A vehicle's active electrically controlled non-step speed change mechanism includes an internal combustion engine, a dynamo (motor-generator), a power allotment unit and an active electrically controlled non-step speed changer to control vehicle able to run in the best condition notwithstanding its speed, roadway condition or load thereby achieving the aim of fuel saving and minimizing the environmental contamination due to excess discharge of exhaust gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle's active electrically controlled non-step speed change mechanism, and more particularly, to an active electrically controlled non-step speed change mechanism equipped in a vehicle to control a dynamo (motor-generator), and an internal combustion engine operation with computer aid according to roadway condition and vehicle speed so as to bring the internal combustion engine to operate at the best working state thereby achieving the aim of curtailing the amount of fuel consumption and minimizing exhaust gas discharge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been developed a hybrid power vehicle that may lower environmental contamination arisen from the use of internal combustion engine in three categories, namely cascade, parallel, and cascade-parallel.
(1). Cascade type: In this type the internal combustion engine is only used to drive the generator, and the power for vehicle is completely supplied by a motor. It has the merits of simple in construction and easy to bring the internal combustion engine to operate at best condition. On the contrary, since the internal combustion engine is used only to drive the generator, and the work required for carrying and driving the vehicle depends totally on the motor, which results in energy loss and a poor efficiency. As a result, the aim of allotment of two-power source is insignificant.
(2). Parallel type: In this type the operational efficiency will be somewhat better than the former type, and its internal combustion engine and motor are able to work simultaneously in the case to carry a heavy load, crumbing the slope, instantaneous acceleration etc. such that an optimal integrative combined power of the two different sources can be obtained at the crucial moment. During the time the output of the internal combustion engine is sufficient to drive the vehicle, it can at the same time operate the generator to charge the storage battery. In starting or slow speed running, the motor can be employed to provide the power without actuating the internal combustion engine.
(3). Jointed cascade parallel type: In comparison to the precedent two types, this type can serve more effectively to make use of the two different power sources suitable for applying to various operation modes. Though speaking of the mechanism as a whole, it is much complicated than that of a cascade type, yet it is much more efficient than a conventional internal combustion engine and the cascade type with less contamination. This is why many manufacturers including Industrial Technology Research Institute are actively devoting with great efforts for studying this type of vehicle. As a matter of fact, the engine output of this type is adjusted from time to time in accordance with the speed of the vehicle. The problem of contamination at low engine speed is not so serious as the traditional vehicle; the energy wasting at high speed is still in negligible.
Recently, the special recreation vehicle has become a favorite of the youth. Take the heavy-duty cars for example; there are types of cruising, sports, racing, dune buggy on sand and runabout etc. All of them are five to six stepped speed or CVT non-step speed change types; the form of power transmission may be in belt conveyor, sprocket or output shaft. No matter what form of gearshift is used, it is difficult to fully exhibit the best engine efficiency. The most important reason lies in that the speed range of a traditional engine is too broad because the vehicle has to encounter rapid acceleration or deceleration very often.
As shown in FIG. 1, the internal combustion engine of the hybrid power system which is presently on market is controlled to operation on the best working line extended from the idle speed to the most fuel saving speed, operating under such control will never be able to cause the system operate with the merits of low contamination, low energy consumption and low noise.
As the automobile industry in Taiwan has very firm foundation, some of them have advanced one step forwards to the study and development of the pure electrical vehicle and there have been primitive products presented on market. It is pitiful that they still have no way to be liberated from the inherent flaws of short cruising distance and inconvenience in recovery of electrical power. On the contrary, there are seldom who are willing to devote in study of hybrid electric vehicle for reason that it demands a huge amount of several million Us dollar investment against a very poor occupation rate of automobile sales on the international market.
In view of the foregoing situation, the applicant of the present invention herein conducted intensive research based on many years of experience gained through professional engagement in the manufacturing of related products, with continuous experimentation and improvement culminating in the development of vehicle's active electrically controlled non-step speed change mechanism of the present invention which will be elucidated hereinafter.

Vehicle's active electrically controlled non-step speed change mechanism

National Taipei University of Technology


An illustrative embodiment disclosed herein is an apparatus including a processor having programmed instructions that write data having mixed deletion characteristics sequentially to a plurality of data entries of a first physical erase block (PEB) in intermediate storage. The data having the mixed deletion characteristics includes first data having a first deletion characteristic. The processor has programmed instructions that maintain metadata in a plurality of metadata entries in a log. The metadata corresponds to the data having the mixed deletion characteristics. The processor has programmed instructions that identify, using the log, the first data having the first deletion characteristic and evacuate the first data having the first deletion characteristic to a second PEB in main memory.

In non-volatile memory systems, a file system may control how data from multiple log file system is stored and retrieved through interactions with a flash translation layer. In certain embodiments, due to hardware constraints, the file system may interact with the flash translation layer to write the data from the multiple log file system logs to a single physical erase block.

Log-based storage for different data types in non-volatile memory


Generally speaking, methods and media for authorizing a guest to use an electronic financial transaction card, such as a credit card or debit card, are disclosed. Embodiments may include receiving information about a desired guest transaction (which may be limited in size, timeframe, nature, etc.) from a customer associated with an EFT card, generating a guest PIN number and artifact information for the guest transaction, and transmitting them to the customer. Embodiments may also include receiving from a financial terminal a PIN number and an indication of a supplied artifact associated with a proposed transaction utilizing the EFT card. Embodiments may include determining whether the proposed transaction should be authorized based on the received PIN number and the supplied artifact and, in response to determining that the proposed transaction should be authorized, transmitting approval of the proposed transaction to the financial terminal.

The use of electronic financial transaction (EFT) cards such as credit cards and debit cards continues to play a vital and significant role in today's economy. Customers may use EFT cards to purchase goods and services from a vendor, to withdraw cash from an automated teller machine (ATM), or perform other financial tasks. For many types of EFT cards (such as cash withdrawal cards), a customer must enter a personal identification number (PIN) to successfully complete the transaction, while other transactions may require signatures to be accepted (e.g., higher value credit card purchases). As EFT cards have become more and more ubiquitous, so has the infrastructure for supporting the use of EFT cards in commerce, resulting in increased use of credit card authorization machines and ATM machines. A customer may now, for example, use a conveniently-located ATM machine to withdraw cash from an account or, in another example, purchase their groceries either with a credit card or a debit card.
For an automatic transaction (i.e., without human merchant involvement), the ATM machine may typically read the customer's ATM card, request authorization for the customer's withdrawal from the customer's bank, and dispense the cash once authorization has been received from the bank. For a merchant transaction, the merchant may typically swipe the customer's credit card in a credit card authorization machine, which may then transmit a request to purchase the good or service via the requested amount of credit. Once approval of the credit is received from the credit card provider, the merchant may then charge the credit card for the desired amount and complete the transaction. The functionality and prevalence of EFT cards are likely to continue to increase and more people acquire the cards, more people use them for different types of transactions, and as competition between EFT card providers intensifies.
Often, however, a customer may desire for someone else to perform a financial distraction on their behalf. A person that cannot leave their house, for example, may want someone to run an errand for them that requires use of an EFT card, such as going to withdraw cash or purchase groceries. In another example, a parent may wish for their child to make a transaction that the parent has authorized, such as purchasing gasoline or books for school. To have someone else perform these tasks with their EFT card, the customer must provide the EFT card and possibly the PIN number (depending on the nature of the transaction) to the other person so that they can complete the task. By providing the EFT card and other information, the customer runs the risk that the other person will use the EFT card for inappropriate purposes, such as if they purchase additional items for themselves or steal cash from the customer's account. One solution to this problem is for some customers to acquire a limited-purpose EFT card, such as a credit card associated with a gasoline company, in the hopes that this will limit misappropriation of funds. Such a solution, however, does not provide a satisfactory solution in many cases and is also itself subject to abuse, such as when children exchange purchases for others with a gasoline card for cash.

Guest limited authorization for electronic financial transaction cards

International Business Machines Corporation


A home appliance having a griddle cover includes an appliance body; a cooktop on the appliance body and having a griddle; a griddle cover for removable disposition on the griddle for protecting the griddle from contaminants, the griddle cover including a cover body having a plurality of support elements on the cover body; and a mounting arrangement for removably mounting the griddle cover to the griddle including a plurality of feet mounted to the support elements for supporting the griddle cover on the griddle.

The present invention relates broadly to home appliances for cooking and, more particularly, to a range having a griddle for cooking and an improved griddle cover.
Ranges provide a number of cooking options through, for example, ovens, steamers, cooktops and griddles. Griddles usually feature a generally planar cooking surface, with many griddles including some form of non-stick coating.
When not in use, the non-stick surface of a griddle should be protected from airborne contaminants as well as splashes, spills and overflows from cooking operations elsewhere on the cooktop. Further, the non-stick coating of the griddle should be protected from abrasion, scratches, gouges, and other damage that metallic utensils and other cooking implements can inflict. Accordingly, a griddle cover is desired.
The griddle cover should be attractive and coordinate with the overall appearance of the range while providing sufficient protection for the griddle. Further, a griddle cover should remain in covering relation with the griddle unless removed by a user of the range. The griddle cover could be made from a material similar to the griddle, i.e., with a non-stick coating. However, such a cover would be expensive, wasteful of materials and likely too heavy to function as an effective griddle cover.
Accordingly, stainless steel may be used to provide a light and attractive griddle cover. However, stainless steel or other metals can be abrasive to the non-stick coating on the griddle surface. In the past, a silicone gasket fixed to the bottom of the griddle cover by adhesive was used to protect the coated griddle from damage by the metallic cover.
A silicone gasket on the bottom of the griddle cover is effective in protecting the griddle cover however it is costly to manufacture due to the need to provide both a gasket and adhesive that are resistant to high temperatures associated with a range Further, the assembly of such a griddle cover with a silicone gasket is generally labor intensive. Therefore, there exists a need for a griddle cover that avoids the above-described problems.

Home appliance with improved griddle cover


A panel has been provided to a wireless device that turns off all RF capability of the wireless device (including, but not limited to notifications, wireless web clipping, instant messaging, email sending/receiving, phone calls, etc.). The panel is brought up on a screen of the wireless device by pressing a programmed hard button for more than 1 second. Once the RF capability has been turned off, if the user attempts to access a program or other device that requires the RF capabilities, a notification is displayed that identifies the RF capabilities as being disabled and prompts the user whether to continue. If the user continues, the RF device is automatically enabled, otherwise the RF device remains disabled.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to user interfaces and enablement of radio capabilities of a wireless device. The invention is more particularly related to radio capability enablement and user interfaces for phone and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).
2. Discussion of Background
Personal computer systems and their applications have become common tools in modern society. To organize their lives, many personal computer users use personal information management applications such as an address book and a daily organizer on their personal computers. Although such applications have proven useful for personal information management, their utility is limited by the fact that the person must be sitting at their personal computer system to access the information.
To remedy this limitation, palmtop computers, electronic organizers and other handheld devices, commonly known as personal digital assistants (PDA's), have been introduced. The PDA is a computer that is small enough to be handheld or placed in a pocket, and allows a user and run various applications including personal information management applications such as address books, daily organizers, etc. These applications make people's lives easier.
A popular brand of PDA is the Palm™. However, the Palm™ is much more than a simple PDA. A basic configuration of the Palm™ 100 is shown in FIG. 1. This small, slim, device, about the size of your wallet, can hold 6000 addresses, 5 years of appointments, 1500 to-do items, 1500 memos, 200 e-mail messages, and can run many different software applications.
The front of the Palm™ 100 is a large LCD screen 110 which is touch-sensitive and allows a user to enter and manipulate data. A stylus (not shown) is provided with the Palm™ to help in making touch screen inputs. By using the stylus (or another handheld pointer) to interact with a touch-sensitive screen, a palmtop user can easily navigate through a host of built-in programs, software, and other applications.
Today, the Palm™, PDA and other handheld computing devices (Palm tops) offer Internet connectivity capabilities, as well as a vast array of hardware and software choices. Palmtops have evolved from simple organizers into a new kind of handheld that people use to instantly manage all kinds of information, from email, to medical data, to stock reports.
Mobile telephones (cell phones, PCS, satellite phones, etc) are also common tools in today's world. Many cell phones include rudimentary functionality for maintaining telephone numbers and other functionality to help alleviate the burdens associated with making calls and tracking phone numbers. In addition, the modern cell phone also has options for personalizing the style of various phone operations.
One trend in the PDA marketplace is the integration of radio based services into the PDA. One pioneering example is the Palm VIIx which includes RF capabilities to access a wireless network (palm.net) to provide email and web-clipping internet access to users.
However, despite the great capabilities and conveniences of the modern PDA, and the cell phone, many innovations are needed for expanding the capabilities and for increasing the convenience of using PDAs and cell phones.

Software enabled on/off switch for radio functionality in a wireless device


A surgical stapling device includes a handle assembly, an adapter assembly, and a reload assembly that is releasably secured to the adapter assembly to facilitate replacement of the reload assembly after each use of the stapling device. The reload assembly includes an authentication chip and printed circuit board assembly that is constructed to provide electrical contacts that are self-supporting to allow for automated assembly of the electrical contacts and provide a more reliable, robust electrical connection between the electrical contacts and the chip.

Surgical stapling devices for suturing tissue are well known in the art and typically include a handle assembly, an adapter assembly, and an end effector supported on the adapter assembly for treating tissue. Such stapling devices are capable of suturing tissue more quickly than traditional suturing techniques to reduce time required to perform surgical procedures and reduce trauma to a patient.
In order to reduce costs associated with surgical procedures that require tissue to be sutured, the end effector of the surgical stapling device may form part of a reload assembly that is releasably coupled to the adapter assembly and disposable to facilitate reuse of the handle assembly and the adapter assembly. In some cases, the adapter and handle assemblies can be configured to be used with different types or sizes of reload assemblies. The reload assembly may include an authentication chip that communicates with the adapter assembly and the handle assembly when the reload is coupled to the adapter assembly to, inter alia, ensure that the reload assembly is compatible with the adapter and handle assemblies and to allow the handle assembly to properly actuate the particular reload assembly.
In such devices, the adapter and the reload assemblies include electrical contacts that mate when the reload assembly is coupled to the adapter assembly to electrically couple the authentication chip to the adapter assembly. If the electrical connection between the adapter assembly and reload assembly is compromised, the surgical device will not operate.


Provided are a living body stimulating electrode, a living body stimulating electrode apparatus, and a method for producing a living body stimulating electrode. The living body stimulating electrode has a flexible circuit board (FPC) between a living body stimulating electrode and a resin part. The resin part and the FPC are fixed with the living body stimulating electrode. Specifically, the flexible circuit board is disposed between the living body stimulating electrode and the resin part, and one or both of a stimulating electrode and a contact electrode constituting the living body stimulating electrode have an engaging part having a pressing part and a fixing part. The pressing part presses the flexible circuit board onto the resin part. Simultaneously, the fixing part is penetrated through a through hole formed in the flexible circuit board and pressed into a hole formed in the resin part, thereby fixed to and held by the resin part. The engaging part may be subjected to a chamfering process (the edge may be chamfered into an angulated plane or a round plane) to form an inclined plane or a curved (round) plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a living body stimulating electrode, a living body stimulating electrode apparatus, and a method for producing a living body stimulating electrode, and relates, for example, to one that is mounted on the skin and stimulates a pain sensory nerve.
2. Description of the Related Art
For clinical investigations of diabetes and brain waves, such a method has been proposed that a pair of electrodes containing a cathode and an anode is mounted on an end of the finger of the subject or the like, and the pain sense of the subject is stimulated thereby by applying an electric current thereto.
For example, in the case of diabetes where the nerve tissue of the patient is degenerated with the progress of the disease, clues to the condition of the disease of the subject may be found by applying electric stimulation to the pain sensory nerve of the subject and investigating the reaction in the subject.
As the electrode for stimulating a pain sense, the following have been proposed.
JP-A-2010-213929 describes a skin stimulating electrode apparatus that has an insulating part capable of retaining relative positions of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, thereby retaining the difference in height between the tip of the positive electrode and the tip of the negative electrode, which are in contact with the skin.
JP-A-2013-154023, JP-A-2013-154024 and JP-A-2013-154025 each describe a living body stimulating electrode apparatus that has a stimulating electrode having an edge line and stimulating a pain sensory nerve and a contact electrode forming a pair with the stimulating electrode, which are integrated with each other from the portion in contact with the skin to the portion having connectors to wire leads, and are fixed to a resin chassis through insert molding or thermal caulking.
JP-A-2013-154026 describes a living body stimulating electrode apparatus that has a stimulating electrode and a contact electrode, which are each formed solely at the skin contact portions, in which leg parts provided on each of the stimulating electrode and the contact electrode are press fitted into through holes formed in a resin part, thereby fixing the electrodes to the resin part, and simultaneously connecting the electrodes electrically to circuits provided on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole and the back surface of the resin part.
The living body stimulating electrode may have factors of impairing the sense of electric stimulation, for example, due to the weights of the electric parts and the devices itself, the weight of the wire leads (copper wire) for conducting electricity, and the tensile force formed by handling the wire leads for fixing or the like. In addition, there is an increasing demand of a metal terminal (living body stimulating electrode) that is capable of controlling more complex electric signals.
In the aforementioned ordinary electrodes having a wire lead formed of copper wire connected thereto, a complex circuit applied thereto may increase the factors including the weight of the wire lead and the tensile force, which are desirably reduced.

Living body stimulating electrode, living body stimulating electrode apparatus, and method for producing living body stimulating electrode


An underground storage tank riser assembly comprises a riser member and at least one riser alignment spacer assembly. The riser member comprises an inferior riser end and an outer riser surface. The outer riser surface at the inferior riser end comprises a plurality of paired, optionally color-coded, curvilinear score indicia. The curvilinear score indicia enable a user to remove paired inferior end portions from the inferior riser end for forming a tank-engaging, saddle-shaped mouth at the inferior riser end. The saddle-shaped mouth comprises a vertical riser radius of curvature substantially equal in magnitude to a determinable tank radius of curvature. The saddle-shaped mouth is engageable with an outer tank surface in radial adjacency to a conduit extending therefrom. The riser alignment spacer assembly functions to center the riser member relative to the conduit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an access/isolation riser assembly for use in combination with an underground storage tank. More particularly, the present invention relates to an access/isolation riser assembly and kit for outfitting any number of underground storage tanks enabling users thereof to gain access to the given underground storage tank and isolate certain storage tank accessibility from certain underground elements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art specifically directed to underground storage tank access riser assemblies is relatively undeveloped as compared to the prior art more broadly directed to underground storage tank spill containment art and the like. A brief listing of certain prior art specifically relating to underground storage tank riser assemblies and the like, is briefly described, hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,585 ('585 Patent), which issued to Robbins, discloses a Double Wall Tank Manway System. The '585 Patent teaches a double wall manway assembly for double wall tanks intended primarily for underground use, wherein an inner wall provides primary fluid containment and an outer wall provides secondary fluid containment, and a monitor between the walls can detect leakage past the inner wall into the space between the walls. The double wall manway assembly of the invention includes a riser conduit extending through apertures in the two tank walls and having an in-turned inner flange and an out-turned outer flange, with inner and outer cover members removably sealingly engaged over the respective inner and outer flanges. The space within the riser between the two covers communicates with the space between the two tank walls through one or more vent holes through the wall of the riser, for conducting any fluid leakage through the inner cover flange seal to the monitor between the tank walls. In some forms of the invention, a plurality of pipe fittings is embodied in the double wall manway as structural parts thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,456 ('456 Patent), which issued to Berg et al., discloses a Water—Tight Riser for Underground Storage Tank Manway. The '456 Patent teaches an underground storage tank provided with a manway equipped with a riser extending from the storage tank, about the manway, to a point just below the access way provided in the ground level of the installation. The riser is provided with a water-tight cover which is released through operation of a cam. The water-tight riser excludes water from the interior of the riser and the manway, ensuring access to the manway, operation of the fittings provided in the manway, an additional containment of fluid passing through the manway and the area of the tank adjacent thereto. Because it is water-tight, an alarm sensitive to liquid may be placed in the interior of the riser to alert the operator to the possible loss of containment, or loss of water-tight sealing between the cover and the riser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,045 ('045 Patent), which issued to Bravo, discloses Secondary Containment for Underground Storage Tank Riser. The '045 Patent teaches a secondary containment system for use in preventing leakage to or from an underground storage tank at a joint where a riser line connects to the tank. The system includes a secondary riser tube for surrounding the riser line and a sealing ring for providing a seal between the outer wall of the storage tank and the secondary riser tube. The sealing ring has a sleeve for sealing against the outer wall of the secondary sealing tube and a flexible bell-shaped skirt for sealing against the outer wall of the storage tank. A support bracket clamps to the outer wall of the riser line and includes three threaded arms extending radially outward. Three acorn nuts cooperate with the threaded arms and can be jacked in an outward direction against the inner wall of the secondary riser tube to fix the riser line and the secondary riser tube to one another and hold the secondary riser tube pressed downwardly to hold the flexible skirt of the sealing ring into sealing engagement with the outer wall of the storage tank.
Related to the '045 Patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,361 ('361 Patent), which also issued to Bravo, and discloses Secondary Containment for Underground Storage Tank Riser. The '361 Patent further teaches a secondary containment system for use in preventing leakage to or from an underground storage tank at a joint where a riser line connects to the tank. The system includes a secondary riser tube for surrounding the riser line and a sealing ring for providing a seal between the outer wall of the storage tank and the secondary riser tube. The sealing ring has a sleeve for sealing against the outer wall of the secondary sealing tube and a flexible bell-shaped skirt for sealing against the outer wall of the storage tank. A support bracket clamps to the outer wall of the riser line and includes three arms extending radially outward. The three arms engage the secondary riser tube to hold it into engagement with the sealing ring and thereby hold the sealing ring in sealing engagement with the tank wall by maintaining a downward force on the secondary riser tube.
It will be seen from a further review of the above-referenced patents and other prior art generally known to exist relating to underground storage tank riser assemblies, that the prior art does not teach a storage tank access system or kit for enabling installers of riser assemblies to quickly outfit variously sized underground storage tank assemblies with a riser assembly having tank saddle means. Thus, the prior art perceives a need for a storage tank access system or kit and methodology for enabling installers of riser assemblies to quickly outfit variously sized underground storage tank assemblies with a riser assembly having tank saddle means.

Underground storage tank access/isolation riser assembly, method, and kit


A method of managing a resource is provided by a base station. The base station allocates a resource to a terminal, and generates a downlink control channel including information of the allocated resource and a transmission time of a next downlink control channel. Further, the base station transmits the downlink control channel to the terminal.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for managing a resource.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In a wireless communication system, schemes for allocating radio resources between a transmit node and a receive node, for example a base station and a terminal, include a dynamic allocation and a persistent allocation. When a buffer has a packet to be transmitted in the dynamic allocation, the radio resource for transmitting the packet is requested and allocated. In the persistent allocation, a radio resource is periodically and persistently allocated.
The persistent allocation may be applied to a service in which service traffics have periodical characteristic, for example a voice service. Because a fixed radio resource is periodically allocated and used in the persistent allocation, the base station does not need to transmit allocation information every allocation. Therefore, a radio resource for broadcasting the allocation information can be saved. Further, because a terminal which is the receive node knows a periodic reception time, a power can be saved at times besides the reception time. The dynamic allocation has no limitation for an allocation time, and determines allocation order and allocation amount according to a scheduling algorithm used by a scheduler to provide dynamically the radio resource. Accordingly, the dynamic allocation can maximize resource utilization.
In the persistent allocation, holes of the radio resource may be generated by allocation and deallocation of the periodic fixed resource, and the resource utilization may be decreased by increase of the size of allocated resource. That is, the persistent allocation cannot dynamically fragment and transmit a packet according to the size of resource. However, when traffics have the periodic characteristic and require the relatively big size of allocated radio resource like a multicast-based push-to-talk (PTT) service or a group communication, the persistent allocation deteriorates the system capacity. In addition, the dynamic allocation cannot be appropriate for a power saving of the terminal.

Method and apparatus for managing resource

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


Embodiments of the present invention help to accomplish accurate and reliable clearance control. In one embodiment of the present invention, a disk drive device adjusts the clearance between a head element portion and a disk with a heater on a slider. The clearance control according to the present embodiment incorporates the variation in heater power efficiency in the clearance variation depending on the radial position. The clearance variation in a unit of heater power varies depending on the radial position. Taking account of the variation in the heater power efficiency in the thermal fly-height control (TFC) depending on the radial position in addition to the clearance variation between the head element portion and the disk caused by variation in fly-height or attitude, accomplishes more accurate TFC.

Disk drive devices using various kinds of disks, such as optical disks, magneto-optical disks, flexible magnetic disks, and the like have been known in the art. In particular, hard disk drives (HDDs) have been widely used as storage devices of computers and have been one of indispensable storage devices for current computer systems. Moreover, HDDs have found widespread application to moving image recording/reproducing apparatuses, car navigation systems, cellular phones, and the like, in addition to the computers, due to their outstanding characteristics.
A magnetic disk used in a HDD has multiple concentric data tracks and multiple servo tracks. Each servo track is constituted by a plurality of servo data containing address information. Each data track includes multiple data sectors containing user data. Data sectors are recorded between servo data located discretely in the circumferential direction. A head element portion of a head slider supported by a swinging actuator accesses a desired data sector in accordance with address information in the servo data to write data to and retrieve data from a data sector.
It is important to decrease the clearance between a head element portion flying over a magnetic disk and the magnetic disk in order to improve the recording density of the magnetic disk. To this end, some mechanisms have been proposed that adjust the clearance. One of them has a head slider equipped with a heater which heats the head element portion to adjust the clearance (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-220195 "Patent Document 1"). In the present specification, it is called thermal fly-height control (TFC). The TFC supplies the heater with electric current to generate heat and make the head element portion protrude by thermal expansion. This leads to decreasing the clearance between the magnetic disk and the head element portion.
It is preferable that the clearance be small for writing or retrieving data. On the other hand, it is important to avoid contact between the head slider and the magnetic disk caused by a too small clearance. The clearance in a beater off state varies depending on the temperature and the operation mode (read or write) as well as the radial position on the magnetic disk. Therefore, it has been proposed to control heater power depending on the radial position on the magnetic disk (for example, refer to the Patent Document 1).
The conventional technique discloses adjustment of the heater power, taking account of the clearance variation caused by variation in attitude and fly-height of the slider depending on the radial position. However, the inventors have found that what changes depending on the radial position are not only the attitude and the fly-height of the slider. Through researches by the inventors, it has been found that the clearance variation rate by the TFC changes with the radial position. That is, the heater power efficiency (Δnm/mW) on the clearance variation varies with the radial position. Consequently, it is necessary that the TFC incorporate the variation in heater power efficiency in the clearance variation depending on the radial position.

Disk drive device, manufacturing method thereof, and method for setting heater power value for a heater for adjusting a clearance

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A coupling assembly to removably join a bassinet to a playyard including two rectangular playyard blocks locatable on interior faces of each upper corner bracket of a playyard and spaced from the apex thereof and with vertically extending undercut regions on the edge of each playyard block facing the apex an a cooperable bassinet block removably receivable within each playyard block, each bassinet block having outwardly facing cylindrical apertures at right angles with respect to each other for the receipt of adjacent bassinet rails during operation and use and with a vertically extending projection positionable from above to within the undercut regions of the playyard blocks and with an abutment surface thereabove to limit downward motion of the bassinet blocks when located within the playyard blocks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a playyard/bassinet system and more particularly pertains to extending the utility of playyards and bassinets through a bassinet conveniently positionable in a playyard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of child care products of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, child care products of known designs and configurations heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of converting child care products for extended utility through known methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,432 to Kujawski discloses a Baby Playpen-Bassinet Combination. U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,470 to Shamie discloses a Combination Foldable Playpen and Dressing/Changing Table. U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,709 to Cheng discloses an Elevated Floorboard Frame for a Playpen and Baby Bed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,336 to Mariol discloses a Playyard and Bassinet Combination.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe playyard/bassinet systems that allow extending the utility of playyards and bassinets through a bassinet conveniently positionable in a playyard.
In this respect, the playyard/bassinet system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of extending the utility of playyards and bassinets through a bassinet readily removably positioned in a playyard.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved playyard/bassinet system which can be used to extend the utility of playyards and bassinets through a bassinet positionable and removable with respect to a playyard. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


Raffinose synthase genes coding for proteins capable of producing raffinose by combining a D-galactosyl group through an α(1→6) bond with a hydroxyl group attached to the carbon atom at position 6 of a D-glucose residue in a sucrose molecule were isolated from various plants. These raffinose synthase genes are useful to change the content of raffinose family oligosaccharides in plants.

Raffinose family oligosaccharides are derivatives of sucrose, which are represented by o-α-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→6) n-o-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fluctofuranoside as the general formula, and they are designated "raffinose" when n=1, "stachyose" when n=2, "verbascose" when n=3, and "ajugose" when n=4.
The greatest contents of such raffinose family oligosaccharides are found in plants, except for sucrose, and it has been known that they are contained not only in higher plants including gymnosperms such as pinaceous plants (e.g., spruce) and angiosperms such as leguminous plants (e.g., soybean, kidney bean), brassicaceous plants (e.g., rape), chenopodiaceous plants (e.g., sugar beet), malvaceous plants (e.g., cotton), and salicaceous plants (e.g., poplar), but also in green algae, chlorella. Thus, they occur widely in the plant kingdom similarly to sucrose.
Raffinose family oligosaccharides play a role as reserve sugars in the storage organs or seeds of many plants or as translocating sugars in the phenomenon of sugar transportation between the tissues of some plants.
Furthermore, it has been known that raffinose family oligosaccharides have an effect of giving good conditions of enterobacterial flora, if present at a suitable amount in food. Therefore, raffinose family oligosaccharides have already been used as a functional food material for addition to some kinds of food and utilized in the field of specified healthful food.
Raffinose family oligosaccharides having such a role and utility are produced by the raffinose oligosaccharide synthesis system beginning with sucrose in many plants. This biosynthesis system usually involves a reaction for the sequential addition of galactosyl groups from galactotinol through an α(1→6) bond to a hydroxyl group attached to the carbon atom at position 6 of a D-glucose residue in a sucrose molecule.
In the first step of this biosynthesis system, raffinose synthase is an enzyme concerned in the reaction of raffinose production by combining a D-galactosyl group from galactotinol through an α(1→6) bond with a hydroxyl group attached to the carbon atom at position 6 of a D-glucose residue in a sucrose molecule. It has been suggested that this enzyme constitutes a rate limiting step in the above synthesis system, and it has been revealed that this enzyme is quite important in the control of biosynthesis of raffinose family oligosaccharides.
The control of expression level or activity of raffinose synthase in plants makes it possible to change the contents of raffinose family oligosaccharides in these plants. However, raffinose synthase, although the presence of this enzyme itself was already confirmed in many plants by the measurement of its activity with a biochemical technique, has not yet been successfully isolated and purified as a homogeneous protein. In addition, the amino acid sequence of this enzyme is still unknown, and no report has been made on an attempt at beginning to isolate a gene coding for this enzyme.


A connection device capable of mixing an RGB graphics signal and a YUV video signal. The connection device includes a graphics conversion module for transforming an RGB graphics signal into a YUV graphics signal, and a mixing module connected to the graphics conversion module for receiving a YUV video signal and the YUV graphics signal from the graphics conversion module. The mixing module outputs a YUV signal after mixing the YUV video signal and the YUV graphics signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection device and related method, and more particularly, to a connection device capable of mixing an RGB graphics signal and a YUV video signal and related method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In computer systems, input formats of video signals and graphics signals are typically different. The input format of video signals is luminance-bandwidth-chrominance (YUV or YCbCr) or red-green-blue (RGB). However, the input format of graphics signals is RGB. If a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), cathode ray tube (CRT) or plasma display panel (PDP) display, is compatible with a computer the output format of the video signal and the graphics signal are both RGB. If the display is a TV, the output format of the video signal and the graphics signal must be YUV (or YCbCr) to comply with the format of TV signals. Therefore, in the prior art, if the input format of the video signal is YUV (or YCbCr) and the display is a TV, the YUV video signal must be first transformed into an RGB video signal, mixed with an RGB graphics signal, transformed into a YUV signal, and then output to the TV. During the process of transformation, distortion (such as color distortion) of the video signal can occur.
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram of a connection device 100 according to the prior art. The connection device 100 comprises a first video transforming module 120, a second video transforming module 140, a mixing module 130, a TV output interface 110, an LCD output interface 112, a CRT output interface 114, and a PDP output interface 116. The first video transforming module 120 is utilized for transforming a YUV video signal into an RGB video signal. The mixing module 130 is utilized for mixing an RGB graphics signal and the RGB video signal generated by the first video transforming module 120. The second video transforming module 140 is utilized for transforming an RGB signal generated by the mixing module 130 into a YUV signal.
When receiving a YUV video signal, the first video transforming module 120 transforms the YUV video signal into an RGB video signal and outputs the RGB video signal to the mixing module 130. The mixing module 130 is utilized for receiving the RGB video signal and the RGB graphics signal, mixing the two signals and then outputting the mixed signals to an output interface to simultaneously represent the video and graphics signals on a display. If the display, such as an LCD, CRT or PDP display, is compatible with a computer the mixing module 130 directly outputs the mixed RGB signals to the LCD output interface 112, CRT output interface 114 or PDP output interface 116. If the display is a TV, the mixing module 130 outputs the mixed RGB signals to the second video transforming module 140. The second video transforming module 140 transforms the mixed RGB signals into YUV signals and then the YUV signals are output to the TV output interface 110.
As mentioned above, in the prior art connection device 100, the YUV video signal must be transformed into an RGB video signal by the first video transforming module 120. If the display is a TV, the RGB video signal will be transformed back into the YUV video signal by the second video transforming module 140. Then the YUV video signal is output to the TV. Due to the two transformations of the original video signal, distortion (such as color distortion) of the original video signal output to the TV can occur.

Connection device capable of mixing an RGB graphics signal and a YUV video signal and related method


A semiconductor module solder bonding of high reliability in which the heat resisting properties of the circuit substrate and electronic parts are taken into consideration. In order to achieve this, there are provided semiconductor devices each having solder bumps as external pads, and a circuit substrate bonded to the external pads of each of the semiconductor devices through a solder paste, each of the solder bumps being made of a first lead-free solder, the solder paste being made of a second lead-free solder having a melting point lower than that of the first lead-free solder.

The invention relates to a technique for mounting a semiconductor device.
There is an increasing demand for semiconductor devices such as BGA, CSP, WPP, flip chip and etc. each of which semiconductor devices has bumps as external pads. In the semiconductor device having the bumps as the external pads, the bumps are formed by, for example, the steps of: preparing a pad pattern in which the plating of nickel-gold (Ni/Au) and nickel-palladium-gold (Ni/Pd/Au) is applied on the surface of copper; coating the pad pattern with flux by printing; mounting solder balls on the flux-coated pad pattern; and reflow-heating them so that the bumps may be formed.
Further, the mounting of these semiconductor devices is performed by the steps of: coating a paste material, which comprises solder particles and flux, on a pad pattern formed on a substrate; positioning the bumps of the semiconductor device and the pad pattern of the substrate; loading the positioned bumps on the pad pattern; and soldering them.
Usually, a material used for the bumps or the mounting is so-called Snxe2x80x94Pb eutectic solder of Sn-38 mass % Pb.
In recent years, it is urged to put Pb-free solder to practical use.
The melting point of the conventional Snxe2x80x94Pb eutectic solder is 183xc2x0 C. On the other hand, in a Pb-free solder material such as, for example, Anxe2x80x94Agxe2x80x94Cu solder, the melting point thereof ranges from 216xc2x0 C. to 227xc2x0 C., which melting point is higher than that of the conventional Snxe2x80x94Pb eutectic solder.
According to the research performed by the inventors of the invention, it is found that, in a case where a semiconductor device such as BGA which device has bumps is mounted on a substrate, there occurs such a phenomenon as the solder bumps do not always melt readily. Namely, according to the inventors"" research, it is found that a temperature between the semiconductor device and the substrate is lower than the temperature of the substrate or the semiconductor device itself by a value of 15 to 20xc2x0 C.
Thus, by setting the reflow temperature so that these Pb-free solder bumps may be melted, the temperature of the substrate or the semiconductor device itself becomes higher by the value of 15 to 20xc2x0 C. than the temperature measured between the semiconductor device and the substrate, that is, it becomes 240 to 260xc2x0 C., so that there arises a problem of heat resisting property regarding the substrate and other electric parts (such as electrolytic capacitors and etc.) mounted on the substrate.
The object of the invention is to realize solder bonding of high reliability in which the heat resisting properties of a circuit substrate and electronic parts are taken into consideration.
In the invention, in order to achieve the object, there are provided the semiconductor module and the circuit substrate both recited in the claims.
The inventors of the invention have noted the respects that, in a case of mounting on a substrate the semiconductor device such as BGA etc. which device has solder bumps, solder paste is fed on the substrate and that bonding portions are formed by the fed solder paste and the solder bumps. In prior arts, the solder paste and the solder bumps are formed of the same material, and they are usually melted completely so that the soldering may be achieved. However, in the invention, the solder bumps are not deemed to be a material for soldering but are deemed to be only pads, and the soldering of the pads (the solder bumps) is performed by the solder paste. Further, in the invention, the solder bumps are made of a material having a melting point higher than that of the solder paste so that each of the solder bumps may not be completely melted positively. As stated above, the temperatures of the bumps and the surrounding thereof are apt to become lower than the set reflow temperature, however, the solder paste is readily melted in comparison with the bumps, so that it is easy to perform the soldering.
Thus, even at a reflow temperature at which each of the solder bumps is not melted completely, it becomes possible to realize, while taking the heat resistance of the circuit substrate and electric parts into consideration, soldering of high reliability in a case where bonding portions can be formed by the melting of the solder paste. For example, in a case where a semiconductor device having bumps as the outer pads thereof is mounted on a substrate by use of solder paste for mounting, the solder bumps are made of a material such as Snxe2x80x94Cu alloy or Snxe2x80x94Agxe2x80x94Cu alloy which material has a melting point higher than that of conventional solder containing Pb, the solder for mounting the substrate being made to have a composition of a melting point lower than that of the solder bumps, and the reflow thereof is performed at such a temperature as the heat resisting properties of the substrate and the electric parts are taken into consideration, so that a mixture layer is formed between each of the solder bumps and the solder paste for mounting although each of the solder bumps is not melted completely with some of the original shape of each bump remaining, whereby it becomes possible to perform the bonding of both of the semiconductor device and the circuit substrate with high reliability. In this case, in order to prevent unexpected intermediate products from occurring during the forming of the mixture layer, it is preferred that the solder bumps have a solder composition of the same kind as that of the solder for mounting.
Further, in a case of using the solder of the Snxe2x80x94Agxe2x80x94Cu alloy, there occur such problems as acicular crystals occur and as migration and short are caused due to the acicular crystals. Thus, it is desired to reduce the content of Ag contained in soldering portions formed between the semiconductor device and the circuit substrate. However, in the invention, the solder for mounting needs to have such a composition as to be melted at the reflow temperature, so that the composition of the solder is decided by the reflow temperature, that is, there is a limit regarding the reducing of the Ag content of the solder for mounting. Thus, it is preferred that, by reducing the amount of Ag inflowing from the solder bumps into the solder for mounting, the content of Ag contained in the soldering portions is prevented from increasing. Namely, it is preferred that the content of Ag contained in the solder bumps is less than that of the solder for mounting. For example, the solder balls (i.e., solder bumps) may be made of Snxe2x80x94Cu alloy solder. As regards the solder for mounting, the composition thereof is decided in accordance with the reflow temperature, and a Snxe2x80x94about 2.0 to about 3.5 mass % Agxe2x80x94about 0.3 to about 0.8 mass % Cu alloy is preferred in view of the reliability of bonding. In this specific case, it becomes preferred that the solder balls have the composition of Snxe2x80x94zero to about 2.0 mass % Agxe2x80x94about 0.3 to about 0.8 mass % Cu.

Semiconductor module having solder bumps and solder portions with different materials and compositions and circuit substrate


An aluminum sputtering process including RF biasing the wafer and a two-step aluminum fill process and apparatus used therefor to fill aluminum into a narrow via hole by sputtering under two distinctly different conditions, preferably in two different plasma sputter reactors. The first step includes sputtering a high fraction of ionized aluminum atoms onto a relatively cold wafer, e.g., held at less than 150° C., and relatively highly biased to attract aluminum atoms into the narrow holes and etch overhangs. The second step includes more neutral sputtering onto a relatively warm wafer, e.g. held at greater than 250° C., and substantially unbiased to provide a more isotropic and uniform aluminum flux. The magnetron scanned about the back of the aluminum target may be relatively small and unbalanced in the first step and relatively large and balanced in the second.

Silicon integrated circuits continue to often use aluminum as the conductive material for vertical and horizontal interconnects in a multi-level metallization structure despite an increased emphasis on copper metallization for very advanced circuitry. The aluminum is most often deposited by magnetron sputtering. However, as the aspect ratio of vertical interconnects continues to increase, a geometry generally unfavorable for sputtering, aluminum sputtering faces increased challenges. Nonetheless, relatively conventional DC magnetron sputter reactors continue to be favored because of their simplicity, low cost, and long usage.
As schematically illustrated in the cross sectional view of FIG. 1, a DC magnetron sputter reactor 10 includes a vacuum chamber 12 arranged generally symmetrically about a central axis 14. A vacuum pump system 16 pumps the chamber 12 to a very low base pressure in the range of 10−8 Torr. However, a gas source 18 connected to the chamber through a mass flow controller 20 supplies argon as a sputter working gas. The argon pressure inside the chamber 12 is typically held in the low milliTorr range. A pedestal 22 arranged about the central axis 14 holds a wafer 24 or other substrate to be sputter coated. An unillustrated clamp ring or electrostatic chuck may be used to hold the wafer 24 to the pedestal 22, which is usually temperature controlled. A shield 26 protects the chamber walls and the sides of the pedestal 22 from sputter deposition. A target 28 having a planar front face is arranged in opposition to the pedestal 22 and has no substantial effective portion extending closer to the pedestal. For aluminum sputtering, at least the front face of the target 28 facing the wafer 24 is composed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy having no more than 10 at % of one or more alloying elements in addition to elemental aluminum. The target 28 is vacuum sealed to the chamber 12 through an isolator 30.
A DC power supply 32 electrically biases the target 28 negatively with respect to the shield 28, if electrically grounded, or other chamber part to cause the argon sputter working gas to discharge into a plasma such that the positively charged argon ions are attracted to the negatively biased target 28 and sputter material from it. Some of the sputtered material ejected from the target 28 is deposited as a layer on the wafer 24. In reactive ion sputtering, a reactive gas such as nitrogen is additionally admitted to the chamber to cause the deposition of a metal compound such as metal nitride. In some applications for sputtering copper or refractory barrier metals, an RF power source 34, for example operating at 13.56 MHz although other RF frequencies may be used, biases an electrode 36 in the pedestal 22 through a capacitive coupling circuit 38. In other applications including sputtering aluminum, the RF biasing circuitry is conventionally omitted and the pedestal 22 is left electrically floating.
Dependent upon the application, the wafer 24 may need to be heated or cooled during sputter coating. A controllable power supply 40 may supply current to a resistive heater 42 embedded in the pedestal 22 to thereby heat the wafer 24. On the other hand, a controllable chiller 44 may circulate chilled water or other refrigerant to a cooling channel 46 formed in the pedestal 22. Although unillustrated, further thermal control is effected by the controllable supply of argon thermal transfer gas delivered to a convolute channel formed in the top surface of the pedestal electrode 36 to thermally couple the wafer 24 to the pedestal 22.
The diode DC magnetron sputter reactor for aluminum sputtering conventionally does not include a RF inductive or microwave source of energy significantly coupling energy into the plasma.
The sputtering rate can be greatly increased by placing a magnetron 50 in back of the target 28. The magnetron 50, which is an aspect of the present invention, can assume various shapes and forms. It may include pairs of magnetic poles 52, 54 of opposed vertical magnetic polarity and typically arranged in a ring shape to form a ringshaped region 56 of a high-density plasma (HDP) adjacent the front face of the target 28. The HDP region 56 results from the magnetic field extending horizontally between neighboring magnetic poles 52, 54 trapping electrons, thereby increasing the plasma density. The increased plasma density greatly increases the sputtering of the adjacent region of the target 28. The plasma density is further increased by the magnetron 50 having an encompassing area significantly smaller than the area of the target being scanned and sputtered, for example, less than 15%, which thereby concentrates the target power in the reduced area of the magnetron 50. To provide a more uniform target sputtering pattern, the ring-shape magnetron 50 is typically offset from the central axis 14. A motor 60 drives a rotary shaft 62 extending along the central axis 14 and fixed to a plate 64 supporting the magnetic poles 52, 54 to rotate the magnetron 50 about the central axis 14. Rotating the offset magnetron 50 produces an azimuthally uniform time-averaged magnetic field. If the magnetic poles 52, 54 are formed by respective rings of opposed cylindrical permanent magnets, the plate 64 is advantageously formed of a magnetic material to serve as a magnetic yoke.
Magnetrons of several different designs have been applied to reactors of the general design illustrated in FIG. 1. Tepman describes in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,728 a magnetron that has a flattened kidney shape. For example, as illustrated in the plan view of FIG. 2, a kidney-shaped magnetron 70 includes an outer pole 72 of one magnetic polarity surrounding an inner pole 74 of the other magnetic polarity. The two poles 72, 74 are typically formed of continuous bands of a soft magnetic stainless steel acting as pole pieces and underlaid by a plurality of permanent magnets. A gap 76 of nearly constant width separates the two poles 72, 74 and has periphery with a flattened kidney shape. The gap 76 defines an annular band in which the magnetic field between the two poles 72, 74 is approximately horizontal adjacent the sputtering face of the target 28. The kidney-shaped magnetron 70 is relatively large compared to the target 28, for example, having an encompassing area within the inner periphery of the outer pole 74 of greater than 25% of the total used area of the target, that is, the area scanned by the magnetron 70 and thereby sputtered. The rotation center 14 of the magnetron 70 typically falls on or near the inner portion of the inner pole 74. Parker illustrates several variations of the kidney-shaped magnetron in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,566.
More recently, a self-ionizing plasma (SIP) sputtering process has been developed primarily for use in copper sputtering, as has been described by Fu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,265, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. SIP sputtering relies upon high target power, high wafer biasing, and a relatively small unbalanced magnetron. The high target power and small magnetron produce a significant fraction of sputter atoms that are ionized, which the biased wafer accelerates and attracts deeply within narrow aspect-ratio holes. A typical SIP magnetron 80 is illustrated in schematic bottom plan view in FIG. 3, although other shapes are possible, including racetrack, circular, oval, and others. The SIP magnetron 80 includes a generally triangularly shaped outer pole 82 of one vertical magnetic polarity along the central axis 14. A curved side 84 of the outer pole 82 generally follows the adjacent outside periphery of the target 28. An apex 86 of the shaped outer pole 82 falls close to the rotational center 14 of the SIP magnetron 80. Typically, the rotational center 14 falls within the outer pole 82 or very close outwardly towards the curved side 84. The outer pole 82 surrounds a triangularly shaped inner pole 88 having a magnetic polarity opposite that of the outer pole 82 and separated from it by a nearly constant gap 90. The magnetic field produced between the two poles 82, 88 and extending horizontally in front creates the high-density plasma region 56 of FIG. 1 but a minimal central field-free core. An SIP magnetron is usually small, having an encompassing area within the inner periphery of the outer pole 84 of less than 20% of the used area of the target.
The SIP magnetron 80 is unbalanced in the meaning that the total magnetic intensity of the outer pole 82, that is, the magnetic flux integrated over the area of the outer pole 82, is substantially greater than that of the inner pole 82, for example by a factor of at least 150% and preferably 200% or 300%. Typically, the unbalance is achieved by placing beneath the two pole pieces acting as the inner and outer poles 82, 88 a different number of similarly constructed but oppositely oriented permanent cylindrical magnets, for example, of NdBFe. However, other structures have been proposed. The unbalance causes the unbalanced portion of the magnetic field to project from the magnetron 50 or 80 towards the wafer 24 of FIG. 1, thereby extending the plasma and guiding the ionized sputter atoms perpendicular to the wafer surface and deep into the deep via hole, particularly in a long-throw reactor.
Neither of the above sputtering methods seems adequate to fill aluminum into a high aspect-ratio via hole 100, illustrated in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, formed through an upper dielectric layer 102 overlying a conductive feature 104 in a lower dielectric layer 106. In advanced integrated circuits, the hole 100 may have an aspect ratio of its depth to width of four or more. A thin barrier layer 108 typically of Ti or TiN or a combination thereof is coated onto the sides of the via hole 100 before an aluminum layer 110 is sputter coated thereon. Preferably, the barrier layer 108 is removed from the bottom of the via hole 100 either by selective sputtering conditions or with a separate etching step, as is well known in the art.
A conventional aluminum sputter coating using the Tepman magnetron of FIG. 3 and an unbiased wafer, however produces a generally isotropic flux pattern of neutral sputter atoms unsuitable for filling high aspect-ratio holes. In particular, overhangs 112 tend to develop at the top corners of the via hole 100 and sidewall and bottom coverage is poor. In particular, the overhangs 112 may close the via hole 100 before the hole 100 is filled, thereby leaving a void in the aluminum fill. Such voids are almost impossible to remove and create great reliability problems.
One method of avoiding overhangs includes heating the wafer to a temperature of 300 to 500° C. or even higher during sputtering so that the aluminum reflows into the bottom of the via hole 100. Reflow however becomes increasingly ineffective with via holes 100 of increasing aspect ratio. Also, the reflowed aluminum does not wet well to uncoated surfaces of other materials. As a result, the aluminum tends to agglomerate within the via hole 100 rather than forming a smooth layer required for filling such narrow holes. One method of avoiding such agglomeration includes a two-step sputtering process in which a first sputter deposition step is performed with a relatively cool wafer so that the aluminum sticks to the oxide sidewalls and forms a thin first layer and a second sputter deposition is performed at a much higher temperature to flow over the first layer and fill the remaining portion of the hole. However, this technique practiced with conventional aluminum sputter reactors using a Tepman magnetron does not solve the problem of conformally coating the first layer into high aspect-ratio holes.
SIP sputtering is not typically used for aluminum sputtering. Even though it is likely to eliminate the overhangs and improve sidewall and bottom cover, it is felt that the small-size SIP magnetron creates significant radial non-uniformity in the thickness of a blanket portion 114 of the aluminum layer on the top surface of the dielectric layer 102. The blanket portion 114 is relatively thick so its deposition time needs to be minimized and its thickness made uniform for device reliability. SIP sputtering is considered insufficient for these objectives.
Accordingly, an aluminum sputtering deposition process is desired which can uniformly fill high aspect-ratio holes. Most preferably, the process would use only planar diode sputter reactors.


In one embodiment, the present invention provides an event recording system that has an event-capture module, an editing module, and a media recording module. The event capture module captures an event signal, such as an audio signal from a sound event, and transforms the signal into a primary event file that is accessible as it is being formed. The editing module is communicatively connected to the event capture module. It accesses and parses the primary event file into one or more digital track files that can be recorded onto a recording media. Likewise, the media recording module is communicatively linked to the editing module for receiving the one or more digital track files from the editing module. The media recording module has a plurality of media recorders for simultaneously recording the one or more digital track files onto a plurality of recording media. This allows a plurality of recording media, with the entire event recorded upon each media, to be available shortly after the event has ended.

Embodiments of the invention described herein represent a significant improvement in both the speed at which recordings of live performances can be mass-produced and in the costs of producing such recordings.
Today, the usual medium for distribution of audio recordings is a Compact Disc or CD-which is simply a data storage device which contains audio information stored according to the Red Book standard. Typically, whenever recordings of a live performance are produced for public distribution (such as when a recording artist releases a live CD) the audio portion of the live performance is captured on some type of audio storage device such as an analog multi-track tape recorder.
The resulting tape recording is then mixed, edited, and broken into discrete tracks at a recording studio. This process, often referred to as audio mastering, might include signal processing to optimize song levels to commercial (radio broadcast) standards, compression, normalization, equalization, fades, noise reduction, and any digital editing needed to maximize the sonic quality of the recordings. Typically, audio mastering takes place in a recording studio under the direction of a sound engineer. The process normally requires access to the entire, completed audio recording since many of the customary editing steps-such as normalization, equalization, or adjustment of peak levels-require a comparison of each song or discrete track to the rest of the recording. These global editing steps are also very time consuming. Digital processing of an audio file involves complex algorithms and can often take longer than the actual playing time of a given song or track.
After the audio mastering process is complete, the resulting audio tracks are recorded onto some type of digital media and used to make a glass master with the information stored as pits and lands. The glass master is then used to make the actual CDs, which contain pits and lands corresponding to the original glass master and which are coated with a metallic surface to allow a laser to interpret these pits and lands as a digital signal. The entire CD production process can take months and cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Obviously, this system is simply not practical for producing relatively small numbers of recordings of a performance or for producing the recordings quickly.
It is also possible to record a live performance onto recordable optical media such as recordable compact disks (CD-R). Using this type of data disk, information can be written onto the disk after manufacture. CD-R drives capable of storing digital audio onto blank CD-R disks are readily available for use with personal computers. In the typical CD-R disk, a flat plastic substrate is plated with a metallic surface and covered with a dye layer. The dye has the property that when exposed to an appropriate, strong laser light, it changes state. In one state, it is nearly transparent to infrared; in the other, it is more nearly opaque. A CD-R drive is capable of recording information onto the CD-R blank. Thereafter, the information can be read using virtually any type of CD drive, including drives or players intended solely for audio CDs.
The use of CD-R disks to store the recording of a live performance would have a significant advantage over the use of traditional audio CDs in terms of manufacturing time. However, the time required to perform the audio mastering would remain unchanged. Further, since each CD-R blank must be recorded individually in a CD-R drive, the time required to produce significant copies and the sheer numbers of CD-R drives which would be required to produce a significant number of copies would still be commercially unacceptable.
Embodiments of the invention described herein overcome these shortcomings and if widely adopted have the potential to greatly impact two of the most significant problems facing the music and recording industry today.
First, embodiments of the invention could virtually eliminate unauthorized recordings of live concerts or performances—often referred to as "bootleg recordings." Although such recordings were relatively rare a decade ago, advances in technology have turned bootlegging into big business—and a big problem for the recording industry. Smaller and better recording devices, digital audio formats which allow unlimited copying with no loss of quality, and low-cost CD-R drives have combined to turn bootlegging into a multimillion dollar activity. Although exact numbers are difficult to determine (since bootlegging is an illegal underground activity in many countries) it is estimated that the entire bootlegging industry generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The Recording Industry Association of America estimates that the combination of bootlegged concerts and counterfeit recordings of released CDs cost the recording industry 300 million dollars annually in lost sales.
In addition to the sales losses, bootlegs compete for shelf space and sale with authorized recordings in many record shops. Artists also cannot control the quality of bootleg recordings being released in their name. And of course, bootleggers do not pay royalties to the artists. And finally, the consumer may sometimes be deceived into buying a bootleg CD inadvertently. Some bootlegs have copycat packaging or misleading descriptions, and often there is no indication that the recordings are unauthorized.
Embodiments of the invention described herein have the potential to virtually eliminate the problem of illegal bootlegs. Obviously, bootleggers would have very few customers if higher quality legal recordings of the concerts were available.
A second problem addressed by embodiments of the invention, is the highly publicized problem of online music trading. The use of file-swapping programs like Napster allows literally millions of individuals worldwide to freely trade music rather than buy it. As on-line trading of music becomes more common, performing artists and record companies may have to derive a greater percentage of their income from live performances. In addition to the revenue generated by ticket prices, a large portion of that income will likely come from concert merchandise, such as the T-shirts and posters now available at nearly every live performance.
A tremendous market already exists for this sort of concert merchandise. It is estimated that the top 100 concert tours in the U.S. alone generate $400 million in music merchandise, not including the price of admission. Some musical performers average as much as $15 per person in merchandise sales.
Embodiments of the invention discussed here have the potential of further enhancing the merchandise revenue stream already available to the performer. The rapid growth of the bootlegging industry shows that there is already a large market for live concert recordings. Widespread use of embodiments of the invention would allow artists and record companies to tap into this market as a way of offsetting CD sales lost due to the on-line trading of music files.

System and method of creating digital recordings of live performances


A system and method for controlling the level of a moveable first wing in a vehicle mounted spray system. The vehicle mounted spray system comprises of the moveable first wing and a moveable second wing mounted to a common support structure to form a pair of opposed independently moveable wings extending laterally from the vehicle. The method and system comprise a first step of determining an initial control signal for the moveable first wing based on a position of the moveable first wing 210, then determining a compensating signal; and then controlling the level of the moveable first wing based on the initial control signal and the compensating signal.

Vehicle mounted spraying systems incorporating a boom that extends laterally both sides of a vehicle such as a tractor are commonly used to spray agricultural crops with liquid based products such as fertilisers or other chemicals. Typically, these spraying systems are mounted to the rear of the vehicle which will also carry a tank containing the liquid that is to be sprayed. To ensure that the correct amount of liquid is sprayed, the spraying system is configured so that a given flow rate is dispensed from a plurality of sprayers located along the arm at a predetermined height above the surface to be sprayed. Often these vehicle mounted spraying systems will incorporate a height adjustment capability to allow the overall height of the boom to be adjusted as desired. Booms vary in size, with typical wing tip to wing tip lengths being 90 feet (27 m), 120 feet (37 m) and 150 feet (46 m).
Whilst such a system is adequate over flat country, where the surface to be sprayed is undulating or sloped simple height adjustment of the boom relative to the vehicle is not sufficient as the ground to the right of the vehicle may be elevated with respect the ground surface to the left of the vehicle. Throughout the specification when referring to a side of the vehicle this is defined in accordance with a view taken towards the rear of the vehicle. To overcome this problem, the boom is divided into separate articulated arms or wings each of which are independently adjustable by hydraulic rams which function to raise or lower the booms in accordance with a control signal provided by ultrasonic distance sensors located on each wing. These distance sensors measure the distance between the wing and the ground surface. In this manner, either the left or right wing of the boom may be automatically raised or lowered as required.
However, there are a number of disadvantages with this approach. As the wings extend for relatively large distances (15-25 m) from the vehicle they are mounted to a central rigid support structure which itself is resiliently mounted to the vehicle. This resilient mounting includes a combination of springs, shock absorbers and pendulums so as to absorb severe twisting and movement shocks and provide some mechanical self levelling of the boom (see for example FIG. 1B). This mounting also provides approximately ±10° of travel in the roll direction which functions to absorb the significant stresses that the central support structure would otherwise encounter if it were to be rigidly mounted to the vehicle.
Unfortunately, the effect of this resilient mounting is to greatly reduce the stability of the wing height control as, for example, raising the left wing to compensate for a raised ground profile in this region will in fact cause the right wing to pivot upwardly due to the torque imparted on the entire boom by the redistribution of weight on the left hand side. This will then result in a control signal being sent to the right hand side to lower the right wing, thereby leading to a potential instability. Eventually, the boom will reach equilibrium but only after a delay of approximately one to three seconds during which time the sprayed liquid will not be dispensed in the correct amounts over the ground.
Another significant disadvantage of these prior art vehicle mounted spray systems occurs when the vehicle encounters a local undulation in the surface such as a rock or a rut in the ground that causes the vehicle to rapidly change lateral slope angle. In extreme circumstances, this could cause the tip of a wing to impact the ground as the speed of response of the ultrasonic distance sensors located on the wings is not rapid enough to prevent this occurring. Even in the case where an impact is avoided, the raising of the wing to avoid the impact will cause the raising of the opposed wing as discussed earlier, once again resulting in a time of instability of the spraying system.
What is needed is a vehicle mounted spraying system capable of improved stability control.

Agricultural spraying equipment boom level control system


In order to provide an effective technique in simplifying the vibration-proof structure of a handle equipped in a rotary power tool, a representative rotary power tool 101 is provided with a tool body 103, a rotary-disk shaped tool bit 115, a handle 109, a pivot region 121 and an elastic element 129. The handle 109 coupled to the tool body 103 is disposed in a predetermined initial position in which the handle 109 longitudinally extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tool body 103. The handle 109 can rotate with respect to the tool body 103 around the pivot region 121 in any direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the tool body 103. The elastic element 129 is disposed between the tool body 103 and the handle 109 to apply a biasing force to the handle 109 such that the elastic element 129 biases the handle 109 to return to the initial position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary power tool that performs a predetermined operation on a workpiece by rotation of a tool bit.
2. Description of the Related Art
German Patent Application No. 10248866 discloses an electric disc grinder in which a grinding wheel as a tool bit is disposed on one end of a tool body in the longitudinal direction and a handle is disposed on the other end of the tool body. The handle is coupled to the rear end of the housing via a rubber isolator. The rubber isolator is configured as a unit of multilayer structure with a combination of a plurality of plates made of rigid materials and rubber plates and disposed between the rear end surface of the housing and the front end surface of the handle. With such construction, the rubber isolator can absorb vibration caused three-dimensionally in the housing when the disc grinder is driven. As a result, the vibration transmitted from the housing to the handle can be reduced.
However, further improvement to the rotary power tool such as an electric disc grinder is desired with respect to the rubber isolator with relatively many component parts so as to reduce manufacturing costs of the power tool.


The invention is directed to an electronic assembly, such as a backplane assembly of the type including a mother board, a connector housing mounted on the mother board, and a daughter board slidably insertable into the connector housing for electrical interconnection to the mother board. The assembly comprises an elongated connector housing having a pair of parallelly disposed spaced apart housing members defining at least one slot therebetween for receiving the daughter board. A force generating member is disposed within the slot, where the force generating members comprises a pair of resilient, essentially L-shaped members. One leg of each of the L-shaped members is fixedly disposed between the mother board and the housing members, while the others of the legs upstand within the slot in a spaced apart relationship to receive the daughter board therebetween, the upstanding legs including at least one pair of opposing elastomeric members to apply a compressive pressure to said daughter board. Further, a flexible circuit element is mounted on the force generating member and is operatively disposed to electrically interconnect the daughter board to the mother board. A preferred feature thereof is the provision of a camming means on the upstanding legs to allow insertion of the daughter board without causing damage to the circuitry on the flexible circuit element, preferable in the form of a flat film.

A mother board and a daughter board are electrically interconnected to transfer digital signals between respective assemblies used in a computer or other electronic equipment, by way of example. The mother and daughter boards may be arranged perpendicular to each other, as in an "edge card" configuration, depending upon the design of the overall product.
In a variety of other product applications, the prior art has used compressible electrical connectors which are well known in the electronic industry. These compressible electrical connectors include a plurality of closely spaced conductive elements or traces photographically etched or otherwise formed on a flexible film which is bonded to an elastomeric core or other suitable carrier. Under its trademark "AMPLIFLEX", AMP Incorporated of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, supplies a wide variety of such compressible electrical connectors to the electronic and aerospace industries.
Because of their relatively high circuit densities, it would be desirable to use these "AMPLIFLEX" compressible electrical connectors in certain product applications having mother/daughter board configurations. However, because the daughter board is slidably inserted into the mother board, perpendicularly thereof, the compressible electrical connector may become damaged inadvertently.
It is important, therefore, to have a very low or substantially zero insertion force (ZIF) to preclude damage to the compressible electrical connector. This is required for insertion of the boards during assembly of the equipment in production as well as withdrawal of the boards during maintenance and service of the equipment in the field.
In co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/938,989, owned by the Assignee hereof, a ZIF type interconnection system is taught utilizing flexible film circuitry. The electrical assembly thereof includes a mother board, a connector body mounted on the mother board, and at least one compressible electrical connector carried by the connector body. A daughter board is arranged to be slidably inserted within the connector body and is disposed substantially perpendicularly to the mother board. The daughter board has respective sides and further has respective circuit elements electrically connected to the compressible electrical connector on the connector body. A deflection means is carried by the connector body and engages one of the sides of the daughter board to deflect the daughter board away from the compressible electrical connector as the daughter board is slidably inserted into the connector body. Further, a retaining means is provided to exert a lateral clamping force on the daughter bard and against the connector body, after the daughter board has been inserted into the connector body, thereby removably retaining the daughter board on the mother board.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 07/995,474, assigned to the assignee hereof, teaches another approach to a ZIF connector assembly for mother/daughter boards. More precisely, such co-pending application discloses a backplane connector having a mother board provided with a connector housing for receiving a daughter board perpendicularly thereof. A cam bump is provided on the daughter board to engage an inclined camming surface on the connector housing on the mother board, thereby deflecting the daughter board laterally away from a flexible electrical connector in the connector housing on the mother board. When the daughter board is fully seated within the connector housing on the mother board, the cam bump is received in a cam bump recess on the connector housing. A spring is provided on the connector housing to bias the daughter board towards the mother board thereby providing a detent action therebetween.
The present invention offers a still different approach in providing an electrical interconnection between a mother/daughter board utilizing flexible film having circuitry thereon as the interconnection means. This approach will become apparent in the description which follows, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Backplane connector utilizing flexible film circuitry


An absorbent article 1 having a liquid retentive absorbent layer and a liquid impermeable leak preventive layer and including, in its longitudinal direction, an excretion portion facing section A which is placed opposite a wearer's liquid excretion portion, when in wear, and a rear section B which is placed more on the back side than the excretion portion facing section A, when in wear, wherein a leak preventive wall 5 is disposed on opposite side portions in the longitudinal direction, the leak preventive wall 5 having a basal wall portion and a planar elastic expansible/contractible portion connected to an upper end portion of the basal wall portion and being raised in the excretion portion facing section A and in the rear section B, and wherein a distance from an upper end portion of the basal wall portion to the leak preventive layer in the rear section is shorter than a comparable distance in the excretion portion facing section A.

This invention relates to an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin, an incontinent pad and the like, and more particularly to an absorbent article which is excellent in fittablility and liquid leak preventive ability and in which those excellent properties are hardly degraded when worn.
An absorbent article has heretofore been known as an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin, incontinent pad and the like, which is provided at a leak preventive wall with an elastic expansible/contractible portion which is longitudinally expanded and contracted and brought into planar contact with the wearer's skin.
Such a leak preventive wall is provided for the purposes of deforming an absorbent article into a three-dimensional shape (particularly, longitudinal concaved shape) for a favorably fit for the wearer and to enhance adhesibility to the wearer's skin, thereby surely preventing leakage of liquid.
However, the conventional absorbent article has such inconveniences that the leak preventive wall occasionally falls over or gets crushed when worn, thus making it unable to fully exhibit the expected function of the leak preventive wall of preventing leakage. This means that an excellent fit and liquid leak preventive ability can not be obtained in some instances.
Moreover, Japanese patent application Laid-Open No. 8-182702 discloses an absorbent article provided with a leak preventive wall having a leak preventive surface at an upper end portion thereof which is to be brought into planar contact with the wearer's skin. However, since the leak preventive wall is disposed only at the part opposite the wearer's liquid excretion portion, fittability in the rear section which is disposed more rearwards than the afore-mentioned part is not necessarily satisfactory in some instances.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article which is excellent in fittability and in liquid leak preventive ability and in which those excellent properties are hardly degraded when in wear.


A new synthetic cultivar of prairie cordgrass designated ‘Savoy’ is described. ‘Savoy’ is well adapted to the lower Midwest environment of the United States of America, and has a higher biomass yield potential than presently available commercial prairie cordgrass cultivars, such as ‘Red River’. In particular, compared to ‘Red River’, the cultivar ‘Savoy’ has higher mass per tiller, more leaves per tiller, higher shoot height and longer, wider leaves containing more biomass per leaf.

Prairie cordgrass, Spartina pectinata, is a common species of cordgrass found in the North American tall grass prairie. This species is well adapted to land that becomes seasonally saturated with water or has high concentrations of salts. These characteristics give this species the ability to grow in areas where other plant species cannot survive.
Recently, prairie cordgrass has been recognized as a dedicated energy crop for sustainable feedstock production on marginal lands and an excellent plant species for riparian revegetation and stream bank stabilization. Currently, only one germplasm, 'Red River', is commercially available for seed production and use. However, this germplasm is not well adapted to the lower Midwest, especially south of 43° N, since 'Red River' originated north of 45° N. Outside of this geographic range, the current cordgrass cultivar 'Red River' does not grow optimally, and in particular, does not meet its full biomass yield potential.
Thus, there is a need for novel cultivars of prairie cordgrass capable of growth in a broader geographic region than current commercially available cultivars and that have a higher biomass yield potential than presently available commercial prairie cordgrass cultivars.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois