A building panel of the roofing or siding type is disclosed, as well as a building structure having such roofing or siding panels, in which the panels are comprised of two different types of building materials. The composite panel includes at least one layer of synthetic polymeric building material, having adhesively secured thereto at least one layer of asphalt based building material, with outer, upper surfaces of the panel, that would be weather-exposed in the installed condition on a building structure being comprised of the asphalt based building material, and with the synthetic polymeric layer(s) of polymeric building material being weather-protected in the installed condition on a building structure.

In the art of shingle and siding manufacture, it is known to manufacture shingles of an asphalt impregnated organic or inorganic web, having granules on an outer surface thereof, and having smaller particles on an opposite surface, comprising complete layers of shingle material, examples of which are present in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,352,837; 5,181,361; 5,287,669; 5,347,785; 5,375,491; 5,421,134; 5,426,902, as well as many other patents. Sometimes, these shingles are comprised of a plurality of complete layers of shingle material, adhered together as a laminate, and sometimes they are comprised of a single complete layer of shingle material, with or without an overlay comprised of an additional layer of adhesive, and an additional layer of granules applied thereto. In addition to structures such as the above identified shingles functioning as shingles, sometimes similar structures are used to function as components of siding, to be applied to side walls of a building structure, rather than the roof of a building structure.
It is also known in the building materials art, wherein materials are adapted for use as an exterior covering for roofing or siding, to construct such building materials from thermoplastic materials, especially where the thermoplastic materials are molded, and allow for designing into the molded thermoplastic building materials, various aesthetic, weather resistant, flame retardant, antifungal and like features. Examples of such building products that are manufactured from thermoplastic materials include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,808,785; 7,351,462; 7,141,200; 7,141,201 and other synthetic shingles or tiles comprised of a polymeric material.
All of the patents identified above are herein incorporated by reference.

Panel for use as exterior covering for roofing or siding and building structure having same


An adjustable pad that can have a substantially level top regardless of the slope or configuration of the surface it is placed upon. The adjustable pad can have a sheet coupled with one or more support members. The support members can be formed or adjusted to account for the slope of the surface. The adjustable pad can be used to change a child's diaper, as a sleeping pad, or for other desired reasons, regardless of the configuration of the surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present device relates to the field of childcare accessories, particularly a portable diaper changing pad apparatus that can be used on a variety of surfaces.
2. Background
Parents and other caregivers often need to change childrens' diapers. This need can sometimes arise suddenly while a caregiver and child are in an inconvenient location, such as a public place where no suitable changing location can be found. The caregiver can need to improvise and position the child on a less than ideal surface while changing the child's diaper. In some situations this can be uncomfortable for the child, as well as awkward for the caregiver.
Existing diaper changing pads can be useful when the caregiver is away from home, because they can provide a sanitary mobile station for caring for a child. However, many existing diaper changing pads are designed to be spread out on a flat level surface, and therefore can have limited effectiveness in other situations. For example, a caregiver can find it necessary to change a child's diaper on a sloped surface such as a vehicle seat or piece of furniture. The caregiver can also need to change a child's diaper on a variable and/or sloped surface, such as rough, bumpy ground outdoors. If a level surface is found, in some situations the surface can be too hard to provide comfort to the child during the diaper changing process.
What is needed is an adjustable pad that can conform to a variety of different types and/or configurations of surfaces in order to provide a level, cushioning, and/or stabilizing support platform for a child when the child's diaper needs to be changed, regardless of the location or type of surface that must be used. The adjustable pad can also be used in non-childcare situations, such as allowing a user to sleep on the adjustable pad while camping on uneven and/or uncomfortable ground, rest items on the adjustable pad regardless of the characteristics of the surface, or use the adjustable pad in any other type of situation.


The invention presents yttria elements containing high-density chrome based refractory composites, which consist of: (A) Fused polymeric compound as aggregate, containing: 40 to 50 wt % of particles in size from 1 to 4 mm and 15 to 25 wt % of particles in size below 1 mm; (B) A matrix consisting of fused polymeric compounds with particle sizes below 66 μm, active sintered Al2O3, active industrial Cr2O3 and Y2O3, (C) Binders accounting for 2.5 to 3.5 wt %. Since Y2O3 has resistance to the slag corrosion and penetration with its compatibility with slag, it has been introduced to activate the major component Cr2O3 crystal lattice in favor with Al2O3 so that it helps to reduce the sintering temperature, increase the rate of finished products as well as reduce the manufacturing cost.

(a) Technical Field of the Invention
This invention is related to refractory composites containing yttria (Y2O3) which form the basis of high-density chrome materials, which in turn are mainly used as the working lining material for coal and/or petroleum coke slurry gasifiers.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Nowadays, coal and petroleum coke slurry gasifiers are widely used. Coal slurry gasification has been conventionally regarded as an economical and efficient gasification process. Another technology has also been developed, which adopts petroleum coke as the raw material. Compared with the former, it has more advantages such as higher efficiency, more available process gas yield, and lower manufacturing costs. Cr2O3 has been adopted as the main refractory for the working lining of the two kinds of gasifiers for a long period. In early times, MgO—Cr2O3—ZrO2—SiO2 was adopted, but with the development of gas processes, the lining became easily and seriously worn and corroded, resulting in a short service life. Another new material was therefore developed, called Cr2O3—Al2O3—ZrO2 (containing more Cr2O3). This reduces the corrosion speed and prolongs the service life to some extent. However, ZrO2 will react with SiO2 and CaO. As a result, the compounds ZrO2—SiO2 and ZrO2—CaO lead to a bulking effect in the bricks and some cracks on the segments during the operation process owing to their low density and in spite of their high melting point. Under temperature stress and mechanical stress, those cracks are gradually widened and fragments shell from the brick surfaces into the molten slag, which speed up destruction of the bricks. When used in a petroleum coke gasifier, they will even cause more serious effects. Moreover, with its highest melting point being 2600° C., the element ZrO2 in the Cr2O3—Al2O3—ZrO2 material has no congruent melting point with the major content Cr2O3 except Al2O3. Thus, the product requires a higher firing temperature, which reduces the production rate and increases the cost. In addition, ZrO2 includes some activated elements, such as HfO2, which are harmful to human health.

Yttria containing high-density chrome based refractory composites

Luoyang Institute of Refractories Research, China Iron & Steel Industry & Trade Group Corporation


Airway devices, systems, and methods are provided that can achieve ventilation of lungs through a mask that seals around the glottis and connects to a flexible airway channel, while also providing evacuation of gastric and/or pharyngeal body fluid and/or blood during upper airway surgeries or procedures.

Use of laryngeal mask airway devices for upper airway surgeries has been accepted as an alternative to the use of endotracheal tubes. A reinforced flexible laryngeal mask is generally preferred because its flexible, longer and thinner airway channel offers better access to the surgical field than other types of laryngeal mask. When placed properly, a laryngeal mask covers the glottis and protects the glottis and subglottic area from contamination with blood or other fluids that accumulates in the pharynx during upper airway surgery. However, the glottic seal formed by the mask is variable and dynamic, depending on numerous factors. As a result, aspiration due to leaking of blood or other fluids into the glottic area and the trachea has been reported in cases of laryngeal mask use during upper airway surgeries. In addition, the flexible laryngeal mask, like other first-generation laryngeal masks, typically does not prevent gastric insufflation during positive pressure ventilation, which is generally believed to lead to a higher risk of aspiration of gastric contents and subsequent complications. As a result, safety concerns surrounding the application of flexible laryngeal masks in upper airway surgeries persist in general. Furthermore, leaking of blood into the stomach may cause gastric irritation and possible increased incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Multi-channel flexible laryngeal mask airway device


The invention is directed to a safety circuit which detects when the car is at least a predetermined distance away from a floor landing while a car door is open. The safety circuit, upon detection of this condition, activates a solenoid located on a safety governor of the elevator car and/or the counterweight, causing safeties to engage, precluding further motion of the car and/or counterweight. The safety circuit comprises the solenoid and a relay having a contact and a coil. Given means for energizing the coil when the elevator car drifts beyond a predetermined distance with a door open, the contact will close, providing power to the solenoid for actuation. The safety circuit preferably employs a relay which indicates whether the car door is open or closed, as well as relays which indicate whether various other system operational checks are satisfactory. To check the functionality of the components upon which the safety circuit relies, the preferred embodiment provides additional circuitry to check the functionality of the door relay and the operational check relay, as well as circuitry to check the electrical integrity of and the power connections to the solenoid. The safety circuit actuates the solenoid if a car door is open, the car is beyond the predetermined distance from the landing, and a machine tachometer indicates a non-zero velocity. The predetermined distance from the landing is preferably the outer door zone.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to an elevator car safety device. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an elevator car safety device which activates when the elevator car moves away from a landing with its door open.
2. Background Information
A typical traction elevator system includes an elevator car connected to a counterweight by a steel cable which passes over a sheave. The sheave, generally located in a machine room at the top of an elevator shaft, is connected to a hoist machine which controls the vertical motion of the elevator car in the elevator shaft.
The hoist machine principally comprises a drive motor and a brake. The drive motor, connected to the sheave in either geared or gearless fashion, controls the rotation of the sheave and thus the travel of the elevator car. The brake, either drum or disk, is directly connected to the sheave and is used to hold the elevator car stationary.
A traction elevator system also includes a safety governor which senses the speed of the elevator car. The safety governor includes a governor rope passing around a safety governor pulley, located in the machine room, down to a tensioning pulley, located at the bottom of the elevator shaft, and back again to the governor pulley. The governor rope is typically connected to a progressive safety mounted on the elevator car. The safety governor detects an overspeed condition of the elevator car based on the fact that the rotational velocity of the governor pulley is proportional to the speed of the elevator car.
Various safety governors are known in the art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,155 issued to Koppensteiner and herein incorporated by reference, a safety governor having two diametrically opposed flyweights located on the governor pulley is shown. As the elevator car travels up and down the elevator shaft, the flyweights move outwardly due to the centrifugal force imparted thereon by the rotating governor pulley.
In an overspeed condition, defined herein as when the speed of the elevator car exceeds a rated speed by a predetermined value, the flyweights are driven outwards and trip an overspeed switch which cuts off power to the drive motor and sets the brake.
If the elevator car speed continues to increase, the further outward motion of the flyweights causes them to trip a mechanical latching device, releasing a swinging jaw which is normally held clear of the governor rope. When the swinging jaw is released, it clamps the governor rope against a fixed jaw, thereby retarding governor rope motion. The retarding action exerted on the governor rope causes safeties located on the elevator car to engage, thereby progressively decelerating and ultimately arresting the motion of the elevator car.
Various safeties are known in the art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,706 issued to Koppensteiner and herein incorporated by reference, a safety having a roller located between the elevator car guide rail and a leaf spring is shown. The leaf spring and guide rail form a triangular section with the roller located at the base of the triangular section during normal operation.
The force exerted on the governor rope causes a safety gear linkage to lift the roller into the tapered portion of the triangular section. The leaf spring exerts pressure on the guide rail via the roller, and the pressure is progressively increased as the roller moves into the tapered portion of the triangular section. The exerted pressure gradually decelerates and ultimately arrests the motion of the elevator car.
During normal elevator system operation, an elevator car is dispatched to a floor, e.g., in response to a hall call and/or a car call. In order to increase the efficiency of the elevator system, it is desirable to have the elevator car door begin opening prior to the car coming to a complete stop at the floor landing. Safety codes permit the elevator car door to begin opening prior to the elevator car coming to a complete stop, provided the elevator car is within a predefined area, commonly referred to as an outer door zone, and is traveling below a predefined speed. The outer door zone is typically 24 inches (600 mm) centered about the floor landing.
The arriving elevator car decelerates and, once within the outer door zone, begins to open the car door. The elevator car will hover at the landing until it is level therewith. Once the elevator car is properly positioned at the landing, the brake is set and the drive motor is shut down. Should the elevator car drift from the landing, the drive motor is re-energized to re-level the elevator car.
Under normal conditions, an engaged drive and a set brake are each capable of holding the elevator car at the landing and/or stationary. However, should either the drive or the brake malfunction, the elevator car can drift away from the landing.
Elevator safety codes are being enacted which require a drifting elevator car to be stopped should the car drift more than a predefined distance with its door open. Specifically, if an elevator car drifts more than 500 mm (about 20 inches) from a landing with its door open, the car must be brought to a complete stop within another 750 mm (about 30 inches).

Restraining elevator car motion while the doors are open


A peripheral region is detected by using original image data acquired by ultrasound scan. Blend processing is executed in the peripheral region such that a rate of a smoothed image increases and a rate of an original image decreases as a distance from a blood flow region increases.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and an ultrasonic image processing method of performing filtering processing for reducing only a noise component without changing the brightness of a signal component from a tissue and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ultrasonic diagnosis makes it possible that the pulsation of the heart or the movement of an embryo is displayed in real time by a simple operation of bringing an ultrasonic probe into contact with a body surface. In addition, since the ultrasonic diagnosis is very safe, the test may be repeatedly performed. In addition, the system size is small compared with other diagnostic apparatuses, such as an X ray, a CT, and an MRI, and a bedside test can also be easily performed. For this reason, it can be said that the ultrasonic diagnosis is an easy diagnostic method. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used in the ultrasonic diagnosis changes in various ways with the type of a function that the apparatus has. As a small ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that is small enough to be carried with one hand is being developed. In addition, since the ultrasonic diagnosis does not cause radioactive exposure unlike the X ray, the ultrasonic diagnosis may also be used in an obstetric treatment, a remote medical treatment, and the like.
However, when performing diagnostic imaging of a circulatory organ in a color Doppler mode using such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a drawing efficiency may deteriorate, for example, due to ruggedness of the boundary between the inside of a heart chamber and a heart wall or blackening in the normal flow. In this case, it is common to reduce such a problem by performing predetermined smoothing processing.
However, when reducing the ruggedness of the boundary between the inside of the heart chamber and the heart wall or blackening in the normal flow using a smoothing processing method, information which is effective for the diagnosis, such as a blood flow, may also be blurred.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and ultrasonic image processing method


A memory controller includes a state generator configured to generate a plurality of state information signals in response to command requests associated with a plurality of banks in a memory. An enable signal generator is configured to generate a plurality of enable signals indicating whether the state information signals are valid or invalid. A bank controller is configured to generate a command based on the state information signals and the enable signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) and, more particularly, to a memory controller controlling the SDRAM, a semiconductor integrated circuit monolithically integrating the memory controller on a single semiconductor chip, and a method for controlling a memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
An SDRAM is widely used as a frame memory in a moving picture experts group (MPEG) codec and as a memory in a main storage or the like of a computer. The SDRAM has a plurality of banks used as storage areas. A memory controller controlling the SDRAM supplies a command to the SDRAM in response to a command request from an external device. The commands include an active command, a write command, a read command, and a precharge command and the like. The memory controller generates one command in one clock cycle in accordance with the command request associated with the banks. The memory controller includes state machines associated with the banks in order to generate the commands at appropriate times, and the state machines manage command generation. The term "state machine" refers to the circuit transferring a plurality of states in a preset order, based on an input condition. The technique has been proposed of efficiently generating the command by supervising the states of each state machines associated with the banks.
Mutually supervising the states of the state machines requires, for the input conditions, state information signal of the other state machines and state information signal of the other state machines after a lapse of one clock cycle. Since the circuit scale and complexity of the state machines increase in proportion to the number of the input conditions, the time required for designing the memory controller and the circuit scale of the memory controller increase. Since the state machines exchange information with each other, a timing loop causing unstable data occurs.

Memory controller, semiconductor integrated circuit, and method for controlling a memory


A rotor structure of pneumatic grinder, including a rotor main body and at least one reinforcing plate. The rotor main body is formed with a central shaft hole for a rotary shaft to pass through. Several radial projecting sections are formed on outer circumference of the rotor main body at equal intervals. Each projecting section has a depression for reducing the weight of the rotor structure. A split is defined between each two adjacent projecting sections. A vane is inserted in each split. The reinforcing plate is coaxially embedded in the rotor main body. The reinforcing plate outward radially expands from the axis of the rotor main body for increasing the strength of the rotor main body.

The present invention is related to a rotor structure of pneumatic grinder, which has higher strength.
FIG. 9 shows a conventional plastic rotor structure made by injection molding. The rotor structure has a rotor main body 6 formed with a central shaft hole 61. A rotary shaft (not shown) is fitted through the shaft hole 61. Several radial sector sections 62 are formed on outer circumference of the rotor main body 6 at equal intervals. Each sector section 62 has a depression 63 for reducing the weight of the rotor. A split 64 is defined between each two adjacent sector sections 62. A vane 65 is inserted in each split 64.
The rotor structure is mounted in a pneumatic tool. The vanes 65 bear the air pressure coming from the intake of the pneumatic tool for driving the rotor main body 6 to rotate.
During rotation of the rotor, high air pressure is applied to the vanes. Under such circumstance, the inner ends of the vanes in the splits will exert a very great action force onto the bottom ends of the sector sections. As a result, it often takes place that the bottom ends of the sector sections of the rotor main body fissure. Under such circumstance, the rotor main body will become useless.
Accordingly, it is tried by the applicant to provide a rotor structure having high strength to solve the above problem.


A method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor element includes preparing a wafer having a nitride semiconductor layer which includes p-type dopants, forming an altered portion by condensing laser beam on the wafer, and after the forming an altered portion, forming a p-type nitride semiconductor layer by subjecting the wafer to annealing.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor element.
2. Background Art
Semiconductor light emitting elements such as light emitting diodes (hereinafter may be referred to as "LEDs"), laser diodes (hereinafter may be referred to as "LDs") have a small size and good power efficiency, and emit light of bright colors, and have been used for various light sources. Semiconductor light emitting elements are attracting attention as next-generation lighting because of their low energy consumption and long life, and further improvement in light output power and luminous efficiency have been required.
Of those semiconductor light emitting elements, a manufacturing of particularly nitride semiconductor elements includes dividing a wafer which is a nitride semiconductor stacked on a substrate into individual nitride semiconductor elements. In recent years, a laser dicing technology has been employed in a dividing process, in which a laser beam is focused on a surface or an inner portion of an objective material (for example, a wafer) to form an altered portion which is to serve as a division starting point, and an external force is applied to generate a dividing groove or a crack to split the wafer.
See JP 2008-98465A.
However, not only in the case where the laser beam is irradiated from the nitride semiconductor layer side but also in the case where the laser beam is irradiated from the substrate side, damage to the nitride semiconductor layer caused by the laser beam which passed the wafer has been of concern. Such damage includes, regardless of a scar in the appearance of the nitride semiconductor layer, a state in which the nitride semiconductor layer does not normally function. A damaged nitride semiconductor layer may lead to leakage and/or a low-voltage breakdown. Such influence of a laser beam on a nitride semiconductor layer can be reduced by reducing the laser output or reducing the number of irradiation of the laser beam, but on the other hand, an increase in the tact time and/or a decrease in yield due to occurrence of an undivided portion at the time of dividing the wafer or due to ununiform shapes after dividing the wafer may occur. Further, the greater the thickness of the wafer, the greater the laser beam output needed to divide the wafer, which also increases the number of irradiation of the laser beam. For the reasons described above, the possibility of damaging the semiconductor layer increases.
The present disclosure is provided to solve the problems described above, and an aim thereof is to reduce damage of the nitride semiconductor layer caused by a laser beam.

Method of manufacturing nitride semiconductor element


Modeling of prognosis of survivability, side-effect, or both is provided. For example, RILI is predicted using bullae information. The amount, volume or ratio of Bullae, even alone, may indicate the likelihood of complication, such as the likelihood of significant (e.g., stage 3) pneumonitis. As another example, RILI is predicted using uptake values of an imaging agent. Standardized uptake from a functional image (e.g., FDG uptake from a positron emission image), alone or in combination with other features, may indicate the likelihood of side-effect. In another example, survivability, such as two-year survivability, is predicted using blood biomarkers. The characteristics of a patient's blood may be measured and, alone or in combination with other features, may indicate the likelihood of survival. The modeling may be for survivability, side-effect, or both and may use one or more of the blood biomarker, uptake value, and bullae features.

The present embodiments relate to modeling lung cancer survival after or side-effects from therapy.
Survival or survivability from lung cancer, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is relatively low as compared to some other cancers. One common treatment is surgery to resect tumors. Accordingly, various prognosis techniques are directed to patients to be treated with surgery. However, these techniques may not apply to lung cancer patients treated with radiation and/or chemotherapy.
Patients with stage I-IIIB lung cancer may be treated with curative intent without surgery. Currently, prediction of survival outcome for NSCLC patients treated with (chemo) radiotherapy is mainly based on clinical factors using TNM staging. However, clinical TNM staging may be inaccurate for survival prediction of non-surgical patients, and alternatives are currently lacking.
To improve risk stratification for non-surgical patients, a number of variables associated with survival have been identified. At present, the generally accepted prognostic factors for survival of inoperable patients are performance status, weight loss, presence of comorbidity, use of chemotherapy in addition to radiotherapy, and tumor size. Retrospective studies suggest that a higher radiation dose leads to improved local control and better survival rates. For other factors, such as sex and age, the literature shows inconsistent results, making it impossible to draw definitive conclusions.
In addition to difficulties predicting survivability, there are difficulties predicting side-effects from radiation. If radiation therapy is used to treat tumors in and around the thoracic region, such as lung and breast cancer, a commonly found side-effect is radiation-induced lung injury (RILI). Toxicity (i.e., RILI) of the respiratory system may result in significant morbidity, occurring in around 13% to 37% of patients with lung cancer. To predict of the risk of RILI in non-small cell lung cancer patients, dosimetric parameters, such as the mean lung dose (MLD) or volume of the lung receiving more than 20 Gy (V20), are used. However, the accuracy of dosimetric parameters is ususally low, resulting in AUC's of about 0.60.
Imaging may be used to assist in diagnosis or prognosis. For example, the volume of a tumor is used to predict survivability. Imaging may provide other general information used by medical professionals. For example, standardized uptake values (SUV) of an imaging agent may be used to measure inflammation of lung tissue.

Modeling lung cancer survival probability after or side-effects from therapy


A base station apparatus for a mobile communication system is disclosed that includes a unit to receive an uplink reference signal transmitted from user equipment, a unit to provide transmission power control data indicating whether a transmission power value of the uplink reference signal to be transmitted later is to be changed, a unit to derive a first offset power value so that the uplink control signal is transmitted at a power value determined by adding the first offset power value to the transmission power value of the uplink reference signal, a unit to derive a second offset power value so that the uplink control signal is transmitted at a power value determined by adding the second offset power value to the transmission power value of the uplink reference signal, and a unit to report the data and values to the user equipment.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a conventional mobile communication system. For example, the system may be a circuit-switched type mobile communication system employing the W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) method. As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that each of the user equipment (hereinafter may be referred to as a user equipment terminal) UE1, UE2, and UE3 is in communication with the base station apparatus (BS1) of the cell1 using the corresponding dedicated line assigned to the user equipment terminals. The base station apparatus may be referred to as base station (BS) or NodeB. In this case, a transmission signal of a user equipment terminal may become an interference signal for any other user equipment terminals and other base station (such as BS2 in the example of FIG. 1) as well. Therefore, it is necessary to adequately control the transmission power (more precisely, transmission power density),—more particularly, uplink transmission power density. As is generally known, by multiplying the transmission power (transmission power density) per unit bandwidth by the bandwidth, it is possible to calculate total transmission power assigned to the signal transmissions used in the bandwidth. It is power density rather than the total transmission power that directly interferes with the signals. Herein, basically, the term "power" refers to the term "power density" and unless any confusion arises, the term "power" may also be interpreted as "total power".
In a conventional W-CDMA mobile communication system, the transmission power is controlled using a closed loop TPC (Transmitter Power Control) method (hereinafter may be simplified as "TPC"). In the TPC, a quality of a signal is measured at the receiver side, and the transmission power of the signal to be transmitted next time is adjusted so as to receive a predetermined quality of the signal by returning a transmission power control bit to the transmitter side. The transmission power control bit is transmitted via a return channel called DPCCH (Dedicated Physical Control CHannel).
In the system as shown in FIG. 1, the interference received by the base station (BS2) of a neighboring cell (Cell2) is estimated (determined) by summing the multiple signals output from the user equipment terminals UE1, UE2, and UE3. In the circuit-switched type communications, since a dedicated line is maintained for a relatively long period, the sum of the interference power from all the user equipment terminals is more likely to be rather equalized due to the statistical multiplexing effect. Therefore, it is expected that the transmission power can be stably controlled by using the closed loop TPC method.
Non Patent Document 1: 3GPP TS25.214

Base station apparatus, user equipment, and method used in mobile communication system


A retractable hard-top roof for an automobile vehicle is provided. In another aspect of the present invention, a retraction mechanism couples a rear roof section and a front roof section to a vehicle. A further aspect of the present invention employs a lever arm which is elongated in a generally cross-car direction, driven by an automatic actuator, which has one end coupled to a pivot and an opposite end which can move in a generally vertical direction.

This invention relates generally to retractable roof structures for automotive vehicles and more specifically to a multi-part hard top convertible roof.
Automotive vehicles with retractable roofs or tops are commonly referred to as convertibles. Soft top roofs are made of flexible material, which allow the top to be easily folded and stored between open and closed positions. One such example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,274 entitled xe2x80x9cMotorized Drive System For a Convertible Roof of an Automotive Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Tokarz on Jun. 30, 1998, and is incorporated by reference herein. Unfortunately, soft top roofs are subject to rapid deterioration and are not good noise and heat insulators.
Manually removeable hard top roofs, on the other hand, possess excellent properties of insulation, water sealing and durability, but are often impractical due to the weight of the tops which makes their manual removal difficult for the average person. Also, they present storage difficulties in the vehicle.
Retractable hard-top roof systems for convertible automotive vehicles are well known. Traditionally, such retractable hard-top roof systems employ a plurality of rigid roof panels which can be retracted for stowage into the trunk of the automotive vehicle. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,742 entitled xe2x80x9cFoldable Vehicle Topxe2x80x9d which issued to Dardarian et al. on Jun. 7, 1960. The top is designed for swinging movement between a raised and lowered position. A cable is anchored to pulley members to control the effective length of the cable. With continued use of the device, however, the cable may stretch thus requiring frequent adjustment to the deployment mechanism. Additionally, the top is stored in the trunk thus pre-empting valuable storage space.
Other examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.: 5,195,798 entitled xe2x80x9cRetractable Roof For Vehiclesxe2x80x9d which issued to Klein et al. on Mar. 23, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,634 entitled xe2x80x9cUpper Body Structure For A Convertible Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Shiraishi et al. on Aug. 8, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,970 entitled xe2x80x9cRoof Assembly for a Convertible Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued on Nov. 9, 1999 to Rothe et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,299 entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus for Achieving Automotive Vehicle Roof Insulationxe2x80x9d which issued to Purcell, et al. on Jul. 14, 1998; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,375 entitled xe2x80x9cRetractable Hard-top for an Automotive Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Alexander, et al. on Jul. 28, 1998; all of which are incorporated by reference herein. Thus, there is a need for a simple two part convertible roof that is compact, rugged and minimizes the need for adjustment to the retraction mechanism.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a retractable hard-top roof for an automobile vehicle is provided. In another aspect of the present invention, a retraction mechanism couples a rear roof section and a front roof section to a vehicle. A further aspect of the present invention employs a lever arm which is elongated in a generally cross-car direction, driven by an automatic actuator, which has one end coupled to a pivot and an opposite end which can move in a generally vertical direction.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a method for deploying a hard-top roof from a storage compartment of an automotive vehicle is disclosed. The method includes moving a rigid front roof section and a rigid rear roof section along a generally vertical axis from the storage compartment. Then, angularly rotating the front roof section from the substantially vertical axis to separate from the rear roof section. Next, rotatably deploying the front roof section to an extended position. Then, angularly translating the rear roof section from the substantially vertical axis to move the rear roof section between the front roof section and the body of the vehicle.
The present invention is advantageous over conventional devices since the present invention provides a retractable roof with a front roof portion that is angularly and rotatably extended and is stored so that the front roof portion is nested in the rear roof portion that is simple, compact, rugged and easy to operate. Additionally, the device reduces the need for adjustments to the retraction mechanism by providing a robust hydromechanical deployment unit. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


Several headliner embodiments include a felt layer connected to a cover layer. In the preferred embodiments a pair of felt layers are positioned on both sides of a central mat layer. The mat layer provides loft, while the felt layers in combination with the mat layers provide other desired characteristics for the headliner.

This invention relates to a unique vehicle headliner sandwich that includes layers of a thermoplastic felt.
In the prior art, vehicle headliners are typically constructed of a plurality of layers. The layers are selected to each provide individual characteristics which, in combination, result in a headliner having combined desired characteristics. Typically, layers are provided that achieve sound absorption and loft or structure for the headliner construction. In addition, other layers typically provide strength and rigidity to the headliner. Historically, fiberglass layers have been utilized to provide strength and rigidity to the headliner. More recently, efforts have been made to eliminate the use of fiberglass for several reasons. Thus, it has been proposed to utilize polyester materials to provide rigidity and strength. In particular, it has been proposed in the prior art to utilize a single layer polyester bat to achieve desired characteristics in a headliner.
In co-pending applications owned by the Assignee of this application, it has also been proposed to utilize a headliner formed of several layers all of which are formed of a single plastic family. In one particular embodiment, all of the layers are formed of polyester based materials.
It would be desirable to further reduce the cost of headliner constructions, and provide further versatility in the available design options.

Vehicle trim panel including felt and mat layers


A process for culturing Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum cells, which are capable of growing on gamma-cyclodextrin in a liquid culture medium in a culture vessel. Also disclosed is a process for producing a bio-product, the process comprising culturing Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum cells, which are capable of growing on gamma-cyclodextrin in a liquid culture medium in a culture vessel.

The butanol fermentation process utilises renewable bio-based feedstocks and is often referred to as the ABE fermentation after its major chemical products (i.e. acetone, butanol and ethanol). The ABE fermentation was first commercialised in the UK in 1916 and spread around the globe during the 1st and 2nd World Wars, mainly to produce acetone for munitions and butanol for paint lacquers. The process fell out of favour in the US and EU in the 1950s, when it struggled to compete with petro-derived equivalents on cost; but it persisted in China, Russia and South Africa until the 1980s. Today, due to higher oil prices, concerns over the supply of oil and environmental concerns over greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, the ABE fermentation process is being re-commercialised. The global n-butanol market, largely feeding into the paints, coatings, adhesives and inks sectors, is valued at greater than $6 billion (˜3.7 million tonnes) and growing. Presently, bio-n-butanol production is only a small fraction of this, but the fermentation route has the potential to replace petro-derived butanol, acetone and hydrogen with cheaper, more sustainable and environmentally-friendly chemicals.
Traditional batch processes for the fermentation of starch to produce ABE have been practised for decades (e.g. Jones, D. T. and Woods, D. R. (1986) Microbiol. Rev. 50: 484-524). In such processes, starch is converted to glucose by enzyme treatment such as purified alpha-amylase and glucoamylase.
However, starch can also be converted into alternative substrates through the use of enzymes called cyclodextrin glucanotransferases (CGTases). These enzymes hydrolyse starch to cyclic products, i.e. cyclodextrins (CDs).
Cyclodextrins are cyclic glucose oligosaccharides which are generally composed of alpha-(1,4) linked glucopyranose subunits. Common cyclodextrins include alpha-cyclodextrin (6-membered sugar ring), beta-cyclodextrin (7-membered sugar ring) and gamma-cyclodextrin (8-membered sugar ring). Various less-commonly studied cyclodextrins are also known to be made by some species of bacteria, such as a 5-membered sugar ring with an alpha-(1,6) linkage (Watanabe, H. et al., Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 70 (11), 2690-2702 (2006)), a 4-membered sugar ring (Mukai et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 72(2), 1065-71 (2006)) and a variety of larger cyclodextrins with larger rings (Larsen, K., Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry, Volume 43 (2) (2004)).
Cyclodextrins are generally produced by the enzymatic conversion of starch using enzymes such as cyclodextrin glucanotransferases. Cyclodextrin glucanotransferases (CGTases) are also known as cyclodextrin glycosyl transferases and cyclodextrin glucosyltransferases. These enzymes are generally only found in bacteria, particularly bacteria of the genus Bacillus (e.g. B. circulans, B. macerans and B. stearothermophilus).
Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum is no longer a valid species name (i.e. it is not on the LPSN List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature [Parte, A. C. (2018). "LPSN—List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (bacterio.net), 20 years on". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 68, 1825-1829; doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002786]) and Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum strains have now been reclassified as belonging to the Thermoanaerobacter genus (e.g. [Lee, Y.-E., et al. "Taxonomic Distinction of Saccharolytic Thermophilic Anaerobes: Description of Thermoanaerobacterium xylanolyticum gen. nov., sp. nov., and Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum en. nov., sp. nov.; Reclassification of Thermoanaerobium brockii, Clostridium thermosulfurogenes, and Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum E100-69 as Thermoanaerobacter brockii comb. nov., Thermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes comb. nov., and Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus comb. nov., Respectively; and Transfer of Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum 39E to Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus." Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 43, 41-51. 1993.] and [Gregory M. Cook, Hush W. Morgan "Hyperbolic growth of Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus (Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum) increases ethanol production in pH-controlled batch culture" Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology March 1994, Volume 41, Issue 1, pp 84-89.]).
Similarly, it has been proposed that Clostridium thermoamylolyticum should also be reclassified as Thermoanaerobacter due to its high sequence relatedness with Thermoanaerobacter species (Collins, M. D. et al. (1994). The phylogeny of the genus Clostridium: proposal of five new genera and eleven new species combinations. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 44(4), 812-26).
The genus Thermoanaerobacter has now been clearly established by sequence analysis and shown that it forms a separate and distinct genus from Clostridium sensu stricto (Cluster I) (Stackebrandt et al. (1999) Phylogenetic basis for a taxonomic dissection of the genus Clostridium. FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol., 24(3), 253-8).
It is known that some bacteria will only grow on certain cyclodextrins. For example, it is reported that B. subtilis preferentially grows on β- and γ-cyclodextrins and only marginally on α-cyclodextrins, and that K. oxytoca will grow on α- and β-cyclodextrins but not on γ-cyclodextrin (Kamionka and Dahl, FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 204, 55-60 (2001)). Similarly, Marchini et al. (Arch. Microbiol. 164(4), p. 290 (1995)) report that H. pylori will grow on α- and β-cyclodextrins, but not on γ-cyclodextrin.
Furthermore, different types of CGTase can produce different types of cyclodextrin. WO2014/122449A1 discloses a CGTase enzyme from C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum. Based on sequence alignments and homology searches, the CGTase from WO2014/122449A1 is stated to be different to the well-characterised alpha-, beta- and gamma-CGTases. For example, protein alignments show that it clusters with CGTases from B. circulans and Arthrobacter which do not form the standard alpha-, beta- or gamma-cyclodextrins containing 6, 7 or 8 glucose units with α1-4 linkages. The CGTase from WO2014/122449A1 is therefore not expected to convert starch through the well-characterised alpha-, beta- or gamma-cyclodextrin routes; instead, it appears to cyclise starch using a different mechanism. There is no indication therefore in WO2014/122449A1 that Clostridia are capable of utilising alpha-, beta- or gamma-cyclodextrins as a carbon source.
Cyclodextrins have a cone-like structure. The internal cavity surface is more hydrophobic than the external surface of the molecule. As a result, cyclodextrins are able to form inclusion complexes with hydrophobic (guest) molecules. The resulting complexes are generally more water-soluble than the non-complexed hydrophobic molecule.
Cyclodextrins have many uses in industry, including in separation and extraction processes, as drug-delivery agents and as stabilisers in the food industry. Cyclodextrins have also been used as intermediates in the production of ethanol (e.g. WO1989/003421).
In industrial fermentation processes, it is desired to grow a defined bacterial culture in the fermentation vessel. However, there is a constant risk of contamination of this defined culture with other strains that may be present in the local environment or may be brought in with the feedstock or other consumables. In the industrial production of commodity chemicals, it is often not commercially viable to build and run a completely sterile process. A historical review of industrial ABE fermentation of starches, using Clostridium spp. [Beesch, 1953, Acetone-butanol fermentation of starches. Appl. Microbiol., 1(2), 85-95] states that: "The greatest problem in the fermentation industry is maintenance of sterile conditions . . . . The lactic acid bacteria are the most common contaminants".

Processes for producing organic solvents using


A rotary union includes a housing forming a bore and a piston bore having an open end and disposed at a radially offset distance with respect to the bore. The piston bore is fluidly isolated from the bore. A seal carrier is slidably disposed within the bore, and includes an actuation arm extending radially outwardly relative to the bore such that it overlaps the piston bore. A piston slidably disposed in the piston bore is extendible to releasably abut the actuation arm and urge the seal carrier to displace relative to the bore when the piston displaces relative to the piston bore.

Fluid coupling devices such as rotary unions are used in industrial applications, for example, machining of metals or plastics, work holding, printing, plastic film manufacture, papermaking, semiconductor wafer manufacture, and other industrial processes that require a fluid medium to be transferred from a stationary source such as a pump or reservoir into a rotating element such as a machine tool spindle, work-piece clamping system, or rotating drums or cylinder. Often these applications require relatively high media pressures, flow rates, or high machine tool rotational speeds.
Rotary unions used in such applications convey fluid medium used by the equipment for cooling, heating, or for actuating one or more rotating elements. Typical fluid media include water-based liquids, hydraulic or cooling oils, and air. In certain instances, for example, when evacuating media from a fluid passage, rotary unions may operate under vacuum. Machines using rotary unions typically include precision components, such as bearings, gears, electrical components, and others, that are expensive and/or difficult to repair or replace during service. These components are often subject to corrosive environments or to damage if exposed to fluid leaking or venting from the rotary union during operation.
A rotary union typically includes a stationary member, sometimes referred to as the housing, which has an inlet port for receiving fluid medium. A non-rotating seal member is mounted within the housing. A rotating member, which is sometimes referred to as a rotor, includes a rotating seal member and an outlet port for delivering fluid to a rotating component. A seal surface of the non-rotating seal member is biased into fluid-tight engagement with the seal surface of the rotating seal member, generally by a spring, media pressure, or other method, thus enabling a seal to be formed between the rotating and non-rotating components of the union. The seal permits transfer of fluid medium through the union without significant leakage between the non-rotating and rotating portions. Fluid medium passing through the rotary union may lubricate the engaged seal surfaces to minimize wear of the seal members. When a rotary union is used with non-lubricating media (such as dry air) or without any media, the engaged seal surfaces can experience a "dry running" condition, which causes rapid seal wear due to lack of adequate lubrication. Extended periods of dry running can cause severe damage to the seal members, thereby requiring expensive and time-consuming replacement of one or both seal members.
High-speed machining equipment, such as computer-numerical-control (CNC) milling machines, drilling machines, turning machines, transfer lines, and so forth, use rotary unions to supply a medium directly to the cutting edge of a tool for cooling and lubrication in an arrangement that is commonly referred to as "through spindle coolant." A through spindle coolant arrangement extends the service life of costly cutting tools, increases productivity by allowing higher cutting speeds, and flushes material chips that can damage the work-piece or cutting tool away from the cutting surfaces of the tool. Different work-piece materials typically require different media for optimal productivity and performance. For example, air or aerosol media may provide better thermal control when machining very hard materials, while liquid coolants may offer better performance when machining softer materials, such as aluminum. In addition, certain kinds of work may be performed more effectively and less expensively without a through-spindle medium.
In certain applications, it may also be desired to avoid any spillage of the working fluid of the coupling when the seal is disengaged, for example, when changing tool spindles. Along these same lines, it may further be desired to engage the rotary seal of the coupling before the working fluid is at full pressure so that the initiation of flow, which flow may include a mixture of the working fluid with air, does not cause leakage of the working fluid.


A method for degrading a downhole article includes exposing the downhole article to a composition comprising a corrosive agent selected from a reducing sugar, ester, aminocarboxylic acid, or a combination thereof. The method also includes contacting the downhole article with the corrosive agent to degrade the downhole article. Additionally, a composition for degrading a downhole article includes water, salt, and a corrosive agent selected from a reducing sugar, ester, aminocarboxylic acid, or a combination thereof.

Oil and natural gas wells often utilize borehole components or tools that, due to their function, are only required to have limited service lives that are considerably less than the service life of the well. After a component or tool service function is complete, the downhole component or tool must be removed or disposed of in order to recover the original size of the fluid pathway for use, including hydrocarbon production, CO2 sequestration, etc. Disposal of components or tools has conventionally been done by milling or drilling the component or tool out of the borehole, which is generally a time consuming and expensive operation.
In order to eliminate the need for the milling or drilling operation, the removal of components or tools by dissolution of degradable material using various borehole fluids has been proposed. The degradable materials that have been proposed include certain degradable metal alloys formed from reactive metals, such as aluminum, together with other alloy constituents, such as gallium, indium, bismuth, tin, and mixtures and combinations thereof. These materials may be formed by melting powders of the constituents and then solidifying the melt to form the alloy. They may also be formed using powder metallurgy by pressing, compacting, sintering and the like a powder mixture of a reactive metal and other alloy constituent in the various amounts. To degrade the metal alloys, and thus effectively remove the component or tool from the borehole, strong mineral acids or brine has been used. However, the corrosion rate of mineral acids may be too fast while the corrosion rate brine may be too slow under downhole conditions.
Advances that avoid the above noted problems would be well received in the art.

Enhanced electrolytic degradation of controlled electrolytic material


A portable toilet is provided comprising a bowl provided with an outlet and at least one spout. A flush tank is adapted to store a fluid, wherein the flush tank is adapted to be pressurized. A manually-actuated pump is in sealed communication with the flush tank, wherein the pump is adapted to cause the flush tank to become pressurized. A pressure relief valve adapted to release pressure from the flush tank. A manually-actuated flush valve is in sealed communication with the flush tank and is normally biased to a closed position. The flush valve includes a fluid outlet connected to the at least one spout and a fluid inlet. A flush valve actuator is disposed outside of the flush tank and is adapted to actuate the flush valve, wherein actuation of the flush valve actuator causes the flush valve to open to permit pressurized fluid contained within the flush tank to be delivered through the at least one spout.

Toilets are often provided in vehicles, such as boats, ships and recreational vehicles, and are often used for camping or other portable purposes. It is conventional practice to flush a portable toilet by using a manually-actuated pump for pumping water or other flushing fluid into the toilet bowl. For example, bellows-style pumps are commonly used to pump the water. However, bellows-style pumps require the user to continuously actuate the pump to maintain a water flow into the toilet bowl, and often the water flow is poor and/or erratic. Some users, such as young users, elderly users, or handicapped users may experience difficulty in using a bellows style pump to maintain a continuous supply of water to the toilet bowl. Alternatively, it is also known to use a powered pump for pumping water or other flushing fluid into the toilet bowl. For example, an electric water pump may be used to pump the water. However, the use of a powered pump requires a power source that may not be available, for example, in smaller vehicles or when the toilet is used for camping. Thus, there is a need for an improved portable toilet that can avoid these problems.


A horse blanket that includes a plurality of grommeted netted eyelets to provide ventilation to the portion of the horse's body covered by the blanket. Each netted eyelet is also covered by a flap that is attached to the blanket above the eyelet but is free below the eyelet. The grommets defining the edge of each eyelet are sufficiently thick to provide a relief structure to prevent water that may reach the hole from passing through under the blanket. The netting material overlapping the eyelet ensures that insects and debris also cannot infiltrate the blanket. On the other hand, sweat and other moisture created under the blanket can escape through the covered eyelets and the horse is kept dry and comfortable.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of equestrian accessories. In particular, it relates to a protective rain cover that is fitted with ventilation openings to improve comfort of a horse.
2. Description of the Related Art
Horse blankets and water-resistant rain covers have been in use for a long time. The best modern water-resistant sheets are typically made with laminated materials that permit passage of moisture from the inside out but prevent flow in the opposite direction. These materials are said to allow "breathing." They are often also coated with a permeable inside layer for comfort.
These materials are expensive to manufacture, especially for equestrian use. Therefore, a less costly approach would be welcome by the industry. This invention is directed at a simple solution to providing such an improvement.

Eastwest International (Taiwan) Enterprises


An electromagnetic device includes: an electrically conductive ground structure; at least one dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) disposed on the ground structure; at least one electromagnetic (EM) beam shaper disposed proximate a corresponding one of the DRA; and, at least one signal feed disposed electromagnetically coupled to a corresponding one of the DRA. The at least one EM beam shaper having: an electrically conductive horn; a body of dielectric material having a dielectric constant that varies across the body of dielectric material in a specific direction; or, both the electrically conductive horn and the body of dielectric material.

The present disclosure relates generally to an electromagnetic device, particularly to a dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) system, and more particularly to a DRA system with an electromagnetic beam shaper for enhancing the gain, collimation and directionality of a DRA within the DRA system, which is well suited for microwave and millimeter wave applications.
While existing DRA resonators and arrays may be suitable for their intended purpose, the art of DRAs would be advanced with an electromagnetic device useful for building a high gain DRA system with high directionality in the far field that may overcome existing drawbacks, such as limited bandwidth, limited efficiency, limited gain, limited directionality, or complex fabrication techniques, for example.


The present invention relates to photoelectric conversion devices, characterized by using oxide semiconductor particles sensitized with a methine dye represented by the Formula (1):

The solar cells utilizing sunlight have been drawn attention as an energy resource to replace a fossil fuel such as petroleum, coal and natural gas or the like. At present, an efficiency enhancement is actively studied on silicon solar cells using crystalline or amorphous silicon, or compound semiconductor solar cells or the like using gallium, arsenic or the like. These solar cells, however, require high energy and cost to produce, and thus there was a problem that it was difficult to use generally.
In addition, the photoelectric conversion devices using dye-sensitized semiconductor particles, or solar cells made by using the same have been known, and a material and a production technology required for preparation thereof have been developed and disclosed (refer to Patent Literature 1, Non-patent Literature 1 and Non-patent Literature 2). These kinds of photoelectric conversion devices are drawn attention because they are produced using relatively inexpensive oxide semiconductors such as titanium oxide, and they have a possibility to yield lower cost photoelectric conversion devices than conventional solar cells using silicon or the like, and also to yield the colorful solar cells.
In the dye-sensitized type photoelectric conversion devices now under development, however, the ruthenium-based complexes are used as sensitizing dyes to obtain the photoelectric conversion devices with high conversion efficiency; cost of the dyes themselves is high and a supply problem is also left. In addition, use of organic dyes as sensitizing dyes is also challenged, however, practical application level has not yet been attained because conversion efficiency, stability and durability are still low, and thus further enhancement of conversion efficiency is desired (refer to Patent Literature 2). Up to now, the preparation examples of photoelectric conversion devices using a methine dye are known, and in addition, relatively many study examples are known on coumarin-based dyes (refer to Patent Literature 3) or melocyanine-based dyes (refer to Patent Literatures 4, 5 and 6), however, further cost reduction and further enhancement of stability and conversion efficiency or the like are also desired thereon.    Patent Literature 1: JP No. 2664194    Patent Literature 2: WO 2002/011213    Patent Literature 3: JP-A-2002-164089    Patent Literature 4: JP-A-8-81222    Patent Literature 5: JP-A-11-214731    Patent Literature 6: JP-A-2001-52766    Non-patent Literature 1: B. O'Regan and M. Graetzel Nature, Vol. 353, p. 737 (1991)    Non-patent Literature 2: M. K. Nazeeruddin, A. Kay, I. Rodicio, R. Humphry-Baker, E. Muller, P. Liska, N. Vlachopoulos, M. Graetzel, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 115, p. 6382 (1993)    Non-patent Literature 3: W. Kubo, K. Murakoshi, T. Kitamura, K. Hanabusa, H. Shirai, and S. Yanagida, Chem. Lett., p. 1241 (1998)

Dye-sensitized photoelectic conversion devices

Abstract: (KA 1)

Abstract: (in the Formula (1), m represents 1 to 4; n1 represents 1 to 7; p1 represents 1 to 4; X1 represents an optionally substituted aromatic residue, an optionally substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon residue, a cyano group, a phosphoric acid group, a sulfonic acid group, or a carboxyl group, a carbonamide group, and the like; L1 represents an optionally substituted aromatic residue and the like; A1 and A2 each independently represent an optionally substituted aromatic residue, a hydroxyl group, a phosphoric acid group, a cyano group, a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom and the like; the ring a1 has 1 or a plurality of halogen atoms, amide groups, hydroxyl groups, cyano groups, nitro groups, alkoxy groups, acyl groups and the like.), and solar cells made by using the same. The devices and the cells are characterized by relatively low cost, high stability, and high photoelectric conversion efficiency.


In a semiconductor device manufacturing method, at least a semiconductor element is arranged in a cavity of a resin molding die. A resin is supplied to a resin reservoir in direct contact with the cavity and is then injected in order to substantially fill the cavity. The resin filled in the cavity forms a resin seal for encapsulating the semiconductor element. The resin seal has a recess or a protrusion as a remainder of the resin reservoir.

This application claims benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-145453, filed on May 17, 2000, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a resin molding die, and a semiconductor manufacturing system, and more particularly relates to a semiconductor device in which at least one semiconductor element (e.g. a semiconductor chip) is encapsulated in a resin seal, a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor device, a resin molding die used in the methods, and a semiconductor manufacturing system for carrying out the foregoing semiconductor device manufacturing method.
2. Description of Related Art
Semiconductor devices having the ball grid array structure are well-known at present. Referring to FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 of the accompanying drawings, such a semiconductor device comprises: a substrate 1 made of a resin, a tape, ceramics or the like and having a wiring circuit formed thereon; a semiconductor chip 2 fixedly mounted on the substrate 1 using an adhesive layer 3; a bonding wire 5, e.g. a gold bonding wire, connecting a bonding pad of the semiconductor chip 2 and a wiring circuit terminal 4 on the substrate 1; and a resin seal 6 for encapsulating the semiconductor chip 2. A resin gate scar 6G via which resin was injected for the transfer molding process remains on a side surface of the resin seal 6. External connection terminals 8 constituted by solder balls are electrically connected to the wiring circuit terminal 4 on the rear surface of the substrate 1.
FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 show a cavity-down type semiconductor device having the ball grid array structure. The semiconductor device comprises: a substrate 1 made of a resin, a tape, ceramics or the like and having a wiring circuit and a through-hole on the center thereof; a metal plate 10 or an insulated plate 10 stuck onto the substrate 1 by an adhesive layer 9; a semiconductor chip 2 fixedly attached by an adhesive layer 3 in a recess defined by the through-hole in the substrate 1 and the plate 10; a bonding wire 5, e.g. a gold bonding wire, connecting a bonding pad of the semiconductor chip 2 to a wiring circuit terminal 4 on the rear surface of the substrate 1; and a resin seal 6 encapsulating the semiconductor chip 2. A resin gate scar 6G via which resin was injected for the transfer molding process remains on a side surface of the resin seal 6. External connection terminals 8 constituted by solder balls are electrically connected to the wiring circuit terminal 4 on the rear surface of the substrate 1, i.e. where the wiring circuit terminal 4 is provided.
The semiconductor device of FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 is resin molded as shown in FIG. 29A and FIG. 29B. A resin molding die including upper and lower dies 11 and 12 is heated to a temperature of approximately 165xc2x0 C. to 185xc2x0 C. Thereafter, a resin tablet or powder 14 is supplied to a pot 13 in the lower die 12. The substrate 1, on which the semiconductor chip 2 and the bonding pad of the semiconductor chip 2 are provided and is connected to the wiring circuit terminal 4 using the gold bonding wire 5, is placed between the upper and lower dies 11 and 12. In this state, the upper and lower dies 11 and 12 are clamped as shown in FIG. 29A. The resin 14 in the pot 13 is pressurized using a plunger 15 and melted, and is injected into a cavity 17 via a runner 16 and the resin gate 7. The resin 14 is left as it is for approximately 40 seconds to 180 seconds, and is hardened in order to form the resin seal 6. Thereafter, the upper and lower dies 11 and 12 are unclamped, so that the resin seal 6 is removed from the upper and lower dies 11 and 12. By this, the semiconductor device is almost completed. The resin seal 6 includes superfluous resins 14A such as a cull 18, runner 17 and resin gate 7 formed when injecting the resin 14, which are removed by the gate-breaking, and are discharged.
In order to facilitate the peeling of the unnecessary resin 14A in the gate-breaking, a metal part 19 is sometimes provided over the runner 16 and resin gate 7 on the substrate 1, as shown in FIG. 30.
In the semiconductor device of FIG. 27 and FIG. 28, the resin seal 6 is at the center of the rear surface of the substrate 1, and is surrounded by the external connection terminals 8. Therefore, if the runner 16 extends over a part of the external connection terminals 8 (solder balls), a part of the surplus resin 14A may stick on them. Some surplus resin 14A may scrape a part of external connection terminals 8 which are being formed. Any of resin molding processes shown in FIG. 31 to FIG. 34 is utilized in order to overcome this problem.
In a first resin molding process shown in FIG. 31, a resin is injected with a third die or a plate 20 inserted between upper and lower dies 11 and 12. Specifically, the third die or plate 20 extends all over the external connection terminals 8 on the rear surface of the substrate 1, so that the resin cannot stick onto the external connection terminals 8.
According to a second resin molding process shown in FIG. 32, the resin is injected with a sheet 21 such as a film sandwiched between the upper and lower dies 11 and 12. Similarly to the third die or plate 20, the sheet 21 extends all over the external connection terminals 8 on the rear surface of the substrate 1, which can prevent the resin from sticking onto the external connection terminals 8.
A third resin molding process shown in FIG. 33 is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 7-221132, for example. In this method, a resin inlet 22 is in the shape of a recess and extends between the pot 13 in the lower die 12 and the plate 10 connecting to the pot 13. Further, a resin outlet 23 extends to the cavity 17 from the resin inlet 22. The resin 14 in the pot 13 is pushed upward using a plunger 15 in order to fill the cavity 17 via the resin inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23. Both the resin inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23 are formed in the substrate 1. Since no resin 14 passes over the external connection terminals 8, it is possible to prevent the resin 14 from sticking onto the external connection terminals 8.
A fourth resin molding process is similar to the third method. However, the fourth method is applied to a cavity-up type semiconductor device as shown in FIG. 34. This semiconductor device comprises: a substrate 1 made of a resin, a tape, ceramics or the like and having a wiring circuit provided thereon; a frame 24 made of a metal plate or an insulated plate, having a through-hole at the center thereof and stuck onto the front surface of the substrate 1 using an adhesive layer 25; a semiconductor chip 2 fixedly attached using an adhesive layer 3 in a recess defined by the substrate 1 and the through-hole in the frame 24; a bonding wire 5, e.g. a gold bonding wire, connecting a bonding pad of the semiconductor chip 2 to a wiring circuit terminal 4 on the front surface of the substrate 1; and a resin seal (not shown) encapsulating the semiconductor chip 2. In this method, a resin inlet 22 in the shape of a recess is formed in the frame 24 and around the semiconductor chip 2 and is connected to the pot 13 provided in the lower die 12. Further, a resin outlet 23 extends from the resin inlet 22 to the cavity 17. The resin 14 in the pot 13 is pushed upward by the plunger 15, and injected into the cavity 17 via the resin inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23. Both the resin inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23 are formed in the substrate 1, so that no resin 14 passes over the external connection terminals 8. This is effective in preventing the resin 14 from sticking onto the external connection terminals 8.
However, the foregoing semiconductor device and the foregoing manufacturing methods seem to suffer from the following problems.
(1) In the resin molding process shown in FIG. 29A and FIG. 29B for the semiconductor device of FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, there are formed not only the resin seal 6 but also the unnecessary resin 14A such as the cull 18 of the molding die, runner 16 and resin gate 17. The unnecessary resin 14A is removed from the rein seal 6 after the gate-breaking, and is discharged as waste. As a result, most of the resin 14 housed in the pot 13 would be wasted, which not only increases the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor devices but also is not desirable in view of effective use of resources.
(2) During the gate-breaking, the resin seal 6 may peel off from the substrate 1, or may crack, which would adversely affect the reliability of the semiconductor device and reduce the manufacturing yield of the semiconductor device.
(3) In the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 30, no wiring circuit for the wiring circuit terminals 4, external connection terminals 8 and so on can be arranged in the area where the metal part 19 is provided in order to facilitate the gate-breaking, so that the substrate 1 becomes large due to the metal part 19, which makes it difficult to downsize the semiconductor device.
(4) With the resin molding process shown in FIG. 29A and FIG. 29B, if the substrate 1 whose thickness is larger than the predetermined value because of dispersion of manufacturing quality is placed in the molding die, there may be a gap between the upper and lower dies 11 and 12 near the pot 13 and the runner 16. Conversely, if the substrate 1 is thinner than the predetermined value, a gap is caused between the upper die 11 and the substrate 1. If the substrate 1 is too thick, the resin 14 tends to leak via the gap when it is being injected. Especially, a substrate 1 made of sintered ceramics and having a reduced dimensional tolerance has low elasticity and is slow to be deformed during the die clamping. This means that the resin frequently leaks if the substrate 1 has a thickness deviating from the predetermined value. Further, the thicker the ceramics substrate, the more easily it cracks.
(5) The first resin molding process shown in FIG. 31 for the semiconductor device of FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 requires the provision of the additional die or plate 20 between the upper and lower dies 11 and 12. Further, the second resin molding process of FIG. 32 needs the sheet 21 to be provided. It is extremely difficult to automatically attach the additional die or plate 20, or the sheet 21 to a general purpose transfer molding system. For this purpose, a new dedicated device has to be provided. In addition, the additional die or plate 20, or the sheet 21 has to be prepared, which would adversely increase the manufacturing cost and product cost of the semiconductor device.
(6) In the third and fourth resin molding processes shown in FIG. 33 and FIG. 34, both the substrate 1 and the frame 24 are thickened in order to form the resin inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23. Further, no external connection terminals 8 can be provided on the area for the resin inlet 22, so that not only the substrate 1 but also the frame 24 have to become large. Therefore, it is very difficult to downsize the semiconductor device. Still further, since the resin inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23 are provided in the substrate 1 or the frame 24, the mechanical strength of the substrate 1 where the rein inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23 are positioned is reduced, which requires the substrate 1 or the frame 24 to be enlarged in order to secure sufficient mechanical strength. In short, it is extremely difficult to downsize the semiconductor device. In addition, the resin inlet 22 and the resin outlet 23 should be machined by special processes, which adversely increases the manufacturing cost and product cost of the semiconductor device, and reduces the manufacturing yield of the semiconductor device.
This invention has been devised in order to overcome the foregoing problems of the related art. A first object of the embodiment of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which is free from resin waste generated during the formation of a resin seal, and is less expensive.
A second object of the embodiment of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a reliable semiconductor device which is protected against the peeling of a resin seal and shorting of wires, and improves manufacturing yield.
It is a third object of the embodiment of the invention to provide a resin molding die which is effective in carrying out the foregoing semiconductor device manufacturing method.
A fourth object of the embodiment of the invention is to provide a semiconductor manufacturing system to which the foregoing semiconductor device manufacturing method is applicable.
A final object of the embodiment of the invention is to provide a reliable semiconductor device.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: (1) arranging at least one semiconductor element in a cavity of a resin molding die; (2) supplying a resin to a resin reservoir in direct contact with the cavity in order to substantially fill the cavity; and (3) injecting the resin into the cavity from the resin reservoir in order to form a resin seal for encapsulating the semiconductor element.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: (1) arranging at least a base and a semiconductor element on the base in a cavity of a resin molding die; (2) supplying a resin to a resin reservoir in direct contact with the cavity and above the semiconductor element in order to substantially fill the cavity; and (3) injecting the resin into the cavity from the resin reservoir in order to form a resin seal for encapsulating at least a part of the base and the semiconductor element.
With a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: (1) arranging at least a base and a semiconductor element on the base in a cavity of a resin molding die; (2) supplying a resin to a resin reservoir at the center of the cavity facing with an upper surface of the semiconductor element in order to substantially fill the cavity; and (3) injecting the resin into the cavity from the resin reservoir in order to form a resin seal for encapsulating at least a part of the base and the semiconductor element.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a resin molding die comprising: a cavity; a resin reservoir in direct contact with the cavity and housing a resin for substantially filling the cavity; and a pusher injecting the resin into the cavity from the resin reservoir.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor manufacturing system comprising: a resin molding die which includes a cavity, a resin reservoir in direct contact with the cavity and housing a resin for substantially filling the cavity, and a pusher injecting the resin into the cavity from the resin reservoir; a plunger for driving the pusher of the resin molding die; a plunger driving unit for driving the plunger; and a control unit for driving the plunger driving unit.

Semiconductor device, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, resin molding die, and semiconductor manufacturing system


An electric hoist comprising an electric motor and a sheave driven by the electric motor via a reduction gear. The reduction gear comprises a pair of helical gears meshing with each other. One of the helical gears is axially movably arranged on a shaft and is moved in the axial direction thereof when there is a load on the load chain supported by the sheave, and when the axial movement of the movable helical gear is detected by a sensor, the speed of rotation of the electric motor is automatically changed from a higher speed to a lower speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric hoist
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electric hoist, preferably the lifting speed and the lowering speed of the hoist can be made lower when a load is lifted by the hoist, to thereby prevent an impact of the load with a surrounding member such as a floor, at a high speed, and the lifting speed and the lowering speed of the hoist can be increased under a no-load state, to thereby quickly lift or lower the hook of the hoist to a target position.
In a known electric hoist, the upper end of the wire rope for lifting a load is supported by a spring-loaded movable member, and a detecting switch cooperating with the spring-loaded movable member is provided for detecting whether or not there is a load on the hook of the wire rope. When it is detected by the detecting switch that there is a load on the hook, the lifting speed and the lowering speed of the hoist are made lower, and when it is detected by the detecting switch that there is no load on the hook, the lifting speed and the lowering speed of the hoist are increased (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-38294).
This type of electric hoist, however, requires additional special members, such as the spring-loaded movable member, to detect whether or not there is a load on the hook, and thus a problem arises in that the size of the hoist becomes large, and the cost of manufacturing the hoist is increased.

Hoist with load shifted gear, detector, and motor speed changer


A broadband transition between microstrip transmission line and slotline transmission line. The geometry of integrating the two transmission lines results in a broadband microstrip shunt circuit across the slotline, and a broadband slotline open circuit in the direction opposite of propagation on the slotline. This produces direct coupling between the two transmission lines. The transition does not require any intermediate transmission line types between the microstrip and slotline, and no frequency dependent tuning stubs are used to produce the shunt circuits and open circuits required for coupling. The result is a broadband transition which can be fabricated using standard etching techniques and requiring no plated through holes.

The present invention relates to improvements in the transitioning between microstrip and slotline microwave transmission lines.
Flared slot radiators are becoming increasingly popular in active radar arrays because of their broadband characteristics and suitability to active array architectures. Presently, a new frequency dependent microstrip to slotline transition must be designed for each application.
Conventional transitions between microstrip and slotline transmission lines have utilized either an intermediate transmission line type, such as parallel strip, or frequency dependent tuning stubs. These conventional transitions therefore require more area on the circuit board, and also are limited in frequency bandwidth.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a broadband transition between microstrip and slotline transmission lines.

Broadband microstrip to slotline transition


A display capable of rendering flickering hard to visually recognize, reducing power consumption and simplifying the structure of a circuit for negatively/positively reversing an image is provided. This display comprises a plurality of drain lines and a plurality of gate lines, a first pixel portion and a second pixel portion each including a subsidiary capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode and a first subsidiary capacitance line and a second subsidiary capacitance line connected to the subsidiary capacitors of the first pixel portion and the second pixel portion respectively. The display also comprises a signal supply circuit supplying either a first signal or a second signal for negatively/positively reversing an image to the first subsidiary capacitance line of the first pixel portion when displaying the image while supplying either a third signal or a fourth signal for negatively/positively reversing the image to the second subsidiary capacitance line of the second pixel portion when reversing the image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display, and more particularly, it relates to a display having a pixel portion.
2. Description of the Background Art
A liquid crystal display comprising a pixel portion including a liquid crystal layer is generally known as a display. In the conventional liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal layer of the pixel portion is held between a pixel electrode and a common electrode. The conventional liquid crystal display changes the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules by controlling a voltage (video signal) applied to the pixel electrode of the pixel portion, thereby displaying an image responsive to the video signal on a display portion.
When the aforementioned liquid crystal display applies a dc voltage to the liquid crystals (pixel electrode) of the pixel portion over a long period, an afterimage phenomenon referred to as seizure takes place. Therefore, the liquid crystal display must be driven by a method of inverting the voltage supply source (pixel voltage supply source) of the pixel electrode with respect to that of the common electrode in a prescribed cycle. For example, the liquid crystal display is driven by a DC driving method applying a dc voltage to the common electrode. Line inversion driving inverting the pixel voltage supply source with respect to the common electrode receiving the applied dc voltage every horizontal period is known as such a DC driving method, as disclosed in "Introduction to Liquid Crystal Display Engineering" by Yasoji Suzuki, The Daily Industrial News, Nov. 20, 1998, pp. 101-103. The liquid crystal display completes the operation of writing the video signal in all pixel portions arranged along a gate line every horizontal period.
FIG. 13 is a waveform diagram in a case of driving a liquid crystal display by the conventional line inversion driving method. Referring to FIG. 13, a pixel voltage supply source (video signal) VIDEO is inverted with respect to the voltage supply source COM of a common electrode every horizontal period, in order to drive the liquid crystal display by the conventional line inversion driving method. The pixel voltage supply source (video signal) VIDEO is varied with a displayed image every pixel portions A, B, C, D, E and F.
When the liquid crystal display is driven by the conventional line inversion driving method shown in FIG. 13 at a low frequency in order to reduce power consumption, however, flickering is disadvantageously easy to visually recognize. More specifically, a period for holding the pixel voltage supply source is increased when the liquid crystal display is driven at a low frequency, to remarkably fluctuate the pixel voltage supply source. When the pixel voltage supply source is remarkably fluctuated, the brightness of light passing through the pixel portions A to F deviates from a desired level, to cause flickering. In the conventional line inversion driving method, the aforementioned flickering linearly takes place to easily allow visual recognition.
In this regard, a liquid crystal display employing a dot inversion driving method of inverting a pixel voltage supply source (video signal) VIDEO with respect to the voltage supply source COM of a common electrode every adjacent pixel portions A and B, B and C, C and D, D and E or E and F is proposed in general.
FIG. 14 is a waveform diagram in a case of driving a liquid crystal display by a conventional dot inversion driving method. Referring to FIG. 14, a pixel voltage supply source (video signal) VIDEO responsive to a displayed image is inverted with respect to the voltage supply source COM of a common electrode every pixel portion A, B, C, D, E or F in order to drive the liquid crystal display by the conventional dot inversion driving method, dissimilarly to the conventional line inversion driving method shown in FIG. 13. When the liquid crystal display is driven by this conventional dot inversion driving method, flickering caused by low-frequency driving can be rendered hard to visually recognize since this flickering nonlinearly takes place.
A liquid crystal display capable of negatively/positively reversing images is known in general. This liquid crystal display negatively/positively reverses an image having a white background and black characters to that having a black background and white characters, for example. The liquid crystal display capable of negatively/positively reversing images performs negative/positive reversing by inverting a video signal in a driver IC driving/controlling the liquid crystal display. More specifically, the liquid crystal display inverts the respective bits of a 6-bit video signal, for example, by a video signal inversion circuit including six inverter circuits provided in the driver IC. In general, the liquid crystal display capable of negatively/positively reversing images also displays the images by the aforementioned conventional dot inversion driving method.
However, the conventional dot inversion driving method shown in FIG. 14 requires a video signal having a voltage twice a liquid crystal driving voltage, in order to invert the pixel voltage supply source (video signal) VIDEO with respect to the voltage supply source COM of the common electrode receiving a dc voltage. Assuming that V1 represents the liquid crystal driving voltage in FIG. 14, for example, a video signal having a voltage V2 twice the liquid crystal driving voltage V1 is required in order to obtain the same liquid crystal driving voltage V1 before and after inverting the pixel voltage supply source (video signal) VIDEO with respect to the voltage supply source COM of the common electrode. Therefore, reduction of power consumption is disadvantageously limited also when the liquid crystal display is driven at a low frequency in order to reduce power consumption.
In order to negatively/positively reverse images in the aforementioned liquid crystal display employing the conventional dot inversion driving method, further, the driver IC must disadvantageously be provided therein with a video signal inversion circuit including inverter circuits of the same number as the bit number of the video signal. In order to negatively/positively reverse a 6-bit video signal, for example, the driver IC must include a video signal inversion circuit having six inverter circuits in order to invert the video signal, and hence the structure of the video signal inversion circuit is complicated and the driver IC remarkably consumes power when reversing the images.

Liquid crystal display capable of making flicker difficult to be observed and reducing power consumption


An assembly integrating commercially available capacitors into filtered feedthroughs. A feedthrough assembly comprises a plurality of Input/Output (I/O) conductors, wherein the I/O conductors pass through a hermetic seal such that a first end of the I/O conductors reside on a non-hermetic side of the hermetic seal and a second end of the I/O conductors reside on a hermetic side of the hermetic seal, a printed circuit interconnect substrate residing on the hermetic side of the hermetic seal, and a plurality of ceramic chip capacitors mounted on the printed circuit interconnect substrate, wherein a first end of each capacitor is connected via the interconnect to the second end of an I/O conductor and a second end of each capacitor is connected via the interconnect to a constant voltage level.

Implantable medical devices generally include a hermetically sealed metal case or can. For implantable cardiac rhythm management devices, electrical signals sensed in the body and electrical signals delivered to the body need to pass through the hermetic seal. These electrical signals must pass through the hermetic seal of the device and yet be insulated from the metal case. This is accomplished with feedthroughs. Feedthroughs are comprised of an electrical conductor, usually a pin, passing through insulating material and providing connection from circuitry internal to the can to a point external to the can while maintaining the hermetic seal.
Electromagnetic signals from external electrical sources encountered in a patient's normal environment can also pass through the feedthrough and interfere with proper operation of the implantable device. Consequently, electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters are provided to prevent unwanted electromagnetic signals from being sensed by the device and interfering with its normal operation. For cardiac rhythm management devices these filters must be designed to withstand electrical signals of several hundred volts that can be encountered during electrocautery, external defibrillation or internal defibrillation if the device is an implantable defibrillator. Also, the filters must also be located as close as possible to the hermetic seal to prevent or minimize entry of the signals into the metal case.
Often, the EMI filters are comprised of capacitors provided with the feedthroughs as a custom designed assembly. The assemblies are extremely costly due to the complex processes required in their manufacture. Also, interconnecting the custom filtered feedthroughs and the rest of the assemblies in the device are often difficult to control effectively. One result is that it is difficult to obtain and maintain sources for the filtered feedthrough. What is needed is an assembly that meets the design challenges required of filtered feedthroughs for medical devices yet reduces cost and increases their availability.

Integrated electromagnetic interference filters and feedthroughs


A method and apparatus for manufacturing a shoe for an animal is disclosed. The hoof of an animal may be aligned to a pre-determined position. The animal may then be examined against a criteria. It is then determined whether the bone structure of the animal satisfies the criteria. The hoof may be re-aligned to a different pre-determined position if the criteria is not satisfied. A shoe is then manufactured for the animal according to position data corresponding to a satisfactory position.

The art of shoeing horses is an old and often mysterious craft. In fact, the meaning of the term "farrier" has changed dramatically over the centuries from a horse doctor to a person who shoes horses. Many people are often surprised by the volume of treatments and remedies found in old farriery books. However, there is generally a lack of information on horseshoeing.
Farriers generally shoe horses for many reasons, such as protection for the hoof, to enhance performance, or for therapeutic reasons. In the case of a therapeutic shoe, features can be included in the shoe for corrective reasons to help make a horse sound, to relieve pain, and to correct for problems in the suspensory confirmation of a particular horse.
As is known by those of ordinary skill in the art, the front feet of a horse carries 65% of the load during movement, with the rear feet responsible for the 35% balance. Hence, health problems in horses tend to manifest in the front hooves rather than the rear hooves due to the increased load.
However, no system exists to allow qualified personnel such as a veterinarian to examine a horse and prescribe a corrective shoe in a standardized manner.

Method and apparatus for prescribing and manufacturing a corrective horseshoe