Vehicular telematics system including an occupant sensing system for determining a property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle constituting information about the occupancy of the vehicle and a communications device coupled to the occupant sensing system for transmitting the information. The occupant sensing system may include sensors, for example, an image-obtaining sensor for obtaining images of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, a motion sensor, receivers arranged to receive waves, energy or radiation from seating locations in the passenger compartment, heartbeat sensors, weight sensors associated with seats in the vehicle and/or chemical sensors. Vehicle sensors may be provided, each sensing a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle. The communications device is coupled, wired or wirelessly, directly or indirectly, to each vehicle sensor and transmits the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle.

The present invention is related to methods and apparatus for sensing and determining the status of occupants in a vehicle prior to, during and/or after an accident or deployment of an airbag and transmitting data relating to the occupants to a remote facility such as an emergency response station.
The present invention also relates to methods and apparatus for diagnosing components in a vehicle and transmitting data relating to the diagnosis of the components in the vehicle and other information relating to the operating conditions of the vehicle.
It is now generally recognized that it is important to monitor the occupancy of a passenger compartment of a vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,782 (Breed et al.) describes a vehicle interior monitoring system that utilizes pattern recognition techniques and wave-receiving sensors to obtain information about the occupancy of the passenger compartment and uses this information to affect the operation of one or more systems in the vehicle, including an occupant restraint device, an entertainment system, a heating and air-conditioning system, a vehicle communication system, a distress notification system, a light filtering system and a security system.
Of particular interest, Breed et al. mentions that the presence of a child in a rear facing child seat placed on the right front passenger seat may be detected as this has become an industry-wide concern to prevent deployment of an occupant restraint device in these situations. The U.S. automobile industry is continually searching for an easy, economical solution, which will prevent the deployment of the passenger side airbag if a rear facing child seat is present.
Another important aspect disclosed in Breed et al. relates to the operation of the cellular communications system in conjunction with the vehicle interior monitoring system. Vehicles can be provided with a standard cellular phone as well as the Global Positioning System (GPS), an automobile navigation or location system with an optional connection to a manned assistance facility. In the event of an accident, the phone may automatically call 911 for emergency assistance and report the exact position of the vehicle. If the vehicle also has a system as described below for monitoring each seat location, the number and perhaps the condition of the occupants could also be reported. In that way, the emergency service (EMS) would know what equipment and how many ambulances to send to the accident site. Moreover, a communication channel can be opened between the vehicle and a monitoring facility/emergency response facility or personnel to determine how badly people are injured, the number of occupants in the vehicle, and to enable directions to be provided to the occupant(s) of the vehicle to assist in any necessary first aid prior to arrival of the emergency assistance personnel.
Communications between a vehicle and a remote assistance facility are also important for the purpose of diagnosing problems with the vehicle and forecasting problems with the vehicle, called prognostics. Motor vehicles contain complex mechanical systems that are monitored and regulated by computer systems such as electronic control units (ECUs) and the like. Such ECUs monitor various components of the vehicle including engine performance, carburation, speed/acceleration control, transmission, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), braking systems, etc. However, vehicles perform such monitoring typically only for the vehicle driver and without communication of any impending results, problems and/or vehicle malfunction to a remote site for trouble-shooting, diagnosis or tracking for data mining.
In the past, systems that provide for remote monitoring did not provide for automated analysis and communication of problems or potential problems and recommendations to the driver. As a result, the vehicle driver or user is often left stranded, or irreparable damage occurs to the vehicle as a result of neglect or driving the vehicle without the user knowing the vehicle is malfunctioning until it is too late, such as low oil level and a malfunctioning warning light, fan belt about to fail, failing radiator hose etc.
In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,018 (Scholl et al.) describes a system for relaying information from an off road work site relating to the status of a vehicle to a remote location over a communications data link. The information consists of fault codes generated by sensors and electronic control modules indicating that a failure has occurred rather than forecasting a failure. Bi-directional communications are described in that a request for additional information can be sent to the vehicle from the remote location with the vehicle responding and providing the requested information but no such communication takes place with the vehicle operator and not of an operator of a vehicle traveling on a road.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,965 (Hagenbuch) describes an apparatus for diagnosing the state of health of a vehicle and providing the operator of the vehicle with a substantially real-time indication of the efficiency of the vehicle in performing as assigned task with respect to a predetermined goal. A processor in the vehicle monitors sensors that provide information regarding the state of health of the vehicle and the amount of work the vehicle has done. The processor records information that describes events leading up to the occurrence of an anomaly for later analysis. The sensors are also used to prompt the operator to operate the vehicle at optimum efficiency.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,942 (Slifkin et al.) describes a method for monitoring events in vehicles in which electrical outputs representative of events in the vehicle are produced, the characteristics of one event are compared with the characteristics of other events accumulated over a given period of time and departures or variations of a given extent from the other characteristics are determined as an indication of a significant event. A warning is sent in response to the indication, including the position of the vehicle as determined by a global positioning system on the vehicle. For example, for use with a railroad car, a microprocessor responds to outputs of an accelerometer by comparing acceleration characteristics of one impact with accumulated acceleration characteristics of other impacts and determines departures of a given magnitude from the other characteristics as a failure indication which gives rise of a warning.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below and unless specifically noted, it is the applicants"" intention that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art(s). If the applicant intends any other meaning, he will specifically state he is applying a special meaning to a word or phrase.
Likewise, applicants"" use of the word xe2x80x9cfunctionxe2x80x9d here is not intended to indicate that the applicants seek to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention. To the contrary, if applicants wish to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention, they will specifically set forth in the claims the phrases xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d and a function, without also reciting in that phrase any structure, material or act in support of the function. Moreover, even if applicants invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention; it is the applicants"" intention that their inventions not be limited to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments herein. Rather, if applicants claim their inventions by specifically invoking the provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, it is nonetheless their intention to cover and include any and all structure, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later developed equivalent structures, materials or acts for performing the claimed function.
It is an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and system for obtaining information about occupancy of a vehicle and conveying this information to remotely situated assistance personnel.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and system for obtaining information about occupancy of a vehicle and conveying this information to remotely situated assistance personnel to optimize their response to a crash involving the vehicle and/or enable proper assistance to be rendered to the occupants after the crash.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for determining the presence of an object on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and conveying this information over a wireless data link system or cellular phone.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for determining the presence of an object on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and using this information to affect the operation of a wireless data link system or cellular phone.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for determining the presence of and total number of occupants of a vehicle and, in the event of an accident, transmitting that information, as well as other information such as the condition of the occupants, to a receiver site remote from the vehicle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved occupant sensor which determines the presence and health state of any occupants in the vehicle by analyzing sounds emanating from the passenger compartment and directing directed such sounds to a remote, manned site for consideration in dispatching response personnel.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved vehicle monitoring system which provides a communications channel between the vehicle (possibly through microphones distributed throughout the vehicle) and a manned assistance facility to enable communications with the occupants after a crash or whenever the occupants are in need of assistance particularly when the communication is initiated from the remote facility in response to a condition that the operator may not knows exists (e.g., if the occupants are lost, then data forming maps as a navigational aid would be transmitted to the vehicle).
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for diagnosing components in a vehicle and the operating status of the vehicle and alerting the vehicle""s dealer, or another repair facility, via a telematics link that a component of the vehicle is functioning abnormally and may be in danger of failing.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for obtaining information about a vehicle system and components in the vehicle in conjunction with failure of the component or the vehicle and sending this information to the vehicle manufacturer.
Accordingly, to achieve at least one of these objects, a vehicle comprises an occupant sensing system for determining at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle constituting information about the occupancy of the vehicle and a communications device coupled to the occupant sensing system and arranged to transmit the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. The communications device may comprise a cellular telephone system including an antenna or other similar communication-enabling device.
The occupant sensing system may include a plurality of the same of different sensors, for example, an image-obtaining sensor for obtaining images of the passenger compartment of the vehicle whereby the communications device transmits the images. If a crash sensor is provided for determining when the vehicle experiences a crash, the image-obtaining sensor may be designed to obtain images including the driver of the vehicle with the communications device being coupled to the crash sensor and arranged to transmit images of the passenger compartment just prior to the crash once the crash sensor has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash, during the crash once the crash sensor has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash and/or after the crash once the crash sensor has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash.
The occupant sensing system may also include at least one motion sensor with the communications device being arranged to transmit information about any motion of occupants in the passenger compartment as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. This would help to assess whether the occupants are conscious after a crash and mobile.
The occupant sensing system may also include an arrangement for determining the number of occupants in the vehicle with the communications device being arranged to transmit the number of occupants in the passenger compartment as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. The arrangement may include receivers arranged to receive waves, energy or radiation from all of the seating locations in the passenger compartment and a processor arranged to determine the number of occupants in the passenger compartment from the received waves, energy or radiation. Waves, energy or radiation may be in the form of ultrasonic waves, electromagnetic waves, electric fields, capacitive fields and the like. The arrangement may also include heartbeat sensors, weight sensors associated with seats in the vehicle and/or chemical sensors.
The processor can be arranged to determine the condition of any occupants in the vehicle. When the occupant sensing system comprises receivers arranged to receive waves, energy or radiation from the passenger compartment, the processor can determine the condition of any occupants in the vehicle based on the received waves, energy or radiation. In this case, the communications device transmits the condition of the occupants as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle.
In another embodiment, at least one vehicle sensor is provided, each sensing a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle. The communications device is coupled, wired or wirelessly, directly or indirectly, to each vehicle sensor and transmits the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle.
One or more environment sensors can be provided, each sensing a state of the environment around the vehicle. The communications device is coupled, wired or wirelessly, directly or indirectly, to each environment sensor and transmits information about the environment of the vehicle. The environment sensor may be an optical or other image-obtaining sensor for obtaining images of the environment around the vehicle. The environment sensor can also be a road condition sensor, an ambient temperature sensor, an internal temperature sensor, a clock, and a location sensor for sensing the location of objects around the vehicle such as the sun, lights and other vehicles, a sensor for sensing the presence of rain, snow, sleet and fog, the presence and location of potholes, ice and snow cover, the presence and status of the road and traffic, sensors which obtain images of the environment surrounding the vehicle, blind spot detectors which provides data on the blind spot of the driver, automatic cruise control sensors that can provide images of vehicles in front of the vehicle and radar devices which provide the position of other vehicles and objects relative to the vehicle.
When a crash sensor for determining when the vehicle experiences a crash is coupled to the system in accordance with the invention, the communications device being coupled to the crash sensor and arranged to transmit information about the occupancy of the vehicle upon the crash sensor determining that the vehicle has experienced a crash.
Optionally, a memory unit is coupled to the occupant sensing system and the communications device and receives the information about the occupancy of the vehicle from the occupant sensing system and stores the information. The communications device interrogates the memory unit to obtain the stored information about the occupancy of the vehicle to enable transmission thereof.
A method for monitoring and providing assistance to a vehicle in accordance with the invention comprises the steps of determining at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle constituting information about the occupancy of the vehicle and transmitting the information about the occupancy of the vehicle to a remote location. Additional enhancements of the method include obtaining images of the passenger compartment of the vehicle and transmitting the images of the passenger compartment after the crash. It is possible to determine when the vehicle experiences a crash in which case, images including the driver of the vehicle just prior to the crash are obtained and transmitted once it has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash.
Determining the property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining any motion in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, whereby information about any motion of occupants in the passenger compartment is transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. In addition to or instead of motion, determining the property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment, the number of occupants in the passenger compartment being transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. To this end, the number of occupants in the vehicle can be determined by receiving waves, energy or radiation from all of the seating locations in the passenger compartment and determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment from the received waves, energy or radiation. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one heartbeat sensor in the vehicle to detect the presence of heartbeats in the vehicle such that the number of occupants is determinable from the number of detected heartbeats. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one weight sensor system in the vehicle to detect the weight and/or weight distribution applied to the seats such that the number of occupants is determinable from the detected weight and/or weight distribution. Further, the number of occupants in the vehicle can be determined by arranging at least one temperature sensor to measure temperature in the passenger compartment whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the measured temperature in the passenger compartment. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one seatbelt buckle switch to provide an indication of the seatbelt being buckled whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the buckled state of the seatbelts. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one chemical sensor to provide an indication of the presence of a chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the indication of the presence of the chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant.
The condition of any occupants in the vehicle can be determined based on the received waves, energy or radiation, the condition of the occupants being transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. The number of human occupants can also be determined as the property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle.
The method can also include the steps of sensing a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle and transmitting the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle. Also, a state of the environment around the vehicle can be sensed and information about the environment of the vehicle transmitted.
When it is determined that the vehicle experiences a crash, information can be transmitted intermediately thereafter. Optionally, a memory unit is provided to receive the information about the occupancy of the vehicle and store the information The memory unit is interrogated, e.g., after a crash, to obtain the stored information about the occupancy of the vehicle to enable transmission thereof.
Another method for monitoring and providing assistance to a vehicle in accordance with the invention comprises the steps of determining at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle constituting information about the occupancy of the vehicle, determining at least one state of the vehicle or of a component of the vehicle constituting information about the operation of the vehicle, and selectively transmitting the information about the occupancy of the vehicle and the information about the operation of the vehicle. Thus, different recipients could receive different information, whatever information is pertinent and relevant to that recipient. Thus, selective transmission of information may entail addressing a transmission of information about the occupancy of the vehicle differently than a transmission of information about the operation of the vehicle.
In another embodiment of this method, images of the passenger compartment of the vehicle are obtained and transmitted after the crash. The images ideally include the driver of the vehicle. The images of the passenger compartment just prior to the crash can be transmitted once it has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash. This would assist in accident reconstruction and placement of fault and liability.
The determination of a property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining any motion in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment and/or determining the number of human occupants in the passenger compartment.
The determination of the number of occupants in the vehicle may be performed in a variety of ways. For example, by receiving waves, energy or radiation from all of the seating locations in the passenger compartment and determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment from the received waves, energy or radiation, by arranging at least one heartbeat sensor in the vehicle to detect the presence of heartbeats in the vehicle such that the number of occupants is determinable from the number of detected heartbeats, by arranging at least one weight sensor system in the vehicle to detect the weight and/or weight distribution applied to the seats such that the number of occupants is determinable from the detected weight and/or weight distribution, by arranging at least one temperature sensor to measure temperature in the passenger compartment whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the measured temperature in the passenger compartment, by arranging at least one seatbelt buckle switch to provide an indication of the seatbelt being buckled whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the buckled state of the seatbelts, and/or by arranging at least one chemical sensor to provide an indication of the presence of a chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the indication of the presence of the chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant.
The determination of a property of characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining the condition of any occupants in the vehicle based on the received waves, energy or radiation, the condition of the occupants being transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle.
The method can also include the steps of sensing a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle and transmitting the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle. Also, a state of the environment around the vehicle can be sensed and information about the environment of the vehicle transmitted.
When it is determined that the vehicle experiences a crash, information can be transmitted immediately thereafter. Optionally, a memory unit is provided to receive the information about the occupancy of the vehicle and store the information. The memory unit is interrogated, e.g., after a crash, to obtain the stored information about the occupancy of the vehicle to enable transmission thereof.

Automotive Technologies International, Inc.


A marine mooring line vermin shield to prevent the passage of vermin crawling along a marine mooring line from land to a pleasure craft, including a disc with a centrally located aperture through the disc, and a slot extending from the aperture to a periphery of the disc. The vermin shield also includes a closure that is urged to insert into the disc slot in a closed state compressing the mooring line against the aperture to secure the vermin shield against the mooring line. The closure may also be locked in the closed state. The closure can also be extracted from the disc slot in an open state to allow the mooring line to be removed from the aperture through the slot past the disc periphery.

It has long been recognized in the prior art the problem of a vermin infestation of marine vessels who migrate from the shore line whether it is a dock, a marina, a beach, or any other means possible with the vermin crawling from land onto the marine vessel wherein the vermin are attracted to food, water, and an enclave for nesting in the hold of the marine vessel. Once the vermin are on the marine vessel numerous problems arise, such as sanitation issues with the food and water supply of the marine vessel and other safety issues wherein the vermin can chew on wiring insulation in the hold of the vessel potentially causing electrical short circuits and possibly fires. Trapping and catching vermin has proved difficult as they are nocturnal animals, and can move very swiftly, and have the ability to squeeze through a very small crevices and openings in the hold of the vessel that have difficult or limited access. Once the vermin have nested in the hold of the vessel it is typically required that the vessel be fumigated and then attempt to remove the dead vermin from the vessel. From the smallest to the largest vessels it is frequently very difficult even after fumigation to remove all of the dead vermin, which in time works to create unsanitary conditions from the decaying vermin carcasses.
As all marine vessels must of necessity be anchored or docked occasionally on either the beach or a dock where there is a mooring line that is strung between the cleats typically on the deck of the vessel and on the dock, or between the cleat on the deck of the vessel and an anchor that is on the shoreline. Even though the vessel is typically surrounded by least 6 ft. laterally of water, the vermin has ready access to the vessel by simply crawling along the mooring line from the dock or shoreline and onto the vessel itself. It has long been recognized in the prior art that the use of a shield barrier placed upon the mooring line to obstruct the vermin's ability to crawl along a mooring line and onto the ship is a solution to this problem.
Typical prior art solutions have included the use of a disc or a plurality of discs that are split in a semi circular fashion to be able to clamp upon the mooring line so that the disk assembly is secured in place upon the mooring line, as the mooring line is typically at an inclined angle with respect to the water level and the shoreline. A number of the prior art devices also include a vermin trap that sometimes has a poisonous substance inside wherein the vermin upon crawling up the mooring line and encountering the barrier are trapped inside the barrier and subsequently killed. U.S. Pat. No. 1,060,993 to Maynard and U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,416 to Roberts disclose this type of vermin guard. Other similar types of vermin guards do not have the vermin trap and poisonous substance, but are of a very similar design in other respects namely U.S. Pat. No. 1,401,540 to Konig, U.S. Pat. No. 1,486,417 to Cheely, U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,652 to Ferland, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,617,378 to Osol all utilize the aspect of only having a physical barrier to stop the vermin from migrating or crawling along the mooring line onto the vessel.
There are some more unique designs of vermin guards for vessels that attempt to overcome specific problems, one of which is when a vermin guard is used on a very large vessel such as a ship, gaining physical access to the mooring line can be difficult as the mooring line can be suspended much higher than a human's height above the water level. It is typically desired that the vermin guard be placed at an appreciable distance from the dock or shoreline, being at least 6 ft. or so to preclude the vermin from easily getting access to the mooring line on the vessel side of the barrier. Thus, some of the vermin guards have been designed to be installed on the mooring line remotely from the vessel deck. This is accomplished through the use of remote ropes or cables to the vermin guard to allow the mooring line clamping mechanism of the vermin guard to be opened and to then be clamped upon the mooring line by an individual on the vessel deck utilizing the attached ropes or cables. Examples would be U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,564 to Salvarezza.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,416 to Haglund et aI., U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,436 to Caldwell, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,234 to Mucke of which all disclose the ability to remotely mount and dismount the vermin guard from the mooring line. Salvarezza and Haglund et al., utilize a swinging door closure that clamps on the mooring line by virtue of gravity, Caldwell utilizes a resilient member to clamp on the mooring line, and Mucke utilizes a spring clamp to secure the vermin guard to the mooring line. One other type of vermin guard utilizes only a repellent type substance wrapped around a mooring line absent a physical barrier for the vermin crawling along is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,943 to Simpson.
The majority of the aforementioned prior art has been designed for use with large vessels with the possible exception of Roberts and Simpson who both utilize a poisonous substance to prevent the vermin from crawling along the mooring line to the vessel. As the use of a poisonous substance in conjunction with pleasure craft or recreational boating is not desirable due to the presence of children and various other reasons, there remains a need for vermin guard that is specifically designed for smaller recreational pleasure marine craft that utilizes a physical barrier only without the use of a poisonous substance to prevent vermin from crawling along and mooring line. The vermin guard for smaller craft should also be small, lightweight, easy to install, inexpensive to produce, and desirably float on the water if the vermin guard were inadvertently dropped into the water.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method, system, and apparatus for processing a service message with multiple terminals are disclosed. The method includes: receiving a request message from a terminal, where the request message carries request information of the terminal; and sending a service message to the terminal according to the request information. When a user has multiple terminals, the PPG selects a specific terminal for receiving an incoming service according to the SUBSCRIBE request of the terminal and the terminal request information carried in the SUBSCRIBE request. When a service arrives, the service message is sent to the selected terminal, thus avoiding sending of the service message to all terminals of the user.

The Push technology is a technology based on a client-server mechanism, in which the server actively sends information to the client. The Push technology is applied in the mobile Value-Added Services (VASs) to transfer relevant contents in time and to help users obtain the contents conveniently. The Push mechanism is a content distribution mechanism, and works in a client-server mode, in which the server distributes the contents desired by the client to the client without receiving a request from the client. FIG. 1 shows a Push service in the prior art. The service is initiated by a server. The Push Initiator (PI) who generates a Push message pushes information and transmits instructions to a Push Proxy Gateway (PPG), and the Push contents are further transmitted to the user by the PPG The system is composed of a PPG, a PI, and a terminal. The PPG obtains messages from the Push server through a Password Authentication Protocol (PAP), and sends the contents to a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) user through a Push-Over The Air (OTA) protocol. The PI sends the Push contents and a transfer command to the PPG, and the PPG transfers the Push contents to the terminal according to the transfer command.
FIG. 2 shows a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Push service in the prior art. A SIP Push service is a Push OTA over SIP service defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), in which the Push OTA contents are encapsulated into a SIP message and transferred through the existing SIP/IP core network. SIP is an application-layer protocol for setting up a multimedia session between two or more participants. The PPG and the client act as interface points of the SIP/IP core network. In the SIP Push process, SIP can provide these functions: user reachability, user availability, user capabilities, session setup, and session management.
The SIP/IP core network provides plentiful end-to-end media sessions and sessions between the client and the server. The SIP/IP core network includes a SIP gateway and a registration server, provides the SIP client with service authentication and authorization, and provides SIP registration and routing functions. The PPG and the Push client are interface points to the SIP/IP core in function.
The SIP-based event subscription mechanism or the SIP event framework defines permission of notifying asynchronous events in the subscription process. After the initial registration, the Push client should send a SUBSCRIBE request to the PPG. If the Push client needs to subscribe to a Push event for a specific Push service, for example, transfer client capability information or subscribe to a specific event, the PPG and Push client are expected to support the SUBSCRIBE method and the NOTIFY method. Especially, the Push client should support the SUBSCRIBE function for specific Push contents, and support receiving of Push contents. The PPG should support the NOTIFY function, through which the SUBSCRIBE request is received from the Push client and the Push information is sent to the client.
A user ID is a public user identity. One or more public user identities are allocated for one user to use the network. When the user requests to communicate with another user, the user uses the public user identity. One user may have different appearances. Each appearance includes different public user identities. The format of a public user identity is a hierarchical SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). The SIP URI may be constructed through a telephone number or a host name (such as SIP:email@example.com). SIP URIs are similar to email addresses, and therefore, easily correlated with email addresses of the user.
However, when a user has many terminals such as computers, 2G terminals or 3G terminals, the home network allocates a device ID to each terminal. The device ID controls uniqueness of each terminal in a network. For example, the device ID is used for authentication, authorization, and management.
The Push client may send a SUBSCRIBE request to update the subscription and declare available applications and versions through an "appid" parameter.
When the Push client subscribes to only one application, for example, "app 1" which is a Multimedia Message Service (MMS), the SUBSCRIBE request is as follows:                SUBSCRIBE sip firstname.lastname@example.com SIP/2.0        Event: ua-profile; profile-type=oma-app; appid="+g.oma.iari.Push.mms.ua";
When the Push client subscribes to multiple applications, for example app 1, app 2, app 3, the SUBSCRIBE request is as follows:                SUBSCRIBE sip firstname.lastname@example.com SIP/2.0        Event: ua-profile; profile-type=oma-app; appid="app 1, app 2, app 3";
If the Push client subscribes to app 1, app 2 and app 3 but the PPG supports only app 1 and app 2, then the NOTIFY message returned by the PPG includes only two parameters: app 1 and app 2, indicating that the two application services are subscribed to successfully. The SUBSCRIBE request and the NOTIFY message are as follows:                SUBSCRIBE sip:firstname.lastname@example.com SIP/2.0        Event: ua-profile; profile-type=oma-app; ppid="app 1,app 2,app 3";
NOTIFY                Event: ua-profile; profile-type=oma-app; appid="app 1,app 2";
If a user has subscribed to the MMS, an MMS notification is sent to the terminal of the user once the PPG has an MMS destined for the terminal. The notification indicates that the user has an incoming MMS message and the user can retrieve it from the PPG. The user may set the terminal to retrieve MMS messages and store them on the terminal automatically, or the user retrieves the messages at convenient time after receiving the MMS notification.
In the SIP Push services, currently the same user may have a plurality of terminals. For example, a user has a 2G mobile phone, a 3G mobile phone, a desktop computer, and a notebook computer at the same time. The PPG stores the public user identity to identify the user. The PPG also stores the device addresses of the terminals for identifying the terminals so as to send the calls or messages destined for each device. The PPG also stores information about specific services that each terminal subscribes to.
When any service subscribed to by a plurality of terminals arrives, all terminals may receive the service. The services available for subscription include: MMS, Short Message Service (SMS), email notification, and device management. There is a scenario: When the PPG sends an MMS message to the user through the SIP/IP core network, each user terminal that has subscribed to the MMS receives a notification of the MMS message.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of MMS communication when a user has a plurality of terminals in the prior art. When a user has a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal at the same time, the Multimedia Message Service Center (MMSC) is a PI, and the PPG is a PPG. The flow includes the following steps:
Step S301: The MMSC has an MMS notification message destined for the user, and sends the MMS notification to the PPG. After receiving the MMS notification, the PPG finds that the user has three terminals, and therefore, forwards the notification to the three terminals respectively.
Step S302: The user sets automatic retrieval of the notified MMS message, and therefore, the three terminals send a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) GET message to the MMSC PPG respectively, requesting to retrieve the MMS message.
Step S303: After receiving the GET message from the first terminal, the PPG sends an HTTP 200 OK response which carries the MMS message to the first terminal.
Step S304: The MMSC PPG deletes the MMS message that has been retrieved by the first terminal, and the second terminal and the third terminal receive an HTTP 4xx error response returned by the MMSC. The MMS notification may also be forwarded by the SIP/IP core network to the three terminals.
In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventor finds at least the following defects in the prior art:
Each terminal of the user receives the same MMS notification, which leads to a waste of resources and increases the network transmission load; moreover, the user has to receive the same information repeatedly. Even worse, the MMSC is unaware how many terminals are currently held by the user. After the MMSC sends a notification, the PPG or the SIP/IP core network forwards the notification to each terminal of the user. If the user sets automatic retrieval of the MMS message from the PPG, only one terminal can retrieve the MMS message successfully; the remaining terminals fail to retrieve the message, or the MMSC tells the user that the message does not exist or has been retrieved. Consequently, the user experience is deteriorated.

Method, system, and apparatus for processing a service message with a plurality of terminals


An integrated circuit package structure having an array of metal pegs connected by printed circuit lines. The package includes a die pad having a die positioned above and an area array distribution of external metal pegs surrounding the die. The package also contains a plurality of internal metal pegs that surround the die. These internal pegs are electrically connected to the bonding pads on the die via conductive medium. The die pad, the die, the conductive medium and the internal pegs are all enclosed by an insulating material. The bottom side of the die pad is exposed while the external metal pegs are electrically connected to various internal metal pegs using printed circuit lines. Furthermore, an electroplate layer is also formed on the end face of each metal peg.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor package structure and its method of manufacture. More particularly, the present invention relates to a package structure having an array of metal pegs each linked by a printed circuit line to a silicon chip.
2. Description of Related Art
In the semiconductor industry, integrated circuits (ICs) are generally manufactured in three separate stages. First, the semiconductor substrates or silicon wafers are formed using an epitaxial technique. Next, various semiconductor devices such as MOS transistors and multi-level interconnects are formed in the semiconductor substrate. Finally, the silicon wafers are diced up to form separate dies and then packaged. The purpose of packaging is to provide the necessary protection of the die and the connection to a printed circuit board (PCB) or other electrical component.
Usually, for an IC module, a large number of connections are necessary to link up a die. Consequently, hundreds of circuit lines are needed to complete the connections. In conventional packages, a lead frame is used to connect the bonding pads on a die with external contact points outside the package. Due to the rapid increase in the level of integration of integrated circuits without a corresponding increase in size of the package, the conventional lead frame type of package is simply overwhelmed by the number of conductive wires necessary for connection. In addition, electronic products must get lighter, thinner, shorter and smaller with each upcoming generation so that they can be competitive in the marketplace. Hence, new types of packaging techniques such as chip scale package, chip size package and multi-chip module have been developed.
Nowadays, techniques for manufacturing integrated circuits having a line width smaller than 0.18 microns is available. With many breakthroughs in the level of circuit integration, the size of a package has to be minimized as well.
A conventional package uses a lead frame as a die carrier with leads protruding from the side of the package. Because these leads are distributed around the edges of the package, the package has to occupy a larger area. Furthermore, the high lead count limits the distance of separation between neighboring leads or alternatively sets up a lower boundary for the minimum area of a package. Consequently, area array package structures are invented. The contact points of an area array package are usually laid on the bottom surface of the package. For example, ball grid array (BGA), small outline no-lead (SON) and ball chip carrier (BCC) are all area array packages.
FIGS. 1A through 1E are cross-sectional views showing the progression of manufacturing steps in fabricating a conventional ball grid array type of die carrier package. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, a photoresist material is deposited over surfaces 102a and 102b of a copper substrate 100 to form photoresist layers 104a and 104b, respectively. Next, the photoresist layer 104a is exposed and developed to form ball lead areas 106 that expose a portion of the surface 102a of the copper substrate 100.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, a wet etching operation is conducted, etching the copper substrate 100 using the photoresist layers 104a and 104b as a mask, thereby forming hemispherical cavities 108 in the ball lead areas 106. Thereafter, an electroplating operation is carried out to form a layer of metallic film 110 over the surface of the hemispherical cavities 108.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, both photoresist layers 104a and 104b are removed, and then a die 112 is bonded onto the surface 102a. After that, metallic wires 114 are bonded using a wire bonding machine, thereby linking the bonding pads (not shown in the figure) on the die 112 with the metallic film 110 inside the cavities 108 (FIG. 1B).
Next, as shown in FIG. 1D, the upper surface 102a of the copper substrate 100 is sealed off using plastic material such as epoxy 116. The epoxy 116 encloses the die 112, the metallic wires 114 and the metallic film 110 inside the cavity 108 (FIG. 1B).
Next, as shown in FIG. 1E, another wet etching operation is carried out to remove the copper substrate 100 entirely (portions labeled 100 in FIG. 1D). Ultimately, the hemispherical metal films 110, the bottom portion of the die 112 and the epoxy 16 are all exposed forming a complete ball grid array type of die carrier package. This type of die carrier package utilizes the hemispherical metallic films 110 as leads for connecting with external circuits.
However, the aforementioned die carrier package has intrinsic reliability problems as well as production yield problems. Since the package uses a metallic film that is made using precious metal as a connecting lead, the metallic film must not be too thick. Yet, saving metal in plating the metallic film makes the film vulnerable to scratches or peelings during transition or transportation. Too much damage to the metallic film is liable to cause a bad connection with a printed circuit board and may ultimately lead to reliability problems when the package is finally mounted using surface mount technology (SMT). Consequently, product yield decreases.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a method for manufacturing a better type of area array package.
Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a type of package with an array of metal pegs connected by printed circuit wires. The metal pegs can be arranged to form an area array serving as contact points of the package. This type of package structure has a smaller overall thickness. Furthermore, bottom of the die pad is exposed so that heat can be dissipated from the die more readily. Furthermore, the end face of the metal pegs is electroplated so that the metal pegs can have good bondability, molding compound characteristic and solderability.
The invention also provides a method of forming a package structure having an array of metal pegs connected by printed circuit lines. The method is capable of producing high yield and high reliability packages such that surface mount technology can be readily applied.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a package structure having an array of metal pegs connected by printed circuit lines. Structurally the package includes a die pad having a silicon die on top. The underside of the package contains a plurality of external metal pegs arranged to form an area array. Surrounding the die near the edge of the package is a number of internal metal pegs that are electrically connected to various bonding pads on the die. The die, the die pad, and the internal metal pegs are all sealed off using insulating material so that only the bottom portion of the die pad is exposed. Each external metal peg can be electrically connected to an internal metal peg via a printed circuit line. Moreover, the end face of each internal or external metal peg contains an electroplate layer.
In another aspect, this invention provides a method for forming a package having an array of metal pegs connected by printed circuit lines. The method includes the steps of providing a metal substrate, and then forming electroplated layers in the metal peg areas on both the upper and lower surface of the metal substrate. Next, photoresist layers are formed on the upper and lower surface of the metal substrate. The photoresist layers cover the non-electroplated area on the lower surface of the metal substrate as well as the desired area for forming die pad on the upper surface of the metal substrate. Thereafter, the upper surface of the metal substrate is etched to remove a portion of the substrate material to form a die pad and internal metal pegs. After removing the photoresist layers, a silicon die is attached to the die pad. Then, electrical connections are made between the die and the internal metal pegs. Subsequently, insulating material is used to seal off the die, the die pad and the internal metal pegs. Next, a circuit line mask is formed inside the printed circuit line region on the lower surface of the metal substrate. Then, an etching operation is conducted to expose a portion of the insulating material and the bottom part of the die pad as well as to form external metal pegs and printed circuit lines. Each printed circuit line is used as a medium for linking each internal metal peg to an external metal peg.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Package having array of metal pegs linked by printed circuit lines


Blowing agent compositions (a) comprising aqueous emulsions containing organopolysiloxanes (1), emulsifiers (2), water (3) and thickeners (4) which may be used in the preparation of elastomeric silicone foams.. The blowing agent compositions are used in curable compositions to form elastomeric silicone foams which comprise the blowing agent compositions (a), diorganopolysiloxanes (b), crosslinking agents (c) and, if appropriate, crosslinking catalysts (d) and optionally fillers (e). Elastomeric silicone foams are prepared by mixing the blowing agent compositions (a), with curable organopolysiloxane compositions containing diorganopolysiloxanes (b), crosslinking agents (c) and, if appropriate, crosslinking catalysts (d) and optionally fillers (e) and also optionally additional substances and then the resultant mixture is cured at temperatures in the range of from 100.degree. to 250.degree. C. with simultaneous foaming to form the elastomeric silicone foams.

Compositions which are curable to give elastomeric silicone foams are known in the art. In order to prepare foams of this type, curable compositions are treated with blowing agents which decompose when heated with the evolution of gas and thus effect foaming of the compositions during the curing reaction. In this regard, reference may be made to, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,343, U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,295 and GB-A 1,130,674.
In the curing reaction based on diorganopolysiloxanes containing Si-bonded vinyl groups and diorganopolysiloxanes containing Si-bonded hydrogen atoms, which reaction is catalyzed by platinum or platinum compounds, hydrogen is evolved as the blowing agent gas, which facilitates foaming, by the addition of water, organic alcohols or diorganopolysiloxanes containing Si-bonded hydroxyl groups. In this context, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,545, U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,630, U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,781 and EP-B 227 233.
According to EP-B 97 915 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,765 an elastomeric foam is obtained by mechanical production of a foam from an aqueous, reactive silicone emulsion, adding surfactants and thickeners, in order to render the foam stable until the water is removed, and subsequent drying of the foam in an oven or in air, or subsequent exposure of the foam to an amount of microwave energy sufficient to remove water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,324 discloses a pressurized composition comprising an aqueous emulsion which contains a crosslinking silicone polymer, emulsifier, water and optionally filler, crosslinking agent and thickener and which on drying at room temperature cures to give an elastomeric film and sufficient aerosol blowing agent, such as nitrogen, nitrogen oxide, isobutane, propane, dichlorodifluoromethane or trichlorofluoromethane, to convert the composition into a foam if it is reduced to atmospheric pressure at 25.degree. C. The resultant foam yields an elastomeric foam after removal of water. The object of the invention was to provide water-based blowing agent compositions suitable for the preparation of elastomeric silicone foams. A further object was to provide compositions which are curable to give elastomeric silicone foams and which do not contain any toxic blowing agents or blowing agents liberating toxic decomposition products.

Blowing agent compositions and compositions curable to give elastomeric silicone foams


A fitting assembly having a nut, a ferrule, and a ferrule tip that may be assembled by an operator. The fitting assembly includes a nut with first and second ends, with the second end adapted to receive the first end of a ferrule, and a ferrule tip with a first end having an externally tapered portion adapted to abut the second end of the ferrule and a second end adapted to be received in a component or fitting of a liquid chromatography system. The nut, ferrule and ferrule tip of the fitting assembly have passageways therethrough for receiving and removably holding tubing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an assembly for use in connecting components of liquid chromatography and other analytical systems, and relates more particularly to an assembly well-suited for allowing quick connections and disconnections of components in liquid chromatography systems used in ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid chromatography (LC) is a well-known technique for separating the constituent elements in a given sample. In a conventional LC system, a liquid solvent (referred to as the "mobile phase") is introduced from a reservoir and is pumped through the LC system. The mobile phase exits the pump under pressure. The mobile phase then travels via tubing to a sample injection valve. As the name suggests, the sample injection valve allows an operator to inject a sample into the LC system, where the sample will be carried along with the mobile phase.
In a conventional LC system, the sample and mobile phase pass through one or more filters and often a guard column before coming to the column. A typical column usually consists of a piece of steel tubing which has been packed with a "packing" material. The "packing" consists of the particulate material "packed" inside the column. It usually consists of silica- or polymer-based particles, which are often chemically bonded with a chemical functionality. When the sample is carried through the column (along with the mobile phase), the various components (solutes) in the sample migrate through the packing within the column at different rates (i.e., there is differential migration of the solutes). In other words, the various components in a sample will move through the column at different rates. Because of the different rates of movement, the components gradually separate as they move through the column. Differential migration is affected by factors such as the composition of the mobile phase, the composition of the stationary phase (i.e., the material with which the column is "packed"), and the temperature at which the separation takes place. Thus, such factors will influence the separation of the sample's various components.
Once the sample (with its components now separated) leaves the column, it flows with the mobile phase past a detector. The detector detects the presence of specific molecules or compounds. Two general types of detectors are used in LC applications. One type measures a change in some overall physical property of the mobile phase and the sample (such as their refractive index). The other type measures only some property of the sample (such as the absorption of ultraviolet radiation). In essence, a typical detector in a LC system can measure and provide an output in terms of mass per unit of volume (such as grams per milliliter) or mass per unit of time (such as grams per second) of the sample's components. From such an output signal, a "chromatogram" can be provided; the chromatogram can then be used by an operator to determine the chemical components present in the sample.
In addition to the above components, a LC system will often include filters, check valves, a guard column, or the like in order to prevent contamination of the sample or damage to the LC system. For example, an inlet solvent filter may be used to filter out particles from the solvent (or mobile phase) before it reaches the pump. A guard column is often placed before the analytical or preparative column; i.e., the primary column. The purpose of such a guard column is to "guard" the primary column by absorbing unwanted sample components that might otherwise bind irreversibly to the analytical or preparative column.
In practice, various components in an LC system may be connected by an operator to perform a given task. For example, an operator will select an appropriate mobile phase and column, then connect a supply of the selected mobile phase and a selected column to the LC system before operation. In order to be suitable for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) applications, each connection must be able to withstand the typical operating pressures of the HPLC system. If the connection is too weak, it may leak. Because the types of solvents that are sometimes used as the mobile phase are often toxic and because it is often expensive to obtain and/or prepare many samples for use, any such connection failure is a serious concern.
It is fairly common for an operator to disconnect a column (or other component) from a LC system and then connect a different column (or other component) in its place after one test has finished and before the next begins. Given the importance of leak-proof connections, especially in HPLC applications, the operator must take time to be sure the connection is sufficient. Replacing a column (or other component) may occur several times in a day. Moreover, the time involved in disconnecting and then connecting a column (or other component) is unproductive because the LC system is not in use and the operator is engaged in plumbing the system instead of preparing samples or other more productive activities. Hence, the replacement of a column in a conventional LC system involves a great deal of wasted time and inefficiencies.
Given concerns about the need for leak-free connections, conventional connections have been made with stainless steel tubing and stainless steel end fittings. More recently, however, it has been realized that the use of stainless steel components in a LC system have potential drawbacks in situations involving biological samples. For example, the components in a sample may attach themselves to the wall of stainless steel tubing. This presents problems because the detector's measurements (and thus the chromatogram) of a given sample may not accurately reflect the sample if some of the sample's components or ions remain in the tubing and do not pass the detector. Perhaps of even greater concern, however, is the fact that ions from the stainless steel tubing may detach from the tubing and flow past the detector, thus leading to potentially erroneous results. Hence, there is a need for "biocompatible" connections through the use of a material which is chemically inert with respect to such "biological" samples and the mobile phase used with such samples so that ions will not be released by the tubing and thus contaminate the sample.
In many applications using selector/injector valves to direct fluid flows, and in particular in liquid and gas chromatography, the volume of fluids is small. This is particularly true when liquid or gas chromatography is being used as an analytical method as opposed to a preparative method. Such methods often use capillary columns and are generally referred to as capillary chromatography. In capillary chromatography, both gas phase and liquid phase, it is often desired to minimize the internal volume of the selector or injector valve. One reason for this is that a valve having a large volume will contain a relatively large volume of liquid, and when a sample is injected into the valve the sample will be diluted, decreasing the resolution and sensitivity of the analytical method.
Micro-fluidic analytical processes also involve small sample sizes. As used herein, sample volumes considered to involve micro-fluidic techniques can range from as low as volumes of only several picoliters or so, up to volumes of several milliliters or so, whereas more traditional LC techniques, for example, historically often involved samples of about one microliter to about 100 milliliters in volume. Thus, the micro-fluidic techniques described herein involve volumes one or more orders of magnitude smaller in size than traditional LC techniques. Micro-fluidic techniques can also be expressed as those involving fluid flow rates of about 0.5 ml/minute or less.
Most conventional HPLC systems include pumps which can generate relatively high pressures of up to around 5,000 psi to 6,000 psi or so. In many situations, an operator can obtain successful results by operating a LC system at "low" pressures of anywhere from just a few psi or so up to 1,000 psi or so. More often than not, however, an operator will find it desirable to operate a LC system at relatively "higher" pressures of over 1,000 psi.
Another, relatively newer liquid chromatography form is Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) in which system pressure extends upward to 1400 bar or 20,000 psi. Both HPLC and UHPLC are examples of analytical instrumentation that utilize fluid transfer at elevated pressures. For example, in U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2007/0283746 A1, published on Dec. 13, 2007 and titled "Sample Injector System for Liquid Chromatography," an injection system is described for use with UHPLC applications, which are said to involve pressures in the range from 20,000 psi to 120,000 psi. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,502, issued on Dec. 25, 2007 to Gerhardt, et al., and titled "Method for Using a Hydraulic Amplifier Pump in Ultrahigh Pressure Liquid Chromatography," the use of a hydraulic amplifier is described for use in UHPLC systems involving pressures in excess of 25,000 psi. In U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2005/0269264 A1, published on Dec. 8, 2005 and titled "Chromatography System with Gradient Storage and Method for Operating the Same," a system for performing UHPLC is disclosed, with UHPLC described as involving pressures above 5,000 psi (and up to 60,000 psi). Applicants hereby incorporate by reference as if fully set forth herein U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,502 and US Patent Publications Nos. US 2007/0283746 A1 and US 2005/0269264 A1.
As noted, liquid chromatography (as well as other analytical) systems, including HPLC or UHPLC systems, typically include several components. For example, such a system may include a pump; an injection valve or autosampler for injecting the analyte; a precolumn filter to remove particulate matter in the analyte solution that might clog the column; a packed bed to retain irreversibly adsorbed chemical material; the HPLC column itself; and a detector that analyzes the carrier fluid as it leaves the column. These various components may typically be connected by a miniature fluid conduit, or tubing, such as metallic or polymeric tubing, usually having an internal diameter of 0.003 to 0.040 inch.
All of these various components and lengths of tubing are typically interconnected by threaded fittings. Fittings for connecting various LC system components and lengths of tubing are disclosed in prior patents, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,525,303; 5,730,943; and 6,095,572, the disclosures of which are herein all incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Often, a first internally threaded fitting seals to a first component with a ferrule or similar sealing device. The first fitting is threadedly connected through multiple turns by hand or by use of a wrench or wrenches to a second fitting having a corresponding external fitting, which is in turn sealed to a second component by a ferrule or other seal. Disconnecting these fittings for component replacement, maintenance, or reconfiguration often requires the use of a wrench or wrenches to unthread the fittings. Although a wrench or wrenches may be used, other tools such as pliers or other gripping and holding tools are sometimes used. In addition, the use of such approaches to connect components of an UHPLC system often results in deformation or swaging of a ferrule used to provide a leak proof seal of tubing to a fitting or component. This often means that the ferrule and tubing connection, once made, cannot be reused without a risk of introducing dead volumes into the system. In addition, such approaches may involve crushing or deformation of the inner diameter of the tubing, which may adversely affect the flow characteristics and the pressures of the fluid within the tubing. While hand-tightened threaded fittings eliminate the need for wrenches or other tools, these fittings typically can not stand up to the extreme pressures of HPLC or UHPLC.
Another approach to provide a connection in an UHPLC system involves providing a fitting assembly that uses a combination of components, including two separate ferrules. Such an approach is considered undesirable because by requiring two places for the ferrules to provide leak proof seals, it provides two places where the fluid to be analyzed may leak, as well as where dead volumes may be provided. In addition, this approach involves the use of additional components, which can cost more and also increase the time and effect to assemble them to make a connection or disassemble them when disconnecting tubing from a component or other fitting assembly.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, as used herein, the term "LC system" is intended in its broad sense to include all apparatus and components in a system used in connection with liquid chromatography, whether made of only a few simple components or made of numerous, sophisticated components which are computer controlled or the like. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that an LC system is one type of an analytical instrument (AI) system. For example, gas chromatography is similar in many respects to liquid chromatography, but obviously involves a gas sample to be analyzed. Although the following discussion focuses on liquid chromatography, those skilled in the art will appreciate that much of what is said also has application to other types of AI systems and methods.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism allowing an operator to quickly disconnect or connect a component of an UHPLC system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mechanism to reduce inefficiency and wasted time in connecting or disconnecting a component of an UHPLC system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a mechanism to allow an operator to quickly replace a component of an UHPLC system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a mechanism to allow an operator to quickly and easily achieve a leak-free connection of a component of an UHPLC system.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a mechanism to minimize the risk of leakage or damage to the tubing of an UHPLC system.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a biocompatible assembly to allow an operator to quickly and easily achieve a biocompatible connection of a component of an UHPLC system.
The above and other advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the present invention, and from the attached drawings, which are briefly described below.

Connection assembly for ultra high pressure liquid chromatography


In a power saving mode that suffers less deterioration of image quality, power savings are achieved by changing If data, changing PWM clocks, changing ABL setups, drive voltage control, or the like. In a power saving mode that suffers some deterioration of image quality, power saving control is implemented by multiplying luminance control data, bit-shifting an image, reducing the screen size, or the like.

The present invention relates to an image display apparatus control system and image display system control method, which can display input image information on an image display apparatus via an interface with a simple arrangement.
In a conventional computer system, a CRT display apparatus is used as a standard monitor display. Due to the large consumption of power by a CRT display, the computer system, e.g., enters a power saving mode and de-energizes a CRT of the monitor display apparatus (which consumes most of the electric power) when there has been no operation input for a predetermined period of time, thus setting a standby state.
However, the operation control of the power saving mode is limited to a CRT display apparatus, but is not done for other types of display apparatuses. Even apparatuses other than the CRT require power savings. Furthermore, as for a normal television broadcast display, the user may leave home or fall asleep without turning off its power switch, and if the display can enter the power saving mode in such case, it is very convenient for the user.
The present invention has been made to solve the aforementioned problems and has as its object to provide a flat-panel display apparatus having, e.g., a power saving operation mode.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a flat-panel display apparatus that can control the selection of one of a power saving mode that suffers less deterioration of image quality and a power saving mode that suffers some deterioration of image quality. This flat-panel display apparatus can implement a power saving mode that, when automatically set, displays an image similar to an image displayed in a normal display mode and does not require the operator to select the power saving mode that suffers less image quality deterioration. Also, this display apparatus can select either power saving mode when the power saving mode is set by a user""s operation. This display apparatus can be applied to a television broadcast display apparatus and the like, in addition to a display control of a computer terminal.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a flat-panel display apparatus which allows the user to recognize the broadcast state and power saving mode control without any serious troubles, and can immediately recover a normal operation mode as needed, even in such case.

Flat-panel display apparatus and its control method


One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming first and second FinFET devices in and above a first region and a second region of a semiconducting substrate, respectively, performing a first ion implantation process through a patterned mask layer to implant nitrogen into the second region, removing the patterned mask layer, performing a second ion implantation process to implant oxygen atoms into both the first and second regions, performing a heating process to form a layer of insulating material at least in the first region and performing at least one etching process to define at least one first fin in the first region and to define at least one second fin in the second region, the second fin being taller than the first fin.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the manufacture of sophisticated semiconductor devices, and, more specifically, to various methods of forming FinFET semiconductor devices having different fin heights.
2. Description of the Related Art
The fabrication of advanced integrated circuits, such as CPU's, storage devices, ASIC's (application specific integrated circuits) and the like, requires the formation of a large number of circuit elements in a given chip area according to a specified circuit layout, wherein so-called metal oxide field effect transistors (MOSFETs or FETs) represent one important type of circuit element that substantially determines performance of the integrated circuits. Historically, the FET has been a planar device that typically includes a source region, a drain region, a channel region that is positioned between the source region and the drain region, and a gate electrode positioned above the channel region. Current flow through the FET is controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the gate electrode. If there is no voltage applied to the gate electrode, then there is no current flow through the device (ignoring undesirable leakage currents, which are relatively small). However, when an appropriate voltage is applied to the gate electrode, the channel region becomes conductive, and electrical current is permitted to flow between the source region and the drain region through the conductive channel region.
To improve the operating speed of FETs, and to increase the density of FETs on an integrated circuit device, device designers have greatly reduced the physical size of FETs over the years. More specifically, the channel length of FETs has been significantly decreased, which has resulted in improving the switching speed of FETs. However, decreasing the channel length of a FET also decreases the distance between the source region and the drain region. In some cases, this decrease in the separation between the source and the drain makes it difficult to efficiently inhibit the electrical potential of the source region and the channel from being adversely affected by the electrical potential of the drain. This is sometimes referred to as so-called short channel effects, wherein the characteristic of the FET as an active switch is degraded.
In contrast to a planar FET, a FinFET device is a 3-dimensional structure. More specifically, in a FinFET, a generally vertically positioned fin-shaped active area is formed and a gate electrode encloses both sides and an upper surface of the fin-shaped active area to form a tri-gate structure so as to use a channel having a 3-dimensional structure instead of a planar structure. In some cases, an insulating cap layer, e.g., silicon nitride, is positioned at the top of the fin and the FinFET device only has a dual-gate structure. Unlike a planar FET, in a FinFET device, a channel is formed perpendicular to a surface of the semiconducting substrate so as to reduce the physical size of the semiconductor device.
The effective gate width (Weff) of a single FinFET device is determined by the fin height (Fh) and by the number of fins (Nf) on the single FinFET device (Weff=Nf×Fh). Typically, FinFETs are made with a singular constant fin height due to the manner in which they are manufactured. As a result, this typically means that, to achieve different effective widths for two different FinFET devices, the number of fins for each of the devices is different. In designing modern integrated circuit products, device designers may need more flexibility in designing the effective gate width for FinFET devices than is afforded by simply increasing or decreasing the number of fins for such devices. There have been attempts in the past to produce FinFETs with different fin heights. One such technique involved initially forming the fins, then implanting germanium into the fins through a mask layer and then performing an anneal process to form a silicon/germanium region on the fin that may be selectively removed relative to silicon by performing an etching process.
The present disclosure is directed to various methods of forming FinFET semiconductor devices having different fin heights.

Methods of forming FinFET semiconductor devices with different fin heights


A method and system for inductively coupling energy to a heating filament (7A′, 7B′, 7C′, 7A, 7B, 7C) in a thermal processing environment. By applying AC power to a coil antenna (11) and inductive coupling to a filament (e.g., a halogen lamp filament), a number of connections that are subject to fatigue is reduced, thereby increasing the reliability of the heater (2A, 2B). Such an environment can be used to process semiconductor wafers (3) and liquid crystal displays.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for rapidly heating a substrate to be processed, and more particularly to an apparatus for heating during a rapid thermal processing of a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal display.
2. Discussion of the Background
Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) and epitaxy in semiconductor chip manufacturing are processes where a heating method (e.g., an optical heating method) is used to ramp up the temperature of a semiconductor wafer rapidly, hold at a steady state high temperature for a period of time, and then ramp down rapidly. RTP allows the wafer to be heated very quickly to its activation temperatures (e.g., at least 1000 degrees C.). The activation temperature is the temperature at which a corresponding processing step (e.g., deposition, implantation, diffusion, removal or formation of key materials) is stabilized. The temperature and the period of time at which that temperature is maintained must be executed precisely for each processing step. Overheating can cause dopants to permeate subjacent layers, and under-heating can produce layers with uncontrolled characteristics.
RTP in semiconductor processing has been used for annealing of semiconductor wafers. One such application of RTP is to anneal the wafer after ion implantation. The RTP heaters used for these purposes must have a high uniformity; that is, the temperature must be uniform across the entire wafer surface. In most known RTP heaters, the solid angle of the filament—which is the solid angle subtended by the filament when viewed from the wafer surface—is extremely small, on the order of a tenth of a radian. The view factor area then is defined as the area projected on the wafer by the solid angle of the filament (i.e., the solid angle of the filament multiplied by the distance between the filament and the wafer). When the total solid angle for the total wafer coverage is 4π radians, a solid angle of a tenth of a radian covers only about 1% of the wafer. Reflectors outside a container wall of quartz only extend the radiation field for the short wavelength radiation field.
Known RTP heaters have a relatively short lifetime because those lamps have a physical connection between their filaments and their power supplies. Such lamps are sealed on the ends, and the wires connecting the filaments are brought to the outside world to be physically connected to a power supply. This physical connection causes a high failure rate due to the filament input/output connection failure, which in turn is due to the stresses built up at the interface as a result of the different thermal expansion rates of the metals in the connection, during normal lamp operation. Known tungsten halogen lamps are formed into nested group of rings acting as an RTP heater. One such embodiment includes smaller rings toward the center and larger rings toward outside edge.
Additional information about RTP systems can be found in: (1) U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,361 entitled "Rapid thermal processing high-performance multi-zone illuminator for wafer backside heating", issued to CVC Products, Inc., Fremont, Calif., on Feb. 3, 1998; (2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,689, entitled "Rapid thermal furnace for semiconductor processing", issued to High Temperature Engineering Corporation, Danvers, Mass. on Aug. 15, 1989; (3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,831, entitled "System for compensating against wafer edge heat loss in rapid thermal processing", issued to Micron Semiconductor, Inc., Boise, Id. on Apr. 2, 1996; (4) U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,991, entitled "System for compensating against wafer edge heat loss in rapid thermal processing", issued to Micron Technology, Inc., Boise, Id. on Feb. 17, 1998; (5) U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,366, entitled "Method for temperature measurement in rapid thermal process systems", issued to Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, Tex. on Feb. 11, 1997; and (6) U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,208, entitled "Heater and temperature sensor array for rapid thermal processing thermal core", issued to Sematech, Inc., Austin, Tex. on Mar. 9, 1999.

Rapid thermal processing lamp and method for manufacturing the same


A hydraulic release mechanism for retrieving a stock downhole tool from a well casing having an elongated, cylindrical jack body, a piston carried in a bore in the jack body and a latching portion carried co-axially by the jack body for connecting with the stock tool. The piston is movable within the jack body under the influence of fluid pressure from a first position to a second position. The movement of the piston to a position intermediate its first and second positions causes an anchor slip member to ramp over a wedge member and expand radially outward against the well casing to restrain further longitudinal movement of the piston in the casing. A shearable element prevents relative motion between the anchor slip member and the jack body until the anchor slip member is moved radially outward against the well casing. The shearable element shears and releases the jack body for longitudinal motion in the casing relative to the piston when the anchor slip member is expanded radially outward against the casing, locking the piston in place. The latching portion is operatively engageable with the tool in a manner permitting the stuck tool to be lifted loose when the jack body is moved longitudinally relative to the locked piston under the influence of hydraulic pressure until the locked piston assumes its second position in the jack body.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cable or reeled tubing-deployed pumping systems for use in oil and gas wells, and more particularly, to an emergency hydraulic release for the locking module discharge head in a cable-deployed or reeled tubing-deployed pumping system. A further embodiment of the invention relates to cable or reeled tubing hydraulic release apparatus for loosening a stuck downhole tool from a well casing for subsequent retrieval, or moving a downhole tool longitudinally to perform an operation in the well.
2. Description of the Background
Artificial lift systems for use in oil and gas wells are well known. One type of artificial lift system is a cable deployed pumping system as previously disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,239. The cable-deployed pumping system allows electric submersible pumps to be installed and retrieved by means of a crush-resistant electrical cable that can be field-spliced and is designed to withstand the gripping forces of an injector and the rigors of downhole service. This is a cost-effective alternative to conventional tubing deployment and offers faster installation and retrieval with smaller equipment and few personnel.
In a standard installation for a cable-deployed pumping system, whether using a conventional pump or inverted pump, an electric submersible pump, motor and locking module discharge head are first connected to the electrical cable using a cable anchor assembly and an electrical penetrator assembly. The pumping system is then injected into the well through production tubing by means such as a modified reeled tubing injector. As the cable is lowered into the well, a collet latch on the locking module engages a locking module landing nipple disposed in the tubing string. After a subsurface safety valve below the landing nipple is opened by control fluid pressure exerted through a control line, the electric submersible pump can be activated to begin pumping well fluids to the surface. When it is desired to retrieve the pumping system from the well, the locking module is disengaged from the landing nipple by pulling upward on the electric cable.
In using the previously known cable-deployed pumping systems, problems have sometimes been encountered when sand bridges or other trash accumulates around the locking module, making it difficult or impossible to disengage and retrieve the system by pulling on the cable from the surface. The pulling force required to break the sand bridge may exceed the tensile strength of the CAPS cable, causing it to fail. A system is therefore needed that will facilitate the disengagement and separation of the locking module from the landing nipple to permit recovery of the locking module and the electric submersible pump.
Another similar problem which is sometimes encountered, is when sand bridges or other trash accumulates around, for example, a well tool such as a packer, packer seal unit, choke, plug or valve, which prevents normal retrieval of the tool. This may occur, for example, when a slickline or wireline unit would ordinarily be employed to retrieve the tool, but is unable to generate sufficient force to pull the tool loose, due to the trash that has accumulated around the tool. In such a situation, an expensive and time consuming fishing job may be required, which may require the use of a rig and running a string of pipe to depth to retrieve the stuck tool.

Hydraulic release apparatus and method for retrieving a stuck downhole tool and moving a downhole tool longitudinally


A new and distinct cultivar of Gypsophila plant named ‘JEGYPCEPLE’, characterized by its compact and broadly spreading to prostrate plant habit; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy habit; large double type white-colored flowers with reddish purple-colored venation; relatively long flowering period; good garden performance and winter hardiness.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gypsophila plant, botanically known as Acanthophyllum cerastioides (syn. Gypsophila cerastioides), grown commercially as a potted plant, and hereinafter referred to by the name 'JEGYPCEPLE'.
The new Gypsophila plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Schwarmstedt, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact and uniform Gypsophila plants with numerous double flowers.
The new Gypsophila plant originated from an open-pollination conducted by the Inventor in Schwarmstedt, Germany in 2013 of a proprietary selection of Acanthophyllum cerastioides identified as code number G12051, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Acanthophyllum cerastioides as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gypsophila plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled environment in Schwarmstedt, Germany in 2015.
Asexual reproduction of the new Gypsophila plant by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, The Netherlands since 2016 has shown that the unique features of this new Gypsophila plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A fire protective blanket is fabricated by sealing and forming between two heets of plastic material a pocket or quilt design of fire extinguishing chemical in powder form which is contained in the formed pockets and selected from potassium hydrogen carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, and the reaction product of potassium hydrogen carbonate and urea. A thickness from about 2 millimeters to about 5 millimeters has been found adequate for the plastic sheet material selected from poly-p-ethylene terephthalamide (Kevlar) or polyethylene. The sealed pocket or patch quilt design is to ensure against the powder from becoming nonuniformly distributed throughout the blanket and to ensure that no settling of the chemical takes place as well. The action mechanism, which can extinguish gasoline fires in millisecond time frames, is due to the rupture of the pockets containing the fire extinguishing chemicals when the gasoline is ignited. The fire extinguishing powder becomes dispersed throughout the immediate environment, and interacts with the fireball, and quenches it. The fire protective blanket is useful in quickly extinguishing automobile engine fires, lawnmower fires, and other fires resulting from burning materials including other liquids, solid, or combinations thereof. When used under an automobile hood in combination with the sound and heat barrier, the fire protective blanket should be installed as the outer layer toward the motor. The plastic material should be fabricated from a higher temperature withstanding material such as FTE (polytertrafluoroethylene) or a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene (FEP) or more broadly identified as fluorinated ethylenepropylene resin.

Extinguishing aids to assist firefighting efforts have included wetting agents to provide wider distribution of water at the base of a fire, dry chemicals in fire extinguishers to produce gaseous products to aid in extinguishment of fire, and standard fire extinguishers containing compressed CO.sub.2, dry chemical, or liquefied gas for oil, grease, and electrical fires. The exclusion of oxygen from the fire and the cooling of the fuel source are mechanisms employed in extinguishing fires. Foaming chemicals to blanket a fire such as encountered in fuel fires related to aircraft and land vehicles have been extensively used in fire extinguishing procedures.
It is desirable to provide a fire protective blanket for use in extinguishing burning materials, highly flammable, liquid spills, such as, gasoline which burn with a fireball, or for use in extinguishing other burning materials including other liquids, solids or combinations thereof. Time is of essence in extinguishing these types of fires and preventing reignition; thus, a fire protective blanket is highly desirable.

United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A system and methods for dynamic routing under extreme cognitive jamming environments are presented. Jammer signals emitted by a network protocol-aware cognitive jammer are scanned for at a router node in an ad-hoc wireless network, and jammer behaviors are detected based on signal characteristics of the jammer signals. A network dynamic pattern caused by the network protocol-aware cognitive jammer is classified based on the detected jammer behaviors observed over a period of time, and dynamic routing strategies of the first router node are adapted to achieve robust data delivery based on the network behavioral pattern. Data packets sent by the router node are routed to avoid nodes and routes that are affected by the jammer signals.

Wireless networks are vulnerable to attacks by hostile radio frequency (RF) sources, especially intelligent (cognitive) jamming representing the growing threat of hostile interference targeting critical messages (i.e., control packets) of operational networking protocols. Such interruptions can cause disastrous degradation of the overall routing performance even if other networking conditions remain benign, and can't be easily detected due to the smartness of the jamming patterns.

Dynamic routing under extreme cognitive jamming environments