An in-service activator for a broadband exchanger has a dual system structure, in which a first system and a second system form a dual pair. The first system and the second system in the dual pair each has at least one [1] channel converter and a switcher. A channel converter stores channel setting information for use in routing a cell inputted from a line, and outputs the cell inputted from the line by attaching the channel setting information to the cell. The switcher switches a cell outputted from a channel converter. The interfacer stores, in a channel converter of a to-be-activated standby system in the dual pair, the channel setting information read from the corresponding channel converter of an act system in the duplex pair.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to an in-service activator for booting up switchers in a standby system of a broadband exchanger having a dual system structure.
2. Description of the Related Arts
With recent wide-spread use of data communications, public lines have been carrying not only traditional voice messages but also other vital data in general, communication networks of the future must provide even more accurate transmissions and higher-quality exchanges.
A broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) has been realized as a communication network capable of handling high speed data transferred at a rate in the range of one hundred fifty mega bits per second [150 Mbps] to six hundred mega bits per second [600 Mbps], and various interfaces are being standardized. The CCITT has studied an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) transmission system.
For instance, a broadband exchanger of an ATM transmission system transmits and exchanges data transported in different bands by splitting them into pieces (called cells) of information having a fixed length of a few tens of bytes. A cell has a header for storing information such as a virtual channel identifier (VCI) which provides information to a subscriber on the receiving side. Hardware of an ATM switcher transmits and exchanges cells to a subscriber which receives the cells at a high speed by using a header. This enables transmission paths to be utilized efficiently by flexibly performing a service requiring different transmission speeds.
In the above described switching operation, the processor of an ATM exchanger designates a memory buffer of a switcher in the switching module in which each cell is to be laid up. Because a cell flows autonomously in the network, this arrangement of a cell switching operation is called self-routing. A subscriber extracts necessary cells by their VCIs from an ATM highway and restores payload data (user-originated information) by eliminating their headers.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications route in an ATM exchanger.
Each of trunks 2 accommodates a corresponding one of subscriber lines 1 on the input side. A virtual channel controller (VCC) 5 receives outputs from the trunks 2. Based on the call control information from the processor of the ATM exchanger, the VCC 5 reattaches VCIs in the headers of cells supplied from subscriber lines 1 through the trunks 2 by changing them from the ones giving information on their current destinations, i.e. current output nodes (ATM switcher), to the ones giving information on their next destinations, i.e. next output nodes (ATM switcher), and attaches at the head ends of those cells tags giving information on the switching paths within a multistage self-routing module (MSSR) 6 to target output highways 8. A plurality of multiplexer (MUXs) 3 partially multiplex outputs from the VCC 5. Input highways 4 carry corresponding outputs from the MUXs 3.
The MSSR 6 forming substantive communications paths receives outputs from the MUXs 3 through input highways 4.
The MSSR 6 outputs cells through output highways 8 to corresponding demultiplexers (DMUXs) 9, which demultiplex them for outputs through corresponding trunks 7 to subscriber lines 1' on the output side.
As described earlier, a broadband exchanger such as an ATM exchanger must be highly reliable. This is because the transmission capacity of such an exchanger is so large, that its failure may paralyze all the connected systems.
Hence, a broadband exchanger has a dual system structure for meeting the high reliability requirement. One [1] system in the dual system structure ordinarily calls the other system in the same dual system structure a mate system. A system in active use called an active system is backed up by a system in reserve called a standby system in a dual system structure. Thus, usually, the standby system is the mate system for the active system, and the active system is the mate system for the standby system.
A processing by an active system to put the mate system from an out-of-service [OUS] status (standing-by as a backup with no paths set in its switchers) to an in-service [INS] status (actually performing services) is called an INS processing.
When the active system in such a duplex structure system cannot continue its service for one reason (e.g. a breakdown) or another, the INS processing is executed to boot up its mate system, i.e. the standby system, to an in-service status. The INS processing must be executed as fast as possible to minimize a temporary system suspension.
Because a failure occurring in a standby system cannot be detected at all times, its normality is monitored by intermittent checkups.
That is, for confirming each of the two [2] systems (system #0 and system #1) of a broadband exchanger having a dual system structure is normal, a central controller regularly checks them with a diagnostic program. If system #0 is in active use backed up by system #1 in reserve, the central controller diagnoses system #1 in reserve by booting it up from the out-of-service status to the in-service status.
An INS processing system is sought after for promptly performing an INS processing without an increase in load on the central controller.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a broadband exchanger pursuant to a prior art example.
A broadband exchanger 100A has a dual system structure. Channel converters 10a, . . . and 10b and 11a, . . . and 11b give channel setting information for routing cells inputted from lines and comprise tables for storing channel setting information. Switchers 20 and 21 form paths designated by channel setting information set by the channel converters 10a, . . . and 10b and 11a, . . . and 11b. Central controllers 30 and 31 execute switching processes. Switch accessors 40 and 41 exchange control information between the channel converters 10a, . . . and 10b and 11a, . . . and 11b and the central controllers 30 and 31. The parts numbered zero [0] at the least significant bit are for system #0 in active use and the parts numbered one [1] at the least significant bit are for system #1 in reserve.
Switcher 20 is in an in-service status and switcher 21 is in an out-of-service status. The system currently in use is called an active system.
Central controller 30 sets to switcher 21 the same paths as those set in switcher 20 by sending commands to channel converters 11a, . . . and 11b and boots up switcher 21 from an out-of-service status to an in-service status, thereby setting the same paths as the active system. This allows the same processings, such as failure supervisions.
According to the prior art example shown in FIG. 2, the channel setting information written in the head end of a cell inputted from a line is analyzed for setting the necessary paths in switcher 20. The channel setting information is stored in the tables of channel converters 10a, . . . and 10b.
That is, the tables of channel converters 10a, . . . and 10b of system #0 in active use (i.e. the act system) respectively store paths, i.e. arteries, within switcher 20. The tables of channel converters 11a, . . . and 11b of system #1 in reserve (i.e. the standby system) store the same contents of the tables of channel converters 10a, . . . and 10b of system #0 in active use. This enables the standby system, which is the mate system of the active system, to operate in the same manner as the active system.
When the earlier described INS processing is performed, the contents in the tables of channel converters 10a, . . . and 10b of system #0 in active use are copied to the tables of channel converters 11a, . . . and 11b of system #1 in reserve. Then, switcher 21 sets paths for switching cells pursuant to the contents of the tables of channel converters 11a, . . . and 11b.
Therefore, to boot up switcher 21 from an out-of-service status to an in-service status, central controller 30 sends to switch accessor 41 commands for setting the same number of paths as that of the paths set in switcher 20 of system #0 in active use.
Therefore, the larger the size of a conventional exchanger, the more time it takes for software processing. This not only lowers the throughput of central controller 30 for other processings but also requires a large amount of time for an INS processing itself.

In-service activator for a broadband exchanger


An environment map generating apparatus is provided. The environment map generating apparatus includes: a storage unit, a cross-sectional image generating unit, a model processing unit, an obtaining unit and an environment map generating unit. The storage unit stores a model of an obstacle. The cross-sectional image generating unit generates a cross-sectional image of a model of an obstacle at a predetermined height from a reference plane in an environment. The model processing unit generates a cross-sectional image-appended model by superimposing the cross-sectional image onto the model of the obstacle. The obtaining unit obtains an obstacle map at the predetermined height from the reference plane in the environment. The environment map generating unit generates an environment map where the cross-sectional image-appended model is superimposed in a semitransparent state onto the corresponding obstacle in the obstacle map.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an environment map generating apparatus, environment map generating method, and environment map generating program that generate an environment map showing the geometric form of an environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
To enable a robot to move automatically in a certain environment (such as an office or a factory), data showing the geometric form of the environment (for example, information showing how obstacles such as chairs and desks are laid out and showing the forms of such chairs and desks) is normally required. Such data showing the geometric form of an environment is called an "environment map". An apparatus for generating such environment map is called an "environment map generating apparatus". By reading an environment map into a robot, it becomes possible for the robot itself to prepare a route plan so that the robot will move while avoiding obstacles and the like. Accordingly, it is important to generate an environment map that corresponds to the actual environment.
As one example, T. Tsubouchi, A. Tanaka, A. Ishioka, M. Tomono, S. Yuta, "A SLAM Based Teleoperation and Interface System for Indoor Environment Reconnaissance in Rescue Activities", IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Vol. 2, pp. 1096-1102, 2004 proposes a technology that lays out models of obstacles by superimposing the models at appropriate positions on a map (hereinafter simply "robot map") generated based on measurement data produced by a laser distance sensor that measures the external form of the environment, obstacles, and the like. The technology disclosed by the above-described Non-Patent Document generates images where models of obstacles present in a space are viewed from above (hereinafter, such images are called "overhead images of obstacles") and by having the user lay out such images so as to be superimposed on a robot map, an environment map is generated as coordinate data including two-dimensional information.

Environment map generating apparatus, environment map generating method, and environment map generating program


A substantially purified saccular collagen protein and compositions, including pharmaceutical compositions, that comprise the saccular collagen protein are disclosed. Methods of using the saccular collagen which comprise injecting the saccular collagen into the tissue of an individual are disclosed. Antibodies which bind to the saccular collagen protein, nucleic acid molecules which encode the saccular collagen protein, and oligonucleotides which are identical or complementary to at least a portion of the sequence that encodes the saccular collagen proteins are disclosed. Recombinant expression vector that comprise nucleic acid molecules that encode the saccular collagen protein and host cells, including the cells of transgenic animals, which comprise the recombinant expression vectors are disclosed.

Collagen is a polypeptide substance comprising one third of the total protein in mammalian organisms. It is the main constituent of skin, connective tissue, and the organic substance of bones and teeth. Collagen production in the body is preceded by the formation of a much larger molecule, the biosynthetic precursor procollagen, which is degraded by specific enzymes to form collagen.
Different types of collagen exist. They are all composed of molecules whose predominant feature is a triple helical rod or fibrillar conformation to fill in extracellular space. The amino acid sequence of the a-chain is mostly a repeating structure with glycine in every third position and proline or 4-hydroxyproline frequently proceeding the glycine residues. Slight differences in the primary structure establish the differences between the types of collagen. Collagen is differentiated from the accompanying extracellular matrix proteins, such as, for example, elastin and reticulin, by 1) its content of proline, hydroxyproline, and hydroxylysine, by 2) the absence of tryptophan and its low tyrosine and sulfur content, but particularly by 3) its high content of polar groups originating from the difunctional amino acids. The polar groups are responsible for the swelling properties leading eventually to dispersion of collagen in dilute acid. There is a need for compositions which alter tissue size, shape, and/or density. There is also a need for a method of altering tissue size, shape, and/or density.

Saccular collagen and compositions and methods for making and using the same

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


A computer based system for adjusting the pressure in pneumatic tires prompts the operator for pressure and vehicle type information. Comparison of vehicle type with predetermined pressure ranges is used to detect erroneously entered pressure values. A remote pressure sensor is used together with a intermittent inflation/deflation schedule to permit equalization of the hose and tire pressure without metering valves. The sampling rate of pressure in the schedule is based on total tire volume input by the user or deduced from the inflation rate.

The present invention relates to systems for inflating pneumatic tires and, in particular, to a system for automatically inflating a pneumatic tire to a pre-selected pressure.
Tire pressure critically affects how long a pneumatic tire lasts and the fuel economy and handling characteristics of the vehicle on which the tires are mounted. Tire pressure may change over time as a result of fluctuations in air temperature and through small leaks between the rim and hub of the tire or through the tire's valve. For this reason, tire pressure should be checked periodically and corrected either by inflation or deflation as may be necessary.
It is convenient to check tire pressure at the time the vehicle is being serviced or fueled. Service stations often have a source of compressed air for operating pneumatic tools and tires may be inflated using a hose from this source having the proper chuck for connecting to the tire's valve stem. Using such an unregulated source of air pressure, the tire pressure is corrected on a trial and error basis by inflating (or deflating) the tire and frequently removing the chuck from the valve stem to check progress with a hand-held pressure gauge.
This method requires some skill and an accurate hand pressure gauge and thus may require the assistance of service station personnel, distracting them from their other duties. To the extent that the use of the hand gauge encourages a person to be close to the inflating tire, the risk of injury from an exploding tire is increased.
Automated inflation devices are known which inflate a tire under the control of a mechanical or electrical pressure switch. Such devices that have found their way into common usage have proven to be inaccurate and have fallen into disfavor.
The difficulty of providing a low cost automatic inflation device arises from the high cost of rugged and accurate pressure metering devices, lack of knowledge by the automotive public as to the proper operation of such devices, and the significant problems of safety and reliability of a mechanism operating largely unattended by inexperienced individuals.


There are provided a method for selecting an optimal beam to improve digital broadcasting receiving performance, and a digital broadcasting receiving apparatus using the same. The method includes the steps of: a) calculating a mainpath Signal to Multipath signal and Noise Ratio (SMNR) based on a channel impulse response for a plurality of beams which are formed according to steering directions from output signals of antennas, wherein the output signal of each antenna has different phase shift according to location of antenna element; b) selecting a predetermined number of beams having a high SMNR value by comparing the calculated SMNR value for respective beam; c) calculating a mainpath Signal to Dominant Multipath signal Ratio (SDMR) based on a channel impulse response corresponding to the selected beam; and d) selecting a beam output signal having the biggest SDMR value by comparing SDMR values calculated in selecting a predetermined number of beams.

A digital Television (DTV) transmission system adopting an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) scheme transmits high quality image to users at a high data rate. However, receiving performance depends on a Doppler transition effect or a multipath signal. Accordingly, the receiving performance is deteriorated since an equalizer of the DTV does not compensate perfectly for the distortion of a channel in a poor channel environment such as an indoor receiving environment or a mobile receiving environment.
A method for reducing the channel distortion to be compensated in the equalizer is proposed, and the method for reducing the channel distortion performs a signal process in a spatial domain as well as in a time domain.
Conventional beam forming technologies are classified into an adapted beam forming method and a switched beam selection method.
The adapted beam forming method calculates weight coefficients for beam forming adaptively and in real time.
The switched beam selection method forms a plurality of beams by using weight coefficients fixed to predetermined directions, and selects and uses a signal having the best receiving performance among a plurality of beams.
Thus, the switched beam selection method is embodied more simply than the adapted beam forming method and is easily applicable to a DTV system.
That is, the switched beam selection method comes into the spotlight, since the method improves the receiving performance through relatively simple method in a receiver of the DTV.
Since a received signal via the switched beam selection system is inputted to the receiver of the DTV after most multipath signals are removed, an equalizer of the receiver of the DTV can compensate for remaining distortion of the received signal easily.
In more details, the beam selection method in the conventional switched beam selection technology calculates a channel impulse response based on each beam output, and then selects a beam having the least number of multipath signals. The multipath signals each has a value higher than a predetermined threshold value.

Method for selecting optimal beam and apparatus for receiving digital broadcasting signal using the same

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A screw press includes a drive with at least one spindle nut which is vertically adjustable at a threaded spindle and to which is fastened an upper press part or the like. A guide column is connected at the underside of the upper press part at one end, and the guide column is loaded in tension by the drive during the pressing process.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a screw press having a drive with at least one spindle nut which is vertically adjustable at a threaded spindle and to which is fastened an upper press part, a ram or the like.
2. Detailed Description of the Prior Art
Along with hydraulic presses, mechanical screw presses are widely used and are known in a great variety of constructional forms. The operating principle of the screw press has remained unchanged over the ages. A screw or threaded spindle which is usually arranged perpendicular to a press table is set in rotation by a drive, thereby raising a spindle nut that can be fixed in relation to the press table in a variety of ways. DE 201 08 706 U1 discloses a screw press in which a ram is fixed to a housing-fixed spindle nut. In this embodiment form, the tubular ram in coaxial arrangement overlaps a free end of the threaded spindle which, at the other end above a press table, is set in rotation by an electric drive.
Other constructional forms of screw presses are described in DE 20 2005 013 002 U1, DE 20 2011 004 317 U1 and DE 20 2011 002 788 U1. In these generic screw presses, an upper press part is moved relative to a press table. Because a process of this kind must be carried out in a very exact manner, e.g. four drive-independent column-like guides are provided in these screw presses between the press table and the upper press part. The drive of at least two, usually four, threaded spindles is arranged in or under the press table. The spindle nuts which are vertically adjustable on the threaded spindles are fixed to the upper press part, and the threaded rods penetrate the upper press part at a slight height thereof above the press table.
In presses of this kind having an upper press part moving along guides, a further problem consists in accurately identifying the pressing force during a pressing process.
When a load cell which senses the threaded spindle coaxially and provides exact values is provided between the spindle nuts in the screw press according to DE 201 08 706 U1, transducers are arranged in or on the press table in the generic presses under discussion; the readings of these transducers have limited meaning when the press table is loaded asymmetrically.


The invention relates to the combination of lower transmittance etalons with higher transmittance filters, including use of a single circular polarizer with high efficiency and optical performance for its filtered polarization, to achieve necessary throughput of a narrow bandpass region. The lower transmittance etalons can be achieved by using lower transmittance solid-state etalon materials, or by control of the coatings on the etalon. Alternate configurations are described that reduce the optical assembly's footprint, and/or include additional filters to remove stray light. An innovative option to heat the etalon directly is disclosed to actively stabilize and maintain the etalon's bandpass.

Interest in telescopes continues to increase as both professional and amateur astronomers make new discoveries. Optical filter assemblies for telescopes have demanding requirements for stability as well as optical quality, due to the fact that long viewing times are often employed to observe quiescent solar features. This places additional demands on the safety, stability and physical construction of the filter assemblies.
Solar telescopes have the additional requirement that discrete, weak signals must be discriminated against an extremely bright background. First, this is needed to protect the eyes of the viewer, or to avoid saturation and overload of a detector. Second, many events of interest, such as solar flares or filaments, are transient, and would be lost against the bright background signal of the solar luminance without additional filtering. Third, filters that selectively block the high background signal are desired so the observer may discern more details in discrete or transient events.
Narrow bandpass filters and spectrophotometric techniques can be used to block some of the background signal, and aid discrimination of discrete events. Spectrophotometric techniques are particularly suitable for instrumental detection systems, and narrow bandpass filters are more practical for direct telescope viewing. A narrow bandpass filter is precisely designed to control (either block or transmit) light in an extremely narrow wavelength region. For instance, for solar event observation, a wavelength region of particular interest is the Hα atomic line emission centered at 656.28 nm. Hydrogen accounts for more than 91% of the composition of the sun, and this emission line is quite prevalent. Because this atomic emission line is in the visible spectrum, it is readily accessible to human observation—if the bright and extensive background spectrum ranging from the deep ultraviolet (UV) through the far infrared (IR) region can be blocked. Hence, combinations of filters are typically employed to remove exposure to excess light from outside the region of interest, and selectively pass light from the chosen band to the eye.
Narrow bandpass filters are often made by thin film technologies that combine multilayer stacks of coatings to create constructive or destructive interference with the light impinging on the filter. Spacer layers are employed to further narrow the bandpass, but deposited spacer layers can become increasingly lossy, and affect the overall performance of the filter. Therefore, another approach is to form an etalon, in which a physical spacer layer is interposed between reflectors or interference stacks. Etalons fall broadly into two categories: air-gapped, or solid-state.
Air-gapped etalons have been widely used for decades in research telescopes as well as other optical applications. Two plates coated with selective reflectors or other coatings are held at a controllable distance from each other. In principle, this distance can be adjusted to tune the etalon onto the precise narrow spectral band of interest—at least within a narrow tuning window. In practice, the difficulty is to maintain this desired distance, and therefore the spectral position of the narrow bandpass filter, in the face of barometric pressure changes, temperature changes, or even typical transport or alignment changes as one tracks across the sky. If the spacing changes even slightly, the interference design can be detuned to the extent that the narrow band of interest is now blocked from observation. In addition, the coated plates are typically extremely thin optical materials and therefore fragile. Hence, active control of temperature or pressure is typically combined with this technology, by placing the assembly in a heated case, or by more involved pressure control methods such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,204,771 and 6,269,202, incorporated by reference. Other methods of tuning and stabilizing the etalon, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,710,655 and 6,452,725, which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, add specific, additional layers to the etalon that will alter the etalon's composite refractive index and therefore bandpass location in response to variable voltage or thermal changes. Such control systems add complexity, bulk and cost, and may have slow response times to changing conditions.
Solid-state etalons use an extremely high quality crystalline material or optical flat as the "spacer". Thus, the solid-state etalon has a more robust foundation than a variable air gap design. The required etalon coatings are then formed on the outside surfaces of the solid spacer material. This means the spectral range of the narrow bandpass will be more stable to pressure and temperature changes, because it is physically held in position by the solid spacer. However, one can easily understand that significant expense, skill and time may be required to create a spacer of sufficient flatness, transmission and purity to support the reflector layers. In addition, if the manufactured bandpass is even fractionally off-alignment from the wavelength of interest, the etalon must be physically tilted to change the effective pathlength through the filter, and this may alter its aperture or aspect ratio in an optical assembly. Nonetheless, such tilt control can be implemented easily and reproducibly, and actually may be used advantageously to redirect stray reflections out of the optical path.
In any optical assembly, there will be concern with overall light throughput. Often solid-state etalons suffer from absorption losses due to impurities or irregularities in the crystal structure, or to their inherent optical properties. Hence, one commonly chooses materials with the highest transmittance, so that subsequent optical losses throughout the system can be better accommodated. For instance, while mica cleaves cleanly along parallel crystal plates, it is difficult to control reproducibly, and may contain inclusions. Moreover, mica has lower transmissivity than silica, lithium niobate, or other crystals, especially the less expensive and more common varieties of mica. This has lead to the continued development of carefully controlled synthesized crystals rather than the use of natural materials. Unfortunately, such synthesis is typically accompanied by higher costs. Nonetheless, with the increased emphasis on high transmissivity starting materials to counteract other system losses, this extra cost is commonly perceived as a necessity for the required optical performance, and the lower transmissivity mica materials typically have been avoided as unsuitable for high precision use.
While the etalon defines the narrow bandpass of interest, for practical applications, one combines the etalon with other filters to further enhance rejection of stray, excess and extraneous light. This is particularly important in sensitive detection systems because etalons tend to transmit light from multiple reflections within the spacer of the etalon, giving rise to closely spaced "orders" of passbands. Hence, combinations of etalons with various, broader band blocking filters or rejection filters have been reported since at least the 1960s, and used in telescopes, including the Hα telescope designed for the Skylab mission, remote sensing systems, and spectral analysis.
Exemplary systems often include rejection filter(s) to block light well away from the spectral region of interest (UV and/or IR filters, for instance) and furthermore, use additional visible light filters to remove or block higher order overtone transmissions.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,070, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, uses a tunable acousto-optic filter in combination with an etalon to actively select bandpasses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,743, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a sophisticated system for measuring solar magnetic fields by actively tuning an etalon between different bandpasses. In this complex system, a first bandpass is chosen to infer the solar magnetic field from a given atomic emission, while a second bandpass is selected to provide data on the direction and intensity of the field in order to combine information and construct the solar magnetic vector maps. The system further employs multiple additional filters, including a narrow bandpass filter to selectively block other wavelengths away from the atomic emission, and requires rotatable or variable polarization analysers to characterize multiple polarization states of transmitted light for additional magnetic field information. This illustrates another innovative approach to the use of etalons, and their versatility in combination with other optical elements to create highly sensitive and selective detection systems.
In addition, optical systems using etalons to define narrow bandpasses of light may incorporate additional filters and techniques, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,287,214 and 5,781,268, which are incorporated by reference, and which are specifically designed to recombine polarization states separated by the etalon. These techniques are designed to make the systems insensitive to polarization effects and increase total light throughput by additively combining different polarization states. Such techniques as described require filters or techniques that can provide at least two changes in polarization state, so that any one state may be transformed into its complementary state and continue along the optical path.
While solar telescopes require sufficient light throughput for observation, they have the additional requirement of maximum rejection of stray light caused by reflections off the filters, and excess, extraneous light. Too much filtering may isolate the exact bandpass desired, but not with enough intensity for viewing. Too little filtering and the signal is lost in the high background noise of the solar spectrum. Furthermore, the viewer or detector can be irreparably harmed by excess radiation. Thus, such telescopes have unique and demanding requirements for careful filtering.
Recent telecommunications advances have lead to further improvements in narrow bandpass technologies. Multiplexed communication channels have similar requirements for high stray light rejection plus optimal and highly selective throughput of extremely narrow bandpasses. These techniques and capabilities may enhance performance in non-related fields such as solar telescopes.
Accordingly, improved optical filter assemblies for solar telescopes that couple advances in filter design and capabilities with cost-effective construction are desired.

Narrow bandpass filter assemblies for solar telescopes


A chair which can be converted from an upright-sitting condition into either a transport condition for hauling bulky items from one location to another or a compact storage condition. The convertible chair includes a pivotable back assembly, right and left arm assemblies, a seat assembly and a pivotable front leg assembly. In order to assist in transport, the chair can optionally employ wheels and/or associated sand skis designed to glide across a surface such as grass or beach sand.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of convertible chairs. More particularly, the invention is directed to a convertible chair which can be reconfigured between multiple conditions including an upright-sitting condition, a transport condition and/or a storage condition. Accordingly, the general objects of the invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.
2. Description of the Related Art
Collapsible chairs are well known in the art. Some widely known chairs of this nature include folding lawn furniture and beach chairs. Such chairs provide the advantage of space efficient transport and storage by being collapsible while also offering simple conversion into an effective upright condition for sitting. However, most of these designs have only offered convertibility between a substantially flat storage position and an upright-sitting position. Other designs have concentrated on offering a chair which can convert between an upright-sitting condition and a transport condition wherein the chair itself functions as a container for transporting objects. However, none of the above-described designs offer a chair with the ability to convert between three conditions: an upright-sitting condition, a transport condition and a storage condition.


An approach for encoding/decoding video data including parsing video data to obtain partitioning parameters; obtaining a partitioned super block; and decoding based on the partitioned super block, wherein based on a luma block area size, or a luma splitting depth of the smallest luma block, either luma blocks and chroma blocks of the partitioned super block are partitioned based on a first block partitioning structure, or the luma blocks are partitioned based on the first block partitioning structure, and the chroma blocks are partitioned based on a second block partitioning structure.

AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) is an open video coding format designed for video transmissions over the Internet. It was developed as a successor to VP9 by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), a consortium founded in 2015 that includes semiconductor firms, video on demand providers, video content producers, software development companies and web browser vendors. Many of the components of the AV1 project were sourced from previous research efforts by Alliance members. Individual contributors started experimental technology platforms years before: Xiph's/Mozilla's Daala already published code in 2010, Google's experimental VP9 evolution project VP10 was announced on 12 Sep. 2014, and Cisco's Thor was published on 11 Aug. 2015. Building on the codebase of VP9, AV1 incorporates additional techniques, several of which were developed in these experimental formats. The first version 0.1.0 of the AV1 reference codec was published on 7 Apr. 2016. The Alliance announced the release of the AV1 bitstream specification on 28 Mar. 2018, along with a reference, software-based encoder and decoder. On 25 Jun. 2018, a validated version 1.0.0 of the specification was released. On 8 Jan. 2019 a validated version 1.0.0 with Errata 1 of the specification was released. The AV1 bitstream specification includes a reference video codec. AOMedia Video 2 (AV2) is currently under development. In AV1, quantization step sizes have limited resolution.
ITU-T VCEG (Q6/16) and ISO/IEC MPEG (JTC 1/SC 29/WG 11) published the H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard in 2013 (version 1) 2014 (version 2) 2015 (version 3) and 2016 (version 4). In 2015, these two standard organizations jointly formed the JVET (Joint Video Exploration Team) to explore the potential of developing the next video coding standard beyond HEVC In October 2017, they issued the Joint Call for Proposals on Video Compression with Capability beyond HEVC (CfP). By Feb. 15, 2018, total 22 CfP responses on standard dynamic range (SDR), 12 CfP responses on high dynamic range (HDR), and 12 CfP responses on 360 video categories were submitted, respectively. In April 2018, all received CfP responses were evaluated in the 122 MPEG/10th JVET meeting. As a result of this meeting, JVET formally launched the standardization process of next-generation video coding beyond HEVC. The new standard was named Versatile Video Coding (VVC), and JVET was renamed as Joint Video Expert Team.

Flexible block partitioning for chroma component


A data storage disk cartridge having a dual housing structure includes an inner housing that contains a disk, and an outer housing that contains the inner housing. The inner housing is at least partially removable from the outer housing for insertion into a disk drive. The outer housing remains external to the disk drive, however, except for a portion that is inserted into the drive to provide a docking channel for retraction of the inner housing. A shutter on the inner housing covers a portion of the disk, but is manipulable by the disk drive to uncover the disk and allow drive access. The dual housing structure of the cartridge is capable of significantly improving disk and drive reliability, particularly for recording applications that require higher areal recording densities, such as near field optical recording. In particular, the disk cartridge reduces the accumulation of debris on the disk and drive components. The dual-housing disk cartridge provides a system of partially redundant barriers that significantly reduce the possibility of debris accumulation. The barriers form a hierarchy of cleanliness that stands between the outside environment and the disk and drive components. Consequently, in a preferred mode, the disk is never exposed to the outside environment. The reduced amounts of debris contribute to more consistent optical and mechanical performance of the disk and drive, and thereby enhance data storage reliability.

The present invention relates to data storage and, more particularly, to cartridge structures for housing data storage disks.
Data storage is an important aspect of today""s information technology. A great deal of effort has been made by the storage industry to increase the areal data density of a storage medium in order to meet the ever increasing demand for higher capacity storage devices.
Magnetic storage devices such as fixed or removable magnetic disks and tapes are widely-used conventional storage devices. The state-of-art conventional magnetic hard drive systems can achieve extremely high linear bit densities, especially with the new MR and GMR magnetic heads. For example, the areal density of many hard disk drives is on the order of magnitude of about one gigabit per square inch. One limitation in increasing areal data density in a magnetic device is the particle size or the characteristic dimension of a typical magnetic domain of the magnetic recording materials. Other limitations include the width of the magnetic read/write head and the limitations of mechanical tracking. Therefore, these hard drives are typically limited to less than 10,000 tracks per inch.
Optical storage devices are emerging as an alternative technology to the conventional magnetic technology because of their potential for high density data storage. In optical recording, data is represented as an optically readable domain on a recording medium such as an optical disk. Optically readable data can be recorded on a disk using a variety of mechanical or optical techniques. For example, CD disks typically are prerecorded using mechanical stamping and molding steps. So-called xe2x80x9crite-oncexe2x80x9d media, such as CD-R disks, can be recorded permanently with optical techniques to record particular data. As an alternative to permanent recording, magneto-optic and phase change disks allow data to be recorded in an xe2x80x9cerasablexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9crewritablexe2x80x9d manner. DVD disks, for example, can provide prerecorded content or be configured for rewritable recording by an end user.
Optical storage disks and, in particular, magneto-optical disks offer greatly increased data storage capacity relative to other disk media, such as magnetic disks. The storage capacity for a given optical disk depends on the recording area of the disk and the areal density of domains recorded over the recording area. The recording area of a disk ordinarily is limited by physical requirements such as size and weight for minimal footprint and ease of portability. Accordingly, the pursuit of greater storage capacity has focused primarily on increased areal density over a given recording area. Optical recording offers relatively high areal density capabilities, but has been limited by the spot size of the optical beam used for read and write operations. In other words, areal density remains a function of the ability of the write and read beams to address increasingly smaller domains on the disk surface.
The areal density of an optical storage device, in principle, is only limited by the diffraction limit of an illuminating optical beam for reading or writing. One type of commercial optical storage technology is based on magneto-optical materials. These materials can currently produce an areal data density of about one gigabit per square inch. One well-known approach to increase the areal data density in an optical storage system is using smaller beam size. Due to the diffraction limit, this may be achieved by using a light source with shorter wavelengths such as those toward the blue end of the spectrum. For example, one application for the industrial development of compact blue lasers is aimed at the optical storage. Alternatively, one may increase the numerical aperture of the objective lens in the system to focus a beam at a given wavelength to a smaller spot within the diffraction limit.
The present invention is directed to a data storage disk cartridge having a dual housing structure, and to techniques for limiting the effects of debris in a data storage system. The disk cartridge includes an inner housing that contains the disk, and an outer housing that contains the inner housing. The inner housing is at least partially removable from the outer housing for insertion into a disk drive. The outer housing remains external to the disk drive, however, except for a portion that is inserted into the drive to provide a docking channel for removal of the inner housing. A shutter on the inner housing covers a portion of the disk, and is manipulable by the disk drive to uncover the disk and allow access by the drive head. The dual housing structure of the cartridge can significantly improve disk and drive reliability, especially for recording applications that require higher areal recording densities or reduced air gaps between the disk and the drive head. In particular, the disk cartridge reduces the accumulation of debris on the disk and drive components. The reduced amounts of debris contribute to more consistent performance of the disk and drive, and thereby enhance data storage reliability. For optical disks and drives, in particular, reduced amounts of debris are important for reliable optical and mechanical performance.
Debris is a significant concern in data recording systems. Debris can degrade the optical performance of an optical disk or the components of an optical drive. Debris that accumulates on the optical components of a drive, for example, can attenuate the intensity of the beams used for read or write operations. Consequently, the optical components can deliver a beam with insufficient energy, imprecise spot size, or misregistered addressing. Accumulation of debris on the disk can cause loss of tracking as well as attenuation of read and write beam energy. Debris can also cause disk tilt and, in some cases, drive head crashes. With substantial amounts of debris, disk or drive failure can occur, leading to data loss and repair costs.
The debris problem becomes more pronounced as areal density increases in an optical recording system. Optical disks with lower areal densities ordinarily tolerate some degree of optical error, and therefore are not as greatly impacted by debris. Also, to the extent that optical error is a concern, conventional recording drives typically make use of focus adjustment, interleaved data formats, and error correction. At higher areal densities, however, debris can impair the ability of the drive laser to consistently write and read to and from individual domains on the disk despite such measures. In other words, the more aggressive areal densities required by newer recording techniques may offer very little tolerance for optical error induced by debris. Accordingly, the absence of debris is a critical concern in high density optical recording applications.
An example of an optical recording application with extremely high areal density requirements is near field recording. Near field recording is one form of optical recording that is capable of producing extremely small spot sizes, for example, on magneto-optic disk media. For near field recording, a solid immersion lens (SIL) can be used to transmit an optical beam across an extremely thin air bearing, and through the top of the recording medium to the recording layer. The beam is xe2x80x9cair-incidentxe2x80x9d in the sense that it does not pass through the disk substrate before it reaches the recording layer. This aspect of near field recording differs from the substrate-incident techniques used in conventional magneto-optic recording, in which the beam passes through the substrate. A SIL can be integrated with a flying magnetic head assembly that hovers above the disk during operation and provides the magnetic bias for magneto-optic recording. For near-field recording, the thickness of the air gap is less than one wavelength of the recording beam. Transmission of the beam is accomplished by a phenomenon known as evanescent coupling, which results in extremely small spot sizes.
As an example, the near field recording technique is expected to offer storage in the range of 10 to 20 gigabytes (GB), and higher, e.g., for optical disks having diameters in the range of 120 to 130 millimeters (mm). Resulting domain sizes may approach, for example, 0.05 to 0.06 square microns per data domain. In dual-sided recording applications, the above figures pertain to each side of the disk. Near field recording, with increased areal density, is more susceptible to the performance problems caused by debris. Debris can affect not only optical performance, but also mechanical performance. With existing disk cartridges, debris can be carried into the drive on the surface of the cartridge. Also, debris can accumulate on the disk surface when the shutter is opened outside of the drive. As a result, debris in the form of dust, lint, or fingerprints can accumulate on the surface of the disk.
The debris problem can be aggravated by the physical characteristics of the near field recording process. Specifically, the beam is emitted across the extremely thin air bearing that separates the lens from the disk. The air gap is less than a single wavelength of the incident beam to take advantage of the phenomenon referred to as evanescent coupling. Variation in the air bearing thickness can result in varying focus and spot size across the disk. In particular, the thickness of the air gap determines the amount of radiation received by the recording layer via evanescent coupling. Significant variation in spot size and focus can undermine the ability of the laser to consistently address extremely small domains. Excessive amounts of debris on the disk can cause acute changes in air bearing thickness for successive domains and resultant loss of tracking. In extreme cases, head crashes, i.e., physical contact of the head with the disk, can result. In this manner, debris can compromise the mechanical performance of the near field recording system. Debris-induced head crashes are also a concern in other types of recording applications involving small air gaps between the disk and the drive head.
To alleviate the problems of debris in an optical recording system, and particularly in a near field recording system, the dual-housing disk cartridge of the present invention provides a system of partially redundant barriers that significantly reduce the possibility of debris accumulation. The barriers form a hierarchy of cleanliness, much like a clean room environment. The barriers isolate the disk and drive components from the outside environment. In one embodiment, the disk is never exposed to the outside environment. The inner housing in the cartridge provides a main line of defense against the accumulation of debris on the disk. The inner housing encloses the disk and includes a shutter that preferably is opened only by the disk drive. To that end, the inner housing may include a locking mechanism that is manipulable by the disk drive to obtain access to the disk. The shutter also can be spring biased in a closed position. In one embodiment, the shutter can be loaded by a spring that is selectively loaded in a ratcheted matter to preset a desired spring bias. Further, even if the shutter locking mechanism is somehow defeated, the disk cartridge includes the outer housing, which contains the inner housing. In this manner, the outer housing protects the exterior surface of the inner housing from debris.
The inner housing preferably is configured such that it can be removed only by the disk drive. In particular, it is desirable that the inner housing only be removable when the outer housing is partially inserted into the drive. The outer housing provides a docking channel for insertion of the inner housing into the drive. The major portion of the outer housing remains external to the drive, however, preventing introduction of debris from the outer housing into the drive. A second locking mechanism can be provided for general protection against removal of the inner housing from the outer housing. In addition, the outer housing can be equipped with doors that close off the inner housing absent engagement by the drive. With this combination of features in a preferred embodiment, the inner housing and the enclosed disk are never exposed to the environment outside of the drive.
In particular, in a preferred embodiment, the disk and inner housing are never touched by human hands. Instead, the outer housing acts as a special carrier for the disk and inner housing, and allows implementation of a docking station with the drive. In loading a disk, the carrier is temporarily docked to the drive. The carrier door is then opened and the cartridge is automatically removed from the carrier and transferred into the disk drive. In this embodiment, the empty carrier can be removed from the disk drive. In unloading a disk, an empty carrier is temporarily docked to the drive. The docking system automatically transfers the cartridge from the disk drive to the carrier. The cartridge enclosed in the carrier is then removed from the disk drive. The carrier door remains closed if the carrier is not docked to the disk drive. A disk cartridge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention thereby provides an added measure against the collection of debris on the disk, and also prevents collection of debris on the exterior of the inner housing. As a result, the cartridge is much less likely to introduce debris into the drive, protecting the optical and flying head components of the drive against such debris.
A number of additional features and advantages that further contribute to debris prevention and, in some cases, durability and manufacturability, can be realized by a cartridge according to the present invention. For example, the inner housing can be constructed such that only the hub on which the disk is mounted is accessible by the disk drive to rotate the disk. In other words, in one embodiment, the drive accesses only the hub and not the inner diameter of the disk. Accordingly, the portions of the disk forming the inner diameter at which the hub is mounted preferably are not exposed to the environment outside of the inner housing. Instead, the disk drive engages the hub alone for rotation of the disk, e.g., by a magnetic clutch and spindle motor. As an alternative, the disk may be manufactured without a hub and rotated directly at a central position with a rotating mechanical chuck.
Further, containment of the inner housing within the outer housing serves to protect the hub from debris. Accumulation of debris on the surface of the hub can cause disk tilt, potentially harming optical and mechanical performance. Debris can reduce the coefficient of friction between the hub and spindle motor rotating the hub. Reduced friction can cause the hub to slip on the spindle, particularly during the rapid acceleration to operating speed. Debris on the hub can be centrifuged outward onto the disk surface during operation, leading to air gap variations across the surface of the disk. The air gap variations can result in diminished optical performance and head crashes.
In addition to providing protection against debris, an inner housing can contribute a mechanical damping effect that stabilizes the disk against vibrations, whether induced during rotation or caused externally. This effect is particularly advantageous for disks with substrates manufactured from less rigid materials such as plastic. In a preferred embodiment, the disk is permanently housed in the inner housing, even during rotation and drive head access. Although the shutter is opened to provide disk access, the remainder of the inner housing substantially encloses the disk, providing a tight shroud-like enclosure. The clearance between the disk and this enclosure provides a damping system that stabilizes the disk against vibration. Specifically, the inner housing provides air damping between the disk and the inner surfaces of the inner housing. The air tends to resist deflection, deformation, or movement of the disk during rotation, acting to dampen vibration. In this manner, the inner housing is capable of reducing vibration amplitude and associated disk movement to help maintain optical and mechanical performance in the recording system. This damping effect also can reduce the magnetic chucking force required to hold the disk onto the spindle. In particular, the air damping counteracts the tendency of the disk to fly away from the spindle motor, e.g., in response to shock loads. Also, the air damping is effective in reducing tilt of the disk surface.
The shutter and the portion of the inner housing adjacent the shutter can be formed from different materials that are selected to minimize the generation of debris due to abrasion during shutter movement. The inner housing and shutter materials, as well as the outer housing material, also can be selected for effective thermal matching to avoid undesirable degrees of differential deformation during use. Further, guide rails can be incorporated in the outer housing to facilitate retraction of the inner housing. The guide rails and inner housing, as well as the outer housing if desired, can be fabricated from different materials to minimize the generation of debris during retraction.
The shutter can be mounted for movement over the exterior of the inner housing, if desired, thereby enhancing the pinch strength of the housing, minimizing the introduction of debris into the interior of the inner housing, and facilitating shutter installation. The outer housing may include a structure that abuts with the disk drive upon insertion of the cartridge, thereby controlling the depth of insertion to minimize the passage of debris. In addition, the inner housing may incorporate a filter that captures any debris that may flow through the inner housing, and particularly the debris directed to the disk periphery by the centrifugal forces created during spin-up of the disk. Further, brush, vacuum, or other debris removal devices may be provided in the drive to remove debris from the leading portion of the cartridge upon insertion into the drive. Also, a bias mechanism can be provided in the inner housing to bias the hub against an opening in the inner housing through which the hub is accessed by a drive clutch and spindle motor. The biased hub thereby acts to substantially seal the hub opening against the introduction of debris into the inner housing. If desired, the bias mechanism can be constructed with a ratcheting structure that allows the bias load to be preset during manufacturing.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a data storage disk cartridge, the cartridge comprising an inner housing configured to receive a disk; and an outer housing configured to receive the inner housing, and to allow at least partial removal of the inner housing from the outer housing.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides an optical data storage disk cartridge comprising an optical data storage disk, an inner housing containing the disk, an outer housing containing the inner housing, wherein the outer housing is configured to allow at least partial removal of the inner housing from the outer housing, an access area formed in the inner housing to allow access to the disk, a shutter mounted on the inner housing, the shutter being movable to cover and uncover the access area, and a hub mounted in the disk, wherein a portion of the hub is accessible through the inner housing for access by the disk drive, the hub being rotatable by the disk drive to rotate the disk.
In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a data storage disk cartridge comprising a housing configured to receive a disk, a shutter mounted on the housing, the shutter being rotatable to cover and uncover an access area adjacent the disk, thereby allowing a disk drive to access the disk, wherein the shutter is mounted to rotate over an exterior surface of the housing, and a hub mounted in a central area of the disk, wherein a portion of the hub is accessible through the inner housing for access by the disk drive, the hub being rotatable by the disk drive to rotate the disk.
In an added embodiment, the present invention provides a housing for a data storage disk comprising a first major surface, a second major surface, first, second, and third side surfaces extending between the first and second major surfaces, and a slot formed opposite one of the side surfaces for receiving a second housing containing a data storage disk, wherein the. first major surface includes a major portion, a nose portion, and a transition portion defining an interface between the major portion and the nose portion, wherein the major portion and nose portion are sized such that at least the transition region defines a surface that is abuttable with a surface on the disk drive upon insertion of the nose portion into the disk drive, thereby limiting insertion of the housing.
In another embodiment, the present invention a data storage disk cartridge, the cartridge comprising an inner housing including an area to receive a disk and defining an access area, wherein the inner housing includes an identification area configured to carry a visual identification, a shutter that covers the access area, the shutter being movable to uncover the access area to allow access to the disk, an outer housing including an area to receive the inner housing, wherein the outer housing is configured to allow at least partial removal of the inner housing from the outer housing to allow the disk to be accessed by a disk drive, and wherein at least a portion of the outer housing is sufficiently transparent to allow visibility of the identification area of the inner housing from outside the outer housing.
In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a near field recording system comprising a cartridge including an optical data storage disk, an inner housing containing the disk, a shutter that is movable to allow access to the disk, and an outer housing containing the inner housing, wherein the inner housing is at least partially removable from the outer housing, and a disk drive including a mechanism that moves the inner housing relative to the outer housing and moving the shutter to access the disk, and a near field recording head assembly having a solid immersion lens that transmits a beam of radiation to record data on the disk via evanescent coupling.
In an additional embodiment, the present invention provides a method for protecting a disk from debris comprising housing the disk in an inner housing, housing the inner housing in an outer housing, and allowing removal of the inner housing from the outer housing only upon insertion of a portion of the outer housing into a data storage drive.
In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a method for protecting a data storage disk drive from debris, the method comprising housing a disk in an inner housing, housing the inner housing in an outer housing, and accessing the disk such that the inner housing is generally unexposed to any environment outside of either the outer housing or the disk drive.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a data storage disk cartridge comprising a disk, and a housing structure having a plurality of enclosures arranged such that the disk is generally unexposed to any environment outside of either the housing structure or a disk drive.
In an added embodiment, the present invention provides an optical data storage disk cartridge comprising a optical disk, an inner housing containing the optical disk, an outer housing containing the inner housing, wherein the outer housing defines a slot for at least partial removal of the inner housing from the outer housing, a rotary shutter mounted over an exterior surface of the inner housing, the shutter being rotatable to cover and uncover the optical disk for access by a data storage drive, and a structure formed on the inner housing for engagement with an element in a disk drive to thereby allow at least partial removal of the inner housing from the outer housing.
In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a bias mechanism for a rotary shutter for a data storage disk cartridge, the rotary shutter having at least one mounting structure rotatably mounted to the disk cartridge, the bias mechanism comprising a spring having a first end, a first spring tail at the first end, and a second spring tail at the second end, a first pair of mounting posts coupled to rotate with the mounting structure of the shutter, each of the first pair of mounting posts engaging the spring at the first end on opposite sides of the first spring tail, and a second pair of mounting posts fixed to the cartridge, each of the mounting posts engaging the spring at the second end on opposite sides of the second spring tail, wherein the spring is rotationally loaded such that the second spring tail bears against at least one of the first pair of mounting posts and such that the first spring tail bears against at least one of the second pair of mounting posts, the spring thereby exerting a spring bias against the first mounting posts and against the shutter to bias the shutter toward a closed position.

Disk cartridge with dual housing structure


The present invention is directed to a color linear sensor of a simple structure which can accurately measure a degree of a color mixture in a sensor section. In a color linear sensor having a dot-sequential sensor array (1), only one pixel of a predetermined color (R) in a reference pixel region (3) is allowed to receive an incident light. Then, a degree of color mixture is estimated by calculating a level difference between a signal output of this pixel and a signal output of a pixel of the same color as that of the former pixel in an effective pixel region (2). Also, the present invention is to provide a color linear sensor which can prevent sensors from being displaced from each other in position, simplify a configuration of an external circuit and which can prevent a color mixture from being caused by signal charges deteriorated after they are transferred by a transfer register. In a color linear sensor having a dot-sequential sensor array (1), read-out gates (22, 24) are formed as two-stage configuration for sequentially reading out signal charges from respective sensors (1R), (1G), (1B) of the dot-sequential sensor array (1) to a CCD register (23) at the unit of pixels, thereby to sequentially output signal charges of one line at every color in a line-sequential fashion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to color linear sensors and, more particularly, to a color linear sensor having a dot-sequential sensor array in which photo sensors of three colors such as R (red), G (green), B (blue) or the like are sequentially arranged at the unit of pixels in a one-dimensional fashion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Linear image sensors (hereinafter simply referred to as "linear sensor") have advantages such that they are small in size and low in electric power consumption. Hence, the linear image sensors are utilized in a wide variety of fields such as copy, facsimile image transmission, optical character recognition (OCR), pattern recognition, measurement and so on. As color copies are popularizing recently, color linear sensors are often utilized.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a structure of a conventional color linear sensor of R, G, B line-sequential output type having three sensor arrays.
As shown in FIG. 1, this type of color linear sensor comprises three sensor arrays 31R, 31G, 31B for three colors and transfer registers 32R, 32G, 32B disposed relative to the above sensor arrays 31R, 31G, 31B to thereby output signal charges of one line for every color in a line-sequential fashion.
FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a structure of another example of a conventional color linear sensor.
As shown in FIG. 2, this conventional color linear sensor is what might be called an R, G, B dot-sequential output type and includes a single sensor array 41 composed of R, G, B sensors arranged sequentially at the unit of pixels in a one-dimensional fashion and a single transfer register 42 opposed to the sensor array 41, thereby to output signal charges of respective pixels of one line simultaneously in a dot-sequential manner.
The above color linear sensor of line-sequential output type includes the three sensor arrays 31R, 31G, 31B so that, when these sensor arrays 31R, 31G, 31B scan an object upon copying or the like, they are displaced from each other in position, which needs many memories for correcting such displacement. Furthermore, the above color linear sensor of line-sequential type needs three output pins (terminals) corresponding to three colors, R, G, B, which needs extra circuits such as an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter or the like to effect the signal processing in the outside. There is then the disadvantage such that an external circuit becomes complicated in configuration.
On the other hand, the color linear sensor of dot-sequential output type having the single sensor array needs only a single output pin, which needs a single signal processing system. However, since the prior-art color linear sensor is of the dot-sequential output type, sensors of different colors are repeatedly arranged, i.e., a green signal component is output after a red signal component is output, a blue signal component is output after the green signal component is output and the next red signal component is output after the blue signal component is output, etc. As a result, the signal component of the adjacent sensor section is mixed into the signal component of the adjacent sensor section. This phenomenon will hereinafter be referred to as "color mixture". That is, this mixed signal component appears as a color mixture on a picture after signal charges are transferred and deteriorated by the transfer register 42. Thus, it is desirable that the color mixture in the sensor section is eliminated as much as possible. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of color linear sensors, a degree with which the color mixture occurred in the sensor section must be measured and respective sections of the color linear sensor must be adjusted in accordance with the measured degree of the color mixture.


In a bulk material bate binder, the bulk material bale binder having a stand adjacent a baling station and being installed to bind bales compressed by an up press having a moving lower platen, the lower platen having insertion slots for guide tracks, a guide track removal and insertion apparatus including a guide track removal frame, the frame being hingedly mounted on the stand such that the guide track removal frame may rotate to and from an engaged position and a removed position; a guide track mount, pivotably mounted on the guide track removal frame, the guide track mount having an insertion position and a retracted position; a guide track section attached to the guide track mount, the guide track section having an insertion portion; and a linkage, the linkage having a first end and a second end, the first end being operatively engaged with the stand and the second end being operatively engaged with the guide track mount, such that during insertion and removal of the insertion portion of the guide track, the insertion portion remains at or above an insertion level at all times.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention related generally to binding bales of bulk material such as cotton. In particular, the invention relates to the engagement of a removable section of binding wire or strap guide track with the lower platen of an up press.
2. Related Art
Fibrous materials such as cotton are typically bound into bales by compression presses which compress the bulk material into a preconfigured bale dimension. During compression, the bale is engaged by a bale binding apparatus that installs bale binders such as wire, metal strap or plastic strap in a preconfigured length around the bale. After the bale wire or strap ends are fixed or knotted, compression is released and a bound bale is ejected.
Compression of bulk material into a bale is often achieved with an "up press." An up press is comprised of a pit below floor level in which a vertically oriented hydraulic unit raises and lowers a platen in order to compress a volume of bulk material above it. The hydraulic shaft raises the platen and compresses a preconfigured volume of bulk material into a baling station, where its upward travel is arrested by an upper platen, against which the bulk material is compressed by continued upper travel of the lower platen. The baling station is above ground level where it may be engaged by a bale binding apparatus. The operations of bale binding apparatuses are described in prior patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,324 to Stamps and U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,900 to Daniel et al. These patents are incorporated by reference herein.
Up presses are expensive to build and install. The cost of up presses is directly proportional to the depth of the pit required by them. Deeper pits require correspondingly longer hydraulic reaches and deeper and larger lower platens and the following blocks that support them. The deep pits with their large dimension components require more expensive materials and components, such as steel. There is a need in the industry to reduce the amount and thus the expense of materials used. Correspondingly, there is a need in the art to use shallower platens.
FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a prior art bale binder apparatus. A bale forming and binding apparatus 10 has two positions; the solid lines illustrate a first position wherein the moveable wire guide section 48 completes the wire guide track trajectory as when the binding operation is occurring; and the broken lines illustrate a second position wherein the moveable wire guide section 48 is in a position 48a. A floor plate 12 supports vertical support stands 14 on either side of the bale forming and binding station 16. A binding assembly carriage 18 is borne by stands 14. The base extension 20 of the carriage 18 carries the fixed tying heads 40 and attached wire guide track sections 39. The carriage 18 translates in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing along an overhead track 22 attached to the upper rear extent of the stands 14 and its motion is controlled by drive 24.
Extending from the upper forward extent of the stands 14 are a pair of pivot axis brackets 25 holding the pivot axis 26 which carries the moveable guide track support strut assembly 28. Extending forward from the center of the strut assembly 28 is a member 30 pivotally connected at pin 32 to the piston arm 34 which is extended and withdrawn by action of the piston 36. The action of the piston 36 may be by any means but is preferably pneumatic.
The binding wire entering the apparatus 10 from the wire supply (not shown) at the wire control head 41 are directed by guide track sections 38 to and from the tying head 40 which fastens the wire into a closed loop. The guide track section 44 lies in a channel within the bale forming compressor 42 which accommodates the wire trajectory above the bale forming station 46 containing the bulk material (not depicted). The positions 28a, 34a, 36a and 48a show the parts 28, 34, 36 and 48 in their respective positions when the apparatus is in the arrangement whereby the moveable guide track section is at a remove from the bale forming station 46. The upper moveable guide track section terminus 50 and the lower moveable guide track section terminus 52 meet the guide track sections 46 and 38 respectively to complete the wire guide track. The dashed line 54 illustrates the path of motion of the lower terminus 52 as it transits between positions.
As evident by dash line 54, an insertion portion of guide track 48, including guide track end 52 describe an arc of travel that extends substantially lower than the final insertion position of the guide track in the lower platen. The insertion level of the lower guide track, IL is a level at which it engages the stationary portion of the guide track 38 and completes a guide track loop around the baling station. This arc of travel 54 requires a dimension D, which must be clear of obstructions so that the guide track 52 can transverse it. In order to achieve this, the prior art bale binder depicted in FIG. 1 required a lower platen that was increased in height by at least dimension D.
In order to accommodate shorter lower compression platens demanded in the industry, there is a need for a bale binding apparatus that inserts and removes an insertion portion of a removable guide track section without moving the insertion portion of the lower guide track section through any space lower than the level of its final insertion level.
In order to accommodate the need for shorter platens in bulk material up presses, there is consequently a need for bulk material balers designed to engage up presses in a way that accommodates shorter platens.

Short platen compatible guide track insertion and removal apparatus and method


A sensor and its fabrication method are provided. The sensor comprises: a base substrate, a group of gate lines and a group of data lines arranged as crossing each other, and a plurality of sensing elements arranged in an array and defined by the group of gate lines and the group of data lines, each sensing element comprising a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) device and a photodiode sensing device, wherein the photodiode sensor device comprises: a bias line disposed on the base substrate; a transparent electrode disposed on the bias line and being electrically contacted with the bias line; a photodiode disposed on the transparent electrode; and a receiving electrode disposed on the photodiode; the TFT device is located above the photodiode. When the sensor is functioning, light is directly transmitted onto the photodiode sensor device through the base substrate. In comparison with conventional technologies, the light loss is largely reduced and the light absorption usage ratio is improved.

For healthy reasons, various non-invasive medical diagnosis methods are becoming widely accepted by people. Among the various non-invasive medical diagnosis methods, Computed Tomography (CT) is already generally used. An indispensable component used in CT equipments is a sensor.
FIG. 1 illustrates a general configuration of a sensor. The sensor 12 comprises a plurality of scan lines 15, a plurality of data lines 16 and a plurality of sensing elements, each of the sensing elements comprises a photodiode 13 and a field effect transistor (FET) 14. The gate of the FET 14 is connected with a corresponding scan line 15 of the sensor 12, the source of the FET 14 is connected with a corresponding data line 16 of the sensor, and the drain of the FET 14 is connected with the photodiode 13. One end of the date lines 16 is connected to a data readout circuit 18 via a connecting pin 17.
The working principle of the above sensor is as follows: the sensor 12 supplies a scan drive signal via the scan lines 15 to control the ON/OFF state of the FET 14 of each sensing element. When the FET 14 is turned on, the photocurrent signal generated by the photodiode 13 is output sequentially via the data line 16 connected with the FET 14 and the data readout circuit 18, and capturing of the photocurrent signal is realized by controlling signal timing on the scan line 15 and the data line 16. That is to say, the capturing of the photocurrent signal generated by the photodiode 13 is controlled by controlling the ON/OFF state of the FET 14.
Currently, sensors generally employ a thin film transistor (TFT) plate configuration. Such a sensor may have many layers in its cross section. For example, each sensing element comprises a substrate, a gate electrode layer, a gate insulating layer, an active layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode layer, a passivation layer, PIN junction of a PIN photosensor and transparent electrode window layer, and a bias line layer as well as a light-shield strip layer. Detailed patterning layers may differ from each other for different sensors, depending on the specific configuration of the sensors.
In the conventional configuration of the sensors, light reaches the PIN photodiode after passing through two passivation layers. Due to that the passivation layers are relatively thick, light loss is significant, absorption ratio of light is high, and power consumption is relatively high, making it difficult to improve the image quality.

Sensor and method for fabricating the same

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A recording medium cartridge comprises an information recording medium, an inner rotor, and a pair of shutter members that are piled and accommodated in a cartridge casing. When the inner rotor is rotated, the opening part of the cartridge casing is opened and closed by the shutter members. On the overlapping surface of the shutter and the inner rotor, a plurality of ribs for reducing the contact area of the shutter and the inner rotor are provided. Further, in side parts of the shutter members, first overlapped parts and second overlapped parts are respectively provided through first step parts and second step parts in the moving directions of the shutter members. When the side parts are overlapped on each other, the first overlapped part of one shutter member and the first overlapped part of the other shutter member are continuously connected together through the first step parts on the upper surface side of the shutter members. In the lower surface side of the shutter members, the second overlapped part of one shutter member and the second overlapped part of the other shutter member are continuously connected together through the second step parts to close the opening part for recording and reproducing information provided in the cartridge casing. The first step parts and the second step parts are arranged in non-overlapped positions. Thus, the contact area of the inner rotor and the shutter on the overlapping surface is reduced to smoothly move the pair of the shutter members. Further, when the pair of the shutter members are closed, the step part exposed on the front surface of the shutter members and the step part exposed on the back surface of the shutter members are reinforced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium cartridge in which an information recording medium, an inner rotor and a shutter are accommodated in a cartridge casing in a piled state. When the inner rotor is rotated, the shutter overlapped on the inner rotor is moved between a first position for closing an opening part provided in the cartridge casing and a second position for opening the opening part.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIGS. 31 to 33, as a recording medium cartridge 101, a recording medium cartridge of a type is known that an information recording medium 103, an inner rotor 104 and a shutter 105 are accommodated in a cartridge casing 102 in a piled state, and when the inner rotor 104 is rotated, the shutter 105 piled on the inner rotor 104 moves between a first position (see FIG. 31) for closing an opening part 106 provided in the cartridge casing 102 and a second position (see FIG. 32) for opening the opening part 106.
As shown in FIG. 33, the overlapping surface 107 of the inner rotor 104 and the shutter 105 is formed in a flat surface. The inner rotor 104 comes into contact with the shutter 105 in the substantially entire area of the overlapping surface 107.
Further, as shown in FIG. 34, the shutter 105 comprises a pair of shutter members 111 and 112. The shutter 105 is provided with first overlapped parts 114 and second overlapped parts 115 through first step parts 113 in the moving directions (directions shown by arrow marks A-B) of the shutter members 111 and 112 in mutually overlapping chord sides 111a and 112a of the pair of shutter members 111 and 112. When the opposed chord sides 111a and 112a of the pair of shutter members 111 and 112 are overlapped on each other, as shown in FIG. 35, on the upper surface side of the shutter members 111 and 112, the first overlapped part 114 of one shutter member 111 is continuously connected to the first overlapped part 114 of the other shutter member 112 through the first step parts 113. On the lower surface side of the shutter members 111 and 112, as shown in FIG. 36, the second overlapped part 115 of one shutter member 111 is continuously connected to the second overlapped part 115 of the other shutter member 112 under an overlapped state through second step parts 116. As shown in FIG. 31, the recording medium cartridge 101 has been known that the opening part 106 provided in the cartridge casing 102 for recording and reproducing data is designed to be closed. In the usual recording medium cartridge 101, the first step parts 113 and the second step parts 116 are formed in parallel with the opening and closing moving directions of the shutter members 111 and 112. (For instance, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-332054)
The above-described recording medium cartridge 101 has such problems as described blow.
(1) As shown in FIG. 33, since the overlapping surface 107 of the inner rotor 104 and the shutter 105 is formed on the flat surface, both the inner rotor 104 and the shutter 105 come into close contact with each other on the substantially entire area of the overlapping surface 107. Thus, a frictional resistance becomes large, which interferes with the smooth movement of the pair of the shutter members 111 and 112.
(2) As shown in FIG. 35, the first step part 113 as a boundary between the first overlapped part 114 of the first shutter member 111 and the first overlapped part 114 of the other shutter member 112 which are exposed on the upper surface side of the pair of the shutter members 111 and 112 and the second step part 116 between the second overlapped part 115 of the one shutter member 111 and the second overlapped part 115 of the other shutter member 112 which are exposed on the lower surface of the pair of the shutter members 111 and 112 as shown in FIG. 36 are vertically overlapped on each other. Accordingly, the rigidity of the overlapped parts is lowered. Further, since the second step part 116 and the first step part 113 are overlapped on each other, dust or the like is liable to enter through these step parts 116 and 113 from an external part.
(3) Further, as shown in FIG. 37, the first step parts 113 and the second step parts 116 are formed in parallel with the moving directions A-B of the shutter members 111 and 112. Accordingly, when the pair of the shutter members 111 and 112 are closed, the pair of the shutter members 111 and 112 move from respectively completely transverse directions of their first step parts 113 and second step parts 116. Thus, the first and second step parts 113 and 116 of the one shutter member 111 are finally overlapped on the first and second step parts 113 and 116 of the other shutter member 112 with a prescribed gap G as shown in FIG. 38. When the gap G is the smaller, a dust preventing effect becomes the more excellent. However, the gap G is too small, the first and second step parts 113 and 116 of the one shutter member 111 interfere with the first and second step parts 113 and 116 of the other shutter member 112 with each other due to a dimensional error generated when the pair of shutter members 111 and 112 are manufactured or due to an assembly error generated when the shutter members are assembled. Thus, the chord sides 111a and 112a of the pair of the shutter members 111 and 112 are incapable of being overlapped on each other. In order to avoid the interference of the step parts generated when the pair of the shutter members 111 and 112 is closed, the gap G may be set to be wide. However, when the gap G is wide, the dust or the like may be possibly enter the cartridge casing 102.


A customizable chair is disclosed that includes an “over-the shoulder” region where users can affix graphic patches. The region that the graphic patches are placed is visible from a number of perspectives including a user-broadcaster sitting in the chair.

The format of some video broadcasts includes a video subject (such as a host) sitting in a chair. In some circumstances portions of the chair are visible on the video broadcasts. Some such video broadcasts are of people playing video games, where video of the people playing may be streamed over the Internet.


A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel including a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines crossing the plurality of data lines, and a plurality of liquid crystal cells, a timing controller to determine gray levels of input digital video data and a time when a polarity of a data voltage to be supplied to the data lines is inverted, and to generate a dynamic charge share control signal when the gray level of the data voltage is changed from a white gray level to a black gray level and the polarity of the data voltage is inverted, a data driving circuit to convert the digital video data from the timing controller into the data voltage, changing the polarity of the data voltage, and supplying any one of a common voltage and a charge share voltage to the data lines in response to the dynamic charge share control signal, and a gate driving circuit to sequentially supply scan pulses to the gate lines under the control of the timing controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display and a driving method thereof adapted to reduce heat generation and power consumption of a data driving circuit.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display displays images by controlling the light transmittance of liquid crystal cells in response to a video signal. A liquid crystal display of an active matrix type actively controls data by switching a data voltage applied to the liquid crystal cells using a thin film transistor (TFT) formed at every liquid crystal cell Clc, as illustrated in FIG. 1, thereby improving the picture quality of a motion image. As shown in FIG. 1, reference label "Cst" denotes a storage capacitor for sustaining the data voltage charged to the liquid crystal cell "Clc," "D1" denotes a data line through which the data voltage is supplied, and "G1" denotes a gate line through which a scan voltage is supplied.
The liquid crystal display is driven according to an inversion method in which a polarity is inverted between neighboring liquid crystal cells. The polarity is inverted whenever a frame period is shifted in order to reduce a direct current (DC) offset component and the degradation of liquid crystals. However, the swing width of the data voltage, which is supplied to the data lines whenever the polarity of the data voltage is shifted, is increased, thereby generating a great amount of current in a data driving circuit. Thus, problems of rising temperature due to increase in heat generation and power consumption of the data driving circuit increases sharply.
In order to reduce the swing width of the data voltage supplied to the data lines, thereby reducing the heat generated temperature and power consumption of the data driving circuit, a charge sharing circuit or a precharge circuit is adopted in the data driving circuit. However, the effects of these circuits do not provide a satisfactory result.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Liquid crystal display and driving method thereof


The invention provides a single-stranded oligonucleotide represented by the formula [Xz-Lx]m-X-Y-[Ly-Yz]n, wherein X is represented by Xa-Xb, Xa is coupled with Y, and Xb and Y hybridize. Xa is composed of 1 to 40 nucleotides and contains at least one modified-nucleotide. Xb is composed of 4 to 40 nucleotides and contains at least one modified-nucleotide. Y is composed of 4 to 40 nucleotides and contains at least one ribonucleotide. Xz and Yz are composed of 5 to 40 nucleotides and contain at least one modified-nucleotide. Nucleotide sequences X, Xz and Yz have an antisense sequence capable of hybridizing with a target RNA. Lx and Ly are composed of 0 to 20 nucleotides.

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) are single-stranded DNA, RNA and/or structural analogues thereof composed of about 8 to 30 bases that are complementary oligonucleotides to the mRNA or mRNA precursor of a target gene or ncRNA (non-coding RNA) such as ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA or miRNA. ASO suppress the function of mRNA, mRNA precursors or ncRNA by forming a double strand with mRNA, mRNA precursor or ncRNA targeted by the antisense oligonucleotide.
However, practical application of ASO is difficult since they are easily degraded by nucleases in the living body and their uptake efficiency into target cells is low. In order to overcome these two major problems, research has been conducted for many years on chemical modification of the active ingredient in the form of the oligonucleotide per se as well as on drug delivery systems (DDS) capable of delivering an oligonucleotide into a target cell.
Known examples of chemical modification of ASO per se include S-oligo (phosphorothioate), in which the phosphate moiety has been modified, and 2′,4′-BNA (bridged nucleic acid)/LNA (locked nucleic acid), in which the sugar moiety has been modified (see Patent Documents 1 to 5).
Known examples of DDS include methods utilizing carriers such as cationic liposomes or polymeric micelles. In addition, Patent Document 6 describes an ASO in which a GalNAc (N-acetylgalactosamine) derivative, which is a sugar derivative having the ability to interact with asialoglycoprotein receptors, is bound via a linker, and that expression of a target gene in the liver is suppressed following administration of this ASO.
Patent Document 7 and Non-Patent Document 1 describe that, by bonding tocopherol (Toc) to a double-stranded oligonucleotide (HDO) containing an RNA oligonucleotide complementary to ASO, the HDO is delivered and concentrated in the liver more efficiently than ASO and expression of a target gene in the liver is suppressed in mice. Patent Document 8 describes an ASO in which a GalNAc derivative is bound to an HDO via a linker, and that expression is suppressed more efficiently than tocopherol (Toc) modification when the antisense oligonucleotide is administered subcutaneously.
Patent Document 9 describes that an oligonucleotide (HCDO), in which an ASO is bound to the end of an RNA strand of a double-stranded oligonucleotide unit consisting of DNA and RNA, suppresses a target RNA more efficiently than the ASO.


The present disclosure relates to a structure including a memory built-in self test (MBIST) circuit which is configured to repair a multi-cell failure for a plurality of patterns in a single wordline of a sliding window of a memory.

Memory built-in self test (MBIST) is an important tool for testing memories (including finding/diagnosing and repairing defects within those memories). As more memory is integrated into chips, thorough BIST test and repair is a requirement in order to ensure reasonable product quality/reliability levels. To improve MIBST quality, more test patterns are run as part of a manufacturing test. Total test time can take many millions of cycles when all necessary test patterns are included.
During the manufacturing test, memory is tested using a single BIST engine. BIST engines may run into two different modes of operations: repair mode and pass-fail mode. Repair mode repairs the plurality of memory by swapping the failed locations with redundant elements and the redundancy solution gets enabled at the end of the repair mode. Pass-fail mode qualifies the plurality of memory after the redundancies are enabled.
In order to reduce the power of memory, the operating voltage may be reduced; however, the number of failures gradually increases with further reductions in operation voltage to a point where the failures cannot be fixed using available redundancies. For example, error correcting coding (ECC) has played an important role to fix single cell/multi-cell failures at a customer location; however, ECC is used after a manufacturing test in which the memory is validated. There is no known method which leaves single cell failures across multiple patterns during a manufacturing test unrepaired so that the single cell failures can be fixed by the ECC on a customer path and which repairs multi-cell failures across a wordline.

Memory built-in self test error correcting code (MBIST ECC) for low voltage memories