A program method for a flash memory semiconductor device includes the steps of providing a bit line voltage for programming a group of memory cells and detecting if the bit line voltage meets a selected target voltage. When the bit line voltage meets the selected target voltage, a program operation is performed on the group of memory cells. When the bit line voltage does not meet the selected target voltage, the programming operation is individually performed on at least a first subgroup of memory cells from the group and a second subgroup of memory cells from the group.

FIG. 1 shows a typical configuration for an integrated circuit including a flash EEPROM (electrically erasable and programmable ROM) memory array 100 and circuitry enabling programming, erasing, reading, and overerase correction for memory cells in the array 100. The flash EEPROM array 100 is composed of individual cells, such as cell 102. Each cell has a drain connected to a bit line, such as bit line 104, each bit line being connected to a bit line switch circuit 106 and column decoder 108. Sources of the array cells are connected to each other and VSL, which is the common source signal, while their gates are each connected by a word line to a row decoder 110.
The row decoder 110 receives voltage signals from a power supply 112 and distributes the particular voltage signals to the word lines as controlled by a row address received from a processor or state machine 114. Likewise, the bit line switch circuit 106 receives voltage signals from the power supply 112 and distributes the particular voltage signals to the bit lines as controlled by a signal from the processor 114. Voltages provided by the power supply 112 are controlled by signals received from processor 114.
The column decoder 108 provides signals from particular bit lines to sense amplifiers or comparators 116 as controlled by a column address signal received from processor 114. The power supply 112 supplies voltages to column decoder 108 and bit lines 104. Power supply 112 may include a charge pump circuit or external power supply to supply the bit line current on a bit line needed during programming or overerase correction.
The sense amplifiers 116 receive a signal from reference cells of reference array 118. With signals from the column decoder 108 and reference array 118, the sense amplifiers 116 then each provide a signal indicating a state of a bit line relative to a reference cell line to which it is connected through data latches or buffers 120 to processor 114.
To program a cell in the flash memory array 100, high gate-to-source voltage pulses are provided to the cell from power supply 112 while a source of the cell is grounded. For instance, during programming multiple gate voltage pulses typically of 9-10 V are each applied for approximately three to six microseconds to a cell, while a drain voltage of the cell is set to 4-4.5 V and its source is grounded. This bias from-drain to-source generates hot electrons near the drain side. The large gate-to-source voltage pulses enable a probability of hot electrons to overcome an energy barrier between the channel and floating gate formed by a thin dielectric layer, thereby driving hot electrons onto the floating gate of the cell. This programming procedure, termed "hot electron injection" results in an increase of a threshold voltage for the cell, the threshold being the gate-to-source voltage required for the cell to conduct.
After an erase operation, there is concern with what is known in the art as "overerase." An overerased cell has a threshold voltage that is too low and provides leakage current even when the gate-to-source voltage is at 0V. The cell leakage will form a non-negligible bit line current, which leads to reading and programming errors. Therefore, overerase correction is performed to reduce this bit line current. During overerase correction, all of the cells on a bit line in the flash memory array 100 have the same gate-to-source voltage with the source grounded. The drain voltage of the cell is set to around 5V. Again, hot electrons will be injected into the floating gate to raise the threshold voltages of the cells.
During the program operation, a program-verify step is performed by applying a gate voltage of 6V to the control gate electrode of the main cell, a drain voltage of 1V to the drain, a gate voltage of 3V to the control gate electrode of a reference cell and a drain voltage of 1V to the drain.
The entire program operation is repeatedly performed for all of the memory cells in a pre-selected unit, for example for the memory cells in a word unit (i.e., 16 bits). More specifically, the program and the program-verify steps are first performed for all corresponding memory cells included in the word unit. Next, it is determined whether failed memory cells exist within the word unit. If it is determined that failed cells exist, the program step and the program-verify step are performed for the failed cells. These processes are performed until failed memory cells do not exist.
Generally, when that the program operation is performed in the word unit, the program current flowing from the drain to the source is very high. Therefore, in some prior art programming operations, the program operation is internally performed in byte units in order to increase the program efficiency and to reduce the operating current of the drain pump. In other words, the program step is first performed for the I/O (input/output)<7:0> (i.e., 8 bits) and the program step is then performed for a next I/O<15:8> (i.e., 8 bits). Next, the program-verify step is performed for the entire word unit I/O<15:0> (i.e., 16 bits). If any failed cells are detected, the above processes are repeated. If no failed cells are detected, the program operation is finished.
If the program operation is repeatedly performed, a program pulse is always applied twice for every 8 bits even though there exist passed bits among the 16 cells. In other words, assuming that the program time is 5 μs per byte, the program time is increased by an integer times every time when the failed cells occur, e.g., 5 μs×2=10 μs per byte. This stresses the charge pump that provides the bias for the program operation and also increases the total time for the program operation. Further, the retention capability of the cells can be degraded due to over-programming since the bias is repeatedly applied to already-programmed cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,158 to Ryoo describes a programming method for programming word units that seeks to address some of these concerns. A bit counter counts the total number of bits from the selected word unit that are to be programmed. If the number of bits of the data to be programmed is less than eight, the program operation is performed on the entire word, rather than splitting the word into byte units for individual programming. If the total number of bits of data to be programmed is greater than eight, the word unit is programmed as two individual byte units. The operation of the Ryoo device is predicated on the assumption that for bit counts larger than eight, the supplied programming current cannot be enough for the required bits to be programmed. Thus, the sixteen bits, which includes both bits to be programmed and those that are not to be programmed, are divided into two groups, e.g., high byte and low byte, for individual programming. Based on Ryoo's assumption, each byte will necessarily include eight or fewer bits for programming and thus the supply current will be sufficient.
The general allowable operating range for a given memory device is, for example, 2.7 to 3.6V. One problem with Ryoo's methodology is that the prediction of inadequate programming current for more than eight bits does not hold true for high VCC operating voltages (e.g., 3.6 V). Pumping current is usually much larger for high VCC voltages than for low VCC voltages (e.g., 2.7 V). Ryoo's methodology applies affords the same longer program time for each VCC environment though unnecessary for the high VCC environment. Therefore, in high VCC environments, Ryoo's methodology results in wasted programming time.
Therefore, there remains a need for a semiconductor memory device with improved programming capabilities and efficiencies.

Semiconductor memory device having improved programming circuit and method of programming same

Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology Inc.


A universal faucet extender having an attachment member and a trough member to detachably attach to faucet spigots or aerators of various designs. The universal faucet extender extends the flow of water within arms' reach to allow children and other individuals who would have difficulty to reach and access the flowing water. The attachment member comprises at least two receiving openings, a first receiving opening on a rear end of the attachment member and a second receiving opening on a top surface of the attachment member, both of which are adapted to interchangeably receive a circumference of a faucet spigot.

(1) Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to faucet attachments, more particularly to faucet attachments that extend the flow of water to within arms' reach for those who otherwise would not be able to or would have difficulty to be able to access the flowing water.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Hygiene plays an important role in leading a healthy lifestyle, thus habits like washing hands on a regular basis play a large role in everyday life. It follows then that people need to access running water from a sink. However, young children, people with disabilities, people with dwarfism, people with physical ailments (i.e., back pain, joint pain, nerve pain/damage), and others may have difficulties with reaching running water from a faucet.
As a result, children and other such individuals need assistance for washing hands. Parents typically hoist children up to reach the running water; however, this runs the risk of a parent losing his/her grip and dropping the child or some adults may be unavailable or unable to assist. Others have the additional task to first climb up onto a stool; yet, stools are of varying heights and individuals may still have difficulties reaching for not being tall enough—not to mention, stools may be quite expensive. Furthermore, there is the danger of slipping or falling from the stool, and incurring injury and pain.
Additionally, there are products on the market adapted to attach to an existing faucet for extending the faucet water flow; however, none are entirely satisfactory. Some of the products are bulky and involve complex extension parts and screws. For instance, existing parts of a faucet fixture may have to be removed before installing an attachment device. Even more, other products involve the arduous and oftentimes more costly task of removing and replacing an entire faucet fixture. Even more, some faucet attachment products may be hard to clean and/or risk bacteria and mildew build-up.
Perhaps most importantly, such products are typically adapted specifically for attachment to conventional/standard faucet spigots. Thus, users having kitchens and bathrooms equipped with uniquely shaped faucet fixtures/spigot designs are left with the alternative, potentially riskier options to reach the running water. In addition, for some such as children, the faucet extending feature may only be needed for a short period of time, so convenient attachment and removal would be preferred. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a faucet attachment that caters to the range of abovementioned needs.
There are also known faucet extenders with only one rear-facing opening for receiving the faucet spigot. These types of faucet extenders, however, do not cater to certain types of faucet spigot shapes and angles. Therefore, there remains to be a need for a faucet extender that can universally fit over a large variety of faucet spigot shapes and angles.
All referenced patents, applications and literatures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. The invention may seek to satisfy one or more of the above-mentioned desires. Although the present invention may obviate one or more of the above-mentioned desires, it should be understood that some aspects of the invention might not necessarily obviate them.


A method assures the quantitative or semiquantitative assessment of analytes in soils by in situ optical methods. A determination is made of the optical chemical response factors for chemicals of interest which are added in known amounts to discrete soil matrices (types) and conditions (moisture content) under controlled laboratory conditions to provide predetermined reference signals. A combination probe is provided with an optical chemical sensing device that produces chemical concentration signals representative of the concentration of a chemical of interest in a soil sample and further is provided with a strain gauge sensing device that produces strain gauge signals representative of soil type and optionally, condition of the soil sample. The combination probe is inserted into the soil sample and the optical chemical sensing device produces the chemical concentration signals and the optical strain gauge sensing device, simultaneously and in parallel, produces the optical strain gauge signals. The optical chemical concentration signals and strain gauge signals are fed to a processor where they are compared to the predetermined reference signals to arrive at an in situ quantification of chemicals of interest in the soil sample.

Increasing concern with soil and groundwater contamination and governmental mandated requirements to clean up hazardous waste sites have made clear that rapid and cost effective methods for subsurface characterization of subsurface chemical contaminants are needed. Traditional methods for monitoring hazardous wastes in ground water systems have involved the collection of field samples and subsequent analysis in the laboratory, see for example, the texts by R.A. Freeze and J.A. Cherry, Groundwater, 604 pp., Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1979 and M.J. Barcelona, J.P. Gibb, J.A. Helfrich and E.E. Garske, Practical Guide for Ground-water Sampling, EPA Rep. EPA/600/S2-85/104, 94 pp., EPA, Washington, D.C., 1985. However, much current research has focused on the development of real-time, remote, in situ techniques to monitor both organic and inorganic pollutants.
Traditionally, samples are often collected "blind" without a priori knowledge about the exact location and extent of contaminant plumes. Zones or plumes of contamination can be completely missed, or, if pinpointed, overestimated or underestimated. For more detailed spatial information on contaminated areas, those areas must often be sampled and analyzed in an iterative manner. Such an approach can be prohibitively costly and labor-intensive. In a highly dynamic aquatic system, the delay from sampling to interpretation and remediation can severely hamper response time, or hinder contaminant containment, possibly resulting in a much larger extent and expense of cleanup.
Real-time in situ measurements, on the other hand, allow for rapid interpretation of the distribution of contaminants, through close sampling and thorough mapping of contaminated areas. The transport of contaminants in soils and/or ground water can be monitored and predicted, and cleanup operations can be efficiently planned and directed. Furthermore, remote in situ methods minimize the risk of sampling artifacts and allow for analysis in hostile environments, without exposing personnel to toxic contaminants.
One method for measuring contaminants which has been extensively discussed is the use of fiber-optic guided systems for in situ spectroscopy and chemical sensing, see the articles by T. Hirschfeld, T. Deaton, F. Milanovich and S. Klainer, entitled "The Feasibility of Using Fiber Optics for Monitoring Groundwater Contaminants," Optical Eng., vol. 22, pp. 527-531, (1981); W. R. Seitz, entitled "Chemical Sensors Based on Fiber Optics," Anal. Chem., vol. 56, pp. 16A-34A (1984); O. S. Wolfbeis, entitled "Fluorescence Optical Sensors in Analytical Chemistry," Trends in Analytical Chemistry, vol. 4, pp. 184-188 (1985); and S. H. Lieberman, S. M. Inman and E. J. Stromvall, entitled "Fiber Optic-Fluorescence Sensors for Remote Detection of Chemical Species, in Seawater," in Proceedings of the Symposium on Chemical Sensors, vol. 87, Electrochemical Society, Pennington, N.J., pp. 464-473 (1987); and F. P. Milanovich, P. F. Daley, K. Langry, B. W. Colston Jr., S. B. Brown and S. M. Angel, "A Fiber Optic Sensor for the Continuous Monitoring of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons," in Field Screening Methods for Hazardous Wastes and Toxic Chemicals, Second International Symposium, pages 43-48 (1991).
One new technology for rapid, in situ subsurface screening of hazardous waste sites is the use of a cone penetrometer system equipped with an optical chemical sensor system. Conventional cone penetrometers have been used for many years to make measurements of soil strength characteristics, see the articles by R. S. Olsen and J. V. Farr, "Site Characterization Using the Cone Penetrometer Test," in Proceedings of the ASCE Conference on Use of In-situ Testing in Geotechnical Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, New York (1986); and P. K. Robertson and R. G. Campanella, Guidelines for Geotechnical Design Using the Cone Penetrometer Test and CPT with Pore Pressure Measurement, Fourth Ed., 185 pp. Hogentogler & Co., Inc., Columbia, Md. (1989).
Recently, a cooperative effort with many participants has developed a prototype cone penetrometer system that has been modified to accommodate a laser induced optical fiber fluorometer for real-time, in situ measurement of chemical contaminants in soils. The prototype system has been used to demonstrate the feasibility of real-time in situ fluorescence measurements of POL (petroleum, oils, and lubricants) in soils as the probe is pushed into the ground to depths of up to 150 feet. The fiber optic system used in the prototype penetrometer has been described in the article by S.H. Lieberman, G.A. Theriault, S.S. Cooper, P.G. Mallone, R.S. Olsen and P.W. Lurk. entitled "Rapid, Subsurface in situ Screening of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination Using Laser Induced Fluorescence over Optical Fibers," in Field Screening Methods for Hazardous Wastes and Toxic Chemicals, Second International Symposium, 57-63, 1991.
In brief, the prototype cone penetrometer system uses two silica clad silica UV/visible-transmitting optical fibers. One fiber is used to carry excitation radiation down through the center of the penetrometer probe and a second fiber collects the fluorescence generated in the soil sample and carries it back to the detector system. The two fibers are separated from the soil sample by a sapphire window mounted flush with the outside of the probe. In the prototype system excitation radiation is provided by a pulsed N.sub.2 laser. A photodiode array detector coupled to a spectrograph is used to quantify the resulting fluorescence emission spectrum. While other fiber-optic guided chemical sensors are being developed for use in groundwater contaminant studies, this is the first reported direct optical detector for contaminants in soils. Unlike sensing systems which examine the contaminant levels in monitoring wells, such as referred to in W. A. Chudyk's, "Field Screening of Hazardous Waste Sites," Env. Sci. and Tech., vol. 23 pages 504-505 (1989), the Lieberman et al. system allows for measurements in soils before monitoring wells are drilled, and, as a consequence is independent of the fractionation and transport problems inherent in using well samples to determine contaminant levels on and between soil particles. However, the prototype core penetrometer system does not take into account the influence of soil type and condition on the readings obtained.
Thus, a continuing need exists in the state of the art for a method providing an improved quantification of the measured optical response of chemical sensors for in situ measurement of chemical constituents in soils which is dependent on critical parameters of soil type and conditions.

Method for quantitative calibration of in situ optical chemical measurements in soils using soil class and characteristics

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A single day alarm clock radio includes a plurality of music setting buttons for setting different types of music; and having alarm buttons for setting an alarm for a radio mode, a buzzer mode, or an alarm off mode. A preset locking switch is provided for locking or unlocking the clock radio to allow the time to be preset, or the alarm time to be preset, or the radio station to be preset, or the type of music to be preset. Also provided is software for automatically cancelling a preset alarm time once it has sounded to change the alarm setting to the “off” mode so that a new hotel guest is not subject to the preset alarm time of the previous hotel guest.

Software operated alarm clock radios are well known in the art. Such alarm clock radios are programmable by the user to set an awake time convenient to the user within the parameters of the software for a particular alarm clock radio. The user directly controls the software circuit to let the alarm setting to be activated. However, there is a problem with hotel alarm clock radios not having the capability to automatically deactivate the alarm, once the alarm has sounded, such that the preset alarm time which was set by a previous hotel guest will be automatically deactivated.
There remains a need for a single day alarm feature for the alarm clock radio of the present invention where the alarm setting is automatically deactivated so that a new hotel/motel guest is not subject to the preset alarm time of the previous hotel guest.


A method of manufacturing a porous film includes a decomposition step of introducing a porous film precursor which is formed by coagulating an undiluted film forming solution containing a hydrophilic polymer and a hydrophobic polymer, into a decomposition container; bringing a heated chemical containing an oxidizing agent into contact with the porous film precursor in the decomposition container; warming the porous film precursor in contact with the chemical; and decomposing the hydrophilic polymer remaining inside the porous film precursor using the oxidizing agent. An apparatus for manufacturing a porous film includes a decomposition device provided with the decomposition container.

In concentration and collection of useful components, removal of unwanted components, fresh water generation and the like in fields of food industry field, medical field, electronic industry field and the like, a porous hollow fiber film which is made of cellulose acetate, polyacrylonitrile, polysulfone, fluorine-based resin and the like and is manufactured by a wet spinning method or a dry-wet spinning method, for example, is often used for a microfiltration film, ultrafiltration film, reverse osmosis filtration film and the like.
In a case of manufacturing the hollow fiber film by the wet spinning method or the dry-wet spinning method, an undiluted film forming solution containing a hydrophobic polymer and a hydrophilic polymer is prepared first. Subsequently, a coagulated substance, that is, a hollow fiber film precursor is formed through a film forming step of discharging this undiluted film forming solution in an annular shape and coagulating the same in a coagulated liquid. The undiluted film forming solution may be either introduced into the coagulated liquid via an air-contact traveling portion (dry-wet spinning method) or introduced directly into the coagulated liquid (wet spinning method).
Here, generally, in the film of the hollow fiber film precursor after the film forming step, the hydrophilic polymer remains a state of solution. If the hydrophilic polymer remains in the film in this manner, it is difficult for the hollow fiber film to exhibit high water permeability (water permeability in film).
Therefore, PTL 1 discloses that a hollow fiber film precursor after a film forming step is dipped into a low-temperature chemical containing an oxidizing agent such as sodium hypochlorite, and after causing the hollow fiber film precursor to maintain the chemical at a low temperature, the hollow fiber film precursor holding the chemical is heated in a gas phase, thereby decomposing the hydrophilic polymer remaining in the hollow fiber film precursor. After heating in the gas phase, a washing step of washing the hydrophilic polymer and a decomposition products thereof is performed.

Porous film manufacturing method and apparatus


A developer container is fitted in a first direction to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet. The developer container includes a main body and a protrusion. An inner space filled with a developer is formed in the man body. The protrusion protrudes outward from an outer wall of the main body. The protrusion includes a plurality of wall surface parts facing in a direction opposite to the first direction. An order in which the plurality of wall surface parts are arranged when viewed in the first direction is different from an order in which the plurality of wall surface parts are arranged when viewed in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. A plurality of wall parts are formed integrally to connect the plurality of wall surface parts through the plurality of wall parts.

The present disclosure relates to a developer container suitable for application to image forming apparatuses, such as copiers, printers, etc., a developing device including such a developer container, and an image forming apparatus including such a developing device.
Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses of electrographic type, a developing device visualizes as a toner image an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum as an image carrier. The toner image is transferred to a recording medium (paper, a viewgraph, or the like), thereby performing image formation. In an image forming apparatus, when the amount of remaining toner in the developing device becomes less than a predetermined amount, toner is supplied from a toner container connected to the developing device.
When the toner container is emptied of the toner in image formation, the user replaces the toner container. In order to do so, the toner container is mounted detachably to the body of the image forming apparatus. The user removes the emptied old toner container from the body of the device. Then, the user fits a new toner container filled with toner to the device body.
Specifications for the toner container detachably mounted to the body of the image forming apparatus may be set differently depending on the type of the image forming apparatus, an operating environment, etc. The specifications may be set according to the country or area where the image forming apparatus is used, the printing speed of the device, the color and materials of the toner, etc. For this reason, if a new toner container set according to an inappropriate specification would be fitted in error in replacement of the toner container, malfunction of the device and/or degradation of print quality may be caused.
In view of the above, various techniques for prevention of erroneous fitting of the toner container are provided. For example, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the bottom surface of a toner container in some image forming apparatus. The arrangement of the plurality of protrusions differs according to the specification of the toner container. On the other hand, a sliding member is provided at a fitting part of the device body where the toner container is to be fitted. The sliding member includes a plurality of contact parts capable of being in contact with the plurality of projections. The plurality of contact parts of the sliding member are arranged correspondingly to the arrangement of the plurality of protrusions of the toner container. Accordingly, if the arrangement of the protrusions is different from that of the contact parts, the sliding member cannot be moved. Thus, the toner container is prevented from being fitted to the device body. Each arrangement of the protrusions and the contact parts is made differ according to the specification of the toner container to prevent erroneous fitting of the toner container.

Developer container, developing device including developer container, and image forming apparatus including developing device


In some examples, compensating for hysteretic characteristics of a crystal oscillator in a timing circuit includes obtaining a plurality of successive temperature measurements. From the plurality of successive temperature measurements, a temperature gradient having a sign and a magnitude can be determined. A frequency compensation parameter can then be determined based on any combination of two or more factors chosen from a set of factors including a temperature measurement, the sign of the temperature gradient, and the magnitude of the temperature gradient. A frequency error of the timing circuit can then be compensated based on the frequency compensation parameter.

Crystal oscillators can be used in electronic devices to provide a frequency reference or to provide a clock signal for an electronic circuit. A crystal oscillator is designed to vibrate at a known frequency upon application of an appropriate input, such as a voltage. An ideal crystal oscillator vibrates at a known, unchanging frequency. However, in practice, a crystal oscillator will typically oscillate at different frequencies depending on the temperature of the crystal oscillator.

Compensating for hysteretic characteristics of crystal oscillators


A trespass detection system includes an electronic-wave trespass detection sensor which is provided near the boundary of a trespass surveillance area, and a detection device body which detects trespassing into the area on the basis of a detection output from the sensor. The detection device body includes a change quantity storing unit which stores the quantity of change in electric field intensity over a predetermined period for each detection zone that is set in advance along the direction of extension of the electronic-wave trespass detection sensor, a statistical processing unit which statistically processes each of the quantities of change, a threshold value setting unit which corrects a threshold value on the basis of the result of the processing and sets a new threshold value, and a trespass detection determining unit which compares the quantity of change and the threshold value and thus determines that there is trespassing by an object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trespass detection system that detects whether there is trespassing by a suspicious person or the like in a broad range of area such as a plant, substation or airport, and the position of the trespassing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, as a trespass detection system for detecting whether there is trespassing by a suspicious person or the like and the position of the trespassing, plural surveillance camera are installed to detect whether there is trespassing (see, for example, JP-A-9-172630).
However, in the case where such surveillance cameras are used, the detection range and the timing of detection must be set by the position of the surveillance cameras, the position of images, or switching of the surveillance cameras. The accuracy of setting the detection range is poor and the way of setting is complicated. Moreover, as the surveillance range becomes broader, the number of surveillance cameras to be installed must be increased, which raises the cost. Therefore, the system is not suitable for detecting whether there is trespassing in a broad range of area such as a plant, substation or airport.
Thus, in order to enable detection of whether there is trespassing in a broad range of surveillance area such as a plant, substation or airport and the position of the trespassing, the present applicants have provided a trespass detection system in which a leakage transmission line on the transmitting side and a leakage transmission line on the receiving side are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined spacing from each other so that a leakage electronic wave can be sent and received between the two sides. It is determined that there is trespassing when the electronic wave received on the leakage transmission line on the receiving side is changed, and the position of the trespassing can be specified (see, for example, JP-A-2004-309423).
In the trespass detection system described in JP-A-2004-309423, a threshold value must be set in advance for determination in trespass detection. For this setting of this threshold value, tests are repeated and the signal intensity and the quantity of change are measured when the system is installed, and a proper value is decided on the basis of the results of the measurement.
However, in the case where tests are repeated when the trespass detection system installed, and a threshold value is decided on the basis of the result of the measurement, as in the traditional technique, the measuring work is highly labor- and time-consuming.
Also, the electric wave environment may be changed by the influence of disturbance such as changes in weather conditions and the existence of a strong-field object. Therefore, the threshold that has once been set may not be proper for detecting trespassing. Thus, traditionally, it is necessary to conduct a work of manually updating to a proper threshold value each time in accordance with a change due to disturbance, and also in this respect, the work of changing the threshold value requires extra labor and time.


An absorbent article includes a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet provided at a location opposing the top sheet, an absorbent provided between the top sheet and the back sheet, and a side sheet provided on both sides of the top sheet in the widthwise direction and having an area that overlaps the top sheet and the absorbent, wherein the absorbent contains an airlaid layer and a crushed pulp layer, the crushed pulp layer is provided on the top sheet side, the airlaid layer is provided on the back sheet side, and the absorbent article has a plurality of indentations formed by pin-embossing the top sheet, the side sheet and the absorbent, and a plurality of indentations formed by pin-embossing the top sheet and the absorbent.

Absorbent articles are generally required to be as thin as possible in order to prevent a sweltering sensation when worn, especially if used in environments at high temperatures. In order to make absorbent articles as thin as possible, absorbent articles are known in the prior art which have an absorbent layer composed of an airlaid non-woven fabric, with a plurality of indentations, formed by embossing, that extend from a surface layer of the absorbent article to the absorbent layer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).


A method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a gate dielectric layer. The method includes the step of ion implanting at least one of Zr, Hf, La, Y, Al, Ti and Ta into the gate dielectric layer at low implant energy level to increase the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer. Subsequently, the implanted gate dielectric layer is annealed.

The present invention relates to semiconductors, generally, and more particularly to a method of fabricating a dielectric layer.
A significant commercial effort has been expended on the miniaturization of semiconductor devices. With device sizes shrinking, increased attention has been paid to dielectric layers. In a field effect transistor (xe2x80x9cFETxe2x80x9d), such as a metal oxide semiconductor FET (xe2x80x9cMOSFETxe2x80x9d), a dielectric layer insulates a gate electrode from a channel formed within a semiconductor substrate.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cross sectional view of a known MOSFET 10 configuration is illustrated. MOSFET 10 comprises a channel 30 formed within a semiconductor substrate 20. Fabricated above channel 30 is a gate electrode 70. Channel 30 has an impedance, which may be changed in response to a voltage applied to gate electrode 70. Channel 30 is electrically connected to a source 40 and a drain 50. If a voltage difference is applied between source 40 and drain 50, a current may flow through channel 30. By modifying the impedance of channel 30 through the voltage applied to gate electrode 70, the amount of current flowing through channel 30 may be controlled.
Formed between channel 30 and gate 70 is a gate dielectric layer 60. Gate dielectric layer 60 has insulative properties, characterized by a dielectric constant, k. Gate dielectric layer 60 comprises silicon dioxide. Gate dielectric layer 60 enables the formation of a capacitance between channel 30 and gate electrode 70.
As the distance separating source 40 and drain 50 continues to shrink with the scaling of semiconductor devices, industry has been forced to examine ways to increase the capacitance between channel 30 and gate electrode 70. The capacitance between channel 30 and gate electrode 70 inhibits the creation of leakage currents between channel 30 and gate electrode 70, as well as between source 40 and drain 50. By increasing the capacitance between channel 30 and gate electrode 70, the potential for creating these leakage currents is substantially reduced.
The channel to gate electrode capacitance has an inverse relationship with the thickness of gate dielectric layer 60xe2x80x94the thinner the gate dielectric layer, the higher the capacitance. The channel to gate electrode capacitance also has a direct relationship with the dielectric constant of gate dielectric layer 60xe2x80x94the higher the dielectric constant, the higher the capacitance. As such, the capacitance between channel 30 and gate electrode 70 may be increased by either reducing the thickness of gate dielectric layer 60 or by increasing the dielectric constant of gate dielectric layer 60.
To date, industry has been able to form a gate dielectric layer from silicon dioxide having a thickness of 25 xc3x85. It is believed that as semiconductor scaling continues, however, the material limitations of silicon dioxide will inhibit its use as a gate dielectric layer. At a thickness of 15 xc3x85, silicon dioxide is approximately six (6) atomic layers thick. Practical considerations in employing a gate dielectric layer formed of silicon dioxide having a thickness of approximately six (6) atomic layers include the propensity of leakage currents to tunnel through the gate dielectric layer and damage the MOSFET. Realizing the limitations of silicon dioxide, researchers have begun to examine alternate materials having higher dielectric constants than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide to increase the channel to gate electrode capacitance.
One group of alternative materials being explored is metal-silicon oxynitrides. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,243, issued on Feb. 1, 2000 to Wallace et al. (hereinafter xe2x80x9cWallacexe2x80x9d), a method of fabricating a gate dielectric layer comprising a metal-silicon oxynitride is disclosed. Wallace proposes forming a dielectric layer comprising silicon-oxynitride in combination with titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), or hafnium (Hf) by a deposition step. It appears that the method of Wallace, however, produces a sub-optimal gate dielectric layer having a varying thickness of approximately 40-50 xc3x85.
Another group of alternative materials being explored is metal silicates. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,780, issued on May 25, 1999 to Gilmer et al. (hereinafter xe2x80x9cGilmerxe2x80x9d), a method of fabricating a gate dielectric layer comprising a metal silicate is disclosed. Gilmer proposes a gas cluster ion implantation step for implanting silicon atoms into a metal-oxide gate dielectric layer. This gas cluster ion implantation step, however, requires supercooling a gas from which clusters of silicon atoms to be ionized are formed. The method of Gilmer, thus, raises issues regarding cost effectiveness.
Consequently, a need remains for a cost-effective method of fabricating a gate dielectric layer having a dielectric constant, k, greater than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide.
We have invented a cost-effective method of fabricating a dielectric layer having a dielectric constant, k, greater than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide, silicon oxynitride, as well as a silicon-oxide-silicon nitride stack.
Our method comprises an ion implantation step for implanting a transition metal into a dielectric layer. The transition metal is selected from a group consisting of Zr, Hf, La, Y, Al, Ti, Ta, and combinations thereof, while the dielectric layer is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon oxynitride and silicon-oxide-silicon nitride.
In an embodiment of the present invention, our ion implantation step is performed such that the transition metal atoms are substantially contained within the dielectric layer.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an anneal step is performed on the implanted dielectric layer. This anneal step allows for a more uniform distribution of the transition metals in the dielectric layer. The anneal step also corrects damage to the implanted dielectric layer. The implantation of metal ions into the dielectric layer creates dangling bonds. Dangling bonds are defined as broken or incomplete chemical bonds between atoms of the dielectric layer. By annealing the implanted dielectric layer, these dangling bonds are reformed.
These and other advantages, objects and embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the appended claims and the drawings attached hereto.

Method of fabricating a dielectric layer


A magnetic recording medium is disclosed, comprising a non-magnetic support having provided thereon a magnetic layer comprising a ferromagnetic metal thin film, wherein a protective layer made mainly of a fluorine-based resin represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein m is an integer of 1 or more, and n is an integer of 10 or more, is provided on the ferromagnetic metal thin film.

Heretofore, a widely used magnetic recording medium type involved coated type media prepared by coating a non-magnetic support with a an organic polymer binder in which a ferromagnetic powder as magnetic material is dispersed, and then drying the magnetic coating composition. In recent years, with an increasing demand for high density recording, so-called metal thin film-type magnetic recording media, in which a ferromagnetic metal thin film as a magnetic layer is formed by a vapor deposition method such as vacuum deposition, sputtering or ion plating, or a plating method such as electric plating or electroless plating, have been receiving attention because their electromagnetic characteristics can be greatly increased.
Theoretical and practical requirements for magnetic recording media for high density recording include high coercive force and low film thickness. Further, metal thin film-type magnetic recording media can be easily decreased in thickness by an order of magnitude as compared with coating type magnetic recording media and are high in saturated magnetic flux density.
In particular, metal thin film formation by the vacuum deposition method provides great advantages because it does not need waste treatment as required in plating method, and its process is straightforward and a rate of deposition can be controllably increased. As a method of forming a magnetic layer having desirably high coercive force and squareness ratio by means of vacuum deposition, an oblique deposition method is known as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,342,632 and 3,342,633.
However, problems associated with magnetic recording media having a ferromagnetic metal thin film include weather resistance, running properties and durability. Also, problems stem from the fact that the magnetic recording medium is brought into high speed relative movement with a magnetic head in the course of recording, reproduction or erasing of magnetic signals. Under such operating conditions, running should be carried out both smoothly and in a stabilized manner, and at the same time, inadvertent contact with the head, abrasion or breakage should be avoided. Under such circumstances, and in order to increase running properties and durability, the provision of a lubricant layer or a protective layer on the ferromagnetic metal thin film has been studied.
For example, one known protective layer is prepared by dissolving a thermoplastic resin, a thermo-setting resin, fatty acid, a metal salt of fatty acid, fatty acid ester, or alkyl phosphate perfluoropolyether-based compound, and then coating the resulting solution upon the metal thin film.
In addition, it has recently been developed to increase durability by using protective coating compounds having a branched perfluoroalkenyl group (JP-A-61-107528 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application")).
However, the metal thin film-type magnetic recording medium prepared according to the above conventional practice fails to exhibit sufficiently satisfactory running properties under wide humidity range conditions ranging from low humidity to high humidity. In addition, its durability is nonoptimal particularly in a low humidity region.
Further, increasing the thickness of the protective layer or the lubricant layer is accompanied by reduction of electromagnetic characteristics due to loss of spacing between the head and the tape.
Accordingly, the industry has awaited more improvements in metal thin film-type magnetic recording media which overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional arrangements.

Magnetic recording medium comprising a ferromagnetic thin film and a protective layer of fluorine based resin


A modified high density brine for use in subterranean drilling and completion operations. The modified high density brine includes a heavy brine and the addition of high density particles. The resultant modified high density brine eliminates the need for toxic, corrosive, and costly ZrBr2 or cesium formate additions or other ionic additives to boost the density of the modified high density brine to more than 14 lbs./gallon.

Various procedures have been used to increase or otherwise improve the flow of hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon-containing subterranean formations penetrated by wellbores, and for enhancing recovery of geothermal and other in situ resources. Specially formulated fluids are used in connection with drilling, completion, and workover operations to contain and manage pressures during drilling and completion operations, and to minimize damage to the formation. Completion fluids are used after drilling is complete and during the steps of completion, or recompletion, of the well. Completion operations normally include cementing the casing, perforating the casing and setting the tubing and pumps prior to, and to facilitate initiation of production in hydrocarbon recovery operations. Workover fluids are used during remedial work in the well, such as removing tubing, replacing a pump, logging, reperforating, and cleaning out sand or other deposits. Drilling fluids are used during the initial drilling of the wellbore. The various functions of drilling, completion and workover fluids include controlling well pressure, preventing the well from blowing out during drilling, completion or workover, and preventing the collapse of the well casing due to excessive pressure build-up. The fluid is meant to help control a well without damaging the producing formation or drilling and completion components. Specific drilling and completion fluid systems are selected to optimize the well completion operation in accordance with the characteristics of a particular geological formation.
Drilling fluids are used while drilling to and through a producing or target zone of a hydrocarbon or other (geothermal, mineral) resource-bearing subterranean formation. Completion fluids are used when completing or recompleting or working over a well. These drilling fluids are typically comprised of freshwater or clear brines.
Seldom is regular drilling mud suitable for completion operations due to its solids content, pH and ionic composition. Drill-in fluids can, in some cases, be suitable for both drilling and completion work. Drilling fluids can contain suspended solid matter consisting of particles of many different sizes. Some suspended material will be large enough and heavy enough to settle rapidly to the bottom of a container if a liquid sample if left to stand (the settable solids). Very small particles will settle only very slowly or not at all if the sample is regularly agitated or the particles are colloidal. These small solid particles typically cause the liquid to appear turbid (i.e., cloudy or hazy). The potential of particle invasion and/or filter cake buildup to damage a formation by reducing permeability in the producing zone has been recognized for many years.
The use of heavy brines as drilling and completion fluids is now widespread, particularly in offshore environments. Most heavy brines used are calcium halide brines, particularly calcium chloride or calcium bromide brines, sodium halide brines, particularly sodium chloride or sodium bromide, potassium chloride, zinc bromide, or formate brines, particularly potassium or cesium formate. Some drilling fluids also use carbonate brines.
Oil companies in the early 1970's realized the importance of reducing solids in the wellbore fluids in an attempt to achieve higher well production. Brines were originally used to reduce formation damage during the completion of geo-pressured wells in the Gulf of Mexico where seawater was often filtered and displaced into wells during perforation or gravel-packing operations. The low-solids seawater reduced formation damage caused by particulate plugging of pore throats in the producing formation or in the gravel pack. In abnormally pressured wells, higher density brines were needed for pressure control. Sodium chloride salt was added to seawater to increase the density from 8.5 to 10 lbs./gal. High density brines with densities from 10 lbs./gal to 19.2 lbs./gal were developed over thirty years ago and are still key components in well completion operations. These heavy brines include high concentration mixtures of calcium chloride (CaCl2), calcium bromide (CaBr2) and/or zinc bromide (ZnBr2) salts. Other formulations, such as potassium chloride and sodium bromide, are used in specialty applications as well as sodium, potassium or cesium formate.
The users of high density brines typically request the least expensive clear brine that has a specified density and a specified crystallization temperature. The density is specified in order to produce a hydrostatic pressure in the well bore that is high enough to control formation pressures. The crystallization temperature is specified near the lowest anticipated cold weather temperature in order to prevent crystallization of salt solids in the brine, while utilizing the most economical formulation.
Precipitation of salt solids in the brines at or below the crystallization temperature can lead to several rig problems. As high density brines are normally formulated, the crystallization temperature is the temperature at which the brine is saturated with one of the salts that it contains. At the crystallization temperature, the least soluble salt becomes insoluble and precipitates. Cooling the brine below the crystallization temperature results in even more precipitation of salt solids from the brine.
The below table provide examples of attainable brine densities of brines that are currently used in well completion operations.
Total SaltDensity PressureConc.at 70° F(psi/ft.)Brine(wt. %)(lbs./gal.)(g/cc)GradientNH4Cl24 8.91.070.462KCl26 126.96.36.1999NaCl2610.01.200.519KBr3911.41.370.592CaCl23811.61.390.602NaBr4512.41.490.644CaCl2/CaBr26015.11.810.784CaCl2/CaBr2/ZnBr27719.22.300.997
In today's deep water completion operations, operators are concerned about corrosion, toxicity, density and crystallization of the well completion fluid, as well as fluid costs. Zinc bromide-containing brines are acidic and must be kept acidic to prevent precipitation of zinc hydroxide. Zinc fluids are also classified as "marine pollutants" in the U.S. and have been prohibited for use in the North Sea since the 1990's, thus there is a reluctance to use such zinc bromide-containing brines. Cesium formates have replaced zinc brines in the North Sea; however, operator costs for such brines have greatly escalated as compared to other completion fluids. U.S. operators that are reluctant to use cesium have sought out other brines that contain no zinc or chlorides and do not rely on formates to keep the cost low.
On-site filtration of completion fluids prior to their exposure to the formation is critical in completion work. By their very nature, these completion fluids are formulated to be solids-free and any contaminants introduced to the system during blending, transportation and completion activities should be removed before the fluid comes in contact with the formation. Ideally, to minimize formation damage, the brine should be free of all solids. However, from a practical standpoint, in most cases solids removal to 2 microns or smaller is generally a reasonable standard. The final decision on solids removal should be based upon the permeability and porosity of the formation. There are several filtration systems available for clear brine completion fluids. The most common systems are diatomaceous earth (DE) filter presses and high surface area pleated element systems.
The decrease in oil and gas prices and increasing regulatory environment has led to searches for reducing cost and environmental impact in drilling operations, including increased emphasis on environmental compatibility of fluids used in drilling and safety concerns for rig personnel and other handlers of the fluids. There is a need for more options for lower cost, lower toxicity, and reduced corrosivity drilling fluids.

High density fluid for completion applications


Embodiments include a device having a micro-LED that includes at least two, individually addressable light emitting diodes on a same substrate; a phosphor converter layer disposed on the micro-LED, the phosphor converter layer including phosphor particles having a D50 of greater than 1 μm and less than 10 μm.

US2012/223875 describes fabrication of a high-resolution, Active Matrix (AM) programmed monolithic Light Emitting Diode (LED) micro-array using flip-chip technology. The fabrication process includes fabrications of an LED micro-array and an AM panel, and combining the resulting LED micro-array and AM panel using the flip-chip technology. The LED micro-array is grown and fabricated on a sapphire substrate and the AM panel can be fabricated using PMOS process, NMOS process, or CMOS process. LED pixels in a same row share a common N-bus line that is connected to the ground of AM panel while p-electrodes of the LED pixels are electrically separated such that each p-electrode is independently connected to an output of drive circuits mounted on the AM panel. The LED micro-array is flip-chip bonded to the AM panel so that the AM panel controls the LED pixels individually and the LED pixels exhibit excellent emission uniformity. US2012/223875 indicates that according to this constitution, incompatibility between the LED process and the PMOS/NMOS/CMOS process can be eliminated.
US2018/190712 describes a full-color display device based on III-Nitride semiconductors. The display device includes an array of micro-LEDs, monolithically integrated on a single chip of the epitaxially grown LED heterostructure, and flip-chip bonded to a silicon backplane of active matrix driving circuits, and color conversion layers. The LED substrate of the micro-LED array is removed, and the n-regions of the p-n or p-i-n heterojunctions of the micro-LEDs are connected via a thin n-type III-nitride epitaxial layer less than 20 μm thick. The surface of the thin n-type III-nitride epitaxial layer is covered with a layer of transparent/semi-transparent conductive material, forming the common n-type electrode of the micro-LED devices, rendering the vertical current flow in the micro-LED emitters. Each addressing and driving pixel of the active matrix driving circuits contains at least a switching transistor, a switching-driving transistor, and a latch register.
US2007/273282 describes an optoelectronic device comprising a light source, an encapsulant with Refractive Index n1, and a phosphor with Refractive Index n2 which is within the range of from about 0.85n1, to about 1.15n1. US2007/273282 also describes a method of adjusting the Refractive Index nx of a phosphor which is higher than a predetermined value n2. The method comprises partially or completely replacing one or more first element(s) in the phosphor with one or more second elements which typically have lower atomic weight than the first element(s). The phosphor is chemically stable and optically comparable with the encapsulant; and the optoelectronic device has gained technical merits such as increased light output efficiency, easy manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness, among others.
WO2016/041838 describes a method for providing luminescent particles with a hybrid coating, the method comprising (i) providing a first coating layer onto the luminescent particles by application of a sol-gel coating process, thereby providing coated luminescent particles; and (ii) providing a second coating layer onto the coated luminescent particles by application of an atomic layer deposition process. WO2016/041838 also describes luminescent particles comprise a luminescent core, a first coating layer having a first coating layer thickness (d1) in the range of 50-300 nm, and a second coating layer having a second coating layer thickness (d2) in the range of 5-250 nm.

Phosphor layer for micro-LED applications


An assembly of a gauge block and tool for determining the size and shape of space between two adjacent vertebrae. There are a plurality of gauge blocks of different sizes and shapes for determining the vertebral space for subsequent insertion of a permanent artificial spinal disc. As such, a kit with vertebral gauge blocks is disclosed. A method of providing the assembly is also included herein.

Human spines are commonly prepared for implanting an artificial disc between two adjacent vertebrae which present two adjacent surfaces facing each other along the spinal column. The procedure of implanting an artificial disc is performed by a surgeon when a person's natural disc is defective. There may be a ruptured or herniated natural disc, and thus the need for the surgical repair consisting of the replacement of the natural disc with an artificial disc. The artificial disc may be man-made and of metal or plastic materials, and its size and shape should be that of the natural disc where the surgery is to restore the spine to a healthy condition.
The space between the two adjacent vertebrae surfaces which face each other along the spinal column is first cleaned by the surgeon and the remaining cleaned space is then to be gauged to determine the height and the angulation between those two surfaces. That is preparatory for the insertion of an artificial disc implant which should snugly occupy the space for desired spinal supportive action.
It is an object of this invention to accurately and efficiently determine the size of that cleaned spaced so that a most appropriate size and shape of artificial implant can be positioned between the two vertebrae. Because this disc implant surgery is approached from the anterior of the patient's torso, it is necessary to negotiate the patient's body parts which normally lie on the path extending from the anterior to the spine. For instance, for the site between the patient's fifth lumbar vertebra and the adjacent first sacral vertebra that site can be approached along a frontal line from the anterior to that site. Therefore, one tool and trial or gauge block arrangement can be employed for accessing that site.
However, other sites along the spine, and the lordotic ones are the ones under consideration herein, that is, those along both the lumbar and cervical spinal lengths, may require an approach which is laterally offset from the full anterior frontal approach mentioned above. That offset is with regard to the approaches, except the one mentioned above, where the patient's aorta is on the access line between the anterior and the spine site.
To accomplish the aforementioned two approaches, this invention provides for two lines between the anterior and the vertebrae sites. This provides for the accurate gauging of the site space height and the tapered angulation between the vertebrae surfaces as they exist on the lordotic vertebrae. A kit of a plurality of different sizes and shapes of gauge blocks or trials, and one tool which can fit all the blocks, can be provided to achieve the implanting of the variety of implant sizes required for optimum restoration of the lordosis of the spine. In the ultimate, there can be a first plurality of blocks which have only one maximum height but which have different angulations or tapers for determining the lordotic angulation of various first sites which are at that one height. Then there can also be a second plurality of blocks at a second height and with their different angulations or tapers for determining the lordotic angulation for various second sites different from the first various sites. Additional pluralities of blocks can also be provided.
The gauge blocks or trials of this invention are provided in kit arrangement in that they are in a plurality and are selected by the surgeon for individual use in determining the size of the vertebrae space in which an artificial implant is to be placed for permanent installation. Thus, the surgeon can select the optimum height and shape or taper of the implant after the surgeon has explored the site by sensing with the gauge block. In those instances, the sites are of the tapered lordotic shape, and therefore they are in the lumbar and cervical lengths of the spine. That shape is such that the space is higher at the anterior side of the spine, compared to the posterior side, that is, it is tapered down to the rear of the spine. According to the patient, the height and taper of any particular site can differ from that of another patient. So, for instance, a collection of say six blocks, all at a maximum height of say 11 mm at the highest location of the taper, can each have their own individual angulation of taper, such as 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 degrees. Other heights and angulations can also be provided to match the variety of vertebrae spacing and patients.
Further, each block can be arranged for accommodating the two angularly related anterior approaches, thus the kit is doubled in its versatility for the various approaches. Still, each gauge block can be inverted for spinal approaches from either lateral side of the patient.
Both the assembly of the blocks with the tool and the method of producing and applying same are disclosed herein.

Kit of spine gauge blocks and a tool assembly


A technique facilitates a variety of well services. A tubing string is provided with a latch assembly having a lower latch assembly portion, an upper latch assembly portion, and a latch mandrel. The latch mandrel comprises a weakened region disposed in a housing of the latch assembly. Additionally, a release mechanism may be employed to facilitate release of the upper latch assembly portion from the lower latch assembly portion upon separating the latch mandrel at the weakened region.

Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from a subterranean geologic formation, referred to as reservoir, by drilling a well that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. In a variety of subsea applications, a landing string is conveyed down to a subsea well head to facilitate a variety of subsea operations, such as subsea completion operations, flow testing operations, intervention operations, and other subsea well operations. In some applications, the landing string comprises a weak link which enables severing of the landing string upon the occurrence of certain events. During preparation and deployment of the landing string, the weak link potentially can incur detrimental bending loads. Additionally, severance at the weak link and removal of the upper portion of the landing string can create torn control line hoses, damaged components, and debris which can cause delays due to cleanup prior to running a subsequent landing string.


A carton comprises top and bottom walls connected together by first and second spaced side walls to form a tubular structure. A set of end closure elements is disposed at each end of the tubular structure to close that end. Each set of end closure elements comprises major and minor end flaps and a web panel. The minor end flap is joined to one of the top and bottom walls and is disposed at a right angle with respect to the axis of the tubular structure. The major end flap is joined to the first side wall and is disposed in overlapping relationship with the minor end flap. The web panel interconnects the major and minor end flaps and is tucked in between the major and minor end flaps. The corner of the first side wall that is defined between the major end flap and the one wall to which the minor flap is joined is bevelled and is severed from the adjacent portions of the carton. The junction between the minor end flap and the one wall comprises a single fold line extending from the second side wall toward the first side wall. The single fold line bifurcates into two branch fold lines at an intermediate point between the first and second side panels. These branch fold lines extend from the intermediate point to the bevelled corner of the first side wall so that a triangular corner panel is defined between the branch fold lines.

This invention relates to a tubular carton having good structural integrity as well as increased end wall flatness which are accomplished through the utilization of an improved carton corner structure.
It is known to form carton corners with so called bevelled corner panels that are in direct contact with the associated packaged articles. A conventional carton with such corner panels is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,861 issued Aug. 12, 1980 and owned by the assignee of this invention. These corner panels prevent undesirable crushing of the carton corners during transportation or storage and also increase tightness or compactness of the carton. The corner panels, however, reduce the proportion of the flat surface in the carton end walls, the flat surface being generally perpendicular to the axis of the tubular structure. It is often desirable that carton end walls be as flat as possible to be useful as, for example, billboard space.
What is needed, therefore, is a carton having an end wall of increased flatness that still maintains adequate structural integrity.

Tubular carton having triangular corner panels


Engine loader and transporter apparatus and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an engine handling assembly includes a motorized drive assembly engageable with a floor surface, and an engagement unit positioned proximate the drive assembly and partially surrounding a working space. The engagement unit includes a pair of coupling assemblies positioned on opposing lateral sides of the working space that are adapted to be selectively coupleable to the aircraft engine assembly when the aircraft engine assembly is positioned at least partially within the working space. A lifting assembly is operatively coupled to the drive assembly and to the engagement unit and is operable to selectively raise and lower the engagement unit and the aircraft engine assembly with respect to the floor surface.

Throughout the aviation industry, the handling of aircraft engines presents a significant challenge. For example, during manufacturing of large commercial aircraft, aircraft engines weighing in excess of 20,000 pounds must be positioned precisely with respect to the aircraft airframe during the attachment process. Similarly, aircraft engines must be periodically removed for servicing and maintenance by airlines, aircraft service providers, and various military organizations. Thus, the need to remove, transport, and install aircraft engines presents a significant challenge in a wide variety of applications.
Typically, an engine is installed by lifting the engine upwardly into position and securing it to a portion of an airframe, such as a wing, a wing pylon, or a suitable portion of the aircraft fuselage. The installation (and removal) process is typically very complex, and usually involves precise positioning of the engine with respect to the airframe. Known techniques for handling aircraft engines include the use of overhead cranes, slings, or a variety of known loader apparatus. Conventional loader apparatus for handling aircraft engines include, for example, those devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,247 B1 issued to Groves et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,607 issued to Grout et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,455 issued to Mills et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,184 issued to Westphal et al.
Although desirable results have been achieved using such prior art apparatus and methods, there is room for improvement. For example, some types of conventional engine handling apparatus must be positioned below the aircraft engine in order to support the engine during installation and removal. This may undesirably necessitate lifting of the aircraft in order to provide enough space between the aircraft engine and the floor or other supporting surface for the engine handling apparatus to operate.
Other types of conventional engine handling apparatus may include support members that project upwardly above the aircraft engine in order to provide support for lifting the engine by means of chains, slings, or other suitable attachment devices. Such upwardly projecting support members may undesirably interfere with nearby portions of the airframe, such as the engine nacelle or thrust reverse assembly. Still other conventional types of engine handling apparatus require that the engine be uncoupled from its shipping buck, transported to a position proximate the airframe, and then be engaged onto support rails in order to be slidably moved into position with respect to the airframe. Due to the size, weight, and complexity of modem aircraft engines, such conventional engine handling apparatus obviously involve an undesirable amount of handling and transferring of the aircraft engine. Therefore, novel apparatus and methods for loading and transporting aircraft engines that at least partially mitigate the above-noted undesirable aspects of the prior art would be useful.


Method of generating radiation images of an elongate body by applying different computer-implemented stitching methods to the same set of partial radiation images. A warning is generated in case of substantial deviation between the applied stitching methods.

In X-ray radiography an x-ray image of an elongate body such as the entire spine or the legs of a patient, may have to be obtained. Long length images are mostly taken to perform length and angle measurements on a radiation image of a subject.
In Computed Radiography (CR), such a long length image is generated by subjecting a number of Imaging Plates (IP), such as photo-stimulable phosphor plates, which are organized in a partially overlapping disposition, to an x-ray image of the elongate body. Each of the imaging plates carries an image of a part of the elongate body. After exposure, the individual imaging plates are read out so as to obtain partial images of the elongate body and finally a long length image is created by stitching these partial images. Accurate alignment and measurement can be obtained by superimposing an object of known geometry of radiation attenuating material such as a grid covering the region to be imaged and correcting and aligning the partial images to reconstruct the geometry of said grid. Such methods are described in European patent applications EP0919856 and EP0866342.
In recent years, Digital Radiography (DR) has become a valuable alternative for CR. The flat panel detectors (FPD) used in DR are more costly than the IP's for CR, so an alternative to the one-shot long length imaging technique of CR is needed. This is achieved by taking plural partial images of an elongate body by moving the position of the FPD while tilting the X-ray tube or moving the X-ray tube parallel to the FPD. During this movement, the patient may move, hereby introducing artifacts which need to be compensated in the full image re-composition from the partial images. The applied compensations for the correction of the patient movement may lead to inaccurate measurements. Inaccurate FPD positioning also decreases the accuracy of measurements done in the composite image.
An article by Xiaohui Wang, "Fully automatic and reference-marker-free image stitching method for full-spine and full-leg imaging with computed radiography", Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 5368, 1 Jan. 2004, pages 361-369 discloses image stitching of partial images.
In the article by Simon T. Y. Suen et al, "Photographic stitching with optimized object and color matching based on image derivatives", Optics Express, Vol. 15, No. 12, 1 Jun. 2007, different stitching methods are compared. The article discloses a theoretical comparison.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

Method to detect and indicate inaccuracies in long length imaging


A traffic management apparatus and system performs data processing functions on images in a video data stream to analyze differences between portions of the images and account for movement of a camera at a traffic intersection or other such environment. The traffic management apparatus and system is configured to be placed on a span wire or other non-fixed position at or near the traffic intersection.

In the existing art, analysis of video images is commonly used as a means of detecting vehicles for providing information for actuation of traffic signals, and has been for many years. Cameras that capture these video images are typically mounted on fixed intersection infrastructure such as light standards, signal mast arms, wooden poles, etc. In video from cameras mounted in this way, a user draws detection "zones" of varying types onto an image using computing devices. These detection zones are drawn for each vehicle lane to determine the presence of vehicles, and are sometimes referred to as virtual loops as they perform a similar function to dedicated in-pavement road loops. These detection zones are also used in order to reduce the amount of the image that is required to be processed to allow existing commercially-available processing chips to be used.
While the method of mounting cameras on fixed poles works at many intersections, there is a class of intersections known as span wire for which this mounting location is problematic. Span wire intersections typically suspend wires across an intersection on which signal lights and other equipment for the motorist to see are mounted. Span wires typically comprise either single spans or a main span wire with a tether wire either above or below the wire to help stabilize equipment. The poles that these span wires are suspended from are often well away from the roadway and when video detection cameras are mounted thereon, they suffer from significant occlusion at least due to the angle to the roadway.
Cameras have been previously mounted on these types of wires spanning the intersection to obtain a better viewing angle, but when mounted in this way there is often significant camera motion which makes it difficult for video detection algorithms to accurately function. Most often, due to camera motion, vehicle detections are missed at a higher than desired rate and detections are made when no vehicles are present, known as a false call. This is because the detection zones do not move in sync with the image. Hence video detection algorithms do not work well in span wire implementations.
As a result, traffic management agencies using span-wire mounted signals have not previously been able to widely deploy video vehicle detection, as span-wire mounted cameras provided tough challenges for image processing algorithms, due to uncontrolled and random camera movement. Image stabilization systems exist in the prior art that can reduce the amount of movement in an image, and these have been applied to video streams to improve the actual image prior to entering the video detection algorithm. These systems, however, focus on the entire image, rather than implementing ways to stabilize a particular zone or area within an image instead of the image itself, and therefore are typically more expensive than desired, at least because they consume excessive computational capacity, rendering them slow and impractical in many situations.

Dynamic zone stabilization and motion compensation in a traffic management apparatus and system


A receiver for receiving a switched signal on a communication line (1), such as a LIN bus, the signal varying between first and second voltage levels (sup, ground). The receiver comprises a comparator (31, 54) responsive to the relative values of the received signal voltage level (Vlin) and an input reference voltage level (Vsup). The comparator (31, 54) comprises a current generator (40, 41) selectively operatble when the recieved signal is asserted to produce an input current (Iin) which is a function of the received signal voltage level (Vlin) and a reference current (Isup) which is a function of the input reference voltage level (Vsup), and output means (28, 32, 31; 55, 56) responsive to the relative values of the input current (Iin) and the reference current (Isup). The output means (28, 32, 31; 56) is supplied with power at a voltage (VDD) substantially lower than the difference between the first and second voltage levels (Vsup, ground). A switch (26, 35, 46) responsive to the input current (Iin) reduces the power consumption of the comparator when the received signal is de-asserted.

Local networks often make use of a communication line, such as a communication bus, over which a set of nodes communicates. A driver module in a master node applies power to the line, the driver module being switched to produce step changes in the power in the line to transmit signals to receivers in remote slave nodes over the line. The switched power signal activates the multiplexed remote nodes connected to the line and the line also selectively transmits signals from the remote nodes back to a central processing unit.
Such a bus is used in automotive vehicles, for example, the bus comprising either a single line or a twisted pair of conductors in which the current flows, the close coupling between the pair of conductors reducing their sensitivity to electromagnetic interference ('EMI'), that is to say reception of noise induced in the wires of the bus, and improving their electromagnetic compatibility ('EMC'), that is to say the radiation of parasitic fields by the currents flowing in the wires of the bus; both are critical parameters, especially in automotive applications.
Historically, in automotive applications, functions such as door locks, seat positions, electric mirrors, and window operations have been controlled directly by electrical direct current delivered by wires and switches. Such functions may today be controlled by ECUs (Electronic Control Units) together with sensors and actuators in a multiplexed Controller Area Network (CAN). The Controller Area Network (CAN) standard (ISO 11898) allows data to be transmitted by switching a voltage, at a frequency of 250 kbauds to 1 Mbaud for example, to the multiplexed receiver modules over the twisted pair cable. The receiver modules may be actuators that perform a function, for example by generating mechanical power required, or sensors that respond to activation by making measurements and transmitting the results back to the ECU over the bus.
The CAN bus was designed to be used as a vehicle serial data bus, and satisfies the demands of real-time processing, reliable operation in a vehicle's EMI environment, is cost-effective, and provides a reasonable data bandwidth. However, connecting with the main body network directly via a CAN bus system can be expensive because of increased costs per node and because high overall network traffic can make management extremely difficult. To help reduce costs, the logical extension is to structure the network hierarchically.
A variant on the CAN standard is the LIN (Local Interconnect Network) sub-bus standard (see ISO 7498), which is an extension to the CAN bus, at lower speed and on a single wire bus, to provide connection to local network clusters. A LIN sub-bus system uses a single-wire implementation (enhanced ISO9141), which can significantly reduce manufacturing and component costs. Component costs are further reduced by self-synchronization, without crystal or ceramics resonator, in the slave node. The system is based on common Universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter serial communications interface (UART/SCI) hardware that is shared by most micro-controllers, for a more flexible, lower-cost silicon implementation.
The wires of a communication bus or similar line are often long and present a substantial distributed reactive load to the transmitter to which they are connected and especially their capacitive loads may be individually variable. The distributed impedance gives the wave fronts of a nominally rectangular switched pulse a finite slew rate. It is accordingly important for the receiver to respond at an accurately repeatable signal level in order to ensure accurate timing of the receiver response. This is important for a CAN bus and other systems but the self-synchronisation feature of a LIN system makes it especially important for the response level of a LIN receiver to be precise.
It is also important for the standby current of the nodes of the system to be very low, especially where such systems are powered by a battery or accumulator. Accordingly, the nodes of the system have standby modes of operation, in which current consumption is reduced but it is also desirable for the wake-up time, that is to say the time taken to pass the node from the standby to the operational mode to be short. In addition, cost considerations are important and make it desirable for components of the nodes to use as small an area of silicon as possible; it follows that it is preferable to avoid including extra receiver components to detect the signal front and wake up main receiver elements in the node.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,714 discloses a differential receiver circuit for computer and other information processing systems but does not disclose a receiver for a communication bus system enabling standby current of a node of the system to be reduced.

Receiver for a switched signal on a communication line


An image reading apparatus accurately determines the positions of image forming mirrors formed with an off-axis reflecting surface, while enabling any thermal expansion caused by a rise in temperature due to a rise in the surrounding temperature to be absorbed. Each image forming mirror formed with an off-axis reflecting surface comprises respective and independent units for determining the positions in the longitudinal direction, in the lateral position, and in the direction orthogonal to the reflecting surface. Holes with which the longitudinal position determining units and the lateral position determining units engage have gaps in the directions orthogonal to the position determining directions to absorb the thermal expansion caused by a rise in the temperature of the image forming mirror when the position determining units engage with the holes. Determination of the position of the reflecting surfaces of the image forming mirrors is carried out by urging faces provided on the reflecting surface side against the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that illuminates documents and reads the images of the documents by a photoelectric conversion unit, and particularly relates to an image forming unit that forms images on the photoelectric conversion unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, an image scanner for reading image data on documents has been known as an image reading apparatus, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-113961, for example.
In such an image scanner, an image forming lens and a line sensor are fixed, and exposure scanning of a document is carried out by moving only reflecting mirrors, thus reading image data.
Recently, to simplify the structure of such an apparatus, carriage-integrated scanning systems that integrate mirrors, an image forming lens, and a line sensor, have been adopted to scan documents.
FIG. 5 shows an image reading apparatus of a known carriage-integrated scanning system. A light beam emitted by a light source 501 illuminates a document 503 mounted on a document table glass 502, then the reflected light beam from the document 503 gets bent along an optical path inside a carriage 511 through first to third mirrors 504 to 506, and thus an image forming lens 509 forms an image onto a line sensor 510 as the light beam passes through the image forming lens 509. The carriage 511 is moved by a driving motor (not shown) in the direction arrow A (feed direction) to read the image data of the document 503. The image forming lens 509 is fixed in a lens barrel 512, and the first to third mirrors 504 to 506 and the lens barrel 512 are fixed to the carriage 511.
In an image reading apparatus such as a digital copy machine, however, since high resolution and high speed are required, the field angle must be narrow to improve the resolution of the image forming lens, but then the length of the optical path is extended and the light quantity is decreased. If the optical path length is shortened, the field angle becomes wider, which lowers the resolution and thus makes it difficult to employ a carriage-integrated scanning system.
An image reading apparatus of a carriage-integrated scanning system adopting an off-axis optical system that forms an image by the reflection of a light beam, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-292371 or the like, is presented in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-335375 (US Patent Application No. 20030038228). With respect to a reference axis along a light beam going through the image center and the pupil center, an off-axis optical system is defined as an optical system that includes a curved surface (off-axis curved surface) whose surface normal at the intersection point of the surface and the reference axis is not on the reference axis. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-335375, a construction that avoids chromatic aberration, with air as the medium between the reflecting surfaces of an off-axis optical system, particularly for scanning color documents, is presented.


The instant invention provides improved processes for preparing benzothiophenes utilizing cation exchange resins.

This invention relates to the field of pharmaceutical chemistry, and provides an advantageous process for preparing a group of benzothiophenes from dialkoxyacetophenones. The process provides the desired compounds in excellent yield on a large scale.
The preparation of benzothiophenes through a dialkoxy benzothiophene intermediate was previously described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,635, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, which teaches the intramolecular cyclization of .alpha.-(3-methoxyphenylthio)-4-methoxyacetophenone in the presence polyphosphoric acid (PPA). Heating the acetophenone starting material in PPA at about 85.degree. C. for about 1 hour provides an approximately 3:1 mixture of two isomers, 6-methoxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzo[b]thiophene and 4-methoxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzo[b]thiophene. However, when this reaction is conducted on a manufacturing scale, the isomeric benzothiophenes precipitate and produce a thick paste that cannot be stirred adequately in conventional manufacturing equipment.
Use of a solvent to alleviate the problem caused by a paste in a different reaction scheme has been attempted by Guy et al., Synthesis, 222 (1980). However, when this approach is applied to the instant scheme, the addition of a solvent results in incomplete cyclization of the starting acetophenone, incomplete rearrangement of 6-methoxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzo[b]thiophene, and dramatically increased reaction times.
Thus, there is a need for an improved process which employs alternate catalysts for the conversion of dialkoxyacetophenone derivatives to benzothiophenes with suitable yields and acceptable reaction times.

Process for the synthesis of benzothiophenes


Disclosed herein is a transponder comprising a transmitter and a receiver. The transponder further comprises a receiver input amplifier, a bypass line, and a control unit configured for determining the performance of the transponder in relation to an OSNR related parameter, by controlling the transponder to generate a noise signal to be received by the receiver. The receiver input amplifier is operated to thereby cause ASE in the receiver input amplifier to facilitate the determination. A test signal is generated at the transmitter Said noise signal and said test signal, and/or one or more respective replicas thereof, are superimposed to form a combined signal to be received by said receiver to further facilitate determination of said performance related parameter based on said combined signal, wherein for generating said combined signal, said test signal is fed from the transmitter to the receiver by means of said bypass line.

Efficient deployment of optical transponders in optical networks requires accurate performance modeling. In particular, precise information about transponder performance allows saving intermediate repeaters and thus helps to keep costs at a low level. Furthermore, precise information about the performance of already installed connections allows to select routes for new connections in such a way that performance is well balanced over the connections.
A key parameter for network planning is the residual margin which provides information about the extent of performance degradation that can be tolerated before the link breaks down. Typical calculations of the residual margin rely upon the back-to-back performance, commonly expressed in terms of the required optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) to achieve the target error rate in a back-to-back configuration, i.e. without a substantial length of fiber between the transmitter and receiver. The required OSNR varies from transponder sample to transponder sample, but in most cases only typical values are known. Therefore, a worst-case value of the required OSNR, which guarantees error free operation for all transponder samples, is currently used in practical applications. However, this leads to conservative planning involving too many repeaters and causing increased cost. This situation could in principle be improved if the back-to-back performance of the actually used transponder sample was known. Furthermore, a method for characterizing the installed transponders could help to identify the root cause of a failure.
As of today, almost all transponders added to high-performance optical networks covering long distances are based on coherent detection and polarization multiplexing. Furthermore, there is a trend to deploy pluggable modules that may be plugged into transponder cards on demand. In an open ecosystem, a network operator might mix pluggable modules from different suppliers and plug them into the transponder card of the system supplier. In this scenario, exact characterization of the card during manufacturing of the card is no longer an option.
Moreover, measuring transponder performance at installation time by making use of external measurement equipment and menu interactions is not a practical solution, both for cost reasons and in view of the risk of wrong measurement results when carried out improperly by personnel in the field.
Another possible approach, which might dispense with the use of external equipment, would be to emulate variable noise levels by adding noise terms in the digital domain, i.e. in the digital signal processor (DSP) used for signal generation and detection. However, such DSPs are manufactured by a small number of specialized companies designing chips for the entire market. Thus, customization is almost impossible from a cost point of view and performance measurements are not possible if the addition of digital noise has not been implemented in the DSP, as is currently the case with commercially available DSPs. Furthermore, the characteristics of "artificial" digital noise are different from "real" analog noise such as thermal noise and noise induced by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE).

Automatic measurement of the noise performance of a transponder