Methods for forming a metal diffusion barrier on an integrated circuit include at least four operations. The first operation deposits barrier material via PVD, ALD or CVD to provide some minimal coverage. The second operation deposits an additional barrier material and simultaneously etches a portion of the barrier material deposited in the first operation. The third operation deposits barrier material via PVD, ALD or CVD to provide some minimal coverage especially over the bottoms of unlanded vias. The forth operation deposits a metal conductive layer. Controlled etching is used to selectively remove barrier material from the bottom of vias, either completely or partially, thus reducing the resistance of subsequently formed metal interconnects. In addition, techniques to protect the bottoms of the unlanded vias are described.

Integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers have traditionally used aluminum and aluminum alloys, among other metals, as the conductive metal for integrated circuits. While copper has a greater conductivity than aluminum, it has not been used because of certain challenges it presents, including the fact that it readily diffuses into silicon oxide and degrades insulating electrical properties even at very low concentrations. Recently, however, IC manufacturers have been turning to copper because of its high conductivity and electromigration resistance, among other desirable properties. Most notable among the IC metalization processes that use copper is Damascene processing. Damascene processing is often a preferred method because it requires fewer processing steps than other methods and offers a higher yield. It is also particularly well suited to metals such as Cu that cannot readily be patterned by plasma etching.
Damascene processing is a method for forming interconnections on integrated circuits. It involves formation of inlaid metal lines in trenches and vias formed in a dielectric layer (inter-metal dielectric). In order to frame the context of this invention, a brief description of a copper dual Damascene process for forming a partially fabricated integrated circuit is described below. Note that the invention applies to other fabrication processes including single Damascene processes.
Presented in FIGS. 1A-1F, is a cross sectional depiction device structures created at various stages of a dual Damascene fabrication process. A cross sectional depiction of a completed structure created by the dual Damascene process is shown in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 1A, an example of a typical substrate, 100, used for dual Damascene fabrication is illustrated. Substrate 100 includes a pre-formed dielectric layer 103 (such as fluorine or carbon doped silicon dioxide or organic-containing low-k materials) with etched line paths (trenches and vias) in which a diffusion barrier 105 has been deposited followed by inlaying with copper conductive routes 107. Because copper or other mobile conductive material provides the conductive paths of the semiconductor wafer, the underlying silicon devices must be protected from metal ions (e.g., Cu2+) that might otherwise diffuse or drift into the silicon. Suitable materials for diffusion barrier 105 include tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, titanium tungsten, titanium nitride, tungsten nitride, and the like. In a typical process, barrier 105 is formed by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process such as sputtering, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, or an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. Typical metals for the conductive routes are aluminum and copper. More frequently, copper serves as the metal in Damascene processes, as depicted in these figures. The resultant partially fabricated integrated circuit 100 is a representative substrate for subsequent Damascene processing, as depicted in FIGS. 1B-1F.
As depicted in FIG. 1B, a silicon nitride or silicon carbide diffusion barrier 109 is deposited to encapsulate conductive routes 107. Next, a first dielectric layer, 111, of a dual Damascene dielectric structure is deposited on diffusion barrier 109. This is followed by deposition of an etch-stop layer 113 (typically composed of silicon nitride or silicon carbide) on the first dielectric layer 111.
The process follows, as depicted in FIG. 1C, where a second dielectric layer 115 of the dual Damascene dielectric structure is deposited in a similar manner to the first dielectric layer 111, onto etch-stop layer 113. Deposition of an antireflective layer 117, typically a silicon oxynitride, follows.
The dual Damascene process continues, as depicted in FIGS. 1D-1E, with etching of vias and trenches in the first and second dielectric layers. First, vias 119 are etched through antireflective layer 117 and the second dielectric layer 115. Standard lithography techniques are used to etch a pattern of these vias. The etching of vias 119 is controlled such that etch-stop layer 113 is not penetrated. As depicted in FIG. 1E, in a subsequent lithography process, antireflective layer 117 is removed and trenches 121 are etched in the second dielectric layer 115; vias 119 are propagated through etch-stop layer 113, first dielectric layer 111, and diffusion barrier 109.
Next, as depicted in FIG. 1F, these newly formed vias and trenches are, as described above, coated with a diffusion barrier 123. As mentioned above, barrier 123 is made of tantalum, or other materials that effectively block diffusion of copper atoms into the dielectric layers.
After diffusion barrier 123 is deposited, a seed layer of copper is applied (typically a PVD process) to enable subsequent electrofilling of the features with copper inlay. FIG. 2 shows the completed dual Damascene process, in which copper conductive routes 125 are inlayed (seed layer not depicted) into the via and trench surfaces over barrier 123.
Copper routes 125 and 107 are now in electrical contact and form conductive pathways, as they are separated only by diffusion barrier 123, which is also somewhat conductive. Traditionally these diffusion barriers are deposited using PVD methods because of the high quality resultant films. However, when depositing in features with higher aspect ratios such as the narrow vias within modern technologies, PVD methods tend to produce films with poor sidewall coverage and thick bottom coverage. To produce films with improved step coverage in vias and trenches, CVD and ALD methods are being considered. However, the bulk resistivity of film using CVD and ALD methods tend to be high, resulting in a high via resistance or poor resistance distribution. Therefore, the common issue to using each of these methods is a high via resistance. In the case of CVD or ALD, it is due to the high bulk resistivity of the film (i.e. >1000 μΩcm). In the case of PVD, it is due to high bottom coverage.
Thus, to reduce resistance between the copper routes, a portion of the diffusion barrier may be etched away, specifically at the via bottom, in order to expose the lower copper plug. This approach is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,977 to Hashim et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,762 to Geffken et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/965,472 filed Sep. 26, 2001, incorporated by reference above. By completely etching away the barrier in the via bottom, the subsequent copper inlay can be deposited directly onto the lower copper line. Conventional methods for etching away diffusion barriers at the bottom of vias (for example, the region of barrier 127 contacting copper inlay 107 in FIG. 1F) are problematic in that they are not selective enough. That is, conventional etch methods remove barrier material from undesired areas as well, such as the corners (edges) of the via, trench, and field regions. This can destroy critical dimensions of the via and trench surfaces (faceting of the corners) and unnecessarily exposes the dielectric to plasma. This may lead to dielectric damage, such as critical dimension loss, increase in dielectric constant (with concomitant negative impact on device speed), and poor adhesion to the barrier layer. These problems will be encountered with the method described in the Geffken et al. patent.
Further, when etching through barrier layers and into the underlying copper metal, some copper oxide and etch residues (including polymeric etch residues) are sputtered onto the barrier sidewall. In the unlanded via case, dielectric material is sputtered along with the underlying copper metal onto the barrier side wall. Subsequently, when a copper seed layer is deposited, it forms directly on these contaminants. As a consequence, the copper seed layer may exhibit a myriad of problems, including poor adhesion, seed discontinuity, fill voiding, etc. Each of these problems negatively impact device performance, yield, and reliability. Such issues are expected with the method described in the Hashim et al. patent.
In addition, conventional etching methods do not address "unlanded" via regions typical of modern devices. In some cases these unlanded vias do not fully overlap with the underlying copper inlay 107. Such unlanded via is illustrated in FIG. 1F wherein a portion of diffusion barrier 123 is located at via bottom 127. In the unlanded via case, a portion of the barrier rests on copper inlay 107 and a portion rests on dielectric 103. A conventional barrier etch, meant to expose copper inlay 107, would expose both copper inlay 107 and dielectric 103 in region 127. If copper were to be deposited on such structure, it could diffuse directly into dielectric 103 through region 127. The Hashim et al. patent mentioned above does not also address this problem.
What are therefore needed are improved methods of forming diffusion barriers on integrated circuit structures, selective methods in which the diffusion barrier thickness is minimized at the bottoms of vias without sacrificing the integrity of the diffusion barrier in other regions. Preferably, this is accomplished in a manner that accounts for the special considerations of unlanded vias.

Method for depositing a diffusion barrier for copper interconnect applications


The invention is a system for modifying the processing period in a digital logic module. The invention comprises the following. A processing circuit is configured to receive an input in order to create an output. A controller is coupled to the processing circuit and is configured to track L manipulations, wherein L is an integer. The controller is further configured to send a select signal to the processing circuit and to cause the processing circuit to manipulate the input over N clock cycles. N is an integer and N is less than or equal to L. N varies over the plurality of processing time periods. An output port is coupled to the processing circuit and is configured to convey the output.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to modifying the processing period in digital logic modules and more particularly to reducing the processing period during encryption/decryption in order to make current analysis more difficult.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 1 is schematic illustrating a prior art simplified microcontroller. A microcontroller generally includes a microprocessor, memory, a peripheral module that provides communication, for example Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART), SPI, and USB, and an interrupt controller. Microcontroller 100 includes microprocessor 102 coupled to memory 104. Address decoder 106 receives and decodes addresses from microprocessor 102 for memory 104 and peripherals 108. Address decoder 106 and peripherals 108 receive addresses on address bus 110 while address decoder 106 transmits select information on memory select 112 and peripheral select 114. Data is transmitted between microprocessor 102, memory 104, and peripherals 108 on data bus 116. A read or a write signal is transmitted between microprocessor 102 and memory 104 and peripherals 108 on read/write signal 117. Microcontroller 100 receives clock signal 118 and reset signal 120. Input 122 includes, for example, timer triggers and UART input data while output 124 includes, for example, UART transmitter output data. Interrupt controller 126 collects and processes interrupt signals from peripherals 108 along interrupt line 128.
Peripherals 108 may be functional logic, for example UART, crypto-processing, digital signal processing (DSP), and digital filtering.
FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a peripheral, a crypto-processor. With a crypto-processor, if a buffer of data must be ciphered or deciphered, software divides the data buffer, also called a message, into several parts. Each part represents data able to be processed during a processing time period. As soon as the part is input to the crypto-processor and/or a start signal is applied, the peripheral begins to process the part. After a period of clock cycles the processing period ends and the crypto-processor provides a ciphered/deciphered part that can be read back by the software. When the data processing is finished, the non-processing time period begins and an interrupt signal may be asserted to inform the microprocessor that the part is ready for reading and crypto-processor is ready to cipher/decipher a new part. Once the new part is input to the crypto-processor and/or a start signal is applied, the non-processing time period ends and a new processing time period begins. The software continues reading and writing parts up to the end of the data buffer.
As the algorithm used by the crypto-processor is executed, current consumption due to digital cell switching increases when the processing starts and decreases when processing ends. The current increases due to operation of the combinatorial (for example AND, OR, INVERT, MUX, and XOR) and sequential (D flip flops, or DFFs) cells in the digital module that execute the algorithm. During a non-processing time period, typically the only toggling is on the clock pins of DFFs. This value, together with a static leakage current, is not significant compared to the current consumed when processing is active.
User interface module 200 processes system data, for example address, data, read/write, and select signals, in order to generate commands and data for algorithm module 202. Algorithm module 202 performs-cipher/decipher according to control command, data and a cipher/decipher key provided by user interface module 200. Peripheral 108 receives a start signal from user interface 200 and organizes the data path into algorithm module 202.
Some crypto algorithms may be represented as a basic combinatorial function concatenated several times to obtain the result. For example, a basic combinatorial function is implemented once and connected to storing means (DFFs or others). A multiplexer is required to select the input of the algorithm function (data input or intermediate result) depending on a controller module n value (n being the number of iteration to perform to obtain the result, 16 for example in the Data Encryption Standard (DES)). The Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDES) uses three, 16 iteration periods.
Controller 204 receives a start signal on start line 206. The start signal triggers a first-cycle signal from controller 204 to multiplexer 208 in algorithm module 202. Multiplexer 208 receives first-cycle signal and selects input from in-data line 210. Input data then goes to combinatorial circuit 212, which, in combination with a key and a cipher, manipulates the input data. Combinatorial circuit 212 begins processing upon receipt of the first-cycle signal and the input data, thus beginning the processing period. Combinatorial circuit 212 transmits the manipulated input data to multiplexer 213. During processing time period, multiplexer 213 receives processing period signal from controller 204 and therefore selects data from combinatorial circuit 212. Multiplexer 213 transmits the manipulated input data to DFF 214, which then sends the manipulated data to output 216, multiplexers 208 and 213. For subsequent iterations, no first-cycle signal is transmitted to multiplexer 208, so multiplexer 208 selects the manipulated input data from DFFs 214 and sends it to combinatorial circuit 214, which again manipulates the input data. Controller 204 keeps track of each iteration and counts down until the last iteration. At the last iteration, controller 204 sends a last-cycle signal to combinatorial circuit 212, indicating the end of the processing time period. The processing period signal from controller 204 triggers multiplexer 213 to select input from DFF 214 rather than combinatorial circuit 212. DFF 214 receives recycled data, which at this point in the cycle is desired output data. An interrupt signal is sent from controller 204 indicating that data available at output 216 is a desired output, so user interface module 200 retrieves the output data from output 216 after an interrupt is asserted.
At the end of processing time period controller 204 is reset and waits for a new sequence to be started. FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a timing diagram and a current waveform representing activation of combinatorial circuit 212 during the processing period.
When a buffer of data is processed, current consumption can be seen as a series of pulses. The low level period of this waveform represents the current consumption of the clock tree and the clock pin of the DFFs of the peripheral module. The high level period represents combinatorial circuit 212 switching current. By synchronizing external digital analyzer equipment on the rising edge of the pulses, it is possible to store a digital representation of the current. This model can be processed to extract the "key" value of the algorithm without destroying the integrated circuit with an intrusive attack (processing the model is often referred to as a non-intrusive attack). It is based on the difference in current consumption when different data are processed.
Furthermore, multiple waveforms may be analyzed with respect to one another using differential power analysis. By comparing the current value at a given stage of processing, other key elements of the algorithm may be extracted.
FIG. 3 illustrates clock signal 300 and input data 305. Input data 305 is available on input data line 210 (FIG. 2) and represents part of the divided buffer of input data. Start signal 310 is transmitted along start line 206 and triggers the beginning of processing time period 315. Controller 204 counts down, in this case from 15 to zero for DES, with interval value 320. First-cycle signal 325 transmits from controller 204 in conjunction with the first count on interval controller 320. Last-cycle signal 330 transmits from controller 204 in conjunction with the last count on interval controller 320, and signals the end of processing time period 315 and the beginning of non-processing time period 335. Combinatorial circuit 212 is driven with switching data during processing time period 315, drawing more current than during non-processing time period 335.
If a stable clock period is used to schedule the different steps of data processing, processing time period 315 may be detected or observed by non-intrusive methods like current consumption shape analysis. Each time data is processed the current increases to an active range of current, and then decreases to an inactive range of current during non-processing time period 335.
First waveform 340 is compared to second waveform 345. For example, step 2 of 16 for DES may undergo differential power analysis by comparing the current levels in the two waveforms. Consequently, it is possible to determine data processed inside an integrated circuit.
What is needed is a system and method of making the analysis of current consumption more difficult.

Method and apparatus for a variable processing period in an integrated circuit


A process for continuously controlling the pH value of an industrial process liquid removes impurities contained therein from the liquid and controls its pH value. If necessary, an aqueous solution having an acid or basic character is added. The purified process liquid having the desired acid or basic pH value is fed to the industrial process, maintaining the character of the aqueous solution constantly acid or basic by means of ion exchange resins and repeating the above steps. The system comprises a first tank (11) with a pH-meter (18) for the process liquid to be treated, a second tank (12) for the aqueous solution, pumps or the like (13,16) for recirculating the process liquid in the first tank (11) and supplying it to the industrial process and for recirculating the aqueous solution in the second tank (12), and a valve arrangement (20) for admitting to the first tank (11) the pH adjusting liquid to be added to the process liquid to be treated.

The present invention relates to an industrial processes requiring a continuous control of the pH value of process liquids and, more particularly, an innovative process for controlling the pH value of such process liquids and a system for carrying out such a process. The process and the system of the present invention are particularly suited for use in the graphic arts and printing industry where control of the pH value of liquids used in the pre-printing and offset printing processes, for example aqueous solutions, is required.


A manhole assembly for a manhole having generally cylindrical sidewalls defined between an outside surface and an inside surface separated by a wall thickness and having a wall opening communicating the outside and inside sidewall surfaces of the manhole for insertion of a mating pipe. The wall opening defines a peripheral surface relatively perpendicular to the outside and inside sidewall surfaces which receives a ring shaped elastomeric gasket. The gasket has a retaining ring whose location is precisely determined to allow the gasket to be obliquely inserted within the wall opening of the manhole and to be subsequently snap-fitted into position on the peripheral surface, whereby the gasket is securely retained in a locked-in position with respect to the wall opening in the sidewall of the manhole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the installation of sanitary sewers and more specifically, to the problem of tightly sealing a manhole against inflow or outflow of liquid at the point where a sewer pipe passes through its walls and still more specifically to elastomeric gaskets for resiliently supporting and sealing the space between a pipe and the surrounding surface of an opening in the manhole through which the pipe passes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pipes are commonly used for the conveyance of fluids in a variety of municipal applications, including their use as free-flowing conduits running partly full, as in drains and sewers. Pipes used in these type applications have been made of steel, cast iron, concrete, vitrified clay, and most recently, plastic including the various polyolefins and PVC.
In sewer lines, manholes are ordinarily installed at various intervals including locations where the sewer line changes elevation or direction. Manholes are typically formed in molds from a settable material such as concrete. The mold may form one or more annular openings in the manhole in which sewer pipes are positioned to lie adjacent a wall of the manhole defining that particular opening. The joint between the manhole wall and outer surface of the sewer pipe is sealed to prevent ground water from entering the manhole and to prevent contents of the manhole, such as sewage and water, from leaking out of the manhole. When ground water enters the manhole, it often brings in sediment which collects in the sewer over time. Such sediment causes clogs and inhibits the ability of the manhole to carry water. In addition, infiltration of ground water also increases the total volume of sewage flow through sewer lines which increases the required size of pipe needed as well as the expense of treatment of the total sewage flow. When the contents of the manhole leak, they can pollute the ground water.
Various types of gaskets for sealing joints between pipes and manholes are known. Often these gaskets are formed from an elastomeric material that is either inserted in an opening in the manhole and expanded via a ring or physically embedded in a portion of a wall adjacent the opening in the manhole. It is generally necessary to either physically embed the gasket in the concrete wall of the manhole or to use some type of physical expansion mechanism in order to insure that the gasket is properly retained in the desired position as the mating male pipe end is inserted into the manhole opening.
Expanded gaskets require rings that exert an outwardly, radially directed force on an inner surface of a gasket positioned within the opening to compress the gasket against a manhole wall defining the opening. These rings increase both material and labor installation costs associated with sealing the joint between the manhole wall and pipe. Material costs are increased because these rings are somewhat complicated corrosion-resistant metal structures that must be manually fabricated or are molded plastic structures that are made, at least in part, from high strength, expensive compositions. Labor costs are increased because installation and expansion of such rings to effect a seal requires maintaining proper alignment of the ring and use of equipment such as mechanical expansion units. In addition, seal failure will occur if the rings are improperly installed.
Embedded gaskets solve many of the problems associated with the manufacture and installation of expansion gaskets. Embedded gaskets also allow a larger diameter of pipe to be inserted into an opening in a manhole than expanded gaskets because a separate ring is unnecessary. As is known, outside pipe diameter size can increase up to a certain point at which an expanded gasket can no longer be used for a particular sized manhole because the width of a wall defining an opening in the manhole will no longer be large enough to support the expansion ring. This means that a next, larger sized, more expensive manhole must be used for the larger diameter pipe. However, embedded gaskets must be set in the wall of the manhole defining the opening for the mating male pipe. One of the problems with embedded gaskets is that they can, on occasion, roll and shift as the pipe is being inserted. It is critical, during the installation process, that the gasket not be able to twist or flip since a displaced or dislocated gasket will adversely affect the ultimate sealing capacity of the joint. Irrespective of the type of sealing action of the sealing element, such as compression sealing action, lip sealing action or a combination thereof, it is necessary that the sealing gasket consists of a relatively soft elastomeric material. However, a sealing ring which is formed entirely of a material which is sufficiently soft and elastomeric to provide the sealing function has the disadvantage that it is difficult to retain in the desired position. There is also the risk that such a sealing ring will be displaced from its sealing position if the difference of the internal or external pressures on either side of the sealing ring are sufficiently great. In addition, the rolling and shifting of the embedded gasket can weaken the actual manhole material itself and in turn adversely affect the ultimate sealing capacity of the joint.
What is needed is a gasket design which achieves the advantages of the embedded gasket but which will not tend to roll and shift as the pipe is being inserted within a manhole opening or be displaced from its sealing position due to a difference of internal or external pressure.
Also needed is such an improved gasket design which achieves these performance results without the need for external expansion rings or separate components to achieve ring expansion.

Connector gasket for concrete structures


A system for delivering a supply of pressurized gas to a user may include a blower and a noise suppression portion. The blower may include an intake portion and an outlet portion for supplying the pressurized gas to the user. The noise suppression portion may define a conduit therethrough having an intake portion and an outlet portion in communication with the intake portion of said blower. The noise suppression portion may be moveable between a first configuration and a second configuration such that at least one exterior dimension of the device is reduced when the noise suppression portion is moved from the first configuration to the second configuration.

Problem snoring in subjects is often caused by an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth and/or nose. Recently, the adverse medical effects of snoring and its association with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) have been recognized. Various methods have been used to alleviate snoring or OSA. Such techniques include, e.g., behavior modification, sleep positioning, assisted breathing devices, jaw adjustment techniques, and surgical procedures such as Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), and laser assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP), for example.
Subjects who are prescribed assisted breathing devices, e.g., CPAP devices or Bi-level devices, use these devices to aid their breathing during sleep. A nasal CPAP device may deliver air into the subject's airway through a specially designed nasal mask or pillows. The device may create a flow of air having sufficient pressure to keep the airway open when the subject inhales. A blower is often provided in these devices to produce the desired airflow. In order to operate at an acceptably low sound level, and to avoid disturbing the subject's sleep, a noise suppression device may be provided to dampen the noise generated by the blower. For example, in some current CPAP and Bi-level devices, about 40% of the volume of the device is comprised of acoustic foam and empty volume provided for acoustic dampening.
Subjects may use these devices every night to achieve satisfactory sleep patterns regardless of whether they are at home or traveling. Thus, subjects who travel are generally required to bring a portable device with them in order to continue breathing assistance. For such traveling subjects, the size of the device may be an important consideration (e.g., due to limited luggage space). To illustrate the size of an example portable CPAP device, the Puritan Bennett GK 420 CPAP, which is illustrated as device "P" in FIGS. 1 and 3, measures approximately 7.5″×5.5″×3″.

Noise suppression for an assisted breathing device


Monitoring apparatus for monitoring a condition of an aqueous metalworking fluid comprised of water and a lubricant, of a metalworking fluid circuit of a metalworking machine, wherein the at least one measurement element of the apparatus is remote from the metalworking fluid circuit. Method for determining a condition of a metalworking fluid, and, when required, to add water and/or lubricant to the metalworking fluid circuit.

Metalworking machines are typically used for automated or semi-automated working of a metallic workpiece, by means of a working tool such as a cutting tool, a milling tool or a machining tool. Such metalworking machines employ a metalworking fluid to lubricate and cool the interface between the working tool and the workpiece. In addition to cooling and lubrication, the metalworking fluid may carry away the shavings and/or chips of material removed from the workpiece.
Often, a water-based metalworking fluid is used comprising a water component, a lubricant fluid component and, preferably, an additive component. The lubricant fluid component may comprise mineral oil, synthetic oil or semi-synthetic oil. In addition, the metalworking fluid may comprise additives, such as corrosion inhibitors, emulsifiers, microbiocides etc. The oil, whether mineral, synthetic or semi-synthetic, is soluble in the water and provides for the lubrication function of the metalworking fluid. The water of the metalworking fluid mainly provides for the cooling function.
A water-based, or aqueous, metalworking fluid is advantageous in use in view of the relative high heat absorption capacity of the fluid, they may be more economical and/or less hazardous than other types of metalworking fluids.
However, a water-base metalworking fluid may be susceptible to evaporation, may provide a medium for the growth of biological contaminants, such as bacteria, mould or other micro-organisms which degenerate the metalworking fluid.
Evaporation, in particular of the water in the water-based fluid, may result in a changed concentration of the fluid between the water-component and the lubricant fluid-component. A changed concentration may deteriorate the cooling and/or lubrication capacity of the metalworking fluid. The concentration of the metalworking fluid may also change due to carrying off of the fluid, in particular of the lubricant or an emulsifier, with the parts or chips removed from the workpiece. Also, during use, the volume of the metalworking fluid present in the metalworking fluid circuit may reduce due to the use, carrying off, evaporation etc.
A huge problem with the water-based metalworking fluid is to prevent and/or to control the growth of microbiological organisms in the fluid. Growth of such microbiological organisms may rapidly decrease the quality of the metalworking fluid, which eventually may result that the metalworking fluid is not suitable for further use. Microbiological organisms in the metalworking fluid grow with increasing rapidity, rapidly deteriorating the quality of the metalworking fluid and making it unusable. Then, the metalworking machine, the metalworking fluid circuit etc. needs to be emptied, cleaned and re-filled with clean metalworking fluid. This is a work-intensive job to do, while, additionally, the machine is in downtime, involving significant costs for cleaning, replacement fluid, downtime etc.
Therefore, it is desirable to monitor the quality of the metalworking fluid, preferably to prevent or timely detect growth of microbiological organisms. Thereto, a number of solutions are proposed in the prior art. For example, it is proposed to measure one or more parameters of the metalworking fluid, such as a refractory index and concentration, or pH and conductivity, or concentration and pH, or the conductivity, or pH and dissolved oxygen. A drawback of the proposed prior art devices may be that the sensors to measure the aforementioned parameters are positioned in the metalworking fluid circuit, which makes them vulnerable to damages, contaminants etc. As such, the sensors are continuously exposed to the metalworking fluid which may negatively impact the lifetime of the sensors. Also, maintenance and/or replacement of the sensor may be difficult and/or costly. Another drawback of the proposed prior art devices may be that the metalworking fluid circuit is a circuit on which multiple metalworking machines are connected. So, multiple metalworking machines are serviced by the same metalworking fluid. The risk on deteriorating of the metalworking fluid, e.g. due to microorganism growth, may be relatively high and/or the costs of replacement of deteriorated fluid by replacement fluid are relatively high as well. Also, it may be difficult to control a condition of the metalworking fluid and/or to adapt the composition of the metalworking fluid dependent on the metalworking process. Also, such devices may be complex and it may not be possible to retrofit existing machines with such devices.
Publication DE 102013009370 describes a device for measuring fluid parameters in a fluid pipe using a pair of condenser measurement electrodes. The pair of condenser measurement electrodes is arranged spirally around a central axis of the fluid pipe such that the distance between the electrodes is constant over the length of the spiral winding. The fluid pipe in which the condenser measurement electrodes are arranged, can be connected in a fluid circuit, such that at one end of the fluid pipe, fluid flows in, and at the other end of the fluid pipe, the fluid flows out. During passage of the fluid in the fluid pipe, along the electrodes, a fluid parameter is measured.

Apparatus and method for monitoring a condition of metalworking fluid of a metalworking fluid circuit of a metalworking machine


In order to improve the unbalance of loads imposed on individual database servers at the time of executing individual SQL processing phases, a management computer partitions an inputted query request into the processing phases which are units executable in parallel, calculates resource costs needed for executing the processing phases, assigns the processing phases to the logical computers on the basis of an access right to databases, calculates resource assignment ratios of the individual logical computers in correspondence with the resource costs for the processing phases assigned to the individual logical computers, and assigns assignable resources of a physical computer to the individual logical computers, the assignable resources being equivalent to resource assignment amounts corresponding to the resource assignment ratios.

The present invention relates to technologies on a resource assignment method, a resource assignment program, and a management computer which are suitable for a relational database management system.
A DBMS (: Database Management System) is a system for answering a query made into data stored in a database. In particular, a RDBMS (: Relational Database Management System), which is a system for managing a table-format database, is the most common as the DBMS. SQL (: Structured Query Language) is frequently used as a language for describing a query made into the stored data.
Addressing a large number of queries requires that the processing time needed for processing a query be shortened. As a result, conventionally, a parallel processing such as pipeline processing has been performed in the following way: A query processing is partitioned into a plurality of phases, and the individual processing phases are distributed among a plurality of nodes (i.e., computer resources), thereby implementing the parallel processing.
Incidentally, a distribution algorithm is important which is used for determining to which node the individual processing phases should be distributed. For example, in the technology described in "A Hierarchical Approach to Parallel Multi-Query Scheduling", Joel L. Wolf, John Turek, Ming-Syan Chen and Philip S. Yu, IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 6(6): pp. 578-590, June 1995, the individual processing phases are distributed based on each type of statistical information which is stored in dictionary of the DBMS, and which is about the query that becomes the processing target.

Resource assignment method for query partioning based on processing cost of each partition


A device for Frame Synchronization and coarse frequency offset estimation (CFE) and a method thereof is provided. The method may include the step of receiving a communication signal in a matched filter. The matched filter may be configured for selecting one or more blocks from the communication signal. The matched filter may be further configured for filtering the blocks to obtain an output of the matched filter. The method may also include the step of providing the output of the matched filter to a frame synchronizer and to a coarse frequency estimator. The method may include the step of obtaining substantially simultaneously a symbol boundary using the frame synchronizer and a plurality of metrics using the coarse frequency estimator. Each of the metric may be an indicative of an estimate of coarse frequency offset. The method may further include a step of selecting one of the metric from the plurality of metrics according to the symbol boundary for obtaining an estimate of the coarse frequency offset. The method further provides a step of obtaining the estimate of the coarse frequency offset by performing an inverse tangent operation on the selected metric.

WLAN (wireless local area networks) systems are one of the popular forms of communication systems. WLAN systems are governed by 802.11 standards. As known, the standard 802.11a is the WLAN standard for 5 GHz spectrum transmissions, based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). It is noted that the systems governed by the 802.11b standard for 2.4 GHz spectrum are based on Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum/Complementary Code Keying (DSSS/CCK). It is also noted that the standard 802.11g is an enhancement over the standard 802.11b operating in 2.4 GHz band. The standard 802.11g supports transmissions of both 802.11a and 802.11b frames in 2.4 GHz band giving a maximum data rate of 54 Mbps.
A communication signal communicated over a WLAN system is typically encoded in a plurality of frames, each of the frames may include a plurality of symbols. The standard 802.11b may provide a training period of 56 microseconds for short preamble mode. The training period is a time period in which the system has to detect the signal type and/or determine characteristics of the communication signal received by the system. During the training period the receiver requires to perform a number of operations, these operations may include: determining gain—Automatic Gain Control (AGC); selecting best antenna—Antenna Diversity (AD); acquiring and detecting symbol boundaries—frame synchronization; estimating and correcting Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) and Sampling Frequency Offset (SFO); estimating channel and equalizer coefficients, etc.
Typically for a system operating according to 802.11b standard, locking AGC requires about 8-9 micro seconds, acquisition and boundary detection require about 12 microseconds, channel and rake estimation require about 15 microseconds, coarse frequency estimation requires about 11 microseconds. So, for a single antenna system, total time required for synchronization and equalization related operations is about 47 microseconds. Of the available 56 microseconds of training period, 7 microseconds is required to synchronize the descrambler. Hence, due to scarcity of time, antenna diversity and/or other operations are often compromised in respect of quality.
In a system operating according to 802.11b standard, the data bits are modulated, spreaded to form symbols and transmitted. At the receiver end, it may be required to detect the presence of valid packet and then find the symbol boundary before demodulating the data. Further it is likely, that the carrier and sampling clocks at the transmitter end and at the receiver end will not be synchronized resulting in frequency offset and accordingly, it may be required to determine and correct the frequency error.
The spreading code used during the training period is 11-chip Barker sequence in 802.11b systems. In the subsequent discussion, for the purpose of explanation, Barker correlated signals are discussed.
FIG. 1 shows a typical block diagram 100 for acquisition and boundary detection and coarse frequency estimation. The received signal is passed through a matched filter 110 where a sliding Barker correlation is performed on the received signal. An acquisition and boundary detection block 120 determines the presence of valid packet and the symbol boundary using the output of matched filter. A Barker correlator block 130 begins the correlation at the detected symbol boundary. The Barker correlator block 130 output is used to compute the coarse frequency error.
Various steps performed during the training period according to the standards 802.11a and 802.11b have been discussed independently in literature. In this context, reference may be had to the publication of Nov. 18, 2003 titled "Improving Efficiency When Detecting WLAN Preambles," authored by Richard Williams, and published in Communications Design. Other publications which may be referred to include: Timothy M. Schmidle and Donald C. Cox, Robust Frequency and Timing Synchronization for OFDM, IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. 45, No. 12, December 1997; and J. Heiskala and J. Terry, OFDM Wireless LANs: A Theoretical and Practical Guide, SAMS Publishing, 2002.

Method and device for frame synchronization and coarse frequency offset estimation (CFE)


A channel quality report accuracy measurement apparatus and accuracy measurement method are provided that correctly measure the accuracy of channel quality reported from a communication apparatus. A scheme control section (140) stores coding rates and modulation schemes corresponding to CQIs, and specifies the transmission scheme corresponding to a fixed CQI reported from a CQI statistical processing section (230). A CQI decoding section (220) decodes a reported CQI contained in a received signal. The CQI statistical processing section (230) performs statistical processing of reported CQIs corresponding to test data transmitted prior to an accuracy measurement test, and reports the most frequently reported CQI to the scheme control section (140) as a fixed CQI. A PER calculation section (260) calculates the PER in the communication apparatus from the reported CQI and Ack/Nack corresponding to test data transmitted in accordance with the fixed CQI. A determination section (270) performs threshold value determination for the PER for each reported CQI value, and outputs the reported CQI scheme determination result.

Recently, in the radio communication field, high-speed packet communications such as HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) have been attracting attention. In HSDPA, packets are transmitted at the optimal transmission rate according to the downlink propagation environment, and therefore an adaptive modulation scheme is used for packet transmission from a base station apparatus.
In a radio communication system in which an adaptive modulation scheme is used, a mobile station apparatus obtains a CQI (Channel Quality Indicator), which is indicative of propagation environment, from the reception quality of a receive packet, and reports this CQI to the base station apparatus that transmitted the packet. Then, in order to transmit packets at the optimal transmission rate according to the reported CQI, the base station apparatus selects a transmission scheme that will achieve that transmission rate. A transmission scheme that will achieve that transmission rate is decided upon based on the coding rate, number of codes multiplexed, modulation scheme and so forth, for example. By this means, a desired PER (Packet Error Rate), neither excessive nor inadequate, can be achieved by a mobile station apparatus.
Since a base station apparatus selects an optimal transmission rate according to the reported CQI in that way, using an adaptive modulation scheme is based on the important premise of accurately reported CQIs. Consequently, methods of testing the accuracy of a reported CQI have heretofore been proposed.
For example, 3GPP, R4-021533 "VRC Test Approach", TSG-RAN Working Group 4 (Radio) meeting #25 Secaucus, N.J., USA, 11th-15th Nov. 2002 described a method whereby packets are continuously transmitted for a fixed period using a modulation scheme, coding rate, and transport block size corresponding to a fixed CQI, and the PER and throughput in that case are measured.
Specifically, packets are transmitted for a fixed period to a communication apparatus under test such as a mobile station apparatus, with a transmission rate (that is, a modulation scheme, coding rate, and transport block size) corresponding to a fixed CQI, without regard to the reported CQI from that communication apparatus. During this period, the communication apparatus performs CQI reporting and also reports Ack/Nack indicating whether or not a transmitted packet has been received correctly. Then, using the reported CQI and Ack/Nack for the same packet, the PER is calculated for each reported CQI value, and results such as those shown in FIG. 1 are obtained.
In FIG. 1, when the CQI is fixed at 10, for example, (the middle graph in the figure), if the reported CQI, which should be 10, is less than 10, this indicates that the propagation environment is poor—in other words, that the communication apparatus cannot correctly receive a packet transmitted at a transmission rate corresponding to the CQI of 10. Therefore, when the reported CQI is less than 10, the PER is higher.
On the other hand, if the reported CQI is 10 or above, this indicates that the propagation environment is good—in other words, that the communication apparatus can correctly receive a packet transmitted at a transmission rate corresponding to the CQI of 10. Therefore, when the reported CQI is 10 or above, the PER is low.
By using such test results, it is possible to decide upon criteria such as the PER upper limit and throughput lower limit for each reported CQI value, and to determine whether or not the criteria are met for each reported CQI.
However, a problem with a method whereby packets are continuously transmitted for a fixed period at a transmission rate corresponding to a fixed CQI and reported CQI accuracy is measured, as described above, is that the CQI is not fixed at a value that is optimal for all communication apparatuses. That is to say, a communication apparatus incorporating advanced receivers such as an equalizer and interference canceler, for example, has reception performance higher than a communication apparatus that does not have such advanced receivers, and therefore the propagation environment is determined to be better than it actually is, and a CQI higher than the fixed CQI is reported frequently as the reported CQI, which consequently results in invalidity of such a reported CQI accuracy measurement test.
Also, if a communication apparatus tends to report a CQI lower than is actually the case as a reported CQI, the PERs for reported CQI values will become lower on the whole. There is thus a problem of PERs corresponding to reported CQI values easily falling below the respective decided PER upper limits, resulting in erroneous passing of the test. If such a communication apparatus that lowers a reported CQI is present in a radio communication system, packets will be transmitted at a low transmission rate overall, and overall system throughput will fall.

Line quality report accuracy measurement device and accuracy measurement method


A phased array ultrasonic probe may be mounted to a component to be inspected for wall thickness on an apparatus that includes a split ring adapted to be magnetically held in place on the component. In particular, the probe may be mounted to a carriage connected to the split ring in a manner that allows the carriage to rotate around the split ring while the probe is in operation. Between the probe and the component, a transducer shoe defining, by a flexible membrane, a cavity and an aperture. Conveniently, the construction of the flexible membrane allows wall thickness measurements to be acquired in portions of the component that have complex topography, such as welds. The apparatus is installed on an adaptor assembly for inspection of straight section of pipes. This adaptor assembly is not used in absence of straight section. By acquiring data from multiple output pulse transmitted at multiple incidence angles, processing software may conveniently produce an accurate wall thickness map of the area of interest on the component.

In some nuclear reactors, feeder pipes allow heavy water to circulate to each fuel channel. Over the course of the life of the reactor, these feeder pipes may erode and/or corrode internally due to the flow accelerated corrosion under and adjacent to welds. Periodic inspections are required to determine the remaining material thickness at the weld and surrounding area for fitness-for-service assessment.
The outside surface of the inspection site offers a complex topography which includes weld crowns, curved fittings or bends, and tapered surfaces that hinders the collection of wall thickness measurements using conventional ultrasonic tools.

Profiling tool for determining material thickness for inspection sites having complex topography


The invention provides a zoom lens system suitable for an image gathering system using a solid-state imaging device, having a zoom ratio of about three, a small lens length, and superb optical performance. The zoom lens system includes, in order from an object, a first lens group having negative refractive power, a second lens group having positive refractive power, and a third lens group having positive refractive power. The first lens group consists only of a negative lens and a positive lens. The second lens group includes at least two positive lenses and at least one negative lens. The third lens group consists of one lens. Zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state is conducted by decreasing a distance between the first and second lens groups, increasing a distance between the second and third lens groups, and fixing the third lens group. Given conditions are satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compact zoom lens system and, in particular, to a zoom lens system designed specially to be compact with its whole optical system, being suitable for such as a digital still camera.
2. Related Background Art
In an image gathering system using a solid-state imaging device, in order to arrange a low-pass filter or a color correction filter, a lens system having a relatively long back focal length is required. Moreover, a lens system having a good telecentricity on an image side is required. In these days, compactness and low cost are also required to a lens system in addition to satisfying these requirements.
These lens systems described above have been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-293253 and in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-013408.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-293253, a three-lens-group zoom lens system having, in order from an object side, a first lens group having negative refractive poser, a second lens group having positive refractive power, and a third lens group having positive refractive power wherein zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state is carried out by moving the first lens group and the second lens group, has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-013408 proposes a variable focal length lens system having construction that reduces the number of lens elements in a first lens group.
However, the zoom lens system proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-293253 has drawbacks such as relatively large number of lens elements composing each lens group, relatively large total lens length, and higher manufacturing costs.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-013408 discloses an optical system in which a positive lens element is arranged on the most object side of a first lens group having negative refractive power. Accordingly, it has a drawback that the diameter of the lens system inevitably becomes large when the system is made to have a wider angle of view. Furthermore, since the first lens group separates largely from the aperture stop in the wide-angle end state, the height of an off-axis ray incident to the first lens group becomes large, so that the diameter of the lens composing the first lens group becomes large. As a result, the lens system has a drawback that the whole lens system becomes large.


A portable tennis score keeper designed to keep the set score in the game of tennis. The set score is most often the most disputed score in the game. This invention allows any one of the players to simply flip over numbered plates to reflect the progress of each team's set score. The score keeper is simple in design, and is small enough to allow every tennis player to have it as a standard item in their sports bag. The two sets of plates suspended from notches on both sides of an elongated support member have inverse color combinations to identify each of the teams. The numbers zero through six reflects the number of games each team can win in each set. The number six is the last plate and is the total number of games required to win a set. The first numbered plate bears the word "love" inside the zero, an indicia in historical tennis score keeping terms for zero. The elongated support member of the plates is attached to a tenon having a hook and eye inserted at the top which enables the score keeper to be hooked at the net or on the fence surrounding a tennis court.

1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to the game of tennis and specifically to an improved, novel and portable method of keeping the set score.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
The game of tennis is played between two players for singles and four players for doubles. To win a singles or doubles match the player(s) must win six games to win a set; and to win a match they must win either two out of three sets or three out of five sets depending upon the pre-determined length of competition.
The set score is the longest most important score to reflect who is winning the match. Tennis is a particularly fast-moving game and it is easy to forget the set score at a given instant. The great increase in popularity of this game in recent years has increased the importance of this problem. Any device to be effective for this purpose must be visible to all players to prevent the point of questioning between opponents of the set score.
The portable tennis score keeper provides a clear and novel way to display the set score. It is viewable to players and spectators. Any one of the players may participate in rotating the plates to reflect each individual's or team's set score. This eliminates the necessity of a third party and the set score can be confirmed by all players at a glance.
Prior to this invention, a number of dial-type tennis score keepers have been proposed. For the most part these dial type tennis score keeping devices are adapted to be worn on the player's wrist. These dial-type score keepers are alike in the number of significant disadvantages and drawbacks they share.
First, it is extremely difficult to hold the racquet in one hand, the ball in the other hand and rotate the dials. Secondly, the size of the numbers on the dials are so small, they are very difficult to read especially for players who use reading glasses. Third, these types of score keeping devices are not viewable by the other player(s) or spectators leading to the questioning of the accuracy of the set score.
Another category of tennis score keepers proposed prior to this invention are those which attach to the butt, throat, side or frame of the racquet. Tennis, today, is a game with high tech equipment; racquets are built with balance and lightness as desirable components. Those inventions made to attach to the racquet detract from the racquet's attributes. Further, the tennis score keepers in this category have not developed a successful way of assuring that the device will stay attached to the racquet under playing conditions as well as not interfere with the racquet's performance. Again, these types of score keeping device display the tennis score only to the player who has it attached to his or her racquet.
An obvious flaw in the two types of score keepers described is the fact that once a part of the device is broken the entire device is rendered obsolete. This applies to the molded plastic devices as well as the devices with dials, and various sizes of small and intricate moveable parts.
Accordingly, it is one of the most important objects of the present invention to provide a portable tennis score keeper that is light, practically indestructible, viewable by players and spectators, and readily manipulated to display the set score in a tennis match.
Another object of this invention is to provide a portable, and novel way to display the set score while involving all players in rotating the score plates to accurately display the set score. It is a still further object of the invention to provide a tennis score keeping device of small size and portability so that it enables all players the opportunity to have a portable tennis score keeper as a standard item in their sports bag.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a portable tennis score keeper that is simple to operate and viewable by all participating players as well as spectators.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a scoring device for the game of tennis which is simple in structure, reliable, functional, and economical to manufacture.
The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and described since it may be embodied in various forms within the score of the appended claims.


A technology downsizing a control panel unit is provided. The control panel unit for a machine tool comprises a casing, a duct, and a fan. The casing has an openable door. A control device is arranged in an internal space, which is closed when the door is closed. The duct has a groove and a ventilation opening. The groove is closed at a closed end and open to the internal space at an open end. The ventilation opening connects the groove with the internal space in a position nearer the closed end than the open end. The duct is fixed to an inner wall of the casing in such manner as the groove faces the inner wall. The fan is mounted on the ventilation opening. The air in the internal space is taken into the groove enclosed by the inner wall and the duct by the operation of the fan.

The invention relates to control panel unit having a closed internal space for use in a machine tool.
It is known that a control panel unit for a machine tool such as a lathe is provided with a cooling device to prevent overheating of a control device arranged in the internal space. When the cold outside air is taken into the internal space, an oil filter is necessarily used to catch the oil mist produced from the lubricant. The filter is necessarily often exchanged to keep desired cooling efficiency. A heat exchanger or a heat sink as a cooling alternative would make the control panel unit larger in size and higher in cost. Another cooling device using a fan is proposed in Japanese patent application publication No. 2003-174275 wherein the outside air is not taken into the internal space.
According to the publication, the control panel unit comprises a control panel box containing a control device therein and a cooling space member cooperating with a ceiling plate of the control panel box to form a cooling space box entirely covering the control panel box from above. The control panel unit further comprises a side air passage member cooperating with a side plate of the control panel box to form a vertical air passage. The ceiling plate of the control panel box has an air outlet having a circulation fan. The vertical passage connects the cooling space with an air inlet. The internal air in the control panel box enters the cooling space through the air outlet, passes down the vertical passage, and then returns to the control panel box through the air inlet.


A method for controlling a production apparatus includes steps of providing production information in the form of a specified production time period with respect to a plurality of product types, calculating a production expectation value for each specified production time period, summing the production expectation values for each specified production time period for all the product types and then integer-processing the total number of product portions to be produced each day, providing each day with as many production orders as the integer-processed number of product portions to be produced on that day, and then determining by an average process what product type should be produced in each production order.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a production order determining method for determining a production order of a plurality of production types of products in a production line where a production information is given in the form of specified periods of time of production with respect to production types of products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Patent Publication SHO 63-265791 discloses a method for determining a production order of different models or production types of engines, in an engine assembly line, which are to be supplied to different car assembly lines. In the prior art method, the production order of the different production types of engines at the engine assembly line is determined based on input requirements from the respective car assembly lines, which are given in the form of numbers of each production type of engine to be supplied per successive fixed production periods (e.g., per shift or per day) to each of the car assembly lines. More particularly, a production period portion P.sub.i for an engine of each production type i is calculated from the input requirements. After a fixed value of P.sub.i has been calculated for an engine of each production type i, a production expectation value X.sub.ij for each production order j of each engine type i is calculated by the following equations: EQU X.sub.i1 =P.sub.i (1) EQU X.sub.ij =X.sub.ij-1 +P.sub.i -D.sub.ij-1 (2)
where, D.sub.ij is a variable having the value 1 in a case where an engine of production type i is produced at production order j and taking the value 0 in other cases. In the prior art, a production order j is determined so as to produce an engine of the production type i having the highest value of X.sub.ij.
For example, in an engine assembly line which receives requests from an A car assembly line to supply two a-type engines a day, from a B car assembly factory to supply one b-type engine a day, and a C car assembly factory to supply one c-type engine, a production order of the a-, b-, and c-type engines is determined in the following way. At first, a production period portion P.sub.A for the a-type engine is calculated by dividing the required number of a-type engines per production period (2 per day) by the sum of all a-, b-, and c-type engines required per production period:2/(2+1+1). The resulting value of P.sub.A is 0.5. Similarly, a production rate P.sub.B of the b-type engine is 0.25, and a production rate P.sub.C of the c-type engine is 0.25. Therefore, from equation (1), X.sub.a1 is 0.5, X.sub.b1 is 0.25, and X.sub.c1 is 0.25. Because the highest of these values is X.sub.a1, it is determined that the first type of engine to be produced each day is the a-type engine.
Then, X.sub.a2, X.sub.b2, and X.sub.c2 are calculated in the following manner: EQU X.sub.a2 =X.sub.a1 +0.5-1=0 EQU X.sub.b2 =X.sub.b1 +0.25-0=0.5 EQU X.sub.c2 =X.sub.c1 +0.25-0=0.5
Because the highest of these values is X.sub.b2 or X.sub.c2, either X.sub.b2 or X.sub.c2, for example, X.sub.b2, is chosen and the second engine to be produced each day is the b-type engine.
Similarly, EQU X.sub.a3 =X.sub.a2 +0.5-0=0.5 EQU X.sub.b3 =X.sub.b2 +0.25-1=-0.25 EQU X.sub.c3 =X.sub.c2 +0.25-0=0.75
Because the highest of these values is X.sub.c3, the third engine to be produced each day is the c-type engine.
Similarly, EQU X.sub.a4 =X.sub.a3 +0.5-0=1 EQU X.sub.b4 =X.sub.b3 +0.25-0=0 EQU X.sub.c4 =X.sub.c3 +0.25-1=0
Because the highest of these values is X.sub.a4, the fourth engine to be produced each day is another a-type engine. Therefore, the engine production order for producing four engines a day is determined to be an order of a, b, c, and a.
With respect to the second day, EQU X.sub.a5 =X.sub.a4 +0.5-1=0.5 EQU X.sub.b5 =X.sub.b4 +0.25-0=0.25 EQU X.sub.c5 =X.sub.c4 +0.25-0=0.25
Because these values are equal to the values of X.sub.a1, X.sub.b1, and X.sub.c1, respectively, the same order of engine production as that of the first day should be executed in the second day.
The reason why the above-described determination of a production order is possible is that P.sub.i can be calculated for the first day, and the same P.sub.i can be used for the second day, the third day, . . ., and the n-th day without varying the P.sub.i value. More particularly, the above described determination of a production order is possible or effective only for a production line where input information is provided in the form of a number of products to be produced per fixed production period (e.g., each day) with respect to each production type, because the production period portion P.sub.i used in equations (1) and (2) is fixed.
However, in a production line, such as a complete knock down line (a packing line where parts are packed in a domestic country and are shipped to foreign countries), where input information for a production order schedule is given in the form of usually different specified periods of time of production (in the case of a packing line, specified periods of time of packing, that is, information about how many of what type of boxes should be packed within what periods of time), the prior art production order determining method cannot be used, because fixed values of P.sub.i cannot be used in the above equations (1) and (2).


Fabricating a semiconductor structure including forming a nanocrystalline core from a first semiconductor material, forming a nanocrystalline shell from a second, different, semiconductor material that at least partially surrounds the nanocrystalline core, wherein the nanocrystalline core and the nanocrystalline shell form a quantum dot. Fabrication further involves forming an insulator layer encapsulating the quantum dot to create a coated quantum dot, and forming an additional insulator layer on the coated quantum.

What is needed is a chemical composition of quantum dots, and method of forming the same, that protects the quantum dots, for example, from water vapor and oxygen, in order to extend the lifetime of quantum dot-based lighting and display devices, as well as other devices that include quantum dots.

Composition of, and method for forming, a semiconductor structure with multiple insulator coatings


An element embedded printed circuit board includes: a substrate including an insulation layer, a first circuit layer formed on a first surface of the insulation layer, and a second circuit layer formed on a second surface of the insulation layer; and an element including an electrode part and embedded in the insulation layer, wherein the electrode part is in contact with the first circuit layer.

1. Technical Field
The following description relates to an element embedded printed circuit board and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
As electronic products such as mobile communication devices in the IT industry become increasingly smaller, there have been increased demands that circuit boards embedded in these electronic products become more integrated and thinner with multifunctionality. Accordingly, the application of printed circuit boards having electronic components embedded therein have been emerged to cope with the trends toward electronic products with higher electrical performance.
Although there is a manufacturing technology that has been developed to solve current problems through the application of electronic component embedded printed circuit boards, in which an electronic component such as an IC, a semiconductor chip, an active component or a passive component is embedded therein, there may still be difficulty in implementing finer circuit patterns in the electronic component embedded printed circuit boards by the conventional methods such as Semi Addictive Process (SAP).
In the conventional method, a copper clad laminate (CCL) is used for a core substrate, and then an electronic component may be embedded in a cavity after the cavity is formed in the core substrate. However, since there is a difference in thickness between the cavity formed in the core substrate and the electronic component being embedded therein, an additional layer may be required to electrically connect the electronic component to the outside.
In a conventional electronic component embedded printed circuit board, a cavity is formed generally in an insulation layer of the printed circuit board, and then an electronic component such as an IC or a semiconductor chip is inserted in the cavity. Then, adhesive resin such as prepreg is coated on the insulation layer having the electronic component embedded therein and the inside of the cavity. As such, the electronic component may be fixed to the cavity by use of the adhesive resin while the adhesive resin forms the insulation layer.
An electronic component embedded printed circuit board is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,886,433.

Element embedded printed circuit board and method of manufacturing the same


An RFID label includes a release liner having an opening or window, to allow placement of an interposer through the window, and in contact with end portions of an antenna. By coupling the interposer to the antenna through the window in the release liner, the coupling may be performed at a later point than usual in the fabrication of the label. This allows the label to be fabricated with less wear and tear on the interposer, which is a relatively expensive and fragile part of the antenna. In addition, testing of the interposers before applying them to a web of labels may save costs by eliminating waste of material. Testing of the straps alone can allow prediction of performance of the finished label.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, and methods of making RFID devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and labels (collectively referred to herein as "devices") are widely used to associate an object with an identification code. RFID devices generally have a combination of antennas and analog and/or digital electronics, which may include for example communications electronics, data memory, and control logic. For example, RFID tags are used in conjunction with security locks in cars, for access control to buildings, and for tracking inventory and parcels. Some examples of RFID tags and labels appear in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,107,920, 6,206,292, and 6,262,692, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
As noted above, RFID devices are generally categorized as labels or tags. RFID labels are RFID devices that are adhesively or otherwise have a surface attached directly to objects. RFID tags, in contrast, are secured to objects by other means, for example by use of a plastic fastener, string or other fastening means.
RFID devices include active tags and labels, which include a power source, and passive tags and labels, which do not. In the case of passive tags, in order to retrieve the information from the chip, a "base station" or "reader" sends an excitation signal to the RFID tag or label. The excitation signal energizes the tag or label, and the RFID circuitry transmits the stored information back to the reader. The "reader" receives and decodes the information from the RFID tag. In general, RFID tags can retain and transmit enough information to uniquely identify individuals, packages, inventory and the like. RFID tags and labels also can be divided between those to which information is written only once (although the information may be read repeatedly), and those to which information may be written during use. For example, RFID tags may store environmental data (that may be detected by an associated sensor), logistical histories, state data, etc.
There is a continued desire for RFID devices that have improved performance, reduced size, and reduced cost. It will be appreciated that there is room for improving RFID devices in at least these areas.

RFID label with release liner window, and method of making


Disclosed are a solar cell apparatus, and a method of fabricating the same. The solar cell apparatus includes: dummy parts disposed on a support substrate; a plurality of solar cells disposed on the support substrate and disposed between the dummy parts; and a bus bar electrically connected to the solar cells and disposed between the support substrate and the dummy parts. Each of the solar cells and the dummy parts has a back electrode layer, a light absorbing layer, and a front electrode layer sequentially disposed on the support substrate.

A solar cell may be defined as a device for converting light energy into electric energy by using a photovoltaic effect where electrons are produced by exposing a p-n junction diode to light. Such solar cells may be classified into a silicon solar cell, a compound semiconductor solar cell, a dye-sensitized solar cell, and an organic solar cell according to a material used as a junction diode.
A minimum unit of a solar cell is a cell, and a voltage produced by one solar cell is generally as low as approximately 0.5 V to 0.6 V. A unit fabricated in the form of a panel where several solar cells are connected to each other in series on a substrate to produce a voltage of several volts or several hundred volts is referred to as a module, and a solar cell apparatus is fabricated by installing the solar cell module on a frame.
In the solar cell apparatus, conductors (bus bars) serving as a positive electrode and a negative electrode are connected to the solar cells. In a general bus bar fabricating process, after a solar cell module is fabricated, a metal bus bar is formed on a solar cell module through a process such as soldering. Next, a bonding member having a color similar to that of an external panel is disposed on the bus bar to improve an outer appearance of the solar cell module.
The bus bar fabricated through the method has a weak bonding strength to the solar cell module, and also requires an additional process for improving an outer appearance of the solar cell module, deteriorating process efficiency.

Solar cell apparatus and method of fabricating the same


A method for producing a semiconductor component with a semiconductor body includes providing a substrate of a first conductivity type. A buried semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type is provided on the substrate. A functional unit semiconductor layer is provided on the buried semiconductor layer. At least one trench, which reaches into the substrate, is formed in the semiconductor body. An insulating layer is formed, which covers inner walls of the trench and electrically insulates the trench interior from the functional unit semiconductor layer and the buried semiconductor layer, the insulating layer having at least one opening in the region of the trench bottom. The at least one trench is filled with an electrically conductive semiconductor material of the first conductivity type, wherein the electrically conductive semiconductor material forms an electrical contact from a surface of the semiconductor body to the substrate.

One aspect of the invention relates to a semiconductor component having a semiconductor body, the semiconductor body including a substrate of a first conduction type, a buried semiconductor layer of a second conduction type arranged on the substrate, a functional unit semiconductor layer of a third conduction type arranged on the buried semiconductor layer, in which at least two semiconductor functional units arranged laterally alongside one another are provided, and a contact from a surface of the semiconductor body to the substrate. The buried semiconductor layer is a part of at least one semiconductor functional unit. The semiconductor functional units are electrically insulated from one another by an isolation structure, which permeates the functional unit semiconductor layer, the buried semiconductor layer and also the substrate.
The lateral space requirement of semiconductor components of the type mentioned in the introduction is relatively large. This stems inter alia from the fact that the isolation structures which permeate the functional unit semiconductor layer, the buried semiconductor layer and also the substrate are produced on the basis of a diffusion process. For example, in order to produce the isolation structures, prior to producing the buried semiconductor layer, dopants are introduced into the upper region of the substrate and, after producing the buried semiconductor layer and the functional unit semiconductor layer, dopants are introduced into the upper region of the functional unit semiconductor layer (above the region of the substrate into which dopants were introduced). Afterward, the two dopant regions are caused to melt by means of a heat treatment process, that is to say that the vertical extents of the dopant regions are enlarged until the latter vertically overlap one another.
An isolation structure produced in this way can be seen in FIG. 1A. A semiconductor body 1 has a substrate 2, a buried semiconductor layer 3 arranged on the substrate 2, and a functional unit semiconductor layer 4 arranged on the buried semiconductor layer 3. The functional unit semiconductor layer 4, the buried semiconductor layer 3 and also the substrate 2 are permeated by an isolation structure 51 (Junction Isolation), which serves for isolating a semiconductor functional unit (not shown) arranged on the left alongside the isolation structure 51 from a semiconductor functional unit (not shown) arranged on the right alongside the isolation structure 51. The conduction type of the functional unit semiconductor layer 4 and of the buried semiconductor layer 3 is of a first conduction type (for example of the n conduction type), whereas the semiconductor material which the isolation structure 51 includes and the substrate 2 are of a second conduction type (for example of the p conduction type). Thus, the isolation structure 51 simultaneously serves as a contact to the substrate 2. The isolation structure 51 has a first isolation structure region 51 and a second isolation structure region 52, which are produced by introducing dopants into the upper region of the substrate 2 and also into the upper region of the functional unit semiconductor layer 4 and a subsequent heat treatment process. The heat treatment process has the effect of enlarging the lateral extent of the isolation structure regions 51, 52, which is undesirable since the resultant lateral space requirement of the semiconductor component is enlarged unnecessarily.
Trench isolations 52 are furthermore known as isolation structures (FIG. 1B). In this case, a trench 11 extending from the surface 41 of the semiconductor component 1 right into the substrate 2 is configured in such a way that it electrically insulates adjacent semiconductor functional units (not shown) in the functional unit semiconductor layer 4 from one another. The trench 11 may be filled with an insulating material (not shown). It is likewise possible to form an insulating layer 12 on the sidewalls and the bottom of the trench 11 and to fill the trench 11 with polysilicon 17, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 1B.
However, the known isolation by means of trenches, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, does not afford a possibility of making contact with the substrate as in the case of diffusion isolation described with reference to FIG. 1A. Therefore, the contact connection to the substrate has to be produced for example by means of an additional diffusion zone or via a rear side contact.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Semiconductor component and methods for producing a semiconductor component


There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of thrombin, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl or substituted triazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing a disease or disorder, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of thrombin.

The present disclosure relates to compounds, e.g., multisubstituted aromatic compounds, which exhibit biological activity, e.g., inhibitory action, against thrombin (activated blood-coagulation factor II; EC 18.104.22.168).
In mammalian systems, blood vessel injuries result in bleeding events, which are dealt with by the blood coagulation cascade. The cascade includes the Extrinsic and Intrinsic pathways, involving the activation of at least 13 interconnected factors and a variety of co-factors and other regulatory proteins. Upon vascular injury, plasma factor VII interacts with exposed Tissue Factor (TF), and the resultant TF-fVIIa complex initiates a complex series of events. Factor fXa is produced directly 'downstream' from the TF-fVIIa complex, and amplified manifold via the Intrinsic Pathway. FXa then serves as the catalyst for formation of thrombin (flIa), which in turn is the direct precursor to fibrinolysis. The outcome is a fibrinolytic clot, which stops the bleeding. Fibrinolysis of the polymeric clot into fibrin monomers leads to dissolution and a return of the system to the pre-clot state. The cascade is a complex balance of factors and co-factors and is tightly regulated.
In disease states, undesired up- or down-regulation of any factor leads to conditions such as bleeding or thrombosis. Historically, anticoagulants have been used in patients at risk of suffering from thrombotic complications, such as angina, stroke and heart attack. Warfarin has enjoyed dominance as a first-in-line anticoagulant therapeutic. Developed in the 1940s, it is a Vitamin K antagonist and inhibits factors II, VII, IX and X, amongst others. It is administered orally, but its ease of use is tempered by other effects: it has a very long half life (>2 days) and has serious drug-drug interactions. Importantly, since Vitamin K is a ubiquitous cofactor within the coagulation cascade, antagonism results in the simultaneous inhibition of many clotting factors and thus can lead to significant bleeding complications.
Much attention has been focused on heparin, the naturally-occurring polysaccharide that activates AT III, the endogenous inhibitor of many of the factors in the coagulation cascade. The need for parenteral administration for the heparin-derived therapeutics, and the inconvenient requirements for close supervision for the orally available warfarin, has resulted in a drive to discover and develop orally available drugs with wide therapeutic windows for safety and efficacy.
Indeed, the position of thrombin in the coagulation cascade has made it a popular target for drug discovery. Without wishing to be bound by any theory, it is believed that the ultimate development of direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) is usefully based upon the classical D-Phe-Pro-Arg motif, a sequence that mimics fibrinogen, which is a natural substrate ofthrombin. Without further wishing to be bound by any theory, it is believed that the use of DTIs is very well precedented, such as with the hirudin-based anticoagulants, and thus there is strong interest in the discovery and development of novel DTIs.
A thorough discussion of thrombin and its roles in the coagulation process can be found in a variety of references, including the following which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and for all purposes: Wieland, H. A., et al., 2003, Curr Opin Investig Drugs, 4:264-71; Gross, P. L. & Weitz, J. I., 2008, Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 28:380-6; Hirsh, J., et al., 2005, Blood, 105:453-63; Prezelj, A., et al., 2007, Curr Pharm Des, 13:287-312.

Multisubstituted aromatic compounds as inhibitors of thrombin


Embodiments of apparatus for reusable drinking straw cleaning include a flexible central brush and a plurality of external brushes supported by a hand-held handle. The flexible central brush is passed into one end of a drinking straw and the drinking straw is drawn down into concentrically disposed external brushes. The drinking straw is withdrawn, reversed and the process is repeated. A handle or central bore provides external brush pressure onto the straw when it has been drawn into contact with the external brushes. After both ends of the reusable drinking straw are cleaned, the reusable drinking straw is withdrawn from the assembly and placed in a sterilizing solution or dishwasher, and dried. The flexible central brush is replaced without disassembly of the apparatus. Embodiments provide a support stand to receive and hold the assembly in a vertical position from the bottom of a wash sink.

In bars and restaurants, many people prefer to drink beverages or drinks using a straw. Similarly, many reusable drinking vessels are provided with drinking straws. Hence, the straw plays an active role in our daily life due to its high availability. Further, if the straw is a reusable straw, then a user or business needs to clean the straw before using it again. It is difficult to clean the straw if the straw is used for a drink sticky in nature. It would be a benefit, therefore, to have a drinking straw cleaning apparatus, system, and method that could be used to clean a fluid passageway or hollow cavity of a drinking straw and the exterior straw surface.
State and local ordinances to eliminate the use of disposable or plastic straws are proliferating to improve the environment. Bar and restaurant owners are using non-disposable drinking straws manufactured principally from metal alloys safe for human use, such as stainless steel. These non-disposable drinking straws are prone to bacteriological and moisture contamination which present a challenge to maintain an inventory of sanitary non-disposable drinking straws. Most establishments are forced to use a brush to clean the inside of a metal drinking straw, and then to scour the outside of the metal drinking straw with a cleaning pad, all within a wash sink with detergent and water, and then into a sterilizing solution.
Drinking straws cleaning brushes are available in the art, and mainly include longitudinally disposed bristles. These brushes, although designed for cleaning the inner surfaces of the straws, do not effectively clean around corner ends or the external surface of the straw.
Many other variations of drinking straws cleaning brushes are found proposed in the art, such as in U.S. design Pat. D360301 and D532978. However, they are directed towards the aesthetic appearance and focus on solely the inner surfaces of straws and fail to reach tight spots, corners, or external surface in the straws for effective cleaning.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,490, by Banks et al., discloses a cleaning system for cleaning reusable drinking straws. The reusable drinking straw cleaning system as disclosed in the patent includes a flexible, tubular brush structure having a tubular cavity formed between a closed insertion end and an open ended, threaded squeeze bulb reservoir connecting end, several cleaning solution dispensing orifices provided along the length of the flexible tubular brush structure and several multi-length bristles extending outward from the flexible tubular brush structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,578, by Dumler et al., discloses a straw cleaning device. The cleaning device according to the disclosure includes two twisted, wire-type sections. The cleaning coming with the application of care and cleaning agents, that the wire-type sections are twisted in such a way that at least one free loop or eye is formed.
Thus, in the light of the above-mentioned background art, there is a need for drinking straws cleaning apparatus that would overcome or at least ameliorate the problems associated with existing cleaning assemblies and systems.
The above information is presented as background information only to help the reader to understand the present invention. Applicant has made no determination and makes no assertion as to whether the above might apply as prior art regarding the foregoing disclosed and claimed apparatus for washing and cleaning reusable drinking straws.
There likewise is a need for an apparatus for washing and cleaning reusable drinking straws that effectively and economically cleans the inside and the outside surfaces of the reusable drinking straw simultaneously.
There likewise is a need for a hand-held apparatus for washing and cleaning reusable drinking straws that effectively and economically cleans the inside and the outside surfaces of the reusable drinking straw simultaneously and that is inexpensive to manufacture.
There is yet another need for a hand-held apparatus for washing and cleaning reusable drinking straws that effectively and economically cleans the inside and the outside surfaces of both straight and angled drinking straws.
There is a further need for an apparatus for washing and cleaning reusable drinking straws that effectively and economically cleans the inside and the outside surfaces of the reusable drinking straw and allows for quick and easy replacement of all cleaning brushes.
There is also is a need for an apparatus for washing and cleaning reusable drinking straws that effectively and economically cleans the inside and the outside surfaces of the reusable drinking straw using upright support stand attached to the bottom of a wash sink or any other suitable planar surface.


A flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus 1 includes a first heater 14 and a second heater 16. The first heater 14 heats a carrier fluid between a first pump 12 and a separation cell 3. The second heater 16 heats a focus fluid between a second pump 15 and the separation cell 3. Thus, the carrier fluid heated by the first heater 14 is sent by the first pump 12 and flows into the separation cell 3, and the focus fluid heated by the second heater 16 is sent by the second pump 15 and flows into the separation cell 3. This can stabilize temperatures of the carrier fluid and the focus fluid flowing into the separation cell 3. Then, when an analysis is performed using the flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus 1, the analysis can be performed with high reproducibility.

Conventionally, a so-called cross-flow flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus using a cross flow has been used as a flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus that separates fine particles included in a fluid. This cross-flow flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus is provided with a separation cell (separation channel) in which a flow passage is formed.
In this flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus, a sample in which fine particles to be separated are dispersed is introduced into a flow passage of the separation cell, and a carrier fluid is supplied to the flow passage of the separation cell at a predetermined flow rate. Then, while a part of the fluid flows out of the separation cell as a cross flow, the fine particles are separated inside the separation cell (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the separation cell in the flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a semipermeable membrane that allows the carrier fluid to pass through and does not allow fine particles to pass through is closely adhered to inside of a bottom wall in which a large number of openings are formed. When the carrier fluid is supplied to the flow passage of the separation cell, a flow of the carrier fluid passing through the semipermeable membrane and flowing out to outside the separation cell through the openings of the bottom wall (cross flow) is formed together with a flow of the carrier fluid passing through the flow passage. In the flow passage of the separation cell, a distribution of fine particles according to a particle size occurs due to a diffusion of fine particles and a force of the cross flow, and a distribution of flow rate occurs in which the flow rate differs depending on a position in a thickness direction of a layer. As a result, the fine particles sequentially flow out from an outflow port of the separation cell in accordance with the particle size. Then, the fine particles that have flowed out of the separation cell are detected by a detector.

Flow-type field-flow fractionation apparatus


A system, method, and computer program product are provided for determining a profile for an external network user. In use, a plurality of communications between each of a plurality of home users located in a home network and an external user located in an external network is identified. Additionally, a profile is determined for the external user, utilizing the plurality of communications. Further, one or more actions are performed, utilizing the profile for the external user.

The analysis of users of communications networks may result in valuable information for one or more entities. For example, providers of such communications networks may manipulate one or more elements associated with their networks based on results of user analyses. Unfortunately, conventional methods for user analysis have exhibited various limitations.
For example, a current communication network provider may only perform an analysis on users who are currently customers of the specific communication network. There is thus a need for addressing these and/or other issues associated with the prior art.

System, method, and computer program for determining a profile for an external network user


In an example of a multi-vehicle user-assistance method, a central server receives a request from a mobile device. The request includes a location of the mobile device. A central processing unit of the central server identifies a location of a plurality of participating vehicles positioned within proximity of the mobile device. The participating vehicles are unassociated with the mobile device. Instructions are respectively transmitted to at least some of the participating vehicles to activate an exterior lighting component i) as the mobile device is within proximity of the at least some of the participating vehicles or ii) as part of a vehicle lighting pattern.

Vehicles are equipped with several components that assist the driver in operating the vehicle. As one example, vehicles include rear and side view mirrors to assist the driver in seeing what is behind and next to his/her vehicle. A growing trend has been the integration of electronic devices, such as smart phones, MP3 players, tablet computers, global positioning systems, digital video disc (DVD) players, etc., in vehicles. Some vehicles are equipped with an in-vehicle communications platform (e.g., telematics unit and/or infotainment units) or other in-vehicle controller that enables several services/features within the vehicle, either alone or in conjunction with an external electronic device. For example, the in-vehicle communications platform may pair (communicate wirelessly) with a smart phone, allowing the driver to make phone calls, send text messages, play music, and navigate to a destination using voice commands.

Multi-vehicle user-assistance systems and methods