A center console is raised to form a built-in box-shaped part between the backs of passenger vehicle front seats, this box shaped part serving to receive built-in devices that can be operated from the rear seats. This raised area is configured as a supporting element between backs of the front seats in such fashion that the side walls are reinforced with lightweight metal shells connected with one another by cross braces.

The invention relates to a center console for a motor vehicle, especially an automobile, said console having a raised area in the shape of a box between the backs of the front seats to accommodate built-in modules associated with the rear seats, with the lateral areas of the seat backs being located only a short distance from the side walls of said modules.
A center console of this type is known from the French Utility Model with Publication Number 25 81 598. In that document, the space between the front seats has been used to provide a sort of built-in cabinet as an extension of the console, in which air nozzles for cooling the passengers seated in the rear, loudspeakers, a radio or telephone, and operating elements for locking the doors for example are incorporated, said devices being operable by the rear-seat passengers since they are located in the rear wall facing the rear seats.
On the other hand, it is known to provide protective measures to protect vehicle occupants in rear-end collisions as well as in the event of lateral impacts, said measures consisting for example in a reinforcement of the doors or also (German Patent Document DE 42 07 253 A1) in the provision of a gas bag inflatable between the occupants upon impact.
An object of the present invention is to improve the safety of the vehicle occupants in the event of a lateral impact without costly additional measures being required.
Taking its departure from the knowledge that center consoles of the species recited at the outset can be used to reinforce the seat back areas of the front seats against lateral compression, the invention recognizes that the side walls of the box-shaped area can be reinforced and connected together by cross braces to create a protective element that effectively supports the seat backs of the front seats in the event of a lateral impact on the vehicle.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, provision is made such that the side walls of the box-shaped area are reinforced with lightweight metal shells in the adjusting area of the seat back bracing. These shells in turn can be made slightly convex to protect them against bending and be provided on their inwardly directed surfaces with reinforcing ribs. These lightweight metal shells can be injected into the impact resistant plastic of the console.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, the cross braces between the lightweight metal shells that reinforce the side walls are arranged so that they are located in the parting planes of the storage areas located in the center console, in other words, for example, in the separating area between the central storage compartment, like that already known, and between the storage compartments accessible from the rear, into which the modular additional devices mentioned at the outset can be inserted.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, the central storage compartment is also designed so that it is surrounded laterally by hollow spaces. If the hollow spaces extend into the box-shaped area between the seat backs, the stability and supporting effect of the center console can be increased as a result. In an improvement on the invention, however, these hollow spaces can also be designed as air ducts to supply a discharge nozzle located in the box-shaped area, said provision being accomplished by simply closing off the hollow spaces, initially open at the bottom, by a foam body inserted from below. In this design it is also possible to shape the inserted foam bodies as deflecting walls for guiding the air so that the air is guided upward in the vicinity of the box-shaped area to the air outlet nozzle that is also located in the upper area.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, the walls of the hollow spaces that face the central storage compartment can be provided with a window so that it is also possible to conduct cooled air flowing past, laterally through the air ducts for example, into the storage compartment as well in order to air-condition the latter.
In one especially advantageous improvement according to preferred embodiments of the invention, in a vehicle with a center tunnel, provision is made such that the side walls provided with lightweight metal shells can project downward beyond the box-shaped area of the console and be connected permanently with the side walls of the center tunnel. This measure ensures an especially good supporting effect because the center tunnel is also used to reinforce the support of the seat backs of the front seats against one another.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A method for communicating communication network availability information regarding an individual to at least one subscriber of the individual's availability information. According to one embodiment, the method includes detecting whether the individual is present on at least one communication network and determining availability of the individual for each access level of a profile of the individual. The method further includes publishing via a network the availability of the individual to the subscriber based on an access level of the subscriber and the presence information. In addition, the method includes filtering the availability of the individual when it is detected that the individual is no longer present on the communication network.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to communications and, more particularly, to presence and availability management systems.
2. Description of the Background
A presence and availability management system enables users to control their availability and how that is displayed to other users. Accordingly, users may select if they want to be available to any given person (or group of people) or not, as well as how that person (or group of people) may or may not contact them. In addition, a presence and availability management service enables users to view the availability of their contacts and use that information to determine whether or not and how to initiate communications.
Presence and availability management services have two primary functions. First, to collect information from multiple sources to determine the presence and, according to user-defined preferences, the availability of a given person. For example, a presence and availability management service needs information on what communications network a user is on, and whether or not the user is reachable for each of the networks. Second, a presence and availability management service must distribute the availability information of a given person to interested individuals on a selective basis, according to a variety of user-defined preferences and settings.
In addition to those functions, conventional presence and availability management services have two secondary functions. First, to configure access control settings. A presence and availability management service provides users with the ability to configure an observer's access settings, thereby giving users the ability to control what contact information observers are allowed to view. Thus, users have the choice of what information is published to each of their observers. Second, to store user information to enable the use of the presence and availability management service regardless of the user's network device. By storing user information on the back-end of the presence and availability management system, the presence and availability management service enables users to utilize its services regardless of the user's network device as long as they have a device that is within a communications network. Thus, users can access the presence and availability management service if they are on a cellular phone, a handheld device or a computer workstation.
In a conventional presence and availability management enabled communications system, individuals must request the appropriate presence and availability information from the presence and availability management sub-system when they want to communicate with other individuals on the communications network. However, this model poses two issues. First, such systems do not make the presence and availability information about an individual continuously available to others. Thus, the user's interface cannot display the individual's presence and availability information on a continuous basis. Accordingly, users cannot simply quickly glance at a contact list to see who is available. Second, having to retrieve presence and availability information only when it is needed creates a delay at a critical point in time where user tolerance for it is low.

System and method for filtering unavailable devices in a presence and availability management system


The invention features a catheter having a catheter body of extended length for insertion within a body of a living being. The catheter also includes an ultrasound imaging device disposed within a distal portion of the catheter body. The ultrasound imaging device generates electrical signals used by an ultrasound imaging system to display a real-time image of tissue surrounding the distal portion of the catheter. The catheter further includes a cutting element, e.g., an electrode wire or a laser fiber, having a proximal portion disposed within the catheter body. The catheter also includes a mechanism connected to the catheter body that causes the distal portion of the cutting element to extend from the catheter body. The distal portion of the cutting element generates energy in tissue with which it is brought in proximity to form a cut in the tissue. The ultrasound imaging device is positioned relative to the cutting element such that the real-time image produced by the ultrasound imaging system can include the cutting element in relation to the tissue.

This invention relates to an ultrasound imaging catheter with a cutting element.
Often, a stricture, e.g., a stenosis, occlusion, or concentric scarring, caused by, for example, a tumor or a ureter in-growth may form in the wall of a vessel within the body of a living being. These strictures may be soft (e.g., tissue) or hard (e.g., plaque or a calcified region). A balloon dilatation catheter may be used to dilate and break apart the stricture. Often, however, the portion of the vessel wall containing the stricture reforms back to its narrow structure soon after dilatation. It was found that if the stricture was cut with, for example, a cold knife or a cauterizing cutter and a stent was placed in the opening of the cut, the stricture would heal around the stent in an enlarged diameter.
When a stricture is removed (e.g., cut, scored, broken apart, or chipped apart), a risk exists that a crossing vessel (i.e., a large blood vessel, for example, an impinging artery) may be located behind the stricture and simultaneously severed. Severing a crossing vessel may result in uncontrollable bleeding and dangerous blood loss. Several methods exist for determining the presence of crossing vessels, including: examining arteries by X-ray after the injection of radiopaque dyes (i.e., arteriography); examining the interior of a vessel wall with an endoscope to visually detect pulsations caused by an adjacent crossing vessel; and examining the tissue surrounding a vessel stricture with an ultrasound probe (i.e., endoluminal sonography). Generally, in endoluminal sonography, the ultrasound probe is inserted within the vessel to examine the stricture, the ultrasound probe is then removed, and if no crossing vessel was detected, a stricture removal device, e.g., cold knife or cauterize cutter, is inserted to carry out the longitudinal cutting of the structure.

Ultrasound imaging catheter with a cutting element


Provided is a method for preparing monosilane, more particularly a method for economically preparing monosilane, which is useful for the composition of a thin semiconductor structure and multipurpose high-purity polycrystalline silicon, by preparing monosilane with high purity and high yield using trialkoxysilane.

Monosilane is present in a gas state with a boiling point of 112° C. under general conditions. Monosilane is actively decomposed at a temperature of 700° C. or more into silicon, which is a basis for obtaining high-purity silicon, and hydrogen.
A series of methods of synthesizing monosilane have been widely known. For example, as a catalytic disproportionation method of trichlorosilane, a two-step technology is known (German Patent No. 3311650 (Oct. 13, 1983). In the technology, the first step corresponds to performing catalytic hydrogenation of metallic silicon, and at this time, the hydrogenation is conducted along with production of trichlorosilane at a temperature from 400° C. to 600° C. and a pressure from 0.7 bar to 41.4 bar. In the second step, a catalytic disproportionation reaction of trichlorosilane is performed. At this time, an anion exchange resin is used as a catalyst along with tertiary amine, and the disproportionation is performed at a maximum temperature of 150° C. Thereafter, impurities of monosilane are removed. However, when a corrosive chlorine compound is present, the invention makes it difficult to purify monosilane into high-purity monosilane due to transfer of impurities from the wall of equipment toward monosilane and causes an increase in the price of a final product, and thus it is difficult to widely use the method to prepare monosilane.
Further, as a method of preparing silane using reaction of silicon tetrachloride with lithium hydride, a method according to Russian Patent No. 2173297 (2001) is also widely known. In the method, lithium hydride is pulverized beforehand, and then the process is conducted at a temperature of 300° C. Lithium chloride produced during the reaction is used for regeneration of LiH. At this time, hydrogen chloride is produced. A major disadvantage of the method is that it is necessary to remove a starting reagent from silane, particularly, hydrogen chloride residue. In relation to this, there is a problem in that it is required to additionally perform a difficult process of removing HCl from a final product.
As another method of preparing silane, there is a method of preparing silane by treating lithium silicide with a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid or sulfuric acid according to Russian Patent No. 2194009 (2002). As a major disadvantage of the method, there is a problem in that it is necessary to additionally perform a difficult process of removing a starting reagent, that is, hydrogen chloride or the corresponding acetic acid or sulfuric acid residue from silane. Examples of other limitations include high exothermicity, and when a violation occurs in the replenishment mode of a starting reagent in a reactor, the reactor is likely to explode.
A method of preparing monosilane using catalytic disproportionation of alkoxysilane is one of the promising methods. The method was proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,367 in 1947, and the disproportionation in the invention is performed by the following Reaction Equation A.4SiH(C2H5O)3→SiH4+3Si(C2H5O)4  [Reaction Equation A]
The foundation for the catalytic disproportionation of alkoxysilane was established in the former Soviet Union in 1957 to 1959, and the reason for this appears to be that triethoxysilane was usually developed at that time [Soviet Journal of Technical Physics, 1957, v. 27, No. 8, pp. 1645-1648 and Soviet Journal of Solid State Physics, 1959, v. 1, pp. 999-1001].
U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,555 (Aug. 13, 1974) proposed a continuous synthesis process of monosilane. In the invention, sodium ethoxide in tetraethoxysilane acts as a catalyst in a disproportionation reaction of triethoxysilane, the reaction was conducted in a liquid phase, and the conversion ratio of triethoxysilane ranged from 70% to 90%.

Method for preparing monosilane using trialkoxysilane

INSTITUTE OF ION-PLASMA AND LASER TECHNOLOGIES


This specification describes a method comprising determining an orientation of a first apparatus with respect to a second apparatus (S6.2) based on at least one radio frequency packet passed wirelessly between the first and second apparatuses, and causing performance of an active scan for the second apparatus or a third apparatus associated with the second apparatus (S6.5) only if it is determined that the orientation of the first apparatus with respect to the second apparatus satisfies at least one predetermined condition (S6.3).

Users of portable devices are surrounded by an increasing number of wireless devices to which it is possible to transmit packets in order to obtain additional information or to form a connection. This brings new challenges in relation to enabling devices efficiently to obtain information from one another and/or to form connections between the devices, particularly in a system in which many different users and remote apparatuses are present.


A metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor power device with a lightly doped silicon substrate includes a source region and a drain region. At least one field implanted island region is formed along the surface of the substrate between the source and drain regions with a field oxide region formed above the field implanted region, a dielectric layer and a gate electrode formed over the substrate, and self-aligned source and drain regions implanted into the device with external electrodes connected thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to power MOSFET devices and more particularly to an improved design of such devices.
2. Description of Related Art
In current laterally diffused power MOSFETs, the thickness of diffused layers is scaled to eliminate the surface breakdown. However, due to the thinning of the diffused layer, the on-resistance is accordingly increased. The driving current is therefore reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor power device with a lightly doped silicon substrate includes a source region and a drain region, the improvement comprises at least one field implanted island region formed along the surface of the oppositely substrate between the source and drain regions with a field oxide region formed above the field implanted region, a dielectric layer and a gate electrode of matching configurations formed over the substrate, and self-aligned source drain regions implanted into the device with external electrodes connected thereto.
Preferably, the substrate is lightly doped P- silicon including an oppositely doped N- well; the field implanted region being a counterdoped region relative to the N- well
an oppositely doped source region in the substrate with respect to the lightly doped substrate substrate comprises a P-substrate, the well comprises an N- well and the counter doped region is doped P; the external electrode connected to the counterdoped region is connected to one end of an inverter; the depth of the counter doped region is within a range from about 3,000 .ANG. to about 5,000 .ANG., the dopant is applied within a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E12 cm.sup.-2 to about 1E13 cm.sup.-2 ; the depth of the counter doped island region is within a range from about 3,000 .ANG. to about 5,000 .ANG., the dopant is applied within a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E11 cm.sup.-2 to about 5E11 cm.sup.-2 ; the depth of the counter doped region comprises boron dopant ion selected from boron and BF.sub.2 implanted at a preferred energy of 40 keV to provide a far higher level of doping than in the N-wells of the device the islands having a depth within a range from about 3,000 .ANG. to about 5,000 .ANG., the source/drain regions are doped with a preferred dose of about a phosphorus dopant applied within a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E15 cm.sup.-2 to about 5E15 cm.sup.-2 ; the source/drain regions are doped with a preferred dose of about a phosphorus dopant applied within a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E15 cm.sup.-2 to about 5E15 cm.sup.-2.
Further in accordance with this invention, a method is provided for manufacture of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor device selected from power devices and peripheral devices with a lightly doped silicon substrate,
forming a field implant region in islands in the device by ion implanting P ions into the islands,
forming a field oxide layer and driving in the field implant dopant,
forming a gate oxide on the device,
forming a gate electrode layer on the gate oxide layer,
patterning the gate electrode layer and the gate oxide layer, and
performing a self-aligned source/drain implant into source/drain regions of the device.
Preferably, the device comprises a power device on a P-substrate, the device includes an N- well with a counterdoped P region; the depth of the counter doped region is within a range from about 3,000 .ANG. to about 5,000 .ANG., the dopant is applied within a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E12 cm.sup.-2 to about 1E13 cm.sup.-2 ; and the depth of the source/drain regions is within a range from about 3,000 .ANG. to about 5,000 .ANG., the dopant comprising boron is applied within a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E12 cm.sup.-2 to about 1E13 cm.sup.-2 ; and the source/drain dopant comprising phosphorus is applied at a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and a range of doses from about 1E15 cm.sup.-2 to about 5E15 cm.sup.-2 ; an external electrode is connected to the counterdoped region, the counterdoped region being connected to one end of an inverter;
Preferably, the device comprises a peripheral device on a P-substrate comprising,
forming P doped field implant regions and then forming FOX regions over the field implant regions,
forming a gate oxide and gate structure between the FOX regions, and
forming self-aligned source/drain regions by ion implanting source/drain dopant into the substrate adjacent to the gate structure; the field implant regions are formed by ion implantation of phosphorus dopant, the dopant being applied within a range of energies from about 100 keV to about 150 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E12 cm.sup.-2 to about 1E13 cm.sup.-2 ; and the source/drain regions are formed by ion implantation of dopant, the dopant comprising phosphorus applied within a range of energies from about 30 keV to about 50 keV, and within a range of doses from about 1E15 cm.sup.-2 to about 5E13 cm.sup.-2.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor device with a lightly doped silicon substrate including an oppositely doped well and oppositely doped source region and oppositely drain region with respect to the lightly doped substrate, manufactured by the method comprising
implanting at least one counter doped region formed along the surface of the well between the source and drain regions, the counter doped region having an external electrode connected thereto;
the substrate comprises a P-substrate,
the well comprises an N- well and the counterdoped region is doped P,
the external electrode being connected to the counterdoped region is connected to one end of an inverter; and the external electrode connected to the counterdoped region is connected to one end of an inverter.

Low resistance, high breakdown voltage, power mosfet


A method for producing a wheel pan includes cold-rolling a rectangular metal strip of a given uniform thickness by conical rolls into a semicircular ring, such that the thickness reduction on the outer edge of the curved strip is at least 20%, and the circumference of the semicircular ring thus produced extends 130-310°, preferably 180°; bending the semicircular ring into a complete circle to produce a conical hoop, welding the ends together; and shaping the hoop to form the bottom of the pan.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a method for producing wheel pans for motor vehicle wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
The production of wheel pans for motor vehicle wheels, i.e., the center web of a vehicle wheel, generally starts with sheet bars, which in turn are punched out or burned out of strip material or wide flat steel. This method of production generates a large amount of material scrap which can be as high as 35 to 40%.
To reduce this very large amount of material waste, various wheel manufacturers have tried to produce the wheel pans from cylindrical hoops. So far this has been successfully realized only with a very expensive 2-step orbital press-forming process.
In this production process, a cylindrical hoop is first produced, which is then shaped into a cup by orbital press forming. The bottom of the wheel pan is pre-shaped in a second orbital press-forming step. The wheel pan is then finished in the conventional way.
Since this process is mainly a material bulging process, very high forces are required and it can be realized only with very high capital expenditures.
DE Patent reference 493 472 describes another method, in which production begins with a flat bar, i.e., a rectangular strip, which is then tapered toward one edge and simultaneously rounded by rolling it between conical rolls. This results in the formation of an open circular ring, whose ends are then joined. The final shaping of the pan is then carried out in a pressing or drawing process.


A clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products (S), like sausages, by filing a flowable filling material into a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing (M) and closing said packaging casing (M) by a closure means, like a closure clip (C). The clipping machine (1) comprises a feeding device (50) for suspension elements configured to feed suspension elements (E) attached to a carrier strip (B) to a delivery position and to place a first section of a suspension element (E) within the closure means (C) positioned on the die (25) of the second closing tool (24). The feeding device (50) further comprises a guiding device (51) configured to hold down the suspension element (E) close to the carrier strip (B) while the suspension element (E) is pulled off and detached from the carrier strip (B) by a relative movement between the second clipping tool (24) and the feeding device (50). A holding device (60) attached to the second clipping tool (24) is configured to releasably receive and hold a second section of the suspension element (E) when detached from the carrier strip (B).

The present invention relates to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, according to the preamble of independent claim 1.
In particular, the present invention relates to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, like sausages, by filing a flowable filling material into a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing and closing said packaging casing by a closure means, like a closure clip. The clipping machine comprises a filling tube for feeding the filling material into the tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing stored on the filling tube and closed at its first end, gathering means for gathering the filled tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing and for forming a plait-like portion thereto, and a clipping device having a first and a second closing tool both reversibly movable relative to each other between an opened position and a closed position, for applying at least one closure means to the plait-like portion and closing said closure means when the closing tools are in their closed position.
In practice, it is known that, for example in the production of sausage-shaped products, like sausages, the clipping machine may further comprise a feeding unit for feeding flexible suspension elements, like loops, to the clipping unit for being attached to the sausage-shaped product by a clip by means of the first or second closure means, the feeding unit includes a positioning device for positioning the flexible suspension element to be attached to the sausage-shaped product.
For example, a production line for producing sausage-shaped products is known from German laid-open patent specification 10 2006 30 041 829, in which the sausage-shaped products receive a free-flowing filling material, such as sausage meat, sealing compound, granulate or the like in a tubular casing material. This prior art production line contains a clipping machine, in which the casing material stuffed with filling material is portioned into single sausage-shaped products by constricting (gathering) the casing and placing closure clips in the constricted region, wherein at least one flexible suspension element that is fed in synchrony to the clipping machine may be attached to the sausage-shaped product when placing a clip. The suspension elements are formed, for example, by thread loops and lie on a carrier strip which is coated on one side with an adhesive, from which they are pulled off singly in the clipping machine by a lower die (second closing tool) of a clip placement and clip closing machine. In these prior art feeding devices for flexible suspension elements there is a risk, however, that the suspension elements may be ejected from the lower die of the closing tools or from the clip by the impulse that is imparted to them when they are detached from the carrier strip. This leads to the suspension elements not being properly fixed to the sausage-shaped product. Unwanted downtime and lost production are the consequence. The suspension elements twirling about can also catch in other parts of the machinery, which likewise results in additional downtime and lost production.
In order to reduce the above mentioned risk of ejecting the suspension element when being detached from the carrier strip, from U.S. Pat. No. 8,540,555 a feeding device for suspension elements is known, comprising, in the region of the delivery position for the suspension elements where the suspension elements are detached from the carrier strip by the closing tool of the clipping machine, a guiding device (so called holding-down device) arranged above the carrier strip. The guiding device contains a holding-down element which can be laid reversibly upon at least the suspension element located at the delivery position, wherein the holding-down element covers the suspension element at least in portions thereof. Such a guiding device holds down the suspension element that has just been pulled off the carrier strip approximately as long as required until it has been fixed by means of a closure clip to the sausage-shaped product and has been carried out of the clipping zone of the clipping machine. In this way, the suspension element can be reliably prevented from twirling around and catching in other parts of the machinery. However, if small or short suspension elements are to be attached to the product, the moving distance of the of the closing tool pulling the suspension element off the carrier strip may be longer than the length of the suspension element covered by or arranged under the holding down element, so that the suspension element is drawn away from the guiding device before the clip is closed by the closing tools. In this case, the end of the suspension element E opposite to its end picked up in the closing clip is not guided any more before the closing clip is closed, if the relation of length of suspension element E to the moving distance of the second closing tool. Thus, there is still a risk that the suspension element may be subjected to uncontrolled movements and may even jump out of the clip or the closing tool before the clip is closed.

Clipping machine with improved handling of suspension elements


The present invention relates to a method and system for performing deep packet inspection of messages transmitted through a network switch in a Software Defined Network (SDN). Embodiments of the invention include a network switch, a controller, and a firewall in a software defined networking environment. In the present invention, the network switch is a simple network switch that is physically separate from the controller and the firewall. The invention may include a plurality of physically distinct network switches communicating with one or more controllers and firewalls. In certain instances, communications between the network switch, the controller, and the firewall are performed using the Open Flow standard communication protocol.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to network security in Software Defined Networking (SDN). More specifically, the present invention relates to deep packet inspection of a flow of data packets in a Software Defined Networking environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Deep packet inspection is commonly used today to protect computer networks from viruses and malware. Those familiar with packet communications in computer networks understand that data packets sent through a computer network include numerous layers that may be scanned for threats using deep packet inspection. These layers include the Physical Layer (Layer 1), the Data Link Layer (Layer 2), the Network Layer (Layer 3), the Transport Layer (Layer 4); the Session Layer (Layer 5), the Presentation Layer (Layer 6), and the Application Layer (Layer 7).
Performing deep packet inspection on multiple layers of packets in a stream of packets requires significant computing resources. The concern for protecting computer networks from threats created a market for smart network switches that include deep packet inspection functionality. Smart switches include significant computing resources, where commodity switches do not. Because of this, smart switches are significantly more expensive than commodity switches. Since concerns for security have traditionally outweighed concerns for limiting expenditures in the data center, the use of smart switches has expanded overtime.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a new networking architecture with the goal of simplifying computer networks in the data center while reducing the costs associated with the data center. Preferred network switches used in a software defined network are simple inexpensive commodity network switches. The simplicity and the lower costs associated with SDN computer networks as compared to traditional computer networks has led to forecasts that SDN will displace traditional computer networks over time. The SDN architecture, however, has not addressed how to maximize the security of the data center. By replacing smart network switches with inexpensive network switches, SDN increases risks associated with passing viruses and malware through a network switch to computers in the computer network. There is therefore a need for low cost methods for performing deep packet inspection on packets in an SDN environment.
Open Flow is an example of a Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocol. Open Flows uses a collaborative network switch and a controller to direct packets received by the network switch to a destination identified in the packets received. Since Open Flow is currently an important SDN protocol, Open Flow is a protocol that may be used to provide enhanced deep packet inspection functionality in an SDN environment without adding significant costs to an SDN computer network.
Open Flow protocol provides a common communication protocol between SDN controllers and other network devices. The Open Flow protocol describes message exchanges that take place between an Open Flow controller and one or more Open Flow switches. Commands or messages used by the Open Flow protocol may be extended to include new commands or messages that are compatible with the protocol.
A flow of packets is a sequence of packets traversing a network that share a set of header field values. For example, a flow could consist of all packets with the same source and destination IP addresses, or all packets with the same virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier.

Method to enable deep packet inspection (DPI) in openflow-based software defined network (SDN)


The invention relates to stabilized subtilisin proteases wherein one or more prolines is substituted for a native amino acid at stabilizing positions defined both by the range of the dihedral angles in the primary structure present at the substitution site and by selected characteristics of the protease secondary structure in the vicinity of the substitution site, to nucleotide sequences that encode the stabilized proteases, and to host organisms that contain the nucleotide sequences encoding the stabilized proteases.

Proteases/Subtilisins
Proteases, or (interchangeably) peptidases, are enzymes that cleave the amide linkages in protein substrates. Bacteria of the Bacillus species secrete two extracellular species of protease, a neutral or metalloprotease, and an alkaline protease which is functionally a serine endopeptidase, referred to as subtilisin.
A serine protease is an enzyme which catalyses the hydrolysis of peptide bonds, and in which there is an essential serine residue at the active site White, Handler and Smith (1973); Principles of Biochemistry; Fifth Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company, N.Y., 271-272!.
The bacterial serine proteases have molecular weights in the range of 20,000 to 45,000. They hydrolyse simple terminal esters and are similar in activity to eukaryotic chymotrypsin, also a serine protease. A more narrow term, alkaline protease, covering a sub-group, reflects the high pH optimum of some of the serine proteases, from pH 9.0 to 11.0 for review, see Priest; Bacteriological Rev., 41 711-753 (1977)!.
In relation to the present invention a subtilisin is a serine protease produced by Gram-positive bacteria or fungi. According to another definition, a subtilisin is a serine protease, wherein the relative order of the amino acid residues in the catalytic triad is Asp--His--Ser (positions 32, 64, and 221). A wide variety of subtilisins has been identified, and the amino acid sequences of a number of subtilisins have been determined. These include among others six subtilisins from Bacillus strains, namely, subtilisin 168, subtilisin BPN', subtilisin Carlsberg, subtilisin DY, subtilisin amylosacchariticus, and mesentericopeptidase Kurihara et al. (1972); J. Biol. Chem.; 247 5629-5631; Wells et al. (1983); Nucleic Acids Res.; 11 7911-7925; Stahl and Ferrari (1984); J. Bacteriol.; 159 811-819; Jacobs et al. (1985); Nucl. Acids Res.; 13 8913-8926; Nedkov et al. (1985); Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler; 366 421-430; Svendsen et al. (1985); FEBS LETTERS; 196 228-232! one subtilisin from an actino-mycetales, Thermitase from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris Meloun et al. (1985); FEBS LETTERS; 1983 195-200!, and one fungal subtilisin, proteinase K from Tritirachium album Jany and Mayer (1985); Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler; 366 584-492!.
Proteases such as subtilisins have found much utility in industry, particularly in detergent formulations, as they are useful for removing proteinaceous stains.
The Structure of Proteins
Proteases are globular proteins and quite compact due to the considerable amount of folding of the long polypeptide chain. The polypeptide chain essentially consists of the "backbone" and its "side-groups". As the peptide bond is planar, only rotations around the C.sub.a --N axis and the C.sub.a --C' axis are permitted. Rotation around the C.sub.a --N bond of the peptide backbone is denoted by the torsion angle .phi. (phi), rotation around the C.sub.a --C' bond by .psi. (psi) vide e.g. Creighton, T. E. (1984); Proteins; W. H. Freeman and Company, New York!. The choice of the values of these angles of rotation is made by assigning the maximum value of +180.degree. (which is identical to -180.degree.) to the maximally extended chain. In the fully extended polypeptide chain, the N, C.sub.a and C' atoms are all "trans" to each other. In the "cis" configuration, the angles .phi. and .psi. are assigned the value of 0.degree.. Rotation from this position around the bonds so that the atoms viewed behind the rotated bond move "counter-clockwise" is assigned negative values by definition, those "clockwise" are assigned positive values. Thus, the values of the torsion angles lie within the range -180.degree. to +180.degree..
Since the C.sub.a -atoms are the swivel point for the chain, the side-groups (R-groups) associated with the C.sub.a -atoms become extremely important with respect to the conformation of the molecule.
The term "conformation" defines the participation of the secondary and tertiary structures of the polypeptide chains in moulding the overall structure of a protein. The correct conformation of a protein is of prime importance to the specific structure of a protein and contributes greatly to the unique catalytic properties (i.e. activity and specificity) of enzymes and their stability.
The amino acids of polypeptides can be divided into four general groups: nonpolar, uncharged polar, and negatively or positively charged polar amino acids. A protein molecule, when submerged in its aqueous environment in which it normally occurs, tends to expose a maximum number of its polar side-groups to the surrounding environment, while a majority of its nonpolar side groups is oriented internally. Orientation of the side-groups in this manner leads to a stabilization of protein conformation.
Proteins, thus, exist in a dynamic equilibrium between a folded and ordered state, and an unfolded and disordered state. This equilibrium in part reflects the short range interactions among the different segments of the polypeptide chain, which tends to stabilize the overall structure of proteins. Thermodynamic forces simultaneously tend to promote randomization of the unfolding molecule.
A way to engineer stabilized proteins is to reduce the extent of unfolding by decreasing the flexibility of the polypeptide backbone, and simultaneously decreasing the entropy of the unfolded chain. So far only few attempts have been made to implement this rationale in the development of novel stabilized proteases.
A general principle of increasing protein thermostability has been provided Suzuki, Y. (1989); Proc. Japan Acad.; 65 Ser. B!. In this article Suzuki states that the thermostability of a globular protein can be enhanced cumulatively to a great extent by increasing the frequency of proline occurrence at the second site of .beta.-turns without significant alterations in the secondary and tertiary structures as well as in the catalytic function of enzymes. The principle is based on various facts and findings, among these the fact that proline residues show a strong tendency to occur preferentially at the second site of .beta.-turns Levitt, M (1978); Biochemistry; 17 4277-4285; and Chou, P. Y. & Fasman, G. D. (1977); J. Mol. Biol.; 115 135-175!. The principle is restricted to insertion of proline into the second site of .beta.-turns in proteins, no other sites are mentioned.
International Patent Publication WO 89/01520 (Cetus Corporation, USA) provides a method for increasing the stability of a protein by decreasing the configurational entropy of unfolding the protein. The method is applied on a Streptomyces rubiqinosus xylose isomerase, and it involves substitution of an amino acid with proline, or replacement of glycine with alanine, at predicted substitution sites.
In International Patent Publication WO 89/09819 (Genex Corporation, USA) a method for combining mutations for stabilization of subtilisins is provided. This publication lists a number of amino acid mutations that have been found to be thermally stabilizing mutations. The list comprises substitution of serine with proline at position 188 of subtilisins (BPN' numbering).
International Patent Publication WO 87/05050 (Genex Corporation, USA) describes a method for mutagenesis and screening. By this method one or more mutations are introduced by treatment with mutagenizing agents, and the method includes subsequent screening for products with altered properties. As a result of this random mutagenesis a subtilisin with a proline residue at position 188 (BPN' numbering) is provided.
It is an object of this invention to provide novel proteases having improved stability.

Stabilized enzymes and detergent compositions


An object of the present invention is to provide an adsorbent material having excellent gas storage performance and gas separation performance.

In the fields of deodorization, exhaust gas treatment, and the like, various adsorbent materials have so far been developed. Activated carbon is a representative example of these, and it has been used widely in various industries for the purpose of air cleaning, desulfurization, denitrification, or removal of harmful substances by making use of its excellent adsorption performance. In recent years, demand for nitrogen has been increasing, for example, in the semiconductor manufacturing process and the like. Such nitrogen is produced from air by using molecular sieving carbon according to the pressure swing adsorption process or temperature swing adsorption process. Molecular sieving carbon is also used for separation and purification of various gases such as purification of hydrogen from a cracked methanol gas.
When a mixture of gases is separated according to the pressure swing adsorption process or temperature swing adsorption process, it is the common practice to separate it based on the difference between the gases in equilibrium adsorption amount or rate of adsorption to molecular sieving carbon or zeolite used as a separation adsorbent material. When the mixture of gases is separated based on the difference in equilibrium adsorption amount, conventional adsorbent materials cannot selectively adsorb thereto only the gas to be removed, and the separation coefficient decreases, making it inevitable that the size of the apparatus used therefor increases. When the mixture of gases is separated into individual gases based on the difference in rate of adsorption, on the other hand, only the gas to be removed can be adsorbed, although it depends on the kind of gas. It is necessary, however, to alternately carry out adsorption and desorption, and also in this case, the apparatus used therefor should be larger.
On the other hand, there has also been developed, as an adsorbent material providing superior adsorption performance, a coordination polymer undergoing a change in dynamic structure when exposed to external stimulation. When this novel coordination polymer undergoing a change in dynamic structure is used as a gas adsorbent material, it does not adsorb a gas until a predetermined pressure but it starts gas adsorption at a pressure exceeding the predetermined pressure. In addition, a phenomenon is observed in which the adsorption starting pressure differs depending on the nature of the gas.
Application of these phenomena to adsorbent materials used in a gas separation apparatus employing a pressure swing adsorption system enables very efficient gas separation. It can also decrease the pressure swing width, contributing to energy savings. Further, it can contribute to size reduction of the gas separation apparatus, making it possible to increase competitiveness in terms of costs when a high-purity gas is put on the market as a product. Moreover, even if the high-purity gas is used in a company's own plant, the costs paid for the equipment requiring a high-purity gas can be reduced, resulting in a reduction of manufacturing costs of the final product.
When a coordination polymer is used as an adsorbent material, it is preferable to use the coordination polymer after molding, rather than in the form of a powder. For example, pelletization by tablet compression is known as a method of molding a coordination polymer (see PTL 1 and PTL 2). However, when the present inventors pelletized, by tablet compression, a coordination polymer undergoing a change in dynamic structure when exposed to external stimulation, it was confirmed that the pellet form could not be maintained after adsorption of gas, because the volume of the coordination polymer undergoing a change in dynamic structure when exposed to external stimulation was expanded upon gas adsorption (see, for example, NPL 1).
Regarding a coordination polymer comprising a copper ion, a tetrafluoroborate ion, and 4,4′-bipyridyl, it is known that the coordination polymer can be formed into pellets by tablet compression when using magnesium stearate as a lubricant, and that the coordination polymer can be formed into granules by using sugar as a binder (see NPL 1). However, the methane adsorption starting pressure of pelletized samples becomes about 1 MPa higher than the starting pressure of powder samples. Thus, the original properties of the coordination polymer cannot be maintained after pelletization.
PTL 3 discloses a heat-conductive resin composition comprising a porous coordination polymer and a thermoplastic resin. As specific examples of the thermoplastic resin, PTL 3 refers to styrene elastomers, polyester elastomers, polyurethane elastomers, and olefin elastomers; however, the obtained composition is not designed for gas adsorption, and nothing of this sort is mentioned in PTL 3.

Abstract: This object can be achieved by an adsorbent material comprising a composition comprising a metal complex (A) and an elastomer (B), the metal complex (A) containing an anionic ligand and at least one metal ion selected from ions of metals belonging to Groups 1 to 13 of the periodic table, the metal complex (A) being capable of undergoing a volume change upon adsorption, and the mass ratio of the metal complex (A) and the elastomer (B) being within the range of 1:99 to 99:1.


A method enables a data manipulation action to occur between data from a data source and data in a table in a database, where the database is remote from the data source. The method includes the steps of: determining whether data from the data source comprises unique values, and if not, enabling a caching procedure. The caching procedure obtains values from the data source and transmits a query to a database management system which controls the table, including a value from the data source. A result set is received from the table, is cached, and additionally is stored for purposes of responding to the query. Thereafter, if a value from the data source is retrieved which is identical to a previously retrieved data source value, the cached corresponding result set is utilized, in lieu of transmitting a further query to the table.

A continuing demand exists to couple multiple databases so as to enable transparent access to data stored therein. "Transparent" implies that an application program at a specific site is able to access data from all connected databases, without being aware of the origin of the data, nor of any incompatibilities which might exist between a local database and any of the plurality of coupled remote databases. It is to be understood that the terms "remote" and "local", as used herein, not only refer to physical locations, but also to databases that are located at a single site (e.g., on one or more computers), but are controlled by different operating systems or database protocols.
In order to provide a transparent interface for heterogeneous databases, the prior art has employed one database as an interface and has enabled that interface, under control of a database management system (DBMS), to access data from other databases in accordance with data entries contained in an interface table.
Upon receiving a query, the receiving DBMS performs a query optimization procedure to decide upon an efficient method for accessing the requested data. During such a query optimization action, various types of join methods are often considered. A join method is used when rows from an "outer" table are concatenated to rows of one or more other tables (i.e., "inner" tables), in accord with a determined criteria. As used herein, the term table includes any tabular data listing. An outer table is one from which a search name is retrieved from a "joining column". An inner table is one from which data is retrieved, based on the search name retrieved from the joining column.
The joining column is the column in the outer table which includes the data or search names that are utilized when accessing data in the inner table. The data retrieved from the inner table, in answer to a received query, is termed the "result set".
Relational DBMS's use SQL (structured query language) as a standard language for enabling database manipulations. The SQL language allows users to formulate relational operations on the database tables. For example, each SQL operator operates on either one or more tables and produces a new table as a result. SQL enables the linking together of information from multiple tables or views to perform complex sets of procedures, through a single statement. One of those procedures is a join of columns of data from two or more tables.
Performing of join operations can be quite costly in terms of performance because each row in a first table must be joined with multiple rows in a second table. In a heterogenous database system, a complex join operation can result in heavy communication costs, especially where one of the databases is remotely located.
DBMS query optimization procedures have, in the prior art, attempted various techniques for improving processing efficiency when responding to queries. U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,758 to Pirahesh et al., assigned to the same Assignee as this application, optimize a certain SQL query type in a relational DBMS through the use of early-out join transformations. An early-out join comprises a many-to-one join, wherein the join action scans an inner table for a match for each row of an outer table and terminates the scan for each row of the outer table when a single match is found in the inner table. Procedures are described for the transformation of a many-to-many join to an early-out join in the '758 patent.
The prior art also includes a number of teachings regarding optimization of query plans in heterogenous database systems. For instance, Hsu et al. in "Reformulating Query Plans for Multi-Database Systems", Second International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management, Nov. 1-5, 1993, pages 423-432 describe a query optimization technique that is particularly directed to heterogenous database systems. A query plan is reformulated, using database abstractions and knowledge about the contents of the databases, to arrive at a query plan that is less expensive but semantically equivalent. The object of the reformulation algorithm presented by Hsu et al. is to reduce the cost of data retrieval in response to a received query. Hsu et al. do not generate queries each time a controlling rule is executed. Instead, all applicable rules are executed at once and candidate constraints are collected into a list set. Thereafter, only appropriate constraints are selected that will contribute to the cost reduction. More precisely, the Hsu et al. approach is a "delayed-commitment strategy" because the system delays the reformulation of the query until it has enough information to make a decision.
A further suggestion regarding query optimization is presented by Arens et al. in "Intelligent Caching: Selecting, Representing and Reusing Data in an Information Server", Third International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management, Nov. 29-Dec. 2, 1994, pages 433-438. Arens et al. set out certain rules which are to be followed when determining what data to cache in a multiple heterogeneous and distributed database network. Arens et al. suggest that data retrieved in response to a user's query may be cached for future reuse and various broadly stated rationales are provided to assist in determining when the caching should occur.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for improving the efficiency of handling of queries to remote database tables through caching.
It is another object of this invention to provide a system and method for improving the efficiency of remote query operations in a heterogenous system.

Method and apparatus for caching result sets from queries to a remote database in a heterogeneous database system

International Business Machines Corporation


An aromatic carbonate polymer composition having improved thermal stability consisting of an aromatic carbonate polymer such as a polycarbonate or polycarbonate/polyester blend and an impact modifier which is free of alkali materials which catalytically degrade a polycarbonate. Also an impact modifier which is preferably of a shell-core structure prepared by the emulsion polymerization process and has a pH of about 3 to about 8. A preferred emulsifier is an alkyl sulfonate having an alkyl group of C6-C18 carbons.

Addition of rubbery impact modifiers is commonly used to improve the toughness of aromatic carbonate polymer compositions. In comparing the effectiveness of various rubbery modifiers large differences in melt stability are often observed. In aromatic carbonate polymer compositions, the polycarbonate portion of the composition is susceptible to degradation by acids and bases. Sufficient degradation will cause color formation, loss of molecular weight, reduced chemical and mechanical properties and generation of carbon dioxide which causes surface appearance defects, such as splay in molded parts.
The problem of the melt stability of polycarbonates and blends thereof with other polymers are often addressed by the addition of various stabilizers as disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 08/79112 filed Jan. 30, 1997 and assigned to the same assignee and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,532,290, 5,252,536, 5,441,997, 5,502,119 and 5,608,027 all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Rubbery modifiers prepared by emulsion polymerization are useful in polymer blends as impact modifiers due to their fixed particle size. However, they may cause particular problems in the stability of polycarbonates due to the presence of significant amounts of additives employed in preparing the rubbery modifiers such as flow aids, polymerization catalysts, antioxidants and especially emulsifiers. Some of the most common impact modifiers employed in the preparation of a carbonate polymer compositions are polymers themselves prepared by: polymerization techniques employing particular emulsifiers that are utilized in emulsion polymerization reactions; suspension agents utilized in suspension polymerization reactions; surfactants utilized in phase transfer catalysis systems; soluble catalysts utilized in polymerization reactions; and for certain process stabilizers employed during the processing of the polymers either in the polymerization or in the molding thereof. For example, it is now known that residues in an impact modifier from these particular polymerization aids, particularly emulsion polymerization aids employed in preparing certain impact modifiers, quite often catalyze transesterification or degradation of polycarbonates. It is also known that impact modifier additives to carbonate polymer compositions are commonly made by emulsion polymerization processes employing alkali metal salts of fatty acid emulsifiers to stabilize the emulsion during polymerization of the impact modifier. It is also known that the alkali metal salts of fatty acids catalyze transesterification or degradation of polycarbonates which in turn causes inconsistent thermal stability in carbonate polymer composition because of residual amounts of the emulsifier employed in preparing the modifier remaining in the impact modifier. This leads to problems in molding shops because of the variability in viscosity due to the catalytic transesterification or degradation of polycarbonates with such impact modifiers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,027 Table 11 describes the superior performance of complex stabilization systems when impact modifiers are used in polycarbonate compositions and demonstrates problems that can occur with reaction between the polycarbonate and the impact modifier, if complex stabilizers are not added to prevent the reaction.
A large number of patents exists describing the use of additives in polycarbonate compositions. A significant fraction of these are directed to the use of impact modifiers. The instant invention discloses the utilization of certain impact modifiers prepared by emulsion polymerization in carbonate polymer compositions, which impact modifiers are essentially free of particular residual emulsifiers that cause degradation of polycarbonates. The instant invention is directed to an impact modified carbonate polymer composition with better thermal stability than compositions with conventional impact modifiers which employ, for example, alkali metal salts of fatty acid as emulsifiers in the preparation thereof.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Impact modified carbonate polymer composition having improved resistance to degradation and improved thermal stability


A system includes an electric motor, at least one pair of high side and low side switches connected to the electric motor, and a microcontroller connected to the high side and low side switches. At least the low side switches have a minimum on-time requirement. The microcontroller controls the switches by outputting a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal. At least the PWM signal outputted to the low side switch is center-aligned to the off-time. When a request is made to the microcontroller resulting in a low side on-time of zero with a previous duty cycle request that is greater than a predetermined threshold, the microcontroller is constructed and arranged to extend the duty cycle of the low side switch of the at least one pair of switches into the next period to a duration of the required minimum on-time.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are a type of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles that combine a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) propulsion system and an electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). HEVs achieve better fuel economy than conventional vehicles. Several types of HEVs exist, and the degree to which each functions as an electric vehicle varies as well. Hybrid electric cars are the most common of the HEVs; however, there is a recent surge in hybrid electric trucks and buses.
HEVs may be classified based on how power is supplied to their drivetrain. For example, HEVs may be classified as parallel hybrids, series hybrids, or power-split hybrids. Most hybrid vehicles use regenerative braking to recharge the batteries.
Recently, automakers have been replacing several traditionally mechanically driven vehicle components with more efficient parts like electric power steering racks, electric brake vacuum pumps, and electric water pumps, to name a few. Therefore, the standard 12-volt electric system are being stretched thin. As such, 48-volt systems are slowly stepping in to accommodate the need for more on-board vehicle power.
In a conventional PWM motor control scheme, a problem occurs when short PWM pulses are not allowed by the hardware design (i.e., there is some minimum PWM on time), and a buffered center-aligned PWM scheme for the high-side and low-side switches is used to create an effective phase duty cycle. This will cause a short pulse on the low-side as the phase duty cycle approaches 100%. In particular, with reference to FIG. 1, the problem occurs when a phase duty cycle request goes above a threshold where the sum of the low-side on-time is less than 2*(deadtime+minimum on-time), and then the next duty cycle request results in a low-side on-time of 0. This occurs since the low-side PWM is center-aligned to the off-time, which divides the on-time between two pulses: pulse A at the beginning of the period, and pulse B at the end of the period. Additionally, the deadtime is typically applied by microcontroller timer peripherals by delaying the start of the end pulse without changing the end of the period, effectively shortening that pulse. Because the next low-side on-time is 0, there is no pulse at the beginning of the period, and the pulse ends at a duration shorter than the minimum on-time.
Thus, there is a need in a center-aligned PWM motor control scheme to extend the short pulse, into the next period, to a duration of the required minimum on-time

Using interrupt to avoid short pulse in center aligned PWM


An amplifier circuit includes a first circuit and a second circuit connected in series. The first circuit has a first terminal coupled to a first power supply terminal, a second terminal coupled to an output node, and a control terminal for receiving a first signal for controlling a current flow. The second circuit has a first terminal coupled to the output node, a second terminal couple to a second power supply terminal, and a control terminal for receiving a second signal controlling a current flow in the first circuit. A bias circuit is coupled to the third terminal of the first circuit and is configured to limit a current flow in the first circuit when a voltage at the output node is outside a predetermined voltage range. In an embodiment, the bias circuit includes a plurality of diode devices connected in series and a switch device coupled to the diode devices.

The present invention relates generally to CMOS integrated circuit techniques. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide methods and circuits for protecting power amplifier output circuit.
Amplifier circuits are ubiquitous in modern electronic devices. An electronic amplifier increases the power and/or amplitude of a signal. In many applications, power amplifier circuits are used at the output stage of a system to drive an external device. Merely as an example, in an audio system, an output power amplifier is often used to drive an external speaker.
Power amplifier circuits output stages can be classified as class A, B, AB, and C for analog signal amplification. This classification is based on the portion of the input signal cycle during which the amplifying device conducts.
A Class A amplifier operates over the whole of the input cycle such that the output signal is a magnified replica of the whole input with no clipping. Class A amplifiers are the usual means of implementing small-signal amplifiers. In a Class A circuit, the amplifying device operated over the linear portion of its characteristic curve. Because the device is always conducting, even if there is no input at all, power is drawn from the power supply. Accordingly, class A amplifiers tend to be relatively in efficient, especially for large power devices.
In contrast, Class B amplifiers only amplify half of the input signal cycle. As such they tend to create signal distortion, but their efficiency is greatly improved over Class A amplifiers. This is because the amplifying element is switched off and does not dissipate power half of the time. An application using Class B amplifiers is the complementary pair or "push-pull" arrangement. Here, complementary devices are used to each amplify the opposite halves of the input signal. The amplified two halves are then recombined at the output. This arrangement gives improved efficiency, but can suffer from the drawback of mismatch at the "joins" between the two halves of the signal, also known as the crossover distortion. An improvement can be achieved by biasing the devices such that neither of the two devices is completely off when they're not in use. This mode of circuit operation is called Class AB operation.
In Class AB operation, each device operates over half the wave similar to Class B operation, but each also conducts over a small signal range in the other half. As a result, when the waveforms from the two devices are combined, the crossover is reduced. Here the two active elements conduct more than half of the time as a means to reduce the cross-over distortions of Class B amplifiers.
In certain applications, it may be desirable to use Class C amplifiers, which conduct less than 50% of the input signal and the distortion at the output is high, but high efficiencies are possible. An application for Class C amplifiers is in RF transmitters.
An audio amplifier is an electronic amplifier that amplifies low-power audio signals to drive loudspeakers. Audio signals generally have frequencies between 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz, which is the human range of hearing. In a typical audio system, the audio amplifier is usually preceded by low power audio amplifiers which perform tasks like pre-amplification, equalization, tone control, mixing/effects, or audio sources like record players, CD players, and cassette players. Audio systems are used in public address systems, theatrical and concert sound reinforcement, and home sound systems, etc. The sound card in a personal computer often contains several audio amplifiers, as does every stereo or home-theatre system. Audio amplifiers often need to meet stringent performance requirement. In some applications, the input signal to an audio amplifier may measure only a few hundred microwatts. However, its output power may be tens or hundreds of watts.
Because of these requirements, Class AB push-pull circuits are a popular design choice in audio power amplifiers. During much of the time the music is quiet enough that the signal stays in the Class A region, where it is amplified with good fidelity. For large signals, the crossover distortion is much smaller than in the Class AB region, as discussed above. For improved performance, the crossover distortion can be further reduced by using negative feedback techniques.
Even though audio amplifier circuits are widely used in many applications, certain limitations still exist. Some examples are discussed below. FIG. 1A is a simplified view diagram illustrating an output portion 100 of a conventional audio system. As shown in FIG. 1A, an audio frequency signal 102 entering an amplifier 104, which amplifies the signal and drives a speaker 108. A schematic diagram of 100 is shown in FIG. 1B, where the amplifier is shown as a preamplifier 105 and a CMOS output driver circuit 106 including a PMOS driver device and an NMOS driver device. The speaker 108 is shown as an equivalent 8 ohm resistance load.
In this specific example, the class AB amplifier is used for driving the speaker 108. During normal operation, the class AB amplifier delivers an large output current to the small ohmic speaker load, as shown in FIG. 2A. Under certain conditions, e.g., a short circuit at the output node, a large current can flow from the output driver through a wire to the ground, as depicted in FIG. 2B. In audio applications, during normal operation the gate of PMOS transistor P1 can have a voltage range from 0V to Vcc, e.g., 3.3 V. The 0V at the gate causes P1 to be in a hard turn-on condition. If the output node is shorted to ground, the current can be very large. This large current flow can cause damages to the audio system. For example, such large current can sometimes cause melting of bond wires.
Conventional output protection techniques are often ineffective or expensive. For example, extra current monitoring circuits can be used to sense how much current an output amplifier drives to a load. If the current exceeds a certain amount, the monitoring circuit turns the amplifier off. However, this approach has several drawbacks, including additional circuitry, more chip area, and power consumption. Alternatively, the voltage of the output node can be restricted to a safe range. However, this method can lead to degradation of system performance.
Accordingly, a simple and cost-effective method for protecting the output driver circuit is highly desirable.

Method and apparatus for output amplifier protection


A pedestal has an S-shaped base and an upwardly extending member to support a furniture component. The S-shaped base provides an open leg envelope for persons seated at the pedestal. Workers at the pedestal's S-shaped table face opposite directions and enjoy independent work spaces.

As offices and classrooms become more crowded, it is important that workers and students retain a personal space. Open concept offices and classrooms maximize the use of limited space as well as encourage creativity and teamwork. It is the individuality of each member however that contributes to the success of a team. Therefore, in an open environment it is important to retain a measure of individual space. Sharing desk space may not provide each worker personal space. Desks that are constructed to accommodate multiple workers yet provide each worker individual space and a sense of privacy would nurture the most important aspect of any team, the individual.
All patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications and publications referred to or cited herein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of the specification.


A device and also a system for generating a period-specific calendar view in an electronic device with a display for displaying information and a database for storing calendar data, wherein the method reads calendar data of the period from the database for a calendar view, wherein the period comprises a set of shorter periods which cover the period in a compiled manner, to be displayed in the calendar view, and wherein the calendar data comprise a set of user activities which are allocated to the shorter periods, and the calendar view is displayed on the display of the device by using the calendar data, wherein a quantitative distribution of the activities within the scope of the period is visualized in a three-dimensional bar chart, whose single bar structure illustrates a shorter period of time and its length dimension is dependent on the quantity of activities within the shorter period.

The clarity of the prior art calendars is insufficient, and it is difficult for the user to quickly establish an idea of the tasks required in a longer period and marked in the calendar. To obtain a general view, shifts are often required between various displays, including either month- or day-specific displays and calendar views, which makes the operation slower and further confuses the general impression. Furthermore, portable electronic devices often have the problem of limited size and resolution of the display, wherein the quantity of text-format data fitting on the display is limited, and shifting between various calendar views is increased. Systems of the prior art have the advantage of the capacity to store large quantities of data but at the cost of clarity, and they do not provide any means for the monitoring and evaluation of, for example, the month-specific workload on an overall level, because the systems are even too detailed in that respect.

Calendar system and a method for producing a calendar view


Systems and methods for reducing the effects of the operation of logic on a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit are disclosed. These systems and methods may allow a PLL circuit to compensate for the anticipated effects of an instruction before, substantially simultaneously with, or after the execution of the instruction. More particularly, logic associated with the issue of instructions in a system may provide a signal to a PLL in the system based on an instruction. The PLL may then be adjusted to compensate for the anticipated effects of the instruction based on this control signal.

Phase-locked loop (PLL) integrated circuits produce an oscillator frequency output which matches an input frequency signal or matches multiple times of input frequency. A typical PLL may include a phase-frequency detector, a charge pump, and a voltage-controlled oscillator.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a typical phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit. PLL 100 includes phase-frequency detector (PFD) 112. PFD 112 detects the difference in phases and frequencies of two input signals, Ref_CLK and FB_CLK. From the difference detected, PFD 112 generates difference signals. Difference signals generated include positive current source, UP, and negative current source, DN (or 'DOWN'). Current sources UP and DN provide input to charge pump 114. Using current sources UP and DN, charge pump 114 generates a proportional charge. Thus, charge pump 114 provides a voltage to voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) 116. VCO 116 generates a periodic signal according to input voltage at Node_N. This periodic signal may be referred to as PLL_Out.
This periodic signal generated by VCO 116, PLL_Out, is input to configurable frequency divider 118. For example, if given Ref_clk is 500 MHz when the frequency desired at PLL_Out is 1.0 GHz, a dividing ratio of '2' may be selected. Alternately, when PLL Out is desired to be 2.0 GHz, a dividing ratio '4' may be selected. As other examples, configurable frequency divider 118 may be configured with a dividing ratio of 1, 2, or 3. The output of VCO 116 is provided to frequency divider 118 en route to the feedback input to PFD 112. Thus, PLL_Out is input to feedback divider 118, and FB_CLK is output from feedback divider 118.
Phase-locked loops of the type depicted above are widely used in digital electronics, signal telemetry, and communications applications. Many applications require phase-locked loop (PLL) circuits which will work with high frequencies. In particular, PLL circuits are often utilized with semiconductor devices. More specifically, PLL circuits may be utilized in what is commonly referred to a system on a chip (SOC).
A system on a chip may be a chip, semiconductor or integrated circuit that holds substantially all of the necessary hardware and electronic circuitry for a particular system. Depending on the system desired, SOCs may include on-chip memory (RAM and ROM), processor logic, peripheral interfaces, I/O logic control, data converters, and other components that substantially comprise a particular system.
FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of a system on a chip. Semiconductor 200 may be a microprocessor, as is known in the art. This microprocessor may include various areas of logic utilized in conjunction with various tasks, such as level two cache logic, level three cache logic, load/store units, execution units, instruction issue unit, etc. Additionally, semiconductor 200 may utilize a PLL to provide a clock signal to one or more areas of circuitry or logic on semiconductor 200.
The benefits of implementing a microprocessor as a system on a chip like the one depicted above may include conservation of space as overall chip count is reduced, resulting in system cost reduction and improved performance. These benefits, however, do not come unencumbered. Namely, the close proximity of the components in a system on a chip may sometimes cause problems. More specifically, in the case of system on a chip such as that depicted in FIG. 2, the proximity of circuitry may cause problems with the PLL used to provide the clock signal to circuitry or logic on semiconductor 200.
In some cases, noise from outside the PLL circuit can cause PLL jitter. This noise may be the result of utilization of circuitry or logic in proximity to the PLL circuit. For example, if PLL is placed in proximity to an execution unit, during a particular instruction that execution unit may be relatively heavily utilized. This greater degree of utilization in turn results in relatively more noise being generated by the execution unit and, as PLL may be in proximity to the execution unit, this noise may cause jitter in the PLL circuit.
Additionally, in some cases, because of the placement of logic within semiconductor 200, during relatively heavy utilization of a particular area of logic on semiconductor 200, the PLL on semiconductor 200 may suffer from a power level drop, as these areas are consuming relatively more power during this period of heavy utilization. This power level drop may also induce jitter in the PLL on semiconductor 200 especially if the PLL is connected to the same power line as the logic in use. The PLL on semiconductor 200 typically must compensate for this jitter in order to once again achieve a locked state.
A typical PLL control loop for compensating for these conditions and achieving lock in such situations is depicted in FIG. 3. An instruction is issued at step 300. This instruction may utilize or affect logic on the semiconductor. The issue of this instruction (step 300) results, at step 310, in relatively larger power consumption by the logic and a commensurate increase in the noise produced by the logic, at step 320. This noise or power drop may result, at step 330, in a decrease in the output frequency of VCO 116 of PLL 100. The output of VCO 116 is provided to the feedback input of PFD 112, which at step 340 detects the decrease in frequency by detecting the difference in phases or frequency between the Ref_CLK and FB_CLK inputs. From the difference detected, PFD 112 generates difference signals, resulting, at step 350 in charge pump 114 outputting more voltage. The output of the extra voltage results, at step 360, in an increase of the voltage level at Node N, in turn resulting in PLL 100 once again locking at step 370.
As can be seen, there is a delay between the issue of an instruction which will affect the PLL circuit (by causing a power drop at the PLL or noise in circuitry or logic in proximity to the PLL) and the PLL being able to compensate for the effects of the instruction.
Thus, a need exists for systems or methods which can substantially reduce the effects of the operation of logic on a PLL circuit.


In an optical head for a magneto-optical information reproducing apparatus, a light beam from a semiconductor laser is focused to a fine spot onto a magneto-optical recording medium. The light beam reflected by the recording medium is split by a splitting device into a first light beam having a polarization component in a direction of substantially 45 degrees with respect to a polarization direction of the semiconductor laser, and into a second light beam having a polarization component in a direction orthogonal to the above direction. The light beam splitting device includes an arrangement of a first glass, a uniaxial crystal and a second glass arranged in this sequence in the direction of incidence of the light beam. Normal lines to joint planes of the first glass and the uniaxial crystal, and the second glass and the uniaxial crystal, respectively, are in the plane in which the first and second light beams are contained, and the optical axis of the uniaxial crystal is set at substantially 45 degrees with respect to the polarization direction of the semiconductor laser.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical head for a magneto-optical information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information magnetically recorded on a magneto-optical recording medium by utilizing a magneto-optical effect.
2. Related Background Art
The study and development of an optical memory for recording and reproducing information by a semiconductor laser beam for use as a high record density memory have recently been vigorously done, and particularly a magneto-optical recording medium which permits erasing and rewriting of information is considered promising. In the magneto-optical recording medium, information is magnetically recorded by utilizing a local temperature rise on a magnetic thin film by spot irradiation of a laser beam, and the information is reproduced by a magneto-optical effect (particularly, a Kerr effect). The Kerr effect is defined as a phenomenon in which a polarization plane is rotated when light is reflected by a magnetic recording medium.
In a prior art optical head for the magneto-optical reproducing apparatus, a construction of an optical head which uses a crystal is explained as means for reproducing the information.
In an optical head 101 shown in FIG. 1, a light beam from a semiconductor laser 102 is collimated by a collimator lens 103, reflected by a beam splitter 104, and focused by an objective lens 105 onto a magneto-optical disk 106 which is a magneto-optical recording medium. The light beam reflected by the magneto-optical disk 106 passes through the objective lens 105 and the beam splitter 104 and is split by a beam splitter 107 into two light beams, a reflected beam and a transmitted beam. The reflected beam is directed to a servo error detection photo-sensor 109 through a lens 108. The photo-sensor 109 produces a detection signal in accordance with a shape of a spot on a photo-sensing area and supplies it to a servo error signal generator 112, which in turn produces a focusing error signal and a tracking error signal which are used to drive the objective lens 105 to a desired position by an actuator (not shown).
On the other hand, the light beam transmitted through the beam splitter 107 is directed to a one-half wavelength plate 111, split by a wallastone prism 113 into two light beams having orthogonal polarization components, and they are directed to a photo-detector 115 through a lens 114. The photo-detector 115 has two detectors for the above two light beams, and produces two detection output signals representing the changes in the respective polarization components and supplies them to a reproduced signal detector 116, which compares the two detection output signals to detect a rotation (Kerr rotation of the polarization plane of the light beam caused in the reflection by the vertically magnetized film of the magneto-optical disk 106 so that a reproduction signal representing the rotation is produced.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a principle of the two-beam split by the wallastone prism 113 is explained. The wallastone prism 113 is constructed by joining a quartz 120 having an optical axis 130 parallel to a Y-axis and a quartz 121 having an optical axis 131 parallel to a Z-axis. An incident light which travels along an X-axis is a linearly polarized light which is polarized in an XY plane. The one-half wavelength plate 111 is set to rotate the polarization direction of the incident light by 45 degrees.
FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the prior art wallastone prism 113 shown in FIG. 2. When the incident light polarized in the direction of 45 degrees with respect to the Y-axis travels from the quartz 120 to the quartz 121, a projection component to the Y-axis is sequentially subjected to the actions of an extraordinary light refractive index and an ordinary light refractive index and exits as a linearly polarized light 122 polarized in the XY-plane. On the other hand, a projection component of the incident light to the Z-axis is sequentially subjected to the actions of the ordinary light refractive index and the extraordinary light refractive index, and exits as a linearly polarized light 123 which is polarized in a plane orthogonal to the XY plane. Thus, the incident light which is polarized in the direction of 45 degrees with respect to the Y-axis exits as the two linearly polarized lights 122 and 123 which are orthogonal to each other and have the same intensity. The polarization direction of the light beam reflected by the magneto-optical disk 106, prior to the entrance into the one-half wavelength plate 111 is deviated from the Y-axis by .theta..sub.K or -.theta..sub.K due to the influence of the Kerr effect. When the polarization direction of the incident light periodically changes between the direction corresponding to .theta..sub.K and the direction corresponding to -.theta..sub.K, the two exit lights 122 and 123 have the same amplitude and opposite phases. Accordingly, by differentiating the outputs from the detectors for the two exit lights, a light intensity variation (noise) due to a foreign material on the magneto-optical disk is illuminated and a C/N ratio of the reproduced signal is improved.
However, in the above example, the following problems arise. First, the beam splitter 107 is required to produce the light beam for generating the servo signal and the light beam for generating the reproduction signal. Secondly, the one-half wavelength plate 111 is required to set the desired polarization direction of the light beam applied to the wallastone prism 113. Thirdly, a large number of steps are required for the adjustment of the angle of the one-half wavelength plate 111.

Optical head for a magneto-optical information reproducing apparatus including a light beam splitter having a first glass, a uniaxial crystal and a second glass arranged in sequence


An instruction offload manager receives, by a processing device, a first request to execute a program, identifies one or more instructions of the program to be offloaded to a second processing device, where the second processing device includes a same instruction set architecture as the processing device, and provides the one or more instructions to a memory module comprising the second processing device. Responsive to detecting an indication to execute the one or more instructions, the instruction offload manager provides an indication to the second processing device to cause the second processing device to execute the one or more instructions, the one or more instructions to update a portion of a memory space associated with the memory module.

Advances in computer technologies have led to system implementations where the primary CPU can become burdened with increasing workloads. In such cases, CPU utilization can often suffer due to increasing responsibility for performing operations, as well as bottlenecks that can occur when transferring data from stored memory to a waiting CPU. Instruction offloading seeks to mitigate these bottlenecks by performing dedicated functions on data wherever the data is located.

Instruction offload to processor cores in attached memory