Systems and methods for improved exposure of database schema information are disclosed. Generally, a database driver may retrieve and provide database schema information according to one of two default methods or, also, a third override method. The first default method is to execute a query on the database. The second default method is to retrieve information from a hard-coded collection stored locally at the driver. The third override method is to retrieve information from a designated file that may be updated at any time without having to update the database and/or driver binaries.

In conventional computing systems, the need to access large amounts of complex data is growing at a rapid pace. Accordingly, databases are capable of storing increasing volumes of data with increasingly complex structures. Databases are constantly updated with new versions that enable the storage of additional content and the creation of additional data types. To enable these databases to be efficiently accessed and manipulated, it is necessary to expose database schema information, which is metadata that describes the structure and/or content of the database.
This database schema information is exposed by a database driver. The term "driver," as used herein, refers to a database driver, database provider, or any middle layer mechanism that provides an application with access to a database. Conventional database drivers may expose database schema information to an application in a number of ways, namely, through query mechanisms, through hard-coded data, or through application program interface (API) calls directly to the database server.
A disadvantage of these conventional exposure mechanism is that they are limited with respect to updating of database schema information. For example, when a database is updated with new content, new data types, or generally any new information, the driver binaries that expose this information must also be updated along with the database binaries. This causes a very tight coupling of the drivers to the database. This tight coupling is particularly problematic when a driver is not ready to ship at the same time as the database itself. For example, a first version of a database (DB.1) may support a data type that is called ServerA_Float_V1. If the corresponding first version driver (d.1) ships at the same time as DB.1, then d.1 will likely be able to provide metadata that describes the ServerA_Float_V1 data type. Later, a second version of the database (DB.2) may support a new data type that is called ServerA_Float_V2. If the corresponding second version driver (d.2) is not ready to ship at the same time as DB.2, then the driver will have no way to provide metadata about the ServerA_Float_V2 data type until d.2 is ready to ship.
Another disadvantage of conventional database systems is that they are limited with respect to the flexibility of database schema information. Specifically, conventional databases define a pre-determined list of collections through which database schema information may be exposed. Additionally, an exact pre-determined format is also required for each of the pre-determined collections. These pre-determined collections and formats are problematic because the structure and content of conventional databases is highly variable and greatly dependent on the particular applications for which the data is used. Furthermore, conventional databases require both content and structure to be described in a single collection. This combination of content and structure forces collections to be unduly large and complex, thereby increasing the time required to read and search the collections to generate results. Accordingly, there is a need to improve upon the conventional systems and methods for the exposure of database schema information.

System and method for improved exposure of database schema information


A method of generating and using a 2D barcode to provide an authenticated service subscriber with an adapted offer comprising monitoring and identifying, by a monitoring application associated with a first service provider, a social network for keywords related to a negative subscriber interaction with a second service provider; engaging a subscriber associated with the negative interaction by the first service provider; generating a one-time use 2D barcode associated with an offer and comprising embedded subscriber information; storing the barcode in a data store; sending the barcode to a mobile device; presenting and scanning the barcode; decoding the information by an offer application; authenticating the identity of the subscriber; adapting the offer based on the subscriber information; searching an inventory data store associated with a physical retail location of the first service provider; locating and presenting the adapted offer; and marking the barcode as expired in the barcode data store.

Millions of people use social media networks to interact with others. Users of social networks may create user profiles and post content related to their lives. User profiles may comprise personal information, such as demographic information. Posts by users may express opinions, thoughts, and/or general messages for others to view. Hundreds of millions of posts about a variety of topics may be transmitted over social networks every day. Social networks may also be used to disseminate information.

Method for generating and using a 2D barcode


A process for recycling rubber, elastomers, and thermoset materials in which the material to be recycled is pulverized in a manner which maintains the chemical composition of the material, producing a powder. The powder is introduced into a mold which is heated to a temperature of at least about 200.degree. C. and a compression force of at least about 10 tons is applied to the powder for a period of at least one hour, resulting in formation of a single piece of the rubber, elastomeric, or thermoset material, with no change in chemical structure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for recycling of polymeric materials, in particular rubber and elastomers, in which the polymeric material is pulverized in a manner which does not change its chemical composition so as to produce a polymeric powder, which polymeric powder is then reformed into a single piece of polymeric material. The process of this invention reconstitutes the polymeric material, such as rubber, without changing its chemical structure whereby chemical bonds that were broken during the pulverization process are linked.
2. Description of Prior Art
Present devulcanization and thermomechanical processes for reconstitution of rubber change the chemical structure of the rubber and, in turn, reproduce rubbers having poorer mechanical properties than the original rubber. Processes for the reconstitution of rubber are taught, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,101 which teaches a method for the continuous, dry, non-pressurized regeneration of salvaged rubber in which the rubber is heated to a reclamation temperature in a two-stage process, whereby the overall heat required is introduced by microwave heating and conventional heating; U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,500 which teaches a process and apparatus for making a rubber-like product from rubber scrap in which the rubber scrap is mixed with added sulphur and a pressure of about 1,000 to 3,000 pounds per square inch applied thereto for one to ten minutes at a temperature of about 250.degree. to about 450.degree. F.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,700 which teaches a method and apparatus for recovering devulcanized rubber or purified carbon and volatiles from a crumb rubber feed material in which the material is introduced into a first chamber under pressure, the pressure is reduced and the rubber particles are conveyed therethrough with a screw conveyor, microwave energy input is provided to the rubber particles so as not to effect chemical destruction of volatile components, the volatiles are recovered from the rubber particles after it has been heated, and rubber crumb is withdrawn from the first chamber, which steps are then repeated in a second chamber; U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,409 which teaches a method of making recycled tire roof sheeting in which used tires are shredded into small particle sizes and subsequently compacted into large log-like articles; U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,034 which teaches a method for continuously processing coarse-grain waste rubber into a secondary rubber raw material in which the coarse-grain waste rubber is exposed to a thermoshock without access to oxygen at a temperature of about 200.degree. C. to 900.degree. C. for a period of 5 to 200 seconds; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,817 which teaches the reclamation of vulcanized rubber by heating powdered vulcanized rubber to a temperature for desulpherization of the rubber and, on completion of the desulpherization, cooling the desulpherized rubber to a temperature at which substantially no oxidation thereof can occur.
Numerous methods for breaking down rubber compounds for recycling and other applications are well known to those skilled in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,796 teaches a method for producing powders from rubber and vulcanization products in which the source material is pulverized in an extruder in which it is first compressed by a force of 0.2 to 0.7 MPa and then subjected simultaneously to a pressure ranging from 0.2 to 50 MPa at a sheer force ranging from 0.3 to 5N/mm.sup.2 while heating the material to a temperature ranging from 80.degree. C. to 250.degree. C. and then cooling the material to a temperature ranging from 15.degree. C. to 60.degree. C. U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,413 teaches a continuous ultrasonic method for breaking the carbon-sulphur, sulphur-sulphur, and carbon-carbon bonds in a vulcanized elastomer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,216 teaches a shredding machine and process for recycling used vehicular tires comprising a primary shredder and process, a secondary shredder and process, a granulator and a first process, a material separating means and process, and a granulator and a second process. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,218 teaches a vulcanizable rubber compound comprising an oxidized oligomer derived from thermally decomposed rubber materials, and containing a diene rubber.

Process for recycling of rubber materials


In a rear wheel steering vehicle equipped with a vehicle motion stability control system that can be selectively switched on and off, the motion stability of the vehicle is prevented from being impaired when an abnormal condition should develop to a rear wheel steering device of the vehicle. In addition to the rear wheel steering device, the vehicle is provided with an abnormal condition processing unit that turns on the vehicle motion stability control system upon detection of the abnormal condition of the rear wheel rear wheel steering device while the vehicle motion stability control system is turned off.

In a known rear wheel steering vehicle, an actuator is provided between a link mechanism that determines the steering angle and the vehicle body, and the steering angles of the right and left wheels are individually varied depending on the cornering condition of the vehicle by extending and retracting the actuator so as to change the dimension between the vehicle body and link mechanism. See Japanese patent laid open publication (kokai) No. 09-030438 (patent document 1). Such a rear wheel steering vehicle may include devices for stabilizing the motion stability of the vehicle such as a ABS (anti-lock braking system) for preventing the locking of wheels when braking, TCS (traction control system) for preventing the free miming of wheels when accelerating the vehicle and VSA (vehicle stability assist syStem) that is additionally provided with a function to limit a side slipping of the vehicle when cornering.
In connection with rear wheel steering vehicles equipped with a vehicle motion stability control system, it is known to prohibit the control action of the vehicle motion stability control system when the rear wheel steering device has become faulty and is thereby rendered incapable of performing a normal rear wheel steering. See Japanese patent laid open publication (kokai) No. 09-123889 (patent document 2).
In the rear wheel steering vehicle disclosed in patent document 1, upon occurrence of a failure in the rear wheel steering control device, the control by the vehicle motion stability control system is disabled. However, if the rear wheels are caused to be fixed in a certain condition (such as a toe out condition) owing to the occurrence of a failure (such as system down) of the rear wheel steering control device, the motion stability of the vehicle when traveling straight ahead or making a turn may be impaired. Therefore, if the vehicle motion stability control system is capable of operating properly, it is desirable to activate the vehicle motion stability control system upon occurrence of an abnormal condition in the rear wheel steering control device so as to achieve a motion stability of the vehicle. In particular, if the vehicle is equipped with a vehicle motion stability control system that can be selectively turned on and off, it is necessary to force the vehicle motion stability control system to be turned on when the vehicle motion stability control system is turned off.


Implant engagement mechanisms are disclosed for maintaining engagement with a stent until it has been fully deployed and expanded from a catheter or sheath. The apparatus, method and system involving these engagement mechanisms allow a physician to withdraw or retract a sheath prior to full deployment, thereby allowing for redeployment of the stent at a more desirable position.

Medical implants such as stents or stent grafts can also be used to open blood vessels to mitigate the effects of plaque buildup, as a scaffold to keep embolic material within an aneurysm, as a flow diverter to limit blood flow to certain regions, or for other reasons.
Stents or other implants are often delivered with delivery devices comprising a sheath or catheter and an elongated pusher within that catheter. Once the distal end of the sheath is located at a desired location, the sheath is either retracted or the pusher is used to push the stent out of the sheath. However, stents are not always deployed in the precise position that physician may intend, and therefore it can be desirable to retract the stent back into the sheath prior to its final deployment.


A method for determining data characterizing a primitive resulting after the primitive has been subjected to clipping determines the data after the primitive has been clipped. The data, which may be attribute data, is not determined prior to clipping, thereby saving processing time if the primitive is clipped entirely from view (i.e., a viewing plane displayed on a display device). The primitive initially is defined by a set of initial vertices and a set of attributes associated with the initial vertices. After each instance of clipping, the primitive becomes a resulting primitive defined by a modified set of vertices that may include a new vertex and a modified set of attributes associated with the modified set of vertices.

There are many prior art techniques for using computers to display (i.e., render) realistic graphical images. In an effort to standardize such techniques, graphics application programming interfaces (APIs) have been created both to (1) define how rendering is to be performed internal to a computer graphics program, and (2) to offer a consistent programming interface for constructing efficient computer graphics rendering programs. A fundamental component of such APIs is that a graphics program must be able to clip images (defined below) to be displayed upon a display device. The images that are displayed often are formed by combining tens of thousands of "primitives" that themselves often are clipped.
Selected terms used in the specification and the accompanying claims are defined as follows:
A primitive is an m-sided polygon having both an inside surface and an outside surface. Attributes (discussed below) are rendered on the outside surface and not on the inside surface. PA1 A frustrum is an n-dimensionally defined viewing area. PA1 Clipping is the process of truncating a line segment that forms part of the perimeter of a primitive shape to the intersection of the line segment with a view area, where the view area is a region defined by view planes, clipping planes, or frustrums, and where only the portion of the primitive within the view area is to be displayed. PA1 Culling is a process for verifying whether the outside surface of a primitive faces away from the viewing and, if so, not rendering that primitive.
A primitive is defined by a collection of vertex points. The vertex points represent the ends of line-segments forming the shape of the primitive. There are at least two types of primitives. The first type is defined by the set of vertices defining the primitive before clipping or culling has been performed. The second is defined by vertices that are generated after the first type of primitive has been clipped and culled. Associated with each initial vertex is data including the spatial-coordinates for the vertex, as well as other information regarding attributes of the primitive at that vertex. Attributes may include color, lighting, texture, shading, fog, reflection, opacity, or other known attributes desired to be tracked and rendered by the graphics program. When the first type of primitive is clipped, a resulting primitive (second type of primitive) is formed having an edge corresponding to the intersection of the first primitive with the view area. The portions of the first primitive that extend over the edge and outside of the view area are discarded. New vertices are formed at the intersections of the primitive component line-segments and the view area.
In the prior art, the attribute values at the initial vertices for the primitive are calculated before clipping or culling. Graphics APIs such as, for example, OpenGL (originally created by Silicon Graphics Systems, Inc.) Often are utilized in calculating attribute values. For more information regarding the OpenGL API standard, "The OpenGL Technical Library" (ISBN 0-201-63276-4; ISBN 0-201-63274-8), published by Addison-Wesley, is incorporated herein by reference. The "OpenGL Reference Manual: The Official Reference Document for OpenGL, Release 1", by the OpenGL Architecture Review Board, published by Addison-Wesley (1992), also is incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an exemplary process used by typical prior art applications for rendering a primitive. The process begins at step 1 in which the graphics rendering system receives the initial vertices corresponding to a primitive to be displayed. At step 2, the vertices are transformed, if necessary, into the coordinate system of the rendering system. At step 3, a check is made to determine whether the primitive may be trivially rejected before proceeding with clipping. If so, processing stops at step 4. If the primitive cannot be trivially rejected, the process continues to steps 5, 6. 7, and 8, in which lighting, texturing, fog, or other attribute values are calculated for the initial vertices of the primitive. At step 9, a test is made to determine whether the primitive must be clipped against the viewing area or other area defined by the user of the rendering system. If clipping is not necessary, then the process skips to step 13 (discussed below). If clipping is necessary, then the primitive is clipped and new vertices are formed corresponding to the edges of the clipped region (step 10)). At step 11, it then is determined whether any portion of the primitive remains in the viewing area after clipping. If no portion remains, then the primitive is rejected at step 12, thus terminating processing. If some portion of the primitive remains, then the process continues to step 13 in which the face direction of the primitive is calculated. Based on the face direction, it then is determined at step 14 whether culling is appropriate. If culling is appropriate, the process terminates (step 15). If culling is not appropriate, then the resulting primitive (i.e., second type of primitive) is displayed (step 16).
One problem with the prior art method shown in FIG. 1 is that many unnecessary calculations for ascertaining attribute values at the initial vertices are performed for primitives that are ultimately culled or completely clipped out of view. Specifically, it is not necessary to calculate the attribute values (which may be computationally intensive) if a primitive is not to be displayed. Doing such calculations therefore is inefficient since it utilizes valuable processor time for making these detailed and unnecessary computations.

Graphics processing with efficient clipping


Methods for forming integrated circuit structures are provided. The method includes providing a substrate including a first diffusion region, a second diffusion region, and an isolation structure separating the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region. The method further includes forming a gate structure over the substrate and forming an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer over the substrate. The method further includes forming a cutting mask over a portion of the gate structure over the isolation structure, and the cutting mask has an extending portion covering a portion of the ILD layer. The method further includes forming a photoresist layer having an opening, and a portion of the extending portion of the cutting mask is exposed by the opening. The method further includes etching the ILD layer through the opening to form a trench and filling the trench with a conductive material to form a contact.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. However, these advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed.
In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs.
However, although existing manufacturing process for IC devices have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, as device scaling-down continues, they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects.

Method for forming integrated circuit structure with thinned contact

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A wiper cover is mounted in an opening in a vehicle housing and receives a wiper arm which pivots within the opening. The cover has a hollow body mounted in the opening, a rear flap which projects upwardly and forwardly from a rear side of the body, and a front flap which projects upwardly and rearwardly from a front side of the body. The front flap extends above and overlaps a portion of the rear flap. The flaps substantially cover the opening and slidably engage the wiper arm as it pivots within the opening. The body has upper and lower flanges which form a groove therebetween which receives an edge of the housing. The flaps include a notch and a recess which receives the wiper arm when the wiper arm is in a park position.

The present invention relates to a flexible cover or boot for an opening which receives a pivoting windshield wiper.
Agricultural vehicles with cabs normally have a front windshield wiper pivotally mounted at a pivot point either in the roof or above the cowl/hood surface. For roof-mounted wipers, there is normally a hole in a horizontal surface of the roof. But, debris does not tend to pass through such a hole in a cab roof.
If the wiper pivot point is located below the cowl/hood surface, a large opening is required to accommodate the motion of the wiper arm. When the wiper is not in use, the arm is located to one side in a "park" position and a large portion of the opening will be uncovered. Debris can fall through this uncovered part of the opening and onto hot surfaces and vehicle control components located beneath the opening. The opening is large for the wiper arm motion and located in a highly visible area of the vehicle in the center of the cowl. If there is no cover over this opening, then hot air from under the hood will flow up the front windshield and place an additional heat load on the cab in the summer. An uncovered wiper hole in the cowl will not provide control for water, snow, dirt, or debris.
Such an opening cannot be covered by a conventional convoluted boot because such a boot will not permit the required range of wiper arm motion. The opening cannot be covered with a cover which moves in the opening with the wiper arm because accumulated dirt and ice can interfere with motion of the cover, and this could overload the wiper motor.


A toner for electrophotography is provided including a binder resin, a coloring agent, a charge controlling agent, and a releasing agent, wherein when the temperature of the toner is in the range from a temperature 40° C. lower than a fixing temperature of the toner to a temperature 10° C. lower than the fixing temperature of the toner, the D Log η*/DT absolute value is 0.02 or more, when the temperature of the toner is in the range from a temperature 10° C. lower than the fixing temperature of the toner to a temperature 10° C. higher than the fixing temperature of the toner, the D Log η*/DT absolute value is 0.005 or less, and the complex viscosity (η*) of the toner at a fixing temperature and an angular velocity of a fixing heat roller is in the range from about 5.0×101 Pa·s to 1.0×102 Pa·s. The toner has excellent fixing properties so that the quality of an image can be stabilized, and cause less contamination.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner for electrophotography. More particularly, the invention relates to a toner for electrophotography which has rheological properties including excellent fixing properties and which causes less contamination when the toner is fixed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In imaging apparatuses, such as electrophotographic devices or electrostatic recording devices, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a uniformly charged photoreceptor through an image exposing process, a toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image to form a tone image, and then the tone image is transferred to a transfer material, such as a transfer sheet. Subsequently, the tone image which is not yet fixed is fixed on the transfer material by a heating process, a compressing process, a solvent evaporating process, or the like. In the fixing process, in general, the transfer material to which the tone image is transferred passes through a dwell roll and a pressing roll, and thus, the toner is heated and compressed to be melted on the transfer material. At this time, the toner that is to be fixed is fixed on the transfer material according to fixing conditions and a stable image is formed.
In a heat fixing method using a heating roller or film, excellent heat efficiency is required to hot-melt adhere the tone image to a dwell sheet when the surface of the heating roller or film contacts the toner image on the dwell sheet. In addition, a high thermal capacity of a heat fixing unit is also required to prevent fixing failure due to the passage of the dwell sheet and low-temperature fixing. Accordingly, there is a need to improve the properties of a toner, specifically the low-temperature fixing properties of a toner in order to realize low electric power consumption with excellent fixing properties.
For example, in a fixing process of a pressure-heat fixing method, the surface of a high-temperature dwell roller and the tone image are contacted with each other in a melted phase under pressure, so that the toner is transferred and attached to the surface of the high-temperature dwell roller, and then the toner is transferred again to the subsequent dwell sheet so that the dwell sheet is contaminated, which is called an offset phenomenon. The offset phenomenon is heavily affected by fixing speed and temperature. In general, when the fixing speed is low, the surface temperature of a dwell roller is set to low. On the other hand, when the fixing speed is high, the surface temperature of a dwell roller is set to high. Such adjustments are required since there is a need to provide a constant heat capacity to the toner image in order to fix the tone image independently from the fixing speed.
The problem can be solved by increasing the fixing temperature when the fixing speed is high to easily fix the toner. In this method, the temperature of the heating roller can be decreased and high-temperature offset phenomenon at the most upper portion of the toner layer can be prevented. However, the method can cause several problems. For example, a winding offset phenomenon wherein a dwell sheet may surround the dwell roller when a very high shear force is applied to the toner layer may occur, and a separation unit that separates the dwell sheet from the dwell roller may leave an impression in a fixed image.
Korean Registered Patent No. 138,583, Korean Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-083034, and Korean Laid-open Patent Publication No. 1999-063467 disclose electrophotostatic toners having rheological properties, but do not disclose a way of obtaining excellent fixing properties and preventing the offset phenomenon at the same time. Accordingly, with respect to the heat transfer phenomenon and rheological properties of the toner, there is a need to develop a technique capable of improving fixing properties of the toner according to heat and pressure and preventing contamination.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A pressure detection apparatus is manufactured by fitting an end portion of a first case into an opening portion of a second case, filling a space, which is defined between the end portion of the first case and an opening edge portion of the second case, with adhesive, and hardening the adhesive. Accordingly, variations in volume of a pressure detection chamber sealed between the first case and the second case can be reduced, resulting in decreased variations in output.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-203568 filed on Jul. 16, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pressure detection apparatus including two cases, which are fixedly assembled to form a pressure detection chamber, and to a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
JP-A-7-243926 proposes a pressure detection apparatus shown in FIG. 9. The pressure detection apparatus has a connector housing J1 as a first housing, and a main housing J2 as a second housing. The connector housing J1 and the main housing J2 are fixedly assembled to form a closed pressure detection chamber J3. An internal pressure of the pressure detection chamber J3 is detected by a pressure sensitive element J4, and is output as a sensor output voltage through a connector pin J5 that is electrically connected to the pressure sensitive element J4.
The two housings J1 and J2 are fixed together by caulking an opening edge portion J2a of the main housing J2 from a position indicated by a two dotted line onto the connector housing J1. Accordingly, the pressure detection chamber J3 sealed by an O-shaped ring J6 is provided. The pressure detection chamber J3 is filled with oil as a pressure transmittance medium.
In the conventional manufacturing method of the pressure detection apparatus as described above, however, it is difficult to crush the O-shaped ring J6 uniformly due to variations in caulking load when the two housings J1 and J2 are caulked, resulting in variations in volume of the pressure detection chamber J3. Because of this, the internal pressure of the pressure detection chamber J3 varies to cause variations in sensor output voltage (for instance, in a range of 30 mV to 40 mV) with respect to a target value. The variations in sensor output voltage appear as variations in output offset, thereby inhibiting improvement of output sensitivity. These adverse effects are especially prominent when a detecting pressure range is low and the sensor output voltage is small.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problem. A first object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a pressure detection apparatus by fixing a first case and a second case to decease variations in volume of a pressure detection chamber. A second object of the present invention is to provide a pressure detection apparatus having a structure, which can be manufactured without producing variations in volume of a pressure detection chamber.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a pressure detection apparatus is manufactured by assembling a first case and a second case to form a pressure detection chamber closed therebetween and to form a space between an outer surface of the first case and an inner surface of the second case, and by filling the space with adhesive made of resin.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a pressure detection apparatus has a first case, a second case connected to the first case to form a pressure detection chamber, and to define a space between an outer surface of the first case and an inner surface of the second case, and an adhesive filling the space. Accordingly, variations in volume of the pressure detection chamber can be decreased in comparison with a conventional method by caulking, resulting in decreased variations in output.

Pressure detection apparatus having first and second cases defining pressure detection chamber there between and method of manufacturing the same


To improve the reliability of a semiconductor device including a low-resistance material such as copper, aluminum, gold, or silver as a wiring. Provided is a semiconductor device including a pair of electrodes electrically connected to a semiconductor layer which has a stacked-layer structure including a first protective layer in contact with the semiconductor layer and a conductive layer containing the low-resistance material and being over and in contact with the first protective layer. The top surface of the conductive layer is covered with a second protective layer functioning as a mask for processing the conductive layer. The side surface of the conductive layer is covered with a third protective layer. With this structure, entry or diffusion of the constituent element of the pair of conductive layers containing the low-resistance material into the semiconductor layer is suppressed.

1. Field of the Invention
One embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification relates to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transistors used for most flat panel displays typified by liquid crystal display devices and light-emitting display devices are formed using silicon semiconductors such as amorphous silicon, single crystal silicon, and polycrystalline silicon provided over glass substrates. Further, such a transistor employing such a silicon semiconductor is used in integrated circuits (ICs) and the like.
Further, the increase in size and definition of a flat panel display increases the driving frequency, the resistance, and the parasitic capacitance of a wiring, leading to wiring delay. In order to inhibit the wiring delay, a technique for forming a wiring using a low-resistance material such as copper, aluminum, gold, and silver has been studied (Patent Document 1).

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


An animal release chute for use in steer or calf roping competitions is described. The chute has a fixed section and a moveable section that telescopes forwardly relative to the fixed section. A release gate at the forward end of the moveable section is moveable between a closed position for retaining a steer or calf inside the chute and an open position releasing the steer or calf from the chute. A sensor at the rearward end of the fixed section senses the presence of the horse of the roper at the rearward end of the fixed section. Only when the roper's horse is at the rearward end of the fixed section can the gate be released to release the calf. The chute system assures that there is always the fixed, predetermined distance between the calf and the roper at release.

The invention relates generally to apparatus for use in rodeo events and, more particularly, to apparatus for timing the release of a calf in a calf roping event in a rodeo which assures that the calf is released the same distance from a rider every time.
Through the progression of the sport of rodeo it became obvious that timed-events involving cattle required that the animal be given a "head-start." Beginning in 1950 and subsequently during the next fifty-plus years, various techniques were devised to give the animals in timed rodeo events (steer wrestling, team roping, steer tripping, and tie-down calf roping) a head start. All of these techniques originated from the idea that some type of barrier, for example, a rope, wand or electric eye, be placed at the front of a starting box containing the horse, and that barrier be released by some technique, for example, rope, lever or electric eye, when the animal to be chased reached a predetermined "head start" distance.
There was really no clear reason, other than established practice, why these types of techniques were utilized in various applications through the years. Unfortunately, in an era when most rodeo athletes compete at near par physically, the outcome of decades of utilization of these barrier techniques resulted in winners being determined by their ability to anticipate or navigate the "head-start." In other words, those with a better mastery of the head-start technique could win more often than those with less mastery of the head-start technique. In the view of many, when a starting technique is more of a determining factor in winning than the athletic ability of the competitor, the purity of competition is lost. Therefore, a solution is needed.


A hinge pin 6 is turnably inserted in a through hole 22 formed in a first hinge member 2. A second hinge member 3 is fixed to the hinge pin 6. A movable member 7 is connected to the first hinge member 2 such that said movable member 7 is non-turnable but movable in the axial direction. A convex part 75 is formed on the movable member 7. A concave part 53 is formed in a fixing member 5 of the second hinge member 3. By pressing the convex part 75 against a bottom surface 53a of the concave part 53 under the biasing force of a coiled spring 8, the biasing force of the coiled spring 8 can be converted to a turn biasing force for turning the second hinge member 3 with respect to the first hinge member 2. The hinge pin 6 is press-fitted in the through-hole 22 of the first hinge member 2. This causes to generate a frictional resistance for preventing relative rotation between the first hinge member 2 and the second member 3, between the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the hinge pin 6. This frictional resistance is set to be smaller than the turn biasing force caused by the coiled spring 8.

In general, a cellular telephone includes, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, a transmission section A and a reception section B. The transmission section A and the reception section B are turnably connected to each other through a hinge device (not shown). The turning range of the transmission section A and the reception section B is restricted between a folding position as shown in FIG. 18 where the transmission section A and the reception section B are abutted with each other and a using position as shown in FIG. 19, when an angle formed between the transmission section A and the reception section B is, for example 170 degrees.
A hinge device used in the above-mentioned cellular telephone includes, as described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2001-193727 and 2002-106544, a first and a second hinge member which are arranged opposite to each other. The first hinge member is fixed to either the transmission section A or the reception section B of the cellular telephone, and the second hinge member is fixed to the other. The first and second hinge members are turnably connected to each other through a hinge pin. As a result, the transmission section A and the reception section B of the cellular telephone are turnably connected to each other through the hinge device.
The hinge device includes a movable member C and a fixing member D shown in FIG. 20. The movable member C connected to the first hinge member such that the movable member C is non-tunable but movable in the axial direction of the hinge pin. The movable member C is abutted with the fixing member D by a coiled spring (not shown).
A pair of projections C1, C2 are formed on an abutment surface of the movable member C with respect to the fixing member D, and a pair of recesses D1, D2 are formed on an abutment surface of the fixing member D with respect to the movable member C. The pair of projections C1, C2 are arranged such that when the reception section B is located in a position within a predetermined range of angle (biasing angle range) between a folding position and a position away by an angle α toward a using position side from the folding position, the pair of projections C1, C2 are inserted in one end parts of the recesses D1, D2, respectively, in the peripheral direction of the fixing member D. When the projections C1, C2 are inserted in the one end parts of the recesses D1, D2, respectively, the projections C1, C2 are abutted with the slanted bottom surfaces (cam surfaces) of the recesses D1, D2, respectively. By this, the biasing force of the coiled spring is converted into a turn biasing force in one direction (the direction as indicated by an arrow of FIG. 18). By this turn biasing force in one direction, the movable member C is turn biased with respect to the fixing member D and the reception section B is turned to the folding position. Then, the reception section B is maintained in the folding position. When the reception section B is located in the predetermined range of angle (biasing angle range) between a position away by an angle β from the folding position and the using position, the pair of projections C1, C2 are inserted in the other end parts of the recesses D2, D1, respectively, in the peripheral direction of the fixing member D and abutted with the bottom surfaces of the other end parts of the recesses D2, D1, respectively. The bottom surfaces of the other end parts of the recesses D1, D2 are inclined in the direction opposite to the bottom surfaces of one end parts of the recesses D1, D2. Accordingly, when the projections C1, C2 are abutted with the bottom surfaces of the other end parts of the recesses D2, D1, respectively, the biasing force of the coiled spring is converted to a turn biasing force in the other direction (direction as indicated by an arrow of FIG. 19). By this turn biasing force in the other direction, the reception section B is turned to the using position and held in the using position.
If the angle formed between the movable member C and the fixing member D is represented by θ, in the range of angle of α<θ<β, i.e., in the outside of the biasing angle range, the projections C1, C2 are pressed against the fixing member D under the biasing force of the coiled spring, and a frictional resistance is generated therebetween. By this frictional resistance, the movable member C and the fixing member D are stopped at arbitrary positions, and the transmission section A and the reception section B are stopped at arbitrary positions.
The frictional resistance generated between the projections C1, C2 and the fixing member D is comparatively small corresponding to the small biasing force of the coiled spring. For this reason, there is such a problem that it is difficult to keep the transmission section A and the reception section B in the stopping positions stably. To cope with this problem, there can be contemplated that the fraction resistance which is to be generated between the projections C1, C2 and the fixing member D is increased by strengthening the biasing force of the coiled spring. However, the coiled spring is about 3 to 5 mm in diameter and about 0.5 mm in wire diameter. Therefore, there is a certain limit in increasing the biasing force of the coiled spring. If the biasing force of the coiled spring could successfully be increased, the turn biasing force of the coiled spring against the movable member C would overly increased in the biasing angle range. It gives rise to a problem that when the reception section B is turned to the folding position, the reception section B is overly strongly abutted with the transmission section A.


Analog (LC) circuit components for an input matching and base charge removal network for a Class-C amplifier are replaced by a digitally driven shunt circuit, which is coupled between the base electrode of the Class-C power transistor and a reference voltage terminal (ground). The digitally driven shunt circuit is operative to couple the base electrode of the power transistor to the reference voltage terminal upon the termination of the limited duty cycle input pulse employed as the base drive to the power amplifier. To facilitate implementation as a digital application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the controlled shunt circuit comprises an auxiliary or second bipolar transistor having its emitter-collector path coupled in circuit with the base of the bipolar power transistor and the reference voltage terminal. This second transistor has its base coupled to receive a control pulse, which turns on the shunt transistor hard at the termination of the input pulse, thereby providing a shunt or discharge path for base charge that accumulated on the base of the power amplifier transistor during the input pulse applied to its base. Both the input pulse and the control pulse have a duration on the order of one-fourth of the duty cycle of the output voltage swing. In terms of the period of the output voltage swing, the control pulse is effectively delayed with respect to the input pulse by 90.degree..

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates the circuit configuration of a conventional RF analog class-C power amplifier comprising a bipolar transistor 11, the base and collector terminals 13 and 15 of which are respectively coupled to associated analog matching inductance-capacitance (LC) networks or tank circuits 21 and 23 for establishing the operational parameters of the circuit. Specifically, the output or collector-connected analog (LC) network 23 is tuned to provide a resonance output voltage in response to the input sinusoidal drive. The duration of the base conduction occupies a limited portion of the output duty cycle (typically less than 180.degree. for class-C operation), so as to minimize power consumption by power transistor 11.
As transistor 11 is driven into saturation during each cycle, input analog matching network 21 is designed to provide a path for removing or `dumping` excess charge accumulated at the collector-base PN junction of bipolar transistor 11 due to the collector saturation effect. Since it can be expected that associated signal processing circuitry prior to the power amplifier will be digitally configured, the need to employ analog circuit components (inductors and capacitors) to implement the input matching network adds unwanted circuit complexity, size and cost to the overall power amplifier architecture.

Class-C RF power amplifier having digitally driven shunt circuit for removing accumulated excess base charge


In an air intake apparatus for an engine, an intake port is connected to a cylinder of the engine and an intake valve opens and closes a downstream end of the intake port. The air intake apparatus includes a partition wall provided along a longitudinal direction of the intake port so as to cross-sectionally partition the intake port into two sections, and an intake control valve provided in a pipe forming the intake port, opening and closing a first flow path implemented by partition by the partition wall, and closing the first flow path and narrowing a second flow path. Assuming a sliding direction of a piston within cylinder as an up-down direction, the intake port is partitioned into two upper and lower sections.

For example, in order to attain stable combustion of a lean air-fuel mixture in a spark ignition type internal combustion engine, gas flow within the cylinder such as tumble or swirl (lateral flow) is extremely important, and such gas flow should be strengthened in a wider operation region.
Particularly in a low-load region among the operation regions of the internal combustion engine in which a throttle opening is small and an intake air quantity is correspondingly small, generally, an air-fuel mixture is made slightly richer in order to stabilize combustion. Accordingly, fuel efficiency or emission tends to deteriorate. In order to improve fuel efficiency or emission, it is effective to generate whirls of intake air within the cylinder, to promote combustion by using strong turbulent flow. That is, tumble or swirl is generated in the intake air.
Here, the swirl refers to flow of the intake air along a circumferential wall of the cylinder. The swirl is effective in homogenizing the intake air, whereas less effective in promoting combustion by generating turbulent flow. On the other hand, the tumble refers to flow of the intake air along an axial direction of the cylinder. As the tumble breaks up in a latter half of compression stroke, strong turbulent flow is generated. Therefore, the tumble is effective as a measure to improve combustion in a low-load region of the engine.
An example of such a method of strengthening gas flow (swirl and tumble) within the cylinder includes a method of using an intake control valve partially blocking a cross-section of a passage of the intake port to cause intake air flow within the intake port to be present locally on one side of the intake port. For example, in order to generate tumble, an intake control valve is disposed in a lower portion of the intake port, so that the intake air flows locally through an upper portion of the intake port. The tumble within the cylinder is thus strengthened.
That is, when gas flow is strengthened, the cross-sectional area of the passage of the intake port is substantially made smaller by the intake control valve. Here, a ratio of the cross-sectional area of the passage effective with respect to a reference intake port cross-sectional area is defined as "opening ratio." Generally, the smaller the opening ratio is, the stronger the gas flow is. On the other hand, if the opening ratio is small, fluid resistance is increased and a quantity of intake air that can be taken into the cylinder is decreased. Accordingly, an operation condition allowing strengthening of gas flow by closing the intake control valve is limited to a relatively narrow range. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-124836 discloses an air intake apparatus for an internal combustion engine capable of strengthening gas flow within a cylinder without excessively lowering the opening ratio. The air intake apparatus for an internal combustion engine in which an intake port is connected to a cylinder of the internal combustion engine and an intake valve opens and closes a downstream end of the intake port includes a partition wall provided along a longitudinal direction of the intake port so as to cross-sectionally partition the intake port into two sections, an intake control valve located in proximity of an upstream end of the partition wall and opening and closing one flow path implemented by partition by the partition wall, and a communication path for communication between two flow paths implemented by partition by the partition wall at a position close to the intake control valve.
According to the air intake apparatus for the internal combustion engine, when the intake control valve is at a closing position for blocking one flow path, the intake air flows toward the cylinder side only through the other flow path, so that a relatively large quantity of intake air flows into the cylinder through a portion around the intake valve closer to one side. At the same time, the intake control valve narrows the intake air flow, to cause local pressure lowering on the downstream side of the intake control valve, which in turn influences on the communication path. As such, a pressure difference is generated between the downstream end of one flow path blocked by the intake control valve and the communication path, intake air is suctioned from the end portion and flows backward to the upstream side of the intake port, and the intake air merges into the other flow path through the communication path. In other words, a part of the intake air returns to the upstream side via the blocked flow path. Then, flow rate or flow velocity of the intake air flow passing a portion around the intake valve is further unbalanced, so as to effectively strengthen gas flow within the cylinder. Consequently, according to the air intake apparatus for the internal combustion engine, a part of the intake air can return via the flow path blocked by the intake control valve, so as to effectively improve gas flow within the cylinder. Particularly, stronger gas flow can be obtained without lowering the opening ratio by means of the intake control valve. Therefore, increase in pumping loss due to increase in fluid resistance can be suppressed and a larger quantity of intake air flowing into the cylinder can be ensured, so that gas flow can be strengthened in a wider operation region.
On the other hand, in the air intake apparatus for the internal combustion engine disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-124836, a communication path for returning a part of the intake air to the upstream side via the blocked flow path should be provided in the partition wall. Provision of a communication path causes a further complicated structure of an intake manifold including the intake control valve. In addition, a partition wall should be provided in the air intake apparatus for the internal combustion engine disclosed in this publication. Provision of the partition wall greatly contributes to strengthening of a current, however, causes further complicated structure of the intake manifold including the intake control valve.

Air intake apparatus for internal combustion engine


Disclosed is a material capable of readily developing natural patina, comprising a basis material made of Cu or a Cu alloy at least on the surface; and a layer of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of CuCl, CuBr and CuI formed on the surface of said basis material, and also a process for producing such material, which comprises anodizing the surface of a basis material made of Cu or a Cu alloy at least on the surface in an aqueous solution containing at least one kind of halogen ion selected from the group consisting of Cl.sup.-, Br.sup.- and I.sup.-. This material develops natural patina in a very short time after exposure outdoors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a material capable of readily developing natural patina and to a process for producing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a material which develops uniformly, in a short time, natural patina having excellent corrosion resistance and which is useful as building materials such as for roofing, as well as, to an easy and inexpensive process for producing such material.
2. Prior Art
Copper has been long used as building materials such as for roofing because of excellent durability and fire resistance, lightness in weight, ease of machining and freedom from maintenance after working. Today, copper finds wide applications ranging from public buildings, shrines and temples to private residences, partly because copper is available inexpensively with least fluctuation of price.
The reason why copper is used willingly as a building material is, in addition to these excellent properties inherent in copper as described above, that if copper is left to stand under atmospheric conditions for a long time, a patina film is formed spontaneously on the copper surface, and the patina film serves as a protective film to enhance corrosion resistance of the material and also adds dignified and beautiful appearance to the material.
The greatest part of natural patina is a basic copper sulfate (CuSO.sub.4.3Cu(OH).sub.2), and only in some special cases a basic copper chloride and a basic copper carbonate are found.
However, it takes usually from about more than 10 years to about 20 years for the natural patina to grow thick enough to acquire appreciable good appearance. For such reason, there have been proposed various methods for artificially developing patina on the copper surface.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 12117/1980 discloses a method of developing artificial patina on the surface of a copper plate by subjecting the copper plate to anode oxidation in an electrolyte containing HCO.sub.3.sup.- or CO.sub.3.sup.2- and NaOH or KOH.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Publication No. 9270/1981 discloses a method of developing artificial patina on the surface of a copper plate by contacting the copper plate with a liquid chemical conversion treatment containing hydrochloric acid, copper acetate, a basic copper carbonate, copper nitrate, ammonium chloride or sodium chloride.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 30396/1981 discloses a method in which a resin coating containing a copper powder is applied on the copper surface, followed by a chemical conversion treatment using a liquid treatment containing hydrochloric acid, copper acetate, copper carbonate, arsenious acid, ammonium chloride, copper nitrate or water.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 139467/1980 proposes a method of developing aeruginous color by applying a coating incorporated with a basic copper carbonate powder, a kind of patina, on the surface of a basis material. Japanese Patent Publication No. 19910/1987 proposes a method in which an aqueous solution or suspension containing a water-soluble or water-dispersible resin and a compound which forms a complex salt with copper ion is applied on the copper surface.
However, the artificial patina formed according to the above-described methods is, in most cases, of the basic copper carbonate (in the case of anode oxidation) or a basic copper chloride (in the case of chemical conversion treatment), and these methods are hardly capable of forming the basic copper sulfate, the major component of natural patina, on an industrial scale.
Thus, composition of the artificial patina formed according to any of the above-described methods is greatly different from that of natural patina, so that the artificial patina undergoes discoloration or fading with time to lose its decorative savor as patina and also lifts off from the basis material. Besides, copper plates having such artificial patina are expensive.
For such reasons, it has been practiced still, for example in the case of roofing material, to use copper plates as such, instead of using expensive artificially patinated copper plates, to wait until the plates are spontaneously coated with natural patina. However, acid rain falls occasionally in the recent polluted atmospheric condition, so that the period required for development of natural patina is said to be much longer than before. In the case of a private residence, there is a problem that, even if the roof is coated with natural patina after a long period to present appreciable good appearance, the residence as a whole are outworn at that time and needs reconstruction, unfortunately. Accordingly, advent of a material which can develop natural patina at an early stage after roofing is earnestly desired.

Materials capable of readily developing natural patina and process for producing the same


Techniques for implementing deadlock avoidance in a leaf-spine network are described. In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring traffic of a plurality of packets at a leaf switch in a network having a leaf-spine topology. The method includes marking a packet with an identifier associated with an inbound uplink port of the leaf switch when the packet is received from one of a first spine switch and a second spine switch. The method includes detecting a valley routing condition upon determining that the packet marked with the identifier is being routed to an outbound uplink port of the leaf switch to be transmitted to the first spine switch or the second spine switch. Upon detecting the valley routing condition, the method includes dropping packets associated with a no-drop class of service when a packet buffer of the inbound uplink port reaches a predetermined threshold.

Networking architectures have grown increasingly complex in communication environments. Traditional hierarchical data center networks are built in layers that resemble a hierarchical tree. A hierarchical tree architecture typically has an access layer at the bottom of the tree, an aggregation layer in the middle of the tree, and a core layer at the top of the tree. More recently, data centers have been implementing a leaf-spine topology for network architectures. In leaf spine networks, a switching fabric provides an access layer comprising multiple leaf switches that are typically fully meshed to multiple spine switches. The leaf switches provide access to the switching fabric for hosts or endpoints at the bottom of the tree such as servers, firewalls, loadbalancers, appliances, routers (e.g., to other networks), etc. Each spine switch maintains routing information for all endpoints. The routing information is maintained in the switch process memory and also in a layer 3 (L3) routing lookup table. A fully populated switching fabric may contain millions of endpoints.

Deadlock avoidance in leaf-spine networks


Thick-walled parts made via a casting method often exhibit, in those thick zones, the worst mechanical properties since the solidification speed in the zones is reduced relative to the thin-walled zone and frequently induces the worst mechanical properties. There is described a method incorporating solidification control elements in a melting charge, the elements increase locally the solidification speed of the melting charge.

Nowadays, complex casting processes can be successfully managed using modern modeling and simulation tools for casting solidification. This allows better and targeted setting of microstructures and properties. For critical component regions, better mechanical properties can be set with a higher reproducibility in the casting process. For thick-walled regions of cast components, for example in flange regions of housings for gas turbines or steam turbines, it is difficult in casting processes to set the homogenous globular microstructure, which may be required by way of example, during the graphite formation. This is because of the poor dissipation of heat and solidification energy. The result is a drop in the mechanical characteristic values as the wall thickness of these highly stressed component regions increases.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,000 discloses a process for controlling the grain size during a casting process.


The disclosure notably relates to a system for phrenic nerve stimulation. The stimulation system comprises a catheter including one or more intravascular electrodes each arranged on a distal portion of the catheter. The catheter is configured to be introduced in the superior vena cava of a human patient. The stimulation system also comprises an extracorporeal electrode patch configured to be affixed to the patient opposite to the distal portion relative to the phrenic nerve. The extracorporeal electrode patch is operable in a bipolar mode with the one or more intravascular electrodes. Such a system forms an improved solution for phrenic nerve stimulation, in particular during a cryoablation procedure.

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia. One of the treatments offered is ablation of atrial fibrillation with a minimally invasive procedure. Atrial fibrillation ablation is a type of cardiac ablation, which works by scarring or destroying tissue in the heart to disrupt faulty electrical signals causing the arrhythmia. For example, one or both pulmonary veins may be isolated by creating a circumferential lesion, e.g., surrounding their ostia. Among minimally invasive cardiac ablation techniques, cardiac cryoablation is a procedure gaining popularity among electrophysiology practitioners. Cryoablation techniques consist in electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins of the heart by cold "burning" of the tissues with a cryoablation catheter, most often a cryoballoon catheter (i.e., cryogenic balloon catheter).
The most common complication of cryoablation techniques is right diaphragmatic palsy caused by injury of the right phrenic nerve, due to the close proximity between the right phrenic nerve and the pulmonary veins. Although such injury does not systematically occur during cryoablation procedures, it still affects a non-negligible number of patients. And even though the injury is most often reversible, a relatively significant part of the concerned patients is still affected on the next day, and for some patients the diaphragmatic palsy may last over a relatively long period of time before self-cure.
The research article "Contemporary analysis of phrenic nerve injuries following cryoballoon-based pulmonary vein isolation: A single-centre experience with the systematic use of compound motor action potential monitoring", Anwar, O. et. al., 2020, provides an overview of injury of the right phrenic nerve due to cryoablation, as well as techniques for reducing such injury and issues related to such techniques. One technique widely spread and reviewed in this paper is to perform an electric stimulation of the right phrenic nerve during the cryoablation procedure. As the phrenic nerve controls muscle contraction of the right diaphragmatic dome, the technique further comprises monitoring the contraction response induced by the electrical stimulation and act thereupon.
FIG. 1 illustrates the conventional manner in the prior art to perform such a phrenic nerve stimulation technique. The figure shows an example of an anatomical section H of the heart on the left side and a corresponding medical image I on the right side, exemplifying the positioning of an electrophysiology catheter 10 for electrical stimulation of the right phrenic nerve PN. Stimulation catheter 10 is introduced through the femoral vein and positioned with its distal end 14 inside the superior vena cava VC to stimulate the phrenic nerve PN. Stimulation catheter 10 comprises at its distal end 14 several (e.g., four) electrodes 11 which are positioned inside the superior vena cava (above the heart), to be as close as possible and facing the phrenic nerve PN. Stimulation catheter 10 may be a straight quadripolar catheter, a commercially available catheter commonly used. The operator places the electrodes 11 to stimulate the phrenic nerve by operating in a bipolar mode two electrodes. The operator observes the right diaphragmatic contraction caused by the electrical stimulation, which helps the operator to make assessments on possible injury of the right phrenic nerve. Such assessments allow the operator to make clinical decisions to reduce possibilities of complications.
Such an electrical stimulation presents several issues. First, the operator needs to initially locate the position where the phrenic nerve can be stimulated with the electrodes of the stimulation catheter. If the operator "misses" the position, the current supplied by the electrodes is inefficient to stimulate the phrenic nerve. Therefore, the operator is presented with the inconvenience of having to make sure that the stimulation catheter is well positioned. Moreover, even if the operator has made sure that the stimulation catheter is well positioned prior to applying the electrical stimulation, the operator needs to make sure that the stimulation catheter is maintained at said location while applying the electrical stimulation, so that the electrical stimulation on the phrenic nerve is stable. Maintaining stability of the electrical stimulation is a difficult task for the operator while using currently available stimulation catheters. Thus, the operator may at times "lose" the phrenic nerve while applying the electrical stimulation, and this renders the electrical stimulation unstable. To correct the stimulation, the operator needs to reposition the catheter. This causes inconvenience to the operator who loses time to relocate the stimulation catheter and restart the stimulation. Moreover, the procedure relies on diaphragmatic monitoring to assess the injury of the phrenic nerve. However, if diaphragmatic monitoring becomes unavailable due to instability, the operator is unable to assess injury of the phrenic nerve. In addition, an unstable stimulation may at times yield a reduction in diaphragmatic contraction response falsely interpreted as an injury or an upcoming injury of the phrenic nerve, thereby misleading the operator when the reduction is only due to misplacement of the catheter.
Within this context, there is still a need for an improved solution for phrenic nerve stimulation, in particular during a cryoablation procedure.


The normalities of access points including antenna facilities thereof are confirmed.

The present invention relates to a radio communication system, and more particularly to a radio communication system for diagnosing the normalities of a radio access point and a network in a mobile communication system.
In operating the mobile communication system or the radio communication system, the stability of the system is one of important factors. For the stable operation of the system, it is required to prevent the occurrence of any failure leading to a system shutdown, and also to promptly detect the failure and resume the system operation in case of the occurrence of the failure. Accordingly, a normality verification method for the radio access point is very important. Besides, in the case where the failure has occurred, the degree of influence on users is important. In a case, for example, where any failure has occurred in a radio access point apparatus, the degree of importance differs depending upon whether or not the failure has the influence on the users, and a measure to counter the failure becomes different.
The mobile communication system or the radio communication system has a large service area divided into a large number of small areas called "cells", and has the radio access point apparatuses arranged in the respective cells. The radio access point apparatuses are connected to the network, and a user access terminal communicates with the radio access point apparatus of the cell to which this terminal corresponds, by radio, whereby the user access terminal is permitted to communicate with another access terminal connected to the network.
Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a technique for confirming the normalities of the radio access point apparatus and the network remotely and on-line. The technique is a method wherein a directional coupler is installed between the radio access point apparatus of the access point and an antenna, and it is connected with a test apparatus through a high-frequency cable. Here, in testing the access point, the portable telephone of the test apparatus is dialed for vocal communications from the stationary telephone of an operation center, thereby to test the access point and the network. Also, Patent Document 2, for example, discloses a technique wherein the same test method has been expanded into a method of confirming the normality of a packet data call processing function, not the vocal communications.
Besides, Patent Document 3, for example, discloses a radio test apparatus wherein an access terminal function portion included in the access point is used for conducting the antenna failure test, receiver failure test and transmitter failure test of the access point itself. This apparatus has been proposed by the inventors of the present application.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2000-332674
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-2002-271280
[Patent Document 3] JP-A-2005-151189

Abstract: An access point includes a terminal function unit which has the transmission/reception functions of a radio terminal. A radio signal is transmitted from the terminal function unit to the signal processing unit of an access point through the antenna of the access point, and a process for the calling connection between the terminal function unit and a test server is executed through the antenna of the access point, and the antenna and signal processing unit of the access point (along a path). The normalities of the antenna of the access point and the access point, or the abnormality of any of them is judged in accordance with the success or failure of the calling connection.


Flexible multilayer polyimide metal-clad laminates, and their preparation, having at least one layer of aromatic polyimide bonded to at least one layer of a metallic substrate using a heat-sealable copolyimide adhesive containing repeating imide units derived from 4,4'-oxydiphthalic dianhydride and an aromatic ether diamine. The laminates are used in flexible printed circuits and tape automated bonding applications. Additionally, the metallic substrate may be directly coated with the copolyimide adhesive and used as a single-clad laminate for flexible printed circuits.

This invention relates to flexible multilayer polyimide metal-clad laminates comprising at least one layer of an aromatic polyimide and at least one layer of a metallic substrate for use in flexible printed circuits and tape automated bonding applications. The invention also relates to a process for producing these laminates.
Laminates comprising one or more layers of polyimide and one or more layers of metallic substrate material may be used for a variety of applications. For example, polyimide coated metal foils, due to the flexibility and outstanding mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of polyimides, can be used for printed electrical circuits. This is because the laminates are frequently exposed to high temperatures during further processing, for example, during soldering or drilling. The laminates also have to satisfy stringent requirements in regard to their electrical and mechanical properties.
Laminates comprising only one substrate layer of metal or metal alloy and a layer of polyimide, so called single clads, may be used for printed electrical circuits. The same applies to multilayer laminates, so called multi-clads or multilayer circuits, which comprise several metal layers and/or several polyimide layers.
Laminates containing polyimides and metal substrates are well-known in the art. Usually the polyimide layers are bonded to the metal substrate by a conventional adhesive. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,662 and U.S. Pat. No.3,822,175 disclose bonding of polyimide to metal using an acrylate-based adhesive. However, it has been found that when conventional adhesives such as acrylates, epoxides, polyamides, phenolic resins etc. are used to bond the polyimide to the metal, the resulting laminates do not exhibit entirely satisfactory properties which meet the stringent demands often imposed. Conventional adhesives do not generally possess the high temperature heat stability of the polyimide material itself, and the strength of the adhesive bonds in multilayer laminar polyimide structures deteriorates rapidly when subjected to elevated temperatures.
On account of the disadvantages of laminates comprising layers of conventional adhesives between polyimide and metal, multilayer laminates have been proposed in which the polyimide is bonded directly to metal, i.e. without a layer of adhesive. Thus, British Patent 2,101,526 discloses the bonding of a polyimide derived from biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride directly to metal foil by applying heat and pressure. In other words, the polyimide is formable. It has been found, however, that such formable polyimides have inferior thermal stability to conventional non-formable polyimides.
The object of this invention is to provide flexible polyimide metal-clad laminates, which withstand high temperatures, have good adhesion, good thermal, mechanical and electrical properties and are chemically etchable (for TAB applications).

Flexible multi-layer polyimide film laminates and preparation thereof


In a management system of the mining machine, a management device collects operation information about the dump truck via a management-side wireless communication device. Routes along which the dump truck travels are identified based on position information, included in the operation information about the dump truck, about at least four locations included in a route along which the dump truck moves to a location where the dump truck unloads a load, to a location where the dump truck loads a load, and to a location where the dump truck unloads the load again.

Various construction machines such as an excavator, a dump truck, and the like operate at a construction site or a mine quarry site. In recent years, operation information about a construction machine is obtained by wireless communication, and the state of the construction machine is grasped. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a technique using GPS (Global Positioning System) information to automatically collect a cycle time record of a transport vehicle based on only matching of a loading spot and an unloading spot, thereby calculating vehicle dispatch plan thereafter.

Management system of mining machine and management method of mining machine


A system for representing the state of an enterprise software architecture is disclosed. The system comprises a datastore that contains a plurality of attributes of applications and of interfaces, including a state attribute. The system also comprises a plurality of stencils operable to define a graphic. The stencils are each associated with a script: that links back to the datastore, an application stencil operable to define an application graphic and associated with an application stencil script and an interface stencil operable to define an interface graphic and associated with an interface stencil. The system also comprises a template operable to define a drawing of an enterprise software architecture using the stencils.

Enterprise software systems may comprise many independent computer programs, applications, modules, or components. These applications may execute in a distributed manner on several different computers. Applications often require the services provided by other applications. A first application requesting a service from a second application may be said to act in a client role while the second application may be said to act in a server role. The first application may provide services to yet other applications and may in that case act in a server role. The intercommunicating applications may be executing on computers located far apart and in different divisions of the company.
The links between applications and/or computers may be provided by different interfaces using different technologies. Different interfaces may be associated with different advantages and drawbacks relative to data throughput speeds, ease of access to information, privacy and security of enterprise data, and commonality among different applications. Applications may access datastores and/or databases through one or more interfaces. In some cases, an application may rely upon a dedicated datastore reserved solely for the use of the application, while in other cases applications may rely upon a shared datastore shared by several applications.

Enterprise application mapping tool and datastore with target state dimension


A variable magnification optical system for forming an optical image of an object on the light-receiving surface of an image sensor with variable magnification includes: from an object side, a first lens unit having a positive optical power, a second lens unit having a negative optical power, a third lens unit having a positive optical power, a fourth lens unit having a positive optical power, and a fifth lens unit. In magnification variation from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, the first lens unit, the third lens unit, and the fifth lens unit are kept in fixed positions whereas the second lens unit and the fourth lens unit move. The third lens unit includes, from the object side, a positive lens element having a biconvex form, and a negative lens element having a form concave to an image side. The negative lens element has an aspherical surface.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a variable magnification optical system, for example, a variable magnification optical system suitable for a digital camera and a digital appliance provided with an image input capability that take in an image of a subject by an image sensor (especially a compact zoom lens system that offers high performance), and to an image-taking apparatus provided with such a variable magnification optical system.
2. Description of Related Art
Many of well-known zoom lens systems for use in digital still cameras and video cameras are so-called four-unit zoom lens systems each including positive, negative, positive, and positive lens units. This zoom lens system includes: a first lens unit having a positive optical power; a second lens unit having a negative optical power; a third lens unit having a positive lens unit; and a fourth lens unit having a positive optical power. Patent documents 1 to 5 below have proposed the zoom lens systems aimed at better performance and shorter lens full length by additionally arranging, on the image side of the positive, negative, positive, and positive lens units, a fifth lens unit that is kept in a fixed position during zooming:
[Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H04-78809
[Patent document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-19167
[Patent document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-241072
[Patent document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-264902
[Patent document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H08-327903.
However, in any of the zoom lens systems described in patent documents 1 to 4, the third lens unit mainly involved in convergence process has a relatively small optical power, thus making it difficult to downsize the zoom lens system. In contrast, the zoom lens system described in patent document 5 has been downsized by providing the third lens unit with a relatively large optical power. Spherical aberration and coma that increase as a result of increasing the optical power of the third lens unit are corrected by providing the positive lens element of the third lens unit with an aspherical surface. Since the positive lens element of the third lens unit needs to be provided with a large optical power, the degree of freedom in correcting aberrations by use of the aspherical surface is limited, which results in hindering performance improvement.


Disclosed herein is an ophthalmic instrument comprising: an optical measuring section (101) for housing an optical system that measures characteristics of an object eye; an alignment detecting optical system (17') for optically detecting an offset quantity in alignment between the optical measuring section and the object eye; drive units (102 and 103) for moving the optical measuring section (101) vertically, laterally, and longitudinally on the basis of the offset quantity detected by the alignment detecting system (17'); and a control circuit (51) for transmitting a signal which instructs start of measurement to the optical measuring section (101) when the alignment detecting system detects that the object eye has been moved within a measurable area. Prior to the start of measurement the control circuit (51) continues to move the optical measuring section (101) for only a predetermined time so that the object eye (optical axis Oe of the object eye) is moved within a drive target area smaller than the measurable area and also included in the measurable area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmic instrument equipped with an automatic alignment mechanism and also constructed so that measurement is automatically started when the alignment between the instrument main body and an object eye has been completed by the automatic alignment mechanism.
2. Description the Prior Art
Conventionally, an ophthalmic instrument is provided with an automatic alignment mechanism and an automatic measurement starting mechanism for simplifying the operations to them.
The automatic alignment mechanism has an alignment detecting optical system that optically detects an offset quantity .DELTA. in alignment and a drive control unit, such as a pulse motor, which move the instrument main body based on the detection result in a direction in which the detected alignment offset quantity .DELTA. is reduced. The automatic measurement starting mechanism is constructed so that when the measurement error due to the alignment offset quantity .DELTA. has reduced to be negligible, the operation of the drive control unit is stopped and also a measurement start signal is output to the optical measuring section to make the instrument main body start an operation necessary for measurement (e.g., jetting of an air pulse for cornea deformation in a non-contact type tonometer). In other words, assuming that the maximum value of the offset quantity between the optical axis O1 of the optical measuring system and the optical axis Oe of an object eye, which is allowable in obtaining reliable measured values, is .DELTA.O, the measurement start signal is output when the actual offset quantity .DELTA. is less than the allowable limit .DELTA.O.
However, the aforementioned conventional ophthalmic instrument outputs the measurement start signal even when the alignment offset quantity .DELTA. is slightly less than the allowable limit .DELTA.O (e.g., as shown in FIG. 12, even when the optical axis Oe of the object eye is located near the inside of the boundary of a circle with a radius of "ao" representing the allowable limit).
For this reason, in an ophthalmic instrument that has some time lag between the reception of the measurement start signal and the start of an operation necessary for measurement, there are cases where the optical axis Oe of the object eye will be moved from the inside vicinity to the outside of the aforementioned circle with a radius of "ao" during this time lag. For this reason, there is a problem that the measured values will lack reliability.


A fiber optic cable transition assembly for transitioning a plurality of optical fibers from a multi-fiber cable to a plurality of furcation tubes. The fiber optic transition assembly has a housing with a front opening and an internal passageway that is defined by a wall and a narrow region. The housing is adapted to receive epoxy adhesive. The fiber optic transition assembly has a boot that is positioned at least partially inside the housing for receiving the multi-fiber cable to provide strain relief to the plurality of optical fibers extending therethrough. The fiber optic transition assembly has a plug supported by the boot and retained by the housing to prevent epoxy adhesive from entering the multi-fiber cable.

Telecommunications equipment containing optical fibers is known. Fiber optic cables that carry a plurality of optical fibers over distances to connect to equipment are also known. In fiber optic networking, it is sometimes advantageous to bundle multiple optical fibers together into a single cable. This is often done to save space since the diameter of the actual fiber (the core and the cladding) is typically considerably smaller than the shielding (buffer and jacket) used to protect said fiber. As a result, it is possible to bundle together relatively large numbers of fibers (e.g., 12, 24, 36, 48, etc.), shielding the entire bundle and avoiding shielding each fiber individually. Such multi-fiber cables can take on many forms, including rounded cables and fiber ribbons.
Sometimes a multi-fiber bundle may carry signals directed to or from multiple pieces of equipment. Consequently, there is a need to breakout (or "furcate") individual or a series of individual optical fibers from a multi-fiber cable so that those fibers can be directed to the necessary equipment. Furcation tubing is typically used in such a fiber breakout for transitioning from a single cable with multiple fibers into individual cables with one or more fibers in each furcation cable or tubing.
One example of achieving such a breakout has been through a cable transition structure. In using such cable transitions, it is desirable to take into account the maximum bend radius of the fibers, the stress which the fibers may undergo as a result of the breakout, and how the environmental conditions may impact the fiber's performance. For the above reasons, fiber optic communication continues to need improved breakout harness designs.

Fiber optic breakout transition assembly incorporating epoxy plug and cable strain relief


A time measurement device for calculating a time from an input of a first trigger signal to an input of a second trigger signal as a measured time includes a start gate configured to generate a start signal, a stop gate configured to generate a stop signal, a TDC circuit configured to generate a digital code corresponding to the time from an input of a start signal to an input of a stop signal, a delay circuit configured to delay an input of at least one of the start signal and the stop signal to the TDC circuit by a predetermined delay time, and a control unit configured to calculate a measured time on the basis of a plurality of digital codes generated by the TDC circuit, wherein the time delay unit selects at least two delay times.

In a light-emission-lifetime measurement device or the like for measuring a lifetime of light emission when excitation light is irradiated to a sample, a time measurement device that outputs information about a time difference between a start pulse signal and a stop pulse signal is used. As this time measurement device, a time measurement device using a time-digital-converter (TDC) scheme of measuring a time by outputting the time difference as a digital signal (for example, see Non-Patent Literature 1) is known. The TDC scheme is advantageous in that a measurement range is long and the cost is low as compared with a time-analog-converter (TAC) scheme of outputting the time difference as an analog signal.

Time measurement device, time measurement method, light-emission-lifetime measurement device, and light-emission-lifetime measurement method


A method and system for providing an application that uses real-time communication to order products and/or services. The method and system comprise launching a real-time chat application on a client device, logging into the real-time chat application, initiating a discovery operation of the client device upon logging in, displaying peripheral devices connected to the client device detected by the discovery operation, selecting a peripheral device from the detected peripheral devices, displaying products and/or services for the selected peripheral device, and obtaining products and service for the selected peripheral device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for obtaining products and/or services, more particularly, to a method and system for using real-time communication to obtain products and/or services.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rising use of computer systems in the home or work environment, the use of peripheral devices has also increased. Due to the consistent use of these peripheral devices, there comes a time when the peripheral device needs to be serviced, or replacement of consumables (i.e., toners, ink cartridges, etc) is required. Typically, to replace consumables, a user will call a consumable supplier and place and order, or mail an order forms to a supplier, or travel to a local consumable supplier for the required consumable. More recently, consumers have been placing orders via the Internet on a consumable supplier's web site.
A typical scenario that occurs is where a user wants to print out a document, but discovers that the printing device is either low on or out of ink. To replenish the required ink, the user can perform on of the methods described above. One problem many users encounter when they go to order ink, is that they are faced with a number of different types of inks to choose from and they do not know which of these inks is best suited for their printing device. This problem is applicable for other consumables as well, such as paper.
With the advent of Internet shopping, a user can place an order online and have the consumable(s) shipped to a location of the user's choice. One of the drawbacks to this process is when the user first tries to choose the appropriate vendor for their product. There are many factors into choosing a supplier: cost of the consumables, whether the item is in stock, cost of shipping and handling, is the vendor well known where its products are named brands and not fakes. Once the user determines which online vendor to order from, the user usually has to navigate through a number of links/web pages to find the correct consumable for their peripheral device. The user typically needs to know the exact make and model of the device so there is no confusion as to which product to order. All of this can be very frustrating to a new user who has never experienced ordering from an online vendor.
The use of electronic mail (hereinafter referred to as "e-mail") notifications has made the process of Internet shopping a bit easier. In this process, a user receives e-mails notifying the user of a need to order a product for a peripheral device. The e-mail typically consists of hypertext links directing the user to a general products web page for the peripheral device. A disadvantage to this is that this process is not done in real-time, where there could be a delay in the e-mail notification, and the user is left without their needed product. In addition, the problem of being directed to a general web page and then having to navigate through a myriad of web pages to reach the one associated with the user's peripheral device is present in the e-mail notification process.
Although e-mail is currently one of the more popular ways of communicating, a significant number of people are beginning to use real-time chat applications to communicate. In a real-time chat environment, a user is able to, among other things, communicate with friends and/or coworkers in real-time, receive real-time up-to-date news, or receive notifications from a vendor's web site based on the user's predefined settings. For example, a user can set their favorite traveling location(s) on a particular travel related web site, and then when any travel specials or news related to one of the pre-defined locations occurs, the user receives notifications on the user's real-time chat program for that location from the travel related web site. It is features such as this that has helped increase the popularity of real-time chat.
Given the popularity of real-time environments, what is needed is a real-time process that will enhance the way of obtaining products or services that is not time consuming and is easy to use, where the appropriate product for the peripheral device can be obtained before it needs to be replenished/replaced.

Leveraging instant messaging presence to drive sales opportunities