Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide an eye-flow guiding level calculating system which can plan miniaturization and low cost of a device and surely obtain a suitable eye flow. A layout device, first, detects each vertex of an image object as guiding reference points, based on vector image data. And then, for every guiding reference point, two auxiliary lines are virtually formed to intersect the guiding reference point along an outline of the image object. Subsequently, the direction in which a bisector line of an obtuse angle among angles, made by the virtual auxiliary lines, extends outward from the guiding reference point is calculated as an eye-flow guiding direction. Further, for every guiding reference point, the distance from the center G of the image object up to the guiding reference point is calculated as an eye-flow guiding intensity. According to this construction, it is possible to quantitatively calculate in which direction the image object tends to guide the eye-flow.

1. Field of Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relates to a system, a program, and a method of calculating a degree of guiding an eye-flow of an image. More specifically, exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an eye-flow guiding level calculating system, an eye-flow guiding level calculating program, and to an eye-flow guiding level calculating method, capable of miniaturizing system devices and decreasing the cost thereof, while effectively enabling a suitable eye flow for the eye-flow of images.
2. Description of Related Art
Like a typical consumer catalog of goods, a document having an optimum layout design, in which layout elements (for example, a title, an image, and a text) are arranged to be readily noticeable, is commonly referred to as a "visual document." The creation of the visual documents requires a significant amount of specialized knowledge, and thus it is difficult for an average person to create the visual documents. For this reason, in most cases the creation of the visual documents is entrusted to professional graphic designers having a specialized expertise and experience.
Generally, when a designer creates a visual document, the semantically consecutive layout elements are typically arranged in the readable direction in which the eye-flow of a reader flows (hereinafter, referred to as an eye flow), whereby a readily readable layout is realized. For example, if one article includes of a title, an image, and a text, preferably, the image and the text are arranged in a sequence corresponding to the eye flow. Therefore, when the designer arranges the layout elements, the predicable eye flow is anticipated and the layout elements are arranged accordingly. That is, the designer creates the final layout through repetitive trials and errors. Since the designer usually predicts the eye flow based on intuition or experience, it is difficult to quantitatively predict the anticipated eye flow.
The related art discloses techniques for detecting the eye flow. Related art techniques include a document design evaluation system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-175290, an eye-flow information analyzing device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-162, and an image recognizing device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-50051.
In the invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-175290, a system of evaluating the design of web pages includes a web data receiving unit to receive data of a web page to be evaluated, an eye-flow information receiving unit to receive eye-flow information of a user viewing the web page, and a design evaluating unit to evaluate the design of the web page based on web data received by the web data receiving unit and eye-flow information received by the eye-flow information receiving unit.
In the invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-162, the movement of eye is detected by an eye movement detecting device, the time sequential change of eye detected by an analyzing device is analyzed in a frequency region, and the contents of an image to be displayed, which is inputted from an image input unit, is analyzed in a display content analyzing device. Further, both of them are combined in a combined analyzing unit, and thus highly reliable data with respect to the observable mental state of a test subject and an objective evaluation for the image is obtained.
In the invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-50051, when an object manuscript for direction recognition is a manuscript D2 in which white letters are expressed on a highly concentrated background image, created histograms H3 and H4 are inverted to form histograms H1 and H2. And then, based on the inverted histograms, the recognition of a manuscript direction is performed.

Eye-flow guiding level calculating system, eye-flow guiding level calculating program, and eye-flow guiding level calculating method


The present invention relates to a photomultiplier that can realize a gain adjustment for each of electron multiplier channels respectively assigned to a plurality of light incidence regions in a more compact structure. The photomultiplier has a sealed container, and a photocathode, a dynode unit, and plurality of anodes prepared for electron multiplier channels are housed in the sealed container. The dynode unit is constituted by N (an integer or no less than 3) dynode plates, each provided with an electron multiplier hole for the associated channel, concerning all channels. In particular, the n-th (an integer of no less then 2) dynode plate is constituted by a plurality of control plates, each having an electron multiplier hole for the associated channel, and electrically and physically separated from the others. These control plates are supported in state of being supported, via insulators, by the (n−1)-th dynode plate and the (n+1)-th dynode plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photomultiplier which enables an electron multiplication for each of electron multiplier channels respectively assigned to a plurality of light incidence regions partitioned on an entrance face plate, and a photodetector including the same.
2. Related Background of the Invention
U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,504 discloses a photomultiplier having a single entrance face plate partitioned into a plurality of light incidence regions, and having a structure in which a plurality of electron multiplier sections (each constituted by an anode and a dynode unit comprising a plurality of dynode stages) prepared as processing channels (electron multiplier channels) assigned to the plurality of light incidence regions (having a photocathode formed on the inner surface), are sealed inside a single glass tube. A photomultiplier, having such a structure that a plurality of processing channels are contained within a single glass tube, is generally referred to as a "multi-anode photomultiplier," and as outputs of the respective channels, electrical signals are taken out from the anodes corresponding to the respective channels.

Photomultiplier and photodetector including the same


An external force application unit is allowed to impact on a sheet material, and an external force detection unit detects an impact force through the sheet material. Further, there is provided a push-in sensing unit for detecting abnormality of the sheet material entering a space between the external force application unit and the external force detection unit. When the push-in sensing unit detects the abnormality, a control circuit operates a motor to rotate a cam, thereby moving the external force application unit to be retracted in a direction in which the external force application unit is moved away from an entering position of the sheet material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet material information detection apparatus for detecting sheet material information by applying an external force to a sheet material, and more particularly, to a control in a case where there occurs abnormality with the sheet material entering a detection unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in sheet material processing apparatuses, typified by image forming apparatuses (such as Laser Beam Printer, copying machine, and ink jet printer), there is diversification of types of sheet materials to be processed. There is also diversification of users and use environment of the sheet material processing apparatus. Only with regard to the image forming apparatus, for the sheet materials of the diversified types, there is an increase in demand for higher quality (higher image quality, higher processing speed, and the like). On the other hand, with the diversification of sheet materials and diversification of processing contents, the number of items to be set by the user becomes enormous, thereby making it difficult to set an optimum processing condition. Therefore, a technique, in which various sensors are arranged in the sheet material processing apparatus to automatically identify sheet material information including a size, a thickness, and a quality of the sheet material, and automatically set an optimum processing condition, is put into practical use in some cases.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-024550 discloses a sheet material information detection apparatus having a structure in which an impact application member is allowed to impact a sheet material, and an impact through the sheet material is detected by an external force detection unit using a piezoelectric element. In this case, a voltage output of the piezoelectric element deformed by receiving the impact is detected to determine a peak value of the detected voltage output, thereby specifying a type of the sheet material. The piezoelectric element is sandwiched between an impact receiving member and a buffer member, and the impact received by the impact receiving member through the sheet material exerts a compression force on an entire surface of the piezoelectric element.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-038983 discloses a system which makes a database of various pieces of sheet material information, the database being shared by a plurality of printers. In this case, the sheet material information include texture, glossiness, ink absorbency, luminance, gross, color reflection, color depth, graininess, whiteness, humidity, heat loss, adhesiveness, and bonding property. When the sheet material is designated, a requisite piece of sheet material information is taken out from the database to a selected printer. Processing setting optimized based on the sheet material information is automatically set for the printer.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-152245 discloses a sheet material information detection apparatus arranged in a transport path for a sheet material in an image forming apparatus. In this case, electrode terminals are brought into contact with upper and lower surfaces of the sheet material to measure resistivity and a moisture amount of the sheet material.
The sheet material information detection apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-024550 detects the sheet material by sandwiching a single passing sheet material in a thickness direction. Accordingly, when the folded sheet material or the stacked sheet materials enter therein, normal detection cannot be performed.
Further, a detection mechanism including a mechanical operation portion is precisely assembled by using lightweight components. Accordingly, there is a risk of the detection mechanism receiving deformation or damage when the sheet material impacts thereon at high speed or the stacked sheet materials are strongly caught therein.
Further, in the sheet material information detection apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-024550, the impact application member and the external force detection unit are arranged in positions which sandwich a transport height position of the sheet material so as to be opposed to each other, and a distance therebetween also serves as the transport path for the sheet material. Therefore, according to a state of the sheet material or transport conditions thereof, there may be a case where the folded sheet material clogs (so-called sheet clogging (also referred to as jam)) between the impact application member and the external force detection unit. In this case, the sheet material cannot easily be removed from an upstream side or from a downstream side. When the sheet material is forcedly drawn out, there is a risk in that not only the sheet material itself may be broken, but also a member coming into contact with the sheet material (including the sheet material information detection apparatus) may be broken, or damaged. There is a risk in that while the breakage is not caused, at least one of the impact application member and the external force detection unit is strained, thereby causing the impact application member and the external force detection unit to go out of alignment.
In particular, a high-speed image forming apparatus has a high transport speed for the sheet material. Therefore, when the sheet material clogs in the transport path, the folded sheet material exerts a substantial force on peripheral contact sections, so a risk of peripheral members being broken increases.
The conventional examples disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-038983 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-152245 include no countermeasure such as prevention of breakage in a case where there occurs abnormality such as the clogging of the sheet material.

Sheet material information detection apparatus, sheet material processing apparatus, and sheet material processing method


A wafer boat for accommodating semiconductor wafers comprises two side rods and at least one back rod, the rods being vertically oriented and extending between a top member and a bottom member. The rods comprise vertically spaced recesses formed at corresponding heights, recesses at the same height defining a wafer accommodation for receiving and supporting a wafer in a substantially horizontal orientation, the recesses having an improved shape. The upwardly facing surfaces of the recesses comprise a first flat surface in an inward region of the recess which is horizontal or inclined upward in an outward direction of the recess and a second flat surface in an outer region of the recess which is inclined downward in an outward direction of the recess. The intersection of the first and second surface forming an edge for supporting the wafer. The recesses are easy to machine and prevent damage to the wafer.

In vertical furnaces used for semiconductor wafer processing, a wafer boat may be used for accommodating a stack of vertically spaced apart wafers. Typically, as shown in FIG. 1, a wafer boat 100 comprises three or more vertical rods 110 which extend between a top member 120 and a bottom member 130. In the example of FIG. 1, three rods 110 are shown: two side rods 110A and one back rod 110B. In the rods, vertically spaced apart recesses 150 are formed at corresponding heights, facing inwardly (i.e. generally towards a central axis of the wafer boat 100). Each recess serves as a support arranged for engaging a circumferential side portion of a wafer, and recesses at a same height define a wafer accommodation for receiving and supporting a wafer in a substantially horizontal orientation. Wafers can be inserted into and removed from the boat at an open side of the boat, opposite the back rod 110B.
A problem with known wafer boats is that damage may occur on the wafer at the point of contact between the wafer and the boat. Due to different thermal expansion of the wafer and the boat, for instance, the wafer may move relative to the recess, resulting in scratches.
In the art, support members are proposed that have a convex support surface to minimize contact stresses in the wafer at the support point. However, boats having these support members are difficult to manufacture and require elaborate machining. In some proposals the wafer support members are separately machined for ease of machining and then mounted in the wafer boat which is also a complex procedure and construction.


A multi-function showerhead has at least a first set of nozzles forming first curves and a second set of nozzles forming second curves. The showerhead discharges water through the first curves when a first water delivery function is selected and through the second curves when a second water delivery function is selected. The first curves and the second curves are interleaved so that a coherent and balanced spray pattern is provided resulting in a pleasant showering experience, regardless of the selected water delivery function.

Multi-function showerheads are known in which different sets of nozzles provide different water delivery functions, such that a user can select between the different water delivery functions. Water is discharged from the multi-function showerhead differently for each of the water delivery functions so that the user experiences a desired sensation corresponding to the selected water delivery function. The water delivery functions can include, for example, a stream function, a spray function, a pulse function, and variations thereof. Furthermore, additional water delivery functions can be provided by using two or more sets of nozzles simultaneously.
Typically, each set of nozzles of a multi-function showerhead occupies a discrete zone or region (hereinafter "zone/region") on a face of the showerhead. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a conventional multi-function showerhead is illustrated as a three-function showerhead 100 having a face 102 on which are arranged two distinct sets of nozzles, i.e., inner nozzles 104 and outer nozzles 106. For purposes of illustration, only a few of the nozzles 104 and 106 are labeled in the drawings. The inner nozzles 104 correspond to a first water delivery function and the outer nozzles 106 correspond to a second water delivery function. A third water delivery function is provided by discharging water through the inner nozzles 104 and the outer nozzles 106 simultaneously.
As shown in FIG. 2, the inner nozzles 104 occupy a substantially concentric zone/region 108 on the face 102. The outer nozzles 106 also occupy a substantially concentric zone/region 110 on the face 102. The zones/regions 108 and 110 are discrete areas on the face 102. The face 102 also includes dead zones 118 and 120. A "dead zone" is a space around, between or near the zones/regions that does not have nozzles and, thus, is incapable of discharging water regardless of the selected water delivery function.
The use of discrete zones/regions facilitates providing the underlying waterways corresponding to each set of the nozzles 104 and 106. As shown in FIG. 3, a first waterway 112 connects the inner nozzles 104 to an inlet port 114 of the showerhead 100. Likewise, a pair of second waterways 116 connect the outer nozzles 106 to the inlet port 114. The inlet port 114 can be connected to a water supply source (not shown) for delivering water to the showerhead 100.
A problem with using the discrete zones/regions, however, is that they give rise to the aforementioned dead zones 118 and 120. The dead zones 118 and 120 can result in poor water coverage (e.g., an incoherent and unbalanced spray pattern) with respect to a user's body that results in the user experiencing an unpleasant sensation when the water impacts his or her body. These problems of the dead zones 118 and 120 are exacerbated if a water delivery function is selected in which some nozzles on the showerhead are not used.
For example, with respect to the showerhead 100 of FIGS. 1-3, if the user selects the first water delivery function, water is discharged through the inner nozzles 104 only. Consequently, the dead zones 118 and 120, as well as the zone/region 110 containing the outer nozzles 106, on the face 102 are not used. As a result, the water is discharged from a small portion of the overall area of the face 102 and the user is likely to be dissatisfied with the corresponding small area of impact of the water on his or her body.
Additionally, if the user selects the second water delivery function, water is discharged through the outer nozzles 106 only. Consequently, the dead/zones 118 and 120, as well as the zone/region 108 containing the inner nozzles 104, on the face 102 are not used. As a result, the water is discharged from the face 102 with the dead zones noticeably affecting the feel of the water on the user's body. Here, the user can feel the circular spray pattern produced by the outer nozzles 106 but a large "hole" is also felt within the spray pattern because of the non-used dead/zones 118 and 120 and the non-used inner nozzles 104 in the zone/region 108.
Furthermore, if the user selects a third water delivery function, water is discharged through both the inner nozzles 104 and the outer nozzles 106 simultaneously. However, even in this case, the dead zones 118 and 120 result in an incoherent and unbalanced spray pattern providing less than ideal coverage and likely to have an unpleasant feel.


A method for producing a hydrogen storage alloy electrode comprising the step of treating a hydrogen storage alloy by immersing it in an alkaline solution containing cobalt ion or copper ion at a high temperature at a stage wherein the alloy is in powder state before formed into an electrode and/or at a stage wherein the alloy has been formed into an electrode. By this treatment, a hydrogen storage alloy electrode having an excellent high-rate discharge performance at a low temperature is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a hydrogen storage alloy electrode which employs a hydrogen storage alloy which can absorb and desorb hydrogen gas in a reversible manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage batteries, which are widely used as power sources in a variety of applications, are typically classified into two general groups of lead-acid storage batteries and alkaline storage batteries. Of the two groups, alkaline storage batteries are more reliable, and can be made smaller and lighter. Small alkaline storage batteries are generally favored for portable electric appliances; large alkaline storage batteries have been used mainly in conjunction with industrial equipments.
Some alkaline storage batteries use, for example, air electrode or silver oxide electrode for their positive electrode; however, more commonly nickel electrode is used for the positive electrode. Nickel electrodes have been popular particularly because they were reconfigured from a pocket type to a sintered type for improving their characteristics, and became even more popular with the development of hermetic-sealing.
Cadmium is most commonly used to form the negative electrodes of alkaline storage batteries, although other materials including zinc, iron, hydrogen and the like have also been employed.
There is a considerable commercial interest in the storage batteries that have a higher energy density than the batteries currently available. In an attempt to achieve this goal, researchers have investigated nickel-hydrogen (metal hydride) storage batteries which incorporate hydrogen storage electrodes. There have been made a number of proposals on the production method of the hydrogen storage alloy electrodes using the metal hydrides.
The alloys in these electrodes or the hydrides form of such alloys, can absorb and desorb hydrogen in a reversible manner, and thus the alloys and the electrodes made of these alloys have come to be known as hydrogen storage alloys and hydrogen storage electrodes (or hydrogen storage alloy electrodes), respectively.
Batteries made with hydrogen storage electrodes have a large theoretical energy density as compared with the batteries formed with cadmium electrodes. Also, batteries that employ hydrogen storage electrodes are free from the formation and the subsequent deformation of dendrites, which are problems involved in the zinc electrodes. These advantageous properties of the batteries employing hydrogen storage electrodes, as well as the promising longer service life and the reduction in the environmental concerns inherent to zinc and cadmium containing electrodes/batteries, have encouraged us to develop alloys suitable for the hydrogen storage electrodes, particularly negative electrodes for alkaline storage batteries.
Prior art alloys for hydrogen storage electrodes include multi-component alloys such as those of either the Ti--Ni system alloys, and the La (or Mm)--Ni system alloys (wherein Mm is a misch metal). The multi-component alloy of the Ti--Ni system is classified as an AB type (wherein, A is La, Zr, Ti or an element with a similar affinity for hydrogen, and B is Ni, Mn, Cr or any other transition metal). When this type of alloy is used as the negative electrode in an alkaline storage battery, the electrode exhibits a relatively large discharge capacity during the initial charging and discharging cycles. However, electrodes comprising these alloys do not maintain their large discharge capacity after repeated charging and discharging cycles, i.e., do not have a large saturation discharge capacity.
Another multi-component alloy is of the La (or Mm)--Ni system, which is classified as an AB.sub.5 type, wherein A and B are defined as above in relation to the AB type alloy. The alloys of this system have recently been developed in various research projects and thus been regarded as a relatively promising alloy material for the electrodes up to the present. However, the alloys of this system suffer several disadvantages such as relatively small discharge capacity, insufficient service life performances as the electrodes of the batteries, and use of costly materials. Therefore, it is eagerly desired to develop novel alloys from which hydrogen storage electrodes having a large discharge capacity and a long cycle life can be realized.
In order to overcome the above-discussed disadvantages and deficiencies, there has been proposed a method of treating the hydrogen storage alloy powder or the hydrogen storage alloy electrode by immersing it in an alkaline solution.
The conventional method of treating the hydrogen storage alloy powder or the hydrogen storage alloy electrode by immersing it in an alkaline solution is aiming at an acquisition of the following two effects: One is to improve the electrochemical activity of the alloy powder or the alloy electrode by dissolving and oxidizing metal element such as cobalt, manganese or vanadium exposed on the surface of the alloy, thereby increasing the amount of metal nickel (Ni) exposed over the surface of the alloy. The other is directed to the improvement in the battery cycle life or endurance by removing component elements on the surface of the alloy powder or the alloy electrode dissolving in the alkaline solution.
Under the circumstances wherein the nickel-metal hydride storage battery is required to have a more favorable high-rate discharge characteristic and an improved low-temperature high-rate discharge characteristic, it is however difficult to satisfy the above-mentioned requirement only by the prior art alkali treatment of the alloy powder or the alloy electrode. That is, an excessive degree of alkali treatment deviating from an optimum condition undesirably increases the amount of the oxides on the surface of the alloy powder or the alloy electrode, enhances the contact resistance among the alloy particles, and decreases the electrochemical activity of the alloy powder or alloy electrode, thereby deteriorating the battery characteristics.

Method for producing hydrogen storage alloy electrode

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention is directed to a waveform synthesizer apparatus that synthesizes a waveform of a musical sound based on musical performance event information. In particular, a music synthesizer includes an overlap detector that detects whether a first and second musical sound overlap, and a sound length meter that determines a sound length of the first musical sound. If the first and second musical sounds overlap, the synthesizer instantly terminates synthesizing of the first sound and starts synthesizing the second sound, provided the length of the first sound does not exceed a predetermined length. If the first and second sounds do not overlap, synthesis of the first sound is terminated, and the synthesis of the second sound is initiated, if it is determined that the length of rest between the two sounds does not exceed a predetermined length, and that the first sound does not exceed a predetermined length.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a musical sound waveform synthesizer for synthesizing musical sound waveforms.
2. Description of the Related Art
A musical sound waveform can be divided into different sections by characteristics, including a start waveform, a sustain waveform, and an end waveform. A musical sound waveform produced by playing a performance such as legato, which smoothly joins together two musical sounds, includes a connection waveform where a transition is made between the pitches of the two musical sounds.
In a known musical sound waveform synthesizer, a plurality of types of waveform data parts of musical sound waveforms, including start waveform parts (heads), sustain waveform parts (bodies), end waveform parts (tails), and connection waveform parts (joints) of musical sound waveforms (with each of the connection waveform parts representing a transition part between the pitches of two musical sounds) are stored in a storage, and appropriate waveform data parts are read from the storage based on performance event information, and the read waveform data parts are then joined together, thereby synthesizing a musical sound waveform. In this musical sound waveform synthesizer, an articulation is identified based on performance event information, and a musical sound waveform representing the characteristics of the identified articulation is synthesized along a playback time axis by combining waveform parts corresponding to the articulation, which include a start waveform part (head), a sustain waveform part (body), an end waveform part (tail), and a connection waveform part (joint), representing a pitch transition between the pitches of two musical sounds, so that the waveform parts are arranged along the time axis. Such a method is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-92463 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,964) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-271139 (corresponding US patent application publication No. 2003/0177892).
The fundamentals of musical sound synthesis of a conventional musical sound waveform synthesizer will now be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. Parts (a) of FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 (hereafter referred to as FIGS. 11a, 12a, and 13a, respectively) illustrate music scores written in piano roll notation, and parts (b) of FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 (hereafter likewise referred to as FIGS. 11b, 12b, and 13b, respectively) illustrate musical sound waveforms synthesized when the music scores are played.
When a music score shown in FIG. 11a is played, a note-on event of a musical sound 200 occurs at time "t1" and is then received by the musical sound waveform synthesizer. Accordingly, the synthesizer starts synthesizing a musical sound waveform of the musical sound 200 from its start waveform part (head) at time "t1" as shown in FIG. 11b. Upon completing the synthesis of the head, the musical sound waveform synthesizer still proceeds to synthesize the musical sound waveform while transitioning it from the head to a sustain waveform part (body), since at this time the synthesizer has not received any note-off event, as shown in FIG. 11b. Upon receiving a note-off event at time "t2", the synthesizer synthesizes the musical sound waveform while transitioning it from the body to an end waveform part (tail). Upon completing the synthesis of the tail, the musical sound waveform synthesizer completes the synthesis of the musical sound waveform of the musical sound 200. In this manner, the synthesizer synthesizes the musical sound waveform of the musical sound 200 by sequentially arranging, as shown in FIG. 11b, the head, the body, and the tail along the time axis, starting from the time "t1" at which it has received the note-on event.
As shown in FIG. 11b, the head is a partial waveform including a one-shot waveform 100 representing an attack and a loop waveform 101 connected to the tail end of the one-shot waveform 100 and corresponds to a rising edge of the musical sound waveform. The body is a partial waveform including a plurality of sequentially connected loop waveforms 102, 103, . . . , and 107 having different tone colors and corresponds to a sustain part of the musical sound waveform of the musical sound. The tail is a partial waveform including a one-shot waveform 109 representing a release and a loop waveform 108 connected to the head end of the one-shot waveform 109 and corresponds to a falling edge of the musical sound waveform. Adjacent loop waveforms are connected through cross-fading so that the musical sound is synthesized while transitioning between partial or loop waveforms.
For example, the loop waveform 101 and the loop waveform 102 are adjusted to be in phase and are then connected through cross-fading, thereby smoothly joining together the two waveform parts (i.e., the head and the body) while transitioning the musical sound waveform from the head to the body. In addition, the loop waveform 102 and the loop waveform 103 are adjusted to be in phase and are then connected through cross-fading while changing the tone color from a tone color of the loop waveform 102 to a tone color of the loop waveform 103 in the body. In this manner, adjacent ones of the plurality of loop waveforms 102 to 107 in the body are connected through cross-fading so that vibrato or a tone color change corresponding to a pitch change with time is given to the musical sound. Further, the loop waveform 107 and the loop waveform 108 are adjusted to be in phase and are then connected through cross-fading, thereby smoothly joining together the two waveform parts (i.e., the body and the tail) while transitioning the musical sound waveform from the body to the tail. Since the body is synthesized by connecting the plurality of loop waveforms 102 to 107 through cross-fading, it is possible to transition from any position of the body to the tail or the like. As the main waveform of each of the head and the tail is a one-shot waveform, it is not possible to transition from each of the head and the tail to the next waveform part, particularly during real-time synthesis of the head and tail.
FIGS. 12a and 12b illustrate how a musical sound waveform is synthesized by connecting two musical sounds when a legato is played using a monophonic instrument such as a wind instrument.
When a music score shown in FIG. 12a is played, a note-on event of a musical sound 210 occurs at time "t1" and is then received by the musical sound waveform synthesizer. Accordingly, the synthesizer starts synthesizing a musical sound waveform of the musical sound 210 from its head, which includes a one-shot waveform 110, at time "t1" as shown in FIG. 12b. Upon completing the synthesis of the head, the synthesizer proceeds to synthesize the musical sound waveform while transitioning it from the head to a body (Body1) since it has not received any note-off event the synthesizer has not received the note-off event, as shown in FIG. 12b. When the synthesizer receives a note-on event of a musical sound 211 at time "t2", it determines that a legato performance has been played since it still has not received any note-off event of the musical sound 210, and proceeds to synthesize the musical sound waveform while transitioning it from the body (Body1) to a connection waveform part (Joint) that includes a one-shot waveform 116 representing a pitch transition part from the musical sound 210 to the musical sound 211. At time "t3", the synthesizer receives a note-off event of the musical sound 210. Upon completing the synthesis of the joint, the synthesizer proceeds to synthesize the musical sound waveform while transitioning it from the joint to a body (Body2) since it has not received any note-off event of the musical sound 211. Thereafter, at time "t4", the synthesizer receives a note-off event of the musical sound 211 and proceeds to synthesize the musical sound waveform while transitioning it from the body (Body2) to a tail. The synthesizer then completes the synthesis of the tail, which includes a one-shot waveform 122, thereby completing the synthesis of the musical sound waveform. In this manner, the musical sound waveform synthesizer synthesizes the musical sound waveform of the musical sounds 200 and 211 by sequentially arranging, as shown in FIG. 12b, the head (Head), the body (Body1), the joint (Joint), the body (Body2), and the tail (Tail) along the time axis, starting from the time "t1" at which it has received the note-on event. The waveforms are connected in the same manner as the example of FIGS. 11a and 11b.
FIGS. 13a and 13b illustrate how a musical sound waveform is synthesized when a short performance is played.
When a music score shown in FIG. 13a is played, a note-on event of a musical sound 220 occurs at time "t1" and is then received by the synthesizer. Accordingly, the synthesizer starts synthesizing a musical sound waveform of the musical sound 220 from its head, which includes a one-shot waveform 125 of the musical sound 220, at time "t1" as shown in FIG. 13b. At time "t2" before the synthesis of the head is completed, a note-off event of the musical sound 220 occurs and is then received by the musical sound waveform synthesizer. After completing the synthesis of the head, the synthesizer proceeds to synthesize the musical sound waveform while transitioning it from the head to a tail which includes a one-shot waveform 128. Upon completing the synthesis of the tail, the synthesizer completes the synthesis of the musical sound waveform of the musical sound 220. In this manner, when a short performance is played, the synthesizer synthesizes the musical sound waveform of the musical sound 220 by sequentially arranging, as shown in FIG. 13b, the head (Head) and the tail (Tail) along the time axis, starting from the time "t1" at which it has received the note-on event.
Synthesizing the tail is normally started from the time when a note-off event is received. However, in FIG. 13b, the tail is synthesized later than the time when the note-off event of the musical sound 220 is received, and the length of the synthesized musical sound waveform is greater than that of the musical sound 220. This is because the head is a partial waveform including a one-shot waveform 125 and a loop waveform 126 connected to the tail end of the one-shot waveform 125 and it is not possible to transition to the tail during synthesis of the one-shot waveform 125 as described above with reference to FIG. 11 and because the musical sound waveform is not completed until the one-shot waveform 128 of the tail is completed. Thus, even when it is requested that a sound shorter than the total length of the head and the tail be synthesized, it is not possible to synthesize a musical sound waveform to be shorter than the total length thereof. There is also a certain limitation on the shortness of the actual sound of acoustic instruments. For example, musical sound of a wind instrument cannot be shorter than a certain length since the wind instrument sounds for at least the acoustic response duration of its tube even when it is blown for a short time. Thus, for acoustic instruments, it can also be assumed that it is not possible to synthesize a musical sound waveform shorter than the total length of the head and the tail. Also in the case of FIGS. 12a and 12b where the legato is played, it is not possible to transition to the next waveform part during synthesis of the waveform of the joint since the joint includes a one-shot waveform. Therefore, when a legato is played, it is not possible to synthesize a musical sound waveform shorter than the total length of the head, the joint, and the tail.
When a legato with two musical sounds is played for a short time using an acoustic instrument through fast playing, a pitch transition must be started from the note-on time of the second of the two musical sounds. However, the conventional musical sound waveform synthesizer has a problem in that its response to the note-on event of the second musical sound is delayed relative to acoustic instruments. As described above, acoustic instruments have an acoustic response duration, which causes a slow (or unclear) transition between pitches rather than a rapid pitch change when a legato is played using an acoustic instrument. However, the acoustic response duration does not delay the start of the pitch transition. Rather, the response of the conventional musical sound waveform synthesizer to the occurrence of an event is delayed so that it synthesizes a longer musical sound waveform from a short sound played through fast playing, mis-touching, or the like. This causes the musical sound to be delayed and generates a self-sustaining sound from mis-touching. The term "mis-touching" refers to an action of a player having a low skill or the like to generate a performance event that causes unintended sound having a short duration. For example, in a keyboard instrument, the mis-touching occurs when an intended key is pressed simultaneously and inadvertently with its neighboring key. In a wind controller, which is a MIDI controller simulating a wind instrument, the short error sound occurs when keys, which must be pressed at the same time to determine the pitches, are pressed at different times or when key and breath operations do not match.
In this case, a mis-touching sound and a subsequent sound are connected through a joint, so that the mis-touching sound is generated for a longer time than actual mis-action and the generation of the subsequent sound, which is a normal performance sound, is delayed. In this manner, playing a music performance pattern results in a delay in the generation of the musical performance, which causes a significant problem in listening to the musical sound and also makes the presence of the mis-touching sound very noticeable.
As described above, the conventional musical sound waveform synthesizer has a problem in that, when a short sound is played through fast playing or mis-touching, the generation of a subsequent sound is delayed.
As noted above, a short sound may be generated by mis-touching. Even when a performance event of a short sound has occurred through mis-touching, the short sound is synthesized into a long musical sound waveform, thereby causing a problem in that the mis-touching sound is self-sustained.
When a legato with two musical sounds is played for a short time using an acoustic instrument through fast playing, a pitch transition must be normally started from the note-on time of the second of the two musical sounds. However, the response of the conventional musical sound waveform synthesizer to the note-on event of the second musical sound is delayed relative to acoustic instruments. As described above, acoustic instruments have an acoustic response duration, which causes a slow (or unclear) transition between pitches rather than a rapid pitch change when a legato is played using an acoustic instrument. However, the acoustic response duration does not delay starting the pitch transition. On the contrary, the response of the conventional musical sound waveform synthesizer to the occurrence of an event is delayed so that it synthesizes a longer musical sound waveform from a short sound. Even when a performance event of a short sound that overlaps a previous sound has occurred through mis-touching, the short sound is synthesized into a long musical sound waveform, thereby causing a problem in that the mis-touching sound is self-sustained.


The invention relates to a cam slider with an upper guiding part containing a cam element (20) and a cam guiding element (10), and with a lower guiding part containing a driver element (40), the upper guiding part (10, 20) being holdable and/or held together by at least one guiding clamp (30).

Such cam sliders are familiar. They are used especially in tools in metalworking, e.g. presses. Usually connected to the cam sliders are devices permitting punching or some other forming process. The cam sliders are moved by means of the cam guiding element by a drive applying what is generally a vertical pressing force. By means of the driver element, the cam sliders are fastened in the tool or press to a base plate on which the workpiece to be machined is placed directly or on a suitable support element. DE 197 53 549 C2, for instance, describes a cam slider for the deflection of a vertical pressing force that has a driver element with a prismatic surface. Here, the flanks of the prismatic surface fall away outward. Furthermore, positive returns are arranged on two opposite sides in the respective grooves of the cam element and driver element. This therefore ensures that, in the event of the breakage of a spring element returning the cam element to its starting position, the cam element is returned in the event of spring breakage in order to prevent screwed-on punch elements from breaking off. The cam element is fastened to the cam guiding element with guide angles and retaining screws and can be moved along the guide angles relative to the cam guiding element.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,705 describes another cam slider on which, however, the cam element is also suspended from guide angles or fastened by means of these to the cam guiding element. For this it is necessary that the plates resting against each other and the elements required for fastening are precisely ground in in order to ensure the running play necessary between the cam element and cam guiding element. In the case of the cam slider disclosed in this publication and also in the case of the other known cam sliders on which the cam guiding element and cam element are connected together by means of guide angles and screws, it proves to be disadvantageous that all the tensile forces are introduced into the screws, as a result of which the running play of the cam guiding element and cam element moving against each other is impaired at the very moment when an expansion of the screws or of the material surrounding them takes place. This subsequently results in diminished stability, as the wear due the twisting of the tool in this area is particularly increased. It also proves to be disadvantageous that the cam element when it warms up cannot expand laterally as it is constricted in this respect by the guide angles. This can also lead to increased wear of the tool and at worst to such reduced running play that the movement of the cam element and cam guiding element against each other becomes virtually impossible.


A display apparatus includes a first insulating substrate on which pixels are arranged and a second insulating substrate facing the first insulating substrate. Each pixel includes a gate electrode disposed on the first insulating substrate, a gate insulating layer disposed on the first insulating substrate to cover the gate electrode, a semiconductor pattern disposed on the gate insulating layer to overlap with the gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode disposed on the semiconductor pattern, a transparent pixel electrode disposed on the gate insulating layer and partially making contact with the drain electrode, a protective layer disposed on the pixel electrode, and a common electrode disposed on the first insulating substrate or the second insulating substrate to form an electric field together with the pixel electrode.

1. Field of Disclosure
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, liquid crystal displays are classified into in-plane switching (IPS) mode liquid crystal displays, vertical alignment (VA) mode liquid crystal displays, and plane-to-line switching (PLS) mode liquid crystal displays according to the driving method for a liquid crystal layer.
The PLS mode liquid crystal display drives the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer using a horizontal electric field and a vertical electrical field. According to the PLS mode liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are rotated substantially in parallel to a substrate by a fringe electric field.

Display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same


A lens driving device including: a lens barrel having at least one lens therein and provided with a friction member; a housing for housing the lens barrel therein; an actuator having a piezoelectric body disposed at an edge of the housing to apply a driving force, the piezoelectric body having at least one output member provided at one side thereof to be in contact with the friction member; a preload member disposed between the edge of the housing and the actuator to apply an elastic force toward the lens barrel; and a guiding part disposed between the housing and the lens barrel to guide the lens barrel to move in an optical axis direction. The lens driving device is simplified in a driving mechanism and thus reduced in size, while experiencing minimum loss of a driving power and ensuring more accurate and stable movement of the lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens driving device employed in an optical device, and more particularly, to a lens driving device which is simplified in a driving mechanism to achieve a smaller size, minimized in loss of a driving force for driving a lens and ensures more accurate and stable movement of the lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an optical apparatus includes a lens driving device for driving a lens using a cam structure, a screw or a piezoelectric element. The lens driving device employs a motor or the piezoelectric element to generate a driving force and the cam structure or the screw to transmit the driving force.
Therefore, the lens driving device drives the lens to change a relative distance of the lens, thereby performing zooming or focusing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,038 discloses a device for moving a lens including a lens frame, a signal generator, a piezoelectric vibrator, a supporter, a pressure surface and a pressure member. The guiding member guides a lens frame. The signal generator generates an electrical signal. The piezoelectric vibrator moves the lens frame along the guiding member by vibration according to the electrical signal. The supporter supports the piezoelectric vibrator. The pressure surface is in pressure contact with the piezoelectric vibrator. The pressure member brings the piezoelectric vibrator into pressure contact with the pressure surface.
However, this conventional device requires the guiding member to be additionally assembled so that the lens frame is moved in an optical axis direction. This complicates an assembling structure and a process, and hinders miniaturization of the product.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,605 discloses a driving device. In the driving device, piezoelectric devices are fixed to a base block and a driving force is transferred to driving rods. Then, a lens is moved by a pressure generated from a slide part, an inertial force of a lens frame and acceleration effects. The lens frame is transferred along with the driving rods according to a waveform of an input voltage or performs slidable relative motion, thereby enabling the driving device to reciprocally move the lens.
However, in this conventional device, the driving rods are fixed so that a length of barrel cannot be changed. This accordingly is an impediment to reduction in size. Also, a driving signal of the device is an asymmetrical wave signal, not a sine wave signal, thereby complicating a driving circuit.
Therefore, there is a need for a lens driving device which can be mounted in a small volume, controlled precisely due to high driving resolution, while operating with a small driving power and achieving a sufficient driving distance.


A filter insert insertable seal-tightly into a filter housing has a filter element having end faces. At least one of the end faces of the filter element is engaged by a reinforcement clamp provided with a sealing element. The reinforcement clamp and the sealing element together form a single integral component. The sealing element has an outer sealing section that is connected to the reinforcement clamp so as to be movable relative to the reinforcement clamp.

The invention relates to a filter insert that is insertable in a seal-tight way into a filter housing and comprises a filter element having at least one end face that is engaged by a reinforcement clamp on which a sealing element is arranged.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,598 discloses a filter insert that comprises a pleated (folded) filter and is insertable into a filter housing. The end faces of the pleated filter are engaged by shape-stabilizing clamp-shaped reinforcement elements on which a seal is integrally formed that will rest with elastic tension seal-tightly against the housing wall of the filter housing when the filter insert is inserted. In order to achieve an inexpensive manufacture, the reinforcement element and the seal are combined to a single integral component. Because the reinforcement element and the seal are made of the same material and because it must be ensured that the seal can be elastically prestressed, a relatively soft and yielding material must be selected. If this is not the case, the required sealing properties cannot be realized.


An instrument includes a probe having a porous tip, a tip positioning apparatus to position the tip with respect to a sample material, a probe positioning apparatus to position the probe and sample material with respect to each other, and a controller. The controller controls the probe positioning apparatus in positioning the probe over the sample and controls the tip positioning apparatus in lowering the tip into the sample material to produce an interaction between the porous tip and the sample material.

UV erasable programmable read only memories (UVPROMs) are well known to those skilled in the art. These types of memories comprise distinct charge storage cells or sites and include a separate read/write line to each of the charge storage cells. In order to write data to the UVPROM, it is first bulk erased by exposing simultaneously all of the charge storage cells to UV light or radiation to leak off any charges stored by them. Then, data is written to selected charge storage cells by injecting charges in them with the corresponding read/write lines. These charges may then be detected with the read/write lines so as to read data from the charge storage cells. Since UVPROMs include separate read/write lines to the charge storage cells, the charge storage cells are not able to be spaced apart at nanometer level increments so that the overall size of the UVPROM could be reduced. However, a UVPROM type structure with charge storage cells at nanometer level increments could be used if a mechanism were developed that could (1) selectively and individually write data to each charge storage cell by leaking off a charge in the charge storage cell with UV light, and (2) electrically read data from each storage cell by detecting or sampling a charge in the charge storage cell without a read line to the charge storage cell.
Moreover, recently attempts have been made at providing data storage devices where data can be electrically or mechanically written to and electrically read from a storage medium at nanometer level increments. However, these data storage devices all suffer from significant problems.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,533, describes a data storage device utilizing scanning tunneling microscope (STM) probes to read and write data to a storage medium by producing and measuring tunneling currents between the STM probes and the storage medium. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,408 describes a similar data storage device with a piezoelectric positioning apparatus for positioning STM probes over the storage medium to read and write data to the storage medium. This positioning apparatus is bulky and impractical to use as a part of a data storage device in a computing system. Moreover, since positioning of the STM probes over the storage medium in the X and Y directions is limited to the range of movement of the X and Y piezoelectric translator elements of the positioning apparatus, the storage capacity of this data storage device is also limited by this range of movement. And, to increase this range of movement so that the storage capacity of the data storage device is increased, the size of the X and Y piezoelectric translator elements must also be increased. This unfortunately increases the overall size, read/write times, weight, and power requirements of the data storage device.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,322 describes still another data storage device that utilizes STM probes. In this storage device, the STM probes are used to deform a deformable storage medium to write data to it which is represented by the deformations. Then, by producing and measuring a tunneling current between the STM probes and the storage medium, the deformations can be identified so as to read from the storage medium the data that was written to it. However, the STM probes comprise a soft conductive material, such as conductive silicon, tungsten, aluminum, or gold which wears down after prolonged use in deforming the storage medium. Thus, the useful life of this type of data storage device is limited.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Nanometer scale instrument for biochemically, chemically, or catalytically interacting with a sample material


The use of rare-earth (REO, N, P) based materials to covert long wavelength photons to shorter wavelength photons that can be absorbed in a photovoltaic device (up-conversion) and (REO, N, P) materials which can absorb a short wavelength photon and re-emit one (downshifting) or more longer wavelength photons is disclosed. The wide spectral range of sunlight overlaps with a multitude of energy transitions in rare-earth materials, thus offering multiple up-conversion pathways. The refractive index contrast of rare-earth materials with silicon enables a DBR with >90% peak reflectivity and a stop band greater than 150 nm.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a device structure for up and down conversion of radiation, typically solar, wherein high energy wavelengths are down converted to lower energy and low energy wavelengths are up converted to higher energy to improve adsorption by a photovoltaic device.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
As an alternative approach to multiple junction solar cells where specific materials are matched to discrete portions of the solar spectrum, conversion works on the principle of moving parts of the spectrum to the wavelength band of a single junction cell. For example it is widely accepted that a single junction, single crystal silicon solar cell has an optimum performance in the wavelength range 500 to 1,100 nm, whilst the solar spectrum extends from 400 nm to in excess of 2500 nm.
Rare earths, the lanthanide series, have long been known for the unique optical properties in which the incomplete, 4f shells exhibit multiple optical transitions many of which lie within the solar spectrum. An example of some of these optical transitions are:
Er: 410, 519, 650, 810, 972, 1,529 nm
Yb: 980 nm
Tb: 485 nm
As used herein [RE1, RE2, . . . RE10] are chosen from the lanthanide series of rare earths from the periodic table of elements consisting of {57La, 58Ce, 59Pr, 60Nd, 61Pm, 62Sm, 63Eu, 64Gd, 65Tb, 66Dy, 67Ho, 68Er, 69Tm, 70Yb and 71Lu} plus yttrium, 39Y, and scandium, 21Sc, are included as well for the invention disclosed.
A more complete list can be found in the technical literature. In addition certain of these rare earths, sometimes in combination with one or more rare earths, can absorb light at one wavelength (energy) and re-emit at another (energy). This is the essence of conversion; when the incident energy per photon is less than the emission energy per photon the process is referred to as up conversion. Down conversion is the process in which the incident energy per photon is higher than the emission energy per photon. An example of up conversion is Er absorbing at 1,480 nm and exhibiting photoluminescence at 980 nm.
One concept was patented in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,510; more recent work in this field has mainly focused on the addition of rare earths to phosphorescent compounds. The historical approaches however add a conversion layer to either a completed solar cell or module with the majority also requiring an additional reflective component to return the converted spectrum back into the cell so that it can contribute to the generated photocurrent. U.S. Pat. No. 7,184,203 discloses up and down conversion with a rare earth compound comprising a rare earth element and at least one other element selected from chalcogens, halogens, nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon; wherein the rare earth compound is not mixed with compounds containing other rare earth elements and wherein the rare earth compound is irradiated at a sufficient intensity to heat the rare earth compound to facilitate electronic transitions. U.S. Pat. No. 7,184,203 does not teach or suggest using a rare earth compound in conjunction with a photovoltaic device; U.S. Pat. No. 7,184,203 teaches away from the use of a rare earth compound with relatively low intensity radiation at room temperature for up or down conversion.

Photovoltaic up conversion and down conversion using rare earths


The present invention discloses a security package for a compact disc having a receiving structure and a retaining plate. The receiving structure has a handle, a lock section, and a storage compartment. The storage compartment receives the audio media. The audio media is held in place by the retainer plate which is pivotally attached to the lock section of the receiving structure. The retainer plate has a flange which covers a portion of the storage compartment holding the media in place. The receiving structure can enclose a detection strip which is then covered by the retainer plate.

The present invention relates generally to packaging devices for audio and vido media and more particularly to a security package for storing compact discs, cassette tape, video tapes, and the like, sold in retail stores.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that pre-recorded audio/video products, such as compact discs and casette tapes, are packaged in small containers by the manufacturers, making shoftlifting relatively easy. As a result, retailers prefer to futher package these products in security packages which are much larger and therefore much more difficult to conceal by a would-be shoplifter. Some manufacturers have attempted to address this problem themselves by incorporating the plastic CD "jewel box"or cassette container into a much larger carboard box which is removed and discarded by the consumer after purchase. However, such packaging is wasteful and considered to be environmentally unsound. Equally wasteful are prior art plastic security packages that must be destroyed in order to be removed.
Further, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that retail security packaging frequently includes a detectable strip which is removed after purchase but when unpurchased will activate an electronic theft detection device. The detection strip are so commonly used that people are now beginning to realize that they exist and at times remove them in order to steal the package.
It will further be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in order to be cost effective, the security packages must be reusable. As a result, there have been several attempts to develop an improved security package for retail auto/video products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,549 issued to B. Hehn on May 20, 1986, discloses an audio cassette package which is reusable. Unfortunately, the usefulness of the Hehn device is limited in that the lock section cannot be removed from the receiving section. The lock section slides with respect to the stored section. Further, this package provides an exposed detection strip as opposed to one which is not easily removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,190 issued to B. Gregerson on Sept. 12, 1989, discloses a security package with a rotatable locking channel. Unfortunately, this device has a live hinge means which can wear out over time. Further, the device is not reusable because after one use, the latch becomes deformed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,382 issued to S. Braun et al on Mar. 21, 1972, discloses a molded plastic display package. Braun et al also uses a live hinge and is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,238 issued to B. Hehn et al on May 30, 1989, discloses a cassette security package. Like the other devices, this package has a live hinge and is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,547 issued to Applicant on Jan. 12, 1988, discloses a compact disc security device. It too has a live hinge and is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No 3,871,516 issued to H. Holkestad on Mar. 18, 1975, discloses an anti-theft packaging device which is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No.4,366,915 issued to D. Seidler on Jan. 1983, discloses a hinged lid container which is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,836 issued to Rivkin et al on May 3, 1983, discloses an anti-theft point-of-sale container which is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,983 issued to W. Morris on Feb. 4, 1986, discloses a theft resistant cassette holder which is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,369 issued to W. Morris on Feb. 25, 1986, discloses a theft resistant cassette holder which is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,334 issued to R. Mortensen on Jan. 6, 1987, discloses a magnetic tape security housing which is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,601 issued to Pijanowski et al on Feb. 7, 1989, discloses a housing which is not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,769 issued to Soltis et al on Feb. 21, 1989, discloses a compact disc security holder which is not reusable.
What is needed, then, is a reusable security package for audio/video products which is easy to manufacture and easy to assemble. This needed security package must be easily locked and unlocked by store personnel. This security package must be capable of receiving a detection strip such that it is disposed and out of reach of potential thieves. This needed device should be usable with unlocking keys used in connection with other commonly found security packages. This device is presently lacking in the prior art.


The present invention relates to phosphorescent organic electroluminescent devices include at least one phosphorescent emitter and a matrix material in the emitting layer, where certain conditions must be satisfied for the positions of the triplet energy and the HOMO and LUMO.

The present invention relates to phosphorescent organic electroluminescent devices which, by observing certain relative energy levels of the materials in the emitting layer, exhibit an emission which is shifted to longer wavelength or mixed emission comprising the emission of the phosphorescent emitter and an emission which is shifted to longer wavelength.
The structure of organic electroluminescent devices (OLEDs) in which organic semiconductors are employed as functional materials is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,507, U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,629, EP 0676461 and WO 98/27136. A development in the area of organic electroluminescent devices are phosphorescent OLEDs. These have significant advantages compared with fluorescent OLEDs owing to the higher achievable efficiency.
The technical object on which the present invention is based consists in providing a phosphorescent organic electroluminescent device in which the emission colour and the width of the emission band can be varied or adjusted specifically.
In accordance with the prior art, electron-conducting materials, inter alia ketones (for example in accordance with WO 2004/093207 or WO 2010/006680) or triazine derivatives (for example in accordance with WO 2010/015306), or hole-conducting materials, inter alia triarylamines or carbazole derivatives, are used as matrix materials for phosphorescent emitters.
In accordance with the prior art, the phosphorescent emitters used are furthermore, in particular, iridium and platinum complexes, which usually have bidentate ligands which are coordinated to the metal via a carbon atom and a nitrogen atom. An example of such phosphorescent emitters is tris(phenylpyridyl)iridium(III).
The prior art (for example in accordance with WO 2010/086089 or the unpublished application EP 10006208.2) additionally discloses metal complexes with imidazoisoquinoline and derivatives as ligands. Furthermore, the prior art (WO 2007/095118) discloses metal complexes with imidazo-phenanthridine or diimidazoquinazoline and derivatives as ligands. Many of these metal complexes emit blue or blue-green light.
Surprisingly, it has been found that the emission colour of an organic electroluminescent device can be shifted selectively over a broad range if certain physical parameters are observed for the choice of the phosphorescent emitter and of the matrix material. The organic electroluminescent device here has very good efficiency and lifetime. Likewise, broad emission bands which are suitable for the generation of white emission are accessible in this way.
WO 2003/059015 discloses that white-emitting organic electroluminescent devices are accessible through the use of emitters which form aggregates. Two emitters are doped into an emitting layer here, where one of the emitters forms aggregates. The formation of aggregates is highly dependent on the concentration of the emitters, which suggests aggregate formation between the emitters. The aggregate here has a broad emission band. For this aggregate formation, the use of planar compounds, for example platinum complexes, is suitable, but the use of complexes which have bulky substituents, such as, for example, tert-butyl groups, or the use of octahedral complexes is not.
The invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device comprising anode, cathode and at least one emitting layer which comprises at least one phosphorescent compound A and at least one compound B, characterised in that the following relationships (1) or the following relationships (2) apply to compounds A and B:T1(B)≧ΔE, where ΔE=|HOMO(A)|−|LUMO(B)|;  a)T1(A)≧ΔE, where ΔE=|HOMO(A)|−|LUMO(B)|;  b)|HOMO(B)|>|HOMO(A)|; and  c)|LUMO(B)|>|LUMO(A)|  d) (1)orT1(B)≧ΔE, where ΔE=|HOMO(B)|−|LUMO(A)|;  a)T1(A)≧ΔE, where ΔE=|HOMO(B)|−|LUMO(A)|;  b)|LUMO(A)|>|LUMO(B)|; and  c)|HOMO(A)|>|HOMO(B)|  d) (2)the following materials are excluded from the invention as compound B:


According to an embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor pillar, a first electrode film, a second electrode film, a first insulating film, a second insulating film, and a wiring film. The semiconductor member is extending in a first direction. The first electrode film is disposed at the lateral side of the semiconductor member away from the semiconductor member. The second electrode film is provided between the semiconductor member and the first electrode film. The first insulating film is provided between the semiconductor member and the second electrode film. The second insulating film is provided between the second electrode film and the first electrode film. The wiring film is disposed in a wiring lead-out region adjacent to the memory cell region. And the first electrode film is formed of a material different from a material of the wiring film, and being electrically connected to the wiring film.

In the related art, the bit cost of a NAND-type flash memory was reduced by increasing a degree of integration by miniaturizing the planar structure thereof. In recent years, a technology for further increasing the degree of integration by three-dimensionally stacking memory cells has been suggested. In such a stacked memory device, when the degree of integration is further increased, how to lead out wiring from the memory cell and connect the wiring to an external circuit or a peripheral circuit becomes an issue.

Memory device and method for manufacturing the same


A semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a first conductive layer formed on the substrate and comprising a first layer and a second layer formed on the first layer and having at least one of a convex and a concave, an insulating layer formed on the one of the convex and the concave of the first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer formed opposed to the one of the convex and the concave with the insulating layer interposed therebetween to thereby form a capacitive element with the first conductive layer, the insulating layer having a first region having a first capacitance value per unit area that substantially determines the capacitance value of the capacitive element and a second region having a second capacitance value per unit area that is smaller than the first capacitance value per unit area of the first region, and the second region being formed on the first layer of the conductive layer which is exposed to the one of the convex and the concave.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more specifically to a semiconductor device capable of reducing the variability of characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, fine structuring of constituent elements in semiconductor devices has been pushed forward for the purpose of increasing packing densities of the semiconductor devices. With the fine structuring of the constituent elements, dimensional variations in processing lead to variations in characteristic from element to element, causing degradation of the performance of semiconductor devices.
For example, in non-volatile semiconductor memories, such as EEPROMs and the like, that have dual-gate (floating gate/control gate) cells, the capacitive coupling ratio between static capacitance C1 associated with a gate insulating layer between the semiconductor substrate and the floating gate electrode and static capacitance C2 associated with an insulating layer between the floating gate electrode and the control gate electrode (hereinafter referred to the intergate insulating layer), i.e., C2/(C1+C2), varies from cell to cell. This is a serious problem. Hereinafter, the capacitive coupling ratio is referred simply to as the coupling ratio.
With memory devices in which a cell isolating insulating layer is formed by means of LOCOS (localized oxidation of silicon), the shape (area) of the gate insulating layer (tunnel oxide layer) on the substrate surface is determined by a width of cell isolation, while the shape (area) of the intergate insulating layer is determined by the width, thickness or the like of the floating gate electrode. Thus, the shape (area) of the gate insulating layer and the shape (area) of the intergate insulating layer are each determined by a separate factor, increasing variations in coupling ratio from cell to cell.
Even with memory devices in which cell isolation is practiced by buried cell isolation, on the other hand, the shape (area) of the gate insulating layer and the shape (area) of the intergate insulating layer are each determined by a separate factor. Thus, the coupling ratio will vary greatly from cell to cell.
Thus, if the area of the gate insulating layer and the area of the intergate insulating layer vary from cell to cell, the electric field applied to the gate insulating layer varies when a voltage is applied to the control gate electrode. This will cause a tunnel current that flows at writing/erasing time to vary from cell to cell. As a result, the writing/erasing characteristic will vary from cell to cell, causing malfunctions.
To attain further micro-miniaturization of an element, a method has also been proposed which forms a floating gate electrode so as to protrude from the substrate surface and then forms an intergate insulating layer on the protruding surface. That is, a gate insulating layer is first formed on the bottom of a groove lying between cell isolation insulating layers and then the floating gate electrode is formed so as to bury the groove and protrude from the top of the isolation insulating layer. An intergate insulating layer is formed on the exposed portion of the floating gate electrode and the control gate electrode is formed on the intergate insulating layer.
To increase the coupling ratio, the area of the intergate insulating layer could be increased by increasing the sidewall length (the thickness of the portion above the groove) of the floating gate electrode. In this case, however, it would become difficult to control the height of the floating gate electrode (the thickness of the portion within the groove plus the thickness of the portion above the groove) and the length of overlap between the floating gate electrode and the cell isolation insulating layer. This would result in great variations in the sidewall length of the floating gate electrode from cell to cell. In this case as well, variations in the coupling ratio would increase and the writing/erasing characteristic would vary from cell to cell, causing malfunctions.
Further, if the intergate insulating layer were formed for the above-described memory cell structure by using a usual technique, the average thickness of those portions of the insulating layer which border the cell isolation insulating layer would become thinner than the average thickness of the intergate insulating layer, resulting in a further increase in variations in coupling ratio.
The reason why the boundaries of the intergate insulating layer become small in thickness is that it becomes difficult to introduce oxidant or deposition species serving to form the intergate insulating layer into the boundaries between the exposed surface of the floating gate electrode and the surface of the cell isolation insulating layer because the distance between adjacent floating gate electrodes becomes short due to fine grooves. Therefore, the thickness of the boundary portions of the intergate insulating layer becomes smaller remarkably as the sidewall length of the floating gate electrode becomes longer, resulting in a further increase in variations in coupling ratio.
The above-described problems will arise in other semiconductor devices. For example, with a so-called mesa-shaped MOS transistor in which the source/drain regions and the channel region are formed in a convex portion of a substrate, the channel width varies for the same reason as above, which causes the current drive characteristic to vary from transistor to transistor.
With a semiconductor device having so-called buried capacitors in which capacitive elements are formed within grooves formed in the substrate surface, the capacitor area will vary because control of the groove depth is difficult. This results in variations in capacitance from element to element.

Semiconductor device for reducing variations in characteristics of the device


The present invention provides a novel fructosyl amino acid oxidase that is excellent in thermal stability. Moreover, the present invention provides a fructosyl amino acid oxidase gene encoding the novel fructosyl amino acid oxidase, a recombinant DNA in which the gene is inserted into a vector DNA, a transformant or transductant containing this gene, and a process for producing the novel fructosyl amino acid oxidase, which comprises culturing the transformant or transductant in a medium and collecting the novel fructosyl amino acid oxidase from the culture product.

A fructosyl amino acid oxidase catalyzes an action to generate glyoxylic acid or α-ketoaldehyde, α-amino acid and hydrogen peroxide by oxidizing iminodiacetic acid or a derivative thereof (also referred to as the "Amadori compound") in the presence of oxygen. The fructosyl amino acid oxidase was discovered in fungi and bacteria. Analytical methods using these enzymes for measuring the Amadori compound included in foods and generated in vivo have been proposed (JP Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 5-33997, JP Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 6-65300, JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-195900, JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-155780, JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-4874, JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-192193, and JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 6-4686).
Recently in the field of clinical diagnosis, HbA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin) has attracted attention as a blood glucose control marker, which is important in diagnosing the pathological conditions and controlling the symptoms of diabetic patients. As a method for rapidly and simply measuring HbA1c, an enzymatic measurement method using fructosyl amino acid oxidase has been proposed and practically applied. Specifically, this method involves degrading HbA1c with protease or the like, and then measuring the thus-freed fructosyl valine (a derivative of iminodiacetic acid wherein α-amino group of valine is glycosylated). Among various fructosyl amino acid oxidases that are used as enzymes in this measurement method, an enzyme having high activity for fructosyl valine, which is a substrate, but having no activity for ε-fructosyl lysine (a type of Amadori compound wherein ε-amino group of lysine is glycosylated) is particularly excellent in terms of its rapidity and accuracy of measurement. An example of such an enzyme is fructosyl amino acid oxidase derived from bacteria of the genus Corynebacterium. However, the above fructosyl amino acid oxidase is deactivated 90% or more by heat treatment at 45° C. for 10 minutes. Because of this low heat resistance, the fructosyl amino acid oxidase has a problem in its storage stability when it is prescribed in a kit reagent as an enzyme for clinical diagnosis.


In a processor speculatively executing instructions which specify logical addresses, a method and apparatus for speculatively converting logical addresses to physical addresses. The processor has a register window movable within a register file, a window pointer register maintaining a value corresponding to the location of the window in the register file, a speculative window pointer register maintaining a speculative value of the window pointer register. A controller identifies an instruction expected to modify the value in the window pointer register, and in response to identifying the instruction the controller modifies the speculative value. A mapper, coupled to the speculative window pointer register, converts the instruction specified logical addresses to physical addresses based on the speculative value contained in the speculative window pointer register.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to microprocessors, and more particularly, to microprocessor architectures and methods for speculatively translating logical register addresses to physical addresses in an out-of-order processor having register windows.
2. Relevant Background
Modern designs of computer processors (also called microprocessors) provide registers for storing data or for providing status or control information regarding the state of the processor. With respect to data registers for storing program data during execution within the processor, a variety of register organization structures exist. One way to organize registers within a processor is to use a register windowing technique to access a plurality of registers in a register file. With register windowing, a register window has a predetermined number of contiguous registers, and the window can be moved linearly within the register file. At any one time, the register window permits program access to a subset of the total number of registers in the register file. Control registers are also associated with the register windows so that a program can manipulate the position of the window within the register file and monitor the status of the window.
For example, in the specification for a scaleable processor architecture, SPARC-V9, the general purpose registers for storing and manipulating data are arranged in register sets accessible through register windows, each register window having 32 registers. A particular processor can have multiple register sets ranging from three register sets to 32 register sets. Individual registers are addressable using a five-bit address in conjunction with a current window pointer (CWP). The register window is movable within the register sets such that a program can logically address multiple physical registers in the register sets by simply tracking a logical register name or specifier (i.e.,r3! or r28!) and the current window pointer.
The five-bit register addresses encoded in an instruction word specify the instruction's source registers and the destination register. These register specifiers are logical addresses that index registers within the current register window. Because the register window is movable within the larger register file, the physical address of each register specified by a instruction will depend on the location of the current register window within the register file.
In a processor executing instructions speculatively or out-of-order, it is useful to track the physical addresses of the registers logically specified by an instruction. For instance, instruction dependency checking requires that instructions referencing the same physical register are detected so that these instructions can be executed in the proper order to eliminate the dependency.
Further, if instructions are speculatively processed within the processor, handling an instruction which is down the wrong path or mispredicted branch which may affect the position of the register window is problematic.
What is needed is a processor and method for speculatively translating logical register addresses to physical addresses accounting for the expected position of the register window within the register file.

Method for speculative calculation of physical register addresses in an out of order processor


This invention makes it possible to execute photography with a sufficient red-eye relaxation effect. To do this, in this invention, the amount of a red eye is detected on the basis of a signal obtained by reading an object image under light projection by a light projection unit. The light projection by the light projection unit is controlled on the basis of the detection result.

To relax a red-eye effect in photography using an electronic flash (flash), a technique is conventionally used, in which human pupils are pre-illuminated with flash light before photography, thereby contracting the pupils (e.g., Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-48088). This technique should suppress the amount of flash light reflected by retinas by contracting the pupils before photography.
In another technique used in a digital still camera, image data by flash photography and that by non-flash photography are compared. With this processing, the portions and sizes of red eyes generated by reflection of flash light on the retinal positions of eyes are detected from the image data by flash photography, and the image data is corrected (e.g., Japanese Patent No. 3114103).
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-48088 using the conventional red-eye relaxation means, photography is permitted after the predetermined light emission by the red-eye relaxation means assuming that the red-eye relaxation effect is obtained. However, whether the red-eye relaxation effect is obtained can be known only after photography.
In Japanese Patent No. 3114103, image data by flash photography and that by non-flash photography are compared to detect the positions and sizes of red eyes generated by reflection of flash light on the retinal portions of eyes from the image data by flash photography. However, the photographic conditions of the two image data do not coincide (one image data is obtained by non-flash photography, and the other is obtained by flash photography). In addition, at the time of flash photography, since the illuminance is too low, the pupils are dilated. At this time, an image 111 shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. At the time of non-flash photography, since the illuminance is sufficient, the pupils are contracted. At this time, an image 113 shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. The target of red-eye correction is the image 111 at the time of flash photography, i.e., the image with the dilated pupil. For this reason, the correction result tends to be unnatural because the region to be corrected is large.
Furthermore, in the image obtained by non-flash photography, the positions or sizes of red eyes cannot accurately be detected because the brightness is too low.

Image sensing apparatus, image processing apparatus, and control method therefor for relaxing a red-eye effect


In a chart of molecular weight distribution measured of a toner, i) the toner has a main peak in the region of molecular weight of 16,000 to 60,000, and ii) where the molecular weight at the main peak is represented by M1, and where the height at the molecular weight M1 is represented by H(M1), the height at a molecular weight of 4,000 by H(4000) and the height at a molecular weight of 15,000 by H(15000), the H(4000), the H(15000) and the H(M1) satisfy a specific proportion. The toner has a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 15,000 to 80,000, and, in an endothermic chart, i) the toner has an endothermic main peak in the range of 40 to 130° C., and ii) the calorimetric integral value represented by the peak area of the endothermic main peak is 10 to 35 J per 1 g of the toner.

Image forming processes are available in which, in order that electric or magnetic latent images on a recording member are made into visible images, the latent images are rendered visible by the used of a toner. As what is typical among these, it may include an electrophotographic process. In this electrophotographic process, first a latent image is electrically formed on a photosensitive member by various means, and subsequently the latent image is developed by the use of a toner to form a toner image. Thereafter, the toner image is transferring to a transfer material such as paper as occasion calls, and then the toner image is fixed to the transfer material by a fixing means such as heat, pressure, heat-and-pressure or solvent vapor, thus an image is obtained.
A heat roller fixing method or a film fixing method is a method in which toner images held on a fixing medium sheet (a sheet to which toner images are to be fixed) is fixed thereto by making them pass a heat roller or a fixing film in contact therewith. In this fixing method, the surface of the heat roller or fixing film and the toner on the fixing medium sheet come into contact with each other, and hence a very good heat efficiency is achievable when the toner is fused onto the fixing medium sheet. This enables performance of rapid fixing, and is very good for electrophotographic apparatus. In this fixing method, F however, since the toner comes into contact with the surface of the heat roller or fixing film in a molten state, part of the toner adheres to the surface of the heat roller or fixing film. Hence, an offset phenomenon in which the toner having adhered to the surface of the heat roller or fixing film is again transferred to a next fixing medium sheet may occur to contaminate the fixing medium sheet.
Taking account of recent demands for making apparatus compact, light-weight, energy-savable and highly reliable, such demands can not completely be met unless the performance of toners such as fixing performance and anti-offset properties is further improved. Such improvement is difficult to achieve unless the toners are further improved.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-6553 discloses a toner which contains a low-molecular weight resin having a peak or a shoulder in a specific molecular weight region and a high-molecular weight resin having a peak or a shoulder in a specific molecular weight region, and also has a polyolefin type wax.
Japanese Patent No. 2630972 also discloses a toner in which the molecular weight distribution of THF-soluble matter as measured by GPC and the glass transition points of a binder resin and a toner have been prescribed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-333359 still also disclose a toner which has prescribed specific molecular weight distribution and weight-average molecular weight.
However, it is desired to provide a toner having achieved more low-temperature fixing performance and higher glossiness than the toners disclosed in the above patent publications.


Described is a system and method for receiving traffic load information for a plurality of access points, each of the access points including at least two channels for communicating and neighboring at least one of the other access points. A throughput of each channel of each access point is determined based on the traffic load information for each access point and any neighboring access points. A channel with a maximum determined throughput is selected for each access point. Each access point then switches to the selected channel at a defined probability rate.

In the past several years, as use of mobile devices has become increasingly common, implementation of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) in business and public establishments has become more widespread. For example, WLANs may be installed in office buildings, libraries, cafés, etc. A WLAN is a type of local area network that uses radio waves to communicate between nodes, as opposed to using wires. Specifically, one or more access points ("APs") may be wired to a communications network. The APs may transmit and receive radio frequency ("RF") signals to/from a plurality of WLAN stations located within the APs coverage area. Thus, the stations may communicate with and through the communications network.
Depending on a size of an environment implementing WLAN technology, a large quantity of APs may necessarily be deployed in order to provide adequate coverage. For example, a large office building wherein a number of employees are attempting to access the WLAN may require deployment of a significant quantity of APs. However, placement of the APs is crucial. While it is undesirable for APs in close proximity to interfere with one another, it is also undesirable for remotely placed APs to provide inadequate coverage. Interference may result in a corruption of data packets transmitted through the AP, transmission delays, and lower performance. In addition, stations located equidistant between two APs may flip-flop back and forth, continually reassociating with each AP and thereby sacrificing performance and efficiency. Inadequate coverage may result in an inability of one or more WLAN stations to maintain a stable connection to the network.
Dense WLAN deployments are inevitable for several reasons. For example, they may be necessary to eliminate coverage holes for a large-scale WLAN, and to maintain a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) to assure high data rates everywhere. Further, in crowded places (e.g., apartment buildings) many APs with different owners may be deployed without coordination. Where dense WLAN deployments exist, throughput of WLAN stations may suffer. For example, if channels are inadequately assigned to neighboring APs, with which the WLAN stations are associated, each WLAN station may have to compete for the same channel in order to exchange data with their APs. Thus, the channel becomes overloaded. Although there may be other channels available, a number of channels is typically limited. With only a small number of channels available, and a considerable number of stations requiring network access, problems (e.g., regarding throughput and interference) still exist in WLANs. Thus, an efficient method of deploying a plurality of APs in a WLAN, while minimizing interference and maximizing overall throughput, is desired.

Method and system for assigning channels in a wireless LAN