A method of making an organic memory cell which comprises two electrodes with a controllably conductive media between the two electrodes is disclosed. The present invention involves providing a dielectric layer having formed therein one or more first electrode pads; removing a portion of the first electrode pad to form a recessed area on top of the pads and in the dielectric layer using reverse electroplating; forming a controllably conductive media over the first electrode pad in the recessed area; and forming a second electrode over the conductive media. The controllably conductive media contains an organic semiconductor layer and a passive layer.

The basic functions of a computer and memory devices include information processing and storage. In typical computer systems, these arithmetic, logic, and memory operations are performed by devices that are capable of reversibly switching between two states often referred to as "0" and "1." Such switching devices are fabricated from semiconducting devices that perform these various functions and are capable of switching between two states at high speed.
Electronic addressing or logic devices, for instance for storage or processing of data, are made with inorganic solid state technology, and particularly crystalline silicon devices. The metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) is one the main workhorses.
Much of the progress in making computers and memory devices faster, smaller and cheaper involves integration, squeezing ever more transistors and other electronic structures onto a postage stamp sized piece of silicon. A postage stamp sized piece of silicon may contain tens of millions of transistors, each transistor as small as a few hundred nanometers. However, silicon based devices are approaching their fundamental physical size limits.
Inorganic solid state devices are generally encumbered with a complex architecture which leads to high cost and a loss of data storage density. The circuitry of volatile semiconductor memories based on inorganic semiconductor material must constantly be supplied with electric current with a resulting heating and high electric power consumption in order to maintain stored information. Nonvolatile semiconductor devices have a reduced data rate and relatively high power consumption and large degree of complexity.


The present invention is directed to a 2,4-bis(trifluoroethoxy)pyridine compound represented by formula (1):

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a 2,4-bis(trifluoroethoxy)pyridine compound which exhibits high acyl coenzyme A cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitory effect upon oral administration and thus is useful for prevention or treatment of hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, or similar disorders, and to intermediates which are useful for producing the compound.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Acyl coenzyme A cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) is an enzyme which catalyzes the synthesis of cholesterol ester from cholesterol and plays an important role in the metabolism of cholesterol and its absorption in digestive organs. Although many of conventional ACAT inhibitors serving as anti-hyperlipidemia agents or anti-arteriosclerosis agents act on ACAT in the small intestine or the liver to decrease blood cholesterol level, such agents disadvantageously have side effects such as intestinal bleeding, intestinal disorder, diarrhea, and liver disorder.
According to recent studies, regression of arteriosclerosis foci per se is expected to be achieved by preventing foam-cell formation of macrophages, which play a key role in formation of foci of arteriosclerosis. Specifically, macrophage-derived foam cells (which store cholesterol esters therein as fatty droplets) are observed in a focus of arteriosclerosis. It has been revealed that the formation of macrophage-derived foam cells is closely related to the progress of the lesion. In addition, at the arteriosclerosis lesion site, the activity of ACAT on the vascular wall has been elevated, and cholesterol ester has accumulated on the vascular wall. Thus, the activity of ACAT on the vascular wall might have a close relation to arteriosclerosis (Exp. Mol. Pathol., 44, 329–339 (1986)).
Accordingly, when an ACAT inhibitor inhibits esterification of cholesterol on vascular walls, free cholesterol will be stored in vascular wall cells. The stored free cholesterols are removed by high-density lipoprotein (HDL) from the cells to the liver (reverse transport by HDL) and then metabolized. Thus, such an ACAT inhibitor can be expected to inhibit accumulation of cholesterol esters at lesion sites of arteriosclerosis (Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 2001 15, 1530 (1): 111–122). As described above, an ACAT inhibitor which inhibits ACAT present on vascular walls has been considered to have direct anti-arteriosclerosis effect.
Previously, after extensive studies focusing on a prediction that a compound which selectively inhibits ACATs present on vascular walls and thus prevents macrophages from transforming into foam cells may serve as a preventive or therapeutic agent for arteriosclerosis while producing reduced side effects, the present inventors found that a compound represented by the following formula (A):
(wherein Ar represents an aryl group which may optionally be substituted,
represents a divalent residue of benzene, pyridine, cyclohexane, or naphthalene which may optionally be substituted, X represents NH, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom, Y represents a sulfur atom or the like, Z represents a single bond, l is an integer of 0 to 15, m is 2 or 3, and n is an integer of 1 to 3), a salt thereof, or a solvate of the compound or the salt selectively inhibits ACATs present in the artery wall and thus is useful as a preventive or therapeutic agent for hyperlipidemia or arteriosclerosis (International Patent Publication WO98/54153).
Among the compounds described in International Patent Publication WO98/54153, a compound represented by formula (B):
and a salt thereof was found to have high solubility to water and high ACAT inhibitory effect and exhibit unique pharmacological effect in a variety of animal models. Although compound (B) and other compounds disclosed in International Patent Publication WO98/54153 exhibit excellent pharmacological effect attributed to ACAT inhibitory effect in animals, experiments performed in vitro using human liver microsomes revealed that these compounds are rapidly metabolized and thus only small percentage of unchanged compounds remains in human liver microsome. Therefore, low blood concentration of these compounds has become of concern. Moreover, on the basis of a recent knowledge that, from the mechanism of drug interaction, a drug having higher safety is produced from compounds having higher metabolic resistance, a compound having higher metabolic resistance in human liver microsome is desired.
However, it has been considered very difficult to improve stability, against metabolism, of compound (B) while maintaining its ACAT inhibitory effect, since compound (B) has many functional groups which are generally readily metabolized in living organisms, and these functional groups are believed to be essential for production of the pharmacological effect.

2,4-bis (trifluoroethoxy)pyridine compound and drug containing the compound

Abstract: (wherein X1 represents a fluorine atom or a hydrogen atom) or a salt thereof, and to a drug containing the compound or the salt as an active ingredient.

Abstract: The compound has metabolic resistance in human liver microsome, good absorbability upon oral administration, and excellent ACAT inhibitory activity.


A combustion-engined setting tool for driving fastening elements such as, e.g., nails, blots, etc. in constructional components includes a combustion chamber (13) for combusting therein an oxidant-fuel mixture, a turbulence generating element, arranged in the combustion chamber (13) for creating turbulence of the oxidant-fuel mixture, and a drive for at least partially driving the turbulence generating element (32) and including a mechanical device (30) for a pulsed acceleration of the turbulence generating element (32) and which is activated by the actuation switch (35) that actuates the setting process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combustion-engined setting tool for driving fastening elements such as, e.g., nails, bolts, and the like and includes an actuation switch for actuating a setting process, a combustion chamber for combusting therein an oxidant-fuel mixture, turbulence generating means arranged in the combustion chamber for creating turbulence of the oxidant-fuel mixture, and drive means for at least partially driving the turbulence generating means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the setting tools of the type described above, a portion of liquid gas or another vaporable fuel, which is mixed with an oxidant, e.g., environmental air, is combusted in the tool combustion chamber. In order to obtain as high as possible drive-in energy from the combustion process, it is important that the combustion of the gas or gas mixture takes place under turbulent flow conditions. Only a turbulent combustion permits to obtain a necessary drive energy from the combustion process, producing a sufficiently rapid pressure increase in the combustion chamber for accelerating the setting piston to a degree necessary for driving a fastening element in. With a laminar combustion, the combustion process and the resulting pressure increase take place so slow that only a fraction of the required mechanical energy can be obtained from the combustion process.
European Patent EP 0 711 634B1 discloses a combustion-engined setting tool having a combustion chamber for combusting an air-fuel gas mixture and in which there is provided ventilator means for creating turbulence. The ventilator means is driven by an electric motor that is supplied with electrical energy from a battery.
The drawbacks of the described tool consists in an increased weight because of addition of the battery or accumulator, and in a need to replace them when their electrical energy expires.
German Publication DE 199 62 711 A1 discloses a combustion-engined setting tool in which a separation plate with through-openings is arranged in the combustion chamber, dividing the combustion chamber in two chambers. An adjustment device is used for changing the distance between the separation plate and a rear wall that axially limits the combustion chamber, whereby the volumes of the forechamber and the main chamber change. In the forechamber, a first portion of the air-fuel mixture is ignited, with the flame jets penetrating into the main chamber through the openings in the separation plate, creating turbulence in the main chamber and igniting the air-fuel mixture therein.
The drawback of the tool disclosed in DE 199 62 711 A1 consists in that the combustion process is sensible to the environmental conditions such as, e.g., temperature, scavenging ratio of the combustion chamber or of the environmental pressure. This results from the fact that the turbulence generation takes place as a result of the combustion process itself, i.e., when the combustion in the forechamber is poor, then the combustion in the main chamber is even worse.
German Publication DE 102 26 878 A1 discloses a combustion-engined setting tool in which, as in the previously described case, the turbulence is generated by a perforated separation plate that remains static before and during the ignition process. After the combustion process ends, the separation plate and the rear wall are displaced in a direction toward the piston guide, so that the combustion chamber completely collapses. After the combustion chamber has collapsed, another, non-perforated plate is displaced as a result of application thereto a spring-biasing force from a location at the rear end of the setting tool remote from the piston guide up to the rear wall in order to scavenge the space before this plate with fresh air.
Here, likewise, the drawback consists in that the combustion process is sensible to the fluctuations of the environmental conditions such as, e.g., temperature, scavenging ratio of the combustion chamber or environmental pressure.
The object of the present invention is to provide a setting tool of the type described in above and in which the drawbacks of the known tools are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a setting tool of the type described above which would have a high energy efficiency.


A strip gasket utilizing a low closure force on an enclosing face for shielding electromagnetic interference is disclosed. The strip gasket includes an outer surface and an inner surface. The inner surface provides a hollow cross section region. Bending moments are created on surface peripheries of the inner surface and the outer surface, or both, to provide a low closure force on an enclosing face. The bending moment results in an increased surface area of the strip gasket providing a low resistance. Cauchy's stress analysis reveals that a lower force is required to compress the strip gasket as compared to conventional strip gaskets.

The present invention relates to shielding gaskets, and more specifically to a strip gasket utilizing a low closure force on an enclosing face to provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding or radio frequency interference (RFI) shielding.
The operation of electronic equipment, such as televisions, radios, computers, medical instruments, business machines, communication equipments, and the like, is typically accompanied by the generation of radio frequency and/or electromagnetic radiation within electronic circuitries of an electronic system. The increasing operating frequency in commercial electronic enclosures, such as doors and access panels, housings for shielding computer cabinets and drives, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and automotive electronic modules, results in an elevated level of high frequency electromagnetic interference (EMI). Any gap between the metal surface confronting or mating with the doors and access panels affords an opportunity for the passage of electromagnetic radiation and the creation of electromagnetic interference (EMI). These gaps also interfere with the electric currents running along the surfaces of the cabinets from EMI energy, which is absorbed and is conducted to the ground.
If not properly shielded, such radiation can cause considerable interference with unrelated equipment. Accordingly, it is necessary to effectively shield and ground all sources of radio frequency and electromagnetic radiation within the electronic system. Therefore, it is advisable to use a conducting shield or gasket between such surfaces to block the passage of the electromagnetic interference (EMI).
To attenuate EMI effects, shielding gaskets having the capability of absorbing and/or reflecting EMI energy may be employed both to confine the EMI energy within a source device, and to insulate that device or other "target" devices from other source devices. Such shielding is provided as a barrier which is inserted between the source and the other devices, and is typically configured as an electrically conductive and grounded housing which encloses the device. As the circuitry of the device generally must remain accessible for servicing or the like, most housings are provided with openable or removable accesses such as doors, hatches, panels, or covers. Between even the flattest of these accesses and its corresponding mating or faying surface, however, gaps may be present which reduce the efficiency of the shielding by containing openings through which radiant energy may leak or otherwise pass into or out of the device. Moreover, such gaps represent discontinuities in the surface and ground conductivity of the housing or other shielding, and may even generate a secondary source of EMI radiation by functioning as a form of slot antenna. In this regard, bulk or surface currents induced within the housing develop voltage gradients across any interface gaps in the shielding, which gaps thereby function as antennas which radiate EMI noise. In general, the amplitude of the noise is proportional to the gap length, with the width of the gap having a less appreciable effect.
For filling gaps within mating surfaces of housings and other EMI shielding structures, gaskets and other seals have been proposed both for maintaining electrical continuity across the structure, and for excluding from the interior of the device such contaminates as moisture and dust. Such seals are bonded or mechanically attached to, or press-fit into, one of the mating surfaces, and functions to close any interface gaps to establish a continuous conductive path there across by conforming under an applied pressure to irregularities between the surfaces. Accordingly, seals intended for EMI shielding applications are specified to be of a construction which not only provides electrical surface conductivity even while under compression, but which also has a resiliency allowing the seals to conform to the size of the gap. The seals additionally must be wear resistant, economical to manufacture, and capable of withstanding repeated compression and relaxation cycles.
Conductive materials for the filler, sheathing, or coating include metal or metal-plated particles, fabrics, meshes, and fibers. Preferred metals include copper, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin, or an alloy such as Monel, with preferred fibers and fabrics including natural or synthetic fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, cellulose, polyester, polyamide, nylon, and polyimide. Alternatively, other conductive particles and fibers such as carbon, graphite, or a conductive polymer material may be substituted.
These shielding devices are available in a wide range of sizes and can be supplied on continuous rolls or cut to length. Generally, these shielding devices are attached to the housing by rivets, welds, screws, etc., preferably, a continuous roll-formed strip metal clip, to which a shielding device has been attached, is used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,485, issued to Kitagawa, discloses a conductive EMI shield including an inner seal member formed of an elastic, nonconductive material such as rubber or the like, and an outer conductive layer coated over the sealing member. Portions of the conductive layer extend beyond the seal member to directly contact the edges of a housing to which the sealing member is attached. The conductive layer is formed of a conductive compound comprising a resinous material which is filled with carbon black, a metallic powder, or the like to render it electrically conductive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,739, issued to Keyser et al., discloses an EMI shielding gasket including a resilient, elastomeric core enveloped within a fine, open format knit or braided wire mesh. An adhesive strip is disposed lengthwise along a surface of the gasket allowing the gasket to be removably fastened directly to an enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,056, issued to Hoge, Jr., et al., discloses an EMI shielding gasket formed from a conductive sheathing which is wrapped circumferentially around a compressible core. Where the sheathing overlaps itself, a longitudinal seam is defined to which an adhesive is applied for bonding the gasket to a panel of an enclosure or the like. Preferably, the adhesive is applied discontinuously in a repetitive pattern of non-overlapping lines extending laterally across the seam.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,536, issued to Buonanno, discloses an EMI seal having an elongated resilient core which is covered with a partial conductive sheath. A conductive portion of the sheath, preferably a metallized fabric or the like in a resin binder, is provided to extend partially around the core to define ends which are non-overlapping. A second, nonconductive sheath portion is attached to the core element to extend between the ends of the conductive sheath portion. A contact adhesive may be used to hold the seal in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,545, issued to Peng, et. al., discloses a gasket providing a low closure force, particularly adapted for use in smaller electronic enclosure packages. The disclosed gasket has been designed to form a periodic "interrupted" pattern of alternating local maxima and minima heights. Gaskets of such type may be formed by molding, or using the form in place (FIP) process, and have a crenelated, i.e., notched, serrated, or a sinusoidal "waveform" profile, or as a series of discrete beads. In general, for a specified joint configuration, a gasket having such an "interrupted" profile or pattern would be expected to exhibit a greater deflection under a given compressive load than a continuous profile.
Another method of achieving a lower closure force in a spacer gasket design is described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,545, issued to Peng et. al. This method involves configuring the gasket as having a moment arm portion which is angularly deflectable in an inward or outward direction relative to the frame responsive to a compressively-applied load. As a result of the described bending mode response, such gasket is seen to exhibit a force deflection as compared to gasket profiles operating in a conventional compression mode.
A typical small enclosure application generally requires a low impedance, low profile connection which is deflectable under relatively low closure force loads, e.g., about 1.0-8.0 lbs per inch (0.2-1.5 kg per cm) of gasket length. The deflection ensures that the gasket sufficiently conforms to the mating housing or board surfaces to develop an electrically conductive pathway therebetween. It has been observed that for certain applications, however, the closure or other deflection force required for certain conventional profiles may be higher than can be accommodated by the particular housing or board assembly design.
While the aforementioned and other known gaskets perform reasonably well, these gaskets are relatively costly to assemble in a cabinet. Moreover, the tightly knit wire mesh necessitates that a high closure force is required to seal the door or panel, and the combination of the tightly knit mesh and the required metal clip makes the gasket heavy, which is detrimental in applications where weight is a critical factor such as in the aerospace industry.
As the size of handheld electronic devices, such as cellular phone handsets, has continued to shrink, further improvements in the design of gasket profiles would be well-received by the electronics industry. Specifically, it is desirable to provide a low closure force gasket profile for use in smaller electronics enclosures which are increasingly becoming the industry standard.
Therefore, there is a need for a shielding gasket having a resilient core with a particular structure which is inexpensive and lightweight and allows a low closure force with an enclosing surface. The shielding gasket should also provide superior compression-deflection properties which are highly desirable in complex enclosures. Furthermore, the shielding gasket should be capable of being utilized in various bending curvatures of the enclosing surface, and be available in various shapes and profiles, such as asymmetrical or flat rectangular, C shape, V shape, D shape, P shape, etc., to accommodate new designs.
It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide a strip gasket which has a hollow cross section providing a lightweight structure and flexibility in fixing to an enclosing surface.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a strip gasket which allows an enclosing surface to be sealed with a low closure force.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a strip gasket which allows a lower electrical resistance.


A system for controlling the radiation dose in a pulse of radiation having a relatively large dose, in which a pulsed beam of radiation is divided into a plurality of pulsed sub-beams of radiation and the radiation dose of the pulses is adjusted after the radiation beam has been divided.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate or part of a substrate. A lithographic apparatus may be used, for example, in the manufacture of flat panel displays, integrated circuits (ICs) and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional apparatus, a patterning device, which may be referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of a flat panel display (or other device). This pattern may be transferred on (part of) the substrate (e.g. a glass plate), e.g. via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate.
Instead of a circuit pattern, the patterning means may be used to generate other patterns, for example a color filter pattern, or a matrix of dots. Instead of a mask, the patterning device may comprise a patterning array that comprises an array of individually controllable elements. An advantage of such a system compared to a mask-based system is that the pattern can be changed more quickly and for less cost.
A flat panel display substrate may be rectangular in shape. Lithographic apparatus designed to expose a substrate of this type may provide an exposure region which covers a full width of the rectangular substrate, or which covers a portion of the width (for example half of the width). The substrate may be scanned underneath the exposure region, whilst the mask or reticle is synchronously scanned through the projection beam. In this way, the pattern is transferred to the substrate. If the exposure region covers the full width of the substrate then exposure may be completed with a single scan. If the exposure region covers, for example, half of the width of the substrate, then the substrate may be moved transversely after the first scan, and a further scan is typically performed to expose the remainder of the substrate.
In the manufacture of devices using a so-called maskless lithographic apparatus (namely one in which the mask has been replaced by a programmable patterning array), a pulsed radiation source may be used. Between pulses of radiation, the pattern programmed on the programmable patterning array may be updated and the substrate advanced relative to the patterned radiation beam such that a series of patterned images (which will typically be different from each other) are projected on to the substrate. In such an arrangement, in order to ensure that the overall quality of the complete image formed is of an acceptable level, it is desirable to ensure that the dose of radiation within successive pulses are as similar as possible in order to minimise differences between images projected on to the substrate by different pulses. For example, if the radiation dose of a first pulse of the radiation system is greater than the radiation dose of a second pulse of the radiation system, the critical dimension (CD) of an image projected on to the substrate by the first pulse may differ from the critical dimension of an image projected on to the substrate by the second pulse, even if the intended patterns are identical.
Unfortunately, conventionally known radiation sources that provide a pulsed beam of radiation with the required radiation wavelength and frequency of pulsing, are not able to provide the required pulse to pulse dose stability. It has therefore previously been proposed to provide a mechanism for adjusting the radiation dose within pulses of radiation after the pulses have been generated by the radiation source in order to reduce the radiation dose variation between pulses. However, for a maskless lithographic apparatus to be used for commercial manufacture of devices, the radiation source must provide as large a radiation dose as possible within each pulse of radiation. This is because the larger the dose of radiation within a pulse, the larger the area on a substrate on which a patterned image can be projected. Accordingly, the larger the radiation dose within a pulse of radiation, the faster the entire image to be projected on the substrate can be completed, leading to a shorter processing time for the substrate and a more efficient and more cost-effective lithographic apparatus. However, the presently known mechanisms for adjusting the radiation dose within a pulse of radiation are not suitable for use with radiation sources that generate radiation pulses with sufficiently high doses for a commercial lithographic apparatus.

Lithographic apparatus, radiation supply and device manufacturing method


A circuit board connector includes a main body portion, a first connecting portion for connection to a first circuit board, and a second connecting portion for connection to a second circuit board. The circuit board connector is obtained by cutting a conductive plate material provided with plating layers on front and back sides thereof, and thereafter forming the second connecting portion into a shape having an annular transverse cross section in such a manner that one of the plating layers forms an outer circumferential surface of the second connecting portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to circuit board connectors for connecting two circuit boards together.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two types of circuit board connectors for connecting two circuit boards each other; one type is a socket housing type that can be dismantled even after product assembling and the other is a type that is fixed by soldering during product assembling. Among the latter type, which is fixed by soldering, the one as described below is known. This circuit board connector comprises, as illustrated in FIG. 13, a main body portion 2, a first connecting portion 1 for connection to a first circuit board, a second connecting portion 4 for connection to a second circuit board, and a lead portion 3 located between the second connecting portion 4 and the main body portion 2. The main body portion 2 comprises an auxiliary connecting portion 21 formed from a portion of the main body portion 2, so that the connecting strength is improved by making connection with the first circuit board at two points, at the first connecting portion 1 and the auxiliary connecting portion 21.
As illustrated in FIG. 14, when connected to a circuit board of an electronic apparatus such as a VTR, an electronic device 7 such as a tuner is arranged uprightly in order to reduce the mounting area of the circuit board. This necessitates the second connecting portion 4 to be drawn out from a narrow surface of the circuit board that is arranged, in the electronic device, parallel to a wide surface in the electronic apparatus, and therefore, the first connecting portion 1 and the auxiliary connecting portion 21 are bent when connected to a circuit board within the electronic device.
The outer shape of the above-described circuit board connector is, as illustrated in FIG. 15, formed by press cutting a single sheet of conductive plate material 5 the front and back sides of which have plating layers 6 of tin, nickel, or the like that have been formed thereon in advance. Thus, the transverse cross sections of the first connecting portion 1, the second connecting portion 4, and the auxiliary connecting portion 21 are formed to be rectangular.
However, cut surfaces 11 created by the press cutting are not provided with the plating layers and therefore have lower solder wettability than those in which a plating layer is formed on the entire surfaces. Moreover, there is a certain length of time until an electronic device equipped with the circuit board connector is shipped to the user and mounted onto a circuit board of an electronic apparatus. During that time, the second connecting portion of the circuit board connector is oxidized or rusted, and consequently a problem arises that solder wettability reduces.
In order to solve the foregoing problem, a method has been proposed in which re-plating is carried out for the circuit board connector after the press-cutting so that a plating layer is formed on the entire surface.
Re-plating the terminal, however, adds an extra manufacturing step and also increases cost. Moreover, the re-plating process usually adopts a barrel plating method, which involves putting samples to be plated into a barrel-shaped container containing a plating solution and revolving the barrel-shaped container, and in the course of this process, the terminals deform or get tangled, reducing the yield and leading to a further increase in cost. Furthermore, if a thin conductive plate material is used for cost reduction, the mechanical strength of the circuit board connector degrades, resulting in breakage during the manufacturing process and the mounting process to a circuit board, which also reduces the manufacturing yield.
The present invention has been accomplished to solve such problems, and it provides a circuit board connector with which good soldering is possible even without performing a re-plating process.


A mounting system for a keyboard (20) includes a chassis (10) defining first and second recessed portions (12, 16), a panel (30) received in the second recessed portion, and a retaining member (40). The keyboard is received in the first recessed portion with a front side thereof detachably engaged with the chassis at a front side of the first recessed portion. The retaining member includes a first beam (42) fastened to the chassis, and a second beam (44) engaged with a rear side of the panel so as to retain the panel in the second recessed portion. A front side of the panel releasably engages with a rear side of the keyboard. The keyboard is thus retained in the first recessed portion of the chassis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to component mounting systems, and particularly to a mounting system for readily mounting a keyboard to a chassis of a portable computer.
2. Related Art
Modern portable computers are required to be designed such that components thereof can be easily manufactured and assembled. A typical portable computer such as a notebook computer comprises a keyboard attached in a top surface of a chassis. The keyboard is conventionally attached to the chassis by a plurality of fasteners such as screws, which extend from a bottom portion of the chassis into mounting portions located at an underside of the keyboard. In doing so, the keyboard is placed in a receiving slot portion of the chassis. An LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor of the notebook computer must be closed up temporarily in order to position the keyboard in the receiving slot portion. The notebook computer is turned over so that upside down. The screws are then engaged in corresponding screw holes to fasten the keyboard to the chassis. A turning-over operation is required to install or remove the keyboard to or from every notebook computer. This makes the installation and removal of the keyboard unduly laborious.
Taiwan Pat. Pub. No. 448346 discloses an improved keyboard mounting apparatus. One end of the keyboard is pivotably attached to a side of a keyboard receiving area of a notebook computer chassis. A mounting apparatus is located at an opposite side of the keyboard receiving area. An end of mounting apparatus is connected to the keyboard receiving area via a compressed spring. A catch is formed at an opposite end of the mounting apparatus. When an opposite end of the keyboard is pivoted down to the opposite side of the keyboard receiving area, the catch snappingly engages with the keyboard at the opposite end thereof to thereby retain the keyboard in the keyboard receiving area. After disengaging the catch from the keyboard, the keyboard can be easily removed from the keyboard receiving area. However, additional elements such as the catch and the spring are included in this mounting apparatus. This necessitates a more complicated structure and higher manufacturing costs.
Thus, a new mounting system for attaching a keyboard to a portable computer which overcomes the above-mentioned problems is desired.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.


A coupler for coupling implements having a first connecting pin and a second connecting pin, to a vehicle, for example, to the arm of an excavator. The coupler has a body component that is connectable to the vehicle, and which includes a forward recess for receiving the first connecting pin. The coupler also includes a movable component which is supported by the body component and which has an aft jaw or recess for receiving the second connecting pin and is movable through a range of travel relative to the body component. The movable component includes a rear locking member which is movable between an extended position in which the rear locking member can prevent the second connecting pin from exiting the aft recess and a retracted position in which the rear locking member can allow the second connecting pin to exit the aft recess.

Couplers, or hitches as they are sometimes called, are often used to connect implements to the arms of excavators, earth moving machines, diggers, back hoes, etc. The couplers are sometimes also referred to as "pin grabber" couplers as they grab the two connecting pins that are attached to many implements for the purpose of connecting the implement to an arm.
The couplers allow implements to be changed quickly and efficiently by being able to release the connecting pins of one implement, and to grab the connecting pins of another, using a remotely controlled hydraulic actuator on the coupler.
The ability to quickly change implements however, has lead to an increasing number of accidents involving implements coming loose, or falling from excavators etc. Most couplers today will have a safety locking feature that will hold one of the pins of an implement if the coupler fails, or if the other pin comes free for some reason.
However, it is apparent that a single safety lock feature is not sufficient. Accidents are still occurring as a result of the use of these quick change couplers. What is required is a secondary safety locking feature, and sometimes also a tertiary safety locking feature, to provide an improved level of safety, even if there is a failure of the first safety lock.
However, this requirement has proven to be difficult to achieve. Couplers will often have a fixed jaw, and a movable jaw. While it may be relatively straight forward to provide a locking system for a fixed jaw, the provision of a locking feature that is associated with the movable jaw is more challenging.
In addition, safety locks need to be relatively simple, to ensure high levels of reliability of the locks. Couplers are often used in harsh environments, and often become covered in dirt or grit, and must be robust to continue to function in such conditions. Safety locks must therefore be as simple as possible, and be robust in the operation, to ensure reliability and safe operation.
Size and weight are also a factor with couplers. Couplers that are excessively heavy, or which are bulky and have too great a distance between their connection to the arm, and their connection to the implement, can significantly limit the performance of a machine such as an excavator. The greater this distance is, the greater is the reduction in the maximum "break-out" force of the machine, caused by the coupler.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A data writing system capable of writing data in at least one electrically rewritable ROM mounted on target board, comprising: a transportation unit for transporting the target board to a predetermined writing position at which data is to be written, a data writing unit for writing data in the ROM mounted on the target board, and a connection unit for electrically connecting the ROM mounted on the target board at the predetermined writing position with the data writing unit through at least one transmission line extending from the ROM.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data writing system capable of writing data in an electrically rewritable ROM (Read Only Memory) mounted on a target board such as a printed circuit board used, for example, as a facsimile control board.
2. Discussion of Background
As the electrically rewritable ROM, there are known, for example, EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable ROM) and flash memory, from which data written therein can be electrically erased and in which written data can be electrically rewritten.
Conventionally, when data is written in such a ROM, the ROM is attached to a ROM writer, without being mounted on a printed circuit board, that is, in the form of a single part, and when the data writing is finished, the data written ROM is mounted on a circuit board by soldering.
In such a data writing method, however, when the data written ROM is detached from the ROM writer, there is a risk that leads extending from the ROM are bent and improper soldering takes place.
In order to eliminate such a risk, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 9-274798, there is proposed a method of writing program data in an electrically rewritable ROM mounted on a printed circuit board by use of a particular ROM writer. According to this method, after the ROM is mounted on the printed circuit board, the program data is written in the ROM, so that there is not the step of detaching the ROM from the ROM writer as in the above-mentioned conventional method and therefore, there is no risk that the leads thereof are bent.
However, in the data writing method proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 9-274798, the ROM mounted printed circuit board is manually attached to the data writing unit for electrically connecting the ROM to the data writing unit by an operator, and this manual operation by the operator increases the production cost for writing program data in the ROM mounted on the printed circuit board.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a data writing system capable of writing data in an electrically rewritable ROM (Read Only Memory) mounted on a target board, without the necessity for the operator who manually connects the ROM mounted on a printed circuit board to the data writing unit, thereby reducing the production cost of the data written ROM mounted on the target board, which can be used, for example, as a facsimile control printed circuit board.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a data writing system capable of writing data in at least one electrically rewritable ROM mounted on a target board, comprising:
a transportation unit for transporting the target board to a predetermined writing position at which data is to be written in the ROM,
a data writing unit for writing data in the ROM mounted on the target board, and
a connection unit for electrically connecting the ROM mounted on the target board at the predetermined writing position and the data writing unit through at least one transmission line extending from the ROM.
In the above data writing system, the ROM mounted on the target board is transported to a predetermined writing position by the transportation unit, and at the predetermined writing position, the ROM and the data writing unit are electrically connected through the connection unit, so that the data writing unit can write data in the ROM mounted on the target board through the connection unit.
Thus, according to the present invention, the connection operation can be automatically carried out by the connection unit without the necessity for the operator, in contrast to the conventional connection operation which is conducted manually by an operator.
The connection unit can be constructed either separately form the data writing unit or integrally with the data writing unit.
When the connection unit is constructed separately from the data writing unit, data writing can be carried out without changing the structure of the data writing unit by using a connection unit suitable for the kind of ROM employed and the position of the ROM on the target board.
In the above data writing system of the present invention, the connection unit may comprise a contact member which comes into contact with the transmission line extending from the ROM, so that through the contact member and the transmission line, the ROM can be electrically connected to the data writing unit.
In order to electrically connect the connection unit to the ROM mounted on the target board, for example, there can be devised a method of connecting a connector provided at the connection unit to a connector provided at the target board. This method, however, has the problems that high positional accuracy is required for the connectors in order to connect the two connectors, and high pressing force is also required for inserting one connector in another connector, which hinders smooth connection of the two connectors.
In order to eliminate the above problems, in the data writing system of the present invention, the contact member, which comes into contact with the transmission line extending from the ROM, is provided in the connection unit, whereby through the contact member and the transmission line, the ROM is electrically connected to the data writing unit. In this structure, the connection can be smoothly carried out without any substantial load.
The transmission line extending from the ROM, with which the contact member comes into contact, includes, for example, electric wires on the target board, extending from the ROM, leads of the ROM, and connector terminals provided on the target board.
In the above data writing system of the present invention, the connection unit may also comprise a plurality of contact members through which the connection unit is capable of electrically connecting to a plurality of connection points of the transmission line extending from the ROM, so that through the transmission line and the contact members, the ROM is electrically connected to the data writing unit.
When the contact member of the connection unit is electrically connected to the ROM mounted on the target board which has been transported to a predetermined position by the transportation unit, there is a risk that connection failure takes place between the contact member and the ROM. When such connection failure takes place, proper data writing cannot be carried out, so that the data writing has to be done over again. This will reduce the production efficiency.
In order to prevent this problem, in the data writing system of the present invention, the connection unit can comprise a plurality of contact members, so that the connection unit is electrically connected to a plurality of connection points of the same transmission line extending from the ROM, whereby the data to be written is transmitted from the data writing unit to the ROM mounted on the target board through a plurality of transmission routes. Therefore, even if some connection failure occurs in one transmission route between the connection unit and the ROM mounted on the target board and therefore data transmission becomes impossible through the transmission route, the data transmission to the ROM can be carried out through the other transmission routes. This will reduce the doing over the data transmission due to the above-mentioned connection failure.
In the above data writing system of the present invention, at least part of the plurality of the contact members may come into contact with the same transmission line from both sides, a front side and a back side, of the target board.
The above data writing system is constructed so as to cause the plurality of the contact members to come into contact with the same transmission line extending from the ROM from both sides of the target board. In other words, the contact members are disposed so as to hold the target board therebetween and come into contact with the same transmission line on the target board. In this structure, even if the contact members disposed on one side of the target board are not in proper contact with the transmission line due to the deposition of a flux or foreign materials thereon, the contact members on the other side of the target board can secure transmission routes to the transmission line, whereby there can be reduced the doing over the data transmission which is caused by the above-mentioned connection failure.
Furthermore, in the above-mentioned data writing system of the present invention, the connection unit may comprise:
a contact member which electrically comes into contact with the transmission line extending from the ROM,
a connection member which is electrically connected to the data writing unit, and
a substrate comprising a connection line through which the contact member and the connection member are electrically connected.
When a commercially available data writing unit for writing data in a single part ROM is connected to the ROM mounted on the target board, there may occur a problem that the power current supplied from the data writing unit to the target board becomes insufficient for writing data in the ROM mounted on the target board.
When such a commercially available data writing unit is used, a heavy drive load is applied to the data writing unit, so that there may occur a problem that normal data writing in the ROM cannot be carried out.
Therefore, in the above-mentioned data writing system of the present invention, the substrate is disposed between the ROM mounted on the target board and the data writing unit, whereby when the power current supplied to the target board becomes insufficient, or when the drive load on the data writing unit is excessively large, there can be provided circuits and electronic parts for solving these problems on the substrate. For instance, in order to reduce the drive load on the data writing unit, there can be provided a buffer in the transmission line between the data writing unit and the ROM.
In the data writing system of the present invention, the transportation unit may be constructed so as be capable of transporting a plurality of the target boards to each predetermined position thereof, whereby the connection unit can electrically connect the data writing unit and the ROM mounted on each target board transported to each predetermined position.
In this data writing system, data can be simultaneously written in at least one ROM mounted on each of a plurality of target boards by a single data writing operation.
Each of the plurality of the target boards may mount thereon the same ROMs or different ROMs.
When data writing is carried out in different ROMs, it is preferable that the ROMs have the same capacity. The positions of the ROMs mounted on each target may be different.


This invention is a pole splicing joint construction and method of making the same and consists in initially preparing the upper end portion of the lower pole section to produce a splicing section having an abutment shoulder for the lower end of the upper section. This abutment shoulder is formed at the bottom of the splicing section of the lower pole section which has an outer abutment ring surface lying in a plane oriented substantially normal to the axis of the lower tube section.

For years, it has been a problem to ship long poles such as flagpoles and light poles for highway lights. For this reason, these poles have been cut into two sections. The poles are of tapered design, and this accentuates the problem of splicing the two sections together. The problem is not only one of positively splicing the poles together with sufficient strength to withstand the stresses produced by high winds but is also an appearance problem. The poles are usually made of aluminum and are frequently anodized, which requires uniformity of chemical composition to produce a uniform color coating. The industry has worked continuously for more than thirty years to develop a connection joint which will be substantially invisible when completed.


A wire-strike system (1) including; a wire cutter with at least one pair of electrodes (5, 6), electrically insulated from each other and mounted to an outer surface of an aircraft (2). The electrodes (5, 6) being connectable to a power source (11) capable of generating an electrical potential difference between the electrodes (5, 6) and in the event of a wire-strike, supplying a short-circuit current flow through a portion of the wire connecting both electrodes (5, 6).

Wire strikes are a potentially fatal risk facing all rotor and fixed wing aircraft, particularly those engaged in low flying activities such as nap of the earth (NOE) military flying, crop spraying, hunting, sightseeing surveillance and the like. While maintaining vigilant observation and researching potential flight path hazards reduce the likelihood of wire strike, wires and lines remains extremely difficult to detect from a cockpit. Even if detected, accurately discerning the distance from the craft to a power line can be very difficult. This is further compounded in the case of thinner less visible lines such as communication lines. Research has shown that in over 40% of wire-strike accidents, the pilot was aware of the existence of the wire. Moreover, contrary to popular misconceptions, the majority of wire strikes are incurred by experienced pilots in clear weather.
It is thus not possible to rely on pilot awareness to avoid wire strikes and so a form of on-board defence system may provide a potentially life saving feature. Several systems have been trialled including the mechanical wire cutters described in the following patents:
GB 2,075,940: WO 99/38770: U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,103; 5,286,170 and 5,415,364 each describe means of mechanically severing a wire impacting the aircraft. The mechanism employed typically involves some form of guide elements configured to urge the wire into a set of jaws for severing, either by fixed sharpened surfaces or a guillotine powered by explosive actuators. These systems posses several shortcomings including;                a potential hazard to ground crew from the guide elements used to trap the wire in the cutting jaws which typically project forwards from the aircraft fuselage/wings;        increased windage, cost and unwieldiness,        increasing the visible and electromagnetic signature of the craft detrimental to stealthy military operations.        the 'capture' area of the severing jaws is relatively narrow leaving other areas of the craft vulnerable to impact damage;        reliance on moving actuators to sever the wire;        only provides protection against frontal impacts in forward flight; and        may be dependant on the forward speed of the craft and the sharpness of the cutting surfaces.
A key disadvantage of fixed guillotine-type wire cutters is their dependence on the speed of impact to provide the necessary energy to force the wire between the cutting jaws to be severed. Consequently, a slow flying aircraft/helicopter may not provide sufficient impetus to instantaneously sever the wire, whilst the deceleration due to the impact may reduce the craft's airspeed to the point of stalling and thus still precipitating a crash.
This effect is compounded by the degree of slack common in most suspended wires and lines. An aircraft may be sufficiently decelerated by taking up the slack in the wire to stall the aircraft and/or fail to force the wire through the cutting laws with insufficient energy for severing.
It is thus desirable for a wire-strike defence system to operate without complete dependence on the airspeed of the aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,103 discloses a means of addressing the aforesaid disadvantages in static mechanical wire cutters by way of an automatic-firing, powered guillotine. Whilst this provides a more instantaneous response to wire-strike, the system is complex and depends on several moving parts and interacting components with an attendant reliability and cost liability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,467 implements a different cutting technique to the above, whereby a forwardly extending inclined boom or 'probe' is fitted with a plurality of explosively-powered cutting means. An impacted wire slides along the probe until encountering a cutting means which triggers an explosion. It the cable remains un-severed, the wire continue along the probe to the next cutting means triggering a second explosion and so on. Nevertheless, the system disclosed still suffers from several of the above-described drawbacks and in particular presents an unwieldy structure for attachment to an aircraft together with the clear hazards associated with the presence of multiple explosive devices located adjacent the aircraft.
Consequently, there is a need for a robust compact wire-strike defence system that may be placed unobtrusively on any chosen portion of the aircraft which preferably operates independently of the craft's airspeed.
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.
It is acknowledged that the term 'comprise' may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term 'comprise' shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term 'comprised' or 'comprising' is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.


A method for feeding back a link parameter configuration result includes the following steps. After receiving a configuration request for at least one link parameter from the higher layer to the lower layer, a media independent handover layer instructs the lower layer to perform link parameter configuration, and the lower layer returns the configuration result for each link parameter to the media independent handover layer after the link parameter configuration completes; the media independent layer receives the configuration result for each link parameter, and feeds back the configuration result for each link parameter to the higher layer. The method overcomes the disadvantages in the prior art, and achieves the objective that the configuration results are fed back accurately when configuration requests to a plurality of link parameters is brought up simultaneously and the configuration of some parameters is successful, failed, or rejected, thereby enabling the higher layer to obtain the accurate configuration results for link parameters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to media independent handover (MIH), and particularly, to a method and device for transmitting communication link parameters.
2. Background of the Invention
Development of communication technology brings coexistence of various communication networks in a region, and current terminal devices can also support communication with more than one network, as shown in FIG. 1. Because different networks cover different service areas and have different service capabilities, user terminals may possibly be affected in the case of handover between different media networks, but it's desired to implement seamless handover between different media networks for mobile terminals to ensure the continuity of their services.
To satisfy the requirements for seamless handover of multimode terminals among different communication networks, an architecture in which a multimode terminal can implement a media independent handover service is proposed in the 802.21 protocol, as shown in FIG. 2. As defined in the protocol, a media independent handover layer (MIH layer) is added between the second layer (MAC layer) and the third layer (network layer) of the protocol stack of a network entity, in which interfaces for higher and lower layers of the protocol stack, a station management entity (SME), and an MIH entity of the same layer are defined to provide events, commands, and information services to implement the seamless handover between different media of the multimode terminal.
Some attributes of a lower layer link will affect different applications on a higher layer in different ways. For a device supporting media independent handover, either applications (MIH users) or end users of the device (device users) need to set some attribute parameters of the lower layer link to satisfy their respective requirements. Thus, the higher layer, as a layer of an application (an MIH user) and a direct interface layer between a device and users, needs to set or change some lower layer parameters, such as different link type identifiers, power supply operating modes of different media, and disable and activation symbols of different media links, so that the attributes of the lower layer may satisfy application requirements of higher layer users (MIH users) and device users.
To enable the higher layer to configure necessary link parameters of the lower layer, a current 802.21 draft provides a parameter configuration request primitive from the higher layer to the MIH layer, that is, MIH_Configure.request (a parameter configuration request), and a configuration response primitive from the MIH layer to the higher layer, that is, MIH_Configure.response (a parameter configuration response). FIG. 3 shows the configuration process.
The higher layer specifies one or more link parameters configured for the lower layer according to a set type parameter ConfigurationRequestsSets (a parameter set for requesting configuration) in the primitive MIH_Configure.request. After receiving a parameter configuration request sent from the higher layer, the MIH layer utilizes a command of configuring link parameters on the lower layer in an existing protocol (such as 802.11, 802.16, and 3GPP) to further send a link parameter configuration request to the lower layer. After the parameter configuration is performed, the lower layer uses the primitive responding to the configuration requests in an existing protocol (such as 802.11, 802.16, and 3GP) to return configuration results (successful, failed, or rejected) of each parameter in the parameter set for requesting configuration ConfigurationRequestSets to the MIH layer. The MIH layer further utilizes a parameter ResultCode (result code of the parameter configuration) in the primitive MIH_Configure.response to feed back the configuration result of the lower layer link parameter to the higher layer.
In the current 802.21 draft definitions for two primitives for a configuration request from the higher layer to the MIH layer and a request response from the MIH layer to the higher layer are as follows:
(1) Definition of the primitive MIH_Configure.request
MIH_Configure.request (SourceIdentifier,DestinationIdentifier,ConfigurationRequestsSets)NameTypeValid rangeDescriptionSourceIdentifierAny validThe identifier of entityIdentifierindividualwhere the request isor groupinitiated. This fieldidentifiermay be optionally leftempty if the commandis local.DestinationIdentifierMIH_LOCAL,The destinationIdentifierMIH_REMOTEidentifier of request orresponse. This is theidentifier of local orpeer MIH Function.Configura-Set ofN/AContaining a set oftionconfigurationconfigurationRequestparameters forparameters.Setscorrespondinginterfaces
(2) Definition of the primitive MIH_Configure.response
MIH_Configure.response (SourceIdentifier,DestinationIdentifier,ResultCode)NameTypeValid rangeDescriptionSourceIdentifierAny validThe identifier of entityIdentifierindividualwhere the request isor groupinitiated. This field mayidentifierbe optionally left empty ifthe command is local.DestinationIdentifierMIH_LOCAL,The destination identifierIdentifierMIH_REMOTEof request or response.This is the identifier oflocal or peer MIHFunction.ResultCodeEnumerateResult of trying to coniferthe link
According to the previous description, the parameter ResultCode adopted by MIH_Configure.response to feed back the link parameter configuration results for the lower layer to the higher layer is an enumeration-type parameter. The value of the parameter can only be one of successful, failed and rejected. That is to say, when the link parameters of the lower layer are configured by the higher layer, if some link parameters are configured successfully and others failed or are rejected, the MIH layer cannot feed back correct configuration results for different link parameters of the lower layer to the higher layer.

Method and device for feeding back link parameter configuration result


A system and method are provided for exchanging heat in fuel cell systems (100) in which the anode and cathode off-gases are provided with separated flow paths. In one embodiment, where a fuel cell stack (110) has separate anode and cathode off-gas flow paths, separate anode off-gas from the at least one fuel cell stack (110) and at least one heat transfer fluid are passed through a first heat exchange element (126) to exchange heat between the anode off-gas and the heat transfer fluid. The cathode off-gas exiting the at least one fuel cell stack is then combined with the anode off-gas from the heat exchange element (126) in a burner and burned.

Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) systems operate efficiently by converting the energy contained in a fuel stream into usable heat and electricity. Heat recovery in SOFC systems is commonly achieved by the use of heat exchangers (for example, shell and tube, plate and fin and micro channel) in a variety of flow configurations (multi-stream, counter flow, co-flow, cross flow). Some of the fluid streams in the system are liquid and some are gas, of which some contain water vapour. The SOFC system efficiency can be derived from comparing the potential energy contained in the fuel stream entering the system to the total usable heat and power produced by the system and available to the user. Overall SOFC system efficiency is important as it impacts on the commercial viability of the SOFC, system product in the chosen application market. Thermal and electrical losses are important in determining the overall SOFC system efficiency. Management of heat and mass transfer within the SOFC system influences the magnitude of thermal and electrical losses.
A SOFC itself operates by converting the energy in the fuel into heat and electricity using an electrochemical process. The efficiency of that process is dependent on several factors, including the concentration of the fuel on the fuel side of the fuel cell, partial pressure of oxygen on the air side of the fuel cell, and the temperature of the fuel cell.
In order to operate, the fuel cell consumes fuel and consumes oxygen in the air in the electrochemical reaction. In addition to the electricity generated by this reaction, excess thermal energy is created by the electrochemical process in the region of the fuel cell active area. To maintain the energy conversion process, fuel and air need to be supplied to the fuel cell and heat needs to be removed from the fuel cell. Commonly, the heat generated by the fuel cell reaction is partly consumed keeping the fuel cell itself and its surrounding environment at operating temperature, and the majority of the remaining heat is removed from the fuel cell using the air stream, and/or the fuel exhaust stream.
In general, an operating fuel cell does not consume all the fuel in the fuel stream, and likewise does not consume all the oxygen in the air stream. As the fuel cell does not fully consume the fuel and the oxygen in air, there must be a method of removing the depleted fuel stream (commonly termed the anode off-gas) and the altered air stream (commonly called the cathode off-gas) from the fuel cell active area. Thus, fuel is fed to and removed from the fuel cell active area, and air is fed to and removed from the fuel cell active area.
To achieve effective energy conversion by the fuel cell, a fuel reformer may be included in the fuel supply line before the fuel cell or reformation may occur internally to the fuel cell stack, to reform the hydrocarbon based fuel into a hydrogen rich stream before the fuel gas reached the fuel cell.
SOFCs operate effectively at a specified operating temperature, often over a range of temperatures around the specified operating temperature. This effective operating temperature is typically set by the type of material used in the fuel cell active layers—e.g. 720-950° C. for YSZ, 500-650° C. for CGO.
For SOFCs, the incoming air and fuel streams may be heated to about the fuel cell operating temperature before the streams reach the fuel cell active area. This improves the operating efficiency of the fuel cell and reduces the temperature gradients, and hence thermal stresses, that the fuel cell would undergo if ambient temperature fluids were to come in contact with the hot 500-900° C. fuel cell structures. Efficiency is also improved due to improved thermal balancing of the cell to the optimal operating temperature range. Because of the high operating temperatures, the fuel stream is normally a gas at or close to the point where it meets the fuel cell active area.
Heat energy may be extracted form the gas streams exiting the fuel cell active area (anode and cathode off-gasses) and used to heat the fuel and air streams entering into the fuel cell active area. This is generally achieved by mixing the fuel cell exhaust fuel stream (which contains chemical energy in the form of unused fuel) and the fuel cell exhaust air stream and burning the resultant mix very close to the fuel cell stack (as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,023 and EP1037296) and using the heat generated by this process to pass, via a heat exchanger, to the incoming air stream.
When fuel cell systems are fed with hydrocarbon fuels it is not uncommon for a fuel reformer to be placed in the fuel stream ahead of the fuel cell stack in order to facilitate the reformation of the hydrocarbon fuel into constituent parts: hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other elements. There are several reforming methods suitable for fuel cell use which are known and are thus are not detailed herein. Typical reforming methods include auto-thermal reforming (ATR), steam reforming (SR), water gas-shift reforming (WGS) and partial oxidation reforming (POX or CPOX).
In overview, for effective reformer operation, there are some methods of reforming that do not require water to be added to the fuel stream to operate (e.g. CPOX), and there are those that do require water to be added (e.g. ATR, SR, WGS).
Non-water reformer types, such as CPOX, do not require a water supply unit to be part of the fuel cell system. To one skilled in the art, it will be understood that such non-water added systems produce a lower hydrogen concentration in the reformed fuel stream than is provided from water added systems, which produce a richer hydrogen fuel stream.
For optimum fuel cell operating efficiency, the reforming options using steam offer considerably greater gains in the potential operating efficiency. In systems seeking such efficiency, water is added in the system to produce steam. The steam can be provided from the water content in the fuel side exhaust stream and/or from a water store or water source. At system start up from ambient temperature, there may not be steam directly available in the system from the fuel side exhaust stream, and thus the steam may be generated from a water store using a steam generator.
In some applications, there is a requirement to heat an external load—for instance a hot water store. Thus some of the heat generated by the SOFC system can be used to provide for this heating requirement.

Fuel cell heat exchange systems and methods

Ceres Intellectual Property Company Limited


In one embodiment, a device includes a spine, a first support coupled to a first end of the spine, a second support coupled to a second end of the spine, and a plurality of fixtures coupled to the spine. The plurality of fixtures are configured to couple an aircraft flight control apparatus to the spine.

Traditional maintenance and repair processes for aircraft flight control apparatuses, such as wing flaps or ailerons, may require manual lifting, rotation, and carrying of the apparatus. Such physical handling and manipulation may pose a high injury risk to personnel. In addition, these traditional processes may cause potential damage to the apparatus.

Ergonomic device for suspending aircraft flight control apparatuses


A new scheme of Schottky FPGA (SFPGA) IC solution is proposed. The chip is organized by embedded analog, memory, and logic units with on chip apparatus and software means to partitioning, altering selected portions of hardware. The process means is based on the combined Schottky CMOS (SCMOS, U.S. Pat. No. 6,590,800) and Flash technology. The circuit means is based on SCMOS-DTL gate arrays. Software means is based on the C++ procedures with levels of LUT. The SFPGA device supports GHz low power ASIC mixed signal product applications with embedded analog, logic, and memory array units. Several multiplexing schemes are disclosed, which accommodate tasks to vary the Vt and transmission line transmission of selected transistor or IO nets, and therefore their analog and digital device properties. A voltage doubler and supply booster and a Digital-Analog-Digital-Translator (DADT) apparatus are also disclosed in accordance with the present invention.

1. Mixed Signal Circuits for Super IC
The electrical erasable and programmable EEPROM memory has received wide attention in the last decade. Both the technological advances and broad product applications has made it the most emerging candidate for implementing SOC level memory component integrations.
On the process and device technology front, the general practice has been focused on the miniaturization of the physical size of the storage bit, scaling down the cell operating voltages and currents and therefore lowering power consumptions, implementing multilevel signal storages per physical cell area, and building up on chip apparatus to manage per bit, byte, large and partial arrays, resource sharing schemes. The ultimate goals are to achieve the highest level of system integration with mixed analog, memory and logic circuits (AMLC) in a common chip; and therefore to improve IC devices with performance, reliability, system efficiency and capacity.
2. The Densest Cells of any Memory and Logic Arrays in Si
A Flash memory cell, with its multiple bit (2) storage capability in one physical cell layout, is a good choice to implement information storage devices. The density, power, and speed capability of Flash arrays exceed that of rotating disks, so the semiconductor EEPROM is replacing the mechanical disk medium in many applications. The Flash memory cell may also replace DRAM/SRAM if the speed performance is improved besides its superior property of being nonvolatile and having a density of multi-level per cell for information storage. However, little work was developed to employ the FLASH technology to logic applications. Some work was reported to use the EEPROM as switch to wire or reconfigure circuits in a FPGA design methodology. Altera and Xilinx offer field programmable chips to interconnect various CMOS hardware constructs to form complex circuit functions. The standalone FPGA devices support re-configurable control functions that are easy to change with instant deliverable parts.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for providing a field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) which overcomes the above-identified problems. The present invention addresses such a need.

SCL type FPGA with multi-threshold transistors and method for forming same

Abstract: Accordingly, the present invention includes control schemes to field program basic circuit element or any critical nets, and to alter the functionality of certain predetermined circuit units, and update array interconnections, accessing stored protocols, algorithms in all chips in the embodiment subsystem of a SFPGA chip sets.


A wall mount bracket for HVAC Equipment such as a heat pump, AC condensing unit, and preferably the exterior condenser unit of a mini split system. The system can advantageously be used in colder climates to prevent equipment from freezing and keep equipment above the level of the snow, etc. The wall mounts herein employ an offset to space the unit away from the wall of the structure to provide clearance on the rear of the unit. The offset also allows the units to be mounted above the top of the foundation wall without disrupting the exterior siding of the structure.

The present invention relates generally to a mounting bracket and, more particularly, to a wall mounted bracket for an outdoor appliance such as an outdoor component of a heating and/or cooling system. The bracket herein may advantageously be used in connection with a heating and/or cooling system such as the outdoor condensing unit of a split system, especially a compact or so-called mini split system, and will be described primarily by way of reference thereto. It will be recognized, however, that the present mounting system may be used for all manner of equipment including air conditioning condensers/compressors, electrical transformers, and so forth.
Mini split air handling systems such as air conditioners or heat pumps locate the compressor and condenser outside the house or other structure to be heated or cooled. Such systems eliminate the need for extensive duct work in the structure by using thin copper tubing to pump a refrigerant to wall mounted blowers inside the structure (ductless) or to compact duct units that allow the evaporator to be hidden while requiring minimal ductwork.
Commonly, the outdoor condensing units are set on a pad outside the structure, such as a poured concrete slab or a prefabricated pad. In addition to requiring significant site preparation, the use of slabs are commonly very low to the ground, e.g., a few inches above grade, making their use impractical in areas receiving significant snowfall or having a high water table. Units set on a slab or pad are also susceptible to weed/plant growth around the unit, accumulation of leaves, damage from mowers or weed trimmers, and so forth. The present disclosure contemplates a new and improved mounting apparatus and method which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.

Wall mount bracket for outdoor equipment


Tunnel liner plate assembly comprising a tunnel liner plate comprising an outer wall and inwardly extending side and end flanges, each having bolt holes therein, and a longitudinally extending plate metal reinforcement extending from end flange to the other and comprising a center section which abuts the outer wall of the liner plate, a pair of upstanding side section which are integrally joined to the center section along respective side edges, and laterally projecting flanges which project laterally from the upper (or inward) edges of the respective side sections. The center section and the side sections together provide a U-shaped configuration and the laterally projecting flanges, which are spaced from the outer plate of the outer wall of the tunnel liner plate and are parallel thereto, afford a marked increase in moment of inertia and section modulus with very little increase in mass. An assembly, or reinforced liner plate, according to this invention has a much greater moment of inertia and much greater section modulus than does an unreinforced liner plate of the same thickness. Correspondingly, the strength of a reinforced tunnel liner plate of this invention is appreciably greater than the strength of an unreinforced tunnel liner plate of the same thickness. Also, the weight of a tunnel liner plate assembly of this invention appreciably less than that of an equivalent unreinforced tunnel plate having the same strength.

In constructing tunnels, arches or the like, a suitable opening is excavated. As excavation proceeds, it is usually necessary to provide support in order to prevent cave-ins and carry the weight bearing on the tunnel. Wooden beams were formerly used for support; however, in more recent years, the preferred structures are tunnel liners made from metal and preferably steel plates. A tunnel liner plate is typically a four-sides structure, having a generally rectangular configuration, having two longitudinally extending sides and two transversely extending ends, and is curved in the longitudinal direction to conform to the curvature of the tunnel being lined. As tunneling progresses, it is common practice to install the liners ring by ring just behind the forward end of the tunnel. A ring of tunnel liner plates is an assemblage of plates joined together end to end and extending around the circumference of the tunnel. Successive rings or courses of tunnel liner plates are typically arranged in off-set fashion similar to successive courses in a brick wall.
The most common cross-sectional shape of a tunnel is circular (or approximately circular), and so tunnel liner plates commonly have an arcuate or circular curvature in the longitudinal direction and typically no curvature in the transverse direction. However, other cross-sectional shapes of tunnels, as for example, are typically more than 180 degrees but less than 360 degrees, ("arcuate" denoting any part of a true circle), semi-circular, and horse-shoe shape.
A tunnel liner plate may have inwardly extending flanges along both its sides and ends, or along its sides only, said flanges typically having bolt holes so that adjacent liner plates can be bolted together to form a tunnel liner.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,967,489 to White shows a representative tunnel liner. The tunnel liner plate illustrated therein is constructed of plate metal, provided with inwardly extending flanges along both its side edges and its end edges, with bolt holes in all flanges. The main portion or body wall of the plate is provided with a pair of spaced longitudinally extending ribs for reinforcement. These ribs stand out from the outer face of the body wall and comprise transversely flat (and longitudinally curved) facing walls.
The neutral axis of the liner plate in U.S. Pat. No. 1,967,489 is illustrated in FIG. 3 thereof. Every tunnel liner plate has a neutral axis, which extends from side to side as shown in FIG. 3 of the White patent. The center of mass of the liner plate is located along the neutral axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,114,834 to Foukal shows a tunnel liner plate having side and end flanges with bolt holes therein, and provided with a thrust member in the form of a corrugated plate that is curved to conform to the curvature of the liner plate 4, and which has corrugations extending from side to side of the liner plate. The corrugated plate may be secured to the liner plate by welding the lateral edges of the former to the side flanges of the latter. Foukal also illustrates the formation of a ring of liner plates, by bolting adjacent plates together along their respective end flanges.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,194 to Fisher shows a tunnel liner plate which, in transverse cross-section, comprises a relatively flat central portion, corrugations on either side thereof, and side edge flanges which are disposed essentially parallel to the central portion of the liner plate, rather than at right angles thereto. One of these flanges, "the leading edge flange" (this term being used with reference to the tunneling direction) is disposed outside the neutral axis and the other, the "trailing edge flange", is disposed inside the neutral axis as shown in FIG. 2. Additional supporting members in the form of removable channels, I-beams (the form shown in the drawing) or H-beams may be provided. Patentee states that his tunnel liner plate, by virtue of his flange structure, is capable of being stored more compactly and is easier to install than a tunnel liner plate having either two or four inwardly extending flanges provided with bolt holes. Patentee also states that his tunnel liner plate requires less weight of material in relation to strength.
Most tunnel liner plates continue to have either two or four inwardly extending flanges which are disposed along the edges of the liner plate (or more specifically the outer wall thereof), as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 1,967,489 to White, cited supra.
Meanwhile, the art continues to look for a liner plate having a more favorable strength to weight ratio than that afforded by a conventional flanged liner plate such as that shown in the White patent.


A legged moving robot has a plurality of movable legs for repeatedly touching and leaving a floor. An apparatus for detecting the landing position of a foot sole of each of the movable legs has a force sensor mounted on each of the movable legs at a position spaced from a foot sole thereof toward a proximal end thereof. The force sensor detects at least a perpendicular force perpendicular to the foot sole and a moment about an axis extending in a lateral direction of the foot sole and passing through a predetermined reference point on the foot sole. A time when the foot sole touches or leaves the floor is detected on the basis of the perpendicular force detected by the force sensor. A landing position for the foot sole to start touching or end leaving the floor is determined on the basis of the perpendicular force and the moment detected by the force sensor, at the detected time or in a predetermined time range near the detected time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a legged moving robot, and more particularly to an apparatus for detecting the landing position of a foot sole of a legged moving robot at the time the foot sole touches or leaves a floor when the legged moving robot moves up or down a stair or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When legged moving robots such as two-legged walking robots move up or down a stair or on a rough surface, it is desirable to detect the landing position of foot soles of movable legs, i.e., the position of a region of a foot sole which contacts a floor, for enabling the robots to move stably. In particular, it is desirable to detect the landing position of a foot sole when the foot sole touches or leaves a floor.
Specifically, when a two-legged walking robot ascends along a stair with a certain gait (a walking pattern such as a stride), if the landing position of the foot sole of one movable leg at the time the movable leg touches a stair step is too close to the toe, then the other movable leg may possibly miss an upper stair step with the present gait when the other movable leg attempts to reach the upper stair step. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the gait of the robot, e.g., increase the stride, if the landing position is too close to the toe. Similarly, when the two-legged walking robot descends along a stair with a certain gait, if the landing position of the foot sole of one movable leg at the time the movable leg touches a stair step is too close to the heel, then the other movable leg may possibly miss a lower stair step with the present gait when the other movable leg attempts to reach the lower stair step. Therefore, it is also necessary to correct the gait of the robot, e.g., reduce the stride, if the landing position is too close to the heel.
It is thus desirable to detect the landing position of a foot sole when the foot sole touches or leaves a floor in order to correct the gait of the robot.
Prior arrangements for detecting the landing position of a foot sole when the robot moves are disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 3-184781 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,753) and Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 7-205085 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/363,497).
According to the disclosure of Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 3-184781 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,753), as shown in FIGS. 22 through 25 thereof, a matrix of contact sensors are mounted on the foot sole of a movable leg, and output signals from the sensors are processed to recognize a distribution of loads imposed on the foot sole for thereby detecting the landing position of the foot sole.
Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 7-205085 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/363,497) reveals reflective light sensors disposed on respective opposite sides of a robot foot. Based on output signals from the light sensors, the edge of a stair step which contacts the foot sole is recognized to detect the landing position of the foot sole with respect to the stair step.
With the former prior art, since the contact sensors are mounted on the foot sole, the contact sensors are liable to be damaged due to impacts acting on the foot sole when the foot sole touches a floor during movement of the robot. If the contact sensors are covered with an elastic material such as rubber for protection against damage, then the contact sensors are unable to accurately detect a distribution of loads applied to the foot sole. Furthermore, since many contact sensors are employed, a lot of processing operation is needed to process the output signals from the contact sensors.
The light sensors according to the latter prior art are less likely to be damaged or broken. However, in order to prevent the light sensors from being affected by stains on a floor or stair steps, reflecting tapes (markers) need to be applied the floor or the stair steps, resulting in an increase in the cost of the robot. Even if reflecting tapes are employed, the light sensors may accurately detect the reflecting tapes when they are stained.

Apparatus for detecting the landing position of foot sole of legged moving robot


To suppress occurrence of a difference in transmission time due to a difference in length between signal lines, there is provided a printed wiring board having: an insulating substrate (10); a first signal line (L31A) that constitutes differential signal lines formed on the insulating substrate (10) and includes a curved portion; a second signal line (L31B) provided along the first signal line (L31A) and side by side inside the curved portion; and a ground layer (30) formed for the first signal line (L31A) and the second signal line (L31B) via an insulating material (10). The ground layer (30) includes a first ground layer (G31A) corresponding to a first region (D1) and a second ground layer (G31B) corresponding to a second region (D2). The first region (D1) is defined based on the first signal line (L31A) and has a first predetermined width (W31A). The second region (D2) is defined based on the second signal line (L31B) and has a second predetermined width (W31B). The first ground layer (G31A) has a remaining ratio lower than a remaining ratio of the second ground layer (G31B).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printed wiring board.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, when a difference in length exists between a pair of signal lines used in differential signaling, the transmission quality deteriorates because the transmission time also differs between the signal lines.
As a relevant technique, there has been known a printed wiring board in which conductor vias are formed in the vicinity of signal lines to adjust the difference in delay time of signals (Patent Document 1: JP 2011-165910 A). According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the conductor vias are provided along straight portions of upstream side and downstream side with respect to curved portions of the signal lines thereby to delay a propagation time of a signal propagating in an inside signal line that is close to the conductor vias at the straight portions of the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the curved portion, so that the propagation time is allowed to be the same between signals transmitted by the two signal lines.
Patent Document 1: JP 2011-165910 A