A semiconductor device is shown and described which includes a metal can that receives a semiconductor die in an interior thereof. The metal can has a recess formed on a top portion thereof. The recess provides rigidity to the top portion of the metal can which allows the wall of the can to be spaced farther apart from the die, thereby providing a much larger open channel which allows for the easier cleaning of flux residue after soldering.

The drive to miniaturization has led to the development of chip-scale or nearly chip-scale semiconductor devices. One variety of such devices includes a can-shaped connector which receives a semiconductor die in its interior and connects to an electrode of the die by a layer of conductive material such as solder or conductive epoxy. The can-shaped connector includes a wall portion which skirts around the die. The wall is closely spaced from the peripheral edges of the die and its electrodes. When such a device is soldered to a board using fluxed solder pastes residual flux is deposited around the soldered joints. When fluxes other than those marketed as "no clean" products are used for this purpose it is necessary to wash these residuals from under the device to prevent the device from suffering from the formation of corrosion or electrical breakdown.
FIGS. 1A-1B and 2A-2B show examples of known semiconductor devices in which a MOSFET silicon die 10, having a drain electrode 9 on its top surface and source electrode 14 and gate electrode (not shown) on its bottom surface, is housed in a conductive metal can 11. Thus, drain electrode 9 is secured, as by soldering or by a conductive adhesive to the interior surface of can 11. The rim 12 of can 11 is spaced from the periphery of die 10. Optionally, an insulation ring 13 may be provided between rim 12 and can 11. The bottom surface of source electrode 14 may be coplanar or slightly sub-flush with respect to the bottom of flange 15 of rim 12. Solder flux residue must be washed out when the package is soldered down to conductive traces on board 17. A shallow gap 16 (See FIG. 2B) between the rim 12 of the can and the board limits the ability for the cleaning medium to freely flow under the device. Therefore, adequate washing under the device cannot be easily achieved. Also, the close spacing between source electrode 14 and the interior of rim 12 may hinder the washing of the flux residue and may reduce the voltage which can be applied to the package.
Therefore, a semiconductor device is desired which allows for the easier washing of the flux residue and higher voltage applications.

High voltage semiconductor device housing with increased clearance between housing can and die for improved flux flushing


Systems and methods include an AC motor and one or more gas turbine generators configured to provide electrical power to the AC motor. The system also includes a controller configured to control operation of the one or more gas turbine generators by determining that the AC motor is to be started using the electrical power. Upon a determination that the AC motor is to be started using the electrical power, the controller is configured to boost the electrical power prior to starting the AC motor. The controller uses the boosted electrical power to pre-compensate for a drop in an electrical parameter of the electrical power due to an increased demand for the startup of the AC motor.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the use of gas turbine engines in powering a load. Specifically, gas turbine engines are used to generate energy that can be converted to electrical energy.
In general, gas turbine engines combust a mixture of compressed air and fuel to produce combustion gases. The combustion gases may flow through one or more turbine stages to generate power for a load and/or a compressor. Gas turbines may be used to power a generator, which provides electrical energy to loads and/or motors. However, some states (e.g., bump starts) of some loads may put a large (e.g., 30-80 MW) and nearly instantaneous demand (e.g., 0.5-1.5 s) on gas turbine generators systems such that the gas turbine generator systems may not be able to sufficiently provide power at rated operating parameters, due to potential frequency and/or voltage sag—brown out.

Load anticipator system for a generator system


A mobile ad hoc wireless network which utilizes Doppler data when deciding with which neighboring node to communicate. Using age of the Doppler data as well as the sign and the magnitude of the relative movement between nodes to make routing determinations.

This invention relates to ad hoc mobile wireless networks with high speed mobile transmitters.
Several techniques and numerous equipment arrangements have been used in the past to route data messages on the battlefield from a source to a destination. Many protocols exist which rely on accumulating knowledge of neighboring nodes and in part judging the quality of those neighboring nodes to be used to relay messages to a destination. Often the signal strength of the neighboring nodes is used to choose with which node to communicate. In mobile networks, the transmitters may be moving in all directions and at varying speeds. It is often necessary to increase the sample rate of ones neighbors to determine which node is best to use. When fighter aircraft are used as transmitter platforms, the sample rates need to be significantly increased owing to the rapid changes that occur in routing path availability. Also, each data packet could theoretically be appended with an additional data packet which provides the speed and direction of travel of the node.
While these methods are well known in the art, they have the following drawbacks. The increased sampling rate increases the overhead used to operate the network which thereby reduces the available capacity to transmit user message data. Or in the alternative, a lower sampling rate can be used but then either the availability or the stability of the system is degraded. The appended data packet with speed and direction of node travel information would further burden the system with more "overhead" data which either reduces the message capacity of the system or otherwise causes the same adverse affects as overloading the system.
Consequently, there exists a need for improvement in wireless ad hoc networks with high velocity, mobile transmitters.

Method and apparatus for wirelessly routing data using doppler information


The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus providing real time adaptive active fluid flow cooling, for cooling an electronic system, an electronic system utilizing the same, and a method for providing real time adaptive active fluid flow cooling. The electronic system consists of a circuit board having a heat generating component, a heat dissipating element mounted to the heat generating component and an apparatus for providing real time adaptive active flow cooling. The apparatus consisting of a plurality of active cooling devices that remove heated air or fluid with ambient air or fluid by propelling an fluid flow stream in a first direction toward the heat dissipating element, and where at least one active cooling device contained in the plurality of active cooling devices propels an fluid flow stream in a second direction toward the heat dissipating element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic system cooling. In particular, an embodiment of the invention relates to an adaptive active cooling device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic system components (e.g., central processing units (CPUs), graphics cards, hard drives, etc.) generate large amounts of heat during operation. This heat must be removed from the components in order to maintain safe operating temperatures. Overheated parts generally exhibit a shorter maximum life-span and may give sporadic problems resulting in system freezes or crashes. The foremost heat removal technique adds heat dissipating elements to hot surfaces thereby increasing the area of heat dissipation. In many instances fans, or other active cooling devices, exchange the heated air or fluid with cooler ambient air or fluid. In other instances the power supplied to the system components is throttled down in order to decrease heat generation.

Real time adaptive active fluid flow cooling

International Business Machines Corporation


An image coding apparatus includes a significant bit detection processing unit that detects a number of pieces of coefficient data where a significant bit is detected on a higher-order bit plane for each bit plane from coefficient data generated by performing a frequency transform on image data, a coding selection unit that selects a variable-length coding or a fixed-length coding for each bit plane on the basis of the number of pieces of coefficient data and a bit depth of the bit plane, a variable-length coding unit that performs a variable-length coding on the bit plane where the variable-length coding is selected, and a fixed-length coding unit that performs a fixed-length coding on the bit plane where the fixed-length coding is selected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image coding apparatus and method, an image decoding apparatus and method, and a program. In particular, sense of discomfort or sense of obscurity generated in the image which is caused by the post-quantization is suppressed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up to now, as an image compression system, a system called JPEG2000 or JPEG XR (Joint Photographic Experts Group eXtended Range) is used with which an image with a high quality and a high gradation can be obtained even when a compression ratio is increased. Also, an image decoding apparatus that performs a decoding on the image compressed in the above-mentioned system is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-260539 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-204357.

Image coding apparatus and method, image decoding apparatus and method, and program


A method and apparatus update an image stored in a memory of a device. A next block writing index n for updating a first target memory block of the memory is determined. Backup data is written to a backup block of the memory when n is an even number. The first target memory block is updated with the new data. The backup data is calculated based on a binary operation between new data corresponding to n and old data stored in a second target memory block corresponding to n+1, and the binary operation has reversibility. If n is the last block writing index, then the binary operation is not used and the backup data is the same as the new data.

A current FOTA (Firmware-Over-The-Air) update client writes a backup flash block before updating every flash block in an image of a device that is capable of wireless communication. In most cases flash block writing time accounts for most of the total image update time. So the current FOTA update client spends up to 50% of the total update time on writing backup blocks.


The disposable container for storing and dispensing pet food is in the shape of a pet feeding dish and is totally self contained so that the entire meal can be served and the entire unit discarded after use. The unit includes adhesive on the bottom so the dish will not move as an animal eats from the dish, and a cover is included which permits a plurality of such units to be stacked.

House pets come in all sizes, shapes, breeds and colors. Today, there are literally millions of cats and dogs which are kept as house pets. All of these pets must be fed, usually at least once a day. This requires the pet owner to open a pet food container, place the food in the pet's dish and then located that dish in a convenient spot for the pet.
The dish often moves as the animal consumes the food. This dish movement can cause the food to spill onto the surface surrounding and supporting the dish and onto the outside of the dish itself. Such food spillage may make clean up an onerous and time-consuming task.
For this reason, many pet owners do not adequately clean their pet's dish after the animal has finished eating. This is especially true if the owner has been required to take considerable time in preparing the meal and in cleaning the area surrounding the dish.
However, proper pet health generally requires an animal to eat from a clean dish. At any rate, leaving food on a pet's dish is not healthy or aesthetically desirable from the owner's standpoint.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for serving a pet's food in an expeditious manner and which will hold that pet's food while the pet is consuming the food in a manner which minimizes food spillage during such food consumption and which makes clean up as expeditious and as easy as possible.
However, neatness and clean up are not the only considerations involved in feeding a pet. The animal must be able to reach all of the food served to him. Neatness is nearly worthless if the pet cannot eat all of the served food.
Often, a pet owner is required to feed his pet while traveling or camping. This requires the owner to carry the pet's food with him, prepare it and serve it in locations that are not really convenient to preparing and serving such food. This presents an inconvenience to the owner and to the pet.
Therefore, there is a need for a pet food container which makes serving pet food easy and expeditious, yet which permits the pet to consume all of the food served to him in a neat manner, and still permits expeditious clean up after the pet has finished eating.

Disposable container for storing and dispensing pet food


A self-aspirating and self-venting metering pump comprises a pump chamber with a diaphragm valve for delivery to a metering point. In order to achieve a precise adjustment of the metering volume the diaphragm valve and the venting means are coupled to each other such that the venting means is open during a pressure stroke and closed during the suction stroke.

The invention relates to a metering pump and in particular to a metering pump comprising a pump chamber with a diaphragm pump for delivery to a metering point and for the comprising of venting means in a return conduit connected to the outlet of the metering pump.
Such a metering pump is known from the German Patent No. 36 31 984. In this known metering pump the venting means is closed shortly before the beginning of the pressure stroke and opened shortly after the end of the metering stroke. A pressure valve is provided in the return conduit. As a consequence, the return flow is not exactly defined.


A polymer nanofiber scaffold includes a plurality of melt extruded nanofibers that are chemically modified to append surface functionality to the nanofibers.

Traditional industrial processes for synthetic polymer microfiber spinning can be classified as either solvent-based or melt-based. As the name implies, solvent processing involves the spinning of a polymer solution with solidification of the fiber either through coagulation in a non-solvent (wet-spinning) or solvent evaporation (dry-spinning). In contrast, melt spinning produces fibers via the spinning of molten polymer that solidifies upon cooling; drawing usually accompanies this melt-based process to induce chain orientation and enhance mechanical properties. Typically, accessing nanoscale cross-sections is difficult, where fiber diameters of only 10-20 μm are achieved with applications in the textile industry. Pushing the limits of fiber production to the nanoscale has garnered recent attention in the processing arena.
Electrospinning is perhaps the most well-known, and one of the oldest techniques for generating sub-micron fibers in lab-scale from a polymer solution, or less commonly, a polymer melt via the application of a large electric field. This charged polymer jet is subjected to electrostatic forces, which act to elongate, thin, and solidify the polymer fiber in the characteristic "whipping instability" region. Although some success has been achieved with electrospun fibers in high-value added applications, such as air filtration, topical drug delivery, and tissue engineering scaffolds, significant disadvantages are low throughput and scalability. Additionally, electrospinning necessitates large volumes of toxic solvents that must be recovered by specialized equipment to make the process viable on a large scale.
Other approaches to nanofiber fabrication have emerged, including rotary-jet spinning, gas jet blowing, melt blowing, and bicomponent fiber spinning. Recent advances in rotary jet spinning have focused on a melt-based approach to nanofiber production with throughputs significantly higher than electrospinning, but improvements are ongoing to address processing complexity as it relates to broad applicability to a range of polymer systems. Melt blowing is a particularly commercially relevant and scalable technique for achieving fiber diameters on the order of tens of microns and higher; in this process, fibers are generated in-line by extrusion of a polymer through a die orifice, while a hot air jet blows down the extrudate. It is process compatible with a wide range of polymers, and is a solvent-less and environmentally-friendly manufacturing method. However, the pursuit of nanoscale fibers has been limited primarily to polypropylene for air filtration. Collectively, these limitations on nanofiber scalability increase manufacturing costs and lower productivity.
Polymeric materials have become ubiquitous in regenerative medicine as scaffolds for cell-seeding, where they have found application in the induction of cellular adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Nano-fibrous scaffolds are of particular use as they are porous, allowing transport of nutrients and waste products, have high surface area to volume ratios, and can provide directed cell growth based on fiber alignment. Synthetic fibers for regenerative medicine are usually comprised of polyesters, often poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or poly(caprolactone) (PCL), due to their degradability via hydrolytic pathways and resultant non-toxic byproducts. However, most polymeric scaffolds are unable to promote biological effects, as synthetic polymers do not possess the biochemical cues that are necessary to impact a cell's fate.
Modification of these polyester fibers typically relies on the degradation of the polymer chains, either through hydrolysis to expose carboxylic acids and alcohols, or through aminolysis to expose a second functional group off of the amine. Both of these routes degrade the polymer, potentially resulting in reduced mechanical properties and increased erosion of the fibers. Recent work has aimed to ameliorate this through the synthesis of telechelic polymers, which could then be processed into a scaffold.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Polymer nanofiber scaffolds and uses thereof


A magnetic-field-sensitive MOSFET (MagFET) is described herein. In accordance with one embodiment, the MagFET comprises a semiconductor body, a first well region arranged in the semiconductor body and being doped with dopants of a first doping type, and a number of N contact regions arranged in the first well region and doped with dopants of a second doping type, which is complementary to the first doping type, wherein N is equal to or greater than three. A gate electrode covers the first well region between the contact regions. The gate electrode is separated from the first well region by an isolation layer and is configured to control a charge carrier density in the first well region between the contact regions dependent on a voltage applied at the gate electrode. The first well region has a center of symmetry and the contact regions are arranged rotationally symmetric with respect to the center of symmetry with a rotational symmetry of order N.

A magnetic field sensitive MOSFET (usually referred to as MagFET) is a magnetic field sensor, which makes use of the deflection of the current passing through the MOS channel of a MagFET caused by a magnetic field. This deflection is caused by the Lorentz force acting on the charge carriers in the MOS channel. In so-called split-drain MagFETs a source current of the MagFET is split into two drain currents, wherein the ratio between the drain currents depends on the external magnetic field. In other MagFET designs a voltage drop along a transverse direction with respect to the direction of the current flow through the MOS channel can be tapped. The magnitude of the voltage drop depends on the Lorentz force acting on the charge carriers (electrons in case of an n-channel MagFET) and thus the voltage drop can be evaluated to measure the magnetic field.
There is a general need for magnetic field sensors including MagFETs and suitable sensor circuit for controlling the operation of the sensor and processing the sensor signal.

Spinning current method for MagFET-sensor


A method of determining the temperature of a sample carrier in a charged particle-optical apparatus, characterized in that the method comprises the observation of the sample carrier with a beam of charged particles, the observation giving information about the temperature of the sample carrier. The invention is based on the insight that a charged particle optical apparatus, such as a TEM, STEM, SEM or FIB, can be used to observe temperature related changes of a sample carrier. The changes may be mechanical changes (e.g. of a bimetal), crystallographic changes (e.g. of a perovskite), and luminescent changes (in intensity or decay time). In a preferred embodiment the sample carrier shows two bimetals, showing metals with different thermal expansion coefficients, bending in opposite directions. The distance between the two bimetals is used as a thermometer.

A method of determining the temperature of a sample carrier in a charged particle-optical apparatus is known from the Gatan 914 High Tilt Liquid Nitrogen Cryo Transfer Tomography Holder, commercially available from Gatan Inc., Pleasanton, Calif., USA. This holder is used for cryo-tomography in a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) or Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM), and is equipped to hold sample carriers ("grids") which in turn carry a sample. According to the manufacturer the temperature of the holder is monitored by a calibrated silicon diode that provides a sensitive, linear temperature response. This diode is located in the sample holder.
A disadvantage of said measurement method is that the measurement measures the temperature of a part removed from the sample itself: the temperature of a part of the sample holder is measured, in which the sample carrier is clamped. The sample carrier is typically a perforated copper foil with a diameter of 3 mm diameter and a thickness of 20 μm or less. The temperature of the region of interest on the thin foil can thus differ from the temperature measured by the measuring diode.
Another disadvantage of the measurement is that the measurement comprises feeding a current through the diode and measuring the voltage over the diode. The measurement thus raises the temperature of the diode by Ohmic heating, which is, especially at cryogenic temperatures, unwanted.
Yet another disadvantage of said method is that the use of the diode implies that thin wires must be introduced in the sample holder, a side-entry type holder, which results in a complex product with high costs.
Another known method is the measurement of the temperature using a pyrometer. This method of measuring temperatures is known per se.
A disadvantage of this method is that, as known to the person skilled in the art, this method is well suited for measuring temperatures above, for example, 500° C., but is not suited for measuring at room temperatures, and even less at cryogenic temperatures.
Another disadvantage is that an optical transparent window with a view to the sample must be available to enable the pyrometer to view the sample. Especially in a STEM or a TEM, where the sample is placed between the pole pieces of the so-called objective lens, this volume between the pole pieces is at a premium, as is access to said volume.
It is mentioned that sample inspection at cryogenic temperatures is, as known to the skilled artisan, important for inspecting biological samples, for example to reduce damage to the samples and to eliminate the otherwise needed embedding in resin.
It is noted that a method is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,709 disclosing a carbon nanotube with a diameter of between 40 and 150 nm and a length of between 1 and 10 μm. The carbon nanotube is closed at one end and encloses a small droplet or column of gallium. To measure a temperature in the range of 50° C. to 500° C. the carbon nanotube together with the column of gallium is brought to the specimen to be measured, the specimen located in atmosphere. As a result, a cap of oxidized gallium is formed in the carbon nanotube, that stays in position after cooling down. The position of the cap can be determined by a TEM (it is noted that a carbon nanotube is transparent to the electrons). The position is linked to the temperature at which the cap is formed by the thermal expansion coefficient of gallium, and thus the temperature difference between the temperature at which the TEM measures the position and the temperature at which the cap is formed (or at least pushed in position) is determined.
As this method is based on oxidizing gallium in an atmospheric environment, it is not suited to be used in the vacuum of a particle-optical apparatus.

Method of measuring the temperature of a sample carrier in a charged particle-optical apparatus


A semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a first source/drain region on the substrate, a first channel region extending vertically with respect to the substrate from the first source/drain region, a second source/drain region on the first channel region, a third source/drain region on the second source/drain region, a second channel region extending vertically with respect to the substrate from the third source/drain region, a fourth source/drain region on the second channel region, a first gate region formed around from the first channel region, and a second gate region formed around the second channel region.

Junction field-effect transistors (FETs) are semiconductor devices which exhibit low noise and high input impedance. As a result, junction FETs (JFETs) can be useful in such devices as low noise ring oscillators, as well as memory devices. The properties of junction FETs may also be useful for implementing operational amplifiers with high input-impedance and/or very high current-gain. Operational amplifiers can be viewed as essential building blocks of analog electronics. Low noise has also been deemed to be a critical factor in analog electronics, particularly in high precision computation.
Junction FETs can also be used to implement negative differential resistance (NDR) using what has been referred to as a "lambda-diode" structure. NDRs have many applications in analog electronics including, but not necessarily limited to, low-noise/high-gain amplifiers, low-noise buffers, voltage-controlled oscillators and bistable circuits such as Schmidt-triggers. Unlike conventional cascode amplifiers, NDR-based amplifiers do not require large overdrive voltages. NDR elements are also of interest in digital electronics.
Emerging mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) applications require low power devices. Larger battery driven IoT devices can also benefit from low noise and high input impedance while running on low voltage for certain applications.
There is also a renewed interest in the analog implementation of neural networks, which may be highly beneficial given efficient/low-power implementation of cognitive tasks such as pattern recognition and natural language processing.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved junction FET that is area efficient and operates with a relatively low voltage.

Stacked complementary junction FETs for analog electronic circuits


An apparatus and method for signal separation and SINR improvement is disclosed. In particular, disclosed is an iterative technique whereby a noisy signal, that may include signals from one or more distinct emitters, is first improved through an SINR improvement technique. Next, one signal from the noisy signal is identified and a reference signal substantially free of noise and interference is generated for this signal, and then this reference signal is subtracted from the noisy signal. This process is repeated until no other signals may be identified. In this way, the signal with the highest SINR may be identified first and then removed from the original signal. As such, the identified signal is no longer present as interference for the remaining signals, thus improving each of the remaining signals' respective SINRs.

The present disclosure generally relates to, field of signal analysis, and more specifically relates to techniques for improving the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) for signals in the presence of interference. For any particular signal, the presence of interference from other signals causes degradation in the performance of various signal processing algorithms (e.g. demodulation, specific emitter identification (SEI), etc.). We consider the case where multiple interfering signals are of the same type (e.g. CDMA signals in a cellular network). A conventional technique for improving the SINRs of individual signals within a mixture of signals is to demodulate the one received at the largest power, remodulate the signal to create a reference signal, and subtract off the portion of the mixture due to the reference signal. This is termed successive interference cancellation (SIC), and results in a mixture in which each of the remaining signals has an improved SINR. In the past, SIC has been performed with a priori knowledge of signal parameters (e.g. spreading codes), as well as with the ability to apply previous estimates of the channel responses experienced by each signal. In this application, we present a system that does not require these assumptions.


Disclosed herein is a handle for a tool head. The handle includes a handle region having a first end and a second end. The handle region includes a first region adjacent the first end and adapted to receive a user's thumb and index finger, the first region including a trigger for actuating the tool head. The handle region also includes a second region adjacent the first region that is adapted to receive the user's middle finger and a first portion of the user's palm, and a third region adjacent the second region and adapted to receive the user's ring finger and a second portion of the user's palm. The handle region also includes a fourth region disposed between the third region and the second end that is adapted to receive the user's pinky finger and a third portion of the user's palm.

Vehicles, including air-borne vehicles, are frequently assembled by aligning different parts/panels on structures, potentially with other components. Rivets are often used to attach the parts/panels to each other and the structures. Assembly workers use power tools, such as rivet guns, to set the rivets that secure the parts/panels. Current rivet guns are prone to cause injury to the assembly worker for various reasons, including the hand grip not being in line with an output force axis of the power tool, the trigger location causing misfires, the handle shape and size not conforming to ergonomic standards, and the hand grip angle not being suitable for ideal balance of the weight of the tool.


To the front of the snow removing vehicle, a snow plow having a variable curved surface is mounted. The curved surface of the plow is varied by use of universal joints and telescopic cylinders. The curved surface of the plow is varied according to the snow removal conditions.

A conventional snow plow for vehicles has a metallic rigid body structure having a predetermined curved surface, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
In such a conventional snow plow having a rigid body structure, the thrust angle (the edge angle .theta..sub.1, the back angle .theta..sub.2), as shown in FIG. 3; the cutting angle .theta..sub.3, the snow throwing angle .theta..sub.4, the length L of the flat portion 5, the radius of curvature R and the height H of the curved portion 6 as shown in FIG. 4; and the size B of the snow cleaning orifice 7 as shown in FIG. 5 are all respectively invariable.
Due to the invariability of each part mentioned above the conventional snow plow can not accommodate the various, diverse environments such as the quantity and type of the snow which is to be removed, the configuration of the road, the speed of the snow removing vehicle and the atmospheric condition. Also due to invariability of the cutting angle .theta..sub.3, the breaking ability of the conventional snow plow results in inefficiency in removing the snow and/or in difficulty in breaking the snow.
Furthermore, it is difficult to select the most efficient position for removing the maximum quantity of snow and the distance for throwing the snow can be selected only by controlling the speed of the vehicle. This is particularly important if houses are situated roadside. Therefore, a conventional snow plow is very inconvenient.

Japan as represented by Director of Construction Machinery Works of Hokkaido Development Bureau


A downhole robotic shuttle includes multiple modules coupled together in series to be conveyed through a cased geologic borehole. One or more of the modules includes: a coupling mechanism to couple one module to an adjacent module, a movement mechanism to enable conveyance of the module having the movement mechanism through the cased borehole; a steering mechanism to steer the module comprising the steering mechanism to achieve a selected orientation within the cased borehole; a motor configured to power the movement mechanism and/or the steering mechanism; an actuator to perform a selected action; a sensor to sense a selected parameter; a memory to receive instructions for performing at least one of the selected action and another action; and a controller to control at least one of the motor, steering mechanism, robotic arm, or sensor in accordance with the instructions received from the memory and sensed data received from the sensor.

Boreholes are typically drilled into earth formations having reservoirs of hydrocarbons in order to extract the hydrocarbons. Once the boreholes are drilled, a variety of completion operations must be performed in the boreholes before the hydrocarbons can be extracted. Hence, innovations that improve the efficiency and efficacy of performing the completion operations would be well received in the hydrocarbon production industry.

Downhole robotic shuttle for performing programed operations


An impression tray is provided with a dispersal member which receives impression material for delivery into the impression tray. A one-step method includes the provision of barriers on the impression tray to confine light bodied impression material in the tray during the delivery of the material into the tray and the taking of the impression. A two-step method entails the direct deposit of heavy bodied impression material into the impression tray and the taking of a preliminary impression. A jig for punching the preliminary impression confines the impression tray during the formation of passageways for later injected lighter impression material injected into the dispersal member and then to the impression tray. An air cylinder is controlled by an operator for selective discharge of impression material from tubular containers and into the dispersal member. A unitary impression tray is disclosed with a dispersion channel for directing impression material into place.

The present invention concerns the making of dental impressions for use in making crowns, caps, bridges, etc.,.
The quality of the above dental items is largely determined by the precise nature of a dental impression taken of the patient's teeth. Impression material is typically deposited into an impression tray whereafter the loaded tray is manually biased upwardly or downwardly for intimate contact with the upper or lower teeth and gums. The impression tray must be carefully applied and removed to avoid subsequent displacement of the impression material and resulting inaccuracy. The displacement procedure currently used hinders the forming of optimum impressions as voids and other inaccuracies caused by saliva, blood and trapped air may occur in the viscous material. The resulting crowns, caps, bridges, etc., hence require considerable corrective effort to re-shape the item or article being constructed. Accordingly, imperfect impressions jeopardize the quality of the finished piece as well as adversely affect their cost by reason of excessive reworking of the finished article.
In wide use in the dental field are impression trays comprising an outer wall and an inner wall which serve to confine impression material deposited in place on a bottom or interconnecting wall of the tray. The tray is provided with an extension for purposes of manipulation of the tray during taking of the impression.

Dental impression tray assembly and method of taking impressions


The weighing apparatus may have a plurality of conveyor belts, a plurality of physical scales, a plurality of logical scales and a master processor. The master processor may receive weight results from the plurality of physical and logical scales and may determine a net weight of said package. The weighing apparatus may also include a plurality of slave processors.

The present invention relates generally to weighing apparatus for weighing multiple packages of various shapes and sizes. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a weighing apparatus having multiple conveyors and multiple scales in a master/slave relationship for weighing a plurality of packages of various shapes and sizes.
Weighing apparatus may be used in a variety of processes. Weighing apparatus may be used as part of a conveyor system to weigh items as they travel along a conveyor. One such system, known generally as a checkweigher, may include three conveyors arranged one after the other each with a separate purpose. The first conveyor may be an infeed conveyor, the second a weighing conveyor and the third a discharge conveyor. The infeed conveyor may accelerate items to give proper spacing so that the weighing conveyor weighs one item at a time. This type of a system may not have the capacity or throughput to weigh many different sized items in a highly efficient manner.
Other weighing apparatus, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,422, may use multiple weighing conveyor belts. Such apparatus may use a photo eye at the entrance of each belt to detect when a package arrives on that belt. The apparatus may also use the distance between the photo eyes as a reference length to assist in determining the length of the package and to reduce error. This type of weighing apparatus may generally require complex circuitry and computation to determine the length while not eliminating error due to variations in the conveyor motor drive systems.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may overcome or solve these problems. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be directed to a weighing apparatus having a plurality of conveyor belts, a plurality of physical scales associated with the plurality of conveyor belts and a master processor electronically connected to the plurality of physical scales. The master processor may form a plurality of logical scales by combining two or more physical scales. The weighing apparatus may also include a plurality of slave processors. The slave processors may detect multiple weight samples from the physical and logical scales and may pass those samples through a filter to remove high frequency noise. The slave processors may send the results to the master processor which may compute a net weight based on the results provided by the slave processors.
The weighing apparatus may also include a single photo eye which may detect when a package arrives at the first conveyor belt. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may not be concerned with detecting a reference length based on the distance between more than one photo eye. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention preferably use only a single photo eye so that detecting a reference length is not even possible. Using the speed of the conveyor belts and the duration of time the package is in front of the photo eye, a length of the package may be calculated. The master processor may then use the calculated length to track the package as it passes from conveyor belt to conveyor belt rather than using a second or third photo eye.

Multiple conveyor and scale weighing apparatus


A capacitor device includes a substrate including a first well having a first conductivity type and a first voltage applied thereto and a second well having a second conductivity type and a second voltage applied thereto; and a gate electrode disposed on an upper portion of the first well or an upper portion of the second well in such a way that the gate electrode is insulated from the first well or the second well, wherein capacitances of the capacitor device include a first capacitance between the first well and the second well and a second capacitance between the first well or the second well and the gate electrode.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a capacitor device and a method of fabricating the capacitor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a region of a peripheral circuit, such as a system large scale integration (LSI) circuit, a fast processing speed or a large number of embedded elements may cause parasitic inductance, etc. Thus, electromagnetic interference (EMI) or variation of a power voltage, i.e., power noise, may occur, which seriously affects reliability of products. To solve such problems, a capacitor element may be inserted between a power wiring and a ground wiring.

Capacitor device and method of fabricating the same


An electromagnetic inertial force generator provides a linear output with improved compactness and reliability because it has no radial gaps and only one pair of axial gaps. Radial permanent magnet rings are directly in contact with inner and outer flux cylinders to provide magnetic bias. The magnetic bias flux flows across two axial air gaps to a supporting flux return structure. A current conducting coil drives magnetic flux across the same axial air gaps. The magnetic bias flux is in opposite directions across the two air gaps, while the coil flux across the two gaps is in the same direction. The combination of bias flux and coil flux cancels in one gap and adds in the other gap, producing a net force on an inertial mass and an equal and opposite force on the supporting structure. The resulting force is linear with current through the drive coil.

Actuators that generate inertial forces by forced oscillation of a moving mass through the interaction of permanent and electrically generated magnetic fields are commonly known as electromagnetic shakers.
Many applications of shakers require a linear response, which means that the force output is directly proportional to the signal input. Nonlinearities result in a distorted force output, which includes harmonics of the input frequency.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,615 issued to Murray et al. teaches a method to linearize the output of a magnetic actuator with force generated across air gaps. Murray et al. arranges two air gaps with the total actuator force equal to the difference of the forces across them and then establishes magnetic bias flux in opposite directions in the two gaps and coil flux in the same direction in the gaps. Therefore, as coil flux increases it tends to cancel the bias flux in one gap and add to the bias flux in the other gap. The inherent force generated across an air gap is quadratic with respect to the total flux across the gap. If the bias flux is Φbias and the coil flux is Φcoil then the force in one gap can be written as F=k(Φbias±Φcoil)2, where k is a proportionality constant dependent on the geometry. The net force in the two gaps can be written as Fnet=k [(Φbias+Φcoil)2−(Φbias−Φcoil)2]. Simplifying this equation yields Fnet=4k ΦbiasΦcoil. Thus, the net output force is linear with respect to the coil flux.
Linear electromagnetic shakers may include a radial gap between the stator and the permanent magnets. This results in a radial force between the moving and stationary components, which complicates assembly and applies load to the support bearings increasing friction, and thus wear. The radial gap also adds to the reluctance of the magnet flux path reducing the bias across the axial gaps. Linear electromagnetic shakers may also include two pairs of axial gaps; one between the stator and the pole pieces, and one between the moving structure and the supporting structure. These two pairs of gaps increase the axial length of the device.
Consequently, if the radial gap between the stator and the permanent magnets were eliminated, and if one of the pairs of axial gaps were eliminated, the result would be a more compact electromagnetic shaker with improved reliability.

The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


An electrostatic precipitator reduces contamination of the ground electrode by separating charging and collection stages.

The invention relates to electrostatic precipitators or collectors, including for diesel engine electrostatic crankcase ventilation systems for blowby gas for removing suspended particulate matter including oil droplets from the blowby gas.
Electrostatic precipitators, including for diesel engine electrostatic crankcase ventilation systems, are known in the prior art. In its simplest form, a high voltage corona discharge electrode is placed in the center of a grounded tube or canister forming an annular ground plane providing a collector electrode around the discharge electrode. A high DC voltage, such as several thousand volts, e.g. 15 kV, on the center discharge electrode causes a corona discharge to develop near the electrode due to high electric field intensity. This electric field ionizes the gas in such corona discharge ionization zone, which in turn creates ions which in turn electrically charge suspended particles in the gas. The charged particles are in turn precipitated electrostatically onto the interior surface of the collecting tube or canister, i.e. attracted to such ground plane. Electrostatic collectors have been used in diesel engine crankcase ventilation systems for removing suspended particulate matter including oil droplets from the blowby gas, for example so that the blowby gas can be returned to the atmosphere, or to the fresh air intake side of the diesel engine for further combustion, thus providing a blowby gas recirculation system. The oil mist collects on the ground electrode provided by the canister, which collected oil mist is drained from the unit.
The present invention arose during continuing development efforts directed toward improved performance of an electrostatic precipitator, including reducing contamination of the ground electrode, including the noted oil mist collected on the annular ground plane canister in a diesel engine electrostatic crankcase ventilation system application.

Electrostatic precipitator eliminating contamination of ground electrode


A blood analysis apparatus includes an analysis section. The analysis section is configured to compare a measurement spectrum obtained regarding red blood cells with a standard spectrum of heme, biliverdin, and bilirubin, and cause the measurement spectrum to belong to any one of the standard spectra.

The present disclosure relates to a blood analysis apparatus and a blood analysis method, and more particularly, to a blood analysis apparatus, and the like, for evaluating a quality of blood using a degradation process of hemoglobin in red blood cells as an index.
Blood products including red blood cells for a blood transfusion are necessary for clinical treatment. It is an important issue to realize long-term storage of blood to use limited blood resources effectively. Two metabolic substances, that is, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and 2, 3-bisphosphoglyceric acid (2, 3-BPG) are involved in life-span and an oxygen transport function of red blood cells. Concentrations of these substances in blood are known to decrease rapidly during blood storage and have been used as an index to evaluate a quality of stored blood.
In relation to the present disclosure, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-508765 discloses a method and an apparatus for measuring characteristics of blood including hemoglobin (see also "A direct relationship between adenosine triphosphate-level and in vivo viability of erythrocytes.", Nature, 1962, Vol. 194, Issue 4831, pp.877-878, and "Red blood cell function and blood storage.", Vox Sanguinis, 2000, Vol.79, No.4, pp.191-197).

Blood analysis apparatus and blood analysis method


A motor includes a motor unit, a deceleration unit, and a connector unit. The motor unit outputs rotational drive force and includes a yoke housing, a commutator, a power supply brush, a conductive member, and a brush holder. The yoke housing has an open end in an axial direction. The conductive member is electrically connected to the power supply brush. The brush holder is arranged in the open end to hold the commutator, the power supply brush, and the conductive member. The deceleration unit includes a gear housing coupled to the open end. The connector unit is coupled to the gear housing and including a connection terminal electrically connected to the conductive member. The commutator and the power supply brush are arranged outside the yoke housing. The conductive member and the yoke housing are arranged on opposite sides of the commutator.

Japanese National Phase Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-523708 describes a motor for a power window device. The motor includes a motor unit, a deceleration unit, and a connector unit. The motor unit includes a rotor arranged in a yoke housing. The deceleration unit is arranged at an axial end of the motor unit and decelerates rotational drive force of the motor unit. The connector unit is coupled to a gear housing. The yoke housing includes an open end from which a rotation shaft of the rotor projects toward the deceleration unit. A brush holder is arranged in the open end to hold a power supply brush, which supplies power to a commutator of the rotor. The deceleration unit includes a gear housing fixed by screws or the like to the open end. A worm gear, a worm wheel, and the like of a deceleration mechanism are accommodated in the gear housing. The deceleration mechanism decelerates and outputs the rotational drive force of the motor unit. The connector unit is connected to an external connector used to input and output electric signals and supply power. The connector unit includes a connection terminal connected to a conductive member, which is electrically connected to the power supply brush.
The commutator of the motor unit and the power supply brush are arranged outside the yoke housing in the motor of the above publication. Thus, the yoke housing can be easily manufactured at a low cost since the metal yoke housing can have a simple shape to accommodate the brush holder.
Due to the available space in the door of a vehicle, it is desirable that a motor used as a drive source for a power window device be reduced in size in a radial direction that is orthogonal to the axial direction of the motor. However, in the motor of the above publication, the conductive member (printed substrate in the above publication), which is electrically connected to the power supply brush, is arranged beside the commutator in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction. This enlarges the motor in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction.

Electric motor with reduced axial footprint


During a method for the production of a touch-and-close fastener (10), preferably of at least one plastic material, a backing (12) with a plurality of protruding stems (14) is connected to individual heads (16). For at least a part of the stems (14), their free ends (18) come into contiguous or embedded contact with a contact face (20) of each assignable head (16). The invention relates additionally to an apparatus for carrying out the method and to a fastener produced according to the method.

These touch fastener elements also include mechanical fastening elements, with touch fastener elements made in a complementary manner, form a fastener which can be repeatedly opened and closed. Hooks or mushroom-like fastener parts interacting with loop-like fastener elements of another touch fastener element with the formation of a touch or a touch-and-close fastener. Solutions are also known in which the same touch fastener elements of two different touch fastener elements interact with one another (hermaphroditic fastener).
DE 699 22 264 T2 discloses supplying a belt-like backing part with a plurality of projecting stem parts to a molding gap between heatable molding rolls. An extrusion means supplies an additional molding belt of plastic material into the gap as the actual molding tool with mold recesses shapes the hot stem ends of the stem parts into head parts to form a mushroom-like touch fastener element. Since the head parts in the known solution are formed from the plastic material of the stem parts, the head parts are of smaller dimension due to low material charging in the free and projecting head surface available for interlocking. This smaller dimension can adversely affect the required adhesion forces.
Conversely, U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,205 proposes a production method using a molding roll in which a belt-like backing part can be connected to a plurality of hook fastener elements dimensioned to be relatively large. For this purpose, the molding roll on its outer periphery has hook-shaped mold recesses into which plastic material is pressed to fill the mold a first extruder. Excess plastic material on the outer peripheral side of the molding roll is removed by cutting removal means, technically called a doctor blade. By a second extruder located downstream in the production direction, the backing part material is then applied and permanently connected to the hook-shaped fastener parts during the cooling process of the roll. A stripper roll then removes the finished fastener part from the molding means. Due to the hook geometry, difficulties can arise during the mold removal process. Furthermore, a relatively high proportion of plastic scrap is formed in the production process due to use of the doctor blade.
WO 2006/099000 A2 discloses spraying a belt-like conveyor device on its upper strand side with droplets of plastic material. The plastic material is molded based on its surface tension into hemispherical shell bodies which are then permanently connected on their arching top to a belt-like backing part, with the formation of a touch fastener element. In one development of this solution it is also possible, in the manner of thickened stem parts, to supply a belt-like backing part which on its top bears grain-shaped agglomerates as the stem parts onto which then the hemispherical head parts can be placed. The touch fastener element produced in this way and designed to be used in particular as a fastener for baby diapers or incontinence diapers is, however, made relatively stiff and leaves much to be desired with respect to the fastener characteristics. U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0220271 A1 discloses a comparable solution calling for a molding tool in the form of a molding roll with the corresponding mold recesses instead of a belt for production of hemispherical fastener elements. Production of stem parts between the head parts and backing part is not done with this known solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,784 discloses a production method for producing a belt-like backing part on which a plurality of projecting stem parts extend. In a downstream production step, the free stem ends are heated and then thicken as a result of the surface tension of the plastic material, in particular, into a hemispherical head part. If, in a continuation of the known solution, the head parts produced in this way are reshaped by a calander rolling method, widened head part geometries are formed which, with respect to the low material charge, are made relatively small and are widened only in the rolling direction.

Method for the production of an adhesive closure device together with apparatus and adhesive closure device produced accordingly


A method for controlling an energy storage unit having a model which tracks each charging instances includes, for each charging event, capturing energy charged into the energy storage unit and an unit energy price of the charging source(s) at the time of charging; updating a unit price of total energy stored in the storage unit at each time-step; during a discharging event, updating the unit price of energy in the storage unit on a selected cost model; comparing the unit price of energy in the storage unit with other generation sources in the microgrid and a utility tariff; selecting a lowest cost combination from generation, storage, and grid and using the lowest cost combination to supply a load; and if a controller decides to use stored energy at any time, sending a discharge command to the energy storage unit.

This application relates real-time control of energy storage units to reduce the electricity cost.
Distributed generation, also called on-site generation, dispersed generation, embedded generation, decentralized generation, decentralized energy or distributed energy, generates electricity from many small energy sources. Most countries generate electricity in large centralized facilities, such as fossil fuel (coal, gas powered), nuclear, large solar power plants or hydropower plants. These plants have excellent economies of scale, but usually transmit electricity long distances and negatively affect the environment. Distributed generation allows collection of energy from many sources and may give lower environmental impacts and improved security of supply.
Right-sized resources such as microgrids are able to offer important but little-known economic advantages over central plants. Smaller units offered greater economies from mass-production than big ones could gain through unit size. Batteries can act as a buffer to alleviate the mismatch of generation and demand in a microgrid. In this way, when DGs output power is more than the demand, battery is charged. The battery is discharged during times of low generation and high demand to reduce the power mismatch.
Due to rapid changes in the power output of renewable energy sources over time and variations in the demand, a battery might experience a very irregular pattern of charge and discharge in a microgrid if not controlled properly. This will have a negative impact on battery lifetime and will increase the overall operational cost of the microgrid. Therefore, in addition to balancing supply and demand in real-time, power management system should operate the battery in a way to minimize operational cost of a microgrid.
Since one goal of controller in energy usage optimization of microgrids is to reduce the cost of consumed energy for the end-users, it is necessary to calculate or obtain the unit price of energy from each generator, energy storage unit, and the grid (in case of grid-tied microgrids) at each step of microgrid operation. In this way the controller can identify the cheapest sources of energy in a microgrid and send commands to them in order to match the electricity supply and demand in the system.
Conventional systems are based on passive control of energy storage units. Examples include peak-shaving control were a storage unit discharges only if the load exceeds a certain threshold. Another example is schedule-based control in which a storage unit charges and discharges at certain times during the day. However, passive control lacks the general knowledge about real-time changes in generation and demand levels as well as operational costs of the system; thus it cannot guarantee an optimal operation of the storage unit.

Method for real-time control of energy storage units to reduce electricity cost


A truck rack supports one or more cumbersome items in a truck bed. The truck rack comprises a rectangular frame having two horizontal sides and two vertical sides. The frame has two lower corners and two upper corners. Further, the frame has a pair of opposing legs extend laterally from each of the lower corners and the frame has a pair of opposing articulated arms extending laterally from the upper corners. Each of the opposing articulated arms comprises a plurality of sections joined by hinges.

This invention relates in general to a collapsible rack for use in truck beds, and, and, more particularly, to a collapsible rack having foldable and telescoping elements for use in connection with transporting a variety of materials.
Pick up trucks are currently used by many businesses for transportation of materials and other objects to and from job sites. Such materials and objects are often cumbersome and difficult to transport in the bed of the truck and thus racks are employed to carry same. Racks are generally affixed directly to the bed of a truck and are not easily removable. Also, such racks occupy much of the bed of the pickup thereby limiting use of the truck bed for transportation of other items. Lastly, such racks are generally configured to carry one item, for example, window panes, and cannot be reconfigured to carry items of differing dimensions.
Thus, there is a need for racks which can collapse during non-use to permit the truck bed to be used for other tasks and to be reconfigured to handle items of differing sizes and configurations. The present invention meets these needs.
Other attempts have been made to address these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,336 entitled xe2x80x9cInterchangeable Glass Rack for Pickup Trucksxe2x80x9d which issued on Dec. 8, 1981 to Mays discloses an interchangeable glass rack for pickup trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,152 entitled xe2x80x9cExtendable Carrier Rack for Pick-up Trucksxe2x80x9d which issued on Aug. 8, 1995 to Campbell shows an extendable carrier rack for pickup trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,301 entitled xe2x80x9cCargo Securing System Including an Adjustable and Extensible Rack for Trucksxe2x80x9d which issued on Dec. 19, 1995 to Berkich provides a cargo securing system including an adjustable and extensible rack for pickup trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,175 entitled xe2x80x9cGlass Carrying Rackxe2x80x9d which issued on Jul. 14, 1981 to Jackson has a glass carrying rack for pickup trucks.
None of the known prior art disclose the device set forth herein.
It is an object of this invention to provide a rack which can collapsed during non-use to permit the truck bed to be used for other tasks
It is a further object of this invention to provide a rack which can be reconfigured to handle items of differing sizes and configurations.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.


A wafer carrier retaining ring includes a first annular surface that contacts a polishing surface during a polishing process and an inner diameter surface adjoining the first annular surface thereby forming a first annular corner. The first annular corner has a radius in the range of from no less than about 0.010 inches to less than a radius that would result in damage to a wafer being polished. In another embodiment of the invention, a wafer carrier retaining ring includes an inner diameter surface and a second annular surface adjoining said inner diameter surface thereby forming a second annular corner. The second annular corner has a radius of no less than 0.030 inches. In a further embodiment of the invention, a wafer carrier retaining ring is formed of a ceramic material and has a first annular surface having a surface finish of no greater than 2 microinches rms.

The present invention relates, generally, to systems for polishing or planarizing workpieces such as semiconductor wafers. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for improving the uniform polishing of workpieces where the apparatus comprises a workpiece retaining element that engages a workpiece against a polishing surface during a polishing procedure.
Many electronic and computer-related products such as semiconductors, CD-ROMs, and computer hard disks, require highly polished surfaces in order to achieve optimum operational characteristics. For example, high-quality and extremely precise wafer surfaces are often needed during the production of semiconductor-based integrated circuits. During the fabrication process, the wafers generally undergo multiple masking, etching and dielectric and conductor deposition processes. Because of the high-precision required in the production of these integrated circuits, an extremely flat surface is generally needed on at least one side of the semiconductor wafer to ensure proper accuracy and performance of the microelectronic structures created on the wafer surface. As the size of integrated circuits decreases and the density of microstructures on integrated circuits increases, the need for accurate and precise wafer surface polishing increases.
Chemical Mechanical Polishing (xe2x80x9cCMPxe2x80x9d) machines have been developed to. polish or planarize semiconductor wafer surfaces to the flat condition desired for integrated circuit components and the like. For examples of conventional CMP processes and machines, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,348, issued Feb. 21, 1989 to Arai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,522, issued Mar. 14, 1989 to Gill; U.S. Pat. No. 05,099,614, issued Mar. 31, 1992 to Arai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,732, issued Jul. 19, 1994 to Karlsrud et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,196, issued Mar. 12, 1996 to Karlsrud et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,199, issued Mar. 12, 1996 to Karisrud et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,568, issued Sep. 24, 1996 to Talieh et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,751, issued Dec. 17, 1996 to Kobayashi et al.
Typically, a CMP machine includes a wafer carrier configured to hold, rotate, and transport a wafer during the process of polishing or planarizing the wafer. The wafer carrier is rotated to cause relative lateral motion between the polishing surface and the wafer to produce a substantially uniform thickness. In general, the polishing surface includes a horizontal polishing pad that has an exposed abrasive surface of cerium oxide, aluminum oxide, fumed/precipitated silica, or other particulate abrasives. Commercially available polishing pads may utilize various materials, as is known in the art. Typically, polishing pads may be formed from a blown polyurethane, such as the IC and GS series of polishing pads available from Rodel Products Corporation in Phoenix, Arizona. The hardness and density of the polishing pad depends on the material that is to be polished and the degree of precision required in the polishing process.
During a polishing operation, a pressure element (e.g., a rigid plate, a bladder assembly, or the like), which may be integral to the wafer carrier, applies pressure such that the wafer engages the polishing surface with a desired amount of force. The carrier and the polishing pad are rotated, typically at different rotational velocities, to cause relative lateral motion between the polishing pad and the wafer to promote uniform polishing. Most conventional carrier assemblies include some form of retaining structure that maintains the position of the wafer under the pressure element during polishing. Prior art carrier assemblies designed for compatibility with circular wafers employ round retaining structures such as retaining rings.
Retaining rings may either be fixed or xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d within the wafer carrier. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,392, issued Dec. 9, 1997 to Kim, discloses the use of a fixed retaining ring collar that is bolted to the main carrier housing. U.S. Pat. No. 5584,751, issued Dec. 17, 1996 to Kobayashi et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,215, issued Aug. 18, 1998 to Guthrie et al., each teach the use of a floating retaining ring and a pressure regulating mechanism that controls the biasing pressure applied to the retaining ring.
Typically, retaining rings are made from engineering polymers such as, for example, acetal homopolymer, acetal copolymer, and polyphenylene sulfide. These materials are prone to wear due to the friction between the wafer, polishing pad and slurry abrasives that are used during polishing of the wafer. Wearing of the materials that comprise the retaining rings results in shortening the lives of the retaining rings which are functional and necessary components of the wafer carriers. Water absorption by the retaining rings can also distort dimensions of the acetal copolymers or homopolymers which comprise the retaining rings, thereby distorting the dimensions of the retaining rings themselves. Downtime associated with the repair or replacement of wafer retaining elements such as, for example, retaining rings, used in wafer carriers may be extremely undesirable, particularly if the workpiece throughput is critical.
An alternative to polymer retaining rings are retaining rings made of ceramic materials that are better able to withstand wear from friction created between the wafer and the retaining element, as well as abrasive slurries such as silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide. Because direct contact between the wafer and the retaining ring may result in damage to the wafer, prior art retaining rings may include a disposable liner positioned around the inside diameter of the retaining ring. The disposable liner is typically comprised of a material that is softer than the semiconductor wafer, for example, a polymer such as acetal copolymer or polybutyline terathalate (PBT) to prevent the retaining ring from damaging the wafer.
Despite their resistance to wear compared to retaining rings made from engineering polymers, ceramic retaining rings are still subject to chipping, cracking and other wear effects due to the friction between the wafer and the polishing pad, as well as from abrasive slurries. The surface of typical ceramic retaining rings may be relatively nonuniform, for example, having surface finishes of 6 to 8 microinches root mean square (xe2x80x9crmsxe2x80x9d). When subjected to the planarization process, ceramic particulates can be fractured from the nonuniform surface of the retaining ring. These ceramic particulates can cause scratches in the wafers that are being polished. Wafers that are scratched provide lower device yield and may be considered scrap, resulting in increased costs to the consumer. Further, the short lifetime of the retaining rings due to wear is significant in that the retaining rings are typically expensive consumable component parts of the CMP apparatus.
The inside diameter corners of the retaining ring at the anchor surface and polishing surface of the retaining ring are particularly susceptible to wearing and chipping. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a conventional ceramic retaining ring 10 available in the prior art. Retaining ring 10 has a polishing surface 12, which contacts a polishing pad, an anchor surface 20, which contacts the wafer carrier, an inside diameter surface 16, and an annular groove 18 which is positioned along the inside diameter surface 16. Annular groove 18 has a depth xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d as measured from inside diameter surface 16 and is configured to receive a disposable liner (not shown). Retaining ring 10 also has at least one anchor bore 14 for receiving an anchor device, such as a screw or bolt, so that retaining ring 10 may be fixedly attached to a CMP wafer carrier. Although anchor bore 14 is shown in FIG. 1B as opening to anchor surface 20 to receive an anchor device previously inserted into a wafer carrier, anchor bore 14 may also be a through-hole which receives an anchor device for subsequent insertion into the wafer carrier to anchor the retaining ring thereto. A corner 22, which is the intersection of polishing surface 12 and inside diameter surface 16 of retaining ring 10, has a radius generally on the order of from approximately 0.002 inches to 0.005 inches. With a radius in this range, corner 22 is relatively xe2x80x9csquaredxe2x80x9d in shape. During the planarization process, polishing surface 12 and corner 22 are put in contact with a polishing pad (not shown) and subjected to rotational, lateral and/or orbital motion relative to the polishing pad. The inventors have discovered that forces on retaining ring 10 from this motion can cause chipping of corner 22, resulting in ceramic particulates separating from retaining ring 10.
Another problem with conventional ceramic retaining rings is that they can cause wear of bladder assemblies that are used in some wafer carriers to urge the wafer against the polishing pad with a desired amount of force. FIG. 2 depicts a conventional wafer carrier 100 that uses such a bladder assembly. For the sake of clarity and brevity, wafer carrier 100 is illustrated in a simplistic manner without a number of components that may be present in a practical carrier. Typically, carrier 100 is mounted at the end of a rotatable and vertically movable drive shaft 102, and above a rotatable polishing surface, e.g., a polishing pad 104, affixed to a platen 105. Wafer carrier 100 includes a pressure element 108, a retaining ring 10, and a flexible bladder membrane 106 which surrounds a cavity 110. Cavity 110 is in fluid communication with a gas or fluid source (not shown) which, when activated, fills cavity 110 with gas or fluid and causes flexible bladder membrane 106 to urge a wafer 112 against polishing pad 104. As bladder membrane 106 expands due to the air or fluid in cavity 110, it contacts a corner 24 of retaining ring 10. Referring momentarily back to FIG. 1B, corner 24 is formed from the intersection of anchor surface 20 and inside diameter surface 16 and has a radius also generally on the order of from approximately 0.0020 inches. With a radius in this range, corner 24 also is relatively xe2x80x9csquaredxe2x80x9d in shape. Consequently, bladder membrane 106 is worn by the friction caused by contact with corner 24. The inventors have discovered that such wear reduces the life of bladder membrane 106 and causes particulates from the bladder membrane 106 to separate from bladder membrane. These particulates can also result in scratches to wafer W.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus for eliminating or reducing wear of workpiece carrier elements in order to optimize workpiece throughput rate and enhance uniform polishing of workpieces.
This summary of the invention section is intended to introduce the reader to aspects of the invention and is not a complete description of the invention. Particular aspects of the invention are pointed out in other sections hereinbelow, and the invention is set forth in the appended claims which alone demarcate its scope.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a wafer carrier retaining ring is provided. The wafer carrier retaining ring includes a first annular surface which contacts a polishing surface during a polishing process. The wafer carrier retaining ring also includes an inner diameter surface that adjoins the first annular surface thereby forming a first annular corner. The first annular corner has a radius in the range of from no less than about 0.010 inches to less than a radius that would result in damage to a wafer being polished.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a wafer carrier retaining ring has a first annular surface which contacts a polishing pad during a polishing process. The wafer carrier retaining ring is formed of a ceramic material and the first annular surface has a surface finish of no greater than about 2 microinches rms.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, a wafer carrier retaining ring has a first annular surface which contacts a polishing pad during a polishing process. An inner diameter surface adjoins the first annular surface. The wafer carrier retaining ring includes a second annular surface that is positioned parallel to the first annular surface and that adjoins the inner diameter surface, thereby forming an annular corner. The annular corner has a radius of no less than 0.030 inches.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, a wafer carrier assembly is provided. The wafer carrier assembly includes a pressure element that is configured to press a wafer against a polishing surface. A retaining ring is mounted to the pressure element. The retaining ring comprises a first annular surface which contacts the polishing surface during a polishing process. An inner diameter surface adjoins the first annular surface thereby forming a first annular corner. The first annular corner has a radius in the range of from no less than about 0.010 inches to less than a radius that would result in damage to a wafer being polished.
In accordance with yet a further embodiment of the invention, a wafer carrier assembly has a pressure element configured to press a wafer against a polishing surface. A retaining ring is mounted to the pressure element. The retaining ring has an annular surface which contacts the polishing surface during a polishing process. The retaining ring is formed of a ceramic material and the annular surface has a surface finish no greater than about 2 microinches rms.


A universal safety adapter which is usable with different types of needles and syringes has integral first and second sections and a housing flexibly connected to one of the sections. In the case of the first section being adaptable to be mated with the hub of a needle assembly, the housing is flexibly connected thereto by way of a living hinge. The needle assembly is threadedly mated with an internally threaded annular collar surrounding a protrusion which is to be coupled to the hub of the needle assembly. The second section of the safety adapter, in a first embodiment, includes a female luer that is adaptable to be mated with different types of syringes, such as a luer slip syringe or a luer lock syringe. Once the needle assembly has been threadedly mated to the first section of the safety adapter, to ensure that the cannula of the needle assembly is not exposed so as to preclude accidental pricking by the needle, the housing is pivoted to a position whereby it completely envelops the cannula. At least one integral retainer mechanism in the housing prevents relative movement between the cannula and the housing once the housing has been pivoted to envelop the cannula. The dead space volume at the junction where the needle is connected to the syringe can be substantially reduced by a second embodiment of the safety adapter of the present invention which includes a male extension within the female luer.

In handling a hypodermic needle, there is always a chance that the user, or persons in the proximity of the needle, may be exposed to accidental pricking thereby. And in view of the current crop of infectious diseases, particularly the as yet incurable Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), an urgent need exists to provide a safety device for preventing accidental pricking by a needle, especially one that has been used and is therefore contaminated
There are in the prior art a number of safety devices for guarding a needle, or more precisely its cannula, so that its sharp end will not be exposed For example, Sponsel U.S. Pat. No. 1,779,451 discloses a syringe that has a needle guide pivotable at a point about the syringe casing for guarding the needle. Scislowicz U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,523 discloses a sheath formed of two portions that can pivot about respective hinges to cover a cannula. Moreover, the sheath may be locked by having a sleeve slid thereover. Hall U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,061 discloses a catheter needle guard unit that may be pivoted to snap over the needle. The sheath, once snapped, may be unsnapped since it is not locked onto the needle. Smith, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,722 discloses a hypodermic needle assembly that has a closure having an elongated slot which enables the closure to be either removed from or inserted toward the hypodermic needle. The Smith device requires two-handed operation. Furthermore, no locking means is disclosed. Nelson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,330, on the other hand, discloses a needle protective cap which is slidable, by means of a clip, along the body of the syringe. The needle cover, however, may be completely removed from the needle.
Additional slidable needle protectors are disclosed in Spencer U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,738 and 4,723,943 wherein a protective sheath is shown to be slidable along a syringe body. Yet other needle covers that are slidable along a syringe body are disclosed in Choksi U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,144 and Schneider U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,233. Some other example devices having protective sheaths for needles include Laico et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,372; Poncy U.S Pat. No. 4,816,022; Schramm U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,491; Poncy U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,587; Carrell et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,796; Romano U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,968; Bayless U.S Pat. No. 4,850,977; Zerbst et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,994; Cree U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,996; Jordan et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,607; Bayless U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,434 and Haber U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,107. As is readily apparent, all of these devices having covers that are slidable along the length of the syringe body require twohanded operation.
Another type of prior art needle protective device involves the pivoting of a needle sheath to cover the cannula of the needle assembly. Some prior art examples of this type of device include Norelli U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,277 wherein a pair of jaws is disclosed as pivotable and lockable over a needle. As is readily apparent, however, the Norelli cover also requires two-handed operation. Glazier U.S Pat. No. 4,883,469 discloses a guard assembly that is coupled to a sheath by a fastener and is rotatable about a hinge to snap onto the needle. The sheath, along with the pivotable guard, has to be preassembled with the needle for a specific type of syringe Schoenberg U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,001 discloses a longitudinal shank having two flat wings which are pivotable to enclose the sharp distal end of the needle. None of these prior art devices apparently discloses the permanent retention of the needle by the protective sheath once the protective sheath has been pivoted to enclose the needle.
There are a couple of prior art safety devices that do teach the permanent retention of a needle within the housing once it has been enclosed thereby Landis U.S Pat. No. 4,664,259 is one such which discloses a needle assembly that includes a pivotable housing having therein a hook to retain the needle within the housing after the housing has been pivoted to enclose the needle. The Landis device, however, comes in a unitary package, inasmuch as the needle is integrated into the base, which in turn has connected thereto the pivotable housing. In Unger U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,552, there is also disclosed a pivotable housing integrated into a needle. In an alternative embodiment, the Unger housing has to be threaded to a specific type of needle housing hub. To lock the housing permanently to the needle, a plug has to be pushed from the top of the housing longitudinally into the housing until the tip of the needle rests within the plug.
Even with the '259 and '552 devices, inasmuch as there is available in the market a number of different types of needles and syringes, there still remains a need to have a universal safety device that is adaptable to be used with the different types of needles and syringes. Moreover, it is imperative that such safety device has to be amendable to single-handed operation, as for example during emergency room situations where a user may have only one hand free.
Moreover, it has been found that oftentimes there is a large unused and therefore wasteful volume of space at the junction where the syringe and needle are joined which has to be filled with blood to be drawn from or fluid to be injected into a patient.


Described herein is a computer implemented method. The method comprises receiving, by an issue tracking system, a deployment update from a deployment system which includes deployment information in respect of one or more issues maintained by the issue tracking system. The method further comprises associating one or more issues maintained by the issue tracking system with deployment information by identifying the one or more issues to which the deployment information in the deployment update relates, extracting the deployment information from the deployment update, and associating the deployment information with each of the identified issues.

The developments described in this section are known to the inventors. However, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the developments described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section, or that those developments are known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
Software development is a complex process which can involve the use of multiple different tools and systems. By way of example, a given software development project may involve an issue tracking system, a source code management system, a build system, a test system, a deployment system, and a feature flag system.
The number of different systems/tools that can be involved in a software development project can make it challenging to understand the state of a given project at any given time.
This complexity is exacerbated where continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment software development/release methodologies are adopted. Generally speaking, such methodologies involve maintaining a software code base in a form that can be reliably released at any time and, typically, releasing software revisions to the live/production environment far more frequently when compared to traditional software development approaches.


A mobile terminal, operational both to receive and transmit, may comprise a mobile antenna and an antenna controller that may be configured to control the mobile antenna at least for keeping it pointed towards the satellite, e.g. as the mobile terminal and/or the satellite move. Disclosed is a method that may be used by the antenna controller for optimizing the pointing of the mobile antenna, the method may be based on assessing both the reception quality and the transmission quality. This method may be used for overcoming degradation, mainly to transmission quality, that may result from squints between an optimal reception direction and an optimal transmission direction associated with the mobile antenna.

A mobile terminal for communication via satellite is typically equipped with a mobile antenna that keeps pointing towards the satellite while the terminal is in motion. A controller coupled with the antenna uses one or more devices, for example a GPS receiver, a compass, 3-D gyroscopes and accelerometers, for determining a direction of movement and corrects the antenna alignment in accordance with the determined direction of movement to keep the antenna pointing towards the satellite. However, compasses often suffer from large errors, whereas pointing data from gyroscopes and accelerometers tend to slowly drift. In order to compensate for the drift in pointing data and provide slow correction of the antenna pointing, the antenna controller often uses information related to the reception quality of a received signal, for example any one of Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Signal Strength, Receiver Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) and Bit Error Rate (BER).
When the mobile terminal is operational both to receive and transmit, the transmitting (TX) antenna and the receiving (RX) antenna usually share the same reflector. Pointing the shared aperture (reflector) in accordance with a reception SNR at the mobile terminal is usually sufficient for achieving fairly accurate pointing, both for receiving and for transmitting.
However, sometimes the direction of the TX antenna beam has a slight squint in reference to the direction of the RX antenna beam, even when both the TX antenna and the RX antenna share the same reflector. Sometimes, the RX antenna and the TX antenna have independent apertures. For instance, in phased array antennas, the TX antenna and the RX antenna usually have independent apertures and although the two antennas may be installed in parallel and the RX antenna pointing may be used for pointing the TX antenna as well, small inaccuracies lead to some squint between the pointing of the two antennas.
In satellite communications, the transmission frequencies are higher than the reception frequencies. Consequently, where an RX antenna and a TX antenna share a common reflector the TX antenna has a narrower beam compared to the beam of the RX antenna. In order to use SNR readings of a received signal for mobile antenna tracking, the antenna is dithered around the pointing direction in order to estimate a gradient of the pointing error, which can then be used for determining the needed pointing correction. One dithering method includes moving the antenna in accordance with four corners of a square around the current pointing direction (e.g. lower-left, lower-right, higher-right, and higher-left). Another dithering method includes moving the antenna in accordance with a conical scan around the some pointing direction. Typically, this dithering or conical scan follows a −0.5 dB contour of the RX beam (the specific contour selection is a compromise between the need for low antenna gain loss and good antenna dynamics). As the TX antenna has a narrower beam, this dithering or scan corresponds to a more degraded contour (for example, a −1 dB contour) around the TX antenna pointing, causing greater loss in the terminal's TX link, even with no squint at all. When some squint is added, the loss in the terminal's TX link is even larger.


An exhaust gas recirculation device includes a housing including an inner wall defining an intake passage through which an intake air passes. The housing includes an outlet opening of an EGR gas provided in the inner wall, and a throttle valve positioned in the intake passage and generating a negative pressure at the outlet opening. The housing includes an intake air guide device provided in the housing and guiding the intake air, which has passed between the throttle valve and the inner wall of the housing, toward an axial center area of the intake passage. At least a part of the intake air guide device is positioned on an upstream side of the intake air with respect to the outlet opening.

An EGR device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP 2013-096286, US 2013-0104859) is known as an example of the EGR device that includes a throttle valve generating a negative pressure at an outlet opening of an EGR gas. The EGR device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an EGR adjustment valve and a throttle valve in a housing defining therein an intake passage and an EGR passage.
The EGR adjustment valve and the throttle valve of the Patent Document 1 are connected with each other, and a valve unit including the EGR adjustment valve and the throttle valve is downsized so as to meet a requirement for a mountability on a vehicle, a mechanical limitation regarding, for example, a link device, and a requirement for a low-cost manufacturing. Therefore, a distance between the throttle valve and an outlet opening of an EGR passage is short. Consequently, when the EGR gas flows into the intake passage through the outlet opening, the throttle valve may be likely exposed to the EGR gas.
If the throttle valve cooled by an intake air is exposed to the EGR gas with a high temperature and containing water vapor (i.e. moisture generated by combustion), the EGR gas is cooled rapidly, and thus the moisture contained the EGR gas easily adheres to the throttle valve as a condensed water.
The condensed water condensed on the throttle valve is sent downstream of the intake air together with a stream of the intake air. However, when an intake-air compressor of a turbocharger is located in the intake passage which is downstream of the intake air with respect to the throttle valve, the condensed water is drawn into the intake-air compressor, and thus the condensed water may collide with a compressor blade. If the collision of the condensed water with the compressor blade is repeated for a long time, the compressor blade may be partially corroded and eroded.
Moreover, even when the intake-air compressor is not located downstream of the intake air with respect to the throttle valve, the condensed water adhering to the throttle valve flows, and thus a packing, which is made of rubber and provided in the intake passage, may be easily deteriorated by the condensed water W. To take an example, the condensed water adhering to the throttle valve may enter a shaft-inserted hole along a shaft driving the throttle valve. The packing that is made of rubber and fills a gap is provided between the housing and the shaft. Therefore, the condensed water contacting the packing for a long time may cause the packing to be deteriorated, and thus an air leakage may occur.