An electrode for a battery includes an electrode sheet, a lead, and a metal piece. The electrode sheet has a collector, an active material layer formed on the collector, and a lead connecting portion which is configured as an exposed extension of the collector, on both surfaces of which the active material layer is not formed. The lead connecting portion, the lead, and the metal piece are overlapped to and joined to each other. With this configuration, even if a contact area between the lead connecting portion and the lead is small, an electric resistance at the joined portion between the lead connecting portion and the lead becomes small, with a result that it is possible to enhance the strength of the joined portion and to enhance the discharge load characteristic of the battery.

The present invention relates to an electrode to which a lead is connected and a production method thereof, and a battery using the electrode and a production method thereof.
In recent years, along with the recent progress of the electronic technology, there have been developed small-sized portable electronic apparatuses such as camera integrated video tape recorders and portable information terminals. To cope with the tendency to reduce sizes of these portable electronic apparatuses and to enhance performances thereof, there have been strong demands to develop small-sized, lightweight batteries having high performances as portable power sources used for these electronic apparatuses.
In particular, to drive an electronic apparatus requiring a large pulse current, it is important to use a battery having a high discharge load characteristic as a power source of the electronic apparatus. To realize such a battery, an electrolytic solution, an active material, and the like of the battery have been actively studied.
The performance of a battery is also dependent on constituent members, irrelevant to battery reaction, of the battery, for example, an electrode lead, a collector, and a connection portion therebetween. In particular, to improve the discharge load characteristic of a battery, it becomes important to reduce resistances of these constituent members.
For example, a gel-like electrolyte battery using a gel-like electrolyte has an electrode sheet formed by stacking a negative electrode, the gel-like electrolyte, and a positive electrode to each other; an outer case formed by folding one laminated sheet into two, in which the electrode sheet is sealed; a negative electrode lead, one end of which is extracted to the outside of the outer case; and a positive electrode lead, one end of which is extracted to the outside of the outer case.
FIG. 1 shows an electrode configuration of each of a negative electrode and a positive electrode of a related art gel-like electrolyte battery. The electrode includes a collector 50, an active material layer 51 formed on the collector 50, and a lead connecting portion 52 configured as an exposed extension of the collector 50, on which the active material layer 51 is not formed. One end of a lead 53 is connected to the lead connecting portion 52. FIG. 2 shows another electrode configuration of each of a negative electrode and a positive electrode of a related art gel-like electrolyte battery. The electrode includes a stack of a plurality of electrode sheets each having a collector 50, an active material layer 51, and a lead connecting portion 52. The plurality of lead connecting portions 52 are overlapped to each other, and one end of a lead 53 is joined to the overlapped lead connecting portions 52.
As disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 11-233096, the lead 53 can be joined to the lead connecting portion 52 by ultrasonic welding. This is effective to join the lead 53 to the lead connecting portion 52 without occurrence of cutout or breakage due to generation of spark.
In the above-described methods shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, however, if a metal foil used as the collector 50 is thin, the contact state between the lead 53 and the lead connecting portion 52 is not desirable at the joined portion between the lead 53 and the lead connecting portion 52, with a result that the joining strength between the lead 53 and the lead connecting portion 52 becomes insufficient. That is to say, since the mechanical strength of the joined portion between the lead 53 and the lead connecting portion 52 is poor, there may occur a problem that the lead 53 be peeled only by a slight tensile force applied thereto.
Further, if the contact state between the lead 53 and the lead connecting portion 52 is insufficient, the electric resistance therebetween becomes large, whereby the inner resistance of the battery is increased. As a result, there may occur a problem that the discharge load characteristic of the battery is degraded.
In particular, for a so-called stack-type battery in which a battery element is formed not by winding a negative electrode and a positive electrode but by stacking them to each other, to improve the capacity of the battery, it is regarded desirable to make the lead connecting portion 52 irrelevant to battery reaction as small as possible. Accordingly, for the stack-type battery, the contact area between the lead 53 and the lead connecting portion 52 becomes small as compared with the winding type battery, with a result that the above-described problems, that is, the reduction in joining strength and degradation of discharge load characteristic become significant.

Electrode and battery, and methods of producing the same


The present invention is directed to a method for separating the group III element component of a group III-V material from an aqueous waste containing a group III-V material to allow for their recovery and beneficial use. The method includes adjusting the pH of an aqueous waste containing a group III-V material to a pH from about 9.5 to about 12.5 by adding an alkali metal hydroxide base to the aqueous waste; precipitating a group V element oxyanion by adding a soluble alkaline metal salt to the aqueous waste; separating the group V element oxyanion from the aqueous waste; adjusting the pH of the aqueous waste to form a group III element hydroxide precipitate by adding a mineral acid to the aqueous waste; separating the group III element hydroxide precipitate from the aqueous waste; and recovering the group III element from the group III element hydroxide precipitate.

The present invention relates to a process for separating the elemental group III component of a group III-V material from aqueous polishing or etching wastes generated during the manufacture of group III-V material semiconductor devices.
Semiconductor devices formed from group III-V materials, such as, for example, gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide and indium phosphide, are used for a multitude of military and commercial devices in the United States and throughout the world. Typically, these uses include lasers, light-emitting diodes, and communications equipment. Manufacturing processes devoted to the fabrication of these devices generate large volumes of wastes which contain valuable gallium metal and indium metal. For example, gallium is particularly expensive and currently sells for about one dollar per gram. For that reason, low-cost procedures devoted to the recovery of these metals are economically advantageous to semiconductor manufacturers.
Manufacturers grow bulk crystals of group III-V materials in large boules or ingots. These boules are then cut into wafers, and etched and lapped to remove any surface damage. The wafers are then polished to achieve a mirror-like finish on one or both sides of the wafer. To polish the wafers, the wafers are mounted onto polishing plates, and either a wax or a vacuum is used to hold them in place. The polishing plates are then mounted on a polisher and are pressed against an abrasive polishing pad. The polishing is done "wet." In a "wet" polishing process, a very fine polishing agent, such as alumina, and an agent containing an oxidizing species are used to remove surface materials through a combination of mechanical and chemical action.
Use of the oxidizing species results in solubilized metal ions according to, for example, the following generalized reactions: EQU GaAs+"oxidizer".fwdarw.Ga.sup.+3 +As.sup.+5 +"residual oxidizer" EQU InP+"oxidizer".fwdarw.In.sup.+3 +P.sup.+5 +"residual oxidizer"
A number of chemical oxidizers have been used in the laboratory and in industry to polish group III-V semiconductor materials. In general, it is desirable to utilize chemical species which aid the polishing operation by oxidizing group V elements, such as arsenic or phosphorous, to the water-soluble +5 valence state, because the use of acids (without oxidizer) leads to the generation of toxic gases, such as arsine (AsH.sub.3) or phosphine (PH.sub.3). The most commonly used oxidizer species are hydrogen peroxide, chlorinated compounds (especially hypochlorite), and nitric acid. Typical concentrations of oxidizer, depending on the oxidizer species, of 10% to 30% are used during a polishing operation.
This wet polishing process produces an aqueous waste stream that contains from 200 to 400 ppm each of dissolved group III elements and group V elements, as well as residual oxidizer concentrations of from about 3% to about 10%. At such concentrations, the aqueous wastes from group III-V material semiconductor wafer polishing require subsequent treatment for removal of toxic materials, such as arsenic, prior to discharge of the aqueous waste from the manufacturing plant. The aqueous waste itself has a "milky" appearance, due to large concentrations of very fine polish particles, having sizes of 0.5 micron and smaller, suspended within it. While some of the suspended polish settles after time, most remains suspended in the aqueous polishing solution providing the milky appearance and complicating any separation processes. The pH of the aqueous waste is dependent upon the initial oxidizer solution used, but the resultant aqueous waste is generally more basic than the initial solution, due to a number of factors such as, for example, the presence of polish and generation of soluble group III element ions. Typically, these aqueous wastes have a pH near the neutral region.
Currently, aqueous wastes containing group III-V materials are treated with a soluble ferric iron species (e.g., ferric chloride or ferric nitrate) which is added to the aqueous waste. The pH of the aqueous waste is then adjusted so as to precipitate insoluble ferric hydroxide. The group III element ions and the group V element ions are "co-precipitated" with the ferric hydroxide. Coagulating and flocculating agents are added to aid in the physical removal of the resultant precipitate. This process produces a large volume of waste solids which must be disposed of, and which could readily leach toxic metals, such as arsenic, in a land-disposal environment. The colloidal nature of the polishing agent also complicates the physical separation process. For this reason, it is difficult to obtain consistent metal concentrations in the discharged filtrate on a day-to-day basis. Consistent metal concentrations in the aqueous waste are particularly important when the discharge contains toxic metals which are subject to environmental output regulations.
An additional concern with this conventional process is that the two materials for which recycling is desirable, the group III element and the group V element, are intimately mixed with a tremendous excess of a third material (iron). Therefore, recovery and recycling of the group III elements and the group V elements from the iron precipitate are extremely difficult. This, combined with the problems sometimes encountered with meeting toxic metal discharge limits for the filtrate, results in a need in the art for a method that not only recovers valuable components of group III-V materials, but does so in a way which treats for toxic components.

Recovery of the components of group III-V material aqueous wastes


Disclosed is a non-A, non-B hepatitis virus antigen peptide which exhibits antigen-antibody reaction specificity with at least one of sera from a convalescent patient having acute non-A, non-B hepatitis and sera from a patient having chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. By the use of the antigen peptide of the present invention, not only the diagnosis of non-A, non-B hepatitis but also the screening of blood for transfusion can be achieved with ease and high reliability. The antigen peptide of the present invention may also be used as the basis for a vaccine against non-A, non-B hepatitis.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a non-A, non-B hepatitis virus antigen peptide. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a non-A, non-B hepatitis virus antigen peptide which exhibits antigen-antibody reaction specificity with at least one of a convalescent serum from a patient having acute non-A, non-B hepatitis and a serum from a patient having chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. The antigen peptide of the present invention is useful for diagnosing non-A, non-B hepatitis and for screening blood for transfusion. Further, the antigen peptide of the present invention can be used as an active ingredient of a vaccine for non-A, non-B hepatitis.
2. Discussion of Related Art

Non-A, non-B hepatitis virus antigen peptide

The Research Foundation for Microbial Disease of Osaka University


The invention relates to a method and a correspondingly arranged communication device for channel estimation in vehicle-to-environment communication, wherein a model of the environment influencing the vehicle-to-environment communication is produced from parameters of a vehicle-to-environment communication and the quality of the model for the environment is ascertained by the convergence of the parameters used in the model. The course of the convergence of the parameters in the model is monitored and conclusions are drawn with regard to the environment from the course of the convergence of the parameters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for channel estimation in vehicle-to-environment communication (C2X communication), in which a model of the environment influencing vehicle-to-environment communication is generated from parameters of vehicle-to-environment communication. The quality of the model for the environment is ascertained by the convergence of the parameters used in the model.
2. Prior Art
The data to be transmitted is initially modulated digitally in a digital transmission system. This is also referred to as symbol mapping. A continuous-time baseband signal is generated in a pulse shape filter. Before the signal is able to be transmitted via the actual transmission channel, the baseband signal is transformed into a so-called bandpass signal, for example, with the aid of a quadrature modulator.
On the receiver side, the reception signal is transformed back into a baseband signal via a corresponding quadrature modulator, specific interference suppression mechanisms possibly following after this inverse transformation.
The transmission channel is determined by the physical communications properties of the system. However, it is possible to match the transmitting signal optimally to the properties of the channel using a suitable choice of transmission and modulation methods, which are influenced by the environment of the transmitter and the receiver. On the receiver side, so-called channel estimation is then frequently carried out in order to be able to compensate for distortion occurring via the transmission channel. For this purpose, reference signals are often inserted into the data stream at the transmitter, via which the receiver receives information about the channel transfer function. Based on this information, it is then possible to estimate the channel transfer function with the aid of a model. The known channel estimation methods generate a model of the environment, information from the communication itself being used.
A radar system designed as an environment sensor is known from DE 10256620 A1, which has means for both sensing and data transmission, these means being able to be operated simultaneously using different frequency ranges for sensing and data transmission. Although this has the advantage of making it possible to use largely the same hardware for both data transmission and sensing, various measurements are required, each of which must be activated and evaluated separately.
WO 2006/073691 A2 describes a method in which information about the relative distance between the vehicles is obtained by evaluating a communication channel between two vehicles. For this purpose, current transmission power or transmission power calculated in a model and received transmission strength are taken into consideration, the receiver ascertaining the distance from the transmission power and the received transmission strength based on a model of free radio transmission. This necessarily requires communication between the various communications partners. In addition, satellite positioning systems may be used for improving the determination of the relative distance, transmission losses being determined on the transmission channel between vehicles having a satellite positioning system and being correspondingly used on vehicles without a satellite positioning system, in order to improve the distance estimation for vehicles in the same vehicle cluster. Here as well, an alternative sensor system must be used in order to obtain an assessment of the environment.

Method for channel estimation in vehicle-to-environment communication and communication device arranged therefor


A network device may predict the use of a mobile device and configure a network based on the prediction. The network device may provide instructions to display coverage indicators for the mobile device based on the predictions.

Users are expecting data access anywhere for their mobile devices. Current wide area wireless networks, such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Long Term Evolution (LTE), allow internet service providers to offer reasonable uplink and downlink bandwidth and speed, in which customers can reach Internet based services. For example, cloud computing allows customers to make use of a wide range of cloud based resources such as platform as a service (PaaS), storage as a service (SaaS), computing as a service, and the like. But exponential growth in cloud services and other Internet services has caused a corresponding increase in congestion on wide are wireless networks, which may reduce the effectiveness of cloud and other data services for users.
WiFi and femtocell (femto) networks are widely available today and have the potential to offer an alternative wide are wireless network domain. Yet, the authentication and authorization procedures of the alternative network domain may make such opportunity cost and performance prohibitive.


A micro-electro-mechanical sensing device including a substrate, a semiconductor layer, a supporting pillar, a first suspended arm, a connecting member, a second suspended arm, and a proof mass is provided. The semiconductor layer is disposed on or above the substrate. The supporting pillar is disposed on or above the semiconductor layer. The first suspended arm is disposed on the supporting pillar. The supporting connects a portion of the first suspended arm. The connecting member directly or indirectly connects another portion of the first suspended arm. The second suspended arm has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The connecting member connects a portion of the first surface. The proof mass connects the second suspended arm and it includes a portion of the second suspended arm as a portion of the proof mass. A method for manufacturing the device is also provided.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a sensing device, especially a micro-electro-mechanical sensing device and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) technology has opened up a whole new technology and industry; such technology is widely used in various fields. MEMS inertial sensors are a typical example of such technology, which for example include accelerometers and gyroscopes. In these sensors, a MEMS spring structure is usually required to fix one end of a moving structure on a side wall, so that this moving structure is capable of reciprocating motion in a specific direction. The related spring structure is usually composed by a stack of silicon layers or metal layers and oxide layers in alternative order.
However, due to different thermal expansion coefficients between the metal layer and the oxide layer, the high temperature process will result in thermal expansions of different degrees on the metal layer and the oxide layer, which cause the MEMS spring structure to distort and affect their performance. Therefore, how to prevent the MEMS spring structure from deformation affected by environment temperature changes and ensure good performance of the MEMS spring structure are important topics to this field.
Besides, in prior art, the MEMS spring is usually designed in the form of a horizontal layout, so the area left for other components on a substrate is reduced. In other words, how to effectively improve the area utilization efficiency or reduce the device size are important topics to this field.

Micro-electro-mechanical sensing device and manufacturing method thereof


An electronic device with easy assembly function is disclosed in the present invention. The electronic device includes a bezel, a display panel and a fixing component. The bezel includes a first engaging portion and a first wedging portion, respectively disposed on different sides of the bezel. The display panel is disposed on the bezel and adjacent to the first engaging portion and the first wedging portion. The fixing component includes a body, a second engaging portion and a second wedging portion. The body presses the display panel. The second engaging portion protrudes from the body and is detachably engaged with the first engaging portion. The second wedging portion protrudes from a position of the body different from the second engaging portion, and is detachably wedged with the first wedging portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device with a touch panel, and more particularly, to a touch electronic device and a related computer system with easy assembly function.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the advanced technology, the tablet computer and the notebook computer generally include the touch screen for convenient utility. The conventional notebook computer or the conventional tablet computer disposes the touch panel on the base by screw locking or the engaging mechanism, then the bezel is disposed on the base, and the touch panel can be partially exposed via the opening of the bezel. Screen assembly of the notebook computer and the tablet computer is completed and illustrated as above. In the conventional assembly procedure, the touch panel is disposed on the base before the bezel is installed on the touch panel and the base, which results in weak structural strength between the bezel and the touch panel. The touch panel may be easily separated from the bezel by overloading applied to the screen. In addition, assembly mechanism of the conventional screen is complicated and inconvenient to repair. Design of a touch panel module with easy assembly function and great structural strength is an important issue in the related computer industry.

Electronic device with easy assembly function and related computer system


A method of deactivating microorganisms in food products, packaging material, water, air, and other products involves illuminating the microorganisms using at least one short-duration, high-intensity pulse of broad-spectrum polychromatic light. In variations of this embodiment, the light has an intensity of at least 0.1 J/cm.sup.2, the pulse duration is from between about 10 nanoseconds and 10 milliseconds, and/or at least 50% of the at least one pulse's energy is transmitted in light having wavelength from between about 170 and 2600 nanometers. Advantageously, the microorganisms may be Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, Bacillus pumilus spores or poliovirus.

The present invention relates to disinfection or decontamination of food, water, air and packaging materials, and more particularly, is directed to deactivation or killing of organisms, such as cyst-forming protozoa, such as Cryptosporidium parvum, or viruses, such as poliovirus, in food, water, or air, or on packaging material. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to deactivation of such organisms using high-intensity short-duration pulses of polychromatic light in a broad spectrum.
As used herein the terms "deactivate", or "decontaminate" and forms thereof refer to the killing or sterilizing, i.e., rendering unable to produce, of microorganisms.
Substantial technical effort has been directed to increasing the levels of microbiological decontamination in water, air, foodstuffs and other microbiologically labile products, and packaging materials so as to preserve these products against microbiological spoilage and/or to prevent infection of their consumers. Such efforts have involved both the treatment of products and packaging material, and the development of packaging techniques for preservation.
The photobiological effects of light, including infrared light (780 nm to 2600 nm; i.e., 3.9.times.10.sup.14 Hz to 1.2.times.10.sup.14 Hz), visible light (380 to 780 nm; i.e., 7.9.times.10.sup.14 Hz to 3.9.times.10.sup.14 Hz), near ultraviolet light (300 to 380 nm; i.e., 1.0.times.10.sup.15 Hz to 7.9.times.10.sup.14 Hz) and far ultraviolet light (170 to 300 nm; i.e., 1.8.times.10.sup.15 Hz to 1.0.times.10.sup.15 Hz), have been studied, and, in particular, efforts have been made to employ light to deactivate microorganisms on food products, containers for food products or medical devices. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,871,559; 4,910,942; and 5,034,235, issued to Dunn et al. (the '559, '942, and '235 patents), incorporated herein by reference.
Other studies of the photobiological effects of light are reported in Jagger, J., "Introduction to Research in Ultraviolet Photobiology", Prentice Hall, Inc., 1967. U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,417 describes illuminating substances, e.g., milk, with active rays, such as ultraviolet rays; U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,703 describes sterilization of light-transmissive material using pulsed laser light; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,670 describes a method of sterilizing materials, including foodstuffs, by exposing the materials to laser illumination to inactivate microorganisms. However, such methods have various deficiencies, such as limited throughput capacity, limited effectiveness in killing microorganisms (particularly, cyst-forming protozoa and viruses), adverse food effects (e.g., negatively affecting food flavor or appearance), inefficient energy conversion (electrical to light) and economic disadvantages.
In the area of water decontamination in particular, heretofore known methods of killing cyst-forming protozoa are in many cases ineffective and inefficient, i.e., overly time consuming or too costly. One commonly used method of water decontamination is the addition of chlorine to water for the purpose of killing microorganisms. Unfortunately, chlorine, at levels that are not also toxic to humans, is ineffective at killing some cyst-forming protozoans. In recent years, for example, outbreaks of Cryptosporidium parvum (C.parvum) have caused illness in hundreds of thousands of people, and have killed numerous others. Such outbreaks are common in the spring and summer rainy seasons when water from feedlots and the like may be undesirably mixed with municipal water supplies. No cost effective method of eradicating C.parvum has heretofore been available.
One attempt to eliminate live C.parvum from water involves exposing contaminated water to ultraviolet light. While limited success has been observed using ultraviolet light and special methods for increasing exposure time or intensity (such as by trapping oocysts in a mechanical filter and exposing the mechanical filter to ultraviolet light) to eradicate low concentrations of C.parvum, i.e., about 2 log cycle reductions, such method requires that the water be exposed to ultraviolet light having an intensity of 15 W/s for more than two hours, i.e., about 150 minutes. Thus, the use of ultraviolet light has proven not to be a viable approach to eradicating C.parvum in municipal water treatment facilities. What is needed is a method of eradicating C.parvum, other cyst-forming protozoa, and other microorganisms, such as viruses, that is both fast, i.e., that can be used practically in a water treatment facility, and that is highly effective, i.e., is effective to deactivate high levels of C.parvum, i.e., more than 2 or 3 log cycles.
In the area of air decontamination, airborne microorganisms, and in particular viruses, and even chemical contaminants, are of major concern. In order to be effective, an air treatment approach must be able to process flowing air as it passes from a contaminated space into an uncontaminated or sterile space. Heretofore, the most common method of air treatment has been to employ micro filters, such as HEPA filters, in a duct in order to physically remove particulate contaminants from the flowing air. Unfortunately, the micro filters employed pose significant impediment to air flow, and therefore require the use of high powered fans and the like in order to pump the air through the air filters. As more particulate contaminants become trapped in the micro filters over time, this impediment to air flow increases. In addition, due to the relatively high resistance to air flow posed by such microfilters, leakage of air around the filters becomes a significant factor in their design. Such filters also are subject to releasing trapped contaminants into the duct when they are removed for replacement and such released contaminants can be subsequently carried by the duct into areas sought to be protected by the filter. Furthermore, some microfilters may be unable to remove particularly small contaminant particles.

Deactivation of organisms using high-intensity pulsed polychromatic light


A thermo-magnetic cycle apparatus includes: a magnetic element having a Curie temperature distribution in a distribution direction. A magnetic-field supplier supplies an external magnetic field to the magnetic element. A pump pumps heat transport medium to flow forward and backward in the distribution direction. The heat transport medium transports heat of the magnetic element. A shift device causes a position of a high temperature end and/or a low temperature end of the magnetic element to move.

FR 2933539 and FR 2936363 describe a magneto-caloric effect type heat pump apparatus applied to a vehicle as a thermo-magnetic cycle apparatus that uses temperature characteristics of a magnetic element. FR 2933539 has the corresponding publications WO 2010/004131 and US 2011/0104530. FR 2936363 has the corresponding publications WO 2010/061064 and US 2011/0215088.
FR 2936364 describes a structure of a magneto-caloric element, and has the corresponding publications WO 2010/034907 and US 2011/0173993. The magneto-caloric element has plural element units respectively have Curie temperatures different from each other, and the plural element units are arranged in order of the Curie temperature.
JP-B2-4234235 and JP-A-2002-281774 describe a thermo-magnetic engine as a thermo-magnetic cycle apparatus that uses temperature characteristics of a magnetic element.
The magneto-caloric element of FR 2936364 has the distribution in the Curie temperature, and the distribution corresponds to a temperature distribution generated between a high temperature end and a low temperature end of the element. In this case, high magneto-caloric effect can be achieved by the magneto-caloric element.
However, if the temperature of the high temperature end or the low temperature end is varied, the magneto-caloric effect is lowered. For example, in the magneto-caloric effect type heat pump apparatus, a temperature of a heat source and a temperature of a thermal load easily vary. More specifically, in a case where the magneto-caloric effect type heat pump apparatus is used in an air-conditioner, outside air temperature and inside air temperature vary. If the temperature of the high temperature end or the low temperature end is varied, the magneto-caloric element cannot work in an optimal temperature range, so that performance of the magneto-caloric effect type heat pump apparatus including the magneto-caloric element may be lowered.

Thermo-magnetic cycle apparatus with bypass valve


A display module includes a display panel configured to display an image on a display surface, a frame having a shape configured to surround an outer edge of the display panel and having an opening formed in a region overlapping the display surface, and a holding member having an inner region that is a region closer to a center of the display panel and an outer region that is a region farther from the center of the display panel, the inner region being connected to the display panel, the outer region being connected to the frame, and the inner region being separated from the outer region in a view projected from a direction orthogonal to the display surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display module including a display panel and a support member supporting the display panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A display device for displaying an image displays the image on a display surface provided on a display panel such as liquid crystal display panel (hereinafter, also may be called "LCD panel") or organic EL panel. The display panel is a plate-like member and the outer periphery of the display panel is supported by another member.
For example, an LCD device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2010-197749 (JP-A-2010-197749) includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight arranged to face a back surface side of the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel is supported in a state of being sandwiched between a bezel and a frame, and the backlight is accommodated in a backlight chassis. A polarization plate is superimposed on the back surface side of the liquid crystal panel and a double-faced tape is attached to the entire periphery of the polarization plate. A sealing sheet is provided to be bonded to the double-faced tape so as to cover the polarization plate on the back surface side with the sealing sheet.
In the display device, a display module including a display panel and a frame that supports the display panel is often formed thinner and lighter in weight for the purpose of forming the display device thinner and lighter in weight. In this case, if a supporting structure of sandwiching the display panel between a bezel and the frame is adopted as in the device described in JP-A-2010-197749, the supporting structure is provided outside of both surfaces, that is, the display surface of the display panel on which the image is displayed and a surface opposite to the display surface (the back surface). This imposes limitations on the purpose of forming the device thinner.
To deal with this problem, the display panel can be fixed to the frame by fixedly bonding the display panel to the frame with a double-faced tape or the like. However, the frame possibly deforms due to fastening or the like at the time of fixing the frame to housing or the like of the display device. If the display panel is fixedly bonded to the frame with the double-faced tape or the like and then the frame deforms, there is a possibility that the display panel deforms to change a cell thickness and that unevenness in display occurs. The frame may be warped due to an error or the like during manufacturing. If the frame is warped, a gap is generated between the frame and the display panel, and light leakage possibly occurs from the gap.


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer structure of a wide band-gap semiconductor material. The semiconductor layer structure includes a drift region having a first conductivity type and a well region having a second conductivity type. A plurality of segmented gate trenches extend in a first direction in the semiconductor layer structure. The segmented gate trenches include respective gate trench segments that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction with intervening regions of the semiconductor layer structure therebetween. Related devices and fabrication methods are also discussed.

Power semiconductor devices are used to carry large currents and support high voltages. A wide variety of power semiconductor devices may be used in the art, including, for example, power Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors ("MOSFET"), bipolar junction transistors ("BJTs"), Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors ("IGBT"), Junction Barrier Schottky diodes, Gate Turn-Off Transistors ("GTO"), MOS-controlled thyristors and various other devices. These power semiconductor devices are generally fabricated from wide band-gap semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide ("SiC") or gallium nitride ("GaN") based semiconductor materials. Herein, a wide band-gap semiconductor material refers to a semiconductor material having a band-gap greater than about 1.40 eV, for example, greater than about 2 eV.
Power semiconductor devices can have a lateral structure or a vertical structure. In a device having a lateral structure, the terminals of the device (e.g., the drain, gate and source terminals for a power MOSFET device) are on the same major surface (e.g., top or bottom) of a semiconductor layer structure. In contrast, in a device having a vertical structure, at least one terminal is provided on each major surface of the semiconductor layer structure (e.g., in a vertical MOSFET device, the source may be on the top surface of the semiconductor layer structure and the drain may be on the bottom surface of the semiconductor layer structure). The semiconductor layer structure may or may not include an underlying substrate. Herein, the term "semiconductor layer structure" refers to a structure that includes one or more semiconductor layers, such as semiconductor substrates and/or semiconductor epitaxial layers.
A conventional power semiconductor device typically has a semiconductor substrate, such as a silicon carbide substrate, having a first conductivity type (e.g., an n-type substrate) on which an epitaxial layer structure having the first conductivity type (e.g., n-type) is formed. A portion of this epitaxial layer structure (which may comprise one or more separate layers) functions as a drift region of the power semiconductor device. The device typically includes an "active region," which includes one or more power semiconductor devices that have a junction such as a p-n junction. The active region may be formed on and/or in the drift region. The active region acts as a main junction for blocking voltage in the reverse bias direction and providing current flow in the forward bias direction. The power semiconductor device may also have an edge termination in a termination region that is adjacent the active region. One or more power semiconductor devices may be formed on the substrate, and each power semiconductor device will typically have its own edge termination. After the substrate is fully processed, the resultant structure may be diced to separate the individual edge-terminated power semiconductor devices. The power semiconductor devices may have a unit cell structure in which the active region of each power semiconductor device includes a plurality of individual "unit cell" structures that are disposed in parallel to each other and that together can function as a single power semiconductor device.
Power semiconductor devices are designed to block (in the forward or reverse blocking state) or pass (in the forward operating state) large voltages and/or currents. For example, in the blocking state, a power semiconductor device may be designed to sustain hundreds or thousands of volts of electric potential. However, as the applied voltage approaches or passes the voltage level that the device is designed to block, non-trivial levels of current may begin to flow through the power semiconductor device. Such current, which is typically referred to as "leakage current," may be highly undesirable. Leakage current may begin to flow if the voltage is increased beyond the design voltage blocking capability of the device, which may be a function of, among other things, the doping and thickness of the drift region. Leakage currents may also arise for other reasons, such as failure of the edge termination and/or the primary junction of the device. If the voltage applied to the device is increased past the breakdown voltage to a critical level, the increasing electric field may result in an uncontrollable and undesirable runaway generation of charge carriers within the semiconductor device, leading to a condition known as avalanche breakdown.
A power semiconductor device may also begin to allow non-trivial amounts of leakage current to flow at a voltage level that is lower than the designed breakdown voltage of the device. In particular, leakage current may begin to flow at the edges of the active region, where high electric fields may occur due to electric field crowding effects. In order to reduce this electric field crowding (and the resulting increased leakage currents), the above-mentioned edge terminations may be provided that surround part or all of the active region of a power semiconductor device. These edge terminations may spread the electric field out over a greater area, thereby reducing the electric field crowding.
Vertical power semiconductor devices that include a MOSFET transistor can have a standard gate electrode design in which the gate electrode of the transistor is formed on top of the semiconductor layer structure or, alternatively, may have the gate electrode buried in a trench within the semiconductor layer structure. MOSFETs having buried gate electrodes are typically referred to as gate trench MOSFETs. With the standard gate electrode design, the channel region of each unit cell transistor is horizontally disposed underneath the gate electrode. In contrast, in the gate trench MOSFET design, the channel is vertically disposed. Gate trench MOSFETs may provide enhanced performance, but typically require a more complex manufacturing process.

Trenched power device with segmented trench and shielding


A wireless transmission apparatus includes an amplifier that amplifies power of a multicarrier signal, a first frequency shift unit that performs a first frequency shift on a first signal fed back from the amplifier on the basis of carrier frequencies of the multicarrier signal to output a second signal after the first frequency shift, a band limiting unit that performs frequency band limitation on the second signal to output a third signal after the frequency band limitation, and a distortion compensation device that compensates nonlinear distortion of the amplifier on the basis of the third signal.

A wireless transmission apparatus in a wireless communication system includes an amplifier (Power Amplifier; hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "PA") that amplifies power of a transmission signal. The wireless transmission apparatus typically operates the PA near the saturation region of the PA to enhance the power efficiency of the PA. However, operating the PA near the saturation region increases nonlinear distortion. To suppress the nonlinear distortion to reduce adjacent channel leakage power (ACLR: Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio), the wireless transmission apparatus includes a distortion compensation device for compensating the nonlinear distortion.
One of the distortion compensation systems used for the distortion compensation device is a "pre-distortion system." Hereinafter, "pre-distortion" may be referred to as "PD." The distortion compensation device of the PD system previously multiplies a transmission baseband signal yet to be inputted to the PA by a distortion compensation factor having an inverse characteristic to the nonlinear distortion of the PA. The distortion compensation device of the PD system thereby improves the linearity of the output of the PA to suppress the distortion of the output of the PA. The transmission baseband signal multiplied by the distortion compensation factor may be referred to as a "pre-distortion signal (PD signal)." The resulting PD signal is a signal previously distorted according to the inverse characteristic of the nonlinear distortion of the PA before input to the PA.
For example, some distortion compensation devices of the PD system have a table containing a plurality of distortion compensation factors, and read a distortion compensation factor according to the power of the transmission baseband signal from the table. The distortion compensation factors stored in the table are successively updated so that an error between the transmission baseband signal serving as a reference signal and the signal that is outputted and fed back from the PA (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "feedback signal") is minimized.
For example, some conventional power amplification systems including a distortion compensation device of the PD system limit the frequency band of the feedback signal when updating the distortion compensation factors. In such power amplification systems, the pass bandwidth of the feedback signal is changed by a band-limiting filter. If the passband has a predetermined narrowness, predetermined low-order distortions are compensated. If the passband has a predetermined width, predetermined high-order distortions are compensated.
Related-art examples are described, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-090158, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-060254, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-008360, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-359583, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-020157, and in International Publication Pamphlet No. WO 2009/131076.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a problem. Suppose that the transmission baseband signal is a multicarrier signal including a plurality of signals having respective different carrier frequencies. If the multicarrier signal is subjected to a PA operating in a nonlinear region, inter modulation distortions (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "IMs") can occur. That is, if the transmission baseband signal is a multicarrier signal, the feedback signal can include IMs. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, if a multicarrier signal including a signal having a carrier frequency f1 and a signal having a carrier frequency f2 is amplified in a nonlinear region, the feedback signal may include IM3s, IM5s, and IM7s which are the third-, fifth-, and seventh-order IMs, respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the IMs occur at the skirts on both sides of the carrier frequencies f1 and f2 and in locations at certain distances from the carrier frequencies f1 and f2 on the frequency axis. Suppose that the distortion compensation device can compensate up to IM7s. In other words, the frequency band capable of distortion compensation (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "distortion compensation band") covers up to IM7s.
The IM3s, IM5s, and IM7s occurring in locations at certain distances from the carrier frequencies f1 and f2 occur in a symmetrical manner on the frequency axis with respect to a center frequency f0 of the multicarrier signal. The center frequency f0 of the multicarrier signal including the signal having the carrier frequency f1 and the signal having the carrier frequency f2 is given by "f0=(f1+f2)/2."
Conventionally, the frequency band limitation on the feedback signal is performed by using a frequency range of ±fc symmetrical on the frequency axis with respect to a predetermined reference frequency fs as the passband. More specifically, the filter used for the frequency band limitation has cutoff frequencies of "fs+fc" and "fs−fc." FIG. 1 illustrates the frequency characteristic of the filter. The reference frequency fs is typically 0 Hz.
The center frequency f0 of the multicarrier signal usually coincides with the reference frequency fs. However, in specific cases, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the center frequency f0 of the multicarrier signal can deviate from the reference frequency fs. If the center frequency f0 of the multicarrier signal deviates from the reference frequency fs, the center frequency f0 of the feedback signal also deviates from the reference frequency fs. If the center frequency f0 of the multicarrier signal deviates from the reference frequency fs, the IMs become asymmetrical on the frequency axis with respect to the reference frequency fs.
Examples of the specific cases include when a communication system is being switched from an old one to a new one and the center frequency f0 of the old system which has been coincident with the reference frequency fs is temporarily changed. When switching from an old system to a new system, the old and new systems can be temporarily made to coexist and placed in operation instead of completely stopping the old one before starting the operation of the new one. In such a case, for example, the center frequency f0 of the new system is shifted by −Δf from the center frequency f0 of the old system.
In another example of the specific cases, respective different carrier patterns may be assigned to a first area and a second area. In such a case, for example, the center frequency f0 in the second area is shifted by −Δf from the center frequency f0 in the first area. As a result, the center frequency f0 which coincides with the reference frequency fs in the first area is −Δf different from the reference frequency fs in the second area.
If the IMs are asymmetrical on the frequency axis with respect to the reference frequency fs, the IMs lying in the passband below the reference frequency fs can be different from those in the passband at and above the reference frequency f. As a result, IMs can be extracted asymmetrically on the frequency axis with respect to the reference frequency fs. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the passband below the reference frequency fs includes only the IM3 among the IMs occurring in locations at certain distances from the carrier frequencies f1 and f2. The passband at and above the reference frequency fs includes the IM3 and IM5. In other words, among the IMs occurring in locations at certain distances from the carrier frequencies f1 and f2, the IM5 and IM7 below the reference frequency fs are cut off by the frequency band limitation. In contrast, only the IM7 is cut off at or above the reference frequency fs. That is, suppose that the conventional frequency band limitation is performed on the feedback signal of which the center frequency f0 deviates from the reference frequency fs. In such a case, the feedback signal after the frequency band limitation includes IMs asymmetrical between the range below the center frequency f0 and the range at and above the center frequency f0. In other words, among the IMs included in the feedback signal, the frequency band-limited IMs are asymmetrical on the frequency axis. If the distortion compensation of the PD system is performed by using such a feedback signal including asymmetrical IMs, the accuracy of the distortion compensation decreases due to the asymmetry of the IMs.
The foregoing conventional power amplification systems have not taken into account the problem of a decrease in the distortion compensation accuracy due to the deviation of the center frequency f0 of the multicarrier signal from the reference frequency fs.

Wireless transmission apparatus and distortion compensation method


A diverter for vehicle exhaust fumes inhibits or prevents the accumulation of exhaust fumes in a trailer towed by a vehicle. The diverter includes a flexible component (67) which is able to accommodate misalignment between the vehicle and trailer during transport. A coupling (64, 65) is used to removably attach the diverter to a vehicle exhaust (62).

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to exhaust components and more particularly to a diverter which is used in conjunction with a trailer or float.
2. Background Art
A motor vehicle typically includes a rear-mounted exhaust pipe. If the vehicle is designed and sealed correctly and the exhaust pipe is properly located, it is expected that exhaust fumes will not enter the passenger compartment when the vehicle is in motion. However, some vehicles have faulty sealing or suffer from faulty exhaust systems. Furthermore, when towing a trailer, float or other vehicle, the wake or pattern of air flow behind the vehicle and in front of the trailer, float or other vehicle may become distorted. This may cause exhaust fumes to enter the passenger compartment, for example from the trunk or boot or station wagon door. Further, it is believed that noxious exhaust fumes are drawn into a trailer, horse float or other trailer-type vehicle when it is being towed. Thus, when a vehicle such as a trailer or float is being towed, noxious fumes from the towing vehicle may enter the trailer or float when it is in motion.
For the purposes of the present disclosure, enclosed trailers, horse floats and a broad range of enclosed trailer structures such as those which are used as temporary or permanent residences or shelters for humans or animals are all deemed "trailers". The purpose of the present invention is to provide an exhaust fume diverter which reduces or eliminates the flow of noxious exhaust fumes into the interior of a trailer, particularly when it is being towed.


A gaseous fuel injection valve includes: a valve housing; a metallic nozzle member having a flat valve seat and a nozzle bore passing through a central portion of the valve seat; a valve body provided at one end face with a rubber seating member which is operated in cooperation with the valve seat; a coil; and a return spring for urging a stationary core and the valve body toward the valve seat. The stationary core attracts the valve body to move the seating member away from the valve seat, when the coil is excited. In this injection valve, a fluorine resin valve seat coating is formed on the valve seat so that the seating member is brought into close contact with the valve seat coating. Thus, an oil-repellent property of the valve seat coating is provided to the valve seat to prevent adherence of oil to the valve seat, leading to an improvement in valve-opening response of the valve body upon the excitation of the coil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaseous fuel injection valve for supplying a natural gas such as CNG and LPG as a fuel to an internal combustion engine, and particularly to an improvement in a gaseous fuel injection valve, comprising: a valve housing; a metallic nozzle member which is fixedly mounted at one end of the valve housing and which has a flat valve seat and a nozzle bore passing through a central portion of the valve seat; a valve body which is slidably fitted in the valve housing and which is provided at one end face with a rubber seating member for opening and closing the nozzle bore in cooperation with the valve seat; a coil supported in the valve housing; a stationary core which is connected to the valve housing and disposed inside the coil to be opposed the other end face of the valve body; and a return spring mounted under compression between the stationary core and the valve body so as to urge the valve body toward the valve seat, the stationary core attracting the valve body to move the seating member away from the valve seat when the coil is excited.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a gaseous fuel injection valve is already known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-28360.
Conventionally, in a fuel tank of a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine using a natural gas as a fuel, a gaseous fuel charged in a fuel tank contains a small amount of a lubricating oil to be applied to various devices for a gaseous fuel supply source. Therefore, a small amount of the oil is also incorporated in the fuel supplied from the fuel tank to an injection valve. In the conventional gaseous fuel injection valve, if the oil is adhered to a flat valve seat, the oil induces a sucker effect in a valve seat with respect to a seating member upon seating of the valve body on the valve seat, particularly in a cold season in which the viscosity of oil is increased. Therefore, when the coil is excited, the sucker effect may provide a resisting force against the movement of the seating member away from the valve seat, resulting in a reduction in valve-opening response of the valve body.


The present invention relates to a latch for coupling tether straps attached to child vehicle seats to anchorages provided on the vehicle, e.g., anchorages provided on the package shelf of the vehicle or anchorages located at the crease of the seat bottom and seat back. The latch provides advantages over the common xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d hook currently in use, including a push button remote from the hook of the latch. In addition, the latch may include an opening for attachment of the tether strap. In one preferred embodiment, the latch further includes a plate which is coupled to a strap length adjuster, the plate and adjuster being pivotally connected to permit side-to-side rotation of the adjuster relative to the latch to prevent bunching or twisting of the strap which can cause the belt to loose its ability to uniformly distribute a load across its width. Furthermore, the adjuster itself may be coupled to a plate which is pivotably coupled to the plate attached to the latch, to thereby permit movement of the strap about two perpendicular axes.

If Any: None
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of tether straps for children""s vehicle seats, and more particularly to a latch for securely attaching one end of a tether strap to an anchorage located on the vehicle. Still more specifically, and in a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to a latch having a push button which is remote from the hook portion of the latch and which includes a tether strap attachment opening to allow coupling of the tether strap directly to the latch. In another embodiment the invention relates to a latch having a plate with an opening and a pivot assembly to prevent bunching or twisting of the tether strap.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known for many years that infant, toddler or children""s vehicle seats (herein generally referred to as xe2x80x9cchild vehicle seatsxe2x80x9d) can be secured to a vehicle using the restraint belts provided with the vehicle, e.g. shoulder and/or lap belts), and that additional top tether straps may be employed. For example, Ryan, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,931 issued Nov. 30, 1993 for xe2x80x9cDetachable Child Seat And Supporting Framexe2x80x9d shows a top tether strap 48 having a xe2x80x9cJxe2x80x9d hook on its end to assist in securing a child vehicle seat to a vehicle. In this particular patent, the tether strap is secured to a shelf (commonly called a xe2x80x9cpackage shelfxe2x80x9d) behind the rear seat.
Another tether strap system is disclosed in Anthony, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,243 issued Dec. 9, 1997 for xe2x80x9cChild Seat Mount With Anti-Twist Web Mechanismxe2x80x9d, in which a tether strap is used when the seat is either in a forward or rearward facing orientation. This tether is also coupled to the package shelf using a buckle similar to that of a conventional seat belt buckle.
Additional tether restraints are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,645 issued May 20, 1997 to Lumley, et al. for xe2x80x9cSafety Seat Tether Strapxe2x80x9d and in United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 1,374,266 dated Jan. 7, 1963, entitled xe2x80x9cImprovements In And Relating To Children""s Safety Seats For Use In Vehicles And Craftxe2x80x9d. In the latter, two straps are employed for releasable coupling to the seat to two anchorages located on the vehicle.
Recent regulations promulgated in the United States have required vehicle manufacturers to place anchorages in their products so that child vehicle seats can be more securely coupled to the vehicles. Regulations in effect since 1999 resulted in the addition of an anchorage for the top part of the seat, to reduce head excursion. By Sep. 1, 2002, child vehicle seat manufacturers will be required to include a provision on the child vehicle set to secure it to a pair of lower anchorages provided in vehicles which will consist of round metal bars spaced 280 mm, center-to-center, and be located in the rear seats at the crease where the seat back and the seat cushion come together. Many car seat manufacturers will accomplish this through the inclusion of additional tether straps to the lower portion of their products, so that the tether straps can be coupled to the round metal bars in the vehicle. The development of strong and easy to use latches for these various tether strap anchorages is important, and in the case of the lower anchorages, the attachment of conventional xe2x80x9cJxe2x80x9d hooks will be difficult because of the placement of the anchorages relative to the seat components. Improvements in latch systems for use in these environments, particularly ones in which strap strength is optimized through appropriate alignment of the latches and the seat will represent significant advances in this art.
A principal feature of the present invention is to provide a latch which allows for the remote coupling and uncoupling of a hook about an anchorage.
A different feature of the present invention is to provide a latch which is easy to operate and which may be used with package shelf or lower seat anchorages.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a latch in which certain of the operating components are substantially enclosed to prevent interference therewith by dirt, crumbs, and the like.
Yet another feature of the present invention is provide a system for coupling an anchorage latch to a tether strap which permits rotation of the strap with respect to the latch in at least one plane.
A still further feature of the present invention is to provide a latch which includes a system for coupling a tether strap to a latch and which permits rotation of the latch with respect to the belt in two perpendicular planes.
How these and other features of the invention are provided will be described in the following detailed description of the preferred and two alternate embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings. Generally, however, the features are provided individually, or in various sub-combinations, by providing a latch which includes a push button lever mechanism for selectively permitting a hook to be placed over or removed from an anchorage, the latch preferably including a cover and a spring plate to substantially enclose the operating components. In the preferred embodiment, the operation of the latch is carried out using a push button which is located remotely from the hook, thereby facilitating use of the latch in lower anchorage locations, as well as with package shelf tether strap systems. The tether strap may be attached directly to a loop provided on the latch or, more preferably, may be attached to a plate which is pivotally coupled to the latch to permit strap alignment with the latch. In its most preferred form, the latch is pivotally coupled to a plate which in turn is pivotally coupled to a strap length adjuster, thereby permitting movement of the strap with respect to the latch in two planes which are perpendicular to one another to prevent bunching or twisting of the strap. Other ways in which individual features or combinations of the above-mentioned features or other features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after they have read the present specification. Accordingly, the present invention is not deemed to be limited to the embodiments described below, but it is to be limited solely by the scope of the claims which follow.

Tether latch for securing a child vehicle seat to an anchorage


The present invention discloses a liquid crystal panel and a color filter substrate thereof. By providing at least one separation line perpendicular to a scan direction of horizontal source signals, a transparent conductive layer of the color filter substrate is divided into a plurality of transparent conductive layer sections, each of which is not connected with the others. When a horizontal crosstalk (H-crosstalk) phenomenon is generated, an adjacent horizontal area is not influenced, so that it can lower the H-crosstalk phenomenon of the liquid crystal panel, so as to increase the display quality of the liquid crystal panel.

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a type of flat panel display (FPD) which displays images by the properties of the liquid crystal material. In comparison with other display devices, the LCD has the advantages of being lightweight, compact, having a low driving voltage and having low power consumption, and thus has already become the mainstream product in the consumer market.
In the traditional manufacturing process of an LCD panel, it comprises a front-end array process, a mid-end cell process, and a back-end modulation process. The front-end array process is used to produce thin-film transistor (TFT) substrates (also called array substrates) and color filter (CF) substrates; the mid-end cell process is used to combine the TFT substrate with the CF substrate, then fill liquid crystal into a space therebetween, and then they are cut to form panels compatible with a suitable product size; and the back-end modulation process is used to execute an installation process on the combined panel, a backlight module, a panel driver circuit, an outer frame, etc.
The LCD can display color images based on the function generated by the color filter: when a backlight source of the LCD is controlled and adjusted by the liquid crystal material and a driver IC to provide a light source of gray scale, the light source of gray scale can pass through the color filter to for red, green and blue light due to three color resists coated on the color filter, and the red, green and blue light are finally mixed with each other into the color images. Therefore, the color filter is a key component of LCD, and the basic structure of the color filter is constructed by a glass substrate, a black matrix layer, a color pixel layer, and a transparent conductive layer (indium tin oxide layer).
As mentioned above, LCD driver chips are important components of the LCD, and the main function thereof is to output the needed voltage to pixels, so as to control the twist degree of the liquid crystal molecules. There are two types of LCD driver chips: one is the source driver chip arranged on the X-axis, the other is the gate driver chip arranged on the Y-axis. In other words, the source driver chips control image signals, and the gate driver chips control gate switch signals, so they have different functions for the LCD panel. Simply speaking, images of an LCD are formed by scanning lines one by one. The gate driver chip controls the vertical signals. If the scanning is started from the topmost line, the first pin of the gate driver chip is set to be switched on, and the others are set to be switched off. The signals in the source driver chip are the real signal (horizontal), and the sent signal is only accepted by the horizontal pixels of the first line. After the signal of the first line is transmitted, the second line will be the next one, while the content of the source driver chip is changed to the second line, and the second pin of the gate driver chip is switched on, and the others are switched off, so that the data is transmitted to the second line.
In the traditional technology, the electric potential of a common electrode (COM) of a color filter substrate is easy to be coupled by an influence of a high or low electric potential, so that a horizontal crosstalk (H-crosstalk) phenomenon is generated. Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a schematic view of a traditional liquid crystal panel with a normal image is illustrated in FIG. 1A; and a schematic view of a traditional liquid crystal panel producing an image of a horizontal crosstalk phenomenon is illustrated in FIG. 1B.
As shown in FIG. 1A, when a brightness difference between an area A (for example a low brightness rectangle) and an area B (for example a dark area outside of the area A) is small, the liquid crystal panel can display a normal image.
As shown in FIG. 1B, when the brightness difference between the area A (for example a high brightness rectangle) and the area B (for example a dark area outside of the area A) is increased to a certain level, an electric potential of the COM of the color filter substrate in area B, which is horizontally near the area A, is coupled with a high electric potential of the area A through a transparent conductive layer (ITO) of the color filter substrate, so that an H-crosstalk phenomenon is generated. Therefore, the dark area B nearing the area A is lighted, so as to influence the display quality of the liquid crystal panel.
In the traditional technical field of liquid crystal panels, a circuit design is generally adopted to decrease the influence of the H-crosstalk phenomenon. However, since the H-crosstalk phenomenon is generated based on an interactive effect of circuit couple, it is not quite effective to improve the H-crosstalk phenomenon by the circuit design.
As a result, it is necessary to provide a liquid crystal panel and a color filter substrate thereof to solve the problems existing in the conventional technology.

Liquid crystal panel and color filter substrate thereof

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


A white organic light-emitting diode includes two symmetric emission layers and a middle emission layer. The two symmetric emission layers emit a first color light with approximately the same frequency components. The middle emission layer is located between the two symmetric emission layers. The middle emission layer emits a second color light with frequency components different from main frequency components of the first color light. When the voltage applied to the organic light-emitting diode changes and leads to a decrease of luminescent intensity of one of the symmetric emission layers, the other symmetric emission layer automatically increases the luminescent intensity to compensate for the reduced light intensity.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a light-emitting device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an organic light-emitting diode.
2. Description of Related Art
A white-light organic light-emitting diode (WOLED) can be made by a single luminescent layer or multiple luminescent layers. However, the color of the emitting light of the same WOLED varies when the applied operating voltage varies. That is, the wavelength of the emitted light is shifted by applying different operating voltages to the WOLED.
The individual layers of a conventional WOLED are a substrate, an anode (ITO), a hole injection layer (PEDOT:PSS, 40 nm), a hole transfer layer (α-NPD, 40 nm), a blue light-emitting layer ((CF3ppy)2Ir(pic):CDBP, 25 nm)), a hole barrier layer (BAlq, 3 nm), a red light-emitting layer (Ir(btp)2(acac):CDBP, 10 nm), an electron transfer layer (BAlq, 45 nm), an electron injection layer (LiF, 0.5 nm), and a cathode (Al, 150 nm). The red light (600-700 nm) emitting intensity becomes greater as the applied voltage of WOLED is increased (Current Applied Physics 2005, Vol. 5, pp. 331-336). Because of this increasing red shift, controlling the emitting light color of a WOLED is difficult.


Dielectric fluids comprising oil fractions derived from highly paraffinic wax are provided. Further provided are processes for making these dielectric fluids comprising oil fractions derived from highly paraffinic wax. The dielectric fluids are useful as insulating and cooling mediums in new and existing power and distribution electrical apparatus, such as transformers, regulators, circuit breakers, switchgear, underground electrical cables, and attendant equipment.

Dielectric fluids are fluids that can sustain a steady electric field and act as an electrical insulator. Accordingly, dielectric fluids serve to dissipate heat generated by energizing components and to insulate those components from the equipment enclosure and from other internal parts and devices. Among the properties of a dielectric fluid which affect its ability to function effectively and reliably include flash and fire point, heat capacity, viscosity over a range of temperatures, impulse breakdown strength, gassing tendency, and pour point. Due the varying properties of dielectric fluids, they are often defined by these properties rather than by a specific composition.
Dielectric fluids have traditionally been manufactured from cycloparaffinic base oils, silicone oils, or synthetic organic esters. Mineral oil based dielectric fluids have been extensively used because of their wide availability, low cost, and physical properties; however, mineral oils have relatively low flash and fire points. Polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs) were developed as alternative dielectric fluids. PCBs have excellent dielectric properties and they are far less flammable than mineral oils. Government agencies, at one time, mandated the use of PCBs whenever there was a safety concern related to fluid flammability. Unfortunately PCBs have turned out to be an environmentally hazardous material. Silicone oils and high-molecular weight hydrocarbons currently rank as the most popular choices in applications requiring less flammable fluid. To a much lesser extent, synthetic and natural ester-based fluids and synthetic hydrocarbons are also used.
As the supply of oils traditionally used in dielectric fluids is limited, dielectric fluids are becoming increasingly expensive. Further, commercial demand for such oils may soon exceed their supply.
There has been research into developing processes for making oil compositions useful as an electrical or transformer oil and into oil compositions useful an electrical or transformer oil.
By way of example, EP 0 458 574 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,889, and JP2001195920 disclose processes for producing formulated transformer oil and oil compositions useful as an electrical or transformer oil.
It is well known in the art to produce synthetic oils and there have been many developmental attempts at producing synthetic oils with high performance characteristics. By way of example, EP 0 776 959 A2, EP 0 668 342 B1, WO 00/014179, WO 00/14183, WO 00/14187, WO 00/14188, WO 01/018156 A1, WO 02/064710 A2, WO 02/070629 A1, WO 02/070630 A1, and WO 02/070631 A2 are directed to synthetic lubricant oil compositions and methods for producing the synthetic lubricant oil compositions.
There remains a need for dielectric fluids having desirable properties, including, high fire point, high flash point, excellent dielectric breakdown, good heat capacity, and excellent impulse breakdown strength. There also remains a need for an abundant and economical source for or an efficient and economical process for producing these dielectric fluids.

Dielectric fluids and processes for making same


This invention relates to the field of resin, particularly to a magnetic, acrylic strongly basic anion exchange microsphere resin and its manufacturing method. Its basic structure is as follow:

Currently, the magnetic, strongly basic anion exchange resin has been occasionally used in removing some impurities from water. Thanks to its comparatively smaller grain diameter, which is commonly around 150˜180 nm, this type of resin presents higher specific surface area and consequently better kinetic performance. MIEX resin is a big-hole acrylic resin developed by Orica, an Australia-based cooperation. It has strongly basic anion exchange groups and therefore presents good effect in removing nitrates, sulfates, phosphates, arsenates in water as well as soluble organic pollutants, including precursors of some disinfection by-products
The magnetic resin is usually manufactured through introducing magnetic grains into an oil phase and then conducting a polymerization process. The magnetic ion exchange resin disclosed in both U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,514 and CN 101440166 is synthesized through such a polymerization process wherewith the magnetic grains can be evenly diffused in the monomer. However, the grain diameters of the resin manufactured through this method are not uniform and the whole synthesization process cannot be ideally controlled. Both U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,146 and CN 1699447 disclosed a method that a stabilizing agent containing amines was used to diffuse Fe3O4 into an oil phase, however, this method presents a defect that the reaction will occur between the stabilizing agent and the active groups in the monomer, which consequently limits the total exchange capacity of the resin. U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,146 mentioned a new synthesization method of the magnetic strongly basic anion exchange resin. The structure obtained through polymerization of activated glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) monomers has epoxide groups that can directly form the quaternary ammonium salt through reaction with the trimethylamine hydrochloride (TMAHC). An acrylic strongly basic anion exchange resin is therefore synthesized. But this resin manufactured in this way is fragile, in addition, the vulnerable epoxide group is easily to be inactivated during the polymerization process. According to all literature available currently, the strong base exchange capacity of all strongly basic ion exchange resin that is manufactured with GMA as the monomer is lower than 3.0 mmol/g.

Magnetic, acrylic strongly basic anion exchange microsphere resin and the manufacturing method thereof

Abstract: wherein its matrix contains magnetic grains and A is a group containing quaternary ammonium salts; the manufacturing method is: taking acrylic compounds as the monomer and mixing it with the crosslinking agent and porogenic agent to form an oil phase; evenly mixing the oil phase with magnetic grains and then conducting suspension polymerization; aminating and alkylating the polymerized magnetic grains so as to form the quaternary ammonium salts, namely the magnetic, acrylic strongly basic anion exchange microsphere resin. The exchange capacity of this resin is higher than that of any magnetic strongly basic anion exchange microsphere resin available either on both Chinese and overseas markets or in literature; it is able to take the place of the traditional strongly basic anion exchange resin in separating and removing soluble organics, particularly precursors of disinfection by-products, and various anions such as nitrates and phosphates.


A microwave frequency deflection cell analog to digital converter is provided. The phase velocity of an optical wave is effectively reduced to that of a microwave frequency electro-magnetic signal in an optical deflector. The electro-optic effect is used for a controlled deflection of an optical beam. The angle of beam deflection varies in accordance with an applied voltage, which may be a signal in the microwave frequency range. A device of the invention includes a birefringent crystal having transmission line conductors arranged to create an electric field in the crystal in response to an applied voltage, and mirrors arranged to create a multi-bounce path through the crystal for a light beam directed into the crystal on an entrance path that is non parallel to the mirrors. The multi-bounce path effectively slows the velocity of the optical wave to that of the voltage wave, permitting deflection or modulation of the beam by microwave frequency electrical signals.

Many electro-optical devices rely upon the controlled deflection of a light beam. The electrical control of optical beam deflection finds use in optical signal processing, displays, printing, scanning, optical drives, and other electro-optical devices.
The use of electro-optical deflection of a light beam has been recently extended to signal conversion. Nunnally et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,714,149, discloses an analog signal conversion technique that is based upon the optical deflection of a light beam. In the invention of the '149 patent, an analog signal is converted to an optical deflection. Embodiments disclosed in the '149 patent include an N-bit parallel output. Embodiments disclosed in the '149 patent include a light beam deflected according to an analog signal being converted with a spatial filter into an N-bit binary light pattern that is then collected and sensed by optical detectors.
The invention of the '149 patent provided a new technique for the conversion of analog signals into digital signals, which is a fundamental task necessary in uncountable varieties of electronic devices. Conventional analog to digital converters (ADCs) had employed electronic circuitry and repetitive processing to define the digital value of an analog signal. Higher frequency signals require higher sampling rates, i.e., the rate at which an analog signal is measured for the purpose of determining a corresponding digital value. One guideline is known as the Nyquist criteria. The Nyquist criteria requires that the digital sampling rate be greater than two times the analog frequency in order to faithfully reproduce the analog signal from the digital values. In practice of the prior conventional devices, the sampling rate was typically chosen to be 5 times the analog frequency to be sampled. As frequencies of interest become high, e.g., in the tens of GigaHertz, conventional electronic techniques may not meet a desired rate of sampling. Even at lower frequencies, the electronics for a high quality analog to digital conversion may become complex and expensive. These problems were addressed by the invention of the '149 patent.
A limitation arises when analog signals venture into the microwave frequency range. Deflection may be achieved, as in preferred embodiments of the '149 patent, by passing a light beam through a birefringent crystal and deflecting the light beam by applying an electrical field to the crystal. The analog signal may be used to create the electric field and provide the basis for a deflection that can be converted into a digital value. At microwave frequency, however, the phase velocity of the microwave electric field and the optical electric field must be matched in an electro-optical crystal. At frequencies lower than microwave, the electric field may be considered constant during the passage of the optical wave through the crystal, but that does not hold true at microwave frequencies.
Electro-optical modulation has been achieved with microwave excitation through techniques that increase the speed of the electromagnetic voltage wave in a waveguide to match the phase velocity of the optical wave and the voltage wave. Waveguide phase matching is maintained over a relatively narrow frequency band due to the frequency dependence of the waveguide. Examples of these phase velocity matching techniques based upon increasing the phase velocity of the electro-magnetic wave in a waveguide are disclosed in the following publications: "Performance and Modeling of Broadband LiNBO3 Traveling waver Optical Intensity Modulator," G. K. Golpalakrishnan et al, Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 12, No. 10, October 1994; Ti:LiNBO3 Millimeter-Wave Optical Modulators," K. Noguchi et al., Vol. 16, No. 4, April 1998.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Microwave frequency electro-optical beam deflector and analog to digital conversion

The Curators of the University of Missouri


A wire grid polarizer including a substrate, parallel conductive wire patterns which protrude from a top surface of the substrate, non-conductive wire patterns which are formed on the conductive wire patterns, respectively, and a protective layer which is formed on the conductive wire patterns and the non-conductive wire patterns. The protective layer includes first transparent particles having a diameter greater than a period of the conductive wire patterns, and spaces between the conductive wire patterns are filled with air or are evacuated to form a vacuum.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a wire grid polarizer, a display device including the same, and a method of fabricating the wire grid polarizer.
2. Discussion of the Background
A wire grid consists of parallel conductive wires arranged to transmit only light of a specific polarization, from among electromagnetic waves transmitted thereto.
A wire grid structure having a period smaller than a wavelength of received unpolarized light, reflects light polarized in the direction of wires, and transmits light polarized in a direction perpendicular to the wires. Thus, the wire grid structure has the advantage in that the reflected polarized light may be reused, unlike an absorptive polarizer.
Because the wire grid structure is formed of a conductive material, it may react with an electrode, etc., inside a display device, thus causing the display device to malfunction. For this reason, a protective layer formed of a material having good thermal resistance may be coated on the wire grid structure.
In the process of forming the protective layer, however, spaces in the wire grid structure may be filled with the material having thermal resistance. In this case, transmittance and polarization characteristics of the wire grid structure are degraded, as compared with the state in which the spaces in the wire grid structure are filled with air.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate that as a refractive index of spaces g in a wire grid and a refractive index t of a protective layer increase, the transmittance and extinction ratio of the wire grid in a visible range decrease.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and, therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute prior art.

Wire grid polarizer comprising transparent particles, display device including the same, and method of fabricating the wire grid polarizer


An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle. A plastic-molded front wall deploys in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic-molded back wall is joined around a substantially sealed perimeter with the front wall to form an inflatable bladder. The back wall includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle and a plurality of attachment towers projecting from a central region disposed within the baffle to join with a reaction surface. An inflator couples an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle. At least one of the attachment towers includes an elongated notch sunk partially into a surface of the attachment tower to provide a thinned wall section configured to tear open at a predetermined pressure during inflation.

The present invention relates in general to active bolsters for occupant crash protection in automotive vehicles, and, more specifically, to an active bolster with an inflatable bladder formed by plastic wall panels that is vented via thinned wall sections that rupture in response to inflation pressures.
An active bolster is a vehicle occupant protection device with a gas-inflatable bladder to absorb impacts and reduce trauma to occupants during a crash. As opposed to deployable air bag cushions made of various fabrics that emerge from behind various openings upon inflation, active bolsters use the interior trim surface itself to expand at the beginning of a crash event for absorbing the impact and dissipating energy through the action of an inflation gas. U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,909, issued Jun. 26, 2012, incorporated herein by reference, discloses an active knee bolster integrated into a glove box door that is light weight and visually attractive. U.S. Pat. No. 8,474,868, issued Jul. 2, 2013, also incorporated herein by reference, discloses a typical structure wherein an active bolster includes a front wall or trim panel that faces a vehicle occupant attached to a back wall or bladder wall along a sealed periphery. One or both of the walls is deformable in order to provide an expandable, inflatable bladder. For example, the bladder wall may have a pleated (i.e., accordion-like) region that straightens out during inflation. The walls are initially spaced apart by a small amount when in their pre-deployment, non-inflated condition. This allows ingress of the inflation gas in a manner that achieves an even inflation across the panel.
The front and back walls of a typical bladder for an active bolster are comprised of molded thermoplastics such as polyethylene, polyolefin, or PVC. They are typically injection molded but can also be blow molded. When formed separately, the front and back walls must be hermetically joined around their periphery in order to ii) form the inflatable bladder. The joint must be strong to resist separation that could result from high inflation pressures during inflation and that result when a passenger impacts the bolster. The peripheral seal is formed by hot welding, for example.
It is known that in order to optimize the dissipation of energy when an occupant contacts an air bag or an active bolster, inflation gas should be vented to allow a controlled collapse of the airbag that safely decelerates the impacting occupant. U.S. Pat. No. 8,328,233, issued Dec. 11, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a variable vent for an active bolster wherein the vent has a low flow rate at low pressures and a higher flow rate at higher pressures across the vent. The reduced flow rate of the vent during initial stages of inflation permits the use of a smaller (less costly) inflator, while the higher vent flow rate at higher pressures helps ensure the integrity of the peripheral weld by limiting the pressure rise and avoiding large tearing forces that could cause the seal to fail.
Various types of structures and locations have been disclosed for adaptively venting inflation gas during inflation and during loading by an impacting passenger. Venting locations have been disclosed on the central, flat areas of the bladder wall facing the front wall, in upstanding ribs on the front, trim wall that form a peripheral weld track, and in the pleated baffle region of the bladder wall, for example. Previously disclosed structures for forming active vents have been relatively complex and have required complicated manufacturing steps that result in increased manufacturing costs. Known vents have also been typically placed on structures that may significantly deform during bladder inflation, which results in changes in the venting during deployment that are difficult to control or predict. Furthermore, known areas for vent placement are not always large enough to accommodate all the required venting area.

Active bolster with active vent formed in attachment bosses


A side-by-side locking display and dispensing structure formed by two ticket dispensing units having adjacent sidewalls and a coupling plate for demountably attaching said dispensing units together in a side-by-side relationship whereby the dispensing units have adjacent sidewalls that are connected together by the coupling plate. Also included in the dispensing units are rails for holding dividers that allow the units to hold tickets of different sizes and ticket fasteners that permit the tickets to be displayed at the front of the units.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a structure that is formed of an assembly of molded lottery ticket dispensers secured together in a side-by-side relationship. More particularly, this invention relates to a coupling plate that serves as an intermediate member for demountably attaching two ticket dispensers together in a side-by-side relationship.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of modular box-like structures for displaying and dispensing of lottery tickets has long been known in the art. Normally, when a number of such dispensers are located together at a point of sale location, they are arranged in a stacked arrangement with one dispenser being stacked on top of another in a locked relationship as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,005 issued to Schafer on Mar. 21, 1995.
The stacking and locking features of the Schafer invention have proven to be highly popular and successful in utilization with modular ticket dispensing structures to form a stacked arrangement, but such invention is not applicable for fastening such dispensers in a side-by-side relationship so that two adjacent stacks of dispensers can be affixed to one another. Although the vast majority of lottery tickets utilized in the lottery industry have standard dimensions so that they can be dispensed from a wide variety of different types of ticket dispensers, occasionally a state lottery will conduct a game promotion that utilizes tickets of different sizes. To accommodate differently sized tickets, it is highly advantageous for a dispenser to be adjustable with respect to the number of ticket bins it may include. It is also advantageous for a typical lottery ticket dispenser that is formed from a transparent plastic to include display means by which a ticket sample of the particular type of game tickets in the dispenser is displayed for customers to be able to quickly ascertain the identity of the game tickets.
Thus, the present invention provides a locking display and dispensing structure comprised of at least two modular lottery ticket dispensers secured in a side-by-side relationship by a coupling plate and having the ability for being converted into holding at least two bins of lottery tickets and having display means for displaying the type of tickets contained therein.

Side-by-side locking display and dispensing structure