A method for creating a vacuum setup for processing a semi-finished fiber composite into a cured fiber composite component is provided. The semi-finished fiber composite is positioned on a molding surface of a tool so that a non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite faces away from the molding surface, covering the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite by applying an air-tight film and sealing the film with respect to the molding surface of the tool. Application of the film is performed using a plunger formed from a flexible material and having a plunger surface on which the film is retained.

The present invention relates to the field of fiber composite technology and in particular to a method for creating a vacuum setup for processing a semi-finished fiber composite into a cured fiber composite component having a non-planar surface.
German patent document DE 101 56 123 B4 discloses conventional vacuum setup. The known vacuum setup is for processing a semi-finished fiber composite composed of a plurality of components into a cured fiber composite part. After the semi-finished fiber composite has been positioned on a molding surface of a tool, the semi-finished fiber composite's surface facing away from the molding surface of the tool is covered by an arrangement of a plurality of membranes and an air-tight film. After sealing the film with respect to the molding surface of the tool, a space covered by the film and containing the semi-finished fiber composite can be de-aerated (i.e., evacuated) in order to perform an enclosed curing of the semi-finished fiber composite, during which the individual components of the semi-finished fiber composite are cured and at the same time firmly bonded to each other (so-called "co-curing").
Such vacuum setups are known from the field of fiber composite technology in various further embodiments.
In general, it is possible in this manner to, for example, implement or simplify an infiltration of the semi-finished fiber composite or individual components thereof with a liquid or viscous matrix material (e.g. epoxy resin system) if the semi-finished fiber composite or individual components of a fiber composite composition are employed "dry" (i.e., not yet infiltrated with matrix material).
Independent of this, the vacuum setup represents a simple mechanism for pressurizing the semi-finished fiber composite prior to and/or during (mostly thermally-induced) curing so as to "compact" the semi-finished fiber composite, or, in case of a multi-part semi-finished composite, to firmly press the individual components of the latter against each other (and to implement a so-called "co-bonding"). In order to increase the effect of the vacuum (low-pressure) for generating pressure, the outside of the air-tight film or the entire vacuum setup is often also pressurized by an external overpressure. For example, the vacuum setup (e.g., prior to begin of curing) is placed into a pressure chamber (autoclave). The internal pressure of such a pressure chamber during curing can be set, for example, to values in the range of approximately 5 to 10 bar.
In case of the known methods for creating a vacuum setup, the film is applied manually which involves certain efforts, in particular if the vacuum setup serves for producing a particularly large fiber composite part.
Because the film has to be applied directly or indirectly (e.g., through an arrangement of membranes etc.) on a non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite, there is a disadvantageously low reproducibility of this method step, which can represent a problem in particular in a series production of fiber composite parts.
In many cases, the film is not applied in a wrinkle-free manner, which results in a non-uniform pressurization in the subsequent curing process. This particularly significant if the non-planar surface of the semi-finished composite has a non-unwindable shape. In this case, wrinkles in the film applied according to the known methods are unavoidable.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention improve the creation of a vacuum setup of the aforementioned type with respect to reproducibility of the application of the film and allow an application as wrinkle-free as possible, in particular also in case of a non-unwindable configuration of the shape of the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite.
In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the application of the film is performed using a plunger formed from a flexible material and having a plunger surface on which the film is retained.
The term "plunger" is meant to designate an auxiliary mechanism that retains the film (on a "plunger surface") and which, for applying the film, is moved toward the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite and is subsequently moved away again (without the film) from said surface.
The transfer of the film from the plunger to the vacuum setup can be carried out automatically in that the plunger is held and moved by a robot or the like.
The plunger is formed from a flexible material such as, for example, a plastic material, in particular foamed plastic, e.g., PU foam or a flexible fiber composite material (e.g., relatively thin fiber mat inside a layer of a permanently elastic matrix material that is considerably thicker than the fiber mat). The plunger, or alternatively at least a section representing the plunger surface, can include such a mechanically flexible material. Apart from the resulting gentle treatment of the film and the semi-finished fiber composite (and/or a membrane arrangement potentially placed thereabove), the flexibility of the plunger has a further significant advantage in the case of a generally concave or convex, uniaxially or biaxially curved non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite. In this case, the flexibility of the plunger permits that at each position of the concave or convex surface of the semi-finished composite, the plunger surface can be locally moved substantially orthogonal toward this surface and can be moved away again from this surface. Depending on the geometry of the surface, a non-simultaneous advancing (and, correspondingly, backward) movement of the individual regions of the plunger surface toward the semi-finished fiber composite (or away from the semi-finished fiber composite) can be required. To put it simply, the flexibility of the plunger material advantageously allows the plunger or at least portions thereof to "roll" over the respective surface.
A correspondingly interesting form of use of the invention involves processing a semi-finished fiber composite, the non-planar surface of which is generally curved but has local indentations and/or embossments. In this case the flexibility of the plunger is of great advantage.
In a preferred configuration, due to the use of the flexible material, the plunger can be subjected to, for example, a significant diameter change without getting irreversibly damaged. For example, in the relaxed state of the plunger, a "rough shape" of the plunger surface can have a uniaxial "cylindrical" curvature, wherein the curvature (during the inventive use of the plunger) can be significantly changed without the plunger getting irreversibly damaged because of this. A significant curvature change is achieved if, for example, a certain diameter (in the relaxed state of the plunger) can be changed by a factor of at least 1.1 or even by a factor of 2 (thus, can be at least doubled and/or at least halved during the use).
In particular, the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite can have a non-unwindable shape. In this case, the plunger can be configured in such a manner that, due to the use of the flexible plunger material, the plunger can also be biaxially curved to an extent that the "rough shape" of the plunger surface can be deformed during the use of the plunger in such a manner that the plunger can be applied onto and demolded from the non-unwindable shape of the semi-finished fiber composite without any problem. The invention is therefore suitable also in case of complicated three-dimensionally shaped surfaces of the semi-finished fiber composite. This surface, for example, can be substantially spherically curved, in which case a correspondingly spherically curved "rough shape" of the plunger surface is useful.
The semi-finished fiber composite can consist of one part or multiple parts, i.e., can be composed of a plurality of components. The invention is particularly useful for multi-part semi-finished fiber composites because this multi-part configuration often results in a complicated shape of the surface being covered by the film, which makes the mentioned known manual application of the film extremely problematic.
In the case of a multi-part semi-finished fiber composite, the vacuum setup created according to the invention is preferably used for providing an intimate and firm bonding of the individual components during a subsequent curing (e.g., thermal curing). Principally, each component of the semi-finished fiber composite can be employed dry or already penetrated with matrix material (as so-called "prepreg") for the creation of the vacuum setup. If one or a plurality of dry components are present, first, an infiltration with matrix material according to methods known can be performed at the begin of the curing process. Such methods are well known from the prior art and therefore do not require a detailed explanation here. Merely as an example, reference is made to the above-mentioned German patent document DE 101 56 123 B4, in which such an infiltration of a component of the semi-finished fiber composite enclosed in the vacuum setup is described.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a semi-finished fiber composite is processed, the composite being composed of at least one shell-shaped component and at least one reinforcement profile component.
The shell-shaped component can, in particular, be provided for forming a fuselage shell of a vehicle, in particular aircraft, and can have, for example, an uniaxial or biaxial curvature. For this use, the reinforcement profile components can be provided for forming longitudinally extending reinforcement profiles ("stringers") or transversely extending reinforcement profiles (formers). The invention is in particular suitable for producing CFRP structural elements in aircraft construction.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the plunger surface of the plunger used for transferring the film is shaped in adaptation to the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite.
The term "in adaptation to the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite" is, of course, meant to comprise, in particular, the case that the plunger surface represents a more or less exact "negative" of the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite. However, generally, the adaptation is already to be provided if the plunger surface deviates from a completely planar shape and has a shape which is significantly similar to the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite. Moreover, such an adaptation is also to be provided if the plunger surface is generally (thus with respect to its "rough shape") concave or convex and therefore follows a generally convex or concave "rough shape" of the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite (independent of whether the plunger surface follows, at a local level, potentially present local indentations and/or embossments of the semi-finished fiber composite surface or not).
Furthermore, the term "surface of the semi-finished fiber composite" designates the surface onto which the film comes to rest during the creation of the vacuum setup. Accordingly, depending on the specific setup, the film is applied directly or indirectly (e.g., through the already mentioned arrangement of membranes, nonwoven layers for infiltration etc.) onto the semi-finished fiber composite.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the adaptation of the plunger surface to the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite, the plunger surface follows substantially the "rough shape" (e.g. concavity or convexity) of the respective surface as well as substantially the local indentations and embossments of this surface which are potentially present as deviations from the "ideal" concavity or convexity.
It is to be understood that with a plunger surface adapted in such a manner, the quality and reproducibility of the film application can be further improved. For achieving this advantage, first of all, the adaptation of the plunger surface "on a local level" is of significant importance. In this manner, the local indentations and/or embossments (in general: a corrugation) of the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite can be handled very well during the application of the film by the advancing movement of the plunger surface toward this surface, which can, for example reduce wrinkling of the film. In contrast, the adaptation of the plunger surface with respect to the rough shape of this surface, thus, a generally curved shape, is in most cases less important because due to the flexibility of the plunger material, this plunger can be brought into this rough shape during the advancing movement toward the semi-finished fiber composite, for example in that the plunger is not moved simultaneously to all areas, but the different regions of the plunger surface are moved successively to the semi-finished fiber composite. Very advantageous for this is, for example, the plunger's configuration already mentioned above, in which the plunger surface has a particular curvature in the relaxed state which, however, can be significantly changed due to the flexibility of the plunger. When using such a plunger it can in particular be provided that prior to and after the film transfer, the plunger's diameter can be decreased (in case of a concave surface of the respective semi-finished fiber composite) or increased (in case of a convex surface of the semi-finished fiber composite) in order to simplify or to actually allow the advancing movement and also the subsequent demolding of the plunger by means of this curvature change (prevention of collisions between plunger and semi-finished fiber composites that could result in damage to the plunger and/or the semi-finished fiber composite), in particular also in case of a corrugated surface of the semi-finished fiber composite.
In one embodiment, for example, that for applying the film by means of the plunger, the latter is first advancingly moved with a middle region of the plunger surface, and outer plunger surface regions are then successively moved by "rolling" these regions over the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite. Once film deposition is completed, the plunger can be retracted by a kinematically reversed movement in such a manner that first one or a plurality of outer plunger regions are removed from the surface and only then, the plunger regions located further in the middle are successively removed.
In one further embodiment of this "rolling method", in its relaxed state, the plunger used for this has at least one plunger surface section (or, e.g., a plunger surface as such), the curvature of which lies "between the extreme curvatures occurring during the use of the plunger". For example, if the respective semi-finished fiber composite has, e.g., a concave surface with a curvature diameter of 3.0 m, then the curvature diameter of the relaxed plunger could be, for example, 2.9 m, wherein the advancing movement takes place in a "rolled-in state" with a curvature diameter of 2.8 m. The "relaxed diameter" thus lies between the extreme diameters of 2.8 m and 3.0 m occurring during the use.
An adaptation of the plunger surface to the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite is particularly advantageous if a principally planar film is applied onto the shape-adapted and thus non-planar plunger surface and is fastened or retained thereon. In one very advantageous further embodiment the plunger is equipped with means for deforming the film retained thereon in adaptation of the latter to the configuration of the shape of the plunger surface and that this deformation is carried out prior to or during covering the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite. The particular advantage of this further embodiment is that the film can be brought from an originally plane shape (or only uniaxially curved shape on the plunger surface) into a complicated shape, in particular into a non-unwindable shape, for example by adapting to the largest possible extent to the configuration of the shape of the plunger surface.
The deformation of the film can be carried out, for example, by elongating the film material, wherein the film material is only stressed up to approximately its elastic limit so that the film material is not significantly irreversibly deformed.
However, in an alternative embodiment, the deformation of the film is performed by elongating the film material in a plastically deforming manner. In doing so, an irreversible elongation of the film, at least in certain regions (e.g., in the region of local indentations and/or embossments of the surface of the semi-finished fiber composite) can be at least 10%, in particular at least 50%. Depending on the specific case of use, the irreversible elongation can also be selected to be considerably greater, for example greater than 100%. It should be recognized that for creating the vacuum setup in question, a plurality of suitable plastic films (e.g., made of nylon or the like) is commercially available that resist an elongation of up to approximately 400% without breaking.
One possibility to perform the mentioned plastically deforming elongation is, for example, that on a "local level", the film initially applied on the plunger surface in the undeformed state (e.g., circumferentially attached to the edge of the plunger surface) is deformed corresponding to a corrugation on the plunger surface in that the plunger together with the film retained thereon is pressed against a suitably shaped counter plunger or "anvil" made of solid material. Pressing the plunger onto the semi-finished fiber composite, which is principally also conceivable, is problematic with respect to a potential deformation of the semi-finished fiber composite caused thereby.
A preferred embodiment variant of the means for deforming the film provides that said means comprise at least one vacuum passage opening out on the plunger surface, and deforming the film is carried out by applying low-pressure to the vacuum passage(s). This method is not only simple and cost-effective but allows a virtually perfect adaptation of the film shape to the shape of the plunger surface. By applying low-pressure (vacuum), the film rests tight against the plunger surface.
Preferably, the deformation of the film on the plunger surface is carried out before the plunger is advancingly moved to the semi-finished fiber composite.
When the deformation means is implemented by means of vacuum passage(s), it is useful to apply the low-pressure to the vacuum passage(s) before putting the plunger onto the semi-finished fiber composite and to maintain said low-pressure when the pressing on the plunger. This prevents the elongation of the film generated during the low-pressure application being reduced again due to elastic (reversible) elongation portions before the film is attached onto the semi-finished fiber composite. Against this background, for example, one or a plurality of flexible vacuum hoses connected to a vacuum pump can be connected to the vacuum passage(s) of the plunger in order to advancingly move the plunger together with the film, which is kept in the deformed state by the applied low-pressure, to the semi-finished fiber composite of the vacuum setup while maintaining the low-pressure application. As already mentioned, this can be carried out manually or at least partially automated, e.g. by means of a robot or the like.
In a further embodiment of the advancing movement of the plunger to the semi-finished fiber composite by applying low-pressure to the plunger, the arrangement of vacuum passage(s) of the plunger is equipped with a lockable valve, which allows for locking the vacuum passage(s) previously placed under a vacuum so that after closing the valve, the respective vacuum hose can be decoupled from the plunger. In this case it is possible that after putting the plunger onto the semi-finished fiber composite positioned on the tool, this valve can be opened again to thereby aerate the vacuum passage(s). Preferably, this takes place only after the low-pressure application of the vacuum setup (which draws the film onto the semi-finished fiber composite) has been activated.
If the plunger surface is corrugated, i.e., has local indentations or embossments, apertures of a vacuum passage arrangement can in particular be provided at the bottoms of the indentations or spaced part from the embossments so as to draw the film into the recessed regions of the plunger surface. The arrangement of vacuum passages can extend, for example, through the interior of the plunger to lateral or rear locations of the plunger at which the mentioned vacuum hoses can be connected.
According to a further aspect, the invention relates to plunger suitably configured for carrying out a method of the aforementioned kind. Such a plunger is formed from a flexible material, and can comprise a non-planar plunger surface for retaining the film as well as means for deforming the film retained thereon in adaptation to the non-planar plunger surface. As already explained, the deforming means can comprise an arrangement of one or a plurality of vacuum passages that open out on the one side at one or more locations of the plunger surface and can be connected on the other side at the lateral edge and/or the rear side of the plunger to one or a plurality of vacuum lines (e.g. flexible, air-tight hoses).
Such a plunger can be manufactured, for example, in that a vacuum passage arrangement formed by a hose arrangement is placed into a molding tool and is overmolded with plastic material (e.g., foamed plastic) or embedded in foam.
With such a plunger, an advantageous device for transferring the air-tight film to the vacuum setup or e.g. a curing device is created. Moving the device forward and backward after transferring the film can be carried out in a particularly advantageous manner by utilizing the elastic bending properties of the device. When made from plastic, the device is light and therefore easy to handle. Despite the simple structure, a high efficiency is obtained.
The method according to the invention for creating a vacuum setup or the plungers according to the invention can be advantageously used for producing fiber composite components of all kinds.
A preferred use is the production of fuselage shells reinforced by reinforcement profiles for vehicles, in particular aircrafts. In a more specific embodiment, this involves fuselage shells for aircrafts, wherein the fuselage shells are substantially uniaxially curved and provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending reinforcement profiles ("stringers").
In particular, in case of such fuselage shells, the reinforcement profiles can be provided so as to extend on the inner side of the fuselage shell. In a special embodiment, the components provided for forming said reinforcement profiles are already fully cured before they are employed during the creation of the vacuum setup, whereas a non-cured prepreg is employed for forming the fuselage shell. In this specific case, only the fuselage shell is cured during the subsequent curing, wherein at the same time, an intimate bonding of the reinforcement profiles to the fuselage shell takes place (so-called "co-bonding").
In general, it should be noted that the specific use of the vacuum setup created according to the invention varies depending on the case of use. Thus, in deviation from the specific example explained above, it is also conceivable, for example, that the vacuum setup is only used within an infiltration process or only within a compacting process or only within a curing process. The present invention relates primarily to the method of creating a vacuum setup suitable for all these cases of use.
Particularly useful are the advantages achievable with the invention for the production of a fiber composite component having a relative large area, e.g., with a maximum extension of more than 5 m, in particular more than 10 m and/or an area (in case of a flat component such as e.g. a fuselage shell on the flat side) of more than 10 m2, in particular more than 20 m2, and/or for the production of a fiber composite component in case of which the non-planar surface of the semi-finished fiber composite employed or the corresponding surface of the finished fiber composite component is generally "strongly curved" or has a clearly pronounced concave or convex shape. The latter means that deviating from a planar shape which has one single normal direction of the surface, the (local) normal directions of the non-planar surface are distributed over a larger angular range (e.g. over at least 30°, in particular at least 60°). Two examples: the angular range is 180° for a uniaxially uniformly curved semi-cylindrical fuselage shell; and the angular range is 90° for a fuselage shell that provides only a quarter of the circumference of a substantially cylindrical fuselage to be formed with said shell.
In case of such large angular ranges of the distribution of the normal, problems in connection with applying (and accordingly, retracting) the plunger surface to the semi-finished fiber composite can be avoided due to the flexibility of the plunger material.

Method for creating a vacuum setup for producing a fiber composite part, and plunger used in the method


A printing apparatus having an adhesive applying function is provided with a transporting mechanism for transporting an elongated print member, a transferring mechanism for transporting a transferring member having adhesive, contained in a cartridge installed on the apparatus, and for selectively bringing the transferring member into contact with the print member transported by the transporting mechanism, thereby transferring the adhesive of the transferring member onto the surface of the print member which no data is to be printed on, a controlling unit for controlling whether the transferring mechanism transfers the adhesive of the transferring member onto the surface of the print member which no data is to be printed on, and a printing mechanism provided on the downstream side of the transferring mechanism, for processing print data including rotation of the data in unit of 90 degrees, and for printing the data on the surface of the print member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus with an adhesive applying function, and more particularly, to a printing apparatus with an adhesive applying function which can designate without any restriction adhesive transferring areas (overall area, left extreme area, right extreme area, top area, and bottom area) on a label to be produced, where adhesive is to be transferred.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, printed matters such as print media with a front surface printed with data and a rear surface applied with adhesive were known. Usually, a rolled type of media are known as these print media. There are two types of rolled print media: one with a detaching paper attached on the adhesive applied surface; and the other with no such detaching paper. In either type of rolled print media, the adhesive is applied overall on the rear surface of the print medium.
Meanwhile, a printing apparatus has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-235595, which apparatus is provided with an external adhesive transferring device on the downstream side of its print-paper discharge opening. This adhesive transferring device allows the printing apparatus to use low-cost standard paper in place of expensive specialized paper. In the printing apparatus, printed recording paper is cut by a cutter and then applied with the adhesive. During the process of applying the adhesive onto the recording paper, an adhesive tape is pressed against or alternatively, released from the recording paper.
The printing apparatus allows the user to decide whether to transport the recording paper while the adhesive tape is pressed against the recording paper or to pull out the cut recording paper with his/her hand while the adhesive tape is released from the recording paper. When the user decides to pull out the recording paper with his/her hand, the adhesive transferring device transfers the adhesive onto a printed portion of the recording paper when said printer portion passes through the device.
But, the printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-235595 simply proposes that the apparatus can use the low-cost standard paper in place of the expensive specialized paper, and is nothing different from conventional apparatuses in providing the recording paper with the overall rear-surface applied with the adhesive. Further, the printing apparatus is provided with the external adhesive transferring device, and therefore the apparatus cannot be made compact in size.
The users want various types of paper, paper with the adhesive applied or paper with no adhesive applied, depending on purpose of usage of the print paper. Even if the print paper with the adhesive applied is required, the users can want the print paper with the adhesive applied overall or partially thereon. To meet the users' requirement, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-25165 has proposed a tape printing apparatus which is provided with an auxiliary cassette for applying gum onto the tape. The auxiliary cassette is installed in the vicinity of its tape discharge opening to apply gum onto the user's desired position on the print tape.
The tape printing apparatus disclosed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-25165 performs the process of applying the adhesive onto the print tape, in the vicinity of its tape discharge opening in a similar manner to the printing apparatus proposed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-235595, in other words, the adhesive transferring mechanism is provided on the downstream side of the printing mechanism and/or the tape discharge opening. In these apparatuses, the adhesive transferring operation is performed independently of it printing operation, that is, the printing operation is not controlled in connection with the adhesive transferring operation.

Printing apparatus with an adhesive applying function


According to one embodiment, a content synchronizing method includes: first transmitting when receiving an acquiring request for reference time to determine a timing to synchronize a plurality of pieces of content executed by a plurality of modules with each other from a first module out of the modules, the acquiring request for the reference time to a second module out of the modules; receiving source information indicating an acquisition source of the reference time from the second module; and acquiring reference time information indicating the reference time from the acquisition source indicated by the source information, wherein second transmitting to the first module, together with the reference time information, processing time information indicating processing time from receiving the acquiring request until transmitting the reference time information, the processing time information being used to calculate a time lag between time in the first module and the reference time.

In recent years, communication environments such as the Internet have been well developed even for households. While broadcasts excel in simultaneous reporting, communications excel in transmitting individual information. Using such characteristics of broadcasts and communications, delivery systems such as Hybridcast (registered trademark), which integrates content acquired from broadcasts and from communications to allow provision of high-value added content, have been developed.
In such a delivery system as Hybridcast, a display terminal such as a television receiver acquires content based on broadcast signals and acquire content by communications accessing to a server via a communication line such as the Internet. The display terminal can then combine and display the content based on broadcast signals (hereinafter referred to as broadcast content) and the content acquired by communications.
Furthermore, a user can use a plurality of display terminals to display thereon a plurality of pieces of related content.
When the respective display terminals display different content from each other and the content displayed has relevance to each other, it is desirable to synchronize the timing of the display. Accordingly, several technologies have been developed to synchronize among a plurality of display terminals.
In the conventional technologies, video data is synchronized among a plurality of terminals according to time information simultaneously transmitted from a server. To synchronize web content and the like among the terminals, it is necessary to acquire time information from a server successively and continuously, whereby burdens on the terminals, the server, and transmission paths are increased.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a content processing apparatus and a content synchronizing method that reduce the burdens of synchronizing content among a plurality of terminals.

Content processing apparatus and content synchronizing method


The invention provides a control apparatus for an engine driving motor having a function of driving a crankshaft of an engine and another function of generating electric power from power from the crankshaft by which an engine can be started up efficiently in a short time. The control apparatus for an engine driving motor includes a crankshaft position sensor for detecting a rotational position of a crankshaft when an engine stops, a camshaft position sensor for outputting a signal at a particular rotational position of a camshaft, and a controller for energizing, when the engine stops and power supply to the engine driving motor should be stopped, the engine driving motor to rotate the crankshaft from the rotational position of the crankshaft detected when the engine stops to a dynamically neutral position of the crankshaft, but energizing, when the engine stops and then the power supply to the engine driving motor should not be stopped, the engine driving motor to rotate the crankshaft to a particular position which corresponds to a position of the camshaft immediately prior to the particular rotational position of the camshaft.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an engine driving motor control apparatus, and more particularly to a control apparatus for an engine driving motor which performs start-up of an engine efficiently in a short time.
2. Description of the Related Art
A control apparatus for an engine driving motor is conventionally known and disclosed, for example in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-149221. The control apparatus for an engine driving motor uses a starter motor to stop a crankshaft at a position at which a comparatively low load is applied to the crankshaft when the engine stops. The control apparatus is thus directed to obtaining high speed rotation of the crankshaft with comparatively low power supply to the starter motor upon next start-up of the engine.
The control apparatus disclosed in the prior art document mentioned above, however, does not take a dynamic action upon the direction of rotation of the crankshaft when the engine is stopped into consideration.
Further, while the control apparatus used a starter motor as means for operating the crankshaft, a starter motor which is used popularly is energized through a switch which is operated by a driver of the vehicle. Therefore, where the control apparatus is applied to an engine of the type just mentioned, it cannot employ an apparatus which operates the starter motor when the engine stops.

Control apparatus for engine driving motor


A spreader assembly for spreading a material and for mounting to a bed of a truck is disclosed. The assembly includes a hopper and a frame having an upper rail for supporting the hopper in the bed of the truck. The frame includes a pair of front and rear posts extending downwardly from the upper rail and an upper rail extending in a cantilevered fashion from the rear posts to support the outlet spout outside the bed of the truck. A quick-release connector releasably engages the frame for preventing longitudinal movement within the bed of the truck. A spinner is rotatably attached and is moveable between an operating position and a storage position. The hopper includes a lower portion having a bottom with a first slanted portion having a first slope and a second slanted portion having a second slope with the first slope being different than the second slope.

1. Field of the Invention
The general invention relates to spreaders, and more particularly to a bed mounted spreader having an improved auger design.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional rear mounted spreaders have a material delivery system which uses a vertical auger for directing material through an outlet in a hopper. The outlet is typically a circular opening defined by the converging walls of the hopper. Generally, the walls adjacent to the circular opening define a tubular opening and the auger is received within this tubular opening. The blades of the auger are closely adjacent to the walls of this tubular opening. The hopper receives and stores, for example, sand, salt or other materials to be spread. The vertical auger typically rises from the outlet and into the hopper. In conventional spreaders, a rod extends from the auger and attaches to a motor mounted in the hopper that drives the auger.
This type of vertical auger orientation has presented operating problems. Due to moisture or other environmental factors, the material within the hopper can become compacted, particularly adjacent the tubular opening. While the auger effectively directs material contacting the auger through the outlet, the compacted material can cause a cavity to form above the auger preventing material from reaching the auger. Compaction is particularly problematic with sand and bulk salt, which naturally compacts and cavitates in a spreader. Sand and bulk salt will form a cavity directly above the auger and starve the auger.
Further, most related art spreaders are not releasably mounted to a truck bed. These spreaders are integrally formed within the bed and have a conveyor belt extending the entire length of the bed to deliver material to a spinner. One related art spreader, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,617, has an integrally formed hopper in the bed with a conveyor belt system for delivering the material to the spinner. However, the '617 patent utilizes a dumping mechanism to deliver the material to the conveyor belt. Another spreader, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,466, has sloping side walls and a flat bottom that delivers material to an auger which runs the length of the truck bed.
The related art spreaders are characterized by one or more inadequacies. Specifically, none of the related art spreaders provide for a spreader having a large capacity hopper and a frame releasably mounted in the bed of the truck. The frames are typically a single piece that becomes corroded and must be replaced with a entirely new frame. The frames are very heavy and cumbersome and require up to 5 hours to remove from the back of the vehicle. The related art spreaders do not provide adequate devices for preventing cavitation of the material as the material is discharged from the spreader. The spreaders are expensive to manufacture and difficult to maintain due to the auger or the conveyor belt running the length of the truck bed and the dumping mechanisms required to deliver the material to the conveyor. It would be advantageous to provide a spreader that was removable from the truck bed and cost effective to manufacture and easily maintained.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Flow facilitator for a spreader assembly


A rotor assembly includes a lamination and a hub. The hub includes an inner portion and an outer portion surrounding the inner portion and separated from it by an expansion gap. The rotor assembly also includes two or more connecting members coupling the inner portion to the outer portion, the connecting members having a first end and a second end.

Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electric machines and, more particularly, to a rotor for an electric machine.
Many electric machines include a stator and a rotor. The rotor spins relative to the stator in response to an electrical current. Electric motors and generators are both examples of electric machines. An electric motor uses electrical energy to produce mechanical energy, typically through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors. Conversely, a generator produces electrical energy from mechanical energy.
The rotor may be formed of multiple parts. For instance, the rotor may include a hub through which a rod is passed. The rod engages the hub. The hub is typically surrounded by a rotor lamination. The rotor lamination may include magnets or wires disposed therein. Regardless, in the case of a motor, a current is applied to the stator which causes the rotor to turn. This causes the rod to turn and produce mechanical energy.
During operation, heat may cause portions of the rotor to expand. The heat may be caused due to electrical current passing through the rotor and stator. Some environments, such as an automobile engine, may experience high temperature swings and these swings may cause the rotor to expand.
Regardless of the cause, heat related rotor expansion may limit the materials used in rotor construction. In particular, heat expansion may require that the hub and the lamination be formed of the same or similar material. This requirement is due to stress that may be created if one of the portions expands due to heat (or motion) at a different rate than another portion.


A device and method are provided that reduce interference between a wireless communication device and a speaker. Generally speaking, a microphone input is monitored for detecting noise created by the interference. If noise is detected, a power transmission level of the wireless device is reduced from a standard power transmission level.

The advance of wireless communication networks has led to the proliferation of wireless communication devices that are used for the transfer of both voice and data. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and smart-phones provide users with a device that enables them to communicate via voice communications, electronic mail (e-mail), Short Message Service (SMS) messages as well as instant messaging. Additionally, many of these devices also include web browsers and other applications that access a wide area network, such as the Internet, to provide the users with information.
However, when these devices transmit data they can cause noise to be heard on nearby speakers, such as radio speakers, computer speakers, speakerphones, and the like as a result of interference there between. Accordingly, it can be seen that there is a need for a system and method that inhibits interference between a wireless device and a nearby speaker.

System and method for reducing radio frequency interference between a wireless communication device and a speaker


Systems and methods for quality control of worker behavior are disclosed. The systems and methods may be configured for: receiving a data set associating a plurality of violations with a plurality of delivery sites, wherein each violation in the plurality of violations is associated with a delivery site and the violations are organized into one or more violation categories; filtering the data set to obtain a subset of violations reflective of a current worker behavior; for each violation category, identifying a first violation from the filtered data set associated with the violation category, the first violation being associated with a highest penalty; determining a rating based on the first violation identified for each violation category; and transmitting the rating to a remote device associated with a delivery worker responsible for the violations.

In today's hypercompetitive world, businesses constantly compete for market share. Customer experience plays a major part in maintaining and increasing the market share. However, building a positive customer experience is difficult, and it is even harder for the positive customer experience to translate to a measurable success because satisfied customers do not often leave a review or a rating to show their experience. On the other hand, it is relatively much easier for negative customer experiences to mar public relations or stellar ratings because dissatisfied customers are often vocal, taking their grievances to social media or leaving unreasonably unfavorable reviews.
Therefore, many companies have established guidelines for interacting with customers. The guidelines help customer-facing workers perform their assigned tasks in a methodical manner and help companies ensure a consistent experience for a majority of their customers. Shipping companies, for example, have guidelines on how to deliver packages to recipients, how to interact with recipients when they are present to receive packages in person, and what to do when recipients are not present.
Mere dissemination of the guidelines, however, is insufficient to ensure compliance from workers. Previous approaches to promoting compliance have included, for example, receiving individualized feedback from aggrieved customers and taking corrective actions with responsible workers; and implementing a list of actions that a worker must perform and holding periodic reviews on adherence to the list. However, such approaches require a lot of time to review and to provide feedback to the worker.
Current electronic systems for ensuring worker compliance and quality control of worker behavior are also deficient. Attempts to consolidate compliance data from multiple sources (e.g., customer feedback, checklist) remain difficult due to the wide spectrum of input. For example, customer feedback may involve anything that was not up to the customer's satisfaction, including items not covered by the guidelines. Furthermore, periodic reviews that inform a worker of non-compliance still allows the worker to repeat the same violation until the next review, risking even further grievances by the same customers previously aggrieved by the worker.
Existing electronic systems are also configured to operate on a predetermined set of parameters (e.g., relative importance of different violations, periods for review), which cannot be changed in the middle of a review cycle and do not allow simulation of different scenarios (e.g., how workers' performance metrics change based on different parameters, how customer experience metrics change based on different parameters), etc.
Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and systems for quality control of worker behavior that offer timely feedback to individual workers and for a flexible tool for managers to manage quality control parameters.

Systems and methods for quality control of worker behavior using a non-linear fault scoring scheme


A protective case which offers an efficient protective position without hindering an easy positioning of the apparatus in a slanted position. The case includes a back face, a front face, an edge connecting the back face with the front face and forming a first articulation between the front face and the back face in order to make it possible for the case to move between and from a first open position where the front face is coplanar with the back face to a second protective position where the front face is folded over the back face.

It has been known from the prior art cases for protecting portable electronic apparatuses. For example, a well known protective case is that which comprises a front face and a back face articulated around an edge, with engaged elastic means that maintain the front face folded over the back face when the case is in protective position of the electronic apparatus, itself fitted between the two sides and fastened to the back face. On the other hand, this system particularly has the drawback of not offering other possibilities than having a protective position as described above and an open position, where the elastic means are disengaged, the front face being coplanar with the back face. In the latter position, the apparatus is thus accessible for use. However, in the case where the user is not using the apparatus but wishes to have it in view, he/she should place it on an additional support for it to be slanted with respect to the horizontal in order to have good visibility or a good viewing angle of the apparatus. The abovementioned case thus becomes a nuisance for positioning the apparatus in this slanted position as the front face is bulky.
Finally, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0037285 A1 describes a case for a portable electronic apparatus.

Protective case for portable electronic apparatus


A stamp storage envelope is constructed from a single sheet of material which allows for varying the size of the access opening into the storage chamber by how many panels of end walls are overlapped with each other or adjacent front and rear walls. The panels may be secured to each other and the front and rear walls by adhesive.

A stamp envelope is desirable to protect stamps from soiling and to organize them in a practical way when being stored in drawers, briefcases and hand bags. The envelope may provide informative postal information for first class, overweight, oversized items, postcards and international rates and to help identify appropriate mail size limitations.
The envelope must require a minimum of materials and be simple to assemble. It should be possible to construct the envelope from a single sheet of continuous material but be able to vary the maximum distance between the front and rear of panels when in an open condition.
Representative prior art envelopes are disclosed in the E. V. Hudson U.S. Pat. No. 1,131,135, Mar. 9, 1915 and H. Rueve, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 763,797, Jun. 28, 1904.
The shortcoming of the prior art envelopes is that there is no simple, inexpensive way of varying the maximum distance between the front and rear walls when in an open condition without constructing the end walls from pieces of material separate from the front end rear walls. Thus, what is needed is an envelope and method of making same that readily allows for constructing the envelope with a variable access opening into the storage chamber between the front and rear panels while utilizing a single sheet of material.

Stamp storage envelope and method of making same


A black high temperature emissivity paint comprises 27.5 wt black pigment, 50.5% acrylic resin and 22 wt % silicone resin excluding solvent. The black pigment comprises (Co,Fe) (Fe,Cr)2 O4 and Ni. The black high temperature emissivity paint is applied to components of gas turbine engines and the gas turbine engine is run at the gas turbine engines normal operating conditions. The component coated with the black high temperature emissivity paint is viewed by an optical pyrometer and the optical pyrometer is used to determine the temperature of the component. The pyrometer measures the energy radiated by the component. The advantage of the black high temperature emissivity paint is that the colour, and hence the emissivity, remain unchanged at temperatures of 1100xc2x0 C. and greater. This enables the pyrometer to be used without the need to recalibrate the pyrometer to take into account changes in emissivity of the black high temperature emissivity paint. It enables higher temperature use with more accuracy.

The present invention relates to black high temperature emissivity paint.
Black high temperature emissivity paints are used in the development, or operation, of gas turbine engines. Black high temperature emissivity paints are applied to components of gas turbine engines and the gas turbine engine is run at the gas turbine engines normal operating conditions. The component coated with the black high temperature emissivity paint is viewed by an optical pyrometer and the optical pyrometer is used to determine the temperature of the component. The pyrometer measures the energy radiated by the component. The temperature is determined because the emissivity of the black high temperature emissivity paint is known.
Existing black high temperature emissivity paint changes colour at temperatures of 900xc2x0 C. and greater and hence the emissivity of the black high temperature emissivity paint changes. Thus it may be necessary to recalibrate the pyrometer at different temperatures to take into account the change in colour, and emissivity, of the black high temperature emissivity paint at different temperatures.
There is a requirement for black high temperature emissivity paint whose colour remains unchanged at temperatures of 1100xc2x0 C. and greater.
Accordingly the present invention seeks to provide a novel black high temperature emissivity paint whose colour remains unchanged at temperatures of 1100xc2x0 C. and greater.
Accordingly the present invention provides a black high temperature emissivity paint comprising a black pigment, a binder and a solvent, the black pigment comprising (Co,Fe) (Fe,Cr)2 O4 and Ni.
Preferably the binder comprises acrylic resin and silicone resin.
Preferably the black high temperature emissivity paint comprises 25 wt % to 35 wt % black pigment, 40 wt % to 60 wt % acrylic resin and 20 wt % to 30 wt % silicone resin excluding solvent.
Preferably the black high temperature emissivity paint comprises 27.5 wt % black pigment, 50.5 wt % acrylic resin and 22 wt % silicone resin excluding solvent.
Preferably the solvent comprises a mixture of propylene glycol ethers.
Preferably the solvent comprises a mixture of 80% 1-methoxy-2-propanol and 20% dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether.


Five fins located on a second arm engage the farinaceous material during mixing and the angled surface of each fin directs the farinaceous material in an axial direction towards the housing of the rotor, and also in a direction extending between the surface of the arm and the adjacent parallel surface of the container. The fins also cause the farinaceous material to be moved in the same two directions, with the exception that the dough is directed away from the housing of the rotor towards the central region.

In a known method of mixing farinaceous material a rotor is rotated at high speed in the material. The rotor may comprise two extents of bar which are connected together at either end along the rotational axis but diverge away from each other in an arc between those connections. The bars are circular in cross-section. Accordingly when the rotor rotates the material around the rotor is moved slightly in the direction of rotation but little mixing is achieved. Thus the material takes a considerable time to develop and different parts of the mixture may have different temperatures as, particularly with the mixture on the outside of the rotor, the mixing is not complete or rapid enough.

Method of and implement for mixing farinaceous material


The disclosure provides embodiments of a self-contained automatic battery charging system having a power printed circuit board (PCB) that enables inputting an alternating current (AC) power flow to the automatic battery charging system. A first switchmode converter converts an AC input power to a direct current (DC) power, thereby providing an active power factor correction. The first switchmode converter comprises an isolation transformer, which provides an electrical isolation between a primary circuitry and a secondary circuitry of the automatic battery charging system. A second switch mode converter regulates a system output voltage and limits a system output current to an electrical load. A DC output is connected to a battery, another electrical storage device, and/or a parallel-connected DC load to be powered. An optional accessory PCB electrically connects to the power PCB and provides features including a liquid crystal display (LCD), alarm output relay(s), and/or a controller area network bus (CANbus) interface. The automatic battery charging system can implement a battery-life-extension charging regime. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Generally, a battery charger is an electronic assembly comprising electrical, mechanical, and/or electronic components that together perform multiple functions associated with delivering electrical energy to a battery.
Battery charging is carried out in existing devices in several different ways, including linear dissipative voltage regulators, various types of thyristor regulators, and various types of switchmode regulators. Many existing (commercial) battery chargers are transformer type thyristor-controlled battery chargers that are larger and heavier than switchmode type battery chargers. Existing battery chargers including switchmode type battery chargers usually have a poor power factor (i.e., a ratio of real power flowing to the load to an apparent power in the circuit), and therefore draw more input current than necessary and have a non-sinusoidal AC input current.
Existing battery chargers may provide: reverse polarity protection; jumper selectable output voltage (e.g. twelve-volt or twenty-four volt charging); automatic charge cycles; temperature compensation; electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering; surge protection (protection from unwanted transient electrical energy coming from the AC power source attached to the battery charger); alarm relays; fuses for overcurrent protection on the AC input and the DC output; power factor correction; configuration of the charger via a digital interface; battery charging algorithms; electromagnetic emission control and immunity; alarm systems with low power consumption latching relays; and/or an LCD battery charger status display. However, many existing battery chargers have no reverse polarity protection, no thermal protection, no alarm relays, no text display, no digital communications interface, no microprocessor, no capability to select twelve volt and twenty-four volt operation in the same charger, no capability to charge a zero volt battery, etc.
Some existing battery chargers use mechanical adjustment devices such as potentiometers, dual in-line package (DIP) switches, pushbuttons, slide switches or other adjustment mechanisms that have a high risk of failure, intermittent functionality, or wear.
Some existing devices' "housekeeping power supplies," which power on-board control circuitry, are only supplied from DC battery power and therefore cannot function if a battery is not connected. As a result, some existing battery chargers may mistake a "zero-volt battery" (a battery which has never been charged or which has been deeply discharged and therefore has very low voltage across its battery terminals) for a short circuit and therefore will not initiate battery charging, and/or may be unable to operate due to lack of housekeeping power from the zero-volt battery.
In addition, certain types of battery applications are subject to regulatory mandates by the National Electric Code, the National Fire Protection Association, and Underwriter's Laboratories regarding when and how the batteries must be charged. Specifically, regulations require lead-acid starting, lighting, and ignition batteries (SLI batteries) that are used to start emergency generators or diesel fire pumps to be continually "float" charged, ensuring that the batteries are fully charged and ready for service at all times. The static battery chargers used to float charge SLI batteries also provide direct current to power accessory loads in the form of equipment such as, for example, electrical switchgear and/or the supervisory systems necessary for the generator or fire pump systems to function.
Traditional continuous float charging involves round-the-clock charging in which the battery charger alternately outputs two charging voltages to the SLI battery to be charged: a "float" voltage and a "boost" fast-recharge voltage. The float voltage is output approximately 99% of the time and is intended to maintain the battery in its fully charged state by replenishing charge at the same rate the battery self-discharges (e.g., up to approximately 13.3 to 13.8 volts for a 12-volt battery). The boost voltage is applied only intermittently and is intended to quickly charge a zero-volt battery that has never been charged or recharge an existing battery that has undergone a discharge event (e.g., approximately 15.5 volts for a 12-volt battery). The boost charge is employed only for the limited duration necessary to fully charge the battery, after which the output voltage from the charger returns to the float voltage pending the next discharge event.

Systems and methods for self-contained automatic battery charging and battery-life-extension charging

Stored Energy Systems, a Limited Liability Company


Errors in data retrieved from a storage medium are corrected by retrieving a plurality of data blocks and a plurality of redundancy blocks associated with the plurality of data blocks from the storage medium. One or more data blocks retrieved from the storage medium having errors are identified and removed. When the number of data blocks identified as having errors is less than the number of retrieved redundancy blocks, one or more excess redundancy blocks are removed, and one or more retained redundancy blocks are kept from the retrieved redundancy blocks. One or more new redundancy blocks are generated based on the retrieved data blocks. One or more residual blocks are generated based on the one or more new redundancy blocks and the one or more retained redundancy blocks. One or more data blocks identified as having errors are corrected using the generated one or more residual blocks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application generally relates to correcting data retrieved from a storage medium, and more particularly to using redundancy blocks to correct errors in data retrieved a storage medium.
2. Related Art
Data is stored in a storage device by writing the data to a storage medium in the storage device. The stored data can be later retrieved from the storage device by reading the data from the storage medium. However, for a number of reasons, an error may exist in the data retrieved from the storage device, meaning that the stored data cannot be retrieved or is different from the data originally stored on the storage medium. For example, a portion of the stored data on the storage medium may degenerate over time such that the portion of the stored data cannot be properly read at a later time.
In a conventional technique to correct such errors, a set of redundancy blocks is generated for the data and stored with the data in the storage medium. When the stored data is later retrieved and an error is detected, the redundancy blocks are used to correct the retrieved data. Typically all of the redundancy blocks in the set of redundancy blocks are used to correct the retrieved data regardless of the size of the error in the retrieved data. Accessing all of the redundancy blocks, however, consumes access time to the storage medium, increases the numbers of calculations that need to be performed, and increases correction time.


A roof system for a vehicle has forward and rearward roof windows. The forward roof window is opened and closed by means of a sliding roof member. The sliding roof member can slide beyond the rearward roof window when the forward roof window is open.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a roof system for a vehicle, and more particularly to a roof system for a vehicle which is provided with a plurality of roof windows.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain types of vehicles, such as wagons, are sometimes provided with a plurality of roof windows. For example, the roof system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-255222 is provided with a forward roof window and a rearward roof window. The forward roof window is provided with a forward sliding roof member which slides rearward and tilts up over the roof panel between the forward and rearward roof windows to open the forward roof window. The rearward roof window is provided with a rearward sliding roof member which slides rearward below the roof panel on the rear side of the rearward roof window.
Such a roof system is disadvantageous in that when the forward sliding roof member is in the rearward position or the open position, the forward sliding roof member partly covers the rearward roof window and lessens the feeling of openness for the rear seat passengers. This is because the forward sliding roof member is generally longer than the distance between the forward and rearward roof windows.


A capacitor-type pulse power apparatus for generating an electric current power pulse through an electrical load, comprises a charging power supply and at least one pulse power supply module. The pulse power supply module includes at least one capacitor for storing an electrical energy supplied by the charging power supply and a semiconductor switch assembly having an input coupled to the capacitor for allowing the stored electrical energy to be transferred from the capacitor to the electrical load. The semiconductor switch allows current reversal in order to extend duration of application of the electrical energy through the electrical load.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pulse power apparatuses in general and, more particularly, to a pulse power apparatus using a semiconductor switch assembly to pulse discharge an electrical current from a capacitor bank.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, pulse power apparatuses employ ignitrons, vacuum switches, spark-gap switches or thyratrons as switching devices. The switching devices currently used in the pulse power apparatuses offer little consistency, are high expense, need frequent maintainance, and are incapable of production level reliability. Moreover, thery are inadequate in meeting life requirements of components of the pulse power equipment.
Accordingly, it is the intent of this invention to overcome these shortcomings of the prior art.

Semiconductor switch assembly for pulse power apparatus


The present invention relates to an aqueous dispersion containing a silicon dioxide powder coated with cerium oxide. In addition, the present invention provides a method of producing an aqueous dispersion containing a silicon dioxide powder coated with cerium oxide and methods of using this aqueous dispersion for chemical-mechanical polishing.

The present application claims priority to German Application No. DE 102 04 471.6, filed on Feb. 5, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aqueous dispersion containing a silicon dioxide powder coated with cerium oxide. In addition, the present invention provides a method of producing an aqueous dispersion containing a silicon dioxide powder coated with cerium oxide and methods of using this aqueous dispersion for chemical-mechanical polishing.
2. Discussion of the Background
Cerium oxide dispersions obtained by calcining a cerium compound and subsequently grinding the oxides have been used for a long time for glass polishing. These dispersions typically have particle sizes of more than 1000 nm and large impurity contents. These dispersions are suitable for a coarse polishing of surfaces, but not for polishing of sensitive optical surfaces, semiconductor substrates, or integrated circuits (i.e., chemical-mechanical polishing, CMP).
Smaller cerium oxide particles may be obtained from a process, which has been denoted hydrothermal synthesis. In this process a cerium (III) salt is oxidatively converted, under the influence of temperature and pressure, to cerium oxide, which crystallizes out in the form of fine particles. The particle sizes of the cerium oxide obtained by this process are 80-100 nm (EP-A-947 469), 7-50 nm (U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,352), or less than 30 nm and greater than 60 nm (U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,780). A disadvantage of this method is that it requires the use of very dilute cerium (III) solutions as the starting material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,205 discloses mixtures of silicon dioxide and cerium oxide, which has been produced by hydrothermal synthesis. In the process disclosed in this reference, the cerium oxide must first by deagglomerated using a mill and subsequently the resultant cerium oxide dispersion is mixed with a silicon dioxide dispersions based on silica sol. The mixture can then be used for planarising silicon discs. The disadvantages associated with this process include the high complexity and costs for the production of the fine-particle dispersion. In addition, the deagglomeration of the cerium oxide by using a mill carries a risk of impurity transfer into the dispersion. Furthermore, it is readily appreciated in the art that silicon dioxide dispersion based on silica sol have a higher proportion of impurities than those based on silicon dioxide produced pyrogenically.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,272 discloses the activation of silicon dioxide particles by adsorption of a few percent by weight, preferably 2% by weight, of a cerium or zirconium oxide dispersion. The special feature of this process is that the activating effect is accomplished by grinding a silicon dioxide dispersion with a commercially available cerium or zirconium oxide dispersion. The resultant mixed dispersion behaves like pure cerium oxide dispersions in polishing of semi-conductor substrates with a high removal rate, but without leaving any scratches on the surface to be polished. This method has an advantage over other common methods in that the costs associated therewith are reduced and implementation is relatively simple. However, this method also harbors distinct disadvantages, which are described in detail in WO 00/17 282 A1, such as the production of a dispersion with a narrow particle size range and difficulties in achieving reproducible polishing results.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,992 discloses the production of a powder containing abrasive particles and aqueous dispersions produced therefrom. The abrasive particles consist of silicon dioxide or aluminum oxide and a coating of cerium oxide. In this reference, the abrasive particles have an average particle size of 2 xcexcm or less. However, based on this disclosure, it is unclear whether the stated particle size refers to the powder or the dispersion. For silicon dioxide particles coated with cerium oxide a particle size of 0.6 xcexcm is given in one example. The metal oxides come from either a sol-gel or a pyrogenic process. A disadvantage of the process employed in this reference is caking of the metal oxide particles, particularly those of pyrogenic origin, when being coated with a cerium compound. As such, this leads to the formation of hard aggregates that are difficult to disperse. In the dispersion, this can lead to a very broad particle size distribution and occasionally to the detachment of parts of the coating in the form of cerium oxide during dispersion. Accordingly, the dispersion obtained by the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,992 are non-uniform and, with the continuing miniaturization in the semi-conductor industry, accordingly are of only limited suitability for reproducible polishing of oxide surfaces.
Accordingly, there remains a critical need in the area of chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) for extraordinarily high activity of cerium oxide compared to silicon dioxide and other dielectric oxides.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aqueous dispersion containing cerium oxide, which is simple to produce, has only a small proportion of impurities and has a reproducibly adjustable particle size.
This object may be achieved by an aqueous dispersion containing a powder obtained from a core of doped, pyrogenically produced silicon dioxide with a low structure, by mixing, preferably spraying, with a cerium salt solution or suspension, forming a cerium oxide coating, wherein the powder does not exceed an average secondary particle size of 0.2 xcexcm in the dispersion.
The above objects highlight certain aspects of the invention. Additional objects, aspects and embodiments of the invention are found in the following detailed description of the invention.
Unless specifically defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a skilled artisan in the field of semi-conductors.
All methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, with suitable methods and materials being described herein. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. Further, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting, unless otherwise specified.
The present invention is based in part on the Inventor""s surprising discovery that an extraordinarily high activity cerium oxide possessing high removal rates and good selectivities, which are useful in chemical mechanical polishing can be achieved by employing an aqueous dispersion comprising a powder having an average secondary particle size of 0.2 xcexcm obtained by a process comprising mixing a core consisting of doped, pyrogenically produced silicon dioxide having a low structure with a cerium salt solution or suspension to form a cerium oxide shell.
xe2x80x9cAqueous dispersionxe2x80x9d as used herein means a dispersion in which the main component of the liquid phase is water.
xe2x80x9cA core consisting of a doped, pyrogenically produced silicon dioxidexe2x80x9d as used herein means a core in which the doping is introduced by means of an aerosol of a salt solution or suspension containing the doping component. For an example of the production of such cores the artisan is referred to DE-A-196 50 500.
xe2x80x9cLow structurexe2x80x9d as used herein means that the core consists of many individual spherical primary particles that are fused together only to a small extent. A measure of the low structure is the DBP absorption (dibutyl phthalate absorption). This is less than 100 g DBP/100 g powder, the term powder here referring to the doped core. It is also possible for the end point to be undetectable in the DBP absorption. In a pyrogenically produced, undoped silicon dioxide with the same BET surface area, in which the primary particles are more markedly fused together, the DBP absorption is generally more than 150 g DBP/100 g powder. For example, the commercially available, pyrogenically produced silicon dioxide OX 50, from Degussa AG, has a DBP absorption of 160 g DBP/100 g powder.
For the DBP absorption the force uptake or torque (in Nm) of the rotating blades of the DBP measuring instrument is measured upon addition of defined quantities of DBP, comparable to a titration. This method gives a sharply defined maximum for pyrogenic metal oxides (e.g. titanium dioxide or silicon dioxide) with a subsequent drop at a specific addition of DBP. For particles with a very low degree of fusing, it is also possible for the measuring instrument to be unable to detect an end point.
It is also possible to detect the low structure of the core by transmission electron micrographs.
Within the context of the present invention, cerium chloride, cerium nitrate, cerium acetate, cerium carbonate, cerium oxalate, cerium sulfate, ammonium cerium sulfate, or ammonium cerium nitrate may be used as the cerium salt solution or suspension.
As part of the present invention the coating may be applied by mixing, or preferably spraying, the aqueous and/or alcoholic slurry of the core with a cerium salt solution or suspension. The reaction mixture is subsequently dried and optionally calcined. Under the reaction conditions the cerium salt solution or suspension is converted to cerium oxide. The cerium oxide coating may be fully or partly formed.
The content of doping component in the core is between 10 ppm and 10 wt. %. The content of cerium oxide in the coated core is between 10 ppm and 65 wt. %.
The BET surface area of the powder is between 5 and 600 m2/g.
The average secondary particle size in the dispersion according to the invention is less than 0.2 xcexcm. The average secondary particle size may be determined by dynamic light scattering, or other well-recognized techniques.
Cores, the doping component of which is an alkali oxide or an aluminium oxide, can preferably be used.
The solids content of the dispersion according to the invention depends primarily on the intended use. For example, to save transport costs, a dispersion with the highest possible solids content is desirable. In contrast, for certain applications, such as for polishing, dispersions with low solids contents are used. Accordingly, a solids content of 0.1 to 70 wt. % is preferred within the present invention, and the range between 1 and 30 wt. % is particularly preferred.
Within the purview of the present invention, the dispersion may also contain additives selected from the group consisting of pH-regulating substances (such as acids, bases and/or buffer systems), oxidizing agents, oxidation activators, corrosion inhibitors, abrasives, and/or surface-active substance.
The pH of the dispersion according to the present invention may be between 3 and 11.
A pH increase may be affected by the addition of alkali hydroxides or amines. Ammonium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and tetramethylammonium hydroxide are particularly preferred.
By adding acids, the pH can be shifted into the acid range, i.e. to a pH of 3. Carboxylic acids of the general formula CnH2n+1CO2H, with n=0-6 or n=8, 10, 12, 14, 16, or dicarboxylic acids of the general formula HO2C(CH2)nCO2H, with n=0-4, or hydroxycarboxylic acids of the general formula R1R2C(OH)CO2H, with R1=H, R2=CH3, CH2CO2H, CH(OH)CO2H or glycolic acid, pyruvic acid, salicylic acid or mixtures of the above acids are preferably used for this purpose. Acetic acid, citric acid and salicylic acid are particularly preferred for this purpose.
The present invention also provides a process for the production of the dispersion described herein, where the powder is first pre-dispersed in an aqueous medium, optionally with the addition of additives, and the pre-dispersion is then dispersed, wherein the average secondary particle size in the dispersion is less than 0.2 xcexcm.
xe2x80x9cPre-dispersionxe2x80x9d as used herein means a dispersion with an average particle size of no more than 1 mm. High-speed mixers or toothed discs, for example, are suitable for pre-dispersing.
Rotor-stator machines, such as Ultra Turrax (IKA) or those from Ystral, are suitable for dispersing, as are ball mills and attrition mills.
Higher energy inputs are possible with a planetary kneader/mixer. However, the effectiveness of this system is linked to a sufficiently high viscosity of the mixture being worked to introduce the high shear energies required to break down the particles.
A high-pressure homogenizer can preferably be used to produce the dispersion according to the invention.
With high-pressure homogenizers, particularly fine-particle dispersions can be produced. In these devices, two pre-dispersed suspension streams under high pressure are depressurised using a nozzle. The two dispersion jets collide with each other exactly and the particles grind one another.
In another embodiment, the pre-dispersion is also placed under high pressure, but the particles collide with armored wall areas. The operation can be repeated as often as desired to obtain smaller particle sizes.
The invention also provides the use of the dispersion according to the present invention for the chemical-mechanical polishing of semi-conductor substrates or of layers applied thereon. In particular, the present invention provides a use of the dispersion for polishing of oxide and metallic layers, and in the shallow trench isolation process (STI process). In this process, after applying a silicon nitride layer, isolation structures are etched into the silicon layer of a wafer, the resulting grooves are then filled with silicon dioxide and excess silicon dioxide is removed by chemical-mechanical polishing.
It has thus been found that the powder obtained from doped, pyrogenically produced silicon dioxide particles with a low structure and a cerium salt solution or suspension can be reproducibly dispersed to secondary particle sizes of no more than 0.2 xcexcm in an aqueous medium without any cerium oxide being detached and without any coarse particles forming. Such a result is surprising, as for example a dispersion obtained in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,992 containing undoped silicon dioxide as the core cannot be reproducibly dispersed and cerium oxide becomes detached.
Having generally described this invention, a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples, which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

Aqueous dispersion containing cerium oxide-coated silicon powder, process for the production thereof and use thereof


A new method of RNA-PAP was developed that can directly amplify RNA template without additional treatment. RNA-PAP brings in a new mechanism for amplification of RNA template in which RNA-dependent DNA pyrophosphorolysis and RNA-dependent DNA polymerization are serially coupled using 3′ blocked primers. Due to this serial coupling, RNA-PAP has high selectivity against mismatches on the RNA template, providing highly specific amplification of RNA template. In addition, mutant polymerases were genetically engineered for higher efficiency of RNA-dependent DNA pyrophosphorolysis and RNA-dependent DNA polymerization.

The present invention relates to the field of molecular biology and particularly to methods for amplification of ribonucleic acid (RNA).
PAP Technology for Amplification of DNA Template
Pyrophosphorolysis activated polymerization is a method for nucleic acid amplification1 2 where pyrophosphorolysis and polymerization are serially coupled by DNA polymerase using 3′ blocked primers. A primer is blocked at the 3′ end with a non-extendable nucleotide (3′ blocker), such as a dideoxynucleotide, and cannot be directly extended by DNA polymerase. When the 3′ blocked primer anneals to its complementary DNA template, DNA polymerase can remove the 3′ blocker from the 3′ blocked primer in the presence of pyrophosphate, which reaction is called pyrophosphorolysis. The DNA polymerase can then extend the 3′ unblocked primer on the DNA template. In addition to references cited herein, PAP has been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,534,269, 7,033,763, 7,105,298, 7,238,480, 7,504,221, 7,914,995, and 7,919,253.
The serial coupling of pyrophosphorolysis and extension using the 3′ blocked primer in PAP results in an extremely high selectivity1 3 because a significant nonspecific amplification (Type II error) requires mismatch pyrophosphorolysis followed by mis-incorporation by the DNA polymerase, an event with a frequency estimated to be 3.3×10−11.
The bi-directional form of PAP (Bi-PAP) is especially suitable for allele-specific amplification that uses two opposing 3′ blocked primers with a single-nucleotide overlap at their 3′ ends3 4. Bi-PAP can detect one copy of a mutant allele in the presence of 109 copies of the wildtype DNA without false positive amplifications.
PAP was initially tested with Tfl and Taq polymerases using DNA template of the human dopamine D1 gene1, proving the principle that DNA-dependent DNA pyrophosphorolysis and DNA-dependent DNA polymerization can be serially coupled. The efficiency of PAP was greatly improved using TaqFS, a genetically engineered polymerase containing contain a F667Y mutation5, which were demonstrated using other DNA templates2 4 6.
However, no evidence has showed that PAP can work using RNA template, a long-felt but unsolved need. For PAP to work using RNA template, it is also required RNA-dependent DNA polymerization and RNA-dependent DNA pyrophosphorolysis which latter feasibility has not been demonstrated.
RNA-Dependent DNA Polymerization or Reverse Transcription Used in RT-PCR
The first step of RT-PCR is DNA polymerization or primer extension on RNA template that is catalyzed by RNA-dependent DNA polymerase or reverse transcriptase. Avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) and moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV) reverse transcriptases, two mesophilic retroviral transcriptases, are commonly used in this first step to convert the RNA template into its complimentary DNA (cDNA) product7 8. Native Taq, a thermophilic DNA polymerase, has measurable reverse transcriptase activity particularly in the presence of Mn2+ divalent ion9. rTth, another thermophilic DNA polymerase, shows over 100-fold greater reverse transcriptase activity than Taq even though they have significant amino acid sequence similarity10. Furthermore, Taq and rTth polymerases were also genetically engineered in order for higher reverse transcriptase activity11 12 13 14.
RNA-Dependent DNA Pyrophosphorolysis
Taq, Tfl, TaqFS, Pfu, and Vent polymerases can catalyze DNA-dependent DNA pyrophosphorolysis1 2 3 15. HIV and HCV reverse transcriptases were also reported to catalyze DNA-dependent DNA pyrophosphorolysis that removes 3′ dideoxynucleotide from DNA primer on synthetic DNA (rather than RNA) template16 17.
However, there was no report of RNA-dependent DNA pyrophosphorolysis of polymerase that removes 3′ deoxyribonucleotide or 3′ dideoxynucleotide or 3′ acyclonucleotide from a primer using RNA as template.
Advantages of the Invention
It is advantageous that RNA-PAP can direct amplify RNA template without additional treatment. In addition, RNA-PAP has high selectivity against mismatches on the RNA template, providing highly specific amplification of RNA template. Furthermore, we genetically engineered mutant polymerases for higher RNA-PAP efficiency.

Pyrophosphorolysis-activated polymerization (PAP) using ribonucleic acid (RNA) template


A system of increased safety when performing work using a ladder is described. The system includes a ladder bracket for temporarily attachment of a ladder to a structure to stabilize or secure the ladder. The bracket is easy to install and acts to limit or prevent slippage of the ladder laterally or away from the structure and generally promotes a greater margin of safety. In addition, the system includes a bracket for temporarily, yet securely, attaching a safety railing to a ladder. A guardrail carriage for securing a person to a rail via a tether is further provided.

Ladders are ubiquitous tools used in a wide variety of industrial and domestic environments. Ladders are important tools, for example, in the construction trades. One type of ladder does not stand alone but must be leaned against a wall or other structure in order to support a user. Ladders of this type include extension ladders. Alternately, some step ladders may be used in a stand alone mode, or may be folded and leaned against a wall during use.
To perform work on upper out-of-reach surfaces of structures, such as a roof, it is typical to position a ladder against or near the structure to gain access to work surfaces. Roofs of residential homes and other buildings are often inaccessible by stepladders or other means, requiring a ladder, such as an extension ladder, to be leaned against the side of the structure for a degree of support that allows the user to climb the ladder and gain access to upper portions of the structure.
Ladders that are leaned against a structure tend to shift from side to side (translate laterally). The ladder may translate laterally to such an extent that it falls to one side or the other or causes a person standing on the ladder to fall or work in an unsafe position. The base of the ladder may also slide away from the structure, ladder slippage, causing the ladder to fall. In some instances, such as when the base of the ladder is positioned too close to the structure and the ladder is in a too upright vertical position, a force may push the ladder away from the structure or a person or object on the ladder causes the center of gravity to pull the ladder away from the structure. When this occurs, the upper end of the ladder may move away from the structure, causing the ladder to fall away from the structure.
Of necessity, ladders are used on a variety of surfaces and in many instances the ground or surface on which they are used is uneven, sloped, stepped or in some way soft or unstable. Such conditions make the ladder prone to movement when a person stands on any of the higher rungs of the ladder, especially if the ground is soft or otherwise less stable than expected. In any event, even when used on stable level ground there is still an inherent risk of unwanted ladder movement, especially when used over longer reaches.
A simple, easy to use ladder security device is needed that can be firmly secured to a variety of structures and prevent excessive lateral motion of the ladder, ladder slippage, or ladder movement away from the structure. Such a device would significantly improve ladder safety. An ideal ladder stabilizer would not require attachment to the ladder side rails or rungs. Such a ladder stabilizer would be simple to install, without cumbersome moving parts. It should also be easy to manufacture, and relatively inexpensive.
A variety of attachments have been made to work with ladders. On of the more common attachments in the construction industry is the ladder jack and plank. When two ladder jacks are placed on two ladders placed some distance apart, and a plank (e.g., stretch plank or walk plank) is placed on the jacks, an elevated working surface on which a person can stand, similar to a scaffold, is created. This elevated platform would benefit from the addition of a safety railing system.

Ladder security bracket and safety system


A semiconductor circuit pattern includes an angled conductive pattern having a line portion and a pad portion at an end of the line portion extending normal to the line portion on a first side of the line portion. The pad portion has a width greater than a width of the line portion. A spacing has a first portion adjacent the first side of the pad portion, and a second portion adjacent a second side of the pad portion opposite the first side. The first portion of the spacing has a width greater than the width of the second portion of the spacing.

Semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) are produced by a plurality of processes in a wafer fabrication facility (fab). These processes, and associated fabrication tools, may include thermal oxidation, diffusion, ion implantation, rapid thermal processing (RTP), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), epitaxy, photolithography and etching.
In photolithography, light transfers a geometric pattern from a photo mask to a light-sensitive chemical photoresist on the substrate. The mask is created using a layout generated by an electronic design automation (EDA) tool. The EDA tool convert's a designer's gate level hardware design to a transistor level layout of geometric patterns on a plurality of layers. Each layer may be patterned by one or more masks.
At the smaller feature sizes of advanced technologies, diffraction effects become significant. The conventional diffraction-limited resolution is given by the Rayleigh criterion as 0.61λ/NA, where NA is the numerical aperture and λ is the wavelength of the illumination source. When the feature dimensions are below this size, diffraction causes rounding of corners and line-width differences between isolated pattern ("iso") and dense pattern regions. EDA tools apply optical proximity correction (OPC) to compensate for these diffraction effects. OPC may adjust the layout patterns by moving edges or adding extra polygons to the pattern written on the photomask. To keep run time at a reasonable length, OPC may be implemented using pre-computed look-up tables based on width and spacing between features.
Because of the nature of diffraction effects, a pattern in a dense region benefits less from a given OPC modification than the same pattern benefits from the same correction when located in an iso region. Thus, an EDA tool may configure dense and iso patterns on a photomask differently, in order to achieve the same line width in the final dense and iso patterns formed on the substrate.

Semiconductor device and method for making same

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


The present invention relates to drug discovery and development. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and composition useful for screening anti-cancer agents. In a specific embodiment, a method for screening candidate anti-cancer agents comprises the steps of (a) contacting a monolayer of reversible spheroid cancer cells with a candidate anti-cancer agent; and (b) measuring the response of the reversible spheroid cancer cells to the candidate anti-cancer agent.

Cancer-related high mortality rate and poor prognosis are often attributed to the aggressive phenotype known as metastasis. Although our understanding on the process of metastasis has significantly advanced in the recent past, the development of an effective therapeutic for metastasis remains elusive. Identification of a sensitive molecular target requires a detailed characterization of the regulatory networks of metastatic-cascade. This in turn relies on an ideal in vitro model that represents all the known properties of metastatic cancer. Current metastatic models rely to a great degree on in vivo methods such as intraperitoneal, intravenous or subcutaneous delivery of cancer cells followed by the investigation of tumorigenesis at distal organs. These methodologies are very useful to characterize the tumorigenic potential of cancer cells and the nature of microenvironment that facilitates tumor formation. However, these approaches circumvent or evade the key features of metastatic cascade such as invasion, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Due to the omission of such initial steps of metastatic cascade it is plausible that potential molecular targets that are critical for the metastatic phenotype may be missed.
On the other hand, in vitro models to mimic metastasis largely rely upon the "Boyden chamber" design, and several modifications of it, which demonstrate the invasion of cancer cells. Although the assay in general represents one of the salient features of metastasis, it relies heavily on local-invasion which doesn't depend on EMT and cancer-stemness/tumorigenic potential that are frequently witnessed in metastatic cells. A recent development in the creation of an in vitro system is the generation of three dimensional (3D) culture with the aid of extracellular matrix (ECM) or ECM-like materials that facilitate cellular aggregation and prevent attachment of cells to the adhesive-basement of the culture vessel. Such 3D cultures, also referred as multicellular spheroids (MCS), provide many advantages over the conventional 2D culture (monolayer). From the metastasis perspective, although, the 3D architecture mimics the in vivo tumor and has been known to possess cancer stem cell markers and the "potential" for metastasis, the manifestation of metastatic phenotype remains unclear. Recently, it has been demonstrated that human cancer cells in 3D-culture are more sensitive to doxorubicin (a clinically used anticancer drug) than its corresponding monolayer culture. This indicates that under experimental conditions the microenvironment of 3D culture could make cancer cells more sensitive than expected resistance. This could eventually mislead the identification of a fallacious compound as potential anticancer agent that may be less-effective under clinical conditions. Furthermore, potential concerns and technical issues related to the adhesion-complexes of 3D culture and their impact on the biology of cancer cells have also been reviewed. Thus there is a critical need for an ideal in vitro model that represents distinctive features of metastasis such as migration/invasion, chemoresistance and cancer stem cell-like potential.