A method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving system information in a wireless communication system are disclosed. A method for receiving system information of a wireless device wirelessly communicating with a base station (BS) and a terminal in a wireless communication system includes receiving system information change information from the base station (BS) through a dedicated time unit used for communication between the base station (BS) and the wireless device, and receiving system information from the base station (BS) through a different time unit from the dedicated time unit.

An Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) system will hereinafter be described with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an E-UTRAN structure. The E-UTRAN has evolved from a legacy UTRAN, and basic standardization thereof is now being conducted by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The E-UMTS system may also be called a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.
The E-UTRAN includes one or more "eNode B(s)" or "eNB(s)". The eNBs are connected through an X2 interface. Each eNB is connected to a User Equipment (UE) through a radio interface and is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) through an S1 interface.
The EPC may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving-Gateway (S-GW), and a Packet Data Network-Gateway (PDN-GW). The MME may include UE access information or UE capability information, and this information is generally adapted to manage UE mobility. The S-GW is a gateway in which the E-UTRAN is located at an end point, and the PDN-GW is a gateway in which a Packet Data Network (PDN) is located at an end point.
Radio interface protocol layers between the UE and the network are classified into a first layer (L1), a second layer (L2), and a third layer (L3) on the basis of three lower layers of an Open System Interconnection (OSI) reference model well known in the field of communication systems. The first layer (L1) provides an information transfer service using a physical channel. A radio resource control (RRC) layer located at the third layer (L3) controls radio resources between the UE and the network. For this operation, the RRC layer exchanges RRC messages between the UE and the network.
FIG. 2 illustrates a control plane of a radio interface protocol between a User Equipment (UE) and a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) according to the 3GPP wireless access network standard. FIG. 3 illustrates a user plane (U-Plane) of a radio interface protocol between a User Equipment (UE) and an E-UTRAN according to the 3GPP wireless access network standard.
A radio interface protocol includes a physical layer, a data link layer, and a network layer horizontally. Vertically, the radio interface protocol includes a user plane for transmitting data information and a control plane for transmitting a control signal (i.e., a signaling message). The protocol layers shown in FIG. 2 may be classified into a first layer (L1), a second layer (L2), and a third layer (L3) on the basis of the three lower layers of an Open System Interconnection (OSI) reference model well known in the field of communication systems. The UE and the E-UTRAN include a pair of such radio protocol layers, and are used to transmit data via an air interface.
A physical layer serving as the first layer (L1) transmits an information transfer service to an upper layer over a physical channel. The physical layer is connected to a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer serving as an upper layer over a transport channel. Data is transferred from the MAC layer to the physical layer or the transport channel, or is also transferred from the physical layer to the MAC layer. In addition, data is transferred between different physical layers over the physical channel. In other words, data is transferred from a transmitting physical layer to a receiving physical layer over the physical channel. The above-mentioned physical channel is modulated according to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme, so that the physical channel uses time and frequency information as radio resources.
The MAC layer of the second layer (L2) transmits services to a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer serving as an upper layer over a logical channel. The RLC layer of the second layer (L2) supports reliable data transmission.
The RLC layer function may be implemented as a functional block contained in the MAC layer. In this case, the RLC layer may not be present. A Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the second layer (L2) performs a header compression function to reduce the size of an IP packet header having relatively large and unnecessary control information in order to efficiently transmit IP packets such as IPv4 or IPv6 packets in a radio interval with a narrow bandwidth.
The radio resource control (RRC) layer located at the lowest of the third layer (L3) is defined on a control plane only. In association with configuration, re-configuration, and release of radio bearers (RBs), the RRC layer controls the logical channel, the transport channel, and the physical channels. In this case, the above radio bearer (RB) is provided from the second layer (L2) to perform data communication between the UE and the UTRAN. If an RRC connection is located between the RRC layer of the UE and the RRC layer of the radio network, the UE stays in an RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state. Otherwise, the UE stays in an RRC idle (RRC_IDEL) state.
There are a plurality of downlink transport channels for transmitting data from the network to the UE, for example, a broadcast channel (BCH) for transmitting system information, a paging channel (PCH) for transmitting paging messages, and a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) for transmitting user traffic or control messages. Traffic or control messages of a downlink multicast or a broadcast service (Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service: MBMS) may be transmitted over a downlink multicast channel (MCH). In the meantime, there are a plurality of uplink transport channels for transmitting data from the UE to the network, for example, a random access channel (RACH) for transmitting initial control messages, and an uplink shared channel for transmitting user traffic or control messages.
A plurality of logical channels are located above the transport channel, and are mapped to the transport channel. For example, the logical channels may be a broadcast channel (BCCH), a paging control channel (PCCH), a common control channel (CCCH), a multicast control channel (MCCH), and a multicast traffic channel (MTCH).
A physical channel includes a plurality of subframes on the time axis and a plurality of subcarriers on the frequency axis. Here, one subframe includes a plurality of symbols on the time axis. One subframe includes a plurality of resource blocks and one resource block includes a plurality of symbols and a plurality of subcarriers. Each subframe can use specific subcarriers of a specific symbol (e.g., a first symbol) of the subframe for a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) (i.e., an L1/L2 control channel). Each subframe has 0.5 ms. A Transmission Time Interval (TTI), which is a time unit during which data is transmitted, is 1 ms.
A detailed description will hereinafter be given of the RRC state and the RRC connection method, a UE's RRC state and its RRC connection method. The RRC state indicates whether a UE's RRC layer is logically connected to an E-UTRAN's RRC layer. If it is determined that the UE's RRC layer is logically connected to the E-UTRAN's RRC layer, this state is called an RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state. If the UE's RRC layer is not logically connected to the E-UTRAN's RRC layer, this state is called an RRC idle (RRC_IDLE) state. A UE in the RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state has an RRC connection, such that the E-UTRAN can recognize the presence of the corresponding UE in units of a cell. As a result, the UE can be effectively controlled. Otherwise, a UE in an RRC idle (RRC_IDLE) state cannot be recognized by the E-UTRAN, but is controlled by a core network (CN) in units of a tracking area larger than the cell. In other words, only the presence or absence of the above RRC-connected UE is recognized in units of a large region. If the RRC-connected UE desires to receive a general mobile communication service such as a voice or data service, the UE must enter the RRC connection state. Associated detailed description will hereinafter be described in detail.
If a user initially powers on his or her UE, the UE searches for an appropriate cell, and remains in an RRC_IDLE state in the searched cell. The UE in the RRC_IDLE state establishes an RRC connection in association with the E-UTRAN's RRC layer through an RRC connection procedure when it needs to establish the RRC connection, such that it is shifted to the RRC_CONNECTED state. The UE under the RRC_IDLE state must establish the RRC connection for a variety of reasons. For example, if uplink data transmission is needed when placing a call, or if a paging message is received from the E-UTRAN such that a response message to the paging message must be transmitted, the UE under the RRC_IDLE state needs to connect the RRC connection.
A Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer located above the RRC layer performs functions such as session management and mobility management.
In order to manage UE mobility, an EPS Mobility Management-REGISTERED (EMM-REGISTERED) state and an EMM-DEREGISTERED state are defined in the NAS layer. The EMM-REGISTERED state and the EMM-DEREGISTERED state are applied to a UE and a Mobility Management Entity (MME). The user equipment (UE) is initially in the EMM-DEREGISTERED state, and carries out an 'Initial Attach' procedure to access a network, thereby being registered in the corresponding network. If this 'Attach' procedure has been successfully carried out, the UE and the MME enter the EMM-REGISTERED state.
In order to manage a signaling connection between the UE and the EPC, an EPS Connection Management (ECM)-IDLE state and an ECM-CONNECTED state are defined. The above-mentioned states are applied to the UE and the MME. The UE in the ECM-IDLE state is in the ECM-CONNECTED state when establishing an RRC connection with an E-UTRAN. If the MME in the ECM-IDLE state makes an S1 connection with the E-UTRAN, it enters the ECM-CONNECTED state. If the UE is in the ECM-IDLE state, the E-UTRAN has no context information of the UE. Therefore, the UE in the ECM-IDLE state carries out a UE-based mobility procedure (e.g., cell selection or cell reselection) without receiving a command from the network. Otherwise, if the UE is in the ECM-CONNECTED state, UE mobility is managed by the network. If the UE is in the ECM-IDLE state and the UE's location recognized by the network changes to another UE location, the UE performs a Tracking Area Update procedure, such that it informs the network of the UE's location.
System information will hereinafter be described in detail. The system information includes requisite information that must be recognized by the UE that desires to access a base station (BS). Accordingly, the UE must receive all the system information before accessing the BS, and must always include the latest system information. In addition, the system information must be recognized by all UEs contained in one cell, such that the BS periodically transmits the system information.
The system information is classified into a master information block (MIB), a scheduling block (SB), a system information block (SIB), etc. The MIB includes physical configuration information (e.g., a bandwidth) of the corresponding cell. The SB includes transmission information such as a transmission period of each SIB. The SIB is an aggregate (or a set) of mutually-associated system information. For example, a certain SIB includes only information of a neighbor cell, and a certain SIB includes only information of an uplink radio channel used in the UE.
A base station (BS) transmits a paging message so as to inform the UE of the presence or absence of changed system information. In this case, the paging message includes a system information change indicator. The UE receives the paging message. If the received paging message includes a system information change indicator, the UE receives system information through a logical channel (e.g., a broadcast channel (BCCH)).
A relay will hereinafter be described in detail. The relay means a technology for mediating data between the UE and the BS. In more detail, if the UE is distant from the BS in the LTE system, since the UE has difficulty in easily communicating with the BS, the relay technology for solving this difficulty has been newly introduced to the LTE-A system. In order to perform such a relay function, a new network node called a relay node (RN) has been introduced between the UE and the BS, and the BS managing this relay node is referred to as a donor BS (also called a Donor eNodeB or DeNB). In addition, an interface between one RN that is newly generated by the RN and a donor BS is defined as a 'Un interface', such that this interface can be distinguished from a 'Uu interface' acting as an interface between a UE and a network node.
If the relay node (RB) provides a service to the UE through the Uu interface, the relay node (RN) can receive downlink (DL) data from the donor BS only through a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe so as to avoid interference. In this case, according to the conventional art, the donor BS can transmit system information of the donor BS to the relay node (RN) using the following two schemes. In accordance with a first one of the two schemes, the donor BS transmits system information for a relay node to one relay node (RN) through a dedicated RRC signaling. In accordance with a second scheme, the donor BS transmits system information for a relay node to the MBSFN subframe such that the system information can be utilized for a plurality of relay nodes (RNs). The first scheme has a disadvantage in that the donor BS has to transmit system information to each relay node (RN) when several relay nodes (RNs) are connected to the donor BS (donor eNB). The second scheme has a disadvantage in that the donor BS has to broadcast system information and system information for a relay node in different ways, such that duplicated system information is unavoidably broadcast.

Method and apparatus of transmitting and receiving system information in a wireless communication system


A security bag (10) comprises front and back portions (14) and (16) welded together and defining an opening (20). The back portion (16) includes a flap (16A) having a line of weakness (22). A void tape (24) is attached to the front portion (14) of the bag either directly or indirectly and the back portion (16) of the bag is provided with a strip (34) of non-contact adhesive positioned so that it can be overlaid by that part of the layer (24) which is not attached to the front portion (14).

Security bags of this type are useful for the transport and distribution of valuable items by mail or any other means. Also such bags can be used for the storage of valuable items.
Security for the above purpose or purposes are usually made from sheet plastics material such as polythene. Such bags can be made from a single continuous web of plastics material or two overlaid webs of material so that the bottom and side edges of the bag are closed, leaving a pocket having an opening enabling articles to be placed within the bag. The bag can have a protected graphics tape coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive on the body of the bag so that once the bag is sealed, access to the bag cannot take place without there being some evidence of tampering with the bag to extract the items within the bag.
However it may be possible to remove the protected graphics tape and open the bag without leaving any signs of tampering.


A receiver for digital broadcasting is provided that simultaneously receives a plurality of broadcast waves. When the receiver is powered on, a digital broadcast wave of a ground wave system having the smallest amount of interleaving that has been performed on transmission data is selected for reproduction. If the reception state of the above broadcast wave is not good or when a prescribed time has elapsed from the time the receiver is powered-on, a switch is made to a broadcast wave of the reception system that was selected when the power was last turned off.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-180921, filed on Jun. 16, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiver for digital broadcasting, and more particularly, to a receiver capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality of digital broadcast waves.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, when data is transmitted in a digital broadcasting system, the sending side encodes data for transmission with an error-correcting code, such as a Reed-Solomon code or a Trellis code, before the data is transmitted. By encoding data intended for digital broadcast transmission with an error correcting code, a receiver can perform error correction on the received data in events when errors occur during the transmission process. One type of error that often occurs is a random error. A random error is a loss of data within the data transmission stream of relatively short period. Random errors are usually caused by radio interference, such as atmospheric noise and/or when a signal fades.
However, relatively long periods of data loss called burst error also occur often within a transmitted data stream. When burst errors occur, it is often difficult for a receiver to perform error correction because the number of data bits lost may exceed the redundancy of an error-correcting code.
Data interleaving is one measure that has been proposed for digital broadcasting to reduce the occurrence of data loss due to burst error. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a data interleaving process that may be performed by the transmitting and receiving ends in a digital broadcast system. As shown in FIG. 1, an original data sequence 1 intended for reproduction includes a data sequence b0-b9 of a program. Before transmitting the data sequence 1 of the original program, the sending side changes the order of a data sequence according to a prescribed procedure (interleaving) to produce an interleaved data sequence 2. After receiving the data sequence 2, the reception side changes the order of the data sequence according to an opposite procedure (de-interleaving) so that the data is rearranged back into the order of the original data sequence 1.
Data sequence 3 illustrates a case when a burst error occurs during the transmission data sequence 2, resulting in a loss of a relatively long continuous period of data 3a-3c (respectively representing the loss of interleaved data b1, b4 and b7). However, a de-interleaving procedure performed on the reception side of the system distributes this continuous data loss portion 3a-3c over an entire data sequence, as shown by data sequence 4. In other words, the reception side can process a burst error consisting of a long period of data loss into several relatively short periods of data loss, i.e., the reception side""s de-interleaving converts the burst error 3a-3c into random errors 3A, 3B and 3C, as shown in data sequence 4. Thereafter, since the burst error 3a-3c is distributed as a plurality of short duration random errors, error-correction may be properly performed on the data sequence 4 by using error-correcting codes to restore the lost data to its original state (e.g., data sequence 1) shown by data sequence 5 for program reproduction.
The extent to which transmission data is interleaved correlates with ability for correction of errors that occur during transmission. By increasing the degree that the order of a transmission data sequence is changed, longer periods of burst error in the transmission data sequence may be processed for correction by an error-correcting procedure on the receiving end.
However, the reception side can perform de-interleaving only after receiving all of an interleaved data sequence. Consequently, when the amount of interleaving performed on transmission data is made larger, a corresponding delay increases between of a start of an actual program output as video and/or audio and the reception of the digital broadcast transmission data.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for a receiver for digital broadcasting that enables adequate error correction in a plurality of transmitted program data of a digital broadcast waves while allowing for minimal delay between reception of the waves and reproduction of the transmitted program.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a receiver for digital broadcasting that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
One aspect of the present invention is a receiver for digital broadcasting that can produce a reproduction output of a broadcast content early after a start of reception.
Another aspect of the present invention is a receiver for digital broadcasting that includes a plurality of receiving systems for respectively receiving a plurality of broadcast signals, and the receiver includes a memory that stores information relating to selection of at least one receiving system of the plurality of receiving systems in accordance with a reception state of the at least one receiving system.
Still another aspect of the present invention is a receiver for digital broadcasting that is capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality digital broadcasts waves carrying digital data that are different in the amount of interleaving performed on the digital data within each wave prior to transmission.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a receiver of digital broadcasting initially selects a digital broadcast wave among a plurality of received digital broadcast waves when a receiving operation is initiated, and the selected broadcast wave includes data that are not interleaved or have a relatively small amount of data interleaving among the plurality of digital broadcast waves.
In the present invention, when a plurality digital broadcast waves are of the same program, a user can experience a broadcast of a desired channel in a short time after the start of reception of the digital broadcast waves by the receiver. Therefore, the invention makes it possible to provide broadcast information quickly to a user, regardless of whether or not interleaving is performed on transmitted data received by each receiving system of the receiver and regardless whether the amounts of interleaving are different between the plurality of receiving systems of the receiver.
Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention, as claimed.


An optical system includes a light-guide optical element (LOE) (100) having a pair of parallel major external surfaces (102, 104) and a set of mutually-parallel reflector surfaces (106a, 106b, 106c) obliquely angled within the LOE. At least one of the reflector surfaces has high reflectivity for angles of incidence above 60 degrees to the normal and partial reflectivity for angles of incidence less than 35 degrees to the normal.

The present invention relates to optical systems for use in head-up displays and, in particular, it concerns an optical system employing a light-guide optical element (LOE) with partially-reflective internal surfaces.
Various displays, particularly head-up displays (HUD) and near-eye displays for augmented reality or virtual reality, employ light-guide optical elements (LOEs) having a pair of parallel major external surfaces to convey a collimated image which propagates within the LOE by internal reflection. The image is gradually coupled-out from the LOE, typically either directly towards the eye or into another LOE which conveys the image to the eye. In one class of such devices, coupling-out of the image from the LOE is achieved by a set of mutually-parallel partially-reflecting surfaces within the LOE, deployed obliquely relative to the major external surfaces of the LOE. The gradual coupling-out over a series of partially-reflecting surfaces achieves multiplication of the optical aperture that was coupled into the LOE.
Conventional LOEs impose stringent requirements on reflectivity of the partially-reflecting surfaces as a function of incident angle, typically requiring high transmission (near complete transmission) of image illumination at certain ranges of angles, and partial reflection at other angles relative to the plane of the facets. In practice, it is difficult to achieve near-complete transmission. One typical example is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1A and 1B in which an LOE 10 with parallel major surfaces 12, 14 includes a set of partially-reflecting surfaces 16 (also referred to interchangeably herein as "facets"). An exemplary ray of light 18, at an angle corresponding to a given pixel of the image generated from a given location in the input optical aperture (not shown), propagates along the LOE by internal reflection at surfaces 12 and 14.
In a typical application, the image illumination exemplified by ray 18 propagates at a steeper angle to the major surfaces 12, 14 than the angle of the partially-reflecting surfaces 16. As a result, each illumination ray 18 may cross a given facet 16 several times. For instance, in FIGS. 1A and 1B, as ray 18 propagates from left to right, it crosses the third facet three times, at locations denoted 1, 2 and 3, respectively. As a result, the light reflected and coupled-out from point 1 (denoted a in FIG. 1B) will be stronger than that reflected and coupled-out from point 3 (denoted b), resulting in a non-uniformity in the output image.
Additionally, it is typically required that the facet be transparent (no reflection) for ray 18 at the angle of incidence shown at location 2, since any reflection there (dotted arrow) will further decrease the brightness of propagating light reaching point 3, and will generate a "ghost" due to illumination propagating in the wrong direction, which may result in part of the image appearing misplaced in the final image. This requirement for full transparency (zero reflection) is difficult to achieve, and becomes increasingly difficult to fulfill as the angles of incidence (AOI) get larger.

Optical system including light-guide optical element with partially-reflective internal surfaces


To produce deep-drawn articles having various lengths by effecting forming and trimming without an increase in the production cast, a process comprises the steps of: a first step of press-forming a blank in the portions corresponding to both ends of a deep-drawn product having a desired length to form a semi-deep-drawn product in the form of a vessel having both ends deep-drawn to a vessel form and an unformed mid-length portion; and a second step of press-forming the unformed mid-length portion of the semi-deep-drawn product to complete a deep-drawn product in the form of a vessel. An apparatus for carrying out the process comprises: a first die assembly having dies and punches disposed facing each other and movable corresponding to both ends of a deep-drawn product, to form the semi-deep-drawn product having both ends deep-drawn to a vessel form and an unformed mid-length portion not deep-drawn; and a second die assembly with dies and punches disposed corresponding to the unformed portion, to press-form the unformed portion thereby completing a deep-drawn product.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process of press-forming deep-drawn products having different lengths and an apparatus for carrying out the process.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known press-forming process uses a die composed by combining unit block tools to produce deep-drawn products with arbitrary shapes. Specifically, a plurality of unit block tools having selected shapes are combined to form a punch, a die and a blank holder so that deep-drawn products having different shapes can be produced. This enables press-forming die assemblies having different shapes to be provided by combining a plurality of unit block tools, and thus, deep-drawn products having different lengths can be press-formed without an increase in the number of press-forming die assemblies.
The conventional art, however, has a problem that a die assembly of combined unit block tools cannot simultaneously effect press-forming and trimming, and therefore, the die assembly must be changed to produce a deep-drawn product having a different length when the press-forming process includes trimming as well as forming. Particularly, to produce deep-drawn products with different lengths varying at small pitches, a great number of die assemblies must be prepared accordingly, which requires a heavy die cost and much time for changing die assemblies, lowering the rate of operation, and thereby increasing the gross production cost.


A positioning system (10) for positioning a patient (101) for diagnostic imaging is provided. The system comprises a sensor arrangement (12) with at least one sensor (14, 16) configured to provide a sensor signal indicative of at least one body parameter of the patient (101), a controller (18) configured to determine a value of the at least one body parameter based on the sensor signal of the at least one sensor (14, 16), and at least one actuatable support (20) configured to move at least one of an arm (105) and a leg (107) of the patient with respect to a torso of the patient. Therein, the controller (18) is configured to actuate the at least one actuatable support (20) depending on the determined value of the at least one body parameter to move at least one of the arm and the leg relative to the torso of the patient, such that the patient is guided to a posture for diagnostic imaging.

In diagnostic imaging, the number of patients that can be handled by a single diagnostic imaging apparatus per day, which may also be referred to as patient throughput, may have a direct effect on costs of hospitals. For this reason, the patient throughput may be taken into account in the design of diagnostic imaging apparatuses and/or any other healthcare equipment.
For example, in diagnostic X-Ray imaging (DXR) the total time required per patient to acquire an X-ray image may be a relevant consideration for the design of an X-ray imaging apparatus. Therein, the time required may not only be influenced by the speed of the X-ray imaging apparatus itself, e.g. how long it takes to move the X-ray tube in position and/or how long it takes for a controller of the apparatus to process raw image data, but also by the time to position the patient in the correct posture, such as e.g. the time required to direct the patient to the right place in a room and/or to instruct the patient to adopt the correct posture, e.g. on the examination table and/or in front of the X-ray imaging apparatus. Usually, the patient is guided by a radiographer, an operator and/or nurse to the correct posture, which may take some time and hence affects the patient throughput.
In some cases, increasing the patient throughput may also allow better and/or safer interventions. For example, if a very high throughput for imaging is requested, such as e.g. up to 700 patients per day on an X-Ray imaging apparatus, radiographers may take several shortcuts in order to save time and reach such high throughput. One of those shortcuts may be to acquire X-Ray images at a maximal dose in order to obtain a high quality image without having to adapt, optimize and/or minimize the dose for each patient. Further, X-ray images may be acquired without collimating the X-ray beam, which may lead to body parts of the patient being unnecessarily exposed to radiation. Moreover, patients may queue closely together so the next patients in line may already be present in the imaging room while the X-ray image of another patient is being taken. Whilst these measures save time, they may have undesirable side-effects for the patients, as they may receive more dose than would be strictly necessary for a good quality X-ray image.
Apart from these general considerations, it is expected that due to air pollution in certain countries, the number of lung diseases in these countries may increase within the next twenty years. Accordingly, e.g. regular chest check-ups by means of X-ray imaging may become a common screening measure, comparable to breast cancer screening.

Patient positioning in diagnostic imaging


A sensor system for detecting particles within a fluid, the sensor system comprising: i) a gauge body having a working surface for receiving a particle containing fluid; ii) an impactor spaced apart from the working surface of the gauge body defining a spacing between the impactor and the working surface of the gauge body through which particle containing fluid can pass, wherein the sensor system is configured such that as the particle containing fluid passes through the spacing between the impactor and the working surface of the gauge body, particles disposed over the working surface are impacted by the impactor generating a signal which is dependent on one or both of the size and concentration of particles in the fluid; and iii) a sensor configured to detect the signal generated by the particles impacting the impactor and provide an output signal.

Zeolite catalysts can be used in the refining of crude oil. The majority of this material can be reclaimed and re-used in the refinery. The low-grade residual output from the refining process is routinely sold as marine fuel which contains some catalytic fines. As such, much of the heavy fuel oil burnt in the cylinders of large 2-stroke marine diesel engines is contaminated with hard particles (catalytic fines). Catalytic fines can include hard aluminium and silicon oxide particles that are normally present in such heavy fuel oil. The fines can comprise particles of spent aluminium and silicon catalyst that arise from the catalytic cracking process in the refinery. For refineries relying on catalytic cracking, catalytic fines are added to the crude oil to enhance low temperature fuel cracking. The fines can include complex alumino-silicates and, depending on the catalyst used, vary both in size and hardness. If not reduced by suitable treatment, the abrasive nature of these fines will damage the engine, particularly fuel pumps, injectors, piston rings and liners.
Hard particles, which find their way into the fuel at the oil refinery, can cause catastrophic abrasive damage to engine cylinder liners during the combustion process. This problem has been inadvertently exacerbated by changes to the regulation of marine air pollution because it has driven the use of cat-fine prone, low-sulphur fuel oils. As a means of self-preservation, vessels collect representative fuel samples during bunkering and then send them off for laboratory analysis. However, the test results often only become available once a ship has set sail and is far out to sea, by which time significant engine damage may already be in progress.
Catalytic fines tests have been developed to flag up heavy fuel oil samples that may be contaminated with dangerous levels of catalytic fines before the fuel has been pumped aboard a vessel. Tests are capable of identifying those fuel samples that have a catalytic fine concentration of >60 ppm (Al+Si) and which therefore exceed the limit recommended by ISO 8217:2012. This level, and indeed much lower levels, can be measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. However, this is a complex analysis carried out at a land-based laboratory. Such tests have been specifically designed to provide the crew of a vessel with a clear sail or don't sail indication with regard to fuel quality.
Once the fuel is on board, the catalytic fines content has to be reduced to a level around 10 to 15 ppm before it enters the engine as the catalytic fines are very abrasive and cause serious damage, even at very low concentrations. This is achieved using a combination of settling tanks, purifiers and filters. There is a need for a method, suitable for use on board, that can be used for checking the operation of this system. There are several products available including: Parker's Cat Fines Kit; NanoNord's Cat Guard; CMT's Cat Fines Tester; and Martechnic's Cat Fines Check. Information regarding these systems is available via the internet. Several currently available techniques for detecting particles in particle containing fluids are briefly discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,759,706 discloses a kit and method for monitoring the presence of catalyst fines in heavy fuel oil (HFO), including: (a) providing a sample of HFO; (b) mixing the HFO sample with a diluent composition comprising a non-polar solvent and with an aqueous reagent composition to provide a test sample, wherein the aqueous reagent composition comprises at least one water soluble inorganic salt and at least one water soluble base; (c) allowing phase separation to occur in the test sample to provide an aqueous phase and an organic phase; and (d) inspecting the aqueous phase of the test sample for the presence of catalyst fines.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,714,909 discloses a method of performing a quantitative and/or qualitative determination of catalytic fines in fuel oil and a system suitable for determining catalytic fines in an oil using the method. The method comprises determining aluminum using NMR and quantitatively and/or qualitatively determining the catalytic fines based on the aluminum determination. The system comprises an NMR spectrometer, a digital memory storing a calibration map comprising calibrating data for calibrating NMR spectra obtained by the NMR spectrometer and a computer programmed to analyze the NMR spectra obtained by the NMR spectrometer using the calibration map and performing at least one quantitative and/or qualitative catalytic fines determination.
EP 3121596 discloses a method for determining the content of catalyst fines in a sample of a heavy oil, in particular a fuel for marine engines, including the following steps: (a) a sample is taken from the heavy oil; (b) the sample is placed in a first vessel with a first reagent and intensively mixed; (c) a portion of the mixture of the first container is introduced into a second container comprising dilute hydrochloric acid reagent and mixed intensively with the hydrochloric acid; (d) from the second container, a portion of the content is removed; and (e) in a third container, the content of catalyst fines in the sample is determined by determining the strength of the resulting fluorescence radiation in UV light excitation, the fluorescence radiation being detected visually or by means of a photometer.
EP 2246698 discloses the use of ultrasonics to detect catalytic fines. The technique involves launching an ultrasonic pulse into a sample and detecting this pulse after it has travelled through the sample. The presence of catalytic fine particles effects the characteristics of the detected pulse.
US 2015/0191660 discloses a method for separating catalytic fines from an oil stream comprising the steps of: separating catalyst fines from an inlet oil stream in a centrifugal separator to generate a stream of purified oil; obtaining a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) response signal from an NMR apparatus related to the amount of catalyst fines in the purified oil stream and/or the inlet oil stream; and initiating the addition of, or increasing the amount of, a separation aid to the inlet oil stream when the NMR response signal indicates an increased amount of catalyst fines in the purified oil stream and/or the inlet oil stream, to increase the performance of separating catalyst fines from the oil stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,286,633 discloses a fuel analysis system and method wherein an x-ray source emits x-rays at an energy level below but proximate the absorption edge of sulfur. A monochromator is provided in the optical path between the source and a fuel sample for directing x-rays at a single energy level at the fuel sample to limit excitation of any sulfur in the fuel sample. A detector is responsive to x-rays emitted by the sample and an analyzer is responsive to the detector and configured to determine the amount of silicon and aluminum in the sample.
Bejger et al. (Scientific Journals of the Maritime University of Szczecin, 2015, 41 (113), 9-16) provide an analysis of tribological processes occurring in fuel injection pumps of marine diesel engines. It is indicated that issues concerning fuel injection pump diagnosis using acoustic emission signals are under study. Further publications indicate the use of acoustic emission signals to detect worn injectors including the use of acoustic emission to monitor the turbulent flow of fuel in the injector with the acoustic emission signature from the injector changing as it wears. Other documents also disclose the use of acoustic emission signals to detect lubrication problems in bearings and other lubricated mechanical components such as gears.
Despite the above, there is still a need to provide a sensor system and methodology which meets a number of criteria for detecting catalytic fines in marine fuel oil including:
high sensitivity to low levels of particulate contamination;
relatively inexpensive equipment;
simple to use; and
suitable for use on board ships.
There are no known currently available products that adequately meet all of these criteria. As such, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a sensor system and method which meets all of these criteria. It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a sensor system and method which is suitable for other applications which require the same or a similar set of performance characteristics for detecting particles within a fluid including applications which utilize Newtonian fluids (gases and liquids) and non-Newtonian fluids such as greases and the like.

Detecting particles in a particle containing fluid


Provided is a small molecule compound as represented by structural formula (I). The product of the present invention in various concentrations and dosages can achieve an obvious change in the growth period of hairs, promoting the growth of the hairs, thus exhibiting an obvious effect of promoting hair growth. In addition, changes in the weight of a mouse in each group are slow, indicating that the test compound does not cause weight loss in an animal.

Hair follicle (HF) is a miniorgan that repeats the course of perpetual cycles through three distinct phases, anagen (growth phase), catagen (regressing phase) and telogen (resting phase). During anagen, hair bulb keratinocytes (HBKs) proliferate and differentiate vigorously, leading to the growth extension of the hair shaft.
At present, it is reported that many biological factors play a role in regulation and synchronization of HF cycle. Those factors can be divided to different categories, such as hormone, growth factor, enzyme and transcription factors. Specifically, for example, studies using gene knockout or transgenic mice have indicated that sonic hedgehog and keratinocyte growth factor initiate the onset of anagen, while transforming growth factor-β, fibroblast growth factor-5 and nerve growth factor accelerate the transition from anagen to catagen by inducing HBK apoptosis. The HF cycle can be controlled finely by these factors under normal conditions.
However, studies indicate that, a variety of pathological stimuli induced by stress or excess androgen cause a disorder in HF cycle, including shortening of anagen duration and prolongation of telogen duration, resulting in hair shedding and so on.
To date, there are a few targeted drugs available in the market, especially two drugs approved by FDA: Minoxidil and Finasteride. Minoxidil is originally developed for hypertension. During treatment, it was found that almost all patients administered with Minoxidil showed symptoms of hirsutism. In 1996, 2% Minoxidil solution was approved as OTC drug for treating alopecia caused by androgen. Finasteride is currently the only drug approved by FDA for androgenetic alopecia in clinics, it is a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor and can inhibit activity of 5 alpha-reductase (type II), so that conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in hair is blocked, thus the level of DHT in hair baldness area is reduced (promoting hair growth).
Nevertheless, with the development of times, disorders associated with hair are prevalent. Therefore, there is a pressing need for further study in diversity and multiplicity of related drugs for disorders associated with hair.

Small molecule compound and synthesizing method and uses thereof


An herb storage assembly for storing herbs within a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance includes a chilled chamber and a dispensing assembly including a water supply port for selectively discharging a flow of water. The herb storage assembly includes a lower housing defining a water reservoir and a docking port mounted to the lower housing, the docking port being configured for engaging the water supply port to receive the flow of water into the water reservoir. An herb container is seated at least partially within the water reservoir and defines a storage volume for receiving and storing herbs.

Refrigerator appliances generally include a cabinet that defines a chilled chamber for receipt of food articles for storage. In addition, refrigerator appliances include one or more doors rotatably hinged to the cabinet to permit selective access to food items stored in chilled chamber(s). The refrigerator appliances can also include various storage components mounted within the chilled chamber and designed to facilitate storage of food items therein. Such storage components can include racks, bins, shelves, or drawers that receive food items and assist with organizing and arranging of such food items within the chilled chamber.
Perishable items, such as herbs or vegetables, are frequently stored in a chilled chamber of refrigerator appliances to preserve their freshness. However, such herbs are often precut from their stems, packaged, and sold for home storage and use. As a result, the shelf life of such herbs and vegetables is frequently limited as they are no longer supplied with the necessary water and nutrients to support their growth. These herbs and vegetables may thus have reduced flavor that cannot be fully extracted, or will otherwise wilt, die, or deteriorate. Notably, in addition to resulting in wasted food, these plants and herbs often give off a foul smell that is undesirable to consumers.
Accordingly, a refrigerator appliance with an improved herb storage system would be useful. More particularly, an herb storage assembly that is positioned within the chilled chamber of a refrigerator appliance and includes feature for facilitating improved hydration and an environment for improved freshness of herbs would be particularly beneficial.

Herb storage assembly for a refrigerator appliance


A button structure includes a pressing portion, and an accommodating portion connected to a side of the pressing portion. An accommodating space is formed inside the accommodating portion. The button structure further includes a protruding portion connected to a side of the accommodated portion for actuating a switch when the pressing portion is pressed, and a light guiding portion. An end of the light guiding portion is disposed above a light source, and the other end of the light guiding portion is disposed inside the accommodating space. The light guiding portion is for guiding light emitted from the light source to project on a bottom of the pressing portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a button structure and a related electronic device, and more particularly, to a button structure with light transmittance and a related electronic device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For visual aesthetics, an electronic device includes a conventional button structure with light transmittance so as to display different projecting images in different operating states. For example, a power button of a notebook computer does not display color when the notebook computer is shut down. When an electrical cable is electrically connected to a power source to transmit electricity to the notebook computer, the power button can display red light so as to represent information that the power is connected but the computer is not powered on. When the electrical cable is electrically connected to the power source and the notebook computer is powered on, the power button can display green light so as to represent information that the power source is connected and the computer is powered on.
However, the conventional button structure with light transmittance includes a pressing portion disposed above a switch on a base, so that the pressing portion is pressed for actuating the switch to output a control signal. Therefore, a light guiding component for guiding light emitted from a light source to project on the pressing portion can not be disposed right beneath the pressing portion. For example, the light guiding component is disposed on a lateral side of a rod connected with the pressing portion for actuating the switch. Because the light guiding component and the light source are not disposed right beneath the pressing portion, the light guiding component can not guide the light emitted from the light source to project on the pressing portion uniformly, which means a projecting image on the pressing portion includes a shadow of the rod. Thus, design a button structure with uniform light transmittance is an important issue in the button structural design.

Button structure with light transmittance and related electronic device


Methods, systems, and apparatus for scheduling first-in-first-out instructions are described. In one aspect, a method includes receiving data representing code of a program to be executed by a processing unit comprising hardware processors. For each of one or more of the hardware processors, an order of independent groups of first-in-first-out (FIFO) instructions for execution by the hardware processor is identified in the data representing the code of the program. For each independent group of FIFO instructions for execution by the hardware processor, a path length metric that represents how long it will take to reach an end of the program from the independent group of FIFO instructions is determined. A new order of the independent groups of FIFO instructions for execution by the hardware processor is generated based at least on the path length metric for each independent group of FIFO instructions for execution by the hardware processor.

Some processors, e.g., domain-specific processors, can include long latency, high throughput hardware units. For example, some processors can include systolic arrays to compute complex numerical workloads efficiently. A natural programming interface for such hardware units is first-in-first-out (FIFO) queues defined in the instruction set architecture (ISA) of the processor as there are instructions responsible for pushing data to these units and popping data out of the units. However, hardware FIFOs impose ordering constraints on instructions, and may keep extra state as configurations, making it difficult for compilers to optimize and schedule instructions efficiently.


This disclosure relates generally to data integration, and more specifically to artificial intelligence based data integration of entities post market consolidation. The method includes extracting, using one or more text mining models, metadata associated with at least one category of each of the participating entities of the deal, from data sources associated with the entities. The disclosed system dynamically configures an assessment for the at least one category based on the metadata by using a set of Natural Language Processing (NLP) rules. The assessment includes parameters associated with the data integration of the entities. Response to the assessment is obtained from users belonging to the entities. An artificial intelligence (AI) based processing model assigns a similarity score to the responses, where the similarity score is indicative of extent of match between distinct responses obtained from the entities. A recommendation engine recommends a data integration model based on the similarity score.

Due to rapid digitalization and adoption of Industry 4.0 principles, industries across various sectors are witnessing disruption. Such disruption has led to market consolidation and growth of newer business models. Merger and/or acquisition are an integral part of such newer growth plans in various industries across varied sectors. Once the respective parties (or entities) looking out for merger and/or acquisition realize synergies therebetween, they tend to get into merger and/or acquisition.
Pursuant to the decision of merger and/or acquisition by the respective parties, post-merger and/or acquisition (M&A) tasks require the parties to integrate complex set of business and technology activities during merging and/or acquisition to work in tandem and achieve the goal of integration.
The business integration post M&A is a challenging task due to various reasons. Examples of such challenges include, but are not limited to, lack of availability of the right people for knowledge transfer, knowledge gaps in understanding processes of the parties (or the companies), need for a common repository to handle all M&A related activities, need to reinvent the wheel with regard to integration scenarios, knowledge of older technologies and non-availability of a tool to track issues pertaining to the integration, and so on.
Conventional technologies available for M&A includes popular project planning systems that enables only tracking and controlling the execution plan of the M&A. However, post-merger and/or acquisition, integration is complex as it involves multiple activities including, but not limited to, strategy definition, integration management office and execution. Additionally, conventional M&A process is implemented using unsophisticated tools that do not offer required visibility, transparency, prescriptive analytics and reusable integration assets, and hence such systems are not scalable for the new age digital paradigm. Moreover, existing M&As techniques cannot be reused if there are acquisitions in the same domain or business due to information silos and diverse technology landscape. With available tools, transitioning and project management is manual, wherein the use of best practices encountered in previous integrations are very difficult to retrieve and recreate in current systems. Further, post M&A, the data and/or plans stored at data sources tend to lose authenticity when they change hands leading to a risk of data loss.

System and method for artificial intelligence based data integration of entities post market consolidation


Apparatus and a method for installing a sensor in connection with relatively movable members for sensing relative position thereof without adjustment, the sensor including a body mountable in a predetermined position on a first of the members, and a coupler being adjustably connectable to a second of the members and connectable in predetermined relation to an input of the sensor for coupling the input to the second member. The coupler is adjustably connectable to the second member in a predetermined relation to the first member such that when the input is connected to the coupler and the body is mounted in the predetermined position on the first member, the input and the body portion will be relatively positioned such that the sensor will provide a predetermined signal when the first and second members are in predetermined relative position.

Commonly, a sensor for sensing relative position of members require some adjustment of the sensor during installation. For instance, a sensor for sensing a rotational position or steering angle of a wheel and/or wheel hub assembly of a vehicle about a steering axis typically must be installed such that correct electrical outputs are produced when the wheel and/or hub assembly is in a center or straight ahead position and in a range of rotated or turned positions. Achieving this commonly entails a trial and error process wherein the sensor is mounted or installed, and then is adjusted, such as by applying a voltage input to the sensor and rotating it while in its mounted position and measuring voltage outputs, until an orientation is found wherein desired output or outputs are obtained. The sensor is then fixed in that orientation. Disadvantages of this process include the time and equipment required for the trial and error steps, and inconvenience due to the location of the sensor in connection with a steering system which is typically in a difficult to access location such as beneath the vehicle or in a steering assembly. If exposes, and adjustably mounted, the sensor can be jarred out of adjustment, and fasteners holding the sensor in an adjusted position can become loosened. Additionally, an extension such as a shaft or other member is commonly required to connect the sensor input to the relatively movable member to which it is to be connected, which can add another variable to the adjustment process. Reference in this regard, Lukac U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,471B1 issued Dec. 17, 2002 to New Holland North America, Inc., and Chino et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,182B1 issued Jul. 17, 2001 to Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho of Japan.
In a similar manner, when a linear sensor actuated by a lever must be installed such that a correct electrical output is produced when the lever is in a particular position, such as a center position, a trial and error adjustment process is typically also required.
Thus, what is sought is apparatus and a method for installing a sensor in connection with relatively movable members such as an axle assembly and a steerable wheel, which overcomes one or more of the disadvantages set forth above.

Apparatus and method for installing a sensor in connection with relatively movable members for sensing relative position thereof without adjustment


A fertility kit for performing self-insemination, comprising a package with three sets of sterilized disposable syringes and collection jars. Each fertility syringe comprises: an outer rigid tubular barrel and an inner plunger. The barrel comprises a curved distal end with a small circular distal opening, and a sealed proximal end, and an inner hollow tube housing the plunger. The barrel's proximal end also comprises two opposing circular members to fit a user's fingers; and a plunger flat end fitting in-between. The plunger distal end has a has a funnel-like shape that fits into the barrel curved end to push all the semen out while preventing a backflow. The collection jar comprises a sealable lid, and an inner surface comprising smooth seamless edges. Fresh or frozen, unwashed semen is deposited into the jar, pulled into the syringe, and administered cervically during a user's maximum monthly level of luteinizing hormone.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) requires delivery of washed sperm via a syringe through the cervix and directly into the vagina; while Intracervical Insemination (ICI) requires delivery of unwashed sperm only to the cervical opening. Methods and instruments for conducting IUI and ICI fertility treatments are well known in the art. IUI requires treatments within a clinical setting, to include taking oral and/or injectable fertility drugs, and the washing of sperm. Treatment costs on average about $895; but it can run up to $4000 depending on the clinic (Gurevich, R. What is Intrauterine Insemination, published Nov. 11, 2020 on website VeryWellFamily).
A 2018 study showed that during non-medically induced ovulation, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and Intracervical Insemination (ICI) have the same live birth rate (Kop, P. A., Mochtar, M. H., et al. (2018). "Intrauterine insemination versus intracervical insemination in donor sperm treatment" The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 1(1)).
ICI is a much less expensive treatment (e.g., the cost of the kit shipped to a user's home). The additional preparation of washing sperm, along with needing to be inside of a clinical setting, results in IUI being approximately 4 times the cost of IUI. Due to the high difference in cost, as well as the unsignificant difference in live birth rate, it's been suggested that over the initial three months, ICI should be the preferred initial treatment (Kop, P A L, et al. (2015) "Intrauterine insemination or intracervical insemination with cryopreserved donor sperm in the natural cycle: a cohort study", Human Reproduction, 30(3)).
Fertility syringes for both IUI and ICI methods are well known in the art; but most available syringes are generally intended for use within a medical setting by a clinician for IUI treatments. IUI syringes are generally thinner and longer than ICI syringes in order to extend through the cervix for direct delivery of sperm into the uterus. ICI syringes are generally round at the distal end to block the cervical opening to prevent the released sperm from traveling backward into the vagina. ICI syringes can be difficult to handle by users who are not medical professionals, e.g. pushing the plunger in with one hand while lying down.
ICI kits occasionally include a sperm collection jar in addition to the fertility syringe. Unfortunately, the jars normally comprise traditional round containers with inside seams or cracks where sperm can become trapped, thus reducing the amount that can be transferred to the syringe.
Current sterilized syringes are often not designed for insemination, while at home insemination syringes are not sterilized. Research on the vaginal microbiome and diagnoses of infertility have becoming increasingly present in the art. This research demonstrates the need for sterilized at home syringes, designed for intracervical insemination within the art to reduce likelihood of introducing infection. (Xu et al., (2020) "Fertility factors affect the vaginal microbiome in women of reproductive age" American J of Reproductive Immunology, 83(4); Garcia-Velasco, J, et al. (2020) "The reproductive microbiome-clinical practice recommendations for fertility specialists", RBMO, 41(3): 443-453; Garcia-Velasco, J, et al. (2017) "What fertility specialists should know about the vaginal microbiome: a review", RBM online, page 103-112; and Gupta, S, et al. (2019) "Crosstalk between Vaginal Microbiome and Female Health: A review", Microbial Pathogenesis, 136(103696): 1-10).
What is needed in the art of at-home ICI treatments, is sterilized disposable fertility syringes and sperm collection jars for use by non-medical professionals to significantly reduce the costs of treatment while increasing the efficacy in delivering the maximum amount of sperm to the user's cervix. At a minimum, the fertility syringes should be easy to use with one-hand; the collection jars should be seamless inside; and the syringe structure should be able to deliver all of the sperm to the target site while leaving a minimum amount in the syringe.

Fertility kits with syringes and collection jars, and method of use


A photomask for aberration measurement of the present invention comprises a substrate that allows exposure light to pass through, a plurality of aperture patterns for measurement that are formed on the top surface of substrate in a plurality of measurement pattern formation regions, a light blocking film that is formed in the measurement pattern formation regions on the rear surface of substrate and that has a rear surface aperture pattern for substantially differentiating the respective incident angles of the exposure light to plurality of aperture patterns for measurement and a plurality of reference patterns that is formed in a single, or in a plurality, of reference pattern formation region(s) on the top surface of substrate, wherein the rear surface of substrate in the reference pattern formation region(s) is formed so that the respective incident angles of the exposure light to plurality of reference patterns becomes the substantially the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photomask for aberration measurement, an aberration measurement method, a unit for aberration measurement and a manufacturing method for the unit.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years increases in integration and miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits have been remarkable. Together with that, miniaturization of circuit patterns formed on a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to simply as wafer) has made rapid progress.
In particular, photolithographic technology is widely recognized as a basic technology used for pattern formation. Accordingly, a variety of developments and improvements have recently been implemented. However, the miniaturization of patterns shows no sign of slowing down and demand for increase in pattern resolution has continued to increase.
This photolithographic technology is a technology wherein patterns on a photomask (original image) are transferred to a photoresist applied to a wafer and wherein the etched film, which is the layer beneath the photoresist, is patterned by using the transcription on the photoresist.
At the time of the transcription onto the photoresist, a development process is carried out on the photoresist in which the type of photoresist wherein the portion struck by light is removed through this development process is called a positive type photoresist while the type of photoresist wherein the portion that has not been struck by light is removed is called a negative type photoresist.
In general, the resolution limit R (nm) in the photolithographic technology using a scale down exposure method is represented as:
R=k1xc2x7xcex/(NA)
wherein xcex is the wavelength (nm) of the utilized light, NA is a numerical aperture in the projection optical system of the lenses and k1 is a constant that depends on the image formation condition and on the resist process.
As can be seen from the above equation, a method of reducing the values of k1 and xcex while increasing the value of NA may be adopted in order to achieve an increase in the resolution limit R, that is to say, in order to gain microscopic patterns. Namely, the constant that depends on the resist process is reduced while a shorter wavelength and a greater NA value are utilized.
Among these, it is technically difficult to shorten the wavelength of the light source and, therefore, it is required to increase the NA value for the same wavelength. The introduction of a greater NA value, however, makes the focal depth xcex4(xcex4=k2xc2x7xcex/(NA)2) of light shallow so that there is a problem wherein deterioration of form and of dimensional precision occurs in the formed patterns.
It is necessary to carry out a pattern design wherein the aberration of the projection lens, and the like, are taken into consideration in order to transcribe the patterns of the photomask to the photoresist with a high precision in the above described photolithographic technology. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to precisely measure the aberration of the projection lens, and the like.
As for a conventional method of measuring the aberration of the projection lens, there is a method shown in the following Reference 1.
Reference 1: H. Nomura et al., xe2x80x9cHigher order aberration measurement with printed patterns under extremely reduced "sgr" illuminationxe2x80x9d, Proc. SPIE Vol. 3679, (1999), pp. 358-367.
In this method aberration is measured by forming a pattern using a photomask as described in the following Reference 2. In the following, this measurement method is described.
Reference 2: H. Nomura et al., xe2x80x9cOverlay Error due to Lens Coma and Asymmetric Illumination Dependence on Pattern Featurexe2x80x9d, Proc. SPIE Vol. 3332, pp. 199-210.
FIGS. 17A, 17B and 17C are views showing the configurations of the pattern of the photomask that is used for the aberration measurement method described in the above reference and the pattern for aberration measurement. In addition, FIGS. 18A to 18F are schematic cross sectional views showing the formation method for the pattern for aberration measurement described in the above Reference 2 in process order.
Referring to FIG. 18A, first, a wafer 121 is prepared wherein a photoresist 121b is applied to a semiconductor substrate 121a.
Referring to FIG. 18B, the pattern of a photomask 105A, shown in FIG. 17A, is exposed to photoresist 121b of wafer 121. Through this first exposure, photoresist 121b is selectively exposed to light. Here, the portions of photoresist 121b that are exposed to light are shown as white areas while the portions that are not exposed to light are shown as diagonally hatched areas going from the upper left to the lower right.
Referring to FIG. 18C, the pattern of a photomask 105B, shown in FIG. 17B, is further exposed to photoresist 121b. Through this second exposure photoresist 121b is selectively exposed to light. Here, the portions of photoresist 121b that are not exposed to this exposure light are shown as diagonally hatched areas going from the upper right to the lower left. FIG. 18D is an enlarged view showing the region R1 while FIG. 18E is an enlarged view showing the region R2.
After this, photoresist 121b is developed and, then, only the regions (regions shown by cross hatching) that are not exposed to the exposure light through the first and second exposures remain so as to form resist pattern 121b as shown in FIG. 18F. This resist pattern 121b has a form as shown in FIG. 17C as represented in a plane manner.
Here, FIG. 18F corresponds to the cross sectional view along line XVIIIxe2x80x94XVIII of FIG. 17C.
Thus, only a portion of the line and space pattern (L/S pattern) is extracted by eliminating the portions other than the L/S pattern portion through a double exposure according to a conventional method. The relative movement amount between the extracted L/S pattern and the formed pattern of large dimensions is measured with respect to many L/S patterns of which the pitch and the direction differ so that an odd aberration is found from the change in the pitch of this movement amount.
In addition, an even aberration is found from change in the pitch and the direction of the optimal focus after finding the optimal focus from the range of the resolution focus with respect to a large number of L/S patterns of which the pitch and direction differ.
According to this method, however, it is necessary to carry out a very large number of measurements, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of Reference 1, in order to find the lens aberration in projection optical system and there is a problem wherein a great deal of labor and effort are required.
In addition, it is necessary to carry out the exposure by reducing the aperture size of the iris for the detection of the movement amount the optimal focus of the pattern, of which the pitch is large, and there is also a problem wherein a great deal of labor and effort are required for the exposure.
In addition, it is necessary to carry out the exposure by greatly reducing the aperture size of the iris in order to find the aberration in the vicinity of the center part of the iris and there is also a problem wherein this cannot be implemented by means of a commercially available exposure unit.
In addition, a large mask region becomes necessary since a large number of pattern types are used in order to carry out the measurement at a specific field point so that the inside of the field cannot be examined in detail. Concretely, there is a problem wherein the measurement can only be carried out to the degree wherein 8 mm is divided into three portions as shown in FIG. 3 of Reference 1.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a photomask for aberration measurement, an aberration measurement method, a unit for aberration measurement and a manufacturing method for the unit that can measure the aberration of a lens that requires little labor and that ramifies the inside of the field.
A photomask for aberration measurement of the present invention is a photomask for aberration measurement for measuring a lens aberration in the projection optical system of an exposure unit and is provided with a substrate, a plurality of measurement patterns, a light blocking film and a plurality of reference patterns. The substrate allows the exposure light to pass through and has a measurement pattern formation region and a reference pattern formation region. The plurality of measurement patterns are formed in the measurement pattern formation region on the top surface of the substrate. The light blocking film is formed in the measurement pattern formation region on the rear surface of the substrate and has an aperture pattern on the rear surface of the substrate for substantially differentiating the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters plurality of measurement patterns. The plurality of reference patterns are formed in the reference pattern formation region on the top surface of the substrate. The rear surface of the substrate in the reference pattern formation region is formed so that the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters the plurality of reference patterns become substantially equal.
According to the photomask for aberration measurement of the present invention, the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters the plurality of measurement patterns can be substantially differentiated by means of the aperture pattern on the rear surface of the photomask. Thereby, an image of each of the plurality of measurement patterns can be formed on the photosensitive material through light in the diagonal direction. The image of the measurement pattern that is formed through the incidence of light from the diagonal direction causes a positional shift on the surface of the photosensitive material in the case that there is an aberration in the projection lens. Therefore, the aberration of the projection lens can be measured by measuring the amount of positional shift of the transferred pattern that is formed by means of the image of this measurement pattern through the comparison of the transferred pattern with the reference pattern. Since the aberration of the projection lens can be simply measured in such a manner, measurement of the aberration requires less labor than in the prior art.
In addition, since the aberration can be measured for each of the measurement pattern formation regions, it is possible to measure the aberration with respect to a plurality of points within the field. Therefore, the distribution of the aberrations within the field can be comprehended in detail.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, xc2xd of the diameter of the aperture pattern on the rear surface of the photomask preferably satisfies sin(xcfx86)xe2x89xa6(NA/M)/5 wherein the scale down projection ratio is M, the numerical aperture is NA and the half angle of the angle of viewing the aperture pattern on the rear surface of the photomask from the point on the top surface of the substrate that is directly opposite to the center position of the aperture pattern on the rear surface of the photomask is xcfx86.
In the case that sin(xcfx86) exceeds (NA/M)/5 of the above description, the angle range xcfx86 of the illumination light becomes too wide so that it becomes difficult to detect the local characteristics of the iris.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, xc2xd of the dimension of each of the plurality of measurement patterns preferably satisfies sin(xcex6)xe2x89xa6(NA/M)/5 wherein the scale down projection ratio is M, the numerical aperture is NA and the half angle of the angle of viewing the above measurement pattern from the point on the rear surface of the substrate that is directly opposite to the center position of the measurement pattern is xcex6.
In the case that sin(xcex6) exceeds (NA/M)/5 of the above description, the dimension of the measurement pattern becomes too large so that the range of the iris that contributes to the image formation of the pattern becomes too large and the resolution within the iris in the phase difference measurement is lowered and the precision of the measurement of the aberration deteriorates.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, at least some of the plurality of measurement patterns are preferably positioned in the range of the viewing angle 2xcex1 that satisfies sin(xcex1)xe2x89xa6(NA/M)xc3x97"sgr" having the point on the top surface of the above substrate directly opposite to the center position of the aperture pattern on the rear surface of the photomask as the center wherein the scale down projection ratio is M, the numerical aperture is NA and the ratio of sine of the half angle of the spread angle of the illumination with which the rear surface of the mask is irradiated to sine of maximum incident angle of the conversion rays in the projection optical system, that is to say, NA is "sgr".
The portion within the above described range is illuminated from the aperture pattern on the rear surface of the photomask and, therefore, a measurement pattern can be illuminated in the case that this measurement pattern is positioned within this range.
The center position of each pattern of the plurality of reference patterns preferably has the same arrangement as the center position of each pattern of the plurality of measurement patterns in the above described photomask for aberration measurement.
Thereby, each of the plurality of reference patterns and each of the plurality of measurement patterns can be effectively overlapped through a shifted double exposure.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, a light blocking film preferably has apertures with a constant aperture ratio in the region of the rear surface of the substrate wherein the viewing angle xcex2 made as viewed from the top surface of the substrate satisfies sin(xcex2)xe2x89xa7(NA/M)xc3x97"sgr" having the point on the rear surface of the substrate that is directly opposite to an arbitrary point in the region wherein the plurality of reference patterns are arranged as the center point wherein the scale down projection ratio is M and the numerical aperture is NA.
Thereby, the photomask can be formed so that the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters the plurality of reference patterns become substantially equal.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, the aperture pattern formed in the measurement pattern formation region on the rear surface of the substrate for substantially differentiating the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters the plurality of measurement patterns is preferably circular.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, the external form of each of the plurality of measurement patterns is preferably square.
A box pattern can, thus, be used as the measurement pattern.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, the external form of each of the plurality of reference patterns is preferably square.
A box pattern can, thus, be used as the reference pattern.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, each of the plurality of measurement patterns is preferably arranged on the dot that forms a tetragonal lattice wherein the viewing angle xcex4 of xc2xd of the pitch P of the points that form the tetragonal lattice as viewed from the points on the rear surface side of the substrate that are directly opposite to the points that form the tetragonal lattice satisfies sin(xcex4)xe2x89xa6(NA/M)/5 wherein the scale down projection ratio is M and the numerical aperture is NA.
Thereby, plurality of aperture patterns 2a for measurement can be arranged in a concentrated manner so that it becomes possible to measure the phase distribution within the iris at a high resolution, that is to say, it becomes possible to measure the aberration with a high precision.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, the pitch P of the points that form the tetragonal lattice preferably satisfies P/Mxe2x89xa720 xcexcm wherein the scale down projection ratio is M.
In the case that P/M is smaller than 20 xcexcm, the overlap inspection unit cannot recognize the transferred patterns that correspond to two adjacent aperture patterns 2a for measurement as differing patterns.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, the dimension Ib1 of the square satisfies Ib1/Mxe2x89xa75 xcexcm wherein the scale down projection ratio is M.
In the case that the dimension Ib1 of the measurement pattern is small to the degree that the above condition is not satisfied, the overlap inspection unit cannot measure the transferred pattern of the measurement pattern.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, the dimension Ib2 of the square satisfies Ib2/Mxe2x89xa75 xcexcm wherein the scale down projection ratio is M.
In the case that the dimension Ib2 of the reference pattern is small to the degree that the above condition is not satisfied, the overlap inspection unit cannot measure the transferred pattern of the reference pattern.
In the above described photomask for aberration measurement, preferably, either one of the measurement pattern or the reference pattern corresponds to an inner box pattern of a box-in-box type mark while the other of the measurement pattern or the reference pattern corresponds to an outer box pattern.
Thereby, the amount of positional shift can be easily measured.
An aberration measurement method according to the present invention is provided with the step of transferring a plurality of measurement patterns of the above described photomask for aberration measurement onto a photosensitive material, the step of measuring the amount of positional shift of the transferred patterns and the step of calculating the inclination of the equiphase wave surface that is theoretically proportional to the amount of positional phase so as to find the wave aberration by using the information of the calculated inclination of the equiphase wave surface.
According to the aberration measurement method of the present invention, the respective incident angles of the exposure light to the plurality of measurement patterns can be made to differ substantially by means of an aperture patterns on the rear surface of the photomask. Thereby, an image of each of the plurality of measurement patterns can be formed by light in the diagonal direction relative to the photosensitive material. An image of a measurement pattern that is formed by light that enters from the diagonal direction is formed in a shifted position on the surface of the photosensitive material in the case that there is an aberration in the projection lens. Therefore, the amount of positional shift of the transferred pattern formed through the image formation of this measurement pattern can be measured in comparison with the transferred pattern of the reference pattern and, thereby, the aberration of the projection lens can be measured. The aberration of the projection lens can easily be measured in the above manner and, therefore, the aberration can be measured requiring less labor than in the prior art.
In addition, the aberration can be measured for each of the plurality of measurement pattern formation regions and, therefore, measurements of lens aberrations in a projection optical system are possible with respect to a large number of points within the field. Accordingly, the distribution of the lens aberration in the projection optical system can be found in detail within the field.
In the above described aberration measurement method, the step of measuring the amount of positional shift of the transferred pattern has the step of measuring the amount of mutual positional shift between the transferred pattern of the measurement pattern that has been transferred to the photosensitive material through either one of the first or second exposure and the transferred pattern of the reference pattern that has been transferred to the photosensitive material through the other of the first or second exposure by carrying out the second exposure with the photosensitive material being shifted relative to the photomask for aberration measurement after carrying out the first exposure by using the photomask for aberration measurement.
By carrying out a double exposure in such a manner, the amount of mutual positional shift between the transferred pattern of the measurement pattern and the transferred pattern of the reference pattern can be easily measured.
In the above described aberration measurement method, the step of measuring the amount of positional shift of the transferred pattern preferably has the step of measuring the amount of positional shift of the transferred pattern relative to the standard of a coordinate measurement unit by using the coordinate measurement unit.
Thereby, limitations of the form of the pattern for measuring the positional shift are reduced so that the freedom of formation design becomes high.
In the above described aberration measurement method, the coordinate measurement unit is preferably a projection exposure unit.
Thereby, the limitation of the formation of the pattern for measuring the positional shift is reduced so that the freedom of the formation design becomes high and it becomes unnecessary to separately prepare the coordination measurement unit.
In the above described aberration measurement method, preferably either one of the transferred pattern of the measurement pattern and the transferred pattern of the reference pattern is an inner box pattern of the box-in-box type mark while the other is an outer box pattern, wherein the amount of positional shift between the inner box pattern and the outer box pattern is measured by an overlap inspection unit.
Thereby, measurement of the amount of positional shift of overlapping becomes easy.
The above described aberration measurement method is preferably further provided with the steps of measuring the phase distribution within the iris of each focus when a plurality of measurement patterns are transferred to a photosensitive material with the focus being varied, of calculating the phase distribution within the iris at the time of defocusing with the standard of the phase distribution within the iris at the time of the optimal focus and of specifying the position of the iris center by finding the center of the paraboloid of revolution that represents the change of the phase distribution within the iris through defocusing.
Thereby, the positional shift between the aperture pattern on the rear surface of the photomask and the measurement pattern can be corrected so that a lens aberration measurement in the projection optical system with a high precision becomes possible.
A unit for aberration measurement of the present invention is a unit for aberration measurement that is provided with a photomask for aberration measurement for measuring a lens aberration in a projection optical system of an exposure unit, which is provided with a photomask for aberration measurement on which patterns are formed, an illumination optical system for irradiating the photomask for aberration measurement with exposure light and a projection optical system for projecting an image of the patterns of the photomask for aberration measurement onto a photosensitive material. The photomask for aberration measurement is provided with a substrate, plurality of measurement patterns, a light blocking film and a plurality of reference patterns. The plurality of measurement patterns is formed on the top surface of the substrate in a measurement pattern formation region. The light blocking film is formed on the rear surface of the substrate in a measurement pattern formation region and has a rear surface aperture pattern for substantially differentiating the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters the plurality of measurement patterns. The plurality of reference patterns is formed on the top surface of the substrate in a reference pattern formation region. The rear surface of the substrate in the reference pattern formation region is formed so that the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters the plurality of reference patterns become substantially the same.
According to the unit for aberration measurement of the present invention, the respective incident angles of the exposure light that enters each of the plurality of measurement patterns can be substantially differentiated by means of the rear surface aperture pattern. Thereby, an image of each of the plurality of measurement patterns can be formed by light in the diagonal direction relative to the photosensitive material. The image of the measurement pattern that is formed by light, which enters from the diagonal direction, is formed in a shifted position on the surface of the photosensitive material in the case that there is an aberration in the projection lens. Accordingly, the amount of positional shift of the transferred pattern formed through the image formation of this measurement pattern is measured as compared to the transferred pattern of the reference pattern and, thereby, the aberration of the projection lens can be measured. The aberration of the projection lens can be simply measured in such a manner and, therefore, the aberration can be measured with less labor than in the prior art.
In addition, since an aberration can be measured for each of the plurality of the measurement pattern regions, measurements of aberrations are possible at a large number of points within the field. Accordingly, the aberration distribution within the field can be found in detail.
A manufacturing method of a device according to the present invention uses the above described aberration measurement method.
Thereby, the distribution of the lens aberration within the field can be measured in detail while the measurement requires little labor and, therefore, the patterns that can be formed with a high precision can be known in advance so that the patterns of the device can be formed by exclusively using such patterns.
In the above described manufacturing method of a device, the device that is formed by using the aberration measurement method is a semiconductor device.
Though the above described manufacturing method of a device is suitable for the manufacture of devices (electronic devices) such as a thin film magnetic head or a liquid crystal display element, it is also suitable for the manufacture of a semiconductor device.

Photomask for aberration measurement, aberration measurement method unit for aberration measurement and manufacturing method for device


Systems and methods for jacking an aircraft structure using beams coupled to seat tracks attached to a floor beam grid structure. Mechanical load distribution plates can have offset lift pin location to allow a certain percentage of the load to be applied to specific seat tracks. Different quantities of seat tracks can be utilized per requirements. Attachment rails that interface with the seat tracks use the same hardware that is used to fasten aircraft seats to the seat tracks. This helps handle the load and prevent damage to the seat tracks. The jacking apparatus also includes load swivels and a hanger link to prevent any side or twisting loads from being applied.

This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for supporting an airplane in order to facilitate the repair or replacement of airplane parts.
Many existing shoring practices for repairing and/or replacing parts of an airplane require that support equipment such as body cradles be disposed against various portions of the airplane, and additionally require the use of support equipment comprising horizontal stabilizing units. This support equipment is used to support the airplane via the airplane's airframe structure in order keep the airplane off of the ground to facilitate maintenance tasks. In these existing shoring practices, the rigidity of the airplane is primarily dependent upon the airframe structure. For this reason, there is a limit to the amount of airframe structure that can be removed simultaneously. Exceeding these limits will result in deformation and overload of the airframe, which will render the airplane un-airworthy. Often, due to airplane constraints and/or loading limits, additional load bearing supports at other locations are not allowed. When lower fuselage skin panels are replaced, stabilizing beams are often extended through the airplane's windows to allow the cradles to be removed in order to gain access to the lower skin panels.
An apparatus and/or method for supporting an airplane should maintain the rigidity required to avoid overloading the remaining airframe structure, the required airframe alignment, and the structural integrity, strength, and airworthiness requirements. Typical jacking and shoring solutions include: 1) jacking from structural jack points manufactured on the airplane; 2) using contoured body cradles contacting and lifting on the lower portion of the fuselage; 3) installing window beams that interface with the structural window forgings that are common to most aircraft. Another solution is to support the airplane alignment via the airplane's floor structure. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,598 discloses a shoring apparatus (described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2) comprising a plurality of beams disposed underneath an airplane floor structure within the airplane, and one or more jacks supporting the beams.
Generally, if the airplane has sustained damage on the lower portion of the fuselage, the repair personnel must jack and support the airplane at an elevation above the location of the damage to be repaired. Traditional aircraft having fuselages not made of composite material have heavy, structural window forgings that surround each window interior. Each window forging is configured to mate with the airframe of the aircraft. It is known to pass a structural I-beam through the window and use a special nest block to transmit load to the window forging and support the aircraft there. The drawbacks of this technique are the fuselage skins then take the load, but for the most part, this method is sufficient. However, an airplane having a fuselage made of composite material (e.g., carbon fiber reinforced plastic) has no such window forging, and does not have the structural integrity to carry any type of jacking load through the skin from this location.
There is a continuing demand for improvements in systems and methods for supporting an airplane.

Method and apparatus for supporting an aircraft structure during repair