This invention provides a resin film preferably used for mounting a semiconductor chip on a substrate through flip-chip connection, and a method based on the use of such a resin film. The resin film has a laminated B/A/B structure where a first resin layer (A) having inorganic particles dispersed in an insulating resin is sandwiched by second and third resin layers (B) having no inorganic particles in their insulating resins. The method for connecting electronic parts comprises the steps of forming metal projections (bumps) on a plurality of connection terminals prepared on the surface of a first electronic part; preliminarily pressing the resin film against a plurality of connection terminal surfaces of the other electronic part; applying pressure onto the connection parts in the presence of heat after having properly aligned the metal projections of the first electronic part with the corresponding connection terminals of the other electronic part, thereby establishing electric connection and at the same time mechanical contact between the two electronic parts through the resin film melt and solidifying.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resin film to be used for connecting electronic parts, and a method for connecting electronic parts based on the use thereof, more particularly to a resin film suitable for electrically and mechanically connecting an electronic part such as a semiconductor chip and another electronic part such as a substrate, and a method based on the use thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, with the development of small and thin electronic parts, a demand has been rising for the connection of a minute part such as a semiconductor chip with a substrate carrying a microcircuit pattern, and with such tendency, the interval between adjacent wires becomes increasingly short.
Conventionally, for such purpose, a method has been principally employed whereby a wire is bonded between the connection terminals of parts to be connected. However, an alternative method whereby parts to be connected are allowed to face to each other and then bonded directly together is more suitable than the conventional bonding method for the quicker production of small and thin parts, and thus the latter method, or the flip-chip connection is more avidly employed nowadays. The connection joints of parts joined by this method are mainly sealed by a cheap resin for the protection of the joints from the environmental adverse effects and for the insurance of stable connection operation of the joints. For the sealing, a method has been employed whereby terminals are allowed to face to each other, they are connected electrically and then a liquid resin is poured into the gap between the terminals. Connection of connection terminals is achieved by soldering, pressure contact of gold-to-gold terminals, and bonding with an electroconductive paste.
However, with the development of smaller and thinner parts, the gap between a substrate and the part placed opposite thereto, and the distance between adjacent terminals of part become smaller, which makes difficult the pouring of a liquid resin (so-called under-fill) into or through those gaps and intervals. Generally, a thermosetting resin with a low viscosity such as an epoxy resin is used.
Another alternative method has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-7180) whereby a liquid resin is applied in advance onto a part of a substrate which will carry a chip before the substrate and chip are assembled; the terminals to be connected are placed opposite properly to each other; they are pressed together while being heated; and thus electrical as well as mechanical connection is established between the two terminals (dispensing with the use of an under-fill). With this method, the semiconductor chip and the substrate are connected to each other electrically because their terminals come into direct contact to each other owing to a contraction force accompanying the hardening of thermosetting resin. Generally, when an electronic part is used in a high-temperature environment, or a semiconductor element generating a high temperature such as a power module is incorporated in a semiconductor chip, resin around that semiconductor chip expands in the presence of heat, and contracts after use as the high temperature subsides. Repeating this process will lead to the deterioration of the resin in question.
With the above method, electric connection of terminals is maintained only by the contraction force of resin generated after hardening which is applied around the terminals in question. Therefore, with the deterioration of resin after repeated expansions and contractions, the contraction force thereof becomes slackened, and as a result of this, when the thermal expansion in the presence of heat exceeds the contraction after withdrawal of heat, failure of electrical connection results. To prevent this, it is necessary to reduce the thermal expansion coefficient of the resin to maintain the thermal expansion thereof at a low level. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 1, for electrical connection of a semiconductor chip with a substrate, a resin 111 is used which contains inorganic particles 112 having a smaller thermal expansion coefficient such as silica particles.
In this case, when the connection terminal of a semiconductor chip has a tip having essentially a flat surface, a liquid resin may creep between the opposing terminals of semiconductor chip and substrate, which may lead to failed electric connection between them. Particularly, inorganic particles such as silica particles contained in the resin easily creep between such opposing terminals. As a preventive measure for this, a method has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-97816) whereby a pointed metal projection (bump) is prepared on the connection terminal of a semiconductor chip.
Or a further alternative method or the connection method based on the use of an anisotropic resin has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publications Nos. 62-141083 and 7-157720) whereby, as shown in FIG. 2, conductive particles 122 are allowed to uniformly disperse in a resin 121 interposed between a semiconductor chip and a substrate, and thus to exist between the opposing terminals, and then the terminals are pressed together while being heated thereby establishing electric connection of those terminals as well as ensuring insulation from adjacent terminals. In this method, for conductive particles 122, for example, metal particles made of nickel or a soldering alloy, or resin particles whose insulating surfaces are plated with gold are used. To prepare such resin particles, a resin in the form of a liquid (or paste) or a film is used. In this method, terminals to be connected should preferably have a flat surface because then conductive particles are more effectively maintained between the opposing connecting terminals.
As discussed above, when a liquid (paste) resin having a thermosetting property is used as a resin for flip-chip connection, the resin requires a long time lasting several minutes to several hours before it hardens, which will lead to the lowering of productivity.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, when the connection terminal 136 of a semiconductor chip 135 is allowed to have a bump 139 thereupon, and is pressed against a substrate 137 while being heated, the resin 131, particularly small-sized inorganic particles 133 contained therein, when they have a broad distribution in particle size, may be trapped in the space between the connection terminal 138 of substrate 137 and the bump 139, which may cause troubles leading to incomplete electric connection of involved terminals.
A resin with a low stress developing property has been favorably employed regardless of whether it is used in connection with conductive particles or not, because such a resin improves the reliability of terminal connection, particularly resistance of connected terminals against thermal shocks. However, when a resin contains inorganic particles, it becomes hard, and thus its affinity at interfaces to the electronic part tends to fall. When an anisotropic, conductive resin is used, usually it is never provided, or provided only with a comparatively small amount of inorganic particles. Therefore, such a resin will have a rather high thermal expansion coefficient, and thus its resistance to heat stresses and moisture may be insufficient.
A first object of this invention is to provide a resin film which, when used for the seal of connection between a semiconductor chip and a substrate, is highly affinitive to the chip and substrate at interfaces, and will give less adverse effects to the connection terminals even under thermal stresses after setting, and a method based on the use of such a resin film for the electric connection of electronic parts.
A second object of this invention is to provide a resin film which, being suitably used for the seal of connection achieved by the flip-chip method, can seal such a connection in a short time, and ensure high reliability of the connection, and a method based on the use of such a resin film for the electric connection of electronic parts.
A third object of this invention is to provide a resin film made of a resin containing inorganic particles which, even when the particles are trapped in the space between a semiconductor chip and a substrate, is so prepared that the reliability of connection may not be impaired, and a method based on the use of such a resin film for the electric connection of electronic parts.

Resin film and a method for connecting electronic parts by the use thereof


An optical scanning apparatus has a scanning lens with a rotationally asymmetric aspheric surface having individual curvature radii in the main scanning direction and in the sub-scanning direction. The curvature radius in the sub-scanning direction is asymmetrically increased in the lateral direction with the distance from the optical axis. A field curvature aberration which may be generated in the sub-scanning direction on the scanning surface due to an oblique incident of optical beams on the rotating polygonal mirror or the movement of the reflective surface caused by rotation of the rotating polygonal mirror is compensated for by the scanning lens and the focusing properties of the system can be kept at a level of high resolving power.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical scanning apparatus, and more particularly to an optical scanning apparatus comprising a scanning optical system which employs a rotationally asymmetric aspheric surface and is suitable for a laser printer that is used as a computer output peripheral or an office information processing apparatus. The present invention further relates to a rotationally asymmetric aspheric scanning lens that is used for the optical scanning apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In laser printers, a structure has been employed which is arranged such that the laser beam is deflected to scan a photosensitive drum by the combination of an F.theta. lens and a rotating polygonal mirror. One of the problems that is encountered in scanning the laser beam is that scanning pitch errors are generated due to a tilt of reflective surfaces of the rotating polygonal mirror.
In order to obviate this problem, there have been proposed various methods for reducing adverse affects due to the tilt error of the rotating polygonal mirror by means of the combination of a cylindrical lens and a toric F.theta. lens (see Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 48-98844), the combination of a prism and an F.theta. lens (see Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 59-9883), the combination of a toric lens and an F.theta. lens (see Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 48-49315) and the like. However, these methods suffer from difficulties in which an increased number of components must be used due to the use of two kinds of optical elements such as an asymmetrical optical element and an F.theta. lens as described above. In order to overcome these difficulties, it has also been proposed to impart the function of compensating for scanning pitch errors due to the tilt of the polygonal mirror in the F.theta. lens (see Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 57-144515). An F.theta. lens of the type according to this proposal is provided with a cylindrical surface or a toric surface as well as ordinary spherical surfaces or planar surfaces. Assuming that a first plane is perpendicular to a second plane, the "toric surface" means a surface having different radii of curvature in the first and second planes. Namely, the toric surface is expressed by the following secondary expansion equation: EQU z=Ax.sup.2 +By.sup.2 . . . (1)
where z corresponds to the optical axis, xz and yz correspond to the surfaces that are perpendicular to each other and that include the optical axis, and A and B are coefficients, in which A.noteq.B holds, and in which A and B are independent of the view angle .theta. relative to the optical axis.
In a laser scanning apparatus in which the above-described toric surface is employed, assuming that the optical scanning surface is xz, the surface which affects the surface tilt is yz, the main scanning direction is x, the sub-scanning direction is y, and the focal lengths within each of the surfaces are fx and fy, respectively, the following relationship holds: EQU fx.noteq.fy, and fx>fy . . . (2)
In particular, the focusing properties in the surface-tilt direction (sub-scanning direction) can deteriorate as can be clearly seen from the above-described formula. The reason for this lies in that the region that can be scanned by fx is limited since fx>fy, causing excellent focusing properties to be prevented from being satisfied. The reason for the deterioration in the focusing properties in the sub-scanning direction resides in a field curvature aberration that is generated in the surface (surface yz) relating to the surface tilt. That is, the wave aberration at a specific view angle .theta. becomes as follows: EQU W=cy.sup.2 . . . (3)
where c corresponds to a coefficient. On the other hand, the focusing properties in the main scanning direction can be kept in a good condition when .theta. is 40.degree. or less. That is, an aberration is generated only in the surface tilt compensation direction (the direction of y-axis and sub-scanning direction) since W is brought to a non-functional relationship with x. Since c corresponds to a coefficient determined by the curvature radius, interval between lenses, refraction factor, view angle and the like, it cannot become zero due to a deterioration in the focusing properties if the contour of the lens surface is as such expressed by Equation (1). Another problem arises in that the alignment adjustment by means of rotating of the lenses is difficult to conduct since a plurality of aspheric surfaces are provided in the f.theta. lens.
To this end, the inventors of the present invention have proposed (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62-265615 or U.S. Ser. No. 179,407) a structure arranged such that the number of the aspheric surfaces of the scanning lens (f.theta. lens) is decreased to one and the shape of this aspheric surface is arranged to be that as expressed by the following equation: ##EQU1## wherein a coefficient B' is a function of a scanning view angle .theta., and the curvature radius of the f.theta. lens in the surface tilt direction is changed in correspondence with the deflection direction. According to this proposal, the coefficient of the term y.sup.2 of the wave aberration W can be brought to come closer to 0 by arranging the curvature radius in the surface tilt direction (sub-scanning direction) to become larger with the distance from the optical axis (axis z) as shown in dashed line .circle.B . This means that the focal distance fy in the sub-scanning direction is a function of the view angle .theta. so that fy is also changed in correspondence with the change in the view angle .theta.. In this proposal, the change in the curvature radius in the sub-scanning direction is symmetric with respect to the optical axis. Referring to FIG. 2, z-axis corresponds to the direction of the optical axis, while the yz surface is the surface that affects the surface tilt. Referring to this drawing, a continuous line .circle.A represents a conventional toric surface expressed by the following equation: EQU z=By.sup.2 +M . . . (5)
Thus, the focusing position can be brought to any position on the surface of the photosensitive drum by arranging the curvature radius in the sub-scanning direction to become larger with the distance from the optical axis as designated by the dashed line and by making the curvature radius outside the axis (.theta..noteq.0) larger than that in the surface tilt direction on the optical axis (.theta.=0) so as to be an aspheric surface .circle.B . Furthermore, the thus-arranged curvature radius is, together with the view angle .theta., monotone-increased bisymmetrically.

Optical scanning apparatus and asymmetrical aspheric scanning lens


An apparatus for warning deviation from a lane has a deviation evaluation ECU 1. The deviation evaluation ECU 1 has a deviation evaluator 14 for performing an evaluation on a deviation by comparing a future position of a host vehicle with a lane future position. Before this deviation evaluation, a mask processor 13 determines whether a yaw angle of the host vehicle and a lateral position of the vehicle relative to a driving lane exceed their respective thresholds preliminarily determined. When either one or the both are not more than the thresholds, the mask processor 13 performs a mask process, without performing the deviation evaluation. A deviation evaluator 14 performs the deviation evaluation when the yaw angle and the lateral position relative to the driving lane both exceed their respective thresholds.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for estimating of deviation from lane and method estimating of a deviation from a lane and to a warning apparatus and method for issuing a warning to a driver when it is determined that there is a possibility of a deviation and, more particularly, to estimating and warning apparatus of deviation from lane and methods for estimating a deviation from a lane and for issuing a warning, in order to perform lane deviation prevention support for preventing deviation of a running vehicle from the lane.
2. Background Art
There are vehicles with a lane deviation preventing function of preventing from deviating a vehicle running on a lane of a road from the lane. An example of the conventional apparatus with such a function is a driving state evaluating apparatus, for example, disclosed in JP A 7-105498 (hereinafter referred to as Document 1). This driving state evaluating apparatus is configured to predict a deviation state on the basis of a distance to an intersection between an predicted course of a host vehicle and a boundary of a driving lane, and an angle between the predicted course and the boundaries of the driving lane (yaw angle). When this deviation evaluation results in evaluating that the vehicle will deviate from the lane, the apparatus issues a warning and automatically performs a correction for steering.

Apparatus for estimating of deviation from lane, and apparatus for warning of same and method for same


A sound bar system and method of use are disclosed. The sound bar system, in various embodiments, includes a tubular hollow housing, two woofers, two speaker assemblies, and two baffles. The tubular hollow housing includes two terminal circular openings, one at each end of the tubular hollow housing, and an interior passage that extends between the two terminal circular openings. Each terminal circular opening receives one of the woofers. The tubular hollow housing also includes two speaker assembly openings that each extend from an outer surface of the tubular hollow housing to the interior passage. Each speaker assembly opening receives one of the speaker assemblies. The baffles are located inside the interior passage, such that the baffles divide the interior passage into three isolated sound spaces. One sound space houses one woofer and one speaker assembly. Another sound space houses another woofer and another speaker assembly. The last sound space is located in between the other two sound spaces.

A variety of systems for housing, amplifying, mounting, and protecting one or more speakers have been developed. Initially, these systems were designed specifically for indoor use and maximizing the user's experience in a home setting. In particular, the cabinets or other structures containing speakers were composed of wood and/or cardboard, and organized to emit and disperse sound to reflect off of nearby walls and ceilings back toward a listener. One such structure that is especially effective for dispersing sound is a tube. This structure is so effective that it has been used as a stand-alone element for both indoor and outdoor speaker systems, and known as a "sound bar."
However, successfully adapting a sound bar for attachment to various recreational land vehicles, particularly off-road vehicles such as an ATV, dune buggies and similar land vehicles, as well as marine vessels such as ski boats, off-shore recreational fishing boats, party barges and similar watercraft, requires overcoming various problems unique to these land vehicles and watercraft. Sound systems for such vehicles must (1) be impact resistant; (2) provide durable attachment to the vehicle; (3) this durable attachment must also be versatile to allow for quick and simple adjustments to the position and/or directionality of the speakers to accommodate changes in the listening environment; and (4) protect the electrical components of the speakers from dirt, dust, mud, and/or water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,177 was an early attempt to provide a stable, convenient speaker system for an automobile requiring minimal alteration to the vehicle. This speaker system's convenience relied on the presence of a flat surface within the vehicle for the system to rest upon. Since this system merely rested upon a flat surface within the vehicle, it was limited to on-road trucks and cars, but not suitable to off-road vehicles or watercraft that travel over bumpy terrain such as dusty/muddy trails and choppy water. Such off-road and over-water travel submit sound systems to vigorous physical shaking and jolting requiring very secure attachment to the vehicle or watercraft, as well as construction that could withstand significant mechanical impact. Additionally, this speaker system was constructed from cardboard, further limiting its use to an enclosed interior location of a vehicle as it would not withstand prolonged or repeated exposure to dirt, dust, mud, rain, and/or splashed water, such as from waves, wakes or wet passengers.
U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0141924 presented an alternative speaker assembly especially adapted for use on watercraft. This system solved the problem of water exposure and impact durability by mounting speakers within retractable housings. However, these housings require substantial modification of the watercraft and provide only directional sound aimed rearward toward individuals towed behind the watercraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,948,437 improved upon the speaker systems for watercraft by providing vertically oriented sound rods of a stainless steel construction that provide 360° sound in an approximately horizontal plane. However, the mounting system employed is limited to watercraft, and particularly watercraft with existing fishing rod holders that can receive the mounting pole of the sound rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,469,254 provided a more versatile mounted speaker system for off-road vehicles, ATVs, UTVs, watercraft, and motorcycles that employs an L-shaped mounting bracket to attach an array of speakers to such vehicles. The L-shaped mounting bracket enables rotation of the speaker array 360° about the plane in which the array is mounted. However, the orientation of the speaker array limits sound dispersion from any given orientation (i.e., rotational position) of the array to a single direction. The speaker system also includes a housing encasing the backside of the array of speakers, but does not utilize any sound chamber(s) to amplify, disperse, or direct the sound produced by the speakers of the array.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,471,903 provided a similarly versatile mounted sound bar for off-road vehicles and watercraft that improved the distribution of emitted sound through the tubular structure of the sound bar. However, this sound bar relied upon a singular, enclosed internal sound space to reverberate the sound waves produced by the speakers housed in the sound bar and seal the speakers off from the dust, dirt, mud, and water encountered during use. However, this orientation creates significant stress on the speakers and sound bar structure, requiring the reverberations to be equal and opposite in order to cancel one another out.
Although such prior art devices have addressed some of the prior art problems, there remains a need in the industry for an easily and durably mounted speaker system that provides directional adjustable multi-range sound that operates in the dusty, dirty, muddy, and wet conditions encountered by off-road vehicles and watercraft that better reduces or eliminates prior art problems.

Vehicle mounted sound bar and operation thereof


A method of manufacturing a stacked stator core comprises forming a stack that comprises an annular yoke portion, a plurality of tooth portions, and a plurality of slots. The method further comprises inserting a mold core member of the plurality of mold core members into a slot of the plurality of slots, the mold core member comprising a body portion and a closing portion connected to the body portion, the body portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the slot and spaced apart from an inner wall surface of the slot, the closing portion being positioned on a slot opening side of the slot and closing an open end portion of the slot on the slot opening side. Additionally, the method comprises forming a resin portion by charging a melted resin into a filling space between the slot and the mold core member.

In general, a stator is formed by attaching a winding coil to a tooth portion of a stacked stator core. It is required to ensure insulation between the winding coil and the stacked stator core. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-076982 discloses a method of manufacturing a stator, including a step of inserting a bundle of coil wire material wrapped with an insulating sheet into a slot between tooth portions, and a step of filling the slot with resin in a state in which the bundle of coil wire material is pressed against the slot opening. In this case, the insulating sheet is disposed between the slot and the coil wire material to ensure the insulation between them.

Method of manufacturing stacked stator core


A communication device includes a communication circuit unit processing a high-frequency signal, a transmission path connected to the communication circuit, a ground, a coupling electrode supported so as to face the ground and to be separated by a height negligible with respect to a wavelength of the high-frequency signal, a resonating unit increasing a current flowing into the coupling electrode via the transmission path, and an extended section formed of a conductor disposed near a front of the coupling electrode with an angle θ formed relative to a direction of a microdipole being approximately 0 degree, the microdipole being formed of a line segment connecting a center of charges stored in the coupling electrode and a center of mirror-image charges stored in the ground, the conductor extended in a lateral direction approximately orthogonal to a propagating direction of an electric-field signal occurring from the front of the coupling electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication devices and high-frequency couplers for large-capacity data transmission in close proximity through a weak UWB communication technique using a high-frequency wide band and, in particular, to a communication device and high-frequency coupler with a communicable area being sufficiently extended in a lateral direction in weak UWB communications using electric-field coupling.
2. Description of the Related Art
Non-contact communication has been widely available as a medium for authentication information, electronic money, and other value information. Examples of an IC card standard complying with ISO/IEC 14443 include Type A, Type B, and FeliCa®. Furthermore, near field communication (NFC) developed by Sony Corporation and Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. is an RFID standard mainly defining specifications of an NFC communication device (reader/writer) communicable with an IC card of each of Type A, Type B, and FeliCa. In NFC, with the use of a band of 13.56 MHz, non-contact bidirectional communication of a close-proximity type (0 or more but 10 or less cm) can be performed through electromagnetic induction.
An example of a further application of a non-contact communication system is large-capacity data transmission, such as downloading or streaming of moving pictures and music. For example, it can be assumed that non-contact communication is used when a fee-based content is downloaded from a vending machine to a portable terminal or when a content is downloaded from a fee-based site to a portable terminal via a personal computer connected to the Internet. In this case, it is preferable that a single user operation of holding the portable terminal over a read surface suffices and the operation completes with the sense of the same access time as that for authentication and billing in the past. Therefore, a high communication rate is desired.
However, the communication rate in NFC communication, which is a typical example of non-contact communication, is approximately 106 kbps to 424 kbps, which is sufficient for personal authentication or billing process but is extremely slow compared with other general-purpose wireless communication (such as WiFi and Bluetooth). Also, in the technique in the past, such as NFC communication, an achievable maximum communication rate is up to 848 kbps at best, due to physical constraints, such as carrier frequency. Thus, it is difficult to expect a dramatic increase in rate in the future.
By contrast, an example of a close-proximity wireless transfer technology applicable to high-speed communication is TransferJet using a weak ultra wide band (UWB) signal (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-99236 and www.transferjet.org/en/index.html (as of Mar. 23, 2009)). This close-proximity wireless transfer technology (TransferJet) is of a technique of basically transmitting a signal by using an electric-field coupling action, and a communication device for the technique includes a communication circuit unit processing a high-frequency signal, a coupling electrode disposed so as to be separated from a ground at a predetermined height, and an resonating unit efficiently supplying the high-frequency signal to the coupling electrode.
In weak UWB communications using an electric-field coupling action, its communication distance is approximately 2 cm to 3 cm, and the high-frequency coupler does not have a polarized wave but has a directivity of approximately the same extent both in a height direction and in a lateral direction. Therefore, the communication device using the high-frequency coupler has a substantially hemispherically domed communicable area.
On the other hand, in an NFC communication technique, a small-sized and low-height reader/writer module of a compact size suitable for incorporation has been developed and manufactured, and can be used as being implemented for use in various devices, such as a point of sales (POS) terminal, vending machine, and personal computer. For example, an information processing device of a notebook type is suggested in which a reader/writer module is incorporated in a palm rest portion of a keyboard of a main body and information is read from a non-contact IC tag nearby (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-87263).
In the above-described usage pattern in which a reader/writer module is implemented in a device, a unit serving as a communication target, such as a portable terminal, is generally placed on a read surface of the device so as to advance into a communicable area. Now consider the case where this general practice is applied to the above-described weak UWB communication technique. With a portable terminal having a high-frequency coupler incorporated therein being placed on a read surface of the device, the distance between the high-frequency couplers is short, and the high-frequency coupler is in an approximately contact state. In this manner, the high-frequency coupler can be sufficiently close to the device to the extent of generating an electric-field coupling action occurs. Originally, the high-frequency coupler has a directivity of approximately the same extent both in a height direction and in a lateral direction (as described above). Even when the communication distance in the height direction (that is, a signal propagating direction) is short, if the communicable area is extended in the lateral direction (in other words, a direction orthogonal to the propagating direction), an area where the read surface, that is, the communication device, can be placed is extended, thereby making it easier for users to use. Since the high-frequency coupler is incorporated in a different place for each terminal, the distance between the high-frequency couplers varies even if each terminal is placed on the read surface of the device in a similar manner.
For example, a communication system of a weak UWB communication technique is suggested in which a surface-wave transmission line made of a linear member using a copper line or other conductors is disposed near a coupling electrode and an electric-field signal emitted from a coupling electrode of a transmitter propagates through the inside and surface of this transmission line to extend the distance between the electrodes (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-99234). This system uses a property that the electric field proceeds along the surface of a conductor. That is, an electric field perpendicular to the surface-wave transmission line and a magnetic field winding around the outside of the surface-wave transmission line occur and, with the form of energy alternately changing between the electric field and the magnetic field, a surface-wave signal propagates far away.
However, the above-described communication system using a surface-wave transmission line extends the communication distance in the height direction (that is, the signal propagating direction), and does not extend the communicable area in the lateral direction (in other words, the direction orthogonal to the propagating direction). Also, along a longitudinal direction of the surface-wave transmission line, a strong portion and a weak portion periodically occur in the electric field so as to correspond to a maximum position and a node of a standing wave. Although users can intuitively know that communication quality is higher at places closer to the center of the read surface, the center of the surface-wave transmission line in a longitudinal direction does not necessarily have a high electric field strength (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-99234, FIGS. 31A to 31F). Therefore, it is difficult for the user to perform an intuitive operation.
As another example, a surface-wave transmission line is suggested having one end formed of a bundle of line materials with their end face attached to a coupling electrode at an appropriate position and angle for an excellent communication state and the other end unbundled with an end face of each of the line materials distributed over a flat coupling surface (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-103993). With this, a coupling surface having a communicable area extended in the lateral direction can be provided. However, it is difficult to make a small-sized high-frequency coupler of low height via a surface-wave transmission line made of a bundle of line materials.

Communication device and high-frequency coupler


The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for producing a virtual electrode within or upon a tissue to be treated with radio frequency alternating electric current, such tissues including but not limited to liver, lung, cardiac, prostate, breast, and vascular tissues and neoplasms. An apparatus in accord with the present invention includes a supply of a conductive or electrolytic fluid to be provided to the patient, an alternating current generator, and a processor for creating, maintaining, and controlling the ablation process by the interstitial or surficial delivery of the fluid to a tissue and the delivery of electric power to the tissue via the virtual electrode. A method in accord with the present invention includes delivering a conductive fluid to a predetermined tissue ablation site for a predetermined time period, applying a predetermined power level of radio frequency current to the tissue, monitoring at least one of several parameters, and adjusting either the applied power and/or the fluid flow in response to the measured parameters.

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method of the creation of a virtual electrode. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method of the creation of a virtual electrode, which is useful for the ablation of soft tissue and neoplasms.
The utilization of an electric current to produce an ameliorative effect on a bodily tissue has a long history, reportedly extending back to the ancient Greeks. The effects on bodily tissue from an applied electric current, and thus the dividing line between harmful and curative effects, will vary depending upon the voltage levels, current levels, the length of time the current is applied, and the tissue involved. One such effect resulting from the passage of an electric current through tissue is heat generation.
Body tissue, like all non-superconducting materials, conducts current with some degree of resistance. This resistance creates localized heating of the tissue through which the current is being conducted. The amount of heat generated will vary with the power P deposited in the tissue, which is a function of the product of the square of the current I and the resistance R of the tissue to the passage of the current through it (P=I2R.).
As current is applied to tissue, then, heat is generated due to the inherent resistance of the tissue. Deleterious effects in the cells making up the tissue begin to occur at about 42xc2x0 Celsius. As the temperature of the tissue increases because of the heat generated by the tissue""s resistance, the tissue will undergo profound changes and eventually, as the temperature becomes high enough, that is, generally greater than 45xc2x0 C., the cells will die. The zone of cell death is known as a lesion and the procedure followed to create the lesion is commonly called an ablation. As the temperature increases beyond cell death temperature, complete disintegration of the cell walls and cells caused by boiling off of the tissue""s water can occur. Cell death temperatures can vary somewhat with the type of tissue to which the power is being applied, but generally will begin to occur within the range of 45xc2x0 to 60xc2x0 C., though actual cell death of certain tissue cells may occur at a higher temperature.
In recent times, electric current has found advantageous use in surgery, with the development of a variety of surgical instruments for cutting tissue or for coagulating blood. Still more recently, the use of alternating electric current to ablate, that is, kill, various tissues has been explored. Typically, current having a frequency from about 3 kilohertz to about 300 gigahertz, which is generally known as radiofrequency or radiofrequency (RF) current, is used for this procedure. Destruction, that is, killing, of tissue using an RF current is commonly known as radiofrequency ablation. Often radiofrequency ablation is performed as a minimally invasive procedure and is thus known as radiofrequency catheter ablation because the procedure is performed through and with the use of a catheter. By way of example, radiofrequency catheter ablation has been used to ablate cardiac tissue responsible for irregular heartbeat arrhythmias.
The prior art applications of current to tissue have typically involved applying the current using a xe2x80x9cdryxe2x80x9d electrode. That is, a metal electrode is applied to the tissue desired to be affected and a generated electric current is passed through the electrode to the tissue. A commonly known example of an instrument having such an operating characteristic is an electrosurgical instrument known as a xe2x80x9cboviexe2x80x9d knife. This instrument includes a cutting/coagulating blade electrically attached to a current generator. The blade is applied to the tissue of a patient and the current passes through the blade into the tissue and through the patient""s body to a metal base electrode or ground plate usually placed underneath and in electrical contact with the patient. The base electrode is in turn electrically connected to the current generator so as to provide a complete circuit.
As the current from the bovie knife passes from the blade into the tissue, the resistance provided by the tissue creates heat. In the cutting mode, a sufficient application of power through the bovie to the tissue causes the fluid within the cell to turn to steam, creating a sufficient overpressure so as to burst the cell walls. The cells then dry up, desiccate, and carbonize, resulting in localized shrinking and an opening in the tissue. Alternatively, the bovie knife can be applied to bleeding vessels to heat and coagulate the blood flowing therefrom and thus stop the bleeding.
As previously noted, another use for electrical instruments in the treatment of the body is in the ablation of tissue. To expand further on the brief description given earlier of the ablation of cardiac tissue, it has long been known that a certain kind of heart tissue known as sino-atrial and atrio-ventricular nodes spontaneously generate an electrical signal that is propagated throughout the heart along conductive pathways to cause it to beat. Occasionally, certain heart tissue will xe2x80x9cmisfire,xe2x80x9d causing the heart to beat irregularly. If the errant electrical pathways can be determined, the tissue pathways can be ablated and the irregular heartbeat remedied. In such a procedure, an electrode is placed via a catheter into contact with the tissue and then current is applied to the tissue via the electrode from a generator of RF current. The applied current will cause the tissue in contact with the electrode to heat. Power will continue to be applied until the tissue reaches a temperature where the heart tissue dies, thereby destroying the errant electrical pathway and the cause of the irregular heartbeat.
Another procedure using RF ablation is transurethral needle ablation, or TUNA, which is used to create a lesion in the prostate gland for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or the enlargement of the prostate gland. In a TUNA procedure, a needle having an exposed conductive tip is inserted into the prostate gland and current is applied to the prostate gland via the needle. As noted previously, the tissue of the prostate gland heats locally surrounding the needle tip as the current passes from the needle to the base electrode. A lesion is created as the tissue heats and the destroyed cells may be reabsorbed by the body, infiltrated with scar tissue, or just become non-functional.
While there are advantages and uses for such xe2x80x9cdryxe2x80x9d electrode instruments, there are also several notable disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is that during a procedure coagulumxe2x80x94dried blood cells and tissue cellsxe2x80x94will form on the electrode engaging the tissue. Coagulum acts as an insulator and effectively functions to prevent current transfer from the blade to the tissue. This coagulum xe2x80x9cinsulationxe2x80x9d can be overcome with more voltage so as to keep the current flowing, but only at the risk of arcing and injuring the patient. Thus, during surgery when the tissue is cut with an electrosurgical scalpel, a build-up of coagulated blood and desiccated tissue will occur on the blade, requiring the blade to be cleaned before further use. Typically, cleaning an electrode/scalpel used in this manner will involve simply scraping the dried tissue from the electrode/scalpel by rubbing the scalpel across an abrasive pad to remove the coagulum. This is a tedious procedure for the surgeon and the operating staff since it requires the xe2x80x9crealxe2x80x9d work of the surgery to be discontinued while the cleaning operation occurs. This procedure can be avoided with the use of specially coated blades that resist the build up of coagulum. Such specialty blades are costly, however.
A second disadvantage of the dry electrode approach is that the electrical heating of the tissue creates smoke that is now known to include cancer-causing agents. Thus, preferred uses of such equipment will include appropriate ventilation systems, which can themselves become quite elaborate and quite expensive.
A further, and perhaps the most significant, disadvantage of dry electrode electrosurgical tools is revealed during cardiac ablation procedures. During such a procedure, an electrode that is otherwise insulated but having an exposed, current carrying tip is inserted into the heart chamber and brought into contact with the inner or endocardial side of the heart wall where the ablation is to occur. The current is initiated and passes from the current generator to the needle tip electrode and from there into the tissue so that a lesion is created. Typically, however, the lesion created by a single insertion is insufficient to cure the irregular heartbeat because the lesion created is of an insufficient size to destroy the errant electrical pathway. Thus, multiple needle insertions and multiple current applications are almost always required to ablate the errant cardiac pathway, prolonging the surgery and thus increasing the potential risk to the patient.
This foregoing problem is also present in TUNA procedures, which similarly requires multiple insertions of the needle electrode into the prostate gland. Failing to do so will result in the failure to create a lesion of sufficient size such that the procedure produces a beneficial result. As with radiofrequency catheter ablation of cardiac tissue, then, the ability to create a lesion of the necessary size to alleviate BPH symptoms is limited and thus requires multiple insertions of the electrode into the prostate.
A typical lesion created with a dry electrode using RF current and a single insertion will normally not exceed one centimeter in diameter. This small sizexe2x80x94often too small to be of much or any therapeutic benefitxe2x80x94stems from the fact that the tissue surrounding the needle electrode tends to desiccate as the temperature of the tissue increases, leading to the creation of a high resistance to the further passage of current from the needle electrode into the tissue, all as previously noted with regard to the formation of coagulum on an electrosurgical scalpel. This high resistancexe2x80x94more properly termed impedance since typically an alternating current is being usedxe2x80x94between the needle electrode and the base electrode is commonly measured by the RF current generator. When the measured impedance reaches a pre-determined level, the generator will discontinue current generation. Discontinuance of the ablation procedure under these circumstances is necessary to avoid injury to the patient.
Thus, a typical procedure with a dry electrode may involve placing the needle electrode at a first desired location; energizing the electrode to ablate the tissue; continue applying current until the generator measures a high impedance and shuts down; moving the needle to a new location closely adjacent to the first location; and applying current again to the tissue through the needle electrode. This cycle of electrode placement, electrode energization, generator shut down, electrode re-emplacement, and electrode re-energization, will be continued until a lesion of the desired size has been created. As noted, this increases the length of the procedure for the patient. Additionally, multiple insertions increases the risk of at least one of the placements being in the wrong location and, consequently, the risk that healthy tissue may be undesirably affected while diseased treatment may be left untreated. The traditional RF ablation procedure of using a dry ablation therefore includes several patient risk factors that both patient and physician would prefer to reduce or eliminate.
The therapeutic advantages of RF current could be increased if a larger lesion could be created safely with a single positioning of the current-supplying electrode. A single positioning would allow the procedure to be carried out more expeditiously and more efficiently, reducing the time involved in the procedure. Larger lesions can be created in at least two ways. First, simply continuing to apply current to the patient with sufficiently increasing voltage to overcome the impedance rises will create a larger lesion, though almost always with undesirable results to the patient. Second, a larger lesion can be created if the current density, that is, the applied electrical energy, could be spread more efficiently throughout a larger volume of tissue. Spreading the current density over a larger tissue volume would correspondingly cause a larger volume of tissue to heat in the first instance. That is, by spreading the applied power throughout a larger tissue volume, the tissue would heat more uniformly over a larger volume, which would help to reduce the likelihood of generator shutdown due to high impedance conditions. The applied power, then, will cause the larger volume of tissue to be ablated safely, efficiently, and quickly.
Research conducted under the auspices of the assignee of the present invention has focused on spreading the current density throughout a larger tissue volume through the creation, maintenance, and control of a xe2x80x9cvirtual electrodexe2x80x9d within or adjacent to the tissue to be ablated. A virtual electrode can be created by the introduction of a conductive fluid, such as isotonic or hypertonic saline, into or onto the tissue to be ablated. The conductive fluid will facilitate the spread of the current density substantially equally throughout the extent of the flow of the conductive fluid, thus creating an electrodexe2x80x94a virtual electrodexe2x80x94substantially equal in extent to the size of the delivered conductive fluid. RF current can then be passed through the virtual electrode into the tissue.
A virtual electrode can be substantially larger in volume than the needle tip electrode typically used in RF interstitial ablation procedures and thus can create a larger lesion than can a dry, needle tip electrode. That is, the virtual electrode spreads or conducts the RF current density outward from the RF current sourcexe2x80x94such as a current carrying needle, forceps or other current delivery devicexe2x80x94into or onto a larger volume of tissue than is possible with instruments that rely on the use of a dry electrode. Stated otherwise, the creation of the virtual electrode enables the current to flow with reduced resistance or impedance throughout a larger volume of tissue, thus spreading the resistive heating created by the current flow through a larger volume of tissue and thereby creating a larger lesion than could otherwise be created with a dry electrode.
While the efficacy of RF current ablation techniques using a virtual electrode has been demonstrated in several studies, the currently available instruments useful in such procedures lags behind the research into and development of hoped-for useful treatment modalities for the ablation of soft tissue and malignancies. Thus, to perform current research procedures it is necessary to provide separately both a fluid pump and an RF current generator. The fluid pump requires an electrical connection and fluid conduits running from the fluid supply to the fluid delivery instrument. The generator also requires electrical connections and electric lines running from the generator to the surgical instrument, as well as a return electrical line from the ground plate when a monopolar electrode is used. Use of these systems is thus hampered by the many fluid and electrical lines surrounding the operating theater, all of which can easily become entangled and complicate their use.
Further, currently available generators provide limited control over the power application to the tissue. For example, such generators, which are often designed for cardiac ablation procedures, provide for an immediate or nearly immediate cessation of power upon the occurrence of equipment defined high impedance conditions. These generators are thus unable to operate continuouslyxe2x80x94and therefore unable to provide the most expeditious, efficient therapyxe2x80x94when operating in the presence of fleeting high impedance conditions. Consequently, the presently available generators will automatically shut off when such a condition occurs even though continued application of RF power would otherwise be safe. The generator must then be restarted, which is not only an unnecessary annoyance but also prolongs the procedure since such shutdowns can occur more than once during any one ablation procedure.
It would be desirable to have an apparatus and method capable of creating, maintaining, and controlling a virtual electrode while providing a controlled application of tissue ablating RF electric current to a tissue of interest so as to produce a lesion of desired size and configuration. Preferably, such an apparatus will be capable of adjusting the applied current and fluid flow in accord with the measured impedance of the tissue and/or the temperature of the tissue being ablated. It would also be desirable to have such an apparatus and method capable of continuing operation in the presence of transient high impedance conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method that is not subject to the foregoing disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an integrated conductive fluid supply and radio frequency current generator.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device having an integrally controlled and operated conductive fluid supply and radio frequency current generator that controls the applied power and rate of conductive fluid infusion in response to the measured impedance of the tissue being ablated.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an integrally controlled and operated conductive fluid supply and radio frequency current generator that controls the applied power and rate of conductive fluid infusion in response to the measured impedance transients.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide an integrally controlled and operated conductive fluid supply and radio frequency current generator that selectively controls the applied power and rate of conductive fluid infusion in response to the measured temperature of the tissue being ablated.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for treating a patient with RF current via a virtual electrode to produce a lesion of a predetermined size.
The foregoing objects of the present invention are achieved by an apparatus and a method for producing a virtual electrode within or upon a tissue to be treated with radio frequency alternating electric current, such tissues including but not limited to liver, lung, cardiac, prostate, breast, and vascular tissues and neoplasms. An apparatus in accord with the present invention will include a supply of a conductive or electrolytic fluid to be provided to the patient, an alternating current generator, and a processor for creating, maintaining, and controlling the ablation process by the interstitial or surficial delivery of the fluid to a tissue and the delivery of electric power to the tissue via the virtual electrode.
The control of the virtual electrode and the ablation procedure is accomplished in response to measured temperatures at pre-determined distances from a current delivery device and/or measured impedances over pre-determined time intervals. The ablation procedure is adjusted due to transient impedance rises related to the novel apparatus and its operation as well as due to those impedance and temperature changes related to the flow of current from the virtual electrode through the tissue being treated. Such an apparatus in accord with the present invention will also preferably include a display for visualizing predetermined operational parameters and for visualizing the ongoing operation of the virtual electrode and the apparatus during an ablation procedure.
In addition, an apparatus in accord with the present invention will also preferably include an input apparatus such as a rotary encoder and mouse-type of device, a touch screen useful in the form of a menu-driven icon system, and/or a keyboard. The input apparatus is provided to allow the operator to input predetermined information, such as tissue type to be ablated, desired lesion size, type of electrolytic fluid being used, the particular surgical instrument being used, and any other desired parameter of interest.
An apparatus in accord with the present invention may also include one or more additional fluid administration systems providing a controlled delivery of at least a second fluid to the patient during an ablation procedure. Such a fluid may be provided for maintaining the temperature of the tissue surrounding the tissue to be ablated at a non-harmful temperature, such as by directly cooling the tissue. Alternatively, an insulating fluid such as dextrose may be infused into the tissue surrounding the tissue ablation site, thus increasing the impedance of this surrounding tissue to prevent current passage therethrough and thereby diminishing the likelihood of unwanted heating of this surrounding tissue.
A method in accord with the present invention will include the steps of delivering a conductive fluid to a predetermined tissue ablation site to be ablated for a predetermined time period that may range from zero seconds to about ten minutes, preferably within the range of zero to sixty seconds, thereby creating a virtual electrode, applying a predetermined power level of radio frequency current to the tissue via the virtual electrode, monitoring at least one of several parameters (including but not limited to impedance, tissue temperature at one or more pre-selected distances from the current delivery device, the applied power, and fluid flow), and adjusting either the applied power and/or the fluid flow in response to the measured parameters. The method may also include the placement of a current delivery device within the tissue ablation site, such as substantially at the center thereof, and/or the placement of at least one additional temperature sensor in tissue whose ablation is not desired yet is adjacent to the predetermined ablation site. By way of example only, where an increase of impedance of predetermined size occurs within a predetermined time period the applied power may be automatically reduced by a predetermined amount for a predetermined period of time. By way of yet another example, when a tissue target temperature is reached, the applied power may be reduced to maintain the temperature at the target temperature and reduce the likelihood of increasing the tissue temperature of the ablation site above the target temperature. By way of another example, the flow of conductive fluid to the tissue ablation site can be increased or decreased in response to one or more of the measured parameters (temperature, impedance, etc.).
The foregoing objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following detailed description of the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims. Throughout the drawings, like numerals refer to similar or identical parts.

Apparatus and method for creating, maintaining, and controlling a virtual electrode used for the ablation of tissue


A smart device and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The smart device includes a camera including a lens and an iris positioned over the lens, the iris including a single layer film; and a controller configured to cause the iris to adjust a size of an aperture formed in the film to adjust quantity of light incident on the lens. A method for controlling the smart device includes obtaining a video of a subject consecutively via the camera, using preset conditions; detecting a relative movement between the subject and the smart device; and adjusting at least one of the conditions based on the detected movement.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a smart device and controlling method thereof, and more particularly, to a camera module of a mobile terminal or a smart device and controlling method thereof.
Discussion of the Related Art
Terminals may be generally classified as mobile/portable terminals or stationary terminals according to their mobility. Mobile terminals may also be classified as handheld terminals or vehicle mounted terminals according to whether or not a user can directly carry the terminal.
Mobile terminals have become increasingly more functional. Examples of such functions include data and voice communications, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files via a speaker system, and displaying images and video on a display. Some mobile terminals include additional functionality which supports game playing, while other terminals are configured as multimedia players. More recently, mobile terminals have been configured to receive broadcast and multicast signals which permit viewing of contents such as videos and television programs.
In order to run such functions, a mobile terminal is basically connected to other devices or network using various communication protocols and can provide a user with ubiquitous computing environment. In particular, a mobile terminal has been evolved into a smart device that enables the connectivity to networks and the ubiquitous computing. The smart device evolving from a mobile terminal is manufactured in a traditional size for a user to hold the smart device with a hand, whereby the user carries the smart device in a manner of holding the smart device with his hand or putting the smart device in a bag or pocket. Recently, owing to the technological developments, a smart device tends to be manufactured in further smaller size and is developed into a wearable smart device directly worn on a user's body.
Meanwhile, since a smart device is conveniently portable, a user tends to frequently use a camera module of the smart device to obtain desired image information, i.e., to take photos and to make videos. Hence, the camera module of the smart device keeps being improved to have further enhanced functions. Particularly, in order to improve the quality of the obtained photo or video, like normal cameras, a camera module of a smart device is attempted to include an iris. A normal iris uses an assembly of a multitude of blades to adjust a size of an aperture configured to admit light and may have a considerable volume. However, since each of the smart device and the camera module of the smart device should have a limited size due to the required portability, a normal iris is cannot be accommodated in the camera module of the smart device. Thus, an iris needs to be improved to be optimized for the camera module of the smart device.
Moreover, if an iris is applied to a camera module of a portable smart device, various controls for improving qualities of obtained photos and videos are enabled using the iris. Hence, a control of a smart device needs to be enhanced for quality improvement.

Smart device and controlling method thereof


A method of determining code coverage of an application by test(s) (wherein code may include UI elements). The method comprises executing a code test on at least one portion of a tested code of an application in one or more iterations, wherein in each one of the plurality of iterations, selecting at least one of a plurality of atomic code elements of the tested code, applying the code test on a version of the code that does not include the at least one selected atomic element, and classifying the at least one selected atomic element as covered by the code test when the code test fails and as not covered in the code test when the code test passes.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to code testing and, more specifically, but not exclusively, to code coverage techniques.
Application code has become increasingly complex, and as complexity has increased so has a need to perform application testing. Application testing allows one to determine, among other things, whether an application's code has proper functionality.
Technicians and programmers wish to test effectiveness of an application testing program or system try to assure that full code coverage by determining which portions of an application's code are being executed during tests against the application. Code coverage techniques are increasingly used to assess effectiveness of application testing. Code coverage involves determining which portions of an application's code are executed when an application is subjected to testing. Path tracing is performed by recording instructions that are being executed by the tested application. Test effectiveness is typically measured in ratio or percentage of a number of instructions executed during the test to a total number of instructions present in the application. As an example, a test may be regarded as moderately effective where 70 instructions are executed in an application that comprises 100 instructions.
Existing code coverage instrumentation and reporting tools, typically used by application developers and quality assurance professional to test effectiveness of their application testing methodologies, for example, inject external stored procedure calls as executable statements into the application code.

Determining code coverage of an application by test(S)

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for detecting blockage of a measuring tube of a Coriolis flow measuring device, which has at least two measuring tubes. For this, the at least two measuring tubes are excited by at least one exciter to execute mechanical oscillations, mechanical oscillations of the measuring tubes are registered by at least one sensor and at least one measurement signal representing the mechanical oscillations is produced. At least one produced measurement signal is analyzed for the occurrence of a deviation of a resonance frequency of one measuring tube relative to a resonance frequency of the at least one other measuring tube. In case such a deviation occurs, blockage of a measuring tube is established.

According to the Coriolis principle, when in a system a rotating mass movement and a straight line mass movement extending, at least partially, perpendicularly to the rotational axis, superimpose, there then acts on the moved mass an additional force, which is referred to as the Coriolis force. This effect is utilized in known manner in Coriolis, flow measuring devices, for example, for ascertaining the mass flow of a fluid flowing in a pipeline. Coriolis, flow measuring devices have, as a rule, one or more measuring tubes, wherein these can, depending on type of device, be embodied in various configurations. The system of the at least one measuring tube forms an oscillatory system, which, depending on measuring tube configuration, has corresponding natural oscillation modes, such as, for example, bending oscillations (fundamental mode as well as modes of higher order), torsional oscillations (fundamental mode as well as modes of higher order), etc.
A Coriolis flow measuring device is applied for use in a pipeline, through which a medium flows, in such a manner that the fluid flows through the least one measuring tube. For determining a mass flow of the fluid, the at least one measuring tube is excited to execute oscillations by means of at least one exciter. The at least one exciter can, for example, be formed by an electromechanical exciter, especially an electrodynamic exciter, which exerts on the measuring tube a force corresponding to an applied voltage. As a rule, the oscillatory system is excited at a resonance frequency of the same (for example, the fundamental mode of the bending oscillation). If a fluid is not flowing through the at least one measuring tube, then the entire measuring tube oscillates in phase. If a fluid is flowing through the at least one measuring tube, then a Coriolis force acts on the moved mass (the fluid). This leads to the fact that, due to the Coriolis force, the measuring tube is additionally deformed, and a phase shift occurs along the direction of elongation of the measuring tube. The phase shift along a measuring tube can be detected by corresponding sensors, which can be formed by electromechanical, especially electrodynamic, sensors arranged spaced apart from one another, along the direction of elongation of the measuring tube. The phase shift, which can be registered via the sensors, is proportional to the mass flow through the measuring tube.
Additionally, or alternatively, to mass flow, the density of the flowing fluid can also be ascertained by Coriolis flow measuring devices. In such case, the principle utilized is that the resonance frequency (for example, the fundamental mode of the bending oscillation) depends on the oscillating mass, and with it, the density of the flowing fluid. By readjusting the excitation frequency in such a manner that the oscillatory system is excited in its resonance frequency, the resonance frequency, and from it, again, the density of the flowing fluid can be ascertained. Additionally, or alternatively, still other physical measured variables of the flowing fluid, such as, for example, viscosity, can be ascertained by Coriolis flow measuring devices.
Frequently, Coriolis flow measuring devices are used, which have two measuring tubes, inserted in parallel into the flow path, such that the fluid flowing in the pipeline is divided into the two tubes. As a rule, in use, the two measuring tubes are excited with opposite phase to one another. In this way, a decoupling of the oscillatory system, which has the two measuring tubes, from external vibratory influences is achieved. Additionally, the Coriolis flow measuring device can also have more than two measuring tubes, which, for example, are inserted in parallel into the particular flow path. In industrial applications, especially where high viscosity or inhomogeneous fluids are used, it can occur, that in the case of such Coriolis flow measuring devices, (at least) one of the measuring tubes becomes blocked. Such blockage is difficult to detect, since flow is still enabled through the at least one measuring tube remaining open. Especially with regard to hygienic requirements, it is, however, desirable to detect blockage of a measuring tube in Coriolis flow measuring devices as reliably and as early as possible.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,350 B2, a flow measuring device is described, through which a material remaining in a measuring tube arrangement is detectable. For this, generally after emptying the flow measuring device, the measuring tube arrangement is excited to execute oscillations, and the response of the oscillations is registered. If the response of the oscillations exceeds a limit value, then it is established that residual material is still contained in the measuring tube arrangement. In accordance with a variant described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,350 B2, a standard resonance frequency for the flow measuring device is determined, which corresponds to a completely emptied state of the measuring tube arrangement. If, after emptying the measuring tube arrangement, the determined resonance frequency deviates from the standard resonance frequency by more than a predetermined value, then it is established that residual material is in the measuring tube arrangement. The steps explained above for determining whether the measuring tube arrangement is completely emptied, are, as a rule, first executed after emptying the flow measuring device. Accordingly, a prompt detection of blockage is not possible. Especially, in a condition in which fluid is flowing through the measuring tube arrangement, a shifting of the resonance frequency is not a reliable indicator for the occurrence of blockage. For example, such a shifting of the resonance frequency can also be brought about by a change in density of the fluid.

Method for detecting blockage in a Coriolis flow measuring device


An information processing device includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: detect an environment around a vehicle which is driven by a driver; generate a hazard list of an object to be a hazard based on the detected environment; detect a gaze of the driver; evaluate a risk regarding driving of the driver for each object included in the hazard list based on a frequency at which the object included in the hazard list is included in a field of view of the driver based on the detected gaze; and output drive assist information corresponding to the object with the evaluated risk that is equal to or larger than a threshold.

Drive assist devices that notifies drivers of the presence of hazardous places, obstacles, and the like (hazard objects) in vehicles or the like to call drivers' attention are provided.
Related art is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-40974, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-99899, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-167668 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-4414.

Information processing device, drive assist system, and drive assist method


A semiconductor pressure sensor includes a semiconductor substrate having a diaphragm portion. A diaphragm formation region including the diaphragm portion is electrically insulated from a peripheral region therearound. Voltage is applied to the diaphragm formation region via a pad and a wire both formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, for fixing a potential of the diaphragm formation region when the sensor is put in an operating state. The fixed potential is set to be equal to or higher than a maximum potential of a gauge diffusion resistive layer formed in the diaphragm formation region. As a result, even when the maximum potential of the gauge diffusion resistive layer is a power supply voltage, it can be prevented that current leaks from the gauge diffusion resistive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor pressure sensor for detecting pressure and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional semiconductor pressure sensor, a diaphragm portion having a thin thickness is formed in a silicon substrate. A plurality of gauge diffusion resistive layers (strain gauges) are formed on a surface of the diaphragm portion. As a result, displacement of the diaphragm portion is detected by strain gauges.
In this semiconductor pressure sensor, it is suggested that an electro-chemical etching is carried out with respect to the silicon substrate to accurately control the thickness of the diaphragm portion. In detail, a wafer is prepared by forming an n-type epitaxial layer on a p-type silicon substrate. When a diaphragm portion is formed, an anisotropic etching is carried out with respect to the p-type silicon substrate using an aqueous solution such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) or the like, in a state where a reverse voltage is applied to a region where the diaphragm portion is to be formed. At this time, because a pn junction in the wafer is reverse-biased, a depletion layer extending from the pn junction to a silicon substrate side is created. An front end of the depletion layer is exposed to the etchant, as the etching process advances. When the depletion layer is exposed to the etchant, the etching of the silicon substrate is ceased due to a difference in potential between the silicon substrate and the etchant. In this way, since the position at which the etching of the silicon substrate is ceased is specified by the thickness of the depletion layer, the diaphragm portion can be accurately formed.
In the semiconductor pressure sensor, a region (diaphragm formation region) where the diaphragm portion is formed in the epitaxial layer, is formed as an island region which is electrically insulated from the epitaxial layer (peripheral region) encompassing the diaphragm formation region. A plurality of (for example, four) gauge diffusion resistive layers are formed on a surface of the diaphragm formation region, and an integrated circuit is formed in the peripheral region. The plurality of gauge diffusion resistive layers are connected to form a bridge circuit. The integrated circuit supplies voltage to the bridge circuit. Therefore, the bridge circuit generates a voltage signal in correspondence with the displacement of the diaphragm portion. The potential of the diaphragm formation region is fixed by an aluminum wire running from the integrated circuit to the diaphragm formation region.
When the electro-chemical etching as described above is carried out, if current leaks from the integrated circuit formed in the peripheral region into the diaphragm formation region, the etching of the silicon substrate cannot be ceased at a desirable position. Therefore, for example, JP-A-6-45618 teaches that a diode is disposed in the aluminum wire for fixing the potential of the diaphragm formation region, which runs from the integrated circuit to the diaphragm formation region. The diode can prevent leak current from flowing from the integrated circuit into the diaphragm formation region. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the semiconductor pressure sensor as described above.
FIG. 5 shows one semiconductor pressure sensor chip 101 among a large number of semiconductor pressure sensors formed in a wafer. In a diaphragm formation region 102, a plurality of gauge diffusion resistive layers (not shown) is formed and connected to make up a bridge circuit. In a peripheral region around the diaphragm formation region 102, an integrated circuit portion 103 is formed. Power supply voltage is supplied to the integrated circuit 103 via a pad 104.
A conductive pattern 105 for feeding voltage used for carrying out the electro-chemical etching is formed along scribing lines in a peripheral portion of the sensor chip 101. The conductive pattern 105 is electrically connected to the diaphragm formation region 102 by way of an aluminum wire 106. The aluminum wire 106 and the pad 104 are connected to each other by way of an aluminum wire 108. Diodes 107, 109 are disposed in the aluminum wires 106, 108, respectively.
Because the sensor chip 101 is structured as described above, when the electro-chemical etching is carried out, a positive voltage for creating a depletion layer is applied from the conductive pattern 105 to the diaphragm formation region 102 via the aluminum wire 106. At this time, the diode 109 prevents current from flowing into the integrated circuit portion 103 via the aluminum wire 108 and the pad 104. That is, leak current flowing into the integrated circuit portion 103 can be prevented by the diode 109. It is to be noted that, when the wafer is cut up (diced) into plural sensor chips along the scribing lines, the conductive pattern 105 is separated from each sensor chip.
When the semiconductor pressure sensor is brought in an operating state, voltage is supplied to the diaphragm formation region 102 via the pad 104, diode 109 and the aluminum wire 108. The potential of the diaphragm formation region 102 is fixed by the voltage thus supplied. Because the diode 107 is provided in the aluminum wire 106, it is possible to prevent leak current from flowing from the diaphragm formation region 102 to the conductive pattern remaining at the peripheral portion of the sensor chip 101.
The integrated circuit portion 103 has a power supplying circuit for supplying electric power to the bridge circuit formed by the gauge diffusion resistive layers. As one example of the power supplying circuits, JP-B-62-55629 teaches a constant current circuit which supplies constant current to the bridge circuit by disposing a resistor in a power supply line connected to the bridge circuit and controlling current flowing through the resistor to a constant value. In this case, a maximum potential applied to the gauge diffusion resistive layers is lowered from the voltage of the power supply line (power supply voltage) by a voltage drop at the resistor. Therefore, when the potential of the diaphragm formation region 102 is fixed by the power supply voltage supplied via the pad 104 and the diode 109, the fixed potential becomes higher than the maximum potential applied to the gauge diffusion resistive layers. As a result, it is possible to prevent current from leaking out of the gauge diffusion resistive layers.
The inventors of the present invention considered a power supplying circuit having a circuit structure shown in FIG. 4, as the power supplying circuit provided in the integrated circuit portion 103. In the power supplying circuit shown in FIG. 4, a transistor 301 is provided on a ground side of a bridge circuit 200 formed by gauge diffusion resistive layers 201-204, and a power supply side thereof is directly connected to a power supply line L. Resistors 302, 303, an operational amplifier 304, a variable resistor 305, and a transistor 306 constitute a constant current circuit. The constant current circuit causes constant current to flow between the collector and emitter of the transistor 306. As a result, current proportional to that constant current flows between the collector and emitter of the transistor 301, i.e., through the bridge circuit 200. In this case, the value of the constant current flowing through the bridge circuit 200 is adjustable by adjusting a resistance value of the variable resistor 305 by means of trimming or the like.
According to the power supplying circuit as shown in FIG. 4, a value of voltage applied to the bridge circuit 200 can be increased comparing to the power supplying circuit in which the resistor is disposed in the power supply line connected to the bridge circuit. Therefore, even when, for example, a dry battery is used as a power supply source, output voltages V1, V2 of the bridge circuit 200 can be made large.
However, in the power supplying circuit shown in FIG. 4, the maximum potential of the gauge diffusion resistive layers 201-204 becomes equal to a power supply voltage Vcc. The potential of the diaphragm formation region 102 is lowered from the power supply voltage Vcc by a forward voltage drop of the diode 109. For this reason, the maximum potential of the gauge diffusion resistive layers 201-204 becomes higher than the potential of the diaphragm formation region 102, thereby causing leak current flowing from the gauge diffusion resistive layers 201-204. If the leakage of current from the gauge diffusion resistive layers occurs, detection sensitivity of the pressure sensor lowers.

Semiconductor pressure sensor and manufacturing method therefof