An electrode substrate for a reflection type liquid crystal display device, which includes a substrate, and a light scattering film formed on the substrate and including a transparent matrix resin and scattering particles made of a resin. The light scattering film is formed from a coating liquid containing the transparent matrix resin and a resin for forming the scattering particles, which has a different refractive index from that of the matrix resin, both mixed in a solvent. The scattering particles are dispersed in the transparent matrix resin as a result of a phase separation due to the low compatibility between these resins as the solvent is evaporated from the coating liquid. The size and dispersed state of the scattering particles are at least two-dimensionally randomized as viewed from the front of the light scattering film.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-068420, filed Mar. 15, 1999; and No. 11-068421, filed Mar. 15, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to an electrode substrate for a reflection type liquid crystal display device and to a reflection type liquid crystal display device, and in particular, to an electrode substrate provided with a light scattering film for a reflection type liquid crystal display device, which enables it to obtain a display plane excellent in brightness and in display quality, and wide in viewing angle, and also to a reflection type liquid crystal display device provided with such an electrode substrate.
The main components of a liquid crystal display device are generally constituted by a pair of electrode substrates each provided with a polarizing film and electrodes for driving a liquid crystal, and the liquid crystal filled in a space between these electrode substrates.
On the occasion of displaying an image in this liquid crystal display device, a voltage is impressed between these facing electrodes so as to cause a change in the state of orientation of the liquid crystal molecules filled between the electrode substrates, thereby controlling not only the plane of polarization of the light passing through the liquid crystal but also the transmittance or non-transmittance of the light through the polarizing film.
As for the type of liquid crystal display device, a transmission type liquid display device of a lamp-built-in type such as so-called back-light or light-guide type is widely employed today. In this liquid crystal display device, a light source (lamp) is arranged on the back or side of an electrode substrate disposed on the back of the device (i.e. an electrode substrate which is disposed on the side remote from a viewer among a pair of electrode substrates between which the aforementioned liquid crystal is filled, which is hereinafter referred to as a back electrode substrate), thereby introducing a light from the back electrode substrate into the display plane, thus enabling it to display a bright image.
In view of the advantageous characteristics that power consumption can be minimized and total weight can be reduced, the application of a liquid crystal display device to a portable display device such as a mobile machine has been increasingly expected now.
In the case of lamp-built-in type liquid display device however, the power consumption by the built-in light source (lamp) is relatively large (for example, the lamp consumes almost the same degree of electric power as that of CRT or of plasma display device). Therefore, the lamp-built-in type liquid display device is disadvantageous in that the serviceable time of battery is short, and that the total weight and size of the device would be increased due to a relatively large volume percentage to be occupied by the battery in relative to the entire device. Namely, it cannot be said that the aforementioned advantages that a liquid display device inherently have are fully utilized by the lamp-built-in type liquid display device.
In view of the aforementioned circumstances, a reflection type liquid crystal display device not provided with a light source (lamp) has been proposed. This reflection type liquid crystal display device is provided on the back electrode substrate thereof with a light reflective plate having a light reflecting function or provided with a reflective electrode which functions not only as a liquid crystal driving electrode but also as a light reflective plate. In this case, an external light such as a room light or natural light is allowed to enter into the liquid crystal display device from the viewer""s side electrode substrate (i.e. an electrode substrate which is disposed on a viewer""s side among a pair of electrode substrates filling a liquid crystal therebetween), and this incident light is then allowed to be reflected by the aforementioned light reflective plate or the reflective electrode, the reflected light being emitted from the electrode substrate disposed on a viewer""s side, thus displaying an image.
As for the back electrode substrate to be employed in this reflection type liquid crystal display device, ones shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for instance are already known.
The liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 1 comprises a viewer""s side electrode substrate A, a back electrode substrate B, and a liquid crystal layer 10 interposed therebetween. The viewer""s side electrode substrate A is constructed such that a color filter 16 is formed on a glass substrate 11a, and a transparent electrode 15 is formed on the color filter 16.
The back electrode substrate B shown in FIG. 1 is constructed such that an insulating film 13 having a roughened surface for scattering a light is formed on a glass substrate 11b provided on the surface thereof with a TFT (thin film transistor) array 18, and additionally, a metallic reflective film 12 functioning also as a liquid crystal driving electrode is selectively formed on the insulating film 13 so as to make the location of metallic reflective film 12 coincide with each pixel, the underlying TFT array 18 being subsequently interconnected with the metallic reflective film 12 through via-holes 19.
The liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 2 comprises a viewer""s side electrode substrate A, a back electrode substrate B, and a liquid crystal layer 20 interposed therebetween. The viewer""s side electrode substrate A is constructed such that a color filter 26 is formed on a glass substrate 21a, and a flattening layer 24 and a transparent electrode 25a are formed on the color filter 26. A polarizing film 27a is formed on the opposite surface of the glass substrate 21a.
The back electrode substrate B shown in FIG. 2 is constructed such that a transparent electrode 25b is formed on one surface of a glass substrate 21b, and a polarizing film 27b and a metallic reflective film 22 are disposed on the opposite surface of the glass substrate 21b.
However, the reflection type liquid crystal display device of this kind is accompanied with a problem that, since the aforementioned metallic reflective film is employed for reflecting an incident light, the viewing angle is restricted depending on the position of the external light source.
Moreover, the back electrode substrate B shown in FIG. 1 is also accompanied with problems that the step of forming a roughened surface of the insulating film for securing a sufficient viewing angle as well as the step of forming the via-holes 19 for securing an electric connection between the metallic reflective film 12 and a circuit wiring (the TFT array 18) are complicated, and at the same time, the surface roughness of the metallic reflective film 12 is prominent, thereby raising a problem with respect to the orientation of liquid crystal.
On the other hand, the back electrode substrate B shown in FIG. 2 is also accompanied with problems that since the metallic reflective film 22 is disposed on the back surface of the substrate, the light path of the reflected light is caused to differ from that of the incident light due to the thickness of the substrate 21b, so that, due to this difference in light path, the light that has passed through a pixel and reflected by the metallic reflective film 22 is caused to enter into a neighboring pixel to generate a display defect such as color mixture, or otherwise, the incident light is caused to be reflected not only from the surface of the transparent electrode 25b but also from the metallic reflective film 22 disposed on the back surface of the substrate, thereby generating a dual image.
As means for solving the aforementioned problems, the present inventors have already proposed an idea of providing a light scattering film as set forth in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications H7-28055 and H7-98446.
According to this proposal, a light scattering film is disposed on one side of the substrate which faces the liquid crystal, i.e. the light scattering film is disposed on the inner surface of the liquid crystal panel, thereby making it possible to minimize the misregistration (parallax) of light in relative to the liquid crystal constituting a switch, thus making it suited for displaying a fine image.
This light scattering film employed in this structure is a coated film wherein transparent particles are dispersed in a transparent resin, the refractive index of the transparent particles being selected to differ from that of the resin. When this light scattering film is disposed in this manner, the light scattering property can be easily secured.
However, it is demanded, for the purpose of effectively scattering the light, to control the diameter of the transparent particles to limit within the range of 0.4 to 1 xcexcm or more. Since particles of such a large diameter is required to be employed, the resultant surface of the light scattering film that has been formed as a coat film is highly roughened as high as 0.2 to 1 xcexcm, thereby interfering the orientation of the liquid crystal. Therefore, an additional flattening film made of a transparent resin having a refractive index which differs from that of the light scattering film is required to be further laminated on the light scattering film.
Moreover, since a coating liquid for forming the light scattering film is formed of a dispersion containing inorganic particles or plastic beads as the transparent particles, the filtering for sorting transparent particles having a proper particle size is difficult to perform. Further, there is much possibility that foreign matters may be mixed into the coating liquid on the occasion of filtering the transparent particles, or foreign matters due to a secondary aggregation may be produced. If a coat film is formed by making use of such a coating liquid, protrusions due to such foreign matters or transparent particles of off-spec size may be generated, thus frequently giving rise to a serious defect such as a display defect in the liquid crystal panel.
Further, a coat film wherein inorganic particles are dispersed is more likely to cause a transmitted light or reflected light to become yellowish, thereby making it difficult to reproduce a snow-white (or so-called paper white) color.
The present inventors have also proposed an idea of generating a light scattering by making use of an optical scattering element such as a micro-lens which is made of a photosensitive resin material. Although it is certainly possible to obtain an excellent light scattering by making use of this technique, it requires a manufacturing process such as a photolithography, thus leading to an increase in manufacturing steps and hence, to an increase in manufacturing cost.
Additionally, it is also required to make the optical scattering element (such as a micro-lens) into a random pattern in order to prevent the generation of a coloration such as rainbow color due to the moire to be generated by a regular pattern. It is required in the photolithography to use a photomask for patterning exposure. However, it is difficult to prepare a photomask of large area and having a random pattern for patterning exposure.
Further, although the micro-lens is required to be formed while controlling its height within the range of 1 to 2 xcexcm, it also invites a problem that it is difficult to flatten this uneven surface.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrode substrate for a reflection type liquid crystal display device which enables it to obtain a displayed image wide in viewing angle irrespective of the position of an external light source, free from display defects and capable of obtaining a bright image.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a reflection type liquid crystal display device which is provided with such an electrode substrate and is low in manufacturing cost.
Namely, according to this invention, there is provided an electrode substrate for a reflection type liquid crystal display device, which comprises a substrate, and a light scattering film formed on the substrate and including a transparent matrix resin and scattering particles made of a resin, wherein the light scattering film is formed from a coating of a coating liquid dissolved in a solvent the matrix resin and a resin for forming the scattering particles which has a different refractive index from that of the matrix resin the scattering particles are dispersed in the transparent matrix resin as a result of a phase separation due to a low compatibility between these resins as the solvent is evaporated from the coating liquid, and the size and dispersed state of the scattering particles are at least two-dimensionally randomized as viewed from a front of the light scattering film.
According to this invention, there is also provided a reflection type liquid crystal display device comprising a viewer""s side electrode substrate, a back electrode substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the viewer""s side electrode substrate and the back electrode substrate, wherein the viewer""s side electrode substrate or the back electrode substrate is formed of an electrode substrate comprising a substrate, and a light scattering film formed on the substrate and including a transparent matrix resin and scattering particles made of a resin, the light scattering film is formed from a coating of a coating liquid dissolved in a solvent the matrix resin and a resin for forming the scattering particles which has a different refractive index from that of the matrix resin, the scattering particles are dispersed in the transparent matrix resin as a result of a phase separation due to a low compatibility between these resins as the solvent is evaporated from the coating liquid, and the size and dispersed state of the scattering particles are at least two-dimensionally randomized as viewed from a front of the light scattering film.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.

Electrode substrate and reflection type liquid crystal display device having low compatibility between resins


A battery pack for an electric bicycle is disclosed. In one embodiment, the battery pack includes i) a lower case having a top, a bottom and an interior space formed between the top and bottom and ii) a battery cell placed in the interior space of the lower case, wherein the battery cell has first and second surfaces opposing each other, and wherein the first surface of the battery cell is closer to the bottom of the lower case than the second surface of the battery cell. The battery pack may further include i) a protection circuit board mounted on the second surface of the battery cell and placed in the interior space of the lower case, ii) an upper case formed over the top of the lower case and iii) a separator case formed between the protection circuit board and the upper case.

1. Field
The described technology generally relates to a waterproof battery pack.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A battery pack used in an electric bicycle (e-bike) is frequently exposed to moisture in its use. To deal with moisture penetration, a gasket is typically interposed between battery pack cases. However, where a battery pack is exposed to water for a long period of time, the water frequently penetrates into the interior of the battery through the gasket or the space between the gasket and battery pack cases.


Featured are apparatuses for measuring bioimpendence of tissues of the cervix, more specifically the mammalian cervix. Also featured are methods for examining the tissues of the cervix for clinical or diagnostic purposes such as during routine gynecological examinations to determine early onset of labor in pregnant patients or to assess such tissues for the presence of abnormalities such as cancerous lesions in both pregnant and non-pregnant women. Also featured are methods for treating onset of early or pre-term labor that embody such devices, apparatuses and methods of the present invention. Also featured are systems embodying such devices, apparatuses and/or methods, where such systems preferably are configured to provide diagnostic and/or clinical information to further assist the diagnostician or clinician in diagnosing and/or examining pregnant or non-pregnant patients.

Pre-term labor or pre-term birth is a significant problem that costs billions of health care dollars annually. An infant is considered pre-term if born before thirty-seven weeks of gestation. Of the estimated 6,250,000 pregnancies that occur in the U.S. each year, about 11% are pre-term births. Obstetrics-Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 4th ed., Copyright® 2002 Churchill Livingstone, Inc. p. 755-763; http://www.wvdhr.org/bph/hp2010/objective/16.htm, May 14, 2003. The use of reproductive technology, the increasing number of pregnancies for women over age of thirty-five, and the growing incidence of multiple births potentially can lead to future increases in this percentage. Furthermore, about 80% of the pre-term births occur spontaneously, while the remainder are induced in response to complications discovered with the fetus or mother. Mattison, D. R.; et al., Pre-term Delivery: a public health perspective, Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemology 2001, 15 (Supple. 2), 7-16.
Infants born pre-term are considerably less physiologically developed than normal term infants. Consequently and as illustrated in FIGS. 1A,B, especially high rates of acute newborn morbidity and mortality are associated with such infants, especially those born extremely pre-term (e.g., 23-27 weeks). These pre-term neonates also face greater risks for long term health problems than infants born full term. Such health problems include underdeveloped respiratory systems, complications to the nervous system, problems feeding, mental retardation, and intraventricular (brain) hemorrhage. Confronting Pre-term Delivery in the 21st Century: From Molecular Intervention to Community Action http://www.medscape.com/viewaarticle/408935. About 60% of all serious prenatal complications or deaths that occur are due to pre-term delivery. Further, pre-term birth also has been associated with several maternal complications including infection due to pre-term rupture of the membrane (PROM) and postpartum depression. The most significant source of maternal risk is associated with the higher rates of caesarean delivery. Premature delivery complicates the level of surgery required which increases the possibility of hemorrhage, thromboembolism and infection.
Pre-term births result not only in high medical risks but also result in higher medical costs, where the major medical costs are typically incurred after delivery. These pre-term newborn infants usually require a much longer hospital stay (e.g., the average hospital stay pf a pre-term infant is 21.7 days) and more expensive treatments than a normal term baby. Such treatments include incubation, respiratory assistance and dialysis. It has been reported that the cost for the care of premature infants is over six billion dollars annually, where about seventy five percent of this value is spent in the first year of life, mostly on the initial hospitalization. Studies to quantify such expenditures also show an inverse correlation between mean cost per surviving infant and the gestational age. As illustration, while a healthy pregnancy costs on average $6,400, the medical costs associated with a pre-term baby can cost $20,000 to $1 million, where the mean cost per infant for infants born between weeks 26-28 is about $49,000.
There are many conditions that may result in pre-term delivery. These include: genetic predisposition, maternal or fetal stress or infection, premature rupture of the amniotic membrane, abnormal hormonal signals, and abnormal uterine properties. Regardless of cause, the softening, dilation, and effacement of the cervix during pregnancy and labor do not occur as a result of uterine contractions alone, but are also a result of an active remodeling of the structure of the cervix. Pre-term labor is often a result of improper timing of the normal signals that trigger cervical remodeling, and pre-term softening of the cervical tissue can result in spontaneous abortion, pre-term delivery, and sometimes impairs normal vaginal delivery.
Regardless of the point during gestation that hormonal signals to remodel arrive, it is believed that they trigger similar changes in the cervix. In the transition to labor, the tissue of the human pregnant cervix undergoes significant remodeling, such that its predominantly collagen matrix is replaced by glycosaminoglycans. As a result of this "ripening," the cervix softens, thereby preparing for the thinning and dilation that will ultimately be required to allow the fetus to exit the womb.
If detected early enough, there are several treatments that may be very effective in delaying labor until an acceptable gestational age and level of fetal development occurs. These treatments vary from something as simple as bed rest to drugs that can be administered in an effort to postpone labor or arrest its progression. Such drugs include, but are not limited to beta-adrenergic receptor agonists, magnesium sulfate, calcium channel blockers, cyclooxygenase inhibitors, salbumatol, lidocaine and nitric oxide/nitric oxide donors. Corticosteriods also are frequently employed as a specific treatment to the premature fetus to enhance organ maturation as well as improving fetal lung function by speeding development of the lungs and respiratory enzymes necessary for oxygen transfer. These also may decrease the risk of intraventricualar hemorrhage and injury to the gastrointestinal tract. These treatments are more likely to be effective and safe if the onset of pre-term labor is caught early in the gestation period.
Accurate and early diagnosis of pre-term labor is a major problem as up to about 50% of patients being diagnosed with pre-term labor do not actually have pre-term labor and yet as many as 20% of symptomatic patients diagnosed as not being in labor will deliver prematurely. Such misdiagnosis is problematic because, as indicated herein, intervention early in the gestation period is more advantageous to effectively prevent pre-term delivery. Currently, a physician weighs the importance of several parameters such as patient history, biochemical test results, and examination of the cervix, to predict the onset of pre-term labor. For example, a patient history significant for certain obstetrical conditions, such as cervical incompetence, infections of the amniotic fluid, previous abortion or prior pre-term delivery has been shown to increase the risk of pre-term labor in an index or subsequent pregnancy.
The most reliable method of labor prediction involves the obstetrician to digitally palpitating (using his/her finger(s)) the cervix to evaluate its softness. Such examinations can be conducted in 1 to 2 hour intervals until the obstetrician is satisfied that progressive change in the consistency, position, dilation and effacement of the cervix is or is not occurring. This method, in addition to being dependent upon the experience of the obstetrician, is qualitative in nature and therefore large changes in cervical consistency must occur before a changes able to be felt. Obstetricians also can use ultrasound technology to determine the position of the fetus and the length of the cervix, but his data alone is not sufficient to predict whether delivery will occur.
The current absence of diagnostic methods that have acceptable rates of sensitivity and specificity has prompted researchers and others to look for other ways to predict pre-term labor earlier. Many of these methods are based on qualitatively measuring the physical changes, as opposed to biochemical ones, that have been discovered to occur in a cervix of a pregnant woman. More advanced diagnostic methods including transabdominal electromyography (EMG) and transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) do exist and have been shown to slightly increase diagnostic accuracy. Cervical length and force of muscle contractions are examples of how TVS and transabdominal EMG measure physical changes. TVS measures the cervical length using ultrasound wave resonance, which may reflect cervical incompetence. Unfortunately this method does have a number of disadvantages including uncertainty related to the lack of a standard cervical measurement to judge against and variations in cervical length due to filing of the bladder. Another technology that has been used to detect pre-term labor is transabdominal EMG that essentially involves measuring the voltage produced by uterine contractions. The main disadvantage concerning the use of this technique is that childbirth specific uterine contractions tend to occur relatively close to the time of actual delivery (e.g., about 4 days in advance). This, as a practical matter, is much to short for any preventive treatment to have a significant effect on the mother.
Despite the foregoing, it also should be recognized that despite about two decades of improvement in regards to neonatal care, the rate of pre-term birth over that time has not been reduced and has remained essentially at a annual rate of about 11%. Although many reasons for this abound, a significant issue as referred to herein is that by the time the onset of premature labor is recognized clinically, little is available to arrest the process. As such, it is desirous to be able to detect the onset of premature labor well it would become clinically apparent using conventional techniques. This would allow medical intervention to occur earlier in the gestation period than is possible presently and can increase the likelihood that such medical intervention can be more successful in delaying or preventing pre-term delivery as compared to what is possible using existing techniques.
Recently, the focus of a number of studies has been on using biochemical markers as indicators or pre-term labor. Certain concentrations of compounds, such as fetal fibronectin, placental protein, prolactin and estriol found in the serum or vaginal fluid/secretions of the mother would indicate a risk of pre-term delivery. These methods, are still highly experimental and also do not indicate with any certainty whether or not a particular patient will actually deliver pre-term.
In addition to early detection of pre-term labor, it also is desirous to assess the degree of cervical remodeling that can be used to determine the readiness or ripeness of the cervix for labor in general. This determination has important implications for choosing the method for inducing labor when indications to do so develop during the course of a complicated pregnancy. In addition, in the current age of cost containment, it also would be advantageous to have a mechanism by which one can more accurately predict the onset of labor even for pregnancies that go to normal term. This would allow for better planning and staffing of labor and delivery hospital units because anticipated volume of births could be more accurately predicted.
As a non-obstetrical application, it has been suggested that electrical impedance spectra of tissues, more specifically cervical tissue, might be useable as a screening technique for the detection of cervical precancers and more specifically a screening technique whereby there is good separation between normal and precancerous tissues. Brown et al., Relation between tissue structure and imposed electrical current flow in certain neoplasia, Lancet 2000, 335: 892-895. In the described technique a pencil probe with four flush mounted gold electrodes (i.e., mounted flush to face of the probe) was used to measure electrical impedance spectra from eight points on the cervix. The method and apparatus reported, however, was developed to determine the efficacy of the concept and thus are generally experimental in nature.
A comparative study of pregnant cervix and non-pregnant cervix using electrical impedance measurements also has been reported. O'Connel, M P; et al; An in vivo comparative study of the pregnant and non-pregnant cervix using bioelectrical impedance measurements, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, August 2000, Vol. 107, p. 1040-1041. The article postulates that the electrical impedance techniques could be used to characterize the changes in cervical hydration that precedes labor. The article also postulates that this may be of clinical value in the prediction of labor onset both term and pre-term.
In the described technique a pencil probe with four flush mounted gold electrodes (i.e., mounted flush to face of the probe) was used to measure electrical impedance spectra of the cervix. The study observed a resistivity difference between the tissues of the cervix of women in the delivery suite at the time of induction of labor prior to any intervention and the tissues of the cervix of non-pregnant women. The method and apparatus reported, however, was developed to determine the efficacy of the general concept that there was a noticeable difference between the electrical impedance measured for cervical tissues of women in the later stages of pregnancy and women that are not pregnant As to other described postulated clinical uses, the article merely postulates or suggests that electrical impedance might be useable for such uses but does not include a demonstration or disclosure of the use of a bioimpedance measurement technique for the other suggested and described clinical uses.
It thus would be desirable to provide non-invasive devices, apparatuses, systems and methods that allow a clinician or obstetrician to directly measure the electrical impedance of the cervical tissue of a patient so as to allow the clinician to assess the cervical tissue for obstetrical or non-obstetrical related diagnosis/examination. It would be particularly desirable to provide such a device apparatus, system and method that would allow a clinician to make a determination of the onset of pre term labor earlier in gestation as compared to prior art devices and/or techniques. It also would be desirable to provide systems embodying such devices and apparatuses whereby the measurements can be evaluated so further clinical information (e.g., an out of norm condition indication) is provided by the system to assist the clinician/diagnostician with the examination or diagnosis of a given patient. Such devices, apparatuses and systems preferably would be simple in construction and easy to use by the clinician, diagnostician, or obstetrician. Such devices, apparatuses and methods also preferably would have the beneficial effect of reducing the risk of neonatal mortality from pre-maturity, reducing the risk and/or amount of medical treatment needed for the pre-term infant, and reducing maternal risk. Such devices, apparatuses and methods also preferably would have the beneficial effect of reducing misdiagnosis particularly when compared with what occurs with the use of conventional obstetrical techniques for assessing cervical tissues and/or the risk for onset of pre-term delivery. Such devices, apparatuses, systems and methods also preferably are easily adaptable for use in combination with existing techniques and methods to assess the cervical tissues for non-obstetrical purposes so as to reduce the need to use invasive techniques for assessing cervical tissue (e.g., minimizing cervical bioposies).

Devices, systems and methods for bioimpedance measurement of cervical tissue and methods for diagnosis and treatment of human cervix


Techniques for adaptive interface support are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may comprise logic, at least a portion of which is in hardware, the logic to execute a basic input/output system (BIOS), determine a respective impedance state for each of one or more pins in an M.2 physical interface, determine an interface type for a peripheral device coupled with the M.2 physical interface based on the impedance states for the one or more pins, and control an operational state of the peripheral device during execution of the BIOS, based on the interface type for the peripheral device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Corresponding to the ongoing proliferation of computing devices of ever-decreasing thicknesses and weights have been various efforts to develop device interface specifications featuring reduced form-factors. M.2, formerly known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is an example of such a specification. M.2 defines various physical interface configurations via which M.2-configured peripheral devices such as wireless adapters and solid-state drives may connect to interface buses of host devices. Some such configurations provide physical connections to multiple interface buses at the same time. In various cases, an M.2-configured peripheral device that physically connects to multiple host device interface buses via an M.2 physical interface may only actually use one of those interface buses. Under some such circumstances, it may be desirable that techniques for adaptive interface support be implemented at a host device in order to properly enable functionality of an M.2-configured peripheral device based on the interface bus that it actually uses.


An inter-core communication method includes a first inter-core processing circuit of a first processor receiving an inter-core message sent by a first core of the first processor, determining that a target core indicated by the inter-core message is a second core of a second processor, and sending the inter-core message to a first cross-processor communication agent circuit of the first processor, the first cross-processor communication agent circuit sending the inter-core message to a second cross-processor communication agent circuit of the second processor, the second cross-processor communication agent circuit sending the inter-core message to a second inter-core processing circuit of the second processor, and the second inter-core processing circuit sending the inter-core message to the second core.

As applications of intelligent technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) become more and more common, requirements on computing power of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms are becoming higher and higher, thereby greatly promoting a demand for various types of processors for the UAV platforms. Currently, multiple cores in a same processor can communicate to each other.
With the increasing demand for various types of processors for the UAV platforms, a demand for a diversity of communication forms for inter-core communication is also increasing.

Inter-core communication method, processor and multi-processor communication system


In order to improve the operational reliability of a refrigerant compressor system that includes a first refrigerant line that conducts expanded refrigerant, a second refrigerant line that conducts compressed refrigerant, at least one refrigerant compressor that is arranged between the first and the second refrigerant line and is driven by a motor, and a control unit for operating the refrigerant compressor system, it is proposed that the control unit should have a first central processing unit and at least one input/output unit for control variables that communicates with the first central processing unit, and that there should be associated with the first central processing unit a second central processing unit which, in the event of a failure of the first central processing unit, takes over the control functions for the purpose of controlling the refrigerant compressor system.

The invention relates to a refrigerant compressor system, in particular for ammonia as the refrigerant, including a first refrigerant line that conducts expanded refrigerant, a second refrigerant line that conducts compressed refrigerant, at least one refrigerant compressor that is arranged between the first and the second refrigerant line and is driven by a motor, and a control unit for operating the refrigerant compressor system.
Refrigerant compressor systems of this kind are known from the prior art.
These have the problem that they are usually used in an environment in which a failure of the refrigerant compressor system can entail considerable financial damages.
For example, refrigerant compressor systems of this kind are used in large chilling systems, and a failure of a refrigerant compressor system can result in considerable damage to the chilled goods that are to be chilled in the chilling systems.
It is therefore the object of the invention to improve the operational reliability of a refrigerant compressor system of this kind.
This object is achieved according to the invention in the case of a refrigerant compressor system of the type mentioned in the introduction in that the control unit has a first central processing unit and at least one input/output unit for control variables that communicates with the first central processing unit, and in that there is associated with the first central processing unit a second central processing unit which, in the event of a failure of the first central processing unit, takes over the control functions of the refrigerant compressor system from the first central processing unit, for the purpose of control.


The present invention relates generally to a multi-layer lidding film and a package with the lidding film heat-sealed thereto as a cover. The multi-layer film comprises: 1) a support layer, such as polyester, 2) a non-crosslinked amorphous acrylic interface layer, and 3) an outer copolyester heat seal layer. The acrylic interface layer advantageously limits the peel strength of the heat seal, making it easy for consumers to open the lidded package while still provides heat seal reliability and allowing the film to be heat-sealed to the package.

Generally speaking, conventional lidding films either: 1. provide reliable seal integrity but are often difficult to open; or 2. are easily opened but provide less reliable seal integrity. The present invention eliminates this trade-off; that is, the lidding films of the present invention are easily opened by consumers and have reliable heat seals, even at very low temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,494 to Stokes discloses multilayer films having a semi-crystalline polyester support layer and an amorphous polyester heat seal layer. The heat seal layer further comprises a finely divided particulate additive.

Multi-layer lidding film having improved heat seal properties and methods relating thereto


A method includes establishing a multi-link security association between a transmitter upper Media Access Control (MAC) logic entity of a transmitter and a receiver upper MAC logic entity of a receiver. The transmitter includes one or more transmitter links. The receiver includes one or more receiver links.

Home, office, and outdoor networks, a.k.a. wireless local area networks (WLAN) are established using a device called a Wireless Access Point (WAP). The WAP may include a router. The WAP wirelessly couples all the devices of the network, e.g. wireless stations such as: computers, printers, televisions, digital video (DVD) players, security cameras and smoke detectors to one another and to the Cable or Subscriber Line through which Internet, video, and television is delivered to the home. Most WAPs implement the IEEE 802.11 standard which is a contention-based standard for handling communications among multiple competing devices for a shared wireless communication medium on a selected one of a plurality of communication channels. The frequency range of each communication channel is specified in the corresponding one of the IEEE 802.11 protocols being implemented, e.g. "a", "b", "g", "n", "ac", "ad", "ax", "be". Communications follow a hub and spoke model with a WAP at the hub and the spokes corresponding to the wireless links to each 'client' device.
After selection of a single communication channel for the associated home network, access to the shared communication channel relies on a multiple access methodology identified as Collision Sense Multiple Access (CSMA). CSMA is a distributed random access methodology for sharing a single communication medium, by having a contending communication link back off and retry access a prospective collision on the wireless medium is detected, i.e. if the wireless medium is in use.
Communications on the single communication medium are identified as "simplex" meaning, one communication stream from a single source node to one or more target nodes at one time, with all remaining nodes capable of "listening" to the subject transmission. Starting with the IEEE 802.11ac standard and specifically 'Wave 2' thereof, discrete communications to more than one target node at the same time may take place using what is called Multi-User (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) capability of the WAP. MU capabilities were added to the standard to enable the WAP to communicate with single antenna single stream or multiple-antenna multi-stream transceivers concurrently, thereby increasing the time available for discrete MIMO video links to wireless HDTVs, computers tablets and other high throughput wireless devices the communication capabilities of which rival those of the WAP. The IEEE 802.11ax standard integrates orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) into the WAP or stations capabilities. OFDMA allows a WAP to communicate concurrently on a downlink with multiple stations, on discrete frequency ranges, identified as resource units.
The IEEE 802.11n and 802.11ac standards support increasing degrees of complexity in the signal processing required of fully compliant WLAN nodes including beamforming capability for focused communication of user data. One of the many capabilities of a fully compliant WLAN node under either of these standards is the ability to focus the signal strength of a transmitted communication toward a receiving device. Doing so requires multiple antenna and means for independently controlling the phase and amplitudes of the communication signals transmitted thereon.
The subject matter claimed in the present disclosure is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some implementations described in the present disclosure may be practiced.

Multi-link wireless communications connections

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


An illumination brightness and color control system for adjusting the illumination of a plurality of point light sources and method therefor are provided, implemented in a time division manner. A single photosensor senses and samples a point light source for the luminous intensity signal value. Then, the luminous intensity signal value at each wavelength and a target brightness/color value are compute to acquire a corrected current value, and the corrected current value is fed back to a light source driver. Therefore, the brightness/color value of the point light sources is adjusted to be in a steady state.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a brightness and color control system and method therefor, and more particularly to a brightness and color control system of a point light source (for example, a multi-wavelength diode light source) and method therefor.
2. Related Art
The currently used diode lighting module as light source adds greater value to liquid crystal panels due to the advantages of high luminance, mercury free, high color reproducibility, and high resolution refinement, etc., such that the applications of the diode lighting module go beyond the field of portable electronic product and quickly extend to other fields, such as transportation equipment (vehicles, aircrafts, and mass rapid transit etc.), displays, mini-projection systems, televisions, and so on. However, the problem of unsteady brightness caused by temperature, aging, etc., affects the lighting quality of the diode lighting module. Therefore, it has become a trend for future research to effectively control the brightness of the monochrome luminous diode, to compensate for unsteady brightness, thereby improving the lighting quality of the diode lighting module.
Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,661, it discloses a backlight illumination feedback control system, wherein a multi-wavelength diode driver and a group of three-wavelength sensors are used to read the luminous intensity and color components for computing, thereby feed-back controlling the multi-wavelength diode driver, thus achieving the effect of uniform, steady brightness and color. Multiple groups of three-wavelength sensors are used in this method to read the luminous intensity and color components, such that it is relatively complicated in calibration, and it cannot be applied to the color sequence technique.
Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 6,894,442, it discloses an illumination control system, wherein a multi-wavelength diode driver and a multi-wavelength monitor are used to effectively read, compute, and control the duty cycle of each wavelength, thereby achieving the effect of steady brightness and color. However, the multi-wavelength monitor used in this method must cooperate with several photosensors in different wavelengths, such that it is still relatively complicated in calibration, with high cost, and it cannot be applied to the color sequence technique.
Therefore, it is one of the problems to be solved by researchers how to provide a brightness and color control system and method therefor, to reduce the number of photosensors, thereby reducing the cost of the control system, simplifying the calibration process, and meanwhile improving the lighting quality of the diode lighting module.

Illumination brightness and color control system and method therefor

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A dishwasher having a tub having a front defining an outer periphery, a treating chamber defined by the tub and having an open face located at the front of the tub and within the outer periphery, and a cover selectively closing the open face. A usable space configured to receive a component of the dishwasher can be at least partially defined by the outer periphery of the tub. The cover is sized to overlie the usable space when the cover closes the open face.

Dishwashers include a treating chamber in which utensils are placed to be washed according to an automatic cycle of operation. A tub can at least partially define a treating chamber, and can be located within a cabinet. A door is mounted to the cabinet for selectively closing the treating chamber. Water, alone, or in combination with a treating chemistry, forms a wash liquid that is distributed to the utensils during the cycle of operation. The wash liquid may be recirculated onto the utensils during the cycle of operation.
Components of the dishwasher are commonly mounted on both the tub or cabinet, and the door. For example, a controller, user interface, or chemistry dispenser can be provided on the door, while pumps, motors, condensers, and salt chambers for ion exchange softeners are provided with the tub or cabinet. Electrical wiring connecting the controller or user interface to electrical components on the tub/cabinet must be routed between the door and tub/cabinet, and is typically routed through a wiring harness at the hinge connection of the door.


Bearing members, such as journal bearings, and turbine assemblies for use in high speed, high horsepower applications (e.g., turbochargers, jet engines, internal combustion engines, blowers, steam turbines, compressors, and pumps) including a rotatable shaft, a compressor wheel coupled to the shaft (e.g., at one end), a turbine wheel spaced from the compressor wheel, the turbine wheel also being coupled to the shaft (e.g., at another end), and at least one bearing member having a superhard bearing surface.

Journal and thrust-bearing assemblies are employed in a variety of high speed and/or high horsepower applications, such as turbochargers, jet engines, internal combustion engines, etc.
Despite the availability of a number of different bearing apparatuses for such applications, manufacturers and users continue to seek bearing apparatuses that exhibit improved performance characteristics.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Turbine assembly including at least one superhard bearing


The dough distribution manifold (10) includes a housing (12) with a perimeter wall (14) forming a dough distribution chamber (20). Removable bottom wall (16) and removable top wall (18) are positioned on the perimeter wall. Top wall (18) includes a cover plate (40) and an insert plate (42), with the insert plate having a protrusion (44) that extends into the dough distribution chamber (20), whereby different sized insert plates may be combined with the cover plate to adjust the height of the dough distribution chamber. The perimeter wall (14) is independently supported with respect to said bottom wall (16) and top wall (18) so that the bottom and top walls may be removed while leaving the perimeter wall in place for inspection and cleaning. Valves (56) and dough dividers (34 and 64) are used to direct the movement of dough in equal amounts through the delivery openings (32).

In the processing of baker's dough, dough is usually made up by feeding raw dough and a liquid into a pressure pump, and the pump advances the dough through various stages toward an oven. For example, the dough from the pressure pump might pass through a developer that stretches the gluten of the dough, and then through a metering pump where the pressure of the dough is increased and stabilized. The dough passes from the metering pump through a scaling distribution manifold that divides the oncoming dough into several dough streams. The dough streams then pass through a cut-off device that cuts the oncoming dough streams into smaller pieces, the pieces being suitable for baking as biscuits, buns, hot dog buns, etc. Examples of some of these components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,270,070, 5,283,074, 5,356,652, 4,008,025, 4,306,850, 4,332,538, 4,449,908, and 4,948,611. Prior art dough distribution manifolds are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,350,290, 5,356,652 and 6,303,168.
One of the major requirements in operating dough handling equipment is that the equipment be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. Typically, this means that the operation of the equipment must be terminated and the residual dough removed from the interior surfaces of the equipment. The various mixers, developers, valves, distribution manifolds, and cut-off devices have internal surfaces that contact the dough. The various equipment pieces must be opened so that their internal surfaces that were contacted by the dough are exposed and accessible for a cleanup procedure. For example, the cleanup procedure may be at the end of a day's work, when the type of dough being processed is changed, or when pathogens are likely to be developed in the equipment, etc.
With regard to dough distribution manifolds, the dough is moved into a chamber where it typically is engaged by divider blades that guide separate dough streams to a plurality of outlet ports, changing the entrance stream into a plurality of outlet streams that proceed in parallel to a cut-off device for cutting the streams into dough segments that are rounded and baked into buns, etc.
Typically, a dough distribution manifold is difficult to properly inspect, maintain and clean. The usual presence of the dough divider blades, multiple small channels through which the dough moves, and devices attached to the walls of the housing, such as valves and bolts or other connecting devices for holding the assembly of parts together, are tedious to disassemble and reassemble. In some of the prior art distribution manifolds, the dough divider blades are made so that they are movable to adjust the volume of dough passing to an outlet, and knobs or other devices for adjusting the internal divider blades extend through the walls of the distribution manifold. It is time consuming and difficult to remove the parts for inspection and cleaning and later reassemble the components and adjust them for continued operation. There may be crevices in which the remaining dough can reside after a run has been completed, and it is difficult for the maintenance personnel to reach the different crevices, angles and obstructions within the distribution manifold.
It is to these and other problems and improvements that this invention is directed.


Features are disclosed for estimating reverberation an audio signal without prior knowledge of the sound captured in the audio signal and without prior knowledge of the environment in which the sound was captured. This reverberation estimation may be referred to as “blind estimation.” The reverberation may be blindly estimated using autocorrelation of the sound intensity of the signal with respect to time. The blind estimation can be used to decide whether or not to mitigate the effects of reverberation in the signal prior to performing subsequent processes, such as automatic speech recognition.

Computing devices can be used to process a user's spoken commands, requests, and other utterances into written transcriptions. In a typical implementation, an automatic speech recognition system may take an audio signal (or data derived therefrom) as input and, using various models, determine the most likely sequence of words spoken by the user. The results can then be used by various applications to initiate a computing task, store a record of the transcription, or the like.
Many automatic speech recognition systems suffer from a lack of robustness when processing utterances in the presence of additional sounds, such as reverberation, acoustic echo, interfering speech, and environmental noise. Reverberation occurs when sound propagates in an environment (e.g., room or other enclosed space), causing a build-up of reflections of the sound. The sound reflections are typically detected within about 30 milliseconds of the original sound (in contrast with acoustic echoes, which are usually detected >30 milliseconds after the original sound). When the sound source is removed, the reflecting sound is absorbed by the environment and the sound level decays. A common measurement of reverberation, known as "RT60," is the amount time it takes for the intensity of a sound to decay by 60 decibels.
Automatic speech recognition systems configured to process audio signals captured in the presence of a particular level of reverberation may not produce satisfactory results when processing audio signals captured in the presence of a different level of reverberation. To compensate for this limitation, some systems determine the level of reverberation (e.g., the RT60 value) and adjust processing accordingly. For example, a system may play a recording with known acoustic characteristics, and then compute the level of reverberation based on an input signal captured by a microphone during and after playback of the recording. The detected reverberation level can then be used to adjust processing of one or more system components to improve speech recognition performance.

Selective de-reverberation using blind estimation of reverberation level


The invention relates to a sensor arrangement (140) for a foreign object detection device which includes a current input (142) and a current output (143), a multitude of detection cells (144.1-144.9), each comprising a sense coil and a capacitive element, forming a resonant tank. The sensor arrangement (140) further has a multitude of inputs leads (148a-148c) and a multitude of output leads (150a-150c), the total number of input and output leads being equal or smaller than the number of detection cells (144.1-144.9). Each detection cell is connected between one of the input leads (148a-148c) and one of the output leads (150a-150c), in a way that each of the detection cells (144.1-144.9) is connected to a different pair of input and output leads (148a-148c, 150a-150c). An input selection circuit (152) allows to selectively establish an electrical connection between the current input (142) and one or more of the input leads (148a-148c) and an output selection circuit to (153) selectively establish an electrical connection between one or more of the output leads (150a-150c) and the current output (143). According to the invention at least one detection cell (144.1-144.9) includes a decoupling element (D1-D9) connected in series to its resonant tank. The invention further relates to foreign object detection device for a wireless power transfer system, a primary part of a wireless power transfer system, a wireless power transfer system and a method for detecting a foreign object.

Wireless power transfer is now widely used for charging mobile devices or electrical vehicles, but there are also many other applications, for instance to transfer power to industrial machinery, robots or for powering biomedical devices. The technology of the wireless power transmission can eliminate the use of the wires and batteries, thus it increases the mobility of the electronic devices. It is more convenient and safer for all users.
The power classes of wireless charging systems have a wide spectrum with an output power between a 1 W and several 100 KW. A problem in such devices is that it is generally not possible to mechanically prevent foreign objects, in particular objects made of metal, from being placed into proximity of the primary unit and/or the secondary unit of a wireless power transfer system respectively between the primary and the secondary unit. Such foreign objects may comprise a coin, a key, a tool, a can and other objects. Especially magnetic and conductive objects can heat up in a magnetic field quickly by induced eddy currents, which are electrical current loops caused by a changing magnetic field in the foreign object due to Faraday's induction law. This unintentional conversion of electrical energy into heat energy causes additional losses and is a danger for the wireless energy transfer system and a human or an animal being in its environment. Due to the physical law, it is not possible to avoid these eddy currents and the resulting heating. It is therefore all the more important to recognize the presence of objects with suitable means and methods and thus to counteract the dangers.
There are already various approaches to solve this problem. In some cases, a curved shape of the transmitting pad ensures that the objects move from the pad with the help of gravity. Another approach is to use sensors to detect the presence of metallic objects. For instance, capacitive sensors and optical sensors can be used, but they can easily be disturbed by environmental influences and non-metallic objects. Inductive sensors are more commonly used, because they are robust against environmental influences such as dirt and provide precise results in the near range at the same time. One kind of inductive sensors detects the reduction of the inductance of a coil due to induced eddy currents in the object to be detected, which counteract the primary field of the coil. With the finite conductivity of the object, also ohmic losses occur, which also may be detected. For the evaluation of these changes, several methods have been established in the state of the art, which are also used in the prior art stated below. It is well known to use arrays of sensor coils in order to increase the detection area while achieving a sufficient detection sensitivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,825,486 B2 for instance discloses a wireless power charging system for charging a separate device. This system includes a coil array in a single or multiple layer to detect the presence of an "unfriendly" foreign object. The foreign objects are detected using the principle of decay in a resonant circuit. The array may comprise planar circular or rectangular coils, preferably arranged on the top of a power transmitter coil. The size of the detection coils is chosen to be similar to the size of the target foreign object. The array also may be used to detect the location of the foreign object.
Another system for detecting of an object in an environment of a wireless charging device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,018,744 B2. The system thereto comprises a detector including multiple loops of conductive material in at least a first plane, which can be connected to a readout circuit. It may detect an object based on the amplitude or phase change in waveforms. The voltage on all cons may be measured in sequence or multiplexed in a way that allows fewer read-out amplifiers. In certain embodiments, an auxiliary coil can be used to generate a magnetic field, and perturbations to the auxiliary magnetic field are then detected by a detector array to ascertain the presence of foreign objects.
The WO 2016/159788 discloses an inductive power transmitter (IPT) for inductive power transfer. The disclosed IPT includes an object detection system, which is configured to detect the presence of an object based on a change in energy or frequency in a detection_circuit. The object detection system generates a field, which has a significantly lower or higher frequency than the IPT and therefore can be operated sequentially or simultaneously with the IPT. The IPT transmitter can use the IPT coils for object detection or separate coils. For each detection coil a separate switch is required.
The WO 2014/206961 discloses a further object detection system with LC circuits in an array- or matrix-like arrangement. The windings are part of LC circuits, which in a certain embodiment are driven separately by a common driving circuit, wherein the LC circuits are connected to the output side of a driving switch via a switching element. The presence of a foreign object is detected by means of an increase in an input power to the driving circuit.
Also U.S. Pat. No. 9,921,045 B2 discloses a detection circuit. It comprises densely packed wire loops that cover an area in which metal objects may be detected. The circuit includes a multiplexer and a resonant frequency measurement unit. The multiplexer selects the loops sequentially and periodically and the frequency measurement unit determines the resonant frequency of those loops. In order to increase detection sensitivity, parameters of adjacent loops are also considered.
With the increasing size of the detection arrays, the hardware effort of the detection system becomes more and more important. It is also crucial, that despite the increasing size of the detection arrays the detection accuracy is maintained.
As shown above, it is known in the prior art to tackle the problem of the increasing hardware effort by the use of a common excitation and evaluation circuit common to all detection cells in combination with the use of multiplexers. The known arrangements however still have drawbacks in respect to detection accuracy, in particular due to cross talk between adjacent detection cells. The prior art, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 9,921,045 B2 partly overcomes this drawbacks, by applying advanced detection algorithms, which however requires more calculation power and more hardware.

Sensor arrangement for a foreign object detection device

DELTA ELECTRONICS (THAILAND) PUBLIC CO., LTD.


A controller includes a phase frequency detection circuit which has a first input coupled to receive a reference clock input, a second input coupled to receive a high-side active output, and an output configured to provide a PFD output. The controller includes a control loop filter which has a first input coupled to receive a slew rate input, a second input coupled to receive the PFD output, and an output configured to provide a high-side length output. The controller includes a pulse generation circuit which has a first input coupled to receive the high-side active output, a second input coupled to receive the high-side length output, and an output configured to provide a fine pulse output. The controller includes a latch configured to provide the high-side active output responsive to a comparison output and the fine pulse output.

Switch mode regulators such as buck converters are generally designed to provide a wide range of output voltage. A buck converter may include high-side and low-side field effect transistors (FETs) which are coupled at a switching terminal in a bridge configuration. An inductor is coupled between the switching terminal and an output terminal, and a capacitor is coupled between the output terminal and a ground terminal.
If the output voltage of the buck converter is scaled down, the slew rate of the current in the inductor changes. When the slew rate of the inductor current changes, the on-time period of the high-side FET needs to change to regulate the converter at a desired switching frequency. Some buck converters include a control loop which adjusts the on-time period of the high-side FET. If the bandwidth of the control loop is slow, the buck converter will be unable to quickly adjust the on-time period of the high-side FET, which may result in increased ripple current in the inductor and thus violate settling time requirement. Conversely, if the bandwidth of the loop is fast, the control loop may become unstable if the slew rate of the output voltage scaling is slow.

Control circuit for on-time generation during output voltage scaling for buck converter


An improved drug delivery kit and method of packaging the same. The method includes providing a tray having first and second recesses for receiving a drug delivery device and drug cartridge respectively, and an opening in the tray within the second recess, placing the drug delivery device in the first recess, covering the tray with a sealable material, sealing the material to the tray so as to create a seal around the first and second recesses, so as to isolate the first recess from the second recess, sterilising the tray, and inserting the drug cartridge through the opening and into second recess. The opening is sized such that insertion of the drug cartridge through the opening and into the second recess elastically stresses the tray and removal of the drug cartridge from the opening irreversibly deforms the tray, thereby creating a tamper-proof drug delivery kit.

At present, the health industry is focused on providing more effective ways for patients to have more control over their own medication. One such way of providing more control to patients is to allow patients to self-medicate parenteraly drugs that cannot be delivered in other less invasive ways (such as orally). Self medication may be in the form of a syringe (as with diabetics who regularly self-inject insulin) or other drug delivery devices having an infusion mechanism and needle for penetrating the skin.
One such drug delivery device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,288, which is incorporated herein by reference, for an intradermal drug delivery device and method for intradermal delivery of drugs. Such a device includes a housing, a drug reservoir, an electrolytic cell and a needle. When activated, the electrolytic cell generates a gas which presses against the reservoir and causes the drug to move out of the reservoir, through the needle and into the patient.
In some cases, these devices are intended to be packaged with the reservoir being empty and sterilised separately from the drug. Sterilisation of the drug itself with the drug delivery device is usually not desired because the sterilisation techniques used today for drug delivery devices may affect the drug's potency or otherwise adversely affect the drug itself. Thus, it is desirable to sterilise the drug delivery device and drug cartridge separately.
Sterilisation of empty drug delivery devices often occur in the packaging. Where the drug delivery device is provided with a filled drug cartridge, it is preferred that the drug delivery device be sterilised in its packaging, then the filled, sterilised drug cartridge is added to the drug delivery kit (the kit containing a drug delivery device, a filled drug cartridge and related packaging). The term "drug cartridge" herein refers to a drug container having a stopper, or plunger (typically made of natural or synthetic rubber) to seal the contents thereof.
When the drug delivery device and related packaging are sterilised separately from the drug cartridge, a problem arises in placing the drug cartridge in the kit without compromising the sterility of the device or cartridge, while enabling the device and cartridge to be packaged as a kit. Moreover, if the cartridge is packaged with the kit, there must be a way to incorporate the cartridge within the kit to prevent tampering.
With respect to drug stored in a cartridge, there is an additional packaging problem with maintaining sterility of the outer surface of the plunger when the drug is to be withdrawn from the cartridge for use. In the past, a drug delivery device was filled with drug by means of an Ogle style injection system. Such a system uses a shell cartridge having a plunger and a protective cap. The protective cap was typically applied to the top of the cartridge. This cap maintained the sterility of the outer surface of the plunger before use. However, the use of a protective cap is impractical in that it requires the application of the protective cap in the sterile environment. Such a process is time consuming and requires specialized production equipment, and as a result is expensive. Thus, there is a need for a way of maintaining the sterility of the outer surface of a drug cartridge plunger that is compatible with existing high speed cartridge-filling equipment.
In addition to the other problems associated with prior art drug delivery kits, the use of syringes to transfer drug to a drug delivery device is inherently dangerous. An exposed hypodermic needle may cause injury if the user or caregiver is accidentally pricked by the needle. Furthermore, contact with the needle by an unskilled worker could result in microbial contamination of the drug which may lead to infection.
There are at present improved drug transfer systems to reduce the risk of injury and infection caused by filling a drug delivery device with a standard syringe. Such filling systems and methods directly transfer the drug from a standard drug cartridge to the drug delivery device without exposing the patient or caregiver to any needles. One such improved filling system is disclosed in applicant's copending application filed May 6, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Such improved filling system transfers drug from a drug cartridge to a drug delivery device. A standard drug cartridge seals the drug within a drug container by means of a solid rubber plunger. The improved filling systems require a uniquely shaped rubber plunger to enable the needle used in the drug transfer to penetrate the cartridge without being exposed to the user/caregiver when the transfer mechanism is removed upon completion of the filling process.
In addition, as with prior art drug transfer systems, the sterility of the outer surface of the plunger must be maintained. This posed a difficult problem in using existing production line equipment to maintain the sterility of the outer surface of the plunger while utilising existing production line equipment to accomplish this task. As set forth in more detail above, prior art drug cartridges use a protective cap placed on the top of the drug cartridge. This method is costly and slow as it must be as an additional step after the insertion of the plunger into the drug container but must be done in a sterile environment to maintain sterility of the outer surface of the plunger until the cap is in place. Such a method required significant manual labour or use of low speed production equipment. In addition, the present filling lines leave a certain volume of air in the cartridge which is an unwanted commodity when the drug is being transferred. Until now, there has been no means for maintaining the sterility of the outer surface of a plunger on a drug cartridge by use of existing, high speed production equipment, while leaving no air between the plunger and sterility maintenance means.
Thus, there is a need to effectively assemble a drug delivery kit having a drug cartridge and a drug delivery device after the device has been sterilised.
There is a further need to provide an improved method of packaging a filled drug cartridge with a drug delivery device without subjecting the drug to the same sterilisation process as that of the device.
There is a further need to assemble a sterilised drug delivery device and a drug cartridge as a drug delivery kit while preventing tampering and/or contamination.
There is yet a further need to provide an improved method for maintaining sterility of the outer surface of the plunger of a drug cartridge prior to transfer of the drug to the drug delivery device.
There is still a further need to provide a method of assembling an improved drug cartridge that is tamper proof and that utilises existing production equipment in the assembly.

Drug delivery kit and method of packaging the same


A drain plug for a threaded opening in a fluid container that is particularly suited for transom drains in recreational boats. The plug has an externally threaded cylindrical body with a central channel and transverse openings to permit fluid to flow from the central channel out of the body of the plug. One end of the plug is flared and has a plurality of longitudinal slots that will allow the radial compression of the end when the plug is screwed into a threaded opening. In one embodiment, the radial compression of the end of the flared plug is limited by a ring that fits in an annular groove in the interior of the body in the central channel. In another embodiment, the external threads are tapered near the handle to provide a tight seal when the drain is fully closed. Another embodiment provides an o-ring to seal the drain plug when the drain is closed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to fluid relief valves, and more particularly to a drain plug assembly that has a threaded drain port that is configured to mate with a plug that has a flared and slotted end that prohibits the accidental removal of the plug from the port during use.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous valves and plugs adapted to control the flow of fluid to and from the interior of containers and vessels have been devised. Such valved or plugged openings are often designed to allow collected fluid to drain from the container. For example, many types of marine vessels use a bore through the transom to permit the flow of accumulated bilge water out of the interior or engine well of the vessel when the vessel is removed from the water. The bore is normally positioned at a low point on the transom of the hull to facilitate the drainage of fluid out of the hull by forces of gravity. In the case of recreational boats, the boat typically is removed from the water on a trailer and then the plug is removed from the trans-hull bore when the boat is at an incline on the boat launch ramp. Water is thereby allowed to drain from the hull prior to transportation or storage of the boat.
Removal of water from the hull of a marine vessel is important in order to avoid damage to the mechanical and electrical components of the vessel as well as the hull during transportation or storage. For example, water left in the hull of the vessel can result in structural damage if allowed to freeze during storage and may also be the source of rot, corrosion, mold, mildew and unwanted odors. In addition, water may accumulate in the hull from rain or melting snow during storage. The level of existing water in the hull may be increased from these additional water sources and infiltrate the fuel, mechanical and electrical systems of the vessel causing damage to these systems. High interior water levels may also cause damage to the contents of vessel. Consequently, recreational boats are routinely transported and stored with the plug removed from the transom drainage bore of the vessel.
Many types of transom drain plugs are known in the art. Some plugs are made of rubber and may include a means for compressing the plug to increase the frictional force exerted by the plug in the transom drainage bore and reduce the chance of unintentional removal of the plug during use of the vessel. Other common plugs include threaded metal plugs that are advanced upon corresponding threads in a flange or collar disposed in the transom bore.
Conventional drainage plugs must be manually inserted into the transom bore prior to launching the vessel into the water. If the vessel is launched without the proper placement of the plug, water can enter the engine compartment and hull of the vessel through the drainage bore which creates a risk of sinking or internal damage to the vessel if the failure to place the plug is not discovered. Replacement of the plug while the vessel is in the water can often be difficult because of the placement of the bore far below the waterline and the difficulties encountered while attempting to thread the plug in the bore under water.
Operation of the vessel that has a drainage bore is not possible without the proper placement of the plug. As an independent component, the plug can be misplaced or lost after removal. Storage of the plug in a secure place may not provide easy access to the plug if the vessel is launched without the plug in place.
Accordingly, in order to avoid the risk of sinking or damage to a vessel after launch, there is a need to have a drain that can be conveniently opened and closed without the need to independently store the plug during transportation and storage of the vessel. The present invention satisfies this need, as well as others, and generally overcomes the limitations of the prior art.


A repositionable, adhesively mounted, blank signage sheet including (i) a sheet having imprintable first and second major surfaces which are essentially void of communicative indicia, (ii) repositionable adhesive strips disposed on the first major surface of the sheet along each of the margins, with each adhesive strip offset from the edge of the sheet so as to define adhesive-free tabs along the first and second edges of the sheet, and (iii) release liners covering the marginal adhesive strips.

Businesses commonly prepare customized advertising signage on-site, which are then displayed by mounting the signage on a bulletin board or taping the signage to a window with adhesive tape. The use of such signage has expanded significantly in recent times due to the wide-spread prevalence of high quality computer printers capable of imprinting professional quality text and graphics on such signage.
While the quality of the text and graphics imprinted upon such signage has improved significantly, the mechanisms utilized to mount the signage for display has not changed much over the years. The most common mechanisms continue to be push-pins and lengths of adhesive tape pulled from a standard roll of office tape.
Accordingly, a substantial need exists for an improved mechanism for mounting such signage upon both transparent and opaque vertical surfaces which (i) does not interfere with the printing process, (ii) allows the signage to be repositioned, (iii) does not mark the surface upon which the signage is mounted, (iv) does not leave any residue, and (v) allows the signage to be mounted upon a variety of surfaces.

Method of making repositionable blank signage sheets


This invention discloses a process for forming durable anti-stiction surfaces on micromachined structures while they are still in wafer form (i.e., before they are separated into discrete devices for assembly into packages). This process involves the vapor deposition of a material to create a low stiction surface. It also discloses chemicals which are effective in imparting an anti-stiction property to the chip. These include polyphenylsiloxanes, silanol terminated phenylsiloxanes and similar materials.

Micromachined sensors and actuators (sometimes referred to as microelectromechanical systems or MEMS and micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems or MOEMS) are made using semiconductor technologies so these microstructures have very clean surfaces. Inorganic surfaces that are extremely clean tend to stick together if they come into contact. If microstructure surfaces stick, the device becomes defective. One example of such a component is the class of inertial microsensors that measures acceleration and deceleration (e.g., an accelerometer), and an example of one of these is the sensor which determines whether an automobile is colliding and the air bag should be deployed. Another example is a gyroscope. A third example, representing non-inertial microstructures, is a micro-mirror array such as that used in optical communications and projection systems.
The airbag sensor has a sub-component which moves in response to the inertial changes that arise during rapid deceleration. The failure of this subcomponent to move during deceleration can be caused by the sticking of this micro-subcomponent to other components in its immediate environment. This concept of sticking is called "stiction", and the concept of preventing sticking from occurring is called "anti-stiction".
There has been some prior development of antistiction treatments that are applied during assembly and packaging. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,740 (hereafter referred to as '740) describes the vapor deposition of various organics, including silicones, alkoxysilanes and perfluoroethers, to the component during assembly. Although this treatment reduces stiction, it is not efficient to treat each individual component, since these electronic components are extremely small, and large numbers of these components are manufactured at one time. Fluorocarbons, also applied during assembly, have been used as anti-stiction treatments for micro-optical devices (based on the concept of a light beam being deflected by a moving mirror) in U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,758.
Anti-stiction treatments normally "passivate" the surface and are called passivants. That is, they alter surfaces to make them less interactive with their surroundings.

Process for wafer level treatment to reduce stiction and passivate micromachined surfaces and compounds used therefor


A lightweight composite camouflage construction having an open mesh net substrate, and a continuous sheet overlying the substrate and bonded thereto along plural spaced lines of attachment. The sheet is cut on opposite sides of the lines of attachment to form a plurality of lobes simulating the appearance of natural objects of a terrain, the sheet being color patterned in a desired coloration camouflage. The fabric is heated and the lobes folded and creased to increase the openness of the fabric.

Camouflage materials have long been employed to conceal objects, personnel, and equipment in various terrains from visual detection. Generally, such camouflage materials are drapable sheets or net structures of varying size and shape and are solid color or dyed or printed in multiple color patterns to simulate the coloration of the terrain in which the camouflage is used, e.g., patterns of black, brown, and green, in combination. The camouflage material is supported or draped over and around the objects or equipment to be concealed, and multiple sections of the same or other shapes may be suitably joined at their edges to provide the particular size needed to cover the objects or equipment to be concealed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,069,796; 4,323,605; and 4,375,488 disclose camouflage materials consisting of flexible sheets of two dimension in which a pattern of cuts is made to provide holes and flaps simulating pieces of variously colored foliage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,863 discloses a laminated camouflage sheet composed of a blown low density polyethylene layer, a vaporized metal layer, an adhesion film, and a woven cloth layer. The blown layer is die cut by stamping apparatus to form arcuate slits which form tongues under action of internal stresses to curl outwardly from the plane of the camouflage sheet.
Camouflage material is also known to be made of loosely woven synthetic polymeric strips joined together by a network of metal fasteners and hooks.
Camouflage materials which are used in military operations include a composite camouflage systems having a large mesh support net to which a camouflage-colored, slit fabric sheet processed with pattern incising is attached by means of metal rings, referred to as hog rings. This type camouflage system is relatively heavy in weight and difficult for personnel to handle in field operations. Present military camouflage net systems of the type employing large mesh nets and metal rings are not satisfactory for use with certain equipment, such as rotary and fixed wing aircraft, because a large mesh material easily snags on aircraft parts, such as rotor blades, weapons, antennas, and the like during installation and removal. In addition, metal rings and fasteners, such as the hog rings, can cause considerable damage to the equipment being concealed, such as abrasion of wind screen surfaces, control linkages, and engine components. Because of their heavy weight, such camouflage systems require extensive manpower to be located over and removed from the aircraft.
There is, therefore, a need for an acceptable light-weight camouflage net system which may be employed by minimum personnel to cover and conceal large military equipment, such as aircraft, which may be readily located over and removed from the equipment without snagging, and which may be easily maintained, stored, and transported to various geographical locations in the equipment to be concealed. Camouflage net systems for military use also are required to possess good resistance to weathering, and be usable under varying temperature conditions.


Disclosed is an apparatus and method for granting guaranteed bandwidth between one or more data transmission priority requesting sources and one or more resources upon request. Data sources that do not request an assigned bandwidth are served on a “best efforts” basis. The system allows additional bandwidth to priority requesting sources when it is determined that the resource and/or the communication path to the resource is under-utilized. The system further allows the granted bandwidth to be shared by more than one source in a multiprocessor system.

Normally, when a plurality of programs or applications on a single computer need to use the bus at the same time, each program is granted less BW (Bandwidth) than it would prefer to use.
In many computers, the OS (Operating System) can be instructed to give priority to some programs and require others to operate in the background. However, if too many of the priority programs require access to the bus, one or more of the priority programs will have to operate at a less than desirable speed. Although such a slowdown situation may be tolerable for some programs, such as word processors, they may be completely unacceptable in a situation where a game, video or other high bandwidth program is being utilized. Inadequate bandwidth, in such a situation, may result in a distorted display, stilted motion or some other similar, and less than desirable, end result.
When the environment is more complex and a plurality of processors and other intelligent entities or devices must access the same bus, the BW (Bandwidth) problem is compounded. Further, when a plurality of PUs are interconnected, programs may be written such that more than one PU is utilized in completing program results. In such a situation, the different parts of the program are likely to attempt communication with a common resource using a common path to get to that resource. Therefore parts of a program may be fighting each other to obtain sufficient BW to complete the program.
It would be desirable to find a method of controlling or governing access to the bus whereby high priority programs are assured of having the BW they need to operate properly. It would further be desirable to be able to guarantee a minimum BW to managed devices, programs or applications and still allow a class of managed device(s) additional BW in situations where the resource is not being heavily used. If would further be desirable to be able to apply the given BW to a managed entity regardless of the PU that is being used to operate or complete the program.

Centralized bandwidth management method and apparatus

International Business Machines Corporation


A unitary one-piece plug is insertable into a magnetic data storage blank disk by a robot arm. The plug has a relatively large flange portion and grip knob on one end, a smaller diameter entry portion on the other end which passes through a central aperture in the disk. A cylindrical portion of less diameter than the entry portion forms a circumferential slot which rests on a bottom edge of the aperture in a vertically oriented disk when the plug is left in the disk aperture and the disk is mounted in a disk carrier for disk processing. The plug flange then blocks communication from one side to the other side of the disk. When the plug is lifted in the disk aperture by a robot arm the plug slot is captured by the upper edge of the disk aperture and permits the robot arm to move the disk with its plug to and from a disk cassette. Since there is no unplugging and unplugging of plug halves and a more simple robot arrangement is possible, the generation of particles which can cause magnetic defects in the manufactured magnetic media disk is minimized.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to magnetic data storage disk manufacturing and in particular to an apertured disk, a plug for use with the disk and a disk carrier, the plug preventing passage of sputtered magnetic material through the aperture during disk manufacture.
2. Material Art
The manufacture of magnetic disks is broadly described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,512, an invention of R. Allen and Tu Chen. In that patent and U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,481 the use of multi-part plugs is disclosed for plugging the disk operation during disk manufacture. The plug is of multi-piece construction where two main body parts are pushed together through the disk aperture from opposite sides of the disks. The plug body parts are held by a spring (U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,481) or by a magnet in one of the body parts (U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,512). The disk carrier has a series of apertures which are sized and grooved to receive a number of apertured disk blanks for plasma application of magnetic media, such as cobalt-nickel-chromium alloy or other known alloys, simultaneous on both sides of the disk and typically by a plasma sputtering operation. Each disk plug main body part has a knob extending therefrom so that the disk and overall plug can be inserted and removed from the carrier by hand or robot.
As seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,540, also an invention of Messrs. Allen and Tu Chen, a robot may be employed to remove a blank disk from a cassette by a pair of robot arms with robot fingers grasping the opposed plug knobs of a previously inserted two-part plug, transporting it to the carrier for insertion therein, inserting the plugged disk into the carrier, and after the magnetic media is applied to the plugged disks in the carrier, removing the disk and plug together from the carrier, transporting the assembly to a receiving cassette and unplugging the plug halves from the finished disk after it has been inserted into the finished disk cassettes.
While the above-described carrier, two-part plug and robotic system has been successfully used in magnetic media disk commercial production, it has been found that the plugging and unplugging action incident to the use of the two-part plugs generates minute (typically from about 01. to about 10 micron) particles which can become deposited on the disk and cause magnetic defects on the disk. Further, the plug/unplug action takes a considerable amount of time thereby increasing the manufacturing cycle time, decreasing the productivity of the very expensive plasma sputtering system and increasing manufacturing time and costs. Further, a fairly complicated robotic system was necessary to remove a disk blank from a cassette before plugging could take place with plug parts entry from both sides of the disk involving two sets of robotic arms working in unison. All of these substantial mechanical movements also will generate additional minute particles and thus more potential magnetic defects in the finished disks, all with an impact on productivity and a resultant greater cost of manufacture.

Robotic apparatus for and method of manufacturing data storage disks