[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: System And Methods For Fuel System Recirculation Tube Diagnostic

Technical Field and Background:
Vehicle emission control systems may be configured to store fuel vapors from fuel tank refueling and diurnal engine operations, and then purge the stored vapors during a subsequent engine operation. The fuel vapors may be stored in a fuel vapor canister coupled to the fuel tank which contains adsorbent material, such as activated carbon, capable of adsorbing hydrocarbon fuel vapor. The fuel tank may be further coupled to a vapor recovery line (vapor recirculation line). The vapor recirculation line may be configured to circulate and/or hold a percentage of refueling vapors, thus limiting the rate of fuel vapor canister loading. Fuel vapors may recirculate back to the fuel tank by flowing through the vapor recirculation line, and then through a filler neck of the fuel tank. Further, depending on the fuel dispenser, the fuel vapors within the vapor recirculation line may be returned to the fuel dispenser, thus limiting the total fuel vapor stored within the fuel vapor canister for a given refueling event. Fuel vapor recirculation lines include orifices to regulate the fuel vapor flow rate through the recirculation line. The fuel vapor recirculation line additionally serves a second purpose, including providing a path to the filler neck of the fuel tank in order to conduct diagnostic tests for undesired evaporative emissions from the filler neck. In an effort to meet stringent federal emissions regulations, entire evaporative emissions control systems and fuel systems need to be intermittently diagnosed for the presence of undesired evaporative emissions that could release fuel vapors to the atmosphere. In a typical evaporative emissions test, a vacuum is applied to the evaporative emissions control system and fuel system. In one example, the integrity of the systems are determined by comparing the resulting pressure to an expected pressure. The vacuum source may be the intake manifold of the vehicle engine. In some vehicles, such as hybrid electric vehicles, the vehicle engine may not run frequently, or may not generate enough vacuum to conduct an evaporative emissions test. Such vehicles may have an evaporative level check module (ELCM) coupled to the evaporative emission control system. The ELCM includes a vacuum pump that can be coupled to the fuel system for evaporative emissions testing. The fuel system vapor recirculation line provides a path to the filler neck of the fuel tank under conditions wherein high fuel levels in the fuel tank may block access of the applied vacuum to the fuel filler neck. In such cases, in the absence of a recirculation line, undesired evaporative emissions in the filler neck and fuel cap area may go undetected. As such, vapor recirculation lines serve to both limit the rate of fuel vapor canister loading, and to provide a path to the filler neck for evaporative emissions testing. However, as the orifices in a recirculation line age, flow through the orifices may decrease. For example, the vapor recirculation line may become restricted, and as a result fuel vapors may not circulate through the vapor recirculation line, causing the canister loading rate (and total load) to increase. Excess loading of the canister may result in the release of hydrocarbons to the atmosphere. Additionally, during refueling, the pressure in the fuel tank may increase as fuel is added to the tank, the result of a restricted vapor recirculation line and an increased resistance to refueling due to additional loading of the fuel vapor canister. In some examples, the fuel pressure may increase to a level where the fueling is terminated before the fuel tank is full by an automatic shutoff mechanism. Furthermore, a restriction in the vapor recirculation line may isolate the fuel filler neck and fuel cap area from applied vacuum during an evaporative emissions test diagnostic, under conditions wherein the fuel level in the fuel tank additionally blocks access of the applied vacuum to the fuel filler neck and cap area via the fuel tank. Accordingly, diagnosing and mitigating potential restrictions in a vehicle's fuel system vapor recirculation line may serve to maintain vehicle compliance with federal evaporative emissions test regulations, may increase the functional lifespan of a vehicle's fuel vapor canister, and may prevent customer dissatisfaction due to premature automatic shutoffs of a refueling dispenser during vehicle refueling operations. U.S.

Invention Disclosure:
Methods and systems are provided for indicating restrictions in a fuel system vapor recirculation line. In one example, a fuel tank is evacuated responsive to a fuel level below a threshold, and if the vacuum is relieved via a negative pressure relief valve in a capless fuel filler system, the negative pressure relief valve is indicated to be functional such that, responsive to a fuel level greater than a threshold, the fuel system may be evacuated and a restriction may be indicated in the vapor recirculation line responsive to the negative pressure valve not relieving the applied vacuum. In this way, restrictions in the vapor recirculation line may be rapidly diagnosed and excessive loading of a fuel vapor canister may be prevented, thus reducing the potential for evaporative emissions being released to the atmosphere and prolonging fuel vapor canister function.

[Assistant]
1. A method comprising:
responsive to a fuel tank fill level below a first threshold, applying vacuum to a fuel system to generate a first fuel system pressure profile;
responsive to a fuel tank fill level above a second threshold, applying vacuum to the fuel system to generate a second fuel system pressure profile; and
indicating a restriction in a vapor recirculation line based on the first and second fuel system pressure profiles, wherein:
a fuel tank is coupled in the fuel system within a vehicle, wherein the pressure profiles are pressure profiles over time, and wherein the fuel tank is coupled to a fuel filler neck via a spud valve, the fuel filler neck coupled to a negative pressure relief valve;
taking an action in response to the indicated restriction; and
wherein the first threshold comprises a fuel level below the spud valve, and wherein the second threshold comprises a fuel level above the spud valve, wherein the fuel tank fill level below the first threshold comprises a first condition and the fuel tank fill level above the second threshold comprises a second, different, condition, wherein none of the pressure profile of the first condition overlaps a duration of the pressure profile of the second condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein indicating the restriction in the vapor recirculation line further comprises:
indicating the restriction responsive to both the first fuel system pressure profile including a vacuum relief inflection point during applying vacuum in the first condition, and the second fuel system pressure profile not including a vacuum relief inflection point during applying vacuum in the second condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first condition further comprises:
routing vacuum through the fuel tank to the negative pressure relief valve via the fuel filler neck.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second condition further comprises:
routing vacuum to the negative pressure relief valve via the vapor recirculation line.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
indicating the negative pressure relief valve is functional responsive to an indication of a vacuum relief inflection point during applying vacuum in the first condition; and
indicating an absence of restriction in the vapor recirculation line responsive to an indication of a vacuum relief inflection point during applying the vacuum in the second condition, wherein it was previously indicated that the negative pressure relief valve is functional.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, during applying vacuum during both the first condition and the second condition, a vacuum relief inflection point corresponding to the first fuel system pressure profile and a vacuum relief inflection point corresponding to the second fuel system pressure profile indicates opening of the negative pressure relief valve.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein both the first condition and the second condition further comprise:
stopping applying vacuum and relieving fuel system vacuum to atmosphere if a threshold vacuum level is reached, the threshold vacuum level comprising a vacuum level greater than a level expected to actuate the negative pressure relief valve.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
fluidically coupling the fuel system to a fuel vapor canister configured within an evaporative emissions control system by opening a fuel tank isolation valve;
wherein applying vacuum to the fuel system includes opening the fuel tank isolation valve, and activating a vacuum pump positioned within a vent line between the fuel vapor canister and atmosphere to draw vacuum on the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
prior to applying vacuum to the fuel system,
indicating a reference vacuum level by applying vacuum via the vacuum pump to a reference orifice; and
during applying vacuum to the fuel system,
indicating undesired evaporative emissions responsive to a fuel system vacuum level less than the reference vacuum level after a predetermined time period.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
responsive to an indication of fuel system vacuum greater than or equal to the reference vacuum level after the predetermined time period:
maintaining applying vacuum to the fuel system during the first condition and the second condition.

11. A method comprising:
during evacuating an evaporative emissions control system and a fuel system to conduct an evaporative emissions test with an onboard vacuum pump;
monitoring pressure in the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system; and
responsive to an indication of an absence of undesired evaporative emissions:
in a first condition, including a fuel level in a fuel tank below a first threshold level, maintaining evacuating the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system and indicating a negative pressure relief valve in a capless fuel filler system is functional responsive to a vacuum relief inflection point; and
in a second condition, including the fuel level in the fuel tank above a second threshold level and an indication that the negative pressure relief valve is functional, maintaining evacuating the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system and indicating a restriction in a fuel system vapor recirculation line responsive to an absence of a vacuum relief inflection point.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
fluidically coupling the fuel tank to the negative pressure relief valve in the capless fuel filler system via a fuel filler neck, the fuel filler neck coupled to the fuel tank via a spud valve;
wherein the first threshold level comprises a fuel level below the spud valve, and wherein the second threshold level comprises a fuel level above the spud valve.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first condition includes routing vacuum to the negative pressure relief valve via the fuel filler neck through the spud valve, the fuel filler neck comprising a less restrictive path to the negative pressure relief valve than a path through the fuel system vapor recirculation line.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second condition includes routing vacuum to the negative pressure relief valve via the fuel system vapor recirculation line.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
prior to evacuating the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system to conduct the evaporative emissions test:
activating the onboard vacuum pump;
drawing a vacuum across a reference orifice; and
determining a reference vacuum level;
wherein, during evacuating the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system, an indication of an absence of undesired evaporative emissions includes attaining a vacuum level in the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system equal to or greater than the reference vacuum level after a predetermined time period.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein both the first and second conditions further comprise:
stopping maintaining evacuating the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system responsive to a vacuum level in the evaporative emissions control system and the fuel system reaching a second threshold vacuum level, wherein a vacuum relief inflection point in both the first condition and the second condition is not indicated, the vacuum relief inflection point in both the first condition and the second condition comprising opening of the negative pressure relief valve.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second threshold vacuum level comprises a vacuum level greater than a level of vacuum expected to open the negative pressure relief valve.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Substrate Processing Apparatus And Substrate Processing Method

Technical Field and Background:
A process for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes performing a liquid processing by supplying a processing liquid to an upwardly facing front surface of a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, while rotating the substrate around a perpendicular axis in a horizontal position. In some cases, simultaneously with performing the liquid processing on the front surface of the substrate that faces upward, the liquid processing is also performed on the rear surface of the substrate that faces downward by supplying the processing liquid to the rear surface of the substrate. Further, in some cases, when the liquid processing is performed on the front surface of the substrate, a gas such as, for example, nitrogen gas, may be supplied to the rear surface of the substrate in order to suppress the processing liquid supplied to the front surface of the substrate from flowing to the rear surface side, to suppress contaminants from being attached to the rear surface of the substrate, or to reduce an oxygen concentration in a space formed at the rear surface side of the substrate. When the gas is supplied to the rear surface of the substrate, it is desired that the space formed below the substrate is narrow in order to achieve the above-described purposes with a small flow rate of the gas. Meanwhile, it is not desired that the area of the space below the substrate when the processing liquid is supplied to the rear surface of the substrate is the same as that when the gas is supplied to the rear surface of the substrate. In this case, it is desired that the space formed below the substrate is relatively wide such that the processing liquid supplied to the central portion of the rear surface of the substrate smoothly flows to the peripheral edge of the substrate via the rear surface of the substrate. For a user of a substrate processing system, it is desired that a single substrate processing unit is commonly available for a plurality of kinds of processings from the viewpoints of both apparatus costs and foot print reduction. The above-described demand may be partially responded by providing a disc-shaped member, which is liftable and rotates together with a substrate holding member, below a substrate so as to adjust a gap between the substrate and the disc-shaped member as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-270563. However, when a lift driving mechanism configured to lift the disc-shaped member is mounted in the substrate holding member that is a rotational body, the structure of the substrate processing unit becomes complicated, and particle generation sources are increased. The particle generation sources also easily cause the weight increase and rotational unbalance of rotation bodies and rotational unbalance.

Invention Disclosure:
A first holding plate and a second holding plate are provided. The first holding plate has a first flat plate portion facing a bottom surface of a substrate and holds the substrate so as to form a gap between the first flat plate portion and the substrate as a first gap, and the second holding plate has a second flat plate portion facing the bottom surface of the substrate and holds the substrate so as to form a gap between the second flat plate portion and the substrate as a second gap. Depending on a processing to be performed, any one of the first holding plate and the second holding plate is mounted on a rotational shaft of a shaft mechanism that includes a fluid supply unit configured to supply a fluid to the bottom surface of the substrate and the rotational shaft configured to rotate the substrate. The processing is performed on the substrate by supplying the fluid to the bottom surface of the substrate from the fluid supply unit.

[Assistant]
1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a fluid supply unit configured to supply a fluid to a bottom surface of a substrate;
a first holding plate that includes a first flat plate portion that directly faces the bottom surface of the substrate;
a second holding plate that includes a second flat plate portion that directly faces the bottom surface of the substrate;
a rotational shaft configured to rotate the substrate; and
a connection portion provided on the rotational shaft to connect therewith both the first holding plate and the second holding plate;
wherein the first holding plate is configured to hold the substrate to form a vertical gap between a top surface of the first flat plate portion and the bottom surface of the substrate as a first gap when the connection portion connects the first holding plate, and the second holding plate is configured to hold the substrate to form a vertical gap between a top surface of the second flat plate portion and the bottom surface of the substrate as a second gap when the connection portion connects the second holding plate.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid supply unit supplies a gas to the first gap and supplies a liquid to the second gap.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the rotational shaft has a central area and a peripheral area that is formed around the central area and has a height lower than that of the central area,
the connection portion is provided in the peripheral area,
the first holding plate has a first attachment portion to be attached to the connection portion,
the second holding plate has a second attachment portion to be attached to the connection portion, and
a difference between the first gap and the second gap corresponds to a difference between a height of the first attachment portion and a height of the second attachment portion.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the rotational shaft has a central area and a peripheral area that is formed around the central area to have a height lower than that of the central area,
the connection portion is provided in the peripheral area,
the second holding plate has a second attachment portion that is attached to the connection portion, and
a height of a top surface of the second holding plate becomes a same height of the central area when the second attachment portion is attached to the connection portion.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the rotational shaft has a central area and a peripheral area that is formed around the central area and has a height lower than that of the central area,
the connection portion is provided in the peripheral area,
the first holding plate has a first attachment portion to be attached to the connection portion, and
the first holding plate has an inclined surface that is formed to guide a gas supplied from the fluid supply unit toward a first side of the first flat plate portion from the central area when the first attachment portion is attached to the connection portion.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:
a processing liquid supply pipe configured to supply a liquid from the fluid supply unit;
a gas supply passage configured to supply a gas from the fluid supply unit; and
a circular diameter portion that covers the gas supply passage at a first side thereof around a first end of the processing liquid supply pipe,
wherein the inclined surface guides the gas passing between the circular diameter portion and the central area toward the first side of the first flat plate portion.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one first holding plate and at least one second holding plate are provided.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
an accommodation section including an L-shaped holding member, wherein the L-shaped holding member is configured to hold at least one of the first holding plate and the second holding plate.

9. A substrate processing method comprising:
providing a first holding plate that has a first flat plate portion facing the bottom surface of the substrate, the first holding plate being configured to hold the substrate to form a vertical gap between a top surface of the first flat plate portion and the bottom surface of the substrate as a first gap, and a second holding plate that has a second flat plate portion facing the bottom surface of the substrate, the second holding plate being configured to hold the substrate to form a vertical gap between a top surface of the second flat plate portion and the bottom surface of the substrate as a second gap that is larger than the first gap;
mounting any one of the first holding plate and the second holding plate on a rotational shaft configured to rotate the substrate; and
processing the substrate while supplying a fluid to the bottom surface of the substrate from a fluid supply unit configured to supply a fluid to the bottom surface of the substrate.

10. The substrate processing method of claim 9, wherein the first holding plate is mounted when a gas is supplied from the fluid supply unit, and the second holding plate is mounted when a liquid is supplied from the fluid supply unit.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Carbon Ceramic Brake Disc And Method For Manufacturing The Same

Technical Field and Background:
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a carbon ceramic brake disc. 2. Description of the Related Art Brake discs are classified into a drum brake type and a disc brake type. The disc brake type decelerates the speed of a vehicle or stops a vehicle by decelerating or stopping the rotation of a disc, using friction between a pad and the disc. Recently, disc types of vehicle brake discs are made of a carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic composite. The carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic composite is a material using ceramic as a matrix and reinforced with a carbon fiber. When a vehicle brake disc is made of a carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic composite, it is possible to manufacture a vehicle brake disc that is light and having high thermomechanical shock resistance, anti-oxidation, wear resistance, strength, and friction coefficient. A vehicle brake disc made of a carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic composite is called a “carbon ceramic brake disc”. A carbon ceramic brake disc is composed of a support body and friction layers bonded on and under the support body. In Korean Patent No. 10-1304188 by the applicant, there is disclosed a method of manufacturing a carbon ceramic brake disc by forming a support body and friction layers, respectively, bonding carbonized support body and friction layers, and then infiltrating silicon into the bonded support body and friction layers. Further, there is disclosed a method of making the components of the friction layer and the support body the same to prevent separation of the friction layer and the support body due to a large component difference between the friction layer and the support body in the process of manufacturing the carbon ceramic brake disc. When there is a large component difference between the friction layer and the support body, the difference of thermal expansion coefficients of the friction layer and the support body increases, so the friction layer and the support body may be easily separated. On the other hand, when a brake is operated, the friction layer comes in frictional contact with a pad and the support body supports the friction layer, thereby absorbing thermomechanical shock. For this purpose, the friction layer needs excellent friction resistance and anti-oxidation and the support body needs excellent thermomechanical shock resistance. Therefore, the appropriate characteristics of the friction layer and the support body is important to improve the performance of a carbon ceramic brake disc. However, as in the method disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1304188, the components of the support body and the friction layer are made the same to prevent separation of the friction layer and the support body, but in this case, the roles of the fiction layer and the support body cannot be appropriately divided. Accordingly, the performance of the carbon ceramic brake disc is deteriorated. Further, according to the method disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1304188, the step of bonding the support body and the friction layer with an adhesive after making them, respectively, is necessary, so it is difficult to reduce the time for manufacturing a carbon ceramic brake disc.

Invention Disclosure:
A carbon ceramic brake disc according to the present invention includes: a support body having cooling channels at the center portion; and friction layers directly attached to the top and the bottom of the support body without a bonding layer and having components different from the components of the support body, in which the support body is composed of a plurality of layers having components similar to the friction layers, gradually toward the friction layers from the cooling channels as the center. Accordingly, the support body can perform thermomechanical shock absorbing that is an original function and the friction layers and the support body can be prevented from separating while the carbon ceramic brake disc is manufactured.

[Assistant]
1. A method of manufacturing a carbon ceramic brake disc, the method comprising:
putting a friction layer mixture for making a friction layer, into a mold;
putting a hard support green body for making a support body on the friction layer mixture;
putting the friction layer mixture on the hard support green body;
obtaining the hard support green body and friction layer green bodies combined with each other by pressing and heating the friction layer mixtures and the hard support green body with a press and a heater;
forming a carbonized body by carbonizing the combined hard support green body and the friction layer green bodies; and
forming a carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic composite by infiltrating silicon into the carbonized body,
wherein a first support layer mixture is put into a mold,
a second support layer mixture is put on the first support layer mixture,
a core is put on the second support layer mixture,
gaps in the core are filled with a cooling channel wall mixture,
the second support layer mixture is put on the core,
the first support layer mixture is put on the second support layer mixture put on the core, and
the hard support green body is formed by pressing and heating the first support layer mixture and the second support layer mixture with a press and a heater, and
wherein a mesh for adjusting the height of the friction layer is put into a mold before a friction layer mixture for making the friction layer is put into the mold, and
the mesh for adjusting the height of the friction layer is put on the hard support green body before a friction layer mixture for making a friction layer is put on the hard support green body.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the friction layer mixture is composed of silicon powder, silicon carbide powder, graphite powder, and phenolic resin without carbon fibers,
the first support layer mixture is composed of carbon fibers (the length of 4 to 7 mm) and phenolic resin,
the second support layer mixture is composed of carbon fibers (the length of 10 to 29 mm) and phenolic resin, and
the cooling channel wall mixture is composed of carbon fibers (the length of 10 to 29 mm) and phenolic resin.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the silicon powder and the silicon carbide powder are obtained by crashing a wasted silicon wafer or a wasted solar cell plate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the friction layer mixture is composed of carbon fibers (the length of 0.15 to 0.2 mm) and phenolic resin, or silicon powder and phenolic resin, or silicon carbide powder and phenolic resin, or graphite powder and phenolic resin, the first support layer mixture is composed of carbon fibers (the length of 4 to 7 mm) and phenolic resin,
the second support layer mixture is composed of carbon fibers (the length of 10 to 29 mm) and phenolic resin, and
the cooling channel wall mixture is composed of carbon fibers (the length of 10 to 29 mm) and phenolic resin.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh is made of polycarbonate, ABS resin (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene copolymer), styrene resin, polyethylene, and acrylic resin, the thicknesses of the wires of the mesh are 0.1 to 0.5 mm, and the widths of the holes of the mesh are 1 to 10 mm.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Electric Amplifier Circuit For Amplifying An Output Signal Of A Microphone

Technical Field and Background:
A microphone chip, such as a MEMS microphone chip, has a package in which a microphone is coupled to an electric amplifier circuit for amplifying an output signal of the microphone. The electric amplifier circuit may be configured as an integrated circuit and particularly as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). The microphone is coupled to a sensitive input terminal of the amplifier circuit to apply the output signal of the microphone. The amplifier circuit amplifies the received output signal of the microphone and generates an amplified output signal at an output terminal of the amplifier circuit. In order to operate the microphone a supply potential is applied to an outer terminal of the microphone chip. The outer terminal may be configured as a bond pad to apply the supply potential. The package of the microphone chip is usually constructed compactly and is cost-optimized so that a direct coupling from the supply bond pad to the sensitive input terminal of the amplifier circuit cannot totally be avoided. Microphones are often used in devices where the supply voltage is not well-controlled and many other devices use the same supply voltage. Thus, a good PSRR (power supply rejection ratio) is required for the audio band to guarantee no audible distortion due to supply changes. The capacitor of the microphone, such as a MEMS motor capacitor, is only in the range of a few pico Farad. Even a parasitic capacitor having a small capacity can limit the PSRR. It is desirable to provide an electric amplifier circuit for amplifying an output signal of a microphone where the coupling of a supply potential applied to a bond pad at the package to an input terminal of the amplifier circuit inside the package is compensated as far as possible to improve the PSRR. It is a further concern to provide a microphone chip including a microphone and an electric amplifier circuit for amplifying an output signal of the microphone where a coupling of a supply potential applied to a bond pad at the package of the microphone chip to the input terminal of the electric amplifier circuit inside the package is compensated as far as possible to improve the PSRR.

Invention Disclosure:
An electric amplifier circuit for amplifying an output signal of a microphone comprises a supply input terminal (V10) to apply a supply potential (VDDA) for operating the electric amplifier circuit and a differential amplifier (110) having a first input terminal (E110a) for applying the output signal of the microphone (20), a second input terminal (E110b) and an output terminal (A110) for outputting an amplified output signal (OUT) of the microphone (20). A feedback path (FP) is provided between the output terminal (A110) of the differential amplifier (110) and the second input terminal (E110b) of the differential amplifier (110). A charge supplying circuit (120) is coupled to the feedback path (FP) to supply an amount of the charge to the feedback path (FP) in dependence on the supply potential (VDDA). The amount of charge supplied to the feedback path may be dependent on a change of the supply potential (VDDA).

[Assistant]
1. An electric amplifier circuit for amplifying an output signal of a microphone, comprising:
a supply input terminal to apply a supply potential for operating the electric amplifier circuit;
an input terminal to apply the output signal of the microphone;
an output terminal to output an output signal of the amplifier circuit;
a differential amplifier having a first input terminal for applying a first input signal, a second input terminal for applying a second input signal and an output terminal for outputting the output signal of the amplifier circuit, wherein the first input terminal of the differential amplifier is coupled to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit, and the output terminal of the differential amplifier is coupled to the output terminal of the amplifier circuit;
a feedback path being coupled between the output terminal of the differential amplifier and the second input terminal of the differential amplifier; and
a charge supplying circuit for supplying a charge, the charge supplying circuit being coupled to the feedback path,
wherein the charge supplying circuit is configured to supply an amount of the charge to the feedback path in dependence on a change of the supply potential,
wherein the charge supplying circuit comprises an electric storage circuit for storing the charge, and
wherein the charge supplying circuit is configured such that the amount of charge being stored within the electric storage circuit is dependent on the change of the supply potential and the gain of the differential amplifier.

2. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charge supplying circuit is configured to supply an amount of the charge to the feedback path in dependence on the gain of the differential amplifier.

3. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the electric storage circuit comprises at least one capacitor, and
wherein the at least one capacitor has a first side being connectable with one of the supply potential and a reference potential, and a second side being connected to the feedback path.

4. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 3,
wherein the electric storage circuit comprises a first capacitor, at least a second capacitor and a controllable switching circuit, and
wherein the controllable switching circuit is configured to selectively connect the first side of the first capacitor to one of the supply potential and the reference potential, and to selectively connect the first side of the at least one second capacitor to one of the supply potential and the reference potential.

5. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 4,
wherein the controllable switching circuit comprises a first inverter and at least a second inverter, each of the first and second inverters having a respective terminal to apply the supply potential and a respective terminal to apply the reference potential,
wherein the first inverter has an output terminal coupled to the first side of the first capacitor,
wherein the first inverter is configured to selectively couple one of the terminals to apply the supply potential and the reference potential to the output terminal of the first inverter in dependence on the gain of the differential amplifier,
wherein the at least one second inverter has an output terminal coupled to the first side of the at least one second capacitor, and
wherein the at least one second inverter is configured to selectively couple one of the terminals to apply the supply potential and the reference potential to the output terminal of the at least one second inverter in dependence on the gain of the differential amplifier.

6. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 5,
wherein the charge supplying circuit comprises a control circuit having an input side to apply an input signal for the control circuit of the charge supplying circuit, a first output terminal to generate a first control signal, and at least a second output terminal to generate at least a second control signal, the input signal for the control circuit of the charge supplying circuit specifying the gain of the differential amplifier,
wherein the first output terminal of the control circuit of the charge supplying circuit is coupled to a control terminal of the first inverter,
wherein the first inverter is configured to selectively couple one of the terminals to apply the supply potential and the reference potential to the output terminal of the first inverter in dependence on the first control signal,
wherein the at least one second output terminal of the control circuit of the charge supplying circuit is coupled to a control terminal of the at least one second inverter, and
wherein the at least one second inverter is configured to selectively couple one of the terminals to apply the supply potential and the reference potential to the output terminal of the at least one second inverter in dependence on the second control signal.

7. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
a transconductance amplifier having a first input terminal to apply a first input signal, a second input terminal to apply a second input signal, and an output terminal to generate an output signal, the output terminal being coupled to the second input terminal of the differential amplifier,
wherein the transconductance amplifier is configured to generate an output signal of the transconductance amplifier in dependence on the first and second input signal of the differential amplifier, and
wherein the charge supplying circuit has an output terminal for supplying the charge, the output terminal being connected to the output terminal of the transconductance amplifier.

8. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 7,
wherein the first input terminal of the transconductance amplifier is coupled to the output terminal of the amplifier circuit, and
wherein the second input terminal of the transconductance amplifier is coupled to a voltage source to a apply a reference potential or to the second input terminal of the differential amplifier.

9. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 7, comprising:
a capacitor being connected to the output terminal of the transconductance amplifier and the reference potential; and
a voltage follower, wherein the voltage follower is arranged in the feedback path between the transconductance amplifier and the second input terminal of the differential amplifier.

10. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 9,
wherein the first input terminal of the transconductance amplifier is coupled to the second input terminal of the differential amplifier, and
wherein the second input terminal of the transconductance amplifier is coupled to an output terminal of the voltage follower.

11. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
a first resistor; and
a second resistor,
wherein the first resistor is arranged in the feedback path between an output terminal of a voltage follower and the second input terminal of the differential amplifier,
wherein the second resistor is directly connected to the output terminal of the differential amplifier and the second input terminal of the differential amplifier, and
wherein the differential amplifier is configured such that the gain of the differential amplifier is dependent on the relationship between the first and second resistors.

12. The electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 11, comprising:
a control circuit to set the gain of the differential amplifier; and
a storage circuit,
wherein the first resistor is configured as a variable resistor,
wherein the storage circuit is configured to store a value specifying the gain of the differential amplifier,
wherein the control circuit is configured to set the resistance of the first resistor in dependence on the value stored in the storage circuit, and
wherein the control circuit of the charge supplying circuit is configured to generate a first control signal and at least one second control signal in dependence on the value stored in the storage circuit.

13. A microphone chip, comprising:
an electric amplifier circuit as claimed in claim 7;
the microphone, wherein the microphone is connected to a supply output terminal and the input terminal of the amplifier circuit; and
a package having a terminal to apply the supply potential,
wherein the amplifier circuit and the microphone are housed in the package.

14. The microphone chip as claimed in claim 13, wherein the microphone is configured as a micro electromechanical system.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Apparatus And Method For Managing Subscriber Profile In Wireless Communication System

Technical Field and Background:
To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased since deployment of 4G (4 th generation) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5G (5 th generation) or pre-5G communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication system is also called a ‘Beyond 4G Network’ or a ‘Post long term evolution (LTE) System’. The 5G communication system is considered to be implemented in higher frequency (mmWave) bands, e.g., 60 GHz bands, so as to accomplish higher data rates. To decrease propagation loss of the radio waves and increase the transmission distance, the beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, an analog beam fanning, large scale antenna techniques are discussed in 5G communication systems. In addition, in 5G communication systems, development for system network improvement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), reception-end interference cancellation and the like. In the 5G system, hybrid frequency shift keying and quadrature amplitude modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM), and filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced access technology have been developed. The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and the big data processing technology through connection with a cloud server, has emerged. As technology elements, such as “sensing technology”, “wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure”, “service interface technology”, and “Security technology” have been demanded for IoT implementation, a sensor network, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and so forth have been recently researched. Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technology services that create a new value to human life by collecting and analyzing data generated among connected things. IoT may be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances and advanced medical services through convergence and combination between existing information technology (IT) and various industrial applications. In line with this, various attempts have been made to apply 5G communication systems to IoT networks. For example, technologies such as a sensor network, MTC, and M2M communication may be implemented by beamforming, MIMO, and array antennas. Application of a cloud RAN as the above-described big data processing technology may also be considered to be as an example of convergence between the 5G technology and the IoT technology. Before a mobile telephone system is developed, a phone call was made through a public telephone network such as public switched telephone network (PSTN) connected by wire. Since then, a mobile communication system is developed with advances of mobile communication technology. Further, advances of manufacturing technology lead to plentiful supply of portable communication devices such as smart phones, and thus every person possesses his/her own telephone number. In recent, to meet users' various demands, various communication devices are developed and widely used. For example, in addition to the smart phone advanced from the existing portable phone, a large-screen portable electronic device and a wearable device put on a body are under development. Accordingly, one user can own a plurality of communication devices. However, a current communication system is developed based on a single phone number per device. As a result, even when a user has a plurality of devices, different phone numbers are assigned to the devices respectively. In this case, the user needs to manage the multiple phone numbers and may suffer from confusion in the phone number management.

Invention Disclosure:
The present disclosure relates to a communication method and system for converging a 5th-Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4th-Generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. Subscriber profile management in a wireless communication system is disclosed. A method for operating a user device, the method comprises: determining a state change of a direct connection with another device; and controlling a state of a profile including the same subscriber identification number as a subscriber identification number assigned to the other device, according to the state change of the direct connection.

[Assistant]
1. A method for operating a first device in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
transmitting, to a server, a first message for triggering enablement of a first profile, upon determining that a communication link between the first device and a second device is disconnected;
receiving, from the server, a second message for enabling the first profile in the first device, in response to the first message; and
enabling the first profile, in response to the second message, wherein the first profile comprises subscriber information that is used to access to a mobile communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the first profile comprises:
displaying a screen inquiring whether to enable the first profile in the first device; and
detecting a user input for enabling the first profile in the first device.

3. The method of claim 1,
wherein the first profile comprises a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number assigned to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the second device, a third message for disabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, upon detecting a user input to release the communication link between the first device and the second device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
establishing a communication link between the first device and the second device; and
disabling the first profile in the first device, in response to the establishment of the communication link.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting, to the second device, a fourth message for enabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, in response to the establishment of the communication link.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the server, a message for enabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, upon detecting a power off command input in the first device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the server, the first profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number assigned to the second device; and
installing the first profile in the first device.

9. A method for operating a server in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
receiving, from a first device, a first message for triggering enablement of a first profile; and
transmitting, to the first device, a second message for enabling the first profile in the first device, in response to the first message,
wherein the first profile comprises subscriber information that is used to access to a mobile communication network, and
wherein the first message is received in response to disconnection of a communication link between the first device and a second device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
transmitting, to the second device, a third message for disabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, in response to the first message; and
updating state information of the first and second profiles.

11. An apparatus of a first device in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:
a subscriber information module configured to store a first profile;
a transceiver configured to
transmit, to a server, a first message for triggering enablement of the first profile, upon determining that a communication link between the first device and a second device is disconnected, and
receive, from the server, a second message for enabling the first profile in the first device, in response to the first message; and
a controller configured to enable the first profile, in response to the second message,
wherein the first profile comprises subscriber information that is used to access to a mobile communication network.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a display configured to display a screen inquiring whether to enable the first profile in the first device, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a user input for enabling the first profile in the first device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first profile comprises a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number assigned to the second device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the second device, a third message for disabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, upon detecting a user input to release the communication link between the first device and the second device.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to:
establish a communication link between the first device and the second device, and
disable the first profile in the first device, in response to a result of the establishment of the communication link.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the second device, a fourth message for enabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, in response to a result of the establishment of the communication link.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the server, a message for enabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, upon detecting a power off command input in the first device.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transceiver configured to receive, from the server, the first profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number assigned to the second device, and
wherein the controller is configured to install the first profile in the subscriber information module.

19. An apparatus of a server in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive, from a first device, a first message for triggering enablement of a first profile; and
the transceiver configured to transmit, to the first device, a second message for enabling the first profile in the first device, in response to the first message,
wherein the first profile comprises subscriber information that is used to access to a mobile communication network, and
wherein the first message is received in response to disconnection of a communication link between the first device and a second device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a controller,
wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the second device, a third message for disabling a second profile comprising a subscriber identification number that is the same as a subscriber identification number of the first profile, in the second device, in response to the first message, and
wherein the controller is configured to update state information of the first and second profiles.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Selectively Controlling A Self-Driving Vehicle'S Access To A Roadway

Technical Field and Background:
The present disclosure relates to the field of vehicles, and specifically to the field of self-driving vehicles. Still more specifically, the present disclosure relates to the field of selectively controlling a self-driving vehicle's access to a particular roadway based on the autonomous capabilities of the self-driving vehicle. Self-driving vehicles (SDVs) are vehicles that are able to autonomously drive themselves through private and/or public spaces. Using a system of sensors that detect the location and/or surroundings of the SDV, logic within or associated with the SDV controls the speed, propulsion, braking, and steering of the SDV based on the sensor-detected location and surroundings of the SDV.

Invention Disclosure:
A processor-implemented method selectively controls a self-driving vehicle's access to a roadway. A vehicle interrogation hardware device receives an autonomous capability signal from an approaching self-driving vehicle. One or more processors compare predefined roadway conditions to current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway. In response to the predefined roadway conditions matching the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway within a predetermined range, the processor(s) determine whether the level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway. In response to determining that the level of autonomous capability of the self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway, an automatic barricade controlling device positions an automatic barricade to provide the approaching self-driving vehicle with access to the access-controlled roadway.

[Assistant]
1. A processor-implemented method of selectively controlling a self-driving vehicle's access to a roadway, the processor-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a vehicle interrogation hardware device, an autonomous capability signal from an approaching self-driving vehicle, wherein the approaching self-driving vehicle is approaching an access-controlled roadway, wherein access to the access-controlled roadway is limited to self-driving vehicles that are deemed qualified to travel on the access-controlled roadway, and wherein the autonomous capability signal describes a level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle for maneuvering through predefined roadway conditions;
comparing, by one or more processors, the predefined roadway conditions to current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway;
in response to the predefined roadway conditions matching the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway within a predetermined range, determining, by one or more processors, whether the level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway; and
in response determining that the level of autonomous capability of the self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway, positioning, by an automatic barricade controlling device, an automatic barricade to provide the approaching self-driving vehicle with access to the access-controlled roadway, wherein the automatic barricade is a physical barricade that is positioned at an entrance of the access-controlled roadway.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the vehicle interrogation hardware device, that another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode; and
in response to determining that said another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode, positioning, by the automatic barricade controlling device, the automatic barricade to block said another approaching vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the access-controlled roadway is a vehicular surface from a group consisting of street, a tunnel, a ferry, a parking spot, and a service bay.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, sensor readings from sensors that monitor the access-controlled roadway, wherein the sensor readings describe a current real-time condition of the access-controlled roadway; and
determining, by one or more processors, the current roadway conditions based on the received sensor readings.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the vehicle interrogation hardware device, a description of a physical state of the approaching self-driving vehicle;
retrieving, by one or more processors, an accident history of other vehicles that have a same physical state as that of the approaching self-driving vehicle while traveling on the access-controlled roadway;
determining, by one or more processors, whether the accident history of the other vehicles traveling on the access-controlled roadway exceeds a predetermined limit; and
in response to the one or more processors determining that the accident history of the other vehicles exceeds the predetermine limit while traveling on the access-controlled roadway, positioning, by the automatic barricade controlling device, the automatic barricade to block the approaching self-driving vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise a curve radius of a curve in the access-controlled roadway being less than a predefined value.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise an absence of guardrails on one or more sections of the access-controlled roadway.

8. A computer program product for selectively controlling a self-driving vehicle's access to a roadway, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving an autonomous capability signal from an approaching self-driving vehicle, wherein the approaching self-driving vehicle is approaching an access-controlled roadway, wherein access to the access-controlled roadway is limited to self-driving vehicles that are deemed qualified to travel on the access-controlled roadway, and wherein the autonomous capability signal describes a level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle for maneuvering through predefined roadway conditions;
comparing the predefined roadway conditions to current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway;
in response to the predefined roadway conditions matching the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway within a predetermined range, determining whether the level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway; and
in response to determining that the level of autonomous capability of the self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway, positioning, via an automatic barricade controlling device, an automatic barricade to provide the approaching self-driving vehicle with access to the access-controlled roadway, wherein the automatic barricade is a physical barricade that is positioned at an entrance of the access-controlled roadway.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:
determining that another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode; and
in response to determining that said another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode, positioning, via the automatic barricade controlling device, the automatic barricade to block said another approaching vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the access-controlled roadway is a vehicular surface from a group consisting of a ferry, a parking spot, and a service bay.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:
receiving sensor readings from sensors that monitor the access-controlled roadway, wherein the sensor readings describe a current real-time condition of the access-controlled roadway; and
determining the current roadway conditions based on the received sensor readings.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a description of a physical state of the approaching self-driving vehicle;
retrieving an accident history of other vehicles that have a same physical state as that of the approaching self-driving vehicle while traveling on the access-controlled roadway;
determining whether the accident history of the other vehicles traveling on the access-controlled roadway exceeds a predetermined limit; and
in response to determining that the accident history of the other vehicles exceeds the predetermine limit while traveling on the access-controlled roadway, positioning, via the automatic barricade controlling device, the automatic barricade to block the approaching self-driving vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise a curve radius of a curve in the access-controlled roadway being less than a predefined value.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise an absence of guardrails on one or more sections of the access-controlled roadway.

15. A roadway access-controlling station comprising:
a supervisory computer;
a vehicle interrogation hardware device; and
an automatic barricade controlling device,
wherein the vehicle interrogation hardware device receives an autonomous capability signal from an approaching self-driving vehicle, wherein the approaching self-driving vehicle is approaching an access-controlled roadway, wherein access to the access-controlled roadway is limited to self-driving vehicles that are deemed qualified to travel on the access-controlled roadway, and wherein the autonomous capability signal describes a level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle for maneuvering through predefined roadway conditions;
wherein the supervisory computer compares the predefined roadway conditions to current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway;
wherein the supervisory computer, in response to the predefined roadway conditions matching the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway within a predetermined range, determines whether the level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway; and
wherein the automatic barricade controlling device, in response the supervisory computer determining that the level of autonomous capability of the self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway, positions an automatic barricade to provide the approaching self-driving vehicle with access to the access-controlled roadway, wherein the automatic barricade is a physical barricade that is positioned at an entrance of the access-controlled roadway.

16. The roadway access-controlling station of claim 15, wherein:
the vehicle interrogation hardware device determines that another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode; and wherein
in response to the vehicle interrogation hardware device determining that said another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode, the automatic barricade controlling device positions the automatic barricade to block said another approaching vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

17. The roadway access-controlling station of claim 15, wherein the access-controlled roadway is a vehicular surface from a group consisting of a tunnel, a ferry, and a parking spot.

18. The roadway access-controlling station of claim 15, wherein:
the supervisory computer receives sensor readings from sensors that monitor the access-controlled roadway, wherein the sensor readings describe a current real-time condition of the access-controlled roadway; and wherein
the supervisory computer determines the current roadway conditions based on the received sensor readings.

19. The roadway access-controlling station of claim 15, wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise a curve radius of a curve in the access-controlled roadway being less than a predefined value.

20. The roadway access-controlling station of claim 15, wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise an absence of guardrails on one or more sections of the access-controlled roadway.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Tunneling Field Effect Transistor (Tfet) With Ultra Shallow Pockets Formed By Asymmetric Ion Implantation And Method Of Making Same

Technical Field and Background:
Advances in the semiconductor industry have reduced the size of transistors in integrated circuits (ICs) to 32 nanometers and smaller. The decrease in transistor sizes leads to decreases in power supply voltage to the transistors. As the power supply voltage has decreased, the threshold voltage of the transistors in the ICs has also decreased. Lower threshold voltages are difficult to obtain in a conventional metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). Indeed, as the threshold voltage is reduced the ratio of on current to off current (I on /I off ) also decreases. The on current refers to the current through the MOSFET when an applied gate voltage is above the threshold voltage, and the off current refers to current through the MOSFET when the applied gate voltage is below the threshold voltage. The on current to off current ratio may be improved by using a tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET). The TFET takes advantage of band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) to increase the achievable on current (I on ), which permits further reductions in threshold voltage, power supply voltage, and transistor size. Unfortunately, forming the dopant pocket in the TFET is challenging.

Invention Disclosure:
An embodiment integrated circuit device and a method of making the same. The embodiment integrated circuit includes a substrate supporting a source with a first doping type and a drain with a second doping type on opposing sides of a channel region in the substrate, and a pocket disposed in the channel region, the pocket having the second doping type and spaced apart from the drain between about 2 nm and about 15 nm. In an embodiment, the pocket has a depth of between about 1 nanometer to about 30 nanometers.

[Assistant]
1. A method comprising:
forming a dummy gate stack over a channel region in a substrate;
forming a first silicon nitride spacer over a source region in the substrate, the source region having a first doping type, the first silicon nitride spacer extending along a first sidewall of the dummy gate stack;
forming a second silicon nitride spacer over a drain region in the substrate, the drain region having a second doping type, the second silicon nitride spacer extending along a second sidewall of the dummy gate stack, the second sidewall of the dummy gate stack being opposite of the first sidewall of the dummy gate stack;
removing the dummy gate stack;
forming a low temperature nitride layer over the first silicon nitride spacer, the second silicon nitride spacer and the channel region;
implanting germanium ions in the low temperature nitride layer in a direction forming an acute angle with a top surface of the low temperature nitride layer;
removing germanium-implanted portions of the low temperature nitride layer to form an asymmetric low temperature nitride spacer over a first portion of the channel region; and
implanting ions of the second doping type in a second portion of the channel region unprotected by the asymmetric low temperature nitride spacer to form a pocket.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the pocket with a depth of between about 1 nm to about 30 nm.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the pocket a distance of between about 2 nm to about 15 nm away from the drain region.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the asymmetric low temperature nitride spacer over the second portion of the channel region.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming a high-k dielectric layer and a metal layer over the pocket and the first portion of the channel region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second silicon nitride spacer protects at least a portion of the low temperature nitride layer from the germanium ions.

7. A method comprising:
forming a dummy gate stack over a channel region in a substrate, the dummy gate stack comprising a dummy gate dielectric layer;
forming a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region in the substrate, the first source/drain region having a first doping type and the second source/drain region having a second doping type, the dummy gate stack being interposed between the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region;
forming a first spacer over the first source/drain region;
forming a second spacer over the second source/drain region;
exposing the dummy gate dielectric layer over the channel region;
forming a third spacer over the dummy gate dielectric layer, the third spacer partially covering the dummy gate dielectric layer, wherein a width of the third spacer decreases as the third spacer extends along a sidewall of the second spacer away from the dummy gate dielectric layer; and
forming a pocket of the second doping type in the channel region, the pocket being disposed below a portion of the dummy gate dielectric layer unprotected by the third spacer, the pocket being interposed between the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the pocket comprises implanting ions of the second doping type in a portion of the channel region below the portion of the dummy gate dielectric layer unprotected by the third spacer in a direction perpendicular to a top surface of the dummy gate dielectric layer.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
removing the third spacer;
removing the dummy gate dielectric layer to expose the channel region; and
forming an active gate stack over the channel region.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the third spacer physically contacts the second spacer.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the third spacer comprises:
depositing a nitride layer on the dummy gate dielectric layer, on a sidewall of the first spacer, and on a sidewall of the second spacer;
implanting germanium ions in the nitride layer in a direction forming an acute angle with a top surface of the nitride layer to form a germanium-implanted portion of the nitride layer; and
removing the germanium-implanted portion of the nitride layer, wherein an unremoved portion of the nitride layer forms the third spacer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein removing the germanium-implanted portion of the nitride layer comprises selectively etching the germanium-implanted portion of the nitride layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein an etch selectivity of the germanium-implanted portion of the nitride layer versus an unimplanted portion of the nitride layer is higher than about 3:1.

14. A method comprising:
forming a first spacer over a first source/drain region in a substrate, the first source/drain region having a first conductivity type;
forming a second spacer over a second source/drain region in the substrate, the second source/drain region having a second conductivity type, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type;
depositing a first mask layer over a channel region in the substrate, the first spacer and the second spacer;
altering an etch rate of an altered portion of the first mask layer;
performing a selective etching process on the first mask layer to remove the altered portion of the first mask layer, wherein an unremoved portion of the first mask layer forms a third spacer; and
performing a first ion implantation process on a portion of the channel region unprotected by the third spacer to form a pocket, the pocket having the first conductivity type.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein altering the etch rate of the altered portion of the first mask layer comprises performing a second ion implantation process on the first mask layer in a direction forming an acute angle with a top surface of the substrate, and wherein the unremoved portion of the first mask layer is protected from the second ion implantation process by the first spacer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first ion implantation process is performed in a direction perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
after performing the first ion implantation process, removing the third spacer;
forming a high-k dielectric layer over the pocket; and
forming a metal layer over the high-k dielectric layer.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising, before depositing the first mask layer, forming a second mask layer over the first spacer and the second spacer.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the third spacer extends along a sidewall of the first spacer.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein an etch selectivity of the altered portion of the first mask layer versus the unremoved portion of the first mask layer is higher than about 3:1.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Surface Roughness Sensor Apparatus And Processing Tool Structure Using The Same

Technical Field and Background:
Generally, surface roughness measurement methods are classified into an optical method and a stylus method. To be specific, the optical method is classified into a light sectioning method and an interference method. The light sectioning method refers to a method of irradiating a slit beam to a surface of an object and measuring a surface roughness using light reflected therefrom. The interference method refers to a method of measuring a surface roughness by observing an interference pattern of light. Regarding the optical measurement method, conventionally, Korean Patent No. 10-0125442 discloses a method and apparatus for optical detection of a surface roughness by generating a light bead on a material surface and then detecting a surface roughness using light reflected therefrom. Further, the stylus method refers to a method of measuring a surface roughness by bringing a diamond stylus into contact with a surface of an object and checking unevenness while moving the diamond stylus. Regarding the stylus measurement method, Korean Utility Model No. 20-0178075 discloses a portable surface roughness measuring apparatus which measures a roughness of a specimen with a stylus unit and compares the measured roughness with a roughness of a comparison specimen. The optical measurement method has some problems of having low precision, difficulty in measurement while an object is moved at a predetermined speed or more, and a complicated structure. The stylus measurement method uses a diamond stylus, and, thus, has a risk of damage to a surface of an object. Further, the stylus measurement method has a problem of difficulty in measurement of a surface roughness if the object has a smooth surface. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Invention Disclosure:
The present disclosure relates to a surface roughness sensor apparatus. The surface roughness sensor apparatus includes: a rotatable rotation shaft; a piezoelectric sensor provided along a circumference of the rotation shaft, rotated by rotation of the rotation shaft, and configured to generate a sensing signal in response to a pressure applied by a surface of an object as being in direct contact with the surface of the object; and a signal transfer unit configured to transfer the sensing signal generated and transmitted by the piezoelectric sensor to the outside of the sensor apparatus, and the piezoelectric sensor may be rotated in a direction in which a relative movement between the piezoelectric sensor and the surface of the object is made at a contact point with the object to minimize damage to the surface of the object.

[Assistant]
1. A surface roughness sensor apparatus that measures a surface roughness of an object, comprising:
a rotatable rotation shaft;
a signal transfer unit provided along the circumference of the rotation shaft and rotated by rotation of the rotation shaft; and
a piezoelectric sensor concentric with the rotated shaft and provided along a circumference of the signal transfer unit,
wherein the piezoelectric sensor is configured to generate a sensing signal in response to a pressure applied by a surface of the object as being in direct contact with the surface of the object; and
the signal transfer unit is configured to transfer the sensing signal generated by the piezoelectric sensor to outside of the sensor apparatus,
wherein the piezoelectric sensor is rotated in a direction in which a relative movement between the piezoelectric sensor and the surface of the object is made at a contact point with the object to minimize damage to the surface of the object.

2. The surface roughness sensor apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the piezoelectric sensor generates the sensing signal depending on an intensity of the pressure applied from the object when being in contact with the surface of the object.

3. The surface roughness sensor apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the piezoelectric sensor includes multiple sensor lines spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance on a surface of the piezoelectric sensor.

4. The surface roughness sensor apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the signal transfer unit includes an electric wire part configured to transfer the sensing signal generated and transmitted by the piezoelectric sensor.

5. The surface roughness sensor apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:
a slip ring configured to transfer the sensing signal transferred through the electric wire part to an external electric wire.

6. The surface roughness sensor apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the signal transfer unit includes:
an amplifier configured to amplify the sensing signal generated and transmitted by the piezoelectric sensor; and
a transmitter configured to transfer the amplified sensing signal.

7. A processing tool structure that processes the object, comprising:
a processing unit configured to process the object; and
the surface roughness sensor apparatus of claim 1 which is connected to one side of the processing unit,
wherein the surface roughness sensor apparatus measures the surface roughness of the object.

8. The processing tool structure of claim 7:
wherein the processing unit and the surface roughness sensor apparatus are integrated to be moved as being interlocked with each other.

9. The processing tool structure of claim 7,
wherein the processing unit and the surface roughness sensor apparatus are relatively moved with respect to a surface of the object.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Control System Of Engine

Technical Field and Background:
The present invention relates to a technical field of a control system of an engine in which a purge gas containing evaporated fuel desorbed from a canister is supplied to an intake passage. Conventionally, arts are known, in which during a deceleration fuel cutoff of the engine, when it is determined that evaporated fuel easily overflows from a canister, the purge gas containing the evaporated fuel desorbed from the canister is supplied to an intake passage of an engine. For example, JP2007-198210A discloses such an art. By supplying the purge gas to the intake passage during the deceleration fuel cutoff as above, the overflow of the evaporated fuel from the canister can be reduced. Although the evaporated fuel within the purge gas supplied to the intake passage is discharged unburned to an exhaust passage through the engine, the unburned evaporated fuel can be purified by an exhaust emission control catalyst provided in the exhaust passage. Further, in JP2007-198210A, when a temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst is detected and the detected result indicates a temperature below a predetermined value, the supply of the purge gas to the intake passage is reduced to suppress degradation of emission performance. However, in JP2007-198210A, even when the purge gas is supplied to the intake passage when the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst is the predetermined value or higher, depending on the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst, if an excessive amount of unburned evaporated fuel reaches the exhaust emission control catalyst, the emission performance may still degrade, which leaves room for improvement.

Invention Disclosure:
A control system of an engine is provided. The control system includes an exhaust emission control catalyst provided in an exhaust passage, a deceleration fuel cutoff module for performing a deceleration fuel cutoff when a deceleration fuel cutoff condition is satisfied in an engine decelerating state, a purging unit for performing a purge to supply a purge gas to an intake passage during the deceleration fuel cutoff, an evaporated fuel supply amount estimating module for estimating a supply amount of evaporated fuel to the intake passage when the purge is performed, and a catalyst temperature estimating module for estimating a temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the supply amount of the evaporated fuel. The purging unit controls a supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage when the purge is performed, based on the exhaust emission control catalyst temperature.

[Assistant]
1. A control system of an engine in which a purge gas containing evaporated fuel desorbed from a canister is supplied to an intake passage of the engine, the control system comprising:
an exhaust emission control catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of the engine;
a purging unit including a purge line and a purge valve for performing a purge to supply the purge gas to the intake passage of the engine during a deceleration fuel cutoff; and
a processor configured to execute:
a deceleration fuel cutoff module for performing the deceleration fuel cutoff to stop a fuel supply from an injector to the engine when a predetermined deceleration fuel cutoff condition is satisfied in a decelerating state of the engine;
an evaporated fuel supply amount estimating module for estimating a supply amount of the evaporated fuel to the intake passage when the purge is performed; and
a catalyst temperature estimating module for estimating a temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the estimated supply amount of the evaporated fuel; and
a catalyst temperature increasing amount estimating module for continuously estimating an increasing amount of the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when unburned evaporated fuel accumulated in the exhaust emission control catalyst by the purge is assumed to have entirely combusted at once,
wherein the purging unit controls a supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage when the purge is performed, based on the estimated temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst, and
wherein while the purge is performed, the purging unit stops the purge once the estimated increasing amount of the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst exceeds a preset value.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the purging unit stops the purge when the estimated temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst falls below a predetermined temperature while the purge is performed.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an evaporated fuel concentration estimating module for estimating a concentration of the evaporated fuel within the purge gas when the purge is performed,
wherein the purging unit further controls the supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage when the purge is performed, based on the estimated concentration of the evaporated fuel.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the purging unit does not perform the purge during the deceleration fuel cutoff when the estimated concentration of the evaporated fuel is above a predetermined concentration.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an exhaust gas temperature detecting/estimating module for detecting or estimating a temperature of exhaust gas of the engine when the engine is operated by supplying fuel from the injector to the engine and combusting the fuel,
wherein the catalyst temperature estimating module estimates the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the temperature of the exhaust gas detected or estimated immediately before the deceleration fuel cutoff is started, the estimated supply amount of the evaporated fuel, a heat generation amount, and a heat release amount, the heat generation amount produced by combustion, at the exhaust emission control catalyst, of part of the evaporated fuel which has reached the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, the heat release amount produced from the exhaust emission control catalyst to air passing through the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed.

6. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a turbocharger having a compressor disposed in the intake passage of the engine,
wherein the purge line communicates the canister with a part of the intake passage downstream of the compressor, the purge valve is provided in the purge line, and the purging unit further includes a purge valve controlling module for controlling the supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage by controlling an operation of the purge valve when the purge is performed.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein the purging unit reduces the supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage when the purge is performed, as the estimated temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst becomes lower.

8. The control system of claim 7, wherein the purging unit stops the purge when the estimated temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst falls below a predetermined temperature while the purge is performed.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an evaporated fuel concentration estimating module for estimating a concentration of the evaporated fuel within the purge gas when the purge is performed,
wherein the purging unit further controls the supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage when the purge is performed, based on the estimated concentration of the evaporated fuel.

10. The control system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an exhaust gas temperature detecting/estimating module for detecting or estimating a temperature of exhaust gas of the engine when the engine is operated by supplying fuel from the injector to the engine and combusting the fuel,
wherein the catalyst temperature estimating module estimates the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the temperature of the exhaust gas detected or estimated immediately before the deceleration fuel cutoff is started, the estimated supply amount of the evaporated fuel, a heat generation amount, and a heat release amount, the heat generation amount produced by combustion, at the exhaust emission control catalyst, of part of the evaporated fuel which has reached the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, the heat release amount produced from the exhaust emission control catalyst to air passing through the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed.

11. The control system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an evaporated fuel concentration estimating module for estimating a concentration of the evaporated fuel within the purge gas when the purge is performed,
wherein the purging unit further controls the supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage when the purge is performed, based on the estimated concentration of the evaporated fuel.

12. The control system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an exhaust gas temperature detecting/estimating module for detecting or estimating a temperature of exhaust gas of the engine when the engine is operated by supplying fuel from the injector to the engine and combusting the fuel,
wherein the catalyst temperature estimating module estimates the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the temperature of the exhaust gas detected or estimated immediately before the deceleration fuel cutoff is started, the estimated supply amount of the evaporated fuel, a heat generation amount, and a heat release amount, the heat generation amount produced by combustion, at the exhaust emission control catalyst, of part of the evaporated fuel which has reached the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, the heat release amount produced from the exhaust emission control catalyst to air passing through the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed.

13. The control system of claim 1, wherein the purging unit does not perform the purge during the deceleration fuel cutoff when the estimated concentration of the evaporated fuel is above a predetermined concentration.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an exhaust gas temperature detecting/estimating module for detecting or estimating a temperature of exhaust gas of the engine when the engine is operated by supplying fuel from the injector to the engine and combusting the fuel,
wherein the catalyst temperature estimating module estimates the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the temperature of the exhaust gas detected or estimated immediately before the deceleration fuel cutoff is started, the estimated supply amount of the evaporated fuel, a heat generation amount, and a heat release amount, the heat generation amount produced by combustion, at the exhaust emission control catalyst, of part of the evaporated fuel which has reached the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, the heat release amount produced from the exhaust emission control catalyst to air passing through the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed.

15. The control system of claim 14, further comprising a turbocharger having a compressor disposed in the intake passage of the engine,
wherein the purge line communicates the canister with a part of the intake passage downstream of the compressor, the purge valve is provided in the purge line, and the purging unit further includes a purge valve controlling module for controlling the supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage by controlling an operation of the purge valve when the purge is performed.

16. A control system of an engine in which a purge gas containing evaporated fuel desorbed from a canister is supplied to an intake passage of the engine, the control system comprising:
an exhaust emission control catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of the engine;
a purging unit including a purge line and a purge valve for performing a purge to supply the purge gas to the intake passage of the engine during a deceleration fuel cutoff; and a processor configured to execute:
a deceleration fuel cutoff module for performing the deceleration fuel cutoff to stop a fuel supply from an injector to the engine when a predetermined deceleration fuel cutoff condition is satisfied in a decelerating state of the engine;
an evaporated fuel supply amount estimating module for estimating a supply amount of the evaporated fuel to the intake passage when the purge is performed; and
a catalyst temperature estimating module for estimating a temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the estimated supply amount of the evaporated fuel,
wherein the purging unit controls a supply flow rate of the purge gas to the intake passage when the purge is performed, based on the estimated temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst, and
wherein the catalyst temperature estimating module estimates the temperature of the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, based on the temperature of the exhaust gas detected or estimated immediately before the deceleration fuel cutoff is started, the estimated supply amount of the evaporated fuel, a heat generation produced by combustion, at the exhaust emission control catalyst, of part of the evaporated fuel which has reached the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed, and a heat release amount produced from the exhaust emission control catalyst to air passing through the exhaust emission control catalyst when the purge is performed.