An image processor performs color correction corresponding to an environment light. An input device inputs white information of a recording medium and environment light information, and a correction device performs correction corresponding to a fluorescent whitening effect, for the white information of the recording medium on the basis of the environment light information. A color correction device performs color correction for an input color image information on the basis of the corrected white information of the recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method for performing color correcting according to environment light, a storage medium for storing the image processing method, and an environment light measurement apparatus for measuring the environment light.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, since color image products are widely used, a color image can be easily managed not only in a specific field such as a design production field or the like using CG (computer graphics), but also in general office. In a any case, in a case where the image formed on a monitor is outputted by a printer, since a color of the monitor image does not coincide with that of the printed image, it is difficult to perform color checking of the printed image on the monitor. Therefore, as a method to solve such a problem, a color management system has been created and remarked.
The color management system is a system for eliminating a difference in color of each device by using a common color space. This system is based on an idea that, if the colors are represented by the same coordinates in the same color space, their manifestation (or appearance) is identical. That is, in this system, all the colors are represented in the same color space and their corresponding coordinates are coincided with others to obtain coincidence in the manifestation of color. At present, as one of such systems generally used, there is a method in which the difference in color of each device is corrected by using a CIE-XYZ color space as the color space, and by using XYZ tristimulus values which are internal description coordinate values of the CIE-XYZ color space.
Hereinafter, the environment for observing the image will be explained with reference to FIG. 28. FIG. 28 shows a case where an image which is the same as printed matter 201 is displayed on a monitor 203. In this case, ambient light 204 when the image is being observed is detected by an ambient light sensor 206 mounted on the monitor or the printer.
For example, the printed image or the image displayed on a CRT is not always observed in the fixed ambient light, but the ambient light 204 in FIG. 28 varies according to an environmental situation. Further, even if color coincidence can be obtained in one ambient light, when such ambient light varies, color-coincided images come to be seen as the images completely different from others. As shown in FIG. 27, in order to eliminate this, by using the above color management system, it is predicted on the basis of ambient light-information 108 previously obtained by a sensor 109 what value (e.g., XYZ values) the respective images have when these images are observed in one environment. Then, these predicted values are reproduced as faithfully as possible by using profiles 103 and 104 for respective devices, whereby it intends to coincide the manifested color with others.
Such a conventional example will be explained hereinafter with reference to FIG. 27. Initially, an input image (i.e., printed matter) is read by a scanner 101. Then, in a scanner RGB to XYZ conversion unit 102, R1, G1 and B1 signals obtained from the scanner 101 are converted into color signals X1, Y1 and Z1 not depending on any device, by using the scanner profile 103 in which previously provided scanner characteristic data has been stored. Further, in a signal conversion unit 104, on the basis of the ambient light information 108 obtained from the sensor 109 for sensing the ambient light, the signals X1, Y1 and Z1 are converted into color signals X2, Y2 and Z2 of each color in case of observing in such ambient light. Then, in an XYZ to monitor RGB conversion unit 105, monitor input values, i.e., R2, G2 and B2 signals, are calculated by using the monitor profile 106 and inputted to the monitor 107.
In the above conventional method, if the two colors have the same value in the common color space, they should be seen as the same. However, in a case where the color displayed on the monitor is compared with the color obtained by illumination (e.g., color on printed matter), it has been conventionally known that, even if these two colors have the same value, they can not be seen as the same by an observer. For this reason, in order to perceive or observe these two colors as the same by the naked eye in the above environment, further correcting is necessary.
In case of the printer, the profile can be obtained by adding various image data to the target device, measuring the color of the output image from the target device, and forming a table in which the various image data respectively correspond to the color-measured values. However, since it is assumed that environment illumination light in case of forming the profile has a value of standard illumination light which is determined by CIE and has spectral intensity as shown in FIG. 16, color change ratio of the CRT becomes different from that of the printed matter if the environment illumination light varies, whereby the colors on the CRT and the printed matter are observed as being different from each other. Therefore, in case of performing strict color matching, it is necessary to make the standard illumination light and the environment illumination light substantially the same when the profile is formed, and to measure a kind of the environment illumination light to further add a color correction process.
In case of observing colors, it is thought that a human being considers white as a standard color and thus recognizes all colors by comparing them with white. In this connection, it will be thought an example that a displayed image on a monitor and an image on printed matter both placed in one ambient light (i.e., environment light) are observed.
In such environment, there are many colors which are considered (or can be perceived) as white, e.g., white on the monitor, white in illumination light, white in an image (or paper) illuminated by the illumination light, and the like.
In a case where there are many colors which can be perceived as white in observation environment, an observer in such environment obtains the white acting as the standard when observing the color, by collecting perception as to the above-described whites in the many environments (i.e., white on the monitor, white in illumination light, white in an image (or paper) illuminated by the illumination light, and the like). At this time, the white perceived on the printed matter (i.e., white of the image (or paper) illuminated by the illumination light) and the white on the monitor highly affect the case of obtaining the standard white by collecting the perception, as compared with another white. For this reason, even if the identical illumination light is used, if the white (i.e., chromaticity value) of the paper used when obtaining the printed matter (i.e., hard copy) differs, also the standard white when observing the color highly differs.
Therefore, an object of a first invention is to realize highly accurate matching by performing color signal converting on the basis of the white of a recording medium and the white of the environment light.
In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides an image processing method for performing the color signal converting on image data to make identical of color sight on a displayed image and color sight on an image formed on the recording medium, comprising the steps of:
obtaining information as to the white which is perceived on the formed image illuminated by the environment light, on the basis of information as to the recording medium and information as to the image processing environment light; and
performing the color signal converting by using the information as to the white obtained in the obtaining step and the information as to the white on a display device.
Further, the paper or ink which is the base material of the output printed matter tends to use a fluorescent whitening agent to improve a coloring characteristic. For this reason, e.g., as shown in FIG. 12 which illustrates a change in reflectance on the paper with UV-range (ultraviolet-range) illumination intensity, if the UV-range illumination intensity increases, the reflectance exceeds 100% in a partial wavelength (i.e., color) range due to fluorescent whitening effect, whereby the coloring characteristic varies.
Therefore, an object of a second invention is to be able to produce a high-quality output image by performing a correction process which takes into consideration the fluorescent whitening effect according to the UV-range illumination intensity.
In order to achieve the above object, the second invention provides an image processing apparatus comprising:
illumination light measurement means for measuring the illumination light, the means being composed of an optical sensor for measuring the UV-range illumination intensity and an optical sensor for measuring visible-range illumination intensity; and
correction process means for performing the correction process on the image data to correct the fluorescent whitening effect on the recording medium in accordance with a measurement result of the measurement means.
In the conventional method where environment illumination light under which the observing is performed is measured and the color correcting is performed, as shown in FIG. 26, such measuring is performed by a light sensor which has three-color, R (red), G (green) and B (blue) sensitivity of visible-range light (i.e., wavelength 380 to 780 nm), to judge color temperature and the environment illumination light thereby performing the color correcting. However, in such conventional method to measure and correct the color temperature with the three colors, there is a problem that such method can not be applied to a fluorescent lamp of which color rendering is deteriorated due to influence of a luminescent line or to a light source in which the fluorescent lamp and other lamps are mixed. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, if such illumination light which can be frequently seen in an office is measured in a spectral method, the influence of external light and the luminescent line clearly appears. Such influence could not be eliminated only by detecting a flicker and the luminescent line of the fluorescent lamp. Further, according to the measuring by the light sensor of the three colors including the luminescent line, a wavelength output of the luminescent line is large, whereas other wavelength outputs are relatively small. Thus, it is difficult to accurately measure the change in the illumination light in which the external light is included. For this reason, it has to use the spectral measurement method having loads in time and cost.
Therefore, an object of a third invention is to be able to accurately identify, with simple structure, the environment illumination light without the influence of the luminescent line of the light source.
In order to achieve the above object, the third invention provides an image processing apparatus comprising:
environment illumination light measurement means which is composed of a shorter-wavelength light detection unit having sensitivity in a wavelength band in which a peak of a main spectral sensitivity characteristic does not coincide with a peak of a main luminescent line of the fluorescent light, and a longer-wavelength light detection unit having sensitivity at a point where the spectral sensitivity characteristic corresponds to red; and
environment illumination light identification means for identifying environment illumination light by using a signal from the environment illumination light measurement means.
Further, in the conventional method where the environment illumination light under which the observing is performed is measured and the color correcting is performed, as shown in FIG. 26, such measuring is performed by the light sensor which has the three-color, R, G and B sensitivity of visible-range light (e.g., wavelength 380 to 780 nm), to judge the color temperature and the environment illumination light, thereby performing the color correcting. However, in such conventional method to measure and correct the color temperature with the three colors, since a wavelength range to be detected is wide, there is a problem that the fluorescent lamp or the like having the luminescent line can not be discriminated as the light source.
For this reason, in an improved conventional method, the luminescent line and the flicker are detected to judge whether or not the environment illumination light is the fluorescent illumination light. However, the illumination light which can be frequently seen in the office is the various light including the fluorescent lamp and other light source. For example, as shown in FIG. 24, if such environment illumination light is measured in the spectral method, the influence of the luminescent line clearly appears in the external light, whereby such environment illumination light is erroneously judged as the fluorescent illumination light.
In this case, however, if the environment illumination light is considered as the fluorescent illumination light and thus the color image process is performed, the reproduction color is incorrect. Further, according to a kind of the fluorescent lamp and a time elapsing for use of the fluorescent lamp, the color rendering differs. For this reason, in case of performing the accurate color reproduction, it had to use the spectral measurement method having the loads in time and cost.
Therefore, an object of a fourth invention is to be able to easily and highly accurately obtain the color rendering of the environment light which affects the color reproduction.
In order to achieve the above object, the fourth invention provides an image processing apparatus comprising:
a first sensor of which main spectral sensitivity characteristic has sensitivity in the vicinity of the main luminescent line of the fluorescent lamp;
a second sensor of which main spectral sensitivity characteristic does not include the main luminescent line of the fluorescent lamp; and
means for obtaining the color rendering of the environment light, on the basis of outputs of the first and second sensors.
Further, an object of a fifth invention is to provide an environment light measurement apparatus which can measure the environment light with simple structure.
In order to achieve the above object, the fifth invention provides the environment light measurement apparatus comprising:
first light detection means of which main spectral sensitivity characteristic has sensitivity in the vicinity of the wavelength 546 nm being the main luminescent line of the fluorescent lamp; and
second light detection means of which main spectral sensitivity characteristic has sensitivity in a wavelength band of 650 nm or longer not including the main luminescent line and in the vicinity of the wavelength 480 nm.
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the fifth invention provides the environment light measurement apparatus comprising:
first light detection means of which main spectral sensitivity characteristic has sensitivity in the vicinity of the wavelength 546 nm being the main luminescent line of the fluorescent lamp;
second light detection means of which main spectral sensitivity characteristic has sensitivity in the wavelength band of 650 nm or longer not including the main luminescent line; and
color temperature measurement means for measuring the color temperature of the environment light.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, storage medium for storing image processing method, and environment light measurement apparatus


Stacker (2) of the paper money processing device (1) is provided with L-shaped levers (4) whose front end (4a) is formed to be orientated upward and which rotatably support auxiliary rollers (5) at the front end (4a), and a thrusting member (6) which thrusts the L-shaped levers (4) toward a paper money carrier belt (26) of the device main body (22) constantly. The stacker (2) is constructed in such a way that, when it is mounted in the device main body (22), a paper money inserted is held and carried between the auxiliary rollers (5) and the paper money carrier belt (26) by the thrusting force of the thrusting member (6), and when the stacker (2) is removed from the device main body (22), a paper money housed within the stacker (2) is prevented from falling down from the stacker (2) by the L-shaped levers (4).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper money processing device for use in, for example, automatic vending machines, money-changing machines, pachinko ball vending machines and metal token vending machines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, paper money processing devices are mounted in the main bodies of devices such as automatic vending machines which handle paper money (including coupons and so on) to judge the authenticity of the paper money which has been inserted, and to store and house only that paper money which has been deemed authentic.
FIG. 8 is a partially broken schematic side view that shows the main part of a conventional paper money processing device.
The conventional paper money processing device 21 comprises a device main body 22, and a stacker 52 mounted so as to be attachable to and detachable from the rear surface 22a of the main body 22.
Arranged in the device main body 22 are paper money carrier means 25 which comprises a paper money carrier belt 26 for transporting paper money 101 inserted through a paper money insertion hole 23 along an L-shaped paper money carrier path 24; paper money identification means 42 which comprises a magnetic head or the like for judging the authenticity of the paper money 101; and paper money transfer means 35 for transferring to the stacker 52 each piece of paper money 101 judged to be authentic by the paper money identification means 42 one by one.
The paper money carrier means 25 comprises the aforementioned endless paper money carrier belt 26 which extends along a horizontal part 24a or a vertical part 24b of a paper money carrier path 24, and paper money carrier belt drive means 31 comprising pulleys 27, 28, 29, 30 which rotate and drive the paper money carrier belt 26.
The paper money transfer means 35 is, as disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 5-276592 which was previously proposed by the applicants of the subject application, arranged in the longitudinal direction over the opposite sides of the device main body 22 and comprises a pair of paper money guide drums 36 which are supported, taking the top and bottom ends thereof as the axis, so as to be able to rotate freely in one direction. Referring to FIG. 9 which shows a main part schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, the circumferential surface of the paper money guide drums 36 is formed with a slit 36a, into which the edge part in the width direction of the paper money 101 inserts, along the vertical part 24b of the paper money carrier path 24. It will be noted that the reference symbols 32, 33 of FIG. 9 denote, respectively, the upper chute and the lower chute which form the paper money carrier path 24.
For details of paper money transfer means 35, please refer to Japanese Patent Application No. 5-276592.
Meanwhile, the stacker 52 shown in FIG. 8 comprises a housing 53 in which an opening 53a which faces the front surface is formed. As shown in FIG. 9, an auxiliary roller 55 for holding the paper money between itself and the paper money carrier belt 26 so as to transport the paper money, is rotatably supported at the bottom edge 53b of the housing 53, and at a portion of the stacker 52 which opposes the paper money carrier belt 26.
In the conventional paper money processing device 21, when a paper money 101 is inserted into the paper money insertion hole 23 shown in FIG. 8 and the presence or absence of paper money 101 is detected by a paper money detection sensor not shown in the drawings, the paper money carrier belt 26 rotates in the anti-clockwise direction based on the detected signal, whereby the paper money 101 is horizontally transported along the horizontal part 24a of the paper money carrier path 24 by the carrier force thereof. At this time, shutter means 41 is driven and as a result, the shutter is moved to the left direction in the drawing so that the vertical part 24b of the paper money carrier path 24 opens wider.
When the paper money 101 is transported approximately 90.degree. upward along the vertical part 24b of paper money carrier path 24, a judgement is made as to the authenticity of the paper money 101 by paper money identification means 42. If the paper money 101 is judged not to be authentic, the paper money carrier belt 26 reverses (rotates in the clockwise direction) so that the paper money 101 is returned through the paper money insertion hole 23.
Meanwhile, if the paper money 101 is judged to be authentic by paper money identification means 42, the forward rotation of the paper money carrier belt 26 is continued based on the detected signal, and the paper money 101 is transported further downstream of the vertical part 24b.
When the paper money 101 reaches the auxiliary roller 55 shown in FIG. 9, the paper money 101 is held between the auxiliary roller 55 and the forward rotating paper money carrier belt 26 whereby further transporting into the downstream slit 36a is ensured.
When the front end of the paper money 101 is inserted into the bottom edge of the slit 36a of the paper money guide drums 36, the paper money 101 is simultaneously held between the paper money carrier belt 26 and the edge part of the slit 36a of the paper money guide drums 36. As a result, the paper money 101 is transported further upward along the slit 36a. After that, when the paper money 101 is detected as having reached a predetermined position in the slit 23 by a sensor or the like not shown in the drawings, the forward rotation of the paper money carrier belt 26 stops and the paper money guide drums 36 rotate in the same phase in the opposite direction. As a result, the paper money 101 inserted in the slit 36a moves parallel to the stacker 52.
When the paper money 101, which is moving parallel to the stacker, reaches the stacker 52, the paper money 101 is held between the outer circumferential surface of the paper money guide drums 36 and a stacker plate, not shown in the drawings, by way of a stacker spring not shown in the drawings. At the same time, it is pushed by a chute not shown in the drawings moving toward the stacker 52 in response to the rotation of the paper money guide drums 36, so the paper money 101 is released from the slit 36a. As a result, it is pushed into and housed with certainty in the stacker 52.
In this conventional paper money processing device 21, the stacker 52 can be attached to and detached from the device main body 22. When the paper money housed within the stacker 52 is to be collected, or a maintenance inspection of the device main body 22 is carried out, the stacker 52 is detached from the device main body 22 so that the operations for the maintenance can be easily carried out.
However, in the conventional paper money processing device 21, an opening 53a which faces the device main body 22 is formed in the stacker 52 in which the paper money 101 is housed. Therefore, there are problems in that, when the device main body 22 is separated from the stacker 52 at the time of a collection of the paper money housed within the stacker 52 or a maintenance inspection of the device main body 22, the housed paper money 101 of the stacker 52 is liable to fall downward from the stacker 52.


The present invention provides a capacitor having a changeable dielectric capacity which has advantages in changing the dielectric capacity and increasing the maximum dielectric capacity. The capacitor having a changeable dielectric capacity comprises ceramic main body part 1 in which a first and second internal electrodes 2a and 2b are formed. Four terminal electrodes 3 are formed apart on a face of the ceramic main body part 1. A common terminal electrode 4 is formed on the ceramic main body part 1 so that it connects with the internal electrodes 2a and 2b. To these terminal electrodes 3 and 4 are connected their respective lead wires 5 for wiring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitor having a changeable dielectric capacity and, more particularly, improvement in the reliability thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, "network type" capacitors are known to a kind of capacitors. "Network type" capacitors are capacitors which have a changeable dielectric capacity.
An embodiment of a "network type" capacitor is shown in FIG. 1 in perspective view. FIG. 2 is a II--II sectional view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is III--III sectional view of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, this capacitor comprises a main body part 61 of ceramic such as barium titanate (BaTiO.sub.3) and terminal electrodes which are formed using a paste of mainly silver (Ag). These terminal electrodes consist of a common terminal electrode 62a and a plurality of face terminal electrodes 62b facing the common terminal electrode 62a. The common terminal electrode 62a is formed on a face of main ceramic body part 61 as shown in FIG. 2 and the plurality of face terminal electrodes 62b are formed apart on a face of main ceramic body part 61. Lead wires 63 are each connected to these terminal electrodes 62a and 62b.
After this wiring, the ceramic main body part is covered with a layer 64 of epoxy resin or the like which is self-extinguishing.
Meanwhile, size of typical "network type" capacitor will be referred to below. Since the typical "network type" capacitor has nine capacitor elements, the typical "network type" capacitor is about 24 mm in width and 10 mm in length. Meanwhile, the ceramic main body part requires that its thickness is more than 0.4 mm because of strength of breakdown. Typically, an interval P between two face terminal electrodes is from 2.45 mm to 1.778 mm (see FIG. 2). When the thickness of face terminal electrode is S mm, difference of P-S is from 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm (see FIG. 2).
However, the above-described "network type" capacitor has the following problems.
FIG. 4 shows this "network type" capacitor in equivalent circuit view. As shown in FIG. 4, the "network type" capacitor has four capacitor elements C1,C2,C3 and C4. Their respective dielectric capacity C is given by the following formula: EQU C=Es.times.E.sub.0 .times.S/T
wherein "Es" represents the relative dielectric constant of ceramic material, "E.sub.0 " represents the dielectric capacity of a vacuum, "S" represents the an effective dimension of the face terminal electrode influencing its dielectric capacity, and "T" represents the thickness of the main ceramic body part.
Referring to the above formula, each dielectric capacity depends on its relative dielectric constant "Es", its effective dimension of its face terminal electrode and the thickness of the main ceramic body part. Therefore, when the relative dielectric constant, the effective dimension and the thickness are all constant in the "network type" capacitor it is difficult to make a variety of dielectric capacities. In order to increase dielectric capacity without enlarging the effective dimension, it is necessary to thin the ceramic main body part. However, there is a limit to the degree of thinness of the ceramic main body part because the capacitor breaks down when the ceramic body part is too thin.

Capacitor having a changeable dielectric capacity and manufacturing method thereof


Provided is a hollow fiber degassing module which includes a hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained by bundling a plurality of hollow fiber membranes in a cylindrical shape and a cylindrical body receiving the hollow fiber membrane bundle and extending in an axial direction and degasses a liquid by supplying the liquid to the outside of the hollow fiber membrane and depressurizing the inside of the hollow fiber membrane, in which a hollow fiber membrane packing ratio which is a ratio of a sum of an apparent cross-sectional area of the hollow fiber membrane with respect to an apparent cross-sectional area of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is in a range of 43% or less.

An inkjet printer is a printing machine using a system in which droplets of ink are directly sprayed onto a printing medium. In such an inkjet printer, there is a possibility that a gas dissolved in the ink is gasified due to a change in pressure inside an ink storage portion during printing so that a nozzle is blocked. As a result, there is a risk that printing quality is noticeably degraded. This risk becomes remarkable in a long-term use and a high-speed operation. In order to solve such a problem, it is effective to perform degassing to remove dissolved gas and bubbles from the ink. As a method of effectively degassing the ink, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of continuously degassing the ink by attaching a hollow fiber degassing module using a hollow fiber membrane to an ink passage reaching an inkjet head from an ink storage portion.
The hollow fiber degassing module disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is an external perfusion type hollow fiber degassing module and a hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained by bundling a plurality of hollow fiber membranes is received in a cylindrical body. Then, the ink is supplied to the outside of the hollow fiber membrane and the inside of the hollow fiber membrane is depressurized to degas the ink, and the degassed ink is discharged from a discharge port formed in a side wall of the cylindrical body.

Hollow-fiber degassing module and inkjet printer


The present invention relates to a 5th-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system to be provided to support a higher data transmission rate beyond a 4th-generation (4G) communication system such as long term evolution (LTE). The present invention relates to a method for performing a random access process by a base station in a communication system supporting a beamforming scheme, the method comprising the steps of: transmitting information on a reception beam corresponding to each unit time interval; performing, in each unit time interval, a reception beam sweeping process on the basis of the reception beam corresponding to each unit time interval; stopping the reception beam sweeping process when, in the process of performing the reception beam sweeping process, it is detected that a random access process should be performed with a UE in a specific unit time interval; and performing the random access process with the UE.

To meet the demand for wireless data traffic, which has increased since deployment of 4th-generation (4G) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5th-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication system is also called a 'beyond 4G network' or a 'post long-term evolution (LTE) system'.
It is considered that the 5G communication system will be implemented in millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, e.g., 60 GHz bands, so as to accomplish higher data rates. To reduce propagation loss of radio waves and increase a transmission distance, a beam forming technique, a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique, a full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO) technique, an array antenna technique, an analog beam forming technique, and a large scale antenna technique are discussed in 5G communication systems.
In addition, in 5G communication systems, development for system network improvement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, a device-to-device (D2D) communication, a wireless backhaul, a moving network, a cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), reception-end interference cancellation, and the like.
In the 5G system, a hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation (FQAM) and a sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM) scheme, and a filter bank multi carrier (FBMC) scheme, a non-orthogonal multiple Access (NOMA) scheme, and a sparse code multiple access (SCMA) scheme as an advanced access technology have been developed.
Communication systems have been developed to support a higher data rate to meet ever-increasing demand for radio data traffic.
Meanwhile, communication systems proposed up to now have developed various schemes for mainly improving a spectral efficiency for increasing a data rate, however, it is difficult to satisfy explosive demand for radio data traffic with only the schemes for improving the spectral efficiency.
So, various schemes have been proposed for satisfying the explosive demand for the data traffic, and a typical one is a scheme of using a very wide frequency band, e.g., an mmWave frequency band.
It is very difficult to obtain a wide frequency band in a frequency band (<5 GHz) used in a current mobile communication cellular system, so there is a need for obtaining an mmWave frequency band in a frequency band higher than the frequency band used in the current mobile communication cellular system.
However, in a general wireless communication system, the higher a frequency band used for a wireless communication is, the more increased propagation path loss is. So, a propagation distance is relatively short due to increase of this propagation path loss, so it results in decrease of a service coverage. So, various schemes for solving a service coverage decrease problem due to increase of propagation path loss, that is, for mitigating propagation path loss and increasing a propagation distance have been proposed, and a typical one is a beam-forming scheme.
A scheduled access process in a communication system supporting a general beam-forming scheme will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a scheduled access process in a communication system supporting a general beam-forming scheme.
Referring to FIG. 1, a scheduled access process denotes an access process for a base station to determine a location of a uplink resource, uplink resource amount, and a uplink transmission timing which are to be used for a user equipment (UE) to transmit data.
First, a UE 111 transmits uplink data to a base station (not shown in FIG. 1) based on resource allocation information related to a uplink resource allocated from the base station to the UE 111 and transmission timing information about a uplink transmission timing determined for the UE 111. This will be described below.
First, the UE 111 receives scheduling information from the base station through a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Here, the scheduling information includes resource allocation information related to a uplink resource allocated from the base station to the UE 111 and transmission timing information about a transmission timing determined for the UE 111.
After receiving the scheduling information, the UE 111 detects that there is a data packet to be transmitted at operation 113, and transmits a scheduling request (SR) packet to the base station at a corresponding timing through a corresponding resource based on the scheduling information received from the base station at operation 115. Here, the scheduling request packet is transmitted based on a corresponding beam at a corresponding location of a random access channel (RACH) allocated to the UE 111.
The UE 111 receives a scheduling grant and resource allocation information from the base station at operation 117. The UE 111 transmits the data packet to the base station through a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) corresponding to the resource allocation information at operation 119.
If the scheduled access scheme as described above is used, a base station may allocate a uplink resource which is optimal for a UE, so efficiency of a resource may be increased.
However, the scheduled access scheme has a requirement that the base station needs to exactly know buffer status and channel status for all UEs to which the base station provides a service. Here, the channel status at least includes beam-forming information.
Therefore, if the requirement is not satisfied, the scheduled access scheme may result in the following inefficiency.
(1) There is a probability that a uplink resource will be allocated to a UE which has no data to be transmitted, or a probability that more uplink resources than necessary will be allocated to a UE which has no data to be transmitted.
(2) There is a probability that a modulation and coding scheme (MCS)(or a beam resource) which is unsuitable for channel status of a corresponding UE will be allocated.
(3) Gain of a scheduling scheme among a plurality of UEs which is based on channel quality information may be decreased. Here, the scheduling scheme which is based on the channel quality information may be, for example, a proportional fair (PF) scheduling scheme.
Further, if the scheduled access scheme is applied to an mmWave communications system supporting a beam-forming scheme, the following situation may occur.
(1) First, in the mmWave communication system supporting the beam-forming scheme, a channel relatively fast changes and a beam dimension increases, so amount of feedback information increases and a feedback period may be shortened. This results in increase of control channel overhead and power consumption of a UE.
(2) If the mmWave communication system supporting the beam-forming scheme transmits a control packet of a relatively small size such as a buffer status report packet, system efficiency may be decreased, and this is a limitation of spatial domain multiplexing.
A scheduled access process in a communication system supporting a general beam-forming scheme has been described with reference to FIG. 1, and operating processes of a base station and UEs according to a scheduled access process in a communication system supporting a general beam-forming scheme will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates operating processes of a base station and UEs according to a scheduled access process in a communication system supporting a general beam-forming scheme.
Referring to FIG. 2, a base station 211 transmits scheduling information in a specific radio frame, e.g., the first radio frame among downlink radio frames at operation 217. Each of UEs which receives a service from the base station 211, e.g., a UE #1 213 and a UE #2 215 receives scheduling information transmitted by the base station 211, and transmits a scheduling request packet based on the scheduling information at operations 219 and 221. Here, a location of a resource in which each of the UE #1 213 and the UE #2 215 transmits the scheduling request packet, i.e., a location within an RACH is fixed.
The base station 211 determines a UE which the base station 211 will allocate a uplink resource based on the scheduling request packet received from each of the UE #1 213 and the UE #2 215, and allocates the uplink resource to the determined UE. In FIG. 2, it will be assumed that the base station 211 allocates the uplink resource to the UE #1 213. So, the base station 211 transmits scheduling information including information related to the uplink resource allocated to the UE #1 213 at operation 223. Upon receiving the scheduling information transmitted by the base station 211, the UE #1 213 transmits a data packet to the base station 211 through a corresponding uplink resource at a corresponding timing based on the received scheduling information at operation 225.
Upon detecting that data packet transmitting operation of the UE #1 213 is completed, the base station 211 allocates a uplink resource to the UE #2 215, and transmits scheduling information including information related to the uplink resource allocated to the UE #2 215 at operation 227. Upon receiving the scheduling information transmitted by the base station 211, the UE #2 215 transmits a data packet to the base station 211 through a corresponding uplink resource at a corresponding timing based on the received scheduling information at operation 229.
As described in FIG. 2, if the scheduled access process is used, delay time increases due to transmission/reception of a scheduling request packet, and/or the like, a UE needs to continuously monitor scheduling information transmitted from a base station, so consumed power thereof may be increased. Further, a retransmission operation for a corresponding packet may be inefficient. That is, a retransmission process such as a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process is required, a scheduling request packet transmitting/receiving operation is performed while the retransmission process is performed, so a buffer size as well as delay time increases.
Meanwhile, a random access process in a communication system supporting a general beam-forming scheme will be described below.
First, the random access process denotes an access process in which a UE which occupies a RACH based on a contention-based scheme transmits a data packet if there is data to be transmitted at a buffer included in the UE.
In the random access process, amount of buffer status report packets and channel status feedback information decreases, so resources used for data packet transmission/reception may increase, this results in increase of resource efficiency.
Even though the random access process needs to perform a beam-forming process for a corresponding beam, a UE which is located at a corresponding location may perform a random access process, so a base station may not know about that which UE will perform a random access process in advance.
Of course, if a base station performs an omni-directional beam search process, the base station may perform a random access process with the UE regardless of that the UE is located at which direction. However, for performing the omni-directional beam search process, the base station needs to use an omni-directional beam pattern, and use of the omni-directional beam pattern may decrease beam-forming gain. For example, if the omni-directional beam pattern is used, an arrival distance may be reduced to ¼ compared to a case that the omni-directional beam pattern is not used.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

Apparatus and method for performing random access process in communication system supporting beamforming scheme


An omni antenna assembly includes two antennas, a dipole antenna and a monocone antenna, to provide full spherical coverage. The dipole cavity for the dipole antenna forms one solid part with the monocone antenna. The monocone antenna also includes a monocone and a cylindrical shell connecting the dipole cavity to the monocone. A coaxial transition extends from the cylindrical shell to a matching network. The antenna assembly may be fabricated using additive manufacturing technology.

In many types of space missions, antennas are utilized for transmission and reception of signals. Antenna designs may be complex and/or associated antennas may be expensive to build. The need for hemispherical or full spherical coverage may require antenna assemblies which combine two or more types of antennas. Conventional manufacturing techniques may limit antenna designs. For example, antenna designs using conventional manufacturing may require post-processing and machining operations in order to achieve required performance.


A circuit substrate module and a battery module using the circuit substrate module are disclosed. The battery module includes: a plurality of battery units, wherein each battery unit comprises a plurality of battery cells, a case for accommodating the plurality of battery cells, a plurality of electrode terminals, and a plurality of communication connectors coupled to the battery cells and protruding out of the case; a circuit substrate module mounted on the plurality of battery units and comprising a circuit substrate, wherein a plurality of circuit substrate connectors are coupled to the plurality of communication connectors, wherein the plurality of circuit substrate connectors are coupled to a single external connector that is configured to be coupled to an external device.

1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a circuit substrate module to which a plurality of communication connectors drawn from a plurality of battery units are connected, and a battery module using the circuit substrate module.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Secondary batteries refer to batteries that can be charged or discharged compared to batteries that cannot be charged, for example, primary batteries. Secondary batteries are widely used in small mobile devices, such as cellular phones, laptop computers, and camcorders, and in electronic devices, such as electronic drilling devices, electric cars, hybrid electric automobiles, electric bicycles, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices. A representative example of the secondary batteries is a lithium secondary battery.
Compact mobile devices are typically used by connecting a small battery cell thereto. On the other hand, in order to manufacture a battery to be used in electric cars or large electronic devices, e.g., such as UPS devices, which require high capacity and high output, a plurality of battery units, in which each battery unit includes a plurality of battery cells, may be connected to one another via a connection member such as a bus bar to manufacture a battery module.
In each battery unit, a plurality of battery cells is typically arranged in a case serially or in parallel, and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal that are connected to the plurality of battery cells protrude out of the case. Also, each battery unit typically includes a controller for controlling functions of the plurality of battery cells therein, such as a battery management system (BMS), and a communication connector for transmitting an electrical signal. A plurality of thermistor lines and a plurality of balancing lines are typically connected to the communication connector to detect a temperature of the battery cells or a charging state.
A general battery module is manufactured by assembling a battery unit by inserting a plurality of battery cells into a case, and a plurality of thermistor lines and a plurality of balancing lines electrically connected to the battery cells are connected to a communication connector. A connection line drawn from the communication connector is electrically connected to a controller such as a BMS.
However, in order to manufacture a conventional battery module, a plurality of thermistor lines and a plurality of balancing lines typically need to be connected to a controller such as a BMS for each battery unit, which is a complicated manufacturing process. Meanwhile, there is a need for the coupling structure of a connection member that electrically connects adjacent battery units, such as a bus bar, to be simpler.

Circuit substrate module and battery module using the same


The present invention discloses a beam-forming method for realizing interference suppression, comprising steps of: a. performing channel estimation for an expected user signal and interference signal in signals received by an array antenna and obtaining array channel impulse responses of the expected user signal and the interference signal respectively; b. obtaining array correlation matrixes of the expected user signal and the interference signal respectively according to the array channel impulse responses obtained in step a; c. obtaining a new array correlation matrix of the interference signal according to relation between the expected user signal with the interference and noise; and d. computing a beam-forming weighting coefficient of the array antenna according to the array correlation matrix of the expected user signal obtained in step b and the new array correlation matrix of the interference signal obtained in step c. According to this method, strong interference signals can be suppressed and the direction of the formed beam will not deviate.

Beam-forming refers to a process of computing an optimal weighting vector according to parameters and specifically refers to the process of realizing an optimal (sub-optimal) combination or an optimal (sub-optimal) allocation of signals after measuring and estimating parameters. The beam-forming technology uses an antenna array to aggregate signal power to a narrow beam so as to improve transmission efficiency of the antenna, reliability of the wireless link and repeat usage ratio of the frequency. Beam-forming algorithm can be designed based on different principles and generally there are two kinds of principles: maximum user power principle and maximum user CIR (Carrier to Interference ratio) principle. The beam-forming algorithm based on the maximum user power principle makes the receive power of the user maximum so that the receive SNR is improved. The beam-forming algorithm based on the maximum user CIR principle makes the receive CIR of the user maximum so that a null is formed in the direction of an interference signal and the directional interference is suppressed. Therefore, in order to suppress the interference signal, the beam-forming algorithm based on the maximum user CIR principle is often adopted.
In the conventional technology, the main idea of the beam-forming algorithm based on the maximum user CIR principle is that obtaining channel impulse responses of an expected user signal and interference signal respectively according to the channel estimation for the expected user signal and the interference signal in the received signals; obtaining array correlation matrix RS(k) of the expected user signal and the array correlation matrix RI(k) of the interference signal; and computing the beam-forming weighting coefficient of the array antenna according to the obtained array correlation matrixes.
Generally, the CIR received by user k can be expressed in formula (1).
                              γ                      (            k            )                          =                                            W                                                (                  k                  )                                                H                                                                                R                S                                  (                  k                  )                                            _                                                  W                              (                k                )                                                                        W                                                (                  k                  )                                                H                                                                                R                I                                  (                  k                  )                                            _                                                  W                              (                k                )                                                                        (        1        )
w(k) is the beam-forming weighting coefficient vector, RS(k)=h(k)*h(k)T is the array correlation matrix of the expected user signal, h(k) is the array channel impulse response vector of user
  k  ,                    R        I                  (          k          )                    _        =                  ∑                  ∀                      m            ∈            I                                                      h          I                                    (              m              )                        *                                            h          I                                    (              m              )                                    T                              is the array correlation matrix of the interference signal and I is a set of interference signals.
For the beam-forming algorithm based on the maximum user CIR principle, since the optimization principle of such kind of beam-forming algorithm leads to maximum CIR and has no limits on the receive power of the user, it may cause that the main lobe of the formed beam may not direct to the direction of the expected user signal. The reason is that according to the formula (1), the interference suppression algorithm is realized by improving the power of the expected user signal and reducing the power of the interference signal. However, for an array antenna with N antenna units, the power of the expected user signal can be improved at most by N times; however, for the interference suppression, the degrees of freedom of the array antenna is N−1, so if the number of the interference signals is not larger than N−1, the interference signal can be set to zero theoretically. In addition, the expected user signal and the interference signal cannot be completely orthogonal. Thus, there is a confliction between making the expected user signal maximum and setting the interference signal to zero and the direction of the formed beam based on the maximum CIR will be deviated.
Therefore, because of the limit of the degrees of freedom and the orthogonality, the beam-forming algorithm based on the maximum CIR principle cannot guarantee the direction of the main lobe of the beam and the power of the expected user signal, which not only reduces the power but also increases the susceptibility to the error of the interference signal estimation.

Beam-forming method for realizing interference suppression

Shanghai Ultimate Power Communications Technology Co., Ltd.


A method and system are provided for providing a user interface in a workflow management system. The method includes, responsive to user inputs defining a workflow in the workflow management system, displaying the workflow in a graph-based format, wherein the workflow includes a set of steps and a control flow. The method further includes deriving a set of automatically-generated rules from the set of steps and the control flow to create a rule-based format representing the workflow. There may more manual-maintained rules that are not a part of the graph or control flow, but attached to one or more steps. The method further includes executing the rule-based format workflow at a server.

Generally, workflow is the movement of tasks through a work process by activity execution. Specifically, workflow is the operational aspect of a work procedure: how tasks are structured, who performs them, what their relative order is, how they are synchronized, how information flows to support the tasks, and how tasks are tracked.
In an example graph-based format workflow, activities are represented as nodes while control-flow and dependencies are represented as arcs connecting the nodes. The graph-based format workflow is visual and easy for a user to understand and manipulate. But the graph-based format workflow requires the order of activities to be fully known at design-time. In addition, execution can only occur in the order that the workflow defined.
FIG. 1A depicts an example graph-based format workflow 100. In graph-based format, a workflow is graphically defined and depicted. Activities are represented as nodes while control-flow and dependencies are represented as arcs connecting the nodes. The graph-based format workflow is visual and easy for a user to understand and manipulate. But the graph-based format workflow requires the order of activities to be fully known at design-time. In addition, execution can only occur in the order that the workflow defined.
FIG. 1B depicts an example rule-based format workflow. In rule-based format, a workflow is defined as a set of rules. Each rule is associated with a particular business process. Each business activity may be associated with a pre- and post-conditions, specified as logical expressions. All rules are defined prior to execution of the workflow. Order of execution is determined by a processing engine, and an activity is executed whenever pre-conditions become true. The rule-based format workflow is much more flexible compared to the graph-based format workflow. But rule-based format workflow is less intuitive to understand because it is not in graphical form.
A need exists to combine the two formats and provide a user interface to a workflow management system without the disadvantages of either format. Further, a need exists to have an intuitive user interface for workflows that enables easy understanding of the processes and to have the flexibility of rule-based approaches at the same time.

System and method for designing a workflow


Summary: Method and system for processing a substance in a retort (1) wherein the retort comprises at least one flow deflector internal to the retort. A substance (8) is loaded into the retort (1), the retort (1) is positioned or located in an oven (9), a first (10) and second (11) duct are attacked to the retort, a heat carrier fluidum is passed through the substance (8) in the retort (1) for drying and/or heating the substance inside the retort, an indirect heat is transfer is applied over the wall (3) of the retort (1) and process progress is controlled by means of a controlled indirect heat transfer and/or a flow provided into the retort inlet comprising a heat carrier fluidum.

The processing of a substance, such as destructive distillation, can be carried out in one of several different ways. One of them is in a continuous process such as by means of a shaft kiln, through which a solid bed of the substance being processed is passed through a zone of favourable process conditions. Another continuous process is a rotary kiln in which a mechanically mixed bed is passed through such a zone. Some other processes are essentially batch-wise, and are carried out by means of, e.g., a batch-operated kiln. If a kiln is used, the substance being processed is brought into direct contact with oxygen that is supplied with combustion air or, alternatively, the substance being processed is brought into direct contact with oxygen that is mixed with gaseous combustion products. The combustion reaction is the source of heat that is needed to create favourable process conditions. Unfortunately part of the substance to be processed is combusted here, so that the process yield is being reduced. A suitable example of a state of the art batch-operated kiln is disclosed in US2004178052A1 ("Process for flash carbonization of biomass"), incorporated herein by reference. An alternative method for processing the substance is by means of a retort. Also a retort is essentially operated batch-wise. Thereby, the substance being processed is kept separated from oxygen in combustion air, and from oxygen mixed with gaseous combustion products. Combustion reactions of the substance being processed are thus minimized. For this reason, retorts are typically suitable to provide higher product yields than kilns. A typical industrial retort, according to the state of the art, is described here below. A typical industrial retort comprises a wall that serves to contain a substance that is being processed, whereby the substance comprises a chemical compound that is being processed or a multitude of different chemical compounds that are being processed. An industrial retort has at least one opening to enable loading the substance into the retort. The opening may or may not be provided with a sealable closure. The wall and, if present, the sealable closure ensure that the substance contained by the retort is prevented from being exposed to foreign matter. Exposure to the foreign matter during the processing of the substance might cause the substance to perform undesired chemical reactions such as oxidizing at least partly, thereby reducing the yield of the process, or the exposure to the foreign matter might result in contamination of the end-product by undesired compounds. The at least one opening of the industrial retort may also serve to unload the retort from reaction products in the form of solid matter or fluid matter or a combination thereof The wall of the retort may also serve to transfer heat from outside the retort to the substance that is being processed inside the retort. This type of heat transfer, according to the state of the art, is referred to as 'indirect'. An industrial retort may also be provided by an entrance opening for the admission of a heat carrier fluidum at an elevated temperature and an exit opening for the expelling of the same fluidum, cooled down to a lower temperature. By flowing through the retort, the fluidum transfers heat to the substance that is being processed inside the retort. According to the state of the art, this type of heat transfer is referred to as 'direct'. Direct heat transfer is usually faster than indirect heat transfer. On the one hand, a fast heat transfer enables a short batch processing cycle, and is therefore favourable to the productivity of a retort as more batches can be processed per unit of time than with indirect heating. On the other hand, however, a fast heat transfer may also be disadvantageous, e.g., with regard to the quality of the processing and thus may be a cause of inefficiency. One quality disadvantage of a fast heat transfer, may be, e.g., the occurrence of breakage of the solid product into pieces that are too small for use or for further processing in some specific applications of the solid product, as a result of thermal shock or rapid steam expansion. An example of undesired breakage of a solid product is the shattering of charcoal lumps into pieces that may fall through the holes of a furnace grate prior to proper combustion. A further disadvantage of direct heat transfer may be that the vaporized products get contaminated with heat carrier fluidum such that liquid recovery following collection of the vapours from the retort is less efficient. A retorting process that relies entirely on direct heat transfer is described by U.S. Pat. No. 2,160,341 ("Process for the carbonization of organic cellulosic materials of vegetable origin"), incorporated herein by reference. In contrast, a retorting process that relies entirely on indirect heat transfer is described by FR2765585(A1) ("Charcoal production by carbonisation of wood"). However, in view of the specific process occurring inside a retort, it is interesting to examine a balance between direct heat transfer and indirect heat transfer. This is explained here below.
As an example, consider a batch-wise operated retort, filled to maximum capacity with a batch of a substance to be processed. In this example the retort has a volume of, e.g., 5 m3, the substance is, e.g., wood, comprising single individual lumps not bigger than, e.g., 100 mm in any dimension, and the voidance of the retort volume is, e.g., 40% (in this example meaning that 40% of the retort's volume comprises gaseous spaces between the woody matter). In the example the substance undergoes a carbonisation process. The carbonisation process can be analysed in several ways that are distinct in scale with regard to place and time. U.S. Pat. No. 2,160,341, referred to above, distinguishes horizontal layers of a substance that are processed one after another from top to bottom of the retort. Subsequently, the respective layers undergo a process of heating and drying followed by the actual carbonisation. For the sake of completeness, we refer to US2004178052A1, mentioned above, which does not describe a retorting process but rather a kilning process, that also describes the process as proceeding in layers, this time from bottom to top.
None of the prior art documents examines a combination of direct and indirect heating.

Retort and corresponding oven with ductwork


A method and system for diagnosing an operating status of an assisted start-up mode for a motor vehicle. The system includes a driving engine, a transmission including a mechanism determining a piece of engine rotation speed information, a piece of information on a position of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle, a piece of information on a position of a transmission, and a piece of information on torque transmitted to wheels, a detection mechanism producing a malfunction signal for the assisted start-up using the information received, a plurality of encoding mechanisms to produce a follow-up signal for each piece of calculated information received, and a memory saving the follow-up signals.

The invention relates to a method and a system for diagnosing the operating state of an assisted starting mode of a motor vehicle.
Currently, certain motor vehicles are fitted with an assisted starting mode which consists in managing the parking brake automatically when the vehicle is started. The parking brake is a braking system that supplements the brakes actuated by the brake pedal. This parking brake is usually used to immobilize the vehicle when the latter is stationary, and can also be used to carry out emergency braking when the vehicle is moving.
Automatic management of the parking brake makes it possible, amongst other things, to help the driver to carry out a starting on a slope, also called a "hill start". The principle of the hill start is to release the brakes on the non-drive wheels when the torque transmitted by the engine to the drive wheels is sufficient to compensate for the effect of the slope.
One of the problems encountered when automatic starting management is used is that this management may, in certain conditions, not request the release of the brakes thus refusing the assisted start.
It is therefore useful to be able to ascertain the conditions that have led to such a refusal for the purpose of diagnosing the possible faults of the automatic starting management system. Also, it may be worthwhile to save the traces of these refusal conditions, but the saves of these conditions may be numerous and occupy considerable memory space. The question is therefore to fit the vehicles with appropriate means for economizing on the memory space used by the saving means.
It is possible to cite for example the British patent application GB 2 376 990 which describes a parking-brake control system in which the parking brake is released when the vehicle is driven in a positive movement and the clutch pedal reaches a satisfactory position, but this document does not describe a means for diagnosing the conditions of refusal of an assisted start.
It is possible to cite also the British patent application GB 2 342 967 which discloses a parking-brake control device in which said brake is released when the braking torque applied to the wheels is below a certain threshold. Moreover, it is possible to cite the French patent application FR 2 828 450 filed in the name of the applicant which describes an assisted hill start device and the French patent application FR 2 841 199, also filed in the name of the applicant, which discloses a device for the automatic release of the automatic parking brake when starting. But these documents also do not disclose a means for diagnosing the conditions of refusal of an assisted start.

Method and system for diagnosing the operating status of an assisted start-up mode for a motor vehicle


A compressed hydrogen tank system that includes a heatable hydrogen pressure regulator. Hydrogen is removed from the compressed tank through a suitable pipe where the pressure drop of the hydrogen is controlled by the pressure regulator. The high pressure side of the regulator is typically at a relatively low temperature as the hydrogen is being removed from the tank, and the low pressure side of the regulator is typically at a relatively high temperature as the hydrogen is removed from the tank. A heat source is provided to heat the pipe on the high pressure side of the regulator to prevent the hydrogen from becoming cold as the hydrogen is being removed from the tank, thus preventing the temperature of the hydrogen within the tank from decreasing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a pressure regulator for a compressed gas tank and, more particularly, to a pressure regulator for a compressed gas tank, where the pressure regulator includes a heater at a high pressure side of the regulator to reduce cooling of the gas within the tank as it is removed therefrom.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Hydrogen is a very attractive fuel because it is clean and can be used to efficiently produce electricity in a fuel cell. The automotive industry expends significant resources in the development of hydrogen fuel cell systems as a source of power for vehicles. Such vehicles would be more efficient and generate fewer emissions than today's vehicles employing internal combustion engines.
A hydrogen fuel cell is an electro-chemical device that includes an anode and a cathode with an electrolyte therebetween. The anode receives hydrogen gas and the cathode receives oxygen or air. The hydrogen gas is disassociated in the anode to generate free hydrogen protons and electrons. The hydrogen protons pass through the electrolyte to the cathode. The hydrogen protons react with the oxygen and the electrons in the cathode to generate water. The electrons from the anode cannot pass through the electrolyte, and thus are directed through a load to perform work before being sent to the cathode. The work acts to operate the vehicle.
Many fuel cells are typically combined in a fuel cell stack to generate the desired power. For example, a typical fuel cell stack for a vehicle may have two hundred stacked fuel cells. The fuel cell stack receives a cathode input gas, typically a flow of air forced through the stack by a compressor. Not all of the oxygen in the air is consumed by the stack and some of the air is output as a cathode exhaust gas that may include water as a stack by-product. The fuel cell stack also receives an anode hydrogen input gas that flows into the anode side of the stack.
Usually hydrogen is stored in its gaseous state in a compressed gas tank under high pressure on the vehicle to provide the hydrogen necessary for the fuel cell system. The pressure in the compressed tank can be upwards of 700 bar. The compressed tank typically includes an inner plastic liner that provides a gas tight seal for the hydrogen, and an outer carbon fiber composite layer that provides the structural integrity of the tank. Because hydrogen is a very light and diffusive gas, the inner liner must be carefully engineered in order to act as a permeation barrier. The hydrogen is removed from the tank through a pipe. At least one pressure regulator is provided in the pipe that reduces the pressure of the hydrogen within the tank to a pressure suitable for the fuel cell system.
As the hydrogen is removed from the compressed tank through the regulator, the kinetic energy from the acceleration and deceleration of the hydrogen molecules as a result of forcing the hydrogen through the regulator causes the temperature of the hydrogen in the pipe at the high pressure side of the regulator to decrease. The temperature of the hydrogen in the pipe operates to cool the hydrogen within the tank. In addition, the hydrogen on the low pressure side of the regulator is warmed by the inverse Joule-Thompson effect. If the temperature of the hydrogen within the tank decreases beyond a certain temperature, such as −40° C., the inner liner and the tank seals become brittle and damaged, thus affecting the tank's gas tight performance. Therefore, there are limits as to how fast hydrogen and/or for how long hydrogen can be removed from the compressed tank in a fuel cell system.
When the hydrogen in the tank is cooled, the various piping, heat radiation and the like will cause the tank to warm back up. However, it would be beneficial to provide a technique for warming the hydrogen in the high pressure portion of the pipe so that the limits as to how fast and for how long the hydrogen can be removed from the tank can be significantly reduced or eliminated.


The present invention relates to a system and method for calibrating a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The method comprises using a reference having multiple features of different dimensions and spatial interrelationships, wherein more than one feature dimension or spacing is measured using the SEM prior to measuring a workpiece. The dimensional and/or spatial measurements from the reference sample are correlated to obtain one or more calibration factors for the SEM. The calibration factor or factors may then be correlated with a workpiece SEM measurement to obtain a workpiece critical dimension (CD). A system is provided for calibrating a SEM including a reference with various measurable features of different dimensions and/or spacing. The system comprises an SEM to measure one or more reference sample feature dimensions and/or spacings and a processor or other device to correlate the measurement data to obtain one or more calibration factors.

The present invention generally relates to measurement systems and methods and, more particularly, to a system and method for calibrating a scanning electron microscope.
In the semiconductor industry there is a continuing trend toward higher device densities. To achieve these high densities there have been, and continue to be, efforts toward scaling down the device dimensions on semiconductor wafers. In order to accomplish such a high device packing density, smaller features sizes are required. This may include the width and spacing of interconnecting lines and the surface geometry such as the corners and edges of various features.
The requirement of small features with close spacing between adjacent features requires high resolution photo lithographic processes as well as high resolution inspection and measurement systems and/or methods. In general, lithography refers to processes for pattern transfer between various media. It is a technique used for integrated circuit fabrication in which, for example, a silicon wafer is coated uniformly with a radiation-sensitive film (e.g., a photoresist), and an exposing source (such as ultraviolet light, x-rays, or an electron beam) illuminates selected areas of the film surface through an intervening master template (e.g., a mask or reticle) to generate a particular pattern. The exposed pattern on the photoresist film is then developed with a solvent called a developer which makes the exposed pattern either soluble or insoluble depending on the type of photoresist (i.e., positive or negative resist). The soluble portions of the resist are then removed, thus leaving a photoresist mask corresponding to the desired pattern on the silicon wafer for further processing.
In order to control quality in the design and manufacture of high density semiconductor devices, it is necessary to measure critical dimensions (CDs) associated therewith. Semiconductor device features having CDs of interest include, for example, the width of a patterned line, the distance between two lines or devices, and the size of a contact. CDs related to these and other features may be monitored during production and development in order to maintain proper device performance. As device density increases and device sizes decrease, the ability to carry out quick, inexpensive, reliable, accurate, high-resolution, non-destructive measurements of CDs in the semiconductor industry is crucial. The ability to accurately measure particular features of a semiconductor workpiece allows for adjustment of manufacturing processes and design modifications in order to produce better products, reduce defects, etc.
CDs are usually measured during or after lithography. Various operations performed during the lithography process may affect the critical dimensions of a semiconductor device. For example, variations in the thickness of the applied photoresist, lamp intensity during the exposure process, and developer concentration all result in variations of semiconductor line widths. In addition, line width variations may occur whenever a line is in the vicinity of a step (a sudden increase in topography). Such topography-related line width variations may be caused by various factors including differences in the energy transferred to the photoresist at different photoresist thicknesses, light scattering at the edges of the steps, and standing wave effects. Moreover, issues in connection with mask surface flatness, edge roughness of resist lines, charging of quartz material, chrome etch roughness, and phase shifts also factor into critical dimensions. Since these factors can greatly affect CDs, fast and reliable monitoring of semiconductor device features is important in order to guarantee acceptable device performance.
Different technologies are currently available to measure CDs associated with semiconductor devices. These include: optical microscopy, stylus profilometry, atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are commonly used for inspection and metrology in semiconductor manufacturing. The short wavelengths of scanning electron microscopes have several advantages over conventionally used optical microscopes. For example, scanning electron microscopes may achieve resolutions from about 100 to 200 Angstroms, while the resolution of optical microscopes is typically about 2,500 Angstroms. In addition, scanning electron microscopes provide depths of field several orders of magnitude greater than optical microscopes.
In a typical SEM wafer inspection system, a focused electron beam is scanned from point to point on a specimen surface in a rectangular raster pattern. Accelerating voltage, beam current and spot diameter may be optimized according to specific applications and specimen compositions. As the scanning electron beam contacts the surface of a specimen, secondary electrons are emitted from the specimen surface. Semiconductor inspection, analysis and metrology is performed by detecting these secondary electrons. A point by point visual representation of the specimen may be obtained on a CRT screen or other display device as the electron beam controllably scans a specimen.
Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) operate by creating a beam of electrons accelerated to energies up to several thousand electron volts. The electron beam is focused to a small diameter and scanned across a CD or feature of interest in the scanned specimen. When the electron beam strikes the surface of the specimen, low energy secondary electrons (SEs) are emitted. The yield of secondary electrons depends on various factors including the work function of the material, the topography of the sample, the curvature of the surface, and the like. These electrons can be employed to distinguish between different materials on a specimen surface since different materials may have significantly different work functions.
Topographic features also affect the yield of electrons. Consequently, changes in height along a specimen surface may be measured using an SEM. Electron current resulting from the surface-emitted secondary electrons is detected and used to control the intensity of pixels on a monitor or other display device connected to the SEM. An image of the specimen may be created by synchronously scanning the electron beam and the display device.
Although SEMs can achieve resolution in the range of angstroms, calibration is difficult. For example, the magnification of an SEM may be calibrated by placing a sample of known dimensions, such as a chip or wafer having a conductor line of known width, in the instrument and measuring the line width of the sample. The magnification of the SEM is determined by dividing the SEM measurement of the image of the sample by the known dimension of the sample. The magnification calibration information may then be used to construct a calibration curve, or the SEM""s magnification controls may be trimmed accordingly.
Calibration according to these prior methods requires samples of known dimensions. Even if the actual dimensions of a sample are known, however, they may change. In particular, repeated usage of a single reference sample as a calibration standard results in degradation of the reference sample. Charge buildup on a reference sample caused by repeated measurement in an SEM affects the secondary electron emission. Contaminant deposition or buildup also has deleterious effects on measurement of a calibration standard reference sample over time. Conventional SEM calibration methods and systems do not account for degradation in reference features. Thus, repeated use of the same reference sample may lead to SEM calibration error over time, as the reference sample feature size changes.
The measurement of a calibration standard reference sample typically involves determining where an edge of the sample is. At the sub-micron range, an edge of a sample may be a complex waveform, as opposed to a flat line. Therefore, in measuring the sample, assumptions must be made as to edge location, which lead to errors. Where the calibration involves determining the length (or width) of a sample, two edges must be located, and thus the edge determination errors are doubled. Further, sample dimensions may vary as a function of temperature. The SEM electron beam may thus cause expansion of a reference sample after repeated use.
In order to reduce edge determination error, SEM calibration has also been done using a sample having a series of equally spaced lines. Such a sample could be a diffraction grating having a plurality of aligned parallel grooves. The SEM may be used to measure the pitch of the lines. While this method reduces some of the edge quantification errors associated with other SEM calibration methods, higher accuracy calibration methods are needed for SEMs used for measuring high density semiconductor devices.
Conventional SEM calibration methods and systems do not account for degradation of a calibration standard reference sample over time. For example, where a line width feature on a reference sample has a known width, repeated scanning of the feature by an SEM results in charge buildup. This reduces or hampers the ability of an SEM to obtain accurate measurements of the line width in the future. Corrosion deposition on a reference sample feature also prevents or hampers accurate readings. Mask references are particularly susceptible to carbon contamination. Because conventional SEM calibration methods and systems rely upon accurate SEM readings of a known reference feature dimension, inaccurate SEM readings of a calibration standard reference feature cause errors in measurements of workpiece features performed with the SEM.
The present invention provides a method and system for calibrating a scanning electron microscope, which minimizes or reduces the disadvantages associated with conventional methods and systems. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method and system for calibrating an SEM using a reference having multiple features of different dimensions and/or spatial interrelationships, wherein more than one feature dimension or spacing is measured using the SEM prior to measuring a workpiece. The dimensional and/or spatial measurements from the reference sample are correlated to obtain one or more calibration factors for the SEM. The calibration factor or factors may then be correlated with a workpiece SEM measurement to obtain a workpiece critical dimension (CD). The method and system eliminate or minimize the effects of reference feature dimension variations, allowing such deviations to be detected and accounted for in the calibration of a SEM. In this regard, the correlation of the reference feature dimensions may comprise one or more of computing the slope of a curve, computing a zero offset, computing a calibration coefficient, curve fitting, stochastics, neural networks, artificial intelligence, data fusion techniques, and/or trending, according to another aspect of the invention.
According to another aspect of the present invention, one or more correlation curves may be generated from the reference sample SEM measurements for analysis in calibrating the SEM. The curves may comprise measured line width or pitch versus actual line width or pitch, or even actual or measured width versus actual or measured pitch. In this way, the correlation may utilize curve fitting, stochastics, neural networks, artificial intelligence, data fusion techniques, trending, and the like, to account for variations in reference sample feature dimensions in determining one or more calibration factors for the SEM.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for calibrating a scanning electron microscope, comprising providing a reference sample having a first line with a first line width, and a second line with a second line width, and measuring the first and second line widths using the scanning electron microscope. The method further comprises correlating the first line width measurement with the second line width measurement to obtain at least one calibration factor.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for calibrating a scanning electron microscope, comprising providing a reference sample having a first line set with generally parallel lines of a first pitch, and a second line set with generally parallel lines of a second pitch, measuring the first pitch using the scanning electron microscope, and measuring the second pitch using the scanning electron microscope. The first pitch measurement and the second pitch measurement are then correlated to obtain at least one calibration factor for the SEM.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for calibrating a scanning electron microscope, comprising providing a reference sample having a first line set with generally parallel lines of a first line width and a first pitch, and a second line set with generally parallel lines of a second line width and a second pitch, measuring at least one of the first line width and the first pitch using the scanning electron microscope, and measuring at least one of the second line width and the second pitch using the scanning electron microscope. The method further comprises correlating at least one of the first line width measurement and the first pitch measurement with at least one of the second line width measurement and the second pitch measurement to obtain at least one calibration factor. The correlation may comprise one or more of computing the slope of a curve, computing a zero offset, computing a calibration coefficient, curve fitting, stochastics, neural networks, artificial intelligence, data fusion techniques, and trending, in order to calibrate the SEM.
Another aspect of the invention provides for measuring a workpiece feature using the scanning electron microscope to obtain a workpiece feature measurement, and correlating the workpiece feature measurement with at least one calibration factor to obtain a workpiece feature CD. In this way, the calibration factor or factors may be employed to adjust workpiece feature measurements in order to determine or obtain accurate workpiece feature CDs.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for calibrating an SEM. The system may be utilized to implement the above methods according to the invention. The system may comprise a reference sample having a first line set with generally parallel lines of a first line width and a first pitch, and a second line set with generally parallel lines of a second line width and a second pitch, a scanning electron microscope adapted to measure at least one of the first line width and the first pitch, and at least one of the second line width and the second pitch, and a processor or other device adapted to correlate at least one of the first line width measurement and the first pitch measurement with at least one of the second line width measurement and the second pitch measurement to obtain at least one calibration factor. The system provides for reduction or elimination of calibration errors associated with changing reference sample features such as line width, which were not accounted for in convention SEM calibration.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for calibrating a scanning electron microscope, comprising a reference sample having a first line set with generally parallel lines of a first line width and a first pitch, and a second line set with generally parallel lines of a second line width and a second pitch, a device for measuring at least one of the first line width and the first pitch, a device for measuring at least one of the second line width and the second pitch, and a device for correlating at least one of the first line width measurement and the first pitch measurement with at least one of the second line width measurement and the second pitch measurement to obtain at least one calibration factor. The calibration system accounts for degradation in a reference sample associated with repeated usage in a SEM, and further allows trending analysis of the reference sample degradation. In this way, a user may identify degradation in a reference sample feature, and take appropriate action without a corresponding degradation in SEM workpiece measurement accuracy.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative examples of the invention. These examples are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

Multi-pitch and line calibration for mask and wafer CD-SEM system


An electric power conversion unit 2 for driving a pump 3 run by electric power generated by a solar panel 1, a storage battery 5 connected to the solar panel 1 via the switch 6, and a controller 7 for controlling the electric power conversion unit 2 and the switch 6 are provided. The controller 7 closes the switch 6 during any period when the amount of insolation is large and performs the maximum power point tracking control of the solar panel 1, and otherwise, controls the electric power conversion unit 2 to drive at one of plural fixed frequencies in dependence upon an output voltage from the solar panel 1 by closing the switch 6. Accordingly, it is possible to utilize output from an unstable electric power supply efficiently, such as a solar cell, thereby providing a reliable electric motor driving apparatus having a simple configuration and a control method therefor.

The present invention relates to an electric power supplying apparatus supplying electric power generated by an unstable electric power supply to a load and a control method therefor and, more particularly, to an electric power supplying apparatus supplying electric power generated by an unstable electric power supply, such as a solar cell, a wind power generator or a wave activated power generator, which generates variable electric power, as a power source to a load such as an electric motor, and a control method for controlling the electric power supplying apparatus.
Recently, global warming, exhaustion of fossil fuels, and radioactive contamination caused by accidents in nuclear power plants and radioactive wastes have become social issues, and the issues on the terrestrial environment and energy are rapidly attracting the interest of many people. In this situation, the solar cell, for example, which generates electric power from the solar ray that is an inexhaustible clean energy source, is anticipated as the energy source of tomorrow.
There are various sizes of systems using the solar cell, and the electric power required by those systems ranges from several watts to thousands of watts. Further, there are many types of systems: a system which directly uses electric power generated by the solar cell; a system which uses electric power generated by the solar cell to charge a storage battery; and a system which uses electric power generated by the solar cell along with commercial electric power, for example. Among these systems using the solar cell, a system suggested as a solar pump system for drawing water from source, such as a well and a river, for irrigation or drinking is very useful especially in some geographic regions, such as tropical regions, where the amount of insolation is large, and in unelectrified regions, because the running cost of the system and the load of transportation of fuels for running the system can be saved. Further, it is also advantageous for highly electrified cities to own a solar pump system as measures to cope with a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, since it is possible to supply water relatively easily by using the solar pump system in a case where the supply of electric power and water stops.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a water supply system employing a solar pump system. In FIG. 2, direct current (DC) electric power obtained from a solar panel 1, i.e., an unstable electric power supply, is provided to a pump 3 via a pump driving unit 8. The water in a well 15 is drawn through a first liquid conveying pipe 11 up to a water tank 9. The water in the water tank 9 is supplied through a second liquid conveying pipe 16 and a valve 10.
However, the water supply apparatus as shown in FIG. 2 which uses the pump 8 run by electric power supplied only from the solar panel 1 shown in FIG. 11 may not be able to draw water up to the water tank 9 in the mornings and evenings, when an amount of insolation is small, and on cloudy days, since the electric power generated by the solar panel 1 becomes small, and thus although the pump 3 runs, the water does not reach a discharge opening 91.
In order not to waste the electric power generated by the solar cell when the amount of insolation is small, methods of using a plurality of low output pumps, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 56-132125 and 57-153531, as shown in FIG. 12, are suggested. However, the higher the output of a pump is, the better its efficiency. Therefore, by using a plurality of low output pumps to obtain a predetermined output and using a part of the pumps to supply water when the amount of insolation is small, less energy is wasted; however, the efficiency is still not good. Furthermore, the initial cost of the apparatus is high since a plurality of pumps are necessary.
Further, a method of driving the pump 3 while storing electric power generated by the solar panel 1 in a storage battery 5, as shown in FIG. 13, is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-74995. However, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 13, the operation voltage of the solar panel 1 is fixed to a voltage across the storage battery 5, therefore, the solar panel 1 is not operated at the maximum output point. Accordingly, the solar energy is not utilized efficiently.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation, and has as its object to provide a reliable electric motor driving apparatus, having a simple configuration, which is run by electric power from an unstable power supply, such as a solar cell, capable of efficiently using electric power supplied from the unstable power supply, and a control method for controlling the electric motor driving apparatus.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is obtained by providing an electric power supplying apparatus comprising, supplying means for supplying electric power generated by an unstable electric power supply to a load, electric power storage means which is connected to the unstable electric power supply in parallel, switching means which is connected between the unstable electric power supply and the electric power storage means in series, and control means for controlling the opening and closing of the switching means and controlling an operation of the supplying means in dependence upon an output from the unstable electric power supply.
The foregoing object is also attained by providing a control method for controlling an electric power supplying apparatus having, supplying means for supplying electric power generated by an unstable electric power supply to a load, electric power storage means which is connected to the unstable electric power supply in parallel, and switching means which is connected between the unstable electric power supply and the electric power storage means in series, the method comprising the steps of opening the switching means during a predetermined period, closing the switching means outside of the predetermined period, and controlling an operation of the supplying means depending upon an output from the unstable electric power supply.
Furthermore, the foregoing object is also attained by providing a control method for controlling an electric power supplying apparatus having, supplying means for supplying electric power generated by an unstable electric power supply, electric power storage means which is connected to the unstable electric power supply in parallel, and switching means which is connected between the unstable electric power supply and the electric power storage means in series, the method comprising the steps of opening the switching means when output electric power of the unstable electric power supply exceeds a predetermined value, closing the switching means when the output electric power is equal to or less than the predetermined value, and controlling an operation of the supplying means depending upon an output voltage of the unstable electric power supply.

Electric power supplying apparatus using unstable electric power supply and control method therefor