Chip technology for fabricating ultra-low-noise, high-stability optical devices for use in an optical atomic clock system. The proposed chip technology uses diamond material to form stabilized lasers, frequency references, and passive laser cavity structures. By utilizing the exceptional thermal conductivity of diamond and other optical and dielectric properties, a specific temperature range of operation is proposed that allows significant reduction of the total energy required to generate and maintain an ultra-stable laser. In each configuration, the diamond-based chip is cooled by a cryogenic cooler containing liquid nitrogen.

This disclosure generally relates to optical oscillators for precision frequency and time generation and, in particular, relates to ultra-stable, narrow-linewidth laser devices which output a stabilized optical frequency reference to be used in optical atomic clocks.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is based on cesium fountain clocks stationed on satellites for time reference in coordinate calculations. Cesium clocks rely on microwave transitions. These clocks are periodically synchronized to a master clock based on the Earth. Future navigation networks and systems will require higher precision and lower uncertainty of both the master clocks and the subordinate clocks.
Current ultra-stable, state-of-the-art frequency and time references are based on optical atomic clocks. Optical atomic clocks have inherent physical advantages over cesium clocks: optical atomic clocks use higher (optical) clock frequencies versus microwave clock frequencies for the cesium clocks. The fractional uncertainty of a clock decreases as the frequency increases. In addition, optical atomic clocks utilize high-finesse cavities, which leads to ultra-narrow and stable laser sources. (As used herein, the term "cavity" is synonymous with "optical resonator." The finesse of an optical resonator (cavity) is defined as its free spectral range divided by the full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) bandwidth of its resonances.)
By design most optical atomic clocks are based on two key components: (1) an ultra-stable, narrow-linewidth laser; and (2) an atomic system that offers a very narrow linewidth transition that serves as the absolute stability reference. The actual implementation of such systems is very complicated and utilizes large setups populated with multiple subcomponents.
Reductions in the cost, weight, size, and power consumption of optical atomic clocks would enable fabrication of compact optical atomic clocks and their possible development for space operation.

Diamond-based high-stability optical devices for precision frequency and time generation


A yarn supply system for a loom includes a yarn supply member changing apparatus for replacing a using yarn supply member with a new one when the weft yarn of the used yarn supply member has been used up or broken. The new yarn supply member is supplied to the yarn supply member changing apparatus at a mounting position from a self-propelled carriage. The new yarn supply member is carried to a yarn supply position by a carrying member movably mounted on the yarn supply member changing apparatus. A weft yarn wound on a bobbin forming part of the yarn supply member has a free tip end section which has been inserted into the central hole of the bobbin. The weft yarn tip end section of the yarn supply member at the yarn supply position of the yarn supply member changing position is drawn out of the bobbin and threaded into a weft winding arm forming part of a weft measuring and storing device under the influence of air stream. Thus, the weft yarn is supplied through the measuring and storing device to a weft inserting nozzle which projects the weft yarn into a warp yarn shed so as to accomplish a weft picking.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a yarn supply system for automatically supplying a weft yarn to a downstream side device forming part of a loom, and more particularly to a yarn supply system including a yarn supply member changing apparatus for changing a used yarn supply member with a new one when the weft yarn of the used yarn supply member has been used up or broken.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of yarn supply systems have been proposed and put into practical use. One of the known yarn supply systems is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 1-256468. This conventional yarn supply system will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25.
FIG. 24 shows a yarn supply member provided with a tray, used in the above conventional yarn supply system. The yarn supply member A includes a hollow bobbin B which is formed opened at its upper and lower ends and which is frustoconical. A weft yarn W is wound on the bobbin B. A bobbin holder E has a central hole D and a frustoconical peripheral outer surface, and is extended vertically from the tray C. The yarn supply member A is installed on the tray C by fitting the bobbin B on the bobbin holder E from the upper side. The tip end section and the terminal end section of the weft yarn W are connected with each other and inserted into the central hole D of the bobbin holder B.
FIG. 25 Shows the above conventional yarn supply system. In this yarn supply system, a plurality of looms G are regularly arranged longitudinally and laterally to take a so-called matrix arrangement, at the loom area F in a weaving factory. A single conveyer I is arranged in a zigzag line. Rails J are respectively installed at a location between adjacent loom lines including the plural looms and at a location between the loom area F and the yarn supply member stock area H. A yarn supply member changing robot K is driven along the rails J. Here, the tray C provided with the yarn supply-member A as shown in FIG. 24 is supplied to the conveyer I at an empty and filled yarn supply member changing station L, and then moved to a transferring station M in the yarn supply member stock area H under the action of the conveyer I so as to be received by the yarn supply member changing robot K. Then, the yarn supply member changing robot K carries the yarn supply member A with the tray C to a weft yarn supply station N of the loom G which indicates the requiring of the yarn supply member an amount of weft yarn of the plural looms G which has been used up. When the yarn supply member changing robot K reaches the weft yarn supply station N, it cuts a portion at which the tip and terminal end sections are connected with each other, of the weft yarn W of the carried weft yarn supply member A. The tip end section of this new yarn supply member A is connected with the terminal end of the weft yarn of a yarn supply member (not shown) which is now being used, and then the new yarn supply member A is supplied to the weft yarn supply station N together with the tray C. Additionally, after an empty bobbin (not shown) whose yarn has been used up is collected together with the tray from the weft yarn supply station N, the empty bobbin with the tray is carried to an empty bobbin receiving station P in the stock area H and is removed to the conveyer I. The empty bobbin on this conveyer I is carried to the empty and filled yarn supply member changing station L at which the empty bobbin is collected together with the tray.
However, the above conventional yarn supply system requires a device, for accomplishing such a complicated operation, in which the tip end section of the weft yarn W of the new yarn supply member A is connected with the terminal end section of the weft yarn of the yarn supply member which is currently being used. Such an operation is made at the weft yarn supply station N of the loom G after cutting the weft yarn of the new yarn supply member at a part at which the tip and terminal end sections of the new yarn supply member are connected with each other.

Weft supply changing and threading apparatus


This invention pertains to a PT Assay Calibrator and a method of preparing a PT Assay Calibrator including a coagulation factor such as recombinant FVII or recombinant FVIIa that will allow preparation of PT calibration curves with values about 100% and which will give results analogous to those obtained using fresh normal plasma.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of preparing a commercial plasma preparation that will allow preparation of PT calibration curves with values about 100% and which will give results analogous to those obtained using fresh normal pooled plasma.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Prothrombin Time (PT) is used as a screening test for blood coagulation factor deficiencies and for monitoring oral anti-coagulant therapy using, e.g., coumadin. Thromboplastin reagents activate the "extrinsic" pathway of coagulation and are the basis for the PT test. Thromboplastin contains lipidated tissue factor (TF), which is the activator of the extrinsic pathway. This activation centers on Factor VII (FVII) and activated Factor VII (Factor VIIa), the TF-FVII Complex activates Factor X, which with Factor V activates Factor II to produce thrombin, which creates the fibrin clot.
There are several ways of expressing the results of the PT test. One system, the INR system, is recommended by the World Health Organization. However, many countries have not adopted this system for expressing PT results. Moreover, the INR system has only been validated for patients on oral anticoagulant control, but should not be used in expressing results from patients with other disease states, such as liver disease. Another system, commonly used in the United States, expresses the time in seconds for the blood to begin to coagulate. Still another system expresses the results in terms of a percentage PT ("% PT") which is read from a standard calibration (or dilution) curve prepared by diluting fresh normal pool plasma ("FNP") in 0.9% saline. (Other diluents work, but by convention, only saline is used.) The curve allows for the conversion of results from time in seconds to percent of normal activity (% PT). Unfortunately, in order for this system to be used, most laboratories have to prepare their own pool plasma and keep it frozen, usually in liquid nitrogen or frozen at -80.degree. C. Moreover, due to the inherent variation found in different plasma pools, there is no standardization between the plasma pools of different laboratories. Moreover, it has been shown that if a pool of plasma is prepared, the mean % PT value obtained from the pool is different than the mean % PT value obtained from the individual samples that were used to make the pool. It has also been shown that the collection of bulk collections of blood, as would be required to commercially prepare a lyophilized standard, causes a reduction in the measured % PT when compared with blood collected by venipuncture. See Important Differences Encountered in the Normal Plasma Pools used for the Control of Oral Anticoagulation. M. Burgess-Wilson, R. Burri and B. Woodhams, Thromb. Haemost. 69 Abstract 2081 (1993). Moreover, FNP cannot be sold until lyophilized. Lyophilization results in a plasma which, when reconstituted, has a % PT value lower than that found in a normal hospital pool of plasma. This reconstituted FNP is then used to prepare the standard curve. The dilutions usually used for the standard calibration curve are undiluted, 1:1, 1:2 and 1:4. Where reconstituted FNP is used, the undiluted sample is assigned a value of 100% PT. A PT assay is performed and the results (in seconds) are plotted on hyperbolic or reciprocal graph paper against the dilution (in %). See FIG. 1. Patient samples are tested undiluted and then read from this standard curve. However, using reconstituted FNP as a calibrator means that values for normal samples are above the top calibration point of the standard curve made using the reconstituted FNP. (By definition, 50% of all normal values would be above the top point of the standard curve.)
The % PT curve is not a straight line. Although a polynomial plot gives the most realistic curve through the data, many laboratories and users do not have the computer software required for such a procedure. Therefore, a linear curve through the points is commonly used. To make the results more accurate around the 100% region of the curve, the line is forced through the 100% point. One type of assay machine, the Medical Laboratory Automation ("MLA") Electra automated coagulometers, does not calculate % PT outside of certain ranges (above about 125% PT and below about 12% PT).
The recommended method of calculating % PT varies between the instrument manufacturers. There is no universally used standard procedure. Some instrument manufacturers, such as MLA, recommend forcing a straight line through 100%. Others recommend polynomial or non-forced straight lines. This introduces variability into the procedure, especially if the calibration plasma has a value of % PT much lower than 100%. See FIG. 2. In the examples that follow, the method of calculating the % PT was to use a forced linear curve through the 100% point using the SigmaPlot transformation.

Calibrator for prothrombin time (PT) assays


A process for producing phosphonate esters containing the 2-(pyridyl)ethyl group by reacting a vinylpyridine with a di- or trihydrocarbylphosphite in the presence of a selected silane, protic acid, or Lewis acid is disclosed. Also disclosed are novel silylphosphonate esters containing the 2-(pyridyl)ethyl group. All of the compounds produced herein are useful as catalysts for increasing the molecular weight of polyamides.

The reaction of dihydrocarbylphosphites with a variety of olefinic unsaturated organic compounds, so that a phosphorous-carbon bond is formed, is known in the art, see for background for example: X. Lu and J. Zhu, Synthesis, p. 563-564 (1986); G. Optiz, et. al., Ann., vol. 665, p. 91-101 (1963); I. Tyurenkov, et. al., Khim. Farm. Zh., vol. 22, p. 170-174 (1988); V. Shchepin, et. al., Zh. Obshch. Khim., vol. 57, p. 2144 (1987); and V. Ovchinnikov, et. al., Zh. Obshch. Khim., vol. 54, p. 1916-1917 (1984). None of these disclose the use of vinylpyridines in such reactions.
E. Maruszewska-Wieczorkowska and J. Michalski, J. Org. Chem., vol. 23, p. 1886-1889 (1958) report the synthesis of various 2-(pyridyl)phosphonates by the reaction of a vinylpyridine with a dialkyl phosphite, optionally with a sodium ethoxide catalyst. Without the catalyst, it was reported that yields were lower, and considerable amounts of polymeric substances were formed. Sodium ethoxide, the catalyst used by these authors, is a base, and no mention is made of the use of halogen containing or acidic catalysts, as used herein.
E. Boyd, et. al., Tet. Lett., vol. 31, p. 2933-2936 (1990), report the reaction of triethylammonium phosphinate, trimethylchlorosilane, and alpha,beta-unsaturated ester (such as an acrylate) resulted in the formation of (beta-ester)alkyl substituted phosphonic acid. Bis(trimethylsilyl)phosphinite was postulated as an intermediate. However, only alpha-beta unsaturated esters are reported to be suitable reactants.
Similarly, J. K. Thottahil, et. al., Tet. Lett., vol. 25, p. 4741-4744 (1984), reports that phosphonous esters in the presence of trimethylchlorosilane, and triethylamine react with substrates suitable for Michael addition type reactions (i.e., alpha, beta unsaturated esters and aldehydes) to give various addition products to the phosphonous ester. Depending on the reactants, 1,2 or 1,4 addition was obtained. N,O-Bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide could be used in place of trimethylchlorosilane. No mention is made in this paper of using amines, such as a vinylpyridine, as substrates.
M-P. Teulade and P. Savignac, Synthesis-Stutt., vol. 11, p. 1037-1039 (1987) report the reaction of triethyl phosphite with alpha-beta unsaturated aldimines catalyzed by formic acid. No mention is made of using vinylpyridines as reactants.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,175 describes the use of 2-(pyridyl)ethyl phosphonic esters and acids as catalysts for increasing the molecular weight of polyamides such as nylon 6,6. No mention is made of the use of silyl esters as such catalysts.
It is the object of this invention to provide a convenient, high yield and economic synthesis of 2-(pyridyl)ethyl substituted phosphonate esters, which are useful catalysts for increasing the molecular weight of polyamides. Another objective is to provide novel 2-(pyridyl)ethyl substituted bis(silyl)phosphonate esters that are also useful as catalysts for increasing the molecular weight of polyamides.

Preparation of 2-(pyridyl)ethyl bis-(trialkyl silyl) phosphonate derivatives


One aspect provides a method, including: displaying, at a display screen, an image of an interior of a pipe, the image being obtained using a pipe inspection robot; accessing, using a processor, calibration data associated with the image; receiving, via an input device, user input marking at least a portion of the image; determining, using a processor, quantitative pipe feature data for at least one feature of the pipe using the marking and the calibration data; and providing, based on the determining, data associated with the at least one feature. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Pipes that carry water, other fluids, and gases are an important type of infrastructure. Pipes are often inspected as a matter of routine upkeep or in response to a noticed issue. Various systems and methods exist to gather pipe inspection data. For example, pipe infrastructure data may be obtained by using one or more cameras operatively coupled to a pipe inspection robot that is capable of traversing through a pipe. The one or more cameras are capable of capturing image data (e.g., still images, video, etc.) of visible defects located within a pipe, pipe connections, and the like. The image data may then be viewed by a user (e.g., live as the image data is being captured, at a later time after the image data has been captured, etc.) to determine the type, severity, and location of the defect, pipe connections, pipe features, and the like.

Pipe image feature analysis using calibration data


A downhole sealing element includes, a malleable member having at least one closed wall cavity therein positionable downhole in a gap defined between downhole members, and a chemical disposed within the at least one closed wall cavity. The malleable member is deformable to fill variations in a dimension of the gap and the chemical is reactive to form a nonflowable element.

Sealing one tubular to another tubular in a downhole wellbore of a hydrocarbon recovery operation is a common task. Metal-to-metal sealing systems have been developed for such seals. Small dimensional deviations in the metal-to-metal contacting surfaces, however, can prevent complete sealing between the two metal surfaces. Systems and methods to permit sealing in the presence of these minor dimensional deviations are well received in the art.


Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack. The vacuum workbed can include provision for determining the size of the sheet material supported by the workbed, and for controlling the suction applied to the apertures in a worksurface of the workbed. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for printing a graphic product on sheet material in accordance with a printing program and stored data representative of the graphic product, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for printing a wide format multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet, such as a vinyl sheet for use as signage.
Known in the art are thermal printing apparatus for generating signs, designs, characters and other graphic products on a printing sheet in accordance with a printing program and data representative of the graphic product. Typically, a thermal printer interposes a donor sheet that includes donor material and a backing between a thermal printhead and the printing sheet. The thermal printhead includes an array of thermal printing elements. The thermal printhead prints by pressing the donor sheet against the printing sheet and selectively energizing the thermal printing elements of the array, thereby selectively transferring pixels of donor medium from the donor sheet to the printing sheet. Movement of the printing sheet relative to the thermal printhead (or vice versa) while pressing the donor sheet against the printing sheet with the thermal printhead draws fresh donor sheet past the thermal printhead. The printing sheet typically includes a vinyl layer secured to a backing layer by a pressure sensitive adhesive so that after printing the vinyl bearing the graphic product can be cut and stripped from the backing material and affixed to an appropriate sign board or other material for display.
The proper printing of many graphic products, such as commercial artwork or signage, can require high quality print work. Often, it is desired that the final multicolor graphic product be physically large, such as several feet wide by tens of feet long. Typically, existing thermal printers are limited in the width of printing sheet that they can print upon. For example, one popular thermal printer prints on sheets that are one foot wide. Accordingly, the final graphic product is often assembled from separately printed strips of printing sheet that must be secured to the signboard in proper registration with one another. Often, the registration is less than perfect and the quality of the final graphic product suffers, especially when backlit.
Wide format thermal printers are known in the art. For example, one wide format thermal printer currently available can accommodate a printing sheet up to three feet wide and uses four full width (i.e., three feet wide) printheads, each interposing a different color donor sheet between the printhead and the printing sheet. Accordingly, far fewer seams, if any at all, require alignment when creating the sign or other product. Also, the use of four printheads allows faster printing of the multicolor graphic product.
Unfortunately, this type of machine can be expensive to manufacture and to operate. For example, each printhead, at a typical resolution of 300 dpi, includes literally thousands of thermal printing elements, all of which are typically required to have resistances that are within a narrow tolerance range. Such a thermal printhead is difficult and expensive to manufacture, and moreover, burnout of simply a few thermal printing elements can require replacement of the entire printhead. Furthermore, donor sheet is also expensive, and the full-width printing heads can be wasteful of donor sheet when printing certain types of, or certain sections of, graphic products. For example, consider that a single color stripe one inch wide and perhaps a foot long is to be printed in center of the printing sheet. Though the printed object occupies {fraction (1/12)} of a square foot, an area of donor sheet that is three feet wide by one foot long, or three square feet, is transferred past the print head when printing the above object, and hence consumed. The printing of a wide format graphic product that includes a narrow border about the periphery of the printing sheet is another example that typically can be wasteful of donor sheet when printing with the above wide format thermal printer.
Other wide format printers are known in the art, such as wide format ink-jet printers, which can also print in a single pass. However, ink-jet printed multicolor graphic products are typically not stable when exposed to the elements (e.g., wind, sun, rain) or require special post-printing treatment to enhance their stability, adding to the cost and complexity of printing with such apparatus.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the foregoing and other deficiencies and disadvantages of the prior art.
Other objects will in part appear hereinafter and in part be apparent to one of ordinary skill in light of the following disclosure, including the claims.
In one aspect, the invention provides a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product onto a printing sheet in separate color planes and responsive to a controller and machine readable data representative of the graphic product. The wide format thermal printer includes a workbed including a platen and having a worksurface for supporting the printing sheet. The worksurface contains a print axis and printing sheet translation axis perpendicular to the print axis.
The wide format thermal printer also includes a pair of translatable clamps each movable between clamped and unclamped conditions relative to the printing sheet supported on the worksurface, and each extending across the workbed in the direction of the print axis from a first end to second end. The clamps are for translating the printing sheet in the direction of the printing sheet translation axis, and the first ends are mechanically coupled to one another and the second ends are mechanically coupled to one another such that the clamps are substantially fixedly spaced from one another in the direction of the printing sheet translation axis. At least one actuator is coupled to the clamp pair for translating the clamp pair in the direction of the printing sheet translation axis between first and second positions.
Further included is a thermal printhead having an array of thermal printing elements extending parallel to the printing sheet translation axis. The thermal printhead is translatable parallel to the print axis for printing on the printing sheet in print swaths extending parallel to the print axis in an area between the clamps by pressing the donor sheet against the printing sheet and selectively energizing the thermal printing elements.
The wide format thermal printer also includes donor sheet means including a supply shaft for rotationally engaging a supply roll of the donor sheet, a take-up shaft for rotationally engaging a take-up roll for winding thereon donor sheet that has been drawn from the supply roll and interposed between the thermal printhead and the printing sheet, and a take-up motor rotationally coupled to the take-up shaft, the shafts and rolls mounted with the thermal printhead for translation parallel to the print axis therewith. Means for securing the printing sheet to the workbed when printing on the printing sheet and releasing the printing sheet from the workbed when translating the printing sheet are also provided.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product onto a printing sheet in separate color planes and responsive to a controller and machine readable data representative of the graphic product. The wide format thermal printer includes a workbed including a platen and having a worksurface for supporting the printing sheet, the worksurface including a print axis and a printing sheet translation axis. Also included are: means for translating the printing sheet along a printing sheet translation axis and means for securing the printing sheet to the workbed when printing on the printing sheet and releasing the printing sheet from the workbed when translating the printing sheet.
Also provided is a printhead carriage including the following: a base structure mounted with the printer for translation in the direction of the print axis; a cantilever arm pivotably mounted at a first end to the base structure for pivoting about an axis generally transverse to the print axis, where the cantilever arm mounts a thermal printhead having an array of thermal printing elements extending parallel to the printing sheet translation axis; a pivot actuator coupled to the base and to the other end of the cantilever arm for selectively pivoting the cantilever arm about the pivot axis for lowering and raising the thermal printhead; donor sheet handling means mounted with the base structure for interposing the donor sheet between the thermal printhead and the printing sheet supported by the worksurface, where the donor sheet handling means includes a supply shaft for engaging a supply roll of the donor sheet, a take-up shaft for engaging a take-up roll of donor sheet that has been interposed between the thermal printhead and the printing sheet, and a take-up motor rotationally coupled to the take-up shaft.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product onto a printing sheet in separate color planes and responsive to a controller and machine readable data representative of the graphic product. The wide format thermal printer includes a workbed including a platen for providing a worksurface for supporting the printing sheet, and the worksurface contains a print axis and printing sheet translation axis perpendicular to the print axis. The wide format thermal printer also includes printing sheet translation means for translating the printing sheet along a printing sheet translation axis.
There is also provided a thermal printhead having an array of thermal printing elements extending parallel to the printing sheet translation axis, and donor sheet apparatus including a take-up shaft coupled to a take-up motor and a supply shaft, where the take-up and supply shafts are for coupling to take-up rolls and supply rolls, respectively, of donor sheet. The take-up motor is for winding the donor sheet on the take-up roll after the donor sheet is drawn from the supply roll and interposed between the thermal printhead and the printing sheet. The thermal printhead is translatable parallel to the print axis for printing on the printing sheet in print swaths extending parallel to the print axis in an area between the clamps by pressing the donor sheet against the printing sheet and selectively energizing the thermal printing elements.
Further included are means for securing the printing sheet to the workbed when printing on the printing sheet and releasing the printing sheet from the workbed when translating the printing sheet, and a controller in communication with the printing sheet translation means, the thermal printhead, the donor sheet means and the means for securing the printing sheet for printing the multicolor graphic product on the printing sheet responsive to the stored data representative of the multicolor graphic product.
The controller includes programming stored in a memory associated therewith for controlling printing sheet translation means to translate the printing sheet in one direction parallel to the printing sheet translation axis between successive print swaths when printing one of the color planes and to translate the printing sheet in the opposite direction parallel to the printing sheet translation axis when printing a different color plane.
In an additional aspect of the invention, there is provided a wide format thermal printer for printing a graphic product onto a printing sheet responsive to machine readable data representative of the graphic product. The wide format thermal printer includes a workbed having a worksurface for supporting the printing sheet and a thermal printhead having an array of thermal printing elements for pressing a donor sheet against the printing sheet for printing on the printing. Also included are printing sheet translation means for translating the printing sheet along a printing sheet translation axis and donor sheet means including first and second shafts for mounting supply and take-up rolls, respectively, of donor sheet. The donor sheet is drawn from the supply roll, interposed between the thermal printhead and the printing sheet for printing therewith, and wound on the take-up roll, and the donor sheet means further includes a take-up motor for coupling to the take-up roll for applying a torque thereto and a brake for applying a braking force to the donor sheet.
Also included is a data transfer element for reading data from a memory element mounted with one of the supply and take-up rolls of donor sheet, and a controller in communication with the printing sheet translation means, the thermal printhead, the data transfer element and the take-up motor for printing the multicolor graphic product on the printing sheet responsive to the stored data representative of the multicolor graphic product.
The controller includes programming stored in a memory associated therewith for reading data characteristic of the donor sheet from the memory element, determining the radius of at least the take-up roll from the read data characteristic of the donor sheet, determining a desired tension to be applied to the donor sheet during printing and energizing the take-up motor responsive to the radius of the take-up roll and the desired tension for applying the desired tension to the donor sheet.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a method of printing with a thermal printer that prints a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet in each of different color planes responsive to machine readable data representative of the color planes. The method includes the following steps:
A) supporting the printing sheet with a worksurface
B) selecting a supply length of donor sheet corresponding to the color plane to be printed and interposing a section of the supply length between the thermal printhead and the printing sheet, the thermal printhead having an array of thermal printing elements extending parallel to a printing sheet translation axis;
C) printing the color plane on the printing sheet in print swaths extending parallel to a print axis substantially orthogonal to the printing sheet translation axis by repeating the following steps 1) and 2) alternately:
1) translating the printhead parallel to the print axis and selectively energizing the thermal printing elements while pressing the donor sheet against the printing sheet with the thermal printhead so as to draw the donor sheet past the printhead;
2) translating the printing sheet parallel to the translation axis between print swaths; and
D) performing steps A, B, and C for each of the color planes to be printed to print the multicolor graphic product on the printing sheet, wherein when printing at least one of the color planes the printing sheet is translated in the opposite direction parallel to the translation axis between consecutive swaths to that in which it is translated between consecutive swaths when printing a different color plane.
In yet a further additional aspect, the invention provides a method of tensioning donor sheet in a thermal printer wherein the donor sheet is drawn from a supply roll, interposed between a thermal printhead and a printing sheet and wound on a take-up roll. The method includes the following steps:
providing a take-up motor coupled to the take-up roll for providing a rotational torque to the take-up roll responsive to the energization of the take-up motor;
providing a brake coupled to the donor sheet for applying a selected braking force to the donor sheet;
reading data characteristic of the donor sheet from a memory element mounted with one of the supply roll and the take-up roll;
determining a desired tension to be applied to the donor sheet; determining the radius of at least the take-up roll as a function of at least the data characteristic of the donor sheet read from the memory element; and
applying the desired tension to the donor sheet, including the step of selectively energizing the take-up motor as a function of the radius of the take-up roll and the desired tension to be applied to the donor sheet.


Method and apparatus for implementing a digital filter employing coefficients expressed as sums of 2 to an integer power. Coefficients expressed as sums of powers of 2 may be algebraically manipulated such that higher order terms are replaced by an equivalent group of lower order terms. In the context of a shift-and-add algorithm, the lower order terms require fewer shifting operations and less total hardware to effect multiplication than the corresponding higher order terms.

Digital filters, particularly FIR and IIR filters, are increasingly used in digital signal processing and real time digital and audio processing. As a result of the extensive use of these filters, powerful and mature optimization theories are available to aid in filter design. Conventional hardware realization of such filters utilizes the basic functional components of delay units, multipliers, and adders. Of these basic functional components, the hardware implementation of multipliers is typically the most complex and computationally expensive. In addition, multipliers occupy a significant portion of the available "real estate" on a given chip. Furthermore, substantial propagation delay is introduced by multipliers, thereby limiting processing speed.
In order to increase processing speed and simultaneously reduce component cost and complexity, contemporary filter design techniques often employ "multiplierless" technology, wherein the multipliers are replaced with binary adders and shift registers, and a "shift-and-add" scheme is employed in lieu of conventional multiplication techniques.
The use of multiplierless filtering requires that the coefficients by which the input data is multiplied comprise a sum of terms, each of the form 2.sup.p. This results from the fact that a binary multiplication by a "power-of-two" coefficient is equivalent to a shift of the multiplicand; complex multiplication may thus be effected through a series of simple shifting and adding operations.
Presently known multiplierless digital filters, however, are unsatisfactory in several respects. For example, coefficients expressed in terms of powers-of-two often contain terms of very high order, for example 2.sup.-28 and higher. In order to shift an n-bit input data term twenty-eight times, conventional shift registers must be of a length sufficient to accommodate at least n+28 bits. For an 18 bit input data value, this requires shift registers in excess of 46 bits in length, although a shorter length may suffice if truncation is permitted. Hardware implementation of these registers can be quite cumbersome, often introducing substantial propagation delay relative to lower order coefficient powers. In addition, the aggregate number of shifts for a coefficient having a plurality of higher order terms further decreases processing speed. See, for example, Bhattacharya et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,458 issued Nov. 1, 1988; Owen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,588 issued Oct. 22, 1982; and Shah et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,402 issued Aug. 29, 1989.
A multiplierless digital filter is needed which exploits the shift-and-add algorithm using sums of powers-of-two coefficients in a manner which optimizes the complexity of the shifter registers and the number of shifts required to "multiply" coefficients having high order exponential terms.


The invention provides an elongate member (10) usable inter alia as a fence post, formed to constant cross section by a suitable sheet metal roll forming process, the member when viewed in cross section having three arm sections (15, 16, 17) each of double sheet metal thickness radiating from a junction (18), two of the arm sections (15, 16) at their outer edges remote from the junction having their two sheet sections joined through an integral arcuate or other box-section formation (19, 20), while the third arm section (17) has a like formation (21) in which the free terminal edge (11) of one sheet section is contained within a terminal roll (22) of the other sheet section. When used as a fence post, apertures (14) may be provided along one arm section to receive wire, while the normally lower end (13) is pointed to facilitate driving into the ground.

Fence posts in the form of heavy solid lengths of metal such as black iron are being used increasingly wherever they can be applied, but they suffer from obvious disadvantages in the three areas of being undesirably heavy, involving resultantly high cost, and being very subject to rusting. The latter problem can be reduced by hot dip galvanising before user but the benefit is reduced by the added expense. It has been considered undesirable to reduce the metal content or material volume in order to reduce the cost since this results in a weaker article.
Our present invention has been devised with a view to overcoming the aforementioned problems associated with fence posts as currently used, and it has for its principal object the provision of a novel form of post which will achieve all current requirements yet can be made more cheaply and with less weight for a given length, and which will not be subject to rust problems. More particularly, the invention aims to achieve these benefits by producing a novel elongated member by roll forming galvanised sheet steel to cross-sections not previously attained. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully appreciated from the subsequent descriptions herein.


A method of forming an image. The method includes: a transfer layer on a substrate; forming on the transfer layer, an etch barrier layer; pressing a template having a relief pattern into the etch barrier layer; exposing the etch barrier layer to actinic radiation forming a cured etch barrier layer having thick and thin regions corresponding to the relief pattern; removing the template; removing the thin regions of the cured etch barrier layer; removing regions of the transfer layer not protected by the etch barrier layer; removing regions of the substrate not protected by the transfer layer and any remaining etch barrier layer; and removing remaining transfer layer. The transfer layer may be removed using a solvent, the etch barrier layer may include a release agent and an adhesion layer may be formed between the transfer layer and the etch barrier layer. A reverse tone process is also described.

Step and flash imprint lithography (SFIL) has emerged as an alternative to conventional micro-photolithographic imaging processes because of its reduced cost and ability to print smaller images. In SFIL, a photosensitive molding material is molded between a template having a relief pattern and a substrate, exposed to actinic radiation and the resulting hardened layer, having a three dimensional pattern, used to form a pattern in a transfer layer used as a mask in subsequent etching processes of an underlying layer or substrate. However, current SFIL suffers from several difficulties, including shelf life of the molding material, stripability of the transfer layer, image size control, poor adhesion of the various layer interfaces and excess adhesion of the template to the molding material.
Therefore, there is a need for SFIL processes having one or more of longer shelf life of the molding material, improved stripability of the transfer layer, improved image size control, improved layer interface adhesion and improved template release.

Processes and materials for step and flash imprint lithography

International Business Machines Corporation


A suction port assembly and vacuum cleaner having the same is disclosed. The suction port assembly includes a casing comprising a suction port which draws in dust from a surface being cleaned; a drum brush which is disposed rotatably in the casing, on an external surface of which a plurality of bristles are arranged to shake off dust from the surface being cleaned; and a rib which is disposed at a position close to the drum brush, is mounted in the casing so that its one end is in contact with the bristles, and detaches the dust from the bristles when the drum brush rotates; and wherein the bristles are contacted on a slant relative to the rib to prevent the drum brush from rotating when the casing is pulled towards a user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a suction port assembly and a vacuum cleaner having the same, and more particularly, to a suction port assembly constructed in order to reduce noise and improve the functioning of a brush sweeping dust off a surface being cleaned, and a vacuum cleaner having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional vacuum cleaner sucks in dust containing dirt from a surface being cleaned using suction force generated by driving a driving source mounted in a cleaner main body.
The vacuum cleaner comprises a cleaner main body with a motor which generates suction force, a suction port assembly which draws in dust from the surface being cleaned, and an extension path which guides the in-drawn dust into the cleaner main body.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate schematically an exemplary embodiment of a suction port assembly in the prior art. FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a suction port assembly in the prior art, and FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view illustrating the suction port assembly of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, a suction port opened to the exterior 110 is formed at the front end of a suction port assembly 100. Dust is introduced from a surface being cleaned into the suction port assembly 100 through the suction port 110. The dust moves along a dust flow passage (S) through the extension path, and is subsequently piled up in a dust separating chamber in the cleaner main body.
The suction port 110 of the suction port assembly 100 comprises a cylindrical drum brush 120 which is disposed so as to be able to rotate. A plurality of bristles are disposed in a radial formation around the circumference of the drum brush 120, which is not illustrated in FIG. 2. When a user pushes and pulls the suction port assembly 100 over the surface being cleaned, the bristles of the drum brush 120 shake dust from the surface being cleaned. Accordingly, the sucking efficiency of the vacuum cleaner is improved.
If a vacuum cleaner having the drum brush 120 is used for a long period of time, dust may accumulate on the external surface of the drum brush 120. At this time, it is difficult for the bristles to detach dust from the surface being cleaned, and suction force may be reduced.
Korean Utility Model Laid Open No. 1990-16639 and European Patent No. 563116 disclose a technique to improve the problems designed above. These reports disclose components corresponding to the bristles on the external surface of the drum brush 120 described above, and members disposed in the suction port assembly to detach dust from the bristles.
The member to shake dust from the hair is referred to as a cleaner 5 in Korean Utility Model Laid Open No. 1990-16639, and as a comb-shaped plate 12 in Europe Patent No. 563116. The cleaner 5 and comb-shaped plate 12 are both mounted on a side wall of the suction port assembly, and both have a comb-like shape.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, some noise generated from the cleaner main body is transferred to the suction port assembly 100 through an extension pipe, and the noise travels through the suction port assembly 100 along noise path (N), and is emitted externally through the suction port 110. The suction port 110 may function simultaneously as a dust inlet, and an outlet through which noise is emitted externally. Noise reaches ears of a user such that the user feels noisy.
The cleaner 5 and comb-shaped plate 12 are formed in a comb shape, and a space is formed between the member and drum brush for air to passthrough. Accordingly, noise flowing back from a motor to the suction port reaches a user through the suction port despite reaching the "cleaner" 5 or "comb-shaped plate" 12.
Korean Utility Model Laid Open No. 1990-16639 discloses a "rotating brush" 3 corresponding to the drum brush 120, and European Patent No. 563116 discloses "brush roller" corresponding to the drum brush 120.
The rotating brush 3, and brush roller being in contact with a surface being cleaned are provided to rotate in two directions while a user cleans the surface being cleaned. That is, the rotating brush 3, or brush roller moves in contact with the surface being cleaned regardless of whether a user pushes or pulls the suction port assembly having the rotating brush 3, or brush roller. However, if the rotating brush 3, or brush roller corresponding to the drum brush only rolls across the surface, it is difficult to remove dust and hair sticking strongly to a surface being cleaned, such as hair entangled in a carpet.

Suction port assembly and vacuum cleaner having the same


A coloring pigment useful for coloring or tinting inks, paints, plastics and rubber comprises the reaction product of a cationic organic dye and a hectorite mineral, the hectorite mineral having a small average particle size and a high cation exchange capacity. The pigment has excellent color strength and does not bleed in water or oil and is easily dispersable in aqueous and organic media.

Minerals have been used historically in a number of applications such as viscosifiers, anti-settling agents, thixotropes or rheological additives in both aqueous and organic systems. Numerous patents have been issued covering the uses of minerals, including smectite-type minerals, in paints, greases, cosmetics, inks, polyesters and other areas. Also it has been known for many years that layered silicate minerals such as kaolinite, mica, vermiculite, and smectites have a natural exchange capacity for cationic compounds both of the inorganic and organic types. It is this natural exchange capacity characteristic which allows smectitic clays to be converted to useful thixotropes for organic systems. Also it has been known for many years that an organic cationic dye, such as methylene blue, could be used to obtain an approximate measure of the cationic exchange capacity of such minerals. In this procedure the cationic organic dye is exchanged onto the clay surface. It has also been known that organic cationic dyes can be fixed to any layered silicate mineral that possessed an ionic charge.
The pigment to be dyed must accept and hold the dye, not only during the dyeing step but also in subsequent processing steps. Failure to hold the dye results in reduced efficiency of the treatment, and disposal or recirculation of colored filtrates is economically undesirable.
The prior art is aware of products which are coloring agents in printing inks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,364, discloses a printing ink formed by dispersing therein an ink coloring material and an organophilic clay gellant. In this patent, the organophilic clay gellant is the reaction product of an organic cation, an organic anion, and a smectite-type clay which has a cationic exchange capacity of at least 75 milliequivalents per 100 grams of the clay so that an organic cation-organic anion complex is intercalated with the smectite-type clay and the cationic exchange sites of the smectite-type clay are substituted with the organic cation.
A series of earlier patents disclose thixotropes or rheological agents by reaction of various clay minerals and cationic agents. However, these products are not coloring agents. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,866 discloses the reaction product of a clay with a quaternary ammonium cationic compound. Of the clays disclosed in this patent, there is mentioned bentonite and hectorite, the latter being described as a swelling magnesium-lithium silicate clay. Other types of smectite-type clays disclosed in this patent for reaction include montmorillonite, beidellite, saponite and stevensite. A similar product is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,086.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,216,135 and 4,081,496 to Finlayson disclose organophilic clays and thixotropic polyester compositions which contain these clays. This product is the reaction product of a smectite-type clay with a methybenzyl dialkyl ammonium compound, or a dibenzl dialkyl ammonium compound. The products are said to be dispersable in organic liquids to form gels and the gels may be added as gelling agents to polyester compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,578 to Finlayson et al discloses organophilic clay gellants prepared as the reaction product of a smectite-type clay and a quaternary ammonium compound. These products are also said to have good dispersability in organic liquids and to form gels and to be useful in lubricating greases, oil paste muds, oil-based packer fluids, paint-varnish-lacquer removers, paints, and foundry molding sand binders and the like.
A series of older U.S. patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,531,440, 2,531,427, and 2,966,506 disclose modified clay complexes which are compatible with organic liquids. These organic clay complexes comprise the reaction product of a clay such as montmorillonite or bentonite and including hectorite with an organic compound of the quaternary ammonium type. The clays used in this series of patents are said to have base exchange capacities which range from about 15 to 100 based on milliequivalents of exchangeable base per 100 grams of clay. These products are disclosed for use as gelling agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,868 discloses organophilic clays which have enhanced dispersability in organic liquids, the organophilic clays being prepared by extruding a mixture of a smectite clay, a quaternary cationic organic compound, water and an alcohol. U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,125 discloses thixotropic agents comprising clays which have been reacted with dialkyl dimethyl ammonium quaternary salts and incorporation of these products into polyesters. U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,294 discloses coating compositions in the form of a gel which comprise an amine modified montmorillonite clay, a swelling agent therefor, and a non-volatile oleaginous agent for wetting the clay. This product is indicated as adapted for pigment-containing coating systems such as in nail enamel compositions.
Published and unexamined Japanese patent application (Kokai) No. 50-72,926 published Jun. 16, 1975, discloses a method of manufacturing pigments which contain organic coloring agents. These pigments are produced by dispersing a mineral which has clay properties and ionic exchange capabilities in water. To this slurry is added an aqueous solution of an organic coloring element to effect chemical bonding and render the resulting product insoluble in water from which it may be recovered. The clays disclosed for use in this patent include montmorillonite, zeolites and bentonite. The coloring agents are primarily organic dyes.
European Patent Application No. 206,800, published Mar. 30, 1986, discloses water insoluble pigments which comprise a complex of the water insoluble inorganic anionic exchange material which has a layered structure and a water soluble dye. The anionic exchange material with the layered structure may comprise any of a number of known mineral materials including magnesium aluminum chloride and the dyes are organic dyes.
The present invention provides a coloring pigment useful for coloring materials which is an improvement over these prior known products.

Dyed hectorite pigments and applications


Provided are a light-emitting device having improved light dispersion efficiency, a light-emitting system including the same, and fabricating methods of the light-emitting device and the light-emitting system. The light-emitting device includes one or more light-emitting elements arranged on first surface of a substrate, an insulation film formed on the first surface of a substrate so as to cover the one or more light-emitting elements, and a plurality of uneven patterns formed on the insulation film formed on each of the one or more light-emitting elements so as to be spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of uneven patterns are all convex patterns or concave patterns and each of the plurality of uneven patterns has a curved cross-sectional shape.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a light-emitting device, a light-emitting system including the same, and a fabricating method thereof, and more particularly to a light-emitting device having improved light dispersion efficiency while having a reduced manufacturing cost, a light-emitting system including the same, and fabricating methods of the light-emitting device and the light-emitting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light-emitting elements, such as LEDs (light-emitting diodes), emit light by coupling between electrons and holes. In general, the light-emitting element has low power consumption characteristics, a long life span, a sufficiently small size to be provided in a small space, and high shock resistance.
In a light emitting diode (LED) device, light-emitting elements are mounted on a substrate, and a transparent resin layer covers top surfaces of the light-emitting elements to protect the light-emitting elements while allowing light emitted from the light-emitting elements to be easily extracted to the outside. In this case, one transparent resin layer is provided in a convex dome shape covering one light-emitting element.
LEDs are used for illumination or display. LEDs used for illumination are generally divided LEDs for indoor/outdoor illumination, which require uniform dispersion over a wide area, and LEDs for transportation, which require linearity of light. It is desirable to use an LED suited for the purpose.

Light-emitting device and light-emitting system including the same


Described is a system and method for establishing a wireless connection between wireless devices. The method comprises obtaining data of a corresponding computing device. The device conducts wireless communications using a predetermined wireless protocol. The obtained data is processed to generate a wireless address of the device and a first message is transmitted to the device for establishing a wireless connection. The first message is addressed to the wireless address. When a first response message is received from the device, a second message is transmitted to the device. The first response message is generated in response to the first message and includes the wireless address. The second message includes synchronization data. When a second response message is received from the device, the wireless connection is established with the device. The second response message is generated in response to the second message.

In conventional wireless systems, a first wireless device establishes a wireless connection with a second wireless device by transmitting a request to connect and executing a connection handshake. For example, according to the Bluetooth® protocol, the first device broadcasts an inquiry, and, if the second device hears the inquiry, it transmits a response to the first device with its Bluetooth address. However, the second device may require that the first device be authenticated before establishing the connection. An authentication handshake, in addition to the inquiry, may prolong the connection between the first and second devices. Thus, there is a need to establish the wireless connection between the first and second devices more efficiently.

System and method for establishing a wireless connection between wireless devices


In an electric rotating machine, a rotor can be manufactured relatively easily at reasonable cost without high working accuracy for pole cores, and a permanent magnet can be assembled without impairing cooling efficiency of the rotor. A magnet-holding member 7 is separately fixed to a claw-shaped magnetic pole 21 of at least one of a pair of pole cores 2, 3; each magnet-holding member 7 is provided with a magnet mounting part 72 on which a permanent magnet 5 is mounted on two sides of the claw-shaped magnetic pole 21 in circumferential direction; and each magnet mounting part 72 is formed so as to be located between the claw-shaped magnetic poles 21, 31 engaged with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric rotating machine having a rotor provided with plural permanent magnets, and to a manufacturing method of the electric rotating machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a rotor of the conventional electric rotating machines, to facilitate adjustment of magnetic flux amount, a number of claw-shaped magnetic poles covering a rotor coil disposed at a predetermined pitch along the circumferential direction form a pair of pole cores, and the pairs of pole cores are oppositely disposed so that the mentioned claw-shaped magnetic poles are engaged with each other, thus a rotor core being formed.
In the electric rotating machine of this type, a current is applied to a rotor coil to magnetize the pole core. To operate as a generator, a rotating force is applied from outside such as engine to the rotor thereby causing a stator coil to generating an electromotive force. To operate as a motor, a voltage is applied to each of ac terminals of the stator thereby causing the rotor to rotate.
Output of the electric rotating machine in that case relates to an amount of magnetic flux generated in the rotor. That is, main magnetic flux generated by the rotor coil runs through the claw-shaped magnetic poles of the pole core, passing through the stator disposed outside of the pole core, and comes to an adjacent claw-shaped magnetic pole. In this process, in the structure just by engaging the claw-shaped magnetic poles with each other, there exists leakage flux flowing from the side or inner circumferential face thereof to the adjacent claw-shaped magnetic pole. Such leakage flux does not interlink to the stator, and therefore effective magnetic flux amount is reduced, resulting in lowering the output of the electric rotating machine.
To overcome such a disadvantage and improve output of the electric rotating machine, an idea has been heretofore proposed. In this idea, to suppress occurrence of the leakage flux, a permanent magnet is inserted between the claw-shaped magnetic poles adjacent each other along the circumferential direction of the rotor. For example, in the Japanese Patent No.2865091, an annular magnet-holding member formed along the circumferential direction with a recess, into which each claw-shaped magnetic pole of the pole core is fitted, is disposed, and a permanent magnet is held in this magnet-holding member circumferentially at a predetermined pitch, thus forming an assembly. This assembly is mounted on the pole.
In the Japanese Patent No.3144567, another known art is disclosed, and in which each claw-shaped magnetic pole of the pole core is provided with a flange, and combining each pole core forms a magnet fixing part consisting of a pair of flanges. A permanent magnet is inserted into the magnet fixing part from an opening located in axial direction. In addition, a plate is attached before and behind the rotor to prevent the permanent magnet from getting out of the opening of the magnet fixing part.
However, in the former known art as disclosed in the Japanese Patent No.2865091, since a recess into which each claw-shaped magnetic pole of the pole core is inserted is formed along the circumferential direction of the annular magnet holding member, it is essential to minimize a difference between one claw-shaped magnetic pole and another. If there remains any variation between the claw-shaped magnetic poles, it will be impossible to exactly fit the claw-shaped magnetic poles into each recess of the magnet-holding member. In other words, high working accuracy is required in each of the claw-shaped magnetic poles. Therefore it is actually impossible to completely finish the pole core only by forging and it is necessary to apply cutting in order to improve the working accuracy, which results in not only taking much labor but also increase in cost.
Moreover, because of a centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the rotor and applied to the magnet-holding member, it is necessary for the magnet-holding member to have strength to a certain extent. A soft material such as resin easy to mold will be deficient in strength. To cope with this, any material obtained by press working such as spring steel will be essential as the magnet-holding member. However, it is a difficult work configuring a magnet-holding member into an annular shape having recesses, in which the claw-shaped magnetic poles are inserted, along the circumferential direction, which eventually results in much increase in cost.
In the latter known art as disclosed in the Japanese Patent No.3144567, each claw-shaped magnetic pole of the pole core is provided with a flange for mounting a permanent magnet. However, it is difficult to provide the claw-shaped magnetic pole with a flange just by forging, and it is necessary to apply cutting and shaping after assembling. As a result, the pole core becomes expensive.
Moreover, plates are attached before and behind the rotor to prevent the permanent magnet from getting out of the opening of the magnet fixing part. It is certain that the plates are effective in view of preventing the permanent magnet from getting out of, but the plates inhibit the airflow in the vicinity of the rotor. As a result, cooling efficiency of the rotor is lowered resulting in negative affect on the permanent magnet due to heat.
The present invention was made to solve the above-discussed problems and has an object of providing an electric rotating machine capable of preventing effectively generation of leakage flux, manufacturing the rotor relatively easy at reasonable cost without high working accuracy of the pole core and the permanent magnet, and assembling the permanent magnet without negative affect on the cooling efficiency of the rotor. The invention also provides a manufacturing method of such an electric rotating machine.

Electric rotating machine and manufacturing process thereof


A mobile computing device receives an image from a camera physically located within a vehicle. The mobile computing device inputs the image into a convolutional model that generates a set of object detections and a set of segmented environment blocks in the image. The convolutional model includes subsets of encoding and decoding layers, as well as parameters associated with the layers. The convolutional model relates the image and parameters to the sets of object detections and segmented environment blocks. A server that stores object detections and segmented environment blocks is updated with the sets of object detections and segmented environment blocks detected in the image.

Digital electronic maps are widely used today for navigation, ride sharing, and video games, among other uses. While stand-alone mapping applications often include many of these functionalities, other applications can make use of electronic maps by calling a map server through an Application Programming Interface (API) on computing devices.
Running the mapping applications or mapping APIs on mobile computing devices especially can consume immense bandwidth, processing and battery power. This is especially true for mapping applications that attempt to process camera images in real time. As a result, there is a need not only for mapping applications generally, but mapping applications that can function in low power/low computer processing power environments.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Low power consumption deep neural network for simultaneous object detection and semantic segmentation in images on a mobile computing device


A method includes forming an emission pattern on an organic electroluminescent element including an organic functional layer between two electrodes by light irradiation to the organic electroluminescent element, and controlling at least one of light intensity and exposure time as variable factors during the light irradiation based on reciprocity failure characteristics involving modification of a function of the organic functional layer due to the light irradiation.

Organic luminescent elements have been drawing attention as thin luminescent materials.
Organic luminescent elements containing organic electroluminescent (EL) materials (hereinafter, also referred to as "organic EL elements") are thin perfect solid-state elements that can radiate light in response to a low voltage of several to several tens of volts and have many advantages such as high luminance, high luminescent efficiency, small thickness, and small weight. Such organic EL elements have drawn attention as backlights in various displays, display boards of notices and emergency lights, and surface-emitting luminescent bodies of light sources for lighting.
Such an organic EL element includes two electrodes and an organic functional layer that includes at least a light emitting layer and is disposed between the electrodes. The light generated at the light emitting layer passes through one of the electrodes and radiates to the exterior. Accordingly, at least one of the electrodes may be a transparent electrode that transmits light. Organic EL elements generally achieve high luminance from low electric power and have the advantages of superior visibility, a high response rate, a long lifetime, and low power consumption.
A proposed method of forming an emission pattern in such an organic EL element involves irradiating predetermined regions in an organic functional layer with adjusted doses of light so as to modify the functions of the predetermined regions in the organic functional layer, and forming an emission pattern having a gradation of emission luminance levels corresponding to the modified level of the function of the organic functional layer (for example, refer to PTL 1). In such a method, ultraviolet rays are radiated on the presumption that an increase in the cumulative dose, which is the product of ultraviolet intensity and exposure time, causes an increase in the modified level of the function of the organic functional layer.
The inventors discovered that, in formation of an emission pattern in an organic EL element through light irradiation, different relationships between light intensity [W/cm2] and exposure time [s] achieve different modified levels of the function of the organic functional layer, even if the organic EL element is irradiated with a constant cumulative dose [W·s/cm2] of the light.
Thus, irradiation of the organic EL element with focus on only cumulative dose may not yield an emission pattern having a predetermined gradation of emission luminance levels, depending on the relationship between light intensity and exposure time.

Method for forming pattern of organic electroluminescent element


This invention provides methods and compositions to preserve bioactive materials in a dried foam matrix. Methods provide non-boiling foam generation and penetration of preservative agents at temperatures near the phase transition temperature of the membranes.

Biological materials, such as proteins, eukaryotic cells, bacteria and viruses, are generally unstable when stored in media or other liquid solutions. For example, enveloped viruses such as live influenza virus manufactured from egg allantoid fluid loose one log of potency, defined as Tissue Culture Infectious Dose (TCID50), in less than two to three weeks when stored under refrigerated temperature, i.e. approximately 4° C. At room temperature conditions (approximately 25° C.) and at warmer temperatures such as 37° C., the virus looses the such potency in a matter of days to hours, respectively. Lyophilization processes, where aqueous formulas are frozen and then dried by sublimation, are commonly used to stabilize these biological materials. Removal of water and substitution of protectant molecules, such as carbohydrates, can increase stability by preventing chemical degradation, denaturation, and growth of microbial contaminants.
In lyophilization (freeze-drying), the biological material is commonly mixed as a solution or suspension with protective agents, frozen, and then dehydrated by sublimation and secondary drying. The low temperatures of freezing and drying by sublimation can slow the kinetics of degradation reactions. However, the low temperatures and low surface to volume ratios involved can require long drying time periods. Often significant structural damage results in conventional freeze drying processes due to the slow can involve denaturation, aggregation, and other untoward physical stresses stemming from the ice crystal structures that are formed during the ice nucleation and propagation steps. For this reason, biomaterials that possess a cell wall or lipid membrane pose a significant challenge to preserving the bioactivity of larger and more complex entities such as viruses, bacteria, and cells.
Additionally, even under optimal freeze drying conditions, damage can occur during the secondary drying step. A recent study has suggested freeze drying induced damage occurs primarily during the secondary dehydration step when the last remaining amount of water is removed (Webb, S. D. Effects of annealing lyophilized and spray-lyophilized formulations of recombinant human interferon-gamma. J Pharm Sci 2003 April; 92(4):715-29). Therefore, there is sufficient evidence to show that lyophilization and secondary drying processes can force a protein or cell, for example, to undergo significant chemical and physical changes. Such changes can result in loss of activity of the protein due to concentration of salts, precipitation/crystallization, shear stress, pH extremes, and residual moisture remaining through the freeze-drying.
Protective agents are chemicals that are added to a formulation to protect cells and molecules during freezing and to enhance stability during storage. For example, stabilizers for live virus vaccines generally include high concentrations of sugars such as sucrose, mannitol, or sorbitol to improve virus stability during lyophilization and storage. However, with membrane viruses, and other membranous biologicals, the protective agents may not penetrate adequately to protect active molecules within the membrane volume. Therefore a significant challenge remains to develop an optimal drying process and formulation to achieve adequate stability for thermally labile biologics.
Some of the problems with lyophilization are overcome by certain dry foam preservation processes. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,520, Preservation by Foam Formation, to Bronshtein, for example, biological solutions or suspensions in a solvent are thickened by first drying under a moderate vacuum before application of a strong vacuum to cause frothy boiling of the remaining solvent to form a dry stable foam. Normally, such boiling is avoided in processing of biological materials due to the oxidation and denaturation that can occur on bubble surfaces. In addition, boiling, even under vacuum, requires input of heat, which can endanger the stability of the bioactive material. These problems are reduced in Bronshtein by including protective agents, such as carbohydrates and surfactants, in the solution or suspension. Dry foam preservation processes of this type have the advantage of faster drying due to convection of the liquid during boiling and the large surface area presented by the foam. Reconstitution of such a dry foam can be rapid due to the presence of the hydrophilic protective agents and the large foam surface area. The dry foam can be milled to a fine powder to further improve reconstitution times or for administration of the biological material by inhalation.
The dry foam preservation processes described above is limited in its flexibility to protect a variety of biological materials. For example, the process rules out a freezing step and subsequent sublimation of the ice as a means to remove water from the foam. In the case of highly thermolabile materials, a freezing step can provide stability over the course of dehydration. Because freezing is avoided in Bronshtein, the formulation must be thickened before foaming and drying so that large amounts of water are not lost, along with latent heat, to freeze the foam. The avoidance of freezing requires the process to be conducted at lower vacuum level (7-24 Torr) than in conventional freeze drying or spray freeze drying process cycles. Boiling in Bronshtein, requires input of significant, and possibly destabilizing, amounts of heat to provide the necessary eruption of foam.
The Bronshtein dry foam process is not particularly well adapted to preservation of biological materials having lipid membranes. For example, the process is not well adapted to preservation of membranous biologicals, such as liposomes, viruses or viable cells. Lipid membranes often prevent penetration of the protective agents into enclosed volumes or prevent adequate removal of water from the enclosed volume. Without adequate penetration of protective agents, enzymatic processes, such as proteolysis, and chemical processes, such as oxidation and free radical attacks, can destroy the activity or viability of the membranous biological material. Hypoosmotic fluids remaining within membrane enclosed volumes can promote instability of the biological material.
A need remains for methods to preserve biological materials, such as proteins and membranous materials in storage, particularly at temperatures above freezing. Methods to prepare dry foam preservation matrices through processes with optional freezing and optional boiling steps, are desirable to suit the sensitivities of particular biologic materials. Compositions that can protect such biologicals in storage would provide benefits in medicine and scientific research. The present invention provides these and other features that will become apparent upon review of the following.

Preservation of bioactive materials by freeze dried foam


A color line scan video camera (50) for inspecting articles (18) includes a prismatic beam splitter arrangement (52) that receives a wide spectrum of visible light from a variable magnification objective lens arrangement (54) to provide improved multi-color inspection capability. The prismatic beam splitter separates the light received from the scanned articles into three preselected spectral bands of light, each of which is imaged upon a different charge-coupled device line scan sensor that generates a corresponding color component video signal. The light transmission characteristics of the lens are "color-corrected" to transmit uniformly the light received from the scanned articles.

FIG. 1 shows an inspection system 10 having a prior art monochrome line scan video camera 12 that generates an electrical video signal representing objects aligned with a line scan area 14 having an aspect ratio of about 1024:1. Inspection system 10 inspects line segments 16 (shown as cross-hatching) of articles passing through line scan area 14. Inspection system 10 is capable of inspecting articles of various shapes and sizes such as, for example, french fry potato strips, lima beans, peas, carrots, or sliced carrots. For purposes of description, inspection system 10 is shown inspecting generally elongated articles 18, which are representative of french fry potato strips. Line segments 16 correspond to the portions of articles 18 intersected by line scan area 14.
Inspection systems used by the food product industry include a conveyor belt 22 that carries in a direction 24 large numbers (not shown) of generally elongated articles 18, such as french fried potato strips or green beans, distributed over and substantially covering conveyor belt 22. Elongated articles 18 are illuminated by a nominally white light source 26, have lengths generally aligned with direction 24, and are oriented generally perpendicular to a scanning axis 28 of line scan camera 12. Line scan camera 12 generates a video signal corresponding to the source light reflected by line segments 16 of articles 18 and the portion of conveyor belt 22 positioned in line scan area 14 during an image cycle or frame. Video signals representing substantially complete two-dimensional images of articles 18 are generated by scanning the articles during successive image frames while conveyor belt 22 carries the articles past line scan area 14. In one embodiment, inspection system 10 identifies from the video signals defects in articles 18, thereby enabling excision of the defects from the articles or the removal of articles having defects from conveyor belt 22.
Conventional line scan cameras typically employ a single 1024.times.1 photodetector array that provides a single gray-scale (i.e., black-and-white) representation of the scanned articles at an image frame rate of about 1000 Hz. The 1024.times.1 configuration of the photodetector array defines the 1024:1 aspect ratio of line scan area 14 extending across conveyor belt 22 along scanning axis 28.
A disadvantage of such cameras in defect detection systems is that defective and non-defective portions of an article may be indistinguishable in the black-and-white representation. For example, the detection of defects in green beans can be relatively difficult with a black-and-white camera because the colors corresponding to defective and non-defective regions reflect substantially equal amounts of light of different portions of the visible spectrum. Since a black-and-white representation corresponds to overall light intensity, certain defects in green beans are virtually undetectable by a line scan camera employing only one gray-scale.
Certain inspection systems employ conventional color video cameras of the raster scan area array camera type, which uses a two-dimensional (e.g., 512.times.512) array of photodetectors. A raster scan area array camera can work at lower frame rates, but suffers from increased complexity stemming from a need to track the articles through the two-dimensional field of view. As a consequence, such cameras are undesirably complex for high-speed inspection systems of the type used in the food product industry.
Conventional monochrome line scan cameras typically have an objective lens arrangement with a fixed magnification that allows the lens to form an image only of the complete width of the conveyor belt along the scanning axis. As a consequence, particular positions across the width of the conveyor belt are fixedly focused onto specific ones of the photodetectors in the array. Such magnification characteristics provide acceptable performance when the entire width of the conveyor belt is covered by articles to be inspected. Whenever the conveyor belt is not completely covered with articles to be inspected, however, the photodetectors upon which the uncovered portions of the conveyor belt are focused provide no inspection information.
In one type of conventional color line scan camera, each full-color pixel is generated by a triad of separate, closely positioned red-, green-, and blue-component photodetectors. The triads in such a camera are arranged in a line, with the three photodetectors of each triad having either an in-line or a delta configuration. Such cameras typically provide unpredictable edge effects, which are inaccurate representations of the color of the edges of a scanned article. The unpredictable edge effects occur when the edge of the scanned article is focused upon only some or parts of the photodetectors in a triad, thereby causing the triad to generate a false representation of the color or hue of the article. The unpredictable edge effects characteristic of this type of color line scan camera limits the resolution of such cameras in inspection systems.
To make use of all of the photodetectors under such circumstances, certain line scan camera systems may be selectively fitted with different objective lenses having different fixed magnifications. Selecting and fitting objective lenses can, however, be time consuming and require an expensive array of objective lenses to cover the range of possible fields of view.

Color line scan video camera for inspection system


A reciprocating slat conveyor has upper and lower sections formed by upper and lower conveyor slats (14, 12). The upper section is at the forward end of a receptacle (10) in which the conveyor is located. It includes a transition wall (150) that extends the full width of the conveyor. Transition wall (150) is connected to a rear drive beam (28). There are two additional drive beams (24, 26) forwardly of drive beam (28). The upper conveyor slats (14) are connected to the three drive beams (24, 28, 30). The upper conveyor slats (14) are divided into three sets, one for each drive beam (24, 28, 30). The lower conveyor slats (12) are also divided into three sets, one for each drive beam (24, 26, 28) and are connected to the drive beams (24, 26, 28). The upper conveyor slats (14) move with the lower conveyor slats (12) of the same set.

Reciprocating slat conveyors comprise a plurality of elongated conveyor slats that are disposed side-by-side and are divided into "sets" and "groups." A tropical conveyor includes three sets "1", "2", "3" and at least eight groups. Each group includes a slat from set "1" next to a slat from set "2" that is next to a slat from set "3". This pattern is repeated from group to group across the width of the conveyor. All of the set "1" slats are connected to a first transverse drive beam. All of the set "2" slats are connected to a second transverse drive beam. All of the set "3" slats are connected to a third transverse drive beam. Each transverse drive beam is connected to a separate hydraulic drive unit. The hydraulic drive units are operated in unison to move the three transverse drive beams and hence all of the slats, in unison, in a first direction, for conveying a load. Then the drive units are operated one at a time in the opposite direction to retract the transverse drive beams one at a time and, hence, retract the conveyor slats one set at a time.
It is common practice to mount the drive units and the transverse drive beams below the conveyor slats. See for example, my U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,863, granted Jun. 7, 1998, and entitled, "Drive/Frame Assembly For A Reciprocating Floor." See also my U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,054, granted Sep. 27, 1994, and entitled, "Ball Block For Mounting Linear Motor." It is also known to mount the drive units at the front end of the conveyor. See for example, my U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,356, granted Mar. 17, 1992, and entitled, "Reciprocating Floor Conveyor In A Receptacle For A Liquid Laden Material." See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,081, granted Jul. 26, 1994 to Manfred W. Quaeck, and entitled, "Reciprocating Conveyor Having Detachable Drive Unit."
A characteristic of some of the front mounted drive assemblies is that the transverse drive beams are positioned on top of rather than below the conveyor slats. A problem with existing systems of this type is that the transverse drive beams are housed in a front compartment that is separated from the material compartment by a partitioning bulk head. The bulk head system has the advantage of protecting the drive components from contact by material in the material compartment. At the same time, however, it has the disadvantage of substantially reducing the size of the material receiving compartment.
An object of the present invention is to provide a front end drive assembly for a reciprocating slat conveyor that does not require protection by a bulk head and which extends the conveyor slats forwardly in the material compartment.

Reciprocating slat conveyor with front end drive assembly


A power transmitting device can include a clutch, filter and housing defining first and second sumps spaced apart by a first wall. First and second members can meshingly engage and rotate through the first sump. The clutch plates can rotate through the second sump. A third member can be drivingly coupled to the second member and clutch plates. An outer surface of the third member and the first wall can define an annular cavity that fluidly couples the sumps. The filter can be received in the annular cavity about the third member and can include a second wall, outer portion, inner portion, and a filter element. The second wall can define an aperture. The outer portion can seal with the first wall. The inner portion can seal with the outer surface. The filter element can span the aperture to permit fluid communication between the sumps and inhibit passage of solids.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Power transmitting components with a torque transfer device, such as a disconnecting drive module in an all-wheel drive ("AWD") system, generally includes an input gearset and at least one clutch with a plurality of friction plates and a piston for selectively engaging the friction plates. The input gearset generally includes an input pinion gear meshingly engaged with a ring gear of an input member. The input member is drivingly coupled to an input of the clutch and the friction plates are configured to transmit torque between the input of the clutch to an output of the clutch when the clutch is engaged. The friction plates rotate through a fluid in a clutch sump to provide lubrication and cooling of the plates when the clutch is engaged. The input gearset rotates through a fluid in a gear sump to provide lubrication and cooling of the gears within the input gearset. Conventionally, the clutch sump and gear sump are separated by seals that inhibit the exchange of fluid between the two sumps.

Clutched power transmitting device with filter element


A method of manufacturing an optical information recording medium that has a substrate having a signal recording layer formed on one principal surface thereof; and an optically transparent layer formed on the signal recording layer and made from a radiation cure type resin. According to the method, when the optically transparent layer is formed, the radiation cure type resin is supplied onto the substrate, and the radiation cure type resin is applied over the substrate by spinning the substrate at a predetermined number of application revolutions in a spin coating method. The number of revolutions of the substrate is increased after the application of the resin, and radiation is irradiated to cure the radiation cure type resin while the number of revolutions of the substrate is increased.

In recent years, various types of optical recording have been investigated in the field of information recording. In the optical information recording system, recording/reproducing can be made at high density and low cost with a non-contact mechanism, and its applications have now become widespread. At present, for example, an available optical disk has a structure in which an information layer is formed on a transparent resin substrate with a thickness of 1.2 mm and protected by an overcoat; or a structure in which two transparent resin substrates each with a thickness of 0.6 mm and an information layer provided on one or both sides of the substrate are bonded to each other.
In recent years, the way to increase the recording density of the optical disk has been investigated, for example, including increasing a numerical aperture of objective lens and shorting a wavelength of a laser beam. If the substrate on the recording/reproducing side (the substrate on the incident laser beam side) has a relatively small thickness, the laser beam spot can be less affected by aberration, and therefore, the disk can have a relatively large tolerance for the inclination angle (tilt). From this point of view, it has been proposed that the recording/reproducing side substrate should have a thickness of 0.1 mm, the NA be about 0.85 and the laser beam have a wavelength of about 400 nm. Under such conditions, variations in thickness of the recording/reproducing side substrate should preferably be controlled to 5% or less, in terms of the influence of recording/reproducing light on focus or spherical aberration.
A potential way to control the variations in thickness to such a small value may include bonding substrate sheets each having a uniform thickness of a few tens of μm to each other with a radiation cure type resin. However, the process using such substrate sheets is very expensive. Therefore, a spin coating method should preferably be used to form the base material only from a radiation cure type resin on the recording/reproducing side.

Optical information-recording medium manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A carrier module for a semiconductor device handler, in which grooves for flow of cooling fluid are formed in a seating surface of the carrier module for the semiconductor device. The grooves improve cooling efficiency by forcing the cooling fluid sprayed from a test temperature deviation compensating system onto the carrier module to spread throughout substantially an entire surface of the semiconductor device, and to remain in the carrier module for a period of time before being discharged.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a carrier module configured to be fitted to a test tray in a semiconductor device handler.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, both memory and non-memory semiconductor devices, or modular ICs with semiconductor devices arranged on a substrate to form a circuit, are subjected to various tests after fabrication but prior to shipment. The semiconductor device handler (hereafter referred to as "handler") is an apparatus for automatic testing of semiconductor devices, modular ICs, and the like. The handler carries out a test according to the following process.
First, a worker loads trays of semiconductor devices or modular ICs to be tested onto a loading stacker of the handler. The semiconductor devices or modular ICs are then loaded on test trays and transported to a test site. At the test site, leads of the semiconductor device are electrically connected to a test socket and tested. Once testing is complete, the semiconductor devices are removed from the test trays and loaded on user trays based on test results, to classify the semiconductor devices.
In general, the handlers have a system for carrying out not only general performance tests at room temperature, but also high temperature or low temperature tests to determine if the semiconductor devices or the modular ICs can perform normally under extreme temperature conditions. To perform such tests, an extreme high or low temperature environment is formed by providing an electric heater, or a liquefied gas spray system within an enclosed chamber at the test site.
However, carrying out a temperature test of a semiconductor device using a handler poses a problem. The semiconductor device itself generates heat while it is electrically connected to the test socket which impedes carrying out the test at an exact preset temperature. This is a problem which must be solved, both in the test environment and actual application environment, as semiconductor devices become smaller and packing densities increase.
For example, in a high temperature test, if a user sets the temperature inside the chamber to 80° C. for the test, the test can be carried out at the set temperature of 80° C. if there is no additional heat generated by the semiconductor device itself. However, if heat is generated by the semiconductor device during the test, causing a test temperature deviation of, for example, approximately 15° C., the test is actually carried out at 95° C. In this case, the test of the semiconductor device is carried out at a temperature higher than the set temperature, resulting in decreased yield and reliability as the test has not been conducted at the exact set temperature.
To cope with this, there has been research into a system for compensating for test temperature deviation in which a cooling fluid formed by mixing a liquefied gas, such as liquefied nitrogen, and dry air is sprayed directly onto the semiconductor device from one side of the semiconductor device in order to test the semiconductor device at an exact temperature or within an exact temperature range. However, in spraying the cooling fluid onto the semiconductor device, the carrier module structure can impede uniform spreading of the sprayed cooling fluid over an entire surface of the semiconductor device, which decreases efficiency of the test temperature deviation compensation system.
FIGS. 1 to 3 show a related art carrier module 10 with a carrier body 11, in this case rectangular and formed, for example, of plastic, configured to be held in a test tray, a seating recess 12 in the carrier body 11, a heat dissipation block 13 that forms a bottom of the seating recess 12 and receives the semiconductor device 20 thereon, and a pair of latches 15 provided at opposite sides of the seating recess 12 that hold the semiconductor device 20 seated on the heat dissipation block 13.
The heat dissipation block 13 is formed of a material with good heat conductivity, for example, a metal such as aluminum, to improve cooling of the semiconductor device 20. The heat dissipation block 13 has a central pass through hole 14 configured to guide cooling fluid sprayed from a nozzle 30 of a test temperature deviation compensation device (not shown) to the semiconductor device 20. The heat dissipation block 13 has a plurality of guide ribs 17 formed on a bottom thereof that guide the cooling fluid toward the pass through hole 14 to enhance a heat dissipation effect, and a plurality of air holes 18 at both sides of a lower portion of the carrier body 11 where the guide ribs 17 are formed and configured to discharge the sprayed cooling fluid to outside of the carrier body 11 through both sides of the lower portion of the carrier body 11.
However, the related art carrier module 10 has a problem in that overall cooling efficiency is poor, due to a large difference in cooling performance between a central portion and a periphery of the semiconductor device. This difference in cooling performance is caused by concentration of the cooling fluid, which is passed through the pass through hole 14 in the heat dissipation block 13, at a central portion of the semiconductor device, as the top surface of the heat dissipation block 13 is flat, and the semiconductor device 20 is seated thereon.
Moreover, the direct discharge of the cooling fluid outside of the carrier body 11 through the air holes 18 formed in sides of the carrier body 11 causes a drop in cooling efficiency, as the cooling fluid is discharged before its full cooling capacity has been expended in cooling of the entire heat dissipation block 13.

Test tray with carrier modules for a semiconductor device handler