The objects of the present invention is to reduce a backlash at the time of locking of a seat back and to reduce clearance in the thrust direction of a worm so as to prevent generation of an abnormal noise with a simple structure suitable for mass production. Substantially cone-shaped recesses 15 and 16 are provided respectively on both end faces of the worm 4 pivotably attached on a seat cushion, and inside end faces of a pair of holders 13 and 14 to support these two end portions, and at the same time balls 17 are rotatably housed respectively in a pair of spaces formed in the recesses 15 and 16 facing each other to form a pair of bearings 11 and 12 which rotatably support the worm 4. A press means composed of a coil spring 25 and the like which presses the worm 4 to the worm wheel 5 is provided in a locking mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reclining adjuster which is attached to a seat for a vehicle and the like to appropriately adjust an inclination angle of a seat back to a seat cushion, and, in particular, to a technology to realize reduction of play of the seat back at the time of locking and so on.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a reclining adjuster disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 42-7950, a sector gear (a worm wheel) is fixed to a seat back, while a worm which is fittable with the sector gear is pivotably attached to a seat cushion.
The worm is connected to an operation shaft and engagement of the worm with the sector gear is released by drawing the operation shaft along the axial direction thereof and lifting it up further.
When a load is added to the seat back in this state, the seat back inclines so that the inclination angle can be promptly changed, and when the hand is off from the operation shaft, the worm engages with the sector gear again to hold the seat back at its position.
When a slight adjustment of the inclination angle of the seat back is required, the operation shaft is pivoted to allow the worm to rotate, which makes the sector gear engaging with the worm rotate gradually, so that the seat back can be changed to an arbitrary inclination angle steplessly.
In recent years, as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei 10-217817, a reclining adjuster is proposed, in which a worm having a lead angle equal to or more than the angle of friction and a sector gear are attached to the seat cushion and the seat back respectively, and by inclining the seat back, the worm is allowed to rotate through the sector gear so that the inclination angle of the seat back is appropriately changed.
However, in a case of a reclining adjuster having a sector gear and a worm engaging with each other, a backlash between tooth faces of the sector gear and the worm becomes a factor of the play at the time of locking of the seat back and causes problems of generating an abnormal noise or deterioration in a feeling of seating.
When a shaft of the worm is supported rotatably with bearings such as an ordinary ball bearing and the like, clearance is provided in the thrust direction to ensure a smooth movement of the worm. This clearance also causes play at the time of locking of the seat back and becomes a factor of generating an abnormal noise or deterioration in a feeling of seating.
In Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-342371, disclosed is a technology to attempt to reduce a backlash by pressing a sector gear engaging with a worm in the direction along the worm with a press member. However, in order to press the sector gear supported rotatably in the radial direction (in the direction toward the worm), it is necessary to provide an arc-shaped hole on the sector gear, and it is also required to form a hole corresponding to the bracket supporting the worm or to provide a roller member to press inside walls of these holes, which makes the structure complicated and unsuitable for mass production. The backlash at the time of locking of the seat back is surely reduced and the play of the seat back can be suppressed by pressing the sector gear against the worm. However, since the clearance in the thrust direction of the worm cannot be reduced, a problem of the play at the time of locking of the seat back due to such a clearance still remains.
The present invention is performed to solve the above-described disadvantages and aims to provide a reclining adjuster which has a simple structure suitable for mass production, reduces not only a backlash, but also clearance in the thrust direction of a worm at the time of locking of a seat back so that generation of an abnormal noise is prevented and a feeling of seating is further improved.
In order to achieve the above-described objects, the reclining adjuster of the present invention comprises: a worm pivotably attached to a seat cushion; a worm wheel fixed to the seat back and engaging with the worm; and a locking mechanism selectively operated to lock the worm so as to be unable to rotate or to release the locking,
wherein recess portions are respectively provided on both end faces of the worm and on the inside end faces of a pair of support members to support the both end portions of the worm, and balls are rotatably housed respectively in a pair of spaces formed between the recesses where both end faces of the worm face a pair of the support members so that a pair of bearings are formed to rotatably support the worm, and wherein the locking mechanism includes a press means to press a tooth portion of the worm into a tooth portion of the worm wheel at the time of locking.
The above-described each recess is preferably formed substantially in a cone shape having a tapered surface on the inside face.
It is preferable that the above-described locking mechanism comprises an engaging claw which can engage and disengage with or from an engaging groove formed on a part of the tooth portion of the worm at the end portion thereof, and an arm member pivotably supported with a shaft member in order to engage and disengage the engaging claw with or from the engaging groove, wherein said press means is connected to the arm member, and is composed of an elastic member enforcing in the direction to engage the engaging claw to the engaging groove.
It is preferable that the above-described arm member is formed substantially in a shape of the letter T having a longer piece and a shorter piece, the boundary of the longer piece and the shorter piece is supported with the shaft member, the longer piece serves as an operation part, and the engaging claw is formed at a side end portion of the shorter piece. The above-described elastic member is provided between the arm member and an arbitrary fixing portion and is composed of a spring enforcing in the direction that the engaging claw engages with the engaging groove.
In this case, it is preferable that the above-described spring is provided between the other side end portion of the shorter piece of the arm member and a bracket which supports the worm.


In highly regulated industries, all communications with social media may need to be archived and reviewed for compliance. Embodiments disclosed herein can optimize or otherwise significantly improve the post-review process. In one embodiment, a request submitted by a user to post to a social network is processed to ensure that the request is associated with pre-approved content. The response from the social network is processed to obtain a platform post identifier. In one embodiment, a lookup table is updated to reflect that the pre-approved content is associated with the platform post identifier. An associative table containing a set of communications with the social network may be processed to obtain platform post identifiers. Communications that have platform post identifiers associated with pre-approved content identifiers are tagged. In this way, only communications that are not tagged in the associative table may need to be reviewed.

Advances in communications technology can rapidly change how people communicate and share information. For example, social networking sites now provide users to interact and keep others abreast of their personal and business dealings in an almost instantaneous manner. The growth of social networking sites is staggering. New sites are emerging daily and new users are joining in droves. Today, social networking sites are being used regularly by millions of people around the globe, and it seems that social networking via websites will continue to be a part of everyday life at least in the United States.
Some social networking sites provide functions in the form of Web applications for members to create user profiles, send messages to other members who are their "friends," and personalize Web pages available to friends and/or the general public. Through these Web applications, social networking sites can connect people at low cost and very high efficiency. Some entrepreneurs and businesses looking to expand their contact base have recognized these benefits and are utilizing some social networking sites, perhaps in conjunction with other types of social media such as mobile apps, as a customer relationship management tool for selling their products and services. The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Consistent use of engagement on social networks can be core to building a successful business through social media.
Businesses and entities alike may want to embrace social networking sites as an additional method to exchange information between employees, clients, vendors, etc. To do so, they may need to ensure that content submitted by people associated with the entity meets certain rules and regulations. For example, they may be concerned with the kind of content may be posted, the extent to which information may be disclosed, to whom is the information being disclosed, how to prevent malicious or otherwise damaging material from being accessed or otherwise affecting enterprise computers. Perhaps one of the more difficult issues is whether and how a business can manage the activities of particular enterprise users (or groups thereof) to ensure that their contents posted to social networking sites meet compliance guidelines and applicable regulations.
Currently, there does not appear to be any viable solutions to address these important issues as businesses often do not have control over what users post onto social networking sites. At one end of a spectrum, some businesses may set up their firewalls to block traffic to and from social networking sites altogether, thereby avoiding having to monitor and/or enforce compliance of their employees. At the other end of the spectrum, some businesses may not block traffic to and from social networking sites at all and can only hope that their employees are only using these social networking sites in the best interest of the company. Some businesses may set up their firewalls to selectively allow traffic to and from certain social networking sites. However, there is no guarantee that the employees may police their own access to and participation at any social networking sites, and there is always the concern of an employee knowingly or unknowingly posting confidential information on a social networking site.
Highly regulated entities such as a securities firm may take the first approach mentioned above and do not allow their employees to use social networks. Alternatively, they may allow employees to post and then archive the posted content. This includes archiving all communications and post-reviewing all archived communications. These existing solutions do not ensure compliance of their users and may put the firm at risk of fines. Because of these risks and increases in workload, many businesses simply choose to deny their employees access to social networking sites and forgo the efficiencies and cooperative gains that may come from embracing social networking sites.

System, method and computer program product for optimization of post-review process


When a communication between a camera and a television is performed utilizing a first wireless communication mode which employs high-directional radio transmission, and a second wireless communication mode which employs low-directional radio transmission with lower directivity than that of high-directional radio transmission, the television detects that the communication in the first wireless communication mode has been disconnected and notifies the camera. The camera determines whether or not the movement of the camera is the cause of disconnection in the first wireless communication mode. If the reason for disconnection is the movement of the camera, a control signal is transmitted to the television so as not to execute the process for an avoiding no-signal condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmission apparatus, a method for controlling a transmission apparatus, and an information communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed an information communication system by which a transmission apparatus such as a digital camera or a digital video camera and a receiving apparatus such as a television are connected via wireless communication. In this information communication system, it is envisaged that a camera and a television be connected via wireless communication, for example, in the millimeter wave band, or more specifically, in the 60-GHz band.
Wireless communication in the 60-GHz band provides high-capacity communication with a maximum speed of 5G bps. Through wireless communication in the 60-GHz band, moving images (hereinafter referred to as "1080p") having a pixel size of 1920×1080 with a frame frequency of 59.94 Hz can be transmitted via wireless communication. In a conventional information communication system using wireless communication in the 60-GHz band, a camera transmits the 1080p moving image to a television via wireless communication, so that the television reproduces the 1080p moving image. The 1080p moving image is configured to output normal image and voice data as well as still picture data as frame data.
Wireless communication in the 60-GHz band has very high directivity due to its short radio wavelength and high linear progressivity characteristics. Hence, the positional relationship between a transmission apparatus and a receiving apparatus or the condition of the transmission path have a greater impact on data transmission. For the physical layer of wireless communication in the 60-GHz band, there are two modes proposed for this: one is a single-carrier mode to be used in a point-to-point connection and the other is a multi-carrier mode for OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex).
In view of the characteristics of high directivity of wireless communication in the 60-GHz band, the IEEE 802 Committee obligates implementing a common mode so as to ensure minimal communication between communicating devices. As disclosed in IEEE802.15-07-0934-01-003c, p12-14, p21-24, and p51-54, the common mode refers to the transmission mode using a single carrier wave with relatively low speed (about 50 Mbps), which is for use in obtaining or authenticating status information of the devices and transmitting a beacon signal.
Conventionally, television apparatuses with a power saving function are known. In the television apparatuses with the power saving function, if no signal input has been received from an external device such as a recorder for a predetermined period of time, a system power circuit is switched off or a monitor is turned off, whereby power consumption is reduced. As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 5-236394, another method is such that if no input signal has been received for a predetermined period of time, an input switching circuit is switched to a terminal receiving a signal input, e.g., to a normal broadcast input, whereby a predetermined image is displayed on the screen. Since a user can view the predetermined image displayed and recognize that the power the television apparatus is not switched-off, whereby forgetting to turn the power off is prevented. In this way, such television apparatuses are common which, in a state of the absence of signal input from the signal input source, execute an operation such as turning the power off or turning off the monitor after a predetermined period of time, or switching to the other signal input source as the no-signal condition avoidance operation.
However, a conventional information communication system by which a transmission apparatus and a receiving apparatus are connected via wireless communication in the 60-GHz band has problems described below. When a user begins to view an image after the establishment of a connection between a transmission apparatus such as a camera and a receiving apparatus such as a television, the user may move the camera for operation. Under such circumstances, because of the high directivity of wireless communication in the 60-GHz band, communication may be terminated by the change of the positional relationship between the transmission apparatus and the receiving apparatus. In particular, when the transmission apparatus is a device such as a digital camera or a digital video camera, on the assumption that a user may pick up such device with his/her hands for operation, such problems become marked.
In such cases, the television detects the absence of signal input from the camera and executes a control operation for avoiding a no-signal condition such as turning off the power of the receiving apparatus after the elapse of a predetermined period of time. On the other hand, assume that in order to start viewing again, after the completion of an operation of the camera, a user places the camera at the original position, that is, the position where the connection has been established before the user has picked up the device. However, the television may have already been shifted to a power-off state at that point as a result of the avoidance of a no-signal condition. For this reason, the user may need to turn on the power of the television again, to handle the input switching process, or to re-establish the wireless connection settings. Consequently, there arises a problem in that viewing an image cannot readily be continued.

Transmission apparatus, method for controlling transmission apparatus, and information communication system


A probe assembly suitable for high-current measurements of an electrical device.

The present invention relates to probe stations, commonly known as package or wafer probers, used manually, semi-automatically, or fully automatically to test electrical devices such as semiconductor wafers.
Existing probe stations are capable of performing both low-current and high frequency measurements in an electronically quiet environment. The environment may be provided by, for example, incorporating one or more guard and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield structures within an environmental enclosure. Guard and EMI shield structures are well known and discussed extensively in technical literature. See, for example, an article by William Knauer entitled "Fixturing for Low Current/Low Voltage Parametric Testing" appearing in Evaluation Engineering, November, 1990, pages 150-153. Examples of existing probe stations that provide such guard and EMI shield structures can be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,434,512; and 5,266,889 which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Probe stations deliver a test signal to an electrical device, such as a semiconductor wafer, whose characteristics are to be measured. Test conditions are desirably controlled and substantially free of electromagnetic interference, though not necessarily, that may emanate from test instrumentation or other nearby electrical equipment, or that may result from spurious air currents or the like. To provide a controlled and substantially noise-free test environment, existing probe stations that incorporate guard structures will usually at least partially surround the test signal path with a guard signal that closely approximates the test signal, thus inhibiting electromagnetic current leakage from the test signal path to its immediately surrounding environment. Similarly, EMI shield structures may provide a shield signal to the environmental enclosure surrounding much of the perimeter of the probing environment. The environmental enclosure may typically be connected to shield, earth ground, instrumentation ground, or some other desired potential.
To provide test, guard, and shield signals to the probe station, existing probe stations often include a multistage chuck upon which the electrical device rests while being tested. The top stage of the chuck, which supports the electrical device, typically comprises a solid, electrically conductive metal plate through which the test signal may be routed. A middle stage and a bottom stage of the chuck similarly comprise solid electrically conductive plates through which a guard signal and a shield signal may be routed, respectively. In this fashion, an electrical device resting on such a multistage chuck may be both guarded and shielded from below. Similarly, single stage and dual stage chucks, and chucks with substantial openings centrally defined therein are likewise frequently employed.
Further reduction in interference can be obtained by locating a suspended conductive plate over the electrical device which is typically electrically insulated from the test signal path and connected to the guard signal. The suspended plate defines a central opening so that the probe assembly may make electrical contact with the electrical device. In this fashion, the electrical device can be guarded from both below and above by signals closely approximating that delivered to the electrical device.
Though such a probe station is effective in performing low-current testing and high frequency testing of electrical devices, the aforementioned existing probe stations unfortunately often exhibit significant inductance to high current measurements, and particularly when testing using pulsed signals. The high inductance tends to resist fast changes in the current levels, and results in higher than desirable voltage and current levels.
What is desired, therefore, is a probe station that is suitable for performing high current and/or pulsed tests.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Under the circumstances that a lock object which performs a restriction control on an exclusive use of a sharable resource is granting a second information processor a right of prior use of the sharable resource over a first information processor, a time length of exclusive use during which the sharable resource is exclusively used by the second information processor is measured when an attempt to acquire the right of prior use requested by the first information processor for the lock object fails, and least two standby operations are set, the at least two standby operations being carried out by the first information processor until the right of prior use of the sharable resource granted to the second information processor is no longer valid, and the time length of exclusive use is compared to a decision threshold value preset for evaluation of the time length of exclusive use so that one of the standby operations suitable for a comparison result is selected.

When a resource is shared by a plurality of information processors in a multiple information processing system (multiprocessor system) in which processes are concurrently executed by the plurality of information processors, it is necessary to exclusively control the sharable resource (mutual exclusion) between the information processors in order to ensure a consistency in sharing the resource.
The consistency in sharing the resource was conventionally supported, for example, as described below. An information processor acquires a right of prior use of a sharable resource in a lock object and then uses the sharable resource. When the sharable resource is no longer used, the information processor returns the right of prior use to release the sharable resource. This conventional method prevents a plurality of information processors from accessing the sharable resource at the same time, thereby supporting the consistency in sharing the resource. Hereinafter, "lock" is a term used to express acquisition of a right of prior use of a sharable resource in a lock object, and "unlock" is a term used to express returning the right of prior use to release the sharable resource.
There are two standby operations for exclusive control carried out by the lock object to lock the sharable resource; spin lock operation, and suspend lock operation. Describing the spin lock operation, an information processor repeatedly checks the lock object until the lock succeeds. The standby operation called the suspend lock standby operation is described below. When an information processor (first information processor) fails to achieve the lock because of the ongoing lock for the sharable resource in the lock object won by another information processor (second information processor), the first information processor switches its own process to execute from a first process which requires the lock for the sharable resource to a second process which does not require the lock for the sharable resource (context switch), making the first process sleep. When the lock won by the second information processor for the sharable resource is thereafter is released, the first information processor attempts again to achieve the lock for the sharable resource from the lock object, and then switches the process back to the first process from the second process (wakeup) when the attempt is successful. The "suspend" used in the term means putting the first process "on hold".
The spin lock operation leaves the information processor busy-waiting to disallow the information processor to execute any other process during the spin (sleep) of the first process, thereby creating a processing idle time in the information processor as a resource device.
When an attempt to win the lock fails during the suspend lock operation, a right of execution in the first information processor is transferred from the first process to the second process. Therefore, there is no processing idle time in the first information processor. The suspend lock operation, however, still needs a processing time for the context switch to make the process sleep and wake up, thereby increasing an overhead (overall processing time).
To solve these technical problems, the two standby operations are conventionally switched to and from each other in a timely manner. There are two manners of operation switching; static switching and dynamic switching. The static switching has the following disadvantages; the spin continues as long the lock fails even over a long period of time, and the sleep is inevitable although the lock will succeed soon, thereby creating a processing idle time in the information processor as a resource device. Therefore, the dynamic switching is attracting attention.
The technical ideas of the dynamic switching thus far disclosed are; determine whether a lock-winning process is in execution (whether the process is granted a right of execution by an information processor) and decide which of the standby operations should be selected based on a determination result thereby obtained (see the Patent Document 1, hereinafter, called prior art 1), and attempt the lock during the spin lock operation and switch to the suspend lock operation if the lock still fails after the sleep over a given period of time (see the Patent Document 2, hereinafter, called prior art 2).

Exclusive control method of resource and exclusive controller of resource


A holder for a light source in the opening of a reflector for a vehicle headlamp, includes a retention ring extending in a ring plane, for an arrangement on the reflector, wherein the light source can be retentively arranged in the opening of the reflector. To allow a safe arrangement of the light source in the opening of the reflector and to prevent that a number of retention rings can get entangled, it is provided according to the invention, that the retention ring has tongues holding the light source in the opening of the reflector by means of elastic spring deflection, the tongues having a first tongue end and a second tongue end, and wherein the tongue ends lie essentially on the ring plane of the retention ring.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,323 A1 shows a holder for a light source in the opening of a reflector for a vehicle headlamp, and a retention ring for the arrangement on the reflector is provided, which has a base body and extends in a ring plane. For the fastening of the retention ring on the opening of the reflector, the retention ring has snap-fastening tabs by means of which the retention ring can be snapped on to the opening of the reflector. The snap-fastening tabs protrude vertically from the ring plane of the retention ring and form barbed hooks, so that the snap-fastening tabs can be snap-fastened to the openings of the reflector.
EP 0 900 974 A2 shows a further holder of a light source in the opening of a reflector for vehicle headlamps, and a retention ring is shown, with which the light source is held in the opening of the reflector. The retention ring has a multitude of expandable elements, holding elements and fastening tongues which each do even form undercuts. Herein the retention ring is embodied as a pressed and bent part and the elements and tongues protruding from the ring plane of the retention ring can get entangled when several retention rings are for example provided in a container for the assembly on the reflector.
Particularly in automatic assembly this is a disadvantage impairing the handling of the retention ring or even making it impossible. When a larger number of retention rings is provided in a container, the retention rings can get caught amongst each other with their molded expandable elements, holding elements and/or fastening tongue which makes the automatic gripping of an individual retention ring for automatic assembly impossible. Magazined provision of retention rings is often space- and cost-intensive and should be avoided.
To avoid this problem, know retention rings possess only pressure points, which are formed on to the base body, and with which the light source is retained in the opening of the reflector. Disadvantageously, the dimensions of the base of the light sources have rather large tolerances, and differences in height of the lamp base could lead to the light source hardly being held by the retention ring or not being held at all.

Holder for a light source in the opening of a reflector


In accordance with an embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a substrate including a semiconductor layer including an active region, a first insulating film on the active region, a charge storage layer on the first insulating film, an element isolation insulating film defining the active region, a second insulating film, and a control electrode on the second insulating film. The top surface of the element isolation insulating film is placed at a height between the top surface and the bottom surface of the charge storage layer, thereby forming a step constituted of the charge storage layer and the element isolation insulating film. The second insulating film covers the step and the charge storage layer. The second insulating film includes a first silicon oxide film and a first silicon nitride film on the first silicon oxide film. Nitrogen concentration in the first silicon nitride film is non-uniform.

In a floating gate electrode type nonvolatile semiconductor memory device, as an inter-electrode insulating film (IPD: Inter-Poly Dielectric) that insulates a Floating Gate (FG) and a Control Gate (CG) from each other, a laminated insulating film of a silicon oxide film/silicon nitride film/silicon oxide film (an ONO film) has been conventionally used. The silicon nitride film (an SiN film) in the ONO film does not have a perfect stoichiometric composition but a slightly silicon-excess composition because of its forming method. In the silicon-excess SiN film, a level for trapping electric charges is present, and hence some of electrons are trapped by the level in the SiN film even if the electrons leak at the time of application of an electric field (e.g., a write/erase operation). Further, a barrier height of the silicon nitride film is lower than a barrier height of the silicon oxide film, both the barrier of a track level in the SiN film and the barrier height of SiO2 films formed to sandwich the SiN film serve as a barrier in the ONO laminated structure, whereby trapped electrons are hardly detrapped (leak) to the outside of the ONO insulating film.
An electric field applied to the inter-electrode insulating film must be reduced to be lower than that of a tunnel insulating film, leak to a control electrode side at the time of a write operation must be suppressed, injection (storage) of electros to a floating gate must be activated, and hence the inter-electrode insulating film is formed into a three-dimensional structure so that a high capacity can be assured even though a film thickness is large. As a result of taking the three-dimensional structure, a step is formed between the floating gate and an element isolation insulating film, and each corner portion (an edge portion) is present at a top portion of the floating gate and a bottom portion between cells. Since an electric field is concentrated on the edge portion, a leak current in the inter-electrode insulating film flows through the edge portion on a preferential basis at the time of a write/erase operation. As a result, electron trap into the inter-electrode insulating film more excessively occurs at the edge portion, and a concentration difference is produced in an electron trap amount in the continuously formed inter-electrode insulating film.
Although trapped electrons in the inter-electrode insulating film hardly leak to the outside of the ONO insulating film, redistribution in a transverse direction (a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction) occurs so that the concentration difference is eliminated in the inter-electrode insulating film. When the redistribution of the trapped electrons to the inter-electrode insulating film occurs while electric charges are held after end of the write/erase operation, a threshold value fluctuates, and charge retention characteristics are deteriorated.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof


A functional garment that includes a first single breast supporting device is set forth herein. In some cases, the supporting device includes a first breast cup, a first shoulder loop, and a first breast cup connector that includes a first piece of material extending along a lateral portion of the first breast cup, with the first breast cup connector connecting, and being at least partially disposed between, the first breast cup and the first shoulder loop. In some cases, the supporting device further includes a first cross strap that is configured to extend around a first portion of a user's torso, the first cross strap being configured to attach to a first portion of the first breast cup and to at least one of the first breast cup connector and the first shoulder loop. Other implementations are disclosed.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a brassiere (a functional garment). More specifically, some implementations relate to a functional brassiere that simultaneously provides orthopedic benefits as well as visual breast enhancement.
Background and Related Art
Throughout history, attempts have been made to design garments that improve a physical and/or a visual appearance of a wearer. An improved physical appearance can lead to an increase in self-esteem and confidence of the wearer and can produce additional physiological and physical benefits. Because of these benefits, many people continue to develop and produce garments that increase the wearer's physical appearance and that are configured to provide support to a portion to a wearer's body. Among such garments is a bra (or brassiere), an undergarment designed to support a woman's breasts and/or to improve a physical and/or visual appearance of the wearer.
A plethora of different bra models have been designed to provide support to a wearer's breasts, to enhance the size and/or shape of the wearer's breasts, to elevate the wearer's breasts, to increase comfort, and/or to be fashionable. For example, a push-up bra is designed to elevate and draw the breasts together to create cleavage, to give the appearance of increased breast size, and to improve the appearance of the wearer's body outline.
While push-up bra designs can increase physical appearance, some such bras can also cause discomfort and physiological strain. These bras are typically designed with a pair of breast cups statically attached to a back strap that encircles the wearer's torso. In some cases, shoulder straps are statically attached to the top of each breast cup and extend over the wearer's shoulder and then statically attach to the back strap. Because the shoulder straps (in some conventional push-up bras) provide the primary or only mechanism for achieving an upward force to elevate the breasts, the shoulder straps often also exert a countervailing downward force on the shoulder, back, and/or neck. This countervailing downward force can increase static and dynamic pressure and/or load on these areas, leading to discomfort, pain, poor posture, and stooping of the back. It can also cause the thoracic section of the spine to protrude backwards, bending of the head forward, flattening of the chest, slouching of the shoulders forward, rounding of the back, protrusion of the stomach forward, and/or protrusion of the shoulder blades from the back. Incorrect posture and stoop can also lead to strain to the skeletal structure; motor apparatus disorder; headaches; malfunctions of the respiratory, nerve, and/or cardiovascular systems; droopy abdomen; spine aches; weakening of the sural and hip muscles; reduced waist mobility; flaccid facial skin; appearance of a double chin; and/or other physiological maladies.
Some orthopedic bras have been developed to improve posture and counteract stoop caused by wearing a bra. Oftentimes, these orthopedic bras are designed to pull the shoulders back and to draw the shoulder blades together, thereby decreasing the pressure on the shoulders, back, and neck while improving posture and combating stoop. Although some orthopedic bras may provide these physical benefits, some may also reduce the aesthetic appearance of the breasts and the bodyline. For example, by bringing the shoulders back, some orthopedic bras greatly reduce the appearance of cleavage and cause the breasts to point outwardly rather than forward.
Thus, while a variety of bra designs currently exist, challenges still exist, including those listed above. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.


The present invention relates to a head positioning method and device for positioning a head to read information from disk media at prescribed positions using a rotary actuator, in which eccentricity errors of the rotary actuator are corrected. In a disk device having disk media, a head, a rotary actuator, and a control circuit, memory is provided to store eccentricity correction information for each region of a disk divided in the radial direction. Eccentricity correction information corresponding to the head position is read, and eccentricity correction signals are created. Optimal eccentricity correction corresponding to the position of the head on the disk is made possible, and rapid seeking is enabled.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control method and control device for controlling an actuator to cause a head to track a disk in eccentric rotation in a disk device for reading data from, or for reading from and writing to, disk storage media by means of a head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk storage devices, such as magnetic disk devices and optical disk devices, are widely used as storage devices for computers and other systems. In such disk storage devices, eccentricity of the disk media occurs. This eccentricity arises because the center of rotation of the disk media on which positional information is stored is shifted from the center at the time positional information is recorded.
In a sector servo design, positional information (servo information) used to determine the position of an actuator is recorded in each sector of the tracks of the disk surface. If the rotational center of the disk coincides with the rotational center when positional information is recorded, then ideally, no eccentricity occurs.
However, in reality, the centers of rotation do not coincide, and eccentricity occurs. Possible causes of this include the use of disk media with servo information written by a different device, thermal deformation of the disk media and spindle axis, and shifts in the disk media due to shocks from outside. When such eccentricity exists, it appears to the actuator that sinusoidal disturbances at an integral multiple of the rotation frequency are added. Hence engineering is necessary to correct this eccentricity.
In servo control, control amounts are calculated from position errors. Hence in principle, servo control can be used to follow the disk eccentricity. However, when the amount of eccentricity is large, time is required to follow the eccentricity using servo control alone. Hence the amount of disk eccentricity correction is measured in advance and stored. The stored eccentricity correction amount is provided to the actuator, in addition to the control amounts of the servo control system, as a feed-forward current, to correct for eccentricity.
For example, methods of magnetic head position control using an eccentricity estimation observer have been disclosed in detail in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 7-50075 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,235) and in Japanese Patent Application 10-185046.
The observer comprises an eccentricity estimation observer, comprising an actuator model and an eccentricity model; the subsequent state is predicted from the error between the detected position and the estimated position, from the control current, and from state variables, and moreover a control current is created from the predicted state. In this way, eccentricity is corrected for in realtime, so that prompt compensation for eccentricity is possible. In such eccentricity correction methods, it has been proposed that different eccentricity correction parameters be used for each disk surface; a single eccentricity correction parameter is stored for each disk surface, and this is read, and eccentricity correction amounts are calculated according to the state. That is, a common eccentricity correction parameter is used for a single magnetic disk surface, and the eccentricity correction amount for each track of the magnetic disk surface is calculated.
However, using the prior art, there are a number of problems.
First, when using a rotary actuator, the trajectory described by the head is arc-shaped, and does not coincide with the disk radial direction. Hence the influence of the disk deviation is different when the head is at inner circumferences on the disk and when it is at outer circumferences. Consequently, the optimal eccentricity correction amount differs for inner and outer circumferences on the disk.
Conventionally, in order to compensate a common eccentricity correction amount for such different eccentricity correction amounts, the zero-cross point of the open-loop characteristics of the feedback system is raised, for rapid convergence on the optimum eccentricity correction amount at the track position. However, in sampling servo control the sampling servo frequency must be raised in order to raise the zero-cross point. In order to raise the sampling servo frequency, the number of servo signals per track must be increased, and so there is the problem that the storage capacity of one track is reduced.
Second, when a disk written with position signals by an external servo track writer is stalled into a disk device, and in disk devices the disk media of which can be exchanged, the distance from the center of the actuator of the device used to write position information to the disk to the center of the head read/write core, and these distances in the device using the disk, are different. That is, track widths are 1 xcexcm or less, and it is difficult to improve the precision of device assembly to correspond to this. Consequently the number of tracks for eccentricity correction is increased, and time is required to follow disk eccentricity when the amount of eccentricity correction is common among disk surfaces, and so there is the problem that seek times cannot be shortened.
An object of this invention is to provide a head position control method, control device for disk device and disk device to obtain the optimum eccentricity correction amount at each track on a disk surface.
Another object of this invention is to provide a head position control method, control device for disk device and disk device to optimize the amount of eccentricity correction at each track on a disk surface, without increasing the sampling frequency.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a head position control method, control device for disk device and disk device to obtain the optimum eccentricity correction amount at each track on a disk surface, even when the eccentricity is large.
In order to perform this object, the head position control method for disk device of this invention comprises a step of reading sector position information of the disk with a head; a step of detecting the current position of the head by demodulating the position information; and, a step of calculating, a control amount corresponding to the position error between the target position and the current position, and the eccentricity correction amount for the disk, and calculating an actuator control amount for a rotary actuator for moving the head from the control amount and the eccentricity correction amount. In the above-mentioned calculation step, the eccentricity correction amount is calculated by reading the eccentricity correction information corresponding to the head position from stored eccentricity correction information for each of a plurality of regions divided in the radial direction on the disk, corresponding to the head position.
The head position control device of this invention has a head for at least reading information on a disk storage media; a rotary actuator for moving the head; a control circuit for calculating a control amount of the rotary actuator, based on position signals read from the disk storage media by the head; and memory for storing eccentricity correction information for each of a plurality of regions divided in the radial direction of the disk. The control circuit reads eccentricity correction information corresponding to the head position from the memory, and calculates the eccentricity correction amount.
In this invention, when a rotary actuator is used, there is a large difference between eccentricity amounts at the inner and outer circumferences of the disk, and so by dividing the disk into a plurality of regions, and setting eccentricity correction information for each region, optimal eccentricity correction can be performed according to the head position. Consequently optimal eccentricity correction becomes possible for each track, without raising the sampling frequency. By this means it is possible to have a sector servo correct for eccentricity without reducing the storage capacity.
The head position control method further comprises a step for saving the eccentricity correction amount for the current position at the start of seek operation, and a step for reading the eccentricity correction information for the region of the target position of the seek operation. And the calculation step comprises a step for calculation of the eccentricity correction amount according to the eccentricity correction information which has been read. Before the start of a seek operation, the eccentricity correction information is changed, so that there is no need to change the eccentricity correction information during seek control. Consequently there is no increase in the operations performed in seek control, and so optimal eccentricity correction is possible while maintaining fast seek control.
In the head position control method for disk device, the saving step comprises a step of converting the eccentricity correction amount for the current position into eccentricity correction information for the reference sector of the track of the current position, and a step of storing the converted eccentricity correction information. And the readout step has a step of converting the eccentricity correction information which has been read into eccentricity correction information for the sector of the target position. Because eccentricity correction information is stored for the reference sector, eccentricity correction information is easily calculated for each sector, and only a small amount of eccentricity correction information need be stored.
In the head position control method for disk devices, the calculation step comprises a step of calculating the control amount using an observer to estimate the position, velocity, and eccentricity correction amount of the head, in accordance with the position error. Because an observer is used, high-speed following of the eccentric track is possible even when using small amounts of eccentricity correction information.

Head position control method, control device for disk device and disk device


A cooling apparatus that cools first and second high density heat dissipation components provided in a housing including a fan that provide an air convection from one opening toward the other opening, the cooling apparatus having: a conduit that contacts the first heat dissipation component and that allows a coolant to pass there through; and a fin structure that contacts the conduit and that is provided on an upwind side of the second heat dissipation component.

A liquid-cooling scheme is known as a technology for cooling a high density heat dissipation component such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit) installed in an electronic equipment.
A liquid-cooling system in which a cooling component with an internal cavity is mounted on an LSI like a CPU (Central Processing Unit) chip and in which a cooling liquid is circulated between the cooling component and a radiator using a pump is known as an example implementing such a technology (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-186388 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-287733, for example).
In the liquid-cooling scheme, it is required that a tubing system for circulation of the cooling liquid (coolant) be provided between the cooling component mounted on the high density heat dissipation component and the radiator. In addition, a radiator and a plurality of cooling components are generally connected through the tubing pipes. The pipes serve as a circulation path through which the coolant passes.
In general, it is difficult to design the tubing and cooling system such that all the high density heat dissipation components intricately disposed on a system board are cooled.
In many cases, an air-cooling scheme may also be applied for some of the low power electronic components, rather than cooling all the components by the liquid-cooling scheme, that is, a hybrid cooling scheme will be more effective.
In order to enhance the cooling capability in the air-cooling scheme, the temperature of air for cooling is preferably low. The temperature of the air may be lowered by installing an air-cooling apparatus external to an electronic apparatus and setting the temperature of the air for cooling to a lower temperature. However, this approach may increase the amount of electric power consumed by the air-cooling apparatus.

Cooling apparatus and electronic equipment


The present invention provides a method for polishing silica and silicon nitride on a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of planarizing the silica with a first aqueous composition comprising by weight percent 0.01 to 5 carboxylic acid polymer, 0.02 to 6 abrasive, 0.01 to 10 polyvinylpyrrolidone, 0 to 5 cationic compound, 0 to 1 phthalic acid and salts, 0 to 5 zwitterionic compound and balance water, wherein the polyvinylpyrrolidone has an average molecular weight between 100 grams/mole to 1,000,000 grams/mole. The method further provides detecting an endpoint to the planarization, and clearing the silica with a second aqueous composition comprising by weight percent 0.001 to 1 quaternary ammonium compound, 0.001 to 1 phthalic acid and salts thereof, 0.01 to 5 carboxylic acid polymer, 0.01 to 5 abrasive and balance water.

The invention relates to chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of semiconductor wafer materials and, more particularly, to CMP methods for polishing silica and silicon nitride from semiconductor wafers in shallow trench isolation (STI) processes.
Decreasing dimensions of devices and the increasing density of integration in microelectronic circuits have required a corresponding reduction in the size of isolation structures. This reduction places a premium on reproducible formation of structures that provide effective isolation, while occupying a minimum amount of the substrate surface.
The STI technique is a widely used semiconductor fabrication method for forming isolation structures to electrically isolate the various active components formed in integrated circuits. One major advantage of using the STI technique over the conventional LOCOS (Local Oxidation of Silicon) technique is the high scalability to CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) IC devices for fabrication at the submicron level of integration. Another advantage is that the STI technique helps prevent the occurrence of the so-called bird's beak encroachment, which is characteristic to the LOCOS technique for forming isolation structures.
In the STI technique, the first step is the formation of a plurality of trenches at predefined locations in the substrate, usually by anisotropic etching. Next, silica is deposited into each of these trenches. The silica is then polished by CMP, down to the silicon nitride (stop layer) to form the STI structure. To achieve efficient polishing, the polishing slurry typically provides a high selectivity involving the removal rate of silica relative to silicon nitride ("selectivity").
Unfortunately, highly selective slurries exhibit significant density dependence, causing die scale thickness variations. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A-1D, a silicon substrate 1 is illustrated comprising a nitride layer 5 and an oxide layer 3. FIG. 1A illustrates the topography of the silicon substrate 1, pre-polishing, comprising "high" density regions 7 and "low" density regions 9. As the low density regions 9 are planarized, the high density regions 7 may still have a significant step height, as much as 3000 Å. Then, as the low density regions 9 are cleared, high density regions 7 may still have significant residual oxide 3, as much as 3000 Å. As a result, as the high density regions 7 are cleared, low density regions 9 may exhibit significant dishing, on the order of 500 Å or more.
Hattori et al., in EP 1479741A2, discloses a known method for polishing in STI processes. Although, the method of Hattori provides adequate selectivity, the ever-increasing density of integration in microelectronic circuits demand improved methods.
Hence, what is needed is a method for chemical-mechanical polishing of silicon dioxide ("silica") and silicon nitride for shallow trench isolation processes having improved dishing.

Multi-step methods for chemical mechanical polishing silicon dioxide and silicon nitride

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holdings, Inc.


An elastomeric bushing assembly including a substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment having a recessed channel manufactured into a portion of an outer surface thereof and a rigid member disposed within the recessed channel manufactured into the portion of the outer surface of the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment. The substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment is configured such that it may be disposed within a first structure comprising an inner surface having edges defining a gap and the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment is configured such that it may receive a second structure comprising an outer surface. The substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment is configured such that it may be disposed within the first structure comprising the inner surface having edges defining the gap such that the rigid member is substantially aligned and in direct contact with the edges defining the gap. The first structure may be, for example, a leaf spring comprising an inner surface having edges defining a scarf gap.

The present invention relates generally to springs, such as leaf springs or the like, that have a gap, such as a scarf gap or the like, resulting from their manufacture and associated bushings or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a spring eye scarf gap protector device, an associated elastomeric bushing assembly, and associated methods.
Springs, such as leaf springs or the like, typically have a gap, such as a scarf gap or the like, resulting from their manufacture. This gap is formed when the metal or other material of the spring is bent, shaped, or otherwise formed and the ends and/or surfaces of the spring come into contact with one another, such as when a spring eye is formed. This gap becomes problematic when a bushing or the like is disposed within the spring eye. Such bushings are typically made of an elastomeric material and, when disposed within the spring eye, the sharp, irregular edges of the gap may abrade or otherwise damage the bushing, detrimentally affecting its elastomeric and/or fatigue properties.
One possible solution to this problem is to dispose the bushing within a rigid sleeve or the like. This rigid sleeve may be made of a metal, such as steel, a plastic, a composite material, or the like. Both the bushing and the rigid sleeve are then disposed within the spring eye, the rigid sleeve protecting the bushing from the sharp, irregular edges of the gap. This solution, however, is itself problematic as it may make installation of the bushing in the spring eye more difficult, the bushing may be inadequately retained in the spring eye, the bushing may be allowed to rotate within the spring eye, or metal-to-metal contact, for example, may be otherwise undesirable.
Thus, what is needed is a device that protects the elastomeric bushing from the sharp, irregular edges of the gap in the spring eye, without the use of a rigid sleeve or the like. What is also needed is a device that is relatively simple and cost-effective to manufacture, install, and ship, alone or in combination with the bushing as part of an elastomeric bushing assembly.
The spring eye scarf gap protector device of the present invention incorporates a rigid member into the elastomeric bushing described above. This rigid member, which may be made of a metal, such as steel, a plastic, a composite material, or the like, securely engages one or more recesses manufactured into the bushing. For example, the rigid member may be xe2x80x9csnappedxe2x80x9d or press-fit into and/or bonded with the one or more recesses. The resulting elastomeric bushing assembly may then be shipped to a customer or the like with the rigid member in place and installed into the spring eye of a leaf spring or the like. Upon installation, the elastomeric bushing bulges, accommodating the volume or space between an inner member or structure and the inner diameter of the spring eye. Advantageously, the elastomeric material adjacent to the rigid member applies compressive force to the rigid member, pushing it against the scarf gap of the spring eye. Thus, there is no elastomeric material in contact with the sharp, irregular edges of the scarf gap, preventing abrading or damage to the elastomeric bushing assembly.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an elastomeric bushing assembly includes a substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment having a recessed channel manufactured into a portion of an outer surface thereof and a rigid member disposed within the recessed channel manufactured into the portion of the outer surface of the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment. The substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment is configured such that it may be disposed within a first structure comprising an inner surface having edges defining a gap and the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment is configured such that it may receive a second structure comprising an outer surface. The substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment is configured such that it may be disposed within the first structure comprising the inner surface having edges defining the gap such that the rigid member is substantially aligned and in direct contact with the edges defining the gap. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the elastomeric bushing assembly includes a plurality of substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segments each having a recessed channel manufactured into a portion of an outer surface thereof, wherein the recessed channels manufactured into the portion of the outer surface of each of the plurality of substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segments are substantially aligned. The first structure may be, for example, a leaf spring comprising an inner surface having edges defining a scarf gap.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a spring assembly includes a first structure comprising an inner surface having edges defining a gap, a substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment disposed within the inner surface of the first structure, the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment having a recessed channel manufactured into a portion of an outer surface thereof, and a rigid member disposed within the recessed channel manufactured into the portion of the outer surface of the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment, wherein the rigid member is substantially aligned and in direct contact with the edges of the inner surface of the first structure defining the gap. The substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment is configured such that it may receive a second structure comprising an outer surface. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the spring assembly includes a plurality of substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segments disposed within the inner surface of the first structure, the plurality of substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segments each having a recessed channel manufactured into a portion of an outer surface thereof, wherein the recessed channels manufactured into the portion of the outer surface of each of the plurality of substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segments are substantially aligned. The first structure may be, for example, a leaf spring comprising an inner surface having edges defining a scarf gap.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing an elastomeric bushing assembly includes the steps of providing a substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment, manufacturing a recessed channel into a portion of an outer surface of the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment, and disposing a rigid member within the recessed channel manufactured into the portion of the outer surface of the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment. The method also includes the steps of configuring the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment such that it may be disposed within a first structure comprising an inner surface having edges defining a gap and configuring the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment such that it may receive a second structure comprising an outer surface. The method further includes disposing the substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segment within the first structure comprising the inner surface having edges defining the gap such that the rigid member is substantially aligned and in direct contact with the edges defining the gap. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the method includes the step of providing a plurality of substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segments each having a recessed channel manufactured into a portion of an outer surface thereof, wherein the recessed channels manufactured into the portion of the outer surface of each of the plurality of substantially cylindrical elastomeric bushing segments are substantially aligned. The first structure may be, for example, a leaf spring comprising an inner surface having edges defining a scarf gap.

Spring eye scarf gap protector device and associated elastomeric bushing assembly


A disc capable of reproducing an address signal and a data signal correctly even by using a multilayer optical disc that includes a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces bonded together in a state in which front positions in sectors of the respective recording reproduction surfaces do not match completely, a method and a device are provided. In one embodiment, a relationship between a bonding precision L and a length G of a gap area is determined to be Lxe2x89xa6G. In another embodiment, by recording information in a range of a length corresponding to the bonding precision L not only in the data area but also in the gap area, a data recording starting position and a data recording ending position for each sector of the respective recording reproduction surfaces are matched. In yet another embodiment, guard areas are provided in a tip portion and a back end portion of the data area.

The present invention relates to a multilayer optical disc having a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces, a method and a device for recording optical information in this multilayer optical disc.
A conventionally known multilayer optical disc capable of recording on and reproducing from a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces is described, for example, in JP 10(1998)-505188A.
In the following, the structure of a conventional multilayer optical disc will be explained by referring to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional optical disc 10 taken in the direction perpendicular to the track direction. In addition, for simplifying the explanation, an optical disc of a double layer structure will be used.
As shown in FIG. 7, a guiding groove 7 for tracking (alternatively, an address signal recorded in advance and formed as a pit) is formed on one surface side of a first substrate 1, and further on this surface, a recording reproduction film for partially reflecting and partially transmitting an optical beam 8 entering the first substrate 1, focused by an objective lens 9, is formed to create a first recording reproduction surface 3. Furthermore, a guiding groove 6 for tracking (alternatively, an address signal recorded in advance and formed as a pit) also is formed on the surface of a second substrate 2, and a recording reproduction film for reflecting the optical beam 8 passing through the first recording reproduction surface 3 is formed to create a second recording reproduction surface 4. Furthermore, a separating layer 5 is interposed to separate the first recording reproduction surface 3 and the second recording reproduction surface 4 and to bond them together.
However, the multilayer structure as mentioned above (double layer structure in the conventional example) suffers from the following problem when the bonded state in the cross-sectional view taken perpendicular to the aforementioned cross-sectional view, that is in the track direction, is as that shown in FIG. 8.
In addition, for explanatory purposes, FIG. 8 expresses the actual sector structure (shown in FIG. 9(b)) of a multilayer optical disc, which is shown as a plan view in FIG. 9(a), in the form of a schematic sector structure for each recording reproduction surface.
FIG. 9(b) is, as shown in FIG. 9(a), an enlarged view of the vicinity of an address area 92 in a certain track among a group of tracks 91 formed as concentric circles or spirally in the multilayer optical disc, and shows a part of a groove portion 93 in the (nxe2x88x921)th sector, an address pit portion 941 corresponding to an address area of the nth sector to be described later, and a part of a groove portion 942 in the following nth sector 94. This groove portion, expressed in the form of a schematic sector structure, is divided into a gap area and a data area to be described later.
Moreover, the constituent elements shown in FIG. 7, i.e. the first substrate 1, the second substrate 2 and the separating layer 5 are omitted in FIG. 8 for explanatory purposes.
In FIG. 8, 31 is a first recording reproduction surface, and 41 is a second recording reproduction surface. 311, 312 and 313 respectively are an address area, a data area and a gap area for dividing the address area 311 and the data area 312 in the first recording reproduction surface 31. Moreover, 411, 412 and 413 respectively are an address area, a data area and a gap area for dividing the address area 411 and the data area 412 in the second recording reproduction surface 32.
The gap areas 313, 413 are provided to perform a signal processing, when a recording and a reproduction for a multilayer optical disc are performed by a drive, by clearly separating a reproduced address signal and a reproduced data signal of a data area, and by avoiding the gap areas 313, 413, the recording operation is performed respectively for the first recording reproduction surface 31 and the second recording reproduction surface 41.
However, as shown in FIG. 8, when the heads of the address areas 311 and 411, that is, the front positions of sectors are bonded together by a shift L1, and when this amount of shift L1 is larger than a length G1 of the gap areas 313 and 413, an area xcex941, which is an area at the rear end portion in the address area 311 of the first recording reproduction surface 31, overlaps with an area xcex942, which is an area at the front end portion in the data area 412 of the second recording reproduction surface 41, in the irradiation direction of an optical beam 81, that is, seen from above the surface. In addition, a length of the area xcex941 and that of the area xcex942 are equal to L1xe2x88x92G1.
Furthermore, the optical beam 81 passes through the area xcex941 of the first recording reproduction surface 31 and is emitted onto the area xcex942 of the second recording reproduction surface 41 to record information.
Here, when the two recording reproduction surfaces of this multilayer optical disc are made of phase change type recording reproduction films, a recording in a phase change type recording reproduction film is performed based on the principle of changing its crystal structure by irradiation of a high-power optical beam. Therefore, when the recording is preformed for the area xcex942 in the second recording reproduction surface 41, that is, for the area at the front end portion in the data area 412 of the second recording reproduction surface 41, the high-power optical beam 81 is emitted also onto the area xcex941 at the rear end portion in the address area 311 of the first recording reproduction surface 31.
Therefore, the crystal structure of the recording reproduction film formed on one part in the address area 311 of the first recording reproduction surface 31 also is affected. As a result, when the address area 311 of the first recording reproduction surface 31 is to be reproduced after completing the recording operation for the second recording reproduction surface 41, the S/N ratio of the reproduced signal is deteriorated, and the problem that the address information cannot be recognized correctly arises.
Furthermore, the example shown in FIG. 8 was explained by referring to the case where the first recording reproduction surface 31 and the second recording reproduction surface 41 were bonded together in a state in which the front position in the sector of the first recording reproduction surface 31 is shifted to the right side of the surface relative to the second recording reproduction surface 41. Similarly, also in the case where the front position in the sector of the first recording reproduction surface 31 is shifted to the left side of the surface relative to the second recording reproduction surface 41 and bonded together, the address area 411 of the second recording reproduction surface 41 is affected when a recording operation for the first recording reproduction surface 31 is performed. As a result, the S/N ratio of the reproduced signal from the address area 411 is deteriorated, and the problem that the address information cannot be recognized correctly arises.
Moreover, the conventional example was explained by referring to the case of having two recording reproduction surfaces, but also in the case of having three and more recording reproduction surfaces, a recording operation for an arbitrary recording reproduction surface affects address areas in other recording reproduction surfaces, so that the problem that this address information cannot be recognized correctly arises.
Furthermore, in the case where data are already recorded in the data areas of both recording reproduction surfaces, at the time when a recording operation is performed for one of the recording reproduction surfaces, also for the data area in the other recording reproduction surface, a high-power optical beam is emitted onto an area where the respective data areas overlap with each other (xcex943 shown in FIG. 8), so that errors arise due to the deteriorated S/N ratio of the reproduced signal. Generally, an error correction code is appended to data, so that the content of the reproduced data is restored by this function to some degree but not completely. The deterioration in the S/N ratio of the reproduced signal in this data area will be explained below more in detail.
Like FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a diagram expressing the actual sector structure of a conventional multilayer optical disc in the form of a schematic sector structure for each recording reproduction surface. In addition, in FIG. 10, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituents as those in FIG. 8, and the explanations thereof are omitted.
First, FIG. 10(a) will be explained. FIG. 10(a) shows a state in which the first recording reproduction surface 31 is shifted in the scanning direction (to the right side of the surface) of the optical beam 81 relative to the second recording reproduction surface 41 and bonded together. In FIG. 10, a section Z1 or a section Z3 is an area where the data area 312 of the first recording reproduction surface 31 does not overlap with the data area 412 of the second recording reproduction surface 41 and corresponds to a predetermined precision at the time when the two recording reproduction surfaces are bonded together. Moreover, a section Z2 shows an area where the data area 312 of the first recording reproduction surface 31 overlaps with the data area 412 of the second recording reproduction surface 41.
When optical information (data) is already recorded in the data area 312 of the first recording reproduction surface 31, due to the fact that the optical conditions of the recording reproduction surfaces differ and that the transmittances of the optical beam 81 are different, the recording power of the emitted optical beam 81 differs in the section Z1 and in the section Z2 of the data area 412 on the second recording reproduction surface 41.
Next, FIG. 10(b) will be explained. FIG. 10(b) shows a state in which the first recording reproduction surface 31 is shifted in the direction opposite to the scanning direction (to the left side of the surface) of the optical beam 81 relative to the second recording reproduction surface 41 and bonded together. As in FIG. 10(a), the section Z1 or the section Z3 shown in FIG. 10(b) is an area where the data area 312 of the first recording reproduction surface 31 does not overlap with the data area 412 of the second recording reproduction surface 41 and corresponds to a predetermined precision at the time when the two recording reproduction surfaces are bonded together. Moreover, as in FIG. 10(a), also the section Z2 shows an area where the data area 312 of the first recording reproduction surface 31 overlaps with the data area 412 of the second recording reproduction surface 41.
Here, when data are already recorded in the data area 312 of the first recording reproduction surface 31, due to the fact that the optical conditions of the recording reproduction surfaces differ and that the transmittances of the optical beam 81 are different, the recording power of the emitted optical beam 81 differs in the section Z1 and in the section Z2 of the data area 412 on the second recording reproduction surface 41.
When the transmittance before recording is smaller than the transmittance after recording, a recording for the second recording reproduction surface 41 is performed by taking this transmittance into account. But even when the data could be recorded with an optimal recording power in the section Z2, a recording beam with an excessive power is emitted onto the portion corresponding to the section Z1 (in the case of FIG. 10(a)) or the section Z3 (in the case of FIG. 10(b)). On the other hand, when the transmittance before recording is larger than the transmittance after recording, a recording for the second recording reproduction surface 41 is performed by taking this transmittance into account. But even when the data could be recorded with an optimal recording power in the section Z2, a recording beam with a much smaller power will be emitted onto the portion corresponding to the section Z1 (in the case of FIG. 10(a)) or the section Z3 (in the case of FIG. 10(b)).
As a result, when a reproduction signal is to be obtained from the second recording reproduction surface 41, a difference in the signal amplitude of the reproduction signal may arise between the portions corresponding to the sections Z1 and Z2 (in the case of FIG. 10(a)) or the sections Z2 and Z3 (in the case of FIG. 10(b)). Thus, a difference in the S/N ratio may arise within the data area, so that a part of the data recorded in the second recording reproduction surface 41 may not be read out correctly even by using an error correction code appended to the data.
In particular, when a phase change type material is used for the recording films constructing the recording reproduction surfaces, due to the fact that its phase state changes (crystal state and amorphous state) by recording data, the difference in the transmittance before and after the recording is large, so that the problem mentioned above becomes more notable.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multilayer optical disc capable of reproducing an address signal and a data signal correctly even when using a multilayer optical disc that is made up of a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces bonded together in a state in which front positions in sectors of the respective recording reproduction surfaces do not match completely. Another object is to provide a method and a device for recording optical information in this multilayer optical disc.
To achieve the above object, a first multilayer optical disc of the present invention is characterized in that the multilayer optical disc has a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces having a sector structure, in which an address area and a data area recorded in advance are divided by a gap area of a predetermined length, and that the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces are bonded together such that front positions of sectors in the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces are aligned with a precision of not more than the length of the gap area.
Furthermore, to achieve the above object, a second multilayer optical disc of the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces having a sector structure, in which an address area and a data area recorded in advance are divided by a gap area, are bonded together with a predetermined precision with reference to front positions of the sectors, and that the length of the gap area is not less than the predetermined precision with reference to the front positions of the sectors.
Furthermore, to achieve the above object, a third multilayer optical disc of the present invention is characterized in that the multilayer optical disc includes a first recording surface and a second recording surface, each having an address area, a data area for recording information and a gap area with a predetermined length arranged between the address area and the data area, wherein an amount of displacement between a front position in the address area of the first recording surface and a front position in the address area of the second recording surface, seen from a direction of a beam emitted onto the recording surfaces for recording and reproduction of information, is smaller than the length of the gap area.
Furthermore, to achieve the above object, a fourth multilayer optical disc of the present invention is characterized in that the multilayer optical disc includes a first recording surface and a second recording surface, each having an address area, a data area for recording information and a gap area with a predetermined length arranged between the address area and the data area, wherein an amount of displacement between a back end position in the address area of the first recording surface and a back end position in the address area of the second recording surface, seen from a direction of a beam emitted onto the recording surfaces for recording and reproduction of information, is smaller than the length of the gap area.
Furthermore, to achieve the above object, an optical information recording method according to the present invention is a method for recording optical information in a multilayer optical disc including a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces formed on every layer, with a sector structure having a gap area arranged between an address area and a data area in a scanning direction of an optical beam, wherein a bonding precision L with reference to a front position in the sector of a certain recording reproduction surface and a length G of the gap area in the scanning direction satisfies a relationship of Lxe2x89xa6G for all recording reproduction surfaces. The method is characterized by the steps of detecting an amount of displacement between front positions in the sectors of other recording reproduction surfaces relative to the front position in the sector of the certain recording reproduction surface, and, based on the detected amount of displacement, determining a data recording starting position and a data recording ending position for each recording reproduction surface such that the data recording starting position and the data recording ending position of the respective sectors are matched in the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces.
In addition, in the optical information recording method of the present invention, it is preferable that the data recording starting position and the data recording ending position respectively are determined to be the starting position and the ending position in the data area of the recording reproduction surface where the front position of the sector is displaced most in a direction opposite to the scanning direction among the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces.
Furthermore, to achieve the above object, an optical information recording device according to the present invention is a method for recording optical information in a multilayer optical disc including a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces formed on every layer, with a sector structure having a gap area arranged between an address area and a data area in a scanning direction of an optical beam, wherein a bonding precision L with reference to a front position in the sector of a certain recording reproduction surface and a length G of the gap area in the scanning direction satisfies a relationship of Lxe2x89xa6G for all recording reproduction surfaces. The device is characterized in that the device includes a detection part for detecting an amount of displacement between front positions in the sectors of other recording reproduction surfaces relative to the front position in the sector of the certain recording reproduction surface, and a gate signal generation part for generating a gate signal designating a data recording ending position from a data recording starting position for each recording reproduction surface to match the data recording starting positions and the data recording ending positions of the respective sectors in the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces, based on the amount of displacement detected by the detection part.
In addition, in the optical information recording device of the present invention, it is preferable that the gate signal designates the data recording starting position and the data recording ending position to be the starting position and the ending position in the data area of the recording reproduction surface where the front position of the sector is displaced most in a direction opposite to the scanning direction among the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces.
Furthermore, to achieve the above object, a fifth multilayer optical disc of the present invention is characterized in that the multilayer optical disc includes layers on which a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces are formed, with a sector structure having a gap area arranged between an address area and a data area in a scanning direction of an optical beam, bonded together such that front positions in the sectors of the respective recording reproduction surfaces are contacted closely to each other in the scanning direction by a predetermined precision, wherein guard data recording areas having a length of not less than the predetermined precision are allocated to a tip portion and to a back end portion of the data area in the scanning direction.
According to the configuration mentioned above, by determining the bonding precision between the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces to be not more than the predetermined length of the gap area or by determining the length of the gap area to be not less than the bonding precision between the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces of the multilayer optical disc, a recording operation for an arbitrary recording reproduction surface does not affect address areas in other recording reproduction surfaces, so that the address information can be recognized correctly after completing the recording at the time of reproduction.
Moreover, even when the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces are bonded together in a state in which they are not matched but shifted, by satisfying the relationship of Lxe2x89xa6G between the predetermined precision L corresponding to this amount of displacement and the length G of the gap area, matching the recording range for a certain recording reproduction surface with the data area, determining the recording range for other recording reproduction surfaces to be an area including a part of the gap area in addition to the most part of the data area, and recording while matching the data recording starting positions and the data recording ending positions in the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces, even in the case where the certain recording reproduction surface is already recorded, the recording for the other recording reproduction surfaces can be performed with a uniform recording power. Therefore, a non-uniform recording power can be prevented, and an amplitude difference in the reproduction signal of the data, that is, a S/N difference is suppressed, so that the recorded data information can be reproduced correctly.
Furthermore, even when the respective data areas in the plurality of recording reproduction surfaces have portions overlapping in the scanning direction, by providing guard data recording areas for data protection in the tip portion and the back end portion of the data areas, the reproduced data information is not affected even when there is an amplitude difference in the reproduction signal in these guard data recording areas resulting from the effective power difference in the recording beam, and therefore, correct reproduced data information can be obtained.

Multilayer optical disk, and method and device for recording optical information thereon

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A vehicle seat assembly for mounting on a vehicle floor including a seat bottom pivotally mounted relative to the vehicle floor. The seat bottom defines an upper surface and an opposed lower surface. The seat bottom is movable between a seating position, wherein the upper surface faces upwards, and a storage position, wherein the lower surface faces upwards. A panel is pivotally connected to the seat bottom. The panel is automatically moved between a first position underneath the seat bottom when the seat bottom is in the seating position, and a generally horizontally deployed position when the seat bottom is moved to the storage position.

This invention relates in general to vehicle seats, and in particular to a vehicle seat arrangement in which a relatively flat horizontal support surface can be formed.
A typical four or more person passenger vehicle includes a pair of front seats and either a single relatively wide rear/second row seat or a pair of rear/second row seats. For larger vehicles such as vans and sport utility vehicles, a third row seat can be included. The third row seat is typically a single relative wide seat generally spanning the lateral width of the interior of the vehicle. The seat includes a seat back and a seat bottom.
In some vehicles, the seat backs of the second and third row of seats are pivotally connected to the seat bottom. The seat backs are movable between an upright position, for the seating of an occupant, and a collapsed position, wherein the seat back is pivoted forward to a position above the seat bottom. It is sometimes desirable to configure the seat back of the second row seat so that when the seat back is in its forward position a back surface of the seat back is generally horizontal. The back surface of the seat back can also be coplanar with the collapsed seat back of the third row seat. It is known to provide a panel which is manually movable to a position to bridge the gap of the second and third row seats so that a relatively flat horizontal support surface is formed.
It is also know to provide a third row seat which is pivotable to storage position within a recess formed in the vehicle floor for storing the third row seat. The seat bottom has a rear portion which is pivotally mounted on the vehicle floor. The seat bottom includes an upper surface and a lower surface. A seat back is pivotally mounted on the seat bottom, and is movable to a collapsed position onto the upper surface of the seat bottom. Once the seat back is moved to its collapsed position, the combination of the seat bottom and the seat back are pivotable about 180 degrees to their storage position within the recess formed in the floor of the vehicle.
This invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly which includes an automatically deployed load floor. More specifically, the vehicle seat assembly mounts on a vehicle floor and includes a seat bottom pivotally mounted relative to the vehicle floor. The seat bottom defines an upper surface and an opposed lower surface. The seat bottom is movable between a seating position, wherein the upper surface faces upwards, and a storage position, wherein the lower surface faces upwards. A panel is pivotally connected to the seat bottom. The panel is automatically moved between a first position underneath the seat bottom when the seat bottom is in the seating position, and a generally horizontally deployed position when the seat bottom is moved to the storage position.


A circulation structure for a turbo compressor, in particular for a compressor of a gas turbine, is disclosed. The circulation structure includes at least one annular chamber that can be traversed in a circumferential direction, is concentric with a shaft of the turbo compressor in the region of the free blade ends of a blade ring, and radially borders a main flow channel. Several chambers that can be traversed in an axial direction are situated upstream of the or each annular chamber, when viewed from the main flow direction of the main flow channel.

The invention relates to a circulation structure for a turbo compressor. In addition, the invention relates to a turbo compressor as well as to an aircraft engine and a stationary gas turbine.
Circulation structures or recirculation structures for turbo compressors are known in the form of so-called casing treatments and hub treatments. The primary task of circulation structures called casing treatments and hub treatments is increasing the aerodynamically stable operating range of the compressor by optimizing the surge limit distance. An optimized surge limit distance makes higher compressor pressures possible and therefore a higher compressor load. The malfunctions responsible for a local flow separation and ultimately for pumping the compressor occur on the housing-side ends of the rotor blades of one or more compressor stages or on the hub-side radially inner ends of the guides blades, because the aerodynamic load in the compressor is the greatest in these regions. The flow in the region of the blade ends is stabilized by circulation structures. Stator-side circulation structures in the region of the housing-side ends of the rotor blades are called casing treatments, whereas rotor-side circulation structures in the region of the hub-side ends of the guides blades area called hub treatments.
Flow structures for a turbo compressor that are configured as casing treatments and hub treatments, which have annular chambers that can be traversed in the circumferential direction, are known from German Patent Document No. DE 103 30 084 A1. The annular chambers that can be traversed in the circumferential direction are arranged concentrically to an axis of the turbo compressor in the region of the free blade ends of a rotor blade ring or a guide blade ring, wherein the annular chambers radially border a main flow channel of the turbo compressor. Guide elements may be arranged within the annular chambers that can be traversed in the circumferential direction.
Starting herefrom, the objective of the present invention is creating a novel circulation structure for a turbo compressor.
According to the invention, several chambers that can be traversed in an axial direction are situated upstream of the or each annular chamber, when viewed from the main flow direction of the main flow channel.
The present invention proposes for the first time that several chambers that can be traversed in an axial direction be arranged upstream of the or each annular chambers that can be traversed in the circumferential direction, when viewed from the main flow direction of the main flow channel. The circulation structure according to the invention accordingly combines chambers that can be traversed in the axial direction, which do not have a circumferential connection, with at least one annular chamber, which can be traversed in the circumferential direction, wherein the or each annular chamber is situated downstream from the chamber that can be traversed in the axial direction that does not have a circumferential connection, when viewed in the main flow direction. This permits the formation of a gap vortex to be pulsatingly inhibited in terms of its development. A forming recirculation flow uses fluid that has heavy losses to influence the inflow of the rotor-side components, wherein the geometric properties of the chambers that can be traversed in the axial direction that do not have a circumferential connection generate a counter twist. Additional flow obstruction regions are shifted to the annular chambers with a circumferential connection.
Because of its simplicity, the circulation structure according to the invention guarantees very low losses. Loss-generating, three-dimensional flow phenomena may be inhibited effectively. Positive effects for the operational stability of the turbo compressor under partial load and full load with an overall positive change in the efficiency, particularly under full load, can be linked hereby. The simplicity of the circulation structure is connected with low manufacturing costs.
Preferred further developments of the invention are disclosed in the following description. Without being limited hereto, exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail on the basis of the drawings.

Circulation structure for a turbo compressor