A method, apparatus, computer program and computer program product for processing core data produced by a computer process to identify data relevant to the computer process, the method comprising the steps of: identifying core data for a computer process; identifying trace data comprising sequential trace entries for the computer process; selecting a predetermined number of most recent entries in the trace data; identifying any references to a memory address in each selected trace data entry; dereferencing each identified memory address in the core data; and extracting the data from the dereferenced memory location in the core data.

Computer systems commonly comprise functionality to cope with a program or process ceasing to operate appropriately which is generally referred to as the program or process crashing. Any type of program or process may crash such as an application program, system or utility program, operating system or virtual machine. In order to assist the diagnosis of a crash, the crashing program or the operating system on which the crashing program runs may be arranged to output a file comprising a copy of the data from the memory used by the crashing program. Such a file is commonly referred to as a core file or a core dump. Such core files commonly comprise a memory image, that is, a copy of the data from the processor registers and random access memory (RAM) occupied by the crashing program or process, which may be useful in the identification of the cause of the crash.
However, such core files may be large and require significant storage space. In addition, large core files require significant time and resource to create or move. For example, in some arrangements, the process memory space usage may exceed the amount of storage space or transmission bandwidth available. In this case, generating core files that are images of the memory may not be practical.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to address the aforementioned problem.

Processing core data produced by a computer process


A system and method for testing whether a computer processor is capable of executing a requested instruction set. The system includes a computer processor configured to receive an encoded conditional branch instruction in a form of machine code executable directly by the computer processor, and implement the encoded conditional branch instruction unconditionally, based on underlying hardware architecture of the computer processor. The Method for testing whether a computer processor is capable of executing a requested instruction set, the method including, receiving an encoded conditional branch instruction in a form of machine code executable directly by the computer processor, and implementing the encoded conditional branch instruction unconditionally, based on underlying hardware architecture of the computer processor.

Present invention relates to computer processor, and more particularly to a system and method for testing whether a computer processor is capable of executing a requested instruction set.
Hardware architectures are continually evolving. For example, the IBM z/Architecture has its roots in the System/360, announced in 1964, and has been continually evolving. The most recent upgrade to z/Architecture includes more than 100 new CPU instructions, most of them designed to provide better execution performance to application programs. Many other computer processor architectures follow a similar evolution path.
Such new facilities present a problem to software product developers: it is not possible for software products to easily exploit the new facilities. Shortly after a new facility is announced, most of the installed machines will be older versions of the architecture and thus, unable to run software that uses the new facility. Any software product that has the new version of architecture as prerequisite will have a very small market. Only after some time (a few years) will most of the installed machines support the new instructions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Computer processor with instruction for execution based on available instruction sets

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention aims to provide a peptide having a superior Y2 receptor agonist action and useful as an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of obesity and the like.

Peptide YY (PYY) is a peptide consisting of 36 amino acid residues, which is isolated from the porcine upper small intestine. PYY belongs to the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) family together with neuropeptide Y (NPY) isolated from the porcine brain.
It is known that PYY is secreted from the gastrointestinal tract endocrine cell (L cell) along with the diet ingestion, and shows a feeding suppressive action via Y2 receptor. As this action pathways, the intestine-hypothalamus pathway via Y2 receptor of hypothalamic actuate nucleus NPY/AgRP expression nerve cell, and the vagal afferent pathway via Y2 receptor of vagal nerve ending have been reported.
In addition, it has been reported that patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) having bad eating behavior show high PYY level in the cerebrospinal fluid, and patients with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) show extremely slow postprandial increase of blood PYY level as compared to that of healthy individuals. Furthermore, it is known that the blood PYY level of obesity patients is lower than that of healthy individuals (Nature, 418, 650-654 (2002), N. Engl. Med., 349, 941-948 (2003) (non-patent documents 1-2)).
On the other hand, the following reports are available.
WO2006/049681 (patent document 1) describes peptide represented by the following formula or a salt thereof.X-A3-A4-A5-A6-A7-A8-A9-A10-A11-A12-A13-A14-A15-A16-A17-A18-A19-A20-A21-A22-A23-A24-A25-A26-A27-A28-A29-A30-A31-A32-A33-A34-A35-A36wherein,X is an N-terminal modifying group;A3 is Ile, Ser or deleted;A4 is Lys or deleted;A5 is Pro or deleted;A6 is Glu, Asp or deleted;A7 is Ala, Asn or deleted;A8 is Pro or deleted;A9 is Gly or deleted;A10 is Glu or deleted;A11, is Asp or deleted;A12 is Ala or deleted;A13 is Ser, Pro or deleted;A14 is Pro, Ala or deleted;A15 is Glu or deleted;A16 is Glu, Asp or deleted;A17 is Leu, Met or deleted;A18 is Asn, Ala or deleted;A19 is Arg or deleted;A20 is Tyr or deleted;A21 is Tyr or deleted;A22 is Ala, Ser or deleted;A23 is Ser, Ala or deleted;A24 is Leu or deleted;A25 is Arg or deleted;A26 is His or deleted;A27 is Tyr or deleted;A28 is Leu, Ile or deleted;A29 is Asn or deleted;A30 is Leu or deleted;A31 is Val, Ile or deleted;A32 is Thr;A33 is Arg;A34 is Gln;A35 is Arg; andA36 is Tyr.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,203 (patent document 2) describes a compound represented by the following formula or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof.
wherein X is Cys or deleted;each of R1 and R2 is bonded to a nitrogen atom of an α-amino group of the N-terminal amino acid;R1 is H, C1-C12 alkyl, C6-C18 aryl, C1-C12 acyl, C7-C18 aralkyl, or C7-C18 alkaryl;R2 is H, C1-C12 alkyl, C6-C18 aryl, C1-C12 acyl, C7-C18 aralkyl, or C7-C18 alkaryl;A22 is aromatic amino acid, Ala, Aib, Anb, N-Me-Ala, or deleted;A23 is Ser, Thr, Ala, Aib, N-Me-Ser, N-Me-Thr, N-Me-Ala, D-Trp, or deleted;A24 is Leu, Gly, Ile, Val, Tip, Nle, Nva, Aib, Anb, N-Me-Leu, or deleted;A25 is Arg, Lys, homo-Arg, diethyl-homo-Arg, Lys-ε-NH—R (where R is H, a branched or straight chain C1-C10 alkyl group, or an aryl group), Orn, or deleted;A26 is Ala, His, Thr, 3-Me-His, 1-Me-His, β-pyrozolylalanine, N-Me-His, Arg, Lys, homo-Arg, diethyl-homo-Arg, Lys-ε-NH—R (R is H, branched chain or straight chain C1-C10 alkyl group, or an aryl group), Orn, or deleted;A27 is Nal, Bip, Pcp, Tic, Trp, Bth, Thi, or Dip;A28 is Leu, Val, Trp, Nle, Nva, Aib, Anb, or N-Me-Leu;A29 is Asn, Ala, Gln, Gly, Trp, or N-Me-Asn;A30 is Leu, Ile, Val, Trp, Nle, Nva, Aib, Anb, or N-Me-Leu;A31 is Val, Leu, Ile, Trp, Nle, Nva, Aib, Anb, or N-Me-Val;A32 is Thr, Ser, N-Me-Ser, N-Me-Thr, or D-Trp;A33 is Cys, Arg, Lys, homo-Arg, diethyl-homo-Arg, Lys-ε-NH—R (where R is H, branched chain or straight chain C1-C10 alkyl group, or C6-C18 aryl group), or Orn;A34 is Cys, Gln, Asn, Ala, Gly, N-Me-Gln, Aib, or Anb;A35 is Cys, Arg, Lys, homo-Arg, diethyl-homo-Arg, Lys-ε-NH—R (where R is H, branched chain or straight chain C1-C10 alkyl group, or C6-C18 aryl group), or Orn;A36 is an aromatic amino acid or Cys;R3 is H, C1-C12 alkyl, C6-C18 aryl, C1-C12 acyl, C7-C18 aralkyl, or C7-C18 alkaryl; andR4 is H, C1-C12 alkyl, C6-C18 aryl, C1-C12 acyl, C7-C18 aralkyl, or C7-C18 alkaryl.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,167 (patent document 3) describes the following compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
N-αR1—[Nle24,28,30, Trp27, Nva31, ψ35/36]PYY(22-36)-NH2,
N-αR1—[Nle24,28, Trp27,30, Nva31, ψ35/36]PYY(22-36)-NH2,
N-αR1—[Nle24,28,30, Phe27, Nva31, ψ35/36]PYY(22-36)-NH2,
N-αR1—[Nle24,28, Phe27, Trp30, Nva31, ψ35/36]PYY(22-36)-NH2,
N-α-R1—[Trp30, ψ35/36]PYY(25-36)-NH2,
N-α-R1—[Trp30]PYY(25-36)-NH2,
N-α-R1—[Nle24,28, Trp30, Nva31, ψ35/36]PYY(22-36)-NH2 and
N-α-R1—[Nle28, Trp30, Nva31, ψ35/36]PYY(22-36)-NH2,
wherein
R1 is H, (C1-C12)alkyl or (C1-C12)acyl;
Ψ is a pseudopeptide bond selected from the group consisting of —CH2—NH—, —CH2—S—, —CH2—CH2—, —CH2—O—, and —CH2—CO—.
WO2004/056314 (patent document 4) describes "a transmucosal Y2 receptor-binding peptide formulation capable of raising the concentration of the Y2 receptor-binding peptide in the plasma of a mammal by at least 5 pmoles per liter of plasma or more when a dose containing at least 50 μg of the Y2 receptor-binding agonist is administered transmucosally to said mammal".
WO2005/080433 (patent document 5) describes "a pharmaceutical composition product comprising: a. an aqueous solution formulation of a Y2 receptor binding compound at a concentration sufficient to produce therapeutically effective plasma concentrations and; b. an actuator able to produce an aerosol of said solution, wherein the spray pattern ellipticity ratio of said aerosol is between 1.00 and 1.40 when measured at a height of between 0.5 cm and 10 cm distance from the actuator tip".
WO2006/007412 (patent document 6) describes "an aqueous Y2 receptor-binding peptide formulation suitable for transmucosal administration, comprising a Y2 receptor-binding peptide, a cyclodextrin and an effective amount of an anti-microbial preservative".
US2008/0194486 (patent document 7) describes "a compound comprising a PYY peptide or a functional derivative thereof which is coupled to a reactive group, said reactive group being capable of reacting with an amino group, a hydroxyl group or a thiol group on a blood component so as to form a stable covalent bond therewith, thereby substantially preventing said PYY peptide or functional derivative thereof from crossing the blood brain barrier".

Abstract: A peptide represented by the formula:P1—X1-A25-A26-A27-A28-A29-A30-A31-A32-A33-A34-A35-A36-NH2 wherein each symbol is as described in the specification, or a salt thereof.


A method of operating an engine system should produce relatively low concentrations of various emissions without compromising a desired power output of the system. In order to operate an engine system of the present disclosure, a predetermined total amount of fuel injected into at least one combustion chamber is apportioned into at least a first amount and a second amount of fuel. The first amount of fuel is injected into the at least one combustion chamber during non-auto ignition conditions. The second amount of fuel is injected into the at least one combustion chamber during auto-ignition conditions. When the engine system is in a mid-low engine load range, the second amount of fuel is one of equal to or less than 15% of the predetermined total amount of fuel. When the engine system is in a high engine load range, the second amount of fuel is greater than 15% of the predetermined total amount of fuel.

Engineers are constantly seeking new strategies of reducing undesirable emissions, such as NOx and particulate matter including hydrocarbons and soot. One method of reducing emissions is to control the injection strategy of fuel into a combustion chamber. It has been found that varying the timing, the number and fuel amount of the injection(s) can alter the amount of undesirable emissions being produced by combustion.
Although controlling the injection strategy of fuel into the combustion chamber can reduce undesirable emissions, an injection strategy found to reduce concentrations of one undesirable emission may result in a relatively higher concentration of another undesirable emission. For instance, a fuel injection relatively early in a compression stroke, such as 60° before top dead center, may result in low NOx emissions, but may create relatively high hydrocarbon emissions. An injection relatively late in the compression stroke, such as near top dead center, may result in low hydrocarbon emissions, but relatively high NOx emissions.
Similarly, at different engine loads, the engine has different demands and produces varying concentrations of different undesirable emissions. For instance, at low loads, the lesser amount of fuel typically injected into the combustion chamber inherently produces lower hydrocarbon amounts in the engine exhaust. At mid-low engine loads, the injection strategy may be designed to maintain low hydrocarbon emissions. However, as engine load increases, the more the injection strategy must be designed to meet the power demand on the engine. For instance, an injection strategy, such as an early injection, that produces low NOx concentrations at a low engine load may not provide sufficient power output at high engine loads.
Further, the more control over the timing and amount of fuel injections, the greater the ability to reduce undesirable emissions. Because conventional fuel injectors include only one set of nozzle outlets, the injectors can inject fuel in only one spray pattern. Because conventional fuel injectors inject fuel in a spray pattern with a relatively large angle, with respect to a centerline of the combustion chamber, fuel injected when an engine piston is relatively low in the cylinder can make contact with the cylinder walls. This can lead to fuel-to-oil dilution and significant mechanical problems, such as piston seizure due to lubrication losses. Thus, the timing and amount of fuel that can be injected by a conventional fuel injector is limited. U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,838 to Shafer et al. sets forth one example of a fuel injector capable of injecting fuel at both a narrow, or wide spray angle via separate sets of fuel injection orifices. While Shafer et al. discuss various designs and operating strategies, there remains room for improvement.
The present disclosure is directed at overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

Engine system and method of operating same over multiple engine load ranges


A method applying a thermal barrier coating to a metal substrate, or for repairing a thermal barrier coating previously applied by physical vapor deposition to an underlying aluminide diffusion coating that overlays the metal substrate. The aluminide diffusion coating is treated to make it more receptive to adherence of a plasma spray-applied overlay alloy bond coat layer. An overlay alloy bond coat material is then plasma sprayed on the treated aluminide diffusion coating to form an overlay alloy bond coat layer. A ceramic thermal barrier coating material is plasma sprayed on the overlay alloy bond coat layer to form the thermal barrier coating. In the repair embodiment of this method, the physical vapor deposition-applied thermal barrier coating is initially removed from the underlying aluminide diffusion coating.

This invention relates to a method for applying a thermal barrier coating to a metal substrate, or for repairing a previously applied thermal barrier coating on a metal substrate, of an article, in particular turbine engine components such as combustor deflector plates and assemblies, nozzles and the like. This invention further relates to a method for applying a thermal barrier coating, or repairing a previously applied thermal barrier coating, by plasma spray techniques where the underlying metal substrate has an overlaying aluminide diffusion coating.
Higher operating temperatures of gas turbine engines are continuously sought in order to increase their efficiency. However, as operating temperatures increase, the high temperature durability of the components of the engine must correspondingly increase. Significant advances in high temperature capabilities have been achieved through formulation of nickel and cobalt-base superalloys, though such alloys alone are often inadequate to form components located in certain sections of a gas turbine engine, such as turbine blades and vanes, turbine shrouds, buckets, nozzles, combustion liners and deflector plates, augmentors and the like. A common solution is to thermally insulate such components in order to minimize their service temperatures. For this purpose, thermal barrier coatings applied over the metal substrate of turbine components exposed to such high surface temperatures have found wide use.
To be effective, thermal barrier coatings should have low thermal conductivity (i.e., should thermally insulate the underlying metal substrate), strongly adhere to the metal substrate of the turbine component and remain adherent throughout many heating and cooling cycles. This latter requirement is particularly demanding due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion between materials having low thermal conductivity and superalloy materials typically used to form the metal substrate of the turbine component. Thermal barrier coatings capable of satisfying these requirements typically comprise a ceramic layer that overlays the metal substrate. Various ceramic materials have been employed as the ceramic layer, for example, chemically (metal oxide) stabilized zirconias such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, scandia-stabilized zirconia, calcia-stabilized zirconia, and magnesia-stabilized zirconia. The thermal barrier coating of choice is typically a yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramic coating, such as, for example, about 7% yttria and about 93% zirconia.
In order to promote adhesion of the ceramic layer to the underlying metal substrate and to prevent oxidation thereof, a bond coat layer is typically formed on the metal substrate from an oxidation-resistant overlay alloy coating such as MCrAlY where M can be iron, cobalt and/or nickel, or from an oxidation-resistant diffusion coating such as an aluminide, for example, nickel aluminide and platinum aluminide. To achieve greater temperature-thermal cycle time capability to increase servicing intervals, as well as the temperature capability of turbine components such as combustor splash or deflector plates of combustor (dome) assemblies, combustor nozzles and the like, an aluminide diffusion coating is initially applied to the metal substrate, typically by chemical vapor phase deposition (CVD). A ceramic layer is then typically applied to this aluminide coating by physical vapor deposition (PVD), such as electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD), to provide the thermal barrier coating. Usually, the various parts of the component (e.g., the deflector plates attached or joined to supporting structure such as the swirlers and backplate to form the combustor dome assembly, or airfoils to the inner and outer bands to form a nozzle) are coated separately with the aluminide diffusion coating before the ceramic layer is applied by PVD. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,940 (Young et al), issued Sep. 3, 2002 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,400 (Freidauer et al), issued Jan. 7, 2003 for combustor dome assemblies formed from a plurality of parts that are brazed together. These coated parts are then typically machined to remove the coating where the parts are to be joined to and then brazed to the supporting structure to provide the complete component protected by the thermal barrier coating.
Though significant advances have been made in improving the durability of thermal barrier coatings applied by PVD techniques, such coatings will typically require repair under certain circumstances, particularly gas turbine engine components that are subjected to intense heat and thermal cycling. The thermal barrier coating of the turbine engine component can also be susceptible to various types of damage, including objects ingested by the engine, erosion, oxidation, and attack from environmental contaminants, that will require repair of the coating. The problem of repairing such thermal barrier coatings is exacerbated when the component comprises an assembly of individually PVD coated parts that are machined and then brazed to a supporting structure or the like, as, for example, in the case of a combustor dome assembly. In removing the PVD-applied thermal barrier coating (e.g., by grit blasting), some or all of the underlying aluminide diffusion coating can be removed as well. Repairing or reapplying this aluminide diffusion coating while the component is in an assembled state is usually difficult, expensive and impractical.
Even more significant is the difficulty in repairing or reapplying the ceramic layer by PVD techniques while the component is an assembled state. Because of the processing conditions (usually heat) under which PVD techniques are carried out, repairing or reapplying the ceramic layer by PVD (especially EB-PVD) techniques can damage the brazed joints of the assembled component, as well as the supporting structure to which the parts are joined by brazing. As a result, the component is usually disassembled into its individual parts and then the PVD-applied thermal barrier coating is stripped or otherwise removed from the aluminide diffusion coating, such as by grit blasting. The thermal barrier coating can then be reapplied by PVD techniques to the individual stripped parts (with or without prior repair of the underlying aluminide diffusion coating), followed by machining and rebrazing of these PVD recoated parts to the supporting structure to once again provide a complete component. Such a repair process can be labor-intensive, time consuming, expensive and impractical.
In some instances, it can also be desirable to apply a thermal barrier coating by plasma spray (particularly air plasma spray) techniques to the metal substrate of the turbine engine component where the underlying metal substrate has an aluminide diffusion coating. Plasma spray techniques for applying the thermal barrier coating would also be desirable in repairing damaged PVD-applied thermal barrier coatings because the conditions under which plasma spray coatings are applied does not damage brazed joints and would allow the damaged thermal barrier coating to be repaired without disassembly of the component. However, for plasma spray-applied thermal barrier coatings to properly adhere, typically an overlay alloy bond coat layer (e.g., MCrAlY) needs to be applied to the aluminide diffusion coating. However, applying this overlay alloy bond coat layer to an aluminide diffusion coating by plasma spray techniques, especially air plasma spray techniques, is not without problems. In many instances, plasma spray-applied overlay alloy bond coats will not consistently adhere to the surface of the aluminide diffusion coat layer. This also makes it difficult to use plasma spray techniques in place of PVD techniques to repair a damaged PVD-applied thermal barrier coating.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method for repairing such components having PVD-applied thermal barrier coatings that reduces the cost and time of such repairs and can be employed on a wide variety of turbine engine components, such as combustor deflector plate assemblies and combustor nozzles. It would be further desirable to provide a method capable of applying a thermal barrier coating by plasma spray techniques to a metal substrate that has an overlaying aluminide diffusion coating.

Method for applying or repairing thermal barrier coatings


A system for dataflow graph processing comprises a communication interface and a processor. The communication interface is configured receive an indication to generate a dataflow graph, wherein the indication includes a set of queries and/or commands. The processor is coupled to the communication interface and configured to: determine dependencies of each query in the set of queries on another query; determine a DAG of nodes based at least in part on the dependencies; determine the dataflow graph by determining in-line expressions for tables of the dataflow graph aggregating calculations associated with a subset of dataflow graph nodes designated as view nodes; and provide the dataflow graph.

Declarative queries and commands enable users of a database to describe what needs to happen to their input data, rather than describing how the operation is to be performed. This simplifies a data engineer's task of decomposing their production ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) pipelines into a series of discrete steps. While each individual query is easy to express and can be optimized automatically, data engineers must still reason about, orchestrate, validate, and tune many disparate queries in order to achieve their goal.


An exhaust gas treatment apparatus (20) for reducing the concentration of NOx, HC and CO in an exhaust gas stream (18) such as produced by a gas turbine engine (12) of a power generating station (10). The treatment apparatus includes a multifunction catalytic element (26) having an upstream reducing-only portion (28) and a downstream reducing-plus-oxidizing portion (30) that is located downstream of an ammonia injection apparatus (24). The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx is promoted in the upstream portion of the catalytic element by the injection of ammonia in excess of the stoichiometric concentration, with the resulting ammonia slip being oxidized in the downstream portion of the catalytic element. Any additional NOx generated by the oxidation of the ammonia is further reduced in the downstream portion before being passed to the atmosphere (22).

The control of undesirable emissions such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC) including volatile organic compounds (VOC), and carbon monoxide (CO) that are generated by power producers such as automobiles and electrical power generating stations is a well-studied field. The Background section of U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,409 provides a useful summary of the conditions and chemistries that produce such emissions and the approaches used to limit the release of these pollutants to the environment.
One technology for the control of oxides of nitrogen that is currently being used commercially at large land-based electrical power generating stations is selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The flue gases from a power station have a net oxidizing effect due to the high proportion of oxygen that is provided to ensure adequate combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel. Thus, the oxides of nitrogen that are present in the flue gas can be reduced to nitrogen and water only with great difficulty. This problem is solved by selective catalytic reduction wherein the flue gas is mixed with anhydrous ammonia and is passed over a suitable reduction catalyst at temperatures between about 150-550° C., and preferably between 300-550° C., prior to being released into the atmosphere. The ammonia is not a natural part of the combustion exhaust stream, but rather, it is injected into the exhaust stream upstream of the catalyst element for the specific purpose of supporting one or more of the following reduction reactions:4NH3+4NO+O2→4N2+6H2O  (1)4NH3+2NO+2NO2→4N2+6H2O  (2)8NH3+6NO2→7N2+12H2O  (3)4NH3+4NO+O2→4N2+6H2O  (4)Reducing agents other than ammonia, such as for example hydrazine, methyl hydrazine, monomethyl amine, and urea, or mixtures thereof, or mixtures thereof with ammonia, may also be employed in the processes described herein.
It is also known to combine an SCR process with a catalytic oxidizing process to treat an exhaust gas flow by oxidizing carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and by oxidizing hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water. The oxidizing process is typically located upstream of the ammonia injection location and upstream of the reducing catalyst because the oxidizing catalyst will also function to oxidize ammonia, which is undesirable when it decreases the amount of ammonia available for reduction of the NOx and because it produces additional NOx compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,142 describes an emissions abatement system where an emission steam is passed sequentially through a first oxidizing catalyst, an ammonia injection location, a reducing catalyst, and then a second oxidizing catalyst. In this process, the amount of ammonia that is injected is controlled as a function of the NOx concentration and is specifically limited to a stoichiometric value. Thus, no excess ammonia is present in the emission stream as it leaves the reducing catalyst and there is no concern about generating additional NOx compounds in the trailing second oxidizing catalyst.
Modern air quality regulations mandate continuingly reduced emission levels for power generating plants, while at the same time fuel efficiency requirements continue to increase. Combustion controls alone may prove inadequate to satisfy these often-conflicting goals, and thus continued the improvement of post-combustion exhaust gas treatment systems is desired.

Apparatus and method for catalytic treatment of exhaust gases


A method for bonding silicon-containing compositions to metal surfaces is disclosed wherein a coarse silicon-containing surface is arc-sprayed with a first adhesive layer, a second solderable layer, and a third solder layer, and the arc-sprayed surface is then soldered to the metal surface. The method is particularly useful for producing silicon-containing targets for cathode sputtering.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of silicon-containing cathode target materials, and more particularly to the art of bonding silicon-containing targets to metal backing plates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,816 to Lauterbach et al. discloses disc or plate shaped targets for sputtering attached to cooling plates by plasma-spraying a surface of such targets with a compatible adhesive layer such as nickel, nickel/chromium, nickel/aluminum, nickel/aluminum/molybdenum, aluminum/bronze, molybdenum, aluminum/silicon, zinc, copper or copper/glass; and then coating the adhesive layer with a solderable layer such as copper, copper/glass or silver; and soldering the solderable layer onto the surface of a cooling plate. The adhesive layer and solderable layer are applied via plasma spraying.
Silicon is difficult to wet with solder and requires a metallization layer. It is well known in the semiconductor industry that silicon can be metallized with aluminum to form electrodes for solar cells or contacts on integrated circuits. In addition, the metallization of sputtering targets, including the use of an aluminum layer applied to silicon by plasma spraying, is known.

Method of making cathode targets comprising silicon


A process mass flow instrument for measuring the mass flow rate of a process fluid including a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a flow passage connecting the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, a fluid flow sensor which provides a raw output signal corresponding to an unknown mass flow rate and a processor which contains an empirically derived conversion routine for converting the raw output signal to an adjusted signal indicating the mass flow rate of the process fluid. A method for determining an unknown mass flow using an empirically derived conversion function, the function being derived by correlating the output signals of a mass flow instrument sensing the flow of a calibration fluid with the output signals of the mass flow instrument sensing the flow of the process fluid.

The measurement and control of fluid flow can be said to be the very heart of the process industries. In particular, many processes in the semiconductor manufacturing industry require extreme accuracy and repeatability in gas delivery, and thus demand that the mass flow rate of process gases be precisely measured and controlled.
A typical thermal mass flow instrument measures gas flow by routing a small portion of the gas stream through a sensing tube. Heat is applied at the midpoint of the sensing tube, with temperature sensors located on either side of the heater. Each temperature sensor measures the temperature of the gas at its respective location. The first temperature sensor measures the gas temperature upstream of the heater. The second temperature sensor measures the gas temperature downstream of the heater and reflects a temperature corresponding to the gas as heated by the heater. The temperature difference of the gas on either side of the heater is proportional to the mass flow rate of the gas. The relationship between the temperature difference (".DELTA.T") and mass flow is affected by additional factors such as the specific heat of the gas. Taking these factors into consideration, the ideal relationship is expressed mathematically by the following equation: EQU .DELTA.T=A*P*C.sub.p *m
where .DELTA.T=temperature difference (.degree.K), A=constant of proportionality (s.sup.2 -K.sup.2 /kJ.sup.2), P=heater power, C.sub.p =specific heat of the gas at constant pressure and m=mass flow (kg/s). Additionally, other factors unique to each specific mass flow controller and its operating environment affect the above relationship, requiring that each instrument be calibrated to provide accurate mass flow information.
Ideally, manufacturers would calibrate individual mass flow instruments using the actual process gas to be measured in the user's process, based on user-provided operating requirements such as temperature and pressure conditions, flow rates, etc. To calibrate the instrument using a given process gas, the gas is put through the instrument under known conditions and flow rate and the meter is adjusted to provide the desired reading or output signal for the particular mass flow. This process would then be repeated for various flow rates across the instrument's measuring range, resulting in a series of actual output signals and their corresponding adjusted signals indicating mass flow.
The ideal calibration technique discussed above is not possible in practice because the gases to be measured and controlled in many industrial processes, and especially those used in semiconductor manufacturing, are often toxic, corrosive or environmentally unfriendly. For this reason, calibrating mass flow instruments with actual process gases in a production setting is often impractical or impossible. Instead, mass flow instruments are typically calibrated with a "safe" gas such as nitrogen, and a conversion constant is calculated based on properties of the process gas relative to properties of the safe gas. This conversion constant is then applied to the adjusted output signals across the measuring range of the instrument in an attempt to convert the calibration data obtained from the calibration with the safe gas to calibration data that is closer to that which would be expected from a calibration using the actual process gas.
For example, assume that a mass flow controller is calibrated with nitrogen. The gas actually flowing through the mass flow controller is carbon dioxide. Based on the ratio of the molar specific heat of the two gases, a conversion constant of 0.773 may be calculated for converting the flow signal from indicating the flow of nitrogen to the flow of carbon dioxide. If the mass flow controller calibrated with nitrogen has a flow signal indicating 75 standard cubic centimeters (sccm), the flow of carbon dioxide is computed by applying the conversion constant (0.773) to the output reading. Thus, if the mass flow controller reading is 75 sccm, the approximate carbon dioxide flow is 57.98 sccm (75*0.773). This conversion constant is typically applied linearly, or across the instrument's measuring range to convert the flow signal from indicating flow of the calibration gas to indicating flow of the desired process gas.
Applying a single conversion constant across a mass flow instrument's measuring range in this manner has generally proven unsatisfactory. Calculating the conversion constants requires accurate data regarding the process gas heat capacity (C.sub.p), but C.sub.p can be a strong and non-linear function of temperature and pressure, which results in a conversion constant that is accurate only for very limited conditions. In other words, the conversion constant necessary to accurately convert a signal indicating the mass flow of a calibration gas to a signal indicating the mass flow of a process gas will not be constant but may be significantly different for varying flow rates, temperatures, pressures, etc. This results significant errors in the final product produced by the process being measured and controlled.
In an attempt to compensate for this problem, prior art solutions, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,446, apply a theoretical conversion factor (i.e., one based on relative gas properties) that is a function of mass flow rate rather than applying a single conversion constant across the measuring range of the mass flow instrument. In effect, this results in a different conversion factor for each flow rate.
As with applying a theoretical conversion constant across the mass flow instrument measuring range, applying a theoretical conversion factor as a function of flow rate generally is not a satisfactory solution to the problem of calibrating a mass flow controller with a gas other than the process gas. C.sub.p is not a well studied gas property for many of the semiconductor compounds, and reliable C.sub.p data do not exist for the nearly is 200 different gas compounds which mass flow instruments typically measure. Moreover, mass flow instruments are also affected by non-ideal factors which are a function of gas density and viscosity as well as the mass flow instrument's geometry, which can lead to inaccurate mass flow measurement with theoretical conversion factors whether applied linearly or as a function of flow rate.
An alternative to calibrating with a "safe" gas and using a theoretically calculated conversion factor is to calibrate the instrument with a "surrogate" gas. A surrogate gas is an inert gas that is selected to mimic as close as possible the thermal properties of the process gas, so it should result in better absolute accuracy when the process gas is measured with the instrument. Using a surrogate gas to calibrate thermal mass flow controllers also has not been adequate. Theoretically, the calibration data should be more accurate across the flow range, but this only holds true if the surrogate gas and the process gas have the same viscosity and density. Further, the thermal properties of the surrogate gas change with small changes in temperature and pressure, resulting in changes in calibration. This leads to instrument to instrument calibration differences, creating undesired variations in the users' processes. Moreover, if multiple process gases are to be measured and controlled with the same mass flow controller, some form of conversion is still necessary. Still further, freons comprise the most common surrogate gases, which are ozone depleting chemicals and do not fit in well with environmental responsibility.
Mass flow users have generally come to accept the above discussed shortcomings with calibrating mass flow meters and controllers as a fact of life. Users attempt to work around problems with mass flow meter and controller calibration by characterizing the mass flow instrument in the process by monitoring some characteristic of the final process, or using the pressure rise characteristics of the process vessel to measure the flow. These attempted solutions are also undesirable because they take time, waste production material, and are inaccurate and non-repeatable.

Method and apparatus for detecting and controlling mass flow


Six forward speeds and one reverse speed may be realized with minimized length and weight of the transmission by employing two single pinion planetary gear sets and a double pinion planetary gear set. One planetary gear of the double pinion planetary gear set is interconnected with an adjacent second planetary gear of the second single pinion planetary gear set by a common planet carrier such that they may rotate independently, and at the same time, at least two ring gears are integrated so as to enhance strength in the axial direction.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a six-speed powertrain of an automatic transmission for a vehicle enabling six forward speeds and one reverse speed.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A multi-stage gearshift mechanism of an automatic transmission includes a plurality of planetary gear sets. A powertrain having such a plurality of planetary gear sets varies the torque in multi-stages and outputs it to an output shaft when receiving a converted engine torque from a torque converter.
The more speeds the powertrain of an automatic transmission has, the better the power performance and fuel consumption. Therefore, it is desirable for powertrains to have as many speeds as possible.
Even for the same number of speeds, durability, power transmission efficiency, and size/weight of a transmission are substantially dependent on how planetary gear sets are arranged. Therefore, research for more structural strength, less power loss, and more compact packaging are continuously being conducted.
Usually, development of a powertrain using planetary gear sets does not devise a wholly new type of planetary gear set. To the contrary, it involves how single/double pinion planetary gear sets or a Ravingneaux planetary gearset are combined, and how clutches, brakes, and one-way clutches are disposed to the combination of planetary gear sets such that required shift speeds and speed ratios are realized with minimal power loss.
For a manual transmission, too many speeds cause a driver the inconvenience of excessive manual shifting. However, for an automatic transmission, a transmission control unit automatically executes shifting by controlling the operation of the power train, and therefore, more speeds usually implies more merits.
Accordingly, research of four-speed and five-speed powertrains has been undertaken, and recently, a powertrain of an automatic transmission enabling six forward speeds and one reverse speed has been developed. However, existing six speed automatic transmissions can have some drawbacks. For example, in one such powertrain, the first, second, and third ring gears are respectively connected with the second, third, and first planet carriers. Therefore, respective planet carriers are required to be separated, and such a configuration causes drawbacks of lengthening an automatic transmission and increasing a weight of the transmission. In addition, the ring gears are not interconnected and in this case, structural strength may not be sufficiently strong. Also, such a powertrain shows low gear ratios at the reverse gear and the highest gear such that gradeability in the reverse speed and front wheel drive performance may become inferior.
Furthermore, the gear ratio at the first forward speed can be too high and accordingly, the tire may easily slip at a hard acceleration. In addition, a step ratio between the second and third forward speeds is large, and thus tip-in shock may become large during a city driving circumstances of an intermediate speed.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Six-speed powertrain of an automatic transmission


A method and apparatus are provided for utilizing a document object model to manage document parts for use in an electronic document. The document object model enables a user to retrieve, insert, add, and delete document parts to and from an electronic document using a programmable interface from within a word processing application program. A document part programming interface is exposed in the object model and methods associated with the object model are called which return objects enabling the location and management of document parts in a document parts collection.

Modern word processors enable a user to readily create electronic documents. Many modern word processors include templates to facilitate the insertion of "document parts" which are typical structural elements found in a variety of documents. These typical structural elements include such features as cover pages, headers and footers, and the like. A user of a word processing application program typically selects a desired document part from a template of similarly styled parts created by a template author and then inserts the selected document part in the document. Unfortunately, the creation and insertion of document parts in modern word processors presents a number of drawbacks to both the template author as well as the end user.
One drawback associated with the creation of document part templates for use in modern word processors is that the template author generally must undergo the time consuming task of creating each document part from scratch utilizing various graphical software tools to design and format each document part. One drawback associated with the insertion of document parts in a document by an end user is that the end user must depend on template authors to design suitable document parts for insertion (i.e., the typical end user lacks the design skill require to design or modify existing document parts). Another drawback associated with the insertion of document parts by an end user is that the end user must typically perform a series of steps so that the document part will fit the size and layout of the document in which it is inserted. For instance, to insert a cover page a user may perform one or more of the following time-consuming steps: 1. Insert a page break at the top of the document; 2. Center the test vertically in the page by using empty paragraph markers so that the title is displayed correctly; 3. Increase the font size of the title; 4. Add empty space to push text to the bottom of the page where the author's name and date will be displayed; 5. Right align the text and make it smaller.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made.

Method and apparatus for utilizing an object model to manage document parts for use in an electronic document


Apparatus and methods are provided for debugging an integrated circuit. Local multiplexer circuits are provided near first and second circuit blocks in the integrated circuit. Each multiplexer circuit includes input nodes, a control node, and an output node. A first input node of the first multiplexer circuit is coupled to an internal node of the first circuit block, a first input node of the second multiplexer circuit is coupled to an internal node of the second circuit block, second input nodes of the first and second multiplexer circuits are coupled to logical 0, and the control signal nodes of the first and second multiplexer circuits are coupled to a control signal. An OR gate is provided that includes an input node coupled to the output node of the first multiplexer circuit, another input node coupled to the output node of the second multiplexer circuit, and an output node. The control signal is used to select the internal nodes of the first or second circuit blocks for monitoring at the output node of the OR gate.

This invention relates to apparatus and methods for debugging integrated circuits. More particularly, this invention pertains to apparatus and methods for monitoring dynamic or static internal signals in an integrated circuit.
Rapid advances in integrated circuit technology have enabled more and more electronic circuit elements to be implemented in smaller and smaller integrated circuit devices. As circuit density has increased, the functional complexity of integrated circuit devices has also increased. As a result, many products that include integrated circuits have become smaller, lighter, quieter, more powerful and more energy efficient. The trend toward increased integrated circuit functionality and decreased device size seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future. As integrated circuits have become more complex, however, the ability to test and debug integrated circuits has become more difficult. Further, conventional techniques for testing integrated circuits generally do not permit continuous monitoring of internal signals, such as in internal state machines, counters, flow control signals, data at various stages in the pipeline and any other dynamic or static signals of interest whose continuous observability could significantly simplify circuit debugging.
A common technique for testing and debugging integrated circuits is described with reference to FIG. 1. Integrated circuit 10a includes circuit blocks A, B, C, D and E, each of which may include large numbers of electronic circuit elements and signals. For testing and debugging purposes, it may be desirable to monitor internal signals in each circuit block. For example, it may be desirable to monitor internal signals A1-A3, B1-B2, C1-C3, D1-D2 and E1 in circuit blocks A, B, C, D and E, respectively. To accomplish this goal, internal signals A1-A3, B1-B2, C1-C3, D1-D2 and E1 may be connected to external pins 12a-12k, respectively.
One problem with this previously known internal signal monitoring technique, however, is that it is not easily scalable. Indeed, to monitor three additional internal signals in integrated circuit 10, three additional external pins are required. Because an integrated circuit package can support only a limited number of external pins, the number of internal signals that may be routed to external pins often cannot be easily increased.
One previously known technique for solving the problem of limited external pin count is described with reference to FIG. 2. Integrated circuit 10b includes multiplexer ("MUX") 14, which has input nodes coupled to internal signals A1-A3, B1-B2, C1-C3, D1-D2 and E1, a control input node coupled to control signal SELECT, and an output node coupled to external pin 16. MUX 14 functions like a controllable switch, coupling one of internal signals A1-A3, B1-B2, C1-C3, D1-D2 and E1 to external pin 16 based on the value of control signal SELECT. Thus, if control signal SELECT is a four-bit signal, up to sixteen internal signals may be selectively coupled to external pin 16 via MUX 14. To route additional internal signals from circuit 10b to external pin 16, additional input nodes may be added to MUX 14, and the bit size of control signal SELECT may be increased. Alternatively, if another external pin is available, the additional internal signals may be routed to a second MUX, which may be controlled using a second multi-bit control signal.
There are several problems, however, with this previously known internal signal monitoring technique. First, circuit 10b may be susceptible to increased noise and crosstalk issues. Indeed, because internal signals A1-A3, B1-B2, C1-C3, D1-D2 and E1 may need to be routed over relatively long distances to MUX 14, the internal signals may interfere with the operation of circuitry adjacent to the long signal traces. Although various layout techniques may be used to minimize the effect of such noise and crosstalk, such techniques typically consume valuable real estate and increase the size of the integrated circuit device.
In addition, the technique illustrated in FIG. 2 is inefficient in terms of size and power consumption, particularly as the number of monitored signals increases. Indeed, as more internal signals are monitored, the amount of space required to route the various signals to MUX 14, and the size of the MUX itself, becomes prohibitively large. Further, because the monitored signals typically toggle at a very high clock rate, the power required to drive these simultaneously active signals over long signal traces from the internal circuit nodes to MUX 14 becomes unacceptably high.
Moreover, the technique in FIG. 2 is not practically scalable. Indeed, when an internal signal trace is added to a circuit block, the trace often must be routed through numerous other circuit blocks on the integrated circuit. Because the various circuit blocks may be designed by multiple engineers, the addition by one engineer of the single internal signal trace may need to be communicated to all the engineers who worked on the integrated circuit, and may impact all of other circuit blocks. As a result, the technique shown in FIG. 2 is not practical.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide improved methods and apparatus for monitoring internal signals in integrated circuits.
It further would be desirable to provide lower noise methods and apparatus for monitoring internal signals in integrated circuits.
It additionally would be desirable to provide scalable methods and apparatus for monitoring internal signals in integrated circuits.
It also would be desirable to provide area-efficient methods and apparatus for monitoring internal signals in integrated circuits.
It moreover would be desirable to provide power-efficient methods and apparatus for monitoring internal signals in integrated circuits.

Methods and apparatus for monitoring internal signals in an integrated circuit


A transparent electrically conductive plate contains a transparent substrate, a transparent electrically conductive layer, an ultraviolet absorbing layer disposed between the transparent substrate and the transparent electrically conductive layer and containing an organic ultraviolet absorber, and an overcoating layer disposed between the transparent electrically conductive layer and the ultraviolet absorbing layer for protecting the ultraviolet absorbing layer.

This invention relates to a transparent electrically conductive plate exhibiting ultraviolet shielding performance useful for a variety of electronic devices.
The electronic devices employing liquid crystal or electrochromic material are deteriorated by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. If an ultraviolet shielding layer is provided below the transparent electrically conductive layer for prohibiting such deterioration, the abrasion resistance, for example of the glass of the electronic device is not lowered. However, high vacuum and high temperature are required for fabrication of the transparent electrically conductive layer, such as ITO. An ultraviolet absorbing layer containing an organic ultraviolet absorber alone cannot withstand these conditions, such that sufficient performance cannot be achieved due to volatilization of the organic ultraviolet absorber.
For overcoming these inconveniences, attempts have been made for providing an ultraviolet absorbing layer outside of the device and providing a glass layer on the ultraviolet absorbing layer as disclosed in, for example Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 1-276120 (1989). However, this complicates the structure and increases the number of process steps. Although attempts have also been made in providing a dichroic layer as shown in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 63-236016 (1988), this structure leads to elevated production costs. Although attempts have also been made in providing an ultraviolet absorbing layer containing metal oxides as shown in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 62-148339 (1987), the near-ultraviolet area cannot be shielded satisfactorily.

Transparent electrically conductive plate


Systems and methods for obtaining corrected time information in a GPS-enabled device connected to a mobile handset via a short-range wireless network, such as a Bluetooth™ Piconet™. The mobile handset includes a GPS time and a network clock synchronized with a network clock in a short-range wireless network interface in the GPS-enabled device. The GPS-enabled device may send requests for time information to the mobile handset. The mobile handset receives the request and latches the network clock time and the GPS time. The captured network clock time and GPS times are sent to the GPS-enabled device in response to the request. The GPS-enabled device subtracts the captured network clock time from its own network clock time and adds the difference to the captured GPS time to obtain a corrected GPS time.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to positioning systems, and more particularly, to using wireless communications systems to provide aiding information to a positioning system.
2. Related Art
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is an example of a Satellite Positioning System (SATPS), which is maintained by the U.S. Government. GPS is satellite-based using a network of at least 24 satellites orbiting 11,000 nautical miles above the Earth, in six evenly distributed orbits. Each GPS satellite orbits the Earth every twelve hours.
One function of the GPS satellites is to serve as a clock. Each GPS satellite derives its signals from an on board 10.23 MHz Cesium atomic clock. Each GPS satellite transmits a spread spectrum signal with its own individual pseudo noise (PN) code. By transmitting several signals over the same spectrum using distinctly different PN coding sequences the GPS satellites may share the same bandwidth without interfering with each other. The code is 1023 bits long and is sent at a rate of 1.023 megabits per second, yielding a time mark, sometimes called a "chip" approximately once every micro-second. The sequence repeats once every millisecond and is called the coarse acquisition code (C/A code.) Every 20th cycle the code can change phase and is used to encode a 1500 bit long message, which contains "almanac" date for the other GPS satellites.
There are 32 PN codes designated by the GPS authority. Twenty-four of the PN codes belong to current GPS satellites in orbit and the 25th PN code is designated as not being assigned to any GPS satellite. The remaining PN codes are spare codes that may be used in new GPS satellites to replace old or failing units. A GPS receiver may, using the different PN sequences, search the signal spectrum looking for a match. If the GPS receiver finds a match, then it has identified the GPS satellite that generated that signal. Ground based GPS receivers use a variant of radio range measurement methodology, called trilateration, to determine the position of the ground based GPS receiver.
The trilateration method depends on the GPS receiving unit obtaining a time signal from the GPS satellites. By knowing the actual time and comparing it to the time that is received from the GPS satellites that receiver can calculate the distance to the GPS satellite. If, for example, the GPS satellite is 12,000 miles from the receiver, then the receiver must be located somewhere on the location sphere defined by a radius of 12,000 miles from that GPS satellite. If the GPS receiver than ascertains the position of a second GPS satellite it can calculate the receiver's location based on a location sphere around the second GPS satellite. The two spheres intersect and form a circle with the GPS receiver being located somewhere within that location circle. By ascertaining the distance to a third GPS satellite the GPS receiver can project a location sphere around the third GPS satellite. The third GPS satellite's location sphere will then intersect the location circle produced by the intersection of the location spheres of the first two GPS satellites at just two points. By determining the location sphere of one more GPS satellite whose location sphere will intersect one of the two possible location points, the precise position of the GPS receiver is determined to be the location point located on the Earth. The fourth GPS satellite is also used to resolve the clock error in the receiver. As a consequence, the exact time may also be determined, because there is only one time offset that can account for the positions of all the GPS satellites. The trilateration method may yield positional accuracy on the order of 30 meters; however the accuracy of GPS position determination may be degraded due to signal strength and multipath reflections.
As many as 11 GPS satellites may be received by a GPS receiver at one time. In certain environments such as a canyon, some GPS satellites may be blocked out, and the GPS position determining system may depend for position information on GPS satellites that have weaker signal strengths, such as GPS satellites near the horizon. In other cases, overhead foliage may reduce the signal strength that is received by the GPS receiver unit.
Recently mobile communication devices such as cellular telephones, or mobile handsets, have been incorporating GPS receiver technology using multiple dedicated semiconductor chips to implement a communication portion and other dedicated semiconductor chips to implement a GPS sub-system of the mobile communication device. Such mobile handsets operate in connection with a mobile communications network for telecommunications services, and in connection with the GPS system to obtain the position of the mobile handset. In mobile handsets with integrated GPS receivers, time information obtained from the mobile communications network may be provided to the GPS receiver in order to reduce the search space for detecting satellites. Systems that make time information from a mobile communications network available to the GPS receiver are known generally as assisted GPS systems (A-GPS). In A-GPS systems, accurate time information can be readily provided from the network to help reduce TTFF (time to first fix)—an important GPS performance parameter.
Within a mobile handset, the time information may be provided by a host processor to the GPS receiver through a serial port. A pulse on a separate line from the host processor marks the precise instant when the time record sent over the serial port is true. Many handsets, however, do not have a GPS receiver physically co-located with the host processor. Systems with GPS receivers (such as GPS handsets, navigation systems, automobiles, and other examples) may be linked to mobile communications handsets through a wireless connection, which is unable to provide time aiding information through a physical link. In addition, GPS receivers may not be capable of communicating with a mobile communications handset. Such GPS receivers would not be capable of using A-GPS to obtain time information.
Therefore, there is a need for methods and systems that allow GPS receivers not physically co-located with a sub-system of a network capable of A-GPS to obtain time information.

System and method for providing aiding information to a satellite positioning system receiver over short-range wireless connections


A method and processor system are provided which analyze a depth map, which may be obtained from a range sensor capturing depth information of a scene, to identify where an object is located in the scene. Accordingly, a region of interest may be identified in the scene which includes the object, and image data may be selectively obtained of the region of interest, rather than of the entire scene containing the object. This image data may be acquired by an image sensor configured for capturing visible light information of the scene. By only selectively obtaining the image data within the region of interest, rather than all of the image data, improvements may be realized in the computational complexity of a possible further processing of the image data, the storage of the image data and/or the transmission of the image data.

Cameras are ubiquitous nowadays, and are included in devices such as smartphones, tablets, digital assistants, laptops, monitors, etc., or embodied as standalone devices, such as security cameras, action cameras, etc.
Various applications exist which make use of the acquired image data. A subset of these applications specifically makes use of the image data of a certain object within the captured scene. Here, the term 'captured scene' refers to the part of the physical world within the field of view of the camera and which is imaged by the camera. The object may be any object which is visible in the image data, and is typically a physical object such as a person, an animal, an art object, etc.
For example, in a video-based Virtual Reality (VR) conference, which is also referred to as 'social VR', a participant may be recorded by a camera. However, the image data which is captured by the camera not only shows the participant, but typically also the surroundings of the participant. It is typically desired to only show the participant in the VR environment, e.g., without his/her surroundings. As such, the image data may first need to be processed to separate the image data of the participant from the image data of his/her surroundings. The latter is frequently also referred to as 'background', with the object (e.g., person) being referred to as 'foreground'. Such processing may comprise applying a so-termed 'background removal' technique to the image data of the scene. Background removal is also known as foreground extraction, and may in general make use of foreground/background segmentation techniques to obtain a spatial segmentation of the object.
There are also other applications which specifically make use of the image data of a certain object within a captured scene. For example, in a security application concerned with guarding paintings in a museum, it may be desirable to monitor a specific painting, e.g., by detecting whether people enter a security perimeter surrounding the painting. However, the security camera may be positioned such that its field of view also includes a viewing area before the painting which people are allowed to enter and which is thus of less interest to the security application.
However, the entity which processes the image data for the particular application may first need to obtain all of the image data so as to have it locally available. Here, 'all of the image data' may refer to the entire image captured by the camera, e.g., corresponding to (substantially) the entire field of view of the camera. Obtaining this image data may involve receiving the image data via a bandwidth constrained link, such as an internal or external bus or a network. Disadvantageously, this may result in the bandwidth of the bandwidth constrained link being exceeded, or at least a significant part thereof being consumed. Obtaining all of the image data may also require significant storage at the entity processing the image data. Another drawback is that the processing performed by the entity, e.g., the background removal, may be applied to all of the image data, which may be computationally intensive.

Obtaining image data of an object in a scene

NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST-NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO


A channel forming region of a thin-film transistor is covered with an electrode and wiring line that extends from a source line. As a result, the channel forming region is prevented from being illuminated with light coming from above the thin-film transistor, whereby the characteristics of the thin-film transistor can be made stable.

The present invention relates to the configuration of a thin-film transistor used in an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal display device.
In an electro-optical device that is represented by an. active matrix type liquid crystal display device, there is known a configuration in which thin-film transistors (TFTs) are used as drive elements and switching elements. Thin-film transistors are configured using a semiconductor (usually, silicon semiconductor) thin film that is formed on a glass substrate by vapor-phase deposition. Thin-film transistors are also used for an image sensor and other devices.
FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) are a sectional view and a top view, respectively, of a one-pixel portion of an active matrix circuit using conventional thin-film transistors. FIG. 4(A) is taken along line Axe2x80x94Axe2x80x2 in FIG. 4(B). A thin-film transistor whose cross-section is shown in FIG. 4(A) is composed of a glass substrate 401, an amorphous silicon or crystalline silicon semiconductor active layer formed on the glass substrate 401 and having a source region 402, a channel forming region 403 and a drain region 404, a gate insulating film 405 made of silicon dioxide or silicon nitride, an interlayer film 407 made of silicon dioxide, a drain contact portion 412, a source contact portion 411, a drain electrode 410, and a transparent conductive film (ITO film or the like) 408 that is connected to the drain electrode 410 and constitutes a pixel electrode. (The source and drain are reversed for a certain operation of the TFT.)
The source region 402 of the thin-film transistor shown in FIG. 4(A) is connected to a source line 409 via the source contact portion 411. A gate electrode 406 is connected to a gate line 413. While usually the source line 409 and the gate line 413 are perpendicular to each other, this is not always the case. In general, the gate electrode 406 and the gate line 413 are made of a metal such as aluminum or a semiconductor such as polysilicon added with phosphorus.
FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) show a single pixel. Actually, an active matrix circuit is formed by disposing at least one pixel as shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) at each intersection of the source lines and the gate lines. A liquid crystal panel is configured by sealing a liquid crystal material between an active matrix substrate on which the active matrix circuit is formed and an opposed substrate. There are following types of liquid crystal display devices that use the liquid crystal panel having the above configuration.
(1) Liquid crystal display is realized by applying light (back light) to the liquid crystal panel.
(2) A video image is produced by applying high-intensity light to the liquid crystal display panel and projecting, onto a screen, light that is transmitted from the liquid crystal panel. (Liquid crystal projector)
(3) A reflecting plate is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal display panel, and display is effected by causing external light to be reflected by the reflecting plate.
In particular, where light is irradiated from the glass substrate side in cases (1) and (2) above, it is necessary to shield the active layer, particularly the channel forming region, from the illumination light. This originates from the fact that the active layer (semiconductor layer denoted by 402-404 in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B)) is made of amorphous silicon or crystalline silicon such as polysilicon. In general, the resistance of a silicon semiconductor varies when it receives light. In particular., when an amorphous silicon or crystalline silicon film is used, which includes dangling bonds, its electrical characteristics are greatly varied by illumination with high-intensity light. Further, the resistance of an intrinsic semiconductor (used for the channel forming region) is varied more greatly by illumination with light than an N-type or P-type semiconductor (used for the source and drain regions). Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to prevent the channel forming region from being illuminated.
Where light 414 is incident from above the gate electrode 406 in the thin-film transistor (top gate TFT) having the structure in which the gate electrode 406 is located over the semiconductor active layer (see FIG. 4(A)), it seems that no light may enters the channel forming region 403 due to the gate electrode 406 serving as a mask.
Actually, however, part of the incident light goes around the gate electrode 406, to enter he channel forming region 403. As a result, the conductivity of the channel forming region 403 is varied by the illumination and its characteristics are also varied.
That is, it is impossible for oily the gate electrode 406 to completely prevent light from entering the channel forming region 403. This problem is remarkable when the channel forming region and the gate electrodes are formed in a self-aligned manner. To solve this problem, a light shielding layer or film is effectively used, but this increases the number of manufacturing steps.
An object of the present invention is to realize, without increasing the number of manufacturing steps, a structure of a thin-film transistor which is basically of the type shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) and in which light is not incident on nor enters the active layer, particularly the channel forming region. In particular, the invention is effective when applied to an active matrix circuit having thin-film transistors whose sources and drains are formed by a self-align process that produces a very small overlap of the gate electrode and the source and drain regions.
The invention is characterized in that in an active matrix circuit, a source line or an electrode or wiring line (they cannot be clearly discriminated from each other) extending from the source line is so formed as to cover a channel forming region, to use the source line or an electrode or wiring line as a light shielding layer for the channel forming region. Since the channel forming region is included in a portion where a gate electrode and a semiconductor active layer overlap with each other, forming a source line or an electrode or wiring line extending from the source line to cover such a portion is approximately equivalent to the above.
In the above structure, examples of a substrate having an insulative surface are a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, a metal or semiconductor substrate on whose surface an insulating film is formed.
FIG. 2(D) shows an example of the structure in which the source line or the electrode or wiring line extending from the source line of the thin-film transistor is so formed as to cover at least the channel forming region. In FIG. 2(D), a source line electrode/wiring line 112 that is connected to a source region 104 of a thin-film transistor via a contact portion 108 covers a channel forming region 105. That is, in FIG. 2(D), both of the electrode/wiring line 112 and the gate electrode 107 serve as light shielding films for the underlying channel forming region 105.
It may be possible to realize a similar structure by using an electrode/wiring line for connecting the pixel electrode 103 and the drain region 106. However, in such a case, a parasitic capacitance between the pixel electrode 103 and the gate electrode 107 becomes large and a potential variation of the gate line 107 affects the pixel electrode 107, causing serious problems in the operation of the active matrix. (For example, refer to H. Ono Kikuo et al: xe2x80x9cFlat. Panel Display ""91,xe2x80x9d page 109.)
On the other hand, in the invention, a capacitive coupling between the source line and the gate line due to a parasitic capacitance adversely affects the operation speed of the thin-film transistor, which does not influence the pixel potential. Therefore, no problem occurs in terms of the image display. Further, in the invention, a parasitic capacitance that occurs due to than source line laid over the gate electrode does not cause any substantial problem, because it is smaller than {fraction (1/10)} of the parasitic capacitance at the intersection of the source line and the gate line of the active matrix.
FIG. 1(A) is a specific top view of the structure whose cross-section is shown in FIG. 2(D). FIG. 1(B) is a circuit diagram corresponding to FIG. 1(A). As is apparent from FIG. 1(A), although the pixel electrode 103 is connected to the drain region 106 via a contact portion 109 and a wiring line, the wiring line does not cover the channel forming region. On the other hand, an extension 112 of the source line, which is connected to the source region 104 of the thin-film transistor via a contact portion 108 is so formed as to cover the channel forming region (i.e., the portion where the gate electrode 107 and the semiconductor active layer overlap with each other), and serves as a light shielding layer.
In summary, the problem that the characteristics of a thin-film transistor is varied or deteriorated due to illumination light coming from the electrode side can be solved by constructing the electrode/wiring line that is connected to the source (or drain) of the thin-film transistor so that it serves as a light shielding layer for the channel forming region. The electrode/wiring line that is connected to the drain (or source) is connected to the pixel electrode.
To construct a liquid crystal display panel by using the invention, it is necessary that an active matrix substrate be illuminated from above, i.e., that a light source, an opposed substrate, and the active matrix substrate be arranged in this order. The light shielding effect of the invention is entirely lost if the active matrix substrate is illuminated from below, i.e., from the back side of the thin-film transistor.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


In a transmitter device of a smart entry system for a vehicle, a transmitter antenna is provided between a variable power circuit and the ground, and is controlled by a switching circuit to transmit a searching radio wave. The transmission power of the antenna, that is, a range of reach of the searching radio wave is variably controlled by a drive output voltage applied to the antenna by a variable power circuit, which converts a battery voltage to the drive output voltage. Data to be transmitted in the searching radio wave is not used to modulate the drive output voltage but is used in an ON/OFF control of the switching circuit.

In recent years, various electronic key systems such as a smart entry system are used in vehicles. In these systems, a vehicle-mounted device performs radio communication with a portable device (electronic key) carried by a user to verify ID of the portable device and control locking/unlocking of vehicle doors in response to commands from the portable device.
JP 11-71948A discloses a vehicle-side transmitter device suitable for such electronic key systems. This transmitter device variably sets a range of reach of a radio wave (searching radio wave), which is transmitted in search for a portable device. This transmitter device has an oscillator for generating a fixed output of a transmission carrier wave signal, and a signal amplifier for converting the oscillator output to a radio wave to be outputted from an antenna. For adjusting the output level of the radio wave to variably set the range of reach of the radio wave, the following two methods are proposed: (A) adjustment of the output of the signal amplifier by a variable resistor provided at an output stage of the signal amplifier; and (B) adjustment of a gain of the signal amplifier.
According to any of the methods (A) and (B), a large output type amplifier is required so that its output is directly used to drive the antenna. According to the method (A), the variable resistor causes poor power efficiency because of power loss, particularly in low power side. According to the method (B), because even a small variation in an input signal is amplified, the amplitude of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna is varied by an operation characteristic or temperature characteristic of the signal amplifier, thus resulting in unstable operation.

Device and method of radio wave transmission


An inspection method and inspection apparatus comprising, acquiring an optical image of a pattern formed in a sample, generating a reference image corresponding to the optical image, comparing the optical image and the reference image using a die-to-database method to detect a defect in the optical image and storing information on the defect; regenerating a reference image by reflecting a dimension distribution of a pattern in the surface of the sample on the reference image, and re-comparing an optical image in which a defect is detected by the comparison using the die-to-database method and the regenerated reference image which corresponds to the optical image using the die-to-database method to detect the defect in the optical image in which the defect has been detected, storing information on the defect when the defect is redetected, and determining that the optical image has no defect.

With high integration and large capacity of a Large Scale Integration (LSI), a circuit dimension required for a semiconductor element becomes increasingly narrowed. For example, a pattern having a line width of several tens of nanometers is required to be formed in the latest typical logic device.
It is necessary to improve a production yield of the expensive LSI in a production process. In the semiconductor element, during a production process, an original graphic pattern (that is, a mask or a reticle, hereinafter collectively referred to as a mask) in which a circuit pattern is formed is exposed and transferred onto a wafer by a reduction projection exposure apparatus called a stepper or a scanner. A shape defect of a mask pattern can be cited as a large factor that reduces a production yield of the semiconductor element. Recently, the finer the dimensions of an LSI pattern formed on the wafer becomes, the finer the shape defect of the mask pattern becomes. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection apparatus that can detect the nuisance defect on the mask.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication 2003-214820.
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication 2002-81914.
The conventional mask inspection is aimed at the detection of the shape defect of the pattern, and a defect determination algorithm suitable for the detection of the shape defect of the pattern and a defect recording method are devised. In a mask inspection apparatus, a function of detecting the defect caused by the fluctuation in line width of the pattern is improved in order to meet a challenge of a lack of an LSI production margin caused by the fluctuation in line width. However, in a contemporary mask pattern, the shape defect or the dimension of the defect determined to be the cause of the fluctuation in line width becomes substantially equal to the fluctuation in line width (line width distribution) in the whole surface of the mask. Therefore, the number of detected defects becomes large.
One defect detection technique is a die-to-database comparison method. In the die-to-database comparison method, a reference image generated from design pattern data used in mask production and an optical image of the actual pattern on the mask are compared to each other. Specifically, a differential signal between both image signals is obtained, and it is determined that there is a defect in a portion having a large differential signal. At this time, noise is included in the differential signal according to a formation error of a pattern and a detection error at the time of acquiring an image. Therefore, it is important to select a method of separating the noise from the differential signal, which is generated by a pattern defect in the defect determination, and there is a trade-off in sensitivity of defect detection. In other words, when a threshold of the defect determination is set to be high, the noise is reduced, but there is a concern that the original target defect of the detection is overlooked. On the other hand, when the threshold of the defect determination is set to be low, a pseudo defect due to the noise is detected and thus there is a concern that a shape or a line width having no need for the detection is detected as a defect.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. Namely, an object of the invention is to provide an inspection method and an inspection apparatus, which is capable of detecting a fine defect, that is, a nuisance defect while reducing a pseudo defect.
Other challenges and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the following description.

Inspection method and inspection apparatus


A method and apparatus for sanding a number of surface features on a surface of an object. A first type of operation may be performed on the number of surface features on the surface of the object using a first end effector. Feedback laser data may be generated about the number of surface features after the first type of operation has been performed using a laser device. A second type of operation may be performed on the number of surface features using a second end effector and the feedback laser data to rework the number of surface features until the number of surface features has been reworked to within selected tolerances.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to sanding operations and, in particular, to an automated sanding system for performing these sanding operations. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to an automated sanding system for sanding surface mismatches on the surfaces of objects.
2. Background
In the manufacturing of certain objects, undesired surface inconsistencies may sometimes be created on the surfaces of these objects. As one illustrative example, milling operations performed during the manufacturing of a wing for an aircraft may result in out-of-tolerance surface inconsistencies. A milling operation is a machining operation that removes material from a workpiece. This operation may be performed by, for example, without limitation, cutting material away from the workpiece, cutting slots into the workpiece, threading, routing, planning, drilling, and/or performing other types of cutting operations.
Milling operations may be performed using a milling machine. A milling machine may include one or more cutting tools. A cutting tool may be used to remove material from an object while the cutting tool is moved relative to the object. In some cases, a surface feature is created on the surface of the object after this operation is performed. This surface inconsistency may be referred to as a "mismatch," a "surface mismatch," or a "cutter mismatch." The mismatch may take the form of, for example, without limitation, a raised edge, a sharp edge, or some other type of surface mismatch. The mismatch may be the result of, for example, a step-over in the direction of travel. As another example, the mismatch may be the result of the cutting tool replacing another cutter tool.
When a mismatch is outside of selected tolerances, the mismatch needs to be reworked to within the selected tolerances. For example, the mismatch may need to be sanded down to within selected tolerances. This sanding operation may also be referred to as "blending" the mismatch with the rest of the surface of the object. The blending of a mismatch with a surface is typically performed using a manually-operated sanding device. However, using a manually-operated sanding device to blend multiple mismatches may be more time-consuming and labor-intensive than desired. Additionally, the quality of the blending of multiple mismatches may be less consistent than desired when performed manually.
Further, depending on the shape, size, and type of object on which these mismatches are located, manually blending these mismatches with the surface of the object may be ergonomically difficult for a human operator. For example, using a manually-operated sanding device may cause ergonomic issues with respect to the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, and/or back of the human operator operating the sanding device. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.


Provided is a phthalocyanine derivative of the following general formula (1) which has superior solubility in organic solvents:

Phthalocyanines have been used as blue and green pigments. They are also functional dyes that have been used as charge generating agents and as dyes for magneto-optical disks due to their superior physical properties. Further, they are expected to be applied in various fields, including photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy and nonlinear optical materials. However, phthalocyanine derivatives generally have a problem in that they are poor in solubility in organic solvents. Thus, Patent Literature 1, and Non-patent Literatures 1 and 2 have reported phthalocyanines having trifluoromethyl groups introduced thereinto for the purpose of improving their solubility.

Pentafluorosulfanyl phthalocyanine derivatives and intermediates thereof

Abstract: General formula (1):

Abstract: (wherein M is a hydrogen atom, a metal element, a metalloid element, a metal oxide, a metalloid oxide, a metal hydroxide, a metalloid hydroxide, a metal halide, or a metalloid halide, and R is each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl ethyl group, an aryl ether group, an alkyl sulfide group, an aryl sulfide group, or a trifluoromethyl group).


A bite block with inclined surfaces fits between a patient's upper and lower jaws to hold them apart and fixes the bite block position relative to the jaws. A support plate slides relative to the bite block to position a needle guide on the support plate along an axis of the support plate. A position stop on the support plate contacts the anterior border of the Ramus of the patient's mandible to position the needle guide along the axis. A syringe needle is guided by the needle guide to a predetermined location to administer anesthetic, preferably to the inferior alveolar nerve as it enters the mandible. The needle guide is inclined to avoid gaging and a tongue depressor attached to the support plate positions the patient's tongue.

The present invention relates to a dental method and device for a mandibular block by aligning a needle of an anesthetic syringe relative to a patient's jaw using a bite block with a needle guide.
Local anesthesia is typically administered to numb a patient's relevant nerves before performing various dental procedures on the patient's teeth. For dental procedures on the lower teeth, a nerve block is typically administered to the inferior alveolar nerve within the oral cavity (mouth) of a patient. This nerve block is ideally achieved by inserting the tip of a needle of a syringe within an appropriate distance of the inferior alveolar nerve as it enters the jaw, at the level of the mandibular foramen and injecting an anesthetic. Unfortunately, anatomical variations among patients and differing musculature of the jaw, neck, tongue and mouth make it difficult to accurately locate the inferior alveolar nerve as it enters the jaw in order to place the anesthetic. Errors in accurate placement of the anesthetic can cause insufficient numbing of the alveolar nerve for patient comfort during the dental procedure, can cause unintended numbing of other portions of the oral cavity, and may require excessive medication to achieve the required numbness to perform the dental procedure. There is thus a need for a method and apparatus to accurately place the needle tip of a syringe for an inferior alveolar nerve block in the mandible.
Dental patients may move their jaw as the anesthesia needle is positioned and the anesthetic administered and this may cause difficulty in maintaining accurate positioning of the needle tip relative to the patient's moving head. Bite blocks are known that wedge between the upper and lower teeth on one side of the patient's jaw, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,220,674, 6,716,029 and 5,009,595. These bite blocks limit some movement of the upper and lower jaw and maintain an open mouth for a more consistent access to the oral cavity. But these bite blocks are typically used when performing dental procedures on the teeth and not when the anesthetic is administered. There thus remains a need for an improved method and apparatus to restrain a patient's jaw movement and to locate and/or guide needles to the inferior alveolar nerve to administer a nerve block.
Prior art methods and devices attempt to locate the needle tip by various means. The Gow-Gates technique uses the dentist's hands to locate parts of the patient's ear (intertragic notch), mouth and use those landmarks along with the angle of the ear to the side of the face and the location of mesiopalatal cusp of second maxillary molar to select the location for inserting the needle tip. Unfortunately, this technique produces inconsistent results, especially when first learning the technique, and typically numbs a larger portion of the patient's jaw, tongue and mouth than does administration of a smaller amount of anesthetic to the inferior alveolar nerve. There is thus a need for an improved method and apparatus to more accurately and consistently administer a nerve block to the inferior alveolar nerve, and to restrain movement of the patient's jaw.
Moreover, many dentists will pull the patient's mouth sideways while manually contacting the patient's jaw and ear to manually detect guideposts to estimate a position for the needle, while using the syringe to pull against the other side of the patient's mouth to make the needle enter as perpendicular as possible to the mandible. But unfortunately, patient's mouths are seldom wide enough and flexible enough to align the needle perpendicular to the selected portion of the mandible, and stretching the mouth to better align the needle causes patient distress and movement. The result is that the needle may be inserted at an angle along the mandible so the needle passes through a length of the patient's tissue and that inclined passage of the needle through the tissue makes it difficult to accurately place the needle tip to administer the anesthetic, especially if the patient moves his or her jaw or mouth during the procedure. There is thus a need for an improved method and apparatus to more accurately and consistently administer a nerve block to the inferior alveolar nerve, and to restrain movement of the patient's jaw.
Syringes with curved or angled needles have been provided, as reflected to published patent application numbers 2008/0058717 and 2008/0097387, and it is believed that some dentists manually bend needles to their desired angles for use. But while these curved or angled needles reduce the need to stretch the patient's mouth to position the needle, they do not improve on the accuracy in locating the tip of the needle to administer the anesthetic nor do they reduce inaccuracies in positioning arising from moving the patient's jaw or mouth. The resulting syringes are also believed more costly to use than conventional syringes and needles. There is thus a continued need for an improved method and apparatus to more accurately and consistently administer a nerve block to the inferior alveolar nerve, and to restrain movement of the patient's jaw.
Efforts to mechanize the Gow-Gates technique have been attempted as reflected by WO 2012/139155. A device resembling a C-clamp has a portion external to the oral cavity with a light source aligned with the needle so that when the light is aligned with the desired portion of the patient's body outside the oral cavity to guide insertion of the needle inside the oral cavity. This apparatus attempts to use a light to position the needle relative to an extra-oral landmark on the patient, rather than the using the dentist's fingers to do so. This apparatus is still affected by anatomical variations and variations in the musculature of the tongue, jaw and mouth and is affected by the user's ability to align the light at the correct location on the patient's face. There is thus a continued need for more precisely locating the needle of a syringe to more accurately and consistently administer a block to the inferior alveolar nerve, and to restrain movement of the patient's jaw.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,257,341 describes a method and apparatus that uses a guide curved to fit the anterior border of the Ramus of the mandible in the most concave curve leading to the coronoid process, referred to as the coronoid notch. Multiple holes or slots in the shaped guide plate allow needles to be placed in various locations to administer the nerve block. But the selection of which hole or slot to use and the angle of the needle's insertion through the selected hole or slot are uncontrolled and result in variations. Administering multiple shots through multiple holes or slots risks overmedicating the patient and unnecessary numbing. The localized abutment of the shaped guide with the coronoid process is believed uncomfortable for the patient and the guide is located at the fulcrum of the jaw so that tightening of the jaw during the shot squeezes the shaped guide and may cause patient discomfort. Variations in the orientation of the guide and handle may result in varying the location of the holes and slots through which the needle may be inserted. There is thus a continued need for an improved method and apparatus to locate and/or guide needles to a location adjacent the inferior alveolar nerve to administer a nerve block, and to restrain movement of the patient's jaw.

Bite block with a needle alignment attachment system