A damper including a shaft member 2 having wings 4a, 4b which are formed on the outer periphery of a shaft 3, a cylindrical casing 1 relative-rotatably incorporating the shaft member, and oil chambers A to D which are provided between the outer periphery of the shaft member and the inner periphery of the casing. Protrusions are provided on the inner periphery of the casing so as to be slidable on the outer periphery of the shaft. Communicating paths 5a, 5b pass through the shaft to enable communication between a pair of adjacent oil chambers. At least one of openings of the communicating path is closed by the protrusion 8a, 8b of the casing within a relative-rotating range of the shaft member 2.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a damper which is mounted inside a hinge in order to prevent a cover, e.g. a keyboard cover of a piano, a seat of a toilet, from quickly and forcefully closing because of its own weight when a hand is moved off the cover or from falling while being open.
2. Description of Related Art
Some dampers for adjusting rotating torque of a shaft member include a valve mechanism between a shaft and a casing for varying in torque depending on a direction of rotating the shaft or the casing. However, the damper including the valve mechanism in the casing has a complicated structure, a higher number of parts, and a higher number of processing steps, which has poor productivity. For that, some dampers do not have a valve mechanism as illustrating in FIG. 9.
Referring FIG. 9, a damper has a casing 1, a rotating shaft 2 mounted in the casing 1, and a viscous fluid contained between the rotating shaft 2 and the casing 1. Based on a relative rotation of the rotating shaft 2 or the casing 1, the flow resistance occurring in a flow path is changed in value in order to change the rotating torque, resulting in the lessened impact.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, wings 13, 14 are formed on the rotating shaft 2. The rotating shaft 2 has outer diameters of which sizes are varied between the wings 13, 14.
The casing 1 has a largest inner diameter in the vertical direction of FIG. 9, and protrusions 15, 16 protrude inward from the inner face of the casing 1 in the lateral direction.
Therefore, as the rotating shaft 2 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 9 to allow the wings 13, 14 to approach the protrusions 15, 16, the flow paths 17, 18 between the leading ends of the respective wings 13, 14 and the inner periphery of the casing 1 are narrowed. This is because the wings 13, 14 move to the smaller portions of the inner diameter of the casing 1.
Further, as the larger diameter parts of the rotating shaft 2 also approach the protrusions 15, 16, the flow paths 19, 20 are also narrowed. Accordingly, with the rotation of the rotating shaft 2 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 9, the rotating torque increases. It should be noted that, as in the above case, the torque increases when the rotating shaft 2 rotates from the state illustrated in FIG. 9 in the opposite direction of the arrow.
Specifically, in the event that the wing 13 moves in the range from the protrusion 16 to the protrusion 15, the rotating torque decreases gradually from a larger torque value, and then increases again. Then, the rotation stops when the wing 13 comes into contact with the protrusion 15.
Such a damper is used with a need for higher torque around the starting point and around the ending point of rotation to suppress an abrupt rotation, and for rotation with lower resistance in the middle.
The damper illustrated in FIG. 9 controls a magnitude of the rotating torque by use of flow resistance created between the inner periphery of the casing 1 and the wings 13, 14 or between the protrusions 15, 16 and the outer diameter face of the rotating shaft 2. The flow resistance depends on a sectional area of the flow path. For this reason, an inner diameter of the casing 1 and an outer diameter of the rotating shaft 2 are varied complicatedly. It is difficult to form parts in such complicated configuration. This produces difficulties in forming the casing 1 and the rotating shaft 2 with accuracy. If each of the parts does not have a constant configuration, the assembled damper can not have constant rotating torque.
Even under a condition that the casing 1 and the rotating shaft 2 are both fabricated with accuracy, if the assembly of the casing 1 and shaft 2 has backlash, a dimension of the flow path will be warped. Likewise, the aimed torque cannot be obtained.
In order to control the rotating torque, there is a need to strictly manage the accuracy of finishing and the accuracy of assembling.
Further, in order to adjust the torque to any given value, there is a need to change molds, resulting in an increase in cost.
Alternatively, there is another manner in which fluid such as oil is changed in viscosity to adjust the torque. However, an arbitrary torque cannot be obtained unless oils or the like having different viscosities are blended. In this manner, there is a need to prepare a large number of kinds of oils or the like having different viscosities, resulting in high costs. Further, considerable effort is spent on the choice of proportion of the oil or the like to obtain a required torque.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a damper having a simple structure and allowing the setting of arbitrary torque with smooth reproducibility.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of fabricating a damper having arbitrary torque at low cost.
A damper according to a first aspect of the present invention features a configuration including: a shaft member having a shaft and wings formed on the outer periphery of the shaft; a cylindrical casing relative-rotatably incorporating the shaft member; an oil chamber provided between the outer periphery of the shaft member and the inner periphery of the casing; a protrusion provided on the inner periphery of the casing and slidable on the outer periphery of the shaft; a communicating path passed through the shaft to make the communication between a pair of the adjacent oil chambers out of all the oil chambers individually surrounded by the wings and the protrusions, and having at least one of openings which is to be closed by the protrusion, provided on the casing, within a relative-rotating range of the shaft member.
A second aspect of the present invention features in that one of the openings of the communicating path is formed at a position allowing the one opening to open toward the oil chamber at all times within the relative-rotating range of the shaft member.
According to the second aspect, the shaft member has higher rotating torque only in a region of the rotating range of the shaft member than that in other regions thereof. For example, using such damper for a keyboard cover of a piano, the damper is adapted such that the high-torque region of the rotating range is produced before the cover is closed. Thus, the cover can be prevented from quickly and forcefully closing because of its own weight even after a hand is moved off the cover.
A third aspect of the present invention features in that the protrusions provided on the casing independently close the openings of both ends of the communicating path within the relative-rotating range of the shaft member.
According to the third aspect, it is possible to set the two high-torque regions within the rotating range of the shaft member. This allows, for example, the cover of the piano to independently keep its upright position when the cover is fully opened, and not to fall with a bang at the final time of closing the cover.
A fourth aspect of the present invention features in that the protrusion provided on the casing closes the opening of the communicating path at either one or both of the starting and ending points of a relative rotation of the shaft member.
According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to set the high-torque regions at the starting point and the ending point of rotation.
A fifth aspect of the present invention features in that a plurality of the communicating paths are provided between the pair of adjacent oil chambers.
According to the first aspect to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a damper having a simple structure and allowing the setting of arbitrary torque with smooth reproducibility.
According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to control a sectional area of the oil flow path by changing the number of communicating paths. For example, if a sectional area of the flow path is adjusted based on the number of communicating paths, the individually communicating paths can be equal in diameter. In this event, varying sectional areas of the flow path can be achieved without changing sizes of perforating tools such as a drill.
A method of fabricating a damper according to a sixth aspect of the present invention features the steps of: molding a cylindrical casing and a shaft member having wings with use of a mold or die; opening a communicating path through the shaft member with use of a perforating tool; and mounting the shaft member in the casing.
According to the sixth aspect, the torque can be changed without changing molds or dies. Therefore, the dampers having arbitrary torque can be fabricated at low cost.

Damper and method of fabricating the damper


There is provided a communication unit configured to receive monitor data showing a progress state of substrate processing or a state of substrate processing apparatus, from a substrate processing apparatus; a database part configured to readably store the monitor data received by the communication unit, in association with production information data; a file archive part configured to read the monitor data and the production information data from the database part, then create typical value data based on the monitor data, and prepare a file including the monitor data, the production information data, and the typical value data, and readably store this file; and a data searching part configured to receive an input of a prescribed searching condition to search the file, and display data stored in the file and matching with the searching condition, on a display unit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a substrate processing system including a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate and a group managing apparatus connected to the substrate processing apparatus and the group managing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a plurality of creation spots (called data creation spots hereafter, such as a temperature sensor, a gas flowmeter, and a pressure gauge, etc.) of monitor data (such as time-series data of temperature, gas flow rate, and pressure, etc.) showing a progress state of substrate processing or a state of the substrate processing apparatus, inside of the substrate processing apparatus that repeatedly executes the substrate processing process (batch process) based on a recipe. When there are a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses, a group managing apparatus (a higher-order managing apparatus) connected to a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses is sometimes used for efficiently managing the progress state of substrate processing and the state of a group of the substrate processing apparatuses in an integrated manner. The group managing apparatus is configured to receive the aforementioned data showing the progress state of substrate processing and the state of the substrate processing apparatus, from each substrate processing apparatus, and readably store the received data is readably stored in a database (DB).

Substrate processing system and group managing apparatus


An active vibration damping system having a supporting spring for addressing a static force from a payload, and an independent actively isolated damper positioned in parallel between a payload and a source of vibration for damping dynamic force from the payload to an actively isolated point. The actively isolated damper includes a small intermediate mass, distinct and decoupled from the payload mass, and a passive isolator element for dynamic coupling of the isolated platform to the small intermediate mass. The small intermediate mass provides a point to which dynamic forces from the payload may be dampened. The active damper also includes at least one actuator coupled at one surface to the small intermediate mass and coupled at a second surface to the vibrating base platform. A motion sensor may also be provided on the small intermediate mass so as to generate a feedback signal as a function of the movement of the small intermediate mass. The motion sensor together with a compensation/amplifier module and the actuator act as part of a feedback compensation loop for minimizing vibration.

The need in industry for vibration isolation is growing. For example, there is less and less tolerance for environmental vibration in ultraviolet steppers used in semiconductor manufacturing. As the manufacturing of semiconductors and other products becomes more and more precise, the need for suppressing environmental vibration becomes greater and greater.
Many currently available vibration isolation applications that are based upon "soft springs" also require relatively high level of damping. Dampers are often used to reduce vibration amplification at the resonance frequency of the spring, and to minimize distortion generated on the isolated mass by the moving stages, motors, etc. Unfortunately, acceptable levels of damping can be very limited in most of the available systems. One limiting factor can be attributed to the stiffness increase of the combined damper-spring system, which can result in shifting up the resonance frequency of the system, and in decreasing of the gain/frequency function, i.e., the "roll off" slope above the resonance frequency. As a result, there tends to be a significant loss in vibration isolation gain beyond the resonance frequency.
In general, the level of damping can be determined by (i) the settling time, which is directly related to the resonance frequency of the system and the level of vibration amplification at that frequency, (ii) the vibration isolation specification, especially at high frequency, and/or (iii) the damper type (e.g., active, passive). Known examples of passive dampers include dashpot dampers and fluid dampers. Passive dampers are typically used to benefit system vibration isolation at the resonance frequency of the spring. However, since these dampers are usually coupled to the vibrating base platform, for frequencies above resonance frequencies, these dampers can reduce vibration isolation gains by approximately 20 dB per decade.
Active dampers, on the other hand, may include, for instance, voice coil dampers or motor elements. Active dampers may be used to produce relatively high compensation forces, and along with sensors on the isolated payload, can compensate for the forces generated by the heavy payload moved with high acceleration. However, active dampers also have very limited active bandwidth gain. In particular, the coupling of payload resonances with sensed outputs can compromise stability margins. This limitation may be due to the servo loop stability that can be limited by the required attachment of vibration sensors to the isolated platform sensing its multiple resonances.
Generally, a supported payload can often involve moving mechanical components, which can generate dynamic forces that act on the payload and cause it to vibrate in response. The payload, in addition, has a mass that generates a static force. In most existing isolation systems both the static and dynamic forces are permitted to act on a vibration compensation mechanism, for instance, an actuator, and require such compensation mechanism to address both the static and dynamic forces when minimizing vibration. Such an approach requires the use of a very powerful actuator or multiple actuators, both of which can be expensive and bulky. Moreover, finding a compromise between the damping level and vibration isolation gain can be a difficult engineering task.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a practicable damping system that can provide relatively high damping forces while at the same time improves vibration isolation.

Systems and methods for active vibration damping


A stackable, non-skid snow chain ramp is disclosed for use in the installation of tire chains on both snowy and icy surfaces. The tire ramp is designed with a grooved top and bottom surface and is operated by laying a pair of the ramps in parallel, spaced the distance equal to the separation of the automobile wheels. Tire chains are then laid over the spaced ramps with the cross links of the chains inserted into spaced chain grooves. The tire is then driven up onto the ramp and brought to rest against a tire block and positioned within a wheel well constructed in the ramp. The chains are then wrapped around the tires and connected in a traditional manner. The bottom surface of the ramps contain a combination of grooves and replaceable spikes for use in both snow and icy surface conditions. The disclosed ramps are designed to permit symmetrical stacking for easy storage and conveyance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automobile snow chains and more particularly to a device for aiding in the application of snow chains to automobile tires.
2. Description of the Background Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,500 an apparatus for holding vehicle wheel tire chains is disclosed, incorporating a ramp member for mounting the tire chains onto the wheels.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,263 a tire chain container and mounting aid is disclosed which includes a pair of hollow shells which, when fastened together in open-face-to-open-face relation, form a closed container capable of containing a pair of tire chains.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,870 a tire ramp is disclosed, having a hinged mid-section which closes to form a container for the tire chains.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,724, a wooden block and mechanical alarm bell combination is disclosed, upon which an automobile wheel can climb to facilitate tire chain installation. The warning bell alerts the user when proper tire positioning has been achieved.
One common problem which faces users of tire chain ramps and which is not addressed in the prior art, is the difficulty of fixing the ramp stationary as the driver attempts to back or drive his car up on the tire chain ramp for tire chain installation. Although this problem is not as serious in freshly fallen or powdered snow where the ramp has a tendency to sink into the ground a few inches, tire ramp slippage is particularly severe in packed snow or on icy surfaces. Since many tire chains are installed on highway roadsides, packed or icy conditions are not uncommon. When ice is the condition of the installation surface, a second person is generally required to hold the ramp in place as the driver rolls the tire onto the ramp.
A second problem which is not adequately addressed in the prior art is the problem of storing these tire ramps. Since many tire chain users will be carrying these tire chains in their cars during the winter months, it is desirable for the ramps and chains to take up as small a volume as practically possible. It is also desirable for this volume to be consumed by orthogonal planar surfaces in order to allow for efficient storage of other adjacent items.
What is needed then, is a snow chain installation ramp having a non-skid surface useful both in ice and packed snow and which provides compact storage of both the ramps and the chains.


This invention provides a circuit and a method for re-configuring fuse sets for memory cell array redundancy repair. In addition this invention relates to the use of fuse sets and spare row and column lines in the memory array to repair memory cell defects. Each fuse set can be used for either a row or a column, as needed, during a repair of the memory array. This allows the fuse sets to be allocated freely according to the process defects distribution on the chip and wafer. This results in higher repair efficiency and increased wafer yield.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a circuit and a method for reconfiguring fuse sets for memory cell array redundancy repair.
More particularly this invention relates to the use of fuse sets and spare row and column lines in the memory array to repair memory cell defects.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a prior art memory block diagram. The memory array 130 is accessed via the regular row decoder and driver block 120, and via the regular column decoder and driver block 150. The row address buffer 110 drives both the regular row decoder/driver 120 and the redundant row driver and fuse set 160. The output of the redundant row driver and fuse set 160 is a 'Hit' output signal 190. This 'Hit' 190 output indicates that the row address 180 equals any address in the redundant row driver and fuse set 160.
Similarly, the column address buffer 170 drives both the regular column decoder/driver 150 and the redundant column driver and fuse set 140. The output of the redundant column driver and fuse set 140 is a 'Hit' output signal 125. This 'Hit' 125 output indicates that the column address 115 equals any address in the redundant column driver and fuse set 140.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,679 (Hiltebeitel, et al.) "Flexible Redundancy Architecture and Fuse Download Scheme" describes a fuse download system for programming decoders for redundancy. The fuse sets can be dynamically assigned on an any-for-any basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,896 (Pinkham) "Memory Device with Reduced Number of Fuses" discloses a memory device with a reduced number of fuses. Fuse programming circuits are shared between memories.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,811 (Merritt) "Layout for Semiconductor Memory Device Wherein Intercoupling Lines are Shared by Two Sets of Fuse Banks and Two Sets of Redundant Elements Not Simultaneously Active" discloses a circuit where intercoupling lines are shared by two banks of fuses."

Semiconductor memory having re-configurable fuse set for redundancy repair

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.


An actuator resonance tester is provided for testing the resonance of an actuator arm in a hard disk drive device. The tester includes an actuator arm, a pivot, one or more weights, a voice coil, a voice coil motor, an accelerometer, and a processor. The one or more weights are formed on the actuator arm to simulate the mass of at least one read/write head. The base and the test housing are affixed to either end of the pivot to provide it with proper boundary conditions to simulate the boundary conditions of a fully-assembled hard disk drive device. The voice coil and the voice coil motor move the actuator arm rotationally around the pivot. The accelerometer is placed on the actuator arm to measure the horizontal acceleration of the actuator arm. The processor determines the resonance of the actuator arm based on the arm's measured horizontal acceleration. In this way, the resonance of the actuator arm can be tested without the need to construct the entire hard disk drive device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resonance testing device and method for use in hard disk drive actuators. More particularly, the present invention relates to a resonance testing device using an accelerometer to determine the range of horizontal motion of a hard disk drive actuator during operational motion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hard disk drive (HDD) storage devices currently store data on a magnetic hard disk drive by magnetically reading data to and writing data from a disk via a read/write head (r/w head) fixed to an actuator arm.
Alternatively, newer drives, called MR drives, write using magnetic physics which changes the magnetic field on the media. MR drives read by using the variation of electrical resistance of the r/w head. In this way, the electrical resistance of the MR r/w head is changed if it is located near the written data, i.e., variation in the magnetic field, on the media. As a result, by monitoring the variation of electrical resistance of the r/w head, it is possible to read the information written on the media. With a thin film head, the HDD measures the electrical current flow generated when the r/w head is located on the different magnetic field.
However, regardless of the type of drive, during operation the disk rotates about its axis, while the actuator arm moves the r/w head across the disk. The actuator arm moves the r/w head to different areas of the disk to allow the r/w head to read data from and write data to the disk. The disk itself is divided into a number of concentric tracks each having the same width. These tracks are in turn divided into a number of sectors. In seeking out a particular track, the actuator head moves in a radial direction from its current location to the location of the track in which the data sector it is seeking is located.
For the r/w head to operate properly, it should perform its function at a distance in the tens of microns above the surface of the hard disk. If the distance between the r/w head and the disk gets too small, if impurities form on the surface of the disk, or if the head moves too much in a vertical direction towards the disk, the r/w head can impact on the surface of the disk, causing damage to the head and the disk. This undesired collision is called a head crash.
In addition, for the r/w head to operate properly, it must also be moved to the desired track and sector of the disk within a narrow horizontal range as well. Too much horizontal displacement can cause the r/w head to be improperly aligned over the desired track and sector. A horizontal displacement of as little as 8 microns can cause the disk drive to fail to operate properly.
An inherent limitation in the read/write process is the fact that the actuator arm and the r/w head will oscillate slightly in a horizontal direction as they move back and forth. Since the r/w head must stay very small margin of horizontal movement when seeking a particular track, the oscillation must be kept to within a very small tolerance for the HDD to operate properly. Too much oscillation will result in the very real possibility of an improper alignment of the r/w head during a point of maximum oscillation, meaning a failure to read or write data properly.
FIG. 1 is a graph for showing the natural frequencies of an actuator arm structure. As shown in FIG. 1, the actuator arm has a gain of the actuator arm varies depending upon the frequency of its movement. Under ideal conditions, the gain is kept close to 0 dB so that the gain will be even and the actuator arm will move as directed. As FIG. 1 shows, however, the gain of the system rises dramatically near the natural, or modal, frequencies f.sub.M1 and f.sub.M2 (although only two natural frequencies are shown, there may be others as well). It is important to identify what these frequencies are so that they can be avoided in the operation of the actuator system.
One way that the graph of natural frequencies can be obtained is by performing a modal analysis using parameters for a tortional and bending mode. This will give an acceptable graph for determining a reasonable operating frequency for the tested actuator, but requires measurements of the actuator resonance.
Thus, it is very helpful to measure the actuator resonance for HDDs prior to sale or use of the HDD devices. The actuator resonance serves as a measurement of the horizontal motion of the actuator arm and r/w head assembly, and will help determine the likelihood that the head will be able to move to the desired track of the disk for the tested actuator. An indication of actuator resonance will help decrease failures in manufactured HDD devices, and can serve to increase the yield of an HDD manufacturing process. If the actuator resonance is measured prior to the operation of the HDD device, the danger of improper head alignment can be accurately identified and avoided. This can serve to enhance the reputation of the company using this testing scheme and thereby increase its financial success. As a result, although an effective actuator resonance test is not essential in and HDD manufacturing process, it is desirable.
In the past, the actuator resonance has been measured through the use of a laser-based testing system, comprising a laser Doppler vibrometer, a digital signal analyzer, a precise x-y-z fixture, and a high-fidelity power amplifier. An example of this conventional method is shown in "Drive Level Slider-Suspension Vibration Analysis And its Application to a Ramp-Load Magnetic Disk Drive," by Ta-Chang Fu, et al., IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 31, No. 6, (November 1995), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
One disadvantage of this kind of a laser-based system is its high cost. Typically such a laser-based resonance tester costs $80,000 or more. This precludes many small parts suppliers from being able to afford to engage in actuator resonance testing.
In addition, to use the laser-based actuator resonance tester, it is necessary to have an operator with a certain level of knowledge about laser characteristics and laser operation. Such an operator must have sufficient expertise in the field of lasers to get a stable beam focus for the laser used in the system. This serves as a further barrier to the use of laser-based actuator resonance testers. It also serves to increase costs when laser-based system are indeed used. It also adds to the time and complexity of the testing process, since beam focusing is neither simple nor quick.
A laser based testing scheme also requires that a hole be drilled in each drive unit tested to allow the laser beam to shine on the relevant components. This hole must be drilled with a certain amount of precision, which further increases the complexity and cost of testing. Furthermore, the drilled hole serves to ruin the HDD device for any future use, again increasing the cost of testing.
A further disadvantage of conventional laser-based actuator resonance testers is that they require that the HDD head-disk assembly be fully constructed before it can be tested. If the HDD device is not fully assembled prior to testing, the weight balances will not be correct and the measured actuator resonance of the device will be inaccurate. For the testing to be accurate, the same boundary conditions must exist during testing as would exist in the final HDD device. Since both ends of the pivot in a manufactured HDD device are fixed, i.e., connected to the manufactured HDD device, they must both be fixed in the testing device. The way this is achieved in conventional testing methods is to fully assemble the HDD device prior to testing. Not only does this increase the cost and time required for such a test, but it precludes the actuator vendors from being able to make the tests prior to final assembly, since they do not have access to the assembled devices.
It is therefore desirable to provide an affordable actuator resonance tester for a disk drive that can be operated without a great deal of specialized knowledge and prior to final assembly of the disk drive.

Actuator resonance tester for a disk drive


A gel-sealed air supply box includes an air inlet and a box body, wherein the box body is internally provided with a filter. A plurality of filter profiles that are sequentially connected are arranged on the inner side surfaces of the box body, and a corner dust generating pipe is arranged between two filter profiles. A dust distributing pipe is arranged at the top end of the filter profile, and the dust distributing pipe is communicated with the corner dust generating pipe. A plurality of dust holes are formed in the top end of the dust distributing pipe. According to the disclosure, dust can be uniformly generated and a more precise detection result can be achieved.

Gel-sealed air supply boxes typically include an air inlet and a box body, wherein the box body is internally provided with a filter. Air is first introduced into the box body from the air inlet and then to a house after being filtered by the filter. A dust generator for generating dust may be arranged above the filter in the box body. The filtering effect may be detected by measuring the dust concentration in the box body and the dust concentration after filtration in air below the filter. The dust generator typically includes a dust-generating pipe, which may generate non-uniform dust and cause low accuracy of the detected data. Further, the filter typically has a size smaller than that of the interior of the box body for replacement purposes, which may lead to difficulties in aligning the filter with the center of the box body. As a result, the filter cannot be centrally mounted, and the position offset is unavoidable.


A hand-held instrument coagulates suture knots for enhanced security, preferably applying heat to thermoplastic materials. The instrument includes a proximal end adapted for gripping by a user, and a distal tip with a heating element activated by a user control. A knot-retaining feature is provided which allows the tool to function as a knot slider or pusher prior to sealing. The retaining feature may be a fork-shaped element, or may including a surface in communication with a tube, channel or groove, tube, enabling one or more strands of suture material to be dressed away from the tip when heated. The electrical conductors used to activate the heating element at the tip of the tool may be bipolar or unipolar, in which case the body of the patient is utilized as the return electrical path through a grounding pad. The tool may be entirely self-contained and battery operated, and the distal portion of the tool may be provided as a removable insert to existing Bovie instruments.

This invention relates generally to surgical suturing and, in particular, to instrumentation, and methods of using the same, for heat-sealing suture knots.
Wound suturing and vessel ligation are still carried out largely done by hand. A thread attached to a curved needle is guided with forceps from one side of a wound to another, or around a vessel to be occluded. The thread is drawn tight, knotted and cut, and the process is repeated to form multiple stitches. Although the traditional approach is easily accomplished on external wounds, the process is more difficult when applied to internal body cavities, particularly when small incisions are used.
Manually tied sutures present certain problems. For one, surgical knots tied with smooth, thermoplastic materials such as nylon require great care to ensure that the knot does not loosen after closing. For this reason, various tools and techniques have been proposed to enhance knot security, including alternative knot styles and devices that use ultrasonic or thermal energy to join suture material without knots.
One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,700, entitled AUTOMATIC SUTURING AND LIGATING DEVICE. According to this patent, a needle is used to form a passage through tissue, or around a vessel or duct. Suture material is threaded through the passage and secured, whereupon the needle is removed, leaving the thread. In a preferred embodiment, the device comprises two curved, opposed pincer-like needles which penetrate the tissue on either side of the wound, or surround the vessel or duct, with the needles meeting opposite the device. The thread is drawn and secured at a given tension, cut and the ends, and ultrasonically welded, afterwhich the device is removed, leaving a knot-free stitch or ligature.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,122 discloses a suture cutter including a housing with an electrical power source and a trigger having open and closed positions. A suture clamp with a stationary jaw and a pivoting jaw and radiant heating element is attached to the distal tip of the device. An actuator connects the trigger to the pivotal jaw and electrical circuitry, such that closing of the trigger holds a strand of suture material between the jaws, after which the strand is severed and cauterized using the radiant heating element.
Although devices of the type just described would appear to successfully cut and weld or coagulate individual suture fibers, they do not consider joining or sealing a partial or completed suture knot. In a growing number of surgical procedures, however, the need to fortify the suture knot itself is becoming more desirable if not necessary. Due to the increase in arthroscopic and laproscopic procedures to reduce incision magnitude and post-operative convalescence, an increasing number of knots must be tied within body cavities and through small openings. This may be technically cumbersome, time consuming, and occasionally ineffective compared to standard open techniques. Ironically, the low coefficient of friction that allows for sliding knots into a body cavity is the bane of knot or loop security.
According to journal articles directed to knot security, a serious pitfall in tying sutures is the formation of a sliding knot. In one experiment, the strength of a chromatic catgut loop fell from 3.23 kp to 0.15 kp when a sliding knot was used. Mersilene, Dexon, polyester, polyethylene, monofil nylon and silk all have significant failures (25 percent of the time) due to knot slippage, even with square knots.
Generally, the more knots that are tied, the more security is obtained. However, it has been reported that in the case of some common suture materials, an absolutely secure knot could not be obtained even with as many as six or seven well snugged-down throws. Teflon and silicone-impregnated sutures in particular exhibit this phenomenon. Indeed, a linear relationship appears to exist between the coefficient of friction with respect to a given suture material and relative knot security. Evidently, the low coefficient of friction that makes it easy to slide knots for arthroscopic-type procedures is also the reason behind low knot security using existing techniques.
The present invention solves problems associated with suture knot security by providing an instrument operative to coagulate and heat-seal suture knots incorporating thermoplastic materials. The instrument takes the form of an elongated tool having a proximal end adapted to gripping by a user, and a distal tip operative to at least partially melt a suture knot. It has been discovered that by heat-sealing the ends of various suture materials, the integrity of the given construct is dramatically increased, often doubling the holding power, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful surgery.
In the preferred embodiment, a short channel is formed providing a path to the knot-melting region, allowing the tool to function as a knot slider or pusher prior to sealing. The channel may be in the form of a groove, tube or other feature enabling one or more strands of suture material to be dressed away from the tip when heated.
The electrical conductors used to activate the heating element at the tip of the tool may be bipolar or unipolar, in which case the body of the patient is used as the electrical return path. The tool may be entirely self-contained and battery operated, though, in the preferred embodiment, the distal portion of the tool is provided as a removable insert to existing Bovie instruments.

Suture knot sealing instruments and methods of using the same


A toning station particularly usable in a multicolor image-forming apparatus includes an applicator and a developer mixing mechanism. A transport roller with a fluted surface transports developer from the mixing device to the applicator. A magnetic gate is positioned inside the transport roller and has a first position in which it attracts developer from the mixing device to the transport roller to facilitate delivery of developer to the applicator. The magnetic gate is movable to a position opposite the applicator where it inhibits passage of developer to the applicator to stop the development action of the station.

Virtually all multicolor electrophotographic systems presently in use require a toning station that has the capability of toning or not toning an electrostatic image passing it. Most commonly, a series of electrostatic images are formed on an image member, and those images are moved past a series of toning stations, each toning station containing a different color toner. Each station applies toner to one of the images but not the others, creating a series of different color toner images on the image member. The toner images are generally transferred in registration to a receiving sheet or other receiving surface to form the multicolor image.
Another type of apparatus involves forming a first electrostatic image on a single frame and toning that electrostatic image. With the first image in place, a second electrostatic image is formed on the same frame, and that image is toned with a toner of a different color. This method could be carried out with an apparatus in which a toning station does not have to be turned off when an electrostatic image is passing it. However, its most common commercial embodiment uses a single electrostatic image-forming means and a rotary drum image member. With such structure, an electrostatic image can pass several toning stations before it is toned.
In each of these commercial apparatus, it is necessary that a toning station be capable of toning one electrostatic image and not toning another electrostatic image passing it. This capability of toning stations has conventionally been accomplished by moving the toning station away from the image member when it was not to tone the electrostatic image passing. However, to eliminate the necessity of power consuming and complicated moving mechanisms, other approaches have been suggested.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,207 issued to T. K. Hilbert Jun. 9, 1987, shows a magnetic brush in which developer is transported from a sump area to an applicator by a fluted roller. Developer is attracted to the fluted roller by a magnet inside the roller. The applicator has a rotatable magnetic core within an also rotatable non-magnetic sleeve. A developer valve is positioned between the fluted roller transport and the applicator to permit turning the toning station off without moving the toning station away from an electrostatic image carrying image member. This valve or gating structure enables the toning station to not tone some electrostatic images passing it without the need for moving the entire station away from its development position. Unfortunately, developer attracted by the applicator has a tendency to clog at the gate. The gate itself can clog and not pass developer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,096 granted Sep. 1, 1987 to Hacknauer et al, shows a toning station similar to that in the Hilbert patent in which the gating structure has been changed to a movable shell around and spaced from the fluted roller which shell has several openings for developer. Movement of the shell can turn the toning station to an "off" or non-toning condition. For other related structure, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,471, Adkins, issued May 31, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,675, Joseph, issued Sep. 11, 1990. This structure requires the extra structure of a rotatable tube and location and size of the openings in the tube are critical, especially the opening facing the applicator.
See also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,674, Kalyandurg, issued Sep. 11, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,207; U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,495; Japanese Kokai 60-194476, published Oct. 2, 1975; and Xerox Disclosure Journal, "Rapid Cutoff Development for Highlight Color", P. F. Morgan, Vol. 12, No. 2, March/April 1987.

Toning station for selectively applying toner to an electrostatic image


A method of making a device includes forming a first photoresist layer over a sacrificial layer, patterning the first photoresist layer to form first photoresist features, rendering the first photoresist features insoluble to a solvent, forming a second photoresist layer over the first photoresist features, patterning the second photoresist layer to form second photoresist features, forming a spacer layer over the first and second photoresist features, etching the spacer layer to form spacer features and to expose the first and second photoresist features, forming third photoresist features between the spacer features, removing the spacer features, and patterning the sacrificial layer using the first, second and third photoresist features as a mask to form sacrificial features.

The invention generally relates to a method of making a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method of making semiconductor pillar structures.
Devices made from semiconductor materials are used to create memory circuits in electrical components and systems. Memory circuits are the backbone of such devices as data and instruction sets are stored therein. Maximizing the number of memory elements per unit area on such circuits minimizes their cost. As the dimensions for structures formed on a semiconductor wafer diminish, tools currently available to create these devices reach their limits.

Patterning method for high density pillar structures


This invention relates to a filament for electron emission cathode which is employed in an electron microscope, a critical dimension examine tool, an electron beam lithograph machine, an electron beam tester and other electron beam related systems as an electron source. Embodiments of the present invention discloses method with which a Re (Rhenium) is used as heat source such that vibration issue of prior tungsten filament can be depressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filament for electron source, and more particularly to a Schottky electron emission source.
2. Description of Related Art
Electron sources are applied to devices such as electron beam lithography systems, electron microscopes, Auger electron spectrometers, and semiconductor inspection systems. In such devices, an electron source provides electrons, which are then guided into an intense, finely focused beam of electrons having energies within a narrow range. To facilitate formation of such a beam, the electron source should emit a large number of electrons within a narrow energy band. The electrons should be emitted from a small surface area on the source into a narrow cone of emission. Electron sources can be characterized by brightness, which is defined as the electron current divided by the real or virtual product of the emission area and the solid angle through which the electrons are emitted.
Electrons are normally prevented from leaving the atoms at the surface of an object by an energy barrier. The amount of energy required to overcome the energy barrier is known as work function of the surface. A thermionic emission electron source relies primarily on heat to provide the energy to overcome the energy barrier and emit electrons. Thermionic emission sources are not sufficiently bright for use in many applications.
Another type of electron source, a cold field emission electron source, operates at room temperature and relies on a strong electric field to facilitate the emission of electrons by tunneling through the energy barrier. A field electron source typically includes a narrow tip at which electrons leave the surface and are ejected into surrounding vacuum. Since a cold field emission electron source is operated at room temperature, it thus has low chromatic aberration and is used as electron source for high-resolution electron beam device. Also, since cold field emission electron sources are operated at room temperature, gas tends to adsorb to the electron emission surface. Therefore, cold field emission sources exhibit instabilities that cause problems in many applications.
Yet another type of electron source is referred to as a Schottky electron emission source or Schottky emitter. Schottky emitters use a coating on a heated emitter tip to reduce its work function. In Schottky emission mode, Schottky emitter uses a combination of heat and electric field to emit electrons, which appears to radiate from a virtual point source within the tip. With changes to the emitter temperature and electric field, the Schottky emitter will emit in other emission modes or combinations of emissions mode. Schottky emitters are very bright, and are more stable and easier to handle than cold field emitters. Because of their performance and reliability benefits, Schottky emitters have become a common electron source for modern electron beam systems.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical Schottky electron emission source 100 is provided, which includes an emitter 101 having an apex 108 from which the electrons are emitted, a coating 102 on the emitter 101, a tungsten filament 103 for supporting the emitter 101, two electrodes 104 for mounting the filament 103, and a base 105 for supporting the two electrodes 104. The tungsten filament 103 is a bended wire and heated for providing heat to the emitter 101. Schottky electron emission source 100 typically operates with apex 108 at a temperature of approximately 1800K. Emitter 101 is typically made from a single crystal of tungsten oriented in the <100>, <110>, <111>, or <310> orientation. Emitter 101 is coated with a coating material to lower its work function. Such coating materials could include, for example, compounds, such as oxide, nitrides, and carbon compound, of zirconium, titanium, hafnium, yttrium, niobium, vanadium, thorium, scandium, beryllium, or lanthanum. For example, coating a (100) surface of tungsten with zirconium and oxygen lowers the work function of the surface from 4.5 eV to 2.8 eV. By reducing the energy required to emit electrons, the coating on the emitter makes it a brighter electron source.
Conventional thin (0.005 inch=0.127 mm) tungsten filament is used for electron source. However, this structure, thin tungsten filament 103, will induce vibration issue, and this issue can also be referred to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0090581. A simple way to depress the vibration issue is to thicken tungsten filament directly. Nevertheless, the tungsten filament 103 cannot be thickened directly, because low resistance of tungsten will incur higher operation current larger than 3 A(ampere). Power supply can hardly provide such a large current for electric circuit of the electron source 100.
Two companies, KIMBALL PHYSICS and DENKA, provide a ribbon-type tungsten filament 203 used for electron source 200 to resolve the vibration issue, as shown in FIG. 2. Although this ribbon-type structure may inhibit the vibration issue, it will make the tungsten filament 203 not easily be welded to electrodes 204, because the ribbon-type filament 203 with a certain width-to-thickness ratio will cause welding issue while small side of the ribbon-type filament 203 welds on the electrodes 204.
Another solution is provided by DENKA, as shown in FIG. 3 and also referred to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0090581. A cup-shaped component (6) is added to support the tip (1), and a tungsten filament (3) is used to heat up the cup-shaped component (6). Thus, the vibration issue is also resolved. However, cup-shaped tungsten component with tungsten filament assembly has complex structure (each component is very tiny, about 0.1-0.01 mm), and no commercial product available now. Further, the cup-shaped component (6) is heated up indirectly by the tungsten filament (3), i.e., not electrothermal means to heat up the cup-shaped component (6). Such a heating process has lower thermal efficiency, and will incur more power consumption to achieve the same performance
Accordingly, a new filament should be provided not only to solve the vibration issue, but also to keep all advantages that conventional tungsten filament possesses.


A process for separating esters of vinyl alcohol from a gas stream comprising from 70 to 99.5% by weight of ethylene and from 0.5 to 30% by weight of esters of vinyl alcohol being at a pressure in the range of from 0.5 MPa to 10 MPa and a temperature in the range of from 5° C. to 50° C.; and a process for copolymerizing ethylene and esters of vinyl alcohol in the presence of free-radical polymerization initiators at pressures in the range of from 110 MPa to 500 MPa and temperatures in the range of from 100° C. to 350° C. in a continuously operated polymerization apparatus comprising such a process for separating esters of vinyl alcohol from a gas stream comprising from 70 to 99.5% by weight of ethylene and from 0.5 to 30% by weight of esters of vinyl alcohol.

Polyethylene is the most widely used commercial polymer. It can be prepared by a couple of different processes. Polymerization in the presence of free-radical initiators at elevated pressures was the method first discovered to obtain polyethylene and continues to be a valued process with high commercial relevance for the preparation of low density polyethylene (LDPE).
A normal set-up of a plant for polymerizing or copolymerizing ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as ethylene and esters of vinyl alcohol in the presence of free-radical polymerization initiators consists essentially of a set of two compressors, a low-pressure and a high-pressure compressor, a polymerization reactor, which can be an autoclave or a tubular reactor or a combination of such reactors, and two separators for separating the monomer-polymer mixture leaving the reactor, wherein in the first separator, the high-pressure separator, the ethylene and comonomers separated from the monomer-polymer mixture are recycled to the reaction mixture between the low-pressure compressor and the high-pressure compressor, and the ethylene and comonomers separated from the mixture in the second separator, the low-pressure separator, are fed to the low-pressure compressor where it is compressed to the pressure of the fresh ethylene feed, combined with the fresh ethylene feed and the combined streams are further pressurized to the pressure of the high-pressure gas recycle stream. Such a high-pressure polymerization unit normally further includes apparatuses like extruders and granulators for pelletizing the obtained polymer. In case of tubular reactors, monomer supply to the reactor can either be carried out solely in the beginning of the reactor or only partly in the beginning with the other part fed via one or more side feed entries. Moreover, it is also common to introduce initiator in more than one place down the tube, thus creating more than one reaction zone.
Radically initiated high-pressure polymerization is an appropriated method for producing copolymers of ethylene and esters of vinyl alcohol, especially for preparing copolymers of ethylene and esters of vinyl alcohol having a vinyl ester content in the range of from 1% of weight to 45% of weight. Suitable reactors can be stirred autoclave reactors or tubular reactors. Such high-pressure polymerizations are for example described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,200 and WO 99/014251 A1.
A common feature for continuously operated polymerization processes, in which non-polymerized monomers are recycled to the polymerization process, is that continuously small amounts of the reaction mixture are discarded or purged from the process to avoid that impurities or inert materials, which are introduced with the raw materials or which form during the polymerization, accumulate in the process. Regarding processes for radically polymerizing ethylene and vinyl esters, EP 012 368 A1 for example describes a process in which gas, mainly ethylene, is taken from the high-pressure recycle stream, passed through a low temperature separator and discharged as off-gas. To be able to operate the polymerization process economically, there is of course the desired to minimize the amount of discarded material and to find ways for reutilizing the discarded materials meaningfully.
In homopolymerizing ethylene in high-pressure processes, it is common practice, if locally possible, to transfer the purged reaction gas back to an ethylene producing or converting unit such as a steam cracker for reprocessing. However, if the purged reaction gas contains higher amounts of comonomers such as esters of vinyl alcohol, it can be that the raw gas washers in the cracker are no longer able to fully remove these comonomers and they pass into the organic phase, in which they are not only impurities but also may degrade into products such as acidic acid which have a high corrosiveness.
Thus, it was the object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a process which efficiently and economically separates esters of vinyl alcohol from a gas streams comprising ethylene and esters of vinyl alcohol and allows to transfer the off-gas stream from ethylene-vinyl ester polymerizations with no or only a minor content of esters of vinyl alcohol to an ethylene producing or converting unit and to take the off-gas from the high-pressure polymerization plant at a position of relatively low pressure.

Process for separating vinyl esters from a gas stream comprising ethylene and vinyl esters


A bubbler base or base body for accepting a bubbler tube that has an externally threaded section at one end of the bubbler tube. The bubbler base of this invention can be used to quickly attach the bubbler base already connected to a bubbler tube, without the need to form an internally threaded bore within a bottom clamp plate which is also referred to as a cooling plate and is conventionally known in the molding tool industry. A conventional bubbler tube can be attached to the bubbler base rather than to the bottom clamp plate or the cooling plate. The bubbler base can have an overall spool shape. An O-ring can be used to seal the bubbler base with respect to the bottom clamp plate or the cooling plate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a base structure, such as a bubbler base, used to retain or fix the position of bubbler tubes, also known as cascade tubes, into or with respect to a bottom clamp plate or other mold baseplate, particularly of an injection molding tool.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Bubbler tubes or cascade tubes having a tubular body with an externally threaded end portion are known. Many conventional bubbler tubes are screwed directly into an internally threaded bore of a bottom clamp plate or cooling plate of an injection molding tool. Other conventional bubbler tubes are installed with a slip fit directly into a non-threaded internal bore of the bottom clamp plate or cooling plate.
Many injection molding tool applications require an array of bubbler tubes, sometimes as many as tens or hundreds of bubbler tubes. With many bubbler tubes connected directly to the bottom clamp plate or cooling plate, it is very time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly. It is also often dangerous to install or replace an array of bubbler tubes because the bubbler tubes often have sharp ends and can project from the plate like a bed of nails.
One particular conventional design requires installation of each bubbler tube from a bottom side of the bottom clamp plate or cooling plate. Custom installation and operation tooling are required to install, mount and replace each bubbler tube. Because each bubbler tube of this type becomes an integral part with the plate, it is not possible to replace the bubbler tube in some instances.
There is an apparent need for an apparatus that can be used to quickly and safely install and/or replace bubbler tubes, particularly conventional bubbler tubes, within or with respect to the bottom clamp plate or cooling plate.

Progressive Components International Corporation


A wireless flash drive may use a Near Field Communication (NFC) radio link with a second device to establish a second, non-NFC, radio link with the second device, and then use the non-NFC link to wirelessly transfer data between the second device and the non-volatile memory in the flash drive. Some embodiments may also have other features, such as a switch to activate the non-NFC link without using the NFC link, a battery to power the non-NFC radio and the non-volatile memory, inductive charging circuitry to wirelessly recharge the battery, or instructions to be uploaded to the second device for use in establishing the non-NFC link.

In recent years, so-called 'flash drives' have become commonplace as detachable storage devices for personal computers and similar portable computer devices. Such storage devices are generically referred to as flash drives because they most often use flash memory as the non-volatile memory technology, and because the associated software drivers may resemble the software drivers for traditional disk drives. The progress of flash drives in the industry has been characterized by a continual increase in storage capacity and a continual decrease in price per unit of storage. But one shortcoming has not seen much improvement—although many peripheral devices are converting to wireless connectivity, flash drives typically only transfer data through a hard-wired universal serial bus connector. Besides being inconvenient, it's easy to forget to remove the flash drive when finished, leaving it vulnerable to breakage, loss, or theft. Attempts to convert flash drives to wireless have generally suffered from at least one of these problems: 1) slow data transfer rates, 2) excessive manual setup by the operator to initiate a transfer, or 3) poor security protections.

Multi-radio wireless flash drive using NFC


There is disclosed a method, computer program product and a system for regulating execution of a suspicious process, comprising determining a file system location of an executable file associated with the suspicious process, encrypting the file, and creating a wrapper for the file with the same file name and location as the file associated with the suspicious process.

Malware has become one of the most prominent threats facing users of the internet. As cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly incentivised, the sophistication and technical investment attackers make into their attack tools is also increasing. Once a machine is infected, malware can covertly launch and take actions to hide. For example, a malware detection may include a two-stage monitoring system where, following a pre-approval stage, a program in execution is monitored at the kernel level. The increase in sophistication, the prevalence of malware and anti-antivirus techniques is leading the security industry away from traditional malware detection techniques (e.g. using signatures, heuristics, etc.) and towards alternatives such as machine learning (ML) and behavioural approaches.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A resistivity logging tool suitable for downhole use includes a transmitter, two spaced apart receivers. The measured resistivities at the two receivers are corrected for differences in receiver characteristics based on measuring the responses of the receivers to a calibration signal passed through calibration circuits. The logging tool may be used in reservoir navigation. A calibration antenna positioned between the two receivers may be used to identify factors other than the distance to a bed boundary that may effect the receiver signals.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to borehole formation evaluation instrumentation and methods of using such instrumentation in the drilling of directional wells. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for measuring the position of a drillstring while drilling a horizontal borehole and maintaining the drillstring within desired boundaries using electromagnetic propagation based earth formation evaluation tools.
2. Description of the Related Art
To obtain hydrocarbons such as oil and gas, well boreholes are drilled by rotating a drill bit attached at a drill string end. The drill string may be a jointed rotatable pipe or a coiled tube. Boreholes may be drilled vertically, but directional drilling systems are often used for drilling boreholes deviated from vertical and/or horizontal boreholes to increase the hydrocarbon production. Modern directional drilling systems generally employ a drill string having a bottomhole assembly (BHA) and a drill bit at an end thereof that is rotated by a drill motor (mud motor) and/or the drill string. A number of downhole devices placed in close proximity to the drill bit measure certain downhole operating parameters associated with the drill string. Such devices typically include sensors for measuring downhole temperature and pressure, tool azimuth, tool inclination. Also used are measuring devices such as a resistivity-measuring device to determine the presence of hydrocarbons and water. Additional downhole instruments, known as measurement-while-drilling (MWD) or logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools, are frequently attached to the drill string to determine formation geology and formation fluid conditions during the drilling operations.
Boreholes are usually drilled along predetermined paths and proceed through various formations. A drilling operator typically controls the surface-controlled drilling parameters during drilling operations. These parameters include weight on bit, drilling fluid flow through the drill pipe, drill string rotational speed (r.p.m. of the surface motor coupled to the drill pipe) and the density and viscosity of the drilling fluid. The downhole operating conditions continually change and the operator must react to such changes and adjust the surface-controlled parameters to properly control the drilling operations. For drilling a borehole in a virgin region, the operator typically relies on seismic survey plots, which provide a macro picture of the subsurface formations and a pre-planned borehole path. For drilling multiple boreholes in the same formation, the operator may also have information about the previously drilled boreholes in the same formation.
In order to maximize the amount of recovered oil from such a borehole, the boreholes are commonly drilled in a substantially horizontal orientation in close proximity to the oil water contact, but still within the oil zone. U.S. Pat. No. RE35386 to Wu et al, having the same assignee as the present application and the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference, teaches a method for detecting and sensing boundaries in a formation during directional drilling so that the drilling operation can be adjusted to maintain the drillstring within a selected stratum is presented. The method comprises the initial drilling of an offset well from which resistivity of the formation with depth is determined. This resistivity information is then modeled to provide a modeled log indicative of the response of a resistivity tool within a selected stratum in a substantially horizontal direction. A directional (e.g., horizontal) well is thereafter drilled wherein resistivity is logged in real time and compared to that of the modeled horizontal resistivity to determine the location of the drill string and thereby the borehole in the substantially horizontal stratum. From this, the direction of drilling can be corrected or adjusted so that the borehole is maintained within the desired stratum. The configuration used in the Wu patent is schematically denoted in FIG. 1 by a borehole 15 having a drilling assembly 21 with a drill bit 17 for drilling the borehole. The resistivity sensor is denoted by 19 and typically comprises a transmitter and a plurality of sensors. Measurements may be made with propagation sensors that operate in the 400 kHz and higher frequency, typically 2 Mhz.
A limitation of the method and apparatus used by Wu is that resistivity sensors are responsive to oil/water contacts for relatively small distances, typically no more than 5 m; at larger distances, conventional propagation tools are not responsive to the resistivity contrast between water and oil. Wu discloses the use of a device in which a single transmitter is used and amplitude and phase measurements are made at two spaced apart receivers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,968 to Brooks et al. having the same assignee as the present invention discloses a dual propagation resistivity (DPR) tool in which a pair of transmitters are symmetrically disposed about a pair of receivers. With the arrangement in Brooks, it is possible to avoid the effect of mutually coupling between receivers in a propagation resistivity tool. However, even with the DPR device, it is difficult to get the necessary accuracy to see boundaries that are tens of meters from the borehole. It should be noted for the purposes of the present invention, the term boundaries includes boundaries between geologic formations as well as boundaries between different fluids in the subsurface.
An indication of the desired precision of measurements can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Shown are simulations of amplitude (FIG. 2) and phase (FIG. 3) for a 3D model in which resistivity of the water-wet formation was taken as 0.2 Ωm, the resistivity of the oil-wet formation was 20 Ωm. The abscissa is the distance to the oil-water interface. Shown in FIG. 2 are amplitude ratios (in dB) for two receivers. The amplitude ratios have been normalized to amplitude ratios at a distance of 20 m, i.e., they are not absolute amplitude ratios. Similarly, FIG. 3 shows relative phase differences between measurements at the two receivers normalized to the phase difference at 20 m. The spacing between the two receivers for the model was 5 m. The spacing between the transmitter and the near receiver was 12 m.
In FIG. 2, curves 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 are the normalized amplitude ratios for frequencies of 4 kHz, 20 kHz, 60 kHz, 100 kHz, 200 kHz and 400 kHz respectively. In FIG. 3, curves 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46 are the normalized phase differences for frequencies of 4 kHz, 20 kHz, 60 kHz, 100 kHz, 200 kHz and 400 kHz respectively. An important point to note is that at 400 kHz, both the amplitude ratios and the phase differences are relatively unresponsive at distances of less than 10 m. This is consistent with results shown in Wu.
The simulation results also show that even at lower frequencies, a high level of precision is required in the amplitude and phase measurements in order to use them as distance indicators. Such a precision has hitherto not been possible at lower frequency tools (less than about 400 kHz).
It would be desirable to have an apparatus and a method of using the apparatus that is able to identify bed boundaries at distances greater than 10 m for the purposes of reservoir navigation. Such an apparatus should have a high level of precision and be relatively simple to use. The present invention satisfies this need.

Error correction and calibration of a deep reading propagation resistivity tool


A method for designing an automotive vehicle body shape having fixed and free boundaries to meet a pre-specified velocity or pressure distribution for a portion of the vehicle body migrates a set of vortex elements, whose strengths are related to the desired velocity and pressure distributions, until they reach spatial positions consistent with the desired velocity and pressure profile. A desired velocity and pressure profile is specified for a first portion and a shape is specified for a second portion of the vehicle body, and an initial shape for the first portion is estimated having a free surface cross-section, which is divided into free surface elements. Free surface vorticies are assigned in one-to-one correspondence to the free surface elements, and fixed surface vorticies in one-to-one correspondence with the fixed surface elements are determined. For each of the free surface elements, an x-axis velocity component and a y-axis velocity component is determined based upon the free surface vorticies and the fixed surface vorticies. These velocity components are then used to realign the planar orientation of each of the plurality of free surface elements. Determination of new x-axis and y-axis velocity components and realignment of the free surface cross-section continues until each of the free surface elements is within a predetermined tolerance.

Most computational fluid dynamics (CFD) design procedures follow a direct method, that is, the shape of an object is specified and the CFD design procedure computes a velocity or pressure profile along its surface. This approach is reactive, instead of proactive, since an aesthetically pleasing body shape choice may be aerodynamically inefficient and produce an undesirable velocity and pressure profile. Another body shape design approach is an inverse method which is essentially an iterative use of the direct method. This type of inverse method uses successive guesses to achieve a final shape. At each iteration, the latest shape is analyzed using the direct method and its actual surface velocity or pressure distribution is compared to a desired one. The error is used to construct a correction to the geometry for the next iteration. This approach is one step above trial-and-error, however, with the "corrections" hopefully providing some rationale for making shape changes.
A true inverse method which utilizes a surface vorticity model for designing a shape to meet a desired velocity and pressure profile is presented in the article "A Method for Inverse Aerofoil and Cascade Design by Surface Vorticity", Lewis, R. L., ASME Paper No. 82-GT-154 (1982). This method, however, along with the previously discussed methods, do not address design of a vehicle body shape when two portions of the body surface are in close proximity, and in which one portion has a relatively fixed shape and the other portion has a free shape, that is, one which is changeable. Thus, a vehicle shape design method is needed which provides a vehicle body shape having desired velocity and pressure distribution over separate portions of the body surface having both fixed and free shapes.

Method for automotive vehicle body shape design


A thermoelectric conversion module including a honeycomb structural body 3 made of an electrically insulating material, N type and P type semiconductor elements 1 and 2 inserted into through holes formed in the honeycomb structural body 3, electrically insulating filler members 4 filled in spaces between the semiconductor elements and inner walls of the through holes such that the semiconductor elements are fixed in position within respective through holes, and electrodes 7 connecting end surfaces of the semiconductor elements on polished end surfaces of the honeycomb structural body such that N type and P type semiconductor elements are alternately connected in series. According to the invention, the electrically insulating filler members are made of an inorganic adhesive of alkali metal silicate or sol-gel glass. Since undesired heat dissipation and heat transfer through adjacent semiconductor elements can be prevented and undesired oxidation and dissipation of the semiconductor elements during a usage can be effectively removed, a high output power can be attained stably for a long life time when the thermoelectric conversion module according to the invention is used in an electric power generating system using an exhausted heat. The higher and lower temperature side surfaces of the module can be shaped into any desired configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoelectric conversion module for use in an apparatus utilizing a thermoelectric effect such as electronic cooling apparatus and electric power generating apparatus, and more particularly to a thermoelectric conversion module having N type semiconductor elements and P type semiconductor elements, which are connected in series with each other by means of metal electrodes and are thermally and electrically isolated from adjacent semiconductor elements by a module core consisting of an electrically insulating material. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a thermoelectric conversion module.
2. Related Art Statement
When a pair of thermoelectric conversion elements comprising P type semiconductor element and N type semiconductor element, respectively are electrically connected in series and a connected end portion is subjected to a higher temperature and the other end portion is subjected to a lower temperature, there is generated a thermoelectric voltage across these end portions in accordance with a temperature difference. This phenomenon is called the Seebeck effect. In the above thermoelectric conversion element pair, when a current flows from one semiconductor element to the other semiconductor element, one end portion absorbs heat and the other end portion generates heat. This phenomenon is called the Peltier effect. Furthermore, when one of the p type semiconductor element and N type semiconductor element is subjected to a higher temperature and the other is subjected to a lower temperature and an electric current flows along a temperature gradient, heat is absorbed or generated in accordance with direction of the current. This phenomenon is called the Thomson effect.
The thermoelectric conversion module utilizing the above mentioned effects does not includes a movable member which might produce undesired vibration, noise and abrasion, and thus may be advantageously used as a direct energy conversion apparatus having simple construction and long life time and being easily managed. Such a thermoelectric conversion module comprises at least one pair of P type semiconductor element and N type semiconductor element, and usually the element pairs are connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. The thermoelectric conversion module has been used as an electric power generating apparatus using the above mentioned Seebeck effect, in which a voltage is generated in accordance with a temperature difference, and as a thermoelectric cooling apparatus using the Peltier effect, in which one end portion is cooled by producing a temperature difference in accordance with a voltage applied across both end portions.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a known thermoelectric conversion module. P type semiconductor elements 21 and N type semiconductor elements 22 are arranged in accordance with a given pattern. One end portion of adjacent thermoelectric elements is connected by means of electrodes 26 formed on an insulating substrate 25 and the other end portion of adjacent thermoelectric elements is connected by means of electrodes 27 also formed on an insulating substrate such that successive thermoelectric elements are connected in series. No heat insulating members are provided between adjacent thermoelectric elements and the thermoelectric module has a skeleton structure. It should be noted that in FIG. 1 the insulating substrate for the electrodes 27 is not shown for the sake of simplicity.
In general, the thermoelectric module includes several tens of semiconductor element pairs. As explained above, since the known thermoelectric module has the skeleton structure, it is rather difficult to arrange accurately a number of semiconductor elements in accordance with a given pattern and to connect these semiconductor elements in series and are kept in position until the electrodes are secured to the elements. Further, the known thermoelectric conversion module has a drawback that it could not have a large mechanical strength.
In order to mitigate the above drawbacks of the known thermoelectric conversion module shown in FIG. 1, several proposals have been done for the construction and manufacturing method of the thermoelectric conversion module.
(1) In Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication Kokai Hei (JP-A) 5-283753, there is proposed a structure in which p type and N type semiconductor elements are arranged within holes formed in a heat resisting insulator, and in JP-A 7-162039, there is shown a structure in which semiconductor elements are inserted into holes formed in a mold substrate made of an electrically insulating material.
In such structures, the P type and N type semiconductor elements can be inserted into the through holes formed in the insulating body without using any tool, and therefore a workability is improved, adjacent elements can be effectively isolated from each other, and a mechanical strength of the thermoelectric module can be increased.
(2) There has been also proposed another known structure, in which spaces between adjacent semiconductor elements are filled with an electrically insulating material. For instance, in JP-A 8-18109 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,428, there is disclosed a structure in which P type and N type semiconductor elements pairs are embedded in an insulating material. In JP-A 61-263176, there is proposed a structure in which a plurality of P type and N type semiconductor layers are stacked, spaces are formed in portions other than PN junctions, and the spaces are filled with an electrically insulating glass material. In thermoelectric conversion modules having such structures, since spaces between adjacent semiconductor elements are filled, with an insulating material, the mechanical strength of the module is improved and the semiconductor elements can have acid proof and anticorrosion property.
However, in the known thermoelectric conversion module described in the above mentioned item (1), it is difficult to manufacture a thermoelectric conversion module in which a height defined as a distance between a higher temperature end surface and a lower temperature end surface is uniform over a whole surface of the module. In a thermoelectric conversion system in which a number of thermoelectric conversion modules are integrally arranged, it is important to make uniform thermal contact between a heat source and the modules. Therefore, a high accuracy in the height of the thermoelectric conversion modules is important. Particularly, in an electric power generating system formed by thermoelectric conversion modules in order to generate electric power by utilizing an exhausted heat from a combustion system of an automobile, it is necessary to arrange more than several tens thermoelectric conversion modules. In such a system, if the thermoelectric conversion modules have different heights, the temperature difference between end portions of the respective thermoelectric conversion modules is also varied in accordance with a thermal contact condition and output powers generated by respective thermoelectric conversion modules are varied, Then, thermoelectric conversion modules whose output power is low might consume output power of thermoelectric conversion modules generating higher output power. This results in a large decrease in the output power of the total thermoelectric conversion system.
Furthermore, in the known thermoelectric conversion modules described in the above item (1), there are formed air spaces between the semiconductor elements and inner walls of the holes into which elements are inserted, heat might dissipate from side walls of the semiconductor elements into the air spaces and heat transfer might occur within the air spaces. Therefore, a heat current passing through the elements is reduced, and as a result of which the output power is decreased. When the thermoelectric conversion module is applied to the electric power generating system utilizing heat exhausted from an internal combustion engine of an automobile, a higher temperature side is subjected to a very high temperature up to 800.degree. C. and there is produced a large temperature difference between the higher temperature side and the lower temperature side. Therefore, it is particularly important to suppress an undesired reduction in the thermal energy passing through the semiconductor elements as far as possible. In the known construction proposed in the above item (1), in order to reduce an air space between a semiconductor element and an inner wall of the hole, these parts have to be manufactured with an extremely high precision, and therefore an operation of inserting the semiconductor element into the hole requires a high precision and becomes very cumbersome. In this manner, a manufacturing cost would be increased materially.
In the known thermoelectric conversion module proposed in the above item (2), semiconductor elements have to be maintained in position until spaces between adjacent elements are filled with an insulating material. In the thermoelectric conversion module disclosed in JP-A 61-263176, spaces between the semiconductor layers are filled with a glass material having a low melting point such as vitreous enamel. When the higher temperature side of the thermoelectric conversion module is heated to a temperature near the melting point or softening point of the low melting point glass, the glass filled in the spaces between the semiconductor layers is deformed due to a thermal expansion. When the temperature is increased up to the softening point, the glass is softened and deformed to a large extent Particularly, in the electric power generating system producing a large electric current, a current leakage due to the deformation and alternation of the insulating member might cause undesired overheat and a possibility of fire is increased.
In the above mentioned JP-A 8-18109, P type and N type semiconductor films are formed on glass substrates, respectively, and the semiconductor films are selectively removed by a dicing machine to form pillar-like semiconductor elements. Then, the glass substrates are stacked with each other such that the P type semiconductor elements and N type semiconductor elements are arranged alternately. Finally, spaces formed between the glass substrates are filled with an electrically insulating material. In such a method, an amount of semiconductor materials removed from the original semiconductor films becomes larger than that of the pillar-like semiconductor elements, and thus a manufacturing cost is increased.
In the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,428, after fixing the semiconductor elements by soldering electrodes to both ends of the semiconductor elements, spaces are filled with an insulating material. In this method, at first, electrodes are connected to one ends of the semiconductor elements held by a supporting member, then after removing the supporting member, electrodes are connected to the other ends of the semiconductor elements, and finally spaces are filled with the insulating material. In this case, since the electrodes have to be connected to the both ends of the semiconductor elements by different steps, it is necessary to prepare solders having different melting points. In general, a temperature at which electrodes are connected by soldering has to be set to a value within a range from a temperature of a higher temperature side of the thermoelectric conversion module under practical use and a sintering temperature of the semiconductor elements. When the higher temperature side of the thermoelectric conversion module is subjected to a high temperature, said temperature range becomes very narrow and it is practically difficult to prepare two kinds of solders or brazing materials having different melting points.

Thermoelectric conversion module and method of manufacturing the same


A portable shelter is provided with a flexible vestibule adapter and a flexible connector connected to the same wall, concentrically surrounding a door. Individual shelter elements may be deployed for functionally different end uses and are protected from weathering and damage when not in use, and the stored elements do not get in the way of other end uses. For example, the vestibule adapter and the flexible connector may be rolled up on themselves for storage individually or together, depending on the desired end-use configuration.

The present invention relates to one or more portable structures of the type used to provide shelter for people and/or equipment. The shelters may be formed at least partially of flexible material, for example, fabric. The present invention is especially well-adapted for use in remote and rugged locations where it is difficult and/or time-consuming to configure one or more shelters for particular end uses, and in situations where flexibility of use, convenience, durability, and/or ease of set-up and storage are desirable. However, the present invention provides important advantages over the prior art in other conditions and situations as well.

Portable shelter with vestibule adapter and concentric flexible connector


A system and method for generating a customized user interface showing a state of drilling operations at successive levels of drilling operations includes receiving synchronized data from a local server installed on each drilling rig of a fleet, analyzing the synchronized data with a real-time analytics engine including at least one predictive model to identify at least one drilling operation event associated with a drilling rig from the synchronized data, applying logic rules to calibrate outputs of the real-time analytics engine to determine a set of key performance indicators for the at least one drilling operation event from the drilling rig, and generating the customized user interface to be accessed by a user computing device to visualize the set of key performance indicators, wherein the customized user interface indicates a recommended change in drilling operations based on an analysis of the set of key performance indicators.

The economics of oil and gas drilling operations require efficient production. With respect to offshore drilling, measuring Site Specific Procedures (SSP) performance helps to establish baselines, which are critical for understanding efficiency drivers across a range of operating scenarios. However, operating scenarios of offshore drilling rigs tend to vary because offshore drilling rigs are exposed to a wide range of weather and sea conditions.

Augmenting user interface to convey a state of drilling operations

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is a chemiluminescence measurement apparatus that includes: a support member configured to support a cartridge for measuring a test substance contained in a specimen by chemiluminescence measurement; a motor configured to rotate the support member so as to rotate the cartridge such that a process required for the chemiluminescence measurement proceeds in the cartridge; and a light receiver configured to receive light generated by chemiluminescence in the cartridge that is supported by the support member rotated by the motor. The cartridge supported by the support member and a light receiving surface of the light receiver are disposed inside a dark space surrounded by a light-shielding portion, and the motor is disposed outside the dark space.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0164175 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Literature 1) discloses an analyzer for analyzing a specimen such as blood, saliva, or urine by using a disk 610, as shown in FIG. 28. The analyzer includes: a rotation device 620 for rotating the disk 610 in order to cause the specimen and a reagent to react with each other in the disk 610; a light emitter 640 for irradiating, with light, a detection zone 630 including a chamber; and a light detector 650 for receiving light that has transmitted through the detection zone 630.
In the analyzer disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a camera is used as the light detector 650, and an image of the detection zone 630 that is irradiated with light by the light emitter 640 is taken by the camera, whereby a reaction result in the detection zone 630 is obtained according to the density of a color or change of a color in the taken image. All of the disk 610, the rotation device 620, the light emitter 640, and the light detector 650 are stored inside a box-shaped main body 660.
In a device such as the analyzer disclosed in Patent Literature 1 in which a cartridge is rotated in the box-shaped main body for reduction in size, in a case where chemiluminescence measurement for measuring low light generated in the cartridge by chemiluminescence is performed, the light needs to be detected at photon counting level, and, therefore, light-shielding needs to be sufficient so as to prevent light from leaking from the outside into the space in which the cartridge is stored. In this case, since the space in which the cartridge is stored is a closed space, it is difficult to dissipate heat to the outside. In a case where light is generated in the cartridge by chemiluminescence, if the temperature in the space in which the cartridge is stored varies, a chemical reaction in the cartridge becomes unstable, resulting in accuracy for chemiluminescence measurement being reduced. Therefore, the temperature in the space in which the cartridge is stored is preferably maintained at a predetermined temperature.