A novel approach to collaborative product development in the medical-equipment industry

In this study, we summarise the requirements for collaborative product development based on our investigation of the differences in the resources and tools that are needed for the various stages of collaborative product development and the needs of system users during these various stages. We proposed a user-oriented approach of collaborative product development for medical equipment and designed a collaborative product development system with the required functionalities to satisfy different areas according to their roles and workflow. The system we developed can drastically simplify the original complex and dispersed process of product development for intelligent medical equipment, thereby allowing the project team to develop new medical-equipment products and promote interactions among the research and development staff, clinical specialists, and the test participants successfully, thereby resulting in a user-oriented collaborative product development process

Reduced 30% scanning time 3D multiplexer integrated circuit applied to large array format 20KHZ frequency inkjet print heads

Enhancement of the number and array density of nozzles within an inkjet head chip is one of the keys to raise the printing speed and printing resolutions. However, traditional 2D architecture of driving circuits can not meet the requirement for high scanning speed and low data accessing points when nozzle numbers greater than 1000. This paper proposes a novel architecture of high-selection-speed three-dimensional data registration for inkjet applications. With the configuration of three-dimensional data registration, the number of data accessing points as well as the scanning lines can be greatly reduced for large array inkjet printheads with nozzles numbering more than 1000. This IC (Integrated Circuit) architecture involves three-dimensional multiplexing with the provision of a gating transistor for each ink firing resistor, where ink firing resistors are triggered only by the selection of their associated gating transistors. Three signals: selection (S), address (A), and power supply (P), are employed together to activate a nozzle for droplet ejection. The smart printhead controller has been designed by a 0.35 um CMOS process with a total circuit area, 2500 x 500 microm2, which is 80% of the cirucuit area by 2D configuration for 1000 nozzles. Experiment results demonstrate the functionality of the fabricated IC in operation, signal transmission and a potential to control more than 1000 nozzles with only 31 data access points and reduced 30% scanning time.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association (http://irevues.inist.fr/EDA-Publishing

High Input Impedance Voltage-Mode Universal Biquadratic Filters With Three Inputs Using Three CCs and Grounding Capacitors

Two current conveyors (CCs) based high input impedance voltage-mode universal biquadratic filters each with three input terminals and one output terminal are presented. The first circuit is composed of three differential voltage current conveyors (DVCCs), two grounded capacitors and four resistors. The second circuit is composed of two DVCCs, one differential difference current conveyor (DDCC), two grounded capacitors and four grounded resistors. The proposed circuits can realize all the standard filter functions, namely, lowpass, bandpass, highpass, notch and allpass filters by the selections of different input voltage terminals. The proposed circuits offer the features of high input impedance, using only grounded capacitors and low active and passive sensitivities. Moreover, the x ports of the DVCCs (or DDCC) in the proposed circuits are connected directly to resistors. This design offers the feature of a direct incorporation of the parasitic resistance at the x terminal of the DVCC (DDCC), Rx, as a part of the main resistance

Niobium hyperfine structure in crystal calcium tungstate

A study of the niobium hyperfine structure in single crystal calcium tungstate was made by the combination of the technique of electron paramagnetic resonance and electron nuclear double resonance (EPR/ENDOR). The microwave frequency was about 9.4 GHz and the radio frequency from 20MHz to 70 MHz. The rare earth ions Nd(3+), U(3+), or Tm(3+) were added as the charge compensator for Nb(5+). To create niobium paramagnetic centers, the sample was irradiated at 77 deg K with a 10 thousand curie Co-60 gamma source for 1 to 2 hours at a dose rate of 200 K rads per hour and then transferred quickly into the cavity. In a general direction of magnetic field, the spectra showed 4 sets of 10 main lines corresponding to 4 nonequivalent sites of niobium with I = 9/2. These 4 sets of lines coalesced into 2 sets of 10 in the ab-plane and into a single set of 10 along the c-axis. This symmetry suggested that the tungsten ions are substituted by the niobium ions in the crystal

Aerodynamics of thrust vectoring

Thrust vectoring as a means to enhance maneuverability and aerodynamic performane of a tactical aircraft is discussed. This concept usually involves the installation of a multifunction nozzle. With the nozzle, the engine thrust can be changed in direction without changing the attitude of the aircraft. Change in the direction of thrust induces a significant change in the aerodynamic forces on the aircraft. Therefore, this device can be used for lift-augmenting as well as stability and control purposes. When the thrust is deflected in the longitudinal direction, the lift force and the pitching stability can be manipulated, while the yawing stability can be controlled by directing the thrust in the lateral direction