A process and apparatus for delivering an involatile reagent in gaseous form, wherein an involatile reagent source liquid is flash vaporized on a vaporization matrix structure at elevated temperature. A carrier gas may be flowed past the flash vaporization matrix structure to yield a carrier gas mixture containing the flash vaporized source reagent. The matrix structure preferably has a high surface-to-volume ratio, and may suitably com. GOVERNMENT RIGHTS IN INVENTION. This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. N00014 88-0531 awarded by the Defense Advanced Projects Research Administration (DARPA). The Government has certain rights in this invention.

1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for delivering involatile reagents, e.g., materials comprising Group II elements of the Periodic Table, in a form suitable for introduction into a deposition zone wherein films or layers are formed on a substrate by decomposition of the reagent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently many refractory materials have been identified as having unique materials properties. The recently discovered high temperature superconducting (HTSC) materials include YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x, wherein x is from about 6 to 7.3, BiSrCaCuO, and TlBaCaCuO. Barium titanate, BaTiO.sub.3, has been identified as a ferroelectric and photonic material with unique and potentially very useful properties. Ba.sub.x Sr.sub.1-x Nb.sub.2 O.sub.6 is a photonic material whose index of refraction changes as a function of electric field and also as a function of the intensity of light upon it. Lead zirconate titanate, PbZr.sub.1-x Ti.sub.x O.sub.3, is a ferroelectric material whose properties are very interesting. The Group II metal fluorides, BaF.sub.2, CaF.sub.2, and SrF.sub.2, are materials that are useful for scintillation detecting and coating of optical fibers.
Many of the potential applications of these materials require their use in thin film, coating, or layer form. The films or layers may also be advantageously epitaxially related to the substrate upon which they are formed. Applications in which the refractory materials may need to be deposited in film or layer form include integrated circuits, switches, radiation detectors, thin film capacitors, holographic storage media, and various other microelectronic devices.
Uses that are currently envisioned for the copper oxide superconductors include high speed switches, bolometers, and high frequency communications components such as mixers. These applications would desirably use the HTSC material in the form of thin films in devices that can be made using well-known microelectronic fabrication technology.
Thin films comprising the Group II metal fluorides, BaF.sub.2, CaF.sub.2, and SrF.sub.2, are potentially very useful as buffer layers for interfacing between silicon substrates and HTSC or GaAs overlayers or between GaAs substrates and HTSC or silicon overlayers, and combinations of two or all of such metal fluorides may be employed in forming graded compositions in interlayers providing close lattice matching at the interfaces with the substrate and overlayer constituents of the composite. For example, a silicon substrate could be coated with an epitaxial layer of BaF.sub.2 /CaF.sub.2, SrF.sub.2 /CaF.sub.2, or SrF.sub.2 /CaF.sub.2 /BaF.sub.2, whose composition is tailored for a close lattice match to the silicon. If the ratio of the respective Group II metal species in the metal fluoride interlayers can be controlled precisely in the growth of the interlayer, the lattice constant could be graded to approach the lattice constant of GaAs. Thus, a gallium arsenide epitaxial layer could be grown over the metal fluoride interlayer, allowing the production of integrated GaAs devices on widely available, high quality silicon substrates. Another potential use of such type of metal fluoride interlayers would be as buffers between silicon substrates and polycrystalline HTSC films for applications such as non-equilibrium infrared detectors. Such an interlayer would permit the HTSC to be used in monolithic integrated circuits on silicon substrates.
BaTiO.sub.3 and Ba.sub.x Sr.sub.1-x Nb.sub.2 O.sub.6 in film or epitaxial layer form are useful in photonic applications such as optical switching, holographic memory storage, and sensors. In these applications, the BaTiO.sub.3 or Ba.sub.x Sr.sub.1-x Nb.sub.2 O.sub.6 film is the active element. The related ferroelectric material PbZr.sub.1-x Ti.sub.x O.sub.3 is potentially useful in infrared detectors and thin film capacitors well as filters and phase shifters.
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a particularly attractive method for forming these layers because it is readily scaled up to production runs and because the electronics industry has a wide experience and an established equipment base in the use of CVD technology which can be applied to new CVD processes. In general, the control of key variables such as stoichiometry and film thickness, and the coating of a wide variety of substrate geometries is possible with CVD. Forming the thin films by CVD will permit the integration of these materials into existing device production technologies. CVD also permits the formation of layers of the refractory materials that are epitaxially related to substrates having close crystal structures.
CVD requires that the element source reagents must be sufficiently volatile to permit gas phase transport into the deposition reactor. The element source reagent must decompose in the reactor to deposit only the desired element at the desired growth temperatures. Premature gas phase reactions leading to particulate formation must not occur, nor should the source reagent decompose in the lines before reaching the reactor deposition chamber. When compounds, especially the HTSC materials, are desired to be deposited, obtaining optimal properties requires close control of stoichiometry which can be achieved if the reagent can be delivered into the reactor in a controllable fashion. Close control of stoichiometry would also be desired, for example, in the application described above involving graded Group II metal fluoride interlayers.
Many potentially highly useful refractory materials have in common that one or more of their components are elements, such as the Group II metals barium, calcium, and strontium, or early transition metals such as zirconium or hafnium, for which no volatile compounds well-suited for CVD are known. In many cases, the source reagents are solids which can be sublimed for gas-phase transport into the reactor. However, the sublimation temperature may be very close to the decomposition temperature, in which case the reagent may begin to decompose in the lines before reaching the reactor, and it will be very difficult to control the stoichiometry of the deposited films.
The formation of multicomponent refractory and electronic thin films such as high temperature superconductors [see K. Shinohara, F. Munakata, and M. Yamanaka, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 27, L1683 (1988); and K. Zhang, E. P. Boyd, B. S. Kwak, and A. Erbil, Appl. Phys. Lett. 55, 1258 (1989)] and ferroelectrics [see C. J. Brierley, C. Trundle, L. Considine, R. W. Whatmore, and F. W. Ainger, Ferroelectrics 91, 181 (1989); and F. W. Ainger, C. J. Brierley, M. D. Hudson, C. Trundle, and R. W. Whatmore, Ferroelectric Thin Films, E. R. Myers and A. I. Kingdon, Eds., Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1990] by CVD or metalorganic CVD (MOCVD) has been only marginally successful. These materials have placed new demands on CVD technology, with the primary stumbling blocks being the inability to achieve exacting control of the stoichiometry of the multicomponent films and the absence of volatile source reagents. In many instances the source reagents are solids which decompose at temperatures near or slightly above the temperature at which they sublime.
Organogroup I and II complexes are particularly problematic. With the use of conventional bubblers, the bubbler is held at a temperature sufficiently high to sublime the reagent and consequently significant and somewhat variable decomposition of the source reagents occurs during a single growth run. This premature decomposition causes variations in the composition as a function of thickness in the as-deposited films and poor reproducibility in film stoichiometry between different growth runs.
Inexacting compositional control is particularly deleterious to high temperature superconducting thin films because the superconducting properties are extremely sensitive to the stoichiometry of the layer [see K. Wasa, H. Adachi, Y. Ichikawa, K. Setsune, and K. Hirochi, Review Solid State Sci. 2, 453 (1988); and R. F. Bunshsh, and C. V. Deshpandey, Research and Development 65 (1989)]. Two approaches involving the use of nonconventional hardware have been tried to overcome this problem. The first method eliminates the bubblers and uses a reactor tube which contains concentric tubes, each containing a boat filled with a single source reagent. A temperature gradient is applied along the tube to vaporize each material at the required temperature [see M. Ihara, T. Kimura, H. Yamawaki, and K. Ikeda, IEEE Trans. Magnetics 25, 2471 (1989); and H. Yamane, H. Kurosawa, T. Hirai, K. Watanabe, H. Iwasaki, N. Kobayashi, and Y. Muto, J. Crystal Growth 98, 860 (1989]. There are several drawbacks to this method: (1) as with standard bubblers, significant decomposition occurs during a given run because the reagents are held at high temperatures for the duration of the run; (2) temperature control is not as good as with standard bubblers, thus giving rise to wide variations in source reagent vapor pressure and consequently to wide variations in the stoichiometry of the as-deposited films, and (3) the boats need to be charged before each run, a step which is not consistent with a high volume commercial process.
The second method uses two bubblers in series. The first bubbler contains a volatile chelating ligand which presumably acts to stablize and/or to lower the melting point of the source reagent which is contained in the second (downstream) bubbler, [see P. H. Dickinson, T. H. Geballe, A. Sanjurjo, D. Hildenbrand, G. Craig, M. Zisk, J. Collman, S. A. Banning, and R. E. Sievers, J. Appl. Phys, 66 444 (1989)]. Stabilities on the order of a few hours which are sufficient for a single run have been realized with this method. However, a fresh charge of source reagent is needed before each run. In addition, some enhancement in the vapor pressure of the source reagent occurs. Unfortunately, the amount of enhancement is not reproducible, which again causes variations in the stoichiometry of the as-deposited films.
Standard CVD processes, such as the deposition of tungsten metallization layers from tungsten hexafluoride and silane [see R. S. Rosler, J. Mendonca, M. J. Rice, Jr., J. Vac, Sci. Technol., B6, 1721 (1988)], which use gaseous or liquid source reagents, are not plagued by source reagent decomposition. Furthermore, deposition conditions (i.e., substrate temperature, reactor pressure, and partial pressures of the source reagents) can typically be found where the growth of the desired phase is kinetically or thermodynamically favored over individual impurity phases. For example, the MOCVD of single crystal GaAs thin films is carried out with an arsine+trimethylgallium mixture in which there is typically a 30 to 60-fold excess of the group V source reagent Under appropriately selected conditions, the excess arsine either does not react or the extra arsenic evaporates before it can be incorporated into the rowing film [see T. F. Kuech, Mat. Sci. Reports, S. S. Lau and F. W. Saris, Eds 2, 1 (1987)].
By contrast, during CVD processes for refractory materials, the vapor pressures of the binary oxides, nitrides, and carbides are often lower than that of the desired multicomponent phase at the deposition temperature. Thus any excess source reagent leads to the deposition of a binary oxide or carbide which is then incorporated as an impurity phase in the growing film.
In summary, the techniques heretofore employed for formation of refractory thin films from relatively involatile reagents have not permitted efficient delivery of the reagents into the reactor and close control of reagent ratios and hence film stoichiometry.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.

Method for delivering an involatile reagent in vapor form to a CVD reactor


The flatness of at least a portion of a substantially planar surface (16) is measured by illuminating the surface through a beam splitter (12) incorporating a grid (13) or other patterned shield. The light pattern reflected from the surface (16) is directed by way of a reflector (14) back through the beam splitter (12) and thus through the grid (13). The image exiting the beam splitter (12) has characteristics representative of the flatness of the surface.

Moire fringe measurement systems are commonly used when three-dimensional measurements are to be made on almost flat objects. True interferometry, is used when the deviation from flat is comparable in size to the wavelength of light, but this technique is normally much too fine for engineering purposes The Moire fringe technique allows much coarser measurements to be made. The technique operates by projecting a pattern of fine equally spaced lines onto the object under test and viewing the reflected image with a camera which has a grid over its sensor, such that for a perfectly flat object the image of the bright lines always falls on the sensor grid and not en the spaces between the grids, so that the image light does not access the sensitive surface of the sensor. Any deviation from flat causes some of the image of the bright lines to fall on the sensor surface. The deviations are thus recorded as lighter areas. For larger deviations, the image of the bright line will again fall on an opaque grid. The net result of this is that a contour plot type of result can be obtained with each contour corresponding to one period of the grid. How this relates to actual depth is determined by the spacing of the grids, the focal lengths of the imaging systems and the angle of incidence of the projection and viewing system. The grid need not be a set of lines but may be any pattern by which an image can be transmitted onto the surface of the object. By careful selection, the pattern can be used for special purposes such as varying the resolution of the field of view. By the use of different grids, it is possible to produce a wide range of sensitivities more appropriate to engineering uses than purely optical interference systems, and also not needing monochromatic or near monochromatic light as do purely optical interference systems.
A schematic of a typical design of a prior art Moire system, is shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. A grid 1 is imaged on a test piece 2 by means of projection optics 3. A second grid 4 is used in the imaging system 5, and this grid is re-imaged on the photo-sensor of a camera 6. It is usually not practical to place the grid 4 directly on the sensor. To use the system, the projection and imaging optics must first be carefully aligned by use of a flat test object. There are very many degrees of freedom in the system and, in order for it to work efficiently, the projections of the two grids on the test object must coincide exactly. Taking the camera as fixed, the projection optics 3 must be correctly aligned in three angles and two distances. All the angles and distances are not along convenient orthogonal axes. If adjustments using axes orthogonal to the test piece are used, the adjustments will be highly interactive and hence difficult and time consuming. A further significant disadvantage of the system is that it needs two grids. To change the grid spacing thus requires two new grids, and again the grids must be accurately aligned with one another. Generally, the use and especially the setting up of such a system is much more complicated and difficult than most industrial users are prepared to tolerate.

Optical surface flatness measurement apparatus


A branch joint box includes upper and lower casings of an identical shape which form a casing assembly by overturning one of the upper and lower casings. First connector portions and second connector portions are arranged in a plurality of rows and having first terminal holes and second terminal holes, respectively. Bus bars each have a coupling portion accommodated in the casing assembly and first and second terminal portions extend from opposite sides of the coupling portion, respectively, and project out of the first and second terminal holes, respectively. The upper and lower casings have first and second locking portions engageable with each other and are disposed at one side of the first and second connector portions, respectively. Each of the upper and lower casings has a protrusion formed on one outer side face adjacent to the other side of each of the first and second connector portions such that a pitch from a distal end of the protrusion to a corresponding outermost one of the first and second terminal holes coincides with a pitch from the other outer side face of each of the upper and lower casings to a corresponding outermost one of the first and second terminal holes such that the first and second terminal holes are disposed symmetrically in alignment with each other.

The present invention generally relates to a branch joint box in which bus bars are accommodated and a bus bar blank and more particularly, to a branch joint box in which coupling portions of the bus bars are accommodated in a casing assembly formed by upper and lower casings of an identical shape by overturning one of the upper and lower casings upside down and upper and lower terminal portions extending from opposite sides of the coupling portions are projected out of terminal holes of connector portions of the upper and lower casings, respectively such that the upper and lower terminal portions extend symmetrically in alignment with each other and a bus bar blank from which a plurality of bus bar sets each having a plurality of the bus bars can be taken efficiently.
A number of bus bars are accommodated in a branch joint box provided in the course of wiring harnesses for a motor vehicle so as to perform connection and branching of an electric circuit and terminals provided on the bus bars are projected out of terminal holes of a connector portion of a casing assembly of the branch joint box so as to be connected to terminals of a mating connector which is connected to the connector portion of the casing.
In the known branch joint box of this kind, a casing assembly 3 of the branch joint box is formed by coupling upper and lower casings 1 and 2 of identical shape as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. A number of bus bars 4 are accommodated in the casing assembly 3 in parallel and terminal portions 4b and 4c extending from a coupling portion 4a of each bus bar 4 upwardly and downwardly are, respectively, projected out of terminal holes 5a and 6a of connector portions 5 and 6 disposed at upper and lower portions of the casing assembly 3. In order to lock the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 to each other, male and female locks 7 and 8 are provided on each of opposite side faces of each of the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 such that the male and female locks 7 and 8 on one of the opposite faces of each of the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 are, respectively, disposed diagonally relative to those on the other of the opposite faces of each of the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 as shown in FIG. 2. By overturning one of the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 upside down, the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 are coupled with each other. The upper and lower casings 1 and 2 are, respectively, partitioned by central partition walls 1a and 2a. The connector portions 5 and 6 are laterally arranged in a plurality of rows, for example, four rows shown in FIG. 1 at the upper and lower portions of the casing assembly 3, respectively. A hollow in the casing assembly 3 is used as a space 9 for accommodating the bus bars 4.
Each of the connector portions 5 has the terminal holes 5a of two rows and each of the connector portions 6 has the terminal holes 6a of two rows. A locking portion 10 is provided at one side of a central portion of each of the connector portions 5 and 6. As shown in FIG. 2, a pitch A from a left end of the upper casing 1 to the left terminal holes 5a-1 of the left end connector portion 5 is different from a pitch A' from a right end of the upper casing 1 to the right terminal holes 5a-2 of the right end connector portion 5 due to provision of the locking portions 10. This difference between the pitches A and A' cannot be reduced to less than 1.3 mm. Meanwhile, a pitch B between the connector holes 5a of each connector portion 5 and a pitch C between neighboring ones of the connector portions 5 are fixed.
Therefore, in the connector portions 6 of the lower casing 2 which is coupled with the upper casing 1 by overturning the lower casing 2 upside down, a distance from a right end of the lower casing 2 to the right end terminal hole 6a-1 is equal to the pitch A, while a distance from a left end of the lower casing 2 to the left end terminal hole 6a-2 is equal to the pitch A'. Therefore, the terminal holes 5a and 6a of the upper and lower casings 1 and 2, which confront each other, deviate from each other through a distance of 1.3 mm (=A-A'). As a result, the bus bars 4 are formed such that the terminal portions 4b and 4c deviate from each other through a gap H of 1.3 mm (=A-A') at each of the coupling portions 4a.
The bus bars are formed by punching an electrically conductive metal plate with a press and bending the metal plate. In case a number of the bus bars of identical shape are required, the metal plate is continuously conveyed so as to be sequentially subjected to pressing. If layout of the bus bars 4 is performed as shown in FIG. 4, the bus bar blank is taken most efficiently from the metal plate when the terminal portions 4b and 4c projecting towards the upper and lower casings 1 and 2, respectively deviate from each other through the gap H. Namely, in regions S into which the terminal portions 4b and 4c of the bus bars 4 do not project, terminal portions 4b' and 4c' of neighboring bus bars 4' are arranged so as to deviate from the terminal portions 4b and 4c. Meanwhile, in FIG. 4, two-dot chain lines indicate bent portions.
However, in continuous press working of sequential feed, since the same punching operation and the same bending operation should be performed on an identical line in the direction of the arrow R for transporting the bus bar blank, the bus bar blank cannot be taken from the metal plate by layout of FIG. 4.
On the other hand, in case the terminal portions 4b' and 4c' of the neighboring bus bars 4', which are arranged in the regions S so as to deviate from the terminal portions 4b and 4c of the bus bars 4, are eliminated as shown in FIG. 5, continuous press working of sequential feed can be performed. However, in this case, a number of the regions S become useless, thereby resulting in rise of cost of the bus bar blank. Furthermore, in this case, in order to cut off a plurality of bus bars from the bus bar blank subjected to the continuous working, a clearance C acting as a cutting allowance is required to be provided between neighboring ones of the bus bars 4, thus resulting in further deterioration of yield of the bus bar blank.

Branch joint box accommodating bus bars and bus bar blank


A chromatographic process for deacidification of vegetable oils at ambient temperature. According to the process, which can be retrofitted into deacidification operations using miscella refining or solvent extraction, crude vegetable oil is dissolved in a solvent such as isopropyl alcohol and passed through a column of activated alumina (aluminum oxide) at room temperature. The process, which eliminates physical contact between both oil and an alkaline reagent and oil and water, simplifies subsequent bleaching processes by also removing some color pigments. The spent alumina can be reactivated by washing it with a dilute solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

Traditionally, production of crude vegetable oils has been accomplished by mechanical pressing or solvent extraction, and, in some cases, by a combination of both, especially for seeds with high oil content. )On the average, most crude oils consist of over 95% triglyceride molecules, while minor components are present in the form of free fatty acids (FFA), phospholipids (gums), color pigments, moisture and proteinaceous materials. Thus in order to obtain vegetable oils with acceptable industrial and/or edible quality, the crude oil is often subjected to a series of processes designed to remove the various impurities. Such processes include: degumming, refining (deacidification), bleaching, winterization and deodorization.
Of the various refining processes, removal of FFA (deacidification) is deemed most critical due to the fact that high level (>0.5%) of FFA could reduce the shelf-life of the oil by promoting rancidity, moreover, downstream processing is adversely impacted by free fatty acids impurity. Over the years, the most industrially accepted deacidification method is caustic (alkaline) refining, a process during which the crude oil is treated with dilute solution of sodium hydroxide. In a typical alkaline refining process, the oil is passed into a tank and then thoroughly mixed with sodium hydroxide solution (concentration depends on the level of FFA in the crude oil) at 70.degree. C. to 80.degree. C. for about 1-15 minutes. The resulting slurry is then centrifuged in order to eliminate the soapstock, and the oil is washed with generous amount of water to further remove traces of soapstock. For continuous processes, a series of centrifuges are used to separate neutral oil from soapstock, after which the refined oil is passed through a vacuum dryer to remove residual moisture.
A modification of the continuous alkaline deacidification process is the so called "miscella refining", in which crude oil, dissolved in a solvent (usually hexane), is treated with alkaline solution, then thoroughly mixed, and subsequently centrifuged to separate soapstock and refined miscella (oil is still dissolved in solvent). The alkaline concentration ranges from 4% to 15% depending on the amount of free acid and the other impurities in the crude oil. Miscella refining requires very intensive plant management and high capital investment since most of the machinery must be explosion-proof, and the processes are performed at greater than ambient temperatures.
Regardless of the type of alkaline refining, the process is well established, however, there are many problems associated with it. Treating a triglyceride oil with sodium hydroxide at moderately high temperature would result in some degree of saponification, resulting in a loss of neutral oil. There may also be an emulsion problem during water treatment which often necessitates the use of emulsifying agents. In the case of miscella refining, there can be fouling of the distillation system by residual soapstock, and high labor cost and capital investment. The current processes result in appreciable loss (>5%) of neutral oil, which increases the operating cost.
Consequently, there is a need to develop alternative methods for deacidification of crude vegetable oils. To a limited extent, physical refining has been used for deacidification. In such a process, the oil is treated with steam at elevated temperature in order to steam distil the free fatty acids. However, steam distillation is less efficient than alkaline refining. Moreover, the physical refining process may not be applicable to most oils, due to the varying affinities of different molecules for co-distillation with water.
Recently, many other deacidification processes have been reported, some of which include: biological refining, in which bacteria species are allowed to feed on the FFA; fractionation using furfural as a polar solvent to selectively remove the free acids. Thus, there are continuing research programs aimed at developing efficient, and yet practical modes of solving the deacidification problem facing the vegetable oil industry.


A rotor assembly for supporting rotor blades includes a plurality of axially adjoining discrete disks each having a rim. The rims include axial dovetail posts defining therebetween dovetail grooves for collectively supporting a respective blade dovetail therein. The disks are fixedly joined together by integral beams so that upon a crack failure of one of the disks, centrifugal load from the failed disk is transferred to an adjacent disk and crack propagation thereto is inhibited.

A conventional craft gas turbine engine include a rotating fan having a plurality of circumferentially spaced fan blades removably mounted to a rotor. In one form, the rotor includes a disk having an outer rim and an inner hub with a radially extending web therebetween. The rim includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending dovetail grooves for receiving axial dovetails of the fan blades for supporting the fan blades as they rotate with the disk.
A conventional rim has a width in the axial direction selected for ensuring acceptably low stress in the rim due to centrifugal loads imposed by the rotating blades on the rim. The width of the web is smaller than that of the rim for minimizing weight of the disk, and the width of the hub is larger than that of the web and may be up to about the width of the rim for providing suitable structural integrity of the entire disk.
Since the fan assembly has the largest outer diameter of the rotating blade rows of a conventional turbofan aircraft gas turbine engine, it typically has relatively high rotational energy due to centrifugal force or load generated thereby during operation. The larger the fan blades, the higher the potential centrifugal loads, and, therefore, the fans are typically run at relatively low rotational speeds to reduce the centrifugal loads so that stress generated thereby in the disk is below acceptable limits for obtaining a suitable useful life of the disk and avoiding catastrophic failure during operation.
Conventional rotor disks are known to fail due to propagating cracks under relatively high centrifugal loads. Cracks typically form at stress concentrations in the disk such as for example, undetected inclusions in the disk, or at stress risers such as holes in the disk. The cracks typically propagate in the radial direction through the hub, web, and rim thusly radially splitting the disk and resulting in failure.
Disks, therefore, are conventionally designed for obtaining limited stress therein due to centrifugal loads to reduce the likelihood of failure and for providing an acceptable service life. The disks may also be constructed in the form of a multi-disk assembly for spreading the centrifugal load between the respective disks so that failure of one disk does not result in failure of the entire multi-disk assembly.
In one exemplary turbofan engine, large fan blades are provided having a height of about 1 meter with the diameter of the fan assembly measured to the blade tips of about 3 meters. The fan rotates at about 2300 rpm, thusly resulting in substantial centrifugal loads imparted from the blades into the supporting rotor assembly. Accordingly, in order to prevent catastrophic failure of the rotor assembly due to centrifugal loads, an improved rotor assembly is desired which will prevent complete crack failure and provide an indication of the onset of such failure in order to effect appropriate remedial action. Furthermore, in view of the relatively large centrifugal loading in such a fan, a simpler more structurally efficient rotor assembly having reduced structural mass and reduced stress risers is desired.


A system and a method for encoding and decoding ultra-wideband information are provided. An ultra-wideband transmission is encoded by positioning bipolar pulse pairs. The bipolar pulse pairs assist in detecting errors in the ultra-wideband transmission, before the entire transmission has been received. The transmission is analyzed for errors and an error rate is calculated. The calculated error rate is compared to one or more predefined acceptable error rate levels to determine whether the calculated error rate of the transmission is within at least one of the predefined acceptable error rate levels.

Ultra-wideband transmission of information typically operates in highly populated frequency ranges. Typically, ultra-wideband communications (e.g., impulse radio communications) employ pulses of very short duration on the order of nanoseconds or picoseconds, for example. However, signals of such short duration often must contend with a variety of natural and synthetic noise signals resulting in signal cancellation, amplification or interference.
Furthermore, the transmission errors can be compounded by conventional encoding and decoding techniques. Conventional encoding and decoding techniques generally receive an entire transmission and then process (e.g., data type, decode) the transmission. After that conventional error detection processes (e.g., a check sum error algorithm) proceed. If after this error detection process, a transmission is found to have too many errors, then a request for a re-transmission of the entire transmission is required. This technique generally inefficient and time-intensive in detecting errors.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system or method of encoding and decoding an ultra-wideband transmission as part of an ultra-wideband communications system in which the method of encoding and decoding allows for the detection of errors and, if appropriate, the requesting for re-transmission before the complete transmission is received.

Encoding and decoding ultra-wideband information


A small inductor built-in electronic part whose Q is high is provided. An LC resonator comprises a laminate composed of a number of laminated electronic layers. Capacitor electrodes, common electrodes, and ground electrodes are formed between the dielectric layers. Two via holes are formed penetrating through the plurality of intermediate dielectric layers in the thickness direction thereof leaving a space therebetween. These via holes act as inductor elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic parts with an integrally built-in inductor and, more particularly, to electronic parts such as an inductor, an LC resonator, band-pass filter and an LC filter for use in a portable radio equipment, for example.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 7 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing one example of an LC filter acting as a band-pass filter to which the present invention can be applied. The LC filter includes two LC resonators R1 and R2. One LC resonator R1 comprises a first inductor L1 and a first capacitor C1 connected in parallel, and the other LC resonator R2 comprises a second inductor L2 and a second capacitor C2 connected in parallel. It is noted that the first and second inductors L1 and L2 are electromagnetically coupled to each other. One end of the first LC resonator R1 is connected to a first input/output terminal T1 via a third capacitor C3 and one end of the second LC resonator R2 is connected to a second input/output terminal T2 via a fourth capacitor C4. Other ends of the first and second LC resonators R1 and R2 are connected to ground terminals G, respectively.
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the exemplary prior art LC filter having the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 7. The prior art LC filter 1 shown in FIG. 8 includes four dielectric layers 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d to be laminated together. A first capacitor electrode 3a and the like is formed on the upper surface of the first dielectric layer 2a, a second capacitor electrode 3b and the like is formed on the upper surface of the second dielectric layer 2b and a spiral pattern electrode 4 which acts as an inductor element is formed on the upper surface of the third dielectric layer 2c, the first, second and third electrodes 3a, 3b and 3c being formed of printing conductors by means of thick film printing. The first capacitor C1 of the first LC resonator R1 is formed between the first and second capacitor electrodes 3a and 3b and the first inductor L1 of the first LC resonator R1 is formed by the spiral pattern electrode 4. Similarly, the second capacitor C2 of the other LC resonator R2 is formed between other two capacitor electrodes (not shown) on either side of the second dielectric layer 2b, and the second inductor L2 of the second LC resonator R2 is formed by another pattern electrode (not shown) formed on the upper surface of the third dielectric layer 2c. It is noted that external electrodes (not shown) which act as the input/output terminals T1 and T2 and the ground terminals G are formed on side faces of the dielectric layers 2a through 2d. Further, the third and fourth capacitors C3 and C4 are formed by other capacitor electrodes (not shown) between one end of each of the LC resonators R1 and R2 and the external electrodes which act as the input/output terminals T1 and T2, respectively. The other ends of the LC resonators R1 and R2 are connected to the external electrodes which act as the ground terminals G.
Because each capacitor, which is relatively close to an ideal capacitor, is created in the prior art LC filter 1 shown in FIG. 8, the Q (quality factor) of the whole is influenced largely by the Q of the built-in inductor. Therefore, in order to improve the Q of the LC filter 1, it is conceivable to improve the Q of the inductor by increasing a sectional area of the pattern electrode which acts as the inductor element. It is then conceivable to thicken a width of the pattern electrode in order to increase the sectional area of the pattern electrode, because a thickness of the pattern electrode formed by means of thick film printing is only about 10-odd mm. However, the prior art LC filter has had a problem in that when the width of the pattern electrode is thickened, a value of inductance generated by the pattern electrode made within an equal area becomes small and a large floating capacity is generated between the electrodes similar to the capacitor electrodes which vertically face each other. The result is a drop in Q, contrary to the purpose of the design modification. It is noted that this kind of problem also exists in other built-in inductor electronic parts such as prior art inductors and LC resonators in which a pattern electrode acts as an inductor element and is formed by means of thick film printing.
The prior art LC filter 1 shown in FIG. 8 also has had a problem that although the Q of the whole is improved when the space between the pattern electrode and the vertically disposed capacitor electrode is widened, a thickness of the whole, i.e. the size thereof, is increased and it cannot be mounted within small equipment such as portable radio equipment whose thickness is limited. It is noted that this kind of problem also exists in the other inductor built in electronic parts such as prior art LC resonators in which the pattern electrode which acts as an inductor element and the capacitor electrode are formed, respectively, by means of thick film printing.
Further, the LC filter 1 shown in FIG. 8 has had a problem in that because a line of magnetic force generated by the pattern electrode crosses with the main surface of the capacitor electrode at almost right angles as shown in FIG. 9, a significant eddy current loss is generated on the capacitor electrode by the line of magnetic force, thus dropping the Q of the whole. It is noted that this kind of problem also exists in the other built-in inductor electronic parts such as the prior art LC resonator in which the pattern electrode which acts as an inductor element and the capacitor electrode are formed, respectively, by means of thick film printing.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a small built-in inductor electronic parts whose Q is high.

Inductor built-in electronic parts using via holes


Processes using affinity cell separation are used to increase the yield and purities of target cells by increasing the cell:affinity surface contact rate, limiting the shear force on the attaching cells and/or using an appropriate affinity surface area.

Affinity separation of cells refers to known process techniques where a particular subset of a mixture or population of biological cells are bound to support surfaces by means of ligands with specific affinity to molecules or structures on the cell membranes of the subset. Cells which lack the membrane molecules or structures are not bound to the support surface and can be removed from the population to effect a separation of these cells from the bound cells or vice versa.
Affinity separation processes are commonly used either to eliminate a subset from the mixture of interest (depletion) or to prepare a specific subset of interest from a mixture (positive selection). The depletion process is much simpler because the bound cells are simply discarded leaving the desired cells behind. Positive selection is much more difficult both because the desired cells are bound to the support and must be removed without damaging them and because a certain proportion of the undesirable cells can and do bind nonspecifically to the affinity surface and contaminate the collected cells.
Cell separation techniques have important potential application in cancer therapies, autoimmune disease therapies, and improved diagnostics. For example, cell affinity devices can be used in extracorporeal therapies that may involve the selective isolation, augmentation, and reintroduction to the host of a specific subset population of cells.
Cell affinity techniques have been used widely since Wigzell's description of such a process in 1969 (Wigzell and Andersson J. Exp. Med. 129:23-36, 1969). Cells have been separated using antibodies immobilized to beads (Wigzell and Andersson J. Exp. Med. 129:23-36, 1969), to fibers (Rutishauser et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 70, 1973), to petri dishes (Mage et al. J. Immunol. Meth. 15, 1977), and to liquid droplets (U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,904). The separation process basically involves effecting contact between cell mixtures and a ligand-coated support, allowing the cells to bind, and then washing away nonadherent cells.
During the 1970's there were several reports of cell affinity separation techniques for a variety of cells, supports, and ligands (Wysocki and Sato Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 75:2844-2848, 1978; Wigzell Scand. J. Immunol. 5:23-30, 1976; Antoine et al. Immunochem. 15, 1987; Edelman and Rutishauser Meth. Enzymol. 34:195-225, 1974). Several patents have issued describing a variety of techniques and devices for affinity cell separations (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,035,316; 3,970,518; 3,843,324; 4,230,685; 4,363,634). With the exception of panning and certain procedures involving the use of magnetic particles, the techniques have proven difficult to reproduce. Moreover, the many attempts to scale-up these procedures have been very disappointing.
Affinity cell depletion techniques have found some important applications. Researchers prepare specific cell subpopulations for study by systematically depleting a mixture of various subpopulations of cells. For example, Treleavan et al. (Treleaven et al. Lancet 1:70-73, 1984) have demonstrated that the concentration of neuroblastoma cells in a bone marrow preparation can be reduced by a factor of about 10.sup.6 using multiple depletions with antibody-coated magnetic beads.
Two examples of positive selection techniques are those described by Berenson et al. (J. Immunol. Methods 91:11-19, 1986) and by Gaudernack et al. (J. Immunol. Methods 90:179-187, 1986). Berenson et al. bind biotinylated antibodies to target cells and pass them through a column packed with avidin-coated beads, thereby recovering 64% of a population of human bone marrow cells at a final concentration of 73% when the initial concentration was 7%. Gaudernack et al. use antibody-coated magnetic beads to collect a certain subset of T cells. The initial concentration was 30%, and the positively selected population was 96%; the yield is not mentioned. These purities are not adequate for a large number of attractive applications, such as stem cell transplants, or the preparation of subpopulations for cell biology or immunology studies.
Most attempts to scale-up affinity cell separation procedures beyond laboratory scale have involved affinity columns packed with beads coated with antibodies, lectins, or staphylococcus protein A. Solutions containing cell mixtures flow through the column packing and, ideally, the ligands bind the specific cells of interest. In practice, however, a large fraction of the undesired cells bind nonspecifically in the columns such that the purity and yield of the selected cells is disappointingly low. For example, in a recently reported attempt to separate T lymphocytes from peripheral blood lymphocytes using soybean agglutinin-coated Sepharose beads in a column, Hertz et al. found that they could capture 90% of the T lymphocytes, but they also found 80% of the other lymphocytes were nonspecifically bound (Hertz et al. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 27:603-612, 1985). Procedures for cell purification employing the extremely high affinity of biotin and avidin have produced the best large-scale results using packed columns (Berenson et al. J. Cell. Biochem. 10D:239, 1986). Berenson et al. reported the concentration 2.5.times.10.sup.9 target cells from 14% to 73% purity with a yield of 43%.
The most successful approach to large scale cell affinity separations has involved the use of magnetic particles. Magnetic particles have been used clinically to remove neuroblastoma or T cells from bone marrow transplants. 99.97% or more of the unwanted cells are removed from transplants initially containing over 10.sup.10 cells, but over half of the other cells are removed nonspecifically by the process (Vartdal et al. J. Cell. Bioch., Sup. 10D: 252, 1986).
Because of the difficulties in implementing and scaling-up cell affinity separations, this promising technique has found very little practical application. There remains a need to be able to recover cells with higher yields and higher purities.

Procedure for designing efficient affinity cell separation processes


A system for generating memory timing signals and for reducing memory access time includes a plurality of memory modules having an array of memory cells addressable in response to a number of row address select and column address select signals. A row address select signal generator associated with each memory module generates row address signals upon the system receiving a request for access to any memory storage location. At least one memory array selection comparator compares memory address signals with preselected, unique, memory module addresses, for identifying a selected memory module, and for providing a column address signal generator enable signal to the column address select signal generator of the selected memory module. The row address select timing signals enable one or more row address select signals to each memory module prior to the time that the at least one memory array selection comparator identifies the selected memory module and provides the column address select signal generator enable signal to the associated column address signal generator of the selected memory array.

Advances in semiconductor technology are now providing computer systems with ever increasing amounts of semiconductor memory storage. Such additional memory must be easily controllable and accessable on a timely basis so as not to impact the performance of the computer system.
Circuitry utilized to control the memory and generate memory timing signals has traditionally been centralized to minimize the amount of circuitry or hardware required. A centralized approach to providing memory timing, however, is accompanied by the problems of timing signal skew and signal delays, as the timing signals travel from the centralized controller to the various memory boards, and from memory board to memory board.
In addition to memory timing considerations, access to increasing amounts of semiconductor memory presents the additional problem of being able to decode a larger number of memory address lines necessary to address the increasing amounts of memory storage within a sufficiently short period of time so as not to seriously degrade system performance.

System for generating memory timing and reducing memory access time


A mobile device and associated method and computer-readable medium, wherein the device is configurable for data protection readiness. A preparation module is configured to perform preprocessing to prepare the mobile device for data protection readiness, the preprocessing includes: indicating certain items of data stored in the data storage arrangement which are of personal importance to an owner of the mobile device; indicating criteria that defines a situation for which the items of data of personal importance are to be secured; and indicating a set of actions to be carried out to secure the items of data of personal importance. A protection module is configured to monitor for an occurrence of the situation for which the items of data of personal importance are to be secured based on the criteria indicated by the preparation module, and to execute the set of actions indicated by the preparation module in response to a detection of the occurrence of the situation.

The problem of maintaining privacy and safety of user data is particularly prevalent nowadays. Data can be stored on desktop PCs or servers, and in those cases, data protection can be provided through traditional mechanisms of data loss prevention (DLP), such as the use of encryption systems, data backup, or file shredders which permanently remove data.
In the world of mobile devices, however, the possibility of losing or misplacing the device, leaving the device unattended, or the possibility of theft of the device, present an entirely different sort of challenge. In these cases, the user is not able to fully prevent the device itself (containing personal and often very important data) from falling into the wrong hands.
Application of conventional DLP approaches to mobile devices is further complicated because the devices themselves have much less computing capacity than PCs. Mobile devices are battery-powered, and are often optimized for energy efficiency. A data protection system must therefore present a minimal burden to users, operate efficiently to preserve processor and memory capacity in the mobile device for system resources and user applications, and avoid presenting a significant resource drain resulting in high energy utilization. Conventional DLP approaches such as system-wide deployment of file encryption would require extra processing overhead of encryption, decryption, or both, each time data is to be written, accessed, or modified.

Efficient securing of data on mobile devices


The present invention relates to novel pyrimidine, pyrrolo-pyrimidine, pyrrolo-pyridine, pyridine, purine and triazine compounds which are able to modulate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), including Her-kinases, and the use of such compounds in the treatment of various diseases, disorders or conditions.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, Erb-B1) belongs to a family of proteins, involved in the proliferation of normal and malignant cells (Artega, C. L., J. Clin Oncol 19, 2001, 32-40). Overexpression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is present in at least 70% of human cancers (Seymour, L. K., Curr Drug Targets 2, 2001, 117-133) such as, non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC), breast cancers, gliomas, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and prostate cancer (Raymond et al., Drugs 60 Suppl 1, 2000, discussion 41-2; Salomon et al., Crit. Rev Oncol Hematol 19, 1995, 183-232; Voldborg et al., Ann Oncol 8, 1997, 1197-1206). The EGFR-TK is therefore widely recognized as an attractive target for the design and development of compounds that can specifically bind and inhibit the tyrosine kinase activity and its signal transduction pathway in cancer cells, and thus can serve as either diagnostic or therapeutic agents. For example, the EGFR tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) reversible inhibitor, TARCEVA®, is approved by the FDA for treatment of NSCLC and advanced pancreatic cancer. Other anti-EGFR targeted molecules have also been approved including LAPATINIB® and IRESSA®.
The efficacy of erlotinib and gefitinib is limited when administered to all lung cancer patients. When erlotinib or gefitinib are used in the treatment of all lung cancer patients (not selected for presence/absence of activated (mutant) EGFR), the likelihood of tumor shrinkage (response rate) is 8-10% and the median time to tumor progression is approximately 2 months {Shepherd et al NEJM 2004, Thatcher et al. Lancet 2005}. In 2004 it was discovered that lung cancers with somatic mutations in EGFR were associated with dramatic clinical responses following treatment with gefitinib and erlotinib {Paez et al. Science 20004; Lynch et al. NEJM 2004; Pao et al PNAS 2004}. Somatic mutations identified to date include point mutations in which a single aminoacid residue is altered in the expressed protein (e.g. L858R, G719S, G719C, G719A, L861Q), as well as small in frame deletions in Exon19 or insetions in Exon20. Somatic mutations in EGFR are found in 10-15% of Caucasian and in 30-40% of Asian NSCLC patients. EGFR mutations are present more frequently in never-smokers, females, those with adenocarcinoma and in patients of East Asian ethnicity {Shigematsu et at JNCI-2005}. These are the same groups of patients previously clinically identified as most likely to benefit from gefitinib or erlotinib {Fukuoka et al. JCO 2003; Kris et at JAMA 2003 and Shepherd et at NEJM 2004}. Six prospective clinical trials treating chemotherapy naïve patients with EGFR mutations with gefitinib or erlotinib have been reported to date {Inoue et at JCO 2006, Tamura et al Br. J. Cancer 2008; Asahina et al., Br. J. Cancer 2006; Sequist et al., JCO 2008}. Cumulatively, these studies have prospectively identified and treated over 200 patients with EGFR mutations. Together they demonstrate radiographic response rates ranging from 60-82% and median times to progression of 9.4 to 13.3 months in the patients treated with gefitinib and erlotinib. These outcomes are 3 to 4 folder greater than that observed with platin-based chemotherapy (20-30% and 3-4 months, respectively) for advanced NSCLC {Schiller, et al JCO 2002}. In a recently completed phase III clinical trial, EGFR mutant chemotherapy naïve NSCLC patients had a significantly longer (hazard ratio=0.48 (95% CI; 0.36-0.64); p<0.0001) progression free survival (PFS) and tumor response rate (71.3 vs. 47.2%; p=0.0001) when treated with gefitinib compared with conventional chemotherapy {Mok et al. ESMO meeting 2008}. Conversely, NSCLC patients that were EGFR wild type had a worse outcome when they received gefitinib compared to chemotherapy as their initial treatment for advanced NSCLC {Mok et at ESMO meeting 2008}. Thus EGFR mutations provide an important selection method for NSCLC patients for a therapy (EGFR TKIs) that is more effective than conventional systemic chemotherapy. EGFR mutations are routinely being evaluated in NSCLC patients in many clinical centers.
Despite the initial clinical benefits of gefitinib/erlotinib in NSCLC patients harboring EGFR mutations, most if not all patients ultimately develop progressive cancer while receiving therapy on these agents. Initial studies of relapsed specimens identified a secondary EGFR mutation, T790M, that renders gefitinib and erlotinib ineffective inhibitors of EGFR kinase activity {Kobayashi et al NEJM 2005 and Pao et al PLOS Medicien 2005}. Subsequent studies have demonstrated that the EGFR T790M mutation is found in approximately 50% of tumors (24/48) from patients that have developed acquired resistance to gefitinib or erlotinib {Kosaka et al CCR 2006; Balak et al CCR 2006 and Engelman et al Science 2007}. This secondary genetic alteration occurs in the 'gatekeeper' residue and in an analogous position to other secondary resistance alleles in diseases treated with kinase inhibitors (for example T315I in ABL in imatinib resistant CML).
The initial identification of EGFR T790M also determined that an irreversible EGFR inhibitor, CL-387,785, could still inhibit EGFR even when it possessed the T790M mutation. Subsequent studies demonstrated that other irreversible EGFR inhibitors, EKB-569 and HKI-272, could also inhibit phosphorylation of EGFR T790M and the growth of EGFR mutant NSCLC cell lines harboring the T790M mutation {Kwak et al PNAS 2005; Kobayashi et al NEJM 2005}. These irreversible EGFR inhibitors are structurally similar to reversible inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib, but differ in that they contain a Michael-acceptor that allows them to covalently bind EGFR at Cys 797. The T790M mutation does not preclude binding of irreversible inhibitors; instead, it confers resistance to reversible inhibitors in part by increasing the affinity of the enzyme for ATP, at least in the L858R/T790M mutant EGFR {Yun et al., PNAS 2008}. Irreversible inhibitors overcome this mechanism of resistance because once they are covalently bound, they are no longer in competition with ATP. These observations have led to clinical development of irreversible EGFR inhibitors for patients developing acquired resistance to gefitinib or erlotinib. Three such agents (HKI-272, BIBW2992 and PF00299804) are currently under clinical development. However, the preclinical studies to date would suggest that these agents are not optimal at inhibiting EGFR variants bearing the T790M mutation.
Recent studies in a mouse model of EGFR L858R/T790M mediated lung cancer demonstrate that a subset of cancers in these mice (bronchial tumors) were insensitive to HKI-272 alone {Li et al Cancer Cell 2007}. Thus even in this solely EGFR-driven model, HKI-272 alone is unable to cause tumor regression. This is in sharp contrast to the dramatic effects of erlotinib alone in mouse lung cancer models that contain only EGFR activating mutations {Ji et al Cancer Cell 2006} and suggests that HKI-272 may also be ineffective in some NSCLC patients with EGFR T790M. Similar findings have been reported for BIBW 2992 (Li et al. Oncogene 2008) Furthermore, the IC50 of HKI-272 required to inhibit the growth of Ba/F3 cells harboring EGFR T790M in conjunction with different exon 19 deletion mutations ranges from 200-800 nM while the mean Cmax in the Phase I trial was only about 200 nM {Yuza et al Cancer Biol Ther 2007; Wong et al CCR 2009 in press}. Thus there continues to be a need to develop more effective EGFR targeted agents capable of inhibiting EGFR T790M.
A major limitation of all current EGFR inhibitors is the development of toxicity in normal tissues. Since ATP affinity of EGFR T790M is similar to WT EGFR, the concentration of an irreversible EGFR inhibitor required to inhibit EGFR T790M will also effectively inhibit WT EGFR. The class-specific toxicities of current EGFR kinase inhibitors, skin rash and diarrhea, are a result of inhibiting WT EGFR in non-cancer tissues. This toxicity, as a result of inhibiting WT EGFR, precludes dose escalation of current agents to plasma levels that would effectively inhibit EGFR T790M. A major advance would be the identification of a mutant specific EGFR inhibitor that was less effective against wild type EGFR. Such an agent would likely be clinically more effective and also potentially more tolerable as a therapeutic agent in patients with cancer.

EGFR inhibitors and methods of treating disorders


A disk array apparatus includes an enclosure having an opening at its front face, at least one module configured to be mounted in the enclosure and at least one securing mechanism configured to secure the at least one module to the enclosure. The module includes a frame member and a lever member that is movable between a first position received by the frame member in which it serves as a cover of the opening and a second position in which it serves as a grip part for pulling the module out of the enclosure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a module mounting/removing mechanism and particularly relates to a disk array device in which a plurality of detachable hard disk drive devices can be loaded.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a need for a mass storage external storage device that can be accessed at high speed with high reliability. In order to provide such an external storage device, a disk array device is known in which a plurality of modules each containing a hard disk drive device (HDD) can be loaded. For the maintenance of such a disk array device, one or more of the modules (hard disk drive device) requiring maintenance are replaced while the disk array device as a whole remains in operation.
Further, if a third person has free access to the disk array device, the module(s) could be inadvertently detached from the disk array device during a recording or reproducing operation. This may result in damage of data, the module(s) or the disk array device. Accordingly, for improved security, a disk array device is generally provided with a lock system to prevent the modules to be easily mounted to or removed from an enclosure (housing) of the disk array device.
Generally, the lock system has a keylock mechanism. The key for unlocking the lock system is possessed by an authorized person such as a person in charge of maintenance of the disk array device. When maintenance is required, the lock system is unlocked using the key, so as to enable the module(s) from being mounted to or removed from the enclosure.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective diagram and an exploded perspective diagram, respectively, of a disk array device 10 of the related art. The disk array device 10 includes an enclosure 15 and a plurality of modules 11 capable of being loaded into the enclosure 15.
As can be seen in FIG. 2, the module 11 generally includes a main body 14 and a lever 12. The lever 12 is provided on a front face of the main body 14 such that it is pivotable about an axis extending along a connecting part between the lever 12 and the main body 14.
When mounting or removing the module 11 to/from the enclosure 15, the lever 12 is tipped forward such that it can be grasped to mount or remove the module 11 to/from the enclosure 15. Thus, the module 11 can be easily mounted to or removed from the enclosure 15.
Further, as has been described above, if the module 11 can be freely mounted to or removed from the enclosure 15, the data or various devices may be damaged due to an inadvertent mounting or removing operation. In order to prevent a third person from mounting or removing the module(s) 11 to/from the disk array device 10 without permission, a bezel cover 13 serving as a security means and having a keylock mechanism 16 is provided on the front face of the disk array device 10. The keylock mechanism 16 operates in such a manner that, when the key is inserted and turned, the bezel cover 13 is fastened to the locking part 17 of the enclosure 15.
Therefore, in order to mount or remove the module 11 to/from the disk array device 10 of the related art, it is necessary to first open the bezel cover 13 by unlocking the keylock mechanism 16, then to tip forward the lever 12 of the module 11, and finally to mount or remove the module 11 to/from the enclosure 15.
In other words, in the related art, it is necessary to perform opening and closing operations for two members, i.e., the lever 12 and the bezel cover 13. Therefore, it is troublesome to mount or remove the module 11 and it gives rise to poor operability.
Also, the lever 12 cannot be tipped in a one-touch manner in the related art. That is to say, in order to tip the lever 12 forward from the unit main body 14, it is necessary to catch the top end part of the lever 12 by the tip of the operator's finger and then pivot the lever 12. This also gives rise to poor operability.
Further, in the related art, the lever 12 and the bezel cover 13 are provided as two separate members. With such a structure, the disk array device 10 becomes bulky due to the thickness of the bezel cover 13.

Module mounting/removing mechanism and disk array


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a liquid crystal display panel and a manufacturing method thereof. The liquid crystal display panel comprises two substrates disposed opposite to each other and a liquid crystal layer filled between the two substrates, and the liquid crystal layer is formed from a mixture, comprising discotic liquid crystal, nematic liquid crystal and photoinitiator, by UV-light irradiation; the mixture comprises 5%˜50% by mass of discotic liquid crystal, 40˜90% by mass of nematic liquid crystal, and 0.05%˜10% by mass of photoinitiator. The liquid crystal panel can have reduced response time.

Depending on the requirements for different display modes, in a liquid crystal display using nematic liquid crystal, the alignment of the nematic liquid crystal between substrates has different manors. Generally, there are two alignment manors of nematic liquid crystal: nematic liquid crystal planar-alignment mode and nematic liquid crystal vertical-alignment mode.
When the display mode is TN (twisted nematic, (orientation of liquid crystal molecules form a 90-degree twist)), STN (super twisted nematic, a 180-degree twisted nematic), IPS (in-plane switching), FFS (fringe field switching) or the like, a planar-aligning method is adopted to induce the alignment of nematic liquid crystal. For example, a preparation method is as follows.
1. An alignment layer is formed, by applying an aligning agent (for example, polyimide (PI) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) on a surface of a substrate.
2. The alignment layer on a substrate surface is dried.
3. The substrate surface having the alignment layer is rubbed after the drying process, so that a plurality of microgrooves are formed on the substrate having the alignment layer.
4. Nematic liquid crystal is added dropwise on the substrate formed with grooves, and then a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between two substrates after a liquid crystal cell is formed. Under the action of the alignment layer formed on the substrates, the nematic liquid crystal molecules are induced in an alignment.
When the display mode is MVA (multi-domain vertical-alignment), a different aligning agent may be adopted to induce the alignment of nematic liquid crystal. A preparation method for that aligning agent is substantially the same as the planar-aligning method; siloxane may be elected as the aligning agent for vertical-alignment; the silicone is applied on a substrate surface and then dried; silicone adheres to the substrate by chemical bonds, and the flexible chain groups at ends of siloxane are capable of inducing nematic liquid crystal in an arrangement perpendicular to the substrate.
The above are two common aligning methods for liquid crystal; they both achieve liquid crystal alignment through treatment onto a substrate surface. The alignment mechanism is that, by inducing the alignment of the liquid crystal which is close to a surface of an alignment layer, the nematic liquid crystal within the entirety of a liquid crystal cell is caused to be arranged. However, the alignment layer applied on a substrate has less action on the liquid crystal molecules far away from the alignment layer, so that the aligning action on the liquid crystal molecules is non-uniform, thereby affecting liquid crystal display effect.

Liquid crystal display panel using discotic liquid crystal to induce alignment of nematic liquid crystal and manufacturing method thereof

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A blood processing apparatus may include a heat exchanger and a gas exchanger. The heat exchanger may be configured to provide a cross-flow or radially directed blood flow through the heat exchanger.

Blood perfusion entails encouraging blood through the vessels of the body. For such purposes, blood perfusion systems typically entail the use of one or more pumps in an extracorporeal circuit that is interconnected with the vascular system of a patient. Cardiopulmonary bypass surgery typically requires a perfusion system that provides for the temporary cessation of the heart to create a still operating field by replacing the function of the heart and lungs. Such isolation allows for the surgical correction of vascular stenosis, valvular disorders, and congenital heart defects. In perfusion systems used for cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, an extracorporeal blood circuit is established that includes at least one pump and an oxygenation device to replace the functions of the heart and lungs.
More specifically, in cardiopulmonary bypass procedures oxygen-poor blood, i.e., venous blood, is gravity-drained or vacuum suctioned from a large vein entering the heart or other veins in the body (e.g., femoral) and is transferred through a venous line in the extracorporeal circuit. The venous blood is pumped to an oxygenator that provides for oxygen transfer to the blood. Oxygen may be introduced into the blood by transfer across a membrane or, less frequently, by bubbling oxygen through the blood. Concurrently, carbon dioxide is removed across the membrane. The oxygenated blood is filtered and then returned through an arterial line to the aorta, femoral artery, or other artery.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Blood processing unit with cross blood flow


A lockable Petri dish is disclosed wherein the lid and base of the dish are provided with at least two pairs of locking members, each comprising a radial sheath and a sheath-engaging tab.

The use of Petri dishes for growing colonies of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi is well known. A Petri dish typically comprises a short cylindrical open dish for holding microorganism growth medium and an overlapping cylindrical cover that isolates the growth medium and microorganisms from the external environment. Petri dish covers may be loosely fitting so that the seal and the dish arises simply from the weight of the cover bearing upon the cylindrical side walls of the dish. Petri dish covers may also be tightly securable to and detachable from the dish, which facilitates lifting the Petri dish by its cover.
One such design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,936, wherein the cover may be secured to the dish by ribs in the side walls of the cover that resiliently contact the side walls of the dish so as to form a compression fit. However, this design has the inherent drawback that the compression fit is often either too tight to allow ready disengagement between the cover and dish or too loose, which can lead to accidental spillage or contamination when handling the Petri dish.
What is needed therefore is a lockable Petri dish that does not lock except upon application of a specific intentionally applied force, that provides a secure locking engagement between the cover and the dish, and which may be readily disengaged from the locking engagement. These needs are met by the present invention, which is summarized and described in detail below.


The present invention relates to a cantilever or membrane comprising a body and an elongated beam attached to the body. The elongated beam includes a first layer comprising a first material, a second layer comprising a second material having an elastic modulus different to that of the first material, a third layer comprising a third material having an elastic modulus different to that of the first material, where the first layer is sandwiched between the second layer and the third layer.

High Bandwidth AFM Cantilevers for Operation in Air or Vacuum
In comparison with other AFM (atomic force microscopy) imaging modes, increasing the imaging speed of AFM in dynamic modes in air or vacuum has proven especially difficult. These dynamic modes include non-contact AFM, intermittent contact AFM (tapping mode), and pulsed force or peak force modes. The reason for this difficulty is the slow dynamic response of the cantilever oscillation amplitude. When subject to a change in boundary condition, the transient response of the cantilever decays with a time constant related to its resonance frequency, f0, and quality factor, Q. This time constant directly impacts the imaging bandwidth, B, of the cantilever, which is a measure of how quickly the AFM cantilever can track surface topography changes. For example, in tapping mode, in the case of a linear tip sample interaction and a cantilever driven at resonance, B takes the numerical value B=πf0/Q.
The row marked "Low f0, high Q" of FIG. 1 shows on the left a schematic of a driven oscillating cantilever with a steady state oscillation amplitude subject to a sudden increase in tip-sample distance. After some time, the cantilever reaches a new steady-state oscillation amplitude according to the new boundary conditions. The response time is linked to the cantilever resonance frequency and Q-factor, which are represented in the amplitude versus frequency drawing. Immediately to the right, we see experimental data of the deflection response time of a typical tapping-mode-in-air AFM cantilever (RTESPA, Bruker AFM Probes) subject to a sudden step increase in the drive amplitude. The corresponding resonance frequency and quality factor were measured for this cantilever with the thermal tune method. The numerical values, f0=347 kHz and Q=500, yield a response time of order one millisecond, and a corresponding imaging bandwidth of order 1 kHz. Finally, on the right, we see an SEM image of the cantilever showing its dimensions.
Thus far, efforts to increase the cantilever bandwidth have focused on increasing the resonance frequency by reducing the cantilever dimensions (so called 'small cantilevers'). This approach, shown in the row marked "High f0, high Q" in FIG. 1, has by and large been the enabling technology for state of the art high-speed AFM, producing good-quality, high-speed images even on difficult biological samples.
The higher resonance frequency reduces the response time, even with largely unchanged Q, as shown schematically on the left and experimentally on the right of the second row in FIG. 1 using a commercially-available small cantilever (FastScan A, Bruker AFM Probes). Cantilevers with widths approaching the optical diffraction limit and lengths of a few micrometres are now usable in specialized high-speed AFMs.
The fastest AFM imaging in dynamic modes has been, however, uniformly performed in a liquid environment, where the Q of the cantilever is decreased substantially by the large amount of fluid damping in liquid (in fluid, most AFM cantilevers have Q≈3). However, reaching equivalent speed performance using dynamic modes in air or vacuum, where the fluid damping is substantially lower, has yet to be shown.
The work of the inventors leading to this invention has focused on an alternate cantilever construction approach to enable cantilevers with inherently low Q. Intrinsically, Q is related to the damping of the resonator. Sources of damping include fluid (air or water), mechanical clamping losses, and internal friction—which includes both surface effects and volume effects such as thermoelastic damping or viscoelastic damping. Each of these sources contribute to the overall Q of the system, which can be expressed as a combination of the Q, associated with each individual damping source:
      1    Q    =            ∑              +                  Q          i                      =                  1                  Q          medium                    +              1                  Q          material                    +              1                  Q          support                    +      …
Optimizing the cantilever bandwidth through Q reduction therefore translates in practice to increasing the damping mechanisms present in the system.
AFM cantilevers that are commercially available are made out of materials with low intrinsic damping, such as crystalline silicon or silicon nitride. The Intrinsic damping coefficient (or loss coefficient) of a material ηi is defined as the ratio of the imaginary component of the dynamic modulus E″ to the real component of the dynamic modulus E′,
      η    i    =                    E        ″                    E        ′              .  FIG. 2 shows some potential cantilever materials classified by their intrinsic damping coefficient on the horizontal axis, and the square root of the ratio of the elastic modulus E to the density ρ, √(E/ρ), on the vertical axis. This factor E/ρ is also known as the stiffness to weight ratio. Here, the square root in this ratio √(E/ρ) comes from the expression for the fundamental resonance frequency of a cantilever beam
      f    0    =            0.56              l        2                                I        A                                E        ρ            factored into geometrical and materials properties terms. In the expression, l is the cantilever length, I is the second moment of area and A is the cross-sectional area of the cantilever beam. Three different classes of materials are given: crystalline or ceramic materials, metals, and polymers or elastomers. The dashed lines show constant values of the product ηi√(E/ρ), which a measure of the bandwidth ratio f0/Q expressed in terms of materials properties. Higher values trend towards the upper left corner of the plot. By this metric, the polymers and elastomers as a class of material are roughly 3 orders of magnitude better than the crystals and ceramics.
For cantilevers made of materials with very low damping coefficient, such as silicon or silicon nitride, the primary damping source is thus the air damping, which leads to cantilever with Q≈500 in air as shown in the row marked "Low f0, high Q" of FIG. 1.
If the cantilever is made out of a material that exhibits large intrinsic damping, the material damping dominates the cantilever response. The total number of oscillation cycles needed to reach steady state in this case is decreased, and so the response time is decreased, even though the frequency of oscillation may be unchanged.
Of the various classes of materials that can be used to microfabricate cantilevers, polymers in particular can exhibit large intrinsic damping through viscoelastic effects, making them ideal materials for this application. Shown in the row "Low f0, low Q" in FIG. 1 is a cantilever designed to maintain similar resonance frequency and spring constant as a standard tapping mode in air cantilever, but with a drastically lower Q. The cantilever is made out of a photosensitive polymer (SU-8), which has previously been demonstrated as a promising low-cost, low spring constant cantilever microfabrication material for both AFM imaging and cantilever-based biosensing. The experimental data show that the cantilever, which has a Q=21, has a similar response to a change in boundary condition to the commercial small cantilever (row marked "High f0, high Q" of FIG. 1), even though the size and resonance frequency of the SU-8 cantilever is comparable to a standard cantilever (and is useable in standard AFM systems).
These two approaches, high resonance frequency and low quality factor, can be combined by reducing the dimensions of the cantilever and making a small cantilever out of a viscoelastic material. The row marked "High f0, low Q" in FIG. 1 illustrates this combination. The resulting cantilever, which has a resonance frequency similar to the commercial small cantilever and a Q similar to the large SU-8 cantilever, has a response time that appears almost instantaneous on the timescale shown.
The inventors performed high-speed AFM imaging using these small SU-8 cantilevers in a customized AFM for high-speed operation. The scratched mica surface we imaged has sharp step edges, which are a difficult feature for topography feedback.
FIG. 3a shows images of the same imaging area at line scan rates from 43 Hz up to 166 Hz. The highest scan rate corresponds to scan speeds in excess of 1 image/s and a linear tip speed over the surface of 1953 μm/s. The height images (left of FIG. 3a) appear identical at all scan rates, apart from more pixelation at higher speed due to system data-rate limits. Notable in the amplitude error images (right of FIG. 3a) is the absence of imaging artefacts such as overshoot, parachuting or ringing. Taken together, these images show good tracking behaviour even at the highest scan rates.
Faster AFM imaging also enables the ability to take a high-resolution overview image and digitally investigate regions at higher magnification. This task presents a challenge to AFM systems because at large scan areas, the surface speed remains high even for low line scan rates. As a demonstration of how the SU-8 cantilevers enable this feature, large areas of a Celgard sample were imaged.
Celgard is a standard sample for assessing the speed performance of AFM imaging due to the challenge of tracking the freely-suspended fibrils in the material. On a standard MultiMode AFM system using large SU-8 cantilevers, we found that we could image Celgard with acceptable quality at line scan rates of 10 Hz, corresponding to a tip velocity of 100 μm/s. At this scan rate, the large silicon cantilever tracked very poorly and was unable to resolve the fibrils at all. On an unmodified commercial high-speed AFM system (FastScan, Bruker Nano Surfaces) we used our small SU-8 cantilevers to scan a 30×30 μm area of Celgard at a line scan rate of 4 Hz at 8192×3200 pixels, corresponding to a surface speed of 261 μm/s (FIG. 3b upper left image).
In comparison, the highest previously reported surface scan speeds we were able to find regarding Celgard using standard small AFM cantilevers was 56 μm/s. The upper right part of FIG. 3b presents a 2.4 μm digital zoom of the overall image corresponding to 656×256 pixels, showing the individual fibrils of the Celgard are still well resolved. The amplitude error and phase images in FIG. 3b show further evidence that the AFM tracks the surface well.
Electronic Readout of AFM Cantilevers
The optical beam detection technique is the most common method to detect the deflection of AFM cantilevers. It is easily implemented and very sensitive, however it requires a number of components, such as lasers, objectives, and photodetectors, which require both space and the ability to align them with the cantilever. Furthermore, optical diffraction sets the minimum width of the cantilever to a practical lower limit of about 2 μm. For these reasons, there has been much interest in the development of cantilevers with integrated deflection sensing elements (so-called self-sensing cantilevers). Cantilevers using resistive or piezoresistive, piezoelectric, thermal and capacitive detection techniques have been developed. Thus far, the performance of the current self-sensing cantilevers still lags behind the optical beam detection performance, and so these cantilevers are generally only used in situations where having optical beam detection is not possible.

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)


An ink expelling restoring device and method capable of reliably restoring the ink-expelling restoring capability of an ink jet type recording head and coping with the case where the ink supply is exhausted during the ink-expelling restoring process. The inventive ink-expelling restoring device for an ink jet printer includes a capping member for capping the front face of a recording head, an ink-residual quantity detector for checking the residual quantity of ink, and blade member for wiping the front face of the recording head. The ink expelling capability restoring operation is carried out by a sequence of a wiping operation, ink-suction operation, and flushing operation. The residual-quantity detector checks the residual quantity of ink during the operation of restoring the ink-expelling capability. When the residual quantity of ink is smaller than a preset quantity, the ink suction operation is stopped. The recording head is capped with the capping member after the flushing and wiping operations. With such a construction, when a small quantity of ink is left in the ink container during the ink-expelling restoring process, the ink suction is stopped, preventing useless consumption of ink.

The present invention relates to an ink-expelling restoring device and method for restoring, when ink-expelling failure occurs, the ink-expelling capability of an ink jet printer of the type in which a pressure generating device applies pressure to the ink in an ink chamber to discharge a stream of ink droplets through the opening of a nozzle from the ink chamber.
In an ink jet printer, a piezoelectric element and a bubble generating device, which are located between an ink tank and the opening of a nozzle, apply a pressure pulse to the ink in the ink tank to expelling a stream of ink droplets toward a recording media, thereby recording dots on the recording medium. The diameter of the nozzle opening is extremely small, e.g., several tens of microns, so as to obtain a good resolution of an image recorded with patterns of such dots. However, if dust, ink residue, etc., sticks to the nozzle opening, the picture quality is remarkably deteriorated.
To avoid the deterioration of the picture quality, the conventional printer has an ink-expelling capability restoring function. In the ink-expelling restoring process, after continuous printing has been carried out for a certain period of time, the printing operation is brought to a stop and a capping member is applied to the front face of the recording head to apply a negative pressure thereto and to forcibly discharge the ink therefrom.
To ensure complete cleaning of the recording head, the restoring operation is performed in combination with both a wiping operation and a flushing operation. The wiping operation is employed to wipe dust from the front face of the recording head by rubbing with a resilient plate piece. The flushing operation is to flush the nozzle with ink for restoring the meniscus that was destroyed by the wiping operation.
When the ink in the ink tank is used up during the ink-expelling restoring operation, bubbles tend to enter the ink supply path and the recording head. Also, ink in the ink supply path can solidify, making it difficult to remove the ink therefrom.

Ink-expelling restoring device and method for ink jet printer


A security device and alarm system includes a reader preferably concealed in a fabric article, at least one tag, and an alarm unit. The reader includes a reader transmitter, reader receiver, CPU, power source, and power switch. The tag includes a tag transmitter and a tag receiver. If using active RFID tags, each tag includes a power source. The alarm unit includes an alarm receiver, alarm, and power source. If the reader receiver does not receive an appropriate reply from the tag transmitter after the reader transmitter sends a query to the tag receiver, or if the reader was deactivated, the reader transmitter sends an alarm signal to the alarm unit. Upon the alarm receiver's receipt of the alarm signal, the alarm is energized. If using multiple active RFID tags, the CPU checks for each through tag transmission identifiers, and the alarm identifies the missing tag through unique alarm signals.

This invention relates generally to a security device. In particular, the present invention relates to an anti-theft security device and alarm system.
Security devices are a part of doing business today. The low cost and obvious benefit of anti-theft measures make them used even on objects of small value in department and retail stores. However, rare objects and collectibles are often found unprotected in today's marketplace. This is partly the result of the decentralized nature of the antique business, trade shows, festivals, and similarly operated businesses in which there are many operators of independent booths in a single area. An anti-theft measure addressing the needs of decentralized merchants would be a welcome addition to their professions. Specifically, an alarm system is needed that provides warning when a dealer's property is moved.
Many stores utilize AM (acousto-magnetic) tags. Wide entrances can be covered, and the tags themselves are inexpensive. A transmitter is set near the area to be monitored (usually on one side of the store's door) and sends out intermittent pulses of radio waves. The material the tag is made of actually expands and contracts in size in the presence of this radio field. If the transmitter is operating at the correct frequency, the tag resonates like a tuning fork and produces a radiated signal that continues in between the pulses of radio waves. A receiver set to correspond to the transmitter (usually on the opposite side of the store's door, so that everything must pass between the transmitter and receiver when leaving) listens for this vibration to sense a tag. This system cannot distinguish multiple tags, however, and is poorly suited for monitoring multiple booths or areas without tightly controlled exits.
The most commonly used anti-theft systems in stores are swept-RF systems, mostly due to their extremely low cost. In these systems, a tag is little more than a simple transmitter circuit and a flexible aluminum antennae printed on a paper backing. When an item is purchased, a high-energy burst of radio energy is delivered in close proximity to the tag. This burns out the circuitry and deactivates the tag. Receivers are positioned at the stores' exits to detect active tags. However, like the AM systems described above, swept-RF is unable to distinguish multiple tags. It also suffers from being poorly suited for monitoring multiple booths or areas without tightly controlled exits.
The fastest rising trend in security products is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). Essentially, a stationary reader sends out a radio signal of a particular frequency. The tag responds to this signal by "replying" in a way that alerts the reader that a tag has just entered its range. This information can then be used to draw conclusions about the location of the tagged object. If a theft is suspected, an alarm can be triggered. In passive RFID systems, the tag does not require a battery. Instead, the energy of the reader signal provides the energy necessary to reply. The circuitry required is exceedingly small—not much bigger than a grain of rice. These devices can also be very unobtrusive and have lengthy life-spans. The largest disadvantage of passive systems is that the reader must provide a powerful transmission in order to power the tag. This results in large power requirements and limits the signal range. Generally the tag must be within a few feet of the reader to be "seen".
Active RFID systems are powered by a battery onboard the tag. When the tag detects the reader signal, it transmits a reply. Some active systems have a range of hundreds of feet, but more importantly multiple tags can be identified simultaneously. The tag can also respond independently of the reader, such as activating if an attempt is made to disable it. Both passive and active RFID systems in the current state of the art rely on detecting the presence of a tag near an exit to activate an alarm.
Various proposals for other theft alarm devices are found in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,571 discloses attaching a permanent magnetic body to a valuable article that is placed in a bag. The bag includes circuitry that sets off an alarm when the magnet is missing unless manually overridden.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,131 discloses using a motion sensor in combination with a proximity sensor to guard valuables and reduce incidences of false alarms. A theft detector unit is integrated into a laptop, and a control unit is carried by the user to maintain two-way communication with the laptop.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,607 discloses an alarm that is attached to an object and manually activated. When the object is thereafter moved, an alarm sounds until disarmed by entering a security code or the internal power source is exhausted. Thus, the alarm detects its own movement, and no corresponding device is used.
While assumably effective for their intended purposes, none of the above proposals provide an anti-theft alarm system that addresses the needs of decentralized merchants. Therefore, it is desirable to have a security device and alarm system that is unobtrusive, can be used in a variety of settings, is able to monitor and distinguish between multiple objects, alerts the merchant when the device is turned off, and is inexpensive.


A force sensor is disclosed. The force sensor includes a force-sensitive structure that compensates for temperature and other environmental changes through the use of a strain-sensitive element and one or more reference elements. An array of such force-sensitive structures forms a force-sensing layer.

Electronic devices may include various forms of user-input devices. Traditionally, electronic devices use buttons, keys, or other types of electromechanical actuators to receive user input. Increasingly, electronic devices are using electronic touch-enabled sensors to receive user input directly from a user's finger or stylus. However, the performance of some touch-enabled sensors may be affected by temperature and other environmental factors, which tend to vary over time.

Electronic device having direction-dependent strain elements