A method for the preparation of pigment granules includes mixing at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of iron oxide and chromium oxides with 1-25 wt. % water to form a damp powder. The damp powder is then pressure extruded through at least one die to form granules. The granules are then dried so that the final water content of the granules is less than about 1%, crumble and sieved to form the final product.

The present invention is directed to the manufacture of pigment granules, for example, iron oxide and chromium oxide pigments of a type useful for coloring concrete and other products. Granules made according to the processes of this invention often surprisingly produce coloring in concrete systems superior to that of the starting pigments.
In General
Since at least the middle of the Nineteenth Century to the very present day, iron oxide has been used as the pigment of choice in an increasing variety of systems. Natural iron oxide actually was mined and used in paints before the American Civil War and such paint use continues, on a very large scale, into the twenty-first Century. Cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, waxes, coatings, inks, paper and a growing number of other new products continue to depend on iron oxide to provide the bright colors which some people believe define the vividness of modernity and our present time.
A major application of iron oxide (and chromium oxide) is in the pigmentation of cement and concrete products (e.g. paving slabs and blocks), and such colored concrete products are experiencing a growing and accelerating use throughout both the Western and Eastern worlds. Metal oxide pigments have been used in the form of a powder in the concrete business until very recently when customer preferences for a granule form became known.
Powdered metal oxide pigments are dusty, thereby giving rise to health hazards and making storage and handling difficult. Also, the powders are not free flowing and so cannot readily be conveyed through pipes, which become blocked by the powder. Further, the poor flowing properties of powders makes it hard to meter them using auger screws to ensure the correct proportion of pigment to base material (e.g., concrete).
Prior Developments
Similar problems are known in other industries (e.g., in the animal feedstuff industry). Such problems have been solved to a substantial extent by granulating the product. However methods of making these granules for concrete use have been difficult to optimize and are the subject of an ongoing investigation by many companies with much prior art reflecting the search for a process that is both effective in producing useful granules and is relatively inexpensive to implement. The guiding purpose of scientists working in the field has been to produce granules of sufficient strength to be transported and stored without breaking into dust and to simultaneously provide coloration properties to concrete close, or in rare cases equal, to that of the pigment itself. A substantial universe of patents has been issued in the field of this invention.
For example, Degussa U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,139 discloses granulating pigment used in the pigmentation of paper, cement, and concrete including specifically carbon blacks. Carbon blacks give rise to an even greater dusting problem than iron oxides since the particle size of carbon black powders are much smaller than that of iron oxide powders. Carbon blacks also suffer from the problem of floating on base material, which makes incorporation into the base material difficult. According to this patent, the twin problems of dusting and poor incorporation are solved by mixing carbon black with at least 30% water and optionally also a wetting or dispersing agent in an amount of 0.5 to 12% and preferably 5 to 10% (based on the amount of the carbon black) and subjecting the resulting mixture to compression forces in a pearlising machine to form pearls or granules. Depending on the nature and operation of the pearlising machine, the compression forces can be substantial.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,288 issued 1979 to Ciba Geigy discloses manufacturing pigment granules by forming a fluidized bed of pigment powder and adding into the bed an organic liquid or wax as a binder to promote granulation. A surfactant is also added.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,505 issued to Chemische Werke Brockhues A. G. discloses that no compression or briquetting forces at all must be applied to pigments during the formation of pigment granules for use in coloring of concrete and cement in order to obtain satisfactory production. This is achieved by an agglomeration technique (e.g., by drum granulizing machines). The agglomeration brings individual pigment particles into contact with each other in the presence of water and a binder (e.g., lignin sulphonate), whereupon the particles adhere to each other (coalesce) to form granules. Preferably, pigment granules are formed by spray drying a mixture of the pigment, water, and a binder. The method disclosed requires the presence of a considerable amount of binders to ensure that the pigment particles adhere to one another and use costly spray drying equipment.
Bayer U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,583 discloses building materials colored with pigments, for example iron oxide pigments, in the form of granules produced from a suspension of one or more pigments. The suspension also contains 0.05-5% of soluble salts, based on pigment weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,584 discloses building materials such as plaster, lime sand bricks, fiber cement parts, cast stones, roof tiles, and flagstone that are colored by incorporating organic granules produced from a suspension of one or more inorganic pigmenting agents and a hydrolyzed or poorly soluble compound of one or more ion types present per se as an essential constituent in one or more pigments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,313 issued to Elementis Pigments, Inc. the assignee of this invention, describes a spray drying process wherein an added step of coating the pigment particles-with electric charges through use of a surface treatment is utilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,481 issued to Bayer discloses a process for the granulation of pigments for use in dyeing cement and concrete involving compacting pigment powders in the presence of a binder to form flakes; breaking up the flakes; and rounding the ground flakes using known techniques (e.g., using rotating pans or drums, which involve the application of water and a binder to the ground flakes).
Degussa U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,626 and U.K. Patent No. 0598318 disclose a process for the production of spherical granulates from powdered solids. The solids are uniformly moistened while being mixed in a mixer by the addition of a moistening agent and optionally a binder and other additives. The mixture is pressed through an annular die press having variable slippage between the annular die and press roller to yield cylindrical strands. The invention requires that the strands are then rounded in a rounding unit having a complicated and expensive ribbed plate to yield spherical granulates. The patent further teaches not to use extruders because of their high investment costs and the difficulties associated with slight moisture changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,476 issued to Elementis Pigments, Inc., shows a compaction process relying in a preferred embodiment on Bepex MS compactors to make granules for concrete coloration. While very effective, the process is relatively expensive. The patent teaches the use of recycling of oversize and undersize material streams in a process that both creates enhanced color in the concrete and saves the cost of waste disposal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,970 issued to Bayer A. G. relates to a process for the coloration of organic media by granulated inorganic pigments. The possible processes discussed include spray granulation (spray drying via disc or nozzle) and pelletizing (mixer, fluidized bed granulation, disc or drum) and then describes the preferred invention as a multi-stage process compacted in a compactor (Bepex 200/50). U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,505 also issued to Bayer A. G. shows a related process to make pigment pellets for coloring building materials using both compaction and crushing steps with polyethylene glycols and similar water soluble liquids as required auxiliary substances.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,241,167 and 6,079,644 again to Bayer disclose processes for producing briquetted and pressed granular material and the use thereof for coloring building materials, such as concrete. The patents show a variety of recycling steps.
See also recent Bayer U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,270,566, and 6,364,223 and Lafarge Braas GmbH U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,410.
Special Considerations
The granulation of pigments must meet criteria not required in other industries where pelletization is common. The pigment granules must be capable of being readily dispersed in the base material to color it uniformly since if they did not readily disperse, they would give rise to streaks or pockets of color, which detract from the appearance of the final product. Thus, granules should be able to be dispersed in the base material while at the same time, and in a contrary direction, should be sufficiently coherent and robust that they do not break down into powder during storage or handling.
The manufacturers of concrete (whether wet or semi dry) also generally require that pigments contain as few unnecessary additives as possible. It would therefore be desirable to be able to produce pigments with substantially reduced amounts of binders and, if possible even to eliminate such additives.
It has generally been thought indispensable commercially to use one or more binders (other than water or other material that is or can be removed after the formation of the granule) in the manufacture of pigment granules to give the granules strength to resist being broken up into powder during handling and storage and to promote the dispersion of these granules in their end use.
It is an object of the present invention to manufacture pigment granules that are readily and very rapidly dispersible in a base medium, are robust and have a reduced liability to dusting (i.e., to being broken down into powder). It is a further important object to develop a far less expensive and much simpler process than those presently commercially used most particularly less expensive than spray drying and ball press processes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process of manufacturing readily dispersible pigment granules without the use of substantial quantities of binder and in some cases no binder at all.
According to the present invention, there is provided a process for the preparation of low dusting, free flowing granules of at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of iron oxides and chromium oxides. This process uses simpler and less expensive equipment than used in present manufacturing processes such as spray drying, ball milling and similar processes, eliminates the need for a rounding step and produces product of equal or better quality than known processes. Surprisingly the process makes products often having equal or better coloring properties than the pigments from which they were made.
The process comprises mixing at least one pigment with water to form a mixture; pressure extruding the mixture through at least one die to form granules, thereby also compacting the mixture; and drying the resultant granules, so that the final water content of the granules is less than about 5 wt. %, most preferably less than 1 wt. %. It has been surprisingly discovered that the action of forcing the material through die holes during the process exerts a substantial compaction force on the individual pigment particles, thereby increasing the strength of the granules. In addition, the use of small amounts of water assures that most of the pigment particles are not moistened so that the particles when introduced into concrete rapidly disperse compared to prior art products.
Dispersants and/or binders may be added to the mixture, and, while both properties are required in the final product, it is recognized that some binders can exhibit some dispersant characteristics and dispersants may exhibit some binder characteristics. Preferably a single chemical which is both a binder in the granular form and a dispersant when the granule enters into the concrete system it is to color, should be selectedxe2x80x94we call this class of products, binder/dispersants.
Examples of suitable binder/dispersants are BORRESPERSE NA(copyright) (sodium lignosulphonate), ULTRAZINE NA(copyright) (sodium lignosulphonate), PEXOL 2000(copyright) (saponified rosin soap), DRESINATE 214(copyright), DISPEX N40(copyright) (sodium polyacrylate), NARLEX LD31(copyright) (sodium polyacrylate), and SUPAREX DP CC002(copyright) (sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde condensate). Dispersant products (e.g., anti-flocculents or wetting agents), such as sodium alkylbenzene sulphonate, also make suitable additives, as they can provide some additional lubricating properties for the extrusion process, as well as improving the dispersion properties in the end use and are included within the foregoing definition.
Binders that have little or no dispersant characteristics can also be used often in combination with one or more dispersants with little or no binding capacity.
The present invention encompasses the use of binder/dispersants and binders combined with dispersants comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of stearates, acetates, alkylphenols, cellulosics, lignins, acrylics, epoxies, urethanes, sulphates, phosphates, formaldehyde condensates, silicates, silanes, siloxanes, and titanates. The binder/dispersant used may also be at least one material selected from the group consisting of lignin sulphonate, polyacrylates, a salt of naphthalene sulphonate formaldehyde condensate which contains polycarboxylate, a salt of rosin size, a salt of disproportionated rosin, acetylenic diol on nonmetallic oxide, sodium alkylbenzene sulphonate, nonyl phenol-ethylene oxide condensates, glycerol-based ethylene oxide-propylene oxide co-polymers, and di-octyl sulphosuccinates. The weight of at least one binder or dispersant is from about 0.001 to 10% by weight based on the pigment.
The pigment, water, and optional additives are mixed together. Any mixer can be used; especially preferred are those that apply little or no mechanical shear to the pigment, water and. additives in order that a paste is not formed. In an embodiment of the present invention, iron oxide powder may be added to one of two identical cone blenders comprising a vertical, rotating screw for mixing, and an intensifier (a high speed rotating blade with spray nozzles at the blade tips) for homogeneous addition of water and various additives. Water is added at around 1-30 wt. % of total finished batch weight and is primarily added to lubricate the oxide during the later extrusion process; preferably around 10 to 20% water is used and most preferably 15% water.
Additives may be added such as sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde condensate (concrete dispersant); sodium lignosulphonate (granulate binder); sodium alkyl benzene sulphonate (wetting agent to promote homogeneity); and light sodium carbonate (pH modifier). The iron oxide is added to the mixer from bulk bags. The additives may be added to the water before addition to the mixer. This water/additive mix may be produced in quantities of 2000-3000 kg at a time in a separate tank.
It is essential to this invention that the mixture remains a damp powder and does not become a paste. To accomplish this according to the present invention, water is added to the mixture in an amount of about 1-30% and preferably about 10-20% by total weight. It has been found from a processing aspect that if the resultant mixture remains a damp powder, and does not form a paste, then superior more rapidly dispersible products are obtained. The low water content is crucially important to (1) forming a stable granule; (2) forming a granule that will re-disperse very promptly when introduced into concrete; and (3) producing discrete granules rather than just a long ribbon.
The damp powder can be fed to any extrusion device.
Many die extrusion devices are known. Die presses for compacting by extruding powder are the oldest pressure agglomeration machines. They are used by numerous industries for a wide variety of purposes. They are widely used in the ceramic, powder metal, confectionery, catalyst, and, to an increasing extent, the general chemical industries. The machines can be divided into two main categories: reciprocating or single-stroke machines and rotary machines.
Reciprocating presses generally operate with one upper and one lower punch in a single die. They are mainly used for complex shapes where high pressure is required.
Reciprocating machines can be further subdivided into two types: ejection presses and withdrawal presses.
Preferred extrusion devices for this invention are those whereby the mixture is forced by pressure through holes in a die, which is preferably a perforated plate or screen. This can be achieved by the action of a screw pushing the mixture through the die or by the action of a moving blade or a roller (or similar pushing device) wiped over the die and thereby compressing and forcing the mixture through the die.
The development of a predetermined pressure presents no difficulty, but in extrusion the situation is somewhat more complicated. The peak pressure developed at each stroke depends not only on the power exerted by the ram but also on the resistance to the forward movement of the material to be extruded. The latter is influenced by many factors: the shape and length of the channel, die or bore, the changes in cross-section in relation to length, the smoothness of the tool walls, the nature of the material to be processed including parameters such as temperature, structure, plasticity, etc., and the type and length of the curing channel if applicable.
The rate of pressure increase is also important. It depends on stroke frequency and length and on the rather complicated relationship between movement of the blade and magnitude of the resisting frictional force between extrudate and die as well as the force caused by the column of already compressed product being pushed forward. These forces change with both state of compaction and rate of movement.
It is believed although complicated that most artisans working in the field of this invention will have no problem in duplicating the invention unexpectedly developed herein.
The force of the pressure used to push the material of this invention through the die holes acts in two directions. The smallest amount of force is used to actually push the mixture through the die hole. The force applied also, surprisingly, results in high lateral pressure that compacts the material as it passes through the die. Compacting pressures as high as 20-28,000 psi can be obtained using relatively simple and readily available die equipment.
Typically the die holes should be between 0.3 mm and 4 mm in diameter, but could be smaller or larger. The resultant granules preferably have a diameter in a range of 0.5 to 4 mm but could be larger or smaller.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, a damp powder is fed from the bottom of a cone blender via vibration feeders to an extrusion press comprising a rotating die inside of which is a static bar with 2 rollers, one at each end. The rollers are turned by the action of the damp powder being carried toward them by the rotation of the die, thereby forming a nip point. The die comprises numerous drilled holes of a diameter between 2 and 10 mm preferably 4 mm. These are open-ended allowing the formation of pellets where their length is controlled by a cutting knife. Typically the formed pellets are 6-10 mm in length, although some crumb is formed by the action of the knife, and with a moisture content 1-2% lower than added at the blending stage as water is lost due to heat build from the force exerted through the die.
The heavy compaction lateral shear forces exerted and the mechanical energy input for the granule formation (and thus the compaction pressure exerted on the damp powder) can be adjusted by (1) changing the extrusion hole size (the larger the diameter, the lower the shear), and/or (2) changing the extrusion speed, (e.g. the speed of the wiper blade/roller) and/or (3) changing the feed rate.
The compaction exerted on the pigment during granule formation brought about by the shear force and mechanical energy input during extrusion determine the redispersion and strength properties. By suitably setting these parameters during the manufacture of the extruded granules, the properties of the granules can be adjusted to match their intended end use. For example, in uses where redistribution is not a problem, high compaction forces should be used during manufacture, which will mean that the granules will have high impact strengths and a low propensity to form dust during storage and handling. However, where easy redistribution properties are required, somewhat lower compaction forces should be used, but this will also make the granules less strong and is not preferable.
The extruded granules are dried (e.g., in a tray drier, band dryer, fluidized bed dryer, and the like). In embodiments, the pellets (and crumb) are fed into a fluid bed drier where moisture is removed to less than 1% by weight of total mass. Pellet integrity is desirable at this stage as fines will be removed to a cyclone (for recovery) or on to a bag filter (for waste disposal).
The dried granules may be screened to remove fines and/or oversized granules. Both the fines and the oversized granules can be recycled, although the oversized granules can be mechanically reduced in size and rescreened.
In addition, as an important part of this invention, oversize material is passed through crumbler (a flake crusher). Crumbling the granules has been found to provide superior color in a concrete base material, and can result in a wide particle size distribution of crumbled granules (e.g., 150-1500 micron). It is particularly important that the shape of the granules is irregular, as it has been found that this shape both provides superior properties to the concrete and is much easier to disperse into the concrete.
After passing through the crumbler, the material may be passed back through a vibrating screen deck where only finished material and fines should be generated. It is proposed that ultrasonic rings will be fitted to the 150 micron mesh to prevent blinding.
In embodiments, the dried granule pellets and any crumb may be screened through a vibrating screen deck comprising of an upper and lower mesh size of 1500 and 150 micron, respectively. Fines (less than 150 micron) are packed off for recycle. Any material greater than 1500 micron (the bulk of the material leaving the drier) is taken to the next stage. Material falling between 150 and 1500 microns is deemed to be finished product and is packed off.
According to the present invention, it is preferable that no rounding stage be employed for making the granules. Rounding is avoided because it results in product found less desirable from both a coloring and a dispersibility standpoint.
The granules can be obtained in high yields (e.g., in excess of 95%) and the process can easily be operated continuously and, if appropriate, automated. The finished granules bear no resemblance to the extruded pellets in either shape or size.
The screened, dried granules are relatively free of dust and fines, which is not the case with briquetted and spray dried granules. The extruded granules are low dusting, robust and exhibit good controllable flowability and handling properties.
The extruded granules according to the present invention have greater impact strength than briquetted granules while having a similar or better ability to be very quickly re-dispersed in the end use (e.g., in concrete). The extruded granules generally demonstrate quicker dispersion properties compared to spray dried granules in final application and have equal or greater impact strength than briquetted and traditionally compacted granules. Thus, in general, the extruded granules exhibit superior combined properties of impact strength and re-dispersion compared to briquetted, compacted and spray dried granules.
As an important part of this invention, it has been found that a crumbling step applied to the product leaving the extruder can produce product with superior coloring properties to pigments themselves.
The quantity of binder/dispersant used can also be very low compared to spray drying and indeed it is possible to dispense without such additives altogether, which is extremely advantageous for pigments used in certain industries, where such additives are highly disadvantageous. This is a distinct advantage over spray dried and briquetted granules, where high levels of binders are required.

Granular pigments useful to color concrete


An electronic device includes: a semiconductor device; a heat-conductive resin, disposed above the semiconductor device, including a heat conductor and a resin; a linear carbon piece, disposed above the heat-conductive resin, to be thermally in contact with the heat conductor; and a heat spreader, disposed above the linear carbon piece, including a depressed portion having the heat-conductive resin.

With the increasing performance and decreasing size of electronic apparatuses, semiconductor chips are surface-mounted on a circuit board in the form of bare chips to provide electronic components incorporated in electronic apparatuses with high density. For example, semiconductor chips are flip-chip mounted on a circuit board.
The related art is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4036742 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2003-69187, 2004-165586, 2007-165149, and 2011-96832.

Electronic device and method of manufacturing the same


An image reading device includes a shooting unit, a light source unit, a shooting controller, and a combining unit. The light source unit sequentially irradiates the bound document with light from first and second irradiation positions opposing each other with respect to a first straight line orthogonal to a direction of a binding portion of the document. The shooting controller controls the shooting unit to shoot a first region positioned at the second irradiation position side on the document when the light source unit irradiates the document with light from the first irradiation position, and controls the shooting unit to shoot a second region containing a region other than the first region on the document when the light source unit irradiates the document with light from the second irradiation position. The combining unit combines a shot image of the first region and a shot image of the second region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading device, an image processing apparatus, and an image reading method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image reading devices have been known that read a document image by placing a bound document on a document table or the like with a two-page spread facing upward, illuminating a surface to be read of the document from above, and capturing an image of the document. In the image reading devices of this type, some techniques of reducing influence of halation that occurs with a glossy document have been known.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-327301 discloses an image reading device that reads an image of a document from above by placing the document facing upward on a document table. The image reading device includes first lighting illuminating the document from a first direction, second lighting illuminating the document from a second direction, a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor shooting an image of the document, and an arithmetic device that turns ON the first lighting and the second lighting sequentially, causes the CCD sensor to shoot images of the document, and calculates reflectance of a document surface from two pieces of obtained image data.
The conventional image reading devices, however, have problems that information acquisition and complicated calculation in order to correct brightness of reflection portions are necessary and much processing time and much memory are required.
Therefore, there is a need for an image reading device, an image processing apparatus, and an image reading method that are capable of reading an image while preventing halation without complicated calculation.

Image reading device, image processing apparatus, and image reading method


A combined CMOS/linear circuit employs a voltage reference circuit to provide a temperature compensated V.sub.REF output. The circuit includes means for switching the reference circuit off and on in response to the signal on an enable terminal. The voltage reference circuit includes a current mirror feedback which is positive in nature to provide a controlled hysteresis action. This provides noise immunity for the enable input. A digital output indicator is included to indicate the state of the reference circuit.

The invention relates to a bandgap reference circuit which produces a reference voltage that is temperature compensated. An enable signal input can be employed to render the circuit in either its active or inactive state.
An early threshold detector based upon a reference circuit is disclosed in Stanojevic U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,639. This patent issued Oct. 20, 1987, is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and its teaching is incorporated herein by reference. In this invention an output signal is provided as a function of an applied voltage. The threshold voltage is based upon a temperature compensated bandgap circuit of known construction.
The temperature compensated bandgap circuit is of the configuration disclosed by A. Paul Brokaw in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits Vol SC-9, No 6, Dec. 6, 1974, (pages 388-393). The paper is titled "A Simple Three-Terminal IC Bandgap Reference". The teaching in this paper is incorporated herein by reference.
In the Brokaw circuit two transistors are operated at ratioed current densities to develop a differential base to emitter voltage (.DELTA.V.sub.BE). The emitters are coupled together and a resistor is incorporated in series with the emitter of the low current density transistor. The high density transistor emitter is returned to the power supply terminal by way of a second resistor. The collectors of the two transistors are returned to the other supply terminal. The transistor bases are coupled together and are operated at a potential that is equal to the silicon bandgap extrapolated to absolute zero. The base voltage is composed of a positive temperature coefficient portion that appears across the second resistor in series with a negative temperature coefficient voltage which is due to the V.sub.BE of the high current density transistor.
When using the Brokaw configuration in the Stanojevic threshold detector circuit a temperature compensated threshold reference is available. However, the reference voltage is not available as an output. One of the attributes of the Stanojevic circuit is that the circuit is powered from, and all of the circuit current flows from the control terminal.

Bandgap threshold circuit with hysteresis


An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention may comprise: a wireless communication interface; a display; a magnetic stripe transmission (MST) module comprising a coil for inducing generation of a magnetic field; a processor electrically connected to the wireless communication interface, the display, and the MST module; and a memory electrically connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions for controlling the processor, the instructions, when executed, causing the processor to: receive digital card key information for unlocking a door lock apparatus from an external device through the wireless communication interface; convert the digital card information into an MST signal containing the same; activate the MST module in response to an MST module activation request input thereto; and unlock the door lock apparatus by transmitting the converted MST signal through magnetic induction and waking up the door lock apparatus through the transmitted MST signal. Other embodiments are also possible.

In recent years, to restrict access by unauthorized outsiders in various places, digital door lock apparatuses using electromagnetic technology have been widely used in addition to mechanical access control systems using physical keys. As a door lock apparatus triggered by a magnetic stripe card is driven by a battery without a separate power source, it is necessary to maximize the usage time while minimizing current consumption of the battery. Such a door lock apparatus includes a physical trigger mechanism that controls the door to operate only when a magnetic card is inserted or swiped and not to operate when a magnetic card is not inserted. The physical trigger mechanism may be a reed switch sensing a magnetic field or a toggle switch responding to a push action. The physical trigger mechanism is used to wake up the door lock apparatus from the sleep mode by unlocking it through physical triggering.

Door lock apparatus, electronic device, method for unlocking digital door lock apparatus by using electronic device


The encapsulation lid comprises at least two glass layers of different compositions, a first layer called the bottom layer, which is continuous, and at least a second layer, which is discontinuous and designed so as to define cavities or anfractuosities in this lid. Preferably, the glass layers other than the first layer are preferably formed from low-melting-point frits, thereby allowing such lids to be manufactured economically, without recourse to glass machining.

The invention relates to a glass encapsulation lid intended to be applied to a substrate supporting microelectronic or microelectrooptic components so as to form, with this substrate, a gas-tight package containing the said components.
The invention applies most particularly to an image-display and/or illumination panel comprising, on a substrate forming the rear face of the panel, at least one organic electroluminescent layer, electrodes for making an electrical current pass through this layer, and the encapsulation lid hermetically sealed onto the substrate so as to form a sealed package enclosing the said organic electroluminescent layer. Such a lid comprises a bottom, forming the front face of the panel, and rims, extending over the entire periphery, which form the sides of the panel and connect the front face to the rear face.
The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) layers are very sensitive to moisture. They therefore have to be encapsulated as soon as they have been manufactured, while these layers are in a controlled atmosphere protected from moisture and from oxygen. The encapsulation must be carried out at low temperature in order not to damage the organic layers that are deposited on a substrate. Usually, the OLED layers are encapsulated by bonding a lid to the substrate, using UV-curable adhesives. Another technique, less common, consists in applying, generally under vacuum, protective layers directly on the organic layers to be protected. It is also possible to use the two techniques simultaneously.
The lid used for the encapsulation may be made of metal or glass. For top-emitting OLEDs, the lid has to be transparent since the light emitted in the electroluminescent layer escapes from the panel on the opposite side to the substrate; such structures are particularly advantageous, especially because they allow high light extraction yields. For such structures, glass lids are therefore generally used.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,071 discloses an OLED panel provided with a glass substrate and encapsulated by a flat glass lid with no rims. The encapsulation requires the provision of an encapsulated space with a height generally between 0.4 mm and 1 mm between the substrate and the lid. The height of this space is needed for incorporating an adsorbent and/or desiccant agent in the encapsulation space. This adsorbent agent is designed to absorb the residual traces, especially of oxygen and water, in this space. Such an agent is sometimes also called a getter or a desiccating agent.
When a flat lid is used, an adhesive seal serves to establish the distance between the substrate and the lid, which is needed to provide this space, as is also disclosed in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,071. The reader may also refer to document US 2003/227253 and especially to FIGS. 5B, 6B and 7 of that document, which describe the use of sealing parts between the lid and the substrate, respectively referenced 512 and 609.
The substrate, the lid and the means for sealing the lid onto the substrate therefore form a gas-tight encapsulation package.
Owing to the very high sensitivity of organic OLED materials to moisture, it is desirable to minimize the thickness of this adhesive seal or the height of this sealing part, which provides the impermeable join between the substrate and the lid. This is because, since this seal or this part is made of an organic material (for example an epoxy resin), it will always be more permeable to moisture and/or oxygen than mineral materials, such as the glass forming the base of the substrate and of the bottom of the lid.
To minimize the thickness of the adhesive seal or the height of the sealing part, packages provided with rims are therefore used. The height of the rim replaces a portion of the height of the seal (see for example FIG. 7 of the abovementioned document U.S. 2003/227253). Such rims form, on the lid, a peripheral projection.
The manufacture of lids provided with rims is expensive. For example, they may be obtained by mechanical machining of a glass plate. This subtractive technique is all the more expensive and ill-suited the larger the size of the panel.
Moreover, it is known to make cavities or grooves in the internal face of the lid in order to be able to better house and distribute the adsorbent agent in the package. FIG. 6B of the abovementioned document U.S. 2003/227253 describes a cavity 608b in the lid 608a, while FIG. 4 of document U.S. 2004/056232 also describes a cavity 49 in the lid 43.
Document U.S. 2003/038590 and EP 1 411 562 also disclose, in the specific case of top-emitting panels, grooves that are made in the internal face of the transparent lid and placed between the pixels, in order to contain adsorbent agent. Documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,228 and JP 2002-050471 disclose top-emitting electroluminescent panels in which the transparent lid includes a single peripheral groove which is placed away from the active or emitting surface and which contains an adsorbent agent.
The manufacture of such grooves in glass plates is expensive. For example, they may be obtained by sandblasting, after the regions of the lid corresponding to the locations of the pixels have been masked.

Glass lid, and package provided with such a lid, for the encapsulation of electronic components


A vacuum cleaner has a removable bottom cannister that receives the refuse of the cleaning process. The bottom cannister is fitted with a plate forming an air channel along a portion of the interior side wall of the cannister. When air flows across the top of the air channel, as from cyclonic motion, suction occurs that is used to draw down a liner, or removable bag, against the inside of the cannister and thereby to prevent the liner from floating up and being drawn into the outlet, which would block the operation of the vacuum cleaner. The liner is positioned to receive the refuse and is desirable for reasons of convenience and hygiene during the process of emptying the cannister. In addition, the air channel can be fitted with a clip to aid in the insallation of the liner. The cannister can also be fitted with an interior hood or cone to optimize the flow of air across the top of the air channel.

This invention enables a vacuum cleaner to use flexible bags as disposable liners for the refuse compartment of the cleaner, similar to the common use of thin-film plastic bags as disposable liners for trash containers. The problem with using such a liner directly in a vacuum cleaner is that the liner or the refuse inside tends to be drawn into the vacuum pump or other parts of the cleaner during operation.
There have been various attempts by other manufacturers to secure such liners inside the refuse compartments so that neither the liners nor their contents are drawn into other parts of the cleaner. Such attempts have included external pressure-equalization tubes, bag weights, reusable magnets, and clips that attach to the bottom of the liner. These attempts have proven to be expensive or inconvenient for the operator of the vacuum. If the operator forgets or otherwise fails to properly attach the liner just one time, the cleaner can be damaged.
A more convenient attempt to hold the liner in place is shown in Lubraniecki, U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,453. This method involves creating a difference in air pressure between the inside and outside of the liner so that the liner is drawn outwards and held in place against porous walls of the refuse compartment. The pressure difference is created by forcing the air used in the cleaning process to flow through a filter, such as the porous filters used in many vacuum cleaners to separate dirt from the air stream. This method requires that the connection to the liner be sealed and that the liner itself be non-porous so that air cannot bypass the filter. It also requires a double wall for the dirt compartment, including a porous inside wall to support the liner. In addition, air ducts are required to connect the liner and the double wall to the filter.
This method suffers from the added expense required for making the more complex refuse compartment and from the problematic clogging of the double wall that can result from a break in the liner or from omitting the liner even one time. The added expense is particularly a problem for vacuum cleaners that use cyclonic dirt separators since an extra filter must be added for this method. In addition, the operator must employ extra care to be sure that the bag seals properly in order for the method to work.
Consequently, there is a need for an inexpensive method of securing a liner inside the refuse compartment of a vacuum cleaner in a manner that is as convenient as placing a liner in a regular trash container and in a manner that will not damage the cleaner in case that the liner breaks or that the liner is not positioned correctly.

Vacuum cleaner cannister with removable bag


Disclosed are a shrinkage band and a cathode ray tube (CRT) comprising the same. The shrinkage band includes includes a pair of spaced apart parallel first sides, a pair of spaced apart parallel second sides perpendicular to the first sides, the second sides being longer than the first sides, and corner portions connecting the first and second sides such that the corner portions are provided at four corners of the shrinkage band, wherein the shrinkage band is configured to go around an outer circumference of a CRT face panel skirt to apply tension to the face panel, and wherein the first sides, the second sides, and the corner portions of the shrinkage band comprise two materials each having a different permeability.

This application claims the benefit of Korean Application Nos. 2000-74762 and 2001-13235 filed on Dec. 8, 2000 and Mar. 14, 2001, respectively, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field
The present invention relates to a cathode ray tube, and more particularly, to a shrinkage band and a cathode ray tube comprising the same.
2. Background
A cathode ray tube (CRT) is a display device in which an electron beam emitted from an electron gun excites phosphors on a phosphor screen such that the phosphors emit light, thereby creating various images. A three-ray electron beam is deflected by a deflection yoke to provide a raster scan and is separated into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) phosphors by a shadow mask, which functions as a color selection apparatus, to create precise colors.
The three-ray electron beam emitted from the electron gun illuminates designated phosphors with an accurate raster scan by way of a deflected magnetic field which corresponds precisely to apertures of the shadow mask. However, the earth""s magnetic field affects the movement of electrons within the CRT. That is, the earth""s magnetic field affects convergence characteristics of the electron beams (the degree to which the three-ray electron beam is focused to a single point), raster position, and purity characteristics.
The earth""s magnetic field includes both horizontal and vertical components, i.e., horizontal and vertical to the earth""s surface, and the intensity of the earth""s magnetic field varies depending on the geographical location and positioning of the CRT. The horizontal component of the earth""s magnetic field in particular affects the path of the electron beam raster and convergence. It is therefore very advantageous to block the horizontal component of the earth""s magnetic field.
Heretofore, an inner shield for blocking the earth""s magnetic field has been mounted in the CRT. The inner shield reduces changes in the landing of the electron beams caused by the earth""s magnetic field by approximately 50%. However, there has been little improvement in the area of effectively blocking the affect of the earth""s magnetic field, and particularly the horizontal component of the earth""s magnetic field on the electron beams directed toward the phosphor screen once they has passed the inner shield.
Referring to FIG. 1, a bulb defining the CRT includes a glass face panel, a funnel, and a neck, which are fused to form the bulb. Also, a shrinkage band 5 applying a predetermined tension is mounted on the bulb 3 around an outer circumference of the face panel 1. The shrinkage band 5 acts to prevent the scattering of glass if the bulb 3 implodes as a result of external impact.
With regard to the mounting of the shrinkage band 5, tape (not shown) is first applied to the area on the bulb 3 where the shrinkage band 5 will be positioned. Next, the shrinkage band 5 is heated to between 500 and 600xc2x0 C. to expand the same. In this state, the shrinkage band 5 is placed around the bulb 3 and is then cooled, which causes the shrinkage band 5 to shrink. Accordingly, the shrinkage band 5 is mounted on the bulb 3, applying a predetermined tension thereto.
The shrinkage band 5 is typically made of low carbon steel, which is inexpensive and has a low permeability. However, besides its use to provide support to the bulb 3, the shrinkage band 5 has not been applied to improve the magnetic field characteristics of the CRT.
In one aspect of the present invention, a shrinkage band for a cathode ray tube (CRT) includes a pair of spaced apart parallel first sides, a pair of spaced apart parallel second sides perpendicular to the first sides, the second sides being longer than the first sides, and corner portions connecting the first and second sides such that the corner portions are provided at four corners of the shrinkage band, wherein the shrinkage band is configured to go around an outer circumference of a CRT face panel skirt to apply tension to the face panel, and wherein the first sides, and the second sides, a different magnetic permeability.
In another aspect of the present invention, a cathode ray tub includes a bulb including a face panel having a screen portion and a skirt, a neck, and a funnel between the face panel and the neck, the face panel, the funnel, and the neck being integrally formed, a phosphor screen on an inside surface of the screen portion, an electron gun configured to emit a three-ray electron beam toward the phosphor screen, a deflection element mounted to an outer circumference of the funnel and configured to generate a deflecting magnetic field to deflect the electron beam, an inner shield mounted within the bulb such that the inner shield surrounds a path of the electron beam, the inner shield being configured to reduce the influence of the earth""s magnetic field, and a shrinkage band mounted around an outer circumference of the skirt to apply tension to the face panel, the shrinkage band having a pair of spaced apart parallel first sides, a pair of spaced apart parallel second sides perpendicular to the first sides, the second sides being longer than the first sides, and corner portions connecting the first and second sides such that the corner portions are provided at four corners of the shrinkage band, wherein the first sides, the second sides, and the corner portions comprise two materials each having a different permeability.
It is understood that other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only exemplary embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

Shrinkage band and cathode ray tube comprising the same


An anti-surge over-current protection device comprises a PTC material layer, first and second conductive layers. The PTC material layer has opposite first and second planar surfaces. The first conductive layer is in physical contact with the first planar surface and comprises a plurality of first conductive members isolated from each other. The second conductive layer is in physical contact with the second planar surface, and comprises a plurality of second conductive members isolated from each other. The first conductive layer, the PTC material layer and the second conductive layer form a circuit containing first and second conductive paths. In the first conductive path, the PTC material layer forms a first series connection resistive component having at least two resistors. In the second conductive path, the PTC material layer forms a second series connection resistive component having at least two resistors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to an over-current protection device, and more particularly to an anti-surge over-current protection device.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
Anti-surge protection can detect over-voltage event and instantly stop surge voltage, and at the same time cut off the over-voltage power source to protect a relevant system. The protection may be triggered to turn of the power spontaneously if a fluctuation of the power transiently differentiates from a standard value by 10% or more.
In USB applications, surge current may occur due to transient low resistance when hot plugging, and therefore voltage may fluctuate violently. In such circumstance, a traditional positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device may trip to provide over-current protection. However, the PTC device usually responds in several milliseconds and the anti-surge protection apparatus, normally a semiconductor device, can quickly responds in several nanoseconds; therefore the anti-surge protection apparatus would turn off or restart the system before the PTC device activates. Nevertheless, such surge phenomenon is not harmful to electronic devices, and the PTC device is able to protect the electronic devices even if damage to the electronic devices occurs. The unexpected turn-off and restart of the system may incur data loss and inconvenience of waiting for restarting. Although the anti-surge semiconductor device can redesign to overcome this problem, it is costly especially for an apparatus of several USB ports in view of much expensive semiconductor processes.

Anti-surge over-current protection device


A display device includes: an extraction unit extracting an edge component of a display data signal; an adder unit adding an edge component to the display data signal; a signal generation unit generating a control signal in accordance with the display data signal and an output signal of the adder unit; a correction unit carrying out correction processing on the edge component in accordance with the control signal and outputting the corrected edge component to the adder unit; and a display unit carrying out a display operation in accordance with the output signal of the adder unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device using, for example, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) panel or the like, to a display data processing device embedded in a display device, and to a display data processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat panel displays are widespread in products, such as computer displays, portable terminals, television receivers, and the like. While a liquid crystal display panel is generally used at present, the narrow viewing angle and the slow response speed of the liquid crystal display panel still continue being pointed out.
An organic EL display using a self-luminous element can overcome the problems of the viewing angle and the response speed, and can also achieve a reduction in thickness with no backlight, high luminance, and high contrast. There are thus expectations that the organic EL display will be the next-generation display device to replace the liquid crystal display.
While organic EL displays have been currently put to practical use, the high power consumption of the organic EL display is still acknowledged as a problem yet.
There is demand for suppression of power consumption which will be commonly confronted by all kinds of display devices.
There is also demand for high image quality and high visibility in various kinds of display devices.
In order to achieve high image quality and high visibility, an image processing method, called edge (contour) enhancement, is used.
This method is generally used to enhance the high-frequency component of an image so as to sharpen the entire image, thus improving image quality. In this case, the improvement in image quality or visibility can be achieved by increasing the contrast feeling of the edge or increasing the luminance of the edge enhanced in the plus direction.
Techniques described in JP-A-2007-221821, JP-A-2007-249436, and JP-A-2006-236159 have been suggested in terms of edge enhancement, high quality, and suppression of power consumption.
JP-A-2007-221821 describes the technique in which the histogram of the edge component for one screen is extracted and the edge enhancement amount is controlled in accordance with the histogram result. This technique enables appropriate edge enhancement processing according to the state of the video.
JP-A-2007-249436 describes the technique in which the gain of the edge enhancement amount, which is effectively used within the range without departing from the dynamic range of the video, is dynamically calculated from the edge component, thereby realizing appropriate edge enhancement processing on the video.
JP-A-2006-236159 describes the technique which causes only an optimum video processing function to be operated and an unnecessary video processing function to be not operated in accordance with the application use state, thereby realizing the suppression of power consumption.

Display device, display data processing device, and display data processing method


An immersion cooling system for electronic equipment including a tank adapted to hold a liquid heat transfer fluid into which the electronic equipment can be immersed and a filter assembly(ies) having a filter housing with an inlet and an outlet and containing a filter cartridge. In some embodiments the filter assembly(ies) is adapted to be located in the heat transfer fluid in the tank, such that a cross-sectional area of the filter housing inlet is greater than a cross-sectional area of the filter housing outlet, the filter housing inlet is substantially vertically oriented on a side of the filter housing, the filter cartridge is positioned within the filter housing at an inclined angle relative to the filter housing inlet, and the filter housing outlet is disposed adjacent to a top of the housing. Advantageously, heat generated by the immersed electronic equipment produces a convective flow of heat transfer fluid through the filter housing.

Immersion cooling is a technique used to cool electronic equipment. It involves immersing the electronic equipment in a tank containing coolant that is in liquid form. Heat generated by the electronic equipment is transferred to the coolant fluid which undergoes evaporation, convection, and condensation, thereby ensuring that the temperature of the electronic equipment remains within a required operating range.
This method of cooling may be more effective and efficient than traditional air cooling for reasons such as the higher specific heat capacity of liquids compared to air, the advantageous cooling rate provided by a fluid that evaporates, and the undesirable energy required by fans that need to drive air through a system.
Coolant fluids (hereinafter may be referred to as heat transfer fluids or fluids) used must be non-conductive in order to not short or damage electronic equipment submerged within, and ideally evaporate at a low temperature. An example coolant fluid often used is the NOVEC™ Engineered Fluid manufactured by 3M™ of St. Paul, Minn.
The fluid may become contaminated during operation due to the leaching of primarily oils out of elastomers (for example common in PVC cable insulations) due to the solvent properties of some of the fluids. There might also be general contamination of the coolant fluid during normal maintenance and setup of the system.
It is important for the coolant fluid to remain pure by being filtered in order that it retains its advantageous properties and continues to provide maximum performance. Active-filtering when the fluid is pumped through a filter is effective, however it requires energy and therefore defeats an objective of immersion cooling that is to save energy.
Such coolant fluids are often expensive and therefore it is desirable to minimize loss of coolant fluid during the replacement of filters. Furthermore it is desirable for a low amount of coolant fluid to be required within the system, by designing it as compact as possible.
With the above in mind, it is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved immersion cooling system and filter assembly.


The operation rate of a circuit pattern inspecting apparatus is prevented from deteriorating by measuring image noise of the circuit pattern inspecting apparatus and detecting the sign that the apparatus is to be in an abnormal state. Provided is the circuit pattern inspecting apparatus wherein circuit pattern abnormalities are detected by irradiating a substrate having a circuit pattern formed thereon with an electron beam and detecting generated secondary electrons or reflected electrons. The circuit pattern inspecting apparatus is provided with: an image processing section wherein an image is generated based on the signal intensities of the detected secondary electrons or those of the reflected electrons and the image is displayed for a display apparatus of the interface; and a control section which analyzes the frequency of noise included in the image.

A description will be given by taking inspection of a semiconductor wafer, for instance. A semiconductor device is fabricated by repeating steps of transcribing a pattern formed in a photo-mask onto a semiconductor wafer in lithography processes and etching processes. In the fabrication process of semiconductor devices, qualities of the lithography processes, the etching processes, and the like, generation of contaminants, and so forth have large influence upon the yield of the semiconductor devices. Accordingly, in order to detect earlier or in advance such abnormalities and generation of poor quality during fabrication processes as described above, various kinds of apparatuses for inspecting patterns on the semiconductor wafer in the course of fabrication process have been used.
As methods of inspecting defects existing in patterns on the semiconductor wafer, an optical type defect inspecting apparatus and an electron beam type inspecting apparatus have been put into practice. In the former light is irradiated on the semiconductor wafer and defects are detected using an optical image. In the latter an electron beam is irradiated on the semiconductor wafer, a secondary signal of generated secondary electrons, back scattering electrons, and the like, is detected, the signal is converted into an image, and a difference between the image and a comparative image is detected as a defect.                In the aforementioned electron beam type inspecting apparatus, inspection is conducted based on an image obtained by irradiating an electron beam. Accordingly, when noises interfere in the obtained image, a false inspection result is output. Therefore, techniques for reducing the image noise and enhancing the accuracy of inspection have been known (see PATENT LITERATURE 1, for example). However, a technique for studying causes of generation of a noise to be reduced has not been developed yet. Various causes of generating an image noise can be enumerated such as interferences of noises such as mechanical, electrical, and external disturbance and a fault of the apparatus. Therefore, identification of causes of an image noise is very difficult and it requires a long time.

Circuit pattern inspecting apparatus, management system including circuit pattern inspecting apparatus, and method for inspecting circuit pattern


Personal care product dispenser systems include a dispenser and a base station. The dispenser comprises a casing including a personal care product and a shaft. The personal care product is disposed within the casing and comprises an antiperspirant or deodorant. The shaft extends through a portion of the casing and including a first end and a second end and is configured to advance the personal care product through the casing when rotated in a first direction. The second end has a chuck contact surface defining a first shape. The base station includes a motor and a chuck. The motor is operatively coupled to the chuck and is configured to rotate the chuck, and the chuck has a wheel contact surface to correspond to the first shape of the chuck contact surface. The base station is configured to rotate the chuck when the dispenser is mounted to the base station.

Antiperspirants and deodorants are popular personal care products used to prevent or eliminate sweat and body odor caused by sweat. Antiperspirants typically prevent the secretion of sweat by blocking or plugging sweat secreting glands, such as those located at the underarms. Deodorants counteract or mask the unwanted odors caused by bacterial flora in secreted sweat.
Antiperspirant and/or deodorant products may be dispensed in various manners. In some cases, the product may be supplied as a solid product material housed in a container having an open end through which access to the product material may be provided. The product material may be disposed on a screw-type elevating mechanism which extends through a portion of the container and can be driven by a rotatable handwheel. In order to advance the product toward an opening in the container, the handwheel may be rotated in a first (e.g., clockwise) direction to a particular position to thereby extend a portion of the product material beyond the container opening. If desired, the handwheel alternatively may be rotated in an opposite (e.g., counter-clockwise) direction to retract the product material into the container. However, for some users, the rotatable handwheel may be relatively difficult to rotate.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have improved mechanisms for dispensing antiperspirant and/or deodorants that are easier to use than conventional rotatable handwheel configurations. In addition, it is desirable for the improved mechanisms to be relatively simple to manufacture. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the inventive subject matter will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the inventive subject matter and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the inventive subject matter.


One aspect of the present invention is directed to an article of footwear including a snake-shaped foot plate that prevents “penetration,” when concentrated stresses are transmitted to cause discomfort to the wearer, of intermediate sized rocks through a shoe. Specifically the snake-shaped plate embodiments with plurality of longitudinally staggered, substantially lateral cutouts enable increased torsional flexibility and distribute the stresses towards the outer parts of the shoe. The plate insert can include a plurality of longitudinally staggered cutouts extending substantially laterally from the central longitudinal axis forming a plurality of outriggers such that the cutouts on the left side are not located directly opposite from the cutouts on the right side. The cutouts can be straight or curved and the endpoints can be laterally aligned or not.

A. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate generally to footwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of a flexible plate as a support apparatus in an item of footwear.
B. Description of the Related Art
A major consideration in designing active footwear is hazards (e.g., stones and rocks). Stepping on stones, rocks or other small irregularities (hereinafter "rocks") can concentrate forces on the shoe sole in a small area, thereby increasing pressure or stress in the area. A stone or rock is said to "penetrate" the sole when concentrated stresses are transmitted to cause discomfort to the wearer.
The extent of stress placed on a piece of footwear, and the associated risk of penetration, may be dependent on the size of the rock (i.e., small, medium, large etc.). Small rocks typically cause only limited concentrated stresses in a localized region of the sole of a shoe. See e.g., FIG. 1. Usually, these concentrated stresses are easily dissipated by using cushioning material in the shoe sole. Larger rocks also typically present lesser risk of penetration because larger rocks offer larger contact areas. See e.g. FIG. 2. Larger contact areas allow for a greater distribution (i.e., less concentration) of internal stresses created by contact, thereby minimizing risk of penetration.
Rocks of intermediate size, however, typically present the greatest risk of penetration. See e.g., FIG. 3. Stresses generated by intermediate rocks are typically concentrated enough to cause pain to the user. Rocks of intermediate size are those ranging from 1-6 centimeters.
Rock penetration is primarily a forefoot issue. The heel is typically protected by both a thicker cushion in the heel of a shoe, and a thick, fat pad of flesh located under the heel of the wearer. This multilayered cushion typically provides more than adequate protection against rock penetration, and serves to dissipate forces or stresses caused by contact. However, in the forefoot, hard tissues (e.g., bones) are closer to the ground surface, and less protected by cushioning soft tissue. Moreover, current shoe designs often require the shoe sole to be thinner in the forefoot, and therefore are less resistant to rock penetration.
Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary shoe construction is shown. Boot 110 includes an outsole 112, midsole 114, shank 116, and shell 118. Heel cushion 120 and forefoot cushion 122 may be disposed between an insole 124 and shell 118. An upper 126 also may be provided, and optionally may include lacing 128. Preferably, shank 116 is disposed in a recess 114a in midsole 114, while cushions 120, 122 are disposed in recesses in insole 124.
In an exemplary embodiment, outsole 112 may be formed of carbon rubber, while midsole 114 may be formed of molded ethyl vinyl acetate foam. Shank 116 may be formed of thermoplastic polyurethane, while upper 126 may be formed of leather, fabric textiles, foam and other suitable insulation. Various polymer components may be coupled to each other with an adhesive or other bonding agent, while upper 126 may be coupled to shell 118, for example, using stitching proximate to the lower edge of leather portion 130 of upper 126.
A stiff plate may be inserted in the shoe to resist rock penetration. A plate presents a physical barrier to the rock, reducing the extent to which it compresses and penetrates the midsole. It further acts as a buffering conduit by redistributing concentrated stresses, thereby reducing internal stress in the sole materials and peak pressures acting on the foot.
The effectiveness of a plate design may be measured through various performance parameters. These performance parameters include flexibility, torsional flexibility/resistance, uniformity, weight, and stability. Flexibility may be measured by, among other things, the stiffness of the plate during bending. Torsional flexibility/resistance may be determined by, among other things, the stiffness of the plate during bending along the longitudinal axis of the plate. Uniformity typically refers to the ability of the plate to distribute the stresses incurred evenly across its body. Stability typically refers to the difference in stiffness between the medial/lateral and the central portions of the shoe.
In many instances, it may be desirable to provide a supportive, cushioning, rock-resistant plate design wherein the aforementioned criteria are optimized.


The use of smooth post-ECP topography (instead of final chip topography) as an objective during dummy filling enables a computationally efficient model-based dummy filling solution for copper while maintaining solution quality. A layout can be divided into tiles and the “case” of each tile identified. Exemplary cases can include conformal fill, over fill, super fill, or super/over fill (if the ECP model cannot distinguish between super and over fill cases). One or more undesired tile cases can be converted to a desired tile case. Then, a height difference between tiles can be minimized. Dummy features can be inserted in the layout to perform the conversion and to minimize the height difference between tiles. Minimizing the CMP-effective density difference between tiles with ECP considerations can be performed to further improve planarization.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a dummy filling methodology that can improve planarization of chip surface topography.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical wafer for an integrated circuit (IC) includes multiple layers formed on a substrate. These layers, each layer having a predetermined pattern thereon, can result in an uneven topography on the wafer surface. An uneven topography on one layer can have adverse effects on one or more subsequent layers.
For example, FIG. 1A illustrates a cross-section of an etched aluminum layer 100 on a wafer, wherein etched aluminum layer 100 includes two features 101 and 102. Both features 101 and 102 extend above a level 103 as protrusions. If another layer 104 is formed on etched aluminum layer 100, as shown in FIG. 1B, layer 104 can also have an uneven surface due to the uneven topography of layer 100. The uneven surface of layer 104 can undesirably complicate lithographic processing on this layer because of light reflection or inadequate coverage over the "steps" in layer 100.
A common technique used to counter the effects of an uneven topography is planarization. The goal of planarization is to ensure that subsequent lithographic results are independent from or, more realistically, much less dependent on the underlying wafer topography from previous layers. Planarization is especially important for layers requiring critical dimension control. Specifically, an uneven topography could pose significant depth of focus problems, thereby rendering CD control across the wafer virtually impossible.
However, planarization itself can cause problems on the wafer. For example, in one known planarization process shown in FIG. 1C, a thick spin-on-glass (SOG) layer 105 can be formed on etched aluminum layer 100. After formation, SOG layer 105 is baked, thereby leaving substantially planarized silicon dioxide. The resulting surface, although significantly more even than layer 104, still retains irregularities that can influence a subsequent lithographic process. For this reason, a chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) can be used to polish SOG layer 105.
In a CMP process, a device mechanically polishes the surface of the wafer. Unfortunately, because of the underlying features in layer 100, such as features 101 and 102, the polishing of layer 105 can result in an uneven force being applied to certain areas of the surface of the wafer. In turn, this uneven force can cause some areas to polish faster than other areas, thereby resulting in an uneven polished surface. FIG. 1D illustrates a recessed area 106 that could result from a CMP of layer 105.
To reduce systematic topography variations, electrically inactive features, called "dummy" features, have been placed on regions of the wafer to provide mechanical support during a CMP. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a top-level view of a layer 200 including two main features 201 and 202 and dummy features 203 and 204. The process of introducing these dummy features is often referred to as "dummy filling".
The primary objective of conventional dummy filling is to reduce the density difference between the different regions in the layout. Notably, when aluminum was used as the interconnect material, the primary source of chip topography variations was due to non-uniformities after the inter-layer dielectric (ILD) CMP process. Such topography variations after ILD CMP are primarily due to the inherent density differences between the different regions of the layout as oxide deposition was conformal and the final thickness after CMP depended on the underlying density of the location. Hence, for fabrication using aluminum, dummy filling based solely on density was effective in reducing topography variations.
The advent of copper interconnect in sub-130 nm integrated circuits has introduced additional complexity in forming a planar topography. Specifically, during the copper metallization process, trenches for wires and holes for vias are etched in a dielectric material. After etching, electroplating (ECP) is performed to fill up the trenches/holes with copper and then CMP is performed to remove excess copper from the dielectric surface, thereby leaving copper in the trenches/holes as interconnect wires/vias.
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross section of a set of topographies 300 after ECP based on various underlying trench patterns. Notably, topographies 300 can vary dramatically based on the underlying line/space pattern. Exemplary patterns include fine line/fine space pattern 301, large line/large space pattern 302, fine line/large space pattern 303, and large line/fine space pattern 304.
Variations in post-ECP topography are typically propagated through CMP, thereby adversely affecting final chip topography. Specifically, a barrier metal layer 305 (e.g. Ta2N3) is typically formed between the underlying etched oxide layer 306 and the copper layer 307. During CMP, barrier metal layer 305 is polished more slowly than copper layer 307. Notably, the uppermost horizontal sections of barrier metal layer 305 must be removed during CMP to prevent shorting. Therefore, some of the copper lines may have sole loss of planarity to ensure complete barrier metal removal. As a result, a topography variation after ECP can be propagated to the chip topography after CMP, even though the CMP reduces the ECP non-uniformity.
In general, a variety of layout parameters besides density can affect the topography during copper processing. For example, referring to topologies 300 of FIG. 3, fine line/fine space pattern 301 and large line/large space pattern 302 have the same density. Therefore, the resulting topologies of these areas should be the same. However, as shown in FIG. 3, these two areas actually end up with very different topographies.
Variations in final chip topography can cause functional and parametric yield problems, e.g. focus issues in lithography as well as sheet resistance and parasitic capacitance variations in the timing. To further complicate matters, the depth of focus (DOF) budget and interconnect thickness values are continually shrinking with each technology node. Therefore, reducing the systematic topography variations during the fabrication process is of paramount importance.
Unfortunately, it is no longer sufficient to reduce only the density differences between the different regions in the layout during dummy filling. In fact, in some cases, density-based dummy filling could even have a detrimental effect on the final chip topography. Therefore, a need arises for a dummy filling methodology that takes ECP into account.

Dummy filling technique for improved planarization of chip surface topography


The aperture correction circuit of the present invention comprises a preshoot signal generator which generates the preshoot signal of the edge part of a video signal, an overshoot signal generator which generates the overshoot signal of the edge part of the video signal, a shoot signal composition circuit which adds the preshoot signal and the overshoot signal at an addition ratio corresponding to a control signal, thereby to deliver the resulting signal as a correcting shoot signal, and an adder which adds the video signal and the correcting shoot signal, thereby to deliver the resulting signal as an output, wherein the shoot signal composition circuit is supplied as the control signal with a signal which changes according to the input video signal, such as the differentiated signal of the input video signal. Thus, the ratio between the preshoot signal and the overshoot signal is dynamically changed according to the input signal, so that an image quality can be adjusted according to the input video signal.

The present invention relates to an aperture correction circuit which corrects the aperture aberration of the video signal of a television receiver in order to reproduce a sharp image.
An aperture correction circuit in the prior art has been as shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the circuit arrangement of the prior-art example, while FIGS. 5A-5F are waveform diagrams of the signals of various portions within the circuit shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to FIG. 4, when a signal S.sub.0 is received at a video signal input terminal 1, a signal S.sub.1 delayed through a delay circuit 2 and a signal S.sub.2 further delayed through a delay circuit 3 are obtained. First, the signals S.sub.0 and S.sub.2 are added by an adder 43 to produce a signal S.sub.A Since this signal S.sub.A becomes a signal as indicated by S.sub.A in FIG. 5D, an aperture correcting shoot signal S.sub.B (shown in FIG. 5E) can be obtained in such a way that the signal S.sub.1 being the output of the delay circuit 2 is subtracted from the signal S.sub.A by a subtracter 44.
In this case, assuming that the signal amplitudes of the signals S.sub.0, S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 are equal, also the maximum amplitude of the output S.sub.A of the adder 43 needs to be equal to them, and this is as illustrated in FIG. 5D. Further, the output S.sub.B of the subtracter 44 and the output S.sub.1 of the delay circuit 2 are added by an adder 45, whereby a video output S.sub.C after the correction of an aperture aberration is obtained at an output terminal 46. The waveforms of the signals in FIG. 4 become as shown in FIGS. 5A-5F.
As seen from the waveform S.sub.C in FIG. 5F, the ratio between the amplitudes of a preshoot signal (a) and an overshoot signal (b) has generally been 1:1 with the prior-art circuit arrangement. Alternatively, the amplitude ratio between the preshoot signal and the overshoot signal can be set as being somewhat unbalanced. Since, however, the balance between the amplitude ratio of the shoot signals is fixed to the last, the prior-art system has difficulty in attaining image qualities in correspondence with various video input sources or input conditions.
An aperture correction circuit capable of changing the amplitudes of the shoot signals is disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-68073.
Meanwhile, conventional aperture correction circuits have generally employed a method in which a shoot signal prepared from a video signal is directly added to the original signal without being reprocessed. Therefore, blooming ascribable to the shoot signal appears at the bright part of a screen. As a circuit in which the relief of the blooming is considered, there has been employed an arrangement as shown in the circuit diagram of TH-26B1 or TH-29B1 on p. 145 in "Service Book for All Manufacturers" which is an extra issue of "Terebi Gijutsu (Television Engineering)" dated Sept. 20, 1987.
The prior-art circuit arrangement is shown in FIG. 6, while the waveforms of signals at several parts in FIG. 6 are shown in FIGS. 7A-7D. Referring to FIG. 6, a signal S.sub.0 received at a video signal input terminal 1 is applied to a delayed video signal terminal 51 for a video chroma IC 60 (in FIG. 6, only a video circuit is shown in blocks) through a delay line 2. The signal S.sub.0 is further applied to a video signal input terminal 50 from the input side of the delay line 2. The applied signals are subjected to reflection-type delay-line aperture correction processing by an image quality adjuster 56, thereby to compose a shoot signal. The amount of the shoot signal to be superposed on the video signal is varied according to a control signal at an image quality adjusting input terminal 52, whereby the image quality of the video signal is adjusted. The resulting output SA is delivered to a luminance signal output terminal 68 for the IC 60 via a contrast adjuster 57, a pedestal clamp circuit 58 and a luminance signal amplifier 59. The output of the terminal 68 is amplified by an emitter follower of Darlington connection which is configured of an N-P-N transistor 71, a P-N-P transistor 72, and resistors 70, 73. The amplified output signal is delivered from a luminance signal output terminal 75 to a CRT drive circuit at a succeeding stage. On the other hand, the amplified output signal is passed via a resistor 69 and is further amplified by an emitter follower circuit which is configured of a P-N-P transistor 67 and a resistor 66. The resulting output is divided by resistors 61, 63 and a variable resistor 62, and the divided voltage is applied as the control signal to the image quality adjusting input terminal 52. In this way, the image quality, namely, the amount of the shoot signal to be added to the original signal of the video signal is controlled according to the output amplitude of the output luminance signal, thereby to make the corrections of decreasing the amount of the shoot signal at a bright part on a picture frame so as to relieve blooming and increasing the amount of the shoot signal at a dark part.
The signal waveforms at several parts in the arrangement become as illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7D. The original signal S.sub.0 of the video signal (in FIG. 7A) and the shoot signal S.sub.S composed from the signal S.sub.0 (in FIG. 7B) are added by the image quality adjuster 56 in FIG. 6, to become as indicated by dotted lines at S.sub.A (in FIG. 7C). The signal waveform at the luminance signal output terminal 68 in FIG. 6, and the waveform S.sub.B (in FIG. 7D) at the emitter follower output 75 in FIG. 6 become waveforms of dotted lines accordingly. Since, however, the waveform S.sub.B (in FIG. 7D) is used for the control of the image quality adjustment in the circuit arrangement, actually the signal output S.sub.B (in FIG. 7D) at the emitter-follower output terminal 75 becomes as indicated by a solid line due to a delay time involved in the course from the output of the image quality adjuster 56 to the image quality adjusting input terminal 52, and the aperture aberration is not properly corrected at the leading edge of an aperture in principle. Another problem is that, since the amount of the shoot signal is larger at a part of lower luminance, the S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio of the video signal degrades.
With the prior-art aperture correction circuit, the ratio between the amount of the preshoot signal and that of the overshoot signal is fixed, and hence, it has been impossible to adjust the image quality in consideration of even the shoot balance corresponding to the applied video signal.
The timing of the composition of the video signal and the aperture correction signal is not sufficiently considered, either, so that the image quality adjustment at the leading edge of the aperture has been unsatisfactory.


An illumination push switch unit is provided in which driving units for driving first and second detecting units are formed at side walls other than adjacent side walls of peripheral walls of first and second sliders with a barrier walls of a case interposed therebetween, notch portions are provided at the bottom surface side of the barrier wall and the bottom surface sides of the adjacent side walls of the peripheral walls with the barrier wall interposed therebetween, and a space portion, which becomes an optical path toward the display surfaces of the first and second operation members, is formed between the top surface of the insulating substrate and the notch portions through the notch portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of an illumination push switch unit which is illuminated from an inner side, as in an electric apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various electric apparatuses, such as a television or a navigation system, an audio apparatus like CDs or cassettes, and an air conditioner, have been mounted in a vehicle. Further, various display units, such as characters or figures, are provided on operation surfaces of switch operation knobs for operating switches so as to clearly discriminate the switch operation knobs. Furthermore, in order to improve operability at night, each display unit is constructed such that it is a transmissive type and is illuminated through illumination from an inner side.
There has been known a structure for the illumination of such a switch operation knob (for example, see JP-A-2003-208835). According to the structure, light transmitting holes for illumination are formed in a substrate where predetermined circuits are formed such that they correspond to installation positions of switch operation knobs, LEDs each serving as light sources are mounted on a rear surface of the substrate, and operations surfaces of the switch operation knobs mounted on the surface of the substrate are constructed so as to be illuminated from the inner sides through the light transmitting holes.
The structure of the illumination push switch unit according to the related art is shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of essential elements of the illumination push switch unit according to the related art, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating each switch operation knob.
In FIGS. 7 to 9, a reference numeral 51 indicates a substrate where predetermined circuits are formed, and the substrate is disposed at the inner side of an operation panel 52. On the substrate 51, switches 53 composed of duct switches are mounted corresponding to various electric apparatuses mounted in a vehicle, and switch operation knobs 54 operating the switches 53 are mounted.
Each switch operation knob 54 is disposed such that its operation surface 54a is more exposed than an opening formed in the operation panel 52, and each switch 53 is operated by pressing operation. At this time, if a pressing force is released, the switch 53 returns to an initial state by a returning force of the switch 53.
Each switch operation knob 54 is formed so as to have a predetermined shape using an acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin having a light transmitting property. As shown in FIG. 9, in portions of the respective operation surfaces 54a, various transmissive display units 54b composed of characters or figures according to a switch function are formed to perform display through a coating material having a light transmitting property. In addition, in the other portions of the respective operation surfaces 54a, a coating material having a light shielding property is used.
In the substrate 51, light transmitting holes 51a are formed to correspond to mounting positions of the respective switch operation knobs 54, and LEDs 55 each serving as a light source for illumination are mounted on a rear surface of the substrate 51 corresponding to the respective light transmitting hole 51a.
However, in the structure of the illumination push switch unit according to the related art, a barrier wall of the operation panel 52 disposed between the adjacent switch operation knobs 54, the adjacent side walls of the switch operation knobs 54, and the driving unit of the switch 53 are formed to a depth (length) which disrupts an optical path from a point of an extending line of the barrier wall toward light transmissive display units 54b of the adjacent switch operation knobs 54. For this reason, in the distribution illumination type in which a light-emitting unit is provided on the extending line of the barrier wall for illuminating the light transmissive display units 54b of the two adjacent switch operation knobs 54, it is required that each of the barrier wall of the operation panel (case) and the switch operation knob 54 is separately designed and manufactured. That is, there is a problem in that the operation panel (case) and the switch operation knob 54 can not be used for the distribution illumination type in which the light-emitting unit is provided on the extending line of the barrier wall.


Described herein are whitening compositions comprised of a peroxide component, and an adhesion system, which effectively provide whitening using a remarkably low level of peroxide. Methods of making and using these compositions are also described herein.

Products that are presently available to whiten teeth include a variety of different ingredients, but the primary active ingredient is a peroxide source. These products typically contain substantial amounts of whitening agents, for example, greater than 5% of a peroxide source. However, in some countries, such as many European countries, regulatory authorities have prohibited such levels of peroxide in dental whitening products. Thus, products providing effective levels of whitening with lower amounts of peroxide are highly desirable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The invention describes compositions that include rebaudioside D, processes to produce rebaudioside D and formulations that provide ratios of rebaudioside A to rebaudioside D to decrease the aftertaste of rebaudioside A.

Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America.
The species Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. The leaves have traditionally been used as a sweetener. Steviosides and rebaudiosides are the major constituents of glycosides found in the leaves of the stevia plant.
Stevia extracts generally contain a high percentage of the glycosides of the diterpene steviol. The leaves of stevia rebaudiana contain 10 different steviol glycosides. Steviol glycosides are considered high intensity sweeteners (about 250-300 times that of sucrose) and have been used for several years in a number of countries as a sweetener for a range of food products. Stevioside and rebaudioside A are the principal sweetening compounds and generally accompanied by smaller amounts of other steviol glycosides. The taste quality of rebaudioside A is better than stevioside, because of increased sweetness and decreased bitterness (Phytochemistry 68, 2007, 1855-1863).
The structures and chemical abstract service registry numbers for steviol and its glycosides that are the main sweetening agents of the additive steviol glycosides are shown below:
 Com-poundnameC.A.S. No.R1R21Steviol471-80-7HH2Steviol-41093-60-1Hβ-Glc-β-Glc(2→1)bioside3Stevio-57817-89-7β-Glcβ-Glc-β-Glc(2→1)side 4Rebau- dioside A58543-16-1β-Glc 5Rebau- dioside B58543-17-2H 6Rebau- dioside C63550-99-2β-Glc 7Rebau- dioside D63279-13-0β-Glc-β-Glc(2→1) 8Rebau-63279-14-1β-Glc-β-Glc(2→1)β-Glc-β-Glc(2→1)diosideE 9Rebau- dioside F438045-89-7β-Glc 10Rubu-63849-39-4β-Glcβ-Glcsoside11Dul-64432-06-0β-Glcβ-Glc-α-Rha(2→1)cosideA
Steviol glycoside preparations are generally white to light yellow powders that are freely soluble in water and ethanol. The powders can be odorless or have a slight characteristic odor. Aqueous solutions are 200 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose under identical conditions. With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives.
Medical research has also shown possible benefits of stevia in treating obesity and high blood pressure. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.
As a sweetener and sugar substitute, rebaudioside A has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, and be deemed very close to sucrose, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations. All steviol glycosides are bitter, some in less degree and some in greater degree.
Therefore, a need exists for a sweetener that overcomes one or more of the current disadvantages noted above.

EPC (BEIJING) NATURAL PRODUCTS CO., LTD.