A method and system is disclosed for processing information provided from various content providers in the form objects having states subject to periodic updates. Formatted information indicating a current state of the objects are delivered to subscribing clients in substantially real-time. An information manager module is configured to receiving raw data objects from the content providers, format the information, and broadcast current state information on various broadcast data stream. A client manager module supports multiple client communication sessions and connects to at least one broadcast data stream. Current state information received on a broadcast data stream is processed and transmitted to specific clients in accordance with processing rules specified in the client profiles.

Electronic distribution of financial product information from financial product originators to clients is a common service supplied by financial services providers. Typically, the service provider acts as a conduit for passing information related to various products between the financial content provider and clients. Such information includes new product offerings, updates to product attributes, such as a current price, and perhaps changes in the manner in which the product is classified.
It is not uncommon for a service provider to need to process dozens of data streams, each of which may be carrying information related to a large number of products. For example, a single data stream containing information about U.S. Treasuries typically contains data events related to several hundred different products.
There are various techniques for distributing raw financial services data to the clients. However, present techniques are labor or computationally expensive, treating the providers on an ad-hoc basis. In particular, in order to receive and process informational content so it can be distributed to downstream clients, the host needed to be hardwired to the specific structure and format of the incoming data stream. As a result, separate systems have developed for processing data from different sources. For example, one system may be dedicated to processing raw treasuries data and another independent system having its own structure may be dedicated to processing raw data related to corporate offerings. While acceptable for some operations, such ad-hoc techniques do not scale well and are difficult to integrate into a single comprehensive environment.
In addition, while present systems may be suitable for routing data from its source to various interested clients, conventional clients have been hard-wired to the host system with high-speed data connections. The proliferation of portable and wireless computer devices with low bandwidths and intermittent connectivity, along with the greater presence of smaller clients (both professional and individual) increases the need to provide a robust and adaptable data stream which is not susceptible to the inconsistencies inherent in communicating over a large communications network, such as the Internet.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated infrastructure product which is designed to process real-time content streams from a host system such that it can be distributed to authorized subscribers.
It is a further object to a system configured to process multiple streams of raw data in real time and providing a formatted and validated output which is suitable for down stream processing and distribution to clients.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system which is flexible and easily adapted to permit the management of multiple streams of data from various sources and allow new streams and product types to be easily added or modified.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide validated and formatted offer data in a format which minimizes the amount of data required to transmit the offer to downstream services.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a data delivery mechanism which dynamically adjusts transmission rates to the speed at which a client can receive and process data while ensuring that updated data received by a client is current.

System for processing raw financial data streams to produce and distribute structured and validated product offering data to subscribing clients


Methods of preparing and using stable oil external-aqueous internal emulsions in subterranean formation acidizing, diverting and other treatments are provided. The emulsions can be prepared by batch or continuous mixing by combining the aqueous liquid having a particulated silica compound slurried therein with the oil having a surface active agent which promotes the formation of the emulsion mixed therewith.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improved methods of preparing and using stable oil external-aqueous internal emulsions in oil field applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the stimulation of oil and gas production from a subterranean formation penetrated by a well bore, one heretofore commonly utilized technique is to contact the formation with an aqueous acid solution whereby the acid solution reacts with materials in the formation to form enlarged flow channels therein.
When such acidizing procedures are carried out in formations having naturally low permeabilities, the acid must be delivered deeply into the formation before it spends in order to increase the hydrocarbon productivity of the formation. That is, the increase in the hydrocarbon productivity of a low permeability formation is proportional to the enlargement of the flow channels and distance from the well bore to which acid etching of the formation occurs.
Various techniques have heretofore been developed for retarding the rate at which the acid spends itself in a formation and thereby causing live acid to be delivered into the formation at greater distances from the well bore. The techniques include retarding an aqueous acid solution by forming an oil external-aqueous acid internal emulsion therewith. Such an emulsion has a relatively high viscosity which prevents rapid fluid loss and diffusion of the acid into the formation, and because the emulsion is oil external, i.e., the oil is the continuous phase in which the aqueous acid is dispersed, the spending of the acid on formation materials is retarded whereby deep penetration into the formation with live acid can be accomplished. As the acid in the emulsion contacts and reacts with materials in the formation the emulsion is broken.
High viscosity oil external-aqueous internal emulsions have also been prepared from brines and utilized in oil field applications as diverting agents. That is, a relatively high viscosity oil external-aqueous internal emulsion has been prepared and placed into high permeability zones in subterranean formations such as fractures, thief zones, vugs and the like. The high viscosity emulsion functions to plug the high permeability zones whereby fluids subsequently injected or produced from the formations are diverted away from such zones.
While oil external-aqueous internal emulsions have been successfully prepared and utilized heretofore in the above and other oil field applications, a problem associated with such emulsions is their difficulty of preparation. That is, the preparation of such emulsions has heretofore required high shear batch mixing for relatively long periods of time on the surface prior to introduction of the emulsions into wells. Such surface batch mixing is both time consuming and expensive, particularly where large volumes of the emulsion are required. Thus, there is a need for improved methods of preparing and using oil external-aqueous internal emulsions whereby the emulsions can be rapidly prepared, preferably continuously.


A monolithic integrated circuit arrangement containing a substrate, a functional unit formed in and/or on the substrate, and an energy supply unit, which is formed in and/or on the substrate and is coupled to the functional unit and has an inductance and a permanent magnet. The inductance and the permanent magnet are arranged such that, under a vibration on the circuit arrangement, the permanent magnet is moved relative to the inductance such that an electrical induced voltage for supplying the functional unit with electrical energy is induced by the inductance.

The use of computer chips which can be operated contactlessly and in which wired leads are dispensable ("ubiquitious computing") is increasingly gaining in importance. An important area of application for this technical field is sensor technology, since a wire-free communication of a sensor signal to a central control unit is desirable for many applications of sensors.
The communication of such a contactless sensor computer chip with a central control or computing unit for the further processing of a contactlessly communicated sensor signal may be effected for example via a wire-free network (e.g., Bluetooth™).
Since a cost-effective, mechanically independent and universally deployable usability is desirable in the case of such wire-free computer chips, a wire-free energy supply is sought for such computer chips. The need for a wire-based power supply would lead to very high costs and additionally restrict the possibilities of use.
In the case of contactless identification labels (so-called "ID tags"), an electromagnetic field is coupled into the identification label often using a coil contained in the identification label. Using a rectifier, the electrical energy coupled in inductively can be rectified, so that it is possible to provide a DC current for supplying the identification label. However, this type of energy supply has the disadvantage that the identification label, for inductively coupling in electromagnetic field energy, always has to be positioned in a region with a very high electric field strength, which greatly limits the range of such a contactless chip.
Li, W. J. et al., "A micromachined Vibration-Induced Power Generator for Low Power Sensors of Robotic Systems", in: Jamshidi, M. et al. (eds.) "Robotic and Manufacturing Systems, Recent Results in Research, Development and Applications", Vol. 10, p. 482–488, TSI Press Series, Albuquerque, USA, discloses a macroscopic generator with a total volume of approximately one cubic centimeter, in which a permanent magnet, for example a rare earth permanent magnet having a weight of 21 milligrams, is arranged in the central region of a copper spring, and is exposed to vibration. An induced voltage can be induced in a coil on account of the temporally variable magnetic field generated by the vibrating permanent magnet, said induced voltage being used for example for supplying an electrical load that is provided externally.
However, the generator described in Li, W. J. et al., which is to be connected to an electrical load and serves for generating energy from the vibration of a macroscopic permanent magnet is complicated to produce and still has a volume that is too large for some applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,639 B2 describes sensors and actuators and also microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
Ching, N. N. H. et al., "A laser-micromachined multi-modal resonating power transducer for wireless sensing systems", in: Sensors and Actuators A, vol. 97–98, April 2002, p. 685–690, describes a generator for generating energy from vibration with a total volume of ˜1 cm3, which generator uses laser-produced springs in order to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy by means of Faraday's law.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,893 discloses a transponder unit which receives a carrier signal from an interrogation device.
Ahn, C. H. et al., "A Fully Integrated Micromagnetic Actuator with a Multilevel Meander Magnetic Core", in: Technical Digest, IEEE Solid-State Sensor and Actuator Workshop, Hilton Head Island S.C., June 1992, describes a fully integrated micromagnetic actuator with a multilevel meander magnetic core.
Williams, C. B. et al., "Development of an Electromagnetic Micro-Generator", in: Proceedings-Circuits, Devices and Systems, vol. 148, No. 6, December 2001, p. 337–342, describes a design methodology for linear microgenerators and is applied to the design of an mm scale electromagnetic microgenerator.
El-hami, M. et al., "Design and Fabrication of a New Vibration-Based Electromagnetic Power Generator", in: Sensors and Actuators A, vol. 92, No. 1–3, August 2001, p. 335–342, describes a device for generating electrical energy from mechanical energy in a vibrating environment.

Monolithic integrated circuit arrangement


A fan driving circuit drives a first fan and a second fan which are connected in parallel and connected to an anode of a direct current power. The fan driving circuit includes a pulse width modulation signal generation module, a phase lock and delay module, a first pulse output comparator and a first capacitor. The width modulation signal generation module is connected between an external power and the first fan. The phase lock and delayed module is electrically connected to the pulse width modulation signal generation module. The first capacitor is connected between the DC and the ground. The first fan is supplied as normal by a PWM power supply, the second fan is powered by “shadow” and out-of-phase pulses taken from an inductor in the first fan and stored in the capacitor, to achieve a “two-for-one” power supply aspect, which saves power and reduces operational noise.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to fan driving circuits, and particularly to a fan driving circuit which reduces energy consumption.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical fan continuously consumes electrical energy to drive the fan to rotate. Thus, the typical fan driving circuit consumes much electrical energy. In addition, the parts of the driving circuit are prone to fatigue and accordingly have a short working lifetime.


The present invention relates to providing an improved dimming driver circuitry, system and a method thereof. The dimming driver circuitry is configured to enable dimming intensity of light generated by one or more light sources, the dimming driver circuitry being connected to a dimmer that provides to it an alternating current (AC) signal. The dimming driver circuitry may in some examples not include a processing unit. Additionally or alternatively, the dimming driver circuitry may in some examples apply amplitude modulation to the output current provided to the one or more light sources. In some of these examples, the dimming driver circuitry may begin to apply at substantially the same time pulse width modulation and amplitude modulation to the output current provided to the one or more light sources. Additionally or alternatively, the dimming driver circuitry may in some examples include at least one linear dimming control pin connected to at least one capacitor and/or resistor configured to fine-tune capacitance and/or resistance.

In recent years, the usage of LED (Light Emitting Diode) illumination instead of other kinds of illumination (such as the fluorescent illumination, incandescent bulb illumination, and the like), has significantly increased due to the increasing luminosity of LED devices and due to their continuously decreasing costs. Although most people around the world still use fluorescent and incandescent bulb lighting, development of low-cost and efficient LED illuminating devices has recently accelerated rapidly.
Nowadays, various lighting devices include light dimmers, which enable adjusting the power delivered to the light sources, and thereby enable the control of the amount of light generated by these light sources. For this, the user interface of dimmers is usually equipped with an appropriate light adjustment mechanism (e.g., a slider). During such an adjustment, the light outputted from the light sources (e.g., LEDs) is gradually varied, enabling the user to adjust the desired level of illumination, which is the most appropriate for his needs, and to switch said light sources ON and OFF.
Conventional lighting devices are usually powered by an AC source (line voltage power, such as 120V (Volts) RMS (Root Mean Square) at 60 Hz (Hertz) and 230V at 50 Hz); therefore, AC dimmers usually receive the AC line voltage at their input, and then output corresponding AC signals, having one or more variable parameters used to adjust an average voltage of these AC signals in response to a user's operation of the dimmer. Therefore the dimming level desired by the user is encoded (or in other words reflected) in the corresponding AC signals outputted by the dimmer. For example, in response to a user's operation of the dimmer, some models of a typical dimmer powered by a line voltage of 120V RMS may output as low as 35 V RMS whereas some other models of a typical dimmer powered by a line voltage of 120V RMS may output as low as 4 V RMS. In another example, some models of a typical dimmer powered by 240 V RMS may output as low as 70V whereas some other models of a typical dimmer powered by 240 V RMS may output as low as 30 V RMS. Conventional AC dimmers are configured to control the power delivered to light sources in several different ways, such as increasing/decreasing voltage amplitude of the AC output signal and adjusting the duty cycle of the AC output signal (for example, by chopping-out portions of the AC voltage cycle). This technique is sometimes called phase/angle modulation, since it is based on the adjustable phase angle of the AC output signal. Usually, dimmers that implement such angle modulation use a TRIAC component/unit that is selectively operated to adjust the duty cycle of the AC signal outputted from the dimmer, and thereby to modulate the phase angle. Such dimmers are therefore called "TRIAC dimmers".
The early technology in the field of LED illumination was based on providing a DC (Direct Current) power supply and then using a microprocessor to operate a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) switch to control the brightness of the perceived light. On the other hand, in the fields of fluorescent and incandescent bulb lighting, the control of light has long been available by using phase control dimmers, such as the TRIAC dimmers. However, the use of TRIAC dimmers for other than incandescent lighting requires the overcoming of several problems, such as TRIAC instability.
The problems related to providing LED illumination have been recognized in the Prior Art, and various systems and methods have been developed to provide a solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,890 discloses a driver circuit that provides power to LEDs by using pulse width modulation (PWM). The driver circuit uses current feedback to adjust power to LED arrays and provides a full light and a dim mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,909 describes a method of controlling the light output from a LED by using PWM control of the LED current in response to signals provided from a light sensor, in order that the generated light will remain constant.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,011 presents systems and methods related to LED systems capable of generating light, such as for illumination or display purposes. The light-emitting LEDs may be controlled by a processor to alter the brightness and/or color of the generated light, e.g., by using pulse-width modulated signals. Thus, according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,011, the resulting illumination may be controlled by a computer program to provide complex, pre-designed patterns of light.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,038,399 relates to methods and apparatus for providing power to devices via an AC (Alternating Current) power source, and for facilitating the use of LED-based light sources on AC power circuits that provide signals other than standard line voltages. In one example, LED-based light sources may be coupled to AC power circuits that are controlled by conventional dimmers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,223 discloses a multicolor lamp system that includes a dimming circuit and an illumination module electrically connected to the dimming circuit. The illumination module has a detection circuit for detecting the output of the dimming circuit. The detection circuit generates a detection signal corresponding to the output of the dimming circuit. A microcontroller is programmed to receive the detection signal and to supply a corresponding electrical signal to a plurality of LEDs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,411 presents a dimming ballast for use with a phase control dimmer, including an EMI filter to avoid excessive voltage and peak currents in the filter due to resonance with the phase controlled AC waveform at low conduction angles, when the load presented by the lamp is low. The ballast includes circuitry to sense the rectified DC voltage and to discharge the filter capacitor when the rectified voltage is at or near zero, to thereby keep the EMI filter loaded and prevent misfiring of the phase control dimmer.

Phase controlled dimming LED driver system and method thereof


The object of the present invention is to provide a flame-resistant fiber which possesses low negative effects on the environment and humans, such as emission of hazardous substances, which displays excellent both flame and weather resistance, and which does not reduce spinnability and fiber strength, and is able to provide a fiber molding obtained from the fiber. A flame-resistant fiber comprising at least one type of phosphazene derivatives selected from cyclic phosphazene derivatives and linear phosphazene derivatives, a hindered amine derivative containing specific groups, and a thermoplastic resin, wherein the fiber contains 0.25-5.0 wt % of the phosphazene derivative and 0.025-3.0 wt % of the hindered amine derivative, and the fiber fineness is 0.01-100 dtex.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flame-resistant fiber possessing excellent flame resistance and weather resistance, and a fiber molding using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Demand exists today for imparting flame resistance to a variety of fiber products with respect to fire prevention and safety. Fibers comprising thermoplastic resins and fiber moldings containing these fibers (hereafter referred to as 'fiber materials'), such as nonwoven fabrics, are not exceptions. In particular, for the majority of fiber materials used in automobile interiors, interior housing materials, filters etc., flame resistance is imparted by a number of methods, such as compounding with flame-retardants and treating the fiber surface with flame-retardants. Examples of flame-retardants include halogenated compounds, heavy metal compounds, metal hydroxides, and phosphorus compounds, which may be used individually or as a mixture of two or more compounds.
Of the different flame-retardants, chlorine- or bromine-based halogen compounds and combinations of halogen compounds with antimony oxide are widely used. In particular, flame retardant compositions comprising bromine-based halogen compounds and antimony trioxide are widely used in a range of applications due to their excellent flame resistance. However, in recent years as public concerns regarding environmental issues have grown, halogen compounds have been regarded as a problem due to their release of hazardous gases (hydrogen halides) on combustion and their potential as a source of dioxins. In addition, heavy metal compounds, such as antimony oxide, have been indicated as possible carcinogenic substances. Therefore, their use in places with proximity to humans is inadvisable from a public health standpoint.
Furthermore, for fibers used in automobile interiors, interior housing materials, filters, etc., a decrease in physical strength caused by heat or UV degradation must be prevented because fibers in these applications are likely to be used over long time-spans. The compounding of weather-proofing agents into the fibers is a common method of preventing degradation. However, since the above-described halogen compounds and antimony oxide release acid components that deactivate weather-proofing agents, weather resistance of fibers containing the above-described flame-retardant compositions cannot be improved and, therefore, the fibers do not exhibit durability over long-term use. For this reason, flame-retardants that do not inhibit weather resistance, do not contain heavy metals, or do not release hazardous substances on combustion or processing are highly sought-after.
A number of flame-retardants other than halogen compounds and antimony oxide have been studied to solve the above-described problems, but an agent displaying good flame resistance equivalent to the halogen compounds and antimony oxide has not been found to date. Metal hydroxides and phosphorus compounds can also be used as a flame-retardant, but the amount required to impart the desired flame resistance to the fiber materials tends to be significantly higher than that of the above-described flame-retardants. In the manufacture of fiber materials by the spinning of thermoplastic resin compositions containing flame-retardants, increased amounts of added flame-retardants not only cause a decrease in the mechanical strength of the obtained fiber materials but also raise difficulties in the manufacturing process itself. Additionally economical problems also arise.
The use of hindered amine derivatives with specific structures as a flame-retardant which do not release hazardous substances in combustion or processing is disclosed, for example, in the patent references 1 to 4 below. However, the same problems as those described above exist because the hindered amine derivatives described in those patents display inferior flame resistance to the above-described flame-retardant compositions.
In other patents, for example, patent references 3 and 4 below using the hindered amine derivatives together with phosphorus compounds, such as aryl phosphite, are disclosed. However, similar to the flame-retardants described above, their flame resistance is insufficient. In addition, when a significant amount of aryl phosphite is used to increase flame resistance, various other problems arise, such as poor strength of the fiber materials, decrease in drawability as a result of the low boiling point aryl phosphite volatilizing at the spinning temperature, and deteriorating product quality and flame resistance due to the likelihood of aryl phosphite bleeding from the obtained fiber materials.
Further, phosphoric acid esters, such as aryl phosphite, are likely to contain residual catalysts used in the manufacture of the esters. Thus, when phosphoric acid esters are used in manufacturing fiber materials from polyolefins, the residual catalyst accelerates polyolefin degradation, resulting in a decrease in strength of the fiber materials. In addition, the characteristic odor of phosphoric acid esters not only deteriorates the working environment in which the fiber materials themselves are manufactured but also permeates into the manufactured fiber materials.
Use of specific cyclic phosphazenes as a flame-retardant is disclosed, for example, in the patent reference 5 below. The cyclic phosphazenes are easy to handle, do not cause environmental problems, and have excellent thermal stability and resistance to hydrolysis. However, using cyclic phosphazenes in isolation again has the same problem as described above due to their lower flame resistance when compared to the above-described flame-retardant compositions. Therefore, cyclic phosphazenes need to be compounded at a level in excess of 10 wt % to obtain sufficient flame resistance. Uses of thermoplastic resin compositions containing significant amounts of flame-retardants are limited to products that are thermal compression molded, and the molding of very fine products such as fiber materials from these compositions is difficult. Immersing the fiber materials into a solution containing cyclic phosphazenes is an alternative way to impart flame resistance. Nevertheless, the method only allows the cyclic phosphazenes to adhere to the surface of the fiber materials and, thus, the cyclic phosphazenes are released from the fiber materials following post-processing, post-treating, and long-term use, resulting in extremely low retention of flame-resistant properties.    Reference 1: WO 99/00450    Reference 2: JP 2001-254225A    Reference 3: JP 2002-115118A    Reference 4: US 2002/0015847A1    Reference 5: JP 2001-192392A

Flame-resistant fiber and fiber molding using the same


Tools for directing a collection of light emitting devices toward pixel locations to make an image are disclosed. A pixel location is a light emitting device target at least twice during a given frame, and each light emitting device in the collection is directed toward at least two different pixel locations during the frame. Adjacent light emitting devices may be directed toward adjacent pixel locations or toward nonadjacent pixel locations.

Conventional digital projectors are generally devices that integrate light sources, light modulators, optics systems, electronics, and/or displays for projecting images, using data signals from computers or video devices, onto walls or screens, for large-image viewing. During a frame (whether a standard NTSC frame lasting approximately 1/60th of a second or a frame of some other duration), light emitted by the light source is modulated and then projected onto the viewing surface at designated pixel locations to form the image being displayed. Conventional projectors have limitations depending upon their architecture and implementation.
For example some systems, such as the Texas Instruments DLP based systems, utilize a color wheel in series with a micro-mirror light modulator. Issues that may arise with the DLP system include sequential color artifacts, cost of the micro-mirror, and lost light due to the color wheel.
Other systems such as LCD projectors split the light using dichroics into primary colors, and modulate each color with an LCD panel before recombining the light. While these systems are often more light-efficient than color wheels, there is still light lost due to polarization. Also, the optics tend to be complicated and expensive.

Light emitting device projection methods and systems

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A number of frames in a burst is adjusted such that a first optimal number of first frames from a first manufacturer are included in the burst, the first optimal number of frames chosen to enable the detection of the burst by first receivers that are tuned to receive the first frames from the first manufacturer. The number of frames in the burst is adjusted such that a second optimal number of second frames from a second manufacturer are included in the burst, the second optimal number of frames chosen to enable detection of the burst by second receivers that are tuned to receive the second frames from the second manufacturer. The number of frames in the burst maintains a configuration compliant with government regulations regarding one or more of a burst length and a power emission.

The pressure and other operating parameters of tires are important concerns when operating a vehicle. Not only can incorrect tire pressure (or the incorrect setting of some other tire parameter) lead to inefficient vehicle operation (e.g., the waste of fuel and other problems leading to higher operating costs), but too low a tire pressure (or an inadequate value for some other tire parameter) can lead to safety problems such as accidents. It is difficult and sometimes time-consuming for users to manually measure tire pressure (or other parameters) with a pressure gauge (or other instruments). Consequently, automatic tire pressure monitoring systems have been devised and these systems free the user from manually making tire measurements.
An automatic tire pressure monitoring device typically mounts to a wheel within the tire and wirelessly transmits information indicative of conditions within the tire. The transmissions and the order of information are typically defined by a protocol corresponding to a receiver within the vehicle. Once the receiver receives the information, the information can be processed and presented to a user. For instance, a user can be warned when the pressure in the tires is too high or too low and thus avoid safety problems. Each automobile manufacturer typically has a unique, preferred, and pre-defined protocol to meet application specific needs and applications. Consequently, receivers using one manufacturers' protocol are not responsive to transmitters operating according to other manufacturers' protocols.
Tire pressure monitors also typically need to be activated and/or initialized. Various portable tools can be used for this purpose. Unfortunately, a particular type of tire pressure monitoring device needs to operate with a tool that is compatible with that device. A user has to ensure that the two devices are compatible, or the tire pressure monitor cannot be initialized and/or activated. Consequently, a user needs to worry about compatibility issues and under some circumstances (e.g., when a mismatch is made by the user) the tire pressure monitor cannot be initialized. This results in user dissatisfaction with these previous approaches.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

Apparatus and method for data transmissions in a tire pressure monitor


An artificial retina device and a method for stimulating and modulating its function is disclosed. The artificial retina device is comprised of plural multi-phasic microphotodiode subunits. In persons suffering from blindness due to outer retinal layer damage, a plurality of such devices, when surgically implanted into the subretinal space, may allow useful formed artificial vision to develop. One device, called a MMRI-4, transduces light into electric currents to stimulate the retina. The four microphotodiode subunits of the MMRI-4 are oriented so that each flattened sides of the MMRI-4 has two subunits in a PiN configuration and two subunits in a NiP configuration. By projecting real or computer controlled visible light images, and computer controlled infrared light images or illumination, simultaneously or in rapid alternation onto the MMRI-4s, the nature of induced retinal images may be modulated and improved. An Adaptive Imaging Retinal Stimulation System (AIRES), with a Projection and Tracking Optical System (PTOS), which may be worn as a headset is used for this purpose, and is also disclosed. Color images may even be induced by programming the stimulating pulse durations and frequencies of the AIRES system.

The present invention is a medical product that can be used to correct vision loss or even complete blindness caused by certain retinal diseases. A variety of retinal diseases cause vision loss or blindness by destruction of the vascular layers of the eye including the choroid, choriocapillaris, and the outer retinal layers including Bruch's membrane and retinal pigment epithelium. Loss of these layers is followed by degeneration of the outer portion of the inner retina beginning with the photoreceptor layer. Variable sparing of the remaining inner retina composed of the outer nuclear, outer plexiform, inner nuclear, inner plexiform, ganglion cell and nerve fiber layers, may occur. The sparing of the inner retina allows electrical stimulation of this structure to produce sensations of light.
Prior efforts to produce vision by electrically stimulating various portions of the retina have been reported. One such attempt involved an externally powered photosensitive device with its photoactive surface and electrode surfaces on opposite sides. The device theoretically would stimulate the nerve fiber layer via direct placement upon this layer from the vitreous body side. The success of this device is unlikely due to it having to duplicate the complex frequency modulated neural signals of the nerve fiber layer. Furthermore, the nerve fiber layer runs in a general radial course with many layers of overlapping fibers from different portions of the retina. Selection of appropriate nerve fibers to stimulate to produce formed vision would be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Another device involved a unit consisting of a supporting base onto which a photosensitive material such as selenium was coated. This device was designed to be inserted through an external scleral incision made at the posterior pole and would rest between the sclera and choroid, or between the choroid and retina. Light would cause a potential to develop on the photosensitive surface producing ions that would then theoretically migrate into the retina causing stimulation. However, because that device had no discrete surface structure to restrict the directional flow of charges, lateral migration and diffusion of charges would occur thereby preventing any acceptable resolution capability. Placement of that device between the sclera and choroid would also result in blockage of discrete ion migration to the photoreceptor and inner retinal layers. That was due to the presence of the choroid, choriocapillaris, Bruch's membrane and the retinal pigment epithelial layer all of which would block passage of those ions. Placement of the device between the choroid and the retina would still interpose Bruch's membrane and the retinal pigment epithelial layer in the pathway of discrete ion migration. As that device would be inserted into or through the highly vascular choroid of the posterior pole, subchoroidal, intraretinal and intraorbital hemorrhage would likely result along with disruption of blood flow to the posterior pole. One such device was reportedly constructed and implanted into a patient's eye resulting in light perception but not formed imagery.
A photovoltaic device artificial retina was also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,223. That device was inserted into the potential space within the retina itself. That space, called the subretinal space, is located between the outer and inner layers of the retina. The device was comprised of a plurality of so-called Surface Electrode Microphotodiodes ("SEMCPs") deposited on a single silicon crystal substrate. SEMCPs transduced light into small electric currents that stimulated overlying and surrounding inner retinal cells. Due to the solid substrate nature of the SEMCPs, blockage of nutrients from the choroid to the inner retina occurred. Even with fenestrations of various geometries, permeation of oxygen and biological substances was not optimal.
Another method for a photovoltaic artificial retina device was reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,350, which is incorporated herein by reference. That device was comprised of a plurality of so-called Independent Surface Electrode Microphotodiodes (ISEMCPs), disposed within a liquid vehicle, also for placement into the subretinal space of the eye. Because of the open spaces between adjacent ISEMCPs, nutrients and oxygen flowed from the outer retina into the inner retinal layers nourishing those layers. In another embodiment of that device, each ISEMCP included an electrical capacitor layer and was called an ISEMCP-C. ISEMCP-Cs produced a limited opposite direction electrical current in darkness compared to in the light, to induce visual sensations more effectively, and to prevent electrolysis damage to the retina due to prolonged monophasic electrical current stimulation.
These previous devices (SEMCPs, ISEMCPs, and ISEMCP-Cs) depended upon light in the visual environment to power them. The ability of these devices to function in continuous low light environments was, therefore, limited. Alignment of ISEMCPs and ISEMCP-Cs in the subretinal space so that they would all face incident light was also difficult.

Multi-phasic microphotodiode retinal implant and adaptive imaging retinal stimulation system


A device includes a drive link coupled to an actuator and a first link coupled to the drive link, the first link and the drive link forming a first pivot point. The device also includes a second link coupled to the first link and a support shaft coupled to second link. The second link and the first link form a second pivot point and the second link is configured to rotate about the support shaft. The device further includes a third link coupled to the second link and includes a fourth link coupled to third link and coupled to a door assembly. The third link and the second link form a third pivot point, and the fourth link and the third link form a fourth pivot point. When the door assembly is in an open position, the support shaft, the third pivot point, and the fourth pivot point are aligned.

Aerial refueling doors are commonly used when refueling an aircraft in-flight via a refueling boom of another aircraft. Conventional aerial refueling doors, such as on the KC-135 Stratotanker, are opened and closed using hydraulic actuators. A robust and complex locking actuator or lock mechanism is used to withstand operational forces to keep the aerial refueling doors open or keep the aerial refueling doors closed. Additionally, the aerial refueling doors include mechanical linkage that provides a load path from the aerial refueling doors to the actuator. Thus, a robust and complex actuator is used to withstand operational forces (e.g., loads incurred from wind, bird strikes, boom strikes, etc.) and to provide sufficient force for operating requirements (e.g., to break free an iced door when opening the aerial refueling doors). The robust and complex actuator adds cost and complexity to the aerial refueling door system and to the aircraft.
Some aerial refueling systems may use a hydraulic actuator to keep the aerial refueling doors closed during operation. However, civilian aircraft (i.e., aircraft certified as civilian aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration) cannot use hydraulic actuation inside a pressurized area of an aircraft.

System and method for aerial refueling door actuation


A modular lighting system with a magnetic plug and socket connection between a battery module, light module, and other modules is provided. The plug and socket include magnets which are attached magnetically to each other to hold the battery module and light module together. Electricity is transmitted through the magnets to power the light module. The connection system allows a user to easily customize the lighting system to meet different needs.

People often have several flashlights as each flashlight has a different purpose. Different flashlights may be selected for different power levels, beam patterns, etc. While accommodating the desired uses, having multiple flashlights increases the space necessary to keep these flashlights and increases the number of batteries that the user must maintain.
It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not every embodiment need accomplish all advantages of the present invention. The drawings are drawn to scale to allow for better understanding of the structures and components thereof.

Modular flash light with magnetic connection


The present invention relates to acrylate-based rheology modifiers for use in aqueous compositions having pH of less than or equal to 9 and to the rheologically-modified aqueous compositions, which modifiers contain an emulsion which is prepared by single-stage emulsion polymerization of a C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 alkyl ester of acrylic acid and/or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl ester of methacrylic acid, a monomer chosen from a vinyl-substituted heterocyclic compound containing at least one of a nitrogen or sulfur atom, (meth)acrylamide, a mono- or di- (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkylamino (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl (meth)acrylate, a mono or di-(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkylamino (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl (meth)acrylamide, and optionally cross-linking monomers and/or associative monomers, in the presence of water, a surfactant, a free-radical initiator and an alcohol selected from C.sub.2 -C.sub.12 linear or branched alcohols, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and glycerol, or mixtures thereof, and essentially in the absence of a polymeric colloidal stabilizer such as polyvinyl alcohol.

Rheology modifiers are used generally to adjust or modify the rheological properties of aqueous compositions. Such properties include, without limitation, viscosity, flow rate, stability to viscosity change over time, and the ability to suspend particles in such aqueous compositions. The particular type of modifier used will depend on the particular aqueous composition to be modified and on the particular end-use of that modified aqueous composition. Examples of conventional rheology modifiers include thickeners such as cellulosic derivatives, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium polyacrylate, and other water-soluble macromolecules, and copolymeric emulsions in which monomers with acid groups have been introduced onto the main chain. Such thickeners are used widely in fiber treatment and adhesives.
It has been reported that when thickeners such as cellulosic derivatives and polyvinyl alcohol are mixed with aqueous emulsions, the thickened emulsion tends to exhibit poor stability to viscosity change over time. The cellulosics are said to result in a substantial decline in viscosity over time. It also has been reported that large quantities of polyvinyl alcohol are required in order to thicken aqueous emulsions. When such thickened aqueous emulsions are used in, for example, adhesives and coatings, the high levels of polyvinyl alcohol result in a loss of adhesive and/or cohesive properties as well as a loss in water resistance in the films formed therefrom.
Another class of rheology modifiers known to thicken aqueous emulsions is one typically referred to as associative modifiers. Such associative modifiers are reported in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,743,698, 4,600,761, RE 33,156, 4,792,343, 4,384,096, 3,657,175, 5,102,936 and 5,294,692. As noted, these thickeners become effective upon the addition of base, thereby raising the pH of the thickened composition to alkaline, but the thickeners do not thicken aqueous compositions having acidic pH.
Other rheology modifiers which are "activated" by the addition of acid to aqueous compositions which contain the modifiers also have been reported. As reported, emulsions are prepared via free-radical emulsion polymerization utilizing colloidal stabilizers. The emulsions are mixed with the composition to be thickened and then acid is added to the mix, thereby lowering the pH of the system to 6.5 to 0.5. These thickeners are reported to be effective at thickening certain acidic aqueous compositions, but are not effective at thickening aqueous compositions having basic pH.
It would be desirable to develop a rheology modifier which is stable to change in viscosity and phase separation over time, which does not detrimentally affect film properties such as adhesive/cohesive properties and water resistance, and which advantageously may be used to thicken both acidic and basic aqueous compositions.

Rheology modifiers for use in aqueous compositions

National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation


A method and an apparatus for making visible a mark on a spectacle lens are disclosed. An illumination light beam is directed to the spectacle lens. The illumination light beam runs through the spectacle lens and, after having run through the spectacle lens, is reflected on a reflector configured as a retroreflector, then runs again through the spectacle lens, and is finally fed to a camera as an observation light beam. The reflector is moved. Further, a measurement light beam is directed to said spectacle lens and fed to a sensor for measuring a physical property of the spectacle lens. The measurement light beam is generated by a first light source and the illumination light beam is generated by a second light source. The first and the second light sources are physically distinct units.

Spectacle lenses, in particular so-called progressive spectacle lenses, are provided with marks, the position of which being detected during the manufacture of the spectacle lens, and being processed, in order to chuck the spectacle lens in a correct position, to work it, to stamp it, and, finally, to bring it into the spectacle frame of the end user. Marks are applied to spectacle lenses in a durable manner, i.e. by diamond scratching methods, or during the forming when plastic material spectacle lenses are molded, or by laser marking. Moreover, the term "mark" as used in the context of the present invention, also comprises other irregularities of the spectacle lens, for example streaks within the glass or the plastic material.
If, in the context of the present application, "spectacle lenses" are referred to, it is to be understood that this term also comprises contact lenses or other comparable optical elements.
In order to avoid that the user of the spectacle is irritated by the marks when the spectacle is used, the marks are configured such that they are visible only under very special light circumstances. The detection of the position of a mark on a spectacle lens during the production process is, therefore, quite difficult. An additional problem is that the spectacle lenses in a production process have very different optical effects due to the specific requirements of the later user of the spectacle. Therefore, within a production line spectacle lenses of highly different optical effects are following one after the other so that these optical effects have to be taken into account in a fast sequence during the subsequent working of individual spectacle lenses.
The recognition of a mark on a spectacle lens is particularly difficult, when the spectacle lens is provided with a phototropic coating. Such spectacle lenses are commonly referred to in the art as HIP (High Index Phototropic) lenses. Phototropic coatings of the type of interest in the present context are relatively thick. The coating thickness is about 30 μm, whereas other lens coatings (antireflex coatings etc.) have a thickness of only about 2-3 μm. The marks are applied to the lens body prior to the coating. Therefore, they are covered by the coating that is applied later. Whereas this does not present a real problem for conventional thin coatings for what concerns the recognition of marks, a problem arises when the mark is covered by a thick phototropic coating. The marks become optically smeared thereby, i.e. the edges of the mark become blurred. In contrast to the situation with thin coatings only a low frequency phenomenon appears.
For a control of progressive lenses both in the far and in the near design reference point, it is necessary to measure the effect of the progressive lenses at predetermined coordinate points on the spectacle lens depending on the applied marks. For a manual or for an automatic measurement these marks must, therefore, be made visible. According to prior art methods and apparatuses, this is done by means of rhombic gratings or strip patterns which are imaged blurred, wherein the edge transitions bright/dark make the mark visible.
A disadvantage of this prior art approach, in particular during the automatic recognition of a mark, is that the grating is imaged differently, depending on the optical effect of the particular spectacle lens under investigation, namely as a function of the particular dioptric effect of the spectacle lens. It is, therefore, necessary to make considerable efforts for the recognition of marks with respect to the algorithms used. Prior art methods, therefore, have not yet matured into a complete, safe and automatic recognition. Under actual practice it is, therefore, necessary that even with automatic control devices a person of particular trained skill has to manually interfere into the production process for correcting wrong recognitions.
But also in a situation where the marks are recognized within a production process by means of a manual examination action, the situation is quite similar. In that case different illuminations are used depending on the particularly used marking process in order to make the marks visible. According to prior art apparatuses this is affected by manually interchanging illumination units. However, also with these manual methods the marks are quite obscure and difficult to recognize so that errors are possible during the positioning and the orienting of the particular spectacle lens. This holds true in particular with regard to the amount of time being available for recognizing the mark. For these reasons, it is necessary, in particular for plastic material spectacle lenses, to additionally mark the spectacle lenses prior to the recognition of the marks as such, namely by means of a felt pen or the like (so-called "pointing") which results in additional work and time consumption.
Corresponding considerations also apply for other areas within the processing of such spectacle lenses, namely for stamping automats, which, according to the actual state of the art likewise require the assistance of an operating person. The person observes the spectacle lenses on a screen in order to manually correct within the system positions of the marks that have not been properly recognized automatically. This is, for example, affected by means of roller sphere input. This disadvantage likewise results in a reduction in productivity of a video-assisted, manually operated stamping machine.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,494 discloses a method and an apparatus for locating optical microeffects on optical components, for example lenses. A laser beam is directed on the component under investigation via a beam splitter, namely a semitransparent mirror. The laser beam runs through the component and impinges on the other side thereof on a retroreflector, for example a retroreflecting foil from which it is again reflected back through the component and then runs back on the same ray path until it is deflected by the beam splitter directed to a camera.
A disadvantage of this prior approach is that it may result in problems for spectacle lenses of highly different curvature. Due to the highly different curvature the observation ray path must be long and stopped down in order to achieve a sufficient depth of field. On the other hand, the structures of the retroreflector shall not be imaged sharply because for avoiding wrong interpretations it is desired to have a relatively homogeneous background. As a consequence, the retroreflector in these applications must be located very far behind the plane of the spectacle lens to be measured and, further, it should be configured very large, because strongly negative spectacle lenses would image the retroreflector on a very small scale so that the entire lens could no more be seen over the retroreflector.
In addition, it is important in the context of the present invention that not only the recognition of marks or of other irregularities on spectacle lenses is concerned, but moreover the integration of this recognition process into a measuring instrument or into a working process. In such instances, however, a sensor is arranged behind a spectacle lens, i.e. on the same side as the retroreflector of the prior art apparatus, for measuring physical properties of the spectacle lens. For design reasons it is, therefore, impossible to locate the retroreflector far behind the plane of the spectacle lens.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,242 discloses an apparatus for measuring the optical qualities of windshields in situ. For that purpose an optical apparatus is also used here having a light source, a beam splitter, a retroreflector positioned behind the windshield to be measured, as well as a camera. A fine pattern is projected through the beam splitter on a retroreflecting screen, such that a real image of this pattern is generated on the retroreflecting screen being deformed by the windshield positioned within the ray path. Via the beam splitter the camera also looks in the direction of projection through the windshield under investigation on the retroreflective screen. Inhomogeneities, tension double refractions, streaks and the like are clearly made visible in such a way.
Document DE 43 43 345 A1 disclosed methods and apparatuses for measuring the reflective and the transmissive, respectively, optical properties of a sample. A measuring radiation is directed on a sample and is reflected by the sample so that it impinges on a retroreflector which, again, sends the measuring radiation back via the object to the light source where a decoupling a detector takes place.
Another similar approach is also described in document EP 0 169 444 A2.
In a prior art vertex refractometer "Focovision SG1" a light beam is emitted from a light source through a green filter and is directed on a spectacle lens to be examined via a beam splitter. The light beam runs through the spectacle lens and impinges on a sensor head located behind the rear side of the spectacle lens. In such a way physical properties of the spectacle lens may be measured. Moreover, on the rear side there is a plane in which exchangeable illumination accessories may be located. These illumination accessories illuminate the spectacle lens from the rear such that the marks become visible. A corresponding observation light beam runs from the spectacle lens to the beam splitter, is there reflected and then fed to a camera via other optical means. In a first illumination accessory a sharply limited bright light bundle is directed on the spectacle lens under a flat angle. Marks that have been applied by scratching will then appear bright due to the irregular shape of the scratch in front of a dark background. A second illumination accessory, in contrast, is provided for spectacle lenses in which the marks have not been applied by scratching but by forming or by laser beams instead. This second illumination accessory therefore, comprises a bright line grating being illuminated from below, as well as a plurality of auxiliary lenses arranged one besides the other by means of which these bright gratings may be imaged to infinity.
This prior art apparatus, therefore, is relatively difficult to operate. Further, the point in which the measuring beam emitted by the light source impinges on the spectacle lens coincides with the point in which the observation light beam exits from the spectacle lens. This may result in errors during the processing.
DE 197 40 391 discloses still another observation apparatus for masked markings, i.e. marks. In this apparatus, a lens, being provided with a masked marking, is illuminated with an illumination light. The masked marking is then observed as a shadow of the lens generated by the observation light.
In this apparatus we have the disadvantage that the marking will be shifted depending on the type of the lens and its local prismatic effect or is reduced in size or amplified, respectively, by the positive or by the negative effect of the lens.

Device for visualizing a mark on a spectacle lense


A color sensitive image sensor includes first, second, and third image sensor layers vertically aligned in an image sensor stack. Each of the image sensor layers includes a pixel array oriented to generate image data in response to light incident on the image sensor stack and readout circuitry coupled to the pixel array to readout the image data. A first optical filter layer is disposed between the first image sensor layer and the second image sensor layer and has a first edge pass filter characteristic with a first cutoff wavelength. A second optical filter layer is disposed between the second image sensor layer and the third image sensor layer and has a second edge pass filter characteristic with a second cutoff wavelength offset from the first cutoff wavelength.

Photosensitive regions of a typical silicon-based image sensor (e.g., complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor ("CMOS") or CCD) are, like panchromatic film, sensitive to all wavelengths in the visual spectrum. While this is sufficient for gray scale image sensors that acquire black-and-white luminance image, color-sensing image sensors require additional optical components to isolate the different spectral bands in the visual spectrum. Such optical components may include a prism that separates the spectral components of visual light or a color filter array ("CFA"), such as a Bayer Pattern CFA, which isolates the color components using pigmented absorption filters. CFAs have become the most dominate color image sensor technology. However, conventional CFAs inherently capture incomplete color samples, which require a demosaicing algorithm to reconstruct the full color image from the incomplete dataset. Demosaicing inherently sacrifices image sharpness and may introduce image artifacts. Since CFAs use pigmented absorptive filters, a significant portions of the incident photons are absorbed in the CFA, thereby lowing the quantum efficiency of the image sensor.
Another technology for implementing color image sensors is referred to as the Foveon vertical color filter image sensor. The Foveon image sensor has three layers of photo-detectors embedded within silicon and stacked vertically to take advantage of the fact that red, green, and blue light are absorbed by silicon at different rates and as result statistically penetrate silicon to different depths. The Foveon image sensor takes advantage of this wavelength to depth penetration relationship to capture full color images at every pixel location of the image sensor. By doing this, the demosaicing process can be avoided, potentially resulting in sharper images. However, the Foveon image sensor suffers from significant spectral overlap between spectral responses of different color photo-detectors within a given multi-pixel stack.
In the Foveon image sensor, the first photo-detector layer absorbs the most blue light signal, a moderate amount of green light signal, and the least amount of red light signal. The second photo-detector layer absorbs a moderate amount of blue light signal, the most green light signal, and a moderate amount of red light signal. The third photo-detector layer absorbs the least amount of blue light signal, a moderate amount of green light signal, and the most red light signal. As such, there is a significant crosstalk between the color signal channels captured at each of the three photo-detector layers. A post-processing color correction matrix is applied against the captured color image data to compensate for the spectral overlap in the responses of the photo-detectors in the three layers. However, this color correction matrix may deteriorate the image quality (e.g., by increasing the noise in the output data).
Organic image sensors are yet another color image sensor technology. Organic image sensors make use of organic photoelectric conversion materials to absorb photons at different wavelengths in each layer and convert these photons into electrons. This technology has yet to mature with current disadvantages including low quantum efficiency, unknown image quality, and issues with high-volume manufacturing and reliability.

Stacked image sensor with cascaded optical edge pass filters


A logic circuit performs an internal level conversion function by driving portions of the circuit with different supply voltages. In one embodiment, first and second stage storage circuits are driven with different supply voltages. In another embodiment, first and second stage storage circuits are driven with a first supply voltage and an inverter coupled to the first stage storage circuit is driven with a second supply voltage. In either case, data transfer into the storage circuits may be controlled by different states of a clock signal. The logic circuit may be a flip-flop circuit, a latch circuit, or another type of circuit.

Many circuit applications require a voltage-level conversion to be performed for proper operation. In conventional designs, the conversion function is performed in an inefficient manner, often consuming precious chip area and increasing the processing overhead of the host system. Improvements are therefore needed in order to meet, for example, the rising demand for chip miniaturization and ever faster processing speeds.

Hybrid CVSL pass-gate level-converting sequential circuit for multi-Vcc microprocessors


A method of forming a fine pattern includes forming first line mask patterns on a mask layer to extend along a direction, forming second line mask patterns to extend along a diagonal direction with respect to the first line mask patterns, anisotropically etching the mask layer exposed by the first and second line mask patterns to form elliptical openings, and isotropically etching the mask layer provided with the openings to form a mask pattern with enlarged openings.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a method of forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device, and in particular, to a method of forming fine patterns arranged in a zigzag manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A scale-down process is desirable to realize a high-density semiconductor device. For example, in order to integrate more and more devices in a limited area, patterns should be formed to have a small width and a small space.

Method of forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device


An additive composition for use in a fuel for a spark-ignition internal combustion engine comprises an octane-boosting additive and one or more further fuel additives. The octane-boosting additive has a chemical structure comprising a 6-membered aromatic ring sharing two adjacent aromatic carbon atoms with a 6- or 7-membered saturated heterocyclic ring, the 6- or 7-membered saturated heterocyclic ring comprising a nitrogen atom directly bonded to one of the shared carbon atoms to form a secondary amine and an atom selected from oxygen or nitrogen directly bonded to the other shared carbon atom, the remaining atoms in the 6- or 7-membered heterocyclic ring being carbon. The additive composition increases the octane number of the fuel, thereby proving the auto-ignition characteristics of a fuel.

Spark-ignition internal combustion engines are widely used for power, both domestically and in industry. For instance, spark-ignition internal combustion engines are commonly used to power vehicles, such as passenger cars, in the automotive industry.
Combustion in spark-ignition internal combustion engines is initiated by a spark which creates a flame front. The flame front progresses from the spark-plug and travels across the combustion chamber rapidly and smoothly until almost all of the fuel is consumed.
Spark-ignition internal combustion engines are widely thought to be more efficient when operating at higher compression ratios, i.e. when a higher degree of compression is placed upon the fuel/air mix in the engine prior to its ignition. Thus, modern, high performance spark-ignition internal combustion engines tend to operate at high compression ratios. Higher compression ratios are also desired when an engine has a high degree of supplemental pressure boosting to the intake charge.
However, increasing the compression ratio in an engine increases the possibility of abnormal combustion including that of auto-ignition, particularly when the engine is pressure-boosted. A form of auto-ignition occurs when the end gas, typically understood to be the unburnt gas between the flame front and combustion chamber walls/piston, ignites spontaneously. On ignition, the end gas burns rapidly and prematurely ahead of the flame front in the combustion chamber, causing the pressure in the cylinder to rise sharply. This creates the characteristic knocking or pinking sound and is known as "knock", "detonation" or "pinking". In some cases, particularly with pressure-boosted engines, other forms of auto-ignition can even lead to destructive events known as "mega-knock" or "super-knock".
Knock occurs because the octane number (also known as the anti-knock rating or the octane rating) of the fuel is below the anti-knock requirement of the engine. Octane number is a standard measure used to assess the point at which knock will occur for a given fuel. A higher octane number means that a fuel/air mixture can withstand more compression before auto-ignition of the end gas occurs. In other words, the higher the octane number, the better the anti-knock properties of a fuel. Whilst the research octane number (RON) or the motor octane number (MON) may be used to assess the anti-knock performance of a fuel, in recent literature more weight is being given to the RON as an indicator of a fuel's anti-knock performance in modern automotive engines.
Accordingly, there is a need for fuels for spark-ignition internal combustion engines which have a high octane number, e.g. a high RON. There is a particular need for fuels for high compression ratio engines, including those utilising a high degree of supplemental pressure boosting to the intake charge, to have a high octane number so that higher engine efficiency may be enjoyed in the absence of knock.
In order to increase the octane number, octane improving additives are typically added to a fuel. Such additisation may be carried out by refineries or other suppliers, e.g. fuel terminals or bulk fuel blenders, so that the fuel meets applicable fuel specifications when the base fuel octane number is otherwise too low.
Organometallic compounds, comprising e.g. iron, lead or manganese are well-known octane improvers, with tetraethyl lead (TEL) having been extensively used as a highly effective octane improver. However, TEL and other organometallic compounds are generally now only used in fuels in small amounts, if at all, as they can be toxic, damaging to the engine and damaging to the environment.
Octane improvers which are not based on metals include oxygenates (e.g. ethers and alcohols) and aromatic amines. However, these additives also suffer from various drawbacks. For instance, N-methyl aniline (NMA), an aromatic amine, must be used at a relatively high treat rate (1.5 to 2% weight additive/weight base fuel) to have a significant effect on the octane number of the fuel. NMA can also be toxic. Oxygenates give a reduction in energy density in the fuel and, as with NMA, have to be added at high treat rates, potentially causing compatibility problems with fuel storage, fuel lines, seals and other engine components.
Effort has been made to find alternative non-metallic octane improvers to NMA. GB 2 308 849 discloses dihydro benzoxazine derivatives for use as anti-knock agents. However, the derivatives provide a significantly smaller increase in the RON of a fuel than is provided by NMA at similar treat rates.
Accordingly, there remains a need for additives for a fuel for a spark-ignition internal combustion engine that are able to achieve anti-knock effects, e.g. at least comparable anti-knock effects to NMA, while mitigating at least some of the problems highlighted above.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Coaxial connector (10) for mounting to a circuit board (12) at an edge (14) thereof and having an outer conductor housing block (20) with an enlarged rearward housing section (22) and an elongate threaded cylindrical forward housing section (30). A bottom housing section (70) is provided that depends beneath downwardly facing housing surfaces (60) of wings (24) that are coplanar with inner conductor (40), extending through a board recess (16), with the bottom housing section (70) being provided rearwardly of forwardmost ends (62) of the downwardly facing housing surfaces (60). The bottom housing section (70) is sufficiently massive to move the center of mass of the connector rearwardly of the forwardmost ends of the downwardly facing surfaces (60) so that the connector (10) remains stablely positioned without tooling on the top of the circuit board during assembly prior to soldering thereto.

Coaxial connectors provide an inner or signal conductor coaxially disposed within an outer conductor both having precisely controlled radii having a common axis, with dielectric material disposed therebetween. Certain coaxial connectors are mountable to circuit boards, with the signal conductor electrically connected to a signal circuit of the board and the outer conductor electrically connected to a ground path on the board, and the electrical connections are commonly achieved by soldering. One such connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,271. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,267, a plurality of similar board-mountable coaxial connectors are secured to a mounting bracket that is affixed to a circuit board along an edge thereof, with each coaxial connector extending through a panel cutout at an input/output port of an electronic apparatus.
One such coaxial connector is commercially available from AMP Incorporated, sold as "F" Connectors under Part No. 415024-2. The outer conductor is a metal block housing that houses the inner conductor within a sleeve of dielectric material, and extends to a board-mount end and an opposing mating end defining an elongate threaded cylinder protruding substantially beyond the board edge that extends through a panel cutout and onto which a mating connector will be threadedly attached. The housing of such a connector would include downwardly facing surfaces of portions of the large rearward housing section to lie along that portion of the board surface adjacent the board edge prior to soldering, easily providing the outer conductor connecting sections solderable to ground circuits of the board. The inner conductor extends rectilinearly rearwardly, also aligned to lie along the board surface to be electrically connected to a signal path of the board. To optimize impedance matching in coaxial connectors, the enlarged rearward housing section is desired not only to surround the inner conductor but also to be substantially similar in cross-section to the cross-section of the mating coaxial connector; therefor, portions of the housing must extend below the surface of the circuit board onto which it is to be mounted, requiring a recess formed to extend into the board from the board edge sufficient to provide a clearance for the bottom half of the enlarged housing forwardly of the termination of the inner conductor to the signal path.
It is desired to provide a coaxial connector that is adapted to facilitate mounting to a circuit board utilizing automated assembly techniques including robotic pick-and-place equipment for accurately positioning the connector at a mounting site along a board edge, followed by soldering at a different work station to define the necessary electrical connections to the circuit board.


A control method for controlling a battery charging circuit having at least one switch, includes: generating a first difference signal based on the difference between a charging current feedback signal and a charging current reference signal; generating a bias reference signal by proportionally integrating the first difference signal when the battery voltage is higher than a first threshold and less than a second threshold; generating a bias signal by proportionally integrating the difference between the sum of the bias reference signal and a system voltage reference signal and a system voltage feedback signal; generating a comparison signal by comparing the sum of the system voltage feedback signal and a ramp signal with the sum of the bias signal and the system voltage reference signal; and generating a control signal for controlling the at least one switch based on the comparison signal and a constant time period control signal.

With development of the electronic technology, a computing system is widely used. From handheld electronic devices such as, for example, tablet personal computer, e-book, digital camera, to large electronic devices such as, for example, server, computing base station, all require the computing system. A computing platform comprises a central processing unit (CPU) and other components. The CPU is utilized to interpret machine readable instructions and process all data in the computing system. A voltage regulator is needed to power the CPU. In addition, a battery is utilized to provide power to the voltage regulator when the computing platform disconnects from an external power supply. Thus, a battery charging circuit is absolutely needed to provide a system voltage to the voltage regulator and charge the battery when the computing platform connects to the external power supply, for the purpose of controlling the charging process.
Because of the diversified power supply and batteries, multiple variables, e.g., a system voltage for a system load, a charging current to the battery and a battery voltage and so on should be involved in the control of the charging process. However, the unsmooth switching among the multiple control loops of multiple variables will lead to the problem of system instability. Thus, the battery charging circuit should be designed to satisfy demands of system stability.

Battery charging circuit with improved system stability and control method thereof

Hangzhou MPS Semiconductor Technology Ltd.


It is an object to provide a system for assisting a vehicle on the edge of battery exhaustion. An information providing device includes: an information acquiring part for acquiring the current location of a vehicle and the amount of power stored in a power storage unit of the vehicle from a plurality of vehicles; a vehicle selecting part for selecting one or more vehicles as available vehicles for power supply from the plurality of vehicles based on the respective current locations and the amounts of stored power of the plurality of vehicles, the one or more vehicles to be selected being capable of supplying charging power to a target vehicle requiring charge of its power storage unit; and a notifying part for notifying of an available vehicle for power supply selected by the vehicle selecting part.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an information providing device, information providing server, vehicle assistance system, a navigation device, and a charging cable.
2. Related Art
Techniques disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-102102, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-267561, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-110050, Japanese Patent No. 3919009, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-79456, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-77267 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-252118 are known as techniques for feeding power to electric-powered motor vehicles. Information display devices for vehicles for calculating the fuel efficiencies of the vehicles and displaying the calculated fuel efficiencies are also known (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-189144).
A shortage of the remaining capacity in a battery installed on a vehicle and absence of a charging station nearby necessitates an action such as call for an emergency vehicle. This results in great inconvenience as the battery cannot be charged timely.

Information providing device, information providing server, vehicle assistance system, navigation device, and charging cable


The present invention relates to a polyester having an excellent hydrolysis resistance even when used in a process for producing a toner for electrophotography which includes a step of forming a raw material into particles in an aqueous medium, and a toner for electrophotography which contains the polyester and is excellent in storage stability and fixing property. There are provided a polyester for a toner for electrophotography which is used in a process for producing a toner including a step of forming a raw material component into particles in an aqueous medium or a solution, and produced by polycondensing an alcohol component with a carboxylic acid component containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of an alkyl succinic acid and an alkenyl succinic acid, as well as a toner for electrophotography which contains the polyester.

In recent years, toners have been required to exhibit an excellent fixing property and have a smaller particle size from the viewpoint of achieving higher image qualities. As resin binders for the toners, there are known styrene-acrylic resins, polyesters, etc. In particular, the polyesters have been used because of excellent durability and fixing property thereof. As such a polyester, there has been disclosed the polyester containing an alkyl succinic acid and/or an alkenyl succinic acid having 10 or more carbon atoms as a carboxylic acid component thereof, in particular, in view of a good fixing property, and there has also been disclosed the toner using the polyester as a resin binder which is produced by a melt-kneading and pulverizing method (refer to JP 57-109825A and JP 2000-35695A). However, when a toner having a small particle size and using a resin binder containing a polyester as a main component is produced by the melt-kneading and pulverizing method, it tends to be difficult to control a particle size of the toner upon pulverization.
On the other hand, JP 2004-198598A discloses a process for producing a toner by an emulsification and aggregation method as a wet process.
However, when a toner containing a polyester as a resin binder is produced by the wet process, an ester bond of the polyester tends to be hydrolyzed in a solution. As a result, the obtained toner tends to exhibit a low glass transition point and therefore tends to be deteriorated in storage stability and fixing property.

Polyesters for toner for electrophotography


An electric storage battery and method of manufacture thereof. Active material (78) is removed from both sides of the outer end (88) of the negative electrode (70) in a jellyroll (84) to allow room for adhesive tape (96) to secure the jellyroll.

Rechargeable electric storage batteries are commercially available in a wide range of sizes for use in a variety of applications. As battery technology continues to improve, batteries find new applications which impose increasingly stringent specifications relating to physical size and performance. Thus, new technologies have yielded smaller and lighter weight batteries having longer storage lives and higher energy output capabilities enabling them to be used in an increasing range of applications, including medical applications, where, for example, the battery can be used in a medical device which is implanted in a patient's body. Such medical devices can be used to monitor and/or treat various medical conditions.
Batteries for implantable medical devices are subject to very demanding requirements, including long useful life, high power output, low self-discharge rates, compact size, high reliability over a long time period, compatibility with the patient's internal body chemistry, etc. Although various battery chemistries have been tried, lithium ion technology is generally accepted as the preferred chemistry for medical implant applications.
Such electric storage batteries are generally comprised of a tubular metal case enveloping an interior cavity which contains an electrode assembly surrounded by a suitable electrolyte. The electrode assembly generally comprises a plurality of positive electrode, negative electrode, and separator layers which are typically stacked and/or spirally wound to form a jellyroll. The positive electrode is generally formed of a metal substrate having positive active material coated on both faces of the substrate. Similarly, the negative electrode is formed of a metal substrate having negative active material coated on both faces of the substrate. In forming an electrode assembly, separator layers are interleaved between the positive and negative electrode layers to provide electrical isolation.

Electric storage battery construction and method of manufacture


A method for reducing Barkhausen noise in dual stripe magnetoresistive recording heads. The topography of the bottom conductor is controlled, specifically the conductor sidewall angle at the edge of the track is defined to be less than 45.degree. from the substrate plane. Restricting the conductor sidewall profile in this manner eliminates sources of magnetic domain nucleation.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to magnetoresistive transducers. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved conductors for dual stripe magnetoresistive transducers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Continuing advances in magnetic media technology allow increasing data storage densities. One active area of development is that of reading transducers. As such transducers are made smaller, data densities are increased. Magnetoresistive (MR) thin film technology has provided a particularly promising area of inquiry with regard to producing smaller reading transducers. In such technology, conductive thin films are formed on a substrate using techniques analogous to those of the semiconductor arts. Dual stripe MR transducers, such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,965, issued to Voegeli, reflect the current state of the art.
The magnetic properties of ferromagnetic thin films used to produce MR transducers can be strongly influenced by the topographical features present on a transducer substrate. See, for example, Effect of Surface Rouqhness on Magnetic Properties of Films, Prosen et al, J. App. Phys., Vol. 34, No. 4 (1963); and Magnetic Properties of Ni-Fe Films Prepared by a DC Triode Sputtering Method, Minakata, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 24, No. 3 (1988). In particular, soft magnetic properties are affected when the height of such features is on the same order or greater than the thickness of the films, and such features have angles of departure from a substrate plane that are greater than a critical angle. The primary consequences of these sorts of features are local variations in anisotropy caused by magnetostriction, and local variations in film thickness caused by shadowing or angle of incidence considerations.
These non-uniformities serve as magnetic domain nucleation sites in ferromagnetic films. When present in magnetoresistive (MR) films such as are used to produce MR transducers, these magnetic domains transform a smoothly varying transducer output corresponding to resistance versus applied field into a sequence of irreproducible jumps associated with sudden movement of domain walls. Thus, an unacceptable level of noise, referred to as Barkhausen noise, is produced which degrades transducer performance. At track densities currently envisioned, there needs to be an improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of MR transducers, as well as a mechanism for reducing and/or eliminating critical errors related to Barkhausen noise.

Tapered conductors for magnetoresistive transducers


A light emitting fishing lure comprising: a translucent lure head having a cylindrical lure cavity passing longitudinally through the translucent lure head, a charging terminal located within the cylindrical lure cavity, an enable terminal located within the cylindrical lure cavity and electrically isolated from the charging terminal, a ground terminal located within the cylindrical lure cavity and electrically isolated from the charging terminal and from the enable terminal, an energy source, a control circuit board, a light emitting circuit board, and a convex lens formed by the outside surface of the translucent lure head; a leader secured to a fishing line and extending through the charging terminal, the enable terminal, and the ground terminal, in the cylindrical lure cavity and connecting to a fish hook; a lure skirt attached to the translucent lure head.

Little is know of the life cycle of pelagic fish such as marlin, swordfish, sailfish, and tuna which have enormous economic and food value. These fish are believed to swim great distances crossing oceans and many international marine management jurisdictions over periods of weeks and months, but nothing is known of the motivation for this migratory behavior. The adaptation of these fish to the open ocean is so complete, marine biologists have had very little success maintaining healthy specimens in captivity for extended studies.
Much of what is known or believed regarding these animals has been gleaned from the experience and records of conservation minded sportsmen who fish for them. With regard to their feeding habits, it is believed by sportsmen that billfish such as marlin and sailfish locate prey by sight near the ocean surface and do not feed under the low light conditions of ocean depths or at night. As a result, no fishing lures have been developed for use under these low light conditions.
However, during periods of darkness, deepwater marine animals such as squid, which are known to be a significant fraction of the pelagic fish diet, rise in the water column to intermediate depths, and sometimes the surface, where they are more accessible to feeding fish. Additionally, a key visual attraction of these deepwater marine animals is the ability of their bodies to generate light when stressed or excited. This light generation capability is called bioluminescence. A fishing lure designed for these low light conditions that simulates bioluminescence will prove to be highly effective in catching pelagic fish.
A need exists for a fishing lure capable of two fish attracting modes. In one mode, selectively focused, directed emitted light simulates the appearance and motion of baitfish under daylight conditions. In a second mode, selectively focused and sequenced, directed emitted light simulates the bioluminescence of deepwater marine animals under low light conditions such as darkness or a subsurface ocean depths.
A further need exists for a fishing lure capable of using a variety of energy sources that can be replaceable or rechargeable.
A need exists for a fishing lure containing circuitry that can create emitted light in flashes or patterns that can attract specific marine game fish.
A need also exists for a fishing lure that can be adapted to produce light of varying colors and intensities.
A further need exists for a simplified fishing lure possessing circuitry that allows the lure to automatically self-illuminate in the presence of seawater and automatically cease illumination when removed from seawater.
The present embodiments meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.


A method for the formation of metallic nanoparticles, such as gold and silver nanoparticles, which involves, combining in a single solution, solvent, metal ions and copolymers under conditions such that metal nanoparticles are formed. The copolymers have both reducing components and stabilizing components. The method can be used to form metal nanoparticles having a desired shape and size.

Metal nanoparticles such as nanospheres(1), nanorods(2, 3), nanocubes(4), nanoplates(5, 6), nanotetrapods(7), and nanoprisms(8) are attracting significant attention because of their size-dependent optical, magnetic, electronic and catalytic properties.(9-14) As but one example, gold nanoparticles can exhibit intense photoluminescence, a phenomenon which is expected to find wide scientific and practical use.(9)
The development of simple and versatile methods for the preparation of nanoparticles in a size or shape-selected and -controlled manner is an important and challenging task.(1-8, 15, 16) In addition, utilization of non-toxic chemicals, environmentally benign solvents, and renewable materials are emerging issues that merit important consideration in a synthetic strategy.(17)
Presently, the preparation of metal nanoparticles in solution most commonly involves chemical reduction of metal ions. In organic solvents, surfactant-stabilized reverse micellar ("water-in-oil") systems have been used as "nanoreactors" for the chemical reduction of metal ions.(16, 18-20) In aqueous solutions(17, 21-27), metal nanoparticles have been typically produced from chemical reduction of metal ions by reducing agents dissolved in water; such reduction takes place in the presence of water-soluble polymers or surfactants and with the aid of externally supplied energy such as heat(17), photo-irradiation,(21) or ultrasound-irradiation(22). Such methods allow for some degree of control over the size and concentration of the dispersed particles.(21, 22, 26, 27)
However, concerns and problems remain. Present methods use organic solvents, produce byproducts due to the reducing agent, involve multiple steps, or require high concentration of protective agent to attain colloidal stability of the nanoparticles.(23) In an aim to address some of these problems, single-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles in aqueous solutions has been reported using poly(ethylene oxide)(24), diamine terminated poly(ethylene oxide)(25), amine-functionalized third-generation poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers(26) or α-biotinyl-PEG-block-[poly(2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)](27). However, these recently-reported single-step methods may require utilization of "exotic" polymers, high temperatures(25-27) and high concentrations of protective agent.
Metal nanoparticle synthesis has been achieved by the use of a poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (PEO-PPO) type amphiphilic block copolymer(28, 29) In particular, silver nanoparticles are synthesized by mixing of [Ag(NH3)2]+ aqueous solution with PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymer (Pluronic P123) ethanol solution under ambient light at room temperature.(28) Gold nanowires and nanosheets are synthesized by UV irradiation photoreduction and thermal reduction processes in bulk copolymer (Pluronic P123).(29) However, these methods require the cumbersome use and removal of a cosolvent (tetrahydrofuran), the formation of a polymer film rather than a solution, and the application of an external energy source. Furthermore, no methods for the control particle formation, particle size and shape are disclosed.

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


A display tile includes a display panel and a fused fiber bundle overlay. The display panel includes display pixels and a bezel surrounding the display pixels. The fused fiber bundle overlay includes an input side mounted adjacent to the display panel and optically aligned with the display pixels to receive image light, an emission side opposite the input side to emit the image light, and an array of fused fibers each extending from the input side to the emission side and each including an input end and an emission end. At least a portion of the fused fibers are tapered.

Large wall displays can be prohibitively expensive as the cost to manufacture display panels rises exponentially with display area. This exponential rise in cost arises from the increased complexity of large monolithic displays, the decrease in yields associated with large displays (a greater number of components must be defect free for large displays), and increased shipping, delivery, and setup costs. Tiling smaller display panels to form larger multi-panel displays can help reduce many of the costs associated with large monolithic displays.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate how tiling multiple smaller, less expensive display tiles 100 together can achieve a large multi-panel display 105, which may be used as a large wall display. The individual images displayed by each display panel 100 may constitute a sub-portion of the larger overall composite image collectively displayed by multi-panel display 105. While multi-panel display 105 can reduce costs, visually it has a major drawback. Each display tile 100, includes a bezel 110 around its periphery. Bezel 110 is a mechanical structure that houses pixel region 115 in which the display pixels are disposed. In recent years, manufactures have reduced the thickness of bezel 110 considerably to less than 2 mm. However, even these thin bezel trims are still very noticeable to the naked eye, distract the viewer, and otherwise detract from the overall visual experience.
Various other approaches for obtaining seamless displays include display lensing, blended projection, stackable display cubes, and LED tiles. Display lensing places a single contiguous lens in front of each display tile 100 to present a fused borderless image in a particular "sweet spot." However, the viewing angle is relative narrow and image distortion along continuous lines still occurs. Blended projection uses software stitching and mechanical mounting of traditional projection screens. Currently, blended projection uses relatively low cost hardware and is a good option for non-planar surfaces. However, there are significant physical constraints on usage and installation and requires regular maintenance and sophisticated calibration. Stackable display cubes are a rear projection technology. Each display cube is relative deep and the seams between adjacent cubes are easily visible. LED tiles are arrays of discrete RGB light emitting diodes ("LED"). LED tiles can have virtually invisible seams, since the seams run between pixels. However, LED tiles are expensive and have large pixel pitches (e.g., 2 to 4 mm) resulting in low resolution images. Display tiling has benefits for both large and small displays (e.g., small folding displays).

Seamless display with tapered fused fiber bundle overlay