A refrigerant gas suction valve mechanism for a reciprocating piston type compressor is disclosed. The mechanism has a drive shaft rotatably disposed in a gas receiving chamber where uncompressed gas is introduced, Double- headed pistons provided in cylinder bores compress the gas when the pistons move from the bottom dead center to the top dead center. A suction port selectively permits and blocks communication between the suction passage and the compression chambers. A resilient member holds a rotary valve in contact with an inner wall of a recessed chamber with predetermined force. The suction port is maintained at a predetermined distance from a point where the pistons reach the top dead center so that the suction port is closed by the pistons before the pistons reach the top dead center.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerant gas suction structure in a piston type compressor, which has pistons retained in a plurality of cylinder bores arranged around a drive shaft so that the pistons reciprocate with the rotation of the drive shaft, and which is suitable for an air conditioner in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional piston type compressor (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-92587, for example), suction ports respectively arranged between compression chambers and suction chambers are opened and closed by flapper type valves. The refrigerant gas in each suction chamber is drawn into the associated compression chamber through the associated flapper type valve which is forced open during the suction stroke of the piston moving from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. In the discharge stroke where the pistons move from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, the flapper type valves are closed, closing the suction ports. The refrigerant gas in the compression chamber is discharged through the discharge port, pushing the discharge valve, into the associated discharge chamber.
The opening and closing of the flapper type valves are caused by the pressure differences between the compression chambers and the suction chambers. When the pressure in the suction chambers is higher than that in the compression chambers, which occurs during the suction stroke of the pistons moving from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, the flapper type valves are bent or elastically deformed to open the suction ports.
The deformation of the flapper type valves acts as an elastic resistance against the movement of the respective suction valves. Accordingly, the flapper type valves will not open unless the pressure in the suction chambers becomes higher by some degree than that in the compression chambers. That is, the opening of the flapper type valves is delayed. A lubricating oil is suspended in the refrigerant gas in order to lubricate the internal components of the compressor. Thus, the lubricating oil is carried with the refrigerant gas to the necessary internal portions of the compressor. The lubricating oil can enter wherever the refrigerant gas flows, and will stick on the contact faces between the suction ports and the flapper type valves closing the suction ports. The sticking lubricating oil increases the contact force between the contact faces and the flapper type valves, further delaying the beginning of the deformation of the flapper type valves. This deformation delay reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant gas from the suction chambers into the compression chambers, or reduces the volumetrio efficiency. Further, even when the flapper type valves are opened, the elastic resistance of the flapper type valves also acts as a resistance against the suction of the refrigerant gas, thus reducing the flow rate of the refrigerant gas.

Refrigerant gas guiding mechanism in piston type compressor

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho


A pyrotechnic self-consuming battery for emergency booster battery applications. Such a system can only be used once as the battery self-destructs but could be very useful for emergency starting of cars, trucks or airplanes. This invention allows for a system weighing approximately 1/50th that of existing systems with comparable significant reductions in volume. An essentially infinite shelf life also obtains with the invention.

Portable battery systems for emergency jump starts of motors are well known and seen in practically every service station.
Many variations on the theme of a portable battery for jump starting have been taught. For example, Chambers in U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,746 issued Sep. 21, 1982 teaches a portable jump starting battery which uses sliding plates to make contacts to the dead battery rather than cables.
Smith in U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,473 issued Jan. 8, 1991 teaches the placement of two motorcycle batteries in a polypropylene box. Smith observes that this system weighs only 18 pounds which is a significant improvement over the weight of conventional automobile battery of 58 pounds. This is still excessive weight for something to be permanently carried in an automobile for emergency use and, due to the self discharge of lead acid batteries, will have a very short shelf life. Thus, such a system is not suitable for an emergency or for charging in general. Braswel in U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,526 issued Jul. 9, 1991 teaches the use of a emergency battery with the electrolytic fluid stored separately from the plates. In emergency use the fluid would be emptied into the battery to allow the generation of current. The segregation of the electrolytic fluid from the battery plates allows the battery to have nearly infinite shelf life. However such a system still requires extremely high weight and has the difficulty of the dangerous fluid storage with a typical fluid being sulfuric acid. Dea et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,513 issued Dec. 31, 1991 teaches a cart with wheels to carry an emergency jump starting battery.
Arlinghaus in U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,197 issued Apr. 21, 1992 teaches the use of a small 2-volt battery to be placed in series with the primary battery. This is claimed to assist in car starting in that the higher voltage will spin the starter harder. Unfortunately this requires the mechanical work of removing at least one of the battery cables if this is to be used in a surprise emergency situation.
Kramer in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,848 issued in Apr. 28, 1992 teaches the use of a split battery design. In this system the normal operation of the vehicle only uses half of the battery while the other half is always left for reserve. Unfortunately, this means that there is a significant compromise made in the capabilities due to the fact that only half of the battery is available normally.
Tomantschger in U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,799 issued Mar. 16, 1993 teaches a booster battery assembly in which the electrolyte is again stored separately from a dry battery, similarly to Braswel.
Wells in U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,368 issued May 25, 1993 teaches a battery jumper system with spooled retractable cables.
Rozon in U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,292 issued Dec. 31, 1996 teaches a jump starting system in which protective holsters are used to lodge the connecting cables.
Prelec et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,185 issued Aug. 11, 1998 teaches a jump start system within which an internal rechargeable battery which may be either recharged from an AC or DC source.
In spite of the obvious need for a simple, small, reliable emergency jump start system which could be carried in, for example, a glove compartment, none have been taught. None of the systems listed above have appropriate technology for such a device.


An apparatus for transporting poultry bodies/parts has a transport saddle fastened to a transport unit. A holding apparatus fastens the saddle to the unit, and has a receptacle body for the unit and a fastening body for the saddle. The fastening body is releasably and rotatably connected to the body. The holding apparatus has a latching device to lock the fastening body and saddle, having a latching lever and two latching bolts. The lever on a main body of the receptacle body pivots from a locking position where the lever engaged the bolt into a release position where the lever is out of engagement with the bolt. A first actuating member actuates the lever from the locking into the release position and a second actuating member rotates the fastening body in the release position. First and second magnetic elements with unlike poles pull the lever into the locking position.

Such transport apparatuses are used in the food-processing industry for bringing products to be processed into engagement with different processing stations along the transport path. During processing, the products must be fixed in a defined position. In principle, each transport saddle is therefore in its locking position. This means that the latching lever is in engagement with the fastening body and thereby prevents the transport saddle from rotating. However, the products located on the transport saddle must in some cases be positioned in different orientations with respect to the processing stations for different processing steps. In order to bring the transport saddle, and thus the products or parts thereof saddled thereon, into a different position, on the one hand the locking must then be released and on the other hand the transport saddle has to be rotated. The actuating members are correspondingly arranged. Through contact of the actuating member for actuating the latching lever with the latching lever, the latching lever is pivoted about the pivot axis S out of engagement with the latching bolt located on the fastening body and into the release position. This release position is maintained until the downstream actuating member for rotating the fastening body is in engagement, or in operative connection, with the fastening body. Through transport of the conveyor unit along the transport path, the fastening body is rotated until the latching lever comes into engagement with the next latching bolt of the fastening body.
Such transport apparatuses are used in particular in semi-automatic or fully automatic breast cap filleting machines in order to bring the poultry carcasses or parts thereof to be processed into the optimal position relative to the processing stations arranged along the transport path. In the solutions known hitherto for releasing and fixing the latching levers, the latching lever of the latching device is spring-actuated. This means that a spring is arranged on the receptacle body, which spring in principle holds the latching lever in the locking position, wherein the spring is substantially relaxed in the locking position. This means that only a small force acts in the locking position. The spring pulls the latching lever, as it were, into the locking position, in which the latching lever is in a latching position with a latching bolt of the fastening body. The movement of the latching lever from the locking position into the release position then takes place against a constantly increasing spring force, when the latching lever, during transport along the transport path, strikes the actuating member for actuating the latching lever, whereby the latching lever pivots out of engagement with the latching bolt. This means that a large spring force acts in the release position. In the release position of the latching lever, the actuating member for rotating the fastening body comes into engagement with the fastening body, so that the fastening body is rotated as transport continues. When rotation of the fastening body is initiated by the actuating member for rotating, the actuating member for actuating the latching lever releases the latching lever again after a predetermined distance, so that the spring pulls the latching lever back in the direction towards the locking position. When the latching lever reaches the next latching position, the latching lever "snaps" into engagement with the next latching bolt for locking.
As mentioned, the highest spring force of the spring of the latching device acts in the release position, while the smallest spring force acts in the locking position. This has the result on the one hand that the locking position of the latching lever is not secure. In other words, the latching lever is held in the locking position only with a small force. On the other hand, the repeated movement of the latching lever from the latching position into the release position has the effect of encouraging wear owing to the force resistances, especially increasing force resistances, acting thereby, so that the working life of the springs is limited. Furthermore, a spring solution, or the associated spring, requires increased installation space and is difficult to clean owing to the uneven surface structure.
Accordingly, the object underlying the invention is to propose a transport apparatus having a latching device which is compact and easy to clean, which transport apparatus ensures reliable and low-wear positioning of the transport saddles and locking thereof in the locking position.

Transport device for transporting eviscerated poultry carcasses or parts thereof


The present invention relates to a core containing a drug encased in a spacing layer and a taste masking layer which provides effective taste masking for in-mouth disintegrable dosage forms containing highly objectionable tasting drugs, as well as dosage forms containing these cores.

The present invention relates to the fields of medicine and pharmacy and particularly to providing effective taste masked dosage forms which facilitate compliance by patients.
Patients who will not or cannot swallow, such as young children, the very elderly and patients with dysphagia constitute a significant challenge to the pharmaceutical industry. The industry has met that challenge by developing a number of drug delivery protocols, including rapid in-mouth disintegrating tablets, tablets which disintegrate in liquid prior to ingestion, liquids and syrups, gums and even transdermal patches. Unfortunately, each of these methods can pose their own problems.
Transdermal patches can be inconvenient or uncomfortable. They can also be quite expensive to produce. The flux of drug through the skin can also raise very complex dosing issues. Liquids are particularly useful for children. However, liquids can be inconvenient for adults and can be relatively expensive to formulate, package and transport. Tablets which can be dissolved in a liquid before ingestion can also be useful. However, they can also be quite inconvenient in that they require that a liquid and drinking container be provided. Time is required for disintegration or dissolution even when effervescent tablets are used. Finally, these materials can be quite a mess as they can leave a particulate and/or scum in the glass. In-mouth disintegrable dosage forms such as chewables and self disintegrating tablets offer great convenience. Self disintegrating tablets and/or chewables, however, present real taste masking problems as the act of chewing can disrupt protective coatings. They are of ten very soft, making it difficult and expensive to formulate, package and store. In addition, particularly as compared to tablets which are swallowed, taste masking can become a significant obstacle due to the length of exposure in the patient""s mouth.
Of course, there are a variety of ways of taste masking various drugs. These include the use of flavorings, sweeteners, effervescent systems and various coating strategies. But for certain drugs and in particular antibiotics, such as gatifloxacin, traditional taste masking has not proven sufficiently effective. In addition, some of these taste masking strategies cannot adapt well to the demands of rapidly dissolvable dosage forms and/or can be quite expensive.
Modified celluloses such as hydroxypropylmnethyl-cellulose (HPMC), ethylcelluloses and mixtures of such celluloses have been used to produce enteric coatings as well as coatings which can provide a controlled drug release. Controlled release means either an extended release or a rapid release in the small intestine. Such coatings have also be used in taste masking. For many drugs they are acceptable not only for taste masking but also for providing a desired release. However, such coatings were found to be ineffective when it came toe orally disintegrating tablets containing gatifloxacin. Without wishing to be bound by a particular theory of operation, it is believed that, when exposed to saliva in the mouth during the disintegration of the tablet, at least a portion of the coating dissolves or swells, thereby exposing the offending drug to the patient""s taste buds. Another product, Eudragit E100 which is a mixture of methylaminoethyl methacrylate and neutral methacrylic acid ester has also been known for use in taste masking, particularly in combination with celluloses such as a cellulose esters. However, these mixtures, as well as Eudragit E100 alone, were found to be ineffective in providing taste asking when using certain objectionable tasting drugs. Therefore there still remains a need for effective taste masking strategies, particularly for use with aggressively bad tasting drugs, which lend themselves to in-mouth rapidly dissolving dosage forms.
The present invention relates to the discovery of a coating system useful for completely taste masking objectionable tasting drugs. In a preferred embodiment, the taste masking is accomplished without significantly altering the release and availability of the drug.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a taste masked formulation which includes a taste masked formulation which rapidly releases in the stomach of a patient comprising:
A drug containing core;
A taste masking layer composed of a material which is generally insoluble in saliva at a neutral to basic pH and completely soluble in saliva at a pH of less than about 6.5; and
A spacing layer surrounding said core and substantially completely sequestering said core from said taste masking layer; said taste masking layer preventing exposure of said spacing layer in the mouth of a patient for a period of at least about 20 seconds after being placed into the mouth.
The taste masking layer must be capable of rapidly exposing the spacing layer when the formulation reaches the patient""s stomach. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the taste masked formulation is a rapid release formulation capable of rapidly exposing the contents of the core when introduced to the patient""s stomach.
Merely applying thicker layers of coating materials can be an ineffective method of taste masking certain objectionable drugs. Thick coatings can cause problems both in terms of size and cost. They can also raise problems in that they may interfere with the desired release profile of the drug. It has been found, however, that by coordinating the right types of coating materials, it is possible to completely mask the taste of particularly objectionable drugs while, at the same time, not adversely affecting the intended drug release profile. This is particularly critical in the context of rapid release dosage forms. By xe2x80x9crapid release,xe2x80x9d it is understood that the taste masking system should provide little or no interference with the solubility and bioavailability of the drug when compared to the same drug administered in, for example, elixir or solution form.
The use of a spacing layer in combination with a taste masking layer has been found to be particularly effective. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that drugs, even granulated formulations, can interfere with taste masking coatings. Fines, abrasions, variable coating thickness and the like can all lead to situations where the taste mask coating is compromised. With certain aggressively bad tasting drugs, even a little exposure is too much. This is particularly problematic where the taste mask coating used is one which is designed to dissolve rapidly at acidic pHs. When such coatings are held in the mouth of a patient during the tablet""s disintegration, a neutral to slightly acidic pH can sufficiently undermine taste masking so as to expose the patient to objectionable tasting drugs. Using a spacing layer to substantially sequester the drug from the taste masking layer helps reduce or eliminate such coating imperfections. It also acts to delay contact between the drug and the taste buds of a patient upon partial or total failure of the taste masking layer in the patient""s mouth. There is also provided a dosage form which includes a dosage form intended for direct oral administration, comprising: an effective amount of at least one drug, said drug present in the cores of coated particles, said cores including a taste masking layer composed of a material which is generally insoluble in saliva at a neutral to basic pH and completely soluble in saliva at a pH of less than about 6.5 and a spacing layer surrounding said core and substantially completely sequestering said core from said taste masking layer; said taste masking layer preventing exposure of said spacing layer in the mouth of a patient for a period of at least about 20 seconds after being placed into the mouth; and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient provided in an amount of between greater than zero and about 100%, based on the weight of the finished dosage form.

Taste masking rapid release coating system


A patient discharge system and method for self-care of a post-surgical drain site by a patient are revealed. The system contains apparatus for at least one dressing change and includes non-latex gloves, measuring cups, gauze pads, adhesive tape remover pads, a pencil, antibacterial soap, tape, belt bags, numbered drain labels, split gauze pads with foam support bars, drainage record cards, a set of step-by-step instructions and a box having a ruler on an inside of the box top. The system includes one set of step-by-step instructions for a medical professional to instruct a patient in the use of the patient discharge system. A copy of the step-by-step instructions is included for acknowledgment by the user and retained by the medical professional for medical records.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention generally relates to a patient discharge system and method for self-care of a post surgery drain, and in particular to a method and apparatus for the post-surgical drain care of an operative site by a patient or health care provider.
Surgery may be necessary for many reasons. Surgery may offer a patient the only chance of survival in an emergency or slow down the rate of a progressive disease, such as cancer. Surgery may also be performed to improve the quality of a patient""s life, as in a total hip replacement. It may be done to improve a patient cosmetically. Surgery may also be performed as a diagnostic aid, for instance, the removal of a mole or enlarged gland to test for malignancy. It may be performed to remove some obstruction or disturbance of normal bodily function, such as a gall bladder containing stones. Many other types of surgeries are preformed on a regular basis.
When a surgical operation is complete, the surgeon closes the incision. In general, the surgeon stitches the underlying tissues with sutures that are eventually absorbed by the body tissues and uses a similar type of material to sew the layer of connective tissue beneath the skin. Finally, the surgeon joins the edges of the skin together. This is done with either non-absorbable thread stitches or staples.
If the incision is in an area under a great deal of pressure, for example, a large abdominal incision, the surgeon may insert large-tension stitches to support the skin stitches, particularly if the patient has a chest problem and may strain the incision by coughing. Clips tend to mark the skin less than stitches, but generally cannot be used if the area of the incision is under great tension.
It is sometimes necessary to leave a drain in or near the incision to allow blood and other secretions to escape, either into the dressing or into a suitable container. The drain is either a tube or a piece of plastic or rubber. This is normal procedure following an operation such as a cholecystectomy.
In modern post-operative care, every effort is made to have the patient out of bed and moving around as soon as possible. After most operations, it is possible to return home before the stitches are removed. A patient is usually advised of what activities are allowed and is provided with general instructions to follow. However, there is no specific method or system which provide patients with detailed instructions and apparatus for post-surgical drain care. Thus, there is a need for a method and system for the post-surgical drain care of an operative site by a patient or health care provider in the patient""s home.
The present invention provides a patient discharge system or apparatus and method for self-care of a post-surgical drain site by a patient. The system contains apparatus for at least one dressing change and comprises: (I) at least one pair of non-latex gloves; (II) at least one measuring cup; (III) at least one gauze pad; (IV) at least one adhesive tape remover pad; (V) at least one pencil; (VI) antibacterial soap; (VI) at least one piece of tape; (VII) at least one belt bag; (IX) at least one numbered drain label; (X) at least one split gauze pad with foam support bar; (XI) at least one drainage record card; (XII) at least one set of step-by-step instructions; and (XIII) a container with a ruler, where the above-named items are positioned inside the container.
In preferred embodiments of the system, the system contains sufficient apparatus for 30 dressing changes, the antibacterial soap is in liquid form, the tape is in a roll and is Micropore(trademark) tape, the measuring cup is calibrated, and the step-by-step instructions, the numbered drain label and the drainage record card are written in English, but other languages such as Spanish are contemplated. It is also contemplated that one preferred embodiment of the system includes a contents map identifying the contents and their positions.
In a more preferred embodiment of the system, the system includes apparatus for at least 30 dressing changes as provided above and comprises: (I) 20 pairs of non-latex gloves; (II) 30 calibrated measuring cups; (Ill) 30 gauze pads; (IV) 30 adhesive tape remover pads; (V) a pencil; (VI) antibacterial liquid soap; (VII) a roll of Micropore(trademark) tape; (VIII) 4 belt bags; (IX) 4 numbered drain labels; (X) 30 split gauze pads with foam support bars; (XI) 4 drainage record cards; (XII) a contents map; (XIII) a set of step-by-step instructions; and (XIV) a box having a box top with a ruler on an inside of the box top, wherein above-named items are positioned inside the box. If a waste bag is included in the system, the preferred embodiment also includes (XV) 15 plastic waste bags, otherwise waste bags may be provided by the user.
The method for self-care of a post-surgical drain site by a patient comprises changing a dressing of a post-surgical drain site with the apparatus in the system of the present invention in accordance with the detailed instructions in the system of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the method which is discussed in further detail below generally includes: (I) preparing for self-care; (II) draining the incision; (III) removing the old dressing; and (IV) replacing the dressing.
The present invention also includes a method for instructing or educating a user in self-care of a post-surgery drain site using the patient discharge system of the present invention. This patient education system includes a set of step-by-step instructions used by an instructor to train a user in caring for a post-surgery drain site, preferably using the system and a copy of the instructions or self-care documentation of the system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a patient discharge system and method for self-care of a post-surgery drain.
It is a further object to provide detailed instructions for post surgery self-care using the contents of a self-care a patient discharge system.
An additional object is to provide detailed instructions to be used by a medical professional in instructing users in the use of the self-care a patient discharge system.

Patient discharge system and method for self-care of a post-surgery drain


A pre-buffer level shifter and an I/O buffer apparatus are provided. The pre-buffer level shifter includes a switchable current source, a current mirror, a buffer unit, a first clamping circuit and a second clamping circuit. Because of a clamping circuit inside a thin oxide MOS transistor device of the pre-buffer level shifter, the present invention can control the voltage swing of the signal for driving an output buffer within a suitable voltage range. Thus, the pre-buffer level shifter can correctly drive the output buffer made of thin oxide MOS transistor devices, increase the operating speed and ensure the reliability thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an I/O (input/output) buffer apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an I/O buffer apparatus having a high-speed pre-buffer level shifter.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the continuous increase in the level of integration of integrated circuits and the speed of operation of the devices, the operating voltage of the core blocks within the integrated circuit continues to decrease. Therefore, the integrated circuits must deploy a suitable I/O (input/output) buffer apparatus for receiving signal from and transmitting signal to an external circuit at a corresponding level.
FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a conventional integrated circuit. As shown in FIG. 1A, the core block 110 of the integrated circuit receives signal from and transmit signal to an external circuit (not shown) through a plurality of I/O buffer apparatuses (represented by the I/O buffer apparatuses 130 and 150) and each corresponding pad (represented by the pad 140). The operating voltage of the core block 110 is VCCK. Hence, when the core block 110 needs to transmit signals to an external circuit through the pad 140, a level exchange must be executed using the I/O buffer apparatus 130 having an operating voltage of VDD. Similarly, when the core block 110 needs to receive signals from an external circuit through the pad 140, a level exchange must be executed using the I/O buffer apparatus 150.
FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing in more detail the I/O buffer apparatus 130 in FIG. 1A. The I/O buffer apparatus 130 as shown in FIG. 1B mainly comprises a level shifter 131, a pre-buffer 132 and an output buffer 133. In general, the output port power voltage VDD has a level greater than the core voltage VCCK. Thus, there is a need to perform a level conversion of the signal DATA output from the core block 110 using the level shifter 131. The pre-buffer 132 and the output buffer 133 are responsible for transmitting the output from the level shifter 131 to the pad 140.
Due to the need to drive a higher voltage external circuit, the output buffer 133 is often designed to operate at a high voltage environment. To withstand a higher operating voltage, thick oxide metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor devices are frequently used to fabricate the output buffer 133. Under the same driving capacity, a thick oxide MOS transistor device will occupy an area larger than a thin oxide MOS transistor device occupies. In other words, the parasitic capacitance value of a thick oxide MOS transistor device is greater than that of a thin oxide MOS transistor device. As a result, the output loading of the pre-buffer 132 will increase and the operating speed of the I/O buffer apparatus 130 can not be sped up. Furthermore, some conventional pre-buffer 132 uses thick oxide MOS transistor devices that the driving capability may be reduced, resulting in slowdown of the operating speed of the I/O buffer apparatus 130. In recent years, a great number of publications (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,716) have disclosed various methods for improving the aforementioned drawbacks in the conventional techniques.

Pre-buffer level shifter and input/output buffer apparatus


A process for culturing bacteria is disclosed in which is utilized as a bacterial nutrition a serum byproduced upon treatment of a natural rubber latex. The serum has an ample supply, a low cost, a stable quality and a sufficient activity over a wide variety of bacteria, thus contributing to accelerative growth for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.

By the serum is meant an aqueous solution byproduced upon coagulation and removal of a rubber component from a natural rubber latex. Serums have in most instances been disposed as wastes with the result that countries and territories of rubber tree cultivation are involved in environmental pollution problems.
However, such serums are thought to provide a good source of bacterial nutrition and hence a vast biomass as they are composed of proteins, organic acids, saccharides and derivatives thereof. Limited application of the serum has been found as a rubber additive as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-161002.
Bacteria have been allowed to grow, in the micrological industry, with the supply of various nutrition elements typified by amino acids, vitamines, minerals and the like and taken alone or in combination. In general, naturally occuring nutritions such as organic nitrogen are used to attain multinutrient cultures for bacteria. These nutrition elements are selected usually from a great number of materials including yeast extracts, polypeptones, meat extracts, defatted soybeans, defatted soybean hydrolyzates (HVP), corn steep liquors (CSL), cotton seed meals, peanut meals, pharmamedia, distillers solubles, livestock bloods, butchery wastes, casein hydrolyzates and the like.
Nutrition elements for use in culture media in commercial fermentation are required to be low in cost, abundant in supply without seasonal irregularities, stable in quality and effective for a wide variety of bacteria. Those meeting such requirements are limited only to HVP, CSL and yeast extract among the above listed nutrition elements. Because of their source of supply from byproducts in the food industry, however, HVP and CSL have posed an extreme shortage and a high price as a result of the changeover of processing methods in that industry. Yeast extract literally costs too high to warrant commercial acceptance.

Bacteria culture and fermentation using the same

The Board of The Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia


A computer system includes an operating system. An advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) system is in communication with the operating system and receives an ACPI request from the operating system. A cache is in communication with the ACPI system and receives the ACPI request from the ACPI system and provides ACPI data to the operating system via the ACPI system.

The computer industry has developed a common interface for enabling robust operating system and power management (OSPM) of entire computer systems. The common interface definition and functionality manifests itself in the advanced configuration and power interface ACPI specification. The current version of the ACPI is Version 2 having a release date of Jul. 27, 2000, together with the ACPI Errata Version 1.3, Nov. 27, 2000, both of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Computer systems employing ACPI perform configuration and power management functions using ACPI code or information. Specifically, ACPI code is used to determine platform-specific information regarding the particular hardware and/or software, for example, of a computer system. Once the configuration of the computer system has been determined, the ACPI code manages the power requirements of the various devices of the computer system.
ACPI code is stored in a portion of a memory component of a computer system known as ACPI namespace. An operating system of a computer system typically writes ACPI code into the ACPI namespace in a monolithic form. That is, ACPI code typically is written into memory as a single program that includes all of the ACPI functionality required for each device of the computer system. Typically, the ACPI code written into memory is in the form of a device tree, which identifies each of the devices of the computer system. The device tree also includes at least one functional routine for each of the identified devices.

Accessing information associated with an advanced configuration and power interface environment

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer resides on a slider, has an air-bearing surface (ABS) and has a back side. The HAMR transducer includes a target waveguide, a plurality of assistant cores and a plurality of output devices. The target waveguide has an entrance at the back side and directs energy provided by a laser from the entrance at the back side toward the ABS. The assistant cores have a plurality of assistant core entrances at the back side. The assistant cores direct energy from the assistant core entrances to the output devices. In some aspects, the assistant cores and output devices may be used in aligning the laser and the target waveguide or checking the alignment of the laser and the target waveguide.

In fabricating disk drives, such as heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk drives, it may be necessary to bond components together. For example, in conventional HAMR disk drives, a laser provides energy used to heat the media for magnetic recording. The laser typically takes the form of a laser diode. The laser diode provides light to a waveguide that is on the substrate. The waveguide then directs light toward the media. For the HAMR disk drive to function as desired, the region at which the laser emits light (emission exit) is aligned with the entrance of the waveguide. The laser and slider are then bonded together.
In order to align the laser diode with the waveguide, fiducial marks are typically used. Both the laser diode (or laser subassembly) and the slider typically include fiducial marks. The fiducial marks on the laser diode are aligned with corresponding fiducial marks on the slider. The two components are then bonded together.
Although the conventional method of bonding the laser diode to the slider may function, misalignments may arise. For example, alignment using fiducial marks may not sufficiently align the emission exit of the laser with the waveguide entrance. In addition, the laser diode may shift with respect to the slider during bonding. As a result, the laser may not provide a desired amount of light to the waveguide entrance for the conventional HAMR disk drive to function as desired. Accordingly, what are needed are improved methods and systems for providing HAMR disk drives having the desired alignment between the laser and slider.

Method and system for measuring light delivery offsets in a heat assisted magnetic recording head


In alternative embodiments, provided are compositions, including products of manufacture and kits, and methods, for remotely-controlled and non-invasive manipulation of intracellular nucleic acid expression, genetic processes, function and activity in live cells, e.g., adding functions or changing or adding specificities for immune cells, for monitoring physiologic processes, for the correction of pathological processes and for control of therapeutic outcomes. In alternative embodiments, provided are ultrasound-based thermal or mechanical stimulations, and thermo- or mechano-sensitive protein, either synthetically engineered or natively (endogenously) occurring, integrated to control the production of intracellular nucleic acid and gene expression, e.g., for the expression of biological-active proteins, which can be used, in alternative embodiments, for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. In alternative embodiments, exemplary thermo- and mechanogenetic systems provided herein allow a deep penetration of stimulation and manipulation in vivo at centimeter-level depth with high spatiotemporal precision.

Artificial T cell receptors (also known as chimeric T cell receptors, chimeric immunoreceptors, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)) are engineered receptors, which graft a desired specificity onto an immune effector cell such as a T cell. CAR T cell therapy is becoming a paradigm-shifting therapeutic approach for cancer treatment, particularly with the benefit of resulted central memory T cells capable of lasting for months to years in suppressing the cancer relapse. In this therapy, T cells are removed from a cancer patient and modified to express CARs that target the cancer. These modified T cells, which can recognize and kill the patient's cancer cells, are re-introduced into the patient.
However, major challenges remain before CAR-based immunotherapy can become widely adopted. For instance, the non-specific targeting of the CAR-T cells against normal/nonmalignant tissues (on-target but off-tumor toxicities) can be life-threatening. In fact, off-tumor toxicities against the lung, gray matter in the brain, and cardiac muscles, have caused multiple cases of deaths. While synthetic biology and genetic circuits have been used in attempts to address this issue, there is an urgent need for high-precision control of CAR-T cells to confine the activation in tissue space.
In immunotherapy, the expression of engineered CAR on the cell surface enables T cells to recognize specific antigens on the target cell. This triggers T cell activation and can eventually lead to the elimination of target cells. Clinical trials involving anti-CD19 CAR T cells against B-cell malignancies have shown promising results, demonstrating the therapeutic effects of CAR T cells in cancer treatment. However, the perfusion of constitutively activated CAR T cells into patients may have lethal consequences due to the induced cytokine storm and 'on-target, off tumor' toxicity. Therefore, researchers are actively seeking control over the timing and location of the activation of the perfused CAR T cells.
While optogenetics technologies enable precise control of target space, they cannot reach deep tissues. In contrast, ultrasound can be focused to deliver mechanical energy safely and noninvasively into small volumes of tissue deep inside the body. In addition, microbubbles have been well established as ultrasound imaging contrast agents and approved by the FDA for clinical use. These microbubbles are highly responsive to ultrasound due to a large difference in acoustic impedance between the surrounding media and the gas inside the bubble. Oscillatory pressure of ultrasound waves can hence exert mechanical force on cells to which the microbubbles are physically coupled.

Acoustic and ultrasound-based mechanogenetics and thermogenetics for immunotherapy

The Regents of the University of California


A type of two-person folding chair which includes a folding frame, seat area, and backrest area. The folding frame includes support sections on both sides in corresponding positions, and diagonal bar sets that connect the two support sections on both sides. Wherein, each support section includes a bar bent into an open D-shaped structure, which forms, from top to bottom, a backrest bar, an armrest bar, a front leg bar, and a landing bar. The diagonal bar set includes two or more diagonal bar units. The seat bars on the upper portions of the diagonal bar units support to form the seat area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of folding chairs, particularly to a type of two-person folding chair. More specifically, it refers to a type of two-person folding chair that can be packed and folded up at left and right sides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most of the director chairs on the current market are produced by combining steel bars with a seat and backrest fabric, where the steel bars form the folding frame and the oxford fabric forms the seat and backrest areas. This design offers seat comfort and a folding feature. The prior Chinese patent CN200820145303.2 shows a type of director chair. It is a structure that consists of a folding frame and seat fabric. The inverted-U shaped vertical supporting bars on the left and right sides of the frame are joined together by two U-shaped connecting bars. The two ends of the two U-shaped connecting bars are mounted onto the two lower portions of the two supporting bars. The middle sections are crossed-joined, and the upper portions are respectively hinged to the middle section of the other supporting bar via the connecting piece. A reinforcement bar is connected to the area between the two ends of the connecting bar or the supporting bars. A backrest bar is connected to the upper portion on the back side of each of the two supporting bars. Between the two backrest bars is the seat fabric. The U-shaped connecting bar is formed by two overlapping and hinged horizontal L-shaped bars. The seat fabric is placed on the overlapping section of one of the horizontal L-shaped bars. The director chair is characterized by a tight fabric and a large seat area for the necessary supporting of the legs.
The subsequent Chinese patent CN201220187027.2 shows a type of folding director chair, which includes a folding frame and seat fabric. The folding frame includes a support section on both sides arranged in corresponding or symmetrical positions, and a diagonal bar set that connects the two support sections on both sides. The diagonal bar set drives the support sections on both sides to be opened and folded. The support section includes the front and rear support bars, the armrest bar, and the backrest bar that are affixed to the seat support bar. The seat support bar forms a rectangular-shaped closure with the front and rear support bars and the grounding bar to constitute the main support body. In addition, the armrest bar and the backrest bar are hinged on the seat support bar to form the structure to form a linkage mechanism. The seat fabric of the seat area is tightly fitted on the two seat support bars, and the backrest area is tightly fitted on the two backrest bars. Together they form a stable main body for seating.
In summary, the existing director chair frame features support bars on both sides, which is a rigid body made up of multiple bars. The folding frame is highly rigid, but all the existing director chairs are designed with the seating capacity of one person only. How to change the existing technology and improve current director chairs into two- or three-person chairs has become an object of the research of the present invention.


A sound processing system including at least one microphone, an audio processor, and at least one output device. The audio processor includes an analog beamformer, a microphone equalizer, and an apparent incidence processor. Two different embodiments of the apparent incidence processor are disclosed, that is, a wave generation method and a forward filtering method. Both embodiments use the same principles to estimate the properties of the individual waves of the sound field. With the present invention, it is possible to implement arbitrary directivity responses using a small number of microphones only, that is, two or three microphones. The present invention offers improved noise reduction also for environments with many independent noise sources. Furthermore, the present invention works for signals and noises with arbitrary statistics.

There are many instances where it is desirable to have a system capable of receiving information from a particular signal source where the environment includes sources of interference signals at locations different from that of the information signal source. For discussion purposes, the specific instances will be generalized to the extent possible. Turning first to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a sound processing system 10 is shown. The system 10 includes at least one microphone 12 that picks up sounds from a sound field in which it is located and converts these sounds to electrical signals. In the present case, a plurality of microphones are depicted and the microphones are numbered from one to N1. The electrical signals from the microphones 12 are preferably input to an audio processor 14. The sounds are to be reproduced by one or more output devices 16 such as loudspeakers, earphones, and the like. The sound can optionally pass through transmission channels or additional processing before arriving at the output device 16. It may even be recorded and played back before arriving at the output device 16.
In general, the sound field into which the system 10 is placed contains not only the sounds to be picked up, referred to as a utility signal, but also unwanted sounds, referred to as noise or noise signals. In these situations, it is desirable to process the signals picked up by the microphones 12 in order to reduce the noise contents electronically. There are several conventional methods for reducing the noise electronically through the audio processor 14. One is known as static beamforming where the signals from two or more microphones are passed through filters and combined to form a single signal. The resulting signal will show a sensitivity to sounds that depends upon the direction of the sound incidence as compared to the direction of the microphone assembly. The directivity response will take the form of one or more beams. Due to the fact that the lobes of the directivity response have different magnitudes, the beamformer will show a signal to noise improvement when the beam is oriented so that the utility signal falls within the main lobe and the main part of the noise falls outside the main lobe. Static beamformers have the disadvantage that, in order to provide substantial noise reduction under general noise conditions, a large number of microphones are required.
Another conventional method is known as adaptive beamforming which is achieved when the filters of a beamformer are variable and controlled by an adaptation process. Normally such an adaptation process works to minimize the output signal power. An adaptive beamformer can track noise sources and dynamically adjust the directivity response such that the sensitivity at the direction of the noise incidence is minimized while keeping the sensitivity at the utility direction high. Currently known adaptive beamformers show the disadvantage that they are only capable of tracking a limited number of noise sources, mostly only a single. Furthermore adaptive beamformers work with a fairly large time constant in the adaptation process. Therefore they are only able to track quasi-static noise sources.
Yet other conventional methods apply only to a single microphone multiband noise reduction situation, that is, spectral subtraction. When only a single microphone signal is available, it is not possible to obtain information as to the direction of sound incidence from the microphone signal and it is therefore not possible to perform beamforming as above. Still a reduction of the noise contents can be achieved under these circumstances. Such methods all rely on dividing the signal into a number of frequency bands. In each band the signal is analyzed statistically to derive measures of the utility signal and noise content. Based on these measures a band gain is derived and applied that amplifies bands with utility signal contents while attenuating bands with noise contents. Unfortunately, the statistical analysis requires long time constants. Therefore the single microphone methods are limited to a sound field with stationary noise signals and non-stationary utility signals.
Further conventional methods are known that use two microphones and analyze the microphone signal contents to derive and apply a gain in frequency bands. The gain is a function of how the microphone signals relate to each other. The known methods have the disadvantage that they only work when the signal in each frequency band consists of either utility signal or noise and not when a combination of utility signal and noise is present.
By contrast to the conventional methods above, the present invention uses a different approach to the problem. It uses the general equations for sound fields to analyze the microphone signals and find required properties of one or more components or waves contained in the input signals. The desired properties can for example be the direction of sound incidence or the pressure gradient of the impinging waves. The incoming waves are amplified with a gain function based on these properties, that is, the directivity or the gradient. Based on the amplified waves an output signal is generated either by synthesizing the amplified waves or by applying filtering to an input signal combination. The present invention can operate in a number of applications including hearing aids, directional microphones, microphone arrays, silicon microphone assemblies, headsets, hearing protectors, cordless phones, mobile phones, camcorders, personal computers, laptops, palmtops, and personal digital assistants, among others. In some embodiments, the present invention is especially suited to work with head worn microphones that pick up the speech signal of the wearer. In this application, the present invention offers a substantially improved noise reduction when compared to conventional solutions with comparable sound quality.

Sound processing system including forward filter that exhibits arbitrary directivity and gradient response in single wave sound environment


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for outputting information. The method includes: summarizing event information into an event database in response to receiving the event information, where the event information includes an event start time, an event end time, a machine name, and an event content; associating and storing event information of a same machine name; querying an event database for event information including a target machine name and an event end time greater than or equal to a predetermined time before a current time and an event start time less than or equal to the current time, in response to receiving a query request including the target machine name; and outputting queried event information.

Cloud computing services are increasingly being used. The system is unavoidable to fail at runtime. The current solution is that, when the fault occurs, the operation and maintenance personnel involved in cloud computing services need to track and locate respectively when they are not sure whether it is a fault for their own services, and manually communicate the tracing progress, so that efficiency is low.
For each service, the information required in the positioning process is scattered in different places and cannot be quickly acquired. There is no mechanism for synchronizing information between services in a timely manner, and there is no automated means, and the services can only be performed manually, thereby causing additional labor consumption and time-consuming positioning.

Method and apparatus for outputting information


Responders and requesters can be assigned a score while waiting. Requesters and responders are matched via an auction type system, where requesters with the best requester scores are matched with requesters with the best responder scores. The requester scores can be boosted while the requester is waiting for a response if the requester performs certain actions. The requester score and responder score can increase over time. The requester score and responder score can also be based on other variables.

Automated call centers route calls from large numbers of people. Sometimes the call centers receive more calls than can be handled by currently available responders. The call center can direct callers through an automated directory, and may place each caller into a first in, first out (FIFO) queue to speak with a responder based on the type of issue selected by the caller. This has the effect of placing each new caller at the end of a queue or line to speak with the next available responder for the selected issue.


A method for shooting image, applied to an electronic device in which an image capturing device is mounted, includes: receiving a first input from a user; responsive to the first input, acquiring a first image and a second image captured by the image capturing device for a target object, a framing range of the first image being same as a framing range of the second image; and performing synthesis processing on the first image and the second image to generate a target image, the target image including a first object image of the target object in the first image and a second object image of the target object in the second image.

Along with the rapid development of sciences and technologies, channels for information acquisition by users have become increasingly rich. An image file, such as a picture and a video, includes a large amount of information and rich contents and is preferred by a user. Popularization of mobile terminals makes it more convenient to acquire image files. In social lives, users may propagate information through images, and personalized requirements on images also increase.
A user may want to achieve an interesting image shooting effect, for example, an effect that multiple clones of the same shooting subject at the same or different attitudes simultaneously appear in the same image. For achieving the effect of multiple clones of a subject in an image, post processing of the image is performed through image processing software in conventional art, in which the process is generally complicated, the processing effect is relatively poor, and the shooting requirement of the user may not be met.

Method and device for shooting image, and storage medium

Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd.


In one embodiment, a settling time determination method includes deflecting a charged particle beam by applying a voltage outputted from an amplifier to a first deflector while changing a deflection settling time, and writing an evaluation pattern, measuring a position of the evaluation pattern, and determining a position displacement amount of the measured position from a design position, performing fitting of the position displacement amount for the deflection settling time on a first output waveform of the amplifier, and determining a deflection settling time in which the position displacement amount is within a predetermined range.

As LSI circuits are increasing in density, the line width of circuits of semiconductor devices is becoming finer. To form a desired circuit pattern onto a semiconductor device, a method of reducing and transferring, by using a reduction-projection exposure apparatus, onto a wafer a highly precise original image pattern formed on a quartz is employed. The highly precise original image pattern is written by using an electron beam writing apparatus, in which a technology commonly known as electron beam lithography is used.
An electron beam writing apparatus deflects an electron beam by applying a predetermined voltage to a main deflector and a sub-deflector disposed along the optical path of the electron beam, thereby writing a pattern on a substrate on a stage. When a deflector is driven by an output voltage from a digital-analog converter (DAC) amplifier, a settling time (stabilization time) of the output voltage according to a load is necessary. Here, when the settling time is insufficient, an error in the deflection movement amount of the electron beam occurs, and the writing accuracy is reduced. On the other hand, when the settling time is too long, the throughput is reduced. Therefore, it is desirable that the settling time be set to a short time as much as possible in a range in which the writing accuracy is not reduced.
Conventionally, multiple evaluation patterns are written while changing a main deflection settling time (a settling time set to the DAC amplifier which applies a voltage to the main deflector), a position displacement amount of each evaluation pattern is measured, and a settling time having a position displacement amount within a predetermined range is determined to be the optimal main deflection settling time.
For instance, the relationship between the position displacement amount and the main deflection settling time is as shown in FIG. 9. The main deflection settling time, which is the shortest among the main deflection settling times having a position displacement amount within a range between an upper limit threshold value and a lower limit threshold value, is set to the optimal main deflection settling time. For instance, when the position displacement amount of a main deflection settling time T1 is due to a variation, the optimal main deflection settling time is T2. However, when the position displacement amount of the main deflection settling time T1 is due to a settling error, the optimal main deflection settling time is T3.
Thus, in order to determine the optimal main deflection settling time, it is necessary to sufficiently exclude the effect of a variation in measurement results of the position displacement amount. However, in order to exclude the effect of a variation, it is necessary to write a great number of evaluation patterns while changing the main deflection settling time finely, thus causing a problem in that a tremendous amount of a writing time and a measurement time is taken.
In addition, in order to achieve a high writing accuracy, the settling error needs to be extremely small, and the cost is expensive because even after an optimal main deflection settling time is determined once, an evaluation pattern is written regularly, and an optimal main deflection settling time is newly determined from writing results.

Settling time determination method and multi charged particle beam writing method


An acoustic processing device including a memory storing instructions and a processor that implements the stored instructions to execute a plurality of tasks, the tasks including: an analyzing task that analyzes an input signal; a determining task that determines an acoustic effect to be applied to the input signal, from among a first acoustic effect of virtual surround and a second acoustic effect of virtual surround different from the first acoustic effect, based on a result of the analyzing task; and an acoustic effect applying task that applies the acoustic effect determined by the determining task to the input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an acoustic processing device and an acoustic processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, there is a technique in which an acoustic signal of a rear channel is output from a front speaker to localize a sound image as if a sound is output from a virtual rear speaker (for example, see JP-A-2007-202139). This kind of sound image localization technology is also called virtual surround, and if, for example, listeners are watching a movie, the virtual surround can provide listeners with an appropriate surround feeling by localizing a virtual sound image in the rear even if the number of speakers is small.
However, the above technique has a problem that, for example, in a scene of a movie, specifically, in a front sound field or a scene in which a person speaks lines, the sound field spreads to give the listeners an unnatural feeling.

Acoustic processing device and acoustic processing method


Integrated devices and methods for packaging the same can include an external housing, an internal housing positioned within the external housing, and an external cavity formed between the external housing and the internal housing. An integrated device die can be positioned within the external cavity in fluid communication with an internal cavity formed by the internal lid. An air way can extend through the external cavity to the internal cavity, and can further extend from the internal cavity to the external cavity. The air way can provide fluid communication between the package exterior and the integrated device die, while reducing contamination of the integrated device die.

1. Field of the Invention
The field relates to integrated devices and methods for packaging the same. More particularly, the field relates to packaging with air ports for devices that communicate with the surrounding environment, such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones and pressure sensors.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Integrated device dies, such as microphone dies, are often secured within a package for environmental protection, to provide acoustic back volume and to aid in connecting the die to a larger circuit. In microphone packages, the package can include a package lid mounted to a package substrate, and an aperture can be formed through some portion of the package to allow audio signals to reach the microphone. Gas and pressure sensors can similarly include air ports in the device packaging.
It can be important to package such devices in a manner that reduces the risk of contamination. For example, if debris enters the aperture, the debris may interfere with the performance of the device, such as by contamination of sensitive MEMS membranes. There is therefore a need for improved packaging of devices with air ports (or fluid ports generally), including packages that reduce the amount of debris entering the package.

Packaged integrated device die between an external and internal housing


A lateral semiconductor device includes an alternating conductivity type layer for providing a first semiconductor current path in the ON-state of the device and for being depleted in the OFF-state of the device, that has an improved structure for realizing a high breakdown voltage in the curved sections of the alternating conductivity type layer.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor structure applicable to semiconductor devices such as MOSFET""s (insulated gate field effect transistors), IGBT""s (insulated gate bipolar transistors), bipolar transistors and diodes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device, which includes an alternating conductivity type layer that provides a current path in the ON-state of the semiconductor device and is depleted in the OFF-state of the semiconductor device.
Semiconductor devices may be roughly classified into lateral devices, in which the main electrodes thereof are arranged on one major surface, and vertical devices that distribute the main electrodes thereof on two major surfaces facing opposite to each other. In a vertical semiconductor device, a drift current flows vertically between the main electrodes in the ON-state of the device. To provide the vertical semiconductor device with a high breakdown voltage, it is necessary to thicken the highly resistive layer between the main electrodes. However, a thick, highly resistive layer inevitably causes high on-resistance that further increases loss. In other words, there exists a tradeoff relationship between the on-resistance (current capacity) and the breakdown voltage. The tradeoff relationship between the on-resistance and the breakdown voltage exists in semiconductor devices such as MOSFET""s, IGBT""s, bipolar transistors and diodes.
European Patent 0 053 854, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,216,275, 5,438,215, and Japanese Unexamined Laid Open Patent Application H09-266311 disclose semiconductor devices, which include an alternating conductivity type layer formed of heavily doped n-type regions and heavily doped p-type regions alternately arranged to reduce the tradeoff relationship between the on-resistance and the breakdown voltage. The alternating conductivity type layer is depleted in the OFF-state of the semiconductor device to sustain the breakdown voltage. Hereinafter, the semiconductor device including an alternating conductivity type layer, that provides a current path in the ON-state of the device and is depleted in the OFF-state of the device, will be referred to as the xe2x80x9csuper-junction semiconductor devicexe2x80x9d.
The tradeoff relationship between the on-resistance and the breakdown voltage also exists in lateral semiconductor devices, in which current flows laterally between the main electrodes arranged on one of the major surfaces in the ON-state thereof. Forming the drift layer thereof of an alternating conductivity type layer including n-type regions and p-type regions arranged alternately reduces the tradeoff relation in the lateral semiconductor devices.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a fundamental lateral super-junction MOSFET. FIG. 13(a) is a cross sectional view along Axe2x80x94A of FIG. 12. In these figures, oxide films and metal films, excluding a polycrystalline silicon gate electrode 9, are not illustrated for the sake of easy understanding. Referring to FIG. 12, the lateral super-junction MOSFET has a lateral double-diffused MODFET structure formed in the surface portion of a n-type layer 4 on a p-type substrate 5. A drain section 11 includes a n+-type drain region 8 with low electrical resistance and a not shown drain electrode on n+-type drain region 8. A source section 13 includes a p-type well region 6, a n+-type source region 7 in the surface portion of p-type well region 6, and a not shown source electrode in contact with n+-type source region 7 and p-type well region 6. An alternating conductivity type layer 12 is between drain section 11 and source section 13. A drift section, that is alternating conductivity type layer 12, includes a comb-shaped n-type drift region 1 and p-type partition regions 2 between the teeth of comb-shaped n-type drift region 1. Hereinafter, the teeth of comb-shaped n-type drift region 1 will be referred to simply as the xe2x80x9cn-type drift regions 1xe2x80x9d. A drift current flows through n-type drift regions 1 of alternating conductivity type layer 12. Each region of alternating conductivity type layer 12 is from 1 to 10 xcexcm in width and, preferably, from 1 to 4 xcexcm in width. Alternating conductivity type layer 12 is from 1 to 10 xcexcm in depth and, preferably, from 1 to 4 xcexcm in depth. Alternating conductivity type layer 12 is around 50 xcexcm in width for the MOSFET of the 600 V class and around 100 xcexcm in width for the MOSFET of the 1000 V class.
In the lateral super-junction MOSFET configured as described above, a channel inversion layer 3 is formed below a gate electrode 9 when a voltage is applied between the drain electrode and the source electrode, and an appropriate voltage to gate electrode 9. Electrons flow into n-type drift regions 1 from n+-type source region 7 via channel inversion layer 3. As a result, a drift current flows due to the electric field between the drain electrode and the source electrode (the ON-state of the device). When the voltage is removed from gate electrode 9, channel inversion layer 3 vanishes. Depletion layers expand from the pn-junctions between n-type drift regions 1 and p-type well region 6 and from the pn-junctions between n-type drift regions 1 and p-type partition regions 2 into n-type drift regions 1 and n-type layer 4 due to the voltage between the drain electrode and the source electrode. As a result, n-type drift regions 1 and n-type layer 4 are depleted (the OFF-state of the device).
The depletion layers from the pn-junctions between n-type drift regions 1 and p-type partition regions 2 expand in the width direction of n-type drift regions 1. Since n-type drift regions 1 are narrow, n-type drift regions 1 are depleted very fast. Since p-type partition regions are also depleted, alternating conductivity type layer 12 facilitates providing the lateral super-junction MOSFET with a high breakdown voltage. Since n-type drift regions 1 may be doped heavily, alternating conductivity type layer 12 facilitates lowering the on-resistance of the lateral super-junction MOSFET.
An ideal relation between the on-resistance and the breakdown voltage per a unit area is expressed by the following equation:
R=BV2/(2Nxcex23EC3xcex50xcex5Sixcexc)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
where, R is the on-resistance per the unit area, BV the breakdown voltage, N the number of n-type drift regions 1 in alternating conductivity type layer 12, xcex2 the unknown coefficient, EC the critical electric field at the impurity concentration of the n-type drift region, xcex50 the dielectric permeability of the vacuum, xcex5Si the relative dielectric permeability of silicon, and the electron mobility.
As equation (1) indicates, the on-resistance is reduced dramatically by increasing the number N of n-type drift regions 1 in the alternating conductivity type layer. This principle is described in detail in Japanese Unexamined Laid Open Patent Application H09-266311.
FIG. 13(b) is a cross sectional view of a conventional lateral super-junction MOSFET, that employs a double reduced surface electric field structure (a double RESURF structure). Referring to FIG. 13(b), a lightly doped p-type layer 15 is interposed between n-type layer 4 and alternating conductivity type layer 12. This structure facilitates providing the device with a high breakdown voltage, since depletion layers expand into n-type layer 4 from the pn-junction between n-type layer 4 and p-type layer 15 and from the pn-junction between n-type layer 4 and p-type substrate 5.
Japanese Unexamined Laid Open Patent Application H10-321567 describes that it is effective to equalize the impurity concentrations and the widths of n-type drift regions 1 and p-type partition regions 2 for reducing the tradeoff relation between the on-resistance and the breakdown voltage and for realizing a high breakdown voltage. The means and the techniques disclosed in the foregoing publications for reducing the tradeoff relation between the on-resistance and the breakdown voltage are, however, still experimental and not always sufficient considering the mass-production.
As described in Japanese Unexamined Laid Open Patent Application H09-266311, the alternating conductivity type layers disclosed so far have been described only for the straight sections thereof, through which a drift current flows. Nothing has been described so far for the corner section, the bent section and such a curved section of the alternating conductivity type layer. It is difficult in practice for the lateral semiconductor devices to realize a high breakdown voltage without the structure of the curved section thereof. It is important to consider the structure of the curved section for relaxing the electric field in the curved section.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a lateral semiconductor device having an improved structure in the curved section thereof for providing the device with a high breakdown voltage. It would further be desirable to provide a lateral semiconductor device, that facilitates reducing the tradeoff relation between the on-resistance and the breakdown voltage and realizing a high breakdown voltage, and that is suited for mass-production.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lateral semiconductor device including: a semiconductor chip; two main electrodes on one of the major surfaces of the semiconductor chip; an alternating conductivity type layer between the main electrodes; the alternating conductivity type layer including drift regions of a first conductivity type and partition regions of a second conductivity type; the drift regions and the partition regions being arranged alternately; and the alternating conductivity type layer being a closed loop surrounding one of the main electrodes.
In order to apply a high voltage between the drain section and the source section, it is necessary for the drain section and the source section to be spaced widely apart from each other. Or, it is necessary for the alternating conductivity type layer between the drain section and the source section to form a closed loop. Since the area of the semiconductor substrate is limited, it is hard to space the drain section and the source section away from each other.
Advantageously, the alternating conductivity type layer includes first sections, wherein the drift regions and the partition regions are arranged alternately at a first pitch, and second sections, wherein the drift regions and the partition regions are arranged alternately at a second pitch different from the first pitch. By appropriately selecting the locations of the first sections and the second sections, the breakdown voltage is prevented from being lowered in a part of the alternating conductivity type layer.
Advantageously, the alternating conductivity type layer includes one or more straight sections and one or more curved sections. By the configuration described above, the closed loop of the alternating conductivity type layer is easily formed. Preferably, the alternating conductivity type layer includes two or more straight sections and two or more curved sections. Alternatively the alternating conductivity type layer includes four or more straight sections and four or more curved sections.
Advantageously, the drift regions and the partition regions are arranged alternately at the first pitch in the straight sections and the drift regions and the partition regions are arranged alternately at the second pitch in the curved sections. By arranging the drift regions and the partition regions in the curved sections at the second pitch different from the first pitch in the straight sections, the arrangement of the drift regions and the partition regions in the curved sections is well balanced.
Advantageously, the first pitch is equal to or longer than the second pitch. By arranging the drift regions and the partition regions in the curved sections alternately at the short second pitch, depletion layers expand faster in the curved sections than in the straight sections when a reverse bias voltage is applied. As a result, the surface electric fields in the curved sections are relaxed.
Advantageously, the curved sections are doped substantially more lightly than the straight sections. Since the alternating conductivity type layer is depleted faster as the impurity concentration is lowered, the surface electric field is relaxed and the alternating conductivity type layer is provided with a higher breakdown voltage.
Advantageously, the curved sections are substantially intrinsic. When the curved sections are substantially intrinsic, the curved sections are depleted the fastest. Since the depletion layer expands easily into the substantially lightly doped region, the substantial impurity concentration thereof is low, and when a reverse bias voltage is applied, the electric field is relaxed and the substantially lightly doped region is provided with a high breakdown voltage.
Advantageously, the curved sections are doped with an n-type impurity and a p-type impurity. A substantially intrinsic impurity concentration is realized by doping an n-type impurity and a p-type impurity. When the impurity concentration in the curved section is very low, the second pitch in the curved section (longer than the first pitch in the straight section) poses no problem. When the impurity concentration in the curved section is very low, the curved section does not necessarily include any alternating conductivity type layer.
Advantageously, the width of the curved section is larger than the width of the straight section. Since the depleted area of the curved section is increased when the width of the curved section is larger than the width of the straight section, the curved section is provided with a higher breakdown voltage.
Advantageously, the lateral super-junction semiconductor device further includes one or more closed loops, each including an alternating conductivity type layer.
Advantageously, the width of the drift region or the partition region is from xc2xc to 4 times as large as the depth of the drift region or the partition region. It is difficult to form the drift region or the partition region since the depth thereof is much larger than the width thereof. When the width of the drift region or the partition region is much larger than the depth thereof, it is difficult to deplete the drift region or the partition region. Therefore, the above-described relation between the width and the depth of the drift region or the partition region is preferable.
Advantageously, the width of the alternating conductivity type layer is from 12.5 to 100 times as large as the width or the depth of the drift region or the partition region. When the ratio of the width of the alternating conductivity type layer and the width or the depth of the drift region or the partition region is less than 10, it is difficult to obtain a high breakdown voltage. When the ratio of the width of the alternating conductivity type layer and the width or the depth of the drift region or the partition region is more than 100, the surface area of the semiconductor substrate is occupied by the alternating conductivity type layer too widely, or it is difficult to form such a wide alternating conductivity type layer.
Advantageously, the lateral super-junction semiconductor device is a MOSFET, the drain electrode thereof is inside the closed loop, and the source electrode thereof is outside the closed loop. When a high voltage is applied to the drain electrode, which is inside the closed loop, the source electrode, having a wide area, is on the low potential side.
Advantageously, the lateral super-junction semiconductor device further includes a circuit for controlling the semiconductor device, for protecting the semiconductor device and for detecting the states of the semiconductor device; the circuit being outside the closed loop. The lateral super-junction semiconductor device according to the invention is applicable to semiconductor apparatus, which include the lateral super-junction semiconductor device and also the circuit for controlling, protecting, and for detecting the states of the semiconductor device.

Lateral super-junction semiconductor device


A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel including a pad electrode, a tape circuit substrate and an anisotropic conductive film. The pad electrode receives one of a driving signal and a power supply voltage signal. The tape circuit substrate includes a base film made of an insulating material, and a signal line formed on the base film and having a slit at a portion of the signal line which overlaps the pad electrode of the liquid crystal panel. The anisotropic conductive film connects the outer lead with the pad electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape circuit substrate, a semiconductor chip package including the same, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) device including the semiconductor chip package. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tape circuit substrate capable of improving contact reliability and reducing contact resistance between an outer lead of the tape circuit substrate and a pad electrode of an LCD device, a semiconductor chip package including the tape circuit substrate, and an LCD device including the semiconductor chip package.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is currently a trend toward production of large sized image display devices, such as television (TV) monitors, to replace cathode ray tube (CRT) devices. Examples of the image display devices include flat panel display devices such as LCD devices, plasma display panel (PDP) devices, and organic electroluminescent displays (OELD) devices. Of the flat panel display devices listed above, LCD devices that can be made light and thin have been particularly popular.
LCD devices include an upper transparent insulating substrate, on which a common electrode, a color filter, a black matrix, etc. are formed, and a lower transparent insulating substrate, on which a thin film transistor (TFT), a pixel electrode, etc. are formed. A liquid crystal material having an anisotropic dielectric constant is injected between the upper and lower transparent insulating substrates. Different potentials are then applied to the pixel electrode and the common electrode, respectively, to adjust a strength of an electric field formed in the liquid crystal material, thereby changing a molecular alignment of the liquid crystal material. By changing the molecular alignment of the liquid crystal material, light transmitted through the upper and lower transparent insulating substrates is adjusted so that images are displayed. Among such LCD devices, a TFT LCD device using a TFT as a switching element is often used.
An LCD device needs drive-use semiconductor chips to drive a TFT. For a printed circuit board on which drive-use semiconductor chips are installed, a tape circuit substrate made by forming a circuit pattern on a flexible base film is usually used. Connection between a pad electrode of an LCD device and an outer lead of the tape circuit substrate will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 1A is a plan view illustrating a conventional connection between a pad electrode of an LCD device and an outer lead of a tape circuit substrate. FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line B-B′ shown in FIG. 1A.
The tape circuit substrate includes an inner lead (not shown) connected with a bump electrode (not shown) on a drive-use semiconductor chip and an outer lead 12 which is formed on a base film 11 and connected with a pad electrode 22 of an LCD device 21, to which a driving signal for driving a TFT or a power supply voltage signal is input. The pad electrode 22 may include both a first conductive layer 22_2 and a second conductive layer 22_1. The pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 contacts the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate in a predetermined region, as shown by the overlap portion of the pad electrode 22 and the outer lead 12 in FIG. 1A.
A method of connecting the pad electrode 22 and the outer lead 12 employs an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) 30, as shown in FIG. 1B. The ACF 30 includes conductive balls 32 dispersed within a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin 31. When the ACF 30 is positioned between the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate and then pressurized, the epoxy resin 31 of the ACF 30 spreads out to a side space of the pad electrode 22 and the outer lead 12. Thus, the epoxy resin 31 is hardened and the conductive balls 32 are pressed between the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate. As a result, the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate are electrically connected with each other via the conductive balls 32.
A width W1 of the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 receiving a power supply voltage signal and a width W2 of the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate connected with the pad electrode 22 are greater than a width of other leads and electrodes (for example, a pad electrode of the LCD device 21 receiving a data signal and an outer lead of the tape circuit substrate connected thereto), and therefore, contact resistance between the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate is reduced. As a result, current flow in the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate may be increased.
However, when the ACF 30 is positioned and pressurized between the pad electrode 22 having the width W1 and the outer lead 12 having the width W2 for electrical connection, the epoxy resin 31 of the ACF 30 may be hardened without spreading out to the side space. If the epoxy resin hardens without spreading out to the side space, the conductive balls 32 do not satisfactorily contact the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate.
As a result, contact reliability between the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate cannot be effectively achieved. Thus, if the width W1 of the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the width W2 of the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate are decreased to achieve contact reliability, the contact resistance between the pad electrode 22 of the LCD device 21 and the outer lead 12 of the tape circuit substrate cannot be reduced effectively.

Tape circuit substrate, semiconductor chip package including the same, and liquid crystal display device including the semiconductor chip package


A variety of Styrax japonicus which combines a combination of a mounding weeping habit, profuse single white flowers, dark purple foliage that remains glossy & disease free through the summer.

In 2003 we began a program on ornamental Japanese snowbell cultivar development. One of the goals of the program was to produce an improved cultivar with weeping form. In 2005 a large number of seedlings were grown in nursery rows in Boring, Oreg. The best were transplanted for further evaluation in 2007, and then selected again for their best features. The most promising selections included trees with weeping form and were transplanted into a final evaluation block in 2011. Next to these trees, we planted a single specimen of Styrax japonicus 'Evening Light' U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,168.
We allowed these trees to freely cross pollinate in the spring of 2012, and then in the fall of 2012, collected the seed of the 'Evening Light' as well as other selected individual trees in the block. This seed collection produced a total of 166 plants grown in small liner pots in 2013.
In the spring of 2014 these seedlings from four different parent trees were planted out in a trial row for observation and evaluation. By 2015 it was clear to see that one of the seedlings of 'Evening Light' exhibited a unique set of characteristics: Similar dark purple foliage to the parent tree Styrax japonicus 'Evening Light' but having a strongly weeping instead of upright growth habit. This tree was labelled 'JFS 6SJ' and tagged for further observation & evaluation.
In the summers of 2015 and 2016 we took cutting wood from this tree and 96 softwood cuttings were made each year to assess its ability to be propagated from cuttings as well as from budding. Liners produced from these cuttings were planted out in 2017 & 2018 for observation & evaluation.
Also in the summer of 2016 budwood was taken from 'JFS 6SJ' and we budded onto 15 seedlings. 7 of these buds were successful and produced new trees. Observations continued of both the original tree and these new trees.
In 2017 this budding process was repeated with 120 trees producing a further 79 trees for evaluation.
All cuttings taken from 'JFS 6SJ' for asexual propagation were rooted under mist and grown in Boring, Oreg. All buds taken from 'JFS 6SJ' were budded onto rootstocks and grown in Boring, Oreg.
By 2018 it was clear to see that 'JFS 6SJ' could be successfully asexually propagated by both softwood cutting production and field chip budding. Both methods produced trees that exhibited the exact same characteristics as the original tree in every respect.
In 2018 the original 'JFS 6SJ' was transplanted into a new location on the nursery where it remains today. Of the test trees that were produced 50 were kept as stock trees and planted into field stock block locations in 2020 to provide stock material for future production. The remaining test trees were destroyed.


Embodiments of the invention provide apparatus, systems and methods wherein pre-event and post-event analyte concentration readings associated with an event are collected and processed to determine a numerical delta. The numerical delta may be displayed on a visual display to aid in a ready determination of the affect that the event (alone or in combination with medication and/or insulin dosages) had on the analyte concentration levels. Medication and/or insulin dosages may be displayed alongside the numerical delta to gauge immediate relationships between numerical delta, dosage and/or an associated event. Apparatus and systems for calculating and displaying the numerical delta are described, as are other aspects.

The quantitative determination of analytes in body fluids may be important in the diagnoses and maintenance of certain physiological conditions. For example, individuals with diabetes frequently check glucose concentration levels in their bio-fluids (e.g., blood). The results of such tests may be used to regulate glucose intake in their diets and/or to determine whether insulin and/or other medication may be needed.
Diagnostic systems, such as analyte measurement systems, may employ an analyte meter to calculate an analyte concentration level (e.g., a glucose concentration level) in a bio-fluid sample taken from an individual, for example. Such analyte meters may operate by measuring an output, such as an electrical current or a color change, from a reaction with the analyte contained in the bio-fluid sample. The test concentration reading result, or a plurality of results from a series of conducted tests, may be stored by the analyte meter, and may be displayed to the user in simple form, such as on a readout or display. Basic processing systems in the analyte meter may allow the user to access the test results directly from the analyte meter. However, current graphical display and processor capabilities make it difficult to perform sophisticated assessments of the data, because of the limited processing capability and limited information displayed on the analyte meter. As such, at times it may be desirable to download the results to a host device (such as a personal computer, laptop or portable computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), smart phone, or the like) such that enhanced analysis and display of the results may be accomplished. However, the manner by which the data is calculated and displayed may have direct bearing on how useful the data may be to the user and/or health care professional.
Accordingly, apparatus, systems and methods, which may allow improved analyte calculation and display of analyte information, may be desirable.

Apparatus, systems and methods for determining and displaying pre-event and post-event analyte concentration levels