as hypobaric sleeves and silicone liners. Typical socket construction combined with such modern suspension systems oftentimes create a problem in easily or comfortably obtaining a normal range of motion. Most common socket designs provide a lower, flared posterior trim that is hand-fabricated by the prosthetist to allow for knee flexion. However, the flared posterior trim is typically inadequate to provide a normal range of motion due to the evolving shape of the individual's knee when the residual limb moves between full extension and plus ninety degrees flexion. Not only does the interaction between the rigid socket and the shape-changing knee cause discomfort and a limited range of motion, but it also applies pressure on the suspension system during periods of flexion, causing undo wear and tear on the prosthesis.
Accordingly, what is needed is a novel but simple method of making prosthetic sockets that permits maximum necessary flexion.

Prosthetic socket and method of making the same


A sound producing apparatus which implements a sound output process based on waveform data, corresponding to sound generated by the apparatus, and system-sequence data including information for processing the waveform data. The apparatus comprises a read-write main memory for storing the waveform data and system-sequence data of a selected music title. Also included is a first submemory for storing the waveform data, and a second submemory for storing the system-sequence data. A sound signal generator generates sound signals based on the waveform data and the system-sequence data stored in submemories. A controller controls the entry of waveform data and system-sequence data of a selected music title, stored in the main memory, into the first and the second submemories, respectively. The controller also controls the sound signal generator based on the system-sequence data stored in the second submemory. A communication controller controls the entry of waveform data and system-sequence data, received from a host unit over a telecommunication line, into the main memory.

A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sound producing apparatus, and a system employing such an apparatus, for implementing the process of production and output of the necessary sounds used in, for example, television game machines or karaoke units. In particular, the invention relates to a sound producing apparatus, and a system employing such an apparatus, which generate sound signals based on sound-production data.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional system for producing and processing sounds is known as the "karaoke system." A conventional karaoke system mainly employs laser discs. This karaoke system obtains the necessary signals through optical pick-up from the laser disc in which the sound signals and picture signals are stored, demodulates them through signal demodulator circuits, displays the pictures based on the picture signals on a display, and reproduces the sound based on the sound signals from speakers.
If one tried to stock 10,000 musical titles, for example, in one karaoke system of the type above, the karaoke system itself would be oversized. In addition, it would have the weakness of requiring extra work necessary for adding and changing the laser discs. Another weakness is that the laser discs themselves could not be supplemented immediately after the release of new musical titles.
Recently, a karaoke system has been provided which has resolved such weak points. This karaoke system comprises a host unit which stores a predetermined number of music titles and transfers them to a terminal karaoke unit which accesses the host unit. Then, the karaoke unit can reproduce the sounds and pictures based on the data transferred from the host unit and realizes musical performance.
Such a karaoke system has been constructed in consideration of the following points. First, the data necessary for the karaoke system is classified in waveform data relating to the sound to be generated and musical performance data for controlling the timing of synthesizing the sound. Second, the karaoke system is constructed in a manner such that the necessary amount of sound waveform data for the titles currently being provided can be written in the ROM as a sound source IC. This ROM data can be used by the sound signal generator and sound processor arranged in the karaoke unit. Third, the sound given forth can be produced from the musical performance data and the waveform data stored in the ROM. Fourth, each of the terminal karaoke units is constructed so as to be able to communicate with the host unit which stores the musical performance data of a great number of musical titles.
When a musical title is selected by a user or player at the terminal karaoke unit, this information is transferred to the host unit. The host unit transfers the musical performance data, which is the sound production data for the relevant title to the karaoke unit. The karaoke unit produces the sound signals through its sound signal generating and processing unit based on such musical performance data and the waveform data of the ROM. Then, the necessary sound output relating to selected musical title is obtained.
This type of karaoke system does not require supply of the terminal karaoke unit with supplementary performance data of each new title. It does, though, enable the karaoke unit to perform new titles immediately merely by supplying the host unit with the supplementary performance data relating to the new titles.
However, the karaoke system described above has the weakness that the variation of timbres becomes fixed as the waveform data is stored in ROM. Depending upon the contents of the performance data, lack of adequate waveform data for production of the sounds may arise. In addition, production of sounds may deteriorate or even become impossible.
Naturally, the exchange of ROM leads to addition or renewal of waveform data and accordingly to an increase or change in timbres. The additional installment of ROM leads to the addition of new waveform data and accordingly to an increase in the number of timbres. However, this solution requires not only extra work, but it is also very difficult to perform this at all of the terminal karaoke units.

Apparatus and system for generating sound based upon waveform data and system-sequence data


The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a computer-implemented method that includes receiving a plurality of images having human faces. The method further includes generating a data structure having representations of the faces and associations that link the representations based on similarities in appearance between the faces. The method further includes outputting a first gender value for a first representation of a first face that indicates a gender of the first face based on one or more other gender values of one or more other representations of one or more other faces that are linked to the first representation.

In many application domains, such as photo collection, social networking, surveillance, adult-content detection, etc, it is desirable to use an automated method to determine the gender of a person in an image. Some systems use computer vision algorithms in an attempt to determine gender by directly analyzing a face within an image to determine if the face is associated with typically male or female characteristics.

Inferring the gender of a face in an image


A wind turbine includes a plurality of rotor blades, with each blade having a root portion connected to a rotor hub and an airfoil portion extending radially outward from the rotor hub. The airfoil portion further includes a main foil section and a winglet pivotally connected to the main foil section so as to pivot from an in-line position wherein the rotor blade has a first sweep length to an articulated position wherein the rotor blade has a second sweep length. In the articulated position, the winglet may pivot to not more than 90 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the main foil section. A deployable sleeve may be connected to the winglet so as to extend between the winglet and the main foil section in the articulated position of the winglet. The sleeve is stowable within either or both of the main foil section or the winglet in the in-line position of the winglet.

Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy from wind using known foil principles and transmit the kinetic energy through rotational energy to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
To ensure that wind power remains a viable energy source, efforts have been made to increase energy outputs by modifying the size and capacity of wind turbines. One such modification has been to increase the length and surface area of the rotor blades. However, the magnitude of deflection forces and loading of a rotor blade is generally a function of blade length, along with wind speed, turbine operating states, blade stiffness, and other variables. This increased loading not only produces fatigue on the rotor blades and other wind turbine components but may also increase the risk of a sudden catastrophic failure of the rotor blades, for example when excess loading causes deflection of a blade resulting in a tower strike.
Load control is thus a crucial consideration in operation of modern wind turbines. For example, active pitch control systems are widely used to reduce the load on the rotor blades by varying the pitch of the blades in high load conditions. U.S. Pat. Appln. Pub. No. 2010/0092288 describes a pitch-adjustable blade with a root-end bearing having a pitch axis that is angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade. With this configuration, the blade moves into and out of the rotor plane when pitched, which essentially changes the effective length of the blade. It is also known to vary the aerodynamic characteristics of the individual rotor blades as a means of load control, for example with controllable vortex elements, flaps, tabs, and the like configured on the blade surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,972,498 describes various wind turbine blade configurations wherein a retractable extension is provided on a base blade segment to reduce the effective length of the blade in high load conditions. In a particular embodiment, the blade extension is hinged to the base blade segment and jackknifes between a fully extended position and a fully retracted position wherein the blade extension folds into the base blade segment. The articulation joint for this type of arrangement results in open sections along the blade edge, which could produce noise and adversely affect the aerodynamic performance of the blade in the retracted (partially or fully) position of the blade extension.
Accordingly, the industry would benefit from an improved system for reducing the effective length of a wind turbine rotor blade in high load conditions.

Wind turbine rotor blade with aerodynamic winglet


An image inspection apparatus for inspecting an image output on a recording medium by scanning the recording medium as a scanned image. The inspection apparatus having a display controller that controls display of a normal read image, which includes only permissible defects for each type of defect, in the normal image display area, and that controls display of an abnormal read image, which includes at least one impermissible defect for each type of defect, in the abnormal image area. The inspection apparatus also includes a defect permissible changing unit that receives a moving operation instruction, which moves the displayed image between the normal image display area and the abnormal image display area and that, in response to receiving the moving operation instruction, changes the permissible defect level of at least one type of defect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, system, and method of inspecting an image formed by an image forming apparatus, and a recording medium storing an image inspection control program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the inspection of printed matter has been performed by human operators. In recent years, inspection apparatuses that automatically inspect printed matter have been widely used, mainly in the field of offset printing. For example, in conventional devices a master image would be generated by reading specific printed matter that was selected based on the image quality, as a reference image. The corresponding portions of the master image and a subsequently read image of printed matter would be compared to determine, by the degree of difference therebetween, whether there was a defect in the printed matter.
Printing apparatuses, such as electrophotographic apparatuses, have been widely used to print a small number of pages. For example, a printing apparatus may perform variable printing in which the printed contents differ on each page. In such case, comparing the printed matter, with a master image generated from previously printed matter, would be inefficient. In view of this, the master image has typically been generated based on print data and then compared with the printed image to be inspected.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-217931-A proposes a method of performing quality determination with a threshold higher in a specific area than in other areas outside the specific area.
In particular, this publication describes executing a defect determination of printed matter based on a defect level indicating the degree of the defect for each type of defect. The types of defect include faint printing, dirty marks, and excess lines. In this publication, an image inspection apparatus is used to determine whether there is a defect in the printed matter based on the degree of difference between corresponding portions of the master image and a read printed matter image. Further, the image inspection apparatus identifies the type of defect and the defect level from the printed matter image.
The image inspection apparatus then determines whether the identified defect level for each type of defect exceeds a permissible defect level for each type of defect. When the identified defect level for each type of defect exceeds the permissible defect level, the image inspection apparatus determines that the printed matter is abnormal. In the above noted system the user must manually set the permissible defect level for each type of defect. However, it is difficult for the user to intuitively set the permissible defect level for each type of defect. Furthermore, the technology disclosed by JP-2005-217931-A only performs a quality determination in a specific area and does not set the permissible defect level for each type of defect. As a result, the permissible defect level automatically set for the specific area is not always the level desired by the user.
In view of the above, the inventors of the present embodiments have discovered that there is a need for an apparatus, a system, a method, and a non-transitory recording medium storing an image inspection control program, each of which is capable of permitting the user to intuitively set the permissible defect level for each type of defect.

Apparatus, system, and method of inspecting image, and recording medium storing image inspection control program


A water targeting game (10), known as WATER TAG.TM.. The game (10) consists of three major elements: a targeting vest (12), a water gun (140) and an obstruction maze (142) wherein the game is played. The targeting vest (12) includes a front vest (14) and a back vest (16) that are joined together at their upper peripheral edge (26) by a pair of adjustable shoulder straps (70) and that are adjusted at a person's waist by a pair of waist straps (74,76). Between the two vests is a cavity (56) and on the front section (42) of the vest, is located a plurality of water collecting openings (58) that serve as targets. When playing the game, the water gun emits a stream of water that is aimed at the openings (58) from where the water falls into the cavity (56). The water collected in the cavities (56) is viewed through a sealed vertical window (62) that is also located on the vest's front section (42).

It has been suggested that man is aggressive by nature and thus drawn to compete in competitive games and sports. For thousands of years, man has competed in combative-type games, which allow a healthy release of hostile and aggressive tendencies. In order for combative-type games to be effective, they must accurately simulate actual combat reality. Most people have a concept of combat from what is seen on television or other media. Whenever an enemy has been shot, the event is registered by the enemy falling down or otherwise becoming disabled.
Water guns and water targets have long been implements of such combative-type games. These water guns allow individuals to shoot at each other and actually register a response when an opponent has been hit. Some of today's water guns are able to accurately shoot water beyond 50 feet. Unfortunately, whenever a water gun is used without accessories little interaction occurs outside of mutual soaking. Similarly, static water targets are simple and often quickly become unchallenging.
At carnivals, water guns using pressurized water are employed to shoot at targets, actuating external devices. Targets of this type plug into electrical current receptacles and utilize mechanically actuated switching components. These components typically require high water pressure, which limits the compactness, mobility and general use of these arrangements.
The inventive water targeting game disclosed herein is played within an obstruction maze and includes a site of vulnerability focused upon a target. Thus, the game becomes more interesting and more fun to play. With practice, some players will find it easier to strike certain vulnerable sites than others. This difference in skills enhances the competitive nature of the game.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention however, the following U.S. patents were considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 5,411,269 Thomas 2 May 1995 4,819,389 Kihn 11 April 1989 4,743,030 Auer et al 10 May 1988 4,363,483 Minami 14 December 1982 ______________________________________
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,269 discloses a water-gun target game and apparatus in which a direct-current electrical water-presence detector, supported by or worn on an outer garment, is the target. A hit by a water jet from a water gun, initiates action by a direct electrical effect ordering responses by switching, sound or visual signaling, and scoring devices. A water-level sensor initiates a signal after a succession of hits or a strong continuous hit. An absorption option disposes received water, allowing repetitious operation. A tank for the water level sensor has a discharge stopper, which when removed, opens a power source circuit and inhibits any response. The object of the game is to project the jet stream of the water gun on to the target, making one or repetitious hits on the apparatus-bearer's bull's-eye.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,389 discloses a typical inflatable tent structure consisting of a plurality of inflatable frames. The first plurality of inflatable frames define an interior region and include a plurality of interconnecting first frame elements which define an opening into the tents interior. The second inflatable frames, which are independently inflatable from the first frames, include a plurality of interconnecting second frame elements and are sized to fit entirely within the interior of the first inflatable frames. To complete the tent structure, a supporting fabric is secured over the first and second inflatable frames.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,030 discloses a simulated combat game set in which the players are provided with toy water guns and each player wears a target. When a gun is fired by a player it shoots out a stream of water, each player trying to hit a vulnerable site on the target worn by an opposing player and thereby strike him out. The vulnerable site on the target consists of a plaque or label having printed thereon a strike symbol or other hit indicator covered by a mask that conceals the indicator. The hit indicator is readable only when the mask is made wet and transparent by the water stream from the water gun.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,483 discloses a game having a transparent housing filled with a liquid and a movable member. The member located in the liquid can be made competitive by utilizing a first and second circulating member each capable of ejecting a stream of liquid from a nozzle to move the movable member. The game incorporates a housing having two separate pivoting members. Each pivoting member is located in association with one of the nozzles and moves in response to impingement of liquid ejected from the nozzles. The ejected liquid impinges upon the surface of the pivoting members to both pivot the members and deflect the stream of liquid. The degree of pivoting and the amount of deflection are dependent on the force of ejection of the stream of liquid.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to the following remaining patents found in the search:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 4,040,622 Sinnott 9 August 1977 4,093,228 Pierce 6 June 1978 4,165,073 Kellerstrass 21 August 1979 4,197,679 Yamada, et al 15 April 1980 4,271,641 Kawaguchi 9 June 1981 4,384,435 Polise 24 May 1983 4,526,366 Kenoun 2 July 1985 4,556,391 Tardivel 3 December 1985 4,718,661 Wolfe 12 January 1988 5,261,873 Bremer et al 16 November 1993 5,263,714 Rudell et al 23 November 1993 5,435,569 Zilliox 25 July 1995 ______________________________________


In a wireless communications system, a base station unit covers a plurality of communications station units and downlink and uplink communication between the base station unit and the communications station unit are wireless. Each of the communications station units covered by the base station unit is assigned to one of a plurality of groups that perform receiving or sending in the same time band. Each group's communication time band is made different for downlink and uplink communication. The downlink communication and uplink communication between the base station unit and plurality of communications station units is performed in time-division multiplexing regarding each of the plurality of groups to achieve a good assignment of groups. At the time of group assignment, the total amount of sending and receiving are adjusted for each group based on the traffic situation in order to reduce the empty time in downlink communication and uplink communication.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wireless communications system or the like that performs wireless communication between base station equipment and a plurality of communications station units, and particularly to technology that achieves a good assignment of groups in a composition wherein each of the communications station units is assigned to a group that defines the receive time band and send time band, and the receive time band and send time band of each communications station unit are made to be different, thereby achieving a good allocation of groups.
In addition, this invention relates to a wireless communications system or the like that performs wireless communication between base station equipment and a plurality of communications station units, and particularly to technology that achieves a good assignment of groups in a composition wherein each of the communications station units is assigned to a group that defines the receive time band and send time band, and the receive time band and send time band of each communications station unit are made to be different, thereby improving the efficiency of data communication.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, subscriber wireless access systems that utilize wireless communication called Wireless Local Loop (WLL) or Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) or the like have been developed and put into practical application. In addition, with the popularity of the Internet, the need for high-speed, large-capacity communication over wireless media has heightened.
In the aforementioned subscriber wireless access systems, base station equipment (BSE) connected to a public circuit network or other backbone network is installed in a fixed location on the top of a building or tower or other high place, while customer premises equipment (CPE) is also installed in a fixed location on the roof of the customer's building or other high place. The customer premises equipment also includes personal computers (PCs) or other communications terminal units and such communications terminal units connected via a local area network (LAN).
Here, the base station equipment and customer premises equipment may each consist of an outdoor unit (ODU) installed in a fixed location on a building roof, tower or other high place and an indoor unit (IDU) installed in a fixed location within a building or the like, and these are connected with a cable. In addition, the outdoor unit of the base station equipment and customer premises equipment is equipped with a wireless processor that performs the processing of wireless communication using an antenna, mainly controlling the processing of wireless communication. In addition, the indoor unit of the base station equipment mainly controls data communication with the backbone network, while the indoor unit of the customer premises equipment mainly controls data communication with the communications terminal units or LAN or the like.
In addition, in the aforementioned subscriber wireless access systems, wireless communication is performed between the base station equipment and customer premises equipment by means of a time-division multiplexing communications protocol using wireless frames. It is thus possible to connect to and perform data communication among the LANs or the like connected to different customer premises equipment covered by the same base station equipment, and also connect to and perform data communication with LANs or the like connected to other customer premises equipment connected to the backbone network connected to the base station equipment.
Here follows a description of an example of the composition of a typical communication frame used in P-MP (Point-Multi Point) wireless communication conducted between base station equipment and customer premises equipment at a plurality of locations in the aforementioned subscriber wireless access systems.
First, in reference to FIGS. 10(a) to 10(f), we shall present an example of the composition of such communication frames.
Note the figure shows an example of the communications protocol in the case of performing wireless communication covering base station equipment at one location (the "base station") and customer premises equipment at two locations ("customer premises 1" and "customer premises 2").
FIG. 10(a) shows an example of the composition of the downlink frames in downlink communication from the base station equipment to the customer premises equipment. These downlink frames consist of the unit frames, the "first frame," "second frame," "third frame" . . . , each of which consisting of one broadcast control channel (BCCH), two downlink-only short data channels (SD1, SD2) and one downlink-only long data channel (LD1).
Here, the BCCH is a downlink traffic channel for achieving synchronization between the base station equipment and customer premises equipment, and for giving permission for data communication from the base station equipment to the customer premises equipment. The SD (SD1 and SD2) is a downlink traffic channel for sending short data from the base station equipment to the customer premises equipment. The LD (LD1) is a downlink traffic channel for sending long data from the base station equipment to the customer premises equipment.
In addition, FIG. 10(b) shows an example of the composition of the uplink frames in uplink communication from the customer premises equipment to the base station equipment. These uplink frames consist of the unit frames, the "first frame," "second frame," "third frame" . . . , each of which consisting of one link control channel (LCCH), two uplink-only short data channels (SU1, SU2) and one uplink-only long data channel (LU1).
Here, the LCCH is an uplink traffic channel for making a request for data communication from the customer premises equipment to the base station equipment. The SU (SU1 and SU2) is an uplink traffic channel for sending short data from the customer premises equipment to the base station equipment. The LU (LU1) is an uplink traffic channel for sending long data from the customer premises equipment to the base station equipment.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) and (b), the downlink frames shown in FIG. 10(a) and the uplink frames shown in FIG. 10(b) are configured such that the two unit frames for each of the unit frames called the "first frame," "second frame," "third frame," . . . are disposed in the same time band. In each unit frame, BCCH and LCCH are disposed in the same time band, while SD1 and SU1 are disposed in the same time band, and LD1 and LU1 are also disposed in the same time band.
Moreover, when such communication frames are used, because of the composition of communication frames, sending and receiving are performed simultaneously in the base station equipment, and sending and receiving are also performed simultaneously in the customer premises equipment.
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) and (b), the base station equipment uses the BCCH to send synchronization information and the like to the customer premises equipment in each unit frame. SD1, SD2 and LD1 are used to send data to the customer premises equipment. The LCCH is used to receive send requests from the customer premises equipment while SU1, SU2 and LU1 are used to receive data from the customer premises equipment.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 10(c), (d), (e) and (f), the customer premises equipment uses the BCCH to receive synchronization information and the like from the base station equipment in each unit frame. SD1, SD2 and LD1 are used to receive data from the base station equipment. The LCCH is used to send send requests to the base station equipment while SU1, SU2 and LU1 are used to send data to the base station equipment. Note that SU1, SU2 and LU1 are used by the customer premises equipment permitted by the base station equipment to send data, and in the customer premises equipment in question, these data channels are used to perform the sending of data to the base station equipment.
In addition, in reference to FIG. 11, we shall present another example of the composition of typical communication frames used in P-MP wireless communication performed between base station equipment and customer premises equipment at a plurality of locations in the aforementioned subscriber wireless access systems.
Note the figure shows an example of the communications protocol in the case of performing wireless communication covering base station equipment at one location (the "base station") and customer premises equipment at two locations ("customer premises 1" and "customer premises 2").
FIG. 11(a) shows an example of the composition of the downlink frames in downlink communication from the base station equipment to the customer premises equipment. These downlink frames consist of a plurality of the unit frames, the "first frame," "second frame," "third frame" . . . , each of which consisting of one broadcast control channel (BCCH), one downlink-only short data channel (SD) and one downlink-only long data channel (LD).
In addition, FIG. 11(b) shows an example of the composition of the uplink frames in uplink communication from the customer premises equipment to the base station equipment. These uplink frames consist of the unit frames, the "first frame," "second frame," "third frame" . . . , each of which consisting of one link control channel (LCCH), one uplink-only short data channel (SU) and one uplink-only long data channel (LU).
In this manner, the composition of the communication frames shown in this figure is identical to the composition of the communication frames shown in FIG. 10 above except that there is only one short data channel (SD, SU) in each unit frame, for example. Moreover, even in the case that such communication frames are used, because of the composition of communication frames, sending and receiving are performed simultaneously in the base station equipment as shown in FIGS. 11(a) and (b), and sending and receiving are also performed simultaneously in the customer premises equipment as shown in FIGS. 11(c), (d), (e) and (f).
However, in a subscriber wireless access system wherein wireless communication is performed between base station equipment and customer premises equipment at a plurality of locations using communication frames such as those shown in the aforementioned FIGS. 10(a) to 10(f) and FIGS. 11(a) to 11(f), it is necessary to perform sending and receiving simultaneously not only by the base station equipment, but also by the customer premises equipment which is required to have an inexpensive composition. Problems occur, for example, when common send/receive blocks cannot be provided from a hardware standpoint, so the customer premises equipment becomes expensive, and the power consumed by the customer premises equipment becomes large.
The present invention is intended to solve such problems and propose wireless communication using communication frames whereby, the wireless frames themselves are given definitions regarding groups which are sets of customer premises equipment and thus each unit of customer premises equipment does not access the base station equipment with sending and receiving simultaneously. However, in a subscriber wireless access system wherein wireless communication is performed with each of the plurality of units of customer premises equipment assigned to one of the groups among the plurality of groups in this manner, it is necessary to perform adequate study regarding how the assignment of groups is to be performed. To wit, the frequency of occurrence of data received by each unit of customer premises equipment is normally different from the frequency of occurrence of data sent and thus the data flow is asymmetric, so differences occur in the usage of wireless channels between the downlink and uplink, and thus differences occur in the overall system throughput depending on how the groups are assigned.
In addition, the frequency of occurrence of the short data and long data received on the downlink and the frequency of occurrence of the short data and long data sent on the uplink of each unit of customer premises equipment can fluctuate depending on the traffic situation, so differences occur in the usage of wireless channels between the downlink and uplink, and thus differences occur in the overall system throughput depending on how the groups are assigned.
The present invention came about in order to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and has as its object to provide a wireless communications system that is able to increase the system throughput by adopting a protocol wherein each communications station unit is assigned to a group and the sending time band and receiving time band are made different for each communications station unit, and thus, at the time that wireless communication is performed between a base station unit and a plurality of communications station units, a good assignment of groups is achieved.
In addition, in the aforementioned conventional subscriber wireless access system, sufficient study had not been made on the point of improving the efficiency of data communication. Specifically, because the wireless bandwidth is limited and guard time containing no radio signals, a preamble, unique word and the like are inserted at the beginning of each data channel, when the region for sending data is divided in a fixed manner as described above into the SD1 (or SU1), SD2 (or SU2), LD1 (or LU1) to obtain a frame composition with such a data channel composition, there are problems in that the utilization of the communication bandwidth is limited depending on the data content.
The present invention came about in order to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and has as its object to provide a wireless communications system that is able to increase the efficiency of data communication by adopting a protocol wherein each communications station unit is assigned to a group and the sending time band and receiving time band are made different for each communications station unit at the time that wireless communication is performed between a base station unit and a plurality of communications station units.


An image processing apparatus comprises: a reception unit adapted to receive image data transmitted from a host computer; first and second communication units adapted to communicate with a second image processing apparatus different from the image processing apparatus; a determination unit adapted to determine a type of image data; and a decision unit adapted to decide, on the basis of determination by the determination unit, whether to use the first communication unit or the second communication unit to transfer the image data.

Conventionally, an image processing system has been used, in which an image forming apparatus and image reading apparatus are connected to an image processing controller connected to a PDL controller through a command I/F and Video I/F. The PDL controller creates raster image data by rasterizing each page of a print job described in PDL into an image. The command I/F serves to exchange commands. The Video I/F serves to exchange video image data.
The PDL controller interprets a PDL job received from a host computer connected through a network or the like to form a raster image, and sends a command sequence generated on the basis of the analysis result to the image processing controller through the command I/F. The PDL controller then sends the image data to the image processing controller through the Video I/F.
The image processing controller starts the image forming apparatus to form an image on a paper medium on the basis of the received command sequence and image data, and then output the paper medium outside the apparatus (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 8-272555, 10-171617, and 11-240211).
In this conventional image processing system, image data is transferred by using the Video I/F, which is an image transfer path, regardless of the type of job to be processed. This Video I/F is exclusively designed for the transfer of uncompressed raster image data. When the image forming apparatus is a color printer, the Video I/F is designed to transfer 8-bit CMYK (four colors) signals per pixel in synchronism with an image clock. The data transfer rate of the Video I/F can be sufficiently increased in accordance with the engine speed. This I/F, however, requires dedicated hardware and its control mechanism, and hence leads to an increase in cost.
In addition, the transfer of image data occupies the Video I/F regardless of the type of image. Therefore, the next job cannot be transferred unless the transfer of the previous job is completed, even if the job does not require high image quality or is designed to print a black-and-white image by using an image forming apparatus capable of color printing. That is, the dedicated hardware is not effectively used.

Image data communication in image processing system


The present invention relates to an optical receiving apparatus designed to receive light wavelength-demultiplexed in a wavelength multiplex optical transmission system. The optical receiving apparatus includes an optical level adjusting unit for adjusting a level of light inputted and for outputting the level-adjusted light and a light receiving unit for receiving the light outputted from the optical level adjusting unit. An optical level adjusted quantity in the optical level adjusting unit is set so that the level of light of relatively shorter wavelength band becomes lower than the level of light of relatively longer wavelength band. This enables normal signal light reception to be achieved irrespective of a variation in the number of wavelengths with a simple configuration.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical receiving apparatus and optical level adjusted quantity setting method used therefore, suitable for use in a wavelength multiplex optical transmission system.
2) Description of the Related Art
In the recent years, as one example of the WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplex) optical transmission systems, attention has been attracted with respect to a metrocore system which makes connections among local based cities and which is capable of carrying out the add/drop of optical signals with arbitrary wavelengths at arbitrary nodes. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a metrocore system. In this system shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of OADM (Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) nodes 100 are connected through transmission lines (optical fibers) 400 into a ring-like configuration so that, at each of the OADM nodes 100, a signal light with an arbitrary wavelength (channel) can be added to the transmission line 400 and, of WDM signal light propagating along the transmission lines 400, a signal light with an arbitrary wavelength can be dropped therefrom. In addition, optical amplifiers (pre-amplifier 200 and post-amplifier 300) are respectively provided properly at former and latter stages relative to each of the OADM nodes 100 for making a compensation for loss of signal light level among the OADM nodes (which hereinafter will equally be referred to simply as "nodes") to lengthen the transmission distance.
In a such a system designed to add/drop signal light at an arbitrary node, since the number of signal wavelengths (which will hereinafter be referred to equally as "number of transmission wavelengths") transmitted in the system (transmission lines 400) varies dynamically, in order to maintain constant output optical power of each wavelength (channel) against this wavelength number variation (maintain the gain flat characteristic with respect to wavelength), an AGC amplifier having an automatic gain control (AGC) function is commonly used for each of the above-mentioned amplifiers 200 and 300.
In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the AGC amplifier is made such that portions of input/output lights to/from an optical amplifier (EDFA) 200 (300) are dropped by optical dropping means 501 and 502, respectively, and the respective powers [that is, input/output optical powers to/from the optical amplifier 200 (300)] are monitored by PDs 601 and 602, respectively, so that the excitation optical power to the EDFA 200 (300) is controlled by an automatic gain control unit 700 so as to make the power ratio constant.
Meanwhile, for example, as shown in FIG. 15(A), in such a system, let it be assumed that a large number of optical signals (for example, 39 wavelengths) are added from a given node 100 (100A) and one different one-wavelength optical signal is added from the next node 100 (100B). In this situation, for example, as shown in FIG. 15(B), in a case in which a trouble such as dynamic re-construction of an optical transmission path, man-made mistake, fiber disconnection or connector fall-out has occurred between the nodes 100A and 100B, only the signal light added at the node 100B remains (that is, the number of transmission wavelengths varies abruptly).
In response to this abrupt variation of the number of transmission wavelengths, for example, as shown in FIG. 16(A), there occurs a phenomenon that the power level of the residual optical signal varies at a signal reception end.
In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, the aforesaid "signal reception end" signifies an optical receiver 101 having an optical/electrical conversion (O/E) function to receive a dropped light for converting it into an electric signal, and this also applies to the following description. Moreover, a "signal transmission end" signifies an optical transmitter 102 having an electrical/optical conversion function (E/O) to transmit a transmission signal (electric signal) with an added light having a predetermined wavelength.
For example, as shown in FIG. 16(B), the aforesaid signal optical power fluctuation stems mainly from three factors: (1) spectral hole burning (SHB), (2) gain (wavelength) deviation and (3) stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) effect. Each of these factors will be described hereinbelow.
(1) SHB
The first factor "SHB" is a phenomenon occurring in an optical amplifier 200 (300) and shows a feature that the shorter wavelength side optical signal power falls. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, when an optical signal with one wavelength (for example, 1538 nm) in the C band (1530 to 1565 nm) is amplified in the optical amplifier 200 (300), there occurs a phenomenon that the EDFA gain in the vicinity of this signal wavelength drops (which is referred to as main hole) and the EDFA gain in the vicinity of 1530 nm also falls (which is referred to as second hole).
In addition, in the C band, there is a characteristic that the main hole becomes deeper toward the shorter wavelength side (the gain falling degree increases), and the main hole and the second hole become deeper as the optical signal input power increases. This SHB is subjected to the averaging in a state where a multi-wavelength signal light is inputted thereto and the influence thereof is low, whereas the influence thereof increases as the number of inputted wavelengths decreases. For this reason, for example, as shown in the row (1) of FIG. 16(B) and as shown in FIG. 18(A), in a case in which only one-wavelength signal light remains because a trouble has occurred between the nodes 100A and 100B as mentioned above, there occurs a phenomenon that the gain of the optical amplifier 200 (300) further decreases in the case of the shorter wavelength side residual signal light, which causes a reduction (−ΔP) of the output optical power.
(2) Gain Deviation
The second factor "gain (wavelength) deviation" is a phenomenon occurring in the optical amplifier 200 (300). That is, as mentioned above, the optical amplifier 200 (300) is designed to execute control (AGC) for maintaining a constant average gain of signal light and, when a wavelength producing a deviation remains, as shown in the row (2) of FIG. 16(B), with respect to the residual optical signal, the output optical power varies (in this case, +ΔP).
(3) SRS Effect
The third factor "SRS effect" is a phenomenon occurring in the transmission lines 400. The Raman amplifier is an optical amplifier utilizing this SRS effect. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the SRS of a common single mode fiber shows a feature that a gain peak appears on a lower frequency side shifted by approximately 13 THz from the excitation light wavelength (longer wavelength side by approximately 100 nm in a case in which the excitation light wavelength is in the vicinity of 1400 nm), and the optical signal amplification in an arbitrary wavelength band becomes feasible by the selection of an excitation light wavelength. However, as shown in FIG. 19, difficulty is still experienced in enabling the amplification of a pinpoint wavelength, and the amplification (gain) characteristic has some degree of spread with respect to wavelength and, hence, the amplification phenomenon occurs even in the vicinity of the excitation light wavelength.
That is, in a case in which a WDM optical signal is transmitted through the transmission lines 400, the shorter wavelength side signal optical power becomes the excitation optical power, which amplifies the longer wavelength side signal light. In consequence, as shown in FIG. 20, the phenomenon appears that the signal optical power increases toward the longer wavelength side. Accordingly, in a case in which only one-wavelength signal light remains due to the occurrence of a trouble between the nodes 100A and 100B as mentioned above, as shown in the row (3) of FIG. 16(B) and in FIG. 18(B), the longer wavelength side residual signal light encounters a larger difficulty to take the power from the shorter wavelength side, and a power (gain) reduction (−ΔP) occurs.
Thus, if the number of wavelengths of a WDM signal light propagating through the transmission lines 400 varies largely, mainly, due to the three factors of the SHB, gain deviation and SRS, the output optical power of the residual signal light (residual channel) varies. In the OADM node 100, it is possible to place a function to adjust the levels of the signal lights with the respective wavelengths through the use of the feedback control, and this feedback control can cope with the fluctuation of the output optical power stemming from the aforesaid variation of the number of signal light wavelengths and the locations.
However, this respective-wavelengths handling feedback control usually takes a considerable long time from the variation of the number of wavelengths (time t0) up to the steady-state functioning (time t2) as shown in FIG. 16(A). That is, difficulty is actually encountered in suppressing even the transient fluctuation of the output optical power after the variation of the number of wavelengths as shown by the time t1 in FIG. 16(A).
In addition, with respect to such a transient fluctuation of the output optical level, although the fluctuation for each node 100 or for each transmission line 400 is not very large, the power fluctuation characteristics of one optical amplifier 102 and the transmission line 400 increases cumulatively in the case of the system in which similar optical amplifiers 102 carrying out the AGC and the transmission lines 400 are provided in a multi-stage fashion.
For example, as shown in FIG. 21(A), before the variation of the number of wavelengths, the reception level at a signal reception end (see the optical receiver 101 in FIG. 22) under each node 100 is in a normal range (reception tolerable range) even if the number of spans increases. That is, as mentioned above with reference to FIG. 15(A), in a case in which 39 waves are added at the node 100A while 1 wave is added at the node 100B and light having 40 waves in total from the nodes 100A and 100B is received at a signal reception end, in the case of a normal state where a trouble shown in FIG. 15(B) does not occur, even if a signal reception end is provided under any one of the nodes existing between the spans #1 to #5 in FIG. 15(A), the received optical power fluctuation is not accumulated at the signal reception end, so stable light reception becomes feasible.
However, when a variation in the number of wavelengths occurs as shown in FIG. 15(B), as shown in FIG. 21(B), the optical power fluctuation (ΔP) per channel which occurs in the respective optical amplifiers 200 and 300 and the transmission lines 400 increases cumulatively due to an increase in the number of spans, i.e., an increase in the number of passing optical amplifiers in a multi-stage fashion. That is, the received optical power fluctuation due to the influence of the variation of the number of wavelengths increases between the nodes 100A and 100B as a signal reception end is provided under the node 100 at a place where the number of passing spans #1 to #5 increases. The example in FIG. 21(B) shows that the negative-side reception power fluctuation increases due to an increase in number of spans.
In the case of a conventional optical transmission system which provides a short transmission distance and which has a small number of stages of the optical amplifiers, this fluctuation is minute and does not create a problem. However, in the future, along with a further increase in the number of stages of optical amplifiers for the long-distance transmission of the system, as shown in FIG. 21(B), there is a possibility that one of the optical signal powers of the respective wavelengths (channels) at the signal reception end or a plurality of optical signal powers are out of a reception tolerable range, which creates a transmission error. In other words, in a wavelength multiplex optical transmission system which performs a repeating transmission through a plurality of nodes 100 each having an OADM function, there is a possibility that the occurrence of a trouble in one transmission line zone can affect the communication in another transmission line zone.
Accordingly, considering the future development of a further lengthening of transmission distance, there is a need for realizing stable optical reception irrespective of the aforesaid occurrence of the optical power fluctuation.
As techniques related to the invention of the present application, for example, there are the techniques disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 to 3.
The Patent Document 1 discloses an optical wavelength demultiplexer having a function to detect a level of an optical signal demultiplexed according to wavelength and further to attenuate the optical signal level of the corresponding wavelength as the detected optical signal level is higher.
Moreover, the Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of reducing the degradation of the SRS through the use of an amplifier for amplifying WDM channels simultaneously and a WDM shaping means.
Still moreover, the Patent Document 3 discloses a technique of suppression-controlling the transient fluctuation of the signal light level due to the SRS or SHB in a transmission apparatus at a repeating stage.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-198478    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. HEI 9-8730    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-295113
However, each of the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3 does not disclose a configuration for carrying out the optical reception in an error-free condition even if received optical level fluctuation factors due to the above-mentioned variation of the number of wavelengths appear in transmission lines.

Optical receiving apparatus and optical level adjusted quantity setting method therefor


Aspects of the invention relate to enhanced oxygen transfer agent systems and methods of use thereof. According to one aspect, a method for producing olefins from a hydrocarbon feed includes the step of contacting a hydrocarbon feed comprised of one or more alkanes with an oxygen transfer agent at a temperature of 350° C. to 1000° C. The oxygen transfer agent comprising an oxygen-donating chalcogen agent comprised of at least one of S, Se, or Te and a reducible metal oxide. The chalcogen having an oxidation state greater than +2. According to another aspect, a method for producing one or more olefins by partial combustion of a hydrocarbon feed includes partially combusting a hydrocarbon feed comprised of one or more alkanes by contacting the hydrocarbon feed with an oxygen transfer agent comprising CaS04 at a temperature of 350° C. to 1000° C. to produce one or more olefins comprising ethylene and coproducing water.

Ethylene and propylene are important building blocks for the petrochemical industry. These olefins are used in the manufacturing of polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and many more chemicals of commercial interest. Over 90% of global olefin production may come from the high temperature steam cracking of naphtha or ethane and propane. The steam cracking process, which utilizes furnaces, is highly energy intensive, and 1.5 to 2 tons of carbon dioxide is produced for every ton of olefin product.
Natural gas production from shale deposits has dramatically increased supply in recent years. As a result of the continued global demand for olefins and the potential for a new growing supply of ethane and propane available in natural gas liquids from shale deposits, a significant amount of interest and investment is currently centered around expanding the capacity of ethylene and propylene derived from these new sources. However, there are many environmental and cost challenges associated with processes for deriving ethylene and propylene from natural gas liquids.
Olefin production is the largest emitter of CO2 and NOx in the organic chemical industry. With worldwide ethylene production at ˜150 MT/yr, the industry emits 150-300 MT/yr of CO2 and roughly 1.4 MT/yr of NOx. Projects located in severe EPA non-attainment zones are challenged by the increased cost of NOx control. The total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission profile, reported in CO2 equivalents, is another critical part of the permitting for all production expansions.
It is well understood that olefin production from natural gas liquids using oxidative transformation processes is limited by several over-oxidation pathways. Specifically, the desired olefin products may be far more reactive with the oxygen molecules than the methane and/or hydrocarbon feed, which results in rapid conversion of the desired olefin products to more thermodynamically stable undesired byproducts, such as CO2. Additionally, traditional oxidative transformation processes using oxygen molecules typically increase local temperatures within the reactions by 150-300° C., thereby presenting significant heat management and reactor design issues.
Accordingly, in recent years, processes for producing olefins have relied upon the weaker C—S and H—S bonds as well as lower bond enthalpies resulting from use of S2 as an oxidant. Specifically, it is conventional wisdom that the bonds between H—S provides benefits over processes where oxygen is reacted with hydrocarbons.
There is a long standing need for improved systems and methods for efficiently producing olefins from hydrocarbon feeds.

Enhanced oxygen transfer agent systems for oxidative dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons


A Novel composition and a method for treating anorectal diseases including hemorrhoids and colonic diseases with long term effectiveness and low prolapse rates is disclosed. The compositions are water soluble and can be uniformly applied in the affected region. The composition comprises Flavonoidal constituents which possess anti-inflammatory properties.

Anorectal and colonic diseases are usually characterised by inflammation of the infected region. Other common symptoms are those associated with inflammation, like heat, itching, redness, pain and swelling. A common characteristic of such anorectal and colonic diseases is the appearance of fissures, cracks, fistulas and abscesses.
Among the various anorectal and colonic diseases, hemorrhoids occupy a prominent position and have been the subject of numerous clinical studies. Hemorrhoidal disease is characterised by bleeding, without any pain. Fresh blood spots occur immediately, on defecation. However, pain occurs when the hemorrhoids are secondarily infected, or complicated by thrombosis and anal fissures. Hemorrhoids is characterised by episodes of acute hemorrhoid attacks, with bleeding, pain and prolapse of hemorrhoidal mass.
Thus, an effective treatment of acute hemorrhoidal attacks should not only provide relief as early as 2-3 days, after initiation of the treatment, but also reduce the recurrence of such attacks.
There exist several procedures for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Patents have been granted in respect of surgical dressings (WO 8803398) and surgical devices (European patent No. 0095142). A patent, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,635) has been granted for the use of lasers in the treatment of hemorrhoids. The techniques of cryopharmacotherapy and electrochemical techniques for treatment of hemorrhoids have also been patented vide European patent No. 0091405 and European Patent No. 0116688, respectively. However, the biggest drawbacks of the above, are the involvement of medical experts beyond mere prescription of medicines and probable hospitalisation. Also, some of them are physically and/or psychologically unpleasant in application.
Several patents (U.S Pat. Nos. 4,160,148, 4,508,728, 4,797,392, 4,518,583 and 5,234,914) have been granted in the United States of America in respect of compositions containing certain wound healing agents to provide symptomatic relief, by promoting tissue repair, reducing inflammation and encouraging wound healing. Some of them like U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,518,583 and 5,234,914 contain antimicrobial agents. These compositions, however, only relieve symptoms associated with inflammation, like heat, itching, redness, pain and swelling.
A number of compositions for the treatment of anorectal diseases (including hemorrhoids) are based on the anaesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties of the constituents, but these provide only temporary symptomatic relief.
Patents in the United States of America (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,613,498, 4,626,433, 5,166,132, 5,219,880, 5,234,914 and 4,797,392) and Europe (European Patents Nos. 0225832 and 0513442) have been granted in respect of compositions with varying constituents, for topical application in the form of suitable and acceptable pharmaceutical carriers, such as salts, salves, ointments etc., with organic, inorganic and biological active agents. However, these compositions provide only temporary relief and are limited to local application and cannot be used for systemic use or oral administration.
A topical treatment for hemorrhoidal pain and for spasms of the sphintcters and muscles located in the GI tract is disclosed in a granted patent (U.S. Pat. No. 595,753) which includes amino acid L-arginine in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Another U.S. Pat. No. (5,591,436) has been granted for a composition for dietary supplement for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The composition comprisis 60% to 95% Indian Barberry by weight; 4.8% to 38% Nagkesar by weight; and 0.2% to 2% Margosa tree leaves by weight.
Another U.S. Pat. No. (5,562,906) discloses the use of bark or berries of the species Xanthoxylum clavaherculis L and Xanthoxylum americanum Hill, both of the yellow wood tree family, both containing the compound Xanthoxylum are employed for the treatment of hemorrhoids and other membrane and capillary disorders of the veins and arteries. Improved strength and flexibility of the veins, arteries and their constituent structures is obtained.
There is available in the market, pharmaceutical compositions containing diosmin and a combination of diosmin and hesperidin for the treatment of hemorrhoids. However, the concentration of diosmin and hesperidin in such compositions is much higher than the concentrations of flavonoids of the present invention. Besides such diosmin and hesperidin are obtained from synthetic sources.
The inventors have researched, and as a result of the expenditure of time and mental faculties have found that the flavonoid composition of the present invention exhibits surprisingly significant enhanced pharmacological and therapeutic response at much lower dosage levels in comparison to existing compositions employing flavonoids.
The present invention provides a Pharmaceutical composition which is safe and painless and has long term effectiveness.

Pharmaceutical composition for the control and treatment of anorectal and colonic diseases

University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences


A communication apparatus includes: a first communication unit which wirelessly communicates with a first device using a channel in a frequency band; a determination unit which determines a number of times by which the first communication unit transmits data to the first device before transmitting the data; and a communication controller which controls the first communication unit to transmit the data to the first device by the number of times determined by the determination unit.

A communication apparatus wirelessly communicates with different devices using the same frequency band by a plurality of wireless communication methods. However, in this communication apparatus, the same frequency band is used by the respective wireless communication methods so that radio wave interference occurs and may harmfully influence the communication quality. JP-A-Hei. 6-224837 describes a wireless mobile phone device which receives a same signal about one data by a plurality of times at different times and maintains excellent communication quality by selecting a signal without errors among the received signals.
However, according to the wireless mobile phone device, the same signal about one data is received by a plurality of times at different times so that wasteful power would be consumed. JP-A-Hei. 11-341534 describes a radio calling receiver which realizes power saving by detecting errors in received information on a sub-frame basis and omitting the operation for receiving information on a sub-frame in which no error has detected, that is, which has been correctly received, from the next same sub-frame receiving.
However, according to the wireless calling receiver, it is required to execute determination processing to determine whether an error exists in each sub-frame, and therefore, the entire processing becomes complicated.

Communication apparatus and communication system