A semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a base tape (film carrier tape); a semiconductor chip mounted on the base tape; conducting leads formed on the base tape to be connected to the semiconductor chip; input terminals and output terminals connected to the conducting leads; and a protecting layer formed to cover the conducting leads completely. The base tape is provided at its side edges with roller-contact regions, where carrier rollers are to be in contact with. No holes and no unevenness area is formed on the roller-contact regions.

According to TCP and COF using a tape-shaped base member, a semiconductor package is fabricated, for example, using a polyimide tape having a width of about 35 mm. A copper foil or a copper plating layer is formed on the polyimide tame to form an electric circuit thereon. According to a TCP type of semiconductor package, a polyimide tape is removed at an area for a semiconductor chip, and copper leads connected to the semiconductor chip are exposed, which is called "flying lead structure". On the other hand, according to a COF type of semiconductor package, a polyimide tape remains at an area for a semiconductor chip, which is not a "flying leads structure".
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional COF type of semiconductor package 10, hereinafter called "COF package". FIG. 1 is a perspective view, while FIG. 3 shows a couple of COF package 10 connected to each other. In FIG. 1, a reference numeral 11 represents a semiconductor chip; and a reference numeral 12 represents bump electrodes formed on the semiconductor chip 11. A reference numeral 14 represents a flexible base film (base tape), which may be made of an insulating material such as a polyimide resin and a glass epoxy resin; a reference numeral 13 represents conductive leads formed on the base film 14; and a reference numeral 16 represents a solder resist for protecting the conductive leads. The solder resist 16 is formed, as shown in FIG. 1, to cover a surface of the package except an area on ends of the conductive leads 13 and surroundings.
Inner leads 17 are connected to the bump electrodes in a thermocompression bonding process. A sealing resin 15 is formed on upper and side surfaces of the semiconductor chip 11 to cover the semiconductor chip. A reference numeral 18 represents input terminals to be connected to an input circuit board; and a reference numeral 19 represents output terminals to be connected to an output circuit board. The tape (base film) is proved at its sides with perforations holes (sprocket holes) 20, which are used when conveying the base film. The perforation hoes 20 are arranged to have a pitch of 4.75 mm, in general.
An individual COF package 10 has a length of 17 mm. However, since COF packages are formed on a base tape, as shown in FIG. 2, each of divided COF packages has a length of 19 mm. That is because, the pitch of the perforation holes 20 is 4.75 mm and four perforation holes are arranged on each COF package. Practically, base film is shaped to have a length of 40 to 80 m with a number of COF packages each having a length of 19 mm.
As described above, according to the conventional COF package, even thought an effective package size (length) is 17 mm, the perforation holes 20 cause a worthless space corresponding to a multiple of 4.75 mm. In other words, each of the COF package is shaped to have a length of 19 mm including a worthless length of 2 mm.
For conveying a tape carrier, in addition to the above-describe type of structure using sprocket holes, a type of device which is carried using rollers has been proposed.
In patent applications, JPH06-310570A and JP2003-229441A, a tape carrier is conveyed by a roller mechanism.
[Patent Publication 1] JPH06-310570A
[Patent Publication 2] JP2003-229441A
According to a structure shown in Patent Publication 1, since sprocket holes are provided at a region where a roller is to be in contact with, there were the following problems.    (1) The strength of a tape is lowered by sprocket holes.    (2) Unevenness over the sprocket holes makes vibration in a conveying process, and therefore, a tape is hardly conveyed smoothly.
Further, according to a structure shown in Patent Publication 2, the same or similar problems as the Patent Publication 1 arise.


In a color laser printer, the printing density of images to be formed is corrected based on a correction values stored in a control memory, For each printing operation the printer determines whether the correction values stored in the control memory matches a value stored in a backup memory. If the correction values in the control memory does not match the correction values in the backup memory, the value of a number of printed pages A serving as the printing performance is incremented by one. If the number of printed pages A is greater than a reference performance number of sheets B pre-stored in memory, then the correction values in the control memory is copied to the backup memory, and the printing operation is executed. If a “Restore correction data” command is inputted, the contents of the backup memory are copied to the control memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, relates. to an image-forming device capable of correcting printing characteristics using correction data; an image-forming system employing the image-forming device; and a method of updating correction data employed in the image-forming device.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional image-forming devices, such as color laser printers, components of the device and the quality of the toner degrade over time. These degradations, along with changes in environmental conditions and the like, produce differences in colors, such as differences in printing density, between images intended to be rendered by the inputted image data and the actual images formed on the recording medium. In order to reduce these differences, there have been proposed image-forming devices for correcting printing characteristics through calibration.
In this type of image-forming device, such as that disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2003-202713, a test pattern is printed as a reference image, and a density sensor is employed to detect printing densities in the printed test pattern. The image-forming device determines correction data based on the detection results and stores this correction data in a prescribed storage area.

Image-forming device for correcting printing characteristics


According to some embodiments of the present invention, a reverse link traffic channel code used by a terminal accessing a CDMA wireless communications system is controlled responsive to determining whether the terminal has a duplicate Electronic Serial Number (ESN). In some embodiments, for example, an alternative ESN may be sent to the terminal having the duplicate ESN for use in generating the reverse link traffic channel code. In other embodiments, a time shift may be applied in generating the reverse traffic channel code, such as by time-shifting the reverse link traffic channel code or a long code used to generate the reverse link traffic channel code. In still other embodiments, an alternative long code mask, such as a private long code mask used for a voice privacy feature, may be used responsive to detection of a duplicate ESN. The present invention may be embodied as methods of operating wireless communications systems and/or terminals, wireless communications apparatus such as network components and terminals, and computer program products including program code configured to execute in a wireless communications apparatus.

The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to code division multiple access (CDMA) communications.
In conventional CDMA systems, user signals are typically separated using user-specific spreading codes. In IS-95 and IS-2000 systems, for example, forward link (base station to mobile terminal) Traffic Channels are separated using Walsh codes assigned to users during call setup. Reverse link (mobile terminal to base station) traffic channels are typically separated using what is referred to as a "long code," which is a very long pseudo-random code (e.g., 242−1 chips).
The reverse link traffic channel code is typically generated in two steps. In a first step, a pseudo-random code that is the same for all users is generated. In a second, "code masking" step, the common pseudo-random code is processed using a mask specific to the user. In typical IS-95 and IS-2000 systems, the mask used is a function of the Electronic Serial Number (ESN) of the terminal.
In order to recover a reverse traffic channel transmitted by a terminal, a base station typically synchronizes itself with the reverse link signal in a process commonly referred to as code acquisition. In a typical code acquisition process, a base station searches through the reverse link traffic channel code until it can gather sufficient information to synchronize with the terminal. Because of the length of the typical reverse link traffic channel code, it may not be practical to search the entire length of the code. Accordingly, the IS-95 and IS-2000 standards require that terminals transmit on the reverse link in synchronism with the System Time reference. This can allow the base station to search a relatively small amount-of code to acquire the reverse link traffic channel code, typically an amount of the code corresponding to two-way propagation delay and multipath delay, e.g., on the order of plus and minus a few chips.
Under current IS-95 and IS-2000 standards, no two mobile terminals are allowed to have the same ESN. If mobile terminals having the same reverse link traffic channel code are operating in close proximity, e.g., transmitting to the same base station, their reverse link traffic channels may coincide, leading to crosstalk. The ESN currently used is a 32-bit value, thus allowing for billions of unique ESNs. However, it has been predicted that ESN values will be exhausted by 2004. Moreover, because there is an ongoing trend to provide for worldwide compatibility among wireless devices and systems, and because ESNs are typically assigned by various entities in various countries, enforcing "no duplicate ESN" rules may become problematic.

Methods, apparatus and computer program products for controlling a reverse link traffic channel code responsive to detection of a duplicate terminal identity


An ink ribbon cassette and a recording apparatus adapted to detachably attach the ink ribbon cassette thereto. An electrode for dissipating electrical charges on the ink ribbon surface is provided either in the ink ribbon cassette or on a carrier of the recording apparatus. The electrode can comprise a resilient conductive member, such as a ground plate having an end portion that is bent into a V-shape. In addition, the electrode may be provided with sharp projections adapted to make scratches on the ink ribbon surface. The electrode is adapted to be brought into contact with the ink ribbon surface either before or after the ink ribbon is used for thermal recording. The electrode forms a path through which charge on the ribbon can be dissipated even if the surface layer of the ribbon is an insulator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink ribbon cassette and a recording apparatus to which this ink ribbon cassette can be attached. More specifically, this invention relates to an ink ribbon cassette equipped with an ink ribbon, and to a recording apparatus which is adapted to perform recording by transferring ink from this ink ribbon to a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus, it may happen, after it has been used for a long period of time, that the electrodes of the recording head suffer damage, with the result that electricity cannot be supplied to the associated heat generating resistors. This is considered to be attributable to the fact that the ink ribbon is charged as a result of its being in contact with the recording head; this charge flows to the recording head, causing an electrochemical reaction to occur in the head electrode section, which causes the head electrodes to corrode and, consequently, become destroyed. Conventionally, this has been avoided by allowing the above-mentioned charge to flow from the ink side of the ink ribbon. For this purpose, an electrode is held in contact with the ink ribbon at a position on the supply reel side with respect to the recording head. Nowadays, however, a variety of functions are required of the ink ribbon; for example, printing has to be performed in two colors with a single ink ribbon, or printing and erasing have to be effected with a single ink ribbon. Accordingly, a number of ink layers have to be provided on the base film of the ink ribbon. With such an arrangement, the surface portion of the thermal transfer ink layer is not always a conductor; it can be an insulator in some cases. If the surface layer of the thermal transfer ink layer is an insulator, no current path can be formed between the ink ribbon and the above-mentioned electrode, so that the recording head cannot be protected from destruction.

Ink ribbon cassette and recording apparatus using electrode ground


A method for preventing misuse of a transponder left inside a vehicle, which is part of a keyless vehicle access system and coacts with a control system for access and driving authorization located in the vehicle. The control system emits, in response to a locking command, a check signal by way of which it is ascertained whether transponders are still located in the vehicle interior after locking. Transponders which are detected as being located in the vehicle interior after locking are recorded in a memory associated with the control system. Upon a subsequent legitimate access to the vehicle, transponders that are not again detected in the interior are inhibited.

German Published Patent Application No. 41 23 654 A1 describes a known method to prevent an unauthorized person from being able to use a transponder that has been forgotten in a vehicle to start the vehicle. In this known method, features are provided with which the vehicle is locked only if the transponder is definitely located outside the vehicle. Detection of the transponder position inside or outside the vehicle is accomplished with two antennas, of which one is directed toward the interior and the other toward the exterior. The fact that unlocking is possible only if the transponder signal arrives via the antenna directed toward the exterior ensures that the vehicle cannot easily be put into operation if the transponder was left inside the vehicle. Unauthorized starting of the vehicle is possible, however, if a transponder left behind in the vehicle comes into the possession of an unauthorized person via a break-in into the vehicle, and is used by that person. In addition, multiple authorized transponders are usually allocated to vehicles, so that even if care has been taken that the most recently used transponder is located outside the vehicle, it is possible for a further authorized transponder to be located in the vehicle; in the event of a break-in, it would then allow the vehicle to be started.

Method for preventing misuse of transponders left inside a vehicle


A method and system for determining attribute score levels from an assessment are disclosed. An assessment includes items each testing for at least one attribute. A first distribution is generated having a response propensity represented by a highest level of execution for each attribute tested by the item. An item threshold is determined for at least one score for the first distribution. Each item threshold corresponds to a level of execution corresponding to the score for which the item threshold is determined. For each attribute tested by the item, a second distribution is generated having a response propensity represented by a lowest level of execution for the attribute and the highest level of execution for all other attributes tested by the item. A mean parameter is determined for the second distribution. An attribute score level is determined for the scores based on the item thresholds and the mean parameters.

Standardized testing is prevalent in the United States today. Such testing is often used for higher education entrance examinations and achievement testing at the primary and secondary school levels. The prevalence of standardized testing in the United States has been further bolstered by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which emphasizes nationwide test-based assessment of student achievement.
The typical focus of research in the field of assessment measurement and evaluation has been on methods of item response theory (IRT). A goal of IRT is to optimally order examinees along a low dimensional plane (typically unidimensional) based on the examinee's responses and the characteristics of the test items. The ordering of examinees is done via a set of latent variables presupposed to measure ability. The item responses are generally considered to be conditionally independent of each other.
The typical IRT application uses a test to estimate an examinee's set of abilities (such as verbal ability or mathematical ability) on a continuous scale. An examinee receives a scaled score (a latent trait scaled to some easily understood metric) and/or a percentile rank. The final score (an ordering of examinees along a latent dimension) is used as the standardized measure of competency for an area-specific ability.
Although achieving a partial ordering of examinees remains an important goal in some settings of educational measurement, the practicality of such methods is questionable in common testing applications. For each examinee, the process of acquiring the knowledge that each test purports to measure seems unlikely to occur via this same low dimensional approach of broadly defined general abilities. This is, at least in part, because such testing can only assess a student's abilities generally, but cannot adequately determine whether a student has mastered a particular ability or not.
Because of this limitation, cognitive modeling methods, also known as skills assessment or skills profiling, have been developed for assessing students' abilities. Cognitive diagnosis statistically analyzes the process of evaluating each examinee on the basis of the level of competence on an array of skills and using this evaluation to make relatively fine-grained categorical teaching and learning decisions about each examinee. Traditional educational testing, such as the use of an SAT score to determine overall ability, performs summative assessment. In contrast, cognitive diagnosis performs formative assessment, which partitions answers for an assessment examination into fine-grained (often discrete or dichotomous) cognitive skills or abilities in order to evaluate an examinee with respect to his level of competence for each skill or ability. For example, if a designer of an algebra test is interested in evaluating a standard set of algebra attributes, such as factoring, laws of exponents, quadratic equations and the like, cognitive diagnosis attempts to evaluate each examinee with respect to each such attribute. In contrast, summative analysis simply evaluates each examinee with respect to an overall score on the algebra test.
Numerous cognitive diagnosis models have been developed to attempt to estimate examinee attributes. In cognitive diagnosis models, the atomic components of ability, the specific, finely grained skills (e.g., the ability to multiply fractions, factor polynomials, etc.) that together comprise the latent space of general ability, are referred to as attributes. Due to the high level of specificity in defining attributes, an examinee in a dichotomous model is regarded as either a master or non-master of each attribute. The space of all attributes relevant to an examination is represented by the set {a1, . . . , ak}. Given a test with items i=1, . . . , I, the attributes necessary for each item can be represented in a matrix of size I×K. This matrix is referred to as a Q-matrix having values Q={qik}, where qik=1 when attribute k is required by item i and qik=0 when attribute k is not required by item i. Typically, the Q-matrix is constructed by experts and is pre-specified at the time of the examination analysis.
Cognitive diagnosis models can be sub-divided into two classifications: compensatory models and conjunctive models. Compensatory models allow for examinees who are non-masters of one or more attributes to compensate by being masters of other attributes. An exemplary compensatory model is the common factor model. High scores on some factors can compensate for low scores on other factors.
Numerous compensatory cognitive diagnosis models have been proposed including: (1) the Linear Logistic Test Model (LLTM) which models cognitive facets of each item, but does not provide information regarding the attribute mastery of each examinee; (2) the Multicomponent Latent Trait Model (MLTM) which determines the attribute features for each examinee, but does not provide information regarding items; (3) the Multiple Strategy MLTM which can be used to estimate examinee performance for items having multiple solution strategies; and (4) the General Latent Trait Model (GLTM) which estimates characteristics of the attribute space with respect to examinees and item difficulty.
Conjunctive models, on the other hand, do not allow for compensation when critical attributes are not mastered. Such models more naturally apply to cognitive diagnosis due to the cognitive structure defined in the Q-matrix and will be considered herein. Such conjunctive cognitive diagnosis models include: (1) the DINA (deterministic inputs, noisy "AND" gate) model which requires the mastery of all attributes by the examinee for a given examination item; (2) the NIDA (noisy inputs, deterministic "AND" gate) model which decreases the probability of answering an item for each attribute that is not mastered; (3) the Disjunctive Multiple Classification Latent Class Model (DMCLCM) which models the application of non-mastered attributes to incorrectly answered items; (4) the Partially Ordered Subset Models (POSET) which include a component relating the set of Q-matrix defined attributes to the items by a response model and a component relating the Q-matrix defined attributes to a partially ordered set of knowledge states; and (5) the Unified Model which combines the Q-matrix with terms intended to capture the influence of incorrectly specified Q-matrix entries.
The Unified Model specifies the probability of correctly answering an item Xij for a given examinee j, item i, and set of attributes k=1, . . . , K as:
            P                    (                                            X              ij                        =                          1              |                              α                j                                              ,                      θ            j                          )              =                  (                  1          -          p                )                          [                                            d              j                                                                  ∏                                  k                  =                  1                                K                                                                            π                  ik                                                            α                      jk                                                                                xq                      ik                                                                                r                  ik                                      (                                          1                      -                                                                        α                          jk                                                                                xq                          ik                                                                                )                                                                                P                    i                                                                          (                                                                  θ                        j                                            +                                              Δ                                                                                c                          i                                                                                )                                                                                +                                    (                              1                -                                  d                  i                                            )                                                                  P                i                                                          (                                  θ                  j                                )                                                    ]              ,where                θj is the latent trait of examinee j; p is the probability of an erroneous response by an examinee that is a master; di is the probability of selecting the pre-defined Q-matrix strategy for item i;        πik is the probability of correctly applying attribute k to item i given mastery of attribute k; rik is the probability of correctly applying attribute k to item i given non-mastery of attribute k; ajk is an examinee attribute mastery level, and ci is a value indicating the extent to which the Q-matrix entry for item i spans the latent attribute space.
One problem with the Unified Model is that the number of parameters per item is unidentifiable. The Reparameterized Unified Model (RUM) attempted to reparameterize the Unified Model in a manner consistent with the original interpretation of the model parameters. For a given examinee j, item i, and Q-matrix defined set of attributes k=1, . . . , K, the RUM specifies the probability of correctly answering item Xij as:
            P                    (                                            X              ij                        |                          α              j                                ,                      θ            j                          )              =                  π        i        *                                    ∏                      k            =            1                    K                                              r            ik                          *                              (                                  1                  -                                      α                    jk                                                  )                                                          xq                ik                                                                                P                              c                i                                                                (                              θ                j                            )                                            ,where
      π    i    *    =            ∏              k        =        1            K                  π      ik              q        ik            (the probability of correctly applying all K Q-matrix specified attributes for item i),
      r    ik    *    =            r      ik              π      ik      (the penalty imposed for not mastering attribute k), and
            P              c        i                        (              θ        j            )        =            ⅇ              (                              θ            j                    +                      c            i                          )                    1      +              ⅇ                  (                                    θ              j                        +                          c              i                                )                    (a measure of the completeness of the model).
The RUM is a compromise of the Unified Model parameters that allow the estimation of both latent examinee attribute patterns and test item parameters.
Another cognitive diagnosis model derived from the Unified Model is the Fusion Model. In the Fusion Model, the examinee parameters are defined aj, a K-element vector representing examinee j's mastery/non-mastery status on each of the attributes specified in the Q matrix. For example, if a test measures five skill attributes, an examinee's aj vector might be '11010', implying mastery of skill attributes 1, 2 and 4, and non-mastery of attributes 3 and 5. The examinee variable θj is normalized as in traditional IRT applications (mean of 0, variance of 1). The probability that examinee j answers item i correctly is expressed as:
      P              (                                    X            ij                    |                                    α              _                        j                          ,                  θ          j                    )        =            π      i      *                          ∏                  k          =          1                K                                    r          ik                      *                          (                              1                -                                  α                  jk                                            )                                                  xq              ik                                                                    P                          c              i                                                      (                          θ              j                        )                              where                π*i is the probability of correctly applying all K Q-matrix specified attributes for item i, given that an examinee is a master of all of the attributes required for the item,        r*ik is the ratio of (1) the probability of successfully applying attribute k on item i given that an examinee is a non-master of attribute k and (2) the probability of successfully applying attribute k on item i given that an examinee is a master of attribute k, and
            P              c        i                        (              θ        j            )        =      1          1      +              ⅇ                  -                      (                                          θ                j                            +                              c                i                                      )                              is the Rasch Model with easiness parameter ci (0≦ci≦3) for item i.
Based on this equation, it is common to distinguish two components of the Fusion Model: (1) the diagnostic component:
            π      i      *                          ∏                  k          =          1                K                          r        ik                  *                      (                          1              -                              α                jk                                      )                                          xq            ik                                ,which is concerned with the influence of the skill attributes on item performance, and (2) the residual component: Pci(θj), which is concerned with the influence of the residual ability. These components interact conjunctively in determining the probability of a correct response. That is, successful execution of both the diagnostic and residual components of the model is needed to achieve a correct response on the item.
The r*ik parameter assumes values between 0 and 1 and functions as a discrimination parameter in describing the power of the ith item in distinguishing masters from non-masters on the kth attribute. The r*ik parameter functions as a penalty by imposing a proportional reduction in the probability of correct response (for the diagnostic part of the model) for a non-master of the attribute, assuming the attribute is needed to solve the item. The ci parameters are completeness indices, indicating the degree to which the attributes specified in the Q-matrix are "complete" in describing the skills needed to successfully execute the item. Values of ci close to 3 represent items with high levels of completeness; values close to 0 represent items with low completeness.
The item parameters in the Fusion model have a prior distribution that is a Beta distribution, β(a, b), where (a, b) are defined for each set of item parameters, π*, r*, and c/3. Each set of hyperparameters is then estimated within the MCMC chain to determine the shape of the prior distribution.
One difference between the RUM and Fusion Model is that the ajk term is replaced in the Fusion Model with a binary indicator function, I(ājk>κk), where ājk is the underlying continuous variable of examinee j for attribute k (i.e., an examinee attribute value), and κk is the mastery threshold value that ājk must exceed for ajk=1.
MCMC algorithms estimate the set of item (b) and latent examinee (θ) parameters by using a stationary Markov chain, (A0, A1, A2, . . . ), with At=(bt, θt). The individual steps of the chain are determined according to the transition kernel, which is the probability of a transition from state t to state t+1, P[(bt+1, θt+1)|(bt, θt)]. The goal of the MCMC algorithm is to use a transition kernel that will allow sampling from the posterior distribution of interest. The process of sampling from the posterior distribution can be evaluated by sampling from the distribution of each of the different types of parameters separately. Furthermore, each of the individual elements of the vector can be sampled separately. Accordingly, the posterior distribution to be sampled for the item parameters is P(bi|X, θ) (across all i) and the posterior distribution to be sampled for the examinee parameters is P(θj|X, b) (across all j).
One problem with MCMC algorithms is that the choice of a proposal distribution is critical to the number of iterations required for convergence of the Markov Chain. A critical measure of effectiveness of the choice of proposal distribution is the proportion of proposals that are accepted within the chain. If the proportion is low, then many unreasonable values are proposed, and the chain moves very slowly towards convergence. Likewise, if the proportion is very high, the values proposed are too close to the values of the current state, and the chain will converge very slowly.
While MCMC algorithms suffer from the same pitfalls of JML optimization algorithms, such as no guarantee of consistent parameter estimates, a potential strength of the MCMC approaches is the reporting of examinee (binary) attribute estimates as posterior probabilities. Thus, MCMC algorithms can provide a more practical way of investigating cognitive diagnosis models.
Different methods of sampling values from the complete conditional distributions of the parameters of the model include the Gibbs sampling algorithm and the Metropolis-Hastings within Gibbs (MHG) algorithm. Each of the cognitive diagnosis models fit with MCMC used the MHG algorithm to evaluate the set of examinee variables because the Gibbs sampling algorithm requires the computation of a normalizing constant. A disadvantage of the MHG algorithm is that the set of examinee parameters are considered within a single block (i.e., only one parameter is variable while other variables are fixed). While the use of blocking speeds up the convergence of the MCMC chain, efficiency may be reduced. For example, attributes with large influences on the likelihood may overshadow values of individual attributes that are not as large.
One problem with current cognitive diagnosis models is that they do not adequately evaluate examinees on more than two skill levels, such as master and non-master. While some cognitive diagnosis models do attempt to evaluate examinees on three or more skill levels, the number of variables used by such models is excessive.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method for performing cognitive diagnosis using a model that evaluates examinees on individual skills using polytomous attribute skill levels.
A further need exists for a method that considers each attribute separately when assessing examinees.
A still further need exists for a method of classifying examinees using a reduced variable set for polytomous attribute skill levels.
The present disclosure is directed to solving one or more of the above-listed problems.

Method for estimating examinee attribute parameters in a cognitive diagnosis model


Audio capture based on logarithmic conversion. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including capturing audio represented by an electrical signal, the electrical signal having both positive voltage portions and negative voltage portions. In some cases, the capture is by: performing logarithmic analog-to-digital conversion on the positive voltage portions to create a first plurality of digital values; and performing logarithmic analog-to-digital conversion on the negative voltage portions to create a second plurality of digital values; and storing representations of the first and second plurality of digital values to a storage medium.

Achieving higher fidelity sound reproduction has been a goal since advent of sound recordings. Much of the early focus was on the sound reproduction equipment (e.g., power amplifiers, speakers). In the digital age, most of the focus has been on the audio file compression formats that nevertheless can be used for high fidelity playback. However, increases in fidelity are still possible.

Method and system of audio capture based on logarithmic conversion


An apparatus for repeatedly feeding a pile of sheets to a copy section, including a feeding device to feed a sheet from the top of the pile of sheets to the copy section; a returning device to return a sheet from the copy section to the pile of sheets; and a inserting device to insert a sheet under the bottom of the pile of sheets stacked on the sheet stand.

The present invention relates to a circulation type of sheet refeeding device, for example, a circulation type of document conveyance device in which sheets stacked on a stacker are fed to a platen glass one by one and exposed sheets are returned to the stacker so that the sheets can be repeatedly fed to the platen glass. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automatic circulation type of sheet refeeding device in which the uppermost sheet of a sheet stack is conveyed to the platen glass and returned to the stack after it has been exposed.
An automatic document feeding device (ADF) has already been provided which can effectively and automatically feed documents to a recording device such as an electrophotographic copier and a recording image reader. However, conventional automatic document feeding devices are applied to the copying operation in which only one side of a document is copied.
On the other hand, there is a great need of a copier which can copy images on a two-sided document onto one side or both sides of a recording paper, and also there is a need of an image reading apparatus which can read and record images on a two-sided document. Therefore, various reversible automatic document feeders (RADF) provided with document reversing function have been proposed until now. Those automatic document feeders (RADF) are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Open to Public Inspection Nos. 216159/1984, 112738/1978 and 8834/1985, and Japanese Utility Model Open to Public Inspection No. 4548/1984.
On the other hand, a circulation type of document feeder (RDH) has been proposed in which documents stacked on a stacker are automatically fed one by one to a platen glass of a copier and the exposed document is returned to the stacker so that it can be exposed again.
When the aforementioned circulation type of document feeder (RDH) is operated by one circulation, a volume of copies can be made, so that the documents are circulated by the number of necessary volumes.
Recently, the applicant has proposed a new circulation type of document feeder composed of the aforementioned RDH to which a document reversing mechanism is added (Japanese Patent Application Open to Public Inspection No. 20228/1988).
When the aforementioned circulation type of document feeder is provided, a high speed continuous copying operation can be carried out and copied recording papers can be sorted in the order of pages. Further, when the copying apparatus is connected with a finisher which conducts a stapling and punching operation, all recording operations can be automatically carried out.
In the aforementioned circulation type of document feeder (RDH), documents are fed in the following manner: the front side of a document is set upward on the stacker; the lowermost document of the document stack is fed to the platen glass one by one; and the exposed document is returned on the uppermost document of the document stack. The aforementioned system will be referred to as a bottom-feed/top-restack system, hereinafter.
In the aforementioned circulation type of document feeder (RDH), that is, in the bottom-feed/top-restack system, the document surfaces are rubbed with each other, so that the document surfaces are stained and images are damaged. Especially when the document is written with a pencil, the aforementioned problems are remarkable.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, a circulation type of automatic document feeder is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Open to Public Inspection No. 37536/1981, which is operated in the following manner: the uppermost document of a stack is fed to the platen glass; and the exposed document is returned to the lowermost portion of the stack. In the aforementioned system, an exposed document sheet is inserted under a document stack when the stack is lifted by a periodic motion type of lifting means.
On the other hand, in the fields of an image recording apparatus such as an electrophotographic copier and a printing apparatus, various two-sided automatic recording apparatus are proposed, which can record not only on one side of a recording paper but also on both sides. In a conventional two-sided automatic recording apparatus, a document image is recorded on one side of a recording paper in an image processing section, and then the recording paper is temporarily stored. After that, the recording paper is conveyed again so that it is fed to the image forming section. The aforementioned type of automatic recording paper refeeding device (ADU) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Open to Public Inspection Nos. 82247/1984, 114227/1984 and 2241/1985.
In the aforementioned automatic two-sided recording copier, a recording paper, on one side of which an image has already been formed, is conveyed under the copying section and accommodated in a stacker section.
After a recording paper, on one side of which an image has already been formed, has been stacked in the stacker, it is refed under the condition that the trailing edge is taking the lead. Then, the recording paper is conveyed by a conveyance device through a conveyance guide, and enters the image forming section again. After that, a toner image formed on a photoreceptor is transferred onto the recording paper. Then, the transferred image is fixed by a fixing unit, and the recording paper is accommodated on a tray disposed outside the apparatus.
Even in the case of the aforementioned ADU, on a conventional stacker, recording papers on which images have been recorded, are stacked on the uppermost paper on the stacker, and the lowermost recording paper is fed one by one. Accordingly, the surface of the recording paper is stained due to the friction between the front and reverse sides of the recording paper. Therefore, it is preferable that the uppermost recording paper is fed and the recording paper on which the image has been formed, enters the lowermost portion of the stack. The aforementioned system will be referred to as a top-feed/bottom-restack system, hereinafter.
In RDH and ADU of the aforementioned top-feed/bottom-restack system, the following problems are caused.
(1) The structure of the lifting means which lifts the stack of papers periodically, becomes complicated.
(2) When the leading edge of the recording paper inserted under the stack, is curled, there is a high possibility that the leading edge interferes with the periodical motion type of lifting means.
(3) In the case where the sheet returning speed is high, there is a high possibility that the motion of the sheet conveyance device becomes unstable since its structure is complicated.
(4) Since the stack lifting means goes up and down each time a recording sheet is returned, noises are made.
(5) When the sheet size is changed, it is difficult to adjust the apparatus to the size.
The present invention has been achieved to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a top-feed/bottom-insertion type of sheet refeeding device which can be stably operated even in a high speed operation and appropriately adjusted to various sheet sizes.


A combination exo-endocervical sampler. The sampler includes an elongated handle portion having a free end and a non-linearly tapered row of flags disposed proximate the end opposite the free end. The flags are preferably configured to have a flat sampling surface and a convex opposed surface and are disposed at an acute angle with respect to the handle portion. A spatulate member is disposed on the handle portion proximate the row of flags at a point diametrically opposite thereto. A ledge extends along the handle member proximate its juncture with the spatulate member and serves to assist in the spreading of the separated exo- and endocervical samplers on to a two-tiered microscope slide. Optionally, a secondary row of flags is formed on an upper edge of the spatulate member to sweep the endocervix and transition zone when the device is rotated within the cervical canal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of collecting and preparing cervical smears for diagnostic purposes, and, more particularly, to an improved device for simultaneously collecting samples of both exocervical and endocervical cells.
2. Description of the Relevant Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,408, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes in some detail the problems encountered with prior art cervical sampling devices. These problems include inadequacy of smear samples due to the absence of endocervical cells, excess mucous in the samples, failure to penetrate the depth of the endocervix, removal of immature cells from deeper layers of cervical tissue ("the brush effect"), abrasion of the endocervical wall which causes undesirable bleeding and obscure cervical samples, and the necessity of using two separate devices to obtain endo- and exocervical samples.
The '408 patent disclosed and claimed a combination exo-endocervical sampler. The sampler includes an elongated handle portion defining a longitudinal axis and having a free end. A row of flexible flags is disposed proximate the end of the handle portion opposite the free end. The flags are disposed at an acute angle with respect to the handle portion. A substantially longer, relatively rigid stop or filament is disposed on the handle portion proximate the row of flags. The filament serves as a stop when the device is inserted into the cervical os, and also scrapes the exocervical wall when the device is rotated 360 degrees. Rotation of the device also causes the row of flags to engage the surface of the endocervix. Therefore, when the device is removed from the cervical canal, two separated cell samples are obtained.
The sampler of the '408 patent is used to best advantage in preparing a cervical cell sample on a two-tiered microscope slide, such as that disclosed in FIG. 4 thereof. The sampler is simply wiped across the two-tier slide, thus depositing endocervical cells on the upper surface 46 thereof, and exocervical cells on the lower surface 48 thereof.
In clinical trials, the sampler of the '408 patent has shown a consistency in obtaining accurate cervical samples not attainable with the prior art. In a clinical trial involving over 300 samples obtained with the patented sampler, 99% accuracy was attained, with almost no false positive or false negative samples. Furthermore, the patented sampler does not cause bleeding, is relatively comfortable for the patient, is efficient and easy to use, and can be easily and cheaply manufactured by simple molding techniques.
However, clinical experience has shown that certain improvements to the basic patented device make it even easier and more efficient to use, particularly by medical personnel who do not have highly developed sampling skills. Thus, a need exists for an improved device which incorporates various features which improve the reliability of the sample obtained.


Structure, for sealing, from the outside, a liquid-leaking puncture wound in the wall of a liquid container. This structure includes a patch body having a perimetered cavity selectively securable via a self-torque-limiting bolt to the outside of such a container in a manner whereby the cavity overlies and faces the wound, with the cavity's perimeter surrounding the wound, and a patch pellet contained and confined in the cavity, and formed, at least in part, of a liquid-reaction substance which, with the patch body secured to the container, reacts to contact with liquid leaking from the container at least by imbibing such liquid and swelling to apply wound-sealing pressure, and more preferably by additionally reacting with leakage liquid to form a sticky coagulant mass for aiding in applying sealing pressure to the wound. The patch body may either be placed directly against the outside of a container or may be employed with an intermediate, resilient gasket which centralizes the symmetrical introduction of leakage liquid into the pellet-containing cavity in the patch body.

This invention pertains to structure (a repair kit) for patching a leak of liquid from a puncture wound in the wall of a liquid container. Two, different preferred embodiments of, and manners of practicing, the invention are described and illustrated herein in the setting of making an emergency, from-the-outside, repair of a ballistic (such as from a bullet) puncture wound in the container wall of a military vehicle fuel tank—a setting wherein the invention has been proven to offer significant defensive advantage in a combat zone. As will be seen, the two, herein-disclosed embodiments of the invention differ in component count, and in specific leak-sealing methodology.
While, as will become apparent, the invention has significant utility in other settings, it is illustrated and described herein in a military vehicle setting which serves to highlight the key features of the invention.
A special characteristic of the invention in its preferred form is that it includes a wound-patching component which possesses a "substance", referred to herein as a liquid-reaction substance, that reacts to leaking liquid, such as hydrocarbon fuel, to create a collaboration with such liquid thereby to produce a fluid-and-"substance" triggered coagulant that swells to seal a container puncture wound.
Somewhat more broadly viewed, this just-above-mentioned component substance, whether or not effective to create a coagulant mass, nevertheless preferably imbibes leakage liquid, swells in size, and, with the structure of the invention positioned adjacent a container puncture wound for use, is confined and stabilized in such a manner that, in its swelling and ultimately swollen conditions, it applies progressively increasing, and ultimately robust, sealing pressure to close the wound.
In one embodiment of the invention, what is referred to herein as a patch body has a perimeter portion which directly engages the effective outside surface of a container to seal thereagainst in the implementation of puncture-wound sealing. In another disclosed and illustrated embodiment of the invention, a unique, washer-like, resilient sealing gasket is employed intermediate the just-mentioned perimeter portion of the patch body and a container's outside surface. This gasket functions to implement a somewhat different wound-sealing methodology. In both embodiments of the invention as illustrated herein, a unique hollow-stem, self-torque-limiting bolt is preferably utilized to make an attachment to the outside of a container of the type possessing a self-healing puncture-defeating coating which is there applied to the container.
Another feature of the invention comes into play in a circumstance, described herein, where the container whose puncture wound is to be sealed is itself externally coated with an intended self-sealing coating which is formed with a liquid-reaction material ("substance") which is compatible with that employed in the patch-kit structure and practice of the present invention. In this kind of setting, the sealing response behavior of the invention uniquely collaborates with the self-sealing capabilities of such a coating.
All of the features and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Embodiments described herein provide improved systems and methods for corneal pachymetry. These systems and methods can be used to improve the accuracy of corneal measurements that are used for a wide variety of different ophthalmic procedures. One embodiment provides a system and method for corneal pachymetry using a plenoptic detector. For example, a corneal pachymetry system can comprise a light source, a plenoptic detector and a processing system coupled to the plenoptic detector. The light source is configured to illuminate the cornea of the eye, and the plenoptic detector is positioned at an angle relative to the eye. The plenoptic detector is configured to receive an image of the light source reflected from the cornea and generate plenoptic image data representing the images. The processing system is coupled to the plenoptic detector and is configured to analyze the plenoptic image data to accurately determine the corneal thickness of the eye.

Many modern ophthalmic surgical procedures require accurate measurements of the eye. For example, measurements of aberrations of the eye are important for the diagnosis and treatment of visual defects and acuity. Furthermore, there are a growing number of ways that aberrations can be corrected using both surgical and non-surgical means. Many of these methods rely on accurate, precise measurements of the whole ocular system so that patients may be screened, the corrective means applied and tested, and follow up care provided as appropriate.
One important type of ocular measurement is referred to as corneal pachymetry. In general, corneal pachymetry is the measurement of the thickness of the cornea. The accurate measurement of corneal thickness is important for a variety of procedures. For example, many laser eye procedures require an accurate measurement of corneal thickness to determine if a patient can safely undergo the procedure. That is, if the corneal thickness is not within a specified limit the procedure cannot be performed. In those cases an inaccurate measurement can wrongly prevent patients from qualifying for the procedure. Or conversely, an inaccurate measurement can wrongly allow patients to undergo the procedure. In either case the safety and/or efficacy of the procedure can be comprised.
For these and other reasons there a continuing need for improved corneal pachymetry devices and techniques.

System and method for corneal pachymetry using plenoptic imaging


A method for aligning an exposure mask comprises: using a plurality of hologram masks, on which an alignment mark is formed; aligning position of the hologram masks toward an object to be exposed and on which an alignment mark is also formed, with a plurality of times by using both alignment marks; and pattern-exposing the object, wherein, while aligning at least three consecutive times, an alignment mark for third time aligning on the object is set in between alignment marks respectively for second time aligning and first time aligning, or at a position on an opposite side to a side in which the alignment mark for second time aligning is located with respect to the alignment mark for first time aligning.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to fine patterning using exposure technology such as hologram, and particularly, to a method of aligning an exposure mask to an object subject to exposure, and a manufacturing method of a thin film element substrate using that method.
2. Related Art
In recent years, holographic technology of a Total Internal Reflection (TIR) type has been a focus of attention in a patterning process of a semiconductor device. This exposure technology employs a recording process of recording a desired pattern with respect to a hologram mask by using a hologram exposure device, and an exposure process of exposing a photoresist for semiconductor patterning by irradiating reproduced light to this hologram mask.
In the recording process, a recording beam of laser is first irradiated to a mask pattern (former reticule) corresponding to a pattern of the semiconductor device to cause refracted light to generate and to be emitted to a recording surface of a hologram mask. On the other hand, reference light is irradiated from a reverse side of the hologram mask at a fixed angle with respect to the recording surface of the hologram mask, causing to interfere with the refracted light from a former reticule. This enables an interfering pattern to generate on the recording surface of the hologram mask and to record it on the hologram recording surface.
In the exposure process, the hologram mask is placed at the same position of the former reticule, then an exposure beam which is reproduced light is irradiated from a direction opposite to the time of recording, while the refracted light which reproduced the former pattern on the photoresist is utilized for image formation thereby to expose the photoresist. Normally, in this exposure process, the hologram mask is such that by matching an alignment mark formed on the side of a substrate, which will become an object subject to exposure, to an alignment mark formed on the side of a hologram mask, alignment of the substrate to the hologram mask is carried out.
In case of carrying out patterning using a plurality of hologram masks, currently available procedures were to align the hologram masks to the substrate by using a substrate, on which alignment marks were respectively formed, to a position corresponding to each alignment mark formed on each of the plurality of hologram masks. Symposium of Image Display (SID) 03 Digest, P—40, pp. 350-353 is an example of related art.
However, there was a problem of a need of alignment marks corresponding to the number of hologram masks on the substrate side. This problem increases the number of alignment marks as the number of hologram masks used increased, as calling for a wide area on the substrate to form alignment marks.
While the alignment mark to be incorporated in such hologram mask for the hologram exposure device is prepared separately from a device area, it is necessary to set up a gap of some 5 mm with respect to the device area and the alignment marks for other hologram masks (other layers) (refer to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8).
FIGS. 7A and B are schematic plans respectively showing a first layer mask and a second layer mask which are original Cr-made masks (former reticules) for making masks for hologram. As shown in FIG. 7A, on a first layer mask 1 there are provided a first layer device area D1 located in a center and first layer alignment marks A1 at four corners. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, on a second layer mask 2 there are provided a second layer device region D2 and second layer alignment marks A2 at the four corners. A1 and A2 have different mark patterns.
FIGS. 8A and B are schematic, structural drawings showing respective processes when recording the device area and when recording alignment marks at the hologram mask (second layer mask). As shown in FIG. 8A, when recording the device area, recording on the hologram mask is carried out by object beams through the device area D2 and reference beams through prisms, with four alignment marks A2 of an original Cr mask 2 in a condition of its shielding plates closed.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, when recording the alignment marks, recording on the hologram mask is carried out by object beams through four alignment marks A2 of the original Cr mask 2, with the device area D2 in a condition of its shielding plate closed. On the hologram mask made herein, it is such that the mask is made with respective gaps of some 5 mm between the alignment marks and the device area. It should be noted that though not illustrated, in case of providing the alignment mark and alignment marks of other layers on the same mask, respective gaps of some 5 mm will be set up for providing them.
FIG. 9 is a schematic, structural drawing for explaining a method of aligning currently available exposure masks. As shown in FIG. 9, in a currently available case where there are many masks to be exposed such as a first layer mask (L1), a second layer mask (L2) . . . a seventh layer mask (L7), in view of necessity to maintain a minimum allowable gap between alignment marks on the same mask, alignment marks on the object such as a substrate, AL2-1, AL3-2, AL4-3, AL5-4, AL6-5, and AL7-6, with respective gaps of about 5 mm, are provided sequentially in the same placement direction for each alignment. It should be noted that in the drawing, masks are overlaid, one on top of the other, for the sake of explanation, whereas the actual alignment is carried out per mask between the upper layer side mark recorded on the hologram mask and the lower layer side mark recorded on the object. In such case where there are many masks to be exposed, an area, on which a device on the object can be prepared, significantly decreases in size.

Alignment method of exposure mask and manufacturing method of thin film element substrate


A device for decrypting data includes a number of devices secured by at least one security device. The secured devices include a receiver for receiving calculation data encrypted using a homomorphic encryption function and a decryptor for decrypting the encrypted calculation data by carrying out the inverse of the homomorphic encryption function on the encrypted calculation data using a private key assigned to the homomorphic encryption function. A method and a computer program product for decrypting data are also provided.

The present embodiments relate to the decryption of data using a cryptographically and/or physically secure apparatus.
In theoretical cryptography, the security of a cryptographic method is conventionally assessed using the input and output behavior. In this case, an attacker or a hacker may see only the input and/or the output of the cryptographically processed data and is then to draw conclusions on the cryptographic key used with knowledge of the method used.
For example, the computational steps of the cryptographic method are executed in a protected environment to which the attacker does not have access. In practice, such a secure computational environment may be simulated using a security token (e.g., a chip card or a dongle). The security token has various hardware and software protective measures that make it possible for the security token to be used both as a confidential and tamperproof memory for secret data (e.g., key material) and to directly execute parts of the application to be protected in the target system in the protected environment of the token. However, the security token may be greatly restricted with respect to the memory size of data and program memories and power and performance of the available computational capacity. Therefore, only the core cryptographic functions may be implemented in a security token. The largest part of the application or program then runs on a computer system with no level of protection or a considerably lower level of protection.
There are also approaches that make it possible to physically protect more powerful computer systems. However, the outlay for these measures and the additional costs during technical implementation are so high in relation to the levels of protection that may be achieved and the planned applications that such methods are used only for applications with military security.
If a cryptographic algorithm that requires an item of secret information is to be executed on a system that allows the attacker to follow the progress of the algorithm, further protective mechanisms are used in order to be protected against particular classes of attacks. If, for example, it is possible for the attacker to measure physical properties of the computational environment (e.g., runtime), dynamic current consumption or electromagnetic radiation, during the computation process, measures for warding off side-channel attacks are important.
If the computational environment for the cryptographic method includes a computer system that does not provide any physical protection, the attacker has complete control over the computational steps carried out and the processed data. In this case, the algorithm is to be implemented such that it is not possible for the attacker, even though the attacker may understand the execution of the algorithm down to the last detail, to understand the algorithm or to extract the processed secret. Such an implementation of an algorithm is referred to as obfuscated.
Methods for providing a secure calculation environment extend from pure software solutions to specially produced hardware or combinations of software and hardware. In this case, at least one security device that provides physical and/or cryptographic protection is used to implement the secure calculation environment. Pure software solutions are used if no further protective functions are available through the hardware of the computer system, or this is not desirable for reasons of cost. The program intended to be executed on the computer system may be changed by suitable code transformations (e.g., code obfuscation) such that reverse engineering by an attacker is made more difficult or is ideally prevented. Special techniques (e.g., white box cryptography) may be used in the software to protect secret key material. The level of security that may be achieved is low in comparison with techniques using hardware protective measures, and the transformation of the code may be associated with considerable performance losses and a considerably greater need for program and storage space.
In the solution approaches with hardware support, a security token is used in most applications to provide a secure computer system. Such a security token includes special hardware protective mechanisms (e.g., sensors for temperature, operating voltage, attacks using laser flashes, encrypted buses and memories, noise generators, random wait state generators, shields for protecting against probing using needles, special chip design styles etc.). Security tokens are simple computer systems including RAM, a non-volatile memory (e.g., flash or EEPROM), a CPU and IO interfaces (e.g., UART, SPI, USB, etc.), and provide a comparatively high level of security against attacks. The security tokens may include additional hardware for efficiently calculating cryptographic methods (e.g., DES accelerators, AES accelerators, arbitrary precision arithmetic units). The performance of the security tokens may be very restricted with respect to memory size, CPU speed and data throughput of the interfaces, with the result that only small, security-relevant parts of an application may be executed inside the token.
Alternatively, single-chip controllers specifically produced for security applications are also available on the market and may be used, for example, in embedded applications.
These computer systems may be somewhat more powerful than security tokens but make the design of a product considerably more expensive.
The entire device may be protected by special measures for designing the housing. Such measures extend from simple switches for detecting the opening of a housing, special housings, drill protection films, special printed circuit boards to production techniques such as casting or sealing. The devices may have an active sensor system in order to be able to detect and respond to tampering attempts and use an uninterruptible power supply with a battery for this purpose. A powerful computer system including standard components may be used inside such a device. However, the corresponding development and production outlay for such systems is high, with the result that such protective measures may only occur in military applications. Organizational measures for regularly exchanging the battery are additionally used in order to be able to provide availability of the devices.
Until a few years ago, a homomorphic encryption function was a concept only discussed in theoretical cryptography and intended to make it possible to implement a secure calculation environment for programs on unprotected computer systems solely using computational operations on encrypted data.
A method for implementing homomorphic encryption functions with all properties used to carry out any desired calculations under particular cryptographic complexity assumptions has been described (see Craig Gentry, A Fully Homomorphic Encryption Scheme, Dissertation, Stanford University, September 2009). The techniques described have been developed further, and performance has been improved (see Nigel P. Smart, Frederik Vercauteren, Fully Homomorphic Encryption with Relatively Small Key and Ciphertext Sizes, Public Key Cryptography 2010, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 6056, p. 420-443, Marten van Dijk, Craig Gentry, Shai Halevi, Vinod Vaikuntanathan, Fully Homomorphic Encryption over the Integers, Advances in Cryptography, EUROCRYPT 2010, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 6110, p. 24-43, and Craig Gentry, Shai Halevi, Fully Homomorphic Encryption without Squashing Using Depth-3 Arithmetic Circuits, FOCS 2011).


A profiled frame, as a window frame and/or door frame of a motor vehicle door or lid, is manufactured as a roll formed profile from flat strip material, in particular from flat steel, with a preferably closed hollow profile and with preferably at least one flange following the progression of the hollow profile, and with at least one contact surface (15) and/or one attachment formation (16) on the hollow profile and/or the flange. At least one contact surface (15) and/or attachment formation (16) is fashioned into an additional profile which is separate from a hollow profile, and that the additional profile is permanently and rigidly connected with said hollow profile, in particular welded to it.

The invention pertains to a profiled frame as a window frame and/or door frame of a motor vehicle door or lid with the characteristics set forth herein, a motor vehicle door or lid with such a profiled frame and a method for manufacturing such a profiled frame.
The state of the art regarding profiled frame doors, as well as the alternative punched shell doors, are explained in detail in DE 198 54 775 A1, to which reference shall be made herein as background. The profiled frame door according to this state of the art features a consistently identical built-in width of the profiled frame, with changes in the effective built-in width of the vehicle door implemented by means of add-on parts on the profiled frame. These add-on parts are mounted to the profiled frame in the final state, i.e. with the profiled frame completely formed.
A flange, which is tipped to a certain degree and at which a seal contact or attachment surface is fashioned, is integrated from the outset into the profiled frame, which is manufactured as a roll formed profile from flat strip material (DE 101 05 603 A1). This profiled frame is made of flat steel or flat light alloy. Where applicable, the flange is immediately trimmed to a shorter length than the hollow profile. In this context it is already known in the art to provide partial notches and trims in order to facilitate shorter bending radii or to correct changes in shape caused by the stretching process. This is the state of the art that the present invention is based on.
During roll forming, a profiled bar with a desired cross-section is produced from flat strip material, in particular flat steel, by several profiled roll pairs arranged one after the other and aligned differently. This profiled bar, which initially is produced from the coil as an endless product, is then cut to length after leaving the last profiling stage. The final product is thus a straight profiled bar with the desired geometry and the desired original length.
Right from the onset, the profiled bar is provided with appropriate contouring featuring seal contact surfaces and/or seal attachment formations or other profiles. According to the present invention, the contact surfaces and the attachment formations are in particular intended for seals, but they can also be used as an attachment or contact for other add-on parts.
The invention is based on the task to provide a profiled frame of the aforementioned kind which could be manufactured and installed in an even more optimal fashion. The same task applies to the further development of a motor vehicle door or lid, and to the embodiment of the manufacturing method known in the art.
The important issue is that the design of the profiled frame according to the invention adopts the basic hollow profile, which constitutes its foundation and is manufactured as a roll formed profile, from the state of the art, but that in doing so it also assign other functions, cross-sections and attachment possibilities to said hollow profile, especially at its ends, without increasing the complexity of its manufacture. On the contrary, by dividing the profiled frame into at least two separate profiles which are permanently and rigidly connected with each other, it is possible to achieve an optimal assignment of functions and requirements.


In some embodiments, the invention involves off-loading processor workloads to reduce power requirements of a multi-processor system. In one embodiment, a multi-processor system redistributes computing among the multiple processors and changes the state of one or more processors to sleep mode. In another embodiment, a multi-processor system throttles the processor speed of under-utilized processors to reduce power consumption. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

As higher density computing has come to the forefront, i.e., using more processors and more logical devices per square foot of lab space, organizations with large computing environments need more compute density. However, more computational density requires more power. There has been some attempt to perform power utilization solutions in existing personal computer systems, for instance, by implementation of power-saving stand-by mode which is a software directed/enabled capability. Existing solutions such as this technique may not be viable with respect to servers or high density computing. In a server lab with many computers, the power savings from shutting down one monitor is small compared to the power demands of the entire lab. Further, servers need to be up and running and available all of the time. When the computing environment consumes more energy, more heat is also produced, which requires more air conditioning. To make matters worse, some labs or buildings are limited in how much more air conditioning can be provided.

System and method to enable processor management policy in a multi-processor environment


An image sensor includes a first sensor layer having a first array of pixels and a second sensor layer having a second array of pixels. Each of the pixels has an optical center. The first sensor layer is stacked over the second sensor layer such that the optical centers of the first array of pixels are offset from the optical centers of the second array to form a predetermined pattern.

A typical image sensor has an image sensing portion that includes a photosensitive area for collecting a charge in response to incident light. Typically, these images sensors include a number of light sensitive pixels, often arranged in a regular pattern of rows and columns. Each pixel includes a photosensor, such as a photodiode, that produces a signal corresponding to the intensity of light impinging on that pixel when an image is focused on the array.
One type of image sensor is a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, in which the image sensing portion includes a photodiode for collecting charge and a transfer gate for transferring the charge from the photodiode to a charge-to-voltage conversion mechanism, such as a floating diffusion. Usually, the sensing portion and the control circuitry for the image sensor are fabricated within a single material layer.
In an effort to increase the number of pixels provided in an image sensor, pixel size has been decreasing. An advantage of moving to smaller pixels is that it increases the resolution of the image for a fixed optical format. Specifically, smaller pixels have a better modulation transfer function (MTF), and can thus discriminate fine details in an image, such the lines on a finely striped shirt.
However, as pixels made using CMOS processes scale to smaller dimensions, several performance properties of the imagers using these pixels can degrade. Particularly, optical sensitivity (OS) degrades quickly. This is because both the quantum efficiency (QE) degrades with decreasing aperture size, and the pixel area also shrinks. Because OS depends on the product of QE and pixel area, OS is negatively impacted by both.
Thus, a need exists for an improved image sensor structure.

Image sensor having multiple sensing layers


A method for processing spherical video data is described including a data processor providing spherical video data in the form of projected video frames to an input of an encoder process, a projected video frame including one or more pixel regions, the one or more pixel regions representing pixels of spherical video data projected onto one or more 2D projection surfaces of a projection model, preferably an equirectangular or a 3D polyhedron projection model, for projecting spherical video data onto a rectangular 2D surface of a video frame; wherein the providing of spherical video data may comprise: generating a set of modified projected video frames on the basis of a projected video frame, the generating including applying different shift and/or rotation operations to pixels, preferably one or more pixel regions, of the selected projected video frame; applying an image analysis algorithm to the modified projected video frames, the image analysis algorithm determining an image analysis parameter for a least part of the modified projected video frames, the image analysis parameter being indicative for the encoding efficiency and/or image quality; and, selecting a modified projected video frame from the set of modified projected video frames, the selected modified projected video frame being associated with an image analysis parameter indicative of the best encoding efficiency and/or image quality.

Currently an increasingly number of professional and consumer-grade cameras are able to produce 360-degree or omnidirectional video content. This content, which can be regarded as pixels arranged on a spherical surface, is hereafter referred to in short as spherical video content. The delivery of spherical video content usually requires a higher bandwidth than conventional videos. Spherical video content represents a wider field of view than conventional videos and thus contains more information from the original scene than conventional video. Typically, however only a portion of the spherical video content is displayed to the user. This portion is typically referred to as viewport which is characterised by the Field of View (FoV), i.e. the (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) angular extent of a given visual scene that is displayed to the user, and depends on the direction the user is watching. Pixels arranged on a spherical surface however cannot be handled directly by current video coding systems which are configured to process standardized video data formats referred to as video frames, i.e. rectangular arrangements of pixels. For that reason, spherical video content is processed before it is fed to the input of an encoding device.
A typical processing chain for spherical video content may include capturing of panoramic images with a panoramic or 360-degree image capturing systems which typically include multiple image sensors (e.g. CMOS or CCD censors), then stitching separate images from the individual image sensors together in an image stitching operation into spherical video data that forms the spherical video content, and forming 2D rectangular image frames on the basis of spherical image data which are subsequently encoded by an encoding device (an encoder). The encoded spherical video data may be provided to (e.g. transmitted to) media playback devices and displayed using e.g. Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) or on other displays. The media playback devices are configured to decode and render the encoded spherical video data, usually based on sensor information measuring user movements (e.g. viewpoint direction), or based on other user input (e.g. joystick, keyboard, touchscreen).
The formation of 2D rectangular image frames on the basis of spherical video data into may typically include a projection of the spherical video data onto the surfaces of a geometrical object (an object having straight edges) and mapping of the projected surfaces onto a rectangular shape. For encoding spherical video content, a 2D rectangular video frame is the most convenient form for use as input to the encoder, as it does not require modifications to existing encoding systems. Different projection models, such as an equirectangular projection (ERP), cube or pyramid projection model exist. In case of ERP in which a sphere is projected onto a rectangle using the polar angles as the horizontal and vertical coordinates projection and mapping are realized in one step. In this case, the mapping is incorporated in the projection step as the EPR projection directly results into a rectangular shape. Both the equirectangular and other projection formats can be fed directly into existing encoding schemes, such as H.264/AVC and HEVC.
A problem with the known transformations of spherical video data into 2D (e.g. rectangular) video frames is that these transformations introduce pixel regions in the 2D frame due to the fact that the spherical video is projected onto one or more 2D planes. The combined step of projecting a sphere onto the 2D faces of a 3D (polyhedronic) object, e.g. a cube, and mapping the faces onto a 2D rectangle, results in an arrangement of neighbouring pixels regions wherein the boundaries of these pixel regions may form artificial and sometimes discontinuous pixel boundaries. These boundaries, which hereafter may be referred to as region boundaries, are artificial in that they do not represent an actual, physical boundary in the captured scene. As a result, one or more region boundaries are created in the 2D video frame that is provided to the input of an encoder. In the prior art, object movements and/or areas with high information density (e.g. areas comprising a large number of details and/or edges) in a scene of spherical content may be traversed (e.g. dissected) by these region boundaries, due to the fact that the projection steps are preconfigured and indiscriminate of the video content itself. This way, a natural phenomenon in the real-world scene may thus lead to a significant, artificially created motion in different and discontinuous areas of the 2D rectangular video frames.
When encoding video frames comprising such region boundaries using a state-of-the art encoding scheme, such as H.264/AVC or HEVC, the region boundaries may thus lead to reduced coding performance; i.e. a higher visual impairment at a given target bit rate, or a higher bit rate for a target visual quality. Region boundaries may interfere with existing features of a state of the art coding system such as inter-frame prediction and motion compensation and spatial intra-frame prediction.
For example, region boundaries may increase the entropy in the motion vectors and reduce the compression gain. In most extreme cases, the motion vectors are restricted to a certain area of the frame. In that case, no motion vector will be use to predict between two video frames an object going from one frame edge to another, hence decreasing the ability of the encoder to efficiently compress the video sequence.
Additionally, when objects that are imaged in a picture cross region boundaries, there is an increased risk that an encoder uses different encoding strategies for pixels associated with the different pixel regions. This way, one part of an object in a first pixel region may be encoded with a coding strategy that is different from the other part of the object that is located in another pixel region that neighbours the first pixel region. For example, an encoder may use different prediction parameters to predict pixels associated with the different pixel regions in a single frame.
After decoding the encoded data into 2D rectangular frames, the playout device renders a spherical surface and textures the spherical surface with the video frames. The different encoding strategies may cause differences in quality, which may be become visible in the rendered video images as one or more artifacts, e.g. as a thin line or the like, and thus degrading the visual quality of the rendered content.
Hence, from the above it follows there is a need in the art for improved methods and systems for processing of spherical video data. In particular, there is a need in the art for methods and systems that are able to process spherical video data such that detrimental effects of the transformation of the spherical video data in a rectangular video frame is reduced such that the encoding efficiently increased and that the visual quality of the rendered content is improved.

Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO


To improve the detection reliability in the detection of sticking of a foreign matter and minimize a sticking load, a power window is provided with a window frame sensor disposed along the inner peripheral edge of a window frame and a drive motor for advancing and retreating a window glass in accordance with an external signal. A control circuit makes a duty control for a transistor to decrease the operating speed of the window glass when the pressure detected by the window frame sensor becomes larger than a predetermined value during a closing operation of the window glass. Thereafter, when the drive load of the drive motor exceeds a predetermined value, a relay is switched over to operate the window glass reverse in the opening direction.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a power window and more particularly to a power window for use in a vehicular window or the like which power window can prevent sticking of a foreign matter in the vehicular window.
2. Description of Related Art
The number of vehicles equipped with a power window is increasing, which utilizes the driving force of a motor whereby a light touch to an operating switch permits easy opening or closing of the window glass of a door the like. However, when the window glass of a rear seat door is to be opened or closed with an operating switch provided near the driver's seat, the driver sometimes does not become aware of a foreign matter being caught in the window glass due to the presence of a dead angle.
In view of the above point there has been tried to provide a power window with a sticking sensor to prevent sticking of a foreign matter in the window glass of a vehicular door. For example, in JP-A-7-4137, there is disclosed a device which detects the sticking of a foreign matter on the basis of both a detected signal from a window frame sensor, e.g. tape switch, disposed along the peripheral edge of a window frame and a lock signal based on overload of a drive motor.
According to the sticking detecting device disclosed in the above publication, both window frame sensor and locking of the drive motor are used to prevent a malfunction caused by mischief or the like and thereby improve the reliability of detection. However, with the recent spread of the power window, it is desired to further improve the reliability.
Further, the detection sensitivity of a window frame sensor is relatively high [about 5 N (newton) or more], while the detection sensitivity for a drive motor overload is relatively low (about 40 N or more), so by merely taking an AND condition of the detection using a window frame sensor and that using a drive motor there arises the problem that a fairly large sticking force is already exerted even if the window glass is started to operate in the reverse direction, or opening direction, at the time of detection.

Power window with detecting function of sticking of foreign matter


Flow rate of material passing through a partition diaphragm of a ball mill is regulated. One end of a disc controller is mounted on an outer shell of the ball mill, and a control disc is mounted on the other end through a diaphragm chamber formed inside the partition diaphragm. The disc controller performs an opening and closing operation of a discharge opening by moving to and from a center core A disk adjust bar 41, a universal joint 45 and a disc holder bar 50 are connected in such a manner as to be separately bendable with respect to each other. The opening and closing operation performed by the control disc is not affected by deformation of the outer shell of the ball mill or any positional change during operation.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a ball mill for grinding materials such as cement clinker and, more particularly, to a flow rate regulator to be used in combination with a partition diaphragm in the ball mill, the partition diaphragm being formed inside a body of the mill and having multi-grinding chambers.
2. Prior art
Generally, plural grinding chambers, i.e., multi-grinding chambers are provided in a ball mill for the purpose of improving productivity while reducing energy cost per material thereby improving the grinding efficiency as a whole, and in which a series of grinding processes are performed comprising the steps of primarily grinding a bulky material using a ball of large diameter (serving as grinding medium) in a primary grinding chamber; filtering the material ground to a certain grain size; feeding the filtered material to a secondary grinding chamber; and grinding the fed material finely.
For that purpose, it is an essential requirement to balance the level of material supplied in the primary grinding chamber with the level of material supplied in the secondary grinding chamber. It is often the case, however, that the amount of material fed from the primary grinding chamber to the secondary grinding chamber passing through the filtering slits exceeds the grinding capacity of the secondary grinding chamber, and that a number of relatively large size grains are mixed in the material and left in the material fed to the secondary grinding chamber and discharged therefrom as they are not ground further. This results in the application of a further load on the secondary grinding chamber. Such a disadvantage can be obviously recognized by checking the lowest level of the material presented in the vertical section of the first and second grinding chambers as shown in FIG. 5. That is, referring to FIG. 5, the level of the moving material immediately before the partition diaphragm of the primary grinding chamber is largely lowered, and as a result the grinding efficiency at this portion is also largely lowered. This negative influence is carried over to the next secondary grinding chamber, and such an unbalanced movement of the material will eventually bring about a decline in the grinding performance of the entire ball mill.
To regulate the balance between the two grinding chambers, first it is necessary to establish a suitable clearance of the slits of the partition diaphragm. Then it is preferable to appropriately regulate the rate of flow from the partition diaphragm to the secondary grinding chamber. It is to be noted that even though a rate of flow is once adequately balanced and the grinding operation takes place efficiently for a certain period based upon such predetermined balance, it is often the case that grindability and grain size distribution of cement clinker ground by the ball mill is not always constant but variable. It is, therefore, required to regulate the rate of flow from time to time following the variation.
To meet the mentioned requirement, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model publication (unexamined) No.1-174047 proposed a construction as shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6(B), in which a screen plate 11b of the primary grinding chamber side is disposed on the front face of a partition diaphragm 1b and a screen plate 12b of the secondary grinding chamber is disposed on the rear face thereof to form a diaphragm chamber 14b in a space between the two screen plates. The circumference of the partition diaphragm is divided radially from a center core 2b into several divisions, and in each of the divisions a disc controller 4b is provided through the diaphragm chamber 14b from the outer shell 3b toward the center. A control disc 6b is mounted on one end of the disc controller 4b to open and close a discharge opening 17b provided surrounding the center core 2b by engaging and disengaging with a control disc seat 9 adjacent the discharge opening 17b. The disc controller 4b is supported by a support 10 in the diaphragm chamber and secured by driving a screw through the outer shell 3b of the mill on the outer periphery thereof. Accordingly, when driving the screw, the control disc 6b moves separating itself from the control disc seat 9, thereby all material in the diaphram chamber moves into the secondary grinding chamber. In this manner, the rate of flow passing through the diaphram chamber can be regulated by adjusting the relative position between the disc controller 4b and the control disc seat 9.
As is well known, a ball mill for grinding cement clinker is a rotating apparatus having a huge cylinder, the diameter of which amounts to 5.2 m with a length of up to 16.0 m (in case of the largest one) and in which a heavy weight ball is inserted and material to be ground is supplied. Moreover, the internal part of the ball mill is heated to high temperatures due to the heat generated by frictional grinding of the material. Also strong impact and vibration are directly applied to the body of the mill. Thus, it may be said that a ball mill is forced to perform operations under very severe conditions.
As a result, it is certain that a position of the disc controller with respect to the control disc seat can be adjusted in the early stage by loosening the screw with a tool such as a spanner from the outer shell of the mill thereby moving the disc controller forward or backward, but with the lapse of operating time the outer shell itself of the cylinder becomes deformed losing its circularity and, moreover, distortion between the control disc 6 and disc controller 4 occurs, and deformation and twisting of the disc controller itself are unavoidable. Thus, there is a possibility that the support 10 which has exactly supported the disc controller in the early stage of the grinding operation now acts to obstruct the forward or backward movement of the disc controller. In other words, there still remain several constructional disadvantages to be solved in the mentioned prior art in the sense of not being sufficiently resistant and endurable to the mentioned severe conditions peculiar to a huge apparatus such as a ball mill.

Flow rate regulator for use in a ball mill