A thermal processing roller includes a heat transfer medium flowing path therein and heats a member to be processed abutting against a surface of the roller or absorbs heat therefrom by heat transfer fluid flowing through the heat transfer medium flowing path, wherein a sealed chamber extending in a longitudinal direction of the roller and in which heat transfer medium of vapor-liquid two phases is sealed is formed within a thick portion of the roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal processing roller for subjecting a member to be processed such as a resin film to a heating processing or a heat-absorbing processing by using fluid as heat transfer medium, and relates to a temperature control apparatus for the roller.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, when a member to be processed such as a resin film is applied to a roller, the member is heated to a predetermined temperature or the member at a high temperature is cooled to a predetermined temperature while the member is abutted against and passes through the roller. In the case of performing the heating processing, the roller is heated to a temperature necessary for the heating processing. In contrast, in the case of performing the heat-absorbing processing, since the temperature of the roller itself increases due to heat absorbed from the member to be processed, the roller is cooled to a temperature suitable for the cooling processing thereof. In each case, medium for carrying or transferring heat is required, and fluid such as oil is used for the medium. That is, the fluid at a suitable temperature is passed within the roller, whereby roller is heated or heat is absorbed from the roller by using the fluid.
FIG. 12 shows the schematic configuration of an example of such a thermal processing roller apparatus. In FIG. 12, 1 depicts a roll shell constituting a roller main body, 2 a rotation driving shaft which is rotated by a not-shown motor to rotate the roll shell, 3 an inner core, 4 a rotary joint, 5 an oil storage tank, 6 oil (heat transfer fluid), 7 a heat exchanger (for heating or cooling), 8 a pump, 9 a temperature sensor, 10 a temperature control apparatus, 11 an electric power control circuit, 12 a heater and 13 a member to be processed such as a resin film which abuts against the roll shell and passes therethrough. The roll shell 1 is configured in a cylindrical shape. The inner core 3 is disposed within the hollow portion of the roll shell and a heat transfer medium flowing path 3a is formed within the inner core 3 so as to pass through the center portion thereof. The heat transfer medium flowing path 3a is coupled to the inflow port of the rotary joint 4 through the inner portion of the rotation driving shaft 2. A heat transfer medium flowing path 1a formed between the inner peripheral wall of the roll shell 1 and the outer peripheral wall of the inner core 3 is coupled to the outlet of the rotary joint 4 through the inner portion of the rotation driving shaft 2.
That is, the oil 6 within the oil storage tank 5 is heated or cooled to the predetermined temperature when passing through the heat exchanger 7. Then, the oil 6 is sent within the roll shell 1 by the pump 8, then flows through the heat transfer medium flowing paths 3a, 1a and is exhausted into the oil storage tank 5. At the time of heating the member to be processed 13, the oil 6 is heated by the heater 12 within the heat exchanger 7 and the oil 6 thus heated passes through the heat transfer medium flowing paths 3a, 1a within the roll shell 1. Thus, the roll shell 1 is heated, so that the member to be processed 13 abutting against the surface of the roll shell 1 is heated by the heat of the roll shell or the heat is absorbed from the member to be processed.
The temperature sensor 9 for detecting the temperature of the oil (heat transfer fluid) thus flown is provided at the output side of the heat exchanger 7. A detected temperature signal from the temperature sensor 9 is sent to the temperature control apparatus 10. A setting temperature S (see FIG. 13) for setting the temperature of the oil 6 thus flown is inputted in the temperature control apparatus 10 in advance. The temperature control apparatus compares the setting temperature S with the detected temperature signal thus inputted from the temperature sensor 9 and sends a control signal corresponding to the deviation therebetween to the electric power control circuit 11 constituted by a thyristor etc. The electric power control circuit 11 supplies electric power corresponding to the control signal to the heater 12. Thus, the heater 12 is heated by the electric power thus supplied to heat the heat transfer fluid 6 to the setting temperature S and maintain the heated temperature.
In such a thermal processing heater, there arises a difference between the temperature of the heat transfer fluid flowing into the roller (formed by coupling the rotation driving shaft to the roll shell) and the temperature of the heat transfer fluid flowing therefrom after heating the member to be processed or absorbing heat from the member to be processed. The temperature difference appears on the surface of the roller, so that there arises a problem that the thermal processing can not be performed uniformly as to the member to be processed abutting against the surface of the roller, in the longitudinal direction of the member to be processed along the axis core of the roller. In order to obviate such a problem, in the related technique, a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid flowing within the roller is increased in accordance with the magnitude of the temperature difference in order to reduce the temperature difference. Thus, there arises a problem that the heat exchanger for heating or cooling and the pump become inevitably larger.
Further, according to such the temperature control for the heat transfer fluid 6, as shown in FIG. 13, initially, the rising rate of the surface temperature T2 of the roll shell 1 is lower as compared with the rising rate of the temperature T1 of the heat transfer fluid 6, so that a time period t1 required for the surface temperature T2 of the roll shell 1 to increase near the setting temperature S becomes long. In particular, when an amount of the heat transfer fluid 6 flowing within the roll shell 1 is small, the heat transfer rate at the heat transfer surface (inner surface) of the roll shell 1 through which the heat transfer fluid 6 flows becomes low, so that the time period tends to be longer.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, there arises a deviation d1 between the surface temperature T2 of the roll shell 1 and the temperature T1 of the heat transfer fluid 6 due to such a fact that the temperature of the heat transfer fluid 6 controlled at the setting temperature S reduces at a pipe provided on the way of the flow, or that a temperature difference is caused within the thick portion from the heat transfer surface (inner surface) to the surface (outer surface) of the roll shell 1 through which the heat transfer fluid 6 flows. When the member to be processed 13 abuts against and passes through the surface of the roll shell 1, since the member to be processed 13 absorbs the heat from the surface of the roll shell, the surface temperature of the roll shell reduces, so that the deviation becomes a larger value d2. In order to prevent such a phenomenon, a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid 6 is required to increase. As a result, there arises a problem that the heat exchanger and the pump are required to be larger.

Thermal processing roller and temperature control apparatus for roller


An optical sensor circuit has a first optical sensor that outputs a signal according to the amount of received light on an opened light-receiving surface, a second optical sensor that is provided near the first optical sensor and outputs a signal according to the amount of received light on a shielded light-receiving surface, and a difference calculating circuit that calculates a difference between the output signal of the first optical sensor and the output signal of the second optical sensor and outputs the difference.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technique which reads an output of a light-receiving element such as a photodiode.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a display panel in which liquid crystal elements or organic EL elements are arranged in a matrix shape has been widely been used for an electronic apparatus such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, or the like. The display panel is used under various circumstances, for example, under bright conditions where there is sufficient sunlight, that is, daytime, or under dark conditions where external light is insufficient, that is, night. For this reason, when brightness or image quality of a display element is constant irregardless of external light, there is an inconsistency in that, while the display panel can be easily viewed under some conditions, it can hardly be viewed under other conditions. Accordingly, in such a display panel, it is preferable to detect external light and control the brightness or image quality according to the detection result.
In such a control, a light-receiving element such as a photodiode is used to detect external light. In this case, however, if the light-receiving element is provided separately from the display panel, a space for mounting the light-receiving element is required extra in the electronic apparatus. Further, an opening portion needs to be provided in the light-receiving element to detect external light.
As a countermeasure against the above-described problems, a technique in which, in the display panel, light-receiving elements are formed by using the same process as that of a thin film transistor (hereafter, suitably referred to as 'TFT') for switching a pixel in the display panel, such that the display panel itself detects external light, has been proposed.
In this technique, the detection precision of light amount is degraded due to the noise mixed into an output line. Accordingly, a technique in which the noise present on the output line is detected and the detected noise is supplied to the output line after being inverted, such that the noise present on the output line is corrected, has been proposed (see Japanese Unexamined patent Application Publication No. 9-82931 (FIG. 1)).
However, when the light-receiving element is formed with the same process as that of the thin film transistor for switching the pixel in the display panel, the detection precision of light amount is degraded due to the noise or dark current by the light-receiving element itself.

Optical sensor circuit, method of processing output signal of the same, and electronic apparatus


A process for preparing a non-conductive substrate for electroplating is proposed. The proposed process comprises contacting the substrate, after desmear, with a combined neutralization/sacrificial coating solution followed by treatment with a carbon dispersion solution. The combined neutralization/sacrificial coating solution neutralizes permanganate residues from the desmear step and applies a sacrificial coating to metallic surfaces on the substrate. The sacrificial coating allows for easy and reliable removal of unwanted carbon residues from the metallic surfaces prior to electroplating.

The present invention relates to a process for enhancing the electroplating of non-conductive surfaces, such as the through holes of a printed circuit board (PCB). In particular, the invention comprises an improved process for plating non-conductive surfaces without the need for electroless plating. The improved process is particularly suitable for plating surfaces, such as printed circuit boards, which comprise both non-conductive and conductive (metallic) surfaces.
Printed circuit boards are generally composed of a non-conductive layer, such as an epoxy resin/glass fiber mixture, which is positioned between copper or nickel plates or foils, or other conductive metal layers. There can also be a multiplicity of these alternating layers. Commonly, holes are drilled through the PCB to establish a connection between the conductive metal layers at specific points in the board. The holes are then metallized to form a connection between the conductive materials, usually by plating.
In order to achieve conductivity and a consistent, reliable bond between the electroplated metal (usually copper), and the through holes, the through holes are usually first provided with a layer of electroless copper in a process which requires several steps, including, desmear, pre-activation, activation with a palladium/tin activator, application of an accelerator, electroless copper deposition and one or more rinses, before electroplating could be effected. The need for application of electroless copper can be avoided, it has been found, by the deposition of carbon on the through holes or other non-conductive surfaces which are to be electroplated. In this way, the long process time, complex chemistry requiring constant monitoring, and sensitivity of electroless baths can be avoided. Moreover, the expensive waste treatment often required with electroless copper and palladium/tin activators can be eliminated.
However, the use of a carbon deposition process may have several drawbacks. After carbon deposition, it takes several minutes before the non-conductive surface being plated is completely covered by the electroplated metal. This is especially significant where the surface to be plated is a through hole. Electroplating after treatment with carbon begins adjacent to the outer conductive surfaces (i.e., the copper foil) of the PCB and extends inward towards the center of the hole. This occurs from both sides of the through hole and the plating meets in the center and completes the connection.
The first practical teaching of a carbon black deposition system, which permits the elimination of electroless copper deposition prior to electroplating, was by Minten and Pismennaya in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A long line of patents have issued concerning improvements to or variations in the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,005 including U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,642 to Randolph et al., the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Current carbon based plating processes require a microetch step after the carbon application in order to remove the carbon from the copper surfaces of printed circuit boards (eg. circuitry and inner layer connections) so as to insure good copper to copper adhesion with the subsequent plating. Typically substantial microetching is needed to reliably remove the carbon. Usually 40–60 micro inches of copper is removed in the micro etch. However, microetching frequently causes problems, particularly in plating in the area of the copper-dielectric interface. In particular, etching the copper frequently also strips the carbon coating from the dielectric area directly adjacent to the copper, thereby creating an insulating barrier for electrical continuity in the subsequent electroplating. This barrier then leads to poor plating and defects such as voids, knit lines, and plating folds. The prior art requirement for microetching prior to electroplating in carbon-based processes is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,959 (Column 10, lines 5–60), the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,959 describes the use of a microetch to "flake off" the carbon on the copper surfaces.
This invention proposes a modification to one of the standard process steps in the copper plating cycle, namely the neutralization step in the desmear cycle. The modified neutralization step proposed accomplishes both the required neutralization function as well as the application of a thin sacrificial coating to the copper surfaces prior to the application of carbon. The sacrificial coating allows the subsequent removal of carbon from the copper surfaces to be achieved more reliably with less microetching. Thus, an improvement is provided without unwanted expansion of the process cycle.

Process for preparing a non-conductive substrate for electroplating


In the case of a top emission structure color organic EL display in which are bonded together a substrate having thin film transistors formed thereon and a transparent substrate having color-converting filters formed thereon, an overcoat layer for adjusting the gap between the substrates and an overcoat layer for relieving stress are formed between the substrates without providing a space between the overcoat layers and the EL device, whereby there can be provided an organic EL display having high reliability, with the occurrence of voids that would have an adverse effect on the display performance being prevented, and the occurrence of thermal and mechanical stress being suppressed.

In recent years, color organic EL displays with a driving method using thin film transistors (TFTs) have been developed. With a method in which the light is extracted from the side of the substrate on which the TFTs are formed, due to the effect of wiring parts blocking the light, the aperture ratio cannot be raised; recently, a so-called top emission method in which the light is extracted from the opposite side to the substrate on which the TFTs are formed has thus been developed.
On the other hand, there have been advances in development of a color conversion method in which patterned fluorescent bodies are made to absorb light emitted from an organic EL device and hence fluorescence of a plurality of colors is emitted from the fluorescent bodies. By using this method together with the top emission method using TFT driving, there is the possibility of being able to provide an organic EL display having yet higher definition and higher brightness. The color displays disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-251059 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-77191 are examples of such a system.
As a structure of a top emission display using the color conversion method, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-297477 there is disclosed a structure in which an organic EL device and color-converting filters (color-converting layers alone or laminates of color filter layers and color-converting layers) are disposed facing a transparent electrode on the upper side of the organic EL device with a fixed gap provided therebetween by a columnar gap-adjusting layer disposed therebetween. Moreover, a structure in which this gap is filled with an insulating oil or the like is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 3-92398.
However, with the constitution in which a fixed gap is provided using a columnar structure (support), there is a gas layer (void) having a greatly different refractive index between the organic EL layer and the color-converting filters, and hence there is much reflection of light at the interface between the gas layer and the organic EL device, and at the interface between the gas layer and the color-converting filters, and thus the efficiency of extracting light is reduced. Moreover, with the constitution in which the gap is filled with an insulating oil or the like, this problem of reflection is alleviated, but the display manufacturing process becomes more complicated, and moreover the shock resistance, which is an intrinsic advantage of an organic EL display that is a completely solid device, is marred, and hence this constitution cannot be said to be the best.
As a constitution resolving these problems, in Japanese Patent No. 2766095 there is disclosed a constitution in which an organic EL device, and color-converting filters that face a transparent electrode on an upper part of the organic EL device are firmly bonded together via a transparent resin layer. However, with this constitution, there is a problem of damage such as peeling away of the EL device occurring through mechanical stress such as vibration or pressure or thermal stress produced, for example, through changes in the temperature of the environment in which the manufactured display is placed or during the step of bonding the organic EL device and the color-converting filters together.
Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-121164, there is disclosed a constitution in which a base film, which is a resin film, and a binding layer, which is also a resin film, are formed between an organic EL device and color-converting filters with the binding layer on the color-converting filter side. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-121164, it is stated that the roles of the binding layer are to flatten out level differences on the color-converting filters, and to function as a cushioning film between the color-converting filters and the base film. However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-121164, no consideration is given to adjusting the gap between the color-converting filters and the organic EL device. Moreover, the binding layer is made to function merely as a cushioning film with the base film, and there are no suggestions regarding relieving stress on the crucial organic EL device. Furthermore, the invention of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-121164 does not have TFTs, and hence there is no mention of resolving problems peculiar to an organic EL display having TFTs as in the invention.


There is disclosed a technique for estimating a power change, particularly a power increase, in a communication system caused by a change in the load in the system. The technique particularly relates to a mobile communication system.

In mobile communication systems, there is a general requirement to allocate system resources as efficiently as possible based on the number of users in the system and their needs. For example in the wide-band code division multiple access (W-CDMA) systems the optimised management of radio resources requires means for predicting how any change in call configurations affects the signal powers in the cell.
Up-link power increase estimation (PIE) is used to estimate how much the total wide-band interference power changes when the cell load changes. The cell load may change for example due to admission control or due to packet scheduling.
Admission control allows a new user into the radio access network (RAN) if the admission does not cause an excessive interference in the system. Before a new user is admitted to the system, an admission control algorithm estimates the increase in the total interference level due to a new user. This is achieved by using an up-link power increase estimation method.
The packet scheduler allocates up-link packet bit rates to data users by also using the up-link power increase estimation method. By using the up-link power increase estimation method, the packet scheduler estimates by how much the requested/allocated bit rates will increase the noise/interference level. Typically this estimation is also done using a power increase estimation method.
The degree of resource usage in the cell is thus measured with the total received power in the up-link and with the total transmission power in the down-link, which both have particular limits that specify their full usage. In order to distribute system capacity to users optimally, the consumption of each user should be predicted as well as possible prior to the actual admission in the use of capacity. The mapping of call configuration to the signal power depends on diverse factors that change in time.
The power increase estimation methods currently used involve a fixed mathematical formula which is an approximation of the true physical behaviour. As a result of this approximation, the fixed formula provides an error margin in its estimation.
These error margins introduce wasted capacity. If the power increase estimation can estimate the noise rise caused more accurately, the less there is wasted capacity.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved technique for determining a power increase estimation.

Power change estimation for communication system


A process for the estimation of volatile substances which comprises the steps of: (i) heating distilled water in a flask to a first temperature, (ii) adding the sample to be tested into said heated water, (iii) closing the flask, (iv) maintaining the flask containing the sample at a second temperature lower than said first temperature, (v) purging with air, (vi) drawing the volatile vapours and subjecting it to analysis.

There is fixed permissible limit for bacterial/microbial count in the food stuff. To keep microbial count below the limit, food material is treated with bleaching powder/chlorine water, which leads to the generation of chloroform residues. Since chloroform is a carcinogen, the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) is fixed at 100 ppb in the food stuff.
Two known processes are known in the art for determination of chloroform residues in food stuff.
Purge and trap method in which chloroform residues from food are trapped in resin, and later eluted and estimated. Such a process requires high cost resin and ultra pure solvents in addition to costly apparatus.
Another method known in the art, is the headspace method and in which vapours are drawn from the headspace of a septurn-sealed vial containing a sample to be analysed. The vial is heated to drive out dissolved organics out of solution and into the vapour heapace (Ward; Clydie, U.S. patent application No. 301385 dated Apr. 27, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,375).
In another method, the vial containing volatile sample is heated and agitated to enhance a transport rate of the volatile sample from material to the headspace of the vial (U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,895, Nov. 14, 2000).
For extraction Ray, et al., 1997 proposed extractor having sample chamber pressurizable either by gas or mechanical means. The sample chamber was constructed with removable liner of poly tetrafluorethylene (U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,234 Mar. 4, 1997).
Augenblick et al. 1994 describes yet another method and apparatus for collecting gases from the sample headspace of sealed container. Gas sample from the headspace to instrument was carried by carrier gas (U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,707 dated Nov. 15, 1994). Vibration is used to promote the formation of sample gas.
Main drawbacks of these aforesaid processes:
    1. Heating of vessel containing sample causes development of high pressure within the vessel and cause explosion and injuries.    2. Additional carrier gas is required, which increase the cost of analysis.    3. Additional instruments such as vibrator are required, which increases the cost of analysis.    4. Small size vials are used, which are unable to accommodate large size samples.    5. Bags are used which can break a high temperature and pressure.    7. High capital cost.    8. Danger of breakdown of labile compounds at prolonged high temperature and therefore lower estimation.

Process for the estimation of volatile substances in a sample

Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry


A refrigerant-transporting hose including an inner tube, an outer tube, and a reinforcing layer between the inner tube and the outer tube, the outer tube being formed of an outer tube rubber composition, the outer tube rubber composition containing a brominated copolymer rubber obtained by brominating a copolymer rubber of isomonoolefin and p-alkylstyrene, the content of the repeating units having bromine constituting the brominated copolymer rubber being from 0.8 to 1.5 mol % with respect to the total amount of the repeating units constituting the brominated copolymer rubber, a carbon black A having a dibutyl phthalate absorption amount of 40 cm3/100 g or less, a brominated alkylphenol resin, and zinc oxide, the content of the carbon black A being 35 parts by mass or greater with respect to 100 parts by mass of the brominated copolymer rubber. Such refrigerant-transporting hose achieves both workability and sealing property at an excellent level.

In the related art, a refrigerant-transporting hose made of rubber has been used in a car air conditioner system of an automobile. In a configuration in which the hose is connected to a metal pipe in the air conditioner system, the hose can be connected to the pipe by, for example, inserting the end of the pipe into the hose from the end of the hose, and caulking (tightening) the hose from the outside of the hose using a metal fastener.
Then, in a car air-conditioning system of an automobile, a mixture of a refrigerant and refrigerating machine oil usually flows inside the hose or the like.
For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a rubber composition for a hose that can be used as a refrigerant-transporting hose in which a mixture containing a refrigerant or the like is circulated inside.
Patent Document 1 discloses a hose rubber composition containing
                (A) 100 parts by weight of a brominated copolymer rubber of isomonoolefins with 4 to 7 carbon atoms and p-alkylstyrene, the p-alkylstyrene (PMS) content being from 5 to 25 wt. %, the bromine (Br) content being 1.5 wt. % or greater, and the weight ratio of the p-alkylstyrene unit and the bromine unit being 0.15≤Br/PMS≤0.40,        (B) 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of zinc white, and        (C) 1 to 15 parts by weight of a brominated alkylphenol resin.
Patent Document 1 describes that the composition may further contain carbon black and the like, and HAF grade carbon black is described as the carbon black.
In addition, for example, Patent Document 2 proposes a hose that can be applied to an air conditioner hose for automobiles.
Patent Document 2 discloses a hose including at least an inner rubber layer, a reinforcing layer having a spiral braided structure of two or more layers, and an outer rubber layer in this order from the inner peripheral side, the ratio of the strength at break at 135° C. (TB) of the rubber material forming the inner rubber layer to the intermediate elongation at 1.2 cN/dtex at 135° C. of the reinforcing yarn forming the reinforcing layer (TB/intermediate elongation) being 1.7 or greater.
In addition, Patent Document 2 describes that the inner tube of the hose is formed of a rubber composition containing brominated isobutylene-co-para-methylstyrene (BIMS), SRF carbon black and the like.


A method and a mobile device are adapted to transmit data through short-range communication based on movement of the mobile device. External mobile devices near the mobile device are searched. Location information for each external mobile device found near the mobile device is acquired. Data to be transmitted is set. The movement of the mobile device is recognized. At least one target mobile device is set to receive data, based on the movement of the mobile device and the acquired location information of the found external mobile devices. And the data is transmitted to the at least one target mobile device.

Mobile devices are widely used because they can be easily carried and provide a variety of functions such as a voice call function. Mobile devices serve as multimedia communication devices because they can transmit data and also provide various additional services.
Mobile device users can transmit data, such as messages, contents files, and such, to called parties via their mobile devices by selecting data to be transmitted and entering called parties' phone numbers or ID's to their mobile devices. These processes must be performed although the called parties are near the calling users. When the calling users do not know the called parties' phone numbers, they must first ask the called parties for their phone numbers. The calling users may then enter the called parties' phone numbers into their mobile devices and transmit messages to the called parties' mobile devices. This inconveniences the mobile device users.
In particular, when a mobile device user wants to send his/her electronic business card (e-business card) to multiple people, conventional data transmission system requires for the user to first input all of the called parties' phone numbers to his/her mobile device.
New systems are required to allow users to easily transmit data, such as messages, contents files, and such, from their mobile devices to external mobile devices.

Data transmission method and mobile device adapted thereto


Display backlight structures may provide backlight illumination that passes through display layers in the display. Light-emitting diodes may emit blue light into an edge of a light guide plate. Optical films may overlap the light guide plate. The optical films may include a quantum dot enhancement film. A peripheral strip of yellow reflector or other light control structures may be incorporated into the backlight structures to reduce blue edge effects. The light control structures may have features with a spatially varying density, may be formed from quantum dot enhancement film, or may be formed form other structures. The light control structures may be formed on the surfaces of the optical films, on a reflective layer under the light guide plate, or on a surface of a mold frame or other structure that lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the light guide plate.

This relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices with displays.
Electronic devices often include displays. For example, cellular telephones and portable computers may have displays for presenting information to a user.
Liquid crystal displays contain a layer of liquid crystal material. Display pixels in a liquid crystal display contain thin-film transistors and electrodes for applying electric fields to the liquid crystal material. The strength of the electric field in a display pixel controls the polarization state of the liquid crystal material and thereby adjusts the brightness of the display pixel.
Substrate layers such as color filter layers and thin-film transistor layers are used in liquid crystal displays. A thin-film transistor layer contains an array of the thin-film transistors that are used in controlling electric fields in the liquid crystal layer. A color filter layer contains an array of color filter elements such as red, blue, and green elements. The color filter layer provides the display with the ability to display color images. In some displays the color filter elements are formed on the thin-film transistor layer.
A backlight unit is used to provide illumination for the display. The backlight unit includes light-emitting diodes that supply light to the edge of a light guide plate. The light guide plate laterally distributes light from the light-emitting diodes across the display. Scattering features in the light guide plate cause the light in the light guide plate to scatter outwardly through the layers of the display.
In color displays, the backlight illumination is white light that includes red, green, and blue components. In some displays, the light-emitting diodes that are used to provide light to the edge of the light-guide plate emit blue light. A quantum dot enhancement film is provided in the backlight to convert some of the blue light into red and green light.
Backlight units that include blue light-emitting diodes and quantum dot enhancement film can be subject to undesired blue edge effects where the peripheral edge of the backlight produces more blue light than red and green light. A display that is illuminated with this type of backlight unit will have an undesired blue color cast along its edges. The blue color cast can adversely affect the quality of images displayed on a display.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved backlights for displays such as liquid crystal displays.

Display with structures for reducing blue edge effects


A charging control system includes a flattened charging speed calculation unit that calculates a flattened charge speed for fully charging EVs at a constant speed according to permitted charging time for the EVs and the amount of charging required by the EVs; a charging speed calculation unit that calculates a charging speed for the EVs by multiplying the flattened charging speed by a request demand ratio function based on change over time in electric power demand requested from the electric power supply side; and a control unit that controls the charging of the EVs on the basis of the charging speed calculated by the charging speed calculation unit.

As environmental problems become increasingly serious in recent years, renewable power sources such as solar cells and wind power generators that are rapidly being put into use are considered to be an effective means of achieving lower carbon emissions and solving the problem of energy resources. However, these types of renewable power sources experience large fluctuations in output. As a result, from the standpoint of the quality of electric power, an adjustment means is indispensable for offsetting the fluctuations in output of the renewable power sources. Thermal power generators, which feature rapid response speed, are currently the chief means used as such adjustment means. As a result, the increased introduction of renewable power sources that have major fluctuation in output may be caught in a dilemma in which thermal power generators need to be used as adjustment means. Obtaining a powerful adjustment means to take the place of thermal power generators is therefore a major issue. As one such adjustment means, the introduction of high-capacity storage batteries (such as sodium sulfur batteries) is effective, but from the standpoint of installation and operating costs, the introduction of high-capacity storage batteries is thought to face extremely high obstacles.
Great strides are being made in research relating to V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) technology that, by effecting multiple linkage and operation, employs as virtual high-capacity storage batteries for electric power system stabilization: the storage batteries that are mounted in vehicles that run on electric power (hereinbelow referred to as EV (Electric Vehicles) that include hybrid electric vehicles that are equipped with storage batteries together with another motive power source) and that, similar to renewable power sources, are expected to rapidly come into widespread use; and the chargers to which these storage batteries are connected. The V2G proposal itself dates to the 1980s, and research reports estimating the extent of the macro-stabilization effect over an entire electric power system network have been issued continuously. In the past few years, the reports have come to focus on micro-control methods for the concrete construction of a system, i.e., technology for controlling the charging of a multiplicity of EVs individually and in real time.
For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes a charging/discharging control method for setting, for example, an EV driving model, a power distribution network model, and an electric power price time variation model and implementing optimum scheduling by Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), which is inspired by the movement of shoal of fishes.
Patent Document 1 describes the configuration of an EV charging planning device and refers to optimum charging scheduling that uses a genetic algorithm.
A case that assumes not only the charging of EVs but also the discharging from the EVs to the distribution network (electric power system side) is typically referred to as V2G. However, a case that assumes only charging of EVs may be referred to distinguish from G2V. G2V is assumed to decrease the load upon the internal storage battery of EVs in proportion to the decrease in the number of charge/discharge cycles.

Charging control system, charging control method, and program


A resin-rubber composite in which a low-pressure plasma-treated polyamide-based resin-molded product and a polyol-vulcanizable fluororubber composition that forms a fluororubber layer are directly bonded by vulcanization without interposing an adhesive. The low-pressure plasma treatment of the polyamide-based resin-molded product is performed in the presence of an inert gas, such as He gas, Ar gas, or N2 gas, at a pressure of 10 to 1,000 Pa. Here, an alkoxysilane compound is an optional component in the fluororubber composition, and the presence or absence of this compound does not affect the adhesion.

Combining polyamide-based resin-molded products and fluororubber into composites is generally performed by a method using an adhesive. However, the adhesion method using an adhesive has problems not only in that the process is complicated, requiring complicated process management and causing high costs, but also in that it is necessary to use large amounts of environmentally hazardous substances, such as organic solvents.
Patent Document 1 discloses a resin-rubber laminate in which a polyamide resin that has been subjected to plasma treatment, corona discharge treatment, or ultraviolet irradiation treatment, and a rubber composition containing an alkoxysilane compound of the following formula:
                R1, R2: any functional groups        R3, R4: hydrocarbon groupsare laminated without interposing an adhesive and bonded. However, although fluororubber is mentioned as an example of the rubber to which an alkoxysilane compound is added, no Examples using fluororubber are provided.
Patent Document 2 discloses a method for combining a polyamide-based resin-molded product and a member comprising other molding materials into a composite without using an adhesive, wherein at least one of these components is treated with an open air plasma on their contact surface prior to the production of the composite, and the other part is then integrally molded.
Here, vulcanized polymer compounds, such as a fluoropolymer compound, are mentioned as examples of the other molding materials; however, such compounds are molding members (e.g., injection molding member, extrudate, compression molding member), or semifinished products (e.g., single- or multilayer films, textile structures, etc.), and it is not described that the compounds are unvulcanized rubber compounds.
Moreover, Patent Document 3 discloses a fuel hose comprising an inner resin layer and an outer rubber layer laminated on the outer periphery of the inner resin layer, wherein after the inner resin layer made of a polyamide-based resin, fluororesin, or the like is formed by extrusion-molding, and before the outer rubber layer is extrusion-molded, the peripheral surface of the inner resin layer is subjected to microwave plasma treatment under reduced pressure. However, fluororubber is only mentioned as an example of the extrusion molding rubber forming the outer rubber layer.


The invention relates to an auto-injector for administering a dose of a liquid medicament (M), comprising of an elongate housing arranged to contain a syringe with a hollow needle and a bung for sealing the syringe and displacing the medicament (M), the elongate housing having a distal end (D) and a proximal end (P) with an orifice intended to be applied against an injection site, wherein the syringe is slidably arranged with respect to the housing; spring means capable of, upon activation, pushing the needle from a covered position inside the housing into an advanced position through the orifice and past the proximal end (P) as well as operating the syringe to supply the dose of medicament (M); and activating means arranged to lock the spring means in a pressurized state prior to manual operation and capable of, upon manual operation, releasing the spring means for injection. The spring means is a torsion spring grounded at one end in the housing and at the other end in a first gear member rotatable about a longitudinal axis but axially fixed wherein the first gear member, upon rotation, is arranged for translatively moving a second gear member, the second gear member prevented from rotating and coupled to the bung in order to push it towards the proximal end (P), wherein the first gear member is engaged with the activating means prior to manual operation in a manner to prevent rotation and disengaged from the activating means upon manual operation. The activating means is a trigger button, arranged at a distal end (D) of the housing and operable by being pressed in proximal direction (P).

Administering an injection is a process which presents a number of risks and challenges for users and healthcare professionals, both mental and physical.
Injection devices (i.e. devices capable of delivering medicaments from a medication container) typically fall into two categories—manual devices and auto-injectors.
In a manual device—the user must provide the mechanical energy to drive the fluid through the needle. This is typically done by some form of button/plunger that has to be continuously pressed by the user during the injection. There are numerous disadvantages to the user from this approach. If the user stops pressing the button/plunger then the injection will also stop. This means that the user can deliver an underdose if the device is not used properly (i.e. the plunger is not fully pressed to its end position). Injection forces may be too high for the user, in particular if the patient is elderly or has dexterity problems.
The extension of the button/plunger may be too great. Thus it can be inconvenient for the user to reach a fully extended button. The combination of injection force and button extension can cause trembling/shaking of the hand which in turn increases discomfort as the inserted needle moves.
Auto-injector devices aim to make self-administration of injected therapies easier for patients. Current therapies delivered by means of self-administered injections include drugs for diabetes (both insulin and newer GLP-1 class drugs), migraine, hormone therapies, anticoagulants etc.
Auto-injectors are devices which completely or partially replace activities involved in parenteral drug delivery from standard syringes. These activities may include removal of a protective syringe cap, insertion of a needle into a patient's skin, injection of the medicament, removal of the needle, shielding of the needle and preventing reuse of the device. This overcomes many of the disadvantages of manual devices. Injection forces/button extension, hand-shaking and the likelihood of delivering an incomplete dose are reduced. Triggering may be performed by numerous means, for example a trigger button or the action of the needle reaching its injection depth. In some devices the energy to deliver the fluid is provided by a spring.
US 2002/0095120 A1 discloses an automatic injection device which automatically injects a pre-measured quantity of fluid medicine when a tension spring is released. The tension spring moves an ampoule and the injection needle from a storage position to a deployed position when it is released. The content of the ampoule is thereafter expelled by the tension spring forcing a piston forward inside the ampoule. After the fluid medicine has been injected, torsion stored in the tension spring is released and the injection needle is automatically retracted back to its original storage position.
The European Patent Application EP 10153985.6 discloses an auto-injector for administering a dose of a liquid medicament, comprising:
an elongate housing arranged to contain a syringe with a hollow needle and a bung for sealing the syringe and displacing the medicament, the elongate housing having a distal end and a proximal end with an orifice intended to be applied against an injection site, wherein the syringe is slidably arranged with respect to the housing,
spring means capable of, upon activation, pushing the needle from a covered position inside the housing into an advanced position through the orifice and past the proximal end as well as operating the syringe to supply the dose of medicament,
activating means arranged to lock the spring means in a pressurized state prior to manual operation and capable of, upon manual operation, releasing the spring means for injection.
The spring means is a torsion spring grounded at one end in the housing and at the other end in a first gear member rotatable about a longitudinal axis but axially fixed. The first gear member, upon rotation, is arranged for translatively moving a second gear member. The second gear member is prevented from rotating and coupled to the bung in order to push it towards the proximal end. The first gear member is engaged with the activating means prior to manual operation in a manner to prevent rotation and disengaged from the activating means upon manual operation. When the torsion spring is released by operating the activating means the first gear member starts rotating.


Methods to improve drought tolerance and increasing yield by the application limited transpiration trait in maize plants are provided. Expression of the limited transpiration trait in maize under increasing vapor pressure deficit conditions provide positive impact on overall crop yield, depending on environmental conditions.

Yield loss due to water deficit is ubiquitous in maize (Zea mays) production environments in the US Corn Belt, even though it may not be always visually obvious. Stress conditions are associated with soil water deficit and high water demand, and are often manifested in correlations between temperatures and maize yields. In some instances, such as the drought occurring in 2012, the effects of drought can be devastating. Impacts on yield, however, depend on the temporal pattern of water use by the cropping system and physiological response characteristics to developing water deficit of the hybrid. Reduced plant population and skip-row planting systems are common agronomic practices implemented in the western US Corn Belt, which are conducive to increase the proportion of water use during the reproductive phase. Hybrids expressing reduced early growth can provide a complementary path towards soil water conservation and yield increase under drought stress. Similar results could be obtained by using growth retardants applied to limit early season leaf area development and water use.
Limiting transpiration rate under high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) can have a negative impact on yield in some environmental conditions. Decreased stomatal conductance associated with the response to high VPD may also result in decreased carbon assimilation rate. The yield level at which a limitation in dry matter growth (DMg) and transpiration becomes detrimental to yield, the geographies where the trait may limit productivity and their frequency, and how the trait may impact productivity with changes in plant population all remain uncertain.

Limited transpiration traits and breeding methods in maize


An image transmission control method for a facsimile apparatus reduces procedures before and after the sending of an image signal to require less time for the transmission of the image signal, thus improving a network utilization efficiency. The transmission side, when receiving a CED signal transmitted from the reception side, sends a particular tone signal to reduce the procedures before and after the sending of an image signal. NSF, NSS, EOP and MCF signals are communicated between the transmission side and the reception side at a high rate. These signals have a shorter preamble. A suitable communication rate is determined based on the results of learning by use of the previous communication rate and an internally provided model. Whether the reduced procedures are used is also determined from transmission conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image transmission control method, and more particularly, to an image transmission control method for a facsimile apparatus having a means for executing transmission procedures in a shorter time in order to reduce a time required for communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a diagram explaining a basic communication protocol applied to communications between transmitting and receiving facsimile apparatus in accordance with ITU-T Recommendation. Referring specifically to FIG. 1, signals sent between the transmitting side and the receiving side during a facsimile transmission include a CED signal 1 serving as a called station identification signal sent from the receiving side over a network; signals NSF, CSI, DIS generally designated by 203 for respectively declaring a non-standard function, a receiving capability and the telephone number of a called station, i.e., the receiving side; a TSI signal for transmitting the telephone number of the transmitting side and a DCS signal for setting a transmission function, together designated by 204; a TCF signal 208 for continuously sending "0" for 1.4 seconds at an image signal transmission rate specified by a calling terminal, i.e., the transmitting side to determine whether or not the specified image signal transmission rate is appropriate; a CFR signal 209 indicating that the TCF signal 208 has been correctly received; a pix signal 5 for delivering image signal data; an EOP signal 6 indicating that the last page has been sent; an MCF signal 7 indicating that the immediately previous page has been received without errors; and a DCN signal 201 for declaring that the communication has been completed and that the network connection is disconnected.
If the TCF signal 208 cannot be correctly received due to a bad network condition, the receiving side sends an FTT signal instead of the CFR signal 209 which would otherwise be transmitted to the transmitting side. In response, the transmitting side utilizes the TSI/DCS signal 204 to inform the receiving side of a new transmission rate and then sends the TCF signal 208. This procedure is repeated until the CFR signal 209 is returned from the receiving side.
FIG. 2 is a diagram explaining a high level data link control (HDLC) frame constituting the above-mentioned respective signals. In FIG. 2, the HDLC frame includes a preamble 211 consisting of sequential one-second flag codes; an address code 212; a control code 213; a facsimile control field 214; a facsimile information field 215; a frame check sequence 216; and one or more flags 217. The HDLC frame, composed of these elements, is generally sent at a transmission rate of 300 bps.
Next, the operation of the facsimile apparatus will be described with reference again to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the receiving side, upon receiving a call, sends a CED signal indicating that this is a non-audio terminal. The CED signal is a single tone signal at 2100 Hz which is generated for more than 2.6 seconds and less than 4.0 seconds.
In continuation, the receiving side sends the NSF signal used for identifying an option which may be different depending on respective manufacturers, a CSI signal including a country code, a telephone number, and so on, and a DIS signal used for identifying a standard function in accordance with ITU-T Recommendation. These signals are each formatted in accordance with the HDLC frame shown in FIG. 2. Also, signals TSI, DCS, CFR, EOP, MCF, DCN are likewise formatted in accordance with the HDLC frame. The HDLC frame sends binary code information after approximately one second of preamble 211 for establishing synchronization between modems (modulation-demodulation units) of the transmitting side and the receiving side. The binary code information includes substantially fixed information such as the address code 212, control code 213, and flag 217 as well as rather variable information such as the facsimile control field 214 indicating the kind of control signal, the facsimile information field 215 indicating detailed contents thereof, and the frame check sequence 216 for checking the frame. Also, when a plurality of HDLC frames are sequentially sent such as a sequence of NSF/CSI/DIS signals, these HDLC frames share the preamble 211.
In response to the NSF/CSI/DIS signals 203 sent from the receiving side, the transmitting side determines the capabilities of the respective functions of the receiving side, and informs the receiving side of the determined capabilities through the TSI/DCS signal 204.
Subsequently, the TCF signal 208 is sent for about 1.5 seconds to prepare the receiving side to receive a high rate signal. When conditions are appropriate the receiving side returns the CFR signal 209 to enable transmission of image data (pix signal 5) at a high rate to be proceeded with. When conditions are not appropriate, the reception side returns the FTT signal to step down the signal rate of the image data signal (for example, from 14.4 KBPS to 12 KBPS), and the above-mentioned procedure is repeated by sending a further TCF signal 208.
After the pix signal 5 has been transmitted from the transmitting side and received by the receiving side, a post-procedure protocol is entered. First, the transmitting side sends the EOP signal 6 indicative of the last page. The receiving side, in response to the EOP signal 6, returns the MCF signal 7 to the transmitting side which next sends the DCN signal 210 informing the receiving side of a disconnected network, thus completing the communication.
Since a conventional facsimile apparatus is constituted as described above, it takes approximately 15 to 16 seconds to complete the procedure required to send an image signal (pix signal 5) after a call has been answered. Assuming that an image signal is sent at a transmission rate of 14.4 KBPS, the procedure requires a time period of two to three times that of transmission of a document (pix signal 5), i.e., the original purpose. In other words, network utilization efficiency is extremely low, resulting in increased communication costs.
Also, when a network condition is not appropriate for transmission, the transmission rate is changed until the CFR signal 209 is returned from the receiving side in order to determine an appropriate transmission rate. However, approximately five seconds are required for the procedure each time the transmission rate is changed.
Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 5-219334 (1993) has proposed a solution to the above-mentioned problems. Specifically, a transmitting side sends a tone signal to a receiving side to reduce the number of procedures required to transmit an image to the receiving side. However, the disclosed solution does not address the reduction of procedures required after the transmission of an image signal (pix signal 5) nor to the provision of a shorter preamble in the HDLC frame. Since this solution doe not reduce the time required to execute the procedures before and after the transmission of the image signal (pix signal 5), the network utilization efficiency cannot be improved sufficiently.

Image transmission control method for facsimile apparatus


A touch grating, a display device and a method of realizing stereoscopic display and touch functions. The touch grating includes: a first substrate (101); a second substrate (102), disposed in opposition to the first substrate (101); a planar electrode (103), disposed at an inner side of the first substrate (101) facing the second substrate (102); a plurality of strip-shaped electrodes (104), being parallel to each other and disposed at an inner side of the second substrate (102) facing the first substrate (101); and liquid crystal (108), disposed between the first substrate (101) and the second substrate (102) and driven by the planar electrode (103) and the strip-shaped electrodes (104), wherein wirings (105) are provided at four terminals of the planar electrode (103), respectively, and the wirings (105) provided at the four terminals are used to determine a touch position.

A principle of the 3D (Three Dimensions) image display is to make a left-eye image be seen by the left eye of a person, and a right-eye image be seen by his right eye, wherein, the left-eye and right-eye images are a pair of stereoscopic images having the parallax, so that a viewer can see a stereoscopic image similar to an object. In order to meet requirements of users, a 3D display technology has been applied to a display. The 3D display technologies can be classified into two categories: a glasses type and a naked-eye type.
Among them, the naked-eye 3D display technology will become a mainstream 3D display technology in the future, wherein displaying a stereoscopic image is achieved by using a grating. Exemplarily, the grating includes transparent stripes and opaque stripes. At a time, a left-eye image is seen by the left eye of a user through the transparent stripes while a right-eye image is blocked by the opaque stripes; at the next time, the right-eye image is seen by the right eye of the user through the transparent stripes while the left-eye image is blocked by the opaque stripes, so that a 3D image is seen by the user.
However, a touch function can not be realized by a display device having a 3D display function at present.

Touch grating, display device and method of realizing stereoscopic display and touch functions

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The invention provides an articulating mechanism useful, for example, for remote manipulation of various surgical instruments and diagnostic tools within, or to, regions of the body. Movement of segments at the proximal end of the mechanism results in a corresponding, relative movement of segments at the distal end of the mechanism. The proximal and distal segments are connected by a set of cables in such a fashion that each proximal segment forms a discrete pair with a distal segment. This configuration allows each segment pair to move independently of one another and also permits the articulating mechanism to undergo complex movements and adopt complex configurations.

Surgical procedures such as endoscopy and laparoscopy typically employ instruments that are steered within or towards a target organ or tissue from a position outside the body. Examples of endoscopic procedures include sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and bronchoscopy. Traditionally, the insertion tube of an endoscope is advanced by pushing it forward, and retracted by pulling it back. The tip of the tube may be directed by twisting and general up/down and left/right movements. Oftentimes, this limited range of motion makes it difficult to negotiate acute angles (e.g., in the rectosigmoid colon), creating patient discomfort and increasing the risk of trauma to surrounding tissues.
Laparoscopy involves the placement of trocar ports according to anatomical landmarks. The number of ports usually varies with the intended procedure and number of instruments required to obtain satisfactory tissue mobilization and exposure of the operative field. Although there are many benefits of laparoscopic surgery, e.g., less postoperative pain, early mobilization, and decreased adhesion formation, it is often difficult to achieve optimal retraction of organs and maneuverability of conventional instruments through laparoscopic ports. In some cases, these deficiencies may lead to increased operative time or imprecise placement of components such as staples and sutures.
Steerable catheters are also well known for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Similar to endoscopes, such catheters include tips that can be directed in generally limited ranges of motion to navigate a patient's vasculature.
There have been many attempts to design endoscopes and catheters with improved steerability. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,780 to Sato; U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,381 to Ailinger et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,146 to Alotta et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,453 to Sakai describe endoscopic instruments with one or more flexible portions that may be bent by actuation of a single set of wires. The wires are actuated from the proximal end of the instrument by rotating pinions (Sato), manipulating knobs (Ailinger et al.), a steerable arm (Alotta et al.), or by a pulley mechanism (Sato).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,147 to Boury et al. discloses a steerable catheter having four wires that run within the catheter wall. Each wire terminates at a different part of the catheter. The proximal end of the wires extend loosely from the catheter so that the physician may pull them. The physician is able to shape and thereby steer the catheter by selectively placing the wires under tension.
Although each of the devices described above are remotely steerable, their range of motion is generally limited, at least in part because typically only a single cable set is employed in connecting links or segments of the steerable elements. As such, independent movement at each link or segment is not possible. Rather, the distal links or segments bend together as a unit or units. The steering mechanisms may also be laborious to use, such as in the catheter of Boury et al. where each wire must be separately pulled to shape the catheter. Further, in the case of e.g. endoscopes and steerable catheters that use knob and pulley mechanisms, it requires a significant amount of training to become proficient in maneuvering the device through a patient's anatomy.
Consequently, a device with enhanced remote maneuverability to controllably navigate complex anatomy may allow more efficient and precise advancement and deployment of surgical and diagnostic instruments and tools, as well as help decrease trauma to surrounding tissues, minimize patient discomfort, and decrease operative time and perhaps even patient morbidity during various surgical procedures. It would also be advantageous for such a device to provide a more intuitive and facile user interface to achieve such enhanced maneuverability.

Articulating mechanism for remote manipulation of a surgical or diagnostic tool


The present invention provides an aqueous composition useful for polishing nonferrous metal interconnects on a semiconductor wafer comprising oxidizer, inhibitor for a nonferrous metal, complexing agent for the nonferrous metal, modified cellulose, 0.01 to 5% by weight copolymer of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, and balance water, wherein the copolymer of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid has a monomer ratio (acrylic acid/methacrylic acid) in the range of 1:30 to 30:1 and the copolymer has a molecular weight in the range of 1K to 1000K.

The invention relates to chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of semiconductor wafer materials and, more particularly, to CMP compositions and methods for polishing metal interconnects on semiconductor wafers in the presence of dielectrics and barrier materials.
Typically, a semiconductor wafer is a wafer of silicon with a dielectric layer containing multiple trenches arranged to form a pattern for circuit interconnects within the dielectric layer. The pattern arrangements usually have a damascene structure or dual damascene structure. A barrier layer covers the patterned dielectric layer and a metal layer covers the barrier layer. The metal layer has at least sufficient thickness to fill the patterned trenches with metal to form circuit interconnects.
CMP processes often include multiple polishing steps. For example, a first step removes excess interconnect metals, such as copper at an initial high rate. After the first step removal, a second step polishing can remove metal that remains on the barrier layer outside of the metal interconnects. Subsequent polishing removes the barrier from an underlying dielectric layer of a semiconductor wafer to provide a planar polished surface on the dielectric layer and the metal interconnects.
The metal in a trench or trough on the semiconductor substrate provides a metal line forming a metal circuit. One of the problems to be overcome is that the polishing operation tends to remove metal from each trench or trough, causing recessed dishing of such metal. Dishing is undesirable as it causes variations in the critical dimensions of the metal circuit. To reduce dishing, polishing is performed at a lower polishing pressure. However, merely reducing the polishing pressure would require that polishing continue for a lengthened duration. However, dishing would continue to be produced for the entire lengthened duration. What is needed is a method to reduce dishing of metal in trenches or troughs without lengthening the duration of the polishing operation. Polishing compositions that leave a surface clear of interconnect metal residue after a short second step polishing time are needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,259 describes the use of engineered copolymers in aqueous polishing compositions for CMP. These include copolymers derived from a mixture comprising acrylic acid monomer and methacrylic acid monomer at a mole ratio of acrylic acid monomer to methacrylic acid monomer of about 1:20 to about 20:1. These are disclosed in polishing compositions that do not comprise a modified cellulose.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Chemical mechanical polishing compositions and methods relating thereto

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holdings, Inc.


A torque transmitter has a plurality of friction plates alternately splined at the inner and outer peripheries. The plates are urged into frictional engagement by a piston and a lever spring to accommodate torque transmission between the splined components drivingly connected with the splined peripheries. The friction plates are disposed in radial alignment with the piston and the lever spring reacts against one of the friction plates. A fulcrum for the lever spring is disposed on one of the splined components.

Conventional fluid actuated torque transmissions, for example, clutches and brakes, have a plurality of axially aligned friction plates which are alternately splined with an inner member and an outer member. In the case of a clutch, one member is connected with a rotatable shaft and the other member is connected with a gear element. In the case of a brake, one member is connected with a stationary housing and the other member is connected with a shaft or gear.
The friction plates are forced into frictional engagement by pressure on a fluid operated axially movable piston. The piston has an apply surface that directly engages one of the plates which is axially aligned therewith. However, the piston has a larger annular area than the friction plates, resulting in the center of pressure being radially offset from the apply surface. This establishes an overturning moment on the piston. The piston is urged to the disengaged position by a plurality of return springs when the pressure is reduced.
The piston and friction plates are stacked in series in an axial direction. This requires that the torque transmitter be provided with an overall axial dimension to the accommodate the plates, piston, axial movement of the piston and the housing in which the piston is selectively disposed. Also, the piston establishes sufficient structure and bearing surfaces to accommodate the overturning moment. This axial positioning within the transmission utilizes valuable space under the hood of the modern passenger vehicle. The piston structure can impose weight and cost factors which increase the overall cost of the transmission.

Torque transmitting device with a lever apply spring


Methods are provided to perform area summation of various subsections of data values in a regular input array of one or several dimensions and varying sizes. The summation is achieved by adding up values from a ripmap of partial sums, where the partial sums are computed from the input array using a binary reduction method. According to such embodiments, the generation of the ripmap of partial sums will employ several binary reduction stages. Within each stage, a reduction operator is used that adds two elements along the respective direction. This is repeated until the output is only one element wide in the respective direction. The addresses of partial sums in the ripmap may subsequently be computed using a binary analysis of the target subsections in order to choose those partial sum values for a desired area that results in the desired area sum using an optimal number of data fetches.

In the field of image processing, a common technique performed is to artificially blur an image with varying degrees for each pixel. This technique may be used to simulate a picture taken by a camera, or high contrast video processing, for example, where blurring may be artificially simulated for objects and textures in the image(s) which are determined to be farther away from the perspective of the viewer. In these cases, information corresponding to the intended depth may be calculated for each pixel in the image, and this information may be used to determine the extent of blurring performed on the pixel.
One practice for blurring with depth information is to reference the depth information (often a depth value) of the adjacent or surrounding pixels, average the color values in the group and apply a weighted offset to the color value of the pixel based on the resultant averaged color of the surrounding pixels. This would result in an artificially created "blurriness" effect in larger areas further away from the viewer's perspective. The color values are often implemented as arrays of values, typically floating points or integers. A common optimization is to use Summed Area Tables to perform the summation and averaging of the color values, effectively generating a Prefix Sum of the input values which originates at a corner of the input array.
A summed area table (also known as an integral image) is a data structure and algorithm for calculating the sum of values in a target subsection (area) of an array or grid. A summed area computation operates on a one-to-multidimensional regular data array and sums up a rectangular array of values. FIG. 1 depicts a conventional summed area table for a one dimensional array of input. As depicted in FIG. 1, a summed area table 103 may be pre-generated from an array of input 101 by pre-computing the sum of all previous elements in the array and storing the resultant data in another array, using a one-to-one correspondence. Computing the sum of a contiguous subset of the array therefore, may be performed by subtracting the value corresponding to the starting index of the subset from the value at the end index of the subset to determine the integral sum between the two indices. An averaging operation can subsequently be applied to the ensuing sum by dividing by the number of elements.
In addition to video and image processing, another popular application for summed area computation and/or artificial blurring is within the field of 3 D video gaming, as closer objects are graphically represented as being less blurred than objects farther away. Other fields which may employ summed area computation include probability calculation, specifically, to calculate the probability in a certain span of an input event by calculating the sums of partial event probabilities that are stored in array; and shadow mapping and/or convolution shadow mapping, in which shadows are added to scenes in three dimensional computer graphics. In this case, the input array contains occlusion or depth information of a 3D scene view in each element.
Unfortunately, summed area tables suffer from two significant disadvantages. One disadvantage is that summed area tables are effectively performing a prefix-sum scan operation on each and every element of the input array, which, when the summed area table is generated for lengthy arrays and/or in multiple dimensions, can be computationally expensive to generate and store. The second and more significant disadvantage is that summed area tables suffer from issues with integer over-wrapping and numerical precision. With arrays and/or data values of substantial yet widely common sizes (such as those used for HD-video or SLR camera images), there is a risk of exceeding the floating point mantissa value resolution or exceeding the maximum integer value during the creation of the summed area table. This can easily cause imprecision and over-wrapping, respectively, in summed area computations where the maximum integer values or the floating point mantissa's resolution are subsequently breached due to the aforementioned limitations of the summed area table. This can lead to unintended distortions and potentially disastrous loss of data, particularly when these floating point and integer data type limitations are exceeded in many of the summed area table values.

Summed area computation using ripmap of partial sums


A current switch self-calibrates when a reset control is actuated and displays an expected current in the monitored conductor, one or more trip points of the current switch and the last known current in the monitored conductor.

The present invention relates to a current switch for monitoring electric current in a conductor and, more particularly, to a self-calibrating current switch having a display.
Industrial and commercial environments utilize large numbers of electrically powered devices, such as heaters, valves, fans, pumps and compressors. The proper operation of these devices can be important to the protection of valuable property and successful completion of processes that may involve costly or hazardous equipment, operations or materials. The operation of these devices is commonly monitored by current switches which include a current transducer which outputs a signal that is representative of the current flowing in a conductor supplying power to the monitored device(s) and a sensing switch that changes state when the signal from the current transducer indicates that the current in the monitored conductor has crossed a trip point, sometimes referred to as a set point, for the switch. The current switch is typically connected to a controller which, when the state of the sensing switch changes, may display a warning or an advisory signal for a human operator and/or selectively enable or disable power to the device and/or other devices of a system that might be affected by a malfunction of a device connected to the conductor monitored by the current switch.
Holce et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,846, incorporated herein by reference, disclose a protective device comprising a current sensor for monitoring current in a cable supplying power to a load and an input circuit for signaling a controller when the current reaches a trip point. The current sensor is a sensing transformer comprising a wire wound core that encircles a power cable. A changing current in the power cable, the primary winding of the sensing transformer, produces a changing electro-magnetic field around the cable which, in turn, induces a magnetic flux in the core of the transformer. The magnetic flux in the core induces a voltage in the wire winding, the transformer's secondary winding, which is representative of the current flowing in the power cable. The wire winding is electrically connected to the input circuit that outputs a signal to a controller when the voltage signal in the secondary winding of the transformer indicates an improper current in the power cable. The protective device also includes a status output which can energize or deenergize the monitored device or another device in response to a signal from the controller.
Current switches are available with either a fixed trip point or an adjustable trip point. A current switch with a fixed trip point provides cost effective "go/no go" monitoring but is usually unsuitable for monitoring circuits for events which can cause the electrical load, for example, a motor, to continue to operate but at either reduced or increased current draw. For example, belt loss or shearing of a coupling connecting a motor and a mechanical load can cause the mechanical load to malfunction while the electrical load, the motor, continues to operate with a reduced current. On the other hand, a mechanical failure, such as a bearing failure, will often cause an increase in the current draw of a motor for some period before the motor stops operating. The trip point of some current switches can be adjusted to enable detection of low or high currents indicative of these types of failures. Typically, the system is started and allowed to achieve steady state operation. Then the installer adjusts a potentiometer in the current switch to vary the trip point until the state of the sensing switch changes indicating that the trip point is equal to the normal operating current in the monitored conductor. Continued adjustment of the potentiometer adjusts the trip point to a current that is either somewhat greater than or somewhat less than the normal operating current. Thereafter, the sensing switch will change state when the current in the monitored conductor crosses the trip point. While current switches with adjustable trip points provide greater utility, adjusting the trip points of the current switches is time consuming and installation can be costly, particularly when large numbers of current switches are involved. In addition, while the trip point is known to be a value which is either greater or less than the conductor current when the system is operating normally, additional instrumentation and monitoring is required to determine the magnitudes of the conductor current and the trip point(s) of the current switch if the trip point is a function of the conductor current. Moreover, the magnitude of a current causing the current switch to trip is not readily knowable which can complicate troubleshooting particularly if the current switch has both an upper and a lower trip point.
What is desired, therefore, is a current switch that self-calibrates to a current in the monitored conductor and enables a user to visually determine the current in the conductor and the trip point of the current switch.

Self-calibrating current switch with display


A flat panel display and a chip bonding pad thereof are provided. The flat panel display includes a display panel, an FPC board, first and second source driving chips, and a control circuit board. First and second wires in a peripheral circuit region of the display panel extend from the underneath of the FPC board to two opposite sides of the display panel and electrically connect the FPC board. The first source driving chips electrically connect the FPC board through parts of the first wires. The second source driving chips electrically connect the FPC board through the second wires. The chip bonding pad is under one of the first and second source driving chips. The chip bonding pad includes a first dielectric layer having first through holes and a second dielectric layer having second and third through holes arranged alternately. The second through holes correspond to the first through holes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a flat panel display and a chip bonding pad. More particularly, the present invention is related to a flat panel display in which signal transmission impedances are matched and a chip bonding pad characterized by low impedance of signal transmission.
2. Description of Related Art
With an advancement of information industries, volume requirements for various displays result in miniaturization of the displays in the market. For instance, conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) displays have been replaced by flat panel displays including liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light emitting displays (OLEDs), and so on.
FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a conventional flat panel display. Referring to FIG. 1A, a flat panel display 100 includes a display panel 110, a plurality of flexible printed circuit (FPC) boards 120, a plurality of driving chips 130, and a control circuit board 140. The display panel 110 includes a display region A and a peripheral circuit region P. The driving chips 130 are disposed within the peripheral circuit region P. Besides, the driving chips 130 are electrically connected to the control circuit board 140 through the corresponding FPC boards 120.
Due to the increased dimension and resolution of the display panel 110, the number of the required driving chips 130 is increased accordingly. In order to enable all of the driving chips 130 to receive ground signals, power source signals, or other signals at a substantially equivalent level, an increase in the number of the FPC boards 120 is usually necessitated. Meanwhile, the length of the control circuit board 140 needs to be extended, such that all of the FPC boards 120 can be connected to the control circuit board 140. As such, material costs of the flat panel display 100 are raised because of the increased number of the FPC boards 120 and the increased area occupied by the control circuit board 140.
FIG. 1B is a partial top view illustrating a location where the driving chips are disposed on the display panel depicted in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along a sectional line I-I′ of FIG. 1B. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the display panel 100 also includes a plurality of chip bonding pads 150 and 151 for connecting the driving chips 130. When the driving chips 130 are disposed on the display panel 110, the chip bonding pad 150 is then covered by the driving chips 130.
Next, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the chip bonding pad 150 includes a first conductive layer 152, a first dielectric layer 154, a second conductive layer 156, a second dielectric layer 158, and a third conductive layer 160 that are sequentially stacked. The first dielectric layer 154 has a plurality of first through holes 154A. The second dielectric layer 158 has a plurality of second through holes 158A and a plurality of third through holes 158B. The second through holes 158A correspond to the first through holes 154A for exposing a portion of the first conductive layer 152, while the third through holes 158B expose a portion of the second conductive layer 156. Besides, the third conductive layer 160 covers the second dielectric layer 158, the portion of the first conductive layer 152 exposed by the first through holes 154A, and the portion of the second conductive layer 156 exposed by the third through holes 158B.
The first through holes 154A and the third through holes 158B are juxtaposed in pairs. Thereby, signal transmission paths between the conductive layers in the chip bonding pad 150 merely have a single direction or path. For instance, when a signal is transmitted from the first conductive layer 152 to the second conductive layer 156, the signal is transmitted along a direction D. The third conductive layer 160 is often made of a transparent conductive material including an indium tin oxide. Hence, the third conductive layer 160 has a relatively great transmission impedance.


A moving image processing apparatus gives an ID to a video segment obtained by dividing moving image data, and stores information for associating a section of each video segment with the ID as video segment section information. Here, meta-data corresponding to each video segment is managed by associating the meta-data with the ID given to each video segment. In editing operations, editing in units of a video segment is performed, and an arrangement of video segment IDs is manipulated. Therefore, even if the editing is performed, there arises no inconsistency in referring to meta-data information so that it is equivalent to having the meta-data updated in synchronization with the moving image editing. Thus, it is possible to have virtual editing of the moving image automatically followed by an update of the meta-data and also alleviate a burden of reediting the meta-data of an editor.

As a conventional method of recording moving image data, it has been stored in a tape device such as a magnetic tape. As it is impossible to get random access to the moving image data stored in such a tape device, it is necessary to actually create a moving image stream in video editing. In recent years, however, it became possible to store moving image in a device allowing the random access such as a hard disk, and so virtual editing has become possible by successively specifying moving image sections to be reproduced.
Such a virtual editing is very convenient since it allows reediting and so on to be performed easily without losing/altering original information. In addition, in the case where the moving image is stored in a random-accessible device, it is possible to provide a multifunction moving image reproducing apparatus since it allows a moving image search (scene search) with meta-data and a summary reproduction for digestedly reproducing the moving image.
When having edited the moving image, it is necessary to edit the meta-data and summary data by following it. For instance, in the case where the contents of moving image editing are not reflected on the meta-data, there is a possibility that a portion not included in the edited moving image is searched when searching and reproducing the edited moving image with the meta-data. To be more specific, consideration must be given to synchronizing the virtual editing of the moving image with an update of the meta-data so that, in the case where a video segment is searched for by using the meta-data, the video segment deleted by the virtual editing will not show in search hit results.
In addition, while the contents are checked and grasped by seeing a summary of the moving image in the case where there is a large amount of moving image, there arises an inconsistency between the edited moving image and the summary when the summary is reproduced if the contents of moving image editing are not reflected on the summary data. For instance, in the case where an arrangement of the video segments is changed or the video segment is deleted in the virtual editing, order of the scenes by the summary reproduction is different from the edited moving image or the deleted scenes are reproduced so that it gives a sense of incongruity to a person seeing the moving image.
However, it is very burdensome to edit the meta-data and summary data in conjunction with the moving image editing, and there is a tendency that trouble of editing work rather increases even if the editing of the moving image itself becomes easier.

Moving image data processing apparatus and method


A shift register for flat panel display devices includes a start signal unit configured to control a start of an output signal, an end signal unit configured to control an end of the output signal, and a plurality of stages configured to increase the output signal to a high-level driving voltage according to a signal supplied from a first node connected to the start signal unit, and decrease the output signal to a low-level driving voltage according to a signal supplied from a second node connected to the end signal unit. Each of the plurality of stages generates multi signals for diving a pixel circuit of a display device.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a display device, and particularly, to a shift register for flat panel display devices and a method of driving the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
With the advance of various portable electronic devices such as mobile terminals and notebook computers, the demand for flat panel display devices applied to the portable electronic devices is increasing. Therefore, flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display panel (PDP) devices, and organic light emitting diode (OLED) display devices are being commercialized.
A gate driving circuit of the flat panel display devices includes a shift register for sequentially supplying a gate pulse to a plurality of gate lines. The shift register includes a plurality of stages including a plurality of transistors, and the stages are connected in cascade to sequentially output the gate pulse.
Recently, LCD devices and/or organic light emitting display devices use a gate-in panel (GIP) type in which the transistors configuring the shift register of the gate driving circuit are built into a substrate of a display panel as thin film transistors (TFTs).
The TFTs configuring the GIP type shift register supply the gate pulse to a plurality of pixels formed in the display panel, respectively. Therefore, in addition to fundamental characteristics of the TFTs such as a mobility and a leakage current, an electrical reliability and a durability for maintaining a service life for a long time are very important.
A semiconductor layer of the TFTs is formed of amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon. Amorphous silicon is simple in film-forming process and is low in manufacturing cost, but cannot secure an electrical reliability.
Moreover, polycrystalline silicon is very difficult to realize a large area due to a high process temperature, and cannot secure a uniformity based on a crystallization scheme. To solve such problems, research for using an oxide semiconductor as the semiconductor layer of the TFTs is being done recently.
An oxide semiconductor is amorphous, and is evaluated as a stable material. When using the oxide semiconductor as the semiconductor layer of the TFTs, the TFTs can be manufactured at a low temperature by using the existing process equipment even without additionally buying separate process equipment, and there are several advantages such as an ion injecting process being omitted, etc.
FIG. 1 is a graph showing a transfer characteristic of a general oxide TFT.
As seen in FIG. 1, since an oxide thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as an oxide TFT) has a negative threshold voltage, a leakage current occurs when a gate voltage (Vg) is 0 V. Due to the leakage current, the shift register cannot output a normal gate pulse.
Such a problem can be solved by changing a manufacturing process of the oxide TFT to shift a threshold voltage of the oxide TFT to a positive voltage. However, since the TFTs formed in a display area of the display panel also have a positive threshold voltage (Vth), driving power increases. Therefore, a method is needed for lessening an influence of the threshold voltage corresponding to a weak point of the oxide TFT configuring the shift register.
The shift register includes a pull-up TFT for outputting a high voltage and a pull-down TFT for outputting a low voltage. Here, the pull-up TFT for outputting the high voltage is connected to a Q node, and the pull-down TFT for outputting the low voltage is connected to a QB node.
Here, the QB node holds the high voltage for most of time during one frame period. Accordingly, a threshold voltage of the pull-down TFT connected to the QB node is shifted to a positive voltage, and for this reason, a falling time operation is affected.
In the GIPT type shift register of the related art, when a layout for driving in one horizontal period (1HT) is set, it is difficult to change a timing of an output signal.
Especially, when a layout is set as a 1HT driving scheme, a signal cannot be outputted for a time equal to or longer than one horizontal period (1HT), and when a layout is set as a 2HT driving scheme, an output of a signal is inevitably adjusted in only a 2HT time corresponding to two horizontal period (2HT).
Since the related art shift register generates an output signal (VGH, VGL) by booting a clock signal (CLK), the output signal is affected by a width of the clock signal (CLK). It is required to increase the width of the clock signal for increasing an output time of a signal, but when the width of the clock signal increases, the shift register cannot normally operate because a high output signal (VGH) and a low output signal (VGL) overlaps.
In addition, multi signals, namely, various output signals, are needed for driving pixels of the OLED display device. However, the related art shift register cannot generate various output signals, and cannot adjust a timing of the output signals.

Shift register and method of driving the same


An antenna structure including an antenna 10 with an outer main surface 11, where said antenna 10 is integrated in a surface of a surrounding material 20. Further comprising a transition zone 30 arranged along the perimeter of the main surface 11 and overlapping the main surface, where the transition zone 30 comprises a layer of a resistive material with a resistivity that varies with the distance from an outer perimeter of the transition zone 30 to enable a smooth transition of the scattering properties between the antenna 10 and the surrounding material 20.

During the past few years, the concept of stealth technology has been successfully exploited, especially for aircrafts. In its most basic definition, stealth is the art of going un-noticed through an environment. The aim is therefore to make it increasingly difficult to detect an object by means of e.g. radar or other electromagnetic detection technique. A plurality of designs, materials, and electronic devices has therefore been developed for this purpose.
Major potential sources of high radar visibility in stealth objects are antennas associated with the object. Since an antenna is typically designed to absorb energy in its operational band, the in-band diffraction is significant if the antenna is integrated in a non-absorbing environment. The out of band diffraction can also contribute to the so called radar cross section (RCS) if there is a phase difference between the reflection from the antenna and the reflection from the surroundings. Several phenomena have been identified as contributions to the radar visibility as represented by the radar cross section (RCS) of array antennas. These contributors can be divided according to: i) structural RCS, ii) antenna-mode RCS, i.e. reflections from inside the antenna, and iii) grating lobes i.e. above radio frequency (RF) band spikes. Examples of the various "classes" of contributors are e.g. grating lobes, edge diffraction, and surface waves
The grating lobes can occur if the inter-element spacing is larger then half a wave length [[1, [2, [3].
Edge diffraction can be interpreted as diffraction caused by the rapid change in the scattering properties between the antenna and its surroundings [[4]. The out of band diffraction can also contribute to the RCS if there is a phase difference between reflections from the antenna and reflections from the antenna surrounding.
Therefore, there is a need for methods and arrangements to reduce the RCS of antennas.

Method and arrangement for reducing the radar cross section of integrated antennas