A multilayer capacitor having a dielectric body formed by stacking dielectric sheets. At the outside of the dielectric body are arranged a pair of a first terminal electrode and a second terminal electrode insulated from each other and is arranged at least one first linkage electrode insulated from the first terminal electrode and the second terminal electrode. A first internal electrode is stacked inside the dielectric body via dielectric sheets and is connected to the first terminal electrode. A second internal electrode to be connected to the second terminal electrode is further stacked inside the dielectric body via dielectric sheets. A first polarity conductor to be connected to the first internal electrode through an external first linkage electrode is further stacked inside the dielectric body via dielectric sheets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multilayer capacitor capable of greatly reducing the equivalent serial inductance (EBL) and capable of controling the equivalent serial resistance (ESR).
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the central processing units (CPUs) used for data processing apparatuses have remarkably increased in operating frequency due to higher processing speeds and higher integration. On the other hand, reduction of the power consumption has resulted in a remarkably reduction in the operating voltages.
Therefore, in power sources for supplying power to CPUs, there are sharp, large fluctuations due to the load current. It has become extremely difficult to keep fluctuations in the voltage accompanying this to within tolerances of the power source.
Therefore, sometimes a decoupling capacitor is connected in parallel between the power source and CPU. A conventional decoupling capacitor is comprised of a two-terminal structure multilayer ceramic capacitor. At the time of a transient fluctuation in the quickly changeable load current, current in supplied from this multilayer ceramic capacitor to the CPU or other integrated circuit by quick charging and discharging to suppress fluctuation of the power source voltage and stabilize the power source.
Note that in a conventional multilayer ceramic capacitor able to be used for a decoupling capacitor, the internal conductors connected to the external terminal electrodes are stacked via ceramic layers. The directions of currents flowing through the internal conductors have therefore been the same.
Along with the increasingly higher operating frequencies of today""s CPUs, however the fluctuations in the load current have become faster and larger. Therefore, the parasitic part of the ESL of the multilayer ceramic capacitor itself obstructs the charge and the discharge, so that it effects on fluctuations of the power source voltage. The effect due to the multilayer ceramic capacitor is therefore becoming insufficient.
That is, in a conventional multilayer ceramic capacitor, since the ESL is high, fluctuation of the power source voltage V easily becomes greater in the same way as above along with fluctuations at the time of charging and discharging accompanying fluctuations in the load current 1. This is because the fluctuations in voltage at the time of transition of the load current are approximated by the following equation 1 and therefore the level of the ESL is related to the magnitude of fluctuation of the power source voltage. Further, from equation 1, reduction in the ESL can be said to be linked with stabilization of the power source voltage.
dv=ESLxc2x7di/dtxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
where, dV is transitory fluctuation of voltage (V),
i is the fluctuation of current (A), and
t is the tire of fluctuation (sec)
Further, in a multilayer ceramic capacitor, the ESR is smaller and the high frequency characteristics are better than with an electrolytic capacitor, but advances in materials technology and thick film forming technologies have lad to remarkable advances in reducing the thickness of layers of dielectrics and increasing the number of layers in recant years. As a result, large capacity multilayer ceramic capacitors having large electrostatic capacities comparable with those of aluminum electrolytic capacitors and tantalum electrolytic capacitors have been appearing.
Further, the much greater number of layers of multilayer ceramic capacitors in recent years has not only increased the electrostatic capacity, but also caused a tendency for a further drop in the ESR. That is, the ESR at the time of high frequency fluctuation of the current is predominately due to the electrical resistance of the internal conductors, so when the greater number of layers causes an increase in the density of the internal conductors of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, the ESR is further reduced.
That is, in the equivalent circuit of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, the equivalent resistance of the internal conductors themselves laminated via the ceramic layers are formed at both sides of the capacitor circuit. When the greater number of layers causes an increase in the capacitance of the capacitor circuit, the whole resistance decreases and the ESR is further reduced in inverse proportion to the number of layers.
On the other hand, a large capacity capacitor is mainly used for flattening the output of a switching power source. If using a capacitor with a small ESR, however, while this is effective for reducing the output ripple voltage, when the ESR is overly small, the control system of the switching power source suffers from unstable output voltage or a susceptibility to abnormal oscillation. This in because when using a capacitor with an overly small ESR, the phase easily becomes delayed in the feedback circuit of the control circuit and the control circuit can no longer function normally.
Therefore, in the past, for applications such as flattening the output of the switching power source, often an electrolytic capacitor having a large ESR is used instead of a multilayer capacitor.
As opposed to this, from the standpoints of reducing costs and reducing size, it is desirable to use a multilayer capacitor for such applications as well. A further increase in layers of the multilayer capacitor in pursuit of greater capacity in the future, however, may invite a greater reduction in the ESR and therefore an overly small ESR.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a multilayer electronic device able to greatly reduce the ESL.
A second object of the present invention is to produce a multilayer capacitor able to be used for various applications by controling the ESR.
To attain the first object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multilayer capacitor comprising at least two of a first internal conductor and a second internal conductor formed in flat shapes, at least two of a first polarity conductor and a second polarity conductor formed in flat shapes, a dielectric body formed by stacking a plurality of dielectric sheets with dielectric sheets sandwiching each of the conductors, a first terminal electrode arranged at an outside of the dielectric body so as to be able to be connected to an external circuit and connected to the first internal conductor, a second terminal electrode arranged at the outside of the dielectric body so as to be able to be connected to the external circuit and connected to the second internal conductor, a first linkage electrode for connecting the first internal conductor and the first polarity conductor at the outside of the dielectric body while creating portions where the directions of currents between the conductors adjoining each other along a stacking direction become opposite to each other, and a second linkage electrode for connecting the first internal conductor and the first polarity conductor at the outside of the dielectric body while creating portions where the directions of currents between the conductors adjoining each other along the stacking direction become opposite to each other.
According to the multilayer capacitor according to the first aspect of the present invention, the dielectric body is formed by stacking a plurality of dielectric sheets with each dielectric sheet sandwiched between two first and second internal conductors and two types of first and second polarity conductors formed in flat shapes. Two first and second terminal electrodes arranged at the outside of the dielectric body so as to enable connection to an external circuit are connected to the first and second internal conductors.
The first internal conductor and first polarity electrode are connected by a first linkage electrode and become the same polarity. Further, the second internal conductor and second polarity electrode are connected by a second linkage electrode and become the own polarity. Further, portions where the directions of the current become opposite between these conductors adjoining each other along the stacking direction are created.
Therefore, there is the action that the magnetic fields are canceled out at locations where the currents flow in opposite directions. Along with this, there is the effect that the parasitic inductance of the multilayer capacitor itself can be made smaller and the ESL can be reduced.
Due to this, according to the multilayer capacitor of the first aspect of the present invention, the ESL can be greatly reduced. Therefore, this multilayer capacitor can be suitably used as a decoupling capacitor for a power source of a CPU and for example the oscillation of the power source voltage can be suppressed.
In the first aspect of the present invention, preferably the first internal conductor is formed with a first linkage lead part for connecting with the first linkage electrode separate from a first terminal lead part for connecting with the first terminal electrode, the second internal conductor is formed with a second linkage lead part for connecting with the second linkage electrode separate from a second terminal lead part for connecting with the second terminal electrode, the first polarity conductor is formed with a third linkage lead part for connecting with the first linkage electrode, and the second polarity conductor is formed with a fourth linkage lead part for connecting with the second linkage electrode. By forming these lead parts, the electrical connections between the internal conductors and the terminal electrodes or linkage electrodes become more reliable.
In the first aspect of the present invention, alternatively the second polarity conductor is arranged between the first internal conductor and the first polarity conductor through the electric sheets, and the first polarity conductor is arranged between the second polarity conductor and the second internal conductor. By arranging the elements in this way, it become easy to create portions where the directions of currents between conductors adjoining each other in the stacking direction become opposite.
In the first aspect of the present invention, preferably a plurality of the first and second internal conductors and the first and second polarity conductors are ford in the stacking direction through the dielectric sheets. By stacking a plurality of such conductors, not only is the electrostatic capacity of the capacitor increased, but also the action of canceling out the magnetic fields in further enhanced, the parasitic inductance of the multilayer capacitor itself can be further reduced, and the ESL can be further reduced.
To achieve the first object of the invention, in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multilayer capacitor having at least two of a first internal conductor and second internal conductor formed in flat shapes, a plurality of first polarity conductors formed in flat shapes, a plurality of second polarity conductors formed in flat shapes, a dielectric body formed by stacking a plurality of dielectric sheets with dielectric sheets sandwiching each of the conductors, a first terminal electrode arranged at an outside of the dielectric body so as to enable connection to an external circuit and connected to the first internal conductor, a second terminal electrode arranged at the outside of the dielectric body so as to enable connection to the external circuit and connected to the second internal conductor, a first linkage electrode for connecting the first internal conductor and one of the first polarity conductors at the outside of the dielectric body while creating portions where the directions of currents between the conductors adjoining each other along a stacking direction become opposite to each other, a second linkage electrode for connecting the second internal conductor and one of the second polarity conductors at the outside of the dielectric body while creating portions where the directions of currents between the conductors adjoining each other along the stacking direction become opposite to each other, a first intermediate linkage electrode for connecting the first polarity conductors at the outside of the dielectric body while creating portions where the directions of currents between the conductors adjoining each other along the stacking direction become opposite to each other, and a second intermediate linkage electrode for connecting the second polarity conductors at the outside of the dielectric body while creating portions where the directions of currents between the conductors adjoining each other along the stacking direction become opposite to each other.
In the multilayer capacitor of the second aspect of the present invention as well, actions and effects similar to those of the multilayer capacitor according to the first aspect of the present invention can be expected. Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the number of the first and second polarity electrodes connected to the first and second internal conductors. Further, it is possible to increase the number of the linkage electrodes. Further, it is possible to make the directions of currents flowing through adjoining linkage electrodes opposite to each other. As a result, the action of canceling out the magnetic fields is further enhanced, the parasitic inductance of the multilayer capacitor itself can be further reduced, and the ESL can be further reduced.
In the second aspect of the present invention, preferably the first internal conductor, the second internal conductor, the first polarity conductors, and the second polarity conductors are formed with lead parts for connection with any of the first terminal electrode, second terminal electrode, first linkage electrode, second linkage electrode, first intermediate linkage electrode, and/or second intermediate linkage electrode.
By forming these lead parts, connection between the conductors end electrodes becomes easier and it becomes easier to create portions where the directions of currents between conductors adjoining each other along the stacking direction become opposite to each other.
In the second aspect of the present invention, preferably at least one of the first internal conductor and second internal conductor is comprised of at least two split conductors insulated from each other on the same flat surface, and these split conductors are connected to a wide first linkage electrode wide or second linkage electrode.
By using such a broad first linkage electrode or second linkage electrode, it is possible to form at least one of the first internal conductor and second internal conductor by at least two split conductors insulated from each other on the same flat surface. In this case as well, it becomes easier to create portions where the directions of currents between conductors adjoining each other along the stacking direction become opposite to each other.
To achieve the second objects according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multilayer capacitor comprising a dielectric body formed by stacking dielectric layers, at least one pair of a first terminal electrode and second terminal electrode arranged at an outside of the dielectric body and able to be connected to an external circuit, a first internal conductor arranged in a flat shape inside the dielectric body and connected to the first terminal electrode, a second internal conductor arranged in a flat shape inside the dielectric body so as not to be connected to the first internal conductor and connected to the second terminal electrode, at least one first polarity conductor arranged inside the dielectric body while being separated from the first internal conductor and the second internal conductor by the dielectric layers, and a first linkage electrode arranged at the outside of the dielectric body and connecting the first internal conductor and the first polarity conductor.
In the multilayer capacitor of the third aspect of the present invention, the first internal conductor is connected to the first polarity conductor through the first linkage electrode. These conductors function as the same polarity. Therefore, as the path through which the current flows inside the multilayer capacitor becomes longer, the ESR of the multilayer capacitor increases.
Therefore, this multilayer capacitor can be used even for applications of flattening the output of the switching power source instead of an electrolytic capacitor and therefore the number of layers can be increased and the capacity can be made much larger. That is, this multilayer capacitor is increased in the ESR, so can suppress oscillation of voltage of the power source and can be used for various applications such as a switching power source.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably the capacitor further has, separate from the first polarity conductor, a second polarity conductor arranged inside the dielectric body while being separated from the first internal conductor and the second internal conductor by the dielectric layers, and a second linkage electrode connecting the second internal conductor and the second polarity conductor is formed at the outside of the dielectric body.
In this case, a conductor of the same polarity is connected to not only the first internal conductor, but also the second internal conductor. Therefore, as the path through which the current flows inside the multilayer capacitor becomes longer, the ESR of the multilayer capacitor increases.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably the first internal conductor is formed with a first terminal lead part for connection with the first terminal electrode and is formed with a first linkage lead part for connection with the first linkage electrode. By formation of the lead parts, the connections between the first internal conductor and the terminal electrode and linkage electrode become more reliable.
In the third aspect of the prevent invention, preferably the second internal conductor in formed with a second terminal lead part for connection with the second terminal electrode and is formed with a second linkage lead part for connection with the second linkage electrode. By formation of the lead parts, the connections between the second internal conductor and the terminal electrode and linkage electrode become more reliable.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably the first polarity conductor is formed with a third linkage lead part for connection with the first linkage electrode. By formation of the lead part, the connection between the first polarity conductor and first linkage electrode becomes more reliable.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably the second polarity conductor is formed with a fourth linkage lead part for connection with the second linkage electrode. By formation of the lead part, the connection between the second polarity conductor and second linkage electrode becomes more reliable.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably a plurality of the first internal conductors and second internal conductors are formed inside the dielectric body. By increasing the number of layers of the first internal conductor and second internal conductor, the electrostatic capacity of the capacitor increases. Further, in the third aspect of the present invention, since the first polarity conductor is connected to at least the first internal conductor, it is possible to control the ESR to a desired value by suitably adjusting the number of layers of the first internal conductor and second internal conductor.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably a notch formed in the first internal conductor and/or second internal conductor. By forming a notch, the path of the current at that notch becomes longer, the conductor width becomes narrower, the resistance increases, and the effect of increase of the ESR in large.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably the first internal conductor and the first polarity conductor are connected by a plurality of the first linkage electrodes. By connecting the first internal conductor and first polarity conductor by a plurality of first linkage electrodes, the connections between the conductors become more reliable and it is possible to effectively prevent poor connections etc.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably a plurality of the first terminal electrodes and a plurality of the second terminal electrodes are provided at the outside of the dielectric body, the first internal conductor is formed with a plurality of first terminal lead parts for connection to the plurality of first terminal electrodes, and the second internal conductor is formed with a plurality of second terminal lead parts for connection to the plurality of second terminal electrodes.
In this case, since a plurality of terminal electrodes is provided, it is possible to realize a multilayer capacitor. Further, it is possible to realize the actions and effects of the third aspect of the present invention. Note that in the multilayer capacitor, the adjoining terminal electrodes become opposite in polarity.
In the third aspect of the present invention, preferably the width of at least part of the first internal conductor other than at the first terminal lead part is narrower than the width of the first terminal lead part. In this case as well, since the width of the conductor through which the current passes becomes narrower, the resistance increases and the ESL can be increased.
To achieve the first and second objects, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multilayer capacitor comprising a dielectric body formed by stacking dielectric sheets, a pair of a first terminal electrode and second terminal electrode arranged at an outside of the dielectric body and insulated from each other, at least one first linkage electrode arranged at the outside of the dielectric body and insulated from the first terminal electrode and second terminal electrode, a first internal electrode stacked inside the dielectric body through the dielectric sheets and connected to the first terminal electrode, a second internal electrode stacked inside the dielectric body through the dielectric sheets and connected to the second terminal electrode, and a first polarity conductor stacked inside the dielectric body through the dielectric sheets, connected to the first linkage electrode so as to be connected to the first internal electrode.
In the multilayer capacitor of the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the actions and effects of the multilayer capacitors of the first to third aspects of the present invention.


The present toothbrush display tray provides a way to display toothbrushes in a horizontal orientation in a stacked vertical array. The display tray comprises a plastic layer with a plurality of recesses. A toothbrush is held in each recess and a sheet of material overlays the plastic layer and closes the toothbrush holding recesses. There is a series of perforation, serrations and/or slits around each packaged toothbrush so that each packaged toothbrush can be removed individually. The display tray also can have an information section above the product section. The display tray is made by forming a plurality of recesses, each to hold a toothbrush. Each recess is filled with a toothbrush and a sheet of material overlayed on the plastic layer and bonded to the plastic layer. Simultaneously or subsequent to bonding, the perforations are formed around each toothbrush to form individual toothbrush packages that are held in the display tray until removed by breaking the perforations, serrations and/or slits around a toothbrush package.

This invention relates to a tray to hold and display a plurality of toothbrushes. More particularly, this invention relates to a tray, and a method for making this tray, the tray to be in a vertical orientation to display the toothbrushes.
Toothbrushes are displayed for sale in various ways. They can be hung form a rod and for that purpose each toothbrush package will have a notch or aperture at an upper end. The rod will be attached to a peg board for support. Another way to display toothbrushes at the point of sale is to use a rack such as is disclosed in Thailand Patent Application 52263. In this latter rack the toothbrushes are supported at a lower end. The brush that is to be purchased will be selected and lifted out of the rack. In yet another known display for packaged toothbrushes, the toothbrush packages are inserted horizontally into raised slots on each end of the toothbrush display tray. This latter display tray provides for a full view of the brush at the point of sale, however, the packaged toothbrushes must be assembled onto the display by hand. This is a costly and time-consuming packaging technique.
The present display technique solves the problem of a way to display packaged toothbrushes in a horizontal array in a cost efficient manner. In the present toothbrush display the packaging of the toothbrushes for display at the point of sale has been fully automated reducing the need for hand labor. Further, there is less waste in manufacturing this point of sale display packaging. This is a significant advantage when hand labor can be reduced and wastage reduced.
This invention is directed to a display for toothbrushes at the point of sale and the method of making this display. The display holds the toothbrushes in a vertical orientation with each toothbrush in a separate package and in a horizontal orientation. The display is easier to use and can be constructed at a reduced cost.
The toothbrush display comprises a generally rectangular sheet of material having an upper section and a lower product display section. The product display section aids in holding a plurality of toothbrushes in a horizontal array. A plastic layer having a plurality of recesses the shape of a toothbrush is overlayed by the sheet of material and is attached to the sheet of material over the area of contact with the sheet of material. Around each of the toothbrushes which are held in a recess closed by the sheet of material, there is a weakened area provided by perforations, serrations and/or slits so that each packaged toothbrush can be removed separately. The sheet of material preferably will be a paperboard while the plastic layer preferably will be a thermoformable plastic. Further, in one preferred mode, the plastic layer substantially overlays the full sheet of material.
The toothbrush display tray is made by producing the plastic layer with a plurality of recesses, each recess being of a size and shape to accommodate a toothbrush. A toothbrush is placed into each recess and a sheet of material is layed over at least the section of the plastic layer which contains the toothbrush filled recesses, and then bonded to the plastic layer by adhesive or heat bonding. Simultaneous with or subsequent to the bonding, the perforations, serrations and/or slits are formed around each toothbrush. This forms an individual package for each toothbrush, and an individual package that can be removed from the array of packages by severing the perforations, serrations and/or slits around a particular toothbrush package. The individual toothbrush packages can be removed in any order.
The preferred method of bonding the plastic layer to the sheet of material is by heat bonding. In this method the sheet of material has an outer heat activated adhesive or plastic layer. Upon the sheet of material and plastic layer being brought into contact with pressure heat is applied to activate an adhesive or to soften a plastic surface of the sheet of material and of the plastic layer. This bonds the sheet of material to the plastic layer.
At the time of the perforations, serrations and/or slits being formed around each toothbrush, or prior to or after that time, an aperture can be formed adjacent an upper edge of the display tray so that the filled display tray can be hung from a hook or peg, either directly or indirectly at the point of sale.
In use a purchaser of a toothbrush will choose a toothbrush and remove this toothbrush from the display tray by severing the perforations around the chosen toothbrush.


Immersing semiconductor devices and similar electronic components in an aqueous solution of one or more organic solvents, conducting salts and a wetting agent and connecting the components to be cleaned to the negative pole of a source of direct current, of which the positive pole is connected to an anode in the same solution, and passing current through the solution raises the pH of the electrolyte film on the cathodic metal surface to a value whereby the organic solvent causes a softening of the plastic mold flash or bleed, sufficient to enable the hydrogen gas generated simultaneously on the cathode to remove the plastic mold flash or bleed from the metal surfaces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the electrolytic removal of plastic flash or bleed formed on metal surfaces during plastic molding of semiconductor devices and the like by immersing such components in an aqueous (water-based) solution of one or more organic solvents, conducting salts, and a wetting agent and whereby the components to be cleaned are connected to the negative pole of a source of direct current of which the positive pole is connected to an anode in the same solution. The invention also relates to bath compositions to be used for immersing the components.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the manufacturing process of the majority of semiconductors, integrated circuits, transistors and the like for briefness's sake further called semiconductor components, the following production steps can be distinguished. A carrier, called a leadframe is stamped or etched from a copper alloy; nickel-iron alloy or an other metal. A leadframe comprises generally a pad and a number of leads.
The central part of the leadframe, consisting of pad and leadtips, is subsequently selectively electroplated with metals such as gold, silver, palladium, copper or nickel. In the next step a chip is bonded to the leadframe pad and electric wire connections are made between chip and leadtips (wirebonding), followed by encapsulating the central area containing the chip and wirebonded leadtips by injection molding with a plastic, usually an epoxy-based plastic. The manufacturing process is further explained by FIG. 1 in which an integrated circuit (IC) is shown manufactured as described above and of which the outer leads are contaminated with plastic bleed.
In FIG. 1, the plastic encapsulation, which contains the bonded chip and the wirebonded leadtips is indicated by numeral 1, the outer leads by 2. Numeral 3 indicates spaces which usually fill up with plastic during molding of encapsulation 1, while numeral 4 indicates places where very thin films of plastic (normally called "bleed") can contaminate the metal surface of the outer leads and which must be removed. Numeral 5 indicates parts of the leadframe serving interconnection during manufacturing and which will be removed before the IC is used.
The method of the present invention is designed to remove the plastic bleed as indicated in FIG. 1 by numeral 4. Such plastic bleed films on the metal surface of the leads are thin, usually less than 10 micrometers thick, but must be carefully removed to avoid uncoated areas during subsequent tin-lead plating; necessary to enable reliable solder connections to be made to other parts of an electronic circuit.
The traditional way to remove the plastic bleed films from the molded components is to submit the components to abrasive blasting with ground cherry or apricot stones, fine, relatively hard plastic grains or glass beads and the like. Sometimes the blasting operation is preceded by softening of the plastic bleed in organic solvents or by extended treatment in diluted warm acids. A disadvantage of blasting with fine particles is that some of these particles will be embedded in the metal surface of the leads and must be carefully removed before plating with a solderable coating and that the blasting operation will create roughness of the metal surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,397 describes an electrolytic anodic process with which embedded blasting particles can be removed, while simultaneously metal bleed, such as silver, extending on the leads outside the plastic encapsulation is dissolved, resulting in a clean surface of the leads. To accomplish this effect a solution of lactic acid and a metal hydroxide is used, in which the components are connected to the positive pole of a source of direct current and whereby simultaneously an improved surface condition of copper based metal leads is obtained.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,804 describes a method to remove plastic bleed from the leads of semiconductor components by means of an electrolytic treatment in a solution containing an alkali-metal hydroxide, detergent, a glycol compound, alkali metal bicarbonate, ethoxylated furfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol and a fluorinated surfactant in water and whereby the components are connected as a cathode to a source of direct current so that hydrogen is generated on the metal surface upon current passage. In practice, it appears that this solution contains aggressive components attacking the material of the plastic encapsulation.
Thus, there remains a need for an improved method for removing plastic flash and/or bleed from the metal surfaces of semiconductor devices and the like. There also remains a need for bath compositions to be used in such a method.

Method for the electrolytic removal of plastic mold flash or bleed from the metal surfaces of semiconductor devices or similar electronic components


Apparatus for radiation therapy combines a patient table, an MRI and a radiation treatment apparatus mounted in a common treatment room with the MR magnet movable from a position outside a radiation shielded door to an imaging position. An RF-shielded door is movable between a position, separating part of the treatment apparatus from the magnet and an open position allowing access of the patient to the treatment apparatus. In one configuration there is a row of treatment rooms and the magnet is mounted to move along a passageway outside the row of radiation shielded doors of the rooms.

External beam radiotherapy (RT) devices generally include a linear electron beam accelerator which is mounted on a gantry, which can rotate about an axis approximately parallel to the patient lying on the patient couch. The patient is treated using either an electron beam or an X-Ray beam produced from the original electron beam. The electron or X-Ray beam is focused at a target by the combination of the use of a collimator and the rotation of the beam. The patient is placed on a couch that can be positioned such that the target lesion can be located in the plane of the radiation beam as the gantry rotates.
The objective of the radiation therapy is to target the lesion with a high dose of radiation with minimal impact on all the surrounding normal tissue. An initial treatment planning procedure is performed prior to external beam RT delivery to localize the tumour and other critical structures surrounding the tumour. This planning procedure typically involves CT imaging to identify these structures. Based on the segmented tumour and surrounding tissue structures, a set of beam orientations and collimator settings are developed through an iterative process to determine the optimal dose distribution pattern that maximizes dose to the tumour whilst minimizing dose to surrounding critical avoidance structures.
MRI is currently the optimal modality for tumour localization based on the higher soft-tissue contrast, compared with CT, and can be incorporated into the treatment planning workflow. Although MRI provides good location of the tumour for treatment planning purposes, these treatment planning images are normally collected several days prior to treatment, and, as such, may not be completely representative of tumour location on the day of treatment. To address this limitation, oncologists tend to increase the target volume ensure all the tumor tissue receives the maximum dose. The expectation is that all cells in the targeted region will receive the required RT treatment dose, and that this increased treatment target volume will lessen the impact of errors between treatment planning dose distribution, and the dose delivered to the actual region of the lesion. However, this increased treatment margin also produces collateral tissue damage that may have a significant impact of the quality of life of the patient and increase the possibility of secondary RT-induced cancer.
To mitigate the need for increased treatment margins, clinicians have employed a method referred to as image-guided external beam radiation therapy, in which an image is acquired immediately prior to RT treatment delivery. One such available solution involves completely integrating the MRI system with a linear accelerator to enable real-time imaging of the tumour during RT treatment. However, this design is complex, expensive and may involve serious compromises on the functional performance of both the MRI and linear accelerator.
The treatment planning images are typically collected days prior to the actual fractionated treatment delivery that can occur over the course of several weeks. As such, the position of the tumour in the treatment imaging plans may not be representative of the actual lesion position on each day of treatment. By incorporating image guidance immediately before each treatment session, it is possible to determine the exact position of the lesion within each treatment session. Acquiring MR images immediately before RT treatment would identify the exact lesion location, and define the correct gantry positions for conformal radiation delivery.
To integrate pre-treatment MR images into the RT treatment workflow requires a mapping of the MRI coordinate space to the RT system coordinate space, to ensure correct alignment of the linear accelerator gantry for treatment. The RT system coordinate space is defined by the gantry/room mounted x-ray/cone beam CT (CBCT) system that is typically used in conventional image guided-radiation therapy. One solution would involve registering the pre-treatment MRI and x-ray images to determine the relative coordinate transformation required to align "MRI space" and "RT space", using manual registration of fiducial markers on the surface, or inserted into, the patient. Typically this involves an operator identifying multiple control points in the MRI space and also identifying the same representative points in the RT unit's X-ray images. Although simplistic, this is a manual, time-consuming, and error-prone technique. Moreover, it is possible that the fiducial markers might move, particularly if affixed to the skin of the patient. Alternatively, patient registration can be performed using an image-based anatomical registration method that maps the two coordinates systems using specific anatomical features. This alternative method is based solely on patient anatomy and involves registering two image datasets with considerably different image contrasts, and is prone to registration errors.
A radiotherapy device generally includes a linear electron beam accelerator which is mounted on a gantry and which can rotate about an axis which is approximately parallel to the patient lying on the patient couch. The patient is treated using either an electron, γ- or X-Ray beam produced from the original electron beam. The beam is focused at a target by the combination of the use of a collimator and the rotation of the beam. The patient is placed on a couch which can be positioned such that the target lesion can be located in the plane of the electron beam as the gantry rotates. This patient couch is designed to adjust the position of the patient to align the targeting exactly at the isocentre of the RT system using up to six degrees of motion (x, y, z, roll, pitch, and yaw). The current couch designs employed by several manufacturers employ a cantilevered couchtop that enables a sufficient range of motion to treat disease sites throughout the entire body.
Bucholz et al. discloses a method to combine proton beam therapy with an MRI system in U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,469. This method only discusses proton therapy, describes a stationary MRI, in which the beam is sent through a gap in the magnet. This application suggests mat shielding methods can be used to remove magnetic and RF interference, although this is only briefly mentioned.
Dempsey discloses a method to deliver RT using cobalt-60 as the source of ionizing radiation with a stationary open MRI system in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0197564 device and a process for performing high temporal- and spatial-resolution MR imaging of the anatomy of a patient during intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to directly measure and control the highly conformal ionizing radiation dose delivered to the patient for the treatment of diseases caused by proliferative tissue disorders. This invention combines the technologies of open MRI, multileaf-collimator or compensating filter-based IMRT delivery, and cobalt teletherapy into a single co-registered and gantry mounted system.
Carlone discloses a method to combine MRI and a radiation therapy system in WO/2009/155700, entitled Radiation Therapy system. This method was developed in Alberta and describes an approach that exposes the linear accelerator to the magnetic field, and uses the magnet forces to direct the particles along the central axis.
Lagendijk discloses a method to combine MRI and radiation therapy using a global coordinate system in WO/2003/008986, entitled MRI in guided radiotherapy and position verification. In this system the MRI is actively shielded to prevent the static magnetic fields from interfering with the linear accelerator operation.
Orbital Therapy discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 7,758,241 a self-shielded radiotherapy device, that does not require a traditional bunker for operation.
Other patents describing prior art include:    U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,957—Radiotherapy Machine including Magnetic Resonance imaging system    U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,798—Radiotherapy machine including Magnetic Resonance Imaging system.    U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,078—System combining proton beam irradiation and magnetic resonance imaging.    U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,783—Method of Minimizing distortion to radiation isodose.    U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,680—CT and MRI visible index markers for stereotactic localization. In this patent application, the inventors claim that skin-based localizer markers can be used for stereotactic localization in both MRI and CT.    WO 03/008986 A2 MRI in guided radiotherapy and position verification Submitted by Utrecht, this patent describes incorporating an independent world coordinate isocentre calibration system consisting of fiducial table MR-markers and an independent table position verification system.    IMRIS also has also filed PCT Application PCT/CA2010/000422 filed Mar. 29, 2010 published 7 Oct. 2010 under publication no. WO 2010/111772 for a patient support system for integrating X-ray imaging with MR, in Support Component for Use in Imaging by Magnetic Resonance and X-ray. This application describes a support structure that is both MR compatible and radiolucent.    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,047 (Mansfield) issued Jul. 7, 1998 Varian discloses patient couch-top in entitled Radiotherapy Couch Top; however, materials in the design include carbon fiber, and therefore not MR compatible. The design includes bearings for longitudinal motion that enables panels in the couch top to be inserted and removed.    In U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,817 (Dinwiddie) issued Mar. 13, 1973 Varian also has a patent on the overall RT system, entitled Automated Radiation Therapy Machine. In this patent, the patient couch is identified and described.
The disclosure of all of the above cited references is hereby incorporated herein by reference or may be referred to for further details of components and methods not specifically set out herein.

Integration of MRI into radiation therapy treatment


The present invention relates to a device for locking a door element (1a) in an opening to a space. The device comprises an operating member (2) arranged outside this space, which member (2) is arranged to allow, by a motion transmission mechanism, displacement of a locking bar (6), arranged inside the space, between a first position when the locking bar (6) allows an opening of the door element (1a) and a second position when the locking bar (6) connects the door element (1a) to a second element (1b) such that opening of the door element (1a) is prevented and a lock (3) allowing locking of the locking bar (6) in said second position. A protective housing (5) is arranged to encase the locking bar (6) and the parts of the lock (3) and the motion transmission mechanism that are arranged inside the space.

The present invention relates to a device for locking at least one door element in an opening to a space, wherein the device comprises an operating member arranged outside the space, which is arranged to allow, by a motion transmission mechanism, displacement of a locking bar, arranged inside the space, between a first position when the locking bar allows an opening of the door element and a second position when the locking bar connects the door element to a second element such that an opening of the door element is prevented and a lock allowing locking of the locking bar in said second position.
By a door element is meant a door, cover or the like which may be used for closing an opening to a space of an arbitrary kind. In many cases, locking devices for door elements usually are countersinked in recesses provided in the door element. Such recesses result in that the original thickness of the door element and thereby the strength decreases in that area, which is utilised by thieves.
Other kinds of locking devices are arranged outside the door element. Such locking devices may, for example, comprise a locking bar which has one end attached to the door and a second end, which may be fixedly locked to a rigid wall element adjacent to the door, for example, by means of a pad lock. Such locking devices may easily be broken to open, for example, by a hydraulic cutter which has the capacity to cut of steel with a thickness of up to 15 mm. Alternatively, one end of a heavy wire may be attached to the locking bar and the second end to a vehicle, whereafter the vehicle may pull out the locking bar.
Locking devices, which substantially have its locking mechanism arranged on the inside of a door element, provides the best protection against burglary from the outside. However, these locking devices do not eliminate the risk that a thief hides inside or enters a space, which, for example, may be a storage space or a container. Thereafter, the thief may dismount the locking device from the inside. Alternatively, the thief may enter, for example, a storage room, via a window, with the purpose of from the inside dismounting the locking device to facilitate the possibility ton take out the stolen goods.
FR 2 533 961 shows a locking device having a locking mechanism provided on the inside of a door. The rotary motions of an operating member on the outside of the door are transmitted, in this case, to a rotary motion of a gear wheel on the inside of the door. The rotary motions of the gear wheel are transmitted to a displacement motion of a locking bar, via a toothed surface provided thereon, between a door blocking and a not blocking position. A lock is arranged to lock the locking bar in the blocked position. In order to control the displacement motions of the locking bar, metal plates are provided, which are so shaped that they form rectangular channels in which the locking bar is displaceably provided. One such metal plate is arranged on the inside of the door and another on the inside of an adjacent wall. In order to attach these inwardly provided metal plates, corresponding external metal plates are provided on the outside of the door and on the outside of said adjacent wall. These external metal plates comprise fixed soldered bolts extending through the door and the adjacent wall and through holes in the internal metal plates. Thereafter, nuts are provided on the threaded portions of the bolts in order to fix the internal metal plates to the inside of the door and the adjacent wall and thereby said guide channel of the locking bar. For a thief hidden at the inside of the door, it is very simple to screw off said nuts and to disengage the internal metal plates and thereby the locking bar. Furthermore, the gear wheel and the lock are unprotected against attacks from the inside of the door.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device for locking a door element such that it becomes very difficult for a thief to force the locking device both from the outside and from the inside of the door element.
This object is achieved by the initially mentioned device which is characterised in that it comprises a protective housing which is arranged to encase the locking bar and the parts of the lock and the motion transmission mechanism that are arranged inside the space. By such a protective housing covering sensible parts of the device, attacks on these parts are considerably more difficult. Preferably, the protective housing is manufactured of thick hardened steel. Another advantage by protecting said substantially moveable parts of the device, is that one prevents the internal locking mechanism from being blocked by unfixed goods provided in the space, which may be the case, for example, in a container.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protective housing is attached to at least one internal wall surface of the space. Thereby, the protective housing may obtain an uncomplicated and stable fixation. Preferably, the protective housing is attached to said internal wall surface by means of a non-dismountable attachment means. Thereby, it is essentially more difficult for a thief to dismount the protective housing from the inside in order to reach and break open the locking mechanism. Such non-dismountable attachment means may be bolts having heads which preferable are countersinked in a mounted state and having such a shape that they are difficult to grip. Such non-dismountable attachment means may also comprise rivets or welding.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protective housing comprises a channel in which the locking bar is displaceably provided. Such a protective housing thereby also may work as guiding element to the locking bar. The protective housing may comprise at least two separate parts and that a first part of the protective housing is attached to an internal wall surface and that the second part of the protective housing is attached to an internal wall surface of said second element. Since the locking bar extends between the door element and the second element, it is suitable that the protective housing is arranged as two separate parts. However, the parts of the protective housing will lie close to each other in the closed position of the door element so that they form a continues channel so that the locking bar may be displaced to its second position. Alternatively, the protective housing may be provided as a single part, which is attached to the door element or the adjacent element. The second element may comprise a second openable door element or a rigid wall element. When double door elements are used, the two door elements may be locked together by the locking bar. For a single door element it is suitable that the locking bar locks the door element in relation to an adjacent rigid wall element.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, it comprises coupling means, which is arranged to restrict the force, which the operating member, via the motion transmission mechanism, is allowed to transmit to the locking bar. Thereby, the risk is prevented that a thief by suitable tools from the outside provides a such a heavy force onto the operating member that the locking bar is displaced and deforms the locking mechanism. Such coupling means may comprise a suitable kind of safety clutch. Advantageously, the motion transmission mechanism is arranged to transmit a rotary motion of the operating member to a reciprocal displacement motion of the locking bar. Preferably, the operating member is a rotateable wheel or crank arranged on the outside of the door element. The operating member is connected to a suitable motion transmission mechanism which transforms the rotary motion of the operating member to a reciprocal motion of the locking bar between said first and second position. Preferably, the motion of the locking bar is linear.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the locking bar has a front portion provided in a displacement direction, said front portion comprises at least one chamfering. By such a chamfering, the risk is eliminated that the locking bar tilts and jams during the displacement motion in the channel. Especially when the protective housing consists of two pieces and the channel is divided, such a chamfering brings about that the parts of the channel are centred to a desired position in relation to each other during the displacement motion of the locking bar.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lock comprises a bolt, which is insertable in a recess in the locking bar in order to lock the locking bar in said second position. Preferably, such a lock comprises a lock body extending through the door. On the outside of the door element, a key activates the lock so that the bolt, which is provided on the inside of the door, is displaced in or out of said recess. Preferably, the lock is a 9-lever tumbler lock. Such a lock is a high security lock, which is approved to be used in safes. The key of the lock is protected against an unauthorised copying. Furthermore, the lock has a barrier, which prevents insertion of optical means for photographing the inside with the purpose of manufacturing an unauthorised key.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises a protecting plate arranged outside the space for covering at least a part of a slit provided between the door element and said element, which part of the slit the locking bar internally extends passed in its second position. Preferably, such a protecting plate has an extension along the slit, which at least corresponds to the width of the locking bar. By such a protecting plate, it is made more difficult for a thief to insert a cutting tool in the slit with the purpose to cut off the locking bar.

Device for locking a door element in an opening to a space


Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) has been found to mediate certain effects of HSV infection, particularly in neonates. Compounds that decrease TLR2 expression or activity are useful for ameliorating such deleterious effects.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes life-long infection and periodic disease in the majority of the world's human population (see, e.g., Corey, Herpes Simplex Viruses, in Braunwald et al., Eds., Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 15th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2001, Chap. 182, pp. 1100-1106; and Whitley et al., N. Engl. J. Med., 324: 450-4 (1991)). Herpes group viruses (including HSV, VZV, and CMV), usually cause only limited disease in adults and older children.
In humans, HSV-1 is usually acquired in childhood, and often presents as a self-limiting pharyngitis. Reactivation of HSV-1 infection is associated with peri-oral lesions, sometimes termed "cold sores" or "fever blisters." Neonates (most often at less than one week of age) with HSV (either HSV-1 or HSV-2) infections, however, may present with a "sepsis-like" syndrome that, although rare, can be devastating, and is often characterized by blood pressure instability, shock, fever, jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, and the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation, symptoms commonly seen in serious TORCH infections (Toxoplasmosis, Other infections, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes) (Id.), as well as lethal encephalitis (Whitely, 2001, in Fields' Virology, Knipe, ed., Chapter 73, Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa.; Whitley et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 324: 450-454 (1991)). Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a major cause of neonatal encephalitis. The primary route of infection is via the maternal birth canal, although, infrequently, hematogenous transplacental in utero infection can occur. The CNS is involved in approximately 30% of infected infants. Infection can result in seizures, microcephaly, microphthalmia, ventriculomegaly, multicystic encephalomalacia and death. Pathological examination demonstrates acute and chronic parenchymal and leptomeningeal inflammation. In contrast to the temporal/frontal predilection seen in adults, HSV neonatal infection is diffuse and may therefore result in widespread brain destruction.
Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) is also the most common diagnosed cause of sporadic (non-epidemic) encephalitis in humans. Without early treatment, HSV-1 encephalitis is a devastating disease that is typically fatal. Among survivors, serious residual defects are commonly seen. While HSV causes a variety of illnesses in immunocompromised hosts, including disseminated infection, pneumonia, and hepatitis, encephalitis is also commonly seen in patients with normal immune responses.


Described are a method and device for determining three-dimensional position information of a surface of a translucent object having a wavelength-dependent transmittance and reflectance characteristics. The method includes illuminating the surface of the translucent object with optical radiation at a predetermined wavelength emitted from a pair of optical sources. Radiation scattered from the surface and below the surface is detected, and a phase of the optical radiation from one of the optical sources relative to a phase of the optical radiation from the other optical source is changed before again detecting the scattered radiation. The predetermined wavelength is selected so that the optical radiation scattered from below the surface and detected provides a substantially constant background intensity with respect to the optical radiation scattered from the surface and detected. Three-dimensional position information of the surface is calculated in response to the detected radiation.

The process for determining the shape of teeth according to traditional dentistry generally includes the use of impression materials, molds or castings. This process is typically slow and prone to material handling errors. After obtaining the impression of the patient's teeth, the mold or impression material is removed from the mouth of the patient and a solid model of the patient's teeth is made from the impression. The impression material or the solid model is sent to a dental laboratory. The solid model is used in the fabrication of one or more corrective or replacement dental components such as artificial teeth, crowns or orthodontic appliances. Inaccuracies and errors introduced at any time during the process can result in an improper fit of the dental component and may limit the ability to secure and retain the dental component in the correct location.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,770 describes a process for making artificial teeth. The process includes projecting contour lines onto the patient's teeth and detecting the contour lines using a camera. The location of the projected contour lines is shifted multiple times by a precision motion of the projector and detected by the camera at each position. Camera data are processed to determine contour data for the teeth. The contour data may be provided to a numerically controlled fabrication machine for the generation of the artificial teeth or for orthodontic appliances or for use with dental implantology. The process is subject to inaccuracies as displacement of the contour lines is based on changing the location of the projector. Moreover, the length of time required to obtain the camera data for all sets of contour lines is a significant inconvenience to the dental patient and makes the measurement more sensitive to motion of the projection source, teeth and camera.
Material characteristics of teeth can further limit the ability to obtain accurate three-dimensional data. Teeth are typically translucent therefore a portion of the light incident on the surface of a tooth is scattered from the surface while some of the light penetrates the surface and is internally scattered over a depth below the surface. Furthermore, backscatter can occur at the interface of tooth enamel and dentin if there is sufficient penetration of the incident light. Translucency can prevent an accurate determination of the surface contour of teeth using optical techniques. For example, projected contour lines may appear shifted from their actual location and may have poor contrast. In some instances, translucency causes measurements based on optical techniques to indicate an apparent surface that is beneath the true surface. To overcome difficulties due to translucency, dentists often apply powders such as titanium dioxide to teeth. The application of powder is a further inconvenience that adds more time to the measurement process, introduces measurement uncertainty and can interfere with adhesives or other bonding agents used to fasten the replacement tooth.

Intra-oral three-dimensional imaging system

Dimensional Photonics International, Inc.


A starting device of an occupant protective system includes an angular velocity or acceleration sensor 11 for detecting the behavior of a vehicle, processing sections 131 and 132 for performing two or more computations using different subtrahends on a physical quantity based on the output from the sensor 11, a comparing section 133 for comparing absolute values of outputs from the processing sections 131 and 132, a selecting section 134 for selecting the output value of the processing sections 131 and 132 with the minimum absolute value, and a decision section 135 for making a decision as to the necessity for starting the occupant protective system in accordance with the output value selected.

A signal acquired from a sensor mounted on a vehicle usually includes a drift component, and the drift component sometimes exceeds a normal state temporarily because of environmental changes such as temperature. As for the effect of the drift component, when calculating the angle of the vehicle by integrating the output from an angular velocity sensor, there are some cases where the drift component is also integrated and hence causes a considerable error with respect to a real angle. Accordingly, it becomes necessary to eliminate the drift component from the angular velocity sensor as preprocessing of the integral.
Conventionally, to solve the foregoing problem, a drift correcting method has been known which extracts the drift component of the sensor signal from a vibration gyro or the like using a high frequency elimination filter, and eliminates it by subtracting from the sensor signal (see Patent Document 1, for example).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-27774/1995.
According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the drift component is eliminated, a subtrahend is small in the high frequency elimination filter set for the drift component from the sensor in a steady state. Accordingly, it has a problem of taking a considerable time to eliminate the drift component temporarily occurred because of the environmental changes.
Therefore it is necessary to increase the cutoff frequency and order of the high frequency elimination filter so as to increase the subtrahend up to such a level that enables suppression of the drift component.
However, setting the cutoff frequency and order at high offers a problem of bringing about an overshoot phenomenon in which the subtrahend becomes excessive with respect to the sensor output in the latter half of the output signal for a target physical phenomenon like a rollover.
In a starting device for activating an occupant protective system of the vehicle, when an overshoot is large, an overshoot component occurs in a right turn with respect to a rollover phenomenon of a left turn vehicle, for example. In this case, there is a possibility of erroneously starting the occupant protective system mounted on the vehicle for the right turn.
The present invention is implemented to solve the foregoing problems. Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a starting device of an occupant protective system capable of eliminating a drift component quickly for the drift component occurring temporarily owing to environmental changes, and capable of achieving offset elimination in such a manner as to prevent the overshoot in the latter half of the output signal for the target physical phenomenon.

Starting device of occupant protective system


A first member and a second member have end portions overlapped and welded by irradiating a laser beam on an outer surface of a lap portion. A front end surface of a fused portion slants at an obtuse angle larger than 90.degree. with respect to a naked outer surface of the second member. A dilution rate S=B/(A+B) is equal to or less than 45%, where "A" represents a cross-sectional area of the fused portion merging into the first member and "B" represents a cross-sectional area of the fused portion merging into the second member.

The present invention relates to a lap joint welding arrangement and a related welding method.
For connecting two members, various joint arrangements have been conventionally proposed and used. Among them, a lap joint welding arrangement is widely known and used because of easiness in positioning the two members to be welded before performing the welding operation.
In this kind of lap joint welding structure, there is a possibility that a particular portion may be subjected to a concentrated stress, causing a crack in the welded portion.

Lap joint welding arrangement and a related welding method for forming the same


An adaptive feedforward control loop is provided to stabilize accelerator beam loading of the radio frequency field in an accelerator cavity during successive pulses of the beam into the cavity. A digital signal processor enables an adaptive algorithm to generate a feedforward error correcting signal functionally determined by the feedback error obtained by a beam pulse loading the cavity after the previous correcting signal was applied to the cavity. Each cavity feedforward correcting signal is successively stored in the digital processor and modified by the feedback error resulting from its application to generate the next feedforward error correcting signal. A feedforward error correcting signal is generated by the digital processor in advance of the beam pulse to enable a composite correcting signal and the beam pulse to arrive concurrently at the cavity.

In accelerating a particle beam a beam of particles passes through one or more cavities which are filled with radio frequency (rf) energy. The rf energy is transferred to the particle beam to accelerate the particles. When an accelerating particle beam enters a cavity that is filled with rf energy. a beam-loading effect transfers energy present in the rf field to the beam, causing th particles to accelerate. The beam-loading effect perturbs the amplitude and phase of the cavity rf field with resulting errors in the output beam energy.
Accordingly, rf control circuity is required to keep the phase and amplitude of the rf field constant while the cavity is being filled with rf energy when the beam enters the cavity, and while the beam is present in the cavity. Conventional rf field control is implemented with high speed analog circuitry. However, the limiting factor in the control bandwidth is the pole configuration of the cavity, which is not a static configuration because of thermal and mechanical changes to the cavity during operation of the accelerator. Satisfactory control is obtained during a steady state portion of the beam, but not during the field response from the initial beam transit of the cavity.
Feedforward systems have been used to reduce the errors in the output beam characteristics. However, conventional feedforward systems can only provide for a limited number of perturbing factors. In a typical accelerator rf drive circuit, several sources of loop perturbations exist, such as component nonlinearities, keystone anode voltage droop, and amplitude/phase cross coupling. Such perturbations are not constant but vary with time and component aging. Further, mechanical and thermal changes in the cavity structure cause the characteristic resonance of the cavity to vary. Thus, it is desired to provide an adaptive control loop to monitor the cavity rf field and to provide a time varying corrective signal to accommodate the initial portion of the beam transit through the cavity.
An adaptive feedforward control is provided in accordance with the present invention wherein a control function is successively modified until the cavity response is substantially constant for repetitive beam pulses.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to proVide a feedforWard control loop which is adaptable to changing characteristics of the accelerator components by constantly monitoring the residual error signals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a feedforward control system using digital signal processing technology.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


A device and method for removing noise in image are disclosed. A device for removing noise in image includes a signal delay part outputting arrangement of image delay signals generated by delaying input image signals in a predetermined time period, a pixel difference calculating part calculating pixel difference between the input image signal and the image delay signal and calculating a weighing factor applied to the pixel difference based on the calculated pixel difference by a non-linear function, a signal to noise ratio (SNR) measuring part converting the input image signals into frequency signals and calculating a weighing factor for each of the converted frequency signals to output a parameter of signal to noise ratio, and a pixel difference weighing factor generating part generating a weighing factor applied to a final pixel difference to remove noise by applying a range of the weighing factors calculated by the pixel difference calculating part to the weighing factor of the signal to noise ratio output by the SNR measuring part.

Recently, various kinds of signal processing methods have been under development to improve image quality of a display device. There is undesirable noise in a common display device and this noise would cause degradation of image quality. To reduce the noise, research and development for noise reducing algorithm haven been in progress.

Apparatus and method for image noise reduction based on weighted pixel difference


Sterilization wraps have a first side colored at least a first color and an opposing second side colored at least a second color that is different than the first color. These sterilization wraps are then paired such that each of the pairs of sterilization wraps has the aforementioned first sides of the sterilization wraps that comprise the pair of sterilization wraps facing one another. By one approach these pairs of sterilization wraps are un-bonded and hence are not physically connected to one another. By another approach the sterilization wraps that comprise a given pair can be coupled to one another (for example, by an intermingling of the materials that comprise the two sterilization wraps). A plurality of such pairs of sterilization wraps can then be placed in a suitable container to facilitate handling, storage, and shipment.

Sterilization wraps are known in the art. Sterilization wraps typically comprise a sheet of material that a user wraps around one or more items (such as, for example, surgical instruments) that are to be heated (for example, in an autoclave) in order to sterilize those items. The sterilized, wrapped item(s) can then be removed from the heating/sterilization appliance and stored, while still wrapped, for future use. At a time of need the user removes the wrapping to permit access to the still-sterile items.
Sterilization wraps sometimes comprise a cloth or crepe paper material. Many times, however, the sterilization wrap comprises a polypropylene-based material. Industry standards recommend the use of a very thick single sheet (an uncommon approach in practice) or the use of two sheets wrapped sequentially or simultaneously. This two-ply approach often comprises using a pair of identical sterilization wraps that are bonded to one another in order to ensure the use of both plies in a single step. This bonding can comprise, for example, ultrasonic welding along (or near) the periphery of a juxtaposed pair of sterilization wraps of the same size.
The practice of bonding two sterilization wraps to create an integral two-ply sterilization wrap, of course, adds effort, cycle time, and cost to the manufacturing process. Some practitioners may express concern, however, that they might inadvertently use only a single sheet when wrapping an item to be sterilized unless the two sheets are bonded to one another.
Small punctures, such as pin pricks or needle pricks, are another potential cause for concern when using sterilization wraps. Such small apertures in the wrapping material are typically very small and hence hard to observe. Unfortunately, though small, these openings may be sufficient to permit dust, bacteria, and other contaminants access to the items that are wrapped within a sterilization wrap.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

Method pertaining to a multi-colored sterilization wrap


Pixel graphics resulting from a computer program running under an operating system are to be tailored to the environment. According to an embodiment of the invention, it is assumed that a user sets settings for graphic interfaces, which the operating system itself produces, so that the graphic interfaces are tailored to the environment and makes the determination of the pixel graphic a function of data stored during such setting of the graphic interfaces.

In the case of a computer program running under an operating system however graphics are also defined by the computer program itself and simply transferred to the operating system, which then does not influence the graphics further but causes the graphics to be represented on a display apparatus by way of control commands to the display apparatus. Some computer programs allow settings governing how such graphics are represented to be selected. However this selection option is not standard.
Different graphic configurations may be necessary depending on the environment of the display apparatus. In a clinical environment there is for example a very bright working environment in a reception area where patients are booked in. The reception area is comparable to an office area. Screens in the office area typically have a luminance of 120 cd/m2. However so-called diagnostic work stations are also present in the clinical environment. The German x-ray ordinance requires a dark environment for these. In contrast screens at diagnostic work stations should have a luminance of 400 cd/m2.
Comparing these two extremes highlights a general need to tailor the representation of graphics to the environment of a display apparatus on which they are represented. Depending on the environment a certain brightness may be required for the graphic, a certain contrast may be advantageous and certain color values may also be particularly easily visible to the human eye.
It would be desirable for it to be possible to tailor the characteristics of graphic elements produced by a computer program operating under an operating system and displayed on a display apparatus to ambient conditions in a variable manner.

Method for producing a representation of a pixel graphic on a display


A Schottky junction diode device having improved performance and a multiple well structure is fabricated in a conventional CMOS process. A substrate including a material doped to a first conductivity type is formed. A first well is disposed over the substrate. The first well includes a material doped differently, such as to a second conductivity type opposite that of the first conductivity type. A second well is disposed within the first well. A region of metal-containing material is disposed in the second well to form a Schottky junction at an interface between the region of metal-containing material and the second well. In one embodiment, a second well contact is disposed in a portion of the second well.

Schottky diodes have been widely used in high frequency integrated circuits because of their unique capabilities for fast switching with a low voltage drop. Many semiconductor devices have employed Schottky junction diode devices because of their unique characteristics. Instead of a semiconductor to semiconductor junction as a barrier in a conventional semiconductor diode, the Schottky junction diode device uses a metal to semiconductor junction, also known as Schottky junction, as its barrier. Since conventional complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits generally do not employ Schottky junction diodes, Schottky junction diodes are not known to be available in standard CMOS semiconductor fabrication processes. Schottky junction diodes of the prior art require specialized semiconductor fabrication processes.
FIG. 1 is an elevational cross-sectional drawing illustrating a conventional Schottky junction diode device 100 formed in silicon (Si) in accordance with the prior art. Device 100 includes a p− substrate 102, an n− well 104 and a p− well 106. A metal-containing layer 108 is formed in contact with n− well 104 to form a Schottky junction 110 at the interface between the metal-containing layer 108 and the silicon of n− well 104. The p− well 106 is contacted or substantially contacted to n− well 104 at interface 112. A substrate contact 114 is provided for the device at p− well 106. Substrate contact 114 is used for biasing the substrate. One or more n− well contacts 116a, 116b are provided at n− well 104. The Schottky junction diode is defined between metal-containing layer 108 and n− well contact 116a or 116b. A drawback associated with this conventional approach is that there is a relatively high capacitance created between the wells 104 and 106 which limits the performance of the Schottky junction diode device 100.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve Schottky junction diode devices so that they may exhibit higher performance and be fabricated in conventional CMOS process environments.

Schottky junction diode devices in CMOS with multiple wells


A substantially lossless transmissive link, such as an RF fiber optic link, that selectively employs a number of techniques to improve various link parameters. The link may be structured to comprise a high power light source, such as a laser, that provides light output having a high level of optical power. A feedback circuit may be disposed around the light source that reduces relative-intensity-noise levels produced by the light source at low frequencies. A modulator is provided that modulates the light output of the light source. Preferably, a dual output modulator may be used to provide two modulated optical signals whose respective RF modulation is "effectively" 180 degrees out of phase. An optical fiber that transmits the modulated optical signal(s). A photodetector without a load resistor directly on its output that is operable at the high level of optical power, receives the modulated light and recovers the RF signal. A dual balaniced photodetector that is used in conjunction with the dual output modulator. An RF component, such as an amiplifier, that is coupled directly to an output of the photodetector that provides a load resistance for the link.

The present invention relates generally to transmissive RF links, and more particularly, to an improved RF wide bandwidth low loss (even gain) high performance low noise fiber optic link that can be compactly and reliably packaged.
The prior art this invention replaces relates to current commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) RF fiber optic links and current narrow bandwidth links. One disadvantage of current RF fiber optic links is that they do not meet many of the demanding RF performance parameters needed in advanced RF systems. The present invention achieves a significant leap forward in overcoming prior RF fiber optic link deficiencies.
It would therefore be an improvement in the RF systems art to have an RF wide bandwidth, low loss, high performance, and low noise optical transmissive link. It would also be an improvement in the RF systems art to have an RF wide bandwidth, low loss, high performance, and low noise optical fiber link.

RF wide bandwidth lossless high performance low noise transmissive link


A block game includes thirty-six indicia blocks. Each of the blocks has an indicia face which is divided into two square faces. In each of the square faces, dots are arranged in three horizontal rows, with each row having one or two dots. Moreover, the dots on each indicia face are arranged symmetrically about an axis of symmetry of the indicia face. In play, two indicia blocks are positioned adjacent to one another in such a manner that an edge of the first square face which has one dot lies adjacent to an edge of the second square face which has two dots, or vice versa.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of block games. More particularly, the present invention pertains to the field of block games having indicia faces.
2. Background of the Invention
Block games are generally known. In a "domino" game, a plurality of individual tiles are provided. One must count the number of dots on the domino tile and then make a match. Moreover, in the "domino" game, each number of dots has only one representation.
Although one may think that the present invention is similar in appearance to a "domino" game, it is completely different from the "domino" game in its basic principle and overcomes the problems which the "domino" game presents. Moreover, the present invention can be played by children as young as three years old.


The present invention relates to a communication path control apparatus for controlling a communication path between a plurality of DUs and a plurality of RFUs, and a plurality of antennas included in the plurality of RFUs and a wireless communication system including the communication path control apparatus. Each of the plurality of DUs, the plurality of RFUs, and the plurality of antennas has a unique identifier, and the path control apparatus controls paths between the plurality of DUs and the plurality of RFUs based on identifiers. Accordingly, the wireless communication system can transmit and receive a signal through a specific RFU and a specific antenna included in a specific RFU and performs the next-generation wireless BS operation method, such as CoMP and multi-BS MIMO.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication in a wireless communication system and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a communication path between a plurality of Digital Units (DUs) and a plurality of Radio Frequency Units (RFUs) in a wireless communication system.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In a wireless communication system, in order to reduce installation costs for a base station and secure easy management, lots of Remote Radio Head (RRH) attempts have been made to couple DUs and RFUs using a wired line, such as an optical cable, and placing only RFUs in remote places. The RFU may also be called a Radio Unit (RU). Researches are recently being carried out on an effective wired connection between DUs and RFUs while active research is carried out on Cloud Communication Center (CCC) technology for integrating the DUs of a plurality of base stations into the communication station buildings of a network service provider.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection using a Passive Optical Network (PON) network between DUs and RFUs.
In technology shown in FIG. 1, attempts are made to solve the problem using the PON network having a master and slave architecture. In this technology, an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) 110 transmits the transmission signals of the DUs 100 of a plurality of base stations to an Optical Network Units (ONU) 160 or an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) in a frequency overlay form over the PON network by using an optical combiner 120. The ONU 160 or the ONT separates the signals, received from the DUs 100, by using an optical diplexer 140 and a Frame Multiplex Control Assembly (FMCA) 150, converts the separated signals into RF signals, and transmits the converted signal to a terminal through an antenna.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection using an Ethernet line between a DU and an RF module.
Technology shown in FIG. 2 relates to a method of transmitting signals from a DU 212 in a frequency overlay form through an Ethernet line 205 by using a control unit 220, separating the signals of the DU 212 by using an Ethernet AP w/MUX 230, converting the signals into RF signals by using an RF module 240, and transmitting the converted signals to terminals 252 and 254 through antennas 238 and 244.
The above technologies suggest only the methods of coupling one DU and an RFU limited to the DU in pairs, but does not propose a method of freely coupling a specific DU and specific RFUs or coupling a specific DU and specific antennas mounted on specific RFUs.

Apparatus and method for controlling communication path between multiple digital units and multiple radio frequency units in wireless communication system

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute