A rectangular plate optical reflecting mirror is provided in an optical scanner. The optical reflecting mirror reflects an optical beam onto a surface to be scanned. The optical reflecting mirror includes a center portion and end portions in a longitudinal direction. The center portion has a greater thickness than that of the end portions. Accordingly, rigidity of the optical reflecting mirror can be increased, and its characteristic frequency can be set at a high value. Thus, resonance of the optical reflecting mirror can be prevented from occurring as a result of vibration of a housing which vibrates with a plurality of vibration modes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rectangular plate optical reflecting mirror in an optical scanner mounted on an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, or a facsimile. The optical scanner exposes a surface of an image bearing member with an optical beam (for example, laser beam) and scans the surface with the optical beam, the optical reflecting mirror reflecting the optical beam to guide the optical beam onto a surface to be scanned. Also, the present invention relates to the optical scanner and the image forming apparatus including the optical reflecting mirror.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, an optical scanner that is used in a copier or a printer exposes a surface of an image bearing member, for example, a photosensitive drum or a surface to be scanned, to light while scanning the surface, and forms a predetermined electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. In the optical scanner, an optical beam, for example, a laser beam, emitted from a light source is deflected by an optical deflector in a main-scanning direction, and is sent to the surface to be scanned by an optical system member such as a optical reflecting mirror.
More specifically, typically, the optical scanner includes a light source such as a laser diode. The laser beam emitted from the light source is incident on a polygonal mirror serving as the optical deflector. The polygonal mirror reflects the laser beam using a reflection surface, and deflects the laser beam in the main-scanning direction. The laser beam that is deflected in the main-scanning direction is deflected at a uniform velocity by an fθ lens so as to be parallel to an axial direction of the photosensitive drum. The deflected laser beam is sent to the surface of the photosensitive drum via the optical reflecting mirror and an image is formed on the surface.
In recent years, image forming apparatuses capable of high-speed printing have markedly spread. The optical scanner has to operate to meet the performance of these image forming apparatus. Thus, the polygonal mirror has to rotate at higher speeds. Accordingly, vibrations are likely to occur at positions around the optical deflector in the optical scanner. Also, vibrations can result from the high-speed printing and occur at another position in the image forming apparatus and propagate to the optical scanner. Thus, the optical scanner mounted on the image forming apparatus has a greater likelihood of vibrating due to a plurality of vibration modes.
The vibrations occurring in the optical scanner or propagating to the optical scanner may reach the optical member, for example, the lens or the optical reflecting mirror. In particular, when the optical reflecting mirror vibrates, it is difficult to maintain the predetermined position and angle of the optical reflecting mirror. Accordingly, the optical axis of the optical beam may shift. As a result, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum may be adversely affected, thereby resulting in reduced image quality.
In light of this situation, to address the problems, various methods have been suggested to prevent the optical reflecting mirror from vibrating. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-282399 discloses an example of such methods. An optical reflecting mirror disclosed in the above publication includes a reinforcement member bonded to one or both side surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction.
Since the optical reflecting mirror disclosed in the publication includes the reinforcement member bonded to one or both surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction, this results in an increase in the weight and rigidity of the optical reflecting mirror. Thus, vibration of the optical reflecting mirror is decreased, and it reduces a defect from occurring as a result of a reduction in the flatness of the optical reflecting mirror. However, using a method wherein a characteristic frequency is reduced by increasing the weight of the optical reflecting mirror, such as in the above method, the vibration of the optical scanner with the plurality of vibration modes is not reduced. The optical reflecting mirror may resonate. Due to this, an image defect such as a lateral stripe may appear, and this may reduce the image quality.
Also, using a method such as bonding the reinforcement member to the optical reflecting mirror, may impact the flatness of the reflecting mirror due to the material characteristic of the reinforcement member. In this regard, the flatness of the optical reflecting mirror may be determined in view of the flatness of the reinforcement member, or the optical reflecting mirror may be deformed when the reinforcement member is deformed due to changes in temperature and humidity. Accordingly, an image defect such as curvature of field may appear, and this may reduce the image quality. Accordingly, image formation with high image quality may not be provided.
In light of the above, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a rectangular plate optical reflecting mirror which reflects an optical beam to guide the optical beam onto a surface to be scanned, the optical reflecting mirror having a rigidity that eliminates the necessity of using a reinforcement member, the reinforcement member being likely affected by material characteristic, capable of preventing resonance from occurring as a result of vibration with a plurality of vibration modes and capable of providing a high-quality image. Another advantage of the present invention is to provide an optical scanner and an image forming apparatus including the optical reflecting mirror.

Optical reflecting mirror, and optical scanner and image forming apparatus including same


In accordance with embodiments, a system includes a plurality of component slots and at least one indicator associated with each of said slots. The system also includes a controller coupled to the indicators. The indicators selectively provide installation guidance of components into said slots based on signals from the controller.

For many electronic devices, the installation of components is becoming increasingly complicated. For example, some computer systems can support up to 32 or 64 separate memory modules (e.g., DIMMs), where the order of installation can affect the overall performance of the memory modules. An existing technique to determine if such memory modules have been properly installed involves checking memory module attributes during a boot process and notifying a user if an invalid or suboptimal configuration is being used. This technique may involve several reboots to fix the installation order of memory modules, in part because users have difficulty identifying memory module rank (e.g., single, dual and quad) or other attributes that affect installation order.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An arrangement of coaxial windings is provided. The arrangement includes primary and secondary windings as air-core pulse transformers having insulation and winding arrangement for efficient energy transfer to the secondary winding. The secondary winding is wound with a central metallic core to include a coaxial transmission line with it and is configured to deliver a rectangular pulse across its terminals. The arrangement also includes a coaxial feeding arrangement for the primary winding with a central coaxial terminal connecting to one end of an adjustable primary closing switch electrode so as to have variable voltage feed input corresponding to its load requirement.

Pulse transformer is employed as device to raise the secondary voltage/impedance for a PFN driven modulator for Klystron/Magnetron acting as microwave sources for LINAC/RADAR.
Co-axial transmission lines are employed not only as carrier for communication signals, but also in pulse power systems as modulator for generating high power rectangular pulses.
Transmission line transformers are employed to transmit energy from primary to secondary in transmission line mode and not in flux-linkage mode as is usual for pulse transformers, and are thus employed in matching the impedance levels of signals at input and output, as in 'BALUN' (Balanced to unbalanced), and for high frequency applications. The two windings are actually transmission lines (Coax or balanced two wire line) to start with. They are configured to offer very high common-mode impedance and invariably constitute magnetic materials, to achieve this feature.
Requirements exist to generate fast rise-time, near flat-top rectangular pulses in Pulsed Power Technology, Modulators for RF and Microwave sources in Linear Accelerators (LINAC) and RADAR applications to drive, generally pulsed electron beam loads. These are of importance to generate mono-energetic electron beam—because of flat-top characteristics of voltage pulse; having applications in Flash X-ray (FXR), High Power Mircrowave (HPM) and Linear Accelerators (LINAC). Direct excitation of high voltage step and short rectangular pulse is required to excite antennas of Ultra Wide Band (UWB) Systems and the ranging and detection applications in RADAR technology.
The prior art device although mostly meet the general applications of commercial and R&D pulsed power laboratory requirements but, the need for making pulsed power systems more compact and portable as in the case of airborne and other strategic systems, more compact pulse power systems are required. Conventional system adds to linear dimensions being larger and incidental increase in weight.
It is therefore an object of the invention to propose a compact and portable pulse transformer applicable airborne strategic system.

Compact pulse transformer with transmission line embodiment


Methods and apparatus for producing selenium-72, separating it from its daughter isotope arsenic-72, and generating multiple portions of a solution containing arsenic-72 from a reusable parent substance comprised of selenium-72. The invention provides apparatus which can be located at a site where arsenic-72 is used, for purposes such as PET imaging, to produce arsenic-72 as needed, since the half-life of arsenic-72 is very short.

This invention is related to the fields of chemistry and nuclear chemistry.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is used to generate images of the human body which aid in medical treatment and research. The images provide structural information in high resolution and, due to biochemical activity of a radiopharmaceutical used in the imaging, the images also provide information regarding function of organs and tissues. To make a PET image, the patient is intravenously infused with a PET agent, which is a radiopharmaceutical. The biochemistry of the PET agent determines how the agent distributes within the patient's body. The PET agent undergoes radioactive decay, emitting positrons. The positrons encounter electrons very near to their point of emission and are thereby annihilated. The annihilation of each positron results in the release of two 511 keV gamma photons at very close to 180 degrees from one another. The patient is encircled by an array of gamma photon detectors. Coincidence circuity is used to detect the gamma photons and the information is stored in a computer. After the scan is complete, an image is constructed by the computer using tomographic algorithms. The PET agent is a substance comprised of a very short-lived radioisotope such as fluorine-18, carbon-11, nitrogen-13, or oxygen-15. These radioisotopes are produced using a cyclotron, which must be in the very near vicinity of the PET facility so that the agent can be used before it undergoes radioactive decay and becomes useless for the purpose. Because a cyclotron is very expensive to construct and operate, the use of PET is generally limited to major medical facilities.
The isotope of arsenic having an atomic weight of 72 has potential for use as a PET agent. It has a 26.5 hour half-life, emits a 2.5 MeV positron, and is formed by the radioactive decay of selenium having an atomic weight of 72. Arsenic-containing bone, brain, and tumor seeking substances already exist. The versatile chemistry of arsenic will permit the synthesis of many potentially valuable PET radiopharmaceuticals. Compounds such as arsenic analogs of phenothiazines will be useful for PET receptor binding studies. Such compounds will also allow the study of the modes of action and metabolism of these tranquilizers and possibly lead to a better understanding of schizophrenia. An organic arsenite has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier, thus permitting imaging of cerebral tumors and trauma. Methods are now being developed to label monoclonal antibodies with arsenic so that tumor-specific PET imaging may be accomplished. It is believed that use of As-72 will permit early detection of lung cancer by allowing very small tumors to be shown on PET images. The potential utility of arsenic-72 is not limited to PET and other nuclear medicine applications. It is believed that there will be numerous applications in toxicology, metabolism, biochemistry, biology, and environmental science. As-72 will be useful both where arsenic compounds may be used and as a tracer for addition to other compounds. Many of these applications will require a very high specific activity of the tracer isotope.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for generating arsenic-72 at the site of PET imaging equipment without the use of massive and expensive equipment. It provides a solution to problems of other methods which require the use of difficult to handle gases, such as hydrogen fluoride, or involve steps which are quite difficult to automate. An electrochemical technique which has been used has not produced As-72 which is sufficiently free from selenium. The generator of this invention provides the radioactive isotopey As-72 at the site of use by repetitively separating As-72 from a parent substance comprised of Se-72 which can be re-used by simply allowing time for the As-72 to form after each separation. Without the present invention, As-72 would have to be transported to the point of use and used within about one day after its isolation from Se-72. The useful life of the parent substance of the present invention depends on the half-life of selenium-72, which is about 8.5 days, rather than on the half-life of As-72. It is expected that, with the methods and apparatus of the present invention, parent substance need be shipped to a location of use only about every four weeks. The generator will be used in a clinical laboratory on a routine basis and therefore must be reliable, easy to use, and safe with respect to radiation, and chemical and physical hazards. The product of the generator must be biologically sterile so that it provides a sterile and non-pyrogenic product for use within the human body, though there will be some uses as a tracer where sterility and non-pyrogenicity will not be required.

Production of selenium-72 and arsenic-72

The Regents of the University of California


A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes: a multilayer structure in which each of dielectric layers and each of internal electrode layers are alternately stacked, a main component of the dielectric layers being ceramic, wherein: the multilayer structure comprises surface portions and a center portion in a stacking direction of the dielectric layers and the internal electrode layers, the surface portions having a first thickness from a surface of the multilayer structure, the center portion being next to the surface portion in the stacking direction and having a second thickness; and an average length of crystal grains of a main component metal of the internal electrode layers of the surface portions is 0.8 times or less than an average length of crystal grains of a main component metal of the internal electrode layers of the center portion.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor has a multilayer structure in which each of dielectric layers and each of internal electrode layers are alternately stacked, and cover sheets are provided on an upper face and a lower face of the multilayer structure in a stacking direction (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-173480, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-157593 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-22721). In the multilayer structure, a capacity region in which internal electrode layers face with each other generates electrical capacity. When cover sheets are provided, reliability of the multilayer ceramic is secured.

Multilayer ceramic capacitor and manufacturing method of multilayer ceramic capacitor


A charge pump control circuit and a control method for controlling charge pumps are disclosed. The output terminal of the charge pump is coupled to a load circuit. The charge pump control circuit includes a detecting and controlling circuit and a controlled oscillator. The detecting and controlling circuit is used to detect the load status of the load circuit and output a control signal according to the load status. The controlled oscillator receives the control signal and outputs at least one clock signal. According to the control signal to control a frequency of the clock signal, the charge pump control circuit controls the charge pump.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a charge pump. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit and a method for improving the efficiency of charge pump circuits and the charge pumps which use the circuit and the method.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a traditional charge pump circuit includes a voltage source, one or more charge capacitance, a load capacitance, a number of circuit switches and a fixed-frequency clock used to control a number of circuit switches. Using a clock period as an example (e.g. a doubled two phases circuit), in the first half period, circuit switches are used to make a parallel connection between a voltage source and a charge capacitance so as to charge the charge capacitance to a voltage level; in the second half period, circuit switches are used to make a serial connection between the voltage source and the charge capacitance and a load capacitance. After a number of periods are repeated, the voltage difference between two sides of the load capacitance will be lifted up to a voltage level that is much higher than that of the original voltage source.
FIG. 1A illustrates a traditional charge pump which is controlled by the fixed input frequency clock Ø1 and clock Ø2. FIG. 1B illustrates the equivalent circuits of the traditional circuit shown in FIG. 1A when the clock Ø1 and the clock Ø2 are in high voltage. Referring to FIG. 1B, when clock ψ1 turns the switches SW1 and SW4 on, the input voltage Vi charges the capacitance C1 to the level of voltage source Vi. Here assuming the electric charge stored on the capacitance C2 is zero, when the clock Ø2 turns the switches SW2 and SW3 on, the electric charge stored on the capacitance C1 will be redistributed between the capacitance C1 and the capacitance C2 which is connected with the capacitance C1 in parallel. After repeating the period a number of times, the voltage difference between two sides of the capacitance C2 can be lifted up to twice as much as the input voltage level, viz. 2Vi.
The voltage required for such circuit design can be achieved by using different progressions of the charge pumps in accordance with the needed voltage levels. However, as the consumption of electric charge stored on the load capacitance by the load circuit, the voltage stored on the load capacitance will be reduced along with the consumption of the load. In order to maintain the voltage stored on the load capacitance, after the load capacitance reaches the target voltage level, it is necessary that the switches of the charge pump continuously charge the load capacitance with a fixed frequency. Therefore, the capacitance C1 has to obtain electric charge from the voltage source Vi at a fixed period and supplies the electric charge to the capacitance C2 so as to maintain the voltage of the capacitance C2. This mechanism results in the phenomenon of ripple that the output voltage level of the charge pump has the same clock frequency with the input of the charge pump. The size of the ripple is in inverse ratio to the load capacitance, in direct ratio to the load power consumption and in inverse ratio to the input frequency of the charge pump circuit.
FIG. 2 illustrates the ripple oscillogram produced by the traditional charge pump under the operation of different clock frequencies. As shown in FIG. 2, at the moment of discharging clock Ø1 and charging clock Ø2 will cause the output voltage to occur a ripple whose size is related to the frequency of the supplementary electric charge of the charge pump circuit and the size of the load current. To a fixed current load, the input clock frequency f1 is slower than the input clock frequency f2; accordingly, the discharge time of the first circuit 210 is longer than that of the second circuit 220 so that the amplitude of the ripple of the first circuit 210, Vripple1, is bigger than that of the second circuit 220, Vripple2.
When the load current of the load circuit driven by the charge pump changes along with time, the choices of the needed input clock frequency and the needed load capacitance are usually determined by the biggest load, so as to meet the lowest demand for the ripple size. When the demand of the load is low, if the input clock frequency is the fixed high input frequency, there will be unnecessary power consumption and the efficiency of the charge pump will be reduced. If a relative low frequency is used as the input clock frequency, too big ripple amplitude will be occurred, resulting in an increase of interference to the load circuit. When a relative big capacitance is used, it will lead to a waste of the area cost and an increase of the load of the voltage source.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Charge pump control circuit and control method thereof


A distributed, network-based system and computer program product determines an optimal allocation of available to promise components in a supply chain. An aggregate demand request is generated by a demand entity intelligent agent. The aggregate demand request is propagated via a network throughout the supply chain to a plurality of supply entity intelligent agents. The supply entity intelligent agents respond with an evaluation of available to promise supply capability. Optimal allocation of the available to promise supply is made by calculating a sequence of squared set solutions of unit demand problems using a message-based communications protocol between the demand entity and supply entity intelligent agents.

The invention relates generally to computer implemented supply chain planning and decision support tools, and more particularly to a tool used to manage available to promise resources in a supply chain.
Demand-Supply Rationalization (DSR) software packages are used in manufacturing to ensure that supply is in some sense optimally allocated to prioritized demand. With reference to FIG. 1, these packages can be applied to a supply chain 10, illustrated to comprise three levels or tiers: a Tier 0 or final assembly level, a Tier 1 or subassembly level, and a Tier 2 or component level. It will be understood that the supply chain 10 could have as few as two levels, up to an arbitrarily large number N of levels. Tier 1 includes a demand entity 12, while Tier 1 is illustrated to include first and second supply entities 14 and 16, respectively. The number of Tier 1 supply entities can range from one to an arbitrarily large number M. Demand entity 12 is illustrated to require subassemblies from both the first and second supply entities 14 and 16 to produce a final assembly. Tier 2 is illustrated to include third, fourth, and fifth supply entities 18, 20, and 22, respectively. As with Tier 1, the number of Tier 2 supply entities is arbitrary. First supply entity 14 is illustrated to require components from both the third and fourth supply entities 18 and 20 to produce a first supply entity subassembly. Second supply entity 16 is illustrated to require components from only the fifth supply entity 22 to produce a second supply entity 16 subassembly.
It is known to mathematically or heuristically model a given multi-level and/or multi-supplier per level supply chain 10 using various techniques. For example, with reference to FIG. 2, a centralized supply chain model 30 considers the entire supply chain 10 as a single logical entity, functioning as a vertically integrated supply chain. The centralized supply chain model 30 includes a demand entity database 32 operably coupled to a central model 48. The centralized supply chain model 30 further includes Tier 1 and Tier 2 supply entity databases 36 and 38, respectively, which are operatively coupled to a central database 34 via Tier 1 and Tier 2 supply entity input bridges 40 and 42, respectively. Information contained in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 databases 36, 38 is operated on by Tier 1 and Tier 2 processes 44 and 46, respectively. Communication of information from the supply entity databases 36, 38 to the central database is characterized by a time lag. There are at least three components of the time lag: 1) job scheduling, that is, jobs are setup to run at fixed points in time which vary from enterprise to enterprise thereby creating a gap from the start of the first transmission job at the first enterprise to the start of the last transmission job at the last enterprise; 2) per job transmission time, that is, bulk transfer of large data sets can take minutes to hours to complete; and 3) process evaluation time, that is, a business review process 50 requires time to evaluate step specific results before proceeding to the next step in the end to end process. The central model 48 receives data from the central database 34. Output of the central model 48 is reviewed in the business review process 50 (typically performed by a human user). After a time lag, results of the analysis of the centralized supply chain model 30 (for example, firm orders for available to promise inventory) is communicated to the Tier 1 and Tier 2 supply entities via Tier 1 and Tier 2 supply entity results bridges 52 and 54, respectively.
The central model 48 thus receives all relevant data, from all levels, including all supply entities and the demand entity. With complete information regarding demand needs and supply capability, the central model 48 is capable of performing an end to end analysis over all levels and suppliers, and to develop an optimal allocation of supply to demand using either conventional heuristic or mathematical techniques, such as linear programming, to determine the allocation of components to maximize (that is, optimize) the number of end products ultimately produced by the demand entity 12 based on the components supplied in the demand request.
As a second example of known methods for modeling a supply chain 10, with reference to FIG. 3, it is known to use a so-called "loosely coupled" (or "disconnected") supply chain model 60. Unlike the centralized supply chain model 30, the loosely coupled supply chain model 60 does not require a central database or supply entity input or results bridges. In the loosely coupled model 60, allocation of supply proceeds from one tier to the next, working from the lowest tier to the top tier. Generally speaking, given a leveli+1 supply support position, and a leveli−1 demand, each leveli entity runs a local allocation of supply to demand. The resultant leveli support position relative to leveli−1 customer demand is then passed back to leveli−1 customers. For example, in the context of the loosely coupled model 60 illustrated in FIG. 3, a demand request is generated by a Tier 0 demand entity process 62. The demand entity process 62 is operatively coupled to a demand entity database 64. The demand request is communicated to Tier 1 supply entity process 66 via a zone 1 dialogue 68 within a collaboration zone 70. That level 0 customer demand is compared to a level 2 (Tier 2) supply support position. That is, a Tier 2 process 72 queries Tier 2 database 74, determines the supply support position, and communicates the supply support position to the Tier 1 process 66 via a zone 2 dialogue 76 within the collaboration zone 70. The supply support position information, combined with information stored in a Tier 1 database 78, allows the Tier 1 process 66 to provide a response to the demand request.
An advantage of the centralized supply chain model 30 is its ability to provide an optimal solution for allocation of available to promise inventory. A central disadvantage of the centralized supply chain model 30 is the relatively high expense (compared to the loosely coupled supply chain model) of providing, maintaining, and using the input and result bridges 40, 42, 52, and 54, and central database 34.
While there are development and operations savings as well as flexibility gains to be realized in use of a loosely coupled model 60, a significant disadvantage with use of the loosely coupled model 60 is that such models are unable to provide a closed, end to end optimal allocation of available to promise inventory. Given current solver techniques, end to end optimum allocation of supply to demand requires inter-level and intra-tier visibility to materials and/or capacity constraints. While this visibility is necessary, it is not sufficient to permit calculation of an optimal allocation of available to promise inventory. Coordinated inter-level and intra-tier allocations are required if the allocation result is to be optimum in terms of the top level demands and business rules. The centralized supply chain model 30 has the necessary visibility and sufficient control to effect end to end optimum allocation of supply to top level demand. The loosely coupled supply chain model 60 does not. Known loosely coupled supply chain models 60 provide suboptimal end to end allocations.
Given a trend away from physical or logical vertically integrated supply chains and single entity models toward dynamic multi-player loosely coupled supply chains, the inability of a loosely coupled model to develop a global optimum allocation of supply to demand is a significant and challenging problem.
Furthermore, there is a second disadvantage to the loosely coupled models 60. Disconnected models 60 typically require days to iteratively develop the equivalent of a closed-form, optimal response to a new top level demand statement. Many, if not most, businesses can ill afford to wait days or perhaps even weeks to respond to a demand change. Hence the time lags inherent in loosely coupled models 60 pose a significant business problem.
A need exists, therefore, for an available to promise inventory allocation tool providing both the time-efficient closed-form optimal allocation solutions characteristic of centralized supply chain models as well as the cost and flexibility benefits of the loosely coupled supply chain models.

Available to promise allocation optimization tool

International Business Machines Corporation


An equipment unit latch and an associated switch arrangement are advantageously employed to generate an action initiation signal upon initial movement of the latch toward physically removing the equipment from an equipment frame but prior to any movement of the equipment unit in an equipment frame in which it is inserted. The physical shape and dimensions of the latch and the spatial relationship of the associated switch arrangement to the latch are such that the latch is allowed to move a sufficient distance toward removing the equipment unit from the equipment frame, in order to activate the switch to generate the action initiation signal prior to any movement of the equipment unit in the equipment frame. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the switch includes a light emitter and a light detector. Light from the emitter is inhibited from reaching the detector by the latch when the equipment unit is fully inserted in the equipment frame and the latch is in a closed position. Upon movement of the latch, the light is no longer inhibited from being detected by the detector and the action initiation signal is generated after movement of the latch, but prior to any movement of the equipment unit toward being removed from the equipment frame.

It has been the practice to provide a switch arrangement associated with an equipment unit, e.g., plug-in, circuit pack and the like, in order to initiate some action upon removal of the equipment unit from its connector in an equipment frame. Such known prior switch arrangements employed mechanical switches that were either mounted on the removable equipment unit itself, or on or about the equipment frame in which the equipment unit was inserted. Such switches are usually large in size, cumbersome and prone to mechanical failure. In any event, the equipment unit is typically required to be totally removed from its connector in the equipment frame, prior to the initiation of the action. In many applications, any movement of an equipment unit while in an operative or in-service state is undesirable. This is especially true in digital communication systems employing relatively high bit rates because any such movement of an in-service equipment unit will tend to cause transmission errors.

Equipment unit latch and associated switch


The present invention is direction to systems for assembling drywall tracks that support drywall above the floor.

Stud framing is commonplace in both commercial and residential construction. Typically, a track is mounted to the ceiling and/or floor and studs are inserted into and attached to the track using, for example, screws or nails. Once the studs are installed, a wall is formed by attaching drywall, also known in the art as gypsum board, to the studs.
Drywall is very absorbent and will tend to wick any moisture with which it comes in contact. This is undesirable because moist drywall can harbor and grow toxic mold. Once mold has contaminated drywall, it is very costly to eliminate, often requiring that the affected drywall be removed, discarded, and replaced with new drywall.
In order to avoid this problem, installers will tend to position the drywall so that its lower edge is above the floor surface so as to avoid the wicking of any moisture from the floor. Some methods of accomplishing this use tracks that have been adapted to include a ledge or support within the track that props the drywall above the floor surface. See, e.g., U.S. Published patent application Nos. 2007/0163191; 2005/0183361. But while these prior art systems would satisfactorily support the drywall above the floor surface, they are not practicable for the commercial and residential construction business because their irregular shape often does not permit compact stacking of the track for shipping and storage. As a result, these irregularly shaped tracks will consume more storage and shipping space, leading to increased costs.
Thus, drywall track systems that support drywall above the floor, while being capable of compact stacking during shipping and storage are needed.


An aqueous alkali developable photoresist composition consists of (a) a carboxyl group-containing polymeric binder, (b) 1-15% by weight of a photoinitiator based on the binder, (c) 20-100% by weight based on the binder, of a photo reactive monomer or oligomer containing at least two ethylenically unsaturated double bonds, and (d) 0.05-5% by weight based on the binder of a weak alkali soluble or dispersible thiol compound represented by EQU (X).sub.a R--SH).sub.b. where a, b are integers equal to or greater than 1, R is an organic moiety of molecular weight less than 500, and X is a carboxyl group-containing moiety or hydrophilic organic polymeric segment with less than 100 repeating unit.

This invention relates to a dry film photoresist composition used in the fabrication of a printed circuit board, and particularly to a composition for forming a photoresist film which is developable in an aqueous solution of alkali.
Aqueous alkali developable dry film photoresist have become widely accepted in the fabrication of printed circuit boards due to its lower environmental contamination in comparison with the organic solvent developing counterpart. A typical process using a negative working aqueous alkali developable photoresist in the manufacture of a printed circuit board includes laminating a photoresist film onto a copper-clad substrate, exposing the photoresist film to ultraviolet light through an artwork or a layer formed of an image-bearing transparency, removing the unexposed part of the photoresist layer by means of a weak aqueous alkali solution, leaving the exposed part of the layer or a photoresist image on the copper clad substrate, etching the exposed part of the copper, thus leaving the part of the copper which is covered by the photoresist image, and removing the photoresist image from the substrate by a relatively stronger aqueous alkali solution.
A dry film photoresist generally consists of three layers. The first layer is a transparent polyester protective layer having a thickness of about 25 .mu.m, the second layer is a light-sensitive layer having a thickness of about 25-75 .mu.m, and the third layer is usually a polyethylene film with a thickness of about 25 .mu.m. It is known that a negative working aqueous akali developable dry film photoresist consists primarily of a carboxyl-containing polymeric binder, a monomer or an oligomer having ethylenically unsaturated functional groups, an initiator which produces free radicals upon exposure to actinic radiation, and additives such as dyes, plasticizers, and adhesion promoter etc.
Carboxyl group-containing binders are usually composed of acrylic polymers such as copolymers of methacrylic acid or acrylic acid. Examples of these polymers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,535,052, and 4,234,675. Basically, a binder should be soluble in an aqueous alkali solution, and be able to provide the photoresist composition with fast dissolution properties in the developing stage.
It is generally agreed that adhesion of the photoresist pattern to the copper surface is important, particularly when fine line patterning is involved. A small amount of adhesion promoting agent was therefore incorporated in the photoresist composition. Typical examples are silane compounds, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,306, and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,758,306, 4,339,527 and 4,230,790.
However, due to the strong coupling reaction between the silane compound and the copper surface, difficulties in complete wash off of the unexposed photoresist result, leaving photoresist residue or scum on the copper surface and causing problems in etching and plating.
The 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, which is a thiol containing compound, also has a moderate reactivity with the metal copper surface, and often leaves a thin film of residual materials on the copper surface in the non-exposed area after pattern developing. Therefore, a problem similar to that of the silane compound is encountered. Furthermore, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole react with copper to produce a complex compound, as evidenced by the reddish color on the copper substrate, might cause contamination of the etching and plating solution.
As a matter of fact, the inclusion of a small amount of a thiol containing compound is known to accelerate photo-initiated free radical propagation through chain transfer reactions, and hence, is useful in photosensitive composition. There are many thiol compounds containing photosensitive compositions as taught in many literatures and patents. These compositions are exposed to ultra violet light, sometimes in conjunction with thermal energy, would induce an addition reaction between the thiol groups and ethylenically unsaturated double bonds. Generally, a polythiol and a polyene which undergo the addition reaction have substantially equivalent molar functionalities and can be cured with or without photoinitiators. Typical examples can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,976,553, 3,966,794, 3,908,039, 4,008,341, 4,230,740, 3,843,572, 3,904,499, 3,936,530 and 3,660,088. These photo curable compositions are mainly useful for molding articles, coatings, adhesives and sealants, and only a few of them are used as orgainic solvent developable photoresists. The polythiol employed predominantly are the commercially available pentaerythritol tetra(mercaptoacetate), pentaerythritol tetrakis(.beta.-mercaptopropionate) or trimethylolpropane tris (3-mercaptopropionate).
The above described polyfunctional thiol compounds have relatively high molecular weights such that the level of the typical mercaptan odor can be kept in the acceptable range as large amount is used in this kind of compositions. These polythiols are different from the thiol compounds disclosed in this instant invention, and neither of them are suitable for use in this instant invention.
Generally, polythiols contained in known photoresist films are not soluble in a weak alkaline aqueous solution. It is found that, when these insoluble polythiols are used in an aqueous developable photoresist composition, they produce scum on the area of the copper image. The scum left on the copper surface and the etching solution during the etching process, adversely affects the quality of the wiring of the circuit printed on the substrate.
The polyenes employed in the above mentioned patents predominantly carry allyl and vinyl functionalities. The polyenes with acrylic functionalities are not suitable for the compositions mentioned in the above patents due to their relatively high reactivity towards polythiol, which cause the problem in stability, particularly for the liquid composition with high content of polythiol as in most of the compositions disclosed in the above mentioned patents.

Aqueous developable photoresist containing weak alkali soluble or dispersible thiol compounds

501 Industrial Technology Research Institute


It is desirable to provide a technology which is capable of improving charging efficiency and reducing a possibility that power may affect a human body upon wireless power feeding.

Power is required to make equipment operate.
Typically, equipment is charged through power feeding from a power supply via a wired line. However, it is troublesome to connect a connector to equipment or insert a plug into a socket every time charging of equipment is performed. Therefore, in recent years, a technology is also known in which equipment is charged through wireless power feeding from a charger (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

Receiver, reception method, transmitter and transmission method

Abstract: There is provided a receiver including a wireless communication unit configured to receive a radio wave transmitted from a transmitter; a display control unit configured to control display of at least one of receiving strength of the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter, at the wireless communication unit or predetermined information in accordance with the receiving strength; and a contactless communication unit configured to receive power wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter in a case where the receiving strength exceeds a threshold.


A relay driving apparatus has a control circuit, which supplies a first voltage to a relay coil in response to a relay driving signal to turn on a relay contact, and thereafter a second voltage lower than the first voltage to the relay coil to keep an ON state of the relay contact. The apparatus also has a detection circuit, which is connected in a coil current supply path and detects a state change of the relay contact to an OFF state from the ON state based on a current change in the coil current. The control circuit supplies the first voltage again to the relay coil in response to the state change detected by the detection circuit to restore the ON state.

In a conventional relay driving apparatus, a predetermined voltage is applied to a relay coil to turn on a relay contact and thereafter a voltage is continuously applied to keep the relay contact turned on. The predetermined voltage must be set to be sufficient to turn the relay contact to its ON state from its OFF state. If this same voltage is continuously applied thereafter, the relay coil will overheat due to heat generation in the relay coil. Therefore, it is a general practice to set a first voltage Va applied to the relay coil to turn on the relay contact to be high, and set a second voltage Vb applied thereafter to keep the relay contact turned on to be lower than the first voltage Va.
The relay contact, however, tends to turn off due to vibrations or the like, particularly when the relay is used in a vibrating environment such as a vehicle. JP 63-62052 (JP-A-57-55026) proposes a relay driving apparatus which detects a turn-off of a relay contact in spite of a continued supply of a voltage to a relay coil.
One example of such a relay driving apparatus is shown in FIG. 5. When an ON signal is applied to a relay driving apparatus J1 through an input terminal J1a, a timer circuit J2 produces a high level signal for a predetermined period t1 which is required to fully turn on a relay contact J9 from the OFF state. This high level signal is applied to a Va-voltage instruction circuit J4 through an OR circuit J3. The Va-voltage instruction circuit J4 responsively produces a first voltage Va. This first voltage Va is applied to a relay coil J8 of a relay J7 through an OR circuit J5 and an output circuit J6. Thus, a relay contact J9 is turned on to drive an electric load J12 by magnetic flux generated by the relay coil J8 in response to the first voltage Va.
After the predetermined period t1, the timer circuit J2 changes its high level signal to a low level signal thereby to disable the Va-voltage instruction circuit J4 to continue to produce the first voltage Va. An AND circuit J10 having an inverting input terminal, however, produces a high level signal. A Vb-voltage instruction circuit J11 responsively produces a second voltage Vb. This second voltage Vb is applied to the relay coil J8 through the OR circuit J5 and the output circuit J6. As a result, the relay contact J9 is kept turned on by magnetic flux generated by the relay coil J8 in response to the second voltage Vb.
If the relay contact J9 turns off in its ON state due to vibrations or the like, the voltage at the junction between the relay contact J9 and the load J12 fluctuates. This voltage is applied to a timer circuit J15 through a wire harness J13 and an amplifier J14 having an inverting input terminal. When the voltage on the wire harness J13 falls due to turn-off of the relay contact J9, the timer circuit J15 produces a high level signal of the same period t1 after an elapse of a predetermined time period t2. The Va-voltage instruction circuit J4 receives this high level signal through an AND circuit J16 and the OR circuit J3. As a result, the Va-voltage instruction circuit J4 produces the first voltage Va to energize the relay coil J8 again and restore the ON state of the relay contact J9.
The relay J7 and the load J12 are provided apart from the relay driving apparatus J1. Therefore, the wire harness J13 is required to connect the relay J7 and the load J12 to the relay driving apparatus J1, thus adding costs and complexity. For reducing costs and complexity, the above relay contact turn-off detection is limited to only some of a plurality of electric loads.
Further, if the load J12 is an electric motor or the like, the motor continues to rotate for a certain period even after the turn-off of the relay contact J9, and a voltage is applied to the amplifier J14. Therefore, the turn-off of the relay contact J9 cannot be detected accurately.

Relay driving apparatus and method having relay contact turn-on holding function


Systems and methods for monitoring chronic over-pacing (COP) to the heart are discussed herein. In an embodiment, a system includes a receiver circuit to receive information about pacing rates of a plurality of paced heart beats, and a pacing analyzer circuit to generate a pacing rate distribution using pacing rates of the plurality of the paced heart beats. The pacing rate distribution includes a pacing rate histogram. The pacing analyzer circuit may recognize a morphological pattern from the pacing rate distribution, and detect a COP indication using the extracted feature. A programmer circuit adjusts one or more therapy parameters in response to the detected. COP indication.

implantable medical devices (IMDs) have been used for monitoring patient health condition or disease states and delivering therapies. For example, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are used to monitor certain abnormal heart rhythms. Some IMDs may be used to monitor progression of a chronic disease, such as worsening of cardiac performance due to congestive heart failure (CHF). In addition to diagnostic capabilities, the IMDs may also provide therapies to treat or alleviate certain medical conditions, such as cardiac pacing therapies to treat cardiac arrhythmias or to rectify cardiac dyssynchrony in CHF patients.
IMDs with pacing capabilities may deliver cardiac pacing according to device settings that determine the conditions under which the pacing may be initiated or terminated, pacing configurations such as heart chambers or target sites where the pacing pulses may be delivered, and pacing parameters such as pacing rate and pacing intensity. The IMDs may monitor patient cardiac activities to detect physiological events, such as a cardiac arrhythmia or worsening heart failure (WHF). The IMDs may be interconnected to a patient management system via a data communication network. Device data, such as the medical data associated with the detected physiological events, may be transmitted to a patient management system, through which a healthcare professional may remotely follow up with the patients or assess functions of the IMDs on a regular basis.

Systems and methods for detecting chronic cardiac over-pacing


A protective barrier, such as a medical examination glove is provided that includes a bracelet defining a plane with a cylinder attached to the bracelet at a first end. The cylinder is compressed into a compressed conformation in the plane without rolling about the bracelet. When the barrier is a glove, three fenestrated caps are provided, each such cap attached to the cylinder at different locations along the length of the cylinder when said first cylinder is in an extended conformation. Multiple finger cylinders are each attached to the cylinder at a location of a fenestrated cap, the finger cylinders each having an end cap. The first cylinder and the finger cylinders each compressed into a compressed conformation in the plane such that each of the caps forms a portion of the surface of the plane.

The medical field is continually frustrated by hospital-borne infections that may be due in part to lack of regular use of barrier protection between a care provider and a patient. Care providers make every attempt to regularly use medical examination gloves when interacting with patients, but due to difficulty of their use or discomfort in their fit, donning examination gloves is too often overlooked. Typical examination gloves are made of materials that are intended to fit tightly around the fingers, palm, and wrist of a subject so as to promote maximum freedom of movement and feel transmission through the glove material. This tight fit, however, also increases the difficulty of inserting a hand into the glove. Examination gloves commonly tear or are otherwise compromised while a user is inserting his hand into the glove simply due to the tight fit of the glove. This risk of tearing is even more prevalent when the glove is made of materials such nitrile that historically do not have the same elasticity of natural latex.
Tight fitting examination gloves also lead to perspiration under the glove due to lack of ventilation. This perspiration can produce a slippery connection to the hand that may cause the glove to fold over on itself further decreasing the user's comfort.
To reduce perspiration or increase comfort, some individuals use gloves that are sized for a larger person. The larger gloves, however, are proportioned to have longer finger regions with increased diameter. A user is, thus, left with a loose-fitting glove at the fingers that makes handling small equipment difficult and otherwise reduces dexterity.
Another problem with current examination gloves is that they are packaged into a container in such a manner that their removal is sometimes difficult without also tearing the glove or otherwise compromising the glove's sterility. Of greatest concern to hospitalized patients who are immunocompromised or otherwise susceptible to infection is that gloves of the prior art require a user or assistant to grasp the outside of the glove during removal from a dispenser or insertion of a hand which commonly leads to contamination and increased risk of transmission of infectious agents to the patient. This risk is much higher in non-surgical situations where assistance from another person in donning sterile gloves is not available.
All of these problems of currently used examination gloves reduce the compliance of healthcare professionals in wearing protective barrier equipment when handling or interacting with patients. As such, there is a need for an improved barrier protection that will increase user compliance and simultaneously decrease the risk or prevalence of transmission of infectious agents from a healthcare worker to a patient or vice versa.


A system which provides a means for reproducing stereophonic prerecorded sound which greatly improves the quality of the reproduced sound which the listener hears is disclosed. The sounds reproduced through the system of the present invention closely emulate the sounds as originally generated by the sound source, particularly with regard to the locations of the sound sources relative to one another.. Through the method and apparatus of the present invention, the sounds emanating from the sound transducers, which comprise sound waves travelling through air, are transformed on a sound-receiving surface of a sympathetically vibratable material or "sound screen" into surface forced bending waves within the material which travel along the surface towards one another. These waves combine and interfere with one another thereby producing an acoustic-to-acoustic transducer which has the form of an acoustic grating pattern formed from standing waves on the material, where each acoustic grating pattern on the sound screen corresponds to and represents a given sound source. The grating pattern, like the diaphragm of a speaker cone, produces sounds which emulate the individual sound sources.

A person attending a "live" performance at an orchestral hall will hear many different sounds at the same time, for example, sounds originating from strings, wind or percussion instruments and voices. When listening to live music, the listener not only hears the individual sounds emanating from the musical instruments and/or singers, but also senses the specific locations where the instruments and/or singers are located. For example, the listener would hear the sounds generated by the french horns emanating from the right side of the stage where the french horn section is located, the sounds generated by the violins emanating from the center of the stage where the violins are located, and sounds generated by the tympani on the left where the percussion section is located. This aspect of determining the relative location of the instruments will be referred to herein as three-dimensional sound.
The concept of stereophony was introduced in an attempt to emulate in a listening room with a prerecorded or broadcast sound source the three-dimensional sound that would have been heard during a live performance of the same program.
In stereophony, a sound is typically recorded stereophonically by recording on separate, individual channels the sounds received by each of a plurality of microphones located at predetermined positions in the recording studio or concert hall. The sounds can be recorded on media such as a record, tape or compact disc. The recorded sound can subsequently be reproduced on a stereophonic or two-channel reproduction system such as a home stereo system. A home stereo system typically comprises a means for reading the sound information in the individual channels stored on the media, and generating electric signals representative of the information. The electronic signals are amplified and fed to electronic-to-acoustic transducers, such as loud-speakers, to generate the sound waves which the listener then hears.
It is desirable that the recorded sound reproduced on a stereo system sounds the same as the original sounds. In an attempt to achieve the best possible sound quality, stereo speakers are typically positioned a distance apart from one another. This is illustrated in FIG. 1. Instruments 11, 12 and 13 which, in this example produce music, are positioned at locations 10, 12 and 14 in a recording studio 16. Also situated in the recording studio 16 are two microphones M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 positioned at locations 18 and 20. The microphones M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 provide the means to record the sounds received at locations 18 and 20. Electrical signals representative of the sounds received through the microphones M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 are recorded on separate channels by sound recording and reproductions unit 22. In listening room 24, the sound recording and reproduction unit 22 is connected to speakers S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 at locations 26 and 28. Speakers S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 are positioned apart from one another in simulation of the separation of microphones M.sub.1 and M.sub.2. Speaker S.sub.1 reproduces the sounds recorded from microphone M.sub.1 and speaker S.sub.2 reproduces the sounds recorded from microphone M.sub.2. Thus, theoretically, the listener, positioned at location 30, would expect to hear the reproduced music from 12 with the same sensation if as being in the recording studio if the separation of speakers S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 is equal to that of microphones M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 , and the relative position of the ear 30 to the speakers S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 is equal to the relative position of the sound source 12 to M.sub.1 and M.sub.2. Each sound source 11, 12, and 13 has a different singular ear position 30 for ideal sound reproduction. In reality, however, the listener instead hears instruments 11, 12 and 13 originating simultaneously from both speakers. This produces artificial, distorted sounds because each of the original sounds, emanating from instruments 11, 12 and 13, originates from an individual distinct location 10, 12 and 14, respectively, dictated by the positions of the instruments, not from two separate locations as the listener perceives through the conventional stereophonic sound reproduction system. More specifically, the listener in the listening room hears a mixture of two distinct sources of sound from two speakers representative of the combination of microphones/speakers, M.sub.1 /S.sub.1 and M.sub.2 /S.sub.2 , which transmit the combination of sounds originating from each point source 11, 12 and 13.
Some improvement in the reduction of such distortion of reproduced sound can be achieved through the use of stereo headphones. Since the sounds out of the right and left speakers are fed directly and exclusively into the respective right and left ears of the listener, the mixing of sounds from the right and left speakers is substantially eliminated. However, the real situation is not completely emulated and the listener cannot discern the relative position of the individual sound sources.
For the accurate reproduction of sound, the listener should be able to hear three distinct sources of sounds, (i.e., the instruments) as well as the locations of the sound sources relative to one another (since that is what the listener would hear if he were listening to a "live" performance, that is, if the listener were physically located in front of sound producing instruments 11, 12 and 13).

Multidimensional stereophonic sound reproduction system


A recessed portion is formed at a frame member provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body and having a closed cross section extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction such that a part of a lower face of the frame member is recessed upwardly, where a damper of a rear suspension is inserted and fixed. Closed cross sections are formed at a position corresponding to the recessed portion, in a longitudinal direction, of the frame member. The closed cross sections are configured to branch off from the closed cross section inwardly and outwardly in the vehicle width direction relative to the damper. A ridgeline extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction is formed at least at a portion of the frame member which is positioned in front of the recessed portion.

The present invention relates to a rear vehicle-body structure which comprises a damper support portion to support a rear suspension damper and a frame member extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, such as a rear side frame, wherein the frame member is configured to serve as the damper support portion.
As exemplified by Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-137140, a rear vehicle-body structure in which a damper support portion (a suspension attachment portion (33)) to support a rear suspension damper (hereafter, referred to as a "damper") is provided at a position located on an outward side, in a vehicle width direction, of a frame member (a rear side frame (7)) and on an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of a wheel house inner (19) is known.
Herein, differently from the above-described structure of the patent document where the frame member, the damper support portion, and the wheel house inner are arranged along the vehicle width direction, it may be considered that a recessed portion 150 is formed at a frame member 160, wherein the recessed portion 150 is configured such that a lower face of the frame member 160 is recessed upwardly, and a damper (not illustrated) is inserted, from below, into and supported at a damper insertion hole 151 which is formed at a recessed bottom of the recessed portion 150, similarly to a rear vehicle-body structure 100 illustrated in FIG. 11.
In this case, however, outward-side and inward-side closed cross sections 160sa, 160sb are formed at a longitudinal position of the frame member 160 which corresponds to the recessed portion 150, wherein the closed cross sections 160sa, 160sb are configured to branch off from a closed cross section of the frame member 460 outwardly and inwardly, in the vehicle width direction, relative to the damper as shown in FIG. 12, a sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 11. Therefore, the branch-shaped closed cross sections have a smaller total area than the other portion of the frame member which does not correspond to the recessed portion 150, so that it is difficult to secure the modulus of section. In particular, when a rear-collision load is transmitted forwardly from a rear side of the frame member in a case where an obstacle collides with a vehicle rear portion (in a rear collision), it is required that the rear-collision load does not concentrate on the portion of the frame member 160 which corresponds to the recessed portion having the small modulus of section.


Rotary drill apparatus is disclosed herein which is secured to a turning shaft by an adapter plate. A cylindrical core drill body downwardly depends from the plate to terminate in a plurality of cutting teeth capable of cutting an annular groove to define a core intended to be pulverized. An internal drill bit is carried on the plate in coaxial spaced relationship with respect to the circular arrangement of teeth for forcibly engaging the defined core so as to grind and powderize the core within the core drill body. A circulating coolant system carries the ground and powderized core away from the drill leaving no core chunks or residue.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of drilling and more particularly to a novel rotary drill having an internal drill bit surrounded by a circular cutter so that the core is pulverized and powderized for removal via a fluid circulation system.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is the current practice to reinforce existing walls of buildings by drilling a hole from the top of the wall through its height and into the foundation so that a reinforcing rod can subsequently be installed within the hole or bore, followed by retention of the rod to the existing wall construction by a suitable cement, pliable plastic or the like. In the performance of drilling, it is customary to use a circular drill so that a solid core is defined for a prescribed length. Subsequently, the drill is removed so that access can be had to the defined core which is removed as a solid piece. For extremely long holes, the procedure is repeated many times so that the resultant hole is well defined and clear of core fragments or debris. Oftentimes, the core is chopped in an independent procedure, followed by removal in pieces or the like.
Obviously, problems and difficulties are encountered when using such a conventional practice, which stem largely from the fact that repetitive drilling and core or core part removal operations are required in order to prepare the wall with a clear hole for receiving the reinforcing rod and retaining material. Inasmuch as the circular cutting of the core is initially required, followed by later removal of the core with separate equipment, this necessitates a time-consuming and multi-equipment procedure. The core formation and its ultimate removal are done in separate operations employing separate equipment.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide an economic means for providing a hole in an existing wall or formation which not only defines a core during the drilling operation but simultaneously pulverizes the core and evacuates the material of the core without the necessity of multiple drilling and core-removing steps or procedures. Such a means should be operable simultaneously by the same power equipment and should require a single drilling and pulverizing operation.


A plug for the meatus of a lacrimal canaliculus, the plug including an elongate body (2, 12, 13) having a longitudinal axis (2a) and provided at one of its ends with a collar (1, 11) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, in which the elongate body (2, 12, 13) possesses a first portion (2, 12) adjacent to the collar (1, 11) of cross-section that is elliptical with a major axis, and a second portion (3, 4, 13) which extends the first portion (2) obliquely relative to its longitudinal axis (2a) in the plane of the above-mentioned major axis of the section of the first portion.

Numerous plugs are known for performing this function. Most of them are of a shape that is designed to prevent the plug from being expelled or from disappearing into the lacrimal canaliculus. For this purpose, practically all plugs have a top collar which is preferably inclined relative to the general axis of the plug in order to bear against the edges of the meatus and thus constitute means for preventing the plug disappearing into the canaliculus, and also an enlarged portion remote from the collar forming anti-expulsion means.
The drawbacks of known plugs lie in the fact that their shapes do not comply with the natural anatomic shapes of lacrimal canaliculi and constitute sources of trauma to tissues adjacent to such canaliculi.


In systems in which air is introduced into a liquid as a source of oxygen, additional oxygen added independent of the feed air enhances the oxygen content of the liquid source significantly than if the same amount of additional oxygen were combined with the feed air.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the dissolution and/or reaction of oxygen in liquids. More particularly, it relates to the enhancing of the rate of said dissolution and/or reaction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air is commonly used as a source of oxygen in liquid phase systems to increase the dissolved oxygen concentration and/or to introduce oxygen as a reactant material. In some circumstances, it is desired to dissolve more oxygen to the liquid phase than an air-fed system can supply. The quantity of oxygen capable of being dissolved in the liquid phase from the air feed may be limited because of the inadequate mass transfer capabilities of a specific system. Also, the available air blower capacity may be inadequate to supply more air, or the system may not be able to tolerate a higher vent gas flow or, perhaps, a higher oxygen content in the vent stream.
A typical means used to improve the oxygen input rate is to increase the mass transfer rate by enriching the oxygen content of the air feed stream with pure oxygen or an oxygen-rich gas. Because the mass transfer efficiencies of commercial operating systems are often not particularly good, however, a large fraction of the added oxygen is typically lost in the vent stream. Such losses substantially increase the cost of using oxygen in this manner. In some cases, the additional oxygen cost can make such enrichment uneconomical. In addition, excessive loss of added oxygen into the vent stream increases the oxygen content of said vent stream, so that the composition of the vent gases could get into the explosive range with organic oxidation systems.
There is a desire and a need in the art to overcome such drawbacks in practical commercial gas dissolution and/or reaction operations. In particular, there is a need to improve oxygen utilization efficiency, the rate of oxygen dissolution and/or reaction and, to the extent possible, product yield in chemical reactions and/or gas dissolution systems involving oxygen where the use of additional oxygen is desired above that supplied by a feed air stream.
It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide an improved process for the dissolution and/or reaction of oxygen in liquid systems.
It is another object of the invention to provide for increasing the efficiency of oxygen utilization in air/liquid dissolution and/or reaction systems.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a process for reducing the loss of added oxygen with the vent stream as occurs in applications in which oxygen or an oxygen-rich gas is added to an air feed stream to increase the oxygen input rate in oxygen dissolution and/or reaction systems.
With these and other objects in mind, the invention is hereinafter described in detail, the novel features thereof being particularly pointed out in the appended claims.


An imaging device according to one mode of the present invention includes a taking lens formed of two or more physically separated lenses and having a plurality of regions each having an individual focal distance corresponding to a combination of the two more lenses, an image pickup element having a plurality of light-receiving sensors provided to correspond to the plurality of regions, the plurality of light-receiving sensors each selectively receiving a light beam passing through any of the plurality of regions, and an image generating unit which generates an image of a subject from an imaging signal outputted from the image pickup element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to imaging devices and, in particular, to an imaging device capable of obtaining a plurality of images with different characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of imaging devices, a technique has been known in which a plurality of images with different characteristics are obtained by imaging a plurality of times with varied imaging conditions or using lens systems having a plurality of characteristics and the obtained images are processed according to the purpose (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-271429; PTL 1 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-184844; PTL 2). In the imaging device described in PTL 1, taking lens systems for far distance and near distance are configured of a plurality of semicircular lenses, and a far distance image and a near distance image are obtained each from a half of each image pickup element. Also, in the imaging device described in PTL 2, an optical member is arranged between a test object and an image plane. By rotating the optical member about an optical axis or moving the optical member in an optical axis direction or by cutting one lens into semicircular portions and arranging these portions with their positions in the optical axis direction being shifted, images of a plurality of test objects spaced apart from each other in the optical axis direction are formed on the same image plane.


According to one embodiment, an object handling device causes a hand to grasp, convey, and place an object in a container. The object handling device includes one or more processors configured to calculate an expanded interference region by combining an interference region of the hand interfering with another object and an interference region of the grasped object interfering with the another object; calculate at least a placement position between the placement position and a placement posture of the object in the container in accordance with information on an obstacle in the container and the expanded interference region; and calculate a release position at which the hand releases the object, on the basis of the placement position of the object.

To expand automation in logistics and manufacturing facilities, handling systems using a robot arm are increasingly introduced. For use of a robotic hand to grasp and carry an object into a container, for example, it is preferable for not only the object but also the robotic hand not to interfere with peripheral obstacles.
Methods for checking interference in the motion path of a robot model from CAD data of the robot model are proposed. Such methods, however, require a high implementation cost for model generation and a longer processing time due to the search for interference.
It is thus preferable to provide an object handling device and a computer program product that can grasp and handle an object by an easily feasible, higher-speed method without interference with peripheral obstacles.

Object handling device and computer program product

TOSHIBA INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS CORPORATION


The present invention facilitates efficient and effective utilization of storage management features. In one embodiment, a memory device comprises a memory interface, an ECC generation component, and storage components. The memory interface is configured to receive an access request to an address at which data is stored. The memory interface can also forward responses to the request including the data and ECC information associated with the data. The ECC generation component is configured to automatically establish an address at which the ECC information is stored based upon the receipt of the access request to an address at which data is stored. In one exemplary implementation, the internal establishment of the address at which the ECC information is stored is automatic. The storage components are configured to store the information.

Electronic systems and devices have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating information in a variety of business, science, education, and entertainment applications. These electronic systems and devices typically include storage of information in memory components. However, there are a variety of issues that can impact storage or memory performance and reliability.
Conventional approaches to management of storage devices typically involve memory controllers directing the management operations. While these approaches may permit the memory controllers to maintain a fair amount of control, communications and processing between the memory controllers and memory devices can give rise to bandwidth and latency issues. Resolving bandwidth issues can involve balancing resource consumption versus cost. For example, increasing communication bus size can involve increased costs and consumption of limited resources (e.g., semiconductor space, etc.). However, maintaining smaller bus sizes can give rise to slower performance and latency issues. Smaller buses typically mean additional access commands have to be issued, which often add uncertainty to operational characteristics (e.g., access progress, timing behaviors, latency guarantees, etc.).
Some conventional applications have significant requirements for accuracy and speed (e.g., autonomous driving vehicles, medical equipment, high finance applications, etc.). These applications can include measures such as ECC (Error Correcting Code) for accuracy, however these conventional approaches typically require more information (e.g., ECC information, etc.) to be communicated between a processor and a memory. Many of these approaches are implemented on systems with limited bandwidth features and can involve issuance of multiple commands for memory accesses associated with retrieving data and associated ECC information. However, the multiple commands and corresponding processing latency issues can make the operation timing unreliable and non-deterministic. In applications requiring accuracy and speed, unreliable and non-deterministic issues can give rise to serious consequences (e.g., crashes in autonomous driving vehicles, injury in medical procedures using the systems, etc.).


The present invention provides a capacitor charging circuit that efficiently charges capacitive loads. In particular, circuits and techniques are preferably provided for using current from both the primary and secondary windings of a transformer to control ON-time and OFF-time of a switch. This arrangement preferably yields an adaptable ON-time and adaptable OFF-time switch that is capable of rapidly charging capacitor loads ranging from as low as zero volts to several hundred volts. The output voltage is preferably measured indirectly to prevent unnecessary power consumption. In addition, control circuitry can be provided to conserve power by ceasing the delivery of power to the capacitor load once the desired output voltage is reached. Control circuitry preferably operates an interrogation timer that periodically activates the power delivery cycle to maintain the capacitor output load in a constant state of readiness.

This invention relates to charging capacitive loads. More particularly, this invention relates to charging capacitive loads in photoflash systems.
In conventional photoflash systems, fixed frequency switching power supply topologies are typically used to provide power to a capacitive load. For example, in fixed frequency applications, a portion of the period associated with the frequency can be used to turn a power switch (e.g., transistor) ON and another portion of the period can be used to turn the switch OFF. A ratio of ON-time TON versus OFF-time TOFF can be set to adjust the duty ratio applied to the power switch. During ON-time, the power switch is activated and then during OFF-time, the power switch is OFF. The TOFF/TON ratio can be adjusted to provide the appropriate power to the capacitive load during the switching cycle of the switching power supply. Typical DC-to-DC converters, for example, employ this technique. Therefore, under varying load conditions or output voltage requirements, conventional switching power supply topologies can adjust the TOFF/TON ratio to meet output voltage and load requirements.
This approach as it relates to photoflash systems, however, has several potential problems. One problem is that the photoflash capacitor voltage can vary continuously from, for example, 0V at the start of a charging cycle to 300V at the end of the charging cycle. This wide variation in voltages can put demands that are impractical to implement on conventional power switching supplies. For example, some conventional switching power supplies may not have the capability to adjust the TOFF/TON ratio to provide power to charge output capacitor loads that vary over a wide voltage range.
Another potential problem that may occur with conventional power switching supplies is that the output voltage feedback mechanism used to monitor the output voltage can be a source of constant power dissipation. For example, a feedback mechanism may include a resistor divider coupled between the output capacitor load and ground. During operation, this coupling exhibits an I2R power loss. Furthermore, several tens of microamps may be required to be conducted in the resistor divider to minimize the affect of finite input impedance of the feedback mechanism. In addition, when the conventional switching supply operates to maintain a relatively high output voltage (e.g., 300V), the feedback mechanism can dissipate several milliwatts. Since it is desirable to maintain the capacitor voltage at flash ready status, the feedback mechanism has to constantly monitor the capacitor voltage to ensure that the proper voltage is maintained, thus creating an undesirable long term power loss.
Another problem that can occur with conventional switching power supplies is that the switching action required to obtain the proper output voltage cannot be stopped. Instead, the conventional switching power supply continuously adjusts the TOFF/TON ratio to maintain a constant output voltage relative to a given load. In other words, the conventional switching power supply continues to supply power to the load even when the desired capacitor voltage has been reached. This can add additional power losses that reduce the efficiency of conventional photoflash systems.

Capacitor charging circuitry and methodology implementing controlled on and off time switching


The present invention relates to a method of producing a tableted chewing gum composition for oral administration of cannabinoids, the method comprises the steps of: i) feeding a gum composition comprising water-insoluble gum base into an extruder from one or more feeding inlets, optionally including additional ingredients, ii) pressurizing the gum composition in the extruder while controlling temperature and pressure of the gum composition, optionally including further ingredients from one or more feeding inlets, iii) extruding the gum composition through a die means, iv) cutting the extruded gum composition in a liquid filled chamber, thereby obtaining a first population of particles comprising water-insoluble gum base, v) including the first population of particles with a second population of particles comprising water-soluble chewing gum ingredients and one or more cannabinoids, the second population of particles being free of water-insoluble gum base, thereby obtaining a chewing gum composition and vi) tableting the chewing gum composition in a tablet pressing apparatus, thereby obtaining a tableted chewing gum composition.

Cannabinoids are known for their health improving properties and have been used with respect to various medical purposes in the past. Among these medical purposes, cannabinoids have in particular been used for alleviating or treating different kinds of pain and counteracting side effects in relation to cancer treatment, such as nausea.
One way of administering cannabinoids is by inhalation or smoking. A problem related to such administration is that rapid blood absorption via the lungs may be undesirable. Smoking may not only have certain side effects, but the administration of cannabinoids may also be difficult to manage with respect to safety.
US 2016/0354310 discloses a method of producing cannabinoid chewing gum as a medical carrier of cannabinoids. The method disclosed herein involve heating of gum base in a container together with a sugar alcohol and discharging the melted gum base mixture into a separate container where another sugar alcohol mixture is present. After the mixture has been mixed for a period, the mixture is subsequently milled into a desired particle range and tableted in a tableting apparatus. However, various problems and challenges are associated with the chewing gum disclosed. While the procedure may require extensive manual labor work, the process may also involve problems with the sticking nature of gum base during the process of mixing, milling and tableting.
In general, less attention is addressed in the prior art of cannabinoids to methods of producing tableted cannabinoid chewing gum compositions that involve a smooth, economically beneficial and automated procedure. Also, less attention is given on the impact of the chewing gum platform and the choice of gum bases used in the production process for the sensorics properties of chewing gum with cannabinoids as well as release improving properties. Here, important sensorics properties include initial chew, texture, flavor perception, sweetness perception and off-notes associated with cannabinoids. These properties are both relevant from a convenience perspective in chewing gum, but certainly also in order to support an appropriate delivery of cannabinoids from chewing gum and avoid adverse side effects of cannabinoids.
Hence, there is a need in the prior art for improved methods of producing tableted cannabinoid chewing gum formulations that solve the above-referenced challenges and problems of the prior art. In particular, there is a need in the prior art for new chewing gum platforms and gum base formulations for use in chewing gum that support appropriate delivery of cannabinoids combined with beneficial sensorics properties.

Method of producing tableted cannabinoid chewing gum


A method of forming patterns in a semiconductor device comprises: forming a conductive film on a substrate; forming an anti-reflective layer on the conductive film; cleaning oxide residues on the anti-reflective layer using a first cleaning solution; cleaning the oxide residues on the anti-reflective layer using a second cleaning solution; forming a photoresist pattern on the anti-reflective layer; and patterning the conductive film using the photoresist pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device; more specifically, a method of forming patterns in semiconductor device.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, semiconductor memory devices comprise a volatile memory device and a non-volatile memory device. The volatile memory devices comprise a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device and a static random access memory device (SRAM). The non-volatile memory devices comprise an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) and an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM).
The volatile memory device usually has one transistor and one capacitor. Thus, for example, a 16M-DRAM device has about 16,000,000 transistors and about 16,000,000 capacitors per unit chip. A capacitor of the DRAM device includes a storage node, a cell plate, and a dielectric layer.
The non-volatile memory device has a vertically stacked (multi-layered) gate structure including a floating gate formed on a semiconductor substrate. The vertically stacked gate structure of the non-volatile memory device typically comprises at least one tunnel oxide film or at least one interlayer dielectrics (ILD), and a control gate formed over the floating gate or near the floating gate.
Recently, widths of wirings and distances between the wirings have been greatly reduced, and minute and more intricate patterns are warranted as the volatile and non-volatile memory devices became more highly integrated. To form the minute patterns, minute photoresist patterns needed to be formed using an anti-reflective layer (ARL) because the ARL minimizes interference that may be caused by underlying films. Generally, conductive patterns of the memory device have been formed using minute photoresist patterns.
Methods for forming patterns of a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device using an anti-reflective layer are disclosed in Korean Patent Laid Open Publication No. 2002-34772, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,174,816 and 6,380,611 (issued to Zhiping Yin et. al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,703 (issued to Lewis Shen et. al.).
FIGS. 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views illustrating a conventional method of forming patterns of a semiconductor device.
Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, after an insulation film 15 mainly including oxide is formed on a semiconductor substrate 10, a conductive film 20 including polysilicon, metal or metal compound is formed on the insulation film 15.
An anti-reflective layer (ARL) 25 is formed on the conductive film 20. The ARL 25 includes silicon oxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride.
After a photoresist film (not shown) is formed on the ARL 25, the photoresist film is patterned to form photoresist patterns 30 for the formation of conductive patterns 35 using a photo process.
The ARL 25 is etched using the photoresist pattern 30 as an etching mask to form an ARL pattern 40. The conductive film 20 is successively etched to form the conductive patterns 35 on the insulation film 15.
The photoresist patterns 30 and the ARL pattern 40 are removed from the conductive patterns 35, thereby completing the conductive pattern 35. The conductive patterns 35 serve as a bit line or a word line of a semiconductor device.
However, in the above-described method of forming the pattern, oxide residues are generated from a purge gas containing nitrogen oxide that is used during a purge process for forming the ARL. Because the oxide residues may not be completely removed from the ARL through a pre-treating process of forming the photoresist pattern, the photoresist patterns may be lifted from the ARL or the photoresist patterns may cling to each other. Thus, the conductive patterns may be lifted or connected to each other in accordance with the lifted or clung photoresist patterns. The conductive patterns lifted or connected cause failures in the semiconductor device. This problem will be more apparent by viewing FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of a conventional method for forming patterns in semiconductor device. FIG. 3 is an electron microscopic picture showing conductive patterns formed according to the conventional method.
Referring to FIG. 2A, a purge gas generally including nitrogen oxide is introduced to purge the ARL 25 during a formation of the ARL 25. Then, oxide residues 45 are generated on the ARL 25 due to the purge gas. When the photoresist patterns 30 are formed on the ARL 25 on which the oxide residues 45 exist, an adhesion strength between the photoresist pattern 30 and the ARL 25 may be reduced. As a result, the photoresist patterns 30 may be lifted from the ARL 30 or adjacent photoresist patterns 30 may cling to each other.
Referring to FIGS. 2B and 3, the conductive patterns 35 are formed by etching the conductive film 20 using the lifted or clung photoresist patterns 30 as an etching mask. The conductive patterns 35 may not have desired shapes and dimensions because the conductive patterns 35 may not be formed or adjacent conductive patterns 35 may cling to each other. These conductive patterns 35 cause the failure of the semiconductor device, and manufacturing yield is reduced.
A need therefore exists to provide a method of forming patterns in semiconductor device that prevents the lifting and clinging of conductive patterns.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device