To improve a decay time of an image sensor that has a plurality of light sensor elements and to permit higher image repetition rates, where a first signal level representative of a light intensity is picked up by the light sensor element, the light sensor element is reset and then a resulting second signal level is picked up, an output of the light sensor element is initialized at a signal level, which is selected as a function of the first signal level picked up, before picking up the first signal level again.

The present invention relates to a method of operating an image sensor that has a plurality of light sensor elements. The method includes the following steps for each light sensor element:
a) at an output of the light sensor element, picking up a first signal level representative of a quantity of light picked up by the light sensor element, and
b) resetting the light sensor element and picking up a resulting second signal level.
The present invention also relates to an image sensor that has a plurality of light sensor elements, each having an output for outputting a signal level representative of the quantity of light picked up by the light sensor element, and a reset circuit element for resetting the light sensor elements on the basis of a reset signal that is the same for all light sensor elements.
An image sensor and a method of operating the image sensor are described by S. Decker, R. McGrath, K. Brehmer, and C. Sodini in the 1998, IEEE International Solid State Circuits Conference at pages 176-177.
Resetting the light sensor elements and picking up the resulting second signal level are necessary in order to compensate for irregularities that can occur between individual pixels or light sensor elements of an image sensor, e.g., in the dark current of a photosensitive semiconductor junction or an amplifier, if provided, connected to the semiconductor junction. Such irregularities are combined under the collective term fixed pattern noise (FPN). Compensation is essential for detection of the quantity of light picked up by the light sensor element with a high brightness resolution or high brightness dynamics, in particular when the light sensor elements is designed according to CMOS technology.
Resetting results in the output signal of each light sensor element oscillating between a fixed reset level and a lighting-dependent level at a frequency corresponding to the image pick-up frequency of the image sensor, in which case the difference between the two levels may be substantial. The return from the reset level to the lighting-dependent level is associated with charging or recharging of the capacitance of the light sensor element, which must be accomplished essentially by the photoelectric current of the photosensitive semiconductor. Therefore, the image sensor requires a certain recovery time after each reset before brightness signals can be picked up again by its individual light sensor elements. Although the photoelectric current of a single element can easily be increased by increasing the area of the photosensitive semiconductor junction, this does not permit a higher image pickup frequency, because its capacitance also increases with the area of the junction.
As an additional step in the method according to the present invention, after resetting the light sensor element and before picking up another signal level from the output of the light sensor element, the output is initialized at a signal level that is selected as a function of the first signal level, which was picked up previously from this output and is representative of the light intensity picked up. This additional step is based on the fact that the brightness value picked up by a light sensor element during a given image cycle is usually near the level picked up during the preceding cycle. Consequently, if the output of the light sensor element is initialized at a level which is at least near the level, previously picked up this light sensor element, it shortens the amount of time the light sensor element will need to stabilize at a level representative of the amount of light instantaneously picked up. The signal level selected as a function of the first signal level for initialization is, for example, identical to the first signal level picked up previously.
The effect of this additional step is that the signal level set when the light sensor element is reset can be selected freely and may also be inside the dynamic range of the sensor element. Selecting a signal level outside the dynamic range is supported by the simple circuitry with which this embodiment can be implemented; when a signal level inside the dynamic range is used, a shorter reaction time of the sensor element can be achieved, because operation of the circuit modules in the saturation range is avoided.
This additional step is advantageous in a method where the signal level resulting from the reset is outside the dynamic range of the light sensor element, and thus the difference between the two signal levels picked up is not negligible, regardless of the light intensity picked up by the light sensor element.
In the method and the image sensor according to the present invention, however, the signal level resulting from the reset may also be inside the dynamic range of the sensor element.
This signal level is the same for all image cycles during operation of the image sensor.
An advantageous application of this method is for image sensors where the light sensor element includes a photodiode or a phototransistor operated at a weak inversion. Such image sensors have the advantage that their phototransistors generate a photoelectric current that in turn generates a voltage signal level proportional to the logarithm of the illuminance, and therefore permit a determination of brightness values over a range of up to 8 decades with a performance similar to that of the human eye. This advantage is gained at the expense of extremely low photoelectric currents, which is why the change in signal level associated with the reset is especially problematical with such image sensors.
Corresponding advantages like those achieved with the method according to the present invention are also achieved with the image sensor according to the present invention, which includes an initialization circuit element for initializing the output of a light sensor element at a level that can be preselected for each light sensor element by a control signal received by the initialization circuit element.
Such an image sensor includes, for example, a memory element for storing the signal level representative of the light intensity and for outputting the stored signal level as a control signal to the initialization circuit element. These memory elements are combined, for example, in a common memory array. Combining them in this way permits a space-saving integration of the memory elements. In addition, each memory element can be assigned to different light sensor elements in the time-division multiplex method.
The alternative of integrating a memory element into each individual light sensor element has the advantage that the signal paths are shorter and consequently the sensor element is faster and less sensitive to external interference.
A phototransistor operated at a weak inversion can only supply a signal having a relatively high impedance, so an amplifier is preferably provided for each individual light sensor element. This amplifier is capable of outputting a signal that is relatively insensitive to interference and noise onto a bus line of the image sensor. To minimize the power consumption of the amplifier, it is preferably designed as a voltage follower having unit gain.

Image sensor and method of operating an image sensor


A current to perpendicular to plane (CPP) differential magnetoresistance (DMR) read head using current confinement proximal to an air bearing surface (ABS) is disclosed. The CPP DMR read head includes a first electrically conductive lead, a first MR sensor formed on the first lead, and a non-magnetic electrically conductive spacer formed on the first MR sensor proximate to the ABS. The CPP DMR read head further includes insulating material on the first MR sensor distal to the ABS. A second MR sensor is formed in contact with the conductive spacer such that the second MR sensor is in electrical contact with the first MR sensor proximate to the ABS and is electrically isolated from the first MR sensor distal to the ABS. A second electrically conductive lead is in contact with the second MR sensor. Sense current injected into the first and the second MR sensor is confined proximate to the ABS.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to magnetic storage devices, and in particular, to a hard disk drive including a current perpendicular to plane (CPP) differential magnetoresistance (DMR) read head design using a current confinement structure proximal to an air bearing surface (ABS).
2. Statement of the Problem
Of the many magnetic storage devices, a hard disk drive is the most extensively used to store data. The hard disk drive includes a hard disk and an assembly of write and read heads. The assembly of write and read heads is supported by a slider that is mounted on a suspension arm. When the hard disk rotates, an actuator swings the suspension arm to place the slider over selected circular data tracks on the hard disk. The suspension arm biases the slider toward the hard disk, and an air flow generated by the rotation of the hard disk causes the slider to fly on a cushion of air at a very low elevation (fly height) over the hard disk. When the slider rides on the air, the actuator moves the suspension arm to position the write and read heads over selected data tracks on the hard disk. The write and read heads write data to and read data from, respectively, data tracks on the hard disk. Processing circuitry connected to the write and read heads then operates according to a computer program to implement writing and reading functions. One type of read head is a differential read head. In a differential read head, two separate magnetoresistance (MR) sensors are separated by a non-magnetic electrically conductive gap. Besides being separated by the conductive gap, the MR sensors are fabricated such that the magnetic moment of each of the MR sensors in the read head are orthogonal to each other. Because the magnetic moment of each of the MR sensors are orthogonal, stray magnetic fields interacting with the MR sensors (i.e., common mode magnetic noise) is cancelled out in the read head. This occurs because as the resistance in the first MR sensor decreases due to the common mode magnetic noise, the resistance in the second MR sensor increases. The net effect across both MR sensors in the read head is to substantially cancel out the effect of the common mode magnetic noise.
During a reading function, the read head passes over magnetic field transitions on the rotating hard disk. When the read head encounters the magnetic transitions, they interact with the read head to modulate the resistance of the MR sensors within the read head. In order to generate a read signal from the read head, a sense current is injected into the MR sensors. The read signal is generated by the sense current and the modulating resistance within the MR sensors generating a modulating voltage. Circuitry within the hard disk drive senses the voltages in the read head to generate read signals from the read head. The resulting read signals are used to decode data encoded by the magnetic transitions of the data track.
In order to increase the amount of storage available on the hard disk drive, the magnetic transitions are typically are placed closer together. One problem with placing the magnetic transitions closer together is that the strength of the magnetic fields used to generate the magnetic transitions tends to be smaller in order to prevent unintended interactions between one magnetic transition and another. When the strength of the magnetic fields is reduced, the amount of resistance modulation within the MR sensors generally decreases due to the lower magnetic field strengths. The decrease in the amount of resistance modulation in the MR sensors reduces the amount of read signal available from the read head for a given sense current. Another problem with placing the magnetic transitions closer together is that stray magnetic fields from adjacent magnetic transitions can increase the amount of common mode magnetic noise that the read head encounters. Both the reduced read signals generated and an increase in common mode magnetic noise are problems encountered when increasing the storage available on the hard disk drive.

Current perpendicular to plane differential magnetoresistance read head design using a current confinement structure proximal to an air bearing surface

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands, B.V.


A trunk switch assembly integrated with an emblem, includes a body; an emblem knob that is coupled with an outer side of the body so as to have an emblem provided on an outer surface thereof and provided with a switch operating rib. The trunk switch assembly further includes a micro switch that is provided in a switch case; a pad that is provided between the emblem knob and the body and provided with a link portion having one part transferring a vertical motion of the emblem knob at the same stroke; and a return spring that is provided on the body to apply the pressing and restoration operating force of the emblem knob. The switch operating rib operates the micro switch according to the pressing motion of the emblem knob.

Generally, emblems with automakers' logos are mounted or attached on the front and rear of a car. When the emblem is attached to the rear of a car, the emblem is generally attached to a surface of a trunk.
The emblem mounted on the rear of a car is attached to the trunk surface with an adhesive, a screw, or the like. The attached emblems are produced separately and thus are attached to the trunk surface one by one manually, such that a process to manufacture a car may take a long time. In addition, the emblem attached to the trunk surface with an adhesive, or the like, becomes separated from the trunk surface over time, which damages the appearance of a car.
In order to resolve the above problems, KR Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2010-0053809 entitled "Emblem-Unified Trunk Opening and Closing Device" reduces complexity in attachment of an emblem and improves durability by integrating an emblem with the trunk opening and closing apparatus. However, this emblem-attached trunk opening and closing device in the prior art is not provided with a waterproof structure such that moisture may permeate thereinto. The switch is pressed only if a middle part of the emblem is pressed, such that the operability of the trunk may be degraded.

Trunk switch assembly integrated with emblem


A container for a block of wax, said as surfboard wax, where the container utilizes a manually deflectable cup which provides the storage compartment for the wax. If per chance the block of wax has melted and then hardened assuming the precise shape of the cup, the bottom wall of the cup can be deflected in an upward manner thereby causing removal of the block of wax.

1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to a container for a substance and more particularly to a container for a substance that is readily meltable such as wax.
2) Description of Prior Art
It is common to coat the bottom surface of a surfboard with wax. The wax facilitates the movement of the surfboard through water. Wax is also used on other types of boards that are moved through water.
Surfboard wax is purchased by the user in the form of a block resembling the size and the shape of a hockey puck. Normally, the block of wax is merely wrapped in cellophane and is carried by the surfboarder to the desired site where it is used. Normally, desirable sites would be at or on a beach. At times, the wax is located within a vehicle such as a car or truck. Such an environment is normally involved with an elevated temperature especially within an enclosed vehicle. The wax only needs to be elevated to about 120 degrees Fahrenheit at which time the wax will melt. A melted glob of wax located on the floorboard or seats of an automobile not only damages the interior of the automobile but creates a rather unsightly mess that is difficult to clean. Also, the melted glob of wax ends up being thrown out and a new quantity of wax purchased.
In order to avoid melting of such wax it is common for surfboarders to carry the wax in a cooler. Invariably, though, the block of wax will be left unattended for a period of time and it certainly doesn't take very long for the wax to melt.
There is a need to develop some kind of a container for the wax itself that will confine the wax even if it melts and will still permit usage of the wax even after it is melted.


An improved antifuse design has been achieved by providing a structure includes a pair of alternating layers of silicon nitride and amorphous silicon sandwiched between two dual damascene connectors. Said structure provides the advantage, over the prior art, that all electrically active surfaces of the fuse structure are planar, so no potential failure spots resulting from surface unevenness can be formed. A process for manufacturing said fuse structure is also provided and involves fewer masking steps than related structures of the prior art.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the general area of programmable logic and memory, more particularly to antifuses for use in those technologies.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In recent years the popularity of field programmable logic and write-once memories has grown significantly. These systems are generally based on antifuses. The latter are connections between wires that are initially open circuits but which can, through suitable external means, be selectively (and irreversibly) converted to short circuits.
One of the ways to activate an antifuse is by applying a suitable voltage (generally less than about 20 volts) across it. This causes the antifuse to change from its insulating to its conducting state in a few microseconds. For a typical antifuse of the current art, having an area of about 4-10 square microns, the resistance in the open state will be about 10.sup.9 -10.sup.12 ohms while the resistance in the conducting state will be about 50-500 ohms.
Many antifuse systems are based on amorphous silicon, which has high resistivity, but which, after heating, recrystallizes and drops its resistivity substantially. An example of this type of antifuse is given by Roesner (U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,074 January 1989). Other types of material mentioned by Roesner include germanium, carbon and tin and all depend on a change in grain size from amorphous, or very small crystallites, to relatively large grains. An additional drop in resistivity is achieved by the activation of interstitial dopant atoms (such as might be introduced through ion implantation). Thus Roesner teaches that the maximum temperature to which antifuse material may be exposed during processing must be less than about 600.degree. C.
A number of improvements in the details of how to manufacture antifuses of the amorphous silicon type have been described by Dixit (U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,812 June 1994). Of particular importance is the maintenance of a high level of cleanliness. The maximum processing temperature is kept to about 540.degree. C. and great care is taken to avoid the presence of nitrogen since small amounts of silicon nitride were found to degrade the performance of the antifuses.
Some other examples of antifuses based on amorphous silicon include those disclosed by Favreau (U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,245 May 1995), Iranmanesh (U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,167 August 1995), Lee et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,880 September 1995), and Holzworth et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,481 January 1995). The structures disclosed in these patents are all built on the idea of placing the antifuse at the bottom and along the sides of a hole. This implies multiple processing steps in the formation of the complete antifuse structure as well as the introduction of potential failure points where various layers associated with the antifuse cross the edge of the hole. Additionally, this approach presents some difficulties when scaling down in size.
In FIG. 1 we show a typical antifuse structure illustrative of the current art (taken from the Holzworth patent cited above). Aluminum layer 2 has been deposited on silicon oxide layer 1. First refractory metal layer 3 lies on layer 2 while etch stop layer 4 lies on top of it. This is all covered by silicon oxide layer 5 in which hole 6 has been formed. Layer 7 comprises the antifuse material itself (amorphous silicon) while layers 8 and 9 comprise second refractory metal and aluminum layers respectively.
It should also be mentioned that there is at least one alternative antifuse system to the amorphous semiconductor variety discussed above. This is one that is based on oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO). ONO comprises a structure of three layers--silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxide. When such a structure is subjected to a suitable applied voltage (typically about 16 volts) its resistance changes from about 10.sup.12 ohms to about 500 ohms.

Method of making a dual damascene antifuse structure

Chartered Semidconductor Manufacturing Pte, Ltd.


An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor die, and a stress sensing element. The stress sensing element comprises a first lateral resistor and a first vertical resistor. The stress sensing element is formed in the semiconductor die and is configured to indicate a level of at least one stress component within the semiconductor die.

Integrated circuits (ICs) are typically mounted in packages to protect the sensitive integrated circuitries from environmental influences. However, one disadvantageous side effect that may be observed is that mounting the integrated circuitry in a package exerts mechanical stress on the semiconductor material. Mechanical stress on integrated circuits changes electronic parameters, such as the magnetic sensitivity of Hall plates or the resistance of resistors. Mechanical stress changes the mobility and the scatter factor of charge carriers, which causes lifetime drifts of resistances, transistor parameters, and the magnetic sensitivity of Hall plates (known as piezo-resistivity effect, piezo-MOS effect, piezo-junction effect, and piezo-Hall effect).
Lifetime drift of mechanical stress originates from changes of the thermo-mechanical properties of the package constituents (e.g. ageing or chemical reactions in the mold compound or swelling of the mold compound due to moisture ingress), and typically cannot be avoided. Silicon Hall sensors are known to suffer from a long term drift in magnetic sensitivity between 1% and 4% depending upon the degree of moisture in the mold compound of the package.

Integrated circuit with stress sensing element


A reinforced polypropylene mirror assembly, and process for making the same, are described. The mirror assembly, especially the components thereof, includes a long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene material. Additionally, various additives may also be included in the reinforced polypropylene material, such as a UV stabilizer. Because of the physical properties of the reinforced polypropylene material, it is possible to combined several individual components of a conventional automobile side view mirror assembly into single, integral components, thus reducing part content, vehicle weight, and construction costs.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to automobile exterior mirror assemblies and more particularly to automobile exterior mirror assemblies comprised of long glass fiber reinforced, UV-stabilized polypropylene materials.
2. Discussion
Automobile exterior mirror assemblies are well-known in the art. One common type of automobile exterior mirror assembly is the side view mirror assembly, which generally allows a driver to observe oncoming automobiles approaching from the rear of the vehicle, either to the left rear side of the vehicle (if one side view mirror is employed) or from both the left and right rear sides of the vehicle (if dual side view mirrors are employed). The deployment and use of such side view mirror assemblies has greatly aided in the safe operation of automobiles.
With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional side view mirror assembly 10 is typically installed on an exterior surface of one or more of the vehicle""s doors 12. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional side view mirror assembly 10 generally include a base plate or cover 14 containing a metallic base chassis 16 which is mounted to the exterior surface of the vehicle""s door 12. A mirror case or housing 18 is pivotably fastened to the base cover 14, allowing the mirror case 18 to move inwardly and outwardly along a horizontal axis relative to the vehicle. A reflective mirror 20 is movably supported within the mirror case 18. The mirror 20 is typically mounted to a mounting plate assembly 22 which allows the mirror 20 to pivot several degrees in several different directions. The mounting plate assembly 22 is typically mounted to a metallic frame 24 secured to the interior surface of the mirror case 18. The metallic frame 24 may also include a portion that functions as a pivot assembly 26.
In modern automobiles, a mirror position adjustment assembly 28 may be provided which allows the mirror 20 to be remotely positioned from inside the vehicle passenger compartment. Typically, a series of cables 30 extend from the back of the mounting plate assembly 22, through various apertures located in the metallic frame 24 and base cover 14, and terminate on a control panel 32 which may include control means 34, such as levers, knobs, toggle switches, and the like, which permit the cables 30 to be manipulated in such a way so as to change the position of the mirror 20.
A more complete discussion of automobile exterior mirror assemblies, including their construction and operation, can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,370,480; 4,103,560; 4,105,301; 4,167,306; 4,245,893; 4,250,767; 4,251,316; 4,475,414; 4,679,758; 4,740,066; 4,755,033; 4,830,327; 4,836,491; 4,854,539; 4,856,885; 4,867,409; 4,871,953; 4,881,418; Re. 34,142; 4,900,142; 4,904,074; 4,914,972; 4,918,920; 4,919,525; 4,932,766; 5,081,546; 5,166,832; 5,205,182; 5,331,471; 5,355,255; 5,432,640; 5,436,769; 5,563,744; 5,828,504; 5,838,507; 5,841,594; 5,949,596; and 5,971,554, the specifications of all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Because of increased pressure to reduce automobile construction costs, as well as to increase fuel efficiency, automobile manufacturers have begun to focus on reducing part content and replacing heavy and expensive component materials, such as metallic materials with lighter and less expensive materials, such as thermoplastic materials.
For example, the manufacturers of automobile exterior mirror assemblies have recently started to replace certain metallic components of the mirror assembly, such as the metallic support bracket, as well as the bracket frame and the mirror housing, with polyamide-based materials, such as nylon, or ASA-based materials (acrylic-styrene-acrylonitrile).
Typically, the polyamide is reinforced with various filler materials to provide, among other things, the requisite amount of structural performance, e.g., strength, durability, and the like. One type of common reinforcing material that has been employed are glass fibers, which would typically be present in the amount of about 15 weight percent in filled polyamide-based materials. Although exterior mirror assembly components comprised of filled polyamide-based materials have exhibited adequate strength, durability, and aesthetic appeal, the use of these materials has not achieved the desired cost and weight savings.
ASA-based materials have also proved to be unsatifactory, in that the high gloss levels present on the exterior surfaces of the finished parts have raised aesthetic concerns.
Accordingly, manufacturers have turned their attention to other lighter and less expensive thermoplastic materials, such as polypropylene, especially filled polypropylene.
A general discussion of filled polypropylene materials, including their preparation, can be found by referring to the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,745, the entire specification of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, discloses a mixture for melt process moldings, and a molding formed of the mixture. The mixture consists essentially of about 5 to about 70 weight percent of a master batch prepared in the form of pellets formed by cutting a long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene resin, and about 30 to about 90 weight percent of polypropylene resin. The long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene resin is prepared in such a manner that a bundle of continuous reinforcement glass fibers surface-finished with a finishing agent containing a coupling agent is impregnated with a modified polypropylene resin having a functional group capable of chemically bonding with the coupling agent and having a flow rate of about 70 to about 300 grams/10 minutes while the bundle of glass fibers is being drawn. The pellets have a length of about 2 to about 50 millimeters in the direction along the fibers. The glass fibers in the pellets extend uniformly in parallel with each other through a distance substantially equal to the length of the pellets. The pellets have a glass fiber content of about 60 to about 90 weight percent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,986, the entire specification of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, discloses a stampable sheet made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin whose reinforcement is a glass fiber mat in which a non-oriented fiber layer and a unidirectional fiber layer are mechanically intertwined with each other. In the stampable sheet made of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, a content of the glass long-fiber bundles forming the unidirectional fiber layer, in the glass fiber mat is 20 weight percent to 80 weight percent, and the glass fiber mat, in which a significant amount of glass long-fiber bundles among the glass long-fiber bundles forming the unidirectional fiber layer or a significant amount of glass long-fibers in the glass long-fiber bundles forming the unidirectional fiber layer is substantially under a relaxation condition, is used in an amount of 20 weight percent to 55 weight percent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,770, the entire specification of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, discloses a process which includes comminuting a first thermoplastic material, e.g., polypropylene, reinforced with short glass fiber (10-40 micrometers). One hundred parts by weight of the comminuted material are mixed with 11-43 parts by weight of chips of a second thermoplastic material, which is reinforced with long glass fiber (about 10-20 millimeters). The melts of the two thermoplastic materials should be mutually mixable. The mixture is subjected to thermoplastic forming.
Recent attempts to manufacture exterior mirror assembly components with filled polypropylene have generally produced unsatisfactory results. Although the use of short glass fiber filled polypropylene allowed manufacturers to reduce costs and weight to a certain extent, several significant problems were identified. First, the use of glass fibers at too low of a weight percent has resulted in structural performance concerns, such as impaired strength and impact resistance. Conversely, the use of glass fibers at too high of a weight percent has resulted in aesthetic appearance concerns, such as surface irregularities caused by protruding glass fibers.
Therefore, there exists a need for automobile exterior side view mirror assembly components comprised of filled polypropylene materials, wherein the components exhibit outstanding physical performance characteristics, are aesthetically pleasing, and are easily and inexpensively manufactured.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an automotive exterior mirror assembly component is provided, wherein the component is comprised of a mixture of polypropylene and long glass fibers.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an automotive exterior mirror case component is provided, wherein the component is comprised of a mixture of polypropylene and long glass fibers.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, an automotive exterior base plate component is provided, wherein the component is comprised of a mixture of polypropylene and long glass fibers.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, an automotive exterior integral mirror case/frame component is provided, wherein the component is comprised of a mixture of polypropylene and long glass fibers.
In accordance with still yet another embodiment of the present invention, an automotive exterior integral base plate/base chassis component is provided, wherein the component is comprised of a mixture of polypropylene and long glass fibers.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a method for making an automotive exterior mirror assembly component is provided, comprising:
providing a mixture of polypropylene and long glass fibers;
heating the mixture above its glass transition temperature;
injecting the heated mixture into a cavity of a mold, wherein the cavity has a configuration substantially identical to the component; and
removing the component from the cavity of the mold.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and its scope can be obtained from understanding the accompanying drawings, which are briefly summarized below, the following detailed description of the invention, and the appended claims.

Reinforced polypropylene mirror assembly and process for making the same


An information output device includes a first processor configured to execute a process to determine a type of notification information which is outputted from a computer and which notifies a state of the computer; and a second processor configured to execute a process to create a chart, in which a first coordinate axis represents time when the notification information is outputted from the computer, a second coordinate axis represents the type of the notification information, and the notification information is drawn at a corresponding position, and output the chart.

In operation monitoring of a computer, content of messages outputted from hardware, operating system, application, or the like of a computer to be monitored is evaluated and when a message with a problem is outputted, alarm/notification is performed.
For example, a method is disclosed in which a process type of an inputted edit command is determined, and when the determined process type indicates output of the number of messages, the number of console messages in message logging information for each message ID is outputted in a graph format.
Also, a method is disclosed in which when a plurality of data having a chronological item are displayed on a display device, the data are converted into graphics for displaying a graph and a plurality of graphs created for each converted graphic are displayed on one graph by matching time at which the data are collected to time on a time axis on the graph.
Also, a method is disclosed in which model data is created from operating information which is classified by a day of the week, a period of time, and a process state, a degree of divergence between a current operating state and a past operating state is calculated, and an abnormality is detected on the basis of the calculated divergence.
As related art, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-129437, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-164552, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-34208 are disclosed.

Information output device, method, and recording medium for outputting notification information corresponding to a state of a computer


A method of performing a read operation on nonvolatile memory device comprises receiving a read command, receiving addresses, detecting a transition of a read enable signal, generating a strobe signal based on the transition of the read enable signal, reading data corresponding to the received addresses, and outputting the read data after the strobe signal is toggled a predetermined number of times.

Embodiments of the inventive concept relate generally to semiconductor memory devices, and more particularly to nonvolatile memory devices, read methods for the nonvolatile memory devices, and memory systems incorporating the nonvolatile memory devices.
Semiconductor memory devices can be roughly divided into two categories according to whether they retain stored data when disconnected from power. These categories include volatile memory devices, which lose stored data when disconnected from power, and nonvolatile memory devices, which retain stored data when disconnected from power. Examples of volatile memory devices include dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM). Examples of nonvolatile memory devices include read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, phase-change random access memory (PRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), resistive random access memory (RRAM), and ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM).
Flash memory device is an especially popular type of nonvolatile memory device due to attractive features such as relatively high storage capacity, low power consumption, and the ability to withstand physical shock. In view of this continuing popularity, researchers are constantly pursuing ways to improve flash memory devices. For example, researchers are continually pursuing ways to improve the speed and accuracy of read and write operations as well as storage capacity.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Nonvolatile memory device, read method for nonvolatile memory device, and memory system incorporating nonvolatile memory device


The present invention discloses the use of rubber and surfactant to enhance the durability and resolution of on-press developable lithographic printing plates. The rubber is preferably incorporated into a photoresist as discrete particulate rubber. To ensure a uniform and stable dispersion, the rubber is suspended in the photoresist by means of a surfactant having an HLB approximately between 7.0 and 18.0.

At the present time, virtually all printed copy is produced through the use of three basic types of printing plates. One type is a relief plate which prints from a raised surface. Another type is an intaglio plate which prints from a depressed surface. The third type is the lithographic plate which prints from a substantially flat surface which is neither appreciably raised above nor appreciably depressed below the adjacent and surrounding non-printing areas. Printing is occasioned by an ink's respective affinity and/or aversion to areas of different chemical properties. Lithographic printing plates are commonly processed to have water-repellent (hydrophobic), oil-receptive (oleophilic) image areas and water-receptive (hydrophilic) non-image areas.
Prior to processing for use, conventional lithographic plates will typically have a hydrophobic, photoreactive polymeric layer (i.e. photoresist) coated or otherwise deposited atop a hydrophilic substrate.
In preparing a conventional lithographic plate for use on a printing press, the plate is first exposed to actinic radiation. Specific chemical reactions are caused to occur in the plate's photoresist by exposure to actinic radiation. Such photoinduced chemical reactions may either reduce or enhance the solubility of the photoresist, depending on whether the resist is negative-working or positive- working. In negative-working plates, exposure to actinic radiation will generally cause a "hardening" of the photoresist. In positive-working plates, exposure to actinic radiation will generally cause a "softening" or solubilization of the photoresist.
After photoexposure, a wet development step is normally conducted. The objective of such wet development is to remove those areas of the photoresist which have undergone photoinduced chemical change or those which have not been photoexposed. Solvation under conventional development techniques will typically involve treating the exposed plate with organic solvents in a developing bath. For negative-working resists, the solvent will swell and dissolve the unexposed portions of the resist. The solvent should not swell the exposed portions or distortion of the developed image may result. For positive-working resists, the response of the unexposed and exposed coatings are reversed, but the same general principles apply.
As a result of the preferential solvation and washing away of portions of the photoresist, corresponding portions of the underlying hydrophilic substrate are uncovered. For negative-working plates, the aforementioned hydrophobic image areas correspond to the portions of the photoresist remaining after solvation and washing. The aforementioned hydrophilic non-image areas correspond to uncovered portions of the substrate. The image and non-image areas thus differentiated, the processed plate may then be mounted onto a printing press and run.
Encumbered by required wet development, the processing of conventional solvent-based lithographic plates prior to their use on a printing press is time and labor consuming and involves the use of substantial quantities of organic chemicals. It will be appreciated that there is considerable attractiveness for innovations that would satisfactorily eliminate or reduce conventional lithography's long-felt dependency upon the conduct of wet development and thereby permit the use of solvent-based lithographic plates on a printing press immediately after exposure without required intermediary processing.
In the past, dry developable lithographic printing plates have been suggested which enable the wet processing steps of lithographic printing plates after exposure to be omitted and printing to be conducted by directly mounting the exposed plates on a printing press. Among printing plates that may be characterized as on-press developable (or related thereto) are: e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,851, issued to Muzyczko et al. on Jun. 16, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,263, issued to Z. K. Cheema, A. C. Giudice, E. L. Langlais, and C. F. St. Jacques on Nov. 2, 1993; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,734, issued to Vogel et al. on Mar. 7, 1995.
Despite the methodologies and approaches embodied in the aforementioned patents, there is a continuing need for a lithographic printing plate that can be readily developed on a printing press and that produces a plate having durable image areas needed for good run length. Difficulty in the realization simultaneously of both "on-press developability" and "durability" is believed to originate from an apparent contradiction between photoresist removability ("developability") on the one hand and "durability" on the other: To make a photoresist more durable was to make the photoresist less developable.
In designing an on-press developable plate, the goals of "developability" and "durability" are often competing. For example, it has been found that good developability may be achieved by increasing the affinity of the resist to fountain and ink solutions, thus promoting a faster rate of penetration of such press solutions into the photoresist. Alternatively, it has also been found that good developability may be achieved by increasing the volume of the photoresist composition deposited above the hydrophilic substrate. Regardless, it has been observed that both modifications, standing alone, invariably tend to increase the tackiness of the printing plate, and thus, reduce its durability.
While it is possible to more closely align the goals of "durability" and "developability" by the utilization of comparatively greater concentrations of binder compositions capable of effectively serving as both a matrix and a photoreactive component (see, U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,522 and/or by the use of fountain leachable plasticizers (see, U.S. pat. app. Ser. No. 08/147,044, cross-referenced above), an additional means has been found which is capable of promoting "durability" without effecting significant losses of "developability". Gains in resolution have also been observed.
More specifically, it has been found that dispersed hydrophobic rubber components may be effectively incorporated by the use of surfactants into a photoresist to durabilize and detackify the photoresist, thereby making such photoresist more suitable for on-press use. While rubbers have been disclosed for use in conventional printing plates, the use of rubber materials to advance the goals of on-press developability has not been foreshown. On-press developability imposes certain limitations that would belie obvious translation of conventional uses. Unlike conventional lithography wherein there exists greater latitude for the selection and conduct of development materials and processes, on-press development techniques are in great part constrained by the several process parameters necessary to achieve satisfactory on-press development, such as the use of "weaker" developers and compatibility with the printing press environment. Although these parameters vary among the different on-press modalities, the character, configuration and function of the developers are typically of great concern. Accordingly, the use of hydrophobic rubber additives in an on-press system was counterintuitive under conventional teachings, since to make the resist more hydrophobic would have been to narrow an already narrowly constrained means of development. Accordingly, no known on-press technologies have incorporated rubber as a means to enhance the durability of photoresists.
Departing from prevailing ideas, the present invention is able to strike a balance between the competing goals of durability and developability in a system wherein rubber additives are incorporated to effectively enhance the durability of a photoresist, but configured to minimize interference with potential on-press development systems. Briefly, this is preferably accomplished by incorporating rubber additives as discrete particles stably suspended in the photoresist by the agency of suitable surfactants. Lithographic printing plates utilizing the dispersed particulate rubber system manifests good durability, developability and resolution.
While applicants do not wish to be bound to any particular mechanism in explaining the functionality of the preferred dispersed particulate rubber system, it is believed that a number of factors are involved. Briefly, durability is effected by improving adhesivity and resistance to external stress; developability is effected by the dispersed and particulate configuration of the rubber; and resolution was effected by rubber's hydrophobicity.
With regard to durability, it is noted that the durability of a lithographic printing plate, (i.e., the capacity of a printing plate to be run continuously on a printing press without significant loss of resolution), is positively correlated with adhesivity of the photoresist to its underlying substrate: i.e., if the resist is well adhered to the substrate, the printing plate can maintain longer press runs. Good adhesion is best achieved when internal stress in the photoresist is reduced to a minimum level. However, high levels of internal stress are generated when the photoresist shrinks due to the extremely fast rate of monomer polymerization relative to the rate of relaxation of crosslinked binders. Shrinkage is especially pronounced in photoresists that utilize lesser concentration of binder as a trade-off for enhanced developability.
The incorporation of discrete rubber particles in the photoresist reduces shrinkage. During polymerization, the dispersed rubber particles are believed to expand as a result of temperature increases and swelling caused by absorption of unreacted monomers. The expansion of the particulate rubber phase is believed to compensate the shrinkage of the surrounding continuous resist phase. In designs utilizing solvent-soluble, phase-separable rubbery additives (discussed below), compensation is accomplished when the rubbery materials separate from its polymer matrix to form discrete domains.
Aside from compensating for shrinkage, the durability of a printing plate is also believed to be enhanced by virtue of the mechanical properties of rubber, e.g., compressibility, flexibility and elasticity. When run on a printing press, the compressive and rotational forces generated by the press rollers tend to disfigure, erode or otherwise damage the surface of the plate and any coatings deposited thereon. By the use of dispersed rubber additives, it is believed that crazing and/or shear banding mechanisms are promoted, thus providing avenues for the non-disruptive release of externally imposed stresses.
With the capacity to enhance durability, dispersed particulate rubber materials make practical the use of thinner photoresists that are more permeable to developers and press solutions. Regardless, even without modifying photoresist thickness, the preferred embodiment of the present invention effectively maintains the developability of the photoresist by virtue of the particular configuration of the rubber additives. Both dispersed and particulate in character, the rubber additives offer minimal interference with the penetration of developers and fountain solutions.
Finally, with regard to resolution, the incorporation of rubber into a photoresist significantly raises its hydrophobicity. Greater levels of hydrophobicity translate into greater ink transfer efficiency from the plate to a receiving medium, such as paper. Together with the enhanced durability of exposed highlight areas, the greater ink transfer efficiency increases the resolution of the printing plate.

Lithographic printing plates with dispersed rubber additives


A measurement device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first controller configured to output a control signal and a second controller configured to perform a first control and then to perform a second control based on the control signal output from the first controller. The control signal designates both an input signal and a calibration signal to be converted into a digital input signal and a digital calibration signal, respectively. The input signal is input from an outside of the measurement device. The calibration signal is previously prepared. The first control is for selecting the input signal and converting the selected input signal into the digital input signal. The second control is for selecting the calibration signal and converting the selected calibration signal into the digital calibration signal and for calculating a measured value using the digital input signal converted by the first control and another digital calibration signal converted by a control performed before the first control.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measurement device.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-051557, filed on Mar. 14, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Description of Related Art
A measurement device generally includes a sensor configured to detect a physical quantity (e.g., temperature, pressure, flow rate, or the like) and a signal processor configured to process a detected signal detected by the sensor. The signal processor converts the detected signal obtained from the sensor into a digital signal and performs a predetermined calculation processing for the digital signal to measure a physical quantity. Such a measurement device includes a device configured to measure a physical quantity while performing internal calibration to prevent degradation of measurement accuracy due to a measurement error. The measurement error is caused by aging or the like.
In particular, the measurement device capable of performing internal calibration sequentially converts a detected signal obtained from the sensor and a calibration signal previously prepared into a digital detected signal and a digital calibration signal, respectively. Then, the measurement device performs a predetermined calculation processing using the digital detected signal and the digital calibration signal to correct a measurement error and to measure a physical quantity with a high degree of accuracy. The above-described calibration signal is for calibrating a zero-point (e.g., a lower limit in a signal range), a span (e.g., a difference between an upper limit and a lower limit in a signal range), or the like, or for indicating internal terminal temperature or the like. Such a measurement device is provided in, for example, a field device used in an instrumentation system, various recorders (for example, a paperless recorder and a chart recorder), a data logger, or the like.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-220698 (hereinafter, referred to as "PTL1") discloses a multipoint switching measurement device capable of measuring analog signals of a plurality of channels while performing the above-described internal calibration. In particular, the multipoint switching measurement device disclosed in PTL 1 shortens the update cycle of a specific channel measurement, while increasing an update cycle of another channel measurement. Thereby, the multipoint switching measurement device enables the measurements of all channels.
The above-described measurement device capable of performing internal calibration includes a main controller configured to integrally control operations of the measurement device. The main controller sequentially performs a control for converting a detected signal obtained from the sensor into a digital signal and a control for converting a calibration signal into a digital signal. Therefore, the measurement device in the related art sequentially and repeatedly performs a first process for converting a detected signal obtained from the sensor into a digital signal based on instructions of the main controller, a second process for converting a calibration signal into a digital signal based on instruction of the main controller, a third process for calculating measured results using the digital signals obtained by the first and second processes. In other words, the measurement cycle in the measurement device in the related art is from a time when the above-described first process is started to a time when the third process is completed and the main controller obtains the calculation results of the third process.
Recently, an increase in the speed of a measurement device is in demand, thus, shortening of a measurement cycle is desired. Since the above-described measurement device in the related art sequentially performs the above-described first to third processes by sequentially performing the control for converting a detected signal obtained from the sensor into a digital signal and the control for converting a calibration signal into a digital signal using the main controller, there are some cases where the shortening of the measurement cycle is difficult. In addition, the above-described measurement device in the related art is required to perform both the control for converting a detected signal obtained from the sensor into a digital signal and the control for converting a calibration signal into a digital signal in the measurement cycle. In other words, the above-described measurement device in the related art is required to perform the communication with regard to a control signal twice in the measurement cycle. This contributes to an increase in the measurement cycle.


A metal interconnect structure, a system and method of manufacture, wherein a design layout includes results in forming at least two trenches of different trench depths. The method uses a slightly modified BEOL processing stack to prevent metal interconnect structures from encroaching upon an underlying hard mask dielectric or metallic hard mask layer. Thus two trench depths are obtained by tuning parameters of the system and allowing areas exposed by two masks to have deeper trenches. Here, the BEOL Stack processing is modified to enable two trench depths by using a hardmask that defines the lowest etch depth. The design may be optimized by software which optimizes a design for electromigration (or setup timing violations) by utilizing secondary trench depths, checking space opportunity around wires, pushing wires out to generate space and converting a wire to deep trench wire.

The present disclosure relates generally to improvements in BEOL (Back End of Line) process technologies where double patterning is necessary, and includes structure and programmable methods for generating an interconnect technology having co-existing standard depth and deep trenches in the design layout.
Printing a lithographic pattern having pitches below lithographic limits of traditional lithographic techniques results in degradation of the fidelity of the printed pattern. To overcome this problem, a multi-exposure technique in which multiple lithographic exposures are performed for a single level, can be employed. In order to implement the multi-exposure technique, a given design shape in a design level may be decomposed into multiple decomposed design shapes. The multiple decomposed design shapes are assigned to different lithographic masks that correspond to different "colors" that collectively constitute the design level. The process of decomposing design shapes into groups of decomposed design shapes corresponding to different colors is referred to as "coloring."
A design shape in a design level can thus include multiple decomposed shapes corresponding to different colors. The number of colors corresponds to the number of lithographic masks to be employed to print the lithographic pattern corresponding to the design shapes in the design level. Each lithographic mask includes decomposed design shapes of the same color. Each lithographic exposure adds the pattern corresponding to decomposed design shapes of a corresponding color to a hard mask layer. If performed correctly, the multiple lithographic exposures add the patterns of the decomposed design shapes of all the colors of the design level to generate the pattern of the original design shape in the design level.
To ensure that the multiple lithographic exposures result in replication of the original pattern despite overlay variations and variations in other lithographic parameters, generation of areas of overlap are built into the decomposition process. The process of generation of areas of overlap between design shapes having different colors and derived from decomposition of an original design shape in the given design level is referred to as "stitching." An area of overlap between design shapes having different colors is referred to as a "stitch," a "stitch region," or a "stitching area."
Lithographic pattern transfer is implemented by transferring a pattern in a photoresist layer into a material layer by an exposure process. Lithographic pattern transfer is usually followed by an etch process. Stitches correspond to regions in which multiple exposure and etch processes are performed in a same material layer. If a region corresponding to a stitch is etched through unintentionally, a via structure is collaterally formed during a via etch process when a via structure should not be formed. Formation of such a collateral via structure can create electrical shorts in a metal interconnect structure among components that should be electrically isolated. Further, such a collateral via can be narrow and prevent deposition of a diffusion barrier layer at a thickness sufficient to prevent diffusion of metals (e.g., copper). In that case, metal can diffuse through thin portions of the diffusion barrier layer and diffuse into dielectric materials embedding metal interconnect structures or into semiconductor materials in a semiconductor substrate including semiconductor devices and cause reliability issues. In order to avoid such deleterious effects, it is in general desirable to prevent or minimize formation of collateral via structures.
Moreover, in lithographic pattern transfer using etch processes, while it is possible to achieve a higher trench depth, this could only be achieved for wider lines. Using conventional techniques, structures having two depths for one width currently is not possible.

Multiple-depth trench interconnect technology at advanced semiconductor nodes

International Business Machines Corporation


A mobile electronic device and method are presented. An input operation by a user is received, functions are stored, a remaining battery capacity is measured, and a first image is displayed indicating the remaining battery capacity and full capacity. Battery blocks are set by dividing the full capacity, if an input is entered when the first image is displayed to provide a battery blocks set up. A capacity ratio is calculated based on capacity of each of the battery blocks and the full capacity, and a remaining battery block capacity of the battery blocks is calculated based on the capacity ratio. A function is allocated to the battery blocks, and second images are displayed indicating the capacity ratio and the remaining battery block capacity. The function allocated to the battery blocks for the battery block images is displayed, when the battery blocks are set.

Mobile communication devices can operate with batteries. The mobile communication devices include circuits for respective functions thereof. The mobile communication devices are capable of allocating a battery capacity to each of the functions. However, a user may not know how long each of the functions to which the battery capacity is allocated may be used.


A memory system which already includes an address register, a randomly accessible memory unit, a data-in register and a data-out register is converted to also include a one word buffer memory with the addition of only a few components. A plus one adder is included for incrementing the address contained in the address register and the result is then stored in an address plus one register. The randomly accessible memory unit may be accessed with the address plus one register when it has completed the normal access with the address register pending a new request. The resultant memory data from this access at the incremented address is stored in a one word internal register which is a buffer to the randomly accessible memory unit. Since such access is noninterfering with and overlapped in time with the overall memory system communication with a requestor, and pending any new request to the randomly accessible memory stores, it serves to efficiently create a buffer store only for the next consecutive address. When a new request from a requestor external to the memory system occurs, a comparator compares the new address as becomes lodged in the address register and the immediately previously requested address as is still temporarily lodged in the address plus one register. If they match, meaning that the next consecutive address has been referenced, referenced memory data word will already be available in the one word internal buffer register. If they do not match, the randomly accessible memory unit must be accessed in the normal manner.

The present invention relates generally to randomly accessible memory systems.
Memory systems operate in a generally serial fashion. That is, the memory system will handle a request for data from one particular address, operate upon that request, supply the requested data, and then turn and start the next request. Generally, the first request must be completed before the second request can be initiated. When the memory system is a large one, and is randomly accessible, the access time for a particular data word may be significant with respect to the overall operating system of which the memory system is a part.
Buffer memories have been developed which attempt to decrease the access time necessary for some data words requested. Generally, these buffer memory systems try to anticipate future requests for data words by providing a separate and faster buffer memory into which are stored selected data words which the memory system feels may be requested in the future. If such data words are requested, they will be available without the necessity of going to the main memory. Generally, the data words which are selected for storage in the buffer memory are tied in some fashion to the address of a normal memory request. For example, when one particular data word is requested from main memory, more than just that data word may be loaded into the buffer memory. Generally, this is accomplished on a page or block basis in which data words are grouped into pages or blocks and when one data word within that page or block is requested, then all of the data words within that page or block are loaded into the buffer memory and then are available for subsequent memory requests. When a subsequent request occurs to one of the other data words within the page or block, that data can be made available much quicker than if that data were not located in the buffer memory.
The basis for loading a page or block of data words into the buffer memory when one of the data words is requested from the memory system is based on the limited assumption that requests to the memory system will tend to be somewhat sequential in nature based on the general flow of a software program. If the flow is generally sequential, then the next data word following that data word which has been requested from the memory system will be the most likely candidate for future accesses. As buffer memories are increased in size and the data words which are loaded into the buffer memory become larger and larger, the benefit, or rather the likelihood that the next request will be a request for one of those data words, increases. But such increase is not in direct proportion to the number of data words being added to the buffer.
Buffer memories of present memory systems are somewhat expensive to construct. The buffer memory requires not only the randomly accessible memory unit in which the data words contained in the buffer memory are stored, but also includes an associative memory which is used to determine which data words are present in the buffer memory and for matching the address of a future request to those addresses of data words present in the buffer memory.

200
MS
File;900
MS
File
FSS 38
FSS 230;239


A process for preparing polyimide fibers involves the preparation of a polymer in p-chlorophenol from reactants comprising 2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl and a tetracarboxylic anhydride. Following its preparation, the polyimide fibers can be spun directly from the reaction mixture. In a preferred embodiment, the dianhydride comprises 3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride.

Polyimides have long been recognized as materials exhibiting excellent thermal and thermo-oxidative stability, as well as providing superior mechanical and electrical properties, including good solvent resistance and light stability. These attributes are to a large measure responsible for the wide acceptance which such materials have received in the aerospace, electronics and other fields. As a consequence, polyimides have enjoyed widespread use, for example, in films, coatings, and molded products, particularly those intended for high temperature applications.
Such desirable properties have not, however, avoided certain less desirable characteristics of polyimides such as their tendency to decompose before melting and their general lack of solubility in ordinary solvents. Such short-comings have made it difficult, for instance, to process polyimide materials into fibers displaying the advantageous properties referred to.
In an attempt to overcome the described solubility and melting problems associated with the preparation of fibers, resort has often been had to the polymerization of the diamine monomers with tetracarboxylic dianhydrides in a suitable organic solvent at room temperature to yield a soluble intermediate polymer in the form of a polyamic acid. The reaction is readily accomplished in a number of suitable solvents, such as, for instance, N,N-dimethylformamide, DMF; N-methylpyrrolidine, NMP, and the like, from solutions from which the desired fibers can readily be spun. Following such step, the polyamic acid fiber is converted into the corresponding polyimide fiber by dehydration effected with heat or chemical dehydration agents.
While the two-step process detailed results in the production of the sought-after polyimide filamentary products, certain disadvantages encountered in the process are difficult to avoid. For example, the imidization reaction being reversible can lead to products having relatively low molecular weights that exhibit undesirable reactivity and mechanical weakness. Furthermore, the process often results in the creation of undesirable voids in the resulting filaments due to the water by-product formed during the reaction. High degrees of imidization are also difficult to obtain in fibers. An example of the two-step process set forth in the preceding is shown, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 1,260,015. The process there described involves the reaction of 2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl with pyromellitic dianhydride, PMDA, in a first step. After being spun, the fibers are imidized in a second step by thermal treatment.
Recently, however, it has been found that certain polyimides are sometimes soluble in particular solvents, and in such instances, polymers can be produced through use of a so-called one-step process in which the polyimides can be prepared in a single step. Thus, it has been found that 3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, BPDA, and pyromellitic dianhydride, PMDA, can be reacted with 3,3'-dimethyl-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl, OTOL, in a solution in which phenol, p-chlorophenol, m-cresol, p-cresol or 2,4-dichlorophenol are employed as reaction mixture solvents. The conversion to the polyimide takes place in solution, and fibers can be directly spun therefrom; "Hi-Strength-Hi-Modulus Polyimide Fibers I. One-Step Synthesis of Spinable Polyimides." Takaho Kaneda, et al.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,997 teaches that segmented rigid-rod polyimides synthesized from BPDA and 2,2'-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl, FMB, can be spun in a one-step process from hot m-cresol.
The fact that suitable solvents for such one-step methods are unpredictable, however, may be gathered from the fact that the patent referred to indicates that the polyimide there disclosed has but limited solubility in standard halogenated hydrocarbon solvents. Such unpredictability makes it difficult, therefore, to practice the one-step process other than with known systems.
One of the important reasons for the desirably high moduli of aromatic polyimides arises from the fact that the aromatic rings of the compounds are joined by rigid imide rings. Such structures provide the stiff backbones that favor formation of strong, rigid fibers. However, information relating to polyimide fibers is recognized by those familiar with the art as being limited, a lack which likely stems from the difficulty in finding materials suitable for solubilizing high molecular weight polyimides.
A further factor of significance in determining the physical properties of aromatic polyimides, however, is the presence or absence of substituent groups associated with the aromatic ring portions of the compounds. In this regard, both the nature and location of such substituents on the rings greatly influences the properties of the polyimide materials. As will be set forth more particularly in the following, the nature and position of such substituents appears to be important both to the manner of the polyimides' rates of crystallization, their degree of crystallinity, their crystalline packing as well as to their solubility in solvents, the latter being determinative of whether or not the polyimides are susceptible to fabrication by means of the preferred one-step process.
In view of the foregoing, therefore, it is a first aspect of this invention to provide polyimide fibers with improved physical properties.
A second aspect of this invention is to provide segmented, rigid-rod polyimide fibers that do not need to be spun from a polyamic acid solution.
An additional aspect of this invention is to provide polyimide polymers having specific substituent groups located in specific positions on the aromatic portions thereof.
A further aspect of this invention is to provide segmented, rigid-rod polyimide polymers which, together with the reactants required therefore, are soluble in a particular solvent.
Another aspect of this invention is to provide a reaction mixture for the synthesis of segmented, rigid-rod polyimide polymers from which polyimide fibers can be formed directly following formation of the polymers in solution.
Yet another aspect of this invention is to provide segmented, rigid-rod polymers with desirable crystallization and morphology characteristics.
A still further aspect of this invention is to provide segmented, rigid-rod fibers that exhibit crystallization rates which facilitate their drawing.

Process for preparing aromatic polyimide fibers


A method of holding and unfolding a drop type belt loop while it is being stitched to the waist band of a garment and the apparatus for accomplishing the same.

This invention relates generally to tack type sewing machines for attaching belt loops to garments and more particularly to the method and apparatus associated with such machines for positioning and holding such loops and garments during the stitching operations.
Belt loops are normally sewn to garments in two ways, both being difficult and time consuming. Belt loops sewn on casual or work cloths, such as dungarees or jeans have both ends folded under with visible stitching through both folded ends. Dress and more formal clothing have drop type belt loops wherein the upper end is stitched to the garment and the loop is folded over covering the stitched end. The other or bottom end of the loop is folded under and sewn to the garment with visible stitching through the folded end. The present invention is directed to stitching such drop loops.
Belt loops may be made as a ribbon-like preform stored on a spool for future use by cutting the ribbon into discrete lengths, the desired lengths of the loops to be stitched to a garment. Alternatively, belt loops may be made at the time they are stitched or tacked on to garments.
The present invention can be used with belt loops which have been stored or concurrently made and contemplates the use of a belt loop folder/feeder providing prefolded belt loops which are folded substantially in half with the bottom end folded under so that the top end of the loop extends past the folded under end and is exposed.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of stitching drop type belt loops to garments and the apparatus for accomplishing the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the foregoing novel method and apparatus which is particularly adapted for automatic operation.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide the foregoing apparatus which positively grips and positions a drop type belt loop and the garment to which the belt loop is to be sewn during the stitching operation.
And another object of the present invention is to obviate the necessity of folding a drop type belt loop during the stitching operation.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein a single embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention.

Apparatus for holding and unfolding belt loop


Methods of molding fluidic oscillator device having at least a power nozzle for projecting a jet of liquid into an interaction region with an upstream end, opposing side walls, opposing top and bottom walls, and a pair of control ports at the upstream end. The side walls diverge from the power nozzle. A mold cavity is provided in which the power nozzle, interaction region (IR) and control ports can be molded as a core without any seam lines. For a crossover type IR in which the upstream ends diverge and the downstream ends converge to a common throat area and coupled to an outlet aperture, a further mold cavity is provided in which the converging portion of the crossover type interaction region is formed as a second core having a joinder line to the first the core which is transverse to the direction of liquid flow in the fluidic.

Fluidic nozzles have been used in a variety of fluid dispersal applications such as oral irrigators, massaging shower heads, windshield washer nozzles, defrosters, etc. In order to function properly, fluidic oscillators need to have proper sealing so as to not cause leaking across flow channels. The typical construction for the fluidic oscillator has been to fabricate the fluidic circuit in one surface and sealed with another surface. FIG. 1 depicts a crossover-type fluidic element 10 formed in a body member 11. Recesses 13 are typically formed in surface 12 by injection-molding, and a cover plate 16 is placed against a surface to seal the fluidic element. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,777, the fluidic circuit element 20 is injection-molded in a chip member 21 which is then sealed by abutting the surface against another member, and in order to prevent leakage, the molded element is force-fitted into a housing 22. (See FIG. 2.) In U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,269, a low-cost, low-pressure feedback free-passage oscillator is disclosed which has no control ports and is molded in one piece 30 with a closure plate 31 hingedly 32 connected to the main body of the device and folded and latched. (See FIG. 3.)
The object of the present invention is to provide a method of molding a fluidic oscillator device having a power nozzle for projecting a jet of liquid into an interaction region having an upstream end, opposing side walls and a pair of control ports at the upstream end, one control port juxtaposed to the respective sides of the interaction region. A mold cavity is provided in which the power nozzle, interaction region and control ports can be molded as a core without any seam lines, and the mold cavity is filled with a solidifieable plastic which is then removed from the mold for use. In this way, all volumetric spaces forming the fluidic element are formed as closed bodies without any seam lines, thereby negating the need for assembling two halves of a fluidic circuit as done in the prior art. The invention also reduces manufacturing process variability due to the no-seal of the fluidic assembly. This also results in a reduction of scrap.
In case of a fluidic oscillator circuit of the type having a crossover interaction region, the interaction region is separated or split transverse to the direction of fluid flow in the interaction region, and the channels and volumetric spaces are designed so that there is no dielock, and the two halves can be separated.
A further object of the invention is to provide a downstream attachment with an exit throat, the attachment being capable of being designed to provide a range of desired output with respect to the extent of oscillation and the inclination of the output jet relative to the body of the fluidic oscillator.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of constructing a fluidic oscillator device having at least a power nozzle for projecting a jet of liquid into an interaction region with an upstream end, opposing side walls, opposing top and bottom walls, and a pair of control ports at the upstream end, one control port juxtaposed to the respective sides of the interaction region. The side walls diverge from the power nozzle and the control ports having an aperture, the further improvement wherein there is provided top and bottom plates with channels which, with an inertance passthrough or link, form an inertance loop controlling the frequency of oscillation. The body of fluidic is capable of assembly with the top and bottom inertance plates with different lengths of inertance loops, thereby providing oscillations with different operating frequencies.
There is provided a method of constructing fluidic oscillator devices which have a main molded body portion to which may be attached an output exit throat which is capable of being designed to provide a range of desired outputs with respect to the extent of oscillations and the inclination of the output relative to the body of the fluidic oscillator and which is also capable of having inertance plates with channels therein which form inertance loops for controlling the frequency of oscillation.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a fluidic element in which tooling the fluidic by changing the injection mold tooling is easier and less costly with this method.
In the case of the crossover type fluidic oscillator being formed, the assembly work involves joining the front half of the fluidic formed as a core to the rear half of the fluidic oscillator joining its two external inertance plates to the body of the fluidic. Both these actions can be considered external to the main part of the fluidic (power nozzle-control port-interaction region areas). The method also allows for the same fluidic to be assembled with different inertance plates, resulting in different operating frequencies. Similarly, the fluidic can be paired with different exit throats resulting in many different spray formats.

Method of molding fluidic oscillator devices


The present invention relates to a latent neural stem cell population which is capable of activation by membrane depolarization of a neural cell population, isolation and culture of same, and uses thereof.

Many neurological diseases such as dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, depression, Parkinson's disease and motor neuron disease are associated with a reduction in the number of neurons. The decline in number of neurons may be rapid, as in the case of stroke, or slower, as in the case of Alzheimer's disease.
After heart disease and cancer, stroke is the third leading cause of death in western industrialized countries and the major cause of severe, long-term disability in adults with 56% of people following a stroke suffering from a severe or profound disability. There are over 20 million stroke survivors worldwide. Over 40,000 stroke events occur in Australia each year—one every 12 minutes, one every 45 seconds in the USA. This ailment represents an economic burden estimated to be $45 billion a year in the US alone and is expected to rise significantly. A significant factor contributing to this trend is the increased susceptibility to stroke among the elderly.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common dementia occurring in the elderly, affecting about 10% of people above 65 years and 40% above 80 years. Alzheimer's is predicted to afflict up to 16 million people by the middle of this century unless a cure or prevention is found in the United States alone. 50-75% of dementia is estimated to be caused by Alzheimer's disease. The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease is slightly higher in women than in men, but almost twice as many women live with dementia because of their longer life expectancy.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss and general cognitive and behavioural decline. Alzheimer's disease is commonly associated with a non-cognitive symptomatology including depression. Histologically, Alzheimer's diseased is defined by the presence in post-mortem human brain specimens of amyloid neuritic plaques, the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and degeneration of the cholinergic neurons.
Parkinson's disease is associated with the destruction of neurons, but the damage is restricted to the dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra (part of the basal ganglia). The most common symptoms of Parkinson's disease are tremor, rigidity and difficulty initiating movement. In the US alone, some one million patients are affected and 50,000 new patients are added annually.
Motor Neuron Disease is the name given to a group of diseases in which nerve cells that control the muscles degenerate and die. It is rarely diagnosed in people less than 30 years of age. In Australia, there are around 400 new cases of motor neuron disease each year. There is no effective method of treatment and the disease is generally fatal within 1-5 years of diagnosis. More than one person dies of Motor Neuron Disease each day in Australia.
There are several regions in the brain where stem cells are known to exist, including the sub-ventricular zone and the olfactory bulb. It is thought that the stem cells in these areas are already working at maximum capacity to generate new neurons for general "self-maintenance". Additionally, neurogenesis occurs in the subgranular cell layer of the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus and has important consequences in learning and memory (Shors et al., 2001). A number of environmental and behavioural stimuli have been shown to enhance hippocampal neurogenesis and this is thought to be mediated through synaptic activity (van Praag et al. 1999; Brown et al., 2003; Santarelli et al., 2003; McEwen, 1994). Since large numbers of hippocampal cells are generated throughout the lifetime of an animal it is predicted that a stem cell is most likely responsible. Surprisingly, however, the precursors identified so far that generate these cells have limited self-renewal (Bull and Bartlett 2005; Seaberg and van der Kooy et al., 2002). Despite the limited capacity for self-renewal of the cells so far identified, it has been shown that excitation caused by applying depolarizing levels of extracellular potassium mimics the effects of stably increased activity, as would occur in an active neural network, and leads to an increase in neuron production from hippocampal adult neural progenitor cells (Deisseroth et al., 2004).


A process for the manufacture of a urea-sulphur fertiliser composition, the process comprising providing feeds comprising elemental sulphur, urea, and optionally a surfactant, such as a multifunctional ionic surfactant; merging the feeds in order to obtain a combined feed; passing the combined feed through a mixing stage in order to obtain a mixed feed; and passing the mixed feed through a processing stage in order to obtain the urea-sulphur fertiliser composition. Compositions obtained by the process are also provided.

Urea is commonly used as a fertiliser, supplying nitrogen to plants. Many soils also require sulphur as a plant nutrient, so fertilisers containing both urea and elemental sulphur have been developed. Desirably the elemental sulphur needs to be present as small dispersed particles to allow its oxidation in the soil to the plant available sulphate ion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,698 discloses a urea-sulphur fertiliser that is made by combining molten urea and molten sulphur and subjecting the mixed melt to a prilling process. The mixed melt can also be prepared by adding solid urea prills to molten sulphur, or by adding solid sulphur to molten urea.
Melting sulphur and melting urea can be an energy intensive and therefore costly process, and can require sizeable equipment. Additionally, if melting of urea is not done quickly and in a controlled manner (i.e. the temperature is controlled such that it does not significantly exceed the melting point of urea), there is a risk of urea degradation. In particular, there is a risk of biuret production. Biuret is the condensation product of two molecules of urea and is a phytotoxin: a material that is toxic to plants. It can be formed when urea is heated or maintained at an elevated temperature for long periods of time. Biuret interferes with nitrogen metabolism and protein synthesis in plants. It is desirable, therefore, to minimise or at best eliminate the amount of biuret in compositions intended for use as fertilisers or soil improvers.
Further, when molten urea and molten sulphur are mixed, reactions may take place leading to the formation of impurities such as Thiourea. Thiourea is toxic for aquatic systems and a suspected carcinogen. Thiourea can be generated by the reaction of the dissolved hydrogen sulphide and polysulphides in sulphur and urea. The extent of the formation of these impurities is influenced by the time required to co-process molten urea and molten sulphur. Minimizing the mixing of molten urea and molten sulphur is hence key when processing these materials. The present inventors have sought to provide an improved process for the preparation of urea-sulphur fertiliser which is desirably simpler and more energy efficient than known processes. Preferably the process will allow for minimising the time at which urea is maintained at an elevated temperature and, thus, the reducing formation of biuret in the fertiliser compositions.

Process for preparing a urea-sulphur fertiliser


‘Havana’ is a new variety of calla lily plant having inflorescences with a large, orange/red bicolored spathe that produces 3-10 inflorescences per tuber. The height of the top of an inflorescence above the soil can reach up to 49 cm, and the leaves are dark green with transparent maculations present and have a leathery texture.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of calla lily, botanically known as Zantedeschia sprengeri and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Havana'.
'Havana' is a product of a planned breeding program, which had the objective of creating Zantedeschia hybrids for pot flower production in a wide range of colors with a large, classic flower shape. The breeding program began in 1989, and the new cultivar is a seedling selected from the crossing of Zantedeschia sprengeri 'Mercedes' (female parent, unpatented) with a Zantedeschia sprengeri selection referred to as Z010011 (male parent, unpatented). 'Havana' was selected in 2009 by the inventor in 't Zand, The Netherlands as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross.
The first act of asexual reproduction of 'Havana' by tissue culture was performed by the inventor in September of 2009 in 't Zand, The Netherlands. Subsequent asexual reproductions by tissue culture at the same location have demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are retained and reproduced true to type through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown in 14 cm pots in 't Zand, The Netherlands under greenhouse conditions, which approximate those generally used in horticultural practice. Color references are made to The 2001 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London, except where general color terms of ordinary significance are used.
The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and determined to be basic characteristics of 'Havana' which, in combination, distinguish this calla lily as a new and distinct cultivar:                1. Large, orange/red bicolored spathe; and        2. High inflorescence production.
Further, when compared to calla lily plant named 'Cancun' (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 15/530,232), 'Cancun' has an upper surface spathe color that varies between Orange-Red Group RHS 32A and 34A and a lower surface spathe color that varies between Yellow Group RHS 13A and Orange-Red Group RHS 33B, whereas 'Havana' has an upper surface spathe color that varies between Orange-Red Group RHS 30A and N34B and a lower surface spathe color of Orange-Red Group RHS 34A.
TABLE 1TABLE 1 provides similarities and differences of 'Havana' to its parents,Zantedeschia sprengeri 'Mercedes' and Zantedeschia sprengeriselection Z010011.'Havana'SimilaritiesDifferences'Mercedes'Number of inflorescencesSpathe colorPlant heightWhite leaf spotsSpathe shapeZ010011Leaf shapeSpathe colorSpathe shapeNumber of inflorescences

Variety of calla lily plant named ‘Havana’


An apparatus and method perform Transmit Power Control and Dynamic Frequency Selection (TPC/DFS) during a movement of a Base Station (BS). A network environment around the mobile BS is modeled. Based on the modeling result, a TPC/DFS operation scheme that is most suitable to the mobile BS is selected.

Unlike fixed BS systems installed, operated, and maintained/managed by an operator through a cell plan and a driving test, mobile BSs provide a leading model in which a position of a mobile BS is variably operated by a user himself who carries the mobile BS.
In this situation, because users may not have professional knowledge of mobile communication systems, installation and optimization should be possible by applying power sources to mobile BSs.
For this installation and optimization, mobile BS systems should recognize a wireless environment state dependent on new deployment or a change of neighboring mobile BSs during operation and, on this basis, should control a frequency, a transmit power, and such.
When a BS is to perform TPC/DFS, the BS performs TPC/DFS adaptive to situations of other BSs at a TPC/DFS time point. However, as the result observed through the experiment, this approach is profitable when only fixed BSs exist but is not profitable when moving BSs are intermixed.
For example, when a TPC/DFS execution period is relatively long compared to a movement speed of a moving BS, the moving BS would move within a network until the next TPC/DFS execution with a power and frequency value determined at a previous TPC/DFS execution time point. This can bring about unexpected degradation of performance.
As such, there is a problem that previously determined power and frequency values have a rather negative influence on a network with a movement of a BS.

Apparatus and method for transmission power control and dynamic frequency selection during movement of base station


A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding signals using code position modulation (CPM) in a communication system. The encoding method includes storing an N-chip pseudo-random noise sequence, such as an m-sequence, in a circular shift register and circularly shifting it to obtain a shifted m-sequence. The shifted m-sequence is compared to an m-bit symbol corresponding to the k bit information value. If the shifted m-sequence and the m-symbol match, the shifted m-sequence is output as the N-chip CPM sequence. Alternatively, the m-symbol is used as an initial condition for a pseudo-noise sequence generator. The corresponding decoder stores an N-chip m-sequence in a circular shift register and a correlates shifted version of the m-sequence with a received N-chip CPM sequence. When a peak in the correlation value is detected, an m-bit field is retrieved from the circular shift register and mapped back to a k-bit information value.

This invention relates to techniques and apparatus for efficient encoding and decoding of communication signals, and in particular to techniques and apparatus for encoding and decoding using code position modulation for use in wireless personal area networks.
Code Position Modulation (CPM) has recently been selected as the modulation format for the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for low-rate wireless personal area networks (WPAN""s). Size, cost, and power consumption are critical parameters for devices within this standard. Consequently, there is a continuing need for simplified encoding/decoding techniques that result in more efficient data transfer across the network.
In code position modulation (CPM), each transmitted symbol is represented by a N-chip pseudo-noise (PN) sequence. k bits of information can be encoded into each symbol by circularly shifting the N-chip sequence to one of 2k positions (where 2k is less than or equal to N).
In the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the type of PN sequence used to represent each symbol is a xe2x80x9cmaximal-length linear feedback shift register sequencexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cm-sequencexe2x80x9d. m-sequences have good auto-correlation properties, making it easy to distinguish phase shifts (different code positions) of the sequence, and they have reasonably good cross-correlation properties.
Prior methods for generating the circularly shifted symbol include the use of a look-up table that contains the N-chip sequences for each of the 2k required shifts. This requires a large amount of memory for large values of k. An alternative uses a circular shift register and a down-counter. The down-counter is loaded with the shift value, and the shift register is shifted once for each count of the down-counter. When the counter reaches zero, the shift register contains the required symbol.
However, memory and down-counters add cost and complexity to the encoder (and to the corresponding decoder). Consequently, there is a need for a simpler, less expensive technique and apparatus for generating CPM symbols.

Simple encoding/decoding technique for code position modulation