A method of manufacturing an electrode for an electrochemical device is provided with the steps of: supplying, onto a collector, a powdered mixture containing a binder and an active material; and heating the powdered mixture to form an electrode layer on the collector, that allows continuous mass production of electrodes for electrochemical devices.

Recently, with the developments in electronic instruments, there has been a demand for development of compact, lightweight, high-energy-density, rechargeable electrochemical devices. In particular, there has been an expansion in the use of high-energy-density lithium-ion secondary batteries and long-life, high-current-producible electric double layer capacitors and redox capacitors, because of their advantages.
Recently, there has been a drastic increase in the demand for electric double layer capacitors serving as memory-backup power sources, which use an electric double layer formed on an interface between a polarized electrode and an electrolyte. Attention for electric double layer capacitors has also been focused on large-capacitance-demanding applications such as electric vehicle power sources.
In the fields of cellular phones, laptop computers and the like, there has been a sharp increase in the demand for lithium-ion secondary batteries using LiCoO2, LiNiO2, LiMn2O4, or the like as a positive electrode active material and graphite or the like as a negative electrode active material, because of their performance. In addition, attention has been focused on the capacity size of redox capacitors using oxidation-reduction reaction (pseudo-capacitance of electric double layer) on the surface of metal oxides or electrically conductive polymers.
These electrochemical devices have been practically developed for the last dozen years or so, and many patent applications and literatures on these techniques have been published in recent years. For example, methods of manufacturing electrodes for electric double layer capacitors are proposed which include kneading activated carbon powder with a solvent of a liquid electrolyte such as sulfuric acid to form a slurry and forming the slurry by pressing (U.S. Pat. No. 3,288,641). However, the electrode formed by this method has a rigid porous structure and can easily crack or collapse. Thus, it cannot endure long-term use.
In order to produce electrodes having anti-cracking or anti-collapsing properties and good form retention, it is proposed that the method of manufacturing electrodes should include preforming a kneaded product of a carbonaceous material such as activated carbon, a binder such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and a liquid lubricant and then drawing or rolling the preform into a sheet-shaped product (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. S63-107011 and JP-A No. H02-235320).
In this method including the kneading step, however, PTFE can be partially formed into fibers and partially not formed into fibers. In the process of forming a thin film-shaped electrode sheet, therefore, uneven surfaces can be easily formed, and thus performance of the resulting electrochemical device can be unsatisfactory.
There is also proposed a method including the steps of mixing activated carbon powder, PTFE and a solvent to form a paste, applying the paste to a collector, drying it, then heating it to the melting point of PTFE or higher, and press-forming it to form a thin-film electrode and to increase its density (JP-A No. H09-36005). However, this method has complicated processes.
There is also proposed a method including the steps of mixing activated carbon powder, an aqueous dispersion of a styrene/butadiene polymer and a water-soluble thickening binder to form a paste, applying the paste to a collector, drying it, and then press-forming it to form a thin-film electrode and to increase its density (JP-A No. H11-162794). In this method, however, the viscosity of the slurry highly depends on the solid content, and thus a slight increase in slurry concentration can lead to a great change in slurry viscosity. Therefore, the coating performance can easily be degraded, and continuous production is not possible by this method.
As mentioned above, it is difficult to achieve continuous production by any of the conventional manufacturing methods, and for example, a long electrode sheet cannot be efficiently produced. The conventional methods have a problem with mass production.
The invention has been made in order to solve the problems with the above prior art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing an electrode for electrochemical device suitable for industrial-scale mass production.

Method of manufacturing electrode for electrochemical device


Methods of forming integrated circuit devices include forming at least one non-volatile memory cell on a substrate. The memory cell includes a plurality of phase-changeable material regions therein that are electrically coupled in series. This plurality of phase-changeable material regions are collectively configured to support at least 2-bits of data when serially programmed using at least four serial program currents. Each of the plurality of phase-changeable material regions has different electrical resistance characteristics when programmed.

Semiconductor memory devices may be classified into volatile memory devices and nonvolatile memory devices. The nonvolatile memory devices do not lose data stored therein even if power is cut off. Thus, nonvolatile memory devices have been widely applied to mobile communication systems, portable memory devices, and auxiliary memory devices of digital apparatus.
A great deal of research has been conducted to develop new nonvolatile memory devices that are efficiently structured to improve integration density. As a result, phase-change memory devices have been proposed. A unit cell of the phase-change memory device includes a switching device and a data storage element that is serially connected to the switching device. The data storage element includes a lower electrode, which is electrically connected to the switching device, and a phase-change material layer, which is in contact with the lower electrode. The phase-change material layer is formed of a material that can be electrically switched between amorphous and crystalline states or between various resistive states within the crystalline state, depending on the magnitude of supplied current.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional phase-change memory device. Referring to FIG. 1, the phase-change memory device includes a lower insulating layer 12 disposed on a predetermined region of a semiconductor substrate 11, a lower electrode 14 disposed in the lower insulating layer 12, an upper insulating layer 13 disposed on the lower insulating layer 12, a bit line 18 disposed on the upper insulating layer 13, a phase-change pattern 16 disposed in the upper insulating layer 13 (and in contact with the lower electrode 14), and an upper electrode 17 electrically connecting the phase-change pattern 16 to the bit line 18. Also, the lower electrode 14 is electrically connected to a switching device such as a diode or a transistor.
When a program current is supplied through the lower electrode 14, Joule heat is generated at an interface between the phase-change pattern 16 and the lower electrode 14. Due to the Joule heat, a portion (hereinafter, a "transition region 20") of the phase-change pattern 16 is changed into an amorphous state or a crystalline state. The transition region 20 has a higher resistivity when it is in the amorphous state than when it is in the crystalline state. Thus, by detecting the current flowing through the transition region 20 in a read mode, it can be determined whether data stored in the phase-change pattern 16 of the phase-change memory device is a logic '1' or a logic '0.'
Here, the program current should increase in proportion to the area of the transition region 20. In this case, the switching device should be designed to have sufficient current drivability to supply the program current. However, the area occupied by the switching device is increased to improve the current drivability of the switching device. In other words, the transition region 20 with a smaller area is more advantageous to improving the integration density of the phase-change memory device.
Meanwhile, there have been extensive studies on techniques of storing multi-bit data in a single cell to increase the integration density of phase-change memory devices. Since the resistivity of the aforementioned phase-change material layer can vary within a wide range with a ratio of an amorphous structure to a crystalline structure, the phase-change material layer can theoretically store multi-bit data in a unit cell.
A multi-bit phase-change memory device is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004-0178404 entitled "Multiple Bit Chalcogenide Storage Device" by Ovshinsky. According to Ovshinsky, a phase-change memory cell includes three electrodes, which are respectively in contact with an upper surface, a bottom surface, and a lateral surface of a phase-change material layer. The phase of an upper region of the phase-change material layer is changed using the electrodes in contact with the upper and lateral surfaces of the phase-change material layer, and the phase of a lower region of the phase-change material layer is changed using the electrodes in contact with the bottom and lateral surfaces of the phase-change material layer, so that 2-bit data can be stored in a unit cell. However, the structure and fabrication process of the phase-change memory cell may become complicated, as may the configuration of a peripheral circuit for supplying a program current.

Methods of fabricating multi-bit phase-change memory devices and devices formed thereby


A system comprises a processor, configured to perform balancing on a commanded cell referring to a reference cell, and responsive to detecting balancing time exceeding a threshold time and state of charge (SOC) difference being above a tolerance, abort the balancing, and generate an error message. The threshold time depends on an average balancing time calculated using the SOC difference, a predetermined commanded cell capacity, and a predetermined balancing current.

In the automotive industry, electric-powered vehicles require large capacity batteries to supply power to propel the vehicle. Such large capacity batteries usually contain multiple cells connected in series and/or parallel. Although each battery cell may be designed in the same way to create the same capacity and performance, each actual cell may have different characteristics due to factors such as manufacturing variances, assembly variances, different charge/discharge histories, different using conditions (e.g. temperatures), and etc. To maximize the capacity and increase the longevity of the battery cells, cell balancing needs to be performed.

System and method for battery cell balancing


A spindle motor is formed so as to support a pivot of a rotor by a pair of open bearings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spindle motor and a method of manufacturing thereof and more particularly to a spindle motor for supporting a rotor using open ball bearings and a method of manufacturing thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 5 shows one example of a spindle motor 51 for driving a hard disk drive device (hereinafter referred to as an HDD), more specifically, a shaft fixed spindle motor 51 wherein a shaft 55 is uprightly provided at the center of a base plate 54 and a rotor 53 is rotatably supported by interposing a pair of ball bearings 52 between the shaft 55 and the rotor 53. Further, FIG. 6 shows a shaft rotatable spindle motor 61 for an HDD wherein a substantially cylindrical fixed shaft 66 coaxial with a pivot 65 of a rotor 63 is uprightly provided and the rotor 63 is made to be rotatable by interposing a pair of ball bearings 52 between the fixed shaft 66 and the pivot 65 of the rotor 63. In general, the ball bearings 52 used for the spindle motors 51 and 61 are sealed ball bearings 52 both side surfaces of which are sealed by shields 56 so as to prevent grease from spilling out and also prevent foreign materials from entering as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Further, the shields 56 are arranged in grooves 52c consisted in both side surfaces of the ball bearings 52 (outer rings 52a and inner rings 52b) so as to not being protruded from the both side surfaces of the ball bearings 52. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pair of ball bearings 52 provided in the spindle motors 51 and 61 are disposed at prescribed intervals in the axial direction of the rotors 53 and 63 by interposing annular spacers 57 therebetween.
In recent years price competitions for hardware is intensified, and spindle motors for HDDs described above are not exceptional thereto. However, in the above-described ball bearings 51 and 61, the grooves 52c at both side surfaces of the outer rings 52a and the inner rings 52b are needed to be machined so that not only the cost of the ball bearings but also the one of the spindle motors 51 and 61 are increased accordingly. Then, open bearings without having shields 56 can be one of the choices because its relative cost will be less expensive, but open bearings without shields cannot be filled with grease in its assembly processes of the ball bearings due to the requirement of controlling the amount of grease as well as a pollution prevention before mounting into a machine. Moreover, open bearings are difficult to be maintained because foreign materials may enter the slide surfaces of the bearings before assembling the machine, resulting in numbers of difficulties when applying to the spindle motors 51 and 61.

Spindle motor and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract: The open bearings thus constructed will be less expensive and simple structures, so that a manufacturing cost thereof is reduced compared to a conventional spindle motor using a pair of ball bearings with shields. Accordingly, a low-cost spindle motor can be provided.


A filtration filter device that includes a filtration filter that filters an object to be filtered that a fluid contains, and a holding member that holds an outer circumferential portion of the filtration filter. An annular projecting portion that projects in a thickness direction of the holding member and that defines a channel through which the fluid flows is formed on one main surface of the holding member. A recessed portion that is recessed in the thickness direction of the holding member and that has an inner diameter larger than an inner diameter of the projecting portion is formed on the other main surface of the holding member. The filtration filter is disposed inside the projecting portion of the holding member.

International Publication No. 2014/017430 (Patent Document 1) discloses a filtration filter device that filters an object contained in a fluid and includes a filtration filter and a holding member that holds an outer circumferential portion of the filtration filter.
In the filtration filter device in Patent Document 1, it is necessary for the filtered object left on the filtration filter to be observed with, for example, a microscope from the perspective of activity and form. However, it is difficult to clearly observe the filtered object in the existing filtration filter device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 because the distance from a fluid supply port to the filtration filter is longer than the focal length of the microscope. In addition, measurement of the characteristics of the filtered object after drying is a prerequisite for the existing filtration filter device as disclosed in Patent Document 1. Accordingly, a space that is defined by the filtration filter and the holding member is designed to be small. In particular, when the object to be filtered is a biological substance, there is a problem in that moisture in the filtered object is lost and the activity thereof is lost during observation.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problem and provide a filtration filter device that enables the filtered object left on the filtration filter to be more successfully observed.


Conventional liftoff processes used to define track width in magnetic read heads can produce an uneven etch-depth of dielectric materials around the sensor and cause shorting to the overlay top lead layer. This problem has been overcome by printing the images of track width and stripe height onto an intermediate layer to form a hard mask. Through this hard mask, the GMR stack can be selectively etched and then back-filled with a high-resistivity material by using newly developed electroless plating processes.

Conventionally, track-width and back-edge definitions of GMR heads are fabricated in two separate steps. As illustrated in FIG. 1, track width 11b is formed first through a lithographic process, followed by ion beam etching, ion beam deposition of dielectric materials, and lift-off of photo resists. Back-edge is patterned next by following the similar processes with mask 11c across the track width, as shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the area contained within circle 22, As the CPP sensor size is shrunk to below 100 nm, this conventional two-step process becomes a challenge. As noted in the area of a, b, and c in FIG. 3, such a process can produce an uneven etch-depth of dielectric materials around the sensor and cause shorting to the overlay top lead layer. One way to overcome this problem is to combine the two-step process into one by using stencil mask 41 shown in FIG. 4, which extends beyond the final location of ABS (air bearing surface) 42. However, such modification can produce undesirable round back-edge corners 51 (as illustrated in FIG. 5). The present invention discloses an approach to resolving this problem.
In addition, conventional liftoff resist patterning procedures that employ dual-layer resists are very difficult to apply to the production of sub-100 nm resist features. The main problem lies in the very narrow process window available for undercut control. Undercut control using a thin release layer can result in liftoff difficulty. On the other hand, if the undercut is too large, it can cause collapse of the top image layer. The present invention discloses a process that eliminates the need for a liftoff mask for defining the most critical width of the structure.
A routine search of the prior art was performed with the following references of interest being found:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,915 (Sasaki) discloses electroless plating of a permalloy to form the bottom pole of a CPP device.n while U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,845 (Sasaki) shows a NiB plating layer.

Method to form an embedded micro-pedestal in a conductive layer


The substituted pentaalkylchromans of the general formula: ##STR1## wherein R denotes a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 C atoms and Hal denotes chlorine, bromine or iodine, are novel intermediates for the preparation of hypolipidaemic pharmaceuticals. A process for their preparation is described in which a trialkylhydroquinone is reacted with a halogenated butenol to give a substituted tetraalkylhydroquinone, which is finally cyclized to the final product.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to substituted pentaalkylchromans of the general formula: ##STR2## wherein R denotes a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 C atoms and Hal denotes chlorine, bromine or iodine, and to a process for their preparation.
Pentaalkylchromans, in particular the tetramethyl derivatives of the general formula I, are useful intermediates for the preparation of, for example, hypolipidaemic pharmaceuticals [J. Med. Chem., 32, (1989), pp. 421 to 428].
2. Background Art
To prepare the hypolipidaemic pharmaceuticals, it was known to employ hydroxyalkylchromans of the general formula: ##STR3## as intermediates [J. Med. Chem., 32, (1989), p. 421].
According to German Offenlegungsschrift 3,010,504, these hydroxyalkylchromans are obtainable from the corresponding hydroquinone and the corresponding butenediol with only a yield of 10 percent.
According to German Offenlegungsschrift 2,364,165, it is also known to prepare the hydroxyalkylchromans in a multi-step synthesis. However, this synthesis is very costly and not suitable for the industrial reaction.


In a control apparatus of a supercharged internal combustion engine, a variable valve actuation system interacts with an engine control system. A controller is configured or programmed to increase an intake-valve lift by a variable valve lift mechanism, which is provided for variably controlling at least the intake-valve lift of engine valves, when starting from a vehicle stand-still state or when accelerating from an idling state or a light load state. The controller is further configured or programmed to increase a valve overlap of intake and exhaust valves by a variable phase control mechanism, which is provided for variably phase-shifting a central phase angle of a valve lift characteristic curve of at least one of the intake and exhaust valves, while increasing a boost pressure of intake air introduced into an engine cylinder by a supercharging device, after the intake-valve lift has been increased.

In recent years, there have been proposed and developed various supercharged internal combustion engines capable of increasing an engine torque by supercharging intake air by means of a supercharging device installed in the intake system. One such supercharged engine has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2-119641 (hereinafter is referred to as "JP02-119641").
The supercharged engine of JP02-119641 also employs a variable phase control mechanism (a VTC mechanism) configured to variably control a phase of valve open timing and valve closure timing of an engine valve (either one of intake and exhaust valves), and a controller configured to control the operation of the VTC mechanism depending on engine operating conditions, such as engine load and/or engine speed. For instance, during high load operation, a valve overlap of intake and exhaust valves is controlled to become greater (longer). Conversely during low load operation, the valve overlap is controlled to become smaller (shorter).
Furthermore, when an engine load rise has occurred from a non-load state (e.g., an idling state where the engine runs without load with an accelerator pedal released) or a light engine load state, the controller, incorporated in the supercharged engine of JP02-119641, is configured to execute valve-overlap enlargement control in such a manner as to increase residual gas in the engine cylinder, thus reducing exhaust emissions, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx).

Variable valve actuation system of internal combustion engine and control apparatus of internal combustion engine


A method for providing IP multicast service using a VLAN in a network including an IP multicast/VLAN manager for supporting an IGMP and a GVRP, and multicast group members, includes: after generating an IP multicast group, allowing a sender to request the IP multicast/VLAN manager to search for at least one host joining the IP multicast group; allowing the IP multicast/VLAN manager to check whether the host supports the VLAN; and allowing the sender to transfer a packet through the VLAN if the host joining the IP multicast group supports the VLAN and allowing the sender to broadcast a packet though IP multicast if not.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for providing IP (Internet Protocol) multicast service using a virtual LAN (Local Area Network), and more particularly to a method for providing IP multicast service using a virtual LAN, wherein the method can provide efficient multicast service in a very high-speed network and rapidly process data by applying the virtual LAN to the IP multicast service.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, multicasting is a data transmission method capable of efficiently employing resources of a network, whereby a specific group is organized and data is broadcast to a corresponding group so that the number of data transmissions by one sender can be reduced. Thus, the sender can send data to countless receivers through one data transmission, and the data is prevented from being sent to a destination if the destination does not want to receive the data, thereby preventing unnecessary network use (RFC 1112: Host Extensions for IP Multicasting, S. Deering, August 1989). Moreover, IP multicasting can maximally utilize bandwidth, maximally reduce a sender load, and efficiently employ the resources of the network. However, there is a problem in that, because the IP multicast necessarily needs software to carry out operations associated with a lower-order physical layer and a higher-order network layer, the IP multicast cannot acquire a desired bit rate in a very high-speed network. Moreover, there is a disadvantage in that all equipment in the network (including router, etc.) should support the IP multicast.
On the other hand, a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) is restricted to a configuration of a physical network by Network Administrator. In the VLAN, a logical network between network components can be flexibly formed and a bit rate is very high. That is, where a new network is configured, the network does not have to be physically configured, thereby saving costs for physically configuring the network. Through a VLAN function, the new network can be logically configured without any physical variation. The VLAN includes a port based VLAN, a layer 2 based VLAN and a policy based VLAN according to a user's network (IEEE 802.1Q, Virtual Bridged Local Area Network, IEEE 802.1, December 1998). Because the VLAN is implemented by hardware, it can achieve a relatively high bit rate. As the user cannot change or re-configure the network, only Network Administrator is able to change it. Furthermore, the VLAN is based on a protocol such as a GMRP (GARP Multicast Registration Protocol) for multicast communication, but the protocol support only single multicast address, so that this protocol is not able to make multiple multicast addresses.
FIG. 1 roughly shows a conventional IP multicast structure. Referring to FIG. 1, in a case of the conventional IP multicast, session information is transferred through an SDP (Session Description Protocol) and a host as a member desiring to join or leave a group can join or leave the group associated with a "JoinHostGroup/LeaveHostGroup" process through an IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol). As described above, the member's joining or leaving is managed by an IGMP router 11 as a multicast router through the IGMP. Thus, data is sent to only joiners in the groups of a network A 12 and a network B 13. In this method, IGMP routers 11 should necessarily carry out all operations associated with OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) 1st˜3rd layers 14. Where the amount of traffic increases and the joining or leaving of group members frequently occurs, there is a problem in that the IGMP routers 11 should carry a heavy load.
On the other hand, FIG. 2 roughly shows a conventional VLAN structure. The VLAN forms one group by designating a sub-network management group between network devices through a GVRP (GARP VLAN Registration Protocol) 22. That is, the group formed through the GVRP 22 can be identified as a group formed by the VLAN. Accordingly, data sent from the sender 21 is broadcast to the group formed through the GVRP 22. Since the GVRP 22 is a hardware-based protocol, a bit rate in the GVRP 22 is very high, but the user cannot readily intervene in the GVRP 22 and only a network device manager can directly intervene in the GVRP 22.
On the other hand, as a prior art patent associated with an IP multicast/VLAN, there is U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,251 entitled "Virtual Local Network for Sending Multicast Transmission to Trunk Station", Anil G. Rijhsinghani, August 2000. As disclosed in the prior art patent, both IP multicast information and VLAN information is contained in a protocol header so that network equipment can use only information capable of being processed by its own equipment and therefore have flexibility. FIG. 3 shows a structure of the IP multicast/VLAN disclosed in the prior art patent. Where a message having the protocol header containing both IP multicast information and VLAN address information is sent to a network in FIG. 3, network equipment 31, 32 and 33 selects and processes desired information between the IP multicast information and the VLAN address information. However, there is a problem in that a multicast group manager is not considered in the IP multicast/VLAN and that the network equipment should support a specific protocol disclosed in the prior art patent.
With regard to a combination of the VLAN and the IP multicast, only a protocol has been proposed, and structures and detailed operations of management programs have not been yet proposed. In particular, upon combining the VLAN and the IP multicast, problems associated with a network's transmission speed and global utility should be addressed.

Method for providing IP multicast service using virtual LAN

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


Methods for fabricating sublithographic, nanoscale arrays of openings and linear microchannels utilizing self-assembling block copolymers, and films and devices formed from these methods are provided. Embodiments of the invention use a self-templating or multilayer approach to induce ordering of a self-assembling block copolymer film to an underlying base film to produce a multilayered film having an ordered array of nanostructures that can be removed to provide openings in the film which, in some embodiments, can be used as a template or mask to etch openings in an underlying material layer.

As the development of nanoscale mechanical, electrical, chemical and biological devices and systems increases, new processes and materials are needed to fabricate nanoscale devices and components. Conventional optical lithographic processing methods are not able to accommodate fabrication of structures and features much below the 100 nm level. The use of self-assembling diblock copolymers presents another route to patterning at nanometer dimensions. Diblock copolymer films spontaneously assembly into periodic structures by microphase separation of the constituent polymer blocks after annealing, for example, by thermal annealing above the glass transition temperature of the polymer or by solvent annealing, forming ordered domains at nanometer-scale dimensions. Following self-assembly, one block of the copolymer can be selectively removed and the remaining patterned film used as an etch mask for patterning nanosized features into the underlying substrate. Since the domain sizes and periods (Lo) involved in this method are determined by the chain length of a block copolymer (MW), resolution can exceed other techniques such as conventional photolithography, while the cost of the technique is far less than electron beam lithography or EUV photolithography, which have comparable resolution.
The film morphology, including the size and shape of the microphase-separated domains, can be controlled by the molecular weight and volume fraction of the AB blocks of a diblock copolymer to produce lamellar, cylindrical, or spherical morphologies, among others. For example, for volume fractions at ratios greater than about 80:20 of the two blocks (AB) of a diblock polymer, a block copolymer film will microphase separate and self-assemble into a periodic spherical domains with spheres of polymer B surrounded by a matrix of polymer A. For ratios of the two blocks between about 60:40 and 80:20, the diblock copolymer assembles into a periodic hexagonal close-packed or honeycomb array of cylinders of polymer B within a matrix of polymer A. For ratios between about 50:50 and 60:40, lamellar domains or alternating stripes of the blocks are formed. Domain size typically ranges from 5-50 nm.
Diblock copolymer thin films of cylindrical and lamellar phases may both form striped phases relative to an interface. For cylindrical phase films, a striped pattern results from parallel cylinder orientation, while for lamellar phase films, a striped pattern results from perpendicular domain orientation. From a top down view, perpendicular-oriented lamellae and parallel-oriented cylinders appear similar, e.g., as parallel lines.
Graphoepitaxy techniques using defined topography such as trench edges have been used in an attempt to orient and order copolymer domains and control registration and alignment of the self-assembled blocks to form a desired pattern.
While the self-assembly of diblock copolymers of tightly controlled composition and polydispersity has been demonstrated as a method of preparing a variety of nanoscale, sub-lithographic structures, the necessity of casting only very thin films limits the dimensions of the structures, particularly in the z-axis direction (i.e., perpendicular to the substrate surface). Openings produced by selective etching and removal of polymer domains of the films may not achieve the required aspect ratio for critical dimensions of desired features.
It would be useful to provide a method of fabricating films of arrays of ordered nanostructures that overcome these problems.

Extensions of self-assembled structures to increased dimensions via a “bootstrap” self-templating method


An adjustable jointer of an elastic ring for wheel shroud has a diameter which is able to be changed by adjusting the length of the jointer. The elastic ring consists of an elastic ring attached on a jointer, in which the jointer comprises a socket joint and a plug joint connecting together in plug-in joint. There are one or more collars attaching on the outside surface of the socket joint, which can be tore off to put on the latch of the plug joint to stretch the length of the jointer so as to increase the diameter of the elastic ring. Therefore by adding or removing the number of said collars, the diameter of the elastic ring can be changed to reach the goal of suiting different sizes of the wheel shrouds.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elastic ring for wheel shroud, and more particularly to an adjustable jointer of elastic ring in which the diameter of the elastic ring is able to change by adjusting the length of the jointer.
2. Description of Prior Art
In accordance with the conventional elastic rings, they can be divided into three styles as follows. The first, as shown on FIG. 7, is a loop elastic ring A making of a steel wire with an .OMEGA.-shaped segment A1 for predisposing a distance A2 at the open end, by means of which the diameter of the elastic ring A can be changed in a very limited range. But for meeting the necessaries of variety wheel shrouds, a bigger adjusting range of the elastic ring A is demanded so that the wheel shroud is fixed on the wheel rim more sturdily. Secondly, as shown on FIG. 8, the ring has a couple of fixing holes C1 and C2 formed on a connecting piece for fixing the two free ends of the unclosed elastic ring A in different couple so that diameter of the elastic ring A can be changed following the pre-setting sizes. It is not difficult to find that such elastic ring A can fit to a very small range, and for different sizes a plural moulds should be produced, thereby the production cost is increased. Later a new elastic ring came out, as shown on FIG. 9, in which a connecting bar E has a couple of coaxial fixing holes E1 formed at both ends, and a tearing spacer E3 attached on the outside wall via a connecting strip E2 preparing for inserting into the fixing hole E1 to change the fixing inserting depth of the end of the elastic ring A, further to change the diameter of the elastic ring A, as shown on FIG. 10. But as inserting the spacer E3 into the fixing hole E1, there exists the air resistance, on the other hand, the spacer E3 is tore off from the connecting strip E2, some raw edge will attach to the rim of the spacer E3, sometimes the connecting strip E2 attaches on so that the spacer E3 is not able to be inserted into the fixing hole E1 without eliminating them out, so an eliminating process has to be added.

277
FSC 285
FSC 301
FSC 403
FSC 2
FSC 267
FSC 24
FSC 63
FSC 29

No. 15, Alley 7, Lane 248, Chung-Ching Rd.


An elastomeric sealing apparatus for waterproofing a joint opening between two generally parallel structural members in highways, bridges, parking structures and the like. The sealing apparatus comprises an elongated web shaped elastomeric body member which assumes a bowed contour after installation and which spans a joint opening defined by the faces of two confronting structural members such as roadway slabs or the like. The body member has side flaps extending integrally along each longitudinal edge thereof. The side flaps are adapted by steps and outward bias for adhesive bonding to the joint faces so as to provide watertightness, easy installation, and long term resistance to climatic conditions and structural movements.

This invention relates to the construction of bridges, roadways, parking garages, pedestrian walkways, and similar structures and more particularly to expansion joints disposed between the slabs or other elements that form these structures. The need for such expansion joints between adjacent structural members to permit movements caused by changes in the ambient temperature has long been recognized within the art. In reality, there are actually many kinds of relative movement between adjacent structural members and all of these movements must be considered in the design of a successful expansion joint. For example, up and down movements caused by traffic loadings can occur. Relative rotation of the structural members can also occur. Growth of the joint opening, caused by shrinkage of concrete pavement sections, may also occur in addition to the continual effects of thermal expansion and contraction.
The prior art includes various structures which are generally relevant. U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,249 to Mass describes an elastomeric spring expansion joint-seal strip that is generally M-shaped. The structure described therein appears to rely exclusively on its compressive characteristics to achieve its sealing abilities. Many factors, such as irregularities in the joint sides, and especially excessive width of the joint opening, make this and other compressive seal designs unlikely to be fully watertight. This design also requires spring means embedded within the seal strip. These spring means increase the fabrication costs of this seal strip. U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,311 to Dahlberg describes an expansion joint element for forming a surface joint between two concrete construction parts. The structure described therein is difficult to install in many cases because the traffic cannot run over this structure until sufficient time has elapsed for its adhesive bonding material to cure. This cure period is often too long to accommodate modern traffic conditions. Moreover, this expansion joint is often installed in individual sections which must be joined together at the time of installation. These "stage joints" are notoriously prone to failure and leakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,584 to Fyfe describes an inverted U-shaped member that is clamped to the opposed walls and which is further restrained by complex abutments. The nature of the abutment ensures that the structure would be difficult and time consuming to install as well as expensive to manufacture. Other prior art patents actually require the installation of a portion of the seal to be embedded in the slabs of the bridge or other structure. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,237 to Bradley and the known Wabocrete/Membrane 101 System.
Although these types of seals bear some resemblance to the present invention because they have side flaps, there is in fact a very important difference between them and the present invention. Namely, the side flaps of such seals are "buried" underneath the joint header material which makes their removal and replacement for maintenance purposes very expensive. This is because all of the header material must be removed and then replaced in order to install a new one of these seals. In the present invention the seal apparatus may be removed and replaced without concurrent removal of the joint headers. Another, general problem with designs of this type is that water collects in the "V's" between the headers and the sealing element and this water can migrate under the headers and expand when it freezes. This can lead to break up of the joint headers. In the present invention, the water collects only in the elastomeric portions of the sealing element where freezing water can do no damage.
Other U.S. Pat. Nos. of background interest include 3,381,436; 3,829,228; 3,838,931; 3,850,539; 4,285,612; and 4,634,133.
It is imperative that the expansion joint prevent the harmful passage of water through the joint opening. This is particularly harmful in bridges because the water can cause very severe damage to the bridge bearing devices that accommodate expansion and contraction of the bridge sections. Damage to the steel superstructure can also be caused by the water which also results in frequent maintenance procedures.
Many known seals for such joints incorporate metal plates, angles, extruded "jaws" and the like. Such materials are referred to herein as "metal work". Along with other drawbacks, metal work is difficult to repair should it become damaged.
Another problem with the prior art apparatus is that it often will not function when the interface between concrete sections has steps or bends. Stated another way, the prior art seals often do not satisfactorily cooperate with sharp upturns, downturns, or sideways bends in the joint opening. Such angular bends of the joint opening are often encountered at curbs, on bridges and other structures.
Still other problems with the known seals is that they do not consistently prevent the accumulation of excessive foreign matter, such as sand and gravel, in the joint. Another problem with many known seals is that the seal has a relatively large height and this limits the places where the seal can be installed and particularly may prevent installation on many bridges that are being repaired. Many known seals will not function when there is a variation in the width of the joint opening along the longitudinal extent thereof. Because there are inherently substantial tolerances in the placement of the huge slabs and the like involved in such structures it is undesirable to have a seal that will not function in such an environment.
It is an object of the invention to provide a seal apparatus that is capable of accommodating a wide variety of different movements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a seal that will prevent the passage of water into the space between concrete or other slab shaped sections of material.
It is another object of the invention to provide a seal that can be replaced without concurrent removal of the joint headers.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a seal that has a relatively low height and thus will be dimensionally suitable for installation in a wide range of applications.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a structure that can easily accommodate itself to different roadway cross slopes, as well as to width variation (or "waviness") of the joint opening.

Elastomeric sealing apparatus for highway joints


Device for applying in a pavement for collecting mechanical energy from a vehicle passing over said pavement for actuating an electromechanical converter for generating electrical energy, said device comprising: an electromechanical converter; a mechanical or mechanical-hydraulic system comprising a crank-linear slide or crank-piston; a base structure for supporting and fixing the device to the pavement; a cover displaceable in vertical axis translation caused by the vehicle passing over, wherein the cover is arranged to actuate the crank-linear slide or crank-piston; a rack-pinion, or a hydraulic cylinder and respective hydraulic circuit having actuator, arranged for converting linear displacement of the linear slide or the piston, respectively, into rotation of a shaft of the electromechanical converter; wherein said cover has a non-horizontal surface profile having a first elevation at a first end and a second elevation at a second end, wherein the first elevation is lower than the second elevation.

The electric energy generation is still highly dependent on thermal power plants supplied by fossil fuels and nuclear energy, having been verified in the past decades an increase on the implementation of electrical energy generation systems based on renewable sources, namely hydroelectric power plants and wind farms, Onshore and Offshore. The implementation of power plants using solar energy, mainly using photovoltaic panels, has been increasing in recent years, mainly due to the decrease in the cost of production of this type of technology.
The large scale generation methods described above are found, usually, distant from the large urban and industrial centres where electric consumption is greater. Thus, it is necessary to transport the electric energy to these places, which implies energy losses in the grid that must be compensated with a greater resource consumption to generate this extra energy. Besides, the referred energetic resources not always are available (solar, wind and hydro energy) or need to be acquired by non renewable means (fossil fuel and nuclear), being this consumption ecologically undesirable.
Recently, to reduce the electric energy transport from power plants to urban centres, it has been adopted the concept of "micro generation" trough the implementation of low power electric generating devices on the houses and public places. The main technologies used for this type of generation are photovoltaic and wind converters, that needs for suitable climacteric conditions which, besides intermittent and geographically dependent, are also unpredictable.
Besides wind and solar energy, there is another energy resource in urban centres suitable for electric micro generation: vehicles traffic. The circulation of vehicles is intrinsically linked to urban centres, representing a potential source for energy harvesting, since their movement on the pavement represents a transfer of energy, which is maximized in places of deceleration or braking, and currently this energy is not being properly used. As so, the idea is to use the pavement as a vehicle's mechanical energy collector, in order to take advantage of the energy released by the movement of vehicles for electric energy generation.
The concept of harvest the released energy to the pavement by vehicles is not a novelty, since there already have been published devices that execute the same function. The patent application CA2715129A1 (as well as the patent applications WO2009098673A1 and US20050127677, and patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,830,071B2) are related to devices that make use of piezoelectric transducers in surfaces, that produce electric energy while being deformed due to the passage of people and vehicles. However the piezoelectric transducers are characterized by a low generation capacity, whose applications needs a large number of devices to achieve a considerable electricity production, which place some doubts in the project feasibility once these piezoelectric units are highly costly. The present disclosure detaches form the latter described by introducing an alternative system, whose generation density is much higher than the systems referred above, which turns the electric energy production from the pavement much more sustainable.
Other technologies developed and patented comprise devices that work under the same principles of the present disclosure, once they have a single mechanical system that drives an electrical generator. However, these inventions are based on rack-pinion or lever mechanical systems. In the patent application US20090315334A1 (as well in the patent applications US20060152008A1 and US20110187125A1) is introduced a system with a work principle closer to the present disclosure. However, this conversion system, exclusive to road applications, comprises a tilted surface, which induces an excessive slowdown in the vehicles as they pass through it, increasing the possibility of getting damaged. The previous system (as the devices described in the patent applications WO2010088310A1, US20110049906A1 and CN201339553Y), has a surface that rotates on its longitudinal edge and conducts the load for the remaining mechanism in the opposite end. This method does not allow the use of the full load, since a part of it is distributed by the support where the extremity rotates reducing, consequently, the amount of captured energy. The present disclosure overcomes this issues once its surface is held flat, to do not affect the vehicles motion characteristics or its passengers' ride comfort, and to maximize the transmission of the forces exerted on it, since the latter are equally distributed and transferred from the surface to remain mechanical system, maximizing the collected mechanical energy.
According to the device described in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,714,456B1, the contact between the system and the vehicle tire occurs through one mechanical element instead of a flat surface which, due to its geometry configuration, turns the pavement into an irregular shape and exposes the pavement to external agents, shortening the system lifetime. These drawbacks are not found in the present disclosure, which comprises a surface in which the irregularities associated to its displacement are unnoticeable, with a conversion system isolated from external agents. In the previously referred technology, the electric generator is driven through flexible coupling elements (and not directly as in the present disclosure), turning the transmission system more vulnerable to failures. The system described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,374 is only properly actuated when the load is applied in the centre of the surface, since is the contact point with the lever that converts the linear movement into rotational, achieving a less efficiency load transmission. In the present disclosure, as already referred, the load is equally transmitted for any point of actuation in the surface.
Other electromechanical systems converting the mechanical energy of vehicles into electric energy are disclosed in patents WO2011145057A2 and WO2013114253A1, these being constituted by a mechanical lever system for transmitting the force from the surface to the shaft of the electric generator. Systems similar to these are disclosed in patents US20070181372A1 and WO2009101448A1. The difference for these systems is the use of a crank-linear slide system, which allows to maximize the transmitted force from the surface to the slider, which later acts a rack-pinion mechanical system, acting the pinion with a torque much higher than previous systems. Thus, the acceleration of the electric generator will be greater, allowing to obtain higher speeds of rotation and, consequently, a greater amount of electrical energy generated.
Other systems developed for the same purpose have hydraulic or pneumatic mechanisms that serve as intermediates in the energy conversion process. Most systems rely on converting the mechanical energy captured by the surface of the device into potential energy by pressure, the latter being stored in an accumulator to subsequently drive a hydraulic actuator/turbine, connected to an electric generator, which produces electrical energy. Examples of such systems are disclosed in patents GB2461860A, US4173431, US4213431, US4211078, US4409489, US4739179, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,774, US617242681, US6936932B2, US7541684B1, US20060147263A1, US20070246282A1, US20110215593A1, WO2007045087A1 and WO2010085967A1. In this type of systems the surface of the device directly actuates the fluid inside a tube or the piston of a cylinder that contains the fluid inside it, pressurizing the fluid and providing it with flow from the induced displacement. The main difference for the systems disclosed in the foregoing patents relative to the present disclosure is the introduction of a crank-linear slide system between the cover of the device and the hydraulic cylinder containing the fluid therein, allowing to increase the force transmitted to the piston of the cylinder, thereby increasing the pressure induced to the fluid and consequently the power delivered to the piston of this component.
In the road safety area, the most effective measures to control the speed of vehicles are vertical alignment changes of the pavement, as these usually affect the vehicle and its occupants, if speed limits are not respected. For this purpose, speed bumps are the main solution used to promote the reduction of the vehicles' speed, working by inducing discomfort to the occupants of the vehicle, thus forcing the deceleration of the vehicle before reaching such obstacles. Such device has some registered patents, such as patents CA1185474A, U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,103B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,137B1 or U56623206. In relation to these patents, the solution proposed in the present disclosure is distinguished by the introduction of a cover with a vertical displacement and a specific profile, where the maximum height is equal to the maximum displacement, which minimizes the impact on the vehicle body and, at the same time, it extracts mechanical energy to it, reducing its speed.
These facts are disclosed in order to illustrate the technical problem addressed by the present disclosure.

Device for applying in a pavement for collecting mechanical energy from vehicles passing over for generating electricity


A liquid crystal composition that is useful for an active matrix (AM) device has a nematic phase and positive dielectric anisotropy. An active matrix liquid crystal display device includes the liquid crystal composition. By the total weight of the liquid crystal composition, the liquid crystal composition comprises 8%-50% of a compound of the general formula (I), 10%-70% (by weight) of a compound of the general formula (II), and 5%-50% (by weight) of a compound of the general formula (III).

Regarding a liquid crystal display device, based on the displaying mode of the liquid crystal, it can be classified into the types of PC (phase change), TN (twisted nematic), STN (super twisted nematic), ECB (electrically controlled birefringence), OCB (optically compensated bend), IPS (in-plane switching), VA (vertical alignment) and the like. Based on the driving mode of the device, it can be classified into the PM (passive matrix) type and the AM (active matrix) type. PM is classified into the static type, multiplex type and so forth, and AM is classified into TFT (thin film transistor) type, MIM (metal insulator metal) type and so forth. The types of TFT comprise amorphous silicon and polycrystal silicon. The latter is classified into a high temperature type and a low temperature type according to the manufacturing process. Based on the type of the light source, the liquid crystal display device is classified into a reflection type utilizing a natural light, a transmission type utilizing a backlight and a semi-transmission type utilizing both the natural light and the backlight.
Liquid crystal materials are required to have good chemical and heat stability, as well as the good stabilities to electric field and electromagnetic radiation. In addition, the liquid crystal materials should have low viscosity, short response time, low threshold voltage and high contrast ratio. Various performance index of the liquid crystal composition are improved so as to obtain AM devices with good characteristics. The relationships between one performance of the liquid crystal composition and the corresponding performance of the AM device are summarized in Table 1 below. The various performance index of the composition will be further explained based on a commercially available AM device. The temperature range of a nematic phase relates to the working temperature range of the device. A desirable upper limit temperature of the nematic phase is 70° C. or more, and a desirable lower limit temperature of the nematic phase is −10° C. or less. The viscosity of the composition relates to the response time of the device. A short response time of the device is desirable for displaying a moving image in the device. Accordingly, a small viscosity of the composition is desirable. A small viscosity of the composition at a low temperature is more desirable.
TABLE 1The general characteristics of the composition and the AM deviceThe general characteristicsThe general characteristicsNo.of the compositionof the AM device1Temperature range of aUsable temperature range isnematic phase is wide.wide.2Viscosity is small.Response time is short.3Optical anisotropy is suitable.Contrast ratio is large.4Dielectric anisotropy isThreshold voltage is low,positively or negativelyelectric power consumption islarge.small, and a contrast ratio islarge.5Specific resistance is large.Voltage holding ratio is large,and a contrast ratio is large.6Stable to ultraviolet lightService life is long.and heat.
The optical anisotropy of the composition relates to the contrast ratio of the device. The product value (Δn*d) of the optical anisotropy (Δn) of the liquid crystal composition and the thickness (d) of the liquid crystal layer can be designed to be a fixed value. A suitable product value depends on the kind of operation mode. In a device having a TN mode, a suitable value is approximately 0.45 μm. In this case, a composition having a large optical anisotropy is desirable for a device having a small thickness of the liquid crystal layer. A large dielectric anisotropy of the composition contributes to a low threshold voltage, a small electric power consumption and a large contrast ratio of the device. Accordingly, a large dielectric anisotropy is desirable. A large specific resistance of the composition contributes to a large voltage holding ratio and a large contrast ratio of the device. Accordingly, a composition having a large specific resistance is desirable at room temperature and also at a high temperature in the initial stage. A composition having a large specific resistance at room temperature and also at a high temperature is desirable after it has been used for a long time. A stability of the composition to an ultraviolet light and heat relates to a service life of the liquid crystal display device. The service life of the device is long when the stability is high. These characteristics are desirable for an AM device used for a liquid crystal projector, a liquid crystal television and so forth.
A desirable AM device is characterized as having a usable temperature range that is wide, a response time that is short, a contrast ratio that is large, a threshold voltage that is low, a voltage holding ratio that is large, a service life that is long, and so forth. Even a one millisecond shorter response time is desirable. Thus, the composition having characteristics such as a high upper limit temperature of a nematic phase, a low lower limit temperature of a nematic phase, a small viscosity, a large optical anisotropy, a large dielectric anisotropy, a large specific resistance, a high stability to an ultraviolet light, a high stability to heat, and so forth is especially desirable.
A single liquid crystal compound is usually difficult to present its characteristics, thus normally it is mixed with a variety of other liquid crystal compounds to prepare a composition. Therefore, we need a liquid crystal composition having the above advantages. A compound mentioned in CN Publication No. CN1823151A was formulated into a liquid crystal composition and would better characteristics. The structure of the compound is as follows:

However, the dielectric anisotropy of the compound mentioned in this patent application is still not large enough.
The inventive structure in EP Publication No. EP2292720A1 is as follows:

However, the compounds mentioned in this document can not satisfy the requirements of the present invention alone.
One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition, which satisfies at least one characteristic among the characteristics of high upper limit temperature of a nematic phase, low lower limit temperature of a nematic phase, small viscosity, large optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy, large specific resistance, high stability to ultraviolet light, high stability to heat and so on. Another purpose of the present invention is a liquid crystal composition which is properly balanced regarding at least two of the characteristics. Another purpose of the present invention is a liquid crystal display device containing such composition. Another purpose of the present invention is an AM device which comprises a composition having the characteristics of large optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy, high stability to ultraviolet light and so on, and the AM device has the characteristics of short response time, large voltage holding ratio, large contrast ratio, long service life and so forth.

Liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display device with the liquid crystal composition

JIANGSU HECHENG DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


Compositions useful for foundry processes such as green sandcasting are discussed. The compositions may include ball clay, bentonite, and a carbonaceous material. The ball clay may include leonardite and/or causticized lignite, e.g., as a portion of the natural ball clay deposit. The composition may further include sand, such that the resulting mixture may be formed into a green sand mold for use in casting molded articles. Incorporation of ball clay materials in the compositions may help to improve the quality of the casted article.

Casting is a foundry process for preparing articles in which a heated liquid material, often a metal or metal ahoy, is poured into the cavity of a mold and allowed to cool in the shape of the cavity. The casted article is then released from the mold. Various materials can be used to form the mold, e.g., depending on the nature of the material to be cast. Sand casting, for example, is useful for casting metals and metal alloys. In this process, sand is typically combined with a binding agent and formed into the desired mold shape. Forming such sand molds can be done by compacting the sand mixture around a pattern (e.g., a replica of the article to be cast) and removing the pattern to leave a cavity with the desired shape and configuration. Once molten metal is introduced into the mold and cooled to solidify, the casted metal article may be released, often by breaking down the sand mold.
Green sand casting refers to the use of wet or moistened sand to form the mold, wherein sand is typically combined with water and a binding agent such as clay to form the molding medium. The binding agent generally allows the sand particles to cohere, such that the mold can maintain its shape and withstand stress applied throughout the casting process. During green sand casting, the sand mold typically retains some amount of moisture, with clay serving as an adhesive at both ambient and elevated temperatures. Binder mixtures are sometimes provided as a "pre-mix," which can be combined with a local source of sand to produce the molding medium.
The chemical composition of the sand mold generally dictates its properties, including its ability to withstand the stress and pressure of the casting process, which in turn, affects the quality of the cast article. Different compositions of sand molding medium can have a significant impact on the ability of the mold to perform under the high temperature, compression conditions during sand casting.

Compositions and methods of use thereof in sandcasting


The invention provides a wavelength division multiplex communication link for optical transmissions, which is able to provide a ultra high bit-rate wavelength division multiplex communication at a 1550 nm wavelength band using the existing 1300 nm band zero dispersion of a single mode fiber network. A dispersion compensating fiber DCF having a negative dispersion value at a 1550 nm wavelength band is connected to a single mode fiber SMF of the existing 1300 nm band zero dispersion of a single mode fiber network with a line length which compensates the dispersion slope of the single mode fiber to zero. And, a dispersion flat fiber which makes the dispersion slope zero is further connected, with a line length which makes the remaining dispersion value zero, to the terminal end of a connection link of the single mode fiber SMF and dispersion compensating fiber DCF, whereby both the dispersion slope of a single mode fiber and dispersion value thereof can be adjusted to be zero at the terminal end of the dispersion flat fiber DFF.

A 1300 nm band zero dispersion single mode fiber network is well known as a fiber network of an optical transmission system. This fiber network is able to obtain almost zero dispersion transmissions at a receiving end by transmitting optical signals of a 1300 nm wavelength.
Recently, optical transmissions have been attempted at a wavelength band of around 1550 nm, which is an excitation band of an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). The EDFA was disposed in an optical transmission path, using an existing 1300 nm band zero dispersion single mode fiber network. Furthermore, many trials have been taken into consideration, wherein wavelength division multiplex transmissions are carried out at wide wavelength bands of around 1550 nm, aiming at a further high bit-rate transmission.
Single mode fiber in an existing 1300 nm band zero dispersion single mode fiber network has positive dispersion values and positive dispersion slope characteristics in which the dispersion quantity becomes large in accordance with an increase in wavelength. Therefore, in the instance where a wavelength division multiplex transmission is performed at a 1550 nm wavelength band using an existing zero dispersion 1300 nm single mode fiber network, the dispersion quantity is increases in line with an increase of the transmission distance of single mode fibers. Accordingly, the separation of multiplex-transmitted signals of each wavelength will be difficult, thereby causing a problem to arise in reliability of the wavelength division multiplex transmissions. Therefore, wavelength division multiplex transmissions have usually been attempted, using a communication link (transmission link) in which a dispersion compensating fiber having a large negative dispersion value and negative dispersion slope characteristics is connected to a single mode fiber.

Wavelength division multiplex communication link for optical transmission


A refrigeration system is provided having refrigerant flowing therethrough. The refrigeration system provides temperature and humidity cooling within a chamber. The refrigeration system includes a compressor having an input and an output and an evaporator coil in communication with the chamber. A single expansion valve is provided in the input line to the evaporator coil for controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant delivered thereto and for limiting the pressure of refrigerant delivered to the input of the compressor.

This invention relates to refrigeration systems, and in particular, to a refrigeration system wherein the arrangement of the valves used for temperature and humidity cooling are simplified.
Refrigeration systems are used to control the temperature and humidity in user selected environments such as test chambers. As is conventional, the refrigeration system includes evaporator coils positioned within (or adjacent) a chamber wherein the environment is to be controlled. Refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator coils by a conventional compressor/condenser system. The compressor receives refrigerant in a gaseous form from the evaporator coils and compresses the refrigerant. The heat of compression is removed by the condenser and the refrigerant is provided in liquid form to two distinct expansion valves, namely, a temperature-cooling expansion valve and a humidity-cooling expansion valve. The flow of refrigerant to the expansion valves is controlled by corresponding liquid solenoid valves. During temperature cooling, a user selects a desired temperature within the chamber and the flow of refrigerant is modulated by the liquid solenoid valve and by the temperature-cooling expansion valve in order to maintain the chamber at a user desired level. During humidity-cooling, a user selects a set point and the flow of refrigerant is modulated by the other liquid solenoid valve and by the humidity-cooling expansion valve in order to optimize the dry bulb temperature and predetermined humidity within the chamber. While functional for its intended purpose, this prior art arrangement is complex and requires additional amounts of labor to pipe and wire the necessary components.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a refrigeration system wherein the arrangement of the valves used for temperature and humidity cooling is simplified.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a refrigeration system with fewer components and greater reliability than prior art systems.
It is still a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a refrigeration system which is simple and inexpensive to construct.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a refrigeration system which utilizes a single expansion valve for use in both temperature and humidity cooling.
In accordance with the present invention, a refrigeration system is provided having refrigerant flowing therethrough. The refrigeration system provides temperature and humidity cooling within a chamber. The refrigeration system includes a compressor having an input and an output. An evaporator coil is in communication with the chamber. The evaporator coil has an input operatively connected to the output of the compressor by an input line and an output operatively connected to the input of the compressor by an output line so as to allow the refrigerant to circulate between the compressor and the evaporator coil. An expansion valve is provided in the input line for controlling the flow rate of refrigerant delivered to the evaporator coil and for limiting the pressure of refrigerant delivered to the input of the compressor.
A liquid solenoid valve may be provided in the input line upstream of the expansion valve. The input solenoid valve controls the flow of refrigerant to the expansion valve. A pressure regulating valve is positioned in the output line. The pressure regulating valve maintains a minimum temperature of refrigerant within the evaporator coils so as to prevent moisture from freezing on the evaporator coil during humidity cooling. A suction solenoid valve is connected in parallel across the pressure regulating valve. The suction solenoid valve is movable between a first closed position wherein a refrigerant flows through the pressure regulating valve and a second opened position wherein the flow refrigerant bypasses the pressure regulating valve.
A sensing structure is operatively connected to the expansion valve and positioned adjacent the output line downstream of the pressure regulating valve. The sensing structure provides a signal to the expansion valve. The signal is provided by the sensing structure to the expansion valve and corresponds to the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the output line and/or the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the output line. The sensing structure may include a sensing bulb and/or an equalizer line.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a refrigeration system is provided having refrigerant flowing therethrough. The refrigeration system provides temperature and humidity cooling within a chamber. The refrigeration system includes a compressor having an input and an output. An evaporator coil is in communication with the chamber. The evaporator coil has an input operatively connected to the compressor by an input line and output operatively connected to the input of the compressor by an output line so as to allow the refrigerant to circulate between the compressor and the evaporator coil. A pressure regulating signal is provided in the output line for maintaining a minimum temperature of refrigerant within the evaporator coils so as to prevent moisture from freezing in the evaporator during humidity cooling. A suction solenoid valve is connected in parallel with the pressure regulating valve. The suction solenoid valve is movable between a first closed position to prevent the flow of refrigerant therethrough and a second opened position allowing the flow of refrigerant therethrough.
A sensing structure may be operatively connected to the expansion valve in a position adjacent the output line downstream of the pressure regulating valve. The sensing structure provides at least one signal to the expansion valve. The expansion valve varies the flow rate of the refrigerant delivered to the input of the evaporator coil in response to the at least one signal received from the sensing structure. The sensing structure may include a sensing bulb for providing a temperature signal to the expansion valve which corresponds to the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the output line. The sensing structure may also include an equalizer line for providing a pressure signal to the expansion valve which corresponds to the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the output line. It is contemplated that the pressure of the refrigerant delivered to the input of the evaporator coil be sufficient to prevent moisture from freezing on the evaporator coil during humidity cooling.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a refrigeration system is provided having refrigerant flowing therethrough. The refrigerant system provides temperature and humidity cooling within a chamber and includes a compressor having an input and an output. An evaporator coil is in communication with the chamber. The evaporator coil has an input operatively connected to the compressor by an input line and output operatively connected to the input of the compressor by an output line so as to allow the refrigerant to circulate between the compressor and the evaporator coil. An expansion valve is provided in the input line for varying the flow rate of refrigerant delivered to the input of the evaporator coil. A pressure regulating valve is positioned in the output line. The pressure regulating valve maintains a minimum temperature of refrigerant within the evaporator coil. A suction solenoid valve connected in parallel to the pressure regulating valve is movable between a first closed position for preventing the flow of refrigerant therethrough and a second opened position for allowing the refrigerant therethrough. A second bulb is operatively connected to the expansion valve. The sensing valve provides a temperature signal to the expansion valve which corresponds to the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the output line. An equalizer line is operatively connected to the expansion valve. The equalizer line provides a pressure signal to the expansion valve which corresponds to the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the output line. It is contemplated that the expansion valve varies the flow rate of refrigerant delivered to the input of the evaporator coil in response to the temperature signal.
A condenser may be positioned in the input line to remove heat from the refrigerant exiting from the compressor. A liquid solenoid valve is also provided in the input line and upstream of the expansion line. The liquid solenoid valve controls the flow of refrigerant to the expansion valve. The pressure of the refrigerant delivered to the input of the evaporator coil is sufficient to prevent moisture from freezing on the evaporator coil during humidity cooling.

Refrigeration system incorporating simplified valve arrangement


Circuits and methods for dynamically stabilizing a circuit having a relatively small capacitive load two current loop sub circuits are provided. A main current loop and an associated sensing loop are coupled such that a compensation capacitance supplied to each sub circuit loop individually will remain isolated and will not be cumulative with respect to the remainder of the circuit.

Many electronic circuit applications require maintaining the stability of more than one sub circuit loop within a larger circuit. Challenges can arise, however, when the loop stability requirements come into conflict. For example, in some applications it is desirable to use low dropout regulators (LDOs) that have high stability at very low capacitive loads. This is attractive for reducing the cost associated with using additional external components. Also, portable applications require low dropout voltages and very low power consumption in order to accommodate battery-power limitations. A representative example of a low dropout regulator, in this case a PMOS LDO 10 known in the arts is shown in FIG. 1. A common approach to meeting these often conflicting design requirements is to use Miller compensated PMOS LDOs with quiescent current boosting techniques. Referring to FIG. 2, an example of this prior art approach is shown. The circuit 12 uses PMOS transistors to ensure low dropout. Miller compensation adds a compensation capacitor Cc because the load capacitance CL is not large enough to produce a useable dominant pole. Quiescent current boosting dependent upon sensed current output is used to conserve power under light load conditions. This is but one example of circuitry known in the arts where stability problems addressed by the invention may be used. The examples herein are presented for illustrative purposes and those skilled in the arts will recognize that the invention may be practiced in a variety of contexts requiring the stabilization of two loops.
Given a low dropout regulator (LDO), in this case a PMOS LDO 10, a current sensing circuit 14 is configured to sense the output current and limit the maximum amount of current provided by the LDO 10 in the case of a short circuit at the output, node N1, of the LDO 10. The current sensing circuit 14 is based on the use of a sense FET M2 and a sense resistor Rs. The measurement of the voltage drop across the sense resistor Rs is as a proxy for the total output current through the power transistor M3. A pull-up transistor M1 is used to pull up the gate of the power transistor M3 when a comparator 16 has detected that a predetermined threshold of maximum current has been exceeded. A buffer 18 between node N1 and node N3 is used to isolate the gate capacitance of the power transistor M3 from the high impedance at the output of the error amplifier 20. The quiescent current of the buffer 18 is dynamically boosted directly proportional to the current of the load IL in order to provide for stability. For this reason, the pull-up transistor M1 drain D1 is connected at node N1, because if connected directly to node N3, it would have to fight against the boosted output stage of the buffer 18 to pull the power device M3 gate up under current limit conditions.
By further consideration of FIG. 2 it may be seen that the current limit control loop 12 includes the comparator 16 and pull-up transistor M1, in essence forming a two-stage amplifier circuit. The common method known in the arts for compensating a two-stage amplifier circuit is to use Miller compensation. Adding a compensation capacitor Cx between node N1 and node N2 to compensate the current limit loop 22 is the standard approach. However, this compensation capacitor Cx introduces trade-offs in the performance of the LDO 10.
There are at least two general classes of difficulties with this compensation approach. First, for the purpose of example, it is assumed that the error amplifier 20 has only one gain stage. Using the example of a folded cascode, in this case the Miller compensation splits the poles at node N1, the high impedance node of a folded cascoded amplifier, and node N4. Adding the compensation capacitor Cc between node N1 and node N4 adds to the overall capacitance at the high impedance node N1 of the folded cascode. Assuming that the capacitance Cx used to compensate the current limit loop 22 is smaller than the Miller compensation capacitor Cc used for the LDO loop 10, this increased capacitance reduces the overall slew rate of the amplifier 20. The reduced slew rate is undesirable, as it degrades the transient response of the LDO 10. Alternatively, in an effort to achieve a better Power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) by using compensation to a low impedance node, connecting the compensation capacitor Cc to the source of the common gate transistor in the folded cascode instead of to high impedance node N1, the trade-offs are more severe. Not only does the transient response suffer, but also the LDO 10 may become unstable. It is desirable to keep the capacitance at node N1 to a minimum because the pole at node N1 is not split by Miller compensation. Also, since N1 is a high impedance node, any capacitance may create a significant pole that would degrade stability. In conflict with this consideration, sufficient minimum capacitance is required in order to stabilize the current limit. If the maximum capacitance tolerable for LDO 10 stability and node N1 is smaller than the minimum required capacitance for stability of the current limit, it is impossible to stabilize both simultaneously.
A second set of difficulties arises for a three gain-stage LDO. In this case, we assume for the purposes of example that the error amplifier 20 is a two-stage amplifier, and that node N1 is the second high impedance node of the error amplifier 20. The first high impedance node pole of the amplifier 20 is split by the Miller compensation capacitor Cc. Thus, similar to the case of compensation to a low impedance node as described above, node N1 provides a pole that is not split by the Miller compensation. Thus, it is desirable to keep the capacitance at node N1 at a minimum for LDO 10 stability. On the other hand, sufficient compensation capacitance is required for maintaining current limit loop stability. Again, it may be impossible to compensate both the LDO 10 and current limit loop 22 simultaneously. Additionally, the same trade-offs exist between the degradation of transient response and stability.
One potential solution to these problems using the prior art approach is the addition of a relatively large amount of capacitance at node N2 in an effort to make the pole at this node become dominant. This potential solution is costly in terms of requiring a relatively large die area.
It has been determined that these and other problems result from the fact that the stability of the loops in the circuit are coupled in terms of stability requirements. In this example, the capacitances affecting LDO stability and current limit stability inevitably affect one another. Due to these and other problems, it would be useful and advantageous to decouple the stability requirements of the loops within a circuit having an LDO in particular, and within a circuit having a main loop and a sensing loop in general.

Methods and systems for decoupling the stabilization of two loops


The invention is set for connecting L.E.D., bridging rectifier and AC/DC power transformer by using series connection method, also the main purpose is for saving energy and reducing the cost of electronic components. The first apparatus is built by first bridge rectifier, first L.E.D. group and first current-limiting resistor using the series connection method. The second apparatus is built by second bridge rectifier, second L.E.D. group and second current-limiting resistor using the series connection method. Then, finally the previous two apparatus will be connected each other by using parallel connection method to the AC/DC power source.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical circuit apparatus for L.E.D., more particularly for applying to an alternating current (A.C.) power circuit apparatus for L.E.D.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the present day, light emitting (L.E.D.) device is a revolution-effect production after the electronic transistor and the laser L.E.D. appeared by the semiconductor technology development. The lifetime of L.E.D. light bulb can be longer than the normal light bulb about 50 to 100 folds. Also, the power consumption of L.E.D. is about ⅓ to ⅕ than the normal light bulb. Therefore, in the 21st century, it is possible to become a new lighting source coupled with electricity saving and green concept, to be taken over the tungsten-filament lamp and the mercury lamp.
The related peripheral technology for the L.E.D. including the lighting source research and development technology for the L.E.D., driving force tech of the power source for the L.E.D., and modulus design technology for L.E.D., all the previous technology should be still researched and developed for coordinating the brand new L.E.D technology development.
The power source supply for driving the L.E.D. right now is operated and supported by the outside connection power source adaptor. Generally, the outside 110 voltage alternating current (AC) can be transferred to the direct current (D.C.), then, the previous direct current (D.C.) can be provided as the L.E.D. power source. Therefore, the power energy consumer will be much more between alternating current and direct current transferring. Also, the outside power source adaptor is needed for driving the L.E.D.
When there are a plurality of L.E.D. existed, there is a plurality of power source adaptors needed for supporting power source. It will cause all circuit structures to become more complex, and the use rate of driving circuit will be lower. Also, due to the number of connections for driving circuit, connection components and different sorts of terminal will be highly increased. It will make the occupation of whole circuit to be bigger, to increase the difficulty for the production technology; also the manufacture cost will be higher.
Therefore, how to avoid the power energy consumer between alternating current and direct current transferring, also, to reduce the number of the L.E.D. circuit components and different sorts of connection lines, to reduce entire production cost, to decrease production technology steps and the internal components occupation for the L.E.D., thus, it will be the important and urgent issue to be solved in the semiconductor fields.
In addition, although the American U.S. Pat. No. 6,864,641, "Method and apparatus for controlling light emitting diodes" points out the advance control method and apparatus for the L.E.D., yet there is no more about the alternating power source circuit related technology in this patent. The American U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,459, "LED light bar" teaches providing power supply by the battery but no more about the alternating power source circuit related technology.
Furthermore, in Taiwan patent No. M242, 932, "L.E.D. circuit apparatus" is only one issue for forming a stable electrical voltage circuit apparatus. Another Taiwan patent No. I259, 029, "L.E.D. driving circuit" is for controlling a plurality of L.E.D. lightening condition. However, the above two patents both are still not related this invention technology.

Apparatus for power circuit of light emitting diode


In a method for positioning a transfer unit including, support pins for supporting object, and a pick having at a leading end thereof a detection unit for detecting presence or absence of the object, a height reference position of the pick is determined by detecting an upper edge of one of the support pins by the detection unit. A forward moving angle of the pick is corrected by obtaining a deviation angle between a radial direction of the mounting table passing through the corresponding support pin and a forward moving direction of the pick. A forward movement starting point of the pick is corrected by obtaining a horizontal deviation distance between the radial direction of the mounting table and the forward moving direction of the pick. A forward moving reference amount of the pick is obtained from coordinates of the corresponding support pin.

Generally, various processes such as film formation, etching, oxidation, diffusion and the like are performed on a wafer to manufacture a semiconductor integrated circuit. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-208589 discloses a processing system in which a plurality of processing apparatuses for performing the same process or different processes is connected to one another through a common transfer chamber in order to improve a throughput and a yield along with the trend toward miniaturization and high integration of the semiconductor integrated circuit.
In such a processing system, a semiconductor wafer is unloaded from a container installed at an inlet port which is provided at, e.g., a front stage of the processing system, and loaded into the transfer chamber of the processing system by using a transfer unit. Then, the wafer is sequentially introduced into the respective processing apparatuses from the transfer chamber connected to the processing apparatuses to be subjected to consecutive processes. Further, the processed wafer is accommodated in the original container through, e.g., the original path.
Meanwhile, as described above, such a processing system has therein a single or a plurality of transfer units, and the transfer of the wafer is automatically performed by the transfer units.
The transfer unit has one or two picks capable of contracting/extending, rotating and vertically moving, for example. The wafer is moved to a transfer position and transferred to a predetermined position while being directly held by the pick. In this case, the pick of the transfer unit or the wafer held by the pick should be protected from interference or collision with another member while the pick is moving to receive or deliver the wafer. In addition, it is required to hold the wafer at a specific position, move the wafer to a desired position, and transfer the wafer to an appropriate position with high precision, e.g., ±0.20 mm or less.
Therefore, when an apparatus is assembled, subjected to large modification or the like, there is performed a positioning method, i.e., a so-called teaching operation, which stores an important position such as the location where the wafer W is transferred on a moving route of the pick of the transfer unit, as transfer position coordinates, in a control unit such as a computer or the like for controlling the operation of the transfer unit.
The teaching for each pick is performed at almost every location where the wafer is transferred, i.e., a location (point) accessed by the pick, such as positional relationships between the transfer unit and the container, between the support unit of the load-lock chamber and the pick, between the pick and the position alignment unit, and between the pick and the susceptor of each of the processing apparatuses. Further, the transfer position coordinates are stored. Every driving system has an encoder for specifying a driving position, and the moving amount can be controlled with high precision by controlling the number of pulses of, e.g., a pulse motor or the like.
In a conventional teaching method, a semiconductor wafer is precisely disposed at a transfer location by an operator and is brought into contact with a pick of a transfer unit by the operator who is checking the semiconductor wafer and the pick with naked eyes. The coordinates on the horizontal plane, the height position or the like at that time are stored as the reference and, then, the pick is automatically driven based on the stored coordinates.
As for another positioning method, there is known a teaching method for calculating an access height to each unit by detecting a height position of a teaching jig by a mapping sensor provided at a leading end of a transfer arm, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-185960. As for still another positioning method, there is known a teaching method for calculating a position, an angle direction or the like of an object by accessing a feature body having a geometric relationship with the object three times by using a beam detector provided at a leading end of a driving arm, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2009-506518 (particularly, claim 39 and the like).
In the above positioning method, since the mounting pad is brought into contact with a backside of the wafer W, it is difficult to check the contact state with naked eyes and deviation between operators is large.
In order to install a wafer at a teaching position, a ceiling cover of the apparatus which corresponds to the teaching position needs to be opened, which may operation efficiency deteriorates. In JP2006-185960A, a Z-axis (vertical direction) teaching jig is additionally required, which is troublesome. In JP2009-506518A, a beam detector provided at a pick is made to access, e.g., three substrate support pins, and a position or a direction of a substrate station in a horizontal plane is obtained (see, paragraphs 0030 and 0031). Further, when the pick is made to access each of the substrate support pins, an operator should perform the access operation with naked eyes and a working efficiency deteriorates.

Method for positioning a transfer unit, method for calculating positional deviation amount of an object to be processed, and method for correcting teaching data of the transfer unit