A liquid hypochlorite bleach composition and method of use are disclosed with an alkyl ether sulfate as a single surfactant thickening agent in an amount capable of effectively thickening the composition. In another embodiment of a hypochlorite bleach composition and method of use, the composition comprises an alkyl ether sulfate in a thickening effective amount and a bleach stable cosurfactant system in an amount equal to 0-50% by wt. of the amount of the alkyl ether sulfate.

Considerable art has been developed in connection with thickened hypochlorite solutions useful in a variety of applications including hard surface cleaners, disinfectants, drain cleaners and the like. The efficacy of such compositions is greatly improved by higher viscosity of the composition, for example, to increase the residence time of the composition, especially on non-horizontal surfaces.
In addition, thickening of such liquid compositions is desirable in order to minimize splashing during pouring or application of the composition. At the same time, consumer preference for a thickened product has also been well established. In any event, the term "liquid bleach composition" is employed below to refer generally to liquid compositions intended for bleaching, cleaning, clearing of drains and other related purposes within applications such as but not limited to those summarized above.
The following references disclosed a variety of thickeners for hypochlorite bleach solutions. At the same time, these references disclosed such liquid bleach compositions including various other compounds such as alkyl ether sulfate specifically to serve as surfactants or cosurfactants within the thickened hypochlorite bleach compositions. The importance of this distinction will be apparent in connection with the present invention as summarized below.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,163 issued June 29, 1982 to Schilp disclosed thickened bleach compositions containing as a thickening agent 0.5-5% by wt. of a mixture of (1) a hypochlorite-soluble first detergent active compound selected from the group consisting of tertiary amine oxides, betaines, quaternary ammonium compounds and mixtures thereof, and (2) a second detergent active compound selected from the group consisting of surfactants including an alkali metal C.sub.10-18 alkyl ether sulfate containing 1-10 moles of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide and mixtures thereof, the weight ratio of the first and second compounds being from 75:25 to 40:60, the composition further comprising from 50-350 m mol/kg of a buffer salt selected from a further defined class. The tertiary amine oxide of the first group is the preferred thickener for the composition. (Also see related EP 030401.)
The above reference is generally representative of a number of other references disclosing the use of alkyl ether sulfates in surfactant systems for thickened hypochlorite solutions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,204 to Dimond and Murphy disclosed a thickened composition with a surfactant mixture of 10-50% sarcosinate; 3-40% alkyl ether sulfate and 30-75% alkylsulfate. Carlton, et al. in EP 137871 disclosed a thick hypochlorite solution in which 0-3% of the composition was a surfactant comprising 80-99.9% amine oxide and 0.1-20% of an anionic surfactant selected from a group including alkyl ether sulfate.
LaCroix, et al., in WO86/01823, disclosed a thickened hypochlorite solution with less than 4% amine oxide and one or more cosurfactants selected from the group of sarcosinate, alkyl ether sulfate and alkylsulfonate in amounts less than that recited for amine oxide. EP233666 to Vipond, et al. disclosed a hypochlorite solution with a C.sub.8-20 soap precursor for in situ development of viscosity and amine oxide which could allegedly be replaced by one of a number of hypochlorite soluble surfactants including alkyl ether sulfate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,514 issued to Jones, et al. disclosed a thickened hypochlorite solution with a surfactant system including relatively large amounts of amine oxides, soaps or sarcosinates for thickening and a lesser amount of alkyl ether sulfate for storage stability. Stoddart U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,728 also disclosed a thickened hypochlorite solution with amine oxide, optionally betaine in an amount equal to the amine oxide and an anionic surfactant selected from a group including alkyl ether sulfate and forming 0.1-20% of the total surfactant. (Also see related EP204472.)
JP 57168999 disclosed hypochlorite solutions thickened with expansive clay and including a surfactant such as alkylphenylether sulfate.
EP79697 to Francis employed C.sub.13-18 alkyl dimethylamine oxides to thicken hypochlorite solutions with ionic strengths greater than 3g-mol/liter. EP110544 to Nelson employed C.sub.14 or greater alkyl amine oxides and added salt to thicken bleach. Extra salt was not needed if C.sub.16 or greater alkyl amine oxide were present but a shorter chain amine oxide was also needed. From a practical point of view, this is considered the same as employing two different surfactant types.
A variety of thickeners found suitable for use with hypochlorite solutions have been disclosed for example by Rupe, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,851 which disclosed a clay thickened hypochlorite bleach which could also include other thickening agents of a polymeric type such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene or copolymers of styrene with, for example, acrylate, maleate or vinyl acetate. A similar variety of additional thickeners were disclosed by Leikhim in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,849.

Thickened hypochlorite bleach solution and method of use


The invention relates to laminated parts comprising outer layers and polyurethane sandwich materials, and to a method of producing these laminated parts and to their use in the automotive industry.

The present invention relates to laminated parts comprising outer layers and polyurethane sandwich materials, to a method of making them and to their use in the production of parts for the automotive industry.
Parts in the external automotive industry with Class A surfaces and a special mechanical function are usually made of metal. The disadvantage of the use of metal is the heavy weight of the parts. The main surface quality criterion for Class A surface parts is the known wave scan process with low values for short and long wavelengths of the surface.
Where polyurethane moldings are employed, more compact materials with reinforcing substances are generally used, in order to improve specific mechanical properties such as, for example, flexural strength. Such reinforced polyurethanes are already in use as aprons, sills, beads or door coverings and wings in the external automotive industry. Relatively marked expansion behavior is characteristic of the materials used, that is to say, high linear thermal coefficients of expansion (xcex1 values) which are very different from those of the metals normally employed, and higher density. The main target of these articles are surface qualities with low short and long wavelength values determined by the known wave scan process.
In order to obtain excellent surface qualities in that case, with low long and short wavelength values, the articles may possibly have to undergo surface post-treatment.
In order to avoid all the above drawbacks, laminated PUR (polyurethane) parts with integral Class A outer layers have now been developed. These laminated PUR parts exhibit very high flexural strength level, low expansion behavior (xcex1 value within the range from 1 to 15xc3x9710xe2x88x926 mxc2x7Kxe2x88x921xc2x7mxe2x88x921), low density and high surface quality. Similar laminated parts are already described in the status report titled xe2x80x9cStructhan(copyright), a composite fibrous material with a futurexe2x80x9d by Bayer AG, order No. PU 52231, and the reprint xe2x80x9cComposite fibrous PUR materials for light-weight construction in vehicle interiorsxe2x80x9d by Bayer AG, order No. PU 52248.
These PUR-bonded composites have been found to have greater flexural strength at lower density than the outer layers used.
The invention relates to a laminated part comprising
A) a core,
B) fiber layers arranged on both sides of the core and impregnated with a polyurethane resin (P),
C) an outer layer of Class A surface quality on one of the fiber layers, and, optionally,
D) a decorative layer on the second fiber layer.
The invention also relates to a single-stage process for producing a laminated part with an outer, possibly decorative layer for the laminated parts in accordance with the present invention. Processing methods which may be used for producing the articles with the above-mentioned reinforcing substances are the NafpurTec process, LFI-/FipurTec or Interwet processes and laminating processes. The composite material is produced at molding temperatures of 60-140xc2x0 C.
More specifically, the method of the invention for making laminated parts as described above comprises
(I) applying a fiber layer B) which is impregnated with the constituents of the polyurethane resin (P) to both sides of a core A),
(II) positioning an outer layer C), and, optionally, a decorative layer D) on the inside surface(s) of an open mold,
(III) placing the composite formed in (I) into the open mold containing the outer layer C) and, optionally, the decorative layer D),
(IV) closing the mold, and
(V) bonding the outer layer, and the decorative layer when present, to the composite by the complete reaction of the constituents of the polyurethane resin (P) component.
The polyurethane resin (P) suitable for impregnating the fiber layers of the laminated parts in accordance with the present invention can be obtained by reacting:
(1) at least one polyisocyanate;
(2) at least one polyol constituent with an average OH number from 300 to 700, containing at least one short-chain and one long-chain polyol, the initial polyols having a functionality of 2-6;
(3) water;
(4) activators;
(5) stabilizers; and, optionally,
(6) other auxiliary materials, mold release agents and additives.
Suitable polyol constituents are polyols with at least two hydrogen atoms which are reactive with isocyanate groups. Polyester polyols and polyether polyols are preferably used.
According to the present invention, polymeric isocyanates of the diphenylmethane disocyanate series (pMDI types), prepolymers thereof, or crude MDI are preferably used.
Water is employed in quantities of 0.1-3.0, preferably 0.3-2.0, parts per 100 parts of the polyol formulation.
Normal activators for the expansion and crosslinking reaction such as, for example, amines or metal salts are used for catalysis.
Suitable foam stabilizers are chiefly polyether siloxanes, particularly water-soluble ones. These compounds generally have a copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide combined with a polydimethylsiloxane radical. Foam stabilizers of this type are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,834,748, 2,917,480 and 3,629,308, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. Polysiloxane-polyoxyalkylene copolymers branched by allophanate groups according to DE-OS 25 58 523, believed to correspond to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,096,162 and 4,163,830, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference, are often of particular interest.
Other organopolysiloxanes, oxyethylated alkyl phenols, oxyethylated fatty alcohols, paraffin oils, esters of castor oil or ricinoleic acid, Turkey red oil and groundnut oil and cell regulators such as paraffins, fatty alcohols and dimethylpolysiloxanes are also suitable. Oligomeric polyacrylates with polyoxyalkylene and fluoroalkane radicals as side groups are further suitable for improving and/or stabilising the emulsifying action, dispersal of the filler, and the cellular structure. Surfactants are normally employed in quantities of 0.01 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyol.
Other auxiliary materials, mold release agents and additives may optionally be incorporated in the reaction mixture for preparing the polyurethane resins. The include, for example, surface-active additives such as emulsifiers, flame retardants, nucleating agents, oxidation retardants, lubricants and mould release agents, dyes, dispersing aids and pigments.
The constituents are reacted in quantities such that the equivalence ratio of NCO groups in the polyisocyanate component (1) to the sum of the hydrogens in constituents (2) and (3), and possibly (5), which are reactive with isocyanate groups, is from 0.8:1 to 1.4:1, preferably from 0.9:1 to 1.3:1.
Thermoformable PUR foams, or paper, metal or plastic honeycombs may be used as the material for the core A) of the laminated parts according to the invention.
Fiberglass mats, chopped fiberglass strand mats, random layers of fiberglass, fiberglass fabric, cut or ground glass or mineral fibers, natural fiber mats and knitted fabrics, cut natural fibers and fiber mats, non-wovens and knitted fabrics based on polymer, carbon or aramid fibers and mixtures thereof may be employed as fiber material B). These fiber layers are arranged on or applied to both sides of the core, and impregnated with polyurethane resin. Suitable polyurethane resins are as described above.
Some suitable outer layers C) for the present invention include, for example, metal foils or sheets, and compact thermoplastic composites made of, for example, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), ASA (acrylic ester modified styrene acrylonitrile terpolymer), PC (polycarbonate), PA (polyamide), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) and/or PPO (polyphenylene oxide) for external applications. The outer layer may be painted, made paintable or colored.
Textile materials with a barrier of TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) sheeting to prevent foam from passing through, compact or foamed plastic sheets and spray-on or RIM polyurethane skins may be used as the decorative layer D).
The fiber component of fiber layer B) may be placed on the core A) as a fabric or, in the case of cut or ground fibers, introduced or sprayed on with the polyurethane component or over the polyurethane component (P).
The process for the production of the laminated parts according to the invention initially comprises applying a fiber layer B) to both sides of the core A), and applying the initial polyurethane constituents to the layer B). In an alternate embodiment, the reinforcing substance (i.e. fiber components) may be introduced onto the core A) through the flow of raw polyurethane materials, using a suitable mixer head technique. The polyurethane resins may be produced by processes described in the literature, e.g. the one-shot or prepolymer process, by means of processing apparatus basically known to persons skilled in the art. They are preferably produced by the one-shot process.
The blank (i.e. the laminated core) thus produced is transferred to a mold containing the outer layer C), and optionally a decorative layer D). This blank is bonded or joined to the outer layer C) and to the decorative layer D) (when present) by the closing of the mold, and reacting the raw PUR material components. The blank may equally be produced in the actual mold by suitable methods.
The laminated materials according to the invention are characterized by low densities within the range from about 400 to 700 kg/m3, high flexural strength within the range from about 0.5 to 5.2xc3x97107 Nxc2x7mm2 and excellent surface quality (i.e. a Class A surface on one side). In particular, when the laminated materials of the present invention are compared with traditional plastics and metals used in the external application range such as PC/ABS (polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), polypropylene, Noryl(copyright) (blend of polyphenylene oxide and polyamide; trademark from GE), SMC (sheet molding compounds) or aluminium or steel sheet, they have a considerably lower GSM (gram per square meter) with comparable flexural strength.
Some suitable applications of the laminated materials according to the invention within the automotive industry include, for example, roof, bonnet, rear wing, door or bottom plate modules.
The following examples further illustrate details for the process of this invention. The invention, which is set forth in the foregoing disclosure, is not to be limited either in spirit or scope by these examples. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that known variations of the conditions of the following procedures can be used. Unless otherwise noted, all temperatures are degrees Celsius and all percentages are percentages by weight.

Laminated parts made of outer layers and polyurethane sandwich materials and their production


A leadless semiconductor package includes a package body on a leadframe that includes a die paddle and a plurality of bond pads, none of which extend as far as a lateral face of the body. During manufacture of the package, molding compound is deposited over a face of the leadframe on which the die paddle and bond pads are positioned. After the molding compound is cured, a back side of the leadframe is etched to isolate the die paddle and bond pads, back surfaces of which remain exposed at a back face of the body. During manufacture of the leadframe, a parent substrate is etched to define the die paddle and a plurality of bond pads on one side of the substrate and a plurality of cavities on the opposite face.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to semiconductor packaging, and in particular to leadframe-based packages, to leadframes employed in such packages, and most particularly to flat, leadless type packages and leadframes, such as, e.g., QFN packages.
2. Description of the Related Art
While significant advances have been made in semiconductor packaging, including the development of a very large number of packaging types, the majority of semiconductor devices still employ leadframe based packages. This is due to a number of reasons. In particular, leadframe packages are relatively inexpensive to produce, are well known and understood, the tooling is already in hand or readily available, etc. Additionally, leadframe packages have some advantages over many other packages, including having better thermal transmission characteristics, and more being more robust. As industry demand moves toward smaller packages and higher contact density, leadframe technology continues to evolve, so that even within the general category of leadframe packages, there are many different types. However, leadframe-based packages have at least one element in common: they all have a leadframe. Leadframes are usually stamped or chemically milled from thin metal strips, which are generally formed in rolls. Typically, a leadframe includes a die paddle on which a semiconductor die is mounted, and a plurality of contact pads that are placed in electrical contact with respective bond pads of the leadframe.
Leadframes are machined from a roll, i.e., strip, of metal foil, usually copper, which can be plated to prevent oxidation that might otherwise interfere with making good electrical contact. Chemical milling is typically used to form leadframes that have very fine details, such as with near chip-scale frames and frames that employ a large number of leads.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portion of an exemplary leadframe strip 100 for a quad flat no-lead (QFN) semiconductor package. The strip 100 of FIG. 1 includes a plurality of die paddles 102, and a plurality of leads 104 associated with each die paddle. Support stringers 106 extend between a support frame 108 and the die paddles 102, and the bond pads are attached directly to the frame. During the packaging process a semiconductor material die is attached to the die paddle 102, usually via a thermally conductive adhesive. Bond wires are attached at one end to contact pads of the semiconductor die, and to respective ones of the leads 104 at the other end, thereby placing the leads in electrical contact with the contact pads of the semiconductor die. Prior to attaching the semiconductor dies, a carrier tape is adhered to the back side of the leadframe strip 100, and after the wire bonding step, a molding compound is applied over the semiconductor die and bonding wires to form a protective package body, the approximate dimensions of which are indicated by the dashed lines 110 of FIG. 1. The carrier tape prevents the molding compound from covering the back side of the leadframe, so that the back sides of the die paddles 102 and leads 104 are exposed for contact with a circuit board. After the molding compound has been cured, the carrier tape is removed and the packages are punched from the leadframe strip. In the punching process, portions of the leadframe that protrude from each package are trimmed very close to the face of the package. The exposed die paddle on the back side of each package permits a good thermal contact between the semiconductor die and a circuit board, while the exposed leads 104 enable mounting of the package to contacts on the circuit board that are positioned inside the footprint of the package, which reduces the surface area occupied by the package on the circuit board.
There is continual industry pressure to reduce the thickness of semiconductor packages, especially for use in consumer electronic devices such as cell phones and PDA devices. In some cases, OEM manufacturers require that a package height be no more than 400 μm, and it is likely that even thinner packages will be required in the future. One problem associated with leadframe-based packages is that there is a minimum thickness requirement for leadframe material. Typically, leadframe strips cannot be much less than about 100 μm, because thinner material becomes virtually impossible to handle without damage. It lacks the strength and rigidity to withstand normal handling and the processes to which it is subjected during typical manufacturing operations. To the extent that special tooling and procedures could be devised to successfully handle thinner material, this would represent a significant additional expense and would eliminate one of the primary advantages of leadframes over other packaging formats, i.e., the ability of many existing automated systems to perform some or all of the processing steps required for more advanced package designs.
FIG. 2 is a simple diagrammatic side view of a portion of a leadframe strip 120 according to known art. A carrier strip 122 is provided, on which separate die paddles 124 and leads 126 are formed by a metal deposition process. The carrier strip acts as a support substrate so that the die paddles and bond pads can be made much thinner than the nominal 100 μm limit of the traditional punched or chemically milled leadframe strips. Additionally, because the elements of the leadframe are individually formed, there is no requirement for a support frame, which permits greater freedom to the designer because there is no requirement that every feature have an unobstructed path to the perimeter. Furthermore, because the features are not required to be self-supporting, elements that are very thin or closely spaced can be formed, where similar elements on a traditional leadframe would bend or short against other elements. Unfortunately, the processes necessary to manufacture leadframes by metal deposition are expensive and time consuming.

Leadless semiconductor package and method of manufacture


A capacitivly coupled flat conductor connector provided with a male connector body and a female connector body. An alignment insert is coupled to the male connector body, the alignment insert dimensioned to support a predefined length of an inner conductor. An alignment receptacle coupled to the female connector body, the alignment receptacle dimensioned to receive a connector end of the alignment insert to seat an overlapping portion of an inner conductor and an inner conductor trace parallel with one another against opposite sides of a spacer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical cable connectors. More particularly, the invention relates to a flat inner conductor coaxial connector with improved passive intermodulation distortion (PIM) electrical performance and mechanical interconnection characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
Coaxial cable connectors are used, for example, in communication systems requiring a high level of precision and reliability.
During systems installation, rotational forces may be applied to the installed connector, for example as the attached coaxial cable is routed towards the next interconnection, maneuvered into position and/or curved for alignment with cable supports and/or retaining hangers. Rotation of the coaxial cable and coaxial connector with respect to each other may damage the connector, the cable and/or the integrity of the cable/connector inter-connection. Further, once installed, twisting, bending and/or vibration applied to the interconnection over time may degrade the connector to cable interconnection and/or introduce PIM.
PIM is a form of electrical interference/signal transmission degradation that may occur with less than symmetrical interconnections and/or as electro-mechanical interconnections shift or degrade over time, for example due to mechanical stress, vibration, thermal cycling, oxidation formation and/or material degradation. PIM is an important interconnection quality characteristic, as PIM from a single low quality interconnection may degrade the electrical performance of an entire Radio Frequency (RF) system.
Prior coaxial cables typically have a coaxial configuration with a circular outer conductor evenly spaced away from a circular inner conductor by a dielectric support such as polyethylene foam or the like. The electrical properties of the dielectric support and spacing between the inner and outer conductor define a characteristic impedance of the coaxial cable. Circumferential uniformity of the spacing between the inner and outer conductor prevents introduction of impedance discontinuities into the coaxial cable that would otherwise degrade electrical performance.
A stripline is a flat conductor sandwiched between parallel interconnected ground planes. Striplines have the advantage of being non-dispersive and may be utilized for transmitting high frequency RF signals. Striplines may be cost effectively generated using printed circuit board technology or the like. However, striplines may be expensive to manufacture in longer lengths/larger dimensions. Further, where a solid stacked printed circuit board type stripline structure is not utilized, the conductor sandwich is generally not self supporting and/or aligning, compared to a coaxial cable, and as such may require significant additional support/reinforcing structure.
Competition within the RF cable industry has focused attention upon reducing materials and manufacturing costs, electrical characteristic uniformity, defect reduction and overall improved manufacturing quality control.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a coaxial cable and method of manufacture that overcomes deficiencies in such prior art.

Capacitivly coupled flat conductor connector


A torque measurement system that includes a rotor device and a stator device can perform automatic tuning to improve the initial tuning performed during design and assembly. The stator device can include a variable capacitive element and a micro-controller configured to adjust a capacitance value of the variable capacitive element. Additionally or alternatively, the rotor device can include a variable capacitive element and a micro-controller configured to adjust a capacitance value of the variable capacitive element. The adjustment of the capacitive elements can be based on the quality of signal detected at either the rotor device or stator device.

A torque measurement system typically includes a rotor device (rotor) and a stator device (stator). The rotor is generally configured to attach to a rotating system such as an engine turbine, gearbox, transmission, or other piece of rotating equipment. The rotor includes strain gages for sensing torque, rotor electronics (RTE) for performing signal processing operations, and an antenna for inductively receiving power from the stator and for communicating with the stator. The stator is typically stationary and external to the rotating system and includes a coupling module in close proximity to the antenna of the rotor for receiving a signal from the RTE. The coupling module is often times in the shape of a caliper and referred to as a caliper coupling module (CCM). The CCM transfers the signal received from the rotor to stator electronics (STE) that perform signal processing to extract the torque measurements in the signal. The stator may, for example, work in conjunction with a personal computer to process and present the data collected by the RTE. The stator can also transmit instructions to the RTE, provide power to the RTE through inductive coupling, and receive status information transmitted by the RTE.
The rotor and stator each include an inductive antenna for bi-directional communication. Initially, the antennas are manually tuned at the factory where the torque measurement system is assembled. This tuning ensures that the rotor receives an adequate signal from the stator, and vice versa. This initial tuning generally matches the resonant frequency of the RTE and the STE close to the telemetry frequency through the selection of electronic components, such as capacitors. Manufacturing variations in electronic components, ageing of electronic components, as wells as variations in operating conditions, and other variable factors, however, can cause the tuning of the antennas determined during the initial tuning to no longer be accurate once a system is assembled and installed at a customer location. After assembly, however, the rotor antenna and stator antenna are typically not easily tunable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Wireless telemetry auto for torque measurement system


A process for the preparation of 2,2,5,5-tetramethyltetrahydrofuran (TMTHF) includes contacting a TMTHF precursor with a solid catalyst, where the TMTHF precursor is 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol and/or 2,5-dimethyl-4-hexen-2-ol, and where the solid catalyst is a beta zeolite. TMTHF produced by the process may be used as a solvent.

Pressure is mounting in the EU to move away from many of the most popular solvents currently in use. Some are facing bans due to their toxicity, such as NMP, dichloromethane and toluene. Additionally, owing to recent international agreements to fight climate change, chemical companies are required to reduce CO2 emissions for which solvents are a major contributor. This is due to the volumes in which they are used (up to 50% of the total mass of chemicals in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients), on top of the fact that they are sourced from petroleum and incinerated at the end of their lifetimes. In this way, carbon which has been stored in the earth's crust for millions of years as oil is converted to CO2 and released to the atmosphere.
As biomass consumes CO2 to grow, the use of solvents which have been sourced from biomass leads to no net increase in the levels of atmospheric CO2, establishing a closed carbon cycle. In recent years, many bio-based solvents with diverse chemical, physical and solubility properties have been developed such as bio-ethanol, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF), dihydrolevoglucosenone (Cyrene®), para-cymene and some ionic liquids. However, bio-based low polarity, low boiling solvents which can potentially replace traditional hydrocarbon solvents such as toluene and hexane, are under-represented (see Sherwood et al. in Green Chem. 2016, 18, p 3990). While 2-MeTHF is a viable option for some applications, it is an ether, and like most commonly used ethers, forms explosive peroxides due to the presence of an easily extractable proton in the alpha-position to the ethereal oxygen. Hexamethyldisiloxane is another option, however its synthesis from biomass is not easy and upon combustion forms large quantities of ash.
This invention relates to the production of a non-peroxide-forming, low-boiling, low-polarity solvent that can potentially replace traditional hydrocarbon solvents such as toluene and hexane, and that can be produced from biomass (or in other words: is bio-based): 2,2,5,5-tetramethyltetrahydrofuran (TMTHF). TMTHF has a low boiling point of ˜111° C. and low ETN value of 0.111, both comparable to toluene. Although TMTHF is an ether by definition as it contains an R—O—R′ group (where R and R′ are alkyl groups), it does not possess the peroxide-forming potential of other ethers such as THF or 2-MeTHF. This is due to the absence of a proton in the α-position relative to the ethereal oxygen. The α-proton in traditional ethers is readily removed by low energy light, forming radicals. Oxygen from the air can react with the radicals to form explosive peroxides. The rate of peroxide forming potential in ethers increases with increasing radical stability: primary α-carbon<<secondary α-carbon<tertiary α-carbon. As TMTHF does not contain any α-protons due to it containing two quaternary ethereal carbons, the potential to form peroxides is removed. The combination of these very favourable properties make TMTHF a rare low-boiling, low-polarity molecule which does not possess peroxide-forming potential and can be easily produced from biomass.
Methods of producing TMTHF from a precursor molecule comprising contacting the precursor with a catalyst have been reported in literature. Especially catalytic methods with 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol as a precursor have been described.
Denney et al. in J. Org. Chem. 1984, 49, p 2831 disclose a process for the preparation of TMTHF comprising contacting 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol with pentaethoxyphosphorane as a catalyst in DCM as a solvent.
Vlad & Ungur in Synthesis 1983, 1983, p 216 disclose a process for the preparation of TMTHF comprising contacting 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol with chlorotrimethylsilane as a catalyst in benzene as a solvent.
Gillis & Beck in J. Org. Chem. 1963, 28, p 1388 disclose a process for the preparation of TMTHF comprising contacting 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol with DMSO as both a solvent and catalyst.
Yamaguchi et al. in Catal. Today 2012, 185, p 302 disclose a process for the preparation of TMTHF comprising contacting 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol with hot liquid water in high pressure carbon dioxide as both catalyst and solvent.
Kotkar et al. in J. Chem. Soc. [Perkin 1] 1988, p 1749 disclose a process for the preparation of TMTHF comprising contacting 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol with aluminium-doped montmorillonite clay as a catalyst. A solvent was not used. However, the yield of the process was only 65%. As a matter of fact, in all aforementioned processes, TMTHF yields did not exceed 78%. A higher yield was achieved in solvent free processes.
DE700036C discloses a process for the preparation of TMTHF comprising contacting 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol with potassium pyrosulphate in absence of a solvent. The yield was 94.6%.
Olah et al. in Synthesis 1981, p 474 have used Nafion-H™ as a catalyst in the synthesis of TMTHF from 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol as a precursor. The advantage of a solid catalyst such as Nafion-H is that it can easily be separated from the reaction mixture. The synthesis had a yield of 94%. This leaves 6% for unreacted diol and side-products such as 2,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene and 2,5-dimethyl-4-hexen-2-ol (see below).

The side-products are difficult to separate from TMTHF. It is an objective of the invention to decrease the amount of side-products. It is another objective of the invention to increase the yield of TMTHF above 95%.
Nafion-H™ is a PTFE polymer which has been treated with sulfuric acid. It is very expensive to produce due to the high number of steps and energy required in its production. Furthermore, solid acid catalysts such as Nafion-H™ can become inactive over time. Some solid acid catalysts can be reactivated by calcination to remove organic material from the pores. This process cannot be done to Nafion-H™ due to its relatively low thermal stability, significantly lowering its reusability. Therefore, especially when large quantities of TMTHF need to be produced, the use of Nafion-H™ as a catalyst is disadvantageous. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a process for the preparation of TMTHF which utilizes a catalyst that is cheaper and/or easier to reactivate than Nafion-H™.


A device for electrically contacting a first electronic unit with a second electronic unit includes a guiding unit, at least one first contact unit that is guided in the guiding unit, and a second contact unit. The contact units each include at least one contact element, which cooperates with the other as contact partners. The at least one contact element of the first contact unit is embodied as a hollow contact element. The at least one contact element of the second contact unit is embodied as a shaped contact part that comprises an elevated region that tapers in the direction along a vertical axis. The electrical contact of the at least one hollow contact element with the at least one shaped contact part is provided in the form of a plug connection inside the hollow contact element of the first contact unit.

The disclosure resides in a device for electrically contacting a first electronic unit with a second electronic unit.
Devices for electrically contacting electronic components are known in the prior art in different embodiments. In order that the electrical contact between the electronic components is produced in a reliable and secure manner, contact partners are conventionally used in single point pressure contact systems, the contact elements of which comprise planar contact surfaces. However, as the contact surfaces of the two contact partners contact, there is the risk of one contact element migrating sideways from the original contact point as a result of transverse forces since there is no external or internal guide of the contact elements. In the case of large tolerances, there is also the risk that the electrical contact cannot be produced in a reliable manner, as a consequence of which conventionally the fixed contact surface of the two contact partners is over-dimensioned and consequently the material costs are higher and the installation space larger. In addition, impurities adhering to the contact surfaces of the two contact partners prevent a reliable energy transmission and signal transmission.
A sensor component assembly of a brake device is known from DE 199 17 941 A1, by means of which the electrical contact between a first electronic unit, which is embodied as a pressure sensor, with a second electronic unit, which is embodied as an electronic control unit, is produced by way of a device for providing contact. In the case of the brake device described in order to simplify the assembly, an electronic control unit is accommodated in a housing that covers at least one pressure sensor and the electrical connection between the electronic control unit and the pressure sensor is produced during assembly by way of a first contact unit having four contact elements that are embodied as resilient contact pins and a second contact unit having four contact elements that are embodied as contact surfaces. The housing of the electronic control unit is fastened in this case to a hydraulic block of the brake device, in which brake device the at least one pressure sensor is arranged so that the resilient contact pins of the first contact unit are supported at one end with a defined contact pressure between the mutually opposite contact surfaces of the second contact unit. In this case, the resilient contact pins of the first contact unit are guided in guide units that are located in an insulating part, wherein the resilient contact pins comprise in each case a contact sleeve having a contact spring lying therein and at least one contact plunger that is axially displaceable in the contact sleeve and is influenced in the direction in which it is displaced out of the contact sleeve by the contact spring that is embodied as a compression spring. An axial support is provided between the contact sleeve and the contact plunger, by means of which support the contact plunger is retained in its contact sleeve. The resilient contact pin comprising contact sleeve, contact plungers and contact spring already forms in the non-installed state a stable, pre-assembled and consequently easy-to-handle component assembly. However, it is necessary for the components of the resilient contact pin to be produced in an extremely dimensionally stable manner in order to be able to ensure a permanent electrical contact that is not encumbered with problems. This particularly applies if the component assembly is embodied overall in a delicate manner. As a consequence, it is expensive overall using this technology to produce the pre-assembled component assembly comprising contact sleeve, contact spring and contact plungers and even the individual resilient contact pin comprising precision components is relatively expensive.
DE 10 2008 040 173 A1 likewise discloses a sensor component assembly of a brake device having a device for electrically contacting a first electronic unit with a second electronic unit. The device comprises a guiding unit, at least one first contact unit that is guided in the guiding unit and a second contact unit, wherein the contact units for providing the electrical contact comprise in each case at least one contact element, which contact elements cooperate as contact partners.

Device for electrically contacting electronic units


A method and system for automatically rotating image files and preventing duplicate uploads in a remote file storage system is described. The system receives an image file. The system calculates a hash value associated with newly uploaded files. The system then automatically rotates the images based on orientation data associated with the files (if included). The system then compares the hash value(s) associated with the new file(s) with the hash values from the existing files stored on the remote file storage system. If the hash values of any of the new files to be uploaded match a hash value on the hash value list, then the system prevents the new files from being uploaded to the remote file storage system.

Today, a large percentage of electronic content management, storage, and related services are remote, or "cloud" based. That is, many services allow a user to upload, store, and share content through remote servers. The trend is to centralize files (e.g., photos) and allow a user to access these centrally stored files through multiple devices and/or locations, utilizing a single account. This is especially useful for two reasons. First, mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablets, laptops and cameras, have limited storage space. Second, users may desire to access all of their files from any device they own. However, because it is impractical to store copies of every file on each device, central storage systems help to minimize problems associated with limited storage space and device agnostic access to files. Moreover, in order to make centralized storage more efficient for the user, some services may include cross-platform synchronization and/or sharing functionality. These services allow a user to setup their device to allow for the automatic upload of digital content to the central storage system. However, when the user has multiple devices that are configured to allow for automatic upload of content, the system runs the risk of uploading the same file twice, which may result in a misallocation of storage space and cause unnecessary clutter on the system.
Additionally, when image files are uploaded, the central storage system does not properly orient the image based on information associated with the image file. Thus, when a user views an image file in a viewing application or in an application that is configured to modify the image, the image is typically rotated to match the orientation that the capture device was in when the image was captured. Thus, it would be advantageous to automatically rotate uploaded images so they are properly displayed in various applications used to view and/or edit the image (i.e., if a photo is taken with the camera held vertically, the system may automatically rotate the image file so the image is displayed in the proper orientation).
Various embodiments of the present systems and methods recognize and address one or more the foregoing limitations of prior art systems and methods.

System and method for preventing duplicate uploads of modified photos in a synchronized content management system


This disclosure relates generally to energy management and more particularly to energy management systems and methods. In one embodiment, a method of communicating data within an energy management system is disclosed. The method includes performing energy management analytics on data collected from a plurality of devices in the energy management system. The method further includes transmitting a plurality of dynamically configurable data frames. Each dynamically configurable data frame comprising at least a portion of data collected from the plurality of devices and a result of the energy management analytics and being encrypted in a format that avoids transmission of a plurality of repetitive data parameters. The method includes decrypting the plurality of dynamically configurable data frames received to perform advanced analytics on the data and the result.

In an energy management system, one of the most critical aspects is collection of data from devices installed at different sites within an organization and thereafter transmitting that data to a central server for performing analytics for energy savings.
In conventional energy management systems, electronic meters are primarily designed for reading recorded data via an optical port. These electronic meters may also include ports for connectors other than the optical port to enable wireless collection of data by Automated Meter Reading (AMR) systems. However, owing to the size of the data, significant amount of bandwidth is consumed for transmitting this data to a central server or processor, thereby making the AMR systems less economically viable because of the cost associated with wireless transfer of data.


A dental floss dispenser with floss reminder adapted to hold spools containing threads of the dental floss. Four embodiments of the dispenser are disclosed. Three of the embodiments are mountable on a bathroom wall. Each has a toothbrush rack with projecting pairs of rectangular toothbrush supporting members. In two of the wall mountable embodiments, one of each pair of the toothbrush supporting members houses a semiconductor chip product that has a switch which is activated when a toothbrush is inserted or extracted. The semiconductor chip product emits an auditory sound when activated to remind the user to floss. One embodiment emits a light signal. A caddy holds a conventional floss dispenser. In the third wall mountable embodiment, an electrical circuitry including a signal generator is used instead of the semiconductor chip product. A fourth embodiment is structured as a cup with a cover. A toothbrush inserted through an opening in the cap rests on a disk below which is a semiconductor chip product with a switch. The weight of the disk compresses the switch to activate the semiconductor chip product which emits an auditory signal.

1. Need for the Invention
Daily and consistent use of dental floss is known to remove bacterial plaque in proximity to the gums and between the teeth. Dental health care workers, including dentists and oral hygienists, recommend a daily regime of flossing. To induce the habit, it is known to place the floss in a convenient location for easy access and to remind a person in the location to use the dental floss. Generally, by tradition and convenience, such location is a bathroom. But most dental floss containers sold in pharmacies and the like are packaged so as not to encourage a person to place the floss container in the location at a place where the person will be reminded to use the floss. In fact, most floss containers are hidden away in a medicine cabinet or the like.
2. Prior Art
A number of inventions have been proposed to meet the objectives of easy access to dental floss containers and reminding users to use the containers. One example of a dental floss dispenser meeting these objectives can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,455,673, issued to Shalek on May 15, 1923. Shalek's device is a dental floss dispenser that has a container which is adapted to hold a spool of dental floss. The container has a cover that may be pivotally opened to present a strand of dental floss which may be guided from the container outside of the container and which may be clipped to break the thread of floss for use by the user. The container has a bracket for securing it to a wall, preferably a bathroom wall adjacent a wash bowl.
Another example can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,661 issued to Israel et al. on May 21, 1991. Israel et al. discloses a dental floss container holder and floss dispenser that has a housing with a front and back portion. A contoured resilient material that is made of closed or opened cell foam or neoprene is affixed to the interior of the housing. The resilient material will retain variously shaped dental floss containers and spools. A cutter is position on the exterior of the housing, which is wall mountable.
While the two foregoing examples meet the objective of having the dental floss container convenient to remind a person to use the dental floss, they are not always successful. This is particularly true in that flossing usually is done in early morning when a person may not be fully awake so as to be sensitive to such hygienic demands or in the evening when a person is so tired as to forget the least pressing preparation before retiring to bed. Israel et al. manages to disclose a possible device that would provide a better reminder to the person. As an aside, Israel et al. suggests that "a timing device or alarm device to serve as a reminder to floss daily," may be used with their invention. But Israel et al. failed to tell just how such a device would be used and so do not provide a disclosure that one of ordinary skill in the art would be prepared to incorporate into such a dispenser without his or her own invention of the device.


An airbag device for side collisions is arranged in a back portion of a seat. The airbag device is equipped with an airbag which is mounted and fixed on its rear edge side on a seat frame. The airbag includes a lower chamber for an upstream portion of an inflating gas, and an upper chamber arranged over the lower chamber. The airbag is folded by folding the upper chamber side inwards to the lower chamber or towards the outside of a vehicle, and by bringing the front edge side toward the rear edge side. Moreover, the airbag is folded backwards or forwards at its upper side portion. The airbag in this state is mounted and fixed on the seat frame so that it is arranged in the back portion of the seat. Even if the arranged position or the like of the airbag with respect to the back portion of the seat is changed, according to the side collision airbag device of the invention, the extended area of the airbag before the completion of inflation can be easily arranged in position, not by changing the airbag but by folding the upper side of the airbag backwards or forwards.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag device for side collisions arranged in a seat of a vehicle. This side collision airbag device arranges an inflated airbag, when activated, between the interior wall and the passenger.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the side collision airbag device of the prior art, as disclosed in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 9-315245, the airbag is folded and arranged on an upper side in the back portion of a seat.
This airbag takes, when inflated, a substantially rectangular shape. This airbag is mounted and fixed at a plurality of vertical portions on its rear edge side on a seat frame. Further, the airbag includes a lower chamber and an upper chamber. The lower chamber provides an upstream side portion for an inflating gas. The upper chamber is arranged over the lower chamber.
For assembling the airbag with the seat, moreover, the upper chamber side of the airbag is folded at first inward towards the lower chamber. Next, the airbag is folded in a rolling manner so as to bring the front edge sides of the upper and lower chambers toward the rear edge side. After this, the airbag is mounted and fixed on the seat frame and arranged in the back portion of the seat.
An inflator for inflating the airbag is arranged in the lower chamber of the airbag on the side of the rear edge.
In the side collision airbag device of the prior art, however, the process for folding the airbag is limited to only folding the upper chamber inside towards the lower chamber, and then to folding the front edge side of the airbag on the side of the rear edge. At the acting time of the inflator, therefore, the airbag is extended and inflated in a predetermined pattern in accordance with the output of the inflator. In this pattern, the airbag is protruded forward while eliminating the fold, and the upper chamber is protruded upward from the lower chamber.
For a predetermined time period after the action of the inflator and before the completion of inflation, more specifically, the extended and inflated shape of the airbag is fixed. In other words, an area capable of restricting the passenger with the airbag is fixed for a predetermined time period before the completion of inflation after the action of the inflator.
When the arranged position of the airbag, the output of the inflator, the size and shape of the back portion of the seat are changed, therefore, it becomes necessary to change the shape of the airbag, because the extended area of the airbag capable of restricting the passenger before the end of inflation is arranged at a predetermined position.


Systems and methods for treating a medical condition such as worsening heart failure (WHF) are described. A medical system may sense one or more physiological signals, and generate from the sensed physiological signals a signal metric trend indicating a progression of heart failure. A detector may detect a physiological event leading to WHF. A therapy control circuit may generate a therapy titration protocol using the generated signal metric trend. The therapy titration protocol includes a temporal profile of therapy dosage relative to a target dosage. The therapy control circuit may adjust the target dosage based on patient response. Therapies may be administered by a clinician or automatically delivered to the patient according to the therapy titration protocol.

Congestive heart failure (CHF or HF) is a major health problem and affects many people in the United States alone. CHF patients may have enlarged heart with weakened cardiac muscles, resulting in poor cardiac output of blood. Although CHF is usually a chronic condition, it may occur suddenly. It may affect the left heart, right heart or both sides of the heart. If CHF affects the left ventricle, signals that control the left ventricular contraction are delayed, and the left and right ventricles do not contract simultaneously. Non-simultaneous contractions of the left and right ventricles may decrease the pumping efficiency of the heart.
In many CHF patients, elevated pulmonary vascular pressures may cause fluid accumulation in the lungs over time. The fluid accumulation may precede or coincide with worsening heart failure (WHF), such as a HF decompensation event. WHF may be characterized by pulmonary or peripheral edema, reduced cardiac output, and symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and the like.
CHF may be treated by medical therapy, or by an implantable medical device (IMD) that may provide electrostimulation therapy. An IMD can monitor patient health condition such as progression of CHF, and deliver electrostimulation to restore or improve cardiac performance, or to rectify cardiac arrhythmias. One example of electrostimulation therapy is resynchronization therapy (CRT), which involves electrostimulation of both left and right ventricles to promote synchronous pumping between both ventricles. Medical therapy for treating CHF may involve one or more medications, such as diuretics to reduce edema, Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or Angiotensin II receptor blockers to promote vasodilation and therefore improve blood flow and decrease heart workload, inotropes to improve heart pumping function and maintain blood pressure, or digoxin to increase the strength of myocardial contraction and to slow the heartbeat, among other medications. Device therapy and medical therapy may be titrated to reduce morbidity and mortality in CHF.

Systems and methods for therapy titration in heart failure


Systems and methods for transformer cooling by vertical airflow are described. One embodiment of an air transfer unit includes an assembly frame that includes an interior portion and defines a lateral side, an upper side, and a lower side, where the assembly frame includes a length that is substantially the same as a width of a plurality of cooling fins on a transformer. Some embodiments include a plurality of air directing apparatuses that are positioned in the interior portion and are aligned along the length of the assembly frame, where the plurality of air directing apparatuses receive airflow from the lateral side and direct the airflow vertically through the upper side to further cool the plurality of cooling fins. Similarly, some embodiments include an exhaust screen that is coupled to the upper side, wherein the exhaust screen further consolidates the airflow vertically toward the plurality of cooling fins.

Transformers may be utilized to convert voltage from one form of another. As a result, transformers typically generate excess heat that needs to be routed away from the transformer. While many transformers are often placed outdoors, thus reducing the space constraints for the machinery required to effectively remove heat; indoor transformers are becoming relevant where space constraints are more significant. With indoor transformers, not only is cooling an issue, but indoor transformers are typically subject to space restrictions. The room that indoor transforms reside is often limited specially. As a result, cooling must also be space economical.
Traditional liquid-filled transformers often utilize large radiator banks that cool the internal liquid of the transformer via natural convection of ambient air over the radiators. Traditional radiator banks are typically oriented perpendicular to an exterior surface of the transformer, and include finned surfaces oriented parallel to the transformer external surfaces. These radiator banks are usually spaced a few inches apart and span the entire surface of the transformer. As the radiator banks typically extend outward from the surface, the radiator banks extend the footprint of the transformer. As a consequence, the radiator banks often increase the space taken by the transformer. Additionally, the radiator banks often do not provide the desired cooling. Thus, a need exists in the industry.

Power Distribution Systems Development LLC


A virtual hierarchical layer (VHL) is constructed for a semiconductor design in order to reduce the computational requirement of design rules checking (DRC) and design rules for manufacture (DRM) procedures. In order to form the VHL, a negative plane is created. A cell and multiple instances of the cell are then identified in the semiconductor design and polygons which overlap the cell and its instances are determined. The polygons are pushed into the negative plane to create holes in the plane. Shapes overlapping other instances of the cell which fall onto holes in the solid virtual cell plane are ignored. The resulting holed solid virtual cell plane can then be inverted to create a VHL to be used for design simulation and verification.

The design process for complex modern integrated circuits (ICs) involves many different steps to help manage the complexity and produce an IC that functions as intended. ICs can contain many millions, or even billons of transistors and other electronic structures such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, and interconnecting conductors; therefore, managing the complexity of the ICs is crucial to creating electronic designs that operate as planned. One of the steps in the design process of an IC is the physical verification process, which is typically highly automated. The physical verification process for an integrated circuit (IC) is a design step taken by semiconductor manufacturers before commencing the fabrication of an IC. In order to be able to check a design, semiconductor foundries first define a set of design rules for manufacturing (DRM) for IC designers, which, when followed, ensure successful manufacture and high yield of a design during the fabrication process. The DRM provide a benchmark against which the design can be tested. The DRM are defined as a set of geometric relationships between manufacturing layers, layers which in turn are used to create an IC. A physical design layout can include hundreds of layers used during the fabrication process to create transistors and electrical interconnect in the IC. The semiconductor process has grown in complexity and a physical design layout has to adhere to thousands of design rules before a design can be successfully fabricated. Use of a design rule checking (DRC) physical verification tool is an industry standard process for implementing the semiconductor's DRM.
The DRM can define many different parameters—such as width, spacing, angle, enclosure, density and electrical connectivity rules for design layers—which in turn are translated into a DRC runset. A DRC runset is defined as set of DRC operations that verify the required DRM rules. A DRC tool provides a set of operations, or commands, from which a designer selects and combines to form sequence of DRC commands to satisfy each DRM rule. The complexity of modern DRM rules means that a DRC runset with 20,000 or more DRC commands is often required to verify technology nodes smaller than 28 nanometers (nm). Modern DRC physical verification tools have a large suite of geometric and electrical commands to effectively implement the complex DRM rules. Many of these geometric and electrical commands result in the implementation of a unique algorithm that is not shared between individual commands, thus resulting in a very complex DRC tool with many algorithms selected.
Large ICs are typically built using a hierarchical method that begins with the creation of small child cells which are in turn combined into larger parent cells, which are then successively used to build larger and larger cells to create an IC hierarchical design. The hierarchal nature of the design allows physical verification tools to selectively access portions of the design in an efficient manner, a necessity in processing cutting-edge, extremely large designs. Various forms of flattening processes present an alternative to hierarchical processing, but the flattening processes can result in very large increases in processing time and are often not feasible for design verification.

Negative plane usage with a virtual hierarchical layer


A method for preparing thin supported films by vacuum is disclosed. The method results in a substrate with windows. The windows are cutout (etched) areas that are covered by a thin film. The method for creating the substrate with thin film covering requires: masking off one surface of the metal substrate with a maskant; placing the metal substrate under a vacuum; treating the unmasked surface by plasma etching; coating the treated surface with a film while still under vacuum; removing substrate from vacuum; remove the masking; treating the previously masked side with photo resist; exposing the side treated with photo resist to artwork of a desired pattern; exposing the substrate to a suitable solution; chemically etching in areas selectively exposed by the artwork; neutralizing the substrate; and removing the etched parts from the substrate.

(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
The present invention relates generally to milling metal and other suitable substrates and more particularly to a method of preparing thin supported films by vacuum deposition and chemical milling.
Chemically milling substrates is known in the art. For example, patterns can be chemically etched in metal substrates leaving holes in the shape of the pattern in the substrate. Many applications, such as laser beams, semi-conductors and integrated circuits require that the holes in the substrate be covered with a thin film. Prior art systems use a two-step process to accomplish this. First, the substrate is etched, resulting in a substrate with one or more holes in the substrate. Second, a thin film is attached to one side of the substrate so that the thin film covers the holes. This process is problematic in that the thin film initially must be supported in some manner and then attached to the substrate. This process is prone to errors, such as damaging the film during the transferring and adhering process.
Therefore, a need exists for a system of producing an etched substrate with a thin film covering without having to transfer the thin film to the etched substrate.
The present invention is directed to a method for preparing thin supported films by vacuum deposition. The method results in a substrate with a window or windows. The windows are cutout (etched) areas which are covered by a thin film. The method for creating the substrate with thin film covered areas requires: masking off one surface of the substrate with a maskant; placing the substrate under a vacuum; treating the unmasked surface by plasma etching to clean and enhance adhesion; coating the treated surface with a film while still under vacuum; removing the substrate from vacuum; removing masking; treating the previously masked side with photo resist; exposing the side treated with photo resist to artwork of a desired pattern; then exposing the substrate to a suitable solution; chemically etching in areas selectively exposed by the artwork and then neutralizing the substrate.
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the substrate is a meta. The metal may be stainless steel, brass, silicon or other materials.
In accordance with still other aspects of the invention, the maskant can be tape, liquid film, wax, or other types of resists.
In accordance with yet other aspects of the invention the film is produced by vapor deposition or plasma arc deposition. Preferably, the film is parylene, or one of the many types of clear plastic films produced by low-pressure chemical or vapor deposition.

Method of preparing thin supported films by vacuum deposition


The present disclosure discloses a device and a method for fabricating a superconducting circuit including a superconducting qubit. The superconducting circuit comprises a bottom electrode interconnecting a superconducting qubit and a first part of the superconducting circuit. The bottom electrode comprises a bottom electrode of the superconducting qubit and a bottom electrode of the first part of the superconducting circuit. The bottom electrode of the superconducting qubit and the bottom electrode of the first part of the superconducting circuit are formed in a first superconducting layer.

Improving hardware quality of a superconducting qubit is the key to improve a superconducting circuit and implement reliable superconducting quantum computation. When fabricating a superconducting quantum processor, because the dimension of a superconducting qubit is much smaller than other parts of the superconducting circuit, an e-beam lithography process may be used to fabricate the superconducting qubit in a separate step from fabricating other parts of the superconducting circuit using a conventional optical lithography. Accordingly, in a method of fabricating superconducting circuit including the superconducting qubit, there is an interconnection problem between the superconducting qubit and other parts of the superconducting circuit.

Superconducting circuit including superconducting qubits


Disclosed herein is a fluid infusion device of the type that delivers medication fluid to the body of a patient. The device includes or cooperates with a fluid reservoir, and the device has a sealing assembly to receive and form a fluid seal with the fluid reservoir. A retractable sealing element surrounding a hollow fluid delivery needle may be used to seal a port of the fluid reservoir. The port may include a pressure vent that is sealed by the retractable sealing element. In one variation, the reservoir includes a moving valve sleeve that holds a septum. The septum moves to allow the reservoir to vent, and to form a seal with the port when the needle pierces the septum. In another variation, the device includes a needleless sealing assembly. In yet other variations, the device uses a needled fluid reservoir.

Certain diseases or conditions may be treated, according to modern medical techniques, by delivering a medication or other substance to the body of a patient, either in a continuous manner or at particular times or time intervals within an overall time period. For example, diabetes is commonly treated by delivering defined amounts of insulin to the patient at appropriate times. Some common modes of providing insulin therapy to a patient include delivery of insulin through manually operated syringes and insulin pens. Other modern systems employ programmable fluid infusion devices (e.g., insulin pumps) to deliver controlled amounts of insulin to a patient.
A fluid infusion device suitable for use as an insulin pump may be realized as an external device or an implantable device, which is surgically implanted into the body of the patient. External fluid infusion devices include devices designed for use in a generally stationary location (for example, in a hospital or clinic), and devices configured for ambulatory or portable use (to be carried by a patient). External fluid infusion devices may establish a fluid flow path from a fluid reservoir to the patient via, for example, a suitable hollow tubing. The hollow tubing may be connected to a hollow fluid delivery needle that is designed to pierce the patient's skin to deliver an infusion medium to the body. Alternatively, the hollow tubing may be connected directly to the patient's body through a cannula or set of micro-needles.
The fluid reservoir of an external fluid infusion device may be realized as a single-use prefilled disposable unit, a patient-filled unit, a refillable unit, or the like. The fluid reservoir for a typical fluid infusion device is implemented as a removable and replaceable component. To this end, the fluid infusion device includes structure, features, and/or elements that are designed to establish the fluid flow path with the fluid reservoir. For example, a fluid seal between the fluid reservoir and a hollow fluid delivery needle may be established when the fluid reservoir is properly installed in the fluid infusion device. When the fluid reservoir is removed (for purposes of replacement, to allow certain activities such as swimming or bathing, or the like), the fluid delivery needle should be protected against contamination.
Accordingly, it is desirable to implement a sealing element that creates a seal between a removable fluid reservoir and a delivery needle of a fluid infusion device. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Retractable sealing assembly for a fluid reservoir of a fluid infusion device


A method for efficiently reducing the energy required to convert natural gas from a natural gas pressure letdown facility at high pressure and pipeline/wellhead temperature to liquid natural gas in close proximity to/collocation with a natural gas pressure letdown/regulation facility using Non-Freezing Vortex Tubes (U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,231) in arrangement with indirect contact heat exchangers. The Non-Freezing Vortex Tubes separate the inlet natural gas into hot flow and cold flow outlet natural gas flows. One portion of the natural gas flow from the high-pressure transmission line/gas wellhead is directed through the Non-Freezing Vortex Tube and the cold outlet flow of the natural gas is directed to the indirect contact heat exchanger(s) to act as the cooling medium. The liquid natural gas plant's required natural gas flow is directed at the existing pipeline/wellhead gas pressure through the heat exchanger and cooled. The already cooled natural gas flow is directed to a turbo expander and refrigeration cold box system where it is further chilled and converted into liquid natural gas at −162° C.

The present invention addresses liquid natural gas (LNG) production in the proximity of or collocated with a gas pressure letdown facility (i.e., City Gate, wellhead, etc.) and claims the method of using the Non-Freezing Vortex Tube (U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,231, Tunkel, L.) to substantially reduce the energy consumption of the process by reducing the temperature of natural gas being fed to a liquid natural gas plant.
Natural gas conversion into LNG takes place at gas temperature of −260° F. (−162° C.) and pressure of approximately 4 prig (0.28 Bar). The conventional process (shown in FIG. 1) of liquefaction includes raw material feed gas (pipeline, wellhead, or other high pressure gas, typically, at 40° F.-60° F.) (001) drying to a low dew point (stripping all natural gas liquids/hydrates) (002), followed by deep chilling, generally using a turbo expander and a cold box/cryogenic refrigeration unit(s) (003) where the liquefaction temperature is reached. This process, is energy intensive and the equipment is expensive from both a capital expense and operating expense perspective, with a significant environmental footprint as a result of the energy consumption.
The large energy consumption associated with LNG production can be substantially reduced by placing an LNG plant in close proximity to a pressure letdown facility and utilizing the available cooling load (Joule-Thomson temperature drop of the pressure regulated main pipeline gas flow/wellhead gas) to precool high pressure LNG feed gas upstream of the conventional liquefaction process. Conventionally, the practical application of this cooling load is complicated by the possibility of depressurized gas freeze up. This is addressed by applying the Non-Freezing Vortex Tube (U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,231, Tunkel, L.) as a primary pressure regulator of a portion of the high-pressure main transmission gas flow on the pipeline (without interrupting any of the LNG plant's raw material feed gas flow rate/volume and pressure). The Non-Freezing Vortex Tube set up in parallel with a pressure reducing line of a letdown facility operates under the available pressure differential of the non-regulated and regulated gas pressures. This is the driving force of the Non-Freezing Vortex Tube. The Non-Freezing Vortex Tube configured as dual stream (hot and cold outlet unit) chills LNG feed in an indirect contact heat exchanger (shell and tube style) by the vortex tube cold outlet flow with the temperature reduced by the combined Joule-Thomson and Vortex phenomenon. After the heat exchanger, the Vortex Tube low pressure hot and cold outlet streams are recombined and injected back into the gas pipeline network downstream of the pressure letdown facility, circumventing the traditional preheat/reduction process.
The present invention improves the efficiency of the LNG manufacturing process, applying a chilling (precooling) effect to the LNG feed gas with a completely free cooling load in the form of cooling energy generated in the Non-Freeze Vortex Tube's cold outlet flow during the course of routine pressure regulation of pipeline or wellhead gas using the available pressure letdown facility's high pressure input and low pressure output. This cold energy provided by the cold outlet of the Non-Freezing Vortex Tube is used to reduce the inlet temperature of the natural gas prior to the deep chilling/liquefaction of the feed gas in a turbo-expander and cold box. Specifically, the Non-Freeze Vortex Tube is fed by high pressure natural gas at pipeline/wellhead gas temperature. In the Non-Freezing Vortex Tube, the gas is separated into hot and cold segments at the vortex tube outlets without the use of any external energy source. See. U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,231. The cold outlet flow of the Non-Freezing Vortex Tube is sent to an indirect contact heat exchanger where it operates to cool the separate and distinct flow of high-pressure natural gas from the transmission line or wellhead that feeds into a turbo expander and subsequently the cold box. The result is a lower gas inlet temperature at the inlet of the LNG plant, achieved without the use of any external energy source, which results in less energy use in the liquefaction/refrigeration process to reduce the natural gas temperature to −162° C. where the gas becomes liquid natural gas (LNG).

Method for reducing the energy necessary for cooling natural gas into liquid natural gas using a non-freezing vortex tube as a precooling device


An air circulating system for a person operating an engine powered piece of agricultural equipment is provided and consists of a fan rotatably carried within a housing having an air inlet port and an air outlet port. The housing is mounted onto the piece of agricultural equipment adjacent the engine so that the engine can rotate the fan. An elongated duct is connected to the outlet port of the housing for directing air driven by the fan towards the person while operating the agricultural equipment to afford a degree of comfort during hot days.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to air ventilation devices and more specifically it relates to an air cooling system for a person operating an engine powered piece of argicultural equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous air ventilation devices have been provided in prior art that are adapted to cool people operating tractor engines of agricultural vehicles and the interior of aircraft. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,817,281 to Schwan et al; 4,160,487 to Kinze et al and 4,632,019 to Whiteman all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

Air circulating system for a person operating an engine powered piece of agricultural equipment


A fin field-effect transistor (finFET) device having reduced capacitance, access resistance, and contact resistance is formed. A buried oxide, a fin, a gate, and first spacers are provided. The fin is doped to form extension junctions extending under the gate. Second spacers are formed on top of the extension junctions. Each second spacer is adjacent to one of the first spacers to either side of the gate. The extension junctions and the buried oxide not protected by the gate, the first spacers, and the second spacers are etched back to create voids. The voids are filled with a semiconductor material such that a top surface of the semiconductor material extending below top surfaces of the extension junctions, to form recessed source-drain regions. A silicide layer is formed on the recessed source-drain regions, the extension junctions, and the gate not protected by the first spacers and the second spacers.

Transistors are semiconductor devices that are commonly found in a wide variety of integrated circuits. A transistor is basically a switch. When a voltage is applied to a gate of the transistor that is greater than a threshold voltage, the switch is turned on, and current flows through the transistor. When the voltage at the gate is less than the threshold voltage, the switch is off, and current does not flow through the transistor.
One type of transistor is a multiple-gate field-effect transistor (MuGFET), which is a FET that has more than one gate in a single transistor device. Furthermore, one type of MuGFET is a finFET. A finFET is a nonplanar, multiple-gate transistor formed on a substrate. By comparison, a non-finFET is a transistor that is formed within a substrate. A distinguishing characteristic of a finFET is that a conducting channel is wrapped around a thin fin that forms the body of the device.

FinFET device having reduce capacitance, access resistance, and contact resistance

International Business Machines Corporation


An electrochemical sensor for fluid media with at least two electrodes, which are in contact with one another via an electrolyte and are accommodated in a housing. Many different sensor variants are attainable with a few, standardized components. The housing (1) includes a plurality of modules (4a, 4b; 4c-4m), which are placed next to one another, are designed as hollow bodies, and are connected to one another, wherein at least two lateral surfaces (9) of each module (4a-4m) are suitable for connection to additional modules (4a-4m), and at least two of the modules (4a, 4b; 4c-4m) accommodate one electrode (2, 3) each, and the hollow space (16) enclosed by the modules (4a, 4b; 4c-4m) is delimited from the environment by the two electrodes (2, 3), on the one hand, and by a partial area (17) each of the inner wall (5) of the modules (4a, 4b; 4c-4m), and is provided for accommodating the electrolyte (18).

Electrochemical sensors are used for various types of measuring tasks, such as leak detection, the monitoring of maximum allowable concentrations, and process monitoring, and a large number of gases and vapors, as well as various concentration ranges must be covered. In addition, the sensors are integrated in both portable and stationary devices. This means that a plurality of sensor lines with different geometries are needed, and a broad spectrum of individual sensors must be made available within one line for different species and different concentration ranges.
The components of such sensors are usually installed in a line-specific housing (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,648). This leads to high costs in design, manufacture, and storage. If a new sensor is to be made, e.g., with another electrode arrangement or another electrolyte volume, it is necessary to newly design a housing that is suitable for it.

Electrochemical sensor of modular design


Provided herein are glycosylated peptide amphiphiles (GPAs), supramolecular glyconanostructures assembled therefrom, and methods of use thereof. In particular, provided herein are glycosaminoglycan (GAG) mimetic peptide amphiphiles (PAs) and supramolecular GAG mimetic nanostructures assembled therefrom that mimic the biological activities of GAGs, such as heparin, heparan sulfate, hyaluronic acid etc.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heterogeneous polysaccharides ubiquitously found in mammalian tissues (ref. 1; incorporated by reference in its entirety). Heparan sulfate (HS) is a highly sulfated GAG with enormous structural diversity known to interact with a plethora of proteins to regulate many physiological processes (ref. 2; incorporated by reference in its entirety). In fact, more than 300 secreted or membrane bound proteins have been found to bind HS and their biological functions are associated with a broad range of phenomena including cell differentiation, morphogenesis and organogenesis during development, blood coagulation, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and response to injury, among many others. The proteins known to interact with HS include growth factors (GFs), chemokines, enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, extracellular matrix proteins, and membrane bound receptors. HS is known to potentiate key GFs responsible for cell proliferation and differentiation, including bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) which is important in bone formation (ref. 3; incorporated by reference in its entirety), as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) which mediate the formation of blood vessels (ref. 2; incorporated by reference in its entirety).
The use of HS as a therapy to potentiate bioactivity of proteins has been hindered by its limited availability and its enormous chemical heterogeneity. The chemical heterogeneity of HS is put into perspective by the fact that a simple disaccharide in its sequence could have up to 48 possible structures (ref. 4; incorporated by reference in its entirety), and this biopolymer has molecular weights in the range of 20-100 kDa (ref. 2; incorporated by reference in its entirety). A close analog of HS is the biopolymer heparin with a more homogeneous structure than HS and lower molecular weights. Heparin can be easily isolated and is also known to potentiate some of the HS binding GFs (refs. 1, 3, 5; incorporated by reference in its entirety). However, heparin is a well-known anticoagulant in clinical use and this has been an obstacle to its broader application as a bioactive therapy. Hence, there is an unmet need for a new type of heparin and HS variant for the applications in regenerative medicine.


Disclosed is a polar modulation transmission circuit wherein distortion components resulting from variations between individual amplifiers are compensated for with few man-hours, and deterioration in signal quality is effectively suppressed. A frequency converter (180) converts the frequency of an output signal of a high frequency power amplifier (170) and outputs a frequency domain signal, and a phase compensation unit (150) measures the power level, for each delay amount, at a low frequency band and high frequency band wherein the detuning frequency from the frequency domain signal is the same, calculates the “unlevel amount” (relative level difference) between the power level of the low frequency band and power level of the high frequency band for each delay amount, and determines the compensation characteristics on the basis of the relationship of the unlevel amount (relative level difference) to the delay amount. Then, the phase compensation unit (150) compensates for the phase signal by adding to the phase signal the phase compensation amount, in the determined compensation characteristics, that corresponds to the amplitude signal.

In design of the conventional transmission apparatus, generally there is a trade-off relationship between efficiency and linearity. However, in the transmitting apparatus, recently there is proposed a technology in which a balance between the high efficiency and the linearity can be established using polar modulation.
As to the conventional polar modulation transmission circuit, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a transmission circuit. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of conventional transmission circuit 10 disclosed in Patent Literature 1. In FIG. 1, conventional transmission circuit 10 includes amplitude/phase extraction section 11, phase modulation section 12, amplifier 13, output terminal 14, and amplitude control section 15.
Amplitude/phase extraction section 11 extracts an amplitude signal indicating an amplitude component (for example, √(I2+Q2)) and a phase signal indicating a phase component (for example, an angle formed by a modulation symbol and an I-axis) from input data. The amplitude signal is input to amplitude control section 15. Amplitude control section 15 supplies a voltage corresponding to the amplitude signal as a power supply voltage to amplifier 13. The phase signal is input to phase modulation section 12. Phase modulation section 12 performs phase modulation of a high-frequency signal based on the input phase signal, and outputs a phase modulation signal obtained by the phase modulation. The phase modulation signal is input to amplifier 13. Amplifier 13 amplifies the phase modulation signal according to the voltage supplied from amplitude control section 15. The signal amplified by amplifier 13 is output as a transmission signal from output terminal 14. An output level of the transmission signal can be controlled by changing an output voltage of amplitude control section 15 to be supplied to amplifier 13. A method in which the amplitude signal and the phase signal are separated from the input data to perform the modulation using the amplitude signal and the phase signal is called polar modulation or polar coordinate modulation. Transmission circuit 10 that performs the method is also called a polar modulation transmission circuit (or polar coordinate modulation transmission circuit).
In the polar modulation transmission circuit, there is known a distortion generated in amplifier 13. A relationship (AM-AM characteristic) between an output power and the power supply voltage corresponding to the amplitude signal is not linear in amplifier 13. Additionally, a relationship (AM-PM characteristic) between a phase deviation of input/output and the power supply voltage of amplifier 13 is not constant. Particularly, when the AM-PM characteristic changes, a shape of a spectrum of the output signal becomes asymmetry. As a result, radio performance such as an ACLR (Adjacent Channel Lockage Power Ratio) is degraded in a transmitter.
An influence of the AM-PM characteristic on the ACLR will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The AM-PM characteristic means a phase characteristic that changes according to power supply voltage Vcc of amplifier 13. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a relationship between power supply voltage Vcc of amplifier 13 and passage phase Ph, namely, the AM-PM characteristic of amplifier 13. In FIG. 2, characteristic 21 indicates the ideal AM-PM characteristic, and characteristic 22 indicates the actual AM-PM characteristic. While the ideal AM-PM characteristic is flat, passage phase Ph varies according to power supply voltage Vcc of amplifier 13 in the actual AM-PM characteristic.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a spectrum when amplifier 13 has the AM-PM characteristic illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, broken line 31 indicates the spectrum of the ideal AM-PM characteristic indicated by characteristic 21 of FIG. 2, and solid line 32 indicates the spectrum of the AM-PM characteristic when passage phase Ph varies according to power supply voltage Vcc as indicated by characteristic 22 of FIG. 2. When the AM-PM characteristic is not flat, the ACLR is degraded as illustrated in FIG. 3.
As described above, in the polar modulation transmission circuit, the relationship (AM-AM characteristic) between the power supply voltage of the amplifier and the output power and the relationship (AM-PM characteristic) between the power supply voltage and the phase deviation of the input/output are compensated in order to maintain quality of the transmission signal.
A pre-distortion distortion compensation method is known as a method for compensating a generated distortion component through such compensation (for example, see Patent Literature 2). In a polar modulation transmission circuit described in Patent Literature 2, the AM-AM characteristic and the AM-PM characteristic are previously acquired and stored in a distortion compensation processing circuit, and reverse characteristics of the AM-AM characteristic and the AM-PM characteristic are added to the amplitude signal and the phase signal. By this means, it is possible to compensate the characteristic degradation caused by the distortion generated in the amplifier.

Polar modulation transmission circuit and polar modulation transmission method


A data processing system comprises an interface configured to communicate with a data source, a memory, and a reference data module. The data processing system comprises a processor which is configured to communicate with the memory, the interface, and the reference module. The processor is further configured to request a first list from the data source. The first list comprises a record. The record being modified based on a comparison of a data characteristic to a first reference data. The processor is further configured to receive the first list from the data source for a communication operation and to compare the data characteristic of the first list to a second reference data. The processor is further configured to generate a second list based on comparing the data characteristic of the first list to the second reference data.

Communication operations may employ various types of communication devices (e.g., computers, internet, phones, printing operations such as web offset, rotogravure, flexographic, digital printing, inkjet, etc.). Any communication device or communication operation will have the problem of generating communication products with the most up-to-date communication data. For example, printing data characteristics (e.g., mailing address, name, prefix, suppression status, merge/purge status, coding status, messaging, etc.) of a recipient may have changed after the recipient was selected for a marketing campaign but before the communication operation (e.g., printing and mailing) was processed. In another example, text messaging data or email messaging data (e.g., electronic address, name, prefix, suppression status, merge/purge status, coding status, messaging, etc.) of a recipient may have changed after the recipient was selected for a marketing campaign but before the electronic communication operation was processed.
As one example, when the recipient's mailing address has changed but was not incorporated into the printing data before the printing job was processed, the targeted recipient may not receive the intended information. Since the targeted recipient may not have received the intended information, the time and monies spent to deliver this information will have diminished value. Elimination or depreciation of these types of occurrences not only would result in a more efficient delivery of information to the intended recipients, but would also potentially provide for less waste (both in terms of cost of product and waste generated to the detriment of the environment) and increase customer satisfaction (e.g., by potentially reducing non-compliance with specific customer requests such as do-not-mail requests, or other activities).
The teachings herein extend to those embodiments, which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the above-mentioned needs.

System and method of data processing for a communications operation


A PLD comprises a substrate, an array of programmable logic elements formed in the substrate, a first columnar interface coupling to the array of logic elements and extending in the substrate substantially parallel to a first side of the substrate, and at least a second columnar interface coupling to the array of logic elements and extending in the substrate substantially parallel to the first columnar interface. The interfaces illustratively provide a plurality of interconnects, control circuits and one or more of driver circuits, rebuffering circuits, signal conditioning circuits, deskewing circuits, clock synchronization circuits, power management circuits, testing/debugging circuits, partial reconfiguration circuits, multi-plexing circuits, pipelining circuits and storage circuits. The PLD is mounted on an interposer so that its interfaces electrically couple to electrically conducting paths on the interposer.

The present invention relates generally to an electronic package. A particular application for this package is in the implementation of programmable logic devices (PLD) such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and the invention will be described in that context.
A FPGA is a PLD containing a large number of small programmable logic elements, a number of input/output (I/O) terminals, and a method of specifying electrical connections between the logic elements through a distributed array of programmable switches. The programming of the logic elements and the switches is typically specified by configuration bits stored in a configuration random access memory (CRAM). A FPGA allows a design engineer to realize a design of a product by programming its connections in a specific manner without incurring the high cost of manufacturing a unique integrated circuit. A variety of FPGAs are described in S. D. Brown, R. J. Francis, J. Rose, and Z. G. Vranesic, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays, (Kluwer Academic Publishers 1992); J. H. Jenkins, Designing with FPGAs and CPLDs, (PTR Prentice-Hall 1994); J. V. Oldfield and R. C. Dorf, Field Programmable Gate Arrays, (Wiley-Interscience 1995).

Placement, rebuffering and routing structure for PLD interface


A backlight unit includes LEDs, a light guide plate, a prism sheet, exiting light reflecting portions, prisms, concave lenticular lens lenses, and flat portions. The concave lenticular lenses are configured such that an occupancy rate of concave cylindrical lenses with respect to the second direction is higher in an area closer to a light entering surface with respect to the first direction and the occupancy rate is lower in an area farther from the light entering surface. The flat portions are formed adjacent to the concave cylindrical lenses with respect to the second direction such that an occupancy rate of flat portions with respect to the second direction is lower in an area closer to a light entering surface with respect to the first direction and the occupancy rate of the flat portions with respect to the second direction is higher in an area farther from the light entering surface.

Display components in image display devices, such as television devices, are now shifting from conventional cathode-ray tube displays to thin display panels, such as liquid crystal panels and plasma display panels. With the thin display panels, the thicknesses of the image display devices can be reduced. Liquid crystal panels included in the liquid crystal display devices do not emit light, and thus backlight devices are required as separate lighting devices. The backlight devices are generally classified into direct-type and edge-light-type according to mechanisms. An edge-light-type backlight device includes a light guide plate for guiding light from a light source and an optical member for converting the light from the light guide plate to even planar light with optical properties and for supplying the light to a liquid crystal panel. An example of such a device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that includes multiple ridged lenses on a light exiting surface of a light guide plate such that the light guide plate has light collecting properties to improve brightness without a prism sheet.