The memory matrix comprises parallel and alternating source and drain lines, floating gate areas placed between the source and drain lines and control gate lines parallel to each other and perpendicular to the source and drain lines superimposed on the floating gate areas. The floating gate areas are arranged in rows parallel to the source and drain lines in positions longitudinally staggered in relation to those of the adjacent row in such a manner that the floating gate areas of one row underlie a first plurality of control gate lines and the floating gate areas of the adjacent row underlie a second plurality alternating with the first of the control gate lines. The floating gate areas together with the adjacent source and drain lines and with the superimposed control gate lines define respective EPROM cells arranged in a staggered manner in the memory matrix.

In the manufacture of a memory matrix, in particular with EPROM cells, it is important to increase to the maximum the density of the individual cells in order to improve the performance of and utilize better the available area. This requires the search for and use of ever more advanced technologies, especially in photolithography, where the definition of ever smaller structures is required down to submicron dimensions such as 0.8 micron. Despite such technologies, it is ever more difficult to reduce cell size so that research is directed toward new structures capable of overcoming these problems.
In the field of EPROM cells, from the conventional configuration calling for pairs of control gate lines superimposed on and self-aligned with floating gate areas alternating with parallel source lines while drain contacts are placed between one gate line and the next of each pair the step was made a few years ago to a so-called `tablecloth` configuration calling for parallel and alternating source and drain lines, floating gate areas placed between said source and drain lines, and parallel control gate lines perpendicular to said source and drain lines, superimposed on and self-aligned with said floating gate areas.
The new configuration is described better in Italian patent application 23479 A/84 filed 7 Nov. 1984 having a corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,925 assigned to the same assignee as the present application and has proven beneficial compared with the conventional one as regards size problems, achieving levels of miniaturization, cell density and compactness worthy of interest. The complexity of the decoder required to accede to the individual cells has however discouraged practical application.
To overcome this shortcoming the original tablecloth configuration was subsequently modified into a configuration called `semitablecloth`, which is structurally equivalent to the tablecloth configuration but which, thanks to appropriate electrical connections, has each cell made up of two semicells which are written and read simultaneously.
With the semitablecloth configuration, better described in Italian patent application 19656 A/87 filed 12 Mar. 1987 having a corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,295 of the same assignee it proved possible to use a conventional decoder. To this was added the important advantage of offering 100% redundancy, it being practically impossible that both the semicells of a given cell prove defective. On the other hand this configuration has the defect of occupying much space.
In view of this state of the art the object of the present invention is to accomplish a memory matrix with EPROM cells which would provide the dimensional and compactness virtues of the presently known tablecloth matrix while simplifying the access procedure in such a manner a to permit the use of a conventional decoder.

Tablecloth memory matrix with staggered EPROM cells


The present invention provides a tensioning apparatus for a string of a stringed instrument, the apparatus including a supporting body portion for releasable engagement between a string and a surface of the neck of the stringed instrument at a fret on the fret board, thereby to raise the string relative to the fret on the fret board; the apparatus further including a biasing element by which lateral tension may be applied to the string.

For an understanding of the present invention it is instructional to consider the mechanics of a stringed instrument. The pitch of a sound is changed by either shortening or lengthening a string so as to change the frequency of its vibration when struck. When a string is depressed between the frets of an instrument, the string is effectively shortened when it contacts the fret nearest the point of the strike. A string is depressed either by finger pressure or a mechanical device often covered with a soft material such as a rubber or rubber like material. Some of the tone of the vibrating string is absorbed by the contacting surface and thereby not totally transferred to the rest of the instrument. Additionally, as the depressed string is, in effect, pulled over the fret, the string is slightly stretched, requiring a re-tensioning of the string for the proper intonation.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of this invention, the benefits of the invention are achieved and perform the benefits of a 5th string banjo Capo without modifying the banjo neck with undesirable mounting holes and without creating an obstructive fixed installation as is the case with other traditional methods. This is especially important for older vintage instruments where the wood that creates the neck may be dry and brittle and prone to splitting if drilled with holes to install a Capo of traditional design. The new invention can be inserted or removed without the need for any damaging or obstructing modifications to the banjo.
A string length attenuating Capo is desirable on the 5th banjo string to make that string more like part of the musical chord when the other 4 strings employ a Capo. The traditional Capo method is to lower the string to a point below the height of the nearest fret and thereby reducing its length and thereby increasing its pitch. The two traditional Capo methods, particularly on a banjo, lower the string to contact the fret either by use of an "L" shaped railroad spike that is inverted and then inserted into holes drilled into fret board. The underside of the inverted "L" shape is situated below the top surface of the fret. The instrument string is stretched to engage the hook thereby pulling the string in contact with the fret effectively reducing its length and thereby increasing its pitch. It is well known that stretching the string to the position under the "L" shape adds tension to the string, significant enough, to cause the pitch to become more musically "sharp" and therefore requires a retuning of the string when this arrangement is used. It is also well known that the railroad spikes in this design potentially damage the string and potentially, loosen over time and therefore do not consistently create the resonant tone desired by the user. The other traditional method utilizes a clamping method that, in the case of the banjo, is mounted to the side of the banjo neck using screws inserted into drilled holes. It is well known that for proper performance, this installation requires accurate placement of the apparatus on the banjo.
Additionally, this clamping method may include a relatively soft material such as rubber on the clamping surface so as not to damage the instrument fret board when the metal string is clamped against the softer wood fret board. This rubber surface has a deleterious effect of absorbing some of the string vibration thereby dampening the resonant tone of the vibrating string. Alternatively, this method may use a metal clamping surface which, when over tightened, may depress the string strongly into contact with the wooden banjo neck, causing damage to the neck. Both methods stretch the string over the fret which adds tension to the string, significant enough, to cause the pitch to become more musically "sharp" and therefore requires a retuning of the string. There is a third but less traditional capo method that effectively shortens the string by clamping a metallic device directly to the string by pinching the string within the device and securing it with a bolt applied directly on the string. It is well known that this method potentially can damage the string but more significantly, as it is not secured to the instrument, it does not adequately transfer the string vibration to the rest of the instrument and the resonant tone is muted.
The object of the present invention is fourfold, (1) to improve the resonant tone of the capo attenuated vibrating string by providing a rigid mechanism that in effect raises the fret with a device that can be easily inserted between the fret and string thus reducing its length without increasing its pitch. This inserted string elevating mechanism does not therefore require the clamping action of a vibration dampening and pitch altering surface. Nor does it require the "hooking" action of a pitch altering "L" shaped device, thus reducing the need for retuning the string with each use or change of position. (2) the invention enhances the resonant tone by providing an adjustable mechanism that increases perpendicular tension on the string for a more efficient transfer of string vibration to the rest of the instrument, (3) the invention does not require any drilling of holes into the instrument and (4) the invention is easy to insert and remove and therefore does not hinder the hand movement of the musician when it is not needed.
It is an object of the present invention to address or at least ameliorate some of the above disadvantages or provide a useful alternative.
Notes
The term "comprising" (and grammatical variations thereof) is used in this specification in the inclusive sense of "having" or "including", and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of".
The above discussion of the prior art in the Background of the invention, is not an admission that any information discussed therein is citable prior art or part of the common general knowledge of persons skilled in the art in any country.

Tensioning apparatus and method for a stringed instrument


Systems and methods of evaluating information via a computer network are provided. A content group can be identified, and each item of the content group can be associated with a vector indicating at least one user interest category of users exposed to the item. The vectors of each item can be evaluated to generate a first nearest neighbor list of each item of the content group. The nearest neighbor list of a first item can be compared with the nearest neighbor list of a second item. Based on a result of the comparison, the first and second items can be associated in a cluster.

In an Internet based content delivery system, content can be directed towards users who are likely to be interested in the content. For example, content can be displayed on a search engine results page in response to a search query from a user. The user can click on a content link to access a webpage associated with the content.

Method and system for evaluating content via a computer network


A new crystal form of a titanyl phthalocyanine compound is provided. This crystal form shows characteristic strong absorption peaks at 1,332.+-.2 cm.sup.-1, 1,074.+-.2 cm.sup.-1, 962.+-.2 cm.sup.-1 and 783.+-.2 cm.sup.-1 in an infrared absorption spectrum and/or characteristic strong peaks at 27.2.degree., 9.7.degree. and 24.1.degree. of Bragg's angle 2.theta. in an X-ray diffraction spectrum and has very good dispersibility and stability in a solvent and also very good photoelectric conversion efficiency and so is very useful particularly as a charge generation agent highly sensitive in a semiconductor laser wavelength region as required in a photosensitive material for a highspeed high-definition printer. Such crystal form can be obtained by treating non-crystalline titanyl phthalocyanine with tetrahydrofuran.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a titanyl phthalocyanine compound in a new crystal form a process for its manufacture and it use for a high sensitive photosensitive material for electrophotography.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that phthalocyanines particularly metalo-phthalocyanines have an excellent photoconductive property and some of them are usable for an electrophotographic photosensitive material.
Recently, non-impact printer technique attained a great development and consequently photoprinters of electrophotography system, which enable to obtain a high definition and a high speed by using a laser beam or an LED as a light source, are now widely spreading in the market. Therefore, intensive research and development are made to try to obtain photosensitive materials which satisfy requirements of such photoprinters.
Particularly when a laser beam is used as a light source, there is a need to obtain a photosensitive material having a photosensitivity up to a near infrared region. It is because mostly a semiconductor laser apparatus is used owing to the merits of compactness, cheapness and simplicity, but their oscillation wavelength is now limited to a relatively longer wavelength range of a near infrared region. Accordingly, it is not appropriate to use conventional photosensitive materials, which have been used for electrophotographic copying machines and have a sensitivity in a visible region, for a semiconductor laser apparatus.
It is known that some organic materials satisfy the need as above mentioned. They are, for example, squaric acid methine dyes, indoline dyes, cyanine dyes, pyrylium dyes, polyazo dyes, phthalocyanine dyes, naphthoquinone dyes, etc. At present, however, the squaric acid methine dyes, indoline dyes, cyanine dyes and pyrylium dyes enable to obtain a longer wavelength range but are lacking in a utilizable stability, that is, repeating property; the polyazo dyes are difficult to obtain a longer wavelength rang and also have disadvantages in its production; and naphthoquinone dyes have a problem in its sensitivity.
On the other hand, the phthalocyanine dyes have spectrum sensitivity peaks in the long wavelength region of not less than 600 nm, have high sensitivities and further change their spectrum sensitivities in accordance with the kinds of their center metals and their crystal forms. They are therefore considered as suitable for dyes for a semiconductor laser apparatus and so research and development of them are intensively conducted.
Among the phthalocyanine compounds studied hitherto, particularly as those showing high sensitivities in the long wavelength region of not less than 780 nm, there may be mentioned, x-type non-metalo-phthalocyanine, .epsilon.-type copper phthalocyanine, vanadyl phthalocyanine, etc.
In order to obtain a higher sensitivity, it has been attempted to use a vacuum evaporated film of phthalocyanine as a charge generation layer to produce a laminated type photosensitive material. In effect, some phthalocyanines of relatively high sensitivities have been obtained by using metals of groups IIIa and IV of the periodic table as center metals. Such metalo-phthalocyanines are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. 211,149/82, 148,745/82, 36,254/84, 44,054/84, 30,541/84, 31,965/84, 166,959/84, etc. Such organic photosensitive materials as above, however, necessarily become expensive, since the production of the vacuum evaporated film requires a high vacuum discharge apparatus and so a high cost of installations.
It has also been attempted to use a resin dispersion layer of phthalocyanine, in place of said vacuum evaporated film of phthalocyanine, as a charge generation layer and to make a coating of a charve transfer layer thereon to produce a composite type photosensitive material. As for such composite type photosensitive material, there may be mentioned, for example, the photosensitive material using non-metalo-phthalocyanine as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 182639/83 and that using indium phthalocyanine as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 155851/84. These two are relatively high sensitive photosensitive material, but the former has a default that its sensitivity rapidly reduces in a long wavelength region of not less than 800 nm, and the latter has a default that its sensitivity is not sufficient for utilization, when the charge generation layer is produced by means of the resin dispersion system.
It has also been attempted in these days to use titanyl phthalocyanines having relatively high sensitive electrophotographic properties as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. 49,544/84, 23,928/86, 109,056/86 and 275,272/87. According to these literatures, it is understood that their properties are different owing to their crystal forms and that in order to produce these various crystal forms, special purification and special solvent treatment are required. Further, the solvent to be used for such treatment is one that is different from the solvent to be used in forming the dispersion coating film. It is because the various crystals to be formed have tendency to easily grow in the solvent for the crystal growing treatment and so, if such solvent is used also as the solvent for the coating, it is difficult to control the crystal form and the particle size. This causes low stability of the coating material and eventually the electrostatic properties are significantly damaged. Therefore, ordinarily in the treatment of forming the coating material, a chlorine series solvent such as chloroform, which does not substantially promote the crystal growth, is used. This solvent however does not always show good dispersion property for the titanyl phthalocyanine and so causes some problems in the dispersion stability of the coating material.

Phthalocyanine crystal, process for manufacture thereof and its use for electrophotographic photosensitive material


A semiconductor memory device, a memory system including the same, a method of manufacturing the same and a method of operating the same are provided. The semiconductor memory device includes a pipe channel layer, vertical channel layers coupled to a top surface of the pipe channel layer, a first pipe gate substantially surrounding a bottom surface and side surfaces of the pipe channel layer, a boosting gate formed over the pipe channel layer, and first insulating layers and conductive layers alternately stacked over the boosting gate and the pipe channel layer.

1. Technical Field
Various embodiments generally relate generally to a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device, a memory system including the same, a method of manufacturing the same and a method of operating the same and, more particularly, to a three-dimensional non-volatile memory device.
2. Related Art
The development of semiconductor memory devices is showing a tendency toward increasing integration density and storing a high capacity of data. In general, a two-dimensional (2D) memory device is arranged on a semiconductor substrate in a row direction. Therefore, a semiconductor substrate having a larger area may be required to store a high capacity of data. However, as the integration density of 2D memory devices increases, interference and disturbance between adjacent devices may increase. As a result, multi-level cell (MLC) operations allowing for easy storage of a high capacity of data may be complicated. To overcome such limitations of these 2D memory devices, three-dimensional (3D) memory devices have been developed.
In a 3D memory device, memory cells may be stacked in a direction perpendicular to a semiconductor substrate. Thus, the 3D memory device may have a high integration density and a large data capacity in comparison with a 2D memory device where memory cells are arranged only in row directions.
These memory cells of the 3-dimensional memory device may include a plurality of conductive layers and a plurality of interlayer insulating layers, which are alternately stacked, and vertical channel layers configured to pass through the plurality of conductive layers and the plurality of interlayer insulating layers. Recently, a diversity of techniques for improving the reliability of 3D memory devices have been proposed.

Three-dimensional semiconductor memory device, memory system including the same, method of manufacturing the same and method of operating the same


There are provided an optical disc device and its recording/reproducing method for managing the management information about plural optical discs efficiently. In the present invention, the management information about the plural optical discs is stored in a memory. Moreover, the management information about part or all of the optical discs stored in the memory is recorded in the optical disc.

The present invention relates to an optical disc recording/reproducing device and its operation method. More particularly, it relates to technologies effective to record/reproduce plural optical discs.
In enterprises, government and municipal offices, SOHO (Small Office/Home Office), individuals, etc., there exists a general tendency that the information amount of electronic data to be processed is becoming larger and larger. In accompaniment with this trend, a medium for storing the larger volume of information is becoming absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, people also tend to hang up "Green IT (Information Technology)" as keyword and introduce a lower-power-consumption appliance for the earth's environment protection. In a situation like this, attention has been focused on an optical disc as the above medium for storing the larger volume of information. This is because the optical disc hardly necessitates the power for storing information, and because the technological developments (the representative of which is BD (Blu-ray Disc)) for implementing even larger capacity are being made energetically.
Also, inventions have been made in order to solve problems of an optical-disc library device where plural these optical discs are used, and of an archive device whose main object is to backup electronic data.
For example, JP-A-6-274995 describes as follows (Summary of the Invention):
"Individual pieces of information about the defect management areas of individual optical discs 1 of plural optical disc cartridges 12B to 12G stored in a storage section 13 of the optical-disc library device are collected, and the individual pieces of information collected in this way are written in advance into the optical disc 1 of an optical disc cartridge 12A. Then, if a command of seeking an optical disc cartridge out of the optical disc cartridges 12B to 12G is issued, the information about the defect management area of the optical disc of the sought optical disc cartridge is read from the optical disc of the optical disc cartridge 12A. This reading operation makes it unnecessary to read the information about the defect management area of the sought optical disc at the time of initializing the optical disc. This makes it possible to shortening the initializing time."

Optical disc device and optical disc recording/reproducing method


A tilting table top mechanism includes a chassis member which is secured to the underside of a table top and a base plate which is secured to the top of a table leg. Exceptional rigidity is achieved by a dual pivot mechanism. The pivots employ novel bearing elements which are easily removed and replaceable. Pivot tabs on the base plate are insertable into recesses, or slots, in the bearing elements. At a given angle of rotation of the table top to the leg, the chassis member and base plate are readily detached. A dual locking mechanism maintains the table top in its normal horizonal position but is manually disengaged with ease.

Tables with tilting tops and folding legs are, of course, well known in the art. There has been a continuing effort to provide such tables which, when erected, have the rigidity of conventional non-folding tables. One way of achieving increased rigidity is to reduce the number of the folding legs by making them in an inverted T-shape, thereby reducing the number of folding mechanisms required.
Another method for increasing the rigidity of such a table is to utilize a trestle bar which connects the legs of a two legged table. An example of such a construction may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,124 of Burr which issued Apr. 24, 1984 and was assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
An earlier such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,844 which issued June 25, 1974. The table described in that patent includes a trestle bar connecting two table legs and a stretcher bar extending in the same general direction as the trestle bar. Pins project outwardly from the ends of the stretcher bar. Means are provided to enable each table leg to be unfolded through an arc of more than 90.degree. relative to the underside of the table top. The stretcher bar is rotatable to align the pins projecting from its ends with suitable openings in the top of the table legs. The pins are insertable into the openings and lock the table legs in their unfolded or erected position. Folding the table legs is accomplished by reversing the above steps.
One of the problems with the approaches described above is that they are not applicable to tables having only one leg, such as pedestal tables. Furthermore, it would be desirable if the actual bearing for the tilt top feature were readily interchangeable for purposes of replacement. Also, in prior art tables the connection between leg and table is fixed, albeit foldable. In other words, leg and table are not readily separable. However, ready separability would be desirable for purposes of storage and shipment and for interchanging table tops and legs at will.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tilt top table mechanism which is simple to operate, yet rigid when erected. Another object is to provide such a mechanism wherein the table top and leg are readily assembled and disassembled as desired. Another object is to provide a mechanism wherein the actual bearing member is readily replaceable. Other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.


A liquid crystal display device of the invention includes: a rectangular polarizer attached to a liquid crystal display panel; a frame-shaped frame having four sides; a first bonding layer arranged only at a position biased toward any of edges on an upper surface of the polarizer, and bonding the polarizer to the liquid crystal display panel; and a second bonding layer arranged only at a position biased toward any of edges on a lower surface of the polarizer, and bonding the frame to the polarizer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As display devices for information communication terminals, such as computers, or television receivers, liquid crystal display devices have been widely used. The liquid crystal display device displays an image by changing the alignment of liquid crystal molecules sealed between two substrates of a liquid crystal display panel, thereby changing the degree of transmission of light emitted from a backlight on the liquid crystal display panel. In recent years, the liquid crystal display device has been used especially for mobile phones or smartphones, so that the downsizing, thinning, and narrower picture-frame of the liquid crystal display device are required.
JP 2011-107391 A (Patent Document 1) discloses, as a liquid crystal display device including a backlight and a liquid crystal display panel, a configuration including polarizers attached to a liquid crystal display panel with adhesive layers, a front plate and a back plate interposing the polarizers therebetween, and a frame fixing the back plate. Moreover, JP 2011-191444 A (Patent Document 2) discloses a liquid crystal display device in which a portion of a lower surface of a polarizer and an upper surface of a surface light source device are bonded together with a light-shielding double-faced tape whose bonding strength is partially weakened.


This invention is directed to an improvement in nonwoven products comprised of a nonwoven web of fibers bonded together with polymeric binder comprised of emulsion polymerized units of vinyl acetate, ethylene, and a crosslinking monomer. The polymer is stabilized with a surfactant having a critical micelle concentration of about 0.5 to 3% by weight. The surfactant is employed in the polymerization in an amount less than 1% by weight, based upon the total weight of polymer.

Nonwoven webs find application in a number of end uses, including paper towels, disposable diapers, filtration products, disposable wipes, and the like. Nonwoven products or fabrics comprise loosely assembled webs or masses of fibers bound together with an adhesive, polymer or polymeric binder. Fibers often are comprised of cellulosic or polymeric materials such as polyesters, polyamides, polyacrylates, and the like. The base web of nonwoven fibers, to which the polymeric binder is applied, can be produced by carding, garnetting, airlaying, papermaking procedures, or other known operations. Bonding fibers in place with a polymeric binder is much less expensive than the use of conventional spinning and weaving to form woven fabrics and the bonded nonwoven fabrics can be made in a much greater range of thicknesses per unit weight, with more homogeneous structures, no unraveling tendency, and with greater water absorbency, porosity, and resiliency.
Two major factors that lead to acceptable nonwoven products are the wet tensile strength and "feel" of the nonwoven product. Personal care products such as tissues, handwipes and sanitary napkins must have sufficient wet tensile strength to remain intact when wet and sufficient softness or feel when in contact with the skin. However, to achieve desirable or sufficient wet tensile strength it has been common practice to elevate the dry tensile strength of the polymer or use higher add-on levels of polymeric binder. Higher dry tensile strengths in a nonwoven product tend to impart stiffness or hardness to the product and make the nonwoven product uncomfortable to the touch. Higher add-on levels of polymeric binder are therefore undesirable because of the "feel" of the product and the cost of using larger amounts of polymeric binder.
There has been an industry move to improve the wet tensile strength of a nonwoven product in relation to its dry tensile strength with the dry tensile strength of a nonwoven product generally being secondary to its wet tensile strength. A product that has a high wet/dry tensile strength ratio is desired because it generally permits a lower add-on level of polymer to the nonwoven product, thereby improving the "feel" of the product and reducing manufacturing costs without sacrificing wet strength.
Polymeric binders based upon a vinyl acetate and ethylene backbone incorporating a self crosslinking monomer have been widely used in the nonwoven industry. Ethylene in the polymer provides softness to the product and is low cost. But, softness in the product often comes at the expense of wet tensile strength. Increasing the level of self crosslinkable monomer in the polymer often is not a viable option to increased wet strength. Against that background, the nonwoven industry is desirous of self-crosslinking vinyl acetate-ethylene based polymers having increased wet/dry tensile strength ratios at conventional add-on levels.
Representative of various vinyl acetate based binder compositions used for producing nonwoven products include:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,197 (Adelman, 1963) discloses a nonwoven binder comprising polymers of vinyl acetate, a polymerizable compound suited as an internal plasticizer, e.g., butyl acrylate and dibutyl maleate, and a post-curable comonomer such as N-methylol acrylamide. The binders can be prepared by interpolymerization of the monomers in aqueous dispersion systems containing nonionic, anionic or cationic dispersing agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,562,892 (Eknoian et al., 2003) discloses ethylene-vinyl acetate emulsion polymers having greater than 55 percent by weight ethylene which is water dispersible but non-dispersible in an aqueous solution containing 0.5 percent or more of an inorganic salt and is stabilized with a hydrophilic polymeric colloid. The hydrophilic polymeric colloid contains at least one hydrophilic monomer. The hydrophilic monomer may be an acidic monomer containing a carboxylic acid, e.g., a carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid, a sulfonic acid, or phosphonic group.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,589 (Mannheim et al., 1964) discloses binders comprising a copolymer of an alpha, beta-unsaturated carboxylic acid amide substituted on the nitrogen by at least one methylol group and another unsaturated polymerizable compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,851 (Lindemann et al., 1968) discloses a binder comprising an interpolymer of vinyl acetate-ethylene-N-methylol acrylamide. The ethylene content is from 5 to 40% by weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,978 (Iacoviello, 1984) discloses a nonwoven product formed from a nonwoven web of fibers bonded together with a binder comprising an interpolymer of vinyl acetate, ethylene, N-methylol acrylamide, and acrylamide monomers. The nonwoven products are reported to have low residual free formaldehyde content and good tensile properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,987 (Mudge et al., 1996) discloses the formation of formaldehyde free and formaldehyde reduced vinyl acetate-ethylene binders for nonwoven products. These binders are formed by emulsion polymerization using an initiator system based upon an organic peroxide and ascorbic acid. The crosslinking agent can be N-methylolacryl amide for nonwovens of reduced formaldehyde and N-iso-butoxy methyl acrylamide for formaldehyde free nonwovens.
US 2003/0232559 A1 (Goldstein et al., 2003) discloses adhesive polymeric binders comprised of a polymer containing polymerized units of vinyl acetate, ethylene, vinyl chloride, and a self-crosslinking monomer.

Self-crosslinking vinyl acetate-ethylene polymeric binders for nonwoven webs


Techniques for use in connection with performing optimization using an objective function that maps elements in a first domain to values in a range. The techniques include using at least one computer hardware processor to perform: identifying a first point at which to evaluate the objective function at least in part by using an acquisition utility function and a probabilistic model of the objective function, wherein the probabilistic model depends on a non-linear one-to-one mapping of elements in the first domain to elements in a second domain; evaluating the objective function at the identified first point to obtain a corresponding first value of the objective function; and updating the probabilistic model of the objective function using the first value to obtain an updated probabilistic model of the objective function.

A machine learning system may be configured to use one or more machine learning techniques (e.g., classification techniques, clustering techniques, regression techniques, structured prediction techniques, etc.) and/or models (e.g., statistical models, neural networks, support vector machines, decision trees, graphical models, etc.) for processing data. Machine learning systems are used to process data arising in a wide variety of applications across different domains including, but not limited to, text analysis, machine translation, speech processing, audio processing, image processing, visual object recognition, and the analysis of biological data.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for Bayesian optimization using non-linear mapping of input

President and Fellows of Harvard College

The Governing Council of the University of Toronto


A process of forming a field emission electrode for manufacturing a field emission array is provided. The process includes steps of (a) providing a substrate having a metal layer thereon, (b) forming a plurality of mask units on the metal layer and partially removing the metal layer uncovered by the mask units, (c) oxidizing a surface of the remained metal layer by an anodic oxidization method for forming a metal oxide layer thereon such that an upper portion of the unoxidized remained metal layer is in the shape of plural conoids, and (d) removing the remained mask units and the metal oxide layer. Alternatively, the process includes steps of (a) providing a substrate having a first metal layer thereon, (b) forming a plurality of mask units on the first metal layer and partially removing the first metal layer uncovered by the mask units, (c) oxidizing a surface of the remained first metal layer by an anodic oxidization method for forming a metal oxide layer thereon such that an upper portion of the unoxidized remained first metal layer is in the shape of plural cylinders, (d) forming a second metal layer on the metal oxide layer, and (e) removing the remained mask units.

The present invention is related to a process of forming a field emission electrode, and more particularly to a process of forming a field emission electrode for manufacturing a field emission array.
It""s a critical step to form a field emission electrode for manufacturing a field emission array (FEA), because the field emission electrode is used to provide stable electron beam to excite the fluorescent substances for forming an image. Certainly, the color, the brightness, the contrast and the life span of a field emission display (FED) is related to the quality of the field emission electrode.
According to the prior arts, the field emission electrode is formed by an obliquity sputtering technique. The field emission electrode with the structure of plural conoids in shape thereon is formed by the semiconductor processing technique and a high temperature oxidization technique. Certainly, the field emission electrode can be formed by further forming a metal film or a diamond film thereon for improving the quality of the field emission electrode. However, according to the prior arts, it""s not easy to form a field emission electrode with large area and good thickness uniformity at room temperature.
Accordingly, it is attempted by the present applicant to solve the above-described problems encountered in the prior arts.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a process of forming a field emission electrode for manufacturing a field emission array is provided. The process includes steps of (a) providing a substrate having a metal layer thereon, (b) forming a plurality of mask units on the metal layer and partially removing the metal layer uncovered by the mask units, (c) oxidizing a surface of the remained metal layer by an anodic oxidization method for forming a metal oxide layer thereon such that an upper portion of the unoxidized remained metal layer is in the shape of plural conoids, and (d) removing the remained mask units and the metal oxide layer.
Preferably, the substrate is made of a material selected from a group consisting of plastic, quartz and glass.
Preferably, the metal layer is selected from a group consisting of aluminum layer, tungsten layer, tantalum layer, molybdenum layer, molybdenum-tungsten alloy layer and molybdenum-tantalum alloy layer.
Preferably, the metal layer is formed on the substrate by a method selected from a group consisting of electron gun evaporation, sputtering technique and heat coating technique.
Preferably, the step (b) is performed by a photolithography technique and an etching method.
Preferably, the etching method is selected from reactive ion etching method and wet etching method.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a process of forming a field emission electrode for manufacturing a field emission array is provided. The process includes steps of (a) providing a substrate having a first metal layer thereon, (b) forming a plurality of mask units on the first metal layer and partially removing the first metal layer uncovered by the mask units, (c) oxidizing a surface of the remained first metal layer by an anodic oxidization method for forming a metal oxide layer thereon such that an upper portion of the unoxidized remained first metal layer is in the shape of plural cylinders, (d) forming a second metal layer on the metal oxide layer, and (e) removing the remained mask units.
Preferably, the substrate is made of a material selected from a group consisting of plastic, quartz and glass.
Preferably, the first metal layer and the second metal layer are selected from a group consisting of aluminum layer, tungsten layer, tantalum layer, molybdenum layer, molybdenum-tungsten alloy layer and molybdenum-tantalum alloy layer.
Preferably, the first metal layer is formed on the substrate by a method selected from a group consisting of electron gun evaporation, sputtering technique and heat coating technique.
Preferably, the second metal layer is formed on the metal oxide layer by a method selected from a group consisting of electron gun evaporation, sputtering technique and heat coating technique.
Preferably, the step (b) is performed by a photolithography technique and an etching method.
Preferably, the etching method is selected from reactive ion etching method and wet etching method.

Process for forming field emission electrode for manufacturing field emission array


Disclosed is a tapping control system capable of performing tapping work with high accuracy and reliability in a manner such that rotation of a tap by means of a digital spindle motor (1) is synchronized with axial drive of the tap by means of a servomotor (2).. A digital control circuit (5), used to drive the spindle motor, is supplied with a speed command from position control means (4). The speed command is based on a distributed pulse from an interpolating circuit (3a) for linear interpolation in accordance with the pitch value of a screw to be worked, and a feedback signal indicative of the rotational position of the spindle motor. Also, a servo-circuit (12) for the servomotor is supplied with a distributed pulse from the interpolating circuit. Thus, the two motors are driven synchronously.. According to an aspect of the present invention, the tapping work is performed in a fixed cycle such that forward and reverse rotations of the two motors are repeated to reciprocate the tap.. According to another aspect, switching means (7) is used to intermittently deliver the distributed pulses and the feedback signal, for selective tapping operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine tool using a digital spindle motor for its principal-axis motor, and more particularly, to a tapping control system in which rotation of a tapping tool (tap) by means of a digital spindle motor is synchronized with axial movement of the tap by means of a servomotor, thereby ensuring ideal tapping work.
2. Description of the Related Art
In tapping work, a tap must be advanced over a predetermined distance while it makes one revolution. Thus, the rotation and axial advance of the tap must be synchronized completely.
In association with this, high-accuracy screw or gear cutting work is conventionally performed in a manner such that rotation of a tool and its feed relative to a workpiece are synchronized. For example, a principal-axis motor for tool rotation is rotated at a predetermined command speed. Rotation of a tool-feed motor is controlled in accordance with a pulse train, generated from a pulse coder attached to the tool-rotation motor, so that the two motors are rotated in synchronism with each other. In the synchronous control of this type, speed commands are given to the individual motors, that is, a speed control loop is used as a control loop. The righting moment of the speed control loop against variations of speed is small, and the rotational speed of the tool-rotation motor is likely to change as the load varies. As the rotational speed of the tool-rotation motor varies in this manner, the two motors becomes non-synchronous thereby lowering working accuracy. When tapping a deep hole by means of a small-diameter tap, the tap may sometimes be broken.
In connection with the synchronous control of the aforementioned type, a multi-function machine tool is conventionally used for various machine works. Various tools, such as a tapping tool, cutter, etc., can be replaceably mounted on a tool holder of the machine tool. However, this machine tool has problems with working accuracy on account of the aforesaid reasons.
In a system disclosed in Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 60-155319, for example, a feed driver is used to relatively move a workpiece and a tool. Rotation of a rotation driver, which is used to relatively rotate the workpiece and the tool in accordance with the amount of feed by the feed driver, is controlled. This system, however, is intended for screw working only. Although it can therefore perform high-accuracy screw working, the system, disclosed in 60-155319 which uses a servomotor incapable of high-speed rotation, cannot perform work other than screw working despite an improvement for the attachment of various tools. In particular, the system cannot actually perform deep cutting in which the tool is subjected to a substantial load.


Generating plasma by using dielectric barrier discharge and introducing a dielectric barrier discharge electrode bar into a high-speed vibrating ball milling tank requires that, on one hand, a solid insulation medium on the outer layer of the electrode bar can simultaneously bear high-voltage discharge and mechanical shock failure of the grinding ball, and on the other hand, the high-speed vibrating ball milling device can uniformly process the powder. The discharge space pressure is set to a non-thermal equilibrium discharge state with a pressure of about 102 to 106 Pa, discharge plasmas are introduced to input another kind of effective energy to the processed powder, so as to accelerate refinement of the powder to be processed and promote the alloying process and improve the processing efficiency and the effect of the ball mill.

An ordinary high energy ball milling method for preparing alloy powder, as currently one of the most commonly used technologies for preparing and mechanically alloying nanomaterials and micron materials, generally refines the metal or alloy powder to a nanometer and micron scale by rotation or vibration with a high energy ball mill, that is, putting two or more kinds of powder at the same time into a ball milling tank of the high energy ball mill, and subjecting the powder particles to a repeated process of rolling, pressing, crushing and re-pressing (i.e., repeated cold welding-crushing-cold welding) to make the powder grain constantly refined and the particle size constantly reduced, thus finally obtaining the nanometer and micron ultrafine alloy powder with uniformly distributed structure and composition. Usually the high energy ball mill is used to process the powder simply through rotation or vibration of the ball milling tank, i.e., using the mechanical energy of the milling ball in the ball milling tank, that is, only the mechanical stress field works. However, the current mechanical alloying application is mainly concentrated in the planetary and agitating ball mills, having large energy consumption, low efficiency and other shortcomings.
A plasma generator typically applies a high-frequency electric field to the reaction gas environment under a negative pressure (vacuum), with the gas ionized under the excitation of a high-frequency electric field to produce plasma. These ions have high activity and energy that is sufficient to destroy almost all of the chemical bonds and cause chemical reactions on any exposed material surface, resulting in changes in the structure, composition and groups of the material surface to produce a surface that meets the actual requirements. In addition, the plasma has a fast reaction speed and high processing efficiency, with the modification only occurring on the material surface and having no effect on the performance of the material inside, and is thus an ideal means of surface modification. Plasma surface modification has been widely used in film-like, bulk, granular and other materials, and materials of different shapes have to be subjected to different plasma treatments; for example, for film-like materials (including films, fabrics, non-woven fabrics, wire meshes, etc.), since they can be packed in rolls, they can be processed in a roll-to-roll batch; bulk materials can be placed one by one, and so they are suitable for multi-layer plate electrode processing. However, plasma is seldom used for processing powder particles, and especially the introduction of plasma into the high energy ball milling device is more difficult, which is mainly due to the following two aspects: first, due to the accumulation of powder and the agglomeration among particles, the surface of the particles without exposure to the plasma atmosphere cannot be processed, and it is difficult to get all the particles processed, resulting in incomplete and nonuniform particle processing and a poor processing effect; second, the discharge electrode is seriously damaged under the combined action of the high-speed collision and the high-voltage discharge of the grinding ball in the high energy ball milling tank, thus having a very short life in the ball milling tank. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a plasma assisted high energy ball milling device for processing powder materials.
A patent CN 1718282 A, disclosing a plasma assisted high energy ball milling method, mainly introduced how to achieve and improve the plasma discharge assisted ball milling effect on the basis of an ordinary ball mill, but did not further disclose the specific structure of a main engine of the ball mill or the structure design of the discharge ball milling tank, in particular the material selection and design of the dielectric barrier discharge electrode bar. In fact, the plasma assisted high energy ball mill has various technical problems with the external plasma power supply, the discharge ball milling tank, the dielectric barrier discharge electrode bar and the like, and especially has mutual fitting, local high intensity breakdown discharge, plasma discharging current strength control and other issues in the process of introducing the electrode bar into the ball milling tank, and the electrode bar itself is limited by the various problems affecting life that are caused by the material and structure, which are not resolved by the above invention patent.
Patents CN 101239334 A and CN 1011239336 A respectively disclosed a plasma assisted high energy roller ball milling device and a plasma assisted agitating ball milling device, which were primarily obtained by modification on the conventional roller and agitating ball mill; however, these two ball mills have small mechanical energy and low ball milling efficiency, not only difficult to regulate the ball milling energy in a wide range, but also unsuitable for the plasma assisted high efficient refining effect. The vibrating ball milling device can regulate the ball milling energy in a wide range simultaneously from both the amplitude of the excitation block and the speed of the ball mill.
A patent CN 101239335 A disclosed a plasma assisted high energy planetary ball milling device, which improves the ball milling efficiency of the planetary ball mill based on the traditional planetary ball mill by introducing an electrode bar with an external plasma power supply into the planetary ball milling tank. However, since the planetary ball mill has to achieve rotation and revolution of the ball milling tank, the electrode introduced into the ball milling tank is extremely unstable; in addition, the electrode bar installed in the ball milling tank has a serious hindrance to the collision of the grinding ball, which weakens the ball milling advantage of the planetary structure.
Patents CN 102500451 A and CN 202398398 U disclosed an assisted ball milling dielectric barrier discharge electrode bar, which was provided on the tubular conductive electrode layer with a tubular polytetrafluoroethylene barrier dielectric layer, removing the thread fitting between the two tubes; and this electrode bar could only be applied to a ball milling tank provided at both ends with a through hole. In the actual processing and assembly process, this fitting can never avoid the damage done by the residual air to the electrode bar in the discharge process, and thus the actual life of the electrode bar cannot be greatly improved.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,126,097 and 6,334,583 disclosed a planetary high energy ball milling device and a method for preparing nanometer powders, and introduced the structure of an ordinary planetary ball mill and its application in the preparation of nanometer powders. However, these invention patents are limited to the field of the planetary ball mill, and do not involve the application of the external plasma electric field.
Contents of the Invention
For overcoming the drawbacks of mechanical alloying including large energy consumption, low efficiency and heavy pollution, the object of the present invention is to introduce a dielectric barrier discharge electrode bar into a high-speed vibrating ball milling tank with the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) as a notable and unique discharge approach for generating a plasma, which requires that, on one hand, a solid insulation medium on the outer layer of the electrode bar can simultaneously bear high-voltage discharge and mechanical shock failure of the grinding ball, and on the other hand, the high-speed vibrating ball milling device can uniformly process the powder, thus providing a new type of high energy ball milling device that can efficiently improve the mechanical alloying efficiency of materials and the application method thereof for preparing cemented carbide, lithium ion batteries and hydrogen storage alloy powder materials. Based on the ordinary ball milling technology, with another kind of effective energy inputted to the processed powder by introducing discharge plasmas, the present invention accelerates refinement of the powder to be processed and promotes the alloying process under the combined action of the mechanical stress effect and the external electric field discharge for producing the plasma, thereby greatly improving the processing efficiency and the effect of the ball mill.
The present invention provides an application method for producing cold field plasma discharge assisted high energy ball milled powder, which comprises: first inputting different voltage and current to a discharge ball milling tank of a plasma assisted high energy ball milling device by using an external cold field plasma power supply, then regulating the internal atmosphere (type and pressure of a gas) of the ball milling tank through a controllable atmosphere system, and then making a discharge electrode bar in the discharge ball milling tank produce a corona or glow discharge phenomenon with controllable strength, thus realizing a plasma field high energy ball milling and assisted mechanical alloying process for the processed powder in the discharge ball milling tank.
The present invention also provides a plasma assisted high energy ball milling device using the method for the cold field plasma high energy ball milled powder, which comprises six components, i.e., a vibrating high energy ball milling main engine, an external cold field plasma power supply, a discharge ball milling tank, a discharge electrode bar, a controllable atmosphere system and a cooling system, with the vibrating high energy ball milling main engine being in the form of a vibrating mill;
the discharge ball milling tank comprises a connecting cylinder, a front cover, a rear cover, and a plasma power supply negative grounding electrode connected to the discharge ball milling tank; and
the discharge electrode bar, in the form of a cylindrical rod, is composed of an inner conductive core made of iron (copper) and an outer insulation layer made of polytetrafluoroethylene; the inner conductive core, as an electrode for plasma discharge, is connected to a plasma power supply positive high-voltage electrode, and the outer insulation layer is present as a discharge dielectric barrier layer.
The plasma assisted high energy ball milling device according to the present invention is also characterized in that:
the vibrating high energy ball milling main engine is alternatively in the form of an eccentric vibrating mill;
the external cold field plasma power supply 2 converts a mains supply current into a high-frequency current by using a high-voltage AC power supply in a conversion mode of AC-DC-AC, wherein an FM control mode is used for the DC-AC conversion, the working frequency is adjustable in the range of 1-20 kHz, and the power supply output voltage is in the range of 1-30 kV; the outer insulation layer of the cylindrical rod-shaped discharge electrode bar is alternatively made of a high purity alumina ceramic material;
a tightening end of the conductive core made of iron (copper) in the discharge electrode bar threadedly fits in with the outer insulation layer made of polytetrafluoroethylene, a discharge end fits in with the outer insulation layer by having a bare rod structure, a fitting gap between the conductive core and the outer insulation layer is filled with a heat-resistant adhesive, and the top of the conductive core fits in with a medium in the outer insulation layer by having a spherical structure;
the outer insulation layer made of a high purity alumina ceramic material, composing the discharge electrode bar together with the inner conductive core made of iron (copper), is formed by a direct deposition method or a micro-arc oxidation method;
the discharge electrode bar of the outer insulation layer made of a high purity alumina ceramic material is alternatively covered with a metal sleeve with meshes;
the controllable atmosphere system, mounted above inlet and outlet holes of the discharge ball milling tank, can independently regulate ball milling effects of the plasma on the processed powder under different atmospheric pressure and in various atmospheres of argon, nitrogen, ammonia, hydrogen and oxygen; flanges on both ends of the cylinder of the discharge ball milling tank are sealedly connected to the front cover and the rear cover through a sealing ring and a bolt, respectively, with a through hole and a blind hole for fixing the discharge electrode bar provided in a central position of the front cover and the rear cover, respectively;
a stainless steel sleeve and a rubber sealing ring are embedded in the through hole of the front cover of the discharge ball milling tank, and a stainless steel sleeve gasket is embedded in the blind hole of the inner side of the rear cover; and
the front cover of the discharge ball milling tank is provided on its outer end face with a vacuum valve.
For the application method for producing cold field plasma discharge assisted high energy ball milled powder according to the present invention, with the dielectric barrier discharge providing the plasma, a medium is covered on an electrode placed in the discharge space. When a sufficiently high AC voltage is applied to the discharge electrode, dielectric barrier discharge is generated to break the gas between the electrodes, or a very uniform, scattered, stable and seemingly low pressure glow discharge is formed, thus constituting a unique discharge form with a large number of fine fast pulse discharge channels. For introducing a dielectric barrier discharge electrode bar into the high-speed vibrating ball milling tank, it is required that, on one hand, a solid insulation medium on the outer layer of the electrode bar can simultaneously bear high-voltage discharge and mechanical shock failure of the grinding ball, and on the other hand, the high-speed vibrating ball milling device can uniformly process the powder, thus providing a new type of high energy ball milling device that can efficiently improve the mechanical alloying efficiency of materials and the application method thereof for preparing cemented carbide, lithium ion batteries and hydrogen storage alloy powder materials. Based on the ordinary ball milling technology, the discharge space pressure is set to a non-thermal equilibrium discharge state with a pressure of about 102 to 106 Pa, and discharge plasmas are introduced to input another kind of effective energy to the processed powder, so as to accelerate refinement of the powder to be processed and promote the alloying process under the combined action of the mechanical stress effect and the external discharge plasma, thereby greatly improving the processing efficiency and the effect of the ball mill.
With the following unique advantages of the dielectric barrier discharge plasma of the present invention, the dielectric barrier discharge plasma is clearly a better choice for the introduction of plasma into the high energy ball mill:
First, the dielectric barrier discharge plasma can be generated at atmospheric pressure, which meets the condition that the ball milling needs to be carried out in a protective atmosphere of a certain pressure;
second, since the dielectric layer suppresses the infinite enhancement of micro discharge, the dielectric barrier discharge will not be converted into spark discharge or arc discharge, which ensures that the plasma is not a thermal plasma having strong destructive power on materials, thereby avoiding burning of the ball milling system;
third, the dielectric barrier discharge can be spread evenly on the surface of the dielectric layer, so that the ball milled powder can evenly receive the action of the dielectric barrier discharge plasma; and
finally, under certain conditions, the dielectric barrier discharge can produce quasi-glow or glow discharge, so that it is possible to achieve efficient ball milling in the reaction atmosphere, so as to accelerate refinement of the powder to be processed and promote the alloying process under the combined action of the mechanical stress effect and the external discharge plasma, thereby greatly improving the processing efficiency and the effect of the ball mill.
In the figures: 1. A vibrating high energy ball milling main engine; 2. an external cold field plasma power supply; 3. a discharge ball milling tank; 4. a discharge electrode bar; 5. a controllable atmosphere system; 6. a cooling system; 7. a grinding ball; 31. a cylinder; 32. a front cover; 33. a rear cover; 34. a plasma power supply grounding electrode; 35. a plasma power supply high-voltage electrode; 36. inlet and outlet holes of the tank; 41. a conductive core; 42. an outer insulation layer; 311. a flange; 312. a sealing ring; 313. a bolt; 321. a through hole; 322. a stainless steel sleeve; 323. a rubber sealing ring; 324. a vacuum valve; 325. a polytetrafluoroethylene plate; 326. a ceramic plate; 331. a blind hole; 332. a stainless steel sleeve gasket; 333. a polytetrafluoroethylene plate; 334. a ceramic plate; 411. a tightening end; 412. a discharge end; 413. a spherical structure; 421. a metal sleeve; 51. a pressure reducing valve; 52. a flowmeter; 56. an unloading valve; 541. a ball valve; 542. a ball valve; 551. a filter; 552. a filter; 571. a metal hose; and 572. a metal hose.

Application method and device for cold field plasma discharge assisted high energy ball milled powder


A child restraint car bed is disclosed comprising a shell body (12) including a chamber (5) sized to receive an infant; and first and second through-slots (44, 46) extending through the shell body and communicating with the chamber. A lower surface portion (42) of the first sidewall is concave to support an infant in an on-side position and the bottom chamber surface (40) is substantially planar to support the child in a supine position. A harness assembly (78) is further provided for engaging the shell body and includes retention straps (80, 82, 84) having hook and loop end portions (86, 92, 94) that extend through the through-slots (44, 46) and attach to an infant positioned within the chamber to fixedly secure the infant to the shell body. The harness assembly laterally moves within the through-slots (44, 46) into alternative locations to adjust to a variable body position assumed by an infant in the chamber. The shell body further includes a skirt flange (34) extending from proximate a top rim (38) along a first sidewall (14) and retention hooks (58, 68) positioned along the skirt flange to engage and retain a vehicle seat belt thereagainst.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to devices for the transportation of infants and, more specifically, to car bed devices for the vehicular transportation of infants having special medical needs.
2. The Prior Art
The medical community has long recognized the unique transportation needs of low weight infants, particularly premature infants. The smaller size of the preterm infant and attendant risk of cardiorespiratory compromise have necessitated the development of alternative transportation devices.
Traditional devices, such as conventional rear facing child restraints (hereinafter referred to as "RF child restraints"), have been found deficient in meeting the unique needs of the premature infant because, in general, such conventional products are designed for a larger child. More particularly, a deficiency in conventional RF child restraints is because their use requires that the infant be placed in an upright or semi-upright position. Established medical opinion recommends transporting the preterm infant in a child restraint that allows for a prone or supine position.
A second deficiency in existing RF child restraints lies with the restraint systems or harness configurations used therein. Such restraint systems typically incorporate a buckle, clasp, or other rigid element as a connective device. The potential for harm to a smaller sized infant from confrontation against a buckle or a clasp is considerable.
Finally, commercially available RF child restraints are inadequate in meeting the needs of the preterm low weight infant in that they are not designed or recommended for use in a front seat environment. Because upright RF child restraints have a relatively high profile, its use on the front seat of a car carries a risk of injury to the child from the deployment of airbags. However, in the case of the premature infant, it is often necessary for the driver to maintain visual contact with the infant during transportation in order to monitor the infant's respiratory condition. This creates a safety dilemma, forcing a choice between the risk of injury to the child from deployment of the air bag against the risk of injury from placing the infant on the rear seat, out of visual contact with the driver.
The market has attempted to address the above-described needs of the premature infant by the development of car beds, designed to maintain a child in a prone or supine position within the vehicle. Such attempts to achieve an acceptable commercial product have only been partially successful. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,115,523 and 5,092,004 teach an infant car bed that is representative of the state of the art. While the car bed described therein is an improvement over the use of conventional RF child restraints in that it allows the child to be positioned in a prone or supine position, it still does not represent an ideal solution to the needs of the preterm infant.
A first problem typlified by the product disclosed in the above-identified patents is that the car bed is designed to be convertible, providing both an upright RF child restraint or a reclining car bed. Such versatility, at first glance, may seem to be advantageous to the purchaser. However, incorporating convertibility adds considerably to the cost of the end product and results in a product that does not optimally meet the needs of the user in either of the two positions.
A second deficiency found in available car beds is that they are too large to fit a conventional front vehicle bucket seat and the face of an infant positioned therein is not readily visible to a driver. The opportunity to maintain visual surveillance is important in order to detect respiratory problems that may develop. A related deficiency in the state of the art car beds is that they provide inadequate ventilation to the child positioned therein.
Moreover, such car beds utilize harness mechanisms that incorporate the same deficiencies described above with respect to car seats, namely, a hard clasp or buckle is used that can harm the low weight infant. The performance of existing car beds in a collision can further be compromised because the attachment point of such car beds is not compatible with existing vehicle restraint belts. This can cause the bed to move forward to an unsafe degree when subject to the influence of impact forces. Another deficiency is that existing car beds have a generally perpendicular forward sidewall. In a crash, impact forces tend to force the child forward into the forward wall. The impact against a forward vertical wall can be traumatic.
Finally, while conventional car beds afford the user the option of placing the infant in either a prone or supine position, they do not offer a third option; that of positioning the child on one side. When under respiratory duress, it is often advantageous to transport a premature child on one side in order to free the chest area. However, placing a child in such a position in conventional car beds is not possible and can even be dangerous since such devices lack a restraint system for maintaining the infant in an on-side position.


A photosensitive composition which is suitable for free radical polymerization systems initiated by ultraviolet light, particularly useful in UV-curing coating and image transfer systems such as printing plates and photoresists. Among the above mentioned applications, systems in which the photosensitive layer has no protective film to insulate it from the air shows the greatest improvement in photosensitivity.

The UV coatings, UV print inks and systems which produce graphic transference under exposure after being developed, such as resin plate, photogravure printing plate and dry film photoresist, liquid photoresist and photo-image type liquid solder resist serving as a permanent protecting film, are generally cured by free radical photo-polymerization; the photoinitiator is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to yield free radicals which then initiate the chain addition-polymerization of unsaturated polyfunctional photoreactive materials to produce a network structure.
Such free radical polymerization systems are of great importance in industrial practices and the formulations have been continuously improved. However, due to the inhibition of free radical curing by atmospheric oxygen, the photosensitivity and resolution are often unsatisfactory.
Taking UV ink (coating) as an example, after the screen printing, the coated substrate (usually a plate) is passed through a conveyor into a UV drier. During the process of UV irradiation, oxygen in the air attacks the surface of the ink and thus greatly reduces the degree of crosslinking. Hence, the film may be etched by acids, bases or organic solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone, trichloroethane when subject to the subsequent cleaning procedure. Another example is liquid photoresist or liquid solder resist, to which volatile solvent (boiling point less than 250.degree. C.) is usually added to facilitate the coating operation such as dip coating, roller coating, curtain coating or screen printing. In the selective exposure process, the solvent should be removed by preheating so that the photoresist or solder resist is dried and free from tackiness, and then the film having graphs (artwork) together with a photoresist or solder resist will be exposed. Because the substrate or the surface of the photoresist layer is not smooth enough, some air remains between the film and photoresist, and oxygen inhibition results in insufficient crosslinking. In this system, however, materials containing carboxylic groups such as water base photoresist or solder resist are washed with developer at the subsequent stage, and thus not only the unexposed portion is washed away, but also, to a certain extent, the exposed portion which was inhibited by oxygen. As to solder resist, both nonhomogeneity of appearance and tin contamination during soldering result from inhibition of oxygen. As to dried film-resist, due to light scattering caused by the protective membrane between the film and photoresist layer which prevent oxygen inhibition, the resolution is reduced.
The reduction of oxygen inhibition is discussed and disclosed extensively in the literature, for instance, "Photopolymerization of surface coating" by C. G. Roffey, chapter 3, p.127 to 130, (John-Wiley & Son Ltd. 1982) discloses several methods of achieving a reduction of oxygen inhibition including application of a barrier layer, using more powerful-intensity lamps and combining benzophenone/tertiary-amine, etc.
Other patent literature also makes disclosures:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,720 discloses that the polythiolpolyene system can achieve sufficient photo-curing effect, however, the system has a severe odor problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,807 discloses that using a coinitiator such as benzophenone/triethanolamine may increase the curing speed, however, the odor problem still exists. When the co-initiator is applied to the acid contained resin systems, precipitation may occur.
EP 0,037,604 and EP 0,037,152 disclose that by using initiator systems containing alkylsulfonate and sulfonic groups may accelerate the surface curing speed. However, use of the ionic compounds may effect the electrical properties and the sulfonic group containing initiator is difficult to synthesize. The possibility of commercial use is very low.
Another literature concerning oxygen exhibition is disclosed in "Materials for Microlithography", by A. Hult and B. Ranby, p.457, ACS symposium series 266, which makes use of the following initiator: ##STR1## to accelerate surface curing speed. However, from an economic point of view, it is unlikely to be put into practical use.
Therefore, reduction of oxygen inhibition practical for use in industrial production is an urgent need. In the present invention, surprisingly we find by applying the high boiling point compounds in the photoreactive composition which comprise the following formula: ##STR2## wherein
R.sub.1 is hydrogen liner alkyl or acyl groups having 1-20 carbon atoms;
R.sub.2 is hydrogen or methyl group;
in a photopolymerization composition. The photosensitivity is obviously increased and adding the photosensitive promoter into the composition will not destroy or reduce the originally designed performance.
Generally, the present composition is a photocurable mixture which comprises at least
(a) a material having unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds which undergoes free radical polymerization;
(b) a photoinitiator which produces free radicals when irradiated with ultraviolet light; and
(c) a photosensitivity accelerator of the formula ##STR3## wherein
R.sub.1 is hydrogen, linear alkyl or acyl groups having 1 to 20 carbon atoms; n=4-20;
R.sub.2 is hydrogen or methyl group; and the complete formula
has a boiling point greater than 300.degree. C. The composition, when mixed with other conventional additives, obtains liquid photoresist, UV-ink or coating or photo-image type liquid solder resist with higher photosensitivity.

Photosensitive compositions having enhanced photopolymerization rate

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A system and method for adaptive cruise control for low speed following are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes: receiving input object data from a subsystem of an autonomous vehicle, the input object data including distance data and velocity data relative to a lead vehicle; generating a weighted distance differential corresponding to a weighted difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle; generating a weighted velocity differential corresponding to a weighted difference between a velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle; combining the weighted distance differential and the weighted velocity differential with the velocity of the lead vehicle to produce a velocity command for the autonomous vehicle; adjusting the velocity command using a dynamic gain; and controlling the autonomous vehicle to conform to the adjusted velocity command.

An autonomous vehicle is often configured to follow a trajectory based on a computed driving path. However, when variables such as obstacles are present on the driving path, the autonomous vehicle must perform control operations so that the controlled vehicle may be safely driven by changing the speed or the driving path to avoid the obstacles. In many cases, data from cameras can be used to detect obstacles (e.g. other vehicles) in the path. In other cases, radar or LIDAR data can be used. LIDAR is a surveying method that measures distance to a target by illuminating that target with a pulsed laser light and measuring the reflected pulses with a sensor. Differences in laser return times and wavelengths can then be used to make digital representations of the target.
Such a vehicle-mounted radar or LIDAR apparatus can be used with automatic cruise control systems, which operate to detect a lead vehicle (e.g., a vehicle positioned ahead and in the same lane as the controlled vehicle). Conventional cruise control systems are configured to cause the controlled vehicle to maintain a constant speed or a speed that keeps constant the following distance to the lead vehicle. However, traditional cruise control systems that only consider the speed of the controlled vehicle or the distance between the lead vehicle and the following vehicle might fail to react quickly enough to changes in the operation of the lead vehicle, thereby causing an unsafe separation between the two vehicles.

System and method for adaptive cruise control for low speed following


A novel, high-speed spatial light modulator utilizing electron trapping materials. The electron trapping material is exposed to a pattern of modulating radiation, resulting in the excitation of electrons in the material at spatial locations corresponding to the pattern. When the light to be modulated (ordinarily coherent light) is simultaneously or subsequently passed through the material, it is absorbed in areas of the material where electrons have been excited. The unabsorbed light passes through the electron trapping material, producing a negative image of the pattern of modulating radiation. The electron trapping material also emits an image of incoherent visible light as the released electrons fall back to the ground state. This visible image can be filtered out if the device is only being used for modulating coherent light. Conversely, the device can be utilized by detecting only the incoherent visible emission from the electron trapping material, which constitutes a multiplicative product image of the electron exciting and electron releasing light incident on the electron trapping material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spatial light modulators and, more specifically, to a novel high-speed, spatial light modulator using electron trapping materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spatial light modulators are devices that modify the phase, polarization, amplitude, or intensity of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional readout light distribution as a function of space and time. Such modulators can be electrically or optically addressed Most are based on polarization modulation generated by electrooptic or other effects. The proper orientation of an analyzer between the spatial light modulator and a detector will further result in either phase or amplitude modulation.
Another class of spatial light modulators relies on the volume grating generated in photo-refractive materials. Recently, fast response, multiple quantum well spatial light modulators that make use of direct energy absorption in III-V compounds to modulate the light amplitude have been proposed and demonstrated. Fabrication of these types of modulators is based on a sophisticated semiconductor technology, e.g., molecular beam epitaxy of alternating thin layers of III-V compounds. For a more detailed description of prior art spatial light modulators and multiple quantum well structures, see A. R. Tanguay, Jr., "Materials Requirements for Optical Processing and Computing Devices," Optical Engineering, Jan./Feb. 1985, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 002-018, herein incorporated by reference.
Although spatial light modulation by direct energy absorption is highly desirable because of its relatively high speed and fine resolution, the fabrication of multiple quantum well structures is complicated and expensive. Accordingly, it would be desirable if this function could be performed by a material deposited in a simple, thin film layer.

Spatial light modulator using electron trapping materials


An apparatus for training athletes comprising at least one mirror assembly which permits the athlete to view all his body movements is disclosed. The apparatus comprises adjustable frame supports for positioning the mirror assembly for use in various sports, such as, golfing, bowling and swimming.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in giving athletes instruction and more particularly, an apparatus including mirror assemblies which permit an athlete to study his body movements for improving his performance.
Many devices exist in the prior art directed to the problem of teaching athletes proper body movements for various sports. These devices include apparatus which require the strapping of the athletes limbs to various moving elements of the apparatus which provides an artificial character to the instruction and forces rather than guides the athlete through the proper motions.
One prior art device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,550 to Wayfield. The Wayfield patent describes an apparatus which enables a swimmer to be guided through the various stages of instructions and to learn the various movements of the body and how to coordinate them. The apparatus comprises a cabinet adapted to receive the body of a swimmer and dimensioned to provide unobstructed use of the arms and legs in executing swimming strokes. The cabinet includes a plurality of fluid expelling nozzles appropriately located for releasing fluid under pressure in a timed relation to indicate to the swimmer appropriate coordination of the parts of the bodY in executing swimming strokes.
A swimming instruction device is also disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,528 to Garrett describing an apparatus on which a swimmer is supported at the correct level in the water under conditions in which both the swimmer and instructor may observe the arm and leg actions of the swimmer. The apparatus comprises a tank filled with water having a post appropriately located therein for supporting a swimmer at a desired level within the tank and leaving the arms and legs of the swimmer free to move. A series of windows and a system of mirrors are provided so that the instructor and swimmer, respectively, may observe the arm and leg movements in executing swimming strokes.
Owens, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,559 describes an apparatus for training players in baseball and other sports. The apparatus employs a mirror which permits the player to view all body movements while projecting the baIl toward the mirror as a target. The apparatus comprises a shock resistant mirror which may be variously mounted for angular adjustment to permit the player a full body view of his image. The mirror is suspended from a crossbar and may be positioned in an appropriate manner independently of a netting or like web surrounding the mirror.
Robertson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,000 describes a method and apparatus for teaching manual skills to golfers. Robertson provides a means for comparing the golfers body movements to follow as closely as possible the body movements of an expert performing the same stroke. This is accomplished by projecting the image of an expert performing a skill on a screen and superimposing on the continuously moving image of the expert the continuously moving image of the golfer performing the same skill as he endeavors to match his movements in time and position with those of the expert.

Sports training apparatus including a mirror assembly with adjustable line segments


A liquid crystal display panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure comprises an array substrate and a color filter substrate, and primary spacers and protrusions are formed on the array substrate and the color filter substrate and contact each other, the protrusions corresponding to at least one of gate lines and data lines on the array substrate. Also, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel is provided.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal panel and a method for fabricating a liquid crystal panel, an array substrate and a color filter substrate.
A liquid crystal panel includes an array substrate and a color filter substrate with liquid crystal filled therebetween. Primary spacers and secondary spacers are provided between the array substrate and the color filter substrate for maintaining a cell gap. There is a level difference between the primary spacers and the secondary spacers so that amount of the liquid crystal may fluctuate in a certain range when the liquid crystal panel is pressed. In the prior art, a structure having the level difference between the primary spacers and the secondary spacers may be: the primary spacers and the secondary spacers are obtained by a mask patterning process on the color filter substrate, and the primary spacers and the secondary spacers have a same height. The primary spacers are disposed on thin film transistors higher than gate lines, while the secondary spacers are disposed on the gate lines and do not contact the array substrate.

Liquid crystal panel and methods for fabricating liquid crystal panel, array substrate, and color filter substrate

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A radiation detector assembly is provided. The radiation detector assembly includes a radiation detector element and a light detection element operationally connected to the radiation detector element. The radiation detector element is seated within a housing. The assembly also includes a plurality of continuous wave formed springs located along the outer periphery of the radiation detector element, radially between the housing and the radiation detector element.

The invention relates generally to a suspension system for protection of devices mounted in an external housing and more specifically to a suspension system for a ruggedized radiation detector.
Radiation detectors typically include a light detecting and quantifying device, such as a photo-multiplier tube, and a scintillation element that may be a crystal or suitable compounded element. The scintillation element functions by capturing radiation from its surroundings and converting that energy into light. The radiation may be ambient background radiation or radiation emitting material that has been transported into proximity with the radiation detector.
Light generated within the scintillation element, as a result of impingement by radiation, is transmitted through an optical window into the photo-multiplier tube. The light impulses are transformed into electrical impulses that are transmitted to an instrumentation system. Optical coupling elements are normally used between the scintillation element and the light-detecting element in order to achieve better light transmission, and may be used to provide dynamic isolation between the scintillation element and the light-detecting element.
Portal radiation monitoring has taken on increased significance with the contemporary potential for illegal transportation of nuclear weapons, dirty bombs and other illicit radioactive materials. Effective portal monitoring for radiation offers a way to identify and thwart the improper transport and use of these radiation emitting materials. However, as the means for transport of the radioactive materials is multifaceted, portal monitoring must be applied to a broad set of transportation schemes. Among the modes of transport for which portal radiation monitoring must be conducted are shipments by sea, train, vehicle and by personnel. Consequently, the portal radiation monitoring equipment, including the radiation detectors, are exposed to a broad variety of environmental conditions.
Existing portal monitoring radiation detectors are often subjected to varying degrees of shock or vibration during their normal usage. In some cases, the degree of shock or vibration exposure may be quite severe. It is advantageous to protect radiation detectors so that they will not suffer any deleterious effects from the shock and vibration. Examples of these effects may include high background counts, noise in the detector's response spectrum, and even breakage of the detector. Typical methods of protecting these detectors have comprised the use of thick elastomers, foams, etc.
Existing shock and vibration isolation systems typically consist of either an elastomeric boot that is placed around the radiation detector or a foam pad that is wrapped around the radiation detector. Due to size constraints in portal monitoring radiation detectors, even these methods may not commonly be employed. In many cases, the crystal is simply wrapped in a reflective material and then inserted into a 1 mm thick stainless steel housing. The crystal is typically in the shape of a 4 inch×4 inch rectangle that is 16 inches long. Additionally, the crystal may be in other shapes, commonly including a 2 inch×4 inch rectangle that is 16 inches long.
Typically, soft elastomeric materials are used to provide cushioning, the greater the anticipated shock, the thicker the elastomer to be used. This material can be shaped in the form of boots, or sheaths, and may be achieved by potting the vibration sensitive element in an elastomer. Elastomers tend to change shape after large temperature changes due to their high coefficient of thermal expansion or due to high mechanical loading.
In one such method of building radiation detectors, a sodium iodide crystal is suspended in a metal housing a Teflon® boot. Teflon® tape is wrapped around the outside of the scintillation crystal until the dimensions match the inside of the housing. The wrapped crystal is then inserted into the housing.
Another assembly method uses foam. The sodium iodide first needs to be wrapped with a reflector to improve the internal photon reflection. After wrapping, the crystal is then packaged into the housing various systems secured inside the water resistant housing.
A larger scintillation element increases the cross-section and therefore increases the probability that a gamma ray or neutron will pass into the element. Also, a greater thickness increases the probability that the incident radiation will produce a scintillation, rather than just passing through the element. Further, the materials surrounding the scintillation crystal may attenuate the incident radiation. The thickness and characteristic of the protective materials and housing can adversely influence the sensitivity of the device.
There are numerous patents issued for various types and designs of radiation sensors utilizing the aforementioned types of suspension systems. A different concept for protection of a detector crystal incorporates the use of metallic flat springs around the circumference of a cylindrical scintillation crystal. In Frederick et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,855), a radiation detector of roughly cylindrical shape with a sidewall axial restraint surrounding the detector and radial springs placed outside the restraint provide stiff restraint in the axial and radial directions. Also in Frederick (U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,932) a first set of elongated, radial springs are located about the circumference of a light detector, radially between the housing and the light detector and a second set of similar radial springs are located about the circumference of a radiation detector where the detectors are cylindrical-shaped. These Frederick patents are assigned to General Electric and commonly employed in the manufacturing and design of cylindrical scintillation detectors for use in oil and gas exploration. However, these patents provide springs circumferentially across the entire face of the detector, thereby partially shielding the detector from incident radiation that it seeks to measure.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a ruggedized suspension system for protecting the scintillation crystal in a square, rectangular or other polygonal shape from mechanical shock, vibration and temperature induced forces. Further is the need to provide a suspension system that minimizes shielding of the detector from the incident radiation that it seeks to measure.


A process to generate a request for a copy process occurs at the side of a Web server before the copying is actually started since a user has selected the copy function of an MFP. If the user instructs logout from the MFP during the process, it is determined that the user has no right because the authentication context of the user is deleted from the MFP. Accordingly, it is not possible for the user to perform the copying.

In recent years, multi function peripherals (MFPs) having a printer function and a scanner function each have a Web browser installed therein to access a Web server. Accordingly, the MFP can directly operate a Web application in the Web server.
In addition, a system concerning the MFP provided with the Web browser is known, in which information about an operation screen used for performing the functions which the MFP originally has is received from the Web server and the received information is operated by using the Web browser. In this system, a user inputs an instruction to, for example, select a copy function of the MFP with the operation screen displayed in the Web browser. The input instruction is transmitted to the Web server by the Web browser of the MFP. The Web server generates a request for a copy process to the MFP in accordance with the content of the instruction transmitted from the Web browser and transmits the generated request to the MFP. The MFP receives the request for the copy process and performs the copying on the basis of the received request. The cooperation process between the MFP and the Web server described above eliminates the need to hold the information about the operation screen used for operating the MFP in the MFP. In addition, the operation screen can be changed by a method similar to that for changing a general Web application on the Web server.
A technology to authenticate a specific user as a user who is permitted to use the copy function when the specific user attempts to use the copy function of the MFP is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
According to Patent Document 1, authentication information about the user who has logged into the MFP is stored in the MFP during a period from the time when the user logs in the MFP to the time when the user logs out from the MFP. Upon selection of the copy function of the MFP by the user who has logged into the MFP, the MFP determines whether the user has a right to the selected function on the basis of the stored authentication information about the user. If the MFP determines that the user has the right to the selected copy function, the MFP permits the user to perform the copying and the user can perform the copying. The authentication information about the user is deleted when the user logs out from the MFP.

Image processing apparatus and method of controlling the image processing apparatus

Abstract: Upon logout of the user from an image processing apparatus, if a processing request that is received is generated by an external apparatus on the basis of operation information transmitted in accordance with an operation by the login user, the image processing is permitted to be performed in response to the processing request.