The present invention relates to a device for feeding shredder dust to a furnace such as a reverberatory furnace. This device comprises a feeding chute that passes to the inside of the reverberatory furnace and is fitted to the ceiling of the reverberatory furnace. Shredder dust can be fed from this feeding chute which also allows oxygen enriched air to be supplied to the feeding chute and fed to the inside of the reverberatory furnace. Further, the present invention relates to a reverberatory furnace in which a burner is able to be installed in a wall portion of one end side thereof. A plurality of feeding ports to which are connected the feeding chutes of the shredder dust feeding devices are provided at the one end side in the ceiling portion thereof forming a plurality of staggered rows facing the other end side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeding device for shredder dust for performing an incinerating process by burning shredder dust comprising various shredded waste materials by feeding the shredder dust to a furnace such as a reverberatory furnace for non-ferrous smelting and to a furnace provided with this feeding device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years the processing of industrial waste materials has become a problem for society. Currently, the landfilling of waste materials is severely restricted and incineration methods are also regulated so as to prevent dioxin from being generated. In this situation, in order to recover various metals such as copper, gold, silver, and, palladium without generating dioxin, the inventors of the present invention attempted the processing of automobile shredder dust in a reverberatory furnace. Here, the term shredder dust is used to refer generally to fluff materials coming out when scrapped vehicles are crushed in order to recover steel and aluminum. Shredder dust is more easily burnt than chipped tires and also contains valuable metals; therefore, the processing ratio of such attempts is continually improving.
A schematic flow chart of the processing of automobile shredder dust in a reverberatory furnace is shown in FIG. 16. In this flow chart, the reverberatory furnace 1 is a green charge type (wet charge type) reverberatory furnace used for non-ferrous smelting and in particular for smelting copper concentrates. Industrial waste materials such as automobil shredder dust are stored in the stockyard 2, then transported to the reverberatory furnace 1 by conveyors 4 from the feed hopper 3 and fed into the inside of the reverberatory furnace 1 through a feeding chute composed by such as a steel pipe. The industrial waste materials are then processing in the reverberatory furnace 1 together with copper concentrates. Oxygen enriched air is also supplied to the reverberatory furnace 1 from an oxygen plant 5.
Moreover, the off-gas from the reverberatory furnace 1 is cooled through a waste heat boiler 6 for recovering heat and, then the dust in the off-gas has been collected by an electrostatic precipitator 7, SO2 in the gas is fixed as gypsum by a gypsum plant 8. Note that the steam generated in the waste heat boiler 6 is used to generate electrical power in a turbine generator 9, however, the amount of generated power corresponds to approximately half of the total amount of power consumption at the smelter. On the other hand, in the period when the converter is operating, dried copper concentrates and oxygen from the oxygen plant 5 are fed into the converter 10 and the off-gas is fed to the sulfuric acid plant 13 via the boiler 11 and the electrostatic precipitator 12. Moreover, an anode produced from the converter 10 via an anode furnace 14 is refined to electrolytic copper in a tank house (electro-refining plant) 15. In this tank house 15, gold, silver, and palladium are collected in anode slime.
As the present inventors were continuing the above described attempts, they noticed that there were several problems that needed to be resolved arising from the burning of shredder dust in the reverberatory furnace 1 in the above described manner. One of these problems was that the amount of shredder dust to be processed in the reverberatory furnace 1 was limited by the volume of off-gas expelled from the reverberatory furnace 1. Namely, if the atmosphere inside the reverberatory furnace 1 becomes insufficient in oxygen due to the off-gas generated in the burning of the shredder dust previously supplied or to the burning off-gases caused by fuel directly fed from the burner into the reverberatory furnace 1 and burnt therein, then even if new shredder dust is fed into the reverberatory furnace 1, this cannot be easily burnt and simply accumulates in an unprocessed state inside the reverberatory furnace 1.
Moreover, as described above, the shredder dust is stored the stockyard 2 of the smelter, transported by the conveyor 4 from the feed hopper 3, then fed to the inside of the reverberatory furnace 1 via a feeding chute. However, for example, if the feeding chute is simply installed in the ceiling of the reverberatory furnace 1 and the shredder dust simply fed into this chute, the off-gases increase and in cases in which it is not possible to maintain a sufficient negative draft inside the reverberatory furnace 1, there is the concern that the gas inside the furnace will leak out by the feeding chute. Since the ceiling needs to be so secure that the gas inside the furnace does not leak even when the shredder dust is being fed, it is necessary to provide a double-damper, for example, which results, of course, in the operation of feeding the shredder dust becoming complicated, but also means that continuous feeding is difficult. The ultimate result is that restrictions are placed on the amount of shredder dust that can be processed.
Another problem is that if shredder dust remains as unburnt condition when the shredder dust is charged to the reverberatory furnace 1, this unburnt shredder dust piles up in the reverberatory furnace 1 forming small hills (piles) in the furnace. If the dimension of these piles increases, the clearance between them and the ceiling of the reverberatory furnace 1 becomes smaller. As a result, when new shredder dust is fed to the top of the pile, the hot-gas goes out of the reverberatory furnace 1 through the feeding chute positioned directly above the pile, creating the concern that the conveyor belt used for transporting the shredder dust may be burnt. Moreover, particularly if these large piles are formed nearby the burners inside the reverberatory furnace 1, then the burning condition of the burners is disturbed which naturally results in the burning of the shredder dust not being possible, and also results in the burner combustion heat not being able to be used effectively for melting copper concentrates.
The present invention was achieved on the basis of these circumstances and it is an object thereof to provide an device for feeding shredder dust to a reverberatory furnace capable of securing the sealing of a feeding chute when shredder dust is fed to a reverberatory furnace used for non-ferrous smelting as described above and for ensuring that the shredder dust is burnt properly and thereby achieving an increase in the amount of this processing that can be performed.
In addition, a further aim of the present invention is to provide a furnace such as a reverberatory furnace in which the formation of large piles in the reverberatory furnace caused by unburnt of shredder dust is prevented, and in which the blocking of the propagation of combustion heat from the burner is prevented, and also in which hot gas is prevented from leaking out of the furnace.
In order to solve the above problems and achieve these objects, the structure described below has been employed in the present invention. Namely, the present invention relates to the device for feeding shredder dust to a reverberatory furnace through which shredder dust is fed to a reverberatory furnace for non-ferrous smelting, and in particular, to a device for feeding shredder dust to a reverberatory furnace in which a feeding chute that passes to the inside of the reverberatory furnace is fitted to the ceiling of the reverberatory furnace and shredder dust can be fed from this feeding chute, and which also allows oxygen enriched air to be supplied to the feeding chute and fed to the inside of the reverberatory furnace.
In this case, the feeding chute is branched partway along its length and it is desirable that the shredder dust is fed from one end thereof while the oxygen enriched air is supplied in from the other end thereof.
It is also desirable that an air supply nozzle that has a smaller diameter than the feeding chute is inserted in the other end of the branched feeding pipe and the distal end of the air supply nozzle is positioned adjacent to the branched portion of the feeding chute and that the oxygen enriched air is supplied in from the air supply nozzle.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a reverberatory furnace for non-ferrous smelting provided with the shredder dust feeding device, and in particular, to a reverberatory furnace for non-ferrous smelting in which a burner is able to be installed in a wall portion of one end side thereof and a plurality of feeding ports to which are connected the feeding chutes of the shredder dust feeding device are provided at the one end side at a ceiling portion forming a plurality of staggered rows facing another end side.
In this case, it is desirable that, in the ceiling portion, the one end side where the feeding ports are provided is raised above the other end side.
Moreover, it is desirable that a feeding chute of the feeding device is connected to each one of the plurality of feeding ports and the positions at which shredder dust is fed to the feeding hoppers are arranged in a single row.
The second aspect of the present invention relates to a furnace for burning shredder dust which comprises: a furnace body; a burner provided on the wall on one side of the furnace body that emits a flame to the interior of the furnace body; one or a plurality of a raw material feeding openings provided on the side of the ceiling on the one side for feeding the raw material to be smelted to the interior of the furnace body; one or a plurality of a fuel and oxidizing gas feeding openings provided at the center of the ceiling on the one side; a main feeding chute installed in the fuel and oxidizing gas feeding opening; a first feeding chute installed inside the main feeding chute that feeds a compressed oxidizing gas to the furnace body; and a dust feeding chute that is connected to the main feeding chute and feeds shredder dust in the interior of the furnace body via the fuel and oxidizing gas feeding opening. A second feeding chute that feeds compressed oxidizing gas into the main feeding chute is installed vertically as a combustion device for the shredder dust; and the second feeding chute is installed such that the distal end thereof blows oxidizing gas to the shredder dust falling into the interior of the furnace body.
In this second aspect of the present invention, a second feeding chute is installed vertically inside the main feeding chute as a combustion means for shredder dust, and the distal end of the second feeding chute is provided such that a compressed oxidizing gas is blown on the shredder dust that has fallen into the furnace body. Thereby, by increasing the proportion of the oxidizing gas that reaches the shredder dust, the shredder dust does not accumulate and is burnt. Even if it were to accumulate, it would be scattered by the compressed oxidizing gas fed by the second feeding chute, and thus the combustion efficiency is improved.
The second feeding chute may be hung so as to be movable up and down by a wire or the like. In this case, because the second feeding chute is hung such that it can be moved up and down by a wire, the height of the distal end of the second feeding chute from the furnace hearth can be adjusted.
The furnace may comprise a third feeding chute that is provided on one side of the furnace body and feeds compressed oxidizing gas so as to blow on the shredder dust falling into the interior of said furnace body. In this case, because a third feeding chute that blows compressed oxidizing gas to the falling shredder dust is provided on one side of the wall of the furnace body, the combustion efficiency is further improved.
The second feeding chute and the third feeding chute may comprise an iron or stainless steel chute body and a refractory material that covers the periphery of said chute body. In this case, because the structure of the second feeding chute and the third feeding chute has two layers comprising a chute body made of iron or stainless steel and a refractory material covering the periphery of the chute body, its durability is superior.

Shredder dust feeding device, reverberatory furnace provided with this feeding device, and furnace for burning shredder dust


Embodiments are directed to switching of stations STA, access points APs and PCPs that are communicating through a wireless link from one frequency band to another. One embodiment is directed to switching of stations STA that are communicating through a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) link from one frequency band to another. A multiband element may be added to a TDLS discovery request and TDLS discovery response frames to allow each of the stations communications through a TDLS to determine if the other station has multiband capability. In one embodiment, a pairwise transient key (PTK) is created for both a current band in which the stations STA are communicating and a new band over which the stations may communicate in the future. In this way there is no need to calculate a new pairwise transient key PTK for the new frequency band.

IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area networks (WLANs) and has become synonymous with the term "Wi-Fi." In WLANs, wireless devices or stations STA commonly communicate over different frequency bands, where the term station STA can be any of a variety of different types of device, such as a personal computer, netbook computer, tablet computer, cellular telephone, mobile personal device, and so on. A WLAN may include, for example, stations STA and access points (APs) that operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, 5 GHz frequency band, 60 GHz frequency (in the relatively new IEEE 802.11ad standard that is also referred to as "WiGig"), as well as other types of stations such as Bluetooth devices. A personal basic service set control point (PCP) may also be part of a WLAN in the 60 GHz band. A personal basic service set (PBSS) is a self-contained network in which access to a distribution system (DS) is not present but an intra-PBSS forwarding service is optionally present. In a PBSS with an intra-PBSS forwarding service available, one of the stations STA, namely the PCP, functions to provide this forwarding service as well as other functionality analogous to the functionality of an AP in a basic service set (BSS) WLAN, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The BSS and PBSS are WLAN topologies are discussed in more detail below. The 2.4 and 5 GHz bands are sometimes collectively referred to as the "OBand" and the 60 GHz band referred to as the "DBand," and this terminology may be used when referring to such frequency bands in the following description. More efficient methods of switching the operation of stations STA, APs and PCPs among the available frequency bands are needed.

Method, system, and devices for fast session transfer of wireless devices from one frequency band to another


A resist post is formed on a connection pad of a semiconductor chip, and the semiconductor chip and the resist post are covered by a heat resistant insulating layer. A surface of the insulating layer is next polished by CMP or the like, thus an upper surface of the resist post being exposed. The exposed resist post is then removed by developing processing or the like, thus forming a through hole. A conductor is then embedded in the through hole by plating, thus forming a connecting conductor, and wirings are formed. A method of forming the connecting conductor does not impart damage to the semiconductor chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming a connecting conductor and wirings of a semiconductor chip. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of forming a connecting conductor connected to a connection pad and is suitable for a semiconductor chip mounted on a build-up multi-layer substrate, and to a method of forming wirings connected to the connecting conductor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent development of performance and miniaturization of IC chips require to increase a wiring density of a substrate on which an IC chip is mounted, and a number of pins provided to the substrate or the IC chip. A build-up multi-layer substrate can be given as an example of a present-day high density mounting substrate, which is practically used. An epoxy resin layer is formed on a glass epoxy substrate that serves as a core substrate, and holes are formed in the resin layer by laser processing or photoetching in the build-up multi-layer substrate. An conductive pattern or a via conductor is then formed on the epoxy resin layer by using a copper plating, and multiple layers are subsequently formed by repeating the same processes over and over, completing the build-up multi-layer substrate. The build-up multi-layer substrate is electrically connected to a semiconductor chip to form a semiconductor device. Such a semiconductor device that is described above is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,278.
According to a technique disclosed in JP 2001-15650 A, for example, an insulating resin layer is formed on a semiconductor chip. Solder bumps can then be given a narrow pitch by processing holes in the insulating resin layer in which a conductive paste layer connecting pads of the build-up multi-layer substrate and pads of the semiconductor chip is formed.
In this manufacturing method, the holes are formed by irradiating a laser beam on the insulating resin layer on the connection pads, after sealing the semiconductor chip with the insulating resin. Such a laser processing, however, can cause damage in the semiconductor chip. Furthermore, the laser processing cannot contribute to making the semiconductor chip smaller, or to giving the connection pads on the semiconductor chip with a narrower pitch.
Further, JP 2001-15650 A also discloses a technique of forming a hole in an insulating resin layer by using chemical developing.
A strong etching material is usually used as a developer to etch an epoxy resin generally used as the insulating resin. It is, however, difficult to use a strong etching material because such a strong material causes damage in a semiconductor chip. It is therefore extremely difficult to form holes having a high aspect ratio in the processed hole. That is, it is extremely difficult to make holes having a numeric value found by dividing the hole depth by a diameter of the largest opening portion. Accordingly, the hole forming process by using a chemical development on an epoxy resin that is on a semiconductor chip cannot contribute to giving the connection pads on the semiconductor chip a more narrower pitch.
Furthermore, JP 11-233678 A discloses a method of forming a hole for connecting pads of a semiconductor chip and pads of a build-up multi-layer substrate. A photosensitive resin is formed on the semiconductor chip, and a conventional photofabrication technique is applied to the photosensitive resin, thus the holes being formed.
If a photosensitive resin is used in direct contact with the semiconductor chip, however, it is difficult to ensure reliability over a long term of use because the temperature of the semiconductor chip can reach 60° C. or more during use. When considering that there is a tendency of increase in the amount of heat that is generated per unit surface area of the semiconductor chip as the chip size is made smaller and the chip is given higher functionality, this manufacturing method cannot contribute to making the semiconductor chip smaller, and cannot contribute to giving the connection pads on the semiconductor chip a more narrower pitch.

Method of forming a connecting conductor and wirings of a semiconductor chip


An optimum ratio relating the characteristic dimensions of the MOS pull-up and the MOS pull-down devices of a logic circuit with one or more bipolar devices connected to an output of the circuit. This optimum ratio substantially minimizes the propagation delay of the circuit. The first preferred embodiment is shown in a BiNMOS circuit, and the second preferred embodiment is shown in a BiCMOS circuit.

The present invention relates generally to logic circuits and more particularly to logic circuits with dimensions scaled for performance enhancement.
Tremendous effort has been spent to increase the speed of electronic circuits. One approach is to combine the strengths of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) and bipolar technologies. Typically, MOS devices control the logic of a circuit and bipolar devices increase the output current drive capability, which in turn increases the speed of the circuit. Commonly used circuits with such configurations are BiNMOS and BiCMOS circuits.
The configuration of a BiNMOS or a BiCMOS circuit involves a pull-up section and a pull-down section. The pull-up section "pulls the circuit up" so that the output voltage of the circuit is at a high logic level; the pull-down section "pulls the circuit down" so that the output voltage of the circuit is at a low logic level. Both the BiNMOS and the BiCMOS circuits have MOS devices in the pull-up and the pull-down sections. The main difference between the two types of circuits is that the BiCMOS circuit has bipolar devices in both the pull-up and the pull-down sections, whereas the BiNMOS circuit has bipolar devices only in the pull-up section.
Raje et al. in "A New Method for Design of BiCMOS Gates and Comparison with CMOS" have disclosed a method to increase the speed of a BiCMOS logic circuit. The method relates a characteristic dimension of the bipolar devices in the circuit to a characteristic dimension of the MOS devices in the circuit by a pre-determined ratio. With the ratio, one only has to design either the MOS or the bipolar devices, and the other devices are automatically designed. However, there is still a need to further increase the speed of circuits with such configurations and to further reduce the complexity of designing such circuits.

Bipolar-MOS circuits with dimensions scaled to enhance performance


There are provided a head-mounted display, a display control method, and a program for changing the position of the image of an object near the optical axis of a camera in an image displayed on a display section. A camera control section controls the direction of the optical axis of the camera capturing an image of what is ahead of the display section disposed in front of the user's eyes. A display control section causes the display section to display a partial image cut out from the image captured by the camera, the partial image constituting a portion corresponding to the optical axis direction of the camera.

There exist head-mounted displays (HMDs) to be mounted on the head of a user for visual appreciation, as described in PTLs 1 to 3, for example. Some of the HMDs are equipped with a camera that captures an image of what is ahead of a display section of the HMD so that the user will recognize what is taking place before the display section using the captured image being displayed.
There also exists a technology for visual line tracking allowing the direction of the user's visual line to be tracked using iris detection.

Head-mounted display, display control method, and program


A method of assembling a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate having an array of substrate elements linked by substrate corner elements and separated by slots extending between the corner elements. Semiconductor dies are positioned on the substrate elements. A cap, frame and contact structure is provided that has a corresponding array of caps supported by corner legs linking the caps to frame corner elements, frame elements linking the frame corner elements, and sets of electrical contact elements supported by the frame elements. The cap, frame and contact structure is fitted on the substrate with the caps extending over corresponding dies, the frame corner elements extending over the substrate corner elements, and the sets of electrical contact elements disposed in the slots. The dies are connected electrically with the electrical contact elements and the assembly is encapsulated and singulated. Singulating removes the frame elements.

The present invention is directed to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to packaged semiconductor devices having one or more semiconductor dies on a substrate with a cap.
Semiconductor device packaging fulfils basic functions such as providing electric connections and protecting the die against mechanical and environmental stresses. The completed semiconductor device may be mounted on a support with electrical connectors, such as a printed circuit board (PCB), for example. The semiconductor device has exposed external electrical contact surfaces or leads for connection to the electrical connectors on the support. Using surface mount technology, external electrical contact surfaces or leads of the package can be soldered directly to corresponding pads on the support, providing mechanical attachment as well as electrical connections.
Semiconductor devices are commonly packaged for surface mounting by encapsulating one or more semiconductor dies, the encapsulation process including embedding the die or dies in a molding compound. Various techniques are available for connecting the external electrical contact surfaces or leads of the package internally with electrical contact pads on the embedded semiconductor die. It is common to facilitate manufacturing operations by performing many of the operations on arrays of the components of the devices which are linked together, the links being severed during singulation of the devices.
In a metal base package, the substrate is an electrically and thermally conductive metal flag, which assists in dissipating heat. A metal flag structure may be provided, which has an array of the flags linked by frame members which are cut off and discarded during singulation. The flag structure may also include sets of electrical contact surfaces or leads which are supported by and integral with the frame members, until the devices are encapsulated and the frame members are cut off and discarded during singulation to isolate the electrical contact surfaces or leads from each other. This technique is limited to devices where the sets of electrical contacts are disposed at the periphery of the metal flag and the semiconductor die, on opposing sides or around all four sides.
In a laminate or ceramic base package, the substrate is an electrically insulating substrate bearing the external electrical contact surfaces. Examples of laminate base packages include ball grid array (BGA), pin grid array (PGA) and land grid array (LGA) packages. The electrically insulating materials used for such substrates are typically thermally insulating also, and hence do not assist in cooling the device.
A semiconductor device may have a cap that covers a face of the semiconductor die or dies. Such a cap may be formed of a thermally conductive material and function as a heat sink, distributing internally generated heat over the face of the semiconductor die or dies and dissipating the heat, by conduction radiation and/or convection, for example. Such a cap may be formed of an electrically conductive material and also function as an electromagnetic shield, typically in conjunction with an electrically conductive substrate beneath the semiconductor die or dies, in order to reduce electromagnetic interference effects.
Whether or not the substrate on which the die is mounted has similar properties to the cap, such a cap is particularly effective when the active face of the die is upwards and near to the cap. However, integrating the cap in the semiconductor device may involve extra process steps, increasing the cost of the device and introducing additional risks of manufacturing defects, which it is desirable to minimize or eliminate.

Semiconductor device package with cap element


A via (26) is formed through a dielectric layer (8) separating two conductive layers (16,28) by establishing a laterally erodible mask (18) over the dielectric (8), with a window (24) over the desired via location. The mask (18) and exposed dielectric material (8) are eroded simultaneously, preferably by reactive ion etching, producing a via (26) through the dielectric (8) which expands laterally as vertical erosion proceeds. The erosion conditions, the materials for the mask (18) and dielectric (8), and the initial window (24) taper are selected so that the final via (26) is tapered at an angle of less than about 45.degree. to the lower metal layer (6), and preferably about 30.degree.-45.degree., to enable a generally uniform width for the upper metallization (28) in the via (26). A non-erodible mask (10) is established over the dielectric layer (8) lateral to the via (26) during fabrication to prevent the propagation of pinhole defects from the erodible mask (18) into the dielectric (8), and is normally removed prior to completing the structure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to high density multi-chip interconnect substrates, and more particularly to the formation and resulting structure of vias between conductive planes of such substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
The increasing sophistication of microelectronics technology has spurred the development of smaller, faster and denser microelectronics circuits. This has resulted in the development of high density multi-chip interconnect (HDMI) technology. An HDMI substrate is a system of multiple layers of thin film conductor patterns, separated by polyimide dielectric layers fabricated on silicon or ceramic based carrier wafers. HDMI substrates are required to accommodate the large number of signal input/outputs on advanced integrated circuits. The substrate interconnections must be short and have well controlled electrical characteristics to propagate high speed signals with minimal delay, distortion and cross-talk. Internal layer-to-layer connections in multilayered HDMI substrates are made by means of "vias", which extend through intermediate dielectric layers to connect conductive layers on either side of the dielectric.
The two processes currently used to form vias in HDMI substrates are a plating process which forms the vias by plating metal into vias through holes opened in a photoresist plating mask, and an etching process in which vias are formed by etching holes in the dielectric layer and sputtering metal interconnects over and into the vias.
The vias will ideally have certain characteristics to optimize their performance. First, the metal deposited on the via walls should be of generally uniform thickness with no thinned or vacant areas, to assure a low impedance connection over wide temperature ranges. Second, it would be desirable to be able to fabricate vertically stacked vias. In multi-layered HDMI substrates, the electrical path from the top integrated circuit bond pad layer to the signal or power and ground planes is through a series of vias. An ability to stack the multiple vias in vertical alignment with each other minimizes the "real estate" occupied by the vias, and enables a denser packaging of IC components.
Unfortunately, neither of the prior approaches satisfies both of these conditions. Plated type pillar fabrication, in which a vertical pillar is formed as the via, is compatible with vertically stacked multiple vias because the additive plating process results in cylindrical via pillars that can be made continuous from layer to layer. Plating, however, has other disadvantages, particularly when used in conjunction with polyimide. The adherence of the polyimide to the metal plating can be compromised, since plating is a wet process and polyimide is inherently hygroscopic. For this reason, dry processing is preferable. With plated pillars it is difficult to control the pillar height and the uniformity of the plating. In addition, it is necessary to planarize the structure by etching back or mechanically lapping the dielectric to expose the tops of the vias, so that the next metal layer can make contact.
The etched via process uses a silicon dioxide or other hard, non-erodible etch mask to establish the location of the via. This results in a via profile that is significantly more vertical than horizontal. It is difficult to sputter a conductive coating onto the inner walls of such vias, and the metal can be severely thinned and even completely open in spots, making the vias defective or at least suspect in terms of their reliability and survivability over wide temperature ranges.
Another disadvantage of the etched process is an inability to form vertically stacked vias of more than two layers. Passing electrical signals from one conductive plane to another has typically been accomplished by offsetting or stair-stepping the vias; a via through one polyimide layer terminates on the metal of the underlying conductive layer, which provides a contact to another via which is laterally offset from the first one. The result is a requirement for additional circuit routing area to accommodate the staggered vias. This limitation becomes more severe as the number of routing layers and corresponding staggered vias increases.

Method of forming an electrical via structure


A head-up display system mounted on a vehicle, the system including: a head-up display device that displays an image in front of the vehicle; and a forward sensing device that detects a forward object of the vehicle, the head-up display device including an image data generation unit, and an image display unit, the image data generated by the image data generation unit including a constantly displayed object, and a real scene overlaid object, a gyro sensor being installed in the vehicle, the image data generation unit performing pitching correction on a display position of an object to be displayed, based on angular velocity information for two axial directions, and in a case where the vehicle travels on a curve in an inclined state, the pitching correction being suppressed or stopped, and a brightness of display of the real scene overlaid object being reduced or stopped.

Recently, an image display device for a vehicle (a head-up display (hereinafter, HUD)) that displays image information in front of the vehicle through a front window of the vehicle, as a virtual image, has been turned to practical use. At this time, information for a driver is provided as the image information to be displayed, and thus, a driving operation of the vehicle can be supported.
For example, in Patent Document 1, a configuration is proposed in which correction on a display position of a display image according to a vehicle vibration is described. Here, correction processing on a display position is executed for a weighted image (an image to be displayed to have a predetermined positional relationship with respect to a specific target in a real scene), and the correction processing is not executed for an unweighted image (an image to be displayed without having the predetermined positional relationship with respect to the target).


A modified poly(arylene ether) resin composition includes a mixed resin that includes a poly(arylene ether) resin, a styrene-based resin and a polyolefin resin; a flame retardant; and mineral oil. A weight-average molecular weight of the mineral oil is 460 to 1,000 g/mol. A wire is manufactured using the modified poly(arylene ether) resin composition.

Conventionally, halogenated resins and a poly(vinyl chloride) resin were generally used as materials of insulated electric wires and wires for light conductors. A poly(vinyl chloride) resin has advantages such as relatively low cost, broad application range and intrinsic flame retardancy, and disadvantages such as generation of dioxin and large amounts of toxic gas upon fire. Accordingly, a variety of materials to replace poly(vinyl chloride) resin are being tried in fields related with electrical wires including cables, but flame retardancy, processability and productivity thereof have failed to meet expectations.
Since a modified poly(arylene ether) resin that is recently attracting attention has superior flame retardancy and insulation, the modified poly(arylene ether) resin is often applied as a substitute for wires in various fields. However, since styrene-based block copolymers that are added to address low flexibility of a poly(arylene ether) resin in a modified poly(arylene ether) resin are relatively expensive, there is burden due to cost increase of raw materials when flexibility of a poly(arylene ether) resin is controlled only using the styrene-based block copolymers.
In addition, while an extrusion flux of a wire manufactured using equipment for mass production of a conventional poly(vinyl chloride) resin is 900 to 1,200 m per minute, the extrusion flux is only approximately 300 m per minute in the case of a conventional modified poly(arylene ether) resin, whereby productivity is dramatically decreased, compared to a poly(vinyl chloride) resin.
As an embodiment regarding conventional modified poly(arylene ether) resin compositions, there is Korean Patent Application Pub. No. 10-2013-0077468. The application relates to a thermoplastic resin composition including a base resin, which includes a poly(arylene ether) resin and a polyolefin resin, and a phosphorus-based flame retardant. The thermoplastic resin composition includes a phosphorus-based flame retardant having a thermal decomposition temperature of 230° C. or more, a poly(arylene ether) resin and a polyolefin resin in a specific content ratio, in order to enhance melt viscosity, processability, flexibility and chemical resistance of a poly(arylene ether) resin and in order to enhance flame retardancy, wear resistance, mechanical strength and thermal resistance of a polyolefin resin. However, in the thermoplastic resin composition, processability of a base resin including a poly(arylene ether) resin and a polyolefin resin is controlled using a styrene-based resin as a compatibilizer.
Therefore, there is a need for development of a modified poly(arylene ether) resin composition that may control extrudability and properties of a wire at low coat without negative influence on appearance or properties upon manufacturing a wire, other than a conventional method in which extrudability and properties of a wire are controlled by controlling the content of expensive styrene-based block copolymer in a modified poly(arylene ether) resin composition.

Modified poly(arylene ether) resin composition comprising mineral oil and wire prepared by the composition


A method and apparatus for processing a synthetic continuous filament textured yarn is disclosed, and wherein the yarn is wetted prior to entering the texturizing nozzle. To effect a uniform and controllable wetting, the yarn is passed over a guide surface so that the filaments are laterally spread apart, and a jet of water is directed onto the advancing yarn from a direction opposing the guide surface.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing a synthetic continuous filament yarn, and wherein the yarn is wetted prior to its entry into an air texturing nozzle.
DE-OS 31 22 591 discloses a yarn texturizing process wherein a textile yarn is guided over a surface before it enters into an air texturing nozzle. To this end, a bore terminates in the front surface, and is connected with a fluid tank, and the fluid which is applied to the yarn flows out of the bore due to its inherent static pressure. A disadvantage of this method is that the pressure level is limited, and as a result of the low pressure level, there is a risk of clogging the outlet opening. Furthermore, it will in the long run be impossible to adjust the pressure exactly to the absorbability of the yarn. An irregular wetting of the yarn leads also to an irregular texturing. If the pressure level is increased, so as to avoid the risk of clogging, a water jet will be formed, which attempts to displace the yarn, and the yarn is thus non-uniformly moistened. Further, the yarn is supplied with the liquid from only one side of the yarn.
DE-OS 33 45 336 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,598,538 and 4,608,814 disclose a texturizing process wherein the yarn is advanced through a water bath before it reaches the texturing nozzle. Although this method accomplishes a uniform moistening of the yarn, it requires measures to keep the water bath clean. Furthermore, the consumption of water by soaking the yarn in a water bath is higher than it is necessary for the quality of the texturizing process. DE-PS 27 49 867 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,776 disclose an air texturing process. Air texturing nozzles are, for example, described in "Texturierung von Chemiefaden im Luftstrom" Textilpraxis 1969, page, 515, by Lunenschioss et al.
In contrast to the above processes, it is an object of the present invention to avoid the risk that the water outlet opening clogs, and yet to moisten the advancing yarn with an amount of water provided therefor. Another object of the invention is to carry out a uniform wetting of the yarn in a precisely measured quantity according to the fluid requirements, it being intended on the one hand to achieve a good impregnation, and on the other hand to avoid an excessive wetting of the yarn.

Method and apparatus for processing a textured yarn


An interferometer system comprises a light redirecting system for splitting an input light beam into two secondary light beams to respectively propagate along a first optical arm and a second optical arm, and for recombining the secondary light beams after exiting the optical arms. The interferometer system also comprises a multipass optical cell positioned at the second optical arm for effecting a predetermined optical path length within the second arm.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to interferometry and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to an interferometer system and application thereof, such as, but not limited to, FTIR spectroscopy.
Optical interference is widely used in interferometers such as the Michelson interferometer, the Mach-Zender interferometer, the Twyman-Greene interferometer, the Sagnac interferometer, and others. Generally, an interferometer divides incident light into two or more beams traveling along different paths, which are then recombined. An optical path difference is developed between the paths, resulting in constructive or destructive interference, depending on the wavelength of light and on the optical path difference (OPD). The intensity pattern resulting from this interference is termed an interferogram. By observing the interferogram while varying the path difference, the wavelength or wavelength components of the incident beam can be determined. The achievable spectral resolution depends on the arm-length and accuracy of the interferometer.
For example, a typical Michelson interferometer includes a beam splitter that divides the input light into two beams, a reflected beam and a transmitted beam. One of the beams is directed to a stationary mirror and is reflected thereby. The other beam is directed to a movable mirror and is reflected thereby. The two beams are then recombined by the beam splitter and enter a detector where interference fringes are formed due to the difference between the optical paths of the beams. The movable mirror is moved in a direction toward and away from the beam splitter, so that interference fringes vary with this motion. The detector produces a signal which describes the interferogram, and the Fourier transform is typically applied to this signal to retrieve spectral information.
An interferometer can be used for non-invasive characterization of materials, monitoring of chemical reactions and processes, and the like. For example, in a technique known as Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectrometry an interferogram of an infrared signal passed through a sample is collected and Fourier transformed to obtain, for example, a characteristic absorption and/or emission spectrum.

Interferometer system and application thereof

Technology Innovation Momentum Fund (Israel) Limited Partnership


A method for traffic control includes ingesting public transport data with one or more extract-transform-load procedures. A route of a public transport vehicle is reconstructed based on the ingested public transport data. The reconstructed vehicle route is partitioned into discrete route segments, each of the discrete route segments being defined by parameters spanning multiple dimensions. The discrete route segments are clustered into multiple groups based on the respective multidimensional parameters of each of the discrete route segments. The route segments are scored based on the clustering to create a traffic model which is useable to implement traffic control measures or to change mobility infrastructure.

Traffic management (or more general mobility management) is a core function of modern city operation. People need to commute to work, go for grocery shopping or participate in city traffic in order to take part in leisure activities (cinema, concerts etc.). As such, it is crucial for city operators to make commutes as comfortable as possible. A relevant parameter for many traffic participants is time spent on their trip. In addition, reducing traffic congestion leads to less air pollution. Therefore, to improve commutes and citizens' quality of life, cities are interested in improving the flow of traffic on their road networks by, for example, removing bottlenecks that can cause congestion and as consequence increased air pollution and passenger discomfort. FIG. 1 shows urban transportation policy making (e.g. optimizing bus schedules, scheduling traffic lights, etc.) by policy makers 102 based on city mobility insights 100.
To measure a current mobility situation (e.g., to generate city mobility insights), city operators (e.g., policy makers) can rely on surveys, traffic counting, simulations, and sensors embedded in city infrastructure (e.g., magnetic loop sensors). As shown in FIG. 2, larger cities might also employ consulting and data aggregating/analytics firms which may provide a database 200 which includes proprietary and privacy-sensitive data. Artificial intelligence and business intelligence 205 can be used to process the data in database 200.
Infrastructure Sensors: Some cities have magnetic loop sensors installed, which count how many vehicles pass. Cities might have further access to camera data and other infrastructure sensors to count vehicles. Some companies are using cameras and video analytics to analyze traffic at road intersections. See, for example, Franz Loewenherz. "Video Analytics towards Vision Zero", ITE/IMSA Annual Joint Meeting (Feb. 13, 2017), which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Previous work has used public web/traffic cameras to infer traffic density. See, for example: Fay, Damien, et al. "Knowledge Discovery and Causality in Urban City Traffic: A study using Planet Scale Vehicular Imagery Data", Proceedings of the Sixth ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Computational Transportation Science, A C M, 2013 (hereby incorporated by reference herein); Thakur, Gautam S., et al. "Spatial and temporal analysis of planet scale vehicular imagery data." 2011 IEEE 11th International Conference on Data Mining Workshops. IEEE, 2011 (hereby incorporated by reference herein).
Traffic Surveys/Traffic Counting: Cities can perform commuter surveys to understand traffic patterns and rely on traffic counting to understand the traffic density and distribution of road segments.
Big Data Analytics: Companies collect anonymized traffic data on congestion and incidents from connected vehicles, mobile devices and roadway sensors and cameras, aggregate them and provide actionable insights to single vehicles and to local governments. See, for example, Cookson, Graham, and Pishue, "INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard—Appendices", INRIX research (2017), which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The above-described existing solutions require substantial effort to collect the necessary data and derive actionable insights for city operators. For example, the installation of traffic sensors is costly, while traffic surveys and counting require human effort and only result in a one-time status measurement. In addition, new privacy-awareness of citizens and related regulations (e.g. GDPR) might become a hurdle to overcome for such analytics. Accordingly, it may be difficult to provide a database 300 of open data (see FIG. 3) from which city mobility insights 100 can be effectively and/or accurately derived.

Automated control through a traffic model


A punching and/or perforation equipment (33, 34) for continuous paper forms (37, 42) comprising punching and/or perforation member (81; 226, 227) and contrast elements (82; 224) substantially tangent to the movement surface (63, 204) of the forms and a punching and/or perforation mechanism (56, 57; 197, 198) for driving the punching and/or perforation members. A detecting device (92, 93; 244, 245) detects at least one reference position the forms associated with the punching and/or perforation positions and a servomechanism (87, 88; 228, 229) actuates the punching and/or perforation mechanism on the basis of the reference position or positions between a state of rest and a state of punching and/or perforation and in which the reference position or positions are associated with information of a position encoder (72, 214). The punching and/or the perforation members cooperate with the form with a peripheral velocity, at the moment of the punching and/or perforation, substantially equal to the velocity of the moving form (37, 42).

Punching and/or perforating equipments of this type are included in systems for the automatic processing of documents for punching holes and/or executing transversal thin holes or perforations in continuous forms of paper webs. The forms are supplied, in general, downstream of high speed printers or downstream of suitable unwinding devices.
Such treatments are executed for accomplishing documents which an end user can file, through side holes, in more or less standard ring binders and/or for separating the sheets through facilitated torn off of some portions of the paper form. The transversal perforations are also useful for zig-zag folding the forms along corresponding weakening lines and obtaining regular stacks of easy handling.
Off-line special devices are generally provided for executing the holes of documents to be filed in ring or pin binders. Such devices include punch and die mechanisms with linear actuation which work on the sheets previously separated from. the web and suitable stacked.
Punching devices for photocopying machines, comprising couples of rotating punches and dice are also known. The punches and the dice cooperate with the moving copied sheet and are carried by corresponding rollers tangent to the trajectory of the sheet and kinematically connected one another. An edge sensor detects the passage of an edge of the sheet to be punched and a controlled motor puts in rotation the punches-dice couple and punches the holes at given points of the sheet in response to the information of the edge sensor.
These known punching devices are not suitable for executing holes in continuous forms. In fact, the sole leading edge of the paper web does not ensure a sufficient precision in the positions of the punches with respect to all the documents which can be obtained by the paper web.
Perforation equipments with actuating mechanisms synchronous with the movement of advancing of the form are used for the formation of transversal perforations in continuous paper webs. Such equipments comprise rollers with perforation blades and counter-rollers, heavy and bulky, univocally provided for a single perforation pitch. The accomplishment of perforations of different features requires the substitution of some mechanisms with increasing of costs and drawbacks due to the downtimes and the necessity of using qualified personnel.

Punching and/or perforating equipment for continuous forms


A live performance is monitored by analyzing an input data stream comprising real-time updates related to the live performance. Different sets of excitement levels, excitement curves, alerts and teasers are generated based on the analysis and reported to a plurality of subscribers using any of a variety of mobile communication and/or computing devices.

There are many services that provide game highlights, box scores, and performance commentary for sporting events. However, these services generally spoil the excitement of any recorded sports performances by revealing the score, statistics, and highlights of what transpired. A fan seeking to watch highlights of a game that he or she missed or a fan reminded of a game that is being or was missed is typically informed of the outcome of the performance, causing the fan to miss out on the excitement of experiencing the buildup of game's events as they unfold.
Additionally, with the amount of performances available over the Internet and time-shifted to a DVR, sports fans can spend precious hours viewing a boring game or one that simply turns out as expected. Furthermore, what may be an exciting event for one sports fan may be uneventful to another sports fan. Currently available services merely broadcast a game's highlights without considering the myriad preferences of the game's audience that make the game more exciting or less exciting for individual fans. This results in the inefficient use of the sports fans' time, a potential decrease in advertisement revenue, and the loss of viewership and does not allow a fan to experience all the thrill of the game as it unfolds in front of them.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Generating teasers for live performances


A collection apparatus is provided for collecting waste water from cleaning operations performed on aircraft turbine engines. It comprises a frame structure having a pivotally mounted support arm. An actuator device is arranged to rise and lower the support arm between an essentially horizontal transport position to an operative position. A flexible duct is provided with an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end of the flexible duct is pivotally attached to the support arm so as to be movable around at least a horizontal axis.

A gas turbine engine installed as an aircraft engine comprises a compressor compressing ambient air, a combustor burning fuel together with the compressed air and a turbine for driving the compressor. The expanding combustion gases drive the turbine and also result in thrust used for propelling the aircraft.
Air breathing machines like jet engines consume large quantities of air. Air contains foreign particles in form of aerosols or larger particles which then enters the engine with the air stream. The majority of the particles will follow the gas path through the engine and exit with the exhaust gases. However, some particles have properties that cause sticking on to components in the engine's gas path. Buildup of particles changes the aerodynamic properties of the engine and more particularly reduces engine performance. Typical contaminants found in the aviation environment are pollen, insects, engine exhaust, leaking engine oil, hydrocarbons coming from industrial activities, salt coming from nearby oceans, chemicals coming from aircraft de-icing and airport ground material such as dust.
The contaminants sticking on to components in the engine gas path may cause fouling of the engine. The consequence of gas path fouling is an engine operating less efficiently than normal. With the reduction in efficiency, the engine is less economic to operate and produces higher emissions. Fouling will result in more fuel having to be burnt to achieve the same thrust as a clean engine. Further, an environmental drawback is found with the higher fuel consumption in form of increased carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, more fuel being burnt results in higher temperatures in the engine's combustor. With this also comes high temperature exposure to engine hot gas path engine components. The higher temperature exposures can dramatically shorten the life expectancy of the engine. The higher firing temperature results in increased formation of NOx which is yet another environmental drawback. In summary, the operator of a fouled engine can suffer from reduced engine lifetime, unfavorable operating economics and higher emissions. Therefore, airline operators have a strong incentive to keep their engines clean.
It has been found that the only reasonable way to combat fouling is to wash the engine. Washing can be practised by directing a water jet from something as simple as a garden hose towards the engine inlet. However, this method has limited success due to the rudimentary nature of the process. An alternative method is pumping the wash liquid through a manifold with special nozzles directed towards the engine inlet face. The manifold would be temporarily positioned near the inlet of the engine. This can include mounting the manifold on the engine cowl or on the engine shaft bullet during the wash operation. Simultaneously with spraying the washing liquid towards the engine inlet, the engine shaft is cranked such as by the use of its starter motor. The shaft rotation enhances the wash result by the mechanical movements and by forcing air with washing liquid entrained therein through the engine. This allows the wash liquid to move over greater surface area as well as enhancing liquid penetration into the interior of the engine. The method is proven successful on most gas turbine jet engines types.
A proper wash operation of a gas turbine engine can be confirmed by an observation of the wash liquid that exits the engine at the engine outlet. At the engine outlet the wash liquid has become a waste liquid. The waste liquid may leave the engine outlet as a stream of liquid pouring to the ground. Alternatively the waste liquid may be carried with the air stream as fine droplets where the air stream is the result of the rotation of the engine shaft. This air borne liquid can be carried a significant distance before falling to the ground. It is shown from actual wash operations that waste liquid will be spread on a large surface area, typically more than 20 meters downstream of the engine outlet. It is undesirable to spread waste liquid on the ground behind an engine. Thus, a method and apparatus to collect the waste liquid exiting the engine is desired.
The waste liquid exiting the engine at washing consists of the wash liquid entering the engine together with released fouling material, combustion solids, compressor and turbine coating material, and oil and fat products. The waste liquid may be hazardous. As one example, analysis of water collected from actual turbine engine washing operations have been shown to contain cadmium. The cadmium comes from compressor blade coating material released during washing operation. Cadmium is extremely environmentally sensitive and can not be allowed to be disposed to the environment. Waste liquid containing such materials will likely have to undergo treatment for separation of hazardous components before being disposed into a sewer or by other means.
Gas turbine aircraft engines can be of different types such as turbojets, turboprop, turbo-shaft and mixed or un-mixed turbofan engines. These engines cover a large performance range and may include different design details delivered by different manufacturing techniques. Aircraft types for a particular service may be offered from different aircraft manufacturers; thus the design of aircraft and engines may vary. Further, aircraft manufacturers may offer different engine options for the same aircraft type. The large combined possibility of engines on aircraft types and from different aircraft manufacturers result in a practical problem in designing a system for collecting and treating waste wash liquid that is generally applicable to most winged aircraft. U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,217 to Testman, Jr. discloses an engine wash recovery system that is limited to small, and particularly turboprop, engines as the container used in the invention is not applicable to the air flows emanating from e.g. large turbo-fan engines.
Collecting waste water from engine washing may be accomplished by hanging canvas like collectors under the engine nacelle. However, any operation resulting in anything being hooked on to an engine has the disadvantage that it may subject the engine to damage.
A system of the above described type is disclosed in International application WO 2005/121509 (owned by Gas Turbine Efficiency AB). This system comprises a liquid separating means and a collecting device for collecting waste liquid during a washing operation of an engine. It also has a treatment device for treating waste liquid collected during said washing operation. The system is provided on a mobile vehicle to service an engine with a washing operation wherever the engine may be. The vehicle comprises a chassis provided with wheels and there is a means for adjusting the position of the liquid separator and/or the liquid collector and/or the liquid storage means relative the engine.
The above discussed system may not be readily usable for types of aircraft having their exhausts located at a non-perpendicular orientation with respect to the aircraft body or being positioned centrally on the body. The system may also not be readily usable for collecting the smallest droplets in an airflow exiting the engine outlet during washing operation of an engine.

Device and method having a duct for collecting waste water from turbine engine washing


A lighter includes a housing for receiving gas fuel and having an ignitor device and having an orifice. A cap is pivotally secured to the housing and has an aperture aligning with the orifice of the housing. A latch is slidably engaged in the cap and biased to engage into the orifice of the housing. A knob is slidably received in the cap and movable toward the latch and includes one or more legs engaged with the latch for disengaging the latch from the housing and for allowing the cap to be rotated and opened when the latch is disengaged from the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighter, and more particularly to a lighter having a safety mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical lighters comprise a cap pivotally secured to a housing at a pivot shaft for actuating an ignitor device and a valve device when the cap is rotated about the pivot shaft. No safety device is provided for locking the cap and for preventing the ignitor device from being actuated by the cap inadvertently.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional lighters.


A device using an inductor with one or more through vias, and a method of manufacture is provided. In an embodiment, an inductor is formed in one or more of the metallization layers. One or more through vias are positioned directly below the inductor. The through vias may extend through one or more dielectric layers interposed between a substrate and the inductors. Additionally, the through vias may extend completely or partially through the substrate.

An inductor is a passive device which is used to store energy in a magnetic field and may be used in many integrated circuits, such as radio-frequency (RF) circuits. Inductors have measurable inductance (L), which is a measure of the magnetic field generated from the conductor. Inductance may vary according to the number of loops, loop sizes, wire diameter, etc. that make up the inductor. It is often desirable that the inductors have high inductance values. High inductance values, however, may be difficult to achieve on integrated circuits because of various intrinsic characteristics of the inductor itself such as resistance and capacitance, as well as some inductive effects such as eddie currents, which may have an adverse effect on the surrounding semiconductor substrate and/or surrounding circuits.
The resistive and capacitive components of the inductor may adversely affect the Q-factor (Quality) and FSR (Self-Resonant Frequency) of the inductor. The Q-factor is a measure of the inductors efficiency and is a ratio of the inductance to its resistance at a given frequency. Higher Q-factor values indicate a lower rate of energy loss. The FSR of an inductor is the natural frequency in which it oscillates freely.
Eddy currents are magnetic waveforms given off by the energized inductor. These currents are generally induced into the surrounding conductive materials when a conductor is exposed to a changing magnetic field. Eddy currents are circulating flows of electrons surrounding the body of the conductor. Eddie currents generate electromagnetic forces which cause heating and power loss when applied to the inherent resistive and capacitive components present in the substrate. This power loss may in turn adversely affects the Q and FSR components of an inductor.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A method of using identical decks of playing cards for a game that needs more than the number of cards in the deck. Decks are combined until the total number of cards exceeds the number needed for the game. Then cards are removed from the combined deck, either randomly or predetermined, until the number of cards remaining is the number needed for the game.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gaming, more particularly, to games where more than one deck of cards are necessary.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most state gaming agencies have different rules by which games can be offered to the public, more particularly, the size of the pool from which numbers must be drawn. For example, in Nebraska, in order to play games such as keno, numbers must be drawn from a pool of 80 numbers. This restriction eliminates many card games from use, particularly those that use a card deck with fewer cards than the required size of the pool.


The present invention relates to a method in which a terminal transmits channel status information in a multi-carrier system, and to a terminal which uses the method. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a reference signal from a base station; transmitting first channel information to the base station; and transmitting second channel information to the base station, wherein the first channel information includes information for indicating one or more precoding matrices estimated using the reference signal, and the second channel information includes any one precoding matrix from among one or more precoding matrices indicated by the first channel information.

One of the most important requirements of the next-generation wireless communication system is to support a requirement for a high data transfer rate. To this end, research is being carried out on various technologies, such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) and Cooperative Multiple Point transmission (CoMP), and a relay, but the most basic and stable solution is to increase the bandwidth.
However, frequency resources are now in the saturation state, and various technologies are partially being used in wide-ranging frequency bands. For this reason, as a scheme for securing a wide bandwidth in order to satisfy requirements for a higher data transfer rate, a Carrier Aggregation (CA) having a concept that each of scattered bands is designed to satisfy a basic requirement capable of operating an independent system and a number of bands are bundled into one system is being introduced. Here, a band that can be independently operated is defined as a Component Carrier (CC).
In order to support an increasing transmission capacity, in a recent communication standard, for example, a standard, such as 3GPP LTE-A or 802.16m, the extension of a 20 MHz or higher bandwidth is taken into consideration. In this case, a broadband is supported by aggregating one or more CCs. For example, if one CC corresponds to a bandwidth of 5 MHz, a bandwidth of a maximum of 20 MHz is supported by aggregating four carriers. A system using a CA as described above is called a multi-carrier system.
Meanwhile, for the purpose of efficient communication between a base station and a terminal, channel status information needs to be fed back. Channel state information fed back from a terminal and a base station can be plural according to circumstances, and one piece of channel status information can be generated and interpreted based on the other piece of channel status information. In this case, for example, the one piece of channel status information cannot be transmitted for some reasons and only the other piece of channel status information can be transmitted. Here, whether a terminal will transmit the other piece of channel status information or not using what method can be problematic. Furthermore, from a viewpoint of a base station, how the other piece of channel status information will be interpreted and applied can be problematic.

Method and apparatus for transmitting channel state information


Methods and structure for improved processing of fast path I/O requests in a clustered storage system. In a storage controller of a clustered storage system, the controller comprises a fast path I/O request processing circuit tightly coupled with host system drivers for fast processing of requests directed to storage devices of a logical volume. The controller also comprises a logical volume I/O processing stack (typically implemented as programmed instructions) for processing I/O requests from a host system directed to a logical volume. Based on detecting a change of ownership of a device or volume and/or a change to logical to physical mapping of a logical volume, fast path I/O requests may be converted to logical volume requests based on mapping context information within the fast path I/O request and shipped within the clustered storage system for processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to clustered storage systems and more specifically relates to methods and structure for direct pass through of "fast path" I/O requests in a clustered storage system.
2. Related Patents
This patent application is related to the following commonly owned United States patent applications, all filed on the same date herewith and all of which are herein incorporated by reference:                U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,131, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR TASK MANAGEMENT IN STORAGE CONTROLLERS OF A CLUSTERED STORAGE SYSTEM;        U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,223, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR LOAD BALANCING OF BACKGROUND TASKS BETWEEN STORAGE CONTROLLERS IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE ENVIRONMENT;        U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,225, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP OF A LOGICAL VOLUME BY TRANSFER OF NATIVE-FORMAT METADATA IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE ENVIRONMENT;        U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,232, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR IMPLEMENTING LOGICAL DEVICE CONSISTENCY IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE SYSTEM;        U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,238, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVED I/O SHIPPING IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE SYSTEM;        U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,220, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR MANAGING VISIBILITY OF DEVICES IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE SYSTEM;        U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,150, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVED BUFFER ALLOCATION IN A STORAGE CONTROLLER; and        U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,138, entitled METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR RESUMING BACKGROUND TASKS IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE ENVIRONMENT.
3. Discussion of Related Art
In the field of data storage, customers demand highly resilient data storage systems that also exhibit fast recovery times for stored data. One type of storage system used to provide both of these characteristics is known as a clustered storage system.
A clustered storage system typically comprises a number of storage controllers, wherein each storage controller processes host Input/Output (I/O) requests directed to one or more logical volumes. The logical volumes reside on portions of one or more storage devices (e.g., hard disks) coupled with the storage controllers. Often, the logical volumes are configured as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) volumes in order to ensure an enhanced level of data integrity and/or performance.
A notable feature of clustered storage environments is that the storage controllers are capable of coordinating processing of host requests (e.g., by shipping I/O processing between each other) in order to enhance the performance of the storage environment. This includes intentionally transferring ownership of a logical volume from one storage controller to another. For example, a first storage controller may detect that it is currently undergoing a heavy processing load, and may assign ownership of a given logical volume to a second storage controller that has a smaller processing burden in order to increase overall speed of the clustered storage system. Other storage controllers may then update information identifying which storage controller presently owns each logical volume. Thus, when an I/O request is received at a storage controller that does not own the logical volume identified in the request, the storage controller may "ship" the request to the storage controller that presently owns the identified logical volume.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a prior art clustered storage system 150. Clustered storage system 150 is indicated by the dashed box, and includes storage controllers 120, switched fabric 130, and logical volumes 140. Note that a "clustered storage system" (as used herein) does not necessarily include host systems and associated functionality (e.g., hosts, application-layer services, operating systems, clustered computing nodes, etc.). However, storage controllers 120 and hosts 110 may be tightly integrated physically. For example, storage controllers 120 may comprise Host Bus Adapters (HBA's) coupled with a corresponding host 110 through a peripheral bus structure of host 110. According to FIG. 1, hosts 110 provide I/O requests to storage controllers 120 of clustered storage system 150. Storage controllers 120 are coupled via switched fabric 130 (e.g., a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) fabric or any other suitable communication medium and protocol) for communication with each other and with a number of storage devices 142 on which logical volumes 140 are stored.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a prior art clustered storage system 250. In this example, clustered storage system 250 processes I/O requests from hosts 210 received via switched fabric 230. Storage controllers 220 are coupled for communication with storage devices 242 via switched fabric 235, which may be integral with or distinct from switched fabric 230. Storage devices 242 implement logical volumes 240. Many other configurations of hosts, storage controllers, switched fabric, and logical volumes are possible for clustered storage systems as a matter of design choice. Further, in many high reliability storage systems, all the depicted couplings may be duplicated for redundancy. Additionally, the interconnect fabrics may also be duplicated for redundancy.
While clustered storage systems provide a number of performance benefits over more traditional storage systems described above, the speed of a storage system still typically remains a bottleneck to the overall speed of a processing system utilizing the storage system.
Some clustered storage systems provide storage controllers tightly coupled with corresponding drivers in attached host systems (e.g., in a system such as that of FIG. 2 in which the storage controllers are tightly coupled with a driver of a corresponding host system—i.e., where the storage controller is an HBA within the host system). In some such controllers, the storage controller provides multiple types of interface capabilities (i.e., multiple APIs). A first standard interface may be provided wherein the driver constructs an I/O request directed to a logical volume (e.g., directed to a RAID logical volume). The I/O request addresses logical block addresses of the logical volume. The storage controller then uses a mapping structure within the controller to map the I/O request to corresponding physical storage locations on the one or more storage devices that comprise the logical volume. For these requests, the storage controller also manages all related redundancy computations and management of associated redundancy information (i.e., for RAID logical volumes). The storage controller also manages computations related to mapping from logical addresses of the identified logical volume to physical addresses or affected storage devices.
Although these storage controllers can provide significant computational power to perform the requisite logical to physical mapping and any required redundancy computations, it is often the case that the host systems possess significantly more computational resources and power than do any of the multiple storage controllers of the clustered storage system. Thus, in such tightly coupled driver-controller configurations, the storage controller may also provide an optional bypass mechanism so that the driver software on an attached host system may perform the logical to physical mapping computations and may also provide the redundancy computations to help manage associated redundancy information. For example, in some LSI Corporation storage controllers such a bypass mechanism is referred to as a "fast path" interface. In these controllers, the "fast path" driver software of the attached host system constructs I/O requests destined directly to the relevant physical locations of the physical storage devices coupled with the storage controller. The storage controller providing such a "fast path" option provides the driver software with essentially the same mapping information that the storage controller uses for mapping logical addresses of a logical volume to physical addresses of the storage devices of the volume. Fast path enabled LSI storage controllers and circuits generally implement the "fast path" as a custom designed circuit that can process the driver's I/O requests to physical storage devices very quickly (since the controller need not perform the mapping and RAID redundancy computations).
As noted above, in clustered storage systems, a corresponding one of the storage controllers of the cluster owns each particular logical volume configured in the cluster (provisioned by the plurality of storage devices). As further noted above, ownership of a logical volume may be transferred among the plurality of storage controllers for a variety of reasons (i.e., by cooperative information exchanges among the controllers to balance the processing load among the controller or in the case of a planned or unplanned failover of a storage controller). When ownership of a volume is transferred from one controller to another, the mapping/ownership information in the driver software of attached host systems is eventually updated by some attached storage controller to indicate an appropriate storage controller to which standard logical volume requests are to be directed as well as to which physical storage devices "fast path" requests are to be directed. However, it is a problem if the driver has already issued a number of "fast path" requests after the storage controllers have transferred ownership of a volume and/or some storage devices but prior to receiving an update of the mapping information. Further, the driver software of a host system may continue to issue requests (via the standard RAID path or the "fast path" to the storage controller) before receiving its update of the mapping structures. Prior controller architectures may simply return an error status for such I/O requests that are generated based on "stale" mapping information in the driver software of the host system. Such an error could trigger error recovery procedures that may negatively impact overall performance of the clustered storage system and may cause confusion for a user/administrator.
Thus it is an ongoing challenge to manage I/O requests (logical volume requests or "fast path" requests) issued by a driver of a host with outdated or stale mapping/ownership information.

Methods and structure for improved processing of I/O requests in fast path circuits of a storage controller in a clustered storage system

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte Ltd


Systems and methods for using ranging signals with cellular devices. The ranging signals may utilize ranging slots and resources at least partially allocated by a cellular network. The resources may include frequencies used for uplink or downlink communications between the cellular network and the cellular devices. Alternatively, the resources may include frequencies outside of a spectrum used for communication between the cellular network and the cellular devices.

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems and, more specifically, to systems and methods for performing ranging using a mobile device.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Personal electronic devices, such as mobile handheld devices, body-wearable devices, and head-wearable devices, are now ubiquitous. The prevalence of these devices enable usage of augmented reality (AR) using the personal electronic devices. Furthermore, personal electronic devices are able to access more information as wireless network throughput increases thereby potentially increasing the usefulness of updated AR information. For at least these reasons, AR is expected to proliferate into the mainstream with widely available gigabit broadband wireless speeds brought to the consumer market by the 5th generation new radio (5G NR) networks.


A power generating system of the present invention includes: a package (70); a power generator (1); a combustible gas passage (23); a first device configured to operate by a first voltage using a DC power generated by the power generator (1); a second power supply circuit (13) configured to generate the DC power of the first voltage; a first connecting unit (8) arranged between the first device and the second power supply circuit (13); a control circuit (7) configured to control the first device using the DC power of the first voltage; and a first power supply circuit (11) configured to generate a power of a second voltage higher than the first voltage, and the package (70) is divided by a dividing wall (71) into a first space (72) in which the power generator (1), the combustible gas passage (23), the first device, the first connecting unit (8), and the control circuit (7) are arranged and a second space (73) in which the first power supply circuit (11) and the second power supply circuit (13) are arranged.

A fuel cell system is a system configured to generate electricity and heat at the same time by causing a hydrogen-containing fuel gas obtained by reforming a material gas, such as a city gas, and an oxygen-containing oxidizing gas, such as air, to electrochemically react with each other and to supply the generated electricity to an external electric power load (such as a domestic electrical apparatus).
Known is a fuel cell system configured such that the entire fuel cell system is arranged in a package to facilitate delivery, installation, and the like in a case where the fuel cell system is used as a mobile power supply or a distributed (on-site) power supply (see Patent Document 1 for example).
In accordance with the fuel cell system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the inside of the package is divided by a dividing wall into a gas passage chamber and a non-gas chamber. In the gas passage chamber, a reformer, a fuel cell, a ventilation fan, and the like are arranged. In the non-gas chamber, a control device, an air blower, a water supplier, and the like are arranged. With this, even if a combustible gas leaks from the reformer or the fuel cell in the gas passage chamber, it is discharged by the ventilation fan to the outside of the package (gas passage chamber). Therefore, the leaked combustible gas does not flow into the reformer and the like to cause explosion and the like. In addition, since the control device is separated from the gas passage chamber by the dividing wall, ignition or explosion caused by spark and the like generated by the control device is unlikely to occur.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-329515


A flashlight includes a receptacle receiving a processing device and a battery and a light controlling device, the processing device is coupled to the battery and the light controlling device, two light members are coupled to the light controlling device for generating flashlights of different colors, the processing device is coupled to the light members for generating the flashlights, a switch device is coupled to the battery for controlling the processing device to actuate the light members, a control button is coupled to the processing device for operating the light controlling device to operate the light members to generate the flashlights of different colors, and a stick is attachable to the receptacle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable flashlight device, and more particularly to a flashlight including a guarding device for generating a flashlight to dazzle the evildoer and for guarding the user himself.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical flashlight assemblies comprise a light housing for receiving or engaging with the circuit boards, the batteries, and the light members, and a control or switch member attached or mounted or secured to the light housing for switching or controlling the light members to generate the flashlight and for illuminating purposes or the like.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,311 to Maglica, U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,673 to Maglica, U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,238 to Nelson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,263 to Maglica, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,565 to Maglica, U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,336 to Maglica, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,402 to Hsieh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,337 to Bieberstein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,141 to Maglica et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,992 to Harding, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,288 to St. Claire disclose several of the typical flashlight assemblies or devices each also comprising one or more circuit boards and/or processing devices and/or batteries and/or light members attached or mounted or engaged into the light housing, and a control or switch member for switching or controlling the light members to generate the flashlight selectively.
However, the light members may be used to generate the flashlight only, but may not be used to generate the sparking light to dazzle the evildoer. In addition, the typical light members normally include a weak structure that may not be used to defend or to guard the users themselves.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional flashlight assemblies or devices.

Multi-color flashlight having guarding stick


In an alternating-current driving-type display device utilizing the plasma discharge, a discharge maintaining electrode group composed of a plurality of discharge maintaining electrodes (I) and an address electrode group composed of a plurality of address electrodes (J) are formed on one substrate (22), the address electrode group which crosses the discharge maintaining electrode group through an insulator layer (27) and a discharge starting address group from a plurality of discharge starting address electrodes (K) composing a part of the address electrode group are continuously formed at the same time, the discharge maintaining electrode group and the discharge starting address electrode group are formed on the same plane, and a dielectric layer is formed on the discharge maintaining electrode group, the address electrode group and the discharge starting address electrode group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alternating-current driving-type display device utilizing plasma discharge.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there has been known an alternating-current driving-type display device using plasma discharge, i.e. so-called AC (alternating-current)-type plasma display panel (Plasma display panel: PDP). As this AC-type PDP, there are such a plasma display panel which is able to display a light emitted by a discharge gas and such a plasma display panel which is able to excite a fluorescent mnaterial by ultraviolet rays generated by the discharging.
Heretofore, there are known conventional color AC-type PDPs which are driven by two-phase electrodes and by three-phase electrodes.
FIG. 1 shows an arrangement of a color AC-type PDP 1 which is driven by three-phase electrodes. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion which includes a portion corresponding to one pixel. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1 which is parallel to the direction in which address electrodes of FIG. 1 are extended. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the B--B in FIG. 1 which is parallel to the direction in which display electrodes of FIG. 1 are extended.
This color AC-type PDP 1 includes a three-electrode structure in which a pair of display electrodes 2, 2 and an address electrode 3 are opposed to each other in a matrix display unit light-emission region, and in which fluorescent materials 4 (4R, 4G, 4B) are formed on the address electrode 3 side.
That is, a plurality of sets (only one set is illustrated in the figure) of the pair of display electrodes 2, 2 are arrayed on a first substrate, e.g. a front glass substrate 5 on the display surface side. A dielectric layer 6 is formed so as to cover the display electrodes 2, 2. Further, an MgO film having a thickness of several 1000s of angstroms is formed on the surface of the dielectric layer 6 as a protecting layer 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a bus electrode of a low resistance value formed on the display electrodes 2, 2.
On the other hand, the address electrode 3 for causing the unit light-emission region to become luminous selectively is arrayed on a second substrate opposing the front glass substrate 5, e.g. rear glass substrate 10 in the direction perpendicular to the display electrodes 2, 2, e.g. at a pitch of about 200 microns. Further, a dielectric layer 12 is formed so as to cover the address electrodes 3. A stripe-like partition wall 11 having a width of about 100 microns for determining a spacing size of a discharge space is formed between adjacent address electrodes 3, whereby the discharge space is partitioned at every unit light-emission region in the line direction (extended direction of the display electrodes 2, 2). Also, fluorescent materials 4R, 4G, 4B of three colors of red, green and blue are formed between adjacent partition walls 11 by coating. Incidentally, in the discharge space, there is sealed a Penning gas in which xenon is mixed with neon, for example, as a discharge gas for exciting the fluorescent materials 4 (4R, 4G, 4B) with ultraviolet rays.
Each pixel (picture element) comprising the display screen is composed of three unit light-emission regions of red (R), green (G), blue (B) of the same area arrayed on the line direction.
In this color AC-type PDP 1, after a discharge is started between one display electrode 2 of the selected pair of display electrodes 2, 2 and the selected address electrode 3, the discharge is maintained between the pair of display electrodes 2 and 2 and the fluorescent materials 4 (4R, 4G, 4B) are excited to become luminous by the ultraviolet rays generated by plasma discharge produced at that time. Accordingly, by selectively causing each unit light-emission region to become luminous, it becomes possible to present a full color display by a combination of red (R), green (G), blue (B).
By the way, in such color AC-type PDP 1, in order to make the display pixel become high-definition, it is necessary to reduce a distance between the display electrodes 2 and 2. In this connection, it is necessary to make a distance between the address electrode 3 and the display electrode 2 become equal to the distance between the display electrodes 2 and 2.
However, there is a limit on reducing the distance between the display electrodes 2 and 2. Thus, it is difficult to make the display pixel become high-definition.
If the distance between the electrodes 2 and 2 is less than, for example, 20 microns, then when the fluorescent material having a thickness ranging from 20 to 40 microns is formed, a plasma discharge space 14 shown in FIG. 3 is lost. There is then the risk that a discharge destruction will occur between the electrodes.
Also, even considering the arrangement in which the plasma discharge space 14 is maintained, the portion in which the fluorescent materials should be formed is limited. If the fluorescent materials 4 are reduced, then the brightness becomes low. Further, there is the disadvantage that the fluorescent materials are deteriorated by ion bombardment.


First and second two spacing jigs 81 are used each having a rectangular parallelepipedal body 81a formed on the bottom surface thereof with projections 82 which are arranged side by side at a spacing equal to a predetermined interval between reference bores 106. First, the projections 82 of the first jig 81 are fitted in front reference bores 106 of respective lower members 31, 32, 33, and the projections 82 of the second jig 82 in rear reference bores 106 of the lower members. A right angle holding jig 84 in the form of a rectangular frame and having inner side faces positionable respectively in contact with the front side face of the first jig 81, the rear side face of the second jig 81 and the left and right side faces of the two jigs 81 is fitted around the bodies 81a of the two jigs 81 to adjust the arrangement of bores 106 to right angles. The lower members are fixed to a support member in this state by tightening up screw members 110.

The present invention relates to lower member fixing methods useful for fixing to a support member a plurality of lower members each having at least one reference bore for installing an upper member.
The terms "upper member" and "lower member" as used herein refer respectively to a member away from the support member and a member closer to the support member,
For example, fluid control apparatus for use in semiconductor manufacturing equipment are assembled by fixing a plurality of couplings (lower members) to a base plate (support member) and fixing a functional member (upper member) such as an on-off valve or massflow controller, as positioned on these couplings, to the couplings.
For use in assembling the fluid control apparatus, the base plate is formed with threaded bores, the couplings are each formed with insertion holes for inserting therethrough coupling fixing bolts to be screwed into threaded bores of the base plate and with threaded bores for functional member attaching bolts, and the functional member is formed with insertion holes for the functional member attaching bolts. When the couplings are fixed to the base plate by the coupling member fixing bolts, the functional member attaching bolts can be readily screwed into the respective threaded bores of the couplings, with the joints between the functional member and the couplings sealed off.
However, since play is provided inside the bolt insertion hole of the coupling around the coupling fixing bolt, the interval between the threaded bores of adjacent couplings is likely to vary by an amount corresponding to the play. The conventional method therefore has the problem that the bolt insertion holes of the functional member are not always in register with the corresponding threaded bores of the couplings in installing the functional member on the couplings, presenting difficulty in attaching the functional member to the couplings.
Furthermore, the fluid channel of the coupling will not be in alignment with the corresponding fluid channel of the functional member as specified, entailing the problem of impaired sealing.

Method of fixing a plurality of lower members each having reference bore for installing upper member, and fixing jigs