As described herein, various nodes in a 3GPP network, including a user equipment (UE), can be used to insert metadata in uplink traffic so that the network and/or an (S)Gi-LAN can make traffic steering decisions based on the metadata. For example, the UE can insert metadata into its uplink traffic so that the services in the (S)Gi-LAN can be better leveraged. In one embodiment, network nodes are able to insert metadata that relates directly to the UE and that relates to the operating conditions of the network nodes that the UE is using to send uplink data, so that the services in the (S)Gi-LAN can be better leveraged.

Referring to FIG. 1, the (S)Gi-LAN 102 refers to the packet data network (PDN) that is between the Internet 103 and the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN) or PDN Gateway (P-GW) (which can be referred to, for simplicity, collectively as a GGSN/P-GW 104 or P-GW/GGSN 104) of the Mobile Core network 101. The (S)Gi-LAN 102 is under control of the Mobile Network Operator (MNO). As shown in FIG. 1, when uplink data packets leave the (S)Gi-LAN 102, they are no longer under control of the MNO and the packets can be generally considered to have gone to the public Internet 103. The (S)Gi-LAN 102 may include Value Added Services (VASs). Examples of VASs include Network Address Translations (NATs), Firewalls, Video Compression, Data Compression, load balancers, HTTP Header Enrichment functions, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) optimizers, etc. Generally, Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) techniques determine if each Value Added Service (VAS) should operate on a given data flow. Traffic may be routed to or from the (S)Gi-LAN 102 and Servers in the public Internet 103 such as a machine-to-machine (M2M) Server 106 for example.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has developed an architecture framework for deploying VASs, or "Service Functions". Unless otherwise specified, the terms "Service Function" and "Value Added Service" may be used interchangeably. The architecture framework developed by the IETF is described in "IETF, Service Function Chaining Working Group, Internet Draft, Service Function Chaining (SFC) Architecture", which is incorporated by reference as if its contents are set forth herein. The framework allows traffic to be "steered" through only the services that apply to each individual flow, rather than requiring that all traffic be serially routed through all service functions. FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows example components of an example IETF SFC architecture framework 200. As shown, an example Service Classification Function (SCF) 202 accepts input packets. In a traditional (S)Gi-LAN, input packets may be IP packets from the P-GW/GGSN 104 or the Internet 103. The SCF 202 may encapsulate the input packets with another header, determine which Service Functions 204 that the packet should be routed through, determine the order that the packet should be routed through the service functions 204, and attach metadata to the packet to assist the service functions 204.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a Service Function Forwarder (SFF) 206 may accept packets from the SCF 202 and route the packets through the Service Functions 204. Once a packet has been routed through its service path, the SFF 206 may forward the packet to an egress node 208. The egress node 208 may remove any extra header information that was inserted by, for example, the SCF 202, SFF 206, or one of the service functions 204, and the engress node 208 may send the packet out of the (S)Gi-LAN 102 and into the P-GW/GGSN 104 or public Internet 104.
Referring also to FIGS. 3 and 4, an example Network Service Header 302 may contain metadata and service path information. The Network Services Header (NSH) was developed by the IETF's Service Function Chaining (SFC) Working Group (WG) and is defined in "IETF, Network Working Group, Internet Draft, Network Service Header", which is incorporated by reference as if its contents are set forth herein. The metadata and service path information contained in the NSH 302 may be used in the services plane to steer traffic through network services. FIG. 3 shows an example of where the NSH 302 sits relative to an example IP Datagram 304. FIG. 4 shows an example format 400 of the NSH 302, which includes a base header 402, a service path header 404, and context headers 406. The base header 402 may include, for example, a version field, a 'C' Bit to indicate that critical metadata is present in the NSH 302, a length field to indicate the total length of the NSH 302, a metadata Type field to indicate the format of the metadata, and a Next Protocol Field to indicate the format of the original payload. The service path header 404 may include, for example and without limitation, a Service Path ID that may be a 24-bit field that indicates which service path that should be selected for the packet, and a Service Index that is used to indicate the packet's location in the service path. The Context Headers 406 can be in various formats that depend on how the metadata Type field is set in the Base Header 402. The context header values can be a fixed length or they may contain variable length values. For the case of variable length headers, the IETF has described how to format the metadata and how to indicate the length of each value in the context header. When the metadata Type field indicates that the metadata is variable length, it may be formatted in accordance with the example format 500 shown in FIG. 5.
Referring to FIG. 5, a TLV Class field 502 describes the scope of the Type field 504. That is, the TLV Class field 502 may identify the vendor or standards body that allocated the type field 504. The Type field 504 indicates the type of information that is in the metadata. The most significant bit (MSB) of the type field 504 may be used to indicate whether or not it is mandatory for an entity that processes the NSH 302 to understand the metadata value. As shown, the R bits 506 may be reserved for future use, and the Len field 508 indicates the length of the metadata in a 4-byte word. In some cases, service aware nodes are permitted to perform header related actions, such as, for example, inserting the header, removing the header, selecting the service path, updating context headers, and selecting policy based on the header contents.
Turning now to application awareness in the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 3GPP based networks generally provide IP bearer services to their subscribers with an agreed level of quality of service (QoS). The support given to external 3rd party applications for controlling IP flows is generally very limited. Third parties may be able to request that the EPC provide specific QoS treatment to particular IP flows. In some cases, the application awareness level in 3GPP networks is mainly controlled by the Policy Control and Charging (PCC) architecture 600 that is shown in FIG. 6.
The application awareness level in 3GPP networks is now summarized with reference to FIG. 6. 3GPP networks can be configured to detect certain application flows using Service Data Flow (SDF) templates. Service Data Flows (SDFs) may be statically configured and may be associated with a PCC rule. SDFs are used to identify application flows for enforcing certain policies, charging, and applying QoS treatment to flows as per the PCC rule. The use of SDFs in the PCC architecture 600 is defined "3GPP TS 23.203, Policy and Charging Control Architecture", which is incorporated by reference as if its contents are set forth herein.
A Traffic Detection Function (TDF) 602 may be present in 3GPP networks to detect certain kinds of applications. The TDF 602 may employ DPI to detect applications. The TDF 602 may provide the SDF details of the identified applications to the Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 604. Alternatively, in cases in which SDF description is not possible, for example, the TDF 602 may perform gating, redirection, or Bandwidth limitation for the detected applications. The functionality of the TDF 602, procedures associated with the TDF 602, and the Sd interface 612 between the TDF 602 and the PCRF 604 are described in 3GPP TS 23.203, 3GPP TS 29.213, and 3GPP TS 29.212, which are each incorporated by reference as if their respective contents are set forth herein.
Still referring to FIG. 6, an Rx Interface 608 is used by Application Functions, for instance an Application Function 606, which require dynamic policy and/or charging control over the IP connectivity access network (CAN) user plane behavior. The AF 606 may communicate with the PCRF 604 to transfer dynamic session information that is required for PCRF decisions. The AF 606 may also communicate with the PCRF 604 to receive IP CAN specific information and notifications about IP CAN bearer level events. The AF 606 cannot delegate any application layer functions to the 3GPP core network (CN). The functionality of the AF 606, procedures associated with the AF 606, and the functions of the Rx interface 608 used to exchange application level session information between the PCRF 604 and the AF 606 is described 3GPP TS 23.203 and 3GPP TS 29.214.
The 3GPP SA2 Working Group currently has a work item called Flexible Mobile Service Steering (FMSS) (e.g., see 3GPP, SP-140703, WID for Flexible Mobile Service Steering (FMSS)). An objective of this work item is to define service requirements to enable the 3GPP Core Network to define and modify traffic steering policies that will be used to select required service enablers of the operator deployed (S)Gi-LAN. The most recent output of this work item is captured 3GPP TR 23.718, "Architecture Enhancements for Flexible Mobile Service Steering", which is incorporated by reference as if its contents are set forth herein. FIG. 7 is an example representation of how the 3GPP architecture that is proposed in reference 3GPP TR 23.718 would be applied to the architecture that is proposed by the IETF described above with reference to FIG. 2. 3GPP TR 23.718 proposes an St reference point 702 that allows the PCRF 604 to provide traffic steering policies to the SCF 202 in the (S)Gi-LAN 102. 3GPP TR 23.718 also proposes that the Sd interface 612 with the TDF 602 may be used to provide traffic steering polices to the TDF 602. The TDF 602 may then be used to apply packet markings (e.g., an NSH) to the traffic based on the detected application, user, etc. 3GPP TR 23.718 also proposes that the P-GW 104 apply packet markings (e.g., via an NSH) based on polices from the PCRF 604.
It is recognized herein that current approaches to traffic steering are inefficient, at least in part because the metadata that a PCRF knows, and the metadata that can be provided by a PCRF, is limited.


This invention pertains to inhibitors of atrial natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPRA) function, such as small interfering RNA (siRNA), useful for reducing the inflammation associated with many human diseases, such as asthma, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and cancers (such as melanoma, lung cancer, and/or ovarian cancer) by interfering with NPRA gene expression or otherwise reducing NPRA function within a subject; and methods for treating a subject suffering from, or at risk of developing, an inflammatory disease, respiratory allergy (such as allergic rhinitis and asthma), viral infection, and/or cancer by administering such NPRA inhibitors to the subject.

An atrial peptide with natriuretic and diuretic properties was first reported from rat atrial muscle in 1981. Since then a family of natriuretic hormone peptides (NP) with broad physiologic effects including vasodilation and inhibition of aldosterone secretion has been described. Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), a 126 amino acid prohormone gives rise to four peptides: long acting natriuretic peptide (LANP, amino acids 1-30), vessel dilator (VD, residues 31-67), kaliuretic peptide (KP, residues 79-98) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP, residues 99-126, also referred to here as NP99-126) (Vesely, D L Cardiovasc Res, 2001 51:647-58). In addition, renal tubular cells produce urodilatin, a 32 amino acid peptide (residues 95-126 of ANF), which is released to circulation following differential processing of ANF (Forssmann et al. Cardiovasc Res, 2001, 51:450-62.). There is also a pro-brain natriutretic peptide (BNP) first discovered in porcine brain, which is analogous to ANP is found in circulation. The third type of natriuretic hormone, the C-type (CNP) comprises two peptides, 53 and 22 amino acids in length, which are produced by many cell types (Levin, E R et al. N Eng J Med, 1998, 339321-8). Of these peptides, the C-terminal pro-ANF, ANP, has been studied most extensively.
In keeping with the diversity of these NPs, there are three NP receptors (Misono, K S Mol Cell Biochem, 2002, 230(1-2):49-60; Tremblay, J et al. Mol Cell Biochem, 2002, 230(1-2):31-47). NPRa and NPRb, which are coupled to guanylyl cyclase, and the cGMP-independent receptor NPRc. ANP and BNP signal primarily through NPRa, which increases cGMP and activates cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). PKG activation turns on the ion transport mechanism and activates specific transcription factors, which together affect a range of cellular activities including, cell growth and proliferation, apoptosis and inflammation. NPRC functions as a clearance receptor but also appears to signal phospholipase C activation and a decrease in adenylyl cyclase activity (Silberbach, M et al. Cell Signal, 2001 13:221-31). Numerous tissues of various organ systems including the lung express these receptors in diverse cells.
The NPs are produced in various tissues of the mucosa (lung, gastrointestinal and genitourinary systems), central nervous system and cardiovascular systems and released into the circulation. The signaling mechanisms underlying ANP's growth inhibitory effects are poorly understood, although a number of reports suggest that ANP affects signaling via activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (Silberbach, M et al. Cell Signal, 2001 13:221-31). The potential effects may include inhibition of ERK activation of epidermal growth factor, PKG-induced uncoupling of Ras/Raf1 interaction, or induction of MKP-1, a MAPK phosphatase that inactivates signaling through a number of growth factors such as endothelin, EGF and FGF (Clark, A R J Endocrinol, 2003, 178: 5-12). ANP has been shown to mediate anti-inflammatory (Kiemer, A K and Vollmar J Biol Chem, 1998 273:134444-51) and cytoprotective (Kiemer, A K et al., J Immunol, 2000, 165:175-81; Sprenger, H et al., Immunobiology, 1991, 183:94-101) effects. It has been shown to decrease cytokine and stress stimulated activation of NFκB in various cell types, leading to a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokine production (Kiemer, A K and Vollmar J Biol Chem, 1998 273:134444-51; Kiemer, A K et al., J Immunol, 2000, 165:175-81; Morita, R et al., J Immunol, 2003:170:5869-75). ANP can reduce tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-stimulated production of adhesion molecules in endothelium. (Kiemer, A K and Vollmar J Biol Chem, 1998 273:134444-51). It has also been shown to attenuate TNF-α-induced actin polymerization, through activation of MAPK phoshatase-1 (MKP-1) and inhibition of p38 activity, leading to decreased permeability (Clark, A R J Endocrinol, 2003, 178(1):5-12).
ANP stimulates migration of human neutrophils (Izumi, T et al. J Clin Invest, 2001, 108(2):203-21345), and inhibits nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-a production by murine macrophages (Vesely, D L et al. Chest, 1990, 97(6):1295-1298, Vesely, D L Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1991, 165(3):567-573). Human peripheral blood monocytes, however, do not express ANP receptors nor do they respond to ANP (Sprenger, H et al. Immunobiology, 1991, 183(1-2):94-101). The NP system, acting via cells of the innate immune system, modulates the immune response to antigens. Evidence to date suggests that it may augment allergic inflammation by acting on a number of cells in the lung (Kurihara, M et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1987, 149(3):1132-1140). The primary evidence supporting this notion is the finding that ANP acts via its receptor on dendritic cells to polarize these cells toward a Th2 phenotype, which is the hallmark of allergic immune response (Morita R et al. J Immunol, 2003, 170(12):5869-5875). In asthma, the production of inflammatory mediators secreted from resident epithelial cells and recruited immune cells results in airway hyperreactivity, which characterizes the late-phase airway response. Without intervention, this event leads to non-reversible airway remodeling (including sub-basement-membrane collagen deposition, smooth muscle hyperplasia and hypertrophy, and goblet cell hyperplasia), with subsequent airway narrowing and progression of the asthma.
A naturally occurring gene-silencing mechanism triggered by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), designated as small interfering RNA (siRNA), has emerged as a very important tool to suppress or knock down gene expression in many systems. RNA interference is triggered by dsRNA that is cleaved by an RNAse-III-like enzyme, Dicer, into 21-25 nucleotide fragments with characteristic 5′ and 3′ termini (Provost, P. D. et al. Embo J, 2002, 21:5864). These siRNAs act as guides for a multi-protein complex, including a PAZ/PIWI domain containing the protein Argonaute2, that cleaves the target mRNA (Hammond, S. M. et al. Science, 2001, 293:1146-1150). These gene-silencing mechanisms are highly specific and potent and can potentially induce inhibition of gene expression throughout an organism. The short interference RNA (siRNA) approach has proven effective in silencing a number of genes of different viruses (Fire, A. Trends Genet., 1999, 15:358-363).
RNA interference (RNAi) is a polynucleotide sequence-specific, post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanism effected by double-stranded RNA that results in degradation of a specific messenger RNA (mRNA), thereby reducing the expression of a desired target polypeptide encoded by the mRNA (see, e.g., WO 99/32619; WO 01/75164; U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,559; Fire et al., Nature 391:806-11 (1998); Sharp, Genes Dev. 13:139-41 (1999); Elbashir et al. Nature 411:494-98 (2001); Harborth et al., J. Cell Sci. 114:4557-65 (2001)). RNAi is mediated by double-stranded polynucleotides, such as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), having sequences that correspond to exonic sequences encoding portions of the polypeptides for which expression is compromised. RNAi reportedly is not effected by double-stranded RNA polynucleotides that share sequence identity with intronic or promoter sequences (Elbashir et al., 2001). RNAi pathways have been best characterized in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans, but "small interfering RNA" (siRNA) polynucleotides that interfere with expression of specific polynucleotides in higher eukaryotes such as mammals (including humans) have also been investigated (e.g., Tuschl, 2001 Chembiochem. 2:239-245; Sharp, 2001 Genes Dev. 15:485; Bernstein et al., 2001 RNA 7:1509; Zamore, 2002 Science 296:1265; Plasterk, 2002 Science 296:1263; Zamore 2001 Nat. Struct. Biol. 8:746; Matzke et al., 2001 Science 293:1080; Scadden et al., 2001 EMBO Rep. 2:1107).
According to a current non-limiting model, the RNAi pathway is initiated by ATP-dependent, cleavage of long dsRNA into double-stranded fragments of about 18-27 (e.g., 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, etc.) nucleotide base pairs in length, called small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) (see review by Hutvagner et al., Curr. Opin. Gen. Dev. 12:225-32 (2002); Elbashir et al., 2001; Nyknen et al., Cell 107:309-21 (2001); Zamore et al., Cell 101:25-33 (2000)). In Drosophila, an enzyme known as "Dicer" cleaves the longer double-stranded RNA into siRNAs; Dicer belongs to the RNase III family of dsRNA-specific endonucleases (WO 01/68836; Bernstein et al., Nature 409:363-66 (2001)). Further, according to this non-limiting model, the siRNA duplexes are incorporated into a protein complex, followed by ATP-dependent unwinding of the siRNA, which then generates an active RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) (WO 01/68836). The complex recognizes and cleaves a target RNA that is complementary to the guide strand of the siRNA, thus interfering with expression of a specific protein (Hutvagner et al., supra).
In C. elegans and Drosophila, RNAi may be mediated by long double-stranded RNA polynucleotides (WO 99/32619; WO 01/75164; Fire et al., 1998; Clemens et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:6499-6503 (2000); Kisielow et al., Biochem. J. 363:1-5 (2002); see also WO 01/92513 (RNAi-mediated silencing in yeast)). In mammalian cells, however, transfection with long dsRNA polynucleotides (i.e., greater than 30 base pairs) leads to activation of a non-specific sequence response that globally blocks the initiation of protein synthesis and causes mRNA degradation (Bass, Nature 411:428-29 (2001)). Transfection of human and other mammalian cells with double-stranded RNAs of about 18-27 nucleotide base pairs in length interferes in a sequence-specific manner with expression of particular polypeptides encoded by messenger RNAs (mRNA) containing corresponding nucleotide sequences (WO 01/75164; Elbashir et al., 2001; Elbashir et al., Genes Dev. 15:188-200 (2001)); Harborth et al., J. Cell Sci. 114:4557-65 (2001); Carthew et al., Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 13:244-48 (2001); Mailand et al., Nature Cell Biol. Advance Online Publication (Mar. 18, 2002); Mailand et al. 2002 Nature Cell Biol. 4:317).
siRNA polynucleotides may offer certain advantages over other polynucleotides known in the art for use in sequence-specific alteration or modulation of gene expression to yield altered levels of an encoded polypeptide product. These advantages include lower effective siRNA polynucleotide concentrations, enhanced siRNA polynucleotide stability, and shorter siRNA polynucleotide oligonucleotide lengths relative to such other polynucleotides (e.g., antisense, ribozyme or triplex polynucleotides). By way of a brief background, "antisense" polynucleotides bind in a sequence-specific manner to target nucleic acids, such as mRNA or DNA, to prevent transcription of DNA or translation of the mRNA (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,053; U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,931; U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,917; U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,617; see also, e.g., Clusel et al., 1993 Nucl. Acids Res. 21:3405-11, describing "dumbbell" antisense oligonucleotides). "Ribozyme" polynucleotides can be targeted to any RNA transcript and are capable of catalytically cleaving such transcripts, thus impairing translation of mRNA (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,262; U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,019; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,168,053, 5,180,818, 5,116,742 and 5,093,246; U.S. Ser. No. 2002/193579). "Triplex" DNA molecules refers to single DNA strands that bind duplex DNA to form a colinear triplex molecule, thereby preventing transcription (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,996, describing methods for making synthetic oligonucleotides that bind to target sites on duplex DNA). Such triple-stranded structures are unstable and form only transiently under physiological conditions. Because single-stranded polynucleotides do not readily diffuse into cells and are therefore susceptible to nuclease digestion, development of single-stranded DNA for antisense or triplex technologies often requires chemically modified nucleotides to improve stability and absorption by cells. siRNAs, by contrast, are readily taken up by intact cells, are effective at interfering with the expression of specific polynucleotides at concentrations that are several orders of magnitude lower than those required for either antisense or ribozyme polynucleotides, and do not require the use of chemically modified nucleotides.
Due to its advantages, RNAi has been applied as a target validation tool in research in vitro and as a potential strategy for in vivo target validation and therapeutic product development (Novina, C. D. and Sharp, P. A., Nature, 2004, 430:161-164; Lieberman, J. et al. Trends Mol. Med., 2003, 9(9):397-403). In vivo gene silencing with RNAi has been reported using viral vector delivery, liposomal delivery, and high-pressure, high-volume intravenous (i.v.) injection of synthetic iRNAs (Halder, J. et al. Clin. Cancer Res., 2006, 12(16):4916-4924; Landen, C. N. et al., Cancer Biol. Ther., 2006, 5(12):1708-1713; Scherr, M. et al. Oligonucleotides, 2003, 13:353-363; Song, E. et al. Nature Med., 2003, 347-351). In vivo gene silencing has been reported after local direct administration (intravitreal, intranasal, and intrathecal) of siRNAs to sequestered anatomical sites in various models of disease or injury, demonstrating the potential for delivery to organs such as the eye, lungs, and central nervous system (Reich, S. J. et al. Mol. Vis., 2003, 9:210-216; Zhang, X. et al. J. Biol. Chem., 2004, 279:10677-10684; Dorn, G. et al. Nucleic Acids Res., 2004, 32, e49; Tolentino, M. J. et al. Retina, 2004, 24:132-138). Silencing of endogenous genes by systemic administration of siRNAs has also been demonstrated (Zimmerman, T. S. et al., Nature, 2006, 441(7089):111-114; Soutschek, J. et al. Nature, 2004, 432:173-178).
The present inventors have demonstrated that, in contrast to prior knowledge that ANP decreases inflammatory mechanisms in the macrophages, ANP actually increases lung inflammation and this is caused by ANP-NPRA signaling. This signaling can be blocked by utilizing a small interference RNA (siRNA) approach, in which specific siRNAs targeted to NPRA can significantly decrease the inflammation. This results in amelioration of inflammation in allergic disease which may be caused by allergens and exacerbated by respiratory viral infections, pollutants, and smoke. Also, this may be beneficial in the amelioration of inflammation and tumorigenesis in cancers.

Materials and methods for reducing inflammation by inhibition of the atrial natriuretic peptide receptor


A reflective polarizer of the invention has excellent optical properties even though a very small number of polymer components per unit area is disposed inside a matrix thereof compared to reflective polarizers of the related art, which include birefringent polymer, since the polymer inside the matrix has a plate-like shape. This is advantageous for covering the entire range of visible light, since a plate-like polymer having a variety of optical thicknesses can be used. The additional processing of bonding the skin layer is not performed, since the skin layer is formed on at least one surface of the core layer in the state in which it is molten. This can greatly reduce manufacturing costs, and is advantageous in that it maximizes optical properties in a limited thickness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polymer-dispersed reflective polarizer, and more particularly, to a polymer-dispersed reflective polarizer in which a light modulation effect can be maximized using a smaller number of polymer components disposed inside a matrix.
2. Description of Related Art
Flat display technologies cover, as main items, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), projection displays and plasma display panels (PDPs), which already occupy a significant share of the market. Field emission displays (FEDs) and electroluminescent displays (ELDs) are also expected to occupy their own market share, based on their characteristics in response to the advancement of related technologies. LCDs are expanding their application range over notebook computers, personal computer (PC) monitors, liquid crystal TVs, automobiles, aircraft, and the like, and occupy about 80% of the flat display market. The LCD industry has enjoyed prosperous times to date because of the rapid increase in the worldwide demand for LCDs.
In LCDs in the related art, a liquid crystal and an electrode matrix are disposed between a pair of light-absorbing optical films. In LCDs, liquid crystals change their orientation in response to an electric field that is generated by applying a voltage to two electrodes, thereby changing the optical properties thereof. This processing displays an image in "pixel" units, which contain information, using polarization in a specific orientation. Because of this, LCDs include a front optical film and a rear optical film, which induce polarization.
Optical films used in such LCDs cannot be said to use light projected from a backlight with high efficiency. This is because at least 50% of the light projected from the backlight is absorbed by a rear-side optical film (an absorbing polarizer film). Therefore, in LCDs, a reflective polarizer is disposed between an optical cavity and a liquid crystal assembly in order to increase the efficiency with which backlight light is used.
FIG. 1 is a view showing an optical principle of a reflective polarizer of the related art. Specifically, P polarization of light that is directed from the optical cavity to the liquid crystal assembly is allowed to pass through the reflective polarizer so that it is forwarded to the liquid crystal assembly. S polarization of light that is reflected from the reflective polarizer to the optical cavity is reflected from a diffusion-reflecting surface of the optical cavity in the state in which the direction of the polarization is randomized, and is then forwarded to the reflective polarizer again. Finally, the S polarization is converted into the P polarization, which can pass through the polarizer of the liquid crystal assembly. Consequently, the converted P polarization passes through the reflective polarizer, so that it is forwarded to the liquid crystal assembly.
This processing of the reflective polarizer on incident light, in which the S polarization is selectively reflected and the P polarization is allowed to pass through, is established due to the setting of the optical thickness of each optical layer and variation in the refractive index of each optical layer, which are caused by the difference in refractive indexes between the optical layers and the stretching of the stacked optical layers in the state in which flat optical layers having an anisotropic refractive index and flat optical layers having an isotropic refractive index are stacked such that they alternate with each other.
That is, light incident on the reflective polarizer is repeatedly reflected as S polarization and is allowed to pass through as P polarization while passing through respective optical layers, so that only the P polarization of the incident light is finally forwarded to the liquid crystal assembly. On the other hand, as described above, the reflected S polarization is reflected from the diffusion-reflecting surface of the optical cavity in the state in which the polarized state is randomized, and is then forwarded to the reflective polarizer. This makes it possible to reduce the loss of light that is generated from a light source and the consequent waste of electrical power.
However, the reflective polarizer of the related art has a problem in that its manufacturing process is complicated, since the reflective polarizer is manufactured by stacking the flat isotropic optical layers and the flat anisotropic optical layers, which have different refractive indexes, such that they alternate with each other, and by stretching the stack of the layers such that the optical thickness and refractive index of each optical layer are optimized to selectively reflect and transmit incident polarization. In particular, since each optical layer of the reflective polarizer has a flat panel structure, P polarization and S polarization must be divided in response to the wide range of the angle of incidence of incident polarization. Therefore, the number of optical layers that are stacked is increased excessively, thereby exponentially increasing the production cost. In addition, the structure in which the number of the stacked optical layers is excessive causes a problem in that light loss may degrade the optical performance thereof. In addition, in the related art, when a skin layer made of polycarbonate and a core layer, which is a stack of alternating PEN/co-PEN layers, are integrated together via co-extrusion, peeling may occur due to the absence of compatibility. Because the degree of crystallinity is about 15%, the danger of birefringence with respect to the stretching axis is high when stretching is performed. Therefore, a bonding layer must be formed between the core layer and the skin layer in order to apply a polycarbonate sheet without stretching. As a result, the addition of the bonding layer results in a decrease in yield due to the presence of foreign impurities and the incidence of process defects. Typically, when an unstretched polycarbonate sheet of the skin layer is produced, birefringence occurs due to the irregular shearing pressure caused by the winding process. In order to correct this, additional processing, such as modification of the molecular structure of polymer and control over the speed of an extrusion line, is required, thereby lowering productivity.
Accordingly, disclosed is a technical concept that can realize the function of a reflective polarizer by arranging a birefringent polymer, which is stretched in the lengthwise direction, inside a matrix. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a reflective polarizer 20 that contains a rod-like polymer. Inside a matrix 21, a birefringent polymer 22, which is stretched in the lengthwise direction, is arranged in one direction. Then, a light modulation effect is induced by the birefringent interface between the matrix 21 and the birefringent polymer 22, so that the function of a reflective polarizer can be performed. However, there is a problem in that the light modulation efficiency is too low compared to the foregoing reflective polarizer, which comprises a stack of alternating layers. In order to have transmittance and reflectivity similar to those of the reflective polarizer having the stack of alternating layers, an excessive number of rods of birefringent polymer 22 must be arranged inside the matrix, which is problematic. Specifically, when manufacturing a display panel having a width of 32 inches with respect to the vertical cross-section of the reflective polarizer, at least one hundred million spherical or oval particles of the birefringent polymer 22, the cross-sectional diameter of which ranges from 0.1 μm to 0.3 μm in the lengthwise direction, must be contained inside the matrix 21, which has a width of 1580 mm and a height (thickness) of 400 μm or less, in order to achieve optical properties similar to those of the stack-type reflective polarizer. In this case, the production cost is excessively increased, facilities are excessively complicated, and it is almost impossible to manufacture a spinneret, which produces the polymer. Therefore, it is difficult to commercially distribute this reflective polarizer.
In order to overcome such problems, a technical concept in which birefringent sea-island fibers are contained inside a matrix was proposed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a birefringent sea-island fiber contained inside the matrix. The birefringent sea-island fibers may create a light modulation effect at the light modulation interface between the inside island part and the sea part. Unlike the foregoing birefringent polymer, desirable optical properties can be realized even if a large number of sea-island fibers are not arranged. However, since the birefringent sea-island fibers are fiber, some problems, such as compatibility with the polymer matrix, ease of handling, and adherence, occur. Furthermore, the circular configuration induces the scattering of light, so that the efficiency of reflective polarization of light wavelengths in the visible light range is reduced. Polarization characteristics are degraded compared to existing products, and thus the improvement in illumination is limited. In addition, sea-island fibers suffer from degradation in light characteristics due to light leak or light loss, since the junction between the islands is reduced but the sea area is subdivided, thereby forming gaps. Furthermore, the texture-like tissue structure limits the construction of layers, so that the improvement in the reflection and polarization characteristics is limited.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for the enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information forms a prior art that would already be known to a person skilled in the art.

Reflective polarizer having a dispersed polymer


Enhanced variable-height mounting arms comprise structures that allow any of improved cleanability and/or improved adjustment of height or counterbalancing. An exemplary enhanced variable-height arm comprises an upper shell structure that substantially extends over the upper and side regions of the mounting arm, forming a four-bar linkage. A lower cover is mounted to the upper cover across the bottom side of the arm, and defines holes therethrough for extension of the opposing ends of the arm. The variable-height arm further comprises a bias element, wherein one end of the bias element is adjustably fixable in relation to a defined curve, non-linear path or slot, such as within a curved slot. The variable-height arm may preferably further comprise a mechanism for adjusting any of the height or counterbalance for the structure.

Mechanical arms are often used to support a wide variety of devices, such as but not limited to display screens, touch screens or monitors. Such mechanical arms may often provide any of stationary, adjustable and/or movable support, wherein positioning or movement may provide lateral movement, rotation, tilt, and/or variation of height.
Mechanical arms are often used in a wide variety of biologically sensitive environments, such as but not limited to hospitals, laboratories, medical and/or dental offices, and hospices. However, many prior mechanical arms often include structures, e.g. such as but not limited to covers, fasteners, trim, and/or pivots, that are readily contaminated, such as by dirt, dust, grease, germs, blood, sweat, chemicals, and/or other materials. As well, such exposed mechanical structures are not highly or thoroughly cleanable.
As well, while some prior mechanical arms have provided adjustable height, such arms are not typically designed for frequent adjustment and heavy use. For many such structures, screen movement is typically sloppy, and joints loosen quickly. Furthermore, such designs typically include pinch points and/or exposed gaps, which are not readily cleanable.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a mechanical arm structure that reduces the risk of contamination. The development of such a structure would constitute a major technological advance. As well, it would be further advantageous to provide such a structure that provides a high degree of cleanability. The development of such a structure would constitute a further technological advance.
While some prior conventional mechanical arms have provided some adjustability over a range of angles, such designs do not offer high performance over a full range of positions. For example, while a mechanical arm may be adjusted to provide adequate support within a central region of a range of motion for a monitor, adjustment of such an arm at a point toward the top of the range of motion often results in travel back downward towards center, unless friction of the assembly is increased to retain the monitor at the desired high position. Similarly, adjustment of such an arm at a point toward the bottom of the range of motion often results in travel back upward towards center, unless friction of the assembly is increased to retain the monitor at the desired low position.
Some prior mechanical arms having adjustable height have used gas springs having a pivot point at one end, which is mounted about a screw or bolt. Adjustment of the screw or bolt in such a configuration results in travel of the pivot point of the spring, along a line that is collinear to the travel of axis of the bolt, such that the leverage, i.e. the mechanical advantage applied by the gas spring, changes for any of different weights or different loads. In some such designs, the screw or bolt may be mounted at an angle to attempt to provide acceptable counterbalancing for different weights.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a mechanical arm structure that provides a high degree of adjustability throughout a wide range of motion, without an undue requirement to apply friction to retain a chosen position of the arm. The development of such a structure would constitute a significant technological advance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Variable height arm structures, systems, and methods


A method for grouping bearers for data transmission by a Base Station (BS) in a wireless communication network are provided. The method includes sending a bearer request to a data gateway, and receiving a bearer response from the data gateway with parameters associated with grouping of the bearers.

In the recent years several broadband wireless technologies have been developed to meet the growing number of broadband subscribers and to provide more and better applications and services. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) has developed Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA 2000), 1x Evolution Data Optimized (1x EVDO), and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) systems. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has developed Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), and Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has developed Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems. As more people become users of mobile communication systems and more services are provided over these systems, there is an increasing need for a mobile communication system with large capacity, high throughput, lower latency and better reliability.
A broadband wireless network based on millimeter waves, i.e., radio waves with wavelengths in a range of 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 mm, which range corresponds to a radio frequency of 30 Gigahertz (GHz) to 300 GHz, is a candidate for a next generation mobile communication technology, as a vast amount of spectrum is available in the mm wave band. The broadband wireless network based on the millimeter wave includes multiple Base Stations (BSs) that cover a geographic area. In order to ensure good coverage, BSs must be deployed with higher density than related-art macro-cellular BSs. In general, roughly the same site-to-site distance as micro-cell or pico-cell deployment in an urban environment is recommended. The transmission and/or reception in a millimeter wave system are based on narrow beams which suppress interference from neighboring base stations and extend the range of a millimeter wave link. This allows significant overlap of coverage among neighboring base stations. Unlike cellular systems that partition the geographic area into cells, with each cell served by one or a few base stations, the base stations in a millimeter wave system are disposed in a grid with a large number of nodes with which a Mobile Station (MS) can communicate. The base station grid addresses a problem of poor link quality at the cell edge that is inherent in cellular systems, and enables high-quality Equal Grade Of Service (EGOS) regardless of the location of a mobile station.
In order to utilize the fact that MS can detect signal from multiple BSs in broadband wireless network, a virtual cell (or a Cloud Cell) is formed around the MS. A Cloud Cell is a virtual cell including multiple BSs that serve an MS. The BSs in the Cloud Cell communicating with MSs need to perform downlink (DL) transmit (Tx) Beam forming, while the MSs may need to perform DL receive (Rx) Beam forming to receive DL control and data. An MS communicating with a BS in the Cloud Cell may need to perform uplink (UL) Tx Beam forming while the BS will perform UL Rx Beam forming to transmit UL data. One BS in the Cloud Cell is designated as a master for coordination among other BSs in the Cloud Cell. The BSs of the Cloud Cell for an MS are continually changing because of MS mobility. A Cloud Cell is specific to an MS. A BS can be part of multiple Cloud Cells and it may be the master for some Cloud Cells and a slave for other Cloud Cells.
In the traditional communication system wherein an MS communicates with one BS, the downlink BS receives Internet Protocol (IP) packets from a data GateWay (GW) in DL, performs all processing, and transmits physical bursts carrying the processed IP packets to the MS. In the uplink, the BS receives the physical bursts from the MS, performs all processing, and transmits the IP packets to data GW.
In the broadband wireless network, wherein multiple BSs are grouped together to serve an MS and the MS communicates with multiple BSs in a Cloud Cell, all the BSs in the Cloud Cell receive IP packets from a data GW in DL. In the UL, the data GW can receive IP packets from one or multiple BSs in the Cloud Cell. In such a system, a method is used to enable grouping of bearers (or data flows) between the member BSs in the Cloud Cell and the data GW, wherein the grouped bearers across multiple BSs carry data for a service flow of an MS.

Method and apparatus of bearer grouping for data transmission in a broadband wireless network


The invention provides devices, systems, and methods for limiting the travel of a data transfer head along the recording surface of a removable hard disk, particularly for recording and archiving of digital video and other data. A tab of a moveable linkage limits radial travel of a head support arm radially along the recording surface. The linkage will preferably be also used to ensure that the data transfer head is retracted to a parked position when no cartridge is inserted in the drive, and the linkage will often include a biasing spring to help eject the cartridge from the drive. The biasing spring may also be used to resiliently rebound the recording head safely back toward the recording surface.

The present invention is generally related to recording systems for digital video and other data, and in particular, provides methods and structures for preventing the read/write head from moving too close to the center of a recording disk.
Video Cassette Recorders ("VCRs") dominate the consumer video market, due in part to their combination of low cost and recording capabilities. VCR analog magnetic tape recording cassettes can be used to record, play-back, and store video images in a format which is well adapted for use with existing analog television signals. The ability to record allows consumers to use the standard VHS VCR to save television shows and home movies, as well as for play-back of feature films.
The structure of VCR systems and recording media are adapted to record and archive existing television signals. Specifically, a large amount of analog data is presented on a standard television screen during a standard length feature film. VCR systems record this analog data using analog tape recording media. The VCR tape cassettes can be removed from the recording/play-back equipment for storage, thereby minimizing the system costs when large numbers of movies are stored.
While VCR systems successfully provide recording and archive capabilities at low cost, these existing consumer video systems have significant disadvantages. For example, accessing selected portions of a movie stored on a VCR tape can be quite slow. In particular, the cassette must be rewound to the beginning of the movie between each showing, which can involve a considerable delay. Additionally, transferring data to and from the tape takes a substantial amount of time. There has been little incentive to provide high speed accessing and transfer of the video data, as movies are typically recorded and played by the consumer in real time. Alternatives providing faster access are commercially available (for example, optical video disks), but these alternatives generally have not been able to overcome the VCR's low cost and recording capabilities.
Recent developments in video technology may decrease the VCR's advantages over alternative systems. Specifically, standard protocols have recently been established for High Definition TeleVision ("HDTV"). Although digital video cassette tapes are already available, the amount of data presented in a single HDTV feature film using some of the new protocols will represent a substantial increase over existing digital VCR system capacities. Optical disks may be able to accommodate these larger quantities of digital data. Unfortunately, despite many years of development, a successful low cost optical recording system has remained an elusive goal.
Personal computer magnetic data storage systems have evolved with structures which are quite different than consumer video storage systems. Modern personal computers often include a rigid magnetic disk which is fixed in an associated disk drive. These hard disk drive systems are adapted to access and transfer data to and from the recording surface at high rates. It is generally advantageous to increase the total data storage capacity of each hard disk, as the disks themselves are typically fixed in the drive system. Hence, much of the data that is commonly used by the computer is stored on a single disk.
The simplicity provided by a fixed disk drive system helps maintain overall system reliability, and also helps reduce the overall storage system costs. Nonetheless, removable hard disk cartridge systems have recently become commercially available, and are now gaining some acceptance. While considerable quantities of computer data can be stored using these removable hard disk cartridge systems, their complexity, less than ideal reliability, and cost has limited their use to selected numbers of high-end personal computer users.
One particular disadvantage of known removable disk drive systems is the complexity of their structure. For example, existing removable hard disk drives generally support a data transfer head on a movable arm to selectively position the head along a recording surface of the disk. To allow the disk to rotate, and to allow the head to translate over the rotating disk, the spindle drive for the disk and the arm support structure must be aligned quite accurately. Additionally, known removable hard disk drives often include a fixed "inner crash stop", a structure which limits radial inward movement of the head to prevent the head from moving inward beyond the recording surface and against the disk hub. This accurately positioned fixed limit structure may include an elastomeric material to help resiliently redirect the arm onto the recording surface. Unfortunately, the housing base on which all of these tight tolerance components are assembled are generally machined, and each additional component adds to the fabrication costs, as well as the complexity of the assembly.
In light of the above, it would be desirable to provide improved systems, devices, and methods for storing digital video and other data. It would be particularly desirable if these improvements were adapted for digital video data such as the new HDTV protocols, and had the ability to record, archive, access, and transfer digital feature films at high speeds, with good reliability, and at a low system cost, thereby expanding the benefits from the tremendous economies of scale from the consumer video market.

Removable cartridge hard disk drive with an inner crash stop


A method for reporting a quality of a transmission channel between a transmitter and a receiver includes transmitting frames of data from said transmitter over the transmission channel to the receiver, sending back from the receiver to the transmitter a non-acknowledgement information when a frame of data received by the receiver is detected as erroneous, sending from the receiver to the transmitter, at scheduled reporting times, an information representative of the quality of the transmission channel at the reporting times, and sending in a same subframe the non-acknowledgement information from the receiver back to the transmitter together with information representative of the quality of the transmission channel at a time the non-acknowledgement information is sent, the time being different than the reporting times.

It has been recently proposed within the framework of the 3GPP forum to enhance the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) with a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA). The new functionality is aimed at enabling a fast access to packet services through a new transport channel called HS-DSCH for High Speed-Downlink Shared Channel. The physical channels to which the HS-DSCH is mapped, also called HS-PDSCHs (for High Speed Physical Downlink Shared Channels) can be shared by users in the time domain as well as in the code domain. According to his needs, a user is allocated on or more channeling codes (or spreading codes) within the HS-DSCH. Furthermore, the HS-DSCH channel is expected to support Hybrid ARQ and to be capable of accomodating different rates and channel conditions by using Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) schemes.
FIG. 1 represents schematically the channels involved in an HSDPA access. There are basically provided fifteen HS-PDSCH channels intended for the transmission of data from the base station (Node B) to the different user equipments (UEs), four channels called HS-SCCHs (for High Speed Shared Control CHannels) carrying the associated downlink signalling and one uplink channel called HS-DPCCH (for High Speed Dedicated Physical Control CHannel) capable of carrying a feedback information to the base station. The data sub-frames for the differents UEs can be code- and time-multiplexed over the HS-PDSCH channels. More specifically, in a given TTI (Transmission Time Interval) the HS-PDSCH channels can simultaneously accomodate one user to fifteen users. A more complete description of the shared channels in HSDPA can be found in the 3GPP specification TR 25.858 v.5.0.0 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIG. 2 shows the process of receiving data from a base station over an HSDPA access. The above mentioned HS-SCCH channels numbered 0 to 3 have been represented in the upper part of the figure while the HS-PDSCH channels numbered 0 to 14 and the HS-DPCCH channel have been represented below. All the channels are subjected to an identical time division into so-called TTIs (for Time Transmission Interval), each TTI corresponding to 3 timeslots in UMTS-FDD (UMTS Frequency Division Duplex). On the other hand, a radio frame is divided into five subframes, a subframe being transmitted during one TTI. A subframe carried by an HS-SCCH channel is called a signalling subframe and a subframe carried by an HS-PDSCH channel is called a data subframe. For example reference numbers 210 to 260 indicate signalling subframes and 211 to 261 indicate data subframes.
The UE monitors the HS-SCCHs channels and checks with its UE ID (UE IDentifier) whether a signalling subframe is assigned to the user. In the affirmative, the UE determines from the content of the signalling subframe the HS-PDSCH channel (among channels HS-PDSCH#0 to HS-PDSCH#14) which carries the data subframe intended to the user. For example, signalling subframe 220 indicates that HS-PDSCH#1 carries a data subframe 221 for the user in question.
The UE checks whether the user data contained in the data subframe are erroneous. If they are not, an acknowledgement indication ACK is transmitted over the HS-DPCCH to the base station, else a negative acknowledgement NACK is sent back in the same way and the base station then retransmits the user data at a later time.
In order to enable the base station to adapt the coding rate and/or the modulation type/order to the transmission conditions, each UE reports at regular intervals the measurement of a parameter representative of the quality of the transmission channel, denoted CQI for Channel Quality Indicator, hereafter referred to as CQI information. For example, if the quality of the transmission is poor, the base station may increase the transmission power, choose a lower coding rate and/or a lower modulation order and, conversely, if the quality of the transmission is high, the base station may choose a higher coding rate and/or a higher modulation order. In practice, the CQI information is coded as a binary word and transmitted to the base station over the HS-PDSCH channel.
FIG. 3 represents schematically the frame structure of the HS-DPCCH channel. Such a frame has a total duration Tf=10 ms and is divided into five TTIs like TTIs 310 to 350, each TTI consisting of 3 timeslots (of duration Ts). A subframe is carried in one TTI and may contain an ACK/NACK information and/or a CQI information. It should be noted that the ACK/NACK information and the CQI information are transmitted independently from each other and that a subframe may contain both information, none of them, or only one of them. More precisely, the ACK/NACK information is transmitted each time the UE receives a data subframe from the base station over the HSPDA access while a CQI information is transmitted at scheduled, periodically distributed transmission times, the determination of which is described into details in the 3GPP specification TS 25.214 v.5.1.0, paragraph 7. The reporting period Tr separating two consecutive reporting times is signalled to the UE by a higher protocol layer and may take different values which are expressed as a number of subframes, namely 1, 5, 10, 20, 40 or 80 subframes.
FIG. 4 schematically shows a time chart of the reporting of a CQI information. The UE estimated the quality of the transmission channel at times t0, t1, t2, etc. and reports these estimates as a CQI information at times t′0, t′1, t′2 distributed at regular intervals Tr. The CQI is typically measured from received pilot symbols transmitted by the base station over the primary CPICH (Common PIlot CHannel) or over a secondary CPICH if beamforming is used. The transmission of the pilot symbols is indicated in the Fig. by the dotted arrows 410, 420, 430. After the channel quality has been estimated, the UE transmits the corresponding CQI information at the next scheduled reporting time. The transmission of the CQI information over the HS-DPCCH channel is indicated in the Fig. by the arrows 411, 421, 431.
The periodic transmission of the CQI allows the base station to track the variations of quality of the transmission channel and to adapt the transmission parameters (e.g. the transmission power, the coding rate or the modulation order) accordingly. However, the quality of the transmission channel may vary very quickly, especially if the UE is moving at high speed or if a corner effect occurs. If the quality drops between two scheduled CQI reporting times, the base station will be unable to modify the transmission parameters to cope with the poor transmission conditions and the packet error rate will increase in consequence. In order to mitigate this effect, a possible measure would be to adopt a shorter reporting period, at the expense however of a significant increase of the level of interference on the uplink because of the more frequent transmission of the CQI information. Conversely, a similar situation occurs when the quality of the transmission channel improves between two scheduled CQI reporting times: in such a situation, the base station cannot profit from the newly improved transmission conditions until the next report has been received.

Method for reporting the quality of a transmission channel between a transmitter and a receiver


A chassis for a utility vehicle, in particular for semi-trailer vehicles, is comprised of: a front subassembly assigned to a front axle region of the utility vehicle, a rear subassembly assigned to a rear axle region of the utility vehicle, and a central subassembly which connects together the front subassembly and the rear subassembly.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Chassis for utility vehicles are generally manufactured on the basis of a continuous ladder frame. Such a ladder frame consists of two longitudinal members which are formed, for example, as C-shaped profiled elements and which are connected together by a plurality of crossmembers. Generally the longitudinal members are screwed or riveted to the crossmembers. Different vehicle components are attached to the frame, such as for example the front and rear axles, the drive units, the driver's cab, the transport structure or semi-trailer coupling, the fuel tank, the battery housing, as well as the exhaust gas system. It is desirable to provide a modular design in order to be able to apply one type of chassis to different vehicle variants or drive systems in a flexible manner.
Chassis of the ladder frame design are sufficiently stable, but have a relatively high dead weight. This problem of a high dead weight is exacerbated as, due to statutory emission requirements which are becoming increasingly strict, additional exhaust gas treatment components such as for example catalytic converters or urea tanks have to be provided on the vehicle. Further factors increasing the weight are the higher proportion of electronics, in terms of sensor systems and actuating systems, greater comfort requirements and the use of alternative fuels or drive concepts, wherein hybrid drives, in particular, may be cited as an example thereof. A high dead weight is associated with a lower payload, increased fuel consumption and, as a result, with undesirable additional costs and greater pollution.
A chassis of modular construction for utility vehicles is disclosed in DE 102009012350A1, said chassis achieving a reduction in weight relative to conventional chassis whilst maintaining the usual properties of rigidity and strength, wherein the central subassembly is configured as a box-shaped hollow profile made of sheet metal formed parts and the longitudinal members of the front and rear subassemblies are at least partially configured from closed profiled parts and at least one of the front and rear subassemblies is releasably attached to the central subassembly.
The inner hollow space of the box structure of the central subassembly may be used, for example, for the protected accommodation of parts of the drive system, the supply tank and/or the exhaust gas system of the utility vehicle. As one of the connecting points between the individual subassemblies is releasable, the vehicle parts to be accommodated may be easily inserted when assembling the utility vehicle. For connecting a conventional utility vehicle frame to an independent wheel suspension and for fastening attachments and an underride protection system thereto, a plurality of heavy and complex brackets are generally required. In order to avoid problems of vibration and rigidity in this design, the frame itself has to be designed to be very rigid and thus heavy. Therefore, at the present time, chassis with independent wheel suspension are hardly used in spite of the advantages of independent wheel suspension.
A suspension subframe for an independent wheel suspension for a utility vehicle is disclosed in EP1902873 A1, said suspension subframe having retaining elements for attaching the suspension device and the transverse control arm, and being able to be attached to the frame longitudinal members of the vehicle. The retaining elements are designed in this case as pressed parts or welded assemblies and, due to the attachment thereof to the conventional vehicle longitudinal members, the total weight tends to be increased by the construction.


A piston has a pair of diametrically opposite skirt portions each having an opening providing fluid communication between an outer surface of the skirt portions and an internal cavity. The openings provide the outer surfaces of the skirt portions with a circumferentially extending upper band portion above a horizontal plane extending through a pin bore axis and a circumferentially extending lower band portion below the horizontal plane.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines, and more particularly to pistons for heavy duty diesel engines.
2. Related Art
It is known that internal combustion engines, and particularly diesel engines, experience high oil consumption that leads to undesirable exhaust emissions. In addition, with the oil consumption comes carbon build-up on surfaces of pistons, particularly in the top land area, including in the annular ring grooves. As such, the ring movements can be restricted by the carbon build-up, thereby diminishing the effectiveness of the rings to properly seal the combustion gas and control oil consumption, thereby resulting in increased oil blow-by, reduced engine performance, reduced engine component life, and increased emissions.
In addition to the problems mentioned above, an additional known problem can result from a non-uniform, turbulent flow of oil within the cylinder over the path of piston reciprocation. Some of these additional problems include the onset of liner cavitation and increased friction between the piston and the cylinder liner. The liner cavitation is sensitive to the configuration of the piston, particularly where the piston is of a monobloc construction having a fixed skirt formed as one piece with the piston. The increased friction is sensitive to secondary movements of the piston, where, for the lack of guidance, the piston reciprocates cocked within the cylinder liner. Oil control loss can be traced to the high velocity of piston travel, generating a standing wave of oil. If such is the case in the upper portion of the skirt, it results in a phenomenon referred to as "oil flooding". As such, the majority of the oil is maintained toward the upper crown of the piston, and oil trickles into the ring belt area. In some cases, such as when the gas pressure gradient across the ring belt is not clearly defined, the first ring groove floods, whereupon the oil consumption control characteristic is lost. A secondary standing wave of oil forms at the upper edge of the first ring groove. Exposure of this oil to the flame front decomposes and carbonizes the oil in the standing wave, generating soot and formation of carbon deposits. As such, although it is desirable to maintain a continual supply of oil in the ring area of a piston, too much can be detrimental to the life of the engine and can also reduce the engine performance.
A piston manufactured according to the present invention and engine therewith overcomes or greatly minimizes the drawbacks resulting from at least those problems discussed above, thereby allowing diesel engines to operate at an increased performance level, while reducing their fuel consumption, oil consumption and exhaust emissions, besides prolonging their useful life.

Piston with a skirt having oil flow slots


A multi-level memory cell includes a substrate, an insulation layer, a silicon stripe, a first control gate, a second control gate, source/drain regions, silicon oxide/silicon nitride/silicon oxide composite layers. The insulation layer and the silicon stripe are sequentially disposed on the substrate. The first control gate and the second control gate are respectively disposed on the sidewalls of the silicon stripe, while the source/drain regions are configured in the silicon stripe beside both sides of the first control gate and the second control gate. The composite dielectric layers are disposed between the first control gate and the silicon stripe, and between the second control gate and the silicon stripe. Since a single memory structure can store a multiple bit of information, it is advantageous for minimizing devices.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a memory device and a fabrication method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-level memory cell and a fabrication method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A flash memory device provides the property of multiple entries, retrievals and erasures of data. Moreover, the stored information is retained even electrical power is interrupted. As a result, a non-volatile memory device is widely used in personal computers and electronic devices.
This type of erasable and programmable read-only device employs doped polysilicon to fabricate the floating gate and the control gate. When a memory device performs a programming operation, electrons that are injected into the floating gate are evenly distributed in the entire polysilicon floating gate layer. However, the presence of defects in the tunneling oxide layer underneath the polysilicon silicon floating gate would lead to a current leakage of the device, adversely affecting the reliability of the device.
To resolve the current leakage problem of an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory device, the conventional approach is to replace the polysilicon floating gate with a charge trapping layer. The charge trapping layer is, for example, a silicon nitride layer. This type of silicon nitride charge trapping layer is sandwiched by an upper and a lower silicon oxide layer, which forms a stacked gate structure that includes a silicon oxide/silicon nitride/silicon oxide (ONO) composite layer. The EEPROM with this type of stacked gate structure is known as a SONOS read-only memory device. When a voltage is applied to the control gate and the source/drain region of this type of device to perform the programming operation, hot electrons are generated in the channel near the drain region. Since silicon nitride includes the charge trapping characteristics, the charges that are injected into the charge trapping layer are not evenly distributed in the entire charge trapping layer. Instead, these charges are localized in a certain region of the charge trapping layer. Since the charges are localized in a certain region of the charge trapping layer, it is less sensitive to the defects in the tunneling oxide layer. The current leakage problem of the device is thus mitigated.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the cross-sectional view of a SONOS read-only memory device according to the prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, a SONOS read-only memory cell includes a substrate 100, a composite dielectric layer 102 with a silicon oxide 102a/silicon nitride 102b/silicon oxide 102c structure, a control gate 104, a drain region 106a, a source region 106b and a channel region 108. The silicon oxide 102a/silicon nitride 102b/silicon oxide 102c composite dielectric layer 102 and the control gate 104 are sequentially disposed on the substrate 100 to form a stacked gate structure 110. Further, the channel region is configured in the substrate 100 underneath the stacked gate structure 110, whereas the drain region 106a, the source region 106b are configured in the substrate 100 beside both sides of the stacked gate structure 110.
A higher integration of integrated circuits by further miniaturizing of devices can be achieved by reducing the control gate length of the SONOS memory device. However, as the gate length is being reduced, the underlying channel length is also being reduced. Thus, during the programming of such a memory cell, an abnormal punch through easily occurs between the source region and the drain region, adversely affecting the electrical performance of the memory device.
Further, the application of software by computers has increased tremendously. The capacity of a memory device needs to be increased accordingly. The demands for a small dimension memory device with a large memory capacity thereby increases, which strongly suggests that a modification to the structure and the fabrication method for the conventional SONOS memory device is expected.

Multi-level memory cell and fabricating method thereof


The invention relates to a digital printing method and a paper or board applicable thereto. In digital printing, the surface of a paper or board is charged electrically, toner particles are brought to the surface in an electric field in accordance with the printing, and the particles are melted fast to the surface with the help of heat for forming the printing. According to the invention, the paper or board (2) is provided with a coating layer (3) containing an electrically chargeable acrylate copolymer of ethylene, which receives the toner that is fused to the coating with the help of infrared radiation. Suitable coating polymers are especially methyl, ethyl and butyl acrylate copolymers of ethylene (EMA, EEA and EBA). Especially in packaging boards, besides the digitally printable layer, the polymer coatings can comprise a water vapor or oxygen barrier layer for protecting the packed product, and a heat-sealable layer on the opposite side of the board for sealing the package.

Digital printing is known as a technique, and it is widely used, among others, in colour printing, copying machines and printers. The application EP 629930 discloses a digital printing technique, with which a multi-colour printing is achievable on one side or both sides of a moving paper web. The different shares of the printing are produced in successive printing stations along the path of the web, the printing stations being arranged to operate in a synchronised way. Each station comprises a rotating drum, with an accumulator installed on its periphery, producing a uniform electric charge to the surface of the drum. On the periphery of the drum, the accumulator is followed by a printhead, such as a laser scanner, which forms a latent image to the surface of the drum by selectively changing the charge of the drum surface, the latent image being then developed in a developing station, in which opposite signed toner particles are brought to the surface of the drum in accordance with the image. After this, the surface of the drum is brought into contact with the paper web led past it for transferring the toner particles forming the image to the surface of the web. For this purpose, in the point of contact of the drum and the web, a corona transfer assembly has been installed on the opposite side of the web, the electric current directed through which forming an electric field, which draws the electrically charged toner particles from the surface of the drum to the surface of the paper web. Immediately adjacent to the corona transfer assembly there is installed an alternating-current corona apparatus, which eliminates the charges of the web and allows it to separate from the surface of the drum. The surface of the drum is then pre-charged by the corona apparatus and cleaned from the toner particles possibly remaining on it, after which the surface is ready for a new printing cycle, which may as well be identical with the previous cycle as be different from it.
Black-and-white printing can be produced on the one side of the paper in one single printing station using black toner in a way disclosed above. In multi-colour printing, the different toners are brought to the paper in several successive printing stations, which operate with different colours, adding them to the printing to be generated to the moving web on at a time. The printing of both sides of the paper can still be achieved by placing printing stations of the type disclosed above to both sides of the moving paper web.
After the printing consisting of one or more toners is produced onto the paper as disclosed above, the printing is fixed in a fixing station located on the path of the web. The fixing is performed using infrared radiators, which heat the surface of the web so that polymeric toner particles melt fast to the paper. Finally, the finished printed web is cut to sheets, which are piled or stitched, according to the need of any given time.
An essentially corresponding technique is applied to copying machines and printers, in which the printing base is formed of individual sheets, instead of a continuous web. In addition to paper sheets, also plastic films can be used as a base in copying machines.
In the printed patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,572, there is disclosed a paper intended to be printed electrophotographically, which is coated with ionomer (Surlyn 1605) or a mixture of ionomer and some other polymer. For the toner to be fixed with the help of heat, the specification likewise suggests ionomer to be used. According to the specification, ionomer resins do not tend the spread, due to which the print lasts well during and after thermal fixing.
The drawback of digital printing technique in the printing of board webs has been the typically more irregular surface of the boards, which causes a printing result of poor quality. Boards have been printed using conventional printing techniques, such as offset printing. Especially polymer coated packaging boards used for packages and disposable dishes can have been printed before the coating phase, in which case coating layers consisting of colourless or transparent polymers have been extruded onto the board surface provided with printings, or offset printing can have been performed onto a board pre-coated with polymer.

Digital printing method and a paper or board applicable thereto


A Central Processing Unit (CPU) frequency adjusting system has a multi-level architecture including an application level, a driver level, a hardware abstraction level, and a hardware platform. The application level includes a user interface (10) for generating a command signal to adjust a CPU frequency according to an input from a user, and displaying an adjusted CPU frequency. The hardware abstraction level includes a frequency adjusting module (130) for adjusting a current CPU frequency in a flash memory (14) with the new CPU frequency input by the user; and a data accessing module (131) for storing the adjusted CPU frequency in the flash memory, and reading the adjusted CPU frequency from the flash memory in order to display the adjusted CPU frequency on the user interface. The CPU frequency adjusting system can reduce the complexity of the hardware abstraction level, and is compatible with different types of BIOSs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for adjusting Central Processing Unit (CPU) parameters, and particularly to a system and method which can adjust a CPU's frequency.
2. Prior Art of the Invention
In order to save power and still allow users to conveniently use software applications, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer may be required to operate at different speeds (i.e., different frequencies) when performing various different types of tasks. For example, the CPU may operate at a lower speed when processing Microsoft Word documents, and may operate at a higher speed when processing images.
There are many technologies available to reduce power consumption by slowing down the operating speed of a CPU. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,739 issued on Jun. 3, 2003 and entitled "Dynamic power saving by monitoring CPU utilization" discloses a method for conserving power. In this method, the CPU of a computer system is monitored, and the internal clock frequency or internal operating voltage of the CPU is dynamically adjusted, based on a perceived CPU processing load.
However, the equipment usually needed to support the above-described method is unduly complex. In addition, the method varies according to the types of BIOS programs being used and being introduced. That is, the method has poor currency and cross-BIOS compatibility.
Thus there is a need for a system and method which can overcome the abovementioned disadvantages.

CPU frequency adjusting system and method

Bao-an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.


A surface-mounted over-current protection device with positive temperature coefficient (PTC) behavior is disclosed. The surface-mounted over-current protection device comprises a first metal foil, a second metal foil corresponding to the first metal foil, a PTC material layer stacked between the first metal foil and the second metal foil, a first metal electrode, a first metal conductor electrically connecting the first metal foil to the first metal electrode, a second metal electrode corresponding to the first metal electrode, a second metal conductor electrically connecting the second metal foil to the second metal electrode, and at least one insulated layer to electrically insulate the first metal electrode from the second metal electrode. The surface-mounted over-current protection device, at 25° C., indicates that a hold current thereof divided by the product of a covered area thereof and the number of the conductive composite module is at least 0.16 A/mm2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface-mounted over-current protection device and more particularly, to a surface-mounted over-current protection device exhibiting a small covered area, high hold current, and positive temperature coefficient (FTC) behavior.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The resistance of a PTC conductive composite is sensitive to temperature change. When a PTC device containing PTC conductive composite operates at room temperature, its resistance remains at a low value so that the circuit elements can operate normally. However, if an over-current or an over-temperature situation occurs, the resistance of the PTC device will immediately increase at least ten thousand times (over 104 ohm) to a high resistance state. Therefore, the over-current will be counterchecked and the objective of protecting the circuit elements or batteries is achieved. Because the PTC device can be used to effectively protect electronic applications, it has been commonly integrated into various circuits to prevent over-current damage.
In general, the PTC conductive composite contains at least one crystalline polymer and conductive filler. The conductive filler is dispersed uniformly in the crystalline polymer(s). The crystalline polymer is mainly a polyolefin polymer or a fluoropolyolefin polymer such as polyethylene, polyvinyl fluoride or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). The conductive filler(s) is mainly carbon black.
The conductivity of the PTC conductive composite depends on the content and type of the conductive fillers. In general, the resistivity of the PTC conductive composite containing the carbon black as the conductive filler seldom reaches below 0.2 Ω-cm. Even though the low resistivity mentioned above is achieved, the PTC conductive composite often loses the characteristic of voltage endurance. Therefore, a conductive filler, which is different from carbon black, with lower resistance should be used in the to PTC conductive composite to reach a resistivity below 0.2 Ω-cm. Since the conductivity of carbon black is relatively low (i.e., relatively high resistance), if carbon black is applied to a surface mount device (SMD) with fixed covered area, the hold current of the SMD is limited to certain level due to the resistance limitation of carbon black. The hold current mentioned above means a maximum current the PTC device can endure without trip at a specific temperature.
Although a multi-layer PTC structure could be used to increase the hold current, SMD device performance is eventually limited due to the limitation of total height as well as the number of PTC layers of the SMD device. In general, for a single PTC layer of carbon black filled SMD over-current protection device, the ratio of the hold current to the area of a PTC material layer should not exceed 0.16 A/mm2. The SMDs currently available on the market have a certain shape characterized by the width and the length, which are defined as a form factor in the specification of the SMD. Consequently, the length and width of the SMD determine the covered area of the SMD. For example, SMD1812 indicates a SMD with a length of 0.18 inches and a width of 0.12 inches and thus a covered area of 0.18″×0.12″, equivalent to 4.572 mm×3.048 mm (i.e., 13.9355 mm2) in metric system. For an SMD 1812 equipped with an over-current protection device using carbon black as the conductive filler, a single PTC material layer hardly reaches a hold current of 1.8 A. If the SMD1812 having two PTC material layers can hold a current of 3.6 A, the hold current per unit covered area per PTC material layer can be calculated as: 3.6 A/(2×13.9355 mm2)=0.129 A/mm2, which is below 0.16 A/mm2. Therefore, it is highly desirable that a new type of SMD device could be developed to exceed the 0.16 A/mm2 barrier.

Surface-mounted over-current protection device


A semiconductor laser unit includes a semiconductor laser device, a first temperature detector that detects a temperature in the vicinity of the semiconductor laser device, and an electronic cooler that heats or cools the semiconductor laser device. The semiconductor laser unit also includes first and second branching devices for extracting first and second branched lights from an oscillation light outgoing from the semiconductor laser device, a band pass filter that transmits only a light of a predetermined wavelength band among the first branched light, and an optical filter that transmits the second branched light so that a transmission loss is increased or decreased in one way with a change of the wavelength within a wavelength band where the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser device can be changed, to output a second monitor light. The levels of lights which transmit each wavelength are transmitted are detected, respectively, and when the level of light that passes through the band pass filter is increased, a direction of changing the wavelength is detected according to an increase or decrease of the level of light that passes through the optical filter, and the temperature is changed by the electronic cooler to control the wavelength of the semiconductor laser device. Thus, both of the output level and the wavelength of the oscillation light from the semiconductor laser are stabilized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser unit used for optical fiber communication and light measurement, and more particularly to a semiconductor laser unit having a function of stabilizing both of an optical output and an oscillation wavelength.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor laser unit used for optical communication, light measurement unit, etc., is required to stabilize an output of an outgoing light. In the conventional semiconductor laser unit, one light of lights outgoing in two directions, that is, forwardly and backwardly from the semiconductor laser device is detected by a photodiode, and a driving current which is supplied to the semiconductor laser device is controlled so that the quantity of one light is kept constant, to thereby stabilize the other outgoing light. In this method, even if the semiconductor laser device is deteriorated to the degree that the optical output of the semiconductor laser device is being lowered, the driving current can be controlled to be increased so that the optical output is kept constant.
Up to now, in order to control the temperature of the semiconductor laser, there have been frequently used a device that have combined an electronic cooler using the Peltier effect with a thermistor for detection of the temperature of a semiconductor laser section.
The semiconductor laser device is fixed to a heat sink which is fixed to a carrier by solder. The thermistor is fixed onto the carrier in the vicinity of the semiconductor laser device by solder. A photodiode (PD) is fixed onto the carrier by solder in such a manner that the light outgoing backwardly from the semiconductor laser device is input to the photodiode.
The electronic cooler is fixed to a base of a package at a lower side of a lower substrate thereof by solder. The carrier on which the semiconductor laser device, the thermistor and so on are mounted is fixed onto an upper surface of an upper substrate of the electronic cooler by solder.
In addition to the above basic structure, an automatic power control (hereinafter referred to as "APC") circuit and an automatic temperature control (hereinafter referred to as "ATC") circuit are normally connected to a semiconductor laser unit. The APC circuit that maintains the optical output of the semiconductor laser device constant controls an inrush current so that a light outgoing from the back side of the semiconductor laser device maintains the output of a light outgoing from the front side thereof constant.
The backward outgoing light is received by a photodiode (hereinafter referred to as "PD") and, is subjected to photoelectric conversion into a monitor current to input to the APC circuit. The APC circuit is designed to control the driving current supplied to the semiconductor laser device so that the quantity of a monitor current is kept constant, thereby keeping the forward outgoing light constant.
The thermistor is disposed in the vicinity of the semiconductor laser device to detect the temperature of the semiconductor laser device. The ATC circuit is designed to detect a resistant value of the thermistor, and to allow a current to flow into the electronic cooler so that the detected resistant value is made equal to a reference resistant value, thereby keeping the temperature of the semiconductor laser device constant. In the case where the temperature detected by the thermistor is higher than a set temperature, a current is allowed to flow into the electronic cooler in a direction where the thermistor is cooled. Reversely, in the case where the temperature detected by the thermistor is lower than the set temperature, the current is allowed to flow into the electronic cooler in another direction where the thermistor is heated. In the case where a difference between the temperature of the detected thermistor and the set temperature is large, the temperature is controlled so that a value of flowing current becomes large, whereas in the case where the difference between those temperatures is small, the temperature is controlled so that the current value becomes small. The characteristic of the optical output to the driving current of the semiconductor laser device is changed in accordance with the temperature, and a driving current value for obtaining a desired optical output increases as the temperature goes up. The oscillation wavelength is changed toward a long wavelength side as the driving current of the semiconductor laser device increases.
Because of those circuits, in the ATC circuit, even if the external environmental temperature of the semiconductor laser unit is changed, the temperature of the semiconductor laser device is kept constant. Therefore, in this state, if the driving current is constant, the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser is kept constant. In the APC circuit, even if the semiconductor laser device is deteriorated so that the characteristic of the optical output to the driving current of the semiconductor laser device is changed, the driving current can be changed so that the monitor current of the PD is kept constant, and the optical output can be controlled to be kept constant.
As an oscillation wavelength stabilizing device of another semiconductor laser unit of this type, there is disclosed a technique in which a wavelength is controlled by detecting a wavelength through a light wavelength measuring unit, for example, in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho 62-136088. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 1-1238083 discloses a technique in which a wavelength is detected by use of a gas cell and a photo detector. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 2-284487 discloses a technique in which a light wavelength is controlled by use of a half-mirror, a 1/2 wavelength plate, a PBS, a wavelength selecting device and two PDs.
In recent years, there has been demanded a high-density wavelength multiplex system for super large capacity transmission or optical wave network. The respective semiconductor lasers used for light transmission at this time is required not only to stabilize an optical output but also to stabilize an oscillation wavelength. However, in the above-mentioned method of stabilizing the optical output by controlling the current, the driving current increases when the semiconductor laser is deteriorated. In this case, the oscillation wavelength is changed toward the long wavelength side with an increase of the current. In the case of conducting the wavelength multiple optical communication, a change of the wavelength causes cross-talk or the deterioration of the receive sensitivity, thus deteriorating the transmission characteristic.
In the technique in which the wavelength is controlled by detecting the wavelength using the light wavelength measuring unit as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho 62-136088, and the technique in which the wavelength is controlled by use of the gas cell and the photo detector as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 1-1238083, there arises such a problem that the device is large-scaled. In the technique in which the light wavelength is controlled by use of the half-mirror, the 1/2 wavelength plate, the PBS, the wavelength selecting device and two PDs as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 2-284487, when the semiconductor laser is deteriorated so that the driving current is changed, the optical output and the wavelength cannot be stabilized simultaneously.

Semiconductor laser unit having a function of stabilizing an optical output and a wavelength


A receptacle for a fastener is provided that may be relatively light weight and compact, may reduce the number of parts required for mounting an object to a surface, and may allow for greater flexibility in positioning the fastener. Additionally, a corresponding method for installing a receptacle and mounting an object is provided. The receptacle has an outer housing and a floating insert, and the floating insert is positioned within an internal cavity of the outer housing. A fastener may be inserted into an internal cavity of the floating insert through apertures in the outer housing and the floating insert. The floating insert is configured such that it is movable within the outer housing. As a result, the location of the aperture of the floating insert is adjustable, providing greater tolerances during the installation process.

In aircraft and other structures, it is often desirable to mount objects, such as magazine display racks or control panels, to various surfaces. One common method of mounting objects is by using Nylatch® or other expandable fasteners. Nylatch® fasteners are designed to attach a removable member, such as a magazine display rack, to a fixed member, such as the interior wall or other interior surface of an aircraft, by expanding latching members of a fastener, such as a grommet end of a Nylatch® fastener, to lock the two members together.
Another common method of mounting objects is by using pegs or other fasteners having a head portion and a shank portion, the head being wider than the shank. With these types of fasteners, the shank portion of the fastener is attached or integral to the object to be mounted, such as the magazine rack. The object is mounted by hooking the head of the fastener into an appropriately shaped aperture in the fixed member, such as the interior surface of the aircraft.
In at least some instances, the construction of a wall or other surface to which an object is to be mounted makes it difficult or impossible to mount a fastener directly to the wall or other surface, at least with the surety that is desired. For example, some interior surfaces of aircraft consist of honeycomb panels. As a result, mounting an object to the honeycomb panel with a Nylatch® or other expandable fastener currently requires the use of a sheet metal plate which defines a hole to receive the grommet end of the fastener. The metal plate is attached to the honeycomb panel using one or more potted inserts that, in turn, are mounted within the honeycomb panel. The object to be mounted is attached to the metal plate by inserting the fastener into the hole defined by the metal plate and expanding the grommet end.
Mounting an object with a fastener such as a peg to a honeycomb panel similarly requires supplemental parts to prepare the mounting surface. A sheet metal plate with a keyhole-shaped aperture is required to receive the head portion of the fastener. The keyhole aperture consists of two intersecting apertures, one larger than the other. The larger portion of the keyhole is configured to receive the wider head portion of the fastener, and the smaller portion of the keyhole is configured to retain the head in the installed position and is thus smaller than the width of the head. The object is installed by inserting the head into the larger portion of the keyhole and sliding the peg into the smaller portion. However, this requires that the honeycomb panel be cut behind both portions of the keyhole before installing the metal plate to allow enough clearance for the head to slide from one portion of the keyhole to the other.
The current method of mounting objects to such interior surfaces has several disadvantages. It requires the manufacture of multiple parts, such as the metal plates and the potted inserts. The use of multiple parts increases the manufacturing and shipping costs, the cost of labor for installing the metal plates and mounting the objects, as well as the overall weight of the structure, which is a particularly acute concern for aircraft and other vehicles. Aesthetic concerns also factor in when the object to be mounted is smaller than the metal plate used for mounting, and the choice of location of the fasteners on the object to be mounted becomes limited. These disadvantages are further magnified by the large quantities of fasteners commonly utilized on board aircraft and other structures. In addition, the fixed nature of the holes in the metal plates provides small tolerances and does not allow for minor changes in the position of the fasteners, making small miscalculations in the mounting process costly.
Thus, there is a need for a simpler, more cost effective way of mounting objects using Nylatch® or other fasteners that requires fewer, lighter parts, allows greater flexibility in placement, and provides greater mounting tolerances.

Receptacle for fasteners and an associated installation method