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Relevant Field The present disclosure relates to infusing fluid. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for infusing fluid into a patient, e.g., using a pump. Description of Related Art Providing patient care in a hospital generally necessitates the interaction of numerous professionals and caregivers (e.g., doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, nurse practitioners, etc.) and any number of medical devices/systems needed for treatment of a given patient. Despite the existence of systems intended to facilitate the care process, such as those incorporating electronic medical records (“EMR”) and computerized provider order entry (“CPOE”), the process of providing comprehensive care to patients including ordering and delivering medical treatments, such as medications, is associated with a number of non-trivial issues. Peristaltic pumps are used in a variety of applications such as medical applications, especially fluid transfer applications that would benefit from isolation of fluid from the system and other fluids. Some peristaltic pumps work by compressing or squeezing a length of flexible tubing. A mechanical mechanism pinches a portion of the tubing and pushes any fluid trapped in the tubing in the direction of rotation. There are rotary peristaltic pumps and finger peristaltic pumps. Rotary peristaltic pumps typically move liquids through flexible tubing placed in an arc-shaped raceway. Rotary peristaltic pumps are generally made of two to four rollers placed on a roller carrier driven rotationally by a motor. A typical rotary peristaltic pump has a rotor assembly with pinch rollers that apply pressure to the flexible tubing at spaced locations to provide a squeezing action on the tubing against an occlusion bed. The occlusion of the tubing creates increased pressure ahead of the squeezed area and reduced pressure behind that area, thereby forcing a liquid through the tubing as the rotor assembly moves the pinch rollers along the tubing. In order to operate, there must always be an occlusion zone; in other words, at least one of the rollers is always pressing on the tube. Finger peristaltic pumps are made of a series of fingers moving in cyclical fashion to flatten a flexible tube against a counter surface. The fingers move essentially vertically, in wave-like fashion, forming a zone of occlusion that moves from upstream to downstream. The last finger—the furthest downstream—raises up when the first finger—the furthest upstream—presses against the counter surface. The most commonly used finger pumps are linear, meaning that the counter surface is flat and the fingers are parallel. In this case, the fingers are controlled by a series of cams arranged one behind another, each cam cooperating with a finger. These cams are placed helically offset on a shared shaft driven rotationally by a motor. There are also rotary-finger peristaltic pumps, which attempt to combine the advantages of roller pumps with those of finger pumps. In this type of pump, the counter surface is not flat, but arc-shaped, and the fingers are arranged radially inside the counter surface. In this case, a shared cam with multiple knobs placed in the center of the arc is used to activate the fingers.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to a circuit stabilizing a power voltage provided to the sense amplifier by compensating a noise generated in the power voltage when the sense amplifier operates with an arbitrarily generated decoupling noise. In DRAMs, cell transistors are connected to word lines through the gates of the cell transistors. When a specific word line is turned on, a plurality of cell transistors operate. A charge charged in a storage node of the cell transistor is shared in bit lines according to the operation of the cell transistor. A sense amplifier is driven, and senses and amplifies the charge shared in the bit lines. A conventional sense amplifier will be described with reference to FIG. 1. If a pull-up driving control signal SAEP and a pull-down driving control signal SAEN are transited, or switched, to ‘high’, a pull-up driving transistor N10 and a pull-down driving transistor N12 are turned on. A power voltage VDD and a ground voltage VSS are respectively applied to a pull-up driving terminal RTO and a pull-down driving terminal SB of a sense amplifier 10 when the pull-up driving transistor N10 and the pull-down driving transistor N12 are turned on. At this time, an equalization circuit 12 is not operated. For reference, the equalization circuit 12 includes a plurality of transistors which operate according to a bit line equalizing control signal BLEQ. The bit line equalizing control signal BLEQ maintains a disabled state when the sense amplifier 10 is driven. The sense amplifier 10 senses and amplifies the voltage difference between the bit lines BL and BLb when the power voltage VDD and the ground voltage VSS are supplied to the pull-up driving terminal RTO and the pull-down driving terminal SB respectively. In the sense amplifier 10, when the voltage at bit line BLb is less than the voltage at bit line BL by a predetermined difference Δ V, the PMOS transistor MP1 within the sense amplifier 10 starts to be turned on as a voltage difference Vgs between a gate and a source with respect to the source, (i.e. with respect to the pull-up driving terminal RTO) is generated by Δ V, thereby gradually raising the voltage level of the bit line BL having a bit line precharge voltage level. When the voltage level of the bit line BL is increased, the PMOS transistor MP2 of the sense amplifier 10 starts to be turned off, and a NMOS transistor MN2 starts to be turned on as the voltage difference Vgs between a gate and a source with respect to the source, (i.e. with respect to the pull-down driving terminal SB) is generated by Δ V, thereby gradually lowering a voltage level of the bit line BLb. With such positive feedback manner, the PMOS transistor MP1 and a NMOS transistor MN2 are turned on and the PMOS transistor MP2 and a NMOS transistor MN1 are turned off. Therefore, the sense amplifier 10 operates until the bit line BL reaches the level of the power voltage VDD applied to the pull-up driving terminal RTO, and until the bit line BLb reaches the level of the ground voltage VSS applied to the pull-down driving terminal SB. Currents I1 and I2 are generated as the bit lines BL and BLb reach the power voltage VDD level or the ground voltage VSS level respectively. These currents flow directly between a power voltage VDD applying terminal and a ground voltage VSS applying terminal and have a maximum peak current value when the voltages applied to the bit lines BL and BLb are equal to VDD/2. The current generated at this time is the largest peak current in an operation of a DRAM and is also the largest current consuming element. As described above, when one word line is activated, a plurality of sense amplifiers 10 related thereto are operated. The bit lines BL and BLb are amplified according to the operation of the sense amplifiers 10, the power voltage VDD, and the ground voltage VSS level, or the ground voltage VSS and the power voltage VDD level according to the charge charged in the cell. At this time, a current level determined according to the operation of the plurality of the sense amplifiers and relating to one word line flows between the power voltage VDD applying terminal and the ground voltage VSS applying terminal. Therefore, the power voltage VDD is temporarily reduced as shown in “A period” of FIG. 2, and the ground voltage VSS is temporarily bounced, or varied as is shown in FIG. 2. A capacitor MC1 is provided between the power voltage VDD applying terminal and the ground voltage VSS applying terminal to prevent the temporary bouncing. As a result a noise on the power voltage VDD formed by a peak current can be reduced since the instantaneously needed charge is supplied from the capacitor MC1 when the sense amplifier 10 operates. Meanwhile, a bank compress mode is used in DRAM test to shorten the test time. According to the bank compress mode failure of a cell is not inspected by performing an operation in the unit of one bank, but rather by operating a plurality of banks (for example, four banks) simultaneously. Therefore, in the bank compress mode, data of a plurality of banks are compressed and the compressed data is outputted to one data output port, thereby capable of shortening the test time to ¼ of the existing method. However, since sense amplifiers of the plurality of banks operate simultaneously in this case, the reduction in the power voltage VDD is increased several fold and thus a row access strobe (RAS) to column access strobe (CAS) delay time tRCD is increased. The power voltage VDD supplied in DDR2-DRAM is currently 1.8V, but the power voltage VDD supplied in DDR3 is 1.5V. According to this power consumption trend it is expected that the power voltage VDD supplied hereafter will be lowered to less than 1.2V. As the power voltage VDD is reduced as described above, excessive drops in the power voltage VDD during the operation of the sense amplifier may result in deterioration of AC character and obstruction of device stabilization.

The present invention relates to an apparatus, method and program for alarming abnormality in tire air-pressure. Among tires, it is difficult to determine decrease in tire air-pressure, in particular such as a run-flat tire which allows traveling even if air-pressure therein is zero. In the case where a vehicle travels at high velocity with decreased air-pressure, there has been a problem that a tire may blow out. In view of this, various methods to detect decrease in tire air-pressure have been investigated. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 305011/1988, it is disclosed a method for detecting a deflated tire from wheel velocities of four wheel tires provided on a vehicle by using a tire deflation warning system (DWS). According to this method, by utilizing a phenomenon in which rotational velocity becomes faster due to the decrease in substantial rotational radius when tire air-pressure is decreased, an air-pressure in a certain tire on a wheel is detected to be decreased from a difference between the sum of the wheel rotational velocity of a pair of tires on a diagonal line and the sum of the wheel rotational velocity of a pair of tires on the other diagonal line as well as a difference between rotational velocity of a certain wheel and an average value of rotational velocities of four wheels. However, there are cases in which a rotational velocity of a certain wheel becomes slower compared with those of the other wheels not only under unusual conditions such as offset load on a vehicle or providing a snow chain on one wheel, but also under condition for cornering of a vehicle. Under such traveling conditions, in the case where air-pressure is detected by the above-mentioned method for detecting decrease in tire air-pressure, there are cases in which a deflation alarm is issued even when air-pressure decrease is not generated in fact. There has been a problem that such unnecessary alarm results in making an erroneous decision and incurring unnecessary costs (maintenance) to a driver. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, method and program for alarming abnormality in tire air-pressure which allows detecting abnormality of a tire even under unusual traveling conditions such as offset load on a vehicle or providing a snow chain on one wheel.

The innovation relates to pistols with a safety trigger essentially comprising a trigger lever supported or located in a housing and arranged in a trigger region formed between the housing and a trigger guard, and a safety lever which is pivotally mounted in the trigger lever, the safety lever interacting with a catch in the housing. Such safety triggers are primarily intended to enable rapid firing. The pistol is secured without touching the trigger. Often, such safety devices interact with the firing pin and drop safety device via the trigger rod. A safety trigger, which is already known from the DE patent 485 710 from Sauer & Sohn and still present in more recent pistols, comprises a safety lever which is arranged behind the trigger lever and comprises a small projection oriented in the firing direction and projecting through a recess in the trigger lever and preventing a movement of the trigger lever in the blocking position. For release, it must first be pressed by the shooter's trigger finger. In the event of rapid grasping of the pistol or in the case of bad positioning or unfavorable shape of the trigger lever, the small projection is not sufficiently actuated and no shot can be fired. In addition, the projection causes painful pressure points on the trigger finger during repeated firing, due to its small area. Also, when wearing tactical gloves or winter gloves, often the safety lever cannot be moved sufficiently, thus keeping the safety active and rendering firing impossible. In an improved construction, U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,593, the safety lever forms an extension of the trigger lever. In this case, a joint is arranged between the trigger lever shortened by half of its height and the safety lever adjoining it downwards. The mutually facing ends of the two trigger elements form a positioning stop in the blocking position, however, in the firing position they form a gap, in which the trigger finger may possibly get stuck, when the trigger is released (trigger reset) and the complete forward movement of the trigger can be prevented. This has happened frequently in the case of using gloves. It is the object of the innovation to avoid all disadvantages of the previously known safety triggers, in particular the disadvantages of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,593. The safety trigger should be safe, easy to operate, ergonomically optimal and absolutely reliable.

A broadcast-type service includes both a broadcast and multicast services, and provides the same content for a plurality of user terminals existing within the cell of each base station at the same time. The user terminal receiving the broadcast-type service within the cell should be able to receive content with a certain quality of service (QoS) as far as it is located within the area. To that end, a sufficient receiving power needs to be provided for the respective user terminals. The broadcast-type service is realized by a point to multi-point (PtM) system or a point to point (PtP) system. In the PtM system, a base station uses a single point to multi-point channel (common channel) reaching the cell boundary to distribute content to all user terminals within the cell. The PtM system is also referred to as “common channel system”. In the PtM system, a single downlink radio channel is used to distribute content to the user terminals, so that even in the case where a large number of the user terminals in the broadcast-type service area receive the content at the same time, the base station need not increase a transmission power of the radio channel irrespective of the number of the user terminals. Therefore, with the PtM system, it is possible to increase the use effect of the radio resources in the case where a large number of the user terminals receive the broadcast-type service within the cell. When there is a sufficient downlink power capacity available in the operation of the broadcast-type service, it is possible for the base station to distribute content to all the user terminals within the cell by performing control such that the downlink transmission power of the PtM channel can reach the cell boundary. On the other hand, when there is not a sufficient downlink power capacity available, the base station performs control to set the downlink transmission power of the PtM channel to a value less than the downlink transmission power with which the PtM channel can reach the cell boundary. In this case, therefore, the base station can distribute content only to a part of the user terminals in the cell. That is, the user terminals near the cell boundary cannot receive the PtM channel and thereby cannot receive content. In the PtP system, a base station uses point to point channels (individual channels) for respective user terminals to distribute the same content to the user terminals subscribing to the broadcast-type service within the cell. The PtP system is also referred to as “individual channel system”. The PtP system is used when there are a comparatively small number of user terminals subscribing to the broadcast-type service within the cell. The PtP system uses the individual channel, so that the base station can set the downlink transmission power of the individual channel to an adequate value by performing transmission power control. Therefore, when the number of the user terminals is comparatively small, it is possible to reduce the downlink transmission power for distributing content to the user terminals. As described above, the PtP and PtM systems are available for realizing the broadcast-type service. Here, in order to determine to use which of the PtP and PtM systems, it is necessary to make a determination based on the radio environmental capacity of the radio communication resources estimating the respective downlink transmission power. Disclosed in a non-patent document (3GPP TR 23.846 1.2.0, September, 2002, P.17) is that the radio channel type (point to multi-point or point to point) is determined based on the number of the user terminals subscribing to the broadcast-type service within the cell. In the case where the radio channel type is determined based on the number of the user terminals subscribing to the broadcast-type service within the cell as described above, it is considered that the PtP channel is used when the number of the user terminals is not more than a certain threshold value and the PtM channel is used when the number thereof exceeds the threshold value. However, the above method of determining the radio channel type used for the content distribution based on the number of the user terminals subscribing to the broadcast-type service within the cell has the following problem. For example, in the case where the single PtM channel is used to distribute content to the user terminals subscribing to the broadcast-type service within the cell, when the number of the user terminals changes to become not more than a certain threshold value, the radio channel used for the content distribution is switched from the PtM channel to PtP channel, and the PtP channel is used to distribute the content to the respective user terminals. However, if all the user terminals are located near the cell boundary, the total of the transmission power of the PtP channel for the user terminals becomes greater than the transmission power of the PtM channel. That is, in some cases, the switching function of the radio channel used for the content distribution based on the number of the user terminals lowers, rather than increases, the use effect of the radio resources. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the switching based on the abovementioned radio environmental capacity of the radio communication resources.

Many internet browser applications provide a means for a user to bookmark network pages for quick and easy access or reference at a later time. In this context, a user may be able to quickly refer to a list of saved bookmarks, and select one for quick access to a network page. With the adoption of new types of computing devices, and various sizes of capacitive touch display screens, an arrangement of bookmarks may be displayed in various ways. For example, rather than selecting a bookmark from an ordered list, a bookmark may be selected from an arrangement of icons displayed on a screen. In the overall context of bookmarks, it is noted that an internet browser application may provide other means to assist users with organizing and highlighting network pages for quick reference. With the adoption of new types of computing devices and cross-computing-platform solutions, however, users may seek and expect additional assistance with the organization of information, including information associated with quick and easy access to network pages. The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope described herein, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions or positions of elements and features may be exaggerated to help visually convey certain principles. In the drawings, similar reference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily the same, elements.

Relatively low intensity mercury lamps, long used for outdoor as well as indoor lighting, require a relatively simple ballast inductance and power factor capacitor (PFC) for starting and running the lamp, reigniting it each half cycle of applied alternating current. There are millions of such simple ballast installations in the United States which are inadequate to start and run high intensity discharge (HID) lamps which have greatly improved light intensity and color. High intensity discharge lamps include, for example, high pressure mercury lamps, high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps, metal halide and other halide lamps. All these HID lamps are difficult or impossible to start and run with the widely installed simple ballast, and many complex starting circuits have been proposed to replace the existing installations. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,235,769 and 3,235,770, 3,334,270 and 3,383,558. Such prior starting circuits are typically designed for one type of HID lamp and do not work with other lamps. It is the object of the present invention to provide a decidedly simpler starting circuit with fewer, more reliable components, which can be used in replacement or modification of existing ballast installations, which is effective to start all types of low and high intensity discharge lamps, and which responds to changes in the ignition (cold starting and reignition) voltage requirements of individual lamps, as this voltage varies during and beyond the normal or nominal life of the lamp.

The present invention relates to a modular micro-chem lab. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hand-held micro-them lab which is preferably pre-fabricated onto a circuit board and which permits preconcentrators and/or sensors to be quickly and easily interchanged. Note that the following discussion refers to a number of publications by author(s) and year of publication, and that due to recent publication dates certain publications are not to be considered as prior art vis-a-vis the present invention. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes. Hand-held chemical testing devices employing preconcentrators have been known for sometime. In such devices, a gas or liquid is typically first passed over or through a preconcentrator, which typically comprises a heatable material that is selected based on that material's ability to sorb the chemical to be tested. Accordingly, the selectively sorbent material of the preconcentrator acquires an excess of the chemical to be tested. Upon rapid heating of the preconcentrator, the sorbed chemical is rapidly liberated. Because the preconcentrator is in fluid contact with the sensor, the rapid liberation of the chemical to be tested is seen as a chemical spike on the sensor. The magnitude of the spike is thus directly proportional to the quantity of gas emitted by the preconcentrator. U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,513 to Frye-Mason et al. describes a chemical microanalytical system which has a preconcentrator and a chemical detector. U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,378 to Manginell et al. also describes a chemical preconcentrator for a hand-held chemical testing device. These and other known chemical sampling and testing devices, however, do not permit a user to rapidly replace the preconcentrator and/or sensor within a sealed environment. The preconcentrator of Frye-Mason et al. for example, provides a single preconcentrator die, which contains not only the selectively sorptive material and the heating element, but also a seal ring. Accordingly each preconcentrator die is further required to also contain a seal ring which must be manufactured and maintained after each use such that the seal ring is kept to exacting tolerances in order to prevent any leakages. Frye-Mason et al. further require that that the preconcentrator die be electrically and fluidically glued to the microfluidic substrate by the use of epoxies and/or solders (col. 4, lines 42-60), thus making rapid replacement of such dies impossible. Because the aforementioned patents, and other known chemical testing devices do not permit the rapid replacement of the preconcentrator and/or sensor within a sealed environment, these and other known devices further require significant down-time when changing the sensor and preconcentrator so that a different chemical can be detected and measured. Still further, because these and other known devices are not designed to be rapidly re-tooled to detect different chemicals, the known testing devices also require a significant amount of re-wiring when changing from one sensor to the next. There is thus a need for a method and apparatus which permits a user to rapidly and effectively replace the preconcentrator and the sensor within a sealed environment and which further requires little or no re-wiring, soldering, or gluing when changing from one sensor and preconcentrator to the next.

This invention relates to methods for rendering email messages as voice or speech sound. This invention further relates to the field of network-based computer systems that render email and/or Internet web page content as voice, such systems being embodied in various forms including, but not limited to, voice command platforms, internet-based virtual assistants and interactive voice response systems. The invention can also be embodied as an improvement to an email client application. Email has emerged over the last decade or so as a convenient and extremely widely used medium for communication. Email messages can be created and displayed on computing devices having an appropriate email application, such as Microsoft Outlook. Email applications are available for desk-top computing devices as well as for portable computing devices, e.g., personal digital assistants, so called “hand-held computers”, lap-top computers and web-equipped cellular telephones. Thanks to advances in satellite, RF, and other wireless communications technologies, it is now possible to both send and receive email messages on portable computing devices virtually anywhere in the continental Unites States. As the capability for sending and receiving email message has migrated onto smaller, more lightweight portable devices, such as cellular telephones, the technology has emerged to render email content as voice. Systems for rendering email content as voice are now described in the patent literature. See, for example, Cooper et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,654. This patent describes a network-based server that functions as a “virtual assistant” system. The system includes a virtual assistant server built on a Windows NT telephony server platform that includes a human interface that may be a voice user interface. The virtual assistant server allows a user to use a voice interactive device, such as a telephone, to access and update information, including voice messages, email messages, intranet or internet content, perform scheduling tasks, and still other functions. The entire content of the '654 patent is incorporated by reference herein. The Virtual Assistant in the '654 patent includes speech recognition software for recognizing speech input from the user and a text to speech converter for rendering text information (such as text from a web document or an email message) into speech, thereby allowing a user to access their email and have it read to them instead of viewing it on a display. Other patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,359, which is directed to a system that allows a user to access a network communication node that includes a voice response system having a text to speech converter and speech recognition engine. The user accesses the communication node from a variety of communication devices, including telephones. U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,686 is directed to a text to speech converter that converts documents in a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) format to speech. The '686 patent recognizes that most of the electronic texts available from the World Wide Web are formatted according to the HTML standard. Unlike other electronic texts, HTML “source” documents, from which content text is displayed, contain embedded textual tags. Generating speech from an electronic originating text intended for visual display presents certain challenges for the TTS converter designers. For example, information is present not only from the content of the text itself but also from the manner in which the text is presented, i.e., by capitalization, bolding, italics, listing, etc. Formatting and typesetting codes of a text normally cannot be pronounced. Punctuation marks, which themselves are not spoken, provide information regarding the text. In addition, the pronunciation of text strings, i.e., sequences of one or more characters, is subject to the context in which text is used. The '686 patent attempts to solve this problem and provide a better user experience in rendering Web content as speech. Lee et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,877 is directed to a system and method for providing access to a unified message store logically storing computer telephony messages, and is further provided to illustrate the current state of the art. The entire content of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,661,877, 6,539,359 and 6,115,686 is incorporated by reference herein. The present inventors have appreciated that the user's experience when receiving or responding to email messages as voice is less than optimal when prior art approaches are used, particularly in comparison to the user experience when the email messages are represented graphically as text on a display. The present invention provides techniques and methods for improving the user experience, through the use of tags (e.g., newly defined XML tags) or other analogous software devices that are inserted into the email content. The tags can be inserted by a client email application that generates the email message, or more preferably, by an email server that receives and stores the email. The tags are then detected by the system rendering email content as speech. Numerous ways in which the tags can be used to benefit the user experience are described in further detail below in the detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to electric current interrupting devices and, more particularly, to a full range current limiting fuse suitable for 23 KV and higher application voltages. 2. Description of the Prior Art The time current melting characteristics of strap-element current-limiting fuses have always been characterized by a relatively steep, inverse shape. It is known that a current-limiting fuse with a less-inverse, time current characteristic would be desirable and more coordinateable. Experience has shown that wire element expulsion type fuses have the less inverse melting characteristic because of the use of wire. Some prior art fuses utilize a tin-wire fuse element in series with one or more sections of silver current-limiting strap. This combination results in the desired less-inverse characteristic. However, the fuse is complex because the tin wire is enclosed in a flexible thick-walled silicone rubber tube. The tubes in turn are jacketed with a strong covering of woven fiberglass so that pressure generated by the melting and arcing of tin, during interruption, does not explode the silicone rubber tube which would otherwise nullify their ability to assist in the clearing of low currents. Low current clearance is accomplished in the silicone rubber tube design by virtue of generated pressure within the tube blowing the molten tin out of the tube and the current path and into the relatively cool sand where it condenses near the end of the tube. High current clearance is accomplished in the ordinary manner by the series silver strap elements as in any backup type of current limiting fuse. Associated with the foregoing is the fact that current-limiting fuses are usually mounted vertically which causes the top of the fuse to operate hotter than the lower end so that melting temperatures are affected. This is particularly true where the tin wire is disposed at the hotter end of the tube which causes it to have variable melting characteristics. That is, with the tin wire at one end the melting characteristic band is widened, thereby resulting in an overly wide band resulting in a less coordinateable device.

The vertebrate spine is the axis of the skeleton providing structural support for the other parts of the body. Adjacent vertebrae of the spine are supported by an intervertebral disc, which serves as a mechanical cushion permitting controlled motion between vertebral segments of the axial skeleton. The intervertebral disc is a unique structure comprised of three components: the nucleus pulposus (“nucleus”), the annulus fibrosus (“annulus”) and two vertebral end plates. The spinal disc can be displaced or damaged due to trauma, disease, degenerative defects or wear over an extended period of time. For example, disc herniation occurs when annulus fibers are weakened or torn and the inner tissue of the nucleus becomes permanently bulged. The mass of a herniated or “slipped” nucleus tissue can compress a spinal nerve, resulting in leg pain, loss of muscle control, or even paralysis. In addition, in some cases, a degenerated nucleus can lose its water binding ability and deflate, thereby reducing the height of the nucleus and causing the annulus to buckle in certain areas. To alleviate back pain caused by disc herniation or degeneration, the disc can be removed and replaced by an implant that promotes fusion of the remaining bone anatomy. The implant, such as a spacer or cage body, should be sufficiently strong to support the spine under a wide range of loading conditions. The implant should also be configured so that it is likely to remain in place once it has been positioned in the spine by the surgeon. In addition, the implant should be capable of being delivered minimally invasively or at least through a relatively small incision into a desired position. Thus, there remains a need for an improved implant that addresses these difficulties.

In recent years, photographs and moving images are taken not only with imaging devices of the related art such as digital cameras, but also with cameras mounted, for example, on information communication terminals such as smart phones and on wearable terminals such as head mounted displays.

Field The disclosure relates to a semiconductor device. Related Art A conventionally known semiconductor device uses gallium nitride (GaN) as the material of semiconductor and includes a p-type semiconductor region containing a p-type impurity and an n-type semiconductor region containing an n-type impurity (for example, JP 2009-177110A). In the semiconductor device described in JP 2009-177110A, a source electrode in contact with the n-type semiconductor region is made of titanium (Ti) and aluminum (Al), in order to provide the ohmic characteristics with respect to the n-type semiconductor region. A body electrode in contact with the p-type semiconductor region is made of nickel (Ni), in order to provide the ohmic characteristics with respect to the p-type semiconductor region. In the semiconductor device described in JP 2009-177110A, the electrode in contact with the n-type semiconductor region and the electrode in contact with the p-type semiconductor region are made of different materials. In the case where the electrode in contact with the n-type semiconductor region and the electrode in contact with the p-type semiconductor region are made of different materials, there is a need to form the respective electrodes in different processes. This complicates the manufacturing process. There is accordingly a demand for a technique that allows the electrode in contact with the n-type semiconductor region and the electrode in contact with the p-type semiconductor region to be made of the same material.

Nowadays electronic devices can perform a great variety of new, advanced, optional, and complex functions in addition to their traditional, normal, inherent and simple functions. Even though such electronic devices have a typical input unit, e.g., a keyboard or a mouse, for performing various functions, this input unit is not easy to carry. In order to obviate such issues, most mobile electronic devices have a touch screen. A touch screen comprises an input mechanism for receiving a user's input and a display mechanism for visually offering information to a user. This touch screen enables an electronic device to provide a user with user-friendly, efficient, and intuitive user interface (UI). Usually an electronic device may offer various UIs associated with various functions to a user. Through this UI, a user can trigger a desired function easily, quickly, and intuitively. Typically, when an electronic device executes a UI of a specific user function such as an application, several items associated with the user function are offered in the form of a list. For example, a UI of a messenger application may provide a list of user's friends. This list form merely shows an array of items and does not clearly and intuitively represent relations between displayed items and a current user function. 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.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector structure for hollow pipes, which is particularly effective for connecting non-cylindrical pipes in addition to its use for connection of cylindrical pipes. The present invention is for connection of two pipes within the hollow spaces of these pipes, rather than at the outer sides of these pipes. 2. Description of the Prior Art Generally, an outer thread at an end of a cylindrical pipe, and an inner thread at an end of another cylindrical pipe are required for connection of two cylindrical pipes. Such a structure is not applicable for connection of non-cylindrical pipes. For connection of such pipes, a connecting means is used to connect two adjacent ends of these pipes. Such conventional connecting means cannot provide a tight connection, and the connection and separation of the pipes are not easy. Hence, if connection is required, cylindrical pipes are preferred.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat-dissipating device, and in particular to a heat-dissipating device for supplying cold airflow. 2. Description of Prior Art In general, the interior of a computer host is equipped with various electronic elements or devices (such as a central processing unit, a power supply, a hard disk driver or the like) that generate a great amount of heat in operation. Further, a sealed casing is mounted outside the computer host to protect the computer host but unfortunately affect the heat dissipation of the computer host, which causes the accumulation of heat in the computer host together with an elevated temperature. A common solution is to install a heat-dissipating device on the computer host to reduce the inside temperature, thereby protecting the electronic elements and devices in the computer host from suffering damage to affect their normal operation. A conventional heat-dissipating solution is to install a heat-dissipating fan on a rear surface of the computer host. External air is introduced into the computer host by the heat-dissipating fan to reduce the temperature in the computer host. However, since the weather in Taiwan is warm throughout the year, the temperature of external air is usually in the range of 25 to 35° C. Thus, the above heat-dissipating fan merely blows warm air into the computer host rather than cold air. Therefore, the heat-dissipating effect of the heat-dissipating fan is limited. With the development of thermoelectric cooling chips, many manufacturers propose a novel heat-dissipating device for the computer host, in which a thermoelectric cooling chip is combined with a fan. After the thermoelectric cooling chip is supplied with electricity, one surface of the thermoelectric cooling chip is heated up and this surface is referred to as a “hot-end surface”. The other surface of the thermoelectric cooling chip is cooled down and this surface is referred to as a “cold-end surface”. When external air is introduced into the heat-dissipating device by the fan and brought into contact with the cold-end surface, the temperature of the external air will be reduced to form a cold airflow. Then, the cold airflow is introduced into the computer host to lower the temperature of the electronic elements therein. In practice, after the thermoelectric cooling chip is supplied with electricity, the temperature of the cold-end surface will be lower than 0° C., thereby generating a strong cooling effect. However, if the external air does not exchange heat with the thermoelectric cooling chip to form a cold airflow, frost will be generated on the cold-end surface. As a result, when a user turns off the computer host or de-energizes the thermoelectric cooling chip, the frost on the cold-end surface will be melted to become condensed droplets, which will rust the electronic elements in the computer host and even generate a short circuit. Further, the conventional heat-dissipating device utilizing the thermoelectric cooling chip still has problems as follows. Some manufacturers utilize a finned cooler to be brought into contact with the cold-end surface, thereby increasing the contact area between the external air and the cold-end surface. However, the actual contact area between the finned cooler and the cold-end surface still remains the area of the cold-end surface. Thus, the cold generated by the cold-end surface cannot be conducted to other places rapidly and uniformly to be heat-exchanged with the external air. Thus, frost will still be generated around the contacting portion between the cold-end surface and the finned cooler. As a result, the frost will be melted to form condensed droplets, and the problems of rust and short circuit still exist. On the other hand, since the contact area between the fined cooler and the cold-end surface is limited, the heat-exchanging distance between the external air and the finned cooler is also restricted. As a result, the external air cannot be heat-exchanged sufficiently with the cold-end surface, and thus the cold generated by the cold-end surface cannot be distributed uniformly in the external air. In other words, the air close to the cold-end surface is cooler but the air away from the cold-end surface is warmer. Such a temperature gradient becomes larger especially when the travelling distance of the cold airflow is longer in the heat-dissipating device. In view of the above problems, the present Inventor proposes a novel and reasonable structure based on his expert experience and deliberate researches.

Cash handling devices (e.g., cash recyclers) typically contain one or more compartments. One or more of these compartments may contain a plurality of stackers or rollers) that hold currency. For example, one stacker may hold “one dollar” bills; another may hold “five dollar” bills; still another may hold “twenty dollar” bills; yet another may hold “fifty dollar” bills; and a further may hold “one hundred dollar” bills. If a bank secures each compartment that holds the stackers, then the retailer or entity in which the cash recycling device is located may not have access to the stackers. This may be beneficial in order to prevent theft; however, it is problematic from a service perspective. This is because if a problem arises (e.g., a jam occurs in a stacker or in a paper handling path), then the retailer or entity cannot fix the problem itself. Instead, a service call must be made to the bank. The bank may then have to dispatch an authorized service person to fix the problem in the cash handling device. Alternatively, if the bank does not secure the compartments that hold the stackers or rollers, anyone passing by the cash handling device could open it and steal the currency contained therein. Thus, there is no currently available system that provides a balance between the interests of safety and service for cash handling devices.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates generally to cylinder liners for internal combustion engines, engine block assemblies including the cylinder liners, and methods of manufacturing the same. 2. Description of the Prior Art Engines today are preferably designed to be smaller and lighter in order to condense packaging, reduce engine mass, and improve fuel economy. However, the smaller size can cause problems and concerns for finding places and positions for various components and machining. One of the areas of concern is the smaller interbore bridge area between the piston cylinder openings in the engine block. When cooling of the interbore bridges is necessary, drilled holes and/or saw slots can be machined into the bridge areas. Given the smaller bore spacing, and if liners are positioned in the cylinders, it can be difficult to machine the saw slots and/or drill the holes without contacting the cylinder liners and damaging the cutting tools. This can cause scrappage of the engine block and/or block line downtime. Turning down the outside surface of the cylinder liners can create some additional space in the interbore bridge regions for slot and hole machining. However, this can result in poor thermal conductivity and large magnitudes of bore distortion due to the lack of physical or mechanical bonding of the cylinder liner to the engine block. These conditions are undesirable in these critical regions of the engine block.

The present invention relates to a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor capable of detecting a magnetic-pole position of a synchronous motor easily, securely and with high precision. In order to efficiently control a synchronous motor, it has been a conventional practice to detect magnetic-pole positions of a rotor of the synchronous motor. As a method for detecting a magnetic-pole position of the synchronous motor, there has been a method of directly detecting an electric angle (a magnetic-pole position) of the rotor by using a position detector, like an encoder. However, in order to detect directly a rotation angle of the rotor, it is neccessary to add to the synchronous motor a sensor exclusively used for detecting a magnetic-pole position, like a position detector. This has drawbacks in that the scale of the apparatus becomes large which further leads to unsatisfactory economics of the apparatus. Therefore, there has been proposed an apparatus that detects a magnetic-pole position of a synchronous motor without using a position detector (reference Japanese Patent Application (Laid-Open) No. 7-177788). FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor that does not use a position detector. In FIG. 24, a synchronous motor 1 has a permanent-magnet type rotor, and has a three-phase winding of U-phase, V-phase and W-phase. An arithmetic section 102 outputs a voltage vector command V to a circuit section 3, and outputs a trigger signal Tr to a detection section 4. The circuit section 3 applies a voltage to each phase of the synchronous motor 1 based on the input voltage vector command V. The detection section 4 detects a current of each phase at a rise timing of the trigger signal Tr, and outputs a detection current Di to the arithmetic section 102. The arithmetic section 102 calculates a magnetic-pole position xcex8 of the rotor based on the input detection current Di, and outputs a calculated result. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a detailed structure of the circuit section 3. In FIG. 25, the circuit section 3 has semiconductor switches 5 to 10. Each pair of semiconductor switches 5 and 8, 6 and 9, and 7 and 10 respectively are connected in series. Each pair of semiconductor switches 5 and 8, 6 and 9, and 7 and 10 respectively are connected in parallel with a DC voltage source 11 that generates a phase potential Ed. An intermediate point Pu for connecting between the semiconductors 5 and 8 is connected to the U-phase of the synchronous motor 1. An intermediate point Pv for connecting between the semiconductors 6 and 9 is connected to the V-phase of the synchronous motor 1. An intermediate point Pw for connecting between the semiconductors 7 and 10 is connected to the W-phase of the synchronous motor 1. Each of the semiconductor switches 5 to 10 has a corresponding one of insulation gate type bipolar transistors (IGBT) Q1 to Q6 and a corresponding one of diodes D1 to D6 connected in parallel. The diodes are directed in sequence to a plus side of the DC voltage source 11. Agate signal to be applied to a gate of each of the IGBTs Q1 to Q6 forms a voltage vector command V, and this voltage vector command V turns off/off corresponding transistors of the IGBTs Q1 to Q6. The voltage vector V has nine switching modes xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d, and the respective switching modes xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d are defined as follows based on combinations of the IGBTs Q1 to Q6 to be turned on. Switching mode: Combination of the IGBTs Q1 to Q6 to be turned on xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d: Nil xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d: Q1, Q5, Q6 xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d: Q1, Q2, Q6 xe2x80x9c3xe2x80x9d: Q4, Q2, Q6 xe2x80x9c4xe2x80x9d: Q4, Q2, Q3 xe2x80x9c5xe2x80x9d: Q4, Q5, Q3 xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d: Q1, Q5, Q3 xe2x80x9c7xe2x80x9d: Q1, Q2, Q3 xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d: Q4, Q5, Q6 Voltage vectors V1 to V8 corresponding to the switching modes xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d have phase differences of 60 degrees respectively, with equal sizes as shown in FIG. 26. A size of the voltage vector V1 will be obtained here, as one example. As the voltage vector V1 corresponds to the switching mode xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d, the IGBTs Q1, Q5 and Q6 are turned on, and the IGBTs Q4, Q2 and Q3 are turned off. Therefore, a line voltage Vuv between the U-phase and the V-phase, a line voltage Vuv between the V-phase and the W-phase, and a line voltage Vwu between the W-phase and the U-phase are given by the following equations (1) to (3) respectively. Vuv=Vuxe2x88x92Vv=Edxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1) Vvw=Vvxe2x88x92Vw=0xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2) Vwu=Vwxe2x88x92Vu=xe2x88x92Edxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3) where, xe2x80x9cVuxe2x80x9d represents a phase of the U-phase (a potential of the intermediate point Pu), xe2x80x9cVvxe2x80x9d represents a phase of the V-phase (a potential of the intermediate point Pv), and xe2x80x9cVwxe2x80x9d represents a phase of the W-phase (a potential of the intermediate point Pw). Further, from the equations (1) to (3), the potentials Vu to Vw are obtained as given by the following equations (4) to (6) respectively. Vu=⅔*Edxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4) Vv=xe2x88x92⅓*Edxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5) Vw=xe2x88x92⅓*Edxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6) Therefore, a direction of the voltage vector V1 becomes the direction of the U-phase as shown in FIG. 26. Further, a size |V1| of the voltage vector V1 is expressed as given by the following equation (7). |V1=⅔*Edxe2x88x92⅓*Ed cos(120 degrees)xe2x88x92⅓*Edcos(240 degrees)=Edxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(7) Directions and sizes of other voltage vectors V2 to V6 can be obtained by carrying out similar calculations to those of the voltage vector V1. As shown in FIG. 26, directions of the voltage vectors V2 to V6 have phase differences of 60 degrees respectively sequentially from the U-phase, and their sizes become Ed. Further, the voltage vector V7 and V8 become voltage vectors having sizes 0 respectively as shown in FIG. 26. Voltages corresponding to these voltage vectors V1 to V6 are applied to the U-phase, the V-phase and the W-phase of the synchronous motor 1 respectively. In this case, thedetection section 4 detects a current that flows through each phase at the rise timing of the trigger signal Tr. FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a detailed structure of the detection section 4. In FIG. 27, current detectors 12 to 14 detect currents that flow through the U-phase, the V-phase and the W-phase respectively, and output the detection currents to output processing sections 15 to 17 respectively. The output processing sections 15 to 17 have sample holding circuits 15a to 17a and A/D converters 15b to 17b respectively. The sample holding circuits 15a to 17a hold samples of the current values detected by the current detectors 12 to 14 respectively at the rise timing of the trigger signal Tr input from the arithmetic section 102. The A/D converters 15b to 17b convert analog signals held by the sample holding circuits 15a to 17a into digital signals respectively, and output a current iu of the U-phase, a current iv of the V-phase, and a current iw of the W-phase respectively, which are collectively output as a detection current Di to the arithmetic section 2. A relationship between the voltage vector command V, the trigger signal Tr and the detection current Di will be explained next with reference to a timing chart shown in FIG. 28. In FIG. 28, the arithmetic section 102 first sequentially outputs voltage vectors V0, V1, V0, V3, V0, V5, and V0 in this order to the circuit section 3 as the voltage vector command V, when the synchronous motor 1 is in the halted state and also when the current of each phase is zero. At the same time, the arithmetic section 102 outputs the trigger signal Tr to the detection section 4 immediately after finishing the application of each voltage vector. As explained above, the circuit section 3 sequentially applies the voltage vectors V0, V1, V0, V3, V0, V5, and V0 in this order to the synchronous motor 1 based on the voltage vector command V. The application time of each of the voltage vectors V1, V3 and V5 is set to a sufficiently short time within a time range in which the synchronous motor 1 is not magnetically saturated. The output processing sections 15 to 17 of the detection section 4 sample the currents of the respective phases, that is, the currents iu, iv and iw, at the rise timing of the trigger signal Tr, and output currents iu1 to iu3 of the U-phase, currents iv1 to iv3 of the V-phase, and currents iw1 to iw3 of the W-phase as detection results respectively to the arithmetic section 102. The current iu1 of the U-phase, the current iv1 of the V-phase and the current iw1 of the W-phase are the currents detected by the trigger signal Tr that is applied immediately after the voltage vector V1. The current iu2 of the U-phase, the current iv2 of the V-phase and the current iw2 of the W-phase are the currents detected by the trigger signal Tr that is applied immediately after the voltage vector V2. The current iu3 of the U-phase, the current iv3 of the V-phase and the current iw3 of the W-phase are the currents detected by the trigger signal Tr that is applied immediately after the voltage vector V3. The magnetic-pole position xcex8 of the rotor of the synchronous motor 1 and the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3 have a relationship as shown in FIG. 29. Looking at a range of the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 from 0 to 18 degrees, the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 can be divided into six sections at every 30 degrees based on large-and-small relationships of the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3. The six divided regional sections of the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 are expressed as follows with section numbers attached to the respective sections. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 at every 30 degrees based on the large-and-small relationships of the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3 when the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 are within the range from 0 to 180 degrees. In order to obtain a specific magnetic-pole position xcex8, this is calculated from the following equation (8). 0=(mxe2x88x921)xc3x9730+15+f(m)xc3x97(iavxe2x88x92im)xc3x97kxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(8) Among the current values of the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3 in each section of the 30 degree unit, any one of the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3 that has an intermediate current value is regarded as a straight line in this section. For example, the current iw3 in the section of the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 from 0 to 30 degrees is regarded as a straight line. A current iav is an average value of the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3. A current im is a current approximated by a straight line in this section number m, and a coefficient k is an inclination of this straight line. When section numbers are 1, 3 and 5, f(m)=1. When section numbers are 2, 4 and 6, f (m)=xe2x88x921. A magnetic-pole position xcex80 can be specified as one-point magnetic-pole position xcex8 instead of a section within the range from 0 to 18 degrees based on this equation (8). As the magnetic-pole position xcex8 changes in the 180 degree period as shown in FIG. 29, the magnetic-pole position xcex8 is determined uniquely by using magnetic saturation forthe whole angles of 360 degrees. For example, when the section number m is xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d, the magnetic-pole position xcex8 is either in the section of 0 to 30 degrees or in the section of 180 to 210 degrees. Therefore, it is not possible to uniquely specify the magnetic-pole position xcex8. In this case, the section of the magnetic-pole position xcex8 is selectively determined by applying the voltage vectors V1 and V4 having a long application time for generating a magnetic saturation is applied to the synchronous motor 1 as shown in FIG. 17. More specifically, when there is no magnetic saturation generated, the absolute values of the currents iu4 and iu5 become equal. However, the magnetic flux generated when the voltage vectors V1 and V4 near the magnetic-pole position have been applied works in a direction to increase the magnetism of the magnetic flux of the rotor of the synchronous motor 1. Thus, when a magnetic saturation is generated, the inductance of the coil of the synchronous motor 1 decreases. Therefore, when a magnetic saturation has been generated, a current when the voltage vector V1 or V4 of a phase near the magnetic-pole position xcex8 has been applied has a larger value than a current when the voltage vector V1 or V4 of a phase 180 degrees different from the phase near the magnetic-pole position xcex8 has been applied. As a result, when the magnetic-pole position xcex8 is either in the section of 0 to 30 degrees or in the section of 180 to 210 degrees, it is decided that the magnetic-pole position xcex8 is in the region of 0 to 30 degrees, when the size |iu4| of the current iu4 is larger than the size |iu5| of the current iu5. Thus, the magnetic-pole position xcex8 obtained from the equation (8) is output directly. When the size |iu4| of the current iu4 is smaller than the size |iu5| of the current iu5, it is decided that the magnetic-pole position xcex8 is in the section of 180 to 210 degrees. In this case, 180 degrees is added to the magnetic-pole position xcex8 obtained from the equation (8), and the result is output. Similarly, when the section numbers m are xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d, the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 in the range of 0 to 180 degrees are obtained based on the equation (8). Thereafter, the voltage vectors corresponding to the section numbers are applied with a long application time for generating a magnetic saturation. Then, a relationship of the magnetic-pole positions of 180 degrees is decided using a large-and-small relationship of the absolute values of the voltage vectors. Thus, the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 are uniquely specified over the whole angles. However, according to the above-described conventional magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor, as the magnetic-pole position xcex8 is first obtained within a large range of 180 degrees, it has been necessary to apply a voltage vector having an application time not sufficient for generating a magnetic saturation in the coil of the synchronous motor 1. As the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3 that are detected by the application of the voltage vector having an application time not sufficient for generating a magnetic saturation have small amplitudes, the signals of the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3 are easily affected by noise. Therefore, there is a potential that an erroneous amplitude is output. Further, there is a potential that a cancellation occurs when the A/D converters 15b to 17b convert analog signals into digital signals. Therefore, there is a case where it is not possible to detect the currents iu1, iv2 and iw3 in high precision. As a result, there has been a problem in that it is not possible to detect correctly the magnetic-pole positions xcex8. Further, according to the above-described conventional magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor, as the magnetic-pole positions xcex8 are specified uniquely within the range from 0 to 360 degrees by using a magnetic saturation, two kinds of voltage vectors having an application time for generating a magnetic saturation have been applied. However, in this case, the influence of hysteresis characteristic of a coil is not taken into consideration. Actual amplitude of the detection current is influenced by the hysteresis characteristic of a coil of the synchronous motor, and is also dependent on the sequence of applying the voltage vectors. For example, in the case of the size |iu4| of the current iu4 and the size |iu5| of the current iu5, the size |iu5| becomes smaller than the size |iu4| because of the influence of a nonlinear characteristic of the hysteresis characteristic. Therefore, making a decision of ranges with 180-degree different phases and uniquely specifying magnetic-pole positions xcex8 based on a simple comparison between the size |iu4| and the size |iu5| has had a problem in that there occurs an erroneous detection of the magnetic-pole positions xcex8. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor capable of detecting a magnetic-pole position of the synchronous motor easily, securely and in high precision. In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor comprising: a circuit unit which applies voltage vectors to an nxe2x88x92 (where n is a natural number of 3 or above) phase winding of a synchronous motor based on a voltage vector command; a detecting unit which detects currents on the n-phase winding generated by voltage vectors applied from the circuit unit; and an arithmetic unit which outputs the voltage vector command to the circuit unit, applies a trigger signal to the detecting unit immediately after an application of voltage vectors based on the voltage vector command, thereby makes the detecting unit detect currents on the n-phase winding, and calculates magnetic-pole positions of the synchronous motor based on the detection currents, and outputs the result of the calculation, wherein the arithmetic unit outputs to the circuit unit the voltage vector command for applying 2n kinds of voltage vectors with equal amplitudes and equal-interval phases to the n-phase winding over the same time period, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the current values of the phases detected by the detecting unit. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit outputs to the circuit unit the voltage vector command for applying 2n kinds of voltage vectors with equal amplitudes and equal-interval phases to the n-phase winding over the same time period, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the current values of the phases detected by the detecting unit. Therefore, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in the precision of xc2x160/(2{circumflex over ( )}(k+1)). Further, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor comprising: a circuit unit which applies voltage vectors to an nxe2x88x92 (where n is a natural number of 3 or above) phase winding of a synchronous motor based on a voltage vector command; a detecting unit which detects currents on the n-phase winding generated by voltage vectors applied from the circuit unit; and an arithmetic unit which outputs the voltage vector command to the circuit unit, applies a trigger signal to the detecting unit immediately after an application of voltage vectors based on the voltage vector command, thereby makes the detecting unit detect currents on the n-phase winding, and calculates magnetic-pole positions of the synchronous motor based on the detection currents, and outputs the result of the calculation, wherein the arithmetic unit outputs to the circuit unit the voltage vector command for applying 2n kinds of voltage vectors to the n-phase winding over the same time period in the order of either a monotonous increase or a monotonous decrease in the phases of the voltage vectors. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit outputs to the circuit unit the voltage vector command for applying 2n kinds of voltage vectors to the n-phase winding over the same time period in the order of either a monotonous increase or a monotonous decrease in the phases of the voltage vectors. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence of nonlinear elements like the hysteresis characteristic of the synchronous motor, and it is also possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit outputs to the circuit unit the voltage vector command for applying the voltage vectors, over a time period sufficient enough for the n-phase winding to be magnetically saturated. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit outputs to the circuit unit the voltage vector command for applying the voltage vectors, over a time period sufficient enough for the n-phase winding to be magnetically saturated. Therefore, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision by detecting a change in the inductance due to a magnetic saturation. Further, according to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit generates an added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that are in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the added current value. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit generates an added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that are in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the added current value. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a change in the inductance due to the saliency of the synchronous motor. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit outputs a magnetic-pole position corresponding to the added current value of which absolute value becomes maximum. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit outputs a magnetic-pole position corresponding to the added current value of which absolute value becomes maximum. Therefore, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions easily and correctly. Further, according to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit outputs magnetic-pole positions corresponding to respective signs of the added current values. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit outputs magnetic-pole positions corresponding to respective signs of the added current values. Therefore, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions easily and correctly. Further, according to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit generates a first added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that are in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, generates a second added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that have components orthogonal with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the first and second added current values. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit generates a first added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that are in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, generates a second added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that have components orthogonal with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the first and second added current values. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence of nonlinear elements like a magnetic saturation, and it is also possible to detect a change in the inductance due to the saliency of the synchronous motor. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to an eighth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit generates a first added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that are in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, generates a second added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that have components in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the first and second added current values. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit generates a first added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that are in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, generates a second added current value that is a result of an addition of current values for each combination of every 180-degree different phases from among 2n current values that have components in phase with the 2n kinds of voltage vectors, and calculates and outputs magnetic-pole positions at every 60/(2{circumflex over ( )}k) degrees (where k is a natural number) based on the first and second added current values. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence of nonlinear elements like a magnetic saturation, and it is also possible to detect a change in the inductance due to the saliency of the synchronous motor. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to a ninth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit selects a region of a magnetic-pole position corresponding to the first added current value of which absolute value becomes maximum, and specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit selects a region of a magnetic-pole position corresponding to the first added current value of which absolute value becomes maximum, and specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position. Therefore, it is possible to narrow the range of the magnetic-pole position in high precision. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to a tenth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit selects regions of magnetic-pole positions corresponding to respective signs of the first added current value, and specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing each region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit selects regions of magnetic-pole positions corresponding to respective signs of the first added current value, and specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing each region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position. Therefore, it is possible to narrow the range of the magnetic-pole position in high precision. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to an eleventh aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit selects a region of a magnetic-pole position corresponding to the first added current value of which absolute value becomes maximum, specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position, and further specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a new large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit selects a region of a magnetic-pole position corresponding to the first added current value of which absolute value becomes maximum, specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position, and further specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a new large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value. Therefore, it is possible to narrow the range of the magnetic-pole position in high precision. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to a twelfth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit selects regions of magnetic-pole positions corresponding to respective signs of the first added current value, specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing each region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position, and further specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a new large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit selects regions of magnetic-pole positions corresponding to respective signs of the first added current value, specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing each region of the magnetic-pole position based on a large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value within the selected region of the magnetic-pole position, and further specifies a magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region of the magnetic-pole position based on a new large-and-small relationship that uses the second added current value. Therefore, it is possible to narrow the range of the magnetic-pole position in high precision. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision. Further, according to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit generates a functional current value using a functional value that includes the first or second added current value, and specifies a region of the magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region based on a large-and-small relationship between the functional current value and the first or second added current value. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit generates a functional current value using a functional value that includes the first or second added current value, and specifies a region of the magnetic-pole position by further narrowing the region based on a large-and-small relationship between the functional current value and the first or second added current value. Therefore, it is possible to extremely narrow the range of the magnetic-pole position. As a result, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in higher precision. Further, according to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic-pole position detecting apparatus for a synchronous motor of the above aspect, wherein the arithmetic unit calculates and outputs a magnetic-pole position by applying to the n-phase winding a voltage vector sufficiently larger than an induced voltage that is generated by rotation of the rotor of the synchronous motor, during the rotation of the rotor. According to the above aspect, the arithmetic unit calculates and outputs a magnetic-pole position by applying to the n-phase winding a voltage vector sufficiently larger than an induced voltage that is generated by rotation of the rotor of the synchronous motor, during the rotation of the rotor. Therefore, it is possible to detect magnetic-pole positions in high precision even when the synchronous motor is in rotation.

Ink jet printer technology continues to improve to provide faster printers which produce higher quality print. In order to achieve these goals, printhead materials, designs and manufacturing procedures continue to change and evolve. In newer printhead designs, the nozzle plates contain smaller, more closely spaced nozzle holes and increased numbers of nozzle holes per nozzle plate. As the size of the nozzle holes decreases and the need for increased production increases, it becomes increasing difficult to provide relatively inexpensive printheads which function to provide quality print over the life of the printhead. One of the problems which may occur during a printing operation is that ink tends to accumulate on the nozzle plate surface adjacent the nozzle holes. The accumulated ink can, over time, partially block and cause misdirection of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle plate or, in a severe case, totally block ink ejection from the affected nozzle hole. An excess accumulation of ink on the nozzle plate adjacent a nozzle hole during firing of a nozzle is often referred to in the art as "flooding" since the ink may actually accumulate to the point that it covers the nozzle holes. Another accumulation of ink on the nozzle plate is the result of ink pooling. "Pooling" is defined as the accumulation of ink on the nozzle plate when a "tail" of ink forms as the ink droplet is ejected and the ink tail breaks away from the main droplet and deposits back on the nozzle plate. Pooling of ink does not necessarily occur only adjacent the nozzle holes and may occur anywhere on the nozzle plate. In addition to interfering with ink ejection from a printhead, ink accumulation on a nozzle plate of a multi-color printhead whether from flooding or pooling may result in ink color mixing. As a result of ink color mixing, the ink droplets ejected from affected nozzle holes may not provide the intended color dots thereby reducing print quality. As nozzle holes and their associated ink ejection heaters become smaller and the distance between adjacent nozzle holes is reduced to provide higher quality, faster printing, the effects of ink accumulation or flooding of the nozzle plates becomes a more important factor in the operation of the printer. Attempts have been made to control nozzle flooding and pooling by applying certain fluorocarbon coatings to the nozzle plates. While such fluorocarbon compounds may possess the desired anti-wetting properties, they generally require the use of an intermediate bridging material capable of bonding the fluorocarbon compound to the nozzle plate material. Use of an intermediate material in addition to the fluorocarbon compound involves additional processing steps which increase the manufacturing cost of the printheads. Furthermore, some of the coating materials presently available often require relatively thick coatings ranging from about 0.3 to about 2 .mu.m. Despite the relatively thick coating, the coatings are not sufficiently durable and may be readily removed or rendered ineffective by techniques used to clean the printheads long before achieving the expected printhead life. Because the coatings are relatively thick, they may also interfere with the nozzle holes causing printhead operational problems. In addition to the fluorocarbon coatings, other coatings which have been applied to components of the printhead for various purposes have been observed to result in covering the nozzle holes and thereby interfere with the operation of the printhead. Such coatings are typically applied during one or more steps in the manufacturing process and include adhesives, epoxies, silicones, polyurethanes and the like which are applied to protect electrical components of the printhead from corrosion caused by the ink. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved printhead for an ink jet printer. Another object of the invention is to provide a nozzle plate having reduced ink flooding and pooling tendencies. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for making a nozzle plate for an ink jet printer. Another object of the invention is to provide a coated nozzle plate which avoids disadvantages of conventionally coated nozzle plates. Still another object of the invention is to provide a nozzle plate having a substantially durable surface-energy modifying coating. Another object of the invention is to provide a coating technique for applying a surface-energy modifying coating to selected areas of a nozzle plate. Another object of the invention is to provide a nozzle plate having an ink repellent coating in a pattern which substantially reduces ink flooding, pooling and ink color mixing.

Protection storage using data de-duplication methods are widely used by enterprises for disk backup, archiving, and disaster recovery. Purpose-built backup appliances (PBBAs) are disk-based devices that utilize disk arrays that are used as targets for backup data and replicated backup data. In the context of backup and storage applications, a PBBA is a single storage device that is configured to serve multiple customers, with each customer using the same storage appliance for their protection storage requirements. A storage system that supports this type of multi-tenancy must satisfy security and isolation requirements to ensure that each customer's dataset is secured and isolated from the other customers on the storage appliance. These security and isolation requirements generally apply to data and control access operations on the storage appliance. For example, a customer must not be able to read or write to datasets that belong to another customer, or an administrator of one customer must not be able to perform system configuration, monitoring, etc., of the datasets that belong to another customer. Thus, although the customers may share the same storage appliance for backup, restore, or replicating their datasets, none of the customers can be aware of the presence of other customers in the storage appliance. The implementation of appropriate security and isolation requirements in such a storage system creates a Secure Multi-Tenancy (SMT) environment. Protection storage systems are typically run by special operating systems that provide scalable, high-speed protection storage for backup, archive, and disaster recovery applications. One such operating system is the Data Domain Operating System (DDOS) provided by EMC® Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass., though other protection storage operating systems are also available. This type of operating system runs on data transfer and data storage machines, such as Data Domain Restorer (DDR) appliances. Generally, DDOS and similar operating systems presently do not natively support an SMT construct. That is, there is no inbuilt mechanism inside the DDOS that completely meets the security and isolation requirements that arise out of deploying multiple tenants on the same DDR. Thus, although the advent of SMT has led to the use of appliances, such as Data Domain Appliances for cloud deployments and “as-a-service” models, the security and isolation enhancements designed for such use cases created by new security information handling and management have not been adequately addressed at the operating system (e.g., DDOS) level. Specific issues associated with present methods of handling security related information updates for related but distributed components, such as appliances in a set of PBBA systems or a cluster of PBBA systems include: (1) caching security information, (2) locking security information, and (3) chain propagation of updates for security information. With regard to caching, each participant in a DDOS usually builds its own cache to store relations and associations pertaining to the security implementations. This may often introduce cache consistency problems in the overall network, since the objects involved are distributed entities in the DDOS. If one object's value/information changes, then caches maintained by other individual components may have to be invalidated and updated. In the case of a failed update or notification, correctness is compromised and such compromises may be very expensive and dangerous from a security perspective. With regard to locking, security information updates may change information or value for one or more objects among a set of related objects. As mentioned above, such objects may be distributed in the DDOS across different entities, but they are related with regards to security considerations. Thus, there can be a security consideration dependency among this set of related objects. These objects are typically distributed across multiple DDOS components, which are all constituent entities participant in the underlying security mechanism to support SMT. Thus, multiple processes and threads are involved and any serialization/locking requirement imposed on all these entities may introduce prohibitive performance penalty and render the design and implementation infeasible. In general, the expense and expanse of the contention and its repercussions are unacceptable from the DDOS' perspective. With regard to chain propagation of updates, the security related objects that experience a change or update in information or value are in a dependency or association relationship, as stated above. If a design is implemented such that other objects in the dependency relation need to be updated or notified of such a change, and there is a cascading of such an information or update flow, there will generally be a chain propagation requirement for such information changes and updates. Such a chain propagation requirement has the following problems: (1) the dependency on the chain of propagations requiring to be completed may introduce a delay in updating information in a memory or storage device that may be involved in making a security related decision, and such a delay may lead to a wrong security related decision being taken, thus compromising the security and isolation related requirements SMT; (2) such chain propagations impose a chain of correctness requirement, so that if an operation fails or introduces an error, the correctness requirement along the chain is not met; and (3) such chain propagations involve extra processing, which, if not reduced or eliminated can make the system much less efficient. What is needed, therefore, is a protection storage operating system or implementation of DDOS that eliminates caching, locking and chain propagation of updates with regards to handling distributed but related security information elements.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to sensors and sensing methods. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for sensing and monitoring the accumulation of impurities or other film inside a process chamber. 2. Description of the Background Manufacturers of semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) are faced with intense competitive pressure to improve their products and as a result, pressure to improve the processes used to fabricate those products. This pressure in turn is driving the manufacturers of the equipment used by IC manufacturers to improve the performance of their equipment, and in particular to reduce the operating cost to users of their equipment. One particular type of tool that is widely used, and is therefore particularly susceptible to these competitive pressures, is the plasma reactor. These reactors are used to remove material from a wafer by a process called plasma etching. The mechanisms of plasma etching are complex and it is essential to maintain and control the plasma parameters and chamber conditions. Maintenance and monitoring of plasma process chamber conditions is the focus of significant technological development in the industry. One of the key factors affecting product quality and the productivity of plasma processes is the presence of defect forming particles and related contamination within a chamber within a plasma reactor. The accumulation of polymers and other byproducts of the etch process from process chamber components causes yields to drop and maintenance expenses to increase. The manufacturer of plasma reactors that can address these issues and consistently demonstrate superior process control and product quality is positioned to expand market share. A first problem is how to monitor the accumulation of a film on plasma tools inside a plasma process chamber. During an etch process, complex chemical processes take place, including the chemical transformation of photoresist on the surface of a wafer being etched, the removal of surface material via mechanical and/or chemical processes. These processes create chemical species that deposit on the walls of the chamber and other surfaces within the chamber. This material accumulates over the course of etching many wafers until it reaches a thickness at which the film under internal stresses breaks up and flakes off. These flakes can then move around the chamber, landing on the production substrate, leading to an immediate defect. These flakes can also land on other vital surfaces such as system probes, where they can adversely affect system performance. One way to solve the same problem is to dismantle the process chamber and visually inspect the pieces. However, this is extremely inefficient and costly because of the extended chamber downtime. Another way to solve the same problem is to use a spectrometer to look at emission of specific species. However, this can be more complicated and requires adjustment when utilizing different plasma conditions. Therefore, there is a need in the art to simply and efficiently monitor the growth or accumulation of a film on plasma tools inside a plasma process chamber. Three patents disclose arrangements for monitoring the accumulation of films. U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,492 (Cho et al), “Plasma process apparatus with in situ monitoring, monitoring method, and in situ residue cleaning method,” appears to describe a plasma process apparatus and in situ monitoring method that is a complex approach having the disadvantage that a reactive gas must be injected into a chamber after a process has been completed, to allow the exiting gas to be analyzed to decipher the thickness of the wall film. A simpler approach allowing measuring of film accumulation is needed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,916 (Quick et al.), “Wall deposition thickness sensor for plasma processing chamber,” appears to describe a device for measuring polymer build-up on plasma chamber walls that involves the complex and indirect approach of monitoring interference patterns of light passing through a chamber window. A simpler and more direct approach is desirable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,983 (Gogol, Jr. et al.), “Wall deposition monitoring system,” appears to describe a wall deposit monitoring system for measuring variation in wall deposit thickness in an etch or deposition chamber. This complex method requires installation of a piezoelectric sensor on the chamber wall, and indirectly monitors contaminants by measuring vibration damping created by film accumulation. Again, a simpler and more direct approach to measuring film accumulation is desirable. A second problem is how to optimize the scheduling of plasma chamber cleaning. Maintaining a clean chamber in a plasma etch tool is critical to producing integrated circuits (ICs) in a plasma etching process. Production efficiency depends in particular on the cleanliness of the process chamber. Conventional techniques for ensuring a clean chamber include operating the plasma chamber for a predetermined time and then dismantling the chamber for visual inspection. This technique does not account for changing plasma conditions and does not result in an accurate real-time representation of the chamber cleanliness. Inaccurate representations of the chamber cleanliness can result in product defects. Therefore, it is necessary to properly schedule maintenance to maximize production and maintain product quality. Therefore, there is a need in the art to optimize scheduling of plasma chamber cleaning. A third problem is how to lower the cost of plasma etch processes. Maintenance and other non-productive time in a plasma etch system is extremely costly for manufacturers of semiconductor products. In addition, any defective product wastes valuable time and resources, increasing production costs. Therefore, there is a need in the art to lower the cost of plasma etch processes.

Aluminum is one of the three primary materials used today in semiconductor structures, the other two being silicon and silicon dioxide. It is primarily used in thin films as an interconnect between the specific structures formed on semiconductor substrates or substrate assemblies. Aluminum has been an important material in the fabrication of semiconductor structures because of its high conductivity, low resistivity (2.7 .mu..OMEGA.-cm), high adherence to silicon and silicon dioxide, and low stress. Its use is also expanding into other metallization applications. For example, it is being examined to replace tungsten in contacts or vias (i.e., very small openings located, for example, between surface conductive paths and or "wiring" and active devices on underlying layers), which are getting narrower and deeper, and harder to fill with metal. Aluminum alloys are also used in semiconductor structures, including alloys of aluminum with copper, titanium, etc., and combinations thereof. The addition of small quantities (typically, about 0.1-4%) of other metals to aluminum improves the electromigration resistance and reduces the propensity of aluminum thin-films to form hillocks (i.e., protrusions on the aluminum film surface). Such films, however, have increased resistivity over that of pure aluminum films. In some applications, aluminum films are deposited using sputtering techniques; however, sputtered aluminum is not effective at filling contacts or vias because of shoulders or overhangs that form at the contact openings. These overhangs can lead to the formation of keyhole-shaped voids. Various collimation techniques help reduce this problem, but typically not enough to enable complete filling of very small geometries (e.g., less than about 0.5 .mu.m). Therefore, it is desirable to use chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to form aluminum and aluminum alloy films. Dimethylaluminum hydride has emerged as one of the preferred materials for aluminum metallization by CVD. A serious problem with this material, however, is its pyrophoricity. This problem has been addressed to some degree by the addition of amines to the compound to act as stabilizing Lewis base donors to the aluminum center. However, such precursor compounds are still pyrophoric, albeit to a lesser extent. An additional complicating factor is introduced into the vapor pressure behavior of the precursor as a result of dissociation of the amine. Thus, there is a continuing need for methods and precursors for the deposition of aluminum and aluminum alloy films, as well as other Group IIIA metal or metal alloy films, on semiconductor structures, particularly using vapor deposition processes.

Prior fingernail art designs have have only a two-dimensional appearance. Furthermore, because of limitations inherent in their design, prior designs do not exhibit a jewelled appearance. A device which provides an appearance of raised edges is desired to provide both an enhanced cosmetic effect and a three-dimensional appearance.

Integrated circuit chips (ICs) include cells, such as transistors, capacitors and other devices grouped into plural modules to perform specific logic and arithmetic functions, such as comparators, adders, inverters and other functions. The modules are represented as standard designs in technology-specific circuit libraries, and the IC is constructed using selected modules and millions of cells. One such circuit used in IC chips is one that identifies the minimum or maximum binary value on a wire of a wire array. It is important for some operations to know the maximum or minimum binary value appearing on a wire of a wire array at a given clock cycle. Consider an RLT-Verilog description of a circuit module that identifies a minimum value on an a-bit wide wire, W_S, of an 8-wire array, and supplies an output, Z, that represents the minimum binary value carried on a wire, as follows: Input[2:0] W_1,W_1,W_3,W_4,W_5,W_6,W_7,W_8; Output[2:0] Z; /* * [Here, the module is described in a gate level * implementation in terms of Verilog primitives, * AND, OR and NOT.] */ endmodule.It would be useful to certain operations carried out by the chip to identify the minimum (or maximum) value carried by a wire W_s at a given clock period. Timing parameters of a circuit play an important role in the synthesis of the IC design. Typically, circuits for identifying the maximum of minimum binary value on a wire of a wire array require a tree of a-bit comparators. One characteristic of the tree is its depth as a function of its input parameters. The depth of the tree is the length of the maximal path between its root and its leaves. The depth of the tree is equal to the number of levels in the tree minus one. In the case of a tree of comparators, the depth of the tree increases with each bit in the wire widths and also, possibly, with the number of wires in the array. Since the time required by the circuit to complete an operation is directly related to the depth of the circuit, each bit of the wire width in a wire array, along with the number of wires in the wire array, increases the time required for the tree to complete its operation. Consequently, there is a need for a circuit and process to calculate the minimum (or maximum) binary value on an a-bit wire of a set S of wires with possibly minimum depth.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a magnetic tape cassette. 2. Description of the Prior Art As shown in FIG. 3, in a magnetic tape cassette 1, a magnetic tape 3 wound around a reel 2 is run along a predetermined path under the guidance of guide members and the like and taken up around a take-up reel 4 during recording or reproduction. Generally the tape running path is complicated in order to improve running stability of the tape 3 and to apply a proper tension to the tape 3. For example, the tape 3 is run along an S-shaped path near the take-up reel 4 under the guidance of a guide roller 5 and guide pin 6 mounted on the lower cassette half 7 to be taken up around the take-up reel 4 in a predetermined tension. When assembling such a magnetic tape cassette 1, the tape 3 must be inserted into such a complicated tape running path. The tape insertion is generally effected in the following way. The reels 2 and 4 are held in a relative position conforming to the relative position in the lower cassette half 7, and the tape 3 is drawn out and held in a shape conforming to the running path in the cassette by a plurality of forming pins. In this state, the reels 2 and 4 and the tape 3 are lowered and incorporated in the lower casing half 7 which opens upward. In the tape insertion, insertion of the tape 3 into the S-shaped part of the running path defined by said guide roller 5 and the guide pin 6 can be disturbed by a wall portion 7b of the lower casing half 7 surrounding a locating hole 7a near the S-shaped part, particularly a projection 7c of the wall portion 7b projecting toward the S-shaped part which can interfere with the forming pins or the tape. In order successfully to insert the tape 3 into the S-shaped part of the tape running path without interference of the wall portion 7b or the projection 7c with the tape or the forming pins, there have been made various contrivances on the shape of the forming pins, position of the same and the like. In one of the contrivances, a pair of forming pins 8 and 9 which are positioned as shown in FIG. 4 relative to the guide roller 5 and the guide pin 6 are used. The forming pin 9 has an arcuate cross-section extending along the peripheral surface of the guide pin 6. With this arrangement, the tape 3 is made to extend arcuately along the peripheral surface of the guide pin 6, whereby interference of the tape 3 with the projection 7c is prevented. In another of the contrivances, a small diameter forming pin 9a is used as shown in FIG. 5 in place of the arcuate forming pin 9 shown in FIG. 4. The small diameter forming pin 9a is placed between the guide members 5 and 6 and the projection 7c to bend the tape 3 at the forming pin 9a, thereby preventing interference of the tape 3 with the projection 7c when inserting the tape 3 between the guide members 5 and 6. However, these forming pins 9 and 9a are disadvantageous in that they are very low in strength, and accordingly, they are apt to be bent by accident during adjustment of the tape insertion system and can be readily deformed by light external force. Further, since the tape 3 is wrapped around the forming pin 9 or 9a after the forming pin 8, the level at which the tape 3 is wound around the forming pin 9 or 9a is apt to be affected by the verticality of the forming pin 8 and can be vertically deviated from the correct level defined by the flange surface of the take-up reel 4. When the level of the tape 3 is deviated downward, the lower edge portion of the tape 3 can project downward from the lower end of the forming pin 9 or 9a, and the tape 3 can be damaged by the lower end of the forming pin upon application of tape tension. This may be avoided by elongating the forming pin. However, in the arrangement shown in FIG. 4 or 5, the length of the forming pin is limited since the forming pin is moved toward the lower casing half 7 when incorporating the reels 2 and 4 and the tape 3 into the casing half 7, and cannot be sufficiently long to prevent damage on the tape 3. The problems described above may be overcome by the use of a forming pin 9b having a larger diameter and a larger length and by arranging the forming pin 9b to move up and down with respect to the lower casing half 7 outside the lower casing half 7 as shown in FIG. 6. However, since the tape 3 must be drawn outside the lower casing half 7 in this case, the tape 3 must be arranged to extend at an angle counterclockwise (as seen in FIG. 6) to the direction perpendicular to the line joining the centers of the guide members 5 and 6 in order to avoid interference with the projection 7c. This gives rise to another problem that the forming pin 8 must be positioned nearer to the guide member 5 and accordingly must be small in diameter, which weakens the forming pin 8. Further, even if the problem of the strength of the forming pin 8 may be overcome, the tape 3 runs close to the projection 7c and the guide members 5 and 6 and accordingly fluctuation in positioning of the tape by the tape insertion system or fluctuation in dimensions of the lower casing half 7 can cause interference of the tape 3 with the projection 7c, or the guide member 5 or 6. There has been a lower casing half 7' having a wall portion 7'b provided with no projection as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, by positioning forming pins 8' and 9' so that the tape 3 extends therebetween in perpendicular to the line joining the centers of the guide members 5 and 6 and by positioning the forming pin 9' inside the lower casing half 7', the problem of interference of the tape 3 with the guide member 5 or 6 or the wall portion 7'b can be solved. However, the problem of the length of the forming pin 9' still remains. When intending to solve the problem of the length of the forming pin 9' by positioning the forming pin 9' outside the lower casing half 7' as shown by the chain line in FIG. 7, the problem of interference of the tape 3 with the wall portion 7'b again arises. Further, if the tape 3 is counterclockwise inclined in order to prevent interference of the tape 3 with the wall portion 7'b, the problem of the diameter of the forming pin 8' or interference of the tape 3 with the guide member 5 or 6 arises.

Structured films for use in optical applications are typically made on a carrier film such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having a thickness large enough that the carrier film is self-supporting. Such carrier films add unwanted thickness to the structured films and can produce unwanted optical artifacts. A structured film may include an adhesive layer so that the structured film can be adhered to a display. A need exists for thinner structured articles that do not produce unwanted optical artifacts and that can be adhered to a display.

In a known manner, the fan provided at the upstream end of a turbojet comprises blades carried by a rotor disk, with platforms arranged between the blades and fastened by radial flanges to flanges of the disk by means of threaded rods inserted through bushes mounted in orifices in the flanges of the platform and through flanges of the disk, these platforms making it possible to guide the air stream entering the turbomachine and to avoid unwanted air flows toward the disk. During the operation of the turbomachine, the breaking of the connection between a blade and the disk can result in the destruction of the adjoining platform. Specifically, the blade then comes up against the lateral edges of the platform and/or against the flanges of the platform, thereby producing a considerable stress on the fastenings used to fasten the platform flanges to the disk flanges and possibly causing these fastenings to break and the platform to be ejected into the air flow path, and resulting in the destruction of parts of the turbomachine that are located downstream. To overcome this problem, it has been proposed to form deformable regions on the lateral edges of the platform. Another solution, which may, if appropriate, be used in combination with the preceding one, is to form abutment regions on the flanges of the disk to prevent contact between the platform and the blade. Hence, the stress is no longer borne by the platform but by the flange of the disk. However, these solutions are not satisfactory since they do not impart any flexibility to the connection between the flanges of the platform and the flanges of the disk and do not allow sufficient absorption of the energy due to the impact between the blade and the platform.

Although prices of electronic apparatus are falling, an increasing number of everyday items are being designed with in-built microprocessors, and with smaller and smaller sizes. As a result, the range and quantity of goods taken during a typical burglary have an increasing value. The need to protect devices from theft by rendering them inactive after being stolen has been widely recognised. One common example of this is the face-off in-car music system, in which the front panel is removed from the car to render the remainder of the system inoperative to a thief. This of course adds significantly to the cost of the product and is inconvenient to the user. The invention relates to devices with an anti theft design, and which can be implemented with low cost and with low inconvenience to the user.

Upon large-scale expression of therapeutic proteins, according to characteristics of host cells or target proteins, a target protein may vary in expression level, water solubility, expression sites, modification, and the like. Thus, the most suitable expression system for a target protein must be selected to establish an effective production system. Glycoproteins currently constitute about 70% of the recombinant therapeutic protein market, playing a leading role in the market. The components and structure of N-linked sugar moieties, which are attached to asparagine residues of glycoproteins, have been found to be major factors in determining the efficacy and stability of glycoproteins (Koury, M., Trends Biotechnol. 21, 462-464 (2003)). Animal cell culture technologies, which are capable of producing glycoproteins containing sugar moieties most similar to human's, are currently leading the market. However, there are several drawbacks to animal cell culture systems, which include low yield, high cost due to expensive culture media, risk of infection with viruses and prions, and a long period of time required to establish stable cell lines. Thus, animal cell culture systems have limited application in recombinant glycoprotein production. As an alternative to animal cell culture systems, yeast expression systems have some advantages of being cost-effective, rapidly growing to high cell density in chemically defined medium, being easily genetically engineered, producing high yield of recombinant proteins, having no risk of infection with human or animal pathogens, and ensuring easy protein recovery. Moreover, as lower eukaryotes, yeasts share the early stages of the N-linked oligosaccharide of higher animal cells, and so could be utilized to produce several glycoproteins with therapeutic purpose. However, glycoproteins produced from yeast expression systems contain nonhuman N-glycans of the high mannose type, which are immunogenic in humans and thus of limited therapeutic value. In particular, this yeast-specific outer chain glycosylation of the high mannose type, denoted hyperglycosylation, generates heterogeneous recombinant protein products, which may make the protein purification complicated or difficult. Further, the specific activity of hyperglycosylated enzymes may be lowered due to the increased carbohydrate level (Bekkers et al., Biochem. Biophy. Acta. 1089, 345-351 (1991)). To solve the above problems, there is a need for glycoengineering, by which the yeast glycosylation pathway is remodeled to express glycoproteins having glycan structure similar to that of human glycoproteins. Glycoengineering was first applied to the traditional yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae which has the heavily hypermannosylated N-glycan structure composed of additional to 200 mannose residues attached to the core oligosaccharide and decorated with the terminal α-1,3-linked mannoses highly immunogenic when injected to human body. Compared to S. cerevisiae, the methylotrophic yeasts, Hansenula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris, are shown to produce N-linked glycans with shorter mannose outer chains and no α-1,3-linked terminal mannose (Kim et al., Glycobiol. 14, 243-251 (2004)). Therefore, the methylotrophic yeasts are considered superior expression hosts to the traditional yeast, S. cerevisiae, for the production of glycoproteins with therapeutic value. In addition, their excellent capacity in secreting recombinant proteins into the medium makes these methylotrophic yeasts favorable host systems for secretory protein production in the economical perspects. H. polymorpha is a well known host for the production of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, which has been approved for therapeutic use and already available on the market. At present, other H. polymorpha-derived therapeutic recombinant proteins, such hirudin, elafin, and insulin, are launched in the market, demonstrating high potential of H. polymorpha as a practical host for the production of therapeutic recombinant proteins (Kang and Gellissen, Production of Recombinant proteins. Ed. G. Gellissen, pp. 111-136 (2005)) However, technologies involving the remodeling of the yeast glycosylation pathway for the production of glycoproteins having human-type glycans have been mainly developed in S. cerevisiae, which is a well-characterized yeast, and P. pastoris, based on which a protein expression system is available (WO0114522, WO0200879, WO04003194, US2005/0170452, Wildt and Gerngross, Nature Rev. Microbiol. 3, 119-128 (2005)). In contrast, studies employing H. polymorpha in glycoengineering have seldom been conducted. As an example of studies employing H. polymorpha in glycoengineering, the present inventors, prior to the present invention, cloned HpOCH1 and HpOCH2 genes, which play critical roles in the outer chain synthesis of H. polymorpha, and developed a process for producing a recombinant glycoprotein having a non-hyperglycosylated glycan structure using mutant strains having a disruption in any one of the genes (Korean Pat. Application No. 2002-37717 and No. 2004-6352, PCT Application PCT/KR2004/001819). However, a trimannose core structure containing three mannoses and two N-acetylglucosamine(Man3GlcNAc2), which is the minimal common backbone of N-glycans, should be made in order to express glycoproteins having human compatible hybrid- and complex-type glycans. In this regard, the present inventors identified a novel gene (HpALG3) coding for dolichyl-phosphate-mannose dependent α-1,3-mannosyltransferase, which is a key enzyme involved in the early stages of lipid-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis prior to oligosaccharide addition to a glycoprotein, from the methylotrophic yeast H. polymorpha, and found that the manipulation of the gene alone or in combination of one or more genes, each coding for an enzyme involved in glycosylation, enables various manipulation of the glycosylation process of H. polymorpha and the preparation of glycoproteins having human-type glycans, thus leading to the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal including a signal input unit for receiving a control command. 2. Description of the Related Art A mobile terminal is a device that can be carried around and has one or more functions such as voice and video call communication, inputting and outputting information, storing data, and the like. As such functions become more diversified, the mobile terminal can support more complicated functions such as capturing images or video, reproducing music or video files, playing games, receiving broadcast signals, and the like. By comprehensively and collectively implementing such functions, the mobile terminal may be embodied in the form of a multimedia player or device. In order to implement various functions of such multimedia players or devices, various attempts have been made and implemented in terms of hardware or software. For example, recently, research into a signal input unit mounted in a terminal has been conducted. In general, a signal input unit is implemented by coupling respective elements through bonding, so it has a problem in that a click feeling is not good and it is difficult to assemble the respective elements. Thus, a solution to the problem may be considered.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains to methods and apparatus for the determination of functional capability of bodies. More particularly the present invention relates to systems and techniques for quantitatively measuring the range of movement of which subjects, including human subjects, are capable, as well as the extent to which such subjects are capable of functioning at various attitudes. The present invention finds particular application to the measurement of human body movements and performance potential, including reach parameters and task-performing capabilities, the accumulation of such data and the presentation of such information for interfacing with design information characteristic of various environments. The anthropometric data acquisition available by means of the present invention may be utilized to accommodate and improve the interface between human subjects and various machines and work places including, for example, cockpits and cabins of spacecraft and other such confining and demanding environments. 2. Description of Prior Art It is generally advantageous to improve the interface between man and his environment in various settings, and particularly work places where a subject or operator is required to perform various tasks. In some cases, it is critical to the comfort and safety of the human operator, as well as the efficiency of performance of the man/machine combination, that the work place be complementary to the performance capability of the operator. Since human body designs are generally fixed, to achieve a proper accommodation between man and machine the design of machines and work spaces may be altered where necessary. To determine environment design requirements to achieve a proper accommodation, it is first necessary to acquire human anthropometric and kinesimetric data in physical terms that may be applied to such machine and environment design. To characterize motion of human body segments in physical terms requires the essentially continuous measurement without mechanical interference of location in three dimensions, velocity, acceleration and force exertion of selected body points. The description of the motion of the human body has previously been a tedious, expensive and time consuming procedure carried out usually manually, and has never been complete. Further, such measurements have never combined the two essentials of muscle activity, namely, motion and force. The usual procedure has been to measure a sample population of subjects for some particular aspect of motion of interest. In some cases, particularly where complex tasks are required, a mock-up of a proposed design is obtained and a representative sample of the prospective user population is placed in the mock-up to go through the required interface tasks. A variety of techniques have been developed to attempt to measure one aspect or another of human activity. Generally these techniques require various degrees of manual data reduction to obtain quantitative results. Chronophotography techniques are known for motion study. However, while such techniques can be extended to three dimensions with the use of stereo cameras, such an approach is best limited to a single action, and requires extensive manual data reduction. Various mechanical devices, including cable or rod arrangements, have been utilized to track an anatomical point and record its path within limitations, such as those defined by mechanical interference. I have previously devised a method of continuously registering the angle of a goniometer to allow it to continuously follow varying limb angles. Various sonic, ultrasonic and electromagnetic radiators have been used to track points. Multiple receivers may be utilized, and the path of a radiator determined by the phase differences between the signals detected by the several receivers. Video cameras have been used to record space location and motion patterns. The cameras detect light from reflective strips on dark-suited subjects, or from light sources including infrared light emitting diodes attached to various parts of the subject. Computer software has been used to analyze data from optical sensors. A computer approach has also been used to generate a synthetic man model based on static measurements from individuals. However, such a system is complex and expensive, and its accuracy and reliability are limited by available knowledge of the human body as a mechanical device. Force and torque measurements have been made using various ergometers. A known cable tension arrangement allows only a static isometric determination of force at a single point. An isometric system using a fixed force, provided usually by weights, could be moved through a range of motion. Such systems, however, are limited to the maximum weight which can be moved at the "weakest" point of the range of motion. An improved isokinetic ergometer allows continuous measurement over a range of motion and torque, and over a range of speeds from a static, or isotonic, configuration to the maximum speed of which a body is capable. A prior system combining force and position studies was directed to torques effected at human joints driven by external forces. Body limibs were rigidly attached to goniometers and driven through arcs with the resisting forces being measured. Prior kinesimetric techniques have been characterized by the very limited amount and special nature of the data gathered as well as considerable time and expense needed to gather the data. Such known systems have not acquired complete data, that is, with force measurements combined with motion measurements including position, velocity and acceleration. Nor has such information been stored or displayed in a practical format utilizing engineering quantities. Quality of the man/machine interface frequently determines performance of the man/machine unit, which often overrides performance of the machine design or the ability of the operator. This interface becomes increasingly important with machines of greater complexity and higher performance, particularly in the space program where machines and men are often operated beyond customary performance limits. Operations in a space environment are also complicated by variations in gravity, weightlessness, and alterations in size and shape of human bodies due to weightlessness. An automatic video goniometer has been developed for the measurement of active body angles. The video goniometer includes a video camera, a master control with a microprocessor and a standard typewriter/terminal. A series of jigs containing coded point sources of illumination are attached to a movable body segment. The body segment is placed at one extreme of motion and its axis angle is measured either with respect to a local vertical or to a second reference axis. Measurement of the reference points on the video raster is effected automatically. Measurement of the segment axis angle at its other extreme of motion is similarly made. The miroprocessor calculates and presents the angular value. Further aspects and details of advances in the field of anthropometry are discussed in "Measurement and Control of Human Movement", a collection of presentations by H. J. Woltring published in the Netherlands.

Most vehicles with rear or front wheel drive have a differential. The differential balances the torque in the two axles. If an e motor is attached to the axle of the vehicle the e motor also needs to be connected with a differential. The differential is connected to the e motor output and axles of the drive train. The e motor provides torque input to the differential and the differential splits the torque into two axles. The e motor rotor may or may not be concentric, but the differential is used to split the e motor torque into two axles, each connected to a respective wheel.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a joint structure for an axle, and more particularly to a joint structure for an axle in a driving axle structure with a steering device. 2. Description of the Prior Art According to a conventional arrangement, a driving axle structure equipped with a steering device includes generally a hollow spherical portion formed at the end portion of a non-rotatable tubular axle extending in the transverse direction of the car, a non-rotatable hollow axle casing disposed on the wheel side and a knuckle mounted rotatably on the spherical surface of the hollow spherical portion by a pair of king pins fitted to the end surface of the axle casing and positioned on the diameter substantially in the vertical direction relative to the hollow spherical portion and a king pin bearing supporting pivotally each of the king pins. A constant-velocity joint is disposed inside the space defined by the hollow spherical portion, the axle casing and the knuckle. Moreover, the outer race of the constant-velocity joint is coupled to a drive shaft disposed rotatably inside the axle casing on the wheel side while its inner race is coupled to an axle shaft supported rotatably inside the tubular axle on the car body side. In the driving axle structure having this conventional arrangement, a dust-tight annular seal is mounted to the knuckle in such a manner as to come into sliding contact with the spherical surface of the hollow spherical portion and to prevent any dust from entering the constant-velocity joint. According to this conventional arrangement, there is a limitation to the annular seal in that the seal can hardly be disposed ideally to the hollows spherical portion of the tubular axle because the tip of the knuckle, or in other words, the dust-tight seal, becomes an obstacle. The hollow spherical portion in the driving axle structure is a member which bears the load as part of the axle. For this reason, the conventional configuration of a rotary body housing an axle shaft which is worked by means of a lathe does not allow for any reduction in the diameter of the neck i.e. from the viewpoints of strength, so that a seal sliding surface necessary for satisfactory steering cannot be ensured and the maximum steering angle possible is therefore restrained up to about 30.degree.. A limitation imposed on the disposition of the constant-velocity joint is as follows: The tip of the hollow spherical portion formed at the end of the tubular axles butts against or interferes with the spherical surface of the outer race of the constant-velocity joint having an increased diameter so that the angle of rotation of the drive shaft disposed inside the axle casing and hence the angle of rotation of the knuckle relative to the hollow spherical portion, that is, the steering angle, is limited to approximately 30.degree.. In practice, however, the internal structure of the constant-velocity joint can permit the steering angle of up to about 40.degree., and an improvement is therefore desired in the disposition of the annular seal and the constant-velocity joint so as to proportionally increase the steering angle. For the above-described reason, the prior art discloses an ellipitic-seal structure in which a surface of each knuckle on which a seal is mounted is inclined with respect to the hollow spherical portion of an associated tubular axle. This type of structure is disclosed, for example, in the specifications of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 37386/1984 and 37387/1984. First of all, a diagrammatic description will be made with respect to a front-wheel support device for a front drive vehicle described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 37386/1984. Either an oil seal member or an oil seal protection member is so formed as to have an axial length greater on the rear side than on the front side in the direction of movement of the vehicle when a knuckle housing is mounted. The seal of this prior art is disposed around a king-pin for pivoting the knuckle housing and a trunnion socket in an inclined manner at a predetermined angle, so that, when a vehicle is moved straight, a flat surface including the seal edge of either the oil seal member or the oil seal protection member is disposed closer to the shaft of the trunnion socket on the front side than on the rear side. In this front-wheel support device for a front drive vehicle, the seal is formed in a special shape so as to increase the steering angle. However, even if the seal is formed in such a special shape, it is not necessarily satisfactory in respect of its strength, sealing characteristics and durability. In addition, this type of seal is difficult to produce and of no practical use, thus leading to various problems. In the second place, a diagrammatic description will be made with respect to an oil seal device for a front-wheel support of a front drive vehicle described in the specification of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 37387/1984. Referring to an oil seal member in this prior art, a rubber-made seal body has an equal width along its entire circumference in a natural state, and a circumferential groove of a L-shaped in section is formed from a mounting flange of the seal body to an arm portion perpendicular to the mounting flange. A reinforced flange member of a metal-made cylindrical flange body has a cut surface on the cylindrical side, such cut surface being inclined with respect to a flange surface, and is adherently engaged with the circumferential groove in a state wherein this groove is under an elastic tension. The reinforced flange member is also disposed around a king-pin for pivoting the knuckle housing and the trunnion socket in an inclined manner at a predetermined angle, so that, when a vehicle is moved straight, a flat surface including the edge of the annual seal is positioned nearer the trunnion socket on the front side than on the rear side. As in the case of the above-described example, this oil seal device for the front-wheel support of a front drive vehicle needs a seal with a special shape, and thus there is a problem in that the seal provided may not necessarily be satisfactory from the viewpoint of strength, sealing characteristics and durability, nor with respect to considerations regarding the production of the seal. Heretofore known drive axles equipped with a steering device include the arrangement which is opposite to the conventional arrangement described above or in other words, the arrangement wherein the disposition of the constant-velocity joint is reversed. This constant-velocity joint is disposed inside the space defined by the hollow spherical portion at the end of the tubular axle, the axle casing and the knuckle fixed to the axle casing. However, the inner race of the constant-velocity joint is coupled to the drive shaft disposed rotatably inside the axle casing on the wheel side while the outer race of the constant-velocity joint is coupled to the axle shaft supported rotatably inside the tubular axle on the car body side. This type of joint structure for an axle housing ballend is disclosed, for example, in the specification of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 24226/1981. A follower steering shaft of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned specification will hereinafter be described with reference to FIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 6, the follower steering shaft is essentially constituted by three components which can be separated from one another: a shank 71 coupled to a differential unit; a constant-velocity joint 72; and a steering shaft 74 for driving a boss or a sun gear (not shown) within a planetary unit. The constant-velocity joint 72 includes a spherical external coupling member 75 as an outer race mounted on one end of the shank 71 and an internal coupling member 77 as an inner race mounted on a corresponding end of the steering shaft 74. A bellows 73 hermetically seals the inner chamber of the constant-velocity joint 72, the bellows being detachably mounted on the external coupling member 75 of the constant-velocity joint 72, and a neck 76 of the bellows 73 being maintained in airtight contact with the steering shaft 74 for free movement along the axis thereof. The bellows 73 has an axial residual stress, and is therefore formed strongly enough to be extended to its maximum axial length. The constant-velocity joint 72 equipped with the bellows 73 can be removed without the need to release it. In such driving axles equipped with a steering device, however, bellows 73 as the dust-tight seal are interposed between a spherical external joint member 75 as the outer race of the constant-velocity joint 72 and a drive shaft 74, though the drive shaft 74 of the constant-velocity joint 72 having a reduced diameter is positioned on the wheel side, in order to prevent instrusion of dust and the like into the constant-velocity joint 72. Therefore, since the tip of the tubular axle 78 butts against or interferes with the outer peripheral surface of the bellows 73 having an increased diameter, the angle of ratation of the drive shaft disposed inside the axle casing and hence the angle of ratation of the knuckle to the tubular axle 78, that is, the steering angle, is limited in the same way as described above.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light-emitting diode chip, and especially to a light-emitting diode chip package body and a packaging method of the light-emitting diode chip package body. 2. Description of the Related In general, the LED (Light-emitting diode) of prior art comprises a package substrate and/or an electric conduction frame and an LED chip disposed on the package substrate and/or the electric conduction frame. The LED chip has a plurality of pads electrically connected to corresponding joining points of the package substrate and/or the electric conduction through corresponding metal wires by wire bonding process. However, the packaging process according to the above packaging method wastes time. Thus, the output and the quality of the LED chip package body will not improve. Furthermore, the size of the LED is increasingly small with the advancement of the chip process and the area of the pad of the LED chip is increasingly small. Thus, it is hard to carry out the wire bonding process on the small area of the pad. With the employment of unique considerations and application of theories, and based on several years experience in specialized production of all flexible assembly systems and mechanisms, the inventor has come up with an innovative light-emitting diode chip package body.

1. Technical Field The invention relates to audio amplifiers, and particularly to distortion compensation in amplifiers for vehicle audio systems. 2. Related Art Automotive audio systems include one or more amplifiers that provide gain for audio signals. The gain of an amplifier depends, at least in part, on the amount of power supplied to the amplifier. Because the supply voltage varies over a range of several volts, the amount of power that is available to the amplifier will also vary over a wide range. If the voltage in the vehicle is insufficient for the amplifier to accurately amplify the input signal, the amplifier may clip, and the audio signal from the amplifier will be distorted. Accordingly, amplifiers may be designed to control audio output according to fluctuations, or variations, in the limits of the battery supply voltage, or minimum expected available power. To preclude the amplifier from being overdriven, an amplifier may control the audio output based on analog or digital signal processing techniques. For example, an amplifier may monitor the audio signal to modify portions of the audio output signal that may exceed a predetermined threshold. Analog amplifiers may use an analog clip detection circuit, which utilizes a voltage controlled amplifier to reduce overall gain during portions of the audio output signal that exceeds the vehicle voltage. Since clip detection of monolithic power amplifier integrated circuits is typically shared over two or more channels, the analog control maintains a relatively constant amount of distortion, but may not control the distortion for each channel independently. A digital amplifier may use a digital signal processor (DSP) to predict an output signal level on the channels of a digitally-sampled audio signal. The DSP reduces the gain for the portions of the signal that exceed a programmed threshold. A DSP may independently control each channel to tailor the amount of distortion. However, the threshold may be set, or hard-coded, into the digital signal processor. To account for variations in power supplied to the amplifier, the threshold may be set much lower than the actual level that may be available from the battery. Accordingly, hard-coded distortion limiting using a DSP may not provide an optimal amplification of the audio signal for a wide range of battery supply voltages. Therefore, there is a need for a distortion compensation for automotive amplifier applications.

In 1989, a main causative virus of non-A non-B posttransfusion hepatitis was found and named hepatitis C virus (HCV). Since then, several types of hepatitis viruses have been found besides type A, type B and type C, wherein hepatitis caused by HCV is called hepatitis C. The patients infected with HCV are considered to involve several percent of the world population, and the infection with HCV characteristically becomes chronic. HCV is an envelope RNA virus, wherein the genome is a single strand plus-strand RNA, and belongs to the genus Hepacivirus of Flavivirus. Of the same hepatitis viruses, for example, hepatitis B virus (HBV), which is a DNA virus, is eliminated by the immune system and the infection with this virus ends in an acute infection except for neonates and infants having yet immature immunological competence. In contrast, HCV somehow avoids the immune system of the host due to an unknown mechanism. Once infected with this virus, even an adult having a mature immune system frequently develops persistent infection. When chronic hepatitis is associated with the persistent infection with HCV, it advances to cirrhosis or liver cancer in a high rate. Enucleation of tumor by operation does not help much, because the patient often develops recurrent liver cancer due to the sequela inflammation in non-cancerous parts. In addition, there is a report on the involvement of HCV infection in dermatosis such as chronic urticaria, lichen planus, cryoglobulinemic purpura and the like. Thus, an effective therapeutic method of hepatitis C is desired. Apart from the symptomatic therapy to suppress inflammation with an anti-inflammatory agent, the development of a therapeutic agent that reduces HCV to a low level free from inflammation and that eradicates HCV has been strongly demanded. At present, a treatment with interferon is the only effective method known for the eradication of HCV. However, interferon can eradicate the virus only in about one-third of the patient population. For the rest of the patients, it has no effect or provides only a temporary effect. In recent years, polyethylene glycolated interferon has been put to practical use, and enhanced effects and reduced side effects have been achieved. However, complete response rate still remains at a low level, and therefore, an anti-HCV drug to be used in the place of or concurrently with interferon is awaited in great expectation. In recent years, Ribavirin (1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide) has become commercially available as a therapeutic agent for hepatitis C, which is to be used concurrently with interferon. It enhances the efficacy of interferon but only to a low efficacy rate, and a different novel therapeutic agent for hepatitis C is desired. Also, an attempt has been made to potentiate the immunocompetence of the patient with an interferon agonist, an interleukin-12 agonist and the like, thereby to eradicate the virus, but an effective pharmaceutical agent has not been found yet. In addition, the inhibition of HCV growth, wherein HCV-specific protein is targeted, has been drawing attention these days. The gene of HCV encodes a protein such as serine protease, RNA helicase, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the like. These proteins function as a specific protein essential for the growth of HCV. One of the specific proteins, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (hereinafter to be also briefly referred to as an HCV polymerase), is an enzyme essential for the growth of the virus. The gene replication of HCV having a plus-strand RNA gene is considered to involve synthesis of a complementary minus-strand RNA by the use of the plus-strand RNA as a template and using the obtained minus-strand RNA as a template, amplifying the plus-strand RNA. The portion called NS5B of a protein precursor, that HCV codes for, has been found to show an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, and is considered to play a central role in the HCV gene replication. Therefore, an HCV polymerase inhibitor can be a target in the development of an anti-HCV drug, and the development thereof is eagerly awaited. However, an effective HCV polymerase inhibitor has not been developed yet, like in other attempts to develop an anti-HCV drug based on other action mechanisms. As the situation stands, no pharmaceutical agent can treat hepatitis C satisfactorily. The following describes known compounds comparatively similar to the present invention. WO2004/73599 (page 33, Table 1) discloses the following compound a and the like as anti-HCV agents (see patent document 1). However, the compound of the present invention is not disclosed in the specification, and any description suggestive thereof is not found. As references disclosing compounds other than for anti-HCV agents, which are comparatively similar to the compound of the present invention, the following can be mentioned. WO2004/71390 (page 33, line 8) discloses the following compound b and the like as compounds usable for the treatment of dysmenorrhea and the like (see patent document 2). WO2004/31182 (page 25, line 4) discloses the following compound c and the like as compounds usable for the treatment of infertility (see patent document 3). WO2000/39119 (page 42, Example 28L) discloses the following compound d and the like as compounds usable for inhibiting abnormal growth of cells (see patent document 4). U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,128 (columns 67-68, Example 24) discloses the following compound e and the like as compounds usable for inhibiting abnormal growth of cells (see patent document 5). WO1999/37304 discloses the following compound f and the like as factor Xa inhibitors, and application to viral infections is exemplarily shown (see patent document 6). WO2001/07436 discloses the following compound g and the like as factor Xa inhibitors, and application to viral infections is exemplarily shown (see patent document 7). WO2005/86898 (page 95, Example 9) and US2005/234033 (page 37, Example 9) disclose the following compound h and the like as therapeutic agents for proliferative diseases (see patent document 8 and patent document 9). WO2000/53596 (page 42, in Table 2) discloses the following compound i and the like as compounds having activity for the central nervous system and activity for inflammatory diseases and allergic diseases (see patent document 10). WO1998/37079 (page 138, lines 19-20) discloses the following compound j and the like as therapeutic agents for the diseases caused by abnormal nitric oxide production, such as multiple sclerosis and the like (see patent document 11). JP2001-294572 (page 297, Example 349) discloses the following compound k and the like as compounds having an antithrombotic effect (see patent document 12). EP1104754 (Example A-33) and EP1031563 (Example 33) disclose the following compound l and the like as compounds having an antithrombotic effect (see patent document 3 and patent document 14). As compounds other than for a pharmaceutical use, which are comparatively similar to the compound of the present invention, the following can be mentioned. WO2001/54504 (FIG. 55) discloses the following compound m and the like as anthelmintics (see patent document 15). Other document (Tetrahedron Letters, 39, 1295-98, 1998; page 1297, Table II) discloses the following compound n and the like, and its synthetic method is described (see non-patent document 1). However, none of these references discloses the compound of the present invention, not to mention use of the compounds of these references as anti-HCV agents or description suggestive thereof. [patent document 1] WO2004/73599 (page 33, Table 1) [patent document 2] WO2004/71390 (page 33, line 8) [patent document 3] WO2004/31182 (page 25, line 4) [patent document 4] WO2000/39119 (page 42, Example 28L) [patent document 5] U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,128 (columns 67-68, Example 24) [patent document 6] WO1999/37304 [patent document 7] WO2001/07436 [patent document 8] WO2005/86898 (page 95, Example 9) [patent document 9] US2005/234033 (page 37, Example 9) [patent document 10] WO2000/53596 (page 42, in Table 2) [patent document 11] WO1998/37079 (page 138, lines 19-20) [patent document 12] JP2001-294572 (page 297, Example 349) [patent document 13] EP1104754 (Example A-33) [patent document 14] EP1031563 (Example 33) [patent document 15] WO2001/54504 (FIG. 55) [non-patent document 1] Tetrahedron Letters, Vol. 39, pages 1295-98, 1998 (page 1297, Table II)

The present invention relates to a color display device for and a color display method of implementing a color image generation that is time-division driven. Color display devices, which implement a color display with an additive mixture of color stimuli according to a time difference color mixture, i.e., a time division driving system within a single dot, have recently received attention. In such color display devices, because one pixel becomes one picture element, there is an advantage in that a threefold resolution can be obtained compared to color display devices that implement a color mixture juxtaposition. One of the color display devices of the time division driving system such as described above, is known as a DMD projector which displays a color image by irradiating colored lights of R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) that are generated by a light from a white color light source being passed through a rotating color filter disk onto an array of a digital micro-mirror device arrays (DMD: e.g., a device developed by the Texas Instruments Incorporated. Ltd.) in a time sequence and by projecting the colored lights modulated/reflected with this DMD array onto a screen. Further, other than the above, there is a color liquid crystal display device and the likes in which the color light source for generating the colored lights of R, G, B source is arranged behind the liquid crystal panel that implements a black and white display.

The present invention relates to a method for tracking an object, especially a subsea object, there being used a mother vessel or an intermediate craft equipped with sonars for transmission and reflection of searching rays which on a display on the vessel indicate one or more objects in the subsea searching field. The invention also relates to a device for this purpose. The invention finds application for tracking any object, but will in the following be disclosed in connection with a special field of application, namely in connection with the removal of mines. The removal of mines from a surface vessel includes a plurality of activities or problems. First of all the vessel has to detect the object for thereby enabling classification and thereafter destroying the object. Today this is done by a combination of a hull mounted sonar for the detection/classification, ROV for visual classification/inspection and thereafter launching and detonation of the charge. This process is time consuming because it requires a visual inspection from the ROV. After the ROV has positioned the charge, it must be brought to a safe distance before the charge is detonated. In addition, the charge must be large because it is a requirement to avoid a too close proximity between the mine and the costly ROV.

1. Field of the Invention The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for parallel incident processing in a distributed processing system. 2. Description of Related Art The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago. Modern distributed processing systems for intensive computing may have millions of devices with many processes running on each device all of which are capable of error and status reporting for automated error recovery, reporting to a systems administrator, and for other reasons. In many cases, in the case of an error for example, the sheer number of such error reports and status reports are so overwhelming that they cannot be handled in a meaningful manner. For example, a systems administrator receiving a hundred thousand error reports may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of such reports and therefore in the aggregate those reports become more and more unhelpful and irrelevant.

Digital radiography (DR) is increasingly accepted as an alternative to film-based imaging technologies that rely on photosensitive film layers to capture radiation exposure and thus to produce and store an image of a subject's internal physical features. With digital radiography, the radiation image exposures captured on radiation-sensitive layers in X-ray imaging panels are converted to electronic image data which is then stored in memory circuitry for subsequent read-out and display on suitable electronic image display devices. Generally, a scintillator (or scintillation) screen responds to incident X-ray radiation by generating visible light that is, in turn, detected by a photodetector having photosensors. The light information from the photodetector is subsequently transmitted to charge amplifiers. The outputs of the charge amplifiers are then typically applied to other circuitry that generates digitized image data that then can be stored and suitably image-processed as needed for subsequent storage and display. However, because scintillator materials respond to incident x-ray radiation by emitting light over a broad range of angles, there is some inherent amount of scattering in the detection process. This reduces the optical efficiency of image formation due to loss of light, signal crosstalk, and related effects, and tends to degrade image quality. For example, a scintillator screen typically has a scintillation layer formed on a support that is highly transmissive to incident X-ray radiation. A protective overcoat layer may optionally be provided over the scintillation layer. Scintillator material in the scintillation layer responds to incident X-rays by emitting photons toward a photosensor, but over a broad range of angles, including angles at which the emitted light is effectively wasted due to total internal reflection (TIR) effects within the scintillation layer or, if provided, the overcoat layer. But so long as there is good optical coupling between the scintillator screen and the photodetector, a sufficient amount of the emitted signal is directed toward the photosensor. In practice, there is often poor optical coupling between the scintillator screen and the photodetector. Air gaps or airborne contaminants, such as dust, can be trapped between the scintillator screen and the photodetector. For light at very small angles of incidence (relative to normal), the net effect of air gaps or airborne contaminants can be negligible. But for light at larger angles, air gaps or airborne contaminants can cause problems. When light is incident from a dense medium with a higher index of refraction, n, to a rare medium with a lower index of refraction, n′, (e.g., n′=1.0 for air), total internal reflection (TIR) may occur at the interface of the two media depending on the angle of incidence. This means that some portion of light is lost, and another portion can be redirected to the wrong photodetector as crosstalk. The net effect includes lost efficiency and reduced spatial resolution, which is generally measured by the modulation transfer function (MTF). (MTF is widely used in many imaging applications as a quantitative way of determining or measuring the resolution or sharpness of imaging devices. In computed or digital radiography, MTF is dominantly decided by the scintillator screens used for X-ray absorption.) Therefore, poor optical coupling due to the presence of air gaps or airborne contaminants at the interface of the scintillator screen and the photodetector can lead to increased TIR, reduced MTF, and result in poor image quality. Conversely, improved optical coupling between the scintillator screen and the photodetector would help to boost efficiency and improve overall mage quality accordingly. However, previously proposed solutions have shown only limited success, or may achieve improved optical coupling at the cost of increased complexity and higher expense, or may inadvertently introduce other problems. For example, while conventional pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs), such as acrylic-based adhesives and laminates, have been used in the past to couple scintillator screens and photodetectors, PSAs are aggressively tacky at room temperature and strongly attract airborne contaminants such as dust. Thus, while prior techniques may have achieved certain degrees of success in their particular applications, there is still room for improvement. Solutions that reduce or eliminate air gaps and/or airborne contaminants at the scintillator screen/photodetector interface without an elaborate number of steps and using materials appropriate for the scintillator or detector components would be particularly helpful.

In the drilling and completion industry, the formation of boreholes for the purpose of production or injection of fluid is common. The boreholes are used for exploration or extraction of natural resources such as hydrocarbons, oil, gas, water, and alternatively for CO2 sequestration. Resilient sealing rings are widely used on the outer surfaces of downhole tools such as packers, space-out assemblies, and anchors. The sealing ring typically engages an outer tubular member, such as a casing, in a borehole. A tubular seal apparatus includes an inner tubular member positioned coaxially within the outer tubular member having an annular space there between, and the sealing ring is used to provide a seal between the inner and outer tubular members. The sealing material of the ring may also be used to provide a more flexible or expandable connection between two components of a downhole tool. The sealing material of the sealing ring is conventionally secured to the downhole tool such that the sealing ring stays secured to the downhole tool. In some downhole tools, the sealing ring is secured to an outer diameter surface of a metal reinforcing ring of the downhole tool. Ramp set packers move the sealing ring, including the metal reinforcing ring, radially outwardly with a ramp, such as a swaging cone. When set, the reinforcing ring is expanded plastically beyond the yield strength of the metal of the reinforcing ring. Chemical bonding and mechanical configurations are used to secure and retain the sealing material relative to the reinforcing ring to increase the life of the downhole tool by increasing the length of time the sealing ring remains bonded to the reinforcing ring. The art would be receptive to improved apparatus and methods for a downhole tubular to tubular seal.

Computing systems and data are important resources that are often crucial to the operations of various types of organizations, such as business enterprises and governmental entities. Failures that affect the computing systems and data used by organizations may cause periods of unplanned downtime and data loss that could threaten an organization's productivity, reputation, and bottom line. Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of these risks and are taking measures to plan for and recover from such failures. As modern computing environments become increasingly complex, adequately protecting these important resources can also become increasingly difficult. Consider, as an example, a data center that implements virtualization technology, various shared storage configurations, and multiple types of network access. In the event of some unplanned occurrence, such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other catastrophic failure, protecting the computing systems and data in such an environment from unexpected unavailability often requires the knowledge and involvement of several different administrators or experts. Such coordination between several administrators can be time consuming, as well as prone to errors. While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments of the disclosure are provided as examples in the drawings and detailed description. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular form disclosed. Instead, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

The present invention relates to a display, and especially a color display, which comprises a fluorescent substance, and an organic electroluminescent light emitting device (which will hereinafter be often called an organic EL device for short) using an organic compound. An organic EL device comprises a cathode and an anode with a fluorescent organic compound-containing thin film sandwiched between them. Upon electrons and holes injected into the thin film and recombined therein, excitons are generated. Upon deactivation of the excitons, the device emits light (fluorescence, and phosphorescence). Such an organic EL device attracts attentions because they can achieve surface emission at a very high luminance ranging from a few hundred cd/m.sup.2 to 10,000 cd/m.sup.2 with a low driving voltage of the order of 10 volts. A display constructed using such an organic EL device may potentially have various applications, and its application to color displays in particular is an important subject. For instance, a light emitting device may be applied to a color display in the following three ways. One possible approach uses a specific light emitting material for each of red, green, and blue pixels. One typical embodiment of this approach is known as set forth in SID 96 DIGEST. 185 14.2: Novel Transparent Organic Electroluminescent Devices G. Gu, V. Bulovic, P. E. Burrows, S. R. Forrest, M. E. Tompson. However, the color light emitting device (heterostructure organic light emitting device) described therein has a multilayer structure comprising light emitting layers (Red ETL, Green ETL, and Blue ETL) corresponding to R, G and B, respectively. If pixels are arranged in matrix array, then there is a limit to the mask used for pattern formation. This is because the organic EL device in film form is formed by a vacuum evaporation process. Further, the organic EL material is soluble in an organic solvent; difficulty is involved in photolithographic pattern formation. For this reason, there is a problem that no high precision display device is achieved. Another possible approach employs an organic EL material emitting white light in combination with a color filter, thereby obtaining red, green, and blue light emissions. Never until now, however, is any organic EL material emitting white light by itself with high light emission efficiency known. White light may be obtained by allowing organic EL materials corresponding to red, green, and blue to give out light. However, this requires a complicated arrangement, and is not a technically realistic option. Here consider a supposed case where organic EL materials corresponding to red, green, and blue are allowed to emit light. Since the materials differ from each other in terms of light emission luminance and service life, the overall initial luminance is limited to that of the material having the lowest luminance. Also, these materials undergo color tone changes with time and make device design difficult, and so are not practical. Yet another possible approach relies upon a specific organic EL material giving out blue light which is in turn converted to green light and red light through a color conversion layer comprising a fluorescent material. Making use of a single blue organic EL device alone, this approach is favorable because not only structural simplification but also cost reductions are achievable. Besides, if the color conversion layer is formed in a pattern-wise manner, images are then produced in full color. As typically referred to in JP-A 3-152897, however, a fluorescent material that can convert blue directly to red with high efficiency is virtually unheard-of because of unavailability of a fluorescent material showing a large Stokes' shift, such as one having a high absorption coefficient with respect to blue and a high fluorescence yield with respect to red. In view of the molecular orbit of an organic molecule, too, it is difficult to obtain a substance having such nature. Thus, a problem with this approach is that no high luminance display can be obtained because the overall light emission luminance should be regulated in conformity with red light of a low light emission luminance. The conversion of blue light to red light may possibly be achieved by use of a simple mixture of a fluorescent material that absorbs blue light and gives out green light with a fluorescent material that absorbs green light and gives out red light. However, a color conversion material obtained by the simple mixing of fluorescent materials can not actually be used because fluorescence emission efficiency drops considerably due to interaction between the fluorescent materials.

Scroll type compressors with one orbiting scroll and one fixed or stationary scroll are well known. The Scrolls in these compressors have parallel end plates and involute spiral wrap elements of like pitch. The wrap of one scroll makes line contacts with the wrap of the other scroll and axial edges of the wraps include seals which contact the adjacent scroll end plate to define fluid pockets. As the orbital scroll orbits relative to the fixed scroll, the locations of the contact lines move along the surfaces of the wraps toward the center of the scrolls, the pockets decrease in size compressing the fluid contained in the pockets and the fluid is moved toward the center of the scrolls. A scroll discharge aperture is provided near the center of the fixed scroll to allow compressed fluid to pass from the scrolls into an exhaust or discharge cavity. The exhaust cavity is connected to a fluid discharge opening in the compressor housing. The compressed fluid in the scroll pockets exerts a force on the scroll end plates which tends to separate the scrolls. An axial thrust assembly is employed to limit axial separation of the scrolls and thereby maintain sealing between the scroll end plates and the axial edges of the wraps. Compressor efficiency drops if fluid moves between the axial edges of the wraps and the end plates, to pockets at a lower pressure. Axial thrust assemblies including a plurality of balls in a space between facing surfaces on the compressor housing and the orbital scroll are in common use to limit axial movement of the orbital scroll and thereby maintain sealing. An anti-rotation assembly is provided to prevent rotation of the orbital scroll. The assembly may include a first ring with a series of apertures that each surround one of the axial thrust balls and a second ring with apertures that also receive the axial thrust balls. The first ring is fixed to the compressor housing. The second ring is fixed to the orbital scroll. The apertures in the two rings have diameters which will permit orbital movement of the balls and the orbital scroll and prevent rotation of the orbital scroll. The compressor drive includes a crankshaft rotatably journaled in the compressor housing. An eccentric bushing is journaled on the crankshaft crank pin. The eccentric bushing is also received in a bore in a boss on the forward wall of the orbital scroll end plate. A bearing is provided in the bore in the boss to allow free rotation of the eccentric bushing relative to the orbital scroll. The eccentric bushing is retained on the crankshaft crank pin by a clip or snap ring. The snap ring limits axial movement of the eccentric bushing on the crankshaft crank pin. Limits on axial movement of the eccentric bushing are required to insure that a balance weight attached to the eccentric bushing does not contact the end plate of the orbital scroll and to insure that the eccentric bushing does not contact the end plate of the orbital scroll. Snap rings can be difficult to install. Occasionally they are not properly seated in a machined groove in the crankshaft crank pin and fall off after assembly. The loose snap ring may damage the bearing which rotatably receives the eccentric bushing in the bore in the orbital scroll. The eccentric bushing , which is not retained on the crank pin, can move axially along the crank pin until the balance weight contacts the orbital scroll or the eccentric bushing contacts the orbital scroll end plate.

In accommodating a stratified charge two-cycle engine, different approaches carburetor design have been taken to separate an air-fuel mixture intake from an air intake. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,204, a plastic separator plate is inserted into the venturi of a single bore carburetor. The plate is intended to facilitate the separation of the air-fuel mixture staying on one side of the throttle valve and air only on the other side during wide-open throttle operation of a stratified charge two stroke engine. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,991, the bore of a single bore carburetor is divided into separate passages. It is desirable to provide systems and methods that facilitate the separation of the air-fuel mixture intake from the air intake for operation of a stratified charge two stroke engine without the need for a separate separator plate or complex die casting to cast a fixed separator to split the bore in a carburetor body.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. Vehicles employ powertrain systems to generate tractive torque for vehicle propulsion. Powertrain systems may transmit torque originating from multiple torque generative devices, e.g., an engine and one or more non-combustion torque machines, through a transmission device to an output member coupled to a driveline. Control systems for operating such powertrain systems operate the torque-generative devices and apply torque transfer elements in the transmission to transfer torque in response to operator-commanded output torque requests, taking into account fuel economy, emissions, driveability, and other factors. The non-combustion torque machines may include electric machines that are operative as motors or generators to generate a torque input to the transmission independently of a torque input from the internal combustion engine. The torque machines may transform vehicle kinetic energy, transferred through the vehicle driveline, to electrical energy that is storable in an electrical energy storage device. A control system monitors various inputs from the vehicle and the operator and provides operational control of the hybrid powertrain, including controlling transmission operating state and gear shifting, controlling the torque-generative devices, and regulating the electrical power interchange among the electrical energy storage device and the electric machines to manage outputs of the transmission, including torque and rotational speed.

Prescription eyeglass lenses are often supplied to an optical laboratory in the form of a plastic blank. The blank is sized in diameter and thickness to be used in a large variety of eyeglass frames and for a large variety of prescriptions. Therefore, before the eyeglasses can be delivered to the customer, the optical laboratory must grind or generate the base and cross curves onto the back of the lens blank, fine and polish the generated surface of the lens blank to optical clarity, and edge the lens blank to the configuration necessary for the particular eyeglass frame chosen by the customer. The grinding, polishing, and edging operations are performed on machine tools which may be either manually or numerically controlled. It is necessary to position the lens blank during these processes, and the most common method of holding the lens is with a circular block secured to the front face of the blank. A lead solder may be used because of its low melting point (117.degree. -121.degree. F.), speed in setting up, ease in deblocking, ease in reclaiming the alloy, and solid stability during the process. While this system is commonly used, it suffers from several drawbacks. Even though the solder has a relatively low melting point, the heat can cause problems with some lens materials. For this reason, the plastic lenses are first covered with a tape prior to blocking. In addition, while the alloy may be reclaimed, that requires additional steps, time, and processing equipment. Furthermore, this alloy system poses environmental problems. The alloy not only contains lead, but also cadmium. Heavy metals may pose health risks to employees handling them and breathing their fumes, as well as a risk to the environment, particularly in the disposal of the water used in the reclaiming tank. Alternative methods of securing the block to the lens blank, such as with the use of a double-sided adhesive pad, are known. While these adhesive pads overcome of many of the environmental and health concerns, several problems still exist. The appropriate adhesive must exhibit a high resistance to torque because the lens blank is rotated on its geometric axis during the various generating and finishing processes. At the same time, however, the adhesive must have a low resistance to shear, because lab personnel must be able to remove the block and adhesive pad from the finished lens blank. In addition, the adhesive itself must be easily removed with solvents which will not harm the lens blank. Another more critical problem with an adhesive pad is its susceptibility to deformation during the generating, fining, and polishing processes. During generation, the block is held in a collet and rotated while a cutting tool is brought into contact with the lens blank. To hold the lens on axis, chuck centering pins engage holes in the block. In contrast, during fining and polishing, pins extending from the cylinder machine engage holes in the lens block for moving the generated lens over a lap. The pressure of the tool and the lap against the lens blank may cause relative movement between the lens blank and the block because of the deformable nature of the adhesive pad. This relative motion, particularly when the pad becomes wet, may adversely affect the optics of the lens.

Conventional battery charge curves and discharge curves are dependent upon factors such as the battery voltage, current, and temperature, as well as other factors based on the characteristics of the particular batteries in a given system. Various charging methodologies can be used for charging and discharging the batteries. Certain basic charging and discharging methodologies are based on a fixed voltage or current regulation scheme without any battery charge monitoring. More sophisticated charging and discharging methodologies may monitor battery current to estimate the state of charge, or may monitor battery voltage, current, and temperature, but each may still employ a fixed level of charging current based on those three variables. These conventional methodologies may result in undercharging or overcharging the batteries, which can reduce the life and supply of the batteries.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for adjusting the temperature of a printing press and an apparatus therefor, and more specifically to a method for adjusting the temperature of a printing press by which the temperature of inking rollers or printing plate surface is adjusted to suppress the decrease in ink viscosity caused by ink temperature increase during printing, and to an apparatus therefor. 2. Description of the Related Art During the operation of printing presses, the temperature of inking rollers or printing plate surface gradually increases and ink viscosity decreases under the effect of friction heat or the like. As a result, a variety of adverse effects are produced on printing quality. Those effects are especially significant in waterless offset printing presses, where the viscosity of ink decreases, the repellency drops, and the so called xe2x80x9cscummingxe2x80x9d appears in non-image areas owing to temperature increase. For this reason, various methods and apparatuses for adjusting the temperature of printing presses for the purpose of preventing temperature increase in inking arrangements and printing plate surfaces have been suggested for the usual offset presses. Conventional cooling apparatuses for inking arrangements typically suppress the increase in temperature of rollers by passing cooling water inside base rollers or vibrator rollers of inking arrangements (for example, Publications of Japanese Patent Application No. H8-29550, H6-344538 and so on). Direct blowing of cooling air on a printing plate surface was also suggested as a method for cooling the printing plate surface (for example, Japanese Patent No. 2572516, Publication of Japanese Patent Application H1-72846 and so on). However, in the conventional cooling apparatuses for inking arrangements, it was difficult to control the temperature of a roller group constituting the inking arrangement, so as to maintain separately the optimum temperature of each roller according to the function thereof, and a cooling apparatus demonstrating a satisfactory temperature adjustment function has not yet been developed. Furthermore, in case of printing presses in which a plurality of inking arrangements are disposed around one blanket wheel and multicolor printing is conducted on a cylindrical body, all inking arrangements have different degrees of temperature increase owing to the difference in the ink build-up depending on the design of each color or because of the difference in setting state between the inking arrangements (for example, lubrication state in bearing units). However, in prior art, the temperature adjustment of inking rollers for each inking arrangement has not been conducted based on the increase in temperature of each inking arrangement. Furthermore, a problem associated with the method of blowing cooling air onto a printing plate surface for cooling thereof is that transfer defects caused by ink drying on the printing plate surface can easily occur. Thus, the problem is that the conventional methods for adjusting the temperature of printing presses have not yet provided a satisfactory temperature adjustment function, and in the waterless offset printing presses requiring an especially sensitive temperature adjustment, a scumming effect caused by the decrease in repulsiveness in non-image areas could easily occur. Waterless lithographic printing was recently tested as a method for printing on cans to meet the demand for diversified printing patterns on cylindrical cans. However, technological problems requiring resolution, such as a decrease in yield caused by the above-described scumming effect, were encountered. The present invention is aimed at the resolution of the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for adjusting the temperature of a printing press that can provide for reliable temperature adjustment of the printing press, can be used to adjust the temperature according to the temperature increase of inking arrangements of each color in case of multicolor printing, generate no transfer defects caused by ink drying, even in temperature adjustment of printing plates, allow for optimum cooling, and make it possible to obtain good printing quality, without scumming even in waterless lithographic printing. The method for adjusting the temperature of a printing press in accordance with the present invention, which resolves the above-described problems is a method for adjusting the temperature of a printing press in which the temperature is adjusted by passing a temperature-adjusting water to the shaft portion of rollers of inking arrangements, wherein the roller groups of inking arrangements are divided into a first system in which the temperature of rollers with an ink feed function is adjusted and a second system in which the temperature of rollers with an ink distribution function is adjusted and temperature adjustment can be conducted separately for the first system and second system. Passing the temperature-adjusting water is not necessarily conducted to all of the rollers constituting the rollers with an ink feed function and rollers with an ink distribution function. Thus, the water may be supplied to a fountain roller and a transfer roller of the rollers with an ink feed function and to three vibrator rollers of the rollers with an ink distribution function. Further, in the first system, the temperature of the rollers with an ink feed function by virtue of adjusting the water temperature at a constant flow rate of temperature-adjusting water passing through the shaft portion of the rollers is preferably adjusted, and in the second system, the temperature of rollers with an ink distribution function is preferably adjusted by virtue of adjusting the water temperature for a constant value for each operation state and also by adjusting the water flow rate for each inking arrangement. The present invention can be applied to a printing press for multicolor printing on cylindrical bodies, in which a plurality of inking arrangements are disposed around one blanket wheel. In such a case, the inking arrangements of each color are preferably controlled with one temperature adjustment apparatus, and in the second system, the temperature preferably can be adjusted for each inking arrangement of each color. With another method for adjusting the temperature of a printing press in accordance with the present invention, the plate cylinder is cooled by blowing cooling air in the axial direction of the plate cylinder from the axial extension of the plate cylinder. Further, the temperature adjustment of a printing press can be conducted more effectively by employing together the method for cooling the rollers of the first system and second system of the color inking arrangements and the method for cooling the plate cylinder by blowing cooling air in the axial direction of the plate cylinder. The above-described methods can be effectively applied to waterless offset printing presses. In the apparatus for adjusting the temperature of a printing press in accordance with the present invention, the conduit for passing the temperature-adjusting water to a roller group in an inking arrangement is divided into a first system conduit for adjusting the temperature of rollers with an ink feed function and a second system conduit for adjusting the temperature of rollers with an ink distribution function, pumps and heaters are provided separately for the first system conduit and second system conduit, and the first system conduit and second system conduit have an apparatus for roller temperature adjustment in an inking arrangement which is capable of separate temperature adjustment. In the above-mentioned first system conduit and second system conduit, the pumps, heaters, and valves for adjusting the amount of supplied cooling water from the cooling water source which are used commonly for inking arrangements of all colors are provided in respective supply-side conduit of the first system integrated conduit and second system integrated conduit that are integrated with the first system conduit and second system conduit having the upstream sides thereof enclosed inside one temperature adjustment unit, and the respective temperatures of temperature-adjusting water can be controlled by one temperature adjustment unit according to the operation state. Furthermore, a flow rate adjustment valve is provided for each second system conduit of the inking arrangements of each color branched from the second system integrated conduit, the amount of water passed to the rollers of the second system are controlled for the inking arrangements of each color and the roller temperature in the second system can be controlled for each color inking arrangement. Another apparatus for adjusting the temperature of a printing press in accordance with the present invention is an apparatus for adjusting the temperature of a printing press for multicolor printing on cylindrical bodies, in which a plurality of inking arrangements are disposed around one blanket wheel, this apparatus comprising a plate cylinder shaft forced air cooling unit in which a chamber is provided opposite a side surface of the blanket wheel on the axial direction side thereof, air cooling ducts are provided which extend from the chamber toward the center of the plate cylinder center of each color, and air cooling openings for blowing cooling air toward the plate cylinder shaft are provided at the ends of the air cooling ducts. The air cooling ducts are preferably provided so that they can be shifted to a position in which they place no obstacle during setup or adjustment of the plate cylinder and to a position in which the air cooling openings face the plate cylinder axis during printing. Providing the apparatus for adjusting the temperature of inking arrangements and the plate cylinder shaft forced air control apparatus makes it possible to obtain the temperature adjustment apparatus with even better temperature adjustment effect. Utilizing such a waterless offset printing press, in particular, for waterless lithographic printing on cans makes it possible to suppress the appearance of scumming and to increase printing quality in waterless lithographic printing on cans.

There are various modes of communication used today, including telephonic communication, facsimile communication, and electronic communication, as examples. In recent years, electronic communication has become a preferred medium of communication for many businesses and individuals. Electronic communication includes electronic mail, also known as email or e-mail, and instant messaging, as examples. The preference for electronic communication stems from the many advantages that are provided by this mode of communication. People have always wanted to correspond with one another in the fastest way possible. Electronic mail is advantageous over regular mail in this respect as it provides a near instantaneous form of communication. Prior to e-mail, first telegraph, and then later facsimile, provided similar instantaneous forms of communication, but in both instances, the steps leading to sending and then ultimately steps involved in receiving this instant communication were burdensome. By contrast, once means of communication is established, electronic mail or other electronic communications do not provide any additional burdens either for the sender sending the communication or the receiver receiving the communication. In many instances, electronic communication is taking the place of the telephone or is even preferred to it. While affording the same ease and instantaneous means of communication as a telephone, electronic communication is preferred in instances where there is an advantage to recording the communication. For example, documentation of communications may be required or at least preferred in instances where such documentation provides legal protection to one or both parties. But, even in situations where such documentation is not necessary, written documentation affords better information retention. For example, it may be easier to organize and retain information about a client's new address and phone number when such information is provided by stored electronic means that can be easily retrieved, as opposed to other means that can be more easily misplaced. The popularity of electronic communication has led both individuals and businesses to rely heavily on this form of communication. Electronic communication allows people to write back and forth without having to spend much time worrying about how the message actually gets delivered. As technology grows closer and closer to being a common part of daily life, the reliance of both individuals and businesses on this medium of communication is sharply increasing. Electronic communications rely on addresses to send/receive messages. For instance, an e-mail address provides the information required to get a message to a user or businesses anywhere around the world. Other forms of electronic communications, as well as other forms of communication, also rely on addresses or other forms of identity. Unfortunately, there are instances where the message contained in a communication is not delivered to the intended recipient because the identity (e.g., address) is incorrect. When an identity is incorrect, the intended recipient of the communication does not receive the communication. This is troublesome for the original sender of the communication, as well as to others that may be relying on that communication, such as those carbon copied in the cc:, blind carbon copied in the bcc:, or other recipients in the to: header. Often, the sender of the message is notified of the failure to deliver by a delivery error message. However, this message is only sent to the actual originator of the communication. Therefore, none of the successfully addressed recipients of the communication are notified of the occurrence of an error until attempting to initiate subsequent responses to the original message that often use the same distribution lists of recipients having the same embedded incorrect information. As more and more users get involved and more responses are generated, the error further compounds as it is duplicated each time, leading to the cascading of incorrect e-mail addresses and information that were originated at an earlier stage from a single source. The error and associated lost productivity become a permanent attribute in any later communication that uses the erroneous e-mail address or identity.

The use of fuses in microelectronic circuits is widespread. Fuses may provide a convenient way of encoding information permanently in a device, such as for purposes of redundancy, unit identification, providing allowed operating ranges, for example. Fuses can also be used to adjust the speed of a circuit by adjusting the resistance of the current path, for example. As the complexity and density of microelectronic devices increases, the number of individual fuses incorporated within each device will likely increase.

Recently, the KISA (Korea Internet & Security Agency) is working on a certificate cryptosystem upgrading project. The object of this project is to improve a stability of an electronic signature algorithm by raising the length of the private key from 1024-bit to 2048-bit. Besides, since a certificate stored on a hard disk of a personal computer may be exposed to hacking attacks, this project advises to store a certificate on a safe storage medium, e.g. HSM (Hardware Security Module). The HSM uses a smart card chip as a core component, which is known as an anti-hacking device until now. The smart card chip generates a private key and public key pair which is required in a certificate issue process, and performs an electronic signature which is required in a certificate login process. At present, in a certification authority system, the RSA (Rivest Shamir Adleman) algorithm is used as an electronic signature algorithm. If the RSA algorithm is improved from 1024-bit to 2048-bit, theoretically, it takes about quadruple time or more to perform operations. Specifically, it usually takes 2˜3 seconds and in some cases more than 6 seconds to generate a 1024-bit private key and public key pair in a current smart card chip. If a cryptosystem is improved from 1024-bit to 2048-bit, it usually takes 20˜30 seconds and in some cases more than 60 seconds to generate a 2048-bit private key and public key pair in the current smart card chip. Therefore, in case of being issued a 2048-bit certificate by using the HSM, a user may feel uncomfortable since it may take more than one minute in an issue process. Hence, the KISA wants to reduce a 2048-bit private key and public key pair generation time in the HSM within a few seconds, but a technology solving the above requirement has not yet been suggested. Meanwhile, the smart card chip can be used as HSM type by using NFC (Near Field Communication). The NFC technology is a communication technology that the smart card chip directly generates a power by using electromagnetic waves emitted from a wireless terminal and communicates with the wireless terminal. The NFC technology has advantages that no battery is required and the security is excellent owing to short connection distances. However, there is a problem that the smart card chip has difficulty in generating enough power to perform the private key and public key pair generation. In addition, it is impossible for the current smart card chip to generate the 1024-bit private key and public key pair through NFC. In order to resolve such problems, the Korean patent No. 10-0651718 suggested a technology that a portable terminal controls a USIM (Universal Subscriber Identification Module) card to pre-generate the private key and public key pair and the USIM card transmits the pre-generated private key and public key pair in response to a request for generating the private key and public key pair. However, in smart phone environments providing various services, it is very difficult for the portable terminal to judge the standby time of the smart card chip and control the smart card chip to pre-generate the private key and public key pair. In particular, the smart card chip using NFC does not have enough standby time since the smart card chip can connect with the portable terminal in use. Therefore, it is very difficult for the smart card chip to pre-generate the private key and public key pair in the way according to the above patent. In addition, the initial process using the HSM is a process of being issued a certificate by using the private key and public key pair generated in the smart card chip. Until then, the smart card chip does not usually have enough time to pre-generate the private key and public key pair. Therefore, there is a demand for new scheme that the smart card chip using NFC can efficiently generate the private key and public key pair.

The detection of enzymatic activity is important in many aspects of biological research and in medical diagnosis and treatment. Abnormal enzymatic activity can be the cause of a disease state and/or a diagnostic and/or prognostic marker for a particular condition. There is a need in the art for improved assays for enzymatic activity such as protease activity. For example, factor Xa (FXa), an activated serine endopeptidase, is a common blood factor involved in multiple coagulation pathways. Measurement of FXa activity is commonly employed in the determination of the activity of upstream coagulation factors including factor VIII (FVIII) and factor IX (FIX), as well as in the determination of the anticoagulant properties of pharmaceutical compounds such as heparin. Commercially available kits for these purposes typically contain chromogenic based substrates containing the amino acid sequence IEGR (SEQ ID NO:1), which is recognized and cleaved by FXa, resulting in the severing of the peptide bond between the arginine residue and the next amino acid or molecule toward the carboxy-terminus. For example, substrate S2222, Bz-Ile-Glu[γ-OR]-Gly-Arg-pNA.HCl (Para-Nitro-Aniline) [R═H (50%) and R═CH3 (50%)], a polypeptide with a pNA conjugated at its C-terminus, is found in several colorimetric kits for FVIII and FIX detection. FXa can digest this substrate and release pNA which, in its free form, produces a bright yellow color which can be quantitatively measured in an absorbance reader. Commercially available FVIII detection kits include BIOPHEN Factor IX (Ref. A221802. Aniara, Mason, Ohio 45040), BIOPHEN FVIII:C (Ref. A221406. Aniara), CHROMOGENIX COATEST® SP4 Factor VIII (Cat. K824094. DiaPharma Group, Inc. West Chester, Ohio 45069) and Rox Factor IX (Cat. 900020. DiaPharma Group, Inc.). An assay for detecting FVIII activity is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,112. Additionally, caspase enzymes are proteases involved in cellular inflammation and apoptotic cascades. The assessment of caspase enzymatic activity can be used to evaluate cell death pathways and new apoptosis-modulating agents. Failure of apoptosis has been implicated as one of the causes of many different diseases including tumor development and autoimmune diseases. Additionally, undesirable apoptosis can occur with ischemia or Alzheimer's disease. Citation or discussion of a reference herein shall not be construed as an admission that such is prior art to the present invention.

Since their commercial appearance in the 1960's, light emitting diodes (LED) have become ubiquitous in electronic devices. Traditionally, LED light output was ideal for indicator applications but insufficient for general illumination. However, in recent years a great advance in the development of high-intensity LEDs has occurred. These new LEDs operate at much higher current levels than their predecessors (350 milliamps to several amperes compared to the 10-50 milliamp range for traditional LEDs). These new power LEDs produce sufficient output to make them practical as sources of illumination. Presently, the high cost of the new power LEDs renders them best suited for applications where the unique characteristics of LEDs (ruggedness, long life, etc.) compensate for the extra expense. However, the cost of these high power LEDs continues to fall while efficiency (luminous flux generated per unit of electrical power consumed) continues to rise. Predictions are that in the near future, LEDs will be the source for general illumination, preferred over incandescent, florescent lamps or the like. LEDs are a type of semiconductor device requiring direct current (DC) for operation. For optimum light output and reliability, that direct current should have a low ripple content. Since the electrical power grid delivers alternating current (AC), a line-powered device must convert the AC to DC in order to power the LEDs. Further, LEDs are current driven rather than voltage driven devices. The driving circuit usually regulates the current more precisely than the voltage supplied to the device terminals. The current regulation requirement imposes special considerations in the design of LED power supplies since most power supplies are designed to regulate output voltage. Indeed, the design of the majority of integrated circuits (IC) commercially available for controlling power supplies is for voltage regulation. Another increasingly common requirement for line-operated equipment is power factor correction (PFC also power factor control). PFC devices maximize the efficiency of the power grid by making the load “seen” by the power grid “look” (approximately) resistive thus minimizing the reactive power. The efficiency of resistive loads arises from the unvarying proportionality of the instantaneous voltage to the instantaneous current at any point on the AC sinusoidal voltage waveform. Typically a power factor of over 90 per cent is required or at least desirable. For safety, it is desirable for the output of the power circuit (connected to the LEDs) to include galvanic isolation from the input circuit (connected to the utility power grid). The isolation averts possible current draw from the input source in the event of a short circuit on the output and should be a design requirement. Another design requirement is for the conversion from the incoming AC line power to the regulated DC output current to be accomplished through a single conversion step controlled by one switching power semiconductor. A one-step conversion maximizes circuit efficiency, reduces cost, and raises overall reliability. Switching power conversion in the circuit design is necessary but not sufficient to satisfy the one-step conversion requirement while capitalizing on the inherent efficiency. For increased versatility, the LED driver circuit should allow dimming the LEDs' light output. It is especially desirable to operate the LED power supply in connection with phase control dimmers (phase cutting dimmer) which are already widely used to regulate the brightness of incandescent and fluorescent lamps. There is a need for a LED power supply that exhibits an electric behavior as an incandescent lamp. Further the power supply should require a low number of components for easy integration in so-called LED-bulbs that can fully replace present incandescent lamps.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device of an auto-focus mechanism equipped in a camera and an improvement for ensuring rapid and certain focusing. 2. Description of the Background Art In the case that a zone for measuring a distance between an object and a camera is provided at a picture plane of the camera in an auto-focus mechanism of a contrast method type, a fixed and small zone is conventionally provided at a center portion of the picture plane. Usually, there is photographed a main object positioned at a center portion of the picture plane, so that a lens member is actuated in order to optimize a contrast ratio of a picture at the center portion of the picture plane. However, when a picture is taken in light, generally a contrast ratio is remarkably reduced at a center portion of the picture. It becomes difficult to find, an optimum contrast in the case of a conventional zone for measuring a distance and therefore its focusing becomes wrong. In the case of an auto-focus mechanisms in a type of a high frequency detecting method type is one of the contrast methods, an output of a picture image passes through an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit, a high frequency part of a signal of a picture image obtained from the automatic gain control circuit (hereinafter, it is referred as "a high frequency part") is picked up by passing a band pass filter, a picked-up high frequency part is detected in order to detect an evaluative value for focusing (hereinafter, it is referred as "an evaluative value"), and a proper focus position of a lens member where the evaluative value becomes peak is determined. That is, when focusing is proper, a contrast ratio becomes maximum and a high frequency part also becomes maximum. In such cases, one kind of a band pass filer is utilized. Usually, a circuit for amplifying by a fixed gain value is provided at a wave detected circuit in order to increase a sensitivity for picking up the high frequency part. In addition, it is judged whether a peak is over when the evaluative value is going down after the evaluative value is going up. However, a noise is usually included in the evaluative value. Unless the evaluative value changed more than a noise level, it cannot be found that the evaluative value is actually increased or decreased. Therefore, in a conventional method, it is judged whether a displacement of an evaluative value is greater or less than a fixed reference value. However, in a conventional auto-focus mechanism, there is only one band pass filter. In the case of a narrow band pass filter, if a focus lens is initially positioned far from a proper focus point, a filter output is little changed although the focus lens is moved frontwards or backwards. In this case, a high frequency part is shifted to a relatively low frequency part and an amplitude of the signal is still small. Accordingly, the evaluative value is little changed initially so that it is very difficult to detect whether a frontward direction or a backward direction is a proper direction toward a focus point. Much time is needed to detect a peak of the evaluative value certainly. In the case of a broad band pass filter, a displacement of the evaluative value is changed slightly near the peak, so that it is difficult to detect a real peak certainly. The above described relation between focusing and an amount of a high frequency part comes into existence in the case that a brightness of an object is constant. If a brightness of an object is changed while a focus lens is moving for detecting a peak of an evaluative value, a wrong evaluative value is recognized as a peak. This occurs since a high frequency part is changed in accordance with a displacement of a brightness. In the case that an object is dark, an iris is further opened and a gain value of an AGC circuit becomes high. The high gain value of AGC is added to a fixed gain value of an amplifier circuit. Then, a gain value in a whole system becomes very high and a noise component is also increased. If the noise component is large, it is difficult to detect a change of the evaluative value although the evaluative value is increased or decreased a little. A peak of an evaluative value is unclear so that it cannot detect a proper focus position certainly. Further, a noise level is changed in accordance with an opening degree of an iris, a gain value of an AGC circuit and a gain value of an amplifier in a wave detector. It is a problem described as follows, if a reference value for detecting a displacement of an evaluative value is fixed. (1) In the case of a fixed reference value as a relatively low level, when an iris is relatively closed, a gain of AGC is relatively high or a fixed gain of an amplifier is relatively high, a noise is increased in the evaluative value. A judgement of a peak of the evaluative value becomes unclear due to the noise. As a result, the judgement is sometimes wrong. (2) On the contrary, in the case of a fixed reference value as a relatively high level, when an iris is relatively opened, a gain value of AGC is relatively low or a fixed gain of an amplifier is relatively low, a peak of the evaluative value cannot be judged until the evaluative value is much decreased, although a noise is relatively less. That is, the peak cannot be detected until a focus lens runs over a proper focus position some distance. A detection of the peak is delayed. On the other hand, recently, a video camera of a rear focus lens type has been developed, in which a focus lens is provided behind a zooming lens. In the rear focus lens type, a proper focus position of a focus lens is changed depending on a focusing distance of a zooming lens. The focus position is changed as a curved line. Conventionally, it is difficult to successively change a position of a focus lens in accordance with a focus distance of a zooming lens.

The present invention generally relates to hard tonneau covers for pickup truck beds and more particularly pertains to the mechanism and hardware for mounting such devices to a truck. As more and more pickup trucks are being purchased and used as primary transportation, items often end up being carried in the cargo bed that should more properly be secured from theft and protected from the elements. Tonneau covers, especially hard tonneau covers afford such protection and security and additionally enhance fuel mileage by smoothing out the air flow over the rear part of the vehicle. Additionally, many find an aesthetic appeal in covering up the cargo bed of a truck. Hard tonneau covers are typically constructed of fiber reinforced resin, have a high quality finish to match the rest of the vehicle and form a weather tight seal about the top of the cargo bed's sidewalls. The covers are typically hinged at the front so as to tilt upwardly and are latched and lockable at the rear. Telescoping gas struts are used to hold the cover in its open position. A disadvantage associated with many heretofore known covers is the need to drill holes in the truck's toprails in order to mount the cover thereto. Perforating the sheet metal is especially onerous because more than simple hand tools are thereby needed during installation, any miscalculation in positioning the holes is substantially irreversible and unless special steps are taken to protect the metal that is bared, rust will eventually develop. Another significant problem associated with drilling holes in the truck is the fact that many lease contracts specifically forbid such modifications and in view of the substantial costs that would be incurred in welding up each hole, refinishing and painting the bodywork, most lessees would effectively be forced to purchase the vehicle at lease end. In view of the present popularity of leasing, the desirability of fitting tonneau covers to pickup trucks poses a significant problem. Hard cover systems are known that obviate the need to drill holes by employing clamps that engage the toprails to secure the hinges, the struts and the locking mechanism. However, such systems still suffer from the need to precisely position the various components along the toprails in order to allow the various components to properly cooperate with one another. Moreover, the wide tolerance variations found on many pickups further complicates the installation. Finally, an additional problem encountered in the installation of heretofore known cover systems is inherent in the fact that many truck manufacturers use surprisingly thin sheet metal in the construction of their vehicles. Consequently, the substantial loads that may be imposed by the cover on the top rails, especially by the hinges and struts, may cause the top rails to distort to the point where the cover no longer lines up with the latching mechanism, or eventually to the point of structural failure. A hard tonneau cover mounting system is therefore needed that is simple to install, that requires no holes to be drilled and that minimizes the loads imposed upon the truck's top rails.

A typical camera for mounting on a vehicle has a lens member, an imaging element, a circuit board and housing members that connect together. It is generally desirable to reduce the cost of manufacture of such cameras and to improve their reliability. As an example, some cameras may use an epoxy to mount the lens member to the front housing member. However, the epoxy that is used may be susceptible to softening under high temperature, at which point the lens member becomes vulnerable to being moved out of focus with the imaging element. It would be desirable to reduce the vulnerability of the lens member to movement under high temperature. Another problem with some cameras relates to the cable that exits the camera and extends to other vehicular components. A camera may be positioned within a protective housing, which may be closed about the camera or sensor and secured together. The camera includes a wire harness or wire or lead electrically connected to circuitry of the camera and extending through the camera housing for electrical connection to a vehicle wire harness or the like. A need exists for an inexpensive camera cable exit strategy that is space efficient, hermetically sealed, provides substantial of cable strain relief in any axis (such as, for example, more than about 110 N of cable strain relief in any axis), and can withstand the stresses of automotive environmental conditions. Currently used grommets in the industry tend to leak when subjected to off axis stresses. Also, many existing exit strategies incorporate additional and complex contact interfaces along the conductive paths from wire to board so that pins or specific terminals are introduced which can be press-fit or over-molded into a sealed plastic interface. This may increase cost, complexity and quality risks associated with the camera cable. It would be advantageous to provide a camera that addresses one or more of these and other considerations.

1. Field of the Invention Controllers, apparatuses and methods consistent with what is disclosed herein relate to a remote controller, a display apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a remote controller for controlling a display apparatus, a display apparatus, and a control method thereof. 2. Description of the Related Art Advancement in the electronic technologies demands ways to control electronic apparatuses in more diversified manners. A related controlling manner uses buttons on the electronic apparatus or a separate device such as a remote controller to control the electronic apparatus. However, the related controlling manner of using a separate device from the electronic apparatus such as remote controller suffers shortcoming that a user is required to press buttons on the remote controller to implement the operation he intends. For example, in an example where the a pointer displayed on a screen of the electronic apparatus is used, a user can select specific content only after he moves the pointer to a corresponding content area where the user wants to select the specific content, by selecting buttons of four directions, and selects the intended content by pressing a select button provided on the remote controller. Therefore, it is quite inconvenient for the user because he can finally select the intended content after checking and pressing buttons provided on the remote controller several times. Accordingly, method is necessary, which enables a user at remote distance to search the information displayed on the screen of the electronic apparatus with increased convenience.

The invention relates to a rotary anode x-ray tube comprising an anode assembly which is mounted by magnetic bearings and means for conducting current from the rotary anode to a stationary anode supply circuit. A rotary anode x-ray tube of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,395. In the case of this rotary anode x-ray tube, the anode is supported for rotation by means of a magnetic bearing, which positions the anode assembly axially and radially without contact, the anode assembly drive motor including magnetically-soft material at the part of the anode assembly surrounded by the drive stator for driving the rotary anode, and the tube envelope having further electric windings at the exterior thereof for cooperation with additional magnetically-soft material of the rotary assembly to provide the bearing support for the rotary anode. In the case of this known rotary anode x-ray tube, for the conduction of the anode current, a mechanical contact is provided between a shaft rotating with the anode and a stationary portion. In the case of this contact, brief interruptions can occur which result in sparking. In addition, metal abrasion occurs.

Today the IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG) Test Access Port (Tap) interface is used for many different applications. While initially designed to provide a serial test interface on ICs to facilitate board testing, the Tap interface now serves as a serial interface for additional IEEE standards for such things as emulation, trace, and debug (IEEE 5001) of ICs and cores, mixed signal testing (IEEE 1149.4) of ICs and cores, advanced IC to IC interconnect testing (IEEE 1149.6), embedded core testing (IEEE 1500), and in-system-programming of circuits in ICs and cores (IEEE 1532). An IC device may contain many embedded 1149.1 based Tap architectures (Tap domains). Some of these TAP domains are associated with intellectual property (IP) core circuit devices within the IC, and serve as access interfaces to test, debug, trace, emulation, and in-system-programming circuitry within the IP cores. Other TAP domains may exist in the IC which are not associated with cores but rather to circuitry in the IC external of the cores. Further, the IC itself will typically contain a TAP domain for operating IC level test, debug, trace, emulation, and in-system-programming, as well as the boundary scan register associated with the IC's input and output terminals. From the above, it is clear that Tap domains are being used in ever growing numbers in devices, such as ICs and cores, for test, debug, trace, emulation, in-system-programming, and other types of operations.

A patient that has undergone a surgical procedure or otherwise has a limited range of motion of an extremity can experience a “frozen shoulder” or “stiff knee” as a result of a buildup of scar tissue. These conditions greatly limit the patient's range of motion of the arm or leg. Physical therapy is typically prescribed to work the knee, hip or shoulder or elbow to break down the scar tissue and regain proper mobility of the joints. Ideally, the physical therapy would be provided once or multiple times daily over a period of weeks to restore the patient's motion. This creates a hardship for the rehab patients in time and money. To overcome this, many exercises have been devised to be done at home such as the elastic belts and other stretching devices. Unfortunately, unmonitored and unsupervised exercises expose the patients to additional injury, particularly after a surgical procedure. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a system and equipment that can provide range of motion rehabilitation exercises in a controlled and safe way at a patient's home. Furthermore, the objective is to provide the patient with a prescription for rehabilitation exercises that can be loaded remotely to a computer control system to provide a desired schedule and selected range of motion limits and forces chosen by the physician or therapist that can be securely accessed and monitored by the patient's physician or physical therapist wherein the computer is programmed to control the equipment and provide an accessible database documenting the exercise progress of the patient. The present invention as described hereinafter provides a safe and manageable home-based rehabilitation system.

Although the technology for quantum information processing is still at an early stage, numerous applications for such technology have been envisaged and investigated theoretically and experimentally. Quantum computing is one of the most important applications. Applications have also been proposed in the fields of cryptography, communication, and navigation, among others. A variety of different physical devices have been proposed as host environments for quantum information processing. A common characteristic of these environments is that they can support qubits or similar quantum mechanical systems, and that the qubit (or the like) has a coherence time that is long enough to permit quantum computations to take place. A qubit is a physical system that has two quantum mechanical states, and that can exist in a superposition of those two states. The possibility of superposition of states is an essential feature of quantum information processing. The two states of a qubit are often represented in Dirac notation by the symbols |0> and |1>, respectively. Another important feature in many aspects of quantum information processing is entanglement. Two particles are said to be entangled if the quantum state of one cannot be described without reference to the other. Stated more formally, a system is entangled if its quantum state cannot be factored as a product of the individual states of its constituent particles. As a consequence of entanglement, the outcome of an experiment that collapses the quantum state of a first particle to produce an observable measurement can be correlated with the outcome of a similar experiment performed on a second particle that is entangled with the first, even if at the time of measurement the particles are separated by a macroscopic distance that precludes mutual interaction. Researchers have considered numerous quantum mechanical systems in their quest for two-state systems that would be promising as qubits for quantum information processing. Among the more promising systems are neutral atoms that have conveniently spaced hyperfine levels. The hyperfine structure of an atom is the splitting of the energy of an electronic orbital into multiple levels due to electrical and magnetic interactions between the electron and the atomic nucleus. In some atoms, there are hyperfine splittings that provide pairs of energy levels suitable for use as a qubit. The hyperfine splitting can also be utilized to prepare ensembles of entangled atoms. The ensembles may consist of pairs of atoms, or of groups of three or even more atoms. In an idealized example, each of a pair of atoms are initially prepared in the individual state |1>, so that the joint state is the separable (hence not entangled) state|11>=|1>⊗|1>.   (1) An appropriate excitation then excites one (unidentifiable) member of the pair, to produce the entangled state(1/√2)·(|01>+|10>).   (2) Further excitation can produce, e.g., the entangled state(1/√2)·(|00>+|11>).   (3) A phenomenon referred to as Rydberg blockade has been utilized to prepare pairs of atoms in entangled states such as the state described by Equation (2). Atoms that are excited to very high principal quantum numbers n are referred to as Rydberg atoms. Rydberg atoms exhibit a strong mutual electric dipole-dipole interaction (EDDI). One consequence of the EDDI is that when an appropriately tuned optical pulse excites a first atom to a Rydberg state, the EDDI can detune a second atom situated within a dipole interaction distance from the excitatory pulse, so that the second atom remains behind in the initial state. Subsequent evolution of the two-atom system over one pathway for the Rydberg atom and a different pathway for the non-Rydberg atom (of course the two atoms must be indistinguishable) can lead to the entangled state. Although the Rydberg blockade method has produced interesting results, alternatives have been sought, not least because it is difficult to maintain the required phase coherence between the highly excited Rydberg atoms and the atoms in the initial state. One proposed alternative is to utilize so-called Rydberg-dressed interactions in place of the Rydberg blockaded interactions described above. In a Rydberg-dressed interaction, a small amount of Rydberg character is admixed into the atomic ground state to produce a Rydberg-dressed atom. The Rydberg-dressed atom still exhibits EDDI which has the desired effect of producing a two-atom system that can evolve into an entangled state. However, phase control is more robust because phase coherence now only need be maintained between ground-state atomic levels, which are far less sensitive to thermal fluctuations that affect the optical phase. Although there are theoretical benefits to the use of Rydberg-dressed interactions, experimental demonstration has been elusive. Hence there remains a need for a new, practical approach that can reliably produce entangled pairs of neutral atoms using Rydberg-dressed blockade.

Changing the photoelectric conversion time (or change accumulation time) is the most common method to expand the dynamic range of a solid state image sensor. When the incoming light is strong, the charge accumulation time is shortened, and when the light is weak, the accumulation time (or the exposure time) is extended. However, when a picture including both a bright area (highlight) and a dark area (shadow) is to be taken by an image sensor, the proper accumulation time differs in those areas. When the accumulation time is adjusted for the highlight, the image data in the shadow cannot be obtained, and when the accumulation time is adjusted for the shadow, the photosensors in the highlight area saturate (i.e. the image data is all white or the photosensors will be destroyed). The solution to this problem is to expand the dynamic range of every pixel photosensor constituting the image sensor. One of the measures for expanding the dynamic range of a solid state photosensor is described in the Japanese Patent Laid-open No. S6281183 where the voltage applied on the exit gate electrode of the charge storage is changed stepwise.

Most computing devices enter a stand-by mode from an operation mode if a user does not interact with the device for a specific time period. The stand-by mode of the device promotes power conservation because the device is operating at low power. To reduce power consumption during stand-by mode, the display may be dimmed or completely darkened until the device is returned to the operation mode. In order to return the device to operation mode from stand-by mode, the user is commonly required to provide active input to the device such as by pressing any key on the keyboard or moving the mouse. In response, the device may take a few seconds before the device returns to the operation mode and is fully responsive to additional user input.

Hitherto, Patent Document 1 proposes a thermochromic writing instrument containing a thermochromic ink, in which a friction body for thermally changing the color of the handwriting of the thermochromic ink by frictional heat is provided on a top of a cap and in which the friction body is provided at a rear end of the barrel. Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. JP-A-2004-148744

To operate in most controlled airspace within the United States today, a transponder, which responds to interrogation from surveillance radar systems, is required. In response to an interrogation, a transponder transmits altitude information (Mode C) and a four digit identifying “squawk” code to the radar site (Modes A and C). The squawk code to be transmitted is entered in the cockpit. When flying visual flight rules (VFR) in Class E airspace in the United States, the code 1200 is typically squawked. When entering congested airspace, such as Class B, C, or D airports, when flying in Class A airspace, or when flying under instrument flight rules (IFR), air traffic control (ATC) may assign and request an aircraft to squawk a particular identifying code. Presently, next generation technology, in the form of ADS-B, is being implemented in the United States. ADS-B is an aircraft surveillance and traffic management technology and system for enhancing situational awareness, in which location messages are sent periodically by aircraft without the need for interrogation from a ground station. The system is dependent on aircraft being equipped with high integrity position sources, such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. ADS-B provides real-time surveillance services to both Air Traffic Control stations and to appropriately equipped aircraft. ADS-B makes use of two operating frequencies—978 MHz and 1090 MHz: Aircraft may transmit position information (referred to as ADS-B OUT) at 1090 MHz using an Extended Squitter equipped transponder or, if limited to operating below flight level 180 (approximately 18,000 feet), at 978 MHz using Universal Access Transceiver (UAT). ADS-B OUT information may be directly received by other similarly-equipped aircraft and by ground stations within line-of-sight. Aircraft may receive position information of other aircraft and about obstacles, as well as weather and other information (referred to as ADS-B IN). ADS-B equipped 1090 MHz aircraft may directly receive both position information from other ADS-B equipped 1090 MHz aircraft and Traffic Information Services Broadcasts (TIS-B) from ground stations. Similarly, ADS-B equipped 978 MHz aircraft may directly receive both position information from other ADS-B equipped 978 MHz aircraft and TIS-B from ground stations. TIS-B provides traffic and obstacle information within a cylindrical volume of airspace about the aircraft. TIS-B data includes self-reported position data from both 1090 MHz and 978 MHz ADS-B OUT equipped aircraft and basic position data from non-ADS-B OUT equipped aircraft within radar range of the ground station. Moreover, ADS-B equipped 978 MHz aircraft may receive Flight information Services Broadcasts (FIS-B) which includes subscription-free graphical and textual weather data. Due to congestion of the 1090 MHz frequency, FIS-B is only provided at 978 MHz.

1. Field of the Invention This invention generally relates to automated inventory replenishment, and more specifically, to inventory management practices that consider the effects of price protection on inventory stocking decisions. 2. Background Art Many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) sell their products through business partners such as distributors, solution integrators, or resellers. Price protection has become a standard element of contracts between an OEM and its business partners to achieve the right balance between inventory and customer service levels in supply chains with short product life-cycles and rapidly changing prices. Purchase price protection is a common feature that is used to entice customers into buying products and/or services. There are several different types of purchase price protection offered by retailers. One common form of purchase price protection includes insuring the purchase price of the product and/or service for a period of time, such as 30 or 60 days. While price protection is intended to provide business partners with an incentive to stock sufficient inventory, it often leads to overstocking resulting in higher inventory-related costs for business partners and increased price protection expenses and sales incentive costs for the OEM. The prior art includes methods for inventory management under Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) contracts. However, existing VMI practices do not consider the effects of price protection on inventory stocking decisions, e.g., Fry et al. “Coordinating Production and Delivery under a (z,Z) Type VMI contract”, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 2005. A vendor-managed inventory system may be based on a network environment which comprises a vendor system, a buyer system and an external network connecting the two systems. The buyer system includes a buyer server, multiple workstations and manufacturing devices, a plurality of storage locations, and a sensor device. These entities of the buyer system are connected or linked through an internal network. Each storage location stores a small quantity of production material to be consumed by one of the manufacturing devices. The sensor device monitors quantities of materials at the storage locations via the internal network. When a quantity of any material falls below a specified threshold, the sensor device triggers an alert signal. The alert signal is then transferred to the buyer server, and material requirements information is generated and transmitted to the vendor system. Afterward, the required material is delivered to the buyer's premises by the vendor. These systems, however, do not take into account the effects of price protection on inventory stocking decisions.

Surgical procedures such as tumor removal or fasciotomies can result in large skin wounds. Chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers frequently do not heal. Techniques have been developed to facilitate the wound closure of large skin defects and chronic wounds. Common methods for closure of wounds and skin defects include split thickness skin grafting, flap closure and gradual closure utilizing tissue expansion. A split thickness skin graft involves removing a partial layer of skin from a donor site, usually an upper leg or thigh, and leaving the dermis at the donor site to re-epithelialize. In this manner, a viable skin repair patch can be transferred or grafted to cover the wound area. The graft is often meshed, (which involves cutting the skin in a series of rows of offset longitudinal interdigitating cuts) allowing the graft to stretch to cover an area two or three times greater than the wound, as well as provide wound drainage while healing. Normal biological function of the skin heals the cuts after the graft has been accepted. A meshed graft of this type requires a smaller donor area than a conventional non-meshed or full thickness skin graft. Flap closure involves transferring skin from an adjacent region to the wound. This technique is only effective in anatomical regions that are amenable to transfer of adjacent skin. It is also a more complex surgical procedure involving increased surgical costs and risks. Both of these methods do not provide optimal cosmesis or quality of skin cover. Other disadvantages of these methods include pain at the donor site, creation of an additional disfiguring wound, and complications associated with incomplete “take” of the graft. In addition, skin grafting often requires immobilization of the limb, which increases the likelihood of contractures. The additional operation and prolongation of hospital stay is an additional economic burden. Gradual, or progressive, closure is another method of wound closure. This technique may involve suturing vessel loops to the wound edge and drawing them together with large sutures in a fashion similar to lacing a shoe. In addition, the wound edges may be progressively approximated with suture or sterile paper tape. The advantages of this gradual, or progressive, technique are numerous: no donor site is required for harvest of a graft; limb mobility is maintained; superior cosmetic result, more durable skin coverage, better protection because skin is full thickness, and maintenance of normal skin sensation may all be achieved. Existing devices for effecting a gradual closure, however, have many disadvantages. Current methods and devices rely on static ribbon or suture material which must be repeatedly readjusted in order to draw wound edges together because a relatively small skin movement substantially eliminates much of the closure force. Even with constant readjustment, maintenance of near constant tension over time is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Since widely used existing closure techniques involve use of relatively inelastic materials such as sutures or surgical tape, a substantial amount of tension is put on the wound edges during periodic adjustment to obtain the necessary closure force. Excessive tension may cut the skin or cause necrosis due to point loading of the tissue. What is needed in the art is a gradual wound closure technique that is self-regulating and self-adjusting and uses continuous or dynamic tension to draw the wound edges together, without obstructing the wound, thus eliminating the need for constant readjustment involved with the static systems.

The inclusion of lipase in detergent compositions for improved cleaning performance is known, e.g. enhancement of removal of triglycerides containing soils and stains from fabrics. Examples are U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,173, Cornelissen et al. issued Aug. 29, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,809, Lagerwaard et al., issued Dec. 3, 1991; PCT application WO94/03578 and HAPPI (Household & Personal Products Industry) No. 28/1991. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,173 is disclosed a certain class of lipases consisting of fungal lipases ex Humicola lanuginosa together with strong bleaching agents in detergent compositions. An example of a fungal lipase in this patent is the lipase ex Humicola lanuginosa, available from Amano under the tradename Amano-CE. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,809 is disclosed the combination of strong bleaching agents with a lipase enzyme produced by cloning the gene encoding the lipase produced by Humicola lanuginosa and expressing the gene in Aspergillus oryzae as host for use in detergent compositions. In WO 94/03578 is disclosed an enzymatic detergent composition containing 10 to 20000 LU (Lipolytic units) per gram of detergent composition of a lipase showing a substantial lipolytic activity during the main cycle of a wash process. This lipase is selected in particular on its inactivation behaviour with Diisopropyl Fluoro Phosphate (DFP). In spite of the large number of publications on lipase enzymes only the lipase derived from Humicola lanuginosa and produced in Aspergillus oryzae as host has so far found wide-spread application as additive for fabric washing products. It is available from Novo Nordisk under the tradename Lipolase (TM). Gormsen and Malmos describe in HAPPI this enzyme with trademark "Lipolase" as being the first detergent lipase with a commercially relevant cost performance based on the use of recombinant DNA technology on an industrial scale. In HAPPI is disclosed that Lipolase is the most effective during the drying step rather than the washing process itself. During the drying of the fabric, the conditions like water level are more favourable for lipolytic hydrolysis than during the actual wash cycle. In order to optimize the stain removal performance of Lipolase, Novo Nordisk have made a number of variants. As described in WO 92/05249 D96L variant of the native Humicola lanuginosa lipase improves the lard stain removal efficiency by a factor 4.4 over the wild-type lipase (enzymes compared in an amount ranging from 0.075 to 2.5 mg protein per liter). In Research Disclosure No. 35944 published on Mar. 10, 1994, by Novo Nordisk is disclosed that the lipase variant (D96L) may be added in an amount corresponding to 0.001-100 mg (5-500.000 LU/l) lipase variant per liter of wash liquor. However, the benefit of whiteness maintenance on fabrics using low levels of D96L variant in detergent compositions has not been previously recognized. In addition, under dishcare conditions the use of low levels of D96L variant show a reduced spotting of reprecipitating greasy/oily soil substances on dishes, plates and the like. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION We have now found that lipolytic enzyme variant D96L of native Humicola lanuginosa lipase may valuably be incorporated into detergent compositions at a level of from 50 lipolytic units (LU) to 8500 LU per liter wash solution. The inclusion of D96L at these low levels provide a significant benefit in whiteness maintenance performance when compared to the same detergent composition but containing an identical hydrolytic activity (same amount of LU/l) of the Lipolase.TM. enzyme. It is an object of the present invention to provide detergent compositions comprising the lipolytic variant D96L of the native lipase derived from Humicola lanuginosa at levels of from 50 LU to 8500 LU per liter wash solution. In particular the detergent composition with D96L variant is a compact detergent composition.

1. Technical Field The present invention relates to a device mounting structure, device mounting method, electronic apparatus, liquid droplet ejection head, and liquid droplet ejection apparatus. 2. Related Art As a method for disposing and electrically connecting a drive device such as an IC chip on a circuit board, the wire bonding method has been known for some time now. For example, even with respect to liquid droplet ejection heads (ink jet recording heads) used in the case of application of the liquid droplet ejection method (ink jet method) when forming images and manufacturing micro devices, a wire bonding method is used to connect piezoelectric elements for conducting ink ejection operations and a drive circuit (IC chip or the like) for supplying electrical signals to the piezoelectric elements (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-159800 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-284176). In conjunction with the ever higher integration of IC chips and the like in recent years, there has been a tendency for the external connection terminal of the IC chip and the like to become ever narrower, and to be given an increasingly narrow pitch. In this regard, there has also been a tendency to give an increasingly narrow pitch to the wiring patterns formed on the base substrate. Consequently, application of a connection method using the aforementioned wire bonding has become increasingly difficult. Moreover, with respect to methods conducting image formation and micro device manufacture based on the liquid droplet ejection method, in order to realize increasingly minute detailing of the image or miniaturization of the micro device, it is preferable to make the distance between the nozzle apertures provided in the liquid droplet ejection head (the nozzle pitch) as small (narrow) as possible. As piezoelectric elements are multiply formed corresponding to the nozzle apertures, if the nozzle pitch is made small, the distance between the piezoelectric elements must also be made small, corresponding to the nozzle pitch. If the distance between the piezoelectric elements is made small in this manner, connection of the plurality of respective piezoelectric elements and the driver IC by the wire bonding method is difficult. Furthermore, in conjunction with the increasingly compact size of electronic apparatuses, there is a growing need to electrically connect the device and the wiring of the base substrate via a step difference of the IC chip or the like in the device, or a step difference derived from the formation of the base substrate.

Filariasis comprises a collection of vector-borne worm diseases affecting humans throughout the tropical regions of the world. Worldwide 905 million people are at risk from lymphatic filariasis--caused mainly by Wuchereria bancrofti or Brugia malayi--90 million of whom are infected; serious cases have to live with the gross deformations of elephantiasis. Similarly 90 million people are at risk from onchocerciasis, 17.6 million of whom are actually infected; of these some 326,000 have lost their sight due to the activities of the microfilariae in the eye. Drug treatment of filariasis has been unsatisfactory. Diethylcarbamazine has the ability to destroy microfilariae, but unpleasant and sometimes dangerous allergic side effects may occur; it also has the ability in adequate doses to kill adults of lymphatic filariae in some, but far from all patients. Suramin and derivatives of melaminylarsonic acid also have macrofilaricidal action. However, their toxicity, and the fact that they have to be given repeatedly and by injection, make them unsatisfactory candidates for mass treatment. Benzimidazoles, such as flubendazole and mebendazole, are widely used for the treatment of intestinal helminth infections in mammals, but they are poorly absorbed and cause pain and inflammation on injection. Thus, none appears suitable for the mass treatment of filariasis infections. More recently it has been found that ivermectin has outstanding activity against microfilariae, but is without effect on adult worms. Treatment once or twice a year with ivermectin combined with a vector control programme forms the basis of the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa. While regular control of microfilariae with ivermectin will prevent the development of blindness in onchocerciasis, killing of adult worms would give better control of onchocerciasis, and is essential to prevent the development of pathology in lymphatic filiariasis. Therefore, the development of new soluble macrofilaricides which are well absorbed by oral administration and are not irritating upon parental administration is essential for the global management of filariasis.

1. Field of the Invention Subceilings formed from square or rectangular panels resting on the top surfaces of horizontally disposed flanges of inverted T-bar rails are well known. Typically, a framework of rails is formed with parallel main runners, suspended from the ceiling above, intersecting with cross rails to provide a grid pattern, usually as 2 feet.times.2 feet squares or 2 feet.times.4 feet rectangles, to accommodate similarly-sized subceiling panels. In its basic functional form, the subceilings would have the bottom surfaces of the rail flanges exposed as flat boundary strips between the edge supported panels. For what has become the conventionally styled and dimensionally standardized version of the inverted T-bar rail, the industry has developed tight-fitting capping elements. By cutting and removing a portion of the panel along its length- and width-extending bottom edges to accommodate the thickness of the capped T-bar rails, a substantially smooth flat bottom surface of the subceiling may be defined. It has been an objective to provide the option of various architecturally-satisfying decorative effects in suspended ceilings that have exposed flat T-bar flanges in addition to the mere capping discussed in the previous paragraph. It has also been an objective to provide such decorative effects with elements that are designed to be easily added in place or easily removed and replaced to satisfy the customer's "addiction" to his or her "remodeling habit". 2. Description of the Prior Art In U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,054, the patentee has provided a hollow beam that is readily attachable to the conventional T-bar support from below without requiring additional fastening hardware such as clips or screws. It is a similar object of the present invention to provide beams for capping the inverted T-bar support rails used in conventional support systems for subceilings that are readily attachable and removable from below without using any additional fastening hardware. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beam that is, once in place, constrained from undesired movement such as skewing or riding upwardly on the rail flanges. It is a still further object to provide a decorative beam that is simpler and less expensive than the hollow beams of the prior art and displays a substantially greater amount of versatility in design than the hollow beams or the capping elements of the prior art.

1. Technical Field The present invention relates to the manufacture of bead assemblies of the type incorporated into a pneumatic tire. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing which enables bead assemblies to be produced automatically with minimum distortion to the green or uncured elastomeric material which forms the bead filler thereby providing a bead with good dimensional uniformity throughout the entire bead assembly, thereby reducing nonuniformity in the final tire into which it is subsequently incorporated. 2. Background Information One of the components of a pneumatic tire is the bead assembly which consists of an annular bead, usually formed of a wound metal band or cable, which is combined with an elastomeric bead filler usually having a generally triangular configuration. The bead assembly then is formed as part of the final tire and used for maintaining the inflated tire on its mounting rim. It is desirable when producing the bead assembly that it be as free as possible of nonuniform areas and any out of roundness or unwanted projections or depressions, all of which add to the nonuniformity of the final tire in which it is incorporated. Furthermore, it is desirable that the bead assemblies be produced as efficiently and inexpensively as possible in order to decrease the cost of the final tire. Many known methods for producing tire bead assemblies extrude the bead filler with its final triangular shape, afterwhich it is placed on the bead and secured thereto subsequent to curing. However, during these manufacturing methods it is difficult to handle the uncured green elastomeric bead filler due to its extreme flexibility, without distorting the bead filler. Even minor distortions can cause undesirable nonuniformity in the final tire. Examples of prior art methods and apparatus for forming tire bead assemblies are shown in the following patents. U.S. Pat. No. 1,536,080 discloses a very early method of forming a tire bead in which a fabric is coated with a slow curing rubber and encloses a core ring and a filler of faster curing rubber, afterwhich the bead core is semi-cured to a degree which partially vulcanizes the filler and leaves the external coating soft and tacky whereupon the bead core can be incorporated into a tire casing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,389 shows a bead filler assembly apparatus wherein the filler is extruded in a triangular configuration and is placed and attached to the bead. U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,961 discloses a method of forming a bead assembly in which an elastomeric strip is extruded in order to impart a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration thereto with a square cross-sectional channel formed therein. An adhesive is then applied, afterwhich a wire is wound around the support until the channel is filled to form the final bead assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,034 discloses another method of forming a bead assembly in which the bead filler is formed by an extruder and fed onto the bead ring and wound thereabout, and then subsequently bonded to the outer periphery of the bead. U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,212 discloses a method of forming a bead assembly in which a triangular shaped bead filler is formed and is then wound about the bead ring. U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,497 discloses another method and apparatus for forming a bead assembly in which the bead filler or apex is extruded in a generally triangular configuration and then wound about the bead ring by a plurality of rollers. Japanese Patent Application 36-22130 shows a device for assembling metal fabric onto a bead wire without exerting an adverse effect on the strength of the fabric ply. A tubular elastic film is wound around the periphery of the cylinder which can be outwardly expanded. A pair of bell-shaped hoods are mounted around the cylinder containing the elastically flexible film and bead wire whereby the conical portions of the hoods control the expansion of the film when the mounting cylinder is expanded. Japanese Patent Application 54-57578 and Japanese Utility Model 60-180604 are believed to be the most pertinent prior art with respect to the method of the present invention. Both of these disclosures show the extrusion of a strip of elastomeric material having a pair of wing-like end members which are subsequently folded about a rectangular-shaped bead in order to produce the final bead assembly. However, neither of these prior art Japanese methods are believed to eliminate or materially reduce the unwanted distortions which occur in a green unvulcanized strip of rubber, which is achieved in the present invention disclosed herein. Neither of these methods disclose continuously supporting the unvulcanized green elastomeric material until it has been formed into the final bead assembly, nor do they disclose the incorporation of a reinforcement strip in the bead filler by placement of the strip between the two wing-like end members of the elastomeric strip prior to closure about the bead, nor do they disclose the joined ends of the bead filler strip having a bias angle cut, and the formation of the subsequent splice being performed on a rigid support to further reduce the introduction of unwanted stresses on the uncured elastomeric material as in the method of the present invention. Therefore, the need exists for an improved method of forming a tire bead assembly which produces a bead assembly with good dimensional uniformity by providing good splice integrity and by providing continuous support for the uncured green elastomeric material which forms the bead filler portion of the bead assembly until it is vulcanized.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to multi-band wireless communication systems, and particularly to a reconfigurable MIMO and sensing antenna system that has a two-element reconfigurable antenna and a ground plane serving as an ultra-wide band (UWB) sensing element for use in compact wireless devices and LTE mobile handsets. The complete setup can be used in radio frequency-based applications, including 4G cellular systems. 2. Description of the Related Art In modern wireless communications, the exponential growth of wireless services results in an increasing demand of the data rate requirements and reliability of data. These services may include high-quality audio/video calls, online video streaming, video conferencing and online gaming. These demanding features may require wide bandwidth operation or covering operation across several frequency bands. This provides motivation for comprehensive and efficient utilization of the available spectrum. The effort to overcome inefficient and highly underutilized spectrum resources has led to concept of cognitive radio (CR). A CR system is based on structural design of software-defined radio intended to enhance spectrum utilization efficiency by interacting with the operating environment. A CR-based system must be aware of its environment by sensing spectrum usage and have the capability to switch over the operating points among different unoccupied frequency bands. A CR-based system may cover various features, including sensing the spectrum of nearby devices, switching between different frequency bands, and power level adjustment of transmitting antennas, Reconfigurable antennas are able to change their operating fundamental characteristics, e.g., resonance frequency, radiation pattern, polarization and impedance bandwidth. A frequency reconfigurable antenna is an essential component of CR platforms. An attractive feature of such an antenna is its switching across several frequency bands by activating different radiating parts of the same antenna. Reconfigurability is the fundamental requirement for CR platforms. CR-based systems are capable of switching the frequency bands of a single frequency reconfigurable antenna over different bands to efficiently and inclusively utilize idle spectrum. To achieve the desired characteristics of reconfigurability and desired performance of a MIMO antenna system, several challenges need to be overcome. These issues include the size of the antennas for low frequency bands; a requirement of high isolation between closely spaced antennas; and control circuitry embedded within the given antenna to achieve the desired reconfiguration. Moreover, the performance of the MIMO system degrades significantly for closely spaced antennas due to high mutual coupling. Thus, a reconfigurable MIMO and sensing antenna system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an orientation determining system, and more particularly relates to a system for determining the orientation of a device with respect to an object surface. 2. Description of the Prior Art During laser material processing, it is often necessary to maintain not only the distance from the workpiece, but also the orientation of the cutting head with respect to the workpiece. A typical example of this situation is cutting with a laser beam, where usually it is best to have the focussed laser beam at a fixed distance and the axis of the laser beam normal to the workpiece surface during the cutting operation. However, there are no systems currently available and known to this inventor that will automatically determine the orientation of the device with respect to the workpiece surface. There, of course, does exist several systems which determine the perpendicular distance from the workpiece. One such system uses a laser diode for emitting a laser beam. The laser beam from it passes through projection lens. When the laser beam hits workpiece, it forms a spot. A focussing lens projects the image of this spot to position sensor (photo-detector). This sensor can be calibrated to give a reference voltage when itself is at a fixed distance (reference distance) from the workpiece. When the distance of the workpiece from the sensor changes the output thereof changes to a value related to the deviation from the reference distance.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method for optically recording data in data areas of a disk-like recording medium in which servo signal areas are formed along the track in alternation with the data areas. 2. Description of the Prior Art Various methods have evolved for recording data on the disk-like recording media using an optical method. Examples of such recording media include those of the so-called read only memory or ROM in which signals are nonrewritably formed by the supplier for supply to users, similarly to digital audio disks such as compact disks (CDs) or video disks, of the so-called programmable ROM or PROM type also known as direct read after write (DRAW) or write-once type in which data can be rewritten only once by the user, and those of the so-called random access memory (RAM) type in which recorded signals can be erased and rewritten, such as opto-magnetic disks. These recording media are characterized by an extremely large recording capacity. Since these recording media have evolved at different times, signals are recorded on some of these media using distinct signal formats resulting in lack of interchangeability among these different types of the recording media. Since this is troublesome both to the suppliers and the users, the demand for unifying the format has been raised by both the users and the suppliers. As one of the technologies for implementing this unified format, it has been proposed to introduce the concept of the so-called sampling servo according to which servo signals are recorded at a predetermined interval or a predetermined angle on concentric tracks or a spirally extending track on the disk, similarly to the so-called sector servo for the hard disk in the field of the magnetic disk. These discrete servo signals are sampled and held during the rotational driving of the disk to effect a continuous servo control operation. Data signals are sequentially recorded between the adjoining servo signals such that the recording areas for servo signals and those for data signals are alternately provided along the track direction, that is, the scanning direction of the pickup head. The number of the servo signals formed on the complete perimeter of the disk in the above proposed format is limited by factors such as the rotational speed of the disk or the servo control characteristics. The current practice is to provide one thousand and several hundreds of servo signals, for example, along the complete perimeter of the disk. It should be noted that the storage capacity of the optical disk is as large as several hundred megabytes, for example, such that it becomes critical to take measures against occurrence of possible errors, such as burst errors. For this reason, the conventional practice is to add error detection or error correction codes to the record data. In copending Japanese Patent Application No. 93892/1986, there has been proposed a data transmission method according to which the data to be transmitted and the additional information affixed to the tail of these data are arrayed two-dimensionally, and first error correction codes are formed for the data of each row, that is, the data extending in one direction, of the two dimensional array, while second error correction codes are formed for the data of each column, that is, the data extending in another direction, for providing a so-called product or matrix code configuration. During recording, data are sequentially read out in the row direction of the product code for sequentially recording the read-out data on the disk. For purposes of this discussion, it is now assumed that the lengths of the servo signal area and the data area on the disk are equal, respectively, to 2 and 16 bytes in terms of the data numbers, and that the serial length in the row direction of the product code, that is, the length of each row, is equal to, for example, 52 bytes. In this case, when sequentially recording the data of the product code configuration along the row direction of the respective data areas, the points of data demarcation by the respective servo signal areas are changed from row to row such that there may be caused a situation in which data that may exist across two rows of the product code is recorded in a single data area. Thus, when a servo signal read error is caused during signal reproduction, even in cases where only one servo signal can not be read correctly so that the data within a single data area has been regarded as the error, the error exists across two rows of the product code, so that there is a lowered error correction ability in the column direction. It has also been known to use a code system in which each data sector of the disk 1 is arrayed in a two-dimensional matrix of m rows and n columns, the error correction codes are added to each data string in the row direction and the data reading and writing is performed in the column direction. Such a code system is also known as the long distance code or LDC since the length of the data string in the direction of generation of the correction codes, that is the row direction, is rather long, for example, about 100 bytes, the number of interleaves being m which is the number of the columns in the matrix. When the two-dimensionally arrayed data of the LDC are read out sequentially along the column direction so as to be sequentially recorded in the data areas between the servo signal areas, with the data number in the data area being k, the data sequentially read by groups of m in the column direction are recorded after they are divided at intervals of data lengths k. In such a case, when the read-out errors of the servo signals are produced during the signal reproduction, and a servo signal cannot be read out correctly so that the data in a particular data area is determined to be in error, the error correcting capability in the row direction of the two-dimensionally arrayed data is lowered.

It is well known that an ultrasonic signal of sufficiently high intensity, amplitude-modulated with an audio signal, will be demodulated on passage through the atmosphere, as a result of a non-linear propagation characteristics of the propagation medium. Prior systems based on this phenomenon have been used to project sounds from a modulated ultrasonic generator to other locations from which the sounds appear to emanate. Specifically, arrays of ultrasonic transducers have been proposed for projecting audio-modulated ultrasonic beams, which can be steered to move the locations of the apparent sources of the demodulated audio contents. Moreover, the audio signals regenerated along the path of the ultrasonic beam are characterized by directivity corresponding to that of the beam. The signals can thus be directed to a particular location, with the audio signals being received at that location and not at other locations disposed away from the beam axis. The directivity of the audio signals is maintained when the ultrasonic beam is reflected from a surface and, in fact, a proposed beam steering arrangement involves the use of a rotatable reflecting surface. On the other hand, if the beam is projected to a surface that absorbs acoustical energy at ultrasonic frequencies but reflects it at audio frequencies, the audio content of the signal will be reflected with reduced directivity, with the sound appearing to originate at the point of reflection. These characteristics give rise to a number of highly useful applications of these systems. For example, one may direct the ultrasonic beam so as to track a moving character that is projected on a screen and the apparent source of the sound will move across the screen along with the character. One may project the beam at a stationary or moving individual in an area in which other individuals are also positioned and the demodulated sound will be heard by that individual, largely to the exclusion of others. Similarly, one may project the beam into an area so that individuals who pass into the area will receive a message keyed to that location. For example, in an art gallery, messages keyed to individual paintings may be projected into the areas in front of the paintings. With such useful applications for parametric sonic beam technology, one would expect it to have a wide commercial application. This has not been the case, however, and it appears that several factors have militated against commercial acceptance. For example, the transducer arrays that project the ultrasonic beams have heretofore been expensive to manufacture and characterized by low efficiency converting electrical energy into acoustical energy, resulting in bulky and cumbersome systems. Moreover, the transducers have been characterized by a narrow bandwidth, making it difficult to compensate for distortion as discussed herein. Another deficiency in prior systems has been the use of a relatively low ultrasonic carrier frequency, e.g., 40 kHz, which can result in modulation components whose frequencies are close to the upper limit of human audibility. Thus the intensities of these components can be such as to damage human hearing without the victims being aware of the high-intensity environment and thus being unaware of the harm to which they are subjected. Moreover, these components are well within the hearing range of household pets and can be very annoying or harmful to them as well. With inefficient transducers it is impractical to use higher frequencies, since atmospheric absorption of ultrasonic energy increases rapidly as a function of frequency.

This invention was made in the course of, or under, a contract with the Energy Research and Development Administration. The invention relates generally to methods for fabricating tubular metal articles, such as transitions, diffusers, and flow nozzles. More particularly, it relates to the fabrication of leak-tight tubular articles whose internal dimensions are highly critical, the articles being composed of a metal which tends to warp if fusion-bonded, as by arc welding or gas welding. As used herein, the term "metal" includes metals and metal alloys. The term "welded" as used herein includes brazing. In the fabrication of certain high-precision apparatus, the need arose for a tapered metal flow channel, or nozzle, for conveying gaseous uranium hexafluoride. Specifications called for the nozzle to be leak-tight, to be composed of relatively thin metal compatible with UF.sub.6, and to have an internal configuration corresponding very closely to design. A conventional method for fabricating such a nozzle would be to (a) form separate subsections of the nozzle, (b) contour the interior of each subsection by a highly precise technique, and (c) weld the subsections together to provide a leak-tight assembly. Unfortunately, that approach is not satisfactory because the amount of welding required causes the metal to expand appreciably and then distort upon cooling. Another conventional approach is to fabricate a tubular metal housing by standard techniques and then very precisely mount contoured inserts in the housing to define the desired flow channel. That approach is both tedious and costly.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network camera which transmits image data in real time to a server connected thereto via a network such as the Internet. This application claims priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-188464, filed in Japan on Jun. 30, 2003, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, broadband environment such as an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) has become widespread, and a network camera has accordingly come into use, which allows, for example, viewing of the images that are transmitted, through the Internet, from the remotely located network camera on the screen of a personal computer or mobile phone, or viewing of the images transferred from the network camera located within a LAN (Local Area Network) installed in a factory or company on the screen of the personal computer. An image pickup screen of the network camera can be moved by remote control such as pan/tilt operation, allowing wide-area viewing. Some of the above network camera applications are set as an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client to upload image data to an FTP server installed on a network. FTP is defined in RFC (Requests For Comment) 959 published by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), which is a consortium established for the purpose of advancing standardization of new technologies available on the Internet. FTP is a protocol (or command that implements the FTP protocol) for file transfer between a client and a host computer on a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) network such as the Internet or intranet, and has been used on the Internet as frequently as an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) or an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)/POP (Post Office Protocol). There is a possibility that a network for data transfer is temporarily out of service for many reasons. It is known that ADSL transmission, which has become increasingly widespread in recent years, is weak against electromagnetic noise, and accordingly, a line fault frequently occurs depending on the installation environment. Further, a network is constructed and managed by various kinds of equipments, and there is also a case where a network line is out of service due to maintenance of these equipments. When the network breakdown occurs in a conventional FTP client/server system, the image data being transferred during this breakdown time is treated as send error, with the result that the image data will not be transmitted to the FTP server. A loss of the required image data is a serious problem in a security monitoring system, which poses a major obstruction to an introduction of the network camera to a security system.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to scanning probe microscopes (SPMs), and, more particularly, relates to a scanner for a SPM that can acquire high-quality images at high acquisition rates and to a method of operating such a scanner. 2. Description of Related Art Scanning probe microscopes (SPMs), such as the atomic force microscope (AFM), are devices which typically use a tip and low forces to characterize the surface of a sample down to atomic dimensions. Generally, SPMs include a probe having a tip that is introduced to a surface of a sample to detect changes in the characteristics of a sample. By providing relative scanning movement between the tip and the sample, surface characteristic data can be acquired over a particular region of the sample and a corresponding map of the sample can be generated. The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a very popular type of SPM. The probe of the typical AFM includes a very small cantilever which is fixed to a support at its base and which typically has a sharp probe tip attached to the opposite, free end. The probe tip is brought very near to or into contact with a surface of a sample to be examined, and the deflection of the cantilever in response to the probe tip's interaction with the sample is measured with an extremely sensitive deflection detector, often an optical lever system such as described in Hansma et al. U.S. Pat. No. RE 34,489, or some other deflection detector such as strain gauges, capacitance sensors, etc. The probe is scanned over a surface using a high resolution three-axis scanner acting on the sample support and/or the probe. The instrument is thus capable of creating relative motion between the probe and the sample while measuring the topography or some other surface property of the sample as described, e.g., in Hansma et al. U.S. Pat. No. RE 34,489; Elings et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,801; and Elings et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,980. AFMs may be designed to operate in a variety of modes, including contact mode and oscillating mode. This is accomplished by moving either the sample or the probe assembly up and down relatively perpendicular to the surface of the sample in response to a deflection of the cantilever of the probe assembly as it is scanned across the surface. Scanning typically occurs in an “x-y” plane that is at least generally parallel to the surface of the sample, and the vertical movement occurs in the “z” direction that is perpendicular to the x-y plane. (Note that many samples have roughness, curvature and tilt that deviate from a flat plane, hence the use of the term “generally parallel.”) In this way, the data associated with this vertical motion can be stored and then used to construct an image of the sample surface corresponding to the sample characteristic being measured, e.g., surface topography. Similarly, in another preferred mode of AFM operation, known as TappingMode™ (TappingMode™ is a trademark owned by the present assignee), the tip is oscillated at or near a resonant frequency of the associated cantilever of the probe. A feedback loop attempts to keep the amplitude of this oscillation constant to minimize the “tracking force,” i.e. the force resulting from tip/sample interaction. (Alternative feedback arrangements keep the phase or oscillation frequency constant.) As in contact mode, these feedback signals are then collected, stored and used as data to characterize the sample. Note that “SPM” and the acronyms for the specific types of SPMs may be used herein to refer to either the microscope apparatus or the associated technique, e.g., “atomic force microscopy.” Regardless of their mode of operation, AFMs can obtain resolution down to the atomic level on a wide variety of insulating or conductive surfaces in air, liquid or vacuum by using piezoelectric scanners, optical lever deflection detectors, and very small cantilevers fabricated using photolithographic techniques. Because of their resolution and versatility, AFMs are important measurement devices in many diverse fields ranging from semiconductor manufacturing to biological research. As with most measuring devices, AFMs often require a trade off between resolution and acquisition speed. That is, some currently available AFMs can scan a simple surface with sub-angstrom resolution. These scanners are capable of scanning only relatively small sample areas, and even then, at only relatively low scan rates. Traditional commercial AFMs usually require a total scan time typically taking several minutes to cover an area of several microns at high resolution (e.g. 512×512 pixels) and low tracking force. The practical limit of AFM scan speed is a result of the maximum speed at which the AFM can be scanned while maintaining a tracking force that is low enough not to damage or cause minimal damage to the tip and/or sample. Professor Toshio Ando at Kanazawa University in Japan has made tremendous progress with high-speed AFM using an AFM that scans mm-sized samples over small distances, typically less than 2 um. Professor Ando has achieved video scan rates with high resolution for this combination of small samples and small scan sizes. Other systems, typically called “tip scanners,” are known or have been proposed and/or implemented in which the probe is mounted on the scanner. One such system is incorporated in a line of instruments marketed by Veeco Instruments under the name Dimension®. That system employs a relatively massive tube scanner for the Z-actuator and has relatively low bandwidth. Another system is disclosed in Published U.S. Application Ser. No. 2006/00272398 to Hwang. In the system of the Hwang application, the probe is mounted on an actuator that, in turn, is mounted on an optical objective that focuses incoming laser light. The objective, in turn, is mounted on an x-y actuator. However, because the objective and other optics of the system are fixed relative to the probe, relatively large probes (having a width of at least of 20 μm, a length of more than 40 μm) are required to assure positioning of the focused laser beam on the cantilever. The typical probes used also have a resonant frequency Fo of roughly 400 kHz and a quality factor Q of around 400. The resulting response bandwidth for these probes is of the order of Fo/Q≈1 kHz. Due in part to its low-bandwidth probe, the resulting system has a maximum scan rate of less than 30 Hz (or 30 scan lines per second), and more typical imaging speeds are around 1 Hz. On the other hand, SPMs that can acquire data rapidly can also suffer unacceptable tradeoffs. One such system is marketed by Infinetisma under the name Video AFM™. The Video AFM operates at video rates but with significant compromises to signal-to-noise ratio and resulting image quality. The Infinitesima system also operates in contact mode with force feedback that is not fast enough to respond to variations in sample corrugation within a scan line. In this system, the sample or the probe is mounted on a tuning fork. The probe is driven into contact with the sample while the sample or the probe is scanned by vibrating the tuning fork at or near its resonant frequency. Because the tuning forks need to be quite small (typically on the order of a few mm in size) to achieve high resonant frequencies, they are very sensitive to being loaded by extra mass. As a result, only very small (on the order of a few mm in size) samples or cantilever substrates can be mounted to the tuning fork without degrading the performance. It is known to combine an AFM with a conventional optical microscope to provide a view of the surface features of the sample. Notably, high performance microscope objectives have a short working distance and must be positioned close to the sample surface. High resolution optical imaging is therefore difficult to implement in combination with traditional AFM detectors because there is insufficient space between the bottom of the objective and the probe to accommodate the geometry for the incoming and outgoing detection beams. Because of the weight of the optical microscope, it is difficult to incorporate the optics of an optical microscope into the scanner of the AFM without unacceptably reducing the instrument's scan rate. Some optical microscope-equipped SPMs have attempted to overcome this limitation by directing laser light through the microscope objective. One such system has been commercialized by Surface Imaging Systems under the name ULTRAOBJECTIVE™ and is disclosed in international publication number WO 01/23 939. In the ULTRAOBJECTIVE™ system, a near field AFM probe, a z actuator assembly for the probe and optical focusing system are provided in a single housing in order to provide an interchangeable objective that can be inserted in the objective turret of an optical microscope. Its objective is fixed relative to the probe, and it lacks any mechanism for dynamically focusing the laser beam onto the probe. Another drawback of conventional optical microscope equipped AFMs is that the optical microscope is provided only to allow the user to inspect the sample. It plays no role in focusing the laser beam on the cantilever. Hence, even if the system were provided for focusing the light spot on the cantilever, no mechanism would be available to provide the user with optical feedback during a focusing process. The need therefore has arisen to provide a tip scanner for a SPM of a sufficiently high lowest fundamental lowest resonant frequency and sufficiently high resolution to make high resolution scans at high scan rates. The need has additionally arisen to provide a SPM that can focus and target a sensing light beam on a probe, thereby permitting the use of relatively small focused beam spots and small probes in the SPM.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid infusion apparatus and, more particularly, relates to a liquid infusion apparatus for infusing liquid by pushing a plunger into a syringe. 2. Description of the Prior Art FIG. 1 shows a conventional liquid infusion apparatus. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a CPU, 2 denotes a processing circuit of a signal from an incremental linear encoder, 3 denotes a synchronous pulse motor, 4 denotes a reduction gear, 5 denotes a feed screw, 6 denotes a carriage, 7 denotes a pushing holder fixed to the carriage 6, for pushing a plunger 9 of a syringe 8, 10 denotes a processing circuit of a sensing signal from an established position detecting sensor 13 positioned at a remaining infusion liquid quantity small section, 11 denotes an elongated opaque plate with fine slits for forming an incremental linear encoder, arranged in parallel to the feed screw 5, 12 denotes a photo-coupler mounted on the carriage 6 for detecting pulses from the incremental linear encoder, 14 denotes an established position detecting dog connected to the carriage 6, 15 denotes an instruction pulse counter for counting instruction pulses to the pulse motor 3, 16 denotes a pulse counter for counting pulses from the incremental linear encoder, and 17 denotes a driving circuit for the synchronous pulse motor 3. In such conventional liquid infusion apparatus, an output from the photo-coupler 12 is applied to the pulse counter 16 through the processing circuit 2, and an output from the established position detecting sensor 13 is applied to the CPU 1 through the processing circuit 10. The pulse counters 15 and 16 are monitored and managed by the CPU 1. The driving circuit 17 receives from the CPU 1 instructions indicating a distance to be moved by the motor 3 and a speed etc. of the motor 3, and drives the motor 3. The carriage 6 is moved by the motor 3 through the reduction gear 4 and the feed screw 5. A pulse signal generated by the incremental linear encoder and picked up by the photo-coupler 12 is processed by the processing circuit 2 and sent to the pulse counter 16 as a moving information of the carriage 6, so that the motion of the carriage 6 is monitored directly by the CPU 1. A value of the moving instruction recognized by monitoring the instruction pulse counter 15 per unit time is compared with an actual moving distance recognized by monitoring the encoder pulse counter 16, so that a correlation state between the value of the moving instruction and the actual moving distance can be detected. If the correlation state is maintained, it is recognized that the pushing holder 7 is moved correctly according to the instruction. The output from the established position detecting sensor 13, which is generated when the established position detecting dog 14 mounted on the carriage 6 passes across the established position detecting sensor 13 during the liquid infusion operation, is processed by the processing circuit 10 and sent to the CPU 1 as a position information. When the position information from the established position detecting sensor 13 is applied to the CPU 1, a counted value in the instruction pulse counter 15 is memorized in the CPU 1, or the pulse counter 15 is reset by the CPU 1. Then, instruction pulses sent from the driving circuit 17 to the synchronous pulse motor 3 are counted by the instruction pulse counter 15. Each of the instruction pulses sent to the motor 3 corresponds to a distance moved actually by the pulse motor 3, so that the absolute position of the pushing holder 7 and thus the absolute position of the plunger 9 engaged with the pushing holder 7 can be recognized by counting the instruction pulses sent to the motor 3 by the instruction pulse counter 15. In such conventional liquid infusion apparatus, the absolute position of the pushing holder 7 can be recognized after the established position detecting dog 14 is passed across the established position detecting sensor 13 during the liquid infusion operation by counting the pulses sent to the pulse motor 3, so that information about the warning for the remaining infusion liquid quantity small section, and information about the finish of the liquid infusion operation can be obtained. Further, in the conventional liquid infusion apparatus, operation steps, such as the start and stop of the liquid infusion operation are indicated by the LED or liquid crystal. The erroneous operation can be informed by a sound of beep or melody. In the above described conventional liquid infusion apparatus, however, the absolute position of the pushing holder 7 can be recognized only when the established position detecting sensor 13 is detected by the established position detecting dog 14 during the liquid infusion operation by the motor 3 driven by the instruction pulses. Accordingly, the information about the finish of the liquid infusion operation cannot be obtained when the liquid infusion operation is started. Further, the operator cannot recognize the kinds of error even if the sound of beep or the melody is generated. Accordingly, the operator has to approach the small indicator of the liquid infusion apparatus in order to recognize the contents or kinds of the warning and it is troublesome. In order to solve the forgoing problems in the conventional liquid infusion apparatus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid infusion apparatus comprises a pushing holder for pushing a plunger into a cylinder of a syringe, a pulse motor for moving the pushing holder, an incremental linear encoder having a plate with slits arranged along a moving direction of the plunger and a position detecting device moved together with the pushing holder, counting means for counting encoder pulses from the encoder, means for counting instruction pulses to the pulse motor, and a first sensor, the mounting position of the first sensor being recognized as a counting number of instruction pulses to the pulse motor, wherein the first sensor is arranged along the plate with slits at a portion between a position where the pushing holder is connected to the plunger for the liquid infusion, and a start position where the pushing holder is separated from the plunger, wherein the counting means is reset when the first sensor is detected by the position detecting device, and started to count the encoder pulses according to the movement of the pushing holder, and wherein a time to complete the liquid infusion is calculated by using a distance between the position where the plunger is connected to the holder and a liquid infusion finish position proper to the syringe, and a predetermined liquid infusion speed, and displayed. Another object of the present invention to provide a liquid infusion apparatus wherein a time to complete the liquid infusion is calculated by using a predetermined liquid infusion speed and a distance between a present position of the holder and a liquid infusion finishing position proper to the syringe determined previously, and displayed, the present position of the holder being obtained by summing a moving distance recognized as the count number of the instructing pulses to be sent to the motor and a position of the holder recognized as the count number of the encoder pulses at the start of the liquid infusion. Further object of the present invention to provide a liquid infusion apparatus, further comprising at least one second sensor provided along a moving path of the pushing holder for liquid infusion, the position of the second sensor being recognized as a count number of the instruction pulses to the motor, wherein when the second sensor is detected by the position detecting device, the present position of the pushing holder is revised automatically to a position data of the second sensor, and thereafter the position of the pushing holder is determined by using a count number of the instruction pulses to the motor which is more precisely than the encoder pulses. Still further object of the present invention to provide a liquid infusion apparatus, further comprising a chronometer element which can recognize the present hour, wherein an expected liquid infusion finishing hour can be calculated and displayed by using the present hour and a time to complete the liquid infusion. Yet further object of the present invention to provide a liquid infusion apparatus, further comprising a sound display device, wherein a time to complete the liquid infusion or an expected finish hour can be indicated by a voice. Still another object of the present invention to provide a liquid infusion apparatus, further comprising setting means for setting operation orders of liquid infusion, means for indicating the operation orders by a voice, means for comparing actual operation orders with the operation orders predetermined by the setting means, and means for indicating a difference by a voice when actual operation orders are different from the predetermined operation orders. These and other aspects and objects of the present 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 preferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

This invention relates to flash-memory drives/readers, and more particularly to parallel bus architectures to improve transfer speed. Flash memory is widely used as a storage medium for a variety of applications. Flash memory uses electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) as the non-volatile storage. For example, flash-memory cards can store digital pictures and video from a digital camera and transfer these pictures to a personal computer (PC). The flash-memory card is removed from the digital camera and inserted into a flash-memory reader attached to (or part of) the PC to transfer the pictures. Personal digital assistant (PDA's), music players, and other devices may also use flash-memory cards in a similar way. A flash-card reader may be a stand-alone device that attaches to the PC using a Universal-Serial-Bus (USB), IEEE 1394, Integrated Device Electronics (IDE), serial AT-attachment (SATA), or other interface. See for example “FlashToaster for Reading Several Types of Flash-Memory Cards With or Without a PC”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,638, and its children. USB is a popular interface. Data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps are supported. Unfortunately, flash-memory readers often operate woefully below the ideal transfer rate. For example, current readers may transfer data at a rate of only 7 MB/sec (56 Mbps). The slower transfer rate is undesirable, not just from a speed viewpoint, but because the slower speed can occupy more of the PC's resources for a longer time, reducing the PC's perceived performance. External flash drives that contain permanent flash memory rather than having slots for removable flash-memory cards may also connect to a PC through the USB interface. FIG. 1 shows a prior-art flash drive. Flash-memory controller 20 reads or writes flash memory 8 that is a permanent or removable part of flash drive controller device 61. CPU 10 executes routines stored in ROM 12 that include routines to send commands to flash-memory controller 20 to read and write the flash memory. CPU 10 also controls serial engine 22, which transfers data serially over USB link 18. CPU 10 may use scratch-pad RAM 14 to store parameters, execution states, or small amounts of data being reformatted during a transfer, but large amounts of the flash data being transferred is not normally stored in scratch-pad RAM 14. Data is normally transferred word-by-word directly from flash-memory controller 20 to CPU 10 and then to serial engine 22 without storage in scratch-pad RAM 14. New data words over-write any pervious data words, allowing scratch-pad RAM 14 to have a small capacity. Data transfer rates are limited by bus 16. Bus 16 is a CPU-controlled bus. Master port 15 on CPU 10 acts as a bus master, controlling data transfer to and from one of slave ports 11, 17, 21, 23 on ROM 12, scratch-pad RAM 14, flash-memory controller 20, and serial engine 22, respectively. FIG. 2 shows a prior-art flash-card reader. Flash-card controllers 24, 26 read or write flash memory on flash cards inserted into slots A, B of flash-card reader controller device 63. CPU 10 executes routines stored in ROM 12 that include routines to send commands to flash-card controllers 24, 26 to read and write the flash memory. CPU 10 also controls serial engine 22, which transfers data serially over USB link 18. Data is normally transferred byte-by-byte directly from flash-card controllers 24, 26 to CPU 10 and then to serial engine 22 without storage in scratch-pad RAM 14. New data bytes over-write any pervious data bytes, allowing scratch-pad RAM 14 to have a small capacity. The width of bus 16 is often 8-bits (byte), but can be wider, and multiples of bus 16, such as 4, 8, or more burst transfers can occur. Data transfer rates are limited by bus 16. Bus 16 is a CPU-controlled bus. Master port 15 on CPU 10 acts as a bus master, controlling data transfer to and from one of slave ports 11, 17, 23, 25, 27 on ROM 12, scratch-pad RAM 14, serial engine 22, and flash-card controllers 24, 26, respectively. FIG. 3 shows a prior art PC with a USB interface. The flash drive/reader of FIGS. 1, 2 can be connected to USB link 128 of the PC in FIG. 3. CPU 104 executes programs for the user or operating system, using code in ROM 106 or in synchronous dynamic-random-access memory (SDRAM) 102. CPU 104 uses master port 105 to access SDRAM 102 through north bridge 108, which is an interface chip. When transferring data such as a music file over USB link 128 to a flash card in an external reader, CPU 104 writes a data structure (from the music file, for example) in SDRAM 102. Then CPU 104 sends commands to USB host controller 122. CPU 104 uses its master port 105 to send the commands through north bridge 108 over Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus 120 to USB host controller 122. Master-slave port 123 on USB host controller 122 acts as a slave to receive these commands. Once the commands are received by USB host controller 122, master-slave port 123 acts as a master of PCI bus 120. USB host controller 122 goes over PCI bus 120 and through north bridge 108 to read the data structure in SDRAM 102 that was earlier written by CPU 104. The data read from SDRAM 102 is then transmitted serially over USB link 128 by USB host controller 122. The serial engine on the external flash device can then accept the serial data and write the flash memory. While such flash readers are useful and popular, the data transfer rates are limited by the bus architectures employed by the flash reader devices. More advanced bus structures are desirable to increase the data transfer rates. Higher transfer rates within a flash-memory drive or flash-card reader are desirable. Internal transfer rates that better match the USB transfer rates are desired.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to the art of microelectronic integrated circuit fabrication, and more specifically to a method for detecting malfunction in a photolithographic fabrication track. 2. Description of the Related Art Photolithography is an important technique in the fabrication of microelectronic integrated circuits. An optical mask or reticle is prepared which defines a pattern for features that are to be formed by oxidation, deposition, ion implantation, etching, and other techniques. A photoresist layer is formed on a semiconductor wafer on which the features are to be formed. The photoresist layer is optically exposed through the mask or reticle and causes a chemical reaction in areas which are not covered by opaque areas of the mask. The wafer is then subjected to a Post Exposure Bake (PEB), and developed to selectively remove areas of the photoresist layer. In a positive photoresist process, the developer dissolves areas of the photoresist layer that were subjected to the optical exposure, leaving the areas that were protected by the opaque areas of the mask on the surface of the wafer. In a negative photoresist process, the unexposed areas are selectively removed by the developer. The remaining areas of the photoresist shield the underlying areas of the wafer such that they are unaffected by subsequent processing steps, whereas the exposed areas of the wafer can be subjected to oxidation, etc. Various techniques are available for photolithographic exposure, including contact printing in which the mask or reticle is in contact with the wafer surface, and proximity printing in which the mask is close to, but does not contact the surface. A third technique is projection printing, in which an image of the mask is focussed onto the wafer using an optical imaging system. Projection printing is especially desirable in that it enables the mask or reticle to be made several times larger than the actual size of the features to be formed on the wafer, thereby increasing the resolution level of the mask. The image as projected onto the wafer is reduced in size by the optical system. Due to the extremely small tolerances of the optical system, an entire wafer is not exposed at once during projection printing. Instead, adjacent portions of the wafer are exposed sequentially. A first portion of the wafer is exposed, and the optical system is moved to a next position by means of a motor drive, and the next portion of the wafer is exposed. A photolithographic projection printer of this type is called a "stepping printer", "stepping aligner", or simply "stepper" or "aligner". A plurality of integrated circuit devices are conventionally formed on a single wafer. The wafer is then "diced", or cut into individual "dies" which each include a single device. The dies are then subjected to additional operations, and are packaged into individual integrated circuit chips. The area of a wafer which is exposed at each step of a stepper is called a "field". For the fabrication of small scale integrated circuits, a field can define more than one device. A field can also define a single device or, for large scale integration, a portion of a single device. Steppers of the type to which the present invention particularly relates are commercially available from ASML of Tempe, Ariz. These steppers typically have a field of 22.times.22 mm and a resolution limit of 0.2 to 0.3 microns. However, the present invention is not limited to any particular type of printer, but is also applicable to proximity printers, step and scan printers, and any other type of optical stepping projection apparatus. Stepping printers or aligners for photolithography are subject to very close tolerances in order to resolve submicron features. The optical systems have a number of adjustments, including focus, tilt, field curvature, etc., which must be precisely maintained. If an adjustment is off even slightly, the exposure operation can be so defective that the partially formed devices on the wafer will be unacceptable for further processing. Following development, an inspection, sometimes referred to as an "After-Develop-Inspection" or ADI, is performed. The purpose is to ensure that the exposure, baking, development and other steps performed so far have been performed correctly and to the specified tolerance. Mistakes or unacceptable process variations can still be corrected, since the resist process has not yet produced any changes (e.g. through an etch step) to the wafer itself. Thus, any inadequately processed wafers detected through the inspection (known as "rejects") can have their resist stripped and reworked. The inspection can be performed manually or can be automated. Either way, various feature characteristics on the wafer are examined using an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope or optoelectronic imaging device. The characteristics include linewidth, spacing, contact dimensions and variations of linewidths over fields. Adjustment errors in the stepper including focus, tilt and field curvature will result in the characteristics being out of tolerance and are detected in the inspection. Malfunctions in the resist coating, baking and development units which are collectively known in the art as a "track" are also detected in the inspection. The prior art inspection methods are complicated, time consuming, and require elaborate and expensive equipment. In addition, it is difficult to associate the raw data obtained from the inspection with particular adjustment errors in the stepper. In other words, it is difficult to determine the actual cause of an out of tolerance condition from the data itself. As such, there exists a need in the art for a simple, fast and inexpensive method for detecting and determining the cause of an adjustment error in a photolithographic fabrication track.

1. Field The present invention relates generally to power amplifiers of a radio-frequency device. More specifically, the present invention relates to embodiments for a power amplifier including tri-phase digital polar modulator. 2. Background A wireless communication device (e.g., a cellular phone, a smart phone, a USB modem, a tablet, a communication module, a Bluetooth headset, a wireless LAN radio, etc.) in a wireless communication system may transmit and receive data for two-way communication. The wireless communication device may include a transmitter for data transmission and a receiver for data reception. For data transmission, the transmitter may modulate a radio-frequency (RF) carrier signal with data to obtain a modulated signal, amplify the modulated signal to obtain an output RF signal having the proper output power level, and transmit the output RF signal via an antenna to a base station. For data reception, the receiver may obtain a received RF signal via the antenna and may condition and process the received RF signal to recover data sent by the base station. The transmitter may include various circuits such as a power amplifier, a filter, etc. Power amplifiers are widely used to provide amplification and output drive for RF signals prior to transmission over the air. For example, power amplifiers are used in Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) systems, etc. Power amplifiers are also used in base stations as well as in terminals. When using a digital polar structure for a high efficiency power amplifier, issues with achieving fine resolution values in the in-phase and quadrature (IQ) plane may exist. For example, when there are too few bits of resolution, the signal fidelity suffers degradation, for example through degraded output spectral emissions. Additional challenges in digital polar structures are associated with the mismatch effects caused by practical implementation and layout and their impact on combining efficiency and gain distortion over the range of digital word states. Further additional challenges in polar power amplifiers are encountered due to increasingly stringent delay requirements between amplitude and phase path needed to meet output waveform specifications as the bandwidth of the RF signal increases.

In packet-switched telecommunication networks, user data are divided into packets, each packet being routed from a source node to a termination node through a path comprising a plurality of intermediate nodes. The path each packet follows from the source node to the termination node can be dynamically determined hop-by-hop, as it happens for instance in IP (Internet Protocol) networks. Alternatively, the path of a packet may be determined before the packet transmission. This usually happens in MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching), which are defined by the Request for Comments RFC3031, January 2001. In MPLS networks, the path defined between the source node and the termination node is termed Label Switched Path (briefly LSP in the following description). In a MPLS network, the source node of an LSP path assigns to each packet to be transmitted a switching header comprising a first label, and it sends the packet to the first intermediate node of the determined LSP path. The first intermediate node, according to the value of such a first label, sends the packet to the second intermediate node of the LSP path, after replacing the first label with a second label which can be read by the second intermediate node. And so on, until the packet reaches the termination node, which removes the packet header and it processes the user information comprised therein. Therefore, source nodes and termination nodes are adapted to create and remove the switching header comprising the label, respectively. On the other hand, intermediate nodes are adapted to replace the label comprised into the switching header of the received packet with a different label which can be read by the following intermediate node. In MPLS networks, it is known to monitor an LSP path by means of a set of functions which are termed OAM (Operation, Administration and Management). More particularly, such OAM functions are adapted to check the path integrity, the transmission performance along the path, or the like. The OAM functions in MPLS networks are standardized by the ITU-T Recommendation Y.1711, February 2004. According to this Recommendation, the OAM functions are performed by transmitting particular packets along the LSP path to be monitored, which are termed OAM packets. Such OAM packets are periodically transmitted from the source node to the termination node along the LSP path to be monitored. Each OAM packet comprises, besides the switching header, an OAM header, whose label is equal to a predefined value (14, according to the ITU-T Y.1711), for distinguishing OAM packets from user packets. Such OAM header is placed after the switching header. Further, the payload of such OAM packets comprises a field, which is termed TTSI (Trail Termination Source Identifier), which in turn comprises two fields LSR-ID and LSP-ID of sixteen and four bytes, respectively, which comprise the identifier of the LSP path source node and the identifier of the LSP path, respectively. When an operator transmits user data from a source node to a termination node, it can be useful to evaluate transmission performance both along the entire LSP path, and along one or more sections thereof. Generally speaking, a section of a path (i.e. the sequence of two or more succeeding nodes) is termed “tandem connection”. Monitoring a tandem connection is particularly interesting when, for instance, a path between a source node and a termination node of a network operator comprises one or more tandem connections which are managed by other operators. Indeed, in case of faults or reception errors, it is important, for the operator which is responsible for the transmission along the entire path, to determine whether the fault/error occurred on a network section within its own competence or within the competence of another operator. Also the operator which is responsible for the tandem connection is interested in monitoring its own tandem connection. Therefore, there is the need, for an operator, to have the capability of monitoring simultaneously both an entire path and tandem connections of such a path. In particular, in the MPLS network field, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, in the document entitled “Proposal for MPLS administrative domain”, submitted at ITU-T SG13 Plenary Meeting, COM13-D104-E (Apr. 25-May 6, 2005) proposed to monitor a section of an LSP path in a MPLS network as follows. In each domain, the input node of the domain may insert a so-called “per-domain OAM packet” into the LSP containing the tandem connection to be monitored. The “per-domain OAM packet” uses similar format with the packet for monitoring the whole LSP, as defined by the above cited ITU-T Y.1711. However, in this “per-domain OAM packet”, the TTSI field should be modified to the identifier of the input node of the tandem connection to be monitored. The output node of the tandem connection to be monitored thus monitors the value of the TTSI field, so that it can distinguish OAM packets for monitoring the whole LSP and “per-domain OAM packets”. This solution exhibits some drawbacks. First of all, such a solution is not compliant with the current MPLS apparatuses, as it requires a processing of the payload (in particular, the TTSI field) of the received OAM packets. Moreover, such a processing, even if it could be performed by the current MPLS apparatuses, would require the use of a significant amount of resources at each node, thus subtracting resources available for transmitting user packets.

Conventionally, a lean NOx catalyst has been known in which, when the exhaust is an oxidizing atmosphere, (when the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust is high relative to the concentration of reducing components (HC, CO)), nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the exhaust is absorbed, and when the exhaust is a reducing atmosphere (when the concentration of reducing components in the exhaust is high relative to the concentration of oxygen), the NOx thus absorbed is reduced. In an exhaust purification device provided with such a lean NOx catalyst, the absorption and reduction of NOx is repeated by making the exhaust air-fuel ratio (mass ratio of air to combustible gas in the exhaust path) to be lean and then rich. As a method for controlling the exhaust air-fuel ratio, there is a method in which the exhaust air-fuel ratio is made low (hereinafter referred to as “enriching”) by reducing the intake air amount of the engine and adjusting the fuel injection (hereinafter referred to as “main injection”) amount contributing to torque (hereinafter referred to as “method by rich combustion”), and a method in which the exhaust air-fuel ratio is enriched by performing fuel injection that does not contribute to torque (hereinafter referred to as “post injection”) to flow unburned fuel into the exhaust path (hereinafter referred to as “method by post rich”). In addition, alternatively, a method has also been known in which fuel is directly injected into the exhaust path (hereinafter referred to as “method by exhaust injection”). In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, inventions that apply this method by exhaust injection are exemplified. More specifically, in Patent Document 1, an exhaust purification device is further exemplified in which a lean NOx catalyst is provided in an exhaust path, an oxidation catalyst is disposed upstream of this lean NOx catalyst, and a reducing agent such as diesel oil is supplied from upstream of this oxidation catalyst. In this exhaust purification device in particular, at an initial stage among the intervals in which the reducing agent is supplied, combustion of the reducing agent in the oxidation catalyst is promoted by way of including hydrogen, which is high in low temperature oxidizability, in the reducing agent, and the exhaust is made a reducing atmosphere even in a case where the exhaust temperature is low, while reduction of NOx in the lean NOx catalyst is promoted. In addition, in Patent Document 2, an exhaust purification device is exemplified that has an oxidation catalyst in the exhaust path of a diesel engine, and supplies a reducing agent such as diesel oil to this oxidation catalyst. In this exhaust purification device in particular, the intake air flow rate into the diesel engine is no more than a predetermined value, and in a case where the temperatures of the oxidation catalyst and exhaust are at least a predetermined temperature at which NO is oxidized by the oxidation catalyst to generate NO2, the reducing agent is supplied, whereby emission of NO2 is controlled. However, in the methods by exhaust injection such as those exemplified in Patent Documents 1 and 2, and the method by post rich described above, when a reducing agent is supplied in a state in which the exhaust temperature is low, the exhaust gas temperature declines further due to the latent heat of vaporization of the reducing agent, and the reducing agent may remain in the exhaust path without vaporizing. In addition, in a case of, immediately after startup of the engine, there being a state in which the lean NOx catalyst has not achieved the activation temperature, reduction of NOx cannot be promoted, even if the exhaust air-fuel ratio is made low by supplying such a reducing agent. Moreover, when enriching the exhaust air-fuel ratio by a method of rich combustion as described above, the operating conditions are limited. For example, during high-load operation in which combustion is sharp, the combustion noise grows worse. In addition, during low-load operation such as immediately after startup of the engine or while idling, the charge efficiency into the cylinders decreases and combustion may become unstable. Accordingly, an exhaust purification device has been proposed that reforms fuel with a reforming catalyst to produce a reducing gas, which is more highly reducing, such as hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), and uses this reducing gas to improve the reduction performance of the lean NOx catalyst while at low temperatures. Herein, as the reforming reaction of the reforming catalyst, for example, a reaction has been known that produces a gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide by the partial oxidation reaction of hydrocarbons such as that shown in the following formula.CnHm+½nO2→nCO+½mH2 This partial oxidation reaction is an exothermal reaction employing fuel and oxygen, and the reaction progresses spontaneously. As a result, upon the reaction being started, it is possible to continuously produce hydrogen without the supply of heat from outside. In addition, in this kind of partial oxidation reaction, in a case in which fuel and oxygen coexist in a high temperature state, the combustion reaction as shown in the following formula also progresses on the reforming catalyst.CnHm+(n+¼m)O2→nCO2+½mH2O As the reforming reaction, in addition to the partial oxidation reaction, the steam reforming reaction as shown in the following formula has also been known.CnHm+nH2O→nCO+(n+½m)H2 This steam reforming reaction is an endothermic reaction employing fuel and steam, and is not a reaction that progresses spontaneously. As a result, the steam reforming reaction is easily controlled relative to the partial oxidation reaction described above. On the other hand, it is necessary to input energy such as of a heat supply from outside. In Patent Document 3, a device is exemplified that is provided with such a reforming catalyst as described above upstream of a lean NOx catalyst in the exhaust path. In this exhaust purification device in particular, a catalyst capable of performing a plurality of different reforming reactions such as the partial oxidation reaction, steam reforming reaction and water-gas shift reaction is employed as the reforming catalyst. In addition, when NOx desorbs from the lean NOx catalyst, the exhaust air-fuel ratio is enriched, and the main reforming reaction in the reforming catalyst is also switched by switching enrichment control of the exhaust air-fuel ratio according to the temperature of the exhaust. This exhaust purification device has an object of producing the hydrogen necessary in reductive purification of NOx irrespective of the temperature of the exhaust by switching the reforming reaction according to the temperature. Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3454336 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3627372 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 3740987

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for preparing a thin film having alternating monolayers of a metal-metal bonded complex monolayer and an organic monolayer by layer-by-layer growth. More particularly, the present invention relates to a thin film having alternating monolayers of a metal-metal bonded complex monolayer and an organic monolayer. 2. Description of the Prior Art During the past three decades, considerable progress has been made in the understanding of dinuclear compounds containing multiple metal-metal bonds. Both the experimental and the theoretical aspects of these compounds have been explored extensively. These studies have provided a large body of information particularly in the following areas: the reactivities of the dinuclear cores, the strengths of metal-metal interactions, the electronic transitions between metal-based orbitals and those involving metal to ligand charge transfer, the redox activities of the dinuclear core, and the correlation among these properties (See, e.g., Cotton, Walton, Multiple Bonds Between Metal Atoms, 2nd Ed., Oxford, 1993). Efforts focusing on technologically important applications of dinuclear compounds have led to many promising research areas, such as inorganic liquid crystals (See, e.g., Chisholm, Acc. Chem. Res., 2000, 33, 53), antitumor agents (See, e.g., Hall, et al, J. Clin. Hematol. Oncol., 1980, 10, 25), and homogeneous and photolytic catalysis (See, e.g., Doyle, Aldrichimica Acta, 1996, 29, 3; Nocera, Acc. Chem. Res., 1995, 28, 209). Layer-by-layer assembly techniques to fabricate multicomponent films has been explored in the literature. One of the most developed systems grown layer-by-layer is the layered metal phosphates and phosphonates. The films include multivalent metal ions, e.g. Zr4+, and organic molecules terminated with an acidic functionality, e.g. a phosphonic acid (See, e.g., Cao, Hong, Mallouk, Acc. Chem. Res., 1992, 25, 420). Katz and co-workers have used this method to align hyperpolarizable molecules into polar multilayer films that show second-order nonlinear optical effects (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,217,792 and 5,326,626). A similar approach has also been extended to other materials such as polymers, natural proteins, colloids, and inorganic clusters (See, e.g., Decher, Science, 1997, 277, 1232). This same technique has also been applied to the production of other multilayers including Co-diisocyanide, dithiols with Cu, and pyrazines with Ru (See, e.g., Page, Langmuir, 2000, 16, 1172). Among the existing examples, the driving force for the film progression is mainly the electrostatical interaction between polycations and polyanions; few examples involve other types of interactions, such as hydrogen bond, covalent, or mixed covalent-ionic. The present invention utilizes strong covalent interactions, rather than ionic interactions, between the metals and the ligands in a novel strategy to assemble nearly perfectly packed multilayers. Despite the abundance of activity, efforts so far have been limited to the study and use of the metal-metal bonded compounds in solution-based systems. To harness the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of metal-metal bonded materials in solid-state applications and devices, development of new methods for making thin films containing functional metal-metal bonded complexes are needed. Accordingly, the present invention provides methods to grow multilayer thin films including metal-metal bonded compounds.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermoplastic preform, apparatus and process for blow molding the preform into biaxially oriented, shaped articles and, more particularly, to annealing returnable polyethylene terephthalate bottles which are subjected to washing and reuse. 2. The Prior Art Refillable plastic bottles reduce landfill and recycling problems of disposable plastic beverage bottles and, more particularly, those bottles formed from polyethylene terephthalate or PET. A refillable plastic bottle must remain aesthetically pleasing and functional over numerous washings and refillings as discussed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,755,404, 4,725,464 and 5,066,528. Cracks, color changes, volume or structural change must be minimized. U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,089, teaches how hollow biaxially oriented shaped articles are formed from intermediate products which may be sheets or other shapes when thermoformed or parisons or preforms when injection molded, injection blown or extrusion blown. The preform may be prepared and immediately used hot or may be stored and reheated later to a temperature having sufficient elasticity to be shaped into a bottle or other form by drawing and blowing in a cooled mold to obtain the final shape of the article. The preform is next often subjected to a heat treatment at well above the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic to increase the articles strength and resistance to gas loss. Heat treatment also prevents distortion when the bottle is reused, including distortion during a hot caustic wash. For other heat treating patents, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,022 and patents cited therein. The '022 patent teaches use of a blow mold comprising four sectional members each separated by insulating portions used to heat treat blown bottles at a temperature within the range of 150.degree. C. to 220.degree. C. U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,822, teaches it is old to blow in a mold at 130.degree. C. and cool to 100.degree. C. to prevent deformation on removal of the container from the mold. Also taught is to retain a container in the blow mold and heat to remove stress and thereafter transferring the deformable container to a separate cooled mold to solidity. The "822" patent holds the molded container for a predetermined period of time to heat set the container followed by introducing a cooling fluid into the bottle. Also disclosed is heat setting a blown container in a separate mold. U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,664, teaches transporting the blowing cavity and blown article to a second station where medium is circulated through the article. U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,279, biaxially orients the article which can then be heat set. U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,855, teaches blow molded articles which may be heat set in a second mold. Also, see also U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,134, 4,871,507 and 4,463,121 which discuss heat treating biaxially oriented bottles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,811, teaches heat treating a PET container to form a spherulite, opaque texture which we have found leads to stress cracking when bottles are recycled. U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,620, teaches preforms having a thinner bottom wall and which permit longer or deeper stretch of the shoulder and sidewall portions. While it is known to biaxial stretch a preform using pressure, we have found the annealing of the blown preform to be a critical factor in producing carbonated beverage bottles that are refillable.

Up to now, as a photosensitive polyimide system material, there has been proposed a material which employs a polyamic acid (polyimide precursor), such as a material in which a photosensitive group is introduced into carboxyl group of polyamic acid via ester bonding (JP-A-49-115541, JP-A-55-45746), a material composed of polyamic acid and an amine compound having a photosensitive group (JP-A-54-145794) and the like. However, according to these proposals, since an imidation treatment at a high temperature of exceeding 300° C. is essential in order to obtain a polyimide film of interest after forming a patterned film, there was a problem in that the backing is limited and copper of the wiring is oxidized in order to withstand this high temperature. As an improvement therefor, there has been proposed a photosensitive polyimide prepared using a solvent-soluble resin imitated in advance for the purpose of lowering the post-curing temperature (JP-A-10-274850, JP-A-10-265571 and JP-A-13-335619). On the other hand, there has been proposed a positive type in which a polyimide backbone having phenolic hydroxyl group (JP-A-3-209478) or a polyamide backbone (JP-B-1-46862 and JP-A-11-65107) is combined with diazonaphthoquinone. Also, regarding a product developed using a polyimide as the base resin and putting emphasis on the minute pattern formation, there is known a composition in which a side chain alcohol group of a ring-closed solvent-soluble polyimide and an alkoxy group-containing melamine compound undergo a photo-crosslinking by a photo-acid generator (JP-A-2006-133757). However, all of the compositions described in JP-A-10-274850, JP-A-10-265571 and JP-A-13-335619 provide resins with photosensitivity making use of (meth)acrylic group, so that these could not become a material which satisfies all of the required characteristics because of a difficulty in improving resolution due to reasons based on the photo-curable mechanism, such as the aptness to receive oxygen damage, the aptness to cause membrane loss at the time of development, and the like. In the case of the compositions described in JP-A-3-209478, JP-B-1-46862 and JP-A-11-65107, there were problems in that it is difficult to form a thick film of exceeding 10 μm in view of light permeability of the compositions, the resin molecular weight is small in order to secure the developing property, the original curing characteristics of the resins are difficult to obtain because the adding amount of diazonaphthoquinone as the photosensitive agent becomes large for the resins, and the like. The composition described in JP-A-2006-133757 has a problem in that development cannot be carried out with an alkaline aqueous solution having fewer environmental loads. In addition, in recent years, there is a demand in the field of wafer level semiconductor packaging techniques for a material which can form minute patterns and also has a function as an adhesive for attaching wafer substrates with each other. As such a curing resin composition which can form patterns, the following resins and their compositions have so far been reported. For example, there has been reported a composition which contains a carboxyl group-containing polymer, a bismaleimide, an allyl group-containing polymer, an ethylenic unsaturated compound, an organic peroxide, a photopolymerization initiator and the like (JP-A-2006-323089). In addition, there has been reported a composition which contains a hydroxyl group- or carboxyl group-containing methacrylic modified bisphenol, an epoxy resin, a multifunctional acrylate and the like (JP-A-2009-9110). Polyimide is famous as a resin which has high adhesiveness for silicon substrate and metal surface as well as heat resistance, and compositions using polyimide as the base resin have been reported (International Publication No. 2007/004569 and JP-A-2008-274269). Also, there has been reported a composition in which a carboxyl group-containing polyimide, an epoxy resin and a photo-base generator are combined (JP-A-2009-167381). In addition, regarding a product developed using a polyimide as the base resin and putting emphasis on the minute pattern formation, there is known by the aforementioned JP-A-2006-133757 a composition in which a side chain alcohol group of a ring-closed solvent-soluble polyimide and an alkoxy group-containing melamine compound undergo a photo-crosslinking by a photo-acid generator. The compositions described in JP-A-2006-323089 and JP-A-2009-9110 are compositions which can perform patterning by an alkali development, but it cannot be said that they have sufficient performance regarding hardening ability, substrate adhering property at high temperature and reliability. The compositions described in International Publication No. 2007/004569 and JP-A-2008-274269 are compositions composed of a polyimide having carboxyl group in the side chain thereof, a multifunctional acrylic substance, a photopolymerization initiator and the like. However, since the curing system is a crosslinking by radical polymerization, there is a possibility of causing reaction inhibition due to oxygen and there is a problem in that patterning ability at high sensitivity is insufficient and residual film at the time of development is also insufficient. The composition described in JP-A-2009-167381 undergoes epoxy crosslink curing by a base generated by light and is excellent in attachability at low temperature but is insufficient regarding the minute patterning ability. In addition, the composition described in JP-A-2006-133757 is excellent as a wiring protecting film, but its adhesiveness of attaching substrates is not sufficient.

1. Field of the Invention While the self-propelled dual-jack hoist of my U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,401 was quite successful in use, it appeared--with continued development--that faster performance, improved maneuverability, and increased stability, together with certain additional functions, were desirable in a hoist of the type, and for the purpose, described. The present modification of the hoist was conceived by me in a successful effort to provide such improvements. 2. The Prior Art My identified U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,401 is the most relevant prior art known to me, while other known prior art--beyond the references cited in the file of such patent--is represented by the following U.S. patents: U.s. pat. No. 2,471,901 PA1 U.s. pat. No. 2,480,916 PA1 U.s. pat. No. 2,533,980 PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,761,040. The above prior art--considered singly or together-- does not anticipate, nor suggest as obvious, the particular structure of the herein-claimed crawler-type self-propelled hoist, and applicant has no knowledge of any prior art disclosing such particular structure.

The present embodiments relate to an interconnect for a block detector of a positron emission tomography (PET) system. Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) are used in block detectors of PET systems. The PMTs detect light generated by scintillation crystals. For example, four PMTs detect light generated by an array of crystals. Four signals are generated. The signals from the PMTs are communicated over a cable, such as category 5 (CAT5) cable, to a detector circuit for signal processing, event discrimination, and time stamping. Due to the different amounts of twist for different pairs of wires in CAT5 cable, timing performance of the PET system may be degraded. The PMTs may not be balanced or uniform, resulting in different signal levels for a same amount of light. Aging of the PMTs may cause changes in the relative signal levels. To better equalize the signal levels, the PMTs are gain adjusted. Analog potentiometers (POTs) adjust the gain of the PMTs in an initial calibration. A variable gain amplifier in the detector circuit may account for signal changes due to aging. However, more effective gain control is desired. In single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), the gain for PMTs may be implemented by a bias change of dynodes. The gain is controlled digitally. Printed circuit board, ribbon cable, and flexible circuit interconnect are used for transmitting the digital gain control. However, ribbon cabling may have interference problems and result in difficulty in maintenance.

This invention relates generally to a table and more particularly to a table which can be assembled and disassembled from basic elements without the use of fasteners. Tables are usually shipped from the manufacturer or from the showroom in a knocked-down condition. Considerable time and effort and a plurality of fasteners are generally needed to assemble the components into a rigidized, usable table structure. It is not uncommon that the package of fasteners, described in the assembly instructions, is entirely missing or incomplete. Further, purchasers buying an unassembled piece of furniture frequently lack the tools to complete the proper assembly. What is needed is a table which is structurally sound and yet is readily assembled without the need for tools or fasteners.

In the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, etc. used in electronics technologies leading information-oriented society, silicon wafers may not be omitted. Characteristics of silicon wafers include micro defects such as oxygen precipitate, dislocation, oxygen stacking faults and the like. Micro defects are advantageous for capturing heavy metal pollution that occurs in a device process, but may become a source of device failure. Therefore, there may be a need to adjust the oxygen concentration in a crystal to a predetermined concentration corresponding to types of devices or device processes used. As a current method of manufacturing silicon single crystals, the “Czochralski method” (hereinafter referred to as “CZ method”) of manufacturing silicon single crystals through pulling is generally used. In addition, there is a method called the magnetic field applied Czochralski method (MCZ method) which is a CZ method peformed under a strong magnetic field. The CZ method includes a magnetic field applied Czochralski (MCZ) method in which a strong magnetic field is formed. In the CZ method, a polycrystalline silicon that is highly purified with a metal impurity concentration of a few ppb (parts-per-billion, 1 ppb=10−9) or less is generally put into a high-purity vitreous silica crucible together with a resistivity control dopant (e.g., boron (B) or phosphorous (P)) and is melted at a temperature of about 1,420 deg. C. Continuously, a seed crystal silicon rod is brought into contact with a surface of silicon melt, the seed crystal or the vitreous silica crucible is rotated to make the seed crystal thin (dislocation-free) and then the seed crystal is pulled, thereby enabling a silicon single crystal ingot having the same atomic structure as the seed crystal to be obtained. As aforementioned, the vitreous silica crucible is a container to put silicon melt therein when pulling molten polycrystalline silicon into a single crystal. The amount of the silicon melt in the vitreous silica crucible is decreased in inverse proportion to the amount of silicon single crystal pulled, and the level of the surface of the silicon melt (hereinafter referred to as “melt surface”) is changed in the vitreous silica crucible. It is general practice to directly observe and monitor the changing level of the melt surface, but such direct observation has the problem in that the decrease in volume of the silicon melt cannot be accurately measured. Recently, silicon single crystal ingots have been advanced to a large diameter (of 300 mm or more). The large diameter of the silicon single crystal ingot is problematic in that the phenomenon can easily occur in which the melt surface of the silicon melt sloshes (vibrates) between a portion where a neck part is formed and a portion where a shoulder part is formed, for a duration of a few minutes to a few hours. As a countermeasure to the foregoing problem, methods for preventing vibration of the melt surface have been considered, such as a method of applying a magnetic field to the melt surface through the foregoing MCZ method, a method of providing a region, called a special region, in the vitreous glass crucible for preventing the sloshing of the melt surface, or the like. However, a method of completely preventing the vibration of the melt surface under any pulling condition has not yet been found. Therefore, even in the case where the melt surface is disposed in the special region, a countermeasure that is employed is one where the pulling rate is decreased during a period in which vibration of the melt surface is easily generated. In a conventional vitreous silica crucible, even though the foregoing special region is provided, the special region cannot be discerned by its appearance. Also, since a carbon susceptor supporting the vitreous silica crucible reacts with an outer surface of the vitreous silica crucible during the pulling of a silicon single crystal, so that an inner diameter of the carbon susceptor is changed whenever the carbon susceptor is used, initial melt surfaces are not always at the same level, although silicon raw material is filled by the same weight in the vitreous silica crucible. Therefore, although a distance between an initial melt surface level and a melt surface level changed during pulling is known, a relative position between the melt surface and the special region provided in the vitreous silica crucible cannot accurately be known. That is, for example, although the sloshing of the melt surface disappears, and the seed crystal arrives at a region beyond the special region and may increase the pulling rate of a silicon single crystal, it may not be determined whether the sloshing disappears due to an effect of the special region or whether a region is one which may increase the pulling rate, and in a real process, it is problematic that the pulling rate of silicon single crystal may not be increased. In relation to this problem, patent document 1 below discloses that a position measuring apparatus is provided at a side of a single crystal pulling apparatus.

Ubiquitous remote access to services, application programs and data has become commonplace as a result of the growth and availability of broadband and wireless network access. As such, users are accessing application programs and data using an ever-growing variety of client devices (e.g., mobile devices, tablet computing devices, laptop/notebook/desktop computers, etc.). Data may be communicated to the devices from a remote server over a variety of networks including, 3G and 4G mobile data networks, wireless networks such as WiFi and WiMax, wired networks, etc. Clients may connect to a server offering the services, applications programs and data across many disparate network bandwidths and latencies. In such an environment, applications may also be shared among remote users in a collaborative session. However, when collaborating, users may be limited solely to the functionalities provided by the shared application, thus limiting the collaborative session.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a circuit for generating the information of exposure parameters of a single lens reflex camera. 2. Description of the Prior Art The auto control type electronic flash unit heretofore used with a camera has made it necessary that the aperture value preset by the camera and the ASA film speed value be set by a dial or the like provided on the flash unit.

As computing and digital imaging technology has advanced, computers have become an increasingly popular platform for managing, viewing, and sharing photographs, video, and other images. Despite this popularity, problems with current systems remain. These problems include, for example, cumbersome processes for identifying regions of photographs showing people, cumbersome processes for labeling regions with names of people in those regions, different names being used to label the same person, and so forth. These problems detract from the usability of such systems, and degrade the user experience.

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory including random-access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and flash memory. Flash memory devices have developed into a popular source of non-volatile memory for a wide range of electronic applications. Flash memory devices typically use a one-transistor memory cell that allows for high memory densities, high reliability, and low power consumption. Changes in threshold voltage of the cells, through programming of charge storage or trapping layers or other physical phenomena, determine the data value of each cell. Common uses for flash memory include personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, digital media players, digital recorders, games, appliances, vehicles, wireless devices, cellular telephones, and removable memory modules, and the uses for flash memory continue to expand. Flash memory typically utilizes one of two basic architectures known as NOR flash and NAND flash. The designation is derived from the logic used to read the devices. In NOR flash architecture, a column of memory cells are coupled in parallel with each memory cell coupled to a bit line. In NAND flash architecture, a column of memory cells are coupled in series with only the first memory cell of the column coupled to a bit line. As the performance and complexity of electronic systems increase, the requirement for additional memory in a system also increases. However, in order to continue to reduce the costs of the system, the parts count must be kept to a minimum. This can be accomplished by increasing the memory density of an integrated circuit by using such technologies as multilevel cells (MLC). For example, MLC NAND flash memory is a very cost effective non-volatile memory. Multilevel cells take advantage of the analog nature of a traditional flash cell by assigning a bit pattern to a specific threshold voltage (Vt) range stored on the cell. This technology permits the storage of two or more bits per cell, depending on the quantity of voltage ranges assigned to the cell and the stability of the assigned voltage ranges during the lifetime operation of the memory cell. For example, a cell may be assigned four different voltage ranges of 200 mV for each range. Typically, a dead space or margin of 0.2V to 0.4V is between each range to keep the Vt distributions from overlapping. If the voltage stored on the cell is within the first range, the cell is storing a logical 11 state and is typically considered the erased state of the cell. If the voltage is within the second range, the cell is storing a logical 01 state. This continues for as many ranges that are used for the cell provided these voltage ranges remain stable during the lifetime operation of the memory cell. Since two or more states are stored in each MLC, the width of each of the voltage ranges for each state is very important. The cell Vt distribution width is related to many variables in the operation of a memory circuit. For example, a cell could be verified at one temperature and read at a different temperature. The circuitry that determines if the cell is erased or programmed to the correct Vt window has to make that determination. That circuitry has some of its characteristics influenced by temperature. A Vt window is a sum of all of these types of differences, translating into a shift in the perceived window of the Vt. In order for the window to operate, the width of the four states plus a margin between each state should amount to the available window. For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for fast programming of multilevel cells with lowered threshold voltage distribution.

The present invention relates to methods and systems for imaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and systems capable of capturing depth information in an image. Since the advent of photography, significant advances have been made to improve the information that can be gathered from a picture. For example, certain photographic techniques enable three-dimensional (3D) information to be obtained by taking a number of different two-dimensional (2D) images at various viewpoints, which are then combined with certain algorithms to generate a 3D reconstruction of the scene. Effectively, in such cases, the lightfield of a scene is being sampled at different viewpoints and being combined to recover the 3D information. Many different methods of sampling lightfields are known (see for example S. M. Seitz and J. Kim, “The space of all stereo images,” International Journal of Computer Vision, 48:21-38, 2002; H.-Y. Shum and L.-W. He, “Rendering with concentric mosaics, Siggraph, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety). For example, one aspect of sampling the lightfield of a scene may include obtaining depth information, which can be carried out utilizing stereographic imaging techniques. In conventional techniques for stereographic imaging, two pictures are taken at the same time, one slightly to the side of the other—as though one camera was one eye and the other camera was another eye. These pictures are then displayed side by side and a 3D depth effect can be produced if the left eye looks only at the left image, and the right eye only looks at the right image. Many stereographic imaging systems are designed, however, so that the geometrical properties of the optical systems are fixed before the lightfield of a scene is sampled. For example, the two-camera system described above utilizes a popular design wherein the epipolar lines are all parallel to each other and coincident with the horizontal scan lines of images. Epipolar lines are lines that form on an image plane when epipolar planes intersect the image plane, wherein epipolar planes are defined as a plane containing the optical centers of the two cameras and any given point in the scene of interest. Systems having such horizontal epipolar lines suffer from a serious problem. Horizontal edges are common in most real world scenes and their projections coincide with the epipolar lines. Thus, disparities along these edges cannot be computed, and stereo algorithms using these images are not able to compute depth at such points in space. To alleviate such problems, panoramic stereo systems have incorporated an alternative geometry, wherein the epipolar lines are radial in the image (see for example J. Gluckman, S.K. Nayar, and K.J. Thoresz, “Real time omnidirectional and panoramic stereo,” DARPA Image Understanding Workshop, pages 299-303. November 1998; S.-S. Lin and R. Bajcsy, “High resolution catadioptric omni-directional stereo sensor for robot vision,” International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pages 1694-1699, 2003, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties). Such geometry is not as likely to suffer from the afore-mentioned problem, as most objects do not possess purely radial edges. However, such panoramic stereo multi-camera systems are typically focused on outward looking views and have low spatial resolution. In response to a demand for capturing larger amounts of information from images, catadioptric systems have been developed (see for example, J. Gluckman, S.K. Nayar, and K.J. Thoresz, “Real time omnidirectional and panoramic stereo,”DARPA Image Understanding Workshop, Pages 299-303, November 1998; C. Geyer and Kostas Daniilidis, “Structure and motion from uncalibrated catadioptric views,” IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, pages 279-286, 2001; S.-S. Lin and R. Bajcsy, “High resolution catadioptric omni-directional stereo sensor for robot vision”, International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pages 1694-1699, 2003, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties). Catadioptric systems are optical systems containing a combination of refracting and reflecting elements, such as lenses and mirrors, and have successfully been employed to increase the field of views of each camera used. Nevertheless, multi-camera stereo systems, whether with or without mirrors, require geometric and photometric calibration, making their use time consuming, tedious, and prone to errors. These problems can be further exacerbated when dealing with dynamic scenes, as synchronization between the multiple cameras may be necessary. To alleviate such problems, a number of techniques have been proposed to perform stereographic imaging using a catadioptric single camera system, wherein one or more mirrors are used to simulate virtual viewpoints (see for example S. Nene and S.K. Nayar, “Stereo with mirrors,” International Conference on Computer Vision, 1998; D. Southwell, A. Basu, M. Fiala, and J. Reyda, “Panoramic stereo,” International Conference on Pattern Recognition, pages 378-382, 1996; J. Gluckman and S.K. Nayar, “Planar catadioptric stereo; Geometry and calibration,” IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 1999, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties). Advantages of such catadioptric single camera systems include requiring little or no calibration, being mobile, being easy to use, and having no need for synchronization when taking pictures of dynamic scenes. However, catadioptric single camera systems having radial epipolar geometry and the attendant advantages thereof have not yet been realized.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention is for spot-welding, and more particularly, pertains to spot-welding of a nickel alloy flexible welding board to battery cells. 2. Description of the Prior Art Battery packs, such as NiCad battery packs, in the past have been manufactured by welding stainless steel straps or nickel straps between battery cells, which is expensive in time and motion by an individual, requiring the individual welding of each battery cell for connection by stainless steel straps or nickel straps. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a flexible welding board which, can be spot-welded directly to the battery cells, and particularly, lends itself to robotic manufacturing processes.