A method of determining allocations in a business operation to maximize profit includes: collecting profit data for a plurality of classes in the business operation, where each class includes an allocation having a cost function and each allocation belongs to the group consisting of physical allocations and economic allocations; determining profit functions for the allocations from the profit data; formulating a Multiple Choice Knapsack Problem to maximize profit from the profit functions, the cost functions, and a cost constraint; and solving the Multiple Choice Knapsack Problem to determine values for the allocations.

Combinatorial problems and various discrete solution systems are well known in the art of operations research and the art of optimization generally. (T. H. Cormen, C. E. Leiserson and R. L. Rivest, Introduction to Algorithms, MIT Press, Massachusetts, 1990; R. Fletcher, Practical Methods of Optimization, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 1987; Hillier, F. S., and Lieberman, G. J., Introduction to Operations Research, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1995; R. G. Parker and R. L Rardin, Discrete Optimization, Academic Press, Boston, 1988; Handbook of Combinatorial Optimization, vol. 1, D.-Z. Du and P. M. Pardalos, eds., Kluwer Academic Publishers, Drodrecht, 1998.)
In many business applications, however, combinatorial optimization presents substantial challenges in that the computational resources and time required to develop an acceptable solution are typically unacceptable. Several approaches to providing a rapid solution to a combinatorial problem include the use of parallel digital processors to solve such problems as articulated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,593 issued to FMC Corporation™ on Jul. 16, 1996. IBM™ Corporation has received numerous patents on various methods of optimizing inventory and materials requirements planning (MRP), which are basically resource allocation problems, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,593 issued Jun. 1, 1993. Others have received patents on neurocomputers suitable for solving an optimum combination problem. Nevertheless, the technical problem of developing a highly efficient and cost effective system and method for solving hard combinatorial problems remains.
In many business applications, traditional attempted solutions to technical combinatorial problems involving resource allocation rely on periodic static data, acquired after-the-fact, are based on cumbersome, dueling spreadsheets, and require extensive time to run scenarios of multiple resource allocation options. What is desired is an improved system and method to solve these technical combinatorial problems to achieve optimal resource allocation.

Stochastic multiple choice knapsack assortment optimizer


The present invention provides methods, compounds, and pharmaceutical compositions for inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, by administering an effective amount of angiotensinogen, angiotensin I (AI), AI analogues, AI fragments and analogues thereof, angiotensin II (AII), AII analogues, AII fragments or analogues thereof or AII AT2 type 2 receptor agonists to a subject.

Despite many years of promising new therapies, cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality (Bailar et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 336:1569–1574, 1997). Typical therapeutic treatments may include surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. A variety of chemotherapeutic compounds have found widespread use in the clinical treatment of cancer and have proven to be indispensable in the effort to combat this disease. Nevertheless, on an individual case basis, some cancers can respond differently to a given therapy making it difficult and costly to achieve an effective clinical treatment regimen. Accordingly, there is a substantial need for new methods and active agents that are effective in inhibiting the growth of tumors.

Methods for inhibiting tumor cell proliferation


A layer of ceramic material such as alumina is plasma-deposited on a sheet member such as molybdenum or a composite laminate of molybdenum and graphite or other material of low thermal expansion to form a circuit unit substrate having a thick, adherent, electrically-insulating coating on a light, rigid and thermally-conducting base. Thick and thin film materials are deposited and fired on the insulating coating to provide conductors, insulators or resistors or the like in a circuit unit. The materials of the sheet member and of the insulating coating are selected to have matching thermal expansion coefficients so that the substrate remains flat and free of bowing during the firing of the thick and thin film materials. The plasma-deposited electrically-insulating layer is sealed to prevent moisture absorption during use.

The field of the invention is that of electrical circuit units, and the invention relates more particularly to an electrical circuit unit having circuit components fired on an electrically insulating substrate of high thermal conductivity to have improved mechanical, electrical and thermal properties when subjected to high voltages and to high temperatures during manufacture and use.
Large area, low cost, electrical circuit units embodying thick and thin film circuit components and the like are frequently proposed for use in high voltage and high temperature circuit applications. Ceramic electrical insulating materials are frequently proposed for use in such circuit units to withstand the high temperatures which are required for firing thick film circuit components in such circuit units. In that regard, an electrical circuit unit of this general type is considered large if a dimension of the ceramic insulating layer in its circuit plane exceeds the thickness of the insulating layer by a multiple of 25 or more. Such circuit units also typically require dissipation of substantial amounts of heat when the circuit units are operated at their intended high voltages. Typically the use of ceramic insulating layers of larger proportions in such electrical circuit units is limited by the mechanical properties of the circuit unit substrates such as the resistance to fracture of the electrically insulating substrate layers when subjected to shock and vibration and the resistance to stresses due to differences in relative thermal expansion of the substrate materials and other circuit components when subjected to high temperature during firing of circuit components or during use, and by the thermal conductivity which is achieved in the circuit units for dissipating heat from the circuit components before heat build-up damages the circuit components. It is also difficult to provide such a ceramic insulating layer of sufficient thickness for high voltage applications on a metal layer of sufficient thickness to provide a larger area circuit unit with sufficient heat-dissipation for high voltage applications in high temperature environments.
Related subject matter is shown in the commonly assigned copending application for U.S. patent, Ser. No. 587,189.

Circuit units, substrates therefor and method of making


In a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same, a fuse and a capacitor are formed at a same level on a semiconductor substrate having a fuse area and a capacitor area. The fuse is placed on the fuse area, and a lower plate is placed on the capacitor area. The lower plate is located on a same plane as the fuse. Further, an upper plate is located above the lower plate, and a capping layer is interposed between the lower plate and the upper plate. Therefore, the fuse and the capacitor can be formed at the same time, thereby minimizing photolithography and etch process steps.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a fabrication method thereof and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device having a fuse and a capacitor at the same level and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A merged memory and logic device, such as a system on chip (SOC) is structured to include memory elements and logic elements together in one semiconductor device. The logic elements typically comprise analog capacitors.
A fuse is widely used in a memory device to provide the memory device with redundancy. The production yield of the memory device can be increased by use of the fuse. With the high integration of a semiconductor device, the height of the semiconductor device is increased. Therefore, a method of forming the fuse on the upper portion of the semiconductor device is widely used in order to facilitate the fusing.
In the meantime, a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor is widely used as an analog capacitor because its capacitance is easy to control, and its characteristics of the voltage coefficient of capacitance is better than that of a poly Si-insulator-poly Si (PIP) capacitor. Therefore, the merged memory and logic device typically has a fuse and an MIM capacitor together.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a conventional MIM capacitor, and a method of fabricating the same. Referring to FIG. 1, the MIM capacitor includes a lower plate 15b placed on a semiconductor substrate 11, an upper plate 19 located above the lower plate, and a capping layer 17 interposed between the lower plate 15b and the upper plate 19. The lower plate 15b is located on the same plane as a lower interconnection line 15a.
In the meantime, the lower interconnection line 15a is electrically connected to an upper interconnection line 23a passing over the lower interconnection line 15a through a via plug. The upper plate 19 is electrically connected to another upper interconnection line 23b passing over the upper plate 19 through a via plug. The upper interconnection line 23a and the another upper interconnection line 23b are placed in a same plane.
Further, the capping layer 17 may cover the upper surfaces of the lower interconnection line 15a and the lower plate 15b. The capping layer 17 has an opening exposing a predetermined portion of the lower interconnection line 15a such that the lower interconnection line 15a is electrically connected to the upper interconnection line 23a.
Now, hereinafter, a description is made of a method of fabricating the conventional MIM capacitor. Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor substrate 11 is provided. The semiconductor substrate may have discrete devices, such as transistors, and interconnection lines. A lower insulating layer 13 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 11. The lower insulating layer 13 is patterned using a photolithography and etch process to form a line trench and a lower plate trench.
A lower conductive layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate having the trenches. The lower conductive layer may be formed of a copper (Cu) layer. In the case of forming the lower conductive layer as a Cu layer, a Cu diffusion barrier layer and a seed layer are typically formed before the Cu layer is formed. After the lower conductive layer is formed, the lower conductive layer is planarized until the top surface of the lower insulating layer 13 is exposed, to form a lower interconnection line 15a filling the line trench, and a lower plate 15b filling the lower plate trench 15b.
A capping layer 17 and a plate conductive layer are sequentially formed on the semiconductor substrate having the lower interconnection line 15a and the lower plate 15b. In the case of forming the lower conductive layer as a Cu layer, the capping layer 17 may be formed of a dielectric layer capable of preventing the diffusion of Cu. The plate conductive layer is patterned using a photolithography and etch process to form an upper plate 19 above the lower plate 15b.
An upper insulating layer 21 is formed on the semiconductor substrate having the upper plate 19. The upper insulating layer 21 and the capping layer 17 are patterned through a photolithography and etch process to form via holes exposing the lower interconnection line 15a and the upper plate 19.
An upper conductive layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate having the via holes, and the upper conductive layer is patterned through a photolithography and etch process. As a result, there is formed an upper interconnection line 23a, which is electrically connected to the lower interconnection line 15a, and there is formed another upper interconnection line 23b, which is electrically connected to the upper plate 19. The upper interconnection lines 23a, 23b may be formed by using a damascene process or a dual damascene process.
The conventional MIM capacitor can be fabricated by forming the lower interconnection line 15a and the lower plate 15b by using a single patterning process, and also by forming the upper interconnection line 23a and the another upper interconnection line 23b by using a single patterning process, which are advantageous.
However, the fabrication of the conventional MIM capacitor requires additional photolithography and etch processes in order to form the upper plate 19. Further, in the case of forming the lower interconnection line 15a and the lower plate 15b using a Cu damascene process, alignment keys are necessary in order to align the upper plate 19 above the lower plate 15b. Therefore, additional photolithography and etch processes are necessary to form the alignment keys. As a result, in order to form the conventional MIM capacitor, there are additionally required photolithography and etch processes for forming the alignment keys, and photolithography and etch processes for forming the upper plate.
A fabrication method of a capacitor without the use of the additional photolithography and etch processes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,426 (Cheng et al.) entitled "Method for simultaneous formation of integrated capacitor and fuse". In the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,426, the fuse and the upper plate are formed using a single photolithography and etch process. Therefore, the additional photolithography and etch processes are not necessary to form the upper plate.
However, in the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,426, a fuse is formed using a process other than an interconnection line formation process. Therefore, a capping layer interposed between a lower plate and the upper plate should be patterned by using a photolithography and etch process, and a photolithography and etch process for forming the fuse and the upper plate is required.
Accordingly, there are required a semiconductor device fabrication method being capable of forming a fuse and a capacitor while minimizing the photolithography and etch process steps, and a semiconductor device fabricated thereby.

Semiconductor device having fuse and capacitor at the same level and method of fabricating the same


An electric power tool includes a power supply which is one of a replaceable battery unit, a rechargeable battery unit, and a cable connection for detachably connecting to a mains power supply. A code receiver is provided for receiving a code signal from a code signal emitting device via a contact free transmission. An electronic controller is arranged to switch the power tool to an operable mode when the power supply is coupled to the power tool and the code signal is received by the code signal receiver. The electronic controller is also arranged to switch the power tool to an inoperable mode when the power supply is uncoupled from the power tool and to maintain the power tool in the inoperable mode until the power supply is re-coupled to the power tool and the code signal is again received by the code signal receiver.

The invention relates to a hand-held electric power tool which comprises a device for alternatively disabling and enabling operation of the tool.
Electric power tools, for example rechargeable battery powered or mains-connected screwdrivers, are frequently used in, for example industrial assembly. Since these types of power tools are portable, they are occasionally removed from the workplace without permission and are never returned. This represents a costly loss for the owner.


Described are hair fixative compositions comprising an aqueous dispersion comprising an ethylene acrylic acid co-polymer, and optionally a metallocene catalyzed polyolefin.

Hair fixatives (sprays, mousses, pomades, gels, and the like) are designed to hold hair in a particular arrangement styled by the user. To achieve long lasting hold, the treated hair must be resilient to stress and resistant to humidity. While this can be accomplished by a number of cosmetically acceptable materials in theory, at the same time the hair fixative must also be able to be removed by shampoo. Moreover, aesthetic considerations of the hair fixative upon drying are of paramount importance to users, particularly shine, combability, and feel. Users value a soft feel, but heretofore have assumed that they have to sacrifice feel in order to obtain superior holding properties, or vice versa.
Accordingly, what is needed is new hair fixative compositions that hold well, are readily removable with shampoo, and demonstrate improved aesthetics.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology LLC


In fixing prisms for a TV camera and solid-state image pickup element packages, two holding plates are fixed at two sides of each of the prisms, each of the holding plates having a wedge-shaped or semicircular tip surface, and an adhesive is provided in a gap formed by a surface of the solid-state image pickup element package and the wedge-shaped or semicircular tip surface of the holding plate, respectively. Then, relative to light axes, X, Y and Z axes and rotational axes θx, θy and θz for the axes X, Y, and Z of the solid-state image pickup element packages are aligned while inclining the holding plates in a front-rear direction simultaneously. The adhesive is cured by applying light or heat to thereby fix the holding plates, the solid-state image pickup elements and the prisms, respectively.

Currently, in cameras for broadcast use such as television cameras, cameras for business use and cameras for measurement use, prisms are used in a color separation optical system for allowing optical dispersion in a plurality of directions, to form captured optical images on solid-state image pickup elements provided on their emission planes through, for example, dispersion into three primary colors, i.e., blue, red and green. The optical images formed on the solid-state image pickup elements are subjected to photoelectric conversion, and amplified and processed by a video circuit to obtain predetermined video signals.
Such a color separation optical system requires precisely aligning each of three solid-state image pickup elements in relation to six axes X, Y, Z, θx, θy and θz with respect to an optical axis, as shown in a perspective view in FIG. 2 illustrating adjustment directions of a solid-state image pickup element, before bonding and fixing the solid-state image pickup elements to a color separation prism.
A prior known imaging apparatus with bonded and fixed solid-state image pickup elements is disclosed in Prior Art 1: Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 62-47289, titled "ATTACHMENT PLATE FOR COLOR SEPARATION OPTICAL SYSTEM".
Prior Art 1 is described with reference to drawings. FIG. 10(a) is a plan view in which solid-state image pickup elements are attached to a color separation prism in Prior Art 1 via spacers on attachment plates, FIG. 10(b) is a side view in which a solid-state image pickup element is attached to the color separation prism in Prior Art 1 via spacers on an attachment plate, FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of attached portions in Prior Art 1, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of attached portions illustrating a variant of the spacer in Prior Art 1.
As shown in FIG. 10, attachment plates 102 are attached so as to sandwich a color separation prism 101 of a color separation optical system 105, and three solid-state image pickup elements 103 are each aligned in relation to the aforementioned six axes, and thereafter, bonded and fixed to the attachment plates 102 via two spacers 104.
In FIG. 11, emission-side end faces of the attachment plates 102 attached to the color separation prism 101 form inclined faces 102A inclined with respect to an emission optical axis. On the other hand, the spacers 104 each have a vertical face 104A formed on the right side and an inclined face 104B formed on the left side, which is inclined with respect to the emission optical axis. As can be seen from FIG. 11, the inclined faces 102A and 104B are formed at approximately the same inclination angle. In addition, gaps required for applying an adhesive are left between the inclined faces 102A and 104B and between the vertical face 104A and a light reception plane-side surface of the solid-state image pickup element 103.
The color separation optical system 105 with such a structure is mounted on an unillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig to adjust the solid-state image pickup element 103 in three axial directions X, Y and Z and three axial rotation directions θx, θy and θz as shown in the perspective view in FIG. 2 illustrating adjustment directions of a solid-state image pickup element package, and thereafter, the vertical faces 104A and the inclined faces 104B of the spacers 104 are applied with an adhesive and inserted into the gaps between the inclined faces 102A of the attachment plates 102 and the solid-state image pickup element 103.
With such a configuration, even if the gaps between the end faces of the attachment plates 102 and the light reception plane-side surface of the solid-state image pickup element 103 are uneven, the spacers 104 are structured to have at least one inclined side face, so that the inclined faces 104B of the spacers 104 are brought into surface contact with the inclined faces 102A of the attachment plates 102, and therefore it is possible to bond them together by using the pair of spacers 104.
In addition, if, as a result of adjustment by the 6-axis adjustment jig, the inclined faces 104B and 102A are inclined at different inclination angles as shown in FIG. 12, it is possible to bring the inclined faces 104B into line contact with the inclined faces 102A and bond them together.
Another example is disclosed in Prior Art 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-37943, titled "SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS".
Prior Art 2 is described with reference to drawings. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a solid-state image pickup apparatus in Prior Art 2, FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of attached portions in Prior Art 2, and FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of attached portions illustrating a variant of a solid-state image pickup element in Prior Art 2.
In FIG. 13, a solid-state image pickup element 203 is fixed on each emission plane of a color separation prism 201 via a pair of connecting/fixing members 204 by applying an adhesive between the color separation prism 201 and the connecting/fixing members 204 and between the connecting/fixing members 204 and the solid-state image pickup element 203, such that the solid-state image pickup element 203 is sandwiched by the connecting/fixing members 204. The color separation prism 201 is coated with a light-shielding paint 202 except for its emission planes.
Filter glass having a characteristic of selectively transmitting ultraviolet light therethrough or membranes for selectively transmitting ultraviolet light therethrough, which are formed by evaporating an optical multilayer film onto white or blue sheet grass, are used for the connecting/fixing members 204 for connecting and fixing together the color separation prism 201 and the solid-state image pickup element 203 placed in the vicinity of an emission plane thereof as shown in FIG. 14, so that only light required for curing the ultraviolet-curable adhesive is transmitted and light in a range that is sensed by the solid-state image pickup element 203 is cut off; the ultraviolet-curable adhesive 205 is applied between the color separation prism 201 and the connecting/fixing members 204 and between the connecting/fixing members 204 and the solid-state image pickup element 203, and after using an unillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig to adjust the solid-state image pickup element 203 in three axial directions X, Y and Z and three axial rotation directions θx, θy and θz as shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive 205 is cured through irradiation with ultraviolet light, thereby connecting and fixing together the color separation prism 201, the connecting/fixing member 204 and the solid-state image pickup element 203.
In addition, if, as a result of adjustment by the unillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig, the solid-state image pickup element 203 is inclined as shown in FIG. 15, the applied ultraviolet-curable adhesive 205 is deformed and cured through irradiation with ultraviolet light, and therefore it is possible to connect and fix together the color separation prism 201, the connecting/fixing member 204 and the solid-state image pickup element 203.
In general, the adhesive has a characteristic of shrinking in volume by several percents when cured, or so-called curing shrinkage, which impairs positional precision at the time of fixation, but the curing shrinkage of an adhesion layer can be counterbalanced by movement of the connecting members, whereby it is possible to cure it while maintaining precision so as not to change the positional relationship between a solid-state image pickup element and a prism block.
The above conventional methods for bonding and fixing a color separation prism and a solid-state image pickup element together, however, have a problem in that, if the amount of applied ultraviolet-curable adhesive is not uniform or ultraviolet light irradiation by the 6-axis adjustment jig is uneven, the curing shrinkage of the ultraviolet-curable adhesive also becomes uneven, so that the solid-state image pickup element is fixed in a position deviating from an original alignment position.
In addition, in cameras for broadcast use, cameras for business use and cameras for measurement use, the number of pixels in a solid-state image pickup element is increased, so that an area per pixel is decreased, and furthermore an imaging area is further decreased from ⅔, ½ or ⅓ inches, therefore the conventional bonding and fixing methods has a difficulty in maintaining high-definition images by preventing alignment error due to the curing shrinkage of the adhesive and positional change due to variations in ambient temperature during operation.
In view of the above-described present situation, the present invention provides a method of fixing a color separation prism and a solid-state image pickup element, wherein even if the amount of applied adhesive is nonuniform, or ultraviolet light irradiation is uneven, or the curing shrinkage of the ultraviolet-curable adhesive also becomes uneven, a positional deviation of the solid-state image pickup element is prevented, while dealing with an increase in number of pixels or reduction in size of the solid-state image pickup element without using a specialized member such as filter glass.

Method for fixing a prism and a solid-state image pickup element


A pulley block or sheave includes a pulley (3), a mounting frame (2) for the pulley and in which the pulley is rotatable, and a ratchet wheel (11) rotatable with the pulley and including ratchet teeth (12). A pawl (15) is carried by the mounting frame and is movable to engage the teeth to prevent or inhibit rotation of the ratchet wheel and the pulley in one sense and disengageable from the teeth to allow free rotation of the pulley. A spring mechanism (13) is included for urging the pawl into engagement with the teeth, the spring mechanism being movable relative to the frame between a position in which the pawl is held away from the teeth by the spring mechanism and a position in which the pawl is urged into engagement with the teeth by the spring mechanism, and an actuating member co-operating with the spring mechanism is provided to move the spring mechanism between said positions.

A sheet is a rope or line for controlling the set of a sail on a sailing vessel. Conventionally the sheet is passed through one or more pulley blocks or sheaves attached to the sail (or boom) and the hull of the vessel. In light weather it is desirable that the sheet runs freely through the pulley block. However, when hauling in the sail in heavy weather it is desirable that the pulley block may incorporate a ratchet to prevent or inhibit the sheet running out through the pulley block e.g. when the helmsman (or crew) adjusts his hands on the sheet.
It is known to provide a pulley block with a ratchet which can be manually selectively rendered operative and inoperative.
It is also known to provide a pulley block with a ratchet which is inoperative when light loads are applied to the block. This known pulley block comprises a ratchet wheel with outwardly directed teeth and a pawl for engaging the teeth. When intermediate loads are applied to the block the pawl may engage only partially with the teeth. Consequently ratchet action may not be positive, the ratchet repeatedly becoming operative and then inoperative, and the teeth and the pawl are subject to heavy wear.
The present invention aims to provide an improved pulley block or sheave incorporating a ratchet mechanism.

Pulley block with spring-biased selectively operable ratchet


An imaging lens (LN) includes at least three lens blocks (BK), and an aperture stop (ape). The lens block (BK) includes parallel flat lens substrates (LS) formed of different materials, and a lens (L). In the imaging lens (LN), the object side lens surface of a first lens (L1) included in a first lens block (BK1) is a surface protruding to the object side, the object side lens surface of a third lens (L3) included in a second lens block (BK2) is a surface recessed from the object side, and at least the object side lens surface of a fifth lens (L5) or the object side lens surface of a sixth lens (L6) included in a third lens block (BK3) is aspherical.

These days, compact, slim imaging devices are incorporated in compact, slim electronic appliances called portable terminals (for example, cellular phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), etc.). Between such a portable terminal and, for example, an electronic appliance at a remote location, information such as sound information and image information is transferred bidirectionally.
Image sensors used in imaging devices are, for example, solid-state image sensors such as CCD (charge-coupled device) image sensors and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensors. Nowadays, as imaging lenses for forming a subject image on those image sensors, lenses made of resin are used that can be mass-produced inexpensively and that thus contribute to cost reduction.
As such imaging lenses, in particular as imaging lenses used in imaging devices (so-called camera modules) incorporated in portable terminals, there are widely known those comprising three plastic lenses and those comprising one glass lens and two plastic lenses. Inconveniently, however, these imaging lenses do not promise easy compatibility between further size reduction and higher mass-producibility due to technical limitations.
As one measure to overcome this inconvenience, Patent Document 1 listed below deals with the replica method. The replica method is a method for forming a large number of lenses (lens elements) on a single lens substrate (wafer). A lens substrate (lens unit) including a plurality of lenses formed by this method arranged in an array is first joined to image sensors in the shape of a wafer (sensor wafer) and is then split. In the lens unit so split, the imaging lens corresponding to an imaging sensor is referred to as a wafer scale lens (cemented compound lens), and the module including the wafer scale lens and the imaging sensor is referred to as a wafer scale camera module.
And Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging lens including a wafer scale lens (an optical element having a lens contiguous with at least one substrate surface of the lens substrate; also referred to as a lens block) formed by the replica method. Incidentally, in the wafer scale lens in this imaging lens, a diffractive surface and a refractive surface are formed simultaneously on a lens substrate, so that with those surfaces the imaging lens corrects chromatic aberration.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2006-323365

Imaging lens, imaging device, portable terminal, and method for manufacturing imaging lens


A solution is provided that integrates external services with existing PBX services to provide new features to the PBX without having to update the PBX. To provide the external services, an external application server establishes a Computer Telephone Integration (CTI) channel with the PBX in order to register for one or more events that occur for a communication session controlled by the PBX. When one of the events occurs, the PBX sends a token containing information regarding the communication session and a media server associated with the communication session. The external application server uses the information in the token to provide an external service, via an external application, to a media stream of the communication session. In one embodiment, the media stream may be sent to that external application that provides the service to the communication session.

It has traditionally been very difficult to get access to media streams in a PBX environment. Even if an application has gained access to a media stream using traditional means, the actions that can be taken on the media stream are limited to existing services provided by the PBX.
One way that has been used to address this issue is to use a control API that allows applications to register a virtual station and then conference the virtual station into an existing call. The downside of this approach is that the application is limited to actions that can be performed via a station interface.
Another alternative is to split a call to a PBX into two halves so the media between the two call halves can be managed. The downside with this approach is that the half call model breaks many existing PBX features. In addition, when a call is split into two halves, twice as many PBX resources are required for each call and additional call latency is introduced.

Providing external application services with an existing private branch exchange media server


The invention relates to a deep-sea device for recovering at least one deep-sea object, in particular at least one organism and/or cell material. The deep-sea device comprises a capturing system (14) for accommodating at least one deep-sea object, and a drive unit (16) for driving the deep-sea device. The deep-sea device is designed and equipped in particular to be advanced at least in sections substantially in the buoyancy direction (Ar) toward the water surface. The deep-sea device is designed in particular like a torpedo.

The invention relates to a deep-sea device and a method for recovering (retrieving) at least one preferably biological deep-sea object from the deep-sea, wherein the at least one deep-sea object comprises in particular at least one (vital or inanimate) biological organism and/or cell material of the same.
The deep-sea, even if the expression is not defined in common usage exactly with a depth range, represents the largest biotope of the Earth. In the following, deep-sea should be understood as the area of the oceans, seas or lakes, in which it is almost completely dark and organisms live, which are adapted to the conditions prevailing there (pressure, temperature, nutrient concentration, etc.) to the largest extent possible and must obligately live there the most time of their life span. This area begins approximately at a water depth of 1,000 m and ends, as currently known, at approximately 11,034 m (Mariana Trench, which is considered the deepest point of the Earth's oceans).
The average depth of the seas and oceans of the Earth is greater than 3,000 m and covers a surface of far more than half the globe. Notwithstanding the large areas, the knowledge on this portion of the biosphere is above all limited to the upper areas (down to a depth of approximately 3,000 m) and delimits locally very narrow ranges. This is mainly due to rather selective examinations based above all on technical and logistic problems, as well as to the considerable outlay, which is necessary with increasing depth in order to take deep-sea objects or samples, find, observe animals, or carry out other actions.
The deep-sea organisms are in many respects interesting from the scientific but also economical point of view. With increasing depth, they are obligately "barophilic" resp. "piezophilic", i.e. adapted to the high pressure conditions of the deep-sea. They will not survive a significant pressure change. Technically, a live recovery of macro-organisms (not bacteria) is not even satisfactorily possible at this point in time up to a depth of 2,500 m [B. Shillito, G. Hamel, C. Duchi D. Cottin, J. Sarrazin, P.-M. Sarradin, J. Ravaux, F. Gaill, Live capture of megafauna from 2300 m depth, using a newly designed pressurized recovery device, Deep-Sea Research I 55 (2008) 881-889]. The reasons for the unsuccessful attempts for recovering living organisms or also only living cell material and the long-term stable establishment of propagatable in vitro cell cultures are in particular:                the increasing adaptation of the organisms to high pressures with rising depth and their constancy in the natural habitat,        the adaptation to either very constant low temperatures (approximately 1° C.-6° C.+/−0.1° C., psychrophilia) or high temperatures near hot sources (thermophilia) and the resulting low tolerance of the organisms with respect to temperature changes,        the optimization of almost all macromolecules to high pressures (up to approximately 110 MPa at a depth of approx. 11,000 m) and thus their functional and vitality reduction up to loss at low pressures,        the obligate piezophilia, which probably occurs from a depth of approximately 5,000 m as well as technical problems with activities like animal husbandry, cell culture, isolation methods, etc. under such high pressures, which have not been solved satisfactorily and in a handy manner up to now,        the availability of suitable catching and transfer devices from a great sea depth,        the lack of experience as regards the management of organisms and the lack of knowledge of their physiological properties, nutrition, etc.,        the considerable time pressure while transporting the animals from the depth to isolation of the cells since, hitherto, no corresponding exactly working transfer systems exist.
In particular, the following two reasons have for decades made the recovery of deep-sea objects, preferably of at least living tissue material of deep-sea macroorganisms, necessary.
First, a necessity for scientific studies. Deep-sea organisms of whatever species can only be transferred alive to a laboratory husbandry or at least via the cultivation of cells to the regular laboratory cultivation operation, since any provision of sufficient material for research then also exists. The deep-sea can only be visited in the short term. No permanent laboratory unit exists at this point in time and would be comparable, as far as the technical complexity is concerned, with a space station. On the other hand, the desire for economical exploitation of larger stocks or to have a correspondingly large amount of biomaterial available for commercial use. Only in biolaboratories on the Earth's surface can cells, macromolecules and other substances of the deep-sea organisms be isolated in sufficient quantities, and animals, or also cells, if applicable, be cultivated and expanded to the required quantities, modified and thus economically used, since the organism density of the deep-sea is mostly extraordinarily low and thus doesn't allow for commercial captures.
For biotechnology, living cells, small tissue complexes and macromolecules are above all interesting, whereas for science the vital animals are rather of primary interest. Also the stabilization of isolated, living cells and their culture was up to now successful only up to unsatisfactory depths. For deep-sea organisms of the megafauna, this is a depth of approximately 1,162 m [S. Koyama, Cell biology of deep-sea multicellular organisms, Crytotechnology (2007) 55:125-133]). Here, besides this, it was hitherto all about organisms, which tolerate a significant pressure drop to normal pressure to a great extent, i.e. are not obligately piezophilic (e.g. the deep-sea eel). The majority of the obligate deep-sea organisms are located at greater depth and therefore hitherto have not been represented and accessible with their macro-organism spectrum in laboratory cell cultures.
Hitherto, the following two approaches are substantially followed for recovering deep-sea objects.
First, the recovering of the deep-sea objects caught without maintaining the depth pressure at the place of catching. On the other hand, the recovering in pressure chambers on deep-sea vessels and transferring to the surface with more or less good maintenance of the pressure in the original area of life of the deep-sea object caught. In the first option, only organisms, which are not macro-organisms (e.g. bacteria) and are not obligately piezophilic can survive. The methods are therefore limited to depths that are smaller than approximately 2,000 m. The second option implies ascent times in the hour range and requires therefore very exact thermostating and pressure stabilizations. Also, significant depth limits are set here, and no vital recoveries were successful, except the said ones.
It can be assumed that from the sum of said reasons for a live recovery of macro-organisms of the deep-sea resp. the installation of cell cultures from intact cells of an obligately piezophilic organism (e.g. fish, crustacean, etc.) novel devices and methods are required, i.e. the currently known technology with the approach of catching chambers which can be adjusted more or less well in terms of pressure and temperature is not sufficient.
An essential reason for the loss of vitality of the whole organism as well as the life processes at the cellular level consists in the currently required long ascent times from a great depth in mostly sub-optimal marginal conditions (in particular pressure, temperature, light). This way, the ascent operation has, for a depth of 7,000 m and an already favourable ascent speed of a conventional underwater vessel or conventional catching system of 1 m/s a duration of 7,000 s, i.e. almost 2 hours. With the time period necessary for the recovery, the time required until removal of the organism is mostly equal to several hours.
With respect to the general prior art, reference is also made to WO 2010/145791 A2, which, however, only describes a very slow, passive buoyancy of a catching device e.g. by means of a balloon and is thus not suitable for the purpose of the invention. Reference is also made to EP 1 493 656 A1, which describes a conventional submarine, which is, however, not suitable for the deep-sea and thus not suitable for the purpose of the invention.
An object of the invention is to create an improved deep-sea device and an improved method for the recovery of at least one deep-sea object.
In particular, it is an object of the invention to create a deep-sea device and an associated method, which allow the vital recovery of at least one deep-sea object (preferably a macro-organism) at least at the cellular level and optionally to transfer cells into a stable propagatable in vitro culture.
These objects are achieved in particular with a device and a method having the features of the invention.

Deep-sea device for recovering at least one deep-sea object

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.


A polar band-pass dielectric filter including three coaxial dielectric resonators each including a main body in the form of a dielectric member, the main body being formed with a through bore extending through opposite end faces thereof, the main body having an outer conductor layer provided over an outer peripheral surface thereof and an inner conductor layer over an inner surface thereof defining the through bore. The resonators are joined to one another with one side of an outer periphery surface of each resonator serving as a joint surface. Each of the resonators has an electrode insulated from the outer conductor layer and provided at a portion of the outer peripheral surface thereof other than the joint surface. The electrodes of the resonators are connected together by a substantially straight conductor member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dielectric filters and dielectric duplexers for use with high-frequency signals at hundreds of megahertz to a few gigahertz, and more particularly to polar dielectric filters having a sharp attenuation pole in pass characteristics and dielectric duplexers having such a filter incorporated therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various high-frequency filters are used in communications devices. Filters of reduced sizes and improved characteristics are especially required with prevalent use of portable telephones and like mobile communications devices. The conventional filters for use at high frequencies include dielectric filters comprising coaxial dielectric resonators.
Coaxial dielectric resonators comprise a main body formed by a dielectric member and having a through bore extending through opposite end faces of the body and a conductor layer formed over the outer peripheral surface of the main body and over the inner surface of the body defining the bore. Electromagnetic waves are caused to undergo resonance within the main body of the device. When one of the end faces is provided with a conductor layer, the main body provides a 1/4 wavelength resonator. When both end faces are provided with the conductor layer or neither of the end faces has the layer, the main body provides a 1/2 wavelength resonator.
With reference to an equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 7a, a plurality of coaxial dielectric resonators 1a, 1b, 1c can be assembled into a band-pass filter by capacitively coupling these resonators as arranged in parallel to provide interstage coupling capacitances C.sub.1, C.sub.2, and capacitively coupling external input and output terminals 40, 41 to the resonators 1a, 1c at opposite ends of the parallel arrangement to form input and output coupling capacitances C.sub.IN, C.sub.OUT.
The band-pass filter can be modified to a polar filter having sharp attenuation characteristics involving an attenuation pole as seen in FIG. 8 by providing a series resonance capacitance C.sub.3 for one of the coaxial dielectric resonators 1a, 1b, 1c as shown in FIG. 7b.
FIG. 9 shows a conventional polar filter having the equivalent circuit of FIG. 7b and comprising three coaxial dielectric resonators 1a, 1b, 1c mounted on a substrate 6. External input and output terminals 40, 41 are disposed on the substrate 6 for electric signals to be transmitted to or received from external devices. The inner conductor layers formed in the through bores of the resonators 1a, 1b, 1c are connected by metal terminals 9a, 9b, 9c to respective conductor patterns formed on the substrate 6.
The input terminal 40 is connected to the resonator 1a serving as an input stage by way of an input coupling capacitor 80. The input-stage resonator 1a is connected to the resonator 1b providing an intermediate stage via an interstage coupling capacitor 81 and series resonance capacitor 83. The intermediate-stage resonator 1b is connected to the resonator 1c serving as an output stage via the series resonance capacitor 83 and an interstage coupling capacitor 82. The output-stage resonator 1c is connected to the output terminal 41 via an output coupling capacitor 84.
The conventional filter described requires, in addition to the resonators 1a, 1b, 1c and the substrate 6, a large number of external parts including the capacitors 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 and the metal terminals 9a, 9b, 9c, and many assembling steps, and is consequently large-sized.
An object of the present invention is to provide a polar dielectric filter which comprises coaxial dielectric resonators each having an electrode capacitively coupled to the inner conductor layer thereof so as to reduce the number of external parts conventionally needed.

Polar dielectric filter and dielectric duplexer incorporating same


In wireless communications, a method and system for enhancing signal decoding capability in null areas uses dithering to break up or modify the null areas. The null areas form in overlapping regions of the beams of two antennas or in overlapping regions of a single signal that is subject to multipath. Dithering is used to spread the null areas over a wider region so that a WTRU in an overlap region will not statically remain within a null area.

In wireless broadcast systems where one or more antennas broadcast signals toward wireless transmit and receive units (WTRUs), there are sometimes null areas where interfering signals interact in a fashion that a WTRU in a certain location cannot decode the received signal. Null areas may be caused by a single antenna whose signal is subject to multipath wherein a direct path signal overlaps with one or more reflected signals. Null areas may also be caused by a plurality of antennas whose signals overlap.
As a result of null areas being present in a region of overlapping signals, while the majority of intended WTRUs in such overlapping regions may be able to properly receive signals, other WTRUs might not. Some WTRUs might not be able to decode the signals, and depending on the nature of the broadcast, there may be consequences of lost communication or other interference. Yet other intended WTRUs might interrogate the system later to see if they had missed some message, and if so, request retransmission of the message uniquely to themselves. Increasing the number of retransmissions results in less air time available for other transmissions. There may also be a timeliness issue about the delivery of the message. One method of addressing the problem in the prior art is to use time-diversity, thus reducing the odds that a WTRU would be in the null area for alternative directions of transmission or time frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,574 to Goldberg, teaches a controller which controls at least two transmitters to transmit simulcast signals during a time period. The two simulcast signals produce intersymbol interference at a receiver. One of the transmitters changes its output amplitude during a portion of the time period, altering the symbol interference during a portion of the time period.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,276 to Goldberg, et al. teaches a messaging system using a plurality of simulcasting base transmitters and a plurality of pseudorandom sequence generators. The generators generate pseudorandom sequences, which are different from one another during concurrent transmission by the base transmitter. A cancellation-affecting parameter of the plurality of base transmitters is adjusted in accordance with the plurality of pseudorandom sequences during the transmission from the base transmitters to limit intervals of carrier cancellation.
Known prior art does not offer a simple and inexpensive solution for addressing signal interference caused in the overlapping region of the signal beams from one or more antennas. Prior art techniques are generally consumers of radio frequency resources and are therefore undesirable. Prior art techniques also delay the time at which the communication is received by a certain percentage of the WTRUs or signal recipients.
It is therefore desirable to address null areas, without substantially increased cost and with a minimum consumption of RF resources.

Method and system for reducing the effect of signal-interference in null areas caused by one or more antennas


A system for monitoring wear of pump casing liners is disclosed. The system may include a wear sensor disposed in proximity to the pump casing liner so that the sensor wears at substantially the same rate as the lining. The wear sensor may include a plurality of circuit loops having different lengths. As the pump casing liner and the sensor wear during use, the plurality of circuit loops are sequentially breached. A control system monitors the signals from the plurality of circuit loops to develop liner wear information. This information is employed to signal a user when one or more predetermined wear thresholds are exceeded.

Screw pumps are rotary, positive displacement pumps that use two or more screws to transfer high or low viscosity fluids or fluid mixtures along an axis. Generally, a three-screw pump is a positive rotary pump in which a central one of three screws is motor-driven, and the two further screws are idlers meshing with diametrically opposed portions of the driven central screw, the idlers acting as sealing elements that are rotated hydraulically by the fluid being pumped. The volumes or cavities between the intermeshing screws and a liner or casing transport a specific volume of fluid in an axial direction around threads of the screws. As the screws rotate the fluid volumes are transported from an inlet to an outlet of the pump. In some applications, these pumps are used to aid in the extraction of oil from on-shore and sub-sea wells.
Often the liquids pumped through these pumps include entrained solids, such as sand. The presence of sand and other solids can cause damage to the pump internals, most notably to the pump casing, where the solids can pass between the screws and the casing. Substantial wear of the pump casing can undesirably result in reduced discharge flow rates. Repair of pump casings can be expensive, and thus, many manufacturers line the pump casing with a self-repairing liner material. Such liners are typically made from material that is much softer than the casing and screws. Thus, damage due to entrained solids is borne by the liner and not the more expensive casing. Such liners may be "self-repairing," in that over time, scratches and gouges caused by contact with entrained solids may be smoothed over, mitigating their impact on performance of the pump.
While such liners can improve pump lifecycle, periodic liner refurbishment is still required. A difficulty remains, however, in determining when liner replacement should occur. As noted, liner degradation may manifest itself in reduced output flow from the pump. Where multiple pumps serve a single outlet, however, it can be difficult to identify which pump may be the cause of reduced overall flow. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for continuously monitoring wear of pump casing liners so that repair can be performed in a timely manner.
Wear monitoring systems, in general, are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,098 to Olson discloses a wear detection system for use in determining wall thinning in hydrocyclone applications, U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,027 to Matsuzaki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,033 to Takanashi, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,511 to Moriya disclose systems for detecting wear of brake pads, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,759 to Stewart discloses a system for detecting wear of journal bearings. The problem with these systems is that they may not be as accurate as desired. This is because the systems employ wear sensors made of materials that have compositions and properties different from the compositions and properties of the components being monitored. Owing to such differences, the sensors may wear at a faster or slower rate than the monitored components. As will be appreciated, where sensor wear is not consistent with component wear, the accuracy of the monitoring system is adversely affected.
Thus, there remains a need for an improved wear monitoring system that can continuously monitor wear of pump casing liners so that repair can be effected in a timely manner. Such a system should overcome the deficiencies inherent in current systems, and should be highly accurate. It would also be desirable to provide a system and method for storing liner wear information so that wear trending can be accomplished.

System and method for monitoring pump lining wear


A cross-key rotational alignment locking device for a VSI-type mineral breaker comprises a generally annular keyway 102 in the top edge portion of the main shaft 12 of the breaker, the annular keyway defining an upwardly extending pilot key 104, a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots 126 in the upper portion of a cylindrical taper lock 108 disposed around the main shaft, the slots in communication with the annular keyway, and a cross-key 130 having a generally annular main body 132 disposed in the annular keyway 102, the pilot key 104 received in a central aperture 136 in the main body 132 of the cross-key 130, and the cross-key having a plurality of radially-extending arms 128 disposed in the plurality of slots 126, such that the taper lock 108 is locked in rotational alignment with the shaft 12. In the preferred embodiment a bronze sleeve 110 having a longitudinally extending split 120 is interposed between the taper lock 108 and the shaft 12.

VSI-type mineral breakers operate as high-speed "rock pumps". The receipt, acceleration and discharge of the rock feed introduced to this type of rock crusher passes through a rotating impeller more accurately described as a rock-lined rotor. This rotor is supported in the machine by a main shaft 12 which is held and turns in a bearing cartridge assembly 14, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, in a housing (not illustrated) centered within the machine. The rotating shaft 12 imparts torque onto the spinning impeller or rotor 44. The initial point of impact for the incoming rock mineral feed is the center of the rock-lined rotor directly below which is a mechanical connection between the rotor 44 and the shaft 12.
A popular method of affixing the rotor 44 to the shaft 12 is by the use of a taper lock type of arrangement in which a tapered outer surface 16 of a taper lock 18 and a cooperating tapered inner surface 20 of a rotor boss 22 are drawn together using a top plate 24 and several bolts 26, 28. See FIGS. 2 and 3. Commonly, the taper lock 18 is installed on and around the upper end of shaft 12. Then the rotor boss 22, which is very firmly attached to the rotor 44, is lowered over and around taper lock 18. Top plate 24 is then secured to rotor boss 22 with a first set of bolts 26 which pass through outer apertures 27 in top plate 24 and are threaded into bolt holes 46 in rotor boss 22. A second set of bolts 28 passes through inner apertures 29 in top plate 24 and is threaded into bolt holes 48 in taper lock 18. As the second set of bolts 28 are tightened, top plate 24 and rotor boss 22 are drawn downward towards taper lock 18. When properly tightened, the bolts 26, 28 cause a sliding interference fit between the outer surface 16 of the taper lock 18 and the inner surface 20 of the rotor boss 22. Since taper lock 18 is provided with a longitudinal split 30, as the rotor boss 22 is forced downward, the circumference of taper lock 18 is reduced allowing the taper lock to be physically compressed around the shaft 12. A taper lock fitting thus establishes maximum surface contact between the adjoining parts and achieves a high-pressure, compressed, non-slipping joint through which driving torque is transferred from the shaft 12 to the rotor 44. In addition to providing a strong mechanical joint between the taper lock 18 and the rotor boss 22, use of the taper lock joint allows for easy disassembly of the parts by loosening the bolts which draw the tapered surfaces 16, 20 of the taper lock 18 and the rotor boss 22 together. Thereafter, a small amount of axial movement relieves compression at the tapered surfaces.
A conventional key system acts as a backup to minimize or eliminate any rotational slipping between the parts, ensuring that all the components rotate as one. The taper lock 18 is keyed to the shaft 12 using a longitudinal keyway 32 in the shaft 12 into which is fitted a key 34. There is a mating keyway 36 in the bore 38 of the taper lock 18 which matches and slides over key 34. This forms a positive mechanical connection between the shaft 12 and the impeller or rotor 44. See FIGS. 1-4.
While the conventional taper lock-and-keyway design is effective and generally reliable, it is not ideal for application in a VSI-type mineral breaker where extensive vibrational forces and unpredictable shock loadings routinely occur. Due to manufacturing tolerances and variances, weaknesses can develop that undermine the system. Minute differences between the exterior surface of the shaft and the interior surface of the taper lock lead to "fretting," the microscopic movement of material under high pressure. Poorly machined surfaces can lead to "notches" in the shaft, along the shaft keyway, or in the taper lock bore. As the shaft is typically a hardened steel alloy, it is vulnerable to the phenomena of "notch sensitivity." This works similarly to the etching of glass wherein a small imperfection in the material may become the focal point for cracking and part failure. Extended use can result in pitting and poor surface conditions. Finally, experience has shown that a high proportion of shaft failures occur in that portion of the shaft adjacent the bottom of the taper lock where a bending moment is formed by the collective weight of the taper lock 18, rotor boss 22, and rotor 44 resting on the shaft 12. In concert, these irregularities can cause unique loading conditions and stress concentrations which may result in shaft failure. One of the factors that can accelerate failure of the shaft is the introduction of heat 30° F. or more above ambient temperature as the result of drying mineral feed entering the breaker. This added temperature causes the rotor boss 22 to expand resulting in a relaxation of the interference fit in the taper lock joint and consequent loosening of the taper lock's grip on the shaft, frequently leading to fretting of the contact surfaces.
In the normal operation of a VSI-type mineral breaker, the impeller or rotor is routinely removed and re-installed for purposes of maintenance. In some instances, multiple impellers or rotors may be applied to the same shaft and taper lock. All of this removal and re-installation distresses the parts of the taper lock assembly, especially the main shaft, with the result that, as the VSI mineral breaker ages, the main shaft becomes more vulnerable.

Cross-key rotational alignment locking device for VSI mineral breaker


Provided is a laminated tube having a logarithmic decrement of at least 0.08 and a flexural modulus of at least 1,000 kg/mm.sup.2 and comprising at least 2 layers which comprise a composite material comprising a reinforcing fiber and a matrix resin. The reinforcing fibers used include an organic fiber, e.g. wholly aromatic polyester fibers and polyvinyl alcohol fiber, for at least 1 layer of the composite material layer and an inorganic fiber, e.g. carbon fiber and glass fiber, for at least 1 layer of the composite material layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laminated tube having a high logarithmic decrement of mechanical damping and flexural modulus and comprising layers, in a specified combination, of a composite material comprising a reinforcing fiber and a matrix resin.
The laminated tube of the present invention is light and excellent in vibration damping properties, mechanical strength and rigidity and is hence useful as tubing for portable apparatuses having power source, such as bush cutter, small vehicles such as bicycle and wheelchair, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pipes of aluminum, which is relatively light among metals, are generally used as piping or tubing for articles requiring light weight and high mechanical strength and rigidity, e.g. portable apparatuses having power source, such as bush cutter, and small vehicles such as bicycle and wheelchair. For these items, however, there has been desired a lighter weight and reduction of vibrations transmitted from the power source or improvement of riding comfortableness. For example Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 170309/1986 proposes, for the tubing to be used for bush cutters, that comprising a composite material comprising a carbon fiber or glass fiber for reinforcement and a matrix resin.
It is true that the tubing comprising the above-proposed composite material is superior to aluminum tubing because of lighter weight and better vibration damping properties. There is, in some end-uses, however desired a pipe of still lighter weight and better vibration damping properties, and also for bush cutters lighter tube with still better vibration damping properties is desired for the purpose alleviating the burden that the operator should suffer.
For bush cutters, which often contact any surrounding object or the blade of which tends to be dragged into surrounding trees or the like during operation, the use of a tube having higher rigidity and impact resistance is also desired for improving the safety.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tube that has not only high mechanical strength and rigidity, but also markedly excellent vibration damping properties.


A structure of a soundproof cover for an engine room is mounted on a body frame at a rear side of the engine room in which an engine is mounted. The structure may include two or more piece members that are detachably coupled to each other and collectively form the soundproof cover in a panel shape. The soundproof cover is to be mounted on the body frame so that one side surface of the soundproof cover is directed toward the engine and the other side surface of the soundproof cover is directed toward an interior of a vehicle.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a soundproof cover for an engine room which is mounted in an engine room so as to prevent noise occurring in an engine from entering the interior of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a structure of a soundproof cover for an engine room which is configured to be dividable into two or more parts so as to improve performance in preventing inflow noise and in providing convenience in replacing components.
2. Description of Related Art
An engine of a passenger vehicle is mounted in an engine room that is provided at a front side of a body frame of a vehicle body, and coupled to the body frame through a vibration isolating device such as an engine mount, and a roll rod in order to prevent vibration and noise from entering the interior of the vehicle.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in order to additionally inhibit noise generated in an engine 100 from entering the interior of the vehicle, a soundproof cover 4 is mounted on a body frame 1 between an engine room 2 and the interior 3 of the vehicle. The general soundproof cover 4 in the related art is made of synthetic resin, manufactured in the form of an integral panel, and attached to the body frame 1.
However, the soundproof cover 4 in the related art is formed as an integral body, and thus has a limitation in optimizing NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) performance. That is, it is necessary to mount the soundproof cover, which is partially made of different materials, in accordance with a distance and a mounting position from noise sources (an engine, a transmission, hydraulic devices, and the like), and because the entire soundproof cover needs to be detached so as to repair the vehicle, there is a problem in that A/S convenience deteriorates.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Structure of soundproof cover for engine room


Medical devices, methods and systems for treating tissue are provided. An exemplary system comprises a fluid from a fluid source, a surgical device which provides energy and the fluid to the tissue and a control mechanism which changes a flow rate of fluid provided from the surgical device and changes a rate of energy provided from the surgical device. The fluid flow rate changes between at least two non-zero flow rates and the energy rate changes between at least two non-zero energy rates. An exemplary method comprises providing a fluid from a fluid source, providing a surgical device which provides energy and the fluid to the tissue, and changing a flow rate of fluid provided from the surgical device with a change in a rate of energy provided from the surgical device. Exemplary devices comprise a tip portion configured to provide energy and a fluid to a tissue.

Electrosurgical devices use electrical energy, most commonly radio frequency (RF) energy, to cut tissue or to cauterize blood vessels. During use, a voltage gradient is created at the tip of the device, thereby inducing current flow and related heat generation in the tissue. With sufficiently high levels of electrical energy, the heat generated is sufficient to cut the tissue and, advantageously, to stop the bleeding from severed blood vessels.
Current electrosurgical devices can cause the temperature of tissue being treated to rise significantly higher than 100° C., resulting in tissue desiccation, tissue sticking to the electrodes, tissue perforation, char formation and smoke generation. Peak tissue temperatures as a result of RF treatment of target tissue can be as high as 320° C., and such high temperatures can be transmitted to adjacent tissue via thermal diffusion. Undesirable results of such transmission to adjacent tissue include unintended thermal damage to the tissue.
Using saline to couple RF electrical energy to tissue inhibits such undesirable effects as sticking, desiccation, smoke production and char formation. One key factor is inhibiting tissue desiccation, which occurs if tissue temperature exceeds 100° C. and all of the intracellular water boils away, leaving the tissue extremely dry and much less electrically conductive. However, an uncontrolled flow rate of saline can provide too much cooling at the electrode/tissue interface. This cooling reduces the temperature of the target tissue being treated, and the rate at which tissue thermal coagulation occurs is determined by tissue temperature. This, in turn, can result in longer treatment time, to achieve the desired tissue temperature for cauterization or cutting of the tissue. Long treatment times are undesirable for surgeons since it is in the best interest of the patient, physician and hospital to perform surgical procedures as quickly as possible.
RF energy delivered to tissue is unpredictable and often not optimal when using general-purpose generators. Most general-purpose RF generators have modes for different waveforms (cut, coagulation, or a blend of these two) and device types (monopolar, bipolar), as well as power levels that can be set in watts. However, once these settings are chosen, the actual power delivered to tissue can vary dramatically over time as tissue impedance changes over the course of RF treatment. This is because the power delivered by most generators is a function of tissue impedance, with the power ramping down as impedance either decreases toward zero or increases significantly to several thousand ohms.
A further limitation of current electrosurgical devices arises from size constraints of the device in comparison to tissue that is encountered during a single surgical procedure. During the course of a single procedure, for example, a surgeon often encounters a wide variety of tissue sizes. Surgical devices often come in a variety of sizes because larger segments of tissue physically require commensurately larger electrode jaws or tips, but smaller segments of tissue often are not optimally treated by the much larger size RF device. It is undesirable to require numerous surgical devices during a single procedure, because this wastes valuable operating room time, can make it difficult to precisely relocate the treatment site, increases the risk of infection, and increases the cost by increasing the number of different surgical devices that are needed to complete the surgical procedure.
For example, a bipolar saline-enhanced tissue sealing forceps that has jaws long enough to effectively seal a 30 mm length of tissue may not be desirable for sealing a segment of tissue that is 10 mm in length. Excess saline from one of the electrode jaws (for a bipolar device) can flow to the other electrode in the space where there is no intervening tissue. This flow of electrically conductive saline can act as an electrical resistor in parallel with the electrical pathway through the target tissue. Electrical current flow through the saline can divert or shunt RF energy away from going through the target tissue, and slow down the rate at which the target tissue is heated and treated.
A surgeon may first be sealing and cutting lung tissue as part of a wedge resection using the full 30 mm jaw length 2–3 times to remove a tip of a lobe of lung for biopsy. If the intraoperative histopathology indicates that the suspected tissue has a malignant tumor, then the surgeon may convert the procedure to a lobectomy. As part of the lobectomy the surgeon will want to seal and cut large blood vessels that supply the lobe. Alternatively, the surgeon may want to toughen up or coagulate large vessels with RF and then apply a ligating clip to assure hemostasis before cutting. Even compressed, these blood vessels might only fill a small fraction of the 30 mm length of electrode jaw. For at least the reasons identified above, this is an undesirable situation with current electrosurgical devices.

Fluid-assisted medical devices, fluid delivery systems and controllers for such devices, and methods


A memory device having a programmable device width includes a storage unit, output logic, at least one register, control logic, decode logic and configuration logic. The output logic outputs data from the storage unit based on control signals and address data received on address inputs. The register stores device width data under the control of the control logic. The control logic receives command data, and generates the control signals based on the command data. Additionally, the control logic controls the storage operation of the register based on the command data. The decode logic decodes the device width data to determine a desired device width, and the configuration logic configures the output logic so that the memory device has the desired device width. By supplying command data to the control logic such that the control logic causes the register to store device width data and supplying device width data representing a desired device width to the register, a user can program the device width of the memory device without having to rely on the manufacturer producing memory devices of different device widths.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory device; and more particularly, to a memory device having a programmable device width, a method of programming the device width, and a method of setting a device width for a memory device.
2. Description of Related Art
In today's electronic manufacturing environment, many unique parts are required for both suppliers and consumers of electronic components. This is particularly true among memory components which comprise a large percentage of the overall system/device cost. With memory devices, the major part differentiators include access time, reliability grade, function, and device width.
For example, with respect to device width, a 16 Mb dynamic random access memory DRAM may come configured as either a 4 Mb.times.4, 2 Mb.times.8, 1 Mb.times.16, 512 Kb.times.32, etc. With a 4 Mb.times.4 configuration, the 16 Mb memory device is divided into four memory blocks of 4 Mb each, and has one input/output I/O corresponding to each memory block. Accordingly, when listing memory devices, a different part number is required for each memory device having a different device width.
Manufacturers of such memory devices produce a die which can operate as a .times.1, .times.4, .times.8, etc., device. Some manufacturers then set the device width of the die during the final metalization stages of the die's manufacture. Other manufacturers use different die packages to set the device width through wire bonding as described in detail below.
FIG. 1 illustrates a well known synchronous dynamic random access memory SDRAM with the device width set according to the well known wire bond option technique. As shown in FIG. 1, the SDRAM includes a clock generator 2 which outputs clock signals to various components of the SDRAM to synchronize the operation thereof. A command decoder 4 of the SDRAM receives a chip select CS, row enable RAS, column enable CAS and write command W inputs. As shown in FIG. 1, the command decoder 4 recognizes, for example, a write command when CS, CAS, and W are asserted, i.e., logic low, at the same time. The command decoder 4 outputs the command to the control logic 6 which controls the operation of the other components of the SDRAM based on the received command.
Besides the commands of CS, RAS, CAS and W, the command decoder 4 can also recognize other commands based on a combination of CS, RAS, CAS and W. For instance, the command decoder 4 decodes the simultaneous receipt of CS, RAS, CAS and W as a mode register set command.
When a mode register set command is received, the control logic 6 causes a mode register 8 to latch the address data on address inputs A0-A10 and BA0-BA1. The data on address inputs A0-A10, generally, represent either a row or column address and the data on address inputs BA0-BA1, generally, represent a bank address. The bank addresses inputs BA0-BA1 specify one of the memory banks A-D discussed in detail below. During the mode register set operation, however, the data on address inputs A0-A10 and BA0-BA1 do not represent addresses. Hereinafter, the address inputs and the data thereon will generically be referred to as address inputs.
FIG. 2 illustrates a table showing the current Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) standard 21-C version 6 encodation definition for each address input during the mode register set operation. As shown in FIG. 2, address inputs A0-A2 set the burst length, address input A3 sets the addressing mode, address inputs A4-A6 set the CAS latency, address input A7 enables a test mode, address inputs A8, A10, and BA0-BA1 are reserved for future use, and address input A9 sets the write mode. The control logic 6 then controls the components of the memory device according to these settings. Accordingly, like CS, RAS, CAS, and W, the data supplied on the address inputs during the mode register set operation are also command data.
Returning to FIG. 1, the SDRAM includes a row address buffer and refresh counter 10 and a column address buffer and burst counter 12 connected to the address inputs. The row address buffer portion latches the address inputs at RAS time, RAS enabled, and provides the address data to the appropriate row decoder 14. The refresh counter portion refreshes the chip. The column address buffer portion latches the address inputs at CAS time, CAS enabled, and provides the address data to the appropriate column decoder 18. The burst counter portion controls the reading/writing of more than one column based on the pre-set burst length.
The memory 22 of the SDRAM is divided into four memory banks A-D. In this manner, the memory banks A-D can be independently and simultaneously selected. Each memory bank A-D has associated therewith a row decoder 14, a sense amplifier 16 and a column decoder 18. Based on the address latched by the row address buffer and refresh counter 10, a row decoder 14 enables a row of bits. An associated sense amplifier 16 latches the columns of this row via sense amplification, and the associated column decoder 18 outputs one or more bits depending on the device width and burst length.
The SDRAM includes configuration logic 28 for setting the device width. The configuration logic 28 includes a plurality of program pads. When the SDRAM die is packaged, the packaging internally wire bonds the programs pads to either an input voltage VDD pin or a ground pin. Based on these connections, which set the logic state for each program pad, the configuration logic 28 configures the data control circuit 20, a latch circuit 24 and an input/output buffer 26 to obtain the device width associated with the logic states of the program pads. Specifically, the configuration logic 28 controls the switches and multiplexers in a data control circuit 20 such that the number of input/output drivers corresponds to the device width. For example, if the configuration logic 28 configures the data control circuit 20 to a .times.8 device width, the data control logic 20 will have eight input/output drivers. Likewise, the packaging will include eight I/O pins DQ0-DQ7. Accordingly, the configuration logic 28 configures the latch circuit 24 and the input/output buffer 26 to latch and buffer data between the eight I/O pins DQ0-DQ7 and the corresponding eight input/output drivers of the data control circuit 20.
The data control circuit 20 is connected to each column decoder 18, and is connected to data input/output pin(s) DQ(s) via the latch circuit 24 and the input/output buffer 26. During a read operation, the column decoders 18 output data to the data control circuit 20 based on the enabled row, the enable column, and the burst length. The data control circuit 20 then routes the data to the number of input/output drivers set based on the device width. The data from the input/output drivers is latched by the latch circuit 24, buffered by the input/output buffer 26 and output on the data input/output pin(s) DQ(s). As alluded to above, the number of input/output pin(s) DQ(s) corresponds to the device width. For instance if the device width is .times.1, then configuration logic 28 will have configured the data control circuit 20 to have a single input/output driver and the packaged SDRAM will have a single input/output pin DQ. Or, if the device width is .times.4, then the configuration logic 28 will have configured the data control circuit 20 to have four input/output drivers and the packaged SDRAM will have four input/output pins DQ0-DQ3.
During a write operation, the SDRAM receives data over the input/output pin(s) DQ(s). This data is buffered by the input/output buffer 26, latched by the latch circuit 24, and received by the data control circuit 20. The data control circuit 20 sends the data to the appropriate column decoders 18 for storage in the memory banks A-D according to the enabled row and column.
The SDRAM also includes an input DQM to the latch circuit for every 8 bits of input/output. For instance a .times.16 SDRAM will have two inputs DQM0 and DQM1. When enabled, the input DQM prevents reading or writing the remainder of a burst. In this manner, the burst length can be controlled.
As the discussion above indicates, the device width of a memory device is set during the final metalization of the memory die or by internal connections made during packaging of the die. While these two techniques of setting device width have been discussed above in detail with respect to SDRAMs, these techniques are also used to set the device width of DRAMs, read only memories ROMs, programmable read only memories PROMs, erasable programmable read only memories EPROMs, electrically erasable read only memories EEPROMs, etc.
At least one manufacturer, however, has pinned out the program pads by adding additional pins to the memory device package. The resulting device, however, did not meet JEDEC standards, and therefore, little or no demand exists for such products. Accordingly, manufacturers producing memory devices for the commercial market utilize either the final metalization technique or the bonding option technique to set device width.
While using these techniques provides the manufacturer with the flexibility to choose the device width, consumers must wade through the manufacturer's long lists of part numbers to find the particular memory device having the device width desired. For consumers wanting to purchase relatively unpopular types of memory devices, this only begins the arduous journey of obtaining a memory device of a desired device width. Typically, manufacturers will allocate more production runs to those memory devices having device widths which are in greater demand. Consequently, a consumer seeking a less popular memory device often finds theses devices out-of-stock, and must wait for the manufacturer to make a production run of that memory device.

Memory device having programmable device width, method of programming, and method of setting device width for memory device

International Business Machines Corporation


A shaped insulating board is disclosed for enabling lining of fiber cement boards and simultaneously enabling attachment of the insulating board on the building studs. Furthermore, the shaped insulating board provides a water drainage panel that allows water to drain downward on both sides of the board. The shaped insulating board also provides aeration between the board and the building surface.

Houses in America often have their exterior walls clad with siding to protect the predominately wooden construction from the elements. Vinyl siding has become particularly popular over the last several decades as it is inexpensive, relatively easy to clean and relatively durable. However, in recent years, fiber cement siding has begun to replace vinyl siding. Fiber cement is a product made of sand, cement and cellulose. As a siding material, fiber cement has advantages over both wood and vinyl in that it is rot resistant, termite resistant and non-combustible. Because of these properties fiber cement siding has become widely used in bush fire regions of Australia, and is now becoming a material of choice for new construction in the United States also. Fiber cement siding can also be painted and can be made to look like wood. Its one significant disadvantage is that the fiber cement planks used in the siding are relatively heavy and need to be placed one at a time. Any method of making their alignment easier is, therefore, of great practical utility.
On the other hand vinyl and other types of building siding remain common and insulation at the times of high energy costs has become an important consideration. Therefore, there is a need of insulation practical to use with vinyl and other types of building sidings as well as fiber cement siding.
The system and method of this invention provide both increased thermal insulation and significantly simple installation of the insulation. Furthermore the invention provides an alignment of the fiber cement planks when fiber cement siding is used. The simplified insulation does not compromise the thermal insulation but makes the system more affordable and time saving.

Fiber Cement Foam Systems Insulation, LLC


The upper surface of an upper sheet for a carbon copy system made of pressure-sensitive self-copying paper has a layer, designed to be printed on, made of pigment, binder and water-repelling agent, to increase the opacity and control the bonding properties for ease of sheet detachment.

Such first sheets, which are also sold under the name "CB forms," are known. The trend toward making such first sheets of constantly lower weight per unit area has brought the result that the opacity of such papers leaves something to be desired. Particularly when the microsphere coated back of the first sheet is also imprinted, the printing is visible through the thin paper and spoils the appearance of the front side.
Attempts have been made to improve the opacity of such papers by increasing the filler content in the first sheet and also by putting a nonreactive coating on the front. But it has been found that conventional coatings can improve the opacity and printability of the front side, but the easy divisibility required in copysets is lost.
By "easy divisibility" the following is meant. A copyset consists as a rule of a first sheet (CB), one or more middle sheets (CFB) and a back sheet (CF). For use, several of these sets are assembled into a block and cemented together at one narrow side. The adhesion of the glue for proper separation of one set at a time from the block, between the CF back and the CB top, must be less than it is between the CB bottom and CFB top and the CFB bottom and CF top. In the case of uncoated-surface first sheets the problem was solved by adjustment by means of surface preparation or by controlling the absorptiveness of the backs. Such measures failed, however, in the case of first sheets whose front surface was coated with pigments.
EP-A-0 274 886 proposed to provide the coated front additionally with a synthetic, reactive size or with a coating-texturing agent or with both agents, in order to assure easy divisibility.
A disadvantage of this proposal is that synthetic reactive sizes require, for complete curing, a certain time of exposure to a temperature range above 100.degree. C. If this is not provided, e.g., when the coating unit runs too fast, or if the drying capacity of the coating unit constitutes a bottleneck, the synthetic size does not cure, with the result that the moisture repellency or adhesive repellency necessary for the easy-division adhesive on the CB sheet provided with an imprintable front surface coating is not achieved.