The present invention provides an organic electroluminescence element driving circuit that is capable of realizing application of reverse bias without increasing power consumption and cost. The connected relationship between a power supply potential Vcc and the GRD is changed by manipulating switches. With this arrangement, application of reverse bias to an organic electroluminescence element can be realized without newly preparing additional power supplies such as a negative power supply, and the like, whereby the life of an organic electroluminescence element can be increased.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a driving circuit for an active matrix type display using an electro-optical element, such as an organic electroluminescence element (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9corganic electroluminescence elementxe2x80x9d), and the like. The invention further relates to a driving method of electronic device and an electronic apparatus, and to the electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a driving circuit having a function for applying reverse bias to an electro-optical element to suppress the deterioration thereof, to a driving method of electronic device and an electronic apparatus, and to the electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known that a display can be realized by arranging a plurality of pixels in matrix that include an organic electroluminescence element that is one of electro-optical elements. In such a display, the organic electroluminescence element is arranged such that a laminated organic thin film including a light emitting layer is interposed between a cathode formed of a metal electrode, for example, Mg, Ag, Al, Li, and the like and an anode formed of a transparent electrode composed of ITO (indium tin oxide).
FIG. 8 shows an ordinary arrangement of a driving circuit for an active matrix type display using an organic electroluminescence element. In this figure, the organic electroluminescence element is shown as a diode 10. Further, the driving circuit 1 is composed of two transistors Tr1 and Tr2 each composed of a thin film transistor (TFT) and a capacitance element 2 for accumulating electric charge.
Herein both the transistors Tr1 and Tr2 are p-channel type TFTs. The transistor Tr1 can be controlled to be turned on and off according to the electric charge accumulated in the capacitance element 2 in the figure. The capacitance element 2 is charged by a data line VDATA through the transistor Tr2 that is turned on by setting a selection potential VSEL to a low level. When the transistor Tr1 is turned on, a current flows to the organic electroluminescence element 10 through the transistor Tr1. The continuous flow of the current to the organic electroluminescence element 10 permits the element to emit light continuously.
FIG. 9 shows a brief timing chart for the circuit of FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 9, when data is to be written, the transistor Tr2 is turned on by setting the selection potential VSEL to the low level, whereby the capacitance element 2 is charged. This charge period is a writing period TW in the figure. An actual display period follows the writing period TW. In this period, the transistor Tr1 is turned on by the electric charge accumulated in the capacitance element 2. This period is shown as a display period TH in the figure.
FIG. 10 shows another arrangement of the driving circuit for the organic electroluminescence element. The driving circuit shown in the figure is written in the literature xe2x80x9cThe Impact of Transient Response of Organic Light Organic Light Emitting Diodes on the Design of Active Matrix OLED Displaysxe2x80x9d (1998 IEEE IEDM 98-875). In FIG. 10, reference numeral Tr1 denotes a driving transistor, reference numeral Tr2 denotes a charge controlling transistor, reference numeral Tr3 denotes a first selection transistor, and reference numeral Tr4 denotes a second selection transistor that is turned off during the charge period of a capacitance element 2.
As is well known, the characteristics of transistors are dispersed even if they have the same standard. Accordingly, even if the same voltage is applied to the gates of transistors, a current having a given value does not always flow through the transistors, which may cause irregular luminance and the like. In contrast, in this driving circuit, electric charge is accumulated in the capacitance element 2 based on an amount of current according to a data signal output from a current source 4. Thus, the emitting state of organic electroluminescence can be controlled based on the amount of current according to data.
Herein all the transistors Tr1 to Tr4 are P-channel type MOS transistors. The transistors Tr2 and TR3 are turned on by setting a selection potential VSEL to a low level, which causes electric charge having a value according to the output from the current source 4 to be accumulated in the capacitance element 2. Then, after the selection potential VSEL goes to a high level and the transistors Tr2 and Tr3 are turned off, the transistor Tr1 is turned on by the electric charge accumulated in the capacitance element 2 and the transistor Tr4 is turned on by a data holding control signal Vgp so that a current flows to the organic electroluminescence element 10.
FIG. 11 shows a brief timing chart as to the circuit of FIG. 10, As shown in FIG. 11, when data is to be written by the current source 4, the transistors Tr2 and Tr3 are turned on by setting the selection potential VSEL to the a low level, thereby charging the capacitance element 2. This charging period is a writing period TW in FIG. 11. An actual display period follows the write period TW. During the period in which the data holding control signal Vgp is set to the low level, the transistor Tr1 is turned on, and this turned-on period is a display period TH.
FIG. 12 shows still another arrangement of the driving circuit for the organic electroluminescence element. The driving circuit shown in the figure is the circuit disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-272233. In this figure, the driving circuit includes a transistor Tr1 for supplying a current from a power supply to an organic electroluminescence element 10 when it is turned on, a capacitance element 2 for accumulating electric charge for maintaining the transistor Tr1 in the turned-on state, and a charge controlling transistor Tr5 for controlling the charge of the capacitance element 2 according to an external signal. Note that when the organic electroluminescence element 10 is to emit, a potential Vrscan is maintained to a low level to turn off a charge controlling transistor Tr7. With this operation, no reset signal Vrsig is output. Note that reference numeral Tr6 denotes an adjustment transistor.
The transistor Tr5 is turned on, and the capacitance element 2 is charged by a data line VDATA through a transistor Tr6. Then, the conductance between the source and the drain of the transistor Tr1 is controlled according the charged level of the capacitance element 2, and a current flows to the organic electroluminescence element 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, when a potential Vscan is set to a high level to turn on the transistor Tr5, the capacitance element 2 is charged through the transistor Tr6. The conductance between the source and the drain of the transistor Tr1 is controlled according the charged level of the capacitance element 2, and a current flows to the organic electroluminescence element 10. The organic electroluminescence element 10 emits.
Incidentally, it is known that application of reverse bias to an organic electroluminescence element is an effective means to increase the life thereof. This increase of life is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-8064.
However, in the method of the publication, additional power supplies such as a negative power source, and the like must be newly prepared to apply reverse bias to the organic electroluminescence element, and the organic electroluminescence element must be controlled so as to permit the reverse bias to be applied thereto.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving circuit for an active matrix type display capable of applying reverse bias to an electro-optical element such as an organic electroluminescence element, and the like without almost increasing power consumption and cost, to provide a driving method of electronic device and an electronic apparatus, and to provide electronic device.
A first driving circuit for active matrix type display according to the present invention is a driving circuit that drives a display in which a plurality of pixels composed of an electro-optical element are disposed in matrix. The driving circuit includes a first terminal electrically connected to any one of a first power supply line for supplying a first potential and a second power supply line for supplying a second potential lower than the first potential, and a second terminal electrically connected to any one of the first and second power supply lines through the electro-optical element. Further, timing at least exists at which, when the electro-optical element is in a first operating state, the first terminal is electrically connected to the first power supply line and the second terminal is electrically connected to the second power supply line through the electro-optical element, and at which, when the electro-optical element is in a second operating state, the first terminal is electrically connected to the second power supply line and the second terminal is electrically connected to the first power supply line through the electro-optical element.
A second driving circuit for active matrix type display according to the present invention can further include a driving transistor for controlling an operating state of the electro-optical element, a capacitance element for accumulating electric charge for maintaining the driving transistor in a turned-on state, and a charge controlling transistor for controlling the charge to the capacitance element according to an external signal. Further, one of the electrodes constituting the capacitance element is electrically connected to the first terminal and the other electrode constituting the capacitance element is electrically connected to the gate electrode of the driving transistor, and the first terminal is electrically connected to the second terminal through the source and the drain of the driving transistor.
A third driving circuit for active matrix type display according to the present invention can further include a driving transistor for controlling an operating state of the electro-optical element, a capacitance element for accumulating electric charge for maintaining the driving transistor in a turned-on state, and a charge controlling transistor for controlling the charge to the capacitance element according to an external signal. Further, one of the electrodes constituting the capacitance element is electrically connected to the first terminal through a selection transistor that is turned off during the charge period of the capacitance element, the other electrode constituting the capacitance element is electrically connected to the gate electrode of the driving transistor, and the first terminal is electrically connected to the second terminal through the source and the drain of the driving transistor and through the source and the drain of the selection transistor.
A fourth driving circuit for active matrix type display according to the present invention can further include a driving transistor for controlling an operating state of the electro-optical element, a capacitance element for accumulating electric charge for maintaining the driving transistor in a turned-on state; and a charge controlling transistor for controlling the charge to the capacitance element according to an external signal. Further, one of the electrodes constituting the capacitance element is electrically connected to the gate electrode of the driving transistor, the other electrode constituting the capacitance element is electrically connected to the ground, and the first terminal is electrically connected to the second terminal through the source and the drain of the driving transistor.
In short, since a connected state of the first power supply and the second power supply to the driving circuit is changed by switches, reverse bias can be applied to an organic electroluminescence element without almost increasing power consumption and cost. In this case, a first power supply is ordinarily set to Vcc and a second power supply is ordinarily set to the ground (GND), and potentials which are originally prepared are used. However, when a difference of potential that is sufficient for the organic electroluminescence element to emit can be secured, the power supplies are not limited thereto.
In a fifth driving circuit for active matrix type display of the present invention, the electro-optical element can be an organic electroluminescence element.
A first electronic apparatus of the present invention can be an electric apparatus having an active matrix type display that includes the driving circuit.
A first method of driving electronic device of the present invention is a method of driving electronic device including a first power supply line having a first potential, a second power supply line having a second potential that is a potential lower than the first potential, and an electronic device electrically disposed between the first power supply line and the second power supply line. The method can include the steps of electrically connecting one end of the electronic element to the second power supply line when the other end of the electronic element is electrically connected to the first power supply line, and electrically connecting one end of the electronic element to the first power supply line when the other end of the electronic element is electrically connected to the second power supply line.
It should be noted that the terms xe2x80x9celectrically disposedxe2x80x9d are not always limited to the case that an electron element is directly connected to a power supply line and also includes the case that other element such as a transistor or the like is disposed between the power supply line and the electronic element. A liquid crystal element, an electrophoretic element, an electroluminescence element, and the like, for example, are exemplified as the electronic element. Further, the electronic element means a element that is driven when a voltage is applied or a current is supplied thereto.
In a second method of driving electronic equipment of the present invention, the electronic device can be a current-driven device that is driven by a current.
That is, when the electronic device is the current-driven element, a current flows in a forward direction or a reverse direction by the driving method.
A first electronic device of the present invention is an electronic device including a first power supply line having a first potential, a second power supply line having a second potential that is a potential lower than the first potential, and an electronic element electrically disposed between the first power supply line and the second power supply line. The device having one end of the electronic element electrically connected to the second power supply line when the other end of the electronic element is electrically connected to the first power supply line and one end of the electronic element electrically connected to the first power supply line when the other end of the electronic element is electrically connected to the second power supply line.
In second electronic device of the present invention, the electronic element can be disposed in a unit circuit that is disposed in correspondence to the node of a data line for supplying a data signal and a scan line for supplying a scan signal in the above electronic device.
In third electronic device of the present invention, the unit circuit can include a first transistor for controlling the conductivity of the electronic element, a second transistor the gate electrode of which is connected to the scan line, and a capacitance element connected to the gate electrode of the first transistor for accumulating electric charge corresponding to the data signal supplied from the data line.

System and methods for providing a driving circuit for active matrix type displays


An authentication method and system to combat confirmation bias provides for an authentication system that upon matching an access request to a record for a given user in an authentication system further interrogates a set of secondary sources to determine that the individual requesting access is in fact the correct user.

A conventional credentialing system requires an employee entering a facility to swipe his or her card key at a card reader to gain entry to that facility. The card reader transmits the information collected from the card to an authentication server and the credentialing server evaluates that information in order to authorize the user. If the employee is currently employed and is allowed to enter the particular facility or area of a facility, then the credentialing server approves the employee's request for entry and issues a signal to the mechanism which prevents entry to allow passage for the employee in question. In parallel with issuing the signal to unlock a door, the credentialing server sends a digital image or other information about the employee to a guard at a monitoring station who is monitoring the facility entrance or area entrance.
The guard at the monitoring station is required to view the digital image of the employee and check that the individual entering the facility or area of a facility resembles the digital image. If the individual passing through the station does not resemble the employee, the guard is required to challenge the individual and further make a secondary determination that the individual who just scanned the card is the employee to whom that card belongs.

Mitigating conformational bias in authentication systems


The present invention relates to a ceramic composite light-converting member which is a solidified body having a texture of at least two or more oxide phases being continuously and three-dimensionally entangled with each other, where at least one of the oxide phases is a fluorescence-emitting phase and the composition as a whole is represented by:x.AlO3/2-y.(a.YO3/2-b.GdO3/2-c.CeO2)[wherein x, y, a, b and c are each a molar fraction and satisfy 0.750<x<0.850, 0<b<0.8, 0<c<0.3, x+y=1 and a+b+c=1]; orx.AlO3/2-y.(a.YO3/2-c.CeO2)(wherein x, y, a, b and c are each a molar fraction and satisfy 0.750<x<0.850, 0.125≦c<0.3, x+y=1 and a+c=1).

In recent years, studies have been aggressively made to develop a white light-emitting device using a blue light-emitting element as a light-emitting source. In particular, a white light-emitting diode using a blue light-emitting diode is lightweight, uses no mercury lamp and has long life, and therefore demands thereof are expected to rapidly expand in the future. A most commonly employed method for converting the blue light of a blue light-emitting element into white light is a method of obtaining a pseudo-white color by mixing a blue color and a yellow color which are in a complementary relationship. For example, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-208815, a coating layer containing a fluorescent material for emitting yellow light by absorbing a part of blue light is provided on the front surface of a light-emitting diode which emits blue light, and a mold layer or the like for mixing blue light of the light source and yellow light from the florescent material is provided ahead of the coating layer, whereby a white light-emitting diode can be fabricated. As for the fluorescent material, a cerium-activated YAG (Y3Al5O12) (hereinafter referred to as "YAG:Ce") powder or the like is used.
However, in the structure of a white light-emitting diode generally used at present as typified by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-208815, the fluorescent material powder is mixed with a resin such as epoxy and then coated, and therefore, uniformity of the mixed state of the fluorescent material powder with the resin and stabilizing the thickness of the coated film is difficult and color unevenness or fluctuation of the white light-emitting diode readily occurs. Furthermore, the resin required in using a fluorescent material powder is poor in heat resistance compared with metals or ceramics, and may cause a reduction in the transmittance resulting from alteration due to heat from the light-emitting element, which hampers high output of the white light-emitting diode.
The present inventors have proposed a ceramic composite light-converting member comprising a solidified body in which a plurality of oxide phases containing a fluorescence-emitting (Y,Ce)3Al5O12 phase and an Al2O3 phase are formed to be continuously and three-dimensionally entangled with each other, and a white light-emitting device fabricated using a blue-to-violet light-emitting element and the ceramic composite light-converting member above. This ceramic composite light-converting member enables obtaining homogeneous yellow fluorescence by virtue of uniform distribution of the fluorescence-emitting phase and is excellent in heat resistance because the member is ceramic. Furthermore, the ceramic composite itself is a bulk body and requires no resin for the fabrication of a white light-emitting device, so that the fluorescence intensity can be easily controlled by the thickness and in turn, the white light-emitting light using this light-converting member can be reduced in the color unevenness or fluctuation, which is very advantageous for achieving high output.
In such a white light-emitting device using a blue light-emitting element and a YAG:Ce yellow florescent material, the light of the blue light-emitting element generally employed at present is blue having a peak wavelength in the vicinity of 460 nm (for example, x=0.135 and y=0.08 in the CIE 1931 chromaticity coordinates (hereinafter referred to as "chromaticity coordinates")). This is because the emission efficiency of the YAG:Ce fluorescent material becomes high in this wavelength region. On the other hand, the color of fluorescence of the YAG:Ce fluorescent material of which emission wavelength is not adjusted (hereinafter referred to as "unadjusted YAG:Ce") is yellow having a peak wavelength in the vicinity of 530 to 545 nm (for example, x=0.41 and y=0.56 in the chromaticity coordinates). Accordingly, when light from the light-emitting element at 460 nm and light from the unadjusted YAG:Ce fluorescent material are mixed, the color is shifted to the green side from white (for example, 6,000 K, x=0.32 and y=0.34 in the chromaticity coordinates). In order to obtain a white color by this construction, a fluorescent material which emits fluorescence having a peak wavelength in the more red side (longer wavelength side) has to be used.
It is well known that the YAG:Ce fluorescent material can shift the peak of its fluorescence wavelength to the long wavelength side by partially replacing, for example, the Y element by a Gd element (see, Material Integration, pp. 41-46, Vol. 16, No. 7 (2003); and Oyo Butsuri (Applied Physics), pp. 1518-1522, Vol. 71, No. 12 (2002)). Japanese Patent No. 3,503,139 has proposed a method for obtaining a white color (x=0.33 and y=0.33 in the CIE chromaticity coordinates), where a white light-emitting diode is fabricated by combining a blue light-emitting diode with a YAG:Ce fluorescent material having a fluorescence wavelength adjusted as above to the long wavelength side (hereinafter referred to as "adjusted YAG:Ce").
However, generally in the fluorescent powder conventionally used, the emission efficiency of the adjusted YAG:Ce is known to decrease in comparison with the unadjusted YAG:Ce as described, for example, in the publication above (Material Integration, pp. 41-46, Vol. 16, No. 7 (2003)), and a white light-emitting diode fabricated using this fluorescent material has a problem that the emission efficiency decreases. For the fabrication of a high-efficiency white light-emitting diode which is increasingly desired in the future, a light conversion material capable of keeping the emission efficiency high and at the same time, emitting fluorescence adjusted to an optimal wavelength for the emission wavelength of a blue light-emitting element combined is demanded.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a light conversion member ensuring that fluorescence adjusted to a peak wavelength of 540 to 580 nm can be efficiently emitted and the obtained fluorescence is homogeneous, and being excellent in the heat resistance and durability and suitable for the fabrication of a high-efficiency white light-emitting device by combining it with a blue light-emitting element; and a white light-emitting device using this light conversion material and a blue-to-violet light-emitting element, in which light can be adjusted to a white color, color unevenness or fluctuation is reduced and deterioration or the like does not occur because a resin is not necessarily required for the fabrication and which is very suitable for achieving high output and is highly efficient.
It is also well known that the YAG:Ce fluorescent material can shift the peak of the fluorescence wavelength to the long wavelength side by increasing the amount of the activator Ce (see, J. Physics and Chemistry of Solids, pp. 845-850, Vol. 65 (2004)). By this technique, the peak of the fluorescence wavelength can be shifted to the vicinity of 560 nm.
However, generally in the fluorescent material conventionally used, when the fluorescence peak wavelength is shifted to the long wavelength side by increasing the amount of the activator Ce as described in the publication above (J. Physics and Chemistry of Solids, pp. 845-850, Vol. 65 (2004)), there arises a problem that fluorescence intensity decreases due to concentration quenching if the peak wavelength exceeds 550 nm. Therefore, a white light-emitting diode fabricated using this fluorescent material is caused to decrease in the emission efficiency and the technique above cannot be practically used for the control of fluorescence wavelength. For the fabrication of a high-efficiency white light-emitting diode which is increasingly desired in the future, a light conversion material capable of keeping the emission efficiency high and at the same time, emitting fluorescence adjusted to an optimal wavelength for the emission wavelength of a blue light-emitting element combined is demanded.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a light conversion material ensuring that fluorescence adjusted to a peak wavelength of 550 to 560 nm can be efficiently emitted and the obtained fluorescence is homogeneous, and being excellent in heat resistance and durability, and suitable for the fabrication of a high-efficiency white light-emitting device by combining it with a blue light-emitting element; and a white light-emitting device using this light conversion material and a blue-to-violet light-emitting element, in which light can be adjusted to a white color, color unevenness or fluctuation is reduced and deterioration or the like does not occur because a resin is not required for the fabrication, and which is very suitable for achieving high output and is highly efficient.

Ceramic composite light-converting member and light-emitting device using the same

Abstract: The ceramic composite light-converting member enables emitting light adjusted to a peak wavelength of 540 to 580 nm and fabricating a high-efficiency white light-emitting device by combining it with a blue light-emitting element.


Positive working polyamic acid photoresist compositions are disclosed having improved high resolution upon image development and exhibiting stable photosensitivity and superior dielectric performance. The compositions comprise polyamic acid condensation products of an aromatic dianhydride and an aromatic di-primary amine wherein a percentage of the diamine comprises special dissolution inhibiting monomers. The compositions may be further improved by the presence of particular supplemental additives.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to positive working polyamic acid photoresist compositions and their use as dielectrics, and particularly to improvements in imagewise resolution upon photo image development.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Photoresist compositions, generally, are well-known in the art as coatings comprising a diazoquinone photo sensitizer and a resinous binder. These compositions are coated or deposited onto certain substrates and when exposed to light of proper wave length (irradiated) the compositions are chemically altered in their solubility to certain solvents (developers). This process is known as photoimage development.
Two types of photoresist compositions are known, namely; negative working and positive working photoresist. The negative working resists are compositions which are initially soluble in the developers, but following irradiation become insoluble. Accordingly, by configuring a specific pattern of irradiation, during photoimage development, those areas of the coating exposed to the light will form raised lines which define negative images. Positive working photoresist compositions work in the opposite fashion. That is, the compositions are initially insoluble in alkaline developer and accordingly, upon irradiation the exposed regions dissolve and form indented lines or cavities that define positive images.
The clarity and precision with which these lines are formed, called resolution, is calibrated in microns of geometry.
In the microelectronics industry, it is important to achieve line resolutions as small as possible, preferably one micron or smaller for coating thicknesses within the range of one to two microns. It is also desirable to employ positive working photoresist rather than negative working photoresist in dielectric applications. The recessed lines formed in the coating from the positive resist will better serve dielectric applications than will raised lines formed from negative resist because in dielectric applications, unlike many other applications, the bulk of the coating remains on the wafer during subsequent processing. Additionally, modern techniques for processing semi-conductors call for plasma and sputter etching, ion beam implantation, and the like, which require photoresist compositions having stability at temperatures as high as 300.degree. and higher. When photoresist compositions are employed as dielectric layers, not only is thermal stability essential, but the resist must also maintain good dielectric properties.
Over the years, polyamic acid condensation resins produced from an aromatic dianhydride and an aromatic di-primary amine, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,634, have received widespread attention as resinous binders for photoresist compositions because they are readily converted by heat to thermally stable polyimides. They are resistant to dilute acids and organic solvents and they are heat stable at temperatures in excess of 400.degree. C. However, because of the high solubility of the polyamic acid in alkaline-developer, prior-to conversion to the imide, their use has been restricted for the most part to negative working photoresist compositions.
The earliest of these negative working polyamic acid photoresist was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,870. Therein, a negative working photoresist composition was disclosed comprising a mixture of photosensitive dichromate and the polyamic acid binder. The composition was initially soluble in the developer and upon photoimaging, the dichromate cross-linked the polyamic acid binder causing the exposed areas to become less soluble than the uncross-linked polyamic acid of the unexposed areas. Thus, development was said to proceed via different rates of solubility between imagewise exposed and non-exposed areas. It was found, however, to be difficult, if at all possible, to prevent some attack by the developer solvent on the non-exposed areas; accordingly, the problems associated with obtaining good resolution from polyamic acid systems arose even in negative working polyamic acid photoresist compositions.
More recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,551, polyamic acids photosensitized with a compound having an amino group and an aromatic azide group were disclosed in a negative working photoresist composition. After photoimage development, the composition was baked at from 150.degree. to 300.degree. C. to produce a heat resistant polyimide that resisted distortions when heated to 400.degree. C. for an hour and was used as dry-etching resistant photoresist. Again, the composition was initially soluble in the developer and the unexposed portions remained soluble, while the irradiated portions were rendered relatively less soluble for the formation of negative patterns.
More recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,887, a negative working polyamic acid photoresist specifically designed for use as a dielectric was disclosed. Therein, the base resin was produced by a condensation reaction between aromatic dianhydride and a mixture of aromatic diamine plus amine organo terminated polydiorganosiloxane. The resultant silicone-polyamic acid was modified by a mixture of isocyanato organoacrylate which enabled the polymer to be sensitized with an appropriate photo sensitizer such as Michler's ketone or benzophenone. The composition was then spin coated onto the substrate and heated to 100.degree. C. for partial imidization. Upon exposure to ultra-violet light in alkaline developer solution cross-linking occurred capable of insolubilizing the exposed areas and creating a negative patterned dielectric layer on its surface.
Even more recently in U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,116, a negative working polyamic acid photoresist composition was disclosed wherein aromatic tetracarboxylic acid derivatives and aromatic diamines having both ortho-positions relative to the phenylene radical bonded to an imide group of the polymer and substituted by alkyl groups where radiation-crosslinked with organic chromophoric polyazides. The compositions were useful in preparing dielectric layers and for producing printed circuits and integrated circuits.
Several problems associated with the use of negative working polyamic acid photoresists for imagable dielectric layers could be overcome if positive working photoresists were used. In the first place, dielectric applications commonly require that holes be patterned in the existing coating. Hole patterning is most effectively accomplished through the use of a positive resist, in which the exposed areas are removed. In addition, a slight side slope is desired in order to achieve effective metal contacts. Positive resists naturally achieve the necessary sloping sidewalls because the top of the film receives a higher exposure than the bottom of the film, and is therefore slightly more soluble. The slope produced in a negative resist is in the opposite direction from that desired, because solubility is inversely related to exposure. A third advantage of positive resist is especially important in thick films where absorption of the film can greatly decrease sensitivity. Positive resists photobelach--that is, the absorption coefficient decreases upon exposure, enabling more light to reach the lower regions of the film, and increasing exposure efficiency. For these reasons, a positive resist is preferable to a negative resist for dielectric applications.
The earliest attempts to make thermally stable polyamic acid photoresist compositions in a positive working fashion was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,461. Therein, it was attempted to make the polyamic acid condensation resin insoluble in an alkaline developer by admixture with orthoquinone and orthonaphthoquinone diazide photosensitizers. It was believed that sufficient quantities of the diazide sensitizer would render the unexposed areas of the photoresist composition completely insoluble in the aqueous alkaline developing solution because of the hydrophobicity and insolubility of the diazides themselves before photolysis or photoimage development. Hence, a positive image could be formed on the support corresponding to the master pattern of configurated irradiation used during the photoimage development. It was believed that a difference in solvation was required to create the positive working phenomenon and/or complete insolubility in the developer as by use of large quantities of the photosensitizer particularly the abietyl types of diazides.
By use of this different solvation, it was believed that sharp distinctions between imagewise exposed and non-exposed areas during development would occur and thus ensure that only light-struck areas were dissolved in the developer; whereas non-exposed areas would remain insoluble and unaffected in the developer. However, such attempts have had only limited success in that polyimide-based photoresist systems exhibit such a high dissolution rate in alkaline solutions with conventional, commercially available diazide sensitizers, that adequate control over processes to obtain high resolution is not possible.
Attempts to decrease the dissolution rate under the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,461, by increasing the concentration of the sensitizer in the photoresist to as high as 50% by weight have been problematic for two reasons: (1) The concomitant increase in optical density of the photoresist inhibits full penetration of the film thickness by the radiation source, and (2) there is a progressive reduction in thermal stability of the photoresist associated with increased concentration of the sensitizer.
More recently, positive working polyamic photoresist compositions have been designed to overcome the problems associated with increased sensitizer concentration.
In European Patent Application No. 224,680, it is disclosed that by reducing the acidity of the polyamic acid by about 10 to about 40% of its original value, the dissolution rate of the initial unexposed photoresist composition in the alkaline developer and the subsequent dissolution rate of the exposed areas could be controlled to provide a tailored development rate within a desired range. This reduction in acidity is achieved by, for example, pre-baking to achieve partial imidization; or partial neutralization with basic organic reagents including the use of blends of the polyamic acid and its ester derivatives or co-polymers of the acid and esters derived from the organic reagents. However, pre-baking to achieve partial imidization is therein taught to be limited in the extent to which it could be employed to reduce acidity because temperatures above about 100.degree. C. as for example, even 120.degree. C., caused loss of photosensitivity by degradation of the diazoquinone photosensitizers. Furthermore, acidity reduction through employment of the basic organic reagents, therein disclosed, tends to corrode the conductors found in integrated circuits. Small mobile impurities, created therefrom, tend to degrade dielectric performance.
Accordingly, in spite of the fact that the microelectronics industry's manufacturing processes are based almost exclusively on positive photoresist techniques, those more desirable thermally stable polyamic acid photoresists which are of any practical utility continue to be negative working. The most prevalent commercially available positive photoresist compositions continue to consist of base resins made from phenol-formaldehyde condensation products such as Novolacs. These Novolac based photoresists, when mixed with standard photosensitizers, become insoluble and thereafter allow exposed areas during irradiation or photodevelopment to become soluble. Novolac melts at temperatures above about 150.degree. C. with the result that such systems are not suitable for the modern technology high temperature applications, particularly as interlayer dielectric coatings for integrated circuits.
It would therefore be a substantial advancement in the art to develop a positive working polyamic acid photoresist composition which was devoid of the above-described drawbacks in the prior art.

Positive working polyamic acid/imide and diazoquinone photoresist with high temperature pre-bake


An apparatus for first aligning by trial and error, and then mounting or fastening a subsystem of an electrostatographic copier or printer such that the subsystem thereafter can be removed, serviced, and then remounted or reinstalled in precise alignment without further need of such initial trial and error aligning thereof. The apparatus include an aligning device for initially aligning by marking an aligned position through a first alignment and screw mounting aperture in the mounting portion of the subsystem, and for forming a laterally sealed cavity with such mounting portion. The device has front and back sides, a screw or bolt mounting apertures therethrough, a backside recess, and adhesive introduction perforations therein. The apparatus also include a mounting or fastening means such as a mounting screw, and an adhesive for permanently bonding the aligning device to the mounting portion, thereby also permanently aligning and marking the aligned position through the mounting portion such that the subsystem thereafter can be removed, serviced, and then remounted or reinstalled in precise alignment without further need of such initial trial and error aligning thereof.

This invention relates to electrostatographic copiers and printers. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for use in first aligning, by trial and error, an operating subsystem, such as a copy sheet registration assembly in such a copier or printer, and for then mounting such a subsystem to the frame of the copier or printer so that the subsystem can thereafter be removed from the copier or printer, serviced, and then reinstalled, that is, remounted therein in alignment without further need of such trial and error aligning thereof.
Electrostatographic copiers and printers, which can produce or reproduce copies of an original image on suitable receivers such as copy sheets of paper, include many components and operating subsystems mounted therein. Although some such components merely require mounting, that is, fastening, for example by gluing or by a screw or other such fastener, others, particularly operating subsystems such as a copy registration assembly, must first be precisely aligned before being mounted. Furthermore, some such other operating subsystems occasionally have to be removed from the copier or printer, serviced, and then reinstalled therein in alignment.
Typically, components which merely require fastening, as by gluing the component or a part thereof to the support frame of the copier or printer, or as with a screw or other such fastener, include enabling and particular features for such mounting. For example, the base of the component to be mounted may be coated with an adhesive, or means for introducing adhesive into such a base may be provided. The latter adhesive base bonding technique is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,316 issued Oct. 6, 1970 to G. Mathes. The technique involves forming a recess in such base, as well as, perforations therethrough for introducing adhesive into such recess. The introduced adhesive permanently bonds the base of the component directly to a foundation or a support frame.
When such mounting or fastening is with a screw or bolt for examples, screw or bolt mounting apertures of the same size are formed in the support frame of the copier or printer as well as in the component to be mounted. To ensure tightness of the mounting or fastening, such screw mounting apertures are usually substantially the same size as the major diameter of the screw or bolt being used. Additionally, a washer, usually a thin flat ring or plate with a screw or bolt mounting aperture therein, may also be used in such a mounting in order to ensure such tightness, and further in order to prevent damage from rotational friction of the screw or bolt against the component being mounted.
Although washers and their use as such are aged-old and well known, specific modified washer type devices have evolved for additionally solving particular problems or achieving particular purposes. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 797,925 issued Aug. 22, 1905 to G. P. Thomas, such a washer having a front side and a back side, was modified to include a front side recess in addition to a bolt mounting aperture. The front side recess receives and retains complimentary projections on a nut, which fits over the bolt, and thereby prevents lateral movement of such nut when the fastened component is jarred.
On the other hand, unlike components that merely require mounting or fastening as above, components and operating subsystems such as the paper registration assembly of the copier or printer, must first be aligned precisely for proper operation within the copier or printer, before they are then mounted to the support frame therein. Those of such subsystems which must thereafter be removed from the copier or printer, serviced and then remounted, typically are mounted or fastened as such with a screw or the like. However, unlike components that merely require mounting, these types of subsystems each include at least a screw or bolt mounting aperture that is substantially larger than the major diameter of the screw or bolt to be used, as well as, also larger than the cooperating screw or bolt aperture in the support frame. The larger aperture in the subsystem may for example be twice as large or larger than the cooperating aperture in the frame which itself should substantially be the same size as the major diameter of the screw or bolt to be used.
As such, the process of aligning the subsystem within the copier or printer involves essentially finding the precise position, through the much larger screw mounting aperture in the subsystem, in which then mounting the subsystem will result in a precise operational alignment of the subsystem within the copier or printer. This ordinarily is done each time such a subsystem is installed or mounted for operation within the copier or printer.
The reliability of such a subsystem and of the copier or printer, as well as, the quality of the copies they produce, depend significantly on the continued alignment of such subsystems, even after they have been serviced or replaced in the field.
Conventional methods and apparatus for first aligning and then mounting such copier or printer subsystems include for example initially aligning and mounting the subsystem by trial and error, then drilling at least four (4) close fitting pin holes through the machine frame and through the mounting portion or bracket of the subsystem. In order to avoid having to repeat the initial, often tedious and laborious trial and error aligning procedure during reinstallation, locating pins of appropriate size and length are then inserted to fill the four pin holes, and to thereby removably retain the mounting portion or bracket of the subsystem in an aligned position against the copier or printer frame. During such reinstallation, the subsystem is first mounted on the locating pins before then being again fastened to the support frame assumedly in an aligned position.
The drilling aspect of such a method, however, is undesirable because it introduces metal chips and the risk of rust to parts of an already assembled copier or printer. In addition, such drilling is expensive and is not always convenient or practical given the restricted mounting locations of some subsystems within the copier or printer. Furthermore, the close fitting locating pins can undesirably become unreliable if knocked and bent out of their initial aligned shapes.

Device for aligning and mounting a copier or printer subsystem

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A method of forming an inorganic insulating layer on a substrate comprises supplying a mixed gas between the substrate and a target, and generating a plasma between the substrate and the target. The target comprises a silicon-based material. The method further comprises depositing a plurality of ions from the plasma on the substrate.

Until recently, display devices have typically used cathode-ray tubes (CRTs). More recently, considerable effort has been expanded to research and develop thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) devices having thin profiles, light weight and low power consumption as substitutes for CRTs.
Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices use the optical anisotropy and polarization properties of liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal layer to produce an image. The liquid crystal molecules have long and thin shapes. Because of the optical anisotropy property, the polarization of light varies with the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules. The alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by varying the intensity of an electric field applied to the liquid crystal layer. Accordingly, a typical LCD device includes two substrates spaced apart and facing each other and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two substrates. Each of the two substrates includes an electrode on a surface facing the other of the two substrates. A voltage is applied to each electrode to induce an electric field between the electrodes. The arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules as well as the transmittance of light through the liquid crystal layer is controlled by varying the intensity of the electric field. LCD devices are non-emissive type display devices that employ a light source to display images using the change in light transmittance.
Among the various types of LCD devices, active matrix LCD (AM-LCD) devices that employ switching elements and pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix structure are the subject of significant research and development because of their high resolution and superior suitability for displaying moving images. Thin film transistor LCD (TFT-LCD) devices use thin film transistors (TFTs) as the switching elements.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an LCD device according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 1, the LCD device of the related art includes a first substrate 10, a second substrate 20 and a liquid crystal layer 30. The first substrate 10 is referred to as an array substrate and includes a gate line 14 and a data line 16 crossing each other to define a pixel region P. A pixel electrode 18 and a thin film transistor (TFT) Tr, as a switching element, are positioned in each pixel region P. Thin film transistors Tr, which are disposed adjacent to crossings of the gate lines 14 and the data lines 16 are disposed in a matrix on the first substrate 10. The second substrate 20 is referred to as a color filter substrate, and includes color filter layer 26 including red (R), green (G) and blue (B) color filters 26a, 26b and 26c, a black matrix 25 between the red, green and blue color filters 26a, 26b and 26c and a common electrode 28 on both the color filter layer 26 and the black matrix 25.
Although not shown in FIG. 1, the first and second substrates 10 and 20 are attached with a seal pattern to prevent leakage of liquid crystal layer 30. In addition, a first alignment layer is formed between the first substrate 10 and the liquid crystal layer 30 and a second alignment layer is formed between the second substrate 20 and the liquid crystal layer 30 to align the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 30 along an initial alignment direction. A polarization plate is formed on an outer surface of at least one of the first and second substrates 10 and 20.
Further, a backlight unit (not shown) disposed under the first substrate 10 supplies light. A gate signal turning the TFT Tr on is sequentially applied to each of the gate lines 14, and an image signal on the data line 16 is applied to the pixel electrode 18 in the pixel region P. The liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 30 are driven by a vertical electric field generated between the pixel electrode 18 and the common electrode 28 to display images by varying the light transmittance of the liquid crystal molecules.
In the above related art LCD device, elements of a metallic material such as the gate line 14, the gate electrode (not shown), the data line 16, the source electrode (not shown), the drain electrode (not shown) and the pixel electrode 18 may be formed through a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method such as a sputtering. Elements of an inorganic insulating material or a semiconductor material such as the gate insulating layer (not shown), the passivation layer (not shown) and a semiconductor layer may be formed through a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. In addition, the CVD method requires a temperature higher than about 300° C. Since a glass substrate having a transition temperature of about 600° C. is used as the first and second substrates 10 and 20 in the related art LCD device, the elements through the CVD method or the PVD method may be formed on the first and second substrates 10 and 20 without any problems.
Recently, however, as a portable terminal having a small size such as a notebook and a personal digital assistant (PDA) is widely used, an LCD device having light weight and flexibility is required for applying to the portable terminal. As a result, an LCD device including first and second substrates formed of transparent plastic has been researched and developed. However, since plastic is inferior to glass in thermal resistance and chemical resistance, a plastic substrate has disadvantages in a fabrication process for an LCD device including a high temperature process over about 200° C., specifically, in a fabrication process for an array substrate having a TFT. For example, when an inorganic insulating layer and a semiconductor layer are formed on a substrate through a CVD method, a maximum temperature may be at least 300° C. Accordingly, the plastic substrate may be deformed or degraded, and there exist many problems in production of an LCD device having a plastic substrate. Further, a produced LCD device having a plastic substrate may have a poor display quality due to the deformation or degradation of the substrate.
Although an organic semiconductor material which can be coated on a substrate at room temperature has been researched for the semiconductor layer, the inorganic insulating layer is still formed through a CVD method. The inorganic insulating layer formed through a CVD method causes deformation or degradation of a plastic substrate.

Method of forming inorganic insulating layer and method of fabricating array substrate for display device using the same


The invention relates to a method and a device for calculating a time window for a time constraint of arrival of an aircraft at a given point, the aircraft receiving wind predictions and including a sensor for measuring the wind. The method includes a calculation of a first time window, and the calculation of an overall confidence index having the determination of a first confidence index on the basis of a deviation between wind predictions and wind measurements performed by the aircraft, the calculation of a margin for the time constraint on the basis of the overall confidence index, and the calculation of a second window on the basis of the first time window and of the calculated margin.

A flight management system FMS aboard an aircraft fulfils notably the function of predicting the progress of a flight plan. This involves predictions at each point of time of passby, speed and fuel consumed.
These predictions are extremely dependent notably on the meteorological conditions and, more particularly, on the winds encountered. The predictions of the FMS are based at one and the same time on a model entered by the company (arising from meteorological modelling) and on a measurement made by sensors aboard the aircraft.
Within the framework of the future concepts of air traffic management, and solutions envisaged for increasing airspace capacity while guaranteeing the safety level demanded, it is envisaged that aircraft will increasingly communicate these predictions to the ATC (Air traffic control).
By virtue of the information regarding passby time, the ATC ascertains the margins of manoeuvre of each aircraft and can give them directives (ATC clearances) to keep the traffic flowing and increase the overall capacity of the air transport system.
The ATC is envisaging notably drawing up ever more RTA (for Required Time of Arrival) contracts with aircraft to ensure the sequencing of traffic arrivals of large airport hubs. An RTA contract imposes an airport arrival time on an aircraft. The aim is to guarantee an approach flow which is close to the maximum capacity of the landing runway, and acceptable from an air traffic control point of view, while reducing to the maximum the holding circuits on arrival.
In order that the tools for scheduling and regulating traffic on the ground can provide aircraft with precise time constraints, it is necessary that aircraft be able to provide the ATC with reliable predictions about the passby times at the points of the flight plan and that they be in a position to adhere to them precisely. Indeed, the ground tools are based on the estimations of passby times at characteristic points in order to perform their flow optimization. Non-compliance with the passby times destabilizes the system.
As regards the RTA clearance, the aeroplane provides the ATC with the minimum time ETAmin (for Estimated Time of Arrival Minimum) and maximum time ETAmax (for Estimated Time of Arrival Maximum) at which the aeroplane can overfly a precise point as a function of its capabilities, of its configuration and of the meteorological conditions.
In order that the ATC has a margin of manoeuvre in the sequencing of aircraft and that this margin of manoeuvre is truly effective, it is important that each aeroplane provides the largest possible time window ETAmin-ETAmax, while guaranteeing its capability to be able to comply with its predictions in this time window (i.e. this window must be reliable).
FIG. 1 illustrates an ETAmin-ETAmax time window and the uncertainty margins taken by the FMS. The FMS calculates reliable margins in the predictions ETAmin and ETAmax communicated to the ATC as a function of the meteorological unknowns which may arise. In practice, the FMS calculates a first time window, termed a raw RTA window, on the basis of raw forecasts of raw minimum arrival time ETAminRaw and of raw maximum arrival time ETAmaxRaw. The FMS thereafter calculates a second time window intended to be communicated to the ATC. The second window corresponds to the first window from which two margins are removed. A first margin MarginMin takes into account a headwind of 10 knots and a second margin MarginMax takes into account a tailwind of 10 knots. The value of 10 knots is related to the precision of the meteorological forecasts announced by the provider of these forecasts which are precise to within 10 knots, 95% of the time. It is useful to take penalizing margins on these data to calculate the minimum and maximum arrival times and communicate them to the ATC.
But these margins are not entirely satisfactory since they are static and do not make it possible to take precise account of the vagaries encountered by an aircraft.
Current systems take a constant, conservative margin, presumed to be valid in most cases. This margin is consequently fairly high, and therefore decreases the time window unnecessarily.

Method and device for calculating a time window


A universal transmitter and a universal receiver for respectively transmitting and receiving orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals using the international television bands respectively use fixed subcarrier spacing; fixed Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)/Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) period values; a fixed symbol duration for each cyclic prefix option; and fixed WRAN frame parameters, but a selectable channel bandwidth for transmission and reception.

The IEEE 802.22 for wireless regional area networks (WRANS) is designed to operate in the TV broadcast bands, while ensuring that harmful interference does not occur with incumbent services, e.g., digital and analog TV broadcasts, and low power licensed devices such as wireless microphones. IEEE 802.22 defines a standard for each of three channel bandwidths, namely: 6 MHz based channels; 7 MHz based channels; and, 8 MHz based channels. For each of the respective channel bandwidths the 802.22 standard defines different: subcarrier spacing and FFT/IFFT period values based on sampling frequency; symbol duration for different cyclic prefix options; OFDM parameters; and WRAN frame parameters. The use of the respective channel bandwidths is regionalized, and a universal standard does not exist.
Table 1 shows the IEEE 802.22 subcarrier spacing and FFT/IFFT period values for the three different channel bandwidths based on a sampling frequency equivalent to 8/7 of the channel bandwidth.
TABLE 16 MHz basedchannels7 MHz based channels8 MHz based channelsBasic sampling6 * 8/7 = 6.8571437 * 8/7 = 88 * 8/7 = 9.144857frequency (MHz)Inter-carrier spacing,(6 × 106 * 8/7)/2048 ≈(7 × 106 * 8/7)/2048 =(8 × 106 * 8/7)/2048 ≈ΔF (Hz)3348.2143906.254464.286FFT/IFFT period,≈298.666 . . .=256.000=224.000TFFT (μs) = 1/ΔFTime Unit (ns)1000/(6 × 106 * 8/7) =1000/(7 × 106 * 8/7) = 1251000/(8 × 106 * 8/7) =TU = TFFT/2048145.833 . . .109.375
Table 2 shows the IEEE 802.22 symbol duration for different cyclic prefixes and bandwidth options.
TABLE 2CP =CP =CP = TFFT/32CP = TFFT/16TFFT/8TFFT/4TSYM =6 MHz308.000317.333336.000373.333TFFT +7 MHz264.000272.000288.000320.000TCP8 MHz231.000238.000252.000280.000(μs)
Table 3 shows IEEE 802.22 OFDM parameters for the three channel bandwidths of 2K FFT mandatory mode.
TABLE 3TV channelbandwidth(MHz)678Total no. of sub-carriers,2048NFFTNo. of guard sub-carriers,368 (184, 1, 183)NG (L, DC, R)No. of used sub-carriers,1680NT = ND + NPNo. of data sub-carriers,1440NDNo. of pilot sub-carriers, NP 240Signal bandwidth (MHz)5.6256.5667.504
Table 4 shows the IEEE 802.22 WRAN frame parameters for the three channel bandwidths.
TABLE 4Transmit-receiveReceive-transmitCyclicNumber of symbolsturnaround gap2turnaround gap3Prefixper frame1(TTG)(RTG)BWP6 MHz7 MHz8 MHz6 MHz7 MHz8 MHz6 MHz7 MHz8 MHz1/4263034210 μs83.33 μs  190 μs270 μs1/8283338210 μs307 μs174 μs158 μs1/16303540210 μs158 μs174 μs186 μs1/32313641210 μs111 μs174 μs221 μs
These three different channel bandwidths and their respective parameters place an onerous burden on transmitter and receiver manufacturers who wish to market internationally because a differently configured transmitter/receiver must be designed, manufactured and distributed for each of the three bandwidths. This not only complicates design, manufacturing and distribution, it also contributes to consumer cost and prohibits device migration between regions that use different channel bandwidths.
There therefore exists a need for a universal transmitter and a universal receiver for the international television bands and a WRAN standard that will coexist with any know television technology (NTSC, PAL, SECAM, ATSC-8VSB, DVB-T, etc.) while enabling transmission at any one of the 6 MHz, 7 MHz or 8 MHz channel bandwidths.

Universal transmitter and receiver for the international television bands


A method for suppressing ground return radar fading in a radar altimeter is described. The method includes providing a radar gate width which corresponds to an area that is smaller than an antenna illumination area being impinged by transmissions of the radar altimeter, dithering the radar gate viewing area within the antenna illumination area being impinged by transmissions of the radar altimeter, and taking radar return samples with the radar altimeter.

This invention relates generally to radar operations, and more specifically to, systems and methods for addressing radar fading problems which can occur during hovering operations.
Flight platforms must be able to hold an altitude during hovering operations. An example of such a flight platform is a helicopter and an example of such an operation is a rescue maneuver. Radar altimeters are commonly implemented within such flight platforms as part of an overall flight control system. Some of these flight platforms utilize the flight control systems to maintain hovering altitudes, and these flight control systems rely on reliable radar altimeter performance during the hover operations.
A radar altimeter typically includes a transmitter for applying pulses of electromagnetic energy at regular intervals to an antenna which then radiates the energy, in the form of a transmit beam, towards the earth""s surface. A transmit beam from a radar is sometimes said to xe2x80x9cilluminatexe2x80x9d an area (e.g. the ground) which reflects (returns) the transmit beam. The reflected beam (ground returns) is received at a receive antenna of the radar altimeter and processed to determine an altitude.
Ground return fading due to phase cancellations in radar return signals is a common occurrence during hovering operations. A ground return fade occurs when a patch of ground reflecting radar transmit pulses actually reflects a multitude of radar returns whose net phase adds to zero, resulting in a total radar return amplitude of zero. When an aircraft is moving horizontally at low altitudes, these ground return fades and opposite amplitude peaks occur rather randomly and quickly such that an integrated or filtered net result typically has no affect on radar altimeter performance.
However, when in a hovering or other holding altitude operation, with little or no horizontal movement, a ground return fade can last indefinitely. At least one result is that the radar altimeter can break track, providing an indeterminate altitude to the flight control system.
In one aspect, a method for suppressing ground return radar fading in a radar altimeter is provided. The method comprises providing a radar gate width which corresponds to an area that is smaller than an antenna illumination area being illuminated by transmissions from the radar altimeter, dithering the radar gate viewing area within the antenna illumination area being illuminated by the transmissions from the radar altimeter, and taking radar return samples with the radar altimeter.
In another aspect, a radar altimeter configured to suppress ground return fading is provided. The radar altimeter comprises a sequencer for modulating a first signal, a transmitter coupled to the sequencer for transmitting a radar signal including the modulated first signal toward the ground, and a receiver for receiving a reflected radar signal from the ground. The received radar signal includes the modulated first signal. The radar altimeter further comprises a sampling clock, a dithering circuit coupled to the sampling clock and a digitizer coupled to the receiver and the sampling clock. The digitizer generates digital samples of the modulated first signal. The sampling clock, the dithering circuit, and the digitizer comprise at least a portion of a radar range gate function providing a radar range gate width which corresponds to a viewing area that is smaller than an antenna illumination area where the transmitter transmits the radar signal and dithering a position of the radar range gate within the illumination area where the transmitter transmits the radar signal.
In still another aspect, a unit for dithering a position of a radar range gate is provided. The unit comprises a sampling clock, a dithering circuit coupled to the sampling clock and an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter coupled to the dithering circuit. The AID converter takes samples following each transmission of a radar altimeter. The times when the samples are taken being dithered from the sampling clock cycles by the dithering circuit.
In yet another aspect, a method for operating a radar altimeter is provided. The method comprises transmitting a signal towards the ground, receiving a reflection of the transmitted signal within a radar range gate, the radar range gate having a width corresponding to a viewing area on the ground smaller than an area reflecting the transmitted signal, and moving a position of the radar range gate within the area reflecting the transmitted signal. The method further includes repeating the above described steps.


A method, a device and an apparatus for selecting a user signature vector, and a storage medium are provided. The method includes: acquiring a measurement result of an actual channel state of a terminal; determining a measurement result interval to which the measurement result belongs, based on the measurement result and a preset measurement threshold; determining a candidate user signature vector set corresponding to the measurement result interval to which the measurement result belongs, based on a preset correspondence between measurement result intervals and user signature vector sets, where the candidate user signature vector set includes one or more user signature vectors; and selecting the user signature vector from the candidate user signature vector set.

From the first generation to the fourth generation of mobile telecommunication technology, conventional multiple access techniques in mobile telecommunication are mainly based on orthogonal multiple access, such as frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and space division multiple access (SDMA), to share radio resources. Orthogonal and synchronous FDMA technique is utilized in 4G, and users occupy different time-frequency resource blocks.
Considering from multi-user information theory, orthogonal approaches can only reach an internal bound of a multi-user capacity bound; while based on the multi-user information theory, a higher multi-user system capacity can be achieved by applying non-orthogonal multiple access transmission techniques than applying the orthogonal approaches. Therefore, the non-orthogonal multiple access techniques have potential advantages in terms of improving spectrum efficiency.
In current researches of 3rd Generation Partnership Project New Radio (3GPP NR), various non-orthogonal multiple access techniques are proposed, including: non-orthogonal multiple access techniques based on code domain, such as Pattern Division Multiple Access (PDMA), Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA), and Multi-User Shared Access (MUSA); interleaver-based non-orthogonal multiple access techniques, such as Interleave Division Multiple Access (IDMA), and Interleave-Grid Multiple Access (IGMA); and non-orthogonal multiple access techniques based on power domain.
Furthermore, grant-free non-orthogonal uplink transmission, i.e., resources used by a terminal in uplink transmission not being scheduled and notified by a network side, is researched in researches of NR. In a currently-proposed solution for grant-free non-orthogonal uplink transmission, a terminal selects a user signature vector randomly and spreads an information bit to one or more resources based on the selected user signature vector. Depending on different non-orthogonal multiple access solutions, the signature vector may be generated through spreading and/or multidimensional constellation modulation and/or an interleaving pattern and/or a power distribution factor.
In a scenario of applying non-orthogonal multiple access transmission in grant-free transmission, when a terminal selects a user signature vector randomly, the selected user signature vector cannot match an actual channel state of the current terminal.

Method, device and apparatus for selecting user signature vector, and storage medium

Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co., Ltd.


The steam generating unit of dual circuit reactor with blowdown and drain system is implemented in the close loop, without any conventional blowdown expansion tanks and is designed for maximum pressure of the steam generator (SG) working medium. The SG blowdown water is combined into a single line, cooled down in the regenerative heat exchanger, then in the blowdown aftercooler and drain cooling line and taken out of the tight shell. Out of the tight shell, the SG blowdown water is supplied for treatment to the SG blowdown water treatment system designed for maximum pressure of the steam generator (SG) working medium. After treatment, the water returns to the tight shell and, via the regenerative heat exchanger, to the feed pipelines of each SG. The invention provides increased SG blowdown that leads to the accelerated chemical condition normalization even with considerable deviations.

For the purposes of description of this invention, the used terms have the following meanings:                "hot" header—the steam generator header comprising the coolant from the first reactor circuit        "cold" header—the header through which the primary circuit coolant leaves the steam generator and enters the suction line of the main circulating pump;        header "pockets"—the dead zones formed between the primary circuit headers and internal surface of the steam generator bottom and impairing the purge quality;        "hot" bottom—steam generator bottom from the "hot" header side;        "cold" bottom—steam generator bottom from the "cold" header side;        "salt" compartment—the area in the steam generator with the highest dissolved salts concentration in the boiler water from the "cold" bottom side;        active water treatment—a system of filters designated for purge water treatment from the corrosion products and impurities in ion form.
At the nuclear power plants (NPP) with double loop VVER reactors (pressurized water reactors, PWR), to ensure successful functioning of the reactor compartment it requires a variety of process systems, one of which, and both of the primary and secondary circuits, is a steam generator that, on the one hand generates the vapour used as working body of the steam turbine for electricity generation that is due to the heat produced in the reactor, and on the other hand, it is intended reliably and continuously ensure the reactor core cooling. When the steam generating unit is in operation, the primary circuit coolant is pumped through its steam generators that sets forth specific requirements to its design and operation. In particular, the steam generating unit is enclosed into the containment dome, wherein to ensure tightness, a number of ducts in the containment intended for process lines must be minimized.
The NPP reliability, particularly, depends on the organization of the secondary circuit water chemistry (WC). The WC disturbances can lead to premature failure of the steam generators being the major parts of the steam generating unit, i.e can significant decrease its operational reliability and life time. To ensure reliable and safe operation of the steam generator, it is necessary timely to remove from the heat exchange surface of the pipes and out of the steam generator the deposits where the corrosive impurities of the boiler water are concentrated. The high concentration of these impurities in particular steam generator zones can lead to the corrosion cracking of the weld joints and heat exchange parts of the steam generator. The undesired impurities are removed out of the steam generator by blowdown that is performed both continuously and regularly as well as combining the continuous and regular blowdown.
There is the known steam generating unit with the reactor VVER-1000 comprising four identical steam generators that represent the horizontal single-casing dual circuit heat exchangers with the immersed heat exchange surface. The steam generator consists of a casing made in the form of horizontal drum connected with the horizontal steam header and feed water header, the steam generator includes the inlet ("hot") and outlet ("cold") vertical pipe headers of the primary coolant and blowdown connection. To maintain normal salt mode, the steam generator is provided with continuous and periodic blowdowns/I. N. Nignatulin, B. I. Nignatulin. Nuclear Power Plants. Workbook for Institutes, M., Energoatomizdat, 1986. P. 120-122/There is the known steam generating unit of the dual circuit reactor with the blowdown and drain system, comprising four steam generators enclosed into the tight volume of the reactor, with horizontal casing with lower casing component, "hot" and "cold" headers of the primary coolant with the pockets created between them and bottom surface of the steam generator, salt compartments, steam header and blowdown and drain system. The coolant from the primary circuit enters the "hot" header. It releases its heat to the steam generator water and, cooled down, enters, through the "cold" header, the suction line of the main circulating pump. The feed water is supplied to the steam generator. The dried steam leaves the steam header, and then it is supplied to the turbine through the steampipes. The blowdown system of the steam generators consists of two blowdown lines being individual for each steam generator and intended for independent continuous and regular blowdowns, wherein the impact of blowdown of individual steam generators on each other is excluded. The extraction for continuous blowdown is made from the salt compartment, and for the regular—from the pockets of the "hot" and "cold" headers and blowdown lines from the lower casing component. The headers of continuous and regular blowdown of each steam generator are made separate and taken out of the tight volume until included into the connection pipeline of the blowdown expansion tanks. Each steam generator is also provided with individual drain tube connected to the drain pipeline, and then the drain pipelines of the steam generators are combined in one drain header, taken out of the tight volume and directed to the drain coolant B. I. Lukasevich, N. B. Trunov, et al. Steam Generators of VVER Reactor Units for Nuclear Power Plants, M: ICC Akademkniga, 2004, PP. 83-86/.
The disadvantages of the known steam generating unit are the required availability of blowdown expansion tank to decrease the pressure to the deaerator parameters, and the energy loss to volume return to the expansion tank, to the secondary circuit, increases, insignificant consumption of the blowdown water that increases the WC normalization time, separate taking the continuous and regular blowdown header and drain header out of the tight volume that reduces the operational reliability due to the additional reduction of tightness, as well as the necessity of process communication with the engine hall and system operation independently from the engine hall equipment, because the steam release from the expansion tank is made into the steam header of the deaerator, and the treated blowdown water is returned to the deaerator or expansion tank of the engine hall drains.
There is also the known blowdown and drain steam generator system designed for maintaining the chemical condition and draining them (http://www.stroitelstvo-new.ru/nasosy/paroturbinnaya-ustanovka.shtml).
The system operates in continuous blowdown mode and in the mode of combination of continuous and regular blowdowns, wherein the sludge and suspended matters are removed from the generator.
The blowdown water from the steam generator enters the blowdown expansion tank, and then is pumped via the regenerative blowdown heat exchanger, additional coolant and treatment system to the turbine unit low pressure heaters. In the draining mode, the water from the steam generators flows downstream the drain pipelines to the drain tank, and then is pumped for treatment as the tank level increases.
The disadvantages of the known technical solution are the required pressure decrease to the deaerator parameters using the blowdown expansion tank and, as a consequence, the increased energy losses for the blowdown water return to the secondary circuit, process communication with the engine hall and dependence of the system operation on the engine hall equipment as the evaporation is released from the blowdown expansion tank to the steam header of the deaerator, the treated blowdown water is returned to the deaerator or drain expansion tank of the engine hall, as well as insufficient consumption of the blowdown water, thus increasing the WC normalization time.

Steam-generating unit of dual circuit reactor with purge and drain system


A portable vacuum includes a container having a sidewall, an open bottom portion, an opposing, open top portion and an attachment opening in the sidewall. A bucket is detachably coupled to the container. A vacuum unit is detachably coupled to and closes off the top portion of the container, the vacuum unit having at least one air inlet and at least one air exhaust port. The vacuum unit is operable to selectably generate an air stream entering the air inlet and exiting the air exhaust port. The portable vacuum also includes an elongate, generally hollow suction tube having a first end and an opposing second end, the first end being detachably coupled to the attachment opening of the container. The air stream generates a vacuum at the second end of the suction tube operable to draw waste material into the suction tube, the waste material being deposited in the bucket.

Sweeping outdoor areas such as lawns, pedestrian streets, parking places and the like of leaves, grass clippings and other debris is typically accomplished using hand tools such as rakes and brooms. Although effective, hand tools are slow and laborious, a significant drawback when maintaining large areas.
An alternative device for grounds keeping is a "leaf blower," which uses an internal combustion engine or an electric motor to operate a fan, which generates an air stream expelled from a tube. The user aims the tube at the debris, using the air stream to gather or disperse the debris. A shortcoming of leaf blowers is their tendency to hurl the debris at high velocity, which often leads to damage to nearby objects such as automobiles. In addition, it can be laborious and time-consuming to urge debris around various objects such as shrubbery and automobiles using a leaf blower.
Some leaf blowers are convertible for use as either a blower or a vacuum by attaching an elongated tube to either an air inlet or an air outlet of the fan housing. In a blower mode, a concentrator tube concentrates air expelled through the air outlet to create a highly-directed stream of high velocity air at the end of the tube. A cover is placed over the air inlet to prevent accidental ingestion of objects while permitting a free flow of air into the air inlet. In a vacuum mode, the concentrator tube is removed from the air outlet. A vacuum tube, typically having a larger diameter than the concentrator tube, is attached to the air inlet after the cover is removed. Air drawn through an opening in the end of the vacuum tube tends to entrain objects loose in the vicinity of the end of the tube. The objects are carried by the flow into the fan and then discharged into a porous sack hung around the air outlet to collect debris. A particular problem with these devices is that of gathering solids such as animal waste. These solids are typically too heavy to be drawn into the concentrator tube or, if drawn in, may become lodged in the tube. In addition, collecting animal wastes with such devices can be unpleasant due to odors from collected wastes emanating from the porous sack.


In one embodiment, an IC package assembly for a switching regulator, can include: a power switch chip including a control electrode and a first electrode on an obverse side and a second electrode on a reverse side, where the second electrode is configured as a switching terminal of a switching regulator; a control chip including a driving electrode and a plurality of input and output electrodes on the obverse side; and a leadframe including an extension pin, a substrate, and a plurality of discrete pins, where the extension pin is formed integrally with the substrate, and where the reverse side of the power switch chip is arranged on the substrate of the leadframe by a conductive material to electrically connect the second electrode to the substrate.

With developments of miniaturization, lightweight, and multi-functionalization of electronic products, semiconductor package densities are further increasing. Both integrated circuit chips, as well as traditional discrete components (e.g., inductors) and power transistors can be included in a same semiconductor package. In such an integrated circuit package, the arrangement and connectivity among integrated circuit chips and discrete components are very important to the overall volume and performance of the integrated circuit package. In traditional integrated circuit package assembly for switching regulators, a voltage spike can easily occur on a switching pin of the integrated circuit package assembly that may interfere with adjacent pins to generate noise. Also, leakage current related failures can occur, and heat dissipation performance of the switching pin may be relatively poor.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Integrated package assembly for switching regulator

Silergy Semiconductor Technology (Hangzhou) LTD


A system for managing medical equipment is described. The system includes an equipment tracking module to maintain equipment records corresponding to medical equipment that are shipped from a medical equipment manufacturer to a medical center. The system also includes a patient information tracking module to maintain patient records corresponding to patients of the medical center and to associate the patient records with the equipment records when the patients are equipped with the medical equipment. In addition, the system includes a mapping module to provide locations of medical facilities capable of providing support for the medical equipment for patients that have been discharged from the medical center. Other embodiments are also described.

Medical equipment manufacturers typically have internal resource planning systems (RPS) to manage the sales and shipments of medical equipment that the manufacturers sell. However, once the medical equipment is shipped from the manufacturer and reaches the customer (e.g., a medical center), it has been the customer's responsibilities to implement a system to maintain their own records related to the medical equipment and their patients, and to implement a system to manage their own inventory. Customers have traditionally used paper and electronic spreadsheets to keep track of the medical equipment and their patients. Some medical equipment such as implantable medical devices (e.g., implantable heart pumps) may be retained by a patient for many years. As the number of new patients and ongoing patients grow, managing the paper and electronic spreadsheets to keep track of the medical equipment and their patients becomes a cumbersome task for clinicians. It is also difficult to accurately track, fulfill, and report equipment maintenance on required schedules. Furthermore, when product incidents occur, the logistics of returning the medical equipment to the manufacturer for evaluation and complying with government regulations for mandatory reporting to government agencies can be complicated. Together, these administrative tasks are taking away valuable clinician time that can otherwise be spent on improving the standard of care for their patients.


A preform is disclosed for producing plastic flasks in a two-stage stretch blow-molding process, including a preform base, an elongated preform body, including one longitudinal end sealed to the preform base and another longitudinal end sealed to the neck portion a neck portion with threaded sections or positive protrusions, wherein the preform is manufactured from a plastic that is suitable for the stretch blow-molding process, which has a refractive index of 1.3 to 1.6 at a temperature of 10° C. to 120° C., and in that an outside wall and an inside wall of the preform base bound a flat divergent lens, and in each case have radii of curvature (c, b) that are larger by at least a factor 1.4 than a related radius of curvature (s) of an outside wall or a radius of curvature (R) of an inside wall of the preform in the area of the preform body.

A number of plastic containers that are now used, for example, plastic flasks and the like—are produced in a stretch blow-molding process. In this method, a so-called preform—which can have an elongated, tube-like shape and a base on one longitudinal end and a neck area with formed threaded sections or the like on the other longitudinal end—is inserted into a mold cavity of a blow mold and blown in through a medium that is injected with overpressure. In this case, the preform can be additionally elongated in the axial direction with an elongated mandrel that is run in through the neck opening. After the elongation/blow-molding process, the finished plastic container is demolded from the blow mold.
A single- or multi-layer preform can be produced in a separate injection-molding method before the stretch blow-molding process. It has also been proposed to produce preforms in a plastic extrusion press method. As raw material for the production of plastic containers in the stretch blow-molding process, polypropylene or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be used. Polypropylene and PET have been tested multiple times, and their properties are adequately known. In the so-called single-stage stretch blow-molding process, the preform is inflated and elongated directly after its production to form a plastic container. In some cases the plastic containers can be produced in a two-stage method at a different place and time from the stretch blow-molding process and can be intermediately stored for later use. In the later stretch blow-molding process, the preforms are heated again, introduced into a blow mold, stretched with an elongated mandrel in the longitudinal direction, and inflated according to the mold cavity by overpressure to form a plastic container. In this way, both processes—the injection-molding and the stretch blow-molding—can be operated separately and optimally.
The preforms that are used in the stretch blow-molding method can have an elongated shape and a convex base that is curved outward. The neck area of the preform can be already completely formed and can be provided with threaded sections or similar positive protrusions, which make it possible to attach a closure or cover, which can be equipped with correspondingly designed locking elements. In the two-stage process, the preforms can be heated again to their deformation temperature range before the stretch blow-molding. To this end, the preforms can be plugged with their neck areas into finger-like holding devices and transported through a heating station. In some cases, the heating of the preforms can be carried out via infrared radiation or near-infrared radiation, which can be generated by quartz tube radiators. For better use of the energy emitted by the quartz tube radiators, one or more mirrors can be provided that reflect the electromagnetic radiation. In the heating station, the preforms are transported between the quartz tube radiators and the mirrors facing them.
Through the bomb-shaped base of the preform, the irradiated infrared radiation can travel by scattering or directly to the finger-like holding devices of the preforms, which can thus be heated. To prevent deformations of the neck area of the preform that can be formed with high accuracy, the finger-like holding devices can be cooled. Because the absorbed irradiated energy often cannot be drained off to a sufficient extent even by the cooling of the holding devices, the preform neck can be designed with a relatively larger wall thickness than would be necessary for the plastic container that is to be manufactured from the preform. During stretch blow-molding, the preform can be stretched longitudinally using an elongated mandrel. In the area of the support surface of the base of the preform with the elongated mandrel, the base can cool relatively quickly, and an undesirable accumulation of amorphous material can occur in the base area of the plastic container that is produced in the stretch blow-molding process.

Preform for producing plastic containers in a two-stage stretch blow-moulding process


A horse-riding machine with rowing function includes a driven assembly hinged with a base assembly, one end of a moment arm is hinged with the driven assembly; an armrest of the driving assembly is provided at top of the main body rod, and the footrests are provided at a bottom of the main body rod. The bottom of the paddle rod is connected with the bottom of the main body rod, and the middle of the main body rod is hinged with the other end of the moment arm; when the driving assembly swings, the driven assembly is driven by the driving arm to swing back and forth through the moment arm; one end of the elastic rope is connected to the driven assembly, and the other end of the elastic rope is detachably fixed on the base assembly. When the driven assembly swings, the elastic rope is elastically stretched.

Horse-riding machine is a common fitness equipment. The user sits on the equipment, supports the armrest with both hands, and pushes the feet forward to achieve the effect of fitness. When people sit on the cushions of the horse-riding machine, they can experience the artistic conception of riding a horse galloping in the wild. By changing the grip posture and foot position, and simulating the riding posture, 80% of the muscles in the body can be trained, and the joints of the whole body can be fully rotated and stretched. The rowing machine is a machine used to simulate water rowing for training purposes. It has a good effect on muscle strengthening of the legs, waist, upper limbs, chest and back. Especially for people with a lot of fat on the waist, abdomen and upper arms, rowing machine exercises can bring unexpected body shaping effects to users. Although rowing machines and horse-riding machines are both sports equipment, the body parts they focus on are different. The existing sports equipment cannot achieve the exercise effect of two simulated sports. The purchase of two types of equipment at the same time will undoubtedly cause problems such as increased costs and increased space.

Horse-riding machine with rowing function