A temporary closure device for an opening element on a fixed chassis part of a motor vehicle, in which the opening element includes a housing for receiving a lock and the fixed part includes at least one tapped hole for fixing a strike. The device includes a plastic body equipped with means for mounting it in the tapped hole. An end of the device includes a limit stop element that co-operates with a first rim of the housing as the opening element is closed, while another end of the device includes a means for retaining the opening element in the closed position against the fixed part, which is intended to penetrate the housing behind a second rim thereof. The retaining means is formed by a resilient tongue, which can bend under stress from the second rim when the opening element is moved from the free position to the closed position.

The present invention relates to a temporary closure device for an opening element on a fixed chassis part of a motor vehicle.
Manufacturing chains for motor vehicles comprise chassis paint lines which are provided with opening elements, and particularly doors.
These opening elements are not yet equipped with closure or locking devices and it is therefore necessary to provide for temporary and removable closure devices which make it possible to maintain the opening elements in the closed position on the chassis during its transfer on the paint line.
Until now, temporary closure devices have been mounted in the location of the permanent lock using fixing members, such as screws, for example.
These devices are made up of metallic parts which have a lifespan at least equal to the duration of manufacturing of the vehicles on which they are used. The metallic parts risk damaging the chassis and/or the paint when they are placed or removed and they must regularly undergo various cleaning treatments, the frequency of which depends on the speed of fouling at each passage on the paint lines.
After cleaning, the temporary closure devices must undergo an operation on a control gauge to make them compliant once more.
Moreover, the devices for transferring between the paint lines and the cleaning center require transport infrastructure and significant investments.
A temporary closure device for an opening element on a fixed element is known, moreover, as illustrated in document EP 931 895 B1, resolving the preceding drawbacks, with a simple and economical design, not requiring any fixing member which allows greater ease and greater speed in placing and removing the device.
However, the device according to document EP 931 895 B1 has the drawback of comprising a tongue forming a means for retaining the opening element, which is subject to strong stresses and deformations during closure of the opening element on the fixed element. The stress to be overcome during this closure is therefore significant. Moreover, the bend radius of said tongue may cause the device to be covered in flakes of paint, which may constitute impurities that are particularly troublesome for later application of paint on the vehicle chassis.
The device according to the invention therefore aims to resolve the preceding drawbacks by proposing a temporary closure device for an opening element on a fixed chassis part of a motor vehicle, said opening element comprising a housing for receiving a lock and said fixed part comprising at least one tapped hole for fixing a strike, the device comprising a plastic body equipped with means for mounting same in the tapped hole, a first end of the device comprising a limit stop element which is intended to cooperate with a first rim of the housing as the opening element is being closed, while the second end of the device comprises a means for retaining the opening element in the closed position against the fixed part, which is intended to penetrate the housing behind a second rim thereof, the retaining means being formed by a resilient tongue which can bend under stress from the second rim when the opening element is moved from the free position to the closed position thereof, the area of the body that essentially corresponds to the base of the tongue extending into a plate which is suspended above a recessed area, the plate and the tongue being connected by means of an arch forming a flexible connection.

Temporary closure device for an opening element on a fixed chassis part of a motor vehicle, comprising an improved return means


A circuit for a paralleled power supply module to implement automatic current-sharing in proportion comprises: at least two power supply modules, and an output current feedback loop and an output voltage adjusting loop corresponding to each power supply module. Wherein, the output current feedback loop comprises an output current sample amplifying unit, configured to collect output current of a power supply module and amplify the collected output current into a voltage signal according to an inverse proportion of the output proportion set for each power supply module, and a current-sharing controller unit configured to adjust an output voltage of each power supply module; and the output voltage adjusting loop is configured to compare the output voltage of the current-sharing controller unit with a reference voltage, and control the output voltage of the power supply module to adjust the output current.

In order to meet the requirements of load power and reliability, the power system often adopts the distributed system to use several power supply modules in parallel. In the process of using in parallel, because the diversity of the power supply modules, the current shared on each module will be different, and then it is caused that the current stresses and the thermal stresses on each module are different, thus the reliability of the system is reduced. In order to ensure the current-sharing of the current among multiple power supplies in the system and the uniform distribution of the current stress and the thermal stress, the power supply module must support the parallel current-sharing function.
At present, the power system requires that power supplies realizing different power levels can be mixed plugging and used in parallel; although there are a lot of schemes of the automatic current-sharing in the related art, most are the current-sharing according to 1:1, which will must cause that the load of the low power module is overweight (as to the low power module itself), and the load of the high power module is too light (as to the high power module itself). Those skilled in the art should know that, as to the power supply module, no matter the load is overweight or the load is too light, neither the working condition of the power supply module is the optimum state, including but not limited to that the working efficiently does not reach the highest, the current and the voltage and the thermal stress are not under the optimum working condition and even under the situation of the abominable working condition, which will influence the life time of the power supply module and the global reliability of the power system.
If there are two modules A (1000 W) And B (2000 W) of different power levels which are mixed plugging for current-sharing, and the system load is 2000 W, and module A and module B will all be loaded 1000 W if according to 1:1 current-sharing, then module A is fully loaded, and module B is only loaded 50%. At this moment, both the two modules are not working on the optimum working point, and the efficiencies do not reach the highest; module A works at the maximum output power, and the current stress and the thermal stress of the module A are in the most abominable working condition, so the life time of the module and the reliability of the whole power system will be influenced.

Circuit for paralleled power supply module to implement automatic current-sharing in proportion


Compounds of the formula

The invention relates to compounds useful in treating conditions associated with calcium channel function. More specifically, the invention concerns compounds containing benzhydril and 6-membered heterocyclic moieties that are useful in treatment of conditions such as stroke and pain.
Native calcium channels have been classified by their electrophysiological and pharmacological properties as T, L, N, P and Q types (for reviews see McCleskey, E. W. et al. Curr Topics Membr (1991) 39:295-326, and Dunlap, K. et al. Trends Neurosci (1995) 18:89-98). T-type (or low voltage-activated) channels describe a broad class of molecules that transiently activate at negative potentials and are highly sensitive to changes in resting potential. The L, N, P and Q-type channels activate at more positive potentials (high voltage activated) and display diverse kinetics and voltage-dependent properties. There is some overlap in biophysical properties of the high voltage-activated channels, consequently pharmacological profiles are useful to further distinguish them. L-type channels are sensitive to dihydropyridine agonists and antagonists, N-type channels are blocked by the Conus geographus peptide toxin, xcfx89-conotoxin GVIA, and P-type channels are blocked by the peptide xcfx89-agatoxin IVA from the venom of the funnel web spider, Agelenopsis aperta. A fourth type of high voltage-activated calcium channel (Q-type) has been described, although whether the Q- and P-type channels are distinct molecular entities is controversial (Sather, W. A. et al. Neuron (1995) 11:291-303; Stea, A. et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (1994) 91:10576-10580; Bourinet, E. et al. Nature Neuroscience (1999) 2:407-415). Several types of calcium conductances do not fall neatly into any of the above categories and there is variability of properties even within a category suggesting that additional calcium channels subtypes remain to be classified.
Biochemical analyses show that neuronal high voltage activated calcium channels are heterooligomeric complexes consisting of three distinct subunits (xcex11, xcex12xcex4 and xcex2) (reviewed by De Waard, M. et al. Ion Channels (1997) vol. 4, Narahashi, T. ed. Plenum Press, NY). The xcex11 subunit is the major pore-forming subunit and contains the voltage sensor and binding sites for calcium channel antagonists. The mainly extracellular xcex12 is disulfide-linked to the transmembrane xcex4 subunit and both are derived from the same gene and are proteolytically cleaved in vivo. The xcex2 subunit is a nonglycosylated, hydrophilic protein with a high affinity of binding to a cytoplasmic region of the xcex11 subunit. A fourth subunit, xcex3, is unique to L-type calcium channels expressed in skeletal muscle T-tubules. The isolation and characterization of xcex3-subunit-encoding cDNAs is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,025 which is incorporated herein by reference.
Recently, each of these xcex11 subtypes has been cloned and expressed, thus permitting more extensive pharmacological studies. These channels have been designated xcex11A-xcex11I and xcex11S and correlated with the subtypes set forth above. xcex11A channels are of the P/Q type; xcex11B represents N; xcex11C, xcex1xe2x80x21D, xcex11F and xcex11S represent L; xcex11E represents a novel type of calcium conductance, and xcex11G-xcex11I represent members of the T-type family, reviewed in Stea, A. et al. in Handbook of Receptors and Channels (1994), North, R. A. ed. CRC Press; Perez-Reyes, et al. Nature (1998) 391:896-900; Cribbs, L. L. et al. Circulation Research (1998) 83:103-109; Lee, J. H. et al. Journal of Neuroscience (1999) 19:1912-1921.
Further details concerning the function of N-type channels, which are synaptic channels, have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,051, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. As described, N-type channels possess a site for binding syntaxin, a protein anchored in the presynaptic membrane. Blocking this interaction also blocks the presynaptic response to calcium influx. Thus, compounds that block the interaction between syntaxin and this binding site would be useful in neural protection and analgesia. Such compounds have the added advantage of enhanced specificity for presynaptic calcium channel effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,149 describes calcium channel antagonists of the formula A-Y-B wherein B contains a piperazine or piperidine ring directly linked to Y. An essential component of these molecules is represented by A, which must be an antioxidant; the piperazine or piperidine itself is said to be important. The exemplified compounds contain a benzhydril substituent, based on known calcium channel blockers (see below). U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,071 discloses compounds said to be useful in treating ischemic diseases. A mandatory portion of the molecule is a tropolone residue; among the substituents permitted are piperazine derivatives, including their benzhydril derivatives. U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,038 discloses compounds which are said to exert a neural protective and antiallergic effect. These compounds are coumarin derivatives which may include derivatives of piperazine and other six-membered heterocycles. A permitted substituent on the heterocycle is diphenylhydroxymethyl. Thus, approaches in the art for various indications which may involve calcium channel blocking activity have employed compounds which incidentally contain piperidine or piperazine moieties substituted with benzhydril but mandate additional substituents to maintain functionality.
Certain compounds containing both benzhydril moieties and piperidine or piperazine are known to be calcium channel antagonists and neuroleptic drugs. For example, Gould, R. J. et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (1983) 80:5122-5125 describes antischizophrenic neuroleptic drugs such as lidoflazine, fluspirilene, pimozide, clopimozide, and penfluridol. It has also been shown that fluspirilene binds to sites on L-type calcium channels (King, V. K. et al. J Biol Chem (1989) 264:5633-5641) as well as blocking N-type calcium current (Grantham, C. J. et al. Brit J Pharmacol (1944) 111:483-488). In addition, Lomerizine, developed by Kanebo KK, is a known non-specific calcium channel blocker. A review of publications concerning Lomerizine is found in Dooley, D., Current Opinion in CPNS Investigational Drugs (1999) 1:116-125.
U.S. application Ser. No. 09/401,699 filed Sep. 23, 1999 and incorporated herein by reference discloses benzhydril-substituted piperidines and piperazines which block calcium channels, especially N-type channels.
The present invention is based on the recognition that compounds comprising a six-membered heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen coupled to two hydrophobic clusters (each cluster coupled optionally through a linker) provide calcium channel blocking activity. Thus these compounds are particularly useful for treating stroke and pain. By focusing on these moieties, compounds useful in treating indications associated with excessive calcium channel activity and combinatorial libraries that contain these compounds can be prepared.
The invention relates to compounds useful in treating conditions such as stroke, migraine, chronic neuropathic and acute pain, epilepsy, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and other indications associated with calcium metabolism, including synaptic calcium channel-mediated functions. The compounds of the invention are derivatives of piperidine or piperazine linked to hydrophobic substituents which enhance the calcium channel blocking activity. Thus, in one aspect, the invention is directed to therapeutic methods that employ compounds of the formulas
wherein each Z is independently N or CH, but one Z must be N;
wherein n1 is 1 and n is 0 or 1;
X1 and X2 are linkers;
Ar represents one or two substituted or unsubstituted aromatic or heteroaromatic rings, and
Cy represents one or two substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic cyclic or heterocyclic rings, or consists of one substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic cyclic or heterocyclic ring and one substituted or unsubstituted aromatic or heteroaromatic ring;
each of Ya and Yb is two substituted or unsubstituted aromatic or heteroaromatic rings, or can be two substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic cyclic or heterocyclic rings or consists of one substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic cyclic or heterocyclic ring and one substituted or unsubstituted aromatic or heteroaromatic ring;
with the proviso that said rings cannot both be phenyl when both Ar includes a single phenyl ring and X1 contains less than 5C;
and with the proviso that formula (1b) must contain at least one aromatic or heteroaromatic ring;
11 is 0 or 1;
R1 is substituted or unsubstituted alkyl (1-6C), substituted or unsubstituted aryl (6-10C) or substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl (7-16C) optionally containing 1-4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of halo, N, P, O, and S or may independently be halo, OR, SR, NR2, OOCR, NROCR, COR, COOR, CONR2, CF3, CN or NO2, wherein R is H or alkyl (1-6C). Substituents included in Ya, Yb, Ar and Cy are also selected from the foregoing.
The invention is directed to methods to antagonize calcium channel activity using the compounds of formulas (1a) or (1b) and thus to treat associated conditions. It will be noted that the conditions may be associated with abnormal calcium channel activity, or the subject may have normal calcium channel function which nevertheless results in an undesirable physical or metabolic state that can be benefited by lowering calcium transport. In another aspect, the invention is directed to pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds.
The invention is also directed to combinatorial libraries containing the compounds of formulas (1a) or (1b) and to methods to screen these libraries for members containing particularly potent calcium channel blocking activity including blocking activity for channels of a particular type.
The compounds of formulas (1a) or (1b), useful in the methods of the invention, exert their desirable effects through their ability to antagonize the activity of calcium channels, including those which are synaptic in their activity. While the compounds of formulas (1a) or (1b) generally have this activity, the availability of a multiplicity of calcium channel blockers permits a nuanced selection of compounds for particular disorders. Thus, the availability of this class of compounds provides not only a genus of general utility in indications that are affected by excessive calcium channel activity, but also provides a large number of compounds which can be mined and manipulated for specific interaction with particular forms of calcium channels. The availability of recombinantly produced calcium channels of the xcex11A-xcex11I and xcex11S types set forth above, facilitates this selection process. Dubel, S. J. et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (1992) 89:5058-5062; Fujita, Y. et al. Neuron (1993) 10:585-598; Mikami, A. et al. Nature (1989) 340:230-233; Mori, Y. et al. Nature (1991) 350:398-402; Snutch, T. P. et al. Neuron (1991) 7:45-57; Soong, T. W. et al. Science (1993) 260:1133-1136; Tomlinson, W. J. et al Neuropharmacology (1993) 32:1117-1126; Williams, M. E. et al. Neuron (1992) 8:71-84; Williams, M. E. et al. Science (1992) 257:389-395; Perez-Reyes, et al. Nature (1998) 391:896-900; Cribbs, L. L. et al. Circulation Research (1998) 83:103-109; Lee, J. H. et al. Journal of Neuroscience (1999) 19:1912-1921.
Thus, while it is known that calcium channel activity is involved in a multiplicity of disorders, the types of channels associated with particular conditions is the subject of ongoing data collection. The association of N-type channels in conditions associated with neural transmission would indicate that compounds of the invention which target N-type receptors are most useful in these conditions. Most of the members of the genus of compounds of formulas (1a) or (1b) target N-type channels; other members of the genus may target other channels; many members of the genus target channels of several types.
There are two distinguishable types of calcium channel inhibition. The first, designated xe2x80x9copen channel blockage,xe2x80x9d is conveniently demonstrated when displayed calcium channels are maintained at an artificially negative resting potential of 3 about xe2x88x92100 mV (as distinguished from the typical endogenous resting maintained potential of about xe2x88x9270 mV). When the displayed channels are abruptly depolarized under these conditions, calcium ions are caused to flow through the channel and exhibit a peak current flow which then decays. Open channel blocking inhibitors diminish the current exhibited at the peak flow and can also accelerate the rate of current decay.
This type of inhibition is distinguished from a second type of block, referred to herein as xe2x80x9cinactivation inhibition.xe2x80x9d When maintained at less negative resting potentials, such as the physiologically important potential of xe2x88x9270 mV, a certain percentage of the channels may undergo conformational change, rendering them incapable of being activatedxe2x80x94i.e., openedxe2x80x94by the abrupt depolarization. Thus, the peak current due to calcium ion flow will be diminished not because the open channel is blocked, but because some of the channels are unavailable for opening (inactivated). xe2x80x9cInactivationxe2x80x9d type inhibitors increase the percentage of channels that are in an inactivated state.
Among the conditions associated in which blocking calcium transport would be of therapeutic value are stroke, head trauma, epilepsy, and chronic, neuropathic and acute pain. Calcium transport, especially that associated with N-type channels, is also implicated in other neurological disorders such as migraine, epilepsy, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and certain degenerative disorders. Other conditions that benefit from reduced calcium flux include depression, anxiety, and other psychoses. Cardiovascular conditions benefited include hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias.
The availability of the libraries containing the compounds of formulas (1a) or (1b) also provides a source of compounds which may be screened for activity with regard to the various ion channels. The various types of ion channels are associated with conditions that are susceptible to treatment. Blockers of sodium channels, for example, are useful as local anesthetics, and in treating cardiac arrhythmias, as anticonvulsants, and in treating hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. Potassium channel blockers are useful in treating hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias; various other receptors are associated with psychoses, schizophrenia, depression, and apnea. Thus, the library of compounds of the invention is useful in standard screening techniques as a source of effective pharmaceutical compounds.
Synthesis
The compounds of the invention may be synthesized using conventional methods. Illustrative of such methods are the following schemes.
The piperazine derivatives of the invention are prepared conveniently by synthetic routes wherein one of the linkers, X1 or X2, is supplied as a carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid derivative and is coupled to piperazine already bound to the remaining substituent. Thus, in general, these compounds are prepared by Reaction Scheme 1 illustrated below for the embodiment wherein Ar is benzhydril and Ya(X1)n1 is depicted as R.
The intermediate amide product can be reduced as shown, if desired, using a suitable reducing agent. Preferably, the reducing agent is BH3 if R represents phenyl or benzyl, or is LAH if R contains a xcfx80-bond other than in an aromatic system, such as the instance wherein R is xe2x80x94CH2CHxe2x95x90CHxcfx86. Alternatively, the piperazine ring nitrogen shown coupled to R is protected with t-butyl carbonate (BOC) which can then be removed and replaced with a different substituent as shown in Reaction Scheme 2 and then reduced, for example, with BH3.
In the foregoing reaction schemes, EDC represents ethyldicyclohexylcarbodiimide, LAH represents lithium aluminum hydride, TFA is trifluoroacetic acid.
Some of the desired carboxylates are commercially available including instances which include cyclic aliphatics. Where they are not, they can be prepared by a Wittig reaction and reduced as desired, as shown in Reaction Scheme 3, which illustrates preparation of the benzhydril embodiment using benzophenone. However, phenylcyclohexylketone or dicyclohexylketone can be substituted for benzophenone to obtain the corresponding embodiments wherein the substituent coupled to linker is symbolized by Cy in formula (1b).
In this reaction scheme, LiHMDS represents lithium hexamethyl disilazide. The reaction proceeds smoothly with benzophenone and phenylcyclohexylketone; use of dicyclohexylketone results in an aberrant molecular weight as measured by mass spectrometry, but nevertheless provides product.
The reagents in the above-referenced scheme may or may not contain substitutions on the aromatic or cyclic aliphatic moieties. For example, compounds in the bis-4-fluorophenyl butylidine series are commercially available and Reaction Scheme 4 illustrates the preparation of these compounds.
The compounds of the invention that are piperidine derivatives are prepared in an analogous manner, as shown in Reaction Scheme 5 using the illustration where Ar represents benzhydril.
As shown, the 4-piperidone is reacted with the corresponding carboxylic acid derivative of benzhydril and then subjected to reductive amination. R, then, represents Ya and may include a portion of the linker, X1, which linker includes CH2NH.
In general, the synthesis of the compounds of the invention is conventional and employs techniques generally known in the art.
The compounds of formulas (1a) or (1b) are defined as shown in terms of the embodiments of their various substituents:
each Z is independently N or CH, but one Z must be N.
R1 is alkyl (1-6C) aryl (6-10C) or arylalkyl (7-16C) optionally containing 1-4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of N, P, O, S, and halo. R1 may also be the xe2x80x9csubstituentsxe2x80x9d halo, OR, SR, NR2, OOCR, NROCR, COR, COOR, CONR2, CF3, CN or NO2, wherein R is H or alkyl (1-6C). These xe2x80x9csubstituentsxe2x80x9d may also be present on the alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl moieties contained in Formulas 1a and 1b; aryl groups may also contain alkyl substituents. Preferred embodiments of R1 include phenyl, phenylalkyl, F, Cl, Br, I, CF3, OR, NR2 and alkyl. Particularly preferred are F, OMe, NH2, NMe2, NHOAc, CONH2, Br, COOEt, and COOMe, as well as methyl. Preferably, however, 11 is 0.
As n2 may be 0 or 1, X2 may be present or not. X1 and X2 are suitable linkers containing 1-10C which may be saturated or unsaturated and may contain a ring. The linker may also contain one or two heteroatoms selected from N, O and S and may be substituted with the xe2x80x9csubstituentsxe2x80x9d listed above. Preferred embodiments of X2 include xe2x80x94(CH2)axe2x80x94 wherein a is 1-10, preferably 1-6, xe2x80x94(CH2)bCOxe2x80x94, where b is 1-9, and xe2x80x94(CH2)cCHxe2x95x90CH, where c is 0-4. Also preferred for X2 is xe2x80x94NH(CH2)dxe2x80x94 where d is 1-6, when the coupled Z is CH.
Thus, formulas (1a) and (1b) are similar, except that compounds of formula (1a) contain more mandated aromatic substituents linked to the heterocyclic 6-membered ring and those of (1b) contain more aliphatic cyclic or heterocyclic moieties. In each case, when X2 is present, X2 represents a linker which spaces the Ar or Cy moiety from Z preferably at a distance of 3-20 xc3x85, and may contain at least one heteroatom which is nitrogen or oxygen. Included in such linkers are amines and carbonyl functionalities, including amides. The linker may also be unsaturated or may be an alkylene group. Typically, X2 is (CH2)1-8 or xe2x80x94NH(CH2)1-6xe2x80x94 or (CH2)0-5, or xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94(CH2)0-3xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94CO(CH2)1-8xe2x80x94. Similarly, X1 spaces the Ya or Yb from the nitrogen of the heterocyclic ring at a distance of 3-20 xc3x85.
In both cases, when linked to two aromatic or heterocyclic or other cyclic moieties, as is always the case for Ya and Yb, X1 or X2 must accommodate this and a typical embodiment is xe2x80x94(CH2)0-6xe2x80x94CHxe2x80x94CH(CH2)0-6CO, or xe2x80x94CH(CH2)0-7. X1 or X2 may also contain a xcfx80-bond, e.g., xe2x80x94(CH2)0-5CHxe2x95x90C, thus providing sufficient valence to couple two ring systems or Cxe2x95x90CH(CH2)0-5xe2x80x94.
In preferred forms of formulas (1a) and (1b), X2 is (CH2)1-8, (CH2)1-5CO(CH2)0-3, (CH2)1-5NH(CH2)0-3, (CH2)0-5CONH(CH2)0-3, xe2x80x94(CH2)0-5CHxe2x95x90CH(CH2)0-3xe2x80x94 and (CH2)1-5NHCO(CH2)0-3, with accommodation as required for two rings. Preferred for X1 are CH(CH2)1-10 and CH(CH2)1-9CO.
It is believed that halogenation of the compounds of the invention is helpful in modulating the in vivo half-life, and it may be advantageous to include halogen-substituted rings in the compounds. Indeed, various substituents may thus be included. These substituents include alkyl (1-6C), aryl (6-10C) or arylalkyl (7-16C) optionally containing 1-4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of halo, N, P, O, and S or may be the xe2x80x9csubstituentsxe2x80x9d halo, OR, SR, NR2, OOCR, NROCR, COR, COOR, CONR2, CF3, CN or NO2, wherein R is H or alkyl (1-6C). These substituents may also be present on the alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl or other cyclic moieties; aryl or other cyclic moieties groups may also contain alkyl substituents.
Typical heteroaromatic moieties include pyridyl, pyrimidyl, quinolyl and the like. Typical aliphatic heterocycles include, for example, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, pyranyl, and the like. Preferred embodiments of Ya and Yb include two cyclohexyl residues or a cyclohexyl and a phenyl residue.
Thus, all of the foregoing aromatic, heteroaromatic, cyclic aliphatic, and heterocyclic aliphatic moieties may be substituted or unsubstituted. Typical xe2x80x9csubstituentsxe2x80x9d include halo, OR, SR, NR2, OOCR, NROCR, COR, COOR, CONR2, CF3, CN or NO2, wherein R is H or alkyl (1-6C). They may also be substituted by alkyl (1-6C), aryl (6-10C) or arylalkyl (7-16C) optionally containing 1-4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of halo, N, P, O, and S which may themselves contain xe2x80x9csubstituents.xe2x80x9d Aryl residues or other cyclic residues may also be substituted by alkyl.
Preferred substituents include halo, CF3, OR, NR2, COONR2, COOR, and the like.
In the compounds of formula (1a), preferred embodiments of Ar include two phenyl moieties or a single phenyl moiety. In compounds of formula (1b), preferred embodiments of Cy include a single cyclohexyl, a cyclohexyl and phenyl moiety, or two cyclohexyl moieties.
In one set of preferred embodiments of Formula 1a Ya is two substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, Xxe2x80x2 is CH(CH2)5 or CH(CH2)4CO, Z is N, and X2 is CH2 and n2 is 0 or 1. In this embodiment, Ar is preferably an optionally substituted ring which is phenyl, pyrimidyl, especially 2-pyrimidyl or pyridyl, especially 2-pyridyl.
The invention compounds may also be supplied as pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts include the acid addition salts which can be formed from inorganic acids such as hydrochloric, sulfuric, and phosphoric acid or from organic acids such as acetic, propionic, glutamic, glutaric, as well as acid ion-exchange resins. If the compounds contain carboxyl groups, the salts of the carboxyl groups may also be included. typical pharmaceutically acceptable salts are sodium, potassium, or calcium salts if appropriate, or salts with inorganic bases such as caffeine.
Utility and Administration
For use as treatment of human and animal subjects, the compounds of the invention can be formulated as pharmaceutical or veterinary compositions. Depending on the subject to be treated, the mode of administration, and the type of treatment desiredxe2x80x94e.g., prevention, prophylaxis, therapy; the compounds are formulated in ways consonant with these parameters. A summary of such techniques is found in Remington""s Pharmaceutical Sciences, latest edition, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., incorporated herein by reference.
In general, for use in treatment, the compounds of formulas (1a) and (1b) may be used alone, as mixtures of two or more compounds of formulas (1a) and (1b) or in combination with other pharmaceuticals. Depending on the mode of administration, the compounds will be formulated into suitable compositions to permit facile delivery.
Formulations may be prepared in a manner suitable for systemic administration or topical or local administration. Systemic formulations include those designed for injection (e.g., intramuscular, intravenous or subcutaneous injection) or may be prepared for transdermal, transmucosal, or oral administration. The formulation will generally include a diluent as well as, in some cases, adjuvants, buffers, preservatives and the like. The compounds can be administered also in liposomal compositions or as microemulsions.
For injection, formulations can be prepared in conventional forms as liquid solutions or suspensions or as solid forms suitable for solution or suspension in liquid prior to injection or as emulsions. Suitable excipients include, for example, water, saline, dextrose, glycerol and the like. Such compositions may also contain amounts of nontoxic auxiliary substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents, pH buffering agents and the like, such as, for example, sodium acetate, sorbitan monolaurate, and so forth.
Various sustained release systems for drugs have also been devised. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,677.
Systemic administration may also include relatively noninvasive methods such as the use of suppositories, transdermal patches, transmucosal delivery and intranasal administration. Oral administration is also suitable for compounds of the invention. Suitable forms include syrups, capsules, tablets, as in understood in the art.
For administration to animal or human subjects, the dosage of the compounds of the invention is typically 0.1-15 mg/kg, preferably 0.1-1 mg/kg. However, dosage levels are highly dependent on the nature of the condition, the condition of the patient, the judgment of the practitioner, and the frequency and mode of administration.
Screening Methods
The compounds of the invention can be synthesized individually using methods known in the art per se, or as members of a combinatorial library. In general, Ya or Yb is coupled, along with any linking moiety, to the nitrogen of the piperazine or piperidine ring. This ring itself is generally appropriately substituted with (X2)nxe2x80x94Ar or (X2)nxe2x80x94Cy prior to this coupling. Typically, Ya(X1)n1 or Yb(X1)n1 is supplied containing a suitable electron-withdrawing leaving group, thus effecting the coupling to the ring nitrogen.
Synthesis of combinatorial libraries is now commonplace in the art. Suitable descriptions of such syntheses are found, for example, in Wentworth, Jr., P. et al. Current Opinion in Biol (1993) 9:109-115; Salemme, F. R. et al. Structure (1997) 5:319-324. The libraries contain compounds with various embodiments of R1, X1, X2, Ar, Cy, Y and Z, along with appropriate substituents. These libraries, which contain, as few as 10, but typically several hundred members to several thousand members, may then be screened for compounds which are particularly effective against a specific subtype of calcium channel. In addition, using standard screening protocols, the libraries may be screened for compounds which block additional channels such as sodium channels, potassium channels and the like.
Methods of performing these screening functions are well known in the art. Typically, the channel to be targeted is expressed at the surface of a recombinant host cell such as human embryonic kidney cells. The ability of the members of the library to bind the channel is measured, for example, by the ability of the compound in the library to displace a labeled binding ligand such as the ligand normally associated with the channel or an antibody to the channel. More typically, ability to antagonize the channel is measured in the presence of the appropriate agonist and the ability of the compound to interfere with the signal generated is measured using standard techniques.
In more detail, one method involves the binding of radiolabeled agents that interact with the calcium channel and subsequent analysis of equilibrium binding measurements including, but not limited to, on rates, off rates, Kd values and competitive binding by other molecules. Another method involves the screening for the effects of compounds by electrophysiological assay whereby individual cells are impaled with a microelectrode and currents through the calcium channel are recorded before and after application of the compound of interest. Another method, high-throughput spectrophotometric assay, utilizes loading of the cell lines with a fluorescent dye sensitive to intracellular calcium concentration and subsequent examination of the effects of compounds on the ability of depolarization by potassium chloride or other means to alter intracellular calcium levels.
The following examples are intended to illustrate but not to limit the invention.

Partially saturated calcium channel blockers

Abstract: Compounds of the formula

Abstract: or the salts thereof,

Abstract: wherein n1 is 1 and n2 is 0 or 1;

Abstract: X1 and X2 are linkers;

Abstract: 11 is 0 or 1;


The present invention relates to the use of a supernatant of lactic acid bacteria or of Bifidobacteria capable of preventing colonization of intestinal cells by Giardia intestinalis, for the preparation of an ingestible carrier for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of disorders associated with the colonization of the gut by Giardia intestinalis. The present invention also pertains to specific strains of Bifidobacterium having the above traits and to the ingestible carrier, such as a food or pharmaceutical composition, containing such supernatant or the microorganisms.

The present invention relates to lactic acid bacteria capable of preventing colonization of intestinal cells by Giardia intestinalis, or to a culture supernatant thereof, respectively, for use in the treatment and/or prophylaxis of disorders associated with the colonization of the gut by Giardia intestinalis. The present invention also pertains to strains of Bifidobacterium having the above traits and to the use of lactic acid bacteria for the preparation of an ingestible carrier, such as a food or pharmaceutical composition, for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of an infestation of the intestine by Giardia intestinalis.
The present invention relates to lactic acid bacteria capable of preventing colonization of intestinal cells by Giardia intestinalis, or to a culture supernatant thereof, respectively, for use in the treatment and/or prophylaxis of disorders associated with the colonization of the gut by Giardia intestinalis. The present invention also pertains to strains of Bifidobacterium having the above traits and to the use of lactic acid bacteria for the preparation of an ingestible carrier, such as a food or pharmaceutical composition, for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of an infestation of the intestine by Giardia intestinalis.
Cysts are dormant, quadrinucleate and ovoid forms responsible for transmission of giardiasis. After ingestion of cysts by an individual, excystation is triggered by exposure to gastric acid and/or digestive enzymes. The parasite thus emerging, which is termed trophozoite, is binucleate and half-pear shaped having a size of around 10 μm with a broad anterior and a narrow posterior side. The ventral side is by and large covered by the ventral disk which is deemed to at least in part account for an attachment of the trophozoite to the intestinal surface.
After excystation trophozoites may persist in the small intestine of the infected individuum for a long time amounting even to years. If trophozoites are carried downstream by the flow of intestinal fluid they again start to encyst to adapt to a new environment.
Cysts are excreted with the faeces and may withstand a variety of extreme environmental conditions, including different temperature, pH and tonicity conditions. An infected individual may secrete about 9×108 cysts per day, with doses to as low as 10 cysts proved to be sufficient to produce infection in another individual. Transmission of Giardia intestinalis may be accomplished in a variety of different ways with the main routes of transmission being waterborne and foodborne. Person to person spread is supported by some daycare and nosocomial outbreaks. In addition, wild animals are found to be infectious reservoirs of Giardia intestinalis and may contribute to a spread of the pathogen.
Giardiasis, like other intestinal diseases, is more severe in infants and children. Infection is normally associated with diarrhea and malabsorption resulting in an impaired growth and development of the child and may eventually also lead to the death of newbornes.
Around one half of infected people are, however, asymptomatic and contribute to the spread of the pathogen, since due to the absence of any perceptible symptoms no corresponding regimen is applied.
Though a great deal of scientific effort has been invested on the investigation of Giardia intestinalis pathogenesis of giardiasis could not be explained by means of a single virulence factor alone and no toxic compound has been isolated so far.
The light microscopic appearance of a gut colonized by Giardia has been found to be rather variable ranging from a normal mucosal structure to a subtotal villous atrophy. Results of electron microscopy investigations revealed ultrastructural changes such as shortening and disruption of microvilli (Chavez et al., Experimental Parasitol. 80 (1995), 133-138).
Such structural abnormalities have been found to be accompanied by a reduction in lactase, sucrase and maltase activities in the microvillus membrane as well as to an impaired intestinal transport (Buret et al, Gastroenterology 103 (1992), 506-513; Roberts-Thomson et al, Gastroenterology. 71 (1976), 57-61).
In addition to the two forms illustrated above Giardia intestinalis has developed an extremely changing surface structure and has evolved a family of protective proteins that cover all exposed surfaces (Aley et al., Infect. Agents Dis. 4 (1995), 161-166; Muller, et al., Infect. Immun. 64 (1996), 1385-1390; Nash et al., J. Euk. Microbiol. 42 (1995), 604-609). These variable surface proteins (VSPs) protect trophozoites from both immunological and environmental factors, such that Giardia may evade the host's defenses and may survive in a highly degradative environment such as is prevailing in the intestinal tract of mammals. A modification in the VSPs occurs at about every 6th to 13th generation making it difficult or nearly impossible for the host's immune system to develop a specific response against the pathogen. Immune and environmental stress can select different VSP phenotypes. Furthermore, antigen switching of VSPs after excystation has also been reported (Gillin et al., Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 50 (1996), 679-705).
Human giardiasis is associated with an increase in the number of lamina propria and intraepithelial lymphocytes suggesting that T-cell activation could be responsible for micro-villous damage. However, induced immunosuppression in mice resulted in a more profound effect on microvillous associated enzymes as compared to non-immunosupressed animals, indicating that during an infection by Giardia intestinalis epithelial damage seems not be dependent on immune function alone.
A common therapy of giardiasis is the administration of antibiotics, such as those belonging to the class of nitroimidazoles. Yet, in endemic areas the response to therapy has been shown to be rather inconsistent (Katelaris et al., Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 8 (1994), 187-192). Moreover, due to the at least in part destruction of the intestine's natural microflora, the administration of such antibiotics is always accompanied by severe side effects such as extended diarrhea or even an expanded infestation of the gut by other detrimental microorganisms, such as yeast.
Hence, there is a need in the art for additional options to treat giardiasis or means to prevent infestation of an individual by the pathogen.
The problem of the present invention therefore resides in providing additional means for the treatment or prophylaxis of an infection by Giardia intestinalis.

Lactic acid bacteria for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of giardiasis


A housing is disclosed for accommodating electrical components having a housing lower part, having a conductor feed opening and having a housing cover for covering the housing lower part. In at least one embodiment, the housing is intended to provide the possibility of very convenient fitting and dismantling. The conductor feed opening is provided for the purpose of being delimited by the housing lower part and the housing cover in the closed state of the housing. This obviates the need for the careful threading-in operation when installing a cable on an electrical component in the interior of the housing. In addition, the housing cover delimiting the conductor feed opening is provided with first guide elements, which are provided for engaging in the housing lower part.

A housing is always used when electrical components need to be shielded or protected from the outside world. The use of such a housing is conceivable, for example, in installation technology, safety technology, automation technology, wiring technology and measurement technology.
Depending on the application, the housing has options for sealing which are determined by the susceptibility of the electrical components. Depending on the protection class, the housing may be provided for protection against the ingress of moisture or spray water or against mechanical stress.
A further function of the housing resides in the fact that the conductors, such as cables, for example, can be fed to the electrical components in the required number. The conductor feed opening increases the complexity of the sealing problem. On the other hand, an easily accessible housing or housing part is advantageous for fitting purposes. As a result, the design of such a housing is a product of a compromise between ease of fitting and problems associated with sealing.
Such a housing is also used in connection with position switches and safety switches. Position switches likewise need to be connected to electrical conductors. This takes place, for example, directly or indirectly via ASI plug-type connectors (actuator/sensor interface plug-type connectors), which are connected to the electrical components, such as a switching element, for example. The position switch housing generally has one or more connection openings and a cover.
When connecting the conductors, the cover is removed in order to connect them to the switch element once they have been threaded in through the conductor openings. The conductor feed openings are also referred to as connection openings and are generally implemented as a standardized interface between the housing the and the surrounding environment of the installation. The standardized interface can in this case be in the form of a conductor screw connection, plug or the like.
Not only the housing or its component parts, but also the connection opening need to meet a plurality of preconditions. They need to protect the device interior against the ingress of foreign bodies and liquids and against other environmental influences. The sealtightness of the housing furthermore needs to correspond to national and international standards. In addition, the possibility of easy fitting of the connection lines is generally desirable.
DE 36 29 783 C2 has disclosed a closure for a housing having a cover part which can be fixed to a base part by way of a snap-action connection. The housing disclosed in the mentioned patent specification can be closed such that it is hermetically sealed at its upper opening side via the cover part. In addition, the housing has a separate conductor feed opening.

Housing for accommodating electrical components


The present invention is directed to a system for reducing the noise that enters the vehicle compartment through a hole in a drain plug. In an embodiment, the system includes a drain plug with a washer, a shank with an inlet fluidly coupled to an outlet, a cylindrical wall and a disc configured to occlude the outlet. The assembly may include a seal. When installed, the seal seals the washer to the mounting surface while the disc occludes the outlet so as to reduce the entry of noise through the drain plug while providing a passageway that allows the accumulated water to drain away.

As is known, automobiles are designed to protect automobile occupants from the elements. For example, vehicles can be equipped with one or more sunroofs so that the passengers may enjoy many of the benefits of open air driving while avoiding many of the undesirable aspects to exposure to the elements. If the vehicle encounters rain, the sunroof can be closed so the passengers remain dry. To work effectively in the rain, sunroofs come equipped with seals so as to prevent water from leaking in on the passengers while closed. However, the construction of a sunroof can create a depression in the roof of the vehicle that will potentially allow water to accumulate. To avoid the accumulation of water, a vent can be provided that allows the water to drain away. The vent can be connected via a hose to a drain hole in the vehicle body so the water that might otherwise accumulate can be safely removed from the depression created by the sunroof. In this manner, the opening of the sunroof will not cause a sudden deluge of water to fall on the occupants of the vehicle. Somewhat similarly, an air conditioning system tends to remove moisture from the air and the resultant water must be directed outside the vehicle or the water will puddle on the floor and/or potentially splash the occupants. To remove the water, a hose typically directs the water that accumulates in an evaporator case through a hole in a dash panel.
While these methods of removing unwanted water are mostly successful, they tend to cause an undesirable side effect. Vehicle designers are constantly trying to make their vehicles quieter and substantial effort and money is exerted to prevent the intrusion of exterior sounds into the passenger compartment. For example, sound absorbing materials and seals are used on a number of panels including the floor panels, the dash panels, the roof panel and the door panels. Unfortunately, any hole in a panel that forms the passenger compartment is a potential avenue for noise to enter the passenger compartment. Thus, a hole in a panel that allows the water to drain away can also allow undesirable noise to enter the passenger compartment. Therefore, there is a need in the art to help reduce the noise that might otherwise enter the passenger compartment through the drain holes in the panels. The present invention is directed at solving these and other known problems by providing a drain plug that provides for a reduction in the amount of noise entering into the vehicle through the hole in the panel while still permitting the water to drain away.


A method of migrating a virtual machine having a virtual device that is backed by direct passthrough hardware, from a source host to a destination host, includes the steps of determining whether or not the destination host has direct passthrough hardware that can back the virtual device, and upon determining that the destination host has direct passthrough hardware that can back the virtual device, determining if a version of the direct passthrough hardware at the source host matches a version of the direct passthrough hardware at the destination host. If the versions do not match, the steps further include quiescing the virtual device, deleting data structures relating to the virtual device, and then migrating the virtual machine from the source host to the destination host. If the versions match, the virtual machine is migrated without quiescing the virtual device and without deleting the data structures relating to the virtual device.

Virtualization of I/O devices poses challenges. Currently, software performs virtualization of an I/O device by interposing itself between a driver for the I/O device running in a guest operating system (OS) and the underlying hardware I/O device. When triggered by a guest memory access, the virtualization software parses I/O commands, translates the guest addresses into host physical addresses and ensures that referenced memory pages are present in memory. Additionally, the virtualization software serializes multiple I/O requests from all virtual machines into a single I/O stream to be handled by the underlying hardware, thereby sharing the underlying hardware among all of the virtual machines. However, CPU overhead is needed to implement the software virtualization of the I/O device, and such overhead reduces the throughput that the I/O device is capable of delivering.
An alternative to software virtualization is direct assignment. In direct assignment, the physical I/O device is controlled directly by a native driver in the guest OS. The result is a major improvement in performance because no software intervention is involved. However, direct assignment has a limitation in that the I/O device cannot be shared among virtual machines (VMs). The physical I/O device is assigned to only one VM.
Thus, I/O virtualization that allows sharing of I/O devices, as well as high performance of the I/O devices, is needed.
Single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) is an attempt to answer this need. SR-IOV provides two new functions types, physical functions, and virtual functions. Physical functions (PFs) manage the entire SR-IOV device. Virtual functions (VFs) are numerous lightweight versions of the SR-IOV device sufficient to support several VMs, thereby allowing sharing of the physical I/O device among VMs and direct access to the virtual functions by the VMs.
However, while SR-IOV devices solve the problem of sharing and high performance by allowing VMs, through guest VF drivers installed therein, to have direct access to sharable virtual functions, another difficulty emerges. Virtual devices backed by direct access to SR-IOV devices means that the virtual devices are bound to the specific capabilities and supported protocols of the SR-IOV device. Once a guest device driver for the virtual device is initialized, the hardware configuration is assumed to stay constant until the guest device driver is reloaded manually or the operating system is rebooted. In addition, if a VM containing the guest device driver is migrated to a different host, the guest driver expects the hardware configuration on the different host to be exactly the same. Differences in SR-IOV devices can arise for a variety of reasons such as firmware that is changed to support slightly different capabilities. Such slightly different capabilities may include small semantic changes to device operations, minor variations in input and output semantics of algorithms, or even addition or removal of algorithms. These minor differences can render the hardware incompatible with the guest device driver.

Dynamic reconfiguration of virtual devices for migration across device generations


In some embodiments, transpiration cooling and fuel cell for ultra mobile applications is presented. In this regard, an apparatus is introduced having an integrated circuit device, a fuel cell to power the integrated circuit device, wherein the fuel cell produces water as a byproduct, a chassis to house the integrated circuit device and the fuel cell, and a skin to cover the chassis, the skin comprising a waterproof layer configured to prevent water from contacting the integrated circuit device and a water absorbent layer of hydro gel configured to absorb water. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

The demand for more powerful handheld electronic devices presents problems in keeping the devices from getting too hot to handle. Passive cooling solutions are preferred, because no additional power is required and consumers tend to dislike the noise of a fan. Generally, a cooling solution is considered unacceptable if the skin temperature is allowed to exceed 45 degrees Celsius.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Transpiration cooling and fuel cell for ultra mobile applications


A dual diffusion layer composed of an n.sup.- type diffusion layer 5 and an n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 6 is formed in a first element forming region element-separated by a field oxidized film 2, a p.sup.+ type diffusion layer 7 is formed in a second element forming region, a p type guard ring layer 3 provided below the field oxidized film 2 and the cathode n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 6 are placed adjacent to each other, and thus reach-through breakdown voltage is made lower than that of an internal transistor.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device, and more particularly to a protective circuit element.
FIG. 3 is a section view of a semiconductor chip, showing one example of a conventional protective off-buffer element. Referring to FIG. 3, a high voltage system (power supply voltage of 10 V or higher) is composed of a field oxidized film 2 which is provided in the surface of a P type silicon substrate 1 for plotting an element forming region, a p type guard ring layer 3 which is provided below the field oxidized film 2, a gate oxidized film 4 which is formed in the surface of the element forming region, a gate electrode 11 which is selectively formed on the gate oxidized film 4, source and drain regions each having a dual diffusion layer structure, which is composed of a deep n.sup.- type diffusion layer 6 formed by implanting impure ions in the element forming region with this gate electrode 11 and the field oxidized film 2 as masks and a shallow n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 7 provided inside the n.sup.- type diffusion layer 6, a layer insulating film 8 which is provided in a surface including the gate electrode 11, and drain and source electrodes 12 and 13 which are formed by being connected to the n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 6 of a contact hole provided in the layer insulating film 8.
This configuration is the same as that of a logic circuit high voltage system MOS transistor, and as shown in the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4, this high voltage system is used as an off-buffer by keeping the gate electrode at the same potential as that of the substrate.
If this off-buffer is used as a protective element, the sequence of its operational steps is as follows.
(1) A high voltage pulse is impressed to the drain electrode.
(2) A breakdown occurs in the junction diode D of the drain diffusion layer.
(3) A hole created as an electron and hole pair raises a potential under the gate electrode.
(4) A parasitic npn type bipolar transistor B is switched ON, and thereby resistance after the breakdown can be reduced.
In this case, a current flows through drain and source resistors R.sub.D and R.sub.S, and thus heat generating phenomena occur in the drain and source resistors R.sub.D and R.sub.S
There were problems inherent in this conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device. More particularly, since the structure of the protective circuit element was the same as that of the internal logic circuit, its breakdown voltage was also the same. Furthermore, when the densities of the n.sup.- type diffusion layers of the drain and source regions were low and drain resistance and source resistance were high, switching-ON of the parasitic npn type bipolar transistor caused an overcurrent to flow, and heating of the drain and source regions brought about junction destruction.
Accordingly, when the off-buffer was to be used as a protective element, it was necessary to disperse a current by increasing its occupancy area.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and manufacturing method of the same


A semiconductor device may include a driving control signal generation circuit configured to generate a driving control signal by determining whether a corresponding operation is a gapless read operation, according to a read strobe signal. The semiconductor device may also include a power driving circuit configured to drive a supply voltage to a power supply voltage in response to the driving control signal, and a read control signal generation circuit configured to generate a read control signal for controlling a read operation from the read strobe signal in response to the supply voltage.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device which is capable of stably operating even though the level of a power supply voltage decreases.
2. Related Art
Recently, a semiconductor device was designed to perform a gapless operation in which a command continuously toggles to accomplish a high-speed operation. The gapless operation may include a gapless read operation in which a read command successively toggles without a gap, a gapless write operation in which a write command successively toggles without a gap, a gapless active operation in which an active command successively toggles without a gap, and a gapless precharge operation in which a precharge command successively toggles without a gap.
When a gapless operation is performed, an excessive amount of current may be consumed, and a level of a power supply voltage may be decreased.


A two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) convertible display using a pinhole array, and more particularly, a 2D/3D convertible display, which is easily convertible between the 2D or 3D modes using an electro-optic material of which the refractive index varies according to applied power is provided. A system capable of easily selecting 2D/3D can be used in many fields, which are in need of greatly improved video information, such as medical science, engineering, simulation, and stereoscopic video TV, which will emerge in the near future.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) convertible display using a pinhole array, and more particularly, to a 2D/3D convertible display, which is easily converted between 2D and 3D and vice versa, using an electro-optic material of which the refractive index varies according to applied power. The present application is based on Korean Patent Application No. 2001-55916, filed Sep. 11, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A stereoscopic video display, which displays three-dimensional (3D) video broadly including stereoscopic images and 3D images, is classified on the basis of stereoscopic display method, viewpoint, observation conditions and the condition of whether or not an observer wears supplementary glasses. Binocular parallax is used so that an observer recognizes video that is provided by a display stereoscopically. That is, if video that is observed from various angles is received by both eyes, the observer's brain perceives the video in three dimensions. A display method includes stereoscopic display and volumetric display on the basis of recognition of stereoscopic views from a stereoscopic video display. In the stereoscopic display, two pieces of a 2D image having binocular parallax are divided into images that are taken from the right and left eye, respectively, to allow stereoscopic recognition. Since right and left images that are taken from the two eyes are displayed, there is a disadvantage of stereoscopic views in which they are recognized only from a single viewpoint. In the volumetric display, stereoscopic images in which an object is taken in various directions is displayed. Thus, there is an advantage in obtaining 3D images even in a case where an observing position varies, that is, in a case where the observer observes the object from various directions.
A method for displaying 3D images, which is a technique of displaying 3D images and displays binocular parallax images that are taken in various directions, includes a parallax panoramagram method, a lenticular method, an integral photography or volumetric-graph (IP) method, and a slit scan method.
Among the methods, the IP method does not require additional glasses for observation, and in the IP method, stereoscopic video is automatically obtained in a desired position, and thus the IP method is very useful to create 3D video. A display using the IP method includes a micro lens array or pinhole array and is used in many applications such as medical science, engineering, and simulation.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional 3D video system and method for implementing the same. An object 11 is taken by a TV camera 13 through a lens array 12, and a video signal is transmitted to a display 15 using a transmitting and receiving device and is reproduced on the display 15 through a pinhole array 16, thereby implementing 3D video. In the structure, a problem may occur in which the concave and convex images of the object to be implemented are placed in opposite directions, and thus, the system further includes a converter 14 for correcting the concave and convex images in a transmission and reception step. In this case, the pinhole array 16 is formed on the front surface of the conventional display 15 to allow received video to be stereoscopically reproduced. Here, the pinhole array 16 serves as a lens array.
A system for simulation or medical analysis, which requires the 3D video system, also requires 2D video. However, in the conventional 3D display, 2D and 3D video cannot be selectively implemented.


A high-temperature gas sensor for the detection of the heat tone of combustible gases includes a semiconducting ceramic layer with thermistor properties. The semiconducting ceramic layer is formed of an oxide ceramic semiconducting material having a defined crystalline structure and a thermistor characteristic of high sensitivity. A process for the manufacture of the high-temperature gas sensor includes sintering a loosely structured layer of powder particles of an oxide semiconductor with both a defined composition and high sinter activity for achieving a required high porosity of a semiconducting ceramic layer with thermistor properties.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-temperature gas sensor for the detection of the heat tone of combustible gases in the form of a semiconducting ceramic layer with thermistor properties. The present invention also relates to a process for the manufacture of the high-temperature gas sensor.
Known technical solutions start with resistance thermometers based on noble metals, such as Pd-Au alloys, as is disclosed in the paper entitled: "Trans. Faraday Soc." 62 (1966) 2566, or coils of thin Pt wire, as is disclosed in the paper entitled: "Solid State Gas Sensors", IOP-Publ. Ltd, England 1987, which were proposed in U.K. Patent GB 892 530 for the control of combustion processes. The comparatively weak relationship between the electrical resistance of such metals and temperature is utilized so that the reaction heat released on the surface of a heated resistance wire as a consequence of catalytic oxidation of reducing gases serves as a temperature signal.
Applications at up to 800.degree. C. have been suggested. Due to the relatively low sensitivity of only a few tenths of 1% change in resistance per degree on average, detection is severely and adversely affected by outside influences, such as the gas flow velocity. The detection range is thus restricted to approximately 0.1% of a combustible gas, as is reported in the paper entitled: "Measurement and Control" 22 (1989), 176. In order to increase the sensitivity and reduce the threshold temperature, German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 30 40 243 proposed the use of coatings with catalysts, such as aluminum oxide. The step to planar, integration-ready configurations for such gas sensors was documented in German Patent DE-PS 30 28 249.
Other technical solutions specify the use of a semiconducting component with a steep characteristic and therefore correspondingly greater sensitivity instead of the resistance wire. German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 38 39 414 A1 discloses that, in such a case, the temperature range is restricted to 200.degree.-500.degree. C., and German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 37 43 399 discloses that a passivating layer is required as an intermediate layer on the outside beneath the catalyst layer to protect the semiconductor. Metal oxide semiconductors, such as SnO.sub.2, ZnO, WO.sub.3 or In.sub.2 O.sub.3 with an amorphous catalytic outer layer are described in German Patent DE-PS 29 33 971.
Another variant of proposed technical solutions for the detection of calorimetric signals with sufficient sensitivity relates to sensors which utilize the pyro-electric effect, such as is disclosed in the paper entitled: "Ferroelectrics" 54 (1984) 211 or in U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,879, or that utilize the steep temperature-resistance characteristic of a PTC thermistor ceramic, such as are disclosed in the paper entitled: "Sensors & Actuators", B1 (1990), 54. In the former case, application is limited by an upper temperature range, the ferroelectric phase conversion point, and is limited to the narrow temperature range of the ferroelectric phase conversion in the latter. The long-term stability of such materials under the application conditions are particularly problematic.
Due to the high-degree of non-linearity of the resistance-temperature characteristic, temperature measurement sensitivity in the range of a few percent change in resistance per degree as well as a high degree of stability and reproducibility of the measurement of a calorimetric signal can be expected with NTC thermistor sintered ceramics, such as is disclosed in German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 42 13 629 for non-aging thermistors, such as in the systems Fe.sub.x Ni.sub.y Mn.sub.3-x-y O.sub.4 and Zn.sub.z Fe.sub.x-z NiMn.sub.2-x O.sub.4 (B constants 3400 to 4000 K), or as is disclosed in German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 42 13 629 for high-temperature applications up to 750.degree. C., such as MgNiMnO.sub.4 (B constant 4550 K), or as is disclosed in German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 43 27 285 for temperatures up to 1200.degree. C., such as Sr.sub.7 Mn.sub.4 O.sub.15 (B constant 10500 K).

Siemens Matsushita Components GmbH & Co. KG


Information relating to project metric data and occurrence of events in a plurality of projects is received (102). Uncertainty data is determined (106) based on the received information, where the uncertainty data represents a probability distribution of at least one metric associated with the active project. Input relating to a scenario to perform what-if analysis is received (108), and based on the input, what-if analysis is performed (110).

Within an enterprise, such as a company, educational organization, government agency, and so forth, various projects are performed as part of the operations of the enterprise. Such projects are often evaluated by managers to determine their effectiveness, so that the managers can identify whether improvements should be made for future projects, and whether certain projects should be performed in the future.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A transportable loading device assembly includes a low-voltage small-capacity variable loading device having a load change-over element which enables the load to be applied to be incrementally variable, a transformer connected to the variable loading device, and a power input terminal provided for the variable loading device or transformer. The assembly further includes a plurality of a high-voltage small-capacity fixed loading devices having respective power input terminals and connected in parallel with the variable loading device, and fans located adjacent to and associated with the variable loading device and the fixed loading devices. The power generator can be tested by controlling the load applied thereon by controlling the load change-over element and controlling the inputs applied to the variable loading device and a plurality of the fixed loading devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power supply testing equipment for non-utility power generators, etc. set up in high-rise buildings or other facilities in order to cope with emergency situation such as power breakdown, thereby determining whether or not they are in good condition. In particular, this invention is concerned with a loading device assembly for so-called dry type testing equipment in which a plurality of resistors each formed of a metal member are used for testing purposes without recourse to resistance water.
2. Prior Art
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a typical power supply testing system used for non-utility power generators. As illustrated, a rectangular tank 71, through which a current passes, is charged with resistance water 72 of about 20.degree. C. While three pairs of vertically movable electrode plates 73 and 73 extending in three directions are immersed in the water 72, power is supplied from a non-utility power generator (not shown) between the electrode plates 73 and 73 for the time required to test and confirm its performance such as its power generating capability or its serviceability.
Referring to the typical testing procedure of this type of testing equipment, there is constantly a current of about 642.6 A, when power is supplied from a non-utility power generator working at an output of 1000 KVA, a power factor of 0.8 and a voltage of 415 volts between the electrode plates 73 and 73 in the tank 71.
This power generator is determined to have given power generating capability and serviceability, if there is no fault in its performance when power supply is continued for, e.g., 3 hours.
However, the resistance water 72 in the tank 71 increases in temperature due to the power supply and reaches as high as about 80.degree. C. when it overflows a drainage port 75, as illustrated.
To what degree currents are passed between the electrode plates 73 and 73 through the resistance water 72 is determined largely by the temperature rise or fall of the resistance water 72 and the degree of contamination of the resistance water 72. This in turn leads to a variation in the preset testing conditions, say, an output of 1000 KVA, a power factor of 0.8, a voltage of 415 V and a current of 642.6 A, under which the non-utility power generator works to supply power between the electrode plates 73 and 73 in the tank 71, thus resulting in a current exceeding 642.6 A flowing through the tank 71.
For that reason, there is often an overload on the generator and the associated engine.
Thus, the conventional testing equipment is designed to keep a current passing through it from exceeding a preset value of 642.6 A. For instance, this is achieved by moving the electrode plates 73 vertically to regulate the current-passing areas thereof in the resistance water 72 or supply an additional amount of fresh, low-temperature resistance water 72 through a water supply port 74, thereby limiting the temperature rise of the resistance water 72 in the tank 71.
However, the above conventional testing equipment is of size so large that it is very inconvenient to carry to where the power generator testing is needed and much time and labor are needed until it is set up.
No precise control of the electrode plates 73 is achieved as well, because much difficulty is involved in their vertical movement.
Another grave problem with this equipment is that it needs a continuous supply of fresh resistance water 72, which must immediately be discarded. Not only is the use of such a large quantity of water economically unfavorable, but the resistance water 72, once used, must be inconveniently discharged as well, thus creating environmental problems.
In order to provide a solution to the above problems, we have already come up with a small, economical and safe testing system which can test a non-utility power generator regardless of where it is set up, prevent an unusual current increase during testing by simple operation and make good use of resistance water, as set forth in JP-A-62-204866, JP-A-1-202554, JP-A-2-82183, JP-A-2-89754, JP-A-2-249798, JP-A-2-86755, JP-A-3-76270 and JP-A-3-100180.
As illustrated schematically in FIG. 3, this testing system is built of a tank 81 charged therein with a resistance liquid 86, a plurality of electrodes 82, each being fixed at one end on the upper portion of the tank 81, extending downwardly through the tank 81 and immersed in the resistance liquid 86 for receiving power from the non-utility power generator to be tested, a plurality of movable insulators 83, each being disposed in the tank 81 for making the quantity of a current through the electrode 82 variable, and a fan for feeding air forcedly onto the surface of a radiator 84 which serves to cool the resistance liquid 86 in the tank 81 (and onto which water is jetted from a spray pipe).
This testing system enables load tests for non-utility power generators, etc. to be done with a simplified structure and with no need of using large amounts of water.
Dissatisfied with this testing system, we have embarked on developing visionary testing equipment which can dispense with resistance water entirely, and so have now accomplished this invention.
In some cases, non-utility power generators must be set up in intermountain remote districts--that are depopulated areas, where much difficulty is encountered in providing sufficiently large amounts of water.
In some cases, they must be tested even in snowy districts having a large snowfall, where considerable difficulty is again encountered in supplying a large quantity of water.
In particular, much difficulty is involved in making a dry type testing equipment for testing high-voltage large-capacity generators of the order of 6.6 KV in voltage and 2000 KW in capacity. This is not only because loading devices--serving as resistance elements--made up of a metal member are inevitably of large size and cost much, but also because it is difficult to provide a fine-adjusting mechanism for setting the load.
In the present disclosure, the "low-voltage type" and "high-voltage type" refer to generators of about 500 V or less and about 1000 V or more, respectively, and the small-capacitor type" and "large-capacity type" refer to generators of about 500 KW or less and about 800 KW or more, respectively.
A major object of this invention is to eliminate the above problems associated with conventional testing facilities by providing a loading device assembly which can be used in the absence of water, is inexpensive to assemble and allows simple and accurate testing of a high-voltage large-capacity power generator.


A semiconductor device has a semiconductor substrate including a cell region and a peripheral region and includes: a Silicon-Metal-Silicon (SMS)-structured wafer formed in the cell region, which includes a stacked structure of a first silicon substrate, a metal layer, and a second silicon substrate; and a Silicon On Insulator (SOI)-structured wafer formed in the peripheral region, which includes a stacked structure of the first silicon substrate, a silicon insulation film, and the second silicon substrate.

Embodiments relate to a semiconductor device and a method for forming the same, and more particularly to a semiconductor device including a vertical gate.
As the integration degree of a semiconductor device is increased, a channel length of a transistor is gradually decreased. However, the reduction in channel length of the transistor may result in a Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL) phenomenon, a hot carrier effect, and a short channel effect such as punch-through. In order to address such issues, a variety of methods are being intensively researched by many developers and companies, for example, a method for reducing a depth of a junction region, a method for relatively increasing a channel length by forming a recess in a channel region of a transistor, and the like.
However, the integration density of a semiconductor memory device (especially, Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)) has come close to Gigabits, it is necessary to manufacture a smaller-sized transistor. Therefore, under a structure using a current planar transistor in which a gate electrode is formed over a semiconductor substrate and a junction region is formed at both sides of the gate electrode, it is difficult to satisfy a required unit cell size. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vertical channel transistor structure is recently proposed. However, a vertical-channel transistor structure may utilize a complicated fabrication process. Specifically, the vertical-channel transistor has a difficulty in forming a buried bit line at a lower portion of a word line, such that it is hard to mass-production. In addition, as a unit cell of the semiconductor device is gradually reduced in size, there is a need to improve performance (or throughput) of a circuit formed in the peripheral region.

Semiconductor device and method for forming the same


An assembly for dispensing a cosmetic stick includes a housing base and an extracting tube for extracting the remaining portion of a cosmetic stick from another dispenser. The assembly also includes a plunger with a plunger cap that moves within the extracting tube when the housing base is rotated with respect to the extracting tube to push the cosmetic stick through the extracting tube until a portion of the cosmetic stick is exposed at a top end of the top section of the extracting tube.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an assembly for dispensing a cosmetic stick (e.g., lipstick, lip balm, deodorant, etc.).
A conventional dispenser for dispensing a cosmetic stick includes a receptacle into which the base portion of the cosmetic stick is inserted. The receptacle (e.g., a cup) is installed in a tubular dispenser that allows the receptacle and cosmetic stick to move upward and downward within the tubular dispenser, enabling a portion of the cosmetic stick to be elevated beyond the top of the tubular dispenser for application and then retracted back within the tubular dispenser for storage.
In these conventional dispensers, the base portion of the cosmetic stick, including the portion that is inserted into and surrounded by the receptacle, cannot be elevated beyond the top of the tubular dispenser for application. Accordingly, that base portion of the cosmetic stick remains within the tubular dispenser and cannot be easily accessed for application. This results in the base portion of the cosmetic stick being wasted (sometimes as much as 25% to 30% of the overall length of the cosmetic stick).
In addition to wasting the base portion of the cosmetic stick, the conventional dispenser results in the dispenser not being available for reuse. This is especially disadvantageous when a decorative dispenser is used. In addition, the conventional dispensers are not easily cleaned or disassembled if reuse was desired.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Assembly for dispensing a cosmetic stick


A display device includes a source unit; and a sink unit connected with the source unit via an embedded display port interface for signal transmission between the source and sink units and to enable a panel self refresh (PSR) mode for reducing power consumption; a still image detector that is included in the source unit, and analyzes an input image to detect a still image; a compressor that is included in the source unit and losslessly compresses data of the still image by using a previously stored compression algorithm; and a PSR controller that is included in the source unit, compares a size of the losslessly compressed data with a size of a frame buffer of the sink unit in order to determine whether the data of the still image can be stored in the frame buffer in a losslessly compressed format without loss.

Field
This document relates to a display device including a panel self-refresh function, and a method for controlling a panel self refresh operation thereof.
Related Art
As display devices are getting larger in size and higher in resolution, there arises a demand for a high-performance interface for transmitting signals between a video source and a display device. To cope with this demand, Vx1 is becoming a substitute for a TV, and DisplayPort (hereinafter, 'DP') is becoming a substitute for a laptop in the case of IT products.
A DP (DisplayPort) interface is an interface regulated by Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) and is an interface scheme which integrates LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling), the existing internal interface standard, with DVI (Digital Visual Interface), an external connection standard. The DP interface is a technique which can digitally make not only an internal connection between chips but also an external connection between products. As the two divided interfaces are integrated, it is possible to support higher color depth and resolution by widening data bandwidth. The DP interface has a bandwidth of up to 10.8 Gbps, which is twice or more that of the existing DVI (maximum 4.95 Gbps), and can simultaneously transmit up to six streams of 1080i (three streams of 1080p) through one connector connection by supporting multi-streams using a micro-packet architecture.
Recently, VESA announced a new version of the Embedded DisplayPort (hereinafter, referred to as 'edP'). eDP is a companion standard to the DP interface designed for embedded display applications, including notebook PCs, tablets, netbooks and all-in-one desktop PCs. eDP v1.3 includes a new Panel Self-Refresh (PSR) technology that was developed to save system power and further extend battery life in portable PC systems. The PSR technology uses a memory mounted in a display to display an original image as it is while minimizing power consumption, thereby increasing battery usage time in portable PC systems.
FIG. 1 is an overview of the PCR technology included in edP v1.3.
Referring to FIG. 1, a display device capable of a PSR operation comprises a source unit 10 and a sink unit 20. The source unit 10 indicates a system, and comprises an eDP transmitter 11. The sink unit 20 indicates a panel portion, and comprises a timing controller 23 and a display unit 24. The timing controller 23 comprises an eDP receiver 21 and a remote frame buffer 20 (hereinafter, referred to as 'RFB'). The source unit 10 and the synch unit 20 communicate with each other via an eDP interface.
The display device activates the PSR mode when a still image having no change in display is input, and deactivates the PSR mode in the case of video but not still images. When the PSR mode is activated, still image data is transmitted from the eDP transmitter 11 to the eDP receiver 21 and then stored in the RFB 22. Then, the operating power of the source unit 10 is turned off, and the data store in the RFB 22 is applied to the display unit 24. Until the RFB 22 is updated with new still image data, the operating power of the source unit 10 remains in the off state, and the display unit 24 continues to display the data stored in the RFB 22. That is, when the PSR mode is activated, the display automatically remains the same by the data stored in the RFB 22 even when the working power of the source unit 10 is in the off state. This leads to reduced power consumption and increased battery usage time without the user's recognition.
Meanwhile, when the PSR mode is deactivated, data to be transmitted from the eDP transmitter 11 to the eDP receiver 21 is applied to the display unit 24 without being stored in the RFB 22, and the operating power of the source unit 10 continues to remain in the on state. When the PSR mode is deactivated, power consumption is not reduced.
To perform the PSR mode, the RFB 22 needs to be mounted in the sink unit 20, as mentioned above. The RFB 22 is a component that should be added for the PSR mode, and hence causes a rise in manufacturing costs. Moreover, the PSR mode requires the system power to be turned on/off without the user's recognition (i.e., while the display remains the same). Thus, the original image data should not be lost when stored in the RFB 22. The size of the RFB 22 should be large enough to avoid loss of the original image. However, the use of a large-size RFB 22 will bring about a rise in manufacturing costs and makes it difficult to incorporate the RFB 22 in the sink unit 20, i.e., the timing controller 23.
A variety of lossless data compression methods can be taken into account as an alternative for reducing the size of the RFB 22 and preventing loss of an original image. Still, there has been no method capable of lossless compression of all images that are input within a limited hardware capacity.

Display device and method for controlling panel self refresh operation thereof


A heat sensitive case/nozzle interface is provided for an insensitive propellant-loaded munition such that the interface loses its structural integrity when high external heat is applied. The joint between a rocket case housing a rocket motor and nozzle forming the interface is received by an internal spring retainer positioned in a first groove in the case or nozzle in cooperation with a fusible material housed in an aligned second groove in the nozzle or case, respectively. A plurality of aligned openings extend into said first and second grooves. When the rocket is exposed to a high ambient temperature greater than melt temperature of the fusible material but lower than the auto-ignition temperature of the rocket, the fusible material melts and is forced through said holes by the spring retainer permitting the nozzle to separate from the case rendering the rocket motor safe if it auto-ignites.

The inadvertent ignition or explosion of a munition such as a rocket motor could present a severe hazard. The inadvertent firing or ignition could result when high external heat is applied to the munition, for example, when it is surrounded by fire. The present invention is directed to alleviating this problem by destroying the integrity of the pressure vessel of the munition when external heat is applied. For example, in a rocket motor, the structural integrity of the case to nozzle interface is made to fail at a temperature lower than the auto-ignition temperature of the propellant of the rocket. By separating the nozzle from the rocket case, the throat area of the aft opening of the case without the nozzle is increased significantly resulting in a low operating pressure of the rocket motor even if the propellant were to ignite. The thrust of the motor would be very low, and accordingly would no longer present a hazard.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for destroying the integrity of the pressure vessel of the munition when external heat is applied prior to reaching the firing temperature or auto-ignition temperature of the propellant of the munition.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for providing an insensitive munition which is simple in implementation, inexpensive, and reliable.

Method and apparatus for providing an insensitive munition


Provided is a technique that transmits data, which is transmitted without obtaining transmission permission, with low delay and high reliability.

In recent years, in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a next-generation system that is called 5G succeeding Long Term Evolution (LTE)-Advanced, which is a fourth-generation wireless communication system, has been discussed. In 5G, three use cases, that is, extended Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra Reliability and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) are assumed (see Non-Patent Document 1).
URLLC requires low delay and high reliability. The introduction of a short transmission time interval (TTI) length (which may be referred to as a subframe length or a subframe interval) has been discussed in order to achieve low-delay transmission. For example, the number of symbols per subframe may be reduced or the interval between subcarriers may be increased to reduce a symbol length. In addition, a control delay from the generation of a packet to the transmission of data may be reduced. The introduction of a coding or modulation method with a low coding rate which achieves a low bit error rate has been discussed in order to achieve high reliability. Alternatively, there is an approach using diversity.
In URLLC, transmission data with a high degree of urgency is likely to be suddenly generated and it is necessary to transmit the data, which has been suddenly generated, with low delay and high reliability.
When data to be transmitted is generated in a user equipment, for example, in LTE uplink communication, the user equipment transmits a scheduling request (SR) to a base station to request the base station to allocate resources at the beginning. The base station notifies the user equipment of the allocation of resources as uplink transmission permission and the user equipment transmits data in the resource designated by the base station. However, in URLLC, as described above, the data to be transmitted is likely to be suddenly generated. When data is transmitted by the above-mentioned process, the requirement of low delay may not be satisfied. For this reason, in URLLC, it is assumed that the user equipment autonomously transmit data, without obtaining uplink transmission permission from the base station. In this case, URLLC data which is transmitted without obtaining uplink transmission permission is likely to collide with data transmitted from other user equipments since a transmission resource is not controlled by the base station.
In this contention-type URLLC, the user equipment can autonomously select a transmission resource. However, it is assumed that the resources which can be used for transmission are limited a little in order to reduce interference with other user equipments. As one approach, it is assumed that a contention-type resource which is allowed to transmit only a contention-type packet is defined and the user equipment transmits a URLLC packet using the contention-type resource, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The position of the contention-type resource may be semi-statically notified by, for example, a broadcast signal.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention relates to a transmitter including a resource determination unit that determines whether a first type of resource has been allocated in response to the generation of a transmission event for a predetermined type of information and a transmitting unit that transmits the predetermined type of information to a receiver, using the first type of resource, without obtaining transmission permission, when the first type of resource has been allocated.


A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a recording head that includes M numbers of the discharging units; a drive unit that drives the discharging unit; a residual vibration detecting unit that detects residual vibration occurring in the discharging unit; and a determining unit that determines a state of discharge of the liquid in the discharging unit on the basis of a detection result. The determining unit is capable of performing the determination in two or more determination modes, and determines at least one of one or a plurality of target discharging units that is to be a target of the determination during a determination time period, and a drive discharging unit that the drive unit is to drive so as to determine the state of discharge of the liquid in the target discharging unit from the M numbers of discharging units depending on the determination mode.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid discharging apparatus.
2. Related Art
A liquid discharging apparatus such as an ink jet printer that forms an image on a medium by discharging ink from a discharging unit may experience an abnormal discharge that means ink cannot be normally discharged from the discharging unit due to thickening of ink, mingling of air bubbles with ink, and the like. An abnormal discharge occurring in the discharging unit prevents accurate formation of a dot that is supposed to be formed by ink discharged from the discharging unit and thus decreases quality of the image formed on the medium. In order to prevent such a decrease in image quality due to an abnormal discharge, a technology is suggested in which an abnormal discharge is detected by determining a state of discharge of ink from the discharging unit (for example, JP-A-2004-276544).
It is preferable to detect an abnormal discharge promptly so as to prevent a decrease in image quality due to an abnormal discharge. An abnormal discharge is caused by various events depending on a status of use of the liquid discharging apparatus, such as thickening of ink due to long-term non-use of the liquid discharging apparatus, mingling of air bubbles during printing, temporal degradation of the discharging unit, and physical failure of the discharging unit due to vibrations occurring in the discharging unit when liquid is discharged from the discharging unit. Thus, in order to detect an abnormal discharge promptly, a determination of the state of discharge in the discharging unit is required to be flexibly performed depending on the status of use of the liquid discharging apparatus, such as not only when the liquid discharging apparatus is booted but also when a printing process of forming an image on the medium is performed or after the printing process is performed.
However, as in the technology disclosed in JP-A-2004-276544, a determination of the state of discharge may be performed in limited cases due to temporal restrictions when a determination of the state of discharge is performed on all discharging units provided in the liquid discharging apparatus. In this case, detection of an abnormal discharge is delayed, and the possibility of forming a low-quality image is increased.