The present invention is a process for manufacturing resistors integral with the printed circuit board by plating the resistors onto the insulative substrate. The invention uses a mask during the activation step so as to selectively activate only selected portions of the surface thus enabling smaller areas to be plated on the printed circuit board because no plating mask is used. The process of the instant invention produced printed circuit boards having greater uniformity and reliability as compared to the prior art.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of double-sided or multi-layer printed circuit boards with integral plated resistors. The proposed method selectively activates exposed areas of a metal clad laminate to accept plating thereon in a process for manufacturing printed circuit boards. The method of the instant invention does not use a plating mask so that much smaller areas may be plated onto the printed circuit board. Other advantages are also realized by the process of the instant invention as compared to the prior art.
In the manufacture of printed circuits, it is commonplace to provide planar boards having circuitry on each side thereof. It is also commonplace to produce boards comprised of integral planar laminates of insulating substrate and conductive metal, wherein one or more parallel innerlayers or planes of the conductive metal, separated by insulating substrate, are present within the structure with the exposed outer surfaces, along with the inner planes, of the laminate containing printed circuit patterns.
The typical manufacturing sequence for producing printed circuit boards begins with a copper-clad laminate. The copper-clad laminate comprises a glass reinforced epoxy insulating substrate with copper foil adhered to both planar surfaces of the substrate, although other types of insulating substrates such as paper phenolic and polyimide have also been used. In the case of multi-layer boards, the starting material is a copper clad laminate, which comprises inner planes of circuitry called innerlayers.
Simple printed circuit boards and innerlayers of a multi-layer circuit board are generally produced through a technique called print and etch. In this manner, a photopolymer is laminated or coated on the copper surface of a copper clad laminate. The photopolymer is then selectively imaged using negative or positive photomask technology and developed to produce the desired circuit pattern on the surfaces of the copper clad laminate. The exposed copper is then etched away and the photopolymer stripped, revealing the desired circuit pattern.
Embedded passive technology (EPT) is a relatively new technology that has been used to fabricate passives, such as resistors and capacitors, into printed circuit boards during the board fabrication process. Compared with integrated passives, in which passive arrays and networks are arranged on carrier substrates, embedded passives are fabricated into the substrate during processing. EPT is driven by various factors, including the need for better electrical performance, higher packaging density of passives, and potential cost savings. Using EPT, passives may be placed directly below the active device, thus resulting in a shorter distance between the passive and active components and reducing the parasitic effect associated with surface mounted passives, resulting in better signal transmission and less cross talk.
One example of an EPT process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,090 to Kukanskis et al., the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This process involves the following sequence of processing steps: 1) applying an etch resist on the surface of a metal clad laminate (or multilayer package) in a desired pattern, wherein the pattern preferably defines the conductive circuits desired in a positive manner and defines the areas between the circuits and locations for the resistors in a negative manner; 2) etching away the exposed copper and preferably removing the etch resist; 3) activating the surfaces to accept plating thereon; 4) applying a plating mask which covers substantially all of the surfaces except for the areas where the resistors are to be plated; 5) plating the exposed areas with a resistive material; 6) stripping away the plating mask; and 7) coating the surface of the board with a protective coating.
In contrast, the process of the instant invention does not use a mask during the plating step but instead selectively activates the surface of the metal-clad laminate so as to prevent the entire surface of the substrate from being activated. The selective activation step is generally accomplished using a mask to prevent the entire substrate from being activated. The remaining steps in the process are similar to the process described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,090.
The method of the instant invention provides several key advantages over methods of the prior art.
One notable advantage of the process of the instant invention is that there is no galvanic plating effect caused by the copper cladding. Galvanic effects change the plating potential at the resistor site so that the deposition of the resistive metal will either become less efficient, thereby causing skip plating, or will plate at a greatly reduced thickness, thereby yielding much higher resistor values or a porous plate that will fail under testing. The process of the instant invention solves the problem of galvanic effects by opening up non-essential areas on the copper circuit by removing the plating mask, and causing these areas to plate, thus changing the potential at the resistor site so that uniform plating can be realized. By plating all of the resistors by the novel process of the instant invention, the inventors have discovered that galvanic effects appear to be eliminated.
A second advantage in the process of the instant invention is the ability to plate smaller areas on the printed circuit board because no plating mask is used. The plating mask will create a higher aspect ratio on the three dimensional surface created by the etched copper circuitry, thereby preventing solution access and/or movement into small plating areas. It is generally necessary to use a plating mask to prevent the whole board from plating, which will occur on any activated surface. The process of the instant invention advantageously does not use a plating mask but uses a mask only for selectively activating the surface prior to plating.
The process of the instant invention also realizes greater uniformity and consistency. The inventors have surprisingly observed greater uniformity of resistance for different size resistors.
Finally, the resistive metal used in the process of the instant invention may obviate the need for oxidation of the copper circuitry. Normally, copper circuits used to make a multi-layer core have to be coated with an oxide to reduce the interaction of the copper with the substrate and thereby minimize the likelihood that the multi-layer board will delaminate during the assembly operation. The plating solution of the instant invention provides a barrier layer that does not need further processing to avoid delamination in subsequent processing steps.
The current invention discloses a process for printing and plating resistors as an integral part of a printed circuit board. The foregoing process is described in its basic form by the following sequence of processing steps:
(a) printing and etching an electronic circuit in a desired pattern on a surface of a metal clad laminate (or multilayer package). The desired pattern should preferably define the conductive circuits desired in a positive manner and should define the areas between the circuits and the locations for the resistors in a negative manner. The laminate will then generally comprise a polymer-based core with metal cladding thereupon in the form of the desired circuit pattern, and openings in said desired pattern of said electronic circuit onto which a resistive material can be plated;
(b) coating said printed and etched electronic circuit (laminate) with a resist so that the openings in the desired pattern and a portion of the metal cladding are exposed;
(c) conditioning and selectively activating the exposed areas of the laminate to accept plating thereon;
(d) stripping the resist; and
(e) plating the activated area with said resistive material to create an integral plated resistor.
In an alternative and preferred embodiment, the printed and etched electronic circuit may be conditioned prior to being coated with a photoresist, instead of during the activation step.
In a preferred embodiment, the substrate may be subjected to a dielectric etchant after step (b) but before step (c) in order to uniformize the dielectric surface. The inventors have found that with most materials, etching at this point to uniformize the dielectric surface will provide plated resistors with more constant and predictable resistance.
In another preferred embodiment, after step (e), the plated resistors are coated with a dielectric material to protect the board from damage in subsequent processing steps and enhance the durability of the resulting product.
The processes described herein provide a method of forming a resistor between two conductive areas, which areas are upon and separated by an insulating substrate. The method described provides for plating a resistive material onto the insulating substrate, which is between the conductive areas, such that the resistive material connects the conductive areas. The processes described are particularly useful in producing printed circuit boards with plated resistors, which are integral with the circuits. The processes described herein also provide a method for subsequent lamination of the printed circuit boards to produce multi-layer boards.
An example of a processing sequence for the practice of the invention is described as follows:
(a) apply an etch resist onto the surfaces of a metal clad laminate such that the resist defines the desired circuitry in a positive manner and the areas between the circuits, including the locations for the resistors, are defined in a negative manner;
(b) etch away exposed copper surfaces and strip the resist;
(c) optionally, treat the exposed dielectric surfaces with a process selected from the group consisting of chemical etching, plasma etching, laser normalization, vapor blasting, sanding, shot blasting, and sand blasting;
(d) activate the exposed dielectric surfaces through a mask to selectively activate only portions of the exposed dielectric surfaces;
(e) strip the resist;
(f) plate the activated surfaces with a resistive material;
(g) optionally, contact the plated areas with an oxidant;
(h) optionally, coat the resistors with a permanent protective coating.
Steps (a) and (b) together call for the creation of defined circuitry on the surfaces of a metal clad dielectric laminate (or multi-layer packagexe2x80x94several layers of circuitry containing one or more innerlayers of circuitry, which have been laminated into a single planar package. The innerlayers may or may not contain the plated resistors of this invention. If so, then the innerlayers may be fabricated by the process described herein). The metal clad laminate may optionally have through holes in it in a desired array. The through holes may or may not be plated at this point. The key in steps (a) and (b) is the definition and creation of a circuit pattern on the surfaces of the metal clad laminate along with the definition and creation of specific breaks in the circuitry where the resistors will be plated (the xe2x80x9cresistor areasxe2x80x9d). The length and width of the specific resistor areas will obviously directly impact the resistance achieved after plating.
The definition and creation of circuitry and the resistor areas can be accomplished in many ways. The most prevalent way is through the subtractive process as described in current steps (a) and (b). In the subtractive process, a metal (usually copper) clad laminate is used. The metal clad laminate comprises a planar dielectric substrate with metal foil adhered to both exterior surfaces. As discussed, the dielectric substrate is typically glass reinforced epoxy, but can also be a variety of other insulative materials known in the art. In any case, a resist pattern is applied to the metal surfaces such that the resist defines the circuits in a positive manner and the areas between the circuits and the resistor areas in a negative manner. The most typical way of accomplishing this is to use a photoresist. In this case the photoresist is applied to the metal surfaces in either liquid or dry form. The photoresist is then selectively exposed to actinic radiation through a photomask. Depending on the photomask technology used, the unexposed or exposed areas of the resist are developed away revealing the desired pattern. As an alternative, the resist may be screened onto the metal surfaces directly in the desired pattern. After the circuits are defined with the resist, the exposed copper areas are etched away and the resist is stripped revealing the circuits. Thus the areas between the circuits and the resistor areas are now bare dielectric.
Step (c) is optional, but recommended. In order for the resistors to be usable and reliable the resistance must be predictable, relatively constant and reliable. The inventors have found that in order to achieve plated resistors with predictable, relatively constant and reliable resistance, the dielectric surface to be plated with the resistor must be uniform. In this regard the inventors have achieved dielectric surface uniformity and predictable, relatively constant and reliable resistance of the plated resistors by uniformizing the dielectric surface upon which the resistor is to be plated. Uniformizing can be achieved in several ways such as vapor blasting, chemical etching, plasma etching, laser normalization or mechanical uniformization. Mechanical uniformization can be achieved by sanding, sand blasting or shot blasting. The inventors have found that surface uniformization through chemical etching to be the most reliable and efficient means. The particular etchant used in this regard must be matched with the dielectric being used. However, if glass reinforced epoxy is used, the inventors have found that alkaline permanganate, concentrated sulfuric acid, chromic acid or plasma to be particularly useful in etching and uniformizing the surface of the dielectric. Solutions of sodium or potassium permanganate at concentrations in excess of 50 grams/liter, in 10% by weight caustic solution, at temperatures in excess of 140xc2x0 F. and for times of 2 to 20 minutes are preferred in this regard. If permanganates are used in this regard they may be preceded with a swellant or sensitizer, which makes the dielectric more susceptible to the permanganate etch. A typical swellant for epoxy is m-pyrol applied full strength at from 90-120xc2x0 F. for from 1 to 5 minutes. In addition the permanganate etch is typically followed by an acid reducing solution, which will remove the permanganate residues.
Step (d) involved selectively activating the surfaces to be plated. A mask is used so that the surface is selectively activated only on the surfaces not covered by the mask. Activation of the surfaces can range in complexity from a single dip in a precious metal activator (or non-precious metal or other activators know in the art) to a full plating cycle involving numerous steps. Typically the activation process will begin with a conditioner (surfactant or other type), followed by an activator (PdCl2/SnCl2 Colloid) and an accelerator. Clean water rinses are interposed between each chemical treatment. Regardless of the activation cycle chosen, its primary purpose is to treat the surfaces such that they initiate and accept plating. A wide variety of methods for achieving conditioning and activation are known in the art, any of which may be advantageously utilized here. U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,427 (Kukanskis, et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,990 (Bach et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,758 (Rhodenizer), the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, disclose suitable conditioning and activation methods useful in the process of the instant invention.
In an alternative embodiment, the inventors have found that it may be advantageous to condition the surface prior to applying the photoresist in steps (a) and (b) instead of during the activation step. Conditioning generally involves treatment of the surfaces with aqueous solutions of organic substances such as surfactants or organosilanes in order to enhance subsequent activation and plating. Conditioning is further described in the patents referenced above.
Step (e) involves a simple stripping of the resist. Depending upon the resist used, the stripping can occur in aqueous alkaline solutions or in solutions of organic solvents. The use of aqueous strippable resists is preferred. In addition, one should be sure that the resist stripping operation does not negatively affect the conditioning and activation of the surfaces or the subsequent plating.
Step (f) involves plating the resistors, and optionally but preferably, the exposed copper surfaces. At this stage the plating will occur only on the areas selectively activated in step (d) (i.e. the resistor areas, preferably with some overlap onto the circuits where the resistor connects to the circuits and exposed copper surfaces). A variety of plating baths can advantageously be used. The inventors have found electroless nickel-phosphorous, electroless and precious metal plating baths, including palladium-phosphorus, or ruthenium-phosphorus electroless plating baths, to be particularly useful in this regard. In addition, it may be optionally desirable to clean and/or accelerate the surfaces prior to plating.
Obviously, the thickness of the metal plated has a direct impact on the resistivity of the resultant resistor. The inventors have found that typically it is advantageous to plate metal thickness in the range of from 0.05 to 0.2 microns, preferably 0.10 microns. Plating advantageously takes 5 to 10 minutes, more preferably 2 to 3 minutes depending upon the plating bath used and the ultimate resistance desired.
Depending upon the ultimate resistance desired, the following factors may be adjusted to vary the resistivity of the resultant resistor: type of metal plated, thickness of the metal plated, length of the resistor and, width of the resistor. With regard to type of metal plated, the phosphorous content of the metal-phosphorous will affect the resistivity of the final deposit. All of the foregoing factors may be varied to achieve the ultimate resistance desired. The inventors have found that the intrinsic resistance of the metal plated increases with the phosphorous content of the metal. They have found, for example, that it is most advantageous to plate the resistors with nickel having a phosphorous content of greater than 10% by weight. The inventors have found that high phosphorous containing metals, produce a plated coating with relatively high intrinsic resistance. Therefore, for any given desired ultimate resistance for the resistor, a greater thickness of material (holding length and width constant) can be plated, thereby yielding more reliable plated resistors. This also allows for commercially acceptable plating times
Step (g) optionally provides for controlled oxidation of the plated resistor metal preferably by controlled chemical oxidation. The inventors have discovered that controlled oxidation is a method for increasing the resistivity of the plated resistor and more importantly of providing for more predictable resistance on a consistent basis. In this regard, a variety of oxidants may be used including potassium iodate, which is preferred. If potassium iodate is used, an aqueous solution with from 10-75 gr/l potassium iodate at a temperature of 90xc2x0 C. and for a time of 5 minutes has proven effective. Here again, the higher intrinsic resistance material allows for greater thickness of plated material (other variables constant), more reliable plated resistors and commercially acceptable plating times.
Finally, step (h) provides for coating the resistors with a permanent protective coating. It is usually desirable to coat the surfaces of the board, including the plated resistors, with a dielectric material such as a solder mask or an epoxy or other resin system. Other systems would also be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. This protective coating serves to protect the board from damage in subsequent processing steps and enhances the durability of the resulting product. Typical solder mask processing is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,3344, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Method for the manufacture of printed circuit boards with integral plated resistors


A lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly having a positive electrode (1), a negative electrode (2) having a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer formed on a surface of the negative electrode current collector and composed of a binder and negative electrode active material particles containing silicon and/or a silicon alloy, and a separator (3) interposed between the electrodes. The electrode assembly is impregnated with a non-aqueous electrolyte. The binder contains a polyimide resin represented by the following chemical formula (1):

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lithium secondary batteries and methods of manufacturing the batteries.
2. Description of Related Art
Mobile information terminal devices such as mobile telephones, notebook computers, and PDAs have become smaller and lighter at a rapid pace in recent years. This has led to a demand for higher capacity batteries as the drive power source for the mobile information terminal devices. With their high energy density and high capacity, lithium-ion batteries that perform charge and discharge by transferring lithium ions between the positive and negative electrodes have been widely used as the driving power sources for the mobile information terminal devices.
The mobile information terminal devices tend to have higher power consumption as the functions of the devices, such as moving picture playing functions and gaming functions. It is strongly desired that the lithium-ion batteries that are the drive power source for the devices have further higher capacities and higher performance in order to achieve longer battery life and improved output power. In view of these circumstances, attempts have been made to use a silicon alloy and a tin alloy, which can absorb a large amount of lithium per unit volume, as the negative electrode active material so that the discharge capacity of the lithium secondary battery can be increased.
The lithium secondary battery that uses the above-described negative electrode active material, however, suffers from the expansion and shrinkage of the negative electrode active material that are associated with charge-discharge operations. This results in fractures of the binder resin, which binds the negative electrode active material together inside the negative electrode active material layer and joins the negative electrode active material with the negative electrode current collector, and peeling-off of the negative electrode active material and the negative electrode current collector at the interfaces with the binder resin. Therefore, a problem has been that the current collection structure is broken within the negative electrode, resulting in degradation of electron conductivity inside the negative electrode and poor cycle performance.
In view of the problem, it has been proposed to use a high-strength polymer such as polyimide as the binder of the negative electrode (see, for example, WO 2004/004031).
Even when the just-mentioned conventional polyimide resin is used as the binder, the adhesion and the strength of the resin have still been insufficient. Thus, the initial charge-discharge efficiency and the cycle performance have not been improved sufficiently. Therefore, there exists a need for improvements.
In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a lithium secondary battery that can inhibit fractures of the binder resin and peeling-off of the negative electrode active material and the negative electrode current collector at the interfaces with the binder resin even when charge-discharge operations are performed repeatedly, so that the electron conductivity within the negative electrode can be prevented from deterioration and the cycle performance can be improved. It is another principal object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing such a battery.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lithium secondary battery that shows good cycle performance and also achieves high energy density even with the use of silicon particles and the like as the negative electrode active material, and to provide a method of manufacturing such a battery.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Lithium secondary battery and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract: where R contains at least a benzene ring, and n is within the range of from 10 to 100,000, and the negative electrode active material particles have an average particle size of 5 μm or greater.


A system to diagnose potential malfunctions in semiconductor manufacturing equipment components, this system includes a transducer to monitor component vibration signatures of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment components. This transducer provides an output signal representative of the component vibration signature to an electrical circuit. The electrical circuit contains a transmitter which transmits via a carrier signal, a data signal representative of the output signal of the transducer. A computer system receives and stores the data signal. The computer system contains a software application to analyze the data signal and alert a user to differences between the data signal and a historical signal.

Semiconductor manufacturing of integrated circuits is a long, complex, and expensive process. As new demands and technologies are introduced and integrated into semiconductor manufacturing the cost of manufacturing has only increased. A typical semiconductor manufacturing process may require between 200-300 steps. Since equipment malfunctions are inevitable, timely identification of these malfunctions is necessary to maintain profitability of the manufacturing process.
One solution, embraced by semiconductor manufacturers has been a structured approach in which a series of experiments is performed to understand equipment processing conditions. A typical example of this process is illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 represents a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process. The process outputs of interest are the film thickness of the deposited films, film refractive index, stress on the wafer due to the deposited film, and the film non-uniformity. The process inputs manipulated to get the desired values of the outputs are, three gases G1, G2, G3; radio frequency (RF) power used to create the plasma; and the pressure in the vacuum chamber. Suppose that due to a miscalibration in one of the gas delivery systems the delivered gas flow is different from the requested flow. This could cause one or more of the process outputs to be different from the desired values. Since the future processing steps depend on previous steps, and the functionality of the integrated circuit relies on each set performing to specifications, one would like to quickly identify the miscalibrated gas flow and correct it before it prevents a large amount of semiconductor material from being correctly manufactured.
The diagnosis techniques described in this example make use of process models for fault isolation. Process models describe relationships between process inputs and outputs. Process models can be obtained by two main techniques. The first is by modeling the underlying physics of the process, resulting in physically based models. The second technique ignores the underlying physics but models the process implemented by the equipment as a "black box" by fitting a predetermined functional form to process outputs (responses) at carefully selected inputs. Such models are called response surface models (RSM) discussed in a book entitled Empirical Model-Building and Response Surfaces, published by John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1987. The diagnostic techniques described in this example invention have been tested on RSM models, but could in principle be applied to physically based models also.
This process model illustrated in FIG. 2, directly examines the process output of the equipment but only indirectly examines the operation of the equipment itself by determining the difference between the expected output and the actual output based on a set of measured process inputs. Furthermore this solution often requires sensors to violate internal pressure boundaries of the semiconductor equipment.
Measurement and analysis of vibration data is a well-known method of directly monitoring the operating condition of equipment. Vibration occurs as a normal by-product of the interaction of moving parts within equipment. An individual equipment component may produce a baseline vibration signature. Changes in the equipment component vibration signature indicate a change in the dynamic characteristics of the machine, often caused by a defect or deterioration of moving parts.
The prior art reveals several methods and apparatus for monitoring vibration. Some devices continuously monitor overall vibration in the time or frequency domain, and provide an indication of an alarm condition when preset vibration levels have been exceeded, (e.g., Shima et al., Judging System For Detecting Failure of Machine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,544, Dec. 28, 1982).
Another method of vibration analysis is "Vibration Signature Analysis," which is most often accomplished in the frequency domain. Under this method, time-domain vibration data are converted to the frequency domain using a Fourier Transform. The unique frequency spectrum obtained is often termed the "signature" of the machine. A signature of a machine under test may be analyzed and compared to a signature for a normal machine. Differences in the two spectra may indicate an abnormal condition. Prior art devices capable of providing a frequency spectrum are known. One such device includes a handheld probe for collecting vibration data, and the capability of executing a Fast Fourier Transform to provide a frequency spectrum, (e.g., Microlog IMS, available from Palomar Technology International, Carlsbad, Calif.). Morrow also discloses a data acquisition system which performs an automatic frequency spectrum analysis whenever a probable or actual malfunction is detected (Morrow, Data Acquisition System, U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,205, Jan. 15, 1980).
A common problem associated with most of the prior art monitoring equipment is that they usually require a human operator to analyze and compare the signatures.
Prior art inventions lack the sophisticated electronic circuitry and data processing necessary for automatic comparison of the spectra and for rendering a decision regarding the condition of the machine under test, with only minimal human interface.
Prior art inventions are also generally incapable of analyzing machines under transient conditions, and thus find applications restricted to steady state operation. Still other prior art devices are incapable of extracting events, or specific sections of interest in a typical vibration signal. Also, many prior art devices are large and bulky, or require interfacing with a mainframe computer. Finally, most prior art devices require the analysis equipment to be located proximate the machine element to be analyzed. For example, bearings on electric motors are typically monitored by placing sensing devices on the bearing housings themselves.

Non-invasive system and method for diagnosing potential malfunctions of semiconductor equipment components


A clutch handler is provided for removal and installation of vehicle parts, such as clutches and the like. The clutch handler comprises a base, a lift arm mechanism including a base end and a distal end, the base end being pivotally mounted to the base by a unique linkage. This linkage allows a clutch to be flipped between the horizontal and the vertical positions without the user""s assistance.

The present invention relates generally to devices for the servicing of heavy-duty truck clutches. More particularly, the present invention relates to clutch handlers.
In heavy-duty truck clutches, a mechanic has to manually lower or raise a clutch from the clutch housing to ground level. Due to the weight and size of truck clutches and of the confined space that exists under a vehicle, a few devices have been introduced in the past to assist mechanics with the tasks of removing and installing clutches and components. Because of the low floor clearance found on newer trucks, a particular handler style has become more popular among mechanics. On these cart styles, a clutch can be flipped from a horizontal position to a vertical position to allow the lifting device with the clutch to slide under a truck without having to lift the truck off the floor. Prior art clutch handlers of the type(s) mentioned above include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,265, to Barry et al., issued Mar. 2, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,875 to Craychee et al., issued Oct. 12, 1993; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,864 to Crow et al., issued Feb. 20, 2001 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Furthermore, it is common knowledge that after a certain amount of usage of commercial and recreational vehicles, operative parts thereof, including flywheels, clutches, starters, transmissions, drive shafts, bell housings and the like, wear or breakdown therefore need repair or replacement. Because of the weight, size and shape of such parts, and the confined space in which a mechanic must ordinarily work, handling of such parts, when being removed or installed is time-consuming, strenuous and dangerous unless a properly designed mechanical device is employed.
A conventional mechanical or hydraulic jack is generally unsatisfactory for this purpose because of its failure to provide adequate support for parts of irregular shape, with the resulting danger that the removed part may topple from the jack and injure the mechanic. In addition, use of the conventional jack has been objectionable because such devices have required laborious and time-consuming efforts of the mechanic and usually requires assistance by another mechanic or helper in removing or installing the automotive part being replaced or repaired. The additional effort and assistance are necessary because conventional jacks do not provide a means to adjustably guide the part on the jack so that it can be lifted and returned to its original position. Accordingly, use of these prior-art jacks are costly due to the relatively high costs of labor. Also, conventional jacks are ordinarily limited to movement in vertical directions.
Devices which overcome the foregoing and other drawbacks of conventional hydraulic jacks are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,484, to Tesinsky, issued Apr. 6, 1976, discloses a device to be used in conjunction with a conventional hydraulic jack and for removing a transfer case from an automobile transmission. The device comprises a base mountable to the hydraulic jack and a cradle plate pivotally connected to the base for movement about a horizontal axis of rotation. To remove the crank case from the transmission, the base is mounted over the extensible portion of the jack and the same is raised until the cradle plate engages the crank case and is securely mounted thereto. Subsequently, the plate is pivoted downwardly to tilt the crank out of the way of obstructing parts of the automobile, and then the crank is transported on the jack to a work area for repair.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,010, to Hanscom, issued Oct. 3, 1978, discloses a lifting device comprising, in relevant part, a castered base, an upright support mounted to one side of the base and a boom adapted to pivotally attach to upper or lower portions of the upright support for vertical movement with respect thereto. A hydraulic cylinder is used for actuating pivotal movement of the boom. When the boom is mounted to the top portion of the upright support, the boom functions as a hoist and for this purpose is provided with a hook, chain or cable for lifting. When the boom is mounted to the bottom portion of the upright support, the boom functions as a jacking device for removing and installing automobile transmissions and the like and for this purpose is provided with a cradle tiltably mounted at the rear end of the boom. The cradle can be adjusted to fit various types of transmissions, gear boxes or the like and can be raised or lowered while maintaining a predetermined level relative to the horizontal.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,779, to Hamlin, issued Jan. 15, 1949, discloses a jack for handling transmissions and the like during installation and removal of the same and comprising a castered base, a frame at one end of the base, and an arm pivotally secured to the frame. A pneumatic cylinder is secured to and between the frame and the arm and actuates vertical movement of the arm. A cradle is pivotally mounted to the free end of the arm for rotation in the plane of movement of the arm. The transmission is adapted to mount to the cradle. In this manner, the cradle is rotatably adjustable independent of the arm.
Although the devices disclosed above overcome any of the disadvantages associated with conventional jacks, they are not without their own drawbacks. Many of these devices include a boom pivotally mounted to a base and a support pivotally mounted to the free end of the boom to permit the support to maintain a horizontal condition when the boom is moved between upper and lower positions. The support, however, is only rotatable through a horizontal axis of rotation. In addition, although in some instances the support may be adjusted to mount more than one type of automotive part, as disclosed above by Hanscom, in the majority of cases, only one support is provided. Thus, the support is, by its very nature, limited to the types of parts which it can mount and the secureness of the mounting.
The need for the present invention comes from the fact that the prior art does not address the danger of manually flipping a 150-lb. clutch between the horizontal and the vertical positions while lying underneath the truck. When a clutch is flipped between a horizontal position and a vertical position, several things could happen, such as the lifting device moving inadvertently or injury to the hands and back of a user.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a clutch handler that overcomes these problems by using a unique linkage structure that allows the clutch to be flipped between a horizontal position to a vertical position without manual assistance.
The present invention overcomes the need for manually handling heavy clutches and the like when flipping between a horizontal position to a vertical position. In one aspect of the invention, to achieve the desired positioning, a unique linkage is utilized that allows the clutch to be flipped between the horizontal and the vertical positions without direct manual assistance from a user.
In another aspect of the present invention to provide a clutch handler with a unique linkage lift design for moving a clutch from a horizontal position to a vertical position without the risks associated with manually flipping the clutch from a horizontal position to a vertical position, such as injury to a user""s hands or back while lifting.
In yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a single hydraulic unit and linkage that can lift the clutch to the height needed for removal or installation of the clutch as well as flip the clutch between the horizontal and vertical positions.
There has been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.


A method for calibrating a camera and a display monitor is provided. The method includes identifying a parameter for optimization, assigning to a test color a target color relevant to the parameter, repeatedly performing, two or more times, a set of steps, determining a direction and timing of color divergence for the target color from obtained images, and adjusting the parameter based on the direction and rate of color divergence for the target color. The set of steps includes instructing the display monitor to display the test color on a portion of the display monitor, obtaining an image captured by the camera while the display is executing the instruction, and reassigning, to the test color, a color obtained from a portion of the image in which the portion of the display monitor was captured. The obtained image includes the portion of the display monitor.

Cameras, video cameras, and display monitors are typically not calibrated to record or display accurate image information. With an uncalibrated camera and/or display monitor, to a trained eye the color of an object will not be accurate after it is sensed via the camera and then displayed on the display monitor. Conventionally, most calibration procedures involve human interaction to judge how the colors should be tuned or adjusted in order to for colors to be displayed correctly.
There are existing techniques for camera and monitor calibration. U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,192 to Tomaszewski, for example, relates to techniques for computer-driven calibration of a camera and an end user display monitor. However, the techniques described in Tomaszewski rely on the camera to be calibrated by use of a calibrated reference monitor, and calibration of the second, uncalibrated, end user monitor by use of the already calibrated camera. Conventional automated calibration procedures calibrate each unit (camera and display monitor) separately, but do not ensure that the camera and display monitor are calibrated together.

Automated camera and monitor color calibration


A brewing process including taking off a fluid having a starting temperature from a heat store; feeding the fluid to a plurality of heat consumers for releasing heat; and returning to the heat store the fluid which has a final temperature. The brewery installation has a heat store for controlling the flow of the fluid in the installation, and a plurality of heat consumers each of which is connected to the primary circuit for releasing heat. Improved efficiency is achieved in part by the final temperature of the fluid which flows out of the respective heat consumers is measured and the return of the fluid is controlled as a function of the measured final temperature.

The energy costs for example incurred in brewing beer constitute an important proportion of the total production costs of beer. As the proportion of energy costs will probably even increase with the shortage of fossil fuels and the higher energy prices involved, the applicant suggested a brewing process and a brewery installation according to the preamble each of claim 1 and claim 10 in WO 2006/100062 A1.
This generic prior art discloses a brewery installation comprising a solar system to make the brewery more independent of fossil fuel demands. The generic prior art suggests to satisfy at least a portion of the thermal energy demand of heat consumers of the brewery installation from energy not originating from fossil fuels, but from solar collectors converting the energy of solar radiation into thermal energy.
For this, the solar collectors are designed such that the hottest fluid required for the brewing process can be heated to a temperature of at least 120° by solar energy. The thermal energy generated by the solar collectors is, for example, temporarily stored in a high pressure stratified storage that receives fluid. The heated fluid is guided from the upper region of the heat store via a pipe to different heat consumers to which heat is released via heat exchangers. After heat has been released, the fluid has a final temperature and is returned to the heat store via a return pipe.
To increase the efficiency of the heat store, and accordingly of the complete brewery installation, stratified storages in which different temperature zones are formed are known from prior art. The returned fluid is guided into the temperature zone in which the temperature of the fluid located in this temperature zone of the stratified storage approximately corresponds to that of the returned fluid. For this, DE 197 31 351 A1, for example, suggests to dispose an ascending pipe in the stratified storage which extends along the longitudinal axis of the stratified storage. The ascending pipe comprises several openings spaced apart in the longitudinal direction through which the returned fluid can flow into different temperature zones of the stratified storage.
From DE 100 25 318 Cl, another stratified storage is known. This known stratified storage comprises a bent distributor pipe in its lower region which is coupled to several ascending pipes. The returned fluid can be either introduced into the stratified storage via an opening of the distributor pipe, or via the ascending pipes connected to the bent distributor pipe.
However, with the stratified storages known from DE 197 31 351 A1 and DE 100 25 318 Cl, fluids having different temperatures might get mixed within the stratified storage, resulting in a reduction of the efficiency of the stratified storage and accordingly of a complete brewing process.

Brewing process and brewery installations


An actuator using a permanent magnet comprises: a first core and a second core facing each other with a certain gap and having a space therein; a hollow bobbin coil fixedly installed at one side of the space for generating a magnetic force at the time of a current supply; a stator fixedly installed at another side of the space with a certain gap from the bobbin coil; a mover linearly moving in the space by a magnetic force generated by the bobbin coil, and having a rod portion exposed to outside of the first core and the second core; and a permanent magnet fixedly installed at an inner surface of the space for fixing the mover. In the actuator, one bobbin coil is provided thus to lower a production cost, and a driving function is enhanced. Accordingly, the actuator can be widely applied to a vacuum circuit breaker or a high speed transfer switch requiring a fast driving.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator using a permanent magnet, and more particularly, to an actuator using a permanent magnet capable of opening and closing a contact point of a vacuum circuit breaker or a high speed transfer switch.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Generally, an actuator using a permanent magnet is used as a driving source for opening and closing a contact point of a vacuum circuit breaker, a high speed transfer switch, etc.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an actuator using a permanent magnet in accordance with the conventional art, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section view showing the actuator using a permanent magnet in accordance with the conventional art.
As shown, the conventional actuator 10 using a permanent magnet comprises a first core 11 and a second core 12 facing each other with a certain gap, a space 13 formed between the first core 11 and the second core 12, an upper bobbin coil 14 installed at an upper portion of the space 13, and a lower bobbin coil 15 installed at a lower portion of the space 13.
A permanent magnet 16 is disposed between the upper bobbin coil 14 and the lower bobbin coil 15, and a mover 17 linearly moved by a magnetic force generated by the upper bobbin coil 14 and the lower bobbin coil 15 is installed at the space 13.
A rod portion 18 exposed to outside of the first core 11 and the second core 12 is respectively provided at both sides of the mover 17.
In the conventional actuator using a permanent magnet, when a current is applied to the upper bobbin coil 14 or the lower bobbin coil 15, the mover 17 is linearly moved in upper and lower directions by a magnetic force generated by the current. When the mover 17 has moved to a certain position, the mover 17 is fixed by a force of the permanent magnet 16.
However, in the conventional actuator using a permanent magnet, the upper and lower bobbin coils are disposed to face each other in upper and lower directions in order to drive the mover, and the permanent magnet is disposed between the upper and lower bobbin coils. Under the structure, an initial driving function is greatly degraded and thus an initial driving time is delayed.
Furthermore, since the two bobbin coils are provided in the conventional actuator, the entire construction is complicated and a production cost is increased.


A method of creating an image including retrieving three-dimensional image data of an anatomy, retrieving a model of a portion of the anatomy, associating the model with the three-dimensional image data such that the model defines a bounded volume within the three-dimensional image data corresponding to the portion of the anatomy, and creating a virtual radiograph of the portion of the anatomy. Creating the virtual radiograph includes casting a plurality of rays from an origin point through the bounded volume, sampling, for each ray, the bounded volume at a plurality of sampling steps along the ray, the sampling steps separated by a sampling distance, and calculating, for each ray, an accumulated attenuation value of the bounded volume along the ray based on the samples.

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of x-ray visualization. The present disclosure relates more specifically to the creation of two-dimensional x-ray images for providing assistive views in preparation for an operation.
Medical professionals may be accustomed to using traditional x-ray images in surgical planning methods, and accordingly, it is desirable to provide improvements for surgical planning and anatomy visualization that utilize the same types of images that medical professionals are comfortable with. At the same time, there are limitations to using traditional x-ray models, such as the inability to correct the position of the patient's anatomy in the anatomy image. In surgical planning, it may be desirable to have the target anatomy in a particular position, but an x-ray image is limited to the position of the patient on the x-ray table when the image is created. Furthermore, traditional x-ray images cannot be manipulated to show rotated/repositioned anatomy or implants, such as orthopedic joint prostheses, in an x-ray image to provide a guide for surgical planning and for comparison with a post-operative record.

Method and system for X-ray image generation


A method for reducing idleness in a machine-learning training system can include performing operations by computing devices. A first set of training operations can access and prepare a plurality of training examples of a set of training data. A second set of training operations can train a machine-learned model based at least in part on the set of training data and can include one or more repeat iterations in which at least a portion of the second set of training operations is repeatedly performed such that the training example(s) are repeatedly used to train the machine-learned model. A rate of the repeat iteration(s) can be based at least in part on an echo factor that can be based at least in part on a comparison of a first computational time of the first set of training operations to a second computational time of the second set of training operations.

Training of machine-learned models can generally be divided into data pre-processing steps and subsequent training steps using the processed data. The data pre-processing steps can often take longer than the subsequent training steps. For example, specialized hardware has been developed that greatly increases the speed of parallel processing, which is common during the training steps. In various instances, such specialized hardware can be referred to as "accelerated" hardware, "accelerators," application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and/or other terminology. Example specialized hardware includes graphics processing units (GPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and/or the like. As a result of such specialized hardware (and other factors), performance of the training steps can start and stop as pre-processed training data becomes intermittently available. Accordingly, a system and method for reducing idleness in machine-learning training systems would be welcomed in the art.

Systems and methods for reducing idleness in a machine-learning training system using data echoing


A load sensing system measures lift cylinder pressure and platform height to estimate platform load. The system functions to prevent overload and is designed to comply with regulatory requirements. The system provides the advantages of a force-based approach using simple, lower cost pressure-based measurement components.

The invention relates to a load sensing system that measures lift cylinder pressure and platform height to estimate the platform load in a scissor lift or the like. The system functions to prevent overload and is designed to comply with regulatory requirements.
Existing load sensing systems using force measurement are accurate and easy to calibrate but can be costly and complex. Existing systems using pressure measurement severely de-rate platform capacity in cold temperatures. Additionally, existing systems require semi-annual re-calibration using test weights equivalent to the vehicle's rated capacity. Transporting these test weights to remote sites and handling the weights with an overhead crane is often difficult.
Existing load sensing systems using pressure measurement are only able to predict platform load during lift motion. This means the user and vehicle are only protected from overload during dynamic situations. Moreover, these load sensing systems typically require the vehicle to lift to full height during the calibration process; however, ceiling height may be prohibitive. Still further, existing drive cutout systems for job sites in some markets attempt to detect lift up motion using limit switches; however, the requirement to cutout drive within 10 cm of lift means the apparatus must be carefully adjusted and mounted in an exposed location.


A system for generating infrared light includes a sealed housing and a noble gas filling the housing. A window disposed in a wall of the housing is transparent to infrared radiation. Two electrodes, disposed in the housing, are aligned along a common longitudinal axis adapted to be approximately perpendicular to a local force of gravity. A gap is defined between the electrodes along the longitudinal axis. Obstruction(s), disposed in the housing adjacent to the gap between the electrodes, extend along the length of the gap. The obstruction(s) define a convection space between the electrodes. The convection space has a dimension, measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, in the range of 2 to 10 times the length of the gap. An electric current source is coupled to the electrodes.

Circumventing the diffraction limit of light using scattering-type scanning optical microscopy (S-SNOM) has proven to be a powerful technique for probing the local nanoscale optical properties of solids. Its recent applications as a nano-imaging tool have employed mid-infrared frequencies while circumventing the diffraction limit by nearly three orders of magnitude. By using broadband illumination with asymmetric Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, observation of the local near-field spectra with nanometer scale spatial resolution has been realized. S-SNOM is based on operating an atomic force microscope (AFM) in tapping mode in which light is focused on to the AFM's metallic tip in close proximity to a sample being examined. The tip-sample interaction is encoded in the scattered signal which is then measured with a detector. Since the ratio of the scattered signal to incoming light at the tip is so small, it is necessary to use high intensity light sources.
Broadband nano-spectroscopy in the far and mid-infrared spectral range is challenging because of the limitations of existing high-intensity light sources. The use of tunable, monochromatic lasers allows for high signal strength, but is limited by the available wavelengths and by the amount of time that it takes to obtain a high-resolution broadband spectrum. Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have been implemented with S-SNOM and have the ability to quickly scan through wavelengths, but have a narrow spectral range. Difference frequency generation provides a stable high-intensity beam in the mid-infrared, but needs to be tuned to different wavelength ranges to get the full spectrum and currently has a low frequency cutoff of approximately 550 cm−1. Thermal blackbody light sources like the globar provide a large spectral bandwidth, but only at low intensities. Hence, significant integration time is required to obtain data with a globar and there is no usable intensity below approximately 750 cm−1 for broadband S-SNOM. Synchrotron light sources provide spatially coherent intense broadband light that is currently the highest intensity and widest bandwidth infrared source for nano-spectroscopy. However, synchrotron systems are large and expensive systems. Furthermore, there are only a handful of synchrotrons in the world that have far-infrared and mid-infrared beamlines. Accordingly, access to far-infrared to mid-infrared beam lines is competitive such that they not readily available for more time-consuming experiments.
The most common type of commercial plasma light sources are the xenon-filled high-pressure plasma lamps which are useful as the broadband source for the near-infrared, visible, and ultraviolet spectral ranges, i.e., all having frequencies higher than 2,500 cm−1. However, these lamps do not provide intensity in the mid and far-infrared since the plasma is encased in a quartz bulb that is opaque to these wavelengths.
Infrared spectroscopy has been commonly used to probe infrared-active phonons and charge dynamics in materials. However, many materials have been shown to exhibit phase coexistence at length scales much smaller than the diffraction limit of infrared light. Infrared nano-spectroscopy techniques are necessary to properly understand the charge and lattice dynamics of these nano-domains that exist in a number of materials. To have the ability to probe nanoscale domains with broadband infrared spectroscopy in the far-infrared and mid-infrared spectral ranges would allow these types of experiments to be performed on a number of materials to discover and explore nanoscale phenomena that may also have significant potential for applications. Researchers will be able to probe the crystallinity of thin films over a broad spectral range, allowing the testing of the effectiveness of different growth methods. Moreover, the technique can be employed for nanoscale identification of materials, and quality control and characterization of nano-devices.
To summarize, S-SNOM allows spectroscopic investigation of materials at length scales much smaller than the diffraction limit of light. Accordingly, S-SNOM has enormous potential as a spectroscopy tool in the infrared spectral range where it can probe phonon resonances and carrier dynamics at the nanometer length scales. However, S-SNOM processes are limited by the lack of practical and affordable table-top light sources emitting intense broadband infrared radiation in the 100 cm−1 to 2,500 cm−1 spectral range indicative of the far to mid-infrared spectral range.


A dome-shaped diaphragm includes a convex portion; a base portion provided on an outer periphery of the convex portion; and a pressing force reducing portion provided in at least one of the convex portion and the base portion. Examples of the pressing force reducing portion may be a hole portion, a reduced thickness portion or any other feature that reduces the pressing force.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a diaphragm for use in a switch employing a dome-shaped switch for various electronic apparatuses, and a method for manufacturing the same. In addition, the invention relates to a membrane switch and an input device employing the above diaphragm for use in a switch.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dome-shaped switches are used in various electronic apparatuses. Such switches include, as shown in FIG. 1A, a contact member (hereinafter, referred to as "diaphragm") 103 made of a conductive material and which is disposed on a wiring board 100 having a C-shaped first electrode 101 and a second electrode 102 located at the center portion of the first electrode 101 and spaced apart therefrom. Via the diaphragm 103, an electric contact is established between the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 102, which are insulated from each other, which turns the switch on. A part of a lead portion extending from the second electrode 102 is covered with an insulating sheet 104 so that the lead portion is insulated from the diaphragm 103.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the diaphragm 103 is disposed above the wiring board 100 so that the periphery of the diaphragm 103 comes in contact with the C-shaped first electrode 101.
As shown in FIG. 1C, when the center portion of the diaphragm 103 in which the periphery thereof comes in contact with the first electrode 101 is depressed, the center portion of the diaphragm 103 comes in contact with the second electrode 102. As a result, an electric contact is established between the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 102 via the diaphragm 103, which turns the switch on.
In the related art technique, a round dome-shaped diaphragm for use in a switch (switch diaphragm), such as the one shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, is used, and a switch is constructed so that the electric connection between the first and the second electrodes 101 and 102 is controlled via the diaphragm 103.
The round dome-shaped switch diaphragm 103 includes a convex curved portion and a base portion provided therearound (see FIG. 2A). When the center portion of the switch diaphragm 103 is depressed, a portion extending between the convex curved portion and the base portion is deformed (see FIG. 2B). As a result, the center portion of the diaphragm 103, the periphery (base portion) of which comes in contact with the first electrode, comes in contact with the second electrode 102 (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-31154).
Furthermore, recently, the reduction in the sizes of electronic apparatuses has resulted in a reduction in the sizes of various switches. Consequently, a reduction in the diameter of round dome-shaped diaphragms used in dome-shaped switches is desired. However, a small-diameter diaphragm has a short operating stroke, which does not provide a satisfactory "click feeling" to users. To address this issue, a new approach has been proposed in which a round dome-shaped diaphragm having a larger curvature is used to extend the operating stroke, for example. However, a larger load is required to click a round dome-shaped diaphragm having a large curvature, which may impair the "click feeling."

Diaphragm for use in switch, method for manufacturing thereof, membrane switch, and input device


A cloud capacity on demand manager manages capacity on demand for servers in a server cloud. The cloud capacity on demand manager may borrow capacity from one or more servers and lend the capacity borrowed from one server to a different server in the server cloud. When the server cloud is no longer intact, capacity borrowed from servers no longer in the server cloud is disabled, and servers no longer in the server cloud reclaim capacity that was lent to the server cloud.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to computer systems, and more specifically relates to managing capacity on demand with multiple servers in a server cloud.
2. Background Art
One problem with computer systems today is balancing the cost of the computer hardware with fluctuating demands on computer resources. In most networked computer systems, there are times when the computing demands are relatively low, and other times when the computing demands are very high. If a company purchases a computer system that is capable of meeting peak demand, much of the capacity of the computer system will go unused during non-peak times. In addition, purchasing capacity to meet peak demand is costly. If a company purchases a computer system that is capable of meeting average demand, the cost is lower, but the performance of the computer system suffers during peak times.
One way to provide a more flexible solution allows a computer user to buy a computer system that has some resources installed, but initially disabled. When the customer determines that more capacity is needed, the customer may enter into an arrangement with the provider of the computer system to enable certain resources for a fixed period of time. This works out particularly well for companies that have seasonal peaks. The companies can purchase a computer system at a reasonable cost that has the capability of providing enhanced computing power during the peak season. The ability to purchase additional capacity when needed is known as Capacity On Demand.
A simple example will illustrate. Let's assume that a company that sells goods via catalog sales experiences peak demand in November and December of each year due to holiday shopping. The company could purchase a computer system that has one or more additional processors that are installed but initially disabled. The company may then contract with the provider of the computer system to enable the additional processor(s) for a set period of time. Let's assume that the computer system has two additional processors, and let's assume that the peak buying period runs for the thirty day period from November 15th to December 14th. The customer could purchase sixty processor-days of additional capacity beginning on November 15th. These two additional processors will then be enabled for the thirty day period (providing the sixty processor-days of additional capacity). Once the sixty processor-days have elapsed, the two additional processors are disabled.
Sever clouds allow different server computer systems to work together. Each server may have additional resources (such as processors, memory, etc.) that are installed but not enabled, but may be enabled as needed on a Capacity On Demand basis. However, even though the servers in a cloud may communicate and cooperate in processing a job, the Capacity On Demand capabilities of each server are separate and distinct from all other servers. Thus, if a server has a compute-intensive job to process and needs additional processor capacity, it does so in a manner based on its own available processor capacity, without regard to the other servers in the server cloud.

Managing capacity on demand in a server cloud

International Business Machines Corporation


An electric aircraft includes a propeller, an electric motor, and a controller. The electric motor is configured to supply power to the propeller. The controller is configured to control the electric motor. The controller is disposed inside a leading-edge portion of a wing to cause heat to be transmitted to a skin of the wing. The heat is generated by the controller when the controller controls the electric motor.

The technology relates to an electric aircraft and an anti-icing apparatus to be mounted on an electric aircraft.
Icing on a wing of an aircraft increases air resistance or decreases lift, causing difficulty in achieving a desired flight performance or causing degradation of a flight performance in some cases. To prevent icing on a wing, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2004-017878 discloses a technique of providing electrically-heating wire layers on both inner side and outer side of a leading-edge portion of a wing of an aircraft. In this technique, heat generation derived from power supply to the electrically-heating wire layers on both the inner side and the outer side of the leading-edge portion is used to prevent icing on the leading-edge portion of the wing or to remove ice built up on the leading-edge portion of the wing.

Electric aircraft and anti-icing apparatus for electric aircraft


Method and apparatus for presenting information associated with a multi-segment header of an agricultural harvester. The operational states of the segments are monitored and used to present information. Examples of presented information include graphics depicting which segments are operational and which segments are non-operational, crop coverage maps, and crop yield maps.

An agricultural harvester, e.g., a plant cutting machine, such as, but not limited to, a combine or a windrower, generally includes a header operable for severing and collecting plant or crop material as the harvester is driven over a crop field. In order to minimize harvesting time, the width of the header has been increased over the years to harvest more crop during each pass of the harvester.
As the widths of the headers have increased, multi-segment headers have been developed to more closely follow the contours of the field. Additionally, outward segments of these multi-segment headers may be raised to avoid flooded areas of a field that could bog down the header.

Harvesting header segment display and map


An optical sensor is provided, comprising (a) a silicon nanowire of finite length having an electrical contact pad at each end thereof; and (b) a plurality of self-assembled molecules on a surface of the silicon nanowire, the molecules serving to modulate electrical conductivity of the silicon nanowire by either a reversible change in dipole moment of the molecules or by a reversible molecule-assisted electron/energy transfer from the molecules onto the silicon nanowire. Further, a method of making the optical sensor is provided. The concept of molecular self-assembly is applied in attaching functional molecules onto silicon nanowire surfaces, and the requirement of molecule modification (hydroxy group in molecules) is minimal from the point view of synthetic difficulty and compatibility. Self-assembly will produce well-ordered ultra-thin films with strong chemical bonding on a surface that cannot be easily achieved by other conventional methods.

Since the concept of molecular electronics was first proposed in 1974 by Aviram and Ratner (A. Aviram et al, Chemical Physics Letters, Vol. 29, pp. 277-283 (1974)), numerous studies have focused on probing single molecules in terms of using molecules directly as functional electric circuit components such as switches, diodes, or even transistors in replacement of conventional semiconductors, specifically, silicon. On another hand, the interaction of organic species with silicon surfaces remains a topic of considerable extent waiting to be explored, and the ability to tailor the surface electronic properties of silicon by organic or organo-metallic molecules poses a fascinating area hardly conceivable in the past. Cahen and coworkers (N. Zenou et al, ACS Sym. Ser., Vol. 695, pp. 57-66 (1998)) have pointed out that the electronic properties of silicon can be tuned by molecules with different electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups on the surface. However, the molecules they discussed can only alter the silicon electronic properties once, not in a reversible or tunable fashion.
Thus, the reversible/tunable alteration of the electronic properties of silicon is needed.

Nano optical sensors via molecular self-assembly

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Alternative stimuli, i.e., stimuli other than the constant amplitude stimuli used in prior fitting schemes, is used to set the parameters of a cochlear implant system. The use of such alternative stimuli allows the entire fitting process to be completed in a very short time period, and generally eliminates the need for secondary adjustments. In one preferred embodiment, the alternative stimuli comprise white noise that is internally generated within the speech processor.

The present invention relates to hearing prostheses, and more particularly to an improved technique for programming, or fitting, a cochlear implant system to a particular patient.
Cochlear prostheses produce sensations of sound in deaf patients by direct electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. In modern, multichannel cochlear prostheses, several different sites are stimulated at various distances along the cochlea to evoke the different pitches of sound perception that are normally encoded by nerve activity originating form the respective sites. The patterns of electrical stimulation are derived from acoustic signals picked up by a microphone and transformed by a so-called speech processor that is programmed to meet the particular requirements of each patient. Several different schemes for processing the acoustic signal and transforming it into electrical stimuli have been developed and are well-described in the scientific literature and various patents. For purposes of the present invention, these schemes—also known as speech processing strategies—can generally be considered as either sequentially, partially-simultaneously or fully-simultaneously speech processing strategies.
The conventional setting of electrical stimulation levels in sound processors for cochlea implant systems—a process generally referred to as "fitting" the speech processor to a patient—has involved the stimulation of single channels (comprised of monopolar or bipolar stimulation pathways) employing stimuli that do not resemble the stimulation patterns inherent in the on-going speech signal. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,629, incorporated herein by reference. Typically, during such fitting process, gated-bursts of some fixed burst duration and constant amplitude are delivered to the patient. This procedure of obtaining psychophysical measurements is often quite laborious. The patient's task is to set a level where sound is barely audible, and then set a level where sound is comfortably loud.
Disadvantageously, after going through the time-consuming and laborious cochlear-implant-fitting process, when the patient's microphone is enabled and speech stimuli are delivered to all channels, either sequentially, partially-simultaneously or fully-simultaneously, the psychophysically set levels bear little resemblance to the final parameters set in the patient's sound processor. Adjustments to the overall level of stimulation as well as other parameters tend to be required to mold the psychophysically derived parameters into a viable program that appropriately maps the perceived speech stimuli to electrical stimuli that may be delivered directly to the patient's cochlea. Hence, essentially two fitting procedures are typically required—one to set the psychophysical levels, and a second to make adjustments to such levels.
A further complication in setting levels in a sound processor is the fact that in cochlear-implant systems, which employ narrow pulse widths (e.g., ≦10.7 microseconds) and high rates of stimulation, obtaining single-channel measurements for estimates of comfortable loudness is not practical. At high rates of stimulation, the behavior of the electrically stimulated auditory system can mimic that of the normally healthy ear in that perception of constant amplitude stimuli cannot be maintained over time by all patients. Thus, the need arises, in setting the levels in cochlear implant processors, for using either actual speech stimuli, or stimuli that mimic the nature of speech.

System and method for fitting a cochlear implant sound processor using alternative signals


A linear light-emitting module including a conducting line, a plurality of LED packages, and a plurality of package colloid is provided. The conducting line includes a pair of conducting wires which are isolated from each other and a light-guiding insulating material. The light-guiding insulating material partially covers the conducting wires so as to expose a plurality of local portions. The LED packages are disposed between the conducting wires, and each of the LED packages is electrically connected to one of the local portions, wherein each LED package has a light-emergence surface, and the light-emergence surface is substantially perpendicular to an extension direction of the corresponding local portion. The package colloid cover the LED packages and the local portions. A textile product having the foregoing linear light-emitting module is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a linear light-emitting module, and in particular to a textile product having a linear light-emitting module.
2. Description of Related Art
As the world economy is globalized at a faster rate, the textile industry is facing strong competition, forcing it to make changes and constantly enhance textile technology and develop products of high value. In recent years, due to the boom of the optoelectronic industry, some optoelectronic devices (such as light-emitting diodes (LED)) are gradually used in fabrics, so that these fabrics have functions of light emission or even display. Currently, many designs of light-emitting fabrics are provided one after another, such as those described in Taiwanese patent application publication number 200916620, Taiwanese patent number TWM341145, TWM364802, TWI244535, and TW356666. However, in the light-emitting fabrics provided in these prior art, light sources carried thereon usually have directional limits, and connections between conducting lines and light sources are more conspicuous, so that the light-emitting fabrics in the prior art have inferior light uniformity. Moreover, since the light sources in the light-emitting fabrics are often point light sources, and displayed colors are usually colors of the light sources, the conventional light-emitting fabrics are only able to display more monotonic colored light and require much improvement.

Linear light-emitting module and textile product having the same


An electronic apparatus includes an antenna that wirelessly receives power; a power circuit that inputs power received by the antenna; a communication circuit that performs communication using the antenna; switches; and a resonant element that resonates with the antenna, wherein the resonant element is arranged between the antenna and one of the power circuit and the communication circuit, and wherein at least one of the switches is arranged between the resonant element and the one circuit, and at least one switch different from the switch is arranged between the other circuit and the antenna.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus for receiving power wirelessly.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there is known a wireless power supply system which includes a power supply apparatus having, as an antenna, a primary coil for outputting power wirelessly without performing physical connection by a connector, and an electronic apparatus having, as an antenna, a secondary coil for receiving power supplied from the power supply apparatus wirelessly. It is known that the power supply apparatus and the electronic apparatus communicate with each other to control power supply in the wireless power supply system.
In the electronic apparatus of such wireless power supply system, it is known to switch the connection destination of the antenna of the electronic apparatus between a communication circuit and a power receiving circuit to prevent excess power from being supplied from the power supply apparatus to the communication circuit when supplying power (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-504495).
This technique, however, does not consider a decrease in power supply efficiency and a decrease in communication sensitivity which are caused when the connection destination of the antenna of the electronic apparatus is switched between the communication circuit and the power receiving circuit. Consequently, even if the antenna of the electronic apparatus and the communication circuit are connected to each other, communication using the communication circuit is not appropriately performed in some cases. Furthermore, even if the antenna of the electronic apparatus and the power receiving circuit are connected to each other, receiving power from the power supply apparatus using the power receiving circuit is not appropriately performed in some cases.


A hearing device configured to be worn at an ear of a user may include a sensor unit configured to provide sensor data, the sensor unit comprising a biometric sensor configured to provide biometric data included in the sensor data; and a processor configured to determine a physiological parameter from the sensor data, the physiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of the user. The processor is configured to determine whether the physiological parameter fulfills a condition, and provide, depending on whether the physiological parameter fulfills the condition, output data based on the sensor data, the output data including at least part of the biometric data and/or information derived from at least part of the biometric data different from the physiological parameter.

Hearing devices are typically used to improve the hearing capability or communication capability of a user, for instance by compensating a hearing loss of a hearing-impaired user, in which case the hearing device is commonly referred to as a hearing instrument such as a hearing aid, or hearing prosthesis. The hearing device may pick up the surrounding sound with a microphone, process the microphone signal thereby taking into account the hearing preferences of the user of the hearing device, and provide the processed sound signal to an output transducer stimulating the user's hearing. The output transducer can be a miniature loudspeaker, commonly referred to as a receiver, for producing a sound in the user's ear canal. As another example, the output transducer can be an electrode array of a cochlear implant producing electric signals stimulating the auditory nerve. A hearing device may also be used to produce a sound in a user's ear canal based on an audio signal which may be communicated by a wire or wirelessly to the hearing device. Hearing devices are often employed in conjunction with communication devices, such as smartphones, for instance when listening to sound data processed by the communication device and/or during a phone conversation operated by the communication device. More recently, communication devices have been integrated with hearing devices such that the hearing devices at least partially comprise the functionality of those communication devices.
Some hearing devices have been equipped with a biometric sensor. The biometric sensor is usually employed to collect biological information from the user allowing to monitor the user's health. Biometric data provided by the sensor may include, for instance, a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal, an electroencephalography (EEG) signal, an electrocardiography (ECG) signal, an electrooculography (EOG) signal, a temperature measurement signal, a skin conductance signal, and/or the like. Including the biometric sensor in a hearing device can offer the advantage of placing the sensor at a rather central body position at the ear such as, for instance, inside the ear canal. Such a sensor placement can contribute to an increased accuracy and/or reliability of the biometric data for a variety of reasons including a good blood circulation, a rather stable sensor position, decreased external light exposure, a proximity to the user's brain, and can also be favourable in preserving the user's mobility as compared to sensor placements at other body positions.
Including a biometric sensor in a hearing device, however, also poses technical challenges which are mainly caused by inherent size restrictions and a limited energy supply. Obtaining meaningful physiological parameters from the biometric data often requires an expensive processing and/or storage space of the biometric data which may reach practical limits set by the processing and memory capabilities offered by current hearing devices. Yet some physiological parameters can be extracted more easily than others. For instance, determining a pulse rate from a PPG waveform can be less cumbersome than obtaining a blood pressure value. Determining a change of neural activity in an EEG recording can require less processing and memory consumption than extracting a certain type of neural oscillations from the biometric data, for instance to identify a certain type of cognitive process. In order to accomplish the more complex task, the biometric data can be transmitted from the hearing device to a remote device with higher processing power and larger memory such as a smartphone or a personal computer. Continuous data exchange and/or transmission of big data volumes, however, can raise other problems associated with an increased energy consumption required for the data transfer and a limited energy supply that can be provided by a hearing device due to size restrictions for the incorporation of a battery.
Furthermore, the meaningfulness of some physiological parameters depends on certain conditions met by other physiological parameters. For instance, a blood pressure value may only be useful as a medical indicator when the pulse rate of the user corresponds to his resting heart rate (RHR). The individual RHR, in turn, is preferentially determined in a physiological meaningful way when other physiological conditions of the user are met. Current methods of determining the individual RHR therefore require the user to remain in a resting position for a certain time in which his body activities including physical movements, emotional distress, and mental efforts are reduced to a minimum. Determining the RHR ad hoc in such a manner can be rather impractical in some life situations, whereas in other life situations the required physiological conditions may be met by the user without any intention to learn about his RHR.
U.S. patent application publication No. US 2019/0082974 A1 discloses a hearing device equipped with a biometric sensor including an optical emitter and an optical detector to provide PPG data from the user's ear. The hearing device further includes an inertial sensor configured to measure a physical motion of the ear which can be employed as a noise reference for an adaptive filter to remove motion artifacts from the PPG data. Physiological parameters of interest can then be determined from the PPG data including a heart rate, a blood flow, a heart rate variability, a respiration rate, a blood gas/analyte level, a maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max), and a blood pressure. Continuously determining those parameters over time, however, can be rather processing intensive depending on the complexity of a physiological assessment algorithm applied to obtain the respective parameter. Such an algorithm may also be executed by a device remote from the hearing device causing, however, high energy consumption required for the data transmission.

Hearing device for providing physiological information, and method of its operation


There is provided a method for adapting components of a network, comprising: providing graphs each indicative of a respective sequential snapshot of a dynamic graph obtained over a historical time interval, wherein nodes of the graphs denote entities, and edges of the graphs denote interactions between the entities over a network, computing community graphs according to the graphs, computing meta-community graphs according to the community graphs, analyzing dynamics of the community graphs to detect changes between two temporally adjacent community graphs, analyzing dynamics of the meta-community graphs to detect changes between two temporally adjacent meta-community graphs, identifying at least one entity corresponding to node(s) of the dynamic graph according to a predicted likelihood of performing an anomalous action during a future time interval, and generating instructions for adapting component(s) of the network for ensuring availability of network resources for interactions between entities during the future time interval.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to anomaly detection and, more specifically, but not exclusively, to detecting anomalous actions of nodes of a network.
Anomalous actions within a computer network may be based on identified data that does not conform to an expected pattern. Anomalous actions may be indicative of a problem, or may be indicative of unexpected actions that are not necessarily problematic or malicious.

Systems and methods for prediction of anomalies


A method including directing a first electrical signal to at least one of a plurality of probes each positioned within a chamber of a charged particle beam device. At least one of the plurality of probes is exposed to a charged particle beam of the charged particle beam device, and a second electrical signal is compared to the first electrical signal to determine a characteristic associated with the at least one of the plurality of probes.

A charged particle beam device (CPBD) is often required to examine and perform manipulation of micro- and nano-scale objects. In general, a CPBD employs a charged particle beam (CPB) to irradiate a sample under study, or a focused spot on the study, wherein the wavelength of the CPB is much smaller than the wavelength of light used in optical microscopes. Modern CPBD can view details at the atomic level with sub-nanometer resolution (e.g., down to about 0.1 nm resolution) at a magnification of up to about one million. CPB microscopes and others which may be similarly employed include scanning electron microscopes (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) microscopes and transmission electron microscopes (TEM), among others.
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is another type of CPB microscope. In an exemplary SEM, a beam of electrons may be focused to a point (e.g., "spot" mode) and scanned over the surface of the specimen. Detectors collect the backscattered and secondary electrons reflected or otherwise originating from the surface of the specimen and convert them into a signal that is used to produce a realistic, multi-dimensional image of the specimen. SEMs can provide a magnification of up to about two hundred thousand, possibly higher.
For some applications, a probe or plurality of probes may be used inside a CPBD to acquire additional data, properties and/or characteristics of samples. Such probes may also be used to performed tests on or with samples within the CPBD to collect such data, properties and/or characteristics of samples, among other purposes.
However, it can be difficult to accurately position and/or orient a probe or sample within an SEM or other CPBD. In fact, it can be difficult to even distinguish between the plurality of probes that may be employed within the CPBD to manipulate the sample. It can also be difficult to verify adequate physical and/or electrical contact between a probe and a contact point on a sample.