A robot tool changer and overload device has first and second separable plates adapted to be respectively connected to a robot arm and to an end of arm tooling device (EOAT) for the robot; a magnet is connected to one of the plates and a steel insert is connected to the other of the plates for providing a magnetic attraction therebetween for holding the first and second plates together; a pair of frustoconical bearing surfaces are formed on the first and second plates at an angle and a depth to interconnect the plates during normal operation and operative to produce pivotal release movement between the plates when an overload force is applied thereto; a flange on one of the plates is adapted to be removably received within a tool cage to cooperate with structure for applying a pneumatic release force between the first and second plates to allow separation therebetween along a Z axis without imposing an overlaod force on the robot arm.

Robot tool changers are known which include a first plate that is adapted to be connected to a robot arm and a second plate that is adapted to be connected to an end of the arm tool for the robot. In such arrangements, a coupling system is provided between the first and second plates for aligning the plates and connecting them together for securing the end of the arm tool to the robot arm and to provide a strong joint between the first and second plates during operation of the robot. An example of such a tool changer is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,053 which is assigned to the assignee of the subject application.
In the '053 patent, a pair of deep draft frustoconical annular surfaces are provided therebetween to provide a strong non-tilt release joint between the first and second plates. The frustoconical surfaces have a depth and a bearing surface which prevents separation of the first and second plates other than along the Z axis or longitudinal axes of the connected plates.
Other devices are provided between the robot arm and an EOAT to prevent an overload force from being imposed on the robot arm during its operation. One such system is set forth U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,864 assigned to an assignee common to that of the present application.
In the '405 application, a magnet and a steel plate are connected between first and second plates of the device to maintain a magnetic attraction therebetween to complete a joint between a robot arm and an end of arm tool device. The magnetic force is broken to decouple the end of arm tool from the robot arm by providing cam surfaces on one of the plates and a tapered nest configuration on the opposite plate to cause the magnet to be separated from the steel plate insert on the other of the plates when one of the plates is moved torsionally along at least one of three coordinate linear axes when a load applied to the end of the arm device exceeds an overload force condition on the robot arm.
While the aforesaid robot tool changer of the '053 patent and the break away connection of the '405 application are suitable for their intended purposes, neither the tool changer device nor the break away device have the capability of performing the functional purpose of the other.


A display panel includes, for each pixel, a self light emitting device and a pixel circuit driving the self light emitting device. The pixel circuit has a retention capacitor, a first transistor writing a voltage corresponding to a video signal in the retention capacitor, and a second transistor driving the self light emitting device based on the voltage of the retention capacitor, and the display panel has a light exit face discharging a light emitted from the self light emitting device to outside and also has a light blocking layer blocking an external light introduced from the light exit face to the first transistor.

The present disclosure relates to a display panel provided with an organic EL (electroluminescent) device, and to a display device and an electronic instrument provided with the display panel.
In recent years, in the field of display devices carrying out image display, current driven optical devices having light emission brightness changed in accordance with a flowing current value, for example, display devices using an organic EL device are developed as a light emitting device for a pixel to pursue commercialization (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-083272). An organic EL device is a self light emitting device, different from a liquid crystal device and the like. Therefore, since a display device using an organic EL device (organic EL display device) does not seek a light source (back light), the visibility of an image is high, the power consumption is low, and also the response speed of a device is fast compared with a liquid crystal display device seeking a light source.
In organic EL display devices, similar to liquid crystal display devices, there are a simple (passive) matrix system and an active matrix system as a driving system thereof. While the passive matrix system has a simple structure, it has problems such that it is difficult to realize a display device of large scale and high resolution. Therefore, currently, development of the active matrix system is carried out extensively. This system controls a current flowing in a light emitting device disposed for each pixel with an active device (TFT (thin film transistor) in general) equipped in a driving circuit equipped for each light emitting device.
FIG. 15 represents a schematic configuration of a general organic EL display panel. A display panel 100 illustrated in FIG. 15 is provided with a display region 100A with a plurality of display pixels 120 two dimensionally arranged therein.
Each display pixel 120 is configured to include a subpixel 120R for a red color, a subpixel 120G for a green color, and a subpixel 120B for a blue color. The subpixels 120R, 120G, and 120B are configured with, as shown in FIG. 16, organic EL devices 121R, 121G, and 121B and a pixel circuit 122 connected thereto. FIG. 16 represents a circuit configuration of the subpixels 120R, 120G, and 120B. Hereinafter, a subpixel 120 is used as a generic name of the subpixels 120R, 120G, and 120B. In addition, an organic EL device 121 is used as a generic name of the organic EL devices 121R, 121G, and 121B.
The pixel circuit 122 is configured with a writing transistor Tws, a retention capacitor Cs, and a driving transistor Tdr and has a circuit configuration of 2Tr1C. A gate line WSL is formed to extend in a row direction and is connected to a gate 123A of the writing transistor Tws. A drain line DSL is also formed to extend in a row direction and is connected to a drain 124C of the driving transistor Tdr. A signal line DTL is formed to extend in a column direction and is connected to a drain 123C of the writing transistor Tws. A source 123B of the writing transistor Tws is connected to a gate 124A of the driving transistor Tdr and one end (terminal 125A) of the retention capacitor Cs. A source 124B of the driving transistor Tdr and the other end (terminal 125B) of the retention capacitor Cs are connected to an anode 127A of the organic EL device 121. A cathode 127B of the organic EL device 121 is connected to an external cathode line CTL.

Display panel, display device, and electronic instrument


A piezoelectric device and method of manufacturing the same and an inkjet head are described. In one embodiment, the inkjet print head comprises a plurality of jets, wherein each of the plurality of jets comprises a nozzle, a pressure chamber connected with the nozzle, a piezoelectric body coupled to the pressure chamber, and an electrode coupled to the piezoelectric body to cause displacement of the piezoelectric body to apply pressure to the pressure chamber in response to a voltage applied to the electrode; and wherein electrodes of two or more of the plurality of jets have different sizes to cause their associated piezoelectric bodies to have a uniform displacement amount when the voltage is applied to the electrodes.

An inkjet recording device that discharges ink from multiple nozzles of an inkjet head to record an image on a recording medium is well known. For example, an actuator type inkjet head where a piezo actuator that transforms when voltage is applied is placed in each pressure chamber that connects to a nozzle is well known as an inkjet head. This inkjet head is manufactured using a semiconductor process where pressure chambers, and piezo actuators corresponding respectively to the pressure chambers, are arranged on a silicon wafer.
One problem with this type of inkjet head in that when discharge droplet volumes from the nozzles are not uniform, concentration distribution occurs in an output image and thus image quality drops. To address this problem, measures are taken to correct variations in ink discharge droplet volumes.
For example, a technique to address this problem includes measuring the thickness of a piezoelectric body film, determining widths for individual electrodes based on the amount of deviation between the thickness of the measured piezoelectric body film and a preset reference thickness, and then forming individual electrodes having the determined widths to then correcting variations in the thickness of the piezo electric body film using the widths of the individual electrodes.
Furthermore, another solution to this problem includes forming a cutout portion to reduce an area of a common electrode, placed on an ink pressure chamber corresponding to a nozzle targeted for a discharge rate adjustment, to correspond to a rate adjustment amount to reduce the transformation amount of a piezo electric element in that region, and thus make an ink discharge rate uniform.
The two solutions described above require measurements of variations in the thickness of a piezoelectric body film relative to individual elements and of an ink discharge rate, and thus the correction processes thereof are complex. Additionally, there is also a lack of any technical concept for changing a position of an inflection point of a displacement profile of a piezoelectric element.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Piezoelectric device and method for manufacturing an inkjet head


The invention relates to a reproducible standard for calibrating and checking the bright-field channel of a surface inspection device used for examining the flat surface of a sample and to a method for producing said standard whereby a microstructure is produced on a surface of a substrate provided as a standard, characterized in that the microstructure is smoothed out.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a reproducible standard for calibrating and checking the bright field channel of a surface inspection device which is used for examinations of a smooth surface of a specimen. The invention also relates to a method for making the standard
2. The Prior Art
Smooth surfaces of a specimen, for example the sides of semiconductor wafers, are customarily examined using surface inspection devices, the surface to be examined being automatically scanned using a laser beam. Defects on the surface of the specimen, in particular raised and lowered portions of materials, and also foreign particles, can be identified and quantified by detecting and evaluating the light scattered by the surface of the specimen. For measurements in the dark field channel of the surface inspection device, that is to say for measurements of the scattered light produced non-specularly when the laser beam strikes, internationally recognized standards are available, using which the dark field channel of the surface inspection device can be calibrated and checked. Such a standard consists, for example, of a polished semiconductor wafer, on one of whose sides a particular number of microspheres with particular average size and size distribution are deposited.
The microspheres represent only a rough approximation of the defects which are actually to be found on smooth surfaces. Furthermore, especially defects which, over a comparatively large lateral extent, span only small height differences, are not detected in the dark field channel. They can, however, be picked up in the bright field channel of the surface inspection device, that is to say by measuring the laser light reflected specularly from the surface of the specimen. They are picked up customarily by measuring intensity losses of the laser beam reflected in the specular direction or by measuring the differential interference contrast ("Normaski contrast"). However, there is currently no reliable standard with which the bright field channel of the surface inspection device can be checked and calibrated. Standards which are based on substrates that have microspheres applied to them are found to be unsatisfactory for examinations in the bright field channel. A bright field standard of this kind must have comparatively large microspheres applied to it. Since the adhesion of microspheres to a substrate decreases as the sphere diameter increases, it is difficult to work with the standard. Furthermore, such a standard is not cleanable. It has also been found inappropriate to use known step-height standards as standards for measurements in the bright field channel. This is because, when such standards are used, no evidence of edge gradients of defects is encountered, so that realistic defect characterization is not possible.

Standard for calibrating and checking a surface inspection device and method for the production thereof

Wacker Siltronic Gesellschaft fur Halbleitermaterialien AG


A starting wafer for high voltage semiconductor devices is formed by implanting arsenic into the top surface of a p type silicon substrate wafer to a depth of about 0.1 micron. A N type non-graded epitaxial layer is then grown atop the substrate without any diffusion step so that the arsenic is not intentionally driven. Device junction are then diffused into the epitaxially grown layer.

It is common in semiconductor device fabrication to form an epitaxially-deposited silicon junction-receiving layer atop a silicon wafer. The epitaxial layer will have a low concentration of N or P impurities while the substrate is a thicker and higher concentration layer. Any desired type of junction pattern is then formed in the epitaxial layer to form known devices such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, diodes, integrated circuits, and the like.
High voltage semiconductor devices commonly employ a resurf region which is a low concentration region between areas of high potential difference. The resurf region depletes as the voltage difference increases, and is fully depleted before the maximum voltage difference is applied. In the double resurf technique, there are two resurf regions of opposite polarities, both of which deplete as the applied potential difference increases. Such a device and the advantages of using the double resurf technique is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,495.
In high voltage devices employing the double resurf technique, the resurf region of one polarity is created by implantation and diffusion of appropriate dopants into an epitaxially grown layer of opposite polarity. The epitaxial region pinched by the diffused resurf region serves as the second resurf region. High breakdown voltage is achieved when the charge in the top (diffused) resurf layer is controlled at approximately 1×1012 cm2 and the charge in the lower (pinched epitaxial) resurf region is controlled at approximately 1.5 to 2×1012 cm2. One outcome of such a construction is that as the depth of the diffused resurf layer varies slightly, the charge in the pinched epi region varies substantially so that control over breakdown voltage is lost. This effect has to be offset by using a thicker epitaxial layer. The thicker epitaxial layer has several drawbacks:                1. Deeper isolation diffusions are needed to electrically isolate different parts of the circuit on an integrated circuit from each other, requiring longer diffusion times at temperatures at or above 1200° C., resulting in lower throughput.        2. Very long diffusion times at 1200° C. or above, causes more defects resulting in lower yield.        3. The long diffusion times at 1200° C. or above also results in a wider isolation diffusion, due to greater lateral diffusion, thus reducing the amount of useful area on a chip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,657 issued Jan. 19, 1999 to Niraj Ranjan and assigned to the assignee of the present application, proposes an improvement to the above, whereby the thickness of the epitaxial layer is substantially reduced, and the charge distribution is modified. Thus, the majority (greater than about 75% and preferably greater than 80%) of the bottom resurf charge (pinched epi region) is disclosed as contained in the bottom 1 to 4 microns of the epi or in about the bottom 25% or preferably 20% of the epi. The top portion of the epi is much more lightly doped and contains a very small portion of the bottom resurf charge.
The increased charge in the lower epitaxial region is introduced at the beginning of the wafer manufacture process by either of two means:                1. Through implantation of appropriate dopants into the substrate wafers followed by diffusion, prior to epitaxial growth of the lightly doped region.        2. Through an epitaxial growth process in which a thin heavily doped epitaxy is grown first followed by a thicker lightly doped epi growth.
In the resulting structure, a variation of the depth of the top (diffused) resurf region will have a much smaller effect on the charge contained within the pinched region beneath it. This results in a better control over breakdown voltage with a much thinner epitaxial layer for a given breakdown voltage. The thinner epitaxial layer, in turn, reduces the diffusion processing time needed for forming isolation diffusions and the isolation diffusions have a smaller lateral extent and take up less chip area.

Process for resurf diffusion for high voltage MOSFET


A magnetic flow meter assembly having a tubular body that has two opposing ends that define a fluid flow path therebetween for a conductive fluid. The magnetic flow meter assembly further includes a pair of coil assemblies which are configured to pass current as received from voltage regulators via a first and second coil driver. The coil assemblies can therefore generate a magnetic field wherein a pair of measuring electrodes detect a voltage induced by the conductive fluid passing through said magnetic field. Moreover, the coil assemblies are each electrically coupled with at least one sensor that provides feedback to a respective voltage regulator via a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller configured to minimize the error between a respective measured current and a target current. The respective voltage regulators can use the received feedback to manipulate the current passing through the corresponding coil assembly to enabling a prescribed magnetic field to be created within the fluid flow for accurate flow measurement.

Magnetic flow meters measure the velocity of conductive fluids passing through pipes by generating a magnetic field and measuring the resultant voltage. These flowmeters rely upon Faraday's Law in which the flow of a conductive fluid through a magnetic field causes a voltage signal which is sensed by electrodes and the sensed voltage is proportional to the fluid velocity.
Magnetic flowmeter assemblies are generally either insertion mag-meters or full bore mag-meters. Insertion mag-meters typically include a sensor body which is placed into a fluid flow and electrodes which are disposed at the distal end of the sensor body. The sensor can include conductive coils that generate a magnetic field which, in combination with the fluid flow creates an electromotive force (voltage), which is then sensed by the electrodes. Full bore mag-meters typically include a tubular body disposed inline along a fluid conduit, with conductive coils disposed on the tubular body that generates a magnetic field across the body and electrodes inserted into the walls of the body.
Although these flowmeters are generally effective, shortfalls exist. For example, these devices can suffer from temperature variations which affect the resistance of the conductive coils, thereby affecting the current flowing through the coils and potentially altering the magnetic field within the fluid flow path and the resultant measured voltage, assuming constant flow rate. Moreover, since the conductive coils can be paired, any deviation between the pair of coils potentially changes the symmetry of the magnetic field, also resulting in an altered magnetic field. These changes to the magnetic field can adversely impact the measurement accuracy of the flowmeter.
It should, therefore, be appreciated there remains a need for a magnetic flowmeter assembly that addresses these concerns. The present invention fulfills these needs and others.

Magnetic flowmeter assembly having independent coil drive and control system


A polylumenal implantable device comprises a body defining a plurality of capillary lumina. The prosthetic device is suitable for implantation in a patient as an arterial or venous bypass graft or shunt, or intra-organ implant as well as other purposes. The improved prosthetic device has increased surface area and preferably a three-dimensional porosity for encouraging the harboring of, for example, endothelial cells, as well as for receiving organized deposition of material such as genetically enhanced cell types. A method for providing a bioactive material to a patient includes the steps of providing a polyluminal implantable organ comprising an implantable body defining a plurality of capillary lumina, treating the interior surfaces of the lumina with a bioactive material or plasma polymerization, and implanting the prosthetic device in the patient so that bodily fluids of the patient come into contact with the treated interior surfaces.

One type of implantable device is a synthetic vascular graft such as is commonly used to replace damaged or dysfunctional arterial or venous pathways, for example at the site of an aneurysm or occlusion. Bypass grafts are often used to divert blood flow around damaged regions to restore blood flow. Another use of vascular prostheses is for creating a bypass shunt between an artery and vein, specifically for multiple needle access, such as is required for hemodialysis treatments. Following multiple percutaneous invasions into a vein, the vein may either collapse along the puncture track or become aneurysmal, leaky or fill with clot, causing significant risk of pulmonary embolization. Vascular prostheses have been used for many years as an alternative to patients' own veins for vascular access during hemodialysis.
Materials research has lead to the development of some acceptable synthetic materials for use in the vascular prosthesis field. An example of one such material is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a microporous organic material which can be stretched to a specific length and expanded to a specific thickness. When thus stretched, or expanded, PTFE forms a network of interrelated nodes and fibrils. The diameters of the fibrils and internodal distances vary depending upon the conditions and rate at which the PTFE is stretched and/or expanded. Typical stretched and/or expanded PTFE articles have an internodal distance ranging from approximately twenty to approximately thirty microns.
An advantage of stretched and/or expanded PTFE is that the diameters of the fibrils can be made much smaller than the diameters of fibrils of knitted or woven fabrics which have previously been used for vascular prostheses. Moreover, due to the ability to control the pore diameter and porosity of PTFE tubing used, for example, for vascular prostheses, it is possible to decrease the occurrence of thrombosis associated therewith.
Various other synthetic materials, in addition to PTFE, have been used for vascular grafts, including Dacron.RTM. brand and other synthetic polyester fibers, mandrel spun polyurethane, and silicon elastomer fibers. Additionally, vascular grafts have been formed using autologous saphenous vein, modified bovine carotid xenograft, and modified human umbilical vein. None, however, has overcome the problems associated with early failure of the graft following implantation.
Other problems associated with vascular grafts formed of known materials and configurations are that their biocompatibility, non-thrombogenic potential, cell harboring, and seeding properties are limited. Specifically, for example, intimal hyperplasia, which is a naturally occurring phenomenon characterized by progressive cellular closure of a blood vessel lumen, threatens the patency of almost all known vascular graft material. Even when surgically repaired or exposed to less intensive manipulative techniques such as balloon dilation, mechanical dilation, laser ablation or mechanical dissection by anthrectomy, intimal hyperplasia is the primary cause of stenosis of all implantable vascular grafts and restenosis of natural arteries following repair of diseased blood vessels.
One cause of intimal hyperplasia is the proliferation of smooth muscle cells into the lumen of the graft. Other causes include injury to the venous system and/or arterial circulation network, caused by trauma, disease, or systemic factors such as hypercholesterolemia.
While intimal hyperplasia is known to cause significant luminal obstruction of vascular grafts, the detailed cellular mechanisms leading to smooth muscle cell proliferation are not completely understood. It is believed, however, that growth factors such as platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) initiate a number of intracellular events, called "regulatory signals." These signals include the activation of protein kinase C. Additionally, different growth-stimulating factors are thought to initiate different signals. These different signals lead to a set of common pathways which stimulate DNA synthesis. Such pathways are called "obligatory events." It is not clear which of these obligatory events, though, are responsible for intimal hyperplasia.
Also, luminal blood vessel injury, whether micro-capillary (0.5 mm or less diameter) or aortic (up to 30 mm diameter), induced by trauma, such as mechanical stress, or progressive disease states such as arteriosclerosis or mechanical hemodynamic stress, causes activation of platelets, injury and necrosis of smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and resultant leukocyte infiltration. These events result in the production and release of factors that stimulate smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation from adjacent tissue, subsequently leading to intimal hyperplasia. As stated, such growth, when induced by trauma or progressive disease, without pharmacologic intervention, causes stenotic closure and failure of most autogenous organ transplantations such as coronary artery bypass grafting and synthetic implantable vascular graft devices.
Known treatments of intimal hyperplasia involve the administration of various drugs that inhibit muscle cell proliferation. For example, somatostatin inhibits tumor cell growth. Angiopeptin, a synthetic peptide analog of somatostatin, reduces myointimal proliferation. Trapidil, an antianginal agent possessing vasodilatory and antiplatelet properties, and Terbinafine, an antifungal agent, both are effective antiproliferative agents. Colchicine, a drug which possesses antimitotic and antisecretory properties, also is effective in reducing myointimal thickening.
Besides antiproliferative agents, drugs that inhibit the synthesis and secretion of extracellular matrix are also useful, since a large proportion of the restenotic tissue is composed of extracellular matrix. Because smooth muscle cell migration is an essential step in intimal proliferation, agents that inhibit SMC migration ultimately inhibit proliferation.
Other techniques have been developed, for improving the patency of implantable devices. One such process is glow discharge polymerization as taught by U. S. Pat. No. 4,632,842 to Karwoski et al. Karwoski teaches coating, by the use of glow discharge conducted in a tubular reaction vessel, the surface of an elongate organic substrate with substantially uniform, very low surface-energy coating. Still, even with the Karwoski teaching, the proliferation of smooth muscle cells into known prosthetic vascular grafts is not controlled or reduced sufficiently to prevent intimal hyperplasia.
Another problem associated with known prosthetic devices arises in connection with the use of such devices as a means for drug delivery. That is, while it is known that various prostheses can be coated with bioactive and pharmaceutic agents for blood contact, the limited blood contact surface area within the single lumen of known prostheses used for this purpose limits the amount of agent that can be effectively distributed into the flow through body fluid. Additionally, the high ratio of blood flow-through to contact surface area results in a high level of wash-off.


A softwall containment system for a machine includes an inner wall circumscribing a bladed rotatable member of the machine and extending from a forward end to an aft end. The softwall containment system also includes an outer wall circumscribing the inner wall and extending from a forward end to an aft end. The outer wall is spaced radially outwardly from the inner wall. The outer wall extends axially between a first joint coupling the forward end of the inner wall to the forward end of the outer wall and a second joint coupling the aft end of the inner wall to the aft end of the outer wall. The softwall containment system also includes an anti-ballistic material wrap covering the outer wall, the anti-ballistic material wrap including at least one of a first extension extending forward of the first joint and a second extension extending aft of the second joint.

The field of the disclosure relates generally to bladed rotatable machines and, more particularly, softwall containment systems for bladed rotatable machines.
At least some known bladed rotatable machines, such as turbofans used in air- or land-based turbofan engines, include containment systems configured to manage situations in which blades separate from the machine, known as "blade out" situations. For example, in at least some known containment systems, a soft-material wall ("softwall") is arranged circumferentially about the bladed rotatable machine and is configured to absorb at least some of the kinetic energy of the separated blade. Some containment systems may further include a substantially impregnable material disposed about the softwall, such as an anti-ballistic material, to prevent the separated blade from piercing the softwall. However, the particular geometry and/or location of the anti-ballistic material may enable the anti-ballistic material to flex radially outwards or axially inwards (e.g., shrink) in an undesirable way.


A process of cutting monofilament line using a cutting tool including a tool body having a cavity for insertion of a bent portion of the monofilament line. A cutting blade is provided in the cavity and a pair of opposing walls in the cavity are located generally parallel to and on either side of the cutting blade. For cutting, the monofilament line is bent into a U-shape portion which is inserted into the cavity with the legs of the U-shape portion adjacent the respective opposing walls, thereby placing the outer exterior surface of the monofilament line at the bottom of the U-shape portion in tension and the inner exterior surface of the bottom of the U-shape portion in compression. As the U-shaped portion is inserted into the cavity, the outer exterior surface at the bottom of the U-shape portion is placed against the cutting blade thereby cutting the monofilament line.

Monofilament line or string is today very commonly used in many applications including as trimmer line and fishing line. Monofilament line is typically made of a polymer material including, for example, nylon, kevlar and plastic. Monofilament line exhibits exceptional strength and wear characteristics, and is relatively inexpensive. In view of these properties, monofilament line is difficult to cut, especially in larger diameters. Typically, the monofilament line is cut by pulling a knife into the line or by using a pair of scissors or snips. In either case, a significant force is required to force the cutting edge therethrough and cut the monofilament line. This is inconvenient and can be tiresome as well as dangerous, especially when the cutting process is often repeated such as when replacing the monofilament line in grass trimmers.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved process and tool whereby monofilament line can be cut more efficiently and easily.

Process and tool for cutting monofilament line


A lottery by phone system which permits a caller to place bets with a state's existing lottery computer system via a telephone call from a touch-tone telephone which is connected via the public telephone network to a voice response unit which decodes touch-tones entered by the caller. The voice response unit prompts the caller with preprogrammed digitized audio messages and has each caller identified via a unique identification number. It permits such a caller to select which game to place a bet with and to have the option of picking their own numbers or having the system randomly pick numbers for them. It allows the caller to collect their winnings using a touch tone telephone via another telephone call, and to have the automatic interaction with the caller handle data entry errors, and to have caller queries regarding previous such bets answered by an operator. The system communicates with the existing state lottery computer via emulation of the existing communications protocol used between the existing state lottery computer and on-line terminals and performs automatic high level error recovery beyond the specifications of that communications protocol.

The invention relates generally to lotteries and particularly to the emulation of an on-line lottery system by telephone.
Many individual states (or groups of states) have a lottery authority which provides to the public a wagering system (typically known as a state lottery) whereby a person can wager a sum of money on a game in a drawing pool along with thousands of other players with cash prizes to the players who have won according to the rules of the particular game played. There are two major styles of games played, the first typically called "instant" or "scratch" games. Instant or scratch games are those where a player is sold a card by a registered agent of the lottery, which card typically has sections covered with opaque ink which are scratched or rubbed off revealing if the card is a winner and how big a prize, if any, was won. The other style of game is typically called "on-line" and involves special computer terminals which communicate directly with a central computer at the lottery headquarters and offer games with a drawing of winning numbers at known dates and times for each game. This invention concerns itself with the on-line games.
A player who wishes to place a bet with a state's on-line game must first go to a public place where an on-line terminal is located and operated by an agent licensed by the lottery authority. The player decides on which game to play, what type of bet and how much to wager. The bet is then entered into the lottery on-line terminal by the agent using one of two common methods, the keyboard or an optical card reader. The keyboard method requires the agent to enter all the bet information using the on-line terminal's keyboard. The optical card reader method requires the player to mark boxes on a game-specific card with the bet information which is handed to the agent who then inserts it into an optical reader in the on-line terminal. After either method of data entry the agent has the on-line terminal transmit the bet to the central computer of the lottery authority. If the player wishes to, the on-line terminal can randomly select the actual numbers for the bet (typically called a "quick-pick"), but the player must still provide the game, amount wagered and other game-specific information. In all cases a betting ticket is printed by the on-line terminal with the game played, its drawing date, the date and time of the bet, the numbers played, the combination bets played, the wagered amount (possibly of each combination bet), the total amount owed the agent, and a unique transaction number generated by the lottery computer. The agent collects the total amount from the player and gives them the betting ticket. Also, printed on the ticket is usually a bar code which can be read by an optical reader in the on-line terminal used to cash winning tickets. The printed ticket is the only record the player has of the bet so it must be printed accurately. If it does not get printed the agent must take corrective action.
All lottery games have a specified fixed price per unit bet (typically $0.25 or $1.00) with the option of the player purchasing multiple bet units on a single bet ticket. The lottery system also has a maximum bet amount on a single bet ticket, but a player can purchase multiple bet tickets if so desired. Each bet unit purchased for a game which wins is entitled to an equal share of the prize pool allocated for that type of win.
There are many different games provided by state lotteries and they generally fall into two major categories, each with many variations, typically called "numbers" type games and "lotto" type games.
Numbers type games typically require the player to select a sequence of (typically 3 or 4) numbers from 0 to 9 (although some games use 1 to 13 with a playing card motif). The game has a drawing of (typically 3 or 4) numbers at a regular date and time and the players can collect prizes if their numbers match the drawn numbers according to the type of bet. There are many varieties of bets allowed including matching subsets of the drawn numbers and allowing "any" or "exact" order of the digits. A player can typically purchase a combination of bet types for a single set of selected numbers with varying numbers of bet units purchased for each bet type. For example, a player can pick 1822 and decide that the 4 digits must match in exact order, the first three can match in any order and the last 2 must match in exact order. If the state's picks for that drawing are 8122, the player wins the first three any order bet, the last two exact order bet and loses the all four exact order bet. The cash prize amount for a type of bet depends on the odds of a match for that type of bet and the total pool of money wagered on that type of bet. The odds for a 4 number (each number is from 0 through 9) bet in exact order is 1 in 10,000 with a typical payout of 5,000 bet units per unit bet.
Lotto type games typically require the player to select a unique subset of a range of numbers such as 5 unique numbers from 1 to 35. The drawing consists of the state picking 5 unique numbers and a player wins if their picks match a subset of drawn picks. For example, if the state draws the numbers 3, 9, 14, 24, and 32 and the player picks 5, 9, 13, 24 and 32, the bet matches 3 out of the 5 drawn numbers and the player wins the prize for matching 3 out of 5. The odds of getting 5 out of 5 matches are very high (in this case 1 out of 324,632), so the prize is usually very large, with some games adding to the jackpot pool the jackpot pool of the previous drawing that had no jackpot winners, typically called "rolling over the jackpot," until there is a winner who wins the entire accumulated jackpot.
For each game, at some predetermined date and time, the state lottery conducts a drawing of the winning numbers. This is typically done via mechanical means (such as numbered balls selected from a rotating cage). In all states the results of the drawing are made public with many local media outlets reporting the winning numbers and the prize amounts.
If a player believes that his or her lottery ticket is a winning ticket, he or she takes the ticket to an on-line lottery agent and asks that it be processed. Typically, the ticket is read by an optical reader or its transaction identification number can be entered manually on the keyboard and then the information is transmitted to the lottery computer. If the bet ticket is not a winner the on-line terminal displays an appropriate message and the agent tells the player that the bet did not win. If the ticket is a winning ticket, then the on-line terminal will print out a cash or claim ticket depending on the size of the cash prize. If it is a small cash prize (typically under $600) then the lottery agent pays the holder of the bet ticket the amount printed on the cash ticket. The winning bet ticket and the cash ticket are kept by the agent and are sent to the lottery at a later date. If it is a large cash prize (typically $600 or greater) a claim ticket is printed and the agent fills out a claim form and at a later date sends that with the winning bet ticket and the claim ticket to the state lottery, which will then send the cash prize to the player. The printed cash or claim ticket is the only record the agent has of the transaction, so it must be printed accurately. If it does not get printed the agent must take corrective action. If the prize for the winning ticket is a free play, the player is allowed to immediately make another play of the same game as the winning play without paying the agent for the play.
Lottery on-line terminals are programmed to execute a wide range of transactions on behalf of the agent. The transactions fall into several categories. Bet transactions cover all the various bets for all the games supported by the lottery. Cash transactions include cashing a winning bet ticket and inquiring the status of a bet ticket. Accounting transactions return to the agent the sales figures for various time periods. Diagnostic transactions test the printer, communications, keyboard, display, etc. of the on-line terminal. Message transactions print out messages directed to all agents or just one agent. Error recovery transactions include finding out the last transaction (bet, cash or cancel) that the lottery accepted and cancelling previous bet transactions.
The licensed agent operates the lottery on-line terminal for the player and decides which transactions to perform on the on-line terminal and in which order to perform them. The agent can only perform one transaction at a time which must go to completion or be aborted before another transaction can be started. To simplify the operation, the most common transactions of placing bets and cashing winning bets can have their data read by optical readers from the mark-sense betting cards and the bar codes printed on the bet tickets. In case a card or ticket cannot be read the agent can manually enter the information on the keyboard and perform the transaction. There are also many other transactions that can only be performed manually by the agent. These include signing on at the beginning of the day, canceling bets, obtaining sales and accounting information, obtaining the winning plays and the prize amounts, etc. The agent also has to handle the exceptional conditions which include aborted transactions, no ticket being printed, and requesting agent-specific messages from the lottery computer. If there is a major failure in the on-line terminal or the lottery system, the player does not pay for the play unless a bet ticket is printed. If no ticket was printed the agent will verify whether the play was accepted by the lottery computer and, if so, cancel that play. The agent may also run diagnostic transactions and decide that the on-line terminal may need maintenance or repairs.
The agent is trained to handle the exceptional conditions by using standard procedures which specify which transactions to execute in order to keep the on-line terminal operating properly. In the event of a ticket not printing (for either a bet or a cash transaction), the agent performs a "get last transaction" transaction. This will print on a "not for sale" ticket the information describing the last transaction accepted by the lottery computer for this on-line terminal. The agent compares that information with the information entered but for which no ticket was printed. If the information matches, then the lottery accepted the transaction and since there was no ticket, the agent cancels that transaction using the transaction identification number printed on the last transaction slip. The agent then reenters (or uses the optical reader to reenter) the originally requested transaction and should get a proper ticket printed. The operation of the on-line terminal then proceeds normally. Another case occurs when the lottery computer sends a message to a specific agent. The on-line terminal, when it gets a command that a message is waiting to be read, will not accept any other transactions but a "get specific message" transaction. The agent performs the "get specific message" transaction, the message is printed on the ticket and operation of the on-line terminal proceeds normally.
State lottery computer systems, in order to lower communication costs, use dedicated leased telephone lines which are multidropped to a group of lottery on-line terminals (typically a maximum of about 30). A multidropped line means that a group of on-line terminals share a single communications port on the lottery computer. The lottery computer controls and communicates with the on-line terminals using a polled half-duplex protocol. The protocol works by giving each on-line terminal on a multidropped line a unique number which the lottery computer uses to address the individual on-line terminals. The lottery computer asks (polls) each on-line terminal in sequence if it has a transaction to execute. All the lottery on-line terminals listen to this poll but only the addressed on-line terminal responds, hence the half duplex nature of the protocol, whereby data is transmitted on the communication line in only one direction at a time. If the on-line terminal has no transaction pending it sends an idle response back to the computer. If it has a pending transaction, it sends it. When the transaction is completed, the computer polls the next on-line terminal. The protocol defines the various formats of the data transmitted, the handshaking between the computer and the on-line terminal and an error detection and recovery mechanism. In the event of detected errors in transmission, the protocol specifies how to retransmit the messages. If the transaction has too many detected errors or the protocol cannot recover from an exceptional condition, an abort occurs, which resets the handshake to the idle state and requires the agent to manually assess the situation and to optionally retry the transaction. The protocol does not define how to recover from aborted transactions or exceptional conditions. It only defines the individual transactions used by an agent to recover and the agent must decide in what sequence to perform those transactions.
Lottery players who wish to play an on-line game must go to a public location with a lottery on-line terminal during business hours, possibly wait in a line if the store is busy or many people are playing the lottery, and have cash on hand to pay the agent for the bet. These restrictions make it hard for people to bet if there is no nearby location with a lottery on-line terminal, if they cannot arrive there before the current drawing is closed, if they have no cash on hand, if the location is closed or if they wish to play during the time (typically overnight) that the lottery computer is scheduled to be shut down or if they wish to play a game at a time when the lottery on-line terminal is available for other games but the game they wish to play is "closed." There are also players who like to bet so-called "hunches" when they have one without having to travel to a lottery agent.
State lotteries are interested in increasing the volume of bets made and not increasing their expenses in handling these additional bets. A way to solve the restrictions listed above is to allow bets by touch-tone telephone.
It is an object of the invention to implement a lottery by telephone service which communicates to the lottery central computer by using the communication lines and protocol of the standard lottery on-line terminals.
It is another object of this invention to provide a lottery by telephone service to a state's existing lottery system via emulation of the existing communications protocol between the on-line terminals and the lottery computer, without any additional hardware or software design or changes on the part of the lottery.
It is also an object of this invention to execute a subset of the lottery on-line terminal's transactions, and to emulate the lottery on-line terminal's communications protocol so that it can provide to callers the ability to place bets and cash winning bets, and to execute those transactions necessary to recover from exceptional conditions. The invention also automatically executes the sequence of transactions needed to recover that the lottery agent would perform manually.
It is an object of this invention to provide callers 24 hour a day availability to place bets with the lottery even though the lottery may only provide limited hours of operation, by accepting off-hours bets, storing them and transmitting them to the lottery at the next period of normal lottery operations.
It is an object of the invention to provide telephone access to callers so they can find out if and what they have won from the lottery, and to allow any free plays won to be made immediately, and for cash prize winners to have their winnings or claim forms mailed to them.
It is an object of the invention to provide telephone access to callers so that they can make inquiries regarding their previous plays, status of pending claims or cash prizes and have these questions answered automatically or by customer service personnel.


A method and apparatus provide a magnetic memory including magnetic junctions on a substrate. The apparatus include an RIE chamber and an ion milling chamber. The chambers are coupled such that the magnetic memory is movable between the chambers without exposing the magnetic memory to ambient. The method provides magnetic junction layers and a hard mask layer on the magnetic junction layers. A hard mask is formed from the hard mask layer using an RIE. The magnetic junction layers are ion milled after the RIE and without exposing the magnetic memory to an ambient after the RIE. The ion milling defines at least part of each magnetic junction. A magnetic junction may be provided. The magnetic junction includes pinned, nonmagnetic spacer, and free layers. The free layer has a width of not more than twenty nanometers and is switchable when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction.

Magnetic memories, particularly magnetic random access memories (MRAMs), have drawn increasing interest due to their potential for high read/write speed, excellent endurance, non-volatility and low power consumption during operation. An MRAM can store information utilizing magnetic materials as an information recording medium. One type of MRAM is a spin transfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM). STT-RAM utilizes magnetic junctions written at least in part by a current driven through the magnetic junction. A spin polarized current driven through the magnetic junction exerts a spin torque on the magnetic moments in the magnetic junction. As a result, layer(s) having magnetic moments that are responsive to the spin torque may be switched to a desired state.
For example, FIG. 1 depicts a conventional STT-RAM 5 including conventional magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJ) 10. The conventional MTJs 10 are separated by a pitch and have widths, w. Typically, the pitch is at least two hundred to three hundred microns or more. The width of the MTJs 10 is typically approximately ninety to one hundred and twenty microns or more. However, an isolated MTJ 10, which is for example, at least three hundred nanometers or more from the nearest MTJ, may be fabricated on the order of twenty-two nanometers or more. The conventional MTJ 10 typically resides on a bottom contact (not shown), uses conventional seed layer(s) 12 and includes a conventional antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer 14, a conventional pinned layer 16, a conventional tunneling barrier layer 18, a conventional free layer 20, and a conventional capping layer 22. A top contact (not shown) typically resides on the MTJ 10. A dielectric capping layer 24 typically covers the MTJs 10.
To switch the magnetization 21 of the conventional free layer 20, a current is driven in the CPP direction. When a sufficient current is driven between the top contact and the bottom contact, the magnetization 21 of the conventional free layer 20 may switch to be parallel or antiparallel to the magnetization 17 of the conventional pinned layer 16. The differences in magnetic configurations correspond to different magnetoresistances and thus different logical states (e.g. a logical "0" and a logical "1") of the conventional MTJ 10. Thus, by reading the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of the conventional MTJ 10 the state of the conventional MTJ can be determined.
FIG. 2 depicts a conventional method 50 for fabricating the conventional MTJs 10 in the conventional STT-RAM 5. The stack for the MTJs 10 is deposited and masked, via step 52. For example, the layers 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 may be deposited across the surface of a wafer. A hard mask layer is also deposited. The hard mask may include materials such as Ta or W.
A pattern for the STT-RAM 5 is transferred to the hard mask using a reactive ion etch (RIE), via step 54. Typically, a photoresist pattern corresponding to the MTJs 10 is provided on the hard mask. The photoresist mask covers the regions in which the MTJs are desired to be formed. In an RIE chamber, a reactive gas appropriate for the hard mask is introduced at a low pressure, typically on the order of a few milliTorr. For example, F or CL may be used for a Ta or W hard mask. The RIE is then performed in step 54 to chemically remove portions of the hard mask layer exposed by the photoresist mask. Consequently, the pattern developed in the photoresist mask may be accurately transferred to the hard mask in step 54.
Once the RIE is performed, the wafer containing the memory 5 is removed from the RIE chamber and transferred to an ion milling chamber, via step 56. During step 56, the wafer is typically exposed to ambient. In other words, the memory 5 is exposed to air. The MTJs are then defined via angled ion milling, via step 58. To perform step 58, the ion milling chamber is evacuated, typically to well below 10−5 Torr. The low pressure is desired to allow ions, for example from an ion gun, to reach the surface of the wafer and remove portions of the MTJ stack exposed by the hard mask. In contrast to the RIE performed in step 54, step 58 is considered to be a physical, rather than chemical, process. Thus, the ions used in step 58 are desired to be chemically non-reactive with the layers 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 of the stack. The conventional capping layer 24 may then be deposited, via step 60. Fabrication of the conventional STT-RAM 5 may then be completed.
Although the conventional STT-RAM 5 may be fabricated, there are drawbacks. Ion milling at an angle in step 58 may limit the extent to which the pitch of the conventional STT-RAM 5 may be reduced. Further, it has been determined that the yield of the method 50 may be low. For example, there may be large variations in electrical properties of the conventional MTJs 10. For example, the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) and resistance area produce (RA) of the conventional MTJs 10 may differ. These differences may be sufficiently large that the conventional STT-RAM 5 is unusable. Thus, the yield for the conventional method 50 may be low.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method and system that may improve performance of, reduce variations in performance of and, therefore, enhance the yield for the spin transfer torque based memories. The method and system described herein address such a need.

Method and system for providing magnetic junctions having improved characteristics


To provide a more manageable security system for protecting cable-connected peripheral devices, a computer system is described having a removable peripheral device that is connectable to the computer system via a flying lead and a plug and socket combination, characterized by a lock member that is movable under the control of software running on the computer system to release or secure the plug to the socket.

The present invention relates to security in computer systems and, more particularly, to the physical security of peripheral devices attached to computer systems.
Computer systems and peripheral devices used therewith have become very small, compact and easy to move. Whilst this has many advantages it has also created some problems. One problem associated with compact and lightweight computer equipment is that it is more easily stolen.
Certain computer system configurations lend themselves well to the provision of a locking system to prevent unauthorised removal of certain system components. For instance, various ways are known of locking portable computers to their associated docking stationsxe2x80x94see for instance WO93/1540 and EP 0681244.
Also known is the automatic engagement and disengagement of devices, such as storage subsystems, that are removably mountable in a device bay of a computer system. Examples of these kinds of device ejection systems can be found in WO98/21640 and WO97/37293.
However, peripheral devices that are attached to a system unit by flying leads represent a particularly vulnerable part of a computer system and one that is not addressed by the presently available range of security measures. Such devices can include not only low value system components such as keyboards and mice, but also higher value peripheral devices such as external storage drives, smart card readers, printers, display devices and even digital cameras and telephones.
Recent developments in xe2x80x98plug and playxe2x80x99 type bus systems, in which devices can be dynamically connected and disconnected without the bus system having to be restarted, has meant that it can be expected that a wider variety of pluggable and unpluggable devices will become available and that such devices will become more mobile within the computing environment as a whole. Such developments only increase the need for security measures to be provided to prevent unauthorised removal of such devices.
This problem is at least partially addressed by cable lock systems, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,281 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,599, that are operable using a key.
One of the main advantages of using key operated locks is that they can be unlocked even if there is no power on. However, anyone wishing to remove a peripheral device must be physically in possession of one of the keys. It is not possible to provide for software control of the lock to enable desirable functionality such as remote locking and unlocking, password controlled access, or proper data or time synchronisation between the peripheral device and the computer system.
Such features are particularly desirable for organisations that own and manage very many PCs, and therefore that need to manage access to hardware more easily. If hardware changes are desired in many machines at the same time, the system manager can access systems without having to locate keys and can unlock machines over a computer network, using appropriate hardware management software tools like ones included in the HP Toptools package, available from Hewlett-Packard Company.
This invention is directed to overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art, in particular by providing a more manageable security system for protecting cable-connected peripheral devices.
In brief, this is acheived by a computer system having a removable peripheral device that is connectable to the computer system via a flying lead and a plug and socket combination, characterised by a lock member that is movable under the control of software running on the computer system to release or secure the plug to the socket.
In a preferred embodiment, resilient biasing means bias the lock member into a lock position in which the plug cannot be removed from the socket and an actuator is provided that is responsive to an electrical signal to urge the lock member to a unlock position in which the plug can be removed from the socket. Suitably, the actuator can comprise a length of shape memory wire arranged to move the lock member.
In one implementation, the peripheral device is connected to the computer system via a Universal Serial Bus and the plug is a USB standard plug.
Viewed from other aspects, the invention provides a computer unit for use in the above described system, the unit comprising a socket for receiving a plug, the socket having a movable lock member and means to enable software to move the lock member from a locked state to an unlocked state and a computer program for use in such a system and stored on a computer readable media, the program comprising code portions for causing a computer to generate a signal to lock or unlock a peripheral device attached to the system by a flying lead and a plug and socket combination.

Computer system having peripheral device look


In one embodiment, a current sensing circuit corrects for the transient and steady state temperature measurement errors due to physical separation between a resistive sense element and a temperature sensor. The sense element has a temperature coefficient of resistance. The voltage across the sense element and a temperature signal from the temperature sensor are received by processing circuitry. The processing circuitry determines a power dissipated by the sense element, which may be instantaneous or average power, and determines an increased temperature of the sense element. The resistance of the sense element is changed by the increased temperature, and this derived resistance Rs is used to calculate the current through the sense element using the equation I=V/R or other related equation. The process is iterative to continuously improve accuracy and update the current.

It is well known to detect current by measuring the voltage across a low resistivity sense resistor, then calculating current by dividing the voltage by the nominal resistance. This is frequently done in switching power supplies where switches are controlled based on a current through a sense resistor crossing a threshold level to achieve a target output voltage.
Generally, the resistance of all sense resistors is somewhat sensitive to temperature (i.e., the resistor has a temperature coefficient of resistance).
In switching power supplies, an inductor is used in the output filter. The copper winding may be used as the sense resistor. Thus no additional voltage drop is incurred, and no additional real estate is needed for the sense resistor. However, the resistance of the inductor winding is relatively sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Therefore, the sensed current through the winding will not be accurate as the temperature varies from a reference temperature used to set the resistance value of the winding.
It is known to provide a temperature sensor, such as a pn junction device, proximate to the sense resistor in an attempt to determine the actual temperature of the sense resistor and correct for any deviation in resistance due to the actual temperature differing from the reference temperature. The actual temperature of the sense resistor may fluctuate due to the changing power dissipated by the sense resistor. Since the sense resistor itself is generating heat, and the temperature sensor is separated from the sense resistor, the temperature sensor does not accurately sense the actual temperature of the sense resistor. The temperature of the sense resistor may fluctuate due to changes in power, and the medium between the sense resistor and the temperature sensor cannot quickly conduct the resistor temperature to the temperature sensor due to the thermal time constant of the medium. The medium may be a printed circuit board, silicon, a ceramic substrate, etc.
What is needed is a more accurate technique for estimating the actual temperature of the sense resistor so that the actual resistance of the sense resistor can be better estimated when calculating the current through the sense resistor.

Accurate current sensing with heat transfer correction


A wearable device conveys information to a user. The device includes a master soft circuit cell and a plurality of actuation soft circuit cells. These cells are physically interconnected to form a garment that is worn by a user and each of these cells includes an electrically non-conductive fabric covering. Each of the actuation cells is electrically connected to and operates under the control of the master cell. The master cell is configured to wirelessly receive actuation instructions and activate a combination of the actuation cells based on the received actuation instructions. Each of the actuation cells is configured to generate a particular actuation that is perceived by one or more senses of the user whenever the actuation cell is activated by the master cell. A system also conveys affective state information to a user.

As is appreciated in the arts of psychology and cognitive science, emotion is a subjective, conscious experience that is primarily characterized by psycho-physiological expressions, biological reactions, and mental states. The physiology of emotion is closely linked to the arousal of the nervous system, with various states and strengths of arousal corresponding to particular emotions. In other words, emotion is a complex state of feeling that results in physical and psychological changes that can influence a person's behavior and the behavior of others that the person interacts with. Emotion is also linked to behavioral tendency. For example, extroverted people are more likely to outwardly express their emotions, while introverted people are more likely to conceal their emotions. Over the past two decades research on emotion has increased significantly in a number of different fields such as psychology, neuroscience, endocrinology, medicine, history, and sociology. There is a well-known correlation between a person's emotional state and their mental well-being. There is also a well-known correlation between a person's emotional state and their physical health.

Modular wearable device for conveying affective state


A grass collecting apparatus includes a grass collecting container support; at least one grass collecting container mounted on the container support and having an upper end opening edge for receiving mowed grass or the like through a conduit, a guide hood for covering the grass collecting container from the above, a support portion for supporting the guide hood while allowing its displacement from a closed position to an opened position; a fixed sealing plate provided to the grass collecting container support in the vicinity of the support portion; and a movable sealing plate provided to the guide hood in the vicinity of the support portion. The movable sealing plate is disposed in opposition to the fixed sealing plate, and a free end of the movable sealing plate displaceable in association with opening/closing displacement of the guide hood approaches the fixed sealing plate at least when the guide hood is at the closed position or the opened position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lawn mower with a grass collecting apparatus connected to a rear portion of a traveling vehicle body of the lawnmower, which travels with a mower unit being mounted thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
A grass collecting apparatus of the above type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,398 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,970, in either of which an upper opening edge of a bag-like grass collecting container having an upper opening is attached and supported to a grass collecting container support disposed erect from the vehicle body and a guide hood covering this grass collecting container from the above is connected to a mowed grass discharge conduit extending from a mower implement.
In the case of the grass collecting apparatus with the above-described construction, the grass collecting container is detached by pivotally opening the guide hood upward, during which, however, there is formed a gap between the container support and the guide hood in the vicinity of a pivot shaft provided for the pivotal operation. Then, some of the mowed grass adhered to the cover adjacent the pivot shaft can inadvertently fall through the gap to be dropped on the vehicle body and remain accumulated thereon.
Especially, in the case of a conventional construction having a pair of grass collecting containers mounted on the right and left above an engine section mounted on a rear portion of the traveling vehicle body, there is high likelihood of such accidentally fallen mowed grass being adhered and accumulated in a large amount on an engine hood of the engine section or on an area around it. Then, when an engine hood needs to be opened for a maintenance operation of the engine section, it becomes necessary to remove such accumulated object (grass) very carefully in order to prevent it from entering the engine room.


The present invention relates to recombinant virulence attenuated Gram-negative bacterial strains and its use in a method of treating cancer in a subject.

Bacteria have evolved different mechanisms to directly inject proteins into target cells 1. The type III secretion system (T3SS) used by bacteria like Yersinia, Shigella and Salmonella′ functions like a nano-syringe that injects so-called bacterial effector proteins into host cells.
T3SS has been exploited to deliver hybrid peptides and proteins into target cells. Heterologous bacterial T3SS effectors have been delivered in case the bacterium under study is hardly accessible by genetics (like Chlamydia trachomatis). Often reporter proteins were fused to possible T3SS secretion signals as to study requirements for T3SS dependent protein delivery, such as the Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase, murine DHFR or a phosphorylatable tag. Peptide delivery was mainly conducted with the aim of vaccination. This includes viral epitopes, bacterial epitopes (listeriolysin O) as well as peptides representing epitopes of human cancer cells. In few cases functional eukaryotic proteins have been delivered to modulate the host cell, as done with nanobodies3, nuclear proteins (Cre-recombinase, MyoD)4,5 or IL10 and IL1ra6. None of the above-mentioned systems allows single-protein delivery as in each case one or multiple endogenous effector proteins are still encoded. Furthermore, the vectors used have not been designed in a way allowing simple cloning of other DNA fragments encoding proteins of choice, hindering broad application of the system.
Approaches allowing targeted drug delivery are of great interest. For example, antibodies recognizing surface structures of tumor cells and, in an optimal case, selectively bind to tumor cells are used. To improve the mechanism of such antibodies they can be conjugated to therapeutic agents or to lipid vesicles packed with drugs. One of the challenges with such vesicles is the proper release of the active reagent. Even more complex is the delivery of therapeutic proteins or peptides, especially when intracellular mechanisms are targeted. Many alternative ways have been tried to solve the problem of delivering therapeutic proteins into eukaryotic cells, among which are "cell penetrating peptides" (CPP) or similar technologies as well as various nanoparticle-based methodologies. All these technologies have the drawback of low efficacy and that the cargo taken up by the cell via endocytosis is likely to end up being degraded in lysosomes. Furthermore, the conflict between need for stability of cargo-carrier in the human body and the requirement for destabilization and liberation within the target cell constitutes an intrinsic problem of such technologies. Various bacteria have been shown to replicate within malignant solid tumors when administered from a distal site, including Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bifidobacteria. Currently, only bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG, derived from Mycobacterium bovis) is used in clinical practice. BCG is administrated to treat superficial bladder cancer, while the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. The development of bacterial strains which are capable e.g. to deliver cargo produced inside bacteria to its site of action inside cells like cancer cells, i.e. outside of bacteria, remains a major challenge.

Virulence attenuated bacteria based protein delivery


A semiconductor device includes a SiC semiconductor layer that has a carbon density of 1.0×1022 cm−3 or more, a SiO2 layer that is formed on the SiC semiconductor layer and that has a connection surface contiguous to the SiC semiconductor layer and a non-connection surface positioned on a side opposite to the connection surface, a carbon-density-decreasing region that is formed at a surface layer portion of the connection surface of the SiO2 layer and in which a carbon density gradually decreases toward the non-connection surface of the SiO2 layer, and a low carbon density region that is formed at a surface layer portion of the non-connection surface of the SiO2 layer and that has a carbon density of 1.0×1019 cm−3 or less.

It has been known that a structure in which a SiO2 layer is formed on a SiC semiconductor layer has the problem of an increase in interface state density in an interfacial region contiguous to the SiO2 layer in the SiC semiconductor layer. Although the interface state density is increased by various causes, interfacial defects in an interfacial region between the SiC semiconductor layer and the SiO2 layer can be mentioned as its one main cause. Such interfacial defects can be produced by carbon atoms existing in the interfacial region.
The interface state density has a correlation with channel mobility (which is also called "carrier mobility"). More specifically, an increase in interface state density causes a decrease in channel mobility. An example of a method for improving the interface state density is disclosed by Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a semiconductor device manufacturing method that includes a step of forming a SiO2 layer on a SiC semiconductor substrate and a step of applying heat treatment onto the SiO2 layer in an inert gas atmosphere including Ar (argon).
Patent Literature 2 discloses a semiconductor device manufacturing method that includes a step of forming a SiO2 layer on a SiC semiconductor substrate and a step of applying heat treatment onto the SiO2 layer and adding phosphorus to the SiO2 layer in an atmosphere including POCl3 (phosphoryl chloride).

Semiconductor device with carbon-density-decreasing region


A wafer-level package and an IC module assembly method for a wafer-level package are provided in the present invention. The method comprises forming a metal bump on a wafer, applying a high polymer resin coating to the wafer, grinding a surface of the resin coating, printing an endpoint on the wafer, a grinding and cutting step and bonding the chips to an antenna or substrate with SMT. The present invention can be used to manufacture high quality chips of low cost with mass production to significantly reduce cost and maintain high quality of the products.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wafer-level package comprising a printing technique for a small sized IC (integrated circuit) such as a RFID (radio frequency identification) IC, an LED (light emitting diode) IC, a diode IC and the like, which has just a few pins. The wafer-level package is further fabricated into a SMT (surface mounting technology) component after grinding and cutting, and can be then assembled on an antenna or a substrate with SMT.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional chip scale package (CSP), production capability and yield of small sized ICs (integrated circuits) are not high. Each wafer is used to manufacture many chips. The chips are then used to fabricate small sized ICs (integrated circuits) such as an RFID (radio frequency identification) IC, an LED (light emitting diode) IC, a diode IC and the like with a few pins. Since the chips are packaged individually, packaging the chips on a wafer with, for example, 30K chips requires a lot of time. On the other hand, a wafer-level package fabricates the ICs on a wafer as a compete IC rather than individual chips, and cuts the wafers into complete packaged ICs. The production efficiency of the wafer-level package for small IC chips is very high. Because a production unit is based on wafers, the general wafer-level package uses equipment similar to equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing, for example, the semiconductor manufacturing processes of metal sputtering, photo etching, polymer coating, solder ball application and the like. Since the wafer-level package is accomplished on wafers, the manufacturing cost for the wafer-level ICs is very high because the investment cost for the manufacturing equipment is very expensive.
For typical small-sized ICs such as RFID or LED ICs, packaging and assembly efficiency is a crucial factor in the determination of product cost. With reference to FIGS. 1A-1E and 2A-2F, conventional single chip packaging and assembly methods comprise scoring and cutting individual ICs from a wafer, bonding the ICs to a substrate, attaching bonding wires and covering or encapsulating the assembly to form an IC module. The IC module is then connected to an antenna or mounted on a substrate to make a product. Mass production equipment for single chip packaging and assembly is very expensive, and the production capability is rather low, so that product unit price is very high. Furthermore, the single chip package is too thick to make very thin small products.
A number of sequential processes are involved in fabricating and packaging single chip products. First, process of FIG. 1A prepares a wafer (70) with multiple wire pads (72). Process of FIG. 1B is wafer cutting and grinding to form chip (71), wherein each chip (71) has several wire pads (72). Process of FIG. 1C is die bonding and wire bonding, wherein the chip (71) is mounted on a substrate (73) and is connected to wire pads (731) on the substrate (73) via wires (74). Process of FIG. 1D is encapsulating, wherein the chip (71) is encapsulated by packaging material (75). The last process of FIG. 1E is packaging, wherein films (77) are applied to package the encapsulated chip (71).
A flip chip packaging method is used to fabricate thin small products, such as IC cards and RFIDs. A metal bump is formed on the wafer. Then the flip chip method is used to attach the IC to a module or directly connect the IC to an antenna or mount the IC on a substrate after wafer grinding and cutting to form a semi-finished wafer-level package.
A number of sequential processes are involved in fabricating thin small products. First, process of FIG. 2A prepares a wafer (80) with multiple wire pads (81). Process of FIG. 2B is bump forming, wherein multiple metal bumps (82) such as gold bumps are formed on the wire pads (81). Process of FIG. 2C is wafer grinding and cutting to form multiple chips (83). Process of FIG. 2D prepares a substrate (90) on which conductive circuits (92) and a layer of conductive paste (91) such as silver paste are applied. The last two processes of FIGS. 2E and 2F are flip chip assembly, wherein the chip (83) is mounted on the substrate (90) and further encapsulated and packaged by films (100)(101).
However, this fabrication method only can be used for flip chip assembly products and cannot be used for SMD products. Problems with flip chip processes are also low production efficiency and high equipment cost that cause a high product unit price, so this method is not used by many manufacturers.

Wafer-level package and IC module assembly method for the wafer-level package


An approaching human threat or vehicle, such as a suicide bomber nearing a secured zone such as a military base, may be detected and classified. A vibration recognition system may detect a systematic vibration event. The entity might be a medium, human, animal, or a passenger vehicle. The system may discriminate between such an event and a background or other vibration event, such as a falling tree limb. A seismic sensor may be employed to detect vibrations generated by footsteps and a vehicle. Seismic waves may be processed locally where the sensor is located. The system may wirelessly communicate with a remote command center. Temporal features of the vibration signals may be modeled by a biologically realistic neural network with good false recognition rates. The models may reject quadrupedal animal footsteps.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to security systems for protecting military and other perimeters from an approaching human and vehicle and to neural networks.
2. Description of Related Art
Perimeter protection system may be crucial to the protection of military or other assets. Detecting threats prior to the intrusion may be the first step. However, some types of detection sensors may be easily detected and disabled by intruders.
Geophones may be less conspicuous and thus less subject to disruption. The centralized processing of signals from a series of geophones has been used for detecting security breaches. See Pakhomov, A. Sicignano, M. Sandy, and T. Goldburt, "A Novel Method for Footstep Detection with an Extremely Low False Alarm Rate," in Proc. SPIE Symposium on Unattended Ground Sensor Technologies and Applications V, 2003, SPIE vol. 5090, pp. 186-193. Detecting human footsteps vs. other types of background vibration such as those caused by vehicles has also been suggested. See G. Succi, D. Clapp, and R. Gambert, "Footstep, Detection and Tracking," in Proc. of the SPIE, Unattended Ground Sensor Technologies and Applications III, 2001, SPIE vol. 4393, pp. 22-29. Kurtosis and cadence have been measured to detect footsteps. Id. Extracting cadence features using a spectrum analysis technique has also been suggested. See K. M. Houston and D. P. McGaffigan, "Spectrum Analysis Techniques for Personnel Detection using Seismic Sensors," in Proc. SPIE Symposium on Unattended Ground Sensor Technologies and Applications V, 2003, SPIE vol. 5090, pp. 162-173. Kurtosis has been employed to detect the event, and detection results were confirmed with cepstrum analysis to improve the results. See L. Peck and J. Lacombe, "Seismic-based personnel detection," in Proc. 41st Annual IEEE International Carnahan Conference on Security Technology, 2007, pp. 169-175.
Kurtosis may distinguish impulsive and rhythmic events from sustained background vibrations. However, using Kurtosis may result in confusion between footstep and similar impulsive events. The measurement of cadence may require a high signal to noise ratio. To achieve this, events may need to occur close to the sensor, which may reduce detection range. In addition, kurtosis and cadence may only be effective for footstep recognition. They may be unable to recognize vibration caused by a moving vehicle.
The performance of dynamic synapse neural networks ("DSNN") has been compared to other pattern recognition algorithms. See J-S. Liaw, and T. W. Berger, "The dynamic synapse: A new concept for neural representation and computation," Hippocampus, vol. 6, pp 591-600, 1996. DSNN has also been applied to the detection of a footstep and vehicle. See A. A. Dibazar, H. O. Park, and T. W. Berger, "The Application of Dynamic Synapse Neural Networks on Footstep and Vehicle Recognition," in Proc. IEEE International Joint Conference on Neural Networks, 2007, pp. 1842-1846.
None of these approaches, however, may be able to satisfactorily differentiate between an approaching human or vehicle, on the one hand, and quadrupedal animal footsteps or background or other noise on the other hand.

Protecting military perimeters from approaching human and vehicle using biologically realistic neural network


Circulator unit comprising a first member (1) in a first dielectric layer (3) and a second member (2) in second dielectric layer (4) both members being of ferro-electric material and arranged adjacent to one another, a conductive circulator pattern (10) printed on the first or second member and arranged between the first and the second member. The first substrate extends beyond the second substrate on an area where a first set of terminals is provided rendering the first set of terminals accessible. The second member extends beyond the first member on an area where a second set of terminals is provided rendering the second set of terminals accessible. The unit comprises first (7) and second ground (8) conductors arranged on each side of the first and second members and furthermore comprises at least one magnet (5, 6) or coil for providing magnetic field through the first and second member.

The present invention relates to circulators and isolators.
Ferrite circulators are for instance used in microwave applications in order to separate incoming and outgoing signals. They are also used as isolators, switches and phase shifters. The functionality of the circulator has been described for instance in the following articles: xe2x80x9cOn the principle of stripline circulationxe2x80x9d, by H. Bosma, The Institution of Electrical Engineers, No. 3689, Jan 1962; xe2x80x9cOperation of the Ferrite junction Circulatorxe2x80x9d by C. E. Fay and R. L. Comstock, IEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques, Jan. 1965; and xe2x80x9cWide Band Operation of Microstrip Circulatorsxe2x80x9d, Y. S. Wu and F. Rosenbaum, IEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques, Vol. MTT-22, No. 10, Oct. 1974.
Circulators having three ports disposed with 120xc2x0 between them show particular beneficial properties. Therefore, if a higher number of ports than three is needed, a plurality of such three-port circulators are typically interconnected.
Prior art document U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,241 discloses a four port circulator comprising two coaxially arranged three port circulators. The three port circulators are formed on a combination of ferrite and ceramic substrates having a conductive strip layer printed thereon. One embodiment includes a common magnet providing magnetic field through the circulators. Another embodiment comprises two magnets arranged on each side of a magnetic shielded carrier providing magnetic fields through the circulators. The above circulator is useful for wide-band active array antennas.
FIG. 6 of the present application is a representation of U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,241 in which a four port circulator is used as a protection device for a transmit and receive module (TRM) for a radar system.
Prior art document JP-A-09289403 shows a microwave circulator formed by a ferrite substrate and by two magnets being arranged on opposite sides of the substrate.
Prior art document WO-0 079 845 shows a multi-layer circuit board that is arranged as a dual symmetrical strip line configuration whereby top and bottom ground planes enclose the substrate layers as well as a centre ground plane. Among the three ground planes, two signal strip layers are provided. Thereby, microwave emissions can be kept at a minimum. The substrate layers are provided with apertures with an increasing diameter from bottom to top for accommodating the insertion of components in the substrate within the shielded area, whereby two components can be inserted above one another. One component is arranged on the shoulders that are formed by the differently sized apertures. The components are electrically connected to micro strips on the circuit layers by wire bonding.
Prior art document EP-0 996 188 shows a transmit circuit, a receive circuit and a circulator being formed on a Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) substrate in strip line configuration, whereby the circulator comprises a ferrite element being embedded or mounted on the MMIC substrate. As ferrite element, Sr/Br magnetoplumbite hard ferrite is proposed, whereby an external magnet is not needed due to the self-coercive force of this material. The size of the apparatus is thereby reduced. However, the above self-coercive materials are not adapted for high power applications.
Prior art document U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,780 shows a four port circulator being formed by two interconnected rectangular port hollow tube circulators being arranged adjacent to one another in the same plane and being interconnected by a common port. Each circulator is provided with a gyro-magnetic cylindrical element providing for the non-reciprocal circulation.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a circulator unit which is compact and shielded and which can be integrated in or easily coupled to circuits comprising monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) devices which are produced with usual microwave circuit production means.
This object has been accomplished by the subject matter defined by claim 1.
It is a further object to provide a circulator unit, which is easily manufactured.
This object has been accomplished by the subject matter of claim 2.
It is another objet to provide a circulator, which allows for strip-line configuration.
This object has been accomplished by claim 3.
It is a further object to provide a circulator that has strong and inflexible structure and which furthermore can be produced very cost efficiently.
This object has also been accomplished by the subject matter of claim 3.
It is another object to provide a circulator network, which for instance may be used for a phase array antenna.
This object has been accomplished especially by the subject matter according to claims 6, 7 and 10.
Further advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the invention.


An approach alerting users based on a detected defect during manufacturing quality inspection based on graphical images is disclosed. The approach initiates a device inspection, wherein a model controller collects metadata about a product to be inspected and select a first model with a highest score to identify defects in the device. The approach utilizes an API to obtain results from the inspection and after determining that another model is available, initiating the second model run via an edge device performing the inspection of the device. And the algorithm awaits a response in detecting a defect during either the first model run or the second model run, providing an alert detailing the defect detected in the device.

The present invention relates generally to manufacturing, and more particularly to a automatically prioritizing models for quality inspection by the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Edge computing is a distributed computing topology that brings i) data storage and ii) computation closer to the location where it is needed. Thus, edge computing can improve response times and save bandwidth in an environment. Using edge computing with AI, it is a way to distribute AI and get result in real-time. Simulating and running models requires a lot of compute resources, thus, EDGE computing has an advantage over other computing system with regards to AI.
Quality inspection (i.e., computer vision system) in a manufacturing environment requires inferencing/running multiple models to check all attributes of the products and get a more accurate readout. Edge computing has been used in quality inspection and proves to be valuable in delivering results of defect analysis.

Detection of defect in edge device manufacturing by artificial intelligence

International Business Machines Corporation


A system and method for controlling battery power in a hybrid vehicle for a given driver demand that balances battery state of charge and battery capacity limits while operating the engine at a system efficient engine power. Predictive information may be used to predict battery energy usage during a future time window that indicates a charging opportunity (excess power will be absorbed by the battery) or a boosting opportunity (battery power will be discharged). Based on this information and the current state of charge of the battery, an associated battery power for a given driver demand is determined.

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powertrain may include two power sources for delivering driving power to vehicle traction wheels. In general, these power sources may be divided into two broad categories: mechanical and electrical. A mechanical power source may include, for example, an internal combustion engine that outputs mechanical power to the vehicle wheels through one or more sets of transmission gears. An electrical power source may include one or more electric machines, such as an electric motor or a motor/generator. The electric motor may receive electrical power from another generator, a battery, or other source of electrical power.
The two power sources must be integrated to work together seamlessly to meet a driver's demand for power within system power constraints while optimizing total powertrain system efficiency and performance. This requires a coordination of control of the two power sources. Because this type of arrangement provides multiple power flow paths to the vehicle wheels, the engine speed can be optimized for the maximum system efficiency for a given driver demand for power. However, when the engine is commanded to operate at a power corresponding to maximum system efficiency, the power surplus or deficit is absorbed by the battery. Because of battery capacity limits and/or constraints combined with the need to balance the battery state of charge (SOC), it may not be feasible to always operate the engine at a power corresponding to maximum system efficiency for a given driver demand.
Optimizing HEV powertrain operation remains a difficult challenge. HEV energy management is the core strategy for efficient powertrain operation. Usually for a given battery power request, the rest of the energy management is a static optimization problem. The determination of battery power request is often heuristic and thus sub-optimal, resulting in sub-optimal fuel economy. As such, there exists a need for more accurate and robust methods for determining the battery power request for a given driver demand that balances battery SOC and allows the engine to operate at a power that increases system efficiency as much as possible during a drive cycle.

System and method for controlling battery power based on predicted battery energy usage


Provided are a system and method for detecting and predicting anomalies based on analysis of time-series data. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an abnormality detecting and predicting system includes a database configured to store past case data related to a state of a monitored object; a data collector configured to collect time-series status information of the monitored object; an abnormality detector configured to compare the status information with an abnormality detecting reference in a preset detecting interval and detect an occurrence of an abnormality of the monitored object; a similar case selector configured to select a similar case having a highest degree of similarity to the status information among the past case data when the occurrence of an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detector; and a predictor configured to predict proliferation or diminishing of a detected abnormality using the similar case and an abnormality proliferation predicting reference.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system and a method for detection of an abnormality based on analysis of time-series data and prediction of proliferation or diminishing of a detected abnormality.
2. Discussion of Related Art
As most work in companies or government agencies is being computerized, establishment and management of large-scale enterprise service infrastructures by such companies have been made a matter of routine. Such enterprise service infrastructures include a number of web servers, web application servers (WAS), databases, firewalls, switches, routers, and the like. Since there are cases in which an abnormality can affect other devices, or even an entire system, a consistent status monitoring system is needed.
In order to realize such a monitoring system, conventionally, status information (i.e., a central processing unit (CPU) usage rate, a memory usage rate, storage device status information, etc.) has been collected from each device, and the monitoring system has been accomplished by notifying an administrator when collected information has exceeded a preset threshold value. However, since such a conventional method involves determining a result simply by checking whether or not acquired data exceeds a threshold value, there is a limitation on predicting how an abnormality that has occurred will progress.

System and method for detecting and predicting anomalies based on analysis of time-series data