A structure that can be used, for example, to implement a lookup table for a programmable logic device (PLD). The structure includes configuration memory cells, pass transistors, and a buffer. The pass transistors pass the output of a selected configuration memory cell to the buffer, and are controlled by data input signals of the structure. The pass transistors have a first oxide thickness and are controlled by a value having a first operating voltage. The memory cells and buffer include transistors having a second oxide thickness thinner than the first oxide thickness, and operate at a second operating voltage lower than the first operating voltage. The data input signals are provided at the first operating voltage. Some embodiments include data generating circuits that include transistors having the first oxide thickness. Gate lengths can also vary between the memory cell transistors, pass transistors, buffer transistors, and data generating circuits.

The invention relates to programmable logic devices (PLDs). More particularly, the invention relates to a lookup table for a PLD that includes transistors having more than one oxide thickness.
Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are a well-known type of digital integrated circuit that can be programmed to perform specified logic functions. One type of PLD, the field programmable gate array (FPGA), typically includes an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBS) and programmable input/output blocks (IOBs). The CLBs and IOBs are interconnected by a programmable interconnect structure.
More advanced FPGAs can include more than one type of logic block in the array. For example, the Xilinx Virtex-II Pro(trademark) FPGA includes blocks of Random Access Memory (RAM), blocks implementing multiplier functions, and embedded processor blocks. (The Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA is described in detail in pages 19-71 of the xe2x80x9cVirtex-II Pro Platform FPGA Handbookxe2x80x9d, published Oct. 14, 2002 and available from Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95124, which pages are incorporated herein by reference.)
The CLBs, IOBs, interconnect, and other logic blocks are typically programmed by loading a stream of configuration data (bitstream) into internal configuration memory cells that define how the logic blocks and interconnect are configured. The configuration data can be read from memory (e.g., an external PROM) or written into the FPGA by an external device. The collective states of the individual memory cells then determine the function of the FPGA.
FPGA CLBS typically include several xe2x80x9clookup tablesxe2x80x9d (LUTs). A LUT is an addressable memory array that is typically loaded with data during the configuration process. For example, a Virtex-II Pro CLB includes eight LUTS. Each LUT has four data input terminals that address the configurable memory. By storing predetermined values in the appropriate memory locations, the LUT can be configured to provide any function of up to four variables.
FIG. 1 shows a typical LUT structure 100, which includes 16 memory locations (configuration memory cells M0-M15) addressed by four input signals IN0-IN3. (In the present specification, the same reference characters are used to refer to terminals, signal lines, and their corresponding signals.) The output of each memory cell passes through two pass transistors, one of transistors T0-T15 followed by one of transistors U0-U7. Transistors T0-T15 are controlled by LUT input signal IN0 and its inverse (provided by inverter I0), while transistors U0-U7 are controlled by LUT input signal IN1 and its inverse (provided by inverter I1). After passing through these two transistors, the signals from the memory cells have been narrowed down to four signals on internal nodes INT8-INT11.
Each internal node INT8-INT11 drives a corresponding buffer 101a-101d. The output signals from buffers 101a-101d are again passed through two transistors, one of transistors V0-V3 followed by one of transistors W0-W1. Transistors V0-V3 are controlled by LUT input signal IN2 and its inverse (provided by inverter I2), while transistors W0-W1 are controlled by LUT input signal IN3 and its inverse (provided by inverter I3). The one remaining signal (on internal node INT14) is passed through another buffer 102 to provide the LUT output signal OUT. Thus, by controlling the four pass transistors on each path between the memory cells and the LUT, and by configuring the memory cells to store the desired values, any function of up to four variables can be implemented.
FIG. 1A shows a simplified configuration memory cell Mx that can be used to implement memory cells M0-M15 of FIG. 1. Configuration memory cell Mx can include, for example, a pair of cross-coupled inverters A, B, with two pass transistors d1, d2 that allow the configuration logic (not shown) to access the memory cell. Configuration memory cells are well known in the art of FPGA design, therefore, detailed exemplary descriptions are not included herein.
FIG. 1B illustrates one well-known implementation 101x of buffer 101. Buffer 101x includes two inverters coupled in series. The first inverter includes P-channel transistor P1 (the pullup) and N-channel transistor N1 (the pulldown), coupled in series between power high VDD and ground GND. Optional second inverter I4 can increase the performance of the buffer and ensures that the buffer output signal has the same sense as the buffer input signal. P-channel transistor P2 is driven by the node N between the two inverters, and acts to pull node INT up to VDD such that pullup P1 is fully turned off. Optional P-channel transistor P3 is used to initialize node INT to a high value, for example during reset or power-up of the FPGA. Buffer 102 can be the same as buffer 10x, can omit the initialization pullup, or can be a simple inverter or some other well-known buffer circuit.
The structure shown in FIG. 1 works well at sufficiently high values of VDD (power high, or the operating voltage of the FPGA). For example, for many years VDD was standardized at 5 volts (5 V), plus or minus ten percent (10%). (The ten percent allowable variation was included in the specifications of each device to allow for normal deviations in manufacturing and operation.) However, operating voltages are being steadily reduced both to save power and to meet the requirements of smaller and smaller transistors. For example, a transistor with a thinner oxide layer breaks down at a lower gate voltage than a transistor with a thicker oxide layer. Thus, values of VDD have been reduced to 2.5 V, then 1.8 V, and even as low as 1.5 V. A VDD value of 1.2 V is now contemplated, and at these low voltage levels the structure of FIG. 1 is no longer adequate, as is now described in conjunction with FIG. 2.
When a high value is passed through an N-channel transistor, the voltage is reduced by Vt, the threshold voltage level of the N-channel transistor. (For purposes of simplifying the present discussion, other well-known transistor effects such as the body effect are not described.) For example, FIG. 2 shows an input signal IN passing through transistor T (which is driven by VDD) to internal node INT. Internal node INT drives buffer 201, which provides the output signal OUT. When input signal IN is at the same voltage level as VDD, the voltage at internal node INT is the gate voltage reduced by one threshold voltage (VINT=VDDxe2x88x92Vt).
This well-known limitation presents no problem when VDD=5 V, as described above. When processes supporting this operating voltage are used, the N-channel threshold voltage is less than one volt (1 V). Thus, the voltage at internal node INT is still more than four volts (4 V), which is quite sufficient to turn on the N-channel pulldown N1, thus turning on P-channel pullup P2 in buffer 201 (see FIG. 1B). However, at sufficiently low levels of VDD, the voltage at internal node INT is so low as to impair the performance of the circuit.
For example, if node INT does not rise sufficiently high, the N-channel pulldown in buffer 201 might not be completely on, and the P-channel pullup P2 might not be sufficiently on to quickly turn off pullup P1. Thus, the pullup (e.g., pullup P1) xe2x80x9cfightsxe2x80x9d the pulldown (e.g., pulldown N1), and slows down the switching of the output node. For example, referring again to FIG. 1B, while P-channel transistor P2 helps in raising node INT to VDD once node N goes low, transistor P2 is no help if node N does not go low enough to turn it on.
As described, there is a voltage drop when a high voltage is passed across an N-channel transistor. However, there is no corresponding voltage drop of a high voltage across a P-channel transistor. Therefore, one solution to this problem is to replace the N-channel transistor with paired N- and P-channel transistors, with the P-channel transistors being driven by the complementary input signal. However, this solution can double the size of the lookup table by doubling the number of pass transistors. Further, both the true and complement signals must be provided to the paired transistors, which increases the die area. Larger buffers must also be provided to handle the increased load of driving both the N- and P-channel transistors.
Another way to accommodate lower VDD levels is to drive the gates of the N-channel transistors with a voltage level VGG higher than VDD, as shown in FIG. 3 and Table 1. In this case, the voltage level after passing a high value VDD through the N-channel transistor T is the gate voltage VGG minus the N-channel threshold voltage Vt, or VINT=VGGxe2x88x92Vt. Voltage level VGG is often specified for an FPGA, where VGG is the maximum voltage that can safely be applied to the gate of a transistor in the device. The VGG voltage level is at least partially determined by the oxide thickness of the transistor. Generally speaking, the thicker the layer of oxide over the transistor, the higher the voltage level that can be applied to the gate without damaging the transistor. Additionally, the longer the gate length (channel length) of the transistor, the less leakage current (i.e., off state current) occurs across the transistor from source to drain. Therefore, up to an intrinsic limit, the longer the gate length, the higher the voltage level that can be applied across the source and drain of the transistor without producing an unacceptably high leakage current.
However, FPGA manufacturers are not only reducing operating voltage levels on their devices, but are also reducing minimum feature sizes to lower costs. Sometimes, each new product generation uses a lower operating voltage and has reduced feature sizes. Reduced feature sizes mean thinner oxide and shorter gate lengths. Therefore, specified values of VGG are being rapidly reduced. For example, Table 1 shows the relationships between various exemplary values of VDD (the operating voltage), VGG (the maximum allowable gate voltage), Vt (the N-channel threshold voltage), and VINT (the voltage at node INT). Also included are typical gate lengths for each manufacturing process. All of the values shown in Table 1 are merely exemplary, as they vary between processes and manufacturers. VDD values are specified as nominal operating voltages.
Note that as VGG approaches twice the threshold voltage (VGG=2Vt), the voltage at node INT becomes insufficient to adequately turn on pulldown N1 (see FIG. 1B). Therefore, it is desirable to provide alternative structures for implementing lookup tables in FPGAs that can accommodate a lower operating voltage and smaller feature sizes than known structures. It is further desirable to provide circuits having the same characteristics that can be used for any purpose in FPGAs or other integrated circuits.
The invention provides a structure that can be used, for example, to implement a lookup table (LUT) for a programmable logic device (PLD). The structure includes transistors of varying oxide thickness, operating voltage, and, in some embodiments, gate length.
The structure includes a plurality of configuration memory cells, a first plurality of pass transistors, and a buffer. The pass transistors pass the output of a selected configuration memory cell to the buffer, which provides a buffer output signal. In some embodiments, the buffer output signal is the output signal for the structure. Some embodiments include more than one such buffer, and the buffer output signals are passed through at least a second plurality of pass transistors to an output buffer, which provides the output signal for the structure.
The pass transistors are controlled by the data input signals of the structure. The pass transistors have a first oxide thickness and the data input signals are provided at a first operating voltage. The memory cells and buffer(s) include transistors having a second oxide thickness thinner than the first oxide thickness, and,operate at a second operating voltage lower than the first operating voltage. In some embodiments, the second operating voltage is the operating voltage used as a supply voltage by a majority of the transistors in the PLD.
Some embodiments include data generating circuits (e.g., inverters, level shifters, input multiplexers, and so forth) that provide the signals controlling the pass transistors. Because these circuits provide signals at the first operating voltage, they include transistors having the first oxide thickness.
In some embodiments, the gate length also varies between the memory cell transistors, pass transistors, buffer transistors, and data generating circuit transistors. To support the higher operating voltage with acceptable leakage, the data generating circuits have the longest gate length. The memory cell transistors and buffer transistors, on the other hand, operate at the lower voltage (with thinner oxide) and can have the shortest gate length without generating unacceptable leakage current. The pass transistors are gated by the higher voltage and thus require the thicker oxide. However, the drain-to-source voltage for the pass transistors is less than the higher operating voltage, so the gate length of the pass transistors can be somewhere between the longest and shortest gate lengths without generating unacceptable leakage current.
In other embodiments, the data generating circuits and pass transistors have a first and longer gate length, while the memory cell transistors and buffer transistors have a second and shorter gate length. In yet other embodiments, the gate lengths are the same for the data generating circuits, pass transistors, memory cell transistors, and buffer transistors.
According to some embodiments, a circuit includes a plurality of memory cells, an internal node, a plurality of pass transistors coupled between the plurality of memory cells and the internal node, and a buffer coupled between the internal node and an output terminal. Each pass transistor has a gate terminal coupled to receive from a data input terminal a selected one of a ground signal and a power high signal at a first voltage level. Each pass transistor has a first oxide thickness. Each memory cell is coupled to an operating voltage at a second voltage level less than the first voltage level. Each memory cell includes memory cell transistors having a second oxide thickness, where the second oxide thickness is less than the first oxide thickness. The buffer is coupled to an operating voltage at the second voltage level. The buffer includes buffer transistors having the second oxide thickness.
In some embodiments, the circuit is a lookup table (LUT) structure in an FPGA. In other embodiments, the circuit forms a portion of a PLD other than an FPGA, such as a Complex Programmable Logic Device, (CPLD), or a fuse or antifuse device, for example. In other embodiments, the circuit forms a portion of a non-programmable IC.
According to some embodiments, an FPGA includes an interconnect structure, a plurality of input multiplexers coupled to the interconnect structure and to an operating voltage at a first voltage level, and a plurality of LUT structures coupled to the input multiplexers. Each of the LUT structures includes a plurality of memory cells, an internal node, an output terminal coupled to the interconnect structure, a plurality of data input terminals each coupled to an output terminal of one of the input multiplexers, a plurality of pass transistors coupled between the memory cells and the internal node, and a buffer coupled between the internal node and the output terminal.
Each pass transistor has a gate terminal coupled to receive from a data input terminal a selected one of a ground signal and a power high signal at the first voltage level. Each pass transistor has a first oxide thickness. Each memory cell is coupled to an operating voltage at a second voltage level less than the first voltage level, and includes memory cell transistors having a second oxide thickness, where the second oxide thickness is less than the first oxide thickness. The buffer is coupled to an operating voltage at the second voltage level, and includes buffer transistors having the second oxide thickness. Each input multiplexer includes input multiplexer transistors having the first oxide thickness.
In some embodiments, each LUT structure includes additional pass transistors and buffers, and the buffer is coupled to the output terminal through the additional pass transistors and buffers.
In some embodiments, the FPGA includes input/output blocks coupled to the interconnect structure. Each input/output block includes input/output transistors having a third oxide thickness greater than the first oxide thickness. Thus, the FPGA includes transistors having three different oxide thicknesses.
According to some embodiments, an integrated circuit device (IC) includes a plurality of input/output blocks, a plurality of interconnect lines coupled to the input/output blocks; and a circuit coupled to the interconnect lines. The circuit includes a plurality of memory cells, an internal node, an output terminal coupled to one of the interconnect lines, a data generating circuit coupled to the interconnect lines and to an operating voltage at a first voltage level, a plurality of pass transistors coupled between the memory cells and the internal node, and a buffer coupled between the internal node and the output terminal.
Each pass transistor has a gate terminal coupled to receive from the data generating circuit a selected one of a ground signal and a power high signal at a first voltage level. The data generating circuit includes data generating transistors having a first oxide thickness. Each pass transistor has the first oxide thickness. Each memory cell is coupled to an operating voltage at a second voltage level less than the first voltage level. Each memory cell includes memory cell transistors having a second oxide thickness, where the second oxide thickness is less than the first oxide thickness. The buffer is coupled to an operating voltage at the second voltage level. The buffer includes buffer transistors having the second oxide thickness.
In some embodiments, the input/output blocks each comprise input/output transistors having a third oxide thickness greater than the first oxide thickness.
According to some embodiments, a circuit includes a plurality of first input terminals, an internal node, a plurality of pass transistors coupled between the first input terminals and the internal node, and a buffer coupled between the internal node and an output terminal. Each pass transistor has a gate terminal coupled to receive from a data input terminal a selected one of a ground signal and a power high signal at a first voltage level. Each pass transistor has a first oxide thickness. Each first input terminal is coupled to provide a selected one of the ground signal and a power high signal at a second voltage level less than the first voltage level. The buffer is coupled to an operating voltage at the second voltage level. The buffer includes buffer transistors having a second oxide thickness, where the second oxide thickness is less than the first oxide thickness.

PLD lookup table including transistors of more than one oxide thickness


A coating composition of a perfluorocarbon resin and an electroconductive double shell pigment comprising inner shells of amorphous silica or a silica-containing material and outer shells of antimony-containing tin oxide is useful on a copy roller or belt.

This invention relates to a perfluorocarbon paint composition and, more particularly, to a perfluorocarbon paint composition for forming a fluorocarbon coating of an antistatic property and release property.
Fluorocarbon resins have excellent physical properties in release, heat resistance, chemical resistance, weather resistance, low coefficient of friction, and a fluorocarbon paint having a major constituent of a fluorocarbon resin is in use in a variety of fields. Despite these properties, a fluorocarbon paint fails to exhibit its inherent release property in some fields of application due to its high electrostatic property, which tends to cause foreign substances to be electrostatically attached to the surfaces of fluorocarbon coatings. What has been done in the past is to impart an anti-electrostatic property to the paint composition by adding thereto an electroconductive material, such as carbon blacks, carbon fiber powders, metallic powders, or fibrous potassium titanates coated with an electroconductive metal oxide.
Carbon black or a carbon fiber powder, which inherently has high water absorption properties, however, not only sharply increases its viscosity upon stirring, when added to a liquid fluorocarbon paint, but poses problems both in manufacture and applications, such as coagulation of the paint which takes place as the dispersion structure of the paint becomes unstable. When the same is added to a fluorocarbon paint in powder form, its apparent melt viscosity at the time of paint baking is so high that it has been difficult to satisfy the requirements of both forming uniform coating film and imparting sufficiently high electric conductivity thereto.
Powdered metals do not impart sufficient electroconductivity unless added in a large amount, and are expensive. Further, powered metals which have a high specific gravity tend to precipitate when added to liquid phase fluorocarbon paints, thus requiring repeated stirring while in use. Still further, there is a danger of explosion during the paint manufacturing process, depending upon the type and/or amount of the metal used. A further disadvantage is that the degree of improvement in conductivity of the paint is small in relation to the volume of added metal.
Fibrous potassium titanate coated with a electroconductive metal oxide has been brought into use more in recent years than the above cited electroconductive material. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokoku-Publication 1-38827, tin dioxide and antimony trioxide have been mainly used as electroconductive metal oxides. Due to its high oil absorbing property, however, potassium titanate, when added to a liquid fluorocarbon paint, tends to increase the viscosity of the paint and renders the dispersion structure thereof to be unstable, which easily creates coagulation of a paint. When added to a fluorocarbon paint, cracks tend to be formed in the coating after painting operation due to decreases in fluidity and heat melting property of the paint which are brought about by potassium titanate. In addition, the fibrous potassium titanate coated with an electroconductive metal oxide has insufficient electroconductivity due to the fact that the potassium titanate which is of less electroconductivity occupies a considerable proportion of the entire volume and must therefore be added in a large amount, with the result that the release property of fluorocarbon coatings is damaged.
The invention provides a fluorocarbon paint composition capable of forming fluorocarbon coatings of an excellent anti-electrostatic property and release property, without inviting the above drawbacks at the time of manufacture, storage and use.


A test apparatus is for electric vehicle supply equipment. The test apparatus includes an enclosure; a processor; and an interface to at least the electric vehicle supply equipment. The processor is structured to test that the electric vehicle supply equipment is functioning properly and to provide at least one of: a number of causes of failure of the electric vehicle supply equipment, an indication of how to correct the failure, automatic correction of the failure, and predictive maintenance of the electric vehicle supply equipment prior to a failure thereof.

1. Field
The disclosed concept pertains generally to electric vehicle supply equipment and, more particularly, to testing apparatus for such electric vehicle supply equipment.
2. Background Information
An electric vehicle (EV) charging station, also called an EV charging station, electric recharging point, charging point, and EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), is an element in an infrastructure that supplies electric energy for the recharging of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric-gasoline vehicles, or semi-static and mobile electrical units such as exhibition stands.
An EV charging station is device that safely allows electricity to flow. These charging stations and the protocols established to create them are known as EVSE, and they enhance safety by enabling two-way communication between the charging station and the electric vehicle.
The 1996 NEC and California Article 625 define EVSE as being the conductors, including the ungrounded, grounded, and equipment grounding conductors, the electric vehicle connectors, attachment plugs, and all other fittings, devices, power outlets or apparatus installed specifically for the purpose of delivering energy from premises wiring to an electric vehicle.
EVSE is defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practice J1772 and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) National Electric Code (NEC) Article 625. While the NEC defines several safety requirements, J1772 defines the physical conductive connection type, five pin functions (i.e., two power pins (Hot1 and Hot2 or neutral), one ground pin, one control pilot pin, and one proximity pin), the EVSE to EV handshake over the pilot pin, and how both parts (EVSE and EV) are supposed to function. Currently, however, EVSE does not have a mechanism to check its proper function without an EV present to test the function of the EVSE and complete the J1772 pilot circuit.
Two-way communication seeks to ensure that the current passed to the EV is both below the limits of the EV charging station itself and below the limits of what the EV can receive. There are additional safety features, such as a safety lock-out, that does not allow current to flow from the EV charging station until the EV connector or EV plug is physically inserted into the EV and the EV is ready to accept energy.
J1772 in North America and IEC 61851 standard use a very simple but effective pilot circuit and handshake in the EVSE. For charging a vehicle using alternating current (AC), basically a signal is generated on the pilot pin 4 of FIG. 1, 12 Vdc open circuit when measured to ground pin 3. When the EVSE cable and connector 10 is plugged into an EV inlet 11 of a compliant vehicle 12, the vehicle's circuit has a resistor 14 and a diode 16 in series that ties to ground 18 in order to drop the 12 Vdc to 9 Vdc. After the EVSE 20 sees this drop in voltage, it turns on a pulse-width modulated (PWM) generator 22 that defines the maximum available line current (ALC) on the charging circuit. The vehicle charge controller 24 reads the percentage of the duty cycle of the PWM signal, which is equivalent to a certain amperage, and sets the maximum current draw on the onboard vehicle rectifier/charger 26, in order to not trip an upstream circuit interrupter (not shown). The vehicle 12, in turn, adds another resistor 28 in parallel with the resistor 14 of the vehicle's resistor and diode 14,16 series combination, which then drops the top level of the PWM pilot signal to 6 Vdc. This tells the EVSE 20 that the vehicle 12 is ready to charge. In response, the EVSE 20 closes an internal relay/contactor 30 to allow AC power to flow to the vehicle 12.
It is believed that manufacturers of EVSE, understanding J1772, have built test boxes to simulate the function of an EV to test EVSE during development, since vehicles are scarce and relatively very expensive compared to charging equipment. These test boxes allow for testing that the EVSE is functioning properly by simulating the circuit on board the EV. However, these simple test fixtures are separate, portable devices (representing the vehicle) and they are simply designed to check functionality and compliance of the EVSE.
There is room for improvement in electric vehicle supply equipment testing apparatus.

Electric vehicle supply equipment testing apparatus


A mobile phone terminal receives current position information thereof from a public wireless base station, and stores the current position information. The mobile phone terminal reads a profile name corresponding to the position information from a public wireless base station-WLAN profile association table, and sets the WLAN profile as a scan profile. Then, the mobile phone terminal scans the WLAN profile when the mobile phone terminal is located outside the WLAN service area.

A mobile phone (for example, a fixed mobile convergence (FMC) terminal, and a dual terminal) having a public network having a wide area (for example, freedom of mobile multimedia access (FOMA)), and a wireless communication network having a small area such as wireless local area network (WLAN) has been known. Such a mobile phone makes a call by data communication and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) in a communication area of WLAN-Access Point (AP), and performs operation of receiving Beacon in the absence of a call by the data communication and the VoIP. In the area outside WLAN-AP, the operation of receiving Beacon is stopped, and operation of scanning outside the WLAN area is performed regularly (see FIG. 19). A scan interval of the scan operation is set shorter so that connection can be established soon after entering the WLAN-AP.
When a mobile terminal is out of the WLAN-AP, a power source for WLAN can be turned off manually, but if a user forgets to turn off the power source, the scan operation is performed, and unnecessary electricity is consumed (see FIG. 20). For example, the user goes to a business trip without turning off the power source for WLAN, electricity is consumed by unintended scan operation, and the mobile terminal cannot be used as a telephone.
Technologies for solving unnecessary scan operation include a method disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-116294 in which a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card is attached to a terminal, an entrance/exit managing apparatus (card reader) is prepared, IC card information is rewritten at the time of exit, and thereby a power source for WLAN is turned off. Moreover, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-295643 discloses a method of turning on/off the power source for WLAN by a mobile phone base station notifying the terminal of a wireless LAN base station information in the base station.
As a technology for solving unnecessary scan operation, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-13594 discloses a method of increasing the scan interval gradually, reducing the number of times of the scan operation, and suppressing consumed electricity. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-229399 discloses a method of turning on/off the power source for WLAN by acquiring position information using global positioning system (GPS), and specifying WLAN areas.
With the technology disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-116294, many additional facilities are required and the cost increases because an entrance/exit managing apparatus needs to be provided. Besides, with the technology disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-295643, it is not suited for the access point for use by a corporation (company) and an individual and a complicate system architecture including a carrier is necessary because a mobile phone base station notifies a terminal of wireless LAN base station information in the base station.
With the technology disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-13594, response at the time of restoration deteriorates because a scan interval is increased gradually. With the technology disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-229399, electricity is consumed for position detection by GPS because position information is acquired by using GPS.

Wireless communication terminal and wireless communication terminal control method


An article is described, including an inner surface which can be exposed to a first fluid; an inlet; and an outer surface spaced from the inner surface, which can be exposed to a hotter second fluid. The article further includes at least one row or other pattern of passage holes. Each passage hole includes an inlet bore extending through the substrate from the inlet at the inner surface to a passage hole-exit proximate to the outer surface, with the inlet bore terminating in a chevron outlet adjacent the hole-exit. The chevron outlet includes a pair of wing troughs having a common surface region between them. The common surface region includes a valley which is adjacent the hole-exit; and a plateau adjacent the valley. The article can be an airfoil. Related methods for preparing the passage holes are also described.

The general subject matter of this invention relates to gas turbine engines, and, more specifically, to structures for cooling various components of the engines.
A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, in which engine air is pressurized. The engine also includes a combustor, in which the pressurized air is mixed with fuel, to generate hot combustion gases. In a typical design (e.g., for aircraft engines or stationary power systems), energy is extracted from the gases in a high pressure turbine (HPT) which powers the compressor, and in a low pressure turbine (LPT). The low pressure turbine powers a fan in a turbofan aircraft engine application, or powers an external shaft for marine and industrial applications.
The need for cooling systems in gas turbine engines is critical, since the engines usually operate in extremely hot environments. For example, the engine components are often exposed to hot gases having temperatures up to about 3800° F. (2093° C.), for aircraft applications, and up to about 2700° F. (1482° C.), for the stationary power generation applications. To cool the components exposed to the hot gases, these "hot gas path" components typically have both internal convection and external film cooling.
In the case of film cooling, a number of cooling holes may extend from a relatively cool surface of the component to a "hot" surface of the component. The cooling holes are usually cylindrical bores which are inclined at a shallow angle, through the metal walls of the component. Film cooling is an important mechanism for temperature control, since it decreases incident heat flux from hot gases to the surfaces of components. A number of techniques may be used to form the cooling holes; depending on various factors, e.g., the necessary depth and shape of the hole. Laser drilling, water jet cutting, and electro-discharge machining (EDM) are techniques frequently used for forming film cooling holes. The film cooling holes are typically arranged in rows of closely-spaced holes, which collectively provide a large-area cooling blanket over the external surface.
The coolant air is typically compressed air that is bled off the compressor, which is then bypassed around the engine's combustion zone, and fed through the cooling holes to the hot surface. The coolant forms a protective "film" between the hot component surface and the hot gas flow, thereby helping protect the component from heating. Furthermore, protective coatings, such as for example, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), may be employed on the hot surface to increase the operating temperature of the components.
Film cooling is highest when the coolant flow "hugs" the hot surface. With this in mind, many different surface geometries and shapes have been designed for the exit region of the cooling holes. Examples include different types of trenches and craters, which are purposefully formed on one or more of the component surfaces. These surface features can enable a longer duration of contact between the coolant flow and the hot surface, and/or can provide a cooler, effective gas temperature layer on the surface.
Various considerations are important in designing the most appropriate film cooling system. For example, a certain volume of air is usually required to flow over the hot surface of the component, and as described above, it is also important that a significant portion of that air stay attached to the hot surface, for as long as possible. Moreover, since a large number of film cooling holes require a larger amount of air to be bled off the engine compressor, engine efficiency may suffer if too many cooling holes are present. Furthermore, since future turbine engine designs may involve even higher operating temperatures, improved film cooling systems may take on even greater importance.
With these considerations in mind, new methods and structures for improving film cooling capabilities in gas turbine engines would be welcome in the art. The innovations should enhance the performance of the cooling stream, without significantly decreasing engine efficiency. The film cooling structures should also not interfere with the strength and integrity of the turbine engine part. Moreover, the new film cooling structures should be capable of being formed, accurately and efficiently, by one or more of the drilling, cutting, and machining techniques mentioned above.

Articles which include chevron film cooling holes, and related processes


A method of preparing an alkoxysilane and a silicone resin includes the steps of combining a siloxane A having a first boiling point with a catalyst in a reaction vessel. A tri or tetra alkoxy functional silane monomer B is added to the vessel having a second boiling point. The contents of the vessel are heated. By a rearrangement reaction, an alkoxysilane is distilled from the vessel. The alkoxysilane has a boiling point which is lower than the mixture of the boiling points of the siloxane A, the silane monomer B and the temperature of the heated vessel. A silicone resin having alkoxy functionality and no silanol functionality is recovered from the vessel.

There exists several methods for preparing alkoxysilanes and silicone resins. Conventionally, separate synthesis processes are carried out for each product.
For example, trimethylethoxysilane may be used as a hydrophobic treating agent for silica in defoamers, as a treatment for the dry powders in fire extinguishers to impart free flowing properties and other similar uses. Trimethylethoxysilane may also be used as an end blocker in silicone fluid synthesis and as a reactive silane in contact lens manufacturing processes. Conventionally, trimethylethoxysilane is made by reacting trimethylchlorosilane with ethanol in the presence of an acid receptor, such as pyridine. Yields by this method are low and accordingly, the product is very expensive.
Alternatively, chlorosilane may be reacted with alcohol to derive an alkoxysilane and hydrogen chloride gas as a byproduct.
Methyl silicone resin is a valuable resin which is useful as a hard coating for plastics and acrylics. Common methods for making the silicone resin include the reaction of an alkoxysilane and water resulting in hydrolysis and condensation. Some unreacted hydroxyl groups always remain and are highly reactive. Because of the reactivity of the free hydroxl groups of the resins, shelf stability of the resin is poor. If catalyst is added, the resin will cure in the container. Amines cannot be added to this system without the result of curing prematurely.
The present invention provides an efficient means for producing both a specific alkoxysilane and a silicone resin having commercial significance. The method combines readily available and inexpensive alkoxysilanes to generate alkoxysilanes and silicone resins which otherwise would be much more difficult to obtain and expensive to produce. The method can be used to make novel products as well as products previously available yet prohibitively expensive to utilize commercially.
The resins produced are free of reactive hydroxy groups. Therefore, amine groups can be incorporated into the molecules without premature gelling of the resin in the container. Shelf stability of the resin product is very good.

Method of preparing alkoxy silane and a silicone containing resin


During molding of a brush holder which is a resin-molded part in an alternator, a capacitor component is molded integrally with a capacitor positive electrode terminal and a capacitor negative electrode terminal joined by crimping to a positive terminal and a negative terminal, respectively. The capacitor component is thereby embedded in a first resin portion.

This application is based on Application No. 2001-239562, filed in Japan on Aug. 7, 2001, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitor assembly for an alternator providing a capacitor component in an interior space of an alternator case, and to a method for the manufacture thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in alternators, a capacitor component is connected in parallel between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the alternator, being constructed mainly to absorb surges generated by a rectifier assembly and to prevent the propagation of noise to vehicle electrical load devices such as audio systems.
The capacitor component is accommodated inside a cup-shaped capacitor receptacle, being integrated with the capacitor receptacle by a filler resin injected inside the capacitor receptacle and hardened. The capacitor assembly is constructed by inserting the capacitor receptacle containing the capacitor component into an insertion aperture disposed through a brush holder which is a rear-end built-in molded part, and joining component terminals to holder terminals by a joining means such as soldering.
In the conventional capacitor assembly constructed in this manner, because the capacitor receptacle containing the capacitor component is supported in the brush holder by means of the joint portions between the component terminals and the holder terminals, the joint portions between the component terminals and the holder terminals bear the weight of the capacitor receptacle, the capacitor component, and the filler resin. When the alternator is mounted to the engine of an automobile, vibrations from the engine are transmitted to the alternator when the engine is running. Thus, the weight of the capacitor receptacle, the capacitor component, and the filler resin becomes a vibrating load acting repeatedly on the joint portions between the component terminals and the holder terminals, and one problem has been the occurrence of dislodging of the joint portions.
In order to solve problems of this kind, capacitor assemblies have been proposed as improvements in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-209824 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-16829, for example, in which the weight of the capacitor receptacle, the capacitor component, and the filler resin is prevented from acting on the joint portions between the component terminals and the holder terminals by forming the brush holder and the capacitor receptacle into an integrated body.
In these capacitor assemblies proposed as improvements, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a cup-shaped capacitor accommodating portion 71 is formed in a portion of a brush holder 70 when the brush holder 70 is formed by molding using a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin. The capacitor component 35 is accommodated in the capacitor accommodating portion 71, a filler resin 73 composed of an epoxy resin is injected into the capacitor accommodating portion 71 and hardened, and then component terminals 74 are soldered to holder terminals 75.
Thus, the brush holder 70 (the capacitor accommodating portion 71) bears the weight of the capacitor component 35 and the filler resin 73. Hence, the weight of the capacitor component 35 and the filler resin 73 is prevented from becoming a vibrating load acting repeatedly on the joint portions 76 between the component terminals 74 and the holder terminals 75, thereby preventing the occurrence of dislodging of the joint portions 76.
In the conventional capacitor assemblies proposed as improvements, as explained above, a PPS resin and an epoxy resin are used in a resin portion 72 of the brush holder 70 and for the filler resin 73, respectively.
Thus, because the resin portion 72 of the brush holder 70 and the filler resin 73 have differing coefficients of thermal expansion and thermal contraction, one problem has been that the interface between the resin portion 72 and the filler resin 73 separates due to ambient temperature increases or heat received from other heat-generating parts, and salt water, etc., may penetrate the gaps therebetween, giving rise to insulation failure.
Furthermore, in order to secure the capacitor component 35, the capacitor accommodating portion 71 is filled with the filler resin 73, requiring a process for hardening the filler resin 73, and thus another problem has been that manufacturing time is lengthy.
The present invention aims to solve the above problems and an object of the present invention is to provide a capacitor assembly for an alternator and a method for the manufacture thereof enabling suppression of insulation failure due to penetration by salt water, etc., by molding a capacitor component integrally during molding of resin-molded parts to be mounted to the alternator to prevent separation resulting from ambient temperature increases or heat received from other heat-generating parts, and also enabling manufacturing time to be shortened by omitting processes for filling and hardening a filler resin.
With the above object in view, a capacitor assembly for an alternator of the present invention includes a resin-molded part formed by molding using a first molding resin, a positive terminal and a negative terminal insert molded into the resin-molded part, and a capacitor component installed between a battery terminal end and ground. The resin-molded part is mounted to an alternator case. The capacitor component has a capacitor positive electrode terminal and a capacitor negative electrode terminal for electrical connection to the positive terminal and the negative terminal. The capacitor component is molded integrally into the resin-molded part so as to be embedded in the resin-molded part.
Therefore, there is provided a capacitor assembly for an alternator enabling suppression of insulation failure due to penetration by salt water, etc., by preventing separation resulting from ambient temperature increases or heat received from other heat-generating parts, and also enabling manufacturing time to be shortened by omitting processes for filling and hardening a filler resin to secure the capacitor component.
With the above object in view, a method for manufacturing a capacitor assembly for an alternator of the present invention includes the step of molding a positive terminal, a negative terminal, and a capacitor component using a first molding resin to integrally mold The capacitor component has a capacitor positive electrode terminal and a capacitor negative electrode terminal for electrical connection to the positive terminal and the negative terminal. The capacitor component is installed between a battery terminal end and ground.
Therefore, there is provided a method for manufacturing a capacitor assembly for an alternator enabling suppression of insulation failure due to penetration by salt water, etc., by preventing separation resulting from ambient temperature increases or heat received from other heat-generating parts, and also enabling manufacturing time to be shortened by omitting processes for filling and hardening a filler resin to secure the capacitor component.

Capacitor assembly for an alternator and a method for the manufacture thereof


A wrench with a quick rotatable driving head includes a handle, a driving head and a quick-disengaging unit. The quick-disengaging unit is composed of a fixing member secured with the driving head, an operating member inserted through the handle and fitted around the fixing member, and a restraining element transversely provided between the fixing member and the operating member and the handle. The handle and the driving head can be separated by the quick-disengaging unit so that the driving head, with the quick-disengaging unit acting as a pivot, can quickly screw or unscrew a thread locking member, and the operating member can be restrictedly positioned on the fixing member by the restraining element, able to prevent the handle and the driving head from separating.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wrench with a quickly rotatable driving head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As commonly known, a wrench is employed for screwing or unscrewing a thread locking member (not shown) such as a bolt, and quick-rotating ratchet wrenches have been developed for the convenience of operation. A conventional quick-rotating ratchet wrench, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, includes a handle 10, a driving head 20 and a quick-disengaging unit 30 combined together. The handle 10 has one end provided with a bulging block 11 disposed with an insert hole 12 and having a circumferential side bored with a through hole 13 communicating with the insert hole 12 and provided with a first ratchet teeth 14. The driving head 20 is provided with a recessed groove 21 corresponding with the bulging block 11 and formed inside with an inner wall 21, which is provided with an annular recess 22 and second ratchet teeth 23. The quick-disengaging unit 30 has an operating member 31 provided to slide in the insert hole 12 and having both a shallow recess 311 and a deep recess 312 cut axially in a circumferential side A first spring 32 is fitted around the operating member 31 of the quick-disengaging unit 30, which is further provided with a restraining unit 33 received in the through hole 13 of the bulging block 11 and composed of two steel balls 331, 332 and a second spring 333 positioned between the two steel balls 331 and 332. In a normal condition, the two steel balls 331, 332 of the restraining unit 33 will respectively and elastically push against both the shallow recess 311 of the operating member 31 and the annular recess 22 of the driving head 20 to avoid the bulging block 11 of the handle 10 disengaging from the recessed groove 21 of the driving head 20 and hence, the handle 10 and the driving head 20 are impossible to rotate mutually because the first ratchet teeth 14 and the second ratchet teeth 23 tightly engage with each other. To enable the driving head 20 to rotate quickly relatively to the handle 10, referring to FIG. 3, only press down the operating member 31 to let the steel ball 331, which originally pushes against the shallow recess 311, changed to push against the deep recess 312, thus able to reduce the force that another steel ball 332 pushing against the annular recess 22. At this time, the handle 110 can easily be pulled upward and outward to disengage the first ratchet teeth 14 from the second ratchet teeth 23 and thus, the handle 10 can be operated to actuate the driving head 20 to rotate for 360 degrees for quickly screwing or unscrewing a thread locking member.
However, in the course of operating the driving head 20 to rotate quickly, restricted positioning between the bulging block 11 of the handle 10 and the recessed groove 21 of the driving head 20 is only effected by means of the steel ball 332 that pushes against the inner wall 211 of the recessed groove 21. Therefore, in an operating process, the bulging block 11 of the handle 10 is likely to cause disengagement in the recessed groove 21 of the driving head 20, resulting in a misgiving in safety of employing the conventional quickly-rotating ratchet wrench. In addition, the conventional quickly-rotating ratchet wrench using two steel balls for carrying out quick disengagement will add difficulty in production and assembly and increase cost, and the steel balls 331, 332 are liable to become deadlocked and especially, the second spring 333 may cause elastic fatigue after used for a long period.

Wrench with a quickly rotatable driving head


An ejection device is provided for a moveable part of a piece of furniture. The ejection device includes a lever for transmitting force to the moveable part of the piece of furniture. The lever has a lever member which is mounted so as to be rotatable by a limited degree about an axis of rotation while having a free lever end. The lever member is provided with a curved section that is spaced apart from the axis of rotation and the free lever end.

This invention concerns an ejection device for a movable furniture part with a lever for transferring force to the movable furniture part. The lever has a lever body which is pivot-mounted within limits around a fulcrum point, and the lever body has a free end.
Ejection devices of this type have been used for a long time. A torque M is applied to the lever body by an actuator, usually an electrical device. If the ejection device is arranged in a furniture body, the force F exerted by the lever body on the movable furniture part with a moment arm r is given by the formula F=M/r.
Given a torque M exerted by the actuator, it follows that the force F applied to the movable furniture part is smaller, the longer the moment arm r. Of course, the magnitude of the moment arm r corresponds to the distance between the fulcrum point and the position where the lever body contacts the movable furniture part. Since, according to the state of the art, the lever body rests on the movable furniture part with its free end, the moment arm r usually corresponds to the length of the lever body.
Since the distance over which the lever body can apply a force F to the movable furniture part before the movable furniture part clears the lever body is affected by the length of the lever body, the lever body cannot be configured too short.
FIG. 1a shows in diagrammatic form an ejection device 1 with a housing 5 to which a lever 2 is pivot-mounted such that it will rotate within a limited angle. The ejection device 1 is assembled to a carrier element 6 and comprises an electric motor (electrical actuator) 15 to actuate the lever 2. The carrier element 6 is arranged on a furniture body 16 (see FIG. 10). Lever 2 comprises a lever body 3 having a base (fulcrum) end and a free end 4. An idler roller 7 is arranged on the free lever end 4. FIG. 1a deals with a drawer 17 (see FIG. 10) as the movable furniture part 8 which is resting in the closed end position in the furniture body 16. The idler roller 7 rests on a rear wall of the drawer.
FIG. 1b shows the force F exerted by the lever on the rear wall of the drawer and plotted versus path s. In this, the path s refers to the distance covered by the rear wall of the drawer from the closed end position to the point where it loses contact with lever 2. FIG. 1c shows a graph of the current drawn by the electric motor over the path s. The problem in this state of the art is that the force acting on the movable furniture part at the start of the ejection path s is relatively small.
As shown in FIG. 2a, an attempt was made, therefore, to improve the arrangement by adding a further roller 7 about half way along the lever. (This design is not a part of the invention).
It follows from FIG. 2b that this measure actually results in a considerable rise in the force F exerted initially on the movable furniture part 8. However, a significant disadvantage in this design version can be deduced from FIG. 2b and FIG. 2c, namely, that as soon as the lever 2 has swung out to the point where the second roller 7, arranged at the free lever end 4, comes to rest on the movable furniture part 8, a leap occurs in the force F and current I. This leap is based on the fact that when the second idler roller 7 comes into contact with movable furniture part 8, the effective moment arm r suddenly lengthens, causing a sudden reduction in the force F. As FIG. 2c shows, this leads to a sudden increase in the current I supplied to the electric motor, since the latter needs an increase in torque M to supply the same force F now that the moment arm r has lengthened. Since the only way that this can be done is at a lower motor speed, the motor is forced to slow down.
This exposes the disadvantage in the state of the art in that, due to the long moment arm r, only a small force F can be applied to the movable furniture part. In the initial acceleration phase in particular, in which the movable furniture part has to be accelerated from a rest position by overcoming its mass inertia, this causes a high load on the actuator and a slow ejection process due to the slow acceleration.

Ejection device for a movable furniture part


A magnetic write head for use in a data recording system having first and second magnetic pole, the first pole having a P1 pedestal. An electrically conductive coil passes through a space between the first and second poles for inducing a magnetic flux through the yoke formed by the first and second poles. A bi-layer insulation layer disposed between the poles includes a layer of photoresist for preventing voids and a layer of alumina formed thereover to provide a structural brace to prevent recession of the P1 pedestal during manufacturing operations such as soda blast.

The heart of a computer is an assembly that is referred to as a magnetic disk drive. The magnetic disk drive includes a rotating magnetic disk, write and read heads that are suspended by a suspension arm adjacent to a surface of the rotating magnetic disk and an actuator that swings the suspension arm to place the read and write heads over selected circular tracks on the rotating disk. The read and write heads are directly located on a slider that has an air bearing surface (ABS). The suspension arm biases the slider into contact with the surface of the disk when the disk is not rotating but, when the disk rotates, air is swirled by the rotating disk. When the slider rides on the air bearing, the write and read heads are employed for writing magnetic impressions to and reading magnetic impressions from the rotating disk. The read and write heads are connected to processing circuitry that operates according to a computer program to implement the writing and reading functions.
The write head includes a coil layer embedded in first, second and third insulation layers (insulation stack), the insulation stack being sandwiched between first and second pole piece layers. A gap is formed between the first and second pole piece layers by a gap layer at an air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head and the pole piece layers are connected at a back gap. Current conducted to the coil layer induces a magnetic flux in the pole pieces which causes a magnetic field to fringe out at a write gap at the ABS for the purpose of writing the aforementioned magnetic impressions in tracks on the moving media, such as in circular tracks on the aforementioned rotating disk.
In recent read head designs a spin valve sensor, also referred to as a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor, has been employed for sensing magnetic fields from the rotating magnetic disk. The sensor includes a nonmagnetic conductive layer, hereinafter referred to as a spacer layer, sandwiched between first and second ferromagnetic layers, hereinafter referred to as a pinned layer and a free layer. First and second leads are connected to the spin valve sensor for conducting a sense current therethrough. The magnetization of the pinned layer is pinned perpendicular to the air bearing surface (ABS) and the magnetic moment of the free layer is located parallel to the ABS, but free to rotate in response to external magnetic fields. The magnetization of the pinned layer is typically pinned by exchange coupling with an antiferromagnetic layer.
The thickness of the spacer layer is chosen to be less than the mean free path of conduction electrons through the sensor. With this arrangement, a portion of the conduction electrons is scattered by the interfaces of the spacer layer with each of the pinned and free layers. When the magnetizations of the pinned and free layers are parallel with respect to one another, scattering is minimal and when the magnetizations of the pinned and free layer are antiparallel, scattering is maximized. Changes in scattering alter the resistance of the spin valve sensor in proportion to cos θ, where θ is the angle between the magnetizations of the pinned and free layers. In a read mode the resistance of the spin valve sensor changes proportionally to the magnitudes of the magnetic fields from the rotating disk. When a sense current is conducted through the spin valve sensor, resistance changes cause potential changes that are detected and processed as playback signals.
In the face of the ever increasing demand for improved data rate and data capacity, researchers continually strive to decrease the size and increase the write performance of write elements. One recently constructed write head, termed a bionic head, has been manufactured by Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. The bionic head includes a first pole (P1) that includes a first layer of magnetic material, and a magnetic pedestal (P1 pedestal) formed on that first layer of magnetic material. A thin layer of dielectric material is formed over the top of the P1 pedestal, and the second pole extends over the first pole from the pole tip region to the back gap. The bionic head provides excellent track width control, bit size and magnetic field strength.
Write heads, such as the bionic head described above, have suffered from recession. Recession of the P1 pedestal is a term that refers to the P1 pedestal sinking into the write head (ie. away from the magnetic medium). As can be appreciated, this recession of the pedestal portion of the first pole increases the effective fly height of the write head. As slider fly heights decrease, the effect of this recession becomes a larger percentage of the fly height budget, seriously degrading write performance. To maintain performance standards, manufacturers must specify a maximum allowable level of recession. A head having recession greater than this amount must be scrapped. Currently yield losses due to recession have been as high as 0.5%.
Therefore, there is a strong felt need for a way of reducing recession in the construction of a write head such as a bionic head. Such a means for reducing recession would preferably involve existing manufacturing techniques and materials so as not require significant additional manufacturing expense. Such a method would also preferably not negatively affect other performance parameters such as track width control, write gap thickness, or field strength among others.

Bilayer coil insulation for magnetic write heads to minimize pole recession

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A tailgate assembly and method of operating the same. The assembly includes a door portion movable between a closed position and an open position. An extendable spoiler is operably attached to the door portion. An extendable floorbed is operably attached to the door portion. The floorbed may be extended when the door portion is in the open position and the spoiler is extended. The method includes moving a door portion between a closed position and an open position. A spoiler operably attached to the door portion is extended. A floorbed operably attached to the door portion is extended when the door portion is in the open position and the spoiler is extended.

An automobile (e.g., a car, truck, etc.) may include a spoiler 100 fixed to a rear portion of a vehicle 110, such as a trunk 120, by means of one or more support stands 130 as shown in FIG. 1. A spoiler adopted in automobile aeromechanics operates with the same fundamental principles as those of aerofoils of airplanes. A distinction between the two is that the airplane aerofoil produces an upward lift, whereas the automobile spoiler of an automobile produces a downward force along arrow A. As the vehicle 110 travels in a left to right direction, air flows to the left, along arrow B, and splits both above, along arrow C, and below, along arrow D, the spoiler 100. Since the air flows a longer distance below the spoiler 100 than above, it travels at a faster rate to meet up with the air from which it was split. This produces a differential in air pressure thereby resulting in the downward force, also known as a downforce. The downforce is proportional to the speed of the vehicle 110 and is helpful in improving tire traction and handling of the vehicle 110. Beside improving tire traction and handling, the spoiler 100 may enhance the aesthetics of the vehicle 110. It would further be desirable if the spoiler 100 would provide additional function(s) other than those described.
Automobiles, such as trucks, may include a rear-bed portion that may be useful for hauling cargo. In many instances, the cargo may be insecure and thus be dislodged from the rear-bed should, for example, the truck hit a bump. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a strategy for securing cargo in the rear-bed portion of the vehicle.
Another limitation of current rear-bed portions of vehicles relates to space limitations. For example, the amount of cargo capable of being hauled is limited to the actual dimensions of the rear-bed. In some instances, a tailgate of the rear-bed may be folded downward to provide additional cargo space. However, it would be desirable to provide a strategy for increasing the rear-bed size even further. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a tailgate assembly and method of operating the same that overcomes the aforementioned and other disadvantages.

Tailgate assembly and method of operating the same


A printing apparatus which is configured to communicate with an external device and performs printing includes: a receiving section which receives a printing job from the external device; a storage section in which the printing job is stored; an input section which accepts a printing instruction; a printing section which performs the printing based on the printing job when the input section accepts the printing instruction; a judgment section which judges whether or not the printing job is a deletion-objective job to be deleted from the storage section; a determining section which determines a transmission mode based on at least one of transmission setting and transmission content of the deletion-objective job, when the judgment section judges that the printing job is the deletion-objective job; a transmission section which transmits the deletion-objective job to the external device; and a deleting section which deletes the deletion-objective job from the storage section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing system and in particular, to a printing apparatus and a printing system which stores a printing job in a storage section of the printing apparatus and performs printing of the printing job when a printing instruction by a user is accepted.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a remote printing technique in which a printing job having a printing time-period is stored in a storage section of a printing apparatus and then printing is started when a user carries out a printing instruction of the printing job to the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus deletes the printing job from the storage section when the printing time-period of the printing job elapses (expires). In the recent years, the printing apparatus as described above is widely used with the popularization of public wireless LAN service. For example, the printing job is stored, in advance, in the printing apparatus of a public facility such as a railroad station, an airport, etc., and thereby making it possible for the user to obtain a printed matter of the printing job there.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-205533 discloses the printing apparatus as described above. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-205533, it is disclosed that a job is registered in the storage section of a printer, judgment is performed as to whether or not the job registered is stored for a certain period of time, and the job is deleted from the storage section in a case that the job is stored for the certain period of time. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-205533 discloses that an image data of the job to be deleted is transmitted, before the deletion of the job from the storage section, to an address corresponding to a user of the job via an e-mail (electronic mail) to prevent loss of the image data.
However, there is generated a problem in the conventional printing apparatus described above such that the image data is not always successfully transmitted depending on a transmission mode. For example, in a case that data amount (data size) attachable to the e-mail is limited and that the data amount of the image data attached exceeds the limit, the image data can not be transmitted. Therefore, there is scope to improve the technique for preventing the loss of the image data registered in the printing apparatus.
The present teaching has been made in order to solve the problem as described above, an object of which is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing system which appropriately prevents loss of an image data registered in the printing apparatus.


A system and method is provided for the inductive transfer of electric power between a substantially flat primary surface and a multitude of secondary devices in such a way that the power transfer is localized to the vicinities of individual device coils. The contact free power transfer does not require precise physical alignment between the primary surface and the secondary device and can allow the secondary device or devices to be placed anywhere and in arbitrary orientation with respect to the primary surface. Such power transfer is realized without the need of complex high frequency power switching network to turn the individual primary coils on or off and is completely scalable to almost arbitrary size. The local anti-resonance architecture of the primary device will block primary current from flowing when no secondary device or devices are in proximity to the local RF power network. The presence of a tuned secondary device detunes the local anti-resonance on the primary surface; thereby enable the RF power to be transferred from the local primary coils to the secondary device. The uniformity of the inductive coupling between the active primary surface and the secondary devices is improved with a novel multi-pole driving technique which produces an apparent traveling wave pattern across the primary surface.

Contact free power transfer has been around for a long time. A case in point is the transformer which converts high voltage AC power into low voltage AC power and vice versa through a shared inductive magnetic field. The inductive magnetic filed is generated by the primary coil which induces an electromotive force that propels electrons in the secondary conducting coil with the aid of a high magnetic permeability material core. There are no direct electrical conductive contacts between the primary and the secondary coils. A modern example of a transformer is the Braun Oral B toothbrush, which relies on the external casing of the toothbrush base to guide the toothbrush to mate with the internal shape of the charger module, thus allowing the primary coil, the secondary coil, and the high permeability cores to align perfectly so that charging can take place. Other induction charging device prior arts are similarly restrictive in the way the primary unit mates with the secondary unit. For those prior art inventions, the secondary device can only be charged by a dedicated primary device designed for it and charging is only possible if the primary unit is aligned accurately to receive the secondary unit it is designed for.
The contact free power transfer concept as embodied by the transformer inherently requires almost perfect mechanical alignment. The reason for this is that any "magnetic flux leakage" between the primary coil and the secondary coil, namely, the magnetic flux that is generated by the primary coil that is not enveloped by the secondary coil, will be seen by the primary unit as a series leakage inductance. The leakage inductance is directly proportional to both the self inductance of the primary coil and the fractional loss of magnetic coupling between the primary and the secondary. Since the power transfer rate is directly proportional to the primary self inductance as well as to the magnetic coupling coefficient and the frequency of the AC source current, the self inductance of the primary coil must necessarily be high. Hence even a 1% flux leakage will result in leakage impedance that is large enough to practically choke off the primary current. The leakage flux can only be minimized by properly aligning the secondary coil with the primary coil and by using the high permeability core to concentrate and guide the inductive magnetic flux through the volume enclosed by the coils with minimum stray magnetic fields. To further minimize leakage, the air gap between the primary magnetic core and the secondary magnetic core must be kept as small as possible. This explains why an improperly seated inductive toothbrush oftentimes will fail to get charged. The requirement for precise alignment presents a major obstacle to the popularity of such devices.
To surmount the difficulty of transformer-based inductive power transfer, one or more capacitive load may be introduced in series with the primary circuit in order to compensate for the large inductive leakage impedance. This is similar to "power factor correction" for power AC circuits. A switched capacitor bank can be used to adjust the capacitive load to accurately cancel out the inductive load caused by the leakage flux. A primary circuit in which the series capacitive load and series inductive load precisely cancels is called a series resonant circuit. Power transfer that relies on series resonance is appropriately called "resonant inductive power transfer." Such transfer is no longer subjected to the stringent leakage free coupling requirement of the transformer power transfer method.
One prime example of resonant power transfer is the passive RFID tag. Passive RFID tag has no internal power supply. The minute RF current induced in the antenna of the tag by the incoming RF signal provides the power for the tag. The power is rectified and stored in a capacitor. When the voltage of the capacitor reached a threshold value, the capacitor activates the digital memory chip that is given a unique electronic product code. The RFID code is used to modulate the antenna to reflect the continuous RF signal transmitted by the RFID "interrogator" by varying the reflectivity of the antenna. The interrogator detects the changes in the reflected power and demodulates and decodes the received RFID signal. The passive RFID represents a diametrically opposite example to an AC transformer in that the leakage flux is so large that the coupling coefficient is for all practical purpose zero, i.e., very little flux from the primary interrogator coil is linked to the secondary passive RFID antenna coil. Hence the leakage coefficient is virtually 1. In such cases, there is no need of a switched capacitor bank. A single fixed capacitor tuned to the series resonance of the primary circuit is sufficient. Because the coupling coefficient is so small, very little power actually gets transferred between the primary unit (the interrogator) and the secondary unit (passive RFID tag), hence the energy conversion efficiency is extremely poor. However, the main purpose of RFID technology is not to provide power transfer, but to enable the interrogator to briefly power up the passive tag's power unit with just enough energy to transmit back the product code information. The fact that there is power transfer between the primary unit and the secondary unit is just a means to achieve that goal without having to put an energy storage device inside the tag.
Another example of resonant power transfer is the Wacom's wireless tablet technology. A Wacom pen or mouse can be used with their tablets as input devices without the need of any internal power supply such as batteries or super-capacitors. The tablet acts as a primary unit with a multitude of primary coil arranged in a matrix and emits a low power magnetic field whose intensity decreases rapidly away from the tablet. The pen or mouse comprises an antenna and a transponder unit that receives the incoming RF power, rectifies it, and retransmits a RF signal at a different frequency. The retransmitted signal is detected by two or more primary coils that are close to the antenna of the secondary unit. The received signals are used to triangulate the precise location of the secondary antenna. Wacom's technology can be considered as a variation of the RFID technology in its use of a frequency converting transponder. Because of the closeness of the primary coils to the secondary antenna, very little power is required to transmit a beacon signal. Hence, as in RFID, the energy conversion efficiency does not play a role here, and the contactless power transfer is just a means to achieve the goal of precisely locating the battery-less pointing device.
US 20030210106A1 to Lily Ka Lai Cheng et al. discloses a system and method for transferring power without the need for direct electrical conductive contacts between a primary unit and one or more secondary units. A salient aspect of that patent is that the inductive magnetic field lines generated by the primary unit are substantially parallel to the plane of the surface within the laminar active surface of the primary unit, which minimizes the intensity and size of the magnetic field generated to reduce electromagnetic emission. Another salient aspect of that invention is the convenience of being able to allow secondary devices to be placed anywhere within the active vicinity thereby eliminating the need for plugging-in or placing secondary devices accurately relative to an adaptor or charger. A still another aspect of the prior art is the ability of the primary unit to supply power to a number of secondary different devices with different power requirements simultaneously. These are achieved by a unique design of two large base coils that generate magnetic fields which are substantially parallel to the plane of the laminar base surface and are substantially orthogonal to each other in space and time. The localization of the magnetic field is further aided by the use of high magnetic permeability material. This overcomes one of the main problems associated with inductive charging: the generation of large magnetic field profile. Since the intensity of electromagnetic emission is governed by regulatory limits, any device that is capable of generating a large inductive magnetic field profile runs the risk of violating such limits. In addition, numerous objects can be adversely affected by the presence of a large magnetic field, causing them to either be heated or lose precious stored data.
Despite these advances, this prior art approach suffers from two serious limitations: First, although the magnetic field generated by such approach has a low profile, it does not provide a method to localize the magnetic field around the secondary devices. Thus, if a metallic object is placed on or near the active area of the primary device, an eddy current will be induced, causing the metal to heat up, with a like effect on the primary unit, which sees the metallic object as an equivalent short, which may lead to irreparable damage to the primary unit. Second, the height of the magnetic field profile for the primary unit is directly proportional to the linear dimensions of the primary unit because of the similarity principle. Hence the concept can't easily be scaled up to large primary devices without exceeding regulatory limits. To date, the assignee of that patent, Splashpower limited, has demoed only small, mouse-mat-sized pad that can support up to two small power devices such as PDAs and cell phones simultaneously. Splashpower's devices have also suffered from low energy conversion efficiency.
Another approach to avoid the generation of large magnetic fields is to use an array of coils whereby only a few of them are activated as need arises. This was suggested by a paper published in the Journal of the Magnetics Society of Japan entitled "Coil Shape in a Desk-type Contactless Power Station System" (Nov. 29, 2001). In one embodiment of the concept, multiple position sensors sense the presence of a secondary device placed on the primary unit and relay that information to a central controlling unit. The control unit then sends power to the appropriate coils to energize the secondary coil in a localized fashion. The degree of localization of the magnetic field is determined by the number of primary coils. Since each coil requires a dedicated high frequency switching unit to activate or deactivate, and the central controller unit needs to have an input pin and an output pin for every coil, the complexity increases drastically as the number of primary coils increases.
The prior art solutions invariably use low induction frequencies in the audio frequency range (1 KHz to 50 KHz). The advantages of such solutions include the ready availability of power generation devices in this frequency range as well as the existence of very high magnetic permeability materials which can increase the induced magnetic flux drastically by offering a low reluctance path for the induction magnetic field, thereby increasing the power transfer. The drawbacks of the prior art approaches are: First, the power generation devices are typically bulky because of the need to use large inductors and capacitors at such low frequencies as well as the relatively large current requirement. Second, the high magnetic permeability materials typically have rather large loss tangent, and have nonlinear and hysteretic behaviors at large magnetic flux intensities. Further, the strong reliance of the prior art approaches on the use of high permeability materials in order to reduce the bulkiness of both the primary and the secondary device means that the only major high magnetic reluctance circuit resides within the air gap between the primary and the secondary devices. The consequence is that the power transfer decreases rapidly as a function of the air gap, rendering the prior art technologies no better than the prior art solution based on direct electrical contact in their ability to tolerate vertical separation. Fourth, in order to enable the power transfer through the air gap, the inductive magnetic flux through the air gap must be sufficiently large owing to the relatively low induction frequency. This is because the power transfer is proportional to the product of the induced voltage and the induced current, and the induced voltage is in turns proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux linked. In other words, the induced voltage is proportional to the product of the driving frequency and the linked magnetic flux.
Within the air gap, the relative magnetic permeability is 1; hence the magnetic field strength within the air gap cannot be reduced by the presence of high permeability material elsewhere. Since the lower the driving frequency, the larger the magnetic field required for a given power transfer rate, this means that low frequency inductive power transfer necessarily entails a severe size/power tradeoff, namely, for a given size of the induction coil, there is a power limit. For audio frequency inductive methods, the power limit for an inductive coil that can fit into a typical cell phone is limited but sufficient to charge a cell phone. The situation gets worse for larger devices such as a notebook computer which often requires 20-40 times more power to charge its battery but lacks space for a coil large enough for that purpose.
The inability of the majority of prior arts to localize the inductive field presents thorny interference and safety issues, as well as energy conversion efficiency issues. The danger that is inherent in having stray magnetic flux that can cause metallic objects in its vicinity to heat up, no matter how slowly is a major safety hazard. An user wearing a ring on his or her finger, or having a metallic implant, is liable to have induced eddy current in and around his/her body. The electromagnetic interference caused by such stray field can also severely hamper the proper operation of a sensitive electronic device. Lastly, the presence of nonlocalized field which does not couple to client devices drastically reduce the energy conversion efficiency since the Q factor of the primary coil is not infinity in practice, hence the portion of the current that is responsible for the generation of such stray flux will always have a resistive component. The larger the unlinked flux, the higher the dissipation loss. Worse, the magnetic flux does not diminish even in the absence of any client devices in the active vicinity; hence the standby power consumption represents a 100% power loss.
Even though each of the aforementioned problems can be solved in theory, the solutions invariably increase system complexity and drive up cost as well as making the system less reliable and less user-friendly. The hazard associated with the presence of metallic objects in the vicinity of the primary device, for example, can be solved through the use of a proximity metal detector. The energy conversion efficiency can theoretically be improved by using conducting materials with very low resistivity such as room temperature superconductors, etc. The EMI interference issues can exemplarily be addressed by either limiting the size of the primary surface, or by switching micro-coils, as was suggested in the aforementioned Japanese paper (Nov. 23, 2001). The no-load power loss can be addressed by automatically turning off the power to the primary coils when no devices have been detected, and is only turned back on when at least one device has been detected. The detection of an eligible device can be performed by embedding a RFID in a device so that a RFID reader in the primary device can read the RFID tag to identify compatible client devices on the primary surface. The absence of any RFID signature will allow the primary unit to go to a standby mode with no electromagnetic emission.
Although a metal detector will make the prior art system safer, it significantly limits how the prior art system can be used. For example, a nearby metallic object will cause the primary device to go to a standby mode immediately, terminating the power transfer; hence the sensitivity of the metal detector must be tuned carefully to ensure that its envelope more or less coincides with that of the active region of the primary device. This way, a distant metallic object won't trigger an unnecessary shutdown. Even then, any small metallic object that accidentally falls on the primary surface will have to be removed, which is clearly a big annoyance. Worst, if an object such as steel wool whose metallic content is insufficient to trigger the metal detection happens to be on the primary surface, it may still be able to couple to the inductive magnetic field to generate a small Eddy current which causes it to slowly get hot enough to create a fire hazard. Similarly, if the sensitivity and range of the RFID reader is not properly tuned, it may either be unable to detect an eligible client device and therefore fails to turn on the primary coils, or there may be a client device that is too far to be charged by the primary device and yet close enough to be identified by the RFID reader to prevent the primary device from going to the standby mode.

System and method for selective transfer of radio frequency power


An apparatus for performing a function by using a fluid, which includes: a mass of a fluid whose viscosity varies with an electric current applied thereto; a pair of electrodes which are disposed so as to apply the electric current to the mass of the fluid; a device for controlling a voltage to be applied between the pair of electrodes to substantially change the viscosity of the mass of the fluid; and electrically resistive layers each having a predetermined electrical resistance value and covering each of the pair of electrodes, each of the resistive layers consisting of an insulating material having a low electrical conductivity. Thus, the present apparatus is capable of restricting an increase in an electrical current consumed by the mass of the fluid, when an electrical resistance value of the mass of the fluid is lowered due to a rise in an operating temperature of the mass of the fluid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus which performs an intended function by using a fluid whose apparent viscosity varies with an electric current applied thereto. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a technique for limiting an increase in a current consumed by a power source for the current, which is caused by lowering of a resistance value of the fluid when the fluid temperature is elevated, in order to protect the power source and other peripheral equipments.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
There is known a so-called electro-rheological fluid or electro-viscous fluid, whose apparent viscosity varies depending on the presence or absence of an electric field applied thereto, or on a magnitude of the electric field. In recent years, such a fluid is employed in various kinds of apparatus, such as a vibration-absorbing system, shock absorber, fluid valve or actuator, in which the viscosity of the fluid is changed as desired by controlling a voltage to be applied thereto. Thus, the apparatus as indicated above is intended to perform various functions by utilizing the characteristic of the fluid. The fluid having the above-described characteristic will be hereinafter referred to as "electro-viscous fluid" when appropriate.
In the apparatus using the electro-viscous fluid, a pair of electrodes are disposed so as to apply an electric current to a mass of the fluid which is present between the electrodes, so that the viscosity of the fluid is changed by controlling a voltage to be applied between the electrodes. However, it is generally recognized that an electrical resistance value of the electro-viscous fluid is suddenly lowered to a great extent when the temperature of the fluid is elevated, whereby the current density of the fluid is increased and the fluid itself generates heat to further elevate the temperature thereof. Consequently, the apparatus suffers from extreme increase in a current cunsumed by the fluid mass or its power source, due to the thus continuously increased temperature of the fluid and the accordingly lowered resistance value of the fluid. In the apparatus in which the temperature of the fluid is likely to be elevated during its use, therefore, the current consumed by the power source is almost unlimitedly increased with the temperature rise of the fluid, resulting in an overloaded state of the power source, and an adverse influence on the power source itself and its peripheral equipments.

Apparatus using a fluid whose viscosity varies with electric current applied thereto


A push-pull door lock chiefly comprising a sleeve on one side of a conventional door lock and a sleeve with a pull ring on the front edge on another side thereof, wherein two rollers are pivotally mounted in the sleeve and two protruding shafts are provided to the end of sleeve, each one neck of the conventional door lock handle is provided with an inclined slide groove to receive each one roller on the sleeve, each one thimble is provided to each one fixing ring on both sides of the conventional door lock so as to respectively install a compression spring and a stretch spring and to receive the two protruding shafts on the sleeve; therefore, a push-press handle is on the one side of door lock and a pull-open handle is on the another side thereof, and through pushing the sleeve on the one side of the conventional door lock by any one portion of the user's body or pulling the pull ring on the front of sleeve on the another side thereof by his any one finger, the sleeve actuates the door lock handle to rotate, and the lock tongue is thus retracted inwards, so that the purpose of opening the door can be achieved.

An overwhelming majority of conventional door locks may be opened through a hand to turn the handle of lock or a key to open the heart of lock, so that the tongue of lock is retracted to disengage from the catch on the door frame. However, these conventional door locks are considerably inconvenient for some people or in some circumstances. For instance:
1. The people who suffer apoplexy or broken arms cannot use their arm strength or have no arms to use, so they always cannot open the rotary door lock in general and the most popular trumpet lock in particular. If they leave from or enter into the room, they have to wait for someone else coming to open the door lock for them; otherwise, they cannot unlock it, this is extremely inconvenient for them.
2. When we carry a heavy object or hold something with two hands and intend to pass through or enter into the door equipped with the said lock, since these two hands are occupied and thus cannot open the door, so we have to put down the said heavy object or something on the floor in order to use a hand to turn the handle or heart of lock, then we may carry the heavy object or something to pass through the door. This is extremely troublesome and inconvenient for the people at large who complain about it very much.
In view of the above, the present inventor, through his research and development, invented a "push-pull door lock" of the present invention which can fully eliminate the foregoing drawbacks of conventional locks.


Not only a downsized cartridge but also an aperture constituted simply and at low cost using a downsized configuration of the cartridge is provided. A measurement channel includes a front-surface-side channel unit provided on a front surface of a cartridge main body; a rear-surface-side channel unit provided on a rear surface of the cartridge main body; and a connection channel unit connecting the front-surface-side channel unit to the rear-surface-side channel unit. An aperture is formed in the connection channel unit, a fluid contact unit of one electrode is arranged in the front-surface-side channel unit, and a fluid contact unit of the other electrode is arranged in the rear-surface-side channel unit.

As a cell analysis cartridge of this type, there is known a cartridge detachably attached to a micro-blood-cell-counter main body as disclosed in Patent Literature 1. The cartridge disclosed in the Patent Literature 1 includes a measurement channel circulating a diluted sample blood that is a fluid sample, an aperture provided on the measurement channel, and a pair of electrodes having fluid-contact units arranged at positions across the aperture held between the fluid-contact portions, respectively. The cartridge is used to perform a blood analysis based on an impedance change between the electrodes caused by passing of such cells as blood cells through the aperture.
Specifically, the measurement channel and the aperture are configured such that the measurement channel is provided in a plane direction of a resin substrate such as a PMMA substrate and the aperture is provided halfway along the measurement channel.
However, with the configuration of providing the measurement channel only in the plane direction, the cartridge is made larger in a plane size if the measurement channel is longer. Furthermore, there is a limit to making compact the plane size of the cartridge because of arrangement of the fluid-contact units of the paired electrodes in the plane direction across the aperture held between the fluid-contact units. In this way, the cartridge having the conventional configuration has a problem that it is difficult to meet market needs of the compact size.
Moreover, the measurement channel including the aperture is configured by forming a groove on a surface of the resin substrate by microfabrication such as micromachining. The aperture, in particular, needs to be formed with high precision because a size of the aperture is appropriately set according to a size of a measurement target cell (such as a blood cell) and has a great influence on a measurement result. If the surface of the resin substrate is machined by the microfabrication such as the micromachining, manufacturing cost increases and it is, therefore, disadvantageously difficult to manufacture the cell analysis cartridge at low cost.
Citation List
Patent Literature
[Patent Literature 1] JPA 2004-257768