A die cushion drive system provided with a servo motor serving as a source of drive power for a die cushion of a press machine and a power circuit with a regeneration function which regenerates energy from the servo motor and returns it to an AC power supply, whereby it is possible to power the die cushion drive system by a servo motor and return the regenerated energy of this servo motor to the power source so as to save on energy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a die cushion drive system of a press machine, more particularly relates to a die cushion drive system powered by a servo motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oil pressure has been used as the source of drive power of a die cushion of a press machine in the related art.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of a die cushion drive system of a press machine of the related art. In the figure, 51 indicates a slide moving vertically to press sheet metal or another worked object (not shown), 52 a die cushion for applying pressure upward to the worked object, 53 a motor for driving the slide 51, 54 a mechanism for converting the rotational energy of the motor to energy of vertical motion, 55 an arm for giving this vertical motion energy to the slide 51, 56 an oil pressure cylinder, 57 an oil pressure pipe, and 58 an oil pressure apparatus.
At the time of power operation, the energy from the motor 53 is used to make the slide 51 move downward and oil is transmitted from the oil pressure apparatus 58 through the oil pressure pipe 57 to the oil pressure cylinder 56, whereby the die cushion 52 is pushed upward and the worked object is worked.
In the above oil pressure type die cushion drive system of the related art, when the force from the slide 51 to the die cushion 52 is higher than the force from the die cushion 52 to the slide 51, energy is transmitted in the direction of the illustrated bold arrows and radiated from the oil pressure apparatus 58 as heat, so there was the problem that energy was wastefully consumed.


The subject matter relates to multiple parallel ensembles of early stage spherical pulses radiated through engineered arrays forming the foundation for quantized computer processors taking advantage of integer thermodynamics. The materials, architecture and methods for constructing micro- and/or nano-scale three-dimensional cellular arrays, cellular series logic gates, and signature logic form the basis of small- and large-scale apparatuses used to execute logic, data bases, memory, mathematics, artificial intelligence, prime factorization, optical routing and artificial thought tasks not otherwise replicated in electron-based circuits. Unlike prior art electric-current based computational devices—that by definition dissipate heat and consume significant power to achieve computational output—the types of logic gates described do not shed waste heat and minimally consume power, which is desirable for embedded computers, ultra high-throughput computation, low-power consumption data centers and extended battery life devices.

1. Field
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to spherical electromagnetic pulses radiated through engineered arrays forming the foundation of quantized computer processes and apparatuses that utilize the integer properties inherent to said pulses and arrays.
2. Information
Continuum mechanics engineering models lose relevance as the ratio of surface area-to-volume in the system under consideration becomes exceedingly large. The prior art lacks sufficient engineering methods for controlling and constructing thermodynamic and heat transfer processes at the nanometer scale.
Today's commercial computing devices may utilize transistors with components on the nanometer and {acute over (Å)}ngström scale, and the transistors and the logic gates that comprise them use electric current and semiconductors. But electric current, when put through transistors in logic gates, necessarily generates heat, generates unevenly distributed heat, generates heat that is in the vicinity of insulating and non-optimal heat transfer materials, may generate stray current, have wires that increase in resistance and capacitance per unit length as they become smaller and consumes significant power to execute logic and arithmetic operations. These significant problems are increased at the smaller scale, despite the fact that the industry standard component feature size in computer hardware in the prior art has progressively gotten smaller.
Generating the same or more heat within smaller-and-smaller nano-scale volume sources by definition challenges the available surface area for the heat removal. Hot spots and generally excessive heat, has several draw backs, including injuring long-duration operation of said transistors.
Even though the problem of heat generation in electric current based logic gates originates at the nano- and micro-scale, the end effect at the macro scale is that large and multi-user devices, such as data centers, consume massive amounts of expensive and environmentally taxing power to conduct operations and computer cooling. According to a 2012 article in the MIT Technology Review [Apr. 30, 2012], all computer operations combined in the world account for about 2% of the world's CO2 emissions due to power consumption, which is almost as much as the Aviation Industry. While at the hand-held and still smaller scale, batteries are burdened by the processes conducted by embedded integrated circuits.
The computer hardware industry's quest to increase the number of gates on a chip is impeded by heat removal and power efficiency inherent to electron-based computation and made worse at the nanometer scale [Microprocesor Architecture, Jean-Loup Baer, 2010, Cambridge University Press, Computer Architecture, John Hennessy & David Patterson, Third Edition, 2003, Morgan Kaufman]. Ongoing development work for some decades has sought to decrease power requirement per computation or to provide cooling for ever smaller transistors.
3D stacked chips based on electric current offer an intriguing hope for increasing computing power per unit volume. However, the prior art for 3D stacked chips has significant gaps. For example, putting transistors, which generate heat, in a micro-scale or millimeter-scale multi-stack by definition decreases the surface area available for heat removal. Despite all the efficiency increases projected for 3D electric-current based chip stacks, they will always consume significant power per computation; therefore, burden batteries, limit embedded devices, and foreshorten the customer's experience. The all electric-current-based microprocessor paradigm may be close to running its course.
Heat dissipation in electric current based gates whether in 3D or 2D chips indicates that such electric current based processes are irreversible. Irreversibility can be a useful property, since a definite result is sought; however, irreversibility derived from high heat dissipation per computation is a high energy price in classical computers.
Additional difficulties with the electric-current based paradigm include the prime factorization of large numbers. Encryption and defeating public-key cryptography schemes such as RSA, utilizing prime factorization of a large integer on a classical irreversible electric-current based computer is said to be infeasible or consume impractical amount of computing time (more than polynomial with input size) ["Polynomial-Time Algorithms for Prime Factorization and Discrete Logarithms on a Quantum Computer", Peter Shor, 1996 & 1994, The 35th Annual Symposium on the Foundations of Computer Science].
Containing information in quantum form and the ability to manipulate quantum information may enable tasks that would be unachievable in a classical electric current based computer, including, the unconditionally secure transmission of information.
Superconductor based [D-Wave type devices] may offer a high computation capability which perhaps (but not yet proven as of the time of writing this document) could address some of the benefits of quantum computing. Yet today's superconductors tend to operate at temperatures well below ambient, thus requiring refrigeration and insulation. Computers based-on cryogenic temperature range superconductors cannot, without additional technology breakthroughs, reasonably be placed in small embedded computing devices nor can they likely offer relief to computer data center power consumption.
The public domain literature describes aspects of optical computing, which is sometimes referred to photonic computing. Literature reference to optical computing usually does not include quantum computing. Optical logic gates, optical switches, optical interconnections, and optical memory have been fabricated, but hybrid electric current optical devices are most often discussed as realizable. The prior art for light-based computing lacks practical, petit apparatuses. Lasers are commonly considered the source of illumination, but light-emitting diodes are also considered frequently for increased tolerance to noise. However, reliance on these light sources utilizes significant power to operate, may require materials to be maintained at temperatures well below room temperature and they use well-developed plane waves, not taking advantage of the properties of newly initiated spherical radiating waves. In this regard, although the current work uses radiating pulses, the term optical computing is not applied to the current work.
The prior art lacks a low-to no heat dissipating computer; irreversible (without heat generation) computing processes; ultra low power consuming CPU/ALU for embedded high-throughput computations; fast prime factorization capable low cost computer; low power consuming data centers; methods for engineering energy transfers on the nanoscale; a method to increase gate density on a chip surpassing limitations from transistor heat generation; and practical optical computing devices.
Research is ongoing to improve microprocessors. Since the scale of integrated circuit unit operations have decreased, such as transistors in the low nanometer or even {acute over (Å)}ngström-level, applicable engineering laws at this level are underway, and essential for a breakthrough in microprocessors.
Various expositions have been written on the potential role of Integer thermodynamics at the very small scale [Donald Chakeres, Harmonic Quantum Integer Relationships of the Fundamental Particles and Bosons, Particle Physics Insights, February 2009]. Experimental results show the existence of what may be expected intuitively: at the very small scale thermodynamic interactions may be quantized.
Regarding the Quantum Hall Effect, the von Klitzing discovery shows quantized integer fractions for resistance magnitudes that step up and maintain for specific plateaus as magnetic field is increased.
The integer quantum Hall effect is a quantum version of the Hall Effect observed in low temperature and strong magnetic field where it is experimentally verified that the Hall conductivity has quantized values relating the channel current to the Hall voltage through the e (elemental charge), h Planck's constant and an integer or fractions of integers.
Thus the Hall conductivity or resistance can take on either integer or integer fractional values. As can be immediately clear, quantized fractional integer Hall conductance is uniquely precise, since it is the ratio of integers.
Experimental measurements of the Hall conductance display integer fractional multiples of e2/h to nearly 10−9 precision. Presumably, the theoretical quantized values are exact, and the experimental results are accurate to 1 part in a billion. A computer with this level of accuracy (exact or 10−9 accuracy) in mathematical manipulations would be beneficial particularly if that accuracy carried through in integer thermodynamic equations.
Roemer and Sohrmann report electron-electron interactions within the integer quantum Hall regime, where the presence of a strong magnetic field and two-dimensional confinement of the electronic system profoundly affects thermodynamic and transport properties. [Roemer, Rudolf A. and Sohrmann, C. (2008) Hartree-Fock interactions in the integer quantum Hall effect. Physica Status Solidi. B: Basic Research, Vol. 245 (No. 2). pp. 336-343]
Prime factorization using a quantum computer is a goal for a direction of new microprocessor research [Nature Physics Volume: 8, Pages: 719-723 August 2012); Computing Prime Factors with a Josephson Phase Quibit Quantum Processor, John Martinis, et. al.] And Integer research in physics has continued and growing interest.
There may be generally valid thermodynamic relationships that function at the quantum integer fraction level that are applicable to engineering systems at the very small scale. Moseley's law is another quantum property that may be an indication of the reach of said phenomenon. Indicating there may be quantized thermodynamic inter-relationships governing physical properties at the very small scale.
In the current work, the term "quantum" is used for several reasons which will become evident throughout this description of the apparatuses, methods and materials. Reported in the current document are findings in quantum integer thermodynamics and their application to engineering a radiating pulse-based quantum processor.

Methods and materials for integer quantum computing


A method of producing sodium bicarbonate having a high degree of purity and obtaining a net reduction in effluent waste water, as compared to prior processes, when starting from trona ore is disclosed. The process entails utilizing the waste-water effluent stream from the conversion of trona ore to sodium carbonate as the feed for the conversion of sodium carbonate to sodium bicarbonate.

The commercial production of sodium bicarbonate generally begins with the mining of trona ore, which is processed in "soda" plants to produce sodium carbonate. The desired product of that production is a high quality and fairly pure sodium carbonate product. In normal sodium bicarbonate production the pure sodium carbonate product is then converted to sodium bicarbonate in a separate plant. The conversion of the carbonate to bicarbonate is typically done in a "no waste-water effluent" manner.
The actual mining of trona ore may be accomplished by either dry mining or solution mining. Following dry mining, the trona ore is conventionally processed according to either the sesquicarbonate process or the monocarbonate process. The sesquicarbonate process involves a series of steps, including: dissolving crude mined trona in a cycling, hot mother liquor containing excess normal sodium carbonate over sodium bicarbonate in order to dissolve the trona congruently, clarifying the insoluble muds from the solution, filtering the solution, passing the filtrate to a series of vacuum crystallizers where water is evaporated and the solution is cooled causing sodium sesquicarbonate to crystallize out of the solution in a stable crystal phase, recycling the mother liquor to dissolve more crude trona and calcining the sesquicarbonate crystals at a temperature sufficient to convert same to sodium carbonate, or soda ash.
A more direct and simplified method developed subsequently to the sesquicarbonate process is the monohydrate process. The monohydrate process tends to yield a dense, organic-free sodium carbonate product through a series of steps which include: calcining the crude trona ore at a temperature of about 125 degrees C. to about 500 C. to convert the trona ore to crude sodium carbonate and to reduce the amount of the organics by oxidation and distillation, dissolving the crude sodium carbonate in water, clarifying the resulting sodium carbonate solution to remove insoluables as muds therfrom, filtering the clarified solution, evaporating water from the clarified and filtered sodium carbonate solution in an evaporator circuit, crystallizing sodium monohydrate crystals from the pregnant mother liquor, calcining the monohydrate crystals to produce a dense, organic-free sodium carbonate product and recycling the mother liquor from the crystals to the evaporation step. The dense soda ash product produced by the monohydrate process has become has become the standard product of the trona based sodium carbonate/soda ash industry.
Still another trona processing technology involves solution mining. Solution mining has become of more interest as costs associated with dry mining have increased. Futhermore, solution mining offers a process by which the large quantities of ore remaining as pillars, walls, and ceilings in previously dry mined areas may be recovered. In its simplest form, solution mining involves dissolving trona ore into a solution and recovering sodium products from the solution. For example, a trona ore deposit, or other sodium-containing ore, is contacted with a solvent, such as water. The water dissolves the trona ore creating a brine. The brine is recovered and processed to recover sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium monohydrate, or other sodium products. The sodium depleted brine is typically recycled to the trona ore deposit to dissolve additional trona.
Over the years, commercial waste-water production has been severely curtailed by governmental action. First, water use demand needs to be kept low in commercial processes (where possible) so as to allow for adequate supplies for personal use and for commercial use that cannot be further reduced. Second, effluent water must be treated before being released into the environment so as to have as little an impact on the environment as possible. Unfortunately, waste-water treatment facilities are limited by both the volume of waste-water they can handle and the contaminants which might be in the waste-water. For these reasons, there has been severe governmental pressures to keep the volume of waste-water from commercial facilities to as low an amount as possible. In this vein, the amount of waste-water which can be discharged by a commercial plant is heavily regulated and subject to governmental permits.
Therefore, processes that allow for a reduction of effluent waste-water over current commercial production processes are highly sought after.
In addition, as non-renewable natural resources, such as mined ore, are used, there becomes an ever increasing need to extract more and more desired product from the production line using the same amount of starting ore. It would be highly desired to recover any significant amount of additional product without having to mine additional ore.
To achieve both additional production of desired product and simultaneously reduce effluent waste-water is a truly prized situation that is desired in any commercial process. Achieving these typically requires a trade-off in reduced product purity; to achieve these with improved product purity would obviously be the best possible result.


Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a NAND flash device. After a source line plug hole is formed, a drain contact plug hole is formed. The holes are filled with a conductive material film and are then polished. It is therefore possible to simplify the process since a blanket etch process step is omitted. Moreover, loss of a drain contact plug by the blanket etch process is prevented. It is therefore possible to improve the electrical properties of a device and reduce the manufacturing cost price.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a NAND flash device, and, more specifically, to a method for forming a drain contact and a source contact in a NAND flash device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A cell array of a NAND flash device is connected in a string unlike a common flash device. Due to this property, a drain contact and a source line contact for a global ground, which are connected by a bit line, are located at both ends of the string. These contacts are connected to the junction of a select transistor for string control.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view shown to explain a method for manufacturing a flash device in a prior art.
FIG. 2 is a SEM photography for explaining conventional problems.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a first interlayer insulating film 12 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 10 on which a cell string 20 for storing electrical information therein, a drain select transistor 30 for selecting a drain terminal of the cell string 20 and a source select transistor 40 for selecting a source terminal of the cell string 20 are formed.
The first interlayer insulating film 12 on a source region of the source select transistor 40 is removed by a predetermined etch process, thus forming a source line contact hole. After a polysilicon film is deposited, a chemical mechanical polishing using the first interlayer insulating film 12 as a stop layer is implemented to fill the source line contact with polysilicon, so that a source line plug 14 is formed.
A second interlayer insulating film 16 is formed. A photoresist pattern (not shown) through which a drain contact region is opened is then formed. The second and first interlayer insulating film 12 and 16 on a drain region of the drain select transistor 30 are removed by means of an etch process using the photoresist pattern as an etch mask, forming a drain contact hole. After a polysilicon film is deposited, the polysilicon film on the second interlayer insulating film 16 is removed by means of a blanket etch process. Thus, the drain contact hole is filled with polysilicon, forming a drain contact plug 18. In case of the blanket etch process, there is a danger that excessive plug poly within the contact may be lost (see "A" region in FIG. 1). Further, the blanket etch process is disadvantageous in view of process control. Excessive loss of plug poly causes a part of a nitride film for etch stop due to lack of an etch target to remain when a bit line contact and a bit line are formed by means of a subsequent damascene process. It results in degradation of electrical properties in the device (see FIG. 2).
Furthermore, one of the most critical things in the processes of forming the contacts in the NAND flash device is a formation of a drain contact. In an etch process for forming the drain contact of a NAND flash device of below 100 nm class, a margin of photoresist film is lowered. Accordingly, there is a problem that reduction in a thickness of the photoresist film is greater than reduction in a thickness of the second interlayer insulating film when the contact is etched. As described above, the drain contact plug and the source line plug are formed using independent processes. Accordingly, there is a problem that the productivity is low since a total number of masks and process steps are increased. Furthermore, it is difficult to control an overlay since each contact plug and independent mask alignment are required.

Method for manufacturing NAND flash device


Systems and methods are provided herein for identifying viewers who are engaged in a media asset but unlikely to consume secondary content, and presenting, to the identified viewers, some secondary content designed to incentivize the identified viewers to consume secondary content. These systems and methods determine that a viewer is engaged in a media asset upon determining level of engagement of the viewer in the media asset is greater than a threshold value. These systems and methods determine that the viewer is unlikely to consume secondary content upon determining level of engagement of the viewer in secondary content is less than a threshold value. These systems and methods, upon determining that the viewer is engaged in the media asset but unlikely to consume secondary content, generate for display secondary content related to the media asset during breaks in the media asset.

In media systems in the related art, primary content providers may select secondary content to be presented to a viewer based on characteristics associated with the viewer. Primary content providers, such as channels that provide television programming, target secondary content that plays between segments of media assets in a manner that attempts to maximize revenue. For example, primary content providers may target viewers who are engaged in a given media asset for presentation on secondary content. However, primary content providers do not account for a subset of viewers, within the group of viewers that is engaged in the media asset, who skip consuming secondary content. For example, a viewer may skip consuming secondary content being presented on a channel by switching to a different channel for duration of the secondary content. A viewer may skip consuming secondary content by turning off the sound during presentation of the secondary content. As a result, secondary content presented to viewers who are engaged in a media asset may not be optimally monetized.

Systems and methods for selecting type of secondary content to present to a specific subset of viewers of a media asset


Methods for fabricating diffusion regions having steep concentration profiles within MOS devices while minimizing junction capacitance degradation are provided. In particular, methods are provided which include patterning a gate structure upon a semiconductor substrate and subsequently etching a recess in exposed portions of the substrate. In some cases, the method includes forming a first dopant region within the exposed portions prior to etching the recess. The method may additionally or alternatively include implanting a second set of dopants into portions of the semiconductor substrate bordering the recess. In either case, the method includes growing an epitaxial layer within the recess and implanting a third set of dopants into the semiconductor topography to form a second dopant region extending to a depth at least within the epitaxial layer. A resulting semiconductor topography includes a source/drain region comprising an upper portion consisting essentially of first dopants of a first conductivity type.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to processes for fabricating integrated circuits and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a method of forming MOS devices having steep diffusion region profiles.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following descriptions and examples are given as background information only.
Ion strikes on drain nodes of semiconductor memory devices, such as static random access memory (SRAM) devices for example, can perturb drain node voltages and can flip the state of the device resulting in a single event upset (SEU). In particular, ion strikes can generate electron-hole pairs which travel along the path of a single energetic particle as it passes through the depletion region of memory cells where reverse biasing is applied between a drain region and well of a transistor. Sources of these ion strikes include alpha particles from radioactive materials and particles generated by neutrons from cosmic rays. Due to the rearrangement of charge carriers following an ion strike, a depletion region can collapse and, in turn, funneling from the depletion region can result from minority carrier flow through the substrate. As a consequence, the drain node voltage is perturbed and the state of the memory device may be flipped. The length of the funneling and the time period or duration thereof are dependent on well doping concentration. In some cases, feedback enables or causes the memory device to be flipped continuously until an input is applied to the device. After the depletion region recovers from the ion strikes, holes formed in the well region during funneling are pushed out by an electric field produced by normal biasing and the pre-ion strike potential is restored.
To reduce the occurrence of SEUs, which is commonly referred to as the soft error rate (SER), it is desirable for: (i) the voltage perturbation on drain nodes be as small and short as possible; (ii) recovery be as fast as possible; and (iii) feedback be as slow as possible. Generally, there are three avenues with which to approach resolving or preventing the problems associated with ion strikes. These include intervention at the process technology level, circuit level, and the system level. Typically, circuit and system level approaches reduce performance of memory devices and/or result in a severe area penalty through the addition of devices, such as body taps to the circuits. Several known process level approaches rely on the fact that having higher well doping concentrations improves SER by providing shorter funneling length, higher well conductance, and faster recovery. In addition, higher well conductance may also reduce single event latch-up (SEL) occurrences, which is another type of failure in CMOS technologies. SEL occurs when neighboring NMOS and PMOS regions form parasitic bipolar junction transistor circuits which result in destructive device failure due to excessive substrate current. It is believed that SEL failures can be reduced by decreasing the input node bias values in parasitic bipolar junction transistor circuits. For example, higher well concentrations may be used to in turn produce higher well conductance to decrease the input node bias values.
There are a few approaches that may be used to achieve high doping concentrations in well regions. One utilizes a retrograde well implant before gate definition. Although a retrograde well implant may provide an improvement over previous devices having standard doping in well regions, the level and gradient of impurity concentration within the well (referred to herein as the steepness of the well) is limited by both the design specifications of the ensuing transistor and the fabrication steps used to form the transistor. For instance, an implant dose used to produce a well may be limited by channel region design specifications. In particular, too high of an implant dose for a well region can undesirably affect the doping concentration of a channel region formed for an ensuing gate structure. In addition, the well implants may diffuse during subsequent thermal processing steps used to form the gate structure and, therefore, the concentration and gradient level of impurities within the well may change, and most likely move to leveling out from their implanted state.
Another approach utilizes additional implants after the formation of tip or source/drain regions on opposing sides of a patterned gate structure. The higher well concentration produced by this approach, however, results in higher capacitance at the junction between the source/drain regions and the well region and, consequently, a lower junction breakdown voltage level. Moreover, steepness of the well is limited to the impurity profile as implanted. Another known approach for producing high well doping concentrations includes the use of epitaxial (EPI) wafers or substrates in which retrograde wells are prefabricated. This approach is also not wholly satisfactory for a number of reasons. First, the cost of EPI substrates is substantially more expensive than standard substrates or wafers. Second, EPI substrates are generally formed of one conductivity type. Hence, the benefit of using an EPI substrate to achieve high well concentration is limited only to one type of device, either NMOS or PMOS. Third, in order to effectively reduce the overall SER a very thin EPI layer has to be grown on top of the substrate, causing process control and variability issues. Thus, using EPI substrates is not optimal reducing SER within memory devices.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to develop a method for producing MOS devices having well regions with steep well profiles, whereby the SER resulting from such devices is improved. It is further desirable that the method improve SEL and MOS performance while minimizing junction capacitance degradation. It is still further desirable that the method also improve short channel effects and contact resistance of the MOS device produced thereby.

Methods for forming super-steep diffusion region profiles in MOS devices and resulting semiconductor topographies


A control circuit for controlling an operation mode in a pseudo-static RAM. A chip enable control circuit generates a first group of control signals in synchronism with a change in level of a chip enable signal. A second control circuit receives a chip select signal and the first group of control signals, latches a chip select signal on the basis of a signal of the first group of control signals, and generates a second control signal in accordance with the latched signal. A third control circuit controls a write enable signal with an inverted replica of the second control signal and an inverted replica of a predetermined one of the first control signals in the first group of control signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control circuit for controlling an operation mode in a pseudo-static RAM, in particular, a chip select standby mode in a pseudo-static RAM.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to increase the integration density of a static RAM, memory cells are employed as in a dynamic RAM and a counter for refreshing is formed, together with the memory cells, on a common chip as known in the art. By so doing, a pseudo-static RAM (PSRAM) is realized which operates in a manner similar to that of a static RAM.
For PSRAM, write and read modes and CS (chip select) standby mode are known as specific modes. In a PSRAM, the operation mode is determined in accordance with the level of the chip select signal CS at a time when a chip enable signal CE of the PSRAM becomes a "low (L)" level. At the time when the chip enable signal CE becomes a "L" level, for example, a normal write or a normal read mode is involved if the chip select signal CS is a "high (H)" level and a CS standby mode is involved. If the chip select signal CS is a "L" level, at the time when the CE signal becomes a "L" level, a program operation, such as the write operation in a chip, is inhibited.
A control circuit associated with the CS standby mode in a PSRAM is arranged as set out below. A chip enable control circuit generates a group of control signals (.phi.CE, .phi.P1, .phi.P2) in synchronism with the chip enable signal CE. A chip select control circuit latches the chip select signal CS with the group of use of the control signals (.phi.CE, .phi.P1, .phi.P2) and delivers a latched signal .phi.CS as an output signal. A write enable control circuit delivers a write enable signal WE in accordance with the latched signal .phi.CS.
A relation of the operation of these control circuits to their associated signals is as follows.
At a time of normal data write-in operation, a write enable signal .phi.WE of the write enable control circuit is made active and the write series circuit is set in an operable state. With the chip enable signal CE at a "H" level, a normal standby state is involved. With the chip enable signal CE and chip select signal CS both at the "L" levels, the CS standby mode is involved. In a normal standby state and CS standby mode, the write enable signal .phi.WE is controlled by the write enable control circuit to be inactive. At this time, a dissipation current is suppressed to a minimum in the write series circuit.
As a signal for controlling the write enable control circuit, the latch signal .phi.CS is employed which is outputted from the chip select control circuit. The latch signal .phi.CS is delivered as an output signal when and only when the chip select signal CS is latched by the group of control signals (.phi.CE, .phi.P1, .phi.P2) subsequent to the transmission of the group of control signals (.phi.CE, .phi.P1, .phi.P2) to the chip select control circuit. Thus, the latch signal .phi.CS is delivered as an output signal with a considerable delay of time.
If the chip select signal CS is in the "H" level when the chip enable signal CE goes to the "L" level, a write enable signal .phi.WE of the write enable control circuit is made active to obtain a read mode. Since, however, the write enable control circuit is controlled by only the latched signal .phi.CS, the generation of the write enable signal is delayed, causing a marked decrease in the write operation margin.

Control circuit for controlling an operation mode in a pseudo-static ram


A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises forming a dummy gate pattern and a spacer that is arranged on a sidewall of the dummy gate pattern on a substrate, forming an air gap on both sides of the dummy gate pattern by removing the spacer, exposing the substrate by removing the dummy gate pattern, and sequentially forming a gate insulating film including a high-k insulating film and a metal gate electrode on the exposed substrate.

The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device.
With the development of electronic technology, efforts to down-size semiconductor devices are rapidly occurring. Since semiconductor devices may require high operating speeds and accuracy in operation, research for optimizing the structure of transistors that are included in semiconductor devices have been under way.

Method for fabricating semiconductor device


A premises communication hub includes a primary communications module, a secondary communications module, a power supply, and a charging module. The primary communications module is configured to receive a premises signal from a premises device and transmit an external signal to a remote server. The secondary communications module is configured to receive the premises signal from the premises device and transmit the external signal to the remote server. The power supply includes a primary power input configured to receive power from a primary power source and a secondary power input configured to receive power from a secondary power source. The power supply is electrically connected to the primary communications module and the secondary communications module. And, the charging module is electrically connected to the secondary power source and configured to recharge the secondary power source.

The number of network-connected devices at a premise is increasing. However, oftentimes such network-connected devices at a premise may utilize different network communication protocols. For instance, network-connected devices from one manufacturer may use a different communication protocol for network communications than network-connected devices from another manufacturer. Proposals for a standard network communication protocol have been made with the aim to facilitate a premise ecosystem where all devices can join the ecosystem without the end user needing to be concerned with communication protocol compatibility.


A defect inspection apparatus is disclosed that includes a stage, a photosensitive element, and a controller. The stage can support a semiconductor element that has a plurality of complete dies and partial dies surrounding the complete dies. The photosensitive element is located above the stage. The controller is electrically connected to the photosensitive element to drive the photosensitive element to inspect the defects of the complete dies and the partial dies.

With the development of science and technology, there are a wide variety of electric products provided in the consumer market. Therefore, different sizes of semiconductor elements are required for the electrical products.
When a wafer includes large dies or slender dies, there are partial dies (i.e., incomplete dies) surrounding complete dies formed at the edge of the wafer. However, since conventional defect scan tools can only focus on the complete dies of the wafer, additional devices, such as optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), are required to check if defects exist in the partial dies.
As result, if the wafers suffer from vibrations in the process, the conventional defect scan tools only can inspect the defect and collect defect information of the complete dies without the defect information of the partial dies at the same time. Technicians need to spend much more time confirming that the partial die area is defect free through the additional devices.

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


The materials to be treated, for instance, molded resin articles with resin films coated thereon are treated by relatively simple means to separate and remove the resin film coatings from the surfaces thereof, and are further treated to recover them as a raw-form of resin material or a resin material regulated such that its particle diameter lies within a given particle diameter range, or the materials to be treated, for instance, powder materials are pulverized and granulated. A molded resin article is crushed to small pieces, to which compression impacts based on fine vibrations are in turn applied for squeezing, and resin film coatings separated off the small pieces are removed. The thus treated small pieces are further re-pulverized, and frictional crushing impacts are applied to the thus pulverized pieces as well for polishing and size-regulation. Alternatively, directional fine vibrations are applied to one of the inner and outer compression impact surfaces of inner and outer compression impact members that are located in opposition to each other with a given gap between them to pulverize and squeeze the material to be treated that is fed between the compression impact surfaces, thereby separating surface thin films therefrom for granulation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for pulverization and separation and a process for pulverization, separation and size-regulation as well as an apparatus for pulverization and separation, an apparatus for pulverization and granulation or pulverization, separation and granulation and an apparatus for polishing and size-regulation.
More specifically, the present invention is applicable to:
A pulverizing and separating process in which a variety of molded resin articles covered on their surfaces with resin films composed mainly of a resin material for decorating and/or protecting purposes are crushed into a plurality of a coarse particle-form of small pieces and the resin films are separated and removed from the small pieces to regenerate them as a raw-form of resin material;
A pulverizing, separating and size-regulating process wherein the resin material mentioned above is regulated to a suitable particle size, if required, to regenerate it in the form of a resin material comprising particles lying in a given particle diameter range, so that second-mentioned resin material can be recycled;
A pulverizing and separating process wherein a conductive material such as copper or aluminum is separated by pulverization from a covering material that is used with insulating electrical wires or cords, for instance, vinyl chloride, crosslinked polyethylene or synthetic rubber;
A separating process wherein plastics that are insulators for various components such as computer or word processor components are separated from metals that are conductors inclusive of semiconductors or a process for separating insulators from conductors;
A pulverizing and separating apparatus which can be used to treat resin materials;
An apparatus for separating and removing the resin films from the coarse particle-form of small pieces, or for crushing molded powder articles including a relatively hard, molded resin article (that may also hereinafter be referred to simply as the powder articles) to obtain a plurality of a coarse particle-form of materials including a relatively hard resin material (that may also hereinafter be referred to simply as the powder materials) and pulverizing or frictionally crushing the powder materials within a given particle diameter range or to a given thickness; and
A pulverizing and granulating or pulverizing, separating and granulating apparatus and a polishing and size-regulating apparatus wherein molded powder articles including a relatively soft, molded resin article (that may also hereinafter be referred to simply as the molded powder articles) are crushed to obtain a coarse particle-form of powder materials including a relatively soft resin material and the powder materials can then be regulated in terms of size and granulated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, resin articles shaped and formed of resin materials such as a variety of naturally occurring or synthetic resins are now used in many applications, both in many types and in large amounts, incidental to a variety of life styles. At present, however, such various problems as mentioned below arise in connection with their post-use treatments.
As well known in the art, most resin materials constituting molded resin articles are characterized by their own properties, i.e. they have excellent water resistance and weather resistance and are difficult to corrode, but they spew about large amounts of harmful gases and fumes that are undesired in view of society and environment, for instance, when incinerated in an incinerator for disposal purposes. In addition, there is a disadvantage that uncombusted components of the resin material melt during incineration and are deposited onto the inner wall of the incinerator, presenting a risk of doing damage to it. Warding off this defect may be achieved by burying the molded resin articles underground. However, since they remain uncorroded over an extended period, they appear to present another factor for environmental disruption.
On the other hand, such resin materials will yearly be exhausted due to resource depletion, and it is now demanded and recognized that the post-use resin materials must be recycled without disposal. For such recycling or regenerating purposes, what types of resins are used are indicated on the molded resin articles.
Usually or in most cases, molded resin articles to be recycled for the recycling purposes mentioned above are provided on their surfaces with resin films for decorating, that is to say, polishing, matting and coloring purposes or with a view to improving their properties such as wear resistance and weather resistance much more considerably or, in other words, protecting them. As an example, about 75% by weight material of a car is now recycled, but most of it is a metal material and the rest or 25% is rejected in the form of dust, in which about 30% by weight of plastics are contained. For instance, bumper parts for various vehicles are usually produced by applying a polyester urethane type coat of about 15 .mu.m to 30 .mu.m in thickness onto a substrate member made of polypropylene and having a thickness of about 2.5 mm to 5 mm.
Generally, the resin films coated on the surfaces of the molded resin articles are formed with the use of resin materials differing from those forming such articles in terms of type and properties, or alternatively formed of resin materials of different colors. When such resin materials of varying types and with varying properties and colors are recycled as such, not only are articles obtained by this recycling much inferior in terms of mechanical properties such as impact strength, but any surface smoothness and color as desired cannot be obtained as well.
Until now, the molded resin articles to be recovered have usually been recycled for each resin material having the same type and properties with the foregoing in mind.
However, the resin films coated on the surfaces of molded resin articles are so relatively thin and have such strong adhesion strength that they cannot easily peel off; that is, they are likely to have various undesired properties and so are not well suited for mechanical treatments; thus throughputs are low even when relying upon mechanical peeling and discriminating means such as well-known shot blasting. Another disadvantage is that when it is intended to peel and discriminate off such resin films by pulverizer means such as ball-milling, they cannot easily peel off, because they melt by frictional heat during pulverization.
For instance, when it is intended to feed the materials to be treated into a specific treating zone through a feeding opening such as a hopper, the materials build up even in the hopper and so agglomerate to provide a solid matter that is not fed into the hopper in a stable manner. To add to this, there may be another disadvantage that clogging or other trouble is likely to occur among the individual materials to be treated in the treating zone.
In order to subject the resin materials differing in type and properties to a separation-by-dissolution treatment with the use of an organic solvent that allows them to be associated with each other, it is required that the polypropylene material itself be denatured, and the need of using a melting-by-heating step or other additional steps lowers throughputs. This in turn causes treating equipment to be excessively increased in size, offering an economical problem and, besides, poses much difficulty due to the need of post-treatments such as the step of neutralizing the used solvent.
The problems associated with the recovery of the resin materials mentioned above, for the most part, are true of other powder materials as well.
In some cases, resin films must be released and removed from such articles of resin material as mentioned above, for example, resin materials deposited with said resin films on them or powder materials containing resin materials alone. When the material to be treated is so relatively hard that it must be pulverized within a given particle diameter range, or when it is relatively soft, it is often required to be granulated with the particle diameters lying within a given range. In addition, these operations should be carried out by a single treating apparatus. However, there is still no treating arrangement meeting and accommodating such demands, although this is partly because of such considerations as mentioned above.
Further, when it is intended to recycle copper, aluminum or other material that are conductors by removing a covering insulator material from insulated electrical wires or cords, the conductor portions are pulled out of the covering material while it is torn in the lengthwise direction. Alternatively, lengthwise cutouts are provided in the covering material, and the wires or cords are then cut to a given length. After that, torsion is induced in the cut wires or cords to separate the covering material from the conductors.
When the covering material is combustible, it is attempted to burn off that material completely in an incinerator as well.
Conventional means for removing covering insulator materials physically or torsionally have some defects or, in other words, they are low in separation efficiency or are impractical.
Burning off the covering material that is an insulator is easy to carry out, but poses some problem, i.e., gives rise to spewing about harmful gases or large amounts of fumes and reducing the serviceability of the furnace.
In the case of computers and word processors no longer suitable for use, a number of conductors inclusive of semiconductors and other parts incorporated in them are simply thrown away with them. As well known in the art, many metals such as semiconductors are used while molded with plastics that are conductors, and so are desired to be recovered and recycled in view of making effective use of resources. However, never until now are any effective means meeting such demand proposed.

Pulverizing, separating, and size regulating molded resin articles


A release and arming mechanism for an ordnance device having an arming block, a pair of opposed jaws pivotally mounted to the arming block, and a solenoid that, when energized, holds the jaws in a closed position around an arming wire. A release lanyard connectable to the ordnance device is clipped to the jaws in such a manner as to hold the jaws in the closed position until such time as the ordnance device is launched. A spring may be placed between the jaws below their pivot points to force the jaws open upon disconnection of the release lanyard.

Release and arming mechanisms for ordnance devices are well known in the art. For obvious safety reasons, ordnance devices are carried on aircraft in an unarmed or non-explosive condition, subject to being armed after release to provide an armed or live ordnance device. When an ordnance device is released from a bomb rack or otherwise ejected or launched, it remains in a "safe" condition in which it will not detonate unless an arming wire connecting the ordnance device to the aircraft is held by a sufficient force to arm the ordnance device.
The arming wire is typically attached to the aircraft or other carrier by an arming mechanism, which, in its normal non-energized state, holds the arming wire against the forces of gravity, acceleration and wind, but releases the arming wire at a tension insufficient to arm the ordnance device. When electrically energized, however, the arming mechanism secures the arming wire in a non-releasable manner so that the ordnance device can be launched in an armed condition. The arming mechanism ensures that any ordnance device unintentionally launched will remain in a safe condition and permits the ordnance device to be intentionally launched in a safe condition, as when it is desired to unload ordnance devices prior to a landing.
According to most military specifications, a typical arming mechanism in an unenergized condition should retain the arming wire up to a predetermined force of 10 to 14 pounds. This retention force was considered to be sufficient to retain the arming wire until the ordnance device was released from the aircraft. After release, the weight of the ordnance device was then considered sufficient to overcome the retention force, pulling the arming wire from the arming mechanism and maintaining the ordnance device in an unarmed condition. It is now known, however, that under some dynamic loading conditions the specified 10 to 14 pound static retention force increases significantly, preventing the arming wire from pulling loose from the arming mechanism. Much of the inadvertent arming of ordnance systems or weaponry has occurred because of the occurrence of these loading conditions.
To overcome this problem, zero retention force mechanisms have been developed to insure that the unenergized arming mechanism will release the arming wire after the ordnance device is launched. One such device is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,462 issued to Carter et al. Such prior devices, however, require major redesign to the delivery system and can be relatively expensive. Furthermore, these special devices and delivery systems are not interchangeable in all applications with old ordnance delivery systems, which have been in the field for many years. For example, no suitable zero retention force mechanisms have been developed for jaw-, ball- or cone-type release and arming mechanisms.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is still a need for an improved release and arming mechanism that enables field replacement on many old jaw-, ball- or cone-type ordnance delivery systems while updating the delivery system with a zero retention force or low retention force capability. Such a mechanism should also increase system reliability and should prevent any catastrophic failure. The present invention satisfies this need.

Low retention force release and arming mechanism for ordinance devices


A windshield visor or visor attachment having a fixed panel and an extendible panel which may be opaque, mirrored, transparent, tinted or photogray. The extendible panel protects the driver against glare or brightness, and against direct effects of the defrost/defog fan. The extendible panel may be positioned by means of rods on the extendible panel cooperating with opposed serrations on the fixed panel, or by means of a detent on the first panel cooperating with cutouts in one edge of the movable panel. Three different methods of attaching this invention to a conventional windshield visor are disclosed.

The problem to overcome is the inadequate performance of existing windshield visors for vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, boats, aircraft and all other vehicles which use windshield visors. In conditions of extreme glare or brightness, conventional existing visors cannot safely cover enough of the vehicle operator's or passenger's field of vision to provide adequate assistance. Also, depending upon the direction of travel, and the sun's location, a vehicle operator or passenger can be subjected to extreme glare from the hood of a car or truck, or from the portion of a boat deck extending fore of the windshield. Extreme glare or brightness can also be caused by the reflection of the sun off the roadway, waterway, or runway on which the vehicle is traveling. Also, vehicle operators and passengers can encounter conditions of extreme glare or brightness when looking at traffic signals or signs which are in a direct line of sight with the sun. Conventional windshield visors cannot safely be used by a vehicle operator or passenger to compensate for these types of glare or brightness.
An additional use of windshield visors is to protect the eyes of vehicle operators and passengers from dryness and foreign particulate material when operating a windshield defrost/defog fan. This is particularly important for vehicle operators who wear contacts. As compared to conventional visors, the new visor provides substantial additional protection for vehicle operators by acting as an interior "windshield," protecting the vehicle operator from the defrost/defog fan's airflow.
A further use of the new visor is to provide vehicle operators and passengers with a retractable mirror for existing windshield visors which do not provide mirrors.


A method or device handles memory management faults in a device having a digital signal processor (“DSP”) and a microprocessor. The DSP includes a memory management unit (“DSP MMU”) to manage memory access by the DSP, and the DSP and the microprocessor access shared physical memory. Upon the DSP executing an instruction attempting to access a virtual address wherein the virtual address is invalid, a page fault interrupt is generated by the DSP MMU. A microprocessor interrupt handler in the microprocessor is activated in direct response to the page fault interrupt. Thereafter in the microprocessor, a translation lookaside buffer (“TLB”) entry is created in the DSP MMU, which includes a valid mapping between the virtual address and a page of physical memory. After creating the TLB entry, the microprocessor indicates to the DSP that the access by the DSP of the virtual address is completed.

Modern day complex system-on-chip (SOC) architectures contain multiple processor cores. In one example, the architecture incorporates two processor cores—a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor—and a shared memory, in addition to other components.
To improve performance and flexibility, access by the DSP to the shared memory is mapped by a memory management unit (MMU) inside a subsystem of the DSP. The DSP MMU not only maps physical memory into the virtual address space of the DSP, but also traps any access made to an unmapped region. Access by the DSP to unmapped memory results in a fault also referred to as a page fault or a memory management fault, whereupon the DSP can stall.
Faults resulting from an invalid virtual address by the DSP can be difficult to debug. Memory management faults typically result in the DSP crashing silently, rendering it incommunicado from any external sub-system. Even with hardware debuggers, these types of faults are difficult to catch because there is no predictable place to put a breakpoint. Further exacerbating the problem is that sometimes such faults occur very infrequently and may depend upon unique conditions such as background noise.
Therefore, to address the above described problems and other problems, what is needed is for a memory management fault caused by one of the multiple processors to be handled gracefully, for example to produce useful information that can be used to narrow down or debug problematic code.

Method, system and device for handling a memory management fault in a multiple processor device


The present invention relates to a process for preparing hydrogen gas from the reduction of water, and also relates to a process for determining the ratio of the masses between hydrogen isotopes in the obtained hydrogen gas. The invention provides a process of preparing hydrogen gas comprising steps of: (i) preparing zinc metal particles having a size approximately in the range of 1 mm-2 mm by dropping a mixture of a selected amount of liquified zinc metal and 10 to 10000 ppm of nickel elements into a water bath; and (ii) reacting a sample of water with zinc metal particles at a selected reaction temperature to perform the reduction reaction of the water. The invention also provides a process of determining the ratio of the masses between hydrogen isotopes, .sup.1 H and .sup.2 H, in a sample of water. This process comprises a step of preparing hydrogen gas from the sample by the novel method described above.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing hydrogen gas from the reduction of water, and also relates to a process for determining the ratio of the masses between hydrogen isotopes in the obtained hydrogen gas.
2. Prior Art
Many elements occur in nature as mixtures of isotopes having the same atomic numbers but different mass numbers. One type of such isotopes is a radioactive isotope which is characterized by spontaneous transformation of nucleide into one or more different nucleides. The radioactive isotope of the element, such as .sup.14 C, .sup.126 I, or .sup.3 H has been used as an isotopic tracer or an isotopic indicator of chemical, biological, and physical processes, and also used in a method of determining the age of geological, archeological objects, or the like. The other type of isotopes is a stable isotope which is characterized by its stable physical properties. The stable isotope of the element has been used as a tracer especially in the field of medical chemistry, environmental monitoring or the like methods so as to avoid side effects of the radiation.
In the case of hydrogen, for example, there are three isotopes existing in nature. First type is an ordinary hydrogen, .sup.1 H, nucleus thereof consists of a single proton and is the most abundant of the three isotopes of hydrogen. Second type is deuterium, .sup.2 H, which is called heavy hydrogen, consisting of one proton and one neutron, and also deuterium is often denoted by a symbol D. It is noted that deuterium naturally occurs only in about 1 of every 5000 atoms of naturally occurring hydrogen. Another isotope of hydrogen, .sup.3 H, is called tritium (symbol T). It is radioactive, and because of its relatively short half-life of 12.3 years, only 1-10 of every 10.sup.18 atoms of naturally occurring hydrogen is tritium.
In general, the mass ratio of stable isotopes of hydrogen, i.e., the ratio of the masses between ordinary hydrogen elements and deuterium elements in a sample of water can be estimated by the method comprising the steps of reduction of water molecules to gasify the whole mass of hydrogen in the sample, and supplying the obtained hydrogen gas into a stable-isotope mass spectrometer for determining the masses of isotopes of the hydrogen gas. The mass spectrometer is a well-known instrument that is able to determine very precisely the masses of ions formed from molecules when they are bombarded by electrons. It is a valuable analytic tool in chemistry and biochemistry.
Conventionally, there are two methods for preparing hydrogen gas from water i.e., a depleted uranium method (uranium reduction method, see Bigeleisen et al., Anal. Chem. 24, 1356-1357, 1952) and a zinc reduction method (see Colemch et al, Anal. Chem. 54, 993-995. The depleted uranium method comprises the steps of: passing water through a unit having depleted uranium at a preferable temperature (700.degree. C.) to generate hydrogen gas by the reduction of water; and recovering the hydrogen gas by means of the tabular pump. On the other hand, the zinc reduction method comprises the steps of: reacting water with zinc at the high temperatures (400.degree.-450.degree. C.) so as to generate hydrogen gas. In this method, the reduction of water proceeds by the following reaction: EQU H.sub.2 O+Zn.fwdarw.H.sub.2 +ZnO
According to the conventional methods described above, hydrogen elements in the sample can be gasified. Consequently, the masses of hydrogen isotopes can be determined by supplying the obtained gas into the mass spectrometer.
However, the conventional methods described above have some problems. In the case of the uranium reduction method, for example, (i) depleted uranium is hard to obtain; (ii) a step of recovering the generated gas is time consuming; (iii) it is difficult to determine the masses of hydrogen isotopes when several different water samples are serially passed through one unit of depleted uranium. In the case of the zinc reduction method, on the other had, it is difficult to perform the reduction of water molecules in the sample perfectly.
Therefore, there has long been felt a need for a simple process of preparing hydrogen gas which may be performed quickly to determine the masses of hydrogen isotopes in the hydrogen gas with a high accuracy of measurement.

Processes for preparing hydrogen gas and determining ratio of masses between hydrogen isotopes therein


A plurality of air conditioning system control units are connected to each other through a communication line (20). Discharge resistors (R1, R2) are provided for discharging residual charges of the communication line (20). The control unit has a power superposition circuit (50) for applying a direct-current voltage and outputs an identification number signal from the power superposition circuit (50) to the communication line (20). The control unit further has a polarity select circuit (60) having a negative-polarity resistance characteristic that current increasingly flows as an applied voltage is lowered, and a voltage discriminating circuit (70) for detecting the terminal voltage of the polarity select circuit (60). When detecting the voltage of the communication line (20), the control unit determines whether its own control unit is a master unit or a slave unit according to output signals from the voltage discriminating circuit (70) and a polarity discriminating circuit (3C).

Conventionally, there have been air conditioners in which the AMI communication method is used as a signal transmission method between an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.
In the AMI communication method, data items are transmitted according to the predetermined polarity of a signal. If the polarities between the input and output units are not matched with each other due to misconnection or the like, this produces a problem that the contents of data cannot be correctly read out.
For example, if an A unit and a B unit which are connected through a communication line have opposite polarities, when both the units transmit data at the same time, data signals from both the units superpose and cancel each other in the communication line. This reduces the voltage level of the communication line to 0, thereby eliminating data signals.
For this reason, in a conventional transmission device for an air conditioner as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Gazette No.1-288133, a remote control is connected to a driver and a receiver through an analog switch. When an input signal has a different polarity, ports of the driver and the receiver are switched to other ports so that the transmitting output and the receiving input are matched in polarity with each other.
However, in the above-mentioned transmission device for the air conditioner, determination about the match or mismatch between the polarities is made according to whether the data signal has a designated format. This produces a problem that it is not possible to determine the match or mismatch between the polarities unless a data signal is transmitted by an indoor control unit or the like.
To solve the problem, for example, there has been an air conditioner wherein a DC power source is connected to the communication line to apply a DC voltage thereto and each unit is provided with a transmission circuit, a reception circuit and a polarity discriminating circuit for discriminating the polarity of the communication line, whereby all the units are matched in polarity with each other.
Problems That the Invention is to Solve
In the above-mentioned air conditioner, for commonality of components, each of the indoor units and the outdoor units is provided with a power superposition circuit having a DC power source for polarity discrimination and a discharge resistor for discharging a residual charge in the communication line. The power superposition circuit of any one of the outdoor units and the indoor units applies a DC voltage to the communication line and the discharge resistor is connected to the communication line.
However, if the setting that connects the power superposition circuit of either one of the indoor units and the outdoor units to the communication line is manually made, this requires an address setting. In addition, a problem may occur that two power superposition circuits of two outdoor units are connected to the communication line nevertheless it is essential only that a single power superposition circuit is connected to the communication line. Further, there may be another problem of producing an improper setting wherein the power superposition circuit is not connected to the communication line.
Furthermore, recently, there have been cases that an air conditioner which has a plurality of outdoor units to form a plurality of refrigerant circuits is installed and data transmission is made through a single communication line which connects the plurality of outdoor units and the indoor units.
In this case, it is preferable that the above-mentioned power superposition circuit is provided in each outdoor unit for commonality of outdoor units and the like. If the setting that either one of the power superposition circuits of the outdoor units should be connected to the communication line is manually made, this may produce an improper setting that two power superposition circuits of two outdoor units are connected to the communication line.
For this reason, it can be considered to automatically set the outdoor unit whose power superposition circuit should be connected to the communication line. If only the automatic setting is made, this requires much time every time for the setting. In detail, if one outdoor unit whose power superposition circuit is connected to the communication line is determined and thereafter another outdoor unit is connected to the communication line, an automatic setting operation must be made again. This produces a problem that it takes much time to start air conditioning operation.
This invention has been made in view of the forgoing problems and has its object of readily and securely establishing connection of the power superposition means thereby allowing the polarity of the communication line to be discriminated.
Another object of this invention is to reduce the time for determination of a thermal-source-side control unit for making power superposition, thereby promptly activating air conditioning operation.

Air conditioning system master/slave control unit determination


Engineered structures include materials in certain arrangement and proportions to make a composite that provides desired properties to a structure. The mechanical and physical properties of the materials are measured through expensive and time consuming mechanical testing, and structural design is carried out using these properties thus warranting more time and cost spent on physical testing. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide multi-scale modeling and simulation techniques (MSMST) for design of composite materials with desired macro-scale properties wherein the (lower) MSMST are interconnected and each can pass on corresponding desired outputs to higher length-scales, which in turn evaluate macro-scale physical and mechanical properties/either to scale up the structure simulation, or to fine tune computational materials parameters thereby predicting behaviour of the structure based on determined properties of composite materials of the structure.

Manmade engineered structures are made up of many materials such as metals, ceramics, polymers, etc. These materials are arranged in certain arrangement and proportions to make a composite that provides certain desired properties to the structure. The mechanical and physical properties of these materials are measured through expensive and time consuming mechanical testing and structural design is carried out using these properties. Many such materials are engineered to provide certain properties using nano and micro reinforcements in the form of fillers. Properties of such composites are altered by reinforcing materials, its volume fraction, and their interface, thus warranting an expensive set of physical tests at every scale of its development and qualification. The properties of such engineered materials are highly process dependent thus warranting more time and cost spent on physical testing. Existing methods/techniques involve large amount of time, and cost in material development and qualification.

Systems and methods for determining properties of composite materials for predicting behaviour of structures


A method of installing an Emergency Flow Restrictor Device (EFRD) on a pipeline without stopping the flow of fluid through the pipeline includes the steps of: assembling first and second face plates on a pipeline such that the first and second sealing face are in face to face, spaced relation; assembling a cutting device between the first face plate and the second face plate; assembling a valve body that has an access opening on a length of pipeline such that the valve body encloses the first and second face plates and the cutting device; installing an access valve on the access opening; operating the cutting device to sever the pipeline between the first and second sealing faces; retracting the cutting device and severed section of pipeline; and attaching a valve gate member of the EFRD to the access opening.

Leaks from pipelines have caused environmental damage and much adverse publicity. The reaction from the pipeline companies and government regulators is to propose the installation of an Emergency Flow Restrictor Device (EFRD) at intervals along each pipeline. Through use of the EFRD, sections of pipeline can be isolated to limit the amount of leakage to a damaged section.
The installation of EFRD along existing pipelines is slowly progressing. The current method used to install an EFRD (Emergency Flow Restrictor Device) valve is quite cumbersome as it requires a great deal of preparation work and expense. It also requires stopping the flow of the pipeline (called an outage) for about 24 hours (or installing a temporary bypass line and 2 more stopples). Without the bypass line it is very difficult to coordinate an outage date, often taking as much as a month. Even when an outage has been approved, there is the problem of meeting the installation deadline. The deadline is very strict (there is enormous money at stake) so the supervisor is forced to have everything he might need on site. Because so much extra equipment must be on site it requires a huge parking area (and because the pipelines cross mostly private land) it usually means placing an enormous amount of wooden mats to prevent soil damages. Of course the safety challenges of working crews around the clock, and under a tight timeline, are much greater as well. What is required is a method that will enable an EFRD to be installed without stopping the flow of fluid through the pipeline

Method of installing an emergency flow restrictor device (EFRD) on a pipeline


Portable real-time airborne fungi acquiring and detecting equipment and method are provided, the equipment includes a light source device, a manual constant-flow air pump, an impactor, an airborne fungi enrichment and dyeing device, and a fluorescence data collecting and processing device sequentially connected. The fluorescence detection technology is combined with the microparticle separation technology to develop the portable airborne fungi real-time acquiring and detecting equipment. This equipment improves the complex and extensive collection methods in conventional airborne fungi detection and the demand limitation of independent detection equipment, and realizes the real-time collection and quantification of airborne fungi concentration. Moreover, the equipment has the advantages of small volume, low costs, easy operation and is easy to be prompted.

Microbial detection is one of the key steps in clinical diagnosis and food safety determination. With the development of microfluidic technology, microfluidic, as a micro nano fluid treatment technology, has attracted much attention in recent years. Due to the advantages of low costs, high flux, fast analysis speed and little reagent consumption, microfluidics/microfluidic technology is of great significance for reducing the cost of fungi and bacterial detection system, and realizing small integrated equipment.
At present, the research on the real-time airborne fungi acquisition and detection technology is in its infancy. Chinese patent application No. CN201711321042.5 (corresponding to Chinese paten publication No. CN108009404A) discloses Detection Method of Environmental Microorganisms, including conventional microbial sampling, undifferentiated biological detection, data analysis and grade evaluation, which can realize noninvasive, efficient, comprehensive and accurate evaluation of biological diseases. However, this method requires professionals to operate, the environment requirements of the detection site are strict, and the required detection equipment is expensive and inconvenient to carry, which is not conducive to popularization.


An anchoring system for cannulas or tools to be inserted into a surgical workspace in the body, particularly the brain, of a patient. The system comprises a grommet which may be fixed to the skull to both secure the system to the skull and protect the skull opening from passage of cannulas and tools, a resilient clip with grasping jaws adapted to firmly grasp a cannula or tool, and a flexible membrane secured to the outer rim of the grommet and the clip.

Several disorders of the brain may be treated with minimally invasive tools and techniques. Blood masses resulting from hemorrhagic stroke, for example, may be removed by aspiration, with an aspiration tool inserted through a burr hole in the skull. Aneurysms and ruptured blood vessels can be treated with clips and/or cautery applied with devices inserted into the brain through a burr hole in the skull. Diagnosis of brain disorders may be accomplished with probes inserted through a hole in the skull. Other disorders can be treated with tools similarly inserted through a burr hole or craniotomy.
A few systems have been proposed for securing access to the brain through a burr hole. Some are quite complex, such as Henderson, et al., Instrument Guide System, U.S. Pat. No. 8,845,655 (Sep. 30, 2014). Henderson shows a surface mounted grommet/bushing/sleeve for installation in a hole in the skull. The grommet accommodates a guide tube that has a ball at the distal end which fits in a socket in the grommet, so that the guide tube can be tilted and rotated relative to the grommet. The grommet is screwed onto the skull to fix it. Henderson also refers to several patents with guide tube mounts that include tubular ball joints, or spherical ball and socket joints, to allow some angular play between the mount and the guide tube.

Anchoring system and method for cranial access


A power tool may include a housing that supports an electrical circuit. The electrical circuit may include at least two terminal sets that are arranged in parallel to each other. The at least two terminal sets may include a first terminal set configured for engagement along a first axis to a battery pack having a first configuration and a second terminal set configured for engagement along a second axis to a battery pack having a second, different configuration. A battery charger may include a housing, and an interface that is electrically and mechanically compatible with at least two battery packs having different configurations and battery cell chemistries.

1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relates in general to power drivers, and more particularly to a system for mounting a battery pack, which may be implemented on a power driver or a battery charger.
2. Description of Related Art
Cordless power drivers may be energized by electricity from battery packs. The housing of the power driver and/or the housing of a battery charger may be designed to accommodate a specific battery pack. To this end, each of the power driver and the battery charger may have an interface that interacts with a corresponding interface of the battery pack to provide appropriate electrical and mechanical interconnections.
Two conventional interfaces include a "tower" interface and a "rail" interface. When the tower interface is employed, the power driver housing may include a cavity, and housing terminals may be provided in the bottom of the cavity. Here, a portion of the battery pack may be inserted into the cavity of the housing so that battery terminals (which may be provided on a nose portion of the battery pack) electrically connect to the housing terminals. The power driver housing may also include features cooperating with a latch mechanism of the battery pack so as to releasably retain the battery pack, as is well known in this art.
When the rail interface is employed, the power driver housing may include opposed grooves and support housing terminals. Here, rails of the battery pack may be inserted into the grooves of the housing so that battery terminals electrically connect to the housing terminals. The power driver housing may also include a latch mechanism that cooperates with a feature of the battery pack so as to releasably retain the battery pack, as is well known in this art.
Although conventional interfaces of a power driver and a battery charger are generally thought to be acceptable, they are not without shortcomings. For example, the power driver and the battery charger may accommodate only a single battery pack mounting configuration. To address this shortcoming, adapters have been developed that may allow a power tool specifically designed for a first type of mounting configuration to accommodate a battery pack suitable for a second type of mounting configuration. However, adapters may become lost, may require cumbersome manipulations, and may be associated with other inconveniences.

Power driver and charger with flexible mounting system for battery pack


A system for processing trading orders comprises an optimizer module operable to receive a first trading order and a second trading order. The optimizer module is further operable to receive market data associated with at least one market center. The optimizer module is further operable to determine whether to transmit the second trading order to the at least one market center prior to transmitting the first trading order to the at least one market center, the determination based at least in part on the market data.

In recent years, electronic trading systems have gained widespread acceptance for the trading of a variety of items, such as goods, services, financial instruments, and commodities. Electronic trading systems generally receive and process trading orders from traders. Occasionally, traders submit low quality or unrealistic trading orders. Such trading orders specify criteria that vary widely from prevailing market conditions. For example, if the prevailing market price for a particular trading product is $25.00 per unit, a trading order to buy the particular trading product for $8.00 per unit may be considered an unrealistic trading order. Unrealistic trading orders do not typically result in quickly executed transactions. Instead, unrealistic trading orders usually remain unfilled for long periods of time. As a result, unrealistic trading orders do not increase liquidity in the market place.
Electronic trading systems typically process trading orders received from traders according to "first-in, first-out" (FIFO) principles. Based on FIFO principles, electronic trading systems process trading orders in the order in which they are received from traders. As a result, if a realistic trading order (i.e., a trading order that is likely to result in a quickly executed transaction) is received shortly after an unrealistic trading order (i.e., a trading order that is unlikely to be filled quickly), the realistic trading order must wait while the electronic trading system first processes the unrealistic trading order. This delay in processing the realistic trading order may decrease liquidity in the market place.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for optimizing execution of trading orders


Provided is a synchronization system comprising a first synchronization device and a second synchronization device which carry out synchronization processing by transmitting and receiving synchronization packets in accordance with a synchronization protocol and which synchronize the times thereof. The first synchronization device, which corresponds to a slave device, notifies an abnormality to the second synchronization device when an abnormality related to time synchronization processing is detected. The second synchronization device, which corresponds to a master device, increases the interval during which synchronization is performed as the length of time during which an abnormality notification is not received increases.

In the past, techniques of performing time synchronization between communication devices which are physically separated from each other have been proposed (see Patent Document 1). As an example of such techniques, there is a technique using a synchronization-processing packet (a synchronous packet). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a time-synchronizing device 90 related to the technique. The time-synchronizing device 90 includes a synchronous packet-transceiving unit 901, a synchronization control unit 902, a clock oscillator 904, and a time-managing unit 905. The time-synchronizing device 90 records a time counted by the time-managing unit 905 with a predetermined degree of accuracy through the clock oscillator 904 installed in its own device. However, even when the time-synchronizing device 90 performs time synchronization with a master device once, the synchronization accuracy degrades with the lapse of time, leading to a deviation. For this reason, typically, the time-synchronizing device 90 periodically performs transmission and reception of synchronous packets with the master device to perform a synchronization process.

Synchronizing system, synchronizing method, first synchronizing device, second synchronizing device, and computer program


The present invention provides improved compositions for coating of potato strip products having an as is solids content comprising at least 40% by weight of a hydrolyzed starch characterized by a DE of from 0.2 to 0.8.

The present invention relates generally to coated potato products and formulations for coating potato products such as frozen french fries.
Methods for preparing and applying coatings to the outer surfaces of frozen potato products are well known in the art. Murray et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,227 disclose a process in which raw potato strips are coated in a hot aqueous solution of modified gelatinized amylose derived from corn or potato starch. The process is said to produce a finished product which has superior strength and rigidity. Van Patten et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,268 disclose the coating of blanched potato pieces with an ungelatinized unmodified high amylose starch having an amylose content of at least 50 percent. The coated potato strips are deep fat fried during which the starch in the coating is gelatinized.
El-Hag et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,842 discloses the process of dipping blanched potato strips in an aqueous ungelatinized starch slurry to coat the strips, which are next soaked in hot oil to gelatinize the starch in the coating. The strips are then parfried and frozen. The strips may be reheated for consumption by heating in an oven rather than by deep fat frying.
Lenchin et al., WO 85/01188 disclose batters comprising the flour of high amylose corn hybrids for producing microwaveable pre-fried foodstuffs. The use of flours of high amylose corn hybrids is said to provide pre-fried foodstuffs with improved crispness after microwave cooking which otherwise tends to make such products soggy.
Sloan et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,059,435 and 5,141,759 disclose a process for preparing frozen coated potatoes wherein raw potatoes are washed, cut, blanched and partially dehydrated. The cut potatoes are then coated with an aqueous starch slurry comprising 15 to 35% by weight modified ungelatinized potato starch, 2 to 10% by weight modified ungelatinized corn starch, 2 to 10% by weight rice flour and other optional ingredients. The coated potato strips are parfried in oil and then frozen. The frozen strips are prepared for consumption by either finish frying in hot oil, or heating in an oven. The starch coating is said to enhance the holding quality of the ready to consume product and to improve the acceptability of the finished product by increasing the crispness of the outer surface, and helping to maintain the tenderness of the interior of the cut potato. In particular, the potato starch and corn starch are each said to contribute crispness to the coating, and because they are not gelatinized prior to the parfrying step they decrease clumping of the strips during processing. The rice flour is said to provide a desirable tenderness in the finished product.
The Sloan patents teach the use of potato starches which have been modified through known chemical cross-linking processes in order to minimize sticking or clumping of the strips during processing, and coat the potato strips evenly. The Sloan patents disclose as preferred an ungelatinized chemically modified potato starch (K-1010, Penford Corporation, Richland, Wash.) which is crosslinked with phosphorus oxychloride (POCl.sub.3) at an effective level of 980 ppm. (This starch is characterized by a Brabender Amylograph viscosity of 50-100 BU ("Brabender units") when measured at a 9% starch solids concentration for 15 minutes at 95.degree. C.) A chemically modified ungelatinized cornstarch said to be preferred for use in conjunction with the above modified potato starch at a slurry concentration of 2 to 10% by weight is said to be Flojel.RTM. 60 (National Starch and Chemical Corp., Bridgewater, N.J.) which is said to contribute crispness to the coating and to produce an optimal result when present in the coating slurry at a concentration of between two and ten percent by weight.
Also of interest to the present application are the disclosures of Calder et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,410 and Brusacker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,552 which relate to the use of hydrolyzed starch products such as dextrins and maltodextrins as components of aqueous enrobing slurries. Specifically, the patents disclose contacting blanched potato strips with an aqueous solution which contains from 3% to 12% by weight of a hydrolyzed starch product characterized by a DE less than 12 and preferably from about 2 to 10. The patents specifically disclose the use of maltodextrins having a DE of 6 and teach against the use of maltodextrins having DE values greater than 12 because such hydrolyzate products promote undesirable browning of the final product. The patents further teach that concentrations of the starch hydrolyzate products greater than 12% are undesirable because "at higher concentrations the surface of the potato strips become slightly tacky upon finish frying which promotes undesirable clumping of the potato strips."
Of further interest to the present invention is the disclosure of Melvej, U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,944 which discloses a dry batter mix for french fries comprising from about 1.5% to about 9% by weight of a leavening agent and from about 5% to about 40% by weight of a starch blend comprising a high amylose starch, a starch, from about 1% to about 8% by weight dextrin wherein the weight percent in the batter mix is inversely related to the weight percent of the leavening agent, and about 0.1% to about 2% of a food gum. The specification teaches that the batter mix preferably includes about 2% to about 6%, by weight of dextrin and that the dextrin "provides a tender bite and in improved mouthfeel to the reconstituted food product." The patent further teaches that "t!he particular amount of dextrin included in the batter mix is inversely related to the amount of leavening agent present in the batter mix. Therefore, as the amount of leavening agent in the batter is increased, the amount of dextrin in the batter mix is decreased, and vice versa. The dextrin mitigates the effects of the leavening agent and provides a more tender crispness. However, if too much dextrin is included in the batter mix, the reconstituted food product has a greasy mouthfeel." (Col. 7, lines 18-30).
Despite the many advances in the french fry coating art there nevertheless remains a need for improved enrobing slurries characterized by improved crispness, holding and flavor properties.

Process for preparing starch hydrolyzate coated potato products


A method of staining bacteria comprises: working a polymethine dye on a sample in the presence of a substance capable of reducing nitrite ions to stain bacteria in the sample. A method of detecting bacteria comprises the following steps of: (1) working a polymethine dye on a sample by a method as described above to stain bacteria in the sample, (2) introducing the thus treated sample into a detecting part of a flow cytometer and irradiating cells of the stained bacteria one by one with light to measure scattered light and fluorescent light emitted from each of the cells; and (3) discriminating the bacteria from other components in accordance with an intensity of a scattered light signal and an intensity of a fluorescent light signal or a pulse width reflecting the length of particles to count the bacteria.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of staining, and detecting and counting bacteria in clinical samples, in particular, bacteria in urine samples, and a diluent for bacterial stain.
2. Related Art
The number of bacteria in urine is an important parameter in clinical diagnosis to judge the presence of infection. In general, the presence of bacteria of 105 or more/ml in urine is recognized as a criterion of positive urinary tract infection. If urine contains bacteria of 103 or more/ml, it is diagnosed as contaminated urine (normal bacteria flora), i.e., negative urinary tract infection. If bacteria of about 104/ml is observed, the diagnosis is reserved but the sample is often re-examined.
Conventionally, observation of bacteria in urine has been performed by microscopic examination of Gram stained bacteria, unstained bacteria without Gram staining treatment or fluorescence-stained bacteria.
Urine often contains contaminants such as mucus threads, crystals, amorphous salts and cell fragments that are clinically insignificant. These substances hinder the measurement of significant particles (in particular bacteria) so that it has been difficult to accurately count the number of bacteria. Actually, there has been no method of counting bacteria of about 104/ml, accurately.
In the case of Gram stain, bacteria and contaminants are stained simultaneously so that counting loss of bacteria of a small number occurs frequently in the microscopic examination. Further, Gram stain includes a number of staining steps and takes time (about 15 minutes) so that working efficiency is poor.
The microscopic examination of bacteria without staining treatment can be carried out quickly, but it cannot discriminate bacteria particularly when coccus contaminants are contained.
The microscopic examination of fluorescence-stained bacteria shows better detectability than the above-mentioned two methods. However, there has not been established how to eliminate other contaminants than bacteria and to stain the bacteria quickly.
Agar medium method, which is a standard method, requires 16 hours or more to determine the bacteria number, so that it cannot be regarded as a quick method.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,298, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 9 (1997)-119926 and No. Hei 9 (1997)-329596 each proposes a method of detecting bacteria in a fluorescence-stained urine sample with a flow cytometer.
A polymethine dye utilizes for fluorescence staining in the above references, but some bacteria are not sufficiently stained with the polymethine dye. For example, in the case of a sample in which nitrate-reducing bacteria proliferate and produce a large amount of nitrite, nitrite ions decompose the polymethine dye so that the dye does not effectively work on the bacteria staining.
Usually, bacteria are stained well at acidic pH. Further, a urine sample which contains mucus threads is effective in the bacteria staining. However, effect of the nitrite ions is promoted at acidic pH.

Method of preparing assay sample for discriminating bacteria by flow cytometer