A first metal plate for transmission and a second metal plate for transmission are closely-attached to a first surface and a second surface of a dielectric body, respectively. An outer edge of the first metal plate substantially symmetrically faces an outer edge of the second metal plate via the dielectric body. A metal plate for matching is arranged inside a hole formed on the second metal plate, with a slit formed with an inner wall of the hole, and is fixed to the dielectric body. The metal plate for matching is electrically connected to the first metal plate via a through hole penetrating the dielectric body. An IC chip is surface-mounted to connect the second metal plate with the metal plate for matching.

RFID is an auto-recognition system for reading/writing (specifically, retrieving, registering, deleting, or updating) individual information from/to a person or a substance memorized in a medium called an IC tag by using wireless communications. FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing an example of the system.
Two devices are necessary in order to provide the RFID. One is a reader/writer 100 and another is an IC tag 120. The reader/writer 100 writes information to a memory 121a incorporated in an IC chip 121 of the IC tag 120, or reads the information written in the memory 121a. The IC tag 120 obtains an electric power for its operation by rectifying part of carrier waves when it is a passive type IC tag having no internal battery. Thus, the IC tag 120 can communicate with the reader/writer 100, write data to the memory 121a, and modulate data for transmission.
An antenna 122 is incorporated in the IC tag 120 in order to maintain the communications between the reader/writer 100 and the IC tag 120 at a long distance. A dipole antenna and a patch antenna are typically used for the IC tag 120 utilizing a microwave frequency range (e.g., the 960 MHz range and the 2.45 GHz range).
FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing a dipole antenna 219. The dipole antenna 219 can be easily manufactured by printing, because it has a simple structure having two linear metals 130 and 131. Therefore the dipole antenna 219 is widely used as an inexpensive antenna for the IC tag.
FIGS. 20A, 20B are schematic views showing a patch antenna 220. The patch antenna 220 has a structure in which two metal plates (i.e., a ground metal plate 140 and a patch metal plate 141) are arranged parallel to each other together with a dielectric body 142 therebetween.
Directivity is used as an indicator of characteristics of an antenna. The directivity indicates which direction the antenna can cover as a communications area (or a recognition area) and how much power the antenna can provide. FIGS. 21 and 22 are schematic views showing the directivity of the dipole antenna 219 and the patch antenna 220, respectively. As shown in the dashed lines in FIGS. 21 and 22, the dipole antenna 219 is capable of transmitting electrical waves to its upper side and lower side in FIG. 21, while the patch antenna 220 is capable of transmitting electrical waves mainly to its upper side (toward the patch metal plate 141) in FIG. 22. From the viewpoint of a recognition area of the reader/writer 100, the dipole antenna 219 can be recognized in a broader angle than the patch antenna 220. In other words, if IC tags with the dipole antenna 219 and IC tags with the patch antenna 220 are disposed in random orientations, the IC tags with the dipole antenna 219 can be recognized more easily.
In many cases, IC tags are used by being attached to an object. This object is, for example, a dielectric material such as a PET bottle, or a metal object such as a metal container. The object, especially the metal object, tends to degrade the characteristics of the antennas. Hereafter, the functions of the dipole antenna 219 and the patch antenna 220 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 23, when the dipole antenna 219 is located near a metal 132, an incident wave 135 advancing to the metal 132 and an reflection wave 136 reflected by the metal 132 are generated. At the edge of the metal 132, the incident wave 135 is in the opposite phase to the reflection wave 136, because of a boundary condition that the electric field on the metal 132 is zero. Therefore, when the dipole antenna 219 and the metal 132 are located very close to each other, a transmission wave 137 advancing upward in FIG. 23 from the dipole antenna 219 is also in almost the opposite phase to the reflection wave 136. Therefore, the transmission wave 137 and the reflection wave 136 are canceled by each other and thereby an electrical wave is not transmitted upward from the dipole antenna 219. In other words, the dipole antenna 219 does not function when it is located near the metal 132.
In JP-2004-164055 A, in order to solve the problem, a spacer is inserted between an antenna and a metal to keep an interval between them within a range λ/4±λ/8, wherein the value λ is wavelength of waves from the antenna. By keeping the interval at the λ/4, a reflection wave reflected by the metal is in the same phase as that of the wave from the antenna, at the location of the antenna. However, as for the UHF (960 MHz) frequency range, the antenna with the spacer is not practical because λ/4 roughly equals no less than 8 cm.
In contrast, since the patch antenna 220 has a ground (i.e., the ground metal plate 140) as shown in FIG. 24, the characteristics of transmission of the patch antenna 220 is hardly changed even if the ground metal plate 140 and a metal 143 come in contact with each other.
As described above, the patch antenna 220 is superior to the dipole antenna 219 in the case that they are located near the metal.
Hereafter, matching between the IC chip and the antenna will be described. The above description on the transmission from the antenna is made under an assumption that impedance matching between the IC chip and the antenna is successfully made. In most of ordinary wireless communicators, impedance between a transmitting/receiving device and an I/O port of an antenna is predetermined to be, for example, 50Ω. In contrast, the IC chip for the IC tag does not have a matching circuit, because the IC chip is required to be manufactured with a low cost. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the impedance of the antenna for the IC tag for achieving the matching with the IC chip. Specifically, when the impedance of the IC chip is (R−jX) [Ω], the impedance of the antenna has to be (R+jX) [Ω] which is the complex conjugate of the impedance of the IC chip.


A plug-in replacement relay for automotive use incorporating a security system (43) to control the actuation of the relay is disclosed. The plug-in replacement relay derives its power supply from bridge rectifier(s) (33, 37) having their inputs connected across the coil socket connector (pins 85, 86) and/or the switching contacts (11) (pins 30, 87), allowing polarity free connection. An inhibitor circuit (31) ensures that the contacts (11) are actuated only when intended.

This invention relates to a control unit for supplying power to a circuit, and in particular to such a control circuit for an automotive application.
In a modern automobile, relays are often used to obviate the need for high current capacity wiring being routed to control switches in the vehicle cabin, and also to obviate the need for such control switches to be rated to carry such high currents. An application of such is the use of a relay having its coil connected to the high beam circuit, and its high current contacts used to make a circuit to driving lights. Without the use of the relay, the extra current load of the driving lights, in addition to the high beam current load of the existing driving lights, would result in failure of the high/low beam switch and/or the headlight switch with normal vehicle wiring. While this could be obviated in vehicle manufacture by including heavier wiring and heavier rated switches, so that in the event a vehicle owner decided to install driving lights, the vehicle circuitry would be of a sufficient rating, this is generally not done, in order to save manufacturing costs.
For similar cost saving measures, such relays, which are usually electromechanical devices, although there is no reason why they could not be solid state (ie transistorised), have been utilised in other parts of the vehicle circuitry. This includes for switching the vehicle ignition circuitry and the vehicle fuel pump and fuel injection circuitry. In this manner, the more expensive high current capacity wiring can be run on as short a route as possible, in circuit with the vehicle fuse box, the relay contacts, and the ignition coil (or ignition coils) primary (which can carry at least 4 amps), and similarly in circuit with any fuel pumps and fuel injection pressurisation pumps. The relay coils, which require perhaps 5% or less current to actuate than the load drawn by the circuits that the contacts actuate, can utilise much lighter wiring connected to the vehicle ignition switch, and a much lower current rating on the contacts in the vehicle ignition switch than would be the case if the circuits were connected to the ignition switch directly.
A very obvious application of such an arrangement is in the solenoid assembly which is used to actuate the vehicle starter motor. However in the case of the starter motor, the solenoid is only operated when the vehicle ignition is turned to the "start" position.
In the case of relays which connect to the ignition and any fuel pump circuitry, these must be actuated when the ignition is set to both the "run" and "start" positions.
Modern vehicle immobilisers, which can be stand-alone or incorporated into alarm systems, are usually wired into the circuitry in a vehicle to interrupt power to the vehicle ignition or fuel pump(s), unless over-ridden by a person who has the key to the alarm. In the past, keys were literally just that, although in more modern alarms electronic keys have been proposed, from simple resistive networks, and numeric keypads, to complex encryption techniques involving binary code strings and code hopping arrangements. In all of these arrangements, the immobiliser must be wired into the vehicle circuitry. This involves modifying existing vehicle circuitry in order to fit the immobiliser, which is time consuming and requires some knowledge of the vehicle circuitry on the part of the installer, or investigation to determine the nature of the vehicle circuitry when the installer is not familiar with it.
It is an object of this invention to provide an immobiliser system which overcomes some of the above problems, or at least provides an alternative to known immobiliser systems.
Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Self contained control unit incorporating authorisation


The compatibility between high consistency fluorinated and non-fluorinated polydiorganosiloxanes is increased, with a resultant increase in the physical-properties of elastomers prepared from mixtures of these polymers, by blending the polymers together with a reinforcing silica filler that is reacted with both fluorinated and non-fluorinated liquid polydiorganosiloxanes as filler treating agents. The high consistency polydiorganosiloxanes contain at least two alkenyl radicals per molecule and are cured by a hydrosilation reaction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to curable organosiloxane compositions. More particularly, this invention relates to high consistency organosiloxane compositions curable by a platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation reaction. The compositions contain a mixture of fluorinated and non-fluorinated polydiorganosiloxanes. Cured elastomers prepared using the present compositions exhibit unexpectedly high values of desireable physical properties such as tensile and tear strength, resiliency and elasticity.
2. Background Information
Curable compositions containing mixtures of fluorinated and non-fluorinated high consistency polydiorganosiloxanes are known. One of the more common repeating units that constitute at least a portion of the units present in fluorinated polydiorganosiloxanes is the methyl-3,3,3-trifluoropropylsiloxane unit. When compared with cured elastomers prepared from polydimethylsiloxanes, elastomers prepared from fluorinated polydiorganosiloxanes exhibit inferior physical properties such as tensile and tear strength and elasticity in combination with a higher solubility in polar organic liquids such as alcohols, ketones and esters. This reduction in properties is compensated for by a lower solubility and a higher resistance to degradation in the aliphatic hydrocarbons present in aviation and automotive fuels.
Because high consistency fluorinated and non-fluorinated polydiorganosiloxanes are inherently immiscible, elastomers prepared from silica-reinforced mixtures of these polymers may delaminate under stress, thereby substantially reducing the physical properties such as tensile And tear strength of the elastomer relative to the levels achievable using the individual polymers.
One approach to increasing the compatibility of fluorinated and non-fluorinated polydiorganosiloxanes is taught by Evans et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,811, which issued on Oct. 2, 1990. In accordance with the disclosure of this patent 100 parts of a modified fluorinated polydiorganosiloxane containing both vinyl and silanol groups is blended with from 1 to 10 parts of a polydimethylsiloxane gum containing from 1 to about 10 weight percent of vinyl radicals.
The modified fluorinated polydiorganosiloxanes described in the Evans et al. patent are reaction products of 100 parts of a cyclic fluorinated trisiloxane, and from 0.5 to 2 parts of a chain modifier mixture comprising specified amounts of 1) a vinyl-terminated diorganosiloxane copolymer containing up to 75 repeating units per molecule wherein from 50 to about 67 percent of the repeating diorganosiloxane are not fluorinated and 2) a silanol-terminated diorganosiloxane homopolymer containing from 3 to 6 fluorinated organosiloxane units per molecule.

High consistency organosiloxane compositions comprising fluorinated and non-fluorinated polyorganosiloxanes


A worm gear is provided on a rotating shaft of an AF motor. A first supporting cylinder includes a gear portion and a receiving portion. A wheel gear, which is in engagement with the worm gear, is formed on an outer surface of the gear portion. A slit is formed at the receiving portion. A second supporting cylinder includes a supported portion which is placed in the receiving portion of the first supporting cylinder, and a receiving portion which supports an AF coupler. A gear is in engagement with a portion which connects the supported portion and the receiving portion of the 2nd supporting cylinder. A clutch spring is wound around the supported portion, being in contact with the outer surface of the supported portion. Both ends of the clutch spring cross each other and are in engagement with a pair of walls, of the slit, which are parallel to an axis of the receiving portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera on which an interchangeable lens is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in a camera on which an interchangeable lens is mounted, an AF (auto focus) driving mechanism is provided with a multi-point distance measurement unit, which includes a plurality of distance measurement areas. In the multi-point distance measurement unit, an amount and a direction of driving of an AF lens group is calculated based on the result of the distance measurement which is performed at the plurality of distance measurement areas. Therefore, the precision of the auto focusing is improved.
On the other hand, cameras are required to be more compact to improve convenience in manipulating and portability. However, the application of the multi-point distance measurement unit enlarges the AF driving mechanism. This causes a problem, in that enlargement of the AF driving mechanism makes downsizing cameras difficult.


Compiling a circuit design includes receiving the circuit design specified in a hardware description language, detecting, using a processor, a slice of a vector within the circuit design, and determining that the slice is defined by a left slice boundary variable and a right slice boundary variable. A hardware description is generated from the circuit design using the processor by including a first shifter circuit receiving the left slice boundary variable as an input signal, a second shifter circuit receiving the right slice boundary variable as an input signal, a control signal generator coupled to the first and second shifter circuits, and an output stage. The output stage, responsive to a control signal dependent upon an output from the first shifter circuit and an output from second shifter circuit, generates an output signal including newly received values from a data signal only for bit locations of the output signal corresponding to the slice.

A hardware description language (HDL) is a computer-language that facilitates the documentation, design, and manufacturing of a digital system, such as an integrated circuit (IC). Implementation of the digital system may include the transformation of the digital system into a set of masks for IC manufacturing, the programming of a programmable IC such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. Using an HDL, a user can design and specify an electronic circuit, describe the operation of the circuit, and create tests to verify operation of the circuit. An HDL includes standard, text-based expressions of the spatial and temporal structure and behavior of the electronic system being modeled. HDL syntax and semantics include explicit notations for expressing concurrency. In contrast to most high level programming languages such as C or C++, an HDL also includes an explicit notion of time such as the inclusion of clock signals, which is a primary attribute of a digital system.
Within HDL design, signals may be defined as a vector of bits. Various portions of the digital system may access a portion of the vector referred to as a "slice." For example, different portions of the digital system may utilize different slices of the vector, where a "slice" is one or more consecutive bits of the vector and may be the entire vector. In many cases, when specifying the slice of the vector that a particular portion of the digital system is to use, the upper and lower bounds of that slice must be resolved to constants within the HDL design.
In other cases, HDL compilers may allow the upper and lower bounds of the slice to be specified dynamically. Such HDL compilers, however, implement the dynamically specified bounds of the slice as circuitry in which all possible and legal slices of the vector are made available. The circuitry is typically implemented using a multiplexer having a significant number of inputs. The number of inputs to a multiplexer used in circuitry to generate all possible and legal slices of a vector is defined by the expression n(n+1)/2, where "n" is the size of the vector in bits. As may be seen from the expression, even a small vector of 4 bits requires a relatively large circuit that utilizes a 10 input multiplexer not including the enable signals. Each of the 10 inputs to the multiplexer is a 4 bit input. In the case of a 4 bit vector, all possible and legal slices of the vector are: [3:3], [3:2], [3:1], [3:0], [2:2], [2:1], [2:0], [1:1], [1:0], and [0:0], where the first number indicates the bit position of the left boundary of the slice and the second number indicates the bit position of the right boundary of the bit position. The resulting circuitry consumes significant IC resources and IC area.

Compact and efficient circuit implementation of dynamic ranges in hardware description languages


An integrated interferometric and intensity based microscopic inspection system inspects semiconductor samples. A switchable illumination module provides illumination switchable between interferometric inspection and intensity based microscopic inspection modes. Complex field information is generated from interference image signals received at a sensor. Intensity based signals are used to perform the microscopic inspection. The system includes at least one illumination source for generating an illumination beam and an integrated interferometric microscope module for splitting the illumination beam into a test beam directed to the semiconductor sample and a reference beam directed to a tilted reference mirror. The beams are combined to generate an interference image at an image sensor. The tilted reference mirror is tilted with respect to the reference beam that is incident on the mirror to thereby generate fringes in the interference image. The system also includes an image sensor for acquiring the interference image from the inteferometric microscope module and intensity signals from the microscopic inspection image.

The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for inspecting defects on wafers, masks, and reticles. More particularly, the present invention relates to optical inspection systems and techniques.
In a conventional optical inspection system, defects are detected by subtracting a reference image from a test image to produce a difference image. The test image is an optical image of an area on the photomask. The reference image may be an optical image of a similar area on an identical die or on the same die or rendered from a design database. The grayscale residues, i.e., portions of the difference image having a value other than zero, may represent defects in the inspected sample.
Conventional optical metrology techniques use intensity based or scattering based systems. With intensity based systems it is difficult to detect defects sitting in dark structures. Examples of dark structures include the trenches of high aspect ratio devices. Because the background is darker, slight perturbations may not easily be discriminated against the background. Furthermore, dark structures provide relatively low signal levels.
For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the intensity 102 of the reflected signal from a contact hole 104 having an aspect ratio of 3:1 is very low in the vicinity of the hole 104. The normalized intensity 106 for the surface areas 108 outside the contact hole 104 is shown in the illustration to be considerably larger. This plot illustrates the reflected intensity profile under normal coherent illumination. Thus, defects residing on the trench floor would be difficult to discriminate against such a low intensity (dark) background as illustrated by intensity level 102. Moreover, other background noise, such as from misalignment between images for example, may mask slight differences in intensity attributable to the defect.
Laser scattering metrology techniques also rely on the interaction between the illumination and the defect structure, and therefore experience similar difficulties in identifying defects in high aspect ratio structures, i.e., high aspect ratio inspection ("HARI"). Device miniaturization trends are expected to exacerbate this problem. As smaller geometries are used, the resulting smaller structures with smaller HARI will be difficult to detect with current tools. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques are capable of inspecting HARI defects but are unsuitable for inspection inline. SEM techniques are slow, and require that wafers must be taken off line for the inspection.
As described in United States Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 10/672,298, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS USING INTERFEROMETRIC METROLOGY FOR HIGH ASPECT RATIO INSPECTION" naming Hwang et al. as inventors, submitted by at least one of the same inventors of the present invention, phase based techniques and inspection systems are capable of identifying subtle defects, i.e., defects which have very little intensity. But phase measurement is not suitable for detecting all defects. Conventional intensity based inspection systems, for example, are more efficient in identifying many defects such as, large defects or other defects producing a large intensity signal. Phase based inspection techniques are especially suitable for small, subtle defects but aren't ideal in the presence of a signal having a strong intensity. Phase measurements in such an application will create an abundance of problems. A large defect may yield only a small phase defect signal. Phase repeats every cycle (i.e., every angular change of 2 pi radians), thus an optical path difference exceeding one cycle may show up as only a small phase difference. Moreover, in identifying such defects, intensity based systems have lower throughputs and are more sensitive to pattern noise.
Accordingly, what is further needed is an inspection system capable of providing conventional intensity based (i.e., brightfield) inspection for defects generating sufficient signal intensities and further capable of providing inspection of defects which generate low intensity signals.

Method and apparatus using microscopic and interferometric based detection


A fixing device in an image forming device that includes a rotating heating roller, a coil provided on the outside of the heating roller, a heating mechanism using the coil to heat the heating roller through electromagnetic induction, and a pressure roller that contacts the heating roller with pressure and, together with the heating roller, pinches and conveys a recording paper in order to fix developer that has been transferred onto the recording paper, wherein a magnetic layer is formed over the pressure roller to increase the amount of magnetic flux passing through the surface of the heating roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing device for fixing developer that has been transferred onto a recording medium. The present invention also relates to an image forming device employing the fixing device.
2. Description of Related Art
An image forming device such as a laser printer is conventionally provided with a fixing device for fixing developer that has been transferred onto a recording medium. A typical fixing device includes a cylindrical heating roller and a pressure roller disposed parallel to and in contact with the heating roller. Developer such as toner that has been transferred onto a recording medium such as paper is fixed onto the recording medium, as the medium passes between the heating roller and the pressure roller, by the heat of the heating roller, which is heated to about 150° C. (degrees Celsius).
Conventional fixing devices employ a halogen lamp or an electromagnetic induction type heating device as a source for heating the heating roller. In the former type of fixing device, a halogen lamp is disposed inside a hollow heating roller. When an electric current flows through the halogen lamp, infrared rays emitted from the halogen lamp strike the inside walls of the heating roller, generating heat that is transferred to the surface of the roller. This construction requires fasteners or fixing mechanisms for fixing the halogen lamp in the heating roller, a component for connecting the halogen lamp to an electric circuit, and the like. Since parts that do not contact the paper, including the fasteners and the connecting component, are all heated uniformly, a large amount of heat is dissipated in the air, wasting much energy. Moreover, a longer warm-up time is required for the heating roller to reach the required temperature for fixing the developer (around 150° C.) after a current is applied to the halogen lamp.
In contrast, fixing devices that employ an electromagnetic induction type heating device to heat the heating roller can decrease the amount of wasted energy and can reduce the warm-up time.
For example, Japanese patent application publication No. HEI-11-297462 discloses a fixing device employing an electromagnetic-induction heating device. The fixing device includes a heating roller with an iron cylinder core and a pressure roller and disposes the electromagnetic-induction heating device on the side of the heating roller opposite the area contacting the recording medium. The electromagnetic-induction type heating device is configured such that a coil is supported along the outer surface of the heating roller by a support. When an alternating current is supplied to the coil, a magnetic-field is generated around the coil and magnetic flux passing through the surface of the heating roller generates an eddy current. Joule heat is generated on the surface of the heating roller by the eddy current and the resistivity on the surface of the heating roller, thereby heating the heating roller.


A light source apparatus includes a light source emitting light, an optical deflection element deflecting and exciting the emitted light, and a light conversion member cyclically outputting source light components having a plurality of hues in accordance with irradiation positions in a time-sharing manner based on the irradiation using the light deflected by the optical deflection element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light source apparatus, a light source control method, and a projector apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various kinds of projector apparatuses each using a color wheel that selectively transmits or absorbs white light emitted from a light source lamp such as a high-pressure mercury lamp to emit respective primary color light components of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in a time-sharing manner have been conventionally suggested (e.g., JP-A 2007-264575 [KOKAI]).
In a single-plate Digital Light Processor (DLP) (registered trademark) projector using a color wheel, which includes the technology disclosed in Patent Document described above, a color breakup phenomenon which is called a breaking phenomenon occurs. Further, in principle, suppressing this color breaking phenomenon is difficult as long as a rotating-disk type color wheel is used.

Light source apparatus, light source control method, and projector apparatus


A method and apparatus for provide highly efficient traffic routing for a wide range of possible traffic matrices (TM) in an intra-domain network. That routing optimally balances the traffic loads over a range of traffic matrices so as to minimize the deviation for any particular traffic matrix from the optimal routing. Such a routing provides a guaranteed performance ratio against the best possible network routing. The invention utilizes a method of optimally configuring a traffic network based on solving a linear program to obtain the optimal routing, and then configuring the routing on the network accordingly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to intra-domain traffic engineering. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to improved methods and systems for intra-net traffic routing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because of the increasing cost and complexity of large operational internet protocol (IP) networks, traffic engineering has become important in recent years. Good traffic engineering can significantly improve the management and performance of operational IP networks while reducing costs. Prior art traffic engineering was based on a solid understanding of traffic flows when designing and configuring traffic routing protocols.
It has been widely accepted in the traffic engineering community that a good understanding of the traffic matrix (TM) and the dynamics of traffic flows can lead to better utilization of link capacities through better traffic routing. Theoretically, if the TM is exactly known, then an optimal traffic routing can be obtained by solving the corresponding multi-commodity flow problem instance, reference D. Mitra and K. G. Ramakrishna, "A Case Study of Multiservice, Multipriority Traffic Engineering Design for Data Networks," Proceedings of IEEE GLOBECOM, pages 1077-1083, IEEE 1999. Based on the TM it is possible to establish link weights, that being the percentage of traffic routed through a particular link in a network of link and nodes between an origin-destination pair, that can be tuned to yield near-optimal utilization.
Unfortunately, measuring and predicting traffic demands are illusive problems. Flow measurements are rarely available on all links and Egress/Ingress points of the network. It is even harder to obtain a good picture of Origin-Destination (OD) flow aggregates. Moreover, traffic demands change over time, both in the short term and in the long term, and are subject to special events or failures, either internal or external to the network. Despite recently developed models and measurement tools that enable extrapolation and estimation of traffic demands, it appeared that the best to hope for was an approximate picture of demand, and not necessarily a very good or very current one.
Even if current traffic demands are known, their dynamic nature poses a challenge: while it is desirable to modify the routing to be highly efficient for the current traffic demands, modifying the traffic routing can potentially cause disruptions in service due to path changes and convergence times while the system reaches a consistent state.
This basic premise, however, never seems to have been quantified: just how important is accurate knowledge of traffic demands to obtaining good network utilization? Since traffic demands are dynamic and illusive, an optimal routing solution at one time could be a poor routing solution at another, and adjusting the routing presents multiple issues. That poses a question: is it possible, possibly better, to obtain a robust routing that guarantees a nearly optimal utilization based on only a fairly limited knowledge of the applicable traffic demands?
Good traffic engineering would seem to call for a design that is robust under a wide range of conditions. That is, a routing that can perform nearly optimally for a wide range of traffic demands. Thus methods of and systems for routing traffic in a nearly optimal way over a wide range of traffic demands and that handles link failures well would be highly useful.

Method and apparatus for efficient routing of variable traffic


The invention provides an objective lens driving apparatus in which an efficiency of a magnetic circuit is improved by making a magnetic flux density distribution of the objective lens driving apparatus close to symmetrical. An objective lens driving apparatus has an objective lens, a tracking coil driving the objective lens in a tracking direction, a focusing coil driving the objective lens in a focusing direction, and a yoke arranged so as to oppose to the tracking coil and having a permanent magnet attached thereto. The yoke has a bottom plate portion and an outer yoke bent approximately perpendicularly to the bottom plate portion from an outer edge portion of the bottom plate portion, has a first yoke having an opening formed in a center portion thereof, and a second yoke having a bottom plate portion and an inner yoke bent approximately perpendicularly to the bottom plate portion from an inner edge portion of the bottom plate portion, and having an opening formed in a center portion thereof.

The present invention relates to an optical disc apparatus reading an information recorded on a recording surface of an optical disc and recording an information, and an optical pickup and an objective lens driving apparatus used therefore.
In the optical disc apparatus, in order to make recording and reproducing speeds of the information high, there has been known a method of making a rotating speed of the optical disc high. In accordance that the optical disc rotates at a higher speed, it is necessary to increase a driving force generated in a focusing coil and a tracking coil in order to make the objective lens driving apparatus to track the optical disc rotating at a high speed.
Accordingly, in order to increase the driving force of the objective lens driving apparatus, for example, in an optical disc apparatus described in patent document 1 (JP-A-2003-168230 (page 9, FIG. 9)), two branch yokes branched from a magnetic yoke are provided in a standing manner so as to be extended between focus coils. Therefore, an efficiency of a magnetic circuit is increased by increasing a rate of a coil portion generating an effective driving force with respect to an entire length of the coil.
In the conventional optical disc apparatus described in the patent document 1, since the branch yokes are arranged in an inner side of a bottom plate portion of the magnetic yoke, it is impossible to increase a height of the branch yokes in the case that the branch yokes are manufactured by being cut up from the bottom plate portion of the magnetic yoke. In other words, since the cut-up portion is manufactured in such a manner that the heights of the branch yokes are uniform while taking an uniformity of the magnetic circuit into consideration, it is unavoidable that the height of the branch yoke is equal to or less than one half of the height of the cut-up portion. In order to solve the problem, a thickness of the bottom plate portion is reduced by extending the bottom plate portion forming the branch yokes, whereby the height of the branch yokes is increased.
However, in accordance with these methods, in the case that the height of the branch yoke is reduced, a distribution of magnetic flux density becomes non-uniform in a height direction, and a dispersion of a driving force driving the objective lens driving apparatus is increased. Further, if the branch yoke becomes thin, a cross sectional area of a magnetic path becomes small, an efficiency of a magnetic circuit is lowered, and a complex working step is required. As a result, it is impossible to increase the driving force of the objective lens driving apparatus on the basis of any method.
On the contrary, if the branch yokes are cut up from an outer edge of the bottom plate portion of the magnetic yoke, the height and the thickness of the branch yokes can be set to predetermined values. However, since it is necessary to guide a laser light to an objective lens in the objective lens driving apparatus, an opening at least equal to or larger than a light flux of the light guided to the object lens is necessary in the bottom plate portion of the magnetic yoke. Since a width of the bottom plate portion from the opening to the branch yoke is limited, a cross sectional area of the magnetic path is lowered.

Objective lens driving apparatus and optical disc apparatus


In a method of modernizing a heterogeneous exothermic synthesis reactor (1) of the type comprising an external shell (2), in which at least one catalytic bed (15, 16, 17) is supported, the catalytic bed (15, 16, 17) is connected to an external boiler (21), for generating high pressure steam, by means of a reacted gas outlet nozzle (4) and a conduit (29) extending in said nozzle (4) thereby forming an annular airspace (30). Advantageously, the airspace (30) defines an outlet flowpath of the gases cooled in the boiler (21) which avoids overheating of the nozzle (4).

The retrofitting methods according to the known art, fundamentally propose the mere substitution of the internals within the shell, in particular of the pre-existing catalytic bed or beds, with new radial or axial-radial high-yield beds.
Although these modernization methods allow to obtain, on the one hand, an increase of the reactor production capacity and/or conversion yield while maintaining the external structure thereof unaltered, they fail on the other hand to attain a recovery at an increased thermal level of the heat generated during the synthesis reaction.
In almost all cases, in fact, the reactor gas outlet nozzle is not able to withstand the temperature of the reaction gases leaving the lowermost catalytic bed, up to the point that they must be cooled before being discharged to the outside.
The need of maintaining the external structure of the synthesis reactor unaltered therefore allows the known modernization methods only a recovery of the heat possessed by the reaction products to a limited thermal level, which recovery does not exceed a pre-heating of boiler feed water or production of low pressure steam (less than 40 bar).

Method of retrofitting a heterogeneous exothermic synthesis reactor


A directional coupler that provides directional coupling and an impedance transformation is disclosed. In one embodiment, the directional coupler includes a low pass filter having a filter inductor that is coupled between an input port and an output port and a filter capacitor coupled between the output port and ground. The directional coupler also includes detector circuitry wherein the filter inductor is magnetically coupled to a detector inductor in the detector circuitry such that current passing through the filter inductor generates a detector current through the detector inductor. Furthermore, the low pass filter and the detector circuitry cooperate to transform a first impedance presented at the output port to a second impedance presented at the input port. Accordingly, the filter inductor is used in the low pass filter to provide an impedance transformation so as to operate with the detector circuitry to provide a detector current for directional coupling.

There is always pressure to reduce the number of components in radio frequency (RF) systems in order to reduce the cost and size of the RF systems. For example, RF amplification devices include RF amplification circuits that amplify an RF signal for delivery to a load. In order to couple the RF amplification circuit to the load, these RF amplification devices often employ various circuits between the RF amplification circuit and the load that provide different types of functionality. For instance, a low pass filter is often employed in order to transform a load impedance of the load to an impedance of the RF amplification circuit. A directional coupler is also typically connected between the low pass filter and the load so that control circuitry can adequately measure the RF signal and control the RF amplification circuit. Unfortunately, the low pass filter and the directional coupler have different components, which results in increased cost and the consumption of significant amounts of space. Accordingly, circuitry with more compact arrangements is needed between the RF amplification circuit and the load.


A photo-control apparatus comprising a photo-control circuit that includes two or more photo-cells connected in parallel that respond to ambient light. The circuit includes a switch that connects a power source to a load. When the photo-cells are exposed to ambient light, current flows through the parallel photo-cells operating the switch which disengages the load from the source. The plural parallel photo-cells in the photo-control circuit provide for improved reliability and have the potential to cost less to manufacture than a single photo-cell as used in a conventional photo-control circuit.

The present invention relates to photo-control devices and associated photo-control circuits for use in such devices.
Light-activated circuits (referred to herein as "photo-control circuits") are used in photo-control devices to control a wide variety of equipment including indoor and outdoor lighting, security systems, signs, as well as other kinds of electrically-operated appliances. A conventional photo-control circuit employs a photo-cell which responds to ambient light conditions.
Conventional photo-control circuits are limited by the ratings of their components. Photo-control circuits that are used in photo-control devices to drive smaller loads often employ components that can handle only small load currents, whereas photo-control circuits that are used in photo-control devices that drive large loads require scaling components or components with high power handling capacity. While both configurations provide light-activated control, each presents disadvantages. For instance, photo-control circuits designed to drive small loads have limited utility. Photo-control circuits that have high power capabilities, however, are not ideal substitutes as the required components increase cost. Another disadvantage of conventional photo-control circuits is reliability. When a photo-cell fails, the entire photo-control device fails.
FIGS. 1-3 depict a conventional type of photo-control device 10. FIG. 1 shows a front view, partially cut away, of the device 10. The device 10 includes a photo-control circuit 11 located in a housing 12. The housing 12 includes a translucent or transparent panel 14. Behind the panel 14 is located a single photo-cell 16 mounted on a mounting plate 18. The single photocell 16 comprises part of the conventional photo-control circuit 11. As shown in FIG. 2, behind the mounting plate 18 are located the remaining components 19 of the photo-control circuit 11. FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of the photo-control circuit 11 of the conventional photo-control device 10. The photo-control circuit 11 has an input 20 comprised of a line input 22 and a neutral 24. The conventional photo-control circuit 11 has an output 26 comprised of an output line 28 and a neutral 30. The input 20 connects to a power source 32 and the output 26 connects to a load 34. The single photo-cell 16 is connected in a first current path 36 between the line input 22 and the neutral 24. In this conventional device, the single photo-cell 16 has a 1 watt rating and a corresponding 1 inch diameter size. A heating resistor 38 is also in the first current path 36. The heating resistor 38 has a rating of 9.1 K Ohms. A switch 40 is connected in a second current path 39 between the input line 22 and the line output 28. The switch 40 is operated by a bimetal element 42 which in turn opens and closes the switch 40 relative to the heat generated by the heating resistor 38. When the photo-cell 16 is exposed to light, its resistance decreases which results in increased current flow through the branch 36 causing the heating resistor 38 to dissipate additional heat. The additional heat forces the bimetal element 42 to expand which moves the switch 40 into an open position disengaging the load 34 connected to the output terminal 28 from the source 32 connected to the input terminal 22. In the absence of significant light, the increased resistance of the photo-cell 16 limits the flow of current through the branch 36 which in turn limits the heat generated by the heating resistor 38. Without additional heat, the switch 40 returns to and remains in a normally closed position coupling the load 34 attached to the output terminal 28 to the source 32 coupled to the input terminal 22.
A problem that can be encountered with this type of circuit is that the photo-cell may fail. Under a normal failure mode, the photo-cell opens which in turn prevents the switch, e.g. 40, from disengaging from its normally closed position. While the use of premium photo-cells may improve reliability, these components have certain disadvantages. Premium photo-cells may not be readily available and may only have a limited operating range. Premium photo-cells sell at a high cost. Also, if a premium photo-cell fails, the control circuit will still also fail.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved photo-control device that improves reliability over the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a photo-control device that is less expensive to manufacture.


A liquid crystal display device includes a pair of transparent substrates, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between inner surfaces of the transparent substrates, and a pair of optical films each attached on an outer surface of the transparent substrate via a transparent adhesive layer. The transparent adhesive layer has an outer surface facing the optical film. The outer surface of each transparent substrate has a first Ra surface roughness, and the outer surface of the adhesive layer has a second Ra surface roughness which is smaller than the first Ra surface roughness. The present invention further provides a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a weight-reduced liquid crystal display device and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
To achieve the goals of small size and low power consumption, flat panel display devices such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), ELD (Electroluminescent Display), and VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) have been introduced. In these flat panel display devices, the LCD has been most actively researched recently because of good image quality and low power consumption in spite of some disadvantages. Although portable televisions and notebook computers having the LCD have been marketed, there are various problems which need to be solved. Because televisions and computers have become portable electronic products, the reduction of the size and weight is one of the important goals in the LCD research.
There are various methods to reduce the size and weight of the LCD. It is, however, difficult to reduce numbers of the components of the LCD. In addition, the weight and size of the components are so small that the weight and size of the components can hardly be reduced further. Fortunately, the weight of the glass substrate which is one of the basic components of the LCD can be reduced further. Moreover, the weight reduction of the glass substrate becomes important because it occupies a large portion of the total weight of the LCD.
In the conventional technique, transparent glass is used for the substrates in manufacturing the liquid crystal display. Since conventionally used glass is comparatively thick, it is protected against physical or thermal impacts during processing procedure. To reduce the weight of LCD devices, a single substrate which is 0.6 mm in thickness is adopted. However, if a thin substrate less than 0.6 mm in thickness is used from the initial stage, the yield will decrease due to damage or deformation. For the lower substrate manufacturing and the liquid crystal filling processes, the process of heating or cooling between 200–300° C. occurs more than ten times. In addition, a high-speed rotation process for the rinsing or coating process is repeated for several times. For the foregoing limitations, the glass substrates should not be too thin before the liquid crystal is injected into the space between two glass substrates to form an LCD cell.
The manufacture process of a conventional LCD device is shown in FIG. 1. In step 101, the upper and lower substrates are manufactured. In step 102, the upper and lower substrates are oppositely positioned and joined to form an LCD cell. In step 103, the liquid crystal is injected into the space between the upper and lower substrates. In step 104, a lapping process is conducted to reduce the thickness of the upper and lower substrates. In step 105, the outer surfaces of the upper and lower substrates are polished. In step 106, a pair of optical films are attached on the upper and lower substrates, respectively. After step 104, the outer surfaces of the glass substrates become quite rough. Therefore, in this conventional method, the lapped thin glass substrates will be polished to smooth the surfaces of the glass substrates, and then the optical films are attached to the substrates by an adhesive layer. However, in the industrial manufacturing process, more manufacturing steps lead to higher possibility of producing defect products and increasing manufacturing cost. Therefore, there exits a need for a simplified manufacturing process which can be used to reduce the weight of glass substrates thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and the failure rate of the products.

Liquid crystal display device and method of manufacturing the same wherein the substrate having particular surface roughness


A method and system may be provided for recording discussions about computer code in an integrated development environment (“IDE”). In some aspects, a communication channel is integrated with an IDE. Communications and discussions may be tracked and linked with specific code sections.

Conventional systems for software development incorporate many enhancements to facilitate the development of code, updates, and code modifications. A variety of integrated development environments ("IDE") exist to provide the necessary architecture to organize code development tasks, as well as manage distribution of those tasks across development groups. Unfortunately, coordination of work remains a significant challenge. The need for merging and reconciliation of code changes remains a significant stumbling block, causing inconsistencies and internal conflict within developed code.

Systems and methods for providing an instant communication channel within integrated development environments


A method and tool for conducting NIR overlay metrology is disclosed. Such methods involve generating a filtered illumination beam including NIR radiation and directing that illumination beam onto an overlay target to produce an optical signal that is detected and used to generate overlay metrology measurements. The method is particularly suited to substrate applications having layers of opaque material that are transmissive in the NIR range (e.g., amorphous carbon) and where NIR imaging is used to obtain overlay measurements. A tool implementation includes a means for generating a filtered illumination beam extending into the NIR range and a detector for receiving NIR signal from an NIR illuminated target and a computer for processing the signal data to obtain overlay metrology measurements.

Amorphous carbon is a material that is finding increasing usage in semiconductor processing. It is a particularly useful as a hardmask type material because of the nearly vertical sidewalls obtainable with this material. Additionally, high aspect ratios can be obtained using amorphous carbon layers. Additionally, amorphous carbon material is attractive because it can be formed into highly versatile etch stop layers. Accordingly, amorphous carbon layers (a-CL) have found wide acceptance and increasing utility in the semiconductor processing. Additionally, a-CL's find wide usage in many different layers of semiconductor manufacture. This includes the fabrication of overlay targets. Overlay targets are used for, among other things, determining the alignment of various layers of semiconductor substrates. These overlay targets are used in overlay metrology processes known to those having ordinary skill in the art. Overlay metrology is generally performed using bright field high magnification imaging or broadband spectroscopy or spectroscopic ellipsometry or scatterometry of metrology structures generated by semiconductor manufacturing patterning processes. Although suitable for their intended purposes, such approaches have certain limitations when used in conjunction with a-CL's. One of the difficulties is that imaging through a-CL's with visible light may lead to significant attenuation resulting in metrology performance degradation. In conducting overlay metrology using only visible light the presence of a-CL and other opaque (in the visible range) materials have caused a number of problems which the presently claimed inventive embodiments seek to remedy. The inventors have sought for and discovered new approaches for conducting metrology through amorphous carbon layers.

Overlay metrology using the near infra-red spectral range


A process for printing a sheet with selected optical effects includes printing on the sheet by conventional printing a pattern or design, thereafter coating at least part of the design with a resin, thermoplastic lacquer or other transparent material which impregnates the surface of the sheet and then engraving the selected area by applying pressure and heat to produce optical effects; the resin that is applied is polymerizable by ultraviolet rays from within a transparent calendar used for the engraving and is polymerized at the same time as the engraving is effected.

There are currently various processes through which these effects are obtained on sheets having a front ply of plastics material suitably worked as a lens, behind which there are motifs which are viewed through said ply, providing the said effects.
Some of said processes are based on holographic reproduction, by engraving said reproduction on the rear surface of the plastics ply by heat and pressure and covering it with a reflective ply which allows the image to be viewed in 3-D through said plastics ply.
Other known processes are based on printing the motif to be viewed on a suitable sheetlike substrate, or directly on the rear surface of the plastics ply. The motif is printed with various stepped images or with multiple or offset photographs to obtain, through said ply, effects of images in different positions and/or depth after engraving striations or a reticule which forms optical lens on the front surface of the plastics ply.
With these processes and other known ones, sheets provided with the above effects are obtained, but they are of limited application due mainly to a thickness which makes them rather inflexible and which is a consequence of the nature of the said plastics ply.

Process for preparing printed sheets with optical effects


A stream data management method includes: storing in a sequence header of the top original moving image information a terminal ID indicating a terminal which generated original moving image information and date-and-time information which is guaranteed by a third party, storing in a sequence header of the next original moving image information a characteristic value of the last partial information of the preceding original moving image information, generating signature-related information of the original moving image information, generating cutout moving image information to which a sequence header is added, generating signature-related information of the cutout moving image information, and verifying originality and actual time of cutout stream data based on the cutout moving image information, the signature-related information of the cutout moving image information, and the signature-related information of the original moving image information.

In recent years, the installation of surveillance cameras in stores, shopping districts, apartment complexes or the like and of drive recorders in commercial vehicles has become common. The number of cases where moving images are used as evidence is increasing. To deal with troubles when dealing or customer support is carried out over the phone, it has become almost a common practice to record conversations between customers and operators and store them as evidence.
These days, video tapes and image and audio files are offered without change when moving images and audio are used as evidence. However, as more images and audios are stored in digital format, it becomes easier to alter and edit the images and audios. Therefore, verification by third parties, such as signature or time stamp, is required when the images and audios are used as evidence. Services or products to tape or record the voices of telephone operators along with time stamps are actually on sale. Demand for such techniques is expected to grow over the years ahead.
Meanwhile, as the number of surveillance cameras or the like increases, there are problems with privacy protection for the use of taken images. Debates are going on in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the like.
Due to the enforcement of the Personal Information Protection Law and the like, there are stringent restrictions on the use of individual's privacy information. Disclosure, partial deletion or the like is required at the request of the identical person.
For such problems as meeting the requirements of both evidence and privacy protection, what goes on is the research on a technique for sanitizable signatures to ensure the partial originality (integrity) of a portion of a digital document and to conceal (sanitization).
In particular, what is disclosed in International Publication Pamphlet No. WO2006/08847 is a sanitizable signature technique for digital documents to solve the problem that a signature put on a document may not be examined because the document is partially concealed (the present technique is referred to as PIAT, hereinafter). The application of the above PIAT enables the signature to be examined even for the sanitized digital document to which the signature is added and also allows a third party to verify that any portions other than the sanitized portion (where modification and addition are possible) is not altered.
However, the problem with International Publication Pamphlet No. WO2006/08847 is that when a portion of large-size data (long video and audio) such as moving image or audio is extracted, the amount of information related to the signature is large.

Stream data management program, method and system


A method and a system for monitoring specific channels in a WDM system involve splitting a WDM signal into multiple parallel signals, filtering the parallel signals with corresponding individually tunable filters in order to pass specific channels to each filter, and then detecting the presence of passed channels with dedicated detectors that correspond to the tunable filters. In a preferred embodiment, the initial WDM signal is demultiplexed by wavelength into multiple different transmission groups and each filter can be individually tuned over a channel range that corresponds to the range of channels within the transmission group that is directed to the filter. The preferred individually tunable filters are vertical cavity filters formed utilizing semiconductor wafer processing techniques, and the preferred photodetectors are simple low cost single-cell photodetectors.

The present invention relates to wavelength monitoring of multi-wavelength optical signals in optical communications systems.
High data rates are achieved in optical communications systems using wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) signals. WDM signals are multi-wavelength optical signals that include multiple channel signals, each at a predefined channel wavelength. In a WDM-based optical communications system, the channel signals are generated by a series of modulated transmitters and the channel signals may be separated by 25 GHz to 200 GHz within the 1528-1565 nm wavelength range. The 1528-1565 nm wavelength range is within the flat gain region of a erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), a critical component of modern optical communications systems. Performance of an optical communications system can be verified by monitoring the wavelength, power, and signal-to-noise ratio of each of the WDM channel signals. Wavelength monitoring of the channel signals assures that deviations from the predefined channel wavelengths due to drifts or instabilities in the transmitters are detected. Wavelength monitoring also verifies that channel signals subsequently added to the multi-wavelength optical signals are within specified wavelength deviations of the precisely defined channel wavelengths.
While wavelength monitoring can be performed using commercially available optical spectrum analyzers (OSAs), OSAs that include motors to rotate optical gratings or optical filter elements may be too large to be integrated within an optical communications system. In addition, the mechanisms required to rotate the optical gratings present many operational and reliability problems. OSAs based on tunable Fabry-Perot interferometers are also utilized for wavelength monitoring. Disadvantages of simple tunable Fabry-Perot filters include the limited tuning range and poor resolution that limits channel differentiation.
OSAs based on InGaAs/InP photodetector arrays have a small physical size, but are expensive to manufacture, making it economically unfeasible to incorporate the OSAs into most optical communication systems. For example, an OSA that utilizes a fixed optical grating and a linear photodetector array to detect multiple wavelengths (i.e., channels) must have at least one individually addressable pixel element for each channel that is to be identified. In a dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) system of, for example, 1,000 channels, a complex and costly detector array having at least 1,000 individually addressable pixels is required.
Optical measurement instruments other than OSAs, such as multi-wavelength meters, are also used to monitor the wavelength of channel signals. However, many of these types of instruments are physically large and expensive to manufacture.
As a result of the disadvantages of prior art wavelength monitors, what is needed is a wavelength monitor that can be tuned over the broad wavelength range commonly used for WDM optical communications systems and with the high resolution required for narrow channel spacing in an environment that requires no moving parts.
A method and a system for monitoring specific channels in a WDM system involve splitting a WDM signal into multiple parallel signals, filtering the parallel signals with individually tunable filters in order to pass specific channels through each filter, and then detecting the presence of passed channels with dedicated detectors that correspond to the individually tunable filters.
In a preferred embodiment, the initial WDM signal is demultiplexed by wavelength into transmission groups, with each transmission group including multiple channels in a continuous wavelength range. The transmission groups are then filtered by group-specific filters which are preferably formed utilizing semiconductor wafer processing techniques. Each of the group-specific filters can be individually tuned to pass a specific channel from the transmission group with which the filter is associated. The group-specific filters are preferably tunable over channel ranges that correspond to the channel ranges of the respective transmission groups. That is, each filter is tunable over a different channel (i.e., wavelength) range such that the entire wavelength range of the optical system is covered by the combination of the filters. Specific channels that pass through the filters are detected by simple low cost photodetectors. By demultiplexing the WDM signal into parallel transmission groups, WDM signals having a broad wavelength range can be monitored with a combination of relatively simple filters and photodetectors. This reduces significantly the requirements on the filter and detector array.
The preferred wavelength monitoring system includes an input section, a splitter, tunable filters, and detectors. The input section enables the multiplexed optical signals to enter the splitter. The input section is preferably an optical fiber, but may be free space or a device such as an optical V-groove array. The splitter may include a conventional power splitter that divides the energy of optical signals into transmission groups, without regard to wavelength, for transmission over multiple optical paths. In a preferred embodiment, the splitter is a demultiplexer that divides the optical signals by wavelength into transmission groups that include subsets of the original wavelength range. The tunable filters are preferably vertical cavity filters that are fabricated onto monolithic substrates utilizing photolithographic processes. The tunable filters are individually tunable over wavelength ranges that may include the entirety of the original wavelength range of the particular optical communications system, or that preferably include subsets of the original wavelength range. Each filter has a passband that is equal to or less than the bandwidth of a single channel, depending on the application. The individually tunable filters are calibrated so that the particular passband of each filter can be determined at any particular time. The detectors include conventional photodetectors that generate electrical current in response to the presence of optical energy. Because the tunable filters pass optical energy of known wavelengths, the photodetectors are not required to be channel sensitive.
In a preferred operation, WDM optical signals are input into the demultiplexer through an input fiber. The WDM signals are demultiplexed into optical signals of different wavelength ranges. The demultiplexed optical signals are then transmitted to respective vertical cavity filters via optical paths. Each of the vertical cavity filters is tunable over a unique wavelength range, with the wavelength ranges generally corresponding to the demultiplexed wavelength ranges of the WDM signals. The vertical cavity filters are individually tuned to selectively pass one optical channel, while blocking transmission of all other optical channels.
Optical energy that passes through the vertical cavity filters is incident on the corresponding photodetectors. The detection of optical energy by the photodetectors is correlated to the wavelength of optical energy (i.e., channel) that was allowed to pass through the respective filter at the corresponding time. The vertical cavity filters can be successively tuned to sweep across all of the wavelengths in the respective wavelength ranges in order to determine the presence or absence of channels within each range.
By dividing the multiplexed incoming optical signals into transmission groups, the individually tunable filters in the wavelength monitor need only be tunable over a portion of the total wavelength range of the incoming WDM signals. In addition, because each of the optical filters passes only one channel at a time, each photodetector in the wavelength monitor can be an unsophisticated and inexpensive single-cell photodetector. In contrast, a conventional monitoring system having a fixed grating typically requires a large detector array that includes an individually addressable pixel for each monitored channel.

Wavelength monitor using hybrid approach


A method and apparatus for providing location information are provided. The method includes receiving data including reference sound information from at least one external device; receiving location information request data including sound information from the mobile device; detecting similar reference sound information to the sound information based on a comparison of the sound information to the reference sound information; determining location in formation of an external device that transmitted the similar reference sound information; and transmitting the determined location information to the mobile device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing information, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing information according to location tracking or positioning of a device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As network environments have become increasingly ubiquitous, various technologies have been proposed to provide information according to location tracking or positioning of a device.
A device, e.g., a mobile device, performs location tracking or positioning based on a Global Positioning System (GPS) or Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), wherein the device consumes a large amount of current while location tracking or positioning. Further, location tracking or positioning is performed using GPS is often unavailable in an indoor environment.

Method and apparatus for providing information based on a location


A first position of a satellite is calculated at a first time in dependence on received orbit data corresponding to an orbit path of the satellite. An orbit path of the satellite is modeled from the first position at the first time to a second time to determine a second position of the satellite at the second time. A third position of the satellite is then calculated at the second time in dependence on the received orbit data. The second position and third position are compared to determine a validity of the orbit data.

Global navigational satellite systems (GNSS) exist in which mobile terrestrial satellite receivers may calculate their position based on data received from satellites. The terrestrial satellite receiver receives information relating to a satellite position broadcast from the satellite. This information may include information describing an orbit of the satellite and timing information for the satellite. The terrestrial satellite receiver calculates its position using this information. Examples of GNSS systems are the Global position system GPS, Galileo, GloNass and Compass.
Recently GNSS receivers have been introduced which are able to provide their positional data to other entities. These receivers typically have a modem embedded in the receiver capable of communicating using cellular (GPRS), radio or satellite links. These receivers have application in the security field in that they enable the whereabouts of a vehicle to be tracked. They are also applicable to the emergency services field where they may be used to transmit mayday and positional data. More recently the use of GNSS receivers in so-called electronic fee collection systems for example toll fees, road tax and congestion charges has been suggested.
The transmitted positional data signal should be robust. For example, a disruption of the positional data signal may prevent a stolen vehicle from being tracked. Additionally, the payment of road tax, toll fees and congestion charges may be avoided by interfering with the positional data signal.

STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited


One side of a substrate film 11 is coated with a coating composition containing (A) a reactive particle produced by chemically bonding an organic compound having at least one polymerizable unsaturated group in its molecule to an inorganic oxide particle, (B) a monomer or oligomer of an organic compound having at least two polymerizable unsaturated groups in its molecule, (C) an organic compound with a weight average molecular weight of at least 1500 and having at least one polymerizable unsaturated group in its molecule, and, if desired, (D) a siloxane compound having a dimethylsiloxane skeleton, and the coating composition is cured by irradiation with ionizing radiation to form a hard coat layer 12 with a thickness of 2 to 20 μm. This provides a hard coat film having adequate surface hardness and suppressed warpage.

With the Blu-ray Disc, which is a next-generation optical disk, just as with ordinary optical disks, a protective film composed of a polycarbonate is bonded to the information recording layer in order to protect this layer. The recorded information on a Blu-ray Disc is extremely large capacity and high density, and even a slight scratch to the protective film can result in errors in the reading or writing of information, so at present Blu-ray Discs are housed in a cartridge to prevent such scratching.
However, a cartridgeless type bare disk is desired in order to make the Blu-ray Disc a more compact medium and to reduce manufacturing costs.
To this end, it is possible to form a hard coat layer on the protective film used for the information recording layer, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2003-157579, but with protective films featuring a conventional hard coat layer, considerable warpage is caused by the curing shrinkage of the hard coating agent, which leads to warpage of the disk and problems with signal characteristics. Therefore, to suppress this warpage, the hard coat layer had to be made thinner, and more specifically, the thickness had to be reduced to between 1 and 3 μm. With such a thin hard coat layer, however, the surface is not hard enough to prevent scratching.
It is also possible to use the resin composition disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2000-273272 as a hard coating agent, but here again, the hard coat layer has to have a certain thickness in order to achieve an adequate surface hardness in the resulting hard coat layer, and it is therefore difficult to suppress warpage in the protective films and in the resulting disks.

Coating composition, hard coat film, and optical disk


An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) includes a modulator, an integrator circuit, and first and second differentiator circuits. The modulator has a modulator input and a modulator output. The modulator input is configured to receive an analog signal, and the modulator is configured to generate digital data on the modulator output. The integrator circuit has an integrator circuit input and an integrator output. The integrator input is coupled to the modulator output. The first differentiator circuit is coupled to the integrator output, and the first differentiator circuit is configured to be clocked with a first clock. The second differentiator circuit is coupled to the integrator output, and the second differentiator circuit configured to be clocked with a second clock. The second clock is out of phase with respect to the first clock.

Various applications exist for analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). An ADC converts an input analog signal to a digital output value. One type of ADC is a delta-sigma ADC. A delta-sigma ADC includes a delta-sigma modulator coupled to a filter. The delta-sigma modulator receives the input analog signal and generates output modulator data that includes a set of logic 0's and l's. The number of logic 0's relative to the number of logic 1's in a given time period is a function of the magnitude of the input analog signal. The filter receives the output modulator data from the delta-sigma modulator. The filter attenuates high-frequency noise and decimates the filtered modulator data to produce a lower data rate output value (lower than the sampling rate of the delta-sigma modulator).

Digital filter for a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter


A method of generating a control signal for a temperature control system is disclosed. The control signal has one of an “on” state in which the temperature control system is to be activated and an “off” state in which the temperature control system is to be deactivated. The method comprises calculating a temperature error measure in dependence on a target temperature and a current temperature value. A rate of temperature change in the environment is determined and used to set a variable error threshold. The method switches between a continuous “on” signal mode and a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) mode, in which the output signal comprises alternating “off” and “on” periods in accordance with a PWM pattern. The switch occurs in dependence on the temperature error measure and the variable error threshold.

A common example of a domestic environmental heating system comprises a central heating boiler controlled by a thermostat. When the ambient temperature in the environment as measured by the thermostat is below a set target temperature, the thermostat sends a call-for-heat signal to the boiler to activate the boiler.
However, conventional designs can often be inaccurate. For example, since the call-for-heat signal is typically binary, continuous activation of the boiler occurs until the target temperature is reached. However, after the target has been attained, residual heat output of the heating system can continue to heat the environment beyond the desired target. As a result, the temperature may overshoot the target temperature set by the user.
While such inaccuracy is in itself undesirable for the user, inefficient control schemes also waste energy and thus increase fuel consumption and running costs.
The present invention seeks to alleviate certain problems associated with known control schemes.


A process is disclosed for making a covering panel for a portable case, the process including a step of bonding a lining and a sheet of foamed EVA by an adhesive agent then cutting it into base panels according to the desired sizes, a step of bonding a face layer to each base panel by a layer of polyethylene through the process of heating and pressing and then punching each panel into the desired shape.

The present invention relates to a covering panel making process, and relates more particularly to a process for making covering panels for portable apparatus cases.
A portable apparatus (racket, mobile computer, music instrument, etc.) is generally sold with a case or bag for carrying. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an apparatus carrying case for this purpose. The covering panels of this type of apparatus carrying cases are commonly made of a synthetic leather attached with a lining and then stretched over a frame and fastened by stitching. This covering panel making process is complicated and laborious. Further, a covering panel made according to this making process is flimsy, and therefore an apparatus carrying case of this type is not durable in use.
Further, various foamed plastics and rubber have been proposed and used for making a variety of products. For example, foamed EVA(Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) has been widely used as a sheet material for making a variety of products to replace regular synthetic leathers. When a foamed EVA is used for making a covering panel for an apparatus carrying case, it must be covered with a face layer. According to conventional methods, an adhesive agent is commonly used to bond a face panel to a foamed EVA. This bonding process can not eliminate the occurrence of air bubbles, and therefore the face panel may drop from the foamed EVA easily.

San Yuan Village, Chung Chuang Tsun, Ta An Hsiang, Taichung Hsien


An integrated centrifugal blower wheel for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) blower unit includes a first blade support, a second blade support, and a plurality of S-shaped blades disposed between the first and second blade supports, wherein each of the S-shaped blades has a trailing edge bent in a forward direction with respect to a defined direction of rotation of the wheel.

The present disclosure relates generally to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and, more particularly, to an integrated, high efficiency blower apparatus for HVAC systems.
A majority of residential (and many commercial) HVAC units employ forwardly curved (FC) centrifugal blowers in order to draw air into the HVAC units from the spaces to be heated or cooled, and to simultaneously push heated or cooled air from the units back into the spaces to be heated or cooled. The FC centrifugal blowers used in these types of HVAC units (i.e., where duty is comparatively light and it is desirable to keep the initial cost of the HVAC unit low) are advantageous from the standpoint of requiring a relatively smaller blower housing and typically operating at lower rotational speeds. However, the static efficiency of an FC blower is fairly low because of the inherent aerodynamic characteristics of FC blades. One way to improve upon the blower efficiency of an HVAC unit is to utilize an electronically commutated motor (ECM) in lieu of a more traditional single-speed induction motor, as is described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,833 to Young.
On the other hand, backwardly curved (BC) or inclined blowers have higher static efficiency and total efficiency at higher operating speeds and pressures. However, the speed vs. torque curves of a BC blower are overlapped with one other, and thus cannot be used for the same flow control as FC blades. As such, it is challenging to combine both flow controllability and high efficiency performance in a HVAC blower system. In addition, residential HVAC systems have limited packaging space for blower assemblies. Thus, the overall efficiency of a BC blower in combination with an ECM may still be compromised by poor housing and fan design, notwithstanding the improvement in efficiency over a unit with a forwardly curved blower.
Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to reduce energy consumption of an HVAC system by improving airflow controllability, in view of the torque-speed characteristics of backwardly curved blowers.

Integrated high efficiency blower apparatus for HVAC systems


An aqueous coated paperboard is disclosed which exhibits good barrier properties and anti-blocking behavior and is heat sealable.

Food or food service packages using paper or paperboard often require enhanced barrier properties, including oil, grease, water, and/or moisture vapor barrier. Additionally, many paper or paperboard packages, for example, paper or paperboard cups for food or drink services, also require the paper or paperboard be heat sealable, making it possible to form cups on a cup machine. Polyethylene (PE) extrusion coated paperboard currently still dominate in such applications by providing both required barrier and heat seal properties. However, packages including paper cups using a PE extrusion coating have difficulties in repulping and are not as easily recyclable as conventional paper or paperboard, causing environmental concerns if these packages go to landfill. There are increasing demands for alternative solutions including coating technologies to replace paperboard packages that contain a PE coating or film layer.
Repulpable aqueous coating is one of the promising solutions to address this need. However, most polymers in aqueous coatings are amorphous and do not have a melting point as PE. Therefore, binders or polymers in aqueous coatings often gradually soften or become sticky at elevated temperature (even at, for example, 120-130° F. (48.9-54.4° C.) and/or pressure in production, storage, shipping, or converting process of aqueous coated paperboard, causing blocking issue of the coated paperboard, which usually does not occur with PE coated paperboard in practical applications. This blocking issue becomes even more critical for aqueous barrier coated paperboard that requires high barrier properties and also needs to be able to heat seal in converting packages such as cups.
The invention is directed to a method of making a paper or paperboard with barrier properties that are provided by an aqueous coating that is also heat sealable. Typical aqueous coatings used for such purposes may contain a high level (or even pure) binder or specialty polymer, that can end up blocking when stored or shipped under elevated temperature, humidity, or pressure. The blocking behavior is an even greater problem with materials that are designed to be heat sealable.


A binder composition for aggregate mixtures which comprises a sugar selected from the group consisting of mono saccharides, di saccharides, tri saccharides and mixtures thereof. Also disclosed are a novel monolithic layer composition incorporating the binder and a method of forming a protective layer in a metallurgical vessel utilizing the monolithic layer composition.

Metal casting processes such as steelmaking, generally utilize metallurgical vessels to transfer and hold molten metal. For example, in steelmaking processes, molten steel is transferred by means of a ladle from the steelmaking vessel to a metallurgical vessel referred to as a tundish. The molten steel is then constantly fed from the tundish into casting molds.
Tundishes are generally made from steel, or a similar metal, and have a working lining that is able to withstand the high temperatures of the molten steel. In order to minimize the tendency of the molten steel to cool and solidify, especially during pouring, the tundish is usually heated to 500.degree.-1250.degree. C. before use. Continuous feeding is accomplished by maintaining a reservoir of molten steel in the tundish. Upon completion of a pouring, any slag or solidified steel remaining in the tundish is scraped from the lining.
In order to protect, and prolong the life of the tundish, and the tundish lining, conventional practice is to cover the lining with a protective layer. It is desirable for the protective layer to adhere well to the working lining and to be substantially impermeable to molten steel and slag. The protective layer should also be disintegratable. The property of disintegrability refers to the tendency of the protective layer to separate immediately behind any slag or solidified steel retained in the tundish at the completion of a pouring to permit the ready removal of the slag or solidified steel without damage to the lining.
The protective layers typical of the prior art include those formed from trowelling materials, "gunning materials" and boards. Trowelling materials used for the protective layer are generally of magnesia, alumina or alumina-silica based refractory aggregate. The material is simply slurried in water and trowelled onto the surface of the tundish lining. Such an operation, however, requires considerable time, skill and labor. Alternatively, a dry product, such as magnesia, alumina, or the like, may be mixed with water and pumped or sprayed ("gunned") onto the tundish.
The protective layer that results from trowelling or gunning contains a considerable amount of water. A tundish having such a protective layer must generally be preheated for from two to five hours to raise its temperature to 500.degree. to 1250.degree. to attempt to drive all the moisture out of the protective layer. This preheating step disadvantageously consumes time, labor and resources.
Tundish boards, also referred to as insulation panels or lagging sheets, are often utilized as tundish linings. The board is generally prepared from a slurry of refractory aggregate, fibrous material and thermosetting resin in water or other liquid. The slurry is drained of excess liquid and formed into a sheet, and the sheet is then oven dried to cure the resin. The boards are generally installed over the refractory lining of a tundish, with the seams between adjacent sheets filled with mortar and covered with a strip of lagging material. The installation of the board is difficult and time consuming. Additionally, the board is easily eroded by the molten steel and slag, and the steelmaking process, particularly at the seams.
In order to overcome the disadvantages of trowelling materials and boards, a monolithic refractory layer may be utilized as protective layer for metallurgical vessels. Canadian Patent No. 1,198,571, issued Dec. 31, 1985 to the Quigley Company, Inc. ("Canadian Patent '571") describes the use of a monolithic refractory layer as a protective layer for a tundish. According to the disclosed method, a monolithic refractory layer is applied within a metallurgical vessel by positioning a mold in the vessel and filling the space between the outer surface of the mold and the inner surface of the vessel with a dry particulate mixture that upon heating, and subsequent cooling, forms the monolithic refractory layer. The mold utilized has an outer surface substantially conforming to the configuration of the inner surface of the vessel so that a substantially uniform space is formed between the outer mold surface and the inner surface of the vessel to form a protective layer of a substantially uniform thickness in the vessel.
The dry particulate mixture disclosed in Canadian Patent '571 consists of at least about 70%, by weight, refractory aggregate, from about 0.5 to 20%, by weight, thermosetting resin and from 0.5 to 10%, by weight, inorganic binder. The preferred dry particulate mixture consists of from about 70 to 99%, by weight, the refractory aggregate having a maximum particulate size of about 5 millimeters, from about 0.5 to 20%, by weight, of the resin and from about 0.5 to 10%, by weight, inorganic binder and from about 0.5 to 10%, by weight inorganic hydrate. The dry particulate mixture is advantageously forced into place between the outer mold surface and the inner surface of the metallurgical vessel using high pressure gas.
The preferred refractory for use in the dry particulate mixture disclosed in Canadian '571 is deadburned magnesia. The preferred resin is a phenol-formaldehyde resin and is cured at 150.degree.-180.degree. C. Sodium silicate, with, or without, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate is disclosed as a suitable inorganic binder.
The monolithic layer disclosed in Canadian Patent '571 has at least the following disadvantages. First, the inorganic binder requires a relatively high temperature in order to bind the other materials in the dry particulate mixture, and may not completely burn out during formation of the protective layer. Burn out refers to the ability of the binder to completely decompose during heating in order to leave the resulting monolithic protective layer substantially free of the binder. Because an inorganic binder may not completely burn out, its residues may react with the refractory lining of the metallurgical vessel and/or act as a flux, both of which are disadvantageous.
Additionally, phenol formaldehyde resins are classified as hazardous and toxic by OSHA, in the U.S., and similar agencies in other countries. The heating of a particulate mixture including a phenol formaldehyde resin may release hazardous, and or carcinogenic gases. Therefore, protective clothing and special handling procedures are necessary to use this type of resin in a protective layer. Thus the use of phenol formaldehyde resins is a major disadvantage of the protective layer described in Canadian '571.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of previously utilized protective layers, and binder compositions for refractory layers.

Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties, Inc.


NS4B is one of the non-structural proteins of classical swine fever virus. By using functional genetics, we have discovered, in the predicted amino acid sequence of NS4B of CSFV strain Brescia, a motif that resembles those found in the toll-like receptor (TLR) proteins, a group of host cell proteins involved in the development of anti-viral mechanisms. We have located the TLR motif in two groups of amino acid triplets at amino acid positions 2531-3 (residues IYK) and 2566-8 (residues VGI) of the CSFV NS4B glycoprotein. We have constructed a recombinant CSFV (derived from an infectious clone containing the genetic information of the highly virulent strain Brescia) containing amino acid substitutions in the three amino acid residues at positions 2566, 2567 and 2568, where the VGI triplet has been replaced by an AAA triplet inside the NS4B glycoprotein. The obtained virus, named NS4B-VGIv, was completely attenuated in swine, showing a limited ability in spreading during the infection in vivo. Although attenuated, NS4B-VGIv efficiently protected swine from challenge with virulent BICv at 3 and 28 days post-infection.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the characterization of the role that a toll-like receptor (TLR) motif in the amino acid sequence of the non-structural protein NS4B of highly virulent Classical Swine Fever Virus (CSFV) strain Brescia plays during infection in the natural host and to the utilization of a strategy for altering CSFV virulence by replacing the TLR motif with a different amino acid triplet to obtain an attenuated recombinant virus, NS4B-VGIv, which protects swine from challenge with virulent BICv.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious disease of swine. The etiological agent, CSF virus (CSFV), is a small, enveloped virus with a positive, single-stranded RNA genome and, along with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) and Border Disease Virus (BDV), is classified as a member of the genus Pestivirus within the family Flaviridae (Becher et al. 2003. Virology 311: 96-104). The 12.5 kb CSFV genome contains a single open reading frame that encodes a 3898-amino-acid polyprotein and ultimately yields 11 to 12 final cleavage products (NH2-Npro-C-Erns-E1-E2-p7-NS2-NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5A-NS5B-COOH) through co- and post-translational processing of the polyprotein by cellular and viral proteases (Rice, C. M. 1996. In: Fundamental Virology, 3rd edition, Knipe et al., eds., Lippincott Raven, Philadelphia, Pa., pages 931-959).
The non-structural glycoprotein 4B (NS4B) of CSFV is one of the non-structural proteins of classical swine fever virus. NS4B has previously been poorly characterized in terms of its functionality. Using genomic analyses we have found that NS4B possesses a specific motif that is found in proteins of the Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) family. In general, TLRs are pattern-recognition receptors that recognize structurally conserved molecules derived from microbes. Their expression is readily modulated in response to pathogens and plays an important role in mounting the host immune response. Although the function of natural ligands of swine TLRs is still under study, these molecules are highly conserved within the Vertebrata, suggesting activities similar to other published vertebrate TLRs and their ligands.
Strategies for controlling disease in the event of a CSFV outbreak include the production of rationally designed live attenuated vaccine CSFV strains. Here, we report the effects of modification of the TLR of NS4B on viral infectivity and virulence in swine.

Mutations in a toll-like receptor motif in the NS4B of classical swine fever virus strain brescia influences virulence in swine

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture