An image processing method includes printing out a layout mark-sensing sheet indicating a plurality of different sample image layout options that graphically indicate different layouts of an image to be printed on a recording medium that has a specific shape. The layout mark-sensing sheet allows a user to mark the layout mark-sensing sheet to designate a specific image layout option from among the plurality of different sample image layout options. The layout mark-sensing sheet marked by the user is read and the image is printed on the recording medium based on the specific image layout option marked by the user on the layout mark-sensing sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method for specifying image data to be printed out by a recording unit according to information described in a mark-sensing sheet that is read by an image reading unit, and also to an image processing apparatus that uses the image processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some conventional printing apparatuses, such as printers, are configured to be able to perform printing on a recording medium other than paper, for example, a plastic sheet for an overhead projector (OHP).
In addition, in recent years, various types of storage medium disks, such as a compact disk-recordable (CD-R) and a digital versatile disk-recordable (DVD-R), that have a label side on which printing can be performed are provided. In addition, printers that are capable of performing printing on the label side of a storage medium disk described above are already marketed.
With such a printer, a user can print, on the label side of a storage medium disk, such as a CD-R or a DVD-R, that stores photograph data taken by a digital camera or moving image data taken by a video camera, a user's favorite image (for example, a still image or a clip image of moving image data stored in the storage medium disk) or a character string, such as a caption or a title of the image.
Meanwhile, in controlling an image printing of an image photographed by a digital camera that is capable of photographing a moving image or a still image or in performing printing on a label, label printing-dedicated application software that is installed on a personal computer (PC) is commonly used. In this regard, however, recently, in a multifunction peripheral (hereinafter referred to as an "MFP") type printer to which a digital camera or a memory card can be directly connected, such printing processing (print control processing such as a direct print) can be performed with the printer alone instead of using a PC.
The above-mentioned MFP includes various types of interfaces, such as a universal serial bus (USB) or an IEEE1394 serial bus for connecting to a digital camera, and a card slot for a storage medium such as a memory card (for example, a secure digital (SD) card or a compact flash (CF) card), and is capable of printing an image stored in the digital camera or the memory card on the label-side surface of a storage medium disk while applying a desired layout thereto.
In addition, a type of MFP that includes a display unit having a limited area of display and has an image reading unit such as a scanner, as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-273973, is configured to print a mark-sensing sheet that contains thumbnail images and mark fields. A user can put a mark on a mark filed and cause the scanner of the MFP to read the mark-sensing sheet so as to print a photograph marked by the user.
Such a mark-sensing sheet has a configuration such as is shown in FIG. 4. The mark-sensing sheet shown in FIG. 4 includes a mark field A, a thumbnail field B, a user instruction field C, and a bar code field E. The mark filed A is used to designate the size and kind of paper, a print option, the number of prints to make, etc. The thumbnail field B contains thumbnail images of image files stored in a storage medium (for example, a memory card or a digital camera connected via an interface such as USB). The thumbnail field B further includes mark fields used for designating printing of images corresponding to the thumbnail images. The user instruction field C contains a user instruction relating to printing (or further contains a reprint designation mark). The bar code field E is used to identify the type of mark-sensing sheet when the mark-sensing sheet is read by the scanner afterwards.
The user causes the MFP to print the mark-sensing sheet and marks a desired image shown in the thumbnail field B. Then, the user designates the size and kind of paper, a print option, and the number of prints to make via the mark field A. The user then allows the scanner to read the mark-sensing sheet. Thus, the user can print the desired image under conditions that the user desires.
Standardized storage medium disks, such as a CD-R and a DVD-R, have a specification such that the center of the storage medium disk is perforated with a hole for a spindle. In printing a photographic image on the surface of a storage medium disk, it is a concern if a portion of the photograph is in the portion of the storage medium disk where the hole is located. For example, in the case of printing an image of a person, if the face of the person shown in the center of the photograph is located at the position of the hole, the user cannot obtain a satisfactory result of printing of a label.
That is, when the shape of a print medium is a rectangle, just as a conventional paper (or a plastic sheet) medium of a standard size, a whole part of the photograph can be laid out without a large unpresented part. Accordingly, the user does not necessarily need to confirm a printed result in advance.
On the other hand, the storage medium disk has a special circular shape having a hole in the center thereof. Accordingly, unless a photograph is printed in a very small size, there is always an unprinted portion of an image to be printed, corresponding to the central hole of the storage medium disk. In performing printing on the label side of the storage medium disk, considering the unordinary special shape of the disk, the user needs to confirm the unprinted portion prior to printing.
For countermeasures against such confirmation, the MFP can include a color display unit so as to display a printed result prior to printing. However, with the color display unit installed, the cost of the entire apparatus will increase.
If software for causing a PC to display a print preview image is used, a printed result of the label side can be displayed. However, especially for an MFP for use at home, it is desired that the MFP adapts a product specification such that print control such as a direct print can be performed without using an external host device such as a PC to perform basic print control without using a PC as far as possible.
In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-114485, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-255760, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-30670 discuss a method for printing a photographic image while applying a layout thereto. However, they neither discuss the above problem nor propose any solution.

Image processing method and image processing apparatus


The 1× wireless processing section communicates with the 1× base station while the EV-DO wireless processing section performs processing for communicating with the EV-DO base station. The measurement section measures strength of signals received from a plurality of base stations including the EV-DO base station performing data communication. The decision section decides whether or not the hand-off is to be performed based on the strength of the received signals measured by the measurement section. The reporting section generates a signal serving as a trigger for starting the hand-off in the case where the decision section decided to perform the hand-off and then outputs the signal to the EV-DO base station through the EV-DO processing section.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hand-off control technique, particularly to a hand-off control method which is ready for a plurality of communication systems and a wireless communication apparatus using the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, cdma2000 1×EV-DO (hereinafter referred to as "EV-DO") has been developed as a next-generation high-rate radio communication system. The EV-DO is a version of specializing cdma2000 1× (hereinafter also referred to as "1×") provided by expanding cdma2000 to the third-generation system for data communications and increasing the transmission rate. "EV" means Evolution, and "DO" means Data Optimized.
The EV-DO system is approximately the same as the cdma2000 1× system in the configuration of a radio interface of a reverse channel from a radio communication terminal to a base station. As for the configuration of the radio interface of a forward channel from a base station to a radio communication terminal, whereas the bandwidth of 1.23 MHz is the same with that of the cdma2000 1× system, the modulation method and the multiplexing method are much different from those of the cdma2000 1× system. As for the modulation method, whereas QPSK and HPSK are used in the cdma2000 1× system, QPSK, 8-PSK, or 16QAM is selectively used in the EV-DO system according to a reception state of a forward channel of a radio communication terminal. As a result, a high transmission rate with low error correction capability is used when the reception state is good, and a low transmission rate with high error correction capability is used when the reception state is bad.
As for the multiplexing method for enabling multiple communications from one base station to a plurality of radio communication terminals, TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) is employed in which communications with a plurality of radio communication terminals are performed in such a manner that time is divided in units of 1/600 second, a communication is performed with one radio communication terminal in each unit time, and the radio communication terminal to be communicated is switched every unit time, rather than CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) which is employed in the cdmaOne system and the cdma2000 1× system.
A radio communication terminal measures a carrier-to-interference power ratio (hereinafter abbreviated as CIR) of a pilot signal as an index of a reception state of a forward channel from a base station to be communicated, predicts a reception state during the next reception time slot on the basis of a variation of the CIR, and notify "a maximum transmission rate which enables to receive with a error ratio that is lower than a predetermined rate", which is expected from the predicted reception state to the base station as data rate control bits (hereinafter referred to as DRC) predetermined. The predetermined error rate is usually set to about 1% though it depends on the system design. The base station receives the DRCs from a plurality of radio communication terminals, and a scheduler function in the base station determines with which radio communication terminal is to communicate in each division unit time. Basically, as high a transmission rate as possible is decided on the basis of a DRC sent from each radio communication terminal and is used for a communication with it.
With the above configuration, the EV-DO system enables a maximum transmission rate of 2.4 Mbps (mega-bits per second) per sector in a forward channel. This transmission rate is the sum of amounts of data communications from one base station to a plurality of radio communication terminals in one frequency band and in one of a plurality of sectors (usually, a plurality of sectors exist). The transmission rate increases if a plurality of frequency bands are used.
JP-A-2002-300644 is referred to as a related art.
If a wireless communication terminal uses an RF circuit and an antenna to be in conformity with both of the EV-DO system and the 1× system, the user does not have to carry two terminals for the EV-DO system and the 1× system, thereby improving convenience. Since the wireless communication terminal switches the RF circuit and the antenna according to the situation in order to be in conformity with the two communication systems, the wireless communication terminal can detect an incoming call of the 1× system during data communication of the EV-DO system. However, in the case where a hand-off of the EV-DO system occurs during data communication of the EV-DO system, and further an incoming call monitoring time of 1× system starts before completion of the hand-off processing of the EV-DO system, the wireless communication terminal halts the hand-off processing of the EV-DO system to execute the incoming call monitoring processing of the 1× system. As a result, a monitoring timer of the hand-off is terminated in the base station of the EV-DO system so that communication of the EV-DO system is cut off.

Hand-off control method and wireless communication apparatus using the method


A cooktop gasket includes a sealing body having a stem extending from an upper portion of the gasket and terminating in a retention knuckle. A base is provided that includes a support portion integrally connected to a locking portion, the locking portion having an inner leg, an outer leg, and a retention channel positioned between the inner and outer legs. The retention channel is capable of the receiving the stem of the sealing body when the sealing body and the base are in an engaged position to maintain the relative positions of the base and sealing body. A sealing cam on the stem biases the inner leg toward a cooktop edge to seal against the edge of the cooktop.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gaskets and in particular to a two-piece gasket for sealing and supporting a cooktop within the frame of a range or stove.
2. Description of Related Art
Cooking appliances such as free-standing ranges and countertop "drop-in" stoves are available in many different types, shapes, and sizes. As shown in FIGS. 10-12, a free-standing range 621 combines an oven 623 and stove a 625 in one appliance and is capable of being placed directly on the floor of a kitchen. The stove 625 is typically heated either by gas or electric burners, while the oven 623 could be gas, electric, microwave, or some combination thereof. A popular feature on modern stoves is to include a ceramic glass cooktop 631 that covers a plurality of electric heating elements 633, all of which are supported within a cooktop frame 637. Referring more specifically to FIG. 12, the cooktop frame 637 typically includes a floor 645 integrally joined to a plurality of inner walls 647 to form a basin 649. Because the cooktop 631 and the heating elements 633 sit within the basin 649, and because the upper surface of the cooktop 631 is frequently exposed to food products, cleaning solutions, and other substances, it is desirable to provide a seal between the cooktop 631 and the cooktop frame 637.
The conventional method of sealing between a cooktop 631 and cooktop frame 637 employs a silicone, room-temperature-vulcanizing (RTV) sealant 655 because of the material's high heat resistance and the ability of the material to easily flow around the irregularly-shaped edge of the cooktop, thereby providing a complete seal. The sealant 655 is applied around the perimeter of the cooktop 631 as illustrated in FIG. 11. One problem with RTV sealant is that the material often maintains its tack following curing of the material. This presents a problem because food and other particles tend to stick to the RTV sealant 655, making cleaning the sealant bead difficult or impossible. Another problem is that the RTV sealant does not always provide an aesthetically pleasing, smooth transition between the cooktop 631 and the cooktop frame 637. If the RTV sealant is touched or disrupted prior to final curing, the final appearance of the sealant may appear rough or otherwise unattractive. RTV sealants have been preferred because the sealant can be easily manipulated into the space between the cooktop edge and the cooktop frame. Gaskets are generally not used for these sealing applications because it is difficult to obtain a reliable seal around an arcuate and irregularly-shaped surface such as the edge of a cooktop. If the gasket is installed prior to installation of the cooktop, it is difficult to have a reliable seal near the top surface of the cooktop. If the gasket is installed after installation of the cooktop, it is difficult to provide any sealing or support beneath the midpoint of the cooktop edge.
A need therefore exists for a sealing apparatus that provides exceptional sealing and support properties for a cooktop that is installed within a cooktop frame. It is further desirable to obtain a sealing apparatus that has exceptional heat resistance and provides a smooth, aesthetically-pleasing surface after installation of the apparatus and the cooktop. Finally, it is desirable to have a sealing apparatus that is not tacky and that is easily cleaned of any food particles or other residue that may contact the sealing apparatus.


A data management system comprises a processor adapted to receive a transfer of an update. The system also comprises an update manager accessible by the processor and adapted to obtain a listing identifying each of a plurality of data packets corresponding to the update. The update manager is further adapted to access the listing to determine a transfer status of each of the data packets in response to a partial transfer of the update.

Information transfer via the Internet, intranet, and other wired or wireless communication mediums is widely known and used. However, connection speed often limits the amount of information that may be successfully transferred over such communication mediums. For example, at relatively slow connection speeds, such as dial-up and other types of slow connections, the connection may be lost before information transfer is complete. Thus, connections may have to be repeatedly reestablished. In the case of large file downloads, repeated download attempts may be necessary before the entire file successfully transfers, at which time the file may then be loaded or installed.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A scraping tool includes a first holding member having a first through-groove between a first holding portion and a first connecting portion. A second holding member includes a second through-groove between a second holding portion and a second connecting portion. The second connecting portion is connected to the first connecting portion to permit the second holding member to sway relative to the first holding member between a holding position and an extended position. A locking device includes first and second abutting portion respectively abutting against the first and second holding member and a sliding portion slideably extending through the first and second through-groove. The locking device is movable relative to the first and second holding member between a locking position in which the second holding member is in the holding position and a release position in which the second holding member is movable to the extended position.

The present invention relates to a scraping tool and, more particularly, to a scraping tool permitting rapid replacement of a scraper blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,356,415 B2 discloses a scraping tool with a blade lock assembly to permit rapid assembly and replacement of a scraper blade.
The scraping tool includes a stick for hand grasp and a scraping section assembly in the front. The scraping section assembly includes a scraping section, a jaw clamp, and a scraper blade. An arm of a suitable length extends backwards from the jaw clamp and is fixed in grooves in the back side of the scraping section by two fasteners, with the two fasteners serving as pivots to swing back and forth. A control button is disposed on a location of the scraping portion corresponding to the arm and can operate 90° laterally downward.
However, the above scraping tool has a complicated structure and a high manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the scraping tool generates a holding force to tightly hold the scraper blade by a cam-like structure of the control button, and the travel of the jaw clamp is short, such that the scraper blade can only be fixed by a frictional force through tight holding. Thus, the scraper blade could slide when subject to a larger force.
Thus, a need exists for a novel scraping tool that mitigates and/or obviates the above drawbacks.


An actuating device for providing a physical output quantity includes: a control element for providing the physical output quantity; an actuator unit triggering the control element according to a triggering variable; and a communication unit receiving the triggering variable, which communication unit sends actuator information which contains an indication about a correlation between the provided physical output quantity of the actuating device and the triggering variable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to actuating devices, e.g., actuating devices in a motor vehicle which have a sensor unit for checking their actuating movement, and also relates to triggering of the actuating devices with the aid of a controller.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous actuating devices are employed in motor vehicles. The actuating devices normally have actuator units, in order to provide a physical output variable as the actuator value, for example an actuator travel, a valve opening, a temperature or the like. In particular in systems having a combustion engine, the throttle valve actuator, the EGR valve (EGR: exhaust gas recirculation), charge movement flaps and similar components may be named as examples of actuating devices.
The actuator unit of an actuating device normally includes a drive (for example, having a DC motor and a gearbox), which activates a control element, for example the throttle valve in the case of a throttle valve actuator. The actuator units may also include other actuators, however, such as piezoelectric elements.
Furthermore, a sensor unit may be provided, which is coupled with the actuator unit in order to read back the actual position of the control element of the actuator unit. The actual position of the control element is normally used to regulate the output variable of the actuator unit with the aid of a controller, for example an adjustment of the position of a throttle valve in the case of a throttle valve actuator.
For interpretation of the sensor data transmitted to the controller by such an actuating device, it is necessary for the sensor unit to be calibrated, or at least matched to the controller, i.e., for it to provide a corresponding defined sensor value in a digital or analog manner for a particular physical variable to be measured. If the sensor unit of the actuating device is modified or replaced by another type over the operating life of the entire system, the controller may require reprogramming in order to regulate the output variable of the actuator unit as a function of the sensor readings. Since reprogramming of the controller is normally expensive, such an actuating device might have to be produced for decades without changes, so that quality improvements, changing of suppliers and other optimizations are not possible.
The same is also true, of course, if the actuator unit of the actuating device or the actuator unit and the sensor unit of the actuating device are modified or replaced by another type over the operating life of the entire system. In order to provide the same output variable, a modified actuator unit must receive a different control variable, so that here too the controller requires reprogramming when the actuating device is replaced in order to set the desired output variable of the actuator unit.
An object of the present invention is to make an actuating device and a controller available, which allow for a proper triggering of the actuator unit to provide a desired output variable, even if the actuator unit or the sensor unit of the actuating device or the entire actuating device is replaced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method that allows for various types of actuating devices to be connected to a controller without a need for reprogramming in the controller.

Actuating device, controller for operating the actuating device and method for operating an actuating device


A method and system for implementing custom scheduling policies including making alterations to internal task scheduling policies or firmware operating within the MFP throughout the lifetime of the MFP. Internal task scheduling policy alterations can be made either remotely or on-site at a customer location. Custom scheduling policies can be implemented for different periods of time. The MFP includes a task run-time controller to receive and process the internal task scheduling policy alterations. The task run-time controller includes a task tuner, which may implement the internal task scheduling policy alterations responsive to usage characteristics of the MFP.

This application pertains to custom scheduling and controlling of a multifunction printer (MFP), and more particularly, to methods and systems for providing custom scheduling and control of the MFP throughout its lifetime.
In an effort to reduce the complexities, costs, and excessive space associated with function-specific printing and scanning machines, MFPs are rapidly being adopted by businesses and individuals the world over. MFPs attract a wide array of users from small start-up companies to large established businesses. The attraction may be attributed to the MFP's versatility as a single machine with multiple capabilities—such as printing, scanning, copying, faxing, and networking.
Conventionally, developers of MFPs (e.g., engineers, technicians, or other developers) have ready access to firmware operating within an MFP during a development cycle. The development cycle may begin in an engineering lab and end at an MFP factory, whereupon the MFP is shipped to a customer or other user. During the development cycle, the developers can monitor performance of the MFP in a relatively effortless manner using specialized tools within a specific development environment. Also, the developers may establish favorable parameters within which the MFP operates according to the performance measurements obtained within their specific development environment. However, once the MFP has been shipped from the factory to the user, it becomes difficult—if not impossible—for the developers to make alterations to the operating parameters of the MFP. Therefore, the developers do not have visibility or control of the MFP throughout the lifetime of the MFP.
Operating environments of MFPs are unique because users have diverse sets of requirements, which may considerably fluctuate from user to user. Some users may require an operating environment that prioritizes one MFP operation, such as printing, over another operation such as scanning. Similarly, usage patterns of the MFP may considerably fluctuate from user to user. Some usage patterns may require the prioritization of one MFP operation, such as printing, over another operation such as scanning. The prioritization of MFP operations requires the prioritization of processor resources of an MFP. The dedication of processor resources to a given MFP operation may come at the expense of other MFP operations.
For example, if the printing operation is currently occupying a significant portion of the processor's resources, other operations such as scanning or copying may be impeded. Or, if the scanning or copying operations are currently occupying a significant portion of the processor's resources, the printing operation may be impeded. As a result, some operations that may be considered more urgent than others during a given period of time could be undesirably delayed. If the user considers the scanning operation to have a higher urgency than ongoing printing operations, the MFP may nonetheless have been constructed to dedicate processor resources first to the printing operation and second to the scanning operation. Similarly, if the usage patterns indicate that the scanning operation should have a higher urgency than ongoing printing operations, the MFP may nonetheless have been constructed to dedicate processor resources first to the printing operation and second to the scanning operation. This may affect work flows to the point of causing loss of time, decreased efficiency, and wasteful usage, which ultimately leads to—at the very least—frustration, or worse, lost profits.
Moreover, the user may consider certain times of day to be more demanding for one operation and less demanding for another operation. Similarly, the usage patterns of the MFP may dictate that certain times of day are more demanding for one operation and less demanding for another operation. For example, if the MFP is used more often in the morning to fulfill urgent printing requests, in the afternoon to fulfill urgent copying requests, and in the evening to fulfill urgent scanning requests, a conventional MFP may not allocate resources appropriately. To make matters worse, once the MFP has been shipped from the factory to the user, the developers or users cannot easily make alterations to the internal task scheduling policies of the MFP based on either the user requirements or the usage patterns of the MFP.
As a result, a developer must therefore attempt to replicate the user's particular requirements or usage patterns in a lab or at the user's location, and then attempt to make alterations to the internal task scheduling policies of the MFP to accommodate the simulated user requirements or usage patterns. The replication may never be precise enough for the developer to formulate the most favorable alterations to the internal task scheduling policies based on the specific user requirements or usage patterns. Even where alterations to the internal task scheduling policies are formulated to some lesser degree of accuracy through the replication effort, after spending time and money on such an effort, the manufacturer of the MFP may have to design a special software patch in an attempt to remedy the inefficiencies. This can be inconvenient to the user—and costly to the manufacturer—because of the interruption that results from taking the MFP offline to install the special patch, and the effort expended by the manufacturer to design and manage the special patch.
Furthermore, the conventional approach for addressing customer problems fails to provide an efficient method of updating the internal scheduling policies of the MFP based on either the user requirements or usage patterns of the MFP. In other words, the turn-around time for diagnosing a problem and providing a solution to the user is prohibitively long.

Custom scheduling and control of a multifunction printer


A contactor has a contactor substrate and a plurality of contact electrodes formed on the contactor substrate. Each contact electrode is formed by a metal wire bent between one end joined to the contactor substrate and the other end. An inclined plane is formed by a cutting surface. A fracture surface formed by a tension fracture is formed at the apex portion of the contact electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a contactor, in particular to a contactor contacting a terminal of a subject to be tested such as a semiconductor substrate (wafer), a wiring substrate, and an electrical component for performing electrical testing, a method for manufacturing such contactor, a method for contacting the wiring substrate using such contactor, and a testing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with respect to semiconductor devices represented by an LSI (the semiconductor device is referred to as an LSI hereinafter), in order to accommodate the demands for down-sizing of a product to which the LSI is applied or for multi-functionalization of the product in case the size is the same as a conventional product, the wiring is increasingly arranged in more detail and also the circuit density is increasing. The finer arrangement of the wiring and the increase in the circuit density are accompanied by the increase in the number of terminals and the miniaturization of the terminals. Accordingly, the miniaturization of the contact electrode and the increase in the number of contact electrodes provided on the contactor (probe card) for testing the LSI in a wafer form are also demanded.
Previously, the LSI was usually tested and shipped in a packaged state but in recent years, more LSIs are tested and shipped in so called Known-Good-Die (KGD) state in which the LSI is tested in chip or wafer state without being packaged. The main reason for the sudden increase in the KGD is the increase 1) in the type of usage of so-called xe2x80x9cbear chip packagingxe2x80x9d in which the semiconductor chip is directly mounted to the substrate of the apparatus without being packaged (for downsizing) and 2) in the type of usage of so-called Multi Chip Module (MCM), or Multi Chip Package (MCP) or System In Package (SIP) in which a plurality of semiconductor chips is incorporated in a single package (for even more downsizing and multi-functionalizing).
In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device for the type of usage as mentioned above, the testing items implemented in the conventional packaged state need to be implemented in the wafer or chip state. The terminal pitch of the wafer (chip) (mainly under 100 micrometers) with respect to the terminal pitch of the package (mainly 0.5 to 1.27 millimeters) is minute and the terminal size is also accordingly minute. Obviously, the performance of the testing contactor for the wafer is more demanding than that for the packaging.
Further, not only a peripheral terminal, which is predominantly manufactured conventionally, but also the number of manufactured area array terminals is increasing. The peripheral terminal is a pad terminal with an aluminum surface provided about the periphery of the chip for wiring the chip with a wire bond. The area array terminal is a terminal arranged in a grid shape on the chip area and a solder bump is mainly used as terminal material.
For a conventional peripheral terminal, a contact probe with an electrode contacting only the pad terminal arranged on the periphery of the semiconductor device is used. However, for the area array terminal, a contact probe having the ability to contact any position in the chip dimension is necessary.
Testing the LST in a discrete chip or in a packaged state is referred to as xe2x80x9ca discrete testingxe2x80x9d, whereas testing the LSI in the wafer state before cutting out into small pieces of LSI is referred to as xe2x80x9cwafer level testing.xe2x80x9d The wafer level testing tests the LSI after the wafer process and before the packaging, however, it includes the LSI applied with an additional process after the wafer process, such as the wafer level CSP packaged in the wafer state.
Also, the wafer which has been diced (cut) but still maintains the arrangement prior-to-cutting, due to being loaded on the dicing tape on which each chip is fixed and supported, may be considered to be included in the wafer level testing.
Since the wafer level testing allows the performance of testing without cutting the semiconductor wafer into the chips, the handling efficiency can be improved. Also, even when the size of the chip varies, since the wafer profile is fixed and standardized, testing equipment implementing the wafer level testing has a higher versatility than those implementing the discrete testing.
For the contactor (probe) for the wafer level testing, the following characteristics are required:
A) miniaturization of the terminal: A plurality of contact electrodes enabled to contact minute terminals arranged in narrow intervals is needed.
B) arrangement freedom: The plurality of contact electrodes can be arranged freely. In other words, the contact electrodes may be arranged not only around the periphery area but also as an array (grid). When all contact electrodes are arranged within the chip dimension, the chips adjacent to one another can be tested simultaneously.
C) widening of the contact area: Contact electrodes enabled to contact a plurality of LSIs at a time are required.
D) depressurization: Lessening the force applied to the thinner wafers, for example reducing the contact collective force, which is the summation of contact pressure of each contact electrode, with respect to the increase in the number of simultaneous testing or to increasing the number of pins of the LSI. For example, when the contact pressure of one pin is 10 g, the collective force for 50,000 terminals would add up to 5,000 kg.
E) cost reduction: The life cycle of the LSI wafer itself is becoming shorter. For example, in the case of general-purpose memory, the miniaturization of chips is performed approximately every 6 months and the terminal arrangement on the wafer is also changed. Also, more so-called ASICs specialized for particular customers and products are manufactured among the LOGIC products, and in particular, those for portable device applications have shorter life cycles. In view of the above, for the contactor (probe card) provided for each LSI wafer, the durability is important but also the contactor needs to be provided at a cost that pays off during a limited period of service.
With respect to the above-mentioned requirements, the prior art and the problems related thereto are listed below.
(I) Needle Method
1) Cantilever Method:
In this method, the needle point of a needle is registered with a terminal on the wafer and the other end of the needle is connected to the substrate. The interval of the terminals on the substrate side is larger than that of the terminals on the wafer side. Thus, the cantilever method has a constraint in terms of the terminal arrangement due to the configuration and therefore cannot address the requirement B) mentioned above. Also, this method has a constraint with respect to the requirement C). Therefore, since the terminals cannot be arranged as an area array or the dimension of the probe is larger than that of the chip, there exists a problem that the neighboring chips cannot be contacted simultaneously.
2) Vertical Probe Method:
2-1) Spring Probe (POGO-PIN) Method
With respect to the requirement A), the narrow pitch is structurally limited. In other words, the reduction of winding diameter of the coil spring has a limit. Also, with respect to the requirement D), in the depressurized state, stable contact cannot be obtained since there is no wiping motion so as to break the oxide film of the LSI terminals. Further, with respect to the requirement E), there exists a problem in that the spring probe is expensive due to the structural factors. In other words, it is necessary to wind the coil having a minute diameter separately. Also, a separate high precision boring component is necessary so as to maintain the position precision of the needle point.
2-2) Vertical Needle:
A conductive needle (rod-like member) rising in the vertical direction is set as a contact electrode. With respect to the requirement A), the displacement is caused by buckling and the direction in which the needle will bend cannot be determined in advance. Therefore, neighboring pins may contact and interconnect with each other. With respect to the requirement D), in the depressurized state, stable contact is unlikely to be obtained since there is no wiping motion.
3) Bending Needle Method:
With respect to the requirement A), depending on the degree of the bending, in order to arrange the bending needles at narrow pitches, the neighboring pins may obstruct each other. Also, with respect to the requirement E), the configuration in which each needle is bent individually is expensive.
(II) Membrane Method
With respect to the requirement A), since the contact electrodes are coupled together by an insulation substrate, when the pitch is narrow, the individual electrode cannot move freely. With respect to the requirement C), since the wiring extends between the contact electrodes, the amount of wiring is limited. Multi-layering of the wiring in the membrane method is advanced only to the degree of providing the wiring on both sides of the insulation substrate. With respect to the requirement D), in the depressurized state, stable contact is unlikely to be obtained since there is no wiping motion.
(III) Anisotropic Conductive Sheet (Rubber)
With respect to the requirement A), this sheet cannot accommodate narrow pitches. Also, there exist problems such as lack of heat resistance and durability.
As mentioned above, with the prior art, it is not possible to provide a contactor that meets all the requirements, i.e. A) miniaturization of terminals, B) arrangement freedom, C) widening of the contact area, D) depressurization, and E) low manufacturing cost.
In view of the problems mentioned above, an object of the present invention is to provide a contactor wherein the contact electrodes incorporating the bending needle method can be arranged at minute pitches and can be manufactured with low cost, and a method of manufacturing such contactor.
The contactor according to the present invention includes a wiring substrate and a plurality of contact electrodes formed on the wiring substrate. Each of the plurality of contact electrodes is a rod-like member with one end joined to the wiring substrate and the other end having at least two inclined planes, and an apex formed by the inclined planes deviating from the center of the cross-section of the rod-like member.
According to the present invention, when the plurality of the contact electrodes is brought into contact with a subject to be tested (for example, a semiconductor device), the contact electrode having two inclined planes buckles and deforms following the incline of the larger inclined plane among the two inclined planes. Therefore, it is possible to bend a plurality of contact electrodes in the same direction at the same time and thus even when the plurality of contact electrodes is arranged at narrow pitches, the contact electrodes do not contact one another.
To form two inclined planes having different dimensions is easy. For example, it can be achieved by making cuts to the rod-like member with two cutting tools. At this time, the displacement of the cutting tools is controlled so that one of the cuts is deep and the other one of the cuts is shallow thereby forming the two inclined planes with different dimensions. The two inclined planes having different dimensions may be achieved using two cutting tools having different cutting edge angles or having different thicknesses.
According to the present invention, the apex formed by the at least two inclined planes at the other end of each of the plurality of contact electrodes may comprise a cutting surface formed by the cuts and a fracture surface formed by tension fracture.
According to the present invention, since each of the plurality of contact electrodes has the one end joined to the wiring substrate and the other end comprising the inclined planes formed by the cutting surface and the fracture surface, each of the plurality of the contact electrodes may buckle and bend following the inclined plane formed by the cutting surface. Therefore, it may be possible to prevent the neighboring contact electrodes from contacting one another.
According to the present invention, each of the plurality of contact electrodes may be a bent rod-like member.
According to the present invention, the contact electrode may be obtained by depressing a depressing jig with a flat surface from above before placing the contact electrode in contact with the subject to be contacted and buckling the rod-like member to a certain direction with respect to the inclined plane. Thus, when the contact electrode contacts the subject to be contacted, even with small pressure, the contact electrode may deform in the direction to which the contact electrode is already buckled and deformed.
According to the present invention, the fracture surface of each of the plurality of contact electrodes may be a portion located farthest from the one end joined to the wiring substrate.
According to the present invention, the fracture surface may be located at the apex portion of the rod-like member and the inclined plane may extend downward from the fracture surface. In other words, by forming the cut at the position corresponding to the inclined plane and cutting off (fracturing) the rod-like member by tension after joining the rod-like member to the wiring substrate, the plane made by the cut may become the inclined plane and the fracture surface may be formed at the apex portion of the inclined plane.
According to the present invention, the rod-like member may be a non-conductive member having a conductive coating formed at its surface.
According to the present invention, the non-conductive member may be used as the rod-like member and thus a contact electrode with various characteristics may be created.
According to the present invention, the rod-like member may be a metal wire and the metal wire may have a conductive coating formed at its surface.
According to the present invention, metal wire for wire bonding, for example, may be used as the rod-like member. In such a case, a wire-bonding device may be used to easily join the contact electrode to the wiring substrate. Also, by changing the type or the thickness of the conductive coating, a conductive electrode with various characteristics may be created.
According to the present invention, the position of the other end of each of the plurality of contact electrodes may be displaced by a predetermined distance in a direction parallel to the surface of the wiring substrate with respect to the position of the one end joined to the wiring substrate.
According to the present invention, when the apex portion of the contact electrode is depressed, the apex portion may move along an oscillating path. By doing so, a so-called wiping motion where the apex portion of the contact electrode moves over the contacting portion of the subject to be tested may be achieved and thus a good contact may be obtained.
The method of manufacturing a contactor according to the present invention comprises the steps of: joining one end of each of a plurality of conductive rod-like members, having the other end formed with an inclined plane, to a wiring substrate; and depressing the apex portion of the inclined plane with a flat surface of a depressing member so as to bend the plurality of conductive rod-like members, thereby forming a plurality of contact electrodes.
According to the present invention, by depressing the apex portion of the inclined plane with the flat surface of the depressing member, the plurality of the rod-like members may be buckled to a determined direction with respect to the inclined plane. The plurality of contact electrodes formed in such method may be arranged at narrow pitches. Also, since the plurality of contact electrodes has a small spring constant, they are suitable for testing a semiconductor device having narrow-pitched electrodes or a semiconductor device of the wafer level.
According to the present invention, the method may further comprise a step of forming a cut on the conductive rod-like member. The step of forming the cut may be performed at a position different from the position where the step of joining the conductive rod-like member to the wiring substrate is performed.
According to the present invention, since the conductive rod-like member is joined to the wiring substrate after the cut is formed on the conductive rod-like member, the interference by the cutting tool to the conductive rod-like members already joined to the wiring substrate may be prevented.
According to the present invention, each apex portion of the plurality of conductive members may be depressed by the depressing member, each apex portion being inserted in a corresponding concave portion provided in the depressing member.
According to the present invention, since the plurality of the rod-like members is bent having the position of each apex portion of the plurality of rod-like members controlled by the position of the corresponding concave portions of the depressing member, the apex portion of the rod-like member may be arranged with high accuracy.

Contactor, method for manufacturing such contactor, and testing method using such contactor


A seal device is provided for sealing intermediate spaces formed between bodies arranged to be relatively movable, wherein the seal device has a resilient, gas-tight main body which is extendable in a peripheral direction and through which a portion of the first of the two bodies is guided, and a first end portion, which fastenable to the second body, and a second end portion, which is settable against the first movable body, wherein the second end portion is movable with respect to the first end portion in a first transverse direction which extends at an angle different from 0° with respect to a longitudinal direction. A sliding seal device, which is applicable to the first movable body so that a relative rotation is made possible between the first body and the second body by a pre-set angle, is arranged on the second end portion of the seal device.

The present invention relates to the field of the beverage producing industry and to the packaging industry in general. Various apparatuses and methods, which treat containers, such as for example filling devices, closure devices, conveying devices, sterilization devices and the like, are known from the prior art.
In filling certain beverages an attempt is made to carry this out in a sterile room. In these cases the containers are conveyed through a sterile room and are treated, for example filled, closed or sterilized, during this conveying. In this case an attempt is made to ensure as reliable as possible a sealing of this sterile room off from the environment thereof.
Many of the aforesaid treatment devices have treatment elements which perform movements in the interior of the sterile room, such as for example closure heads which screw the closures onto the containers. In addition, an attempt is made to arrange drive devices, such as for example motors but also guide cams, wherever possible outside the sterile room in order to minimize the risk of contamination in this way.
In order nevertheless to provide a capacity of movement for the treatment element arranged in the interior of the sterile room, so-called folding bellows are used in part in the prior art. These folding bellows are arranged in this case both on a portion of the movable element and for example on a portion of a housing wall and, in this way, they seal off the region between the treatment element and the aforesaid wall, so that the folding bellows itself usually also forms a boundary of the clean room. A drawback of bellows of this type lies in the frequently only very restricted capacity of movement. In this way, for example, folding bellows are known which permit a movement in a longitudinal direction of the treatment element and also those which allow a movement in a preferred direction transversely to this direction. In addition, in the case of some treatment elements, however, a rotational movement of the treatment element would also be desirable. Conventional folding bellows are usually not suitable for compensating rotational movements of this type.

Seal device with compensation capacity for a plurality of movement directions


A receiver pin is provided for attaching a ball mount to a receiver on a vehicle. The receiver pin includes a body having an insertion portion and a retaining portion. The insertion portion is sized for insertion through aligned openings in the ball mount and the receiver. The retaining portion extends at least partially laterally from a proximal end of the insertion portion for limiting axial movement of the inserted body in a first direction. The insertion portion also includes a transverse receiving aperture at a distal end for receiving a retaining clip to limit axial movement of the inserted body in a second direction.

Trucks, cars, and sport utility vehicles are commonly used to tow trailers, boats, campers and other similar items. Vehicles of this type normally include a hitch assembly having a receiver tube at the rear of the vehicle. A typical towing set-up consists of a hitch ball attached to a ball mount which is inserted into the receiver tube. The ball mount is held in the receiver by a receiver pin. The receiver pin is usually retained in place by a retaining clip or cotter pin.


A method and apparatus for forming a non-woven pad consisting of fibrous material in which highly moisture-absorbent particles are intermixed with the fibrous material throughout a predetermined portion of the thickness of the non-woven pad. The non-woven pad is formed atop a conveyor moving through a chamber which has a duct connected to a source of vacuum operable to draw fibrous material injected into the chamber onto the conveyor. A spray gun or an extension thereof is positioned within the chamber relative to the fibrous material atop the conveyor, and is operated to discharge moisture-absorbent material at a predetermined velocity, such that the moisture-absorbent material is intermixed with the fibrous material throughout preferably a center layer of the thickness of the non-woven pad while forming boundary layers on either side of the center layer which are substantially free of moisture-absorbent material. The spray gun preferably operates intermittently to form spaced, sharply defined areas along the length and width of the non-woven pad wherein each area has moisture-absorbent material interspersed throughout a portion of the thickness thereof.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for making moisture-absorbent substrates, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for interspersing highly moisture-absorbent particles throughout a predetermined portion of a fibrous material pad in a non-woven product.
Hygenic articles such as disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, incontinence pads and sick bed sheets must have a high absorption capacity to effectively retain eliminated body fluids for acceptable periods of time. Early hygenic articles of this type employed cellulose wadding, fluff cellulose or absorbent cotton as absorbent materials. The problem with these materials is that their moisture-retaining capacity is relatively small compared to their volume. In order to improve the moisture-retaining capacity of hygenic articles made from these materials, the volume of such absorbent materials in the hygenic article must be increased. This produces a bulky product which is unacceptable in many hygenic articles, particularly sanitary napkins.
In an effort to reduce the volume and size of hygenic articles, and increase their absorbent capacity, fluid-absorbent substrates have been developed in which highly absorbent materials are combined within the fiber structure of cellulose fluff, wood pulp, textile fibers or other non-woven, fibrous materials. Many substantially water-insoluble absorbent polymers having a high capacity for absorbing water and body fluids have been developed in recent years for enhancing the moisture-absorbent capability of hygenic articles. These polymers are partially or wholly synthetic and are commercially available in fine grain, particulate form. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,997,484; 3,661,815; 4,117,222; and 3,936,441.
One system for incorporating a moisture-absorbent core or laminate in a diaper is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,272. The system of this patent includes a forming chamber having an inlet and outlet which is connected by a feed conduit to a source of fibrous material such as finely ground wood pulp. A perforated conveyor is movable through the forming chamber between its inlet and outlet above a duct located at the base of the forming chamber. The duct is connected to a source of vacuum which is operable to create a negative pressure within the forming chamber.
The fibrous material or fibers are injected into the forming chamber through the feed conduit and drawn onto the perforated conveyor by operation of the vacuum source. The fibers form a non-woven pad atop the conveyor whose density is controlled by the vacuum pressure and feed rate of the conveyor. The pad is then transmitted to a leveling or scarfing roller near the outlet of the forming chamber which is operable to remove at least a portion of the fibrous material at the top of the non-woven pad to produce a non-woven pad of uniform thickness. The non-woven pad is then transmitted by the conveyor through the outlet of the forming chamber for subsequent operations to form the completed hygenic article.
In addition to incorporating a moisture-absorbing pad or laminate in a diaper to produce a diaper having improved moisture-returning capabilities, there are also prior art methods for combining highly moisture-absorbent material with a non-woven pad. In one method, the moisture-absorbent material is injected into a feed conduit which directs the fibrous material into a forming chamber in an apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,272, as discussed above. The moisture-absorbent material and fibrous material are intermixed within the feed conduit to completely intersperse the moisture-absorbent material throughout the fibers prior to introduction into the forming chamber. This produces a non-woven pad atop the conveyor within the chamber in which the moisture-absorbent material is present throughout the entire thickness, width and length of the non-woven pad.
One problem with the above-described method is the loss of moisture-absorbent material through the perforated conveyor in the forming chamber. As the fibers and moisture-absorbent material mixture is drawn onto the perforated conveyor to form the non-woven pad, moisture-absorbent material at the lower portion of the non-woven pad is drawn through the conveyor into a filtering-reclamation system. A loss of about 20% of the moisture-absorbent material is not uncommon. Additionally, the moisture-absorbent material is difficult to contain, even within the filtering system, and environmental contamination can result.
A second problem with this method involves damage to the apparatus used in subsequent operations to form the finished hygenic article, particularly cutting devices. For example, in manufacturing disposable diapers, the non-woven pad must be cut to length and formed with leg holes by the operation of die cutters or other cutting devices. It has been found that the presence of moisture-absorbent material throughout the entire pad structure rapidly dulls die cutters which reduces their effective life substantially.
A third problem with this method is that the moisture-absorbent material is distributed throughout the non-woven pad across its entire length and width. This produces substantial waste because in subsequent forming operations the non-woven pad is cut to the desired length of the hygenic article. In addition, the application of moisture-absorbent material across the entire width of the non-woven pad may be unnecessary for some types of hygenic articles, particularly disposable diapers where the leg holes are cut at the edges of the layer.
Another prior art method of combining moisture-absorbent material with the non-woven pad described above comprises applying moisture-absorbent material to the to surface of the non-woven pad downstream from the leveling or scarfing roller and outside of the forming chamber. This has the advantage of eliminating waste of the moisture-absorbent material since there is no loss through the perforated conveyor. Wear on die cutters is still a problem, but not as serious a problem as the other method described above since only the top surface of the product contains the moisture-absorbent material.
One disadvantage of this method is that the moisture-absorbent capacity of the non-woven pad is substantially limited because the moisture-absorbent material is concentrated on the top of the pad. This causes so-called "gel blockage" wherein the moisture-absorbent material at the top of the non-woven pad becomes saturated with fluid and prevents the wicking or transfer of moisture to the remaining portion of the pad. As a result, the fluid is retained at the surface of the pad in contact with the wearer of the hygenic article causing discomfort. Hygenic articles made in accordance with the first method described above also exhibit this problem, to a lesser extent, because at least some of the moisture-absorbent material is located at the top of the non-woven pad.
A second disadvantage of this second method, and for that matter the first method described above, is migration of the moisture-absorbent material, particularly if it is combined with the non-woven pad in particulate form. The moisture-absorbent material in both methods of application is located, at least to some extent, near or at the top of the non-woven pad. In particulate or granular form, the moisture-absorbent material can be dislodged from the type of pads which are not sealed at the ends.
A third disadvantage of this second method is that application of the moisture-absorbent material atop the non-woven pad is performed outside of the forming chamber. This requires some type of collection system to capture the oversprayed material and prevent it from escaping to the environment. This adds expense to the system, and, if not properly designed, can lead to environmental contamination from the uncollected moisture-absorbent material.

Method for depositing particulate material into a pad of fibrous material in a forming chamber


An alarm event generation method and apparatus for signaling an alarm (436, 1400) for a process control system (100). The process control system (100) monitors a production run using a computer system (108). The computer system (108) collects process data corresponding to the production run from operator workstations (104, 106) and stores the process data in a process data database (110). The process data includes a plurality of process parameter counts (430) each corresponding to a process parameter type (428). The process parameter counts (430) are polled from the computer system (108). Each process parameter count (430) has a corresponding manufacturing limit (434) to which it is compared. When a polled process parameter count (430) exceeds its corresponding manufacturing limit (434), an alarm (436, 1400) is signaled. While an alarm (436, 1400) is being signaled, the computer system (108) is prevented from collecting and storing process data.

Process control systems may be used to monitor conditions of a manufacturing process and to vary production parameters based on the monitored conditions. A process control system designed for manufacturing circuit boards is described by Yasuhiro Maenishi in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,533. Maenishi shows that a monitored condition at a location along a production line may be used to change the operating conditions upstream or downstream of the monitored location to prevent a defect occurrence.

Alarm event generator apparatus, means and system


FET devices with bottom dielectric isolation and sidewall implants in the source and drain regions to prevent epitaxial growth below the bottom dielectric isolation are provided. In one aspect, a semiconductor FET device includes: a device stack(s) disposed on a substrate, wherein the device stack(s) includes active layers oriented vertically over a bottom dielectric isolation layer; STI regions embedded in the substrate at a base of the device stack(s), wherein a top surface of the STI regions is recessed below a top surface of the substrate exposing substrate sidewalls under the bottom dielectric isolation region, wherein the sidewalls of the substrate include implanted ions; source and drains on opposite sides of the active layers; and gates surrounding a portion of each of the active layers, wherein the gates are offset from the source and drains by inner spacers. A method of forming a semiconductor FET device is also provided.

Nanosheets have been identified as the next generation field effect transistor (FET) architecture after finFET. Due to the scaled gate length, nanosheet FET devices need bottom dielectric isolation in order to prevent leakage from the source to drain via the substrate. However, implementing bottom dielectric isolation for nanosheet FET devices presents some notable challenges.
For instance, it is very challenging to grow high-quality source and drain epitaxy without also growing nodules from below the bottom dielectric isolation region. These sub dielectric isolation region nodules can undesirably connect with the source and drain epitaxy above the dielectric isolation region, which defeats the purpose of forming the dielectric isolation region in the first place.
Thus, techniques for avoiding growth of these sub dielectric isolation region parasitic nodules, and which improve the quality of the source and drain epitaxy would be desirable.

Field-effect transistor devices with sidewall implant under bottom dielectric isolation

International Business Machines Corporation


A photonic radiation detection device includes a collimator, a detector, means for localization in the detection plane defining on the one hand the partitioning of the detection plane in physical or virtual pixels of transversal dimensions smaller than those of the collimator channels, and associating on the other hand one of said pixels to each photon interaction. The detection device has at least in one previously selected acquisition configuration, a degree of pixelation in the detection plane greater than 1 and a collimator-detector distance (c) greater than one tenth of the septal height (h) of the collimator. A method for dimensioning such a device includes, for at least one given spatial frequency, calculating and comparing merit indicator values for different acquisition configurations of a structural model of the detection device.

Known gamma cameras comprise detection devices consisting mainly of a detector, a collimator and data processing means.
The detector can comprise a scintillator material, such as cesium iodide, for instance CsI(Tl), sodium iodide, for instance NaI(Tl), lanthanum bromide (LaBr3) or bismuth germanate (BGO), in association with photo detectors, for instance a matrix of photo diodes, specifically avalanche photo diodes, a CCD matrix or a CMOS sensor. They are called scintillating detectors. The thickness of the scintillating material is in general between a few μm and a few mm. When a photon penetrates in the scintillator material and interacts with it, it produces photons of lower energy, in general in the visible spectrum. These photons are then collected by at least one photo detector coupled to the scintillator material, then transformed in an exploitable electrical signal. A scintillating detector comprises usually a plurality of pixels, each pixel corresponding with at least one photo diode, or at least one pixel of a CCD or CMOS matrix.
Alternatively, the detector comprises at least a semi-conductor detector material, susceptible of being polarized by a cathode and an anode. These electrodes are in general arranged on two opposite faces of the semi-conductor material. This type of detector is called a semi-conductor detector. When a photon penetrates in the semi-conductor material and interacts with it, all or part of its energy is transferred to charge carriers in the semi-conductor material. Since the detector is polarized, the charge carriers migrate towards the electrodes (the anode). They produce then an electrical signal at the terminals of the electrodes. The energy of this electrical signal is proportional with the energy deposited by the photon during the interaction. The electrical signal is collected and then processed. Depending on the nature of the detector, the signal is collected only at the anode (most frequent case), only at the cathode, or at both electrodes. A semi-conductor detector comprises usually a plurality of physical pixels, and each physical pixel corresponds with a charge collection circuit of one electrode.
The collimator allows for a selection of the photons arriving at the detector. It is formed by channels delimited by fine walls called septas. These channels (or more precisely the corresponding holes) can have a circular, hexagonal or square section; they can be parallel, divergent or convergent.
Known gamma cameras can be used either in planar mode, or in tomographic mode. In planar mode, acquisition takes place according to only one angle of view, the head of the camera remains fixed during the whole examination. The projection and therefore the reconstructed image have the inconvenience of not integrating any information about the location and depth of the radioactive elements distributed in the patient. In tomographic mode, the head of the camera, comprising the detector and the collimator, describes a circular or elliptic orbit around the patient and a plurality of projections are acquired at different view angles. Reconstruction techniques are then employed in order to create images that can be interpreted by the practitioner. With the tomographic mode, specific information can be obtained about location and depth of the radioactive elements distributed in the patient.
The performance of detection devices is usually characterized by a certain number of parameters, among which:                1) the spatial resolution, which corresponds with the minimum distance between the two point sources that can be discerned on a planar image (image resulting from projection under only one angle of view) or on a reconstructed image (starting from several projections). Spatial resolution is usually given by the width at mid-height of the punctual or linear dispersion function (obtained by imaging a punctual or linear source, respectively). The spatial resolution is the result of the intrinsic spatial resolution of the detector and the geometric spatial resolution of the collimator;        2) the energy resolution, which illustrates the capacity of a detection device to precisely select photons in function of their energy. It is expressed in percent and is given by the width at mid-height ΔE of the energy response of the device for the energy emission E of the source (in other words of the used radio isotope);        3) the sensitivity, also called effectiveness. Sensitivity can be defined by the relationship between the number of primary photons detected (photons that have not undergone any interaction before reaching the detector material) and the total number of photons emitted by the source over 4π steradians. The sensitivity depends on the effectiveness of the detector (arresting power of the detector material) and the geometric effectiveness of the collimator (which is low because the collimator imposes a strong spatial selection of photons and, because of this, absorbs the majority of them). The lower the sensitivity of a detection device, the longer the acquisition time must be in order to obtain satisfactory statistics about the acquired projections.
As a general rule, these parameters vary inversely: the improvement of one parameter leads to the degradation of one or more other parameters. This is for instance the case of the spatial resolution and the sensitivity. Similarly, as disclosed by publication "Study of high-energy multihole collimators" (Andreas R. Formiconi, XP011077435), by moving the collimator away from the detector, artifacts caused by the rows of collimator channels can be minimized, but the spatial resolution will be degraded. When designing a detection device, a person skilled in the art must therefore select (specifically in function of the destination of the device) the parameter(s) that he wishes to favor to the detriment of others, or accept a compromise.
Presently, nuclear medicine departments are using mainly cameras called Anger cameras, with a detector comprising a NaI(Tl) scintillator and the collimator formed by parallel channels with hexagonal (honeycomb) section. Such device imposes a compromise between spatial resolution and sensitivity: for a source of 140 keV placed at 10 cm of the collimator, the spatial resolution is 10 mm and the sensitivity, as defined previously, is 10−4. The spatial resolution is particularly limited by the resolution of the scintillator, which is a few mm, for instance 3 mm. In addition, the image has low contrast due to mediocre energy resolution of the scintillator (10% at 140 keV).
The appearance of semi-conductor detectors, such as detectors on the basis of CdTe, CdZnTe (CZT), silicon (Si) or HgI2, has given birth to a new generation of gamma cameras. As opposed to scintillators, semi-conductors are materials with direct conversion: following the interaction of gamma rays, they create, without intermediate stage, electrical charges, in other words electron-hole pairs (electrons migrating towards the anode, the holes towards the cathode). In general, these detectors allow for the use of semi-conductor materials with thickness between a few μm and a few mm, and what is more, without the increase in thickness being accompanied by a drastic degradation of the spatial resolution.
For instance, a prototype known under the name PEGASE integrates a CZT semi-conductor detector and a collimator with parallel channels with square section, in which one hole of the collimator corresponds with one pixel of the detector. The used detector has improved energy resolution (between 3% and 5% at 140 keV, against 10% for the NaI(Tl) scintillator, which translates into a significant increase of image contrast. On the other hand, although its detector possesses better intrinsic spatial resolution, which can go for instance from 1.6 to 2.5 mm, in terms of spatial resolution and sensitivity the PEGASE prototype offers performance which is almost identical to that of Anger gamma camera.
The problem consists therefore in improving the performance of known detection devices, relative to the flux of captured photons, in other words the sensitivity (limited due to the presence of the collimator), and the spatial resolution, in order to finally break the compromise imposed since the birth of the Anger gamma camera.
To this end, the researchers have tried mainly to refine the localization, inside each pixel, of the photon interaction taking place in this pixel. As illustrated in attached FIGS. 1a and 1b, better localization of the interaction allows indeed for a reduction of the angular sector from which the detected photon originates, and consequently an improvement of the localization of the emission source.
A first method has consisted in compensating the too approximate knowledge of the place of interaction in the detector by translations of the collimator or of the detector along the X and Y directions of the detection plane. Throughout the description, the expression "detection plane" designates the frontal plane of the detector situated on the side of the collimator. The creation of a plurality of projections, corresponding to different relative positions of collimator and detector, results then, by combining the different images obtained, in an improvement of the spatial resolution. This first method was proposed with a collimator with holes having a transversal dimension (diameter, side . . . ) smaller than half the dimension of the pixels, and with a high efficiency collimator (and therefore with "large" holes). This first method is however not without inconvenient. It requires the detection device to be equipped with translations means in the detection plane according to two directions, means which are in general complex and costly. By multiplying the number of necessary projections (and or acquisitions), the acquisition time is furthermore increased, which penalizes the consultation cadence of medical imaging centers.
A second method has consisted in diminishing the size of the pixels in order to obtain a degree of pixelation greater than 1 in the detection plane. This is called over-pixelation. Throughout the description, the expression "degree of pixelation in the detection plane" designates the number of pixels extending opposite a collimator channel, according to a direction Z orthogonal to the detection plane. When this degree is greater than 1, each channel of the collimator corresponds with more than one pixel. In other terms, the transversal dimensions of the pixels are smaller than those of the collimator channels. To be noted that under "transversal dimensions of the pixels" is understood the dimensions of each pixel in the detection plane; the expression "transversal dimensions of the channels" designates the dimensions of the hole of each channel in a frontal plane of the collimator, called interior plane, which extends opposite the detection plane.
Such over-pixelation in the detection plane allows for elimination of the translations of collimator or detector in the (X, Y) plane, which were necessary in the first method, while limiting the acquisition time. Over-pixelation can be obtained physically or virtually.
We speak of physical over-pixelation when the detector presents a plurality of physical pixels opposite each collimator channel. Physical over-pixelation necessitates nevertheless multiplication of the electronic paths and can pose certain technological problems linked to the size of the physical pixels.
In a variant, it was proposed to create virtual over-pixelation in the detection plane, by virtually increasing the number of pixels of the detector. This approach, described in publication "CZT Pixel detectors for improved SPECT imaging" (Guillaume Montémont, XP031419399) allows for dividing each physical pixel in a plurality of virtual pixels in the (X, Y) detection plane. As disclosed by the publication "An approach to sub-pixel spatial resolution in room temperature X-ray detector arrays with good energy resolution" (W. K. Warburton), it is possible to determine the (x, y) coordinates of the barycenter of the cloud of charges produced by an interaction, starting from electrical signals simultaneously generated by this interaction on a plurality of adjacent anodes. It is then assumed that the interaction was detected uniquely by the virtual pixel corresponding with the coordinates of the barycenter. Without this kind of method, only the coordinates are used of the physical pixel that has collected the maximum signal. With barycentric localization, virtual pixel sizes (surfaces) can be achieved today which are one tenth of the size of physical pixels. A collimator channel faces then a plurality of virtual pixels. Compared to physical over-pixelation, virtual over-pixelation has the advantage of being accessible without multiplication of the electronic paths. It is therefore understood that over-pixelation in the detection plane corresponds with multiplication of pixels opposite a collimator channel. This over-pixelation in the detection plane can be physical or virtual, although a combination of physical over-pixelation and virtual over-pixelation can also be envisaged.
Finally, WO2008/046971 proposes to refine even more the localization of the interactions, not only by dividing each pixel in several virtual pixels in the (X, Y) detection plane, but in addition by virtually dividing the thickness of the detector material in a plurality of layers (of 1 mm thickness for instance). In other words, it involves here determining an interaction coordinate according to the Z axis. The detector becomes connected to a 3D matrix of virtual unitary detection elements, called voxels. Here also, the supplied supplementary information allows us to refine the spatial localization of the source and therefore to ameliorate the spatial resolution of the detection device.
The recent evolutions mentioned above have therefore led to detection devices with increased spatial resolution. The progress made remains however unsatisfactory considering that none of the devices proposed until now is fully using the capabilities of semi-conductors. Above all, the sensitivity of these devices remains low.

Photonic radiation detection device, and methods for dimensioning and operating such device

Commissariat a l'Energie et aux Energies Alternatives


A platoon organization device includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire operation plan information including a departure place, a destination, and information indicating whether the vehicle corresponds to a special vehicle, of each vehicle, the special vehicle being a vehicle having at least one of a predetermined function and equipment that resolves an event when the event that requires stopping of the vehicle occurs in at least one of the vehicle and a driver; an extraction unit configured to extract a plurality of vehicles having at least a part of sections in common in a course from the departure place to the destination; an organization unit configured to organize a platoon including the vehicles such that at least one special vehicle is included in a vehicle group organizing the platoon from a platoon departure place to a platoon destination; and an output unit configured to output platoon information.

In transporting packages by a vehicle, platoon traveling is performed to improve transport efficiency and the like. There are various ways to organize a platoon. For example, a platoon is organized with manned vehicles at the head and unmanned vehicles by autonomous driving after that. With regard to platoon traveling of vehicles, for example, a technology related to traveling control for incorporating independently traveling vehicles into a platoon is known (for example, see International Publication No. 2015/068051).

Platoon organization device, platoon organization method, and platoon organization program


A power contact includes a base, a mating conductor including a mating portion electrically mating with a mating power contact and an opposite mounting portion, and a fixing member for fixing the mating conductor and the base together. The base defines a mounting hole extending along a first direction and a fixing hole in communication with the mounting hole and extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The mounting portion is inserted into the mounting hole, and defines an opening hole extending along the second direction. The fixing member is inserted into the opening hole and the fixing hole to fix the mating conductor and the base together.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power contact, a power connector and a power connector assembly, more particularly to a power contact and a power connector having the same connecting with a power cable.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors are widely used today. In general, electrical connectors can be classified as desktop connectors, laptop connectors, consuming connectors, and other types. Power connector assembly is one common kind electrical connector assembly used in different equipments. Please refer to FIG. 1, a conventional power connector assembly comprises a power connector and a number of power cables 210′ connected with the power connector. The power connector comprises an insulative housing 10′ and a number of power contacts 20′ received in the insulative housing 10′.
However, each of the power contacts 20′ has an irregular shape that is difficult to manufacture by lathe turning or die casting. The power contacts has many irregulars such as difficult to manufacture, waste time, waste material, high coast, and can't to be replaced etc. Each of the power contacts 20′ has a number of barbs, and is fixed to the insulative housing 10′ through the barbs interference fit with insulative housing 10′ so that the engagement area of the insulative housing 10′ has been destroyed and the power cables 210′ may be pulled out. If the power contacts 20′ are replaced by new power contacts, the retention force between the new power contacts and the insulative housing 10′ may not be enough. Thereby, it is necessary to replace the power connector. Additionally, when the power connector assemble is used in a strict environment such as moisture, high temperature, low temperature etc, the performance of the insulative housing 10′ may be changed that may result in decline the retention force between the power contact 20′ and the insulative housing 10′. Hence, it is disable to design a power connector assembly to overcome problems mentioned above.

Power contact and power connector having the same


A system and method for adjusting the filtering of acknowledgments (ACKS) in a TCP environment. State variables are used to keep track of, first, the number of times an ACK has been promoted into (a variable which can be stored on a per-packet basis along with the session ID), and second, the number of times an ACK is allowed to be promoted into (which can be global, or can be stored per-session).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention described herein relates to data network communications, and in particular relates to packet communications and packet acknowledgments.
2. Background Art
In data communication protocols such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), acknowledgement (ACK) filtering tries to eliminate unnecessary ACK packets. This is possible because TCP ACK packets are cumulative—ACK packet 3 acknowledges all of the received data that ACK packet 2 acknowledges, plus an additional received segment. If ACK packets 2 and 3 are both queued for transmission, ACK packet 2 can be discarded, sending only ACK packet 3. This benefits both the network and the TCP stream by consuming less bandwidth, allowing the most recent ACK to be sent sooner (minimizing latency), reducing packet processing required by intermediate routers, etc.
However, there are scenarios where ACK filtering can be too aggressive, and can be harmful for the TCP stream. In particular, this occurs when there is a lot of latency between the TCP client and the TCP server (as is often the case on the Internet), and even more so when there is a lot of local transmit latency. This is often the case with upstream communications in systems configured and operating in accordance with a version of the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standard. The TCP server relies on the ACK pacing from the TCP client to send more TCP data packets; the farther apart ACK packets are, the farther apart data packets will be.
This problem is exacerbated by errors that cause TCP data packets from the TCP server to the TCP client to be lost (as is often the case on the Internet), since the client will wait for the missing packet to arrive, and will stop sending ACK packets or will send selective ACK packets to indicate that one or more data segments is missing. The end-to-end network latency is compounded with local transmit latency and the gap in ACK packets from the client, causing the server to delay sending TCP data packets, which further delays the client from sending ACK packets, and so on.
What is needed is a method and a system to dynamically adjust the TCP ACK filtering so that the benefits of ACK filtering can be preserved while minimizing harmful effects with high latency and lost data packets.
Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the present invention, as well as the operation of the various embodiments of the present invention, are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Method, and system, and computer program product for dynamically adjusting acknowledgement filtering for high-latency environments


The present invention relates to a high pressure process for Pre-Combustion and Post-Combustion CO2 capture (HP/MP/LP gasification) from a CO2 gas stream (CO2-Stream) by way of CO2 total subcritical condensation (CO2-CC), separation of liquid CO2, higher pressure elevation of obtained liquid CO2 via HP pump, superheating of CO2 up to high temperature for driving of a set of CO2 expander turbines for additional power generation (CO2-PG), EOR or sequestration (First new Thermodynamic Cycle). The obtained liquid CO2 above, will be pressurized at a higher pressure and blended with HP water obtaining high concentrated electrolyte, that is fed into HP low temperature electrochemical reactor (HPLTE-Syngas Generator) wherefrom the cathodic syngas and anodic oxygen will be performed. In particular the generated HP oxygen/syngas will be utilized for sequential combustion (“H2/O2-torches”) for super-efficient hydrogen based fossil power generation (Second new Thermodynamic Cycle).

As result of increasing world population, the demand for electricity, transportation fuel and the commodity chemicals is increasing rapidly. Simultaneously, the world is encountered with threatening global warming due the emission of carbon dioxide that stems mostly out of the combustion of fossil resources for generation of electricity or conversion of fossil material into chemicals (e.g. transportation fuel, methanol, ethanol, ammonia, etc.). In addition, the higher demand of energy requires more extraction of crude oil and natural gas, while the use of coal is still troublesome or at least limited to some degree, particularly due higher CO2 emission and other environmental impacts compared with natural gas. The latter fact has led part of coal power plants in United States to a change of fuel towards natural gas resulting to less CO2 emission. Unfortunately, the intended measures for global reduction of CO2 are mostly demised or at least lagging far behind. Other political consequences like CO2 taxes are currently under discussion in some Western countries, that works at the expense of higher costs for generation of electricity an/or chemicals ultimately. The latter impact results inevitable to a misbalance in competitiveness. The increase of expenses due the separation of carbon dioxide via state-of-the-art technologies (both for pre-combustion as well as post-combustion carbon capture) and its further re-compression prior to a national pipeline (if ever ready) and sequestration, provides grave concerns in addition.
As result of these features, the Clean Energy, specifically Clean Coal developments are stalemated in recent years. Other alternatives like sustainable energy by use of biomaterial or waste-to-energy processes are by far unable to address the huge demand of energy, thus they are of marginal significance. Despite broaden outlook of gasification technologies in many perspectives-particularly the coal gasification—the extent of carbon emission and the GHG had also put the gasification process in a cul-de-sac, thus recently even some nuclear power plants are set under construction while some other are planned, as though the primary objectives of Clean Coal and the Clean Energy would be not achievable (e.g. in concord to United States Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007).


A linear motor driven conveyor apparatus is disclosed for conveying trucks carrying articles to be processed through a paint booth or other treatment area having a dirt-laden atmosphere, and a water tank is provided in the treatment area in which the secondary member of the linear motor is immersed to keep its surfaces free of contaminants.

Conventionally, chain conveyors are used for conveying automotive bodies in their assembly lines, such as, a painting process.
In a chain conveyor, trucks carrying automotive bodies are adapted to be driven by a chain. Paint adhered to the chain is difficult to remove. Also, it is often necessary to stop the conveyor for removing the paint; and a chain conveyor has an inherent limitation with respect to a high speed operation.
For these reasons, recently, linear motor driven conveying apparatus are developed for conveying bodies in painting process, etc., in assembly lines of automotive bodies. Such linear motor driven conveying apparatus are adapted to convey, by means of linear motor, trucks, each of which supports an automotive body. However, since paint can drop on and adheres to the upper surfaces of the primary members of the linear motor and become sandwiched between the primary members and the secondary members mounted to the truck, hindrance to the conveyance is caused.
Also, it is troublesome and time-consuming to remove the paint thus adhered to the primary members.


A method is disclosed for etching glass surfaces, particularly the windows of vehicles, which includes the steps of preparing a graphic image including a bar code; transferring the image to a tissue stencil by means of a plurality of cylindrical rods; applying the stencil over a glass surface to be etched; applying an etchant in a defined pattern across the rear surface of the stencil; applying a nearly uniform pressure to the etchant to distribute the etchant over the rear surface of the stencil and to force it through the impressions in the stencil to etch the image onto the glass surface and removing the stencil and residue left on the surface being etched leaving the image etched in the surface of the glass. The etched image is read by a CCD scanner to recover the information represented by the bar code.. In its preferred form, this process further includes the step of coating the etched surface with a light reflective material which is subsequently removed from the non-etched portions of the glass but which remains in the etched portions to provide a light reflective image which can be read by a bar code reader directly into a computer.

It has long been known to etch automobile identification numbers into windshields and other glass surfaces of automobiles for the purpose of deterring theft. Historically, this involved sandblasting as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,918 to Peck or acid etching through a stencil utilizing an impermeable plastic film. Such stencils have been cut using a spark-discharge method as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,766 to Levin et al or a hot die cutting method as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,284 to Floyd. Although these stencil cutting processes work, they are slow and costly and there is no known way to automate their use.
Automation of the preparation of such stencils is of great importance to avoid etching erroneous identification numbers on to automobiles and the like. It has been reported by the General Accounting Office of the U.S. government that as many as seven percent of the vehicle identification numbers entered into the National Crime Information Center database have been incorrect. Inasmuch as the etched indicia are nearly impossible to remove, the use of better verification methods has become necessary. To this end, the National Auto Theft Bureau has recently adopted a standard for vehicle identification for verifying the entry of vehicle identification numbers into data terminals and public domain software has recently become available for utilizing this standard. Consequently, the means for automatically verifying and providing numbers for etching now exist but on for the production of the stencils themselves.
Recently, a method has been devised which is capable of utilizing the available computer software for generating stencils. This system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,514 to Scallon. The system utilizes a nitrocellulose tissue stencil in association with a mechanical type-shaped hammer for cutting alpha numeric stencils in response to vehicle identification data provided by a computer. Unfortunately, the method used by the system does not reliably produce acceptable identification numbers and is unsuited for etching additional coded information relating to the automobile, such as information in the form of a bar code which can be read into a computer by a bar code reader.