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The present invention relates to an electron microscope for inspecting dimension and shape of a pattern formed on a wafer.
The shape and dimension of a pattern formed on a wafer and those of a photomask pattern are measured and evaluated using an evaluation tool so as to judge the pass/fail. In the measurement of a critical dimension (which, hereinafter, will be referred to as “CD”) in particular, a scanning electron microscope (hereinafter, referred to as “SEM”) equipped with a length-measuring function is generally used.
Also, in accompaniment with microminiaturization and complication of semiconductor integrated circuits in recent years, an optical proximity correction (hereinafter, referred to as “OPC”) has been getting more and more applied to a photomask pattern. Here, the photomask pattern is used when the pattern of a semiconductor integrated circuit is transferred onto a wafer by a microlithography tool. With respect to the pattern transferred onto the wafer by using the OPC-equipped photomask like this, the length-measuring SEM is requested to exhibit an enough resolving power appropriate thereto. Simultaneously, in some cases, it is requested to measure the CD at a larger number of points.
In association with the measurement at a large number of points like this, a lot of proposals have been made concerning technologies for enhancing inspection efficiency by the length-measuring SEM by using CAD (computer aided design) data for determination of the measurement positions and measurement condition of the pattern. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-2003-188074 and the like, pattern image data on the wafer obtained by the length-measuring SEM is compared with the CAD data at the time of pattern design, then displaying differences in dimension and shape therebetween.
In the pattern formation of a semiconductor integrated circuit, it is requested to form the design pattern on the wafer with a desired dimension accuracy. Ensuring the desired dimension accuracy of the pattern on the wafer, however, is becoming increasingly difficult because of the following various causes: Complication of the photomask pattern in accompaniment with the OPC, dimension accuracy of the photomask, and further, stability of the fabrication process. Moreover, the difficulty in the pattern formation has become even more serious because of an increase in pattern data capacity due to the microminiaturization.
On account of this, in order to enhance a reliability in the pattern formation, in addition to the measurement of a representative pattern on the wafer made earlier, there exists a necessity for evaluating and managing the CD such that a full coverage will be made regarding points which are highly likely to give rise to a problem in the pattern dimension from the side of the OPC. However, even if abnormalities of the CD or shape in the pattern have been found out in this way, events which are conceivable as causes for the abnormalities cover a fairly broad range, such as inappropriateness of the OPC, the CD or shape of the photomask, and the fabrication process. Consequently, a task for investigating the complicated causes necessitates tremendous amount of time and labor. | {
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The present invention is directed to an apparatus for shelling and degerminating corn.
At the present time, corn is processed in large quantities to form the greatest variety of end products. In addition to the wet de-germinating of the corn for starch production, the corn is de-germinated and ground for conventional uses in milling. The end products of the processing in the mill are substantially supplied to the feedstuff and oil industries, the brewing industry, polenta production, the snack product industry or corn flake production. Each of these uses places different demands on the processing in the mill, wherein the investment and processing costs for the processing in the mill increase in the sequence of intended uses named above.
The apparatus, according to the invention, is used for the production of flaking grits which constitute the starting product for corn flake production. The demands placed upon milling are the highest in this instance. The de-germinating and shelling of corn for this purpose have been effected for decades in the "Beall de-germinator". The latter comprises a stator, a rotor being rotatably supported in the stator housing. The stator housing and the rotor form a processing space which is at least approximately annular in cross section and have knobs on their mutually facing sides. In addition, the inside of the stator is divided into siftings segments in the circumferential direction, which siftings segments are provided alternately with knobs or with a sieve hole, respectively. This known apparatus also comprises a stator housing having two parts, whose two halves are separated by a horizontal plane and are swivelable relative to one another around a hinge axis and can be screwed together in the closed state. If the upper half of the stator housing is removed (folded up), the lower half forms a trough, which is shaped like a half-circle in cross section, the rotor which is held in bearing half-shells at the ends lies in the trough. By means of folding up the upper stator housing half, the lower half of the processing space is not accessible. The rotor must also be removed for this purpose. In addition, the Beall de-germinator comprises a conical work space which increases in diameter from the inlet end to the discharge end, and the stator housing and rotor are constructed conically in a corresponding manner. If the work space is to be changed in the direction of the rotor radius corresponding to the nature of the corn to be processed, the rotor is axially displaced in the stator housing. This requires a comparatively costly bearing support. If it is necessary to build such machines for greater outputs with longer processing spaces, the diameter of the rotor and stator housing must be correspondingly enlarged toward the discharge end, as well. Another disadvantage of this apparatus is the fact that the corn dust portion in the flaking grits is high, which detracts from the yield. | {
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This Background section is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be considered as an admission that any of the material contained in this section qualifies as prior art to the present application.
There is a need for conveying data between two separate underwater entities in applications including defense, oceanography, hydrocarbon development, etc. Conventional methods for conveying data between underwater entities employ either a tethered link using copper or fiber optics, or rely on acoustic transmission. According to the former approach, the underwater entities must be repositioned or replaced in situ, while the latter approach has a very low data rate (1 to 20 kilobits per second is typical) that is currently possible using acoustic transmission. An approach that uses light propagating freely in the ocean environment would provide much higher data rates and the possibility of conveniently exchanging data between arbitrary pairs of transmitting and receiving devices (transceivers).
Some attempts to implement data transmission between underwater entities using optical means have been frustrated by a lack of suitable light sources. The propagation of light through water is limited by the fundamental absorption properties of pure water, scattering of particulates such as plankton and inorganic particulates, and absorption by chlorophyll-containing phytoplankton and other organic materials. The components combine, in various combinations, to favor strongly the transmission of light in the blue-green region of the optical spectrum, approximately from 400 to 600 nm. The optical effect of the various combinations of the components admixed in water can be summarized as water types and range from the very purest natural waters, which favor deep blue propagation (nominally 450 nm), to waters which favor blue-green (nominally 490 nm) and green (nominally 530 nm) propagation. The minimum optical attenuation coefficients at the optimal wavelengths vary from about 0.02 m-1 for the very clearest natural waters, to more than 2 m-1 in the most turbid coastal or harbor waters.
Previous light sources in the blue-green wavelength range have included been bulky, inefficient, expensive and employed external modulators. | {
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid jetting apparatus configured to jet liquid from nozzles.
Description of the Related Art
As a liquid jetting apparatus jetting liquid from nozzles, there is known a multifunction peripheral with a print unit which jets ink from nozzles to perform recording on a recording sheet. The print unit includes a carriage which reciprocates while carrying a recording head. The movement of the carriage moves first and second switch gears connected to an ASF motor to switch engagements between the first and second switch gears and any of first to third transmission gears. Driving the ASF motor with the second switch gear engaging with the third transmission gear rotates a first feed roller or a second feed roller, thereby feeding the recording sheet. Driving the ASF motor with the second switch gear engaging with the second transmission gear raises a nozzle cap for covering the recording head. | {
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The following discussion of the prior art is intended to present the invention in an appropriate technical context, and allows its significance to be properly appreciated. Unless clearly indicated to the contrary, reference to any prior art in this specification should not be construed as an expressed or implied admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Clobazam (the Compound (I)) is a psychotropic drug, essentially used for its anticonvulsant effects. The drug is marketed by LUNDBECK LLC under the trade name ONFI® in the form of oral tablets and oral suspension. ONFI is a benzodiazepine indicated for adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in patients 2 years of age or older. Clobazam is a 1,5-benzodiazepine, meaning that its diazepine ring has nitrogen atoms at the 1 and 5 positions (instead of the usual 1 and 4). Like other 1,5-benzodiazepines (e.g., arfendazam, lofendazam), it has less affinity for the ω1-allosteric binding site on the GABAA receptor compared to the 1,4-benzodiazepines. It has selective affinity for the ω2 site, where it has agonistic activity. Clobazam binds at a distinct binding site associated with a Cl-ionopore at the GABA-A receptor, increasing the duration of time for which the Cl-ionopore is open.
Clobazam being an important drug for treatment and management of epilepsy and anxiety disorder; a number of processes for its preparation as well as for its intermediates are known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,398 (hereafter US'398) describe a process for the synthesis of Clobazam, which is illustrated below in Scheme-I. In the process, the compound, 5-chloro-2-nitro-N-phenylaniline is reacted with mono alkyl malonate to produce corresponding alkyl 3-((5-chloro-2-nitrophenyl) (phenyl)amino)-3-oxopropanoate which on further reduction converted to diamines compound. The patent US'398 describes the cyclization of alkyl 3-((2-amino-5-chlorophenyl) (phenyl) amino)-3-oxopropanoate in acid medium to obtain 8-chloro-1-phenyl-1H-benzo[b][1,4]diazepine-2,4(3H,5H)-dione (IV). It further describes the reaction of compound-IV with methyl halide to obtain 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-phenyl-1H-benzo[b][1,4]diazepine-2,4(3H,5H)-dione (I)
GB patent no. 1217217 describe a process for the synthesis of Clobazam by the cyclization of 2-amino diphenylamine compound with Malonic acid dihalide and the obtained product compound (IV) is further methylated using methylating agent to obtain compound-1.
Indian patent 259469 (hereafter IN'469) describe a process for the synthesis of Clobazam (I) by the methylation of 8-chloro-1-phenyl-1H-benzo[b][1,4]diazepine-2,4(3H,5H)-dione (IV) using a methylating agent in an biphasic solvent system essentially in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst (PTC).
In addition to the afore discussed patent documents, there are a number of patent documents that describe a process for the preparation of similar compounds and Clobazam derivatives such as published PCT application WO-A-2011/100838, US patent application no. 2003/0149027, GB1274029 and GB1214662, Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin 38 (3), 728-32 (1990).
It is evident from the discussion of the processes for the preparation of the 8-chloro-1-phenyl-1H-benzo[b][1,4]diazepine-2,4(3H,5H)-dione (IV), and further its conversion into the Clobazam (I), described in the afore cited prior art documents that some of the reported processes primarily provides product with low yield, which involve critical reaction conditions, biphasic reaction solvent system, use of complex reagents, purification using column chromatography and expensive solvents; which renders the process costlier and hence the processes are not industrially feasible.
In view of these drawbacks, there is a need to develop an industrially viable commercial process for the preparation of Clobazam and its intermediates; which is simple, efficient and cost-effective process and provides the desired compounds in improved yield and purity.
Inventors of the present invention have developed an improved process that addresses the problems associated with the processes reported in the prior art. The process of the present invention does not involve use of any toxic and/or costly solvents and reagents. Moreover, the process does not require additional purification steps and critical workup procedure. Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for the preparation of Clobazam and its intermediates, which is simple, efficient, cost effective, environmentally friendly and commercially scalable for large scale operations. | {
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Ultrasonic transducers are known that have a laminated construction, enabling the formation of multiple, generally circular ultrasonic transducers (e.g., up to about 80 or more) in an ultrasonic transducer array. Such ultrasonic transducers can include first and second insulative retaining layers, and a vibrator film layer sandwiched between the respective first and second retaining layers. The first retaining layer can include a first plurality of circular apertures formed therethrough and the second retaining layer can include a second plurality of circular apertures formed therethrough, in which the second plurality of apertures is substantially in registration with the first plurality of apertures. Such ultrasonic transducers can further include first and second cover portions, and the combination of the first retaining layer, the vibrator film layer, and the second retaining layer can be sandwiched between the first and second cover portions.
In the ultrasonic transducers described above, the side of the vibrator film layer facing the first retaining layer is typically unmetallized, and the opposite side of the vibrator film layer facing the second retaining layer is typically metallized. The ultrasonic transducer can further include a plurality of circular, electrically conductive backplates and a plurality of electrically conductive coil springs, which can be disposed between the first cover and the vibrator film layer in substantially the same plane as the first retaining layer. Each circular backplate is substantially in registration with respective circular apertures formed through the first and second retaining layers. Further, each circular backplate typically includes a plurality of grooves, such as V-shaped grooves or trapezoid-shaped grooves, formed on surface thereof. The plurality of grooves are typically machined, etched, or stamped on the backplate surface, and are typically fabricated to have sharp corners and/or edges and straight sides. Each coil spring is disposed between a respective backplate and the first cover. The coil springs are both mechanically and electrically connected to respective backplates and the first cover, which has an electrically conductive surface. The first cover portion, the coil springs, the respective circular backplates, and the combination of the first retaining layer, the vibrator film layer, and the second retaining layer, are configured to cause the coil springs to urge the circular backplates against the unmetallized side of the vibrator film layer through the respective circular apertures.
With further regard to the ultrasonic transducers described above, the combination of the electrically conductive first cover, the coil springs, and the circular backplates forms a first electrode, and the metallized side of the vibrator film layer forms a second electrode. The ultrasonic transducers are configured to allow a voltage to be applied between the first and second electrodes, thereby generating an electric field between the vibrator film layer and the backplates that causes the film to be attracted to the respective backplates. In the event the voltage applied between the first and second electrodes is AC, the film can vibrate, in a transmitting mode, to generate compression waves at sonic or ultrasonic frequencies. In a receiving mode, incoming acoustic waves impacting the ultrasonic transducer are converted to a voltage waveform. | {
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Recent technological advances, especially in the fields of diagnostic and therapeutic medicine, require ever-increasing quantities of radioactive isotopes. These radioisotopes are typically produced via irradiation of target materials in a small number of nuclear reactors or cyclotron accelerators across the globe. Isotopes produced in reactors are mainly from the neutron, gamma (n, γ) reaction (radiative capture). By contrast, cyclotrons bombard a target with a stream of heavy, charged particles (commonly protons).
The highly desired radioisotopes are generally produced by a limited number of large facilities yielding a small variety of isotopes. Isotope selection is also limited, because the most useful isotopes often have short half-lives, making transportation a problem. The specific use of nuclear reactors also has the disadvantage of creating radioactive waste that is becoming increasingly problematic.
A direct consequence of these limitations is that research and development in certain areas has stagnated because of the issues with production, transportation and economies of scale. Numerous industrial sectors would benefit from a compact, efficient, clean source of isotopes that is geographically close to the point of use, so as to take advantage of shorter half-life variants.
It is therefore preferable to have a system and method that optimizes the production of the pertinent radioisotopes while minimizing the total energy needed for commercial production. The instant invention provides a solution to the foregoing problems. | {
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Conventional honeycomb extrusion apparatus are known to be used to co-extrude a skin and a central portion of a honeycomb body. However, conventional techniques may result in uneven skin characteristics about the periphery of the honeycomb body. | {
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For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,174 discloses a road monitoring apparatus by an image processing for judging changes of the intensity and color of the road immediately before its own vehicle to enable to separate a traffic lane from the road by the intensity and color, thereby enabling to certainly recognize the traffic lane. Specifically, the road monitoring apparatus includes a camera A to take a color image of the front view in a traveling direction of the vehicle; a display unit B to display the processing result of the image data taken by the camera A while superimposing it on the original image data; an extraction processing circuit to extract pixels satisfying a predetermined extraction color condition from a screen by the image data; a color sampling circuit to sample color data from the extracted pixels; an extraction condition determining unit for determining an extraction condition based on the sampled color data. The road monitoring apparatus recognizes the traffic lane based on the extracted pixels, and further judges a lighting condition of the traveling road based on the color data sampled by the extraction condition-determining unit. According to the judgment result, the iris mechanism and the color conversion gain are controlled. However, this publication does not disclose a point that road markings such as a crosswalk and a stop line are recognized. In addition, even if the road marking is individually recognized by the technique described on this publication, the misrecognition may frequently occur, because a lot of road markings have a simple shape.
Thus, the road marking may individually be recognized by the conventional technique. However, there are problems in which the misrecognition may frequently occur or a time-consuming processing is necessary in order to decrease the misrecognition. However, because the vehicle is running, when it takes too much time to process one frame, the difference with a frame to be processed next becomes large. This causes further misrecognition and/or leakage of recognition. In addition, almost all the applications using the recognition of the road marking require a real-time processing. | {
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Class A Triode operation is well known to discriminating audiophiles because of its characteristic musicality and "warmth". This warmth of tonality can be ascribed to the avoidance of crossover distortion (because in a push-pull configuration neither device ever approaches cut-off) and to the soft or gradual onset of clip when dynamic levels exceed available undistorted power capability. Unfortunately these virtues of Triode Class A operation carry with them severe penalties of economy, efficiency and low power capability. Operating Class A means that less than half the supply power available can be converted to useful work, and that the devices themselves must be de-rated due to high zero-signal current draw. Connecting the screen grid of a Pentode to its plate, causing it to operate as a Triode, further reduces potential power gain by about half.
These penalties of price and power availability (not to mention heat) have prevented Class A Triode operation from ever gaining popularity in the Music Instrument field even more than in sound reproduction applications. This is particularly unfortunate for a couple of reasons: First, due to the extreme dynamic levels produced by the plucked string (e.g., electric guitar) amplifier, output clip is virtually unavoidable. Second, musicians have done more than learn to live with amplifier distortion, they have incorporated it creatively into their musical expression and have become connoisseurs of different distortion characteristics. In the "heavy metal" idiom as well as the blues and popular milieu, elements of amplifier distortion are so strongly part of the guitar sound as to often comprise about 50 percent of actual sound output. Further, circuits to generate "desirable" distortion effects are well known and in use. These can be used to simulate output circuit distortion independent of output power level. If the history of professional choice were used as a yardstick of "desirable distortion" then clearly the circuit of Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,893) is a first choice. Here the option of distortion is available via remote switching and can be controlled to enhance solo or "lead" playing. It is interesting to note that Smith's circuit, which generates the distortion in the pre-amplifier section, uses Class A Triodes throughout.
The present invention, however, deals with output power amplification and the inherent distortion characteristics of different circuit configurations. Music is by nature a series of transient and fleeting events. The attack of any given musical note is of particular concern to the musician (as well as the listener) and much of a player's learned technique and expression revolves around the attack of the note. Such is clearly the case with all stringed instruments--including piano--as well as reed, brass and percussion instruments. Further, it can be shown that the manner in which an audio amplifier handles these transient attacks is the single most important factor that distinguishes an outstanding amplifier from one which is merely acceptable in both reproduction and live performance applications. The steady state distortion characteristic of most modern amplifiers is excellent: distortion of any type cannot be heard and competitive measurements have become pointless. Unfortunately though, there is no standard measurement of rating for distortion performance under actual dynamic conditions of use. To produce realistic sound levels in one's living room of a symphony or piano, without some clipping of the transient peaks would require an amplifier of at least 1000 watts and preferably much more.
So the demand for high power is obvious to the home user as well as the musician, yet the occurrence of amplifier distortion--clipping of peaks--remains an unavoidable fact of life to both. Whereas certain types of amplifier circuitry produce high power efficiently, a high sonic penalty is paid: their distortion is noticeable, harsh and disturbing. This is the typical "odd order" harmonic distortion which occurs in Class B type amplifiers and is the product of hard clip and sharp current transfer from push to pull, causing "crossover" "notch" distortion. On the other hand, the Triode Class A circuit produces no crossover distortion and has a "soft" clip. The sound of amplifier distortion at clip and beyond is almost unnoticeable because clip does not occur suddenly, and when it does, it is characterized by the predominance of even order products which are actually harmonious musically (that is consonant, not dissonant) to the fundamental. But the penalty is power. Such a circuit is expensive and inefficient.
The well known amplifier Class AB offers some little improvement. Although the output devices operate Class A at low power, they become more and more Class B when driven harder and a somewhat harsh sounding distortion with an abrupt onset and visible crossover occurs at the crucial time: at clip. The power output and efficiency with Pentodes in an AB arrangement is fairly high however. | {
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Biological samples may be analyzed by marking them with a stain selected to reveal particular sample features (e.g., cancer cells). The sample may then be imaged using a microscope, and analyzed based on the acquired image.
Some existing automated imaging systems capture microscopic image data use a scanning instrument (for example, a digital camera) in combination with a computer-controlled microscope. In order to examine some small sample features, it may be necessary to capture images of areas of the sample at various magnifications.
For example, in order to detect a small number of cancer cells in a biological sample, the sample may be marked using a stain that turns cancer cells red. A first, low resolution image of the sample may be obtained. Regions that appear to include red-stained features may subsequently be imaged at a higher resolution, and the higher resolution images analyzed to determine the presence of cancer cells. Alternatively, the entire sample may be imaged at a high resolution, and the resulting image analyzed to detect the presence of cancer cells. | {
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The present invention relates to lead germanium oxide (PGO) thin film materials, and particularly to the spin-coating of PGO ferroelectric thin films in one-transistor applications.
Ferroelectric films have attracted great interest in recent years because of their applications in electro-optic, pyroelectric, frequency agile electronic and non-volatile memory devices. The fabrication and characterization of ferroelectric lead germanium oxide thin films (PGO), such as Pb5Ge3O11 and Pb3GeO5, are of current interest. Lead germanite (Pb5Ge3O11) is a relative new member of ferroelectric family. The piezoelectric, dielectric and electric-optic properties of single crystal and polycrystalline materials have been reported in the literature. Pb5Ge3O11 is an optically active and ferroelectric material, has a moderate dielectric constant and a small remanent polarization, which make it particularly suitable for ferroelectric non-volatile memory devices such as metal ferroelectric metal oxide silicon (MFMOS), metal ferroelectric metal silicon (MFMS), metal ferroelectric insulators silicon (MFIS), metal-insulator-ferroelectric-silicon (MIPS), metal-insulator ferroelectric insulators silicon (MIFIS), and metal-ferroelectric-silicon (MFS) type memories. Pb5Ge3O11 also has potential in thermal detector applications because of its pyroelectric and dielectric characteristics. Pb3GeO5 is a ferroelastic material, which may be used for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications.
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a particularly attractive method for semiconductor industries because it is readily scaled up to production runs and provides very good step coverage. For PGO (Pb5Ge3O11 and Pb3GeO5) films, the content of lead to germanium is very high, i.e., 5:3 and 3:1, respectively. Because of Pb loss in the thermal MOCVD process, an excess Pb concentration and a high oxygen partial pressure must be used to make stoichiometric PGO thin films and avoid the Pb and O deficiency.
The Pb precursors for MOCVD PGO film are liquids or solids that can be sublimed into a gas phase and transported into a reactor. The process window of Pb precursors is very narrow, i.e., the sublimation temperature of the Pb precursors is close to the decomposition and condensation temperature, in which case the reagent may begin to decompose or condense in the reactant lines before reaching the reactor, making it very difficult to control the stoichiometry of the deposited films. The Pb precursor gas easily reacts with oxygen in the gas phase before deposition, which results in large particles and a cloudy film, especially at higher deposition temperatures.
Because of some of the problems associated with MOCVD and known spin coating processes of PGO thin films, other solutions and techniques may be more suitable for deposition of this material in integrated circuit devices by spin coating. There has been some discussion of PGO material suitable for spin coating and of the spin coating process in Kim et al., Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 33, pp 2675-2678, 1994; and Lee et al., Applied Physics Letters 60, pp 2487-2488, May 18, 1992.
Known techniques for spin coating PGO films are similar to those used for PZT ferroelectric thin films wherein Pb(OCH3CO)2.3H2O is used as the Pb source and Ge(OCH2CH3)4 is used as the Ge source. The Ge source, however, is air and moisture sensitive, and as the Pb source contains water, a PGO solution formed in this manner will be unstable, and a Ge gel will generally precipitate from the solution.
A method of preparing a PGO solution for spin coating includes preparing a 2-methoxyethanol organic solvent; adding Pb(OCH3CO)2.3H2O to the organic solvent at ambient temperature and pressure in a nitrogen-filled gloved box to form Pb in methoxyethanol; refluxing the solution in a nitrogen atmosphere at 150xc2x0 C. for at least two hours; fractionally distilling the refluxed solution at approximately 150xc2x0 C. to remove all of the water from the solution; cooling the solution to room temperature; determining the Pb concentration of the solution; adding the 2-methoxyethanol solution to the Pb 2-methoxyethanol until a desired Pb concentration is achieved; combining Ge(OR)4, where R is taken from the group of Rs consisting of CH2CH3 and CH(CH3)2, and 2-methoxyethanol; and adding Ge(OR)4 2-methoxyethanol to PbO 2-methoxyethanol to form the PGO solution having a predetermined metal ion concentration and a predetermined Pb:Ge molar ratio.
An object of the invention is to provide a PGO solution suitable for spin coating application.
Another object of the invention is to provide a techniques for spin coating a PGO film in a one-transistor application.
This summary and objectives of the invention are provided to enable quick comprehension of the nature of the invention. A more thorough understanding of the invention may be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention in connection with the drawings. | {
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This invention relates to an exhaust system for two-stroke internal combustion engines comprising an exhaust pipe whose front end, which is characterised by a constant cross-section, is followed by two or more conical sections. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a color cathode ray tube in which the amounts of horizontal and vertical deflection of a plurality of electron beams is individually controlled to correct coma caused by a deflection magnetic field, and convergence errors of the plurality of electron beams are suppressed to thereby obtain a good image display over the entire phosphor screen.
In a color cathode ray tube having at least an electron gun comprising a plurality of electrodes, a deflection device, and a phosphor screen (a screen having a phosphor film, hereinafter also referred to as a phosphor. film or merely referred to as a screen), the following techniques have been known as means for reproducing a good image over the entire phosphor screen.
Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 4-52586 discloses an electron gun emitting three in-line electron beams in which a pair of parallel flat electrodes are disposed on the bottom face of a shield cup in such a manner as to be positioned above and below paths of the three electron beams in parallel to the in-line direction and to extend toward a main lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,513 and its corresponding Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 60-7345 disclose an electron gun emitting three in-line electron beams in which a pair of parallel flat electrodes are disposed above and below paths of the three electron beams in parallel to the in-line direction in such a manner as to extend from one of facing ends of one of a pair of main-lens-forming electrodes toward a phosphor screen, thereby shaping the electron beams before the electron beams enter a deflection magnetic field.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 51-61766 discloses an electron gun in which an electrostatic quadrupole lens is formed between two electrodes and the strength of the electrostatic quadrupole lens is made to vary dynamically with the deflection of an electron beam, thereby achieving uniformity of an image over the entire screen.
Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 53-18866 discloses an electron gun in which an astigmatic lens is provided in a region between a second grid electrode and a third grid electrode forming a prefocus lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,224 and its corresponding Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 51-64368 discloses an electron gun emitting three in-line electron beams in which an electron beam aperture of each of first and second grid electrodes is formed in an elliptic shape, and the degree of ellipticity of the aperture is made to differ for each beam path or the degree of ellipticity of the electron beam aperture of the center electron gun is made smaller than that of the side electron gun.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 60-81736 discloses an electron gun emitting three in-line electron beams in which a slit recess provided in a third grid electrode on the cathode side forms a non-axially-symmetrical lens, and an electron beam is made to impinge on the phosphor screen through at least one non-axially-symmetrical lens in which the axial depth of the slit recess is larger for the center beam than for the side beam.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 54-139372 discloses a color cathode ray tube having an electron gun emitting three in-line electron beams in which a soft magnetic material is disposed in fringe portions of the deflection magnetic field to form a pincushion-shaped magnetic field for deflecting the electron beams in the direction perpendicular to the in-line direction of each electron beam, thereby suppressing a halo caused by the deflection magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the in-line direction.
FIG. 18 is a fragmentary sectional view showing an example of an electron gun for a color cathode ray tube using three in-line electron beams.
In FIG. 18, reference numeral 1 designates a first grid electrode (G1), 2 a second grid electrode (G2), 3 a third grid electrode (G3), 4 a fourth grid electrode (G4), 5 a fifth grid electrode (G5), 6 a sixth grid electrode (G6), 30 a shield cup, 38 a main lens, and K a cathode.
In this electron gun, the fifth grid electrode 5 is a focus electrode, the sixth grid electrode 6 is an anode, and the shield cup 30 is connected to the sixth grid electrode 6. In a cathode ray tube, the shield cup 30 is directed toward the phosphor screen.
FIGS. 19A and 19B are schematic sectional views of main parts for comparison of the construction of an electron gun depending upon the manner of applying focus voltages, FIG. 19A shows a fixed focus voltage type, and FIG. 19B shows a dynamic focus voltage type.
The electrode construction of the fixed focus voltage type electron gun shown in FIG. 19A is the same as that shown in FIG. 18, in which the same functional parts as in FIG. 18 are indicated by the same reference numerals.
In the fixed focus voltage type electron gun shown in FIG. 19A, a same focus voltage Vf1 is applied to electrodes 51 and 52 constituting the fifth grid electrode 5 thereof.
On the other hand, in the dynamic focus type electron gun shown in FIG. 19B, different focus potentials Vf1 and Vf2 are applied to two electrodes 51 and 52 constituting the fifth grid electrode 5, respectively. In particular, a dynamic focus voltage dVf superposed on Vf2 is applied to the electrode 52. Further, in the dynamic focus type electron gun, a portion of one electrode extends into the interior of another electrode as indicated at reference numeral 43, which has disadvantages in that its construction is complicated as compared with the electron gun shown in FIG. 19A, the cost is high, and its workability in assembly of the electron gun is inferior.
FIGS. 20A and 20B are explanatory views of focus potentials applied to the electron guns shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B. FIG. 20A shows a focus voltage waveform for the fixed focus voltage type electron gun, and FIG. 20B shows a focus voltage waveform for the dynamic focus voltage type electron gun.
In FIG. 20B, there are a fixed focus voltage Vf1 and a voltage having a waveform of a dynamic focus voltage Vf2 superposed on another fixed focus voltage Vf20. Therefore, in the dynamic focus voltage type electron gun shown in FIG. 19B, two high-voltage lead-in pins are needed at a stem of a cathode ray tube for supplying two focus voltages, and more consideration to insulation from other adjacent stem pins is necessary than in the fixed focus type electron gun. This poses problems in that a socket of a special construction is needed for a cathode ray tube installed in a TV set, and in addition to two fixed focus voltage sources, a dynamic focus voltage generating circuit is necessary, and additional set-up time is required for adjustment of the focus voltages in the assembly line of the TV set.
Further, in the color cathode ray tube provided with the in-line type electron gun of this kind, the center electron gun is on the tube axis, but the side electron guns are offset from the tube axis so that the side electron beams travel a greater distance in the deflection magnetic field than the center electron beam, receive a larger amount of action by the deflection magnetic fields, and create rasters of a horizontally and vertically larger size on the phosphor screen than the central beam.
As a result, the rasters created by three electron beams are not coincident with each other on the phosphor screen, resulting in convergence errors.
Further, in the color cathode ray tube of this kind, when the maximum deflection angle of the electron beams is fixed, the larger the size of the phosphor screen, the longer is a distance between the phosphor screen and the main lens of the electron gun, and hence the more is focus characteristics degraded by the mutual space-charge repulsion of electrons in this region.
Accordingly, if the distance between the main lens of the electron gun and the phosphor screen is made shorter with some means, fine electron beams can be obtained as in a cathode ray tube with a small-sized phosphor screen to enhance the resolution of the color cathode ray tube.
The shortening of the distance between the main lens of the electron gun and the phosphor screen increases the deflection defocusing and deteriorate the resolution at the periphery of the screen. Therefore, in the above-described prior art, there requires the measure for further raising the dynamic focus voltage so that the technical and cost-wise burdens on the side of the image display device employing the cathode ray tube such as the increased cost of the driving circuit and the improved high voltage breakdown capacity of a socket for a cathode ray tube.
Further, the depth of the present-day TV sets depends on the overall length of the cathode ray tube, and it is preferably short considering the TV set is a kind of a furniture. Moreover, the short depth of TV sets is preferable in terms of transport efficiency for TV set makers transporting a large number of TV sets.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome various problems as noted above with respect to prior art and provide a color cathode ray tube having improved beam convergence characteristics over the entire phosphor screen by controlling horizontal and vertical coma caused by deflection magnetic fields.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a color cathode ray tube including a vacuum envelope comprising a panel portion, a neck portion, and a funnel portion connecting the panel portion and the neck portion; a phosphor screen on an inner surface of the panel portion; a shadow mask suspended closely spaced from the phosphor screen in the panel portion; an electron gun comprising a plurality of electrodes for generating and focusing three in-line electron beams and housed within the neck portion; a deflection device mounted around a transition area between the funnel portion and the neck portion for deflecting the three in-line electron beams in horizontal and vertical directions; and a convergence correction device comprising a plurality of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of each of the three in-line electron beams in an in-line direction of the three in-line electron beams and disposed on a phosphor screen side of the electron gun; the plurality of magnetic pieces including a first pair of magnetic pieces positioned on a neck wall side of each of side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in the in-line direction and a second pair of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of a center electron beam of the three in-line electron beams in the in-line direction; and the first pair of magnetic pieces each having a first pair of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces, the first pair of protruding portions of the first pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; the second pair of magnetic pieces each having two second pairs of protruding portions, one of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the first pair of magnetic pieces and the other of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces each of the second pairs of protruding portions of the second pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; the first pair of magnetic pieces having a portion of an axial length greater than an axial length of the second pair of magnetic pieces; and the axial lengths being measured in a plane containing the in-line direction and a longitudinal axis of the color cathode ray tube.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a color cathode ray tube including a vacuum envelope comprising a panel portion, a neck portion, and a funnel portion connecting the panel portion and the neck portion; a phosphor screen on an inner surface of the panel portion; a shadow mask suspended closely spaced from the phosphor screen in the panel portion; an electron gun comprising a plurality of electrodes for generating and focusing three in-line electron beams and housed within the neck portion; a deflection device mounted around a transition area between the funnel portion and the neck portion for deflecting the three in-line electron beams in horizontal and vertical directions; and a convergence correction device comprising a plurality of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of each of the three in-line electron beams in an in-line direction of the three inline electron beams and disposed on a phosphor screen side of the electron gun; the plurality of magnetic pieces including a first pair of magnetic pieces positioned on a neck @axe2x80x2!:l side of each of side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in the in-line direction and a second pair of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of a center electron beam of the three in-line electron beams in the in-line direction; and the first pair of magnetic pieces each having a first pair of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces, the first pair of protruding portions of the first pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; the second pair of magnetic pieces each having two second pairs of protruding portions, one of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the first pair of magnetic pieces and the other of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces each of the second pairs of protruding portions of the second pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; one of the first pair of magnetic pieces opposing one of the second pair of magnetic pieces, another of the first pair of magnetic pieces opposing another of the second pair of magnetic pieces; the first pair of protruding portions of the one of the first pair of magnetic pieces are displaced outwardly from the one of the second pairs of protruding portions of the one of the second pair of magnetic pieces in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction, the first pair of protruding portions of the one of the first pair of magnetic pieces, and the one of the second pairs of protruding portions of the one of the second pair of magnetic pieces opposing each other, respectively; and the first pair of protruding portions of the another of the first pair of magnetic pieces are displaced outwardly from the one of the second pairs of protruding portions of the another of the second pair of magnetic pieces in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction, the first pair of protruding portions of the another of the first pair of magnetic pieces and the one of the second pairs of protruding portions of the another of the second pair of magnetic pieces opposing each other, respectively.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a color cathode ray tube including a vacuum envelope comprising a panel portion, a neck portion, and a funnel portion connecting the panel portion and the neck portion; a phosphor screen on an inner surface of the panel portion; a shadow mask suspended closely spaced from the phosphor screen in the panel portion; an electron gun comprising a plurality of electrodes for generating and focusing three in-line electron beams and housed within the neck portion; a deflection device mounted around a transition area between the funnel portion and the neck portion for deflecting the three in-line electron beams in horizontal and vertical directions; and a convergence correction device comprising a plurality of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of each of the three in-line electron beams in an in-line direction of the three inline electron beams and disposed on a phosphor screen side of the electron gun; the plurality of magnetic pieces including a first pair of magnetic pieces positioned on a neck wall side of each of side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in the in-line direction and a second pair of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of a center electron beam of the three in-line electron beams irf th@ in-line direction; and the first pair of magnetic pieces each having a first pair of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces, the first pair of protruding portions of the first pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; the second pair of magnetic pieces each having two second pairs of protruding portions, one of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the first pair of magnetic pieces and the other of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces each of the second pairs of protruding portions of the second pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; the first pair of magnetic pieces having a portion of an axial length greater than a thickness of the second pair of magnetic pieces; and the axial length being measured in a plane containing the in-line direction and a longitudinal axis of the color cathode ray tube.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a color cathode ray tube including a vacuum envelope comprising a panel portion, a neck portion, and a funnel portion connecting the panel portion and the neck portion; a phosphor screen on an inner surface of the panel portion; a shadow mask suspended closely spaced from the phosphor screen in the panel portion; an electron gun comprising a plurality of electrodes for generating and focusing three in-line electron beams and housed within the neck portion; a deflection device mounted around a transition area between the funnel portion and the neck portion for deflecting the three in-line electron beams in horizontal and vertical directions; and a convergence correction device comprising a plurality of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of each of the three in-line electron beams in an in-line direction of the three inline electron beams and disposed on a phosphor screen side of the electron gun; the plurality of magnetic pieces including a first pair of magnetic pieces positioned on a neck wall side of each of side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in the in-line direction and a second pair of magnetic pieces positioned on opposite sides of a center electron beam of the three in-line electron beams in the in-line direction; and the first pair of magnetic pieces each having a first pair of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces, the first pair of protruding portions of the first pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the side electron beams of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; the second pair of magnetic pieces each having two second pairs of protruding portions, one of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the first pair of magnetic pieces and the other of the second pairs of protruding portions extending toward an adjacent one of the second pair of magnetic pieces each of the second pairs of protruding portions of the second pair of magnetic pieces being arranged on opposite sides of a corresponding one of the three in-line electron beams in a direction perpendicular to the in-line direction; and the second pair of magnetic pieces being thinner on a side-electron beam side thereof than on a center-electron beam side thereof.
Further, it is possible to provide a cathode ray tube which can improve the uniformity of resolution over the entire phosphor screen by correcting deflection defocusing corresponding to the amount of deflection, enhance the resolution at the center of the phosphor screen by suppressing the influence of the space charge repulsion with a shortened distance between the phosphor screen and the main lens, can shorten the overall length of the cathode ray tube and can suppress the appearance of moire patterns.
The cathode ray tube of the present invention can make possible a image display device capable of displaying a larger amount of information, reproducing a flickerless high quality image, and making its cabinet thin. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an onboard connector (in other words, a circuit board direct-mounting connector) having electrically-conductive metal terminals (hereinafter referred to merely as “terminals”) received in a connector housing, these terminals being mounted on an electric circuit board (hereinafter referred to merely as “circuit board”).
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicle such as an automobile, electrical equipment parts, mounted on the vehicle, are required to have a compact design in order to increase a space within a car room. Therefore, it is also required to reduce an area occupied by a circuit board (mounted as an electrical equipment part on the vehicle) in the vehicle. As one method of reducing the area of the board, it has now become necessary to use a SMD type (that is, a surface mounting type) onboard connector instead of a conventional DIP type (that is, a discrete type) onboard connector.
However, taking into consideration the connecting reliability of joined portions (that is, electrically-contacted portions) of terminals and respective lands of the circuit board against warp of the circuit board, it is rather difficult to use the SMD type onboard connector on the onboard circuit board which is required to have a high reliability under severe environments. And besides, in the case where this SMD type onboard connector is, for example, a multi-pole connector with a large number of terminals or a large-size connector having a large connector housing, it is more difficult to use the SMD type onboard connector on the onboard circuit board.
FIG. 11 shows one example of a structure of an electric part which has heretofore been proposed in order to enhance the connecting reliability of joined portions of terminals and respective lands (see JP-UM-A-5-85032 Publication). Description will now be made, assuming that the electric part, shown in FIG. 11, is an onboard connector. In this onboard connector 150, in order that soldier fillets, formed respectively at joined portions of a plurality of SMD type terminals 152 and respective lands on a circuit board 153, can be prevented from being broken by warp of the circuit board 153, a slit (not shown) is formed in a predetermined portion of each of the terminals 152 to divide this portion into a plurality of sections in a direction of a width of the terminal 152, and the divided sections are bent respectively in opposite directions to thereby enhance spring properties of the terminal 152. However, in the case where the onboard connector 150 is a multi-pole connector or a large-size connector, a larger number of terminals 152 are arranged long in a row in a juxtaposed manner, and therefore there is a strong possibility that this structure can not function well at all against warp of the circuit board 153 developing during reflowing. Namely, the larger the area, occupied by the onboard connector 150 on the circuit board 153, becomes, the more conspicuous the influence of the warp of the circuit board becomes.
FIG. 12 shows one conventional onboard connector in which the arrangement of a number of terminals is elaborated (see JP-A-2004-206924 Publication). In FIG. 12, constituent elements, similar to those of the structure of FIG. 11, are designated respectively by identical reference numerals for clarification purposes. In this onboard connector 150, the plurality of SMD type terminals 152 are divided into two groups in a direction of a width of a connector housing 151 to thereby achieve a narrow pitch design as shown in FIG. 12. However, the plurality of terminals 152 are arranged at a small pitch along the connector housing, and also the front row of terminals 152 and the rear row of terminals 152 are arranged in overlapping relation to each other, and therefore joined portions of the terminals and respective lands can not be easily examined. And besides, the onboard connector 150 of FIG. 12 has such a structure that inner housings 155 are received in respective front openings 154 in the connector housing 151, and therefore if the connector housing 151 is wrenched by a mating connector when fitting the mating connector to the onboard connector 150, an external force from the mating connector acts directly on the terminals 152, so that the connecting reliability of the joined portions of the terminals and the respective lands is lowered. | {
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Capacitors are prevalent throughout a variety of electrical devices and systems due to their ability to store voltage potential. Capacitors possess this capability due to a dielectric material contained between two terminals of the capacitor. The amount of voltage potential a capacitor can store effectively is based on the type of dielectric material within the capacitor. A dielectric material may be associated with a breakdown voltage, or a maximum voltage level at which the dielectric material can operate efficiently. Once a capacitor begins to operate at a voltage higher equal to or higher than the breakdown voltage level of the dielectric material, the capacitor may begin to operate out of specification. A capacitor operating out of specification may cause an electrical device or system that it is installed in to fail to operate.
Unfortunately, current systems and techniques for detecting whether the dielectric material of a capacitor is beginning to breakdown are either inefficient or not possible. In the manufacturing environment, each capacitor may require to be individually tested prior to installation in electrical devices or systems. Such a testing methodology is oftentimes too expensive. Further, once a capacitor is installed in an electronic device or system, it is difficult to determine when and if the capacitor is beginning to operate out of specification. For at least these reasons, there is a need for identifying when a capacitor is operating out of specification efficiently in a testing environment or deployed in electrical devices and systems. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game program production method, a game system, and a recording medium used in role playing games.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, proposals have been made about many and various game systems and also made about a wide variety of video or television games used in these game systems. For example, such games include simulation games, role playing games, fighting games, and puzzle games.
Among these games, the role playing games are such that the player becomes the main character in the game and has various experiences within the game space along the lines of the story set up within the program. It is a recent trend that such role playing games tend to become more complex and longer as the game systems become more advanced. Accordingly, some role playing games require up to 50 hours from start to finish. In such long role playing games, usually all data up to the stage reached by a player is stored in a memory card that can be attached to or detached from the game system. When the player plays a next time, the game can be continued and be progressive to the next stage by reading the data from the memory card attached to the game system.
Herein, it is to be noted that players playing a long role playing game do not always necessarily want to play the game continuously. Sometimes, a player may neither want to play such a game nor may play the game for a long period of time. When a situation continues such that a game has been interrupted on the way of the game or is not used for a long time, a player may sometimes lose interest in the game.
On the other hand, a player""s interest even in a long role playing game tends to weaken once the game is cleared or comes to an end. Therefore, consumers are always expecting role playing games to have more variations and are wanting games that they do not tire of.
To the contrary, it is very laborious and time consuming for software developers developing role playing games to develop long role playing games. This trend is becoming more pronounced as game systems become more advanced.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a game program production method for producing programs for games with substantial variation that can maintain a player""s interest over a long period of time.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a game program production method that can reduce the labor and time imposed on software developers and furthermore that can create games with a wide variety of the scenarios provided.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a game system that can be finished in a relatively short period of time, that can enjoy each game with substantial variation as a single game unit, and that can readily lengthen games by combining a plurality of single game units.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a recording medium for storing programs for the above games.
A method to which the present invention is applicable is for use in producing a game program that executes a game in accordance with a story. According to a first aspect of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of preparing a plurality of partial programs for partial scenarios each equipped with end conditions, selecting a first one of the partial programs that has a first one of the end conditions, and determining, from the partial programs, a second one of the partial programs that has a second one of the partial programs in accordance with the first end condition of the first partial program, on the condition that the second partial program continues with the first partial program in the story. In this way, the partial programs for partial scenarios are combined to create the story.
Thus, in the game program production method according to the present invention, combinations of programs, namely, partial programs for partial scenarios can be used to create games with abundant variety.
Therefore, combining partial scenarios programs with one another in a substantially random manner can create various different stories and, players can thus enjoy the game as played along each story line.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a game system is capable of executing a game in accordance with a story and player operations. The game system comprises storage means for storing a plurality of partial programs for partial scenarios that partially define the story and that are each equipped with end conditions and scenario processing means, operable in response to the player operation, for determining a first one of the partial programs for the first partial scenario that makes up a first part of the story, and for selectively determining a second one of the partial programs for the second stage partial scenario, that follows the first partial program for the first stage partial scenario, so that the story continues from the end condition of the first partial program for the first partial scenario. The first and the second partial programs for the first and the second partial scenario are combined to create the story.
A computer-readable recording medium according to still another aspect of the present invention is for use in executing a game according to a story and player operations. The recording medium comprises the steps of determining a first one of partial programs for the first partial scenario that executes a first part of the story in accordance with the player operations by selecting a plurality of partial programs for partial scenarios that execute parts of the story and that are each equipped with end conditions and selectively determining, among the plurality of the partial programs for the partial scenarios, a second one of the partial programs for the second partial scenario that follows the first partial program for the first stage partial scenario with reference to the end condition of the first partial program for the first partial scenario on the condition that the second partial program can continue the story from the end condition of the first partial program for the first partial scenario. The story is composed of a combination of the partial programs for partial scenarios.
Using such a recording medium can enjoy various games with different stories by managing programs for a plurality of partial scenarios. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Storage systems may include a controller that handles commands received from a host. The controller may be configured to store the commands in a queue when the controller is unable to immediately execute the command. The commands may be stored in multiple channels of the queue to achieve maximum throughput. To do so, the commands may be divided into multiple sub-commands. When the individual sub-commands are executed, they may be executed at different times. That is, some of the sub-commands are executed while other sub-commands are pending in the queue. | {
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PPS resins are excellent in heat resistance, mechanical properties, and chemical resistance, and thus are used, for example, in the fabrication of parts for electric equipment and automobiles, utilizing the above excellent characteristics. Further, since the plating processing which was hitherto considered to be difficult because of excessively high chemical resistance of the PPS resins has become possible, the PPS resins can also be effectively applied for reflector plates, printed circuit boards, electromagnetic shields, sheathed parts, etc.
As such PPS resin compositions for plating, a PPS resin and glass fiber composition as described in Japanese Pat. Application (OPI) No. 54290/84 (the term "OPI" as used herein means a "published unexamined patent application") and a PPS resin, glass fiber, and calcium carbonate composition as described also in Japanese Pat. Application (OPI) No. 54290/84 are under investigation. These compositions, however, have disadvantages in that the initial plate peel strength is low and post-treatment such as aging for a long time is needed, and thus are somewhat unsuitable for practical use.
Furthermore, since PPS resins are excellent in chemical resistance, there is available no suitable etching solution to be used as a plating pre-processing solution at the etching step and, therefore, a plated article excellent in adhesion properties has not yet been obtained.
It has therefore been desired to develop, as well as an etching solution for PPS resins, PPS resin compositions which permit the fabrication of plated articles having excellent plate adhesion properties and also having good surface luster. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle brake test systems and, in particular, to vehicle brake test systems for automotive vehicles, such as trucks having primary and secondary air brake systems.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Large tractor-trailer type trucks have air actuated brakes that are divided into primary and secondary systems. A secondary brake system is typically provided for the directional steering axle wheels of the vehicle. A primary brake system is typically provided for braking the drive axle wheels of the vehicle.
When testing a vehicle with air actuated brakes having a primary and secondary system, it is typically required that the brakes be applied at a consistent set pressure for many successive brake applications or stops. The air brake system must typically be tested while functioning under a wide pressure supply range. The pressure supply range can easily vary between 5-120 psi.
It is also often desirable that the vehicle brake system be tested utilizing only the secondary brake system or the primary brake system. Often, the brake system of vehicles is tested in a real life environment on an outdoor test track. When the vehicle is tested at low air pressures, the vehicle""s deceleration is at a slower pace with expanded stopping distances. During a slow pace deceleration, unanticipated events may occur, which require immediate emergency override of the system, such as a deer or another test vehicle in the vicinity. If an unanticipated event does occur, it is desirable to allow the vehicle operator to immediately utilize the brakes at their maximum capacity.
To make manifest the above delineated and other desires, a revelation of the present invention is brought forth. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a test system for a vehicle having primary and secondary air brakes.
A first valve is provided. The first valve has a first inlet coupled to a primary air supply and a second inlet coupled to a test air supply. An outlet of the first valve is coupled to the brakes of the primary brake system of the vehicle.
A second valve is provided. The second valve has a first inlet coupled to a secondary air supply. The second valve also has a second inlet coupled to the test air supply. The second valve has an outlet coupled to the brakes of the secondary brake system of the vehicle.
A system selector switch assembly is provided. The system selector switch assembly selectively provides current to one or both of the first and second valves responsive to an operator input wherein each of the first and second valves directs fluid flow from one of the first and second inlets to the outlet.
There is additionally provided an override switch which will cause the first and second valves to couple their first inlet with their outlet, regardless of a selected position of the selector switch assembly. The override switch will typically be actuated by the operator of the vehicle utilizing the brake pedal (commonly referred to as the treadle).
Advantages of the present invention will be further explained as the invention is revealed in the accompanying drawings and detailed description. | {
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Hydrocarbon resources, such as oil, sand, or bituminous sand deposits, are found predominantly in the Middle East, Venezuela, and Western Canada. The Canadian bitumen deposits are the largest in the world and are estimated to contain between 1.6 and 2.5 trillion barrels of oil.
Bitumen is heavy, black oil which cannot be readily pumped from the ground due to its high viscosity. As is well known in the art, bituminous sands can be extracted from subterranean reservoirs by lowering the viscosity of the hydrocarbons in-situ, thereby mobilizing the hydrocarbons such that they can be recovered from the reservoir. Many thermal-recovery processes, such as Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), have been developed to reduce the viscosity by application of heat, chemical solvents, or combinations thereof, and to mobilize the viscosity-reduced hydrocarbons for better recovery. Such recovery processes typically involve the use of one or more “injection” and “production” wells drilled into the reservoir, whereby a heated fluid (e.g. steam) can be injected into the reservoir through the injection wells and hydrocarbons can be retrieved from the reservoir through the productions wells.
The fluid produced from the reservoir is usually a mixture of oil and water i.e., an emulsion. The emulsion is first processed for oil/water separation in a central processing facility (CPF). Bitumen separated from the emulsion is transported to offsite facilities for further processing. Water separated from the emulsion is de-oiled, treated and recycled within the CPF for steam generation and reinjection. Commercial SAGD plants in Alberta, Canada typically recycle more than 90% of the water from emulsions for use in steam generation.
Traditionally, in order for the water retrieved during the separation/de-oiling processes to be reused, recycled, and/or reinjected, the retrieved water must go through the following two steps:
a) water softening, via a standard atmospheric pressure evaporator or water softener (using lime softening and ion exchange), wherein each process option requires energy-intensive cooling of the de-oiled water, and
b) steam generation via a drum boiler or alternatively, an once-through steam generator (OTSG) wherein the cooled water is heated again to generate steam.
Typically, existing evaporators are forced-circulation mechanical vapor-compression evaporators comprising a vapor drum with vertical or horizontal heating tubes and auxiliary equipment such as a mechanical-vapor compressor, recirculation pumps, tanks, and exchangers.
For example and as will be described in more detail later, two water treatment and steam generation technologies are generally known and available for commercial SAGD projects. One process uses lime softening and ion exchange for treating produced water, followed by throughput through an OTSG boiler. The other process uses evaporation for treating produced water followed by heating in a drum boiler. Both processes use fired boilers to generate high-pressure steam and both processes require water treatment prior to the steam generation step.
These known processes are costly, time-intensive, energy inefficient, require significant operational care, and result in significant power consumption and consequently, in high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
For example, the above-described processes are far from being energy efficient due to temperature variations, and/or phase changes along the water path largely due to the contradicting process requirements before and after water softening, that including cooling the hot produced water to prevent flashing in the atmospheric tanks or damaging the ion exchanges, and later heating softened water up to reserve boiler fuel consumption. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a cleaning article using a water-decomposable non-woven fabric which is dispersed easily by a water stream and, more in particular, it relates to a cleaning article of low density and having high surface strength.
2. Related Art
Cleaning articles formed with water-decomposable non-woven fabrics are used for the cleaning operation of wiping human skins such as on hips or for cleaning toilets and thereabouts. The cleaning articles can be directly flushed away in toilets after use.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 229295/1990 discloses a water-decomposable non-woven fabric used for cleaning articles of this kind in which a non-woven fabric formed of water dispersible fibers contains carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a water soluble binder and also contains a polyvalent metal salt for preventing dissolution of the water soluble binder in a wet state thereby improving the wet strength.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 228214/1997 discloses a product prepared by entangling under a water stream regenerated cellulose fibers having a fiber length of 4 mm to 20 mm and pulp fibers by a water jetting treatment, which intends to establish a balance between the strength and the water decomposability of the non-woven fabric by selecting the fiber length of the regenerated cellulose fibers.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 229295/1990 the water soluble binder is impregnated into the entire non-woven fabric formed of the water dispersible fibers to improve the strength of the non-woven fabric in the wet state. However, in the fabrics of this type, since the water soluble binder is impregnated into the non-woven fabric generally by using a spray, while the tensile strength of the entire non-woven fabric can be increased to some extent, the strength at the surface of the non-woven fabric can not be improved sufficiently.
Accordingly, fluffing often occurs on the surface of the non-woven fabric during wiping of dirt, or the surface of the non-woven fabric is often broken upon wiping of firmly deposited dirt.
Further, when the surface strength is intended to be improved by increasing the strength for the entire non-woven fabric, the amount of the binder to be impregnated into the non-woven fabric has to be increased. However, when the water soluble binder is impregnated by spraying into the non-woven fabric, there is a limit for the amount of the binder that can be impregnated into the non-woven fabric. Further, for impregnating a great amount of the water soluble binder into the non-woven fabric and improving the wet strength, it is necessary to incorporate a great amount of a metal salt in a wet state to bring about a problem in view of safety to human skins.
Then, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 228214/1997, it is intended to improve the strength and make the water decomposability favorable by selecting the fiber length of the regenerated cellulose fibers. However, it is actually difficult to appropriately make a balance between the strength and the water decomposability. Moreover, since the entire strength is intended to be obtained merely by the entangled state of the fibers, the surface strength of the non-woven fabric is extremely low and the non-woven fabric involves a problem that the fibers appearing on the surface drop off during wiping operation or the surface of the non-woven fabric is broken easily.
The present invention intends to overcome the foregoing problems in the prior art and it is an object thereof to provide a cleaning article by using a non-woven fabric of satisfactory water decomposability, in which the surface strength of the non-woven fabric is increased thereby enabling to prevent fluffing on the surface and dropping of fibers upon wiping operation and, further, prevent breakage on the surface, as well as a manufacturing method thereof
In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing object can be attained by a cleaning article comprising a water-decomposable non-woven fabric containing water dispersible fibers and a water soluble resin coated on at least one side of the water-decomposable non-woven fabric, in which the water soluble resin is contained more in a surface portion of a fiber assembly than in a remaining portion of the fiber assembly.
Here, when the water soluble resin is coated on both sides of the non-woven fabric, the remaining portion of the fiber assembly, as sandwiched between two surface portions, may be called xe2x80x9cinner portionxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cintermediate portionxe2x80x9d. For convenience in illustrating the invention, therefore, the term xe2x80x9cinner portionxe2x80x9d is used hereinafter for describing the remaining portion, it being understood that the term xe2x80x9cinner portionxe2x80x9d never intends to limit the invention to the case where the water soluble resin is coated on both sides of the non-woven fabric.
The cleaning article of the invention can be produced, for example, by coating the water soluble resin on one side or both sides of the water-decomposable non-woven fabric in the state of a solution with a viscosity ranging from 1,000 cps to 100,000 cps.
In this case, the solution of the water soluble resin (for example, which is prepared by dissolving the water soluble resin in water or purified water) has such a high viscosity that it adheres mainly to the surface portion (surface layer), on one side or on each side of the non-woven fabric, without being impregnated uniformly into the non-woven fabric. Accordingly, in a state where the fiber web of the water decomposable non-woven fabric is dried, the amount of the water soluble resin adhered (or deposited) to the fibers is greater in the surface portion (surface layer) of the non-woven fabric than in the inner portion thereof.
Preferred range of the viscosity is from 5,000 cps to 70,000 cps and, further preferably, from 10,000 cps to 70,000 cps.
When the viscosity of the solution of the water soluble resin is less than 1,000 cps, the solution is impregnated almost uniformly into the non-woven fabric so that the water soluble resin can not be deposited sufficiently on the fibers of the surface layer. But, too much addition of the water soluble resin is undesirable. In this case, therefore, it is difficult to improve the surface strength of the non-woven fabric to a desired degree. When the viscosity is from 1,000 to less than 5,000 or 10,000 cps, the uniform impregnation of the solution can be prevented but it is still relatively difficult to permit only the surface layer to have a sufficient strength.
On the other hand, if the viscosity exceeds 100,000 cps, it is difficult to coat the solution uniformly on the surface of the non-woven fabric due to such a high viscosity. When it is 70,000 cps or less, the solution can be coated uniformly with no problem.
As described above, when the solution of the water soluble resin at a high viscosity is coated on the surface of the water-decomposable non-woven fabric and the amount of the water soluble resin in the surface layer is more than that in the inner portion, only the surface strength of the cleaning article can be improved satisfactorily. This enables prevention of fluffing on the surface, dropping of fibers and breakage at the surface upon wiping, and it also enables readily wiping of firmly deposited dirt.
The fiber density of the water-decomposable non-woven fabric is preferably 0.3 g/cm3 or less.
In such a relatively bulky non-woven fabric having a low fiber density, a water soluble resin easily intrudes between fibers. Therefore, if a solution of a water soluble resin at a low viscosity is added by use of a spray as in the prior art, the water soluble resin comes into the inner portion of the non-woven fabric, so that it is difficult to improve only the surface strength of the non-woven fabric. In the invention, on the other hand, because the solution of the water soluble resin at a relatively high viscosity is coated on the surface, on one side or each side of the non-woven fabric, the water soluble resin can be maintained in the surface layer of the non-woven fabric to a desired degree. As a result, according to the invention, even in such a bulky non-woven fabric having a low fiber density, the surface strength can be improved. That is, the invention is suitable for a cleaning article comprising such a relatively bulky non-woven fabric having a low fiber density.
The average fiber length of fibers constituting the water-decomposable non-woven fabric is preferably 10 mm or less and, more preferably, 7 mm or less.
By the use of the fibers having such a short fiber length for the non-woven fabric, when the cleaning article is flushed in a flushing toilet, the fibers are easily dispersible, thereby improving the water decomposability of the cleaning article. In addition, since the surface strength of the non-woven fabric is improved by the water soluble resin, these short fibers is prevented from dropping off from the surface of the non-woven fabric.
The amount of coating of the water soluble resin is preferably from 0.5 g to 30 g based on 100 g of the fibers forming the water-decomposable non-woven fabric. Here, the coating amount of the water soluble resin is measured after drying the solution. If the coating amount is less than the lower limit described above, the surface strength of the non-woven fabric can not be improved sufficiently. On the other hand, when the coating amount exceeds the upper limit, the softness of the non-woven fabric is decreased.
The cleaning article of the invention preferably has such a softness in a dry state that the B value (which indicates the bending rigidity) of the cleaning article in a dry state as measured according to a KES bending test is from 0.05 or more to 1.0 or less. In the invention, used is the bulky non-woven fabric of a low density and therefore, the rigidity is not excessive and the softness is excellent. In addition, even for such bulky non-woven fabric of a low density, because the solution of the water soluble resin at a high viscosity is coated on the surface of the non-woven fabric thereby forming the water soluble resin-containing surface layer, the rigidity (B value) of 0.05 or more as described above can be attained.
When the cleaning article of the invention is prepared for use in a wet (moistened) state, an insolubilizing agent for the water soluble resin is preferably added. This can maintain the wet (moistened) strength of the cleaning article at a high level. However, the cleaning article of the invention may be used in a dry state as it is.
In such a wet state, the cleaning article of the invention preferably has such a softness that the B value (which indicates the bending rigidity) of the cleaning article in a wet state as measured according to a KES bending test is 0.03 or more. In this case, the upper limit is preferably 0.1 or less.
Further, when the water soluble resin is coated only on one side, it is preferred that the water soluble resin is coated on a surface of the water-decomposable non-woven fabric to be contacted by a drying drum for drying the water-decomposable non-woven fabric in a manufacturing process thereof. Because the surface becomes relatively smooth after in contact with the drying drum, the solution of the water soluble resin, when coated, less intrudes into the non-woven fabric.
In the cleaning article of the invention, the water soluble resin is coated on a surface to be used as a cleaning surface.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a cleaning article comprising:
a step of subjecting a fiber web containing water dispersible fibers to a water jetting treatment thereby forming a water-decomposable non-woven fabric,
a step of drying the water-decomposable non-woven fabric after the water jetting treatment,
a step of coating a solution of a water soluble resin with a viscosity ranging from 1,000 cps to 100,000 cps (preferably, 5,000 cps to 70,000 cps, and more preferably, 10,000 cps to 70,000 cps) on at least one side of the water-decomposable non-woven fabric after drying, and
a step of drying the coated solution of the water soluble resin.
In the method described above, it is preferred that the water-decomposable non-woven fabric after the water jetting treatment is dried by using a drying drum, and the solution of the water soluble resin is coated to the water-decomposable non-woven fabric after drying on a surface contacted by the drying drum. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It is conventional to produce a laminate article comprised of a stiff substrate material such as plastic, compressed paper or wood, to which is adhesively secured a textile material. However, in some instances, a fibrous or asphalt base material has been used in glove compartments and in vehicle trunks. This type material is then cut and fitted to conform to the surface which it is to cover, such as the floor and sidewall surfaces of the vehicle trunk or the interior side surfaces of the passenger body of the automotive vehicle. Where the textile material is adhesively secured to a stiff substrate material, the textile material tends to separate from the substrate, particularly along the edges thereof. Additionally, appreciable expense is encountered in the on-the-job fitting of this type laminate to conform with the surface being covered. Further, the laminate is not adaptable to cover the floor surface within the vehicle, which generally includes irregularities to accommodate the drive system of the vehicle. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention pertains to ignition circuits, and, more specifically, to an ignition circuit incorporating a piezoelectric transformer that improves the efficiency of a spark ignition system.
Spark ignition systems are designed to generate high voltages and deliver energy at sufficient quantity and speed to ensure arc breakdown across a gap. Breakdown voltages depend on the application, e.g., internal combustion, gas turbine engines, energetic material initiation, etc. These voltages must be generated with a reasonable degree of certainty to attain accurate timing for the ensuing combustion process. The voltage and resulting energy must also be generated with a suitable margin to account for conditional changes from event to event that change the absolute breakdown voltage.
Spark ignition systems also deliver energy during and post breakdown to sustain combustion. Post-breakdown, the ignition system should provide enough energy to the ionized plasma to sustain the kinetics of local ignition. For many ignition systems, it is not sufficient to merely provide the energy (see Automotive Handbook, 2nd edition, Robert Bosch GmbH, 1986). The quantity and duration of energy delivery, including energy delivery as a function of time, also influences combustion efficiency. Delivering post-breakdown energy too quickly, and thus at too high a current, results in electrode wear and unsustainable combustion, while delivering the energy too late simply heats the post-combustion products.
Many examples of ignition systems requiring control over both absolute timing and energy delivery profiles are found in internal combustion engines (Heywood, J. B., Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill, 1988; Bosch Automotive Handbook; G. F. W Ziegler, et al., xe2x80x9cInfluence of a Breakdown Ignition System on Performance and Emission Characteristics,xe2x80x9d SAE Technical Paper Series, No. 840992, 1984; C. F. Edwards and A. K. Oppenheim, xe2x80x9cA comparative study of plasma ignition systems,xe2x80x9d SAE Technical Paper Series, No. 830479, 1983; Nakai, M., et al., xe2x80x9cStabilized Combustion in a Spark Ignited Engine through a Long Spark Duration,xe2x80x9d SAE Technical Paper Series, No. 850075, 1985; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,838,671, 5,024,204, and 5,383,433). Typically, these systems must initiate combustion during startup conditions and run cleanly and efficiently through changes in a variety of conditions such as mixture ratios, intake pressures, and cylinder temperatures.
Small internal combustion (IC) engines, such as those found in lawn tractors and mowers, snow blowers, marine in/outboard motors, etc., pose unique requirements for engine startup and ensuing transition to operation speeds. Hand crank speeds and resulting cylinder pressures are low, requiring startup spark timing very close to top dead center (TDC) and spark durations on the order of several milliseconds. After start, the engine speed continues to increase, requiring increased spark advance and reduced spark energies for efficient running at operation speeds. It may not be cost efficient to accommodate both startup and steady operating conditions within the same ignition system. Further, larger IC engines depend on weighty and expensive xe2x80x9cfirst timexe2x80x9d starter systems. Typically, these involve electronic fuel pumps, starter motors and electronic ignition systems all working in unison to provide first time starts in the most adverse of conditions. Due to the conditions at start-up, e.g., cold oils, cold cylinders, cold catalytic converters, etc., excessive amounts of fuel are typically injected into the combustion chamber, only a fraction of which burns, resulting in high emissions. Recently, more attention has been paid to these start-up emissions because emissions during steady engine operations are decreasing.
Full electronic control of automotive ignition systems has enabled multidimensional timing maps as a function of speed, load, intake temperature, engine temperature and various other sensed variables (see, e.g., Bosch Automotive Handbook). These timing maps represent complex, empirically determined engine data for absolute timing of ignition systems. It is an object of the present invention to provide both timing and energy delivery control in electronic ignition. This extra degree of freedom for controlling engine performance (of all size engines) will reduce emissions and improve engine performance goals.
General aviation ignition systems require extremely reliable breakdown and energy delivery in order to guarantee ignition. Typical aircraft IC ignition systems, such as those sold commercially by Unison Industries, deliver a peak voltage of 23 kiloVolts (un-fouled, maximum required) and an energy discharge of 50 milliJoules. Some of these IC systems provide multiple sparks per sequence in order to ensure ignition.
In contrast, gas turbine ignition systems require adjustment of the firing rate for changing environmental conditions, while their absolute firing times are not as critical as in an IC engine. U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,381, issued Dec. 22, 1998, describes an exciter for generating voltages and energies necessary for turbine ignition. Typically, these systems fire once to twice a second and require high spark energy, on the order of Joules. Commercial exciter systems, such as that disclosed in the ""381 patent, are controlled by regulatory electronics that are independent of the passive electrical properties of the igniter plug but are disposed in the high voltage path, making them susceptible to failure. Furthermore, current turbine engine exciter systems are based on captive discharge and thus generate high current rates that ultimately result in wear and electronic part fatigue.
In the defense industry, typical mono- and bi-propellant weapons fuels, such as hydrazine, provide unique challenges. They are generally highly toxic and have high transport, handling, storage, and other logistical costs. Suggested replacement fuels, such as hydrogen peroxide oxidants, generally have higher heat capacity and are harder to ignite. Enabling simple, lightweight ignition of these fuels could result in huge defense cost savings.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a controllable system for non-ignition breakdown applications. Such applications include pest killers, electrostatic discharge weapons (Taser), safe and arm devices, and pyrotechnic initiators and actuators. In particular, through optimal power delivery, the present invention is intended to enable low cost, low power, rapid response pyrotechnic actuators such as air bag detonators.
The invention is a tuned power ignition (TPDI) system employing a piezoelectric transformer. The invention includes both means for tuning output electrical circuit impedance and specific timing control of the transformer. Together, these elements generate breakdown voltage and post-breakdown energy with deliberate quantity and accuracy. Parameters of the TPDI system are optimized with respect to the particular combustion system, e.g., an IC engine system, etc.
The timing control may be a function of a predetermination or calibration of system performance. Exemplary input signals for the timing control also include tuned output circuit impedance, predetermined external system calibration, and parameters measured by external system sensors. With tuned electrical output impedance, the power flow across the spark gap is optimized such that, when combined with accurate timing inputs, controlled timing of breakdown and duration of energy delivery is made possible. Through precise timing inputs, TPDI output power is converted to regulated energy delivery.
Typical ignition systems, for example, magnetically transformed and captive discharge, provide control over timing of breakdown voltage and limited quantities of post-breakdown energy. In contrast, TPDI provides a tool for controlling both absolute timing of breakdown and relative timing and quantity of the post-breakdown energy.
TPDI can be also used as the sole ignition system for IC engines of all sizes. It can also be used as a starter system for IC engines, either as a simple parallel add-on or a means for reducing the size, weight and cost of the starter motor. TPDI has utility as an initiator for energetic materials commonly used in detonators and pyrotechnic actuators. The system may also be exploited in starters and ignition systems for general and commercial aviation industries. In addition, the system may be incorporated into pest killers, electrostatic discharge weapons (Taser), and safe and arm devices.
In one aspect, the invention is an ignition system. The ignition system includes a piezoelectric transformer having a drive side, an output side, and a piezoelectric element circuit elements in electronic communication with the output side that tune output impedance in series with a breakdown gap to optimize power flow from the transformer to the breakdown gap after breakdown, and a timing control circuit in electronic communication with the drive side that meters post-breakdown energy delivered to the breakdown gap by timing the duration of post-breakdown power flow. The system additionally includes electronic feedback control, feed forward control, or both. These optimize output performance as the resonance of the transformer changes. The feedback control may receive a signal from the piezoelectric element, respond to an impedance in series electronic communication with the output side of the transformer, or both. The piezoelectric transformer may be a multi-layer Rosen type transformer, or a multi-layer thickness-extensional mode type transformer. The circuit elements may include a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or any combination of these.
The ignition system may further include sensor inputs that provide data for the timing circuit to determine the absolute timing and length of a timing pulse. The timing pulse and the tuned impedance determine the net energy and power delivery to the breakdown gap post-breakdown. The sensor inputs may measure one or more of output voltage, output power delivered, revolutions per minute, torque load, throttle position, pressure intake temperature, exhaust temperature or composition, intake composition, fuel consumption, humidity, catalytic converter or cylinder wall temperature, a temperature distribution across a turbine blade, spark discharge current, combustion performance, drive side voltage, and external control computer outputs. The sensor inputs may also measure chemical species, for example, oxygen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
The ignition system may be used in addition to a pre-existing ignition system to optimize breakdown timing and post-breakdown energy delivery during pre-determined operating conditions. For example, the ignition system may be used during start up. Alternatively, the pre-existing ignition system may break down gap, and the ignition system may regulate the post-breakdown energy discharge.
The timing control circuit may provide an output signal to one or more of a transformer drive side amplifier, an oscillation generator in electronic communication with the drive side, and the feedback control. The timing control and the feedback and/or feed forward control may be combined in an integrated circuit. The output signal may be generated in response to parameters measured during operation of the ignition system. The timing control circuit may compare the parameters to a pre-determined reference value. The output signal may be a function of a plurality of measurements of the parameters. The output signal may be generated independently of the parameters. In addition, the timing control circuit may generate an output signal as a general waveform pulse having multiple control levels, a series of relatively timed single control level pulses, or both.
The transformer drive electronics may operate around a bias voltage to lower cycle by cycle resonant frequency variations and minimize material hysteresis. The piezoelectric transformer may include a single crystal piezoelectric element. The ignition system may include a plurality of piezoelectric transformers each having output rectification diodes that are adapted and constructed to be in electrical communication with a single capacitor that provides a charge to the breakdown gap.
In another aspect, the invention is a device having a combustion engine that has an igniter. The igniter has a primary ignition system and a secondary ignition system. The primary ignition system includes a power source and a capacitor that is charged by a power source. The secondary ignition system includes a piezoelectric transformer, circuit elements that tune the transformer output impedance in series with a breakdown gap, and a timing control circuit that meters post-breakdown energy delivered to the breakdown gap. The secondary system also includes an electronic feedback control, feed forward control, or both.
In another aspect, the invention is an ignition system including a piezoelectric transformer having a drive side, an output side, and a piezoelectric element, means for tuning an output impedance of the transformer in series with a breakdown gap, and means for metering post-breakdown energy delivered to the breakdown gap. The means for tuning optimize power flow from the transformer to the breakdown gap after breakdown. They may include a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or any combination of these in series electronic communication with the breakdown gap. The system further includes means for optimizing output performance of the transformer as a resonance condition of the transformer changes. The means for optimizing may include electronic feedback control, feed forward control, or both. These controls respond to an impedance in series electronic communication with the output side of the transformer. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The nominal diameter is defined as the outer diameter in the projection-free portion of the axial angle disk, wherein this outer diameter corresponds to the bearing seat diameter under consideration of bearing borehole tolerances.
Bearing borehole tolerances are understood to be the gap between an inner wall of a borehole (D2) in which the axial bearing is inserted and the outer diameter (D1) of the axial angle disk free from projections in the radial direction, that is, the outer diameter of the axial angle disk in the region in which the securing tab is not present. The bearing borehole tolerances here also comprise production tolerances with respect to the outer diameter of the axial angle disk in the region in which the securing tab is not present and in the region of the bearing borehole itself. Here it is not decisive whether the bearing seat is formed in the shape of a borehole or is, for example, primary molded.
From the state of the art, for example, from DE 10227377 A1, DE 19716195 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,223, DE 69121948 D2, DE 69510512 D2, DE 68904188 C2, and DE 14416320 A1, different axial bearings are known.
From DE 10227377 A1, for example, an axial bearing is known that has an axial angle disk. The axial angle disk has inner and outer axial angled sections. These angled sections come into contact with a carrier that is also designated in the state of the art as a housing. The axial angle disk of DE 10227377 A1 comes into a positive-fit connection with the carrier via projections that are inserted into the axial angled sections.
While the formation of projections on the inner, axial angled section is disclosed from DE 10227377 A1, it is also already known from the state of the art to provide projections on the outer, axial angled section. Each projection is then formed with a “harpoon nose-like” shape. In this way, a section of the axial angled section forming a projection is shaped without cutting. This projection is then used as a securing tab. The securing tab comes into contact with a recessed region of the housing.
From DE 19716195 A1, another axial angle disk of an axial bearing is known. Here, the axial angle disk also has a securing tab that that is not completely bent at a right angle, that is, does not have axial projections on its edges. The securing tab is used for allowing torsional locking by engaging in a recess of a housing.
The solutions from the known art feature various disadvantages. For example, a harpoon nose-like securing solution according to DE 10227377 A1 requires a sufficiently large axial dimension for a borehole in the carrier holding the axial bearing. The depth of the carrier then needed is not available in various applications. In such a case, the axial bearing would project out of the carrier and thus come into contact with other added-on parts, which would lead to defects in the scope of the interaction between the different components. Reducing the axial dimensions of the projection formed on the axial angled section and/or the axial angled section itself would lead to the projection of the axial angle disk designated as the tab breaking away from the carrier.
A securing tab, as known from DE 19716195 A1, is further used not for secured mounting, but instead merely for torsional locking and also has large spatial requirements. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to adapters for supporting drinking cups, coffee mugs and like in automobiles, vans, boats and other moving vehicles. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved adapter cup having adaptation to support enlarged drinking cups, vessels, glasses, and the like wherein an adapter has an upper enlarged receptacle for holding large diameter mugs, cups, glasses, and a lower smaller support peg for registering with sockets provided for drinking articles in vans, trucks, automobiles and the like.
2. General Background
Most moving vehicles provide a rectangular or circular socket of for example, a few inches in diameter and one to two (1-2) inches deep for accommodating standard sized drinking articles, such as aluminum drink cans, standard disposable glass sized bottles, (e.g. ten to twelve ounce) and the like. However, some drinking articles such as insulated coffee mugs, and the foam insulation wraps that are provided to go around aluminum cans, are such an enlarged outer diameter that they do not fit the majority of sockets that are provided in an automobile, truck, boat, or the like.
Therefore, there is a need for a simple, easy to use, easy to manufacture, adapter that fits the receptacle or socket on a vehicle, and yet which provides an enlarged upper diameter receptacle for accommodating oversized drinking articles, such as very large mugs, insulating jackets that go around cans and bottles, and the like. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a method of making a threaded retainer ring for retaining a roller cutter on a drill bit, and more particularly to a method of making a retainer ring having external screw threads about its outer circumference for threaded engagement with a roller cutter to retain the roller cutter on a journal of the drill bit.
Heretofore, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,600 dated July 27, 1976, a roller cutter on a rotary drill bit has been mounted on a journal of the drill bit for rotation and retained on the journal by an externally threaded split ring. The split ring includes two semicircular portions which are first fitted within a groove in the journal and then the roller cutter is threaded onto the ring with the ring forming a thrust bearing.
It is necessary for a prolonged life of a cutter under adverse operating conditions that a proper fit occurs between the screw threads of the ring and cutter, and that minimum axial looseness occurs between the semicircular ring portions and the journal. If the screw threads are formed on the ring prior to the cutting of the ring into two portions, the two cuts made in the ring cause the ring halves to be out-of-round and undersized at right angles to the direction of the split.
It is necessary in order to obtain a relatively tight fit between the threads on the roller cutter and ring that minimal clearance be provided between the interfitting threads. If there is not adequate contact between the interfitting threads, possible mechanical wear and/or breakage problems such as stripping of threads may occur, particularly upon prolonged periods of use in certain types of hard formations. If the cut in a ring is around 0.003 inch or greater, an undesirable looseness may be provided between the roller cutter and ring resulting from the decreased outer diameter of the ring. While cutting methods utilizing lasers or thin diamond saws may provide cuts having a thickness less than 0.003 inch, such methods are expensive and/or time consuming. The present invention is particularly directed to cuts in a ring having a thickness between 0.003 inch and 0.045 inch.
Thus, it has been common heretofore to form the ring with *screw threads after the ring halves or semicircular portions have been formed. One method heretofore for providing screw threads on the separate semicircular portions of the ring has been to split lengthwise a tubular bar and then clamp or weld the two split portions together. Next, the outer peripheral surfaces of the split portions are finish machined and screw threads formed thereon. Then the inner periphery of the ring portions is finish machined. A plurality of semicircular ring portions may then be sliced from the length of the split tubular bar. Such a method for making the semicircular ring halves or portions is time consuming and expensive as a result of the several steps involved and the required machining tolerances. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a quantum device, and more particularly to a quantum device using quantum boxes (also called quantum dots).
Existing electronic devices use a great number of electrons (on the order of 10.sup.4 electrons or more per bit) as those concerned in operation to utilize the law of large numbers, in order to alleviate relative fluctuation in the number of electrons (fluctuation in density of electrons) and thereby stabilize the operation of such devices.
It is desirable to use a small number of electrons from the view point of reducing power consumption of electronic devices. However, the use of such a small number of electrons disables the utilization of the law of great numbers and therefore causes the problem of fluctuation in the density of electrons.
On the other hand, it is difficult to hold three or more states in existing electronic devices. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Pulmonary hypertension (PH), which includes pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), is a disease that can result in death and is characterized by increased pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. Some drugs that can be used to treat PH or PAH cannot be effectively administered orally for various reasons and are generally administered via subcutaneous, intravenous or intramuscular routes. These routes of administration generally require intervention by a healthcare professional, and can entail considerable discomfort as well as potential local trauma to the patient.
One example of such a drug is treprostinil. Treprostinil as the free acid has an absolute oral bioavailability of less than 10% and a very short systemic half-life due to significant metabolism. Treprostinil can be administered in an inhaled form, but about 50% of PAH patients cannot take inhaled treprostinil due to irritation. Treprostinil (also called Compound A herein) has the following structure:
Treprostinil can exist as a salt, such as a sodium or diethanolamine salt. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It is frequently necessary to effect a seal in a clearance gap between two components that are capable of relative movement. In particular seals are often required to seal between a rotatable shaft and a housing surrounding the shaft, the housing having a bore through which the shaft extends.
Within a gas turbine engine there are shafts that rotate at relatively high speeds and are exposed to pressurised hot gases. Seals are required for these shafts and the seal performance can have a significant effect on the overall efficiency of the gas turbine engine. There are a number of seal designs that have been proposed for such purposes and that are designed to operate within the harsh environment found within a gas turbine engine.
One type of seal that has been developed for shafts that rotate at relatively high speeds, as found in gas turbine engines, is a brush seal. In such a brush seal, a plurality of fine bristles (such as bronze or stainless steel wire) are held in a carrier mounted on a housing. The tips of the bristles wipe against the shaft so as to effect a seal thereagainst.
A problem with such brush seals is that in use the bristles tend to flex in an axial, sealing direction, away from the high pressure side of the seal towards the low pressure side. Bending of the bristles in this way reduces the effective radial length of the bristles and so reduces the contact between the bristle tips and the shaft. In turn this reduces the sealing efficiency. Additionally flexing of the bristles can clamp the bristles against each other and against a backing member of the seal. Friction between the bristles and the backing member stiffens the bristles and prevents free movement of the bristles so that they no longer follow the shaft. Excursions of the rotating shaft are therefore not accommodated by the bristles. This leads to clearance gaps opening up between the bristle tips and shaft, and at the other extreme increased wear of the bristles, both of which reduce the seal performance.
An alternative type of seal that has been proposed for gas turbine engines, and also other applications, is a leaf seal. Leaf seals, which are sometimes called foil seals, comprise a number of thin resilient yet flexible strips which are densely packed together with the strips substantially aligned in the sealing direction. One end of the strips is held within a housing whilst the other, distil end of the strip extends across the seal gap and rests on the shaft. Such a seal design is described in European Patent Application EP 0,391,676. As described the seal elements, comprising the resilient strips in this type of seal are axially stiff and do not tend to bend in the axial, sealing, direction. This type of seal thereby alleviates some of the problems described above in relation to brush seals.
In EP 0,391,676 the resilient strips are described as being packed essentially solidly. This will prevent or restrict the radial movement of the strips. Consequently the seal described is also stiff in a radial direction. Problems can therefore occur during radial excursions of the shaft into the strips. The radial stiffness of the seal reacts against the radial movement of the shaft, causing high tip loads and increased wear of the strips.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved seal design that alleviates the above problems and/or offers improvements generally. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for outputting an audio signal, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for outputting an audio signal capable of removing noise generated when the audio signal is generated.
2. Related Art
As techniques of processing a digital signal have been developed, a method of processing an audio signal that employs a digital processing technique has also been developed. In a method of outputting a digital audio signal, a method of converting an analogue audio signal into a digital signal includes a pulse code modulation method. In the PCM method, the audio signal is digitalized, transmitted and accumulated.
A digital audio power amplifier that employs a digital pulse width modulation (PWM) method is used to output the pulse code modulated audio signal obtained in the PCM method with high reliability.
The high reliability of the digital audio power amplifier using the PWM method depends on a high accuracy DC source. Accordingly, any ripple caused by the power source influences on the PWM digital audio power amplifier. That is, the output audio signal may be damaged by the ripple of the power source.
Therefore, methods for solving the aforementioned problem have been suggested. First, a method of compensating for a damage of an audio signal due to a ripple of a power source is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,467, entitled “Digital, Pulse width modulation audio power amplifier with noise and ripple shaping” issued to Smedley. As disclosed in the U.S. Patent issued to Smedley, a divider outputs a value obtained by dividing an audio input signal x, which is over sampled and transmitted, by a source signal y. The source signal y is converted into a digital source signal by an analogue to digital (AD) converter and supplied, thereby generating the ripple.
That is, a relation z=x/y is satisfied. However, the PWM signal increases or decreases depending on a duty ratio with respect to the PCM signal that is the input signal x, and the duty ratio is non-zero during a PWM operation. However, the aforementioned equation suggested by Smedley does not consider the duty ratio of the PWM.
Accordingly, perfect compensation with respect to the PWM value cannot be obtained according to the U.S. Patent issued to Smedley.
There are practical problems caused by the source ripple in various fields in which the apparatus for outputting a digital audio signal is used. In a TDMA transmission method that is one of multiple access methods in mobile communication networks, a voltage drop due to a TDMA burst periodically occurs, thereby generating noise in an output audio signal.
To solve the problem, there is provided a technique. The technique is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No.2005-0003647 entitled “Method of removing noise from communication terminal” filed by Woongkil Choi. As disclosed in the Korean Patent Application, audio output noise is removed by applying an offset voltage during a burst period to reduce a battery voltage drop.
However, in the Korean Patent Application, only a source voltage drop is compensated, and however, the noise caused by the TDMA burst ripple is not prevented from being introduced into the audio output signal. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of communications. More particularly, the invention relates to digital subscriber loop (DSL) communications. Specifically, a preferred implementation of the invention relates to extending the range of an asymmetric digital subscriber loop (ADSL). The invention thus relates to ADSL of the type that can be termed extended.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventional telephony, often called plain old telephone service (POTS), is provided to customers over copper cable. This copper cable can be termed a subscriber loop or a subscriber line. Modern loop plant designs specify the use of 26-gauge cable for short to medium loop lengths with 24-gauge cable used to extend the range. Legacy loop plant includes cable of 22-gauge as well as 19-gauge.
At the customer premises, a telephone set is typically connected to the cable. The other end of the cable is connected to a line circuit module in the service provider""s central office (CO). Switches terminating customer loops at the central office are regarded as Class-5 switches and provide a dial-tone. The customer premise equipment (CPE) can include a personal computer (PC) modem.
Older central office switches were analog in nature and were unable to provide a broad range of services. Modern central office switches are digital. Digital switches include codecs in the line circuit to do the bilateral analog-digital (A/D) conversion; the transmission over the loop is analog and the signals occupy a frequency band of up to (approximately) 4 kHz. Conventional telephony codecs convert at an 8 kHz sampling rate and quantize to 8 bits per sample corresponding to a net bit rate of 64 kbps (or xe2x80x9cDS0xe2x80x9d).
With the advent of digital terminal equipment, such as personal computers, modems were developed to carry digital bit streams in an analog format over the cable pair. Because of the 4 kHz constraint imposed by the A/D converter in the line circuit, the data rate of such transmission is limited and is typically 9.6 kbps. More elaborate schemes have been proposed which permit higher bit rates (e.g. V.34 which can do in excess of 28.8 kbps). More recently, there are schemes that xe2x80x9cspoofxe2x80x9d the D/A converter in the line-circuit operate at bit rates as high as 56 kbps in the downstream direction (from CO to CPE). With increasing deployment of, and consequently demand for, digital services it is clear that this bit rate is insufficient.
An early proposal to increase the information carrying capacity of the subscriber loop was ISDN (xe2x80x9cIntegrated Services Digital Networkxe2x80x9d), specifically the BRI (xe2x80x9cBasic Rate Interfacexe2x80x9d) which specified a xe2x80x9c2B+Dxe2x80x9d approach where 2 bearer channels and one data channel (hence 2B+D) were transported between the CO and the CPE. Each B channel corresponded to 64 kbps and the D channel carried 16 kbps. With 16 kbps overhead, the loop would have to transport 160 kbps in a full duplex fashion. This was the first notion of a Digital Subscriber Loop (xe2x80x9cDSLxe2x80x9d) (or Digital Subscriber Line). However, this approach presumed that POTS and 2B+D would not coexist (simultaneously). The voice codec would be in the CPE equipment and the xe2x80x9cnetworkxe2x80x9d would be xe2x80x9call-digitalxe2x80x9d. Most equipment was designed with a xe2x80x9cfall-backxe2x80x9d whereby the POTS line-circuit would be in a xe2x80x9cstand-byxe2x80x9d mode and in the event of a problem such as a power failure in the CPE, the handset would be connected to the loop and the conventional line-circuit would take over. There are several ISDN DSLs operational today.(1-2)
Asymmetric digital subscriber loop (ADSL) was proposed to provide a much higher data rate to the customer in a manner that coexisted with POTS. Recognizing that the spectral occupancy of POTS is limited to low frequencies, the higher frequencies could be used to carry data (the so-called Data over Voice approach). Nominally, ADSL proposed that 10 kHz and below would be allocated to POTS and the frequencies above 10 kHz for data. Whereas the nominal ADSL band is above 10 kHz, the latest version of the standard specifies that the xe2x80x9cuseablexe2x80x9d frequency range is above 20 kHz. This wide band between 4 kHz and the low edge of the ADSL band simplifies the design of the filters used to segregate the bands.
Furthermore, it was recognized that the downstream data rate requirement is usually much greater than the upstream data rate requirement. Several flavors (xe2x80x9cClassesxe2x80x9d) of ADSL have been standardized, involving different data rates in the two directions. The simplest is Class-4 which provides (North American Standard) 1.536 Mbps in the downstream direction and 160 kbps in the upstream direction. The most complicated, Class-1, provides about 7 Mbps downstream and 700 kbps upstream.(3-4)
A stumbling block in specifying, or guaranteeing, a definite bit rate to a customer is the nature of the loop plant. Customers can be at varied geographical distances from the central office and thus the length of the subscriber loop is variable, ranging from short (hundreds of feet) to long (thousands of feet) to very long (tens of thousands of feet). The essentially lowpass frequency response of subscriber cable limits the usable bandwidth and hence the bit rate.
Moreover, loops longer than (approximately) 18 thousand feet have a lowpass characteristic that even affects the voiceband. Such loops are specially treated by the addition of load coils and are called xe2x80x9cloaded loopsxe2x80x9d. The principle is to splice in series-inductors which have the impact of xe2x80x9cboostingxe2x80x9d the frequency response at (approximately) 4 kHz with the secondary effect of increasing the attenuation beyond 4 kHz very substantially. In these loaded loops, the spectral region above 10 kHz is unusable for reliable transmission. Consequently, the categorical statement can be made that DSL (including ADSL, xe2x80x9c2B+Dxe2x80x9d, and other flavors of DSL) cannot be provided over long loops and definitely cannot be provided over loaded loops.
Heretofore, there has not been a completely satisfactory approach to providing DSL over long loops. Further, there has not been a satisfactory approach to providing DSL over loaded loops. What is needed is a solution that addresses one, or both, of these requirements. The invention is directed to meeting these requirements, among others.
There is a need for the following embodiments. Of course, the invention is not limited to these embodiments.
One embodiment of the invention is based on a method, comprising: utilizing a circuit having a first end and a second end, said circuit having a first amplification interface connecting said first end to said second end in a first direction, and a second amplification interface connecting said second end to said first end in a second direction; adapting said first amplification interface to provide a first gain adjustment as a function of a first attenuation of a first communication by a first direction impedance from said transmission medium while transmitting in said first direction, said first communication within a first frequency range over said transmission medium from said first end to said second end; and adapting said second amplification interface to provide a second gain adjustment as a function of a second attenuation of a second communication by a second direction impedance from said transmission medium while transmitting in said second direction, said second communication within a second frequency range over said transmission medium from said second end to said first end. Another embodiment of the invention is based on an apparatus, comprising: a modulator for transmitting a first communication, in a first direction over a transmission medium, said modulator operably coupled to a first amplification interface for providing a first gain adjustment, based on a first attenuation of said first communication in said first direction by a first direction impedance of said transmission medium; and a demodulator operably coupled to said modulator, for receiving a second communication, in a second direction over said transmission medium, said demodulator operably coupled to a second amplification interface for providing a second gain adjustment, based on a second attenuation of said second communication in said second direction by a second direction impedance of said transmission medium.
These, and other, embodiments of the invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating various embodiments of the invention and numerous specific details thereof, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many substitutions, modifications, additions and/or rearrangements may be made within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such substitutions, modifications, additions and/or rearrangements. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device and more particularly to a liquid crystal type emitting material being capable of being horizontally oriented and having improved emitting efficiency and an OLED device including the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, requirement for flat panel display devices having small occupied area is increased. Among the flat panel display devices, an OLED device, which may be called to as an organic electroluminescent device, is widely introduced.
The OLED device emits light by injecting electrons from a cathode as an electron injection electrode and holes from an anode as a hole injection electrode into an emission compound layer, combining the electrons with the holes, generating an exciton, and transforming the exciton from an excited state to a ground state. A flexible substrate, for example, a plastic substrate, can be used as a base substrate where elements are formed. Since the OLED device does not require a backlight assembly, the OLED device has low weight and low power consumption. Moreover, the OLED device can be operated at a voltage (e.g., 10V or below) lower than a voltage required to operate other display devices. In addition, the OLED device is adequate to produce full-color images.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the related art OLED device.
As shown in FIG. 1, the OLED device includes a first substrate (not shown), a second substrate (not shown) and an organic emitting diode E between the first and second substrates.
The organic emitting diode E includes a first electrode 10, a second electrode 30 and an organic emitting layer 20. The first electrode 10 is formed of a material having a relatively high work function to serve as an anode. For example, the first electrode 10 may be formed of indium-tin-oxide (ITO). The second electrode 30 is formed of a material having a relatively low work function to serve as a cathode. For example, the second electrode 30 may be formed of aluminum (Al) or Al alloy.
To increase emission efficiency, the organic emitting layer 20 includes a hole injecting layer (HIL) 21, a hole transporting layer (HTL) 22, an emitting material layer (EML) 23, an electron transporting layer (ETL) 24 and an electron injecting layer (EIL) 25.
In the OLED device, the hole from the first electrode 10 as an anode is transferred into the emitting material layer 23 through the hole injecting layer 21 and the hole transporting layer 22, and the electron from the second electrode 30 as a cathode is transferred into the emitting material layer 23 through the electron injecting layer 25 and the electron transporting layer 24. The hole and the electron combines in the emitting material layer 23 to emit light.
For example, material in following Formula 1-1 or Formula 1-2 are used for the emitting material layer 23.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the materials are randomly arranged in the emitting material layer 23. The randomly arranged materials cause a limitation in the emitting efficiency, i.e., a limitation in brightness, and decrease of power consumption of the OLED device. | {
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With the increase of gambling at gaming venues has come increased competition between gaming venues to obtain a larger share of the total gambling spend. Gaming venue operators have therefore continuously looked for new variations and types of games in order to attract both new and return customers to their venues.
In response to this need, suppliers of gaming devices and systems have attempted to provide the sought after variety, while still developing games that comply with the relevant regulations in the jurisdiction of the gaming venue operator. Suppliers of gaming devices therefore are faced with restrictions on the types of games and gaming apparatus that are allowable, both in terms of the prevailing regulations and in terms of providing a return on investment to the gaming venue operators.
In addition, it is important that a player be able to understand the operation of a game quickly so that the player promptly feels that they are in control of game play and can therefore extract maximum entertainment from the game.
Gaming apparatus and gaming systems are known which have player tracking systems. Some player tracking systems are configured to allow players to identify themselves by entering an alphanumeric password (and sometimes a username), either alone or in order to authenticate a player identification token, to establish the player's identity. For instance, in some gaming systems a player can establish and operate a financial account from which wagers are made or credits transferred to a gaming apparatus. These systems are typically configured such that a player must enter a password to prove that the player is indeed who the player claims to be, prior to allowing access to the player's financial account.
In another example, a password may be used by a player to lock a apparatus that he or she is playing during a period in which the apparatus is unattended, for example during a toilet or smoking break. On return to the apparatus the player uses his or her password or PIN to “unlock” the gaming apparatus.
It has been found that, for convenience, players often choose short passwords or passwords that are easy for them to remember, such as their name, the name of a family member, or simply the word “password”. As a result of players' desire for convenient, easy to remember passwords, password authentication methods can be defeated relatively easily, either by trial and error or guesswork.
Any reference in this specification to the prior art does not constitute an admission that such prior art was well known or forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field
Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to data storage systems, and more particularly, to heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Higher storage bit densities in magnetic media used in disk drives have reduced the size (volume) of magnetic bits to the point where the magnetic bit dimensions are limited by the grain size of the magnetic material. Although grain size can be reduced further, the data stored within the magnetic bits may not be thermally stable. That is, random thermal fluctuations at ambient temperatures may be sufficient to erase data. This state is described as the superparamagnetic limit, which determines the maximum theoretical storage density for a given magnetic media. This limit may be raised by increasing the coercivity of the magnetic media or by lowering the temperature. Lowering the temperature may not always be practical when designing hard disk drives for commercial and consumer use. Raising the coercivity, on the other hand, requires write heads that incorporate higher magnetic moment materials, or techniques such as perpendicular recording (or both).
One additional solution has been proposed, which uses heat to lower the effective coercivity of a localized region on the magnetic media surface and writes data within this heated region. The data state becomes “fixed” once the media cools to ambient temperatures. This technique is broadly referred to as “thermally assisted (magnetic) recording” (TAR or TAMR), “energy assisted magnetic recording” (EAMR), or “heat-assisted magnetic recording” (HAMR) which are used interchangeably herein. It can be applied to longitudinal and perpendicular recording systems as well as “bit patterned media”. Heating of the media surface has been accomplished by a number of techniques such as focused laser beams or near-field optical sources.
Typically, the laser beam used to heat the media surface is generated from Fabry Perot (FP) laser diodes, but the FP laser diodes suffer from mode hopping which leads to significant power fluctuations, such as power fluctuations greater than two percent. High frequency pulsing of the laser diode can reduce the impact of mode hopping by forcing the device to operate multimode. However, the quality of the magnetic recording is degraded by using the high frequency pulsing of the laser diode.
Therefore, an improved HAMR system is needed. | {
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This invention relates to a combination anti-theft and adjustable mounting assembly for a citizen's band radio receiver and transmitter of the type adapted for operation within a vehicle, such as an automobile, truck or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an arrangement of parts to inhibit access to the threaded fastening members used for the support of any one of a number of radio receiving and transmitting devices having different physical dimensions; the arrangement of parts being such that the assembly is a deterent to unauthorized removal of the radio receiver and transmitter while at the same time providing key-operated locking facilities to permit authorized removal of the receiver and transmitter.
It is the usual practice to mount a CB radio receiver and transmitter, hereinafter referred to for brevity sake as a CB radio transceiver, by a support bracket onto a suitable support surface such as the marginal edge of sheet metal forming the lower portion of the instrument panel in an automobile. Typically, a U-shaped bracket was first attached to the cowling at a desired location. Threaded fasteners were then passed through holes in the bracket and into tapped holes in the sides of a CB radio transceiver. While a minimum of effort was required to install the CB radio transceiver, it is virtually just as simple to remove it which has given rise to a severe national problem of theft of CB radio transceivers. The fastening means, for example, are particularly susceptible to unauthorized access.
In my prior application, Ser. No. 661,313, filed Feb. 25, 1976, there is disclosed a combined anti-theft and mounting assembly for a CB radio device of which the present invention is an improvement thereon. While this prior device achieves the purpose for which it was intended, it nevertheless suffers from the disadvantage that it must be constructed with physical dimensions to accommodate the particular CB radio transceiver intended for use therewith. In other words, the disclosed anti-theft and mounting assembly is suitable for all CB radio transceivers having essentially the same physical dimensions. However, different-sized parts to form the assembly are needed to accommodate, for example, a smaller transceiver or otherwise it may fail to inhibit unauthorized access to the support bolts passed into the threaded holes at the sides of the CB radio transceiver. Thus, there is a need to provide a more universal mounting and anti-theft assembly to accommodate CB radio transceivers having a variety of different physical dimensions. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Engine blowers for blowing and collecting fallen leaves as well as pruned branches and leaves have been known. In the engine blower, a fan accommodated in a volute case is rotated by an air-cooling engine. A portion of blowing air generated by a fan is employed as cooling air for cooling the engine. In other words, an outlet port is provided on a volute case, and a part of blowing air is delivered through the outlet port to the engine as the cooling air (e.g., Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1: JP-B-3778269 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing composite electrical insulators made of polymeric material.
2. Description of Related Art
There is known a composite electrical insulator which includes an elongate and solid or hollow core rod of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP), a sheath covering the core rod over substantially the entire length thereof, and a plurality of sheds projecting radially outwards from the sheath and spaced from each other in a longitudinal direction of the core rod. The sheath and the sheds are integrally formed on the core rod by injection or transfer molding of appropriate polymeric material having an electrically insulating property, such as silicone rubber, ethylene propylene copolymer (EPM), ethylene propylene diene copolymer (EDPM), polyurethane, etc. Such a composite insulator has been actually put into practical applications, particularly in any use environment which can draw out various functional advantages of the composite insulator.
There have been various proposals regarding the technology for manufacturing composite insulators. For example, JP-A-54-65392 discloses a method for manufacturing composite insulators wherein the sheds are mounted onto the sheath on the core rod in their radially expanded state, and carried on the sheath by a clamping force which arises from a radial shrinkage and adhered thereto by an adhesive agent. This method suffers from a problem that it is difficult to improve the manufacturing productivity and assembling accuracy, particularly when the sheds are mounted onto the sheath by a manual operation. Furthermore, JP-A-61-181015 discloses another method wherein the shed is caused to radially expand in a room temperature condition, is cooled and mounted onto the sheath on the core rod in its expanded state, and is heated to the room temperature such that the shed undergoes a shrinkage so as to be tightly connected to the sheath. This method also suffers from a problem that it is difficult to improve the manufacturing productivity and assembling accuracy. Moreover, precise and strict temperature control is required for the sheds. | {
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Remote control systems are known in the prior art that use infrared technology to control a device. These systems comprise a transmitter located on the remote control unit and a receiver located on the device. The use of infrared rays requires the transmitter to be pointed towards the receiver on the device. | {
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Presently known methods for Time-Scale Modification (“TSM”) enable digitally recorded audio to be modified so that a perceived articulation rate of spoken passages, i.e., a speaking rate, can be modified dynamically during playback. Typical applications of such TSM methods include, but are not limited to, speed reading for the blind, talking books, digitally recording lectures, slide shows, multimedia presentations and foreign language learning. In a typical such application, referred to herein as a Listener-Directed Time-Scale Modification application (“LD-TSM”), a listener can control the speaking rate during playback of a previously recorded speaker. This enables the listener to “speed-up” or “slow-down” the articulation rate and, thereby, the information delivery rate provided by the previously recorded speaker. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, the use of the TSM method in the above-described LD-TSM application enables the sped-up or slowed-down speech or audio to be presented intelligibly at the increased or decreased playback rates. Thus, for example, a listener can readily comprehend material through which he/she is fast-forwarding.
In a typical LD-TSM system, input from the listener can be specified in a number of different ways. For example, input can be specified through the use of key presses (button pushes), mouse movements, or voice commands, all of which are referred to below as “keypresses.” As a result, one can readily appreciate that an LD-TSM system enables a listener to adjust the information delivery rate of a digital audio medium to suit his/her interests and speed of comprehension.
As one can readily appreciate from the above, in order to optimize the use of such an LD-TSM system, there is a need for determining how listeners interact with audio media that provide TSM. In particular, the actual information delivery rate selected by a listener depends on diverse factors such as intelligibility of a speaker, listener interest in the subject matter, listener familiarity with the subject matter, whether the listener is transcribing the content, and the general amount of time the listener has allotted for receiving the contents of the material.
Prior art methods for determining listener interest in portions of speech and/or audio are inherently inaccurate. Specifically, these methods involve detecting fast-forward and rewind patterns of, for example, a cassette tape produced by button pushes. The use of such fast-forward or rewind patterns suffers from various drawbacks. For example, the listener often alternates between fast-forwarding and rewinding over a particular piece of audio material because the information is either not presented, or is unintelligible while fast-forwarding or rewinding. In addition, whenever a playback location is advanced, this either interrupts playback while advancing through the audio material or presents unintelligible versions of the audio material (“chipmunk like” sounds for speed-up, etc.). As such, current methods of determining listener interest are of little use for determining an optimal information delivery rate.
As one can readily appreciate from the above, a need exists in the art for a method and apparatus for determining audience (listener) affinity (for example, interest) in portions of media works. In addition, a need exists in the art for a method and apparatus for using the audience (listener) affinity to create and/or to present the altered media works to an audience. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional electrophotographic image-forming apparatus performs an electrophotographic process. A charging unit (e.g., charging roller) charges the surface of an image bearing body (e.g., photoconductive drum). Then, a developing section (e.g., developing roller) applies a thin layer of toner to the electrostatic latent image electrostatically, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image. A transfer section transfers the toner image onto a print medium. A cleaning section removes residual toner that failed to be transferred to the print medium.
One such conventional image-forming apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 11-184190. This image-forming apparatus performs correction of toner density of printed images in addition to the aforementioned electrophotographic image formation. The correction of toner density of printed images is to maintain the toner density that would otherwise change over time or due to changes in environmental conditions. In the correction of toner density, a test pattern is formed on an image bearing body or an intermediate transfer belt. A toner density detecting section detects the toner density of the test pattern. The toner density varies in accordance with various print conditions such as the amount of light emitted from an exposing unit, a developing voltage applied to a developing roller, and a toner supplying voltage applied to a toner-supplying roller. Thus, these print conditions are controlled based on the toner density detected by the toner density detecting section.
For example, the ability of toner to acquire charge varies due to changes in environmental conditions. A developing blade and the toner-supplying roller wear over time so that the density of toner increases due to increases in the thickness of toner layer. In order to prevent the toner density from increasing, the developing voltage, for example, is decreased below a predetermined level to decrease the toner density. Too low a developing voltage causes graininess (i.e., reproducibility of dots) to deteriorate. Thus, it is necessary not to decrease the developing voltage below a certain lower limit.
When the toner density decreases, the developing voltage is controlled in such a way that the toner density increases. Conversely, too high a developing voltage causes soiling of images or gives rise to “after-images”. Thus, it is necessary no to increase the developing voltage above a certain upper limit.
The aforementioned conventional image-forming apparatus suffers from the following drawbacks. The developing voltage is controlled within a range having a fixed upper limit and a fixed lower limit. Therefore, the graininess can deteriorate or soiling of images may occur depending on changes in the conditions of the apparatus over time and/or changes in environmental conditions. | {
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The Japanese Patent Published Application No. 2004-85524 by the present applicant discloses a golf game system including a game apparatus and golf-club-type input device (operation article), and the housing of the game apparatus houses an imaging unit which comprises an image sensor, infrared light emitting diodes and so forth. The infrared light emitting diodes intermittently emit infrared light to a predetermined area above the imaging unit while the image sensor intermittently captures images of the reflecting object of the golf-club-type input device which is moving in the predetermined area.
The motion of the golf-club-type input device can be detected by processing the stroboscopic images of the reflecting object.
However, the scope of costs as required differs from business to business, and thereby it is sometimes required to develop and manufacture a product at a lower cost. | {
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Exemplary embodiments relate to wireless sensing and actuation networks, and more specifically, to methods and systems for providing a network of low power sensing and actuating motes.
In general, motes are small low-power computers that are configured to act as sensors. Currently available motes are configured to communicate with a central computer via a radio link. Common radio links allow a mote to transmit a distance of approximately 10 to 200 feet. The distance is typically limited by power consumption, size and cost constraints. Mote networks are currently used for a variety of applications and the motes may include Global Positioning System (GPS) sensors for use in identifying the location of each mote in the mote network. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio processing device that performs audio signal processing to a digital audio signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there is an audio processing device that is configured to activate so as to achieve energy saving when external equipment is connected. As the audio processing device, there is an AV receiver that performs audio signal processing such as sound field processing, D/A conversion, and amplification to a digital audio signal (for example, see JP 2015-065502 A). FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating configuration of a conventional AV receiver. For example, an AV receiver 101 is connected to a CD player that is external equipment by an optical digital cable. The CD player reads digital data from a CD and outputs an SPDIF signal to the AV receiver 101.
The AV receiver 101 includes a receiving circuit 103, a detection circuit 103, and a microcomputer 102. The AV receiver 101 includes a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and so on, but description is omitted. The receiving circuit 103 receives the SPDIF signal that is output from the CD player. The detection circuit 104 detects that a digital audio signal terminal is connected and supplies a detection signal. The microcomputer 102 activates the AV receiver 101 when the detection circuit 104 supplies the detection signal.
However, it cannot be judged whether the SPDIF signal is an audio signal indicating sound or not because the SPDIF signal is a bi-phase signal. For this reason, there is a problem that although the SPDIF signal is silence, the AV receiver activates, and wasteful electric power is consumed. | {
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1. Field
One or more exemplary embodiments relate to a thermoelectric material and a chalcogenide compound, and more particularly, to a thermoelectric material and a chalcogenide compound both having low thermal conductivity and a high Seebeck coefficient.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, thermoelectric materials are used in active cooling, waste heat power generation, and other similar applications of the Peltier effect and the Seebeck effect. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating thermoelectric cooling using the Peltier effect. Referring to FIG. 1, the Peltier effect is a phenomenon whereby, when a DC voltage is externally applied, holes of a p-type material and electrons of an n-type material are transported to cause heat absorption at one side of both the p-type and n-type materials. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating thermoelectric power generation using the Seebeck effect. Referring to FIG. 2, the Seebeck effect is a phenomenon whereby, when heat is supplied from an external heat source, current-flow is generated in the material while electrons and holes are transported to cause power generation.
Active cooling that uses such a thermoelectric material improves thermal stability of devices, does not cause vibration and noise, and does not use a separate condenser and refrigerant, and the active cooling method is environmentally-friendly. Thus, active cooling that uses such a thermoelectric material may be applied to refrigerant-free refrigerators, air conditioners, a variety of micro cooling systems, and the like. In particular, when a thermoelectric device is attached to memory devices or other computer devices, the temperature of the devices may be maintained to be uniform and stable, especially in comparison with a conventional cooling method. Thus, the memory device or other computer device can have improved performance.
Meanwhile, when thermoelectric materials are used in thermoelectric power generation using the Seebeck effect, the waste heat is extracted and transformed to electrical energy by the thermoelectric materials. Thus, thermoelectric materials may be applied in a variety of fields that increase energy efficiency or reuse waste heat, such as in vehicle engines and air exhausters, waste incinerators, waste heat in iron mills, power sources of medical devices in the human body using human body heat, and other applications.
A dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT, defined as shown in Equation 1 below, is used to show the performance efficiency of a thermoelectric material.
ZT = S 2 σ T k Mathematical Formula 1
Here, S is a Seebeck coefficient, σ is an electrical conductivity, T is an absolute temperature, and κ is a thermal conductivity of a thermoelectric material.
To increase values of the dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT, there is a need to develop a material having a high Seebeck coefficient and high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention resides in the concept of certain ureylenebis-[(substituted or unsubstituted-phenylenecarbonylimino)bis-(substituted-naphthoic acids)] and salts thereof which are novel compounds useful as inhibitors of connective tissue destruction.
Abnormal destruction of connective tissue by collagenase and/or neutral proteases causes tissue damage and/or tissue dysfunction. In these conditions an inhibitor of connective tissue destruction acting directly or indirectly would be useful in preventing, retarding, or reversing tissue damage and/or collagen diseases.
The term connective tissue refers to a matrix of at least three protein molecules, collagen, proteoglycan and elastin. These molecules play an important role in the structural integrity of normal tissues. Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body occupies a central position in the connective tissue matrix ["Biochemistry of Collagen", Ed. G. N. Ramachandran and A. H. Reddi, Academic Press, New York (1976); P. Bornstein, Ann. Rev. Biochem., 43, 567 (1974); J. Fessler and L. Fessler, Ann. Rev. Biochem., 47, 129 (1978)].
Collagen is, for example, the main structural component of the oral tissue (periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, gingiva, and cementum) [Fullmer, et al., J. Dental Research, 48, 646 (1969)]. Collagen amounts to 40% of cartilage protein, 90% of bone protein, and over 90% of dry dermis. Articular cartilage is the resilient tissue that covers the articulating extremities in synovial joints. It consists of collagen fibres that are intimately meshed in a hydrated gel of proteoglycan.
Proteoglycan, as it exists in cartilage, is a molecule in which sulfated polysaccharide chains are covalently linked to a protein backbone ["Dynamics of Connective Tissue Macromolecules", Ed. P. M. Burleigh and A. R. Poole, North Holland, Amsterdam (1975)].
Elastin is a major connective tissue component of pulmonary structure ["Elastin and Elastic Tissue", Ed. L. B. Sandberg, W. R. Gray, and C. Franzblau, Plenum Press, New York (1977)]. The breakdown of elastin of pulmonary connective tissue is considered the primary event in pulmonary emphysema [A. Janoff in "Prosteases and Biological Control", Cold Spring Harbor Conference on Cell Proliferation, 2, 603 (1975)].
Degradation of fibrous collagen is initiated by a combination of neutral proteases and tissue collagenase as an integral part of a complex immunopathological process which results in the loss of collagen from normal tissue. Under normal conditions cellular mechanisms maintain a careful balance between the rates of collagen synthesis and degradation. However, in certain pathological conditions, the ensuing elevated levels of neutral proteases and collagenase can result in rapid collagen degradation and tissue dysfunction. For example, in periodontal disease, the generated elevated levels of neutral proteases and collagenase in the gingival crevicular fluid rapidly degrade the fibrous collagen supporting the teeth. Periodontal pockets result ultimately from collagen degradation, and as these pockets deepen, support of tooth is lost and alveolar bone is resorbed [K. Ohlsson, I. Ohlsson, and G. I. Basthall, Acta Odontol. Scand., 32, 51 (1974); L. M. Golub, S. Kenneth, H. McEwan, J. B. Curran, and N. S. Ramamurthy, J. Dental Research, 55, 177 (1976); L. M. Golub, J. E. Stakin and D. L. Singer, J. Dental Research, 53, 1501 (1974); L. M. Wahl, S. M. Wahl, S. E. Mergenhagen, and G. R. Martin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S., 71, 3598 (1974); Science, 187, 261 (1975)].
In arthritic conditions such as in rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis, and osteoarthritis elevated degradation of collagen and proteoglycan initiate rapid destruction of articular tissue [J. M. Evanson, J. J. Jefferey, and S. M. Krane, Science, 158, 499 (1967); E. D. Harris, D. R. Dibona and S. M. Krane, J. Clin. Invest., 48, 2104 (1969); E. D. Harris, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Medcom. Press, N.Y. (1974); Z. Werb, C. L. Mainardi, C. A. Vater and E. D. Harris, New Eng. J. Med., 296, 1017 (1977); J. M. Dayer, R. G. Russell and S. M. Krane, Science, 195, 181 (1977); E. D. Harris, C. A. Vater, C. L. Mainardi and Z. Werb, Agents and Actions, 8, 35 (1978); D. E. Woolley, E. D. Harris, C. L. Mainardi and C. E. Brinkerhoff, Science, 200, 773 (1978); E. D. Harris, C. S. Faulkner, F. E. Brown, Clin. Orthoped., 110, 303 (1975); M. G. Ehrlich, H. J. Mankin, H. Jones, R. Wright and C. Crisper, J. Bone Jt. Surg., 57A, 565 (1975); S. Gordon, W. Newmand and B. Bloom, Agents and Action, 8, 19 (1978); "Mechanisms of Tissue Injury With Reference to Rheumatoid Arthritis", Ed. R. J. Perper, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 256, 1-450 (1975)].
Increased collagen degradation in bone can result in abnormal bone destruction as in osteoporosis [C. G. Griffith, G. Nichols, J. D. Asher and B. Flannagan, J. Am. Med. Assoc., 193, 91 (1965); B. Gardner, H. Gray and G. Hedyati, Curr. Top. Surg. Res., 2, 175 (1970); B. Gardner, S. Wallach, H. Gray and R. K. Baker, Surg. Forum, 22, 435 (1971)]. Collagenase activity has also resulted in tissue damage in cholesteatoma [M. Abramson, R. W. Schilling, C. C. Huang and R. G. Salome, Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Faryngol., 81, 158 (1975); M. Abramson and C. C. Huang, Laryngoscope, 77, 1 (1976)]. In corneal ulcerations that progress to loss of corneal integrity and function, collagenase has been implicated as a direct factor in corneal destruction [S. I. Brown, C. W. Hook and N. P. Tragakis, Invest. Ophthamol., 11, 149 (1972); M. B. Berman, C. H. Dohlman, P. F. Davison, and M. Ghadinger, Exptl. Eye Res., 11, 225 (1971)]. Elevated levels of collagenase have also been observed in patients with epidermolysis bullosa, and a group of related genetic diseases of the skin [E. A. Bauer, T. G. Dahl, and A. Z. Eisen, J. Invest. Dermatology, 68, 119 (1977)].
Increased breakdown of elastin of the lung tissue by neutral proteases (elastase) may contribute to the lesions in pulmonary emphysema [I. Mandel, T. V. Darmle, J. A. Frierer, S. Keller and G. M. Turino, Elastin and Elastic Tissue, Ed. L. B. Sandberg, W. R. Gray and C. Fransblau, Plenum Press, N.Y., p. 221 (1977)].
A variety of substances, both naturally occurring and synthetically prepared, have been found to be inhibitors of connective tissue destruction, e.g., inhibitors of collagen degradation, that is, as collagenase inhibitors. Such substances include, for example, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, 1,10-phenanthroline, cysteine, dithiothretol and sodium auriothiomalate [D. E. Woolley, R. W. Glanville, D. R. Roberts and J. M. Evanson, Biochem J., 169 265 (1978); S. Seifter and E. Harper, Chap. 18, "The Collagenases" in The Enzymes (3rd Edition), 3, 649-697, Ed. by P. D. Boyer, Academic Press, N.Y. (1971)]. In the eye, a number of studies using collagenase inhibitors directly applied to corneal ulcerations have been reported. Calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetate and acetylcysteine reduce the frequency of ulceration in the alkali burned rabbit [M. Berman and C. Dohlman, Arch. Ophthamol., 35, 95 (1975)]. Both cysteine and acetylcysteine have been effective in the treatment of acute and chronic corneal ulceration in the human, although the latter compound was preferred because of its greater stability [S. I. Brown, N. P. Tragakis and D. B. Pease, Am. J. Ophthalmol., 74, 316 (1972); M. Berman, Trace Components of Plasma: Isolation and Clinical Significance, 7th Annual Red Cross Symposium, p. 225, Alan. R. Liss, Inc., N.Y. (1976)].
Naturally occurring collagenase inhibitors include the serum components .alpha..sub.2 -macroglobulin and .beta.1-anticollagenase [D. E. Woolley, R. W. Glanville, D. R. Roberts and J. M. Evanson, Biochem. J., 169, 265 (1978)].
While some compound may inhibit the destructive effect of collagenase on connective tissue by acting directly on collagenase itself, other compounds may inhibit such destruction by coating, binding or competing with sights on the connective tissue in such a manner as to prevent collagenase from attacking it. The present invention, however, is not to be restricted or limited to any particular mechanism or mode of action. Suffice it to say, that the compounds of this invention have utility as inhibitors of connective tissue destruction albeit in whatever manner or mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,436 discloses substituted 3-(2-naphthyl)-cyclohexanes useful in the treatment of collagen diseases. British Pat. Nos. 856,357 and 1,246,141 disclose 2-aryl-hexahydro-quinolizines and 1-hydroxylpraline derivatives, respectively, useful for treating diseases affecting connective tissue. The closest known structurally related compound to those of the present invention and disclosed as having collagenase inhibiting activity is found in Thromb. Res., 10(4), 605-11 (1977), wherein the trypanocidal agent trypan blue is reported as inhibiting the activity of collagenase, or a proteinase contaminant in the collagenase preparation. It is interesting, however, that in this same article, the ureide Suramin is reported as not inhibiting the action of collagenase. The closest known ureides to those of the present invention, and not disclosed as inhibitors of connective tissue destruction or as collagenase inhibitors are those ureides found in Journal of the Chemical Society, 3069 (1927), and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,218,654 and 1,308,071. The generic disclosure of the '071 patent encompasses a vast number of ureides and with proper selection, among the many possible variables, some of the compounds of this invention may be encompassed within this broad generic disclosure. However, such disclosure by itself does not anticipate or render obvious the invention claimed herein. | {
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Ambulatory infusion pumps are useful for providing a variety of drug therapies. Ambulatory infusion pumps can be particularly beneficial for therapies which must be delivered over an extended period of time.
Although ambulatory infusion pumps are typically used in a hospital or clinic setting, with the shift of health care delivery from the hospital setting to the outpatient and home settings, reliable effective ambulatory pumps for home use are necessary to safely deliver medications. A problem with patient home use of ambulatory infusion pumps, however, is that patients and family members are typically not professionally trained in use of the devices. Thus, if a problem arises with operation of the device, the patient is often not aware of how to correct the problem. This can require the patient to call a nurse or other outside caregiver to correct the problem, often requiring an in-person visit, or to spend significant time on the phone with a customer helpline trying to describe and correct the problem. Accordingly, there is a need for a quicker and more reliable way for patients to correct errors with ambulatory infusion pumps in a home setting. | {
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It is common to rotate an elongated strand of extruded meat emulsion contained within an elongated casing because the casing material is durable enough to permit rotation and linking thereof without substantial danger of the casing material being torn whereupon the meat emulsion will escape. However, in recent times, a system has been developed wherein an elongated strand of extruded meat emulsion is coated with a collagen substance which, when it cures, becomes a suitable casing material for the meat emulsion. However, before complete curing, the strand of meat emulsion so made is very fragile and cannot easily be rotated or linked.
It is therefore a principle object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method for rotating such a fragile extruded strand of meat product for linking purposes.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. | {
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Over the years, various drugs have been developed to assist in the treatment of a wide variety of ailments and diseases. However, in many instances such drugs are not capable of being administered either orally or intravenously without the risk of various detrimental side effects.
CMV retinitis is a disease that is characterized by inflammation of the retina caused by infection with cytomegalovirus. CMV retinitis is one of the most common causes of sight-threatening infections among people with HIV. The symptoms include loss of visual acuity, blind spots, and the loss of peripheral vision. Left untreated, CMV retinitis can lead to blindness.
Intravenous ganciclovir (GCV) is effective in the treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS patients, but bone marrow toxicity limits its usefulness. Continuous maintenance GCV therapy is necessary to prevent progression or recrudescence of the disease, but despite maintenance therapy a significant number of patients experience a relapse during treatment. Additionally, there are other risks and problems associated with systemic GCV administration.
Intravitreal GCV injections administered once or twice weekly have resulted in temporary remission of CMV retinitis in AIDS patients. Intravitreal GCV injections may provide a higher intraocular drug concentration than systemic therapy and reduce the incidence of neutropenia. However, current treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS patients is clearly suboptimal. Ganciclovir is virustatic and thus disease inhibition requires maintenance drug administration.
A more detailed explanation of the use of intravenous of GCV and intravitreal injections of GCV can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,598, herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. A discussion of the difficulties associated with the systemic therapy of cyclosporine A in the treatment of uveitis can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,773,019 and 6,001,386, herein incorporated in their entirety by reference.
Accordingly, there exists a strong need for the elimination of the undesirable physiological problems associated with GCV treatment of CMV retinitis, while maintaining the advantageous properties of this treatment. Although delivering the drug locally with injections may minimize the systemic toxicity of GCV, repeated injection is not a practical mode of administration.
Due to the risks that certain drugs impose, researchers have developed systems for administering such drugs to aid in the treatment of these ailments and diseases. A general discussion of drug delivery control systems is provided in Controlled Drug Delivery (Part I), Xue Shen Wu, Ph.D. pp32, 33, 44-46, 63, 66, and 67 (Technomic Publishing Co. Inc., 1996), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The systems have been designed largely to reduce and to control the release rate of incorporated drugs. However, these systems fail to achieve the advantages claimed by the present invention.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,335 to Arnold, relates to various ocular inserts that act as a deposit or drug reservoir for slowly releasing a drug into the tear film for prolonged periods of time. These inserts are fabricated as a three-layer laminate of flexible polymeric materials that are biologically inert, non-allergenic, and insoluble in tear fluid. To initiate the therapeutic programs of these devices, the ocular inserts are placed in the cul-de-sac between the sclera of the eyeball and the eyelid for administering the drug to the eye. Multiple layer laminate systems can present a challenge to reproducibly manufacture and are more difficult to produce by large-scale manufacturing procedures.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,530 is manufactured with a plurality of capillary openings that communicate between the exterior of the device and the interior chamber generally defined from a polymeric membrane. While the capillary openings in this construction are effective for releasing certain drugs to the eye, they add considerable complexity to the manufacture of the device because it is difficult to control the size of these openings reproducibly in large-scale manufacturing using various polymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,604 describes a device that does not involve such capillary openings, but instead provides for the release of the drug by diffusion through a polymeric membrane. The device, as disclosed in a preferred embodiment, comprises a sealed container with the drug contained in an interior chamber. Nonetheless, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,335, certain problems have been identified with such devices such as the difficult task of sealing the margins of the membrane to form the container. In addition, stresses and strains introduced into the membrane walls from deformation during manufacturing of those devices may cause the reservoir to rupture and leak.
The above described systems and devices are intended to provide sustained release of drugs effective in treating patients at a desired local or systemic level for obtaining certain physiological or pharmacological effects. However, there are many disadvantages associated with their use, including the fact that it is often difficult to obtain the desired release rate of the drug.
The need for a better release system is especially significant in the treatment of CMV retinitis. Thus, there remains a long-felt need in the art for an improved device for providing sustained release of a drug to a patient to obtain a desired local or systemic physiological or pharmacological effect.
Prior to the development of the present invention, there was a drug delivery device developed that ameliorated many of the problems associated with sustained release drug delivery. The device, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,475 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), included a first coating essentially impermeable to the passage of the effective agent and a second coating permeable to the passage of the effective agent. In the device, the first coating covered at least a portion of the inner core; however, at least a small portion of the inner core is not coated with the first coating layer. The second coating layer essentially completely covers the first coating layer and the uncoated portion of the inner core. The portion of the inner core which is not coated with the first coating layer allows passage of the agent into the second coating layer thus allowing controlled release.
While the devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,475 solve many of the aforementioned problems pertaining to drug delivery, the devices and the method of making the devices are not without some problems. In particular, polymers suitable for coating the inner core are frequently relatively soft and technical difficulties can arise in production of uniform films. This is especially true when attempting to coat non-spherical bodies with edges (such as a cylindrical shape). In such cases, relatively thick films must be applied to achieve uninterrupted and uniform coatings, which adds significant bulk to the device. Thus, the devices tend to be larger than necessary as a result of the thickness needed to seal the ends of the inner core. In addition to adding bulk, multiple layer devices are more difficult to manufacture reproducibly and are more difficult to produce by large-scale manufacturing procedures. Also, the various layers can be made of materials which are relatively incompatible with one another adding to the difficulties in coating. Often devices such as these require manual assembly that is time consuming, limits available supply, and adds variability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,598 also presents solutions to some of the problems associated with manufacturing small devices. The device in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,598 includes a third permeable coating layer that essentially completely covers the device. While the third coating layer improves the structural integrity of the device and helps to prevent potential leakage, manufacturing difficulties can limit scaled up manufacturing. For example, consistent application of the outermost coating layer and reproducibility in manufacturing can be problematic with designs which require manual assembly, a significant number of steps in the assembly process, or outer dip coatings.
In addition, depending on the materials selected for the outermost coating layer of the devices in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,902,598 and 5,378,475, there may exist a need to cure the entire device including the agent. Depending on the amount of curing required and the agents used, in some applications this could result in undesirable degradation of the active.
The problem of device size is extremely important in the design of devices for implantation into the limited anatomical spaces such as small organs like the eye. Larger devices require more complex surgery to both implant and remove. The increased complexity can result in complication, longer healing or recovery periods, and potential side effects (e.g. increased chance of astigmatism). Further, the extra polymer required to achieve a uniform coating reduces the potential internal volume of the implant and hence limits the amount of drug that can be delivered, potentially limiting both efficacy and duration.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have a structurally stable device that can be reproducibly manufactured and manufactured by commercial techniques. As a result of all of the above, there remains a long felt need in the art for an improved device for providing sustained release of a drug to a mammalian organism to obtain a desired local or systemic physiological or pharmacological effect, especially for ocular use. | {
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Memory devices are typically assembled into memory modules that are used in a computer system. These memory modules typically include single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) having memory devices on one side of the memory module, and dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) having memory devices on both sides of the memory module. The memory devices of a memory module are accessed in groups. Each of the groups are commonly referred to as “ranks,” with single-sided DIMMs typically having one rank of memory devices and double-sided DIMMs having two ranks of memory devices, one rank on either side of the memory module.
Each of the memory devices of a memory module receives a set of signals, which is generated by a memory controller. These signals include command signals for specifying the type of access of a memory device, such as a read or a write, address signals specifying the location in the memory device being accessed, and write data signals corresponding to data that are to be stored in the memory device. The memory device can also transmits to the memory controller read data signals corresponding to data that have been stored in the memory device.
As the operating speed of memory devices continues to increase, timing margins for the various signals related to memory device operation become more critical, particularly for data signals, which are generally transmitted and received at a higher rate than command and address signals. Subtle variations in signal timing and operating conditions can negatively impact memory device performance. Consequently, it is desirable to improve timing margins without sacrificing performance, where possible.
One factor that can adversely affect timing margins is reflection of signals in conductors through which data signals are coupled. Write data signals and read data signals are typically coupled through a data bus that is coupled to several memory devices. As is well known to one skilled in the art, the conductors of the data bus are transmission lines, which have a characteristic impedance. If the impedance of a memory device data bus terminal is not matched to the characteristic impedance of the data bus conductors, write data signals transmitted to the memory device will be partially reflected from the data bus terminals. Similarly, read data signals transmitted to a memory controller will be partially reflected from the data bus terminals of the memory controller if the impedance of the data bus terminals does not match the characteristic impedance of the data bus conductors. These reflected read and write data signals can remain present on the data bus as subsequent data signals are coupled through the data bus, and they can alter in spurious manner the timing of transitions of these subsequent data signals or the amplitude of these subsequent data signals. The result is a reduction in the timing margins of the memory device.
One approach to improving memory device timing margins is the use of on-die termination (“ODT”) circuits for data bus terminals to which data input/output buffers are connected. The ODT circuits provide resistive terminations that are approximately matched to the characteristic impedance of the data bus conductors to reduce reflections and thereby improve timing margins of the memory device.
The ODT circuits used in a conventional memory device are typically disabled when the memory device is not receiving write data, and they are enabled when the memory device is receiving write data. When the ODT circuit is disabled, the impedances of its associated data bus terminals are very high to simulate an “open circuit” condition in which the memory device is not connected to the data bus, under this condition, the data bus terminals do not substantially reflect data signals. A typical ODT circuit 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The ODT circuit 10 includes a series combination of a first termination resistor 12, which is connected to a supply voltage VCC, a PMOS switching transistor 14, an NMOS switching transistor 16 and a second termination resistor 18, which is connected to ground. The data bus terminal DQ is connected between the transistors 14, 16. The transistor 14 is selectively turned ON by an active high enable signal En, and the transistor 16 is turned ON by its complement, which is generated by an inverter 20.
In operation, the ODT circuit 10 is disabled by an inactive low En signal to turn OFF the transistors 14, 16. The DQ terminals are thus “tri-stated” at a high impedance. When the transistors 14, 16 are turned ON by the active high En signal, the resistors 12, 18 essentially form a voltage divider to set the impedance and bias voltage of the DQ terminal to predetermined values. The resistance of the resistors 12, 18 are generally equal to each other so that the DQ terminal has an impedance of one-half the resistance of the resistors 12,18, and it is biased to a voltage of one-half the supply voltage VCC.
The ODT circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1 can markedly reduce the signal reflections from the DQ terminal. However, its performance in this regard is less than optimum because the resistance of the resistors generally cannot be precisely controlled. As is well-known in the art, the resistors 12, 18 are generally fabricated from a polysilicon material. Presently existing semiconductor fabrication techniques do not allow the resistance of polysilicon resistors to be precisely controlled because of process variations. Even if the resistors 12, 18 could be fabricated with the correct resistances, the resistances would change with time as well as other factors such as temperature changes and supply voltage variations. As a result, the DQ terminals of conventional memory devices using the ODT circuit 10 still cause considerable reflections.
One approach that has been used to deal with the inability to fabricate polysilicon resistors with precisely controlled resistances is an ODT circuit 30 as shown in FIG. 2. The ODT circuit 30 uses many of the same components that are used in the ODT circuit 10 of FIG. 1. Therefore, in the interest of brevity, these components have been provided with the same reference numerals, and an explanation of their characteristics and functions will not be repeated. The ODT circuit 30 differs from the ODT circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1 by connecting a plurality of PMOS transistors 34a,b . . . n in parallel with the first termination resistor 12. Similarly, a plurality of NMOS transistors 36a,b . . . n are connected in parallel with the second termination resistor 18. The transistors 34a,b . . . n and 36a,b . . . n are selectively turned ON by signals from a fuse bank 38.
In operation, the termination resistors 12, 18 are intentionally fabricated with resistances that are higher than target resistances. During wafer test, the impedance at the DQ terminal is measured to determine the resistances of the resistors 12, 18. A conventional programming device (not shown) is then used to program a pattern of fuses or anti-fuses in the fuse bank 38 to provide signals that selectively turn ON the transistors 34a,b . . . n, 36a,b . . . n. Turning ON the transistors 34a,b . . . n, 36a,b . . . n lowers the resistance of the parallel combination of the resistor 12 and the transistors 34a,b . . . n and the resistance of the parallel combination of the resistor 18 and the transistors 36a,b . . . n. The degree to which the resistances are lowered depends on the number of transistors 34a,b . . . n, 36a,b . . . n that are turned ON. The number of transistors 34a,b . . . n, 36a,b . . . n that are turned ON corresponds to the number of fuses or anti-fuses programmed by the programmer. The programmer therefore programs the fuse bank 38 based on the DQ impedance measurement to couple the correct number of transistors 34a,b . . . n, 36a,b . . . n in parallel with the resistors 12, 18, respectively, to provide close to the target DQ impedance.
The ODT circuit 30 shown in FIG. 2 provides a substantial improvement in DQ terminal impedance control over the use of the ODT circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1. However, it still suffers from a number of shortcomings, which cause the DQ terminal to significantly reflect signals applied to the DQ terminal. The primary limitation of the ODT circuit 30 results from changes in the resistances of the resistors 12, 18, as well as changes in the ON impedance of the transistors 34a,b . . . n, 36a,b . . . n over time and as a function of temperature and voltage variations. Therefore, even if the ODT circuit 30 can be precisely programmed with the correct DQ termination impedance during fabrication, the DQ termination impedance may not be correct after a memory device containing the ODT circuit 30 has been placed in operation. It is not possible to reprogram the fuse bank 38 to provide the correct DQ termination impedance because the fuse bank 38 must be programmed before the memory device containing the ODT circuit 30 has been packaged. Furthermore, a considerable time can be required during fabrication to test the resistance of the termination resistors 12, 18 and to then program the fuse bank, which can unduly increase the fabrication costs of memory devices containing the ODT circuit 30.
There is therefore a need for an ODT circuit that does not require expensive and time consuming testing and programming during fabrication, that can be fabricated with the correct DQ termination impedance, and that can adapt to changes in the ODT circuit with time as well as temperature, process and supply voltage variations. | {
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Emission standards for vehicles equipped with a diesel engine may dictate acceptable levels of NOx. To accomplish such reduction of NOx emissions, vehicles may be equipped with an SCR system that uses a fluid, such as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) (e.g., urea), as the reductant. The DEF fluid may be carried in an onboard tank that requires periodic refilling. Further, in some systems, the DEF refill port may be located in direct proximity to the refill port for fuel, such as diesel fuel.
The inventors of the present application have recognized a problem in such previous solutions, in that it may be possible for a customer to mistakenly dispense DEF into the fuel tank. Adding DEF to the fuel tank could result in permanent degradation to the low and high pressure fuel system and/or degradation to the base engine due to the corrosive nature of some reductant fluids, such as urea.
Accordingly, in one example, some of the above issues may be addressed by a system comprising a reductant storage system including a reductant reservoir for holding a water-based reductant, and an exhaust delivery system to deliver the water-based reductant to the exhaust. The system further comprises a fuel system including a fuel tank, a water separator for separating water-based fluid from fuel in the fuel tank, and a separation reservoir to collect separated water-based fluid. The system further comprises a controller including instructions to indicate mis-filling of the water-based reductant into the fuel tank in response to an amount of water-based fluid in the separation reservoir.
In this way, since reductant is typically water-based, the fuel filter may react to remove the reductant from the diesel fuel and the reservoir would fill rapidly. Thus, detecting sufficient change in the reservoir after a fuel refill event indicates that contamination may have occurred (e.g., diesel fuel has been contaminated by the addition of reductant). The system can then notify the customer to take the appropriate action to prevent significant degradation to the fuel system and engine to reduce costly repairs. Further, since such detection can be implemented via instructions for a controller, any additional hardware inside the fuel system for detecting reductant contamination may be optionally eliminated.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. | {
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Neural modulation presents the opportunity to treat many physiological conditions and disorders by interacting with the body's own natural neural processes. Neural modulation includes inhibition (e.g. blockage), stimulation, modification, regulation, or therapeutic alteration of activity, electrical or chemical, in the central, peripheral, or autonomic nervous system. By modulating the activity of the nervous system, for example through the stimulation of nerves or the blockage of nerve signals, several different goals may be achieved. Motor neurons may be stimulated at appropriate times to cause muscle contractions. Sensory neurons may be blocked, for instance to relieve pain, or stimulated, for instance to provide a signal to a subject. In other examples, modulation of the autonomic nervous system may be used to adjust various involuntary physiological parameters, such as heart rate and blood pressure. Neural modulation may provide the opportunity to treat several diseases or physiological conditions, a few examples of which are described in detail below.
Among the conditions to which neural modulation may be applied is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a respiratory disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. During the sleep of a person without OSA, the pharyngeal muscles relax during sleep and gradually collapse, narrowing the airway. The airway narrowing limits the effectiveness of the sleeper's breathing, causing a rise in CO2 levels in the blood. The increase in CO2 results in the pharyngeal muscles contracting to open the airway to restore proper breathing. The largest of the pharyngeal muscles responsible for upper airway dilation is the genioglossus muscle, which is one of several different muscles in the tongue. The genioglossus muscle is responsible for forward tongue movement and the stiffening of the anterior pharyngeal wall. In patients with OSA, the neuromuscular activity of the genioglossus muscle is decreased compared to normal individuals, accounting for insufficient response and contraction to open the airway as compared to a normal individual. This lack of response contributes to a partial or total airway obstruction, which significantly limits the effectiveness of the sleeper's breathing. In OSA patients, there are often several airway obstruction events during the night. Because of the obstruction, there is a gradual decrease of oxygen levels in the blood (hypoxemia). Hypoxemia leads to night time arousals, which may be registered by EEG, showing that the brain awakes from any stage of sleep to a short arousal. During the arousal, there is a conscious breath or gasp, which resolves the airway obstruction. An increase in sympathetic tone activity rate through the release of hormones such as epinephrine and noradrenaline also often occurs as a response to hypoxemia. As a result of the increase in sympathetic tone, the heart enlarges in an attempt to pump more blood and increase the blood pressure and heart rate, further arousing the patient. After the resolution of the apnea event, as the patient returns to sleep, the airway collapses again, leading to further arousals.
These repeated arousals, combined with repeated hypoxemia, leaves the patient sleep deprived, which leads to daytime somnolence and worsens cognitive function. This cycle can repeat itself up to hundreds of times per night in severe patients. Thus, the repeated fluctuations in and sympathetic tone and episodes of elevated blood pressure during the night evolve to high blood pressure through the entire day. Subsequently, high blood pressure and increased heart rate may cause other diseases.
Efforts for treating OSA include Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment, which requires the patient to wear a mask through which air is blown into the nostrils to keep the airway open. Other treatment options include the implantation of rigid inserts in the soft palate to provide structural support, tracheotomies, or tissue ablation.
Another condition to which neural modulation may be applied is the occurrence of migraine headaches. Pain sensation in the head is transmitted to the brain via the occipital nerve, specifically the greater occipital nerve, and the trigeminal nerve. When a subject experiences head pain, such as during a migraine headache, the inhibition of these nerves may serve to decrease or eliminate the sensation of pain.
Neural modulation may also be applied to hypertension. Blood pressure in the body is controlled via multiple feedback mechanisms. For example, baroreceptors in the carotid body in the carotid artery are sensitive to blood pressure changes within the carotid artery. The baroreceptors generate signals that are conducted to the brain via the glossopharyngeal nerve when blood pressure rises, signaling the brain to activate the body's regulation system to lower blood pressure, e.g. through changes to heart rate, and vasodilation/vasoconstriction. Conversely, parasympathetic nerve fibers on and around the renal arteries generate signals that are carried to the kidneys to initiate actions, such as salt retention and the release of angiotensin, which raise blood pressure. Modulating these nerves may provide the ability to exert some external control over blood pressure.
The foregoing are just a few examples of conditions to which neuromodulation may be of benefit, however embodiments of the invention described hereafter are not necessarily limited to treating only the above-described conditions. | {
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(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tracking error detecting unit and, more particularly, to a tracking error detecting unit for use in an optical disk drive for driving an optical disk file.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A conventional tracking error detecting unit in a head tracking system of an optical head will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The detecting unit for an optical head uses three beams for obtaining a tracking error signal.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the tracking error detecting unit 50. The tracking error detecting unit 50 includes a diffraction grating 51 for diffracting a beam emitted from a light source 101 of the head tracking system 100 to generate first-order diffracted beams, a refocusing lens 53 for refocusing reflected beams from a beam splitter 52, a photodetector 54 for receiving the reflected beams, which have been refocused through the refocusing lens 53, to output electric detected signals, and a tracking error calculating section 58 for calculating a tracking error signal based on the detected signals.
In the head tracking system 100 of FIG. 1, there is also provided a collimating lens 102 for collimating the beam emitted from the light source 101, and an objective lens 103 for focusing diffracted beams generated by the diffraction grating 51 onto an optical disk file 70.
FIG. 2 shows the beams focused on the optical disk file 70, and FIG. 3 shows the beams received by the photodetector 54. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 105 denotes a focused spot of a main beam, i.e. the zero-order diffracted beam, and reference numerals 106 and 107 denote focused spots of sub-beams, i.e., a pair of first-order diffracted beams, which are positioned slightly away from each other in the radial direction (P) of the disk file. Those beams pass through the objective lens 103 to refocus on the optical disk file to form optical spots.
The optical spots 105,106 and 107 are formed in the following manner. In FIG. 1, the beam emitted from the light source 101 passes through the diffraction grating 51 so that the beam is split into a zero-order diffracted beam and a pair of first-order diffracted beams. These beams are reflected by the optical disk file 70 and travel along their original paths, and then part of each beam is reflected by the beam splitter 52. The reflected beams pass through the refocusing lens 53 to focus on respective detecting sections 55, 56 and 57 of the photodetector 54, as shown in FIG. 3.
The photodetector 54 includes a plurality of detecting sections 55, 56, and 57 for receiving a zero-order diffracted beam and two first-order diffracted beams reflected from the optical disk file 70 to output electric detected signals. The two first-order diffracted beams 106 and 107 are located on both sides of the zero-order diffracted beam 105. Detected signals corresponding to the first-order diffracted beams 106 and 107 are input to the tracking error calculating section 58 of FIG. 1.
The reflected main beam 105 and the reflected subbeams 106 and 107 detected by the detecting sections 55, 56, and 57, generate output signals, i.e., detected signals. The detected signal S105 corresponding to the reflected main beam 105 is used for generating a reproduced signal and a focus error signal, and the detected signals S106 and S107 corresponding to the reflected sub-beams 106 and 107 are input to the tracking error calculating section 58.
The tracking error calculating section 58 is implemented by an electrical circuit, which calculates a tracking error signal based on the difference between the detected signals representing the first-order diffracted beams 106 and 107 in accordance with a program previously input, and which outputs the tracking error signal.
FIG. 2 illustrates the locational relationship between tracks of the optical disk file 70 and a plurality of the optical spots 105, 106 and 107 focused on the optical disk file 70. In this example, each track includes a land portion 71 on which data pits, for example, are formed, and a groove 72 which is used for tracking operation.
FIG. 4 shows waveforms of the detected signals S106 and S107 output from the photodetector 54 as functions of the radial direction of the disk file The tracking error calculating section 58 calculates the difference between the detected signals S106 and S107 to obtain a tracking error signal "G" based on the difference. The calculation of the tracking error signal "G" on the basis of the subbeams 106 and 107 is based on the principle described below.
A minimal point of the signal waveform of the subbeam 106 corresponds to a state in which the subbeam 106 is irradiated onto a land portion 71 of the disk file and in which the signal amplitude is minimized due to diffraction caused by the land portion 71. A maximal point of the signal waveform corresponds to a state in which the subbeam 106 is irradiated onto a groove 72 and in which the signal amplitude is maximized. Thus, both the distance between the minimal points and the distance between the maximal points correspond to the track pitch Tp.
Since the subbeam 107 is offset slightly from the subbeam 106 in the radial direction (P) of the optical disk file 70 in FIG. 2, the waveform of the detected signal S107 corresponding to the subbeam 107 shifts along the abscissa, i.e., radial direction from the waveform of the detected signal S106.
The amplitude of the tracking error signal "G" is maximized when the detected signals S106 and S107 are apart from each other along the abscissa by a half of the track pitch Tp, that is, when the distance between the subbeams S106 and S107 in the radial direction "P" of the optical disk file is half the track pitch Tp.
In view of the above, the pitch and rotational angle of the diffraction grating 51 are determined such that the main beam 105 is located at the midpoint between the subbeams 106 and 107 and such that each of the subbeams 106 and 107 is offset from the main beam 105 by a quarter (1/4) of the track pitch Tp in the radial direction P of the optical disk file 70.
In a conventional optical disk file 70, such as a read-only compact disk or a rewritable magneto-optical disk, a track pitch is approximately 1.6 .mu.m. According to the example mentioned above, since the distance between the main beam 105 and each of the subbeams 106 and 107 is set at 0.4 .mu.m in the radial direction, the amplitude of a tracking error signal is maximized to facilitate the tracking operation.
In the conventional head tracking system, a beam is emitted from the light source 101 and is then passed through the collimating lens 102 to be converted into a parallel beam. The parallel beam is diffracted by the diffraction grating 51 such that at least a pair of first-order diffracted beams are generated. The diffracted beams first pass through the beam splitter 52 and then through the objective lens 103, thereby focusing onto the optical disk file 70.
The main beam 105 and the subbeams 106 and 107 fall on and are reflected from the optical disk file 70. These reflected beams fall on the photodetector 54 via the objective lens 103, beam splitter 52, and refocusing lens 53, and are detected by the detecting sections 55, 56, and 57 of the photodetector 54. The detected signal S105 is output to another signal processing system of the optical disk drive and is processed therein as a reproducted signal or a focused error signal. The detected signals S106 and S107 are supplied to the tracking error calculating section 58, which generates the tracking error signal "G" based on the signals S106 and S107 and outputs the same to a control system of the optical disk drive. The control system controls the optical head in accordance with the tracking error signal "G" so as to perform the tracking operation.
There has recently been proposed an optical disk drive which uses a digital video disk (DVD), i.e., a high-density disk having a larger capacity, in addition to an ordinary disk such as a compact disk. Various types of high-density disks of this type are proposed, and their track pitches are approximately 0.8 .mu.m, about half that of the ordinary disk.
In a conventional head tracking system, the locations of the three beams is adjusted beforehand by a diffraction grating so as to optimize the distance between the beams for the track pitch of an ordinary disk. As a result, when a high-density disk is used which has a track pitch about half that of the ordinary disk, a satisfactory tracking error signal cannot be obtained.
In this case, the diffraction grating may be adjusted again in order to obtain an optimum tracking error signal. However, the adjustment hinders users from operating the disk drive for the ordinary disk. | {
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As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Increasingly, information handling systems are deployed in systems that include multiple information handling systems arranged in racks and supported by rails, which may consolidate the physical space required to store, maintain and/or operate the information handling systems. However, a rack and rail system supporting multiple information handling systems often creates some difficulties for inserting and removing information handling systems to and from the rack. | {
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waste toner recovery device, and more specifically relates to a waste toner recovery device which collects residual powder developing material on the surface of a photoreceptor member used in electrostatic copying machines, laser printers, and like image forming apparatus. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a volume controller for controlling outputting of a volume of an inputted voice.
2. Related Background Art
A gain control of an exchange is performed hitherto according to a construction shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 then represents a construction of a prior art digital private branch exchange.
In FIG. 1, a reference numeral 81 denotes an exchange, 82 denotes a control portion thereof, 83 denotes a time switch, 84 denotes a timing circuit, 85 denotes a station line interface, 86 denotes a PCM codec, 87 denotes an operational amplifier, 88 denotes a gain change-over switch, 89 denotes an extension interface, 90 denotes a forward PCM highway, 91 denotes a backward PCM highway, 92 denotes a telephone network, 93 denotes an exchange, and 94 denotes a 2/4 line converting portion.
Here, an analog signal from the telephone network 92 has been subjected so far to gain control by modifying a resistance value connected to the operational amplifier 87 on the change-over switch 88 according to a control from the control portion 82. Then, such gain control is carried out likewise in the case of an extension interface and other circuit interface.
However, since a gain control is effected at every circuit in the above-described prior art, a defect is quite unavoidable such that a multitude of circuits must be controlled according particularly as the circuits increase in number, thus complicating hardware structurally. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for managing a network device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a network management apparatus and method for managing a communication device using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated network management is difficult because of the rapid growth of networks in several past years and the advent of various heterogeneous systems. As networks scale up, network device management is becoming essential in many fields.
Therefore, network managers need a network framework for comprehensive management in various network environments. Due to this need, the main standards organization for the Internet, i.e., Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), has adopted Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) corresponding to a relatively simple protocol as a standard for managing a network device based on the Internet.
In a conventional SNMP system, a management system is referred to as a manager and a management target is referred to as an agent. A management information transmission network for connecting the manager to the agent is based on Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and communication using SNMP uses a command for retrieving management information, a command for successively retrieving management information, a command for changing and writing management information, and a command for reporting an exceptional operation on the basis of a management information base (MIB) between the manager and the agent.
The SNMP agent is a software module placed in a management target device and has information about the MIB. This information is delivered to the SNMP manager using SNMP.
Specific information, resources, and so forth, that are to be managed using SNMP are referred to as objects. A collection of the objects is referred to as the MIB. The format of the MIB is defined as part of the SNMP, and the objects are defined using Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN. 1).
The SNMP agent manages an MIB configured by parameters relating to a network device function. The SNMP manager obtains a specific value from MIBs provided by SNMP agents, and identifies a device state or changes the value.
As described above, an operation for conventionally managing a network using SNMP denotes an operation for obtaining a specific value from MIBs provided by management target devices, identifying a device state, and changing the value.
According to SNMP, a management method can be easily used, and various types of devices using TCP/IP can be developed. Through various Requests For Comments (RFCs), a management range can be easily designated or extended and protocols can be configured simply. Among the many management protocols, SNMP is widely used because it can be easily implemented.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional structure and control operation between an SNMP manager 100 and an SNMP agent 102.
First, commands transmitted/received between the SNMP manager 100 and the SNMP agent 102 as illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described. GetRequest: denotes a request signal for reading an object value; GetNextRequest: denotes a request signal for reading the next object value subsequent to the current object value; GetResponse: denotes a response signal to a request; SetRequest: denotes a signal for writing an object value; and Trap: denotes a signal for reporting an exceptional situation.
The SNMP manager 100 and the SNMP agent 102 of FIG. 1 can communicate with each other using the above-described messages.
A conventional development method and a conventional method for interfacing with an application program will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional method for developing the SNMP agent 102.
In step 200 of FIG. 2, a network manager defines an MIB to develop the SNMP agent 102, and defines a structure used for an interface with an associated application program.
In step 202, an MIB file is generated on the basis of the MIB defined in step 200. In step 204, the network manager codes and compiles the generated MIB file, thereby generating the SNMP agent 102.
In step 206, the network manager determines if the MIB or interface has been corrected. If the MIB or interface has been corrected, the network manager proceeds to step 208 to define management items.
In step 210, the network manager generates an MIB file on the basis of the management items defined in step 208. In step 212, the network manager recodes and recompiles the SNMP agent 102 on the basis of the generated MIB file.
FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional interface method between the manager 100 and application programs 304.
In order for the manager 100 to interface with the application programs 304, the agent 102 must know structure and destination information. When a conventional tool for developing the SNMP agent 102 is used, objects 302 corresponding to the management items must be implemented using a structure used in the application programs 304.
In the conventional method for developing the SNMP agent 102, an MIB is designed such that characteristics of a device can be reflected. Content of the designed MIB determines a development range of the SNMP agent 102, a role of the application programs 304 for performing a management function within the device, an interface method between the SNMP agent 102 and the application programs 304, and so on.
A conventional tool is used to effectively develop the SNMP protocol. The development of the SNMP agent 102 using the tool is facilitated when the SNMP agent 102 has necessary data. However, the development of the SNMP agent 102 is difficult and complex because MIB objects have different structures when an MIB object value is obtained through an interface with the application programs 304.
The SNMP manager 100 accesses management items managed in the different application programs 304 within a device through the SNMP agent 102. These management items are expressed by the MIB and differ according to device characteristics. This MIB cannot be perfectly defined at the time of initial development.
Because the SNMP agent 102 is conventionally developed on the basis of the above-described MIB, different SNMP agents 102 must be developed for devices. Items to be managed in an identical device can be frequently changed, added, or deleted. When a change is made, the SNMP agent 102 needs to be corrected.
Since the SNMP agent 102 must be corrected and recompiled whenever the MIB is changed, added, or deleted in the above-described environment, a great deal of time and effort is required for the development.
Accordingly, a need exists for an effective and efficient system and method for managing a communication device using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). | {
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power unit having a main power source and an auxiliary power source, particularly using an electric double layer capacitor as an auxiliary power source and an image forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
When supplying all power to a load having a peak from a main power source such as a battery or a DCPS (DC power supply system), it is necessary to fit the power supply capacity of the main power source to the peak. However, for that purpose, it causes enlargement of the apparatus such as enlarging the output transformer of the DCPS and an increase in cost.
On the other hand, to solve the aforementioned problem, a method for using a combination of an auxiliary power source using an electric double layer capacitor (hereinafter, simply referred to as a capacitor) with the main power source is proposed.
For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-250228, the system which has a power source controller for controlling a current supplied from the main power source between the power source and an energy storage unit having a capacitor, and when the output voltage of the power source lowers, the supply current from the power source is reduced, and insufficient power is covered by the capacitor is proposed.
Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-75251, the system which uses a variable impedance such as a thermistor having a positive resistance temperature coefficient between the main power source and the capacitor, and when a large current flows through the load, using an increasing property of the variable impedance value, the current supply from the power source is suppressed, and the current is supplied exclusively from the capacitor is proposed.
However, in such a constitution that the internal impedance of the capacitor used as an auxiliary power source is higher than the internal impedance of the main power source, the capacitor cannot function sufficiently as an auxiliary power source.
This problem will be explained below.
In the capacitor, the internal impedance per cell is generally low, though the dielectric strength is low such as 2.5 V, so that when using the capacitor as an auxiliary power source as indicated in the above example, the dielectric strength must be increased, thus it is necessary to connect a plurality of capacitors in series. By doing this, for example, if 10 capacitors having an internal impedance of 100 mΩ of a cell having a dielectric strength of 2.5 V are connected in series, the dielectric strength is increased to 25 V/internal impedance of 1Ω.
On the other hand, in a nickel-hydrogen cell as a main power source, the internal impedance per cell (1.2 V) is 5 mΩ or so and when 21 cells are connected in series to obtain 25 V, the internal impedance becomes about 100 mΩ. On the other hand, when a DCPS is used as a main power source, the impedance thereof becomes about several tens mΩ to several hundreds mΩ.
Therefore, the internal impedance of the auxiliary power source may be higher than the internal impedance of the main power source.
When the internal impedance of the auxiliary power source becomes higher than the internal impedance of the main power source like this, at time of the peak load current, the current to be supplied originally from the auxiliary power source, since the internal impedance is high, is supplied almost from the main power source and a problem arises that the auxiliary power source does not fulfill its original function as an auxiliary power source. And, as a result, the charging energy of the capacitor cannot be used.
Furthermore, when supplying the current from the capacitor, a voltage drop due to the internal impedance occurs, so that another problem arises that the lowest operation voltage on the load side cannot be kept.
The present invention is proposed to solve the aforementioned problem and is intended to provide a power unit combined with a main power source and an auxiliary power source composed of an electric double layer capacitor for fulfilling the function of the auxiliary power source, using the charging energy stored in the capacitor, and furthermore maintaining the lowest operation voltage on the load side and an image forming system. | {
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In general, characters written with a piece of chalk onto a blackboard are wiped away by a blackboard eraser and then the blackboard eraser having the chalk powder thereon is brushed off usually outside of a room window. At this time, chalk powder brushed off from the eraser is dispersed into the air and air in the room usually becomes polluted by the chalk powder. Breathing the polluted chalk powder containing air is bad for one's health.
Further, in order to overcome such problems, there have been provided a variety of devices for brushing the chalk powder from the eraser. However, most of the devices effect a removal of the chalk powder by rubbing the erasers having the powder thereon in the devices by hand.
One prior art device effects a removal of the chalk powder from the eraser by operating a brushing off rod having sharp protrusions and through holes up and down by an electric motor (Korean Utility Model Publication No. 1989-4786 publicated on Jul. 20, 1989). However, such a device has drawbacks due to the structure being complex and large in size, thereby occupying large spaces and are high in cost. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting display apparatus, and more particularly, to an organic light emitting display apparatus and a method of driving the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organic light emitting display apparatuses are display apparatuses that display an image by applying a current or a voltage to organic light emitting diodes (OLED) to emit light by electrically exciting phosphorous organic compound materials.
An OLED includes an anode layer, an organic thin layer, and a cathode layer. The organic thin layer of the OLED has a multi-layer structure including an emitting material layer (EML), an electron transport layer (ETL), and a hole transport layer (HTL) in order to improve balance between electrons and holes to increase light emitting efficiency, and may further include an electron injecting layer (EIL) and a hole injecting layer (HIL). The organic thin layer emits light when holes are combined with electrons in the emitting material layer (EML).
In general, organic light emitting display apparatuses include a plurality of pixels arranged in an N×M matrix, where N and M are natural numbers, and a plurality of driving circuits for driving each of the pixels. The pixels are driven using a passive matrix driving method or an active matrix driving method. In a passive matrix driving method, anode lines and cathode lines are arranged to cross each other perpendicularly and the lines are selected to be driven. In an active matrix driving method, a data signal is applied to each pixel using a switching device, and a capacitor is used to store the data signal, thereby maintaining a previously applied data signal during a period in which data signals are not applied. In order to realize a switching device, a thin film transistor (TFT) may be used. An active matrix driving method is classified as a voltage programming method and/or a current programming method, according to whether a voltage or a current is applied to a capacitor in order to maintain a voltage of the capacitor.
A driving transistor may be used to apply a current corresponding to a data signal to an OLED of each of the pixels. The driving transistor supplies a current according to a data signal input to a gate terminal and supplies the current to the OLED. The amplitude of the current is determined according to a difference in a gate voltage determined by the data signal and a source voltage determined by a driving voltage.
Holes and electrons are excited in the OLED by the current provided by the driving transistor, and light is emitted as the electrons and the holes are combined. | {
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The traditional method for retracting gingival tissue prior to the taking of an impression of a prepared tooth to form a crown or bridge is to mechanically pack a small length of cord saturated with or without an astringent about the base of the tooth to enlarge the gingival sulcus or space about the base of a tooth. After a period of time, the cord is removed from the enlarged space defined about the base of the tooth. Upon the removal of the cord, it frequently happens that coagulum formed to stop the bleeding or seepage of fluid is removed with the cord to result in the seepage of additional bleeding into the space. As a result, an impression cannot be made of the prepared tooth until the additional bleeding can be controlled or stopped. Thus, the traditional procedure for enlarging the space between the gum and the base of the tooth necessary for taking an accurate impression is tedious, time consuming, and painful or extremely uncomfortable for the patient. Also, there exists the danger that the dentist may accidentally force the cord beyond the physiologic limit of the space to create a potential periodontal pocket which can cause the tooth to eventually be lost. The general practice of using the cord technique is relatively difficult and tedious for the dentist.
In the event that the space between the tooth and the gum that has to be retracted is very small, it becomes even more difficult for the dentist to place the cord without injuring the gum tissue and from forcing the cord beyond the physiologic limit, rendering the procedure more painful for the patient. Further, the placing of the cord is not a procedure which the dentist may delegate to a dental assistant or dental hygienist. Also, the packing of a retraction cord is a most disliked step to in performing a crown or bridge restoration procedure.
Efforts have been made to obviate the noted disadvantages of affecting the retraction of the gingival tissue by the use of a cord. One such known effort is the use of a kaolin clay type material that is mixed with an astringent salt which is simply placed about a prepared tooth to absorb the moisture to cause the gum tissue to shrink. Such a product is marketed by Sybron Dental Specialties under the trademark or brand name ExpaSyl.
It has been noted that such kaolin type material is packaged in a cartridge similar to a typical anesthetic cartridge commonly used in a dental office that requires the cartridge to be used with a syringe. The end of the cartridge is pierced with a needlelike cannula and the force of the syringing pressure is required to extrude the clay like kaolin material through the cannula. Because of the density of the kaolin type material, the cannula requires the opening to be very large so as to enable the kaolin type material to flow therethrough. The large gauge opening of the cannula renders the bending of the cannula difficult and which bending is often required in order to place the material in difficult to reach places within a patient's mouth. Because the opening of the cannula is quite large, difficulty is encountered in placing the kaolin type material about the gingival sulcus in a manner similar to the traditional method of packing cord to retract the gum tissue.
Also, the use of such kaolin type material to retract the gum tissue often results in crumbling of the kaolin material, rendering it difficult to place in the space between the gum tissue and the tooth to attain the desired retraction of the gum tissue. Another noted problem with such kaolin type material is the removal of the kaolin material after the period of time required to affect the hemostatic action or retraction. Generally, the kaolin material is required to be washed out using a water-air spray with extreme care to remove all the kaolin material without restarting any bleeding in the gingival sulcus.
Another known technique for effecting a non-cord retraction and/or hemostatic is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,543. Therein disclosed is a generally two part process utilizing two different viscosities of a silicone material to effect the cordless retraction and/or hemostatic of the gingival sulcus.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,177 discloses a more simplified cordless retraction method and device whereby the cordless retraction may be accomplished by resorting to a porous sponge or foam cellular dam which is shaped to conform with the prepared tooth or teeth, arranged to contain a two part silicone type impression material that includes a base portion and a catalyst, whereby the patient's biting force is utilized to apply the necessary pressure to effect the desired retraction.
Other devices and methods are used to retract the gingival sulcus. One product is sold under the trademark Magic FoamCord which is dependent upon an expanding vinyl polysiloxane or silicone material which is a two-part, chemically cured component system that are required to be mixed by the dentist at chair side prior to application and which cures or sets to effect the retraction of the gingival tissue. | {
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Associative memories, also referred to as content addressable memories, are widely used in the field of pattern matching and identification, expert systems and artificial intelligence. A widely used associative memory is the Hopfield artificial neural network. Hopfield artificial neural networks are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,166 to Hopfield entitled “Electronic Network for Collective Decision Based on Large Number of Connections Between Signals”.
Although associative memories may avoid problems in prior back-propagation networks, associative memories may present problems of scaling and spurious memories. Recent improvements in associative memories have attempted to solve these and other problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,679 to coinventor Aparicio, I V et al., entitled “Artificial Neural Networks Including Boolean-Complete Compartments” provides a plurality of artificial neurons and a plurality of Boolean-complete compartments, a respective one of which couples a respective pair of artificial neurons. By providing Boolean-complete compartments, spurious complement memories can be avoided.
Unfortunately, there is a fundamental scaling problem that can limit the use of associative memories to solve real world problems. In particular, many associative memories scale geometrically as a function of the number of inputs. This geometric scaling may be unreasonable to support applications at the scale of complexity that warrants such technology. Scaling in associative memories is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,049 to coinventor Aparicio, I V et al., entitled “Artificial Neurons Including Power Series of Weights and Counts That Represent Prior and Next Associations”, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if set forth fully herein. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,049, an artificial neuron includes a plurality of inputs and a plurality of dendrites, a respective one of which is associated with a respective one of the plurality of inputs. Each dendrite comprises a power series of weights, and each weight in a power series includes an associated count for the associated power. By representing the weights as a power series, the geometric scaling as a function of input in conventional artificial neurons can be reduced to a linear scaling as a function of input. Large numbers of inputs may be handled using real world systems, to thereby solve real world applications. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a design support method and a design support program for supporting the mechanism control design. More particularly, the invention relates to a design support program and a design support method for the software of controlling a conveyance mechanism for conveying a sheet-like carrier.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, the conveyance of the sheet-like carrier such as paper (hereinafter simply referred to as paper) is performed in all the fields. For instance, the paper is conveyed by the conveyance mechanism comprising a roller and a guide in the image forming apparatus such as a copier and a printer.
In the conveyance of the paper, in many cases, the paper is rarely conveyed in only one direction simply at an equal velocity. Usually, employing a virtual sensor for detecting the position of the carrier, for example, the paper is stopped at a prescribed position, or reversed in the direction of conveyance by reversely rotating the roller. Accordingly, the software for controlling the mechanism that conveys the paper is indispensable in conveying the paper.
In recent years, it is expressed that the image forming apparatus has higher performance and higher productivity, and correspondingly, the software for controlling the image forming apparatus is complicated, increasing the man-hour required for finding a trouble, specifying the cause, and making correction.
Thus, the chance of using the simulation technology in designing the conveyance mechanism has increased along with the enhanced performance of the computer in recent years. For instance, a system for calculating the action of paper by simulation, and finding the defect potential in the conveyance mechanism has been proposed as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-81600.
Moreover, the proposals concerning the inspection of the software for controlling the mechanism have been made while the mechanism simulation is active in all scenes. For the inspection of the software, the reproduction of irregular situations is indispensable, in addition to the simulation of the basic operation of the paper. Because an error in software often occurs during the irregular operation rather than in the basic portion.
In the light of the above respect, a design support method for generating an external event of turning on/off the switch or opening or closing the cover in the printer control software from an input device such as a keyboard has been proposed as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-143260.
However, a paper out state of the cassette storing the paper could not be reproduced in the simulator for the software inspection in the past.
When the paper feed from the cassette stages is inspected, the software is often troublesome in the paper out state, for which the inspection of software is indispensable. For instance, if the paper out state occurs in a certain cassette, it is required to inspect from which cassette to feed the paper at the next time.
Moreover, when the paper is fed from different cassettes after the paper out state of the cassette turns out, the paper feed timing is delayed from the usual paper feed, involving a difficult sequence concerning how to absorb a difference in the timing.
Further, in the paper out state of the cassette, most problems often occur at the specific timings, such as “there is a problem when the paper out occurs at specific sequence number of paper in feeding the paper”. In the paper out state, it is necessary to reproduce the phenomenon at the specific timings. | {
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(3S,4R)-3-ethyl-4-(3H-imidazo[1,2-a]pyrrolo[2,3-e]pyrazin-8-yl)-N-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxamide (“Compound 1”) was first disclosed in International Application WO2011/068881A1, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The compound has activity as a Janus kinase (“JAK”) inhibitor, particularly as a JAK-1 inhibitor. Clinical trials are ongoing to evaluate the use of the compound to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
The isolation and commercial-scale preparation of a solid state form of Compound 1 and corresponding pharmaceutical formulations having acceptable solid state properties (including chemical stability, thermal stability, solubility, hygroscopicity, and/or particle size), compound manufacturability (including yield, impurity rejection during crystallization, filtration properties, drying properties, and milling properties), and formulation feasibility (including stability with respect to pressure or compression forces during tableting) present a number of challenges that are discussed in greater detail below. Accordingly, there is a current need for one or more solid state forms of Compound 1 that have an acceptable balance of these properties and can be used in the preparation of pharmaceutically acceptable solid dosage forms.
Additionally, currently known processes for the preparation of Compound 1 involve the use of particularly hazardous reagents, such as trimethylsilyldiazomethane or diazomethane, and do not produce a crystalline product. There is thus also a need for a process for preparing Compound 1, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, that avoids the use of particularly hazardous reagents, and can produce a crystalline product and crystalline intermediates.
Additionally, sustained peak plasma concentrations can theoretically be achieved by means of sustained release matrix systems. However, when such systems are made of hydrophilic polymers, such as HPMC, they seldom provide pH independent drug release of pH-dependent soluble drugs, and they are normally incapable of attaining zero-order release except for practically insoluble drugs. Unexpectedly, is has been discovered that when tartaric acid is used as a pH-modifier in such a system, it allows Compound 1 to be released at a steady rate regardless of the pH of the environment.
In an unexpected finding, it was discovered that as a tablet containing the hydrophilic polymer matrix system erodes, Compound 1 reacts with the HPMC, creating a thicker gel layer which slows the release of Compound 1 from the tablet. The resulting gel layer provided an environment suitable for Compound 1 to dissolve. | {
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Ascending or descending spacecraft passing through the earth's atmosphere, or spacecraft orbiting in an orbit around the earth, are exposed to extreme thermal stress conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a safe and reliable heat discharge.
German Patent Publication (DE-PS) 3,718,873 describes an evaporating heat exchanger suitable for the above stated purpose of cooling a spacecraft. In the known heat exchanger the medium to be cooled circulates in an active liquid circulating circuit for heat exchanges. For this purpose, the medium to be cooled is brought into a heat transfer contact with a medium to be evaporated. The medium t be evaporated is carried in a supply container in the spacecraft. The generated vapor is blown off from the spacecraft into its environment.
It is desirable to evaporate the cooling medium as much as possible to use it with an optimal efficiency. For this purpose it is further desirable to achieve a sufficiently high heat transfer between the cooling medium to be evaporated and the flow channels which carry the liquid to be cooled. To perform these two functions efficiently, it is necessary that the generated vapor is separated from the medium portion which is still liquid to make sure that liquid portions of the evaporating medium are not discharged from the spacecraft in the form of large liquid drops which have not participated in the evaporation, and thus in the cooling process.
In the above mentioned German Patent Publication (DE-PS) 3,718,873 it is the aim to deposit non-evaporated liquid remainders with the aid of mass inertia forces on the walls of the cooling liquid channels. For this purpose, the cooling liquid channels are arranged in a folded pattern as viewed in the flow direction. The so deposited liquid remainders are then transferred into the gas phase on the surface of these channels. However, tests performed with the known heat exchanger have shown that the utilization of the cooling medium to be evaporated is not at all optimal and hence not efficient for the intended purpose. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer vision. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting features, e.g., facial features, in images, and tracking such features over time in a series of images.
2. Related Art
A subject of interest in the computer vision field relates to the identification and/or tracking of deformable shapes or objects across a series of images. This subject has many applications in biometrics, facial expression analysis, and synthesis. Accurate reconstruction and tracking of deformable objects in images requires well-defined delineation of the object boundaries across multiple viewpoints.
Landmark-based deformable models, such as Active Shape Models (ASMs), allow for object shape detection and delineation in 2-dimensional (2D) images. ASMs are statistical models of the shapes of objects which are iteratively deformed to fit an example of an object in an image. Deformation of the models is limited to shapes provided in a training set of examples. The shape of the object is represented by a set of points, and the goal of the ASM algorithm is to match the model to an input image. ASMs detect features in an image by combining shape and appearance information from the observed image data, and uses a learned statistical shape distribution for a given class of objects to align the contours of shapes to the detected features in the observed images.
A major limitation of landmark-based deformable models is that they ignore the non linear geometry of shape manifolds of objects in images viewed from multiple viewpoints, which severely limits the ability of such models to detect and track features across a series of images where there is substantial movement of the features. Such changes can result from movement (e.g., rotation) of the subject and/or the imaging apparatus, which can cause aspect changes in the images. Movement of 3-dimensional (3D) objects causes shapes to vary non-linearly on a hyper-spherical manifold. As a result, during tracking, the shape change is mostly smooth, but in certain cases there may be discontinuities. For example, during rotation of a subject's head to the full facial profile, some of the facial features may be occluded, causing drastic changes in shapes. In addition to shape changes, the correspondences between local 2D structures in an image and the 3D object structures changes for the landmark-based deformable models. The local grey level profiles at these landmarks also exhibit dramatic variations. Further, face shape variations across multiple aspects is different across human subjects. For example, a 30 degree head rotation can produce more distinct variations for faces with raised facial features (e.g., eyes and nose) versus faces with leveled features.
There have been several efforts in the past to represent non-linear shape variations using kernel Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multi-layer perception. The results from non-linear approaches largely depend on whether all of the shape variations have been adequately represented in the training data. Discontinuities in the shape space may cause these models to generate implausible shapes. Kernel methods suffer from a major drawback in that they must learn pre-image functions for mapping shapes in the feature space to the original space, which is time consuming. Other techniques, such as Active Appearance Models (AAMs) and non-linear projections into eigenspaces, cannot adequately track features in images where the features move across a series of images.
Accordingly, what would be desirable, but has not yet been provided, is a system and method for detecting and tracking features in images, wherein moving features can be accurately detected in the images and tracked over time in a series of images. | {
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Telecommunications systems for transmitting voice and data to and from subscribers (i.e., residences and businesses) are known. An exemplary telecommunications system 10 is schematically shown in FIG. 1. The system 10 includes a Main Distribution Frame 12 (MDF) for connecting digital subscriber lines 13 (DSLs) to internal lines 14 within a telephone server's central office 15. The central office 15 frequently includes a DSLAM 18 (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) and a voice switch 19. The DSLAM 18 transmits data to and receives data from a communications network/backbone 21. The voice switch 19 transmits voice signals to and receives voice signals from a communications network/backbone 23. The networks 21 and 23 can be dedicated lines that are part of the same network. POTS splitter devices 16 (i.e., Plain Old Telephone Service splitter devices) are used at the central office 15 to combine data signals from the DSLAM 18 with voice signals from the voice switch 19. By combining the signals, the signals can be simultaneously routed to a subscriber 25 through a single DSL 13. Signals transmitted from subscribers 25 to the central office 15 are also routed through the POTS splitter devices 16. At the POTS splitter devices 16, the signals are split and directed to the DSLAM 18 and the voice switch 19. Typically, the splitter devices 16 include low pass filters for removing the data content from any signals transmitted from the splitter devices 16 to the voice switch 19. Since DSLAMs 18 frequently include high pass filters for removing the voice band, the splitter devices 16 usually do not include filters for filtering the voice content from the signals transmitted to the DSLAM 18.
For most telecommunications systems, it is desirable to maximize the splitter densities. To maximize splitter densities, multiple splitters can be mounted on a printed circuit board to form a splitter card. To further maximize splitter densities, multiple splitter cards can be mounted within the same chassis.
It is desirable to be able to easily test the communication lines of a telecommunications system to identify errors and to determine whether existing lines are ADSL compatible (i.e., a process known as loop qualification). What is needed is a test access device that provides ready test access to communication lines. | {
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Gloves are worn for a variety of reasons. One such reason is that gloves may provide additional grip for handling an object. Such additional grip may be desirable in athletic activities. For example, in soccer a goal-keeper may wear gloves to provide additional grip when handling the soccer ball. Another example, involves a receiver in football who may wear gloves to provide additional grip when catching the football. Some conventional gloves have surfaces on the palm area and finger stalls that improve the friction, or grip, of the glove. For example, in these gloves the palm area and finger stalls may include tackified surfaces (See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,832 to Mulvaney) or surfaces with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) (See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,155 to Sandusky) to increase the gripping ability. However, wet conditions may affect the gripping ability of such gloves. For example, such gloves may be worn during athletic activities that take place outside. Exposure to the elements such as precipitation (e.g. rain, sleet, snow, etc.) may reduce the friction or gripping ability of glove. Precipitation will stay on the palm and finger surfaces of the glove and act as a lubricant. Therefore, the palm surface becomes slick and gripping ability is diminished. Some conventional gloves have attempted to overcome the effects that moisture has on a glove's gripping ability. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,494 to Kang, “Athletic Glove having Silicone-Printed Surface for Consistent Gripping Ability in Various Moisture Conditions” discloses a glove with a silicone sealant penetrated into the fibers of the glove so the glove retains a surface that is substantially level. In such gloves silicone is typically applied to the glove's palm with a screen printing process which is essentially a “two-dimensional” application of resin, plastic or rubber to the surface of the flat palm material in order to keep the surface substantially level. This flat surface creates a boundary layer that allows water to bead up or create a film which causes objects that the surface comes into contact with to slip or skid off (much like car tires hydroplaning on a wet road). Therefore, there exists a need for a glove that can provide improved gripping ability to the wearer even in wet conditions. | {
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DRAM devices of the type used in computers and the like are typically each comprised of a matrix array of memory cells. The amount of information that can be stored within each DRAM device is dependent on both the number of memory cells in the matrix array and the number of bits that can be stored by each cell. In one type of DRAM device, each memory cell stores one bit of data while in another type of DRAM device, each cell stores four bits of data. A DRAM device that contains 16M separate cells (where M represents 1,048,576 bits), each cell storing one bit of information, is referred to as a 16M.times.1 device whereas a DRAM device containing 4M cells, each storing four bits, is referred to as a 4M.times.4 device.
Each memory cell within the DRAM device has a unique address that designates the location of that cell in the array. The number of addresses needed depends on the number of cells in the DRAM device. For example, a 4M.times.4 DRAM device requires 4M addresses, each address typically being represented by a twenty-two-bit binary word. Rather than provide the DRAM device with a separate address line for each bit in the binary address, most DRAM devices multiplex their address lines so as to have only as many lines as the largest row address or column address, depending on which is greater.
To locate a particular cell in the matrix array in a DRAM device having multiplexed address lines, a row address, specifying the row containing the memory cell of interest, is first placed on the address lines. The row address is decoded to select the corresponding row containing the specified cell. Thereafter, the address of the column containing the memory cell of interest is placed on the address lines. Similarly, the column address is decoded and the corresponding column containing the cell of interest is selected. The combination of the row address and column address completely specifies the location of each memory cell in the array. In the case of a 4M.times.4 DRAM device having a square array of memory cells (i.e., 2048 rows by 2048 columns), eleven binary bits am required to specify each row address and each column address, thus necessitating eleven address lines. A DRAM device having such a square array of memory cells is said to be symmetric.
Presently, DRAM devices having a density of 4M and greater are being fabricated with a rectangular rather than square array of memory cells, usually with more rows than columns. The benefit of arraying the memory cells in this manner is that the peak energy needed to refresh each row of cells is smaller, because each row has a smaller number of cells as compared to a symmetric DRAM device having the same number of cells. A DRAM device having a rectangular array of memory cells is said to be asymmetric. Unlike a symmetric DRAM device whose row and column addresses are of equal length, asymmetric DRAM devices require a larger row address and a smaller column address. Thus, in the case of a 4M.times.4 DRAM device having a matrix array of 4096 rows by 1024 columns of cells, twelve bits are required to specify the address of each row while only ten bits are required to specify each column address.
In systems that employ a plurality of DRAM devices, the task of addressing the cells in the DRAM devices is performed by a memory controller in response to a cell address provided by a processor or the like. Presently, the memory controllers employed to control banks of DRAM devices are designed to provide the proper row and column addresses for either an asymmetric or a symmetric DRAM device, but not both. Thus, it has not been possible to mix asymmetric and symmetric devices in the same memory bank.
The emergence of asymmetric DRAM devices, and their interchangeability with symmetric devices, makes it desirable to employ both types of devices in a memory bank. In particular, most symmetric and asymmetric DRAM devices of the same density have the same physical appearance so that differentiating between them is difficult. However, given the inability of present day controllers to address both symmetric and asymmetric DRAM devices, it is thus necessary to segregate such devices.
Thus, there is a need for a technique for controlling a memory bank containing asymmetric and/or symmetric DRAM devices. | {
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The storage and transport of hazardous fluid substances poses challenges because of potential or actual damage to persons, equipment or the environment. Fluid substances pose a greater risk than solid ones, because a fluid, whether liquid or gas, is likely to disseminate more rapidly than a solid. Furthermore, if the fluid is a fuel or potential fuel, the failure to contain the fluid (whether intentional or accidental), may lead to detonation or ignition, resulting in explosion or fire.
The act of freezing a hazardous fluid fuel, thereby to render it a solid fuel, is known to increase the stability of the fuel, reducing the risk of fire and/or explosion; Chilling a fuel may have a similar effect. Freezing a hazardous substance will make it easier to contain in the event of a breach of the container. To the extent that chilling a hazardous substance increases its viscosity/decreases its fluidity, the chilling process will lessen the consequences of a breach of the substance container, by decreasing the rate at which the substance emerges from the compromised container. | {
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Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to digital imaging, and more particularly to high dynamic range (HDR) pixel arrays.
Description of the Background Art
Color sensitive digital imagers are well known. Typically color imagers are comprised of a plurality of image sensor pixels, each being sensitive to light of one of three different colors. The pixels are typically laid out in rows and columns, wherein each square of four pixels includes one pixel sensitive to two of the three colors and two pixels sensitive to the third color. Through this arrangement, color images are created by interpolating missing color information from neighboring pixels of that color. Color images created in this way have deficiencies in quality, which result from filtering out a large portion of the incident light and filling in missing color information, such as poor light sensitivity and low resolution.
One solution for increasing the quality of color images is the utilization of a big-small pixel scheme for laying out pixels on an imager sensor. In the big-small pixel scheme, some of the pixels are larger than others. In prior art systems, both big and small pixels are sensitive to one of three colors (e.g., R, G, B). The big pixels are more sensitive to lower light intensities than the small pixels. The big-small scheme facilitates the capture of images with a higher dynamic range (HDR) and provides more detail in images with widely varying local light intensities. In areas of the image with high light intensity, the small pixels will be sampled, because they are less sensitive to the light and will, therefore, be less likely to have become saturated. In areas of the image with lower light intensity, the big pixels will be sampled, because they are more sensitive to the light. The resultant image has a higher dynamic range, and shows more detail in both high and low light areas. However, big-small schemes are not preferable for low light applications, because a significant portion of the impinging light is filtered out by the color filters which pass only a small spectral band compared to the entire visible spectrum.
Another solution for increasing the quality of color images is the utilization of polychromatic (i.e. white) image sensing pixels in addition to the color sensing pixels. These pixels are sensitive to light across most of the visible spectrum, increasing the light sensitivity of the white pixels as compared to the color filtered pixels. Several white/color pixel layouts have been utilized, including a big-small scheme, in which all the small pixels are polychromatic (e.g., white) and all the big pixels are color sensitive (e.g., R, G, B). This layout has been used, for example to reduce color aliasing in a recorded image. Another layout utilizes one each of the three color sensitive pixels and a polychromatic pixel arranged in a square, which is repeated. Yet another layout utilizes hexagonal pixels to create a layout with twice as many polychromatic light sensing pixels as color sensing pixels. Yet another layout utilizes a 4×4 square of image sensing pixels wherein the color pixels are arranged along a diagonal of the square (G-R-G-B) and the remaining pixels of the square are polychromatic. These layouts each improve image resolution and sensitivity, but there is still a desire for even better image quality.
Yet another solution for increasing the quality of color images is the fusion of a monochromatic and color version of the same image, taken with separate image sensors. The monochromatic image, because all the pixels are the same, has a resolution that is at least three times higher than the color image. Using the monochromatic image as the base, the two are used to generate a resulting color image that has a higher resolution and lower noise than a traditional color image. Drawbacks to this solution include the increased costs and complexity due to the utilization of two separate imagers. This solution also requires that the two images be realigned digitally, which requires increased processing power and sacrifices speed. Additionally, this solution sacrifices low light sensitivity, because the two sensors have pixels of the same size.
What is needed, therefore, is a single color imager that produces images with an even greater sensitivity, resolution, and/or dynamic range than the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of encoding video data; and more specifically, to increasing the efficiency of the video data encoding device.
2. Background
Electronic devices such as personal computers, digital assistants, media players, wireless communication devices, and the like typically include a visual display unit to provide visual displays to a user. The visual displays may display video content which is a large number of still images displayed in rapid succession to provide a moving image. The video content may be transmitted to the electronic device or be provided on a storage medium. The video content will typically be encoded to reduce the size of the data before transmission or storage. Data compression can be a time consuming aspect of the encoding process.
It would be desirable to provide a mechanism that can reduce the time required for data compression during encoding of video data. | {
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Factor Xa is a member of the trypsin-like serine protease class of enzymes. A one-to-one binding of factors Xa and Va with calcium ions and phospholipid forms the prothrombinase complex which converts prothrombin to thrombin. Thrombin, in turn, converts fibrinogen to fibrin which polymerizes to form insoluble fibrin.
In the coagulation cascade, the prothrombinase complex is the convergent point of the intrinsic (surface activated) and extrinsic (vessel injury-tissue factor) pathways (Biochemistry (1991), Vol. 30, p. 10363; and Cell (1988), Vol. 53, pp. 505-518). The model of the coagulation cascade has been refined further with the discovery of the mode of action of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) (Seminars in Hematology (1992), Vol. 29, pp. 159-161). TFPI is a circulating multi-domain serine protease inhibitor with three Kunitz-like serpin domains which competes with factor Va for free factor Xa. Once formed, the binary complex of factor Xa and TFPI becomes a potent inhibitor of the factor VIIa and tissue factor complex.
Factor Xa can be activated by two distinct complexes, by tissue factor-VIIa complex on the "Xa burst" pathway and by the factor IXa-VIIIA complex (TENase) of the "sustained Xa" pathway in the coagulation cascade. After vessel injury, the "Xa burst" pathway is activated via tissue factor (TF). Up regulation of the coagulation cascade occurs via increased factor Xa production via the "sustained Xa" pathway. Down regulation of the coagulation cascade occurs with the formation of the factor Xa-TFPI complex, which not only removes factor Xa but also inhibits further factor formation via the "Xa burst" pathway. Therefore, the coagulation cascade is naturally regulated by factor Xa.
The primary advantage of inhibiting factor Xa over thrombin in order to prevent coagulation is the focal role of factor Xa versus the multiple functions of thrombin. Thrombin not only catalyzes the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, factor VIII to VIIIA, factor V to Va, and factor XI to XIa, but also activates platelets, is a monocyte chemotactic factor, and mitogen for lymphocytes and smooth muscle cells. Thrombin activates protein C, the in vivo anti-coagulant inactivator of factors Va and VIIIa, when bound to thrombomodulin. In circulation, thrombin is rapidly inactivated by antithrombin III (ATIII) and heparin cofactor II (HCII) in a reaction which is catalyzed by heparin or other proteolycan-associated glycosaminoglycans, whereas thrombin in tissues is inactivated by the protease, nexin. Thrombin carries out its multiple cellular activation functions through a unique "tethered ligand" thrombin receptor (Cell (1991), Vol. 64, p. 1057), which requires the same anionic binding site and active site used in fibrinogen binding and cleavage and by thrombomodulin binding and protein C activation. Thus, a diverse group of in vivo molecular targets compete to bind thrombin and the subsequent proteolytic events will have very different physiological consequences depending upon which cell type and which receptor, modulator, substrate or inhibitor binds thrombin.
Published data with the proteins antistasin and tick anti-coagulant peptide (TAP) demonstrate that factor Xa inhibitors are efficacious anti-coagulants (Thrombosis and Haemostasis (1992), Vol. 67, pp. 371-376; and Science (1990), Vol. 248, pp. 593-596).
The active site of factor Xa can be blocked by either a mechanism-based or a tight binding inhibitor (a tight binding inhibitor differs from a mechanism-based inhibitor by the lack of a covalent link between the enzyme and the inhibitor). Two types of mechanism-based inhibitors are known, reversible and irreversible, which are distinguished by ease of hydrolysis of the enzyme-inhibitor link (Thrombosis Res (1992), Vol. 67, pp. 221-231; and Trends Pharmacol. Sci. (1987), Vol. 8, pp. 303-307). A series of guanidino compounds are examples of tight-binding inhibitors (Thrombosis Res. (1980), Vol. 19, pp. 339-349). Arylsulfonyl-arginine-piperidinecarboxylic acid derivatives have also been shown to be tight-binding inhibitors of thrombin (Biochem. (1984), Vol. 23, pp. 85-90), as well as a series of arylamidine-containing compounds, including 3-amidinophenylaryl derivatives (Thrombosis Res. (1983), Vol. 29, pp. 635-642) and bis(amidino)benzyl cycloketones (Thrombosis Res. (1980), Vol. 17, pp. 545-548). However, these compounds demonstrate poor selectivity for factor Xa.
Related Disclosures
European Published Patent Application 0 540 051 (Nagahara et al.) describes aromatic amidine derivatives which are stated to be capable of showing a strong anticoagulant effect through reversible inhibition of factor Xa.
The synthesis of .alpha.,.alpha.'-bis(amidinobenzylidene)cycloalkanones and .alpha.,.alpha.'-bis(amidino-benzyl)cycloalkanones is described in Pharmazie (1977), Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 141-145. These compounds are disclosed as being serine protease inhibitors. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a green coherent light generating device by means of second harmonic generation (SHG) using a semiconductor laser and KTP crystals, and a method for generating the green coherent light.
2. Description of the Related Art
Green coherent light is used in various fields, for example, optical displays, image related devices, a pump beam of an optical parametric oscillator, and so on. Up to the present, green light is obtained using SHG light of a YAG laser or an Argon laser, and so on. But these lasers need large-scale devices and have the problem that quality of the green light is not good. So a technology to generate coherent green light combining a semiconductor laser and a KTP crystal was developed. (For example, refer to the pages 1192 of the 50th meeting drafts, The Japan Society of Applied Physics and Related Societies (following non-patenting reference 1).)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional device (hereinafter referred to as a “conventional device”) that generates coherent green light by combining a semiconductor laser and a KTP crystal. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional device 1 comprises a semiconductor laser 2 which generates 1080 nm wavelength light, an optical resonator 3 into which the light from a semiconductor laser is injected, and one a-cut KTP crystal 4 provided in the optical path in the optical resonator. Two concave mirrors, for example, 3a and 3b compose the optical resonator (optical cavity) 3, and these mirrors may face each other. In addition, although not illustrated especially, another example of the conventional device is a device using a ring-type optical resonator.
A laser beam which has the wavelength of 1080 nm output from the semiconductor laser 2 is introduced into the optical resonator 3 through mirror 3a. It is built up in the optical resonator, the intensity increases, and the light introduced into the optical resonator generates SHG light by the nonlinear effect in the KTP crystal. In order to generate SHG efficiently at the above-mentioned wavelength, the phase matching called TYPE II is taken, and the ordinary and extraordinary rays are used in the KTP crystal that has refractive-index anisotropy. By the refractive-index anisotropy of the KTP crystal, for example, since horizontal polarization and perpendicular polarization have different refractive indices of the KTP crystal, the ordinary and extraordinary rays will experience a different optical path length within a KTP crystal. Moreover, light with a wavelength of 1080 nm which is confined and built up within the optical resonator generates light with a wavelength of 540 nm as SHG light by the nonlinear effect in the KTP crystal. This SHG light is output from the output mirror of the optical resonator.
As shown in FIG. 1, the refractive index of the polarization of the ordinary ray is no within a KTP crystal, and the optical path length of the ordinary ray within the KTP crystal is no1, provided that the length of the KTP crystal is set to 1. On the other hand, the refractive index of the polarization of the extraordinary ray is ne, and the optical path length of the extraordinary ray within the KTP crystal is ne1.
In order for light to resonate within the optical resonator and to obtain a powerful output, standing waves must be made within the optical resonator. Namely, a powerful output is obtained by a resonance phenomenon when the optical length is the integral multiple of half-wavelength (however, in a ring-type resonator, it resonates at the time of the integral multiple of wavelength.). If the wavelength of the laser beam from a semiconductor laser is set to λ, and the optical path length in the optical resonator which does not have a KTP crystal is set to L, by making m1 and m2 into an integer, the resonance conditions for the horizontal and perpendicular polarizations are respectively m1 λ/2=L+(no−1)1 and m2 λ/2=L+(ne−1)1. Since KTP crystals have refractive-index anisotropy, no differs from ne. Therefore, in order to have fulfilled the above-mentioned resonance conditions, L should be adjusted, and also the refractive index of the KTP crystal needed to be controlled by carefully adjusting the crystal temperature.
FIG. 2 is a graph that shows the relation between the resonator (cavity) length and resonance in the case of changing temperature using the conventional device. FIG. 2 shows that in a certain conventional device, the optical resonator length at which the ordinary ray resonates and the optical resonator length at which the extraordinary ray resonates correspond when the temperature of the crystal is 66.6° C. Therefore, at 66.6° C., if the optical resonator of prescribed length is adopted, a resonance phenomenon will happen. However, if the temperature is far from 66.6° C., the resonator length at which the ordinary ray resonates and the resonator length at which the extraordinary ray resonates do not correspond. A permitted range of the temperature is considered to be about 1/100° C. or less. As shown in FIG. 2, resonance conditions do not meet at 64.6° C. and 68.6° C., which are 2° C. away from optimal temperature 66.6° C. Furthermore, at 62.6° C. and 70.6° C., which are 4° C. away from optimal temperature, since the resonator length at which the ordinary ray resonates and the resonator length at which the extraordinary ray resonates are completely different, the resonance cannot be obtained simultaneously. Therefore, in the conventional device, in case of obtaining resonance simultaneously with the ordinary and extraordinary rays, there was a problem that the temperature of the KTP crystal had to be precisely controlled.
FIG. 3 is a graph that shows the relation between the SHG light output of the laser beam only by the nonlinear crystal without an optical resonator, and the SHG light output of the laser beam by the conventional device having an a-cut KTP crystal in an optical resonator. In FIG. 3, a dotted line is the SHG light output of the laser beam only by the nonlinear crystal, and circles are the SHG light output of the laser beam obtained by placing an a-cut KTP crystal in the optical resonator. As explained previously, if the nonlinear crystal is placed in the optical resonator, only at specific temperatures, resonance phenomena will occur simultaneously with the ordinary and extraordinary rays, powerful SHG light will be obtained, and SHG light output will not be obtained except at the specific temperatures.
FIG. 3 shows that, for example, although the maximum output of the SHG (single path) of an a-cut KTP crystal unit is obtained at about 62° C., even if it is going to obtain green coherent light using a conventional device, the resonance does not occur at 62° C., which is the temperature that gives the maximum output of SHG light. On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows that, since the ordinary and extraordinary rays resonate at about 39° C., about 52° C., and about 67° C., SHG light output is obtained from the optical resonator comprising the above-mentioned a-cut KTP crystal. However, these temperatures differ from the temperature at which the maximum efficiency of the nonlinear crystal itself is acquired (the above-mentioned a-cut KTP crystal is about 62° C.). Therefore, in case of obtaining SHG light using the conventional device, there was a problem that the output of SHG light did not become large efficiently. Moreover, there was also a problem that if the temperature of a crystal was not stabilized within about 1/100° C. or less, stable SHG light output was not obtained.
[Non-patenting reference 1] Page 1192 of the 50th meeting drafts, The Japan Society of Applied Physics and Related Societies | {
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A radiocarbon dating method which has been used to measure the age of remains having an archeological value means a radiocarbon dating method using a principle of collapsing in-vivo radiocarbon after the death of an organism at a constant ratio.
Three kinds of carbon isotopes such as 12C, 13C, and 14C are mainly present in nature. Here, 12C occupies 98.89% of nature, 13C occupies 1.11% of nature, and a trace of 14C is present in nature. Meanwhile, even though carbon is absorbed into a body of an organism by photosynthesis or breathing, the ratio of 12C, 13C, and 14C keeps unchanged.
However, after the organism is dead, 14C which is instable radiocarbon collapses at a constant rate and thus is changed to 14N. In this case, the organism suffers from a half-life in which an amount of 14 C is reduced half. The age of the organism may be estimated by the fact that the half-life is about 5,730 years.
To measure the age of a sample such as remains by an accelerator mass spectrometry which is one of the radiocarbon dating methods, there is a need to first extract carbon from the sample. This is referred to as a sample pre-treatment process, which generally includes a chemical pre-treatment process, a vacuum combustion process, and a reduction process.
The chemical pre-treatment process is a process of removing impurities from a sample to be analyzed to prevent errors due to pollutants during an analysis process and removes impurities contained in the sample by known cleaning process, chemical treatment process, drying process, and the like to increases analysis reliability.
The vacuum combustion process means a process of combusting a pre-treated sample under the vacuum to obtain carbon dioxide. High-purity oxygen is emitted from a copper oxide (CuO) powder by putting the pre-treated sample, the copper oxide powder, and an Ag wire in a quartz pipe, sealing the quartz pipe using a torch in a vacuum state, putting the sealed quartz pipe in a muffle furnace, and then combusting the quartz pipe at about 850° C. for 2 hours. In this case, the oxygen oxidizes carbon of an original sample at high temperature to generate carbon dioxide. Further, the Ag wire suppresses and precipitates a generation of sulfur which is a by-product of the combustion.
The carbon dioxide which is generated during the foregoing processes passes through a cooling drier in which dry ice and alcohol are mixed several times and then only the carbon dioxide is solidified, separated, and extracted using the liquid nitrogen.
The reduction process means a process of putting mixed gas of carbon dioxide and hydrogen and an iron powder catalyst in a sealed container and then heating them to extract graphite, which is a carbon powder, by a reaction of CO2+2H2→C+2H2O.
The related art manually performs the foregoing graphitization process on each sample. That is, the vacuum combustion process puts the sample, the copper oxide, and the Ag wire in a vacuum pipe, seals the vacuum pipe using the torch in the vacuum state, and then combusts the vacuum pipe and the graphitization process puts the combusted quartz pipe in a flexible bellows of a dry line and breaks the combusted quartz pipe and then sequentially passes the quartz pipe through a liquid nitrogen (LN2)/alcohol trap and an LN2 trap to solidify only pure carbon dioxide (CO2) and collect the solidified carbon dioxide in a carbon dioxide storage tank.
However, the existing method individually performs two steps of the vacuum combustion process and the reduction process on each sample, and as a result, is complicated, has pollution possibility during the processes, and requires much time to perform an operation. Further, when gas in addition to carbon dioxide is mixed due to foreign materials mixed in the sample, it is difficult to confirm and remove the gas. In particular, when gas sulfide is mixed, the reduction reaction itself rarely happens.
To solve the above problem, Patent entitled “Graphitization Apparatus And Graphitization Method Using The Same” (Korean Patent No. 10-0998227) registered on Nov. 29, 2010 is issued to the present applicant.
According to the above Patent, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the graphitization apparatus includes an elemental analyzer 10 configured to include a sample combustor 11 which combusts a sample and a combustion gas separator 12 which primarily removes impurities included in combustion gas generated from the sample combustor 11 using a gas chromatographic method, a carbon dioxide collector 30 configured to choose and collect only carbon dioxide from the combustion gas passing through the elemental analyzer 10, a reduction reactor 40 configured to reduce the carbon dioxide collected through the carbon dioxide collector 30 to graphite, and a controller 50 configured to control operations of the elemental analyzer 10, the carbon dioxide collector 30, and the reduction reactor 40.
By the above configuration, it is possible to maximally suppress mixing possibility of impurity by primarily removing impurities included in combustion gas of an organic matter using the gas chromatographic function of the elemental analyzer (EA) and then collecting carbon dioxide, to suppress an isotope fractionation effect by remarkably promoting a ratio at which the carbon dioxide is graphitized by optimizing a reaction condition of the graphitization process, to remarkably reduce time required for reaction by optimizing a ration of a reaction container, and to obtain sufficient graphite required for carbon dating only by using a minimum amount of sample. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device and to a method for manufacturing the solid-state imaging device, and more particularly, to a solid-state imaging device of chip-sized packed (CSP) having a microlens integrated on a chip.
2. Description of the Related Art
Demand for a more compact solid-state imaging element including a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) is growing, for reasons of a necessity for application of the solid-state imaging element to portable cellular phones and digital cameras.
A solid-state imaging device, in which microlenses are provided in respective light-receiving regions of a semiconductor chip, has been proposed as one type of solid-state imaging element. Among solid-state imaging devices, a solid-state imaging device has been proposed, wherein the solid-state imaging device is packaged integrally such that an airtight sealing section is formed between each of the light-receiving regions and the corresponding microlens, thereby making an attempt to miniaturize the solid-state imaging device (JP-A-7-202152).
Such a configuration enables a reduction in footprint and bonding of optical components, such as a filter, a lens, and a prism, on the surface of an airtight sealing section. As a result, an attempt can be made to reduce a packaging size without involvement of a reduction in the light-gathering power of the microlens. | {
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The present invention relates to forming glass articles, and more particularly to a method of drawing glass fibers, sheets, ribbons or the like from a preform or source of glass such as an orifice.
Certain glasses such as halides, chalcogenides, oxy-halides, lead silicates, phosphates, borates and the like, which exhibit narrow working ranges, are difficult to form into fibers and thin sheets. Many of these glasses also exhibit low melting point temperatures. Some of these glasses readily devitrify, thereby requiring short residence time at elevated temperature to prevent devitrification. Glasses having narrow working ranges are exemplified by those taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,314,031, 4,142,986, 4,405,724, 4,537,864, 4,668,641 and 4,752,593.
Such glasses have generated considerable interest in optical applications such as fibers, lasers and the like. Fluoride glasses, for example, are attractive candidates for transmission optical fibers, because of their low intrinsic scattering loss properties; fluoride glasses can also function as host materials for lasing dopants.
It has been difficult to draw components such as transmission optical fibers, fiber lasers and the like from preforms or melts of narrow working range glasses. Very precise temperature control is required in the fiber drawing apparatus. Radiation is not an effective heat transfer mechanism at the low draw temperatures of some of these glasses. Certain of the above-mentioned glasses devitrify if residence time at elevated temperature is too long.
When attempts have been made to draw narrow working range glasses by the double crucible method, control of glass flow has been a problem because of the sensitivity of viscosity on temperature.
In preform drawing apparatus, very sharp vertical temperature gradient is required between the root portion of the preform, which is held at draw temperature T.sub.d, and the adjacent portion, which is at the glass transition temperature T.sub.g. For example, in a tin fluorophosphate glass, the temperature difference between T.sub.g, where viscosity is about 10.sup.13 poise, and T.sub.d, where viscosity is about 10.sup.6 poise is about 50.degree. to 75.degree. C. If the drawing temperature is too high, the preform root melts and runs from the furnace; if it is too low, the fiber breaks. The magnitude of this allowable temperature interval where fiber drawing can occur may be only a few degrees. | {
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The present invention relates to measurement apparatus and, more particularly, to measurement apparatus in which a measured quantity can be characterized by a frequency of an alternating signal.
Apparatus for generating pulses having a frequency related to a measured quantity are in routine use. For example, certain electric meters contain pulse initiators which produce output pulses at a frequency having a desired relationship to the power usage being measured. An output pulse may be generated, for example, in response to the consumption of 1 KWh, or any other desired quantity. Such output pulses are useable both by the utility and by the energy consumer for monitoring, recording or communicating the energy usage at substantially shorter intervals than is normally possible in the routine monthly reading of an electric meter. When combined with a clock, such pulses can be the basis of a time-of-use or demand metering system in which different tariffs are applied depending on the time of day and/or day of the week during which the consumption occurs or on the energy usage rate.
A conventional electric meter employs a rotor disk, typically of aluminum, driven at a speed proportional to the energy usage by rotating magnetic fields generated by voltage and current coils in the load circuit. The disk shaft is geared to a mechanical register for integrating energy usage and optionally energy demand over specified demand intervals. In addition, the disk shaft may be geared to a mechanical cam, photo-optical sensor or other rotation-sensing device, for mechanically or electromechanically opening and closing the contacts of a relay. The relay contact closures are made available on external connections.
The gear ratio between the disk shaft and the rotation-sensing device determines the relationship between the disk rotation frequency and the output pulse frequency. Utilities usually desire that the significance of the output pulses have one of a substantial number of different quantities. For example, utilities may wish to choose between 1, 10, 100 or 1000 KWh, or other quantity per pulse. As is well known, an electric meter may be required to measure power usage at any one of several different voltages over a number of different load current ranges. Furthermore, the relationships between load current and voltage, and the current and voltage applied to the electric meter, may be modified by current and voltage transformers interposed between the load circuit and the meter. Each combination of the above variables requires a different gear ratio for driving the cam. Each different gear ratio requires a different mechanical design. In order to supply a reasonable number of customer requirements, a stock of up to several hundred gear assemblies may be required. This represents a significant cost in designing, manufacturing in short runs, stocking, cataloging and administration. In addition, since each gear ratio represents a unique design, once a particular gear ratio is installed in a meter during manufacture, no simple way is available to change the ratio in the factory or the field without major disassembly and reassembly of the meter. As a consequence, custom manufacture, with its increased costs and lengthened delivery times, must be employed to meet many customer requirements.
In the ideal, pulse initiator portions in all meters would be identical and the ratios would be defined in a simple and inexpensive operation after manufacture, either prior to shipping or after receipt by the utility. Also, it is most desirable that provision be included for adding the pulse initiator to a meter not previously containing one and that the pulse input-output ratio can be defined in the added pulse initiator.
In practice, an electro-mechanical electric meter can experience reverse rotation of the rotor disk due to drift under the influence of stray magnetic fields at no load, or due to reverse flow of current. The drift is usually arrested within one turn by an anti-creep hole purposely formed in the disk to lock the disk in a fixed rotational position until dislodged therefrom by a substantial torque attendant to the resumption of energy usage by the load. During the reverse disk rotation, in order to reach the point at which the anti-creep hole restrains further reverse rotation, a conventional pulse initiator may generate one or more spurious pulses. Such spurious pulse generation is avoided by a mechanical ratchet device which prevents reverse disk rotation or reverse rotation of the pulse-initiator cam. Such a mechanical ratchet device may add an undesired frictional retarding force during forward operation.
Reverse flow of current may occur, for example, in an intertie between two power grids wherein one of the two grids is at times a supplier, and at other times a receiver, of power over the same circuit. In such a circumstance, the reverse rotation of the meter disk has economic significance which should not be ignored. One way of separately capturing the bi-directional power flow may include the use of two separate meters, each having a mechanical ratchet to prevent reverse rotation. One of the two meters is connected for forward rotation by power flow in one direction and the other is connected for forward rotation by power flow in the opposite direction. A further source of reverse flow may result from tampering by removal and reversal of a meter for a portion of the interval between meter readings. Such reversal can decrement a meter or, if reverse rotation is prevented by a mechanical detent, it can prevent the proper incrementing of the meter and the generation of pulses by the pulse initiator. The prior art provides examples of inversion detection devices which, upon detecting the reversal of a meter, automatically reverse the direction of meter movement with respect to current flow thereby maintaining unidirectional register integration regardless of meter reversal. Such inversion detection devices add to the cost of manufacture.
An electronic pulse scaler performing as a pulse initiator for producing an output related to electric power consumption preferably takes the preceding factors governing reverse rotation into account.
Non-contact devices for sensing rotation of a shaft are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,943,498; 4,034,292 and 4,321,531 wherein optical sensors produce two phase-displaced signals in response to the passage therepast of reflective optical markings or apertures rotating with the meter disk. The relative phasing of the two signals is interpretable to distinguish between forward and reverse rotation of the disk. An improved optical detection sensing device is also disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 550,142, now abandoned and 550,407, now abandoned. The disclosures of the referenced patents and application are herein incorporated by reference. The availability of data in electronic form regarding disk rotation simplifies the application of an electronic pulse scaler to produce output pulses related to the disk rotation by a predetermined factor. The recited patents, although they disclose electronic means for separating forward from reverse rotation, fail to contain disclosure of a scaling function except, in the case of the U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,498 patent, a direct submultiple division. Such a direct submultiple division is incapable of providing the very wide range of ratios required to serve virtually all the needs of utility customers.
Although the electro-mechanical electric meter has been developed into a reliable, durable and precise measurement instrument, an all-electronic meter, including both the measurement and the integration functions may become technically or economically desirable. An all-electronic meter measures the values of voltage and current using any one of several conventional electronic techniques, and electronically multiplies the voltage and current to produce an output having a characteristic which is variable in proportion to the product i.e. to the power. An electronic register integrates the resulting output which thereupon may be displayed or transmitted in a manner analogous to conventional electro-mechanical or hybrid electro-mechanical/electronic meters. One suitable output of the product of the current and voltage includes a pulse train whose frequency is variable in proportion to the product. The integration of usage then requires only the counting of pulses over a given period of time to derive the total power usage during the period.
Practical manufacturing of an electronic meter requires the use of electronic components which have tolerances varying from the exact values specified during the design of the product. Such electronic meters conventionally include adjustable elements, most commonly variable resistances, which are adjusted during final assembly of the electric meter to overcome errors due to component tolerances. Such adjustable elements are more prone to changes in value during use than are fixed-value components. Thus, the inclusion of adjustable elements for final calibration of an electronic meter sets the stage for later increases in the probability of error or failure after a period of service. Furthermore, the vernier adjustment of such adjustable elements is relatively difficult to automate during final assembly of the electric meter. Finally, the range of adjustment feasibly available with adjustable elements falls far short of the range necessary to accommodate the different voltage and current combinations employed by the utilities. As a consequence, the need remains to manufacture and stock a substantial number of different meters and/or voltage and current transformers to satisfy the needs of the buyers of all-electronic electric meters. | {
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The present invention relates to a new and distinct intergeneric hybrid between Heuchera and Tiarella, given the cultivar name ‘HERTN042’. Both genera, Heuchera and Tiarella, are of the family Saxifragaceae. This intergeneric hybrid is known as ×Heucherella.
The actual parents of this new variety are unknown. This new cultivar originated from crossing proprietary Heuchera hybrids with massed pollen from proprietary Tiarella hybrids. The seed from all the Heuchera that set was massed and sown together. This plant stood out in the field trials. | {
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Fiber-optic telecommunications systems including a laser diode, an external modulator and a photodetector diode are well-known in the field for transmitting optical signals over optical fiber or similar optical waveguides. Chromatic dispersion in optical fiber tends to make the achievable transmission distance of fiber optic communications systems dependent on the modulation rate and the modulation chirp parameter. External modulators, when used to modulate the continuous wave (CW) input optical power from the laser, permit the modulation chirp parameter to be adjusted to a substantially fixed value in a predetermined, controllable manner, thereby minimising the transmission power penalty caused by chromatic dispersion.
External modulation is accomplished, for example, in a dual waveguide device wherein substantially identical input optical beams are supplied to the waveguides and wherein each waveguide is subject to its own individual control. Modulation signals are applied to each waveguide via the separate control. Moreover, control signals are applied to each waveguide for adjusting the modulation chirp parameter to a desired non-zero substantially fixed value.
Typical high-speed electro-optical external modulators use a traveling-wave electrode structure to form a microwave transmission line in the vicinity of the optical waveguide. A microwave signal co-propagates with an optical signal for a prescribed distance, thereby achieving the required optical modulation. To prevent velocity mismatch between the microwave signal and the optical signal in a traveling wave modulator, a thick buffer layer is provided on a wafer to speed up the propagation of the microwave signal. Previously, a silicon dioxide (SiO2) buffer layer was created through known techniques such as electron beam, sputtering, or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The buffer layer may be planarized throughout the wafer or may be patterned with electrode structures.
Using a SiO2 buffer layer has numerous advantages. A SiO2 buffer layer is produced by devices such as evaporators, sputtering machines, gas supply machines or CVD machines which permit a very precise control of production parameters such as layer thickness and composition. Both of these parameters influence the velocity of propagation of the electrical RF signal as well as the optical signal in the waveguide.
For many applications such as high-speed telecommunications systems, it is important to achieve a high modulation efficiency, which is generally measured in terms of the magnitude voltage Vπ (sometimes denoted Vpi) which needs to be applied to the modulator electrodes to achieve an optical phase shift of π (pi). Typical design targets are 5 volts, however this may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is an electro-optic material which can meet this design criterion.
It is used in two main crystallographic orientations: X-cut and Z-cut. The term X-cut or Z-cut LiNbO3 refers to LiNbO3 that is cut perpendicular to the X- or Z-crystallographic orientation respectively. The Y-cut is crystallographically equivalent to X-cut and therefore is covered in all descriptions where X-cut is treated.
Most applications require very stable performance of electro-optical modulator over time and through changes in temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions.
LiNbO3 is sensitive to temperature changes because the pyroelectric effect in LiNbO3 creates mobile charge when temperature. The mobile charges can generate strong electric fields during normal operation of the device. Such strong electric fields are problematic because they can change the operating (bias) point of an electro-optic modulator, such as a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI), by creating fields across the waveguides that do not match one another. In addition, these strong electric fields can cause time dependent or uncontrolled charge dissipation, which may result in a loss of transmitted data. These fields may also cause arcing, which may also result in a loss of transmitted data.
There are methods known in the art for bleeding off pyroelectric charge. For example, in Z-cut substrates the pyroelectrically generated electric fields in a direction vertical to the modulator plane. Some prior art devices use a metal oxide or semiconductor layer that is formed on top of the device to bleed off pyroelectric charge through a conductive path to the bottom of the device. Both amorphous and polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) semiconductor layers have been used to bleed off pyroelectric charge. A diffusion-suppressing layer is sometimes included to prevent the metal electrodes from diffusing into the semiconductor bleed-off layer.
Other prior art devices use a conductive layer on the bottom of the device that is electrically connected with the ground electrodes to provide a discharge path. In these devices, charge accumulating on the hot electrode can find a path to ground through the driver or biasing electronics.
A problem associated with LiNbO3 modulators is undesirable charge generation and charge redistribution that can occur when a bias voltage is applied to an electrical input of a LiNbO3 Mach-Zehnder interferometric modulator. The bias voltage, applied to control the operating point of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, can cause the formation of mobile charges, in the form of either electrons, holes, or ions. These mobile charges either counteract the effect of the applied voltage by establishing a positive DC drift, or enhance the applied bias voltage by establishing a negative DC drift. Positive drift is particularly problematic because the voltage required to maintain the bias condition will steadily increase (“run away”) causing a control system reset to occur, which will result in loss of data. There are methods known in the art for reducing DC drift caused by undesirable charge generation and charge redistribution.
Prior art designs in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,404,412 and 5,680,497 reduce the effect of the buffer layer charging by doping the buffer layer, causing it to be more conductive. The added conductivity in essence shorts out the buffer layer, preventing the buffer layer from charging up. A slowly varying voltage applied to the gold electrodes is able to control the bias point of a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer over time. Designs for x-cut lithium niobate may have a separate electrically isolated low frequency bias electrode, optically in series with the RF electrode. This separate bias electrode does not have a buffer layer between the electrode and substrate, eliminating problems associated with the buffer layer, however it increases the length of the device.
Designs for z-cut lithium niobate with separate bias electrodes are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,449. Z-cut lithium niobate electrode designs (bias or RF) typically require a buffer layer, as the electrodes must always be positioned over the waveguide. In some prior art lithium niobate designs, bias control is achieved with a separate bias electrode made of an optically transparent conductor, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), placed on top of the waveguide.
Note that typically the entire device is usually placed in a hermetic package to prevent moisture from reaching the electrodes.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,895,742 and 6,198,855 B1 discuss designs using polymer buffer layers. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,855 B1 describes a z-cut device with a conductive or non-conductive buffer layer, with a bleed layer formed on top of the buffer layer, or directly on the surface. Note however that the bleed layer material is not patterned to form electrodes, nor does it provide a means to externally control the electric potential in the vicinity of the waveguides.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,195,191 B1 and 6,282,356 B1 describe means of treating the surface of the substrate to change conductivity or to reduce surface damage to improve bias stability. The use of bleed layers is also described. Note that the entire surface is treated. No attempt to create electrodes with the surface treatment is discussed.
Other prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,724, where a semiconductive electrode is placed laterally next to the main signal electrodes. Note that all electrodes are on top of the buffer layer, in contrast to the invention described here, where the bias electrodes reside on the surface of the substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,724 teaches that a semiconductive electrode can be used for low frequency control of the bias point. Note that the claims also include a bleed layer, called a “primary semiconductive layer,” between all the electrodes and the buffer layer.
Japanese patent 1789177 (grant date Sep. 29, 1993) describes a patterned buffer layer with a semiconductive bleed layer over top of the patterned buffer layer and on top of the surface of the substrate, in regions where there is no buffer layer.
In U.S. patent application publication 2003/0053730 A1, a transparent conductive film underneath a highly conductive metal electrode applies a voltage directly to the surface of the substrate. The metal electrode is shifted laterally with respect to the center of the waveguide to minimize optical loss. Note that the transparent conductive film is intended to carry both high and low frequency signals from the highly conductive electrode to the waveguide. As stated in the patent application, “the invention is particularly advantageous since it becomes possible to prevent optical loss and to achieve further high-speed modulation by forming a metal electrode so that the metal electrode may not be superimposed as much as possible on a part formed on an optical waveguide in a transparent electrode.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,876 describes a design with highly conductive (preferably gold) electrodes on the surface of the substrate and underneath the buffer, but with a floating electrical potential. The floating electrodes are DC isolated from the electrodes on top of the buffer and have no external DC connection. The floating electrodes are intended to improve high frequency modulation efficiency by capacitively coupling RF from the electrode on top of the buffer. Their proximity to the electrode results in efficient modulation for the fraction of voltage that is coupled. In a journal article by Samuel Hopfer, et. al., entitled “A novel wideband, lithium niobate electrooptic modulator,” in the Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 16, No. 1, January 1998, pp. 73-77, the inventor states that the purpose of the floating electrodes is “for the purpose of applying the available RF voltage directly across the titanium indiffused optical waveguides.” Note that the floating electrodes do not provide any mitigation of the bias voltage drift due to the buffer charging effect, since they lack the external DC connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,700 is somewhat similar to U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,876, in that there is a set of large electrodes on top of a buffer layer, and a set of electrodes on the surface of the substrate. Instead of relying on capacitive coupling of the signal voltage from the upper to lower electrodes, conductive legs connect the two sets of electrodes. Note that the bottom set of electrodes are directly interconnected with the upper electrodes at both high and low frequencies. They are intended to carry the voltage from the top electrode to the bottom set of electrodes for all frequencies. The key feature to note is that the modulation is produced by the lower set of electrodes at high and low frequencies. The patent states, “the thickness of the buffer layer 400 should be thick enough such that the electric field 710 generated by the electrical signals propagating in the transmission line 300 does not reach the lithium niobate substrate slowing down the electrical velocity.” If the field lines from the transmission line do not reach the substrate, then those field lines play a minimal role in modulation at both high and low frequencies. Furthermore, the patent teaches, “in particular, the conductive legs 350 must be long enough to elevate the transmission line 300 away from the substrate 100 such that the stronger parts of the electric field generated by the electrical signals propagating in the transmission line 300 (hereinafter the “electric field of propagation 710”) does not reach the lithium niobate substrate 100 slowing down the electrical velocity. The electric field of propagation 710 (shown in FIG. 3) is generated across the gaps between the electrodes of the transmission line 300, but does not perform the modulation of the optical signals.” Hence, the modulation at high and low frequencies is performed by the set of electrodes on the surface of the substrate, referred to as a “loading electrode.” The patent also states that “the opposing loading electrodes of the opposing conductive legs generate a capacitance that reduces the electrical velocity on the transmission line to match the optical velocity of the optical signal,” hence, the loading electrodes are strongly coupled to the transmission line at high frequency.
An object of the invention of this disclosure is to maintain efficient high frequency and low optical losses while at the same time reducing the charging effects on the device biasing, making the device more robust for non-hermetic packaging. | {
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The present application is related to copending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. Nos. 10/259,953 and 10/259,954.
Petuniaxc3x97hybrida cultivar Tedrolip.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petuniaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Tedrolip.
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Petunias with numerous small double flowers with attractive flower colors.
The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2000 of a proprietary Petunia selection identified as X99.3, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Petunia selection identified as code number PKC27, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by the Inventor in October, 2000, in a controlled environment in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia since October, 2000 has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Tedrolip have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Tedrolipxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Tedrolipxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Petunia cultivar:
1. Compact, outwardly spreading and cascading plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit.
3. Numerous small double flowers that are light purple-violet in color.
Compared to plants of the female parent, the single-flower type selection X99.3, plants of the new Petunia have a more cascading plant habit and differ in flower color. Plants of the new Petunia differ primarily from plants of the male parent, the double-flower type selection PKC27, in flower color as plants of the male parent have white to blush pink-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Petunia differ primarily from plants of the Petunia cultivars Tedropi, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/259,953, and Tedropur, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/259,954, in flower coloration.
Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Cobink, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,012. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Petunia were more cascading and had lighter purple-violet-colored flowers than plants of the cultivar Cobink. | {
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Various 2-(hydroxyalkyl)-1H-benz[de]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-diones have been prepared as chemical intermediates as note Fierz-David et al., Chem. Abst., Vol. 33, 1318.sup.3, Nursten et al., Chem. Abst., Vol. 44, 7829b and Yanagi et al., Chem. Abst., Vol. 54, 5426h. These compounds have been of particular interest as optical brighteners and intermediates in the preparation of optical brighteners as note Senshu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,834, Schellhammer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,958 and Chiaki et al., Chem. Abst., Vol. 61, 16210a.
These compounds are also disclosed as intermediates in the preparation of pharmaceutically active compounds in U.S. Ser. Nos. 501,411 (filed Aug. 28, 1974), now U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,227; 523,293 (filed Nov. 13, 1974), now U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,397; 538,976 (filed Jan. 6, 1975), now U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,452; 538,977 (filed Jan. 6, 1975); 543,558 (filed Jan. 23, 1975), now U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,398; 581,444 (filed May 28, 1975); and 586,678 (filed June 13, 1975). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measurement apparatus, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a measurement apparatus that scans an original from a position apart from the original, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
There has been known a camera scanner as a measurement apparatus that performs scan processing for scanning a to-be-read object placed e.g. on a desk from a position apart from the to-be-read object. The camera scanner is capable of performing processing for scanning a three-dimensional object, such as a document or a book, as a to-be-read object. In general, the camera scanner is assumed to perform processing for scanning a three-dimensional object, and hence the camera scanner is not equipped with a platen or the like for flattening an original. Therefore, in using the camera scanner, there is a case where scan processing is performed on an original in a bent state. In this case, image data with distortion may be generated due to the bending of the original. In recent years, there has been proposed a technique for measuring the bending of an original with high accuracy using e.g. a light sectioning method, and correcting the distortion caused by the bending of the original based on a result of the measurement. For example, in the light sectioning method, to measure the bending of an original, the camera scanner projects a projection pattern formed by a plurality of projection lines on an original from a projector provided in the camera scanner, and detects the projected projection pattern by using e.g. a camera provided in the same. The camera scanner calculates distance information of each projection line from the detected projection pattern by using a triangulation method, and measures the bending of the original based on the calculated distance information of each projection line. Further, in the light sectioning method, the camera scanner stores shape information indicative of the size and shape of an original and position information indicative of a position where the original is placed, in advance, and generates a projection pattern suitable for the original, based on the stored shape information and position information (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-36983).
However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-36983, unless the shape information and position information of an original have been stored in advance, it is impossible to generate a projection pattern suitable for the original. | {
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Cancer cells are the result of structural changes in healthy nucleus. They are transformed from the body's own healthy cells under a variety of external and internal factors. Cancer cells can continue to self-replicate and proliferation. Tumors are formed after the accumulation of hundreds of millions of cancer cells. The proliferation of cancer cells is not controllable by the self-immune mechanism inside the body. They are not needed in the body. Cancer cells cannot become mature and do not have any benefits or functions on the human body. They consume a large amount of nutrition due to their endless proliferation. Cancer cells may spread everywhere. Most of them grow invasively, damaging the normal structure and functions of nearby tissues and organs, resulting in various degrees of dysfunction.
There are more than 2000 kinds of naturally occurring phenolic compounds. They are the products of plant life. They play an important role in plant growth and development, immunity, anti-fungal, photosynthesis and respiration metabolism. Phenols and quinones like the breath and blood of the living plants. Growing plants contain phenols and quinones. Unheated living plants also contain phenols and quinones. Phenols and quinones are present in plants just like enzymes and chlorophyll are in the plants.
Phenol can carry plant gases and enzymes into the human body to absorb carbon dioxide and other waste gases and produce oxygen. Phenol in its gaseous form can also stop cancer cell metabolism and development. Quinone can carry plant liquids and chlorophyll into the human body and exchange liquid with human cells to produce fresh blood. Quinones can also dilute and restrict the carcinogens. They may also expel the diluted carcinogens from the human body. Phenols and quinones enter together into the human body can exchange chlorine, ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, blocking the passage of nutrients to the cancer cell. They may also convert the starved, anaerobic cancer cells into good cells that rely on oxygen. If phenols and quinones can jointly act on cancerous cells, they can be easily reduce tumor and transform cancerous cells, giving the patient a second opportunity to live. | {
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In order to avoid the bottleneck (limits of bandwidth, signal amount) of the electrical wiring techniques in signal switching in a high speed router, applying an optical packet switch utilizing the high bandwidth characteristics of optical transmission techniques has been studied, and the optical packet switch has been partially introduced. The optical packet switch system which has been introduced so far, once converts an optical signal to an electrical signal to perform switching. Thus, as the bandwidth has been increased, a scale of switch has been expanded. In order to avoid a drastic expansion of the scale of switch, an optical packet switching apparatus which switches an optical packet inputted thereto and sends out the optical packet as it is without converting the optical packet inputted to an electrical signal has been thought.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an optical packet switching apparatus that is conventionally thought.
The optical packet switching apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is a simplified optical packet switching apparatus for the easiness of illustration and description, and includes an input system of two channels and an output system of two channels.
The optical packet switching apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an optical packet transmission section (OPTS) 20, an optical switch section (OSS) 30, an optical monitor section (OMS) 40, a control section (CTLS) 50 and a center section (CS) 60.
The optical packet transmission section (OPTS) 20 includes two channels of optical transmission lines 211, 212 on the input side from which optical packets 701, 702 are inputted respectively. The optical packets 701, 702 inputted from the respective optical transmission lines 211, 212 are separated to headers 701a, 702a which include destinations and data information(payloads 701b and 702b) which is main bodies of the optical packets 701, 702. The headers 701a, 702a and the payloads 702b, 702b of the optical packets 701, 702 are different in the optical wavelength from each other. Optical filters (OF) 221, 222 separate the optical packets 701, 702 into the headers 701a, 702a and the payloads 701b, 702b, by using a difference of the wavelength.
The headers 701a, 702a of the optical packets 701, 702 are converted into electrical signals by photo detectors (PD) 511, 512 for the respective channels provided in the control section (CTLS) 50 to be inputted to an enable signal generation section (ESGS) 513.
In the enable signal generation section (ESGS) 513, according to destination information written in the headers 701a, 702a, an enable signal for switching plural optical switches (described later) included in an optical switching circuit (OSC) 30 provided in the optical switch section (OSS) 30 is generated to be inputted through six of signal transmission lines 514-1, 514-2, 514-3, 514-4, 514-5, 514-6 to the optical switching circuit.
In contrast, the payloads 701b, 702b separated by the optical filter (OF) 221, 222 are inputted to the optical switch circuit (OSC) 31 of the optical switch section (OSS) 30.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical switching circuit illustrated as one block in FIG. 1.
The optical switching circuit (OSC) 31 includes two of input ports 311, 312, two of photo couplers 321, 322, two of optical switch modules 331, 332 and two of output ports 341, 342. In addition, the two of optical switch modules 331, 332 each includes two upstream side optical switches 331_1, 331_2 and 332_1, 332_2, one photo couple 331_1 and 332_3, and one downstream side optical switches 331_4 and 332_4, respectively.
When an optical packet is inputted from the input port 311 of a first channel, the optical packet is divided into two pieces by the photo coupler 321 to be inputted to the optical switch 331-1 of the first channel and the optical switch (OSW) 332_1 of a second channel on the upstream side. And, similar to this, when an optical packet is inputted from the input port 312 of a second channel, the optical packet is divided into two pieces by the photo coupler 322 to be inputted to the optical switch 331-2 of the first channel and the optical switch 332_2 of the second channel on the upstream side. The optical packets each inputted to the two optical switches 331_1, 331_2 of the first channel respectively are, via each of the optical switches 331_1, 331_2 when the optical switches 331_1, 331_2 are in the on state, further via the photo coupler 331_3, and furthermore via the optical switch 331_4 when the optical switch 331_4 on the downstream side is on, outputted from the output port 341 of the first channel.
In addition, similar to this, the optical packets each inputted to the two optical switches (OSW) 332_1, 332_2 of the second channel respectively are, via each of the optical switches 332_1, 332_2 when the optical switches 332_1, 332_2 are in the on state, further via the photo coupler 332_2, and furthermore via the optical switch 332_4 when the optical switch 332_4 on the downstream side is in the on state, outputted from the output port 342 of the second channel.
Thus, when the first optical switch (OSW) 331_1 on the input side of the first channel and the optical switch (OSW) 331_4 on the output side of the first channel are in the on state, and the second optical switch (OSW) 331_2 of the first channel is in the off state, the optical packet inputted from the input port 311 of the first channel is outputted from the output port 341 of the first channel. When the second optical switch 331_2 on the input side of the first channel and the optical switch (OSW) 331_4 on the output side of the first channel are in the on state, and the first optical switch 331_1 of the first channel is in the off state, the optical packet inputted from the input port 312 of the second channel is outputted from the output port 341 of the first channel.
In addition, regarding the second channel, similar to the first channel, when the first optical switch (OSW) 332_1 on the input side of the second channel and the optical switch (OSW) 332_4 on the output side of the second channel are on the on state, and the second optical switch (OSW) 332_2 on the input side of the second channel are in the on state, the packet inputted from the input port 311 of the first channel is outputted from the output port 342 of the second channel. When the second optical switch (OSW) 332_2 and the first optical switch 332_1 on the input side of the second channel is in the off state, the optical packet inputted form the input port 312 of the second channel is outputted form the output port 342 of the second channel.
As described above, the optical switching circuit (OSC) 31 includes two of the input ports 311, 312 and two of the output ports 341, 342, and may output the optical packet inputted from either one of the two of the input ports 311, 312, from either one of the two of the output ports 341, 342.
In addition, the optical switches (OSW) 331_1, 331_2, 331_4, 332_1, 332_2, 332_4 are connected to six of signal transmission lines 514_1, 514_2, 514_3, 514_4, 514_5, 514_6 which extend from the enable signal generation section (ESGS) 513 illustrated in FIG. 1, respectively. On-off of the respective optical switches (OSW) 331_1, 331_2, 331_4, 332_1, 332_2, 332_4 is controlled, by the respective enable signals transmitted through the signal transmission lines 514_1, 514_2, 514_3, 514_4, 514_5, 514_6.
Note that in order to simplify the description, the example in which the output ports are provided two each has been described, however, a case where an optical switching circuit having more input ports or output ports is similar to the example.
Returning to FIG. 1, the description about the optical packet switching circuit 10 of FIG. 1 will be continued.
The optical packets outputted from each of the output ports 341, 342 of the optical switching circuit (OSC) 31 are transmitted through two optical transmission lines 351, 352 on the output side, respectively.
Note that although the optical transmission lines 351, 352 on the output side in FIG. 1 (and in other figures described later) are illustrated as outputting only the payloads 701b, 702b of the optical packets 701, 702, actually, new headers are added to the respective payloads 701b, 702b to be outputted by a configuration not illustrated here.
The optical monitor section (OMS) 40 is provided with two input side photo detectors (IPD) 411, 412, where respective light quantities of the optical packets (payloads 701b, 702b) for the two channels inputted to the optical switch section (OSS) 30 are detected. Light quantity monitor signals detected by the two input side photo detectors (IPD) 411, 412 are converted to input monitor values as digital signals by the A/D converter 42, and are inputted to an input level monitor circuit (ILMC) 515 included in the control section (CTLS) 50.
Similar to this, the optical monitor section (OMS) 40 is provided with two output side photo detectors (OPD) 431, 432, where light quantities of the optical packets (payloads 701b, 702b) for the two channels outputted from the optical switch section (OSS) 30 are detected. Light quantity monitor signals detected by the two output side photo detectors (OPD) 431, 432 are converted to output monitor values as digital signals by the A/D converter 44, and are inputted to an output level monitor circuit (OLMC) 516 included in the control section (CTLS) 50.
Input level specification values (upper limit value and lower limit value) of the input side optical packet and output level specification values (upper limit value and lower limit value) of the output side optical packet are stored in a register section (RGS) 517 provided in the control section (CTLS) 50. The input level specification values are inputted to the input level monitor circuit (ILMC) 515 and the output level specification values are inputted to the output level monitor circuit (OLMC) 516.
In the input level monitor circuit (ILMC) 515, the input monitor value of the input side optical packet inputted from the A/D converter 42 is compared with the input level monitor value received from the register section (RGS) 517 and a comparison result is transmitted to the center section (CS) 60.
Similar to this, in the output level monitor circuit (OLMC) 516, the output monitor value of the output side optical packet inputted from the A/D converter 44 is compared with the output level specification value received from the register section (RGS) 517, and a comparison result is transmitted to the center section 60.
The center section (CS) 60 includes an alarm calculation block which collects monitor results in each section to be recorded and outputs an alarm.
Note that although the center section 60 is illustrated here as being provided in a single optical packet switching apparatus 10, single of the center section may be provided for whole plural optical packet switching apparatuses and my be integrally play a role to collect the monitor result and to output the alarm in the plural optical packet switching apparatuses.
When the optical packet switching apparatus 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is thought, although it is determined that whether or not the optical quantities of the optical packet on the input side and the optical packet on the output side are satisfied with the references is monitored in the input level monitor circuit (ILMC) 515 and the output level monitor circuit (OLMC) 516, for the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 as it is, it is not known whether it is a timing when the optical packet is currently inputted, and it is not known in what on-off state the optical switches included in the optical switching circuit (OSC) 31 are and through what path the current detected optical packet has passed, and there is a problem that it is difficult to determine whether or not an abnormality occurs. In addition, even though it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, there is a problem that it is difficult to specify whether or not the abnormality is in an optical path or the abnormality is in the detection system for detecting whether or not there is an abnormality.
Here, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open, No. H11-122220, there is disclosed a technique to detect an abnormality of an output level of an optical signal at plural places while the application field is different. However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open, No. H11-122220 also has a problem similar to that explained referring to FIG. 1, considering that the application filed of the technique is changed to be applied to an optical packet switching apparatus.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-8590, there is proposed a technique to control states of plural apparatuses included in an optical transmission system.
Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-269668, there is proposed a technique to stabilize a phase of a control signal of an optical switch that demultiplexes an optical multiplexed signal.
However, the detection ways described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-8590 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-269668 may not be applied to an optical packet switching apparatus.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical packet switching apparatus including means of monitoring that readily detects an abnormality. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a thin film magnetic memory device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a random access memory (RAM) including memory cells having a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ).
2. Description of the Background Art
An MRAM (Magnetic Random Access Memory) device has attracted attention as a memory device capable of non-volatile data storage with low power consumption. The MRAM device is a memory device capable of non-volatile data storage using a plurality of thin film magnetic elements formed in a semiconductor integrated circuit and also capable of random access to each thin film magnetic element.
In particular, recent announcement shows that the performance of the MRAM device is significantly improved by using thin film magnetic elements having a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) as memory cells. The MRAM device including memory cells having a magnetic tunnel junction is disclosed in technical documents such as “A 10 ns Read and Write Non-Volatile Memory Array Using a Magnetic Tunnel Junction and FET Switch in each Cell”, ISSCC Digest of Technical Papers, TA7.2, February 2000, and “Nonvolatile RAM based on Magnetic Tunnel Junction Elements”, ISSCC Digest of Technical Papers, TA7.3, February 2000.
FIG. 66 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a memory cell having a magnetic tunnel junction (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “MTJ memory cell”).
Referring to FIG. 66, the MTJ memory cell includes a tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR having its electric resistance value varying according to the storage data level, and an access transistor ATR. The access transistor ATR is formed from a field effect transistor, and is coupled between the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR and ground voltage Vss.
For the MTJ memory cell are provided a write word line WWL for instructing data write operation, a read word line RWL for instructing data read operation, and a bit line BL serving as a data line for transmitting an electric signal corresponding to the storage data level in the data read and write operations.
FIG. 67 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the data read operation from the MTJ memory cell.
Referring to FIG. 67, the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR has a magnetic layer FL having a fixed magnetic field of a fixed direction (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “fixed magnetic layer FL”), and a magnetic layer VL having a free magnetic field (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “free magnetic layer VL”). A tunnel barrier TB formed from an insulator film is provided between the fixed magnetic layer FL and free magnetic layer VL. According to the storage data level, either a magnetic field of the same direction as that of the fixed magnetic layer FL or a magnetic field of the direction different from that of the fixed magnetic layer FL has been written to the free magnetic layer VL in a non-volatile manner.
In the data read operation, the access transistor ATR is turned ON in response to activation of the read word line RWL. As a result, a sense current Is flows through a current path formed from the bit line BL, tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR, access transistor ATR and ground voltage Vss. The sense current Is is supplied as a constant current from a not-shown control circuit.
The electric resistance value of the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR varies according to the relative relation of the magnetic field direction between the fixed magnetic layer FL and free magnetic layer VL. More specifically, when the fixed magnetic layer FL and free magnetic layer VL have the same magnetic field direction, the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR has a smaller electric resistance value as compared to the case where both magnetic layers have different magnetic field directions. The electric resistance values of the tunnel magnetic resistive element corresponding to the storage data “1” and “0” are herein represented by Rh and Rl, respectively (where Rh>Rl).
Thus, the electric resistance value of the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR varies according to an externally applied magnetic field. Accordingly, data storage can be conducted based on the variation characteristics of the electric resistance value of the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR.
A voltage change produced at the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR by the sense current Is varies depending on the magnetic field direction stored in the free magnetic layer VL. Therefore, by starting supply of the sense current Is with the bit line BL precharged to a high voltage, the storage data level in the MTJ memory cell can be read by monitoring a change in voltage level on the bit line BL.
FIG. 68 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the data write operation to the MTJ memory cell.
Referring to FIG. 68, in the data write operation, the read word line RWL is inactivated, so that the access transistor ATR is turned OFF. In this state, a data write current for writing a magnetic field to the free magnetic layer VL is applied to the write word line WWL and bit line BL. The magnetic field direction of the free magnetic layer VL is determined by combination of the respective directions of the data write currents flowing through the write word line WWL and bit line BL.
FIG. 69 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the relation between the direction of the data write current and the direction of the magnetic field in the data write operation.
Referring to FIG. 69, a magnetic field Hx of the abscissa indicates the direction of a magnetic field H(BL) produced by the data write current flowing through the bit line BL. A magnetic field Hy of the ordinate indicates the direction of a magnetic field H(WWL) produced by the data write current flowing through the write word line WWL.
The magnetic field direction stored in the free magnetic layer VL is updated only when the sum of the magnetic fields H(BL) and H(WWL) reaches the region outside the asteroid characteristic line shown in the figure. In other words, the magnetic field direction stored in the free magnetic layer VL is not updated when a magnetic field corresponding to the region inside the asteroid characteristic line is applied.
Accordingly, in order to update the storage data of the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR by the data write operation, a current must be applied to both the write word line WWL and bit line BL. Once the magnetic field direction, i.e., the storage data, is stored in the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR, it is retained therein in a non-volatile manner until another data write operation is conducted.
The sense current Is flows through the bit line BL in the data read operation. However, the sense current Is is generally set to a value that is about one to two orders smaller than the data write current. Therefore, it is less likely that the storage data in the MTJ memory cell is erroneously rewritten by the sense current Is during the data read operation.
The magnetization characteristics of the magnetic layers of each MTJ memory cell significantly affect the memory cell characteristics. In particular, when a change in magnetization direction for data storage becomes less likely to occur in the tunnel magnetic resistive element TMR due to end effects of the magnetic element or the like, the magnetic field required for the data write operation is increased, causing increase in power consumption and magnetic noise due to the increased data write current. Moreover, a variation in electric resistance value depending on the storage data level is reduced, causing reduction in signal margin in the data read operation.
In the MRAM device using the tunnel magnetic resistive element, reduction in memory cell size is difficult for the structural reason. In particular, it is difficult to realize the folded-bit-line structure that is effective in improving a signal margin in the data read operation and is generally applied to a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like.
Moreover, in the folded-bit-line structure, complementary bit lines forming a bit line pair are respectively coupled to a memory cell to be read and a read reference voltage. By amplifying the voltage difference between the complementary bit lines, the data read operation is conducted with a large signal margin. Accordingly, the read reference voltage must be set in view of the electric resistance values Rh and Rl of the tunnel magnetic resistive element. However, it is difficult to accurately set the read reference voltage while allowing manufacturing variation. | {
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Overhead cranes typically include a pair of runways, which may be mounted fixedly to the roof joists of an industrial plant, a bridge that includes one or more bridge rails which have rollers at their ends for rolling along the runway rails, and a trolley which has rollers thereon for rolling along the one or more bridge rails. A hoist or some other lifting device is provided on the trolley for lifting a load.
For cranes having capacities of more than 4000 lb, I-Beam crane rails are typically used for the one or more bridge rails and for the runways. For cranes having capacities of less 4000 lb, enclosed track crane rails, such as the crane rail shown at 100 in FIG. 1 are typically used.
A particular category of cranes are referred to as ‘light’ cranes, and typically have a capacity of about 2000 lb or less. Light cranes typically do not have tractor drives on the bridge and trolley, which means that the load, once lifted off the plant floor, is moved around manually by the crane operator.
For such cranes, the weight of the bridge rails directly impacts the effort that the operator is required to exert when moving the lifted load to its destination. It is thus generally desirable to reduce the weight of the bridge rails. By reducing their weight, the effort required to move a given size of lifted load can be reduced.
A typical enclosed bridge rail is shown in FIG. 1. One method that has been used to reduce the weight of the bridge rail is to manufacture the bridge rail out of aluminum.
It would be desirable to find other ways of reducing the weight of the bridge rail particularly for light cranes that lack tractor drives for moving the bridge on the runways. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auto window molding for mounting an auto window panel in an auto window opening defined by a generally L-shaped auto body panel flange. In addition, the invention concerns a method for manufacturing an auto window molding at least partially in situ.
2. Prior Art
A variety of car windshields are installed with peripheral framing which allows the framer to apply, in situ, the frame around the peripheral edge of the windshield. The method of manufacturing the frame is extremely costly, involving molds costing millions of dollars each. In addition, the assembly of the frame requires that the glass be transferred from the glass bending line to another section of the factory to have the frame applied to the auto glass periphery. This modular framing process is generally known to those in the art as "reaction injected molding" ("RIM").
Notwithstanding the significantly costs of reaction injection molding, it does afford significant savings as it allows the vehicle manufacturer to eliminate previously needed sections of moldings, retaining clips, spacers, etc., normally required to install auto glass and it also significantly lowers the labor costs associated therewith. Nevertheless, the vehicle manufacturer still incurs significant costs with this framing process. As mentioned above, reactive injected molding (RIM) requires expensive specialized tooling and hands-on labor. Furthermore, the resultant peripheral framing has no retention characteristics when applied adhesively to a vehicle body panel opening (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,595).
An excellent example of the wasteful costs associated with RIM can be observed in connection with its use on the rear back window of the 1993 Ford Aerostar passenger van produced by Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich. This RIM framed auto window is retained on the vehicle by the provision of a plurality of nut and bolt fasteners integrally mounted on the RIM framing and a plurality of holes in the flange of the recessed body panel to allow the mechanical attachment of the entire window assembly. In addition, a butyl adhesive is applied between the flange of the body panel and the side of the RIM molding facing the body panel. By comparison the front windshield of the same vehicle does not use any RIM framing but instead uses a method of application shown in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,640 where as shown most clearly in FIG. 9 thereof, an adhesive retains the auto window in the flange without the use of any mechanical attachments. The added cost to Ford Motor Company by using RIM framing to the back window in comparison to an adhesively applied auto window is approximately thirty-five million dollars for every one million vehicles produced.
The prior art teaches those in the art that the least expensive way to peripherally frame windshields is to extrude an auto window molding and apply it to the peripheral edge of the auto window (see, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 1,259,117). A pioneering advancement is disclosed in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,640 wherein an extruded molding is disclosed having an off center stem portion relative to the crown of the molding that allows the elastomeric molding to, in fact, be applied to squared corners of an auto window without resulting in crimping as in a continuous extruded molding, thus, obsoleting the "need" for sections of moldings and even RIM framed auto windows. However, even this technique requires the provision of separate spacers or seal members on which the glass rests which must be carefully positioned so that the glass will properly seat thereon and be perfectly positioned so that it lies flush with the body panel. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toothbrushes and more particularly to an adjustable-head toothbrush that provides two or more locking angles of the brush head.
2. Prior Art
Among the thousands of toothbrush inventions are those that adjust into angles. Earlier designs include devices that fold, tilt, allow head-replacement and head-disposal, offer a novelty handle design, and other actions. However there is not yet a non-disposable toothbrush handle that allows the simple, manual angling and angle locking that this proposed construction offers. The following application and patents show adjustable toothbrush devices.
(a) U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,896: a toothbrush which requires finger manipulation of a control pin to adjust a handle that consists of two hinged parts and a pivot. The proposed toothbrush offers three or fewer parts to accomplish the same goal as the previous, control-pin device, which has more parts and is more difficult to operate. The proposed device, because of its simpler construction, allows less-expensive, easier manufacturing plus a simple, one-handed operation.
(b) U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,621: a toothbrush in which the brush-head can be angled. The toothbrush neck may be elastically deformed using an interior flexible wire. An elastically deformable neck does not allow for a locking/secure positioning mechanism, as the proposed one does.
(c) U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,25; a children's toothbrush with a joint, that connects the toothbrush handle with a novelty-handle end. In addition to being a novelty item, the purpose of that device is to fold into a closed unit and/or to lock into place in the open position; it does not offer a method of locking into angled positions.
(d) U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,658: a folding toothbrush-toothpaste system that does not offer a method of angling.
(e) U.S. Patent Number 20050015907: A bendable toothbrush with an inner core of soft, elastomeric material wholly or partly enclosed within an outer flexible skin of a second polymer material. This toothbrush does not offer the squeeze-adjust angling method of the proposed toothbrush. Instead the user must manipulate only a small area—the head of the brush—making it more difficult to adjust than the proposed invention.
There remains a need for an improved, flexible toothbrush that can be angled into two or more positions and locked into place so that it stays in place while brushing. As such, the principal objects of the present invention are:
1. To provide two or more angles for more focused tooth-cleaning, with the option of a straight head;
2. To allow one-handed operation; and
3. To provide a locking mechanism that keeps the angle in place while brushing. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ignition device for use in an internal combustion engine in which a spark plug and an ignition coil are integrated with each other, and further to a manufacturing method therefor.
2) Description of the Related Art
So far, as ignition devices for use in internal combustion engines, there have been proposed various types (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2000-252040 and 2000-277232 and European Patent Laid-Open No. 0907019). In such types of ignition devices, a center electrode and a stem are built in a ceramics-made insulator, and each of a primary winding and a secondary winding are wound around a resin-made spool.
Meanwhile, the present inventors have studied the replacement of one of two spools with a ceramic type and the formation of an insulator 5 in which a plug side tube section 51, internally including a center electrode and a stem, and a coil side tube section 52 forming the ceramic spool are integrated with each other as shown in FIG. 5 for the purpose of the cost reduction based on the structural simplification. However, this has indicated the following problems.
That is, in this case, the overall length of the insulator 5 becomes prolonged, which creates problems in that cracks or bends occurs at calcining and the dimension accuracy after calcining deteriorates. Incidentally, although these problems are solvable if a calcined material is internally whittled to form a hollow configuration, this increases the manufacturing cost significantly and, hence, is of no practical use.
In addition, for the plug, the interior of an insulator is packed with a seal material made of a mixture of copper and glass so that the seal material is melted and then solidified to form a seal layer. However, in a case in which the plug side tube section 51 and the coil side tube section 52 are integrally constructed as shown in FIG. 5, since the seal material is put thereinto through an opening of the coil side tube section 52 forming a deep hole, difficulty is experienced in carrying out the packing operation.
Still additionally, in the formation of the seal layer, there is a need to press down the stem through the use of a jig for the purpose of preventing the lift of the stem resulting from the expansion of the seal material and the jig is required to be inserted through the opening of the coil side tube section 52. However, difficulty is encountered in accomplishing the jig insertion work and in maintaining the stem pressed state by the jig. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to multi-degree of freedom of motion rotary tool machines for machining hardware mounted on a rotatable tabletop and in particular to automatically evaluating the inclination and linear displacement alignment of the hardware centerline to a reference axis of rotation of the machine and calculating respective compensations for accurate machining.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines are able to accurately machine and produce hardware with tolerances on the order of three one thousandths of an inch (0.003"). Methods and apparatuses are conventionally available to manually evaluate CNC machine component alignment. Automatic tool length compensation is also available to to compensate for tool lengths and diameters. Many CNC machines have rotatable tabletops for holding hardware during machining. Such machines are often used in automated workplaces where automated guide vehicles shuttle hardware mounted on pallets from machine to machine or to different machine cells for various machining operations such as in automated flexible manufacturing systems.
Conventionally, a piece of hardware is loaded in a fixture, for use on a pallet, and is moved into final position using a mallet and dial indicator. Positioning the hardware in the fixture in this manner is done to achieve a desired concentricity. This can sometimes require the loosening and resetting of the hardware. This method can not correct for inclinational errors observed as varying eccentricities at different heights on the hardware. In addition, the pallet registration system on multiple work stations in an automated flexible manufacturing system, can not be maintained to the consistency required for pallet interchangeability. Manual realignment of a set-up, each time it is assigned to a different work station, is not practical in this environment.
It is therefore highly desirable to have a machining technique that provides a way to automatically machine hardware that is loaded in a fixture without operator intervention to manually position the hardware. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Aspects of the present invention relate to protecting privacy of a browser user, and more particularly to a method, system and computer program product for reducing the value of a browser fingerprint.
In current times, use of the Internet for web browsing continues to find new users and gain in popularity among historic users in part because of expanding Internet resources and tools such as, for example, widespread availability of online marketplaces, ever-increasing breadth of blogging topics as well as the number and quality of blogs, among others. Unfortunately, as Internet users continue to increase their use of the Internet for traditionally non-electronic endeavors such as shopping, seeking out current events information and the like, users will also continue to encounter ever more sophisticated schemes for invading their privacy.
When an Internet user directs his or her browser to a website, the browser interacts with a web server hosting the website. The browser typically has many installed add-on applications, referred to as plugins, for performing various supplemental, and in some cases essential, functions during the web browsing experience. In order to gain insight into the capabilities of a browser, a web server can request a list of plugins installed on the browser. Then, the web server might, in some instances, modify the content it provides to the browser based on the return list of plugins. The plugins installed on the browser, and in some cases other data or characteristics of the browser, when compiled in a list can represent a fingerprint of the browser. In many, in fact most, cases the browser fingerprint is unique to the browser. Accordingly, the fingerprint, that is, the list of plugins tends to identify the specific browser, thereby inherently posing a privacy threat. A method for reducing the value of the browser fingerprint by adding real and/or fake plugins, each being installed or uninstalled on the browser, to the list of plugins returned by the browser in response to a request for the list is needed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a control system and method for vibration welding thermoplastics.
Vibration welding is achieved by vibrating two parts under pressure along their common interface to generate frictional heat to melt and fuse thermoplastic parts together. Vibration welding is a fast inexpensive way to join irregularly shaped parts that are large or small.
Presently, vibration welding is used in non-demanding (i.e. limited load-bearing) applications. However, in application such as plastic bumpers for automobiles, where the welds have to withstand high impact, not enough has been known on how to achieve repeatability and adequate weld strengths.
Vibration weld parameters are set by trial and error. Once a pressure and frequency have been selected, each weld is accomplished by performing the vibration for a predetermined time that is found to be satisfactory. The time parameter when used as the variable for terminating the weld process is sensitive to part uniformity and slight variations in pressure. Minor variations in part geometry can result in significant changes in the weld time required for a quality weld.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a control system for a weld machine that provides uniform quality welds that are repeatable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Most high voltage bushings have one dielectric tube external to a building or container. Feed-through bushings that exit from a building often have a second dielectric tube internal to the building. The tubes are usually joined together by a coupling where the bushing passes through the building. Often the tubes are sealed and pressurized with air, nitrogen (N2) or sulfur hexaflouride (SF6) to increase the withstand voltage between a high voltage center conductor mounted in the bushing and the ground potential at the pont where they penetrate the building. The dielectric tubes are most commonly made out of fiberglass covered with silicon rubber materials.
There are many phenomena that limit the voltage and current that a particular bushing can handle. Some of these limits are flashover (internal or external), internal heating (current), and corona formation on the surface of the dielectric tubes. Corona is very hot plasma, and over the course of time, it can damage the surface or destroy the dielectric tube. The flashover and corona formation voltage on the portion of the bushing that is outside the building and exposed to the elements is dependent upon the environmental conditions. Wet conditions, typically from rain or condensation, are the worst case. In wet conditions, the voltages at which the deleterious phenomena occur are lower. For example, at a certain voltage under dry conditions, the bushing may be completely corona free, but corona can form on the surface of the external dielectric tube when the bushing becomes wet, as for example, when exposed to rain. The energy dissipated by corona is proportional to frequency and the potential for damage is exacerbated at radio frequency. For that reason, one of the critical design criteria for RF (VLF/LF) high voltage bushings is that there be no stationary corona on the surface of the dielectric tubes under spray wet conditions. Obviously, the portion of the bushing that is located inside of the building does not become wet and does not have to satisfy this criterion.
The formation of corona under spray-wet conditions is a function of the electric field strength on the surface of the dielectric tubes that come in contact with water drops. Consequently, one aspect of designing a high voltage bushing is to minimize the surface electric field on the surface of the external dielectric tube. For a simple bushing with a cylindrical center conductor and a cylindrical tube, the surface electric field on the external tube is smallest near the tip of the bushing, and is a maximum at the region of the bushing where the ground potential is located. The average electric field along the surface of the dielectric tube is equal to the voltage divided by the length of the tube. However, the maximum electric field at the grounded region of the bushing can be 5 to 10 times (or more) greater than the average electric field, depending upon the relative size of the hole through the building through which the bushing penetrates, and the diameter of the center conductor. In a typical composite bushing, there is a ring-shaped region, referenced as the “triple point,” where three structures made of three different materials, the silicon rubber shed, the aluminum center flange, and the dielectric (fiberglass) tube, are coterminous. Typically, the “triple point” is the first region of the bushing likely to go into corona at a threshold electrical field intensity. It is common practice to shield the “triple point” region and the internal portion of the bushing where the center conductor passes through the conducting wall with an internal ground shield to moderate the electric field. Without the ground shield, the electric field would not be moderated at all, whereupon the external surface electric field would be heavily concentrated on the dielectric tube near the triple point region.
An optimum bushing design would have a uniform electric field along the surface of the external dielectric. Such an electric field would be equal to the voltage across the busing divided by the length of the dielectric tube. One way to achieve a uniform electric field is to have one or more floating conducting tubes of varying length to cause the fields to distribute nearly linearly over the surface of the dielectric tube. This approach has been used for 60 Hz high voltage bushings, but the methods used to insulate such floating tubes have associated technical difficulties and expense. For example, heating of the dielectric used to support the floating tubes in position can limit the temperature rise and hence the current limit of the busing. Perhaps more importantly, the floating tubes significantly increase the capacitance of the bushing, which is deleterious for RF antenna applications.
A need therefore exists for a high voltage bushing that overcomes the aforesaid technical difficulties and reduces the electric field in the region of the “triple point” to prevent the formation of corona when the bushing is wet. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Wireless communication technology has been developed as a technology for easily transferring and sharing various types of data, such as sounds, images and pictures. With the development of wireless communication technology, diversification of information and a speed of communication have been improved. As functions supported by mobile devices are increased, the performance of central processing units, which may be referred to as application processors (APs), and/or application chips, for implementing the functions are also improved.
As clocks (CLK) of the APs are increased, temperatures of the APs are increased, causing problems in the use thereof. Furthermore, noise generated by the APs affects peripheral device elements mounted on electronic devices, causing incorrect operation of the peripheral device elements or electrical damage thereto.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a radio communication apparatus used for both digital communications and analog communications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a conventional radio communication apparatus. In FIG. 3, a microphone 1 changes human voice to voice signal. A linear codec 3 converts the voice signal to a digital signal. A digital signal processor (DSP) 4 processes the digital signal. A ROM 52 stores instruction codes (voice coding procedures) used in the DSP 4. A digital modulation/demodulation portion 6 modulates the coded digital signal to form the modulated digital signal and demodulates the modulated signal to form the coded digital signal.
An analog voice signal processing portion 12 modulates the voice signal to form the modulated voice signal and demodulates the modulated voice signal to form the voice signal. An FM modulation/demodulation portion 10 modulates the modulated voice signal to form the FM signal and demodulates the FM signal to form the modulated voice signal. A radio frequency transmitter/receiver 7 amplifies the signals which are received from the modulation/demodulation portion 6 or FM modulation/demodulation portion 10 and sends them to an antenna 8, and receives radio frequency signal from the antenna 8 and sends them to digital modulation/demodulation portion 6 or the FM modulation/demodulation portion 10. A speaker 2 converts the voice signal which is received from linear codec 3 or analog voice signal processing portion 12 to the voice and outputs the voice. A control portion 11 controls the devices in the radio communication apparatus.
The operation of the above conventional art is explained hereinafter.
(1) In the case of voice signal processed in a digital manner.
Firstly, the voice which is input to the microphone 1 is converted to an analog signal and is sent to a linear codec 3. The linear codec 3 converts the analog voice signal which is received from the microphone 1 to the digital signal and outputs it to the DSP 4. The DSP 4 processes the digital signal which is received from the linear codec 3 according to the voice coding procedure which is stored in the ROM 52 and sends the coded signal to the digital modulation/demodulation portion 6. The digital modulation/demodulation portion 6 modulates the carrier signal by the coded signal and outputs the digital modulated signal to the radio frequency transmitter/receiver 7. The radio transmitter/receiver 7 amplifies the received digital modulated signal and sends it to the base station via the antenna 8.
When the radio frequency signal are received from the base station via the antenna 8, the radio frequency transmitter/receiver 7 sends the radio signal to the digital modulation/demodulation portion 6. The digital modulation/demodulation portion 6 demodulates the digital modulated signal and outputs the demodulated signal to the DSP 4. The DSP 4 decodes the demodulated signal according to the signal procedure stored in the ROM 52 and sends the decoded digital voice signal to the linear codec 3. The linear codec 3 converts the digital voice signal to the analog voice signal and sends it to the speaker 2. The speaker 2 converts the analog voice signal to voice output.
(2) In the case of voice signal processed in an analog manner.
Firstly, the voice which is input in the microphone 1 is converted to an analog signal and is sent to an analog voice signal processing portion 12. The analog voice signal processing portion 12 modulates the analog signal to the modulation voice signal for FM transmission and sends it to the FM modulation/demodulation portion 10. The FM modulation/demodulation portion 10 modulates the carrier signal by the modulation voice signal and outputs the modulated FM signal to the radio frequency transmitter/receiver 7. The radio frequency transmitter/receiver 7 amplifies the received modulated FM signal and sends to the base station from the antenna 8.
When the radio frequency FM signal are received from the base station via the antenna 8, the radio frequency transmitter/receiver 7 sends the radio frequency FM signal to the FM modulation/demodulation portion 10. The FM modulation/demodulation portion 10 demodulates the radio frequency FM signal and outputs the demodulated signal to the analog voice signal processing portion 12. The analog voice signal processing portion 12 demodulates the demodulated signal to form the analog voice signal and sends it to the speaker 2. The speaker 2 converts the analog voice signal to voice output.
The control portion 11 controls the devices in the radio communication apparatus and changes the control between digital communications and analog communications.
As the conventional radio communication apparatus is constructed as explained above, the signal goes through the linear codec 3 and DSP 4 during digital communications, and it goes through the analog voice signal processing portion 12 during analog communications. That is, since the voice processing portion for digital and analog communications are provided separately, the circuit configuration becomes large and also expensive.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a radio communication apparatus having a small size voice processing portion and thereby to provide an inexpensive and light weight radio communication apparatus. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method for correcting a clutch characteristic of a DCT, and more particularly, to a method for correcting a clutch characteristic in consideration of energy that is applied to a clutch.
2. Description of Related Art
Automated manual transmissions such as an AMT (automated manual transmission) or a DCT (double clutch transmission), systems automatically controlling the shifting mechanism of manual transmissions, are usually configured to transmit engine torque to the shifting mechanism, using a dry clutch, unlike common A/Ts that use a torque converter and a wet multi-plate clutch.
Such a dry clutch is controlled by an actuator and generally, the actuator is controlled by a T-S curve showing changes in transmission torque of the dry clutch to the stroke of the actuator.
Since the dry clutch has a characteristic that the transmission torque is largely changed by numerous factors such as allowances of the components, the degree of friction due to use, thermal deformation due to high temperature, and a change in friction coefficient of the disc, it is difficult to obtain data of the transmission torque of the dry clutch in a predetermined state.
However, the changes in characteristics of the transmission torque are not applied well in control of the dry clutch, so when the actuator is controlled too less or much, the clutch excessive slips or a shock is caused; therefore, it is required to find out the exact characteristics of the transmission torque of the dry clutch according to the stroke of the actuator and to use them in control of the actuator.
For reference, FIG. 1 is a view showing the clutch structure of a DCT where the present invention can be applied, in which a first clutch and a second clutch are disposed at both sides of a center plate 500 at the center, the first clutch includes a first clutch plate 502 pressed to the center plate 500 and receiving power and a first pressing plate 504 pressing the first clutch plate 502 to the center plate 500, the second clutch includes a second clutch plate 506 and a second pressing plate 508, the first pressing plate 504 presses the first clutch plate 502 to the center plate 500, as a first engaging bearing 510 moves to the left, and the second pressing plate 508 presses the second clutch plate 506 to the center plate 500, as a second engaging bearing 512 moves to the left.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Meeting presenters in the past have faced a variety of obstacles in being able to seamlessly present multimedia presentations. These obstacles required significant time and/or expertise to overcome and required that the presenter arrive a significant time prior to the start of the meeting in order to assure a seamless presentation. Some of these challenges included (1) having to log into the computer in the meeting area; (2) configuring the projector or other display devices to work with the computer; (3) preparing the computer with the presentation which could include installing the appropriate presentation software; (4) initializing and running any internet presentation software such as GoToMeeting, WebEx, and the like; and (5) making sure any remote attendees are connected. While the time needed to overcome some of these obstacles could be shortened by the presenter using a dedicated computer previously configured with all the appropriate software, this significantly lengthened the time to overcome other obstacles such as configuring the projector or other display devices to work with a computer to which they had never previously been connected. All of these obstacles required the presenter to expend significant time and resources prior to the meeting in order to have a seamless presentation and not waste the time of the attendees in waiting for these obstacles to be overcome once the meeting was scheduled to start. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Optical Raman amplifiers are particularly attractive for use in optical communications networks for their broad wavelength range. In wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks, this is particularly important. The Raman gain spectrum is broadened by providing pump energy at a plurality of different wavelengths. In typical Raman amplifiers, channel monitors are provided to monitor the individual channel gain across the transmission spectrum. Information from the channel monitor is provided to a controller to regulate the pump power of the plurality of pump sources at different wavelengths.
A Raman pumped fiber amplifier with a constant pump level will not produce a well-controlled output signal in response to large variations in the input signal level. When the input power suddenly increases due to the addition of new channels, the Raman pump is depleted, which causes the output power per channel at the end of the pumped transmission fiber to decrease more than desired. When the input power suddenly decreases because channels have been dropped and the Raman pump level is not lowered accordingly, the Raman gain becomes too high and the output power per channel at the end of the pumped transmission fiber increases more than desired. A channel monitor provides gain information which identifies which pump source power to regulate.
Providing a channel monitor for each Raman stage is quite costly in both equipment and maintenance. It is desired to reduce the cost and complexity of such systems by eliminating the need for channel monitors at every stage. By simplifying the pump control algorithm, the pump control can also be significantly accelerated.
Accordingly, a simplified method for automatic dynamic gain control in optical Raman amplifiers remains highly desirable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to laser-based bar code symbol reading systems, and more particularly to an automatic bar code symbol reading system having a compact, lightweight, laser scanning engine arrangable for mounting on the body of the user for hands-free scanning applications.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Various types of laser scanning devices are in use and have been disclosed in the patent literature. Many of these scanners read bar codes, such as the Uniform Product Code (UPC), which are imprinted on products, labels affixed to products, or packaging for products.
One type of scanner is referred to as a slot scanner. Typically slot scanners are mounted beneath or at the checkout counter of a retail establishment, such as a supermarket. Another type of scanner is a hand-held scanner. This type of scanner typically includes a grip portion held in one's hand to enable the scanner to be directed onto a bar code so that the scan pattern produced by the scanner traverses the bar code symbol in order to read it.
In the last few years there has been increased development toward making hand-held scanners extremely small and lightweight. One such scanner is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,848, whose disclosure is incorporated by reference, and which is assigned to the same Assignee as this invention. That scanner comprises a hand grip portion and a body portion. Within the body portion of the scanner is a "laser scanning engine" having all of the necessary optical, mechanical and electrical components required to produce a laser beam scanning pattern for reading bar codes and for receiving light reflected therefrom to produce an electrical signal indicative thereof. Other hand-held laser scanners are disclosed in the patent literature, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,387,297 (Swartz, et al.), 4,409,470 (Swartz, et al.), 4,460,120 (Swartz, et al.), 4,607,156 (Koppenall, et al.), 4,706,248 (Swartz, et al.), and 4,575,625 (Knowles).
Although prior art hand-held scanners are capable of reading bar code symbols, they all typically must be held in the hand of the user so that the laser beam scanning pattern can be aimed at the bar code symbol. In the course of checking out customers' purchases at a checkout counter, a clerk is thus required to continually pick up the scanner, direct its laser beam onto the symbols to effect the reading of the symbols, and then either lay down the scanner between readings or between customers or place it in a support cradle or mount so that the clerk can use his or her hands for other purposes.
Thus, there is a great need in the art for a bar code symbol reading system that offers the features of a hand-held system, while enabling hands-free triggerless operation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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