A semiconductor-on-insulator structure includes a substrate and a buried insulator stack overlying the substrate. The buried insulator stack includes a first dielectric layer and a recess-resistant layer overlying the first dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer can overlie the recess-resistant layer. A semiconductor layer overlying the buried insulator stack. Active devices, such as transistors and diodes, can be formed in the semiconductor layer.

Traditional silicon-on-insulator (SOI) integrated circuits are formed on SOI substrates. A cross-section of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1a. SOI substrates typically have a thin layer of silicon 110, also known as the silicon active layer, disposed on an insulator layer 112 such as the buried oxide (BOX) layer. The insulator layer 112 or the buried oxide layer 112 is provided on a silicon substrate 114. The buried oxide 112 is comprised of an insulator such as silicon oxide. It electrically isolates the silicon active layer 110 from the silicon substrate 114.
In an SOI chip, as shown in FIG. 1b, the SOI substrate 100 is processed to form a plurality of active regions 116 in the active layer 110. Active devices 118 such as transistors and diodes may be formed in the active regions 116. Active regions 116 are electrically isolated from each other by isolation regions 120. The size and placement of the active regions 116 are defined by isolation regions 120. Isolation regions 120 may, for example, be formed of shallow trench isolation (STI). Moreover, active devices 118 in the active regions 116 are isolated from the substrate 114 by the buried oxide layer 112.
Active devices formed on SOI substrates offer many advantages over their bulk counterparts, including absence of reverse body effect, absence of latch-up, soft-error immunity, and elimination of junction capacitance typically encountered in bulk silicon devices. SOI technology therefore enables higher speed performance, higher packing density, and reduced power consumption. At present, commercial products using SOI technology employ an uniform active layer thickness and shallow trench isolation.
One type of SOI transistor employs a very thin silicon active layer 110. In some cases, the silicon active layer 10 thickness can be as thin as a third of the gate length. For example, if the gate length is 30 nm, the silicon active layer 110 may have a thickness of 10 nm or thinner. This type of SOI transistor is known as an ultra-thin body (UTB) transistor or a depleted-substrate transistor (DST).
When the thickness of the silicon active layer 110 is as thin as 10 nm, mesa isolation could be a more appropriate isolation scheme for the transistors as compared to shallow trench isolation. In mesa isolation, trenches 122 are formed in the active layer 110, as shown in FIG. 2a. The trenches 122 extend from the surface of the active layer 110 to the buried oxide 112. The trenches 122 divide the active layer 110 into silicon islands or silicon mesa structures that include the active areas 116. The mesa isolation method thus cuts electrical connection between adjacent active regions 116 by removing portions of the active layer 110 in the SOI substrate 100.
One problem of the mesa isolation is that the exposed buried oxide layer 112 surface will be recessed in subsequent chemical treatments such as wafer cleaning steps. This recess is illustrated in FIG. 2b. The recessed buried oxide results in a number of problems. For example, it leads to an increased parasitic capacitance between the substrate 114 and metal lines (not shown) running over the buried oxide 112. It also leads to a concentration of electric field lines around the exposed corners of the silicon mesas which potentially impact device reliability.

SOI chip with recess-resistant buried insulator and method of manufacturing the same

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


An engine control module includes an exhaust heating module, a temperature determination module, and a resistance measuring module. The exhaust heating module operates an engine at a predetermined speed to generate an exhaust gas having a predetermined temperature. The exhaust gas heats a heating element of an oxygen sensor. The temperature determination module determines, based on the predetermined speed, when the heating element is heated to the predetermined temperature. The resistance measuring module determines a resistance of the heating element when the heating element is heated to the predetermined temperature.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine may produce exhaust with varying concentrations of oxygen. The vehicle may include one or more oxygen sensors to monitor the oxygen concentration in the exhaust. Oxygen sensors typically include a sensor element and a heating element. The sensor element operates effectively after reaching a predetermined sensor temperature (e.g., 600° C.). An engine control module may actuate the heating element to heat the sensor element to the predetermined sensor temperature.
The engine control module determines that the heating element is at the predetermined sensor temperature based on a resistance of the heating element and a heating element model. The engine control module determines the resistance of the heating element based on voltage applied to the heating element and current through the heating element. The heating element model provides a temperature of the heating element based on the resistance of the heating element.
The resistance of the heating element varies among oxygen sensors. The heating element model of each oxygen sensor therefore should be determined when the oxygen sensor is installed in the vehicle. Typically, the heating element model of a particular oxygen sensor is determined based on the resistance of the heating element after a cold start, when the vehicle is at ambient temperature (e.g., 20° C.).

System and method for determining oxygen sensor heater resistance


A radio telemetry system for collecting the readings of consumer's electricity consumption meters includes a master station (1) carried by a vehicle (1) and a plurality of transponders (3), each of which holds an electrical quantity indicative of an amount of electrical power consumed as measured by the meter associated with that transponder (3). The transponders (3) and the master station (1) communicate such that the transponders (3) transmit to the master station (1) signals containing information as to the values of the aforesaid electrical quantities held by them. Such communication takes place on a relatively quiet channel, of a number of channels, as determined by the master station (1) such that the system is capable of operating satisfactorily when the master station (1) and the transponders (3) utilise relatively low power transmitters (7, 19).

This invention relates to radio telemetry systems.
More particular the invention relates to radio telemetry systems of the kind comprising a master station and a plurality of transponders which the master station interrogates so that data held by the transponders can be collected by the master station. Such a system finds application, for example, in collecting the readings of meters measuring the supply of a commodity, e.g. gas, water or electricity, to consumers.

Radio telemetry systems with channel selection


When conducting the same or similar search, different users can use different search terms and phrases, resulting in an increase in the quantity of unique search terms and phrases. The intent of the various search terms and phrases is determined based on clustering of the terms and phrases of the various users. User search terms bare clustered using semantic and syntactic distances. Thus, the search engine receives a search query from a user and computes a similarity between and among user search terms. The computation uses syntactic techniques to analyze lexical aspects of linguistic terms, and semantic techniques to consider activity of the user in the particular field of interest. A similarity metric is used to determine the similarity between two search terms by computing their syntactic and semantic distances. A clustering technique is then used to cluster search terms based on their pair-wise distance.

Users of the World Wide Web are familiar with the various available search engines that can be used for locating content. Search engines are provided by a number of entities and may be stand-alone search engines for performing searches across one or more websites, or embedded in websites for performing a search in content present in the website where the search engine is embedded.
While searching for content, users generally enter a search term to express the intent of their search, for example when they are looking for a specific product on a website, looking for a specific product across multiple websites, and so on. This search term may be a single word, a string of words, and so on.
The search terms play a vital role in providing an intuitive consumer experience. However, different users provide different search terms, and these terms may show a fat-tail distribution, i.e. a probability distribution that has the property that it exhibits large skewness or kurtosis. For example, there may be too many unique search terms provided by different users to achieve the same set of intents for these users where their intents are similar. Thus, it becomes challenging to predict and/or suggest search terms to a user.


A method for removing dust and noxious materials from flue gases within a tall chimney through which the dust can be collected efficiently without increasing the operating cost of the boiler. A spraying device assembly is adapted to be mounted in a vertical portion of a chimney so as to save space.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for removing fly-ash and noxious materials from the flue gases within a tall chimney and an apparatus therefor, and more particularly, to a method through which mist layers containing partially saturated vapor are formed at a vertical portion of the tall chimney for enhancing contacting area of the rising waste gas so as to readily catch the fly-ash and soluble noxious materials contained in the flue gases and discharge the liquid sludge out of the chimney to a treating vessel without interferring combustion in the boiler and the normal ventilating condition of the chimney.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional steam power plant or a factory needing a large quantity of steam, boilers heated by coal or heavy oil are always a main equipment. Commercial methods of separating dust, noxious materials, etc. from the flue gases caused by the combustion of the fuels can be mainly divided into a mechanical type and an electrostatic type. Ordinarily, the former, by means of a multi-cyclone or wet scrubbers, utilizes a ventilator to discharge the combusted gas from the flue through a by-pass pipe to a cyclone by using a pump to spray water on it. This does not meet the economical requirements since a relative large quantity of water and electricity are consumed. The latter, by means of an electrostatic precipitator or a Cottrell electrical dust collector, positions at opposite inner sides of the flue and employs direct current at voltages ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 volts so as to charge and collect the fine particles simultaneously, the particles deposited on the charging plates are then scrubbed or rapped to a waste treating vessel. The conventional electrostatic precitators are capable of efficiencies of 90 to 95 percent, but their first cost and operating cost are higher than the mechanical type of separators.
There is a need, therefore, to find a method or apparatus through which the first cost and the operating cost could be significantly reduced.

Method for removing dust from flue gases


Double-substituted, water-soluble, cellulose ethers substituted with a cationic substituent and a hydrophobic substituent are disclosed. The levels of substitution for the cationic substituent and the hydrophobic substituent can provide enhanced properties when used in personal care compositions, such as, for example, enhanced substantivity, saline capability and low irritation potential to mucosal linings.

Water-soluble cellulose ethers have been employed in a wide variety of applications, such as, for example; in personal care applications such as pharmaceutical and cosmetic compositions; and industrial applications such as viscosity adjusters, suspension aids, oil field drilling and fracturing materials and adhesion promoters.
Cationic modification of cellulose ethers is desirable particularly when the cellulose ethers are used in personal care applications, e.g., for enhanced substantivity to skin and hair. Such cationic modification is also desirable for certain industrial applications, e.g., flocculation of fines in water treatment, binders in paper manufacture, adhesion promotion to siliceous materials, etc., all of which depend on substantive properties.
Hydrophobic modification of cellulose ethers is also desirable. It provides important properties in industrial applications. For example, in latex paint, thixotropy, rheology (reversible shear dependent viscosity) and surface activity (pigment dispersion) result from hydrophobe modified cellulose ethers. However, the amount of hydrophobe that can be incorporated is restricted when water solubility is required, viz., incorporation of hydrophobe reduces water solubility.
There exists a need for new cellulose ether derivatives which display some of the above properties, but which also are saline compatible, non-irritating, substantive to mucous membranes of the eye, nose, mouth, vagina and gastrointestinal tract, and which can be formulated with therapeutic or cosmetic ingredients for personal care applications. Such new cellulose ether derivatives may also have new industrial applications as well.

Double-substituted cationic cellulose ethers


Memory dies on a wafer may include multiple memory blocks including bit lines extending along different directions. A memory die may include a first-type plane including first memory blocks and a second-type plane including second memory blocks. In this case, memory blocks having different bit line directions may be formed within a same memory die. An exposure field may include multiple types of memory dies that are oriented in different orientations. The bit line directions may be oriented differently in the multiple types of memory dies. Each lithographic exposure process may include a first step in which lithographic patterns in first exposure fields are oriented in one direction, and a second step in which lithographic patterns in second exposure fields are oriented in another direction. The different orientations of bit lines and word lines may change local directions of stress to reduce wafer distortion.

A three-dimensional memory device including vertical NAND strings having one bit per cell are disclosed in an article by T. Endoh et al., titled "Novel Ultra High Density Memory With A Stacked-Surrounding Gate Transistor (S-SGT) Structured Cell", IEDM Proc. (2001) 33-36. Memory stack structures may be formed on a semiconductor chip through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers that function as word lines. Various additional structures vertically extend through the alternating stack. Local variations in the material composition in the memory stack structures may induce stress that deforms or warps the semiconductor wafer upon which structures are formed. The deformation or warping may cause difficulty in subsequent processing steps that may include chip bonding or packaging.

Memory die having wafer warpage reduction through stress balancing employing rotated three-dimensional memory arrays and method of making the same


An adjustable lighted bookmark. The adjustable lighted bookmark has a spine with an upper end opposite a lower end. A pair of upper arms, hingedly secured to the upper end of the spine, and a pair of lower arms, hingedly secured to the lower end of the spine, define a space therebetween. A pair of upper clips are disposed distally on the pair of upper arms and a pair of lower clips are disposed distally on the pair of lower arms. The pair of upper clips and the pair of lower clips are oriented inwardly towards the space between the upper and the lower arms. Each clip of the pair of upper clips and the pair of lower clips has at least one bearing on an internal surface thereof. A light extends from the spine which provides lighting on a piece of reading material secured by the adjustable lighted bookmark.

The present invention relates to bookmarks. More particularly, the present invention provides for an adjustable lighted bookmark that includes a telescoping spine, upper and a lower pair of telescoping arms, a light, and clips which include bearings disposed on the distal ends of the upper and lower pairs of telescoping arms.
Many people enjoy curling up with a good book, but few have the time to read all the way through in one sitting, especially at night. On occasion a person may fall asleep while reading and the book will fall off their lap, resulting in their place being lost. Readers often use a bookmark to keep track of their progress such that they can pick up where they left off later. Unfortunately, bookmarks may slide out of the book leaving the reader to wonder where they had left off when they return to read more. In such circumstances, some individuals may choose to start over in the book, especially if an extended period of time has passed between readings. Sometimes, casually moving a book from one place to another, such as to a bookshelf, can be sufficient to cause the bookmark to become dislodged and fall out.
Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to bookmarks. These include devices that have been patented and disclosed in patent application publications. However, the devices in the known art have several drawbacks. Some bookmarks easily slide out of the book, thereby losing the reader's place. Other bookmarks do not have lights incorporated therein. Still other bookmarks hold the book open at a certain page, but do not allow for the pages to be turned.
The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing bookmark devices. In this regard the present invention substantially fulfills these needs. Accordingly, an adjustable bookmark, that is secured to the book and incorporates bearings that allow pages to be turned, and a light to provide improved lighting to the pages, is desired.


There is provided a composition for forming a passivation film that satisfies electric insulation, heat-tolerance, solvent-tolerance, and a dry etch back property at the same time. A composition for forming a passivation film, including: a polymer containing a unit structure of Formula (i):T0-O  Formula (i)(where T0 is a sulfonyl group, a fluoroalkylene group, a cycloalkylene group, or an arylene group having a substituent, or is a combination of an arylene group optionally having a substituent and a fluoroalkylene group or a cycloalkylene group), wherein the polymer has at least one of a group having a structure of Formula (2-A), a group having a structure of Formula (2-B), or a group having both of the structures, at an end, in a side chain, or in a main chain of the polymer:

In recent years, highly integrated semiconductor devices, smaller mounted areas, and lowering interconnection resistances by reducing interconnection distances have been in high demand due to high-performance and compact electron equipment, such as cell-phones and IC cards. To obtain these, stack structures in which semiconductor elements are stacked in a vertical direction have been developed.
One example of methods for producing stack structures is a method including steps of: thinning a wafer on which a semiconductor element is formed; providing a through-hole with a technique such as anisotropic dry etching (through silicon via: TSV technique); forming an electrode on the rear surface of the wafer by filling the through-hole with a conductive material such as copper; forming a passivation film on the rear surface having an electrode; and electrically joining the wafer and a chip or the surface of a wafer on which another semiconductor element is formed.
In the steps above, the insulating film formed on the rear surface of a wafer is required to be electrically insulative to prevent current leakage and migration of a conductive material, to be solvent-tolerant and have a good dry etch back property in a photolithography step that is to open an electrode portion after forming a passivation film, and to be heat-tolerant in an electrode-joining step.
Examples of well-known passivation films include benzocyclobutene resins, polyimides, and fully aromatic polyethers.
However, benzocyclobutene resins require a fluorine gas to be used for dry etch back in a photolithography step, and thus electrodes and wafers may be damaged. In addition, cross-linking reaction does not sufficiently proceed at a curing temperature around 200° C., and a good solvent-tolerance cannot be obtained.
In contrast, as for polyimides, thinned wafers may be damaged because the film-forming temperature is 300° C. or higher, and shrinkage of films upon curing results in remaining stresses.
Fully aromatic polyethers have no heat cross-linking portion, and thus are not highly tolerant of solvents. In addition, resins may be melted in joining electrodes because the resins have low softening points.
A substrate for a thick film technique has been disclosed (Patent Document 1). In the substrate, an undercoat film containing 30% by volume to 45% by volume of a polyether ether ketone resin powder and a thermosetting resin is formed on an inorganic insulating substrate that is a glass base material impregnated with a silicone resin.
Covering products, such as an adhesive for flexible printed-circuit boards, that contain a polymer having a main chain composed of a polyimide, and having a functional group having a carbon-carbon triple bond at an end thereof, have been disclosed (Patent Document 2).
Covering products, such as an adhesive composition containing a polymer having a main chain containing a functional group having a phenyl group, urea, an amido group and the like, and a carbon-carbon triple bond, have been disclosed (Patent Document 3). Covering products, such as an adhesive composition containing a polymer containing polyether ether sulfone having a sulfonic acid group, and containing polyether ether ketone, have been disclosed (Patent Document 4).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Composition for forming passivation film, including resin having carbon-carbon multiple bond

Abstract: The polymer may contain a unit structure of Formula (1):L1-O-T1-O  Formula (1)


An automatic driving vehicle includes an automatic driving mode in which autonomous traveling is carried out. The automatic driving vehicle receives a setup for a destination and an arrival time after a driver or a passenger gets out of the automatic driving vehicle. The setup for the destination and the arrival time is input when the driver or the passenger gets out of the automatic driving vehicle. The automatic driving vehicle is controlled to move to the destination after the driver or the passenger gets out of the automatic driving vehicle on a basis of the destination and the arrival time.

There is proposed an automatic driving vehicle capable of autonomous traveling without a driving operation by a driver. Further, various kinds of inventions using characteristics of such an automatic driving vehicle have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1 (JP2012-48563-A), an automatic driving vehicle that is configured to designate and move to, by storing schedule information containing a time and a place (destination) designated by a user in advance in the automatic driving vehicle, the destination for automatic driving on the basis of the schedule information is proposed.
For example, the automatic driving vehicle is configured so that after a user A gets out from the automatic driving vehicle, a place where the user A starts to use the automatic driving vehicle next time is estimated on the basis of the stored schedule information, the automatic driving vehicle waits at the place if the estimated place is a current location, and the automatic driving vehicle moves to the estimated place and wait there if the estimated place is different from the current location.

Automatic driving vehicle and program for automatic driving vehicle


A wireless communication terminal includes a broadcast signal frequency converter that is communicatively coupled to the terminal's communication signal receiver and is configured to use its communication receiver to process received broadcast signals. In an exemplary embodiment, the converter includes a frequency shifting circuit, e.g., a block frequency converter, that shifts broadcast signal bands into communication signal bands, such that received broadcast signals are shifted into a frequency range compatible with the communication receiver's signal path. Moreover, the significant digital domain signal processing capability of the communication receiver can be used to receive broadcast television and/or radio signals, provide signal enhancements, and extract other types of information such as RDBS, IBOC, etc. Further, the terminal can be configured to maintain communication network monitoring while receiving broadcast signals by switching the receiver back to a communication network signal long enough to check for pages, etc.

The present invention generally relates to wireless communication devices, and particularly relates to receiving broadcast signals in such devices, such as broadcast radio and television signals.
Consumer expectations of ever-increasing performance and convenience coupled with simultaneous expectations of ever decreasing size and cost establish significant challenges for designers of portable devices. Nowhere are such pressures felt more keenly than in the arena of wireless communication device design.
Functional lines blur and product categories stretch with the continuous introduction of new portable wireless devices that merge multiple functions. Ready examples of such merged products come easily to mind. Personal Information Managers (PIMS) includes cellular radiotelephones or vice versa, handheld computers include wireless network and cellular radio interfaces, mobile terminals include cameras, and the list goes on.
Wireless communication devices that include AM/FM radios represent one seemingly natural merger of product types. Consumers might be expected to appreciate the ability to listen to the radio while not using their wireless devices for other purposes. Indeed, the more functions provided by a single device, the less other devices are needed and the more that single device becomes integrated into everyday lifestyle. Unfortunately, the integration of such secondary functions into a device that already faces tremendous constraints on cost, size, battery life, and time to market, may make already challenging design goals impossible to meet.

Low cost method for receiving broadcast channels with a cellular terminal


A design-time status schema model describes the progress of a data object through a computing process. The status schema model includes status variables, processing actions and constraints for performing actions. The status schema model also may describe permitted changes to a status variable in response to performing an action. At runtime, the status schema model is used to control processing performed by, or on, an instance of a data object corresponding to the status schema model.

Software systems and components may be developed using object technology, and the operation of these systems and components may occur through methods that are performed on and/or by objects. An object's state may be said to include the combination of current attribute values of the object at a particular point in time. The execution of a method may change attribute values of an object, which, in turn, may lead to a new state of the object. Sometimes the current state of the object or computing environment may be an important factor in determining whether a particular action is allowed to be performed or not.
One approach to ensuring that an object performs an action only when allowed by a particular state of the object is programming such requirements into the object itself. Another approach is to rely on the programming of other unrelated objects—that are called by the object to implement all or part of the action—to enforce such requirements.
For example, software that controls an assembly line in a manufacturing plant should be programmed so that a "stop" action should not be performed on the assembly line if the assembly line current is not moving (e.g., as represented by the state of an object representing the assembly line).
Under the first scenario described above, a programmer of the object may directly code this requirement into the object itself, so that when the object receives a "stop" action request, the object checks its own status attributes to make sure that the assembly line is currently moving before allowing the "stop" action to be processed. However, as software projects become larger and more complex, it may become increasingly burdensome for programmers to understand, identify and account for all constraints that are based on the state of an object.
Under the second scenario described above, the programmer of the object may rely on other programming to enforce this requirement. In this example, the assembly line object (which may or may not have its own status attributes regarding the movement of the assembly line) would receive the "stop" active request, and call another unrelated object to implement all or part of the "stop" action. The other object would then check its own status attributes to make sure that the assembly line is currently moving before allowing the "stop" action to be processed, but its determination would be independent of the state of the assembly line object.

Using status models having status derivations in a computer system


A method of passing a location of a data interface. The method involves storing a first pointer in an architected location for locating information related to a system firmware read only memory (ROM). A portion of memory is allocated for a data structure that is an interface for handing off system component information. A second pointer is stored in a memory location pointed to by the first pointer. The second pointer points to the data structure.

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) is a specification that makes hardware status information available to an operating system in computers including laptops, desktop, servers, etc. The ACPI also allows hardware resources to be manipulated. For example, ACPI assists in power management by allowing a computer system's peripherals to be powered on and off for improved power management. ACPI also allows the computer system to be turned on and off by external devices. For example, the touch of a mouse or the press of a key may wake up the computer system using ACPI.
Traditionally ACPI has been difficult to work with for a variety of reasons. First, ACPI is not written in the native assembly language of the computer system platform. Instead, ACPI has its own source and machine languages, ACPI Source Language (ASL) and ACPI Machine Language (AML), respectively. Because of its highly specialized use, there are relatively few ASL programmers. Furthermore, ASL has relatively few constructs because of its limited use. Furthermore, ACPI code is conventionally monolithic in its design. Consequently, this makes it difficult to port the ACPI code to other platforms or even to different configurations of the same platform. Thus, new ASL code needs to be written to work with different platforms. The limited number of ASL programmers makes writing new code all the more problematic and costly.
ACPI is composed of both static and interpretable tables. At bootup time, the system firmware constructs the static tables, which are consumed by the operating system. The interpretable tables are composed of AML. The AML is compiled and then merged into the system firmware. The operating system reads the AML from the interpretable tables and executes the architected interfaces, using an ACPI interpreter. In this fashion, the operating system manipulates hardware resources. Because the interpretable tables are merged into the system firmware, this conventional method lacks flexibility, scalability, and requires considerable time to re-program to accommodate various system configurations.
For example, conventionally developers write ACPI code to specify a particular configuration of a platform or its variance. Unfortunately, if even a minor hardware change is performed the design has to be modified. This requires that new AML code to be written and new tables to be merged into the system firmware. Thus, the conventional design is not portable or re-usable.
Furthermore, conventionally ACPI has required that a different system firmware ROM (Read Only Memory) or BIOS (Basic Input Output System) be used if there is a variance of the platform or if it supports more than one ACPI aware OS systems that have mutually exclusive ACPI requirements. A different system firmware ROM also had to be used if the same system is to support multiple operating systems.
Thus, one problem with conventional methods and systems for providing component information at run time is the difficulty in porting code to a different platform. Another problem with such methods and systems is the difficulty in porting code to a different configuration in the same platform. Another problem with such conventional methods and systems is that they are not very scalable. A still further problem is the additional development cost spent writing and testing new ASL code.

Method and system for providing a location of a data interface

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A UV laser beam is used to machine semiconductor. The beams intensity (IB) is chosen so that it lies in a range of such values for which there is an increasing (preferably linear) material removal rate for increasing IB An elongate formation such as a trough or a slot is machined in n scans laterally offset (O_centre), for each value of z-integer in the z direction.

The invention relates to the control of laser machining, particularly of semiconductor material such as silicon wafers, Gallium Arsenide, Silicon Germanium, Indium Phosphide and others.
Machining a semiconductor wafer is conventionally achieved by dicing the wafer with a saw. For example, EP0202630 describes the use of a dicing saw for machining streets in silicon wafers. Mechanical machining has disadvantages such as low yield, chipping and cracks. Thin wafers cannot be machined and specialised applications such as machining curved structures, internal through holes, etc., are not possible.
It is also known to use laser beams for machining semiconductor substrates. U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,261 describes a method where deep ultraviolet excimer laser beams are used to dice a semiconductor substrate. Excimer lasers, however, do not cut with sufficient speed for many applications.
Other lasers such as Nd:YAG (1064 nm) and CO2 laser have also been used in semiconductor substrate micro-machining. These lasers generate debris and large heat affected zones. U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,101 describes the use of a Nd:YAG laser to form grooves in a semiconductor. This step is followed by a cleave and break step along the grooves. A further step requiring chemical etching was used to remove the debris and hot particles that land on the wafer and fuse to the surface during machining.
These lasers do not appear to have been applied successfully to precision applications. The reason for this is that the quality of the edge formed is not acceptable. Also, heat is generated at the cut front, this may result in damage to the electrical function for which the component was manufactured. Heating of the substrate material induces thermal stress in the wafer which can cause microcracks, having a deleterious effect on lifetime and function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,460 describes the use of a defocused beam and a high-pressure flow of assist gas to suppress the generation of microcracks. A defocused beam incident on the surface of the wafer generates a crack, which propagates along the dicing direction. Controlling such a process is difficult.
This invention is therefore directed towards providing for improved machining of semiconductor material. The improvements specifically, are that the process throughput and quality are sufficient to allow low cost manufacturing of components as well as enabling the manufacture of precision micro-machined structures such as micro-fluidic devices.
According to the invention, there is provided method of machining a semiconductor material using a laser beam in which a formation is machined in the material to a width S using a laser beam of intensity IB, and in which the beam is controlled to machine the material with a kerf K,
characterised in that, the beam is controlled to scan n times, n being nxe2x89xa71 and, where n greater than 1, each subsequent scan is laterally offset and parallel to a preceding scan, and n is xe2x89xa7S/K.
In one embodiment, the value for IB is chosen to lie in a range of values of IB for which material removal rate increases with increasing IB
In a further embodiment, IB is in a range for which material removal rate increases at a rate of at least 30% with increasing intensity.
In one embodiment, the lateral offset between scans is in the range from one micron to the kerf K.
In a further embodiment, the lateral offset between scans is selected by varying the lateral offset in steps from one micron to the kerf until the net machining speed is optimised.
In one embodiment, machining is achieved by repeating scans with nxe2x89xa71 in each of a number of steps (z) so that material is removed in a sequence of steps from the surface downwards.
In one embodiment, the beam dimensions at focus are controlled so that the beam intensity, IB, results in minimisation of the total number of scans required to define the required formation.
In one embodiment, the laser beam is pulsed, and the pulse repetition frequency and scan speed are chosen to provide a pulse overlap in the range of 30% to 98%.
In another embodiment, the laser beam is pulsed, and the pulse overlap is selected in the region of 30% to 85% to control and refine the texture and roughness of the walls of a machined channel or the walls and bottom of a machined trough and to clean residual debris.
In one embodiment, the channel width (S) is chosen so that the net machining speed is fastest when compared to the machining speed for larger or smaller channel widths as machined under optimal values for the number of parallel laser lines for that particular channel width.
In one embodiment, the laser beam wavelength is in the range of 350 nm to 550 nm, the repetition frequency is greater than 5 kHz, and the average laser beam power is greater than 3 W.
In another embodiment, the laser beam wavelength is in the range of 250 to 300 nm, the repetition frequency is greater than 1 kHz, and the average power output is greater than 1 W.
In one embodiment, scan velocity, laser power, and pulse overlap are chosen to control depth of material removal in any one scan.
In another embodiment the method comprises the further step of, after machining, performing a final laser scan in which:
the beam diameter is greater than the width S, and the beam intensity is below a machining intensity threshold;
whereby a machined formation is cleaned.
In one embodiment, the method is performed to machine through channels to singulate die.
In another embodiment, the semiconductor material is a substrate for a micro-fluidic device.
In a further embodiment, a trench is formed in a surface of the substrate, the trench being suitable to act as a fluid delivery channel of a micro-fluidic device.
In one embodiment, the number of scans and lateral offsets of the scans is varied so that a tapered structure is formed in the material.
In another embodiment, a tapered structure is formed in a circular or elongated aperture.
In a further embodiment, a plurality of tapered structures are machined to form wells, funnels and through hole channels of the micro-fluidic device.
In one embodiment, the material is machined from a top side, and subsequently from a bottom side, the formations from the sides joining to form a single through formation.
In one embodiment, a top side camera and a bottom-side camera are aligned and calibrated such that a transformation mapping coordinates of the top camera to coordinates of the bottom camera is known, and the top side and bottomside material coordinates are registered with respect to each other for registration of machining on both sides.
In one embodiment, machining of the material from both sides enables the formation of curved and tapered elongate and circular wall structures.
In another embodiment, a fume extraction head is used for extraction of fumes and solid debris from above and below the material, and wherein assist gas is directed at the material to control the deposition of debris and assist the machining process.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a laser machining apparatus comprising a laser source, means for directing a laser beam from the source at a semiconductor material to machine with a kerf K to a width S, and a controller for controlling parameters of the laser beam,
characterised in that,
the controller comprises means for directing the laser beam in a plurality of n parallel passes, said passes being laterally offset, and wherein n is greater than or equal to S/K.
In one embodiment, the controller comprises means for controlling laser beam intensity (IB) so that it lies in a range of values of intensity for which material removal rate increases with increasing intensity.
In one embodiment, the laser machining apparatus further comprises a fume extraction system having suction inlets above and below the material support means.
In one embodiment, the laser machining apparatus further comprises a gas blowing system comprising nozzles for directing an assist gas over the material being machined.
In another embodiment, the laser machining apparatus further incorporates a vision system which consists of top and bottom camera systems in registration with each other, and a controller comprising means for using images from the cameras to ensure registration of the material after flipping.


This invention relates to a process for preparing amido-carboxylic acids in water. The process involves four steps. Step (A) involves hydrolyzing a lactam at a temperature of 150.degree. C.-300.degree. C. to form a mixture containing an amino acid. Step (B) involves cooling the reaction mixture formed in Step (A) to a temperature of 25.degree. C.-100.degree. C. Step (C) involves reacting a carboxylic acid anhydride with the amino acid formed in Step (A) to form a reaction mixture containing an organic layer which contains an amido-carboxylic acid and an aqueous layer. Step (D) involves separating the amido-carboxylic acid containing organic layer from the aqueous layer. The presence of water aids in product isolation by phase separation and recycle of the reactants. Amido-carboxylic acids are used to make bleach activators for detergents.

Amido-carboxylic acids are industrial chemical intermediates for the preparation of many chemicals used in commerce. Amido-carboxylic acids are prepared by reacting a lactam with a carboxylic acid. Amido-carboxylic acids are also prepared by reacting a carboxylic acid, carboxylic acid chloride, carboxylic acid anhydride or carboxylic acid ester with an amino carboxylic acid which is prepared by hydrolysis of a lactam. These processes to form amido-carboxylic acids are referred to as amidation reactions.
It is known to convert lactams by hydrolysis into the corresponding amino-carboxylic acids in the presence of hydrolysis promoting reagents such as hydrochloric acid. However, pure amino-acids are not directly obtained. In the case where hydrochloric acid is used as the promoting reagent, the amino-acid-hydrochloride is obtained and the separation of the free carboxylic acid is cumbersome and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,234 discloses a process for preparing an amino-carboxylic acid by hydrolyzing a lactam by means of at least 10 moles of water per mole of lactam to produce an amino-carboxylic acid. Great Britain Pat. No. 648,889 discloses a process for preparing amino-carboxylic acids by heating aliphatic or cyclo-aliphatic lactams in the presence of more than 20 moles of water per mole of lactam. U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,068 discloses a process for preparing amido-carboxylic acids by reacting a lactam with a free carboxylic acid in the presence of catalytic amounts of water. The reaction product is obtained as a solid crystal mass which is subsequently suspended in water and neutralized.
In contrast, the present inventors have unexpectedly discovered a process for preparing amido-carboxylic acids from a lactam and a carboxylic acid anhydride in water. It is unexpected that an amido-carboxylic acid could form by the reaction of a carboxylic acid anhydride with an amino acid in the presence of water. Moreover, it is unexpected that in the reaction of amino acids with carboxylic acid anhydrides, the lactam precursor of the amino acids does not react with the carboxylic anhydride. The amido-carboxylic acids obtained by this process essentially contain one molecule of amino acid and one molecule of carboxylic acid, and are essentially free of undesirable byproducts.

Aqueous process for preparing amido-carboxylic acids by reacting an aminoacid with a carboxylic acid anhydride


A portable light fastening assembly for use with the human interface of an electronic device includes a lamp housing and an adjustable attachment device extending from the lamp housing. An ultra-violet (UV) light source is at least partially enclosed in the lamp housing such that the adjustable attachment device includes an engagement member and a receptacle housing such that the engagement member can be removably fastened within the receptacle housing for holding the lamp housing in a fixed position.

Portable lighting can be used with electronic devices to illuminate various areas of the device. In some cases, the lighting may be outside the visible spectrum of some predetermined frequency spectrum and uses to accomplish a specific purpose. In these instances, having specialized lighting permanently mounted to the electronic device can be a burden to the user for purposes of mobility, storage and/or servicing.


Mouth rinses, dentifrices, lozenges, confections, chewing gums, and similar delivery vehicles containing non-toxic soluble calcium are used prior to administration of a fluoride-containing composition to increase the effectiveness of the fluoride therapy. An effective amount of calcium is released into the oral cavity and allowed to penetrate into the oral tissue. Calcium-bound fluoride deposits form in the oral tissue upon subsequent administration of the fluoride-containing composition to provide increased salivary, plaque and oral tissue fluoride concentrations.

1. Field of the Invention
The various embodiments of the present invention relate to the use of non-toxic soluble calcium compositions prior to administration of any fluoride-containing composition to enhance the anticaries effect of the fluoride compositions. More particularly, calcium compositions in any suitable form including mouth rinse, dentifrice, lozenge, confection, chewing gum and the like are administered prior to use of a fluoride-containing composition to enhance the formation of calcium-bound fluoride in plaque, on teeth and in oral tissue. The fluoride-containing compositions may be any conventional fluoride-containing products such as a fluoride rinse or a dentifrice.
2. Summary of the Related Art
Fluoride is believed to be beneficial in reducing the prevalence of dental caries. It has been demonstrated that even a small increase in the fluid concentration of fluoride in the oral cavity may have a significant effect on these processes (Featherstone, 2000, J Am. Dent. Assoc. 131:887-99). Studies have assessed whether the formation of bioavailable fluoride reservoirs may maintain the concentration of fluoride in plaque fluid and saliva after application of a conventional fluoride-containing rinse or dentifrice (White et al., 1994, Adv. Dent. Res. 8:166-74; Vogel et al., 1992, J Dent. Res. 71:448-52; Margolis and Moreno, 1990, J Dent. Res. 69 (Spec. Issue):606-13; ten Cate and Duijsters, 1983, Caries Res. 17:193-99).
Among the most important "labile" oral fluoride reservoirs is calcium fluoride, CaF2, or phosphate contaminated "calcium fluoride-like" deposits. Recent studies by Rose et al. (1996, Caries Res. 30-458-64) have suggested that much of the "labile" fluoride in plaque is bound to bacteria via calcium bridges. Regardless of the particular form, calcium appears to have a significant role in the formation of calcium-fluoride ("Ca—F") deposits. Unfortunately, Ca—F deposition in the mouth is limited by the low concentration of unbound, or bioavailable, oral calcium. Furthermore, if a high level of calcium is administered simultaneously with fluoride, very rapid CaF2 formation occurs in the mouth with limited penetration into oral tissue.
Several approaches have been proposed to overcome these problems. One approach has been a two-part fluoride-releasing system in which fluoride first is released by the controlled hydrolysis of sodium hexafluorosilicate and subsequently reacts with calcium to induce a controlled "in depth" deposition of calcium-bound fluoride. Although studies have shown an increase in oral fluoride in saliva and plaque (Vogel et al., 1992, J Dent. Res. 71:448-52) and a reduction in the in vivo growth of caries lesions (Chow et al., 2000, J Dent. Res. 79:991-95), this approach has a number of limitations. First, this approach requires the formulation of commercially acceptable dentifrices and rinses compatible with a particular and unique chemistry. Second, this approach uses a fluoride source (Na2SiF6) that has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Other approaches to increasing fluoride deposition utilize two components: either (1) a dual compartment delivery device in which both components are simultaneously delivered (Kaufman et al., 1999, J Clin. Dent. 10:50-54; U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,352 to Johansen; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,159,448 and 6,159,449 to Winston; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,427,768 and 5,437,857 to Tung; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,668 and 5,476,647 to Chow) or (2) procedures in which the two components are sequentially applied (Borovkii and Agafonov, 1994, Stomatologiia 1-5; U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,837 to Raaf; U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,955 to Grabenstetter). In one example of the sequential procedure, phosphate and fluoride are used as one component and calcium is used as the other component in order to increase the formation of caries-resistant fluoridated tooth mineral (Ca10(PO4)6F2). Use of phosphate, however, leads to an undesirable formation of insoluble fluorapatite in plaque and in soft tissue, rather than the desirable formation of bioavailable Ca—F deposits in these substrates.
Prior attempts to administer calcium before a fluoride product that did not include phosphate have shown little or no beneficial effects on the efficacy of the fluoride product. Blake-Haskins et al., (J Dent. Res. 1992; 71:1482-1486). Found that by simulating a 4.5 mMol/L calcium pre-rinse with a fluoride dentifrice in an in vitro experimental caries model, a lesion was reduced in size only 14% as compared to the use of a fluoride dentifrice alone. Similarly, Whitford et al. 2005 (Caries Res. 39: in press) found that a 20 mmol/L CaCl2 pre-rinse used immediately before brushing with a F dentifrice had no effect on human whole plaque F concentrations when samples were collected 1 h and 12 h after brushing).
In contrast to studies using low concentrations of calcium, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,912 to Rudy and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,647 and 5,891,448 to Chow and Takagi disclose administration of relatively high levels of calcium in a phosphate-free system. These patents disclose a calcium complexing agent that is used to control Ca—F formation. These systems, however, require mixing of the calcium and fluoride components before use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,449 to Winston and Usen discloses another system for increasing salivary fluoride concentration. In this system, calcium and fluoride solids are dispersed in a non-aqueous, water-miscible vehicle. Calcium and fluoride ions are simultaneously released when the product contacts saliva or other aqueous solution.

Enhanced anti-carious dentifrices, rinses, lozenges, candies and chewing gums and methods of using same


A rack for drying, storing or organizing sports equipment includes a central post having a vertical axis, a plurality of holes substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis, and a plurality of tier members adapted to be inserted into one or more of the holes. The tier members include first and second members. The second members are adapted to be inserted into an end of and secured at any of a plurality of positions within, the first member. The rack may also have one or more holes that extend through the vertical post, the first member may be inserted through the holes, and a third member may be adapted to be inserted into an end of and secured at any of a plurality of positions within, the first member.

Sporting equipment, particularly in sports where padding is worn on the body such as hockey or football, tends to become wet or damp with the sweat of the players wearing the equipment. In time, such sporting equipment will have a tendency to smell bad, and if left in a sports bag for too long while it is wet or damp, it may be ruined by mold or mildew. Accordingly, such sporting equipment, particularly the various pads for the shoulders, knees, elbows etc., must be laid out to dry between uses. In addition to creating a mess in the player's home, as smelly, damp sporting equipment is set out to dry in whatever space is available, there is a substantial risk that individual pads can be separated from the rest of the equipment and misplaced. Racks that are known in the art for drying and organizing such sporting equipment are rather limited and of a fixed size. These prior art racks cannot be expanded or modified to make the best use out of the available storage space and, moreover, cannot be customized to accommodate the different sizes of the equipment used as young players get older and larger or change from one sport to another.
As such, a need exists for a product that provides a place to conveniently dry and organize sporting equipment, yet can be customized to accommodate the available area for storage as well as sports equipment of different sizes and types. As such, one or more embodiments of present invention are hereby presented.

Apparatus for organizing and storing sports equipment


A light emitting diode (LED) illumination device provides an arrangement of LEDs spaced from the base of the device. The LEDs are spaced in a staggered vertical arrangement. The configuration of LEDs manages heat such that brightness and lifespan are maximized. In addition, the arrangement of LEDs broadens the project area of the device.

Artificial lighting, that is, light generated using an energy source, represents a major component of energy consumption, accounting for a significant part of all energy consumed worldwide. Artificial lighting is commonly provided by lighting devices using electricity as the energy source.
Conventional lighting technology includes the incandescent light bulb, also referred to as the incandescent lamp. The incandescent light bulb works by incandescence, that is, an electrical current passes through a thin filament, heating the filament until it produces light. An enclosing glass bulb prevents the oxygen in air from reaching the hot filament, which otherwise would be destroyed rapidly by oxidation. Incandescent bulbs are made in a wide range of sizes and voltages, from 1.5 volts to about 300 volts. Incandescent bulbs typically require no external regulating equipment and have a low manufacturing cost, and work well on either alternating current or direct current. As a result, the incandescent light bulb is widely used in household and commercial lighting, for portable lighting, such as table lamps, some car headlamps and electric flashlights, and for decorative and advertising lighting.
Incandescent light bulbs, however, use light emission resulting from resistance. Therefore, a large amount energy in an incandescent bulb is lost in the form of heat energy. Accordingly, the energy efficiency of incandescent light bulbs is relatively low. Incandescent light bulbs are gradually being replaced in conventional lighting technology by more efficient lamps including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which give more visible light for the same amount of electrical energy input.
A CFL, also known as a compact fluorescent light bulb (or less commonly as a compact fluorescent tube (CFT)) is a type of gas discharge lamp. Many CFLs are designed to replace an incandescent lamp and include the standard base enabling the CFL to fit in existing light fixtures formerly used for incandescents.
Compared to incandescent lamps of the same luminous flux (i.e. luminous power), CFLs use less energy and have a longer rated life. For a given light output, CFLs use between one fifth and one quarter of the power of an equivalent incandescent lamp. A CFL can therefore significantly save electricity costs over the lamp's lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp. A CFL can also can save 2000 times its own weight in greenhouse gases due to its energy efficiency. While CFLs radiate a different light spectrum from that of incandescent lamps, improved phosphor formulations have improved the subjective color of the light emitted by CFLs such that some CFLs are subjectively similar in color to standard incandescent lamps.
As efficient as a CFL is over an incandescent lamp, the CFL also loses a significant amount of energy as heat energy. Fluorescent lamps pollute the environment when disposed of because of the toxic substances they typically contain. Further, the light intensity of gas discharge lamps tends to decrease over time with use. Additionally, gas discharge lamps typically produce ozone due to high voltage requirements and produce intense ultra-violet light that tends to cause the breakdown of many materials and may lead to gas leakage into the environment. Thus conventional lights have various problems.
Solid state lighting has been developed to overcome some of the problems of incandescent lamps and gas discharge lamps. Solid state lighting (SSL) refers to a type of lighting that utilizes light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), or polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED) as sources of illumination rather than electrical filaments or gas. The term "solid state" refers to the fact that light in an LED is emitted from a solid object—a block of semiconductor—rather than from a vacuum or gas tube, as is the case in traditional incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lamps. The LED is a semiconductor diode that emits incoherent narrow-spectrum light when electrically biased in the forward direction of the p-n junction, as in the common LED circuit resulting in electroluminescence. Unlike incandescent or fluorescent lighting, however, SSL creates visible light with reduced heat generation or parasitic energy dissipation. In addition, its solid-state nature provides for greater resistance to shock, vibration, and wear, thereby increasing its lifespan significantly.
An LED is typically a small area source. The color of the emitted light depends on the composition and condition of the semiconducting material used, and can be infrared, visible, or near-ultraviolet. An LED provides direct light projection where incandescent lamps provide a fan-shape illumination pattern. The disadvantages of the LED are its narrower illuminating angle and difficulty in radiating light uniformly in all directions contrary to the conventional tungsten bulb. The angle of some LEDs has been improved by modifying the structure of the LED bulb.
Many conventional LED devices, however, are limited by thermal energy-management issues. For example, LEDs exhibit negative temperature coefficient aspects. That is, at a fixed power input, as the LED device's operating heat rises, the LED device's light output decreases. High heat during use can shorten the useful life of an LED. It is, however, desirable to run LEDs using high current, because the higher the current, the higher the brightness of the emitted light. Accordingly, there is motivation to manage heat as much as possible in order to operate an LED optimally with regard to power input and light output and LED life.
It remains desirable to have an LED illumination device wherein heat is managed such that lumens, energy consumption and lifespan are maximized.

Light emitting diode illumination device


Apparatus for displaying data such as time or weight samples, comprising a data generator means, a pseudorandom number generator, a function generator for generating modified data samples functionally related to the original data samples and the pseudorandom numbers, and display means for displaying the modified data. The function generator may be an adder, for example. The data may represent time, weight, or another quantity.

One interesting aspect of human behavior is the difficulty some people have with respect to adhering to schedules. Individuals such as these often are late getting out of bed or arriving for appointments, for example, because they convince themselves or believe that they still have some time before they have to get up or before they have to leave for their destination. In simple terms, they procrastinate. Many of these people recognize that they procrastinate and will attempt to compensate by setting their alarm clocks, wrist watches, etc. to false times--typically ten to twenty minutes later than the correct time. This expedient may help for a short while, but the individual often then begins to employ a mental "reverse compensation". That is, he or she looks at the alarm clock that reads "7:00 a.m.", for example, and decides to sleep another ten minutes because he or she knows the device was set to read ten minutes ahead of the correct time, so the individual realizes the correct time is really 6:50 a.m. Conventional timepieces thus cannot be used effectively to break such a pattern of procrastination.


A gear selector device (1) for an indirectly maneuvered vehicle gearbox has a pivotably mounted maneuvering column (3) and a locking arrangement (17) for locking the column in predetermined positions. The locking arrangement includes a first locking part (18) arranged on the maneuvering column and a second locking part (19) which cooperates with the first part and forms a cover for the housing (4) of the gear selector device and has a guide slot (21) for the maneuvering column. A spring-loaded first locking body (31) on the maneuvering column (3) can be brought into engagement with different locking members (30) in the cover and thereby hold the maneuvering column in different positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gear selector device for a gearbox intended for motor vehicles and of the type which is maneuvered indirectly via a control unit connected to the gear selector device, provided with a pivotably mounted maneuvering column, and with a locking arrangement for locking the maneuvering column in predetermined positions.
In automotive technology it is becoming more and more common, especially in the case of heavy vehicles such as, for example, lorries and buses, to attempt to make the driver's work easier by reducing and simplifying the effort required for changing gear. This is achieved by means of indirect maneuvering of the gearbox, whereby the driver maneuvering a gear selector device so as to cause the latter to emit, as a function of the position, different signals intended to carry out via the servo the actual maneuvering of the gearbox, i.e. to effect engagement and disengagement of gears.
By having a control unit detect the actual driving conditions, such as, for example, speed, acceleration, engaged gear and engine speed, it is possible to further facilitate the work of the driver. The control unit can then calculate which gear should be engaged and can present its suggestion to the driver on a gear indicator. Then, with the aid of the gear selector device, the driver can change gear according to the suggestion or deviate from the suggestion. The gear selector device may also permit a choice between, for example, different semiautomatic or fully automatic predetermined gear programs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to permit simple adjustment of the gear selector device to desired positions, it is known to use a single maneuvering column and to mount the latter pivotably in different planes, for example in a plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and in planes transverse to this plane.
In one embodiment according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,266, of the locking arrangement which holds the maneuvering column in different positions is located in connection with the pivot center of the maneuvering column and permits a gear-changing pattern of the type which is customary in manual gearboxes. There are no non-locking positions.
In another design, according to SE-A-8803674-4, the maneuvering column can be adjusted to different positions in a first plane and can be pivoted non-lockingly from these positions transverse to this plane. The locking arrangement which holds the maneuvering column in different longitudinal positions, is in this case designed with a cam curve in the bottom of the housing of the gear selector device, but there is however no possibility of locking the maneuvering column in the lateral direction. Among the disadvantages associated with these known embodiments is the fact that, when a modified gear-changing pattern is required, it is necessary to alter the housing of the gear selector device internally in order to obtain new positions for the maneuvering column. In addition, the locking arrangement competes for space with the sensors which are required for detecting the different positions of the maneuvering column.

Gear selector device for a vehicle gearbox


A driver for a signal line provides a desired pull-up voltage, different from a natural supply voltage, and desired terminating impedance. The driver forms a controllable split terminator voltage divider.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of bus drivers, and in particular, to a Thevenized assisted gunning transceiver logic (AGTL) bus driver to avoid 1.5 volt power supply requirements.
2. Background Information
Digital computer systems and the like often include a plurality of integrated circuits (IC's), for example, VLSI (very large scale integration) circuits, which are interconnected for conducting digital communications by transmission lines. Drivers (transmitters) and receivers are provided to interface the VLSI components of such systems to the transmission lines. A combined transmitter (driver) and receiver circuit is called a transceiver.
The transmission lines are conventionally traces which are formed on a suitable substrate, such as a PCB (printer circuit board). For example, so-called microstrip traces and strip line traces can be employed to form transmission lines having characteristics impedances on the order of about 50 ohms to 70 ohms. In keeping with standard practices, such transmission lines have their opposite ends terminated in their characteristic impedance (50 to 70 ohms). Thus, the output load on a driver for such a transmission line may be as low as 25 ohms to 35 ohms. or so, i.e., the effective resistance of the parallel resistive terminations of 50 to 70 ohms at each end of the transmission line (disregarding other loads on the bus).
CMOS technology is attractive for fabricating VLSI circuits having relatively high gate densities, but the nominal rail-to-rail voltage swing (nominally, 0 to 5 volts) of standard CMOS circuits tends to cause the output drivers for such circuits to dissipate excessive amounts of power internally whenever the drivers are working into low impedance loads, such as terminated transmission lines of the above-described type. The need for relatively low power drivers and for compatible receivers which could be economically and reliably implemented in existing CMOS technology for interfacing VLSI CMOS circuits to relatively low impedance terminated transmission lines was addressed by William F. Gunning with his so-called "Gunning Transceiver Logic" or GTL.
Gunning transceiver logic (GTL) and bus design are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,488, which issued Jun. 11, 1991, which can be consulted for additional background information. Briefly, the Gunning patent describes very wide channel, open drain, N-channel CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) drivers and cascade CMOS receivers for interfacing VLSI (very large scale integrated) CMOS circuits to transmission lines, which are terminated by their characteristic resistive impedances, to voltage levels on the order of about 1.2 volts-2.0 volts. These GTL (Gunning Transceiver Logic) drivers and receivers typically operate with a voltage swing on the order of about 0.8 volts-1.4 volts on such transmission lines for carrying out binary communications between CMOS circuits configured to operate with standard 5 volts rail-to-rail voltage swings for their internal signals.
In a practical implementation, the GTL bus can take the form of a transmission line on a circuit board (bus and transmission line may be used interchangeably herein). The GTL bus/transmission line is generally terminated at both ends with a pull-up resistor to the VDD voltage which is usually 1.2 to 1.5 volts. The bus terminating resistors are generally 70 to 100 ohm resistors, therefore, the effective driver load may be as low as 35 ohms (not considering the device loads that may be present). In the field of transmission lines, to reduce problems with signal reflections, for example, it is well known that the signal lines should be terminated with resistors having a resistance value equal to the characteristic impedance of the bus.
By definition, the characteristic impedance of a transmission line is the ratio of the voltage and current at any point on the line, for an infinitely long line, i.e., a line with no reflected waves. The characteristic impedance of a particular line at a particular frequency is dependent on its physical properties, e.g., the inherent resistance, conductance, capacitance and inductance per unit length of the conductors and insulators, and on its design, e.g., the spacing between the conductors. According to transmission line theory, when a line is resistively terminated with its characteristic impedance, there are no reflected waves, and maximum power transfer can take place. However, depending on the length of the line/bus, the capacitive loads due to devices on the line/bus, etc., the characteristic impedance of the line/bus is affected. The result of an overloading the bus is that less than optimal power transfer can be achieved, and signal degradation will result. To deal with this problem, assisted Gunning transceiver logic was developed.
Assisted Gunning transceiver logic (AGTL) differs from conventional Gunning transceiver logic (GTL) in that the AGTL driver "assists" the bus terminators in pulling the bus up to the specified voltage. That is, when a particular driver gets control of the bus and puts a "1" on the bus, the driver actively drives the bus to 1.5 volts (the same voltage as the terminators are tied to) with approximately the characteristic impedance, e.g., 40 ohms. This assists in pulling up the bus to the specified voltage, as well as providing a local termination on the bus stub that the driver is on, thereby damping overshoot.
As computer performance demands increase, new, higher speed logic with increased density is developed to fulfill these needs. To reduce overall power dissipation, modern microprocessors and associated circuits are being designed with lower voltage implementations, which in turn, requires power supplies to provide lower voltages with higher current capacities.
For example, Pentium.RTM. II Xeon.TM. processors have unique requirements for voltages supplied to them. Their bus implementation in particular, called the "assisted gunning transceiver logic +" (AGTL+) bus, requires a particular voltage level (1.5 volts).
The AGTL bus type is planned to have a prominent role in future Intel.RTM. products. For example, AGTL is also currently the interface used as the Intel.RTM. Merced.TM. processor bus. The Merced.TM. processor is a 64-bit processor and the first in the Intel.RTM. IA-64.TM. product family. This processor incorporates performance enhancing processing architecture techniques, such as explicit parallelism, predication and speculation. In explicit parallelism, at compile time, parallelism opportunities are identified in the software which allows for an optimal structuring of machine code to deliver maximum instruction level parallelism before execution, significantly enhancing processor utilization.
Briefly, predication relates to branch prediction, and in particular, to avoiding a wrong branch prediction which results in the purge of an instruction pipeline. In predication, branch paths are assigned special flags called predicate registers, e.g., "p1" for a "then" path, and "p2" for an "else" path. At run time, a compare statement stores a true or false value in the predicate registers. Both paths are then executed by the processor, however, only results from the path with a true predicate flag are used. Branches, and the possibility of associated mispredicts, are removed, the pipeline remains full, and performance is increased. Studies suggest that predication can reduce the number of branches by more than 50% and reduce the number of mispredicts by as much as 40%.
Speculation is directed at overcoming memory latency. Traditional architectures allow memory loads to be scheduled before the data is needed to reduce memory latency, that is, the processor time wasted while slower memory provides data needed by the faster processor. However, branches and other exceptions in instruction flow are a barrier to this pre-loading of data from memory. In speculation, memory loads are speculatively scheduled even in instruction streams with branches. If an exception occurs, this event is stored and a "check.s" instruction causes the exception to be processed. This elevation of the load allows more time to account for memory latency without stalling the processor pipeline.
The AGTL bus has a specified terminating impedance, e.g., 40 ohms, on the extreme ends of the bus which provide pull-up and transmission line termination. FIG. 1 shows a conventional AGTL driver arrangement. The driver/terminators, e.g., P1 101 and R1 102, pull the bus 109 to 1.5 volts (Vdd2 105).
The drivers assist are controlled by a pull-up assist signal at a control terminal 107 which switches in Vdd2 105 (1.5 volts) pulling the bus up to the specified 1.5 volts, i.e., actively driving the bus to the required 1.5 volts. Similarly, a pull-down signal at a control terminal 108 of the switching device (N1) 103 in pull-down path R2 104 and N1 103, serves to pull-down the bus 109 to ground (Gnd) 106. For pull-down, a lower resistance path (approximately 7 ohms) is provided.
Intel.RTM. provides an example of an AGTL+ processor bus system termination for a four-way symmetric multi-processing (SMP) design in literature for the Intel.RTM. Pentium.RTM. II Xeon.TM. processor available from their web site. In that example, which is shown in FIG. 4, all processor system bus AGTL+ signals on bus 409 are tied to 1.5 volts (Vtt) through a 150 ohm resistor (402), so that the bus 409 maintains a 25 ohm load impedance no matter what configuration is used in the five available slots 410 (the 25 ohms is derived from the six 150 ohm resistors 402 in parallel).
Actually, there are "AGTL" variants, all of which are Intel.RTM. "dialects" for a particular associated processor chip. The Xeon.TM. described above has the 150 ohm pull-ups distributed and always on. On the other hand, the Intel.RTM. "Merced" has 40 ohm card resistors at the ends of the bus line, with transiently applied 40 ohm pull-ups, such as are shown in FIG. 1. That is, a 40 ohm pull-up on each driver is enabled for a brief period when the driver relinquishes the bus, or changes from driving a logic level zero to driving a logic level one. The Intel "Foster" also has transiently-applied 40 ohm pull-ups such as in FIG. 1, but the end devices leave them on all the time so that card 40 ohm resistors aren't needed.
It should be appreciated that one the one hand, terminating a line with a resistance value equal to the characteristic impedance is preferred for avoiding signal reflections. However, it should also be appreciated that if terminating resistances are too low, too much current may be required to keep the bus signal lines at the required pull-up voltage level, i.e., the low resistances too heavily load the bus. Further, while the 1.5 volt specified for the AGTL bus may be advantageous for the design reasons mentioned earlier, it presents some design challenges as well.
Driver circuits are typically packaged in integrated circuits also called "chips" herein. If the driver chip naturally has a connection for the specified 1.5 volts on it, i.e., is already designed that way, there is no design problem because the driver/terminator can simply be connected to the 1.5 volts. However, currently many driver chips use 1.8 volts as their "natural" supply connection. Often the driver chip also has to have a second (higher) supply to interface to older technologies.
For example, SA27 (CMOS 7S product SA27) has two supplies, which are usually allocated to 1.8 volts (natural) and the older 2.5 volts. The SA27 product is an IBM ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) family. It is a family of chips of different sizes and number of inputs/outputs (I/O's). The user would design logic function using circuits from the SA27 "library," which then are placed and routed on the SA27 image. However, bringing in yet a third supply voltage connection to provide the 1.5 volts becomes very difficult, for example, in terms of the number of chip and module pins that will be required.
If an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or other system designer wants to use the Intel.RTM. Merced.TM. processor, for example, an AGTL driver which is compliant with the AGTL voltage (1.5 volts) and impedance (40 ohms) specifications is required. Using such a bus is desirable for designers and manufacturers of the next generation of systems and servers, such as the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM.RTM.). However, as suggested above, unless a particular driver chip already has a connection for a 1.5 volt supply, it may be very difficult to provide.
Therefore, a need exists for a way to permit the use of the existing "natural" supply voltage of existing drivers with the AGTL bus.

Assisted gunning transceiver logic (AGTL) bus driver


In various embodiments, methods, systems, and non-transitory computer-readable media are disclosed that allow developers to place date pickers on columns, rows, and cells using a desktop integration framework. The date picker can be tied to components, forms, or model metadata. In one aspect, date picker metadata is provided separately from the document to which one or more date pickers will eventually be added.

An application refers to a software program, which on execution performs specific desired tasks. In general, several applications are executed in a run-time environment containing one or more of operating systems, virtual machines (e.g., supporting Java™ programming language), device drivers, etc., as is well known in the relevant arts.
Developers often use Application Development Frameworks (ADFs) (which are by themselves applications) for implementing/developing desired applications. An ADF provides a set of pre-defined code/data modules that can be directly/indirectly used in the development of an application. An ADF may also provide tools such as an IDE (integrated development environment), code generators, debuggers, etc. which facilitates a developer in coding/implementing the desired logic of the application in a faster/simpler manner.
In general, an ADF simplifies development of applications by providing re-usable components and integrated development environments, which application developers can use to define user interfaces and application logic by, for example, selecting components to perform desired tasks and defining the appearance, behavior, and interactions of the selected components. Some ADFs are based on a model-view-controller design pattern that promotes loose coupling and easier application development and maintenance. Oracle Application Development Framework is one example of an ADF that utilizes this design pattern.
Oracle ADF includes libraries of standards-based Java Server Faces (JSF) components with built-in HTML5 and Ajax functionality. With these components, web deployed user interfaces can be developed with a level of functionality and interactivity previously reserved for thick client applications. The components offer data interaction, data visualization, and encapsulated browser side operations in a set of easy to use components that makes rich client application development easier than ever. Oracle ADF further provides a data-binding framework that simplifies binding UI to business services through a simple drag and drop operations in the IDE. This is done while still, keeping the independence of the business service from consuming interfaces. With the framework, the UI developer is insulated from the underlying implementation of the business service layer. This makes the process of building the UI truly decoupled from the implementation of the business service layer, better positioning the application for implementation in a service-oriented architecture.
Accordingly, what is desired is to solve problems relating to building application user interfaces using application development frameworks, some of which may be discussed herein. Additionally, what is desired is to reduce drawbacks relating to building user interfaces using application development frameworks, some of which may be discussed herein.


An improved method of vacuum packaging by using a specific laminated film as a package film, the laminated film being composed of a plastically deformable layer of a synthetic resin having a yield stress more than 50 kg/cm.sup.2 at a temperature of 23.degree. C. and an elongation of less than 30% at elastic limit at a shaping temperature of 50.degree. to 180.degree. C. and an elastic layer of a synthetic resin having an elongation of more than 40% at elastic limit at the shaping temperature.

The present invention relates to an improvement in vacuum packaging.
In recent years, the blister-packaging technique using metal molds has been widely used. As is well known, the blister-package is feasible by a method in which a sheet or film is at first shaped in a desired form of container by means of a metal mold and, after charging a material or an article to be packed into the cup of the shaped sheet or film and combining with a flat base film or sheet provided with a plurality of small holes for the passage of air, the container is tightly sealed while containing the material or the article therein after replacement of air in the cup-shaped container made by the shaped film and the flat base film or sheet or after evacuation of the container through the holes provided in the flat base film or sheet, the holes being sealed afterwards automatically by the melt sheet. When the close-fit packaging is applied to perishables such as meat, the space inevitably established between the material or the article and the film promotes juice separation, thus spoiling the appearance and causing putrefaction of the packaged material. In order to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantage, there have been proposed several methods including a method in which the size of metal mold is closely coincided with the outer dimensions of the material or article to be packaged, and a method in which the degree of vacuum in the shaped sheet is made so high that the packaging film is forced to be tightly contacted with the material or the article to be packed along its external form. However, the former method is not practical since it is necessary to have a rigorous control of the size of materials or articles to be packed and the insertion of such material or article into the thus formed container is not easy. While, the latter method is disadvantageous in that an excess portion of film is undesirably wrinkled on evacuation and the packaged material or article becomes irregular in shape, thus producing a poor external appearance. In addition, the wrapping film is apt to be broken in the portions folded and wrinkled. Both methods are thus unfavorable from a practical point of view. There is accordingly a strong demand for improvements in the packaging films and methods.
In order to realize a tight package while avoiding the wrinkles occurring in surplus portions of the film, there has been also proposed use of heat shrinkable or elastic films as packaging film. In this connection, however, usual stretched films or elastic films are practically unsatisfactory because of their large residual stress or strain. For example, the stretched film or the elastic film often warps the article or material itself which is packaged therewith or squeezes a soft material or such as ham, sausage or the like, or causes separation at the seal.
As an attempt to give vacuum-tight packages with reduced residual stress, there is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 48-6891 a packaging method utilizing the specific thermal property of film of vinylidene chloride copolymer. In this method, the vinylidene chloride copolymer is extruded in the form of a film and is immediately quenched rapidly to keep the film in an amorphous state, and this film is used for packaging. More precisely, the use of such a film is advantageous in that the film in the amorphous state can be prevented from becoming wrinkled on packaging due to its inherent elasticity and that, after packaging, the wrapped film can be fixed in shape by crystallization thereof and by freezing the strain thereof. In this method, the adverse effect due to the residual stress or the strain as experienced in ordinary shrinkable or elastic films can be avoided.
In this method, however, as it is necessary that the film of vinylidene chloride copolymer formed by extrusion be immediately quenched rapidly to retain amorphous state prior to use. The film-forming step and the packaging step are directly connected so as to complete the packaging procedure within a very short time before crystallization of the rapidly cooled copolymer is induced, and the film is crystallized in a subsequent step such as by heat treatment. Accordingly, this method has the vital disadvantage that if the speeds in related steps, particularly the film-forming speed and the packaging speed, are not synchronized properly, the packaging will become impossible, entailing a loss of materials. Further, owing to the inherent characteristics of the copolymer of vinylidene chloride, the packaging procedure should be carried out at a sufficiently low temperature to avoid crystallization of the film which is remarkably accelerated under high temperature conditions resulting in a loss of elasticity. This poses a serious problem if bacteria remain on the film which is used to wrap raw ham, perishable and the like foods, for which the sterilization at high temperature must be avoided after once packed.


During the transportation of, if appropriate, partly finished hinge-lid boxes (10) on a pack conveyor (11), an inexact positioning of a lid (14) of the hinge-lid box (10) is frequently undesirable. For this purpose, provision is made for restraining holders (30, 31) which enter into the movement path of the hinge-lid boxes (10) and exert a closure force on the lid (14), which is at the front in the transporting direction, of the hinge-lid box (10). The restraining holders (30, 31) are expediently provided in the region of a glue unit for the hinge-lid boxes.

The invention relates to an apparatus for transporting hinge-lid boxes having at least one lid and a box part, in particular in the region of a gluing station for the application of glue onto side tabs and lid side tabs in order to form side walls and lid side walls, it being possible for the hinge-lid box to be transported by drivers, butting against a rear side, of a conveyor, and a base wall and a lid upper wall being oriented transversely with respect to the conveying direction.
Hinge-lid boxes--also called hinge-lid packs are a type of pack for cigarettes which is common throughout the world. The basic construction of a hinge-lid box is such that a box part and a lid are connected to one another in the region of a rear wall and lid rear wall, respectively, such that they can pivot along a hinge line.
It may be necessary, for various reasons, for the wholly or partly finished hinge-lid box to be retained, during the transportation, with the lid in an exact closed position. In said closed position, a free border edge of the lid or of a lid front wall butts against a closure edge of the box part.
The gluing of folding tabs is given by way of example, namely the gluing of outer side tabs and outer lid side tabs, which, together with inner side tabs and inner lid side tabs, form side walls of the box part and lid side walls, respectively. In this arrangement, during the transportation of the largely finished hinge-lid boxes, the transversely projecting outer side tabs and lid side tabs are provided with glue from beneath in the region of a glue station. Glue-application members, in particular glue disks, transfer an application of glue onto the side tabs, on the one hand, and on the lid side tabs, on the other hand. If the lid is not in the correct closed position, a precise application of glue cannot be transferred onto the side tabs and lid side tabs.

Apparatus for transporting hinge-lid boxes for cigarettes


A method and apparatus for processing a web of material, which is dispensed from a roll and fed through at least one roller gap of a roller-gap system which includes a processing station, an unrolling station on the input side of the processing station, and a roll magazine on the input side of the unrolling station which magazine includes at least one roll storage position. When rolls of web material are processed, the processing delay times lead to an uneven distribution of the temperature and/or moisture within the roll which in turn causes nonuniformity of the results in the processing station. The web of material still on the roll is exposed, prior to being unrolled, to a preselected atmospheric environment for a predetermined minimum length of time. Accordingly, the roll storage position is located in a chamber, the atmosphere of which can be controlled to a preset temperature and/or humidity level.

A web of material, such as paper produced in a paper machine, is wound into large rolls having diameters and lengths of up to several meters, for example, 3 meters wide by 10 meters long. When wound, the paper has a temperature of between 40.degree. C. (104.degree. F.) and 70.degree. C. (158.degree. F.) and a particular moisture level. Prior to further processing, such as glaze finishing in an off-line calender which in this example serves as the processing station, the roll of paper normally cools off to ambient temperature, but not uniformly over the roll's entire cross section. Rather, the cooling-off process begins at the outer layers and end surfaces of the roll and gradually progresses to the inside. Thus, a temperature gradient is created in the roll which extends primarily in radial fashion from the inside to the outside and also contains components in the roll's axial direction.
The trend toward faster throughput of rolls in a paper mill prevents one from waiting until the temperature of the roll is perfectly uniform. Instead, after a relatively short period of time, the roll is moved to the next processing step, such as the aforementioned glaze finishing. At that point, the web of paper is fed under pressure through at least one roller gap. Typically, one of the rollers forming the roller gap is heated by a liquid positioned within the roller.
The temperature gradient across the roll's radius causes a continuous temperature change of the web as it is fed into the calender. As a result, the roll's temperature increases as the paper is unrolled. Since the surface temperature of the heated calender rollers is kept constant, the glaze finish will vary over the length of the paper web. A similar phenomenon, although not as severe, occurs in the direction perpendicular to the paper web. Occasionally, different finishing effects occur along the web's edges which cool more rapidly than the center section and have to be rectified by other methods.

Method and apparatus for processing a web of material