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Accelerometers are used in down-hole drilling operations, e.g., oil, gas and geothermal, to navigate the drill in off-vertical directions. Because of the depths involved, the operating temperature for these accelerometers is very high and can exceed 200° C. for oil and gas drilling and can reach 300° C. for geothermal drilling. Developing drive mechanisms for accelerometers that can operate between 200° C. and 300° C. with the required performance is difficult. Microelectro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) vibrating-beam devices offer the accuracy and stability at high temperature that are needed but, because of the damping requirement, operation of these devices using electro-static means requires high-voltage electrostatic comb drives. Typically, the voltage necessary can reach 200V. The electronics needed to achieve this high voltage are not reliable within this high-temperature environment.
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Currently, with development of an electronic communication industry, User Equipment (UE) such as a cellular phone, an electronic scheduler, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, and the like has become a necessity of a modern society, and plays an important role of transferring information changing fast. This UE provides a convenient operation environment to a user via a Graphic User Interface (GUI) and provides various multimedia based on a web environment.
Recently, a user prefers a slimmer UE meeting portability and an appearance design. However, the UE applies various functions and receives a plurality of electronic parts, such that there is a difficulty in manufacturing the UE in a slim profile.
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A plasma is an ionized gas whose charged particle constituents (electrons and ions) interact primarily through electromagnetic forces. Plasmas in various forms make up a large portion of the known universe. In addition, they form the basis of a multitude of everyday devices from incandescent or fluorescent lighting to recent plasma television development. They are also used in the manufacture and processing of printed circuit boards, have recently been shown to have medical application, and are the focus of research in areas such as power generation associated with nuclear fusion reactors.
To characterize a plasma, various diagnostics must be performed to understand the physics of particle interactions. One of these parameters is plasma potential φp. This is the potential of the plasma at a particular location usually with respect to an experimental chamber wall. This is distinguished from the floating potential at which an object immersed in the plasma collects zero net current. Floating potential is typically negative with respect to plasma potential and the two are generally not equal.
The most widely used technique still today for determining plasma parameters such as the plasma potential φp or the electron energy distribution function ƒ(ε) is through the use of a Langmuir probe placed in the plasma. I. Langmuir and H. Mott Smith, “The theory of collectors in gaseous discharges”, Phys. Rev. 28, 727 (1926).
One method for finding plasma potential φp which involves using a Langmuir probe relies on current collection using a dc voltage sweep, and from these data the dc current characteristic of the plasma Ip(Vp) is derived, where Ip is the probe collected current and Vp is the probe voltage. R. L. Merlino, “Understanding Langmuir Probe current-voltage characteristics,” Am. J. Phys. 75, 1078 (2007).
In Langmuir probe-based methods, plasma potential φp is determined by noting that the probe collected current Ip with respect to probe voltage Vp falls rapidly once the applied probe voltage exceeds the plasma potential φp. Thus,
ⅆ I p ⅆ V p has a peak, and
ⅆ 2 I p ⅆ V p 2 V p = ϕ p ≃ 0.See Godyak et al., “Probe diagnostics of non-Maxwellian Plasmas,” J. AppL Phys 73, 3657 (1993). Godyak asserts that this method gives an unequivocal value for the plasma potential φp. Id.
Thus, conventional methods of finding plasma potential φp using a Langmuir probe require taking a second derivative of Ip(Vp) and determining the inflection point of Ip(Vp), i.e., the point where
ⅆ 2 I p ⅆ V p 2 = 0.
However, Langmuir probes are susceptible to contamination, and in many cases calculating the second derivative often is severely affected by noise and so introduces errors in the values of φp.
Consequently, to avoid having to calculate the second derivative, many researchers resort to fitting routines of various forms, based in part on the probe geometry, to determine the inflection point, i.e., the point where
ⅆ 2 I p ⅆ V p 2 = 0.See, e.g., J. J. Carroll, et. al., “A segmented disk electrode to produce and control parallel and transverse particle drifts in a cylindrical plasma,” Rev. Sci. Instrum., 65(9), 2991 (1994). These fitting routines also have been used to avoid errors introduced by probe contamination, but by their nature are only approximate and most often assume a Maxwellian distribution. Since the fit itself treats a complete curve, a fit to one area of the curve (such as the electron saturation region) influences the entire curve fit and therefore the determination of plasma parameters. Also fitting routines should be based on physical reasoning and not on the assumption of prevailing geometry (i.e., algebraic fits) as is often the case. R. F. Fernsler, “Modeling Langmuir probes in multi-component plasmas,” Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 18, 014012 (2009)
Other methods which also attempt to avoid having to make this double differentiation of the current-voltage characteristic use ac voltages in an indirect determination. By superposing on V a small constant ac voltage component, ξ sin ωt , such that ξ<<V, it can be shown that the time-averaged increment to the current gives the second derivative above. Yu. P. Raizer, Gas Discharge Physics, p. 111, (Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 1997).
However, noise remains a serious problem in all such cases. Whether calculating a second order derivative, using fitting routines or time averaging, even small amounts of noise can produce large fluctuations which generate uncertainty in the value of φp.
The inventors herein have explored the use of an rf probe to determine parameters such as electron temperature Te, electron density ne(r), and electron sheath profile structure. See D. N. Walker, R. F. Fernsler, D. D. Blackwell, and W. E. Amatucci, “On the Non-intrusive Determination of Electron Density in the Sheath of a Spherical Probe,” Naval Research Laboratory Memorandum Report, NRL/MR/6750-07-9033, Apr. 20, 2007 (“Walker 2007”); D. N. Walker, R. F. Fernsler, D. D. Blackwell, and W. E. Amatucci, “Determining electron temperature for small spherical probes from network analyzer measurements of complex impedance,” Physics of Plasmas 15, 123506 (2008) (“Walker 2008”); see also D. N. Walker, R. F. Fernsler, D. D. Blackwell, W. E. Amatucci, and S. J. Messer, “On collisionless energy absorption in plasmas: Theory and experiment in spherical geometry,” Physics of Plasmas 13, 032108 (2006) (“Walker 2006”), all of which are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application in their entirety.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collapsible tent for truck beds and the like, and more particularly to such a tent which is rapidly and conveniently mounted on and dismounted from such a bed, is light in weight, is low in cost, and is particularly adapted for use with small pickups and four-wheel drive vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes well-known portable enclosures, such as tents and camper shells, for mounting on a truck bed. Insofar as is known to the applicant, none of these prior art devices meet the need for an enclosure which is mounted on a truck bed for use and yet can be readily dismounted and compactly stowed for transportation to a campsite or the like.
Prior art tents are relatively expensive and slow to erect since they generally include elements secured to the ground to support the roof and upper portions of the walls of the tent. These elements also increase the bulk of a tent when it is in a collapsed configuration for stowage. Prior art camper shells for the bed of a pickup truck or the like utilize the bed for support, but, heretofore, substantial portions of these shells have been permanently assembled. The shells thus must be relatively bulky to provide sufficient interior room and, as a result, project upwardly and outwardly from the bed. Such shells therefore cannot be used when vehicles, typically four-wheel drive vehicles, are operated on narrow roads with limited vertical and horizontal clearances due to trees, rocks, and the like. Even where limited clearances are not a problem, the bulky structure of such a shell results in its being relatively heavy and expensive and thus not well suited for occasional use or for use where it is desired to mount and dismount the shell frequently.
It has long been recognized as highly advantageous to provide a collapsible tent for a truck bed or the like which can be readily erected when an enclosure is needed for living quarters and then readily dismantled and stowed when the truck is on the road. It has also been recognized as especially advantageous if the tent is relatively low in cost, light in weight, and even suited for operation of the vehicle at moderate speeds with the tent in an erect configuration.
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Molecular sieves of the crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite type are well known in the art and now comprise over 150 species of both naturally occurring and synthetic compositions. In general, the crystalline zeolites are formed from corner-sharing AlO.sub.2 and SiO.sub.2 tetrahedra and are characterized by having pore openings of uniform dimensions, having a significant ion-exchange capacity and being capable of reversible desorbing an adsorbed phase which is dispersed throughout the internal voids of the crystal without significantly displacing any atoms which make up the permanent crystal structure.
One of these synthetic zeolites is EMC-2, which is composed of sodalite cages arranged in a hexagonal array and has been designated as having the EMT framework structure by the International Zeolite Association (See, Atlas of Zeolite Structure Types, W. M. Meier and D. H. Olson, 3d Edition (1992), Butterworth-Heinemann). The EMC-2 zeolite is synthesized using the organic directing agent 18-crown-6-ether. Synthesis of this zeolite as well as structure characterization has been reported in the following: F. Delprato et al., Zeolites, 10, 546-552 (1990); Ch. Baerlocher, Acta Cryst., A46, C177 (1990).
As synthesized, the EMC-2 zeolite has a SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio from about 6.5 to about 10.0. Applicants have successfully treated EMC-2 zeolites with a fluorosilicate salt to simultaneously remove aluminum atoms and insert silicon into the framework, thereby giving a SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio of about 6.6 to about 11.2. The zeolite obtained from this process has been identified as LZ-281, has retained the EMT framework structure and at least 50% (preferably 90%) of the relative X-ray crystallinity of the starting EMC-2 zeolite. It is also observed that the LZ-281 zeolite has increased acidity and cracking activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,770 discloses a process for treating a zeolite with a fluorosilicate salt. The '770 patent discloses treating a zeolite Y with a fluorosilicate salt, thereby removing aluminum atoms from the framework and inserting silicon. However, the '770 patent does not disclose treating an EMC-2 zeolite.
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Computed tomography (CT) systems and methods are widely used, particularly for medical imaging and diagnosis. CT systems generally create projection images through a subject's body at a series of projection angles. A radiation source, such as an X-ray tube, irradiates the body from one side. Images of the subject's body can be reconstructed from the projection data (i.e., the projection images acquired at various projection angles), using various reconstruction techniques such as filtered back-projection, iterative reconstruction, etc.
Many clinical applications can benefit from spectral CT technology, which can provide improvement in material differentiation and beam-hardening correction. Spectral CT data can be obtained using one of several technologies, including: direct X-ray detection using semiconductor-based photon-counting detectors, dual-source systems to perform dual-energy scans, kVp-switching systems to perform dual-energy scans, performing sequential scans at different X-ray energies, and using layered detectors capable of simultaneously measuring multiple energies to simultaneously realize a dual-energy scan. When a spectral CT system uses energy scans performed at different times, motion of the patient in between scans can introduce errors and artifacts into the material decomposition.
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1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure is directed to a light having a device for controlling operation based on ambient light, and, more particularly to a light having a device for controlling operation based on ambient light that includes omnidirectional light collection.
2. Related Art
Many lighting devices operate utilizing multiple operating modes. For example, many lights such as streetlights have a night mode in which they operate and a day mode in which they do not operate. Similarly, obstruction lights, which are lights arranged at the top of a tall buildings, towers, or the like operate in a first mode emitting a first color light during daylight hours and operate in a second mode emitting a different color light during night hours.
One of the approaches to controlling operation and/or modes of such lights is to utilize a light detector. Such light detectors are typically arranged on an upper portion of the light structure and the light detection portion is positioned and/or directed toward the North by the installation personnel. This ensures that the light detector will properly receive ambient light and control the light for consistent operation. However, if the light detector is incorrectly installed, or its arrangement is modified, the light detector will fail to reliably detect the ambient light and fail to properly change modes.
In a particular aspect, obstruction lights are required to be installed at the top of wind turbines. Wind turbines present an additional problem as they rotate 360° in order for the wind turbine to be correctly orientated with respect to the prevailing winds. This ensures that the wind turbine operates with the highest efficiency generating the greatest amount of power. The problem with this movement is that an obstruction light mounted to the top of the wind turbine and its associated light detector moves. This means that the light detector is only occasionally pointing north and the ambient light that is collected may not correctly control the particular mode of operation of the obstruction light.
Accordingly, there is a need for a light and light detector that is able to operate more reliably in various implementations.
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The present invention relates to a force measuring device, and in particular to an improved device for measuring the force exerted by jaws of a chuck under both static and dynamic rotary conditions.
A new power operated chuck, for example a 12" chuck, can be expected to have a maximum static gripping force on the order of 10,000 lbs. However, if the chuck is poorly maintained, the gripping force could drop to only 5,000 lbs. At the same time, gripping pressures decline as spindle speeds increase due to centrifugal force acting on the chuck jaws, and when the chuck rotates at, for example, 2500 rpm, the gripping force may drop another 2,000 lbs. In consequence, the original static gripping force of 10,000 lbs. may in actuality be reduced to about 3,000 lbs. at operating speeds.
Workpiece damage can result not only from insufficient chuck pressure that might allow the workpiece to rotate within the chuck or fly free while turning, but also by excessive pressure which can deform or crush the workpiece. Therefore, it is desirable to periodically test chuck gripping forces, so that any decline resulting from normal wear and lack of maintenance can be detected, promoting working efficiency and operator safety, and also so that excessive gripping pressures can be avoided.
Devices are available for measuring clamping forces. However, they tend to be special purpose devices designed to work with either 2-jaw or 3-jaw clamps. A hydraulic dial gauge may be used to read load, and when the device is used for rotating applications, a rotary pressure joint and torque arm keep the gauge stationary so that it can be read. In the case of electrical/electromagnetic strain gauge type devices, either a slip-ring rotary joint, a "radio" transmitter or other complex system is required to cope with rotation. Such devices are inherently complex, expensive and often inconvenient to use.
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Ammonium and nitrate are primary nitrogen sources for plant growth and development. Plants require transporters for acquisition of both ammonium and nitrate. Transporters of ammonium and nitrate exist not only in plants, but in almost all organisms. Ammonium transporters (AMTs) usually exist in a genome as gene families, for example at least: six in Arabidopsis thaliana, eight in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Gonzales-Ballester et al. (2004) Plant Molec Biol 56: 863-878), fourteen in poplar (Couturier et al. (2007) New Phytologist 174: 137-150), six in diatom Phaeoactylum tricornutum (Allen (2005) J Phycology 41).
Based on phylogenetic analysis, three subfamilies of ammonium transporters were identified (Loqué & von Wiren (2004) J Exp Bot 55(401): 1293-1305): 1. the AMT subfamily, including the plant AMT1-type transporters, and cyanobacterial ammonium transporters; 2. the MEP subfamily, including the plant AMT2-type transporters, the yeast MEP transporters, the E. coli AmtB, and other prokaryotic homologues; 3. The Rh subfamily, including only human and animal Rhesus blood group antigens.
All AMT polypeptides are highly hydrophobic membrane proteins with at least 10, more commonly 11, putative transmembrane spanning helices. The AMT polypeptides have been shown in numerous reports to be able to uptake ammonium over a wide concentration range, although with different affinities from organism to organism. Within certain organisms, such as plants, high and low affinity ammonium transporters were identified (Gazzarini et al. (1999) Plant Cell 11:937-47). In addition to affinity properties, several other regulatory mechanisms have been identified for ammonium uptake, for example at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels (Yuan et al. (2007) Plant Phys 143: 732-744).
Over-expression of a nucleic acid sequence from rice encoding an AMT1 was performed in two rice cultivars (Taipei 309 and Jarrah), using a maize ubiquitin promoter for constitutive expression. Shoot and root biomass of transgenic lines decreased during seedling and early vegetative stage compared to wild type, especially when grown under high ammonium nutrition (Hogue et al. (2006) Functional Plant Biol 33: 153-163). The authors concluded that decreased biomass of the transgenic plants at early stages of growth might have been caused by the accumulation of ammonium in the roots owing to the inability of ammonium assimilation to match the greater ammonium uptake.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,610, is described a nucleic acid sequence encoding an AMT1 polypeptide from Arabidopsis thaliana, plasmids comprising the nucleic acid sequence encoding an AMT1 for expression in yeast and bacteria.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,492 are described nucleic acid sequences encoding an AMT1 polypeptide from soybean, corn, wheat, and rice. A nucleic acid sequence encoding an AMT1 polypeptide or an AMT polypeptide having 90% amino acid sequence identity to the isolated soybean AMT1 polypeptide is described. Plants and seeds comprising a recombinant nucleic acid sequence encoding such a polypeptide sequence are described, as well as methods to produce such plants.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that increasing expression of a nucleic acid sequence encoding an AMT polypeptide gives plants having increased yield-related traits relative to control plants.
According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for increasing yield-related traits in plants relative to control plants, comprising increasing expression of a nucleic acid sequence encoding an AMT polypeptide as defined herein, in a plant. The increased yield-related traits comprise one or more of: increased early vigour, increased aboveground biomass, increased root biomass, increased total seed yield per plant, increased seed filling rate, increased number of filled seeds, increased number of flowers per panicle, and increased harvest index.
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The invention relates to a writing note pad and more specifically to one that can be worn upon the wrist of a person.
There are many instances when a person is in need of a piece of paper in order to take notes and such paper is simply not available or a large note pad is inconvenient to carry around. Lacking such a note pad, people have to resort to their memory for recall when writing a note would have been beneficial. There are instances when a person planning a shopping trip may wish to make a list of things to purchase and a note pad can be an inconvenience. Other examples of need for a note pad are: speakers at podiums where looking at notes tie them to the podium; sports enthusiasts, such as golfers, may wish to keep score while indulging in the sport; field engineers where sketches or diagrams of a problem is needed; night watchmen may wish to record unusual occurences or locks and numbers that need follow up work; business men on trips or waitresses recording orders and tip income. Lists are frequently needed by everyone from time to time and occasions where a piece of paper would be beneficial are numerous.
The invention provides an inconspicuous way of making written recordings, lists of things to do and providing on-the-spot documentation of important numbers, illustrations and notes.
There is, therefore, a need for a simple to use and inexpensive means of taking notes. The invention provides a highly accesible, inconspicuous note taking system with an easily stored permanent record for later referral.
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A wide variety of coatings have been used to coat the surfaces of packaging articles (e.g., food and beverage cans). For example, metal cans are sometimes coated using “coil coating” or “sheet coating” operations, i.e., a planar coil or sheet of a suitable substrate (e.g., steel or aluminum metal) is coated with a suitable composition and hardened (e.g., cured). The coated substrate then is formed into the can end or body. Alternatively, liquid coating compositions may be applied (e.g., by spraying, dipping, rolling, etc.) to the formed article and then hardened (e.g., cured).
Packaging coatings should preferably be capable of high-speed application to the substrate and provide the necessary properties when hardened to perform in this demanding end use. For example, the coating should be safe for food contact, have excellent adhesion to the substrate, and resist degradation over long periods of time, even when exposed to harsh environments.
Many current packaging coatings contain mobile or bound bisphenol A (“BPA”) or aromatic glycidyl ether compounds or PVC compounds. Although the balance of scientific evidence available to date indicates that the small trace amounts of these compounds that might be released from existing coatings does not pose any health risks to humans, these compounds are nevertheless perceived by some people as being potentially harmful to human health.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that what is needed in the art is a packaging container (e.g., a food or beverage can) that is coated with a composition that does not contain extractible quantities of such compounds.
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This invention relates to generating and accumulating status information associated with a data processing operation.
For example, in a vector operation (in which the same steps--e.g., add, multiply, accumulate--are performed on all data elements of the vector) it is useful to generate and accumulate the status (e.g., overflow, underflow, result) of each step to aid subsequent generation of exception conditions The status information typically is generated in a standard (e.g., IEEE 754) format.
Status information may be accumulated on a step by step basis and assembled as a status word (indicating the status of each step). In the case of a complex algorithm, e.g. for a vector operation, many steps are needed to produce a result, and the user typically does not need to know that a given step caused an overflow but only whether an overflow (or other exception) was generated somewhere among the steps that led to a particular result.
Sometimes status for a vector operation is generated by including, in the vector algorithm, microcode instructions to specify when status should be accumulated.
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1. Field
This invention relates to chain link fences which have a plurality of decorative, elongate slats woven through the links of the chain link fabric of the fence. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved means for locking and retaining the slats in a uniform position along the fencing. Further, the present invention relates to an improved lower rail element upon which the slats can be supported, with the slats being attachable to the lower rail using novel clip means.
2. State of the Art
It is well known to insert slats in chain link fences to provide privacy and to improve the appearance of the fence. Unfortunately, there are two somewhat related serious problems encountered in using slats in chain link fencing, first, the slats have a tendency to shift longitudinally after being inserted in the wire fabric of the chain link fence so as to become disarranged and uneven. Disarranged, uneven slats greatly impairs the appearance of the fence. The second related problem is that the loosely positioned slats are easy prey for vandals. The slats are unfortunately, easily removed from the fence and discarded by the vandals.
Several methods have been proposed to alleviate these problems. The slats have been secured to the chain links in the fence by using staples, nails and other fasteners. In addition systems have been proposed for interlocking the slats with channel members or elongate rigid connecting members which run along the length of the fence and which engage the slat members. The installation of such systems is a tedious, time consuming, costly operation. No inexpensive, expedient means have been proposed to effectively cope with the vandalism problem. Some of the more complex systems do alleviate the vandalism problem, but unfortunately as stated previously, these systems generally are costly and require tedious time consuming installation. Representative U.S. patents which have been directed to retaining slats in position in chain link fences are:
______________________________________ 2,760,759 3,037,593 4,085,954 2,802,645 3,069,142 4,512,556 ______________________________________
3. Objective
A principal objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved slat system comprising novel, unique, inexpensive, easily installed clip means for retaining the slats at a uniform position along the fencing and locking the slats into the fence to thwart vandalism.
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Daily, package delivery companies collect millions of packages from thousands of locations scattered over large geographical areas and transport them to sorting facilities for processing. After processing, the packages are carried to an equally large number of scattered destinations. To meet the rigorous schedules of today's business environment, while providing accurate deliveries of packages whose final destinations are literally everywhere in the world, sorting facilities are equipped with automated transfer systems whenever possible. These transfer systems must be fast, durable, easy to repair or replace, and provide gentle but accurate handling of each package.
Initially, laborers employed throughout the sorting facility comprised the sorting process; that is, they had to grab, lift, carry and place packages from one sorting station to another. Such use of labor produced an exceedingly slow and inefficient system that was plagued with human injury. While extensive use of labor has diminished as new and large sorting facilities are equipped with automated sorting and transfer systems, the sorting processes at old and small facilities often still rely on laborers at critical stations that require decisions regarding package placement. For example, at some old and small sorting facilities, conveyors typically feed packages to a cluster of laborers who must individually chose a package, pick it up, read the zip code or foreign address, then place the package on an output belt or into a chute associated with the packages' destination. This process is repeated in successively finer steps until the package is loaded onto a delivery vehicle assigned to a limited geographic area.
Those critical stations which are not automated remain burdened with the problems of manual labor and continue to be the source of delays and errors in an otherwise efficient process. Retrofitting these critical stations with automated devices is one solution taught by the automated sorting systems found in new facilities. For example, it is known to position a feed conveyor so that articles may be received from a single input source and transferred to a single output destination. In addition, it is known to adjust the feed conveyor so that articles may be transferred to additional output destinations. To accomplish the latter, an operator typically positions the feed conveyor between the input and desired output destination before loading articles onto the conveyor. However, such systems require an operator, are not readily adaptable to existing sorting systems, occupy a large amount of space, include complex mechanisms that are relatively difficult to repair, and are unable to move as fast as the existing automated transfer process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,526 (Belanger) discloses a mobile conveyor unit that requires an operator to manipulate each change in destination; that is, swing laterally, raise or lower, and extend or retract the conveyor so articles can be transferred from one position to another. This transfer system is built with two conveyors and a large frame on a curved track that guides the sub-frame side to side while the transfer conveyor, pivoting about a horizontal axis at its entry end, moves up and down by means of hydraulic cylinders.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,212,702 (Scott) describes a portable conveyor unit that requires an operator to position the frame then align the main conveyor by pivoting its entry end about a horizontal axis. The main conveyor extends from the horizontal axis, through a pair of upright posts, and terminates at an unsupported free end. The conveyor itself is raised and lower by cables and a winch, but has no provision for lateral movement once the frame is set in place. After the conveyor is positioned vertically, a safety rod is inserted through both the posts and conveyor to provide additional support for the conveyor while in its fixed position.
The transfer system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,549 (Thiel) is built of a series of conveyor sections which include a section that pivots about a horizontal axis for vertical movement and about a vertical axis for horizontal movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,753,036 (Williamson) discloses a manually powered letter sorter with a conveyor that can be raised or lowered and swung laterally between three positions in order to line up with a specific pigeonhole. The conveyor is aligned manually through the manipulation of levers and plungers.
While prior art teaches alignment of a feed conveyor between the input source and output destination, to achieve the desired alignment such devices require an operator to stop the apparatus, physically maneuver the feed conveyor as required, then restart the device before continuing the transfer process. Because each alignment requires shut-down, physical manipulation of the conveyor or conveyor controls, and start-up, these devices are incapable of rapid response to destination changes.
Portability, a strength in some prior art devices, is also a flaw when considering adoption into an existing process. For example, the drivable chassis of Belanger ('526) and bulky supporting structure of Scott ('702) prohibit integration within an enclosed structure of limited space. The Thiel ('549) apparatus, even if scaled down, is so large and complicated that it appears entirely restricted to outdoor use.
The primary thrust of the prior art devices, that include powered mechanisms for changing the orientation of a conveyor, is transferring as opposed to sorting articles. Such devices are capable of some degree of flexibility to provide alignment between input source and output destination, but are limited by lack of responsiveness. On the other hand, the manually operated Williamson ('036) device incorporates sorting capabilities but is limited by the cantilever conveyor design to very light and small articles, and is slow because it lacks automation.
Thus, existing transfer systems require an operator; are complex both mechanically and electrically; are by their nature large, bulky, slow and noisy; require significant maintenance; are not suitable for application in existing sorting facilities; and, where they do provide a means for sorting are slow and limited to very small and light articles. Accordingly, there has long existed a need in the art for a device that both transfers and sorts, does not require an operator, is simple in construction, requires little maintenance, is suitable for applicable in existing processes, provides a high throughput of sorted items per occupied floor space, and operates at a speed compatible with other automated devices in an automated process.
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A standard column or prop used in a mine to hold up the ceiling or roof comprises a pair of aluminum or steel tubular tubes that telescope in each other. The outer end of one of the tube is braced against the ceiling surface and the outer end of the other tube is braced against the floor surface while the inner ends fit within each other. As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,737,134 and 4,185,940 respectively of Foon and Spies the upper end of the outer tube is frustoconically upwardly flared and annular wedges engage between this flared region and the inner tube. These wedges allow the tubes to be moved axially apart but resist movement together as the wedges bite into the inner tube. The wedges permit some downward movement of the inner tube in the outer tube, giving the column its vertical resiliency. The upper end of the inner tube is formed as a nut into which is threaded a massive bolt whose upper end bears via a rigid dished plate on the ceiling, this plate having no significant resiliency. The setting force, that is the vertical load the column is set to bear, is established by screwing this bolt out of the column against the ceiling.
The wedges allow the prop to be compressed vertically to a limited extent if the ceiling or floor shifts. Thus for a slight shift the prop will not collapse but will remain in place. Once the column has shortened somewhat, it becomes solid and resists any further shortening. Thus such a prop acts like a pressure-relief valve.
With such systems it is fairly difficult to set the starting post length, which determines the setting force, accurately and easily. Normally the parts that establish this post length (and the setting force) are independent of the elements that provide for resiliently resisted telescoping together. Thus the known props are excessively complex and expensive, which is particularly disadvantageous since they are normally set and left, that is they cannot easily be reused.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wafer and a wafer cutting and dividing method.
2. Description of Related Art
A dicing (laser dicing) technique, which uses a laser beam to cut and divide a wafer-like workpiece into individual chips, has been under development.
For example, as recited in Japanese Patent No. 3408805 that corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,992,026B2, US2005/0173387A1, US2005/0181581A1, US2005/0184037A1, US2005/0189330A1, US2005/0194364A1, US2006/0040473A1 and US2006/0160331A1, it has bee proposed that the laser beam is irradiated on the wafer-like workpiece in such a manner that a focal point of the laser beam is placed in the interior of the wafer-like workpiece to form modified areas (modified areas including crack areas, modified areas including fused areas, modified areas including areas where a refractive index changes) through multiphoton absorption from the laser beam. A cutting start area is formed by the modified areas in the wafer-like workpiece along a predetermined cutting line of the wafer-like workpiece at a predetermined depth from a laser beam incident surface of the wafer-like workpiece. The cutting of the wafer-like workpiece is initiated along the cutting start areas to cut and divide the wafer-like workpiece.
Furthermore, as recited in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-205180 that corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,992,026B2, US2005/0173387A1, US2005/0181581A1, US2005/0184037A1, US2005/0189330A1, US2005/0194364A1, US2006/0040473A1 and US2006/0160331A1, it has been also proposed that the laser beam is irradiated on the wafer-like workpiece to form the modified areas in the interior of the wafer-like workpiece along the predetermined cutting line. However, in this instance, a position of a focal point of the laser beam in an incident direction of the laser beam to the wafer-like workpiece is changed in the interior of the wafer-like workpiece from one to another to form multiple rows of the modified areas in the incident direction of the laser beam.
According to this Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-205180, the multiple rows of modified areas are formed in the wafer-like workpiece in the incident direction of the laser beam. Thus, the number of cutting start areas is also increased, and thereby the wafer-like workpiece having a relatively large thickness can be easily cut along the cutting start areas.
Furthermore, as recited in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-1001, which corresponds to US2006/0011593A1 and US2005/0202596A1, an expansible film may be applied to one of opposed surfaces of a planar workpiece, which includes a substrate, and a laser beam is irradiated into an interior of the substrate through the other one of the opposed surfaces of the workpiece to place a focal point of the laser beam in the interior of the workpiece, so that modified areas (fused areas) are formed by multiphoton absorption from the laser beam. The thus formed modified areas may be used to form cutting start areas in the predetermined depth of the workpiece, which is spaced by a predetermined distance from the laser beam incident surface of the workpiece, along the predetermined cutting line of the workpiece. Then, the film may be expanded to cut the workpiece into multiple pieces in such a manner that the cutting is initiated in the cutting start areas.
According to the technique recited in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-1001, the film is expanded after the formation of the cutting start areas in the interior of the substrate, so that the stretching stress can be appropriately applied to the cutting start areas to start the cutting initially from the cutting start areas, and thereby the substrate can be relatively accurately cut and divided into the pieces with a relatively small force.
In the recent years, the multi-layering technique of the semiconductor substrate is progressed, and the laser dicing technique recited in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3408805, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-205180 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-1001 is applied to a wafer (a semiconductor wafer), which is used in manufacturing of a semiconductor substrate having the multi-layers, to cut and divide the wafer into individual chips (semiconductor chips).
The multi-layering technique of the semiconductor substrate may include a bonding technique, a Separation by Implanted Oxygen (SIMOX) technique, a silicon on insulator (SOI) technique, a crystal growth technique for growing a III-V family chemical compound semiconductor layer on a substrate (e.g., sapphire) or a bonding technique for bonding a silicon substrate and a glass substrate together through use of anodic bonding.
FIG. 14 is a descriptive view, which indicates a way of forming modified areas by irradiating a laser beam on a wafer 50 having a bonded SOI structure according to a previously proposed technique and which schematically shows a longitudinal cross section of the wafer 50.
The wafer 50, which has the bonded SOI structure, includes a substrate Si (single crystal silicon) layer 51, a buried oxide (BOX) layer 52 and an SOI (single crystal silicon) layer 53 in this order from the bottom side to the top side thereof. Thus, the wafer 50 has the SOI structure, in which the single crystal silicon layer 53 is formed on the buried oxide layer 52 that is an insulation layer.
Here, the wafer 50, which has the bonded SOI structure, may be produced by bonding two wafers, each of which has a bonding surface (a mirror surface) that is thermally oxidized to form an oxide film thereon through the oxide films. Then, one of the two wafers is polished to a desired thickness. Here, the polished wafer becomes the SOI (single crystal silicon) layer 53, and the unpolished wafer becomes the substrate Si (single crystal silicon) layer 51, and the oxide films become the buried oxide layer 52.
A dicing film (a dicing sheet, a dicing tape, an expanded tape) 54 is bonded to the back surface (the lower surface of the single crystal silicon layer 5.1) 50a of the wafer 50.
The dicing film 54 is made of an expansible plastic film, which expands when the film is heated or when a force is applied to the film in an expansion direction. The dicing film 54 is bonded to the entire back surface of the wafer 50 through a bonding agent (not shown).
A laser processing machine (not shown) includes a laser beams source (not shown) for outputting a laser beam L and a converging lens CV. In a state where an optical axial OA of the laser beam L is placed perpendicular to the surface 50b of the wafer 50, the laser beam L is irradiated on the surface (the laser beam incident surface) 50b of the wafer 50 through the converging lens CV such that a focal point (light converging point) P of the laser beam L is placed at a predetermined point in the interior of the wafer 50. Therefore, a modified area (a modified layer) is formed at the focal point P in the interior of the wafer 50.
The laser beam L may be a laser beam that has a wavelength of 1064 nm, which is in an infrared wavelength range.
Here, the modified areas R include fused areas, which are generated mainly through the multiphoton absorption caused by the irradiation of the laser beam L.
Specifically, a portion of the wafer 50 at the focal point P of the laser beam L in the interior of the wafer 50 is locally heated through the multiphoton absorption from the laser beam L, so that the portion of the wafer 50 is melted once and is then resolidified. As described above, the portion of the wafer 50, which is melted and is then resolidified, becomes the modified area R.
That is, the fused area refers to an area, which has undergone the phase change, or an area, which has a changed crystal structure. In other words, the fused area refers to an area, in which the single crystal silicon is changed to the amorphous silicon, an area, in which the single crystal silicon is changed to the polycrystal silicon, or an area, in which the single crystal silicon is changed into a structure having the amorphous silicon and the polycrystal silicon. The wafer 50 is a bulk silicon wafer, so that the fused area is mainly made of the polycrystal silicon.
The fused area is formed mainly by the multiphoton absorption rather than simple absorption of the laser beam L in the interior of the wafer 50 (i.e., rather than the heating by the normal laser beam).
Thus, the laser beam L is not substantially absorbed in the area other the focal point P of the laser beam L in the interior of the wafer 50, and the top surface 50b of the wafer 50 is not melted.
The pulsed laser beam L is applied on the wafer 50 by the laser processing machine such that the laser beam L is scanned, i.e., run over the wafer 50 while the depth position of the focal point of the laser beam L in the interior of the wafer 50 is kept constant. In this way, the focal point P is moved along a predetermined straight cutting line (i.e., in a direction of an arrow α).
FIG. 14 shows a state where the laser beam L is scanned in a direction parallel to a plane of the drawing.
Here, it should be noted that the irradiating position of the laser beam L from the laser processing machine may be fixed without scanning the laser
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A step automatic transmission is known from US 2003/0087720 A1 with a planetary set and pressure-activated transmission shifting elements. The transmission shifting elements are constructed as two switchable couplings which use a common outer disc carrier to accept the outer discs of the couplings. The common outer disc carrier shows a pot-shaped, half cross-sectional geometry whose symmetry axis coincides with the long axis of the transmission input shaft. As a result, the outer disc carrier forms a coupling area within which the disc packet and the servo device of both couplings are positioned.
The two disc packets of the mentioned couplings, which will be examined more closely here, are positioned immediately next to each other in an axial and radial direction. In addition, the servo devices act in such a way on both coupling packets, that the closing direction of both couplings is equal and points away from the pot base of the outer disc carrier. For that reason, the pressure areas of both servo devices are axially directly next to each other.
The piston of the servo device which activates the second disc packet located away from the pot base is axially located between the pistons of the servo device to activate the first disc coupling near the pot base, as well as the pot base of the outer disc carrier. In addition, the piston to activate the first disc packet near the pot base is positioned between the piston for the second disc packet away from the pot base and the disc packet near the pot base.
It should also be noted, that the inner discs of both couplings of this known automatic transmission are carried by two separate inner disc carriers.
By means of this, construction results that the piston to activate the second disc packet away from the pot base axially separates the two pressure areas of both servo devices.
Another characteristic of the transmission is that only the servo device to activate the first disc packet near the pot base is associated with a space for a dynamic, activation pressure compensation. In the process, the mentioned piston which activates the first disc packet near the pot base separates the pressure area for this piston as well as the pressure compensation area axially from each other.
In this transmission the fact that the pressure in the pressure area of the servo device to activate the first coupling near the pot base influences the pressure in the pressure area of the servo device to activate the second coupling away from the pot base and vice versa can be viewed as disadvantageous.
In addition, the fact that the piston must activate the second coupling away from the pot base axially penetrating the outer discs of the first coupling can be viewed as expensive to build, away from the pot base. For that reason, the outer discs of the first coupling near the pot base are equipped with axial penetration openings in the area of their outer diameter through which the mentioned piston is guided. Moreover the outer discs of the first disc coupling must be built comparatively long in a radial direction which then results in an enlarged diameter for the transmission.
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The present invention relates to ophthalmic pharmaceutical compositions and methods of making and using such compositions. The present invention also relates to enhanced delivery of ophthalmic pharmaceutical ingredients in ophthalmic compositions and methods of making and using such compositions. Some embodiments of the present invention relate to compositions and methods for reducing, ameliorating, treating, or preventing discomfort of dry eye condition.
Prior-art ophthalmic compositions often suffer from inefficient delivery of beneficial ingredients, including ophthalmic pharmaceutical active ingredients, to the eye. Disadvantages of these compositions include short duration of the composition on the eye due to continuous drainage or evaporation.
Dry eye, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dyslacrima, is a common ophthalmological disorder affecting millions of people. A patient with dry eye may experience burning, a feeling of dryness, and persistent irritation. In severe cases, dry eye can seriously impair a person's vision and hence handicap the sufferer in activities such as driving. Certain diseases such as Sjogren's disease manifest dry eye symptoms. Also, as people age, the lacrimal glands in the eye may produce less moisture, resulting in eyes that become dry, inflamed, itchy, and gritty.
Although it appears that dry eye may result from a variety of unrelated pathogenic causes, all presentations of the condition share a common feature, namely the breakdown of the precorneal tear film, which breakdown commonly results in dehydration of the exposed outer ocular surface and hence the symptoms described above.
A number of approaches exist for the treatment of dry eye. One common approach has been to supplement the ocular tear film using artificial tears instilled throughout the day. Examples of the tear substitute approach include the use of buffered, isotonic saline solutions and aqueous solutions containing water-soluble polymers that render the solutions more viscous and thus less easily shed by the eye by the washing action of the tear fluid. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,927 to Gressel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,607 to Glonek et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,205 to Shively;
Although these approaches have met with some success in some cases, significant challenges in the treatment of dry eye nevertheless remain. Problems include the fact that the use of tear substitutes, while temporarily effective, generally requires repeated application over the course of a patient's waking hours, not uncommonly ten or more times over the course of a day to keep the ocular surface lubricated or moist. Such an approach is inconvenient to a patient. Although increasing the viscosity of the dry-eye product may extend the product's duration in the eye, increase in viscosity is effective at extending duration only to a limited extent. Viscous ophthalmic drops are sometimes undesirable because they feel sticky in the eye. Further, increases in the duration of the product would be highly desirable.
Therefore, in view of the shortcomings of prior-art compositions, there is a continued need to provide improved ophthalmic pharmaceutical compositions for enhanced delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”) to the eye. For example, it is desirable to provide improved ophthalmic compositions for the reduction, amelioration, treatment, or prevention of the discomfort resulting from the dry eye condition. It is also desirable to provide such compositions that are gentle to the ocular surface.
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Performance standards for plumbing products in general and faucet systems in particular are being required by more and more communities for both residential and commercial construction. The standards which are being adopted include standards relating to maintaining mixed water temperature as well as standards relating to high temperature limits for the mixed water supply for the faucet systems.
A pressure balancer is used in a hot/cold water supply system to meet the first standard noted above and maintain mixed water temperature in response to pressure fluctuations in the hot or cold water supply lines. The pressure balancer is designed to operate in a commercial system where the hot water pressurization system is separate from the cold water pressurization system and in a residential system where the pressurization of the hot and cold water systems is common. When water is demanded by a user for showering, the user adjusts the mixing valve to attain a desired temperature of the mixed hot and cold water. If, during the course of showering, the cold water pressure fails or drops significantly, the user is then subjected instantaneously and unexpectedly to an increase in the temperature of the mixed hot and cold water. This could result in serious scalding of the user. Similarly, if the hot water pressure fails or drops significantly, the user is subjected instantaneously and unexpectedly to a decrease in the temperature of the mixed hot and cold water. While this situation is not as potentially harmful to the user's well being as a reduction in the cold water pressure, the reduction of the hot water pressure can still be startling and extremely unpleasant.
The pressure balancer is incorporated into the hot and cold water supply systems to eliminate the unexpected reaction to the reduction of either the hot or cold water supply pressure. The pressure balancer operates to shut off the supply of hot or cold water upon a failure of the pressurized supply of the other. The pressure balancer also responds to changes in the pressure of the hot and cold water supplies where the changes in pressure are sufficient to alter the mix ratio of the hot and cold water and thus the temperature of the mixed water. The pressure balancer responds to the pressure fluctuations by balancing or equalizing the water flow on the hot water side and the cold water side of the pressure balancer to maintain the mix ratio of the hot and cold water and thus maintain the temperature of the mixed water.
The second standard which is being adopted is a high temperature limit control for faucet systems. The high temperature limit control is designed to limit the hot water temperature which is available from the hot water supply system to a level which will prevent scalding of an individual. The high temperature limit control can be accomplished by placing a stop on a single handle faucet which prohibits the movement of the handle to a position which provides full hot water flow with no cold water flow. Thus, a combination of hot and cold water will always be supplied to the mixing valve thereby limiting the temperature of the mixed water. The stop for the single handle faucet is preferably designed with adjustability in order to compensate for varying supply temperatures of the hot and cold water systems.
Another method for accomplishing the high temperature limit control is to mechanically link the hot and cold water control valves with a lost motion device in an two/three handle faucet in order to provide the mixing of cold water with the hot water to limit the temperature of the supplied water. While this approach is feasible, the intricacies of the mechanism, the potential high cost of the mechanism and the durability of the mechanism prohibit the development of faucet systems using this concept.
Thus, there is a need for a two/three faucet system which incorporates a pressure balancer and a high temperature limit control in a simplified and cost effective manner. The faucet system should incorporate both of these controls while still maintaining convenience to the user for adjustability as well as accessibility to the inner working of the faucet system for maintenance purposes.
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The present invention relates to musical instrument training devices, particularly for stringed instruments and more particularly to an improved fret board training device that includes a matrix of thin lights displayed within the fret board, consisting of a light matrix of electroluminescent flat panel displays which are viewable from a wide angle and under ambient lighting conditions wherein the electroluminescent display (or "ELD") uses a layer of phosphor material and electrode layers with the electrodes supplying an electric field across the phosphor layer.
There are a number of different stringed instruments which have a larger sound box or body with a long narrow neck attached thereto and include a plurality of, for example, 6-12 strings and a number of frets or transverse raised ribs across the neck at regularly spaced intervals. Such instruments are, for example, the guitar, banjo, and the like.
The guitar is typically played by depressing one or more of the strings at certain locations between the frets to shorten the string and thus produce various sounds that are pleasing to the listener. Thus, a user must be able to visually locate a particular and precise fret and string location on the instrument and correctly depress that string at that fret position to produce a particular musical chord or note.
Learning to play the guitar means learning the particular locations for strings and frets as well as an ability to quickly and easily depress the proper string location. The guitar is unmarked with any indicia that would be a clue to the student, thus the learning process is difficult without some visual aid.
One solution to this problem has been to provide a booklet having a diagram corresponding to the guitar chord positions so that the student can look at the book and then visually place his or her fingers at the particular location on the instrument that corresponds to a particular chord or note. This particular practice of teaching is awkward and cumbersome because the student must repeatedly change the position of his head in order to look at either the guitar or the booklet having the instructions. This problem has been discussed in previous U.S. patents, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,495 issued to John Roof and entitled "Musical Instrument Training Device." The Roof '495 patent offers a possible solution to the above-described problems by providing an electrical device which helps train a student to play a stringed instrument and includes a group of visual indicators mounted on the neck of a fret board and each indicator being immediately beneath and in registry with a particular string and fret of the instrument so as to identify therewith. The Roof '495 patent further provides a second group or plurality of visual indicators mounted on the fret board adjacent the sounding hole in spaced relationship to the first plurality of visual indicators and each one is associated with a particular string to be strummed for a particular musical chord. Switches are provided for selection of musical chords and are operably connected to a diode matrix for energizing selected ones of the visual indicators in the first and second groups whereby the energized visual indicator pattern of the first group represents finger placement loctions along the neck of the fret board for a selected musical chord and the energized visual indicator pattern or the second group represents appropriate strings to be strummed associated with the selected musical chord.
The Roof '495 patent uses light emitting diodes or LEDs which cannot be visualized unless the line of sight is at or very close to a line perpendicular to the plane of the viewing surface. This is a particular problem with guitar players because the guitar is usually placed against the body of the musician. The front surface of the guitar as well as the front face of the fret board is directed away from the musician as well as away from the musician's eyes. Thus, normally the musician must bend over only slightly in order to see the fret board. Nonetheless, the fret board is normally viewed at wide angles to an imaginary line perpendicular to the plane of the viewing surface (e.g., 60-80 degrees). This necessitates a total accessible viewing angle up to 160 degrees. Otherwise, the guitar player would need to lay the guitar virtually flat against his or her lap or against a table in order to see the light display which would be an uncomfortable and unnatural position considerably hindering the playability of the instrument.
Several other patents have been issued which are directed to the problem of a visual device for teaching the playing of a musical stringed instrument. Examples of other patents include the Pipkin U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,788,699, the Sapinski 3,854,370, the Johnson 3,978,757, the Gilbert 3,943,815, the Ratanangsu 4,080,867, and the Habicht 4,545,281.
These patents do not solve the problem of providing an easily viewable matrix of thin lights displayed within the fret board of a guitar and having a wide angle viewing area under ambient lighting conditions.
Electroluminescent displays (ELDs) are commercially available. ELDs are discussed, for example, in the March 1985 issue of BYTE magazine with appended bibliography and references.
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As the market for laptop computers, cellular phones, electric cars, and the like expands, the demand for secondary batteries having high energy density increases. As means for obtaining such a secondary battery having high energy density, a method of using a negative electrode material having a high capacity, a method of using a positive electrode having a high potential, and the like are under development. Conventionally, many of the general lithium ion secondary batteries have a voltage of 3.5 V to 4.2 V. However, lithium ion secondary batteries that use a positive electrode with a high potential have a potential of equal to or higher than 4.5 V, and an improvement in the energy density thereof is anticipated. If a negative electrode having a higher capacity is combined with a positive electrode, the capacity of the lithium ion secondary batteries is likely to be further increased.
However, the use of a positive electrode having a high potential leads to a problem in that the battery performance deteriorates due to the decomposition of the electrolyte. As a method for preventing the decomposition of the electrolyte, for example, PTL 1 discloses a method of adding an aliphatic compound or the like having a 1-propenyloxy group to the electrolyte. PTL 2 discloses a method of adding a specific fluorinated chain-like ether to the electrolyte. PTL 2 describes that an electrolyte obtains fluidity in this way. PTL 3 discloses a non-aqueous electrolyte in which a vinylboronic acid compound represented by a specific chemical formula is contained in an electrolyte. PTL 3 describes that a non-aqueous electrolyte results in excellent discharge capacity at the time of charge and discharge at a low temperature.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a current controlled CR oscillator circuit, and more specifically, to a CR oscillator circuit that achieves small current consumption and a small occupied area.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an oscillator circuit to be used in an electronic device, a crystal oscillator circuit has hitherto been used, in which a semiconductor integrated circuit and a quartz resonator are combined. In the crystal oscillator circuit, when a parasitic capacitance exists near the semiconductor integrated circuit or the quartz resonator, an oscillation frequency may sometimes be deviated from a set value.
Incidentally, in recent years, electronic components have often been mounted at high density owing to a demand for downsizing of the electronic device, and hence the parasitic capacitance existing near the semiconductor integrated circuit or the quartz resonator has tended to be large. In view of this, as an oscillator circuit independent of the mounted state of the integrated circuit, a CR oscillator circuit has hitherto been known.
FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram for illustrating a related-art CR oscillator circuit.
The related-art CR oscillator circuit includes voltage comparators X1 and X2, reference voltage circuits VH and VL, constant current sources I1 and I2, switches S1 and S2, and a capacitor C.
The related-art CR oscillator circuit compares a triangular wave voltage, which is generated by the constant current sources I1 and I2 and the capacitor C, to reference voltages VH and VL by the voltage comparators X1 and X2, to thereby serve as a CR oscillator circuit configured to oscillate a voltage having upper and lower peaks corresponding to the reference voltages VH and VL.
The related-art CR oscillator circuit includes two voltage comparators and thus has a problem of increasing current consumption and an occupied area.
Moreover, an offset voltage is always generated at the voltage comparator, and hence the triangular wave voltage is compared to a voltage different from the set reference voltage, which leads to an oscillation frequency error. Further, the offset voltages of the two voltage comparators do not necessarily have constant voltage values, and hence it is difficult to predict the oscillation frequency error.
In general, a circuit including MOS transistors configured as a differential pair is often used as the voltage comparator. Now, the offset voltage of the voltage comparator is considered. The offset voltage is generated mainly when threshold voltages of the MOS transistors forming the differential pair configuration are deviated from each other. When the threshold voltages of the MOS transistors forming the differential pair configuration are respectively represented by VTH1 and VTH2, a difference ΔVTH between those threshold voltages is generally expressed by Expression 1.ΔVTH=α×tox/√(W×L) (1)
From Expression 1, it is found that increasing areas of the MOS transistors is a simple method for reducing the difference ΔVTH between the threshold voltages. However, the thickness tox of an oxide film is varied depending on manufacturing conditions, and hence simply increasing the areas of the transistors reduces the difference ΔVTH between the threshold voltages, but cannot keep the value constant. In addition, due to the large area of the transistor, a gate capacitance of the MOS transistor becomes larger as compared to the capacitor for generating a triangular wave voltage. As a result, increasing the areas may be a cause of the oscillation frequency error.
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Light emitting devices such as light emitting diodes or laser diodes using Group III-V or II-VI compound semiconductor materials implement light with a variety of colors such as red, green and ultraviolet light based on thin film growth technologies and development of device materials, implement white light by using phosphor materials or combining two or more colors and have advantages such as low power consumption, semi-permanent lifespan, high response speed, safety and eco-friendliness, as compared to conventional light sources such as fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps.
Accordingly, an application range of such a light emitting device has been extended to transmission modules of optical communication systems, light emitting diodes as replacements for cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) constituting backlights of display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and white light emitting diode lighting devices as replacements for fluorescent lamps or incandescent lamps, vehicle headlights and traffic lights.
A light emitting device package has a configuration in which a first electrode and a second electrode are disposed in a package body, and a light emitting device is disposed on the bottom of the package body and is electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a conventional light emitting device package.
The light emitting device package 100 includes a package body 110a, 110b or 110c to form a cavity structure and a light emitting device 140 disposed on the bottom of the cavity. A heat dissipation portion 130 may be disposed in a lower part of the package body 110a, 110b or 110c and the heat dissipation portion 130 and the light emitting device 140 may be fixed through a conductive adhesion layer.
A molding portion 150 disposed in the cavity protects the light emitting device 140 while surrounding the same. The molding portion 150 may include a phosphor 160. Light of a first wavelength region emitted from the light emitting device 140 may excite the phosphor 160 and light of a second wavelength region may be emitted from the phosphor 160.
FIG. 2 shows the region A1 or A2 of FIG. 1 in detail.
A wire 145 may contact the light emitting device 140 in the region A1 and contact an electrode pad 70 in the region A2. The wire 145 thinly and lengthily droops down to form a stitch shape in the region represented by S1 in FIG. 2A and the region represented by S2 in FIG. 2B.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the wire 145 contacts the electrode pad 70 to form a stitch and as shown in FIG. 2B, the wire 145 contacts a via hole electrode 80 provided in the package body 110b to form a stitch.
Although FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate embodiments of the region A2 of FIG. 1, the wire 145 may contact the electrode pad or the via hole-type electrode provided on the light emitting device 140 in the region A1 of FIG. 1.
However, the conventional light emitting device package has the following problems.
In the case of the wire bonded as shown in FIG. 2B, a portion of the surface of the via hole electrode 80 may be depressed and, thus, the stitch of the wire may not be completely bonded to the via hole electrode.
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In recent years, a heat-sensitive color-developing paper has come into wide use, as a heat-sensitive recording material for a facscimile.
Such a heat-sensitive color-developing paper as mentioned above usually forms a printed-image thereon in the manner that the paper surface is so heated as to color-develop the heated portion thereof.
The above-described heat-sensitive color-developing papers have had the problems so far that the surface thereof is liable to be discolored by the change on standing after an image is printed and, in particular, that the storage-stability of a printed-image has been deteriorated, for example, the portion other than the printed portion has also been color-developed as same as in the printed portion, when the portion other than the printed portion has been exposed repeatedly to heat or light.
On the other hand, a heat-sensitive transfer-paper has been proposed to serve as a heat-sensitive material having an excellent storage-stability.
Ordinarily, such a heat-sensitive transfer paper comprises the two components, namely, an image-tranfer-recipient paper and a heat-transfer member, each arranged independently. In this ordinary case, the two components are stored in a rolled form, laid one upon another or separated one from another. When using this type of heat-sensitive transfer-paper, a printed-image may be formed on the transfer-image-recipient paper in such a manner that a colorant containing layer of the heat-transfer member is heated to fuse and the heat-transfer member is then brought into pressure-contact with the tansfer-image recipient paper, so that an image in the portion to be transferred may be transferred to the image-recipient paper.
Such a heat-sensitive transfer-paper, different from heat-sensitive color-paper, requires two composing materials (transfer recipient paper and heat transfer material) in order to get a recording paper having printed images. Therefore, it has such problems as that, for example, control and check must be needed for both of transfer recipient paper and heat transfer material, as the heat-transfer material is composed of support and a colorant containing layer and the foregoing support becomes completely useless after being printed so that the cost of heat transfer material is expensive, as originally the transfer recipient paper and the heat transfer material are separated and the heat transfer material is a thin sheet so that wrinkles are easy to be made on transfer recipier paper and heat transfer material when printing is done while rolled heat-sensitive transfer paper is wound therefore it is liable that printing order goes out of order, troubles occur in winding operation of heat-sensitive transfer paper or running of heat-sensitive transfer paper cannot be done stably.
As a commonly-used heat-sensitive recording material, an ink ribbon having a thermosoftening colorant containing layer on a support is used. In the case of this ink ribbon, the foregoing ink ribbon is contacted to the transfer recipient material, for example paper, and heat is applied imagewisely so that a heat-fusing thermosoftening colorant layer is transfered onto a recording material to form a printing image thereon.
In this ink ribbon, too, the support becomes useless after being printed. Therefore, the cost of the ink ribbon is expensive.
Besides, on the other hand, the foregoing heat-sensitive transfer paper or the foregoing heat-sensitive color-developing paper are used as barcode use or label use. In these case, not only image preservation but also abrasion resistance becomes problem. If the foregoing heat-sensitive transfer paper is used, abrasion resistance is bad, and if the foregoing heat-sensitive color-developing paper is used, both of image preservation and abrasion resistance are bad.
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The rapid growth of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) deployments in enterprises, hotspots and homes, the improving ability of WLAN access to provide high-quality voice service and the introduction of dual mode handsets that can support both cellular (Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications (UMTS) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)) and WLAN radio have created the need for comprehensive services that converge mobile and fixed-line infrastructures, beginning with voice. One approach to converging mobile and fixed-line infrastructure uses a standardized Next Generation Networking (NGN) architecture called IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). IMS uses a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) implementation based on a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardized implementation of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and runs over the standard Internet Protocol (IP). Voice Call Continuity (VCC) extends an IMS network to cellular coverage and addresses handover. IMS-VCC provides seamless voice call continuity between the cellular domain and any IP-connectivity access networks that support VoIP.
Although the use of WLAN, cellular, and desktop systems to support voice call sessions has provided greater mobility and flexibility however, these technologies have also increased the number of service interruptions (e.g., dropped calls) resulting in an overall decreased system reliability. A service interruption or “dropped call” continues to be the most frustrating experience for most users. Typically, a user experiencing a dropped call will attempt to redial manually which can be difficult if the user is driving. Although a device redial feature may be available, low signal strength may require the user to depress this key multiple times before successfully reestablishing a call, if at all. Service interruptions are also a nuisance in the conference call setting when using a traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN). Such a traditional conference call setting may be supported by a communication center in which various participants are calling a conference call dial-in number in order to be placed into the conference call. When a service interruption occurs for one of the participants, the participant will have to redial the conference call dial-in number, enter any passcodes or the like, all in an attempt to re-enter the conference call session.
When these types of technologies are utilized to establish an important call (such as dialing into a conference bridge or calling a customer), there is a need for a call processing feature to minimize the amount of time a user is not on the call in the event of a service interruption. Therefore, a need exists for automatic redialing call feature management systems and methods that address and solve the aforementioned problems.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel powder composition. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel powder composition having improved anti-microbial, cooling and skin soothing properties.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Miliria Rubra, commonly known as xe2x80x9cprickly heatxe2x80x9d, is a skin condition that results from an obstruction of the sweat gland ducts. More specifically, keratin plugs are formed due to the maceration of the stratum corneum accompanied by the distension of the sweat gland ducts. Prickly heat may be identified by the development of an intensely itchy rash on the skin that is composed of small vesicles, and may also be accompanied by a secondary bacterial infection. Babies often develop prickly heat, in particular during periods of warmer weather.
Several known methods exist for treating prickly heat and the symptoms thereof. One such method is the application of a powder mixture consisting of talc with one or more antibacterial agents such as boric acid, salicylic acid, and chlorphenesin. Disadvantageously, such treatments are inappropriate for use on babies"" skin because the antibacterial agents tend to irritate the skin and because of the concern over the toxicity effects that may be associated with the use of such antibacterial agents.
It would be desirable to develop a powder composition that was effective in treating the symptoms of prickly heat, but that was also safe for use on babies"" skin.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a novel powder composition comprised of, consisting of, and/or consisting essentially of, based upon the weight of the composition, a skin irritation reducing agent comprising 1-Carboxy-N,N,N-trimethylmethanaminium hydroxide inner salt, Scutellaria baicalensis extract, bisabolol, or mixtures thereof.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for treating prickly heat comprised of, consisting of, and/or consisting essentially of topically applying an effective amount of a powder comprised, consisting of, and/or consisting essentially of a skin irritation reducing agent comprising 1-Carboxy-N,N,N-trimethylmethanaminium hydroxide inner salt, scutellaria baicalensis extract, bisabolol, or mixtures thereof.
The powders of this invention exhibit one or more beneficial properties. Not only do the powders relieve the symptoms of prickly heat by providing antimicrobial, soothing, and cooling benefits to the skin, but they also do so without the use of harsh antimicrobial agents which tend to irritate sensitive skin.
The main component of the powder composition of the present invention is a skin irritant reducer. Suitable skin irritant reducers include, but are not limited to 1-Carboxy-N,N,N-trimethylmethanaminium hydroxide inner salt, which is also known as trimethylglycine (betaine), scutellaria baicalensis extract, bisabolol, and mixtures thereof. One suitable mixture includes bisabolol, soybean oil, and chamomile extract and is available from Dragoco, Ltd. under the tradename, xe2x80x9cPhytoconcentrol Chamomile.xe2x80x9d1-Carboxy-N,N,N-trimethylmethanaminium hydroxide inner salt, which is an amino acid extracted from sugar beets that is commercially available from Cultor Ltd. (Finnsugar Bioproduct) under the tradename, xe2x80x9cBetafin BPPxe2x80x9d, may be used in the powder composition of the present invention in an amount, based upon the total weight of the composition, from about 0.005% to about 50%, preferably from about 0.05% to about 10.0%, and more preferably from about 0.1% to about 5.0%.
Scutellaria baicalensis extract, which is derived from the root of the Scutellaria Baicalensis Georgi plant and is commercially available from Ichimaru Pharcos Co., Ltd. under the tradename, xe2x80x9cOugon extract powder,xe2x80x9d may be used in the powder composition of the present invention in an amount, based upon the total weight of the composition, from about 0.00001% to about 0.10%, preferably from about 0.0001% to about 0.08%, and more preferably from about 0.001% to about 0.05%.
Bisabolol, which is available from Dragoco, Ltd. under the tradename xe2x80x9cDragosantol,xe2x80x9d may be used in the powder composition of the present invention in an amount, based upon the total weight of the composition, from about 0.1% to about 2.0%, preferably from about 0.15% to about 1.5%, and more preferably from about 0.2% to about 0.5%.
Several other components may be present in the powder composition of the present invention such as a base including, but not limited to talc, cornstarch, and mixtures thereof. Talc is preferred. Preferably the base is sterilized via methods well known in the art such as via steam sterilization, before it is combined with the other ingredients of the powder of the present invention. Suitable amounts of talc may range from, based upon the total weight of the powder composition, about 50% to less than about 100%, preferably from about 70% to about 99%, and more preferably from about 80% to about 99%.
Another component that may be present in the powder composition of the present invention is a cooling agent that includes but not is not limited to menthol; eucalyptus oil; peppermint oil; cyclohexanol, 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)-, available from Takasago International Corporation, Tokyo under the tradename, xe2x80x9cCoolact Pxe2x80x9d; 6-Isopropyl-9-methyl-1,4-dioxaspiro-(4,5)-decane-2-methanol,I-menthone glycerol ketal (Menthone Glycerin Acetal) available from Haarmann and Reimer (xe2x80x9cHandRxe2x80x9d) under the tradename, xe2x80x9cFrescolat MGAxe2x80x9d; 5-methyl-2-(1-methyl ethyl)-cyclohexyl-2-hydroxypropionate,I-menthyl lactate, acid/-menthyl ester (Menthyl Lactate) available from HandR under the tradename, xe2x80x9cFrescolat MLxe2x80x9d; menthyl pyrrolidone carboxylate (Menthyl PCA) available from Quest International UK Limited under the tradename, xe2x80x9cQuesticexe2x80x9d, and mixtures thereof. The cooling agent may be used in an amount, based upon the total weight of the powder composition, of from about 0.01% to about 0.50%. Preferably, the menthol may be used in an amount, based upon the total weight of the composition, from about 0.01% to about 0.50%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 0.30%, and most preferably from about 0.10% to about 0.20% and the eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil, respectively, may be used in an amount, based upon the total weight of the composition, from about 0.01% to about 0.50%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 0.40%, and most preferably from about 0.20% to about 0.30%. The menthol and the eucalyptus oil provide a fresh, cooling feeling to the user. A mixture of menthol and eucalyptus oil is the preferred coolant.
Another component that may be used in the powder composition of the present invention is an astringent. Suitable astringents include, but are not limited to zinc oxide, glyoxyl diureide available from Sutton Laboratories under the trade name, xe2x80x9cAllantoin,xe2x80x9d and mixtures thereof. The astringents may be used in an amount, based upon the total weight of the composition, from about 0.10% to about 10.0%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 5.0%, and more preferably from about 0.5% to about 3.0%. Zinc oxide is preferred due to its mild antiseptic and astringent properties.
Another component of the present invention may be an antimicrobial agent comprised of benzethonium chloride, (-p-Chloro-3, 5-m-xylenol)(xe2x80x9cPCMXxe2x80x9d) (also known as xe2x80x9cchloroxylenolxe2x80x9d), and mixtures thereof. The preferred antimicrobial agent is PCMX. In one preferred embodiment, PCMX is used in combination with bisabolol skin irritant reducing agent. The amount of antimicrobial agent used in the composition of the present invention may range from about 0.10% to about 5.0%, preferably from about 0.2% to about 3.0%, and more preferably from about 0.3% to about 1.0%. Chloroxylenol (-p-Chloro-3, 5-m-xylenol), which is commercially available from Nipa Laboratories
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Engine systems may utilize recirculation of exhaust gas from an engine exhaust system to an engine intake system (intake passage), a process referred to as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), to reduce regulated emissions. An EGR system may include various sensors to measure and/or control the EGR. As one example, the EGR system may include an intake gas constituent sensor, such as an oxygen sensor, which may be employed during non-EGR conditions to determine the oxygen content of fresh intake air. During EGR conditions, the sensor may be used to infer EGR based on a change in oxygen concentration due to addition of EGR as a diluent. One example of such an intake oxygen sensor is shown by Matsubara et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,379. The EGR system may additionally or optionally include an exhaust gas oxygen sensor coupled to the exhaust manifold for estimating a combustion air-fuel ratio.
As such, due to the location of the oxygen sensor downstream of a charge air cooler in the high pressure air induction system, the sensor may be sensitive to the presence of fuel vapor and other reductants and oxidants such as oil mist. For example, during boosted engine operation, purge air may be received at a compressor inlet location. Hydrocarbons ingested from purge air, positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) and/or rich EGR can consume oxygen on the sensor catalytic surface and reduce the oxygen concentration detected by the sensor. In some cases, the reductants may also react with the sensing element of the oxygen sensor. The reduction in oxygen at the sensor may be incorrectly interpreted as a diluent when using the change in oxygen to estimate EGR. Thus, the sensor measurements may be confounded by the various sensitivities, and the accuracy of the sensor, and thus, measurement and/or control of EGR, may be reduced.
In one example, some of the above issues may be addressed by a method for an engine comprising: in response to ingestion of purge or crankcase hydrocarbons during EGR flow, increasing a reference voltage applied to an intake manifold oxygen sensor; and adjusting EGR flow to the engine based on an output of the sensor at the increased reference voltage. In this way, the hydrocarbon effect on the sensor can be nullified and the accuracy of EGR estimation can be improved.
For example, during EGR conditions when purging and/or positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) is not enabled, a lower (nominal) reference voltage may be applied to the intake manifold oxygen sensor and EGR may be estimated based on a pumping current output by the sensor upon applying the nominal voltage. By comparing a change in the sensor output upon applying the lower voltage relative to a reference point indicative of sensor output during no EGR, the corresponding change in oxygen concentration can be used to infer the EGR dilution of the intake aircharge. An EGR flow can then be adjusted based on the estimated EGR relative to a desired EGR flow. In comparison, during EGR conditions when purging and/or PCV is enabled, a higher reference voltage may be applied to the intake manifold oxygen sensor and EGR may be estimated based on a pumping current output by the sensor upon applying the higher voltage. For example, the nominal reference voltage may be 450 mV while the higher voltage may be at or above 800 mV. At the higher voltage, the intake oxygen sensor goes from reacting hydrocarbons with oxygen at the sensor to dissociating the products of the reaction (namely, water and carbon dioxide). The sensor output at the higher voltage therefore reflects the oxygen concentration due to the EGR dilution effect only and not the oxygen reduction due to reaction of the ingested hydrocarbons on the sensing element. By comparing a change in the sensor output upon applying the higher voltage relative to a reference point indicative of sensor output during no EGR, the corresponding change in oxygen concentration can be used to estimate the EGR dilution of the intake aircharge and accurately adjust an EGR flow.
In this way, by applying a higher reference voltage to an intake manifold oxygen sensor during purging and crankcase ventilation conditions, the effect of the ingested hydrocarbons on the output of the sensor can be nullified. As such, this reduces the corruption of the sensor output in the presence of purge air or blow-by gas hydrocarbons. By improving the accuracy of EGR dilution estimation in the presence of purge air or crankcase gases, EGR control can be improved.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.
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A motor vehicle comprises at least two axles, wherein each axle is generally assigned two wheels. Furthermore, in each case one axle and the two wheels are assigned a so-called stabilizer which has at least one torsion body and limbs arranged thereon, wherein each limb is directly or indirectly connected to a wheel. The stabilizer can be used to damp and/or compensate fluctuations of the wheels in the vertical direction perpendicularly with respect to a direction of travel of the motor vehicle and perpendicularly with respect to the axle, and therefore to achieve rolling stabilization for the motor vehicle.
Document DE 10 2008 000 240 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, describes a method for operating a motor vehicle which has two axles with wheels mounted in a sprung fashion thereon, wherein each axle is assigned an electromechanical stabilizer. For this purpose, wheel movements of the individual wheels are detected and fed to a control, as a result of which an electric motor of the stabilizer is controlled in such a way that spring compression movements on one side are prevented from being copied on to another side of the axle.
DE 10 2010 051 807 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, describes a rolling stabilization device for a motor vehicle comprising a stabilizer which is assigned two wheels of an axle of the motor vehicle and is divided into two stabilizer halves, an actuator which is capable of rotating the two stabilizer halves with respect to one another, and a control device which is designed to operate the actuator as a function of driving state parameters, at least in a first operating state of the motor vehicle, in such a way that a rolling movement of the vehicle is counteracted by a torque transmission between the two stabilizer halves.
A control device for a stabilizer of a motor vehicle is described in document EP 1 577 127 A2, which is incorporated by reference herein. Here, the stabilizer comprises a pair of stabilizer rods which are arranged between two wheels of an axle, and an actuator which is arranged between the stabilizer rods and which comprises an electric motor and a mechanism for reducing the speed. A desired torque for the electric motor is calculated on the basis of behavior of the motor vehicle and of steering operations of a driver. Furthermore, a torque is estimated for each stabilizer rod. The electric motor is controlled as a result of a comparison of the desired torque with the estimated torque.
A stabilizer arrangement which is known from document EP 1 925 472 A2, which is incorporated by reference herein, comprises a two-part stabilizer with in each case one radius link which runs in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and whose stabilizer sections execute a rotational relative movement with respect to one another. The stabilizer sections are operatively connected to an adjustable torque generating device which has such high control dynamics that the stabilizer arrangement applies an adapted opposing torque to a torque acting on the stabilizer arrangement, even when a torsional section inside the stabilizer arrangement is dispensed with.
Against this background, a method and a system having the features of the independent patent claims are presented.
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Dental trays are receptacles that are used to carry a medicine or dental hygiene materials, such as bleaching agents or fluoride application, and apply them to the teeth. It confines the material next to the teeth during the application. The thin dental tray of this invention is also suitable for use in creating provisional crowns. Because of its thinness, hardness and the accuracy of the impression it takes, it is equal to more expensive custom trays made over gypsum molds and models.
There are two types of dental trays: stock and customized. Stock trays are pre-fabricated into a variety of standard sizes. They are used only for preliminary procedures and to produce impressions for castings as an interim step to creating more accurate dental trays and models of teeth. Custom trays are made by a dentist or technician by molding a material over a gypsum model of the patient's teeth. In order to get the gypsum model, a preliminary impression is made from the patient's teeth. The model requires at least one dental visit and requires a laboratory to construct the gypsum model.
Once the model is made, the customized dental tray is formed by the dentist or lab according to the limitations of the materials to be used for the tray. If the tray is made of shellac or thermoplastic sheets, the tray may be formed in a vacuum forming machine or other machine which exerts pressure. The sheets are placed in a soft state over the model and pressure is applied while the material sets.
This method requires additional work to finish the tray by removing excess material and doing a final fit of the patient, requiring at least one more visit to the dentist. The result is a customized tray, but at a large cost of time and professional service. U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,616 is an example of this method wherein the material is a thermoplastic such as Polyform. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,342 discloses another thermoplastic, methyl methacrylate, that is heated and formed over a gypsum cast. Both require trimming.
Another variation of this method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,225, where polycaprolactone polymer is used to make a dental tray, again using a gypsum model. The polycapralactone is then formed over the teeth by the dentist or technician.
In each of these prior methods, the customized dental tray depends upon a model first created from an impression, after an office visit and with the aid of a professional. The final tray then is made after another visit and additional time with a professional. The time and expense of such a tray can be very great. The majority of the preliminary work, such as the initial impression, the model, and the interim products, is not usable for any other patient. If the patient's teeth structure changes, even the patient cannot make use of these products.
The invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,791, uses ethylene vinyl-acetate and creates a customized dental tray without the necessity of a gypsum model. The resultant tray is thicker than the thin tray of this invention, which may cause discomfort. Additionally, it is not hard at normal temperatures, as is the thin inner tray of this invention.
This invention addresses these problems and creates a hard, thin dental tray, suitable for many types of dental and at home procedures and uses. The thin inner tray is customizable to the same accuracy as more expensive custom trays created on a model, but at a fraction of the cost in time, professional expertise or equipment. The outer tray can be used separately for fluoride gel applications. The thin dental trays can be customized and molded in the home or outside of a dental office. These dental trays can be used in.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a hard, flexible custom dental tray without the necessity of intermediate models, trays or special equipment or expertise.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a brake fluid pressure control apparatus for controlling the operation of antiskid control for preventing wheel locking having an added feature of a traction control capability for preventing wheel spin in the acceleration stage.
2. Technical Background
Some brake pressure control apparatuses for antiskid control by preventing wheel locking are provided with flow valves having a casing and a spool. The casing is provided with a plurality of ports. The spool is disposed inside the casing in a biased condition with a spool spring, and switches the communication conditions of each port depending on the pressure difference generated at the end sections of the spool.
However, in systems using such a flow valve, it has been thought conventionally that separate device units are required if an antiskid control capability and a traction control capability are to be provided for one fluid pressure control unit.
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to sample rate conversion in data processing systems; and, more particularly, it relates to variable sample rate conversion used in data processing systems that perform rational ratio conversion of the sample rate.
2. Description of Prior Art
Within conventional communication systems, the interfacing of various devices operating at various data transmission rates invariably requires the conversion of the data transmission rates between the various devices. For example, when one device operating at a first data transmission rate communicates with a second device operating at a second data transmission rate, there must be some method by which the data can be converted between the two devices while preserving the information contained within the plurality of data. Ideally, this conversion is performed in a manner that maintains a maximum throughput within the communication system. The data transmission rate itself may be viewed as a sample rate in such conventional communication systems. Typically, the various devices within the communication system each operate according to various, sometimes internal, clock frequencies. Similarly, the data transfer to and from these devices is associated with this clock frequency. The interfacing of the various devices, each possibly being driven by a different clock frequency, creates an interfacing difficulty.
One common application area for such data conversion is in television displays. Various television display standards exist for displaying image data. For example, one common standard is the National Television System Committee (NTSC). Another common standard is the phase alternate line (PAL) standard. A difficulty arises when a user attempts to interface a peripheral device, such as a video cassette recorder (VCR), that operates using one standard with a television display operating at another. Some method for converting the image data must be employed for proper communication between the devices and ultimate display for the user.
Within various stand alone image processing devices including photo-copy machines and video display units, enlargement and reduction of image data is often performed. From one perspective, the image data having a first resolution may be viewed as data having a first sample rate. Typically, the sample rate is associated with the number of pixels per distance along a given trajectory of the image data. This sample rate is often given in terms of dots per inch (dpi) in printing systems and simply as screen resolution for video display units, i.e. 640.times.480, 800.times.600, 1024.times.768, etc. This screen resolution typically corresponds to the number of pixels that are displayed at any given time across the viewable portion of the video display unit. When enlarging or reducing such image data using such devices, a user typically desires to preserve the resolution of the image data as much as possible. Still, the limitation remains, particularly with enlargement, that the image data only possesses a fixed amount of information. A difficulty lies in how to expand the finite amount of data available to display as if it were a larger amount of data; the difficulty is how to increase the viewable size of the image data while preserving the visible perceptual quality of the image data.
One common limitation within such conventional stand alone devices is the inability to perform rational ratio conversions of either enlargement or reduction of an image. This stems from the inability of many conventional systems to perform sample rate conversion using rational ratios. Common within such systems, the option of enlarging or reducing an image by a number of fixed amounts is provided, e.g. 16%, 32%, 64%, etc. However, the ability to perform arbitrary values of reduction and enlargement is seldom provided. For stand alone conventional devices which do provide for arbitrary data conversion rates, there is often associated a high computational cost corresponding to the hardware required to perform such a function. In many applications where system cost is a hard design constraint, the user is typically provided with selection from a predetermined number of choices for performing enlargement or reduction, as the associated cost to provide such a high level function is simply prohibitive. A cost effective solution to provide for arbitrary conversion rates of data would be well suited for many such stand alone devices.
One conventional method for performing conversion of data having a first sample rate to data having a second sample rate uses a very inefficient method including up-sampling and down-sampling. This conventional method typically performs operation and filtering on the up-sampled data that contains an abundance of either redundant or useless information. Typically within digital systems which convert a plurality of data from a first sample rate to a plurality of data having substantially similar characteristics yet having a second sample rate, the original plurality of data is up-sampled by inserting a number of zeros into the plurality of data. During this process, the plurality of data is up-sampled by the number of zeros that have been introduced. These inserted zeroes provide no new information to the original plurality of data. They merely serve as placeholders within the up-sampled data.
Typically and undesirably, the up-sampled plurality of data is filtered when it is in this highly redundant state. This is computationally intensive, as the inserted zeroes must be processed during the filtering. The system has no method by which it can detect which samples are actual data and which are inserted zeroes. This processing of the inserted zeroes adds no new information to the plurality of data. For up-sampling of extremely large numbers, this is very undesirable due to the wasteful appropriation of processing resources in such systems. For example, if a plurality of data is up-sampled by a factor of ten, the up-sampled plurality of data is then processed in the time which will take approximately ten times as long as would be required for the original plurality of data, assuming a substantially linear processing function of processing time in terms of data.
Later, the filtered signal is then down-sampled wherein only a predetermined number of the samples of the up-sampled, post-filtered plurality of data are selected. For example, for a down-sampling by a factor of two, every other data sample would be taken from the plurality of data, thereby reducing the amount of information by the factor of two. The filtering is performed when the plurality of data is at the up-sampled state in an effort to minimize resolution loss during the subsequent down-sampling step. In other embodiments, a single datum value is calculated for every two data within the plurality of data. Such a method employs an averaging scheme. In either case, a predetermined number of the data is discarded during the down-sampling step using this conventional approach.
Ultimately, the conversion rate is the ration between the up-sampling and the down-sampling rates. For example, if the plurality of data is up-sampled by a factor or twenty and down-sampled by a factor of thirteen, then the conversion ratio would be twenty thirteenths (20/13). As can be seen in this trivial example, the insertion of as many as twenty zeroes is often associated with conversion rates that do not even approach a factor of two. This example is demonstrative of the potentially extreme inefficiency of this conventional method.
A typical modification of the conventional method of up-sampling and down-sampling is performed in an effort to provide for more efficient use of a data converter's resources. One solution is to employ a finite impulse response filter to the plurality of data before the up-sampling step and after the down-sampling step. While this solution is more optimal that the conventional method described above in that there is no filtering performed at the highly redundant intermediary state, it is nevertheless inefficient in that a filtering step is performed two different times. Additionally within this modified conventional method, even though the filtering is performed at the states where the plurality of data is relatively smaller than at the intermediary state after up-sampling yet before down-sampling, some manner must be implemented to accommodate this large sized data.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional systems will become apparent to one of skill in the art after reviewing the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.
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This application is based on, and claims priority from, Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-218010, filed on Sep. 28, 2012 with the Japan Patent Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a positively-charged single-layer electrophotographic photoreceptor and an image forming apparatus comprising the positively-charged single-layer electrophotographic photoreceptor as an image carrier.
Conventionally, organic photo conductors (OPCS) are widely used as photoreceptors in image forming apparatuses. Organic photo conductors can be roughly divided into single-layer organic photo conductors in which a single layer created by dispersing a charge generating material (CGM) and a charge transporting material (CTM) in a binder resin is formed on a support base tube made of aluminum or the like, and organic photo conductors in which a layer containing a CGM and a layer containing a CTM are laminated on a support base tube.
Among organic photo conductors, single-layer organic photo conductors have a simple layer construction and therefore offer superior productivity. In addition, when such a single-layer organic photo conductor is combined with a charging member which adopts a contact-charging system which contacts directly with a photoconductive layer and used as a positively-charged single-layer organic photoreceptor, oxidized gas such as ozone which adversely affects office environment is hardly created.
Therefore, due to such advantages, positively-charged single-layer electrophotographic photoreceptors are becoming more utilized.
An electrophotographic photoreceptor is manufactured by applying a photosensitive material on a circumferential surface of a photoreceptor support base.
In addition, an application method thereof usually involves moving a container (a coating tank) that houses an application liquid of the photoreceptor material and the support base relative to each other, dipping the support base in the application liquid, and pulling the support base out from the container at a predetermined speed.
According to the adopted method, the extracted photoreceptor support base is next immobilized and dried naturally, and subsequently placed in an oven or the like to be completely dried. Since an electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive coating film with a uniform thickness is manufactured in a short period time, a quick-drying solvent is usually used as a solvent of the application liquid.
When using a quick-drying solvent, although a drying rate of the application liquid can be increased and the application liquid can be solidified in a short period time, since heat loss occurs after dipping at the coating film and the support base due to heat of vaporization as the solvent evaporates between extraction and drying, an abrupt temperature drop occurs and the temperature of the coating film falls to or below dew point. When the temperature of the coating film drops to or below dew point, due to condensation of water vapor in the air, the coating film takes in moisture and causes the surface of the coating film to turn white (a blushing phenomenon). Whitening of the surface of the coating film as described above is not only unfavorable in terms of appearance but is also problematic in that the whitening significantly affects charging characteristics, photosensitivity, and abrasion resistance of the electrophotographic photoreceptor and lead to a fatal defect.
Although characteristics of laminated organic photo conductors are also affected by blushing, the impact on single-layer organic photo conductors is more prominent since the charge generating material exists on the surface of the photo conductor. As a result, an inconvenience in that various characteristics of the photo conductor such as repetition characteristics during continuous use, ozone resistance, and abrasion resistance decline become pronounced.
In consideration of such circumstances, there are demands for suppressing blushing that occurs during production of positively-charged single-layer electrophotographic photoreceptors. Conventionally, a method of preventing the occurrence of blushing has involved bringing a holding member that is used during coating into contact with an inner surface of a support base and adjusting a length and material of the holding member to control a temperature of the support base. However, this method is not sufficient. Furthermore, while attempts have been made involving heating a support base during drying of a coating film (Related Art 1), managing temperature of an application liquid (Related Art 2), managing a difference in temperature between a coating atmosphere and an application liquid (Related Art 3), and controlling humidity of a coating atmosphere (Related Art 4), applying these methods require investment in facilities.
In contrast, as a method of preventing blushing without the use of specialized equipment, a method is proposed in which a solvent used, density, specific heat, and thickness of support base material, and thickness of a formed photoreceptor layer are controlled so as to satisfy specific conditions (Related Art 5).
In recent years, from the perspectives of downsizing, cost reduction, reduction in power consumption, and the like of electrophotographic apparatuses, reductions in size and weight of electrophotographic photoreceptors are desired. In addition, reductions in material cost and necessary drive power with respect to photosensitive layer supports by further weight reduction are also desired. While a reduction in weight of a support base can be readily achieved by reducing wall thickness of the support base, this also causes a decline in heat capacity of the support base itself. Since a decline in heat capacity of the support base makes it easier for heat of vaporization due to evaporation of a solvent during coating of a photosensitive layer to cool the support base down to or below dew point, blushing is more likely to occur.
Therefore, when a thin-walled support base is used, depending on a method of controlling a solvent used, density, specific heat, and thickness of support base material, and thickness of a formed photoreceptor layer so as to satisfy specific conditions as described in Related Art 5, the occurrence of blushing cannot be prevented.
The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the circumstances described above, and an object thereof is to provide a positively-charged single-layer electrophotographic photoreceptor which comprises a blushing-free photosensitive layer on a thin-walled support base.
The present inventors have found that the occurrence of blushing can be prevented with a positively-charged photoreceptor that uses a photosensitive layer support base with a wall thickness of 0.7 mm or less by adjusting a content of charge transporting material to a specific range relative to a binding resin that constitutes the photosensitive layer. The present disclosure is based on these findings.
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{
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Organo-phosphorus fungicides are now extensively employed mainly for treating rice diseases caused by fungi Piricularia oryzae and Pellicularia sasaki (cf. A. F. Granov, N. N. Melnikov "Uspekhi Khimii", 1973, 42, 9, 1681).
Fungitoxical agents are found among different typs of organo-phosphorus compounds including derivatives of phosphoric and phosphonic acids, phosphines and phosphonium salts, acids of tetracoordination phosphorus and salts thereof, esters of acids of tetracoordination phosphorus, and amides of phosphorus acids.
As a fungicidal thereapeutic compound for treating dermatomycoses known in the art is O,O-dimethyl-1-acetoxy-2,2,2-trichloroethylphosphonate (chloracetophos)--the closest analogue of the novel compounds according to the present invention cf. USSR Inventor's Certificate No. 280768, Bulletin of inventions, 1970, No. 28, p. 93).
Currently known organo-phosphorus fungicides are slightly effective against plant diseases, in particular in killing rust fungi causing most dangerous diseases of cereal and other crops.
For successful control of rust diseases of cereal crops being cultivated in vast areas, highly-effective fungicides are needed that are suitable for efficient application methods, e.g. for the ultra-small volume spraying (USVS) method.
A high activity in respect of rust diseases of cereal crops is revealed by dithiocarbamic acid derivatives, in particular by zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate (zineb). These fungicides, however, ar not suitable for application by the USVS method. Besides, these products are not stable upon storage and are harmful to human beings as well as the environment (1. Choinka A., Mosinski S. Pr. Inst.przem. organ., 1971, 3, 269; 2. Ivanova-Chemishanskaja "Gigiena i Sanitaria" 1971, No. 11, 95; 3. E. A. Antonovich et al. "Gigiena i Sanitaria", 1972, No. 9, 25). An essential disadvantage of dithiocarbamate fungicides resides in their limited application, i.e. they are effective only for the purpose of prophylaxis (prior to appearance of visualized symptoms of the disease). For this reason, their application may be effective only upon availability of trustworthy forecasts of disease development.
The above-mentioned disadvantages of dithiocarbamate fungicides gave rise to investigations aiming at finding appropriate substitutes therefor (cf. Gibney L., Chem. and Eng. News, 1975, 53, No. 23, 15).
A high activity against rust diseases is inherent in salts of nickel or mixtures thereof with ethylenebisdithiocarbamic acid derivatives (cf. Jones R. J., E.Afric.Agric. and Forest J., 1961, 26, No. 4, 210; Hardison J. R., Phytopathology, 1963, 53, No. 2, 209). However, due to a detrimental effect of said compounds on human organisms and environments, the use of nickel-containing fungicides has been prohibited (cf. J. Horsefall, Presentation to VIII Congress on Plant Protection, Moscow, 1975).
Ammonium salts of sulphanilic acid such as anilate have been suggested for killing rust fungi of cereal crops and other plants (cf. USSR Inventor's Certificate No. 178236, 1964; Bulletin of inventions, 1966, No. 2, 138). These compounds, however, are phytotoxic and of low-efficiency.
Certain modern system fungicides have proven to be efficient in killing rust fungi, e.g. 1,4-dioxide-2,3-dihydro-6-methyl-5-phenylcarbamoyl-1,4-oxathiine (hydroxycarboxine, plantwax), cf. "Systemic Fungicides", "MIR" Publishing House, 1975, p. 209. However, the use of these fungicides for treating rust diseases of cereal crops is in most cases economically inefficient due to the high cost of the compounds.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an ultrasonic receiving apparatus for receiving ultrasonic waves. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus to be used in medical diagnoses by receiving ultrasonic waves from biological bodies with employment of such an ultrasonic receiving apparatus.
2. Description of a Related Art
In conventional ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus, while both ultrasonic transmitting means and ultrasonic receiving means use the same systems, one-dimensional sensor array is generally employed which includes elements (vibrators) for transmitting/receiving ultrasonic waves. The vibrators are realized by using piezoelectric ceramics which is typically known as PZT (Pb(lead) zirconate titanate), or by using a polymer piezoelectric element such as PVDF (polyvinyle difluoride). Furthermore, such a one-dimensional sensor array is mechanically moved so as to acquire two-dimensional images, and those two-dimensional images are synthesized with each other, so that a three-dimensional image is obtained.
However, since there is a time lag along the mechanically moving direction of the one-dimensional sensor array in accordance with this method, tomographic images acquired at different time instants are synthesized with each other, and therefore, the synthesized image becomes blurred. As a result, this conventional method is not suitable for imaging objects to be inspected such as living bodies, for instance, in such a case where ultrasonic echo observations are carried out by employing the above-described conventional ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus.
In order to acquire a three-dimensional image having a high image quality by using ultrasonic waves, a two-dimensional sensor array capable of acquiring a two-dimensional image without being mechanically moved is necessarily required. For this reason, such a method of manufacturing a two-dimensional sensor array with employment of the above-described PZT or PVDF has been considered. In such a case where the above-described PZT or PVDF is employed so as to manufacture such a two-dimensional sensor array, elements must be processed in very fine manners, and also, a very large number of very fine elements must be connected by using wiring lines. However, it is practically difficult to process these elements in a finer manner, and also to manufacture these elements in a higher integration, as compared with the presently-available very fine processing manner and element integration method.
Also, even when these problems could be solved, there are other problems. That is, crosstalk between elements would be increased, electric impedance of elements connected by very fine wiring lines would be increased which deteriorate an S/N ratio thereof, and electrode portions of these very fine elements would be easily destroyed. Under such a circumstance, it is practically difficult to realize such a two-dimensional sensor array with employment of PZT or PVDF elements.
On the other hand, as another ultrasonic sensor without using a piezoelectric material such as PZT, an optical detecting type sensor is known in this field, by which an optical fiber is utilized and an ultrasonic wave is converted into an optical signal to be detected. As such an optical detecting type ultrasonic sensor, the below-mentioned ultrasonic sensors are reported, namely, an optical detecting type sensor using the fiber Bragg grating (will be abbreviated as an xe2x80x9cFBGxe2x80x9d hereinafter) described in xe2x80x9cUnderwater Acoustic Sensor with Fiber Bragg Gratingxe2x80x9d written by TAKAHASHI et al. in National Defense Academy (Japan), see OPTICAL REVIEW Vol. 4, No. 6 in 1997, p. 691-694; and an optical detecting type sensor using the Fabry-Perot resonator (will be abbreviated as an xe2x80x9cFPRxe2x80x9d hereinafter) described in xe2x80x9cFabrication and Performance of a Fiber Optic Micro-Probe for Megahertz Ultrasonic Field Measurementsxe2x80x9d written by UNO et al. in Tokyo Institute of Technology, see T. IEE Japan, Vol. 118-E, No. 11 in 1998, p. 487-492.
If such a two-dimensional sensor array is manufactured by employing these ultrasonic sensors, there are such merits that electric-wiring works to a large number of very fine elements are no longer required, and furthermore, higher sensitivities can be obtained. However, this two-dimensional sensor owns another problem that since this ultrasonic sensor itself is made in high cost, manufacturing cost of a two-dimensional sensor is increased, and also, manufacturing cost of an ultrasonic receiving apparatus using the two-dimensional sensor array is increased.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. A first object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic receiving apparatus capable of detecting an ultrasonic wave in a two-dimensional manner without necessities of electric-wiring works to a large number of very fine elements and without increase of crosstalk and impedance, and furthermore, to manufacture the ultrasonic receiving apparatus in low cost. Also, a second object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus capable of acquiring either a two-dimensional ultrasonic image or a three-dimensional ultrasonic image by using the above-described ultrasonic receiving apparatus.
To solve the above-explained problems, an ultrasonic receiving apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: an ultrasonic detecting element having a reception plane capable of receiving ultrasonic waves, for modulating light on the basis of ultrasonic waves applied to respective positions of the reception plane; and a photodetector having a plurality of pixels, for detecting light output from corresponding positions of the ultrasonic detecting element.
Also, an ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a drive signal generating circuit for generating the drive signals; transmission means for transmitting ultrasonic waves in response to drive signals; reception means including an ultrasonic detecting element and a photodetector, the ultrasonic detecting element having a reception plane capable of receiving ultrasonic waves and modulating light on the basis of ultrasonic waves applied to respective positions of the reception plane, the photodetector having a plurality of pixels and detecting light output from corresponding positions of the ultrasonic detecting element to thereby output detection signals; signal processing means for receiving the detection signals output from the reception means to process the received detection signals; control means for controlling both generation timing of the drive signals and acquisition timing of the detection signals; image processing means for constructing image data on the basis of an output signal of the signal processing means; and an image display unit for displaying thereon an image on the basis of the image data.
According to the present invention, since the ultrasonic detecting element having the ultrasonic reception plane including positions which correspond to a plurality of pixels of the photodetector is employed, such an ultrasonic receiving apparatus can be manufactured in low cost. That is to say, this ultrasonic receiving apparatus is capable of detecting the ultrasonic waves in a two-dimensional manner without necessities of electric-wiring works to the large number of very fine elements and without increase of crosstalk and impedance. Accordingly, an ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus capable of acquiring a two-dimensional or three-dimensional ultrasonic image with better qualities can be realized by employing such an ultrasonic receiving apparatus.
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A sole having these characteristics is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 1,895,660. The stiffening shank, termed an “arch support”, extends in this case from a backfoot part to the beginning of the adjacent midfoot part, and serves mainly to reinforce the footwear in the plantar arch area.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,785,986 describes a torsion stiffening shank which also extends in the plantar arch area, running diagonally relative to the longitudinal direction.
US20070107264 describes a stiffening shank for sports footwear in which a series of semi-rigid plates are connected to one another via locally weakened areas which form hinge systems. In this case also, the extension of the shank is mainly limited to the plantar arch.
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{
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Otitis media is a common disease in children. The term “otitis media” encompasses a number of clinical disorders including myringitis, otitis media with effusion (OME), chronic suppurative otitis media and acute otitis media (AOM) (24). Acute otitis media (AOM) is a symptomatic illness associated with upper respiratory symptoms, pain, fever and otorrhea. It is the most common infectious disease worldwide, leading to excessive antibiotic consumption in children in most countries and to a substantial burden of deafness and other complications in the developing countries (1-3).
AOM is fairly common and about 60-70% of children experience at least one episode of AOM during the first 3 years of their life (4,5). A subpopulation of children experience recurrent otitis media. Those who experience 3 or more episodes of AOM within 6 months or 4 infections within a year are considered otitis-prone, and represent 10-30% of the total population of children (4;5).
Nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization with one or more otopathogens is a necessary precedent to the development of AOM. Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn), non-typeable Haemophilia influenzae (NTHi) and Moraxella Catarrhalis are the most common otopathogcns causing AOM, and of these three, Spn predominates (6). A direct relationship between frequency of colonization with NTHi and the frequency of AOM has been noted (J. Infect Dis 170:862-866).
Recurrent AOM is currently treated with different antibiotics of escalating strength on the presumption that the recurrent infections are caused by increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacteria. When recurrences occur at a frequency of 3 in 6 months or 4 in 12 months, then tymnpanostomy tube surgery is often performed, with or without concurrent adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy.
In regards to prophylactic measures, at present, there are two available types of pneumococcal vaccines. The first includes capsular polysaccharides from 23 types of S. pneumoniae, which together represent the capsular types of about 90% of strains causing pneumococcal infection. This vaccine, however, is not very immunogenic in young children (Fedson, and Musher 2004, “Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine”, pp. 529-588; In Vaccines. S. A. Plotikin and W. A. Orenstein (eds.), W.B. Saunders and Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; Shapiro et. al., N. Engl. J. Med. 325:1453-1460 (1991)) as they do not generate a good immune response to polysaccharide antigens prior to 2 years of age. This vaccine is not recommended for the prevention of otitis media.
Conjugate vaccines represent the second available type of pneumococcal vaccine. These vaccines which include serotype specific capsular polysaccharide antigens conjugated to a protein carrier, elicit serotype-specific protection. Currently available are 7-valent and 13-valent conjugate vaccines: the 7-valent includes 7 polysaccharide antigens (derived from the capsules of serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F and 23F) and the 13-valent conjugate includes 13 polysaccharide antigens (derived from the capsules of serotypes 1, 3, 5, 6A, 7F, and 19A, plus those covered by the 7-valent). 9-valent and 11-valent conjugate vaccines have also been developed and each includes serotype-specific polysaccharides in addition to those in the 7-valent serotypes 1 and 5 in the 9-valent and types 3 and 7F in the 11-valent).
There are however limitations to conjugate vaccines. For example, as such vaccines elicit serotype-specific protection, to protect against additional serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae including those that dominate in the developing world, additional serotype-specific polysaccharides must be included which increases the difficulty of manufacture (Di Fabio et al., Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 20:959-967 (2001); Mulholland, Trop. Med. Int. Health 10:497-500 (2005)). The use of the 7-valent conjugate vaccine has also led to an increase in colonization and disease with strains of capsule types not covered by the polysaccharides included in the vaccine (Bogaert et al., Lancet Infect. Dis. 4:144-154 (2004); Eskola et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 344-403-409 (2001); Mbelle et al., J. Infect. Dis. 180:1171-1176 (1999)). As for pneumococcal otitis media, the available conjugate vaccines do not work as well in protecting against the disease as they do to against invasive disease. In addition, AOM recurrences are still possible following vaccination; for example, the subpopulation of children who are particularly prone to recurrent episodes of AOM, experience a number of recurrences and go on to become otitis prone, despite conjugate immunization.
Therefore, there is still a need for compositions for use in, and methods of, preventing or treating recurring pneumococcal AOM.
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One of the primary uses of the Internet is content provision. Content may include any kind of content accessible via the Internet including, for example, textual content items, multimedia content items, etc. Content providers distribute, and sometimes also generate, content items that are made accessible to Internet users (e.g., content consumers). One of the greatest difficulties for users and content providers alike is determining the content items that any particular user is interested in receiving. It is known to address this problem by generating, by and/or for each user, a user profile. The user profile is an indication of the user's specific interests, which may then be matched with specific content items to be provided to the user.
There are two known ways for generating user profiles. In one method, user profiles are generated automatically based on the behavior of the user. For example, if a user visits a web site at which he or she makes a purchase, the kind of object purchased is stored and the user is presumed to have an interest in other things like the ones they have purchased. This indirect method is outside user control and prone to error. For example, a person buying gifts for others would likely be profiled as being a user of the products purchased. The method also fails in terms of what it remembers. A user whose interests change over time can be characterized by a profile based in part on past interests that they have given up.
Another known way to generate user profiles involves allowing the user to select interests from broad categories. In this method, the user selects very general interests (such as in News, Sports, etc), like selecting which newspaper sections they read or TV networks they watch. This approach is user driven, but is not specific. Often this is because of the difficulty of enticing users to make the time commitment necessary to submit detailed information. Further concerns about privacy make some users reluctant to provide more detailed information. Accordingly, the profiles that emerge from this method often do not provide a sufficiently precise guide to the specific information the user would like to receive.
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{
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There are established procedures for removing thrombi from a patient's vasculature by percutaneous insertion of appropriate treatment apparatus into the vasculature of the patient. A procedure which is well documented involves the use of an assembly which includes a balloon catheter provided with two inflatable balloons which are spaced from one another at the distal end of the catheter. The balloon catheter is inserted endoluminally into the patient's vasculature until the balloons are located either side of a thrombus to be removed. The balloons are then inflated so as to close off that part of the patient's vessel. The assembly includes provision for feeding into the space between the two inflated balloons a thrombolytic or other lytic agent, typically through a lumen of the balloon catheter. The thrombolytic agent will dissolve the thrombus located between the two inflated balloons, whereupon the dissolved thrombus material can be removed, typically by aspiration. Particularly when a thrombus is established, that is when the thrombus is dense and well set, it can take a significant time to dissolve the thrombus and thus remove this from the patient.
Examples of thrombus treatment apparatus can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,546, U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,178 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,016.
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{
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This invention relates to a heat transfer sheet, more particularly to a heat transfer sheet which is useful for a heat transfer system by use of a sublimable dye (heat migratable dye), excellent in dye migratability during heat transfer, and also can give excellent image density.
As the method for giving excellent monocolor or fullcolor image simply and at high speed in place of the impact printing or general printing method, non-impact printing such as an ink jet system or heat transfer system has been developed. Among these, the so called sublimation heat transfer system by use of a sublimable dye is the most excellent as one having excellent continuous gradation and giving fullcolor image comparable with color photography.
The heat transfer sheet to be used in the sublimation type heat transfer system as mentioned above may be generally one having a dye layer comprising a sublimable dye and a binder formed on one surface of a substrate film such as polyester film, and a heat-resistant layer provided on the other surface of the substrate film for prevention of sticking of a thermal head.
By superposing the dye layer surface of such a heat transfer sheet on an image receiving material having an image receiving layer comprising a polyester resin and the like, and heating imagewise from the back of the heat transfer sheet by a thermal head, the dye in the dye layer is transferred to the image receiving material to form a desired image.
In the heat transfer system as described above, only the dye is migrated from the dye layer to the image receiving material, and the binder remains on the substrate film side. In this case, sharper and higher density images can be formed, as the migratability of the dye is better.
As the method for improving migratability of the dye, it is the simplest to increase printing energy, but higher printing energy undesirably results in increased printing cost. Further, when a plastic film is used as the substrate film, the thermal energy which can be applied is of itself limited.
As another method, it has been well known in the art to use a dye of low molecular weight, but when the molecular weight of the dye is low, there ensues the problem that fastness cf the image formed, such as bleed resistance and heat resistance is inferior.
As the method for circumventing such problems, the method of using a dye with a high molecular weight has been known. However, use of these dyes with high molecular weights involves the problem that migratability of the dye becomes inferior, thus preventing the formation of a sharp and high density image.
Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a heat transfer sheet which can form an image of satisfactory density with lower printing energy as compared with the prior art, or can form an image of higher density with the same printing energy as in the prior art.
Meanwhile, another known method for improving migratability of the dye is to add a compound having a low melting point such as wax, etc. as the sensitizer into the dye layer. However, addition of these low melting compounds gives rise to problems such as blocking of the heat transfer sheet wound up in a roll, bleeding of the dye to be transferred to the back, etc. Further, during heat transfer, there ensues the problem that the dye layer tends to be fused onto the surface of an image receiving material to be peeled off with difficulty. When it is peeled off, the dye layer tends to be migrated to the image receiving material.
An addition of fine particles such as silica as the release agent into the dye layer may be conceivable for solving these problems. However, in this case, the transferred image becomes coarse, thereby causing the problem that color reproducibility and resolution become low. Also, there is the method of adding a silicone oil as the release agent, but such silicone oil has no compatibility with the dye layer, whereby problems such as generation of surface stickness, occurrence of discoloration of the transferred image, reduced storability, and the like, result.
Therefore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a heat transfer sheet which can form an image of satisfactory density with lower printing energy as compared with the prior art, or can form an image of higher density with the same printing energy as in the prior art without causing problems of storability and fusion to occur.
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{
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Personal Information Devices include the class of computers, personal digital assistants and electronic organizers that tend both to be physically smaller than conventional computers and to have more limited hardware and data processing capabilities. PIDs include, for example, products sold by Palm, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., under such trademark as Pilot, and Pilot 1000, Pilot 5000, PalmPilot, PalmPilot Personal, PalmPilot Professional, Palm, and Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, as well as other products sold under such trade names as WorkPad, Franklin Quest, and Franklin Convey.
PIDs are generally discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,125,039; 5,727,202; 5,832,489; 5,884,323; 5,889,888; 5,900,875; 6,000,000; 6,006,274; and 6,034,686, which are incorporated herein by reference. PIDs typically include a screen and data processor, allowing the PID user to operate a substantial variety of application relating to, for example: electronic mail, a calendar, appointments, contact data (such as address and telephone numbers), notebook records, a calendar, expense reports, to do lists: or games. PIDs also often include substantial electronic memory for storing such applications as well as data entered by the user. Due to their substantial variety of applications and uses, personal information devices are becoming increasingly widely used.
One increasingly popular application of personal information devices is their ability to share information with other properly equipped personal information devices, wirelessly and otherwise. For example, many types of user information such as electronic mail, calendar events, appointments, contact data, and the like exist in the form of digital data files stored within the memory of the personal information device. When equipped with communications hardware/software, the data files embodying the user information can be easily transferred from one personal information device to another. For example, one such application involves the transferring of electronic “business cards” from one personal information device to another, allowing their respective users to easily exchange contact information.
The popularity of information sharing between PIDs and other types of electronic devices is gaining with the increasingly widespread adoption of wireless forms of communication. Wireless communication allows users, via their respective devices, to always be in touch with one another. For example, instant messaging applications are very popular on desktop computer systems. Instant messaging allows users to instantly contact one another when they're both online. A similar scenario is envisioned where users are both carrying wirelessly connected PIDs.
Accordingly, several prior art solutions are emerging which address the popularity of wireless instant messaging type schemes. These solutions enable a wirelessly connected PID to receive messages, e-mail, notifications, or the like from other wirelessly connected PIDs or other types of computer system platforms (e.g., desktop machines connected to messenger services, cell phones, and the like).
Unfortunately, these prior art solutions do not address the problem of unsolicited notifications, unprioritized notifications, unsolicited e-mail, and other types of “spam” which exploit the wireless functionality of a user's PID. For example, many users have experienced frustration when unsolicited e-mail and/or unsolicited notifications appear within their mail browsers or instant messenger services.
Currently, many wireless notifications/messages carry the same priority, and are thus treated the same by the PID. For example, users may want to distinguish regular notifications (e.g. for stock alerts) from emergency notifications (e.g., your patient is in need of critical care). There currently exists no viable method which allows a user to distinguish between wanted messages/notifications and unwanted spam Thus, many users may, for example, turn wireless notification functionality off in order to prevent unauthorized/unsolicited use.
The lack of message prioritization is a serious drawback to prior art wireless notifications/messaging schemes. Although wireless PDA devices provide service providers with the ability to push notifications to the user when a pre-defined event takes place, there is no viable method for differentiating between “regular” alerts and “emergency” alerts. For example, a user could configure the PID to filter regular alerts while allowing emergency alerts to be displayed. For example, in a case where a surgeon is attending a concert, she may want to turn off notification of “regular” alerts but allow for the notification of “emergency” alerts. She will also want to have control over who can send her “emergency” alerts. Considering a case where a service provider offers an earthquake alert service, which notifies the subscribers of the arrival of an earthquake giving them a few precious seconds in which they can act before the earthquake hits. A person subscribed to this service and attending a meeting may choose to ignore “regular” notifications but will want to view this “emergency” alert.
The prior art provides no method for differentiating between such regular notifications and emergency notifications. The prior art provides no method for ensuring a user that a so-called notification is not simply spam (e.g., “buy this product now at a 20% off sale!”). The prior does not provide any mechanism or scheme for authenticating and authorizing the content service provider to issue such priority differentiated messages.
Thus, what is required is a method for differentiating between such regular notifications and emergency notifications. What is required is a method for ensuring a user that a so-called notification is not simply spam. Additionally, what is required is a method and system for authenticating and authorizing the content service provider to issue such priority differentiated messages. The present invention provides a novel solution to the above requirements.
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{
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The present invention relates to a railcar for renovating railways and more precisely to a railcar comprising an operating unit equipped for the execution, in sequence, of the following operative steps: removal of the old tracks, removal of the old track supporting sleepers, remaking of the laying plane of the new sleepers, laying of new sleepers; and wherein said operating unit is provided with supporting means to allow its advancement on the old sleepers already stripped of their tracks.
Railcars of the specified type have been hitherto produced, intended to operate continuously for the total renovation of the railway, i.e. for the total replacement of the old track supporting sleepers, the total remaking of their laying plane, the laying on said plane of new sleepers and the successive remaking of the ballast by means of the deposition of new rubble and/or of regenerated rubble in the spaces comprised between the new sleepers.
For this purpose, currently known renovation railcars are mostly equipped with means for removing the old sleepers capable of systematically removing them from the ballast and of depositing them on conveyors which transfer them to an accumulation area on board the railcar, with one or more plowshares for removing the displaced rubble and for levelling the laying plane and with elements, generally acting by gravity, for laying, regularly spaced, the new sleepers on the previously levelled laying plane.
With known railcars of the specified type it is therefore not possible to execute interventions for maintenance or revision entailing the partial and occasional replacement of the sleepers in the section involved, and on the other hand such partial interventions are often sufficient to restore the original efficiency and safety of the track with markedly lower costs.
The inadequacy of known railcars for partially renovating tracks essentially derives from the fact that the current systems for stripping the old sleepers are incapable of extracting them from their related original seats without damaging the laying plane of said seats, so that the laying of the new sleepers entails the complete remaking of said plane.
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{
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Cellular networks provide communications using cells. As mobile subscribers associated with the cellular network move into a geographic area covered by the cellular network and/or cells of the cellular network, a mobile equipment or other device associated with the subscriber can connect to one of the cells, assuming the device is turned on and/or configured to communicate with the cellular network.
As the subscriber and the associated mobile equipment moves within the geographic area covered by the cellular network, the mobile equipment can disconnect from a first cell of the cellular network and connect to a second cell of the cellular network. This process of disconnecting and connecting is sometimes referred to as a “handoff” or a “handover.”
A successful handoff occurs if the mobile equipment connects to the second cell substantially simultaneously with respect to disconnecting from the first cell. An unsuccessful handoff occurs if the mobile equipment disconnects from the first cell and does not connect to the second cell immediately or simultaneously. If a communication is in progress during an unsuccessful handoff, the mobile equipment may experience a dropped call or dropped data connection.
Cellular networks sometimes track handoffs for various purposes. This data can be used to track performance and/or usage of the cellular network, to project growth in demand for connectivity associated with the cellular network and/or cells of the cellular network, to determine traffic conditions, or the like. By analyzing the data, a cellular network operator can know a cell to which a mobile equipment is connected at a particular time.
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{
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}
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A level shifter is commonly used in an integrated circuit. For example, in some applications, the level shifter is arranged between an input/output (I/O) circuit and a core circuit of an electronic device (e.g., memory device). With the development of the process technology, the operating voltage of the core circuit becomes lower, and the operating voltage of the core circuit is thus lower than the operating voltage of the I/O circuit. Accordingly, before a signal is transmitted from the core circuit to the I/O circuit, a voltage level of the signal is able to be increased by the level shifter. Alternatively, before a signal is transmitted from the I/O circuit to the core circuit, a voltage level of the signal is able to be decreased by the level shifter.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna apparatus for carrying out data communication in noncontact between the antenna apparatus and a data carrier used by being attached to a person or goods, for example, for control of entrance and evacuation or automatic sorting of goods. More particularly, the present invention relates to an antenna apparatus increasing a receiving capacity in noncontact communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Normally, a noncontact RF tag (hereinafter, referred to as RF tag) used as a data carrier comprises a coil antenna and an IC chip including an involatile memory. Data communication is carried out by wireless between the RF tag and an antenna apparatus which generates an induced magnetic field. The technology of noncontact communication attracts attention as a recognition technology substituting for a bar code. In the RF tag enabling the noncontact communication, a power source for operating the IC chip is taken out from the induced magnetic field generated by the antenna and therefore, a battery is dispensed with.
Meanwhile, a loop antenna is used for the antenna apparatus and various antenna shapes are constituted depending on methods and location of use thereof.
For example, there is present an antenna apparatus arranged with one antenna provided to be opposite to one side of a detecting region, or a gate type antenna apparatus arranged with two antennas having the same shape provided on both sides of a detecting region so that they are opposite to each other. The antenna apparatus are used for an automatic reading apparatus of goods carried by a conveyer, a reading apparatus for inventory control for entrance and evacuation of goods, or a related-art security gate of preventing shoplifting.
An antenna apparatus used for such an object is requested to read the RF tag within the detecting region without being dependent on a position or a direction thereof and needs to realize the reading within a limited radio wave output in compliance with the radio law. In order to satisfy the conflicting requests, a number of modes of antennas have been proposed in the related-art antenna apparatus using radio wave.
When an investigation is given on a communicating function of an antenna of this kind, in the case that transmission and reception can be carried out by one antenna, normally, the antenna is set to adapt to a transmitting frequency and therefore, a receiving sensitivity is lower than that in an optimum case. Therefore, there is a case of providing a receiving antenna set to adapt to a receiving frequency separately from a transmitting antenna or a transmitting and receiving antenna.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when 1 loop of a receiving antenna 62 formed in a rectangular shape is arranged on an inner side of 1 loop of a transmitting antenna 61 similarly formed in a rectangular tape, a current 63 is induced to couple at the receiving antenna 62 by a magnetic field generated in a direction of penetrating a loop shape of the transmitting antenna 61. Therefore, a current flowing in the transmitting antenna 61 is reduced by an amount of being consumed by being coupled to the receiving antenna 62.
As a countermeasure against the reduction in the current, as shown by FIG. 7, a transmitting antenna 71 having a first loop antenna 71a and a second loop antenna 71b in a 8-like shape is provided. When a current having a phase inverse to a phase of a current flowing in the second loop antenna 71b is made to flow in the first loop antenna 71a, a current 73a induced in a receiving antenna 72 by a magnetic field generated by the first loop antenna 71a and a current 73b induced in the receiving antenna 72 by a magnetic field generated by the second loop antenna 71b are provided with the same magnitude and inverse directions of currents. Therefore, the current 73a and the current 73b are canceled by each other. Thereby, coupling of the transmitting antenna 71 and the receiving antenna 72 is eliminated to thereby prevent the reduction in the current of the transmitting antenna 71.
The above-described shape of 2 loops is not limited thereto but as shown by FIG. 8, there can also be provided a transmitting antenna 81 of a 8-like shape which is formed in a rectangular shape, an upper side of which is provided for a first loop antenna 81a and a lower side of which is provided for a second loop antenna 81b. The first and second loop antennas 81a, 81b are formed by narrowing a central portion of the transmitting antenna 81 to an interval by which the 2 loops are not intersected with each other.
Further, when considering a case of 3 loops of a transmitting antenna, as shown by FIG. 9, a transmitting antenna 91 has a first through a third loop antenna 91a through 91c arranged in series in a rectangular shape. In the first loop antenna 91a and the third loop antenna 91c at both end portions of the transmitting antenna 91, currents having a phase inverse to a phase of a current flowing in the second loop antenna 91b is made to flow.
In this case, when a receiving antenna 92 in the rectangular shape is arranged on a plane the same as that of a transmitting antenna 91 and on an inner side of the transmitting antenna 91, respective magnetic fluxes generated by the transmitting antenna 91 are made to pass a first through a third magnetic flux passing region S1, S2, S3 on the inner side of the receiving antenna 92 in correspondence with the first through the third loop antennas 91a through 91c. At this occasion, a direction of magnetic fluxes in the first and the third magnetic flux passing regions S1, S3 is inverse to a direction of magnetic fluxes of the second magnetic flux passing region S2.
When the magnetic fluxes of the respective magnetic flux regions S1, S2, S3 are respectively designated by notations φ1, φ2, φ3, a total φ of the fluxes passing the first through the third magnetic flux passing regions S1, S2, S3 of the receiving antenna 92 becomes φ1−φ2+φ3.
Normally, a relationship of a degree of canceling when the magnetic fluxes passing the magnetic flux passing regions of the receiving antenna 92 are canceled by each other is not φ1+φ3=φ2. Therefore, the total φ of the magnetic fluxes is not nullified. Therefore, a current is induced in the receiving antenna 92, a current flowing in the transmitting antenna 91 is consumed to reduce by the receiving antenna 92 and thus a transmitting function is reduced. When such an inappropriate coupling cannot completely be canceled, a communicating function is reduced and a region of detecting the RF tag is narrowed.
Further, JP-A-2002-237720 discloses a technology of achieving excellent communication by using 4 loops of a transmitting antenna and minimizing a nondetecting region produced at a portion of intersecting loop antennas. However, when a receiving antenna can be a related-art rectangular shape is provided to increase a receiving function of the antenna apparatus, there is a case in which a transmitting function is reduced owing to the above-described fact that the total of the magnetic fluxes is not nullified.
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It is known in the art that certain polymer structures lead to particular characteristics in the resulting polymer. For example, the presence of long chain branching may improve certain polymer characteristics, such as processability and melt strength. The presence of long chain branching in a polymer is typically characterized by the occurrence of polymer moieties of a length greater than that of any olefin comonomer remnant attached to the main, backbone polymer chain. In prior art techniques, long chain branching may be generated in a polymer by incorporation of a vinyl-terminated macromer (either added or formed in situ during polymerization) either by action of the polymerization catalyst itself or by the use of a linking agent. These methods generally suffer from incomplete incorporation of the vinyl-terminated macromer or linking moiety into the polymer, and/or a lack of control over the extent of long chain branching for given process conditions.
It is also known in the art that selective incorporation of particular moieties at the terminal ends of a polymer may produce polymers having particular physical properties or enable their use in specific applications. Significant research has been conducted into such syntheses and related strategies. Accordingly, controlling polymer structure is a topic of much research.
It is well known that acrylic polymers may be produced having a variety of different forms such as block copolymers, random polymers, and telechelic polymers. Acrylic polymers are used in a wide array of applications such as adhesive applications, and thus are of great interest to developers and formulators. Techniques are also known for placing functional groups at the ends of acrylic polymer chains in order to increase molecular weight. Modifying molecular weight and other characteristics of acrylic polymers enables adjustment of properties of adhesive compositions when such polymers are used therein. Although satisfactory in certain aspects, a significant need remains for producing polymers for adhesive formulations that have particular structures in order to provide desired end properties associated with the adhesive formed from the polymer.
As far as is known, currently known strategies do not enable precise placement of monomers with functional groups in particular regions of a polymer. Moreover, currently known strategies do not provide polymers having particular concentrations or loading densities of functional groups in select regions of the polymers, and particularly polymers having precise weight ratio concentrations of functional groups in different regions of the polymers. Accordingly, a need exists for such methods and for polymers having ordered architectures produced using such methods.
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When a fault in an integrated circuit chip caused by a manufacturing defect is detected during testing, the entire integrated circuit chip is rendered non-functional unless a method of repair has been provided. Integrated circuit chips having such repair capability may use redundancy, (substitution of redundant circuits for failing circuits) partial good techniques, (ignoring or disabling some circuitry, and accepting reduced function or performance) or a combination of both. When partial good techniques are being used and partial good chips are detected during test, these chips need to be sorted into multiple part numbers based upon the exact circuit or circuit location that has failed. This indicates to the user what the function or performance of each chip will be. With more than a few circuits that could fail and still allow a partial good chip, this method becomes costly and difficult for production control organizations to administer. Therefore, there is a need for methods and integrated circuits that are repairable in a more cost-effective manner.
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{
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical element.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a method for manufacturing an optical element is known, the method including pressurizing an optical element in a heated and softened state and cooling it.
In the above-described method for manufacturing an optical element, a scheme is known that performs one or more pressure changes in a cooling step so as to prevent a problem such as cracking or breaking from occurring or to prevent the surface accuracy from being reduced upon demolding, the pressure change continuously applying and reducing a pressure applied to an optical element (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-201518).
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Mobile communication systems have been required to ensure service qualities in accordance with the contents of communication requests randomly made by mobile stations (users). Thus, when installing a base station, a mobile telecommunications carrier generally estimates the size of a service area and traffic generated in the service area, and use means such as simulation to design the installation location and configuration of the base station as well as radio parameters such as a transmission level of a downlink common control channel transmitted from the base station.
The designing of a base station involves determining an in-out threshold that is a threshold for determining whether a mobile station is to camp on a cell formed by the base station. For example, in a W-CDMA system, based on Qqualmin broadcasted from a cell whose Ec/N0 measured is the highest, the mobile station determines to camp on the cell when the measured Ec/N0 exceeds Qqualmin. When Ec/N0 periodically measured after completion of the procedure to camp on the cell becomes equal to or lower than Qqualmin, the mobile station attempts to camp on another cell.
In recent years, in addition to base stations for public communications installed by the mobile telecommunications carriers as described above, there has been an increase in small base stations (Home Nodes) installed at home and the like by users of mobile stations. As compared with the base stations for public communications, such a small base station is used by only limited users and can form a small sized cell. Accordingly, the throughput can be expected to increase (see. Non-Patent Document 1).
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{
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electro-optical device substrate used for manufacturing an electro-optical device, such as a liquid crystal device, and to an electro-optical device manufactured using the electro-optical device substrate. In addition, the present invention relates to a method of testing the electro-optical device.
2. Related Art
In general, this type of electro-optical device includes an electro-optical panel for displaying images and a driving circuit. The driving circuit is mounted on a substrate having an electro-optical panel thereon.
The electro-optical device (including the driving circuit when the driving circuit is mounted therein) is generally tested to detect defects, for example, during manufacture, after manufacture, prior to shipping, when the device is examined after use, and when the device is out of order. For example, the electro-optical device is driven in an incomplete state, such as before mounting the driving circuit, or in the state of an electro-optical panel to display a testing image, and then the testing is performed based on the suitability of the testing image. Alternatively, a testing circuit is incorporated into the electro-optical device, and signals of the testing circuit are monitored when driving the device, thereby testing the electro-optical device (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-260391).
However, in the electro-optical device employing, for example, a multiplex method, which is called a hybrid type, it is difficult to perform the testing because the structure of the device becomes complicated.
More specially, in the hybrid-type electro-optical device, a plurality of image signals corresponding to a plurality of data lines in the electro-optical panel are supplied from an external driving circuit. Also, the electro-optical device is driven in the following multiplex method. That is, the image signals are input to each pixel unit of the electro-optical panel, and the input image signals are time-divided into R (red), G (green), and B (blue) components by a demultiplexer. Then, the components are input to three data lines corresponding to three dots constituting one pixel, respectively.
In this case, the number of image signal terminals to which the image signals are input from the outside should be at least a third of the number of the data lines (that is, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction). That is, in the hybrid-type electro-optical panel, in general, the number of image signal terminals is up to several hundreds.
The number of image signal terminals of the hybrid-type electro-optical panel is considerably larger than the number of image signal terminals of an electro-optical device which is driven by so-called serial-parallel expansion (that is, phase expansion). In the serial-parallel expansion, since each group of L data lines is simultaneously driven by the image signals supplied from L image signal lines (for example, 6, 12, or 24 image signal lines), L image signal terminals are required. That is, several or several tens of image signal terminals are required at most.
In the hybrid-type electro-optical device, the number of image signal terminals is relatively large, and gaps between the image signal terminals are relatively narrow. Thus, when the above-mentioned test is performed by bringing a probe into contact with the image signal terminals, the probe should be positioned with high precision. As a result, it is difficult to perform the test with high accuracy, which results in a low degree of manufacturing efficiency and an increase in testing costs.
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Secondary batteries such as non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries, and nickel-cadmium secondary batteries are used as a power source for driving a variety of apparatus. Secondary batteries have various uses from consumer apparatus exemplified by cellular phones to electric vehicles, electric tools and the like. Above all, non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries attract a great attention because they are small-sized, light-weight, and have a high energy density. In recent years, development of the secondary batteries having a higher energy density and a higher output has been increased.
A secondary battery used for consumer apparatus, for example a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes in general a metallic battery case having a bottom for housing an electrode group and an electrolyte, and a sealing plate for sealing an opening of the battery case. The sealing plate includes a metallic filter serving as an internal terminal and a metallic cap serving as an external terminal, and a safety valve and a PTC element are usually interposed between these. The safety valve is composed of a metal thin film and an explosion-proof valve, for example. The sealing plate is formed by caulking the periphery of the metallic filter on the periphery of the metallic cap, the PTC element, and the safety valve with an inner gasket made of resin interposed therebetween.
The metal thin film and the explosion-proof valve constituting the safety valve are welded at respective central portions and are electrically connected. In the case where a battery is erroneously overcharged and an internal pressure of the battery is abnormally increased, the metal thin film breaks to block the current path. At this time, gas inside the battery is discharged outside. For high output purposes requiring discharging at a large current, it is necessary to secure such a safety function and generate a large current efficiently by inhibiting change in internal resistance associated with change over time and change of temperature.
As a technique for efficiently generating a large current in a large-sized lithium ion secondary battery, PTL 1 proposes to form a current collector portion by sandwiching a tap portion (end portion) of a metal material (core member) constituting an electrode by a conductive member and welding the end portion to the conductive member.
On the other hand, PTL 2 proposes a battery in which an end portion of an electrode core member is made to protrude from an electrode group and the protruding portion is connected to a current collector plate. The current collector plate has a cutaway groove portion, and the current collector plate and a tip of the protruding portion are connected to each other on the periphery of the groove portion. According to this proposition, it seems that the connection area of the current collector plate with the protruding portion can be set smaller and the strength of the connection portion can be increased.
[Citation List]
[Patent Literature]
[PTL 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-263029 [PTL 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-36834
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{
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1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to data processing systems, and more specifically, to a configurable pipeline based on an error detection mode.
2. Related Art
Error correction code (ECC) and parity are commonly used to provide error detection and/or error correction for memories. Typically, ECC supports a higher level of error detection at a reduced performance as compared to using parity. Furthermore, certain users of a particular memory place a higher emphasis on error detection than others and are willing to sacrifice some performance to obtain a certain level of safety certification. Other users are not as stringent with respect to error detection and are therefore not willing to sacrifice performance for additional error detection capabilities. Furthermore, different error detection and/or error correction schemes affect execution timing within a processor instruction pipeline differently.
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{
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Field
This application generally relates to spinal fusion, and more specifically, to spinal implants and related systems, tools and methods.
Description of the Related Art
Intervertebral discs can degenerate or otherwise become damaged over time. In some instances, an intervertebral implant can be positioned within a space previously occupied by a disc. Such implants can help maintain a desired spacing between adjacent vertebrae and/or promote fusion between adjacent vertebrae. The use of bone graft and/or other materials within spinal implants can facilitate the fusion of adjacent vertebral bodies. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved intervertebral implant, as well as related instrumentation, tools, systems and methods.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of integrated circuits and, more particularly, to design methodologies for integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Integrated circuits are employed in many different products. Generally, an integrated circuit includes a relatively large number of transistors (perhaps 1 to 5 million in modern integrated circuits, for example) formed upon a semiconductor substrate. The transistors are connected together using two or more wiring layers placed above the transistors, separated from the transistors and other wiring layers with an appropriate dielectric material.
Given the relatively large number of transistors included upon an integrated circuit, it is not feasible to design each transistor and its interconnection to other transistors. Instead, integrated circuit designers typically specify the operation of the integrated circuit using a high level design language (HDL) such as Verilog or VHDL. The description of the integrated circuit is typically a register-transfer level (RTL) description. An RTL description comprises multiple storage devices (e.g. the "registers") which store a current state of the integrated circuit, and a set of logical equations defining a next state of the integrated circuit. The next state is stored in the storage devices according to a clock signal defined for the integrated circuit. The clock signal defines the interval of time in which the next state is to be computed, and is used by the storage devices to determine when to sample an input to the storage device. The input thus sampled is stored in the storage device until the subsequent sampling point occurs upon the clock signal. For example, the rising or falling edge of the clock signal may be used as a sampling point. Alternatively, a storage device may "open" (i.e. allow the input to pass through to the output) during one phase of the clock signal (e.g. logical high or logical low value), and "close" (i.e. store the value upon the input regardless of subsequent changes upon the input) during the other phase of the clock signal. One period of the clock signal is referred to as a clock cycle.
HDLs can be used to provide a readily understandable description of the operation of an integrated circuit. The RTL description may be read by a person unfamiliar with the integrated circuit's operation, and the person may come to an understanding of the operation more quickly than if the person studied the transistors which implement the integrated circuit. However, RTL descriptions must be compiled into a list of transistors and their relative placement upon the semiconductor substrate, as well as a description of the wiring layers used to interconnect the transistors, in order to actually manufacture the integrated circuit. Typically, the integrated circuit design is divided into multiple partitions. At least one RTL description file is associated with each partition.
The process of compiling an RTL description includes a first compiling step, referred to as synthesis, which converts the RTL description into a list of cells and interconnection there between. The list of cells interconnected as specified by the synthesis tool implements the logical next state equations of the RTL description, as well as the storage devices in the RTL description. The cells available to the synthesis tool are provided to the synthesis tool in the form of a cell library comprising multiple cells. Each cell has a set of attributes defining the cell's logical, electrical, and physical properties. One cell attribute is a logical function (such as AND, OR, NAND, NOR, etc., or a complex logical function implementing an equation of basic logical functions) between one or more input pins and one or more output pins of the cell. A second cell attribute is timing information regarding the delay between a signal arriving at a particular input to the cell and an output signal from the cell reacting to the input signal. Each cell is associated with a corresponding circuit including a set of transistors arranged for placement upon an integrated circuit and interconnect between the transistors. The area occupied by the corresponding circuit is a third cell attribute included in the cell library. Furthermore, the timing information referred to above is derived from the circuit and from parameters defined for the semiconductor fabrication process in which the circuit is to be implemented.
The synthesis tool uses the logical functions of the cells in the library to realize the logical next state equations defined in the RTL description. Additionally provided to the synthesis tool is a set of constraints for the design, including a maximum desired clock cycle time and maximum area for the integrated circuit (or portion thereof, in the case of a partitioned integrated circuit). The synthesis tool attempts to realize the RTL description using the cell library within the clock cycle time and area constraints, as well as any other constraints provided to the synthesis tool.
The RTL description of the integrated circuit is typically synthesized multiple times during the design of the integrated circuit. The early synthesis results tend to include a number of logic paths (i.e. interconnected levels of cells between two storage devices) which do not meet the design constraints. Integrated circuit designers analyze the results of the earlier synthesis runs and change the integrated circuit design and/or optimize the RTL description to improve the results of later synthesis runs. Once a design has substantially achieved the design constraints, a second compiling step is performed. The lists of cells corresponding to each partition of the integrated circuit and interconnect between the partitions are "laid out" (i.e. placed within the confines of the desired integrated circuit dimensions) and the wiring between the partitions is routed through the wiring layers. Once the layout is completed, an extraction of the capacitance for the interconnect can be performed, and a final timing analysis including the interconnect delay and delays for the cells is performed to verify that the integrated circuit meets the design goals for the integrated circuit.
A typical cell library includes multiple cells implementing the same basic logical function (e.g. AND, OR, NAND, NOR, etc.) or complex logical function. The multiple cells correspond to different circuits. The number and configuration of the transistors may vary between the circuits corresponding to each of the cells. Alternatively, the "drive strength" may be varied between different circuits having the same number and configuration of transistors. The drive strength is a measure of the circuits ability to charge/discharge a largely capacitive load (e.g. the input pins of other cells plus the wiring there between). A high drive strength indicates the ability to charge/discharge a large load quickly, while a low drive strength indicates a longer time period for charging/discharging a large load. The drive strength may be characterized by an output resistance for the cell. Typically, a circuit having a higher drive strength occupies more area than an equivalent circuit having a lower drive strength (the transistors are made larger to increase the drive strength, for example).
The synthesis tool uses the multiple cells corresponding to a given logical function to realize the RTL description within the area, timing, and other constraints for the integrated circuit. If the timing of a particular logic path is not close to the maximum desired clock cycle time, then cells having a lower drive strength may be selected for that path to minimize the area occupied by those circuits. Additionally, different combinations of cells may form the same overall logical functions, and the different combinations may have different timing and area characteristics. The synthesis tool tries different combinations of drive strengths and different combinations of cells to realize a given RTL description. If none of the selected combinations can realize the RTL description within the design constraints, the synthesis tool selects the combination which is closest to achieving the constraints. Generally speaking, a synthesis tool is a computer program which performs integrated circuit design synthesis. An exemplary synthesis tool is the Design Compiler family of tools available from Synopsys, Inc. of Mountainview, Calif.
Unfortunately, the time required to synthesize an RTL description given multiple drive strengths per logical function and/or multiple circuit types providing an equivalent function can be prohibitive. The time required is particularly prohibitive during the early synthesis attempts performed upon the RTL description. The RTL description provided during the early attempts to synthesize the integrated circuit may require significant optimization before an acceptable synthesis result can be achieved. Additionally, the functionality of the RTL description may need to be modified to achieve an acceptable synthesis result. These early synthesis attempts, then, provide an evaluation of the RTL description and the integrated circuit design itself. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to quickly synthesize an RTL description in order to evaluate the RTL.
In some cases, a library of cells corresponding to a set of circuits designed for a particular semiconductor fabrication process may not be available until after initiation of synthesis is desired. The design cycle (i.e. the time elapsing between defining the design goals of an integrated circuit and the fabrication of the integrated circuit) may be lengthened by the inability to evaluate the RTL description of the integrated circuit earlier in the design cycle.
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The present invention relates to a tubular motor-speed reducer for the simultaneous driving of two structures which is more particularly adapted to the control of the displacements of either one of the two parts of an automobile seat structure. Each of these movements is usually controlled by two devices placed laterally under the seat structure which must be displaced simultaneously and exactly in the same way so that the transmission between the motor and these devices is often complex and even bulky. Now, it is increasingly necessary to have available under the seat structure of the vehicle a free space for increasing the comfort of the passengers.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical device for electrostatic copying machines with a copy enlarging and reducing function, and more particularly to an optical device for a copying machine in which the position of the principal point of the optical system can be inverted for copy enlargements and reductions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, electrostatic copying machines with the functions of enlarging and reducing the copy ratio form a main stream in the art. In a copying machine with such copy enlarging and reducing functions, the optical system which is interposed between an original mount and a sensitive material surface for exposure, e.g. a photosensitive drum surface, usually employs a symmetrical lens construction which has an principal point internally of the optical system like the so-called Orthometa- or Sellar-type lens. The optical system which is movable along the light path is located at a median position between the original mount and the sensitive material surface at the time of duplication in 1:1 copy ratio, shifting the optical system toward the original mount and the sensitive material surface at the time of copy enlargements and reductions, respectively, thereby varying the ratio of the light path length on the side of the object point or between the optical system and the original mount to the light path length on the side of the image point or between the optical system and the sensitive material surface according to changes in copy ratio.
In order to make the copying machine compact, more than one mirror is provided in each of the light paths on the sides of the object and image points, thereby folding the light paths in such a manner as to reduce the space for the entire light path length. In case of a copying machine of the type which has a fixed original mount and a movable light source for illuminating the original, some of the mirrors are moved to follow the movement of the light source.
Therefore, when shifting the positions of the optical system and mirrors to alter the copy ratio as mentioned hereinbefore, it is necessary to make arrangements to avoid interferences therebetween. That is to say, restrictions based on a selected range of copy ratios are imposed on the positional relationship between the optical system and the mirrors which are located forward and backward of the optical system. In this connection, although currently there is an extremely strong demand for small-sized and compact copying machines, the reduction of the machine size has a limit in view of the restrictions on the positional relationship of the optical system with the forward and backward located mirrors, which has a great influence on the dimensions of the copying machine. Otherwise, there is another problem that the designed range of the copy ratios has to be sacrificed to some extent for reduction of the machine size.
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{
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Mobile phones become people's necessities, and people always carry them. For people who want to be more beautiful, mirror is another necessity to be carried. When the display screen becomes black, it is useless, and cannot act as a mirror due to a low reflectivity. In related art, a back surface of a screen lens is coated with a layer of reflective film so as to enhance the reflective effect. However, when the display screen is used for displaying, the reflective film significantly affects the light transmission.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to processes for the manufacture of photonic polymer composite films. In particular, the invention pertains to large-area flexible photonic films with self-healing properties produced by flash evaporation, vacuum deposition and radiation curing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) consist of the combination of a hole-transport (electron-donor) organic material with an electron-transport (electron-acceptor) compound such as an organometallic substance. Both materials may be in the form of monomers, oligomers or polymers combined in a single layer or in multi-layer composite structures sandwiched between two electrodes. The composites are typically deposited on a carrying substrate either by a solvent-based technique or a vapor-deposition process. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,902,641 and 6,040,017 describe flash-evaporation techniques for the deposition of single- and multi-layer structures, respectively.
Manufacturing defects in the active layers of OLEDs, such as may be caused by embedded foreign particles, micro-inclusions, or micro-protrusions, can produce electromechanically and dielectrically weak spots that in turn can lead to localized structural breakdowns. These pinhole occurrences typically result in a high localized current flow, or even in the formation of an arc, between the anode and the cathode electrodes of the OLED. When this kind of dielectric breakdown occurs, the capacitive energy stored between the two electrodes is first discharged, and then it is followed by a continuous current flow supplied by the power source energizing the OLED. This type of breakdown and the attendant high currents cause the formation of elemental carbon that further enhances the electrical conductivity between the electrodes in the vicinity of the damaged spot, thereby producing more current and in turn the formation of more conductive carbon. Thus, the damage propagates and, if not controlled, it leads to complete failure and functional destruction of the OLED device. This is a major drawback in the utilization of currently available OLED technology for many potential applications in which it could otherwise be advantageously adopted.
Another problem with present organic photonic systems lies in the rigidity and brittleness of their structure. All small organic molecules used to produce hole-transport layers (HTL) and electron-transport layers (ETL) consist of crystals that form very brittle thin films. Thus, while these materials may be appropriate for small-area glass-supported devices, less brittle and tougher thin films are required for large-area flexible light sources. Accordingly, the possibility of improving the mechanical properties of photonic films by including such active small molecules inside a polymer matrix has been investigated. Because of the poor solubility of photonic molecules in polymeric materials and the tendency of these molecules to separate out of the polymeric matrix, this line of research has not produced satisfactory results.
Therefore, there is still a need for an organic photonic structure that is both self-healing from pin-hole dielectric failures and sufficiently flexible to warrant the manufacture of large-area OLED devices. This invention is directed at a novel process for achieving these objectives through flash evaporation, vapor deposition, and curing of the various constituents under parameters selected to yield a flexible, self-healing, composite photonic layer.
The primary objective of this invention is an organic LED structure that prevents the propagation of the damage caused by the occurrence of an electrical short between the electrodes of the device.
Another important objective is a sufficiently flexible photonic structure to permit large-area applications over flexible substrates.
Another goal is an advantageous method of manufacture for photonic composites that have such self-healing and flexible-structure characteristics.
Yet another goal is a production process suitable for making large-area photonic products by direct deposition of the photonic layer or layers over a flexible substrate.
Another objective is a process that can be implemented at high production rates.
Still another goal is a process that produces a highly homogeneous, defect-free, film.
Specifically, a goal of the invention is a process particularly suitable for manufacturing large light sources for buildings, such as for wall, ceiling, and window signs.
Another specific goal is a process particularly suitable for manufacturing thin-film lights for the automotive industry.
Yet another specific goal is a process suitable for manufacturing flexible photonic composites for general decorative applications.
A final objective is a method of manufacture that can be implemented relatively easily and economically utilizing modified prior-art vapor deposition technology.
Therefore, according to these and other objectives, one aspect of the invention consists of flash evaporating a heterogeneous blend of small photonic organic molecules and a binder consisting of polymerizable monomers or oligomers to provide a vapor-phase mixture at the molecular level. The mixture is then condensed as a homogeneous liquid layer on a substrate and cured in-line within a very short time (in the order of milliseconds) to ensure that phase separation of the homogeneous condensed film does not occur. According to another aspect of the invention, the surface resistance of the metallic cathode and the chemical characteristics of the polymer binder in the photonic structure are selected such as to ensure the melting and oxidation of exposed portions of the cathode and the complete combustion of elemental carbon generated during a dielectric breakdown in the device, thereby providing a built-in mechanism for minimizing conductivity and preventing the propagation of the damage caused by electrical shorts. The resulting characteristics of self-healing and flexibility of the OLED structure are advantageously utilized to produce large-area flexible light sources for automotive, sign, and decorative applications.
Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear from its description in the specification that follows and from the novel features particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, this invention consists of the features hereinafter illustrated in the drawings, fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such drawings and description disclose but one of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced.
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The present disclosure relates generally to a scanner module and an image scanning apparatus employing the same and, more particularly, to a scanner module that is capable of uniformly distributing illumination over a predetermined area of a document, and an image scanning apparatus employing the same.
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Use of pre-processed foods, both in homes and in restaurants, has created a demand for high-capacity automated food processing equipment. That demand is particularly evident with respect to hamburgers, molded steaks, fish cakes, and other molded food patties.
Food processors utilize high-speed molding machines, such as FORMAX F-6, F-12, F-19, F-26 or F-400 reciprocating mold plate forming machines, available from Formax, Inc. of Mokena, Ill., U.S.A., for supplying patties to the fast food industry. Prior known high-speed molding machines are also described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,887,964; 4,372,008; 4,356,595; 4,821,376; and 4,996,743 herein incorporated by reference.
Although heretofore known FORMAX patty-molding machines have achieved commercial success and wide industry acceptance, the present inventors have recognized that needs exist for a forming machine having an even greater energy efficiency, an even greater durability and an even greater duration of maintenance free operation. The present inventors have recognized that needs exist for an enhanced controllability and ability to tune a patty-forming machine for particular food materials to be processed, for an enhanced effectiveness of a patty-forming machine in producing uniform patties, for an even greater output rate of patties from a patty-forming machine, for an enhanced convenience for cleaning and maintenance of a patty-forming machine, and for a smoother and quieter patty-forming machine operation.
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The present disclosure relates to a diffusion sheet having a surface on which convex-shaped structures are formed and a method of producing the same, and to a backlight and a liquid crystal display apparatus each including such a diffusion sheet.
In related art, for a backlight to be incorporated into a liquid crystal display apparatus, there have been used various optical sheets. As one of the most important sheets among the various optical sheets, there is a diffusion sheet. As the diffusion sheet, a sheet obtained by forming a convex-shaped micro-lens group on a main surface of a transparent sheet substrate is known (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-318668).
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The present invention relates to infusion members and more particularly to a novel multi-angle U-shaped hub for an infusion member.
Conventional medical practice often requires an intravenous infusion to be performed to allow blood, nutriments or other desirable fluids to be fed directly into the vascular system of a patient being treated. A venipuncture is performed at a site on the patient's body and a hollow infusion member is inserted therethrough. Typically, a length of tubing is attached between the infusion member and a supply bottle located in the vicinity of the patient. It is extremely important to prevent lateral movement of the infusion member relative to the venipuncture site, to reduce abrasion and laceration of the flesh around the venipuncture site and so minimize its irritation and susceptibility to phlebitis, and to prevent inadvertent withdrawal of the infusion member, to minimize hematoma or blood loss.
It is known to provide a structure, adjacent to the junction of the infusion member and tube, to be grasped during the venipuncture operation. It is also known to utilize the structure to provide a surface for taping the junction region to the patient's body, after the infusion member had been inserted, to reduce the undesirable lateral movements thereof.
Desirable infusion apparatus should also utilize a structure allowing the infusion member and tube to be manufactured in an axially aligned condition, and still provide a doctor or technician complete choice of the final angular orientation of the infusion tube with respect to the infusion member. A medical practitioner, especially when preparing a patient for surgery, requires a choice of angles of the infusion tube relative to the infusion member. Various surgical procedures require that the infusion tube: remain axially aligned with the infusion member, as when the intravenous supply is positioned toward the lower extremity of the patient; have a 90.degree. bend with respect to the axis of the infusion member, as when filters are attached thereto; have a 135.degree. bend with respect to the infusion member axis, to allow the flexible tube to point towards the head of the operating table when the venipuncture site is situated in the outstretched arm of the patient; or have a 180.degree. bend if the arm is at and parallel to the patient's side and the intravenous source is near the head of the patient. Thus, an infusion member hub capable of maintaining the flexible infusion tube at one of a plurality of angles relative to the axis of the infusion member, yet minimizing the radial pressure on the tube to prevent a pinch effect and subsequent decrease of both internal cross-section of and flow through the tube, is desirable.
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Imaging an object may be considered as a collection of points from the plane of the object that are being focused by an optical system onto a collection of points on the plane of an image sensor. When there is a need to obtain spectral information as well as spatial information of the object, there is a fundamental problem, since this task is essentially the need to simultaneously capture a two-dimensional image of the object plane together with the color of each point of the object plane, this being essentially a “third dimension” of the object plane, and to record these three dimensions of information on the two-dimensional plane of the image sensor. A number of proposed solutions have been suggested in the prior art to solve this problem.
One of the possible optical systems may be one that includes an array of pinholes that may be positioned at the focal plane of the light reflected off the object, while the image sensor is located beyond the focal point such that the image acquired is defocused (and would be later focused by appropriate software). The pinhole array is used to differentiate between points from the plane of the object, such that there won't be any overlap of points in the plane of the image sensor. Without the pinholes there is overlap between points on the imager's plane, which would make it practically impossible to correlate between points on the imager's plane to points on the object's plane and thus practically impossible to restore the spatial information of the object.
A filter array comprising sub-filters may be added to the system and may be positioned at the aperture stop, such that spectral information may be acquired by the optical system as well as spatial information. That is, every pixel at the imager's plane has two “coordinates”; one for the angle at which light was reflected off the object, and a second for the sub-filter which the light reflected off the object passed through. However, the main disadvantages of using a pinhole array is losing spatial information, and losing light when collecting the light reflected off the object, since the pinhole array blocks some of the light reflected off the object from being projected onto the imager. One of the groups implementing such an optical system is, for example, the MITRE Corporation, Mclean, Va. (Horstmeyer R., Athale R. and Euliss G. (2009) “Modified light field architecture for reconfigurable multimode imaging”. Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 7468, 746804).
Another possible optical system that may be used to create an image of an object while providing spatial and spectral information is one where instead of a filter array located at the aperture stop, a mask is located at the aperture stop. The mask, according to Wagadarikar et al. a group from Duke University, Durham, N.C., USA, is called a ‘coded aperture’ (A. A. Wagadarikar, N. P. Pitsianis, X. B. Sun and D. J. Brady (2009). “Video rate spectral imaging using a coded aperture snapshot spectral imager.” Optics Express 17(8): 6368-6388). The optical system described in this article does not comprise a pinhole array so there is an overlap between pixels of the image sensor. The mask is random with the requirement of being 50% open for passage of light that is reflected off the imaged object. With this optical system there is minimal loss of spatial resolution, since the scenes that are being imaged do not consist of dramatic spectral changes, and the objects are relatively large so it is not difficult to distinguish between areas of the same spectra.
The mask, according to the above optical system, provides combinations of spatial and spectral “coordinates” that may describe the object. (The “coordinates” are acquired by the imager followed by software reconstruction, in order to focus the acquired images). In areas of the object where the spectrum is substantially similar, only the spatial data is missing. The mask is then used to separate between close points with similar spectrum on the imager's plane, so it would be easier to correlate those points to points on the object's plane. However, when close points on the object have different spectrum (e.g., along the edges of the object) it is more difficult to distinguish between the points projected onto the imager.
Images that provide spatial as well as spectral information may be important within small scale in-vivo imaging devices, e.g., endoscopes and capsule endoscopes. Spatial information is needed in order to determine the in-vivo location of the device, and spectral information of in-vivo tissue is important for determining various diseases at early stages that may be expressed in changes in spectra of various in-vivo particles, e.g., hemoglobin. There is therefore a need for a new optical system that may be implemented into devices that are to be inserted in-vivo, in order to acquire images that contain both spatial and spectral information.
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The present invention provides an amorphous, pharmaceutically active form of a compound of formula I
which is substantially free of crystalline compound. This compound is also known as 3-(1-methyl-3-indolyl)-4-(1-methyl-6-nitro-3-indolyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5,-dione. This invention also provides a process for making the, amorphous form of the compound of formula I as well as pharmaceutical compositions including such compound.
A crystalline form of the compound of formula I is known. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. Re. 36,736. This crystalline form has a melting point of approximately 285xc2x0 C. (Id. column 22, lines 5-6). This compound belongs to a novel class of cell cycle inhibitors and apoptosis-inducers having potent anti-cancer therapeutic activity, in particular in solid tumors such as non-small cell lung, breast and colorectal cancers. See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,887 and EP 0 988,863. In its previously known crystalline form, compound of formula I has relatively low aqueous solubility ( less than 10 xcexcg/mL) at physiological pHs (which range from 1.5-8.0) and consequently less than optimal bioavailability (less than 5% in dogs). As this is a therapeutically active compound, it is thus desirable to obtain a form of the compound of formula I which has improved solubility/dissolution rate and bioavailability.
The bioavailability of a therapeutically active compound is generally determined by (i) the solubility/dissolution rate of the compound, and (ii) the partition coefficient/permeability of the compound through a subject""s gastrointestinal membrane. The major cause of poor bioavailability of a therapeutically active compound is usually the poor solubility/dissolution rate of said compound. Poor bioavailability is also often accompanied by high variable patient blood levels and unpredictable dose/therapeutic effects due to erratic absorption of the drug by the patient.
Several techniques can be used to improve the bioavailability of therapeutically active compounds having relatively low aqueous solubility. These techniques are discussed in the background Section of EP 0988,863. Also described in EP 0988,863, is a novel process pursuant to which crystalline therapeutically active compounds having relatively low aqueous solubilities may be rendered more bioavailable by being incorporated or dispersed in an ionic polymer.
While the dispersion or incorporation of therapeutically active compounds having relatively low aqueous solubilities in ionic polymers using certain methods may increase the bioavailability of these compounds, these methods can be cumbersome and time consuming. Such methods also require that the therapeutically active compounds are delivered to a patient in combination with a polymer, which may not always be beneficial or desirable. It is thus desirable to develop a process of making the compound of formula I in its amorphous form which does not require dispersion of the compound in a polymer.
The invention relates to an amorphous form of the compound of formula I which is substantially free of the crystalline form of the compound. This amorphous (also referred to as xe2x80x9chigh energyxe2x80x9d) form of the compound of formula I exhibits a faster dissolution rate than and superior bioavailability to the previously known crystalline form of the compound. The bioavailability of the amorphous form of the compound of this invention is significantly higher than the crystalline form of the compound, thereby enabling the amorphous form of the compound to be used in the treatment or therapy of cancerous tumors.
Another aspect of the invention relates to stable, amorphous compound of formula I which remains in stable, amorphous form for a period of time to permit the compound to have a reasonable shelf life (for example, two (2) years at room temperature) independent of form stabilizers such as an ionic polymer.
Another aspect of the invention is a process for making the high energy amorphous compound of formula l.
Another aspect of the invention is a pharmaceutical composition including a therapeutically effective amount of the compound of formula I in amorphous form.
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With increasing demands on computational power and data transmission bandwidth, electronic devices and microstructures incorporating such devices are becoming increasingly complex necessitating a greater degree of mechanical and electrical interconnection among components. In response, three-dimensional microstructures provide a variety of advantages in accommodating the need for increased device performance. By way of example, three-dimensional microstructures and methods for their manufacture are illustrated at least at U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,948,335, 7,405,638, 7,148,772, 7,012,489, 7,649,432, 7,656,256, 7,755,174, 7,898,356, 8,031,037 and/or U.S. Application Pub. Nos. 2010/0109819, 2011/0210807, 2010/0296252, 2011/0273241, 2011/0123783, 2011/0181376 and/or 2011/0181377, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
A typical approach for electrically and/or mechanically interconnecting both planar and three-dimensional microstructures is soldering. However, it may be difficult to stop solder from wicking up the length of a metal component, especially in view of the complex surface morphologies which may be encountered in three-dimensional microstructures, and particularly when such structures are made of or coated with metals such as gold, silver, copper or similar metals which are capable of promoting solder flow. For instance, the presence of a multitude of discrete components, mounting surfaces, interconnected chips, and so on presents a variety of surface height changes and void spaces prone to wicking molten solder along the surfaces of such components.
While the phenomena of adhesion of a desired solder to base metal may be called “wetting” and lack of it as “non-wetting”, for the purposes of the present application the term “wicking” is defined to connote the flow (intended or unintended) of solder along the surface of parts, even though the physics of the flow is not one of traditional fluidic “wicking” in the sense as it occurs when a fabric contacts water. Wicking therefore in the context of the present application is the wetting of the solder, and to stop the wicking in the present application refers to stopping of wetting and flow of the solder past the intended boundaries. A clean thin layer of gold on platinum, intended for solder reflow, may for example, continue to wet the surface particularly in non-oxidizing conditions for a great distance until the solder thickness or composition due to interdiffusion becomes unacceptable for its intended purpose.
The unintended flow of solder throughout such microstructures may cause decreased performance, uncontrolled bond lines, shorting, solder embrittlement, and other problems. In traditional planar structures such as circuit boards control of the solder flow can be performed with a patterned solder mask. Often such materials are either selectively applied or patterned, e.g., photo-patterned, or they may be micro-sprayed. Whereas a “solder mask”, such as a patterned planar dielectric coating, may be used to stop and/or control solder flow, in an open three-dimensional structure applying such a material may be relatively difficult to achieve for multiple reasons. First, the interconnects and/or electrical junctions where devices are to be attached may be on a layer other than the surface layer, precluding the use of dry film. Second, a complex three-dimensional structure may be hard to coat and/or pattern lithographically on more than one layer. Third, it may be desirable to ensure substantially complete removal of any existing solder mask materials as they may degrade performance such as RF performance, because they may not be applied with sufficient accuracy and/or quantity for many applications (e.g., microwave devices) onto such three-dimensional structures. These problems are aggravated when the desired pad dimensions for a solder or conductive adhesive continue to shrink from squares of hundreds of microns on a side to squares of tens of microns, as currently is the case for some microwave and mm-wave devices and circuits such as MMICs.
In addition, three-dimensional microstructures may include coatings of excellent conductors and/or noble metals, such as gold, which may aggravate a problem of solder flowing along a conductor in an uncontrolled manner. Further, solder thickness and even conductive adhesive thickness, as well as volume, in a particular location often need to be controlled as the these parameters can determine mechanical properties such as strength and resistance to fatigue. Maintaining the solder's reflow over a controlled location during attach can provide compositional control of the metals in the solder system as noble metals, diffusion barriers, and base metals tend to dissolve to varying degrees and therefore impact lifetime and other properties of the electro-mechanical junctions at the points of attach. Still, solder attach may be an important technique for high strength and reliable device attachment. Previous approaches for three-dimensional microstructures have failed to disclose how to maintain adhesion of such coatings particularly when the CTE match of the wettable metals and the non-wettable layers or “wick stop” materials may be highly mismatched. Thus, there remains a need to control flow, wetting area, and/or spread of solder material for three-dimensional micro-electric structures including, for example, those incorporated herein by reference above.
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Aftertreatment devices are well known and widely used in various internal combustion engine applications for the aftertreatment of engine exhaust gases. Such devices as diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters have been useful for handling and/or removing diesel exhaust materials, including carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and soot in the exhaust stream of an engine.
Although particulate filters are sometimes not catalyzed, many oxidation catalysts commonly employ a catalyzed material applied to interior surfaces within fluid passageways of a cellular structure. Undesired exhaust material(s) react with the catalyst material, thus diminishing the undesired exhaust material(s).
However, inlet face plugging (coking) of diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters continues to be an issue for vehicles with transient or less aggressive duty cycles, during cold ambient operating conditions, and during extended idling conditions. Other conditions that may lead to inlet face plugging can include frequent start and stop operation and engine operation during relatively low exhaust temperature ranges, such as 220° C. to 400° C. Face-plugging or fouling has been known as residue, such as exhaust materials and/or soot particles that accumulate on the outer surface of the cellular and channel structure at the inlet face of an aftertreatment device, and effectively reduces the open frontal area of the aftertreatment device.
Face-plugging is problematic, because it can result in a sharp rise in backpressure in aftertreatment or exhaust systems, which in turn may affect engine operation and decrease system efficiency. For example, face plugging of the aftertreatment device prevents effective conversion of injected hydrocarbon across the aftertreatment device, resulting in ineffective particulate filter regenerations due to low temperatures. Face plugging can also result in fuel penalty as fuel is being dosed for extended amounts with no benefit to filter regeneration. Face plugging can eventually lead to filter failures due to uncontrolled thermal events during transient driving conditions. Thus, preventing the formation of the soot/coke deposits on the inlet face of the aftertreatment device under all operating conditions is desirable.
Current closed loop control strategies to clean the aftertreatment device have tracked the amount of time spent dosing fuel in the exhaust using a straight time based count down timer to predict face plugging on the device. On reaching a threshold, the engine operating mode is switched to a high NOx, low particulate matter condition to oxidize any carbon deposits and clean out the aftertreatment device. However, such a method can take approximately 3 to 4 hours to clean the aftertreatment device and may not be completely effective. The reason being plugging of the flow channels usually begins from the front or inlet face at the end of the aftertreatment device. The level of NO2, which is known as a primary oxidizing agent, is found in low quantities in engine out diesel exhaust and is not effective in oxidizing soot on the inlet face.
There is a need to provide an improved engine exhaust system that can prevent and/or eliminate face-plugging or fouling at the inlet face of such aftertreatment devices.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fabrication methods of semiconductor packages, and more particularly, to a fabrication method of a semiconductor package for improving the product reliability.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the rapid development of electronic industries, electronic products are developed towards multi-function and high electrical performance. Accordingly, fan out packaging technologies have been developed to meet the miniaturization requirement of semiconductor packages.
FIGS. 1A to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views showing a fabrication method of a fan out semiconductor package 1 according to the prior art.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a carrier 10 is provided and an adhesive layer 11 is formed on the carrier 10.
Then, a plurality of semiconductor elements 12 are disposed on the adhesive layer 11. Each of the semiconductor elements 12 has an active surface 12a with a plurality of electrode pads 120 and a non-active surface 12b opposite to the active surface 12a. The semiconductor elements 12 are attached to the adhesive layer 11 via the active surfaces 12a thereof.
Referring to FIG. 1B, an encapsulant 13 is laminated on the adhesive layer 11 for encapsulating the semiconductor elements 12.
Referring to FIG. 1C, a curing process is performed to cure the encapsulant 13, and then the adhesive layer 11 and the carrier 10 are removed to expose the active surfaces 12a of the semiconductor elements 12.
Referring to FIG. 1D, an RDL (Redistribution Layer) process is performed to form an RDL structure 14 on the encapsulant 13 and the active surfaces 12a of the semiconductor elements 12. The RDL structure 14 is electrically connected to the electrode pads 120 of the semiconductor elements 12.
Then, an insulating layer 15 is formed on the RDL structure 14, and portions of the RDL structure 14 are exposed from the insulating layer 15 so as for a plurality of conductive elements 16 such as solder bumps to be mounted thereon.
However, large stresses may be generated during the curing process of the encapsulant 13 and dispersed by the carrier 10. As such, referring to FIG. 1D′, warpage easily occurs on edges of the encapsulant 13 after the carrier 10 is removed. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the RDL structure 14 to be aligned with the electrode pads 120 of the semiconductor elements 12. The greater the size of the carrier 10 is, the more severe the position tolerance between the semiconductor elements 12 becomes, thereby adversely affecting the electrical connection between the RDL structure 14 and the semiconductor elements 12. As such, the product reliability and yield are reduced.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a fabrication method of a semiconductor package so as to overcome the above-described drawbacks.
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As medical technology has advanced, it is increasingly common for practitioners to interpret data received from one or more medical imaging devices. Different types of imaging devices (e.g., x-ray images, computed tomography scans, magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) scans) produce different types of output images, and medical practitioners receive extensive training in performing diagnoses based on these images. However, analysis of these images may involve various time consuming processes, such as manual labeling of elements within an image. For example, a practitioner might spend a significant amount of time manually applying labels to vertebrae in a spinal x-ray or MRI scan in order to report a spinal problem. These manual processes may delay patient results and reduce the availability of the practitioner to perform other tasks. User errors during these processes may result in incorrect or delayed reports. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, applicant has solved many of these identified problems by developing a solution that is embodied by the present invention, which is described in detail below.
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This invention relates to the simulation of video images originated on motion picture film stocks, from high definition video originated material stored on tape.
Film has been the preferred recording medium on which to originate many productions broadcast on television for years because of the sophisticated visual impression provided by the character of film stocks' color response and the general audience familiarity with the appearance resulting from filmed material presented on television; the resulting "look", a product of the photo-chemical process preceding the production of television signals representative of the image stored in the photo-chemical process, differs in several ways from video originated material of an identical photographic subject. Two key ways in which they differ are the focus of this invention: The color and grey scale component value response in each pixel of the resulting image on a television monitor; and the subtle visual impression made by the textured appearance of film grain, which is inherent to images stored within motion picture film emulsion.
Though color negative film has the ability to reproduce abundantly more color and grey scale gradients than video originated images, when video images are created from filmed images by means of a standard telecine "flying spot scanner" transfer, an illusion of the entire range of film's color response is maintained. This phenomenon, occurring within the scope of the video medium, provides that constants exist that can define the variation in pixel response between film and video originated images shot under identical lighting conditions, when viewed on video monitors: It is the combination of filmed information as it can be reproduced on a monitor that provides the overall maintenance of the "film look", and each separate color component combination of each pixel of film originated image is in fact available and employed by video originated images, though in response to a different photographic stimulus in almost every case.
The video data resulting from a telecine transfer defines filmed images in video terms, so the medium in question is in fact video, and the parameters and actual subtleness of projected filmed images are not the issue. Rather, the video data assigned to a resulting pixel representing a zone of film emulsion is an averaging process provided by video standards and color and grey scale gradients recognized as those registered and visible on standard television receivers.
Digital video technology has provided that digital data defines video images and encodes the color and grey component values for each pixel in addressable sequences, able to be "read" and "rewritten" into a store. Therefore, given uniform and predominantly shadow-free lighting and even color temperature during original videotaping, and careful slating of this data for each shot in foot candles and degrees kelvin respectively, digital data logged from pixel response of color data originally stored in film stock emulsion, under the same light intensity and color temperature conditions, can be referenced according to principal videographic variables and inserted in place of the original video color data. This would create an aesthetic comprise that permits approximation of potentially any film stock's anticipated response to the same stimulus represented in video form.
Existing technology for the printing industry and digital video provide for scan-sequential and specifically addressed pixel component modifications according to look-up-table data, as the system of the present invention employs, (i.e. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,727,425; 4,710,806.)
New high definition television systems and video projection systems capable of manifesting a high definition compatible number of scanning lines provide the means for executing a process whereby actual film grain within celluloid emulsion can be married with a projected image, and videographed with a loss in image clarity low enough to produce a final result which provides a film "look" to images at an aesthetically acceptable sacrifice to the original high definition integrity of the video images. Present systems strive to simulate film grain appearances digitally, with a result that is visibly different from actual film grain appearances on monitors, following a telecine "transfer." By incorporating the general videography-of-film operating basis of telecine devices, high definition projection and camera units mounted on tracks, with macro lensing, "gen-lock" synched together, matching scan lines to the highest degree possible can capture a complete video frame as it is projected on a grey emulsion surface of optional size. This recreation of a video signal of a high number of scanning lines from a high definition projection would have a resulting actual clarity substantially less than that of the original video material, but with the aesthetic look of film originated images. Present systems for providing an NTSC signal from a high definition signal may be employed at this stage, or the signal may be maintained as as higher definition signal for recording, monitoring or broadcasting.
So, for many television applications where film is shot for telecine transfer to video, there are benefits to be gained by employing the system of the present invention. At the production level: a television camera is employed instead of a film camera providing silence; immediate screening of the actual material shot; immediate sound synching; lesser risk of reshoots from screening original material for problems immediately; and no expense of negative film. In post production: processing of film, transfer to video and sound synching are not needed; having shot video, dailies need not be awaited; all shot selections destined for final modification by the "FILMITATOR" system are made in preliminary "off-line" edit sessions, minimizing the actual amount of material submitted for modification and thus time charges as opposed to a film shoot where typically all material must be transferred to tape, at substantial expense, for initial screening; and during modification by this system, a variety of film stock component response and film grain options may be previewed and imparted to the original video material, providing a unique range of new post-production aesthetic effects to video originated material.
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention resides in the field comprising the electrical transfer of electrolytes (including weakly dissociated electrolytes) from a first fluid to a second fluid and more particularly relates to apparatus and processes utilizing the principle of electrodeionization(EDI), i.e. to electrodialysis apparatus and processes in which at least one compartment of said apparatus is packed with particulate ion exchange material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrodeionization (EDI) is a process for transferring electrolytes (including weakly dissociated electrolytes) from a first fluid to a second fluid under the influence of a substantially direct electric potential applied to an electrodialysis apparatus in which at least some of the flow compartments, generally at least some of the diluting compartments, are substantially filled or packed with particulate ion exchange material.
EDI is particularly attractive to deionize waters with low total dissolved solids content, which exhibit low electrical conductivity and which thus limit the current capacity of conventional electrodialysis. The highly conductive ion exchange resin packing in EDI provides a conductive path between ion exchange membranes and also increases the surface area available for removal of ionized dissolved solids from the water.
Although it is not intended that this invention be limited in any way by any theory of electrodeionization (i.e., electrodialysis with compartments packed with particulate ion exchange material) nevertheless the following may help to understand the technology, this invention, and the various functions of the particulate ion exchange material packing.
Referring to FIG. 1(a) it represents schematically and in a simplified way one possible arrangement of such packing. In 1(a) "C" represents a cation selective membrane, i.e. an electrolytically conductive sheet or film in which the electric current is carried substantially exclusively by cations; "A" represents an anion selective membrane, i.e. an electrolytically conductive sheet or film in which the electric current is carried substantially exclusively by anions; "CX" represents particulate cation exchange material and "AX" represents particulate anion exchange material. The mix of particulates may range from all-cation-exchange to all anion-exchange, but for electrodeionization approximately an equinormal mixture of CX and AX is generally preferred. For purposes of illustration in FIG. 1(a) the space between membranes C and A is packed with an approximately equinormal mixture of particulate CX and AX, in one possible random arrangement. There are many different such arrangements of the 8 CX particles and 12 AX particles corresponding to this approximately equinormal example based on typical commercial ion exchange resin capacities, but that shown will serve to illustrate most of the processes occurring in such packed deionization cells.
The chamber represented by the region between membrane C and membrane A is a demineralizing, depleting, or diluting compartment, i.e. if the compartment contains in addition to the ion exchange particulates CX and AX a solution of a dissociated electrolyte in the interstices among the particles CX and AX, then cations from such solution will tend to migrate through membrane C toward electrode E.sup.- and anions through membrane A toward electrode E.sup.+ thereby depleting the electrolyte in the chamber. It is well known (See Heymann and O'Donnell, J. Colloid Sci., 4, 395(1949) ) that strongly dissociated ion exchange materials (including ion selective membranes) have specific electrical resistances of order of magnitude about 100 ohm-cm, i.e. about the same as an aqueous solution containing about 0.1 gram equivalent of sodium chloride per liter. Hence if the solution in the interstices is an aqueous solution of sodium chloride containing much less than about 0.1 gram equivalent per liter (say about 0.01 gram- equivalent per liter) then the electrical resistance of the ion-exchange particulates will be much less than that of the solution. Then the low resistance path for anions will be through anion exchange particulates AX and for cations through cation exchange particulates CX. The first column from the left is such a low resistance cation path. The cation exchange particle in the second column also feeds that path. In the two dimensional pattern of FIG. 1(a) the cation exchange particle in the fourth column is a dead end (but in three dimensions, i.e. in the planes immediately above and below that shown in FIG. 1(a), there could be connections to CX particle paths leading to membrane C. There are no dead-end anion particles in the figure. Some anions pass around cation exchange particles which are in the way. At many contacts between the particles it is possible for a cation to enter a cation exchange path and simultaneously for its "companion" anion to enter an anion exchange path. One can postulate that when the electric current passing through the electrolyte solution in the interstices between the particulates and through the particulates is such that the voltage drop across the interfaces between particulates AX and membrane C and between particulates CX and membrane A approaches a certain threshold voltage value (probably about 0.3 volts in the case of most commercially available anion exchange particulates and anion selective membranes) dissociation of water into hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions will occur at such interfaces, possibly catalyzed by weakly dissociated moieties. In this case, at membrane C, hydrogen ions will pass into the membrane and hydroxide ions will tend toward anode E.sup.+ through anion exchange particulate paths. At membrane A hydroxide ions will pass through the membrane and hydrogen ions will pass into cation exchange particle paths and tend toward cathode E.sup.-. Similarly hydrogen and hydroxide ions can be formed at the junction between the CX and AX particles in the fifth column in the figure as well as between the CX particle in the second column and the AX particle immediately below such CX particle.
Such packed electrodialysis apparatus, operating at current densities which result in generation of hydroxide and hydrogen ions, may be regarded as continuously, electrically regenerated mixed bed ion-exchange deionizers. Cost effective apparatus and processes may be achieved by a judicious choice of ion exchange particles with regard to resin type, particle size and shape, and anion-to-cation ratio and relative positioning in addition to selection of the optimal combination of equipment design and operating process parameters.
Although FIG. 1(a) suggests that particulates AX and CX are beads or spheres they can in fact be any structures which provide fluid interstices and permit flow of such fluid in the interstices, for example irregular granules, thin rods preferably parallel with the surfaces of the membranes, fibers including woven or knitted fibers, saddles, rings, tellerettes, etc. For purposes of this invention beads, spheres, or other granules are highly preferred.
Other possible arrangements of ion exchange particulates in the deionization cells are possible. For instance, FIG. 1(b) illustrates schematically and in a simplified way another possible arrangement of such packing. In this case the low resistance path for anions will be through the anion exchange particulates AX. Cations will be constrained to migrate through the fluid in the interstices between the particulates. The interface between the particulates AX and membrane C will have the possibility of formation of hydrogen and hydroxide ions at that interface, when the applied current is such that the voltage drop between the particulates AX and the membrane C approaches a certain threshold value, as already discussed in connection with FIG. 1(a). Because of the superior conductivity of hydrogen ions relative to other ions, this type of configuration is more suited to acidic fluids, including weakly dissociated acids. The faster hydrogen ions will move through the fluid, and the anions will move through the particulates AX.
FIG. 1(c) represents another possible arrangement of the particulate packing. "S" represents a thin, highly foraminous sheet such as a plastic screen or expanded plastic sheet having openings sufficiently small to prevent contact between the CX and AX particles, but permitting the flow of fluid within and parallel to the plane of the sheet in at least one direction, e.g. from right to left in FIG. 1(c); E.sup.- represents a negatively charged electrode, i.e. a cathode in electrolytic communication with membrane C through electrolytic solution(s) and/or other membranes and/or ion exchange particulates; E.sup.+ represents a positively charged electrode, i.e. an anode similarly in electrolytic communication with membrane A through electrolyte solution(s), other membranes and/or ion exchange particulates. The compartment represented by the region between membrane C and membrane A is a demineralizing, depleting, or diluting compartment.
The system of juxtaposed particulates AX and membrane A on the one hand and particulates CX and membrane C on the other hand will each behave essentially as equipotential extended surfaces, i.e. as membranes having extended surfaces, when the solution in the interstices and in the screen openings contains much less than about 0.1 gram equivalent per liter of electrolyte, because the electrical resistance of the ion-exchange particulates will be much less than that of the solution.
The compartments adjacent to the deionization chambers in the illustrations of FIG. 1 need not be packed with ion-exchange particulates in non-reversal EDI, because the electrical conductivity of the more concentrated solution in those compartments will be much higher than in the deionization compartments. For EDI a screen support in the concentrating compartments is usually satisfactory. When using symmetrical polarity reversal, in which the compartment functions alternate between deionization and concentration, the compartments should all be packed.
The concept of electrodialysis apparatus containing mixed bed ion exchange particulates in deionization compartment was apparently first disclosed by Kunin, et.al. ("Ion Exchange Resins", Wiley, New York, 1950, p 109) but no data were given. Walters, et.al. (Ind. Eng. Chem., 47, 61-67 (1955) and "Ion Exchange Technology", eds. Nachod and Sch
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A conventional automobile plate blanking method is die blanking, and a steel plant or an entire car plant generally has an automatic uncoiling-cutting-stacking production line. The apparatus comprises a conveying unit, a press unit and a stacking unit.
With the above-mentioned die blanking method, a material sheet of a simple shape (such as a rectangular, trapezoidal or arc shape) can be processed by way of swing-cutting, and a material sheet of a complex curve shape is processed by die blanking. It is required to provide the blanking line with different blanking dies depending on the size of a material sheet of a vehicle model, and to produce different material sheets by exchanging the dies. In the automobile manufacturing field, the metal plate blanking line has a very high operation efficiency, generally of 4,000,000-6,000,000 sheets per year. It is about 25 sheets per minute on average, on the basis of 3,800 hours per year.
However, although the above-mentioned die blanking method is suitable for large-scale mass production of ordinary vehicle models, there are still certain limitations, especially the following problems:
high costs in manufacturing and storing blanking dies; high space requirements for die stacking and maintenance room; and plant building investments due to large press equipment and equipment foundation. Particularly, for a small-batch production of some personalized vehicle models, the above-mentioned die blanking method is uneconomic.
In recent years, with rapid development of the laser technology, the cutting speed (for a steel plate with a thickness less than 1.5 mm, the cutting speed can be kept not less than 20 m/min when using a 4 KW optical fiber laser generator) and photoelectric conversion efficiency (more than 20% at present) of laser rays are continuously increasing, so that the laser cutting cost reaches a critical point so as to make it possible to apply laser cutting to large-scale blanking machining of profiled sheet metals.
It is known that some companies and research institutes at home and abroad have begun to study laser blanking of automobile plates. For example, Chinese patent CN 102105256 A to Automatic Feed Company provides a progressive laser cutting device for high-speed cutting. In the device provided in this patent, on each door frame, at least one movable laser head performs a laser cutting operation. However, this method has many technical difficulties; for example, simultaneous operation of multiple cutting heads can hardly ensure alignment of cuts generated by cutting operations of multiple devices, and a deviation in the plate shape will affect the cut shape. Huge configuration and occupied area of multiple sets of laser cutters and cutting units also cause a high equipment investment.
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Once a petroleum well has been drilled and cased, it may be desirable to drill one or more additional sidetracked well bores that branch off, or deviate, from the primary well bore. Such multilateral well bores are typically directed toward different targets within the surrounding formation, with the intent of increasing the production output of the well.
Multilateral technology provides operators several benefits and economic advantages, such as tapping isolated pockets of hydrocarbons that might otherwise be left unproduced, and improving reservoir drainage so as to increase the volume of recoverable reserves and enhance the economics of marginal pay zones. By utilizing multilateral technology, multiple reservoirs can also be drained simultaneously, and thin production intervals that might be uneconomical to produce alone may become economical when produced together. Multiple completions from one well bore also facilitate heavy oil drainage.
In addition to production cost savings, development costs also decrease through the use of existing infrastructure, such as surface equipment and the primary well bore. Multilateral technology expands platform capabilities where slots are limited and eliminates spacing problems by allowing more drain holes to be added within a reservoir. In addition, by sidetracking damaged formations or completions, the life of existing wells can be extended. For example, sidetracked well bores may be drilled below a problem area once the casing has been set, thereby reducing the risk of drilling through troubled zones. Finally, multilateral completions accommodate more wells with fewer footprints, making them ideal for environmentally sensitive or challenging areas.
To maximize the productivity of multilateral completions, it is desirable to enlarge at least some of the sidetracked well bores to thereby increase the production flow area through such boreholes. By drilling a sidetracked well bore through a casing window, and then enlarging the sidetracked well bore beyond the casing window, the far reaches of the reservoir can be reached with a comparatively larger diameter borehole, thereby providing more flow area for the production of oil and gas.
However, conventional methods for drilling an enlarged sidetracked well bore require multiple trips into the primary well bore. For example, a first trip may be made into the primary well bore to run and set an anchored whipstock comprising an inclined face that guides a window mill radially outwardly into the casing to cut a window in the casing. The window mill is then tripped out of the primary well bore, and a drill bit is lowered in a second trip to drill the sidetracked well bore through the casing window. The diameter of the sidetracked well bore is thereby limited by the diameter or gauge of the drill bit that can extend through the casing window. Once the sidetracked well bore has been drilled, the drill bit is then tripped out of the primary well bore, and another drilling assembly, such as a drill bit followed by a reamer, for example, is lowered in a third trip into the primary well bore to extend and enlarge the sidetracked well bore. It is both expensive and time consuming for an operator to make multiple trips into a primary well bore to drill and enlarge a single sidetracked well bore, and such concerns are only compounded when drilling more than one sidetracked well bore in a multilateral completion.
Thus, in recent years, a window milling bit comprising diamond cutters has been developed that is operable to mill a window through a standard metal casing and drill a sidetracked well bore through the casing window in a single trip into the primary well bore. This window milling bit with diamond cutters thereby eliminates one trip into the primary well bore, but at least another trip is still required to enlarge the sidetracked well bore. Therefore, a need exists for apparatus and methods that enable milling a window through a casing in a primary well bore, and drilling an enlarged sidetracked well bore through the casing window in one trip into the well bore.
To perform such a sidetracking operation, it would also be advantageous to provide a single cutting device capable of both milling the casing and drilling an enlarged sidetracked well bore. Such a device is desirable to provide a more compact drilling assembly for increased maneuverability and control while drilling the enlarged sidetracked well bore through the casing window.
Further, when operating a window milling bit to mill casing and drill formation, whether drilling an enlarged borehole or not, the cutting structures on such a bit may be worn down during operation. Thus, a need exists for a cutting device with multiple cutting structures adapted to recover gauge as the device is used to mill through casing and/or drill into formation. In addition, it may be desirable for the window milling bit to have at least a first cutting structure to perform the milling operation, and at least a second cutting structure to perform the drilling operation. Thus, a need exists for a cutting device with multiple cutting structures wherein at least one of the cutting structures is selectively presented when desired by the operator. Such a cutting device would be useful for many other purposes, including drilling through different types of formation rock, or replacing worn cutting structures when drilling a lengthy borehole, for example.
The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art.
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The present invention relates to computer-aided design (CAD) tools for analyzing integrated circuits and, more particularly, to analyzing power Vdd and ground nets in integrated circuits for electromigration, voltage drop and ground bounce.
Aggressive development within the semiconductor industry keeps electronic products moving on a brisk course forward. With each new generation of integrated circuit (IC) chips, device geometries and supply voltages are decreasing while the clock frequencies are increasing. Typical ICs today contain more than three million transistors and include three to five layers of metal interconnects that supply power and transport signals.
Along with smaller device geometries come narrower metal lines and larger resistances. Also, as more devices are interconnected, the lines are getting longer, further increasing the interconnect resistance. The substantial voltage drops that develop across metal power nets cause the circuits to malfunction, especially when the supply voltage is reduced below 3 volts. For example, a 1 volt drop in a 3 volt system would have a much more severe impact on circuit functionality than a proportional drop in a 5 volt system. So, in deep submicrometer designs (feature sizes less than 0.5 .mu.M), voltage drop analysis is crucial. Additionally, the narrower metal lines have undesirable wear-out of metal wiring caused by electromigration.
Ground bounce is due to the inductance in the IC package pins and bonding wires and the current switching (dI/dt) in the integrated circuit. Ground bounce noise may affect circuits in various ways. For example, ground bounce noise may degrade the performance of the circuit. Additionally, ground bounce noise may cause the circuit to malfunction due false latching in receiving chips.
In deep submicron design, the circuit consumes more power which means that dI/dt is even greater than in nonsubmicron designs. The ground bounce problem in the past was more significant in output buffers than on-chip circuits. However, the ground bounce noise in on-chip circuits is becoming more important with today's technologies.
Numerous CAD tools exist for simulating transistor networks of ICs (e.g., SPICE). An innovative system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/040,531, entitled "Transistor-Level Timing and Power Simulator and Power Analyzer", filed Mar. 29, 1993 by Huang et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/231,207, entitled "Power Diagnosis for VLSI Designs", filed Apr. 21, 1994 by An-Chang Deng, which are both hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. However, none of the prior art systems allow the user to simulate the power nets of an IC and display power net characteristics like voltage drop, current density and ground bounce. The present invention fulfills this and other needs.
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This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Network-connected devices appear throughout homes, office buildings, and other structures. Some of these devices are capable of communicating with each other using a network. Some of these devices may be hazard detection systems, such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, or may be other systems for detecting other conditions have been used in residential, commercial, and industrial settings for safety and security considerations. When these systems detect the presence of a dangerous condition, they often sound an audible alarm. The alarm is often characterized as having an extremely loud or ear piercing sound, and can be unpleasant or very uncomfortable to a human listener. Some hazard detectors may permit a user to press a button located on the cover of the unit, sometimes termed a hush button or temporary silence button, when they know an alarm to be caused by a non-emergency situation, such as smoke from cooking. When the hush button or temporary silence button is pressed, the audible alarm noise is temporarily silenced for a predetermined interval of time, such as in the range of four to ten minutes, during which the user has an opportunity to address the situation, such as by opening a window, without being required to endure the ear-piercing sound of the alarm. If the condition persists at the end of the predetermined interval of time, then the audible alarm noise resumes. One issue that can arise in many practical situations is that the hazard detector unit is mounted high on a wall or on a ceiling that is out of the reach of the user, leading many users to seek out a ladder, chair, or broomstick in order to press the hush button or temporary silence button, which can lead to inconvenient, impractical, and/or unsafe scenarios. Other issues arise as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art in view of the instant disclosure.
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Memory devices are widely used in many applications. Memory devices include, a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and so on.
In general, DRAM can provide a higher degree of integration. However, DRAM requires constant refreshing. As a result, the use of DRAM is limited for computer main memories by its power consumption and slow refresh speed.
On the other hand, SRAM can maintain its logic state as long as an adequate power is supplied. SRAM can operate with a higher speed and lower power consumption. Thus, SRAM can be utilized for computer cache memories, embedded memories or networking equipment memories.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid crystal display device making use of the change of orientation of liquid crystal molecules which are aligned to a proper direction in advance by applying or changing the intensity of an electric field, a magnetic field, heat or the like, and more particularly to an alignment film of the display device.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The liquid crystal display device is basically comprised of two glass substrates disposed in parallel with each other at a given distance, transparent electroconductive film strips being selectively disposed on the opposing surfaces of these two substrates, an alignment film for aligning liquid crystal molecules in a definite direction which completely covers each of said substrate surfaces and the electroconductive strips placed thereon, and a liquid crystal filling the space between the alignment films, the side faces of the device being tightly sealed lest any leakage of the liquid crystal should occur. At times it is further provided with a polarization plate on the outer surface of one of the substrates.
(A) Dynamic scattering type, (B) electric field induced birefrengence effect type, (C) guest-host effect type, (D) phase transition guest-host effect type, etc. are the well-known types of display system employing a device basically of the above-described structure, and (D) type system is the most practical one.
If the above-mentioned (D) type system is employed, (i) coloured display as well as black-and-white display can be made and (ii) the production cost can be reduced by the simplification of element structure. For this reason it is very likely that these systems will eventually replace the hitherto widely used twist-nematic electric field effect type display system employing horizontally aligned films. And in the use of system with vertical alignment of liquid crystal molecules, improved display characteristics can be achieved.
The following alignment films (a)-(e) have hitherto been used as films for aligning liquid crystal molecules vertically:
(a) Vapour-deposited films of rare earth metal oxides, etc.
(b) Films of silicon-containing metal oxides, etc.
(c) Film consisting of a surface active agent containing a long alkyl chain or fluoroalkyl chain group.
(d) Film of a complex compound of a carboxylic acid containing a long alkyl chain or fluoroalkyl chain group.
(e) Film of a silane compound containing a long alkyl chain or fluoroalkyl chain group.
The above alignment films, however, have the following disadvantages.
(i) Both alignment films (a) and (b) show different aligning ability, depending upon the kinds of liquid crystals, and no alignment is obtained at all, when some kinds of liquid crystal are used. Besides, their film surface is active so that they are likely to be contaminated with an organic compound gas, when a cell is assembled. In the case of the guesthost type display device, the film selectively adsorbs a dichroic dye added to the liquid crystal, resulting in poor alignment.
Moreover, a liquid display device will be expensive, because of use of an expensive vapor deposition apparatus and of many working steps involved.
(ii) Films (c) and (d) tend to lose their molecule aligning properties because of their poor heat-resisting property when they are heated during cell assembly. It is difficult to obtain a thick coat from these materials, and besides the coat is liable to include electroconductive substances therein and is easily released from the substrate. Thus, the life is poor.
(iii) Film (e) has a problem in coating, and a smooth film cannot be obtained. Thus, the alignment is poor. Furthermore, it is difficult to obtain a thick film and the life is poor.
Moreover, the pattern of the transparent electroconductive strips formed on the substrates appear too clearly as if embossed, because the film (e) has a refractive index of less then 1.6.
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The invention relates to a chuck for tools such as drills and milling cutters, adapted to be manually operated to firmly clamp the tool in the chuck and to be removably mounted together with the tool on a driving shaft of a precision drilling or milling machine.
Swiss-Patent No. 288 808 shows a chuck having a one-piece elongate hollow housing and an adjusting insert disposed within the housing and in threaded engagement therewith. A key can be inserted from the rearward side into a polygonal pocket hole formed in the insert to rotate the insert and at the same time move it axially to open or close the mouth between a plurality of jaws arranged in the housing. Disadvantages of this prior art exist in that the overall length is great, the structure is complicated and therefore not easy to manufacture, the jaws rotate when the chuck is opened or closed and the chuck is not adapted for right and left rotation because it can loosen by itself.
Chucks of other types are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,479,973 and 3,861,693 but they are not adapted to clamp a tool before inserting the chuck-tool-unit into a drilling machine.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure method used in the semiconductor process, more particularly to an exposure method which can correct the variation of the after-etch-inspection critical dimension (AEICD).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lithography process is an important step in the transfer of the circuit pattern onto the substrate. After the photoresist is exposed to a patterned light beam and developed and after the substrate is etched, the substrate not covered by the photoresist is removed. In this way, the pattern can be transferred onto the substrate.
However, during the etching process, including wet etching and dry etching, due to the loading effect, the etching rate of the die region near the periphery of the wafer is different from the etching rate of the die region near the center of the wafer. Therefore, the after-etch-inspection critical dimension (AEICD) will vary in the die region located in different positions of the wafer. Accordingly, in the semi-conductor field, one of the challenges is to improve the AEICD uniformity.
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1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and more specifically, to a comparator for synchronous rectification.
2. Related Art
In many circuit applications, DC to DC converters are used to convert an input DC voltage to an output DC voltage. A buck converter is a converter in which the output DC voltage is lower than the input DC voltage, and a boost converter is a converter in which the output DC voltage is greater than the input DC voltage. Buck and booster converters provide the output voltage by controlling current in an inductor controlled by two switches (typically a transistor and a diode). In the case of a buck or boost converter implementing synchronous rectification, diode is replaced by a second switch (typically, a second transistor). The use of a second switch rather than a diode allows for more efficient operation by avoiding the losses from the voltage drop across the diode.
In applications with highly variable loads, it is desirable to prevent reverse current in the inductor. Negative inductor current significantly reduces the efficiency of the converter. Therefore, a need exists for circuitry capable of sensing when the inductor current of a buck or boost converter reaches zero.
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The depletion of old growth forest has placed increasing demand within the forest industry for alternative wood products which make better use of old growth and stagnant growth timber and which also provide for greater use of second, third and later generation trees.
Several alternative wood products have emerged in an effort to address some of the needs in the industry. In this respect U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,409 discloses a composite wood product formed from four elongated triangular-shaped wood pieces. The four pieces are joined to form a composite wood product having a cross-sectional outline of a parallelogram and a hollow interior. An alternative embodiment is disclosed where each wood piece has a pair of machined keys to improve yield.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,400 there is disclosed a composite wood product formed from four log parts, each log part having a three sided cross-section forming either right angled sectors and a third curved face or a right triangle. The log parts are assembled into a composite wood product so that their right angles form the corners of a rectangle with a hollow interior which is filled with concrete or other structural enhancing material, Similar examples of this alternative wood structure appear in U.S. Reissue 35,327 and French Patent No. 962589. Other attempts to offer improved composite wood products can be found in French Patent No. 2512729 and German Patent No. 964637.
While the composite wood products disclosed in the above mentioned references provide some improvements to the known art, there remains a continuing need for composite wood products providing additional resistance to shearing forces and impact forces, assembled from converted wood parts having a larger bonding surface and having a higher load bearing capacity without the preemptive need for the structural reinforcing material indicated in the prior art. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide alternative converted wood articles for use in making composite wood products to fulfill the above needs in the art.
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This invention relates generally to feeding systems for caged or confined animals such as poultry. More particularly, the invention concerns a feeding system in which feed is continuously agitated and intermixed during delivery and conveyance along a row of cages or other confinement structures, so as to encourage delivery of substantially equal amounts and kinds of feeds to each confined animal.
Large-scale poultry operations utilize sophisticated equipment for maintaining relatively large flocks of poultry in relatively large poultry houses. In egg producing or layer operations, the birds are normally confined in cages so that food and water can be delivered economically and in accurately rationed amounts, as well as at desired intervals of time. Moreover, these cages are generally constructed and arrayed so as to facilitate feeding, and, in layer operations, egg collection, by devices which travel generally linearly along linearly arrayed rows of cages. One particularly advantageous cage arrangement takes the form of linearly arranged cages stacked in a stepped-back pyramidal array, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,055.
When the birds are properly confined and fed, high flock performance levels can be achieved and maintained. For example, a maximum number of eggs can be contained from the laying hens while utilizing a minimum amount of food and water. Such considerations are important to the economic viability of a large-scale poultry operation.
The mechanized delivery of feed in such poultry operations is usually accomplished by a feed conveyor system having a series of feed delivery conduits and feed troughs extending past the face of each row of cages. Within these troughs and conduits are located feed conveyor or feed carrying elements, which may take various forms.
Some such systems use a helical, auger-like coil element of extended length as a driver element. As this helical or auger element is rotated, feed is moved along the associated conduits and troughs with an auger motion, but without axial displacement of the coil element or auger. Such devices are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,918,405 and 3,893,423. Other forms of feed conveying devices have also been utilized in the prior art. In a variation on the above arrangement, a similar helical coil is driven axially, but without rotation through a series of conduits and/or feed troughs, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,894 to Swartzendruber. Advantageously, this arrangement permits the relatively flexible coil or helical element to be readily driven around .[.corner.]. .Iadd.corners.Iaddend., bends or the like so that a continuous or endless such element may be in effect looped around a path to deliver feed to oppositely facing or back-to-back rows of cages.
As indicated above, feed rations which are accurate and uniform both in quantity and quality are to be repeatedly delivered to each poultry-containing cage. That is, it is desirable that each bird receive a certain amount of each constituent in the feed mix, and that the amounts of each constituent are not varied excessively throughout the delivered rations. However, since the varying feed constituents have different sizes and masses, the heavier or more dense feed constituents will tend to fall to the bottom of the conveyor or trough as the feed is advanced. Likewise, the birds will tend to pick off the upper layers of feed from the trough, such that the lighter constituents may tend to be picked over by the birds at or near the upstream or delivery end of the conveyor system prior to reaching birds downstream.
Accordingly, two additional factors are also desirable in a delivery system. Firstly, the birds should be prevented from picking over the feed until the feed has been delivered throughout the row or rows of cages serviced by a given endless conveyor or conveyor loop. Secondly, the feed should continue to be agitated during delivery to maintain a relatively uniform mix of feed delivered to each cage, and prevent heavier or more dense constituents from falling into the bottom of the trough or conveyor.
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Radio transmitters and receivers require filters to remove or suppress unwanted frequencies from being transmitted or received. The transmitter portion of the radio may generate frequencies which will interfere with the radio system, or which may be prohibited by the radio frequency spectrum governing body. The receiver may need to suppress unwanted signals at different frequencies generated by the transmitter, or received from an external source, which would adversely affect the performance of the receiver.
At millimetre-wave frequencies, sources of unwanted frequencies include the local oscillator frequency, image frequencies from the mixer, and the transmitter frequencies in the case of the receiver. The frequencies generated by the mixer and the local oscillator are functions of the selected radio architecture. The closer the oscillator frequency (or its harmonics) is to the transmitter frequencies, the more difficult it is to remove the undesired frequency. However, to operate at wider spaced frequencies may require more complex circuitry, resulting in a more expensive radio implementation. A small separation between the transmit and receive frequencies can result in unwanted high power transmit frequencies leaking into the receiver. The separation between the transmit and receive frequencies is usually specified by the licensing bodies and the system operators. The radio designer may not have control over this specification.
To suppress the unwanted frequencies below an acceptable power level, a filter element is required in the signal path. The filter element discriminates between the desired and undesired frequencies based on the wavelengths of the signals. A common millimetre-wave filter is based on the metal waveguide.
Waveguide filters are used at microwave frequencies due to their low loss characteristics. Low loss in the resonant sections corresponds to a higher-Q, faster rolloff outside the passband and lower transmission loss in the passband. A typical waveguide filter consists of multiple coupled resonators, where the volume of a resonator is proportional to the frequency of operation.
An example of a conventional waveguide filter comprises a housing containing a series of resonator cavities arranged in a straight line, where adjacent resonator cavities are separated by an apertured partition which forms a coupler. The resonator cavities are typically rectangular or cylindrical and have a length corresponding to one half wavelength or multiples of one half wavelength of the centre frequency.
Another implementation of a waveguide filter is the E-plane filter, an example of which is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the waveguide filter 1 includes a filter housing 2 which forms an elongate channel 4. The housing is split into two parts 6, 8 along the length of the channel to receive an apertured thin metal sheet 10 therebetween. The apertured metal sheet 10 is called a septum.
The rectangular apertures 12 formed in the thin metal sheet 10 each define a resonator and the metal strips 14 remaining between the resonators function as couplers and are known as coupling sections. Each coupling section of the septum effectively divides the waveguide into two halt waveguides having a reduced width of less than half the center frequency wavelength so that the reduced size waveguide does not permit propagation of the electromagnetic wave.
In microwave communications at moderately high frequencies, for example carrier frequencies in the range of 24 to 31 GHz, the frequency band for each of the receive and transmit channels may have a width of only one percent of the center frequency and the center frequencies may be separated by a frequency band of similar width. Thus, a waveguide filter suitable for such an application must provide a relatively narrow pass band with a sharp roll-off, and therefore such a filter requires a relatively large number of resonator cavities and coupling sections. One problem in conventional filter design is that as the number of resonators and coupling sections increases, the waveguide becomes longer and therefore requires a larger housing which adds to the cost and makes it difficult to integrate with other system components.
Various designs for a resonator cavity-type waveguide filter have been proposed to accommodate the resonators and couplers into a smaller space. For example, Japanese Patent Application No. 57041702, Publication No. JP-A-58161403 and Japanese Patent Application No. 57070942, Publication No. JP-A-58187001 each discloses a band pass filter having a series of coupled cylindrical resonator cavities, each centered at the corner of a square. This design takes advantage of the cylindrical symmetry of the resonators to permit the output coupler of each resonator to be oriented at 90° with respect to its input coupler.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,224 (Glinder) describes a resonator cavity-type waveguide filter having a series of resonator cavities interconnected by coupler channels in which opposite sides of the coupler channels are the same length, but opposite sides of the resonator cavities have different lengths, so that the input of each resonator cavity is angled relative to its output. In one example, a number of similar resonator cavities having dissimilar length sides are arranged to form an S-shaped waveguide which is accommodated in a space whose length is shorter than that needed for a linear waveguide having similar characteristics. The mechanical length of a resonator cavity having dissimilar length sides which determines the pass center frequency is based on the length of the arcuate center line through the resonator cavity between the input and output couplers. Due to the shape of the resonator cavity, the length of the curved center line is different from that of a linear resonator cavity and is calculated by first calculating the required mechanical length of a linear resonator cavity and then applying a correction factor to the mechanical length. The correction factor is calculated based on the guide wavelength for a linear resonator, the desired pass center wavelength for the non-linear cavity, the width of the waveguide and the radius of curvature of the center line. Although the design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,224 allows the length of a waveguide filter to be reduced, it may be difficult to implement a high-Q, narrow pass band filter using this design since the required dimensions of the filter become more difficult to calculate as the number of cavities increases.
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Wireless networks enable large numbers of users to take advantage of mobile telephony and data services. To this end, inter-network roaming has become a fairly standard feature that enables mobile users to receive wireless service on their wireless terminals as guests in networks that are not their “home” network across large geographic regions. To support inter-network roaming, the Customized Applications for Mobile network Enhanced Logic set of protocol standards (“CAMEL”) has been developed over the years to enable network operators to offer services such as no-prefix dialing in foreign countries and seamless multimedia messaging. CAMEL was originally defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute and more recently by the 3GPP group to operate with GSM, UMTS, and 3GPP-based wireless networks. See, e.g., 3GPP Technical Specification, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification group Core Network and Terminals; Customised Applications for Mobile network Enhanced Logic (CAMEL) Phase 4; Stage 2 (Release 9), 3GPP TS 23.078 V9.2.0 (2010-09), which is incorporated by reference herein. A well-known CAMEL-compliant protocol is the CAMEL Application Part (“CAP”) signaling protocol. CAP is used for signaling and communication among CAMEL-enabled entities within a wireless network.
A complete list of available and contemplated CAMEL-enabled supplementary services is beyond the scope of the present disclosure, but examples include: barring calls or approving a call to continue, monitoring a call for call connect and disconnect, providing announcements or voice prompts to voice users, controlling call duration, enabling debits/charges to be applied against a pre-paid wireless calling plan, and providing the user with account balance announcements, tracking whether the subscriber is reachable (i.e., in-network) or roaming outside the network, controlling mobile-originated and mobile-terminated text messaging through both circuit-switched and packet-switched network entities, and enabling the same access number for voice mail across different networks, etc.
CAMEL-enabled entities within a wireless network include one or more service control function entities and the gateway mobile location center, as explained in more detail in regard to FIGS. 1 and 2 below.
In the context of mobile detection, surveillance, and tracking operations, CAMEL-enabled services in the prior art are not well suited for such applications. A mobile detection scenario is illustrated and described in reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 below, accompanied by a discussion of the disadvantages that it presents. FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a portion of wireless telecommunications network 100 that is available in the prior art. Wireless network 100 comprises: mobile switching center (“MSC”) 101, base station controller (“BSC”) 103, base station 105, serving mobile location center (“SMLC”) 107, gateway mobile location center (“GMLC”) 109, home location register (“HLR”) 111, service control function (“SCF”) entity 113, general packet radio service (“GPRS”) support node 115, and wireless telecommunications terminal 150. Wireless network 100 and its constituent elements are well known in the art.
Wireless network 100 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is a wireless network that is configured to operate according to the Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”) standards. The depicted terminology herein, including CAMEL-related terminology, is often GSM-specific for ease of understanding, and more general terms are used in some instances. In some configurations, wireless network 100 could be a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”) network, or based on the 3rd generation Partnership Project (“3GPP”) family of standards, or a Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) or CDMA-based network. It will be clear to those skilled in the art what the appropriate terms are for non-GSM networks and non-CAMEL protocols.
Mobile switching center (“MSC”) 101 is a wireless network element that, among other functions, provides mobility management and circuit switched call support along with connectivity to the Public Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”). Mobile switching center 101 is CAMEL-enabled, meaning that it (non-exclusively) communicates CAMEL-compliant signaling to and from other elements of wireless network 100 as described in more detail below. In some CAMEL-enabled networks, a CAMEL-enabled mobile switching center 101 also collects information that is needed for pre-paid call accounting and charging. CAMEL-enabled mobile switching centers are well known in the art. For simplicity, distinctions between a serving mobile switching center and other mobile switching centers will be kept to a minimum herein as such distinctions are well known in the art.
Base station controller (“BSC”) 103 is responsible for signaling between a wireless terminal and the main switching elements of the network such as mobile switching center 101 and GPRS support node 115. Typically, base station controller 103 controls a plurality of base stations 105, but only one base station 105 is illustrated here for simplicity. Base station controller 103 is well known in the art.
Base station 105 is responsible for the wireless radio frequency (“RF”) communication link to the wireless terminals in the area. Base station 105 serves a cell of wireless network 100 and has a unique cell identification within the network. A group of cells define a “location area.” As illustrated in FIG. 1, base station 105 is the serving base station to wireless terminal 150, i.e., provides the necessary service that enables voice and/or data services to wireless terminal 150. Base station 105 is well known in the art.
Serving mobile location center (“SMLC”) 107 collects information from the wireless terminals that are in service with base station controller 103, e.g., wireless terminal 150, and estimates their respective locations with a certain level of precision or resolution, e.g., estimating a location with a radius of 300 meters. Serving mobile location center 107 is well known in the art.
Gateway mobile location center (“GMLC”) 109 is an element of the wireless network that typically interfaces with external location services systems that provide higher level applications. Within wireless network 100, gateway mobile location center 109 transmits location requests to mobile switching center 101 and/or GPRS support node 115 and receives location estimates that were generated by serving mobile location center 107 and transmitted therefrom “upstream” to gateway mobile location center 109. Gateway mobile location center 109 is well known in the art.
Home location register (“HLR”) 111 is a centralized element of wireless network 100 that stores subscriber profiles associated with wireless terminals that are authorized to use wireless network 100, whether they are network subscribers or roamers or pre-paid users, etc. Each subscriber profile comprises information that is specific to the particular wireless terminal it is associated with, such as GPRS settings to allow packet services, settings to enable services requested by the subscriber, and location information (that was received from other entities) about the wireless telecommunications terminal, etc. Home location register 111 is well known in the art.
Service control function (“SCF”) entity 113 is an element of network 100 that is associated with providing supplemental services, such as CAMEL-based roaming or pre-paid calling. A service control point is an example of a service control function entity. The service control function entity implements the supplemental services desired by the operator, e.g., pre-paid accounting. In GSM networks, there is a CAMEL GSM entity known as the “gsmSCF” that performs the service control function, as is well known in the art. Service control function entity 113 and gateway mobile location center 109 are depicted here as two distinct elements of network 100 to emphasize their distinct functions and roles within the network.
General packet radio service (“GPRS”) support node (“GPRS support node”) 115 is analogous in some functions to mobile switching center 101, but differs from mobile switching center 101 in that it supports packet data services to the wireless terminals in contrast to the circuit switched service provided by mobile switching center 101. GPRS support node 115 is CAMEL-enabled, meaning that it (non-exclusively) communicates CAMEL-compliant signaling to and from other elements of wireless network 100 as described in more detail below. In some CAMEL-enabled networks, a CAMEL-enabled GPRS support node 115 also collects information that is needed for pre-paid call accounting and charging. GPRS support node 115 is well known in the art.
Wireless terminal 150 is illustratively a GSM cellular telephone. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that wireless terminal 150 can be another type of wireless terminal that is compatible with the serving wireless network, e.g., 3GPP, UMTS, TDMA, CDMA, etc. Wireless terminal 150 can be a cell phone, a smartphone, a data tablet, or a combination thereof. Wireless terminal 150 is well known in the art. When considering detection, surveillance, and tracking of wireless terminal 150, FIG. 2 is instructive.
FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative portion of a location-related signal flow among several legacy elements of wireless network 100, including wireless terminal 150, base station controller 103, serving mobile location center 107, mobile switching center 101, GPRS support node 115, service control function entity 113, gateway mobile location center 109, and home location register 111—as available in the prior art. FIG. 2 also depicts: per-subscriber operator input 200, signals 201 through 214, and status bubble 215. The illustrative signal flow occurs when a subscriber's identity is flagged for purposes of detecting, tracking, and surveilling the location of the subscriber's wireless terminal. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that this representation is a simplification of actual network signaling traffic, which is intended to improve understanding of the process and is not intended as an exhaustive tutorial.
Bubble 200 represents one or more operations by
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Household appliances, such as clothes washers, dispensing dryers, and dishwashers, may include a treating chamber in which items are placed for treating and a dispensing system for dispensing treating chemistries to achieve better cleaning. Single dose cartridges may be used within the dispensing system to provide treating chemistry to the treating chamber for use in the household appliance. A reduced cleaning effect or damage to the appliance or items to be treated may be caused if the unit dose present in the dispensing system is not a new, full unit dose package.
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In a standard motor-vehicle cooling system sensors are provided for determining the fill level of the liquid. Such sensors can be of the simple float or pressure type and serve mainly to ascertain if the fill level dips below a certain threshold. This information is used to indicate to the driver that the coolant supply should be checked.
Such a system is invariably of the simple on/off type, that is it merely indicates whether or not the fill level is above or below a certain threshold. It gives no indication of how much above or below, that is does not provide an output of relative fill level. In addition the sensors of such systems are notoriously unreliable. Most work poorly in a sometimes violently moving bath of water containing various chemically active substances and have a short service life.
In another known system described in German patent document 41 16 496 a device detects overloading of the coolant pump and alters the timing or fuel feed of the engine so that it runs cooler. Thus this arrangement provides a sort of emergency operation mode, but in no way supplies the user of the engine with information about how much coolant is in the system.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a printer of the automatically iterchangeable character wheel type having a plurality of character wheels and effecting printing while automatically interchanging the character wheels as desired.
2. Related Background Art
There have heretofore been printers having a plurality of character members each provided with a plurality of characters and effecting printing while automatically interchanging the character members. They are disclosed, for example, in U. S. Pat. No. 4,357,115, U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,938, U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,403 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 39464/1983.
However, from the viewpoint of high-speed printing, these printers could not always be said to be sufficient. So, in order to solve this problem, the applicant has proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 177754/1985 (U.S. application Ser. No. 896,056 filed Aug. 13, 1986) a printer which carriers a plurality of disc-like character wheels and in which a desired character wheel may be automatically mounted by a wheel interchanging mechanism provided on a carriage.
The present invention may be said to be an improvement in such printer.
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This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Electronic computing devices, such as computer systems, mobile phones, digital media players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the like, are commonly used for various personal and/or work-related purposes. Such electronic devices typically include some type of user interface that enables a user to interact with various applications (e.g., e-mail programs, internet browsers, media players, games, etc.) on the device to perform a variety of functions. In other words, the user interface may provide a gateway through which users may interact with applications to receive content, information, as well as responses to user inputs. The user interface, therefore, is an integral part in the design of these applications and helps determine the ease of use, and thus the quality of the overall user experience, of such devices.
Historically, many electronic devices have relied upon a graphical user interface to allow a user to interact with the device by way of a visual display. For instance, as the user interacts with the device, the device may display visual feedback in response to the user's actions. However, as some types of electronic devices have migrated towards smaller form factors having relatively small visual displays, graphical user interfaces are becoming not only more difficult to use and navigate, but also more limited in the amount of information they are able to convey.
More recently, audio user interfaces have experienced a rise in popularity. For instance, an audio user interface may supply audio feedback data, instead of or in addition to visual feedback, to convey information and content to a user and, thus, are particularly well suited for use in electronic devices having limited visual display capabilities or, in some instances, no visual display capabilities at all. For instance, upon the occurrence of an event that requests audio feedback, a corresponding audio clip may be played to convey audio information about the occurring event to the user. Unfortunately, some events may be associated with large amounts of audio information, which may overwhelm a user and, therefore, negatively impact the user experience, particularly when such events occur repeatedly in close proximity within a relatively short time period. Additionally, audio feedback provided by conventional audio user interfaces may not adequately enable a user to distinguish between events of high or low contextual importance. Accordingly, there are continuing efforts to further improve the user experience with respect to audio user interfaces in electronic devices.
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Advances in the technology surrounding today's integrated circuits designs, such as microprocessors, continue at an astounding rate. As a result of these advances, integrated circuits are more dense and faster than ever. Moreover, integrated circuits have input/output (I/O) which are operating at higher frequencies than ever. In addition, integrated circuits are consuming more power than their predecessors. These factors are bringing about new challenges for packaging engineers.
On the issue of power consumption, today's microprocessors often consume up to 120 watts of power or more. With these microprocessors operating at a 1.2 volt level, 120 watts of power consumption means delivering significant amount of current, up to 100 amps, to these devices. A consequence of this is a requirement to dissipate a great amount of heat. As design advances continue, designs are predicted to approach 200 watts of power consumption in the near future. Successfully delivery of such power to today's and future integrated circuits has become, and will continue to be, a significant challenge.
The factors causing the increase in power consumption are numerous. One such factor is the operating speed of today's designs. Today, core speeds of microprocessors have surpassed 2 GHz. Similarly, bus speeds have increased as well; today's bus speeds have surpassed 400 MHz. As operating frequency increases for a given size integrated circuit, power consumption is also increased. This increase is due to, among other things, parasitic resistance of the motherboard, socket pins and electronic packaging. Unfortunately, the cost to reduce parasitic resistance on motherboards, socket pins and electronic packaging can be extensive. Thus, delivering increased power to today's designs without incurring a significant increase in cost is one challenge facing packaging engineers.
An additional issue facing today's packaging engineers with respect to integrated circuits is coupling associated with higher I/O signal switching speeds and the higher power being delivered to the integrated circuits. In addition to having more power and I/O signals to be delivered/facilitated than previous generations of designs, the desire is to have even smaller packaging of these integrated circuit designs. This is pushing the pins containing the higher speed I/O signals and pins providing increased power delivery closer together in the packaging. This, in turn, is creating further issues between the power delivered to an integrated circuit and the I/O signals entering and leaving the integrated circuit.
Thus, significant challenges face today's packaging engineers with respect to signal I/O and power delivery to today's integrated circuits.
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Unlike other tissues which can survive extended periods of hypoxia, brain tissue is particularly sensitive to deprivation of oxygen or energy. Permanent damage to neurons can occur during brief periods of hypoxia, anoxia or ischemia. Neurotoxic injury is known to be caused or accelerated by certain excitatory amino acids (RAA) found naturally in the central nervous system (CNS). Glutamate (Glu) is an endogenous amino acid which has been characterized as a fast excitatory transmitter in the mammalian brain. Glutamate is also known as a powerful neurotoxin capable of killing CNS neurons under certain pathological conditions which accompany stroke and cardiac arrest. Normal glutamate concentrations are maintained within brain tissue by energy-consuming transport systems. Under low energy conditions which occur during conditions of hypoglycemia, hypoxia or ischemia, cells can release glutamate. Under such low energy conditions the cell is not able to take glutamate back into the cell. Initial glutamate release stimulates further release of glutamate which results in an extracellular glutamate accumulation and a cascade of neurotoxic injury.
It has been shown that the sensitivity of central neurons to hypoxia and ischemia can be reduced by either blockage of synaptic transmission or by the specific antagonism of postsynaptic glutamate receptors [see S. M. Rothman and J. W. Olney, "Glutamate and the Pathophysiology of Hypoxia-Ischemic Brain Damage," Annals of Neurology, 19 No. 2 (1986)]. Glutamate is characterized as a broad spectrum agonist having activity at three neuronal excitatory amino acid receptor sites. These receptor sites are named after the amino acids which selectively excite them, namely: Kainate (KA), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA or NMA) and quisqualate (QUIS).
Neurons which have EAA receptors on their dendritic or somal surfaces undergo acute excitotoxic degeneration when these receptors are excessively activated by glutamate. Thus, agents which selectively block or antagonize the action of glutamate at the EAA synaptic receptors of central neurons can prevent neurotoxic injury associated with hypoxia, anoxia, or ischemia caused by stroke, cardiac arrest or perinatal asphyxia.
It is known that compounds of various structures, such as aminophosphonovalerate derivatives and piperidine dicarboxylate derivatives, may act as competitive antagonists at the NMDA receptor. Certain piperidineethanol derivatives, such as ifenprodil and 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-[1-(4-fluorophenyl)-piperidinyl]ethanol, which are known anti-ischemic agents, have been found to be non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists [C. Carter et al, J. Pharm Exp. Ther, 247 (3), 1222-1232 (1988)].
There are many classes of compounds known for treatment of psychotic disorders. For example, current therapeutic treatments for psychoses use compounds classifiable as phenothiazine-thioxanthenes, as phenylbutylpiperidines and also as certain alkaloids. An example of a phenylbutylpiperidine compound of current use in psychotic treatment therapy is haloperidol [A. F. Gilman et al, The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 7th Edn., p. 404, MacMillan (1985)].
Certain nitrogen-containing cyclohetero cycloalkylaminoaryl compounds are known for pharmaceutical purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,003 to Szmuszkovicz describes N-(2-aminocyclopentyl)-N-alkanoylanilides as antidepressant agents.
Certain aminocycloaliphatic benzamides have been described for various uses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,013 to Collins et al describes aminocyclohexyl-benzamides for use as diuretic agents. The compound (.+-.)-trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl)-benzen eacetamide has been evaluated for its selectivity as an amino acid antagonist [C. G. Parsons et al, Neuropharm., 25(2), 217-220 (1986)]. This same compound has been evaluated for its neuroprotective activity against kainate-induced toxicity [W. Lason et al, Brain Res., 482, 333-339 (1989)]. U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,604 to Vonvoightlander et al describes certain cis-N-(2-aminocycloaliphatic)benzamides as anticonvulsants including, specifically, the compound cis-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyllbenzamide. Certain of these trans benzeneacetamide derivatives, such as trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl]-benzeneacetam ide, have been described as highly selective ligands for kappa opioid receptors. The cis isomers of 3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl]-benzeneacetamide were identified to be potent and selective sigma ligands [B. R. de Costa et al, J. Med. Chem., 32(8), 1996-2002 (1989)]. Further structure activity studies with these compounds resulted in the identification of (+)- and (-)-cis-N-[3,4-dichlorophenylethyl]-N-methyl-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl amines as extremely potent and selective ligands for the sigma receptor. These [Contreras, P. C.; Ragan,.D. M.; Bremer, M. E.; Lanthorn, T. H.; Gray, N. M.; Iyengar, S.; Jacobson, A. E. ; Rice, K. C. ; de Costa, B. R.: Evaluation of U50488H analogs for antiischemic activity in the gerbil. Brain Res. 1991, 546, 79-82] and related (ethylenediamines) compounds [Long, J. B.; Tortella, F. C.; Rice, K. C.; de Costa B. R.: Selective sigma ligands protect against dynorphin A-induced spinal cord injury in rats. Soc. Neurosci. Abs., 16, 1122 (1990) abs 461.4] were found to be effective as-protective agentsfor the damaging effects of ischemia and stroke in two different models of ischemia. See, for example, Long, J. B.; Tortella, F. C.; Rice, K. C.; de Costa B. R.: Selective sigma ligands protect against dynorphin A-induced spinal cord injury in rats. Soc. Neurosci. Abs., 16, 1122 (1990) abs 461.4; Contreras, P. C.; Ragan, D. M.; Bremer, M. E.;
Lanthorn, T. H.; Gray, N. M.; Iyengar, S.; Jacobson, A. E.; Rice, K. C.; de Costa, B. R.: Evaluation of U50488H analogs for antiischemic activity in the gerbil. Brain Res. 1991, 546, 79-82. Since these initial findings, neuroprotective activity has been identified among certain other high affinity sigma ligands. It is likely that the protective effects of these and related compounds is mediated through their interaction with the sigma receptor. Scopes et al., J. Med. Chem., 35, 490-501 (1992) describe certain 2-[(alkylamino)methyl]-piperidines. In particular, 1-[(3,4-dichlorophenyl)acetyl]-2[(alkylamino)methyl]piperidines are described as having activities as kappa opioid receptor agonists.
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a driving force transmission device of a vehicle.
2. Related Art
In the related art, for instance, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2007-057093, a configuration in which, in a decelerator that uses an electric motor as a driving source and includes a differential gear and a parallel shaft, a bearing is lubricated in an oil passage through a drive shaft including a gear from a catch tank provided above the gear is disclosed.
In addition, in JP-A No. 2012-017764, a configuration in which, in a lubrication structure of a planetary gear mechanism that is used for a drive unit configured to distribute a driving force of a motor and an engine in a hybrid vehicle, oil trapped around the planetary gear lubricates a bearing through an opening guide (a liquid reservoir) of a shaft for the planetary gear is disclosed.
In a unit including a rotating member such as a gear mechanism, if there is insufficient lubricating oil for lubricating the rotating member, there is a possibility of defects such as burning of a gear. In particular, in a method in which a lubricating oil is dispersed by being carried up by a gear and the lubricating oil is supplied, since an amount of lubricating oil dispersed depends on a rotational speed, an amount of lubricating oil dispersed particularly during low speed running decreases and a bearing and the like on a motor shaft at a distance from an oil surface are likely to be insufficiently lubricated. Accordingly, it is desirable to appropriately supply a lubricating oil in accordance with running conditions.
However, in the technology described in JP-A No. 2007-057093, supply of a lubricating oil in accordance with running conditions is not considered at all. In addition, in the technology described in JP-A No. 2012-017764, a lubricating oil is supplied by an oil pump and when lubricating oil is dispersed by carrying up, optimal supply of the lubricating oil in accordance with running conditions is not considered at all.
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I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to electronics, and more specifically to a frequency divider.
II. Background
A frequency divider is a circuit that receives a clock signal at a first frequency, divides the clock signal in frequency, and provides a divider output signal having a second frequency that is a fraction of the first frequency. Frequency dividers are commonly used in various circuit blocks such as phase locked loops (PLLs), frequency synthesizers, downconverters, upconverters, etc. These applications often require differential output signals from the frequency dividers. A frequency divider that can generate differential output signals with good signal characteristics while consuming low power is highly desirable.
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Mobile computing is becoming increasingly pervasive, and will approach ubiquity in wireless devices (e.g., notebook computers, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.) over the next decade. One consistent trend in this mobile computing space is the fact that such platforms increasingly communicate over a variety of wireless protocols. Common protocols in use today for wireless data transfer include EV-DO, IEEE 802.11a/big, ZigBee® (registered trademark of ZIGBEE ALLIANCE of California), Bluetooth® (registered trademark of BLUETOOTH SIG, INC. of Delaware), and many other related protocols. By their very nature, differentials do exist, and will continue to exist, between the speed, or bandwidth, with which mobile devices can communicate with each other, vis-à-vis communications speeds with the broader network where a device's target data may reside.
It is often the case that a wireless device will have a relatively fast wireless connection to other local devices and a relatively slow wireless connection to the broader network (e.g., the Internet). For example, local wireless connections, provided by protocols such as IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.15.1 (e.g., Bluetooth®), and 802.15.4 (e.g., Zigbee®) provide fast data transfer rates of about 3 to 54 megabits per second (Mbps). However, such transfer protocols often have a limited maximum transmission range of about 30 to 300 ft. On the other hand, wireless telephony protocols (e.g., EV-DO, CDMA, EDGE, GPRS, etc.) have relatively large maximum transmission ranges on the order of miles, but only provide data transfer rates of about 10 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1 Mbps. Thus, while a user of a mobile device may enjoy relatively fast data transfer amongst local devices, the user is often limited to a slow wireless connection to the outside world (e.g., the Internet).
However, unless mechanisms exist to motivate network nodes (and their owners) to lend their excess bandwidth at any given moment, it may be difficult for borrowers to obtain the bandwidth needed for any given download.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.
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The present invention relates to wireless telecommunications systems which use spread-spectrum methods.
Background: Spread-Spectrum Methods
One of the most important tools in telecommunications is spread spectrum methods. For example, in a direct-sequence spread-spectrum ("DS-SS") transmission, the signal is modulated by a code word which is known to both the transmitter and receiver. (The code word is merely a long pseudo-random bit sequence, that is, a sequence of bits which appears random but is determined by the input to a generator and is, therefore, reproducible. The sequence is generated identically, at both the transmitter and receiver, by custom hardware.) At the receiving end, digital filtering methods can be used to selectively recognize only the signals which are encoded with the expected pseudo- random bit sequence. Since the code word is used to separate signals which share the same spectrum space, these methods are also known as CDMA (code-division-multiple-access). To distinguish between the bits of the code word and the bits of data, the bits of the code word are referred to as "chips." The chip rate is usually much faster than the bit rate.
The term "spread spectrum" is also used to refer to two other techniques: "frequency-hopping" systems, in which the transmitter frequency changes in some way which the receiver can predict; and "chirp" modulation or Pulse-FM in which a carrier is swept over a wide band during a given pulse interval. Frequency-hopping systems are less important for civilian telecommunications.
CDMA methods are commonly used in cell phone systems. In such a system, adjacent base stations must have different spreading sequences (long pseudo-noise or "PN" codes), and the mobile unit must be able to lock onto the correct long code (spreading sequence) for each base station it may interface to. The mobile unit will already know the set of possible long codes which it may encounter, but will not know a priori which long code it will encounter when switched on. In most systems the mobile unit will also not know what the received long code offset is, that is, the timing of the transmission of the long code is not known. However, it is highly desirable for the mobile unit to acquire the received long code quickly. This is an essential step in the handoff from one base station to another. Base station handoff is particularly a problem as the number of base stations becomes larger.
Thus the acquisition of the long code during initial acquisition or handoff is a critical bottleneck. A technique for accelerating this has been proposed in the NTT DoCoMo ("Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Mobile Communications Network, Inc.") System. In this system, each base station transmits a signal on a "pilot" (or "perch") channel which helps the mobile system to acquire the correct long code for that base station.
The DoCoMo System
The DoCoMo System introduced some features to make the PN acquisition of the long code simpler. In the DoCoMo system, PN acquisition is accomplished by intermittently broadcasting a symbol which is not encoded by the base station's long code.
Thus, a mobile receiver can simply search for the particular short code ("SC0") which is shared by every base station. When the mobile unit finds this short code, SC0, it can also look to see which of the short codes SCk is being broadcast synchronously with the SC0 code. The SCk code will show which group of transmitters the base station belongs to. The receiver then uses this information to shorten its search through the complete set of codes. Once this information has been acquired, there are still two ambiguities which must be resolved: the receiver must still identify which long code, within the reduced group of possible long codes, is being broadcast; and the receiver must still determine the phase of the long code.
That is, within the timing architecture of the DoCoMo system, a long-code-masked symbol is broadcast once in every ten symbols. Since there are 160 symbols in the complete long code, the long-code-masked symbols will be broadcast 16 times before the long code has repeated once. Thus in the DoCoMo system the receiver has to discover which of the 16 repetitions of the short code (within the long code period) has been detected. (Since it is not known which long code is being used, it is necessary to check all possible phases of the reduced set of possible long codes.) See Higuchi et al., "Fast cell search algorithm in DS-CDMA mobile radio using long spreading codes," 1997 IEEE 47th Vehicular Technology Conference vol.3 pp.1430-4, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Spread-Spectrum Telephony with Accelerated Code Acquisition
The present application discloses an improved mobile communications architecture, in which each base station broadcasts not only data which has been spread by that station's long code word, but also (intermittently) code identification data which has not been spread. The code identification data is a block code which includes multiple symbols, so that multiple intermittent transmissions are required to complete the transmission of the code identification data. This transmission lets the mobile station shorten the search for the base station's long code word in two ways: the code identification data gives at least some information about the long code itself; and the phase of the block code gives at least some information about the phase of the long code word.
This advantageously results in a system where the amount of searching which a mobile unit must do to acquire the correct code for a new base station is greatly reduced. This results in the further advantage of faster acquisition of a new base station during hand off.
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The present invention relates to dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), and in particular to refreshing techniques.
DRAM devices function by storing charge on a capacitor at each memory location. The capacitor loses the charge over time, and accordingly it needs to be recharged to its original level, whether a 1 or 0, periodically. This period is known as the refresh period, tREF. A typical tREF value is 64 ms. This recharging is termed refreshing, and is done by doing a row access for every row in the memory device. In newer DRAM designs, the rows and columns are broken into multiple banks to break down large DRAM arrays into smaller pieces.
The row access operation is performed in two steps. First, a row is opened, or turned on, in a "sense" operation, by turning on the sense amps. Next, the row is closed by doing a "precharge" operation, using a precharge equalization transistor. When a refresh is performed, there is no need to select a particular bit with a column address, and the data is not read.
As the storage capacity of memory devices increases and the number of banks per device increases, the issue rate of refresh commands sent to the memory device from the controller also increases and can introduce a refresh overhead that unacceptably impacts the performance of normal memory accesses.
To reduce refresh overhead, it is desirable to refresh more than one bank for each refresh command. This approach can be called multibank refresh. With a given refresh command, more than one bank could be either simultaneously or sequentially refreshed. From a performance standpoint, it is more desirable to refresh banks simultaneously, so that the time that bank resources are tied up is minimized.
Simultaneous multibank refresh, however, has the problem of current spikes. Each refresh operation for each bank requires a certain amount of supply current over time. At the onset of the operation, there is an initial spike of current. This spike is large because the row sensing circuits have been designed to access cell data as quickly as possible in order to minimize the latency to the first allowable page access to bits stored in the sense amps. This spike, characterized by rate of change in current, dl/dt, can cause noise problems in a DRAM, since current spikes can reduce the internal supply voltage and cause failure in circuits on the same die or on other devices that share the same supply voltage. With multiple banks simultaneously doing a row sense, the current spike effect can be additive, thus causing greater probability of circuit failure.
Typically, a refresh operation is done by periodically addressing every row with a controller. Thus, interspersed between normal memory access operations, refresh commands are sent in the form of a RAS control signal with a row address. In a prior RAMBUS memory system, these commands are sent in packets which are decoded in the memory chips themselves.
In addition to the normal refreshing interspersed with memory accesses, the memory may also be put into a sleep or stand-by mode. In this mode, it is not being accessed, and minimal power drain is desired. This is accomplished by simply refreshing the memory when needed, and otherwise not doing memory accesses. Memory chips typically have on-chip counters for sequencing through all the rows and banks in order to accomplish such a self-refresh. This allows the memory chips to refresh themselves, without requiring the controller to be turned on to provide it with the refresh addresses and commands.
Because self-refresh mode uses a clock or sequencer on the DRAM itself, a synchronization issue arises when the device comes out of self-refresh mode and the controller takes over memory accesses and controlling refresh. The typical way the synchronization is handled is for the microprocessor, upon powering up out of a self-refresh mode, to send a burst of refresh commands covering all the data locations in the memory chip. In this way, it is ensured that the timing of the last refresh of every memory location is known to the microprocessor.
To keep up with increasing microprocessor speeds, there has been pressure to increase the speed at which memory is accessed. One method for accomplishing this is to shape the current pulse provided by the sense amplifier driver in order to increase access speed. This is discussed, for example, in an article by H. Geib, W. Rabnd. Schmitt-Landsiedel, entitled "Block-Decoded Sense-Amplifier Driver for High-Speed Sensing in DRAM's", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 23, No. 9, September 1992. As memories become larger, however, more locations need to be refreshed at any given time, and refreshing draws more power in a shorter time for the larger memories. Thus, current spikes can cause significant noise problems on the power line during a refresh operation. Accordingly, refresh protocols limit refreshing to one row at a time in order to control refreshing noise.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package for a semiconductor chip and a method of forming the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-row semiconductor package with an improved leadframe and a method for making said package.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices and integrated circuits (ICs) are made up of components, such as transistors and diodes, and elements such as resistors and capacitors, linked together by conductive connections to form one or more functional circuits. Interconnects on an IC chip serve the same function as the wiring in conventional circuits.
Once the components of an IC package have been assembled, the package is typically sealed by plastic encapsulation in order to improve the strength of the package and to provide necessary protection to the components within.
One type of package is a single sided multi row quad flat no-lead (QFN) package. See for example FIGS. 1 and 2. A multi row QFN is a type of copper leadframe based semiconductor package with more than one row of terminals at the bottom surface of the package to at least one peripheral side for the purpose of providing interconnection to external devices for example PCB.
Single sided multi row QFN packages can be singulated by two main methods, punch singulation and sawn singulation. However, both methods have several problems associated with them. For example, with punch singulation, solder bridging 101 can occur during solder plating and lead-to-lead shorting 102 can occur during package singulation. See FIGS. 1a and 1b respectively, which are top views of a portion of FIG. 1. FIG. 1b corresponds to the rectangular box drawn on top of FIG. 1. Solder bridging is a defect where solder bridged between adjacent leads. Lead-to-lead shorting is an un-wanted connection between neighboring leads caused by the inherent solder squeeze-out during package singulation. The existence of such defects in the package will affect the quality and functionality of the device.
Likewise, a single sided multi row QFN package, such as that shown in FIG. 2, formed by being sawn singulated, also has several problems associated with it. For example, adjacent leads 201 and 202 can be shorted as a result of the inherent smearing 203 of the copper material during package singulation. See FIG. 2a, which is a side view of a portion of FIG. 2 indicated by the circle in FIG. 2.
One object of the present invention is to produce a single sided multi-row package that reduces or eliminates solder bridging and lead-to-lead shorting when the package is punch singulated.
Another object of the present invention is to produce a single sided multi-row package that reduces or eliminates shorting of adjacent leads caused by smearing when the package is sawn singulated.
The invention can also act as an interlock that reduces the risk of having a separation between the mold cap and the leadframe. It also improves reliability by preventing the moisture to easily penetrate through the interface between the outer leads and mold cap.
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A source of illumination is used for lighting purposes. A linear light source may be used as a source of illumination to provide light in the backlights of display systems. In color transmissive display systems such as liquid crystal displays, the backlights are designed to provide light into the liquid crystal sheet. The light emanating from the liquid crystal sheet passes through a sheet of color filters. The color filter sheet allows only light of a particular color to pass through and blocks light of other colors. So, a significant proportion of light emanating from the backlight is blocked by the color filter sheet, reducing the efficiency of the display.
There exists prior art wherein a color display is lighted by column sources of light, each column carrying light of a particular color. A multicolored light source is needed so that light of various colors is coupled into the various columns. The multicolored linear light sources known in art are cumbersome and costly to produce. Thus, there is a need for a simple and cheaper multicolored linear light source.
A photoluminescent tube (usually known as a fluorescent tube) is used as a source of illumination for backlights in displays. A photoluminescent tube is made of a gas discharge tube coated with photoluminescent material on the surface of the tube. When a high voltage is applied across the tube, ionization of the gases occurs. These ions emit photons which hit the photoluminescent materials on the surface. The photoluminescent materials on the surface emit light of a particular spectrum. Photoluminescent material is any material which absorbs photons and hence emits photons. Photoluminescent materials include fluorescent materials, phosphorescent materials and scintillators.
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The present invention relates to a data transferring and/or receiving apparatus, method, and program storage medium, all in which data is transferred either within a single computer or among a number of computers.
Up until now, for transferring information displayed on a screen within a single computer, a user interface technique, which is referred to as xe2x80x9cdrag and dropxe2x80x9d, has been used. In the drag and drop technique, a subject that is being displayed on a computer screen, for example an icon, which represents information concerning a file stored in, for example, a hard disk, is clicked and dragged to a desired folder with a mouse and then dropped there. According to the drag and drop technique, the user is able to handle a subject displaced on a computer screen as if he/she were moving a real object, thereby enabling the user to naturally operate the computer.
However, if it is desired that a subject displayed on a screen is to be transferred to a different screen, i.e., when data, such as a file, is to be transferred between different computers, a natural user interface technique, such as the drag and drop technique, is not conventionally provided. For example, if a subject is to be transferred between different screens, the user is required to execute a command, such as a remote file copy command or an information transfer command.
In this manner, conventionally, even though a file transfer operation is performed between different computers, an op ration is disadvantageously conducted on the screen of a single computer. This type of user interface technique is far from representing the concept that a real object is being moved. Thus, the user is unable to perform a natural and simple operation in order to transfer a file between different computers.
Accordingly, in view of the above background, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data transferring and/or receiving apparatus, method, and program storage medium, all of which use a user interface that enables natural and simple data transfer in a single computer or natural and simple data transmission among a number of computers.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a data transferring apparatus including a data storage unit for storing data. A display/input unit displays information concerning the presence of the data stored in the data storage unit and is operated by an input operation unit. A network connector transmits data via a network that is provided with a management table in which management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data is registered. A controller registers in the management table, upon selecting by the input operation unit the information concerning the presence of the data displayed on the display/input unit, the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the selected data. The controller also transfers, upon obtaining a data transmission request that has been provided by the input operation unit from a device on the network, data corresponding to the information indicating the presence of the data represented by the registered management information from the data storage unit to the device on the network.
In the aforementioned data transferring apparatus, there is provided a management table on the network in which the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data selected by the operation input unit is registered. The management table on the network is shared with other apparatuses connected to the network. In the above-described data transferring apparatus, when the information concerning the presence of the data is selected by the input operation unit, the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the selected data is registered in the management table. When the apparatus of the present invention or another apparatus is selected by the input operation unit, the selected apparatus checks for the management information in the management table and requests the apparatus of the present invention to transmit data indicted by the management information in the management table. Then, the data transferring apparatus of the present invention transmits the data corresponding to the management information to the apparatus that has requested data transmission.
In the aforementioned data transferring apparatus, the display/input unit may be operated by a single input operation unit or a number of input operation units, each having an ID number. The controller may identify, upon selecting by the input operation unit the information concerning the presence of the data displayed on the display/input unit, the ID number of the operated input operation unit and may register the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the selected data in the management table in correspondence with the identified ID number.
In the aforementioned data transferring apparatus, the management table in which the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data selected by the input operation unit is registered is provided on the network according to the ID number of the input operation unit. In this data transferring apparatus, when the information concerning the presence of the data is selected by the input operation unit, the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the selected data is registered in the management table in correspondence with the ID number of the input operation unit. When the apparatus of the present invention or another apparatus is selected by the input operation unit having the above ID number, the selected apparatus checks for the management information registered in they management table having the above ID number and requests the apparatus of the present invention to transmit data indicated by the management information registered in the management table having the above ID number.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a data receiving apparatus including a data storage unit for storing data. A display/input unit displays information concerning the presence of the data stored in the data storage unit and is operated by an input operation unit. A network connector transmits data via a network that is provided with a management table in which management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data is registered. A controller requests, upon performing an input operation on the display/input unit by the input operation unit, a device on the network indicated by the management information registered in the management table to transmit data corresponding to the management information. The controller also receives the data from the device on the network and stores it in the data storage unit.
In the aforementioned data receiving apparatus, there is provided a management table on the network in which the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data selected by the input operation unit is registered. The management table on the network is shared with other apparatuses connected to the network. In this data receiving apparatus, when the display/input unit is selected by the input operation unit, the management information registered in the management table is checked, and a request is provided to the apparatus of the present invention or another apparatus indicated by the management information registered in the management table to transmit data corresponding to the management information. The apparatus that has received the data transmission request transmits the data corresponding to the management information. The data receiving apparatus then receives the data and stores it.
According to the aforementioned data receiving apparatus, the display/input unit may be operated by a single input operation unit or a number of input operation units, each having an ID number. The controller may identify, upon performing an input operation on the display/input unit by the input operation unit, the ID number of the operated input operation unit, and may request the device on the network indicated by the management information registered in the management table in correspondence with the ID number, to transmit the data corresponding to the management information.
In the above-described data receiving apparatus, the management table in which the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data selected by the input operation unit is registered is provided on the network according to the ID number of the input operation unit. When the display/input unit is selected by the input operation unit, the management information registered in the management table in correspondence with the ID number of the operated input operation unit is checked. Then, a request is provided to the apparatus of the present invention or another apparatus indicated by the management information registered in the management table having the above ID number to transmit data corresponding to the management information having the above ID number.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a data transferring and receiving apparatus including a data storage unit for storing data. A display/input unit displays information concerning the presence of the data stored in the data storage unit and is operated by an input operation unit. A network connector transmits data via a network that is provided with a management table in which management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data is registered. A controller checks for, upon performing an input operation on the display/input unit by the input operation unit, management information registered in the management table. If there is no management information registered in the checked management table and the information concerning the presence of the data displayed on the display/input unit is selected by the input operation unit, the controller registers the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the selected data in the management table. The controller further transfers from the data storage unit to the device on the network, upon obtaining a data transmission request that has been provided by the input operation unit from the device on the network, data corresponding to the information concerning the presence of the data represented by the registered management information. On the other hand, if management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data is registered in the checked management table, the controller requests the device on the network indicted by the management information to transmit data corresponding to the management information and receives the data from the device on the network and stores it in the data storage unit.
In the aforementioned data transferring and receiving apparatus, there is provided a management table on the network in which the management information representing the information concerning the presence of the data selected by the input operation unit is registered. The management table on the network is shared with other apparatuses connected to the network. When the information concerning the presence of the data is selected by the input operation unit, the management information representing the information concerning the selected data is registered in the management table. When the apparatus of the present invention or another apparatus is selected by the input operation unit, the selected apparatus checks for the management information registered in the management table and requests the apparatus of the present invention to transmit data indicated by the management information. The
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The invention relates to a method to use microwave energy to anneal a thin semiconductor lamina for use in a photovoltaic cell.
Crystalline damage in semiconductor material such as silicon can be repaired by various means. One of the simplest ways is to subject the silicon body to a high-temperature anneal. In some circumstances, however, a thermal anneal may present difficulties, as when other materials are present that cannot tolerate the anneal temperature.
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The present invention relates to a curable polymer mixture, preferably a curable polymer concrete mixture comprising 1.) as coupling additive at least one at least oligomeric addition product a) of at least one amino silane and/or thiosilane having at least one hydrolysable silane group and at least one compound having at least two terminal, ethylenically unsaturated double bonds and/or at least one at least oligomeric addition product b) of at least one isocyanate silane and/or epoxy silane having at least one hydrolysable silane group and at least one oligomeric compound with at least three structured units and having at least one terminal hydroxy group or terminal amino group and at least one terminal ethylenically unsaturated double bond, 2.) a system which can be cured by radical polymerisation and comprises at least one ethylenically unsaturated polymer and/or a (meth)acrylic resin, at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, at least one radical initiator and optionally at least one cross-linking agent as binder 3.), at least 20% by weight, preferably at least 40% by weight, more preferably at least 60% by weight, based on the total weight of the compounds 1.) to 4.) of the polymer mixture, of inorganic, preferably multiparticulate, fillers as aggregates and 4.) optionally conventional auxiliaries.
Curable polymer mixtures of different compositions have various applications, such as for the production of polymer concrete.
Polymer concretes are known materials which, unlike normal concrete, have a polymer as binder which holds the rock grains, what are known as aggregates, together. The aggregates can have the most varied rock grain size and are usually used ranging from the finest to a coarse grain size. Depending on the mixture of the various grain sizes, this allows filling degrees of up to 95% by weight. Ethylenically unsaturated polymers are preferably used as polymeric binders in order to produce polymer concretes by curing polymer matrix in which the aggregates are distributed. It is important for the quality of a polymer concrete that it has outstanding mechanical properties, such as flexural strength, tensile strength, compressive strength and impact strength, in addition to an adequate E modulus, which are only obtained by a very effective interaction, i.e. adhesion, between the polymer matrix and the aggregates which are joined by the polymer matrix. The more effective this interaction, the higher the quality of the polymer concrete. This also applies to other curable polymer mixtures with, in particular, a high filling degree. Moreover, it is of crucial significance that the polymer concrete mixture which has not yet cured spreads rapidly, i.e. it has an excellent slump which can be achieved, inter alia, by a sufficiently low viscosity of the polymer mixture. In spite of an excellent slump, a rapid curing of the polymer mixture to be cured should, however, also be possible.
The known polymer concrete mixtures do not have the aforementioned desirable processing properties or the polymer concretes obtained therefrom do not always exhibit satisfactory values in the aforementioned mechanical properties for many fields of application.
An object of the present invention was therefore to provide curable polymer mixtures, preferably curable polymer concrete mixtures which, due to their low viscosity, ensure an improved processing, i.e. an increased slump, and the cured polymer compositions produced therefrom, preferably the polymer concretes, have improved mechanical properties compared to the previously known products.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metallic gasket which is interposed between joining surfaces of a cylinder block and a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine, and which prevents leakage of fluid such as combustion gas, cooling water, lubricating oil, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a gasket of various kinds is interposed between joining surfaces of a cylinder block and a cylinder head mounted thereon of an automobile engine such as an internal combustion engine to prevent leakage of fluid such as combustion gas, cooling water, lubricating oil, and the like, and the sealing function is achieved by tightening both the cylinder block and the cylinder head by tightening members such as bolts or the like. Conventionally, as such a gasket, the so-called soft gasket is provided which is formed of an asbestos material, a chemical fiber material, a carbon sheet material, or the like. However, the soft gasket involves a drawback as an inavoidable problem due its material that there is a deterioration with time due the operation of an internal combustion engine, and that it is difficult to ensure a heat resistance. As a result, is well known that recently, metallic gaskets are widely used, which are excellent in heat resistance, compressive resistance, and durability, and which provide satisfactory restoration properties (spring characteristics) and thermal conductivity.
In such metallic gaskets, the sealing in a peripheral portion of the combustion chamber, that is, the cylinder bore is particularly important. In other words, when the sealing of this portion is not sufficient, the utilization of the combustion gas in the inside of the combustion chamber is incomplete, and it will result in a reduction of the pressure. Accordingly, an elastic base plate in the metallic gasket is provided with a bead formed concentrically with a cylinder bore hole which is formed to communicate with the cylinder bore, and the surface pressure generated between the joining surfaces of the metallic gasket and the cylinder block, and of the metallic gasket and the cylinder head is made to increase by utilizing a repulsive force which is generated when the metallic gasket is tightened by the tightening members such as the bolts between the cylinder block and the cylinder head, thereby to improve the sealing in the peripheral portion of the cylinder bore.
The bead is elastically deformed in a direction in which the bead collapses by the surface pressure when the metallic gasket is tightened by the tightening members such as the bolts between the cylinder block and the cylinder head, however, in order to completely collapse or flatten the bead, a relatively large load is needed. However, between the joining surfaces between the cylinder block and the cylinder head, the tightening force is large at a position near the tightening member such as the bolt, however, the tightening force is inevitably decreased at a remote position. This is resulted from the fact that when an aluminum alloy having low rigidity is used as a material of the cylinder head to decrease the weight of the engine, or when a width of the cylinder head between the combustion chambers is reduced by reducing a distance between combustion chambers to make the engine small in size and light in weight, the rigidity of a portion between the combustion chambers of the engine is reduced.
On the other hand, the bead is formed at a position remote from the position of the tightening member such as the bolt. Accordingly, due to the distance from the tightening member such as the bolt and the above-mentioned reduction of the rigidity of the engine, the bead does not completely collapse by the surface pressure, and an inclination is caused in the bead. More specifically, at a portion at which the bead is formed, the rigidity of the engine and the repulsive force of the bead are balanced, and this balance is maintained when the engine is stopping. However, when the engine is operating, due to an increase and a decrease of the pressure inside the combustion chamber, the tightening force imparted to the metallic gasket is changed, and vibrations are generated in the bead. Furthermore, as a result of vibrations due to a mass of the engine, and as a result of a change in volume due to a temperature change of each engine component, variations are caused in the tightening force imparted to the metallic gasket. Thus, the bead is vibrated by its elasticity due to the above-mentioned vibrations and the variations in the tightening force, and furthermore, there is a possibility of causing a fatigue break when the bending of the bead is repeated due to the vibrations.
Accordingly, there is a proposal to restrict the magnitude of an amplitude of the above-mentioned vibrations and to prevent the occurrence of the fatigue break at the portion of the bead, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility-Model Publication Hei No. 4-16026, and Japanese Patent Publication Hei No. 5-61503.
Specifically, in Japanese Utility-Model Publication Hei No. 4-16026, as shown in FIG. 10, a subplate 3 is placed over a base plate 1 on a side to which a bead 2 expands, that is, the side of a convex of the bead 2, and the base plate 1 and the subplate 3 are coupled with each other by spot welding or by using eylets at several positions including these portions (for example, 10a in FIG. 9 which will be described later) which extend outwardly beyond a joining area with the cylinder block and the cylinder head of the engine. Furthermore, an edge of the subplate 3 is folded back to the base plate 1 side to form a folded section 3a, and this folded section 3a is positioned at an inner side towards the combustion chamber with respect to a starting point or turning point 2a of the bead 2, which starting point 2a is located near the combustion chamber, so that the folded section 3a and the starting point 2a do not overlap with each other. In such a metallic gasket, by the formation of the folded section 3a, the complete collapse of the bead 2 in a collapsing direction is prevented, and at the same time, the deterioration of the restoration property (spring characteristic) is prevented, thereby to decrease the amplitude of the vibrations and to prevent the occurrence of the fatigue break.
On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Publication Hei No. 5-61503, as shown in FIG. 11, a subplate 3' is placed over a base plate 1 at a side at which a bead 2 does not expand, that is, at a concave side of the bead 2, and the base plate 1 and the subplate 3' are coupled with each other at several positions including these portions which extend outwardly beyond a joining area with the cylinder block and the cylinder head in a similar manner as described with reference to FIG. 10. Furthermore, an edge of the subplate 3' is folded back upwardly to hold a flat portion la of the base plate 1 by the folded edge portion of the subplate 3', thereby to form laminations. In this structure, at the laminated end portion, a thickness is increased by one sheet of plate thickness of the subplate 3' as compared with other part of the base plate 1. As a result, a high surface pressure can be ensured at this laminated end portion. Furthermore, by virtue of the structure, a high pressure gas generated in the combustion chamber during operation of the engine is initially sealed (primary sealing) at the laminated end portion, and further, the high pressure gas is secondary sealed by collapsing the bead 2 in the collapsing direction. Accordingly, even when the tightening force of the metallic gasket is varied and the vibrations of the bead are caused, the deformation of the bead 2 in the collapsing direction is restricted by the end portion which is folded, and the vibrations are reduced and the occurrence of the fatigue break is prevented.
However, the metallic gaskets in the prior art involve the following drawbacks.
Specifically, in the metallic gasket in Japanese Utility Model Publication Hei No. 4-16026, the base plate 1 and the subplate 3 are coupled with each other only at several positions at the portions extended outwardly beyond the joining area with the cylinder block and the cylinder head. Accordingly, in the case where the subplate 3 is thin, for example, when the cylinder block of the engine is made of cast iron and the cylinder head is made of aluminum, and when the engine is operated and stopped to repeat a temperature rise and fall in the combustion chamber, there is a possibility that the subplate 3 which is thiner than the base plate 1 is deformed or produces a wrinkle, so that the subplate 3 protrudes into the combustion chamber, or a crack is caused in the folded section 3a. On the other hand, when the subplate 3 is thick, a folded end of the subplate 3 does not become completely flat, or the folded end will somewhat expand to both sides towards the joining surfaces. As a result, the folded end is difficult to be completely flattened even by the tightening force of the tightening members such as bolts, and the folded end will be subjected to a large load at its upper and lower ends in the thickness direction of the subplate 3. Accordingly, a sealing surface of the cylinder block or the cylinder head will sink or become hollow at a peripheral portion of the combustion chamber, and on the other hand, when an enormous load is applied to completely flatten the folded end, there is a possibility that the folded end is broken.
Also, in the metallic gasket in Japanese Patent Publication Hei No. 5-61503, since the base plate 1 and the subplate 3' are coupled with each other only at several positions outside the joining surface area, and since the folded section 3a' is directly in contact with the joining surface of the cylinder block or the cylinder head at the time of assembling the metallic gasket to the engine, when the temperature rise and the temperature fall in the combustion chamber are repeated due to the operation and stopping of the engine as described in the foregoing, the degree of thermal expansion will be different when the engine components
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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The manufacture of advanced semiconductor devices entails the integration and sequencing of many unit processing steps, with potential new material and process developments. The precise sequencing and integration of the unit processing steps enables the formation of functional devices meeting desired performance metrics such as power efficiency, signal propagation, and reliability.
As part of the discovery, optimization and qualification of each unit process, it is desirable to be able to i) test different materials, ii) test different processing conditions within each unit process module, iii) test different sequencing and integration of processing modules within an integrated processing tool, iv) test different sequencing of processing tools in executing different process sequence integration flows, and combinations thereof in the manufacture of devices such as integrated circuits. In particular, there is a need to be able to test i) more than one material, ii) more than one processing condition, iii) more than one sequence of processing conditions, iv) more than one process sequence integration flow, and combinations thereof, collectively known as “combinatorial process sequence integration”, on a single monolithic substrate without the need of consuming the equivalent number of monolithic substrates per material(s), processing condition(s), sequence(s) of processing conditions, sequence(s) of processes, and combinations thereof. This can greatly improve both the speed and reduce the costs associated with the discovery, implementation, optimization, and qualification of material(s), process(es), and process integration sequence(s) required for manufacturing.
Systems and methods for High Productivity Combinatorial (HPC) processing are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,544,574 filed on Feb. 10, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,824,935 filed on Jul. 2, 2008, U.S. Pat. No. 7,871,928 filed on May 4, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 7,902,063 filed on Feb. 10, 2006, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,947,531 filed on Aug. 28, 2009 which are all herein incorporated by reference. Systems and methods for HPC processing are further described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/352,077 filed on Feb. 10, 2006, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/419,174 filed on May 18, 2006, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/674,132 filed on Feb. 12, 2007, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/674,137 filed on Feb. 12, 2007, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005 which are all herein incorporated by reference.
HPC processing techniques have been used in wet chemical processing such as etching and cleaning. HPC processing techniques have also been used in deposition processes such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
In standard HPC systems, multiple site isolated regions on a substrate surface can be formed by sealing different regions of the surface, isolating the surface regions from each other. The surface sealing can generate particles, which requires subsequent substrate cleaning. Therefore there is a need for non-contact isolation of surface regions on a substrate surface.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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