A light-emitting device includes a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces. An active region is on the first surface and first and second electrical contacts are adjacent to the second surface and are conductively coupled to the active region. In other embodiments, a light-emitting device includes a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces. An active region is on the first surface and includes a first active layer having a first conductivity type on the first surface and a second active layer having a second conductivity type on the first active layer. A first electrical contact is adjacent to the second surface. A contact plug extends through the substrate and the active region and couples the first electrical contact to the second active layer. A second electrical contact is coupled to the substrate at the second surface.

The present invention relates generally to microelectronic devices and fabrication methods therefor, and, more particularly, to light-emitting devices and fabrication methods therefor.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used in consumer and commercial applications. As is well known to those skilled in the art, a light-emitting diode generally includes a diode region on a microelectronic substrate. The microelectronic substrate may comprise, for example, gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide, alloys thereof, silicon carbide, and/or sapphire. Continued developments in LEDs have resulted in highly efficient and mechanically robust light sources that can cover the visible spectrum and beyond. These attributes, coupled with the potentially long service life of solid state devices, may enable a variety of new display applications, and may place LEDs in a position to compete with well entrenched incandescent and fluorescent lamps.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a conventional GaN-based LED 100 comprises a substrate 105, such as sapphire (Al2O3) or SiC, that has first and second opposing surfaces 110a and 10b, respectively, and may be at least partially transparent to optical radiation. A diode region, comprising an n-type layer 115 and a p-type layer 120 is disposed on the second surface 110b and is configured to emit optical radiation upon application of a voltage across the diode region, for example across ohmic contacts 130 and 135.
The diode region including the n-type layer 115 and/or the p-type layer 125 may comprise gallium nitride-based semiconductor layers, including alloys thereof, such as indium gallium nitride and/or aluminum indium gallium nitride. The fabrication of gallium nitride on SiC is known to those skilled in the art, and is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,688, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. It will also be understood that a buffer layer or layers comprising aluminum nitride, for example, may be provided between the n-type gallium nitride layer 115 and the substrate 105, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,393,993, 5,523,589, 6,177,688, and application Ser. No. 09/154,363 entitled Vertical Geometry InGaN Light Emitting Diode, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The n-type gallium nitride layer 115 may comprise silicon-doped gallium nitride, while the p-type gallium nitride layer 120 may comprise magnesium-doped gallium nitride.
In some LEDs, the ohmic contact 135 for the p-type gallium nitride layer 120 comprises platinum, nickel and/or titanium/gold. In other LEDs, a reflective ohmic contact comprising, for example, aluminum and/or silver, may be used. The ohmic contact 130 to the n-type gallium nitride layer 115 may comprise aluminum and/or titanium. Other suitable materials that form ohmic contacts to p-type gallium nitride and n-type gallium nitride may be used for ohmic contacts 135 and 130, respectively.
Examples of ohmic contacts to n-type gallium nitride layers and p-type gallium nitride layers are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,581, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Unfortunately, LED devices that have coplanar electrical contacts on the active side (i.e., the diode region side) may use thicker diode regions than other vertical designed LEDs to reduce current crowding (i.e., forcing electrons to make sharp turns).

Light-emitting devices having coplanar electrical contacts adjacent to a substrate surface opposite an active region and methods of forming the same


Heat exchange tubes of a heat exchanger are formed of an alloy containing Mn (0.2 to 0.3 mass %), Cu (0.1 mass % or less), and Fe (0.2 mass % or less), the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities. A Zn diffused layer is formed in an outer surface layer portion of the peripheral wall of each heat exchange tube. T≦200, 0.57≦A≦1.5, D/T≦0.55, and 0.0055≦A/D≦0.025 are satisfied, where T is the thickness [μm] of the peripheral wall of the heat exchange tube, A is the Zn concentration [mass %] at the outermost surface of the outer surface layer portion, and D is the maximum depth [μm] of the Zn diffused layer. The spontaneous potential of the Zn diffused layer is lower than that of a portion of the peripheral wall located on the inner side of the Zn diffused layer.

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, and more particularly to a heat exchanger which is used as a condenser for a car air conditioner, an evaporator for a car air conditioner, a heater core for a car air conditioner, or a radiator, each of which is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.
In this specification and claims, the term "aluminum" encompasses aluminum alloys in addition to pure aluminum. Also, materials represented by chemical symbols represent pure materials.
In this specification, the term "spontaneous potential" of a material refers to the electrode potential of the material in an acidic (pH: 3) aqueous solution of 5% NaCl with respect to a saturated calomel electrode (S.C.E.), which serves as a reference electrode.
A widely used condenser for a car air conditioner includes a pair of an aluminum header tanks disposed apart from each other such that their longitudinal direction coincides with the vertical direction. A plurality of flat heat exchange tubes formed of an aluminum extrudate are disposed between the header tanks at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the header tanks in such a manner that their width direction coincides with an air-passing direction. Opposite end portions of the heat exchange tubes are connected to the two header tanks. Corrugated aluminum fins are disposed between adjacent heat exchange tubes and on the outer sides of the heat exchange tubes at the opposite ends, and are brazed to the heat exchange tubes. Aluminum side plates are disposed on the outer sides of the fins at the opposite ends, and are brazed to the fins. Such a condenser is manufactured by a method which includes simultaneously brazing the header tanks (including members for forming the header tanks), the heat exchange tubes, and the fins.
Incidentally, since such a condenser for a car air conditioner is used in a corrosive environment, pitting corrosion occurs in the peripheral walls of the heat exchange tubes within a relatively short period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent occurrence of pitting corrosion, to thereby prevent leakage of refrigerant from the heat exchange tubes over a relatively long period of time.
Conventionally, there has been proposed a heat exchanger which can prevent occurrence of pitting corrosion in the peripheral walls of the heat exchange tubes within a relatively short period of time (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2011-137203). In the proposed heat exchanger, each heat exchange tube is formed by extruding an alloy which contains Si in an amount of 0.1 to 0.6 mass %, Fe in an amount of 0.1 to 0.6 mass %, Mn in an amount of 0.1 to 0.6 mass %, Ti in an amount of 0.005 to 0.2 mass %, and Cu in an amount less than 0.1 mass %, the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities. Zn and Si are diffused in an outer surface layer portion of each heat exchange tube, whereby a sacrificial anode layer is formed. The peripheral wall of each heat exchange tube has a thickness of 260 μm, and the spontaneous potential of the sacrificial anode layer is 10 to 50 mV lower than the spontaneous potential of a portion of the peripheral wall of the heat exchange tube, which portion is located on the inner side of the sacrificial anode layer.
However, in the case of the heat exchanger described in the above-mentioned publication, a sacrificial anode layer is formed in an outer surface layer portion of each heat exchange tube as a result of diffusion of Zn and Si thereinto, and the spontaneous potential of the sacrificial anode layer is 10 to 50 mV lower than the spontaneous potential of a portion of the peripheral wall of the heat exchange tube, which portion is located on the inner side of the sacrificial anode layer. Therefore, the pitting corrosion prevention effect provided by the sacrificial anode layer may be insufficient.


Fusing online and mapped terrain estimates by using weighted grid cells that scales the values returned from online terrain and mapped terrain is disclosed. Previously mapped terrain data and online terrain data are fused and a grid having cells of a predetermined size is overlaid on the terrain map. Each cell may include terrain data based on weighted mapped terrain data and weighted online terrain data, where the weighting values for the mapped terrain data and for the online terrain data may be different. A fused terrain estimate may be a result of a weighted mean for each cell smoothed to reduce noise.

Autonomous agents (e.g., vehicles, robots, drones, etc.) and semi-autonomous agents use machine vision for analyzing a surrounding environment. Machine vision is distinct from the field of digital image processing due to the desire to recover a three-dimensional (3D) structure of the world from images and using the 3D structure for fully understanding a scene. That is, machine vision strives to provide a 3D map of the environment that surrounds an autonomous agent.
In operation, autonomous agents may rely on trained neural networks, such as a convolutional neural network (CNN), to identify objects (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists, other cars, etc.) within areas of interest in an image of a surrounding environment. For example, a CNN may be trained to identify objects captured by one or more sensors, such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, sonar sensors, red-green-blue (RGB) cameras, RGB-depth (RGB-D) cameras, and the like. The sensors may be coupled to, or in communication with, a device, such as the autonomous agent.
Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles rely on continuous mapping of an environment to assist in navigating through that environment. Traditionally, there are two methods of computing terrain maps around an ego vehicle. One method includes mapped terrain data, which may be obtained by extracting relevant data from a map produced by a method such as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). However, this form of mapped terrain data is static, computed a priori, and may not be up-to-date.
A second method of computing terrain maps may include computing online terrain data based on a point cloud data produced by sensors on the ego vehicle. Online terrain data may be computed live and reflects the environment around the ego vehicle. The range of online terrain data, however, is limited by the range of the sensors. For example, the sensor range of many known autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles may be limited to about 70 meters, and performance may degrade as the range increases. Thus, at 70 meters and beyond, the quality of the terrain data may be at its worse.

System and method for generating terrain maps


A central control system and method for controlling air conditioners. The central control system performs central control operations for the air conditioners according to an operation schedule or control command inputted from a central controller coupled to the air conditioners through an internal network or a remote controller accessible to an external Internet network. When the air conditioners are simultaneously operated, control signals based on the control command are adjusted to prevent electric power consumption from abruptly increasing and hence the stability and reliability of control can be improved. The central controller includes a touch screen-based monitor. A control program included in the central controller provides a timetable corresponding to a specified period. An operator can conveniently input/edit the operation schedule through a dragging operation performed on the monitor, and confirm the inputted/edited operation schedule.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a central control system and method for controlling air conditioners, which can perform central control operations for the air conditioners according to an operation schedule or control command inputted from a central controller coupled to the air conditioners through an internal network or a remote controller accessible to an external Internet network, and automatically adjust the operation schedule to appropriately supply electric power to the air conditioners.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the use of air conditioners has remarkably increased, a single-type air conditioner system configured by a plurality of indoor devices 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d and a plurality of outdoor devices 11a, 11b, 11c and lid has been installed in each room of a general home or in each office room within a building. Further, a multi-type air conditioner system configured by a single outdoor device and a plurality of indoor devices sharing the single outdoor device has been installed in buildings or on each story within the building, such that resources used for installation can be saved and the efficiency of energy usage can be improved.
In the above-described air conditioner systems, an operation of each air conditioner can be controlled in response to a control command based on a manager's manipulation of a plurality of buttons formed on the indoor device 10a, 10b, 10c or 10d, or in response to a control command inputted from a remote controller.
The control command inputted from a key input unit (not shown) for air conditioners including the plurality of buttons, or the remote controller, is sent to a microcomputer. The microcomputer is embedded in the indoor device 10a, 10b, 10c or 10d of the conventional air conditioner. The microcomputer generates a control signal for an indoor cooling/heating operation, and outputs the control signal to a corresponding outdoor device. Thus, a user's control command is primarily inputted into each indoor device 10a, 10b, 10c or 10d, and the inputted control command is processed. The outdoor device 11a, 11b, 11c or 11d appropriately circulates or distributes coolants in response to the control signal.
If an operation of the air conditioner is not proper, the manager must move to a place where the air conditioner is installed and then input a control command necessary for a repair and maintenance procedure into the air conditioner as shown in FIG. 1. Where the multiple indoor devices 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d are installed on each of stories within a large-sized building, respectively, there is a drawback in that manpower and cost for managing the air conditioners increase significantly.
With the development of a network, a plurality of air conditioners may be coupled to an IP sharer through the network. In the network, a central controller is installed to collectively control the air conditioners. The central controller can conventionally control an operating system of each air conditioner. The central controller conventionally has buttons used for inputting on/off commands for the air conditioners and lamps used for confirming on/off states of the air conditioners through a lighting on/off operation. However, there are problems in that a physical control range within which the air conditioners may be controlled is extremely limited and hence the air conditioners cannot be conveniently controlled.
In particular, where power supplies of the air conditioners requiring a significant amount of electric power are simultaneously turned on, the load of electric power is abruptly increased within the building equipped with the air conditioners and hence a power circuit breaker may not appropriately operate. In this case, all electric power within the building may be compulsorily cut off. At this time, other electric devices also cannot be used. Of course, since problems such as an operating error, data loss, etc. can be caused by an operation error of the power circuit breaker, it must be noted that the large number of air conditioners cannot be simultaneously operated.
To schedule the operations of the air conditioners, the manager must move to each of the indoor devices 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d and manipulate a key input unit to input operation time information associated with an air-conditioner start/stop time, etc.
However, the number of buttons formed on the conventional remote controller for the air conditioner is limited. Since a procedure of inputting an operation schedule is complicated, there are problems in that an operator's manual must be referred to and the increased number of manipulations is needed to input the operation schedule. Since the remote controller is not equipped with a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a size of the LCD arranged on the remote controller is small, it is difficult for time information of the operation schedule to be confirmed.

Central control system and method for controlling air conditioners


The present disclosure describes methods and systems to predict predicate metadata parameters in knowledge graphs via neural networks. The method includes receiving a knowledge graph based on a knowledge base including a graph-based dataset. The knowledge graph includes a predicate between two nodes and a set of predicate metadata. The method also includes determining a positive structural score, adjusting each positive structural score based on each corresponding significance parameter, generating a synthetic negative graph-based dataset, determining a negative structural score for each synthetic negative triple of the synthetic negative graph-based dataset, adjusting each negative structural score based on each corresponding significance parameter, determining a significance loss value based on the adjusted positive structural scores and the adjusted negative structural scores, and determining a likelihood score of a link between a third node and a fourth node in the knowledge graph based on the significance loss value.

Basic techniques and equipment for machine learning, modeling data, and graph embedding are known in the art. While enterprise systems have access to large volumes of information relating to human genetic makeup, genetic mutation information, gene expression information, drug interactions, molecular structures, and disease classification. Existing analytical applications and data warehousing systems have not been able to fully utilize such information. Often times, information is simply aggregated into large data warehouses without proper data quality screening and the inclusion of an added layer of relationship data connecting the information. Such aggregation of large amounts of data, without contextual or relational information, are data dumps that are not useful.
Information stored in their original format in data warehouses often requires large amounts of computing resources to transform the information into searchable data in order to respond to a query using string matching mechanisms (semantic linking) without context. Such conventional approaches are limited in their ability to identify and return queried data, and most of the stored data is not easily configured for machine learning analytics to provide a complete picture of knowledge and data in the enterprise. A multi-relational link prediction is desired to more efficiently and effectively identify predicates for gene-disease associations.

Systems and methods driven by link-specific numeric information for predicting associations based on predicate types


An operating apparatus for an automatic transmission, comprising: a shift lever which is shifted to each of a plurality of automatic shift ranges in an automatic shift mode; shift position detecting means which detects that the shift lever has been shifted to a specified automatic shift range; a manual shift mode changing switch which is provided in the vicinity of a steering wheel and which is operated for switching the automatic shift mode to a manual shift mode in which each of gear ratios in the automatic transmission can be selected manually when it is detected by the shift position detecting means that the shift lever had been shifted to the specified automatic shift range; and a shift up/down switch which is provided in the vicinity of the steering wheel independently of the manual shift mode changing switch and which is operated for selecting each of the gear ratios in the manual shift mode. Since the manual shift mode changing switch and the shift up/down switch are provided in the vicinity of the steering wheel, the switching between the automatic shift mode and the manual shift mode and the operation for switching between the gear ratios in the manual shift mode can be facilitated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operating apparatus used for an automatic transmission of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, there is provided an operating apparatus for an automatic transmission of a vehicle (which is generally referred to as a shift lever apparatus) in which a shift lever mounted on a floor of the vehicle is shifted to each of a plurality of automatic shift ranges. In recent years, other than the above described operating apparatus, there has been provided an operating apparatus for an automatic transmission in which each of the gear ratios or transmission stages can be selected manually (i.e., an operating apparatus for an automatic transmission which is provided with a manual shift mode).
In the above-described type of operating apparatus, the shift lever can be shifted along a guide slot which is referred to as a H-type shift pattern, the automatic shift mode can be switched to the manual shift mode by inclining or pivoting the shift lever which has been shifted to "D" shift range of the automatic shift ranges in a transverse direction of a vehicle. As described above, when the automatic shift mode has been switched to the manual shift mode, each gear ratio can be selected optionally by the shift lever shifted toward a front or rear side of the vehicle.
However, as described above, a conventional operating apparatus, in which the switching can be effected between the automatic shift mode and the manual shift mode, is structured such that all of the operations are effected by the shift lever mounted on a floor of a vehicle. For this reason, there exist drawbacks in that, in a vehicle running state in which a driver is handling a steering wheel, the above shift operations especially in shifting the shift lever between the automatic shift mode and the manual shift mode and/or shifting the shift lever between gear ratios in the manual mode have been complicated and inconvenient. Accordingly, it has been desired to further improve operability in an operating apparatus for an automatic transmission provided with such a manual shift or operation mode.

Operating apparatus for automatic transmission


A feeding device for an electrostatic bag, adapted for supplying electrostatic bags to a package mechanism so as to warp an SSD with an electrostatic bag, includes two carrying mechanisms arranged up and down, which respectively support at least one reel that is wound with multiple electrostatic bags. A feeding position is provided between the two carrying mechanisms and face the package mechanism. The two carrying mechanisms are movable up and down to switch positions with one another. The feeding device for an electrostatic bag can supply electrostatic bags to a package mechanism, reload the electrostatic bag without stopping the machine, and ensure the continuous operation of the package mechanism.

Solid state disks (SSDs) are smaller in size and faster to read, can be quickly accepted by users, and gradually replace mechanical hard disks. Compared to mechanical hard disks, SSDs are crash resistant, minor collisions do not result in data loss, and their service life is longer than that of mechanical hard disks. However, price of SSDs is significantly higher than that of mechanical hard disks. Once SSDs are damaged, data will be lost and cannot be retrieved. Therefore, it is necessary to properly package the SSDs.
An electrostatic bag covers the SSD to prevent static electricity from affecting the performance of the SSD. In order to automatically package the electrostatic bag outside the SSD, there is an urgent need for an automatic feeding device that can supply an electrostatic bag to the SSD.

WORLD PRECISION MANUFACTURING (DONGGUAN) CO., LTD.


The present invention pertains to a process for making an alkyl ester of a carboxylic acid via transesterification comprising the steps of: (1) reacting a carboxylic acid ester with an alcohol and an effective amount of a transesterification catalyst in a reaction zone to form a reaction mixture comprised of a product ester and a product alcohol; (2) passing the reaction mixture from step (1) through a centrifugal separation zone wherein the second alcohol is separated from the second ester. The process according to the invention allows for shorter reaction times and improved product yields.

The present invention relates to a process for making alkyl esters of carboxylic acids via transesterification wherein the product alcohol is removed from the reaction mixture rapidly and efficiently thereby enhancing the rate of the reaction and the overall yield of ester.
It is well known that the product composition of a transesterification reaction is governed by equilibrium thermodynamics. Thus, in order to realize the maximum amount of product ester, the product alcohol should be removed as rapidly as possible in order to displace the position of the equilibrium in favor of the products. However, in manufacturing scale operations, such product alcohol removal is not easily achieved. For example, in the batch transesterification of a triglyceride with methanol to form fatty acid methyl esters, a triglyceride, methanol and sodium methoxide are added together and reacted at 75-80xc2x0 C. for one hour. The agitator is turned off and the mixture is allowed to settle. The glycerine layer will be on the bottom and is drained form the vessel. The agitator is turned on, additional sodium methoxide is added and the mixture is reacted for another hour at 75-80xc2x0 C., glycerine drained, the crude methyl ester is water washed and dried. In a continuous process, the triglyceride, methanol and catalysts are metered together using pumps and mixing is accomplished by pumping the mixture through a static mixer and long lengths of piping to a settling tank. In this tank, the mixture is pumped in on one side of the tank, the methyl esters are removed on the other side and the glycerine is drained from the bottom. Once the methyl esters leave this settling tank, they are further mixed with additional methanol and catalyst, pumped through a static mixer, pushed through piping and into a second settling tank. The methyl esters are pumped from this tank and further refined.
The foregoing example shows that the removal of glycerine, the product alcohol in the transesterification of a triglyceide, is not normally achieved rapidly. Thus, the rate of the product methyl ester formation is not as great as could be achieved were the glycerine removed as its is formed. Rapid removal of glycerine would result in more favorable economics.
In its most general aspect, the present invention pertains to a process for making an alkyl ester of a carboxylic acid via transesterification comprising the steps of: (1) reacting a carboxylic acid ester with an alcohol and an effective amount of a transesterification catalyst in a reaction zone to form a reaction mixture comprised of a product ester and a product alcohol; (2) passing the reaction mixture from step (1) through a centrifugal separation zone wherein the second alcohol is separated from the second ester. The process according to the invention allows for shorter reaction times and improved product yields.


A clutch management system has a ramp actuator, an inner plate housing, an outer plate housing, and a clutch assembly. The clutch assembly may have a motor, a ratio adaptor, a primary sun gear, a secondary sun gear, a primary planet carrier and a secondary planet carrier. The primary sun gear is in contact with the ratio adaptor and primary planet gears. The primary planet gears are in contact with a ring gear. The primary planet carrier forms part of the ramp actuator. The second sun gear is connected to a housing and a secondary planet gears. The secondary planet gears are also in contact with the ring gear. A secondary planet carrier is connected. to the first plate of the ramp actuator.

Improved fuel economy in vehicles is typically always desirable. There are many ways improved fuel economy might be accomplished and one is by making the driveline more efficient.
In addition, improved controllability of the vehicle is also desirable. Improved controllability can be accomplished, for example, by managing the torque in the driveline that gets distributed to the wheels.
Both improved fuel economy and improved controllability can be achieved by a rapid disconnect and reconnect system(s) in the driveline. By disconnecting portions of the driveline that are not needed, spinning and driving losses are minimized, thus improving fuel economy. When the portions are needed, they can be rapidly engaged to distribute torque to individual wheels for as long as needed.
Known prior art systems failed to provide a cost effective solution for improving controllability without adding increased weight or complexity, which resulted in decreased fuel economy. It would be desirable for a system to improve controllability of a vehicle, while also resulting in improved fuel economy.


A modem detection method is provided for use by a first gateway, the first gateway capable of communicating with a second gateway over a packet network. The method comprises setting the first gateway to a voice mode having a first coding scheme, encoding an input signal using the first coding scheme to generate a first encoded input signal, transmitting the first encoded input signal to the second gateway over the packet network, looking for a first tone in the input signal while the first gateway is in the voice mode, wherein the first tone is indicative of a beginning of a character, detecting the first tone in the input signal; setting the first gateway from the voice mode to a modem mode in response to the detecting; and transmitting the input signal to the second gateway according to the modem mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to communications over packet networks and, more particularly, to supporting text telephone modem communications over packet networks.
2. Background Art
Today, the traditional analog telephony is being rapidly replaced with digital IP (Internet Protocol) telephony, which uses various techniques to break voice into data packets for transmission over packet networks. Analog modems have been utilized to provide data, facsimile, voice and text communications over twisted pair telephone lines for decades. Because a significant infrastructure is in place using such modems, the packet networks need to address and support modem communications.
One type of modem that has been in use for many years is the Text Telephone (TTY) modem, which can be used in an analog text telephone. Due to the recent move to the packet network environment, TTY modems have created a unique challenge for support over the packet networks. TTY modems, are also sometimes referred to as a TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) modems, which are special devices that allow deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired people to use the telephone to communicate. Telephone communication for such users is accomplished by allowing them to type messages back and forth to one another instead of talking and listening. A TTY modem is required at both ends of the conversation in order to establish a telephone communication. However, TTY modems do not use the same communication protocol as regular data modems and, thus, TTY modems require the packet network gateways to perform a different detection algorithm for detecting TTY modems in order to configure the gateways properly. There are several different TTY modems, such as Baudot @ 45.45 baud (U.S. TTYs); Baudot @ 50 baud (international Baudot used in Australia, England, and other countries); V.21/text telephone version (Sweden, Norway, and Finland); DTMF (Denmark, Holland, other countries); and EDT ("European Deaf Telephone") (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other countries).
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a conventional communications network 100 utilizing TTY modems for communication over a packet network protocol, such as Internet Protocol, which may also be referred to as Text over Internet Protocol ("ToIP"). As shown, communications network 100 includes first text telephone modem (TTY1) 102 in communication with first gateway device (G1) 104 over first phone line 108, and second gateway device (G2) 114 in communication with second text telephone modem (TTY2) 122 over second phone line 118. Communications network 100 further includes a packet network protocol, such as IP 112 to provide communications between first gateway device 104 and second gateway device 114. IP 112 implements the network layer (layer 3) of a network protocol, which contains a network address and is used to route a message to a different network or subnetwork. IP 112 accepts packets from the layer 4 transport protocol, such as Transmission Control Protocol ("TCP") or User Data Protocol ("UDP"), and adds its own header and delivers the data to the layer 2 data link protocol. TCP provides transport functions, which ensures that the total amount of bytes sent is received correctly at the other end. UDP, which is part of the TCP/IP suite, is an alternate transport that does not guarantee delivery. UDP is widely used for real-time voice and video transmissions where erroneous packets are not retransmitted.
The communication process begins when TTY1 102 originates a call to TTY2 122. G1 104 receives the call and informs G2 114 of the call for TTY2 122 over communications network 100 and, as a result, G2 114 calls TTY2 122. Typically, in the default mode of operation, G1 104 and G2 114 communicate in voice mode and use compressed voice protocol, such as the ITU standard G.723.1. Conventionally, G1 104 and G2 114 detect modem communications to switch to an uncompressed voice protocol, such as an ITU standard G.711, which provides toll quality audio at 64 Kbps using either A-Law or mu-Law pulse code modulation methods. This uncompressed digital format is used in order to allow easy connections to legacy telephone networks. By switching to G.711, the signals generated by TTY1 102 may propagate through from G1 104 to G2 114 in a more intact manner in order to reach TTY2 122, since an uncompressed format conventionally matches the format used on phone lines 108 and 118, such that signal sample values output from G2 114 from phone line 118 would generally be identical to the corresponding sample values input to G1 104 from phone line 108, thus allowing for the propagation delay through G1 104, IP 112 and G2 114, which is conventionally known as the pass-through mode for modems.
The predominant text telephony modulation schemes use carrier-less modulation. For example, in the U.S., each key depression on the text telephone causes the transmission of a complete Baudot character, including start and stop bits. FIG. 2 illustrates a manual transmission of the text "GA" by typing on the text telephone, which is followed by a "new line" character. As shown, The "G" and "A" characters are spaced apart in time at the rate at which they are typed. The "new line" character is broken into two characters, namely "carriage return" and "line feed". Therefore, there is no indication prior to receiving the first character, i.e. "A", by G1 104 from TTY1 102 that the signal is a text telephone signal.
The proper detection of TTY modems in a timely fashion is crucial for switching from one mode of operation by G1 104 and G2 114 to another modem of operation in order to support communications between TTY modems over the packet network. Today, a major implementation issue for ToIP is the potential for either losing or repeating the first character of a TTY modem communication, which is considered regression in functionality vis-à-vis communications over the PSTN (Public Switch Telephone Network). Furthermore, in applications such as PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) or emergency services, where reliability is paramount, losing or repeating a character is not a mere inconvenience, but can be life threatening. As a further example, if the first character is part of a password or a user identification, user's login may fail if the first character is lost or repeated due to improper or untimely switching from one mode of operation to another by the gateways.
Accordingly, there is an intense need in the art for a proper detection of TTY modems and timely switching by the gateways to support TTY modem communications over packet networks.

Text telephone modem communications over packet networks


A frequency mixer circuit comprises a first differential circuit composed of first and second transistors having common-connected emitters, and a second differential circuit composed of third and fourth transistors having common-connected emitters. A collector of the first transistor is connected to a collector of the third transistor and also connected through a first resistor to Vcc. A collector of the second transistor is connected to a collector of the fourth transistor and also connected through a second resistor to Vcc. A base of the first transistor is connected to a base of the fourth transistor, and a base of the second transistor is connected to a base of the third transistor. An emitter-grounded, fifth transistor is connected at its collector to the common-connected emitters of the first and second transistors, so as to constitute a current source for driving the first differential circuit. An emitter-grounded, sixth transistor is connected at its collector to the common-connected emitters of the third and fourth transistors, so as to constitute a current source for driving the second differential circuit. The base of the first to fourth transistors are biased with a first bias voltage, and a first high frequency signal is applied in the form of an unbalanced signal to the base of the first and fourth transistors. The base of the fifth and sixth transistors are biased with a second bias voltage, and a second high frequency signal is applied in the form of an unbalanced signal to the base of the fifth transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a frequency mixer circuit, and more specifically to a frequency mixer circuit of a direct conversion type for use in a receiving circuit such as a radio pager.
2. Description of Related Art
In the prior art, this type of frequency mixer circuit has been used in a circuit such as a radio pager receiving circuit which is required to operate with a low voltage. The frequency mixer circuit can be divided into two circuit types, namely, a single-balanced type, which is more general in the prior art and which will be called hereinafter a "first prior art frequency mixer circuit", and a double-balanced type which will be called hereinafter a "second prior art frequency mixer circuit".
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a circuit diagram of a typical example of the first prior art frequency mixer circuit. This first prior art frequency mixer circuit includes a differential circuit 10 composed of a pair of transistors Q7 and Q8 having their collector connected to a power supply voltage VCC through load resistors RL3 and RL4, respectively, their base biased with a bias voltage VBB3, and their emitter common-connected to each other, and an emitter-grounded, current source transistor Q9 having a collector connected to the common-connected emitters of the transistors Q7 and Q8, and a base biased with a biais voltage VBB4.
Now, operation of the first prior art frequency mixer circuit will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
A high frequency signal V1, which is constituted of a local oscillation signal, is supplied to only the base of the transistor Q7 in the differential circuit 10, and on the other hand, another high frequency signal V2, which is constituted of a received signal, is supplied to the base of the transistor Q9. In addition, the collector of the transistors Q7 and Q8 are connected to output terminals T1 and T2, respectively, between which an output voltage VO appears. With this arrangement, assuming that respective frequencies of the high frequency signals V1 and V2 are f1 and f2, the output voltage VO includes a frequency sum component f1+f2 and a frequency difference component If .vertline.f1-f2.vertline., and therefore, the shown circuit operates as a frequency mixer.
However, since the high frequency signal V1 constituted of the local oscillation signal, is a large-amplitude signal for alternately causing, the transistors Q7 and Q8 to flow the collector current, but since the high frequency signal V1 is supplied to only the base of the transistor Q7 in the form of an unbalanced signal, in the operation of the circuit there occurs a period in which only the transistor Q7 in the differential circuit is put in a saturated condition or in a condition near to the saturated condition. In this connection, such a phenomenon is known that, in the saturated condition of a turned-on transistor, electric charges are accumulated between the base and the emitter of the turned-on transistor, and therefore, when it is attempted to cut off the transistor, the transistor is not instantly turned off by action of the accumulated electric charges. With the action of electric charges accumulated between the base and the emitter of the transistor Q7 during a turned-on period of the transistor Q7 because of the same action as the above mentioned phenomenon, the turned-on period of the transistor Q7 becomes longer than that of the transistor Q8, and therefore, an averaged collector current of the transistor Q7 becomes different from that of the transistor Q8. As a result, a difference occurs between an averaged voltage on the output terminal T1 and an averaged voltage on the output terminal T2. Namely, an offset voltage occurs between the output terminals T1 and T2.
In a front-end circuit such as the radio pager operating with a low voltage, a high conversion gain and a low noise factor (NF) can be obtained when an output is balanced. However, in the first prior art frequency mixer circuit as mentioned above, since the offset voltage occurs between the output terminals because of the above mentioned reason, it is necessary to take a countermeasure, for example, to capacitively couple between succeeding stages, in order to supply a balanced output to a next stage.
Here, considering to use the first prior art frequency mixer circuit in the direct conversion type radio pager receiver, since a modulated wave is directly converted into a base band signal of 4.5 kHz, the capacitive coupling to the next stage requires a capacitor having a large capacitance, which, however, is very difficult to be formed on an integrated circuit. If this large capacitance capacitor is provided externally to the integrated circuit, the number of external terminals and the number of externally mounted circuit parts are increased. This is a hindrance in miniaturizing and in reducing the number of parts.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a circuit diagram of a typical example of the second prior art frequency mixer circuit of the double-balanced type, which is disclosed by John F. Wilson et al, "A Single-Chip VHF and UHF Receiver for Radio Paging", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol.SC-26, No.12, pp.1944-1950, Dec. 1991, and by Y. MORI, "Pager Receiver Design Technology", Chapter 3: Direct-Conversion system, pp.95-116, published from K. K. Torikeppusu, 1994, both of which disclose an elementary technology for the pager receiver, and the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference it their entirety into this application.
This second prior art frequency mixer circuit includes a first differential circuit 12 composed of a pair of transistors Q1 and Q2 having their emitter common-connected to each other, a second differential circuit 14 composed of a pair of transistors Q3 and Q4 having their emitter common-connected to each other, and a pair of current source transistors Q10 and Q11 having their collector connected to the conmmon-connected emitters of the transistors Q1 and Q2 of the differential circuit 12 and the common-connected emitters of the transistors Q3 and Q4 of the differential circuit 14, respectively. A base of each of the current source transistors Q10 and Q11 is connected to receive a bias voltage VBB5, and an emitter of the current source transistors Q10 and Q11 are connected to ground through resistors RE1 and RE2, respectively,
A collector of the transistors Q1 and Q3 are connected to each other, and also connected to an output terminal T1 and througah a load resistor RL1 to the power supply voltage VCC. A collector of the transistors Q2 and Q4 are connected to each other, and also connected to an output terminal T2 and through a load resistor RL2 to the power supply voltage VCC. A base of the transistors Q1 and Q4 are connected to each other, and a base of the transistors Q2 and Q3 are connected to each other.
A high frequency signal V1, which is constituted of a local oscillation signal, is supplied between the base of the transistor Q1 and the base of the transistor Q2, and on the other hand, another high frequency signal V2, which is constituted of a received signal, is supplied between the emitter of the transistor Q10 and the emitter of the transistor Q11. An output voltage VO is outputted between the terminals T1 and T2.
Similarly to the first prior art frequency mixer circuit, the output voltage VO of this second prior art frequency mixer circuit includes a frequency sum component f1+f2 and a frequency difference component .vertline.f1-f2.vertline. of the frequencies f1 and f2 of the high frequency signals V1 and V2, and therefore, the circuit operates as a frequency mixer.
Thus, a circuit portion operating to respond to the high frequency signal V1 is constituted to take a double-balanced structure by using the two differential circuits 12 and 14, and the high frequency signal V1 is inputted in the form of a balanced signal. Therefore, the above mentioned alternate turning-on of the differential pair transistors causes no difference in the averaged collector currents. As a result, an averaged voltage on the output terminal T1 and an averaged voltage on the output terminal T2 become the same constant level, and therefore, no offset voltage occurs between the output terminals T1 and T2. Accordingly, the circuit can be directly coupled to a next stage of circuit.
In the second prior art frequency mixer circuit, however, since each of the high frequency signals V1 and V2 is inputted in the form of a balanced signal, the circuit needs four input external terminals for receiving the two high frequency signals V1 and V2 when the frequency mixer circuit is implemented in a bipolar transistor integrated circuit. In addition, in order to convert the conventional unbalanced signal into a balanced signal, a circuit part such as a transformer is additionally required. Therefore, similarly to the first prior art frequency mixer circuit, the number of external terminals and the number of externally mounted circuit parts are increased. This is a hindrance in miniaturizing and in reducing the number of parts.
Furthermore, if the second prior art frequency mixer circuit is operated with a low power supply voltage as in the radio pager receiver, since the emitter resistors RE1 and RE2 are inserted between the emitter of the transistors Q10 and Q11 and the ground, there occurs a voltage loss corresponding to a voltage drop across the resistors RE1 and RE2. This is also a disadvantage of the second prior art frequency mixer circuit.

Frequency mixer circuit receiving an unbalanced signal and outputting an output voltage having a minimized offset voltage


An end effector for use with robotic arms and like devices that utilizes a flexible band to draw an object against an anvil having a concave surface. One typical convex surface is created by a V-block, with an apex of the V being centrally located. If an object to be grasped is fragile, the contour of the concave surface closely matches the surface of the object. Typically the movement of the band is effected by a linear actuator, with the anvil remaining fixed relative to a support base. Several embodiments are described that utilize variations in drawing the band toward the anvil, with one of these embodiments described in detail in the form of a fabricated unit. One embodiment includes a cover element that can be moved over an object after the grasping thereof, with this cover potentially serving various functions. Movement of the cover can be effected with a second linear actuator.

The use of remotely-controlled (robotic) devices is widely employed in the art of handling hazardous materials. Such materials include, for example, those that contain radioactive components. In addition, such devices are utilized where repetitive operations are to be carried out as in the production line construction of machinery of various types. Another application of such devices is in hostile environments other than those involving radioactivity as for security operations. The robotic devices can either be stationary or can be mobile. In essentially all applications, the robotic device has a movable arm that terminates in a device referred to as an "end effector" meaning it is at the end of the robotic arm for effecting some action.
One of the most common type of end effector utilized in the robotic art is that which simulates the operation of a human hand, even though in a very simplified manner. Typical of these hand-simulating end effectors are described in numerous patents, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,652,204 issued to E. M. Arnett on Mar. 24, 1987; 4,950,015 issued to U. R. Nejib, et al., on Aug. 21, 1990; and 4,896,914 and 5,011,207 issued to S. S. Stevens on Jan. 30, 1990 and Apr. 30, 1991, respectively. Such devices, also, are described in several Russian patents, including: 571,369; 611,775; 689,824; 772,844; 1,191,283; and 1,451,002. Other patents that may be pertinent to an evaluation of the present invention are U.S. Pat. Nos.: 433,356 issued to G. S. Long on Jul. 29, 1890; 1,569,496 issued to E. C. Johnson on Jan. 12, 1926; 1,661,064 issued to H. Blaser on Feb. 28, 1928; and 3,540,769 issued to G. E. Rosser on Nov. 17, 1970.
A large number of the devices described in these patents are not adaptable, without excessive cost, to applications in the robotic art. Others, while providing for grasping and holding of items, are too complex for large scale use on a routine basis for grasping and holding of items. Further, still other devices of the prior art cannot be utilized to grasp and hold items of irregular shape and which may differ substantially in size. Certain of the devices which utilize cables for the grasping and holding of items will, in robotic applications where significant extension is required, droop and thus be ineffective for accurate placement to grasp and hold an item.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an end effector for robotic systems that can be used to grasp and hold objects that vary substantially in size and shape without change of the configuration of the end effector.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an end effector for robotic systems that can extend substantially beyond the robotic arm to which it is attached and be accurately placed on an object to grasp and hold the same.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an end effector for robotic systems that includes a shield or cover to at least semi-encase an object after being grasped by the end effector.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an end effector for robotic applications that has a band for grasping and holding an object, the band having sufficient width such that a loop formed by the band will not droop such that the band can be accurately placed on the object to be grasped.
Also, another object of the present invention is to provide an end effector for robotic applications that has a band for grasping and holding an object, the band being adjustable in length so as to grasp objects of differing size.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon a consideration of the drawings that follow together with a complete description thereof.

Robotic end gripper with a band member to engage object


An eyelet terminal comprises a substantially flat ring with a plurality of retaining arms formed around the inner circumference thereof, the retaining arms adapted to engage a bolt passing through the ring so that the terminal and the bolt are held together as a unit during shipping and handling. The retaining arms are flush with the bottom surface of the ring to avoid scratching of the surface to which the terminal is bolted, and are shaped to permit insertion of the bolt through the ring without breaking or deforming the arms.

An eyelet terminal is essentially a flat ring of electrically conductive metal for receiving a bolt or a similar connector, and a radially extending portion for connection to the end of a length of wire by crimping or soldering. Eyelet terminals are used in many types of electrical systems, including those of automotive vehicles, to connect wires to electrical ground or to other electrical system components. In a typical automotive grounding connection, the eyelet terminal is bolted to a piece of sheet metal such as a vehicle body panel. Sometimes a lock washer is inserted between the bolt head and the terminal ring to make the bolted connection more secure against vibration.
In such automotive grounding applications, the eyelet terminal and its attached wire, the bolt, and the lock washer are typically shipped to the vehicle final assembly plant as separate components, then assembled with one another immediately prior to being bolted to the body panel. This assembly technique is more time consuming, more expensive, and more prone to human error than if the parts were shipped and assembled to the vehicle as a unit.
Some eyelet terminals include projections or serrations on the lower surface of the ring for cutting into the sheet metal slightly when the terminal is bolted tightly against the body panel, and thus ensuring better electrical contact than is provided by mere planar contact between the terminal and the metal. The scratches formed in the metal by the serrations, though, promote the formation of corrosion.

Eyelet terminal with bolt retaining means


An ESD protection circuit is disclosed. The ESD protection circuit includes a stacked MOS circuit, and a trigger current generator. The object of the stacked MOS circuit is to be the first releasing path of the ESD current; the object of the trigger current generator is to generate the trigger current to turn on the stacked MOS circuit, and then the stacked MOS circuit would be the first releasing path of the ESD current.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ESD protection circuit, and more particularly relates to an ESD protection circuit that utilizes low voltage sensible components for being a releasing path of the ESD current.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because of the minuteness of the circuit components and the improvement in precision of the electronic apparatus, the apparatus, the minute electric components inside especially are very sensitive and need protection against the static electricity that is induced by the working environment or touch of a user.
Therefore, most of the precise electric apparatus needs additional design of an ESD protection circuit for suitably releasing static electricity that may occur and protecting the electric components of the circuit in the apparatus against the damage of the high voltage induced by ESD.
An I-V graph of a typical stacked NMOS ESD protection circuit is illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, the horizontal coordinate is the voltage difference between the source and the drain and the vertical coordinate is the current of the drain. According to the graph, when the voltage difference between the source and the drain increases, the current of the drain increases correspondingly. After the voltage difference between the source and the drain exceeds a trigger voltage value, the punch through effect will occur that makes the voltage difference start to snap-back till the voltage difference decrease to a holding voltage value. The voltage difference range from the trigger voltage to the holding voltage is called snap-back region. Furthermore, after the voltage difference between the source and the drain decrease to the holding voltage, the voltage difference will increase smoothly, and the current of the drain will increase correspondingly.
Following the description above, when the static electricity voltage exceeds the trigger voltage value, the punch through effect will happen and result in electric conduction of the stacked NMOS as an ESD protection circuit, so the static electricity current is released to the ground through the stacked NMOS. Thus the electric components have been protected against the damage of ESD. However, there are disadvantages for the typical NMOS ESD protection circuit: If the static electricity voltage does not exceed the trigger voltage value, then the ESD protection circuit will not conduct electrically, i.e. the static electricity current will not be released and it will be constantly held in the electric apparatus. It is a instable factor and the user cannot predict when the electric apparatus will be seriously damaged.
A typical stacked NMOS ESD protection circuit in a IC is illustrated in FIG. 2. The object of the IC is to connect semiconductor chips or interfaces of a subsystem that work with different voltages. Therefore there is mixed-voltage inside the IC and the voltage values are Vdd and Vss respectively. Referring to FIG. 2, a I/O pad of the IC is connected to the inner circuit and the drain of the first NMOS (N1), the gate of N1 is connected to the power supply Vdd, the source of N1 is connected to the drain of the second NMOS (N2), the gate of N2 is connected to the power supply Vss and the source of N2 is connected to the ground.
Still referring to FIG. 2, N1 and N2 are connected with cascade configuration and the nodes between them become a common diffusion region as there is a parasite lateral NPN bipolar transistor existed inside the stacked NMOS. When the static electricity voltage exceeds the trigger voltage value, the lateral NPN bipolar transistor will conduct electrically and the static electricity current can be released from the inner circuit. However referring to FIG. 1, if the static electricity voltage does not exceed the trigger voltage value, then the lateral NPN bipolar transistor will not conduct electrically, the static electricity current will not be released and it will be constantly held in the IC. And because the breakdown voltage of the MOS gate oxide decrease in a mixed voltage I/O circuit, finally the static electricity current held in the IC will result in damage of the MOS gate oxide that belongs to the I/O buffer inside the I/O pad.
Considering in a typical ESD protection circuit of above description, when the static electricity exists in the circuit but does not exceed the trigger voltage, the protection circuit will not be active. Thus a protection circuit that is more sensitive to detect and release static electricity is needed for releasing the static electricity that does not exceed the trigger voltage and protecting the components inside the circuit against damage.


A fracture fixation system serves in repairing comminuted bone portions of a bone. The fracture fixation system includes a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface, one of a screw and a post, and at least one aperture for receiving the one of the screw and the post therethrough. The plate is secured to a main portion of the bone, and the one of the screw and the post is inserted through the at least one aperture through the plate. The portion of the comminuted bone portions is attached to the one of the screw and the post using at least one suture. The one of the screw and the post is rotated to wind the at least one suture therearound to reposition the portion of the comminuted bone portions relative to the main portion of the bone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a medical device and method for use thereof for facilitating repair of comminuted bone fractures. In particular, the present invention is related to a fracture fixation system and method for use thereof to aid in the repair of comminuted periarticular fractures. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fracture fixation system and method for use thereof for aligning and stabilizing comminuted bone portions and associated soft tissues adjacent joints to facilitating proper healing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A comminuted periarticular fracture is a fracture in which bone is broken, splintered, or crushed into a number of pieces adjacent a joint. In comminuted periarticular fractures there is a great need for fixation of important bony fragments (or comminuted bone portions) that have relevant blood supply to facilitate fracture healing. Such comminuted bone portions may have tendons or ligaments attached thereto which also need to heal in place in order to restore function to the joint in question. For example, as in fractures of the lesser tuberosity, frequently there are avulsed tendons that are attached to the comminuted bone portions.
A wide variety of devices have been developed for the support and treatment of comminuted periarticular fractures. Existing solutions have ranged from simplistic measures, such as bone support plates, structural rods, and other single-function prosthetic devices, to more elaborate mechanisms involving a complex arrangement of different components. Despite advances in the devices for the support and treatment of comminuted periarticular fractures, increasing the alignment and stability of the comminuted bone portions and associated tissue can aid in restoring function to the damaged joint.
Therefore, there is a need for a fracture fixation system to aid repair and reattachment of comminuted bone portions and associated tissue by facilitating increased alignment and stability of the comminuted bone portions and associated tissue. Such a fracture fixation system can increase the alignment and stability of the comminuted bone portions and associated tissue by providing an ideal mechanical advantage for drawing multiple comminuted bone portions together to form a solid construct to facilitate healing thereof, and to facilitate attachment of the associated tissue.
For example, the fracture fixation systems disclosed herein can be used to fix portions of a comminuted humeral head relative to a humeral shaft portion (FIGS. 1 and 2). In doing so, the comminuted humeral head portions (whether they contain important blood supply, or important tendon or ligament attachments) can be fixed to the site of their avulsion or prior attachment. As such, using the fracture fixation systems disclosed herein, the comminuted humeral head portions can be drawn together to form a solid construct to facilitate healing thereof, and to facilitate attachment of the associated tissue. The fracture fixation systems disclosed herein include improvements to the inventions described in U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/523,960; 60/541,540; and 60/552,632; and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/993,723, which are incorporated herein by reference.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for facilitating repair and reattachment of comminuted bone portions


An exemplary incremental two-step capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) with a time-domain sigma-delta modulator (TDΔΣM) includes a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)-based integrator that can be used in a low-order loop configuration. Example prototypes are disclosed, which when fabricated in 40-nm CMOS technology, provides CDC resolution of 0.29 fF while dissipating only 0.083 nJ per conversion.

Commercial optical motion capture systems generally rely on passive markers such as reflective balls or tapes to assist in the tracking of an object's motion. Passive markers can reflect external or internal light sources back to the system's camera, allowing the software to calculate an object's position. However, both the environment and the surface of the object may also be subjected to other sources of light, reducing the motion capture system's accuracy.
More active optical motion capture systems can employ active components but are generally bulky in their implementation. In many applications, e.g., that are payload sensitive (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles), existing optical motion capture systems do not meet the payload limitations.
There is a benefit to improving active optical motion capture systems.

Time-domain incremental two-step capacitance-to-digital converter

BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM


Methods and compositions for the control of pests of the family Calliphoridae are described. Specifically, Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) isolates having anti-calliphorid activity are disclosed. Also described are recombinant hosts which express B.t. genes coding for pesticidal toxins. The B.t. isolates and recombinant proteins are shown to be useful in a method for controlling calliphorids including screw-worms and the sheep blowfly.

The soil microbe Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium characterized by parasporal crystalline protein inclusions. These inclusions often appear microscopicallyas distinctively shaped crystals. The proteins can be highly toxic to pests and specific in their toxic activity. Certain B.t. toxin genes have been isolated and sequenced, and recombinant DNA-based B.t. products have been produced and approved for use. In addition, with the use of genetic engineering techniques, new approaches for delivering B.t. endotoxins to agricultural environments are under development, including the use of plants genetically engineered with endotoxin genes for insect resistance and the use of stabilized intact microbial cells as B.t. endotoxin delivery vehicles (Gaertner, F. H., L. Kim 1988! TIBTECH 6:S4-S7). Thus, isolated B.t. endotoxingenes are becoming commercially valuable.
Until the last ten years, commercial use of B.t. pesticides has been largely restricted to a narrow range of lepidopteran (caterpillar) pests. Preparations of the spores and crystals of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki have been used for many years as commercial insecticides for lepidopteran pests. For example, B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-1 produces a crystal called a delta endotoxin which is toxic to the larvae of a number of lepidopteran insects.
In recent years, however, investigators have discovered B.t. pesticides with specificities for a much broader range of pests. For example, other species of B.t., namely israelensis and san diego (a.k.a. B.t. tenebrionis, a.k.a. M-7), have been used commercially to control insects of the orders Diptera and Coleoptera, respectively (Gaertner, F. H. 1989! "Cellular Delivery Systems for Insecticidal Proteins: Living and Non-Living Microorganisms," in Controlled Delivery of Crop Protection Agents, R. M. Wilkins, ed., Taylor and Francis, New York and London, 1990, pp. 245-255). See also Couch, T. L. (1980) "Mosquito Pathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis," Developments in Industrial Microbiology 22:61-76; Beegle, C. C., (1978) "Use of Entomogenous Bacteria in Agroecosystems," Developments in Industrial Microbiology 20:97-104. Krieg, A., A. M. Huger, G. A. Langenbruch, W. Schnetter (1983) Z. ang. Ent. 96:500-508, describe a B.t. isolate named Bacillus thuringiensis var. tenebrionis, which is reportedly active against two beetles in the order Coleoptera. These are the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and Agelastica alni.
Recently, new subspecies of B.t. have been identified, and genes responsible for active .delta.-endotoxin proteins have been isolated (Hofte, H., H. R. Whiteley 1989! Microbiological Reviews 52(2):242-255). Hofte and Whiteley classified B.t. crystal protein genes into 4 major classes. The classes were CryI (Lepidoptera-specific), CryII (Lepidoptera-and Diptera-specific), CryIII (Coleoptera-specific), and CryIV (Diptera-specific). The discovery of strains specifically toxic to other pests has been reported. (Feitelson, J. S., J. Payne, L. Kim 1992! Bio/Technology 10:271-275).
The cloning and expression of a B.t. crystal protein gene in Escherichia coli has been described in the published literature (Schnepf, H. E., H. R. Whitely 1981! Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:2893-2897). U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,885 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,036 both disclose the expression of B.t. crystal protein in E. coli. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,797,276 and 4,853,331 disclose B. thuringiensis strain san diego (a.k.a. B.t. tenebrionis, a.k.a. M-7) which can be used to control coleopteran pests in various environments. U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,217 discloses B.t. isolates which have activity against the alfalfa weevil. U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,363 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,734 disclose certain isolates of B.t. which have activity against nematodes. Certain B.t. isolates have been described that have activity against flies, Australian Patent Publication No. AU-565082. These isolates are not, however, those isolates disclosed and claimed herein. Many other patents have issued for new B.t. isolates and new uses of B.t. isolates. The discovery of new B.t. isolates and new uses of known B.t. isolates remains an empirical, unpredictable art.
The Calliphoridae family, together with the Sarcophagidae and the Oestridae families, contain the species responsible for the most important myiases of domestic animals and man. Myiasis is the infestation of living animals with the larvae of dipteran flies. Myiasis caused by members of the family Calliphoridae is commonly called "blowfly strike." The "blow" is the laying of the eggs by the fly at or near a strike site. The "strike" is the development of the eggs into maggots and the damage that this development causes at that site. Strikes are classified by the area of the body affected.
Blowfly myiasis primarily affects sheep; however, many other animals may be affected. Major species of blowflies include Lucilia sericata (greenbottles), Phormia terraenovae (blackbottles), Calliphora erythrocephala and C. vomitoria (bluebottles) in Europe. These flies are characterized by the color of the metallic sheen on their body sections. Lucilia cuprina, L. caeser, L. illustris, Phormia regina, Calliphora stygia, C australis, C. fallax, Chrysomyia albiceps, C. chlorophyga, C. micropogon, and C. rufifacies are major species of blowflies in the tropics and subtropics.
The blowflies that attack sheep fall into two main categories:
(1) Primary flies, which are capable of initiating a strike on living sheep. These include Lucilia and Phormia spp. and some Calliphora spp.
(2) Secondary flies, which cannot initiate a strike, but attack an area already struck or otherwise damaged. They frequently extend the injury, rendering the strike one of great severity. Examples include many Calliphora spp. and, in warmer climates, Chrysomyia spp.
Eggs laid on the wool of sheep by primary flies, under favorable conditions, hatch within 12 hours. The hatched larvae migrate down the wool to the skin where the larvae lacerate the skin with their oral hooks and secrete proteolytic enzymes into the skin to establish the lesion. The larvae feed on the surrounding tissues, grow rapidly, and moult twice before becoming fully mature maggots. The maggots then drop to the ground and develop into mature flies. During the period of larval development, extensive tissue damage occurs, and the strike becomes available for the establishment of secondary infections or, worse, becomes an attractive site in which secondary blowflies may lay their eggs.
The irritation and distress caused by blowfly strikes are extremely debilitating, and sheep can rapidly lose condition. Where death occurs, it is often due to septicaemia. Affected sheep are anorexic, appear dull, and usually stay away from the main flock. Current methods of control are based primarily on the prophylactic treatment of sheep with insecticides. The problems associated with this are the relatively short period spent by the larvae on the sheep, the repeated infestations that occur throughout the season, and the rapidity with which severe damage occurs. Any insecticide used must therefore not only kill the larvae, but persist in the fleece. In this respect, the chlorinated hydrocarbon, dieldrin, proved particularly effective and gave protection for at least 20 weeks. However, this product has been largely withdrawn on safety grounds and replaced mainly by organophosphorus compounds, which have a persistence of 10-16 weeks unless resistance supervenes wherein this period becomes much shorter.
Application of these insecticides is made by plunge dipping or, more rarely in Europe, in a spray race or by jetting. In Europe, the high prevalence of body strike makes whole body protection necessary, and therefore the use of dips is more effective. In practice, an annual dip, usually in June, should give protection for the remainder of the fly season, but a second dipping in August may be necessary in order to ensure complete protection.
The name screw-worm is given to the larvae of certain species of Cochliomyia (syn. Callitroga) including C. hominivorax and C. macellaria, and to that of a single species of Chrysomyia, C. bezziani, which cause screw-worm myiasis in animals and occasionally man. Cochliomyia is found in the New World, while C. bezziani is confined to Africa and Asia.
The bluish-green flies have longitudinal stripes on the thorax and orange-brown eyes (P1. IX). They occur primarily in tropical areas and lay their eggs on wounds, the larval stages characteristicallyfeeding as a colony and penetrating the tissues creating a large and foul-smelling lesion. C. hominivorox was such a problem in the southern United States that a mass eradication campaign using biological control was undertaken. This involved the release of up to 1,000 male flies, sterilized by irradiation, per square mile. Since the female fly mates only once, control proved very successful except where the flies, which are capable of flying up to 200 miles, migrated from across the Mexican border.
Regular use of chemicals to control unwanted organisms can select for drug resistant strains. This has occurred in many species of economically important pests. Biological control programs circumvent the selection problem of drug resistance and are ecologically favored; however, as illustrated by the use in screw-worm control, can be limited by the biology of the fly. The development of drug resistance and the limitations of biological control programs necessitate a continuing search for new control agents having different modes of action.
At the present time there is a need to have more effective means to control these pests that cause considerable damage to susceptible hosts. Advantageously, such effective means would employ biological agents.

Materials and methods for the control of calliphoridae pests


Method for selective targeting of one or more effector moiety such as diagnostic or a therapeutic agent to a cell or population of cells expressing a folate-receptor comprising simultaneous or sequential administration of an antifolate with a folate- or pteroate-conjugate comprising said one or more effector moiety.

Cell-specific targeting for delivery of effector moieties such as diagnostic or therapeutic agents is a widely researched field and has led to the development of non-invasive diagnostic and/or therapeutic medical applications. In particular in the field of nuclear medicine procedures and treatments, which employ radioactive materials emitting electromagnetic radiations as γ-rays or photons or particle emitting radiation (e.g. alpha, beta, Auger-electrons), selective localization of these radioactive materials in targeted cells or tissues is required to achieve either high signal intensity for visualization of specific tissues, assessing a disease and/or monitoring effects of therapeutic treatments, or high radiation dose, for delivering adequate doses of ionizing radiation to a specified diseased site, without the risk of radiation injury in other e.g. healthy tissues. It is thus of crucial interest to determine and assess cell-specific and in particular tumour-selective structures such as receptors, antigens and the like which can be specifically targeted by the respective biological vehicles.
The folate receptor (FR) has been identified as one of these structures. The FR is a high-affinity (KD<10−9 M) membrane-associated protein. In normal tissues and organs FR-expression is highly restricted to only a few organs (e.g. kidney, lungs, choroids plexus, and placenta), where it largely occurs at the luminal surface of epithelial cells and is therefore not supplied with folate in the circulation. The FR-alpha is frequently overexpressed on a wide variety of specific cell types, such as epithelial tumours (e.g. ovarian, cervical, endometrial, breast, colorectal, kidney, lung, nasopharyngeal), whereas the FR-beta is frequently overexpressed in leukaemia cells (approx. 70% of acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) are FR-beta positive). Both may therefore be used as a valuable tumour marker for selective tumour-targeting (Elnakat and Ratnam, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2004; 56:1067-84). In addition it has recently been discovered that activated (but not resting) synovial macrophages in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis possess a functionally active FR-beta. Therefore activated macrophages can be selectively targeted with folate conjugates in arthritic joints, a capability that opens possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (Paulos et al, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2004; 56:1205-17). Folic acid and its derivatives have thus been intensively studied over the past 15 years as targeting agents for the delivery of therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents to cell populations bearing folate receptors in order to achieve a selective concentration of therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents in such cells relative to normal cells. Various probes have been conjugated to folic acid and (pre)clinically evaluated, including folate radiopharmaceuticals (Leamon and Low, Drug Discov. Today 2001; 6:44-51), folate-conjugates of chemotherapeutic agents (Leamon and Reddy, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2004; 56:1127-41; Leamon et al, Bioconjugate Chem. 2005; 16:803-11), proteins and protein toxins (Ward et al., J. Drug Target. 2000; 8:119-23; Leamon et al, J. Biol. Chem. 1993; 268:24847-54; Leamon and Low, J. Drug Target. 1994; 2:101-12), antisense oliconucleotides (Li et al, Pharm. Res. 1998; 15:1540-45; Zhao and Lee, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2004; 56:1193-204), liposomes Lee and Low, Biochim. Biophys. Acta-Biomembr. 1995; 1233:134-44; Gabizon et al, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2004; 56:1177-92), MRI contrast agents (Konda et al, Magn. Reson. Mat. Phys. Biol. Med. 2001; 12:104-13) etc.
However, apart from specific uptake of folate-conjugates in tumours, substantial and specific accumulation was also observed in kidneys because of considerable expression of FRs in proximal tubule cells of the renal tissue (Mathias et al, J. Nucl. Med. 1998, 39:1579-85; Mathias and Green, Nucl. Med. Biol. 1998, 25:585-87; Mathias and Green, J. Nucl. Med. 2000, 41:1113; Siegel et al, J. Nucl. Med. 2003, 44:700-07; Leamon et al, Bioconjugate Chem. 2002, 13:1200-10; Reddy et al, J. Nucl. Med. 2004, 45:857-66; Mathias et al, Bioconjugate Chem. 2000, 11:253-57; Trump et al, Nucl. Med. Biol. 2002, 29:569-73; Wang et al, Bioconjugate Chem. 1997, 8:673-79). This issue severely limit the use of currently known folate-mediated targeting methods in various medical applications and in particular the use of therapeutic folate/pteroate-conjugates radiolabeled with particle-emitting radioisotopes (β− or α), since application of high radioactivity in order to achieve a cytotoxic radiation dose in tumour cells would consequently comprise the risk of radiation injury in sensitive renal tissue. Therefore, FR tumour-targeting has not been exploited for its use in radiotherapy so far.
In view of the above limitations, there is clearly a need for appropriate targeting methods which show high selectivity of the folate/pteroate-conjugates to the targeted sites and efficiency (and thus adequate safety) for their use in various medical applications.
Applicants have now found that these disadvantages can be overcome by simultaneous or sequential administration of antifolates and folate/pteroate-conjugates, which led to a drastic increase in tumour selectivity of the folate-based radiopharmaceutical (i.e. increase of the tumour-to-kidney ratio of radioactivity).


A program and method enables easy creation and manipulation of timing charts. The preferred embodiment employs off-the-shelf commercial software and uses Visual Basic commands to get timing chart drawing commands into the drawing program and out of the spreadsheet program to order the drawing program to produce a displayable and print/plotable file. The user can easily see changes needed and even if they require ripple-through redrawing, because the user manipulates data in the spreadsheet file instead of directly manipulating drawing commands, the spread sheet will carry through ripple-through calculations to modify all lines related to the recalculated data.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of creation and use of timing charts and particularly to computer-assisted production of such charts.
2. Background Information
In designing most digital and some analog systems, designers and engineers have long relied upon the use of timing charts to identify signal dependencies, race conditions, and the like. In a complex chart, a slight change in the timing of one signal may have ripple effects throughout the system, and many signals may be in need of alteration to accommodate such a change.
Prior to this invention, the engineer or draftsman needed to modify the drawing of the signals by hand or at least signal line by signal line on a computer screen in a manual way. The cost in terms of potential errors and person-time was and remains very high.
This has been a significant problem since the advent of complex electronic systems. It only gets worse as clock signals get distributed among more and more components on chips and circuit boards, different kinds of devices with different response times get mixed into systems and alternative processing capabilities get switched in or out for power conservation, increased system throughput based on variable demand and other considerations.
While the components of the system taught by the inventor do exist and are readily available, it is not seen anywhere that this problem has been addressed in the straightforward manner that it has been handled by the inventor herein.

Efficient timing chart creation and manipulation


A device for storing objects includes a mounting member and a rack assembly affixed to the mounting member. The rack assembly includes first and second mounting bars in spaced relation and at least one connection member holding the first and second mounting bars in spaced relation.

When not in use, elongated rods such as those used for hanging clothing and the like are often difficult to store. For example, moving companies sell wardrobe boxes that are designed to transport clothing. The box comes with an elongated crossbar that spans across the box interior allowing hangered clothing to be hung just the same as in a closet. When not in use these crossbars must be stored in a place where they can be seen by a consumer, but do not take up a great deal of room. Due to their awkward size and length, when these crossbars are placed on the floor they tend to take up a large amount of floor space. When leaned against a wall or in a corner they often slide and/or fall over. Floor racks have been designed for containing rods or the like. However, the rack itself typically requires a large amount of floor space in the retailers showroom.
A need exists for a rack that holds elongated rods, crossbars and the like above a floor, yet does not take up a large amount of floor space.


A distance measuring device includes a light emitter, a light detector, a clamp that outputs long-range side signal or clamp signal, a calculator that calculates the ratio between the short-range side signal and the signal output from the clamp and outputs a ratio signal, a light meter measuring the luminance of outside light, a threshold setter that sets up an infinity determination threshold value such that a lower luminance of the outside light corresponds to the longer range side as a threshold value; a converter that, when the output ratio signal is the signal corresponding to the short range side and is shorter than the infinity determination threshold value, converts the output ratio signal into a distance signal, and, if not, converts the output ratio signal into a distance signal having a fixed value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an active distance measuring device suitably used for cameras or the like.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, as an active distance measuring device for cameras, a distance measuring device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H-10-281756 is known. That is, when an output ratio signal is converted in a CPU into an distance signal corresponding to the distance, in the case where the output ratio signal is at the nearer-side of a clamping effect Y/N determination reference level, which is defined based on the reference object reflectance, the output ratio signal is converted in accordance with a first conversion expression. While, in the case where the output ratio signal is not at the nearer-side of a clamping effect Y/N determination reference level, the output ratio signal is converted in accordance with any one of a first conversion expression and a second conversion expression corresponding to the luminance of the outside light. In the above distance measuring device, when converting the AF signal value into a distance signal value, it is arranged so that, in the case where the AF signal value is at the long-range side more than predetermined threshold value, every signal at the long-range side than that is converted into an infinity signal value corresponding to a predetermined infinity setting value. Owing to this, an object at a long range results in a faint AF signal value; and thus even when the component of noise is not negligible, a precise measurement can be obtained.
Further, in a distance measuring device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. S-60-189720, it is arranged so that the infinite distance position is determined by level determination means corresponding to the luminance of the object.
[Patent Document 1]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Tokukai) No. H-10-281756
[Patent Document 2]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Tokukai) No. S-60-189720
In the distance measuring device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H-10-281756, for example, when the luminance of the outside light is low, since component of noise is small, a precise distance measurement is possible up to a longer distance than the case when the luminance of the outside light is high. However, in the above distance measuring device, since the threshold value is set to a fixed value, the infinite distance determination is made within the short-range side where the AF signal value does not reach a long range limit that is capable of a precise distance measurement. Accordingly, the AF signal value is converted to the infinity signal value corresponding to the predetermined infinity setting value (refer to FIG. 14A). That is, the limit distance (hereinafter, referred to as "reachable distance"), which is capable of obtaining appropriate distance signal corresponding to the distance with respect to the object to be measured, becomes short. FIGS. 14A–14C show graphs for demonstrating the relationship between the distance and the distance signal when the distance measurement is made using the above-described distance measuring device under a condition of 36% object reflectance. FIG. 14A shows a result of distance measurement under a condition of low luminance of the outside light (Lv=7); FIG. 14B shows a result of distance measurement under a condition of medium luminance of the outside light (Lv=14); and FIG. 14C shows a result of distance measurement under a condition of high luminance of the outside light (Lv=16).
Particularly, in the case where the reflectance of the object to be measured is low, since the AF signal becomes faint in the nearer-distance side than that of the case where the reflectance is high, the AF signal is converted to the predetermined signal value in further nearer-distance side (Refer to FIG. 15A). The graph, which represents the relationship between the converted distance signal value and the distance, largely deviates out of an ideal linear graph, and exceeds the line (broken line in the graph), which indicates allowable range of error in the distance measurement to the long range side; thus there may be a case that the error in the distance measurement exceeds the allowable range. FIGS. 15A–15C are graphs, which represent the relationship between the distance and the distance signal when the distance measurement is made under a condition of 9% object reflectance using the above distance measuring device. FIG. 15A shows a result of the distance measurement under a condition of low luminance of the outside light (Lv=7); FIG. 15B shows a result of the distance measurement under a condition of medium luminance of the outside light (Lv=14); and FIG. 15C shows a result of the distance measurement under a condition of high luminance of the outside light (Lv=16). Further, the area enclosed by the two broken lines in FIG. 15 indicates the allowable range of error in the distance measurement.
Also, in a distance measuring device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application publication No. 1985-189720, since the setting of the determination level of the infinite long distance is altered in order to cope with the noise of external light, when the luminance of the outside light is high, the influence of the external light becomes large in an area a little closer to the short range, which is determined as infinite long distance, resulting in poor distance measuring property. As a result, the graph exceeds the allowable range of error in distance measurement to the short-range side (refer to FIG. 16C). FIGS. 16A–16C are graphs showing the relationship between the distance and the distance signal when a distance measurement is made using the distance measuring device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. S-60-189720 under a condition of 36% object reflectance. FIG. 16A shows a result of the distance measurement under a condition of low luminance of the outside light (Lv=7); FIG. 16B shows a result of the distance measurement under a condition of medium luminance of the outside light (Lv=14); and FIG. 16C shows a result of the distance measurement under a condition of high luminance of the outside light (Lv=16). Further, the area enclosed by the two broken lines in FIG. 16 indicates the allowable range of error in the distance measurement.
As described above, in conventional distance measuring devices, there reside such problems that, when the luminance of the outside light is changed, satisfactory reachable distance can not be obtained resulting in poor distance measuring property or the like.


An object recognizing apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus may include: a viewing direction estimating device configured for respectively estimating a first viewing direction of a first object captured by a first camera and a second viewing direction of a second object captured by a second camera; a feature extracting device configured for extracting one or more features respectively from an image containing the first object captured by the first camera and an image containing the second object captured by the second camera; and an object matching device configured for allocating a weight for each of the one or more features according to the first viewing direction and the second viewing direction, and calculating a similarity between the first object and the second object based on the one or more weighted features, to determine whether the first object and the second object are the same object.

With respect to the current large intelligence monitoring system, how to acquire monitoring information of all the cameras associated with an object in a monitoring network including a plurality of cameras is an issue attracting much attention. For example, in the case that a thief enters a room in a building with a monitoring system, the administrator generally desires to obtain all the history images of the thief captured by the monitoring cameras in the whole building. In some monitoring system this is generally done manually, which exhausts large amount of time and human power.
A method has been suggested in which the images of the same object captured by different cameras are matched based on color and texture features. In the method, the similarity between the images of the same object is calculated depending upon the accurately obtained color features. This method is effective in the case that in all the different cameras the object appears in the front viewing direction. Related document includes M. Farenze et al, "Person Re-identification by Symmetry-Driven Accumulation of Local Features" (IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), 2010) (referred to as related document 1).