A process is described for purifying synthesis gas by means of a pressure swing adsorption unit which is desorbed by a vacuum produced by a so-called ejector, which is driven by steam generated by a heat exchanger which uses the heat in the flue gas duct or in the useful-gas duct for the generation of steam. The pressure swing adsorption unit is operated advantageously in cyclic turns of adsorption under excess pressure, depressurization desorption and vacuum desorption and the gas desorbed by the ejector being cooled in a cooler so that the contained steam can be condensed and discharged or is advantageously returned to the feed gas for the synthesis gas production. The foreign gas desorbed by the pressure swing adsorption unit, which contains at least partly not yet consumed fuel gas, is recycled to the fuel gas. In an advantageous embodiment, the vacuum from the ejector is stored in an intermediate tank and applied to the pressure swing adsorption unit according to the vacuum desorption cycle. Also disclosed is a device for running this process.

The invention relates to a process for purifying a reducing useful gas by pressure swing adsorption using a so-called ejector operated by a pressurised gas and generating a vacuum which serves to improve the desorption efficiency of the pressure swing adsorption unit, in which the invention uses steam as pressurised gas generated by the heating device in the production of the useful gas. The invention also relates to a device with an ejector operated by steam, the vacuum of which is used to increase the desorption efficiency of the pressure swing adsorption unit.
The production of reducing gases is a process frequently used in technical applications. An example for the production of a reducing gas is the steam reforming process. By heating a hydrocarbonaceous feed mixture with steam, it is, for instance, possible to produce synthesis gas consisting of a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Synthesis gas is frequently used as fuel gas or feedstock for chemical syntheses. Another frequently produced reducing gas is carbon monoxide.
Most applications require a reducing gas which is free of accompanying gases. A frequently occurring accompanying gas is carbon monoxide which is obtained from the incineration or reforming processes. If the carbon monoxide from the synthesis gas is converted in the so-called CO conversion in the presence of steam, the result is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The latter can be removed from the synthesis gas by various processes. When the carbon dioxide is removed, pure hydrogen is obtained which is an essential feedstock in many syntheses and applications. Other frequently occurring accompanying or foreign gases or foreign gas components which are undesired constituents of reducing gases and need to be separated are residual gas components such as methane and nitrogen.
Many applications include gas-scrubbing processes for the separation of undesired accompanying gases, which are suited for the mentioned applications. Also frequently used are the so-called pressure swing adsorption units in which the gas to be separated undergoes adsorption processes. Pressure swing adsorption units are capable of removing foreign gases almost completely, which can be achieved by gas-scrubbing processes on certain conditions only.
Pressure swing adsorption units use the adsorptive capacity of adsorbing materials. Examples of frequently used adsorbing materials are activated carbon, molecular sieves, silica gel or zeolithes. For gas purification purposes, the adsorbing materials are packed into suitable vessels and the gas to be purified is passed through these vessels under pressure. The foreign gas components are thus adsorbed and the purified useful gas is obtained. After a certain time, the adsorptive capacity of the adsorbing material will be exhausted. The vessel is depressurised and flushed with useful gas so that the adsorbing material releases the adsorbed foreign gas. Subsequently the foreign gas is discharged for further processing or removal. The adsorption and desorption processes are performed in cyclic alternation so that it is possible to ensure a continuous purification process of the supplied useful gas.
In order to further improve the efficiency of the adsorption process, the desorption process can be supported by applying a vacuum after pressure relief. This will allow almost complete removal of the adsorbed foreign gas from the adsorbing material. Subsequently it will be possible to re-use all of the adsorbing material in the next adsorption process. To avoid that vacuum has to be generated by an expensive compressor or other machine, a so-called ejector is used. This ejector uses the pressure of the discharged gas to generate a vacuum by utilizing the Venturi effect. By controlling the valves in a suitable way to ensure that the discharged gas flows through the ejector, it is possible to achieve adequate evacuation of the pressure swing adsorption vessels.
EP 015413 B1 describes a pressure swing adsorption process which includes an arrangement of pressure swing adsorption units which, in cyclic alternation, remove a specific component or several gas components by selective adsorption from a gas mixture. A vacuum generated by means of an ejector is used to desorb the adsorbed foreign gases step by step. The ejector is operated by the pressure of the gases discharged from the pressure swing units, allowing the use of both the discharged useful gas and the discharged desorbed foreign gas if the pressure swing adsorption units and the valves are connected in an appropriate way.
EP 1101731 A1 describes a process for the production of synthesis gas in connection with a pressure swing adsorption unit by which the synthesis gas is freed from the entrained carbon dioxide. The vacuum for the desorption of the pressure swing unit is generated by an ejector which uses the high pressure of the fuel gas when being supplied. The gas leaving the ejector may then be re-used as fuel gas. By a system of feed vessels, both the fuel gas and the vacuum can be adapted to the capacity required.
The vacuum generated by the ejectors, however, is frequently inadequate. For this reason it is necessary to install devices used to further increase the vacuum. This is expensive and in most cases associated with a demand for additional equipment. Apart from this, the pressure of the discharged gas is not always high enough to operate the ejector in such a way that an adequate vacuum is generated. The use of compressed gas is inappropriate for reasons of cost. It is therefore necessary to find a low-cost solution for operating the ejectors at higher efficiency. It is therefore the aim of the present invention to make a gas available which is under high pressure, reasonably priced and, as far as possible, generated in the useful-gas production process and which allows to operate the ejectors in a cost-effective manner.
EP 864351 A2 describes a process for implementing a vacuum swing absorption, in which air is subdivided into an oxygen-enriched and an oxygen-depleted flow, and the vacuum for the vacuum swing absorption is generated by steam under pressure, and the pressurized steam is generated by an exothermic chemical reaction which is fed with the oxygen-enriched flow and in which the oxygen constitutes a reactant. The generation of the vacuum by the steam is carried out by at least one so-called eductor. The process is not suited for the separation of useful gases from a gas mixture as the separated oxygen-enriched gas is used for the generation of the steam. Furthermore, the separated gases are not under pressure.

Process and device for the separation of foreign gases from a reducing useful gas by steam-driven pressure swing adsorption


A bumper member at a vehicle frontmost end is joined to side members. The bumper member has a curved shape, a center portion protrudes further to the vehicle front than a tip end portion of the side member, a projecting portion is positioned on the outer side of the tip end portion, and is curved toward the vehicle rear, a protruding part extending toward the side member is provided on an inner side of the projecting portion, a tip end portion on the inner side of the protruding part has a planar portion opposite a side face portion on the outer side of the side member, a protrusion protruding to the inner side from the planar portion and extending in the longitudinal direction is provided in the planar portion, and a slit-shaped opening into which a tip end of the protrusion is inserted is provided in the side face portion.

In a conventional vehicle front structure, a bumper member joined to front end parts of side members is arranged in the vehicle width direction, and extension parts extending outward in the vehicle width direction are provided on both ends in the vehicle width direction of the bumper member. Some vehicles including this type of vehicle front structure are configured such that, in a crash mode in which an impact load of a frontal crash is applied only to the extension parts of the bumper member, the impact load is transmitted to the side members through the extension parts.
For example, in a vehicle front structure of Patent Literature 1, a load receiving part is provided in an outer face in the vehicle width direction of a side member (side rail) arranged on both right and left sides, while a curved part curving toward the vehicle rear is provided on an outer part in the vehicle width direction of a bumper reinforcement positioned on the vehicle outer side of the side member. A brace protruding toward the vehicle rear and arranged on the inner side of the load receiving part with a gap interposed therebetween is coupled on a rear face of the curved part. In this configuration, when an impact load is input to the outer part in the vehicle width direction of the bumper reinforcement positioned on the vehicle outer side of the side member, the impact load is transmitted to the side member through the brace.


A method of semiconductor device manufacture provided includes forming a gate insulating layer upon a single crystal semiconductor substrate, forming a gate electrode made from a polycrystal conductive film upon the gate insulating layer, implanting impurity in the gate electrode and in the surface layer of the semiconductor substrate adjacent to or separate from the gate electrode, performing a first heat treatment, and performing a second heat treatment. The first heat treatment performs heat treatment at a temperature that diffuses the impurity implanted mainly in the gate electrode and controls the diffusion of the impurity implanted in the surface layer of the semiconductor substrate. The second heat treatment performs heat treatment at a higher temperature and for a shorter time than the first heat treatment, and at a temperature that activates the impurity implanted in the semiconductor substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor apparatus manufacturing method. In particular, it relates to annealing required for impurity diffusion and activation processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the improvement of Large Scale Integrated Circuit (LSI) performance has been achieved by enhancing the integrated density, that is, by miniaturizing the elements used to configure an LSI. However, accompanying the miniaturization of elements, since parasitic resistance or a short channel effect may occur more easily, it has become important to form shallow p-n junctions with low resistance in order to prevent such occurrence.
As a method of forming the shallow p-n junction, that is, a shallow impurity diffusion layer, which is a source/drain region, in a well, performing ion implantation at low acceleration energy and shortening the subsequent annealing processing (heat treatment) is typically utilized for adjusting the diffusion depth to be shallow. For example a Rapid Thermal Anneal (RTA), which is performed in a matter of seconds using a halogen lamp is utilized as a short-time annealing method.
Nevertheless, calls are being made for even shallower p-n junction depths in addition to demands for miniaturization, and it appears as if it is necessary to form extremely shallow junctions of less than 20 nm. At present, although boron (B) is mainly used as the p-type impurity, and phosphorus (P) or arsenic (As) as the n-type impurity, it is difficult to form extremely shallow p-n junction depths under 20 nm even by adopting RTA since the diffusion factor of the impurity such as boron, phosphorus, or arsenic is relatively high in a silicon (Si) substrate.
In addition, in the case of using a halogen lamp, it is difficult to adjust the illuminating time to be several hundred ms or shorter, and there is a limit to how much the annealing time can be reduced. Meanwhile, when the annealing temperature, that is, the luminous energy intensity is lowered in order to control impurity diffusion, the activation rate of the impurity declines drastically, and resistance in the impurity diffusion layer rises. Accordingly, it is difficult to form a shallow impurity diffusion layer with a depth of less than 20 nm with low resistance through RTA processing using a halogen lamp.
Recently, a flash-lamp annealing method using a xenon (Xe) flash lamp has been considered by the inventors of the present invention in place of the conventional RTA processing method using a halogen lamp. The xenon flash lamp is a white light having a wide range light-emitting wavelength, from the visible region to near-infrared region, and is a light source capable of illuminating for extremely short time periods of several 100 μm to 10 ms. It becomes possible to perform instantaneous annealing at high temperatures by adopting this flash-lamp annealing method using the xenon flash lamp. As a result, it is possible to activate the impurity and form a shallow p-n junction with low resistance without causing diffusion of the ion-implanted impurity.
Typically, in the manufacturing process of a MOS transistor using a polycrystal silicon gate electrode, which is called a poly-Si gate, when an impurity is ion-implanted into a semiconductor substrate, the impurity is also ion-implanted into the gate electrode in order to lower the resistance of the gate electrode. Resistance is then lowered by activating the impurity implanted in the semiconductor substrate, in addition to diffusing the impurity in the gate electrode layer throughout the gate electrode and causing activation through the annealing process.
Since the emission time of the lamp is extremely short in the annealing method that uses a xenon flash lamp, extremely short time annealing treatment is possible, and since the impurity in the semiconductor substrate is activated without causing diffusion, it is possible to form a shallow source/drain region. However, since annealing time is extremely short, the implanted impurity may not be diffused throughout the gate electrode, and a region where impurity diffusion is unsatisfactory may remain in the gate electrode. This unsatisfactory impurity region becomes depleted, causing a lowering of capacitance, which as a result invites a drop in the driving force of the transistor.
Accordingly, the annealing method using a xenon flash lamp may form an impurity diffusion layer, which is a source/drain region, with low resistance and a shallow junction, however, since a depletion layer remains in the gate electrode, even if a microscopic transistor is formed, high performance, transistor characteristics with the miniaturized elements accompanying miniaturization may not be obtained.

Semiconductor manufacturing method using two-stage annealing


An electrochemical gas sensor comprises: a working electrode for exposure to a gas to be sensed; a counter electrode having an outer periphery; a reservoir for electrolyte; wick means providing a path for electrolyte to pass from the reservoir, around a first part or parts of the outer periphery of the counter electrode to provide electrolytic continuity between the counter electrode and the working electrode; and a gas diffusion means providing a path for gas to diffuse to or from a second part or parts of the outer periphery of the counter electrode.

The present invention concerns an electrochemical gas sensor for sensing a target gas, the sensor comprising a working electrode and a counter electrode, and particularly relates to a sensor in which a reagent gas needs to be supplied to or removed from the counter electrode. Applications of the sensor include the detection of toxic or other gases in an atmosphere, particularly the detection of carbon monoxide in air, where it is important that oxygen is supplied to the counter electrode.
In recent years the need for detection and measurement of toxic, noxious and irritating gases in the environment has increased as public awareness of the potential dangers and corporate awareness of potential accidents and death by gas poisoning has increased.
Numerous sensing systems have been developed to measure such gaseous components. Although direct chemical methods exist, other analytical techniques such as gas chromatography, infrared absorption and molecular fluorescence have all been used to quantify toxic or noxious gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
However, chemical methods of gas detection continue to dominate. These chemical methods depend on measuring a change in a property of a sensing material. Conductivity, dielectric constant, mass change or semiconductor behaviour have all been used to monitor toxic gas concentration, either qualitatively or quantitatively. Colourimetric detection tubes (see K Grosskop xe2x80x9cAngew.Chemiexe2x80x9d, vol 63, pages 306-308, 1962) have been used for several decades. However, the above techniques suffer from either a lack of discrimination of the gas species or from excessive power demands in the case of solid state semiconductor devices which must operate at typically 500xc2x0 C.
The most popular gas detection method is wet electrochemistry using an electrochemical gas sensor in the form of an electrochemical cell comprising a working electrode and a counter electrode. A target gas or vapour reacts electrochemically with the working electrode of an electrochemical gas sensor. The result of the reaction at this working electrode can be determined by measuring either a voltage change (potentiometry) or a current generated by the reaction (amperometry).
In electrochemical gas sensors, the target gas or vapour reacts at the working electrode of the electrochemical cell and the current generated by this electrochemical reaction is balanced by a reaction at the counter electrode, with an intervening body of electrolyte between the electrodes providing electrolytic continuity. The electrochemical cell must be part of a complete electrical circuit, so that the current generated at the working electrode must be conducted away from the cell to a circuit to measure this current. In addition, the electrochemical cell will usually include a third electrode (constituting a reference electrode) which sets a characteristic potential of the electrochemical cell, to assist in regulating the electrochemical reaction at the working electrode. In amperometry an external potentiostat circuit measures the reference electrode potential relative to the working electrode and supplies adequate current into the counter electrode, forcing a reaction at the counter electrode to balance the working electrode reaction. The potentiostat circuit not only provides the current required for the counter electrode but also ensures that the working electrode is operating at the same potential as the reference electrode, or if a bias voltage is inserted, then at a controlled bias potential relative to the reference electrode.
Like the working electrode, the counter and reference electrodes also require conductors either to allow electrical monitoring of the reference electrode potential or to complete the electric circuit to the counter electrode. As noted above, at the counter electrode a reaction occurs that is opposite to the reaction at the working electrode, i.e. if the working electrode is oxidising a gas then the counter electrode will be reducing another species. This reaction at the counter electrode will generate a by-product which may be a gas, a solution species or precipitate an ion. The creation or consumption of chemical components at both the working and counter electrodes requires that these required or resultant components are transported either to or away from the electrochemically surface active.
One major concern with electrochemical amperometric gas sensors is ensuring that the electrolyte maintains continuous contact with the electrodes and between the electrodes. This has been done by changing the state of the electrolyte; alternative forms include electrolyte gels and solid state ion conductive membranes. However, the most popular method for transporting electrolyte within electrochemical cells, including fuel cells, batteries and gas sensors, is the use of a wicking or wetting material which immobilises the electrolyte on to the surface of the material. The most popular geometry for wicking or wetting material is fibres, with glass fibre and asbestos traditionally serving these roles. Examples of this technology can be found as early as Billiter who used an asbestos matrix for ionic control in chlorine generating plants in the 1920s. More recently Binder in U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,724 has taught the use of asbestos fibres or aluminum oxide powder to immobilise electrolytes such as perchloric, sulphuric or phosphoric acid. Shaw in U.S. Pat. No. 3,755,125 extended this knowledge to include the use of planar separator discs made from glass fibre with a wick extension that dipped into a liquid electrolyte reservoir. This allowed continuous electrolyte access by the use of separator discs between the electrodes. Separator discs touched at the periphery of their surfaces to allow vertical wicking and four wick extensions into the reservoir allowed excess material to replenish evaporated electrolyte or excess electrolyte in high humidity applications to be stored in the reservoir. Chan et al. (GB 2,094,005) tried to simplify the wicking method, since Shaw used four planar separators, with each displaced 90xc2x0 relative to the next. Chan et al. employed a hole in the counter electrode with a single annular wick: a simpler design with the added advantage that the wick connecting the reservoir to the working electrode was continuous and did not require pressure between the planar separators to ensure good contact for vertical capillary transport. However, both of these solutions have an excessive number of hydrophilic components to allow adequate electrolyte transport and the single wick in the Chan design is difficult to manufacture and wasteful of electrode material.
Other problems considered in the design of electrochemical gas cells relate not only to the reaction at the working electrode but also to the opposite reaction at the counter electrode and the stabilising reaction at the reference electrode.
The reaction at the reference electrode must be stable with time but does not require generation of a significant current. Therefore the reference electrode can be small and the reaction rates can be slow, so long as the potential resulting from the various reactions is constant. Therefore the reference electrode does not require a large flux of chemicals to create an electrochemically stable environment. The counter electrode, however, must produce a current equal and opposite in sign to the current created by the working electrode. The use of a potentiostatic circuit helps since a potentiostatic circuit is designed specifically to maintain the working electrode at a fixed potential and allow the counter electrode to vary its potential until it finds an electrochemically active species to reduce or oxidise.
When oxidation occurs at the working electrode, the most common reaction at the counter electrode is oxygen reduction but an alternative reaction is hydrogen gas generation. These two reactions are shown below.
An electrochemical gas cell will be limited either by the gas access to and the activity of the working electrode or by the ability of the counter electrode to generate an equivalent balancing current. The first problem is not part of the present invention and has been discussed elsewhere; design of catalytic systems for the working electrodes to respond to specific gases is well known in the art. However the problem of providing adequate oxygen at the counter electrode has received less attention and is commonly solved by three known methods.
Firstly, a counter electrode can be placed below the working electrode with intervening electrolyte whether it is gel, solid or liquid immobilised in a fibrous matrix. Oxygen penetrates through the working electrode, then dissolves into the electrolyte and is transported across the electrolyte to the counter electrode. This method of supplying oxygen to the counter electrode is inherent in the design of nearly every electrochemical gas sensor design but will limit the amount of oxygen accessible to the counter electrode by the thickness of the electrolyte layer, temperature and type of electrolyte and the resultant oxygen solubility in the electrolyte and the rate of diffusion through the electrolyte. Typically in a carbon monoxide sensor a 1 cm2 counter electrode can generate about 300 xcexcA of current by oxygen reduction to balance the current generated by the working electrode. At higher current, hydrogen will be reduced.
An alternative method is to allow the two electrodes to be of planar design, with the working electrode having access to the atmosphere under test and the back surface of the counter electrode having access to the same air. Oxygen would then have direct access to the counter electrode in the same way as a working electrode.
The introduction in the 1970s of commercially available gas porous hydrophobic PFTE (polytetrafluoroethylene) polymer materials such as Zytex, and Goretex (Zytex and Goretex are Trade Marks) has given electrochemical cell designers a new opportunity to design flexible gas porous hydrophobic electrodes, providing a barrier to prevent the electrolyte from escaping (due to the hydrophobic properties) but allowing access of oxygen and target gases to a catalyst/binder composition which is laid onto the gas porous support. Coincidentally this also allows radial diffusion of oxygen through the gas porous supports to the under-surface of the catalytic composition of the counter electrode. Solid PTFE or polypropylene supports can also be used, but the diffusion of gas through the solid membranes is much slower and hence access to oxygen is much slower in a solid support than in a gas porous support.
Radial diffusion of oxygen to a counter electrode was taught by Tataria (U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,937). This simple design was the first recorded use of radial gas diffusion using a gas-porous electrode support for the counter electrode. Chan et. al (GB 2,094,005) taught the use of access from the back of the sensor, around an electrolyte reservoir and then through the edges of an electrode stack and radially into the counter electrode. This path is similar to the path as defined by Tataria. However, the use of radial diffusion from the edge to the counter electrode has two problem.
Firstly, if the edge of the electrode stack assembly is enclosed within the sensor housing then channels from the bottom of the sensor housing to the edges of the sensor must be created to allow oxygen access to the edge of the counter electrode. This path can also be an electrolyte leak path, with possible consequent design problems.
Secondly, sealing of an electrode by compression will also compress the electrode support. Increased compression to ensure a more leakproof sensor will lead to reduced oxygen diffusion as gas porosity decreases as the gas porous electrode is compressed.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrochemical gas sensor including a working electrode for exposure to a gas to be sensed; a counter electrode having an outer periphery; a reservoir for electrolyte; wick means providing a path for electrolyte to pass from the reservoir, around a first part or parts of the outer periphery of the counter electrode to provide electrolytic continuity between the counter electrode and the working electrode; and a gas diffusion means providing a path for gas to diffuse to or from a second part or parts of the outer periphery of the counter electrode.
By having a wick means around part (namely the first part or parts) of the outer periphery of the counter electrode and a gas diffusion means providing a gas diffusion path to or from a different part (namely the second part or parts) of the outer periphery of the counter electrode, a sensor in accordance with the invention enables not only an effective supply of electrolyte to provide electrolytic continuity between the counter electrode and the working electrode but also provides a means for enabling gas to diffuse to or from the counter electrode.
The term xe2x80x9cwick meansxe2x80x9d is used herein to mean means that enables transport of electrolyte. The wick means may be made of material, e.g. fibrous material such as glass fibre, that is porous to liquid or gel electrolyte. Solid state ion exchange materials such as sulphonated PTFE e.g. Nafion (Nafion is a Trade Mark) may also be used.
Preferably, the working electrode, counter electrode and other components are in a layered arrangement, with the working electrode and counter electrode being generally planar in form and stacked upon each other to form an electrode stack assembly. This allows the working electrode and counter electrode to be brought close together in a compact arrangement, whilst having a broad extent to maximise electrochemically active surface area.
Preferably, the counter electrode is sandwiched between two layers of generally planar wick portions that together constitute at least part of the wick means.
A reference electrode may be optionally provided, conveniently located between the counter electrode and working electrode with interposed layers of wick portions.
The layers of wick portions are preferably of larger extent than the counter electrode (and reference electrode if present) and are arranged so as to be in contact with each other around part of the outer periphery (i.e. the first part or parts) of the counter electrode, providing continuity in the path for electrolyte from the reservoir. However, the relative geometries of the wick means and counter electrode are such that the wick means does not fully enclose the counter electrode, leaving exposed part of the outer periphery (i.e. the second part or parts) of the counter electrode which can therefore contact the gas diffusion means. This configuration is achieved by appropriately selecting the shape of the counter electrode and the other components.
The electrode stack assembly may optionally include one or more annular discs of material that is gas porous, hydrophobic and electrically insulating, e.g. polymer materials such as Zytex, Goretex and Mupor (Mupor is a Trade Mark) as referred to above, for electrical insulation purposes, to impart mechanical strength and/or to build up stack thickness. The discs are annular so as not to impede the passage through the stack of electrolyte.
It is generally convenient for the components of the sensor to be circular or disc-like in configuration and coaxially stacked. In this case, the counter electrode should not be circular. Various counter electrode configurations are possible, such as rectangular, semi-circular, cruciform etc., which allow the wick means to pass around a smaller dimension part or parts and the gas diffusion means to contact a larger dimension part or parts.
The working electrode is conveniently supported on a material which is impermeable to electrolyte but permeable to gas. This allows the electrolyte to be retained within the sensor by providing a suitable sealed arrangement whilst enabling the gas to be sensed to penetrate to the working electrode. Microporous PTFE (e.g. Goretex, Zytex or Mupor) is a suitable electrode support material for this purpose. The working electrode can be conveniently formed as a catalytic layer or coating, e.g. of platinum, for instance in the form of a mixture of platinum black and PTFE sintered at elevated temperature, on one surface of the support. The catalytic layer may be formed on only a central portion of the support leaving an annular uncoated edge region of the support, for gas transport and sealing purposes. The catalyst layer is preferably on the side of the working electrode facing the other electrode(s) of the sensor. The counter electrode and reference electrode are conveniently of similar materials and construction, although generally will have a catalytic layer over the full extent of one surface of a support.
Strips or rods of conductive material, e.g. platinum, may be provided in contact with the electrodes in known manner for connection to external circuitry.
The support for the working electrode can also be part of the route by which gas passes to or from the counter electrode. Indeed, the gas diffusion means preferably comprises the support for the working electrode and the support for the counter electrode which are preferably in contact. Gas diffusion is faster where there is contact between the counter electrode support and the working electrode support, so this is preferred, although a small gap that is preferably less than 0.2 mm but may be up to around 1 mm (e.g. 0.5 to 1 mm), across which gas diffuses through the electrolyte may be acceptable in some circumstances where the counter electrode reaction current is small.
Other routes for gas diffusion to and from the counter electrode may also exist, although these will generally not permit such rapid or efficient diffusion and so be of less importance.
It is a possible benefit of this construction that the gas supply to the counter electrode can come from the same gas source to which the working electrode is exposed. Indeed, the sensor preferably has a housing or casing with an aperture through which gas may pass, typically into an air space above the working electrode. In this configuration, it is a benefit that gas from this aperture may diffuse to the counter electrode rather than requiring a separate gas supply around the reservoir, particularly if the sensor is to be mounted on a surface.
Optionally, the reference electrode support is of low gas permeability so as to reduce or eliminate diffusion of interferents to the reference electrode. The reference electrode support may also have means for removing an interferent, such as a metal or metal-organic layer; for example, palladium can be used to remove hydrogen.
The reservoir is conveniently also located within the housing. The reservoir is made from an appropriate electrolyte-resistant material, such as polysulfone or polycarbonate, as it is common to use hostile electrolyte materials such as concentrated acids e.g. sulphuric acid or phosphoric acid. The reservoir desirably includes removable closure means to enable electrolyte to be supplied thereto, for initial use and/or replenishment.
In one preferred embodiment, the sensor is a carbon monoxide sensor, which requires a supply of oxygen to the counter electrode and which uses concentrated sulphuric acid as an electrolyte.
Other possible target gases include sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and nitric oxide, with the sensor having suitable electrodes for appropriate reaction in each case.
The electrode stack may be assembled and located within the housing together with the electrolyte reservoir, with the components being secured together to form a sealed assembly within which electrolyte can be retained (usually being filled with electrolyte after formation of the sealed assembly, via removable closure means as mentioned above), by virtue of the electrolyte impermeable nature of the working electrode support and by sealing engagement of various components on assembly. The invention can provide a sensor that is easy and cost-effective to manufacture, robust, leak proof and usable in any orientation, while permitting easy access of gas, e.g. oxygen, to or from the counter electrode and reliable transport of electrolyte to the electrodes.
In use the working electrode is exposed (directly or indirectly) to a gas to be monitored, possibly containing a gaseous target analyte such as carbon monoxide to which the sensor is responsive. In the presence of the target gas electrochemical reactions take place in the sensor and the resulting electrical output is monitored in known manner as discussed above. The sensor is preferably in the form of an amperometic electrochemical cell with measurement of current by amperometry. The sensing may be performed qualitatively or quantitatively.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrochemical gas sensor for measurement of a gaseous analyte, the sensor comprising a planar working electrode and a planar counter electrode with electrolyte therebetween, the working electrode and the counter electrode being in contact with the electrolyte, the sensor further comprising a gas diffusion means through which a reagent gas can diffuse to the counter electrode, the gas diffusion means partially or fully enclosing a volume around the working and counter electrodes and having an electrolyte supply means for supply of electrolyte from a reservoir, the counter electrode having an outer edge characterised in that part of the outer edge of the counter electrode is in contact with the gas diffusion means and part of the outer edge of the counter electrode is not in contact with the gas diffusion means, there being provided electrolyte transport means for electrolyte to pass around the part of the outer edge of the counter electrode where it is not in contact with the gas diffusion means.
The term xe2x80x9cplanarxe2x80x9d is used in this context to mean an electrode that at least initially was of planar configuration but that may have been deformed somewhat in construction of the sensor.
The counter electrode may contact the gas diffusion means around the outer edge of the top surface and/or outer edge of the bottom surface and/or outer face.
The gas diffusion means may comprise a hydrophobic gas porous support. Preferably, the hydrophobic gas porous support is microporous PTFE.
Preferably, the gas diffusion means may comprise a plurality of separate parts in contact with each other. Part of the gas diffusion means may be a support for the working electrode. Part of the gas diffusion means may be a support for the counter electrode.
The gas diffusion means may further comprise one or more washers such as a stack base.
Preferably, the largest dimension of the counter electrode is less than the inner diameter of the xe2x80x9cOxe2x80x9d ring seal.
Preferably, the electrolyte is supported by a wicking medium.
Preferably the working electrode and counter electrode are parallel to each other. The working electrode and counter electrode may be coaxial.
The counter electrode may be a rectangle. Alternatively, the counter electrode may be a rectangle with rounded corners or ends. Alternatively, the counter electrode may be a cross.
Alternatively, the counter electrode may comprise a circular central region with one or more arms extending outwards.
The counter electrode catalyst may face the reference electrode.
A reference electrode may be provided in contact with the electrolyte between the working electrode and counter electrode.
The reference electrode and counter electrode may be formed from a single electrode cut into two parts. Preferably, this will form two semi-circles. The semi-circles may not overlap. The reference electrode may be coplanar with the counter electrode. The reference electrode may be formed on the same support as the counter electrode.
The reference electrode may comprise a low or non-gas permeable support, configured to reduce or eliminate diffusion of hydrogen from the counter electrode to the reference electrode. The reference electrode support may have a hydrogen removing means. The hydrogen removing means may be a metal or metal-organic layer. Typically, this will be palladium.
Preferably the gaseous analyte is carbon monoxide and the reagent gas is oxygen. Alternatively the analyte gas may be, e.g., hydrogen sulphide or sulphur dioxide.
The gas diffusion means may be enclosed in a non-porous medium having an aperture therein, the aperture being positioned on the side of the working electrode away from the counter electrode. Preferably, the non-porous medium has no apertures through which gas may penetrate to the gas diffusion means.
Optionally, there may be a small gap between the counter electrode and the gas diffusion means. This may be of the order of 0.5-1 mm, but is preferably less than 0.2 mm.


In a multi processing system, packet routing units are arranged in respective middleware layers in first nodes corresponding to memory spaces connected to plural processor cores and perform routing of a packet among parent nodes and child nodes in a tree. The child nodes are user nodes that are objects of respective application layers in the memory spaces. The first nodes are the parent nodes. The user nodes, the first nodes, and a second node in the tree are assigned addresses that identify parent-child relationship of nodes in the tree. The second node is a parent node of the first nodes. The packet routing unit (a1) stores the packet if the source address is identical to an own node address, (a2) transfers the packet to a child node if the source address indicates the child node, and (a3) transfers the packet to a parent node in the other cases.

1. Field of the Present Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a multi processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multi core processors and multi processors are used to break through the limit of increasing performance of a single core processor due to increasing leak current and consumption electronic power.
In an embedded system, an asymmetrical multi processing (AMP) system is used to gain cost performance and reduce electronic power consumption. An AMP system assigns functions to respective processor cores and the processor cores execute respective specific programs.
In such a system, communication is performed between processor cores in a multi core processor through a multi core communication API (MCAPI (registered trademark): Multicore Communications Application Program Interface), an OS (Operating System), and a middleware (the communication is not performed through an OS in some cases); and processors are connected with PCI express (PCIe) and communication is performed between the processors through device drivers of PCI express (PCIe) and the OS.
Therefore, it is required to choose different communication manners corresponding to respective hardware configurations for communication between user nodes (objects in applications) performed between processor cores, and consequently programming is complicated.
Further if a configuration of a multi processing system is changed for system improvement, then according to it, it is required to change a software configuration for inter user node communication.
Further, for example, in a case that a first processor core is connected via a second processor core to a third processor core, the first processor core can not perform direct software communication with the third processor core.


A grid structure has a header section and a content section. A scroll user input is detected and columns in the content section are scrolled without scrolling the header section. The displayed grid structure is snapped to a column boundary.

Computer systems are currently in wide use. Some systems provide access to the computing system functionality, applications, and data, through a family of clients. In such systems, a user experience is often tailored to each device (or client).
As one example, an on-premise or cloud-based computing system may provide access to a desktop client device, a web-based client device, and a mobile client device. In addition, some of the client devices may be provided on multiple different platforms.
Some computing systems have many different forms (or user interface displays) that are generated and surfaced for a user who is using the computing system. One type of form or user interface display is a list page, or list view. In a list page, the display is surfaced with rows divided into columns. The rows have row headings and the columns have column headings. Content or data is displayed within the row and column grid structure. Such grid structures can sometimes be very large, so that the entire structure cannot be viewed on a single user interface display.
Some spreadsheet applications provide freeze panes. Freeze panes operate by freezing the first column on the left-hand side of the worksheet so that, while the user scrolls through the data, the row headers stay the same. However, when a list page is displayed, it is displayed on a web client or a mobile client as a set of HTML tables in a browser. Many current browsers do not implement any type of support for adding freeze pane functionality to HTML tables.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.


A process for forming a three dimensional decorative pattern on a product substrate uses electrostatic forces placed on dielectric fibers and electrostatic latent images written either onto an intended product substrate or onto a transfer surface, or both, to assemble three dimensional composite structures of fibers or rod-shaped components in a matrix of a second dielectric material. The fibers or other rod-shaped components may extend from the matrix to form a surface that is either plush or relatively smooth. The transfer surface may be a photoconductor with an electrostatic latent image that is written with controlled light or it can be made of a dielectric material and be rigid and conforming to the intended product substrate or flexible and made to conform to the intended product substrate.

This invention relates to a process for the production of a relatively thick composite of fibrous layers on a base product material which may serve a decorative or structural function, such as artificial wood or similar organic or inorganic dielectric materials, or which may have a plush surface and may be flexible like artificial fur or plush carpet.
Wood is a natural composite material comprising fibers in a lignin matrix. The structural and aesthetic qualities of wood are profoundly affected by the arrangement and orientation of the fibers within the matrix, which is called xe2x80x9cgrainxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwoodgrainxe2x80x9d. For a very long time markets have highly valued certain woodgrain patterns. As a consequence, the forest products industry is producing large volumes of wood that has been culled out from the production process for products with high structural and aesthetic values. As the supply of mature trees diminishes, the selection of desired grain patterns becomes restricted and expensive.
Much of this scrap wood is separated into its component fibers and lignin by a variety of methods known in the present art. From these components, wood fiber reinforced composite materials have been made by several methods which have good structural properties due to an absence of knotholes and other defects. The arrangement of fibers in these prior-art composites may be either substantially random for products made by extrusion of a mixture of the fiber and matrix material and intended to have isotropic structural properties, or, substantially regular in spacing and orientation for fiberboard products.
To improve aesthetic values, decorative woodgrain patterns are applied to wood fiber reinforced composites, and to a wide variety of other substrates, by known methods including printing and painting. These methods produce an essentially two dimensional product that has the undesired property that the pattern can be obliterated by shallow abrasion. Also, if the product were to be machined after the pattern has been applied, the substrate would be revealed and the decorative pattern would be lost.
For products that have a plush surface, such as fur, there are other problems. Although fur can have excellent thermal insulation and aesthetic values, fur clothing has lost favor in the marketplace due to the killing of the animals that provide it. There is also great expense involved in the sewing together of many pelts of small animals, such as mink, to produce a garment. Thus, there is a market for artificial fur that might attain the valued qualities of the natural product yet be made in large pieces without killing the animals that provide the hair.
The present invention comprises a process that uses electrostatic forces among external electrodes, electrostatic charges placed on dielectric fibers or other, dielectric, rod-shaped components, and electrostatic latent images written either onto the intended product substrate itself or onto a transfer surface, or both, to assemble three dimensional composite structures of said fibers or rod-shaped components in a matrix of a second dielectric material. The fibers or other rod-shaped components may extend from the matrix to form a surface that is either plush or relatively smooth. The process need not employ a transfer surface but it is often convenient to use one when the product substrate is not flat but varies substantially in height and orientation. The transfer surface can be a photoconductor with an electrostatic latent image that is written with controlled light or it can be made of a dielectric material. The transfer surface can be either rigid and conforming to the intended product substrate or it can be a flexible film belt that is made to conform to the intended product substrate with suitable mechanical and/or fluidic apparatus such as rollers and air nozzles.


A vehicle and a method for controlling the same are provided to secure additional distance to empty (DTE) of the vehicle by controlling the use of a load that is consuming battery power or by changing driving mode, when a recharging station is unavailable within DTE of the vehicle at a current battery charge level. The vehicle includes a DTE calculator that calculates DTE of the vehicle based on a battery charge level and a cluster that displays the calculated DTE. A controller detects a recharging station located within the calculated DTE and transmits a control signal to create an interface for controlling battery power consumption based on battery power consumed by at least one load when a recharging station is unavailable within the calculated DTE and a display displays the created interface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle for securing extra distance to empty (DTE) of the vehicle by controlling the use of a load that is consuming battery power or by changing driving mode, when a recharging station not detected within DTE of the vehicle at a current battery charge level.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recent issues of global warming from environmental destruction and oil prices have increased the developments of electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are being developed to alleviate the pollution problem, such as noise and exhaust gas from vehicles and to efficiently use surplus power in terms of energy saving. The electric vehicle charges the battery with electricity, and runs on the battery by driving the motor with the charged electricity. Important factors for operating the electric vehicle including monitoring the battery state, such as current temperature and state of charge (SOC) and managing the battery state to remain greater than a certain level. In particular, and the battery SOC may be monitored in real time to inform the driver of distance to empty (DTE) based on a remaining battery charge level.
In terms of DTE based on a remaining battery charge level, like internal combustion vehicles that estimate DTE based on a current gasoline fuel level and inform the driver of the DTE, the electric vehicles also estimate DTE based on a current battery energy state and indicate the DTE on a cluster within the vehicle or somewhere similar. The electric vehicle runs on a charged battery instead of fuel for gasoline vehicles, but currently, the battery charge performance remains insufficient for the electric vehicle to travel a substantially long distance, and thus the electric vehicle requires regular charging at recharging stations.
Due to the limited charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs), plug in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), etc., which are available today, recharging stations are not sufficiently prevalent yet. An electric vehicle that requires recharging may become discharged when a recharging station is unavailable within the DTE.
Accordingly, the cluster of the electric vehicle provides a warning of recharging through battery SOC indication. Furthermore, a system has been proposed to use a geographic information system to provide the driver with information regarding a recharging station located within a shortest range from the current location of the vehicle and provides the most suitable service for the vehicle, when a voltage level of the battery recognized by the electric vehicle falls below a certain level, thereby providing the driver a warning for charging the electric vehicle.

Vehicle and method for controlling the same


Disclosed is an attachable charger for a handheld electronic device comprising an attachable receptacle within which the device is snugly received, a power plug comprising prongs for insertion into an AC power socket, the power plug extending from the attachable receptacle, a power processing assembly for processing the power received at the AC socket into power suitable for charging the device, and a connector for connecting the processing assembly and the handheld device so as to convey the power from the processing assembly to the device.

The present invention relates to accessories for electronic handheld devices and more particularly to a charger that can be coupled to the device such that, the charger can be carried along with the device.
It's no news that wireless handheld devices such as cellular phones, tablets, and the like, are an indispensible part of peoples' lives today. Generally, these devices have a battery life that lasts around eight to nine hours and have a talk time of roughly four hours. And, owing to our increased attachment to these devices, it is always quite an inconvenience if these devices run out of charge especially, when a charging means thereof is not around. For those who cannot afford to have their devices "die" due to lack of charge, they are obligated to carry along the charging means, such as a travel adapter or a USB cable, in order to ensure that the battery is always backed up. However, carrying a travel adapter or a USB cable separately in itself can be quite a handful for the user. Also, adding fuel to the fire is that fact that, these cables and wires can be unmanageable as they get tangled up quite easily and quite often. There is surely a necessity in the art for a solution that can address aforementioned problem.


At least one implementation described herein relates to evaluating queries structured according to a first format against one or more objects structured according to a second, different format without serializing the object. Typically, evaluating an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) query against a CLR (Common Language Runtime) object required serializing the CLR object and deriving an XML construct from the serialized data. The query is then be evaluated against the XML construct. In the described implementations, significant system resources are realized by creating an infoset model that maps properties of an object to an object infoset. The query is then evaluated using the infoset to locate object values and, thus, no serialization is required. Dynamically generated IL is used and re-used to efficiently perform subsequent evaluation steps on similar queries.

Computing systems—i.e. devices capable of processing electronic data such as computers, telephones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), etc.—communicate with other computing systems by exchanging data according to a communications protocol that is recognizable by the systems. A system utilizes filters to analyze data that is sent and/or received by the system and to determine if and how the data will be processed further.
Filters are a set of one or more queries against which an input is tested. For purposes of the present discussion, the terms "filter" and "query" are singular and interchangeable, and multiple queries are said to comprise a "filter table." One way filters are used is to allow an input into a system only if the input satisfies one or more particular filters. Another way filters are used is for message processing, such as with a mail program. Inputs that satisfy a filter associated with a particular mailbox are forwarded to the mailbox. Filters can also be used for file access algorithms, security controls, etc.
Filters are written in a suitable query language such as XPath or XQuery. Query languages are designed to operate on data structured according to a particular format. For example, XPath and XQuery are designed to operate on data structured as XML (eXtensible Markup Language). But sometimes, a filter designed to operate on data structured according to one format are called on to evaluate data structured according to another format. In such instances, a translation process must be performed so that the object can be tested against the filter. However, data transform procedures can consume significant resources.
Once such instance occurs when an XPath query is called on to evaluate a CLR (Common Language Runtime) or Java object. A typical way to perform this evaluation is to serialize the object and then use the serialized data to build a template of the object according to XML. The XPath query can then be evaluated against the object using the XML structure.
But the serialization process is expensive because it involves maintaining buffers, writing strings, etc. The resultant XML must then be parsed to build (typically) a DOM. Furthermore, an object is often at the root of a tree/graph of objects and can have references to other objects. Therefore, serializing an object can sometimes involve serializing multiple objects which adds to the overhead required for processing.

Evaluating queries against in-memory objects without serialization


A watch winder includes a watch carrier having a longitudinal axis, a continuous outer wall having a plurality of detectable features, and a watch holder to support the watch relative to the longitudinal axis so that the watch rotates upon rotation of the carrier about the longitudinal axis; a drive means within a circuit including a controller to control the rotation of the watch carrier through successive winding cycles; and a sensor to detect the position of the detectable features, the controller stopping the carrier at the end of each cycle in response to detection of a given number of detectable features by the sensor, the feature detected at the end of each cycle being different from the feature detected by the sensor at the end of the immediately preceding cycle.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic watch winders for winding self-winding watches, and in particular to watch winders that end each winding cycle with the orientation of the watch carrier, and the watch supported thereon, at a predetermined number of degrees different from the orientation of the watch carrier at the end of the immediately preceding cycle, thereby imparting to the watch the accuracy and advantages of a tourbillon mechanism.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The winding mechanism of a self-winding watch is comprised of a bearing mounted pendulum or rotor that is connected through a gear reduction system to the mainspring of the watch. Generally, the rotor can rotate 360° in either direction. However, there are also so-called "hammer" shaped rotors in older self-winding watches that have a limited travel of 150° to 220° rotation. In either case when the watch is worn, the user's random and often rapid arm movements cause the rotor to swing back and forth inertially in both directions around the rotor axis, thereby winding the watch spring. The watch spring generally stores sufficient energy to keep the watch operating 36-48 hours, whether worn or not. Thus, when worn daily, the watch will be sufficiently wound to maintain continuous operation. However, if the watch is not worn regularly, the user must wind the watch, either manually or with a watch winder, or the watch will stop.
Watch winders are typically comprised of an electric drive mechanism that rotates a watch carrier so that the rotor moves relative to the watch spring, thereby effecting winding of the watch. In many watch winders, the watch is supported on a holder with plane of the watch being perpendicular to the axis of rotation. That is, the rotor axis is parallel to the axis of rotation of the drive mechanism, so that the watch rotates in the same plane as the hands of the watch. During the period of activation, the watch is partially or completely rotated several times either in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction or, alternately, reversing in both directions. The powered rotation of the watch may be controlled to limit the turns per day (TPD) to prevent damage or malfunction due to the forces exerted on the winding mechanism.
One disadvantage of existing watch winders is the inaccuracy imparted to the watch mechanism by the effects of gravity. The effect of gravity on the accuracy of a watch mechanism was first observed in 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. The effect was particularly pronounced in pocketwatches that were carried in the same pocketed position for most of the day, i.e., with the watch being in the same orientation for extended periods of time. Breguet designed a mechanism, known at a "tourbillon" mechanism to counter this effect. In a tourbillon mechanism, the entire escapement assembly including the balance wheel, escapement and pallet fork is mounted for rotation within the watch assembly.
The advent of watches which are worn on the wrist has negated the need for a tourbillon mechanism as an accuracy improver. The random motions of the wrist during the day in effect provide all of the multi-positional needs for averaging out the effect of gravity on the watch's accuracy. Consequently, the modern tourbillon is more an example of fine craftsmanship and an expression of high quality than it is a rate adjustment tool.
However, with the advent of watchwinders, the original positional problem returns. The watchwinder is only active for a short time, e.g., one hour, each day. Consequently, for the remaining time the watch is in a fixed position with the axis of rotation horizontal or slightly tilted, in effect, the same as it would be if it were a pocket watch in the olden days. Thus, there is a need for a watchwinder that negates the effect of gravity, and provides the advantages of a tourbillon mechanism to any watch being wound on the watchwinder.


Disclosed herein is a method of fabricating an electrophoretic display device for reducing the fabrication cost and simplifying the fabrication process, and the method may include providing a substrate comprising a display region arranged with a plurality of pixels and a non-display region; forming a thin-film transistor on a first substrate; forming a passivation layer on the substrate formed with the thin-film transistor; forming a pixel electrode in the display region on the passivation layer and forming a partition wall in the non-display region; filling an electrophoretic material in a pixel inside the partition wall on the passivation layer; applying a sealing material to an upper portion of the electrophoretic material to form a sealing layer; depositing a transparent conductive material on the sealing layer to form a common electrode; and adhering the protection layer to an upper portion of the common electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophoretic display device and method of fabrication thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrophoretic display device is an image display device using a phenomenon that colloidal particles move to either one of the polarities when one pair of electrodes to which a voltage is applied are immersed into a colloidal solution. Contrary to a liquid crystal display device, such an electrophoretic display device has the advantage of wide viewing angle, high reflectivity, low power consumption, and the like, without using a backlight and thus it is widely used as an electronic device such as an electronic paper.
The electrophoretic display device has a structure in which an electrophoretic layer is interposed between two substrates. One of the two substrates is made of a transparent substrate and the other substrate is configured with an array substrate formed with a driving element to display images in a reflective mode in which light entering from the outside of the device is reflected.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the structure of an electrophoretic display device 1 in the related art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electrophoretic display device 1 may include a first substrate 20 and a second substrate 40, thin-film transistors and a pixel electrode 18 formed on the first substrate 20, a common electrode 42 formed on the second substrate 40, an electrophoretic layer 60 formed between the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 40, and an adhesive layer 56 formed between the electrophoretic layer 60 and the pixel electrode 18.
The thin-film transistor may include a gate electrode 11 formed on the first substrate 20, a gate insulation substrate 22 formed over the overall first substrate 20 formed with the gate electrode 11, a semiconductor layer 13 formed on the gate insulation substrate 22, and a source electrode 15 and a drain electrode 16 formed on the semiconductor layer 13. A passivation layer 24 is formed on the source electrode 15 and drain electrode 16 of the thin-film transistor.
The pixel electrode 18 for applying a signal to the electrophoretic layer 60 is formed on the passivation layer 24. Here, a contact hole 28 is formed on the passivation layer 24, and the pixel electrode 18 is connected to the drain electrode 16 of the thin-film transistor through the contact hole 28.
Furthermore, a common electrode 42 is formed on the second substrate 40 and an electrophoretic layer 60 is formed on the common electrode 42. Here, an adhesive layer 56 is formed on the electrophoretic layer 60 to attach the second substrate 40 including the electrophoretic layer 60 to the first substrate 20. The electrophoretic layer 60 may include a capsule 70 filled with white particles 74 and black particles 76 having an electrophoretic characteristic therein. When a signal is applied to the pixel electrode 18, an electric field is generated between the common electrode 42 and the pixel electrode 18, and white particles 74 and black particles 76 inside the capsule 70 are moved in a direction of the common electrode 42 or pixel electrode 18 by the electric field, thereby implementing an image.
For example, when a negative (−) voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 18 on the first substrate 20 and a positive (+) voltage is applied to the common electrode 42 on the second substrate 40, the positive (+) charged white particles 74 are moved to the side of the first substrate 20 and the negative (−) charged black particles 76 are moved to the side of the second substrate 40. In this state, when light is incident from the outside, i.e., an upper portion of the second substrate 40, incident light is reflected by the black particles 76, thereby implementing black on the electrophoretic display device.
On the contrary, when a positive (+) voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 18 on the first substrate 20 and a negative (−) voltage is applied to the common electrode 42 on the second substrate 40, the positive (+) charged white particles 74 are moved to the side of the second substrate 40 and the negative (−) charged black particles 76 are moved to the side of the first substrate 20. In this state, when light is incident from the outside, i.e., an upper portion of the second substrate 40, incident light is reflected by the white particles 74, thereby implementing white on the electrophoretic display device.
However, the electrophoretic display device 1 having the foregoing structure in the related art may have the following problems.
First, the method of fabricating an electrophoretic display device in the related art has difficulty in attaching the first substrate to the second substrate.
In the electrophoretic display device 1 in related art, the first substrate 20 and second substrate 40 are individually fabricated, and then the first substrate 20 is attached to the second substrate 40 by the adhesive layer 56 to complete the process. In other words, a thin-film transistor for driving a unit pixel and the pixel electrode 18 for applying an electric field to the electrophoretic layer are formed on the first substrate 20, and the common electrode 42, the electrophoretic layer 60 and the adhesive layer 56 are formed on the second substrate 40, and then the first substrate 20 is attached to the second substrate 40 to complete the process.
However, the unit pixel in a typical electrophoretic display device may be formed with a small size less than 150 micrometer in the height and width thereof, and thus it may be difficult to align the electrophoretic layer to accurately match to the size. If the electrophoretic layer is not accurately aligned with the first substrate formed with a thin-film transistor, then an electric field will not be accurately transferred to electrophoretic particles, thereby causing a driving error.
Second, the method of fabricating an electrophoretic display device in the related art has a complicated fabrication process. The first substrate 20 and the second substrate 40 must be fabricated in a different process, and then transferred by a transfer means and attached to each other in the attachment process, thereby causing a delay during the fabrication process and increasing the fabrication cost.
Third, electrostatic discharge generated during the process of attaching the first substrate to the second substrate may cause failure in the initial alignment of electrophoretic particles.
The common electrode 42 and the electrophoretic layer 60 are formed on the second substrate 40, and the adhesive layer 56 is applied to the electrophoretic layer 60. Furthermore, a protection layer is adhered to the adhesive layer 56 in order to prevent the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 56 from being reduced and prohibit foreign materials from being adhered to the adhesive layer 56. However, the protection layer should be peeled off from the second substrate 40 to adhere the second substrate 40 to the first substrate 20, but during the process of peeling off the protection layer, electrostatic discharge may be generated, and as a result, the generated electrostatic discharge may cause misalignment in the initial alignment of electrophoretic particles. The misalignment of electrophoretic particles due to the electrostatic discharge may cause comb-tooth-shaped moiré during the operation of the electrophoretic display device.

Electrophoretic display device and method of fabrication thereof


A small-sized multi-frequency antenna duplexer using surface acoustic wave filters to be applicable to a plurality of frequencies. This antenna duplexer includes two surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters for transmission and reception having passing bands of mutually different frequencies, a phase shift substrate, and a package for accommodating them. The passing band of each antenna duplexer is mutually different from other""s passing band. This multi-frequency antenna duplexer includes a plurality of antenna duplexers. In one package, transmitter surface acoustic wave filters, receiver surface acoustic filters, and phase shift substrates are mounted. Thus, the multi-frequency antenna duplexer are reduced in size.

The present invention relates to an antenna duplexer used in mobile communication appliances, and more particularly to a multi-frequency antenna duplexer.
A conventional antenna duplexer is generally formed of coaxial resonators or distributed constant type resonators, and the number of stages of resonators and their shape are determined in order to obtain desired electric characteristics such as passing band width and attenuation amount.
A conventional multi-frequency antenna duplexer includes, as shown in FIG. 13, plural antenna duplexers, that is, transmitter filters 25a, 25b and receiver filters 26a, 26b respectivelly formed of coaxial resonators on a substrate 24. A switchable time division multiple access (TDMA) system contains, as shown in FIG. 14, a branching filter 23 for branching the passing frequency, and single pole double throw (SPDT) switches 27a, 27b for changing over transmission and reception. The SPDT switches 27a, 27b respectively change over transmitter terminals 16c, 16d, and receiver terminals 17c, 17d.
In this multi-frequency antenna duplexer, it is hard to reduce in size because the filter characteristic depends largely on the shape of resonators. In particular, a non-switchable code division multiple access (CDMA) system requires multiple resonators, and is increased in size. For example, when an multi-frequency antenna duplexer largely different in passing band frequency such as 800 MHz and 1.8 GHz is composed of distributed constant type resonators, the electric characteristic of substrate materials used in the distributed constant type resonators depends on the frequency. Therefore, it is hard to optimize the electric characteristic of substrate materials.
A small-sized multi-frequency antenna duplexer is presented. The antenna duplexer uses plural antenna duplexers, each of which includes two surface acoustic wave filters each for transmitter and receiver having passing bands different in frequency from each other, attenuating other""s passing band each other. This multi-frequency antenna duplexer contains plural antenna duplexers mounted in one package. Further the passing band of each antenna duplexer is different from those of other antennas.
Thus, the multi-frequency antenna duplexer is reduced in size.
In this multi-frequency antenna duplexer, a first piezoelectric substrate on which plural transmitter surface acoustic wave filters are formed, a second piezoelectric substrate on which plural receiver surface acoustic wave filters are formed, and a phase shift substrate having a function of rotating the phase of each transmission band at least in each receiver surface acoustic wave filter are mounted in one package. Thus, the multi-frequency antenna duplexer suppresses signal leak between transmission and reception portions, and is reduced in size while maintaining isolation.
Further, in this multi-frequency antenna duplexer, transmitter surface acoustic wave filters and receiver surface acoustic wave filters, which constitute the antenna duplexer having passing bands different in frequency, are formed individually on one piezoelectric substrate. Further in each receiver surface acoustic wave filter, phase shift substrate having a function of rotating the phase of each transmission band are configured and mounted in a three-dimensional structure in one package. Thus, in this multi-frequency antenna duplexer, plural antenna duplexers, having passing bands largely different in frequency from each other, can be reduced in size without deteriorating the characteristics.
Herein, in the multi-frequency antenna duplexer, as for the antenna duplexer for two frequencies corresponding to two passing band frequencies, only one antenna output terminal may be required by connecting a branching filter installed in the one package as the antenna duplexer to the antenna terminal of each antenna duplexer. As a result, a small-sized multi-frequency antenna duplexer may be obtained.
Further, by forming the phase shift substrate and branching filter used in the multi-frequency antenna duplexer in the package inner layer, an multi-frequency antenna duplexer of further smaller size is obtained.
Moreover, in the multi-frequency antenna duplexer, by using the surface acoustic wave filters and bulk wave filters selectively depending on the passing band frequency or desired filter characteristic, an antenna duplexer for plural frequency having a superior performance can be realized in a smaller size.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A serial printer comprises a printing head, a carrier for carrying the printing head, a platen, and a pair of guide members extending in parallel with the platen for supporting the carrier in a movable manner. An openable member is attached openably to the casing of the printer and supporting one of the guide members. Engaging receivers are formed in the carrier for allowing the one guide member to engage therewith and disengage therefrom in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the one guide member. Engaging brackets may be mounted on the printing head for coming into and out of engagement with one of the guide members at a right angle with respect to the extending direction of the one guide member. Moving members may be supported movably in the casing of the printer for supporting the one guide member, when moved, to bring the one guide member into and out of an engagement with the engaging brackets. One of the pair of guide members can be supported by a front cover which can open and close a printer case. Because of the above described construction, the printing head guide can be made compact in size, light in weight and inexpensive to manufacture.

The serial printer has its printing head moved at a right angle with respect to the paper feeding direction.
FIG. 9 shows a structure of the printer of this kind according to the prior art. As shown, a carrier 61 carrying a printing head 60 is supported to move at a right angle with respect to the paper feeding direction (i.e., normal to the surface of the sheet of FIG. 9) by means of a pair of guide pins 63 and 64 which extend in parallel with a platen 62. For the printing operation, the printer is so charged with an ink ribbon cassette 65 that an ink ribbon 66 may be threaded between the nose portion 60a of the printing head 60 and the platen 62.
With this structure, however, the printing head 60 cannot be adjusted back and forth with respect to the platen 62, thus causing inconvenience. For example, the clearance between the nose portion 60a of the printing head 60 and the platen 62 is so small (e.g., usually 0.2 to 0.3 mm) that the ink ribbon 66 is hard to thread through the clearance when the printer is charged with the ink ribbon cassette 65. When the printer is to be set with (not shown) sheets of recording paper, they are inconveniently hard to thread between the nose portion 60a of the printing head 60 and the platen 62.
In a conventional printing head reciprocation mechanism of a serial type dot printer, a carriage is slidably supported by a pair of parallel guide rods and a printing head is securely mounted on a carriage. The carriage is moved along the pair of parallel guide rods by a timing belt or the like so that the printing head is reciprocably moved.
As a result, a large carriage which is slidably fitted on a pair of guide rods is needed so that there arises the problem that a printing head guide device becomes large in size.


Techniques to test performance of terminals and access points in CDMA data (e.g., cdma2000) systems. A framework of protocols and messages is provided to support systematic performance testing of terminals and to ensure interface compatibility. The framework comprises a Forward Test Application Protocol (FTAP) for testing forward channels and a Reverse Test Application Protocol (RTAP) for testing reverse channels. Techniques are also provided to (1) test different types of channels (e.g., traffic channels as well as auxiliary channels), (2) test bursty data transmissions, (3) support “persistence” testing (i.e., continued testing over connection and disconnection), (4) force the settings of certain auxiliary channels (e.g., so that the error rate of the channels may be determined), and (5) collect, log, and report various statistics that may be used to derive performance metrics such as throughput and packet error rate.

1. Field
The present invention relates to data communication, and more particularly to techniques for testing different types of channels in a wireless (e.g., cdma2000) data communication system.
2. Background
Wireless data communication systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and others are widely used to provide various types of communication such as voice, data, and so on. For these systems, it is highly desirable to utilize the available resources (i.e., the available bandwidth and transmit power) as efficiently as possible. This typically entails transmitting as much data to as many users within as short a time period as supported by the conditions of the communication link.
To achieve the above goal, the performance of terminals may need to be evaluated in the factory and/or in the field. As part of a manufacturing process, the terminals may be tested to ensure that they comply with specified minimum performance criteria. And in the field, the performance of the terminals may be characterized and used to diagnose RF coverage and performance problems in the wireless data communication system.
In one conventional technique for characterizing the performance of a terminal, a known data pattern (e.g., generated by a pseudo-random number (PN) generator) is transmitted by an access point (or base station), received by the terminal, and sent back to the access point. This "loop-back" testing technique may be simple to implement but provides limited testing capabilities.
Many newer generation CDMA communication systems are capable of flexible operation. For example, data may be transmitted in bursts to the terminals, different types of data may be transmitted over different types of channels, the data rate may be allowed to vary from frame to frame on a particular channel, the processing of the data may also vary (e.g., from frame to frame and/or from channel to channel), and so on. The conventional loop-back testing technique is typically used to test a single traffic channel based on a defined set of test parameters, and may not be able to test various aspects of a newer generation CDMA system.
Moreover, different equipment vendors may support and/or implement different interfaces for testing the terminals. As a result, it is conceivable that equipment from one vendor may not be properly tested against, or in combination with, equipment from another vendor because of incompatible interfaces.
There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to test the performance of terminals and access points in CDMA systems.

Method and apparatus for testing traffic and auxiliary channels in a wireless data communication system


A receiver-transmitter for a target identification system having a particular but not necessarily an exclusive application for the identification of aircraft which utilizes laser vibrometry and a coherent array receiver including an array of photodetectors adapted to receive signals from different parts of the target and to use a corresponding array of frequency-offset reference beams to provide coherent detection of each of the received signals.

The invention relates to a receiver-transmitter for a target identification system having a particular but not necessarily an exclusive application for the identification of aircraft.
The identification of targets, such as aircraft, utilising lasers involves the coherent detection of scattered light from the targets which in the case of aircraft, would be travelling at high speed and would, therefore, produce a large Doppler-shift in the received signal. For a laser wavelength of 1 .mu.m, the Doppler shift is 2 MHz per meter/second of relative target velocity. Thus, for aircraft travelling towards an observer at Mach 2, the Doppler shift is of the order of 1 GHz. A laser vibrometer detection system would have to lock onto this Doppler frequency and measure the frequency modulation imposed by the target vibration.
With such an arrangement, the FM sidebands would be only a few kHz away from the centre frequency and so could be difficult to detect, especially if the signal-to-noise ratio of the return signal from the target is low.
A major problem with such systems is laser frequency stability which introduces FM noise into the coherently detected signal, and so affects the ability of the system to detect signal sidebands close-in to the carrier. This is a serious problem at long range, where the long time delay between transmitted and return signals introduces a large amount of phase-decorrelation between signal and reference beams in the receiver, leading to increased FM noise.
The identification of targets utilising lasers and, in particular, laser vibrometry is normally effected by focusing a laser beam onto a diffraction-limited spot on the surface of the target and by detecting the backscatter from the target by means of a telescope located adjacent to or coaxial with the laser transmitter. The light wave received at the telescope is focused onto a photodetector where it is combined with a low-power reference wave derived from the laser transmitter. Interference between the two waves generates a heterodyne photocurrent on the photodetector which is selected by a phase-locked loop tracking filter. Periodic variations in the Doppler frequency due to target vibration appear as a modulation voltage in the phase-locked loop output.
A system for detecting vibration signatures from targets, such as aircraft, will require either some means for locking the transmitted beam onto the relevant part of the aircraft surface whilst the vibration signature is being detected, or a relatively wide-field transmitted beam which illuminates a substantial area and does not require precise beam positioning on the target.
In view of the difficulty of locking beams onto high speed targets, such as aircraft, some form of array receiver is required for detecting/identifying such targets.

Receiver-transmitter for a target identification system


Remote configuration and utilization of a virtual tape management system via communication of encrypted data. At least one security administrator CPU is communicably attached to a virtual tape management CPU. At least one remote data storage CPU is communicably attached to the virtual tape management CPU and to the security administrator. First software within the virtual tape management CPU validates authorized remote access to at least one remote data storage CPU and encrypts the data. Second software facilitates remote configuration and utilization of the virtual tape management CPU. At least one hardware adaptor card connects the virtual tape management CPU to a host.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method capable of emulating existing tape drive systems and to also remotely archive and retrieve data files via encrypted validation communication protocol.
2. Prior Art
It is necessary to store and backup data for many mainframe computer installations primarily for the purpose of safekeeping critical information to be used in the event of an unexpected loss of the primary copy. The backups are often remotely stored offsite of the mainframe installation.
At one time, ten inch, round reel tape drives were utilized on mainframe installations. The well known tape itself consists of a thin plastic base material with a coating of ferromagnetic ferric oxide powder. The round reel tapes were physically transported to an offsite location. Periodically, the tapes would be returned and then reused.
In the 1980's, cartridge tape units replaced the round reel tape drives. The tape cartridge system had fewer moving parts and was less prone to failure. Additionally, the tape cartridge system occupies a smaller floor footprint and consumed less power than the round reel drives. Additionally, the media itself was improved over time. Denser recording techniques allowed the cartridges to be smaller, yet hold the same amount of data. To improve cataloging and indexing functions, and facilitate data accessibility, typically one data set is placed on one tape volume. Some tape data sets span multiple volumes while others occupy less than a single volume. This can result in a significant waste of tape as most data sets occupy only a small portion of the media and the rest of the volume remains unused. Estimates are that industry norms are for tape cartridges to be less than 50% utilized. With a cartridge tape system, the same procedures for physically pulling certain cartridges and moving them to an offsite location would be performed.
More recently, virtual tape servers have been introduced which place a controller between a mainframe and the cartridge tape devices and attach a disk cache area from and to which data can be read and written. The controller handles the migration of data between the disk cache and the tape media in an optimal space and time fashion. The data is actually being read from and to disks. The disks are typically faster than tape devices.
Information regarding tape volumes is stored in a tape catalog, maintained by a tape management system running on the host mainframe. The tape management system associates a particular tape using its primary identifier, the tape's volume serial number, with the data sets stored onto it along with its retention, or expiration date. In order to manage the re-use of tapes, the retention date indicates when the data on a tape is no longer required and at such point in time, the tape may have its data overwritten or "scratched" out. Scratch tape is a common mainframe term for a tape available to be written upon, regardless of its prior contents if any.
A scratch list is a report that is generally prepared on a daily basis that includes all of the volume serial numbers whose retention date expired on that day. A human typically refers to this report while walking through a tape library, pulling those tapes on the report so that they may be placed into the scratch pool for reuse. The tape management system imposes a safe guard against non-expired tapes being mounted in place of a scratch tape by comparing the tape's volume serial number against its catalog expiration date. This volume serial number, in addition to being hand written onto the exterior of the tape, is on the beginning of the tape prior to the start of data set information in a section known as a "header". When a scratch tape is mounted for writing, the tape management system inspects the tape catalog to verify that the tape is truly a scratch. If not, then it is rejected and a different scratch tape requested.
A vault list is a report prepared at some particular time interval that includes all of the volume serial numbers that are to be removed from the tape library and physically taken offsite. Mainframe data centers have the need to move or copy data to off site locations, primarily for the purpose of safe keeping critical information to be used in the event of an unexpected loss of the primary copy of that information. This typically involves physical transportation of the mainframe tapes, an error prone process in that sometimes all the required tapes are not sent or sometimes a tape sent in error that is later required to be retrieved in order to complete the processing of a mainframe job. Further, the data on these tapes is typically un-encrypted and therefore vulnerable to anyone being able to read it.
The tape management system is primarily used to cross-reference the location of a desired data set to a tape volume serial number. It is secondarily used to manage scratch lists and vault lists.
The present invention advances the art by allowing its practice to be supported via an encrypted communications protocol interfacing with, and relying upon, the teachings, practices and claims disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,108 (hereinafter synonymously referred to as "Secure Agent™" or "SA").
Secure Agent Service Overview
The following overview is provided to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the teachings of the instant invention. Secure Agent™ utilizes a secure login sequence wherein a client connects to a Secure Agent server using a key known to both systems and a client connects and presents the server with user identification (as used herein the term "client" refers synonymously to a remote user or component establishing, and communicating with the instant invention through Secure Agent allocation and encryption processes as taught in the above noted applications). If recognized, the Secure Agent server initiates a protocol whereby the client's identification is verified and subsequent communication is conducted within a secured (encrypted) construct. For purposes of this overview, the term "server" should be considered a hardware configuration represented as a central processing unit wherein Secure Agent, a Host DLL and driver reside, and are executed. The term "DLL" as used herein refers to a Secure Agent host dynamically linked library (a.k.a. Host DLL). The term "DLL" or "dynamically linked library" is used in a manner consistent with that known to those skilled in the art. Specifically, the term "DLL" refers to a library of executable functions or data that can be used by a Windows™ or LINUX application. As such, the instant invention provides for one or more particular functions and program access to such functions by creating a static or dynamic link to the DLL of reference, with "static links" remaining constant during program execution and "dynamic links" created by the program as needed.
The Secure Agent server presents a variable unit of data, such as the time of day, to the client as a challenge. The client must then encrypt that data and supply it back to the server. If the server is able to decrypt the data using the stored client's key so that the result matches the original unencrypted challenge data, the user is considered authenticated and the connection continue. The key is never passed between the two systems and is therefore never at risk of exposure.
The initial variable unit of data seeds the transmission of subsequent data so that the traffic for each client server session is unique. Further, each byte of data transmitted is influenced by the values of previously sent data. Therefore, the connection is secure across any communication passageway including public networks such as, but not limited to, the Internet. The distance between the client and server is not of consequence but is typically a remote connection. For accountability purposes, the actions of a client maybe recorded (logged) to non-volatile storage at almost any detail level desired.
The access rights of each client (what the client is able to accomplish during a session) is governed by data stored on the Secure Agent server to which the client is associated. As an example, such rights might encompass the ability to administer and utilize the services of the server system, which would, in turn, include capabilities such as adding new clients or components, changing a user's rights, transferring new code to the server, using a feature (or service) of the server and more.
Consequently, Secure Agent allows for the transmission of new code to the server and for that code to be implemented upon demand by a client. Such dynamic, real-time implementation in turn, allows for the behavior of the server to be modified. It is to this behavior modification the instant invention addresses its teachings, and thereby advances the contemporary art.
As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, though the instant invention utilizes encryption/decryption and code recognition technology associated with Secure Agent, an alternative technology may be employed in support of the instant invention without departing from the disclosure, teachings and claims presented herein.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for virtual tape management with remote archival and retrieval via an encrypted validation communication protocol