Structures are provided which improve performance in integrated circuits. The structures include a diffusion barrier and a seed layer in an integrated circuit both formed using a low energy ion implantation followed by a selective deposition of metal lines for the integrated circuit. The low energy ion implantation allows for the distinct placement of both the diffusion barrier and the seed layer. Structures are formed with a barrier/adhesion layer deposited in the number of trenches using a low energy ion implantation, e.g. a 100 to 800 electron volt (eV) ion implantation. A seed layer is deposited on the barrier/adhesion layer in the number of trenches also using the low energy ion implantation. Such structures include aluminum, copper, gold, and silver metal interconnects.

One of the main problems confronting the semiconductor processing industry, in the ULSI age, is that of Capacitive-Resistance loss in the wiring levels. This has led to a large effort to reduce the resistance of and lower the capacitive loading on the wiring levels. Since its beginning, the industry has relied on aluminum and aluminum alloys for wiring. In a like manner, the industry has mainly relied on SiO2 as the insulator of choice, although polyimide was used in a number of products by one vendor (IBM), for a number of years. The capacitive resistance problem grows with each succeeding generation of technology. As the dimensions decrease the minimum line space combination decreases, thus increasing both capacitance and resistance, if the designer is to take advantage of the improved ground rules.
To improve the conductivity, it has been suggested by numerous investigators, that copper or perhaps silver or gold metallurgy be substituted for the aluminum metallurgy, now being used. Several potential problems have been encountered in the development of these proposed metallurgies. One of the main ones is the fast diffusion of copper through both silicon and SiO2. This along with the known junction poising effects of copper and gold have led to proposals to use a liner, to separate these metallurgies from the SiO2 insulator.
For example, an article authored by Karen Holloway and Peter M. Fryer, entitled, "Tantalum as a diffusion barrier between copper and silicon", Appl. Phys. Letter vol. 57, No. 17, 22 Oct. 1990, pp. 1736-1738, suggests the use of a tantalum metal liner. In another article authored by T. Laursen and J. W. Mayer, entitled, "Encapsulation of Copper by Nitridation of Cu—Ti Alloy/Bilayer Structures", International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, San Diego, Calif., Apr. 21-25, 1997, Abstract No. H1.03, pg. 309, suggests using a compound such as CuTi as the liner. Still another article published by Vee S. C. Len, R. E. Hurley, N. McCusker, D. W. McNill, B. M. Armstrong and H. S. Gamble, entitled, "An investigation into the performance of diffusion barrier materials against copper diffusion using metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structures", Solid-State Electronics 43 (1999) pp. 1045-1049 suggests using a compound such as TaN as the liner. These approaches, however, do not fully resolve the above-stated problem of the minimum line space decreases. Thus, the shrinking line size in the metal line and liner combination again increases both the capacitance and resistance.
At the same time other investigators, in looking at the capacitive loading effect, have been studying various polymers such as fluorinated polyimides as possible substitutions for SiO2 insulators. Several of these materials have dielectric constants considerably lower than SiO2. However as in the case of SiO2, an incompatibility problem with copper metallurgy has been found. For example, in a presentation by D. J. Godbey, L. J. Buckley, A. P. Purdy and A. W. Snow, entitled, "Copper Diffusion in Organic Polymer Resists and Inter-level Dielectrics", at the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, San Diego, Calif., Apr. 21-25, 1997, Abstract H2.04 pg. 313, it was shown that polyimide, and many other polymers, react with copper during the curing process, forming a conductive oxide CuO2, which is dispersed within the polymer. This then raises the effective dielectric constant of the polymer and in many cases increases the polymers conductivity. In addition it has been found that reactive ion etching (RIE) of all three metals, copper, silver or gold, is difficult at best.
Other approaches by investigators have continued to look for ways to continue to use aluminum wiring with a lower dielectric constant insulator. This would decrease the capacitive load with a given inter-line space but require wider or thicker lines. The use of thicker lines would increase the capacitive loading in direct proportion to the thickness increase. Thus to some measure, it defeats the objectives of decreasing the capacitive loading effects. Therefore, the use of thicker lines should be avoided as much as possible. As the resistivity of the line is directly proportional to its cross-sectional area, if it cannot be made thicker, it must be made wider. If however the lines are made wider, fewer wiring channels can be provided in each metal level. To obtain the same number of wiring channels, additional levels of metal must be provided. This increases the chip cost. So if this approach is to be followed, it is imperative that a low cost process sequence be adopted.
One approach provided by the present inventor in a co-pending application, entitled, "Copper Metallurgy in Integrated Circuits", filed Aug. 4, 1998, application Ser. No. 09/128,859, proposes a method to solve many of the problems associated with using copper in a polymer insulator. This process, which was specifically designed to be compatible with a polymer or foam insulation, required that the unwanted copper on the surface of each layer be removed by Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) or a similar planarizing process. However, this method may require careful process control, leading to additional expense. Another approach is provided in a co-pending application by Kie Ahn and Leonard Forbes, entitled "Method for Making Copper and Other Metal Interconnections in Integrated Circuits", filed Feb. 27, 1998, U.S. Ser. No. 09/032,197, which proposes a method using ionized sputtering to form the underlayer, then forming a low wetting layer on the areas where no copper is desired using jet vapor deposition. The copper is deposited with ionized Magnetron sputtering followed by hydrogen annealing. The excess copper is then removed by CMP as in the aforementioned application.
Another process is described by the present inventor in a co-pending application, entitled, "Integrated Circuit with Oxidation Resistant Polymeric Layer", filed Sep. 1, 1998, U.S. Ser. No. 09/145,012, which eliminates many of the CMP processes and uses lift-off to define the trench and the seed layer simultaneously. A process is also described by the present inventor in a co-pending application, entitled, "Conductive Structures in Integrated Circuits" filed Mar. 1, 1999, U.S. Ser. No. 09/259,849, which required a CMP process to remove unwanted seed material prior to a selective deposition of the metal layers in a damascene or dual damascene process.
The use of CMP has proven to be effective in reducing local non-planarity. However, extensive dishing in wide lines and rounding of corners of the insulator are a common occurrence. It has been found that by maintaining a regular structure through the use of dummy structures and small feature sizes, it is possible to planarize a level to a nearly flat surface. The use of these techniques are however costly and in some cases come with density or performance penalties. It is, however, generally possible to planarize a structure prior to the metal levels using these methods with little or no density penalty. The use of electroless plating has been suggested in an article authored by Yosi Schacham-Diamand and Valery M. Dubin, entitled "Copper electroless deposition technology for ultra-large scale-integration (ULSI) metallization", Microelectronic Engineering 33 (1997) 47-58, however a simple process for obtaining both a barrier layer as well as a seed layer is needed to improve the cost effectiveness of this technique. One technique for seeding polyimide and silicon surfaces using high energy (10-20 Kilo Electron Volts {KEV}) ion implantation has been demonstrated in an article authored by S. Bhansali, D. K. Sood and R. B. Zmood, entitled "Selective electroless copper plating on silicon seeded by copper ion implantation", Thin Solid Films V253 (1994) pp. 391-394. However this process has not been shown to be implementable into a product structure where a barrier and/or adhesion layer is required.
For the reasons stated above and for others which will become apparent from reading the following disclosure, structures and methods are needed which alleviate the problems associated with via and metal line fabrication processes. These structures and methods for via and metal line fabrication must be streamlined and accommodate the demand for higher performance in integrated circuits even as the fabrication design rules shrink.


Disclosed are an system and method for compensation of I/Q imbalance in a beamforming OFDM system. The system comprises: a TX beamformer configured at a transmitter end of the beamforming OFDM system; a noise whitener configured at a receiver end of the beamforming OFDM system; and a RX MMSE configured at the receiver end of the beamforming OFDM system. At least one of the TX beamformer, the noise whitener and the RX MMSE receiver, or any combination thereof are capable of jointly processing a carrier and its image subcarrier to compensate the I/Q imbalance in the beamforming system.

Most existing broadband wireless standards adopt some form of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (also referred to as 'OFDM') as a transmission scheme. OFDM is a method of encoding digital data on multiple carrier frequencies. OFDM has developed into a popular scheme for wideband digital communication, whether wireless or over copper wires, used in applications such as digital television and audio broadcasting, DSL broadband internet access, wireless networks, and 4G mobile communications.
The primary advantage of OFDM over single-carrier schemes is its ability to cope with severe channel conditions (for example, attenuation of high frequencies in a long copper wire, narrowband interference and frequency-selective fading due to multipath) without complex equalization filters Channel equalization is simplified because OFDM may be viewed as using many slowly modulated narrowband signals rather than one rapidly modulated wideband signal. The low symbol rate makes the use of a guard interval between symbols affordable, making it possible to eliminate intersymbol interference (ISI) and utilize echoes and time-spreading (on analogue TV these are visible as ghosting and blurring, respectively) to achieve a diversity gain, i.e. a signal-to-noise ratio improvement. This mechanism also facilitates the design of single frequency networks (SFNs), where several adjacent transmitters send the same signal simultaneously at the same frequency, as the signals from multiple distant transmitters may be combined constructively, rather than interfering as would typically occur in a traditional single-carrier system. OFDM is disclosed at the website http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orthogonal_frequency-division_multiplexing&oldid=546868144 and is incorporated herein in its entirety for reference purposes.
Traditionally, OFDM based wireless transceivers used the super heterodyne architecture which requires several analog components (filters and amplifiers) to achieve acceptable signal quality while increasing the overall power consumption and cost considerably. To overcome this drawback, the direct-conversion architecture where the radio frequency (RF) signal is converted directly to baseband, thus eliminating the bulky band-pass surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters, has gained increased popularity recently because it enables low-cost low-power integration in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology leading to a smaller form factor. However, direct conversion OFDM-based broadband wireless transceivers suffer from several performance-limiting RF/analog impairments including Inphase/Quadrature imbalance (hereinafter referred to as 'I/Q imbalance'). As used herein, I/Q imbalance refers to the amplitude and phase mismatches between the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) branches at the transmit and receive sides. The I/Q imbalance is result of the impairments due to the front end analog parts of the transceivers. I/Q imbalance can degrade the performance of OFDM systems significantly.
Specifically, in direct-conversion transceivers, I/Q modulation and demodulation are performed in the analog domain. Ideally, I and Q branches of the mixers should have equal amplitude and 90 degrees phase shift but this is rarely the case in practice which results in inter-carrier interference (ICI) between the OFDM subcarriers. In addition, mismatches between the low-pass filters in I and Q branches result in FD I/Q imbalance.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and a method that can compensate performance limiting RF/analog impairments including I/Q imbalance in beamforming OFDM systems in a reliable, power efficient and cost efficient manner.

System and methods for compensation of I/Q imbalance in beamforming OFDM systems


A crankcase for a multiple-cylinder four-cycle engine, including an upper crankcase and a lower crankcase which are joined to each other at a joint surface; a separating wall which is integrally cast with the upper crankcase and the lower crankcase to extend from the joint surface toward the opposite side of the joint surface and are configured to define crank chambers corresponding to adjacent cylinders; and a crank journal bearing hole which is formed on the separating wall and is configured to support a crankshaft. At least the separating wall formed in the upper crankcase has a thickness that increases from the joint surface of the crankcase to a region near a deepest portion of the crank journal bearing hole and decreases from the region near the deepest portion of the crank journal bearing hole toward the opposite side of the joint surface of the crankcase.

Typically, a crankcase and a cylinder block forming a multiple-cylinder four-cycle engine equipped in a vehicle such as a motorcycle are manufactured by casting. In case of the motorcycle, the engine is mounted to a frame member disposed between a front wheel and a rear wheel. The engine and a transmission are mounted in a limited space below a fuel tank mounted to an upper region of the frame member to drive the rear wheel. So, a cylinder of the engine is positioned on the front wheel side and the transmission is positioned on the rear wheel side. The engine is typically manufactured in such a way that the cylinder block, a transmission case and a crankcase are integrally cast by die casting.
In the multiple-cylinder four-cycle engine, since crank chambers of respective cylinders are separated by separating walls, air in each crank chamber is compressed by a piston moving downward, causing a pumping loss. In addition, a mixture of air and oil, namely, an oil mist, existing in the respective crank chambers, is scattered by a crank web or the like rotating at a high speed in the crank chambers to cause a large friction resistance. In some engines, crank chambers of adjacent cylinders are connected to each other through a connecting hole in order to reduce the pumping loss or the friction resistance.
Prior art that was configured to address these concerns is disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 11-182325. According to this application, connecting holes connecting crank chambers of cylinders are formed to extend over piston sliding surfaces inside cylinders and crankcase parts, and a center of each connecting hole is located on the sliding surface side of the piston.
A similar prior art concept is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2005-69170 which was previously filed by the applicant. In this application, connecting holes are formed to penetrate separating walls defining cylinder bores and crank chambers of adjacent cylinders.
A multiple-cylinder four-cycle engine for motorcycles in some cases has a cylinder block having a closed deck structure in which an upper region of a water jacket formed in a cylinder block is closed, in order to increase a degree of roundness of an inner diameter of the cylinder at an upper region of the cylinder block. However, since it may be difficult to manufacture via die casting, a cylinder block having a closed deck structure is generally manufactured via sand casting using a sand mold.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a prior art example of an upper crankcase 52 of a crankcase 51 of an engine for a motorcycle. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper crankcase 52 is inverted in casting. The upper crankcase 52 has a cylinder block 53 having the above mentioned closed deck structure and an upper transmission case 54 which are integrally cast and formed by using a sand mold.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the upper crankcase 52 of FIG. 6 and a casting mold 60 for casting the upper crankcase 52. As shown in FIG. 7, a casting mold 60, which is a sand mold, includes a lower die 61, a front die 62, a side die (located in a direction perpendicular to a sheet of FIG. 7 and thus is not shown) provided at a side surface, a rear die 63, a pouring gate die 64 forming a pouring gate 65 from which liquid metal is fed into the casting mold 60, an upper die 70, and a cylinder bore die 66. The casting mold 60 further includes a crankshaft side core 69 and a cylinder side core 68, to form intricate inner wall surfaces of crank chambers 56 (FIG. 6) of the upper crankcase 52.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7, schematically showing the casting cores 68 and 69 for forming the crank chamber 56 (FIG. 6) of the crankcase. As shown in FIG. 8, the crankshaft side core 69 is provided in contact with the upper die 70 at a joint surface 55, and a cylinder side core 68 is provided on the cylinder side with respect to the crankshaft side core 69 in contact with the crankshaft side core 69 at a parting plane 75. The cores 68 and 69 respectively have drafts 80 and 81 having a width that decreases from a joint surface 55 of the crankshaft side C toward the cylinder side H.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a connecting hole 58 is formed on each separating wall 57 for defining the crank chamber 56 of the upper crankcase 52 to reduce friction resistance and the like within each crank chamber 56. In addition, a cut portion 78 is formed on each separating wall 57 to reduce the weight of the upper crankcase 52. The cut portion 78 may be formed on each separating wall 57 between adjacent cylinders by a shape of the sand mold of the cylinder side core 68.
In casting, flash may be left at an end portion E of the parting plane 75. The flash must be removed to smooth-finish the inner wall surface, or the like, of the crank chamber 56. However, in the prior art discussed above the parting plane 75 is positioned in close proximity to a joint portion at which the upper crankcase 52 is joined to the cylinder block 53, (i.e. in a narrow space) and cut portion 78 is located closer to the cylinder side H than parting plane 75. For these reasons, an operator may have to take painstaking efforts to carefully remove the flash by hand. In order to smooth-finish corner regions of the cut portions 78 and surfaces of the separating walls 57, the operator must remove the flash not only in the vicinity of the parting plane 75 but in the vicinity of the cut portions 78 existing in the narrow spaces.
In addition, it will be appreciated that it may be desirable to increase the output of high-power engines such as the above described engine for motorcycles, and that it may also be desirable to increase the output of multiple-cylinder four-cycle engines for motorcycles.

Crankcase, method of casting a crankcase, and a multiple-cylinder four-cycle engine comprising the crankcase


Methods and compositions for the treatment of the symptoms of a patient who has a pulmonary condition associated with an inhibition of surfactant secretion by type II alveolar cells are described. The method of treatment involves causing a patient to inhale an amount of a pH-raising buffer effective to raise the pH of the aqueous fluid in the microenvironment of the type II alveolar cell lumenal surface, thereby inducing an increase in the rate of surfactant secretion by type II alveolar cells.

Efficient gas exchange by the mammalian lung is dependent upon several factors, including the volume and viscosity of the aqueous fluid bathing the lung epithelia. These physical characteristics of the aqueous fluid are dependent upon proper function of alveolar epithelial cells, particularly type II alveolar cells. Type II cells are responsible for secretion of surfactant (a mixture of phospholipids, principally lecithin and sphingomyelin). The surfactant reduces the surface tension of the aqueous fluid bathing the alveoli and contributes to the elastic properties of pulmonary tissue.
Cystic fibrosis is an example of a pulmonary disease associated with the accumulation of thick mucosal secretions which impair alveolar ventilation and O.sub.2 /CO.sub.2 exchange. Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by defective fluid secretion in epithelia of the pancreas, small intestine, sweat glands, and airways. The gene to which the defect in cystic fibrosis is attributed encodes a protein which has been characterized as a transmembrane conductance regulator (Riordan et al., Science 245:1066-1072, 1989; Kerem et al., Science 245:1073-1080, 1989). This protein appears to play a role in the functioning of an airway epithelial cell anion channel (Liedtke, FASEB 6:3076-3084, 1992). This anion channel, generally identified as a Cl.sup.- channel, may also act as a channel for secretion of other ions (Smith and Welsh, J. Clin. Invest. 89:1148-1153, 1992; Kunzelmann et al. Pflugers Arch. 417:616-621, 1991).
The pulmonary symptoms of cystic fibrosis and other diseases involving accumulation of thick mucous secretions in the lungs are typically treated with respiratory modalities intended to mobilize the secretions, including regular percussion and postural draining. Various therapeutic aerosols designed to liquefy the mucus or enzymatically digest proteins, nucleic acids, or other mucus components are known in the art (U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,589; U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,823; WO 93/03709; Lourenco and Cotromanes, Arch. Intern. Med. 142:2299-2308, 1982).

Treatment of pulmonary conditions associated with insufficient secretion of surfactant


An auto racing board game is provided and consists of a game board and a plurality of playing pieces. The game board has a simulated race course thereon with a plurality of adjacent racing grooves. Each racing groove is divided into a plurality of sequential playing spaces, with a starting position, a halfway point stripe, a turn four stripe and a finish line. Each playing piece represents a player for movement along the race course from the starting position to the finish line.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to auto racing board game.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous racing games have been provided in prior art that are adapted to be played upon game boards embodying racing themes. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the described.


A method and apparatus for enhancing a digital photographic image uses a combination of global and content-specific operations. Image data is analyzed to detect one or more content items in the image to be separately enhanced. Then a content-specific enhancement operation is performed on data representing at least one detected content item, separately from the remainder of the image data. Several such content-specific operations may be performed for different types of content item. The content-specific enhancement operation comprises manipulating data, and the manipulation applies different adjustments to different pixels in the detected content item and the determination of the adjustments is based solely on analysis of the image data. Then a different enhancement operation is performed on at least the remaining image data excluding said one or more detected content items.

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic growth in the amount of digital imagery captured and stored. This growth has been fueled by the advent of inexpensive digital cameras and camera-embedded mobile devices, as well as the abundance and increasing popularity of various channels for sharing images on the World Wide Web. The vast amounts of captured digital imagery and the fact that most of it comes from non-professional photographers underscores the need for effective automatic photo enhancement tools.
Indeed, virtually all existing photo management packages offer various automatic enhancement tools. However, most of these automatic approaches operate obliviously to higher-level image content and their results leave considerable room for improvement. A number of content-aware enhancement methods have been recently proposed, however the automatic methods among these mostly focus on global tone and color corrections.

Method and apparatus for enhancing a digital photographic image

Yissum Research Development Companyof The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd.


A system, for use with a compiler architecture framework, includes performing a statically speculative compilation process to extract and use speculative static information, encoding the speculative static information in an instruction set architecture of a processor, and executing a compiled computer program using the speculative static information, wherein executing supports static speculation driven mechanisms and controls.

Power/energy consumption has increased significantly with every chip generation. With the reduced transistor sizes in modern processors, the per area power density is approaching that of a nuclear reactor. Consequently, power reduction has become a design goal, with power saving features widely recognized as representing the next phase in the advancement of microprocessors. Portability and reliability requirements of emerging applications further underline this trend.
Major processor vendors realize that they must compete in terms of the power consumption of their chips as well as chip speed. Typical approaches to reduce power consumption (e.g., by reducing supply voltage and/or clock rate) negatively impact performance. Other approaches do not scale between design generations (e.g., as clock rates increase, due to changed critical paths, the value of many circuit or microarchitecture based energy reduction approaches is reduced).
The challenge is to reduce the energy consumed in processors without sacrificing performance, and with solutions that scale between processor generations. With increased Internet usage and growing desire for wireless communications, the processor market is being driven to produce smaller and more powerful chips that do not drain significant amounts of power.

Statically speculative compilation and execution


Pixel array including a high resolution mode and a low resolution mode and method of reading out the pixel array in a high and low resolution mode. The pixel array includes a first signal line and a second signal line. An array of pixel elements are provided, each pixel element coupled to the first signal line or the second signal line. A switch mechanism is provided for coupling the first signal line to the second signal line. A mechanism is also provided for conveying a charge associated with each pixel element to the first signal line or the second signal line. A mechanism may also be provided for buffering signals between the first signal line, the second signal line, and an output signal line.

The present invention relates generally to pixel arrays, and more particularly, it relates to an imager display pixel array which may be selectively read out in a high resolution, and a low resolution mode.
Solid state detector arrays have been developed for consumer, commercial, scientific, medical, military and industrial applications. Consumer applications range from video to high-definition television. Industrial uses include robotics and machine vision; electronics imaging for advertising in communications; integrated text; and images in office work in publishing. Image sensors are also used for medical (mammography, chest x-rays), astronomy, spectroscopy, surveillance, airport luggage inspection, inspection of foreign objects in food stuffs, non-destructive testing in industry, and many other applications.
Solid-state devices, such as photodetectors, are used for detecting electromagnetic radiation, such as x-rays, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and visible light. The photodetector stores the image momentarily, and then, after a selected time interval, converts the image to an electrical signal. The strength of the generated electrical signal corresponds to the intensity of the visible light radiation. The electrical signal is converted to digital data and stored in a memory device or electrically displayed.
One known pixel array for use in imaging devices is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,879 entitled "Pixel Array Having Imaging Forming Pixel Elements Integral with Peripheral Circuit Elements", issued on Aug. 9, 1994 to Donald J. Sauer, the same inventor as the present application. The entire disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,879 is herein incorporated by reference.
The resolution of the output from the imager array is dependent upon the size and number of pixel elements in the imager array. High resolution pixel arrays have a slower read-out time due to the increased number of pixel elements. It is desirable to have a high resolution imager array which may be operated in a low resolution mode for faster read out of the signal representative of the detected image.
The field of medical imaging includes fluoroscopic imaging and radiographic imaging. In radiographic imaging, very high resolution read-out is desired. In contrast, for fluoroscopic imaging, the image may be read-out in a lower resolution mode, although it is desirable to obtain an image read-out within a fast period of time. Therefore, in one particular application, it is desirable to have a pixel array for use in a medical imaging apparatus which may be read-out in a low resolution fluoroscopy mode having high frame rates, or a high resolution radiographic mode. The consolidation of a low resolution and high resolution system into a single medical imaging device provides an economical and convenient, multifaceted imaging device in a single unit.

Pixel array with high and low resolution mode


A bullet-resistant vest incorporates a breastplate which comprises at least one layer of a material which can be fractured by the effect of a deforming force upon its surface, which is placed behind a plurality of layers of classical flexible material, preferably of the polyolefin fiber type, which cover the surface of the fracturable material exposed to the deforming impact.

There has been a long search for materials for body protection against handgun projectiles for persons liable to face such dangers. Prior to the second World War the preferred armor material was steel, but using it for individual body protection is very impractical.
Research in this field was then directed toward the use of materials combining bullet-stopping properties with characteristics of pliability and lightness, so that they would be capable of giving users some degree of comfort. Thus it was that the research turned to the use of organic fibers in composite materials.
Polyamide fibers in particular are used in the manufacture of protective vests. Industrially, the fibers now involved are aramide fibers, including more particularly the phenyl-phthalamides, which are known commercially by the name of Kevlar.RTM.. These fibers offer high resistance to elongation and high tensile strength. Consequently, bullet-resistant armor is made of one or more layers of a closely-woven fabric made from these fibers. But it has been found that in use the superposition of several layers of this fabric results in the formation of wrinkles in which a bullet can become lodged. This defect is remedied by stitching these layers of aramide fibers to one another.
In general, the probability that a projectile will be stopped by a pliable protective material depends on the type of armor, the velocity of the projectile, as well as various other parameters such as the type of cartridge, the more or less dry or humid atmospheric conditions, etc. The result is that the body armor is generally designed to counter specific dangers, and is limited to a specific velocity range on the basis of armor standards and of the anticipated danger.

Etat Francais, Ministere de l'Interieur, Direction Generale de la Police Nationale, Centre de Recherche et d'Estudes de la Logistique


A regulator set point circuit. The circuit includes a voltage regulator configured to produce an output voltage. An adjustable voltage source is coupled to the voltage regulator via a feedback circuit, and is configured to generate a voltage adjust signal to control the output voltage.

Electronic devices use voltage regulators to condition voltage and current from a power supply to the proper value needed for their internal components. Generally, a voltage regulator for an electronic device comprises a circuit component that is configured to regulate the voltage fed to the other internal components of the device. For example, the power supply in a desktop computer system typically generates power at a number of different voltage levels. The computer system's voltage regulator functions by generating the different voltages used by different components of the device. For example, complex integrated circuits can require several different voltage levels for several different internal components. For example, a microprocessor can require a certain core voltage (e.g., 1.8 volts), which may be different from memory voltage (e.g., 2.0 volts), or I/O voltage (e.g., 3.3 volts).
For example, with integrated circuit electronic devices, as integrated circuits have become more complex, the demands placed upon the voltage regulator systems have become similarly more complex. For example, in addition to requiring several different voltage levels, these voltage levels need to be changed in accordance with the operating modes of the integrated circuit (e.g., full power, sleep mode, standby, etc.). The voltage levels need be precisely maintained at their specified levels in order to ensure the proper function of the integrated circuit. As the levels of integration increase (e.g., over 100 million of transistors on a single die), integrated circuit devices become more sensitive to glitches, surges, drooping, and the like on the voltage supply levels. Additionally, some types of digital integrated circuit devices are prone to large changes in circuit loading, such as, for example, when a user initiates some new application function or some new data must be processed at high clock frequencies.
Also a common problem is the testing of a circuitry for function in all operating conditions. During validation the circuit's voltage will be changed to test the device under test on the high and low borders of the tolerance band of the regulator (shmoo). Some circuits require this test on all units at production test (margining).
Other challenges to the proper functioning of a voltage regulator system involve the distribution of power efficiently to the millions of transistors of the electronic device. Complex electronic devices employ multiple voltage rails that span large areas of the die to deliver power to the various components of the die.
In attempting to address these challenges, some prior art voltage regulators employ sophisticated and comparatively expensive schemes to provide simultaneous set point adjustment for multiple regulators. For example, some prior art schemes are designed to use two input rails only, and cannot use more than two, which limits their flexibility. Similarly, some prior art schemes provide for only one output rail. This is generally due to limitation that in those cases where more than two output phases are needed, the voltages on the input rails cannot be too far removed from one another (e.g., in phase/amplitude) in order for the multiple regulators to function properly. Thus, a new system is required for adjusting set points for one or more regulators at the same time.


The present invention relates to a gas sensor employing a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) scheme. The gas sensor may comprise: a light source portion for emitting light; a light cavity portion for multi-reflecting the emitted light; a light detecting portion for detecting the multi-reflected light; a first light coupling portion for reflecting and concentrating the light emitted by the light source portion toward the light cavity portion; and a second light coupling portion for reflecting and concentrating the light reflected by the light cavity portion toward the light detecting portion. The first light coupling portion may comprise a light emitting surface that faces a side surface of the light cavity portion and has a via hole through which light passes, and a reflecting surface extending from the light emitting surface so as to surround the upper portion and the side portion of the light source portion such that light emitted by the light source portion is reflected toward the via hole of the light emitting surface. The second light coupling portion may comprise a light incident surface that faces a side surface of the light cavity portion and has a via hole through which light incident from the light cavity portion passes, and a reflecting surface extending from the light incident surface so as to surround the upper portion and the side portion of the light detecting portion such that light incident from the light cavity portion is reflected toward the light detecting portion.

Generally, a gas sensor using an NDIR (Non-Dispersive Infra-Red) system is configured to reversely count a gaseous concentration by measuring an absorption rate of a target gas on a light path in accordance with a unique absorption wavelength of NDIR and a Beer-Lambert law based on the unique absorption wavelength.
Since the Beer-Lambert law is calculated using a light path and an absorption rate according to the light path, the gas sensor of the NDIR system is capable of performing accurate sensing as it has a long light path at a possible level.
However, the gas sensor of the NDIR system needs a large light cavity to make sure of a long light path. Since a surface of the light cavity is treated with Au to make sure of high reflectivity of infrared rays and prevent corrosion caused by the outdoor air from occurring, a high manufacturing cost is required.
Also, since a gas sensor of the existing NDIR system is mainly manufactured using a filament light source, power consumption is increased. Also, since the gas sensor of the existing NDIR system should have various optical reflective structures to make sure of an appropriate light path from a radial light source, its structure is complicated and a level of difficulty in manufacture and the manufacturing cost are increased. Also, the gas sensor has no option but to have a size of several cm.
Recently, although sizes of a light source and a light receiving portion of the gas sensor could remarkably be reduced using the MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) technology, a size of a light cavity is not reduced, whereby there is a limitation in reducing an overall size of the gas sensor.
Therefore, development of a gas sensor capable of performing accurate sensing by making sure of a long light path while enabling miniaturization in an overall size will be needed in the future.


An optical module includes first and second fiber units that hold end portions of first and second optical fibers, and first and second collimators disposed between these fiber units and having first and second lenses, respectively. End faces of the first and second optical fibers are disposed on imaginary circumferences on the end faces of the first and second fiber units. Laser light beams from the end face of the first optical fiber are collimated by the first lens and then focused by the second lens, and enter the end face of the second optical fiber that is disposed diametrically opposite to the first optical fiber with respect to the center axis of the optical module.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical module for use in the field of optical communication and optical measurement, and more particularly, to an optical module for connecting optical fibers so as to realize functions of optical switch, optical branching, optical coupling, etc., and relates to an optical collimator and a lens housing that are used to constitute such an optical module.
2. Related Art
In optical communication systems and optical measuring systems, a variety of optical connectors and optical modules for connecting optical fibers are utilized. For instance, JP-A-8-114724 discloses an MT (Mechanically Transferable) type optical connector that is adapted to be detachably joined to another optical connector of the same construction by means of guide pins. The two joined optical connectors connect multi-core optical fibers together, which are held by these connectors positioned by the guide pins inserted into guide pin holes formed in the connectors. Distal ends of the multi-core optical fibers extending through the optical connectors are exposed to connecting faces of the connectors, and hence no optical function component part can be placed between opposed end faces of the connectors. Thus, optical transmission alone is permitted between the optical fibers. In other words, the optical connector having the just-mentioned structure can provide neither the optical branching function nor the optical multiplexing function. Besides, the exposed end faces of the multi-core optical fibers can be in contact with each other during operation of connecting the two optical connectors, causing mechanical damages to the fiber end faces.
As for the optical module, it typically comprises two units each of which is adapted to receive end portions of optical fibers for optical transmission between corresponding optical fibers. It is conceivable to construct these units so as to be positioned by means of guide pins as in the MT type optical connector.
FIG. 1 shows such an MT type optical module 1 that comprises two units each comprised of an optical fiber housing (MT ferrule) 2 and a lens housing 3. The optical fiber housing 2 receives distal end portions of two optical fibers 4, and is formed with a pair of guide pin holes 2a. The lens housing 3 is formed with a pair of guide pin holes 3a and a lens hole 3b, with a spherical lens 5 fixed by adhesive at a predetermined position in the lens hole 3b. Each unit has a collimator function for collimating outgoing light beams from the optical fibers by means of the lens 5. The optical fiber housings 2 and the lens housings 3 of the two units are positioned, with the lens housing 3 arranged between the optical fiber units 2, by means of guide pins 6 inserted through guide pin holes 2a and 3a, whereby the optical module 1 is constructed.
For the MT type optical module, the focal distance S from the end face of the optical fiber 4 to the center of the lens 5 and the distance between the centers of the two lenses 5 are important factors affecting on optical characteristics. In order to obtain a proper focal distance S and a proper lens-to-lens distance D, the fiber housing 2 and lens housing 3 must be positioned with submicron accuracy and the lens 5 must be fixed at a predetermined longitudinal position in the lens housing 3 with several-micron accuracy.
In the module 1 using adhesive to fix the lens 5 to the lens housing 3, an error in lens position tends to occur since it is extremely difficult to always constantly apply a minute amount of adhesive to the lens 5 which is extremely small in size. As a result, an applied amount of adhesive varies between lenses 5, causing variations in shrinkage of adhesive and in lens position.
Besides, the optical module 1 does not permit the lens position to change after the lens 5 being fixed. Specifically, the lens-to-lens distance D is kept small if the lens position is deviated in the direction of increasing the focal distance S, whereas the distance D is kept large if the lens position is deviated in the opposite direction. Thus, the dislocated lens position caused by an error in applied amount of adhesive results in inaccuracy of focal distance S and lens-to-lens distance D, producing a large optical coupling loss. Usage of adhesive in fixing the lens 5 entails operations of preparing the adhesive, applying the adhesive to the lens housing 3, and curing the adhesive. This results in an increased number of assembling man-hours to increase assembling costs.
Upon assemblage of the optical module 1, two optical fiber housings 2 are depressed by hands toward two lens housings 3 disposed between the fiber housings, with guide pins 6 inserted through guide pin holes 2a and 3a, whereby these housings 2 and 3 are joined together at their opposed end faces. Since the guide pin holes 2a, 3a have their inner diameters about 0.5 μm larger than the outer diameter of the guide pins 6 to produce clearances between the guide pin holes and the guide pins, it is difficult to stably maintain the joined state (positioned state) of the housings 2, 3. As a result, the focal distance S and the lens-to-lens distance D become unstable between individual optical modules, producing a large variation in their optical coupling characteristics. Besides, the unstable positional relation between optical module components, such as between the lens 5 and the optical fiber 4, can produce a positional deviation that causes a large insertion loss. In particular, when impact is applied to the optical module 1, the lens-to-lens distance D and the focal distance S greatly deviate from design values, causing a large coupling loss and a large insertion loss.
As for an optical module having two optical fiber housings and two lens housings interposed therebetween that are positioned by means of guide pins, it is conceivable to dispose an optical function component, such as a filter, between the lens housings.
To attain a desired optical coupling efficiency in such an optical module, the optical function component must be disposed in accurate position with respect to the lens and at accurate angle with respect to the optical axis. In a case where the optical function component is fixedly positioned by means of the entire end faces of the two lens housings, there is a fear that a desired optical coupling efficiency cannot be attained for the reason that it is practically difficult to machine the entire end face of the lens housing flat enough to attain the desired coupling efficiency from the viewpoints of machining accuracy and machining cost.
Microscopically, the end face of the lens housing, which is not completely flat, has a large number of support points. When the optical function component is fixedly-positioned by means of the entire end faces of the lens housings, the end face of each lens housing abuts against the opposed end face of the optical function component at three supporting points out of a number of support points thereof, and accordingly, the optical function component is positioned from both sides by means of six support points in total. When the optical function component once released from the positioned state is positioned again by means of the same lens housings, it is positioned by six support points that are different from six support points for previous positioning.
Accordingly, with such an arrangement having an optical function component positioned by means of the entire end faces of lens housings that are not completely flat, it is difficult to always position the optical function component at the same position with the same angle. In other words, the position and angle of the positioned optical function component vary between individual optical modules, and hence it is quite difficult to stably manufacture optical modules having a desired optical coupling efficiency.
It is conceivable to construct an MT type optical module as shown in FIG. 2. The optical module 1′ shown in FIG. 2, which is constructed basically the same manner as the optical module 1 shown in FIG. 1, is different therefrom in that a filter 8 is detachably mounted in a spacer 7 disposed between two units, so that the optical module 1′ serves as an optical switch. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 7a denotes a guide pin hole formed in the spacer 7. To permit outgoing light from an optical fiber 4 to propagate along a predetermined optical path, optical fiber housings 2 and lens housings 3 must be positioned with submicron accuracy and a lens 5 must be fixed at a predetermined longitudinal position in the lens housing 3 with several-micron accuracy.
The lens housing for optical module is required to be small in size and low in price, and further requested to satisfy the following requirements:
1) Low insertion loss;
2) Lens face free from being damaged during handling;
3) High optical coupling efficiency between optical fiber and lens;
4) Suppressed reflection loss; and
5) Reduced number of optical module components and manufacturing cost, with improved optical-module assembling efficiency.

Optical module, and multi-core optical collimator and lens housing therefor


A self-aligned thin-film transistor, fabricated by depositing a conductive layer on a transparent insulating substrate, etching the conductive layer so as to form a gate electrode together with gate lines, forming a triple layer having of a gate insulating layer, a semiconductor layer and an extrinsic semiconductor layer sequentially deposited over the substrate, etching the triple layer so that only a part thereof covering the gate electrode only remains to form an active pattern, depositing a transparent conductive layer over the substrate to form a drain electrode part by etching the transparent conductive layer so that a part of the transparent conductive layer remains overlapping the gate electrode, depositing a negative photoresist over the substrate, exposing the negative photoresist to a light supplied from the back of the transparent substrate opposite the gate and developing the thus-exposed photoresist, forming a drain electrode by removing the part of a transparent conductive layer appearing in a region over the gate wherefrom the photoresist is removed, depositing a conductive layer over the substrate to form a source electrode together with data lines by etching the conductive layer so that there remains a portion of the conductive layer opposite to the drain electrode with respect to the gate electrode, and removing a portion of the extrinsic semiconductor layer exposed over the gate electrode so as to form a channel.

The present invention concerns a self-aligned thin-film transistor (TFT) for a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a process for fabricating it, wherein the drain electrode and/or the source electrode is aligned with the gate electrode.
Generally, amorphous silicon TFT should have a high field effect current mobility and parasitic capacitances which are as low as possible, in order to be used for an active matrix liquid crystal display (AM-LCD). The field effect current mobility of a conventional amorphous silicon TFT is about 0.3 to 1.0 cm.sup.2 /V.sub.s, which is too small to design a large scale AM-LCD of high pixel density. If the channel width is increased to obtain a sufficient current, the area of the TFT is increased, so that the opening ratio for transmitting light through the LCD pixels is reduced.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, respectively illustrating cross-sectional views of a conventional channel-etch and etch-stopper TFT, parasitic capacitance will now be specifically described.
Deposited over a substrate 1 are a gate electrode 2, gate insulating layer 3, amorphous silicon semiconductor layer 4, channel protecting layer or etch stopper 5, contact layer 6, source electrode 7, and drain electrode 8. Generally the gate electrode 4 is overlapped by the source and drain electrodes to some extent. The overlapped length is indicated by .DELTA.L in FIGS. 1A and 1B of the drawings. This overlap causes, compared to an ordinary MOSFET, the TFT to produce considerable parasitic capacitances C.sub.gd (between gate and drain electrodes) and C.sub.gs (between gate and source electrodes). The C.sub.gd causes the voltage drop of the pixels as the gate voltage drops from a high state to a low state. This voltage drop is called the offset voltage or kick-back, and is approximately expressed by the following equation: ##EQU1##
When driving the liquid crystal by alternating current, the voltage applied to the pixels is reversed around the common voltage V.sub.com at every frame and in this case, the common voltage V.sub.com is lowered by the offset voltage .DELTA.V.sub.p so as to maintain a balance between the main frame and the subframe.
However, the liquid crystal capacitance C.sub.s is a function of the voltage, and therefore the balance is not precisely kept in the gray mode to produce a direct current thus resulting in flickering or persistence of images. Moreover, in order to reduce the difference of the offset voltages between gray modes and the absolute value of the offset voltage, the source capacitance C.sub.s is increased, which increases the opening ratio and the size of the TFT. To obviate this problem, conventionally there is provided an etch stopper TFT of half or wholly self-aligned type, as respectively shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D.

Self-aligned thin-film transistor for a liquid crystal display having source and drain electrodes of different material


An example computer 10 that manages folders containing files by using a tree structure is caused to execute a step S104 of identifying a superior folder from predetermined folders managed by the tree structure by retracing the tree structure by at least one level, and a step S501 of specifying a file belonging to a subordinate folder that is subordinate to the superior folder in the tree structure as a processing object.

Conventionally, for specifying a plurality of pieces of data related to music, video, photographs, and the like in batches as a processing object, data grouping methods are used which involve managing data with a single folder, managing data using a list such as a so-called playlist, and the like.
However, with such management methods, once data is grouped, specifying data included in a certain group together with data not belonging to the same group as processing objects requires creating a new folder or a new playlist, consequently forcing a user to perform cumbersome operations.
In addition, for specifying data as processing objects across a plurality of groups, a method is also used in which all pieces of data are set as processing objects regardless of grouping. For example, there are playback devices which allow selection of an option of specifying all existing data as playback objects when performing random playback, shuffle playback, or the like on all pieces of data including music, videos, photographs, and the like. However, these methods simply treat all pieces of data as processing objects and fail to consider attributes or similarities of data or groups.
Furthermore, for extracting processing objects with consideration for attributes and similarities of data, a method is also used in which contents and meta-information of data are referenced to automatically extract similar data as processing objects (a method commonly referred to as a smart folder, a smart playlist, a smart search, or the like). However, such a method is disadvantageous from the standpoint of resources since automatic extraction necessitate reading data into a memory (for example, by performing an operation to open a file), and problematically keeps users waiting and the like.
An example of an information processing program according to the present disclosure is a program which causes a computer that manages groups of data by means of a tree structure to execute: identifying a superior group from predetermined groups managed by the tree structure by retracing the tree structure by at least one level; and specifying data belonging to a subordinate group that is subordinate to the superior group in the tree structure as a processing object.
The present disclosure is applicable to computers that manage groups of data by means of a tree structure. Application objects of the present disclosure are not limited to computers that manage data by means of a so-called file system or a directory structure. For example, even when audio data, video data, image data, and the like are managed by a database that differs from a so-called file system, the present disclosure can be applied if a group such as a playlist that contains data is managed on the database by means of a tree structure. Therefore, even when an actual folder structure is flat, as long as there is management information that enables management by groups having a tree structure, the present disclosure can be applied and processing objects can be readily specified across groups.
In addition, according to the present disclosure, processing object data can be specified across a plurality of related groups without having to reference meta-information (for example, tag information included in a music file or an image file) or content data contained in data or, in other words, without having to perform a file opening process in which a file is extracted in a memory. However, application objects of the present disclosure are not limited to cases where meta-information and content data contained in data are not referenced. While a greater amount of resources is generally required, a superior group may be identified based on information obtained by referencing meta-information and content data. Furthermore, subordinate groups that are subordinate to a superior group refer to groups connected to the superior group on a lower level side in a tree structure. In addition to groups that are directly subordinate to the superior group (in other words, lower by one level than the superior group), subordinate groups also include groups that are indirectly subordinate to the superior group via another subordinate group (in other words, lower by two or more levels than the superior group).
Moreover, a program according to the present disclosure may cause the computer to further execute selecting data by a predetermined process, wherein in the superior group identifying, the superior group may be identified by identifying a superior group that is higher by at least one level from a group containing the data selected in the data selecting.
In addition, a program according to the present disclosure may cause the computer to further execute selecting a group by a predetermined process, wherein in the superior group identifying, the superior group may be identified by identifying a superior group that is higher by at least one level from the group selected in the group selecting.
According to the present disclosure, by selecting data or a group by a predetermined process and identifying a superior group using the data or the group as a starting point, data with high degrees of association can be preferentially included in the processing objects. Examples of the predetermined process include a process of random selection from data or groups that satisfy a predetermined condition and a process of random selection from all pieces of data or all groups.
Furthermore, in the data selecting, data may be selected by a process of selecting data from data satisfying a predetermined condition.
Moreover, in the group selecting, a group may be selected by a process of selecting a group from groups that satisfy a predetermined condition.
According to the present disclosure, by selecting data or a group from data or groups that satisfy a predetermined condition and identifying a superior group using the data or the group as a starting point, data with high degrees of association with the predetermined condition can be preferentially included in the processing objects. Examples of the predetermined condition include a frequency of use that is equal to or higher than a predetermined order and a frequency of use that is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. As described above, when data or a group that satisfies a predetermined condition is selected, meta-information and content data contained in the data included in the group may be referenced.
In addition, in the data selecting, data may be selected by a process of selecting data from data satisfying the predetermined condition that includes a condition regarding a frequency of use of data.
Furthermore, in the group selecting, a group may be selected by a process of selecting a group from groups satisfying the predetermined condition that includes a condition regarding a frequency of use of a group.
By selecting data or a group from data or groups satisfying the predetermined condition that includes a condition regarding a frequency of use, a processing object in accordance with a preference or a usage trend of a user can be specified.
For example, in the data selecting, data may be selected by a process of selecting data from data satisfying the predetermined condition that includes a condition requiring a frequency of use of data to be within a predetermined rank from a highest rank.
By selecting data or a group using a method of random selection from a set of data or a set of groups whose frequency of use is equal to or higher than a predetermined rank or a method of random selection from a set of data or a set of groups whose frequency of use is equal to or lower than a predetermined rank, a processing object that is more likely to be favored by a user or a processing object that is normally less likely to be used by the user can be specified.
In addition, in the data selecting, a plurality of pieces of data may be selected by a plurality of predetermined processes differing from each other; in the superior group identifying, a plurality of the superior groups may be identified for each of the plurality of pieces of data selected in the data selecting; and the computer may be caused to further execute displaying group names of the plurality of superior groups identified in the superior group identifying on a display device connected to the computer so as to be selectable by a user.
By selecting a plurality of pieces of data by a plurality of predetermined processes differing from each other and identifying a plurality of the superior groups for each of the plurality of pieces of data, processing objects contained in different superior groups can be selected. In addition, by displaying the group names of the plurality of superior groups selected in this manner so as to be selectable by the user, a range of choices available to the user can be widened.
Furthermore, in the data selecting, a plurality of pieces of data may be selected including data selected by a process of selecting data from data satisfying a predetermined condition, and data selected by a process of selecting data from all pieces of data.
By including data selected by a process of selecting data from all pieces of data in data selected in the data selecting, processing objects contained in a superior group which are unlikely to be selected when a predetermined condition is applied can be added to the choices available to the user in addition to processing objects contained in a superior group identified according to the predetermined condition.
Moreover, the program according to the present disclosure may cause the computer to further execute acquiring a frequency of use of a group by identifying a group containing each piece of data indicated in a data usage history of the computer and compiling the usage history for each identified group, wherein in the group selecting, a group may be selected by a process of selecting a group from groups satisfying the predetermined condition including a condition regarding the frequency of use of group acquired in the use frequency acquiring.
In other words, according to the present disclosure, a frequency of use of a group containing data can be acquired based on a usage history of the data, and a group to become a starting point for identifying a superior group can be selected based on the acquired frequency of use of the group.
In addition, the program according to the present disclosure may cause the computer to further execute determining whether or not there is a plurality of the subordinate groups which contains a predetermined type of data and which is subordinate to the superior group.
According to the present disclosure, by executing the determination to determine whether or not there is a plurality of groups containing data that may potentially be processing objects, a determination can be made on whether or not processing objects are specified across a plurality of groups. Whether or not data contained in a subordinate group is a predetermined type of data can be identified by, for example, referencing file type identification information managed according to extensions of file names or file management information (information including attributes or the like of managed files such as a file management table). However, methods of identifying data types are not limited to the example described above. While a greater amount of resources is generally required, a data type may be identified by opening a file and referencing meta-information or content data.
Furthermore, the program according to the present disclosure may cause the computer to change the predetermined group and re-execute the superior group identifying and the processing object specifying when it is determined in the determination that there is not a plurality of the subordinate groups.
Moreover, the program according to the present disclosure may cause the computer to further execute changing the superior group by further retracing from the superior group identified in the superior group identifying by at least one level when it is determined in the determination that there is not a plurality of the subordinate groups.
In other words, according to the present disclosure, by re-executing the superior group identifying and the processing object specifying or by changing the superior group by further retracing by at least one level, the superior group can be changed when appropriate subordinate groups are not subordinate in plurality to an identified superior group.
In addition, the present disclosure can also be viewed as an information processing device, an information processing system comprising the information processing unit, or a method executed by a computer. Furthermore, the present disclosure may be embodied by a recording of the program described above on a recording medium that is readable by a device such as a computer, a machine, or the like. In this case, a recording medium that is readable by a computer or the like refers to a recording medium which accumulates information such as data or programs by an electric action, a magnetic action, an optical action, a mechanical action, or a chemical action and which can be read by a computer or the like.

Computer readable medium recording program, information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method


A system of analyzing engine performance to assist in the improved control of a dual fuel engine includes measuring devices for measuring parameters including engine load, RPM, fuel injected, air inlet temperature, exhaust temperature, oxygen or carbon dioxide levels in the exhaust gases, at discrete time intervals. An electronic storage device stores the data collected by the measuring devices at each of the discrete time intervals, and analysis apparatus analyzes the stored data to establish a data table for each parameter against each measured engine load and RPM point. Imaging software is provided for presenting the data sets for each parameter as a three dimensional surface plotted against load and RPM.

The substitution of part of the diesel fuel with natural gas or liquid propane gas [LPG] results in cost savings and improved emissions through better combustion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,457 discloses a dual fuel system for a stationary engine. The engine has a diesel injection system controlled by an electronic control unit and a metering valve and mixer which controls introduction of gas into the air intake for the engine. An electronic governor controls the metering valve and a link controller coordinates the ECU and the governor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,396 addresses the problem of varying fuel types and quality of combustion by measuring the oxygen content of the exhaust gases and adjusting the gas supply to the diesel air intake in response to the oxygen content of he exhaust gases. U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,963 discloses a related method in which the oxygen level of exhaust gases as measured is compared to desired exhaust oxygen calculated from engine speed and engine load and then adjusts the energy content value.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,800 addresses the problem of varying energy values for added gaseous fuels by establishing a governor out put energy value required and determining energy rates for the diesel and gas fuels as a function of actual and desired engine speed and engine load. U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,986 filed at the same time as U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,800 is concerned with reducing engine speed fluctuations during transition between liquid and dual fuel modes. This is achieved by establishing a desired diesel amount to be added after transition and substituting an amount of diesel with the energy equivalent of gaseous fuel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,683 is concerned with dual fuel PCCI engines and controls the timing of combustion by controlling the amount of gas delivered to the air intake.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,478 discloses a dual fuel control system that monitors air intake, diesel intake, exhaust gas temperature and oil pressure. The engine does not shut down when one of the parameters is inadequate but the gas supply can be shut off under no load, low load and excessive load conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,601 discloses a system for preventing knocking in a dual fuel engine by monitoring engine load conditions and in high load conditions providing a 3 stage fuel injection. FIG. 1A plots engine load against RPM to determine a flammability limit which is the fuel to air ratio at which the quantity of gaseous fuel will not support stable combustion. In FIG. 1B fuel to air ratios which are considered to be proportional to engine load, are plotted against RPM.
Despite these many attempts gas fumigation of diesel engines has not been widely adopted particularly for automotive engines. The many variables attached to the efficient use of gas in an automotive diesel engine have made it very difficult to devise a practical and economically viable and environmentally advantageous control device.
It is an object of this invention to manage these variables overcome these problems.


There is provided an image sensor including a plurality of sensors for autofocus. The sensors are divided into a plurality of groups. Clock signals for drive in different timings for each group are supplied to the sensors.

The present technology relates to an image sensor, an imaging device, an imaging method and an information processing apparatus and specifically relates to an image sensor, an imaging device, an imaging method and an information processing apparatus of reducing power consumption in autofocusing and the like and a noise component.
Devices such as cameras and scanners employing a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) are prevailing. Their pixels are increasing for improvement of capturing accuracy and attainment of high image quality, this causing increasing power consumption. Thus, it is desired to reduce the power consumption, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-202952 proposes reduction of power consumption by suspending H registers of chips that are not in use as to a contact sensor.

Image sensor, imaging device, imaging method and information processing apparatus


The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to a scaled gate contact and source/drain cap and methods of manufacture. The structure includes: a gate structure comprising an active region; source and drain contacts adjacent to the gate structure; a capping material over the source and drain contacts; a gate contact formed directly above the active region of the gate structure and over the capping material; a U-shape dielectric material around the gate contact, above the source and drain contacts; and a contact in direct electrical contact to the source and drain contacts.

Integrated circuit (IC) structures have middle of the line (MOL) contacts that connect the semiconductor devices to back end of the line (BEOL) metal levels. For example, a field effect transistor (FET) can have a gate contact (CB contact) which extends vertically through interlayer dielectric (ILD) material from a metal wire or via in the first back end of the line (BEOL) metal level (Mo) to the gate of the FET. The FET also has source/drain contacts (CA contacts) which extend vertically through the ILD material from metal wires or vias in the BEOL metal level to metal plugs (TS contacts), which are on the source/drain regions of the FET.
In order to avoid shorts between the gate contact and the metal plugs, the gate contact is formed on a portion of the gate that is offset from the active region of the FET and, more particularly, on a portion of the gate that extends laterally over the adjacent isolation region. However, given the ever present need for size scaling of devices, it is advantageous to provide a gate contact formed on a portion of the gate directly above the active region (CB-over-active or CBoA), while still ensuring that the risk of a short developing between the gate contact and any of the metal plugs is avoided (or at least significantly reduced).

Scaled gate contact and source/drain cap


Print plug-in isolation is described. In embodiment(s), a print system input can be received at a print system, and the print system input can be redirected from the print system to an isolation module that isolates one or more print plug-ins from the print system. The print system input can be processed at the isolation module with the one or more print plug-ins to generate print plug-in output, and the print plug-in output can then be communicated back to the print system from the isolation module.

A print server implemented to manage multiple printers, such as for a business or enterprise environment, can include third-party print plug-ins, such as print drivers, configuration modules, and print processors, that are provided by printer manufactures for the different types of printers. However, a large percentage of print system failures are caused by the print plug-ins, such as when print drivers are loaded in the same process space as the print spooler. The print plug-ins are loaded in the print spooler process space, and if one fails, will likely fail the print server so that all of the managed printers are unavailable or taken off-line. Failure of a print plug-in can cause immediate or subsequent process shutdown when illegal operations are performed or because of process corruption, such as accessing freed memory, overwriting valid memory utilized by another component, reading or writing protected memory, an access violation, a general protection fault, and the like.


Techniques for providing a framework for handling execution of HA flows in an active-active storage node configuration. The techniques include receiving notifications of functional statuses of processes and/or equipment associated with storage nodes in the active-active configuration, making determinations regarding how to address HA events occurring on the processes and/or equipment associated with the storage nodes based on the received notifications, and, in response to a request to execute an HA flow for a respective HA event, determining whether to refuse the request to execute the HA flow, service the request to execute the HA flow, abort one or more HA flows in execution, and/or postpone execution of the HA flow to a later time based on one or more dependencies defining conditions for the HA flow. In this way, mutual interference of HA flows or other process threads in the active-active configuration can be reduced or eliminated.

In a high-availability (HA) cluster, storage controllers (also referred to herein as "storage nodes") may be deployed in an active-passive configuration, in which a primary storage node takes on the role of an active node and at least one secondary storage node takes on the role of a standby node. In the active-passive configuration, the active node may process storage input/output (IO) requests from host computers and maintain page reference information on its memory, while the standby node may not be currently interacting with the host computers. Storage controllers in an HA cluster may also be deployed in an active-active configuration, in which two or more active nodes collaborate to process storage IO requests from host computers and maintain page reference information on their memories in image style.

Centralized high-availability flows execution framework


An optoelectronic device includes a first transistor, a second transistor, and a control circuit. The first transistor is electrically connected between a power supply and a light-emitting element, has a gate to receive a gray scale voltage, and supplies the light-emitting element with a driving current corresponding to the gray scale voltage. The second transistor has a gate electrically connected to an electrode of the light-emitting element and a source or drain electrically connected to a circuit including a voltmeter. The control circuit reads a measurement value of the voltmeter when the gate of the first transistor receives the gray scale voltage, and corrects a next gray scale voltage applied to the gate of the first transistor based on the measurement value.

1. Field
One or more embodiments described herein relate to an optoelectronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optoelectronic device has been developed to generate images using organic electroluminance light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The OLEDs emit light according to the intensity of supplied current. To display a full color image, the amount of current supplied to each OLED is controlled for each of a plurality of colors for each pixel. This amount of current corresponds to gray scale data of an image signal.
Structurally, an OLED is formed to include a light-emitting layer. Because the light-emitting layer is made of an organic compound, its time degradation is greater than that of a light-emitting element formed of a typical silicon semiconductor. The current-luminance characteristic of the OLED varies due to this time degradation. These effects may damage or adversely affect the reproduction of an original image. For example, the time degradation may cause each OLED in the optoelectronic device to emit light with a different luminance or at different intensities for the same current value.


A garment hanging tool that has an elongated body forming a front section and a rear section. Separating the front section and the rear section is a rod hanger section with the rod hanger section being adapted to rest on a closet rod. The rear section terminates in an enlargement which is to abut against a wall of the building structure within which is mounted the closet rod. The front section has a hanger engagement with the hanger engagement to connect with at least one conventional garment hanger to position a garment mounted on the garment hanger spaced from the closet rod.

1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to hangers and more particularly to a garment hanging tool that is to connect with a closet rod so as to support a garment, which is hung on a conventional hanger, in a spaced position from the closet rod.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Closet rods are commonly used in homes to support garments that are placed on a garment hanger in a stored position. Typically, garment hangers arrange the hung garments in a parallel orientation longitudinally along the length of the closet rod. When one desires to wear a particular garment, it is typical for the user to remove the garment and the garment hanger and disengage the garment from the garment hanger and then replace the now empty garment hanger back on the closet rod.
When an individual is getting dressed, it is generally deemed to be more convenient to remove the desired garment that is to be worn and its garment hanger and support the garment hanger in a position spaced from the closet rod. This provides easier access to the garment prior to placing of the garment on one's body. In the past, such hanging of the garment hanger and garment in a spaced position from the closet rod was accomplished by mounting of the hung garment on a door or on any kind of a protruding hook that could be conveniently located in close proximity to the closet rod.
Also, when garments have been cleaned and/or pressed, it is desired to hang the hanger supported garments on the closet rod. It is normally desirable to place the garments on their hangers in a position in close proximity to the closet rod but spaced therefrom and then the individual garments and hangers are placed at their desired location on the closet rod. Most individuals don't just place the hung garments on the closet rod at any position. Normally, the hung garments are distributed so that the shirts are located in one area, trousers in another area, shorts in another area and so forth. Also, within each area for each type of garment, such as with shirts, the shirts are commonly divided between the type of shirt and possibly the shirt color. The same is true for pants and shorts and so on. Therefore, when one has six or eight or ten garments that have been cleaned and/or pressed, it is desirable to support these garments in close proximity to the closet rod, remove them individually and place them in a desired location on the closet rod. Heretofore, there has not been known any tool that has been designed to facilitate the remounting of hung garments on a closet rod.


A porous calcium phosphate ceramic body comprising a substrate 1, and three-dimensional nanotunnel layers 2 formed on wall surfaces of the substrate 1, the three-dimensional nanotunnel layers 2 having pluralities of three-dimensionally connected nanotunnels 21.

Materials used for artificial bones, artificial dental roots, bone fillers, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "bone-filling materials") in dentistry, brain surgery, plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, etc. are desired to have (a) no toxicity, (b) sufficient mechanical strength and (c) excellent compatibility with biological tissues.
Because porous calcium phosphate ceramics meet these conditions, they are utilized as bone-filling materials. When used as bone-filling materials, the porous calcium phosphate ceramics preferably have as high porosity as possible from the aspect of biocompatibility. However, because higher porosity leads to lower mechanical strength in the porous bodies, they cannot be used as bone-filling materials for portions needing high mechanical strength. Thus, porous calcium phosphate ceramics having both excellent biocompatibility and mechanical strength are desired.
JP 2000-302567 A (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,648) discloses a sintered body comprising a skeleton portion formed by substantially dense sintered calcium phosphate, which has a finely ragged surface or a porous sintered calcium phosphate layer on the surface. JP 2000-302567 A (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,648) describes that fine raggedness or a porous sintered calcium phosphate layer on the surface of the porous sintered body increases a specific surface area, making it easy for osteoblasts to attach to the surface of the porous sintered body.
However, research by the inventors has revealed that to accelerate the formation of new bone, bone-filling materials should be able to trap bone-forming proteins and act as a scaffold for osteoblasts, and that it is effective for that purpose that the bone-filling materials have nanometer-order fine pores with complicated structure on the surface. Even though there are fine projections and recesses on the surface as in the sintered calcium phosphate body of JP2000-302567 A (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,648), such surface fails to trap bone-forming proteins sufficiently to form new bone and does not act as a scaffold for osteoblasts. It has been found that the diameters of fine pores necessary for trapping bone-forming proteins and acting as a scaffold for osteoblasts are 1 to 5000 nm. In general, sintered porous calcium phosphate does not have fine pores with completed structure, whose diameters are more than 5000 nm. Accordingly, even though there are sintered porous calcium phosphate layers on the surface as in the sintered body of JP2000-302567 A (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,648), the formation of new bone cannot be sufficiently accelerated.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Porous calcium phosphate ceramic and method for producing same


A side bottom structure of a vehicle may include a side sill having a closed cross-section with a predetermined outline, forming a side bottom of the vehicle body, and elongated in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a front pillar having one end thereof connected to a front end of the side sill and elongated in a height direction of the vehicle toward a roof of the vehicle, and a side outer panel combined with the side sill and the front pillar and forming a side external appearance of the vehicle body, wherein the side sill is formed by combining an inner side sill and an outer side sill, and wherein the inner and outer side sills have constant transverse cross-sections respectively, and a front end of the inner side sill and a front end of the outer side sill protrude further than the front of the front pillar.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a side bottom structure of a vehicle body, and more particularly, to an improved structure of a side sill, a front pillar, and a side outer panel and a method of combining them.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, the side bottom structure of vehicles is composed of a side sill, the lower portion of a front pillar, and a side outer panel, forms the external appearance of the side and functions as a support against load. In particular, shock load is divided and supported to the upper portion of the front pillar and the side sill in a front collision of a vehicle, such that appropriate shock performance is maintained.
In general, electrodeposition liquid is applied to the steel plate for vehicle bodies to give anti-corrosion performance in the process of assembling the vehicle bodies. The anti-corrosion performance means the ability of preventing corrosion of the steel plate. An effect of reducing vibration and noise transmitted along the surface of vehicle bodies can be achieved, only when electrodeposition liquid is appropriately applied to the inner and outer sides of the steel plate for the vehicle bodies.
In a side bottom structure of a vehicle body (see FIGS. 1A and 1B), a side sill 1, 2, which is a channel of the side bottom of a vehicle body and is formed by combining an inner side sill 1 and an outer side sill 2, is an important frame of the vehicle body, extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
The side outer panel 7, a part combined with the outer side sill 2, forms the external appearance of a side of a vehicle body together with a door outer panel. A vehicle body skin portion replacing a side sill molding (not shown) is formed on the side outer panel 7. The side sill molding is a plastic decoration part that is attached to improve the external appearance of the outer side sill 2 and protect the vehicle body.
In vehicles without a side sill molding, it is required to form a skin part replacing a side sill molding, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in order to function as a side sill molding.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a side bottom structure of a vehicle body of the related art has a drawback that electrodeposition liquid cannot flow smoothly due to an electrodeposition hole 9 at the upper portion of the side sill 1, 2. Even if electrodeposition liquid flows in the electrodeposition hole 9, it has to pass through a hole of the outer side sill 3 to be able to flow into the side outer panel 7. In particular, the hatched portion is vulnerable to corrosion and has a chronic problem.
Further, in the side bottom structure of a vehicle body of the related art, the side sill 1, 2 cannot protrude from the front of the front pillar because of formability of the side outer panel 7 and the external appearance of the joint with the front pillar, so the parts are divided and the collision performance is deteriorated.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Side bottom structure of vehicle body for improving crashworthiness and anti-corrosion performance


A fence rail clip for attaching a fence rail to a vertical fence. The rail clip has a base with a raised central area flanked by two lateral areas and a rail connector that, vertically or horizontally, slidingly engages the central area of the base. The lateral areas include apertures through which fasteners are inserted to connect the clip to the fence post. A cover snap-fits over each lateral area to hide the fasteners and give the rail clip a clean and aesthetically pleasing appearance.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to connectors. More particularly, the invention relates to fence rail clips which are used to connect vinyl fence rails and fence posts together. Specifically, the invention relates to an adjustable clip that is mounted onto a fence post and includes covers to hide the mounting mechanism.
2. Background Information
It has recently become more common to use either vinyl or plastic products for constructing fences and deck railings. While vinyl fencing is aesthetically pleasing and easy to maintain, it is more difficult to connect together than wood. One of the more problematic areas is the connection between rails and vertical fence posts. The instant inventor has proposed a novel adjustable connector for joining fence rails to fence posts in the previously filed applications referenced above. In these previous applications two mechanisms have been disclosed for securing the rail clip to the fence post. The first mechanism comprised a bracket which is secured to the fence post and a rail clip having a complementary sized and shaped recess formed in its rear surface and being slidably engageable with the bracket mounted on the post. The second connector mechanism proposed by the instant inventor was the provision of lateral areas on the rail clip which included slots having apertures formed in them. Screws were inserted through the apertures and into the fence post. This second connector mechanism works well to secure the rail clip to the post but, because the screws are visible, the overall appearance of the connection was not entirely aesthetically pleasing.
There is therefore a need in the art for an improved rail clip for attaching fence rails to fence posts and which presents a clean and finished appearance without the mounting mechanism for the clip on the post being visible.

Mounting system for mounting a rail to a post


The cable tie tool has a modular tool head and a tool handle from which the tool head may be detached. The attachment and detachment provided by the modular tool head provides for the use of multiple tool heads with a single tool handle in which is mounted a trigger mechanism. Each modular tool head is secured to the tool handle by a latch mechanism. Each tool head further includes a tensioning mechanism for applying a tension force to a cable tie. Each tensioning mechanism provides for application of a corresponding tension force to the cable tie proportional to the force applied to the tensioning mechanism by the trigger mechanism. The respective tension forces are different for at least one uniform force applied by the trigger mechanism to the corresponding tensioning mechanisms.

The present invention relates generally to a cable tie tool having a modular tool head, and more specifically, to such a tool head which may be detachably secured to the tool handle of the cable tie tool.
Cable ties are used to bundle or secure a group of articles such as electrical wires or cables. Cable ties of conventional construction include a cable tie head and an elongate strap extending therefrom. The strap is wrapped around a bundle of articles and thereafter inserted through a passage in the head. The head of the cable tie typically supports a locking element which extends into the head passage allowing the strap to be inserted through the passage but preventing retraction of the strap through the passage in the head. Two longitudinally separated portions of the strap are thereby secured to the head to define a loop for holding together the group of articles.
In use, the installer manually places the tie about the articles to be bundled, inserts the strap through the head passage and then manually tightens the tie about the bundle. Further tightening of the cable tie, which increases the tension in the strap thereof, may be provided by a cable tie tool.
One type of such a cable tie tool includes a housing which is generally pistol-shaped where the housing has a barrel into which the strap may be inserted for application of the tension. The housing has a grip which depends from the barrel. The tool includes a trigger mechanism having a trigger link located under the barrel and in front of the grip. The trigger link is elongate and in generally depending relation relative to the barrel such that, when the heel of the hand of a user is placed against the grip such that the fingers of the user's hand extend forwardly, the fingers may encircle the forward surface of the trigger link. Forcibly drawing the fingers toward the heel of the hand, i.e., squeezing the trigger link and grip, causes the trigger link to be displaced toward the grip. The trigger mechanism extends into the housing and is able to grasp the strap, and to apply the predetermined tension thereto in proportion to the drawing or squeezing force applied to the trigger link.
Cable tie tools are typically able to apply a specific range of tension forces to a cable tie where such a range is typically defined a minimum and maximum force. If the range of tension forces which a particular tool can apply does not include the force required by a particular cable tie, then a different tool would be normally be required for such a cable tie. Cable ties may be constructed in a wide variety of sizes which require an equally wide variety of force magnitudes to properly tension the cable ties. Because of the limitations in the range of forces any particular installation tool can apply to a cable tie, more than one installation tool would typically be required to apply proper tension forces to a wide variety of cable ties. Accordingly, if a wide variety of cable ties are to be used, more than one cable tie tool would normally be required.
The use of multiple cable tie tools has disadvantages. For example, having to carry the multiple tools is typically cumbersome. Also, having to switch from using one tool to another is normally a burden.


An automotive radar system includes multiple radar antennas and a radar front end chip. The front end chip includes a plurality of phase rotators coupled to a local oscillator, wherein each phase rotator of the plurality of phase rotators is coupled to multiple digital phase modulators; a plurality of switches that couple selectable ones of the multiple digital phase modulators to respective amplifiers, each amplifier coupled to a respective antenna output; and a controller which provides digital control signals to the plurality of phase rotators, the multiple digital phase modulators, and the plurality of switches to synthesize transmit signals for each of the multiple radar antennas.

In the quest for ever-safer and more convenient transportation options, many car manufacturers are developing self-driving cars which require an impressive number and variety of sensors, often including arrays of acoustic and/or electromagnetic sensors to monitor the distance between the car and any nearby persons, pets, vehicles, or obstacles. Many such arrays, however, are unable to provide a desired level of angular resolution with respect to objects at greater distances.
Thus, there is room for improvement in the art.