An apparatus for and a method of heat-treating a wafer for use in producing a semiconductor device ensures a desired distribution of surface temperatures across the wafer. Spacers are used to space the wafer above a heat transfer plate. The spacers can be used to adjust the spacing and inclination of the wafer relative to the heat transfer plate by predetermined amounts determined in advance to produce the desired distribution of surface temperatures across the wafer during heat-treatment. With the present invention, wafers can be heat-treated during production using a plurality of bake units disposed in parallel because each of the bake units can be precisely adjusted using the spacers to produce surface temperature distributions similar to a standard surface temperature distribution. Accordingly, the productivity of the semiconductor manufacturing process can be markedly enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and to a method of temperature-conditioning a wafer in the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for and to a method of controlling the distribution of surface temperatures of the wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manufacturing process of a semiconductor device includes heat-treating a wafer, or various films such as photoresist films, conductive films, and dielectric films formed on the wafer, at a predetermined temperature so that the structure thereof is stabilized. In particular. Such heat-treating is carried out during photolithography. In photolithography, a photoresist on the wafer is patterned after a predetermined pattern of a reticle, by coating the wafer with photoresist, exposing the coating of photoresist through the reticle, and developing the photoresist to remove the exposed or unexposed portion thereof. For example, when manufacturing a very large scale integrated (VLS!) semiconductor device having a critical dimension (CD) less than 0.3 xcexcm, after the wafer is coated with a chemically amplified photoresist, a heat treatment is carried out in which the wafer is baked at a temperature within the range of 80xcx9c300xc2x0 C. so that a solvent used to apply the photoresist is evaporated and the photoresist remains on the wafer in the form of a film having a stable structure. Then, a heat treatment referred to as a post exposure bake (referred to as xe2x80x9cPEBxe2x80x9d hereinafter) is performed, thereby forming H+ in a continuous reaction. In PEB, an acid catalyst is formed by the decomposition of a photoacid generator (PAG). In addition, after the development process, a heat treatment known as a hard bake is performed to dry the wafer and harden the photoresist. In addition to these heat treatments, a heat treatment for heating the wafer to a temperature higher than the melting point of the photoresist may, if necessary, be performed. This heat treatment causes a proper amount of the photoresist on the wafer to flow on the wafer after the development process, so that a desired critical dimension can be realized.
An example of a heat-treatment apparatus for heat-treating a wafer as described above is schematically shown in FIG. 1. This heat treatment apparatus, namely a bake unit, comprises a housing 1, a heat transfer plate 2 disposed in the housing 1, and a heater 3 located within the heat transfer plate 2. When a wafer 9 is to be heat-treated by the bake unit, the wafer 9 is inserted in the housing 1 and is laid on the heat transfer plate 2, and is heated by heat transferred from the heater 3 via the heat transfer plate 2. Horizontal movement of the wafer 9 on the heat transfer plate 2 is limited by a guide means (not shown).
The surface of the heat transfer plate 2 has a characteristic temperature distribution meaning that different temperatures are produced across the surface thereof when the heater 3 is operated. These varying temperatures occur due to minute differences in dimensions of the heat transfer plate 2, structural differences thereof and the configuration and location of the heater 3 within the heat transfer plate. Therefore, the wafer 9 to be heat-treated is subject to the temperature distribution at the surface of the heat transfer plate 2 on which the wafer 9 is laid, whereby the temperatures at different portions of the wafer 9 vary. In addition, the temperatures within the housing 1 are influenced by the direction and velocity of the air flow around the bake unit. Therefore the distribution of surface temperatures of the wafer 9 heat-treated by the bake unit may fluctuate from the desired surface temperature distribution.
If a PEB is performed on the wafer 9 using the bake unit after exposing a chemically amplified photoresist on the wafer 9 to the same energy level over an entire exposure portion of the wafer, the chemical reaction proceeds at different rates at respective portions of the exposed photoresist on the wafer 9 due to the variations in the surface temperature of the wafer 9. Therefore, different quantities of the solubilized polymer are removed during developing, resulting in irregularities in the critical dimensions. That is, because an active reaction proceeds during PEB in a portion of the photoresist located directly over a region of the wafer 9 having a high surface temperature, a large quantity of the solubilized polymer is produced and the critical dimension of that portion widens during development. On the other hand, because the reaction proceeds relatively slowly in that portion of the photoresist extending over a region of the wafer 9 having a relatively low surface temperature, the critical dimension of that portion narrows during development. Taking this into consideration, differences in temperature within the bake unit are compensated for by regulating the energy levels, at which the respective portions of the photoresist are exposed, to correspond to the temperature distribution characteristic of the bake unit. For instance, the portions of the photoresist extending over the regions of the wafer 9 having a high surface temperature within the bake unit are subjected to a relatively low energy level during the exposure process, whereas the portions of the photoresist extending over the regions of the wafer 9 having a lower surface temperature are subjected to a higher energy level. Consequently, less acid, which will serve as a catalyst during the PEB, is produced in the portion of the photoresist exposed to the lower energy level than in the portion exposed to the higher energy level. Thus, relatively uniform critical dimensions can be acquired by the wafer 9.
However, such uniform critical dimensions degrade when the wafer exposed to energy adjusted in consideration of the temperature distribution characteristic of any one bake unit is heat-treated in another bake unit. Therefore, the wafers which are to be heat-treated more than once must be heat-treated sequentially in the same bake unit.
However, as is well known, the PEB process requires a long time whereas the applying, developing, and exposing of the photoresist can be performed in a relatively short time. That is, the PEB process requires the longest time of all the processes involved in photolithography and therefore, the PEB process is considered to pose a limit on the overall productivity associated with photolithography. The problem, per se, of the low productivity of photolithography as caused by the PEB process could be easily resolved by, for example, heat-treating the exposed wafers using a plurality of bake units disposed in parallel. However, if the exposed wafers are not subjected to PEB in the same bake unit used during the exposure process, the above-described problem of non-uniformity in their critical dimensions arises. Accordingly, the delay caused by the PEB process cannot be overcome without giving rise to other significant problems. Thus, the productivity associated with photolithography remains low.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for heat-treating a wafer such that the distribution of surface temperatures of the wafer when heat-treated corresponds to a desired distribution of surface temperatures determined in advance of the heat-treatment.
To achieve this object, the heat-treating apparatus of the present invention includes a heat transfer plate, a heater, and a plurality of spacers projecting from the upper surface of the heat transfer plate such that a wafer to be heat-treated can be supported by the spacers while facing and being spaced from the heat transfer plate. The spacing between the wafer supported by the spacers and the heat transfer plate and the inclination of the wafer relative to the upper surface of the heat transfer plate can be adjusted by the spacers to produce the desired distribution of surface temperatures.
To achieve the object, the method of heat-treating a wafer according to the present invention comprises the steps of setting a wafer in a position above a heat transfer plate, heat-treating the wafer by transferring heat between the heat transfer plate and the wafer disposed thereabove. To set the wafer in position for heat-treatment, the wafer are spaced by and inclined relative to the upper surface of the heat transfer plate by amounts which have been predetermined to produce a desired a distribution of surface temperatures across the wafer when the wafer is heat-treated.

Apparatus for and method of heat-treating a wafer


An illumination apparatus includes a light source, a light-receiving unit, and a light guide unit formed in an arc shape. The light guide unit includes a light incidence section on which light from the light source is incident. The light incidence section is disposed on an outer circumferential side of the light guide unit, and faces the light source. The light guide unit further includes a first reflecting section having a first and a second region, and a second reflecting section having first and second surfaces. The first surface reflects the light incident from the light incidence section toward the first region, and the second surface reflects the light incident from the light incidence section toward the second region. The light-receiving unit is disposed at a position between the first and the second surfaces.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illumination apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
In macro photographing for capturing an image of a subject at near distance, an illumination apparatus having a circumferentially ring-shaped or arc-shaped light-emitting section at the end of an imaging lens is often used. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-215574 discusses an illumination apparatus having a ring-shaped light-emitting unit including a plurality of arc-shaped light sources, such as xenon tubes, arranged along the circumference of an imaging lens.
However, the illumination apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-215574 uses, as light sources, glass tubes which are generally manufactured as a straight tube type such as a xenon tube, by processing the glass tubes into an arc shape (bent tube type) through high-accuracy bending processing. As a result, there arises a problem that the cost of light sources increases and accordingly the illumination apparatus becomes expensive. Further, sufficient performance cannot be achieved in terms of the light usage efficiency and light distribution because it is difficult to efficiently and uniformly irradiate a subject (target of macro photographing) with light emitted from such a plurality of bent tube type light sources. Furthermore, this type of illumination apparatus is required to be as small as possible since it is carried and used together with a camera (and exchangeable imaging lenses).


There is provided a wireless communication device includes a transmitter configured to transmit a known signal in each of a plurality of first directions different from each other, a receiver configured to receive a plurality of first reflected waves, each of the plurality of first reflected waves being generated by the known signal transmitted in each of the plurality of first directions and to detect each of a plurality of first reception intensities, each of the plurality of first reception intensities being associated with each of the plurality of first reflected waves; and a controller configured to determine a transmission direction of a radio signal addressed to a first wireless terminal, based on the plurality of first reception intensities and to control the transmitter to transmit the radio signal in the transmission direction.

In a wireless communication system of recent years, in order to improve a throughput between transmission and reception, there have been used techniques such as beam forming based on a plurality of antennas, space division multiplexing based on Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), and the like. For example, when the beam forming is used, a transmitter is capable of increasing or decreasing an antenna gain for a specific direction, by controlling the phase and the amplitude of each antenna element.
Accordingly, it may be possible for the transmitter to form a transmission beam headed in a direction, in which a communication partner is located, and transmit a wireless signal, or form a null point (null steering) so as to reduce interference with another communication device different from the communication partner. In addition, as a technique for reducing the interference with the other communication device, for example, a technique has been known in which the size of a room is measured and on the basis of the measurement result, data communication is performed with a transmission output sufficient to cover the whole inside of the room and insufficient to reach an adjoining room. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-174368 discusses such a technique.

Wireless communication device, wireless communication system, and method for detecting interference direction


A bolt 6, accommodated in a cylinder knob 10, is screwed into a main body 5 to restrict the shift movement of a push lever 1. A spline coupling, provided between a hexagonal bore 10a formed in the cylinder knob 10 and a hexagonal head 6a of the bolt 6, transmits a rotational motion of cylinder knob 10 to the bolt 6 and allows the cylinder knob 10 to slide with respect to the main body 5. A projection 12 of the main body 5 and a notch 10b of the cylinder knob 10, when engaged with each other under a resilient force of a spring 12, cooperatively constitute a stopper for restricting the rotation of the cylinder knob 10 with respect to the main body 5.

The present invention relates to a driving depth adjusting mechanism for a nailer or a comparable fastening tool which is capable of adjusting the driving depth of a nail or a comparable fastening member without using a dedicated or special adjusting tool such as a spanner.
A method for adjusting the driving depth of a nailer or a comparable fastening tool is conventionally known. In this case, the driving depth is expressed by a height from the head of a nail (or a fastening member) struck into a board or a comparable base material by a nailer (or a comparable fastening tool) to the surface of the board material. For example, the protruding length adjustment for a driver blade of a nailer or a comparable fastening tool is feasible by adjusting a distance between the distal end of a push lever and the distal end of the driver blade under the condition that the push lever is placed on the surface of the board material into which the nail or the fastening member is struck or driven while the driver blade is positioned at its bottom dead center.
FIG. 11 shows a nail striking operation of a nailer equipped with a conventional driving depth adjusting mechanism. To implement the nail striking operation, a push lever 1 is first placed on the surface of a board material 3 into which a nail 16 is driven. A spring 2 resiliently urges the push lever 1 downward. When raised by a user, the push lever 1 can shift upward against a depression or resilient force of the spring 2. A shaft 4 shifts upward together with the push lever 1. A bolt 6, screwed into a main body 5 at a predetermined upper portion above the shaft 4, restricts the reachable uppermost position of the shaft 4 shifting in the up-and-down direction. In other words, a protruding length S of a driver blade 7, in the condition that the driver blade 7 is positioned at a bottom dead center, is restricted by the position of bolt 6. The protruding length S determines the driving depth of the nailer.
FIG. 12 explains the details of the driving depth adjustment performed by a user. A nut 8 is engaged with the bolt 6. The nut 8 and a female thread of the main body 5 cooperatively constitute a double nut engagement for securely fixing the bolt 6 with respect to the main body 5. First, the user loosens the nut 8 by using a spanner or the like. With this loosening operation, the fixation of the bolt 6 to the main body 5 is released. Next, the user rotates the bolt 6 in either direction to change the distance between a bolt head 6a and the main body 5. Then, the user fastens the nut 8 by using the spanner or the like to again establish the double nut engagement for securely fixing the bolt 6. When the user performs a nail striking operation after the position of the bolt head 6a is changed, the reachable uppermost position of the push lever 1 changes. The protruding length S of the driver blade 7 also changes. Accordingly, the driving depth of the nailer changes.
According to the above-described conventional driving depth adjusting mechanism of a nailer, the female thread of the main body 5 and the nut 8 cooperatively constitute the double nut engagement for securely fixing the bolt 6. This arrangement forces the user to frequently use the spanner or any other comparable adjusting tool for loosening or fastening the bolt 6. It takes a significantly long time for each adjustment of the driving depth of a nailer. It is needless to say that the user must always keep the spanner or the like.
An object of the present invention is to provide a driving depth adjusting mechanism for a nailer which assures improved operability in the driving depth adjustment and allows a user to implement the driving depth adjustment without using a spanner or any other comparable adjusting tool for loosening or fastening the bolt.
In order to accomplish this and other related objects, the present invention provides a driving depth adjusting mechanism for a nailer or a fastening tool having a main body and a push lever. The main body is equipped with a driver blade for driving a nail or a fastening element and an ejecting section from which the nail of the fastening element is pushed out. The push lever, extending along the ejecting section, reciprocates in an axial direction of the driver blade for controlling the driving operation. The driving depth adjusting mechanism includes a bolt screwed into a hole of the main body for regulating an uppermost position of the push lever during a striking operation of the nail or the fastening element, a knob having an inner space for accommodating the bolt, and a spline coupling provided between the bolt and the knob for transmitting a rotational motion of the knob to the bolt and for allowing the knob to slide in the axial direction.
Preferably, the driving depth adjusting mechanism further comprises a stopper for restricting a mutual rotation between the knob and the main body, and an elastic member for elastically urging the knob in a direction for restricting the mutual rotation between the knob and the main body.
Preferably, the spline coupling is constituted by a hexagonal inner wall of the knob and a hexagonal head of the bolt.
Preferably, the knob is a resin-made member.
Preferably, the knob has a projection in the inner space for preventing the bolt from being pulled out.

Driving depth adjusting mechanism for a nailer


Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for generating terahertz electromagnetic radiation. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for generating terahertz electromagnetic radiation. The method includes: coupling a terahertz resonator with an optical resonator, wherein the optical resonator comprises non-linear optical material; directing laser light through the optical resonator to generate terahertz radiation by parametric interaction of the laser light with the optical resonator and the terahertz resonator; and directing the terahertz radiation from the terahertz resonator to an output.

Terahertz (THz) technology is a newly emerging field that has numerous applications in the medical imaging, defense, security, communications, and manufacturing industries. THz radiation refers to electromagnetic waves propagating at frequencies in the terahertz range, and is sometimes referred to as sub-millimeter radiation, terahertz waves, terahertz light, T-rays, T-light, or T-lux. THz typically applies to electromagnetic radiation with frequencies between the high-frequency edge of the microwave band near 300 GHz and the long-wavelength edge of far-infrared light near 3000 GHz. Wavelengths in this spectrum range from about 100 μm (infrared) to 1.0 mm (microwave).
THz waves usually travel in line of sight, and are capable of penetrating a wide variety of non-conducting materials. For example, THz radiation can pass through clothing, paper, cardboard, wood, masonry, plastic and ceramics. It can also penetrate fog and clouds, but cannot penetrate metal or water.
Parametrically generated oscillations have been produced via parametric instability between two coupled oscillators, and has been theoretically studied and experimentally observed in opto-mechanical systems, with parametric coupling achieved through radiation pressure. In these studies, researchers were able to create sustained oscillations at radio frequencies in micro-mechanical resonators. Certain designs have produced continuous wave THz radiation by directing light from two lasers into a non-linear medium or photoconductive antenna. Despite the promising applications of this technology, the availability of compact, reliable sources of THz waves is still limited.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for generating terahertz electromagnetic radiation


A radiator for a liquid cooling type cooling device includes a plurality of fin plates and connecting members integrally connecting all the fin plates. The fin plate includes a vertically elongated rectangular flat plate body and narrow portions integrated with both end portions of the plate body. All the fin plates are arranged at intervals in the thickness direction of the plate body. The connecting member is formed into a corrugated shape and includes flat plate portions each integrated with the narrow portion of the plate body and arcuate portions and each connecting the adjacent flat plate portions. The plate body, the narrow portion, and the flat plate portion are equal in thickness. Both side surfaces of the plate body, both side surfaces of the narrow portion, and both side surfaces of the flat plate portion are positioned on the same plane.

The present applicant proposed a radiator for a liquid cooling type cooling device for cooling a power device (semiconductor element), such as, e.g., an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), used for a power conversion device to be mounted on, for example, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a train, etc. (see Patent Document 1). The liquid cooling type cooling device is provided with a casing having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a peripheral wall. In the casing, a coolant passage in which a coolant flowed into the casing flows is provided. A heating element is attached to at least either one of the top wall outer surface and the bottom wall outer surface of the casing. In the liquid cooling type cooling device configured to cool the heating element by the coolant flowing through the coolant passage, a radiator which is arranged in the coolant passage in the casing radiates the heat emitted from the heating element to the coolant. The radiator is composed of a plurality of vertically elongated rectangular shaped fin plates arranged in parallel at intervals, and rod-shaped connecting members extending in a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the fin plate and integrally connecting all the fin plates. All the fin plates are arranged at intervals in a thickness direction in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the fin plate is oriented in the flow direction of the coolant and the width direction of the fin plate is oriented in the vertical direction. At least one notch is formed in one side edge portion out of both side edge portions of the fin plate in the width direction. At least one notch is formed in the other side edge portion out of both side edge portions of the fin plate in the width direction at a position deviated from the notch of one side edge portion in the longitudinal direction of the fin plate. Connecting members are press-fitted into the notches of both side edge portions of all the fin plates so as not to protrude from the notches. Thus, all the fin plates are integrally connected by the connecting members.
In the case of the radiator described in Patent Document 1, however, since a rod-shaped connecting member is required, the number of parts increases.
The radiator described in Patent Document 1 is produced by the method including a first step, a second step, a third step, and a fourth step, which will be described below. The first step is a step of subjecting a metal blank plate to press working to punch out the metal blank plate to obtain a plurality of vertically elongated rectangular shaped fin plates having notches formed respectively in a portion close to the one end of one side edge portion in the width direction and a portion close to the other end of the other side edge portion in the width direction so that the longitudinal direction is oriented in the width direction of the metal blank plate and the width direction is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the metal blank plate in a half-punched state in which both end portions in the longitudinal direction are connected to the bridge portions via the connecting portions. A second step is a step of bending a portion of the bridge portion between adjacent fin plates into a substantially S-shape so as to orient the width direction of each of all the fin plates in the vertical direction. A third step is a step of press-fitting connecting members into notches formed in the longitudinal one end of one side edge portion of each of all the fin plates in the width direction and notches formed in the longitudinal other end of the other side edge portion of each of all the fin plates in the width direction. A fourth step is a step of separating all the fin plates from the bridge portions by cutting all the connecting portions which connect the fin plates to the bridge portion. Since the method requires the above-described four steps, the work is troublesome. Moreover, in the fourth step, all the connecting portions connecting the fin plates to the bridge portions are cut to separate all the fin plates from the bridge portions, so that the bridge portions are discarded. Therefore, the material yield is deteriorated. As a result, the production cost of the radiator increases.

Radiator for liquid cooling type cooling device and method of producing the same


This invention discloses a code division multiple access communications system based on spread sequences designed by using complete factorization of polyphase matrix of a perfect reconstruction (PR) filter bank. The key characteristic is that the length of the spread sequence is longer than the period of the data symbol i.e., the data symbols are spreaded by the spread sequence and overlapped with neighboring data symbols. The design method includes an orthogonal code generator, a number of cascading stages and random permutation matrices. The number of cascading stages and random permutation matrices are selected according to the length of the spread sequence required. The length of the spread sequence could be selected according to the system performance requirement, hence the overlapping factor of spreaded data symbols. Furthermore, this spread sequence assumes integer values instead of binary when the orthogonal code generator generates a Walsh-Hadamard code. The number of integer values level could be limited by employing proper permutation matrices. This spread sequence generation method could be implemented using simple integer arithmetic. Furthermore, This spread sequences are highly secured since random permutation matrices are used.

The present invention relates to code division multiple access communication systems based on spread sequences designed by using complete factorization of a polyphase matrix of a perfect construction (PR) filter bank. It is especially suitable for use in mobile communication system where the channels between transmitters and receivers are characterized by multipath fading. This spread sequence is applicable in mobile stations or in base stations where code division multiple access (CDMA) is utilized. In addition to mobile communication systems, this spread sequence could be utilized in personal communication system (PCS) and digital cellular system. The invention facilitates better communication over channels characterized by fading and jamming.
In mobile communication systems, the channels between transmitters and receivers are characterized by multipath fading as well as by additive noise. Various approaches have been taken to minimize these errors by means of coding and decoding in the transmitters and receivers respectively. In an alternative approach, spread sequences which are significantly longer than the data symbol have been used to minimize the errors due to multipath fading. By employing spread sequences which are significantly longer than the data symbol interval, the transmission of each data symbol of each user is spread over a wide temporal and spectral content. The data symbols spread by these sequences are overlapped with neighboring data symbols to maintain the same bandwidth. A brief description appears on xe2x80x9cSpread-Signature CDMA: Efficient multiuser communications in the presence of fadingxe2x80x9d by G. W. Wornell in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, pp 1418-1438, Vol 41, No.5, September 1995 (U.S. Pat. No.: 5,570,351). Wornell used a structure to design longer spread sequences with binary values. Although the codes are binary valued, the transmitted streams generated via modulation are not binary values. Modulated data streams are integer valued. At the same time, the length of the code increases exponentially with the number of users. For example, if the number of users is M, overlapping is constrained to Mk, k=1,2,3, . . . i.e., the sequence length is constrained to M2,M3,M4, . . . etc.
The present invention provides a spread sequence design method for code division multiple access communication system using complete factorization of the polyphase matrix of a perfect reconstruction (PR) filter bank. The length of the spread sequence is longer than the period of the data symbol i.e., the data symbols are spread by the spread sequence and overlapped with the neighboring data symbols. A similar spread sequence is employed at the receiver to demodulate the received data stream. Multiple units could be employed at the receiver to process the delayed versions of the received signal and combine by maximal ratio, equal gain or other alternative criteria to generate decision variable. According to the present invention, the spread sequence design method includes an orthogonal code generator to generate an orthogonal matrix and cascading stages which comprise additions, subtractions and shifting operations. The number of cascading stages is determined according to the number of sequences and the length of the sequences required. Random permutation matrices are used at every cascading stage to randomize the spread sequences.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the present sequence is implemented in QPSK. This includes an orthogonal code generator to generate a Walsh-Hadamard matrix and cascading stages which comprise additions, subtractions and shifting operations. The number of cascading stages is determined according to the number of sequences and the length of the sequences required. Random permutation matrices are used at every cascading stage to randomize the spread codes. An interleaving coder encodes the input data symbols into two data series and assigning then to the I-phase and the Q-phase respectively, in a QPSK modulator. A first upsampler and sequence modulator for the data series is assigned to the I-phase. A second upsampler and sequence modulator for the data series is assigned to the Q-phase. According to another aspect of the present invention, the integer valued spread sequence design method includes a Walsh-Hadamard code generator to generate a Walsh-Hadamard matrix and cascading stages which comprise additions, subtractions and shifting operations. The number of cascading stages is determined according to the number of sequences and the length of the sequences required. Random permutation matrices are used at every cascading stage to randomize the spread sequences.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the present integer valued sequence is implemented in QPSK. This includes a Walsh-Hadamard code generator to generate a Walsh-Hadamard matrix and cascading stages which comprise additions, subtractions and shifting operations. The number of cascading stages is determined according to the number of sequences and the length of the sequences required. Random permutation matrices are used at every cascading stage to randomize the spread codes. An interleaving coder encodes the input data symbols into two data series and assigns them to the I-phase and the Q-phase respectively, in a QPSK modulator. A first upsampler and sequence modulator for the data series is assigned to the I-phase. A second upsampler and sequence modulator for the data series is assigned to the Q-phase.
Moreover, in the present invention, the number of cascading stages and permutation matrices are selected according to the number of sequences and the length of the sequences required. The length of the sequence is determined according to the performance requirement. By employing spread sequences which are longer than the period of data symbol, the transmission of each data symbol of each user is spreaded over a wide temporal and spectral extent. Furthermore, when the sequences are designed from a Walsh-Hadamard matrix and with some cascading stages, it can be implemented using simple integer arithmetic. The number of integer values level could be limited by employing proper permutation matrices. By incorporating a predetermined random permutation matrix, the sequence can be designed to be time varying sequence. Furthermore, This spread sequences are highly secured since random permutation matrices are used.
As will be appreciated, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, as its several details are capable of modifications in various respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

Code division multiple access communication system using overlapping spread sequences


A computer aided design application modifies a CAD drawing having one or more electrical components by optimizing a plurality of circuits and associated panels, and assigning circuit and panel identifiers to each component for producing an engineering drawing. Further such identified components can be placed in home run groups, implementing shortest path calculations for various wire types and using neutral wires sharing options for producing an engineering drawing illustrating the home run grouping and identifiers, panel schedules and complete bills of materials.

In one context, a building design, in the form of architectural drawings (preliminary drawings), is provided to an engineer or design professional who applies codes, standards and rules to prepare and adjust the building design as necessary to ensure regulatory compliance and to meet the client's individual requirements. During this process, the design professional generates sufficient detail for the production of detailed engineering drawings and specifications suitable for construction including the location and type of electrical services, all of which are subject to regulatory or higher design criteria. The detailed drawings are usually done by a team of skilled draftspersons, who may also be design professionals. These professionals also inject individuality and further detail into the final design.
In Applicant's previous U.S. Pat. No. 6,999,907 assigned to Draftlogic System, Inc., Alberta, Canada, a process is provided for automating the determination of detailed engineering specifications and production of detailed engineering CAD drawings from a client's raw architectural drawings. An architectural drawing comprises a multitude of drawings elements but it also comprises assets formed of such drawings elements including corridors, rooms and utility rooms, all of which have different requirements for electrical and mechanical services, standards and compliance. The architectural drawing, containing an architectural structure, is parsed to locate the structure's determinative assets. Standards applicable to at least the functional characteristics of the assets are applied for generating the detailed features necessary for production of detailed engineered drawings. Further, the client's known professional preferences can be imparted, while still resulting in detailed designs that conforms to the client's personal and professional expectations.
An example of Applicant prior process is the generation of drawings which include: number and capacity of electrical components which are substantially compatible with a raw architectural preliminary layout specifying boundaries or rooms and location of electrical components.
To date electrical circuiting has still required the application of professional skill, application of various rules of thumb and estimating.
Some automation has been attempted in CAD programs such as through manual user interaction, specifically through the manual picking of like and adjacent electrical services on a CAD drawing, which are to be circuited together, the optimal arrangements being performed by the human user. A user selects a circuit and then select the components to put on that circuit. The selected components are tagged with the chosen circuit number a panel schedule is populated with the total load for the circuit. Further, individual clients or draftspersons are expected to distinguish a room from a corridor, and then define which of the various types of rooms receive which level of services (e.g. dedicated electrical outlets) and how the service will be supplied (e.g. through the floor or from the ceiling).
This known process, is laborious and inflexible. It is inevitable that there will be changes in the overall design which arise during the usually protracted duration between obtaining preliminary drawings and final issuance of the detailed drawings. Changes require the human user to repeat the selection steps. Further, the resulting level and quality of the details in the design is variable due to many levels of design input, from the design professional to the draftspersons. There is a need to repeatedly and dynamically revise each drawing, in a domino effect, for changes which arise in one or more related drawings. Revisions can result in a fragmentation of an originally well-ordered circuit structure, with deletions and merely appending of newly revised circuits.
About one half of the time expended, between obtaining preliminary drawings and issuance of the detailed design drawings, is consumed in the detailed drafting portion. This creates two main disadvantages: a significant time delay, and a related increase in cost.
Further, while an architect, design professional or other client is constrained by many known and standardized codes, there are also instances where the known codes are inapplicable and personal judgment is applied or where the client's or design professional's personal standards exceed those of the codes. Each time the design process is commissioned, those personal and professional judgments or standards must be communicated to and be known by the draftsperson, generally through a working relationship developed over time, so that that appropriate standards and codes are utilized. Often the draftsperson simply adopts a number of personal and professional judgments or standards that are known, or which are assumed to be preferred by the design professional and those become the rules which are applied to the detailed design drawings.
Typically, under budget pressures, the actual design process is a combination of personal designer judgment and CAD tools. Accordingly, in a conservative approach to design, and avoid tedious recursive calculations, a designer might overspecify lighting for a particular room, ultimately resulting in too much light for the room's purpose, an initial higher capital cost for fixtures and wiring, perhaps requiring an increase in wire size for the circuit, and a needless increase in energy requirements in operation. In the future, there is more waste in renovation or demolition.
Further, due to the difficulty involved in establishing the actual wiring, considering possible circuit grouping or routing options, it is a common practice in the industry to simply avoid illustrating wiring on the electrical drawing at all and leave the actual routing of wiring to the field installers. Simply, there are a large number of manhours expended in the mere drawing of branch circuit wiring especially when following the more stringent routing rules for conduit and wire compared to the more relaxed rules for drawing armored cable.
Accordingly, there is identified a need for a system to aid the design professional, clients and client-engineers who wish to improve the detailed design process for the production of electrical engineering drawings including to achieve the following: reduced turnaround, reduced costs, repeatedly and reliably applied personalized standards, and reduced overhead on the design professional where professional and standard codes are known and where individual professional standards can be learned and applied.

System and process for client driven automated circuiting and branch circuit wiring


Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for mitigating thermal increases in electronic devices. Example devices may include memory and at least one processor configured to access the memory and execute computer-executable instructions to determine that a temperature of the device satisfies a first threshold, send a notification to an access point communicatively coupled to the device indicating that the device will enter a sleep state for a length of time, and cause the device to enter the sleep state. Certain embodiments may be configured to cause the device to enter an awake state after the length of time, determine that the temperature satisfies a second threshold, and determine that a period of time has elapsed. Some embodiments may be configured to determine that a first bandwidth mode is active at the device, and cause a second bandwidth mode to be activated at the device.

Electronic devices may generate heat during use. For example, heat may be generated by computer processors, wireless communication components, batteries, and other components of some electronic devices. For some electronic devices, such as those with relatively small form factors, heat that is generated can quickly increase the overall temperature of the device, which may negatively impact device performance and/or a user experience with the device. Accordingly, mitigation of thermal increases in electronic devices may be desired.

Mitigating thermal increases in electronic devices


The present disclosure provides a shift register. The shift register includes: a first node control module for controlling level at the first node; a second node control module for controlling level at a second node; and an output control module for controlling the output terminal to output high or low level. The first node control module includes an input unit configured to write the input signal into the third node and a protection unit configured to control a level at a fourth node based on a level at the third node and control writing of the level at the fourth node into the first node based on the second clock signal. The technical solution of the present disclosure can prevent the transistor for providing the third node with inputting signal from being broken down.

With the rapid development of the flat panel display technology, an Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED for short) has been widely applied due to its excellent characteristics such as self-luminescence, high brightness, wide viewing angle, and rapid response. In order to drive organic light emitting devices in an OLED to emit light, an OLED panel includes a scan driving circuit containing a plurality of cascaded shift registers.
A circuit structure of a shift register in the related art and its corresponding operating sequence are shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, respectively. FIG. 1 is a circuit structure diagram of a shift register provided in the related art and FIG. 2 is an operating sequence diagram of the shift register provided in the related art. It has been found that there is a risk of breakdown of the transistor M1 in the shift register due to high voltage drop between its first terminal and second terminal.

Scan driving circuit, driving method, and display device


The present invention relates to a method for controlling a communication of a first communicating device to a second communicating device over a communication network, the method comprises: monitoring data traffic to the communication network from the first communication device, in response to detection of at least one predetermined piece of information generating an acknowledgment complying a communication protocol used for the communication, and transmitting the generated acknowledgement to the first communication device for indicating a delivery of the data traffic to the second communicating device. The invention also relates to a network device and a computer program product.

Different communication protocols are developed for enabling efficient communication between devices coupled to a communication network. The Internet protocol suite is a widely used protocol suite for transmitting data over the Internet network. Specifically, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) being part of the Internet protocol suite is a connection-oriented protocol which refers to an implementation in which a connection is established before any data is sent and upon completion of the transmission of data the connection is terminated. Such a TCP based session may e.g. be established between a client device and a web server.
In FIG. 1 it is schematically illustrated a communication session between a client device 110 and a server 120 over a communication network 130 with a TCP connection according to prior art. First a session is established and the server 120 and the client device 110 agree upon sequence and acknowledgment numbers during the connection establishment. The end requesting the session establishment (i.e. the client device 110 in FIG. 1) sends a SYN segment specifying the port number of the server 120 that the client device 110 wants to connect to and an initial sequence number of the client device 110. The server responds with its own SYN segment comprising the server's initial sequence number. The server 120 also acknowledges the client device's SYN. According to TCP procedure the client device 110 must acknowledge the SYN segment received from the server 120. In response to an accomplishment of this "handshake procedure" the communication session is established and the parties, i.e. the client device 110 and the server 120, may start sending data to each other.
The sending of data may e.g. be initiated by the client device 110 by sending a data request to the server 120. The data request may carry parameters, such as acknowledgement number and window information defining a number of bytes the server 120 may send before it receives an acknowledgement from the client device 110. In the example of FIG. 1 the server 120 sends the requested data in two segments referred with DATA ACK #1 and DATA ACK #2 in FIG. 1.
The parties may continue the sending of data until a party wants to close the connection. In the example of FIG. 1 the party is the client device 110 which sends FIN (finish) or RST (reset) segment to the server 120. The server 120 acknowledges the receipt of FIN segment and may send its own FIN segment when an application in the server 120 end is closed. The client device 110 acknowledges the receipt of the FIN segment from the server 120.
As may be seen from the above the operation of TCP protocol is based on an idea that the communication parties acknowledge to each other the communication received by them. Fundamentally thinking the next sending of data cannot be initiated, also taking into account TCP receive buffer defined in TCP Receive window size information, until a receipt of the previous sent data is acknowledged. However, the described communication mechanism may cause latency in the communication especially in situations in which the communicating parties reside distantly, e.g. 1-100 km, from each other. For example, consider that situation in which the communicating parties reside 100 km from each other and both parties acknowledge a receipt of data in both communication directions during the data exchange. The problem cannot be solved even if the bandwidth of a communication channel is increased, because the limiting factor, and one source of latency, is the TCP mechanism itself.
Hence, there is need to develop solution which mitigate the drawbacks of the existing situation at least in part.

Elimination of latency in a communication channel


An apparatus for handling stacks (18) of printing media (11) which are arranged above one another and are made from packaging material, in particular a magazine (16) for excise stamps, coupons or the like, preferably within an apparatus for producing packs (10) for cigarettes, having a shaft (19) for receiving the stack (18), which shaft (19) is delimited at least partially by preferably stationary walls (20) and is, in particular, upright. The shaft (19) can have at least one suction device (25) which acts in regions on the stack (18) in order to hold and/or align the printing media (11) on the wall (20) by means of vacuum.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an apparatus for handling stacks of printing media which are arranged above one another and are made from packaging material, in particular a magazine for excise stamps, coupons or the like, preferably within an apparatus for producing packs for cigarettes, having a shaft for receiving the stack, which shaft is delimited at least partially by preferably stationary walls and is, in particular, upright. Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding method.
2. Prior Art
Apparatuses of this type are known, for example, from practice in the form of magazines for stacks of excise stamps for cigarette packs in different embodiments. As a rule, the excise stamps are fed from above into an upright shaft of the magazine and are removed individually from the underside of the said stack, and are fed to a cigarette pack and are fastened to the latter.
Firstly, a problem here is the alignment of the excise stamps in the shaft and also the removal in the region of the underside of the said shaft. In order for it to be possible to separate the excise stamps reliably, it is often required to reduce the height of the stack, in order to reduce the friction between the excise stamps which lie on one another. Otherwise, there is the risk that a plurality of printing media are removed in one go from the stack and disruptions occur in the subsequent processing. With regard to the alignment of the excise stamps, it is to be noted that they partially have different dimensions as a result of manual processing. In order to ensure a positionally accurate transfer to the cigarette packs, an alignment of the excise stamps is therefore indispensable.

Apparatus and method for handling stacks of printing media


The present disclosure is directed to an improved telemetry system and data recovery telemetry receiver apparatus for installation with a logging cable supported sonde. In the sonde, a data stream is modulated onto a carrier after conversion by an encoder. Encoding involves conversion from a stream of binary data into four state symbols which are then encoded into seven duobinary levels. The availability of redundant levels permits correlation between encoded symbols and adjacent symbols. This is transmitted up the monocable to the surface and is recovered. The recovery involves amplification by an automatic gain control amplifier, conversion from an analog to digital form in an ADC, demodulation and reconstruction of the transmitted signal by means of a adaptive transversal filter equalizer featuring fractionally spaced sampling. Reconstructed output levels are then provided, and a slicer adjusts those values to the permitted seven levels. The data is then decoded. Extraordinary bandwidth compression is accomplished so that a large data flow can be provided through a monocable having only limited band pass capacity.

A telemetry system is set forth in the present disclosure which is particularly useful in well logging tools. It is particularly intended for use with one or more logging devices supported on a logging cable and enclosed within a sonde wherein the logging tools provide logging data at ever increasing data transfer rates. In particular, it is a telemetry system which will successfully operate on a single conductor (hence the term monocable) within the logging cable wherein the single conductor carries other signal and power transmission on the cable.
When first introduced, downhole logging tools performed measurements which transmitted signals to the surface as analog signals. As time passed, more sophisticated systems came into being including AM, FM, PCM, etc. Analog capacity reached the equivalent of about 4,000 bits per second using a PPM systems. Analog transfer, however, has become obsolete as digital computers have come to the front in execution of surface data processing. The present advanced logging systems use QPSK or three level duobinary coding. This has accomplished some bandwidth reduction by a factor of two fold. Cable parameters must be carefully determined and carefully monitored because analog equalizers are normally used to remove cable distortion. Obviously, not every cable is equally well made, and cables do vary in their transfer function so that cables cannot always be properly matched with telemetry systems. The present disclosure is directed to a telemetry system which can function without requiring extraordinary cable quality and will function notwithstanding variations in cable transfer characteristics.
In very general terms, the telemetry system has a downhole transmitter connected to a surface receiver. There is however the transfer function of the cable which inevitably distorts and attenuates the signal transmitted along the cable. The received signal must be processed so that the data of interest can be recovered without errors. The problem is made even more difficult because the monocable is often used for the transfer of other data. Data from the surface can be sent downwardly on the same monocable and must be accommodated so that instructions for operations of the downhole logging tool can be obtained. It is also common to place a DC voltage on the cable so that electrical power is transferred to the tool for operation of various electrical components in the tool. With this backdrop, the uplink data must be transmitted along the monocable subject to variable distortion, and transmission occurs in the presence of other signals interposed on the same current conductor.
The monocable is typically comprised of a single conductor with a shield or alternate conductor serving as ground. Data is created in the logging tool and has the form of a sequence of binary symbols. The logging tool telemetry apparatus will be described as converting the data from the logging tool into a selected format such as NRZ data, a mixed sequence of binary zeros or binary ones. The data is preferably transmitted at a particular clock rate. The downhole system preferably incorporates a scrambler provided with the NRZ data stream which distributes the ones and zeros in a pseudorandom sequence and also assures level transitions while avoiding forming a long fixed value. This makes it easier to operate the AGC (automatic gain control) amplifier and clock recovery circuit at the surface as will be described. The present apparatus first converts a stream of NRZ data bits to four level data by converting each successive two bits of NRZ data into one four level data symbol. The four level signal is then converted into a seven level duobinary-encoded signal that requires half the bandwidth of the four level signal and a fourth of the bandwidth of the original NRZ signal. As the type and diameter of the cable permit, the bandwidth for data transmission along the monocable increases. Even so, there is a limit to the maximum data rate that can be transmitted on any particular monocable given a particular noise environment. The modulation scheme described herein allows that maximum data rate to be more closely approached than previous modulation schemes. This type of data encoding, which compresses the required signal bandwidth, allows a higher rate of data transfer than any previous system would allow for any particular monocable.
The logging cable (defined as a pair of conductors) extending from the surface is a form of transmission line. The cable has a certain transfer characteristic. In fact, the monocable is a transmission line which has a limited bandwidth. If the data transfer rate is increased, cable limitations cause serious data degradation. One result of limited band width is the fact that signal output has reduced harmonic content so that the output is severely distorted and is primarily an analog signal. Adjacent digital symbols contribute to intersymbol interference when transmitted along the cable. As the distortion and interference increase and signal amplitude decreases, limits in data transfer capacity are encountered. In the present apparatus, seven pulse levels are used so that each level of the seven represents two bits of data. By using seven levels, bandwidth efficiency is increased and the data transfer rate is enhanced. The theoretical bit rate in this approach is in part limited by the permitted signal to noise ratio for quality signal transmission. The present system thus uses seven levels of digital data, the levels centered at zero and includes three symmetrical levels above and below zero. The data in encoded in a particular way (called multilevel correlative coding) to achieve the seven levels while limiting the transmission bandwidth of the signal. In summary, the bandwidth efficiency is four times that of a NRZ system using amplitude modulation. Use of seven level encoding permits correlation between adjacent data bits. Assume that the four state symbols can be encoded to the seven levels, leaving three of the states unused. The "surplus" states are selected to encode the four state symbol plus some aspect of adjacent symbols and hence assures improved data recovery by adjacent symbol correlation.
Appropriate coupling circuits separate the uplink telemetry system, downlink telemetry system, and DC power supply connections for operation on the monocable. The present disclosure is thus directed to a downhole sonde supported data encoding system. It also discloses a data receiving system which is installed at the surface. The equipment at the surface must reverse distortion that was created by the cable on the transmitted signal. If the cable were precisely fixed and unchanging, the nature of the distortion could be permanently known, but this is not the good fortune of operation. Rather, the distortion is variable. The distortion is overcome in a manner to be described below by use of an adaptive transversal filter equalizer. The adaptive transversal filter equalizer automatically adjusts its transfer function to correct for a variable amount of cable distortion which distortion must be assumed to vary dynamically.
A seven level encoding system is set forth, thereby enabling a single seven level symbol to represent two symbols decoded from NRZ binary. The seven levels make decoding more difficult, but it enables the transmission of far more data without increasing the required bandwidth in the monocable. Data recovery is limited by the signal to noise ratio. Accordingly, the downhole telemetry equipment converts the data from typical NRZ binary data into an amplitude modulated (AM) seven level duobinary set of symbols which are then filtered to limit the bandwidth of the transmitted signal and which is thereby converted into an analog signal. That signal is then amplified by a power amplifier for application to the monocable. Appropriate coupling circuits separate uplink transmitter data, downlink received data and poweer for opperation of the logging tool. The transmitted analog signal is propagated up the logging cable to the receiver. There, an uplink receiver having a filter separates the signal from downlink transmitted data and converts the received or uplink signal into a suitable signal for recovering the original data. The receiving apparatus at the surface includes an automatic gain control amplifier (AGC), a related clock recovery circuit to reconstruct the clock signal in the received uplink signal, an analog to digital converter and an equalizer and slicer circuit. The equalizer circuit in conjunction with the slicer circuit converts the digital signals into the encoding levels originally involved (seven levels in the preferred system). A descrambler circuit is included at the surface to reverse the effect of the downhole scrambler. Most sondes will support at least two different logging tools which form two different data streams. Assuming that a multiplexer is used in the sonde to transmit data from two or more tools, the data is transmitted in specific data frames. This is a time multiplexed sequence which is sorted by computer at the surface. So to speak, a demultiplexer is included at the surface by sorting time frames, and the several output data are then delivered for data processing and/or storage in typical recorders which record the data as a function of depth in the well borehole. In the preferred embodiment, the two or more tools in the sonde furnish data for transmission in response to surface originated signals; in that arrangement, data frames are interwoven, enabling transfer of two or more data streams. At the surface, the two or more data streams must be sorted out and in this regard, the recovered signal may require demultiplexing to separate multiple transmitted signals.
Emphasis should be focused on the equalizer and slicer. The equalizer is provided with digital values which ideally represent the levels of the encoded input, or seven levels in the preferred embodiment. However, because of unknown and variable distortions arising from variations in cable temperature and length, the input to the equalizer is not precisely at the seven levels originally transmitted. The received signal, after has error due to noise, phase shift, temperature variation, etc. Consider a seven level output system where 2.0 units amplitude is one of the digital levels. If the output of the equalizer is 2.18, slicing must occur to reduce that value to 2.00. In other words, slicing recreates levels matching the transmitted levels. Even where errors arise from the distortion to the signal occurring during cable transmission, such errors are removed by the present apparatus without regard to the precise transfer characteristics of the cable.
With the foregoing in view, the present apparatus is very briefly described as a logging tool telemetry system which transmits a multiple level signal outputting an analog signal after transmission along a monocable in the logging cable to surface located uplink telemetry receiving apparatus. The signal is processed through an AGC amp, is digitized by an ADC, the clock synchronization in the signal is recovered, and the output is then passed through an equalizer and slicer. The output is delivered to one or multiple recorders after data processing for recording thereby, and such data is recorded as a function of depth in the well borehole. The system operates substantially free of different or variable transmission characteristics of the monocable.

Advanced digital telemetry system for monocable transmission featuring multilevel correlative coding and adaptive transversal filter equalizer


The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for mixing and atomizing a hydrocarbon stream using a diluent/dispersion stream. The apparatus includes an inner conduit having an inlet for receiving the diluent/dispersion stream; an outer conduit having an inlet for receiving the hydrocarbon stream and an outlet for dispensing a mixture including the hydrocarbon and the dispersion/diluent streams; the outer conduit concentric to the inner conduit to define at least a first annular space and a second annular space; the first annular space being located downstream of the inlet of the outer conduit, the first annular space enabling formation of a thin film of the hydrocarbon stream between an outer surface of the inner conduit and an inner surface of the outer conduit; the second annular space being located downstream of the first annular space, the second annular space having a width greater than a width of the first annular space; and the inner conduit located at about the second annular space includes a first set orifices disposed on a periphery thereof for dispensing a first portion of the dispersion/diluent stream into the thin film of hydrocarbon stream to cross-shear the thin film and form the mixture including the hydrocarbon and the dispersion/diluent streams.

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is employed in petroleum refineries to convert high boiling hydrocarbon fractions of crude oil to more valuable products like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), gasoline and diesel. For this, heavy crude oil is chemically cracked into lighter hydrocarbon fractions having comparatively smaller chain of carbon atoms with the help of one or more catalysts. These high boiling hydrocarbons fractions are then introduced, in multiple streams, into a riser reactor section to undergo catalytic cracking. This results in lighter hydrocarbon fractions, which may be further sent to a fractional distillation column for extracting aforementioned valuable products.
In Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC), the atomization of hydrocarbon feed is very critical for contacting the hydrocarbon feed with catalyst particles. A uniform and narrow distribution of droplet size helps in faster vaporization of hydrocarbon feed leading to reduction in coke and better product selectivity.
In FCC, catalyst particles having particle size distribution in the range of 0-150 μm with average particle size of 70-90 μm are used to carry out the cracking reaction of hydrocarbon feed. Naphtha, which is a light hydrocarbon feed, normally has a boiling point up to 180 degree celsius. Heavy hydrocarbons such as vacuum residue normally boils over 370 degrees Celsius.
The feed is injected into the moving catalyst particles (said catalyst particles having temperature greater than 650 degree Celsius) from an apparatus for cracking in the form of droplets and the cracking of these feed molecules takes place in vapour phase on the active catalyst surface in a very short period of time. If the feed is injected without proper atomization, the contact of the feed droplets and catalyst particles will be poor and the heat transfer from the hot catalyst particle to feed will be less, resulting in low vaporisation of feed. Therefore, the hydrocarbon feed is required to be atomized into fine droplets which are of similar sizes of catalyst particles. This essentially helps to increase the contact of feed with the catalyst particles and the transfer of heat from the catalyst to feed for faster vaporization.
Uniform feed atomization will favour catalytic cracking, resulting in more desirable products and decrease in production of undesirable product (coke and dry gas). While designing an apparatus for catalytic cracking, the objective is to generate a narrow distribution of droplet size of hydrocarbon feed with sauter mean diameter (SMD) nearly equal to the average particle size of the catalyst particles. Bigger droplets will cause more penetration into the catalyst bed in riser and form coke and dry gas. Smaller droplet size will cause less penetration.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,457 describes a nozzle for atomization of a liquid stream. The nozzle comprises a primary conduit and a secondary conduit. The primary conduit is concentric to the secondary conduit and defines an annular space and a mixing zone. The hydrocarbon feed is introduced in the annular space between the primary conduit and the secondary conduit and the dispersion medium is introduced into the secondary conduit. In the mixing zone, the hydrocarbon stream is joined with the dispersion stream in a manner to force the hydrocarbon stream into the general shape of a thin film that surrounds the dispersion medium. The inner surface of the primary conduit within the mixing zone is a tapered surface that reduces the cross-sectional area of the primary conduit in the mixing zones to form the liquid film therein which is atomized as it exits the primary conduit outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,707 describes a FCC feed injector wherein the atomizing medium is injected at multiple stages to decrease the feed droplet size. The feed injector comprises a plurality of inlets and plurality of mixing zones. The mixing zones are in fluid connection with each other. In one embodiment, the injector comprises an external sparger configured to define a first mixing zone. In another embodiment, the injector comprises a mixing tee configured to define the first mixing zone. The first mixing zone receives the first atomizing fluid and the hydrocarbon feed to form a first mixture. The second mixing zone receives a second atomizing fluid and the mixture from the first mixing zone to form a second mixture. The second mixture is, thereafter, dispensed into the riser reactor zone in a pre-determined spray pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,857A describes a feed nozzle assembly for introducing steam and a heavy petroleum hydrocarbon into a reactor. The feed nozzle assembly comprises a hydrocarbon conduit and a diluent/dispersion conduit. The hydrocarbon conduit is concentric to the dispersion conduit to define an annular passage for introducing the hydrocarbon feed. The nozzle further comprises a first nozzle tip and a second nozzle tip. The first nozzle tip is attached to an outer end of the dispersion conduit. The first nozzle tip comprises two rows having a plurality of passageways therein for passage of the dispersion stream out of said dispersion conduit into said heavy petroleum hydrocarbon passing through said hydrocarbon conduit, thereby resulting in a mixture of steam and hydrocarbon. The second nozzle tip is attached to the hydrocarbon conduit for dispensing the mixture of steam and hydrocarbon out of said feed nozzle assembly.
As can be seen, apparatus disclosed in prior arts fall short in completely and efficiently atomizing a hydrocarbon feed. One reason for said inefficient atomization may be that, in most of the prior arts, the onset of mixing and breaking up of the hydrocarbon stream does not start at the initial length of the apparatus and therefore there is an improper mixing/atomization of the hydrocarbon feed with the diluent/dispersion stream at the final stages. Even if onset of atomization occurs at initial length of the apparatus, none of the available prior arts enable formation of a thin film of hydrocarbon at the initial length to provide an enhanced interface area of the hydrocarbon film for increasing the mixing of hydrocarbon with dispersion/diluent stream. Due to inefficient mixing at the initial length, the apparatus of prior arts have to incorporate number of mixing zones which unnecessarily complicates the designs of the apparatus. Inefficient atomization leads to non-uniformity in terms of diameter and velocity of the droplets of the atomized hydrocarbon feed. Moreover, it takes considerable time for such hydrocarbon feeds to vaporize. Delayed vaporization of the hydrocarbon feed in turn leads to slow and inadequate absorption of heat by the hydrocarbon droplets inside the riser reactor, thus leading to undesirable thermal cracking and excessive production of by-products such as coke.
Therefore, there is a constant need for simple and improved apparatus which can facilitate the onset of atomization at initial stages and generate droplets of hydrocarbon feed having SMD lesser than those available in the prior art, preferably in the range nearing the average particle size of catalyst particles.

Method and apparatus for mixing and atomizing a hydrocarbon stream using a diluent/dispersion stream


The present invention discloses an array substrate, which includes a thin-film transistor, a data line, a gate line, and a pixel electrode. The array substrate further includes a common electrode. The common electrode has a first region, a second region, and at least one opening. The first region is defined on the common electrode, and the first region is a projection of the pixel electrode on a plane where the common electrode is located. The second region is defined on the common electrode, and the second region is close to at least one edge of the first region. The at least one opening is disposed on the second region of the common electrode.

Multiple pixel electrodes are disposed on an array substrate of a conventional LCD device. The pixel electrodes are utilized to generate an electric field for applying to liquid-crystal molecules, thereby altering orientations of the liquid-crystal molecules. Each pixel electrode herein has at least two trunk electrodes and multiple strip electrodes. The two trunk electrodes are perpendicular to each other, and the strip electrode are arranged along a certain angle with respect to the trunk electrodes. When the strip electrodes of the pixel electrode are energized, charge densities distributed over the pixel electrode are quite different between an edge and a central region. That is, the charge density at an end of the strip electrode that is away from the two trunk electrodes is larger than the charge densities at other portions of the strip electrode, such that a strength and a direction of an force, which is applied to the liquid-crystal molecules, generated from the edge of the pixel electrode are different from those generated from the central region of the pixel electrode. As a result, arrangements of the liquid-crystal molecules are in disorder around the edge of the pixel electrode, so a display effect of the LCD device is reduced.

SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO LTD


The present invention concerns an intrauterine device comprising a support 41, and constituents 42, 43 releasing an active ingredient.

Applicant claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 of BELGIUM Application No. 9900331 filed on May 7, 1999. Applicant also claims, priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7120 of PCT/BE00/00036 filed on Apr. 13, 2000. The international application under PCT article 21(2) was not published in English.
The present invention relates to an intrauterine device comprising a support and an ingredient releasing element for releasing an active ingredient, the active ingredient comprising copper and a steroid selected from the group consisting of natural progesterone, levonorgestrel and desogestrel. The copper has a surface area in the range 100 to 250 mm2, and the steroid is releasable at a release rate within the following range, as a function of the steroid used:
The invention has high contraceptive efficacy and significantly reduced side effects.
Intrauterine contraceptive devices are generally constituted by a support and an active ingredient released from the support.
The support is either a substantially rigid support, for example T or V-shaped, held in the uterus by dint of its shape, or a readily deformable thread or loop held in the uterus by anchoring into the wall at the fundus of the uterus.
Copper is traditionally employed as the active ingredient in intrauterine devices. Depending on the supports employed, the copper is either in the form of a coiled wire or a collar mounted on a rigid support, or in the form of elements that may or may not be hollow that are assembled together, generally by a filament, to constituent a non-rigid assembly in the form of a thread. An intrauterine device of that latter type is, for example, disclosed in the present Applicant""s Belgian patent BE-A-901 652. In that publication, the intrauterine device is constituted by hollow copper elements, pierced through and disposed end-to-end to form a longitudinal channel allowing the passage of a needle, those elements being connected into a non-rigid assembly, the assembly being integral with a filament provided with a means for anchoring it in the tissue of the uterus, which can be inserted using a needle.
When copper is used as an active ingredient, until now it has been considered that the larger the surface area of copper exposed in the uterus, i.e., the larger the number of copper ions liberated into the uterus per unit time, the better the contraceptive action of the intrauterine device. This is despite the fact that copper ions are known to have a perturbing effect on homeostasis of the endometrium, in particular its coagulation capacity, and are thus capable of causing heavy bleeding during periods. This perturbing effect is, however, accepted in order to guarantee the contraceptive activity of the device. As a result, the surface area of the copper exposed in the uterus is not generally less than 250 mm2. Trials carried out with conventional T or V-shaped intrauterine devices having a reduced copper surface area of 200 mm2 show a failure rate (undesirable pregnancies) of 3%, which is unacceptable.
The use of steroids from the progesterone family (progesterone and progestins) as the active ingredient in the uterus is also known. Such substances have until now been contained either in a silicone support in the form of a rod, or in a porous polymer support in the form of a fibre, with characteristics that are ascertained so as to provide a release rate for the active ingredient that is suitable for the desired contraceptive activity. An intrauterine device of that type has been described in European patent EP-B-0 445 150, which is also in the name of the present Applicant.
Steroids from the progesterone family used in the uterus as an active contraceptive ingredient comprise natural progesterone and progestins, examples of which are levonorgestrel, norgestimate, gestodene, desogestrel, medroxyprogesterone acetate, etc . . .
The skilled person is well aware that such steroids do not all have the same degree of activity, and so some necessitate the use of high release rates than others. Thus, for example, when the porous polymer support contains natural progesterone, release rates until now have been in the range 50 to 100 xcexcg/day; for levonorgestrel, the release rate range is 20 to 30 xcexcg/day, while for desogestrel, a release rate range of 1 to 5 xcexcg/day will not be exceeded.
Such quantities of steroids, considered until now to be necessary to guarantee a satisfactory contraceptive action, are capable of having undesirable side effects, such as systemic effects: mood changes, headaches, nausea, acne, functional ovarian cysts, or local effects: prolonged weak bleeding or amenorrhea.
Finally, intrauterine devices with a stronger contraceptive effect have been produced by combining natural progesterone and copper. Such a device has been described in German patent DE-A-4 125 575.
In that document, it is known to use a device with a copper surface area of 250 mm2 and a progesterone release rate of 65 xcexcg/day. This substantially corresponds to the copper surface areas and progesterone release rates used until now in intrauterine devices employing just one of those constituents.
Finally, EP-A-0 117 163 discloses the use of copper and progesterone together, combined with aminoisocaproic acid. That document teaches that in 1983, a copper-progesterone-aminoisocaproic acid combination was known to involve a synergistic effect between the constituents.
DE-A-4 125 575 teaches that in 1993, there was no incompatibility or contrary effects in a limited combination of copper and progesterone, since the combination was effective when the components were used in their normal quantities.
We have now surprisingly, discovered that at the contraceptive level, there exists a synergistic effect between copper and a progestin, this effect being of a level such that, while ensuring extremely high contraceptive efficacy, the doses of the constituents, copper and a progestin, can be reduced to values such that their side effects are considerably reduced, if not completely eliminated.
This complete or almost complete absence of side effects is particularly significant in the field of contraception. While the effectiveness of the intrauterine device is guaranteed, and this is at a high level in the device of the invention, for the comfort of the user and thus for the intrauterine device to be readily accepted, its use involves a minimum of disadvantages and as few perturbations as possible.
The present invention concerns an intrauterine device for putting this discovery into practice.
In its preferred embodiments, the invention also aims to provide an intrauterine device that not only has the advantages mentioned above, but which also protects the uterus against sexually transmitted ascending infections.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, the active ingredient is constituted by copper with a surface area of 100 to 250 mm2 and by a steroid from the progesterone family with a release rate in the range 10% to 70% of the minimum release rate employed for the steroid concerned when it is used as a contraceptive active ingredient.

Abstract: With the device of the invention, contraceptive efficacy is very high and side effects are substantially reduced.


A clamshell container having a cover portion and a tray portion connected by a living hinge wherein the corners of the sidewalls in at least the tray portion are perforated or scored to permit easy separation by a user to create a substantially flat serving tray is described.

Clamshell cartons are widely used for serving fast food in high-volume outlets in North America as well as in many parts of the world. These cartons provide a sturdy means to temporarily store hamburgers and sandwiches between the time these meals are served and the moment the cartons are opened to retrieve the meals. Most recognizably, clamshell cartons are used by both McDonalds of Oakbrook, Ill. and Burger King of Miami, Fla. to contain the iconic Big Mac™ and Whopper™ hamburgers.
As is a common practice among many consumers of fast food, the clamshell carton serves not only as a means to transport its contents, but as a convenient serving container replacing the need for a plate or other dish upon which to rest the sandwich/hamburger between bites. Practically, however, the clamshell container was not designed primarily as a serving container, but rather as a means to protect and prevent disassembly of a hamburger while it is being transported. As can be appreciated, to assist in maintaining the hamburger's integrity, the hamburger usually occupies almost the entirety of a designated clamshell container's volume with the edges of the burger often coming in contact with the opposing walls of the container.
Accordingly, when the container is opened and a cover portion is flipped away from a tray portion along a common living hinge, access to the hamburger is limited. When reaching to retrieve the meal, there is very little space for consumer to insert his/her fingers and grab the burger. Consumers must work their fingers around the sides of the sandwiches, rubbing the outside of their fingers alongside the inner walls of the carton in order to reach below the meal in an effort to grab and then lift the sandwich. This is an awkward and inconvenient process.
The problem is exacerbated when the consumer uses the container as a serving tray and, accordingly, repeatedly re-inserts and removes the sandwich from the tray. In addition, consumers must lower their meals carefully so that they are placed inside the tray in a flat, resting position. This requires extra focus or concentration. If the hamburgers are not carefully lowered inside the walls of the carton, spillage of the burger contents may result. For example, if a hamburger is being re-inserted into a carton and part of the burger is placed on the lower carton's wall, the hamburger will lie at an angle. As a result, some of the hamburger contents may slide or spill out.
As a general point of reference, folds (or fold lines) are illustrated in the figures as dashed lines; whereas, folds including perforations are shown in dotted lines.


A memory card interface apparatus including a bay to receive a memory card for accessing data stored on the card, and a separate storage cavity configured to store a memory card. In one embodiment, the cavity includes an aperture providing access to remove a card from the storage cavity. In one embodiment, the cavity includes an element protruding out a side of the storage cavity to retain a card within the storage cavity. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes at least a second separate storage cavity configured to store a memory card. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes at least a third separate storage cavity configured to store a memory card. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a tower configuration. In one embodiment, the apparatus is configured to attach to a separate add-on configuration, the separate add-on configuration providing storage for additional memory cards. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes at least a third separate storage area configured to store a memory card.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to flash memory readers, and more specifically to an improved configuration of the same.
2. Background
Flash medium reading devices have recently increased in popularity, in part, due to the recent proliferation of digital cameras. For example, in a recent year, more digital cameras were sold than traditional film cameras. Images from digital cameras can be downloaded and stored on personal computers. Digital pictures can be converted to common formats such as JPEG and sent as e-mail attachments or posted to virtual photo albums on the Internet. Video as well as still images can be captured, depending on the kind of digital camera.
Digital cameras typically capture images electronically and ultimately store the images as bits (ones and zeros) on a solid-state memory. Flash memory is the most common storage for digital cameras.
Flash medium reading devices are often small and compact to allow for easy portability in conjunction with notebook computers, PDAs, etc. However, such devices must have a certain minimal size to make them reasonably easy to handle and easy for the user to handle, use, insert and remove cards, etc. As a result, the flash medium card enclosure may contain a certain amount of empty space. It is also the case that a traveler on a long journey may need to take multiple flash medium cards of various types, for which he then must carry a sufficient number of protective cases.
What is clearly needed is a flash card reading device that not only can read a card but also uses the extra space often included in flash card readers to provide secure, clean storage for additional cards that are not currently in use.

Flash media reading devices with integrated storage compartments


A system and method for managing a plurality of snapshots as provided. A set of metadata describing a file system is contained within the file system so that a snapshot of the file system includes the associated metadata. Backup client file systems are restored to a backup server using conventional dump and restore techniques. The backup server then utilizes a user-defined snapshot management schedule to manage the set of backups associated with the backup server. Such management of snapshots can include deletion of snapshots based upon a variety of parameters including the time stamp.

A file server is a computer that provides file service relating to the organization of information on storage devices, such as disks. The file server or filer includes a storage operating system that implements a file system to logically organize the information as a hierarchical structure of directories and files on the disks. Each "on-disk" file may be implemented as a set of disk blocks configured to store information, such as text, whereas the directory may be implemented as a specially-formatted file in which information about other files and directories are stored. A filer may be configured to operate according to a client/server model of information delivery to thereby allow many clients to access files stored on a server, e.g., the filer. In this model, the client may comprise an application, such as a file system protocol, executing on a computer that "connects" to the filer over a computer network, such as a point-to-point link, shared local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or virtual private network (VPN) implemented over a public network such as the Internet. Each client may request the services of the filer by issuing file system protocol messages (in the form of packets) to the filer over the net-work.
A common type of file system is a "write in-place" file system, an example of which is the conventional Berkeley fast file system. In a write in-place file system, the locations of the data structures, such as inodes and data blocks, on disk are typically fixed. An inode is a data structure used to store information, such as metadata, about a file, whereas the data blocks are structures used to store the actual data for the file. The information contained in an inode may include, e.g., ownership of the file, access permission for the file, size of the file, file type and references to locations on disk of the data blocks for the file. The references to the locations of the file data are provided by pointers, which may further reference indirect blocks that, in turn, reference the data blocks, depending upon the quantity of data in the file. Changes to the inodes and data blocks are made "in-place" in accordance with the write in-place file system. If an update to a file is extends the quantity of data for the file, an additional data block is allocated and the appropriate inode is updated to reference that data block.
Another type of file system is a write-anywhere file system that does not over-write data on disks. If a data block on disk is retrieved (read) from disk into memory and "dirtied" with new data, the data block is stored (written) to a new location on disk to thereby optimize write performance. A write-anywhere file system may initially assume an optimal layout such that the data is substantially contiguously arranged on disks. The optimal disk layout results in efficient access operations, particularly for sequential read operations, directed to the disks. A particular example of a write-anywhere file system that is configured to operate on a filer is the Write Anywhere File Layout (WAFL™) file system available from Network Appliance, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. The WAFL file system is implemented within a microkernel as part of the overall protocol stack of the filer and associated disk storage. This microkernel is supplied as part of Network Appliance's Data ONTAP™ storage operating system, residing on the filer, that processes file-service requests from network-attached clients.
As used herein, the term "storage operating system" generally refers to the computer-executable code operable on a storage system that implements file system semantics and manages data access. In this sense, Data ONTAP software is an example of such a storage operating system implemented as a microkernel. The storage operating system can also be implemented as an application program operating over a general-purpose operating system, such as UNIX® or Windows NT®, or as a general-purpose operating system with configurable functionality, which is configured for storage applications as described herein.
Disk storage is typically implemented as one or more storage "volumes" that comprise physical storage disks, defining an overall logical arrangement of storage space. Currently available filer implementations can serve a large number of discrete volumes (150 or more, for example). Each volume is associated with its own file system and, for purposes hereof, volume and file system shall generally be used synonymously. The disks within a volume are typically organized as one or more groups of Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks (RAID). RAID implementations enhance the reliability/integrity of data storage through the redundant writing of data "stripes" across a given number of physical disks in the RAID group, and the appropriate caching of parity information with respect to the striped data. In the example of a WAFL file system, a RAID 4 implementation is advantageously employed. This implementation specifically entails the striping of data across a group of disks, and separate parity caching within a selected disk of the RAID group. As described herein, a volume typically comprises at least one data disk and one associated parity disk (or possibly data/parity) partitions in a single disk) arranged according to a RAID 4, or equivalent high-reliability, implementation.
In a file server environment, data protection is typically implemented by generating a backup of selected volumes and/or files systems. These backups are generally stored on a tape drive. In certain known file server configurations, a full backup of the entire file system or volumes is initially created. This full backup stores all of the data contained in the selected volume or file system. At set intervals thereafter, incremental backups are generated. These incremental backups record the changes or deltas, between the full backup or last incremental backup and the current state of the data. These backups, both full and incremental, are typically written to a tape drive. A noted disadvantage of writing backups to tape devices is the relatively at which they commit backup data to storage. Overall server performance may be substantially degraded during the backup operation due to the large processing overhead involved with a tape backup operation. This processing overhead derives from copying operations involving the large amount of data that is being moved from the disks comprising the file system or volume to the backup tape device.
When restoring a file system from a tape backup, many incremental backups are utilized to fully restore the file system. Each of the deltas, or incremental backups, must be individually restored, in the proper order, to generate the active file system. Thus, to fully restore a file system from a set of tape backups, the full backup must first be restored. Then each of the incremental backups, are restored in the proper order to the file system.
Given the slow speed and other above-noted disadvantages to a tape backup system it seems clear that many administrators would prefer a tapeless backup alternate. One commercially available tapeless backup is the CommVault® Galaxy™ Storage Management Software produced by CommVault Systems of Oceanport, N.J. The CommVault system utilizes magneto-optic or compact disc drives in a jukebox setting. This known implementation permits random access of the data so that single file restoration is possible. However, a notable disadvantage to such jukebox systems is that they require a large number of optical disks to contain the entire body of the full and incremental backups. These optical disks need to be stored, handled and changed and are, thus subject to loss or damage.

System and method for managing a plurality of snapshots