In fabricating semiconductor devices, packaging is a process to protect the semi-conductor chips from an external environment, to shape a semiconductor chip for an easy application, and to protect the operation functions added in the semiconductor chip and thus enhance the reliability of the semiconductor device.
Recently, as the semiconductor devices are highly integrated and their functions become versatile, the packaging is gradually transferred from a process having a small number of package pins to a process having a large number of package pins, and is also converted from a structure where a package is inserted into a printed circuit board (PCB) to a structure where a package is mounted on a surface of a PCB, i.e., surface mounting device structure. Examples of the surface mounting type packages include a small outline package (SOP), a plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC), a quad flat package (QFP), a ball grid array (BGA), a chip scale package (CSP) and the like.
A chip carrier related with these semiconductor packages or a base substrate used in a PCB should be stable thermally, electrically and mechanically. As the chip carrier or the base substrate for a PCB, a high price ceramic substrate or a resin substrate having a polyimide resin, a fluorine resin or a silicon resin as a base material has been used.
Since the ceramic substrate or resin substrate is made of insulator, it need not deposit an insulation material after the through hole process. However, in the case of resin substrates, since their material cost is expensive and is poor in the moisture-resistant property and heat-resistant property, it is not good to use the resin substrates as the chip carrier substrate. Also, although the ceramic substrate is comparatively superior in terms of heat-resistant property to the resin substrate, the ceramic substrate is also expensive and has disadvantages of a high processing cost as well as a difficulty in the processing.
To overcome the disadvantages of these ceramic substrates or resin substrates, use of a metallic substrate is proposed. The metallic substrate is advantageous in that it is inexpensive, can be easily processed and has a good thermal reliability. However, the metallic substrate requires a separate insulation treatment, which is unnecessary for the aforementioned ceramic or resin substrates, and also requires to attach a metal core serving as a heat sink or a heat spread on an upper surface or a lower surface of a completed substrate so as to more effectively irradiate heat.
In the meanwhile, the chip carrier or PCB prefers a thin and flat one in accordance with the current design trend toward a lightweight, slim and miniaturized profile. To realize the slimness and flatness, a technique that a cavity is formed in a substrate and a chip or a component is mounted on the formed cavity is employed.
In the case of resin substrates, such a cavity is formed by drilling the resin substrate. However, the drilling method takes much time and high cost in processing the cavity. Also, the cavities as formed may have a large deviation, which allows a mounted component to be leaning to one side and makes it difficult to maintain the flatness. Furthermore, since the resin used as the material of the substrate is poor in thermal and mechanical characteristics, when a component is mounted on the substrate, a serious deformation may be caused due to a stress.


Cable construction and central office re-concentration or replacement projects often require half-tapped or double-tapped placement of wire or cabling to facilitate the conversion or construction process. As part of the process of installing new cables and/or equipment, bridge taps often occur. A bridge tap is a length of wire or cable attached to normal endpoints of a circuit that introduces unwanted impedance imbalances that can interfere with data transmission.
In some instances, cables may be placed weeks or months in advance of the actual conversion or cable use. When pre-run, the cable ends are often laid in place, with one end of the new cable being connected to an existing cable and the other end left unterminated resulting in a bridge tap.
Bridge tap causes a wire to reflect signals from the unterminated end back to the source. Data signals, e.g., DSL signals, operate at high frequencies and can be severely impacted by the presence of bridge tap reflections. Circuits may operate at lowered speeds or data rates as a result of the bridge tap interference. Marginal circuits could exceed the operational limits of a design, thus entirely preventing the circuit from operating.
Accordingly, bridge taps can cause problems in operating systems. As the quality of service and attainable data rates degrade due to bridge taps, the supplier may be forced to move a customer to a lower service tier or deny services to a customer. The customer may be unsatisfied because the system no longer meets his needs. In addition, the overall system capacity loss experienced due to the bridge taps, the moving of a customer to a lower service tier, or the denial of services to a customer, may result in financial losses for both the communications service provider and the customer.
Given the negative effects of bridge tap, there exists a need for mitigating the effects of bridge tap. There is also a need for methods and apparatus for minimizing the amount of time bridge tap exists during cable and/or communications device installation which may occur during, e.g., system construction, central office re-concentration, replacement projects, upgrade projects, expansion projects, and installation of back-up cables/systems to provide reserve capacity or redundancy. At least some new methods of reducing the effects of bridge tap should be suitable for use with cables which include a large number of wires commonly used in many modern applications.


1. Technical Field
This invention relates to steering systems and, more particularly, to an auxiliary steering system for vehicles for assisting a driver to laterally park a vehicle into space-limited areas.
2. Prior Art
Conventional vehicles with wheels are classified into two categories: automobile type vehicles, whose front or rear wheels are steered to change the direction in which vehicles travel, and omni-directional vehicles, whose wheels are all steered in a certain direction so that the vehicle can travel forward, backward, right, left, or diagonally without changing the vehicle position. The conventional automobile type vehicle has a larger turning radius, which leads to the difficulty one encounters when trying to maneuver and position such a vehicle into a limited area of space. This is especially true of instances when a driver is attempting to parallel park their vehicle. During this time consuming procedure, one must often maneuver the vehicle backwards and forwards a number of times, while running the risk of striking the cars parked fore and aft of the limited space.
Since the omni-directional vehicle can change direction without changing vehicle position or orientation, it is used in, for example, office robots, which must change direction and travel in the narrow spaces between desks. A conventional omni-directional vehicle can change direction by steering a plurality of wheels by independent steering mechanisms using special drive sources. The conventional omni-directional vehicle of this type has a steering motor for each wheel and is thus expensive. Since all the wheels must be simultaneously steered in a given direction, the steering motors must be synchronized. Synchronizing control devices are complicated and expensive.
Accordingly, a need remains for an auxiliary steering system for vehicles in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an auxiliary steering system that is easy to use, simple in design, and eliminates the frustrations associated with parallel parking. Instead of repeatedly traveling back and forth to maneuver a vehicle into a tight parking space on a congested street, such a system enables the vehicle to be driven laterally into the parking spot. This advantageously greatly reduces the possibility of accidentally bumping into other parked cars or stationary objects. The system is also easily adaptable to a variety of vehicles and can thus be employed by many vehicle manufacturers.


1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a readout device, and more particularly to an array-type readout device, a dual-function readout device, and a detecting circuit for a readout device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Wan-Jun Lin, Chao P. C. P., Shir-Kuan Lin, Hsiao-Wen Zan, “A Novel Readout Circuit for an OTFD Gas Sensor with a New Front-end Trans-impedance Amplifier”, Sensors, IEEE, pp. 1141-1144, 2011, an impedance detecting circuit is proposed. However, the proposed impedance detecting circuit includes two operational amplifiers, resulting in a large size that is unfavorable for use in an array-type readout device. Such a large detecting circuit is only suitable for use in a single-type readout device, and may have a relatively low sensitivity and a relatively low signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio.


Temporary root canal sealers are known. Conventional temporary root canal sealers comprise a strongly alkaline aqueous mixture of calcium hydroxide and a radio-opaque filler such as barium sulfate.
Temporary root canal sealers are intended to be a short-term means of cleaning and disinfecting the root canal cavity formed upon extraction of the dental pulp and/or root canal tissue, thereby preventing staining of the tooth upon effecting permanent sealing.
Temporary root canal sealers containing radio-opaque materials may be employed for obtaining information about the internal environment of pulp chamber and/or associated root canals of any given tooth.
Conventional temporary root canal sealers exhibit relatively poor radio-opacities. Moreover, conventional temporary root canal sealers are poor in storage stability since the aqueous mixture of calcium hydroxide and a radio-opaque filler become heterogenous non-uniform mixtures over time.
DE 19961002 C2 discloses a temporary root canal filling material which incorporates an X-ray contrast material, together with calcium hydroxide, an exsiccant and an organic solvent, which is an absorptive, antibacterial filler of a dry consistency, which neither hardens nor encroaches into the apical region of the root canal cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,766 relates to a non-aqueous dental composition comprising calcium hydroxide, gutta-percha, a radio-opaque substance and a substance which adds rigidity to the composition, which is used to make thermoplastic root canal points for obturation. Summary of the Invention
It is the problem of the present invention to provide a temporary root canal sealer dispersion which has improved radio-opacity, resistance against bacterial growth and consistency.
It is a further problem of the present invention to provide a temporary root canal sealer dispersion which is stable in both the oral environment and during storage.
It is a yet further problem of the present invention to provide a temporary root canal sealer dispersion which is non-toxic, anti-inflammatory and acts as a sterilant.


The field of the present invention relates to data mining techniques and, more particularly, to techniques for incorporating human interaction in an effective way so as to design similarity functions and perform class supervision of data.
The design of data mining applications has received much attention in recent years. Examples of such applications include similarity determination and classification. In the context of data mining, it is assumed that we are dealing with a data set containing N objects in a dimensionality of d. Thus, in this data space, each object X can be represented by the d coordinates (x(1), . . . x(d)). These d coordinates are also referred to as the features in the data. This is also referred to as the feature space which may reveal interesting characteristics of the data.
The effective design of distance functions used in similarity determination has been viewed as an important task in many data mining applications. The concept of similarity has been widely discussed in the data mining literature. A significant amount of research has been applied to similarity techniques such as, for example, those discussed in the literature: A. Hinneburg et al., xe2x80x9cWhat is the nearest neighbor in High Dimensional Space?,xe2x80x9d VLDB Conference, 2000; C. C. Aggarwal, xe2x80x9cRe-designing distance functions and distance based applications for high dimensional data,xe2x80x9d ACM SIGMOD Record, March 2001; and C. C. Aggarwal et al., xe2x80x9cReversing the dimensionality curse for similarity indexing in high dimensional space,xe2x80x9d ACM SIGKDD Conference, 2001, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.
A different but related problem in data mining is the prediction of particular class labels from the feature attributes. In this problem, there is a set of features, and a special variable called the class variable. The class variable typically draws its value out of a discrete set of classes C(1), . . . C(k). A test instance is defined to be a data example for which only the feature variables are known, but the class variable is unknown. Training data is used in order to construct a model which relates the features in the training data to the class variable. This model can then be used in order to predict the class behavior of individual test instances, also referred to as class labeling. The problem of classification has been widely studied in the literature, e.g., J. Gehrke et al., xe2x80x9cBOAT: Optimistic Decision Tree Construction,xe2x80x9d ACM SIGMOD Conference Proceedings, pp. 169-180, 1999; J. Gehrke et al., xe2x80x9cRainForest: A Framework for Fast Decision Tree Construction of Large Data Sets,xe2x80x9d VLDB Conference Proceedings, 1998; R. Rastogi et al., xe2x80x9cPUBLIC: A Decision Tree Classifier that Integrates Building and Pruning,xe2x80x9d VLDB Conference, 1998; J. Shafer et al., xe2x80x9cSPRINT: A Scalable Parallel Classifier for Data Mining,xe2x80x9d VLDB Conference, 1996; and M. Mehta et al., xe2x80x9cSLIQ: A Fast Scalable Classifier for Data Mining,xe2x80x9d EDBT Conference, 1996, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.
However, as sophisticated and, in some cases, complex as these similarity and classification techniques may be, these conventional automated techniques lack benefits that may be derived from human interaction during their design and application stages. Therefore, techniques are needed that effectively employ human interaction in order to design and/or perform data mining applications such as similarity determination and classification.
The present invention provides techniques for incorporating human or user interaction in accordance with the design and/or performance of data mining applications such as similarity determination and classification. Such user-centered techniques permit the mining of interesting characteristics of data in a data or feature space. For example, such interesting characteristics that may be determined in accordance with the user-centered mining techniques of the invention may include a determination of similarity among different data objects, as well as the determination of individual class labels. These techniques allow effective data mining applications to be performed in accordance with high dimensional data.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a computer-based technique of computing a similarity function from a data set of objects comprises the following steps/operations. First, a training set of objects is obtained. The user may preferably provide such training data. Next, the user is presented with one or more subsets of objects based on the training set of objects, wherein each subset comprises at least two objects of the data set. Preferably, the subset is a pair of objects from the data set. The user then provides feedback regarding similarity between the one or more subsets of objects. One or more sets of feature variables are defined based on features in the one or more subsets of objects. Next, one or more class variables are created in accordance with the user-provided feedback. Lastly, a similarity function or model is constructed which relates the one or more sets of feature variables to the one or more class variables.
Thus, advantageously, similarity between objects is represented as some function or algorithm determined by the attributes of the objects. The similarity model is then effectively estimated from the data set and user reactions.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a computer-based technique of classifying a test instance in accordance with a data set comprises the following steps. First, a test instance is obtained. The user may preferably provide such test instance. Next, the user is presented with at least one projection representing a distribution of the data set. The user then isolates a portion of the data presented in the at least one projection based on a relationship between the test instance and the data presented in the at least one projection. For instance, the user may isolate a subset of the data in the projection which the user determines to be most closely related to the test instance. Next, the behavior of the isolated portion of data is determined. Then, a class is determined for the test instance based on the isolated portion of data, when the user makes a decision to do so based on the determined behavior of the isolated portion of data. Alternatively, when the user makes a decision not to have a class determined for the test instance based on the isolated portion of data, other portions of the data set or a subset of the isolated portion of the data may be considered.
Further, in a preferred embodiment, the user is presented with two or more projections respectively representing different distributions of the data set such that the user may select one of the projections to be used when isolating a portion of data whose behavior is to be considered.
Thus, advantageously, such a class labeling methodology according to the invention provides a technique of decision path construction, in which the user is provided with the exploratory ability to construct a sequence of hierarchically chosen decision predicates. This technique provides a clear understanding of the classification characteristics of a given test instance. At a given node on the decision path, the user is provided with a visual or textual representation of the data in a small number of sub-spaces. This can be used in order to explore particular branches, backtrack or zoom-in into particular sub-space-specific data localities which are highly indicative of the behavior of that test instance. This process continues until the user is able to construct a path with successive zoom-ins which is sufficiently indicative of a particular class. The process of zooming-in is done with the use of visual aids, and can isolate data localities of arbitrary shapes in a given sub-space.
It is to be appreciated that the classification techniques of the present invention are more powerful than any of the conventional classification methods, since the invention uses a combination of computational power and human intuition so as to maximize user understanding of the classification without sacrificing discriminatory power. The result is a technique which, in most cases, can classify a test instance with a small amount of user exploration.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.


A method and a device for operating an internal combustion engine are discussed in DE 10 2005 051 701 A1, in which an overall injection is subdivided into a basic injection and at least one measured injection. The injection period of the measured injection is successively reduced and the injection period of the basic injection is increased, in such a way that an overall injection quantity determined from a characteristics curve of the valve remains unchanged. A deviation of a variable characterizing an actual mixture, provoked by the successive reduction of the injection period of the measured injection, from a variable characterizing a setpoint mixture is detected. The deviation or a characteristics curve of the fuel injector is adapted or corrected. The detection as to whether the actual fuel-air mixture is deviating from the setpoint fuel-air mixture take place with the aid of a Lambda value provided by a Lambda sensor.


Consumers continually pressure integrated circuit manufacturers to provide devices that are smaller and faster, so that more operations can be performed in a given amount of time, using fewer devices that occupy a reduced amount of space and generate less heat. For many years, the integrated circuit fabrication industry has been able to provide smaller and faster devices, which tend to double in capacity every eighteen months or so.
However, as integrated circuits become smaller, the challenges of fabricating the devices tend to become greater. Fabrication processes and device configurations that didn't present any problems at a larger device size tend to resolve into new problems to be overcome as the device size is reduced. For example, in the past there was very little incentive to planarize the various layers from which integrated circuits are fabricated, and which are formed one on top of another. Because the devices themselves were relatively wide, the relatively thin layers that were formed did not present many challenges to overcome in regard to surface topography.
However, as the devices have been reduced in size they have become relatively narrower. Although layer thickness has also generally decreased, the surface topography of an underlying layer tends to create greater problems for the proper formation of the overlying layer to be formed, unless the underlying layer is planarized in some way prior to the formation of the overlying layer.
There are several different methods used for planarizing a layer on an integrated circuit. For example, chemical mechanical polishing can be used to physically and chemically erode the surface of the layer against a polishing pad in a slurry that contains both physically and chemically abrasive materials. Further, electropolishing can be used to thin an electrically conductive layer. Unfortunately, neither process tends to produce surface topographies that are as flat as desired.
For example, although each of these two planarization processes tends to preferentially remove higher portions of a layer, they also attack to at least some degree the lower portions of the layer. Thus, even the though the higher portions of the layer are removed at a rate that is somewhat greater than that of the lower portions, and hence some planarization does occur, there also tends to be some amount of dishing in the lower portions of the layer, where a greater amount of material is removed than is desired.
What is needed, therefore, is a method whereby the dishing of planarized layers is reduced.


JP2000-120810 (See FIGS. 1 and 2) discloses a conventional motor-incorporated hypocycloid-type speed reducer, in which an eccentric portion (carrier), which rotates an external gear (a planetary gear) in an eccentric manner, is connected to a rotor, which is electrically rotated, in such a manner that a rotational force of the rotor can be transmitted. The rotor is fitted with, and is supported by, a bearing rod so as to freely rotate.
In the above-described motor-incorporated hypocycloid-type speed reducer, the external gear is supportedly mounted on a ball bearing, and an output shaft fixed with an internal gear is rotatably supported by a plain bearing formed at a central portion of a case. According to this type of structure, when the output shaft is subjected with a load applied in a radial direction, the external gear or the internal gear (the output shaft) may on occasions tilt or lean due to the ball bearing or a clearance between the plain bearing and the output shaft, which may lead to an occurrence of a noise. Such tilting or lean of the external gear, or, of the internal gear (the output shaft) can be prevented by increasing an axial length of the plain bearing axially supporting the output shaft. This, however, may result in an increase in an axial length of the hypocycloid-type speed reducer.
A need thus exists to provide to a motor-incorporated hypocycloid-type speed reducer, which can restrain an angle amount of tiling or lean of an output shaft.


The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, electrical connectors which provide an assembler with sensory indication that a good connection has been made and which help prevent unintentional disconnection.
U.S. Pat. No. 176,069 is exemplary of an early type of connector which was designed to provide the user with indication that a good connection has been made, and to prevent inadvertent disconnection. The '069 connector includes a female receptacle and a male plug. The receptacle has a pair of outwardly extending arms which are received within an annular groove provided on the exterior of the male plug. A set screw secures a conductor, which projects from the male plug, to the receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,611 discloses another type of connector having a pair of deformable arms to releasably secure a female receptacle to a male spade.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,739 discloses a connector having a male spade and a female receptacle. The male spade provides a pair of notched recesses, and the female receptacle has a body with a pair of deformable wings which are bent back over the body to form a pair of resilient jaws. When the spade is inserted between the body portion and the jaws, a rounded tip provided by each of the jaws extends into one of the notched recesses and connects the spade to the receptacle. Related spade to receptacle connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,220,388; 4,556,747; 4,558,913; 4,720,273; and 5,038,199.


The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for cutting a plastic optical fiber adapted for optical communication, which fiber has on its outer periphery a coating including a cladding layer.
Cutting of ends of plastic optical fibers for optical communication in order to mount the plastic optical fibers to optical signal connector plugs has been performed, for example, by pressing a sharp cutter to a plastic optical fiber, thereby shearing it with the pressing force (see Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2573619). Such forcible cutting, however, causes an inconvenience that chips and/or cracks may occur in a cut plane of the plastic optical fiber, to degrade an accuracy of work in the subsequent step of forming an end face of the plastic optical fiber. To cope with such an inconvenience, an improved method has been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 7-294748, wherein a plastic optical fiber is cut in a state that temperatures of both a cutter and the plastic optical fiber are raised by heating, thereby preventing occurrence of chips and/or cracks in a cut plane of the plastic optical fiber. Such a method, however, presents another problem that the raised temperature may give rise to deformation of a portion, other than an end face, of the plastic optical fiber, degradation of optical characteristics of the interior of the plastic optical fiber, and the like.
In most of plastic optical fibers (POFs), thermoplastic polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is used as a material of a core of the POF, and a fluorine based resin is used as a material of a cladding layer formed on an outer peripheral portion of the core. In addition, at present, a plurality of kinds of plastic optical fibers, each of which is of a multi-mode type, are being commercially available.
In the case of connecting a plastic optical cable led from one equipment to another equipment by mounting a POF of the cable to a connector plug and inserting the connector plug in a receptacle provided on another equipment, it is required that no change in optical transmission characteristics may occur even if the cable be replaced with a new cable. FIG. 1A is a typical sectional view showing a connector plug inserted in a receptacle. As shown in this figure, an end portion, inserted in a center hole of a connector plug 11, of a POF 1 is formed in a spherical plane R having a specific radius, and a distance xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d between the end portion of the POF 1 and a light receiving element 11c in equipment is set to a specific length.
The structure shown in FIG. 1A is designed such that a positional relationship between the receptacle 11b and the connector plug 11 can be kept constant even if the connector plug 11 is replaced with a new connector plug. As a result, the replacement of the connector plug 11 with a new connector plug does not exert any effect on transmission characteristics of the POF 1 insofar as a position of the spherical plane R of the end of the POF 1 to the connector plug 11 is kept constant.
The formation of an end face of the POF 1 as shown in FIG. 1B is performed by making use of thermoplasticity of the POF 1. More specifically, a forming die 11d having at its one end a concave plane of a specific radius is heated and is pressed to an end face of the POF 1 mounted to the connector plug 11. The end face of the POF 1 is softened by heat of the forming die 11d, with a result that the concave plane of the forming die 11d is transferred to the end face of the POF 1 as a convex plane R.
A volume of the softened resin is regarded not to be changed after the forming work. Accordingly, to keep constant the distance xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d shown in FIG. 1A, the POF 1 must be mounted to the connector plug 11 such that a position of the end face to the connector plug 11 before formation of the convex plane R of the POF 1 is kept constant. For this reason, there has been adopted a method of mounting the POF 1 to the connector plug 11 with a sufficient excess portion projecting from the connector plug 11, and cutting the POF 1 at a specific position associated with the connector plug 11, thereby keeping constant the position of the convex plane R formed in the subsequent step.
Cutting of POFs has been often performed by using sharp cutting tools such as a commercially available cutter or razor. In this case, however, as shown in FIG. 1C, chips of a resin forming the POF main body and/or cracks may occur in a cut plane perpendicular to the axial line of the POF. Such chips and/or cracks may remain in an end face to be formed in the subsequent step as shown in FIG. 1B, to cause failures that change transmission characteristics, such as deficiency of a convex plane or cracking.
If a POF is cut with a previously heated cutter, as shown in FIG. 1D, a cladding layer and the like may extend longer in the form of whiskers, and such whiskers may adhere on a cut plane, to be rolled in a convex plane at the time of forming an end face of the POF, to degrade transmission characteristics of the POF.
By the way, a method of cutting a plastic material by using a cutter blade mounted to an ultrasonic vibration exciter has been known, for example, from Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 58-175630, wherein the plastic material is cut by concentrating ultrasonic vibration at a portion to be cut of the plastic material via the cutter blade and imparting a force to the cutter blade being in contact with the plastic material.
To realize cutting of a POF with desirable optical transmission characteristics thereof kept, an attempt has been made to cut POFs by making use of such a high-frequency mechanical vibration cutting method or ultrasonic vibration cutting method. Even in the case of adopting this method, however, there may occur an inconvenience. Since a cladding layer and the like are provided on an outer peripheral surface of a core of a POF, when a cutter blade and the optical fiber are excessively heated (such heating occurs even by using a high-frequency mechanical vibration exciter), the cladding layer and the like may often extend longer in the form of whiskers and such whiskers may adhere on a cut plane, to be entrained in an end face of the POF at the time of forming the end face, thereby degrading transmission characteristics of the POF. Further, according to the related art high-frequency mechanical vibration cutting method, it is difficult to optimize working conditions required for obtaining a uniform finish cut plane, for example, a condition of determining the length of a cutoff piece of a POF.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for cutting a plastic optical fiber, which are capable of reducing a load applied the plastic optical fiber upon cutting, thereby reducing degradation of transmission characteristics of the plastic optical fiber after cutting.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting apparatus for cutting a plastic optical fiber, including cutting means for cutting a plastic optical fiber, and positioning means for positioning the cutting means to at least a first position at which the plastic optical fiber is to be subjected to rough cutting, and to at least a second position at which the plastic optical fiber is to be subjected to finish cutting.
The cutting apparatus preferably includes vibration means for giving high-frequency mechanical vibration to a portion, being in contact with the plastic optical fiber, of the cutting means, and allowing the cutting means to heat and cut the contact portion of the plastic optical fiber.
To achieve the above object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting method of cutting a plastic optical fiber by using cutting means, including the steps of positioning the cutting means to a first position at which the plastic optical fiber is to be subjected to rough cutting, cutting the plastic optical fiber at the first position by the cutting means, positioning the plastic optical fiber to a second position at which the plastic optical fiber is to be subjected to finish cutting, and cutting the plastic optical fiber at the second position by the cutting means.
In the cutting method, preferably, in each of the cutting steps, the cutting means is heated by high-frequency mechanical vibration, to cut the plastic optical fiber.
The apparatus and method for cutting a plastic optical fiber according to the present invention, which are configured as described above, has the following effects:
Since a portion to be cut of a plastic optical fiber is finely cut while being heated by a sharp cutter blade representative of the cutting means, it is possible to significantly reduce a force applied to the plastic optical fiber upon cutting, and hence to prevent occurrence of chips and/or cracks in a cut plane of the plastic optical fiber and to prolong a service life of the cutter blade and reduce a cost required for replacement and adjustment of the cutter blade. Since the plastic optical fiber is thinly cut in the finish cutting step, it is possible to form an accurate, smooth cut plane of the plastic optical fiber, and hence to improve, in the subsequent step, an accuracy of forming an end face of the plastic optical fiber while preventing occurrence of a failure in this forming step.
In addition to the above-described basic configurations of the present invention, according to a preferable form of the present invention, an optimum temperature control may be performed in the finish cutting step. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent occurrence of an inconvenience caused by extension of a cladding layer and the like of the softened plastic optical fiber, without the need of any additional post treatment.
According to another preferable form of the present invention, the cutting apparatus having a large flexibility in working condition may be provided. More specifically, the working condition of the cutting apparatus can be changed variously in a wide range, for example, from a working condition adapted for cutting of plastic optical fibers in a very small quantity of a lot at a service shop to a working condition adapted for cutting of plastic optical fibers in a very large quantity of a lot at a factory, by changing a combination of basic cutting operations such as movement of a cutter blade representative of the cutting means in the cutting direction, movement of a plastic optical fiber in the direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the cutter blade, and control of a heating condition of the cutter blade due to high-frequency mechanical vibration.
According to a further preferable form of the present invention, the cutting means may be configured as a two-piece cutter blade element having a rough cutter blade and a finish cutter blade, with the two-piece cutter blade element mounted to one cutter haft. With this configuration, it is possible to simplify the cutting apparatus and the cutting works, and hence to reduce the cost required for cutting a plastic optical fiber.
According to still a further preferable form of the present invention, a plastic optical fiber may be mounted to a connector plug with a relatively longer excess portion projecting from the connector plug and the excess portion of the plastic optical fiber be repeatedly cut by several times. With this configuration, since the excess portion is repeatedly cut, it is possible to obtain a desirable cut plane of the plastic optical fiber, and since initial cutting of the excess portion of the plastic optical fiber may be roughly performed, it is possible to reduce the working cost, although the cutting is repeated by several times.
According to an additional preferable form of the present invention, a peripheral device such as a cooling device may be combined with the cutting device. With this configuration, the cutting device can be easily modified into that having a function satisfying a user""s specification. Further, since the cutting device can be modified into that having a function satisfying the minimum user""s specification, it can be matched with each user""s specification at a low cost.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having an SOI (silicon-on-insulator) structure with a silicon layer formed on an insulator layer, and to a method of manufacturing it.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 8 shows a semiconductor device having a conventional SOI structure. As illustrated therein, an insulator layer 102 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 101, and a silicon layer 103 is formed on the insulator layer 102 to give an SOI structure.
In the semiconductor element region comprising the silicon layer 103, formed are source/drain regions 103a through doping with an impurity such as phosphorus, arsenic or the like, or boron or the like, and, in the area between the source/drain regions 103a, formed is a gate electrode 107 on the silicon layer 103 via a gate oxide film 106 therebetween to give a MOSFET.
A trench 104 is formed at the element-isolation area of the silicon layer 103, and an insulating film 105 is formed within the inner wall of the trench 104 to give an element-isolation region, serving to isolate semiconductor elements from each other. As in FIG. 8, the bottom face of the silicon layer 103 makes an acute angle with the side of the element-isolation region (insulating film 105) adjacent thereto.
An interlayer insulating film 108 is formed on the SOI substrate having the MOSFET thereon, and a conductive layer 109 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 108. Contact holes for enabling electric connection between the conductive layer 109 and the source/drain regions 103a formed in the silicon layer 103 are formed through the interlayer insulating film 108 and filled with a conductor, via which the conductive layer 109 is electrically connected with the source/drain regions 103a.
In the element-isolation region of the semiconductor device having the SOI structure of that type, the bottom face of the silicon layer 103 makes an acute angle with the side of the element-isolation region (insulating film 105) adjacent thereto. In that condition, therefore, when the volume of the element-isolation region is varied through heat treatment to be effected after the formation of the element-isolation region, for example, through annealing to be effected after the formation of the oxide film 105 in the trench 104, or through heat treatment to be effected in forming the gate oxide film 106 after the formation of the element-isolation region, the volume variation shall make the silicon layer 103 have large stress at the acute-angled corners of its bottom.
A technique for relaxing the large stress at the acute-angled corners of the bottom of the silicon layer 103 is disclosed, for example, in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No.(HEI)6-216230. FIG. 9 shows an SOI structure for a semiconductor device illustrated in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No.(HEI)6-216230. As illustrated, the trench-shaped insulator of constructing an element-isolation region is so formed that its width in the cross section is continuously increased in the downward direction, in order that the bottom of the silicon layer does not make an angle with the element-isolation region adjacent thereto. Therefore, being different from that of FIG. 8, the semiconductor device of FIG. 9 has no angle that may produce large stress, and the bottom of the silicon layer in FIG. 9 is prevented from having any large stress. In FIG. 9, numeral references are the same as those in FIG. 8, provided that the element-isolation region 105 is formed of an isolating wall 105b in the trench 104 and a polysilicon layer 105a embedded therein.
In the semiconductor device noted above, however, the interface of the silicon layer adjacent to the insulator is formed to be convex toward the insulator. In this, therefore, when the stress resulting from the volume variation in the element-isolation region runs toward the silicon layer, it is concentrated in some parts in the silicon layer, as will be mentioned below. The problem caused by the stress concentration is that some lattice defects are formed in those parts with the stress concentrated.
The reason for the stress concentration is described with reference to FIG. 10. As illustrated, in the semiconductor device of FIG. 10, the interface between the silicon layer and the insulator (trench) is so formed that, reaching the insulating layer, it is curved toward the silicon layer but not toward the element-isolation region. In this, therefore, when the stress resulting from the volume variation in the element-isolation region runs toward the silicon layer, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 10, a plurality of stress components running in that direction shall be concentrated in the part as designated by xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d therein. As a result, some lattice defects are formed in that part of the silicon layer.
Meanwhile a semiconductor device having a trench-shaped insulator of which the width is continuously decreased in the downward direction, is disclosed in IEDM (International Electron Devices Meeting) Technical Digest, 1997, p.591. However, the semiconductor device disclosed has a large depression at the surface of the trench-shaped insulator near the semiconductor element region adjacent thereto. Thus, in the case where a gate electrode extends over the trench-shaped insulator as well as the semiconductor element region, a portion of the gate electrode will be embedded in the depression of the insulator so that the distance between the semiconductor element region and the portion of the gate electrode located on the insulator will be shortened in comparison with the case of no depression. With this structure, when a transistor controllable with such a gate electrode is formed in the semiconductor element region, it will likely be influenced by an electric field from the portion of the gate electrode embedded in the depression of the adjacent insulator, that is, an electric field will be concentrated in the semiconductor element region near the depression. As a result, a reverse narrow channel effect decreasing a threshold voltage occurs and a parasitic MOSFET tends to be generated in the semiconductor element region near the depression. The concentration of an electric field may also cause a deterioration of the semiconductor element region, such as silicidation of a contact portion of the source/drain region of the transistor.
On the other side, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. (HEI)9-8118 discloses a process for forming a trench-shaped insulator without a depression at the surface near the semiconductor element region adjacent thereto, but the width of the trench-shaped insulator formed is constant in the downward direction.
The object of the invention is to provide a semiconductor device in which the stress from the volume variation in the element-isolation region to the silicon layer is relaxed to thereby protect the silicon layer from having lattice defects therein and in which the surface of the trench-shaped insulator in the element-isolation region does not have a depression near the semiconductor element region, and to provide a method of manufacturing it.
The semiconductor device of the invention comprises an SOI substrate with a silicon layer formed on an insulating layer, and a semiconductor element region and an element-isolation region formed in the silicon layer, wherein; the element-isolation region is of a trench-shaped insulator formed adjacent to the semiconductor element region, and the trench-shaped insulator is provided with a portion which is adjacent to the semiconductor element region, of which the width is continuously decreased in the downward direction, and of which the surface is planarized near the semiconductor element region. In the device, even when the volume variation in the element-isolation region produces some stress running toward the silicon layer, the stress to the silicon layer could be well relaxed. In addition, because the surface of the trench-shaped insulator in the element-isolation region is made flat near the semiconductor element region, the concentration of an electric field in the semiconductor element region does not occur when a gate electrode is extended over the trench-shaped insulator and the semiconductor element region.
One method of manufacturing the semiconductor device of the invention comprises, forming, on an SOI substrate having a silicon layer formed on an insulating layer, a protective film having an unprotected portion of a predetermined pattern, forming an insulating film over the SOI substrate with the protective film, followed by etching the insulating film to leave an insulating side wall at the side of the unprotected portion of the protective film, anisotropically etching the silicon layer via the protective film and the insulating side wall both acting as a mask to form a trench in the silicon layer, and subjecting the silicon layer with the trench to a heat treatment to oxidize the side portion of the trench to thereby form a trench-shaped insulator having a width continuously decreased in the downward direction. In the method, the curved profile at the interface is controlled by varying the condition for oxidizing the side part of silicon.
Regarding the temperature for the heat treatment in the method, if it is too low, suitable oxidation could not be attained at such low temperatures. On the contrary, if it is too high, the oxide film could be formed even at such high temperatures. In this case, however, the interface could not be curved but is linear. For these reasons, it is desirable that the temperature for the heat treatment falls between 750xc2x0 C. and 900xc2x0 C.
Another method of manufacturing the semiconductor device of the invention comprises, forming, on an SOI structure having a silicon layer formed on an insulating layer, a protective film having an unprotected portion of a predetermined pattern, forming an insulating film over the SOT substrate with the protective film, followed by etching the insulating film to leave an insulating side wall at the side of the unprotected portion of the protective film, anisotropically etching the silicon layer via the protective film and the insulating side wall both acting as a mask to form a trench in the silicon layer, and isotropically etching the side portion of the trench to partially remove a portion of the silicon layer underlying the insulating side wall to obtain a trench having a width continuously decreased in the downward direction, and forming an insulator in the trench. In the method, the curved profile at the interface is controlled by varying the etching condition.


Liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) films have properties that are very is desirable, such as excellent chemical resistance, high strength, and excellent gas barrier properties. However, these same films have certain undesirable properties. They often have poor transverse mechanical properties (i.e. they are strong in the machine direction, but tear easily in the direction transverse to the machine direction). It is also difficult to write or print on the films. LCP films are more expensive than conventional polymer films, such as polyester films.
It would be desirable to make multilayer films having LCP film bonded to one or more other films to obtain a film having the best properties of all of the various layers, such as a multilayer film having good gas barrier properties and relatively low cost.
However, LCP films do not bond well to each other or to other films by use of an adhesive. Their surfaces do not in general adhere to adhesives. There are thus very few examples of multilayer films containing one or more LCP layers. One example can be found in Japanese Patent Application No. 02-253,950, published in 1990, where a poly(butylene terephthalate) film layer is bound to VECTRA.RTM. A 900 LCP film using a glycidyl-modified ethylene vinyl acetate adhesive. The other side of the VECTRA film is bound to polypropylene film by using two adhesive layers, a glycidyl-modified ethylene vinyl acetate layer in contact with the LCP and an ethyl acrylate-ethylene-maleic anhydride copolymer in contact with the polypropylene. Japanese Patent publications 02-253,951 (1990) and 04-135,750 (1992) use similar adhesives for binding an LCP to poly(butylene terephthalate) and polypropylene. The latter of these patent applications also uses a saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as an adhesive. Other publications that discuss multilayer films comprising an LCP barrier layer include Japanese Patent Publication 02-307,751 (1990), PCT Patent Publication WO 95/23180, and European Patent Application No. 763,423.


Hearing aids are often advantageously constructed to be as small as practical given the requirements of the hearing aid. Relatively smaller hearing aids can be less intrusive to a user and less visible to others. However, as with small objects generally, relatively small hearing aids can naturally be more difficult to locate than relatively larger hearing aids and may be more easily misplaced. Additionally, as many hearing aids can be utilized in settings in proximity of many other similar hearing aids, such as clinical settings, finding one particular hearing aid that has been misplaced may be made increasingly challenging as the size of hearing aids shrink.


Components on spacecraft frequently are mounted on flexible isolator devices (damper struts), like the one in U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,849, configured in a hexapod arrangement in U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,981, or some other strut/truss support system. However, when a spacecraft is launched the components are sometimes restrained on a launch retention mechanism for many reasons, including decreasing deflections of the isolation systems beyond design limits. The launch retention mechanism can be an integral part of the isolation struts or a separate supporting structure. Current launch restraints pull the isolator into a fixed latch position away from the isolator""s neutral in-orbit position, known as isolator bias. The bias can present difficulties when precise alignment between the isolator mounted payload and the base structure, to which the isolator is attached, is important for pre-launch preparations. Alignment adjustments between the payload and spacecraft are made on earth, where gravity sags the isolator away from the zero-gravity orientation that it will assume in outer space. This makes accurate payload positioning prior to launch problematic.
A device is included in the isolator strut for locking the isolator in either a zero bias position (the damper is not loaded at either of its two extreme possible positions) or known/predetermined bias position and electronically overcome to unlock the strut. Another mechanical element is included to temporarily unlock the isolator without disturbing the other devices.
Objects, benefits and features of the invention will apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the drawing and following description.


Within the last 40-50 years, the use of biocides (herbicides and pesticides) has increased dramatically. Among these biocides are the chlorinated derivatives of phenoxyacetic acid (PAA). 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), introduced in 1944, was the first phenoxy herbicide and is possibly the most widely used herbicide (W. Evans et al., J. Biochem. 1971, 122, 543-551). Although 2,4-D is not highly toxic, cleanup of inadvertently spilled 2,4-D is still necessary (P. Amy et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 1985, 49, 1237-1245; R. Beadle and A. Smith, Eur. J. Biochem. 1982, 123, 323-332; W. Evans et al., J. Biochem. 1971, 122, 543-551; P. Fisher et al., Bacteriol. 1978, 135, 793-804; L. Geer et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 1992, 58, 1027-1030).
Although large amounts of 2,4-D are used each year, this herbicide usually does not accumulate in soil or water. Of the chlorinated phenoxy herbicides, it is less recalcitrant than more highly chlorinated compounds in the same herbicide class. 2,4-D is degraded naturally in soil under favorable environmental conditions by indigenous, competent microbial communities. There have been isolated from soil and water a number of organisms that are capable of degrading chlorinated phenoxy herbicides, such as 2,4-D, including a number of bacterial strains in multiple genera (L. Kozyreva et al., Mikrobiologiya. 1992, 62, 110-119; G. Chaudhry and G. Huang, J. Bacteriol. 1988, 170, 3897-3902; P. Amy et al., App. Environ. Microbiol. 1985, 49, 1237-1245; R. Don and J. Pemberton, J. Bacteriol. 1981, 145, 681-686; P. Fisher et al., J. Bacteriol. 1978, 135, 798-804; J. Tiedje et al., J. Agr. Food Chem. 1969, 17, 1021-1026; see also, Reineke and Knackmuss, Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 1988, 42, 263-287) and fungi (P. Donnelly et al., App. Environ. Microbiol. 1993, 59, 2642-2647
The best understood biochemical pathway for the microbial degradation of 2,4-D is that of Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134 (R. Don and J. Pemberton, J. Bacteriol. 1981, 145, 681-686; R. Don et al., J. Bacteriol. 1985, 161, 85-90; R. Don and J. Pemberton, J. Bacteriol. 1985, 161, 466-468). In this pathway, 2,4-D is first converted by an .alpha.-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase (the product of the tfdA gene) to 2,4-dichlorophenol and then by a DCP hydroxylase (the product of the tfdB gene) to 3,5-dichlorocathechol (DCCAT). After several additional enzymatic steps, chloromaleylacetic acid is finally produced (R. Don et al., J. Bacteriol. 1985, 161, 85-90; B. Kaphmmer and R. Olsen, J. Bacteriol. 1990, 172, 5856-5862). The genes encoding the enzyme responsible for the catabolism of 2,4-D by A. eutrophus, tfdA, tfdB and tfdCDEF, have been located on plasmid pJP4 (B. Kaphmmer and R. Olsen, J. Bacteriol. 1990, 172, 5856-5862; B. Kaphmmer et al., J. Bacteriol. 1990, 172, 2280-2286; E. Perkins and P. Lurquin, J. Bacteriol. 1988, 170, 5669-5672; W. Streber et al., J. Bacteriol. 1987, 169, 2950-2955). The expression of tfdB is regulated by the product of gene tfdS using 2,4-D and DCP as effectors (B. Kaphmmer and R. Olsen, J. Bacteriol. 1990, 172, 5856-5862). Since both 2,4-D and DCP can induce the expression of tfdB, DCP is further transformed by microorganisms bearing pJP4 or its derivatives, pRO101 or pRO103 (A. Harker et al., J. Bacteriol. 1989, 171, 314-320). No DCP can be detected by the color reaction in the culture media of these microorganisms when 2,4-D is supplied.
Analytical support for 2,4-D cleanup techniques usually involves gas-chromatography or high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) (see, e.g., K. Short et al., App. Environ. Microbiol. 1991, 57, 412-418) or immunoassays (e.g., the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], 2,4-D RaPID Assay.RTM., Ohmicron, Newtown, Pa.). Even the presently available immunoassays are relatively expensive. Therefore, it is important to develop quick, inexpensive, and easy-to-use 2,4-D detection methods for use in the field, particularly methods which can be employed by non-specialists. It would be particularly advantageous to develop an assay method which could be applied beyond 2,4-D to other related chemical compounds, particularly other phenoxy biocides, many of which are less easily degraded by naturally occurring organisms.


In machining of metals and other materials, there are many applications where it is desirable to make a hole and thread it with a single tool. The single tool for hole making and threading is needed not only for through holes but also for blind holes in a workpiece. The advantage of such a tool is that it reduces the number of motions or operations required to produce a threaded hole; it is especially advantageous in conjunction with high speed machining operations.
In the prior art, it is known to use a single tool for drilling a hole and forming internal threads by swaging or coining the metal. A tool of this kind is disclosed in the Barth U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,419 granted Mar. 8, 1955, which describes a swaging tap having a drill or end mill on the leading end thereof to cut the hole which is to be threaded. This tool is rotated and the hole is cut and threaded on the inward feed of-the tool and the tool is unscrewed from the threaded hole. A similar tool is disclosed in the Grenell U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,554 granted Jun. 9, 1981. In tools of this kind, the maximum diameter of the swaging tap must be larger than the maximum diameter of the drill of end mill. Further, as described in the Grenell patent, the minor diameter of the female threads is smaller than the diameter of the drilled hole and the major diameter of the threads is larger than the diameter of the drilled hole.
A general object of this invention is to provide a combined hole making and threading tool which may be used for both through holes and blind holes and which lends itself to high speed machining.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system and method for selecting an HPLMN (Home Public Land Mobile Network), and more particularly to a communication system and method capable of reducing power consumption when an MS (Mobile Station) searches for an HPLMN or higher-priority PLMN.
2. Description of the Related Art
Roaming is defined as a function of enabling an MS (Mobile Station) to receive a service outside of a predetermined area and to receive a service anywhere within a country as a single area. A PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) is a public telecommunication network including the MS using telephony services from mobile communication carriers through the MS's roaming function, a BTS (Base Transceiver Subsystem), a subscriber location register and an MSC (Mobile Switching Center). An HPLMN (Home PLMN) is a PLMN used at a time when the MS selects another PLMN to receive a service from a corresponding service carrier.
In a second or third generation mobile communication service suggested by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) or 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), an MS is recommended to search for an HPLMN according to a set time period where the MS receives the service from a VPLMN (Visitor PLMN) rather than the HPLMN. Thus, the MS searches for the HPLMN using priority information when the MS selects the PLMN in an automatic mode or manual mode on the basis of the set time period stored in an SIM (Subscriber Identity Module).
However, where the MS receiving a service from the VPLMN automatically searches for a PLMN in the automatic mode, the MS located in the VPLMN must search for a higher-priority PLMN than an HPLMN or current PLMN on the basis of a set time period stored in the SIM irrespective of service conditions at a current location. That is, the MS located in the VPLMN must perform an operation of searching for another PLMN every “T” minutes. At this time, “T” as a value of a period used when the MS searches for the PLMN is a value arbitrarily set and fixed without considering service situations of the PLMN in which the MS is located.
Conventionally, the MS is in synchronization with a frequency not being monitored other than a currently monitored frequency in order to search for the PLMN. At this time, the MS detects system information contained in a synchronous frequency signal after the frequency synchronization and detects the PLMN's ID from the detected system information. While performing the above-described procedure, the MS consumes additional power. Moreover, where the MS does not utilize the service situations in the PLMN in which it is located and the set “T” value is smaller than an arbitrary reference value, the MS frequently performs a search operation for the PLMN on the basis of the set “T” value. Accordingly, there is a problem in that an available time of a charged battery for supplying the MS with power is greatly reduced.
Where the MS moves to an HPLMN or higher-priority PLMN during a search procedure for the PLMN, the power of the charged battery is consumed, but there is an advantage in that the MS can select a desired PLMN. However, where the MS is not located in the HPLMN or higher-priority PLMN, there are other problems in that the MS consumes unnecessary power and hence an available time of a charged battery is reduced.


Quantum computing refers to the field of research related to computation systems that use quantum mechanical phenomena to manipulate data. These quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition (in which a quantum variable can simultaneously exist in multiple different states) and entanglement (in which multiple quantum variables have related states irrespective of the distance between them in space or time), do not have analogs in the world of classical computing, and thus cannot be implemented with classical computing devices.
Quantum computers use so-called quantum bits, referred to as qubits (both terms “bits” and “qubits” often interchangeably refer to the values that they hold as well as to the actual devices that store the values). Similar to a bit of a classical computer, at any given time, a qubit can be either 0 or 1. However, in contrast to a bit of a classical computer, a qubit can also be 0 and 1 at the same time, which is a result of superposition of quantum states—a uniquely quantum-mechanical phenomenon. Entanglement also contributes to the unique nature of qubits in that input data to a quantum processor can be spread out among entangled qubits, allowing manipulation of that data to be spread out as well: providing input data to one qubit results in that data being shared to other qubits with which the first qubit is entangled.
Compared to well-established and thoroughly researched classical computers, quantum computing is still in its infancy, with the highest number of qubits in a solid-state quantum processor currently being below 100. One of the main challenges resides in protecting qubits from decoherence so that they can stay in their information-holding states long enough to perform the necessary calculations and read out the results. Another challenge resides in coming up with fabrication techniques that provide sufficient control of the dimensions and composition of various elements in quantum circuits.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a display system. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a switch plate picture frame assembly adapted to be mounted to a wall switch for the purpose of covering the wall switch and for providing a display proximate and adjacent the wall switch. The present invention further directs itself to a switch plate picture frame assembly that facilitates convenient removal and replacement of an indicia bearing member and a protective cover member retained by the assembly.
2. Prior Art
Wall switch and outlet covers capable of displaying a variety of photographic or decorative indicia when assembled and mounted in place are well known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,725, directed to a combination switch plate and photograph holder, exemplifies the prior art display systems wherein replacement of either the indicia bearing member, such as a photograph or the like, or replacement of the protective cover therefor, requires the partial disassembly of the structural elements that comprise the overall display system. For instance, in the '725 Patent, replacement of photograph 14 requires the prior removal of specially adapted photograph holder plastic cover 18 which is frictionally secured to base 20 of the display system. Further, should plastic cover 18 become damaged, scratched or marred through use, it must be replaced with an equivalent, specially adapted plastic cover which may or may not be commercially available at the time replacement thereof is required. Both of these foregoing situations present inconvenience to the user of the displayed device. These inconveniences and disadvantages are similarly attendant to the display systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,675,125, 3,953,933, 2,515,820 and 5,212,899.
Design Pats. 308,814 and 307,538 depict decorative or informative display members removably positioned over wall mounted electrical outlets. Since the depicted display members cover the outlet, use of the outlet requires re-positioning or removal of the display member so that the outlet can be readily accessed. Further, neither of the patents teaches a protective covering for the removable display member which is thus subjected to facial damage thereof.


Water supply systems have long been used in homes and buildings. A water supply system uses piping to supply fixtures such as tubs, sinks, and shower, with clean, potable hot and cold water. To do so water supply systems use pipes, water heaters, valves, outlets, storage tanks, possibly one or more pumps and other devices such as splitters to distribute water from a water inlet to the various fixtures. A well designed water supply system can reliably supply clean water to users at designed rates and temperatures.
While modern water supply systems have proven themselves to be highly valuable, and while they are very often required in homes and other buildings, water supply systems are not without problems. For example, some parts of the United States and many parts of the world face water shortages so water cannot be wasted. In addition, energy, water heating costs can be of major concerns in some locations and applications. These are problems because to obtain hot water from a fixture can require running cold or tepid water from the hot water fixture until the water line is cleared of cooler water and the hot water line fills with hot water.
The cold or tepid water usually just goes down a drain. While a minor problem if the hot water fixture is near the water heater, if the fixture is a distance away significant amounts of water can be wasted. Not only is the running water lost its residual heat is also lost. So a hot water fixture fifty feet (50 ft.) away from a hot water heater may cause the loss of a significant amount of water and residual heat until hot water arrives at a suitable temperature.
The foregoing problems may be intolerable, particularly as water shortages continue to worsen. Therefore, a need exists for advanced water supply systems that drain water from a hot water fixture into a water recovery storage tank before water comes from the hot water fixture, that then re-fills the hot water line with hot water to supply the hot water fixture with water at the proper temperature, and then returns the drained water to a hot water heater.


A recent vehicle includes various electronic apparatuses mounted for convenience of passengers within the vehicle. For example, various electronic devices mounted in a vehicle include a navigation system, a multimedia system, and an air conditioning system.
The existing electronic devices inside the vehicle provide user interfaces through designated buttons, and a touch screen is generally used in recent days. However, based on the mounting arrangement of the electronic devices, the driver needs to check and operate the electronic devices with his/her eyes while driving, thereby reducing safe driving.
Accordingly, there is a need for a development of an interface technology for minimizing an eye control of electronic devices of a vehicle by a driver so as to enable the driver to operate the electronic device inside the vehicle without reducing driving safety and improve a driving convenience.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


The present invention relates, in general, to the field of precision scalar network analyzers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a swept microwave power measurement system and method which determines "absolute" power by applying an interpolated correction factor determined at any given frequency during a sweep to the "apparent" power output at a predetermined frequency.
In the past, scalar analyzers have been used to measure magnitude only reflection and transmission characteristics of microwave components. The relatively low cost, high speed and simple operation of scaler analyzers have been their fundamental attraction. However, their limited power measurement accuracy (+/-1 to 2 dB) have often kept them in the role of qualitative limit line testing or intermediate screening devices instead of being capable of more precise quantitative analysis.
Therefore, it has been necessary to use scalar analyzers in association with accurate, high performance power meters when accurate power measurement is required. This is necessitated by virtue of the fact that a conventional scalar network analyzer does not have the capability of accurately measuring microwave power, since scalar measurements are, per se, power ratio measurements. It is for this reason that active component manufacturers are forced to make power measurements with a separate instrument such as a microwave power meter. In addition to the added equipment cost, this operation involves considerable extra measurement time per part. Nevertheless, the combination of a scalar analyzer and a power meter still renders it very difficult to make exact measurements of power level at many different frequencies without laborious effort on the part of an operator and swept absolute measurements are impossible.
It would therefore be highly desirable to incorporate an accurate power measurement capability into a scalar analyzer. Further, the ability to make high performance, swept absolute power measurements would be a fundamental advantage. Absolute power measurements are required to set up critical drive levels to components such as mixers, or to measure critical output levels such as the compression point of amplifiers. And, while absolutely flat linearity is essential for ratio and relative measurements conventionally made by scalar analyzers, more is demanded for absolute power measurements. The two major specifications for such a system would be an accurate, traceable 1 mW calibration reference to set absolute power at a known frequency (which is typically 50Mhz) as well as an accurate frequency response curve for the power sensor.


Identifying the flows generated by different application-layer protocols is of major interest for network operators. Such identification enables QoS (quality of service) engineering for different types of traffic, such as voice and video traffic, and enables specific applications such as traffic forensics applications, network security applications, etc. Moreover, it enables ISPs to control resource intensive applications, such as peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, to limit and/or control application traffic and usage. Similarly, in enterprise networks, it is very important for administrators to know activities on their network, such as services that users are running, the applications dominating network traffic, etc.
Throughout this disclosure, the term “flow” refers to a sequence of packets exchanged between two network nodes, referred to as a source and a destination of the flow where the source or the destination may be the originator of the exchange. Generally, in an IP network, such as the Internet, a flow is identified by a 5-tuple of <source IP address, destination IP address, source port, destination port, protocol> where the payload of the flow may be represented by a string of alphanumeric characters and other sequences of bits.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an automobile anti-theft apparatus. More specifically the present invention relates to a gas projection apparatus for generating a train of gas ring vortexes which may be aimed at a moving vehicle to stall the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The theft of automobiles, trucks and like moving vehicles is one of the most serious crimes in the United States today. The loss to the economy of such automobile thefts is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollar per year. Insurance premiums, already high, have skyrocketed as a result of such theft.
In addition, a new phenomena known as "car jacking" in which an automobile is stolen while an innocent victim, who is driving the automobile, is, for example, at a stop light or is parking the automobile. Car jackings often result in injury or even the death of the victim of the car jacking.
In the past a number of devices have been developed to assist in the prevention of thefts of automobiles, trucks and the like. These devices may be generally classified as active devices or passive devices. An active device is one which disables a system in the automobile, normally required to drive the vehicle. There are active systems which disable steering columns, fuel systems, transmissions and drive train systems, as well as steering wheels themselves.
For example, one such prior art active anti-theft device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,406 comprises a stainless shield permanently fixed to the shaft bowl of the steering column of an automobile. When assembled on a steering column, the shield moves the shaft bowl when the gear shift is moved. A lock assembly with a deadbolt is provided on the defender shield with this deadbolt mounted for radial movement with respect to the shield. The lock is positioned such that when the car is in the parked position the deadbolt enters the gate of the shaft device at a position such that the gear lever cannot be moved out of the park position.
A second active vehicle anti-theft system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,198 comprises an auxiliary switch that is interposed in the ignition controlling circuit between the main key switch and the ignition starting unit. The auxiliary switch is formed with normally open single pole, single break contacts located behind and spaced from the outer surface of a vehicle wall and access to the contacts is through a single small diameter entrance tube, which functions also to mount the switch behind the vehicle wall. The switch is provided with a separate probe which is insertable in the entrance tube so as to pass through the vehicle wall into engagement with the contacts of the switch, acting to close the contacts.
These and other prior art active anti-theft automobile systems function well to prevent theft of the automobile when the automobile is parked. However when the automobile is at a stop light and a car jacking occurs, the active anti-theft automobile systems currently available are unable to prevent a theft of the automobile and the possible harm to the driver of the automobile.
Other vehicle anti-theft systems are of a passive nature and do not disable the vehicle. These include audio alarms which alert anyone within listening range that there has been an unauthorized tampering with the lock systems or otherwise unauthorized entry into the vehicle. However, audio alarms are generally easily disabled by the thief. In addition, such alarm systems are frequently ignored as they are often inadvertently activated, such as by innocent passers-by.
What is needed is a relatively simple, yet highly effective vehicle anti-theft system which will effectively disable a moving vehicle thereby preventing vehicle theft and car jackings.


The prevalence of overweight people in US has reached alarming levels. Also the proportion of children and adolescents who are overweight has tripled in the past three decades.
Obesity arises as a consequence of positive caloric balance. A comprehensive behavioral approach comprising a gradual increase of energy expenditure from exercise and an appropriate diet to decrease the caloric intake should be the more effective treatment of obesity.
However, this approach has a relatively low success rate. Consequently alternative forms of treatment, including surgery and/or medication, have been developed in an effort to increase the likelihood of achieving, and maintaining weight loss. In particular pharmacotherapy, in combination with intensive behavioral treatment, can lead to clinically significant decreases in body weight in obese population.
The FDA-approved weight-loss drugs are phentermine, sibutramine, orlistat and diethylpropion. Among them, phentermine is one of most efficient and safe in promoting weight loss especially when given along with recommendations for diet.
Phentermine is a sympathomimetic amine which first received approval from the FDA in 1959 as an appetite suppressant for the short-term treatment of exogenous obesity for patients with an initial body mass index ≧30 kg/m2, or ≧27 kg/m2 in the presence of other risk factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia).
Phentermine hydrochloride ({circumflex over (α)}, {circumflex over (α)}-dimethylphenethylamine hydrochloride) became available in the United States in the early seventies and is currently sold in several dosage form such as tablets, film coated tablets and capsules. Orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) which dissolve in the mouth for oral or sublingual administration are dosage forms particularly useful for patients with swallowing problems, for example children.
In particular, buccal tablets are intended for disintegrating in the mouth; the patient places them in the buccal cavity on the tongue or between cheeks and gums, thereby allowing a slow dissolution, which usually require 30-60 minutes (E. Rotteglia: “Compresse farmaceutiche” Societá Editoriale Farmaceutica, Milan, Italy, 1966).
On the contrary, sublingual tablets are intended to be placed under the tongue, where the active ingredient can be directly absorbed through the mucosa. These forms are provided with slow-disintegrating formulation as well (E. Rotteglia, ibid. and S. Casadio, Technologia Farmaceutica II Ed., Cisalpina Goliardica, Milan, Italy).
Orally disintegrating tablets with this kind of prolonged release are hardly suitable for formulating active ingredients, such as analgesics or anti inflammatory agents, which have to exert an immediate effect. Also, they are not always suitable for patients such as children or elderly people, and for the administration of active ingredients with an unpleasant taste because of the long stay in the mouth.
Sublingual tablets with a rapid dissolution profile can be prepared according to the Zydis® freeze-drying procedure. Zydis® is a registered trademark of R. P. Scherer Company (Manufacturing Chemist, February 1990). However, such formulations are very expensive and require sophisticated technologies and methods from the production point of view. These products are substantially freeze-dried products, the pharmaceutical formulation being therefore difficult to handle (due to its friability and fragility) and requiring specific packaging. A problem with freeze-dried sublingual tablet formulations is the impossibility to effect any taste-masking on the active ingredient.
WO088/08298 (Fuisz Technologies) discloses rapid-dissolution pharmaceutical composition in which the active ingredient is included in a water-soluble carrier obtained through a specific preparation process which requires a specific, expensive plant. Moreover, the resulting compositions exhibit friability problems and must always be handled and packed with particular precautions (use of dehydrating agents, humidity-tight packages, controlled-humidity work environmental and so on).
EP-A-494972 (Cima Labs Inc.) describes effervescent tablets suitable to the direct oral administration, i.e. without a previous development of the effervescence in water, consisting of microcapsules containing the active ingredients and an amount of effervescent agent sufficient to promote the release of microgranules when ingested and to give a “fizzing” sensation when in contact with the buccal mucosa of the patient.
In this case also, notwithstanding the presence of amounts of effervescent agent lower than in conventional formulations (60% by weight compared with the total composition) the typical cautions used for effervescent tablets should be taken.
Further drawbacks are the friability of the tablets and the use of microcapsules. In fact, the preparation technique described in EP-A-494972 does not foresee any wet granulation, i.e. using a solvent, but the direct mixing of the powder and its subsequent compression. Such a preparation technique yields tablets having friability values higher than those involving wet granulation of the mixture to be compressed.


The term crosstalk was originally coined to indicate the presence in a telephone receiver of unwanted speech sounds from another telephone conversation. Of particular interest is crosstalk that is caused by signal coupling between adjacent circuits. The most common coupling is due to near-field effects and can usually be characterized by mutual inductance and direct capacitance. This is best illustrated by considering two parallel balanced transmission paths. One circuit (the disturbing circuit) is a source of signal energy that is undesirably coupled into an adjacent circuit via stray capacitance and mutual inductance. Near-end crosstalk NEXT) is crosstalk energy that travels in the opposite direction to that of the signal in the disturbing circuit, whereas far-end crosstalk is crosstalk energy that travels in the same direction as the signal in the disturbing circuit. Circuit analysis indicates that NEXT is frequency dependent and, for communication connectors, its magnitude typically increases with frequency at a 6.0 dB per octave rate NEXT is introduced within an electrical cable as a result of signal energy being coupled between nearby wires; and within an electrical connector, particularly modular plugs and jacks, as a result of signal energy being coupled between nearby conductors. NEXT is undesirable and is frequently referred to as offending crosstalk.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,442 discloses a modular jack whose NEXT is about 25 dB below the level of the incoming signal at 100 MHz. Such NEXT is attributable to crosstalk that is introduced by the combination of a standard modular plug with a standard modular jack such as are generally used for voice-grade communications. However, this level of crosstalk is generally too high for modern high-speed data applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,647 discloses a substantial improvement to the design of a standard modular jack by crossing the path of one of the conductors within the jack, over the path of another of the conductors within the jack to produce crosstalk of an opposite polarity. Such compensating crosstalk attempts to cancel NEXT rather than merely minimizing it by, for example, increasing the separation between conductors. This simple technique improves NEXT at 100 MHz by a startling 17 dB, thereby enabling popular modular jacks to meet Category 5 requirements specified in ANSI/EIA/TIA-568A. An example of such a modular jack is the M100 Communication Outlet, which is manufactured by Lucent Technologies Inc.
Techniques have been developed that further improve the crosstalk performance of an electrical connector so that NEXT is now more than 60 dB below the level of the incoming signal at 100 MHz. U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,358 shows such techniques. However, this level of crosstalk performance represents the very best that can be attained since crosstalk will vary according to how the plug is seated within the jack. At least one manufacturer has disposed the jack springs within the modular jack at a relatively large contact angle (about 36.degree.) with respect to the longitudinal axis of the modular jack in order to push the modular plug into a fixed location within the jack. However, since there are many jack springs that need to make electrical contact with the blades of an inserted modular plug, large contact angles make this task difficult. Whereas large contact angles create increased pressure against the plug blades, increased pressure by some of the jack springs can preclude other spring contacts from making contact with the plug blades unless the plug blades and the jack springs are all precisely aligned. Indeed, current FCC standards recommend a relatively small contact angle (i.e., between 13 and 24 degrees) to assure that all plug blades make contact with the jack springs.
Accordingly, what the prior art appears to lack and what is now desired is a technique for assuring the consistent positioning of a modular plug within a modular jack, where the modular jack includes jack springs that are disposed at relatively small angles with respect to the longitudinal axis of the jack.


1. Cross-Reference to Related Applications
This application is a related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/917,199, filed Jul. 22, 1992, entitled: "METHOD FOR RETORTING ORGANIC MATTER", which is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/820,134, filed Jan. 13, 1992, entitled: "METHOD FOR RETORTING ORGANIC MATTER", and is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/917,191, filed Jul. 22, 1992, entitled: "APPARATUS FOR RETORTING ORGANIC MATTER".
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for allowing thermal dimensional changes of metal parts in a retort mechanism, and more particularly to an apparatus which allows radial and axial dimensional changes of a retort auger and associated equipment during the heating and cooling stages of a retort mechanism while maintaining a sealed relationship with a retort chamber.
3. Description of Prior Art
In the past, there have been many methods and apparatus for disposing of or treating waste materials and contaminated materials for recycling. Procedures have been utilized in the past for cleaning up contaminated materials and for recycling materials containing hydrocarbons. Such prior methods have included chemically treating the materials, burning the materials, disposing of the materials in landfills, and retorting the materials under high temperatures. Some examples of prior methods and apparatus as disclosed in the prior art are described as follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,115 to Rodgers, issued Aug. 8, 1972, discloses a portable disposal apparatus for combustible waste in which the combustible waste is crushed and chopped and conveyed to a combustion chamber where it is ignited with an auxiliary fuel and burned. Products of combustion which have not been fully consumed are condensed in condenser tanks. Unburned gases are then directed back into the combustion chamber to sustain combustion while residual tars, oils, and condensed liquids are removed from the condenser tanks from time to time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,676 to Chambers, issued Nov. 25, 1980, discloses an apparatus including an elongated tube that is maintained at a temperature of about 1100 degrees Fahrenheit and through which organic waste material, such as shredded rubber automobile tires or industrial plastic waste or residential trash which preferably has metal and inorganic matter removed therefrom, is moved at a uniform rate of speed in the absence of air and/or oxygen. The vapors and gases which are produced and/or liberated within the tube are quickly removed therefrom by means of a vacuum of from about four inches to about six inches of mercury, with the vapors being condensed and the gases separated therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,103 to Rotter, issued Dec. 29, 1981, discloses a system including a cylindrical, horizontally disposed reactor vessel having a material conveying device including a plurality of paddle-like impellers mounted on a rotatable pipe for transporting comminuted solid carbonizable materials, such as coal, shredded scrap tires, comminuted municipal waste, sawdust and wood shavings, and the like, through the reactor vessel; a heating chamber arranged coaxially around the reactor vessel to subject the material passing through the reactor vessel to an indirect heat transfer relationship with a burning air-fuel mixture spirally swirling within the heating chamber and moving in a direction generally countercurrent to the material passing through the reaction vessel with the burning air-fuel mixture and combusted gases being progressively constricted and confined by the heating chamber. One end of the reaction vessel has a feed material inlet. Communicating with the feed material inlet is a gravity packed feed material column which assists in effectively sealing the feed material inlet from oxygen-containing gases. A rotary air lock is located near the upper end of the feed material column to further assure the exclusion of oxygen-containing gases from the interior of the reaction vessel. A side inlet may be provided in the feed material column for introducing inert gas to such column to further seal the system against oxygen-containing gases. The other end of the reaction vessel has a solid residue outlet and a gas-vapor outlet. Communicating with the solid residue outlet is a gravity packed column which contributes to the sealing at the outlet end of the reaction vessel from oxygen-containing gases. The comminuted solid carbonizable material passing through the reactor vessel is converted by pyrolysis, or high-temperature destructive distillation, into combustible gases, liquid hydrocarbons and solid carbonaceous residues. Gases and vaporized liquids generated from the solid carbonizable material introduced into the reaction vessel leave the reaction vessel through the gas-vapor outlet and are withdrawn under a slightly negative pressure and in a manner so as to avoid the entrance of any oxygen-containing gases into the reaction vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,965 to Sigerson et al., issued Dec. 29, 1987, discloses a method for separating volatilizable contaminants from soil by introducing the soil into a rotary aggregate dryer through which a working gas indirectly heated to between 750 and 1800 degrees Fahrenheit is drawn to vaporize the contaminants, and for recovering the contaminants for disposal or for cooling the effluent to condense and precipitate out a substantial portion of the contaminants and passing the effluent through activated carbon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,564 to Abboud, issued Mar. 15, 1988, discloses a multi-stage rotary kiln for burning waste and including a pair of concentric tubes affixed one inside the other with waste being conveyed through the inner tube and with hot burning gases being introduced into the inner tube to cause the waste to burn.
U S. Pat. No. 4,821,653 to Jones, issued Apr. 18, 1989, discloses an apparatus for detoxifying heavy metals and the like contained in sludges, soils, incinerated ashes and similar materials by passing the metal-containing material through a pyrolyzer means operated with a substantially oxygen-free environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,528 to Barcell, issued Dec. 4, 1990, discloses a method for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from soil by advancing the soil through a dryer having a combustion chamber therein, and exposing the soil to a gaseous flame in the combustion chamber to volatilize certain of the contaminants in the soil.
The patents to Rodgers, Abboud and Barcell teach direct contact between a flame and the material being treated.
The patents to Chambers and Jones teach an anaerobic treatment.
The patent to Sigerson et al. teaches drawing a hot working gas stream at a temperature of between 750 degrees Fahrenheit and 1800 degrees Fahrenheit through the soil by an induced draft fan.
The patent to Rotter teaches moving a spiralling high temperature heating medium within the heating zone toward the material inlet end of the reaction pipe.