There is provided a microchip-based differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor for detecting dissolved carbon dioxide levels. It functions with at least one working electrode composed of an unbuffered hydrogel membrane containing a certain amount of sodium bicarbonate and a pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane; and a reference electrode composed of a buffered hydrogel membrane and a pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane. The unbuffered hydrogel membrane contains carbonic anhydrase, which reduces the time period for the hydration of carbon dioxide, thereby allowing the quick measurement of the level of carbon dioxide. In addition to being significantly improved in stabilization, sensing, and recovering time periods, the differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor can be fabricated in small sizes and quickly measure levels of carbon dioxide dissolved in sample solution.

The present invention relates to a miniature, differential-type sensor being able to quickly measure levels of carbon dioxide dissolved in liquid solutions, which functions with a working electrode composed of unbuffered hydrogel and a pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane, and a reference electrode composed of buffered hydrogel and a pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane. More particularly, the present invention relates to the introduction of carbonic anhydrase into the unbuffered hydrogel to reduce the hydration time of carbon dioxide, thereby quickly measuring carbon dioxide levels, and the introduction of a controlled content of bicarbonate ions into the unbuffered hydrogel to improve the sensitivity of the sensor.
Quantification of carbon dioxide levels can be applied to various fields. For example, it can be applied for analyzing clinical samples in the medical diagnostic fields, for regulating combustion processes in chemical analysis fields, for diagnosing the severity of the green house effect, and for measuring the indexes related to aquatic ecosystem in an environmental field. The exact measurement of dissolved carbon dioxide becomes increasingly significant.
In a human body, carbon dioxide is present in a small quantity as a metabolic end product, resulting mainly from the metabolism of foods. When the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in blood is 40 mmHg or higher, carbon dioxide is released from erythrocytes. The free carbon dioxide is dissolved in blood plasma and hydrated to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), which is in turn dissociated into hydrogen ion (H+) and bicarbonate ion (HCO3+). Since the total content of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas, H2CO3, HCO3xe2x88x92, CO32xe2x88x92) in blood plasma affects the acid-base balance and pH of blood, as well as being an index for pulmonary ventilation, alveolar gas exchange capacity, and the quantity of the gas transferred to somatic tissues from blood, it is very important to accurately measure the levels of carbon dioxide dissolved in blood.
Carbon dioxide also plays an important role in the field of the ecosystem. For example, carbon dioxide is in an equilibrium state between air and water. In natural water, bicarbonate ions (HCO3xe2x88x92) act as a buffering reagent and keep the pH constant. As the concentration of carbon dioxide in the water is closely related to the health of aquatic ecosystems, it is important to accurately measure levels of carbon oxide dissolved in water in order to detect changes of the aquatic ecosystem.
For measuring concentrations of carbon dioxide, two types of carbon dioxide gas sensors are known: a Severinghaus-type carbon dioxide gas sensor, wherein an external reference electrode, a pH-sensitive electrode and a gas-permeable membrane are simultaneously housed in one sensor body; and a differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor, wherein a working electrode and a reference electrode are separated in different sensor body.
As shown in FIG. 1, the Severinghaus-type carbon dioxide gas sensor comprises an external reference electrode 14, a working electrode 16 with pH-sensitive membrane 11, a gas-permeable membrane 12, and an unbuffered solution 13 in one sensor body 17. When the Severinghaus-type carbon dioxide gas sensor is immersed in a sample solution 18 of interest, a potential is generated by the sensor and displayed on a voltmeter 15.
Such a Severinghaus-type carbon dioxide gas sensor suffers from difficulty in the fabrication and miniaturization of the sensor, because the reference electrode is incorporated inside the sensor. In addition, another disadvantage of Severinghaus-type carbon dioxide gas sensor is that it cannot be used when the level of carbon dioxide is low. That is, at a low level of carbon dioxide, the Severinghaus-type carbon dioxide sensor is so slow in sensing rate and recovery rate that it cannot be used in automatic gas sensing systems. Furthermore, Severinghaus-type carbon dioxide gas sensor suffers from the disadvantage of being poor in detection limit.
FIG. 2 illustrats a differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor, characterized in that a working electrode is separated from a reference electrode. The differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor comprises a working electrode 20 composed of an unbuffered inner reference solution 13 and a pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19; and a reference electrode 21 composed of a buffered inner reference solution 22 and the same pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19 as that in a working electrode.
In the differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor, charge separation and the accompanying potential difference occur at 4 different sites: Eouter1 between the pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19 of the working electrode 20 and the sample solution 18; Eouter2 between the pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19 of the reference electrode 21 and the sample solution 18; Einner1 between the pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19 of the working electrode 20 and the unbuffered inner reference solution 13; and Einner2 between the pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19 of the reference electrode 21 and the buffered inner reference solution 22. When such charge separations occur, Eouter1 and Eouter2 have the same value and thus can be counterbalanced, as the same pH-sensitive gas-permeable membranes are used. On the other hand, the charge separation Einner2 between the pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19 of the reference electrode 21 and the buffered inner reference solution 22 is maintained at a constant value as the reference solution is buffered. Therefore, a change in carbon dioxide levels in a sample solution 18 causes only the charge separation Einner1 between the pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane 19 and the unbuffered inner reference solution 13 of the working electrode 20, so that the resulting potential change enables the carbon dioxide levels of the sample solution to be quantitatively detected.
However, the conventional differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor also suffers from long period of response time for sensing and recovery at a low level of carbon dioxide. Also, its detection limits are still not satisfactory. However, the differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensors are easier to miniaturize than the Severinghaus-type one.
Microchip-based carbon dioxide gas sensor may be fabricated in small sizes since all parts thereof including electrolyte layers can be fabricated as a layered structure. It can be also used as a multi-sensor capable of detecting various ions and gas species simultaneously with one chip. Additionally, the mass production of the microchip-based sensor can be achieved, resulting in reduced production cost. Furthermore, the small size of its sensing site makes it possible to detect even a trace amount of samples.
In this invention, we combined two advanced technologies in an attempt to obtain a planar microchip-based carbon dioxide sensing device with faster-preconditioning and response characteristics for being dissolved carbon dioxide measurement in physiological samples: one is a differential sensing arrangement to facilitate the micro-fabrication of potentiometric carbon dioxide electrodes, and the other is the use of carbonic anhydrase to shorten total measurement time. The pH-sensitive polymeric membranes adapted for use in constructing a differential carbon dioxide sensor system in this work function as both a gas-permeable membrane and an internal pH-sensing element. In the differential configuration, the carbon dioxide electrode is made with an unbuffered recipient layer including carbonic anhydrase, hence the pH changes are promoted and detected. The reference electrode, on the other hand, employs a strongly buffered hydrogel layer; therefore diffused carbon dioxide cannot change the pH in the recipient layer. In addition, the pH and ion response signals of the outer membrane surfaces (on the sample side) at both the carbon dioxide and the reference electrodes are identical, therefore they cancel out.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a miniaturized differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor comprising all parts of the sensor including electrolyte layers fabricated as a dried layered structure, such that it can be miniaturized.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a composition of unbuffered hydrogel membrane of the differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor.
The above objects and other objects described in the detailed description of the present invention could be accomplished by the provision of a differential-type carbon dioxide gas sensor, comprising:
a) a working electrode composed of unbuffered hydrogel and pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane, wherein carbonic anhydrase is incorporated into a unbuffered hydrogel; and,
b) a reference electrode composed of buffered hydrogel and pH-sensitive gas-permeable membrane.
The present invention also provides a composition of unbuffered hydrogel of a working electrode, which comprises: sodium bicarbonate; sodium chloride (or potassium chloride); and hygroscopic hydrogel and carbonic anhydrase.


The invention relates to an arrangement of a plurality of holding, centering or knife jaws (7, 18) for cutting and/or stripping apparatuses for rod-like or cable-like articles (22). The jaws (7, 18) are each displaceable or pivotable in a certain direction. The end points of a line (5) which, when the jaw (7, 18) is viewed, is turned to face the article (22) define a straight line (2). The angle between the particular direction of each jaw (7, 18) and this straight line (2) is less than 90 degrees. This results in constantly changing contact points for changing diameters of the articles (22), and distributed wear of the jaws (7, 18).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an arrangement of at least three holding, centering or knife jaws, lying in a plane, in cutting and/or stripping apparatuses for rod-like or cable-like articles.
It also relates to an arrangement of at least three holding, centering or knife jaws, lying in a plane, in cutting and/or stripping apparatuses for rod-like or cable-like articles, which jaws are each displaceable or pivotable in the direction of a first straight line, and adjacent first straight lines make a first angle with one another. The position of the first straight line is defined by the direction of displacement or by the position of a tangent on the outermost swivel radius of each jaw. In the latter case, the outermost swivel radius is determined by the distance from a center of rotation to that point of each jaw which is farthest away from the said center of rotation.
For the purposes of the present invention, the term line also means a curved line. Such an arrangement is used, for example, for stripping wires.
2. Background Art
Corresponding arrangements are available in a very wide variety of embodiments: German Offenlegungsschrift 2122675 shows four knife jaws, two of which lie in a plane while the other two knife jaws lie in a parallel plane, in each case opposite one another. Hence, a rectangular area is formed between these four knife jaws, the said area being surrounded by blades. This rectangle is enlarged when the opposite knife jaws are pushed apart. By pushing the knives together, the rectangle is made smaller. Furthermore, a control is provided which synchronizes the movement of all four knives so that the rectangle always has sides of equal length. Such knife arrangements have a large variable diameter range and are of a simple design.
A similar arrangement is disclosed in Swiss Patent 651426 (British Patent 2063580). The embodiment is in principle very similar to the embodiment described in the German Offenlegungsschrift, but the cutting line or the contact line of the knife jaws is curved.
The entire content of these publications as well as the content of the publications cited below is to be regarded as part of the disclosure of the present invention.
The French Patent 2282179 describes a knife arrangement having radially guided knives whose cutting line is at an angle of about 45.degree. to the direction of displacement.
As a result of the substantial automation of production lines, there is a constant requirement for increased stability of the knife jaws. It is necessary to take into account in particular the fact that the stripping processes often involve different diameters. The stability of the known knife jaws described above is limited because, even when the cables to be stripped are of different diameters, it is always one and the same part of the knives which bears the load or at least part of the load. For example, it is clear from FIG. 12 of the German Offenlegungsschrift and from FIG. 2 of the Swiss Patent that, even when the knives are pushed together or pulled apart, it is always the middle region of the knives which performs the cutting function. Hence, the middle region is subject to great wear while the edge regions may suffer scarcely any wear. In the case of the French Patent, the same applies to the frontmost tip of the jaws. In the case of holding or centering arrangements, "grinding" of the holding or centering surfaces occurred in a similar manner and after some time had an adverse effect on the precision. This also applies to the arrangement according to U.S. Pat. No. 1,597,460, which arrangement, however, only has two knife jaws and therefore does not permit centering of the cables.
Knife arrangements have also been disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,145, which have rotatable knives whose service lives are also longer than those of previously known static knives. A disadvantage, however, is that these knives have only a slightly variable diameter range and furthermore cannot be closed to extremely small diameters, as is the case with conventional arrangements. Furthermore, such knife arrangements require additional sliding bearings and may require expensive rotary drives and have therefore not become established in practice.
German Patent 28 48 445 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,609) and, for example, also European Offenlegungsschrift 146 397 disclose arrangements which employ different points but, like some of the constructions mentioned above, lie back to back or in two planes. Consequently, when cutting into a cable, the latter is perforated along its circumference, viewed in the axial direction, along different lines, which can lead to uneven tearing during subsequent stripping; this is particularly the case when the knife blades are provided with a chamfer, as is essential for increasing the stability.

Arrangement for cutting and/or stripping apparatuses


A computer program product for a computer graphics system comprises computer executable instructions recorded on a computer-readable medium: instructions executable to enable the computer to generate a selected number of sample points over an integration domain, such that there is at least one sample point in each of a plurality of strata distributed over the domain, the strata being defined by a rank-1 lattice; instructions executable to enable the computer to, for respective ones of the sample points, generate a value for the function at the respective sample point; and instructions executable to enable the computer to use the generated function values in generating an estimate for the value of the integral in relation to at least one object and at least one light source in a scene, the estimate corresponding to a pixel value for the image, to enable the computer to generate a display-controlling electrical output.

In computer graphics, a computer is used to generate digital data that represents the projection of surfaces of objects in, for example, a three-dimensional scene, illuminated by one or more light sources, onto a top-dimensional image plane, to simulate the recording of the image by, for example, a camera. The simulated camera may include a lens for projecting the image of the scene onto the image plane, or it may comprise a pinhole camera in which case no lens is used. The two-dimensional image is in the form of an array of picture elements (which are variably referred to as "pixels" or "pels"), and the digital data generated for each pixel represents the color and luminance of the scene as projected onto the image plane at the point of the respective pixel in the image plane. The surfaces of the objects may have any of a number of characteristics, including shape, color, specularity, texture and so forth, which are preferably rendered in the image as closely as possible, to provide a realistic-looking image. Generally, the contributions of the light reflected from the various points in the scene to the pixel value representing the color, and intensity of a particular pixel are expressed in the form of the one or more integrals of relatively complicated functions. Since the integrals used in computer graphics generally do not have a closed-form solution, numerical methods must be used to evaluate them to generate the pixel value. Typically, a methodology referred to as the "Monte Carlo" method has been used in computer graphics to numerically evaluate the integrals. Generally, in the Monte Carlo method, to evaluate an integral
                              〈          f          〉                =                              ∫                                          [                                  0                  ,                  1                                )                            s                                                                                f                                            (                x                )                                                                                ⅆ              x                                                          (        1        )            where f(x) is a real function defined on an integration domain comprising the "s"-dimensional unit cube [0,1)s (that is, an s-dimensional cube each dimension of which includes "zero," and excludes "one"), a random point set Pr=(ξ1, . . . ξr)⊂[0,1)s of "r" independently realized points ξi, i=1, . . . , r, is generated over the integration domain. The random points ξi are used as sample points for which sample values f(ξi) are generated for the function f(x). An estimate ƒ for the value of the integral (equation (1)) is generated as
                                          〈            f            〉                    ≈                      f            _                          =                              1            r                                                        ∑                              i                =                1                            r                                                                                f                                            (                                  ξ                  i                                )                                                                        (        2        )            As the number "r" of sample points that are used in generating the sample values f(ξi) increases, the value of the estimate ƒ will converge toward the actual value of the integral <ƒ>. Generally, the distribution of values of the estimate ƒ that will be generated for various values of "r," that is, for various numbers of sample points ξi are distributed around the actual value <ƒ> with a standard deviation σ which can be estimated by
                    σ        =                                            1                              N                -                1                                                                (                                                                    f                    2                                    _                                -                                                      f                    _                                    2                                            )                                                          (        3        )            if the sample points ξi used to generate the sample values f(ξi) are statistically independent, that is, if the points ξi are truly positioned at random in the integration domain. This yields the probabilistic error bound
                              Prob                                (                                                                                                                      ∫                                                                        [                                                      0                                                                                ,                              0                                                                                1                                                    )                                                s                                                                                f                                                                                (                        x                        )                                                                                ⅆ                        x                                                                              -                                                            1                      r                                                                                ∑                                                  k                          =                          1                                                r                                                                                f                                                                          (                                                      ξ                            k                                                    )                                                                                                            ≤                                                3                                                        σ                                                              (                      f                      )                                                                                r                                                      )                          ≈                  0.997          .                                    (        4        )            The rate of convergence of
  O        (          1              r              )  is independent of the smoothness of the integrand f(x) and the number "s" of dimensions comprising the integration domain.
Several strategies can be used to improve convergence of the estimate ƒ to the actual value <ƒ> of the integral. One strategy, which is described in the aforementioned Grabenstein patent application, is to use a low-discrepancy, strictly deterministic point methodology to generate the set of sample points that will be used in generating the sample values f(ξi) for the estimate. A low-discrepancy, strictly deterministic methodology will ensure that the sample points are distributed throughout the integration domain [0,1)s without clumping in particular regions, which can occur if the sample points are randomly distributed.
Another strategy to improve the convergence is to stratify the integration domain [0,1)s into a number "K" of disjoint strata Aj, such that
                    [                  0          ,          1                )            s        =                  ⋃                  j          =          1                K                          A        j              ,and separately evaluate the resulting integrals
                                          ∫                                          [                                  0                  ,                  1                                )                            s                                                                                f                                            (                x                )                                                                                ⅆ              x                                      =                              ∑                          j              =              1                        K                                                                                ∫                              A                j                                                                                f                                                  (                  x                  )                                                                                ⅆ                x                                                                        (        5        )            using a sample point ξi obtained from each stratum Aj. Stratifying the integration domain [0,1)s can also be helpful in ensuring that sample points are reasonably well distributed throughout the integration domain [0,1)s, and that they do not clump in the integration domain, which can occur if the locations of the sample points ξi are randomly located in the integration domain.
Several stratification strategies have been proposed. Typically, previously-proposed stratification strategies, particularly stratification strategies that are based on axis-aligned grids, suffer exponential growth in the number of strata with increasing numbers of dimensions comprising the integration domain. Since integrands ƒ that are used in fields such as, for example, computer graphics, often have very high-dimensional integration domains, stratifying domains using such stratification strategies can be computationally quite intensive.

Computer graphics systems and methods using stratification by rank-1 lattices


A voltage providing circuit includes a first circuit, a second circuit coupled with the first circuit, and a third circuit coupled with the second circuit. The first circuit is configured to receive a first input signal and to generate a first output signal. The second circuit is configured to receive the first input signal and the first output signal as inputs and to generate a second output signal. The third circuit is configured to receive the second output signal and to generate an output voltage.

In some approaches, a wakeup sequence in a memory circuit constrains a wakeup current and a wakeup time, and causes a high leakage current. For the memory circuit to operate in different manufacturing processes, supply voltages, and temperatures (PVT), margins on electrical power, timing, and/or die areas need to be relaxed.
In a static random access memory (SRAM) chip, many daisy chain circuits are used in a wakeup sequence. The daisy chain circuits include a lot of inverters in different sections of the daisy chain. As a result, the die area for the SRAM chip is large, and the metal routing is complicated.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.


A contiguous cartogram is distorted proportionally to demographic data associated with geographical areas. The cartogram is associated with an underlying data set (such as health indication data or epidemiological data) that is geographically smoothed to avoid meshing and border effects, and shaded according to a predetermined shading scale. The cartogram may be stacked with other cartograms associated with underlying data sets collected at different times to form a chronological cartogram slideshow to illustrate changes in the underlying data set over time. The chronological cartogram slideshows may be transmitted from a map server via a communications interface to a requesting client.

Cartographers often use Euclidean maps to illustrate the measurement of an underlying statistical or thematic variable across a geographical area, usually by shading the Euclidean map according to a shading scale corresponding to the measured value of the underlying variable. The shading scale is usually chosen as a progression from a light shade to a darker shade to show the level of the variable as it increases, and the shading is applied to regions of the map according to the average value of the thematic variable in that particular region. Maps shaded in this way are also known as choropleth maps, any they provide a way to visualize the measurement of a variable across a geographic area or to show the variability of the measurement within the region.
Choropleth maps are increasingly common in the field of communicating and interpreting epidemiological or health data due to the use of cartography software. However, it may be difficult for the viewer of a choropleth map to understand certain aspects of the presented data, especially under certain conditions relating to the distribution of the demographic variable. For example, if the demographic variable is not distributed evenly across the map, it is difficult to recognize the magnitude of the measurement and interpret the results because a large accumulation of data points could potentially be represented by a relatively small amount of space on the map. An example is a map illustrating a sampling of a per capita characteristic of persons over a country, such as household income, where low population areas contain far fewer individuals than urban areas, and thus a large fraction of the population will be represented on only a small fraction of the map surface, i.e., the higher density urban areas. The low population areas tend to dominate these maps when applied to typical real-world land use patterns. Viewers of Euclidean choropleths may fail to recognize this, especially if they are unfamiliar with the geography and density of the geographic area.
To provide a more intuitive presentation of thematic data over a geographical area, cartograms may be substituted for Euclidean choropleths. Cartograms are made by a technique wherein a demographic mapping variable substitutes for land area as normally shown on an Euclidean map. A cartogram distorts the surface of the Euclidean map to depict a zone's area on the map as proportional to the level of the demographic variable contained therein. Cartograms therefore do not depict actual geographic space. Cartogram zones may include anything that exists in geographic space such as a country, state, city, county, borough, town, river, mountain range, etc. Common types of cartograms include distance cartograms, which are distorted to show travel time between points, and value-by-area cartograms, which are distorted to show the prevalence of a characteristic that varies according to location on a map, usually a demographic characteristic such as population, votes for a candidate, number of patents filed, number of automobiles owned, gross domestic product, educational level, etc. When a value-by-area cartogram is based on population, it is often termed an isodemographic map. In this way, an isodemographic map would illustrate the relative sizes of the populations of real-world areas by scaling the area allotted to each according to its population rather than to its physical geographical area in the conventional manner. For example, if a region accounts for 20% of the population of a country, it will occupy 20% of the surface area on an isodemographic cartogram of that country.
Euclidean maps may be distorted to create cartograms according to a number of known algorithms that may differ in their effects on the map's continuity, shape preservation, orientation, and topology preservation relative to the Euclidean map. For example, a cartogram distortion algorithm that forces neighboring map features to maintain their borders regardless of the distorted size of the features is known as a contiguous cartogram. In a contiguous cartogram, the topology between objects is maintained, but, as a group, the objects may lose their shape, giving the cartogram a "pinched" appearance, depending on the amount of distortion. Contiguous cartograms may render the depicted geographical area unrecognizable to a viewer if there are physical geographical areas that have little or no measurement of the underlying thematic variable. For example, contiguous isodemographic cartograms appear to omit low population areas that occupy large amounts of geographic space, such as a desert or mountain region.
A non-contiguous cartogram, on the other hand, does maintain connectivity between adjacent features, but instead allows the features to grow or shrink in size and still maintain their familiar shape. Non-contiguous cartograms may, instead of enlarging or shrinking map objects, replace them with objects of a uniform shape such as, for example, a circle or vertical bar. Shapes in a non-contiguous cartogram often do not overlap, but rather are rearranged so that the full area of each shape can be seen.
Each of these existing cartogram rendering methods provides a different visual appearance of the data, and may be more or less suitable for communicating and interpreting underlying data depending on the data's distribution. These cartogram rendering methods, however, suffer from a drawback that impairs the presentation of the underlying data. In these cartograms, shaded zones are based on administrative boundaries representing arbitrary borders or borders that do not align with population patterns such as towns, boroughs, counties, cities, regions, states, territories, or other ad-hoc groupings such as those based on industry criteria. These zones may introduce abrupt transitions in the shading pattern of the map due to issues such as meshing or border effects. Meshing effects are due to the variations in size of geographical zones, especially towns and cities; border effects result in variables that can seem to have major differences between two neighboring zones even though the variables likely change smoothly and continuously over the area in reality. Adjusting the size of zones does not provide a satisfactory solution to the problem. On one hand, if the zones are chosen to be small units to obtain good geographical accuracy and avoid the meshing and border effects, the map will take on an inlaid effect that will make it difficult for the viewer to read and interpret. On the other hand, if the zones are enlarged, then the map will be easy for the viewer to read, but will diminish accuracy and a reduce resolution of information conveyed to the viewer.

Geographically smoothed demographic cartograms and cartogram server


The application discloses a light scattering parameter measurement system and its measurement method. Dual-frequency scattering interference technology is adopted to obtain distributed measurement of Rayleigh scattering parameters in an optical fiber. The Rayleigh scattering coefficient r and phase retardance θ are modulated on different components of the interference signal respectively by using the dual-frequency interference technology. The Rayleigh scattering coefficient r and phase retardance θ can be decoupled by simple filtering, to obtain separate measurements. A linear stretch is applied to the optical fiber under test, to add uniform phase change signals at all positions of the optical fiber under test. As a result, the term containing only Rayleigh scattering coefficient r can be extracted by low-pass filtering. The direct measurement of Rayleigh scattering parameters is of great significance to fundamental and application researches related to Rayleigh scattering of optical fiber.

When the light wave propagates in the medium, it will interact with the atoms and molecules, and its electric field will induce a polarized dipole, which will further produce a secondary wave, which is the scattering of light. When the medium is completely uniform, only forward scattering light will be produced. However, for optical fiber, residual stress will be introduced in the process of drawing and coating, which will lead to the inhomogeneity of optical fiber geometry and material density. In addition, there are also processes such as doping, which further lead to the non-uniformity of the fiber. Thus, Rayleigh scattering will occur in the optical fiber, which is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wavelength (Bao X, Chen L. Recent Progress in Distributed Fiber Optic Sensors. Sensors, 2012, 12(7): 8601). Rayleigh scattering is elastic scattering, because there is no change in the frequency of the scattered light compared with the incident light.
Rayleigh scattering is an inherent physical phenomenon in optical fiber, and has important applications in distributed sensing (Chen D, Liu Q, Wang Y, et al. Fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensor based on a chirped pulse and a non-matched filter. Optics Express, 2019, 27(20): 29415˜29424), ultra-narrow linewidth fiber laser (Zhu T, Zhang B, Shi L, et al. Tunable dual-wavelength fiber laser with ultra-narrow linewidth based on Rayleigh backscattering. Optics Express, 2016, 24(2): 1324˜1330) and high precision wavelength meter (Wan Y, Wang S, Fan X, et al. High-resolution wavemeter using Rayleigh speckle obtained by optical time domain reflectometry. Optics Letters, 2020, 45(4): 799). In these applications, the randomness of Rayleigh scattering is concerned, including Rayleigh scattering coefficient and phase retardance. However, these applications are limited to measure the derivative parameters of Rayleigh scattering, such as spatial interference fringes, incoherent intensity, etc. The realization of direct measurement of Rayleigh scattering parameters of optical fiber can produce a deeper understanding of the physical mechanism of the above-mentioned systems, and can also derive new sensing mechanisms. At present, there is no report on the method and results of distributed measurement of Rayleigh scattering parameters of optical fiber.

Light scattering parameter measurement system and its measurement method


A gasket has two outer facing layers positioned on opposite sides of a central metal shim with a perforated core disposed between each facing layer and the shim. The width of the metal shim may be varied to control the overall width of the gasket. The core is secured to the shim using a thermosetting adhesive and includes tangs which extend into a facing layer to clinch the core and facing layer together. The use of a perforated core prevents blistering of the facing layers during gasket manufacturing. The two perforated metal cores separated by an adjustable width shim provides manufacturing advantages, minimizes facing layer thickness, and adds strength.

The present invention relates to an improved thermally conductive composite gasket for an internal combustion engine having improved strength characteristics and variable thickness.
A thermally conductive gasket having high strength, particularly in the radial direction, is essential in heavy duty applications. It has been proposed in the past to bond a facing layer to both faces of a heavy gauge solid metal shell. The metal shell provides strength while the facing layer facilitates the conformability of the gasket to its mating surfaces. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to practically achieve a gasket having a metal layer bonded to a facing layer. Under high loads, portions of the facing layer may begin to separate or slide relative to the metal shell. Further, there are manufacturing difficulties in bonding a solid metal core to a facing layer. Typically, a thermosetting adhesive is required for the bonding process. A thermosetting adhesive has the advantage of being able to withstand high temperatures such as those experienced within internal combustion engines. However, when a thermosetting adhesive is initially set, gases are generated, particularly from the adhesive itself. The generated gases are unable to escape and blistering of the facing layer typically results, lowering the effectiveness of the gasket.


Disclosed are systems, methods and computer program products for reducing security risk in a computer network. The system includes an administration server that collect information about one or more computers in the network, including the following information: computer user's external drive usage history, software installation history, and Web browsing history. The server calculates based on the collected information a security rating of the computer user. The server then adjust a security rating of the computer user based on the security rating of at least one other user of another computer connected to the same computer network. The server then selects security policy of the security software based on the adjusted security rating of the computer user. Different security policies provide different network security settings and prohibitions on launching of executable files from external drives.

The security of enterprise computer networks (ECN) depends on the security of each particular computer in the network. The monitoring of the information security incidents within the ECN and the remote configuration of the security components are critical problems the ECN administrators have to deal with. Currently, there are ECN administration tools that remotely register security incidents (e.g., violations of security policies), compute security risks and configure the users PCs according to the security policies. However, these security tools only analyze past security incidents, thereby failing to reach the desired security level, which could have been achieved had these security incidents been prevented. The mentioned security events include system events detected on the user computers, such as reading/writing of files, user authentication, execution of applications, loading of data, network communications, changes to the system configuration and other events.
Furthermore, since individual computer users differ from each other in their computer skills, presence of an unskilled computer novice in the ECN is may present a high risk of information leakage or resources breakdown, which would cause a great loss to the resource owners. This problem is particularly urgent for the large enterprise computer networks where the risk of information leakage or denial of service to the system users is critical. A solution presented herein consists in preventing the security incidents in the network based on the analysis of the security risk of individual users and adaptive configuration of their computers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for selecting computer security policy based on security ratings of computer users


A method for determining which of a plurality of data connectivity pipes will be used to transmit data for one or more applications operating on a vehicle. The method identifies which of the applications are active at a particular point in time and identifies a number of available configurations based on the number of applications that are active and the number of the data pipes that are available to transmit the data for the application. The method identifies a plurality of performance metrics for each configuration and determines an optimal performance value for each performance metric from all of the configurations. The method then determines an overall utility function for each configuration that is based on its performance metrics and the optimal performance value and selects a data pipe for each application that is active based on a maximum overall utility function from each application's available overall utility functions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for optimally determining which data connectivity pipe an application will use and, more particularly, to a system and method for optimally determining which data connectivity pipe an application wirelessly running on a vehicle will use, where the data pipes include cellular, user smart phone using in-cabin WiFi, and WiFi/DSRC.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As vehicles become more technologically advanced, they become more digitally sophisticated and will be able to download, store and operate many digital applications that perform various functions, such as entertainment functions, information functions, vehicle diagnostic functions, etc. For example, vehicle applications may provide various internet connections, software reflashing, video and music downloading, video streaming, telematic system diagnostics, dealership service applications, interactive maps, etc. Those applications will be able to wirelessly interact through data connectivity with many and various data sources and other devices both inside and outside the vehicle.
For modern vehicles going forward, multiple data connectivity pipes will likely exist where applications stored on the vehicle can wirelessly interact through data transfer, where those data pipes are cellular, such as OnStar™, smart phone using in-cabin WiFi, and an external WiFi/DSRC (dedicated short range communications). For cellular, bandwidth capabilities are typically low, for example, about 300 kbps, the latency to get service is typically low, the power requirement is unlimited and the cost is typically high, where the power is the energy consumed by the particular data pipe to provide the data transfer, the cost is the price to a user that uses the particular data pipe, latency is the time between when the application requests particular data and when the application actually gets that data, and bandwidth is the rate the data is transferred. A high latency or high delay tolerance may be up to 10 minutes and a low latency or low delay tolerance may be less than 5 seconds. For smart phone, the bandwidth required is typically in the medium range, for example, 1-2 Mbps, the latency to get service is low, the power requirement is limited and the cost is low. For WiFi/DSRC, the bandwidth is typically high, for example, 27-54 Mbps, the latency to get service is typically high, for example, when there is no remote vehicle or access point within communications range, the power requirement is unlimited and the cost is nothing. The external WiFi/DSRC may be a WiFi connection provided by the vehicle to an external hot spot, such as a place of business, the owner's home, a service center, another vehicle, etc.
The vehicle may be running many different applications at a particular point in time, some of which may be unknown to the vehicle driver. Currently, each application is assigned to a particular data pipe, and that assignment cannot be changed. It may be desirable to continuously determine the data usage requirements for each application so that the connected vehicle applications can operate in the most efficient and cost effective manner. For example, if a video is being streamed to the vehicle, which requires low latency and high bandwidth, the user's personal smart phone may be the best option to satisfy those requirements, but may be very costly. Therefore, it would be desirable to select the proper data pipe for a particular application that provides the best optimization goals by reducing cost to the user without sacrificing performance.

Method and apparatus for enabling vehicle applications using heterogeneous wireless data pipes


A semiconductor device having multiple layers uses different size contacts at different layer in order in order to simply the manufacturing process and the depth of etching required. Contact sizes are selected based on the responsiveness of the material to the etching process. Where a deep etch is required, a larger contact is used. A shallower etch through similar material uses a smaller contact to slow the etching process. As a result, the etches can complete at about the same time. The technique can be employed to etch any number of contacts. An intermediate size contact can be used where the material to be etched results in a slower etching process. A plurality of contact sizes can be used depending on the depths of etching required and the characteristics material to be etched, so that the etching for all the contacts completes at substantially the same time.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to semiconductor devices and methods for construction thereof. In particular, the invention relates to using different contact sizes at different layers of the semiconductor device in order to simplify and improve manufacturing techniques.
2. Related Art
In building semiconductor devices, such as NAND gates or other logic gates, it is necessary to make contact with various layers of the semiconductor device. This includes making contact with the first or second polysilicon layers or the silicon core. FIG. 1 is an example of one such device. As shown in FIG. 1, a silicon core 101 has overlaid thereon a first polysilicon layer 103 which stores electrons. An oxide layer 102 can also be used between the silicon core 101 and the first polysilicon layer 103. Polysilicon layer 103 is covered by a dielectric layer 105. Dielectric Layer 105 is typically made up of an oxide layer 107, a nitride layer 109 and another oxide layer 110. Dielectric layer 105 has a second polysilicon layer 111 thereon. This layer often serves as the gate or word line where voltage is applied to turn on selected cells. The second polysilicon layer 111 also has thereon a tungsten silicide layer 113. These layers are covered by an interlayer dielectric (ILD) 115, which is polished to a uniform thickness. Metal interconnection lines 117 are then formed on top of the ILD 115.
FIG. 1 also illustrates contact 119 contacting the core layer, contact 121 contacting the P1 layer, and contact 123 contacting the P2 layer. In conventional semiconductor devices, each of these contacts is the same size. Although each contact is the same size, it is necessary to etch different amounts of material to achieve the contacts at the different depths shown in FIG. 1. For example, where the pattern is manufactured into each layer and the ILD material subsequently applied, the ILD must be etched away to a different depth for contacts 119, 121 and 123. Conventional systems attempt to achieve the uniform contact size by adjusting etch process parameters, such as chamber pressure, temperature or other parameters. This approach results in a complex manufacturing process, which is subject to error in etching to the correct depth.

Semiconductor device with multiple contact sizes


An optical switch having multiple input and output ports directs any number of WDM signals, each arriving at a respective input port, to any one of the output ports. The optical switch includes an array of LC pixels, each positioned to receive a WDM signal transmitted through one of the ports, and an array of reflective elements, each associated with one of the LC pixels. The LC pixels are controlled to cause a WDM signal incident thereon to attain an attenuation state while an output of the WDM signal is being switched by an associated reflective element, such that when an output for a WDM signal is switched from a first port to a second port, the switching can be performed in a hitless manner.

1. Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of optical communication networks and in particular to an optical router for directing any input optical signal arriving at any one or more input ports in a network node to one or more output ports.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the field of optical communications to use optical wavelengths as optical carriers for carrying digital or analog information. Also, the different wavelengths may be used to discriminate one set or channel of information from another. When a plurality of wavelengths are coupled or multiplexed onto a single fiber, this is called wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Use of such WDM increases the overall bandwidth of the system.
There is a need in such systems to switch packets of optical information passing along one fiber to any of a number of other fibers, according to the wavelength of the optical signal. Such a switch is known as an optical router or a wavelength selective switch. A number of wavelength dependent switches and routers exist in the prior art. In co-pending PCT Applications. PCT/IL2002/00511, PCT/IL2003/01002 and PCT/IL2006/00590, all hereby incorporated by reference, each in its entirety, there are disclosed wavelength selective switches wherein an input optical signal is spatially wavelength-dispersed and polarization-split in two preferably perpendicular planes. The wavelength dispersion is preferably performed by a diffraction grating, and the polarization-splitting by a polarized beam splitter. A polarization rotation device, such as a liquid crystal polarization modulator, pixilated along the wavelength dispersive direction such that each pixel operates on a separate wavelength channel, is operative to rotate the polarization of the light signal passing through each pixel, according to the control voltage applied to the pixel. The polarization modulated signals are then wavelength-recombined and polarization-recombined by means of similar dispersion and polarization combining components as were used to respectively disperse and split the input signals. At the output polarization recombiner, the direction in which the resulting output signal is directed is determined by whether the polarization of the particular wavelength channel was rotated by the polarization modulator pixel, or not. PCT Application Nos. PCT/IL2003/01002 and PCT/IL2006/00590 also incorporate lateral expansion of the polarized beams in the plane of the dispersion.
Such fast, wavelength selective, optical switch structures are capable of use in WDM switching applications, but are generally limited to 2×2 configurations, for use as channel blockers or attenuators. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,092,599 to S. J. Frisken for "Wavelength Manipulation System and Method," there is described a wavelength manipulation system using an LCOS phased array, with an optical arrangement including a spherical mirror and a cylindrical lens for maintaining collimation of the input beams in the direction of dispersion, and for focusing of the input beams in the direction perpendicular to the direction of dispersion. In published U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0067611 for "Wavelength Selective Reconfigurable Optical Cross Connect," there is described an optical coupling device using art LCOS phased array, with an optical arrangement including at least a cylindrical mirror and a cylindrical lens.
There therefore exists a need for a new optical, multi-pole, multi-way wavelength selective switch structure having a simple optical structure, for use in channel routing applications, with the addition of add and drop functionalities. In addition, there exists a need for a new optical, multi-pole, multi-way switch structure that can route WDM signals from any input port to any output port in a hitless manner.
The disclosures of each of the publications mentioned in this section and in other sections of the specification are hereby incorporated by reference, each in its entirety.


A source node can append a unique identifier to an outbound client packet, transmit the outbound client packet to a recipient node via a port, and create a transmission record including: the unique identifier, a time stamp of the outbound client packet, and an identifier for the port. The source node can receive an inbound client packet that is appended with the unique identifier and a delta time indicating an amount of elapsed time between the recipient node receiving the outbound client packet and the recipient node transmitting the inbound client packet. The source node can determine a performance level of a VPN tunnel provided by the port based on the time stamp value of the outbound client packet, the delta time, and a time stamp value of the inbound client packet indicating a time at which the inbound client packet was received by the source node.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can include thousands of computing nodes in network communication with each. The computing nodes can utilize VPN tunnels to transmit and receive data packets from one another. Currently, computing nodes in a VPN transmit a high number of packets amongst each other. For example, data packets, such as HELLO ACK packets, need to be periodically sent to keep channels open between computing nodes. As another example, probe packets are regularly sent to measure performance characteristics of a VPN tunnel. In large VPNs, the load from transmitting the desired number of these data packets can overload the router. One solution is to simply reduce the number of HELLO ACK and probe packets that are transmitted between computing nodes, however this is not ideal for network performance. Accordingly, improvements are needed.

Reducing data transmissions in a virtual private network


A method for cleaning a semiconductor substrate having a contact angle between the surface thereof and water dropped thereon of at least 70 degrees comprises contacting the semiconductor surface with a cleaning liquid composition including an aliphatic polycarboxylic acid, an organic solvent having a hydroxyl group and/or an ether group, an anionic surfactant and water.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning liquid composition used for cleaning a semiconductor substrate and, in particular, it relates to a cleaning liquid composition suitable for removing particulate contamination and metallic contamination adsorbed on the surface of a hydrophobic substrate such as bare silicon or a low dielectric constant (Low-K) film.
2. Description of Related Art
Accompanying the increasing integration of ICs, there is a demand for strict contamination control since trace amounts of impurities greatly influence the performance and yield of a device. That is, strict control of particulate contamination and metallic contamination on a substrate is required, and cleaning with various types of cleaning liquids is therefore carried out at each step in semiconductor production.
With regard to cleaning liquids generally used for semiconductor substrates, ammonia-hydrogen peroxide-water (SC-1), which is an alkaline cleaning liquid, is used for removing particulate contamination, and sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid-hydrogen peroxide-water (SC-2), dilute hydrofluoric acid, etc., which are acidic cleaning liquids, are used for removing metallic contamination, and the cleaning liquids are used singly or in combination according to the intended purpose.
On the other hand, accompanying advances of the increasing integration of ICs and making them with multilayer wiring structures, the substrate surface is required to be made more strictly planar in each process, and as a new technique the chemical-mechanical polishing technique (hereinafter called CMP) has been introduced into the semiconductor production process. In this technique, the surface of the substrate is polished and planarized by means of a rotating buff while supplying a mixed slurry of abrasive particles and a chemical agent. At the same time, materials constituting the surface of the substrate that is planarized have been changing. As a result, post-CMP substrate surfaces are contaminated by particulate contamination originating from alumina or silica contained in the abrasive and various types of metallic contamination originating from the constituents of the surface that is polished and the chemical agent contained in the slurry. In order to remove this contamination, brush-cleaning, which involves both the chemical effect of a cleaning liquid and the physical effect of brushing, is carried out as general post-CMP cleaning, and as the cleaning liquid used here an appropriate cleaning liquid is selected from various types of cleaning liquids while taking into consideration the properties of the constituents of the surface of the substrate and the contamination.
In the case where the surface of a substrate to which CMP is applied is a conventional SiO2 interlayer insulating film, two stage cleaning has been carried out, and this employs the alkaline cleaning liquid for removing particulate contamination and the acidic cleaning liquids for removing metallic contamination.
However, in the case of interlayer insulating films used in recent years, in which a metal material such as Cu or W is exposed as a via-hole or a wiring material, the acidic cleaning liquids will corrode the metal material or are unable to remove the metallic contamination adequately within a time in which no corrosion occurs. The alkaline cleaning liquids also cause problems such as corrosion of Cu. As a method for solving these problems, an aqueous solution containing an organic acid and a complexing agent has been proposed as a cleaning liquid for metallic contamination (JP, A, 10-72594 and JP, A, 11-131093), and a cleaning liquid containing an organic acid and a complexing agent has been proposed as a technique for simultaneously removing metallic contamination and particulate contamination (JP, A, 2001-7071).
Furthermore, in recent years attempts have been made to use, as interlayer insulating films, an organic film such as an aromatic aryl polymer (SiLK, Dow Chemical) having lower dielectric constant than that of the conventional SiO2 system, a silicon-based film such as MSQ (Methyl Silsesquioxane), HSQ (Hydrogen Silsesquioxane) or SiOC (Black Diamond, Applied Material) and, furthermore a porous silica film having low dielectric constant. It is known that these Low-K film materials are strongly hydrophobic, and it has been reported in recent research that when a cleaning liquid having poor wettability toward the surface of a film is used in brush-cleaning, the brush-cleaning does not work effectively and the removal of particulate contamination is inadequate, and since the above-mentioned cleaning liquids have poor wettability toward the Low-K films, the films cannot be cleaned sufficiently. Under such circumstances, the present sinventors have proposed an aqueous solution containing an aliphatic polycarboxylic acid and a surfactant as a post-CMP cleaning liquid composition that has good wettability toward an interlayer insulating film formed from a Low-K film, etc., and can be used for the removal of particulate contamination and metallic contamination (Japanese Patent Application 2002-41393).
However, in subsequent research it has been found that, depending on the combination of the surfactant and the Low-K film, there is the defect that the surfactant might be adsorbed on the surface of the Low-K film or penetrate the Low-K film, thus damaging the Low-K film such as, for example, changing the refractive index.
Moreover, as an analogous organic acid-containing composition, a composition containing an organic acid, water, and an organic solvent has been disclosed (JP, A, 2002-206709), and after the application of the present invention, a composition containing an organic acid, water, an organic solvent and an anticorrosive has been disclosed (US2003/0130147A1). However, these techniques relate to a resist stripping agent, and post-CMP removal of particulate contamination and metallic contamination has not been disclosed.
Furthermore, after the application of the present invention, a cleaning liquid composition for semiconductor substrate having a Low-K film, containing an organic acid, water, and an ethylene-oxide-type surfactant as essential components, which may further contain alkyl alcohol has been disclosed (WO03/065433A1). However, all the examples are compounds containing an organic acid, water and a surfactant, and they have a possibility to damage Low-K films similar to those disclosed in Japanese Patent Application 2002-41393.

Method for cleaning semiconductor substrate


A retaining clamp for retaining a tube on a barbed connector. The clamp includes a collet, having a first portion sized to fit over a tube on a barbed connector, and a plurality of fingers extending from the first portion for fitting behind the barb of a connector, the fingers having inward extensions at their distal ends for urging the tube against the connector behind the barb. The clamp also includes a sleeve, sized to fit over the collet and to urge the fingers on the collet inwards to retain the tube on the connector. The collet and sleeve are held in position with a ratchet. In addition, one of the sleeve or the collet includes an inward projection for urging the tube against the end of the barb on the barbed connector in use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retainer for securing a flexible tube to a barbed fitting, particularly though not exclusively for use in bio-disposable systems used in the pharmaceutical industry.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
Fluid connections in the food, medical and pharmaceutical industries are commonly made with flanged connectors clamped to each other. The connectors have hollow spigots to which tube is connected. The flanged connectors can be made to tight tolerances, as can seals between two flanges, whereby there is little scope for stagnant accumulation at the flanges per se of material which can become contaminated, for instance by bacterial, and hence cause a problem.
However, the connection between the hollow spigot and the tubing can provide a stagnant region and thus a potential hazard. In addition, fluid leaking between the connections is lost to the process, and when using valuable fluids this can be a significant loss to the process. This arises because the nose of the connectors' spigot is tapered where it meets the tube. The latter is close to its free diameter at the small diameter end of the spigot and there is little resistance to pressurised fluid permeating between the spigot and the tube. The pressure of the fluid is liable to force the fluid right up the taper and cause a leak or at least leave a residue of fluid between the tube and the taper, and even behind the taper.
In order to minimise leakage and prevent the flexible tube from slipping off the barbed fitting tube retainers have been used. Originally, when the fittings were of metal, the retainers were jubilee clips tightened around the fitting behind the barb. When plastics material fittings came into use, cable ties became the standard method of retaining the tube on the fitting; occasionally two cable ties would be used for added security. However, while these minimise the risk of the tube being removed from the fitting, they do not prevent fluid being forced up the taper and behind the barb.
Recently the BARBLOCK® retainer has been introduced in which a collet, including a compression ring is held in position on or behind the barb with a sleeve, which locks over the collet. This again urges the tube against the fitting at a position distant from the end of the taper, and thus it is still possible for fluid to travel between the taper and the tube to the restriction point.

Parklands Business Park, Denmead, Hampshire


A light emitting element includes a semiconductor substrate, a light emitting part having a first and second conductivity type cladding layers and an active layer sandwiched between the cladding layers. A reflecting part is disposed between the substrate and the light emitting part. A current dispersing layer disposed on a side of the light emitting part opposite to the reflecting. The reflecting part has at least three pair layers of first and second semiconductor layers, the first semiconductor layer has a first thickness, the second semiconductor layer has a second thickness and a plurality of pair layers of the reflecting part have a different thickness to each other as values of the incident angle of light are different with respect to each pair layer. At least one pair layer is defined by the incident angle of light being not less than 50 degrees.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a light emitting element. In particular, this invention relates to a light emitting element including a semiconductor substrate opaque to a light emitted from an active layer and a reflecting part disposed between the semiconductor substrate and the active layer so as to have a thickness of not less than a predetermined value.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a light emitting element is known that includes an n-type GaAs substrate, a light reflection layer disposed on the n-type GaAs substrate, an n-type Al0.45Ga0.55As cladding layer disposed on the light reflection layer, a p-type GaAs active layer disposed on the n-type Al0.45Ga0.55As cladding layer, a p-type Al0.45Ga0.55As cladding layer disposed on the p-type GaAs active layer, and a p-type GaAs cap layer disposed on the p-type Al0.45Ga0.55As cladding layer, wherein the light reflection layer has a laminated structure of an n-type AlAs/an n-type AlxGa1-xAs, the laminated structure is formed so as to have a chirp-like shape where the film thicknesses are sequentially changed, and a relationship among a changed thickness ratio, a number of the laminated layers, and a mixed crystal ratio is defined, by which a predetermined reflection wavelength width and reflectance can be obtained. The technique is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-5-37017(JP-A1993-37017).
The light emitting element disclosed in the JP-A-5-37017 has the light reflection layer capable of reflecting a light traveling to a side of the substrate by light wave interference, so that light emission output can be enhanced.
However, although the light emitting element disclosed in the JP-A-5-37017 is capable of broadening reflection wavelength region in a single body of the light reflection layer, if the light reflection layer has a thickness of not less than a predetermined value, the light emission output can not be increased, similarly to a case of using a light reflection layer that does not have the chirp-like shape. Consequently, the light emitting element of the JP-A-5-37017 discloses that the changed thickness ratio DD is preferably almost 0.1 to 0.15, thicknesses of the pair layer are preferably T (1−DD) and T (1+DD), if standard thickness is defines as T, and the number of the laminated layers of the light reflection layer is preferably almost 20 to 30. Here, if a light emission wavelength is set to 631 nm in the composition of the light emitting element disclosed in the JP-A-5-37017, a thickness of the light reflection layer becomes almost 2 to 3 μm. Namely, if the thickness of the light reflection layer becomes not less than 2 μm, enhancement of the light emission output is saturated in the light emitting element disclosed in the JP-A-5-37017, and there is a limitation to the enhancement of the light emission output.


Provided are a refrigerator and a controlling method thereof. The refrigerator includes a main body, a display device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, an audio output, an audio input, a voice recognizer, and a display controller. The display device is on the main body and includes a display. The RFID reader is on the display device or the main body. The audio output outputs through audio to an outside whether to enter a food name, when an RFID tag attached to a food item or a container holding the food item is read by the RFID reader. The audio input is on the display device, to which audio from the outside can be input. The voice recognizer reads audio input to the audio input. The display controller controls the display device to display on the display a screen corresponding to data read by the voice recognizer. Thus, a food name can be entered by a user's selection or through reading an RFID tag, and a food name can be entered through audio or through a screen on a display, so that a user's range of options is broadened, and convenience is increased.

In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus for storing food at low temperatures. A user can buy desired food items and store them in a refrigerator. The user can then remove and use the stored foods at will.
Also, a user can check what foods are inside a refrigerator, and purchase foods that are needed or in short supply. Furthermore, a user examines each food item stored in a refrigerator to check its expiration date.
Specifically, in refrigerators according to the related art, food items stored in refrigerators cannot accurately be determined, requiring users to examine each item individually. Thus, having to check the expiration dates of food and individual food items is cumbersome.


A propulsive system for aircraft that has a jet engine and a nacelle surrounding the aforementioned jet engine. The nacelle has a front section fixed relative to the jet engine, and a rear extremity behind the front section, and has a rear section with two petals hinged relative to the front section. Each of the two petals in a position called zero-setting forms an extension of the front section of the nacelle in which the inside and outside surfaces of the petals and, respectively, determine the aerodynamic forms of the rear section, which are in geometric continuity with the inside and outside surfaces and, respectively, that determine the aerodynamic forms of the front section. The petals can be set individually at a positive or negative setting angle to put into play the reverser, APU, air brake, vectorial, and taxiing modes of the propulsive system.

The aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to the field of the propulsion of transport aircraft such as civilian transport aircraft.
More particularly, the aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a turbojet engine propulsive system that can perform various functions complementary to propulsion.
For reasons of optimization of propulsion and in particular for reasons of weight, in the case of current aircraft such as civilian aircraft and military transport aircraft, there are frequent attempts to use the engines employed for the propulsion of the aircraft for other functions performed by other systems, either to complement these systems or to substitute for them more or less totally.
Thus, the propulsion engines on very many aircrafts are used to supplement braking when the aircraft lands.
The jet engines provided with this capability of braking make use of a so-called thrust reverser device, which deflects the blast of the jet engine when it is deployed and creates a thrust directed toward the rear, which participates in the braking.
In the high-dilution jet engines currently common on civilian and military jet transport aircraft, the thrust reversers act only on the secondary flow, blocking the secondary stream and orienting the flow of air toward the sides and toward the front. So-called grid reversers and petal reversers are known to exist, which show only two used positions: the retracted position in which the jet engine thrust is not modified and the deployed position for which the thrust is reversed.
This configuration of reversers has the defect of not acting on the primary flow of the jet engine, which consequently continues to exert thrust toward the front, which to that extent reduces the efficacy of the reversers, unless supplementary means are utilized.
Furthermore, such reversers in the retracted position by their imperfections cause pressure losses in the stream of secondary flow, which affects the propulsive output and accordingly necessitates great design and control efforts in operation to limit the losses of output.
With single-flow or limited dilution jet engines, it is known how to use clamshell thrust reversers in which two hinged half-shells are placed behind the jet output of the jet engine.
In the retracted position of the reverser, the two half-shells are spread apart, so that the jet of the jet engine passes between the half-shells without being perturbed, and in the deployed position of the reverser, the two half-shells are brought together into contact with one another so as to block the jet of the jet engines and to deflect it to the sides, or toward the top and bottom, and toward the front.
Such an example of clamshell thrust reversers corresponds to those of the Concorde aircraft.
Although it is used less frequently, it is also known how to use a propulsion engine to function as an auxiliary power group to supply the aircraft on the ground with energy and air.
In some cases, the electrical generators and the air intakes used by the aircraft in flight are also used on the ground with the engine functioning for it when no external energy source is available.
For example, this is the case with turboprop aircraft in which one of the turbojet engines is placed in operation on the ground with the propeller immobilized by a propeller brake in a so-called "hotel mode."
In the case of turbojet engines, it was considered replacing the auxiliary power group generally installed in the rear section of the fuselage by a turbine that has an "auxiliary power group or APU" operating mode, in particular with the aircraft parked on the ground, and a "propulsion" operating mode, in particular at takeoff or in flight.
Depending on whether this rear turbine is of small or comparable size, or greater than those of the propulsion engines, it is considered as an APU with an optional propulsive function, or as a propulsion jet engine with an operating mode as auxiliary generator.
This type of solution, which does not seem to have found application up to now on a commercial turbojet aircraft, has the drawback of requiring a turbine; in practice a jet engine, specifically adapted to this mixed function, and the solution proves to be disadvantageous from the point of view of weight balance and from an economic point of view.
Accordingly, the current solutions are limited in use, and their performance is adversely affected by the weight balances and unfavorable outputs, and by the complex and costly installations.

Multifunctional propulsive system for an airplane


A passenger automobile without B-column is provided that has front side doors and rear side doors. Two front individual seats are arranged in the area of the front side doors and a rear seat arrangement is arranged in the area of the rear side doors. A column for accommodating three-point safety belts for the individual seats is mounted between the individual seats in the area of backrests of the individual seats. This column is mounted in the floor of the vehicle. The shoulder belt of the respective safety belt is mounted in the area of the upper end of the column and the lap belt of the respective safety belt is mounted in the area of the lower end of the column. In a passenger automobile without B-column, a structurally simple safety belt arrangement is provided that has a favorable design for the front individual seats.

Passenger automobiles are known that do not have a B-column These passenger automobiles have front and rear side doors, and with two front individual seats arranged in the area of the front side doors and a rear seat arrangement arranged in the area of the rear side doors. Since the B-column is not between the front and rear seat arrangements on the respective side of the passenger automobile, there is no possibility of mounting the three-point safety belt assigned to the respective individual seat in the area of the B-column with respect to the shoulder belt and the lap belt.
It is therefore proposed, in practice, to mount the respective safety belt in the assigned rear side door or, in the area of the adjacent front side door, to mount it directly in the individual seat. Arranging a column for accommodating three-point safety belts for the individual seats between two individual seats of a passenger automobile, in the area of backrests of the individual seats, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,807.
At least one object is to provide a structurally simple safety belt arrangement having a favorable design for the front individual seats in a passenger automobile without B-column. In addition, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.


A circuit for sensing the state of a potentiometer includes a capacitor that is connected to the potentiometer wiper and that is successively charged by applying a voltage to each end of the potentiometer resistive element. The capacitor is discharged between successive chargings. The times needed to charge the capacitor to a predetermined voltage in each case are used to determine the position of the wiper along the resistive element. The circuit can be connected to a plurality of potentiometers, any one of which can be selected and the wiper position determined. A similar circuit can determine the state of an inductive or capacitive voltage divider.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to potentiometers and more specifically, to a low cost circuit for sensing the state of a potentiometer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Voltage dividers--generally referred to herein as "potentiometers"--are commonly used circuit elements. A typical potentiometer comprises a resistive element, a conductive element, and a wiper that has two or more metal contacts which provide movable electrical contact between points along the elements. As the wiper moves along the elements, it continuously varies the resistance between the conductive element and either end of the resistive element. A voltage across the resistive element is divided by the wiper according to its position along the resistive element, the wiper voltage being determined by the resistance from the wiper to either end of the resistive element.
Another type of potentiometer is the SoftPot.RTM. membrane potentiometer, manufactured by Spectra Symbol, Salt Lake City, Utah. It provides a momentary variable resistance in response to an applied pressure. A membrane potentiometer generally consists of a conductive element co-extensively mounted parallel to a resistive element and separated by a small gap. One or both of the elements are supported by a flexible substrate, which can be deflected (by a finger or the like) to electrically connect corresponding points along the conductive and resistive elements, electrically dividing the resistive element accordingly. The elements separate when the deflecting pressure is released.
Potentiometers are frequently used to adjust some output parameter of an electric control, such as a lighting control. To accomplish this, a circuit must be provided to sense the state of the potentiometer and adjust the control accordingly. If the control circuit is analog, this is easily done via a buffer of some sort connected to the potentiometer wiper. If, on the other hand, the control circuit includes a digital processing step, the sensing circuit must convert an analog signal into a digital signal (A/D conversion). There are many circuits available to do this; however, each suffers from limitations, as discussed below.
A/D conversion by successive approximation involves feeding back various output codes into a D/A converter and comparing this with the input voltage signal via a comparator. Typically, all bits are initially set to 0. Then, beginning with the most significant bit, each bit, in turn, is provisionally set to 1. If the D/A output does not exceed the input voltage signal, the bit is left as a 1; otherwise, it is set back to 0.
Successive-approximation A/D converters are relatively accurate and fast; however, they are expensive and draw a significant amount of current during operation. Furthermore, voltage spikes on the input line are disastrous, and these converters sometimes have nonlinearities and missing codes.
A less expensive A/D conversion method, known as single-slope integration, involves measuring the elapsed time to charge a capacitor from ground to a voltage equivalent to the input voltage signal. To begin conversion, an internal ramp generator is started and, at the same time, a counter is enabled to count pulses from a stable clock. When the ramp voltage equals the input voltage, a comparator stops the counter. The count is proportional to the input level, i.e., it's the digital output. At the end of the conversion, the circuit resets the ramp generator and the counter, and the converter is ready for another cycle. Single-slope integration is simple, but it is not used where high accuracy is required, because it puts severe requirements on the stability and accuracy of the ramp generator and comparator.
The method of dual-slope integration was designed to eliminate most of the ramp generator and comparator problems inherent in single-slope integration. In this method, a current that is accurately proportional to the input level charges a capacitor for a fixed time interval; then, the capacitor is discharged by a constant current until the voltage reaches zero again. The time to discharge the capacitor is proportional to the input level and is used to enable a counter driven from a clock running at a fixed frequency. The final count is proportional to the input level; i.e., it's the digital output.
Dual-slope integration achieves good accuracy without putting extreme requirements on component stability. In particular, the capacitor value doesn't have to be particularly stable, since the charge cycle and the discharge cycle both have a rate inversely proportional to the value of the capacitor. Likewise, drifts or scale errors in the comparator are cancelled out by beginning and ending each conversion cycle at the same voltage. The clock frequency does not have to be highly stable, because the fixed integration time during the first phase of the measurement is generated by subdivision from the same clock used to increment the counter. The dual-slope converter, however, requires that the discharge current be highly stable and that the input current accurately represent the voltage on the potentiometer wiper. Furthermore, this method draws a significant amount of current during operation. In the case of lighting controls, it is desirable to reduce the current drawn by an A/D converter to 5 mA or less to meet certain Underwriters Laboratories specifications.


The present invention relates to PCGA analytical procedure, in which each PCGA plating/measuring cycle is performed with the stripping and cleaning of test electrode immediately conducted before the equilibrium step, so as to use the metal plate layer formed during a previous plating/measuring cycle as a protective layer for the test electrode. The present invention also relates to PCGA calibration measurement protocol, in which both the calibration measurements and the sample measurement are conducted after a background measurement step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to determination of additives in metal plating baths, and more specifically to Pulsed Cyclic Galvanostatic Analysis (PCGA) of additive concentration in metal plating solutions.
2. Background of the Invention
The PCGA determination of additive concentration in metal plating baths involves the plating of the metal onto a test electrode from a sample metal plating solution.
Typically, the test electrode is cyclically plated and stripped multiple times for each quantity measured. Each plating/measurement cycle comprises the following steps:
Cleanxe2x80x94the test electrode surface is thoroughly cleaned electrochemically or chemically using acid bath, followed by flushing with water or acid bath,
Equilibratexe2x80x94the test electrode and a reference electrode are exposed to the metal plating solution and allowed to reach an equilibrium state,
Platexe2x80x94metal element is electroplated onto the test electrode either at constant current, and electroplating potential between the test and reference electrodes is monitored and recorded, and
Stripxe2x80x94the metal deposition is removed, e.g., by reversal of the plating current flow and/or exposure to an acid bath.
These four steps must be repeated for each plating/measuring cycle.
The plating is usually conducted after various sample solution preparation steps, in which the sample metal plating solution to be tested is conditioned for optimal measurement results. Such sample solution preparation steps include, for example, dilution of highly concentrated samples, addition of excessive suppressor for amplifying the accelerator responses, and introduction of complexing agent for forming colored complexes with certain additives in the sample solution.
For most PCGA analysis, the solution preparation steps are conducted right after the cleaning step, and before the test electrode is exposed to the conditioned metal plating solution for establishing the equilibrium state, as shown in FIG. 1A. In some instances, the solution preparation steps are conducted right after the stripping step of a previous plating-measuring cycle, either before or concurrently with the cleaning step, as shown in FIG. 1B.
During the solution preparation, the stripped or naked test electrode is either (1) exposed to the air, waiting to be cleaned, or (2) if already cleaned, it is usually submerged in a base solution, waiting to be contacted with the conditioned metal plating solution for establishing the equilibrium state.
In the former case, the naked test electrode is vulnerable to contamination while exposed to the air. In the latter case, since the time required for solution preparation varies significantly across different types of sample solutions, the duration when such test electrode is submerged in the base solution varies accordingly, which in effect changes the time required for the test electrode to reach equilibrium state.
It would therefore be a significant advance in the art, and is accordingly an object of the present invention, to minimize the variation of equilibration time between individual plating/stripping cycles and to protect the test electrode against potential contamination during the solution preparation step.
Moreover, conventional PCGA methods utilize calibration measurements for quick determination of the additive concentration in the sample metal plating solutions. The calibration measurements take place immediately after background measurement of the base solution, by adding the calibration solutions into the base solution, while the test electrode is continuously submerged in the base solution, without being exposed to the air at any time.
However, the sample measurement is carried out after previously tested solution (for example, calibration solution) is emptied from the analytical cell, and fresh base solution and sample solution are filled into the analytical cell.. During emptying and filling steps, the test electrode is exposed to the air, which causes the measured additive responses to appear xe2x80x9csluggish,xe2x80x9d and the time required for the test electrode to reach the equilibrium state becomes longer.
It is another object of the invention to provide new measurement protocols that minimize the differences between the calibration measurement conditions and the sample measurement conditions and thus increase the measurement accuracy.
Other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.
The present invention relates in one aspect to a method for measuring electroplating potentials of metal plating solutions, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a measuring apparatus comprising a reference electrode, a test electrode, and electrical potential measuring circuitry electrically coupled between such reference electrode and the test electrode for measuring electrical potential therebetween, wherein the test electrode is coated by a metal layer previously deposited thereon;
(b) preparing a metal plating solution for measurement;
(c) stripping the metal layer from the test electrode and cleaning the test electrode;
(d) contacting the test electrode with the prepared metal plating solution, allowing the test electrode to come to an equilibrium state in the prepared metal plating solution;
(e) depositing metal onto the test electrode from the prepared metal plating solution, by electroplating at a constant or known current density; and
(f) measuring and recording electroplating potential between the reference electrode and the test electrode during the electroplating process;
(g) optionally, repeating steps (b)-(f) for each metal plating solution to be measured.
The present invention in another aspect relates to a calibration method for determining concentration of a component of interest in a sample metal plating solution, comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing a base metal plating solution that contains all components of the sample metal plating solution, except the component of interest, or optionally to which has been added a known volume of the component of interest;
(b) preparing a plurality of calibration solutions, each of which contains the component of interest in a distinct, known concentration;
(c) performing a first background measurement, by measuring electroplating potential of a first volume of the base metal plating solution;
(d) successively adding the calibration solutions into the first volume of the base metal plating solution to form a base/calibration mixture, while measuring electroplating potentials of the base/calibration mixture after each addition of said calibration solutions;
(e) constructing a calibration curve, by plotting the electroplating potentials measured in steps (c) and (d) as a function of the concentration of the component of interest;
(f) performing a second background measurement, by measuring electroplating potential of a second volume of the base metal plating solution;
(g) adding the sample metal plating solution into the second volume of the base metal plating solution to form a base/sample mixture, and measuring electroplating potential of the base/sample mixture;
(h) determining the concentration of the component of interest in the sample metal plating solution, based on the calibration curve constructed in step (e) and the electroplating potential measured in step (f) and (g).
The present invention in another aspect relates to a calibration method for determining concentration of a component of interest in a sample metal plating solution, comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing a base metal plating solution that contains all components of the sample metal plating solution, except the component of interest, or optionally to which has been added a known volume of the component of interest;
(b) preparing a single calibration solution, containing the component of interest in a distinct, known concentration, wherein the amount of concentration of component in the calibration solution is equal to a theoretical concentration of the component of interest in the sample metal plating solution;
(c) performing a first background measurement, by measuring electroplating potential of a first volume of the base metal plating solution;
(d) adding the calibration solution into the first volume of the base metal plating solution to form a base/calibration mixture, while measuring an electroplating potential of the base/calibration mixture;
(e) constructing a calibration curve, by plotting the electroplating potentials measured in steps (c) and (d) as a function of the concentration of the component of interest;
(f) performing a second background measurement, by measuring electroplating potential of a second volume of the base metal plating solution;
(g) adding the sample metal plating solution into the second volume of the base metal plating solution to form a base/sample mixture, and measuring electroplating potential of the base/sample mixture;
(i) determining the concentration of the component of interest in the sample metal plating solution, based on the calibration curve constructed in step (e) and the electroplating potential measured in step (f) and (g).
Additional aspects, features and embodiments of the invention will be more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.

Methods for determination of additive concentration in metal plating baths