A method of forming electrode at the end surface of chip array resistors utilizes the vacuum metallization technology such as sputtering evaporating deposition or ion implanting accompanying a metal mask for forming electrode at the end surfaces of chip array resistors. A blank base can be used instead of a punch-through base which has to be used in conventional technology. The method disclosed in the present invention may greatly increase the productivity of the electrodes, and at the same time, the variation of resistance value of the chip array resistor is minimized and the product quality may be improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming electrodes at the end surfaces of chip array resistors, and more particularly, to a technology of utilizing sputtering deposition with metal mask to form electrodes at the end surfaces of chip resistors without restriction of a punch-through wafer use so that not only producing capability can be promoted but also the quality of the electrodes at the end surfaces of chip array resistors would be maintained effectively.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, forming electrodes at the end surface of chip array resistors is performed in a conventional method by means of coating a metallic gel first, then followed by sintering or baking. However, during the manufacturing process for chip array resistors, frequent sintering under high temperature (in the steps of making thick film for chip array resistors) causes the variation of value of resistance in the resistors after adjusted through a laser trimming. In general, if standard deviation of a resistor's resistance is increased, it results in the decrease of yield rate of production. Moreover, if a metallic gel of baking type is used, the electrodes would be formed on the wafer by deposition of metallic gel whose adhesive force is weaker than that by sintering the metallic gel. No matter what conventional method is used, the standard process would be peeling a wafer in strips and then employing it to form the electrodes either by soaking or by coating. Such processes result in the necessity of employing high cost but unsophisticated punch-through wafer whose size can not be enlarged because of shrinkage caused by sintering. As a result, manufacturing efficiency, product yield rate and quality can not be improved.
The conventional method of forming chip resistance of electrodes at end surfaces of array resistors by sintering after applying an electrically conducting gel with soaking or coating includes the following steps:
1. Printing a punch-through wafer as shown in FIG. 8; PA1 2. Peeling the wafer to form strip-shaped arrays as shown in FIG. 9; PA1 3. Soaking or coating the strip-shaped wafer on the first end of surface (upper Fig.) and then on the second end surface (lower Fig.) as shown in FIG. 10 and 11; PA1 4. Drying the wafer by sintering after being accomplished the step of soaking or coating as shown in FIG. 12; PA1 5. Separating the wafer in pieces as shown in FIG. 13. PA1 A. The Pre-punched holes on the ceramic base will change their size due to shrinking during sintering process. As a result, only specific range of sizes are useful for the manufacturers. For example, the maximum size of ceramic base that suppliers can furnish is 60 mm.times.45 mm which, in general, is ranked per .+-.1 mm for each class. Presently a conventional ceramic base is ranked in 40.about.50 classes so that a manufacturer has to take at least 10.about.20 different classes of the ceramic base to make up about 429 pieces of 1206 chip array resistors. On the contrary, a 3 square inch commercial base may be used to make more than 1200 pieces of chip array resistors. Difference of productivity between the two cases is so obvious and will be much more significant as the size of the base is now shifting to 4 inch or 4.5 inch larger than ever. PA1 B. As the number of classes of punch-through base ranges up so many from 10 to 20, the mesh patterns used to print the base also have to be increased correspondingly, which entails difficulty for centralization. PA1 C. As the difference between the size of adjacent base classes is so small that it is only .+-.0.1 mm, the variation of design of resistance patterns or other printing pattern are restricted accordingly, which results in wasting available spaces.
1) Features of Soaking or Coating
A punch-through wafer is required in forming electrodes at the end surfaces of chip array resistors, it is performed by opening a hole on a ceramic base mold for isolating a plurality of electrode terminals from one another so that electrical connection between adjacent electrode terminals with conducting metallic gel may be prevented. As the finished wafer in complete figure is employed, the electrodes at the end terminals of the chip array resistors may be easily formed after soaking or coating the metallic gel on the end surfaces of the strip-shaped wafer. Such a conventional method of forming electrodes has merits that it is quite appreciated by most of manufacturers in this field because it is technically simple and compatible to other related technology which they have been well experienced.
2) Disadvantages of Soaking or Coating
In spite of its simplicity in making process, a punch-through-base method which requires forming chip array resistors is still with some restrictions in designing and printing, namely:
Furthermore, soaking or coating process itself includes several disadvantages. The metallic conductive gel is exposed to the atmosphere during the procedure which causes the change of material viscosity with respect to the time elapsed. In addition, during the drying step arranged to be accomplished before sintering, the tools and equipment for drying and sintering are not allowed to contact the coated surface. Consequently it is difficult to make and handle those tools and equipment.
However, soaking or coating the end surface of chip array resistors is performed after the step of laser trimming of resistance value, value of the product resistance will vary according to the amount of heat applied to the end surfaces of the chip array resistors during sintering. The longer times the product is sintered, the greater the product resistance varies. Accordingly, quality of the product is degraded if it is impossible to control the resistance accurately.
In order to improve the shortcoming concerning the method of forming electrodes at the end surfaces of chip array resistors, through a long term hard study and experiments, the applicant has developed a novel method of forming electrodes at the end surfaces of chip array resistors and now is intended to disclose it hereafter.

Method of forming electrodes at the end surfaces of chip array resistors


CXCR4 and ROBO-1 are biomarkers associated with type 1 diabetes. Expression of CXCR4 and ROBO-1 in peripheral CD3 T cells is substantially higher in patients with autoimmune diabetes (type 1 diabetes) than in non-diabetic patients. Therapies are disclosed for reducing the progression of type 1 diabetes, and to reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes in patients who are at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), also known as C—X—C ligand 12, is a small, 8 kDa chemokine involved in leucocyte activation and chemotaxis. The receptors for SDF-1 are C—X—C receptors CXCR7 and CXCR4, the latter of which only binds SDF-1 and ubiquitin. CXCR7 possesses a tenfold higher affinity for SDF-1 than CXCR4. CXCR7 is expressed at very low levels by T cells. SDF-1 promotes cell adhesion, trans-endothelial migration and chemotaxis. SDF-1 can mediate chemorepulsion responses that may have pathophysiological importance.
Several agonists and antagonists that interact with CXCR4 have been developed. The small peptide agonist CTCE-0214 increases migration of CD34+ cells, although at much higher concentrations than SDF-1, and it may be beneficial in treating systemic inflammation. The peptide antagonist CTCE-9908 increases leukocyte uropod formation, but has no effect on migration or adhesion. E. Aboumrad et al. (2007) The CXCR4/CXCL12 (SDF-1) signalling pathway protects non-obese diabetic mouse from autoimmune diabetes. Clinical and experimental immunology 148: 432-439 reported that disruption of SDF-1-CXCR4 binding by the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 can accelerate the development of diabetes in adoptive transfer models in mice, and that it can induce beta cell apoptosis; and suggested that CXCR4+ T cells might be protective against diabetes.
ROBO1, a receptor for SLIT2, has been reported to modulate SDF-1-CXCR4 signaling in tumor cells. See A. Prasad et al., Slit protein-mediated inhibition of CXCR4-induced chemotactic and chemoinvasive signaling pathways in breast cancer cells. J Biol. Chem. 2004 Mar. 5; 279(10):9115-24.
C. Sharp et al. (2008) Stromal cell-derived factor-1/CXCL12 stimulates chemorepulsion of NOD/LtJ T cell adhesion to islet microvascular endothelium. Diabetes 57: 102-112 reported that SDF-1 is involved in recruitment of T cells to the pancreas in type 1 diabetes. The injection of mice with antibodies against SDF-1 altered the development of diabetes and suppression of insulitis. Under shear stress in vitro, SDF-1 promoted adhesion and reduced detachment of C57BL/6J T cells, but decreased adhesion and increased detachment of NOD T cells. T cells from C57BL/6J and NOD/ShiLtJ mice had differing affinities for adhering to SDF-1-treated endothelial cells in vitro. The paper speculated that SDF-1 might mediate chemorepulsion of diabetogenic T cell adhesion to islet microvascular endothelium through unknown mechanisms in NOD mice.
Members of the SLIT protein family (SLIT1, SLIT2 and SLIT3) are large glycoproteins that are important for nervous system development. The SLIT proteins are also expressed by epithelial and endothelial cells. The SLIT molecules bind to members of the roundabout, axon guidance receptor (ROBO) family of receptors. They also interact with heparan sulphate chains. In retinal axons in vivo, SDF-1 modulates SLIT and ROBO signalling, while in leucocytes SLIT2 modulates SDF-1-mediated chemotaxis, trans-endothelial migration and adhesion of T cells, and migration of dendritic cells.
MHC haplotypes and autoantibodies have been suggested as markers for autoimmune (type 1) diabetes, but both are subject to high rates of false positives and false negatives.
There is an unfilled need for improved biomarkers for type 1 diabetes. There is also an unfilled need for therapeutic compounds to reduce the progression of type 1 diabetes, and to reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes in patients who are at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

CXCR4 and ROBO1 expression as markers for autoimmune diabetes

Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College


A method for inspection of a sample includes directing a beam of X-rays toward a sample and configuring an array of detector elements to capture the X-rays scattered from the sample. The sample is shifted in a direction parallel to the axis of the array between at least first and second positions, which positions are separated one from another by an increment that is not an integer multiple of the pitch of the array. At least first and second signals are generated by the detector elements responsively to the X-rays captured thereby while the sample is in at least the first and second positions, respectively. The first and second signals are combined so as to determine an X-ray scattering profile of the sample as a function of position along the axis.

X-ray reflectometry (XRR) is a well-known technique for measuring the thickness, density and surface quality of thin film layers deposited on a substrate. Measurement of X-ray intensity reflected from the sample as a function of angle gives a pattern of interference fringes, which is analyzed to determine the properties of the film layers responsible for creating the fringe pattern. The X-ray intensity measurements are commonly made using a position-sensitive detector, such as a proportional counter or an array detector, typically a photodiode array or charge-coupled device (CCD).
A method for analyzing X-ray reflectance data to determine film thickness is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,226, to Komiya et al., whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. After measuring X-ray reflectance as a function of angle, an average reflectance curve is fitted to the fringe spectrum. The average curve is based on a formula that expresses attenuation, background and surface roughness of the film. The fitted average reflectance curve is then used in extracting the oscillatory component of the fringe spectrum. This component is Fourier transformed to find the film thickness.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,548, to Koppel, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes an X-ray thickness gauge based on reflectometric measurement. A curved, reflective X-ray monochromator is used to focus X-rays onto the surface of a sample. A position-sensitive detector, such as a photodiode detector array, senses the X-rays reflected from the surface and produces an intensity signal as a function of reflection angle. The angle-dependent signal is analyzed to determine properties of the structure of a thin film layer on the sample, including thickness, density and surface roughness.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,512,814 and 6,639,968, to Yokhin et al., whose disclosures are incorporated herein by reference, describe reflectometry apparatus that includes a radiation source, adapted to irradiate a sample with radiation over a range of angles relative to a surface of the sample, and a detector assembly, positioned to receive the radiation reflected from the sample over the range of angles and to generate a signal responsive thereto. A shutter is adjustably positionable to intercept the radiation. The shutter has a blocking position, in which it blocks the radiation in a lower portion of the range of angles, thereby allowing the reflected radiation to reach the array substantially only in a higher portion of the range, and a clear position, in which the radiation in the lower portion of the range reaches the array substantially without blockage.
Another common method of X-ray reflectometric measurement is described, for example, in an article by Naudon et al., entitled "New Apparatus for Grazing X-ray Reflectometry in the Angle-Resolved Dispersive Mode," in Journal of Applied Crystallography 22 (1989), p. 460, which is incorporated herein by reference. A divergent beam of X-rays is directed toward the surface of a sample at grazing incidence, and a detector opposite the X-ray beam source collects reflected X-rays. A knife edge is placed close to the sample surface immediately above a measurement location in order to cut off the primary X-ray beam. A monochromator between the sample and the detector (rather than between the source and sample, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,548) selects the wavelength of the reflected X-ray beam that is to reach the detector.
XRR may also be used in situ, within a deposition furnace, to inspect thin film layers in production on a semiconductor wafer, as described, for example, by Hayashi et al., in U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2001/0043668 A1, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. The furnace is provided with X-ray incidence and extraction windows in its side walls. The substrate upon which the thin film has been deposited is irradiated through the incidence window, and the X-rays reflected from the substrate are sensed through the X-ray extraction window.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,813,338, to Takata et al., describes a method for high-resolution powder diffraction using high-energy synchrotron radiation as an X-ray source. A detector mounted on a measuring instrument, such as a diffractometer, is moved by smaller distances than the distance between adjacent X-ray detection units (pixels). The measured data are interpolated to improve the spatial resolution of the measurement.

Enhancing resolution of X-ray measurements by sample motion


There is proposed a practical approach to a shift, in an automatic transmission, in which a release element is released and an apply element is engaged. The release element is released or vented at an appropriate timing after development of torque by the apply element but before initiation of inertia phase. Specifically, the release element is released when transmission output torque (To) reaches a value (Toh) calculated out of gear ratio after shift (grmin), transmission input (or turbine) torque (Tt) and transmission input (turbine) acceleration (NTd). If desired, without relying on measurement of output torque (To), the release element may be released when transmission output acceleration (No), namely, vehicle acceleration, reaches a value which may be fixed or accelerator position dependent.

The present invention relates to a control for shifting in automatic transmission.
As in SAE papers 890529 and 905048, there has been proposed a practical approach to an adaptive control for a so-called clutch-to-clutch shifting in an automatic transmission.
An object of the present invention is to improve such an adaptive control such that an engine racing or so-called inescapable torque drop during torque phase are effectively suppressed to improve quality of shift.

Control for shift in automatic transmission


Provided is a coupling assembly of a power semiconductor device and a printed circuit board (PCB). The coupling assembly of the power semiconductor device and the printed circuit board (PCB) includes a PCB, a power semiconductor device comprising a plurality of legs electrically connected to a circuit pattern disposed on the PCB, a connection member disposed above the power semiconductor device, the connection member being formed of an electrically conductive material, a main fixing unit fixing the power semiconductor device to the PCB, and a housing disposed outside the PCB. Thus, a coupling force between the power semiconductor device and the PCB and electric efficiency may be improved to a heat generation amount. In addition, heat may be more quickly dissipated through the connection member to improve a cooling effect.

The present disclosure relates to a coupling assembly of a power semiconductor device and a printed circuit board (PCB), and more particularly, to a coupling assembly of a power semiconductor device and a PCB, in which the power device is disposed between a connection member and the PCB to press the connection member toward the PCB, thereby firmly fixing the power semiconductor device to the PCB and improving cooling efficiency and electric efficiency.
A power semiconductor device used in electric/electronic devices such as power conversion devices according to a related art may have a structure in which the power semiconductor device is fixed to the inside of a housing by using a bolt or clip, and then a leg of the power semiconductor device is connected to a PCB or a structure in which the power semiconductor device is fixed to a PCB by using a clip or bolt without being directly attached to the inside of a housing.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of a coupling assembly in which a power semiconductor device is coupled to a PCB according to a related art. A power semiconductor device 10 is attached to the inside of a housing 30 by using a fixing bolt 40. A leg 11 of the power semiconductor device 10 is connected to a PCB 20 through soldering. According to the above-described structure, since the power semiconductor device 10 and the housing 30 directly contact each other, the power semiconductor device may be improved in heat dissipation and cooling.
However, since the leg 11 of the power semiconductor device 10 is coupled to the PCB 20 through the soldering, the assembly may be easily assembled, but be weak in vibration.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an example of a coupling assembly in which the other power semiconductor device 50 is coupled to a PCB 60 according to the related art. Unlike the forgoing coupling assembly according to the related art, the power semiconductor device 50 is attached to an upper portion of the PCB 60. Here, the power semiconductor device 50 is pressed and fixed to a top surface of the PCB 60 by using a fixing bolt and a clip 80.
Thus, although the power semiconductor device 50 is more firmly fixed to the PCB 60, since the power semiconductor device does not directly contact a housing (not shown), cooling efficiency may be deteriorated.

Coupling assembly of power semiconductor device and PCB and method for manufacturing the same


Product trolleys include a base, a sling assembly, and a roller assembly. The base includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposing the first sidewall, and an endwall extending between the first and second sidewalls. The base defines an inner surface, a first open end, a second open end opposite the first open end, and a top opening opposite the endwall. The base includes a spring action between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, such that the base is configured to be flexed to receive and releasably secure the product between the first and the second sidewalls. The sling assembly is secured to the base and includes a substantially flexible body formed of sheet material. The roller assembly is secured to the base proximate the endwall.

People often find the prospect of moving heavy or large items difficult, if not impossible. For example, people often encounter challenges moving such items while shopping. Consumers or others in a retail environment often have to move products for sale to or from display areas, points of sale, vehicles, homes, and other locations. Dry dog food, for example, is often provided in bulk quantities, with some sacks of dry dog food weighing forty or more pounds. Other items for sale are similarly large, heavy, or cumbersome for a consumer to transport.


Provided is an amplifier circuit including an NMOS transistor having a low drain breakdown voltage and an NMOS transistor having a high drain breakdown voltage connected in series thereto, and capable of preventing breakdown of a drain of the NMOS transistor having a low drain breakdown voltage. A clamp circuit configured to limit a drain voltage of the NMOS transistor having a low drain breakdown voltage is connected to the drain thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amplifier circuit configured to prevent breakdown of a transistor when an input signal is at a ground level.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related-art amplifier circuit is now described. FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating the related-art amplifier circuit.
The related-art amplifier circuit includes a constant voltage circuit 101 configured to output a constant voltage, NMOS transistors 103 and 104, a load 102, a ground terminal 100, an output terminal 106, and an input terminal 105.
The input terminal 105 inputs an input signal voltage Vin, and the output terminal 106 outputs an output signal voltage Vout. Because the amplitude of a drain voltage of the NMOS transistor 104 is small, the NMOS transistor 104 to be used may have a low breakdown voltage. Thus, the NMOS transistor 104 to be used may be a normal breakdown voltage MOS transistor having a large value of transconductance gm. On the other hand, the transconductance gm of the NMOS transistor 103 has almost no contribution to an amplification factor of the whole amplifier circuit. Thus, with use of a high breakdown voltage MOS transistor only for the NMOS transistor 103, the impedance of the load 102 can be set to be high so that large output voltage amplitude may be generated, to thereby increase the gain of the whole amplifier circuit (see, for example, FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-311689).
However, the related-art amplifier circuit has a problem in that, when the input signal voltage Vin is at a ground level and the load 102 is capable of supplying a current, the drain of the NMOS transistor 104 becomes floating to generate a voltage equal to or higher than a breakdown voltage of the transistor, resulting in breakdown of the transistor.


While a wiping operation for keeping a satisfactory ejection opening surface of an inkjet recording head is performed, a usage amount of a sheet-like member is to be reduced. An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a sheet-like member, a reeling roller that reels the sheet-like member 31, and a measurement unit that measures an ejection number of ink ejected from the recording head. A control is performs to cause the reeling roller 32 to reel the sheet-like member 31 in accordance with the ejection number of the ink which is measured by the measurement unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus and a control method for the inkjet recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When ink is ejected from an ejection opening of a recording head of an inkjet recording apparatus, ink mist that is not landed on a recording medium is generated. The ink mist is deposited on an ejection opening surface of the recording head or the like and may prevent the ink ejected from the ejection opening from landing at a normal position. The ink mist deposited on the ejection opening surface is normally removed by a wiper blade.
In recent years, a technology for solidifying the ink on the recording medium by using ultraviolet rays, micro waves, heat, or the like has been developed to perform recording on the recording medium that does not have an ink receptor layer. In the above-described configuration, thermal fixing ink or the like which is easily be solidified on the recording medium by the heat or the like is used. According to such configuration too, the ink mist deposited on the ejection opening surface is firmly solidified on the ejection opening surface and may prevent the ink from the ejection opening from landing at a normal position. Since the ink mist according to the above-described inkjet recording technology is firmly solidified, it is difficult to remove the ink mist by a normal wiper blade in some cases.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,100 discloses a recording apparatus in which a sheet-like member is supplied to a position facing the ejection opening surface, and this sheet-like member is abutted against the ejection opening surface to perform wiping, so that the ejection opening surface is cleaned. U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,100 also discloses that the sheet-like member that has once been used for the wiping is reeled by a reeling roller, so that an unused part of the sheet-like member is supplied to the position facing the ejection opening surface.
Incidentally, since the sheet-like member is reeled for every wiping operation in the recording apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,100, even a site of sheet-like member where the contamination is moderate and the ejection opening surface can be cleaned again may be reeled in some cases. To elaborate, the sheet-like member is not reeled at an appropriate timing in accordance with a degree of contamination of the sheet-like member in the recording apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,100, and much of the sheet-like member may be consumed beyond necessity.
On the other hand, it is also conceivable to perform the reeling operation for every certain number of the wiping operations, but in such case, much of the contamination caused by the wiping operation is accumulated at a predetermined site of the sheet-like member. For this reason, even when the wiping operation is performed at this predetermined site, the ink solidified on the ejection opening surface may not sufficiently be removed.

Inkjet recording apparatus and control method for the inkjet recording apparatus


A large-volume container for holding liquid media is composed of two shell-like end parts each having a ring-shaped flat contact surface, and at least one sleeve-like middle part composed of two ring segments and provided with two ring-shaped flat contact surfaces and an opening for filling and emptying. The two end parts as well as the ring segments of the middle part are manufactured by blow molding with an inner layer and an outer layer, are provided with external stiffening ribs formed as chambers, and are connected in the areas of their contact surfaces by an inner and outer weld. The two end parts as well as the ring segments have in the areas of their contact surfaces a circumferential chamber, wherein the contact surfaces have at their circumferential boundary edges backwardly extending inclinations for forming welding grooves between the end parts and/or the ring segments.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a large-volume container for holding liquid media composed of two shell-like end parts each having a ring-shaped flat contact surface, and a sleeve-like middle part composed of two ring segments, wherein the middle part also has two ring-shaped and flat contact surfaces and an opening for filling and emptying, wherein the two end parts as well as the ring segments of the middle part are manufactured with an inner layer and an outer layer by blow molding, and wherein the end parts and the middle part are provided with external stiffening ribs constructed as chambers and are connected in the areas of their contact surfaces by an inner and an outer welding.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in applicant's German application DE 198 18 709 A1, a device for storing and for transporting liquid media has become known which is composed of a large-volume container composed of at least two parts which are connected by welding. Each part is manufactured by blow molding and has an inner wall and an outer wall connected on all sides to the inner wall, wherein the inner wall is essentially flat and the outer wall has stiffening ribs formed by chambers between the inner wall and the outer wall. The parts to be connected have ring-shaped and flat contact surfaces through which the parts are connected to each other by an inner and an outer welding seam. Because of the configuration of the parts in the areas of the contact surfaces, the welding connection is extremely problematic and the desired connection is not always achieved in a satisfactory manner.

Large volume container for holding liquid media


The present disclosure provides systems and methods for tracking of control and error signals in optical disk drives. Successive square waves are generated as a tracking control output signal, and a tracking error signal is generated as a function of both the tracking control output signal and an offset correction factor. Due to the characteristics of the square wave, more reliable tracking is possible by the use of the square wave.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), an optical disk 2 comprises lands 6 and grooves 4 that contain recorded information. Optical disk drives read and write data from optical disks 2 by irradiating the optical disk with a laser. Due to the different reflection characteristics between the lands 6 and grooves 4, the content of the information written on the optical disk 2 may be determined by the different reflection characteristics.
The size of the lands 6 and grooves 4 on the optical disk 2 are fairly small. Thus, in order to properly read data from, and write data to, optical disks, the laser is focused on a particular track. The focusing and tracking of the laser often involves processes for generating and detecting tracking error signals.
In an example optical pickup module 1, as shown in FIG. 2, an optical pickup 3 is coupled to a sled 7 and a spring 5. As is known, the force on the spring 5 is controlled by a tracking control output signal. The controlled force on the spring 5 affects movement of theoptical pickup 3, thereby positioning the optical pickup 3 at a position dictated by the tracking control output signal. Since the movement of the optical pickup 3 is well known in the art, further discussion of the sled 7 movement is omitted here.
Several well-known processes for controlling the movement of the optical pickup 3 are the push-pull method and the three-beam method. Since both of these processes are well-known in the art, only a cursory discussion of these processes is provided here.
As illustrated in FIG. 1(b), in the push-pull process, when the laser beam is focused on a track 8, the difference between the light returned from the disc on both sides of the track 10, 12 may be measured. When the laser beam is centered exactly over the track 8, the difference between the light reflected from one side 10 of the disc and the light reflected from the other side 12 of the disc is zero. However, when the beam is off center, the push-pull tracking then becomes positive or negative.
In the three-beam method, the laser beam is divided into three beams, one of which follows the track under consideration (i.e., the central track), while the other two are focused on adjacent tracks (i.e., outriggers), immediately before and after the desired track. Any movement of the central track away from its desired position will cause an increase in the signal from one of the outriggers and, simultaneously, a decrease in the signal from the other outrigger. A comparison of the two outrigger signals provides sufficient information for a track-following servo.
As is known in the art, the tracking error signal is generated during the tracking process for indicating the deviation between a track position and the position of the optical pickup 3. However, when the offset is included in the tracking error signal, a deviation corresponding to the offset is induced between the track position and the position of the optical pickup 3. Moreover, in an optical disk drive adapted for counting the number of tracks that laser beams traverse based on the tracking error signal, if any offset exists in the tracking error signal as described above, it is impossible to precisely count the number of tracks. Thus, the process of removing the offset from the tracking error signal is carried out before reproducing/recording the information recorded on the disk. (i.e. compensating the tracking error signal)
When the push-pull method and the three-beam method are combined, the offset of the tracking error signal (TE) is a function of a main-push-pull-signal offset (MPP), which represents the signal from the central track, a sub-push-pull-signal offset (SPP), which represents the signal from one of the outriggers, and an offset correction factor (A). In other words, the TE may be represented as:TE=MPP+(A*SPP)  [Eq. 1].
As shown in FIG. 3, a conventional optical disk drive produces TE by introducing a tracking control output signal (TC) 9, which is typically a sine wave. The offset correction factor (A) is recursively altered during consecutive time intervals 25, 27, 29, thereby providing an iterative approach to compensating TE. Unfortunately, the shape of the sine wave sometimes produces erroneous TE.
Thus, a heretofore-unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Generating tracking control output signals for compensating tracking error signals


A toner includes a polymeric resin, optionally a colorant, and a small molecule crystalline aromatic ether having a molecular weight less than 1,000 g/mol. The polymeric resin may be an amorphous resin and a mixture of the amorphous resin and the crystalline aromatic ether may be characterized by a reduction in glass transition temperature from that of the resin and by the lack of a melting point for the crystalline aromatic ether as determined by differential scanning calorimetry, the enthalpy of fusion for the crystalline aromatic ether in the mixture being measured to be less than 10% of the enthalpy of fusion of the crystalline aromatic ether in pure form. Furthermore, the toner may be configured to have a crease fix minimum fusing temperature (MFT) less than or equal to the crease fix MFT of a benchmark ultra-low-melt emulsion aggregation toner. Suitable crystalline aromatic ethers may include benzyl 2-naphthyl ether.

Electrophotography, which is a method for visualizing image information by forming an electrostatic latent image, is currently employed in various fields. The term "electrostatographic" is generally used interchangeably with the term "electrophotographic." In general, electrophotography comprises the formation of an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor, followed by development of the image with a developer containing a toner, and subsequent transfer of the image onto a transfer material such as paper or a sheet, and fixing the image on the transfer material by utilizing heat, a solvent, pressure and/or the like to obtain a permanent image.
Crease fix Minimum Fusing Temperature (MFT) is a measurement used to determine the performance and energy efficiency of a particular toner in combination with a specific paper type and a specific fuser (which fixes the toner on the paper). Crease fix MFT is measured by folding the paper across a solid fill area of an image and then rolling a defined mass across the folded area. The paper can also be folded using a commercially available folder such as the Duplo D-590 paper folder. A plurality of sheets of paper with images that have been fused over a wide range of fusing temperatures are prepared. The sheets of paper are then unfolded and toner that has been loosened from the sheet of paper is wiped from the surface. Optical comparison of the crease area is then made to a reference chart which provides a definition of an acceptable level of toner adhesion; alternatively, the crease area may be quantified by computer image analysis. The smaller the area which has lost toner, the better the toner adhesion, and the temperature required to achieve an acceptable level of adhesion is defined as the crease fix MFT.
Currently, Ultra-Low-Melt (ULM) emulsion aggregation (EA) toners, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,547,499 for example, have benchmark crease fix MFT of approximately −20° C. relative to styrene/acrylate EA toners. This improved crease fix MFT performance enables a reduction in fuser energy and enhanced fuser life when compared with EA toners. There is a desire to reduce the MFT even further, by an additional 10° C. to 20° C., for example.

Super low melt toner having crystalline aromatic ethers


A defect detecting apparatus detects a defect that is present on the outer circumferential surface of work having the outer circumferential surface thereof formed as a bent surface. The defect detecting apparatus is provided with: a jig which supports the work, and holds the work in a state wherein the work is rotated by a predetermined angle; an image pickup device, which picks up an image of the outer circumferential surface of the work held by the jig, the work being in the state wherein the work is rotated by the predetermined angle; and a controller, which processes an image obtained by means of the image pickup device, and determines a defect. The controller stores information relating to the shape of the outer circumferential surface of the work, and information relating to the positional relationship, at each rotation angle, between the image pickup device and a work area having the image thereof picked up by the image pickup device, and the control apparatus uses the information at the time of determining the defect.

JP H03-293542 A discloses a technique of inspecting defects of the surface of a camshaft. In the technique of JP H03-293542 A, the cam surface is divided into multiple inspection sections considering the use of the cam, and special optical instruments are used for each of the inspection sections. Therefore, the best inspection condition for the camshaft as an object to be inspected can be chosen by changing the criterion for determining the defects in accordance with the inspection sections. Thus, the technique provides the defect inspection considering working condition or unique characteristics of the object.
JP 2008-233106 A discloses a technique of inspecting defects of the surface of a work including curved surface at the periphery thereof. In the technique of JP 2008-233106 A, conditions for an image processing are changeable in response to light and shade in the curved surface which is inclined against the imaging device, so that the defects on the curved surface can be detected.
Unfortunately, the conventional techniques do not adequately take into account the image distortion occurred in the image of the curved portion, and thus the shape, especially dimension, of the defect in the curved portion may be misdetected. Moreover, the image distortion may be occurred according to the positional relationship, such as distance or angle, between the camera for picking up the image and the work, so that it is difficult to accurately detect the defects.


An ink for ink-jet recording contains tripropylene glycol normal butyl ether or dipropylene glycol normal propyl ether, an acrylic polymer, a water-insoluble coloring agent, and water. The ink simultaneously satisfies the straight travel stability of ink droplets during the discharge with an ink-jet recording apparatus, the recovery performance upon introduction into a recording head of the ink-jet recording apparatus, the fixation performance of printed matters, and the drying performance after the printing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink for ink-jet recording to be used for an ink-jet recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the ink-jet recording system, ink droplets are formed by means of the ink discharge method including, for example, the electrostatic attraction method, the method in which mechanical vibration or displacement is applied to the ink by using a piezoelectric element or the like, and the method in which bubbles are generated by heating the ink to utilize the pressure generated thereby. All or a part of the ink droplets are adhered to a recording objective material such as paper to perform the recording. Those usable as the ink for ink-jet recording to be used for the ink-jet recording system as described above include those which are obtained by dissolving or dispersing a variety of water-soluble dyes or pigments in water or a liquid medium composed of water and a water-soluble organic solvent. In particular, the ink for ink-jet recording, which is based on the use of the pigment, is excellent, for example, in the water resistance and the light resistance as compared with the dye ink.
It is required for the ink for ink-jet recording based on the use of the pigment as described above, for example, that the minute discharge nozzle of the ink-jet printer is not clogged; the fixation performance (abrasion resistance, finger touch resistance) of printed matters is improved; the drying performance after the printing is improved; and the storage performance is improved so that the pigment particles are not coagulated or sedimented and no solid matter other than the pigment is deposited even the ink is stored for a long period of time at a high temperature or at a low temperature.
In order to perform the ink-jet recording in a normal discharge state with an ink-jet printer when the ink cartridge is installed for the first time and when the ink cartridge is exchanged, it is necessary that the ink for ink-jet recording is introduced into the ink flow passage without allowing any bubble to remain therein, and it is necessary that any bubble remaining in the ink flow passage is completely removed. For this purpose, the forcible ink-sucking/discharging operation for removing the bubbles, which is called "purge", is usually performed in the ink-jet printer. However, in general, it is difficult to obtain the normal discharge state by means of only the effect of the purge operation as described above. It is necessary that the ink for ink-jet recording itself has excellent recovery performance upon introduction into the recording head.
In view of the above, a method is widely used, in which an acrylic polymer is added into the ink for ink-jet recording. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the recovery performance upon introduction into the recording head and the fixation performance of printed matters. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-120955 discloses an ink for ink-jet recording obtained by adding a self-dispersing copolymer resin composed of stearyl (meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylic acid, styrene-based monomer, and benzyl (meth)acrylate-based monomer. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-169769 discloses an ink for ink-jet recording obtained by dispersing or dissolving a self-dispersing type pigment and a copolymer composed of acrylic acid and maleic acid or anhydride thereof in an aqueous medium.
However, when the acrylic polymer as described above is added in such an amount that the effect is obtained as described above, then the discharge from the recording head becomes unstable, and the straight travel stability of ink droplets is deteriorated immediately after the start of the printing operation. A problem has arisen such that all of the fixation performance of printed matters, the recovery performance upon introduction into the recording head, and the straight travel stability of ink droplets during the discharge cannot be satisfied sufficiently by adjusting only the amount of addition of the acrylic polymer.


A single pass, multi-color electrostatographic printer includes a transfer member which is driven along a continuous path. Several toner images of different colors are electrostatically deposited in powder form in registration with each other on the transfer member to form a multiple toner image thereon. A substrate is fed into contact with the transfer member. The multiple toner image is thereby transferred to at least one face of the substrate. The printer includes heaters for heating the multiple toner image on the transfer member in advance of the transfer of the image to the substrate and cooling devices for cooling the transfer member following the transfer of the multiple toner image therefrom to the substrate to a temperature below the glass transition temperature T.sub.g of the toner, prior to the deposition of further toner images on the transfer member.

This invention relates to a printer, in particular to a single pass, multi-colour electrostatographic printer, and to a method of single-pass multi-colour electrostatographic printing.
Electrostatographic printers are known in which a toner image is electrostatically formed on a rotatable endless surface, such as a belt or a drum, and then ultimately transferred to a receiving material, which is usually in the form of paper sheets or a web.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,048 (Bean/Xerox Corporation) describes a copying apparatus in which a monochrome liquid toner image is formed on a photoconductor and then deposited on a transfer member in the form of a belt. The image is transferred from the belt to a substrate. In one described embodiment, the solvent in the liquid toner is removed from the toner image while it is carried on the belt by the application of infra-red radiation and a vacuum. The image is then transferred to the substrate by heat and pressure and the belt is then optionally cooled before a further image is deposited thereon.
International patent application WO92/10793 (Spectrum Sciences BV) describes an imaging apparatus in which a liquid toner image is formed on a single photoconductor and then deposited on a transfer member in the form of a heated transfer drum and transferred from there to a substrate. The surface of the heated transfer drum may be cooled in advance of the deposition of the image. The multiple image is deposited on the transfer drum in steps, that is the transfer drum is rotated once for each colour image being deposited. Cooling of the drum surface is necessary in advance of the deposition of each next colour image in order to avoid back transfer of the toner to the photoconductor. Step-by-step deposition is slow, in particular because of a speed limitation which is inherent in the image writing system. Where, for example, four colour images are deposited, the overall printing speed can be no faster than 25% of the image writing speed. Also, the apparatus described by Spectrum introduces the risk of contamination of one toner developing unit by toner of another colour. As a consequence, the apparatus described by Spectrum includes a very thorough cleaning system for the photoconductor.
In any event, we prefer to avoid the use of liquid toners as described in Bean and Spectrum referred to above, especially where such toners are based on non-aqueous solvents such as Isopar (Trade Mark), which is mainly decane. Such solvents may not freely be released into the atmosphere for environmental reasons and it is therefore necessary to include special arrangements to avoid such release.
Copiers and printers have been proposed which make use of toner in powder form. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,990 (Abreu et al./Xerox Corporation) for example, a multi-pass multi-colour printer is described in which a sheet of receiving material is moved in a recirculating path into contact with a single toner image carrying photoconductive belt, to which powder toner images of various colours are applied in turn. Such multiple-pass printers introduce considerable difficulties in the registration of the various toner images on the receiving material and also suffer from similar speed limitations to those referred to above in connection with the apparatus described by Spectrum.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,140(Burkes et al./Xerox Corporation) describes a printer in which a number of powder toner images are deposited in turn onto an image receiving member to form a multiple toner image thereon. The multiple toner image is thereafter transferred by electrostatic means to a plain paper substrate. The efficiency of the electrostatic transfer to the substrate is dependant upon the nature and condition of the substrate and may not be 100% effective. For this reason Berkes et al. require the provision of a device for cleaning the image receiving member before a further image is deposited thereon.
In European patent application EP 220663A (Colorocs Corporation), a single pass, multi-colour printer is described in which a multiple toner image is formed on a transfer belt and then transferred to a substrate, normally in the form of a sheet of paper. The multiple toner image is formed on the transfer belt by sequential transfer from a photoreceptor belt onto which toner images of different colours are formed by electrostatographic means. In order to form the multiple toner image, the transfer belt has to circulate a number of times, corresponding at least to the number of different colour toner images, before the multiple toner image can be transferred to the paper sheet. This construction introduces considerable problems in ensuring accurate registration of the different coloured images and speed limitations as discussed above in connection with the apparatus described by Abreu et al.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,668 (De Bock et al./Xeikon NV) a single-pass multi-colour printer is described in which a substrate in the form of a web passes a plurality of toner image forming stations where images of different colours are simultaneously transferred thereto in register.
Once one or more toner images have been transferred to the substrate, it is necessary to fix the images thereon. A number of fixing techniques are known, such as radiant heat fixing, and hot or cold pressure fixing. Radiant fixing has advantages of not introducing contact with the substrate but consumes significant energy, its efficiency is dependant upon the nature and characteristics of the substrate, questions may arise concerning the evaporation of environmentally unacceptable compounds which may be present in the substrate and the dry substrate may suffer from dimensional instability resulting in wrinkling and can become easily charged resulting, for example, in stacking problems. Where the thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate and the toner are significantly different, the use of radiant fixing can lead to distortion of the final printed image. Furthermore, radiant fixing is less suitable for substrates in the form of cut sheets as opposed to a web, since the position of the substrate path is more difficult to ensure. Pressure roller fixing on the other hand, while consuming less energy, is a contact method and the rollers used have a relatively short life-time. Furthermore, pressure roller fixing often requires the use of liquid release agents, such as silicone oils, while it is preferred to reduce the level and variety of consumable materials used in the printer.

Single-pass, multi-color electrostatographic printer with continuous path transfer member


A radio wave-standardized electronic timepiece which stores the time at which the timepiece succeeds in reception in conformity with the pattern of living of the user, and on the following days, the timepiece begins to receive from the stored times.. A reception success comparison circuit compares the output signal from a reception success time storage circuit with the output signal from a time information calculation circuit. A reception time comparison circuit compares the output signal from a reception time addition circuit with the output signal from the time information calculation circuit. A reception operation discrimination circuit controls a receiver means according to its input signal. A transfer circuit modifies a time counter and the contents of the reception success time storage circuit according to the output signal from a received data acceptance decision circuit. A display means displays the contents according to the output signal from the time information calculation means.

The present invention relates to a radio wave-standardized electric timepiece which receives an externally produced standard time signal and corrects the time.
It is known that the prior art radio wave-standardized electronic timepiece is automatic reception. The automatic reception means that even if the user does not operate the timepiece, it assumes a reception condition when an established time comes, and that the timepiece does not permit the user to establish a reception time suited for the living pattern of the user.
It is also known that the automatic reception assumes a reception condition from the start of a reception time zone established every day.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system of the prior art radio wave-standardized electric timepiece. A divider 2 devides the frequency of the output signal from an oscillator 1. A time counter 3 consisting of an arithmetic processing circuit or the like receives the output signal from the divider 2 and produces an output signal to a display means 15. An antenna 9 receives an externally produced standard time signal. A receiver circuit 10 receives, amplifies and detects the output signal from the antenna 9.
The output signal from the receiver circuit 10 is converted into 1/0/* (* indicates a signal that cannot be converted into 1 or 0) by a received data detection circuit 11. Its data is stored in a received data storage circuit 12. A received data acceptance decision circuit 13 makes a decision to see if the received data stored in the received data storage circuit 12 contains given information.
A transfer circuit 14 produces modifying pulses to a time information calculation circuit 16 in response to the received data stored in the received data storage circuit 12 according to the output signal from the received data acceptance decision circuit 13. An established reception time is stored in N memories, starting with memory 1 and ending with memory N, included in a storage time comparison circuit 19. This storage time comparison circuit 19 receives information held in a minute counter and in an hour counter included in the time counter 3. The storage time comparison circuit 19 compares the received information with the information stored in the memories l-N, where N is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.
An OR circuit 20 receives the output signals from the memories l-N of the storage time comparison circuit 19 and produces an output signal that is the logical OR of these input signals. An R-S latch 21 is set when information about the day held in the time counter 3 has changed and is reset by an output signal which is produced when the received data acceptance decision circuit 13 determines that the received data contains given information. A two-input AND circuit 22 receives the output signal from the OR circuit 20 and the output signal from the R-S latch 21 and controls the receiver circuit 10 according to the logical AND of these two input signals.
The prior art structure described above is disclosure in, for example, Patent Laid-Open Nos. JP-A-107776/1979 and JP-A-191981/1986.
However, the prior art radio wave-standardized electronic timepiece can automatically receive only in a certain time zone in a day, generally in the nighttime in which the amount of noise is small. Where the certain time zone is from 0 o'clock to 3, if the user lives in a building of reinforced concrete or the like into which radio waves cannot reach or do not easily reach, then the automatic reception is impossible. Therefore, it is difficult to correct the time by the automatic reception method. Also, in a location where the timepiece is successful in reception only at three o'clock within the above described time zone every day, the timepiece begins to assume reception condition at 0 o'clock every day. Hence, an amount of electric current is consumed wastefully.

Radio wave-standardized electronic timepiece


Uniformity of thin deposited layers on textured surfaces is enhanced by reducing the total surface area available to film deposition. The backside surface area of a semiconductor wafer is reduced prior to film deposition, thereby reducing the available surface to deposition when a deposition process is supply-limited. Reducing the backside surface area suppresses nonuniformities in thin film deposition when the deposition process is substantially supply-limited. The present invention is advantageous for improving uniformity of nitride capacitor dielectric layers deposited on textured electrodes.

A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell typically comprises a charge storage capacitor (or cell capacitor) coupled to an access device such as a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET). The MOSFET functions to apply or remove charge on the capacitor, thus affecting a logical state defined by the stored charge. The amount of charge stored on the capacitor is determined by the capacitance, C=.epsilon.A/d, where .epsilon. is the dielectric constant of the capacitor dielectric, A is the electrode (or storage node) area and d is the interelectrode spacing. The conditions of DRAM operation such as operating voltage, leakage rate and refresh rate, will in general mandate that a certain minimum charge be stored by the capacitor.
In the trend to higher memory capacity, the packing density of cell capacitors has increased at the expense of available cell area. For example, the area allowed for a single cell in a 64-Mbit DRAM is only about 1.4 .mu.m.sup.2. In such limited areas, it is difficult to provide sufficient capacitance using conventional stacked capacitor structures. Yet, design and operational parameters determine the minimum charge required for reliable operation of the memory cell despite decreasing cell area. Several techniques have been developed to increase the total charge capacity of the cell capacitor without significantly affecting the cell area. These include new structures utilizing trench and stacked capacitors, as well as utilizing new capacitor dielectric materials having higher dielectric constants.
One method of maintaining, as well as increasing, storage node size in densely packed memory devices is through the use of "stacked storage cell" design. With this technology, two or more layers of a conductive material such as polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon or poly) are deposited over an access device on a silicon wafer, with dielectric layers sandwiched between each poly layer. A cell constructed in this manner is known as a stacked capacitor cell (STC). Such a cell utilizes the space over the access device for capacitor plates, has a low soft error rate (SER) and may be used in conjunction with inter-plate insulative layers having a high dielectric constant. However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient storage capacitance with a conventional STC capacitor as the storage electrode area is confined within the limits of its own cell area.
To maintain high cell capacitance in the face of small lateral cell dimensions, one technique has been to utilize so-called "textured" electrodes. A textured electrode typically comprises a polysilicon (poly) or other conductive material having an irregular or rough surface morphology. The textured surface morphology increases considerably the electrode surface area, thus increasing capacitance. For example, a typical prior art texturizing process may increase electrode area by about 2.5 times, while maintaining the same lateral profile.
A textured electrode in a cell capacitor may be processed in several ways to produce an increased surface area with respect to the available lateral dimension. For example, patterned poly or a-Si is subjected to a seeding process, whereby a desired density of incubation sites are generated. Subsequently, the seeded electrodes are annealed at temperatures which induce atomic surface migration of silicon. The incubation sites present a significantly lower local diffusivity of silicon atoms, causing local accumulation of material. The result is a textured electrode, often having a hemispherically grained morphology (Hemispherically Grained Silicon or HSG), with enhanced surface area. Such techniques are shown by way of example in T. Mine et al., "Capacitance-Enhanced Stacked-Capacitor with Engraved Storage Electrode for Deep Submicron DRAMs", Extended Abstracts of the 21st Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials, Tokyo, pp. 137-140, 1989; H. Watanabe et al., "A New Stacked Capacitor Structure Using Hemispherical-Grain (HSG) Poly-Silicon Electrodes", Extended Abstracts of the 22nd (1990 International) Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials, Sendai, pp. 873-876, 1990, Hayashide et al., "Fabrication of Storage Capacitance-Enhanced Capacitors with a rough Electrode", Extended Abstracts of the 22nd (1990 International) Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials, Sendai, pp. 869-872; Fazan et al., "Thin Nitride Films on Textured Polysilicon to Increase Multimegabit DRAM Cell Charge Capacity", IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 11, No. 7, Jul. 7, 1990; Fazan et al., "Electrical Characterization of Textured Interpoly Capacitors For Advanced Stacked DRAMs"; and M. Yoshimaru et al., "Rugged Surface Poly-Si Electrode and Low Temperature Deposited Si3N4 for 64 Mb and Beyond STC DRAM Cell", Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., VLSI R&D Laboratory 550-1, Higashiasakawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 193, Japan.
While texturizing capacitor electrodes is advantageous from the perspective of increasing capacitance, the textured electrodes themselves present a problem when forming a thin (.apprxeq.5-10 nm) conformal overlayer such as a dielectric film to serve as the interelectrode capacitor dielectric. A common problem associated with all of the aforementioned textured capacitor structures is depositing a sufficiently thin, conformal and uniform dielectric over the textured cell plates. Nonuniformities in ultra thin film dielectrics contribute to enhanced leakage current and premature dielectric breakdown. Moreover, maintaining good dielectric breakdown characteristics between the electrodes in increasingly smaller STC capacitors becomes a major concern when insulator thickness is appropriately scaled. Thus, there is increasing need in the industry for deposition processes capable of providing uniform ultrathin films overlaying textured surfaces.

Method of deposting uniform dielectric film deposition on textured surfaces


A method of destructing mineral-wool scrap and reusing the scrap in the manufacture of mineral wool includes introducing the mineral-wool scrap in a finally divided state into a container causing the finely-divided mineral-wool scrap to pass through a heating zone generated by an oxygen burner such as to convert the mineral-wool scrap to a liquid state and delivering the molten mineral-wool scrap into a furnace in which a melt for manufacturing mineral-wool is produced or to an intermediate container mounted between the furnace and a spinning machine. When the molten mineral-wool scrap is being delivered to the intermediate container, molten material taken from the furnace is also delivered to the intermediate container.

In the manufacture of mineral wool, up to 30% of the mineral-wool mass taken from the furnace is scrapped as waste. Waste also occurs from the spinning machine, from the skiving or side-cutting of mineral wool into blocks, from faulty conditions during the manufacture of the mineral-wool mass, and in the transportation of the mineral-wool mass to or within the spinning machine. Mineral-wool waste may also constitute material which has been scrapped after use, for example mineral wool that has been used for plant cultivation purposes in the absence of soil, this material being considered unsuitable for further use at the end of the cultivating season and consequently being returned to the manufacturer for destruction.
One method of destructing and, at the same time, utilizing such mineral-wool waste or scrap is to press the mineral wool into briquette form, while admixing the scrap with additives, such as cement for instance, for the purpose of increasing the mechanical strength of the briquettes. These briquettes are charged to the furnace together with a conventional starting material, diabase and coke. This method is cost demanding, due to the necessity of compressing the mineral wool and admixing metered quantities of additives therewith. Since some of the briquettes do not have mechanical strength sufficient to withstand the stresses to which they are subjected such briquettes will be crushed in the furnace and therewith prevent hot furnace gases from flowing upwards in the furnace to preheat the furnace charge and exit from the furnace.
Another method, described in WO 87/07591, is to introduce the mineral-wool scrap into the furnace with the aid of a burner. In this case, the scrap is introduced into the furnace together with a fuel or with a gas needed for combustion, for example air or oxygen, depending on the burner construction. The drawback of this method resides in the difficulty encountered in controlling the furnace temperature, and the temperature of the resultant melt is particularly liable to vary with time. When the power generated by the burner is too low in relation to the amount of waste introduced through the burner, non-melted scrap material is likely to block the path of the exiting furnace gases which flow through the furnace to the furnace outlet.
An object of the present invention is to avoid the above drawbacks associated with known techniques, and to provide a method by means of which mineral-wool scrap can be destructed in a controlled fashion without negative influence on the operating conditions of the furnace used to produce the mineral-wool melt.
Another object of this invention is to utilize the destructed waste in the manufacture of mineral wool.
A further object is to provide apparatus operative to convert mineral-wool scrap to a molten form for the manufacture of mineral wool.
Thus, the present invention relates to a method of destructing mineral-wool scrap and re-using the scrap in the manufacture of mineral wool, by producing in a furnace a melt intended for use in the manufacture of mineral-wool. The method includes the steps of introducing finely-divided mineral-wool scrap into a container and causing the finely-divided scrap to pass through a heating zone generated in the container by an oxygen burner and in which the mineral-wool scrap is converted to a molten state; and passing the molten mineral-wool scrap to a molten bath generated in a furnace for use in the manufacture of mineral wool, or to an intermediate container located between the furnace and a spinning machine, by passing the melt from the furnace to the intermediate container. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for destructing mineral-wool scrap and reusing the scrap for the manufacture of mineral wool, by producing in a furnace a melt intended for use in the manufacture of mineral-wool, the apparatus including a container, at least one oxygen burner mounted in the container wall and operative to bring the mineral-wool scrap to a molten state, and at least one conduit for removing molten mineral-wool scrap, the conduit connecting the container to the furnace or to an intermediate container arranged between the furnace and a spinning machine.
The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which

Destruction and re-use of mineral wool scrap


An innovated rear suspension system for mountain bikes that includes five structural tubes—a force channeling tube, a front stabilizing tube, a rear stabilizing tube, a top tube, and a seat tube—connected to form an irregular polygon; reinforced with gussets, a torque conversion device pivotally connected to a compression strut, a shock-absorbing element and the force channeling tube, which transfers force or shock from the compression strut to the shock-absorbing element. The shock-absorbing element pivotally connected at the front to a pair of shock mounts attached to the force channeling tube absorbs and compresses force from the torque conversion device and transfers the force to the force channeling tube. The upward and forward direction of the force channeling tube guides the force along the force channeling tube propelling the bicycle and the rider forward, reducing jacking and efficiently utilizing pedal forces.

i. Technical Field
The present invention relates to mountain bike rear suspension systems, specifically a rear suspension system that is integrated into the design of a mountain bike frame.
ii. Background Art
Bicycles designed to traverse rugged terrain, commonly known as mountain bikes, have been available for many years. An increasingly common feature of mountain bikes is their rear suspension systems. The rear suspension system prevents certain forces from being transferred by the terrain, against the bike, to the rider. It also increases rider control by maximizing tire contact with the terrain.
Mountain bike rear suspension systems that use shock-absorbing elements have placed great emphasis on correcting the problem of "jacking." According to Horst Leitner, as detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,480, "jacking" occurs because of the design of "swingarm" rear suspension systems. "n simple swingarm rear suspension, the swing arms pivot sharply upward when a surge of power is supplied to the rear wheel, and pivot downward again when the power is backed off." When a mountain bike is ridden over rough terrain, this "jacking" can reduce the contact of the rear wheel with the riding surface, which can severely compromise the rider's control over the bike. "Jacking further reduces performance because the upward movement of the rear wheel results in a dissipation of power that might otherwise go to forward propulsion of the bike. Such losses may be of little consequence for a motorcycle, but are intolerable to a bicyclist seeking peak performance." Id.
In an attempt to remedy the "jacking" problem, Leitner, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,480 (commonly referred to as a "horst link"), proposes that by locating the chainstay's pivot axis in front and below of the rear axle will cause a resistance to chain-induced "jacking," because additional torque will be created to counteract other torques. However, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,298, Anthony Ellsworth argued that "horst link" style bikes fail to cancel pedal induced and suspension induced forces directly, thereby resulting in shock binding and decreased suspension activity. Ellsworth also explained that "horst link" style bikes provide a weaker foundation for the suspension of a bicycle, because the shock absorber shaft acts as a major structural member of the linkage, resulting in an extremely flexible bicycle frame. A weak structure decreases rider stability as the alignment of forces by pedaling and suspension activity is crucial to maintain traction, pedaling efficiency, and an active rear suspension (especially at high speeds).
In addition, as evidenced in U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,298, Leitner's "horst link" design attaches the shock absorbing element, or the link that activates the shock, directly onto the seat tube of the bicycle. The seat tube is not only a weaker structural member of the bike, but it limits the length of the bicycle's rear suspension components. Since the rear suspension is usually made up of upper arm members and another device (such as Specialized's links, or Ellsworth's rocker arms), attaching these links, rocker arms, or torque conversion devices onto the seat tube directly effectively limits the length of the rear suspension, compromising the suspension's ability to maintain traction and track terrain under extreme or fast riding situations.
Leitner overlooked the importance of aligning forces imparted onto the rear tire on stronger structural areas of the bicycle frame to achieve greater rider stability and control. In order to remedy the shortcomings of Leitner's "horst link," Ellsworth proposes a new suspension design called "Instant Center Tracking Technology" or "ICT," U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,298. Whereas Leitner's design did not focus on the proper alignment of forces channeled throughout the bicycle's frame, or on the rear suspension as being critical for proper activation of the suspension, Ellsworth's design somewhat recognized the importance of force alignment for the proper functioning of the rear suspension.
Ellsworth theorizes that configuring a rear wheel suspension system to track a chain line with an instant center—defined as the intersection point of two imaginary lines drawn through the pivot points of the upper and lower rocker arms—relieves brake induced torque and pedaling power loss due to drive torque induced suspension movement. However, the configuration Ellsworth recommends requires the shock absorbing element to be placed between the lower and upper rocker arms; therefore, it is positioned near or on the seat tube and is mounted vertically. It is aligned with a weaker element of the bike's structure and the shock forces travel vertically. At high speeds, where small forces imparted on to the bike are magnified, such a configuration could only result in instability. The only way to remedy such a situation would be to add additional weight to the bike in the form of thicker, thus stronger, material to counteract the magnified forces, thereby reducing rider performance because of the additional energy required to travel the same distance with a heavier bicycle. Ellsworth's long-travel bikes, which have higher demands for stability at high speeds versus lower-travel cross-country style bikes, weigh approximately 20 percent more than similar bikes in its class.
Additionally, in these prior designs, forces are imparted onto the seat tube (or any other area of the main frame that are not properly aligned with the angle of a key structural member of the frame), which create forces on the bike that work against the forward propulsion induced by pedaling.
The advantages of reducing forces induced by a rider's motion of pedaling in "horst link" style bikes have since been proven irrelevant by advances in rear shock technology pioneered by companies like Manitou, Fox, and 5th Element. For example, Fox's ProPedal™ damping system design allows compression tuning which gives the right amount of low speed compression to filter out unwanted rider induced pedal bob without sacrificing critical mid and high speed damping—reducing energy absorbing suspension movement and increasing pedaling efficiency. Thus the advances of previous designs are eclipsed and have become outdated.
The original intent behind the "horst link" was to lessen the effect of brake induced "jacking." Since the 1990's, bikes relied on rim brakes to stop forward rider and vehicle impetus which, due to the location of the rim brake mounting being so far from the center of the rear axle, meant that the force of braking would cause the suspension to "jack," as the entire rear end pivoted around the main pivot point (adjacent to the bottom bracket). The "horst link" greatly lessened this effect by successfully disconnecting the seat stays from the equation.
Additionally, the "horst link" fixed the problem of suspension "squatting." Suspension "squatting" occurs when tension is applied to the chain through pedaling, which makes the suspension "squat" as it tries to pull the rear axle toward the bottom bracket. In 2005, when most full suspension mountain bikes had disc brakes, the need for the "horst link" was nonexistent, because the braking force was applied significantly closer to the rear axle, which resulted in their being no suspension "jacking," and no chain torque suspension "squatting."
Further reduction of the shocks occurs when torque from the crank arms is converted into tension on the chain. This tension serves to drive the rear wheel. Assuming the rear wheel is under a heavy binding force of friction between attached tires on even ground, the tension would direct itself into the rear axle. If the forces are not aligned with a structural member of the frame, the rear wheel would be driven upwards, compressing the shock absorber, and thus reducing its ability to absorb impact from the terrain-decreasing the performance of the bike. This motion is described as chain torque induced suspension squatting, which was eliminated shortly after the "horst link" was invented, because it lifted the main pivot point from adjacent to the bottom bracket to more in line with the point of tangency with the smallest chain-ring attached to the crank arms, thereby increasing pedaling efficiency.
However, Amps got their reputation as great peddlers not because of the design of their suspension and pivot but because of the design of their shock element (spring or air), which incorporated a stable platform and compression-damping circuit into its design. Users simply assumed FSR designs with the same designer—being essentially carbon-copes of prior Amp designs (Horst designed the original FSR and Ground Control A1 designs, and the later FSRs were basically beefed up copies of the Amp B-4 and B-5 designs)—would automatically pedal with equal performance. Unfortunately Specialized chose to incorporate different shocks (Produced by RST and Fox) rather than utilizing something produced by Amp-Research (Amp did make shocks and rear suspension parts for other companies such as Fat Chance and Dagger). The shocks utilized lacked the stable pedal damping characteristics, which were later developed.
Early designs into counter drive train induced shock compression focused exclusively on frame design. Designers invented the unified rear triangle (URT), the virtual pivot point (VPP), and single-pivot bikes with the pivot above the point of tangency with the chain and chain-ring attached to the crank arms. (The intention being that chain torque impends the wheel downwards, extending the shock.) The most inefficient designs use manual-lockouts on the shocks themselves. Indeed, lockout-equipped Fox suspension was used on many models of the FSR XC's spanning several years. The irony is, while FSR's were complimented for being able to respond to relatively small forces notably well, Amp designs were criticized for failing to respond to those same small forces—because the stable pedal compression damping circuit they used isolated small movements (i.e. small bumps). How did the circuit work? A spring-loaded ball bearing located inside the thru shaft of the shock prevented oil from flowing from one chamber to the next, causing the pressure to overcome the spring pressure inside the shock, unseating the bearing, and allowing the oil to flow freely. Once the oil pressure spiked, the shock compressed fine (and is another reason why Amp designs always used external coil-spring shocks, even though a shock absorber utilizing a pressurized air chamber in place of a coil-spring, like those made by Risse, might have been lighter). Amp also had a titanium spring option for their shock absorbers, which removed nearly a pound from the coil-sprung weights, though it incurred an additional expense. Early Amp shocks had a fixed internal-spring setting on the compression damping. Later models (those around 1995 when the change was made) received an adjustable damping with an external preload for the spring, which allowed the rider to time how soon the circuit opened and thus how reactive it was to small bumps as well as to forces from pedal inputs.
Later generation shock designs incorporated a larger diameter shock body (requiring a change to the seat strut assembly as well, because they were not backwards compatible with the previous struts), which had a greater oil capacity and greater fluid retention integrity. Because the peak oil pressures weren't as high inside the thru shaft body, the user was presented with fewer problems of oil leaking past the installed seals. As previously mentioned these advances outdated prior art designs intending to reduce pedal bob.
The above highlights previous deficiencies and inadequacies of rear suspension for bicycles and frame design. All of these designs heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:                (a) Both "horst link" and FSR designs require more intensive manufacturing to work around an uninterrupted seat tube and seat mast to mount a shock-activating link on the seat tube. This is due to the shape of the frame, which requires the seatpost to be constructed of two separate elements. Thereby increasing the time needed to manufacture and assemble the components of the frame. This increases the cost of manufacturing and decreases the efficiency of workers and use of materials resulting in products that are less capable of bearing profit.        (b) FSR designs utilize a link system, which is innately defective; it is not engineered to be a structurally significant member of the frame thus creating a weak element. The shock in these designs is mounted to the frame by a means of an attached throughshaft, where one end of the shock rests and is bolted to the opposing side of the frame. This throughshaft is suspect and is the weak element of the frame mentioned above. The stresses applied to this component fail to make use of the tinsel strength of the metal (greatest) instead relying on its inferior rigidity and ability to resist bending. Because of its relatively thin composition it is cursed by a weak nature and is prone to fatigue resulting in the failure of the frame.        (c) Prior art provides no support conduit for the forces impounded by the rider and the ground to be completely channeled into a load bearing structure. Prior art frame design is centered on the negation of forces by counter-forces; weak elements are supported by others. This requires an excessive amount of material to be utilized in the frame. Thus the weight of the frame is increased, as well as the material and manufacturing cost.        (d) Use of a gusseted downtube to facilitate the properties of force channeling is absent from prior art. No prior art uses a gusseted downtube to reduce the need for bracing, thus requiring that extra bracing be integrated into the frame design. Incurring additional weight, material and manufacturing costs.        (e) All prior art designs suffer from extraneous movement thus inducing fatigue of components reducing their integrity. The prior art designs fail to counter these forces thus allowing them to affect the performance of both user and frame. This unsatisfactory performance decreases the desirability of such frames to the consumer market.        (f) Placement of the pivot point in prior art is such that it is not capable of bearing significant loads creating a weak element in the frame design. Though varied in position, all prior art neglects the ability of a frame to channel forces and thereby incur extra weight in their designs and the aforementioned disadvantages.

Force channeling mountain bike rear suspension


A transfer system for flowable solids or particulates is described. The transfer system includes an air seal assembly having an upstream side and a downstream side. The air seal assembly is constructed such that an air pressure differential can be maintained between the opposite sides thereof, but particulate material can be transferred through the air seal assembly. The transferring system includes an arrangement for transporting flowable solid material to the upstream side of the air seal assembly, the transfer taking place within a moving airstream at a pressure of less than ambient. Also, the system includes an arrangement for transporting the flowable solid material from the downstream side of the air seal assembly, preferably under gravity influence and ambient pressure. The transfer system includes an articulated arm arrangement on which the air seal assembly is mounted, for convenience.

Flowable solid materials (herein "flowable solids", "particulates", or variants thereof) include, inter alia, agricultural grains, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and synthetics in pellet or granular form. Flowable solids are frequently handled in bulk; and, consequently, specialized technologies are needed for transporting, storing, and transferring them.
Consumers of flowable solid materials in agriculture and industry frequently need to transfer flowable solids from one container to another. As an example, agricultural grain sometimes needs to be transferred quickly and efficiently from a truck to a storage bin; or from a storage bin to a truck, etc.
Conventional methods of transporting and transferring flowable solids have been less than fully acceptable. One conventional method involves both transporting and transferring flowable solid material in barrels. Handling barrels is quite difficult and loss of flowable solid material during transfer may occur when barrels are used. This is due to their size, shape, and weight. Conventional barrels are quite heavy and have large openings at their top. When transferring material from a barrel to another container spillage may occur or dust (airborne) may be generated.
Another problem with barrels is that they take up as much room empty as they do when full. Shippers may want to reuse barrels. They would therefore have the barrels returned when empty. However, the large volume occupied by empty barrels would create undesirable shipping expense One alternative solution, destruction of the barrels after a single use, solves the problem of wasted storage and shipping space, but wastes the resources represented by the empty barrels.
Another conventional method of transferring flowable solids uses flexible sacks holding about 100 pounds of material. There are a number of problems associated with use of these sacks. In particular, the sacks are subject to breakage during shipping, thus leading to spillage and loss of product. In addition, large shipments require a large number of sacks, each of which must be filled, transported and stacked. Also, loss of material or dust generation may accompany transfer of the flowable solids from the sacks to a container. In addition the lack of automation in this conventional method inhibits transfer from one closed container to another closed container.

Apparatus and method for conveyance of flowable solid materials


Methods for the production of nickel or ammonium hypophosphite are disclosed, including combining sodium hypophosphite with nickel or ammonium sulfate to produce sodium sulfate and nickel or ammonium hypophosphite, and lowering the temperature of the solution containing the sodium sulfate to crystallize out the sodium sulfate.

Cationic hypophosphite compounds, such as nickel and ammonium hypophosphite, are rather expensive materials which have been used in electroless nickel plating baths along with hypophosphorous acid in order to eliminate both sodium and sulfate ions from these baths and extend the life thereof. In order to justify the increased cost of processes for producing nickel or ammonium hypophosphite so as to warrant this commercial utilization various methods have been devised, including most recently that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,972 assigned to the assignee of the present application.
In addition, efforts have also continued to produce nickel hypophosphite utilizing a crystallization process. This generally includes reacting hypophosphorous acid with nickel hydroxide or nickel carbonate, or some other suitable nickel compound. The problem with this method is the high cost and limited availability of hypophosphorous acid, as well as the expense of the nickel compounds as compared to the cost of nickel sulfate in commercial use.
Czech Patents Nos. 139,245 and 152,901 describe methods for producing nickel hypophosphite which do not use the expensive hypophosphorous acid. In these patents, nickel nitrate in an aqueous solution, is mixed with aqueous sodium hypophosphite. The nickel hypophosphite crystallizes out of solution because it is the least soluble material in the mixture and is easily separated. The filtrate is presumably discarded as waste. This is a very simple method for producing nickel hypophosphite. However, there is sufficient sodium hypophosphite and nickel hypophosphite left in the filtrate to cause this method to be very expensive. Thus, these expensive materials would be discarded in the waste stream, requiring expensive clean-up treatment. Similar processes are disclosed in Japanese Patent Nos. 97/02,809 and 97/02,810, which patents thus disclose contacting nickel hydroxide or nickel carbonate with hypophosphorous acid in water at 40.degree. to 80.degree. C., followed by cooling to crystallize the nickel hypophosphite product, as well as reacting nickel chloride with sodium hypophosphite in aqueous solution, followed by crystallization to produce the nickel hypophosphite. In each of these processes the waste streams would contain nickel and hypophosphite ions as well as the corresponding sodium salt, such as sodium nitrate, when nickel nitrate is used as described in the Czech patents discussed above, or sodium chloride when nickel chloride is used, as described in the above-referred-to Japanese patent. Furthermore, whereas the Czech patent mentions that nickel sulfate can be used, this too would result in sodium sulfate being present in the waste stream, together with nickel and hypophosphite ions.
The search has therefore continued for a simpler and more economical and more efficient way to produce such cationic hypophosphites.

Process for producing hypophosphite compounds


A system for modifying a path of operation of a machine includes a position sensor and a controller. The controller stores the path of operation, receives a plurality of position signals as the work implement moves material along the path of operation, and determines the position of the work surface. The controller further determines an amount of material moved based at least in part upon the position of the work surface and modifies parameters used to determine a subsequent path of operation if the amount of material moved exceeds a predetermined amount.

Machines such as dozers, motor graders, wheel loaders, etc., are used to perform a variety of tasks. For example, these machines may be used to move material and/or alter work surfaces at a work site. The machines may operate in an autonomous or semi-autonomous manner to perform these tasks in response to commands generated as part of a work plan for the machines. The machines may receive instructions in accordance with the work plan to perform operations such as digging, loosening, carrying, etc., different materials at the work site.
Autonomously operated machines may remain consistently productive without regard to a human operator or environmental conditions. In addition, autonomous systems may permit operation in environments that are unsuitable or undesirable for a human operator. Autonomous or semi-autonomous systems may also compensate for inexperienced human operators as well as inefficiencies associated with repetitive tasks.
Movements of the machines and their associated work implements are often developed by a planning system or module. A plurality of variables may affect the planning system and impact the efficiency of the machine operation. It is often desirable to ensure that the machines perform the material movement operations such that the materials are moved in an efficient manner. In some instances, various desired operating parameters or characteristics may be set within the planning system. For example, parameters of a slot being used to move material such as its shape, depth, and angle may be set within the planning system. However, parameters that are desirable at one stage of the material moving process may not be desirable at other stages. Accordingly, it may be desirable to alter some of the parameters during the material moving process to improve the efficiency of the machines.
PCT Patent Publication No. WO 2008/0118027 discloses a method of contour shaping by a machine equipped with a cutting implement. The method includes providing a desired topographical plan, measuring the real time position of at least one of the machine and the cutting implement, generating instructions to move the cutting implement, plotting a transitional path from the real time position of the machine or the cutting implement to a point on the desired topographical plan, and using the transitional path and the real time position of the machine or the cutting implement to generate the instructions to move the cutting implement.
The foregoing background discussion is intended solely to aid the reader. It is not intended to limit the innovations described herein, nor to limit or expand the prior art discussed. Thus, the foregoing discussion should not be taken to indicate that any particular element of a prior system is unsuitable for use with the innovations described herein, nor is it intended to indicate that any element is essential in implementing the innovations described herein. The implementations and application of the innovations described herein are defined by the appended claims.

System and method for modifying a path for a machine


A system for object recognition and segmentation from digital images provides an intelligent object recognition and segmentation using one or more multilayer convolutional neural network (CNN) models trained in multiple-stages and in a parallel and distributed manner to improve training speed and efficiency. The training dataset used in each of the multiple training stages for the CNN models are generated, expanded, self-validated from a preceding stage. The trained final CNN models are augmented with post-model filters to enhance prediction accuracy by removing false positive object recognition and segmentation. The system provides improved accuracy to predict object labels to append to unlabeled image blocks in digital images. In one embodiment, the system may be useful for enhancing a digital landmark registry by appending identifying labels on new infrastructure improvements recognized in aerial or satellite land images.

Object recognition and segmentation in digital images are critical technological components in applications involving computer vision, such as in automated manufacturing assembly line and for autonomous driving. Such object recognition and segmentation may be achieved based on deep learning models trained using, e.g., convolutional neural networks. For different types of digital images and for recognition and segmentation of different types of objects having different densities, a specific training dataset may need to be constructed and the corresponding training process may need to be further engineered for improving training and deployment efficiency, and model accuracy.

Distributed and self-validating computer vision for dense object detection in digital images