A shutdown control system and a shutdown control method are provided. A shutdown unit is a series circuit of multiple shutdown circuits connected in series or a series-parallel circuit of multiple such series circuits connected in parallel. Each shutdown circuit is connected to at least one direct current power supply. A SCU periodically transmits a first communication signal until receiving a first user command. A TCU controls states of a electrical energy transforming unit to control the operation state of a power generation system. Each PCU determines whether the first communication signal is received during a preset time period and whether the distributed power generation system operates in a power generation state, and controls a corresponding shutdown circuit to operate in a normal operation mode if at least one of the conditions is met; and otherwise operate in a security mode.

In a distributed power generation system, a signal direct current power supply cannot supply enough voltage and power to meet actual demand. Therefore, multiple direct current power supplies are connected in series-parallel to meet design needs. However, since the multiple direct current power supplies are connected in series-parallel, a total output voltage value may be up to hundreds or thousands of volts. When a worker is close to the distributed power generation system, a severe electric shock accident may occur.
In an existing solution of electrical shock protection, each of the multiple direct current power supplies is provided with a shutdown circuit. When a worker is close to the distributed power generation system, a host device is manually triggered to transmit a shutdown instruction, so as to control all the shutdown circuits to disconnect the corresponding direct current power supply, such that the total output voltage of the multiple direct current power supplies connected in series-parallel falls within a security voltage range. However, a fault may occur in a communication link of this solution in practices. For example, a communication signal may be absorbed or blocked. As a result, some shutdown circuits cannot receive the shutdown instruction, thereby failing to disconnect the direct current power supply. In view of the above, the following improvements are made to this solution. The host device further transmits a heartbeat signal to each shutdown circuit. Once a shutdown circuit does not receive the heartbeat signal from the host device, the shutdown circuit knows that the communication link is broken, and then disconnects the corresponding direct current power supply directly.
In the improved solution, it is ensured that the direct current power supply is disconnected when the communication link is broken. However, this improved solution has a problem that, the direct current power supply may be frequently disconnected in a case that a temporary or random abnormal condition occurs multiple times in the communication link, which severely affects the usability of the distributed power generation system.


A sample measuring method and a charged particle beam apparatus are provided which remove contaminants, that have adhered to a sample in a sample chamber of an electron microscope, to eliminate adverse effects on the subsequent manufacturing processes. To achieve this objective, after the sample measurement or inspection is made by using a charged particle beam, contaminants on the sample are removed before the next semiconductor manufacturing process. This allows the contaminants adhering to the sample in the sample chamber to be removed and therefore failures or defects that may occur in a semiconductor fabrication process following the measurement and inspection can be minimized.

The present invention relates to a sample measuring method and a charged particle beam apparatus and more specifically to a charged particle beam apparatus that does not contaminate the sample.
A process assessment is performed by measuring a pattern width as by a CD-SEM (Critical Dimension-Scanning Electron Microscope) after resist application, exposure and development. More specifically, to check by a scanning electron microscope represented by CD-SEM whether a pattern formed on a sample such as semiconductor wafer is properly formed, a sample is moved by a sample stage so that an electron beam can be radiated against a desired pattern.
In such an apparatus, if a contaminant is adhering to a surface of the sample, scanning an electron beam over a portion where the contaminant is present means that the electron beam scans the surface of the contaminant, making it impossible to produce a true sample image or obtain correct measurements of sample dimensions. A technique to solve this problem is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
JP-A-11-329328 proposes that, before introducing a sample into a sample chamber in an electron beam inspection apparatus, the sample is heated by a heater installed in a preliminary exhaust chamber of the electron beam inspection apparatus to remove the contaminant. It is also described in JP-A-5-135752 that, when the sample examination is not performed, an organic gas produced from grease used in the sample stage is removed by heating it to 50-60° C.
It has been found in recent years that contaminants may adhere to semiconductor wafers as they undergo measurement or inspection by a scanning electron microscope. If these contaminants adhere to a semiconductor wafer, air bubbles may be formed in a resist during a subsequent resist application process. Because of the air bubbles, the resist may be formed thin, which in turn will likely to result in another problem that pits may be formed in a base material during a dry etch process.
Investigations by the authors of this invention have found that contaminants adhering to the sample are fluorocompounds used as a lubricant in the electron microscope. The fluorocompounds can mostly be removed if subjected to a cleaning process. However, to shorten the time taken by the semiconductor manufacturing process as much as possible, it is desired that the sample be transferred directly to the resist application process following the measurement or inspection by the scanning electron microscope, without undergoing the cleaning process.
The technique disclosed in JP-A-11-329328 performs heating of the sample before introducing the sample into the sample chamber. This can temporarily remove the contaminants. However, contaminants that adhere to the sample in the sample chamber remain on the sample, giving rise to a problem that the contaminants can cause failures in the subsequent manufacturing process.
Further, as disclosed in JP-A-5-135752, it is conceivable to heat the sample chamber. Since materials that are weak to heat, such as O-ring, are used in some cases in the sample chamber, heating the sample chamber itself is not preferred. Vaporized grease may adhere to inner walls of the sample chamber, from which it may fly to the sample.


A mobile salon work station. In an exemplary application, the mobile salon work station includes a frame assembly and work areas equally spaced thereabout having mirrored surfaces, storage compartments, swing out shelves, overhead retractable electrical reels and an overhead accessory holder.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a mobile salon work station. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile salon work station which is self contained, easily transportable, requires a minimal amount of floor space and no leasehold improvements.
2. Discussion
Salons are most frequently set up and conducted as a business in rented buildings or space. In such a highly competitive industry, space is at a premium and there is a continual need for innovation not only in services but also in ambiance. As such, many salons need to relocate often or to redesign the interior floor space of their establishments. The cost of converting a rented building or space into a new salon or remodeling an existing salon is substantial. Generally, such remodeling or renovating of a rented building or space involves structural renovations and the like to the building or space. Such fixtures or improvements cannot be removed when the salon operator terminates his or her lease, or desires to move to another location. Additionally, during such renovations, the salon operator is unable to adequately and fully conduct business. The expense associated with such remodeling is normally very substantial while the effect of such is temporary at best. In the past, there has been no way to minimize this substantial expense while still having a salon that is unique and attractive in appearance. Therefore, it is desirable to have a mobile salon work station which requires a minimum amount of floor space, no leasehold improvements and is entirely moveable to create the effect of remodeling without incurring most of the costs.


[Problem] To provide an electricity supply system that efficiently utilizes electricity. [Solution] An electricity supply system includes: a power generation unit (10) for supplying electricity; a load unit (11) for consuming at least one of the electricity supplied from the power generation unit (10) and system electricity supplied from an electricity system; and a control unit (12) for controlling operations of the power generation unit (10) and the load unit (11). The power generation unit (10) supplies electricity to the electricity system, and the control unit (12) controls the power generation unit (10) and the load unit (11) on the basis of values of a plurality of types of electricity handled by the electricity supply system.

There have been proposed electricity supply systems that supply electricity to loads (appliances such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, and an air conditioner) by using not only electricity supplied (purchased) from an electricity distribution facility (hereinafter, an electricity system) managed by an electricity company (such electricity will hereinafter be referred to as "system electricity") but also various kinds of electricity (various electricities) generated by various methods, such as electricity that is generated by, and supplied from, a power generating unit such as a solar photovoltaic power generating unit, and electricity discharged and supplied from a battery. Some of such electricity supply systems supply (sell), to the electricity system, excess electricity that is generated and supplied by an electricity generator but is not consumed by a load or the like.
Electricity consumption of a load may include general electricity consumption (caused by, for example, the operation of an appliance such as a refrigerator, for example) which constantly occurs regardless of time of day, and particular electricity consumption (caused by, for example, the operation of an appliance such as a washing machine) which occurs exclusively at a particular time of day. Where reduction of system electricity cost is required, it is effective to reduce cost of the particular electricity consumption. For example, it is possible to reduce the particular electricity consumption cost by setting the particular electricity consumption to occur at a time when per-unit price of the system electricity (hereinafter, an electricity purchase rate) is low.
For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes an electricity supply system that informs a user of time when the particular electricity consumption can be covered with excess electricity (and thus the particular electricity consumption cost can be reduced to 0), to thereby prompt the user to set the particular electricity consumption to occur at that time. Furthermore, this electricity supply system displays the electricity purchase rate and a per-unit selling price of electricity (hereinafter, an electricity sales rate) to the user, to thereby assist the user in deciding whether to sell the excess electricity or use it to cover the particular electricity consumption therewith.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A method for synchronizing a first time domain with a second time domain of a system on chip includes a detection of at least one periodic trigger event generated in the first time domain, the second time domain or in a third time domain; acquisitions, made at the instants of the at least one trigger event, of the current timestamp values representative of the instantaneous states of the time domain(s) other than the trigger time domain; a comparison, made in the third time domain, between differential durations between current timestamp values which are respectively acquired successively; and a synchronization of the second time domain with the first time domain, on the basis of the comparison.

In electronic devices comprising several microprocessors or microcontrollers, it is necessary to share a common vision of time between them.
A system on chip is usually designated as a system embedded in the same integrated circuit including a microprocessor or microcontroller and other devices, such as for example at least one communication interface.
The shared time can be a global time, that is to say an absolute time for example resulting from a real date, or a local time, called network time, not necessarily having an absolute reference but identical to all the elements of a network.
The time information exchanged must be precise, for example of a level below a microsecond, and synchronized, so that distributed processes can be started simultaneously, such as for example a multi-axis motion control for robotics.
The sharing of time information is done through a communication interface, such as a Peripheral Component Interconnect express "PCIe" interface, or a wired network interface usually called "Ethernet." PCIe and Ethernet interfaces are well known to a person skilled in the art.
Communication interfaces are typically intended to operate under specific communication protocols, and communication protocols may provide for specific time information sharing.
Consequently, each communication interface is typically adapted for a specific time sharing protocol and this is referred to as "time domains" for the different visions of time obtained by the different communication interfaces of a system on chip.
In particular, PCIe interfaces provide for sharing time information according to a process called Precision Time Measurement (usually "PTM") wherein a "master" device called Root Complex (usually "RC") shares time information of a common clock on which the "slave" devices called End Points (usually "EP") are synchronized; and, the Ethernet interfaces provide for sharing time information according to a process called Precision Time Protocol (usually "PTP"), to share a common clock between end points.
The shared time information can be coded differently depending on the communication protocol used, for example the PTM protocol can provide a clock encoded by a 64-bit binary word incremented at 250 MHz, while the PTP protocol can provide a digital value representative of the nanoseconds on 32 bits, and a digital value representative of the seconds on 32 bits.
Conventional techniques for sharing time information and synchronizing systems on chip have difficulties insofar as the time domains used may be disciplined by different protocols and not directly compatible with each other, such as for example the PTM protocols of PCIe interfaces and the PTP protocols of Ethernet interfaces.
Moreover, it is desirable not to introduce changes in the communication interfaces, since they typically have the need to be compatible with third-party devices, as defined by standards or consensus.
There is therefore a need to be able to synchronize different time domains in the same system on chip.

Time domains synchronization in a system on chip


A multi-channel echo cancellation system that dynamically adapts to changes in acoustic conditions. The system does not require a sequence of “start-up” tones to determine the impulse responses. Rather, the adaptive filters approximate estimated transfer functions for each channel. A secondary adaptive filter adjusts cancellation to adapt to changes in the actual transfer functions over time after the adaptive filters have been trained, even if the reference signals are not unique relative to each other.

In audio systems, acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) refers to techniques that are used to recognize when a system has recaptured sound via a microphone after some delay that the system previously output via a speaker. Systems that provide AEC subtract a delayed and filtered version of the original audio signal from the captured audio, producing a version of the captured audio that ideally eliminates the "echo" of the original audio signal, leaving only new audio information. For example, if someone were singing karaoke into a microphone while prerecorded music is output by a loudspeaker, AEC can be used to remove any of the recorded music from the audio captured by the microphone, allowing the singer's voice to be amplified and output without also reproducing a delayed "echo" of the original music. As another example, a media player that accepts voice commands via a microphone can use AEC to remove reproduced sounds corresponding to output media that are captured by the microphone, making it easier to process input voice commands.
To simplify explanation of these figures, the same reference numbers and notation will be used to identify and discuss both an adaptive filter and that filter's estimated transfer function.

Multichannel acoustic echo cancellation with unique individual channel estimations


As part of a memory array, a circuit is provided for altering the drive applied to an access transistor that regulates electrical communication within the memory array. In one embodiment, the circuit is used to alter the drive applied to a sense amp's voltage-pulling transistor, thereby allowing modification of the voltage-pulling rate for components of the sense amp. A sample of test data is written to the memory array and read several times at varying drive rates in order to determine the sense amp's ability to accommodate external circuitry. In another embodiment, the circuit is used to alter the drive applied to a bleeder device that regulates communication between the digit lines of the memory array and its cell plate. Slowing said communication allows defects within the memory array to have a more pronounced effect and hence increases the chances of finding such defects during testing. The circuit is configured to accept and apply a plurality of voltages, either through a contact pad or from a series of discrete voltage sources coupled to the circuit.

In the operation of certain semiconductor circuit devices, pullup and pulldown sense amplifiers (sense amps) detect and amplify a small charge stored within a memory cell. In general, two complementary digit lines are attached to a pullup sense amp and a pull down sense amp. At the beginning of a reading operation, both lines are at an equilibrate voltage Veq, which is generally between the potential of a voltage source used to operate the semiconductor device (V.sub.CC) and ground potential (0 volts). While Veq is changeable either intentionally or inadvertently through a defect, Veq is ideally equal to V.sub.CC /2 during non-test operations. This midpoint voltage is defined as DVC.sub.2.
One of the digit lines is coupled to a memory cell. The reading process involves a discharge from the memory cell to the corresponding digit line, which creates a slight difference in voltage between the two digit lines. This difference is then amplified by the sense amps: the digit line with the slightly lower voltage has its voltage further decreased by the pulldown sense amp, and the voltage of the other digit line is increased by the pullup sense amp. Once the voltage difference has been amplified, the digit lines can then be used to operate less sensitive circuitry.
Between reading cycles, it is necessary to return the complementary digit lines to Veq. This occurs during what is known as a precharge cycle, wherein equilibration transistors short the complementary digit lines together. Further, a signal having a potential of DVC.sub.2 is communicated from a DVC.sub.2 voltage generator to the shorted digit lines through a bleeder device.
Concerning the operation of the sense amps, it should be noted that pulling down the voltage of a digit line involves coupling the line to ground through a pulldown transistor. Because an entire row of digit line pairs often connects to the same puildown transistor through a common node, the pulldown transistor will most likely have to draw current from one line of each of several pairs. In doing so, there is a risk that the transistor will become saturated with current and therefore become slower in pulling down the voltage of additional digit lines. This may lead to errors in reading, especially if an entire row of memory cells is storing logic 1's except for one cell storing a logic 0; for once the logic 0 is discharged, a slow pulldown may result in an improper reading of that logic 0 value.
One known way to solve this problem is to include an optional active area in the gate of the pulldown transistor. The increased size of the gate raises the threshold at which the pulldown transistor becomes saturated. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that this solution requires a costly metal mask change. Further, any attempt to speed up the slowed pulldown raises other problems in reading, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,011, by Casper, et al. The Casper '011 reference discloses that pulling down the common node too quickly may result in capacitive coupling between the sources and drains of the sense amp's transistors. During capacitive coupling, both digit lines in one sense amp are pulled down before the common node is pulled down low enough to turn on one of the sense amp transistors. When the sense amp finally turns on, it shorts out the capacitive coupling, bouncing the digit lines and, in the process, creates line noise that will interfere with the ability to read the data properly.
Early saturation and capacitive coupling could be avoided if one knew the margin--the difference in voltage between a logic 0 signal and a logic 1 signal--that the pulldown transistor was capable of accommodating. The only way to do so, as taught by the prior art, is to separate the pulldown transistor with a laser and probe the gate.
As an alternative to determining the sense amp's margin, one could simply test the sense amp's ability to operate at the given source voltage used in non-test operations. Prior art suggests entering a series of test data patterns into memory. Logic 1's are written to the cells of each memory array, with the exception of one column of logic 0's. As a result, each row contains only one cell storing a logic 0, thereby creating the most likely circumstance for an error in reading the data. The data in the array is then read and checked for errors. Once the first group of test data has been processed, a second sample of test data is entered with the logic 0's written to the next column. This process repeats until a logic 0 has been written to and read from every cell in any given row in the memory array. The results will indicate the puildown transistor's ability to read data accurately. The problem with this process, however, is that it is time consuming to enter multiple samples of test data.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a quicker circuit and method for testing the capabilities of a sense amp. Further benefit would be derived if this test could indicate the margin of the sense amp's pulldown transistor.
In addition to inadequate pulldown transistors, other problems, such as defects arising during the processing of semiconductor devices, may contribute to reading errors. Various techniques involving equilibration of the complementary digit lines can be used during testing to detect these problems. For example, occasionally a digit line will inadvertently have a short to ground. As a result, the potential of that digit line will leak towards 0 volts. To detect this problem, prior art teaches extending the time for the precharge cycle during a test mode. If the short has a low enough resistance, the short will overcome the charging ability of the DVC.sub.2 voltage generator, which remains coupled to the digit lines, and Veq of the digit lines will decrease. Thus, a longer precharge cycle allows Veq to lower even further. As a result, line noise is more likely to register as a logic 0 discharge on the digit line when in fact the storage cell contains a logic 1 and has not yet discharged. Alternatively, assuming that a logic 1 is properly discharged and sensed, a reading error is still likely: Veq may be so low due to the short that the pullup sense amp may not be able to pull up the digit line's voltage in time to register as a logic 1 for purposes of driving external circuitry. Increasing the likelihood of error is desirable in the test mode, as it helps to identify errors that would affect non-test operations. Further, a reading error occunrrng after this extended precharge cycle will indicate the nature of the defect--in this case a short in at least one of the digit lines. However, this testing process can be time consuming. As an example, a 64 meg DRAM having a 16 meg.times.4 configuration requires approximately 170 seconds to carry out this test. It would be a benefit to the art to have a faster way to test for this problem.
A second problem that could be detected by altering the equilibration rate of the digit lines involves a short between the cell plate and the digit line. The typical technique for discovering this problem is to initiate a long RAS (Row Address Strobe) low signal. During the low RAS, the digit lines are not equilibrated. Rather, they are charged to their complementary voltage levels. Ideally, once the low RAS ends and the lines are shorted, both digit lines should approach a Veq level of DVC.sub.2. However, a short between one of the digit lines and the cell plate will allow the DVC.sub.2 generator 68 to change that digit line's voltage during the RAS low period. Thus, once the lines are shorted, their respective voltages will meet at a different Veq level. This will affect the margin between Veq and the voltage corresponding to one of the logic values and thereby increase the likelihood of a reading error. Eventually, the signal from the DVC.sub.2 voltage generator will restore the proper equilibrate voltage once the RAS low signal ends. Nevertheless, for purposes of detecting this problem before non-test operations begin, it would be desirable to slow the restoration of the proper Veq level.
A third example concerns a defect that could exist within the memory cell's storage capacitor, such as a defect in a nitride layer acting as a dielectric between the memory cell's conductive plates. Such a defect could cause a short within the storage capacitor. Because the storage capacitors are coupled to the DVC.sub.2 voltage generator, a defective capacitor "storing" a 0 volt charge, representing a logic 0, will slowly charge to the DVC.sub.2 level. The closer the storage capacitor approaches a DVC.sub.2 charge, the more likely that a logic 1 value may be misread during the next reading. One way to detect this problem in the prior art is to initiate a static refresh pause, wherein the memory cell's access transistor remains deactivated for a longer time than usual--generally 100 milliseconds. As a result, the capacitor, which should be storing a logic 0, has a longer time to charge to a higher voltage, thereby making an error in the next reading cycle more likely.
Once again, a speedier test is desired. The defect might be detected earlier if the problem were exacerbated to the point where the leaked charge for the stored logic 0 exceeded the equilibrate charge of the digit lines. As a result, a logic 1 would be read from the cell even though it was known that a logic 0 had been written. One could speed up the leakage into the storage capacitor by forcing DVC.sub.2 to a higher voltage. However, the equilibrate voltage of the digit lines would also increase accordingly and remain higher than the voltage of the charge in the storage capacitor. Thus, forcing DVC.sub.2 would not appreciably increase the ability to detect an error unless the equilibration of the digit lines could be slowed. The only way to do this in the prior art is through the use of a costly metal option to change the gate voltage of the bleeder device.


A method for distributing effects of a circumferential hot streak condition in a turbine includes communicating a control signal to a rotator moving a stator ring with the rotator in response to the control signal.

The present invention relates to gas turbine engines, and, more specifically, to a stator of a gas turbine engine.
In a gas turbine engine, air is pressurized in a compressor and mixed with fuel and ignited in a combustor for generating combustion gases having high temperatures. Energy is extracted from the combustion gases in stages of a turbine. The turbine powers the compressor and produces useful work, such as driving a generator to produce power, for example.
Since turbines are continuously exposed to the combustion gases during operation, cooling of turbine components is required. Bleeding a portion of the pressurized air from the compressor and channeling it through the turbine components often provides cooling air to accomplish cooling of turbine components. However, the cooling air is at a premium with respect to overall turbine performance, since useful work has already been done to the cooling air in the compressor. Therefore, it is desirable for turbine performance that an amount of air bled for nozzle cooling be kept to a minimum.
A typical gas turbine directly receives combustion gases from the combustor and includes an initial stage stator and a corresponding initial stage rotor having a plurality of rotor blades or airfoils extending radially outward from a supporting disk. Nozzles disposed around a circumference of each stator stage direct a flow of the combustion gases toward a row of corresponding rotor blades. After the combustion gases pass through the initial stage stator and the initial stage rotor, subsequent stage stators then direct the combustion gases through a corresponding row of rotor blades extending from corresponding subsequent stage rotors. The subsequent stage stators receive lower temperature combustion gases than the initial stage stator and therefore have different cooling requirements. Additionally, individual nozzles within each of the initial and subsequent stator stages often receive combustion gases at different temperatures.
The nozzles of the turbine are designed for durability with extensive lives measured in hours and/or cycles of operation. Such extended life is difficult to achieve since the nozzles are subject to various differential temperatures during operation, which create thermal stresses on the nozzles. Additionally, nozzles are subjected to oxidation or erosion, which are temperature driven, and coating spallation (when applicable), which is driven by both temperature and thermal stress. Suitable nozzle cooling is required to limit thermal stresses and peak metal temperatures to ensure a useful life. However, temperature distributions and heat transfer coefficients of the combustion gases channeled through each nozzle vary significantly and increase the difficulty of providing suitable nozzle cooling.
Ensuring that suitable nozzle cooling is provided to each nozzle is a difficult problem. Turbines often experience localized areas of high temperature within a particular stage. Circumferential and radial variations in combustion exit temperatures create the localized areas of high temperature. An area having a highest temperature relative to surrounding areas is referred to as a hot-streak. Location of a hot streak and the dynamics thereof are not easily predictable, thus applying sufficient cooling to areas in the hot streak is problematic and potentially expensive since complex cooling systems are often required. Rotor blades are typically not significantly impacted by the presence of a circumferential hot streak since their exposure to temperatures associated with the hot streak is limited by rotation of the rotor blades. However, nozzles of a particular stator stage may be exposed to hot streak conditions for extended periods and endure high temperatures and thermal stresses, which shorten nozzle life.
Since hot streak conditions must be considered, nozzle design engineers typically design all nozzles to be able to withstand worst-case temperatures associated with exposure to hot streak conditions. Additionally, maintenance practices have been developed to inspect and replace nozzles after a certain number of running hours, or to extract nozzles and swap their locations in an effort to equalize accumulated part life consumption among the nozzles. Designing a worst-case nozzle capable of extended exposure to hot streak conditions requires additional expense and/or cooling flow requirements. Furthermore, maintenance practices requiring routine replacement or relocation of nozzles add to both expense and system down time, and the need for additional cooling flow diminishes turbine performance.
Accordingly, it is desired to develop a method and system for reducing the impact of hot streak conditions on turbine design to decrease cooling requirements for turbines, which may in turn decrease nozzle manufacturing expense, reduce turbine down time due to nozzle inspection or replacement, and enhance turbine performance.

Method and system for rotating a turbine stator ring


An input circuit includes: an input buffering unit suitable for receiving one or more input data, wherein each toggling time is defined according to a value of each input data; and a data transformation unit suitable for transforming the input data into an output data according to a mapping table and the toggling time of the input data during a data input duration.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor design technology and, more particularly, to a circuit for receiving a signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices such as double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM) receive signals including commands, addresses, and data from external controllers and perform various operations. Semiconductor devices have input circuits to receive these signals. Input circuits are classified into single ended circuits and differential circuits. Single ended circuits are advantageous because they have a simple structure, but are disadvantaged due to their vulnerability to inter symbol interference (ISI), cross talk, and noise. In contrast, the differential structure is advantageous because it is resistant to noise and can operate at high-speeds, but it is disadvantageous because of its complex structure, greater number of channels and greater power consumption. Therefore, design technologies have been developed to supplement these two structures. However, design technology for input circuit hardware has reached its limit.
In the present specification, a signal input circuit and operating method thereof providing a better signal transmission environment through data transformation will be described.

Signal input circuit and operating method thereof


Method and system for a first network device communicating with a second network device are provided. A first duration is compared with a stored maximum pause delay value and the first duration is set as a new maximum pause delay value when the first duration is greater than the maximum pause delay value. The new maximum pause delay value is compared with a programmed pause delay threshold value that indicates a duration after which the first network device will stop sending frames, after the pause frame is received by the first network device. A pause threshold value and the programmed pause delay threshold value are adjusted based on the comparison between the new maximum pause delay value and the programmed pause delay threshold value.

1. Technical Field
The embodiments disclosed herein are related to networks and network devices.
2. Related Art
Networking systems are commonly used to move network information (which may also be referred to interchangeably, as frames, packets, data or commands) between computing systems (for example, servers) or between computing systems and network devices (for example, storage systems). Various hardware and software components are used to implement network communication. Different network and storage protocols may be used to handle network information and storage information.
Network devices use ports to communicate with via links. The ports today communicate at very high speeds. The ports use memory storage (may be referred to as receive buffers) for receiving and temporarily storing information. Managing receive buffers is desirable to avoid overflowing or underutilization of storage space. Continuous efforts are being made to improve.


This method determines an angular position of a rotary element in a system where a magnetic ring rotatably fastened to the rotary element in communication with multiple sensors each suitable for issuing a unitary electric signal representative of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic ring. At least two groups of sensors adapted to generate, based on the unitary sensor signals, at least one combined electric signal representative of the angular position of the magnetic ring. This method comprises; a) verifying the consistency the combined electric signal with at least one given rule b) assessing whether or not each group of sensors is correctly working based on the verification of step a); and if, a first group of sensors is not correctly working, disregarding its combined electric signal and relying on the combined electric signal of at least a second group of sensors for determining an angular position value.

WO-A-2007/077389 discloses Hall effect sensors regularly distributed around a magnetic ring to supply sinusoidal type electric signals that enable the angular position of a rotary element to be determined by computation. If one of the sensors is faulty, then the complete system becomes non-operational.
US-A-2006/0055259 discloses a fault-tolerant magnetic bearing where several sensor sets are used to sense rotor displacements in transverse directions. If a displacement sensor does not work correctly, its output signal is disregarded and compensated, which decreases the accuracy of the measure.

Method and a system for determining the angular position of a rotary element using multiple groups of sensors, and a bearing including such a system


Methods and systems for an automated micro-scheduler testing framework that allows tests to be automatically scheduled or rescheduled based on information such as results of previously-executed tests or other external information are provided. In large-scale development environments, where individual changes to a code repository cannot be specifically fully tested due to scalability and resource issues, micro-scheduler servers may be configured and designed to automatically identify target tests and request that the target tests be executed by a continuous integration system to automatically identify and resolve breakages introduced into a codebase managed by the continuous build system in a large-scale environment.

Release management is the process of managing, planning, scheduling, and controlling a software release through different development stages and environments. The release management process includes, inter alia, building, testing and deploying multiple software versions. The development process is facilitated through a version control system that manages changes to source code files and other files that are provided to the code repository.
The version control system provides changelists for code commits. A code commit is the act of making a set of tentative changes permanent, for example, when a developer commits revised code to a code repository using the version control system. A changelist is a set of changes to code files and other related files that should be treated as an indivisible group. The changes in a changelist represent a logical change in source code and may alter the functionality and behavior of the code. The version control system can provide a consistent view of all the committed changes to a repository at any point in the repository's history. As a result, although there may be 2000 sequential commits in the repository, developers and/or tools can at any time view the state of the repository after an arbitrary number, for example, 512, of commits.
The development process may further be facilitated though a continuous integration system. The continuous integration system, also referred to as a continuous build system, verifies code committed/checked-in to the code repository using an automated build process. The automated build process builds the committed code on a continuous integration (CI) server(s) and runs unit and integration tests on the build. If the unit and integration tests are successful, the CI server informs the developer team of the successful build and may release the build. If the build or tests fail, the CI server alerts the team, who is tasked with identifying and fixing the problem code. The code release is on hold until the development team corrects the errors.
A conventional automated testing framework for deploying changes to an active codebase via a release management system is to submit each changelist, generate a software build integrating the changes from the changelist(s), and execute all tests against the generated software build. If all the tests are successful, the code repository updates the version of the software code to include the tested changelist(s). If any test fails, the changelist is rejected and the changes are not incorporated into the stable version of the software code. Although this conventional automated testing framework improves code error detection by automatically running all tests against each build, as the size of the code base increases over time the amount of time and effort necessary to run all tests against each submitted changelist individually becomes impossible or enormously time consuming. Thus the conventional approach is no longer practical or sustainable. In addition, the amount time need for developers to identify and fix code errors in response to failed test also increases.
One approach to mitigate the above problem is to apply partial testing within the continuous integration environment. This approach is generally automated and attempts to limit the number of tests that are run against active builds based on predefined criteria. Although this system may reduce the time for testing, it has impact on the time required to identify and fix errors based on failed tests. In addition, it introduces an extra potential cost where the time/resources to identify the tests to be run may be outweighed by any gain from the reduced number of tests.

Systems and methods for micro-scheduler testing framework


An automatic focusing apparatus in which the quantity of auxiliary light can be precisely controlled regardless of conditions of an object to be taken is disclosed. The apparatus includes a passive AF sensor unit, a flash device and a main CPU which controls the flash device as an auxiliary light source for the focus detection, so that the flash device intermittently emits flashes of light. The main CPU increases emission time and emission time interval stepwise from the minimum value when the flash device intermittently emits flashes of light as the auxiliary light source upon detection of the focused state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic focusing apparatus for a camera in which a flash light is used as an auxiliary light source, for example, when the brightness or contrast of an object is low.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional passive AF (autofocusing) camera, for example, if the brightness or contrast of an object to be taken is low, an auxiliary light source incorporated in the camera body projects a contrast pattern as auxiliary light onto the object, so that a contrast is produced on an object image received by an AF sensor to detect the focused state based on the object image. However, the provision of the focusing auxiliary light source in addition to a photographing flash lamp increases the manufacturing cost. To solve this, it is known to intermittently emit flashes of light by the flash lamp to thereby obtain auxiliary light for the automatic focusing operation, as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,331.
However, in the emission control system in which flashes of light are intermittently emitted, the integral value of the AF sensor exceeds a processible range by one emission if the object distance is small or the object""s reflectance is high, so that no focusing operation can be carried out. Moreover, if the object distance is large or the object""s reflectance is low, the number of the emissions of auxiliary light is increased, thus leading to an increase in the time necessary to complete an integration process of the AF sensor. Consequently, the significant purpose the auxiliary light, i.e., a quick focus detection and a fast automatic focusing cannot be achieved.
Furthermore, the charge voltage of a voltage doubler condenser to apply a doubled voltage to a xenon tube of the flash lamp is reduced due to the emission of the flash light and is thereafter increased by charging the condenser for a subsequent emission of the flash light. However, if the number of emissions is increased, the power consumption of the flash device is increased, and hence, the time for the subsequent emission of the flash light comes before the charge voltage of the voltage doubler condenser is recovered to a voltage large enough to emit the flash light, thus resulting in a failure of emission. To prevent this, the charge voltage of the flash device at the commencement of the intermittent flashes of light must be set high.
It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above, by providing an automatic focusing apparatus in which the quantity of auxiliary light to be emitted can be precisely controlled, regardless of the conditions of the object to be taken.
To achieve the above mentioned object, an automatic focusing apparatus is provided which includes a focus detector for receiving object light and detecting a focused state of an object, a light emitter for emitting a flash of light toward to the object, and an emission controller for causing the light emitter to intermittently emit flashes of light as an auxiliary light source for detecting the focused state when focus detection cannot be carried out by the focus detector. The emission controller varies stepwise at least one of an emission time and an emission time interval at every predetermined number of emissions, when the light emitter intermittently emits flashes of light as the auxiliary light source.
In an embodiment, the emission controller varies stepwise both the emission time and the emission time interval at every predetermined number of emissions when the light emitter intermittently emits flashes of light as the auxiliary light source.
In an embodiment, the emission controller increases the emission time and/or the emission time interval, as the number of emissions increases.
In an embodiment, the emission time and/or the emission time interval at the commencement of the emission is the controllable shortest time.
Preferably, the emission controller causes the light emitter to intermittently emit flashes of light when the focus detector cannot detect the focused state without emitting auxiliary light.
Preferably, the automatic focusing apparatus is applied to a camera having a controller which moves a focusing lens of a photographing lens in accordance with the detection result of the focus detector, wherein when the focus detector cannot detect the focused state while intermittently emitting flashes of light by the light emitter, the controller moves the focusing lens to a predetermined position and then controls the emission controller so that the focus detector detects the focused state while the emission controller causes the light emitter to intermittently emit flashes of light.
Preferably, the emission controller sets a preset maximum number of the emissions.
Preferably, the focus detector includes an image pickup device which receives object light, converts the object light information into electric signals, and integrates the electric signals as electric charges; and wherein upon intermittent emission of the light emitter, the emission controller stops the intermittent emission of the light emitter when the integral value of the image pickup device reaches a predetermined value before the number of the emissions reaches the preset maximum number.
In an embodiment, the emission time and the emission time interval is defined by a predetermined calculation based on a predetermined reference emission time, a predetermined reference emission time interval, and the number of emissions until the previous emission of the light emitter.
Preferably, the emission time and the emission time interval is defined by the following expressions (1) and (2):
Emission time=reference emission time+correction timexc3x97the emission number÷correction number;xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
and
Emission time interval=reference emission interval+correction intervalxc3x97the emission number÷correction number;xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
wherein the correction time, the correction interval and the correction number are predetermined values.
With the above described arrangements, the quantity of auxiliary light to be emitted by the light emitter can be precisely controlled, regardless of photographic conditions, etc., of the object to be taken.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-151589 (filed on May 31, 1999) which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.


A canister is provided for preventing the emanation of a vaporized fuel gas. The canister is capable of quickly heating the activated carbon through the resistance thereof up to a required temperature at the time of desorption of the vaporized fuel gas. The canister comprises a container having a vaporized fuel gas inlet port and an exit port. An aggregate of activated carbon is filled in the container to adsorb the vaporized fuel gas, and at least a pair of electrodes are provided for heating the activated carbon through the resistance thereof, at the time of desorption of the vaporized fuel gas. A highly electrically conductive activated carbon is used having an electric resistance of not larger than 500 .OMEGA./2.5.sup.3 cm.sup.3.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a canister mounted on an automobile for preventing the emanation of a vaporized fuel gas and, more particularly, to an improvement in the canister comprising a container having a vaporized fuel gas inlet port and an exit port, an aggregate of activated carbon in the container for adsorbing the vaporized fuel gas, and at least a pair of electrodes for heating the activated carbon through the resistance of the activated carbon, at the time of desorption of the vaporized fuel gas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present assignee has previously proposed a canister of this type in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-280694. The activated carbon is heated through the resistance of the activated carbon at the time of desorption of the vaporized fuel gas from the standpoint of raising the temperature of the vaporized fuel gas adsorbed by the activated carbon, in order to enhance the kinetic energy and to promote the desorption of the vaporized fuel gas from the activated carbon.
The canister is deteriorated by the accumulation of residual gas that remains adsorbed by the activated carbon but is not desorbed. In order to enhance the durability of the canister, the desorption must be effected efficiently and to a sufficient degree.
In the widely known canister using general activated carbon, however, an electric current flows in small amounts between the two electrodes due to a high electric resistance and, as a result, there is a problem that it is difficult to heat the activated carbon up to a required temperature.

Canister for preventing the emanation of a vaporized fuel gas


A method of sharing multimedia data, comprising:                a step of inserting multimedia data into a space administered by an author;        a step of the author establishing a list of approved persons receiving a right of access to the multimedia data contained in the space administered by the author, those persons forming a virtual community;        a step of authenticating a visitor requesting access to the space administered by the author;        a step of informing the author of the identity of the authenticated visitor;        a step of the author automatically launching an interactive real time communication session with the authenticated user.

1. Field of the Invention
The technical field of the invention is multimedia.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, with the use of devices including digital cameras, people are producing more and more multimedia data. They wish to be able to share this data with other persons (family, friends, sport team, working group) and comment on their data in real time.
A large number of web sites enable the sharing of multimedia contents. However, the consultation of multimedia documents thereon is not interactive.
Blogs, a catch-all term derived from the contraction of web and log, also enable the sharing of multimedia contents. Blogs are Internet sites for free and occasional self-expression in the form of texts, hypertext links and/or images published as and when contributors see fit and in reverse chronological order, often by a single author and on a personal basis. Personal blogs enable a person to display his ideas, his moods day by day, and visitors can post their reactions to the content of the blog. Blogs are very successful, to the point that several search engines are dedicated to them (for example Technorait, Feedster, Sphere). It is estimated that the number of blogs doubles every six months and that several tens of millions of them exist. The most widespread use of the blog is the on-line diary or the travel journal. Some persons create blogs to share their passions or to publish amateur or professional photographs. There are also opinion blogs maintained by professional journalists or politicians, as well as corporate blogs. Blogs can be updated from mobile terminals. A blog generally contains the following elements:                messages (posts) in reverse chronological order;        the archives of the blog, which can be consulted by date;        the list of external links (blogroll), this list showing the mutual recognition by the authors of their belonging to the same virtual community;        the RSS (Rich Site Summary, Really Simple Syndication) feed supplying a description, structured by tags, of the various elements of a blog: titles of posts, content, date, author, links.
Blogs have a number of drawbacks. They can in theory be consulted by anyone browsing the Internet and generally do not provide for the creation of closed or conditional access virtual communities. The blogger can assume a false name and pseudonyms are frequently used. The blogger is not visible and in a face-to-face relationship with his public. What is more, the vast majority of blogs do not enable real time interaction. Moreover, the multimedia documents in them are not properly protected against illegal copying.
The Windows Live Spaces platform from Microsoft links the old functions of the old MSM Spaces platform to the MSN Messenger instant messaging software, a Friends Explorer module enabling users to invite their friends and to contact the friends of their contacts. Windows Live Spaces enables the creation of personal spaces and personal communities with conditional access: the default parameter settings limit to the Windows Live Messenger list of friends the right to access the space of the author of the web pages, who can thus specify who can contact him, who can consult his profile and who can view the content of his space.
There are also known Internet videoconference systems (for example WebeX Meeting Center, Microsoft Live Meeting, Citrix GoTo Meeting, Groove Virtual Office, eZmeeting), these systems having many applications, for example tele-engineering, distance learning (e-learning), work meetings. The videoconference is an audiovisual teleconference service providing real time bidirectional transfer of voice and animated color images as well as computer data between groups of users located in at least two different places, in point-to-point mode or multipoint mode. VRVS (Virtual Room Videoconferencing System), for example, enables reservation of virtual conference rooms on Mbone or in the H323 protocol. An H323 terminal is equipped with software such as Netmeeting from Microsoft or Ekiga, for example.
Videoconference systems have drawbacks. In particular, multimedia documents cannot be viewed outside a session, the session having to be open before the publication of multimedia documents.
The applicant has developed two applications for interactive television over IP: AmigoTV and MyOwnTV.
The interactive television technology called AmigoTV enables the user to share opinions and emotions within a community. If a number of friends are watching the same television program, using AmigoTV, they can comment live, their voices passing over the Internet, six persons being able to communicate at the same time. To discover who is connected to his television and the channel he is watching, it suffices to use the remote control to consult a menu where all this information is shown in real time, the presence of the members of the community being indicated by overlaid avatars. AmigoTV also enables sending of images and sounds chosen from a catalog, to illustrate one's mood in response to a televised event.
MyOwnTV is another triple play offer centered on the user, enabling users to share multimedia contents (photographs, videos) within a restricted circle, an integrated videophone service providing, in the future, for dialog within the virtual community. The multimedia contents are viewed by the members of the community using a television/decoder combination. With this solution, there is no real time interaction and the mobile environment is not taken into account. Data is protected by authentication and there are no means for controlling the use of the documents and in particular copying thereof.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,607 describes a device and a method for displaying and sharing images via the Internet. Digital images (photos or videos) are sent to a server, an electronic mail being sent automatically to a list of persons selected by the sender of the images, this automatic mail informing those persons of new images deposited on the server. Information such as IP address, telephone number, description of the images can be attached to the images sent to the server. If a person clicks on an image, they initiate an IP telephone conversation with the author.
The invention aims to propose a service enabling sharing of multimedia contents within a community, this service not having the drawbacks of the existing services.

Method for interactive real time sharing of multimedia data, server, and interactive real time communication network


An optically powered drive circuit and a method for controlling a first semiconductor switch are provided. The optically powered drive circuit includes a photovoltaic cell configured to receive a first light signal from a fiber optic cable and to output a first voltage in response to the first light signal. The optically powered drive circuit further includes an energy storage device electrically coupled to the photovoltaic cell configured to store electrical energy received from the first voltage and to output a second voltage. The optically powered drive circuit further includes an electrical circuit electrically coupled to both the photovoltaic cell and the energy storage device. The electrical circuit is energized by the second voltage. The electrical circuit is configured to receive the first voltage and to output a third voltage in response to the first voltage for controlling operation of the first semiconductor switch.

Electrical gate drives have been developed for controlling semiconductor switches used for energizing a load. The gate drive is electrically coupled to an external voltage source via at least two electrical conductors. A drawback with this design is that electromagnetic interference (EMI) can degrade operational performance of the gate drive by inducing undesired voltages and/or currents in the conductor. This condition can create two types of problems: 1) unintentional turn-on or unintentional turn-off of the gate drive, and 2) electromagnetic radiation from high frequency currents flowing down the wires.
The inventors herein have recognized a need for an improved gate drive that can be optically powered and controlled and that reduces and/or eliminates the foregoing deficiencies.

Optically powered drive circuit and method for controlling a semiconductor switch


Functional chromium and chromium-alloy deposits are obtained from an electroplating solution having substantially the composition: 22 g/l Cr.sup.+3 ; 250 g/l KCl; 63 g/l H.sub.3 BO.sub.3 ; 30 g/l HCO.sub.2.sup.= ; 15 g/lKBr; and 120 ppm of a wetting agent. The plating solution provides improved efficiency, stress values and appearance over the prior art, and is tolerant of metallic iron and ionic iron and ammonium.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of chromium electroplating. More particularly, the present invention is in the field of plating functional chromium and chromium alloys from a solution containing trivalent chromium where the solution contains minimal ammonium ion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Chromium is traditionally electroplated from electrolytes containing hexavalent chromium, but many attempts over the last fifty years have been made to develop a commercially acceptable process for electroplating chromium using electrolytes containing only trivalent chromium ions. The incentive to use electrolytes containing trivalent chromium salts arises because hexavalent chromium presents serious health and environmental hazards; hexavalent chromium ion and solutions from which it can be plated have technical limitations including the ever-increasing cost of disposing of plating baths and rinse water. Further, the operation of plating from baths containing substantially hexavalent chromium ion has operational limits which increase the probability of producing commercially unacceptable deposits.
The problems associated with electroplating chromium from solutions containing trivalent chromium ions are primarily concerned with reactions at both the anode and cathode, plating rate, hardness, and thickness of the ultimate coating. Other factors which are important for commercial processes are the material, equipment and operational costs.
In order to achieve a commercial process, the precipitation of chromium hydroxy species at the cathode surface must be minimized to the extend that there is a sufficient supply of dissolved, i.e., solution-free, chromium (III) complexes at the plating surface, and that the reduction of chromium ions is promoted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,737 describes a trivalent chromium electroplating process in which the electrolyte comprises aquo chromium (III) thiocyanate complexes. The thiocyanate ligand stabilizes the chromium ions, inhibiting the formation of precipitated chromium (III) salts at the cathode surface during plating, and also promotes the reduction of chromium (III) ions. United Kingdom patent specification No. 1,591,051 describes an electrolyte comprising chromium thiocyanate complexes in which the source of chromium is a cheap and readily available chromium (III) salt such as chromium sulfate.
Improvements in performance, i.e., efficiency or plating rate, plating range and temperature range, have been achieved by the addition of a complexant which provides one of the ligands for the chromium thiocyanate complex. These complexants, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,431, comprise amino acids such as glycine and aspartic acid, formates, acetates or hypophosphites. As described in that publication, the improvement in performance depends on the ligand used. The complexant ligand is effective at the cathode surface, to inhibit further the formation of precipitated chromium (III) species. It is noted in that patent that the improvement in performance permitted a substantial reduction in the concentration of chromium ions in the electrolyte, without the process ceasing to be commercially viable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,512, practical electrolytes comprising chromium thiocyanate complexes are described; these electrolytes contain less than 30 millimoles of chromium, the thiocyanate and complexant being reduced in proportion. The reduction in chromium concentration has several desirable effects. Initially, the treatment of rinse waters is simplified; secondly, the color of the chromium deposit is reportedly significantly lighter.
Oxidation of chromium and other constituents of the electrolyte at the anode are known to inhibit plating progressively and rapidly. Additionally, some electrolytes result in anodic evolution of toxic gases. An electroplating bath having an anolyte separated from a catholyte by a perfluorinated cation-exchange membrane, described in United Kingdom patent specification No. 1,602,404, successfully overcomes these problems. Alternatively, an additive, which undergoes oxidation at the anode in preference to chromium or other constituents, can be made to the electrolyte. While a suitable additive is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,548, one clear disadvantage of using a consumable additive is the ongoing expense.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,091, Benaben et al. show the use of trivalent chromium ion in a solution with low pH where the thickness of the plate approaches functional values. The chromium ion is obtained by reduction of chromium trioxide.

Functional plating from solutions containing trivalent chromium ion


A warp knitted fabric having the isotropy of strength. The warp knitted fabric is provided with a fabric weave and insertion yarn groups (14, 16). The insertion yarn group (14) comprises four yarns (Y4a-Y4d) of the same type. The insertion yarn group (16) comprises four yarns (Y5a-Y5d) of the same type. The yarns (Y4a-Y4d, Y5a-Y5d) are inserted into a warp-knitted fabric weave in the warp direction while being arranged parallel to each other at an interval of one wale in the weft direction. Each of the yarns (Y4a-Y4d, Y5a-Y5d) comprises a portion (14a) extending as a whole in the direction crossing the warp direction, a portion (14b) extending as a whole in the direction crossing the warp direction, and a portion (14c) extending as a whole in the direction extending along the warp direction and connecting the portions (14a, 14b) to each other. One of the yarns (Y4a-Y4d) is overlapped with a corresponding one of the yarns (Y5a-Y5d) when viewed from the thickness direction.

There is a conventionally known garment (girdle) having belt-like tightening portions (e.g., cf. Patent Literature 1 below). The tightening portions are knitted by a warp knitting machine in such a manner that portions with a relatively strong tightening force and portions with a relatively weak tightening force switch in the longitudinal direction thereof. The portions with the relatively strong tightening force of the tightening portions are located at positions corresponding to front center areas of wearer's thighs when a wearer wears the girdle. The portions with the relatively weak tightening force of the tightening portions are located so as to surround the thighs in regions except for the front center areas of the thighs when the wearer wears the girdle. For this reason, the portions with the relatively strong tightening force strongly tighten the wearer's quadricepses while the portions with the relatively strong tightening force and the portions with the relatively weak tightening force adequately tighten the wear's entire thighs; therefore, the wearer can kick legs to full extension during walking while keeping an excellent shape.
There is another conventionally known garment (girdle) having portions with a relatively strong tightening force and portions with a relatively weak tightening force (e.g., cf. Patent Literature 2 below). This girdle comprises a warp knitted fabric having belt-like and curved continuous patterns of the portions with the relatively strong tightening force and the portions with the relatively weak tightening force. In the girdle, the belt-like and curved portions with the relatively strong tightening force and with the relatively weak tightening force are arranged from below bulges of buttocks to sides. For this reason, the portions with the relatively strong tightening force and with the relatively weak tightening force provide the girdle with a function of lifting the buttocks so as to keep the buttocks in shape.
Furthermore, there is a conventionally known warp knitted fabric configured so that patterns are knitted along with a ground structure comprising a series of loops in the warp direction (e.g., cf. Patent Literature 3 below). This warp knitted fabric has plural types of ground knit regions different in weft-directional swings of elastic yarns inserted in the loops, and the plural types of ground knit regions are repeatedly continued in the warp direction.

Warp knitted fabric, method of manufacturing the same, and knit structure of warp knitted fabric


A pendant which provides a large, prominent alert button comprises a GPS device for locating a lost child. The child user may wear the pendant and may press the alert button to alert authorities, family, and friends. The pendant then sends a location query to GPS, obtains the child user's GPS coordinates, and transmits the GPS coordinates within a distress message. This distress message may be received by authorities, by the child user's parent, or other responsible parties via a mobile application which may be installed on a smartphone or other mobile electronic device. The pendant may also be activated by the parent via the mobile application. In alternate embodiments, a microchip GPS can be inserted just under the skin, or a contact lens tracking device. The device can also aid in the search for people lost in avalanches, earthquakes, and those lost at sea.

The invention relates generally to Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and in particular to a GPS device for locating a lost child. A child becoming lost or abducted is every parent's worst fear. Various tracking devices have been developed, but each has been unsatisfactory in its own way. A device that enables Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking which may be easily worn as a pendant, a contact, or inserted under the skin of the child, will enable the user to discreetly track a child who is at risk of becoming lost. A GPS device for locating a lost child, which may be used by a parent or other caretaker to cause a location query from a pendant in a lost child's possession, and then acquires that location information, would resolve this problem.


A method for producing a joint connection for torque-transmitting connection of a component (1) provided with spur gear teeth (13) with a constant velocity joint (2) provided with corresponding spur gear teeth (11). The spur gear teeth can be brought into interengagement by applying an axial engaging force and have flanks (25) that contact each other as functional surfaces. The invention also relates to a joint connection of the aforementioned type.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a joint connection for the torque-transmitting connection of a component provided with spur gear teeth with a constant velocity joint provided with corresponding spur gear teeth, such that the spur gear teeth can be brought into interengagement by means for applying an axial bias and have flanks that contact each other as functional surfaces. The invention also relates to such a joint connection.
Flange connections for connecting a joint in a torque-transmitting and releasable manner to any other component, such as a shaft, are known in the art, but they require too much space for some applications.
Also known in the art is the insertion of a spline shaft into a correspondingly contoured bore of the joint to produce a torque transmitting connection. However, this connection requires a comparatively large axial assembly displacement path.
Beier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,960 (=DE 36 36 243), and published German application nos. DE 43 10 007 and DE 43 10 008 therefore propose joint connections where the outer hub of a joint is provided with spur gear teeth engageable for torque transmission with corresponding spur gear teeth on another component.
Van Dest et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,008 (=DE 197 51 855), published German application no. DE 199 58 674 and Krude, U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,570 (=DE 101 27 458) further describe a connection assembly where the outer hub of a joint can be coupled to a connecting element by spur gear teeth. These spur gear teeth may to a large extent be produced in a non-cutting or chipless forming process. The production of these spur gear teeth could be improved, however, with respect to both the manufacturing costs and the manufacturing accuracy of the spur gear teeth.

Method for producing a joint connection and joint connection


This invention is directed to a sustained release composition comprised of Compound (A) having the formula

This invention pertains to a sustained release complex, Compound (I), which comprises Compound (A), having the formula
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a copolymer comprising poly-(I)-lactic-glycolic-tartaric acid (P(I)LGT), wherein the amino group of said Compound (A) is ionically bound to a carboxyl group of the P(I)LGT. The present invention further pertains to a process for making said sustained release complex. Further still, the present invention is directed to a pharmaceutical composition comprising said sustained release complex and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier(s).
Further, since Compound (A) is an analogue of somatostatin and it is well known to those skilled in the art that the known and potential uses of somatostatin are varied and multitudinous, this invention is also directed to the use of Compound (A), Compound (I) or microparticles of Compound (I) to treat a disease or condition in a patient in need thereof, which comprises administering Compound (A), Compound (I) or microparticles of Compound (I) to said patient, wherein the diseases or conditions to be treated are selected from the group consisting of gastroenterological conditions and/or diseases, such as Crohn's disease, systemic sclerosis, external and internal pancreatic pseudocysts and ascites, VIPoma, nesidoblastosis, hyperinsulinism, gastrinoma, Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, diarrhea, AIDS related diarrhea, chemotherapy related diarrhea, scleroderma, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, pancreatitis, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, postprandial portal venous hypertension especially in cirrhotic patients, complications of portal hypertension, small bowel obstruction, gastroesophageal reflux, duodenogastric reflux and in treating endocrinological diseases and/or conditions, such as Cushing's Syndrome, gonadotropinoma, hyperparathyroidism, Graves' Disease, diabetic neuropathy, macular degeneration, hypercalcemia of malignancy, Paget's disease, and polycystic ovary disease; in treating various types of cancer such as thyroid cancer, leukemia, meningioma and conditions associated with cancer such as cancer cachexia; in the treatment of such conditions as hypotension such as orthostatic hypotension and postprandial hypotension and panic attacks.
Many drug delivery systems have been developed, tested and utilized for the controlled in vivo release of pharmaceutical compositions. For example, polyesters such as poly(DL-lactic acid), poly(glycolic acid), poly(ε-caprolactone) and various other copolymers have been used to release biologically active molecules such as progesterone; these have been in the form of microcapsules, films or rods (M. Chasin and R. Langer, editors, Biodegradable Polymers as Drug Delivery Systems, Dekker, NY 1990). Upon implantation of the polymer/therapeutic agent composition, for example, subcutaneously or intramuscularly, the therapeutic agent is released over a specific period of time. Such bio-compatible biodegradable polymeric systems are designed to permit the entrapped therapeutic agent to diffuse from the polymer matrix. Upon release of the therapeutic agent, the polymer is degraded in vivo, obviating surgical removal of the implant. Although the factors that contribute to polymer degradation are not well understood, it is believed that such degradation for polyesters may be regulated by the accessibility of ester linkages to non-enzymatic autocatalytic hydrolysis of the polymeric components.
Several EPO publications and U.S. Patents have addressed issues of polymer matrix design and its role in regulating the rate and extent of release of therapeutic agents in vivo.
For example, Deluca (EPO Publication 0 467 389 A2) describes a physical interaction between a hydrophobic biodegradable polymer and a protein or polypeptide. The composition formed was a mixture of a therapeutic agent and a hydrophobic polymer that sustained its diffusional release from the matrix after introduction into a subject.
Hutchinson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,628) controlled the release of a therapeutic agent by uniform dispersion in a polymeric device. It is disclosed that this formulation provides for controlled continuous release by the overlap of two phases: first, a diffusion-dependent leaching of the drug from the surface of the formulation; and second, releasing by aqueous channels induced by degradation of the polymer.
PCT publication WO 93/24150 discloses a sustained release formulation comprising a peptide having a basic group and a carboxy-terminated polyester.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,052 describes cation-exchanging microparticles made typically of carboxyl-bearing polyester chains onto which basic bioactive agents are immobilized to provide a control release system within an absorbable gel-forming liquid polyester.
Compound (A) is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,520, which is assigned to the assignee hereof.
PCT publication WO 97/40085, assigned to the assignee hereof, discloses biodegradable polyesters comprising lactic acid units, glycolic acid units and hydroxy-polycarboxylic acid units such as tartaric acid or pamoic acid and processes for making said polyesters. More specifically, it discloses poly-lactide-glycolide-tartaric acid polymers in the ratio 65/33/2, respectively.
PCT publication WO 94/15587, assigned to the assignee hereof, discloses ionic conjugates of polyesters having free COOH groups with a bioactive peptide having at least one effective ionogenic amine. More specifically, it discloses that the polymers are made polycarboxylic by reacting the co-polymers with malic acid or citric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,659, is the U.S. national phase continuation application of WO 94/15587. U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,985 is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,659. Pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/237,405 is a CIP of U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,985, which additionally discloses a polyester which must include citric acid, ε-caprolactone and glycolide; compositions comprising the immediately foregoing polyesters and a polypeptide; a polyester that must include tartaric acid as one of its members; compositions comprising the immediately foregoing polyester and a polypeptide; and the foregoing compositions in the shape of rods which are optionally coated with a biodegradable polymer.
PCT publication WO 97/39738, assigned to the assignee hereof, discloses a method of making microparticles of a sustained release ionic conjugate as described in WO 94/15587.
The contents of the foregoing patents, applications and publications are incorporated herein in their entirety.
The present invention is directed to a preferred embodiment of a sustained release ionic conjugate of polymer poly-lactide-glycolide-tartaric acid and Compound (A), also known as Compound (I), which is characterized by the surprising and non-obvious property of zero-order release of Compound (A) from the conjugate. More preferably, the ionic conjugate, Compound (I), is in the form of microparticles.

Sustained release formulation of a peptide

Abstract: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a copolymer comprised of poly-(I)-lactic-glycolic-tartaric acid wherein the amino group of Compound (A) is ionically bound to a carboxyl group of the copolymer and wherein further the composition may be made into a sustained release pharmaceutical composition with pharmaceutically acceptable carrier(s).

Societe de Conseils de Recherches et d'Applications Scientifiques, SAS


Heart and brain fatty acid binding proteins (H-FABP, B-FABP) are markers for TSEs, especially CJD. The invention provides a diagnostic assay for either of these markers, preferably by enzyme immunoassay using a specific antibody thereto. Since H-FABP is also a marker for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), to distinguish CJD from AMI requires an assay specific to AMI, e.g. using troponin-1 or CK-MB as a marker, also to be carried out.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of diagnostic assay using a protein or an antibody thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system. They can be transmitted, inherited or occur sporadically and are observed in animals, e.g. as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle or scrapie in sheep, as well as in humans as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstman Straussler Scheinker syndrome, Fatal Familial Insomnia or Kuru. They have a long incubation period, leading to ataxia, dementia, psychiatric disturbances and death. Neuropathological changes include vacuolar degeneration of brain tissue, astrogliosis and amyloid plaque formation. The diseases are difficult to diagnose pre-mortem.
The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of CJD patients displays two additional polypeptide by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [Harrington, M. G. New England Journal of Medicine 315, 279 (1986), Hsich, G., Kenney, K., Gibbs, C. J., Lee, K. H. & Harrington, M. B. New England Journal of Medicine 335, 924 (1996).] The function of these 14-3-3 polypeptides remain unclear in TSE. They can be used in a pre-mortem test for CJD diagnostic evaluation, but have low specificity.
Monoclonal antibodies to the abnormal form of prion protein are available and can be used in an enzyme-linked immunoassay, as described in PCT Specifications WO 98/23962 and 98/32710 and Schmerr, M. J., the Beckman Coulter Pace Setter Newsletter 3(2),1-4 (June 1999), but these procedures have not yet been fully developed.
Development of new non-invasive blood CAD and BSE markers would help clinicians to establish early diagnosis.

Diagnostic assay for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies


The first aspect of the present invention provides a foamed structure, comprising: a first foamed body extending in a first direction; a second foamed body extending in the first direction and facing the first foamed body with a gap interposed therebetween; and a reinforcement disposed in the gap between the first foamed body and the second foamed body, the reinforcement having an elongated shape, wherein the first foamed body has a portion overlapping with the second foamed body in the first direction view.

Resin panels have been used for various purposes such as for automobiles, building materials, for sports and leisure. Each of the resin panels is laminate body in which foamed structure containing one or more foaming bodies made of foamed resin is covered with cover material.
In addition, the resin panels, in which the foamed body as interior material is covered with cover material, are used for various purposes such as for automobiles, building materials, for sports and leisure.
Resin laminated bodies also has been used for various purposes such as for automobiles, building materials, for sports and leisure. The resin laminated bodies are constructed by covering the foamed structure including one or more foaming bodies made of foamed resin with cover material. Then, the resin laminated body with protrusion or recesse are known.
Patent Literature 1 discloses that a reinforcement is interposed between two foaming bodies in order to improve the rigidity and strength of the foamed structure. In addition, Patent Literature 1 discloses that the reinforcement is interposed between two foamed portions constituting the interior material in order to reinforce resin panel locally.
Patent Literature 2 discloses resin panel formed by interior material in hollow portion. In the interior material, a reinforcing member is fitted in a spacing member made of thermoplastic foamed body, and the spacing member and the reinforcing member are integrated. This integrated members is installed in the resin panel.
Patent Literature 3 discloses a deck board (example of resin laminated body) formed with a hook housing portion that houses and holds a hook. Patent Literature 3 discloses that the hook could be securely held in a fitting recess of the hook housing portion by making a width on inlet side in the depth direction smaller than a width on a depth side in the depth direction.

Foamed structure, resin panel, method of manufacturing resin panel, method of manufacturing resin laminated body and foamed body


The present invention provides an interconnect cable having an electroluminescent element disposed therein in order to facilitate locating the interconnect cable. The electroluminescent element is activated by a driver that may be selectively applied to specified driver ports located on end connectors of the cable. The electroluminescent element may be incorporated within the entire length of the cable, or only along selected sections of the cable.

Computer and communication networks rely on patch or interconnect cables to connect components of the networks to one another. To facilitate troubleshooting, maintenance, and reconfiguration of signal paths used within the networks, it is critical that each and every interconnect cable be identified as to its origination and termination. This identification requires recordation of each and every connection. In networks with a large number of interconnected components, keeping accurate track of and managing the connections becomes a significant effort. Network problems may occur if interconnections are not accurately and timely recorded.
In the maintenance of patch panels, paper-based documentation is still widely used. With large networks, the documentation may be recorded in the form of record books where each of the connections are manually recorded. Paper-based documentation obviously has disadvantages in terms of required effort and accuracy.
Verifying existing connections when network problems arise can be extremely time consuming. When a cable has become inadvertently disconnected from its patch panel, or in the attempt to identify a particular cable within a large network, the recorded documentation may provide some assistance, but the documentation alone does not locate the actual position of the cable or its path between connected components.
Automated systems have been developed for monitoring and recording cable connections; however, these known systems require specialized patch panels that monitor connections at the panel, displays on patch panel racks, and LEDs on patch panel ports. Additionally, such systems require special software for administering the patch panel connections. These systems are still deficient in providing the capability to locate an end of a cable that has become disconnected from its port, or a cable that is connected to a port other than the port recorded as being the designated port for the particular cable.


An anti-stall and bias control for a hydrostatic drive train system is disclosed. The system is used on a hydrostatic drive vehicle with an engine coupled to a first and second hydraulic pump. The first and second hydraulic pumps are coupled to first and second drive motors which drive wheels of the vehicle. The power to the drive motors is controlled by a control unit which output signals proportional to the desired power output from the motors. An engine speed sensor determines the speed of the engine. The control circuit reads the engine speed and determines whether the engine is in a stall condition. If the engine is in a stall condition, the control circuit scales the control signals of the first and second motor to reduce power output. A bias control is also provided to allow the vehicle operator to select greater relative power to either the first or second motor. The bias control outputs a bias signal which is read by the control unit. The bias signal is converted into a scaling value which is multiplied by the control signal to the nonselected motor to reduce power of the motor.

A common propulsion drive for work vehicles such as skid steers is a hydrostatic drive system. Hydrostatic drives are advantageous because they are capable of providing a range of different speeds without the need for mechanical gearing assemblies. Hydrostatic drives are based on a hydraulic pump or pumps which are powered by the engine of the work vehicle. The engine is a conventional diesel or gasoline engine having a flywheel which turns the pump. Thus, the pump speed and corresponding fluid flow rate is directly proportional to the engine speed.
The hydraulic pump has a displacement chamber for hydraulic fluid. The fluid flow is controlled by a swash plate which controls the length of the displacement chamber. The length of the displacement chamber moderates the hydraulic fluid flow produced by the pump. The pump is fluidly connected to hydraulic devices such as hydraulic cylinders for driving various actuators, such as lift arms or ground stabilizers, attached to the work vehicle. The hydraulic pump is also fluidly connected to a drive motor. The fluid flow from the pump causes the drive motor to rotate the axles which drive the wheels and in turn the work vehicle. Typically, the right and left wheels of a work vehicle have separate motors.
Present hydrostatic drive trains are susceptible to stalling the engine by placing too much strain on the hydraulic pump due to an increase in power demand. When too much hydraulic fluid flow is required for driving the vehicle or operate hydraulic actuators, the engine may stall, thus cutting off all hydraulic fluid flow from the pumps. Additionally, there may be circumstances where it is desirable to supply additional hydraulic fluid flow to one of the side motors. This may occur in the case of an imbalanced load or travel on a slanted surface.
Such differences in power to the right and left side motors must be addressed manually by the work vehicle operator. Such an adjustment is difficult for an operator to maintain. Additionally, when an operator fails to properly control fluid flow, the engine may stall out. Finally, although hydrostatic drive trains provide precise turning control, often an operator cannot take advantage of this feature since manual precision operation of both motors is difficult to maintain.
Thus, there exists a need for an electronic hydrostatic drivetrain controller which prevents an engine from stalling. Further, there is a need for an electronic hydrostatic drive controller which provides automatic compensation for additional loads placed on different hydrostatic motors. Finally, there is a need for a hydrostatic drive controller which provides precise control of power from either drive motor in a work vehicle.


Methods and apparatus are provided for adjusting receiver gain based on received signal envelope detection. The gain of a received signal is adjusted by obtaining a plurality of samples of the received signal for a given unit interval; determining an amplitude of the received signal based on the samples; and adjusting a receiver gain based on the determined amplitude. The received signal can be sampled, for example, using a plurality of latches. The value of the received signal can then be estimated by evaluating one or more of the latch values. Once the amplitude of the received signal is determined, one or more latches can be positioned at a desired target amplitude and the receiver gain can be adjusted until the amplitude of the received signal is within a desired tolerance of the specified target value.

Transmitters and receivers in many communication systems employ gain control techniques to adjust the signal levels of various amplifier stages. Analog and digital automatic gain control (AGC) circuits are well-known in the art. For example, AGC circuits are frequently used in transmitters or receivers in the field of cellular, wireless, and spread-spectrum wireless communication systems.
The AGC function may be employed to bring a newly acquired signal at the input of the receiver into the dynamic range of the receiver when a communication link is first established. Thereafter, the AGC function typically continually adjusts the overall receiver gain to compensate for fluctuations in received signal strength associated with fading, interference, periods of "silence" between data frames, or similar interruptions of the signal level.
Such gain control circuitry is often employed to maintain a constant level in the front end of a receiver, including the amplification and RF/IF demodulation stages. The constant level is maintained such that the output (demodulated) baseband signal level of the receiver remains within well-defined limits, even though many factors may vary gain levels within each component of the front end.
Typically, gain control problems were solved using analog receive signal strength detectors, rectification and averaging techniques, or other control loops based on signal amplitude or energy averaging. Receive signal strength detectors, however, require expensive circuits and control loops that are prone to steady state oscillation. A need therefore exists for improved methods and apparatus for automatic gain control. A further need exists for techniques for adjusting the gain of a received signal based on received signal envelope detection.

Method and apparatus for adjusting receiver gain based on received signal envelope detection