A method for producing a cast component is provided. The method includes attaching a ceramic mold to a seed crystal body, the ceramic mold including a cavity defining the shape of the cast component and a seed crystal body interface having a complementary shape to the seed crystal body such that the seed crystal body may be capable of supporting the ceramic mold in a casting oven. The method also includes pouring a liquid metal into the mold such that the crystal seed portion contributes to controlled crystallization of the cast component.

A gas turbine engine generally includes at least one compressor to pressurize air to be channeled into a combustor. The engine may include at least one combustor in which at least a portion of the channeled pressurized air is mixed with fuel and ignited. Hot gasses from the compressor flow downstream through at least one turbine section. Each turbine section has rotating blades rotating about an axis and contained within an engine housing. The turbine section or sections can power anyone of the compressor, a fan, a shaft, and/or may provide thrust through expansion through a nozzle.
The turbine blades and/or stator vanes in the turbine portions must be able to withstand thermal stresses due to high temperatures and large temperature fluctuations as well as forces due to the high rotational speed experienced during normal operation of the turbine. As the pressure ratio and efficiency of turbines have increased, the thermal stresses the high pressure and low pressure turbine portion are exposed to have also increased. Accordingly, in combination with manufacturing components of the turbine (for example, turbine blades and stator vanes) from a high-temperature resistant material, effective cooling of the turbine blades, stator vanes and other components have become increasingly important and challenging. To counteract the radiation and convection of heat to the turbine section, several heat removal techniques have been employed in the past; fluid cooling is generally employed to prolong the life of the turbine components. Further, small cooling holes have been drilled though the blade at angles optimized to remove heat and provide a thermal barrier on the surface of each airfoil surface of the turbine blades and stator vanes. Passages are also formed within the turbine and/or stator vanes to provide convection cooling of the surface of each airfoil.
The desire for increased cooling efficiency within turbine engine has led to complex internal cooling passages within turbine components. Conventional techniques for manufacturing engine parts and components involve the process of investment or lostwax casting. One example of investment casting involves the manufacture of a typical blade used in a gas turbine engine. A turbine blade and/or stator vane typically includes hollow airfoils that have radial channels extending along the span of a blade having at least one or more inlets for receiving pressurized cooling air during operation of the engine. Various cooling passages in a blade typically include a serpentine channel disposed in the middle of the airfoil between the leading and trailing edges. The airfoil typically includes inlets extending through the blade for receiving pressurized cooling air, which include local features such as short turbulator ribs or pins for increasing the heat transfer between the heated sidewalls of the airfoil and the internal cooling air.
The manufacture of these turbine blades, typically from high strength, superalloy metal materials, involves numerous steps, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. As shown in FIG. 1, forming a cast component using traditional investment casting typically includes steps of: machining of dies for the outer wax structure and for ceramic cores 101, molding and firing the ceramic cores 102, molding a wax pattern with ceramic core 103, wax assembly prep 104, dipping the wax assembly in ceramic slurry 105, drying the ceramic slurry to provide a shell 106, dewaxing the shell 107, casting and leaching 108, and drilling cooling holes 109.
In the above-mentioned process, a precision ceramic core 200 is manufactured to conform to the serpentine cooling passages desired inside the turbine blade. A precision die or mold is also created which defines the precise 3-D external surface of the turbine blade including its airfoil, platform, and integral dovetail. The ceramic core 200 is assembled inside two die halves which form a space or void therebetween that define the resulting metal portions of the blade. A relatively rigid wax and/or plastic is injected into the assembled dies to fill the void and surround the ceramic core 200, at which point the ceramic core 200 is encapsulated within the wax. The two die halves are split apart and removed to expose and remove the rigid wax and/or plastic that has the precise configuration of the desired blade formed of a molded wax 211. The molded wax blade 211 with encapsulated ceramic core 200 is then attached to a wax tree structure 212. The wax tree structure 212 is formed of a paraffin wax or any wax that is less rigid than the wax used to form the molded wax blade 211. Because the wax of the wax tree 212 will ultimately define a flowpath for molten metal into the ceramic mold, the dimensional accuracy of the outer surface of the wax used to form the tree structure 212 is less crucial. Thus, a softer wax is generally used to form the individual paths of the wax tree 212 than for the precisely molded wax blade 211 of the desired wax blade. The wax blade 211 requires pins 205 for holding the core in place. The tree structure 212 may include a funnel shaped portion 214 for adding molten metal to the mold. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the tree structure 212 also includes a ceramic filter 213 for filtration of molten metal in the casting operation.
After wax injection and the attachment of wax passageways 212 which form the wax tree structure, the entire wax tree structure 212, ceramic filter 213, and wax turbine blade 211 is then coated with a ceramic material to form a ceramic shell 206, 204 as shown in FIG. 3. Then, the wax is melted and removed from the ceramic shell 206, leaving a corresponding void or space 201,207 between the ceramic shell 206 and the internal ceramic core 200. Further, once the wax tree structure 212 is melted, the ceramic shell 204 defines a flow path in fluid communication with the void or space 201, 207. After the wax is removed, the ceramic core is held in place by pins 205. As shown in FIG. 4, molten superalloy metal 208 is then poured into the shell 206 through the flow path defined by a portion of the ceramic shell 204. The molten superalloy may include any one of stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, INCONEL 625, INCONEL 718, INCONEL 188, cobalt chrome, nickel, among other metal materials or any alloy; such as nickel (Ni) superalloys, and/or Ni superalloy single crystal alloys. For example, the above alloys may include materials with trade names, HAYNES 188, HAYNES 625, SUPER ALLOY INCONEL 625, CHRONIN 625, ALTEMP 625, NICKELVAC 625, NICROFER 6020, INCONEL 188, and any other material having material properties attractive for the formation of components using the above-mentioned techniques. The molten metal 208 fills the voids 201, 207 and encapsulates the ceramic core 200 contained in the shell 206. The molten metal 208 is cooled and solidifies, and then the external ceramic shell 206 and internal ceramic core 200 are suitably removed leaving behind the desired metallic turbine blade in which the internal cooling passages are found. In order to provide a pathway for removing the ceramic core material via a leaching process, a ball chute (not shown) and the tip pins (not shown) may be provided. Generally, after the leaching process, a ball chute and tip pin holes within the turbine blade must be subsequently brazed shut.
The cast turbine blade 208 typically undergoes additional post-casting modifications, such as drilling of suitable rows of film cooling holes through the sidewalls of the airfoil as desired for providing outlets for the internally channeled cooling air which then forms a protective cooling air film or blanket (generally referred to as film cooling) over the external surface of the airfoil during operation in the gas turbine engine. After the turbine blade is removed from the ceramic mold, pins 205 which held the ceramic core 200 form a passageway that is later brazed shut to provide the desired pathway of air through the internal voids of the cast turbine blade. However, these post-casting modifications are limited and given the ever increasing complexity of turbine engines and the recognized efficiency improvements provided by certain cooling circuits inside turbine blades, more complicated and intricate internal geometries are required. While investment casting is capable of manufacturing these parts, positional precision and intricate internal geometries become more complex to manufacture using these conventional manufacturing processes and thus increase manufacturing time and expense significantly. Accordingly, it was desirable to provide an improved casting method for three dimensional components having intricate internal voids and cooling circuits.
Additive manufacturing techniques and 3-D printing allowed molds to be manufactured without the toolpath and/or molding limitations associated with subtractive manufacturing. For example, methods for using 3-D printing to produce a ceramic core-shell mold are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,851,151 assigned to Rolls-Royce Corporation. The methods for making the molds include powder bed ceramic processes such as disclosed U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,380 assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and selective laser activation (SLA) such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,340 assigned to 3D Systems, Inc. The ceramic core-shell molds according to the '151 patent are significantly limited by the printing resolution capabilities of these processes. As shown in FIG. 5, core portion 301 and shell portion 302 of integrated core-shell mold 300 is held together via a series of tie structures 303 provided at the bottom edge of the mold 300. Cooling passages are proposed in the′ 151 patent that include staggered vertical cavities joined by short cylinders, the length of which is nearly the same as its diameter. A superalloy turbine blade is then formed in the core-shell mold using known techniques disclosed in the′ 151 patent, and incorporated herein by reference. After a turbine blade is cast in one of these core-shell molds, the mold is removed to reveal a cast superalloy turbine blade.
FIG. 6 illustrates a method of seeding a mold as described in the′ 151 patent. The mold 605 has an internal cavity 606 for receiving molten metal. The mold 605 has a vent end 607 for the passage of gaseous material to and from the internal cavity 606 and starter seed receiving inlet 609 for receiving and engaging a metallic starter seed 608. The metallic starter seed 608 is positioned to receive molten metal on a surface 608a. Located within the mold 605 is a starter seed auxiliary heater 615 and a supplemental mold heater 616. An insulator 610 is positioned between a lower surface 605a of the mold 605 and a heat transfer apparatus 611 to minimize heat transfer from the casting mold 605. The heat transfer apparatus 611 includes a pair of arms 613 and 614 that are moveable into a position to abut and maintain contact with a surface 618 of the starter seed 608. The abutting relationship of the heat transfer apparatus 611 and the starter seed 608 is maintainable until the arms 613 and 614 are positively released from the starter seed 608. A precision locating member 612 contacts a bottom surface 608b of the starter seed 608 so as to precisely locate the vertical height of the melt surfaces 608a within the molten metal receiving cavity 606. A cooling media passageway 617 is formed in each of the pair of arms 613 and 614 for the passage of cooling media therethrough. The molten metal within the cavity 606 transfers heat to the starter seed 608 which in turn transfers the heat through the surfaces 618 to the chilled pair of arms 613 and 614. The cooling media flowing through the passageways 617 removes the heat from the arms 613 and 614. Thus, a temperature gradient is created through the starter seed 608 to cause directional solidification of the molten metal within the cavity 606.


A multi-spectrum photosensitive device comprises two, three, or four composite sensing pixels arranged in layers up and down in a base layer of P-type or N-type silicon by means of single-sided processing or double-sided processing, each composite sensing pixels can sense respectively spectrum orthogonal or complementary to each other in visible light or visible and infrared light. The basic sensing pixels on different layers of the composite sensing pixels can be designed to sense different colors or spectrums, so that a multi-spectrum photosensitive chip can be achieved by repeatedly arranging the macro units consisting of more than one composite sensing pixel. The present disclosure also includes a new multi-layer sensing pixel, and examples of which used in a single-sided double-layer, or a double-sided double-layer, or a double-sided three-layer, or a double-sided four-layer, or a single-sided mixed double-layer, or a double-sided mixed with double-layer or a multi-layer multi-spectrum sensing device. A multi-spectrum photosensitive device according to the present disclosure has the advantage of better color sensing performance, integration of color sensing and infrared sensing, and a simple processing technique.

The present disclosure is a continuation of earlier applications titled "Multi-spectrum Photosensitive Device and Manufacturing Methods Thereof" (PCT/CN2007/071262) and "Multi-spectrum Photosensitive Device and Manufacturing Method Thereof" (Chinese Application No. 200810217270.2) owned by the present inventor, and aims to provide more specific and preferred semiconductor physical implementations.
The previous sensing devices focus on sensing either color visible light or infrared light, few of them sense both of color visible light and infrared light. Although there are other inventions or applications, such as using indium antimony semiconductor technology ("Silicon infrared focal plane arrays", M. Kimata, in Handbook of Infrared Detection Technologies, edited by M. Henini and M. Razeghi, pp. 352-392, Elsevier Science Ltd., 2002), to simultaneously realize photosensitivity of visible light and infrared light, they do not sense color of light. The existing method of simultaneously obtaining the color and infrared light is to physically superpose a color sensing device with an infrared sensing device (such as "Backside-hybrid Photo detector for trans-chip detection of NIR light", by T. Tokudaetal, in IEEE Workshop on Charge-coupled Devices & Advanced Image Sensors, Elmau, Germany, May 2003, and "A CMOS image sensor with eye-safe detection function using backside carrier injection", T. Tokudaetal, J. Inst. Image Information & Television Eng., 60(3):366-372, March 2006).
There are three main reasons for failure of the existing sensing device in integrating the color sensing device with infrared sensing device. The first reason is that the existing color sensing device needs to use color filter film (including red/green/blue, or cyan/yellow/magenta/green) to get the color. However, these filter films also have a strong filtering characteristic on the infrared light. In addition, in order to make color vivid, an infrared filter is added to the lens specifically to reduce the possible fogging phenomenon caused by infrared light on color image. Foveon Company's X3 three-layer sensing technology achieves the selection of color according to the depth. Though this method does not use the filter film, the manufacture of the three-layer sensing technology has been very difficult and industrialization is not very successful. If an infrared layer is further added below the three layers, it will be more complicated and there is almost no practical value. The second reason is that silicon that is widely used in semiconductors absorbs the infrared with wavelength only below 1100 nm. Therefore, many infrared sensing devices utilize other semiconductor materials, such as germanium, silicon-germanium mixed crystals, HgCdTe, InSb and the like. These materials are not suitable for sensing visible light. The third reason is due to lack of practicable technology for manufacturing double-layer or multi-layer sensing device.
Therefore, some problems, such as how to achieve better photosensitivity and integrate the color sensing device with infrared sensing device, needs to be further invented and improved.

BOLY MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.


Disclosed are an aqueous pigment dispersion and an ink composition which can realize high print density. The aqueous pigment dispersion comprises at least water and a surface-modified carbon black, the surface-modified carbon black being dispersible and/or dissolvable in water without any dispersant and having a hydrophilic functional group content/specific surface area value of 5 to 30 xcexcmol/m2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aqueous pigment dispersion containing a surface-modified carbon black, and a water-base ink composition comprising this aqueous pigment dispersion.
2. Background Art
Water-soluble dyes have hitherto been used in recording liquids for water-base writing utensils and ink jet printers. On the other hand, in recent years, pigments, such as carbon blacks, have become used as colorants from the viewpoint of improving image quality and fastness properties of records. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 6074/1989 and 31881/1989 describe water-base pigment inks wherein carbon black was dispersed with the aid of a surfactant or a polymeric dispersant.
In these inks, however, increasing the content of the colorant in the ink to enhance the print density of records has sometimes resulted in gretely increased viscosity of the ink. The use of an excessive amount of a surfactant or a polymeric dispersant is necessary to stably disperse carbon black in the ink. The presence of the surfactant and the polymeric dispersant, however, bubbles or deteriorated antifoaming properties, and, particularly in ink jet recording, may deteriorate the printing stability.
In order to solve these problems, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 3498/1996 and 120958/1998 describe surface-modified carbon black dispersions wherein surface active hydrogen or a salt thereof has been introduced in a given amount or larger into carbon black to permit the carbon black to be solely dispersed in an aqueous solvent without any surfactant or polymeric dispersant. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 110127/1998 describes a method for introducing sulfone groups into carbon black. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 95941/1998 proposes an ink for ink jet recording, comprising the above surface-modified carbon black and a glycol ether.
The present inventors have now found that a surface-modified carbon black having a hydrophilic functional group content/specific surface area value in a specific range can realize printing at higher print density and can provide ink compositions which yield records having higher image quality. The present invention has been made based on such finding.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aqueous pigment dispersion and a water-base ink composition which can realize-printing at high print density and can yield records having higher image quality.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aqueous pigment dispersion comprising at least water and a surface-modified carbon black, the surface-modified carbon black being dispersible and/or dissolvable in water without any dispersant and having a hydrophilic functional group content/specific surface area value of 5 to 30 xcexcmol/m2.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water-base ink composition comprising at least the above aqueous pigment dispersion.

Aqueous pigment dispersion water-base ink composition and recording method using the ink composition


Embodiments described herein include radio frequency (RF) switches that may provide increased power handling capability. In general, the embodiments described herein can provide this increased power handling by equalizing the voltages across transistors when the RF switch is open. Specifically, the embodiments described herein can be implemented to equalize the source-drain voltages across each field effect transistor (FET) in a FET stack that occurs when the RF switch is open and not conducting current. This equalization can be provided by using one or more compensation circuits to couple one or more gates and transistor bodies in the FET stack in a way that at least partially compensates for the effects of parasitic leakage currents in the FET stack.

Radio frequency (RF) switches are used extensively in various RF applications, including RF power amplification, RF signal transmission, and RF signal reception. In various applications these RF switches need to provide both high speed switching and high power handling. To facilitate high power handling many RF switches use one or more stacks of field effect transistors (FETs), where each stack includes a series-coupled arrangement of several FETs. In such devices each FET can be a monolithic transistor device that includes a variable-conductivity channel between drain and source terminals, along with one or more gates positioned over the channel. Electrical signals provided to the gates control the conductivity of the channel during operation of the FETs. RF switches implemented with such stacks of FETs can thus provide relatively higher power handling capability.
However, one issue with such RF switches is the ability to provide high power handling capability while maintaining fast switching speed. To provide high power handling it is desirable to implement and operate the RF switches such that a nearly equal voltage is maintained across each FET in series-coupled stack of FETs when the switch is open. Specifically, maintaining a nearly equal voltage across each FET in the stack when the switch is open helps ensure that no one FET in the stack has an excessive source-drain voltage that could lead to breakdown or other failure of that FET. In contrast, if significant non-equal voltages are seen across some FETs then those FETs with higher source-drain voltages can exceed their breakdown voltage and potentially fail while other FETs with lower source-drain voltages are well below their breakdown voltage. Thus, there remains a continuing need for improved RF switches that can maintain a nearly equal voltage across FETs to improve the power handling of the switch while maintaining high speed switching.

Radio frequency switches with voltage equalization


Apparatus and method for generating electrical energy from a body of water flowing in a downstream direction are disclosed. A lever arm including a flap member is coupled to a rotatable shaft. The lever arm is movable from a first vertical position where the flap member is located in the body of water and a second vertical position where the flap member is in located above the body of water. When the lever arm is lowered into the first vertical position, the body of water engaging the flap member pushes the lever arm from an upstream position to a downstream position. The rotation of the lever arm from the upstream position to the downstream position actuates the rotatable shaft, which can be coupled to a power generation device configured to generate electrical energy from motion of the rotatable shaft.

A global need currently exists for additional sources of clean, renewable and affordable energy. Lack of such energy is in part responsible for global hunger and unsafe drinking water, because in many places there are adequate clean, underground water supplies, but no power for pumping the water to the surface. The lack of safe drinking water often results in polluted surface water, water-borne illnesses such as cholera and dysentery, and crop failure due to drought.
In developing countries, typical solutions to bring electricity to rural areas can include either extending the existing power grid or installing diesel generators. Both of these solutions involve high startup costs, capital outlay, and ongoing operational and maintenance expenses. For instance, extending the grid may be prohibitively expensive. Diesel generators have high startup costs and bring increased usage and transportation of fossil fuels, creating pollution as an unintended byproduct. In addition, the proper maintenance and repair of diesel generators may be beyond the abilities of the local population, leading to a dependency on the people or organization that supplied the generator.
Water power generation can be a viable alternative to extending the grid or providing diesel generators in geographic areas located adjacent a body of moving water, such as a creek, stream, or river. Water turbines can be used to harness the power of water flow to generate electricity. Deployment of water turbines, however, is typically limited to high-head, high-flow water sites, limiting the suitability of water turbines in many areas.
While high-head, high-flow water sites are relatively scarce, there are many bodies of water throughout the world that can be characterized as providing a low-head, low-flow environment. Low-head, low flow water sources are relatively abundant and can be a good source for providing power in undeveloped areas located off the grid.
For centuries, water wheels and stream wheels have been used to harness energy in low-head, low-flow environments. Improvements and developments in water wheel and stream wheel technology have been significantly reduced with the development of the water turbine. However, there is currently a renewed interest in development of water wheels and stream wheels in response to the worldwide demand for energy, especially in developing countries having areas located off the grid. There is also an interest in development of micro-hydro and pico-hydro power sources, such as less than 5 kW, for home or community use.
Thus, a need exists for an improved apparatus and method for generating electrical power from low-head, low flow water sources. An apparatus and method that uses simple technology and requires reduced training and maintenance would be particularly useful.

Apparatus and method for electrical power generation from low-head low-flow water sources


A hand-held tool is provided for use in mounting a de-railed chain onto a multi-toothed chain sprocket. The tool includes a two-part clamping member with an attached handle. When the two sections are brought together, grooves on the inner surfaces mate to form a series of bores that are sized to receive the teeth of the chain sprocket therethrough. In use, the tool is placed onto the chain sprocket with the sprocket teeth extending through the bores and the de-railed chain resting on the handle. The tool is tilted upward to slide the chain onto the clamping member and the extended teeth of the sprocket. The fastener(s) holding the two sections of the clamping member together is then disengaged and the tool is removed from the sprocket, with the chain re-mounted on the chain sprocket.

One of the most frustrating problems that a bicyclist can run into when they are out on the road or trail is having their bicycle chain de-rail and slip off its track. Not only does the cyclist face the inconvenience of having to stop and struggle to put the chain back on the chain sprocket, but they also have to deal with the greasy mess that the chain leaves on their hands and clothing.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a tool that can be used to easily and quickly remount a de-railed chain onto a chain sprocket. Another object is to provide a hand tool for mounting a chain on a chain sprocket that is durable, portable, compact and lightweight. Yet another object is to provide a chain mounting tool that is lightweight and compact, and can be mounted onto the frame of a bicycle to provide ready access to a cyclist should problems arise while riding.


The recovery of online sessions for directory services is disclosed. A server maintains a directory service of a plurality of clients. In one embodiment, a unique token for each client, known to the client and to the server, permits the client to relog onto the server, for example, after the client has crashed. In another embodiment, a client caches the information sent to the server during the log-on process, so that if the server in response to a later refresh request from the client cannot locate the client--as a result, for example, of a network or server crash--the client can automatically relog onto the server using the cached information, without user intervention. The message sent by the server to the client in response to a refresh request, after the client's entry in the directory no longer exists after a server or network crash, is desirably a dedicated error message instructing the client that it is not logged onto the server, and therefore that it should relog onto the server.

Current trends in computing suggest that computers are becoming networked to one another on a greater and greater scale. For example, computers that previously were connected to other computers in the same building over a local-area network (LAN) are now commonly connected to other computers all over the world over a wide-area network (WAN), an intranet, or the Internet. The rising prominence of the Internet in fact presages a future where all computers are able to connect with one another over a single vast global network.
With this rise in connectivity comes the need for easier recovery from the effects of client, server, and network crashes on directory services for such networks. One type of directory is similar to a phone book. The phone book permits a person to look up the phone number of another person so that the first person can communicate with the second person. Similarly, this type of directory for a computer network permits a computer user to look up the electronic address of another computer user (for example, the user's current dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) address in the case of a typical home Internet user), so that the first user can communicate with the second user. Although directory services may be used for a wide variety of different applications other than just to locate a user by looking up his or her electronic address, such user-location applications are nevertheless very common. For example, being able to determine the current IP address of a computer user is a very important feature for such diverse Internet applications as Internet telephony, whiteboarding, and videoconferencing.
However, unlike the phone book, which is a static directory, the directory for a computer network such as the Internet frequently must be dynamic in order to be useful. The phone book is a static directory in that it is not updated very often, typically only once a year when a new book is published. The phone book remains accurate, however, because each person's phone number generally also does not change very often. Conversely, in the case of the Internet, while every user may have a static electronic mail address (that is, an e-mail address that does not change often), every user typically does not have a static IP address. Dial-up users in particular are assigned a dynamic IP address by their Internet Service Provider (ISP) each time they initiate an online session. This lessens the accuracy and usefulness of a static directory for many Internet applications.
Static directory services nevertheless do exist for the Internet, and other Internet-like networks. One such static directory service is provided by the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). The LDAP is known within the art, and is specifically described in W. Yeong, et al., Request for Comments (RFC) 1777, March 1995, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The LDAP permits a server to maintain a static directory. Clients capable of communicating with the server are able to add entries to the directory by sending the server the appropriate request. These entries are static in that they persist until the client establishing them requests their removal from the server. If clients forget to make such requests, the server may maintain their entries in the directory indefinitely, which in time may result in the directory including outdated information. For example, if the server is maintaining a user-location directory of IP addresses, an entry containing the dynamic IP address of a client who has since logged off the Internet is inaccurate.
Dynamic directory services differ from static directory services in that entries must be periodically refreshed by their clients, or otherwise they automatically are removed by the server. Dynamic directory services also exist for the Internet, and other Internet-like networks. One such dynamic directory service is provided by the User Location Service (ULS). The ULS is known within the art, and is specifically described in R. Williams, Internet Draft "draft-uls-1.txt", February 1996, which is hereby incorporated by reference. A server maintaining a dynamic directory as provided by the ULS is receptive to requests from clients to add entries to the directory that include a time-to-live value set by the client. If the client does not refresh its entry before the time-to-live value times out, the server is permitted to delete the entry. Thus, if the server is maintaining a user-location directory of IP addresses, an entry containing the dynamic IP address of a client who has since logged off will eventually be deleted by the server.
The time-to-live value is related to a period called the client refresh period. The client refresh period is how often the client refreshes its entry with the server. Ideally, the client refresh period could be set to the time-to-live value, since the client need only refresh its entry with the server before the time-to-live value times out in order to maintain the entry in the directory. However, because refresh requests may become lost, or even because of delays in transmitting the message to the server or delays in processing the message at the server, for practical reasons the client refresh period is usually set to a time period less than the time-to-live value. For example, a client refresh period of five minutes and a time-to-live value of ten minutes ensures that a client's entry will not be deleted by the server even if every other refresh request sent by the client does not get through to the server.
Another dynamic directory service is an extension to the LDAP as described in the U.S. patent application entitled `Server-Determined Client Refresh Periods for Dynamic Directory Services,` filed on Jul. 2, 1997, Ser. No. 08/886,796, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The dynamic directory service provided by this reference extends the capability of an LDAP directory to include dynamic entries. Thus, when a client sends a request to a server to create an entry for an LDAP directory maintained by the server, the client is able to specify whether the entry to be created is dynamic or static. If the entry is dynamic, the client must immediately send a refresh request to the server, in response to which the client will receive a response including a client-refresh period. If the client does not send another refresh request prior to the timing out of this period, the entry will eventually be deleted by the server.
Dynamic directories are useful in that they permit the servers maintaining them to periodically perform a garbage collection operation in a manner which does not affect the directories' accuracy. An entry in a dynamic directory is dynamic in that it lives for only a given period of time unless refreshed by its client. The server thus only deletes expired entries. By comparison, servers maintaining static directories perform garbage collections indiscriminately, because they do not know which entries have expired. The servers may delete only very old entries, which probably are outdated, but this means the entries will have persisted long enough to have rendered the directories inaccurate for a period of time. Alternatively, the servers may delete relatively younger entries, in which case the accuracy of the directory is maintained but some accurate entries will likely have been deleted.
Dynamic directories have their own flaws, however. A problem with dynamic directories is a clients' s ability to recover from the client crashing, or automatically recover when the server or the network linking the client to the server crashes. For example, once a client has established an entry with a server maintaining a dynamic directory, the client may have difficulty reestablishing the entry upon rebooting after a crash. When attempting to reestablish the same entry with the server (for example, relog onto the server), the server may not permit the client to reestablish the entry, since the entry previously established by the client may still persist on the dynamic directory. The client may have no choice other than to wait a complete client-refresh period, and then hope the server deletes the entry promptly after the entry has expired. This is because typically the server does not permit duplicate entries from the same client, even though the server may allow different entries from the same client.
The client may also have difficulty recovering even when it is not at fault, such as when the network linking the client to the server crashes, or when the server itself crashes. For example, when the network crashes, the server may not receive requests sent by the client to refresh its entry in the dynamic directory maintained by the server. If the crash persists long enough, the entry may time out, and be deleted by the server. When the network finally comes back up, the server may receive another refresh request from the client, but not be able to locate the entry to which the refresh request pertains in the dynamic directory. The server thus responds to the client by sending a `no such object` or other error message, which typically requires user intervention at the client in order to reestablish the entry with the server (for example, relog onto the server).
As another example, when the server itself crashes and is forced to reboot (reset), it typically will begin with a new dynamic directory, void of any entries. The dynamic directory, because of the frequency at which it typically is updated, is usually stored in volatile memory, such as random-access memory, instead of being stored on a more permanent storage device, such as a hard disk drive. Thus, the dynamic directory is lost when the server crashes and must be reset. Even if the dynamic directory is periodically backed up to a storage device such as a hard disk drive, the directory may not be completely up-to-date, and the entry established by the client may not reside within the backed-up version of the directory. Therefore, when the server receives a refresh request from the client after rebooting, it may not be able locate the entry to which the request pertains in the dynamic directory. The server again responds to the client by sending an error message to the client, which results in user intervention at the client in order to handle the message and reestablish the entry with the server.
There is a need, therefore, to solve these recovery problems. Such a solution should permit a client to reestablish its entry with a server after the client has crashed, without having to wait for the server to delete the entry after it has timed out. The solution should also permit the client to recover, without user intervention at the client, from a server or network crash that results in a dynamic directory maintained by the server not containing the entry for the client.

Recovery of online sessions for dynamic directory services


A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; blades opening and closing the opening; an electromagnet supported by the board; a drive lever adsorbed to and held by the electromagnet, and swingably supported by the board; a drive arm connected to the drive lever, swingably supported by the board, and driving the blades; a first biasing member always biasing the drive lever away from the electromagnet and moving the blades; a first adjusting member that stepwisely adjusts a biasing force of the first biasing member; a second biasing member always biasing the drive arm in a direction opposite to a biasing direction of the first biasing member to such an extent that the blades are moved in accordance with the biasing force of the first biasing member; and a second adjusting member that steplessly adjusts a biasing force of the second biasing member.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to focal plane shutters and optical apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
Japanese Examined Utility Model Application Publication No. 06-024821 discloses a focal plane shutter provided with: a coil spring for movement to move blades; and a spring for fine adjustment to finely adjust the movement speed of the blades.
In Japanese Examined Utility Model Application Publication No. 06-024821, the biasing direction of the spring for fine adjustment is the same as that of the coil spring for movement. Thus, the blades are biased in the same direction by the two springs, so that the large impact is applied to the blades when the moving blades are stopped. For this reason, the blades might be damaged. In particular, the high shutter speed type of the focal plane shutter needs high-speed blades, so that the large impact might be applied to the blades when the blades are stopped. Thus, there is a large possibility that the impact might damage the blades.

Focal plane shutter and optical apparatus


A method of selectively monitoring particular trace constituents within a plating bath containing multiple trace constituents. The method provides improved selectivity over known voltammetric techniques for certain plating baths and trace constituents. The method involves applying a brief voltammetric plating signal to a pretreated electrode positioned within the plating bath solution, applying a rapid stripping signal to the plated electrode, and monitoring the resultant stripping signal response current. The characteristics of the stripping signal response current indicate the particular trace constituent concentration level. The method complements and is easily integrated with known voltammetric techniques and equipment, and thus improves the efficiency and versatility of existing plating bath analysis systems.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to plating baths and methods for monitoring the trace constituents contained therein. More particularly, the method of the present invention relates to a voltammetric analysis technique that accurately and selectively indicates the level of a particular trace constituent in plating baths containing multiple trace constituents. The method can be used to maintain desired trace constituent concentrations in order to ensure optimal plating bath performance.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical plating bath solution is comprised of a combination of several distinct electrochemical constituents. The specific constituents vary depending upon the type of plating bath, but in general can be broadly divided into what are commonly known as major constituents and trace, or minor, constituents. The major constituents are those electrochemical constituents which make up about 2 to 25 percent of the total bath weight. Trace constituents, on the other hand, are present in smaller quantities, usually less than 0.5 percent of the total weight. Organic addition agents, degradation products and chemical contaminants are typical trace constituents.
Most plating baths contain several distinct trace constituents. Appropriate concentration levels of these trace constituents must be maintained in order to ensure a high quality deposit. Trace constituent concentrations influence certain important characteristics of the deposit, including tensile strength, ductility, solderability, uniformity, brightness and resistance to thermal shock.
In terms of organic addition agents, plating baths frequently contain throwing power enhancers, brighteners, grain refiners, ductility promoters and wetting agents. For example, a Lea Ronal acid cadmium plating bath may contain trace concentrations of the organic addition agents Starter K, Brightener KR, and Stabilizer. Each of these organic addition agents affects various qualities of the resultant plating deposit by adsorbing onto the plated surface.
Current techniques for monitoring the trace constituents of plating baths include real time voltammetric monitoring techniques such as those in U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,116, assigned to the present assignee. The method disclosed therein uses a voltammetric signal to produce ac current spectra which vary as a result of changes in the various trace constituent concentrations. Voltammetric methods such as these have been found to produce accurate results in real time for most trace constituents.
Although well-suited for their intended purpose, the above voltammetric techniques may not yield accurate results for all types of plating baths and the trace constituents contained therein. To ensure accurate measurements and a high quality plating deposit, it is important that the analysis technique adequately distinguish among the various trace constituents. The measurements should be unambiguous and highly selective. For certain plating bath trace constituents, the voltammetric techniques of U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,116 are insufficiently selective to permit optimal plating bath analysis. For example, in the Lea Ronal acid cadmium bath discussed above, first or second harmonic ac voltammetry does not adequately distinguish the various organic addition agent concentrations. Other voltammetric techniques, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,605 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,210, are similarly limited in their ability to accurately monitor certain multiple trace constituents present in a single bath.
As is apparent from the above, there presently is a need for a method of selectively monitoring trace constituent concentrations within a plating bath containing certain multiple trace constituents. The method should provide accurate real-time results in situations where the accuracy of known multiple trace constituent analysis techniques is limited. Furthermore, the method should complement and be easily integrated with known voltammetric techniques and equipment, resulting in an efficient and flexible overall plating bath analysis system.

Method of selectively monitoring trace constituents in plating baths


A mat is provided which comprises a plurality of strands, each including reinforcing fibers and polymeric material. First portions of the strands are angularly positioned at an angle relative to second portions of the strands and are joined to the second portions via the polymeric material. Also provided is a method for forming the mat.

Mats made from reinforcing materials such as glass fibers are known. Such mats are commonly used in composite products, such as printed circuit boards, skis, rail car tanks, boat hulls and the like. Typically, such mats are formed via a knitting or weaving operation. However, knitting and weaving operations are quite complex and throughput rates are low. Hence, while such knitting and weaving processes may be effective, they are time consuming and inefficient and, thus, expensive.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a more efficient and more cost effective process for making composite product reinforcement mats.

Owens Corning Fiberglass Technology, Inc.


In a system, an apparatus determines whether or not an information processing apparatus needs to return to a normal power supply mode, in response to reception of a first packet related to a job through a network, determines whether or not cooperation with another apparatus is needed in order to process the job related to the first packet if it is determined that the information processing apparatus needs to return to the normal power supply mode, generates a second packet for causing the another apparatus in a power saving mode to return to the normal power supply mode, sends the second packet to the another apparatus, if it is determined that cooperation with another apparatus is needed, and causes the information processing apparatus to return from a power saving mode to the normal power supply mode after the second packet is sent.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling the same, network interface apparatuses and methods for controlling the same, and non-transitory computer readable medium.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, image forming apparatuses, such as a multi-function peripheral, a single-function printer, etc., that have a sleep mode (power saving mode) in which power consumption is less than in a standby mode (normal power supply mode), have become increasingly popular. In the sleep mode, power is not supplied to units except a random access memory (RAM), a network interface card (NIC), and an operation unit, whereby power consumption in the sleep mode is reduced to about one to several watts. Note that, in the sleep mode, power is also not supplied to a photoconductive drum or fixing unit included in a printer unit of the image forming apparatus, or a central processing unit (CPU) or a hard disk drive (HDD). Therefore, in the sleep mode, the functions of the image forming apparatus are limited, and the image forming apparatus cannot perform an image forming process.
On the other hand, when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the sleep mode, the image forming apparatus returns (resumes) from the sleep mode to the standby state. The predetermined condition is, for example, (1) the user has performed an operation on the operation unit of the image forming apparatus; (2) the NIC has received, through a network, a packet which satisfies a condition for returning from the sleep mode; etc. Therefore, power is supplied to the operation unit and the NIC even in the sleep mode to monitor pressing down of buttons included in the operation unit, reception of packets, etc. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-504083 describes an example technique of allowing an apparatus to return from the sleep mode, in which a target which is located in a target LAN and is to be returned from the sleep mode is caused to return using a remote system through a relay agent.
Incidentally, some recent image forming apparatuses have a function of performing a job in cooperation with another image forming apparatus, i.e., a plurality of image forming apparatuses perform a job in cooperation with each other. For example, in the case of the fax reception and transfer function, image forming apparatuses perform a job in cooperation with each other. The reception and transfer function indicates that one apparatus (represented by B) which has received fax data from another image forming apparatus (represented by A) does not print the fax data on its own, and transfers the received fax data to still another image forming apparatus (represented by C) in accordance with reception and transfer settings set in the image forming apparatus B. In other words, the image forming apparatus B which has received the fax data does not perform a printing process and only transfers the fax data, while the image forming apparatus C which has received the transferred fax data performs a printing process. In recent years, an image forming apparatus which performs fax communication called IP-fax using an IP network has also become increasingly widespread.
When image forming apparatuses having the sleep mode are used to receive and transfer an IP-fax, there may be a situation in which a first image forming apparatus which first receives an IP-fax is in the sleep mode while a second image forming apparatus which is a transfer destination is also in the sleep mode. In this case, initially, the first image forming apparatus which receives an IP-fax needs to first return from the sleep mode, which is triggered by reception of a connection request packet of the IP-fax. The first image forming apparatus receives an IP-fax after returning from the sleep mode, checks the transfer-destination apparatus, and thereafter, transfers the IP-fax. Similarly, the second image forming apparatus which receives the transferred IP-fax returns from the sleep mode when receiving a transfer connection request packet.
In other words, an image forming apparatus which temporarily receives an IP-fax first returns from the sleep mode, and thereafter, begins the transfer process of the IP-fax. Only after that, the transfer-destination image forming apparatus receives the transfer data and returns from the sleep mode. Therefore, there is a time lag between the return from the sleep mode of the transfer-source image forming apparatus and that of the transfer-destination image forming apparatus.
In the technique of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-504083 above, when the second apparatus is caused to return, the remote system sends an instruction in which a target is explicitly specified, to a relay agent. Thus, this technique is effective when a target is already definitely specified in the remote system. However, a case where a target is unknown in the sender as in the case of the above IP-fax reception and transfer (only the relay apparatus knows a party which is caused to return), is not taken into account. Also, the elapsed time until a target returns when the relay agent (relay apparatus) itself is in the sleep mode is not particularly taken into account. Specifically, in the case of the IP-fax reception and transfer, the presence of the above time lag between the return from the sleep mode of the transfer-source image forming apparatus and that of the transfer-destination image forming apparatus is not taken into account.
Therefore, the technique of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-504083 above is effective when a target is already clearly known in the remote system, but cannot be used when a target is not known in the sender as in the case of the above IP-fax reception and transfer. Also, when a relay agent (relay apparatus) is in the sleep mode, then if the relay apparatus is caused to temporarily return and then instruct a target to return, it disadvantageously takes a long time to complete the start of the target.

System, method and non-transitory computer-readable medium for controlling power supply in response to receipt of data over a network


Disclosed is a deflectable biopsy device that includes a cannula having a preformed bend, wherein the shape of the cannula can be temporarily altered with the cannula returning to its original shape afterward. The deflectable biopsy device also includes a sampling member slidably disposed within the cannula and operable therewith to collect a tissue biopsy.

It is often desirable to perform a biopsy to sample selected tissue from a patient for medical evaluation. For example, biopsies can be useful in diagnosing various forms of cancer and other diseases affecting a localized area of tissue. However, access to some anatomical regions using present apparatus and methods can be difficult and/or dangerous due to obscure location(s) of the localized area. For example, a localized area could be obscured by obstacles such as bone, an artery or vein, ducts, nerves or organs. Such obstacles pose the possibility for unnecessary iatrogenic trauma during biopsy procedures.
Accordingly, there is a need for a biopsy apparatus and method that provide alternative modes of access to anatomical sites.


There is provided a uniaxial drive unit using a linear motor having a fixed part which is a rod-shaped magnet fixed to a unit body and formed so that the N poles and the S poles are arranged alternately; and a moving part which is a ring-shaped member having a coil member, fitted on the fixed part, and capable of moving along the fixed part. A driving section provided so as to be slidable in the uniaxial direction with respect to the unit body is connected to the moving part or a balance weight fixed to the moving part by a winding motion transmission member via a winding motion transmitting support member provided near one end or both ends of the unit body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a uniaxial drive unit and a surface shape measuring apparatus using the unit. More particularly, it relates to a uniaxial drive unit using a linear motor in a driving section and a surface shape measuring apparatus using the unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a linear motor capable of being used for a uniaxial drive unit, linear motors having various configurations have conventionally been known. Among these, a linear motor having a fixed part, which is a rod-shaped magnet, and a moving part, which is a ring-shaped member fitted on the fixed part, having a coil member, and being capable of moving linearly along the fixed part, has features of less cogging, less unevenness of speed, and the like, and hence has been coming onto the market (for example, trade name: SHAFT MOTOR, manufactured by GMC HILLSTONE Co., Ltd.).
Also, as an improved technology for such a linear motor, a linear motor capable of operating steadily with high accuracy has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 8-331834 and 11-150973).
On the other hand, as a surface shape measuring apparatus, a surface roughness measuring apparatus, contour measuring apparatus, roundness measuring apparatus, three-dimensional coordinate measuring apparatus, and the like have conventionally been known.
In most of the surface shape measuring apparatuses, a contact type probe and an object under test are moved relatively while the probe is brought into contact with the surface of the object under test, by which the surface shape of object under test is measured.
The relative movement of the probe and the object under test is generally linear motion for the surface roughness measuring apparatus, contour measuring apparatus, and three-dimensional coordinate measuring apparatus, and is generally arcuate motion for the roundness measuring apparatus. Also, for the roundness measuring apparatus as well, the Z-axis movement (vertical movement) of probe is generally linear motion.
The driving for such linear motion is generally performed by a combination of a motor, gear, and screw or a combination of a motor, pulley, and wire (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-139317).
Specifically, in the surface roughness measuring apparatus, contour measuring apparatus, and roundness measuring apparatus, linear driving is performed by the combination of a motor, gear, and screw, and a contact type detector is moved linearly while being supported by a slide guide surface (or hydrostatic bearing surface) having high straightness accuracy, by which the surface roughness, contour, roundness, or the like of an object under test is measured. Also, in the three-dimensional coordinate measuring apparatus; linear driving is performed by the combination of a motor, pulley, and wire, and a contact type detector is moved linearly while being supported by a hydrostatic bearing surface having high straightness accuracy, by which the shape and dimensions of an object under test are measured.
In this case, generally, the linear driving of the surface roughness measuring apparatus and contour measuring apparatus is in the X-axis direction, that of the roundness measuring apparatus is in the R-axis and Z-axis directions, and that of the three-dimensional coordinate measuring apparatus is in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions.
However, when the above-described conventional linear motor is applied to the uniaxial drive unit, the linear motor generates heat, so that a problem is pointed out in that a dimensional error of the whole of unit occurs due to the heat.
Also, in the case where the above-described conventional linear motor is applied to the uniaxial drive unit and the unit is used in a state in which the driving thrust is varied by the gravity of the moving part, a problem is also pointed out in that the variation in the driving thrust is difficult to restrain.
FIGS. 13 to 15 are schematic views for illustrating this phenomenon. FIG. 13 schematically shows a cross section of a linear motor 1. A moving part 4, which is a ring-shaped member having a coil member, is fitted on a fixed part 2, which is a rod-shaped magnet in which the N poles and the S poles are arranged alternately in a linear form. Due to the interaction between the magnetic flux of the fixed part 2 and the electric current flowing in the coil member of the moving part 4, the moving part 4 moves linearly along the fixed part 2 in accordance with Fleming's left-hand rule. The coil member of the moving part 4 is supplied with an electric current by a driving circuit, not shown.
In this case, if friction is present between the fixed part 2 and the moving part 4, states as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 are established when the linear motor 1 is not driven by energization. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the linear motor 1 is arranged horizontally, and FIG. 15 shows a state in which the linear motor 1 is arranged at an inclination angle Θ with respect to the horizontal surface. The friction coefficient between the fixed part 2 and the moving part 4 is taken as μ.
In FIG. 14, there is no relative movement of the fixed part 2 and the moving part 4 in the state in which the moving part 4 is not energized. In order to move the moving part 4 to the right or the left, a driving force F=μM is required to overcome the frictional force caused by the gravity M of the moving part 4.
On the other hand, in FIG. 15, a component force M·Sin Θ due to the gravity of the moving part 4 is applied in the linear movement direction along the fixed part 2. Also, a component force M·Cos Θ due to the gravity of the moving part 4 is applied in the direction perpendicular to the linear movement direction along the fixed part 2.
In order to move the moving part 4 to the left by overcoming the component force due to the gravity of the moving part 4 and the frictional force in this state, a driving force of F=M·Sin Θ+μM·Cos Θ is required as shown in FIG. 15A. On the other hand, in order to move the moving part 4 to the right, a driving force of F=−M·Sin Θ+μM·Cos Θ is required as shown in FIG. 15B. Thus, in the conventional linear motor of this type, the driving thrust is varied by the gravity of the moving part 4.
Also, if the angle Θ is large in the state as shown in FIG. 15, the moving part 4 moves to the right (drops) due to the gravity of the moving part 4. In order to restrain this phenomenon and to keep the moving part 4 at the present position, it is necessary to provide a driving force in the left direction by energizing the moving part 4 to achieve a balance. However, if the state in which the moving part 4 is energized is maintained, heat is generated in the moving part 4, which presents a problem in that a dimensional error of the whole of unit occurs due to the heat.

Uniaxial drive unit and surface shape measuring apparatus using the same


A method and apparatus are provided for calibrating digital thermal sensors. A processor chip with a plurality of digital thermal sensors receives an analog voltage. A test circuit coupled to the processor chip receives a clock signal and a register coupled to the test circuit outputs a value on each clock cycle to a digital thermal sensor in the plurality of digital thermal sensors. The digital thermal sensor transitions an output state in response to the value of the register received in the digital thermal sensor equaling a temperature threshold of the digital thermal sensor. The value of the register at the point of transition is used to calibrate the digital thermal sensor. An incrementer increments the value of the register on each clock cycle in response to the value of the register received in the digital thermal sensor failing to equal the temperature threshold of the digital thermal sensor.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to a digital thermal sensor test implementation that does not use main core voltage supply.
2. Description of Related Art
The first-generation heterogeneous Cell Broadband Engine™ (Cell BE) processor is a multi-core chip comprised of a 64-bit Power PC® processor core and eight single instruction multiple data (SIMD) synergistic processor cores, capable of massive floating point processing, optimized for compute-intensive workloads and broadband rich media applications. A high-speed memory controller and high-bandwidth bus interface are also integrated on-chip. Cell BE's breakthrough multi-core architecture and ultra high-speed communications capabilities deliver vastly improved, real-time response, in many cases ten times the performance of the latest PC processors. Cell BE is operating system neutral and supports multiple operating systems simultaneously. Applications for this type of processor range from a next generation of game systems with dramatically enhanced realism, to systems that form the hub for digital media and streaming content in the home, to systems used to develop and distribute digital content, and to systems to accelerate visualization and supercomputing applications.
Today's multi-core processors are frequently limited by thermal considerations. Typical solutions include cooling and power management. Cooling may be expensive and/or difficult to package. Power management is generally a coarse action, "throttling" much, if not all, of the processor in reaction to a thermal limit being reached. Other techniques such as thermal management help address these coarse actions by only throttling the units exceeding a given temperature. However, most thermal management techniques impact the real-time guarantees of an application. In order to guarantee the real-time nature of an application in the event of a thermal condition and the accurate throttling that may be required, calibration is usually required. Currently, both analog and core voltage supplies are required during the test and calibration process to power the digital thermal sensor and test logic. However, within the current calibration processes with core voltage supply enabled, the processor consumes a significant amount of power due to leakage current and, in turn, the self-heating due to leakage current elevates the internal processor temperature. This added variable makes the calibration process more difficult and also less accurate.

Digital thermal sensor test implementation without using main core voltage supply

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein that mitigate hard-braking events. An example apparatus includes a world generator to generate a deep learning model to identify and categorize an object in a proximity of a vehicle, a data analyzer to determine a danger level associated with the object, the danger level indicative of a likelihood of a collision between the vehicle and the object, a vehicle response determiner to determine, based on the danger level, a response of the vehicle to avoid a collision with the object, and an instruction generator to transmit instructions to a steering system or a braking system of the vehicle based on the determined vehicle response.

Autonomous vehicles are inevitably presented with situations in which sudden braking events are initiated to avoid collisions. For example, vehicles driving on a road or other driving surface may suddenly encounter an object that moves into the path of the vehicle (e.g., another vehicle, an animal, a person, etc.). In such examples, the autonomous vehicle reacts (e.g., by braking) to avoid damage to the vehicle and/or risk to the driver and/or other passengers.

Methods and apparatus to mitigate hard-braking events


The terminal device includes a touch panel that accepts a touch entry including a first touch on a first key corresponding to a first position and a second touch on a second key corresponding to a second position that is different from the first position, and a processor that detects the first touch and the second touch, determines elapsed time from the first touch to the second touch when detecting the second touch after detecting the first touch, and decides that the second touch is a touch to the first key when the elapsed time is less than a threshold.

In recent years, in mobile terminal devices (hereafter, also referred to as "mobile terminal" as an abbreviation), smart phones have been prevalent in place of the conventional mobile telephones having mechanical button keys (hereafter, also referred to as "old-type mobile phone").
In the general old-type mobile phones, text entries have been made with the use of button keys with a mechanical structure. Further, since compact mobile terminals are desirable, the mobile terminal cannot be equipped with a full keyboard. Therefore, the old-type mobile phones have a "ten-key" with a mechanical structure, and the text entries to the old-type mobile phone have been made with the use of this ten-key. As the exemplary text entry system using the ten-key, so called "toggle entry" has been known. The toggle entry is an entry system in which one key is allocated with a plurality of characters such as the characters of one row of the Japanese syllabary or three or four characters of the alphabet, and every time a key is pressed down, next character appears sequentially as a candidate for entering text. For example, in the toggle entry, every time the key with "a" written thereon is pressed down, the candidate for entering text changes in the order of "a→i→u→e→o→a→ . . . " and every time the key with "ABC" written thereon is pressed down, the candidate for entering text changes in the order of "A→B→C→A→ . . . ".
Further, some of the ten-keys on the old-type mobile phones have the convex shapes, which are different from respective keys on its touch surfaces in order to allow a user to distinguish respective keys of the ten-key by the user's feeling in a finger without looking at the ten-key. This supports the text entry by the visually impaired users.
On the other hand, text entry to a smart phone is often made by the user touching by the user's finger to the touch panel that is laminated on the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) provided on the surface of the smart phone. Further, the ten-key used in the text entry is displayed on the LCD as an image. The LCD displays not only the ten-key but also various images according to the usage of the smart phone. Further, the surface of the general touch panel can be a flat shape only. Therefore, it is difficult to form the convex shapes for distinguishing respective keys on the touch panel of the smart phone, unlike in the old-type mobile phone. Therefore, as a technique for supporting a visually impaired user to made the text entry to the smart phone, there is a technique of voice notification by reading aloud the touched key when any of the ten-key on the touch panel is touched. For example, in the toggle entry, a voice tells "ei" when the key with "ABC" written thereon is touched for one time, a voice tells "bi" when it is touched for two times, and a voice tells "si" when it is touched for three times. As such, the voice notification of the touched key allows the visually impaired user and the like to know the position of the desired key on the touch panel.
Related-art examples are described, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-013730 and International Publication Pamphlet No. WO2003/027826.
However, when the user of the smart phone has visual impairment, it is difficult to know, by the visual observation, the desired key that the user intends to touch. Further, as mentioned above, the surface of the general touch panel can take a flat shape only. Therefore, when the user of the smart phone has visual impairment, when the user makes the text entry without looking at the key image, or the like, the key which is different from the desired key recognized by the user may be touched by the user. In particular, when the user intends to successively touch the same key for making the toggle entry, there is a case that every time the key is touched, the touched position shifts and the key different from the desired key is touched. For example, when the user who intends to enter "C" using the toggle entry touches the "ABC" key three times, there is a case that every time the key is touched, the touched position shifts, resulting in that, at a third touch, the user may touch "DEF" key neighboring on the right of the "ABC" key.

Terminal device and key entry method for preventing erroneous entry in key entry


A top storage well for a convertible motor vehicle, which includes a substantially U-shaped body having vertically extending front and rear walls and a substantially horizontally extending floor, and bellows formed of a water-proof flexible material and connectable with the floor and the rear wall, with a floor section of a transverse body section, which connects two legs of the U-shaped body, and a movable middle wall portion of the rear wall being together raisable upward for increasing and adjoining trunk space, and with the bellows being attached to both small sides of the floor section to the middle wall portion of the rear wall, and to stationary side sections of the body floor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a top storage well for a convertible motor vehicle and which includes a substantially U-shaped and horizontally extending body including vertically extending front and rear walls and a substantially horizontally extending floor, and bellows means formed of a water-proof flexible material and connectable with the floor and the rear wall, with the floor and the rear wall being divided in at least three sections, and with the floor section of a transverse body section, which connects two legs of the U-shaped body, and a movable middle wall portion of the rear wall being together raisable upward for increasing an adjoining trunk space, the floor section having a plurality of floor parts pivotally connected with each other and with the middle wall portion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As known, in conventional top storage wells of the type described above and in which the middle floor section is raised upward in order to increase the trunk space when the is closed, there are provided rigid cover flaps for closing the openings of two rigid leg regions of the U-shaped top storage well which are formed during raising of the middle floor section. During the raising of the middle floor section of the top storage well, the flaps should be displaced or pivoted from their essentially horizontal position into a vertical closing position. For effecting this displacement or pivotal movement of the side flaps, a relatively expensive drive assembly is necessary. The drive assembly, on one hand, requires an additional space therefor and, on the other hand, is rather expensive to produce. Furthermore, it is very difficult to achieve an absolutely water-proof seal between the top storage well and the trunk when such rigid flaps are used. In addition to this drawback, another drawback of using the rigid flaps for closing the side openings consists in that it is practically impossible to so attach the flaps in their initial position that they would move noiselessly from the initial position into the vertical position during raising of the middle floor section.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a top storage well of the above-described type which would require less space and would be produced with lower costs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a top storage well which would insure an absolutely water-proof sealing of the side regions of the top storage well with respect to the trunk, while insuring visual view of the trunk.

Top storage well for a convertible motor vehicle

ED. Scharwachter GmbH & Co., Fahrzeugtechnik


A measurement system including a staging unit including a substrate having piezoelectric properties and a conductive electrode formed on the substrate, the conductive electrode including an area adapted to receive a sample, and an oscillator coupled to the conductive electrode. A method including in a tissue sample having a mass of less than about one microgram and that exerts a high osmotic pressure, calculating an osmotic pressure value for the tissue sample from a plurality of measurements of changes in the mass due to swelling.

Measurement systems and methods for measuring macroscopic quantities, such as quantities on the order of grams or kilograms, are well developed and readily available. However, as more scientists and engineers examine the microscopic properties of materials, the demand for microscopic and nano-scale measurements increases. This demand for the measurement of small quantities is further driven by the desire of many scientists and engineers to understand material properties that are derived from measurements related to small changes in the mass of materials.
Unfortunately, the measurement of small quantities of materials and changes in small quantities of materials presents difficult problems. Some of the problems result from the fact that many macro-measurement systems do not scale easily to the measurement of nano-scale quantities. For example, mechanical balances used in the measurement of macro-quantities may not be modifiable to provide accurate measurements in the nano-gram range. Additional problems, such as the degradation of samples with the passage of time, arise in the measurement of some samples, such as biological samples. Despite the difficult problems that must be solved to achieve nano-scale measurements, the demand for systems capable of measuring small quantities of materials continues to increase.

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


A portable display device is provided. The portable display device includes a liquid crystal display panel for displaying an image, a back light assembly having a light source for supplying light to the liquid crystal display panel, and a bottom chassis for supporting the back light assembly. The sides of the bottom chassis have an I-beam shaped or C-beam shaped cross-section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable display device, and more particularly to, a portable display device capable of improving the strength of a support chassis included therein.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently, various flat panel displays (FPDs) have been developed capable of reducing weight and volume that are disadvantages of cathode ray tubes (CRTs). The FPDs include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), field emission displays (FEDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting displays (OLEDs).
Among the FPDs, the LCDs and OLEDs are small and light and have low power consumption so that the LCDs and OLEDs have been spotlighted as substitutes that can overcome the disadvantages of the conventional CRTs. Currently, the LCDs and OLEDs are mounted in monitors and TVs that are large products as well as in portable apparatuses such as mobile telephones and personal digital assistants (PDA). In particular, the portable display devices such as the LCDs and OLEDs are used for the display units of the portable apparatuses.
However, as the portable apparatuses become smaller and slimmer, the thickness of the portable display devices is reduced and protective components that are not required for driving the portable display devices tend to be eliminated.
Accordingly, as the portable display devices become slimmer and the portable display devices structurally weakened, the portable display devices are often damaged, and as a result, tend to easily become defective. Therefore, there is a need to improve the strength of the portable display devices without increasing the thickness of the portable display devices.


In a loudspeaker, even if an interval between a diaphragm and a yoke is small, a lead wire, an end of the coil wire of a voice coil, moves upward and downward in and/or over a cutout portion formed in the yoke, and does not collide with the yoke. The loudspeaker does not have disadvantages, such as noises and disconnection of the end of the coil wire, and can be thin.

A loudspeaker including a yoke, magnet 103 and a magnetic circuit integrated unitarily into a frame is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 4-362900.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional loudspeaker. Cylindrical yoke 101 having a bottom is made of magnetic material, such as iron. Frame 102 made of resin is fixed at an outer periphery of yoke 101 by being inserted with pressure or molding. Magnet 103 is spaced from inner surface 101a of a side wall of yoke 101 by a predetermined interval and is bonded to the bottom of yoke 101. Plate 104 is bonded on an upper surface of magnet 103 and provides magnetic gap 104a between the plate and inner surface 101a of yoke 101. Diaphragm 105 is formed by molding a resin sheet. Voice coil 106 is positioned in magnetic gap 104a and has an end bonded on a lower surface of diaphragm 105.
Voice coil 106 is formed by winding a coil wire having a heat welding layer on its surface and coated for insulating and heating the wound wire. Coil terminals 106a, both end portions of voice coil 106, are led from between diaphragm 105 and yoke 101, and connected by soldering to respective ends of external terminals 107 integrated with frame 102.
In the structure mentioned above, a sound signal is supplied from an external sound source through external terminals 107 to voice coil 106, and the voice coil 106 and diaphragm 105 vibrate to generate a sound.
The conventional loudspeaker is to be thin and make a large output for use in a portable communication device, such as a portable telephone, and coil terminals 106a led from between diaphragm 105 and yoke 101 may contact diaphragm 105 or yoke 101 according to a vibration of the loudspeaker driven, thereby producing a noise. The conventional loudspeaker accordingly requires a certain interval between diaphragm 105 and yoke 101, thus being prevented from having a reduced size.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Examples provide a smart maintenance cart for cleaning temperature-controlled display cases. The maintenance cart includes a main body including a set of water tanks, a pump, a vacuum, a set of hoses, a drain hose filter, a set of rollers, a memory, and a processor. A smart maintenance controller analyzes the sensor data using a set of per-case, customized performance thresholds. The smart maintenance controller generates a set of priority rankings for a set of temperature-controlled display cases based on a result of the analysis of the sensor data. The smart maintenance controller identifies a highest priority case in the set of temperature-controlled display cases for maintenance based on the set of priority rankings. The smart maintenance controller outputs a maintenance task notification to a user, the maintenance task notification comprising a case identifier associated with the highest priority case for cleaning.

A temperature-controlled display case is a modular display providing a temperature-controlled environment for perishable items, such as dairy items, deli items, frozen foods, etc. A temperature-controlled display case can include a freezer, a refrigerated display case, a cooler, etc. Temperature-controlled display cases frequently include a rack housing multiple condenser and other mechanical parts for maintaining temperature within a threshold temperature range. The condenser coils are typically composed of a metal condenser for heat transfer across the coils. If dust or dirt accumulates on these coils, it prevents proper heat transfer. Therefore, these parts typically require regular cleaning and maintenance to prevent the condenser unit from freezing up or shutting down. Moreover, the coils are delicate and incorrect cleaning can damage the coils. Due to the delicate nature of these parts and the numerous components involved, it is frequently difficult for users to determine when a display case requires cleaning, how frequently to clean, and how to properly clean the condenser. Moreover, current maintenance of these refrigerated display cases is frequently a time consuming, cumbersome, labor intensive, and inefficient process.

Temperature-controlled display case maintenance cart system


In a heating and temperature control system for a data storage apparatus comprising at least one matrix-addressable ferroelectric or electret memory device, Joule heating means are provided in the memory device, a temperature determining means is connected with controller circuitry and the controller circuitry is connected with an external power supply, which controlled by the former powers the Joule heating means to achieve a selected operating temperature. In a method for operating the heating and temperature control system an ambient or instant temperature of the memory device is determined and compared with the set nominal optimal temperature, and the difference between these temperatures is used in a predefined algorithm for establishing control parameters for the application of power to the Joule heating means to achieve the selected operating temperature in the memory device during an addressing operation thereto.

The present invention concerns a heating and temperature control system for a data storage apparatus comprising at least one matrix-addressable ferroelectric or electret memory device, wherein the at least one memory device comprises a ferroelectric or electret memory material provided as a global or patterned thin film forming a memory layer in the memory device, a first set of parallel stripe-like electrodes provided in direct or indirect contact with the memory layer on a surface thereof, a second set of parallel stripe-like electrodes provided oriented orthogonally to the electrodes of the first set and in the same relationship to the memory layer, but on the opposite surface thereof, such that the electrodes of one set constitutes word lines of the at least one memory device and the electrodes of the other set bit lines thereof, wherein a memory cell is defined in a volume of the memory material between a word line and a bit line, such that the number of memory cells in the at least one memory device is given by the number of crossings between word lines and bit lines therein, wherein stored data are represented by one of two specific memory cell polarization states which can be set, detected or changed into the opposite polarization state by applying a potential difference over the memory cell as given by appropriately selected voltage levels applied to the word line and bit line electrodes defining the memory cell, the potential difference corresponding to a switching voltage Vs selected higher than a temperature-dependent coercive voltage Vc of the memory cell; as well as a method for operating a heating and temperature control system.
State of the art memory devices are specified to tolerate substantial variations in operating temperatures, but technical barriers impose restrictions that severely undermine device applicability in many cases. For certain types and projected uses of the memory devices in question, there is a clearly articulated need for future memory systems that are able to operate properly at any temperature in a range between −20 C and +80 C. This vast range in temperature presents substantial design and implementation problems, both for traditional silicon-based memory devices as well as for the emerging non-volatile memories based on ferroelectric and electret materials.
A particularly promising sub-class of the latter is based on organic polymers such as the copolymer P(VDF-TrFE). Whereas such materials exhibit very good qualities in many respects, they are still limited by impaired performance and performance deterioration at low and at high temperatures. Examples of qualities that are affected are operating voltage, device speed, write disturb, imprint and cell fatigue, terms which are well-known to the person skilled in the art. Reasons for the problems can be traced to fundamental attributes of ferroelectrics and electrets that e.g. cause sluggish polarization reversal at low temperatures, as well as interface phenomena in the memory devices at points where the memory substance, i.e. the ferroelectric or electret material, is in contact with (typically metallic) electrodes. Electrode materials, processes and interface materials have been developed that provide satisfactory performance in certain temperature regions, but when the range of operation temperatures for one and the same device is extended to low and high temperatures, the worst case device performance is restricted, as are the number of materials, processes and device architectures that can be used.
From International publication WO2004/025658 there is known a method for operating a ferroelectric or electret memory device. This method particularly concerns applying correction factors to voltage pulses used for reading, refreshing, erasing or writing the memory cells in a ferroelectric or electret memory device. Given that the level of the applied voltage pulses remain the same, a specific memory cell response, for instance switching time or its dynamic polarization behaviour, may change depending on environmental factors or an operatively induced change in conditions that affect the dynamic response behaviour of the memory cells. A parameter that may change due to either environmental or operating factors is the actual temperature of a memory cell and it is well-known that temperature influences the dynamic response of ferroelectric and electret materials, particularly because the coercive field is reduced with an increasing temperature. Consequently also the applied switching voltage can be reduced in proportion to the change in the coercive field. In addition voltage pulse levels as given by the applied voltage pulse protocol, of course, usually as fractions of the switching voltage are then also changed proportionately to the change in the latter switching voltage level.
However, instead of adjusting for instance the voltage pulse parameters to a change in the operating temperature, it could be advantageous to set and maintain an optimal operating temperature in the ferroelectric memory material and hence it would not be required to adjust any voltage pulse parameters applied in the addressing operations. In that connection it should be observed that when the coercive field of ferroelectric or electret materials diminishes with an increase in the temperature of the material, the switching voltage can be also set lower, with the added advantage of reducing the effect of disturb voltages to for instance unaddressed cells in a passive matrix-addressable ferroelectric memory.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,322 (Tanaka, assigned to NEC Corp.) there is disclosed an electronic device with a functional device whose function is achieved at a particular temperature or whose performance is enhanced at a particular temperature. To this end the document teaches a temperature control device for cooling and/or heating a functional device to its desired operating temperature in a reasonably short time and controlling the temperature accurately. The thermal transducers for converting electricity to heat or vice versa are incorporated in a thermally isolated diaphragm formed above a substrate, and particularly this thermally isolated diaphragm includes a device portion which is isolated from the substrate by a cavity. Functional devices may for instance be signal processing circuits, detector circuits, memory circuits or various superconducting devices can be mounted on the device portion of the thermally isolated diaphragm and in thermal contact therewith, such that they can be stabilized at their optimal operating temperature.
Although a temperature control device of this kind can be effectively operated it occupies a fairly large volume and are in relation to the functional circuitry itself and is no solution to the particular problem of controlling the temperature say in a limited portion of an integrated circuit or a memory device, for instance limited to the memory material itself. It is evident that a considerable advantage can be gained if it were possible to obtain an efficient temperature control in an integrated circuit or in a high-density memory device by incorporating the thermal transducers in the circuit itself.

Operating temperature optimization in a ferroelectric or electret memory


The invention relates to a data output method and to a data output system comprising:                a printing device;        a database device, in which corresponding reference data and/or control data are stored for a plurality of data output system users; and        a data output control device that delivers, at points in time determined by the data output control device, output data sets allocated to corresponding users to the printing device, wherein a predefined subset of the output data sets is—for performing a test printing—delivered to the printing device in advance already.

Data output systems used in prior art (e.g. by banks, insurance companies, etc.) comprise, for instance, a printing device, a database device, and—as an interface between the printing device and the database device—an appropriate data output control device.
The printing device may e.g. be an appropriate rotary printing press, e.g. a sheet-fed rotary printing press, preferably a web-fed rotary printing press (e.g. a (single-or multi-color) web-fed rotary printing press operating pursuant to a corresponding relief, surface, or gravure printing method).
In the case of a web-fed rotary printing press, a coherent paper web rolled off a corresponding paper roll runs through the machine and is cut, possibly folded, and packed (e.g. enveloped) after printing and drying only.
In the database device, a plurality of data may be stored, e.g. corresponding data of bank customers (e.g. prename and surname, or company name, respectively, addresses, information concerning the language to be used, etc.), bank-internal data (e.g. bank-internal addresses, etc.), etc.
The data output control device generates—by using the above-mentioned or further data stored in the database device (and/or one or a plurality of further database devices), and/or data provided by corresponding data delivery applications—corresponding data set printing files that are delivered to the printing device and are printed there.
The above-mentioned further data may, for instance, be corresponding balance of account data, account activity data (account transfer data, interest payment data, account service price data), etc., or, for instance, deposit state data, deposit activity data (purchase, sale, dividend, interest payment data, deposit service price data), etc.
At particular times—especially at the end of the month—there may be a relatively high load of the printing device and delays during printing due to the particularly high printing volume that exists at that time.
For instance, at the end of the month, data output orders—that are possibly triggered automatically—may result in the printing of several thousands of statements of account, of several thousands of statements of deposit, etc.
If the print-out comprises faults, relatively high costs will be incurred since the—entire—print-out possibly will have to be effected again.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one skilled in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel data output system and a novel data output method, in particular a novel data output system and a novel data output method by means of which the above-mentioned and/or further drawbacks of prior art may be overcome.

Data output system with printing device, and data output method, in particular for performing a test printing