A photodetector for detecting infrared light in a wavelength range of 3-25 μm is disclosed. The photodetector has a mesa structure formed from semiconductor layers which include a type-II superlattice formed of alternating layers of InAs and InxGa1-xSb with 0≦x≦0.5. Impurity doped regions are formed on sidewalls of the mesa structure to provide for a lateral conduction of photo-generated carriers which can provide an increased carrier mobility and a reduced surface recombination. An optional bias electrode can be used in the photodetector to control and vary a cut-off wavelength or a depletion width therein. The photodetector can be formed as a single-color or multi-color device, and can also be used to form a focal plane array which is compatible with conventional read-out integrated circuits.

Conventional mid-infrared focal plane arrays are based on the use of mercury-cadmium-telluride (HgCdTe) photodetectors. Alternatives to HgCdTe photodetectors are being developed which promise operation at higher temperatures with a detectivity comparable to or better than the HgCdTe photodetectors. Among these alternatives are photodetectors formed from antimonide-based type-II superlattices in which there is, at least theoretically, a promise of longer intrinsic carrier lifetimes due to the suppression of Auger recombination. Additionally, the antimonide-based type-II superlattices have a staggered band alignment which allows both the energy band structure and the energy bandgap of the superlattice to be tailored to enhance detector performance for the absorption of infrared light over a wide wavelength range of about 3 to 25 microns (μm) or more. The development of infrared focal plane arrays including devices using antimonide-based type-II superlattice photodetectors has been reviewed in an article by A. Rogalski entitled "Competitive Technologies for Third Generation Infrared Photon Detectors" in Proceedings of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), vol. 6206, 62060S (2006). Another review of type-II superlattice photodetectors can be found in an article by G. J. Brown entitled "Type-II InAs/GaInSb Superlattices for Infrared Detection: an Overview" in Proceedings of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), vol. 5783, pp. 65-77 (2005).
The present invention provides an advance over the art in the development of antimonide-based type-II superlattice photodetectors and photodetector arrays by providing devices which have a lateral conduction structure comprising a semiconductor p-n or p-i-n junction which is formed across the width of the photodetector instead of a more conventional vertical conduction structure in which the semiconductor junction is formed in an epitaxial growth direction (i.e. a vertical direction). The lateral conduction structure formed in the photodetectors of the present invention allows the semiconductor junction to be sandwiched between upper and lower cladding layers which passivates the semiconductor junction. This is advantageous to reduce surface recombination and thereby improve device performance.
Embodiments of the present invention can be used as multi-color photodetectors and photodetector arrays to detect light in two or more different wavelength bands. The use of a lateral conduction structure allows the different wavelength bands to be sensed simultaneously or independently. A bias electrode can also be provided in these embodiments of the present invention to vary a cut-off wavelength, or to control a depletion region width in the photodetectors and photodetector arrays.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art.

Lateral conduction infrared photodetector


A position detecting sensor for detecting a position of a magnetic body includes a first yoke, a first pair of magnets respectively possessing first and second poles and provided at both sides of the first yoke, a magnetic detecting element located at a distant position at a right angle from a center portion on a line connecting the first pair of magnets. The first pole of one of the first pair of magnets faces one side of the first yoke and the second pole of the other one of the first pair of magnets faces the other side of the first yoke. The first pole of the one of the first pair of magnets is the same as the first pole of the other one of the first pair of magnets.

A seat position sensor as a position detecting sensor has been described in a U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,529. The seat position sensor includes a sensor flange mounted on a flange side of a moveable rail attached to an automotive seat, and a magnetic sensor being of U-shaped cross-section with two legs extending in an upward direction. The magnetic sensor is structurally connected to a stationary rail attached to a floor section. According to the above-described structure, the magnetic sensor can sense the sensor flange passing between the two legs of the magnetic sensor corresponding to seat movement. The sensor flange includes a first flange portion, which passes between the two legs of the magnetic sensor and interrupts magnetic polarity of the magnetic sensor, and a second flange portion, which does not pass therebetween and does not interrupt the magnetic polarity thereof. The magnetic property of the magnetic sensor varies in accordance with position of the sensor flange relative to the magnetic sensor. More particularly, the magnetic sensor outputs on or off signal in accordance with position of the sensor flange relative to the magnetic sensor, thereby enabling to detect the seat position.
However, according to the seat position sensor with the above-described structure, the sensor flange is positioned in the magnetic sensor in the U-shaped structure. In this case, space for mounting the magnetic sensor in the aforementioned manner is required, thereby deteriorating mounting performance.
In order to solve the above-described problem, according to a Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-310646, disclosed is a rotation sensor employing a Hall IC for detecting position of a detected member relative to the rotation sensor. More particularly, the rotation sensor employs a pair of a Hall IC-magnet pair and can be arranged at one side of the detected member, wherein the rotation sensor can be effectively downsized.
However, when an individual fluctuation may occur between the sensor and the sensor flange as the detected member, an output from the sensor may not be able to be sufficiently obtained. Therefore, recent demands have lead to improvement of mounting precision.
The present invention therefore seeks to provide a position-detecting sensor capable of detecting a position of a detected member in a general assembling fashion even when a position of the sensor relative to the detected member widely fluctuates.


A system (15) comprising at least two integrated processors (P1 and P2). These two processors (P1 and P2) are operably connected via a communication channel (17) for exchanging information. One processor (P1) has a processor bus (10), a shareable unit (13), and a DMA unit (11) with an external DMA channel (12). The DMA unit (11) and the sharable unit (13) are connected to the processor bus (10). The other processor (P2) has an access unit (21) which is a connectable to the external DMA channel (12) of the DMA unit (11). Due to this arrangement, a communication channel (17) can be established from the access unit (21) which is connectable to the external DMA channel (12), the DMA unit (11), and the processor bus (10).

As the demand for more powerful computing devices increases, more and more systems are offered that comprise more than just one processor.
For the purposes of the present invention, a distinction is to be made between computer systems that comprise two or more discrete processors and system where two or more processors are integrated on the same chip. A computer with a main central processing unit (CPU) on a mother board and an algorithmic processor on a graphics card is an example for a computer system with two discrete processors. Another example of a computer system with several discrete processors is a parallel computer where an array of processors is arranged such that an improved performance is achieved. For the sake of simplicity, systems on a board with two or more discrete processors are also considered to belong to the same category.
There are systems where two or more processors are integrated on the same chip or semiconductor die. A typical example is a SmartCard (also referred to as integrated circuit card) that has a main processor and a crypto-processor on the same semiconductor die.
As small handheld devices are becoming more and more popular, the demand for powerful and flexible chips is increasing. A typical example is the cellular phone which in the beginning of its dissemination was just a telephone for voice transmission (analog communication). Over the years additional features have been added and most of today's cellular phones are designed for voice and data services. Additional differentiators are wireless application protocol (WAP) support, paging and short message system (SMS) functionality, just to name some of the more recent developments. All these features require more powerful processors and quite often even dual-processor or multi-processor chips.
In the future, systems handling digital video streams for example will become available. These systems also require powerful and flexible chip sets.
Other examples are integrated circuit cards, such as multi-purpose JavaCards, small handheld devices, such as palm top computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs), and so forth.
It is essential for such dual-processor or multi-processor chips that there exists a communication channel for efficient inter-processor communication. The expression "inter-processor communication" is herein used as a synonym for any communication between a first processor and/or system resources associated with this first processor and a second processor and/or system resources associated with this second processor. A shared memory is an example of a system resource that needs to be accessible by all processors of a chip.
System resources have to be shared in an efficient manner in dual-processor or multi-processor chips where the processors operate in parallel on the same aspect of a task or on different aspects of the same task. The sharing of resources may also be necessary in applications where processors are called upon to process related data.
An example of a multi-processor system is given in the European Patent application EP 0580961-A1, filed on Apr. 16, 1993. The cited Patent application concerns a system with multiple discrete processors and a global bus that is shared by all these processors. Enhanced processor interfaces are provided for linking the processors to the common bus. Such multi-processor systems are not possible for RISC processors, due to the high bus load which would have an impact on the system's performance. The multi-processor system presented in EP 0 580 961-A1 is powerful but complicated and expensive to implement. The shown structure cannot be used in multi-processor systems on a common die.
Another system is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,597, filed on Apr. 26, 1985. This US Patent concerns a multi-processor system where each processor has its own processor bus. Data are exchanged between these processors via first-in-first-out data buffers (FIFO) which directly interconnect the respective processor buses. It is a disadvantage of this approach that the size of the buffers increases dramatically with the amount of data to be transferred.
A multi-processor system with a shared memory is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,903, filed on Sep. 17, 1991. The system in accordance with this US Patent comprises a plurality of processors, a shared memory (main memory), and a priority selector unit. The priority selector unit arbitrates between those processors the request access to the shared memory. This is necessary, since the shared memory is a single-port memory (e.g., a random access memory) that cannot handle simultaneous and competing requests from several processors. It is a disadvantage of this approach that the shared memory is expensive as only intermediate storage. The shared memory may become large with high data transfer.
Another multi-processor system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,588, filed on Apr. 24, 1990. The processors are coupled by a common bus. They can access a shared memory via this common bus. A cache is associated with each processor and an arbitration scheme is employed to control the access to the shared memory. It is a disadvantage of this approach that the cache memory is expensive as only big caches give a real performance boost. In addition, bus conflicts lead to a reduced performance of each processor.
A microprocessor architecture is described in the PCT Patent application PCT/JP92/00869, filed on Jul. 7, 1992, and published under PCT Publication number WO 93/01553. The architecture supports multiple heterogeneous processors which are coupled by data, address, and control signal buses. Access to a memory is controlled by arbitration circuits.
Some of the known multi-processor systems use architectures where the inter-processor communication occupies part of the processor's processing cycles. It is desirable to avoid this overhead and to free-up the processor's processing power in order to be able to exploit the processor's capabilities and performance.
Other known schemes cannot be used for integrated multi-processor systems where two or more processors are located within the same chip.
It is yet another disadvantage of some known systems that they are asymmetric in their implementation which means that different implementations are required for each processor. Furthermore, the effort for formal verification is greater for asymmetric than for symmetric implementations.

Inter-processor communication system for communication between processors


A surface-coated cutting tool includes a substrate composed of cemented carbide and a coating film. The coating film includes an intermediate layer in contact with the substrate and an upper layer formed on the intermediate layer. The upper layer is made up of a single layer consisting of an upper base layer which is a layer in contact with the intermediate layer or multiple layers constituted of two or more layers. A mismatch in lattice interplanar spacing in an interface region between the substrate and the intermediate layer is not higher than 65% of a theoretical value of a mismatch in lattice interplanar spacing between the substrate and the upper base layer. A mismatch in lattice interplanar spacing in an interface region between the intermediate layer and the upper base layer is not higher than 65% of the theoretical value of the mismatch in lattice interplanar spacing between the substrate and the upper base layer.

A surface-coated cutting tool of which various characteristics represented by wear resistance have been improved by forming a coating film on a surface of a substrate has been known. Technical development for improving adhesiveness between a substrate and a coating film by providing an intermediate layer (a lowermost layer of the coating film which is in contact with the substrate) between the substrate and the coating film in a surface-coated cutting tool of such a type has been promoted [for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 07-310173 (PTD 1), Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 08-127862 (PTD 2), and International Publication WO2015/186503 (PTD 3)].


The rear wall portion has a curved portion curved in an approximately arc shape in top plan view to serve as a right or left end thereof. An engine is provided on the upper frame at a position in front of the rear wall portion in such a manner that an interspace is formed between the engine and the curved portion. An exhaust aftertreatment device is provided in front of the rear wall portion while being superposed over the interspace. The exhaust aftertreatment device comprises a first treatment section and a second treatment section. The first treatment section and the second treatment section are supported over the upper frame in a posture where respective longitudinal directions of the first and second treatment sections are oriented parallel to each other in top plan view and along the curved portion in top plan view.

Heretofore, there has been known a construction machine comprising a lower traveling body, an upper slewing body provided on the lower traveling body slewably about a slewing axis, and a work implement attached to the upper slewing body in a raisable and lowerable manner (such as a hydraulic excavator described in JP 2011-157721 A (hereinafter referred to as "Patent Literature 1")).
In the hydraulic excavator described in the Patent Literature 1, a rear portion of the upper slewing body has a shape capable of staying within a range equal to or slightly greater than a width of the lower traveling body during a slewing movement about the slewing axis.
Specifically, the upper slewing body comprises an upper frame slewably provided on the lower traveling body, and a rear wall portion provided in a rear portion of the upper frame to cover a space over the upper frame from therebehind. The rear wall portion has a right or left end portion curved in an approximately arc shape in top plan view (this end will hereinafter be referred to as "curved portion").
The hydraulic excavator described in the Patent Literature 1 further comprises an engine provided on the upper frame at a position in front of the rear wall portion, and an exhaust aftertreatment device configured to treat exhaust gas of the engine, and provided in front of the rear wall portion while being superposed over an interspace between the engine and the curved portion. As above, the exhaust aftertreatment device is provided at a position offset laterally from a position directly above the engine (provided over the interspace between the engine and the curved portion), so that it becomes possible to ensure a space for performing maintenance of the engine above the engine.
The exhaust aftertreatment device comprises a first treatment section capable of removing a first component contained in the exhaust gas, and a second treatment section capable of removing a second component contained in the exhaust gas.
The first treatment section and the second treatment section are supported over the upper frame, while being arranged side-by-side in a right-left (lateral) direction. In this arrangement, respective longitudinal directions of the first and second treatment sections are oriented along a front-rear direction and parallel to each other. Further, respective longitudinal edge faces (rear edge faces) of the first and second treatment sections are positioned in offset relation from each other in the front-rear direction, in conformity to a shape of the curved portion.
However, in the hydraulic excavator described in the Patent Literature 1, because the longitudinal directions of the first and second treatment sections are oriented along the front-rear direction, a relatively wide dead space is undesirably formed between the curved portion, and the longitudinal edge faces and longitudinally-extending lateral surfaces (right lateral surfaces) of the first and second treatment sections, in a top plan view.

KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.


A preloader in which one end of a wire, which is connected to a webbing take-up shaft via a clutch unit when a vehicle is abruptly decelerated, is fixed to a piston in a cylinder. The cylinder has a pair of through holes defined therethrough. The through holes are defined further toward a base of the cylinder than the piston is located, when the piston is held in abutment against a leading end of the cylinder. When the vehicle is abruptly decelerated, a large quantity of gas is generated by a gas generator and is introduced into the cylinder, thereby moving the piston to abut against the leading end of the cylinder. In this condition, the gas, which has been introduced into the cylinder, passes through the through holes so as to be discharged from the cylinder to an outside. Accordingly, the high pressure gas does not act on the piston.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a preloader suitable for use with a webbing retractor or the like, for firmly fastening a webbing around an occupant when a vehicle is abruptly decelerated.
2. Description of the Related Art:
In a seat belt system, an occupant is restrained by a webbing when a vehicle is abruptly decelerated. However, the performance of restraint of the occupant by the webbing cannot be sufficiently exhibited when a spacing between the webbing and the occupant is large. Therefore, there has been proposed a webbing retractor provided integrally with a preloader of a type wherein the webbing is firmly applied to the occupant by forcibly pulling the webbing in a webbing winding direction when the vehicle is abruptly decelerated.
In this type of preloader, when the vehicle is abruptly decelerated, a piston is moved along the inside of the cylinder by high pressure gas rapidly generated from a gas generator loaded with an explosive or the like. The movement of the piston is then converted into a rotational force in the webbing winding direction by a clutch means. Afterwards, the rotational force thus converted is transmitted to a webbing take-up shaft so as to wind the webbing on the webbing take-up shaft, thereby firmly applying the webbing to the occupant.
In the preloader, however, the high pressure gas acts on the piston, so that the piston is moved toward the leading end (terminal region of stroke) of the cylinder at a high speed. It is therefore necessary to increase the strength of the leading end of the cylinder.


A wavelength conversion member which can achieve high color purity and optimize color temperature according to environmental changes, a light source assembly including the wavelength conversion member, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) including the light source assembly. The light source assembly includes a light-emitting chip which generates light and a wavelength conversion member which includes wavelength conversion particles that convert the light into light having a predetermined wavelength, the predetermined wavelength being determined according to the size of the wavelength conversion particles.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a wavelength conversion member, and more particularly, to a wavelength conversion member which can achieve high color purity and optimize color temperature according to environmental changes, a light source assembly including the wavelength conversion member and an LCD including the light source assembly.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years, the demand for flat panel display devices, such as plasma display panel (PDP) devices, plasma-addressed liquid crystal (PALC) display panel devices, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices, has increased dramatically since conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) devices cannot to meet the ever-increasing demand for thin and large-scale display devices.
As one of the most widely used flat panel display devices, LCDs generally include two display panels with field-generating electrodes such as pixel and common electrodes mounted thereon, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two display panels. An LCD determines the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in a liquid crystal layer, and thus adjusts the transmittance of the liquid crystal layer, thereby displaying an image.
Generally, most LCDs are passive light-emitting devices and thus require a backlight assembly which provides light. Various light sources such as a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), an external electrode fluorescent lamp (EEFL) or a light-emitting diode (LED) may be used in a backlight assembly. However, to meet the recent demand for a light source capable of providing high definition and high luminance, it is necessary to develop a light source assembly capable of maintaining high definition and high luminance even after a long use and adjusting the color temperature of light according to the properties of the environment in which the light source assembly is used.

Wavelength conversion member, light source assembly including the wavelength conversion member and liquid crystal display including the light source assembly


For each product category offered by an on-line retailer, the most popular or biggest selling products are identified. The on-line retailer competes with a bricks-and-mortar store in the sale of the identified products. A dedicated area is provided within the store. In this area, the store provides, for each identified product, both: 1) a physical purchasable unit of the product, and 2) descriptive information about the product. The descriptive information includes: 1) an identification of the product, 2) an identification of the on-line retailer, 3) a price at which the product is offered on-line by the on-line retailer, and 4) a price at which the product is offered at the store. The customer can use the descriptive information to confirm the prices, and can then purchase a physical unit of the product, and can immediately take the unit from the store without having to wait for, and pay for, shipment.

Traditionally, physical retail items were sold at the retail level in so-called "bricks-and-mortar" stores. The term "bricks-and-mortar" means that the store is a physical place where there are physical products available for customers to purchase and take out of the store, as opposed to a virtual store that a customer cannot physically frequent. Increasingly today, however, products are sold by so-called "on-line retailers". Typically, a customer of an on-line retailer uses a computer browser to go to an internet web-site maintained by the on-line retailer and uses the web-site to order and pay for a product in an on-line transaction. The purchased product must then be shipped to the customer, so the customer at the time of ordering elects a mode of shipment and pays for the product to be shipped to the customer. As compared to a traditional transaction at a bricks-and-mortar store, the customer typically incurs the added cost of inefficient point-to-point shipment. There is also a substantial delay between the time of purchase and the time when the product eventually arrives in delivered form to the customer. Nonetheless, for various reasons, on-line retailers often take market share from many bricks-and-mortar retailers. Techniques and methods are sought whereby owners of bricks-and-mortar stores can recapture some of this lost market share.

Structure and method for online store located within bricks-and-mortar store


A thin film sheet manufacturing apparatus includes: an extruder; a cooling water tank; a dehydration tank; a dehydrator; and a winder for winding the thin film sheet passing the dehydrator, wherein the dehydrator includes: a support frame extending back and forth; a transferring roller; upper and lower air blowing pipes; an air blower connected to the upper and lower air blowing pipes to supply air of high pressure to the upper and lower air blowing pipes; and support rollers disposed in front of the upper and lower air blowing pipes for supporting the thin film sheet to be supplied between the upper and lower air blowing pipes.

The present invention relates to a thin film sheet manufacturing apparatus which can manufacture a thin film sheet of a thin synthetic resin or a thin rubber material.
Recently, high-powered electronic products of various kinds, such as smart phones, monitors of various kinds, and televisions, have been developed and widely used.
In the meantime, because such electronic products have been thinner and thinner, a thin film sheet of a thin synthetic resin material is inserted into the electronic product, so as to secure insulating properties between substrates or various components and to serve a buffering function to absorb impact applied to the substrates or various components.
In this instance, the thin film sheet is made of a silicon material which is flexible and elastic, and has a thickness of about 0.4 mm.
Meanwhile, because silicon which is used as a raw material for such a thin film sheet is not environment-friendly and tears easily, methods for manufacturing thin film sheets using synthetic resin of different kinds including rubber which is environment-friendly and has high strength have been studied, but the conventional thin film sheet manufacturing apparatus has a problem in that it is difficult to make rubber into a thin film sheet form.
Moreover, recently, because such electronic products have been thinner and thinner, consumers demand thin film sheet products which have a thickness of less than 0.4 mm, but the conventional thin film sheet manufacturing apparatus has a problem in that it cannot manufacture products of the thickness of less than 0.4 mm.
Therefore, a new method to solve the above problem is needed.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device includes the steps of constructing a plurality of lead frames having leads which each include an inner portion and an outer portion and electrically connecting a semiconductor chip to the inner portions of the leads of each frame. The lead frames are then stacked one above each other to form a vertical stack and plates are then inserted between each of the lead frames with each plate having an opening in the center whereby a central cavity is formed in the stack. The stack is then placed between a top mold member and a bottom mold member and a resin is injected into the central cavity whereupon the resin is cured to form a single resin package encapsulating the semiconductor chips. The resin package is then released from the mold members.

A memory module, as represented by the SIMM (i.e., Single In-line Memory Module), is widely utilized as a semiconductor memory to be mounted on an engineering workstation (EWS) or a computer. The SIMM is usually given a construction in which a semiconductor chip having a memory LSI such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or a SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) is packaged into an LSI package such as an SOJ (Small Out-line J-leaded Package) and in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are mounted on one or both sides of a printed circuit board.
For the EWS or a parallel processing computer of recent years, however, there is required a memory (RAM) of large capacity for processing massive data at a high speed. In order to meet this requirement, therefore, a three-dimensional technique has been investigated for the memory module. This is because a system having an LSI package planarly (or two-dimensionally) over a printed circuit board has a larger size in the printed circuit board as the memory capacity grows larger.
As a specific example of a three-dimensional memory module, there is known the structure (as disclosed on pp. 33 to 39 of "Electronic Materials" issued on Sep. 1, 1993 by Kogyo Chosakai) in which several layers of very thin LSI packages such as TSOP (Thin Small Out-line Package) are stacked, with the printed circuit boards on their two side walls and in which the leads of the TSOP are held by the side boards.
According to the three-dimensional memory module of this kind, more LSI packages can be mounted on the printed circuit board of the same area to realize a small-size/large-capacity memory module. Moreover, the wiring length for connecting the packages can be made smaller than that of the case that the LSI packages are planarly mounted on the printed circuit board, to raise a great advantage in the aspect of high speed.
However, the three-dimensional memory module of the conventional structure, in which the very thin LSI packages such as TSOP are stacked, has found it difficult to reduce the size of the module and the heat resistance of the package at the same time.
Specifically, when the LSI packages such as TSOP are stacked, the thickness of the resin between the upper and lower semiconductor chips is doubled to increase the heat resistance of the package. In order to lower this heat resistance, therefore, a suitable gap has to be established between the packages so that the external size of the module in the vertical direction is enlarged.
Effective means for reducing the size of the three-dimensional memory module is to package a plurality of semiconductor chips into one package. With this means, the thickness of the resin between the upper and lower semiconductor chips is thinned to reduce not only the external size of the package in the vertical direction but also the heat resistance of the package.
Merely by packaging a plurality of semiconductor chips simply into one package, however, it is impossible to provide a highly reliable memory module. Specifically, when a plurality of semiconductor chips are packaged into one package, it is anticipated that the temperature difference between the center portion and the peripheral portion of the package may become large to cause a serious heat stress in the package. Hence, it is essential to provide a structure design for dissipating the heat of the central portion of the package quickly to the outside.
When a plurality of semiconductor chips are packaged into one package, their testing, screening and aging methods are serious problems. Specifically for the module in which a plurality of semiconductor modules are packaged into one package, none of the semiconductor chips can be replaced even if it is found defective after the packaging step. In order to improve the manufacture yield of the module, therefore, after the semiconductor chips are mounted on the lead frames and subjected to the wire bonding, it is necessary to perform the testing, screening and aging steps for confirming whether or not all the semiconductor chips are normally operating, immediately before the step of packaging the semiconductor chips. In the lead frames before packaged, however, all the leads are electrically connected through tie bars so that the lead frames cannot be tested, screened and aged as they are.
When a plurality of semiconductor chips are packaged into one package, on the other hand, the yield and throughput of the packaging step raise another problem. It is ordinary that the LSI package such as TSOP is molded by the insert molding method of injecting a resin into the gaps between the lead frames sandwiched between the upper part and the lower part. However, when the lead frames mounted with the semiconductor chips are stacked and packaged altogether, it is necessary to eliminate the difficulty which is encountered when parting the package from the conventional mold composed of the top and bottom forces. Other countermeasures are further required against the reluctant flow of the resin into the gaps between the stacked lead frames and against the voids (or clearances).
In the three-dimensional memory module of the conventional structure, on the other hand, all the semiconductor chips are mounted on the lead frames having the same pin array. However, the connections of the data pins are different for the individual semiconductor chips, the lead frames cannot be simply connected in the vertical direction if they have the same pin array. This makes it necessary to arrange the printed circuit board on both side walls of the stacked LSI packages as in the aforementioned memory module disclosed in the foregoing Publication, so that the reduction in the size of the module is restricted.
Moreover, it is difficult for the three-dimensional memory module having the conventional structure to be adapted to multiple bits. Specifically, a multi-bit device having a large data width such as a memory module of 36 bits has found it difficult to design the lead frames in a small size because of many data lines, so that the package size and the bonding wire length have to be increased. Thus, it has been difficult for the prior art to mount a multi-bit device on a small-sized memory module.
An object of the present invention is to provide a small-size/high-performance multi-chip module and a small-size/large-capacity memory module.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a small-size/high-performance multi-chip module.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a small-size/high-performance multi-chip module.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique which can provide the small-size/ high-performance multi-chip module at a reasonable cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique which can reduce the size of the multi-chip module mounted with multi-bit devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique which can improve the heat radiation properties of the multi-chip module.
The foregoing and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description to be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device, and process and apparatus for manufacturing the same


A DVD player with language learning function using a general DVD as an audio source of language learning. The DVD player includes a DVD play unit for playing the audio and video of the DVD and outputting a subtitle picture and display information for the subtitle picture according to a play control signal, a text identifying unit for receiving the subtitle picture and converting the subtitle picture into text data, a text-to-speech unit for receiving the text data and converting the text data into synthesized voice signal, and a control module for receiving the display information of the subtitle picture and generating the play control signal according to the display information and a learning mode selected by the user. Thus, the DVD player of the invention does not need specific audio source media.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a DVD player, and more particularly to a DVD player with language learning function capable of converting a DVD subtitle picture into text data and voice data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical language learning apparatuses need specific audio source media. That is, different audio source media have to be provided according to different language learning apparatuses. So, the learning object is limited to the audio source media for the language learning apparatus.
The video, audio and text data of a typical DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) are independent. When a DVD player is playing a DVD, an audio decoder, a video decoder and a sub-picture decoder are used to decode the audio signal, the video signal and the sub-picture units. FIG. 1 shows the hardware architecture of a typical DVD player. Referring to FIG. 1, a typical DVD player 10 includes a navigator 11, a demultiplexer 12, a decoder 13, an audio post process unit 14, an audio output unit 15, a video post process unit 16, a video output unit 17 and a user interface 18. The navigator 11 reads data from an optical disk 19 according to an input signal from the user interface 18, and then the demultiplexer 12 reads signals from the navigator 11 and outputs the audio data, video data, and sub-picture units to an audio decoder 131, a video decoder 132 and a sub-picture decoder 133 in the decoder 13.
The sub-picture decoder 133 decodes the sub-picture units to generate subtitle pictures and display information (including the information of time, positions of the subtitle pictures, color contrast of the subtitle pictures, and the like) of the subtitle pictures, and outputs the subtitle pictures according to the display time of the subtitle pictures. Generally, the subtitle pictures are recorded in the DVD in a bitmap format. The video post process unit 16 receives the subtitle pictures outputted from the sub-picture decoder 133 so as to combine the subtitle pictures with the video outputted from the video decoder 132. The audio decoder 131, the video decoder 132 and the sub-picture decoder 133 determine the output time according to the timing of the system. The typical DVD player uses the time of the video data or the audio data as the playing reference.
However, the typical DVD player can not be used as a language learning apparatus.


A heat-resistant material having excellent high-temperature strength and high oxidation resistance at temperatures exceeding 1300.degree. C. The material is a heat-resistant Cr-Fe alloy including at least 60% of Cr and at least 5% of Fe, and having a mean grain size of at least 50 .mu.m and having a melting point of at least 1600 .degree. C., or a composite material composed of the said heat-resistant alloy serving as a metal matrix and a ceramic, and containing up to 40% by volume of a dispersed ceramic phase in the metal matrix.

Heating furnaces of the walking beam type are used in the hot rolling process for heating steel materials such as steel pieces or slabs. These furnaces are equipped with skid beams in a plurality of rows for supporting and transporting steel pieces, slabs or like materials to be heated. These skid beams include movable beams and fixed beams. The movable beams periodically repeat an upward and downward movement and a horizontal reciprocating movement, whereby the material to be heated is transported while being transferred to the movable beam and the fixed beam alternately.
FIG. 1 shows a skid beam 1 which comprises a hollow skid pipe 10 provided on the top of its periphery with a plurality of skid buttons 12 arranged axially thereof at a specified spacing. A refractory lining 5 covers the outer peripheral surface of the skid pipe 10 and the base to upper portion of each skid button 12 for use in the interior of the heating furnace. The skid button 12 is a block in the form of a truncated cone, truncated pyramid or the like to support on the top thereof the material 3 to be heated.
Materials heretofore used for skid buttons are heat-resistant alloy steels such as high Ni high Cr alloy steels and high Co alloy steels (e.g., 50 Co--20 Ni--Fe steel).
Cooling water is forcibly passed through the skid pipe to diminish the thermal influence of the high-temperature oxidizing internal atmosphere of the furnace on the skid button and to a the rise in the temperature of the skid button. This assures the skid button of strength capable of withstanding the load of the material to be heated and protects the surface of the skid button from oxidation damage.
However, if the cooling action of the cooling water flowing through the skid pipe is insufficient, the skid button is subject, for example, to deformation or oxidation damage. On the other hand, the cooling action, if excessive, entails the problem that the material to be heated and supported on the top of the skid button is locally cooled by contact with the skid button, which produces a so-called skid mark and permits uneven heating of the material.
Especially recently, it has become common practice to operate heating furnaces at temperatures exceeding 1300.degree. C. to achieve higher operation efficiencies. For operation at such high temperatures, the skid button must be forcibly cooled more effectively so as to be protected from a reduction in strength and increase in oxidation damage. Nevertheless, an enhanced cooling action increases the temperature difference between the interior of the furnace and the skid button, not only aggravating uneven heating of the material as stated above but also entailing a greater heat loss.
Accordingly, skid buttons of conventional heat-resistant alloy have the problem of failing to withstand high operating temperatures and undergoing deformation due to the load of the material to be heated or oxidation damage or the like. Although it has been attempted to use sintered ceramic bodies as skid buttons, ceramics are brittle materials, are therefore liable to crack or chip, and are not usable with good stability.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above problems.


Systems and methods for actuating lens assemblies (e.g., for purposes of zoom and/or focus lens operations) that may be implemented, for example, in any camera lens or other lens application that employs one or more actuatable lenses.

The present invention relates generally to optical lenses, and more particularly to lens actuation assemblies.
Current lens systems (e.g., for camcorders, closed circuit television cameras, etc.) typically employ a rotational means of positioning lens elements. In one common method, the rotational motion is generated by a small motor that drives a lead screw mechanism, which in turn linearly drives the attached lens elements. In another common method the entire lens assembly is moved by means of a screw action similar to that of manually adjustable camera lens. In both cases, the motor must drive at excessive angular velocity to achieve desirable zoom or focus lens performance due to the fine thread pitch of either the lens barrel external thread or the lead screw. Using this type of conventional lens positioning technology allows for lens target acquisition times in the order of one second.


A flexible electro-optic circuit board (20) includes a polymer circuit board (22) and a polymer optical backplane (34). The polymer circuit board (22) includes a plurality of circuit elements (50, 52). The polymer optical backplane (34) has a plurality of optical transmission lines (44). A plurality of optical vias (30) couple the polymer circuit board (22) to the polymer optical backplane (34).

The invention of the laser held the promised of virtually unlimited bandwidth for communications and electronic applications. Two obstacles had to be overcome to unleash the promise of the laser. First, lasers had to be formed out of semiconductor materials to be compatible with modern electronic devices. Second, an optical waveguide for channeling and directing the laser light was required. Fiber optic cables and semiconductor lasers have overcome these obstacles allowing large bandwidth communication systems to be built. However, in present electro-optic systems there is a distinct dividing line between the electronic and the optical parts of the system leading to a problem in developing fully integrated electro-optical systems. One of the obstacles to achieving greater integration is a lack of a suitable device that is compatible with both electrical and optical signals.
Thus, there exists a need for an electro-optic device that is more compatible with both electrical and optical signals.


A catalyst for hydrogenation use in which the carrier of the catalyst comprises at least one compound from oxides and hydroxides of aluminum, silicon, titanium, zirconium, magnesium and iron, zeolites or silica-alumina, and the catalyst has an atomic ratio (the atomic ratio of the entire catalyst including the carrier, in the case of the use of an aluminum atom-containing substance as the carrier) of Cu/Fe/Al/(an alkali metal and/or an alkaline earth metal)/Zn=1/0.4 to 2.5/0.5 to 5.0/0.001 to 0.4/0 to 1.0. According to the present invention, a copper-iron-aluminum catalyst having markedly high activity and selectivity can be obtained, and, when the catalyst is used, higher alcohols having high purity can be obtained easily.

Higher alcohols are produced, in general, by the reduction of corresponding higher fatty acid methyl esters under high temperature and high pressure conditions in an atmosphere of hydrogen.
A copper-chromium oxide-based catalyst, generally called a "copper-chromite catalyst", has been used in this type of reaction. The processes for the production of this catalyst have hardly been improved since the initial disclosure thereof in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, vol.26, p.878 (1936). This catalyst has a serious disadvantage in that a large amount of hexavalent chromium ions are discharged in the production of the catalyst. In order to prevent environmental pollution, the heavy metals are collected by a suitable method. However, a final treatment method for heavy metal sludge produced in this method has not yet been established.
With the aim of overcoming such problem, copper-iron-aluminum catalysts produced by various processes have been proposed, for instance, in JP-A-53-92395, JP-A-55-8820 and JP-B-58-50775 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application", and the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication"). Though these catalysts are superior to the generally used copper-chromite catalyst in terms of activity, selectivity and durability, they have the disadvantage in that large scale filtration equipment is required because of their slow filtration rate when they are filtered out from catalyst-precipitated slurries during the production of a catalyst (JP-A-53-92395, JP-A-55-8820), in addition to other problems such as a filtration trouble due to considerable atomization of the catalyst when product after the hydrogen reduction is transferred from a high pressure reaction atmosphere into a normal pressure atmosphere through a high pressure valve. Also, a considerably high load is encountered upon the treatment of urea and ammonia waste water generated due to the use of urea as a catalyst precipitant (JP-A-55 -129151).

Hydrogenation catalyst and production process thereof


The present invention relates to a load sensor comprises an annular gauge ring comprising an annular inner ring portion and an annular outer ring portion. The gauge ring has strainable beam members and flexing beam members. The beam members interconnect the ring portions. The flexing beam members are thicker in comparison to the strainable beam members so that the flexible beam members are less subject to elongation and compression due to strain in comparison to the strainable beam members such that the flexing beam members substantially limit the relative movement between the ring portions to the load measuring direction when a load with a force component in the load measuring direction is applied to one of the ring portions by (1) resisting elongation and compression to substantially prevent relative movement between the ring portions in a transverse direction and (2) flexing to allow limited relative movement between the ring portions in the load measuring direction. The strainable beam. members are constructed and arranged such that the substantially isolated relative movement between the ring portions creates a strain in the load measuring direction in the strainable beam members. The strain has a magnitude directly related to a magnitude of the force component in the load measuring direction. A strain measuring an outputting device is adapted to measure the magnitude of the strain and to thereafter output the measured strain magnitude as an output signal which can be used to calculate the force component magnitude and hence the applied load. The load sensor of the present invention may be used in a variety of applications. The load sensor is particularly well suited for measuring belt tension in both idler and torque transmitting pulley assemblies. Also, the load sensor may be used to measure the co-efficient of friction between a bushing and an oscillating shaft.

The present invention relates to a load sensor and, in particular, to a load sensor for measuring belt tension in dynamic systems such as an idler or torque transmitting pulley.
In vehicle engines which have a number of belt driven components, proper belt tension is important to reducing belt noise, increasing belt life, and enhancing performance. If the belt is too tense, the belt""s effective life will be reduced and increased belt noises will occur during vehicle operation. If the belt is too slack, slippage between the belt and its associated pulleys may occur, thereby causing a deleterious effect on engine performance.
A number of devices are known for measuring belt tension. Three-point tension measurement devices are crude devices which are not often used because of two major drawbacks. First, the device is bulky and cannot be used with tight belt drives, such as timing belt drives in automotive engines. Second, the device considerably changes the dynamic behavior of the belt system, and therefore does not provide accurate measurements.
Static and dynamic belt span vibratory frequency measurement devices, such as clavis gauges or laser probes, measure the frequency of a laterally vibrating belt. The measurement can thereafter be used to calculate the actual belt tension, providing the mass of the belt and the span end pivot conditions are known. Because these conditions are not always constant, this method is not always accurate. These inaccuracy problems increase when measuring the frequency of a running belt, especially during mixed mode belt vibrations. Furthermore, measuring the frequency of a running belt only reveals the average dynamic tension, not the highs and lows of the belt tension.
Belt tension can also be measured using tension-sensitive coatings on the belt. This method, however, is highly sensitive to other belt stresses (e.g., belt twisting) in addition to pure tension. Also, this method is cumbersome, expensive, and unreliable in environmentally demanding conditions such as automotive engines.
Torque sensors on driven and driving pulleys or sprockets are commercially available devices that measure belt tension with relatively high accuracy. These sensors, however, can seldom be used due to space limitations, especially on timing belt drives. Furthermore, their high inertia makes them unacceptable for measuring dynamic system behavior.
Custom-made strain gauged drive components may also be used to measure belt tension, but these are time consuming and expensive to manufacture because of their customized nature. In addition, these devices are generally inaccurate due to lack of thermal compensating. Furthermore, in most cases, the strain gauged section of the device is relatively far from the belt/pulley interface, introducing errors, especially those caused by inertia in high frequency measurement conditions. This usually results in the device itself vibrating, which can be witnessed as negative force readings, noise, and high hysteresis value readings. Finally, these types of devices are highly sensitive to belt mistracking, i.e., belt centerline variation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pulley assembly in which dynamic belt tension can be accurately measuring without affecting the dynamic behavior of the driven system. In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a pulley assembly for measuring driving element tension in a system driven by a tensioned endless driving element. The pulley assembly comprises a rotatable pulley member having a driving element engaging outer surface engageable with the tensioned driving element such that the driving element applies a load to the pulley member directly related to the driving element tension. The load has a force component in a load measuring direction. The pulley member is mounted to a shaft assembly also comprises a load sensor which in turn comprises an annular gauge ring comprising an annular inner ring portion and an annular outer ring portion. The gauge ring is operatively associated with one of the pulley member and the shaft such that the load applied to the pulley member causes relative movement between the ring portions. The ring has strainable beam members extending in the load measuring direction and flexing beam members extending in a transverse direction generally perpendicular to the load measuring direction. The strainable beam members and the flexing beam members interconnect the ring portions.
The flexing beam members are thicker in comparison to the strainable beam members so that the flexing beam members are less subject to elongation and compression due to strain in comparison to the strainable beam members such that the flexing beam members substantially limit the relative movement between the ring portions to the load measuring direction when the load is applied to the pulley member by (1) resisting elongation to substantially prevent relative movement between the ring portions in the transverse direction and (2) flexing to allow limited relative movement between the ring portions in the load measuring direction. The strainable beam members are constructed and arranged such that the limited relative movement between the ring portions creates a strain in the load measuring direction in the strainable beam members. The strain has a magnitude directly related to a magnitude of the force component in the load measuring direction. The load sensor also comprises a strain measuring and outputting device operable to measure the magnitude of the strain and to thereafter output the measured strain magnitude as an output signal which can be used to calculate the force component magnitude and hence the driving element tension.
The pulley assembly of the present invention has a number of advantages over tension measuring devices known heretofore. Most importantly, the use of the load sensor in the pulley assembly of the present invention does not significantly affect the dynamic behavior of the driven system. Therefore, it is possible to obtain accurate readings of the belt tension as they would be found in practical applications. In addition, because the strainable beam members are relatively thin they are sensitive to the applied load and the resulting measurements are not affected by any transverse loading components because of the relative thickness of the transverse flexing beam members. Furthermore, the load sensor in the pulley assembly of the present invention can be arranged in close proximity to the belt/pulley interface such that slight variations in belt tension can be sensed by the measuring and outputting device. Thus, the load sensor of the present invention provides enhanced sensitivity to dynamic load changes.
The pulley assembly of the present invention can take a variety of forms. As will be seen from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, the gauge ring may be fixedly mounted to a fixed shaft with the pulley member rotatably mounted to the outside of the gauge ring, preferably by a ball bearing assembly. Additionally, the shaft may be rotatable and the gauge ring may be fixedly mounted to the shaft with the pulley member fixedly mounted to the gauge ring such that all three components rotate together. This arrangement can be particularly useful not only in an idler pulley assembly but also in a torque transmitting pulley assembly.
In its broadest aspects, the present invention is concerned with the load sensor itself out of the pulley assembly environment. The load sensor of the present invention comprises an annular gauge ring comprising an annular inner ring portion and an annular outer ring portion. The gauge ring has strainable beam members and flexing beam members. The beam members interconnect the ring portions. The flexing beam members are thicker in comparison to the strainable beam members so that the flexible beam members are less subject to elongation and compression due to strain in comparison to the strainable beam members such that the flexing beam members substantially limit the relative movement between the ring portions to the load measuring direction when a load with a force component in the load measuring direction is applied to one of the ring portions by (1) resisting elongation and compression to substantially prevent relative movement between the ring portions in a transverse direction and (2) flexing to allow limited relative movement between the ring portions in the load measuring direction. The strainable beam members are constructed and arranged such that the substantially isolated relative movement between the ring portions creates a strain in the load measuring direction in the strainable beam members. The strain has a magnitude directly related to a magnitude of the force component in the load measuring direction. A strain measuring an outputting device is adapted to measure the magnitude of the strain and to thereafter output the measured strain magnitude as an output signal which can be used to calculate the force component magnitude and hence the applied load.
The load sensor itself can be used in a variety of applications. As can be appreciated from the above discussion and the following detailed description, the load sensor of the present invention has many commercially advantageous applications for measuring belt tension in systems driven by an endless belt. The load sensor of the present invention may also be used to measure friction between an oscillating shaft and a bushing as disclosed hereinbelow. It is to be understood that the load sensor of the present invention may be applied to a wide variety of measuring applications and not only to those specifically disclosed in the present application.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

Load sensor with flexing and strainable beam members


A labeling machine for labeling containers such as bottles, cans, and similar containers. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

1. Technical Field
This application relates to labeling machines for labeling containers, such as bottles, cans, and similar containers. The containers may be used to contain or store different products, such as beverages. In general, the labeling machines apply a label or labels to the exterior surface of the containers after they have been filled and closed in other sections of a bottling or container filling plant. The labeling machines are often of a rotary style in that they comprise a rotor that rotates about a vertical axis, with a plurality of container support structures positioned about or on the periphery of the rotor. As the rotor rotates, the container support structures and the containers supported thereon or thereby are moved past at least one labeling machine which applies a label onto the container. The containers may also be moved past inspection devices which inspect the orientation of the container in or on the support structure, or which inspect the placement and orientation of the labels on the containers after application.
This application further relates to container handling machines, such as filling, closing, and cleaning machines, which may be used in a container filling or beverage bottling plant. This application also further relates to an actuator servo control device for use on devices or machines for the handling of bottles, cans and similar containers with a drive element, such as an electric-motor drive element, with an electronic control and/or monitoring system and with a sensor system for the detection and measurement of operating conditions or parameters of the servo control device.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
Some devices or machines for the handling of bottles, cans or similar containers, have a plurality of handling positions formed on the periphery of a rotor which is driven in rotation around a vertical machine axis, and specifically whereby each position has a plate-shaped container carrier. Located on the container carriers are the containers, standing upright on their container bottoms and with their container axis oriented in the vertical direction, and as the rotor rotates, the containers are moved past processing stations. For example, when the machine is realized in the form of a labeling machine the containers are moved past labeling units.
For the placement of the containers in an orientation for the handling operation (e.g. the application of the labels), the container carriers can be rotated in a controlled manner around a container carrier axis by means of a servo control device. Each servo control device thereby forms, together with an electric-motor drive, with an electronic control system and with at least one sensor that measures the angular position or the respective angle of rotation of the electric-motor drive and thus also of the container carrier, a fully functional modular assembly which is provided interchangeably on the rotor and is connected via an external bus system, which is partially also realized in the rotor, with a central computer that controls the machine for the transmission of control commands, among other things.
As a result of the modular realization of the servo control devices it is possible, among other things, to replace a defective servo control device with a properly operating servo control device and to perform any repair of the defective servo control device that may be appropriate or necessary outside the machine, for example also in a special or repair plant which is independent of the user of the machine. One disadvantage of this arrangement is that the causes of defects or malfunctions in many cases can no longer be traced, especially after the servo control device has been removed from the machine, and can often times only be identified by means of a complex, time-consuming and expensive troubleshooting process.

Labeling machine for labeling containers, such as bottles, cans, and similar containers


A control system for controlling a plurality of control elements, which are effective to control of a given controlled system, is disclosed. In this control system, a characteristic value representing the characteristic of a given controlled system to be controlled is detected, and respective optimum manipulated variables of the plurality of control elements are derived on the basis of the detected characteristic value. The optimum manipulated variables are derived by setting a plurality of reference patterns representing different features of the characteristic value on the basis of a predicted value of the characteristic value, deriving degree of conviction that the detected characteristic value belongs to each of the reference patterns, presetting rules whereby a manipulated variable of each of the plurality of control elements is determined when the detected characteristic value belongs to each of the plurality of reference patterns, and deriving a manipulated variable of each control element on the basis of degree of conviction that the detected characteristic value belongs to each of the plurality of reference patterns and the manipulated variable determining rule preset with respect to each control element for each reference pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
In a control system for controlling a controlled system activated by a plurality of actuators, the present invention relates to a control system and an optimality decision unit which define optimum controlled variables of individual actuators by synthetically judging the operation of the above described controlled system and a plurality of actuators.
2. Description of the Related Art
In control units of the prior art, control is effected by using a plurality of output signals representing the operating state of the controlled system. In such a scheme that individual outputs are observed to effect control, control becomes local and optimality of the overall system cannot be considered, resulting in a drawback.
In recent years, therefore, it is demanded to derive the overall optimality by using a plurality of signals. By using a rolling mill system, which is so complicated that a single control unit may not control it, as the controlled system, for example, operation of a conventional control unit and a conventional control method will now be described.
From the viewpoint of improvement in quality and productivity of products, improvement in precision of shape control is keenly demanded for a rolling mill which rolls a material to be rolled. In a multistage rolling mill, the shape control of the rolled material is performed by three kinds of control, i.e., control of a work roll bender, an intermediate roll bender and an intermediate roll shifter. Even if the rolled material is a hard material such as stainless steel, a product having a shape which is satisfactory to some degree can be obtained by the above described shape control as described in "Hitachi Review", Vol. 70, No. 6, (June 1988), pp. 81 to 86. In the above described three kinds of shape control, however, a local shape defect such as local elongation caused in the rolled material by deformation of work rolls cannot be corrected. Deformation of rolls is caused by frictional heat and plastic working heat, and it is typically referred to as thermal crown. For correction of local shape defect, it is considered that shape control using coolant control, in which coolant is injected into the work rolls, is effective. The shape control using coolant control is already put into practical use.
However, physical characteristics of rolling largely change depending upon various factors. Even if control is effected by making a control model in the vicinity of a particular operation point, therefore, the model diverges from the actual operation of the rolling mill in many cases. As a result, feedback control, which brings about a fine result if the model is accurate, cannot fully demonstrate its ability and cannot exceed a skilled operator who manipulates the rolling mill in accordance with intuition and experience, resulting in a problem.
In the above described art, attention was not paid to making the best use of know-how of skilled operators and there was a problem of control performance.

Control system having optimality decision means


The present invention includes wood I-beams with synthetic fiber reinforcement. In a preferred embodiment, a wood I-beam includes an opposed pair of elongated wood flanges and a substantially continuous web positioned between them. In one embodiment, the web includes multiple metal tubes that extend between the wood flanges and form a zig zag pattern. The ends of the metal tubes are flattened parallel to the plane of the metal web so the ends can fit within either slots in the top surface of the bottom wood flange or slots in the bottom surface of the top wood flange. Metal pins pass through the sides of the wood flanges and the flattened ends of the metal tubes to secure the tubular metal web to the flanges. In other embodiments the web includes oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood. Synthetic reinforcements are adhered to the wood flanges so that the metal pins also pass through the reinforcements. The synthetic reinforcements preferably include multiple synthetic fiber strands held within a resin matrix.

Beams, trusses, joists, and columns are the typical structural members that support the weight or loads of structures, including buildings and bridges. Structural members may be manufactured from a variety of materials, including steel, concrete, and wood, according to the structure design, environment, and cost.
Wood structural members are now typically manufactured from multiple wood segments that are bonded together, such as in glue-laminated members, laminated veneer lumber, parallel strand lumber and I-beams. These manufactured wood structural members have replaced sawn lumber or timbers because the former have higher design limits resulting from better inspection and manufacturing controls. Wood is a desirable material for use in many structural members because of its various characteristics, including strength for a given weight, appearance, cyclic load response, and fire resistance.
Wood I-beams can be manufactured with a wide variety of structural components. Generally, wood I-beams include a pair of parallel wood or manufactured wood flanges that are secured along their lengths to a transverse web material that can be formed of wood, manufactured wood, or steel.
FIG. 1 is an exploded side elevation of a conventional steel web wood I-beam 10 of a type widely used as beams, floor joists, and roof joists. Steel web wood I-beam 10 includes an opposed pair of elongated wood flanges 12 and 14 that have positioned between them multiple straight steel tubes 16 arranged in a zig zag pattern as a substantially continuous tubular steel web 18 formed. Wood flanges 12 and 14 typically are formed of multiple wood sections 20 that are joined at their ends by finger joints 22.
Steel tubes 16 have ends 24 that are flattened parallel to the plane of tubular steel web 18 to fit within either slots 26 in top surface 28 of wood flange 12 or similar slots (not shown) in bottom surface 32 of wood flange 14. Metal pins 34 pass through the sides of wood flanges 12 and 14 and flattened ends 24 of the steel tubes 16 so that tubular steel web 18 is secured to flanges 12 and 14.
Conventional manufacturing practices provide steel web wood I-beams that are of generally high quality and have generally high design limits that include having adequate stiffness to meet application deflection criteria. These manufacturing practices typically specify the grade of wood used to form flanges 12 and 14, the type and size of steel tubes 16, the pitch of the zig zag pattern formed by steel web 18, the size and placement of pins 34, and the size and form of flanges 12 and 14.
In conventional manufacturing practices, wood flanges 12 and 14 are formed of high grade wood so that flanges 12 and 14 can withstand the tensile and compressive forces applied to the I-beam, the shearing forces exerted by pins 34, and the pressure in flanges 12 and 14 adjacent pins 34. Finger joints 18 have a strength that is typically at least about 60 percent of the strength of the wood that is joined together. High grade wood is also required so that finger joints 18 have at least a minimum strength to prevent a localized failure that could lead to total failure or collapse of the beam.
Knots and slope of grain variations are typically avoided in flanges 12 and 14 because they can initiate localized failure under compression. The limited availability of affordable high quality wood can greatly increase the cost of steel web wood I-beams or require use of oversized flanges of lower quality wood. Moreover, conventional steel web wood I-beams suffer from the disadvantage of failing completely whenever tension flange failure occurs.

Wood I-beam with synthetic fiber reinforcement


The invention relates to a method for filtering information emitted, on the basis of pressure measurements taken by a pressure sensor mounted on a wheel of a vehicle equipped with a tire, to a central unit mounted on the vehicle. According to this method, a value representative of the pressure of the air in the tire is measured periodically, with a period θ, and from this any possible variations ΔP in pressure between the values of the pressures successively measured are deduced; in parallel, with the same period θ, a value representative of the temperature of the air in the tire is measured. In addition, when there is a variation ΔP in pressure between two measured pressure values, that is greater in terms of absolute value than a predetermined threshold Sp, the variation ΔT between the two temperature values measured at the same instants as the measured pressures is calculated. The emission of a signal representative of a variation in pressure to the central unit is commanded only if the comparative change in the pressure and in the measured temperature might be representative of a variation of the amount of air in the tire.

Increasing numbers of motor vehicles have, for safety reasons, monitoring systems comprising pressure sensors mounted on each of the wheels of the vehicle and dedicated to measuring the pressure in the tires with which these wheels are equipped, and intended to inform the driver of any abnormal variation in the measured pressure.
These monitoring systems conventionally comprise:                mounted on each of the wheels of the vehicle, a box—termed wheel unit—incorporating in particular a sensor, a microprocessor electrically powered by a battery, and an emitter, for example of the radiofrequency emitter or inductive emitter type,        and, mounted on the vehicle, a central unit for receiving the signals emitted by the emitters, particularly provided with a computer incorporating a receiver, such as a radiofrequency receiver or an inductive receiver, connected to an aerial.
Usually, and for each tire:                measurements of the pressure of the air in this tire are taken periodically by the associated pressure sensor,        then any variations ΔP in pressure between the values of the pressures successively measured are deduced from these measurements,        and, finally, when a variation ΔP in pressure between two measured pressure values is higher in terms of absolute value than a predetermined threshold Sp, the emission of a signal representing a variation in pressure to the central unit is commanded.
The central unit for its part is programmed to process the signals emitted by the sensors in each wheel and, particularly after comparing and correlating said signals, to deliver a message able to inform the driver of an abnormal pressure variation in one of the wheels of the vehicle, and to identify the wheel concerned.
One of the disadvantages of such a design lies in the fact that all the variations in tire pressure higher than the predetermined threshold give rise to the emission of a signal to the central unit which alone, by virtue of its computational power and its ability to compare and correlate the signals received from the various sensors, is able to process the signals received in such a way as to determine whether they do actually represent a true anomaly in the tire inflation pressure.
Now, the processing performed by the central unit has revealed that a large proportion of the signals emitted to this unit are not representative of a true anomaly in the tire inflation pressure and these signals therefore have no justification in being emitted.
It is therefore apparent from this observation that a great many signals are needlessly emitted to the central unit by the wheel unit, thus shortening the battery life of the batteries used to power the microprocessors fitted on the wheels and needlessly and significantly "contaminating" the environment surrounding the vehicle, thus giving rise to increased risks of parasitic interference between nearby vehicles.

Method and device for filtering information emitted by a pressure sensor mounted on a wheel of a vehicle


The present invention discloses a pixel unit and an array substrate. The pixel unit comprises: a plurality of pixel electrodes, including oblique pixel electrodes extending obliquely and transverse pixel electrodes located on edges of the oblique pixel electrodes and extending transversely, the plurality of pixel electrodes forming a display region having an opening region; and, a conductive unit which is located within the opening region and partially overlapped with projections of the oblique pixel electrodes, one corner of the conductive unit close to the oblique pixel units being an unfilled corner or a round corner. Accordingly, the impact of an electric field around the opening region on the electric field of the oblique pixel electrodes is reduced, and the impact on the liquid crystal orientation of the opening region is reduced; the dark fringe of pixels is improved; the aperture ratio of pixels is increased; and the quality of display is improved.

The Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) technology, as a mainstream display manufacturing technology at present, has been widely applied. With the continuous improvement of the manufacturing technology, the resolution of liquid crystal displays becomes higher and higher, from high definition (1366×768) very popular in the past to full high definition (1920×1080), to 4K2K (3840×2160) TV sets currently popular with consumers and even 8K4K (7680×4320) TV sets to be launched in the future.
The improvement of the resolution of liquid crystal displays implies that the pixel unit becomes smaller and smaller, the difficulty in design and manufacture becomes lager and larger and the distance between various wirings also becomes smaller and smaller. Consequently, various problems, one of which is the dark fringe of pixels, are caused.
The dark fringe of pixels refers that an opening region in a pixel unit close to a via hole is non-transmittable to light normally during the normal display of a liquid crystal panel. As shown in FIG. 1, a structural diagram a main region of a pixel unit in the prior art is shown. The pixel unit includes a plurality of electrodes and a pad 20. The pixel electrodes include a plurality of oblique pixel electrodes 11 extending obliquely and transverse pixel electrodes 12 extending transversely. The pad 20 is covered on a via hole 30. An opening region is formed on the pixel electrodes at a position close to the via hole 30. As the pixel unit is small, the pad 20 accesses to the opening region and is partially overlapped with projections of the oblique pixel electrodes 11, so that the pad 20, the transverse pixel electrodes 12 or other conductive components cause an interference to the electric field of the oblique pixel electrodes 11. As shown in FIG. 1a, a simulated effect diagram of the penetration rate of the main region of the pixel unit simulated by Expert LCD software is shown, where grey white indicates that it is light-transmittable while black indicates that it is not light-transmittable, and there is dark fringe in the opening region marked by a circle.
As shown in FIG. 2, a structural diagram of a sub region of a pixel unit in the prior art is shown, where a common electrode 40 of the pixel unit accesses to the opening region, and the common electrode 40 is partially overlapped with projections of oblique pixel electrodes 11, so that the common electrode 40, the transverse pixel electrodes 12 or other conductive components cause an interference to the electric field of the oblique pixel electrodes 11. As shown in FIG. 2a, a simulated effect diagram of the penetration rate of the sub region of the pixel unit simulated by Expert LCD software is shown, where grey white indicates that it is light-transmittable while black indicates that it is not light-transmittable, and there is dark fringe in the opening region marked by a circle.
Therefore, an electric field around the opening region of the pixel electrode in the prior art will have an impact on the electric field of oblique pixel electrodes, there resulting dark fringe in the opening region. The occurrence of the dark fringe will directly decrease the aperture ratio of pixels and the penetration rate of a panel, and may additionally cause uneven display brightness problems, thereby degrading the quality of display.

SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD


A non-transitory memory storing a digital signature of a consumable product where the digital signature indicates that an identifier and host device setting data are from a trusted source.

Authentication is a process of proving or verifying that information is genuine. Authentication processes can use different mechanisms to ensure that the information is genuine. In one example, a consumable product includes a memory, and the memory includes a consumable product identifier. A host device that receives the consumable product can identify the consumable product by reading the identifier stored in the memory.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Protecting data in memory of a consumable product

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.


A silicon carbide MOSFET that exhibits a high source-to-drain withstand voltage and that involves a smaller difference between gate-to-drain capacitance achieved in an activated state and gate-to-drain capacitance achieved in a deactivated state. A silicon carbide drift layer of a first conductivity type is provided on a silicon carbide substrate of a first conductivity type; a pair of base regions are provided in a surface layer portion of the silicon carbide drift layer and exhibit a second conductivity type; a pair of source regions are provided in interiors of surface layer portions of the pair of base regions and exhibit a first conductivity type; and semi-insulating regions are provided between the silicon carbide substrate and the pair of base regions.

Switching noise sometimes arises at the time of switching operation of a power semiconductor, such as a MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor). A MOSFET structure proposed in view of inhibiting occurrence of switching noise increases a difference between gate-to-drain capacitance achieved in an activated state and gate-to-drain capacitance achieved in a deactivated state, thereby decreasing a jump voltage of a drain voltage (see; for example, Patent Document 1).
Moreover, a silicon carbide MOSFET requires a withstand voltage which enables the MOSFET to withstand a voltage of the order of 1000V, and for this reason, a structure where a high voltage is applied in a reverse-bias direction to a p-type base layer and an n-type drift layer which have comparatively low concentration levels is employed for the silicon carbide MOSFET, and it is shown that the withstand voltage is determined by a depletion layer formed in a p-n junction (see; for example, Patent Document 2).
Further, there is a description about a semiconductor device using silicon carbide in which a silicon carbide layer is made semi-insulating by implanting protons and He2+ ions into the layer (see; for example, Patent Document 3).    Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-6598 (pp. 16 to 17)    Patent Document 2: International Publication WO 2004/36655 (pp. 5 to 6)    Patent Document 3: JP-T-9-511103 (pp. 13 to 15)

Silicon carbide semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same


A method for manufacturing an array of thin film actuated mirrors, which is capable of minimizing the effect of a heat treatment involved in the manufacture of the thin film actuated mirror, is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing an active matrix having an array of connecting terminals; forming a contact member on top of each of the connecting terminals; forming a thin film sacrificial layer on top of the active matrix; forming an array of actuating structures on top of the thin film sacrificial layer, wherein each of the actuating structures has a first thin film electrode, a thin film electrodisplacive member, a second thin film electrode and an elastic member having a contact hole; and removing the thin film sacrificial layer, thereby forming the array of thin film actuated mirrors. Since the contact member formed on top of the connecting terminal reduce the depth of the contact hole, cracks may not form on the thin film electrodisplacive member during the heat treatment thereof, thereby preventing the thin film electrodes in each of the actuating structures from coming into an electrical contact with each other, which, in turn, prevents a short-circuit therebetween.

Among the various video display systems available in the art, an optical projection system is known to be capable of providing high quality displays in a large scale. In such an optical projection system, light from a lamp is uniformly illuminated onto an array of, e.g., M.times.N, actuated mirrors, wherein each of the mirrors is coupled with each of the actuators. The actuators may be made of an electrodisplacive material such as a piezoelectric or an electrostrictive material which deforms in response to an electric field applied thereto.
The reflected light beam from each of the mirrors is incident upon an aperture of, e.g., an optical baffle. By applying an electrical signal to each of the actuators, the relative position of each of the mirrors to the incident light beam is altered, thereby causing a deviation in the optical path of the reflected beam from each of the mirrors. As the optical path of each of the reflected beams is varied, the amount of light reflected from each of the mirrors which passes through the aperture is changed, thereby modulating the intensity of the beam. The modulated beams through the aperture are transmitted onto a projection screen via an appropriate optical device such as a projection lens, to thereby display an image thereon.
In FIGS. 1A to 1G, there are illustrated manufacturing steps involved in manufacturing an array 100 of M.times.N thin film actuated mirrors 101, wherein M and N are integers, disclosed in a commonly owned application, U.S. Ser. No. 08/598,478, entitled "METHOD FOR FORMING AN ARRAY OF THIN FILM ACTUATED MIRRORS", U.S. Pat. No. 5,677,785.
The process for the manufacture of the array 100 begins with the preparation of an active matrix 10 including a substrate 12 with an array of M.times.N connecting terminals 14 and an array of M.times.N transistors (not shown), wherein each of the connecting terminals 14 is electrically connected to a corresponding transistor in the array of transistors.
In an ensuing step, there is deposited a passivation layer 70, made of, e.g., PSG or silicon nitride, and having a thickness of 0.1-2 .mu.m, on top of the active matrix 10 by using, e.g., a CVD or a spin coating method.
Thereafter, an etchant stopping layer 80, made of a nitride, and having a thickness of 0.1-2 .mu.m, is deposited on top of the passivation layer 70 by using, e.g., a sputtering or a CVD method.
In a subsequent step, there is deposited on top of the etchant stopping layer 80 a thin film sacrificial layer 20, having a thickness of 0.1-2 .mu.m, and made of a metal, e.g., copper (Cu) or nickel (Ni), a phosphor-silicate glass (PSG) or a poly-Si. The thin film sacrificial layer 20 is deposited by using a sputtering or an evaporation method if the thin film sacrificial layer 20 is made of a metal, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method or a spin coating method if the thin film sacrificial layer 20 is made of a PSG, or a CVD method if the thin film sacrificial layer 20 is made of a poly-Si.
Thereafter, there is formed an array of M.times.N pairs of empty cavities (not shown) on the thin film sacrificial layer 20 by using an etching method, as shown in FIG. 1A. One of the empty cavities in each pair encompasses one of the connecting terminals 14.
Subsequently, an elastic layer 30, made of an insulating material, and having a thickness of 0.1-2 .mu.m, is deposited on top of the thin film sacrificial layer 20 including the empty cavities by using a CVD method.
In a next step, there is created an array of M.times.N contact holes 37 on the elastic layer 30 by using an etching method, wherein each of the contact holes 37 exposes one top of the connecting terminals 14 and has inner surfaces (not shown), as shown in FIG. 1B.
Then, a second thin film layer 40, made of an electrically conducting material, and having a thickness of 0.1-2 .mu.m, is deposited on top of the elastic layer 30 including the inner surfaces of each of the contact holes 37 by using a sputtering or a vacuum evaporation method.
Next, a thin film electrodisplacive layer 50, made of a piezoelectric or an electrostrictive material, and having a thickness of 0.1-2 .mu.m, is deposited on top of the second thin film layer 40 by using a CVD method, an evaporation method, a Sol-Gel method or a sputtering method. The thin film electrodisplacive layer 50 is then heat treated to allow a phase transition to take place, as shown in FIG. 1C.
In an ensuing step, a first thin film layer 60, made of an electrically conducting and light reflecting material, and having a thickness of 0.1-2 .mu.m, is deposited on top of the thin film electrodisplacive layer 50 by using a sputtering or a vacuum evaporation method, as shown in FIG. 1D.
After the above step, the first thin film 60, the thin film electrodisplacive 50, the second thin film 40 and the elastic layers 30 are, respectively, patterned, until top of the thin film sacrificial layer 20 is exposed, by using an etching method, e.g., a photolithography or a laser trimming method, thereby forming an array of M.times.N actuating structures 90, each of the actuating structures 90 having a first thin film electrode 65, a thin film electrodisplacive member 55, a second thin film electrode 45 and an elastic member 35, as shown in FIG. 1E. Each of the second thin film electrodes 45 is electrically connected to a corresponding connecting terminal 14, thereby functioning as a signal electrode in each of the actuating structures 90. Each of the first thin film electrodes 65 is electrically connected to ground, thereby functioning as a mirror as well as a common bias electrode in each of the actuating structures 90.
Since each of the thin film electrodisplacive members 55 is sufficiently thin, there is no need to pole it in case it is made of a piezoelectric material: for it can be poled with the electric signal applied during the operation of the thin film actuated mirrors 101.
The preceeding step is followed by completely covering each of the actuating structures 90 with a thin film protection layer (not shown).
The thin film sacrificial layer 20 is then removed by using an etching method. Finally, the thin film protection layer is removed, thereby forming the array 100 of M.times.N thin film actuated mirrors 101, as shown in FIG. 1F.
There are a number of problems associated with the contact hole 37 shown in a detailed view of FIG. 1G, however, one of them being the formation of cracks 57. The heat treatment followed by the rapid cooling of the thin film electrodisplacive layer 50 results in the formation of cracks 57 at a portion of the thin film electrodisplacive layer 50 deposited on top of the contact hole 37. The cracks 57 may lead to an establishment of an electrical connection between the first thin film electrode 65 which is subsequently formed on top of the thin film electrodisplacive member 55 and the second thin film electrode 45, resulting in a short-circuit therebetween. Since the first thin film electrode 65 in each of the actuating structures 90 is interconnected with other first thin film electrodes (not shown) in the same row or column in the array 100, if one of the actuating structures 90 becomes inoperable due the above reason, i.e., short-circuit, all of the other actuating structures 90 in the same row or column in the array 100 become inoperable.

Method for the manufacture of a short-circuit free actuated mirror array


A lid is disclosed having a pressure compensation device comprising a gas permeable, liquid impermeable membrane and a surge protection element comprising a gas permeable material which serves to break the surge pressure exerted on the membrane by the container contents. The lid is designed as an injection molded plastic part with the membrane being integrated in an upper cover portion of the lid by injection molding.

In closed containers, a liquid often changes its volume, for example, as a result of temperature fluctuations. As a consequence, a positive or negative pressure is produced in the container, which may produce severe damage or danger, depending on the function of the container. Free air/gas volume in the container may also fluctuate. Additional problems are created if the liquids themselves de-gas.
Measuring devices, for example, are filled only with 90 to 95% of liquid, such as glycerole silicone oil. As temperature changes the volume of the liquid, the system is damped as the liquid expands into the remaining space. The expansion of the liquid causes gas to exert pressure on the container wall or devices within the container. As a result, delicate measuring devices may provide false or inaccurate measurement results.
To solve this problem, valve systems have been used with limited success in some applications to regulate pressure exchanges. If the valves are continuously open, however, liquid may run out of the housing in certain positions. Such an effect is not desirable in measuring device applications. Positive pressure valves have been used to prevent liquid spillage, but they do not allow for gas admission, which may be required, for example, after a container or housing has cooled down. Bidirectionally acting valves are feasible, but very costly; therefore less effective valves are chosen.
To accomodate volume changes, one or more of the walls of a container or housing may be elastically deformable to adapt to positive and negative pressures within the housing, however, such elastically deformable walls considerably restrict the range of applications of such a container or housing. Accordingly, elastically deformable walls are typically only used in applications where only slight pressure differences are to be expected.
It is known for a closed housing containing a liquid to be provided with at least with one opening, which is covered by a cover consisting of a liquidproof, yet gas permeable material to obtain a pressure equilibrium. A cover of this type may consist of a porous tetrafluoroethylene polymer which works like a valve performing a bidirectional gas exchange. In this way, the housing can be ventilated or deventilated, depending on what is required, without the danger of liquid spillage.
Furthermore, it is known to provide a lid in the form of a screw-on lid having a pressure compensation device with a porous, gas-permeable yet liquidproof membrane and having a surge protection element, which consists of a gas permeable material and is designed such that it breaks the surge pressure exerted by the membrane on the pressure compensation device.
The foregoing are manufactured as separate components which are inserted or installed in the lid after the lid has been produced. This makes production relatively complex so that lids of this type are rather expensive to manufacture.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present lid constructions. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an improved lid directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Lid for containers, housings, bottles or similar structures