A polymer having spontaneous polarization with the same codes as liquid crystal is introduced into a liquid crystal layer of the smectic liquid crystal cell so that the responding speed is improved (second liquid crystal cell). In another way, a polymer having spontaneous polarization with opposite codes to the liquid crystal is introduced into liquid crystal showing .tau.-V.sub.min characteristic so that a driving voltage is lowered (first liquid crystal cell). These polymers are previously added to a liquid crystal composite before injecting into the liquid crystal cell. In another way, after a photochemically polymeric monomer is added to the liquid crystal composite and the obtained product is injected into the liquid crystal cell, the monomer is polymerized by the projection of a light. Furthermore, the liquid crystal cell into which the polymer is introduced is heated again so as to show I phase and is cooled so that the tone display is realized.

Conventionally, TN (Twisted Nematic)-type and STN (Super-Twisted Nematic)-type liquid crystal display elements which use Nematic liquid crystal are known. However, in these liquid crystal display elements, since a responding speed of an electro-optical effect is slow, namely, ms order, when high-speed driving is tried to be executed, disorder of an image occurs, and contrast is lowered. For this reason, these conventional liquid crystal display elements have a limit in a capacity of display, so there arises a problem that they are not suitable for displaying a dynamic image. Therefore, in recent years, as a next-generation liquid crystal display -element, a practical application of a liquid crystal display element using ferroelectric or antiferroelectric liquid crystal is being examined.
In 1975, R. B. Meyer and the others have predicted that if optically active molecules have a dipole moment in a direction which is perpendicular to a molecular major axis, liquid crystal shows ferroelectricity in a chiral smectic C phase (SmC* phase), and have synthesized DOBAMBC (2-methylbutyl p- p-(decyloxybenzylidene) -amino!-chinnamate), and first succeeded in confirming ferroelectricity in liquid crystal (see R. B. Meyer, L. Liebert, L. Strzelecki and P. Keller: J. Phys. (Paris) 36 (1975) L69).
The following describes a structure of the SmC* phase which shows ferroelectricity as one example of the smectic liquid crystal phase. In the SmC* phase, a position of the center of gravity of the liquid crystal molecules in a layer is disorder, but as shown by a cone 101 in FIG. 12(a), a major axis of the liquid crystal molecules (director 102) is tilted only by a constant angle .theta. with respect to a layer normal line z which is a normal line of a layer surface 103 dividing a smectic layer. The tilting direction of the director 102 slightly shifts from a layer to a layer, and as a result, alignment of the liquid crystal molecules has a helical structure. A helical pitch is about 1 .mu.m, so it is much larger than a layer intervals of about 1 nm.
A phase having such a molecular arrangement is confirmed not only in ferroelectric liquid crystal but also in antiferroelectric liquid crystal (see A. D. L. Chandani, T. Hagiwara, Y. Suzuki, Y. Ouchi, H. Takezoe and A. Fukuda: Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 27(1988) L729.). In some antiferroelectric liquid crystal, when optical purity is changed, SmC* phase appears, and in some R-configuration or S-configuration whose optical purity is 100% such as MHPOBC (4-(1-methylheptyloxycarbonyl)phenyl 4'-octyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate), the SmC* phase appears.
Clark and Lagerwall discovered that when a cell thickness became not more than about 1 .mu.m (equivalent to the helical pitch), the helical structure disappeared, and as shown in FIG. 12(b), molecules 104 on each layer were in either of bi-stable states according to an electric field to be applied, and suggested a surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal display element (SSFLC). The SSFLC is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56-107216/1981 (Tokukaisho 56-107216), U.S. Pat. No. 4367924, etc. In FIG. 12(b), a direction of an electric field applied to the molecules 104 is a direction which is perpendicular to a paper surface and is directed from the back side of paper to the front side. All the electric dipole moments of the molecules 104 are arranged in the direction of the electric field as shown in each molecule in FIG. 12(b).
The following describes an operating principle on reference to FIG. 13. As mentioned above, the molecules 104 of SSFLC which are formed as thin cells, as shown in FIG. 13, are brought into one of two stabilized state, i.e. states A and B according to the direction of an electric field to be applied. In the state A shown in the drawing, the direction of the electric field applied to the molecules 104 is perpendicular to the paper surface in the drawing and is directed from the front side of the paper to the back side. In the state B, the direction of the electric field is perpendicular to the paper surface and is directed from the back side of the paper to the front side.
For this reason, by positioning a SSFLC cell between two polarizers which perpendicularly cross each other so that a molecular major axis in the state B is parallel with a direction of one of the polarizers (direction 111 shown by an arrow in the drawing), in the state A, a light is transmitted so that a bright state is obtained, and in the state B, a light is blocked so that a deep state is obtained. Namely, a black-and-white display can be executed by switching the direction of the applied electric field.
In SSFLC, since the spontaneous polarization and the electric field interact with each other, and thus driving torque occurs, the high speed response of .mu.s order to the electric field is possible unlike switching by means of dielectric anisotropy in the normal Nematic liquid crystal. Moreover, when the SSFLC is once switched to one of the bi-stable states, even if the electric field disappears, the SSFLC has a so-called memory characteristic that keeps the state. Therefore, it is not always necessary that a voltage is applied thereto.
As mentioned above, in the SSFLC-type liquid crystal display element, display contents can be written at a high speed per one scanning line by utilizing the high-speed response and the memory characteristic. As a result, a simple-matrix driven display having a large capacity can be realized, and the application of this display to a wall-hanging-type TV is expected.
The liquid crystal element using ferroelectric liquid crystal can strictly realize only two-tone display i.e. bright and deep display due to bi-stability of liquid crystal molecules in the SmC* phase, but an arrangement that makes the tone display possible in a certain degree by utilizing high-speed modulation of electric field to be applied and dot matrix method is suggested. However, such conventional arrangements require a complicated arrangement of a driving system and a complicated panel manufacturing process, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost, etc.
In addition, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-194635/1994 (Tokukaisho 6-194635) discloses a technique for forming a structure obtained by adding non-reactant chiral liquid crystal molecules into a three-dimensional anisotropic network structure composed of a polymer. This makes it possible to stabilize minute adjacent domains having opposite polarization directions to each other by means of the network structure and maintain a half tone even when an electric field does not exist.
However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-194635/1994 (Tokukaisho 6-194635) has a disadvantage that a domain size is not uniform and thus areas of the domains cannot be kept constant at the time of applying a voltage. Since the domain size is considerably larger than an actual pixel size (about 0.3 by 0.3 mm square), it is practically difficult to execute tone display using this technique.
In addition, when a quantity of chiral material to be added to a liquid crystal material as a host is increased, alignment of liquid crystal becomes worse, and the display quality is deteriorated.
In addition, it is a serious problem which should be solved to the ferroelectric liquid crystal display element to improve shock resistance. Namely, the SSFLC-type liquid crystal display element is easily affected by a pressure from outside and an electrical shock, and thus the alignment is easily disordered. On the contrary, a method of forming a spacer wall to a substrate has been suggested, but this method causes various problems in the panel manufacturing process, so this method has not been put into practical use.
Furthermore, the ferroelectric liquid crystal element is capable of high-speed driving more easily than TN-type liquid crystal element, etc. However, in order to make it possible to apply the ferroelectric liquid crystal element to a flat panel display with a wide screen such as a wall-hanging-type TV, higher responding speed is desired. Moreover, it is preferable to suppress a driving voltage lower in order to decrease power consumption and suppress a calorific value.

Smectic liquid crystal element utilizing spontaneous polarization of liquid crystal molecules and polymer, and manufacturing method thereof

The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency


A displaying device comprises a movable storage device adjustable between at least a closed position and an open position, an elastic image-building body adjustable between at least an inactive position and an active position. The image-building body, in its inactive position, is arranged to be accommodated by the storage device in the closed position thereof. The image-building body includes a substantially gas-tight cavity. The displaying device includes a valve arranged to be connected to a gas source, the valve being arranged to provide gas communication between the gas source and the cavity, so that the cavity may be filled with gas, and the image-building body may be raised into its active position when the storage device is in its open position. A method is for using a displaying device. A compressor is for putting up an image-building wall.

For a person or a company wishing to build a positive image of themselves or their products, it will be a great advantage to be able to use compact, mobile solutions in connection with fairs, exhibitions, conferences and the like.
Known displaying devices are mainly based on various types of cloths/textiles printed on one side, the cloth/textile being mounted on a stand in plastic or aluminium. Further, the known displaying devices are often relatively heavy and, in addition, cumbersome to store and transport. They generally consist of several parts that have to be assembled and disassembled when being used, which may be very time-consuming. If, in addition, such a displaying device is to have light and/or sound connected to it, that will often be separate units, requiring extra effort and equipment in connection with assembling/disassembling and connecting/disconnecting. A printed cloth will be usable only for the one purpose for which it is intended, and the back of the displaying device generally has an inelegant appearance that should desirably be hidden.
The patent publication US 2007/0094907 A1 discloses a displaying device which includes a base unit and an inflatable frame connected to the base unit.
In the patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,666 B1, an information carrier is described, including an inflatable hollow body made of a flexible, foldable material and a blower for blowing an air flow into the hollow body.

Collapsible displaying device and method for using the same


Methods and systems for sensing a position of a transducer head with respect to a storage medium. One method includes generating a read signal from a servo track stored on a magnetic storage medium. The servo track includes servo frames of magnetic flux transitions forming detectable servo marks, the servo marks forming a tone field of repeating servo marks oriented at a first azimuth angle and a mid-frame synchronization mark incorporated within the tone field, wherein the tone field provides a metric reference for dimensional measurements between features within the servo frame(s). The number of servo marks in the tone field of each servo frame along a longitudinal direction of the servo track before the mid-frame synchronization mark and after the mid-frame synchronization mark varies with lateral position.

1. Field
The invention and its various aspects relate generally to reading and recording data from magnetic storage devices, and more particularly to position detection and servo control methods and systems to assist in maintaining relative position of a magnetic head to magnetic storage media.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital tape-recording remains a viable solution for storage of large amounts of data. Conventionally, at least two approaches are employed for recording digital information onto magnetic recording tape. One approach calls for moving a magnetic tape past a rotating head structure that reads and writes user information from discontinuous transverse tracks. Interactive servo systems are typically employed to synchronize rotation of the head structure with travel of the tape. Another approach is to draw the tape across a non-rotating head at a considerable linear velocity. This approach is sometimes referred to as linear "streaming" tape recording and playback.
Increased data storage capacity, and retrieval performance, is desired of all commercially viable mass storage devices and media. In the case of linear streaming tape recording a popular trend is toward multi-head, multi-channel fixed head structures with narrowed recording gaps and data track widths so that many linear data tracks may be achieved on a tape medium of a predetermined width, such as one-half inch width tape. To increase the storage density for a given cartridge size the bits on the tape may be written to smaller areas and on a plurality of parallel longitudinal tracks. As more data tracks are recorded on a tape, each track becomes increasingly narrow. The tape therefore becomes more susceptible to errors caused from the tape shifting up or down (called lateral tape motion or "LTM") in a direction perpendicular to the tape travel path as the tape passes by the magnetic head. LTM may be caused by many factors including, tape slitting variations, tension variations, imperfections in the guiding mechanism, vibration or shock to the guiding mechanism, friction variations (mainly at the head), and environmental factors such as heat and humidity. These factors affect LTM in various ways. Some may cause abrupt momentary jumps while others may cause a static shift. Generally, LTM is unpredictable and unrepeatable.
In multi-head, multi-channel magnetic tape storage systems, random lateral tape motion is generally a limiting factor in achieving higher track densities and thus higher user data capacity per tape. In order to maintain proper alignment of the head with the storage tape and data tracks on the tape, the tape is generally mechanically constrained to minimize LTM and data retrieval errors. Miss-registration between the head and the data track can cause data errors during readback and data loss on adjacent tracks during writing.
Various techniques for increasing the track density on magnetic tape employ recording servo information on the tape to provide positioning information to a tape drive system during writing and/or reading processes. Some systems magnetically record a continuous track of servo information which is then read and used as a position reference signal. For example, a variety of techniques have been used including dedicated and embedded magnetic servo tracks, time and amplitude magnetic servo tracks, and the like. Other systems may intersperse or embed servo information with user data. Exemplary tape drive systems and methods are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,246,535, 6,108,159, 5,371,638, and 5,689,384, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Other techniques include optical servo systems that follow an optically detectable servo track disposed on the media. Optical servo systems generally require additional optical components such as a light source, optical sensor, and the like, which may reduce actuator response and bandwidth, and increase cost to the servo system.
More robust magnetic servo track methods and systems are desired for detecting the position of a magnetic transducer head relative to a magnetic storage medium, e.g., storage tape, within a media drive system.

Servo track having periodic frames of tone field and embedded synchronization marks


The present invention provides for a semiconductor bath system which has a tank, a housing which joins the tank, and a seal for the joint between the housing and the tank. A porous conduit is placed in close proximity with the seal. A pump drives washing fluid through the conduit and through the walls of the conduit so that the fluid irrigates the seal to preserve its integrity.

The present invention is related to the field of semiconductor processing and, more particularly, to the design of semiconductor bath systems used in cleaning and rinsing semiconductor wafers.
Semiconductor bath systems clean and rinse semiconductor wafers. Often corrosive fluids, such as various acids, are used in the bath system. To protect the bath system's tank, which holds the fluids, and the different elements which are mounted to the tank, a housing encloses the sides of the tank.
However, despite the fact that the joint between the tank and housing is usually sealed, a recurring problem is that the seal between the tank and housing is often broken. The constant dripping of corrosive fluids and the condensation of such corrosive fumes generated by the semiconductor processes eventually cause the seal to lose its integrity. With the breach of the seal, it is a short time before the elements and connections to the tank are adversely affected by leaking fluids and the bath system is rendered inoperative. The failure typically requires removal of the bath system from a so-called "wet bench" in the semiconductor fabrication facility and a disassembly of the bath system to effect a repair. The failure is inconvenient, expensive and may affect production efficiencies of the facility.
One solution to this problem has been to keep the seal at the tank-housing joint in a pool of water so that corrosive fluids are washed away. However, this solution is cumbersome because a trough of water must be inconveniently maintained high against the outside walls of the tank and housing where they are joined and sealed. On the other hand, the present invention provides for the washing of the joint and seal in an arrangement which is compatible and convenient with present semiconductor processing systems.

Washing unit for joint seal in a semiconductor bath system


Various techniques can be used to improve classification of colon polyps candidates found via computed tomographic colonography computer aided detection (CTCCAD). A polyp candidate can be classified as a true positive or a false positive. For example, a two-dimensional projection image of the polyp can be generated from a three-dimensional representation and classified based on features of the projection image. An optimal viewpoint for the projection image can be found via techniques such as maximizing viewpoint entropy. Wavelet processing can be used to extract features from the two-dimensional projection image. Feature extraction can use a piecewise linear orthonormal floating search for locating most predictive neighbors for wavelet coefficients, and support vector machines can be employed for classification. The techniques can be useful for improving accuracy of CTCCAD techniques.

Although colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, it is also often treatable. Early detection of colon polyps is a key to treatment. CT colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, is a promising new non-intrusive detection technique where polyps are identified from CT scans, sometimes with the aid of a computer-aided detection (CAD) system.
However, virtual colonoscopy can be plagued by false positives. False positives are troublesome because any identified positives must be considered and evaluated by a human classifier such as a physician or technologist. Even if a feature can be quickly dismissed as a false positive, too many false positives consume an inordinate amount of time and limit the usefulness of the software-based approach.
Thus, more work is needed to increase specificity by filtering out false positives and otherwise improving virtual colonoscopy technologies.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services


An antenna and an electronic device utilizing the same are disclosed. The antenna includes a transmission element, a grounding board and a feed element. The grounding board is parallel to the transmission element and has a first surface, a second surface and a through hole. The first surface faces the transmission element and the second surface is opposite the first surface. The feed element connects the transmission element, passes through the through hole and abuts the second surface.

The invention relates to an antenna assembly, and in particular to an antenna assembly utilized in an electronic device.
In recent years, mobile electronic devices, such as cellular phones, have become widely popular. Antenna assembly performance is critical in the mobile electronic devices operation.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a conventional antenna assembly 1 disposed in an electronic device comprises a transmission element 11, a grounding board 12, a base 13 and a feed pin 14. The grounding board 12 is disposed above the transmission element 11, having a first surface 121 and a second surface 122. The grounding board 12, for example, can be a printed circuit board in a cellular phone. The base 13 disposed between the transmission element 11 and the first surface 121 may be plastic with low dielectric constant to support the transmission element 11. The transmission element 11 has a feed point 113, the first surface 121 has a connection point 123, and the feed pin 14 is bonded to the connection point 123, contacting the feed point 113.
The antenna assembly 1 presents the following shortcomings. The feed pin is expensive and easily damaged, and does not securely connect to the feed point 113, affecting the quality of transmission.
Referring to FIG. 1B, another conventional antenna assembly 1′ is shown, unlike antenna assembly 1, utilizing a feed spring 14′ integrally formed with the transmission element 11. The feed spring 14′ has a flexible portion 141 contacting the connection point 123.
The antenna assembly 1′, while decreasing the cost of the feed pin and bonding process described in antenna assembly 1, is difficult to position and the spring force of the feed spring 14′ is hard to control.

Antenna assembly and electronic device utilizing the same


It is possible to realize a Feistel-type common key block encryption/decryption processing configuration capable of reducing data stored in a memory at a low cost. The Feistel-type common key block encryption/decryption processing repeatedly executes an SP-type F function having nonlinear and linear transform sections by several rounds. At least one of the nonlinear and linear transform processes executed in the F function in each round is executed as a transform process identical with a transform process applied to an encryption/decryption algorithm other than a Feistel-type common key block encryption/decryption algorithm and/or another hash function such as AES and Whirlpool. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the design cost and the amount of data stored in a memory.

Accompanying development of network communications and electronic business transactions recently, assurance of securities in communications becomes an important problem. A method for assuring securities is adoption of cryptographic technologies. In recent years, communications making use of a variety of cryptographic technologies are actually carried out.
For example, a system for carrying out authentication processing or a system for encrypting and decrypting transceiving data has been implemented. In the system, an encryption/decryption processing module is embedded in a small-size device such as an IC card. A reader/writer functioning as a data read/write device carries out communications with the IC card in order to exchange the data with the IC card.
There are a variety of encryption/decryption algorithms largely classified into a public key cryptosystem and a common key cryptosystem. In accordance with the public key cryptosystem, encryption and decryption keys are set as different keys such as public and secret keys. In accordance with the common key cryptosystem, encryption and decryption keys are set as a common key.
The common key cryptosystem includes a variety of algorithms. In accordance with one of the algorithms, the common key is used as a base for generating a plurality of keys to be utilized in repetitively executing data transform processing for transforming data in block units such as 64-bit block units and 128-bit block units. An algorithm of a common key block cryptosystem is a representative algorithm adopted in such a key generation method and the data transform processing.
In accordance with the representative algorithm of the common key block encryption/decryption, the data transform process carried out in the common key block encryption/decryption processing includes nonlinear and linear transforms. Thus, when designing an elemental cryptographic technology such as the common key block cryptographic technology, it is necessary to determine a transform function for carrying out the nonlinear transform and a matrix to be used in a linear transform process.
For example, if encryption/decryption processing operation is to be carried out in an IC card, hardware for implementing an encryption/decryption algorithm must be embedded and data including a program (a software program) must be stored in a memory included in the hardware.
In recent years, attempts to enhance convenience are made in order to make it no longer necessary for the user to own a number of cards by, for example, providing an information processing terminal such as an IC card or a hand phone with a variety of data processing functions. However, in this case, it is necessary to make it compatible with encryption/decryption algorithms adopted in the operation system of every institution. In order to provide an information processing terminal such as an IC card or a hand phone with a configuration capable of carrying out a plurality of encryption/decryption algorithms different from each other, it is necessary to provide a hardware for executing the algorithms and include software for implementing the algorithms in the information processing terminal, causing a problem of a high cost.

Encryption/decryption device, encryption/decryption method, and computer program


Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations for resource management associated with communications in multiple radio access networks. In one example, a method of resource management may include obtaining quality of experience (QoE) information from a network server running deep packet inspection or an application executing on a computing device and configured to provide content to the computing device for user access, and determining whether to adjust the content delivery via at least one of the two radio access networks, based at least in part on the quality experience information. The adjustment may include increasing or reducing the content delivery via one of the radio access networks. The content may be delivered to the computing device via at least two radio access networks substantially simultaneously. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Interactions between wireless devices and wireless communication networks in which the devices operate may be conducted via different radio access networks. Today's mobile client wireless devices such as laptops, smartphones, ultrabooks, tablet computers and the like may be equipped with components (e.g., Wi-Fi and cellular radios) configured to provide the wireless device with access to different radio access networks (e.g., wireless local area networks such as Wi-Fi and cellular networks) substantially simultaneously. However, it may be challenging to integrate multiple radio access networks, e.g. Wi-Fi and cellular network in a cost-effective way, e.g., by maximizing the use of Wi-Fi versus a cellular network for wireless communications without sacrificing quality of user experience, particularly when using applications that involve data streaming.

Resource management in multiple radio access networks


A headrest assembly is attached to a seat back assembly by providing holes through a panel of the seat back assembly; providing loops protruding from a rear surface of the headrest assembly; inserting the loops of the headrest assembly through the corresponding holes of the seat back assembly; and inserting a retainer through the loops to fasten the headrest assembly to the seat back assembly.

Technical Field
The invention relates to attachment of a rigid article to a flexible support. Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to methods and articles for attaching headrest assemblies to mesh diaphragm seat back panels.
Discussion of Art
Commercial aircraft seating is evolving to satisfy demands for greater comfort and cleaner styling within a smaller, lighter package. At the same time there is a need to reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs. The aircraft seating upholstery has a large influence on comfort, styling, weight and cost.
Commercial and residential furnishing are known that utilize woven or non-woven fabric or open-weave mesh as seating surfaces (panels). Such seating surfaces are essentially stretched diaphragms that form a suspension system between an occupant and a frame. This arrangement is becoming more common and has even been proposed for transportation applications including commercial aircraft.
Many chairs or seats have headrests that are mounted to the seat frame. In case such a frame-mounted headrest protrudes downward from the frame over a cloth or mesh diaphragm seat panel, then there is risk of damage to the seat panel by rubbing against the headrest, as the headrest typically does not move with the panel as an occupant shifts in the seat.


A battery charger with a discrete switched regulator provides relatively high efficiency and relatively low cost. Unlike known battery chargers which incorporate switched regulator ICs, the battery charger in accordance with the present invention utilizes the microprocessor for a dual function. In particular, the microprocessor not only controls the charging characteristics of the battery charging circuit but also directly controls the power output of the battery charger by direct control of the discrete switched regulator circuit. By using a discrete switched regulator circuit and redefining the role of the microprocessor, the battery charger in accordance with the present invention is relatively less expensive than known battery chargers which incorporate switched regulator ICs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery charger and more particularly, to a relatively low cost battery charger which includes a switched regulator, for example, a synchronous buck regulator, formed from discrete components, which eliminates the need for regulator integrated circuit thus reducing the overall cost of the battery charger.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known battery chargers are normally configured to receive an unregulated source of 120 volt AC input power. Such battery chargers also include a microprocessor for control and a full wave rectifier for converting the input 120 volt AC power to an unregulated source of DC power. Other known battery chargers are known to receive an unregulated source of DC power, for example, 12 volts DC from a vehicular power system.
Battery chargers are known to include a regulator which receives the unregulated source of DC power and convert it to a regulated source of DC voltage. Both linear and switching type regulators are known. Linear regulators utilize linear devices, such as resistors to provide a relatively constant DC output. Such linear regulators may be formed as an integrated circuit (IC). In a typical application, the linear regulator IC provides a generally linear DC output to the battery charger circuit which normally includes a microprocessor for controlling the charging characteristics of the battery charger and either an on-board or external switching circuit, such as a pulse width modulator (PWM) circuit, to selectively connect and disconnect the battery charger and the battery cell under charge. In such an application, the power control is provided by the regulator IC, which, in turn is controlled by the microprocessor. In other words, in such an application, the microprocessor does not directly control the power output level other than switching the circuit on and off.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,764,030 and 5,998,966 disclose the use of a discrete PWM circuit under the control of a microprocessor to selectively connect and disconnect the battery charger and the battery cell under charge. These battery charger circuits utilize a separate linear regulator for controlling the output power level of the charger. Such linear regulators are known to have significant power losses due to the resistive components and are thus not suitable in all applications. For example, such linear regulators are not generally suitable for high efficiency applications. As such, switching type regulators are known to be used in battery chargers for such high efficiency applications.
Both buck and boost switching type regulators are known. Boost regulators are used to boost or raise the voltage of the input source of DC voltage. Buck regulators are used to lower the voltage of the input source of DC voltage. Both boost and buck regulators are known to include a primary and a secondary switch, a choke, a transformer and a diode. The primary switch is normally driven by a pulse width modulator (PWM) circuit.
In order to reduce switching losses, synchronous switching type regulators have been developed. An exemplary synchronous regulator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,071. In such synchronous regulators, the primary and secondary switches are synchronized in order to reduce losses. Indeed, in such synchronous regulators, the primary switch is turned on while the secondary switch is turned off during the first half of each cycle. Similarly, the primary switch is turned off and the secondary switch is turned on during the second half of each cycle.
Various synchronous regulators are known and available as integrated circuits (ICs). For example, Fairchild Semiconductor model Nos. FAN5234 and RC 5057 and Linear Technology model Nos. LTC 1736 and 1709-85 are known. In battery chargers which utilize such synchronous regulators, the ICs normally control the output power level of the battery charger, which, in turn, are under the control of the microprocessor. Such regulator ICs have become the de facto standard in battery chargers. Unfortunately, regulators ICs, such as synchronous regulator ICs, are relatively expensive and add significant cost to the overall cost of a battery charger. Thus, there is a need for a relatively lower cost battery charger which incorporates a switched regulator for increased efficiency.

Battery charger with dual use microprocessor


A method for computation with recurrent neural networks includes receiving an input drive and a recurrent drive, producing at least one modulatory response; computing at least one output response, each output response including a sum of: (1) the input drive multiplied by a function of at least one of the at least one modulatory response, each input drive including a function of at least one input, and (2) the recurrent drive multiplied by a function of at least one of the at least one modulatory response, each recurrent drive including a function of the at least one output response, each modulatory response including a function of at least one of (i) the at least one input, (ii) the at least one output response, or (iii) at least one first offset, and computing a readout of the at least one output response.

Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTMs) are a class of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) that have been used in a wide variety of applications including text processing, computer vision and image processing, music processing, and speech processing. Unlike conventional RNNs, LSTMs are capable of representing and manipulating long-term dependencies. LSTMs were introduced by Hochreiter & Schmidhuber (Hochreiter and Schmidhuber 1997). Since then, several variants of the basic architecture have been developed and tested for a variety of applications. One of the variants, called a gated recurrent unit (GRU), is currently popular (Cho, Van Merriënboer et al. 2014). For an introduction to RNNs and LSTMs, including demonstrations of what can be done with RNNs and LSTMs, see these two blogs: "Understanding LSTM Networks," available at Colah's blog, and "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Recurrent Neural Networks," available at the Andrej Karpathy blog.
For many applications (e.g., speech, music, human movement), the dynamics of the input signals may oscillate over time. LSTMs are not well-suited for these kinds of signals because they approximate oscillatory signals with piecewise constant functions.
LSTMs have been proven to be useful in a variety of applications, but they are difficult to design because it is difficult to understand their functionality.
AI systems are anticipated to become widespread, impacting in all sectors of society, but these systems cost energy. A person of skill in the art recognizes that analog circuitry (including, but not limited to, analog very large scale integration (VLSI)) may be more energy-efficient in comparison to representing and processing information digitally. LSTMs, because they are digital recurrent neural nets, do not benefit from the energy-efficiency of analog circuitry.

System, method, and apparatus for recurrent neural networks


An image-shake correcting device including a motion-vector detecting circuit for detecting a motion vector of an image in the horizontal and vertical directions thereof, an optical correcting device for optically correcting a movement of the image in the vertical direction thereof in accordance with the output of the motion-vector detecting circuit, an electronic correcting device for electronically correcting a movement of the image in the horizontal direction thereof in accordance with the output of the motion-vector detecting circuit, and a control circuit for selectively controlling the optical correcting device and the electronic correcting device in accordance with the state of movement of the image which is detected by the motion-vector detecting circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-shake preventing device suitable for use in an image pickup apparatus, such as a video camera, and capable of correcting a shake (movement) of an image due to a vibration of the apparatus, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic correcting system, an optical correcting system and the like have heretofore been known as a system for correcting a shake of an image in this kind of image-shake preventing device. The electronic correcting system is generally arranged to store in a memory an input image which immediately precedes the current input image, detect a shake of an image by detecting a variation of the image from the current input image and the previous input image stored in the memory, and vary an image reading position in the memory from which to read out a cut-out image so as to cancel the shake, thereby correcting the shake of the image. The optical correcting system generally includes a variable angle prism disposed in front of a lens and is arranged to turn the variable angle prism and bend the optical axis thereof so as to cancel a shake of an image, thereby correcting the shake of the image.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a video camera having an image-shake preventing device of the conventional, electronic correction type. The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 includes an optical system 1 made up of predetermined constituent components, such as a focusing lens group provided for the purpose of focusing, a zooming lens group for varying a focal length of the optical system 1, a compensation lens group, and an iris for adjusting the amount of light. An image pickup element 2 is made up of, for example, a two-dimensional CCD and is provided for converting an input light signal into an electrical signal and outputting the electrical signal. A sample-and-hold (S/H) circuit 3 is provided for sampling and holding the electrical signal supplied from the image pickup element 2, at intervals of a predetermined period, and an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit 4 is provided for controlling the gain of the electrical signal outputted from the S/H circuit 3.
The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 also includes an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 5 for converting an analog signal outputted from the AGC circuit 4 into a digital signal, a Y/C separation circuit 6 for generating two kinds of delayed signals, i.e., a 1H delayed signal (H: horizontal synchronizing period) and a 2H delayed signal, from the signal outputted from the A/D converter 5, and for performing computations on the 1H and 2H delayed signals to separate the signal outputted from the A/D converter 5 into a chrominance signal C and a luminance signal Y. A C process circuit 7 is provided for generating the chrominance signal C from the 2H delayed signal outputted from the Y/C separation circuit 6, and a Y process circuit 8 is provided for generating the luminance signal Y from the 1H delayed signal outputted from the Y/C separation circuit 6 and performing edge enhancement, gamma correction and other predetermined processes on the luminance signal Y.
The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 also includes a first memory 9 for temporarily storing the chrominance signal C outputted from the C process circuit 7, a second memory 10 for temporarily storing the luminance signal Y outputted from the Y process circuit 8, a first digital-to-analog (D/A) converter 11 for converting the output signal (digital signal) of the first memory 9 into an analog signal, a second digital-to-analog (D/A) converter 12 for converting the output signal (digital signal) of the second memory 10 into an analog signal, a first signal output terminal 13 through which to output the signal outputted from the D/A converter 11, and a second signal output terminal 14 through which to output the signal outputted from the D/A converter 12.
The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 also includes a two-dimensional band-pass filter (BPF) 15 which is a spatial-frequency filter for extracting only a signal having a predetermined frequency band useful for detecting a motion vector, from the luminance signal outputted from the Y process circuit 8, the BPF filter 15 serving to eliminate the high and low spatial frequency components of an image signal which are unsuitable for detecting a motion vector, a motion-vector detecting circuit 16 for detecting a motion vector indicative of movements of an image in horizontal (H) and vertical (V) directions from the output signal of the BPF filter 15, a third memory 17 for temporarily storing the output signal of the BPF filter 15, the output signal of the third memory 17 being inputted to the motion-vector detecting circuit 16, and a memory-reading controlling circuit 18 for controlling the image reading position of each of the first and second memories 9 and 10 on the basis of the output of the motion-vector detecting circuit 16 so that shake of an image in the respective horizontal and vertical directions can be corrected. The image reading position of each of the first and second memory 9 and 10 is shifted in the direction of, and by the amount of a movement indicated by, the motion vector obtained in the motion-vector detecting circuit 16, whereby the movements, i.e., shake, of the image in the horizontal and vertical directions can be cancelled.
The chrominance and luminance signals C and Y, the image-shake of which has been corrected in the above-described manner, are respectively supplied from the first and second memories 9 and 10 to the D/A converters 11 and 12. The chrominance and luminance signals C and Y are respectively converted by the D/A converters 11 and 12 and outputted through the first and second signal output terminals 13 and 14.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a video camera having an image-shake preventing device of the conventional, optical correction type. In FIG. 2, identical reference numerals are used to denote constituent parts identical to those shown in FIG. 1, and description thereof is omitted. Unlike the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the memory-reading controlling circuit 18 is omitted from the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, and a variable angle prism (VAP) 19 is instead turnably disposed in front of the optical system 1 and a prism controlling circuit 20 is disposed for driving and controlling the variable angle prism 19. The variable angle prism 19 has a structure in which a liquid of high refractive index is charged into the sealed space between two parallel flat plates, and is arranged to be able to change the direction of its optical axis, i.e., its apex angle, by varying the angle made by the two parallel flat plates. The prism controlling circuit 20 includes a vertical-direction control part (V-direction VAP controlling part) 20a for driving and controlling the variable angle prism 19 to correct a movement of an image in the vertical direction thereof and a horizontal-direction control part (H-direction VAP controlling part) 20b for driving and controlling the variable angle prism 19 to correct a movement of the image in the horizontal direction thereof.
A motion-vector detection signal indicative of a motion vector detected by the motion-vector detecting circuit 16 is inputted to the prism controlling circuit 20, and the variable angle prism 19 is driven and controlled by the prism controlling circuit 20 so that shake of the image in the vertical and horizontal directions thereof can be corrected.
However, in an image-shake preventing device which relies on only a conventional electronic correcting system, as shown in FIG. 1, which electronically corrects shake in the vertical and horizontal directions, it is necessary to make an image reading area smaller than the picture size of an image stored in the memory and it is, therefore, necessary to perform processing, such as enlargement and interpolation, for restoring the picture size of a read image to the original picture size. This leads to image degradation which is particularly noticeable in the case of a shake correction in the vertical direction, in which the number of available pixels is small.
In an image-shake preventing device which relies on only the conventional optical correcting system, as shown in FIG. 2, which optically corrects shake in the vertical and horizontal directions, although no substantial image degradation occurs, a special optical system and a control circuit therefor are needed. For this reason, the image-shake preventing device of the conventional optical correcting type has a higher price and a greater power consumption than that of the conventional electronic correcting type.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Sho 63-166370 and the like disclose a purely electronic image-shake correcting device which is arranged to store a video signal outputted from an image pickup element (CCD) in an image memory or the like, detect an image shake from information about the video signal to find the amount of displacement of the image, and shift an image reading address of the image memory according to the amount of displacement of the image, thereby correcting the image shake.
It has also been proposed to provide a large-picture (area) image pickup element type of image-shake preventing device which includes a large-picture image pickup element having a larger picture area than a normal image pickup element. This type of image-shake preventing device is arranged to detect a movement by means of an acceleration sensor or the like and control a reading start position of an image which is stored in a field memory, without using a memory and according to a detection signal provided by the acceleration sensor, thereby correcting an image shake.
There is another optical type of image-shake preventing device in addition to the above-described image-shake preventing device which includes the variable angle prism (VAP) and is arranged to detect a movement by means of the acceleration sensor and optically correct an image shake. For example, an inertial pendulum type of image-shake preventing device (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,959,088 and 2,829,557 and the like) is known. In the inertial pendulum type of image-shake preventing device, an inertial pendulum type of shake preventing lens having a two-axes gimbal structure is disposed around a master lens, and an image shake is cancelled by this shake preventing lens, thereby correcting the image shake.

Image-shake correcting device utilizing optical correcting means and electronic correcting means


A method and apparatus for attaching a collarette, display, and label incorporating the use of a sewing machine having a sewing head, a collarette feed means, a display feeder, a label feeder, leading and trailing edge detectors, a stitch counter, and a controller to control each device and perform necessary calculations is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically attaching a collarette, display and label to a garment body by synchronizing sewing and material feeding.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Garments such as shirts or blouses are typically manufactured using manual labor. Garment pieces are cut out of stock material, trimmed to proper dimensions, and then sewn together on a sewing machine by a sewing machine operator.
Often in garment manufacturing, a piece of material, known in the art as a "collarette", is folded and sewn around the garment neck to form a continuous collar. The conventional method of sewing a collarette to a garment neck is performed by a sewing machine operator in the following manner. First, the collarette is cut to a size slightly shorter than the garment neck edge where the collarette is to be sewn. Then, the operator positions the collarette on top of the garment body, places the material under a sewing machine and starts sewing. While sewing, the operator must continually maintain the alignment of the collarette and garment body to obtain an evenly manufactured finished product. Additionally, the operator must pull and stretch the collarette during the sewing operation. Stretching the collarette in such a manner will cause the completed garment and collarette to lie flat and have no wrinkles or gathers around the neck when worn.
The operator may also be required to attach a label (e.g. a manufacturer's identifier having the manufacturer's name and product information) to the garment with the same stitch being used to attach the collarette to the garment. To perform this operation, the operator must carefully position and hold the label in the desired location while sewing.
Additionally, the operator may be required to sew a small strip of material, known in the art as a "display", to the inside of the garment neck to flatten and cover the seam joining the collarette and label to the garment body (the "joining seam"). The display is used to cover the area inside the garment where the joining seam would be partially visible after the garment is packaged for sale, i.e., on the inside back portion of the garment neck. To sew a display to a garment the operator must carefully position and hold the display on top of the collarette and garment body while sewing.
Further complications to the above-described conventional sewing operation are encountered when the joining seam is to be hidden from view from the outside of the garment (i.e. the side of the garment away from the body of the wearer). To hide the joining seam, an operator must layer the collarette, display, and label on top of the garment body and use an "overedge stitch" to join the pieces together. The resulting "overedge seam" is then hidden from the outside of the finished garment. To sew a collarette, label, and display to a garment body with an overedge stitch an operator must first manually arrange and layer the materials one on top of the other as follows: garment body, collarette, display, and label. The operator then passes the layered materials through the sewing machine, maintaining them in constant alignment while stretching the collarette as described above. If desired, a second sewing operation is then performed to attach the loose edge of the display to the garment body with a top stitch to assure that the display covers the overedge seam and a portion of the label.
The manual process of sewing a collarette, display, and label to a garment body is difficult and tedious. The quality of the finished product is often variable and is largely dependent on the experience and skill of the sewing machine operator Moreover, the conventional process is time consuming due to the need to precisely arrange and sew the materials together.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new method and apparatus for automatically attaching a collarette and other materials to a garment body.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new method and apparatus capable of attaching a collarette, display, and label to a garment body in an efficient and precise manner without the need of manual assistance to feed and maintain alignment of the materials during the sewing operation.
It is a still a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus capable of attaching a collarette, display, and label to a garment body such that the resulting product is of a consistently high quality, but manufactured using less time and manpower.

Method and apparatus for automatically attaching a collarette, display and label to a garment body


A golf shoe has a sole and a heel attached to an upper. A spike is housed within a housing inserted into the sole or the heel. The housing includes a hollow cylinder threaded into the sole or heel. The cylinder houses a helical spring that biases a spike to the extended position. When the shoe is used on a hard surface, the surface forces the spike upward against the spring to a retracted position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to footwear. In particular, the invention relates to shoes having spikes, such as golf shoes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf shoes, and some other sports shoes, have spikes in order to provide stability. The spikes extend downward into the ground to keep the feet from slipping during a golf swing. Spikes are usually about a quarter of an inch long and are made of a metal, such as steel. Usually each spike extends downward from a circular disc, which is attached to the sole or heel of the golf shoe.
Unfortunately, golfers and other athletes wearing spikes sometimes have to walk ()n surfaces other than grass. For example, golfers sometimes walk on cart paths, club shop floors, and rocky ground. Such surfaces can be uncomfortable or even dangerous to a person wearing spiked shoes, since the steel spikes cannot enter the hard surface and may slip. Another problem is that spikes may be damaging to some surfaces, such as floors and carpets. It is for this reason that spiked shoes are usually not allowed within club shops, and golfers must change or remove their shoes before entering a club shop.
In order to ease the problems with spikes, shoes have been designed with retractable spikes. These shoes usually have a mechanical or pneumatic apparatus for moving the spikes from an extended position to a retracted position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,608, issued Jun. 9, 1981, to Tomuro, shows a golf shoe in which the spikes are concealed within a resilient elastic material . When the wearer of the shoe steps down on the shoe, the spikes are driven into the ground. When the foot is raised, the spikes retract, and any mud on the bottom of the shoe can be easily removed.


According to an example embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processing core configured to determine a pairing opportunity with a second apparatus and to cause a message to be transmitted to a server, the message comprising a generated number, a receiver configured to receive from the server an indication, and the at least one processing core being further configured to, at least in part based on the indication, cause the apparatus to participate in pairing with the second apparatus.

Users may possess more than one electronic device. Where a user is in possession of, for example, a music player and headphones, the user may plug the headphones into the music player, to thereby enable listening to music from the music player via the headphones. Likewise video playback devices, such as DVD players, may be connected with televisions and speakers with suitable cabling. The devices may be configured to detect presence of live cabling in their connectors, whereby a user may define pairings between his devices by connecting the cables.
Where devices are configured to communicate wirelessly, pairings may not be definable using cabling. In these cases, a user may pair devices with each other using one of several different processes. For example, the user may configure both devices to activate their wireless interfaces to detect compatible wireless-enabled devices within communication range. Subsequently, the user may select from a list displayed by a first device a second, detected, device that he wants to pair with the first device.
A pairing of the first device and the second device may proceed after the user selection. For example, a wireless protocol connection may be initiated between the first device and the second device in accordance with a specific wireless communication protocol that both the first device and the second device are configured to support. To verify the connection is between the correct devices, one of the devices may display a numeric code that the user then inputs to the other device or other device may show the same code based on pairing so that user just compares that devices show the same number. Thereby, the user may be confident that the wireless protocol connection, which unlike a cable he cannot see, is indeed between the first device and the second device, and does not involve a third nearby device which may be owned by a second user.
In case a pairing occurs accidentally between incorrect devices, privacy may be compromised in case another user gains, at least in part, access to data of the user. Alternatively, the devices may simply not work as intended. For example, where the user wants to listen to music using a wireless headset, he will not hear anything from his headset in case his music player is incorrectly paired with an incorrect headset and not the intended headset.
Wireless interfaces usable in pairing devices, such as for example user devices, include the Bluetooth standard in its various versions, wireless local area network, WLAN, also known as Wi-Fi, and other suitable wireless communication protocols.


The pneumatic tire 1 for a motorcycle comprises a tread portion 2 comprising a belt layer 7, an inner liner layer 9 made of air impermeable rubber and arranged radially inside the belt layer 7, and a sealant layer 10 attached to a radially inner surface (9a) of the inner liner layer 9. The sealant layer 10 comprises a crown portion 10A arranged at a center thereof in a tire axial direction and a pair of shoulder portions 10B arranged on both sides of the crown portion 10A in the tire axial direction. Viscosity μ2 of the shoulder portions 10B is larger than viscosity μ1 of the crown portion 10A.

Conventionally, a pneumatic tire for a motorcycle has been known in which a viscous sealant material is disposed on a tire inner surface of a tread portion on both sides in a tire axial direction in order to retain puncture sealing property. The pneumatic tire for a motorcycle configured as such, for example, when a hole is formed in the tread portion due to running over a nail or the like during running on a road, the sealant material deforms and moves so as to fill the hole, therefore, leakage of air from the hole is suppressed.
However, a radius of curvature of a profile of the tread portion of a pneumatic tire for a motorcycle is small, therefore, large centrifugal force during running is applied to a part of a tire around a tire equator. Thereby, the sealant material tends to move to around the tire equator, therefore, it is possible that the puncture sealing property tends to decrease near tread edges. Further, the sealant material gathers in a central portion in the tire axial direction, therefore, mass distribution greatly differs between an inner part and an outer part in the tire axial direction of the tire. Thereby, tension applied to a belt layer varies between the inner part and the outer part in the tire axial direction, therefore, it is possible that the steering stability is deteriorated.


A moisture-curable silicone hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive composition is disclosed, said composition comprising. (i) a solid hydroxyl-functional organopolysiloxane resin comprising R.sub.3 SiO.sub.1/2 siloxane units and SiO.sub.4/2 siloxane units in a molar ratio of 0.5/1 to 1.2/1, respectively, wherein R is selected from hydrocarbon and halogenated hydrocarbon radicals and said hydroxyl content is 1.2 to 6 percent by weight; PA0 (ii) an alkoxy-functional diorganopolysiloxane polymer having a viscosity at 25.degree. C. of 20 to <100,000 centipoise, the weight ratio of said resin to said polymer being in the range 40:60 to 80:20; PA0 (iii) a silane of the formula R'.sub.4-y SiX.sub.y, in which R' is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon radicals and substituted hydrocarbon radicals having 1-6 carbon atoms, X is a hydrolyzable group and y is 2 to 4, the amount of said silane being sufficient to provide stability to said composition; and PA0 (iv) sufficient catalyst to accelerate the cure of said composition, said composition being an essentially solvent-free, non-slump solid at room temperature which cures to an essentially non-tacky elastomer upon exposure to moisture.

Silicone pressure-sensitive adhesives (hereinafter also referred to as PSAs) typically contain at least two primary components, namely a linear siloxane polymer and a tackifier resin consisting essentially of triorganosiloxane (M) units (i.e., R.sub.3 SiO.sub.1/2 units, in which R denotes a monovalent organic group) and silicate (Q) units (i.e., SiO.sub.4/2 units). In addition to the above two ingredients, silicone PSA compositions are generally provided with some crosslinking means (e.g., peroxide or hydrosilation cure systems) in order to optimize various properties of the final adhesive product. In view of the high viscosity imparted by the polymer component, these PSA compositions are typically dispersed in an organic solvent for ease of application.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,920 to Sweet describes solventless silicone PSAs that can be applied as a heated melt, also referred to as a hot melt. These compositions differ from prior art PSAs by replacement of the gum type polydiorganosiloxane with a liquid polydiorganosiloxane and by addition of from 1 to 10 percent, based on the combined weight of the organosilicon compounds, of a liquid ester of a monocarboxylic acid containing from 2 to 32 carbon atoms. Replacing this ester with a phenyl-containing polyorganosiloxane fluid to make the PSA more compatible with drugs and other organic materials is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,410, also to Sweet. The hot melt PSAs described in both Sweet patents do not contain moisture reactive groups capable of forming a cured material, and therefore remain flowable at elevated temperatures and retain their tacky character.
A copending application, Ser. No. 07/748,478, filed on Aug. 22, 1991 (EP Publication 529841 Al) to Krahnke et al. describes silicone PSAs that cure in the presence of moisture to permanent adhesives. The compositions are particularly useful as structural adhesives for adhering glass panels to structural materials such as concrete, aluminum and steel. The two required ingredients of the PSA are an MQ resin and a high consistency polydiorganosiloxane gum. One or both ingredients of the PSA compositions described in this copending application contain moisture activated alkoxy curing groups. Due to the high viscosity of gum type polydiorganosiloxanes even at elevated temperatures, the compositions are not suitable for application as heated molten materials and are typically applied in solution form wherein the solvent is removed prior to curing of the composition or evaporates during the curing reaction.
Another moisture-curable PSA system is disclosed in Japanese laid open patent application (Kokai) No. 4(1992)/81,487. These PSAs comprise (1) 100 parts by weight of an MQ resin having a hydroxyl content of up to 0.7 weight percent, (2) a liquid polydiorganosiloxane containing hydrolyzable terminal groups and (3) a condensation catalyst to promote curing of the composition in the presence of moisture. The molar ratio of silanol groups in the resinous copolymer to hydrolyzable terminal groups in the liquid polydiorganosiloxane is from 1 to 10. A characterizing feature of these compositions is their ability to retain the characteristics of pressure sensitive adhesives under both dry and wet conditions following reaction of the moisture reactive groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,484 to Colas et al. describes elastomer-forming compositions containing (1) a hydroxyl- or alkoxy-terminated polydiorganosiloxane, (2) an alkoxy-functional MQ resin that is preferably liquid under ambient conditions and (3) a titanium-containing curing catalyst. These compositions are described as flowable under ambient conditions and cure in the presence of atmospheric moisture to yield elastomeric materials.
Moisture-curable compositions which cure to elastomers are also disclosed by Favre et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,088. These compositions are prepared by mixing (a) a hydroxyl-terminated polydiorganosiloxane, (b) an MQ resin, (c) an alkoxylated organosilicon compound and (d) an organic titanium derivative. Before being cured, these systems are liquids under ordinary conditions.
With the current emphasis on the control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emission, the use of conventional PSAs is losing favor and there is an ever growing need for PSAs which contain little or no solvent. Furthermore, many applications require that an essentially instant bond be formed between parts so that the parts can be transported or otherwise manipulated without waiting for a solvent to evaporate or the composition to cure. This characteristic is defined herein as "green strength" and is manifested by high initial adhesive strength of the PSA.

Moisture-curable hot melt silicone pressure-sensitive adhesives


A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for antenna element placement are disclosed. In one embodiment, an antenna comprises an antenna feed to input a cylindrical feed wave; a single physical antenna aperture having at least one antenna array of antenna elements, where the antenna elements are located on a plurality of concentric rings concentrically located relative to an antenna feed, wherein rings of the plurality of concentric rings are separated by a ring-to-ring distance, wherein a first distance between elements along rings of the plurality of concentric rings is a function of a second distance between rings of the plurality of concentric rings; and a controller to control each antenna element of the array separately using matrix drive circuitry, where each of the antenna elements is uniquely addressed by the matrix drive circuitry.

The fabrication of very large antennas regardless of the technology used often approaches the limits of the technology in size and leads ultimately to very high fabrication costs. Furthermore, a small error in a large antenna can result in a failure of the antenna product. This is the reason certain technology approaches that might be used in other industries cannot be readily applied to antenna fabrication. One such technology is active matrix technologies.
Active matrix technologies have been used to drive liquid crystal displays. In such technologies, one transistor is coupled to each liquid crystal cell and each liquid crystal cell can be selected by applying a voltage to a select signal coupled to the gate of the transistor. Many different types of transistors are used, including thin-film transistors (TFT). In the case of TFT, the active matrix is referred to as a TFT active matrix.
The active matrix uses addresses and drive circuitry to control each of the liquid crystal cells in the array. To ensure each of the liquid crystal cells are uniquely addressed, the matrix uses rows and columns of conductors to create connections for the selection transistors.
The use of matrix drive circuitry has been proposed for use with antennas. However, using rows and columns of conductors may be useful in antenna arrays that have antenna elements that are arranged in rows and columns but may not be feasible when the antenna elements are not arranged in that manner.
Tiling or segmentation is a common method of fabricating phased array and static array antennas to help reduce the issues associated with fabricating such antennas. When fabricating large antenna arrays, the large antenna arrays are usually segmented into LRUs (Line Replaceable Units) that are identical segments. Aperture tiling or segmentation is very common for large antennas, especially for complex systems such as phased arrays. However, no application of segmentation has been found that provides a tiling approach for cylindrical feed antennas.

Antenna element placement for a cylindrical feed antenna


A decoding method, a memory storage device and a memory control circuit unit are provided, the decoding method includes: reading a plurality of memory cells according to hard decision voltage to obtain hard bit; performing a parity check procedure for the hard bit to obtain a plurality of syndromes; determining whether the hard bit has error according to the syndromes; if the hard bit has the error, updating the hard bit according to channel information of the hard bit and syndrome weight information corresponding to the hard bit.

Technical Field
The invention relates to a decoding method, and more particularly, to a decoding method regarding a low density parity check code, a memory storage device and a memory control circuit unit using the same.
Description of Related Art
The markets of digital cameras, cellular phones, and MP3, players have expanded rapidly in recent years, resulting in escalated demand for storage media by consumers. The characteristics of data non-volatility, low power consumption, and compact size make a rewritable non-volatile memory module (e.g., flash memory) ideal to be built in the portable multi-media devices as cited above.
Generally, a channel encoding is performed to data written in the rewritable non-volatile memory module. As a result, when the data are read from the rewritable non-volatile memory module, errors in the data may have a chance to be corrected. In case the channel encoding utilizes a low density parity check code, an iteration decoding is performed to the data read from the rewritable non-volatile memory module. The iteration decoding is configured to update a reliability of one bit. A number of iterations required for the iteration decoding also increases when there is more errors in the data. However, a higher number of iterations results in a slower speed for decoding. Therefore, how to increase a speed of decoding is one of the major subjects for person skilled in the art.
Nothing herein should be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art of any portion of the present invention. Furthermore, citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention, or that any reference forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art.

Decoding method, memory storage device and memory control circuit unit


A disc device includes: a casing including: a casing body that has a housing section of a disc 4 and houses a device body including a drive unit for rotating the disc 4; and a cover section rotatably supported on the casing body for closing the housing section. The casing includes: a rotation stop mechanism 5 for stopping rotation of the disc 4 when the cover section is opened. The rotation stop mechanism 5 includes a lever 6 rotatably supported on the casing body and having a contact section 631 contacting with the disc 4 when the cover section is opened; a biasing unit 7 provided on the lever 6 for biasing the contact section 631 toward an edge face of the disc 4; and a first releasing unit 13B provided in a protruding state on the cover section, the releasing unit 13B contacting with the lever 6 to rotate the lever 6 for releasing contact between the contact section 631 and the disc 4 when the cover section is closed. The contact section 631 has a contact face 632 inclined against the rotational tangent direction of the disc 4.

There has been known an optical disc device for reproducing information recorded in an optical disc such as a CD (compact disc) or a DVD (digital versatile disc), or an optical disc device for recording/reproducing information in and from an optical disc. In the optical disc devices as described above, an optical disc housed in the housing section is rotated by a driving unit such as a spindle motor provided in the housing section, a light spot is irradiated onto an information recording surface of the rotating optical disc from an optical pick-up, and information is recorded and/or reproduced by detecting reflected light.
As the optical disc devices as described above, there have been the loading type of optical disc devices having the structure in which an optical disc is placed in a concave section on a disc tray as a housing section and this disc tray is loaded to house the optical disc inside the casing, and the cover open/close type of optical disc devices in which the housing section is covered with a cover section and an optical disc is housed inside the casing by opening or closing this cover section. Of these two types, in the cover open/close type of optical disc device, when the cover section is opened during rotation of the optical disc, sometimes the rotating optical disc springs out from the housing section, causing the optical disc to be broken, or rotation of the optical disc is forcefully stopped by a user, causing a circuit provided inside the optical disc device to be broken.
To solve the problem as described above, there has been known an optical disc device in which rotation of the optical disc is automatically stopped when the cover section is opened during rotation of the optical disc. Among such type of optical disc devices, there has been known the one in which, when the cover section (cover) is opened, a lever is moved via a gear provided on the cover section and via a gear provided in the optical disc device (disc reproduction unit), the movement of the lever causing a brake arm to contact with an outer peripheral edge face of the optical disc for braking rotation of the optical disc (see, for instance, Patent Document 1). Also, there has been known an optical disc device in which, when the cover section (upper cover) is opened, a brake lever slides forward and backward, causing a brake pad to be pressed to an edge face of the optical disc for braking rotation of the optical disc (see, for instance, Patent Document 2). In the optical disc devices having the structures as described above, even when the cover section is opened during rotation of the optical disc, rotation of the optical disc is braked, so that damages of the disc or the circuit can be prevented.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 2-126471
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 10-79162


A solenoid drive system enabling an automatic performing apparatus to control the intensity of key depression with respect to individual keys. Voltage waveform data is provided for each of the solenoids to drive an associated keys. One cycle of the voltage waveform data is divided in a predetermined time period into a predetermined number of bit segments. A value of "1" or "0", representing a pulse height level of the control signal for each respective key is written to each and every bit segment. Duty cycle of the square wave of each of the control signals can be thus precisely varied according to and to match the key depression intensity. The voltage waveform data may be written to sequential addresses in the memory, and read out from non-sequential addresses in the memory. Alternatively, the voltage waveform data may be written to non-sequential addresses in the memory and read out from sequential addresses in the memory.

This invention relates to a solenoid drive system for an automatic performing apparatus having actuating keys such as a piano or key board. The solenoid drive system stores voltage waveform data in sequence according to performance information. The voltage waveform data comprises the intensity of key depression and is provided for each respective key number. Solenoids, also provided for each of the keys, are activated upon output of the voltage waveform data, thereby automatically recreating the performance.
A variety of methods have been proposed to control the value of power voltage supplied to solenoids in an automatic performing apparatus such as an automatic piano. One such method is duty cycle control, whereby the duty cycle of a square wave is changed. The duty cycle control is most favorable since it minimizes the electricity loss in a transistor utilized as switching element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,141 discloses an apparatus adopting the duty cycle control method. The apparatus first generates pulses of a constant width, and then modulates the pulse width in accordance with key depression intensity.
When it comes to driving a plurality of keys individually but simultaneously, however, the above apparatus requires a corresponding plurality of digital to analog converters (DAC's) and modulation circuits, thus complicating the circuit structure. Moreover, because of the need for a DAC and modulation circuit, high precision apparatus control is hampered and requires intricate adjustment. Further, a voltage comparator included in the modulation circuit tends to deteriorate after a long period of use, revealing its drawback in durability.

Solenoid drive system for an automatic performing apparatus


A method of producing aluminum chlorohydrate comprises adding small form aluminum metal pellets to a reactant receiving space of a reactor tank to form a pellet bed; adding aqueous hydrochloric acid to the reactant receiving space of the reactor tank; and continuously circulating the aqueous hydrochloric acid through the pellet bed. In some embodiments, the continuously circulating aqueous hydrochloric acid dispels reaction gases from the pellet bed. Methods described herein can, in some cases, further comprise consecutively adding additional small form aluminum metal pellets to the reactant receiving space of the reactor tank as the small form aluminum metal pellets are consumed in the pellet bed.

An industrial process of producing aluminum chlorohydrate (ACH) generally includes reacting aluminum metal with an aqueous acid, such as hydrochloric acid, as shown in the example equation:5H2O+2Al+HCl→Al2(OH)5Cl+3H2  Eq. (1)
When produced at scale, the reaction is often conducted in a large fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) tank with specialized resin inert to the acid and to extreme heat. This batch process can take anywhere between 1 to 5 days to complete, depending on the scale. While not intending to be bound by theory, it is believed the reaction occurs when an acid encounters the surface area of the aluminum metal. The rate of the reaction is dictated by the aluminum metal surface area, where increasing the surface area correspondingly increases the rate of the reaction. Conventional reactions use large aluminum ingots, such as 30″×6″×5″ sized ingots, which often weigh 35 to 50 pounds or more. However, these large aluminum ingots have a limited surface area compared to a total amount of reactive aluminum within the ingot itself.
In conventional processes, a typical tank size can be around 12,000 gallons with a typical batch producing 6000 gallons of 50% ACH solution using around three hundred 50 lb ingots. In this example, the mass of starting aluminum divided by the mass of aluminum in the ACH is 1.5 (i.e., a 50% excess of aluminum). The unreacted aluminum pieces, known as "bones", are set aside and new ingots are stacked in preparation for the next batch. The bones are also used and are set on top of the stack and around the edges. This is a labor intensive procedure that can last a day or longer and is potentially hazardous as workers are in the tank. Plus, given the heavy weight of each ingot, if the ingot stacks were to fall during the setup process, a worker could be seriously injured. This labor intensive method of operation puts the normal batch processing time at 5 days and involves a fair amount of physical labor. Further, the reactor tanks are confined space entry, which means the worker must enter the reactor tank to load the ingots. Confined space entry brings many health and safety concerns, because it raises the risk of worker injury.
Use of Small Form Aluminum Metal (SFAM), defined as pellets smaller than 125 mm and larger than 1 mm, or in some cases, between ¼ to ⅜ inches in diameter, provides large surface area capabilities resulting in shorter batch cycle times as compared to using the conventional aluminum ingots. For example, SFAM pellets with a diameter of ⅜ inch have 28 times more surface area than an equivalent weight of 50 lbs. ingots. Thus, the reaction rate for SFAM pellets is much faster than the rate for the larger ingots. Further, SFAM pellets can be loaded into the reactor tank without a worker performing a confined space entry, decreasing both the batch preparation time and danger to the worker. However, the use of SFAM has proved to be problematic in a number of different ways.
For example, the reaction between the SFAM and the aqueous acid is driven by mass exothermic conditions and progresses until the solution reaches boiling, when copious amounts of hydrogen gas and steam are rapidly released from within a SFAM bed disposed on the bottom of the FRP tank. Since only a small percentage of a total SRAM bed volume is accessible to the acid solution (e.g. void volume), the large volume of gas being generated in the SRAM bed displaces a significant portion of the aqueous acid solution in the SRAM bed. While the weight of the aqueous acid solution constantly pushes the solution down into the bed, the positive gas pressure is enough to generate insufficiently hydrated pockets within the bed, resulting in ACH and other higher aluminum oxides crystallizing out onto the SFAM bed. These crystals effectively clog the bottom of the SFAM bed causing clumps SFAM pellet "bones" to stick together, resulting in a very dense coalesced aluminum "rocks" or "peanut brittle" that is difficult to remove. An example of this byproduct is shown for example, in FIG. 9. During the initial and subsequent ACH runs, some of this clumped solid is dislodged by the bed agitation and gas bubbles, and becomes suspended in the ACH product. This clumped solid is composed of these fine suspended aluminum oxide (e.g., alumina) particles, which do not all readily dissolve to reform ACH. The result is undesirably high turbidity in the ACH product. Thus, there is a need for devices and methods that allow for the use of SFAM pellets without suffering from the traditional problems associated with SFAM pellets. Furthermore, there is a need for devices and methods that allow for continuous batch to batch production of ACH without having to stop production between batches to clean the reactor and add new reactant material.
An additional problem with the conventional method is that in the early stages of the reaction, iron naturally present in aluminum can act as a catalyst, which may be needed to be removed in the later stages. If the iron is not timely removed, a product with increasing turbidity is created. Thus, an efficient and effective method of removing the iron is also needed.

Devices and methods of using small form aluminum in consecutive batch aluminum chlorohydrate processes

The Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A copolymer containing a repeating unit of formula (1) and a repeating unit of formula (2-1) or (2-2):

Polymer materials excellent in low hygroscopic property, transparency and heat resistance are required in the technical field of plastic optical members, and as one of polymer materials capable of satisfying those, a fumaric acid dialkyl ester polymer is known (for example, JP-A-62-169807 and J. Macromol. Sci., A25 (5-7), 537-554 (1988)). Fumaric acid dialkyl ester is a rare monomer that radically polymerizes, even though it is 1, 2 disubstituted ethylene, and a polymer obtained therefrom has extremely high heat resistance. However, there was the disadvantage that its homopolymer is a polymer that steric hindrance is too high, so that it is difficult to increase a molecular weight (at most about 100,000), and further, it is rigid and is liable to be a rod-shape, so that mechanical strength (for example, tensile strength) is weak, resulting in a brittle polymer.
To improve this disadvantage, a copolymer with an alkyl vinyl ether is proposed (JP-A-2000-143741). However, mechanical strength of the copolymer is not sufficient. Further, an example of a copolymer of a fumaric acid dialkyl ester with a monomer such as styrene or acrylonitrile is reported (Journal of Polymer Science: Part A: Vol. 30, 1559 (1992)), but mechanical strength, hygroscopic property and the like are not referred to.
On the other hand, an antireflective film generally prevents contrast from decreasing due to reflection of outside light or prevents an image from reflecting, in displays such as cathode ray tube displays (CRT), plasma displays (PDP), electroluminescence displays (ELD) and liquid crystal displays (LCD), and therefore is provided on the outermost surface of displays in order to reduce reflectivity using principle of optical interference.
Such an antireflective film can generally be produced by forming a low reflective index layer having an appropriate thickness and having a refractive index lower than that of a support on the support. To realize a low refractive index, a material having a refractive index as low as possible is desired for the low refractive index layer. Further, the antireflective film is required to have high mar resistance in order to use the same on the outermost surface of a display. For example, in a thin film of about 100 nm, in order to realize high mar resistance, strength of a coating film itself and adhesion to a lower layer are required.
To decrease refractive index of a material, means of (1) introducing fluorine atoms, and (2) decreasing density (introducing voids) are known. However, either of those means have the tendency that coating film strength or adhesion at interface decreases, resulting in deterioration of mar resistance, and low refractive index and high mar resistance were not achieved in combination.
As a method of increasing coating film strength, there is a method of using a fluorine-containing sol gel film as described in JP-A-2002-265866 and JP-A-2002-317152. In this method, however, there are great restrictions that (1) long-term heating is required for curing, and load of production is large; (2) there is no resistance to saponification liquid (alkali treatment liquid), and in the case of saponification treating a plastic film surface, the treatment cannot be carried out after film formation of an antireflective film; and the like.
On the other hand, JP-A-11-189621, JP-A-11-228631 and JP-A-2000-313709 describe means of improving mar resistance by introducing a polysiloxane structure in a fluorine-containing copolymer to decrease a friction coefficient of coating film surface. This means is effective to improvement of mar resistance to a certain extent, but sufficient mar resistance is not obtained for coating films lacking in substantial coating film strength and interfacial adhesion.
Further, WO 2004-017105 pamphlet describes means of improving mar resistance by using a fluorine-containing copolymer and inorganic fine particles in combination to improve coating film strength and interfacial adhesion. In this means, however, it was found that there is the case that inorganic fine particles are not sufficiently dispersed in a matrix of the fluorine-containing copolymer, crude density of inorganic fine particles causes in the coating film, and haze rises. This problem is particularly problematic in a smooth surface low reflective film having no antiglare property.
Further, plastic optical members have the advantage that production and processing are easy, and other advantages, as compared with quartz-based optical members having the same structure, and various applications such as optical waveguides are recently attempted. In particular, plastic optical fibers (POF) have the disadvantage that because element wires are all constituted of a plastic, transmission loss is relatively large as compared with quartz types, but have the advantages that they have good flexibility, are lightweight, have good processability, and are easily produced as fibers having large bore diameter as compared with quartz-based optical fibers.
As materials for optical fibers, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) that is inexpensive and is easily processed is widely used. However, because of a polymer having high water absorbing property, the polymer has poor moisture resistance and can only be used in the limited uses. As means to improve moisture resistance, it is an effective means to introduce fluorine atoms. However, it is difficult to establish high glass transition temperature (Tg), that is, heat resistance, in combination with the moisture resistance. For example, poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate) in which methyl groups in side chains of PMMA are merely changed fluorine-containing alkyl groups decreases Tg, and POF using this has very poor heat resistance. One of means to solve this problem is all fluorine polymer (TEFLON, registered trademark, AF amorphous fluoropolymer, John Scheires, 1997, Modern Fluoropolymers, p 397-398, John Willwy & Sons Ltd.), and this is an excellent material satisfying various performances such as heat resistance, low hygroscopic property, low transmission loss and the like. However, synthesis of a perfluorinated (diene) monomer that is a raw material of this polymer is very complicated, and there is the problem that cost of a polymer is high.

Abstract: wherein R1 and R2 represent alkyl or aryl, R3 represents alkyl, aryl, alkoxy or amino, R5 and R6 represent hydrogen, alkyl or aryl. The copolymer exhibits excellent mechanical properties, and capable of forming a coating film having low reflectivity.


A laser machine (1), in particular for drilling, cutting, welding or engraving, comprising at least one laser light source (3,4,5) for generating a laser beam (9) and an optical system (6) to guide and/or manipulate the laser beam (9), whereby the optical system (6) comprises at least one tool (23), in particular an optical lens (24) or a nozzle, which is attached to an interchangeable tool holder (12). It is provided that a guiding system (16) for the tool holder (12) is configured such that the tool holder (12) can only be slid sideways into or out of a tool bay (10) provided by the laser machine (1), the guiding system (16) comprising an operable locking system (37) for restraining the movement of the tool holder (12) in the tool bay (10).

The present invention relates to a laser machine, in particular for drilling, cutting, welding or engraving, comprising at least one laser light source for generating a laser beam and an optical system to guide and/or to manipulate the laser beam, whereby the optical system comprises at least one tool, in particular an optical lens or nozzle, which is attached to or carried by an interchangeable tool holder.
The present invention further relates to a laser machine system with a laser machine as described above.
Laser machines as described above are well known in the art. A laser light source is used to generate a laser beam which is guided and manipulated by an optic system, such that it is directed onto an object to be machined. The optic system comprises, for example among other things, such as guiding mirrors or the like, at least one tool which also guides or manipulates the laser beam and which can be interchanged in order to adapt the laser machine to a certain task, such as drilling, cutting, welding or engraving. Usually the tool, for example an optical lens, is attached to or carried by an interchangeable tool holder so that the lens or the tool itself does not have to be touched or contacted during assembly or disassembly.
With known laser machines the process of removing the tool holder from the laser machine is either complicated and time consuming or it is unsafe, such that the tool holder can fall and break.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a laser machine and a laser machine system which provide a possibility for a safe and easy handling, i.e. for an easy and safe assembly and disassembly of the tool or the tool holder, respectively, to the laser machine in a cost effective way.


The present invention relates to anti-SIRPα (Signal regulatory protein alpha) antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof for therapeutic and diagnostic methods and compositions using them.

SIRPα is an inhibitory receptor expressed on myeloid cells such as macrophages, neutrophils and subsets of dendritic cells. SIRPα contains three Ig-like domains, a single transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic tail with four tyrosine residues which form two typical immunoreceptor tyrosine based inhibitory motifs (ITIMs). The natural ligand for SIRPα is CD47, expressed on many cells including erythrocytes and platelets. Binding of SIRPα to CD47 leads to the phosphorylation of the tyrosine residues in SIRPα intracellular ITIM domain and subsequent recruitment and activation SHP-1 and SHP-2 phosphatases at the cell membrane which can then, by dephosphorylation of downstream targets, regulate cellular functions including phagocytosis or antigen presentation.
The development of an effective SIRPα antagonist is complicated by polymorphisms within the CD47 binding domain. It has been reported that there may be up to ten allelic variants in the general population (Takenaka 2007; Nat Immunol 2007 December; 8(12):1313-23. doi: 10.1038/ni1527) and recent studies (Treffers, 2018, Eur J Immunol. 2018 February; 48(2):344-354. doi: 10.1002/eji.201747215; MAbs August/September 2019; 11(6):1036-1052. doi: 10.1080/19420862.2019.1624123) highlight that two SIRPα variants, V1 and V2, constitute the most prevalent allelic groups: homozygous V1/V1, homozygous V2/V2, and heterozygous V1/V2. These variants differ in 13 out of 118 amino acid residues in the N-terminal immunoglobulin-like domain of SIRPα responsible for CD47 binding. These polymorphic residues are located outside the CD47 binding site and, accordingly, the affinity of CD47 binding to SIRPα variants is similar (Hatherley D, 2008 Immunity 2008 Nov. 14; 29(5):675-8. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2008.10.004). Consequently, therapeutic targeting of SIRPα in diverse patient population irrespective of SIRPα genotype necessitates pan-allelic antibodies that cross-react with the two major SIRPα alleles (V1 and V2).
In addition to considering polymorphic variants when targeting SIRPα, one also should consider SIRPα's closest relatives, SIRPβ1 and SIRPγ given their high sequence conservation particularly in N-terminal domains. SIRPβ1, like SIRPα is also expressed predominantly on cells of the myeloid lineage, but unlike SIRPα, lacks its own signaling cytoplasmic domain, but harbors a positively charged amino acid residue within the transmembrane region allowing for the stable association with ITAM-containing adapter molecule DAP12 and therefore is presumed to act as an activating receptor. SIRPβ1 does not bind CD47, and its ligands have not been identified. There are at least two isoforms of SIRPβ1 (Liu et al 2007 J Mol Biol. 2007 Jan. 19; 365(3):680-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.09.079; Brooke et al. 2004 J Immunol. 2004 Aug. 15; 173(4):2562-70. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.173.4.2562) that arose through tandem duplication of the gene within the SIRP family gene cluster. SIRPγ is exclusively expressed on T-cells and activated NK cells and does bind to CD47 with 10-fold lower affinity than SIRPα:CD47 interaction. Although it does not have intrinsic signaling capacity, there is reported evidence that it plays a role in T-cell transendothelial migration (TEM) and antigen presentation.
In view of the above, there is a need for pan-allelic anti-SIRPα antibodies capable of blocking the interaction of SIRPα with CD47 and that are selective against SIRPγ to allow for treatment of several types of cancer, inflammatory disease, autoimmune disease, respiratory disease, infectious disease, or fibrosis.