An electronic device has an opening in a case, a lid member that includes a first lid member having a pair of first engaging sections for putting a lid on the opening at its both ends, a second lid member that has a pair of second engaging sections engaging with the first engaging sections and slides on a main surface of the first lid member, and a projection disposed at an end of the sliding direction of the second lid member. The case has an engaging hole engaging with the projection disposed on the second lid member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lid member for putting a lid on a battery storage section, a recording medium storage section, or an external connection terminal storage section of an electronic device such as a notebook computer, and to an electronic device using the lid member, especially relates to a lid member allowing certain water proof and dust proof and to an electronic device using the lid member.
2. Background Art
Recently, electronic devices having high portability have become widespread, and are used very often not only in doors but also out of doors. Therefore, the electronic devices have been demanded to have vibration resistance and impact resistance against carrying or fall and have environmental resistance against temperature/humidity variation of the ambient environment. Especially, even notebook computers have been more frequently used on the condition of a tough ambient environment such as the outdoors or construction sites, and certain locking performance considering the environmental resistance has been demanded.
An electronic device such as a portable notebook computer has a battery storage section, a recording medium storage section, or an external connection terminal storage section. The electronic device is usually carried out while the lid is put on it and closed by the lid member, and the lid is opened in order to replace the recording medium or the battery for information processing regardless of indoors or outdoors and in order to connect an external device to the external connection terminal.
Examples where the locking structures of various storage sections of such an electronic device are improved to secure the water proof are disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications No. 2001-21979, No. 2005-347432, No. 2003-142841, and No. 2002-176481.
In all of the above-mentioned documents, however, a packing made of an elastic member is disposed in a lid member, and the lid member is fixed to an electronic device body through a locking claw that is made of a material different from that of the case of the electronic device. In such a structure, disadvantageously, a difference in expansion/contraction rate occurs between materials dependently on the ambient environment such as temperature variation and hence sufficient locking performance cannot be secured. Uniform pressing force cannot be applied to the packing dependently on the layout of the locking claw, so that the essential function of the lid member, namely putting a lid, becomes insufficient, and the water proof and dust proof cannot be performed.
Also in a structure where the packing and the lid member are integrated and simultaneously moved and the lid member is locked to the case of the electronic device, the difference in expansion/contraction rate between the packing and the lid member is apt to cause degradation of the packing, disadvantageously.

Lid member and electronic device using the same


Various embodiments are shown and described, each of a vehicle crane unit for loading, unloading, and dumping objects from a vehicle and for moving objects that rest on the vehicle or off of the vehicle. The vehicle crane unit includes a vehicle horizontal base and a vertical frame that extends up from the base. A boom pivots on the vehicle and is held in various desired positions by stops that are attached to the vertical frame. The boom has a pulley wheel that can receive a winch-pulled cable that can be attached to an object or a container. By stopping the boom in various positions and taking in, letting out, or repositioning the cable, the vehicle crane unit pulls and lifts the object or container to a desired location. An optional container is designed to rest on and cooperate with the vehicle crane unit, for dumping contents from the container or for on-loading and off-loading the container with its contents.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle-mounted crane and hoist systems for loading and unloading objects from the vehicle and for moving objects. This invention also relates to vehicle-mounted container dump systems for tipping and emptying a container.
2. Background Art
Cranes, hoists, and other mechanical arms have been mounted on vehicles, such as masonry trucks and railroad cars, for lifting material onto and off of the vehicle platforms. Hydraulic pressure cylinders, or cable and pulley systems that extend along the length of the mechanical arms, are often used to change the direction of the arms and the angle of joints between sections of articulated arms.
Truck-mounted container dump systems have been designed with containers that can be tipped to dump material out the back of the container, usually through a hinged door. A typical example is the common dump truck, in which the truck bed acts as the container and hydraulics are typically used to raise and lower the truck bed. Dump containers that are separate from the truck bed have also been designed, especially for use in pickup truck beds. Duncan, Sr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,851) discloses a cargo bin that is tipped back and halfway out of a pickup bed, guided by rollers moving through guideways, by a sudden forward movement of the truck. The contents of the bin are discharged as springs pull the bin back into the pickup bed. King (U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,534) discloses a load bed that rolls down an inclined guideway when the pickup tailgate is opened, catches on hooked portions of the guideway, and then tips down until the back end of the load bed touches the ground. Mabry, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,496) discloses a dumping box that rolls out of the pickup on a support frame, which can be inclined by a jack, and then tips to touch the ground. Ruff (U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,534) discloses a dump body which is tipped by a cable that passes back and forth between stationary front and rear posts that extend up from the pickup bed.
What is still needed is a simple, controllable and easily operated system for both loading, unloading, and dumping a container or other objects from a vehicle.


Device for dispersion of light pulses of an optical beam constituted by two dispersive prisms with the same vertex angle, mounted head to tail, the optical input surface of the first prism being parallel to the optical output surface of the second prism, the distance separating the optical input surface of the first prism and the optical output surface of the second prism being adjustable, given that the material constituting at least one of the first and second prisms is an acousto-optic material allowing for acousto-optic interaction between the optical beam and an acoustic beam, the acoustic wave of the acoustic beam generating, in at least one of the first and second prisms, an integrated deflective Bragg cell.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for dispersion of light pulses programmable in spectral amplitude.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, it is known that there are numerous devices for dispersing brief light pulses. One of them, proposed for the first time by R. L. Fork et al, "Negative dispersion using pairs of prisms", published in Optics Letters, May 1984, consists of using a train of two identical reversed prisms (the input surface of the first prism is parallel to the output surface of the second prism).
In the example shown in FIG. 1, describing the prior art relating in particular to the device cited above, two prisms P1, P2, having the same vertex angle α, are arranged head to tail, the input surface of said prism P1 is parallel to the output surface of said prism P2, the distance separating them being L; the output surface of said first prism P1 is consequently parallel to the input surface of said prism P2, the distance separating them being d; the projection of the vertex of said prism P2 on the input surface of said prism P1 is separated by H from the vertex of said prism P1.
The modification of the dispersion characteristic associating the delay time with the optical wavelength is performed by modifying the distance L that separates the input and output surfaces of the prisms P1, P2; the modification of the dispersion characteristic can also be performed by modifying the distance H that separates the vertices of the two prisms P1, P2.

Device for dispersing light pulses of which the spectral amplitude is programmable


A liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes first and second substrates facing each other, each of the first and second substrates having a first substrate having a display region, a non-display region, and a seal pattern region disposed in the non-display region; a protection layer on the first substrate and having a first seal pattern groove in the seal pattern region; first and second dams on the second substrate and respectively disposed at both ends of the first seal pattern groove, the first and second dams configured to form a second seal pattern groove corresponding to the first seal pattern groove; a pixel electrode on the first substrate; a common electrode on one of the first and second substrates; a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates; and a seal pattern having one end inserted into the first seal pattern groove and the other end inserted into the second seal pattern groove.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and more particularly, to an LCD device in which a guide pattern for a seal pattern is formed to reduce a design margin during formation of the seal pattern so that a narrow bezel can be embodied.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years, with the advent of information-oriented society, display devices configured to process and display a large amount of information have been developed at a high speed. Among the display devices, LCD devices have lately been developed as highly efficient flat panel display (FPD) devices, which may be made ultrathin and lightweight and consume low power to supersede conventional cathode ray tubes (CRTs).
Among the LCD devices, an active-matrix-type LCD including an array substrate in which a thin film transistor (TFT) serving as a switching device capable of controlling on/off states of a voltage in each of pixels is provided has attracted much attention because the active-matrix-type LCD has a high resolution and is highly capable of embodying moving images.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a conventional liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of portion A of FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the LCD device may include a first substrate 10 on which a thin film transistor (TFT) Tr serving as a switching device and a pixel electrode 50 are formed, a second substrate 60 on which a common electrode 66 is formed, an LC layer 70 interposed between the first and second substrates 10 and 60, and a seal pattern 80 configured to bond the first and second substrates 10 and 60 to each other to prevent leakage of LCs from the LC layer 70. The first and second substrates 10 and 60 may be disposed opposite each other.
A display region DR and a non-display region NDR may be defined on the first substrate 10. The display region DR may be configured to display images, and the non-display region NDR may be disposed adjacent to the display region DR. The seal pattern 80 may be disposed in the non-display region NDR.
Gate lines (not shown) and data lines (not shown) may be formed on the first substrate 10 to enable switching operations of the TFT Tr. A driver configured to apply signals to the gate lines and the data lines may be formed on at least one side of the first substrate 10. In this case, to connect the driver with an external driver circuit, the second substrate 60 may have a smaller size than the first substrate 10 and expose at least one side of the first substrate 10.
The TFT Tr may include a gate electrode 14 connected to the gate line, a gate insulating layer 20 covering the gate electrode 14, a semiconductor layer 22 disposed on the gate insulating layer 20 and including an active layer 22a formed of pure amorphous silicon (a-Si) and an ohmic contact layer 22b formed of doped a-Si, a source electrode 32 disposed on the semiconductor layer 22 and connected to the data line, and a drain electrode 34 disposed on the semiconductor layer 22 and spaced apart from the source electrode 32.
A protection layer 40 having a drain contact hole 42 exposing the drain electrode 34 may be formed to cover the TFT Tr. A pixel electrode 50 may be formed on the protection layer 40 and connected to the drain electrode 34 through the drain contact hole 42. The pixel electrode 50 may be disposed in each of pixel regions P defined by intersections between the gate lines and the data lines.
In addition, a black matrix 62, a color filter layer 64, and a common electrode 66 may be formed on the second substrate 60 disposed opposite the first substrate 10. The black matrix 62 may cover the gate line and the data line, the color filter layer 64 may correspond to the pixel region P, and the common electrode 66 may be configured to form an electric field along with the pixel electrode 50.
The LC layer 70 may be disposed between the first and second substrates 10 and 60, that is, between the pixel electrode 50 and the common electrode 66, and LC molecules of the LC layer 70 may be driven due to an electric field formed between the pixel electrode 50 and the common electrode 66.
As described above, the seal pattern 80 may be formed in the non-display region NDR to prevent leakage of LCs from the LC layer 70 and bond the first and second substrates 10 and 60 to each other. One end of the seal pattern 80 may be in contact with the protection layer 40, and the other end thereof may be in contact with the second substrate 60.
The seal pattern 80 may be formed by coating a sealant on the first substrate 10 or the second substrate 60 using a dispenser.
However, the seal pattern 80 may depart from a desired position during the formation thereof.
A deviation in the position of the seal pattern 80 will be described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.
Initially, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the sealant is coated with a dispenser (not shown) located in a first position PO1, the seal pattern 80 may be formed in a desired position. However, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, when the sealant is coated with the dispenser deviated from the first position PO1 and located in a second position PO2 or third position PO3, a deviation DV caused by the spread of the sealant may occur during a bonding process, so the sealant 80 may depart from a desired position.
A region in which the sealant 80 is to be formed should increase by as much as the deviation DV in consideration of the deviation DV, so that the non-display region NDR may increase. That is, embodying a narrow bezel required by an LCD may be hindered.


An electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery includes a first lithium salt; a second lithium salt including a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, Chemical Formula 3-1 or 3-2, or combinations thereof; a non-aqueous organic solvent; and an additive including a compound represented by Chemical Formula 9.

1. Field
This disclosure relates to an electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery and a rechargeable lithium battery including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rechargeable lithium batteries have recently drawn attention as power sources for small, portable electronic devices. They use organic electrolyte solutions and therefore have twice the discharge voltage of conventional batteries using alkaline aqueous solutions. Accordingly, they have high energy density.
Rechargeable lithium batteries include positive electrodes including positive active materials that can intercalate and deintercalate lithium, and negative electrodes including active materials that can intercalate and deintercalate lithium. Organic electrolyte solutions are then injected into a battery cell including the positive and negative electrodes to complete the lithium batteries.
Recently, rechargeable lithium batteries have drawn attention as power sources for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV), as the demand for environmentally-friendly electric vehicles has increased. Batteries for electric vehicles should have high power output at room temperature and low temperature and good characteristics at high temperature.

Electrolyte for rechargeable lithium battery, and rechargeable lithium battery including the same


Embodiments provide single fiber bidirectional HDCP modules. A signal fiber module includes at least one laser and at least one detector and a waveguide combiner/splitter. An optical fiber is used as a cylindrical lens in order to partially collimate in the vertical axis the optical signals entering and leaving branches of a waveguide. The branches of the waveguide have lens-shape interfaces in order to at least partially collimate in the horizontal axis the beams entering and leaving the waveguide. Each branch of the waveguide tapers toward a join-section of the waveguide. At the join section, the cross-section of a laser branch is smaller than the cross-section of a detector branch. If more than one detector is present in a module, the cross-sections of the detector branches differ from each other. If more than one laser is present in a module, the cross-sections of the laser branches differ from each other.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) transmission systems and relates more particularly to optical fiber links with waveguide combiners or splitters.
2. Description of the Related Art
High-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) is a specification developed by Intel Corporation to protect digital entertainment content across the DVI/HDMI interface. The HDCP specification provides a robust method for transmitting and receiving digital entertainment content to DVI/HDMI-compliant digital displays. High-bandwidth is usually achieved by one of two means: shielded copper wires or an optical fiber link. The first generation of HDCP transmission systems were realized by parallel shielded copper wire cables. Due to bandwidth limits on optical fiber links, multiple parallel optical fibers have been traditionally used for HDCP applications. A four-fiber module has three forward channels and one backward channel. It requires four light sources, four fiber links, and four receivers. A two-fiber module has one forward channel and one backward channel. It requires two light sources, two fiber links, and two receivers. For longer distance applications, such as 100 to 1000 meters, the cost of buying and maintaining multiple fibers is considered expensive.
If a single fiber bidirectional optical transmission system is used, waveguide combiners and splitters require a high precision assembly in the range of ±5 um for multimode application using conventional waveguide layouts. The need for high precision in manufacture increases production costs and lowers productivity.

Bidirectional HDCP module using single optical fiber and waveguide combiner/splitter


A semiconductor device including a ferroelectric random access memory, which has a structure suitable for miniaturization and easy to manufacture, and having less restrictions on materials to be used, comprises a field effect transistor formed on a surface area of a semiconductor wafer, a trench ferroelectric capacitor formed in the semiconductor wafer in one source/drain of the field effect transistor, wherein one electrode thereof is connected to the source/drain, and a wiring formed in the semiconductor wafer and connected to the other electrode of the trench ferroelectric capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device using a ferroelectric film, and more specifically to a semiconductor memory device which has a structure suitable for miniaturization, and its manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Upon progress of miniaturization to realize high integration, a semiconductor memory device, such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), has employed a three-dimensional structure. FIGS. 44A, 44B show an example of a conventional trench type ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) which is one of three-dimensional structures. The drawings are illustrated to explain sectional structures. FIG. 44A shows a single trench type FeRAM, and FIG. 44B shows a serially connected trench type FeRAM. As shown in FIGS. 44A, 44B, the trench type FeRAM comprises a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor 40, and a trench ferroelectric capacitor 50 formed in one source/drain 46a of the MOS transistor and constituted of a lower electrode 56, a ferroelectric film 58, and an upper electrode 60. The upper electrode 60 of the capacitor is connected to a plate line 90 through a first contact plug 86. Additionally, in the serially connected trench type FeRAM shown in FIG. 44B, a plate line 90b is connected to the other source/drain 46b of the MOS transistor through a second contact plug 84. In this trench type FeRAM, since the contact plug 86 connected to the plate line 90 should be formed from the upper electrode 60 of the capacitor 50, this portion needs (A) a margin for processing, consequently, it imposes a limitation on miniaturization. Further, in the serially connected trench type FeRAM shown in FIG. 44B, as to trench capacitors 50a, 50b formed in the same source/drain 46a, their lower electrodes 56a, 56b are commonly connected, and their upper electrodes 60a, 60b are connected to different plate lines 90a, 90b. Securing of (B) a space between the plate lines 90a, 90b is also an obstacle to miniaturization.
FIGS. 45A, 45B show an example of a stack type FeRAM of a conventional structure which is another three-dimensional structure. The drawings are illustrated to explain sectional structures. FIG. 45A shows a single stack type FeRAM, and FIG. 45B shows a serially connected stack type FeRAM. As shown in FIGS. 45A, 45B, the stack type FeRAM comprises a MOS transistor 40, and a stacked ferroelectric capacitor 51 constituted of a columnar lower electrode 56, a ferroelectric film 58, and an upper electrode 60 formed on a first contact plug 82 on one source/drain 46a of the MOS transistor 40. The upper electrode 60 is connected to a plate line 90 through a third contact plug 86. Additionally, in the serially connected stack type FeRAM shown in FIG. 45B, a plate line 90b is connected to the other source/drain 46b of the MOS transistor 40 through a second contact plug 84. In this stack type FeRAM, miniaturization causes problems due to following micro-fabrication itself. For example, (B) a space between separate plate lines 90a, 90b, (C) alignment of the first contact plug 82 to the stacked capacitor 51, (D) a processing margin between adjacent capacitors 51, (E) etching processing of the columnar lower electrode 56, (F) processing of the contact plug 86 for connecting the plate line 90b formed above the capacitor 51 to the source/drain 46b, and the like can be cited as problems.
Furthermore, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-303396 discloses yet another FeRAM with different three-dimensional structure. The FeRAM has a flat capacitor with a ferroelectric film to suppress its characteristic deterioration caused by its three-dimensional structure. The capacitor constituted of epitaxially grown layers of a first electrode 104, a ferroelectric film 105, and a second electrode 106 is formed on a silicon wafer 101. A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer 109 is formed on the wafer having the capacitor via an insulator 110. A MOS transistor is formed on the SOI layer 109. The first electrode 104 of the capacitor also has a function of a plate line. This structure is suitable for miniaturization because an area below the MOS transistor can be used for the capacitor. However, there are various problems described below. The capacitor is formed on the silicon wafer 101 using an epitaxial growth. However, materials of the components of the capacitor are different from silicon. The epitaxial growth that uses such different kinds of materials, i.e., hetero-epitaxial growth, is a very sophisticated technology. To execute high-quality epitaxial growth without introducing crystal defects and so on, there are restrictions on materials to be used. In addition, a manufacturing process is complex since the SOI structure is employed.
As described above, a semiconductor device including a ferroelectric random access memory having a structure suitable for miniaturization and easy to manufacture, and having less restrictions on materials to be used, and its manufacturing method is required.

Semiconductor memory device and method of manufacturing the same


A wireless communication device is disclosed wherein isolation buffers couple to respective active circuits or stages of the device to convey test information regarding such active circuits to a test data line from which status information may be collected. The communication device operates in two modes, namely a normal operational mode wherein the isolation buffers effectively short spurious emissions from the active circuits to a ground, and a test mode wherein the isolation buffers may convey test information from a selected active circuit to the test data line. The isolation buffers prevent spurious emissions from escaping the active circuits to which they are coupled and prevent spurious emissions from traveling from active circuit to active circuit over the test data line throughout the wireless device.

Modern wireless communication devices include several blocks or stages that cooperate to achieve a desired functionality. For example, a wireless communication device may include a receiver section having blocks such as an antenna interface, low noise amplifier, mixer, analog to digital converters, a digital signal processor and baseband circuitry coupled thereto. The communication device may also include a transmitter section with several stages or blocks that process a baseband signal for transmission as a radio frequency signal at a desired frequency. A frequency synthesizer may couple to both the receiver section and the transmitter section to control the respective receive and transmit frequencies thereof. The synthesizer itself may include several blocks or stages such as a reference signal oscillator, phase detector, charge pump, low pass filter, voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and various divider circuits all coupled together according to standard practice in the industry.
It is desirable to be able to monitor the performance of each of the blocks forming a communication device during both the design phase of the communication device and when manufacturing the communication device in the factory. Unfortunately, testing each stage of a communication system can be challenging. When testing the stages of a communication device, it is important that any test apparatus in the communication device not allow spurious radio frequency signals to escape from the device during normal system operation. Moreover, it is desirable that the test apparatus not introduce undesired coupling of spurious radiation between the stages of the communication device. Such coupling could degrade communication device performance and compromise test results.
What is needed is a wireless communication device including an improved test apparatus which addresses the problems discussed above.

System and method for reducing spurious emissions in a wireless communication device including a testing apparatus


A wheel drive apparatus of an automated guide vehicle (AGV) is provided, which includes: a bogie frame; drive frames including a pair of drive wheels installed so that power is transmitted through opposite side surfaces of the bogie frame, and first auxiliary wheels opposite to second auxiliary wheels, with a gap “b” outside of each of the opposite side surfaces of the bogie frame; rotation shaft portions pivotally coupled at shaft points of each of the drive frames and the bogie frame; and connection portions in which first connection arms are respectively formed in the drive frames, and second connection arms are respectively formed in the bogie frame, and the first and second connection arms are vertically connected as a slip rod so as to move up and down at a predetermined gap “a”, and thus which does not cause the drive wheel to float in the air even if any of the auxiliary wheels or any of the drive wheels of the AGV travelling along the floor contacts a depression, a barrier and a slope.

In general, various bogies or trucks for transporting materials, semi-finished products or parts are used in industrial sites such as assembly lines or part processing lines of automobiles.
Recently, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have been adopted and used in places such as distribution centers where large-scale products are handled. The AGV is an unmanned transport vehicle that enables a bogies or truck to move along a guideline installed on the ground floor or by recognizing a path with a laser scanner sensor, and that transports cargo such as products or parts from one place to another without an operator's direct driving.
In most cases, such an AGV is connected to a conveyor to perform work. In order to receive a product from a conveyor or to deliver a product to a conveyor, the AGV has to accurately stop at a predetermined loading position.
Meanwhile, when any of the drive wheels contact a depression, a barrier, or a sloped floor during driving of such an AGV, the driving of the AGV used to be stopped sometimes.
That is, depending on the surface condition of the floor, any of the drive wheels receiving the driving force between the front auxiliary wheels or the rear auxiliary wheels may float from the floor while the AGV travels, and thus there may be a case in which the AGV may not reach a loading position.
That is, the front and rear auxiliary wheels touch the floor, but the drive wheels located in the middle of the bogie frame may float from the floor. When any of the drive wheels is floating from the floor, the AGV is in a stopped state where it is impossible to drive, resulting in a disruption in the supply of parts for the automated facility as described above.
Meanwhile, in the case of Korean Patent No. 10-1466906, the drive wheel stopped due to the malfunction is raised to separate from the floor, by improving the case where it is impossible to perform driving of the AGV due to the stop of any of the drive wheels when any of the drive wheels is broken, thereby implementing a lifting device that enables the remaining auxiliary wheels to run. It is not desirable to include too many additional devices compared to the field situation of an AGV. In addition, even if the front and rear auxiliary wheels travel on the floor having an inclination, it is required to automatically correct the drive wheels without experiencing any of the drive wheels floating on the floor so that continuous driving is possible without stopping.
As conventional art documents, there are documents of Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1466906 and Korean Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0044898.

Wheel drive apparatus of automated guided vehicle


A light emitting diode comprises a sealed part, and at least two pins extending outward from the sealing part. The sealed part further comprises a connecting pole integrated with at least one pin, a base integrated with at least another pin, a chip received in the base, and a brazed wire connecting with the chip and the connecting pole respectively. It is characterized in that the base is free from sealing at the bottom area thereof having cone tip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting diode, and particularly to a light emitting diode, in which a base thereof has a bottom part free from sealing and exposing outside for heat dissipation. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a method making the light emitting diode and the blank thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A light emitting diode has been used as an effective light source for years. The light emitting diode provides advantages such as a longer life span, a higher lightness and a lower power consumption such that it is widely applied in a signaling light, a brake light on a car, a Christmas decorative light, and etc. In addition, the light emitting diode can provides an effect of instant flash by way of circuit design as desired. Therefore, the light emitting diode is popularly used and there is a tendency for the light emitting diode to replace the conventional tungsten lamp.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical light emitting diode provides at least two connecting pins A as a positive pole and a negative pole respectively. A base B is disposed above one of the poles at a lateral side thereof to receive a crystal chip or a dies C and a brazed wire D connects a nodal plate E extended from the other pole to constitute a circuit. The above said pins A, base B, nodal plate E are made of conductive sheet metal, and, in practice, are produced by way of integrally punch pressing a strip of conductive sheet metal.
As shown in FIG. 2, a blank used for a prior art light emitting diode is illustrated. It can be seen that the blank has been punch pressed to form a plurality of blank sections. Each blank section has connecting pins A, the base B, and the nodal plate E, and the base B has a shape of concave inward cone. The rest unnecessary parts are cut out as removals.
As shown in FIG. 3, a bent blank is illustrated. Each connecting pin A in the respective blank section is bent into an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the base B and the nodal plate E, and then the nodal plate E and the chip C can be connected with each other via a brazed wire D.
In order to assure a protection for all parts related to the circuit, each blank section are insulated by way of sealing compound. As shown in FIG. 4, a hold fixture is provided with recessions to fit with pattern frames F. Each blank section is received in each pattern frame F and fits with the pattern frame such that the base B and the nodal plate E are disposed in the pattern frame. Then, the transparent sealing compound such as epoxy resin is poured into each pattern frame F to be flush with the upper surface of the pattern frame F. When the poured sealing compound is solidified, the sealed blank sections are taken out and apart from the pattern frames F respectively. Finally, the sealed blank sections are separate into individual light emitting diodes and each of the light emitting diodes is like the one shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the base B is completely covered by the sealing compound and insulated from the outside and the parts above the base B are in a state of being sealed to insulate from the outside either.
Because the light emitting diode is started instantaneously, an instantaneous current consumption is great accordingly so as to generate a higher temperature in the light emitting diode. When the light emitting diode is kept xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d for a long period of time, the heat generated from the chip and the brazed wire is unable to be released outward and results in a phenomenon of minor flaming to affect the durability of the light emitting diode.
An object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting diode, in which the base thereof is not sealed by the sealing compound to ease the heat dissipation generated therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method to make a light emitting diode, with which a bottom part of the base on the light emitting diode is free from sealing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a blank with a plurality of blank sections used for making light emitting diodes such that a base in each blank section thereof is possible to be made free from the sealing compound.

Light emitting diode and manufacturing process thereof with blank


A system and method are provided for implementing an asynchronous buffering module and/or scheme employing an integrated registration function, particularly for in-line printing in an image forming system. Multiple simplex marking engines are arranged in series and provided with a mechanism that includes an asynchronous buffering module with the capacity to modify the timing of individual sheets of image receiving media passing between the in-line marking engines. The buffering module is augmented with an integrated registration function for the in-line duplex printing. The combined mechanism provides a capacity between the multiple marking engines to effect timing synchronization and re-registration for the sheets exiting the first serial marking engine allowing them to be properly timed and registered for feeding to the second serial marking engine. An asynchronous nature of the combination of media marking engines is synchronized in the feed of the sheets between the media marking engines.

1. Field of Disclosed Subject Matter
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for implementing an asynchronous buffering module and/or scheme employing an integrated registration function, particularly for in-line printing in an image forming system.
2. Related Art
Most modern, sometimes complex, image forming systems include one or more techniques for image forming on both sides of an image receiving media substrate. These two-sided or duplex printing functions typically include the input of a sheet of image receiving media from an input tray and translation of the sheet of image receiving media, via a first transport path, through a media marking engine that is configured to deposit a marking material on a first surface of the sheet of image receiving media. The image may then be fused, or otherwise fixed, on the first surface of the sheet of image receiving media. With a duplex mode selected in the image forming system, the sheet of image receiving media is not output to an output tray. Rather, the sheet of image receiving media is translated, via a second (duplex) transport path, to a beginning of the first transport path, the second (duplex) transport path including a sheet inversion function or unit that results in the sheet of image receiving media being reintroduced, via the first transport path, through the media marking engine again such that the marking material is deposited on a second surface of the sheet of image receiving media. The sheet of image receiving media may then be passed to, or through, an image fusing/fixing unit to finally finish the images on the first and second surfaces of the sheet of image receiving media, prior to passing the sheet of image receiving media to a post-processing device, or to an output tray.
Regardless of the simplicity or complexity of the two-sided or duplex printing operations, duplexing operations typically significantly reduce the page-per-minute (ppm) throughput of the image forming system. The manipulations of the sheets of image receiving media to cause them to appropriately pass through the single media marking engine twice before ultimately being passed downstream in the process direction account for a significant percentage of the reductions in throughput.
Image forming system designers and manufacturers, driven by the competitive nature of the business and in an effort to meet ever increasing production requirements levied by their customers, have sought solutions to limit the reductions in image receiving media throughput in their devices, particularly in a duplex printing mode. One solution to increase the throughput in duplex image forming operations in an image forming system that is to place two marking engines, each operating in a single-side printing or simplex mode, in series. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of such an image forming system 100. As shown in FIG. 1, an image receiving media input source 110 such as, for example, an input tray is provided. Sheets of image receiving media are pulled from the media input source 110 to begin a duplex image forming operation in the exemplary image forming system 100. A first media marking engine 120 forms, and potentially fixes, an image on a first side of the sheet of image receiving media. A media inversion device (sheet inverter) 130 is located between the first media marking engine 120 and the second media marking engine 140 to invert the sheet of image receiving media. The second media marking engine 140 then forms, and potentially fixes, an image on the second side of the sheet of image receiving media. The sheet of image receiving media may then be passed to a media post-processing device 150 and/or to a media output receptacle 160, such as an output tray.

Systems and methods for implementing an asynchronous buffering module with an integrated registration function for inline printing an image forming system


The present invention provides a method for dry-etching a solid surface with a gaseous bismuth halide compound, which permits achivement of a simple and perfect dry-process for manufacturing of electoric devices, quantum devices etc., giving a high reproducibility.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for dry-etching. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel method for dry-etching a solid surface such as a silicon surface or a gallium arsenide surface, which is useful as a basic technology for the manufacture of semiconductor devices.
2. Description of Related Art
In the conventional manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, the etching method of a semiconductor crystal surface is popularly adopted as a basic technology for removing unnecessary portions of an insulating film or a metal thin film along a resist pattern at a high accuracy. As the degree of integration of semiconductor device has increased, however, the pattern width has become smaller. With chemical etching (wet etching) using a solution, which has been used as one etching method, it has now become difficult to cope with need of forming such a high-density pattern. Under these circumstances, attention has focused on a method known as dry-etching. The dry-etching method conducts etching in a relatively clean atmosphere under vacuum, and is therefore expected to enable processing of fine patterned devices.
For silicon (Si), a representative device material, for example, a dry-etching technique using fluorine and chlorine based halogen gases is known. This dry-etching technology makes it possible, in the case of silicon, to remove unnecessary portions of a fine pattern while keeping controllability on a necessary level, and is now considered as a major technique in practice.
In spite of the remarkable progress made in the dry-etching technique, in the case of silicon, it is the common practice to remove an oxide film On a silicon surface by the application of wet etching using an etching liquid such as hydrofluoric acid. The reason is that the oxide film on a silicon surface cannot effectively be removed by conventional dry-etching techniques. Application of wet etching may thus be inevitable.
In the case of this wet etching, however, a problem is that the surface undergoes a change in the course of passing silicon through vacuum after etching. Various measures are of course studied to maintain stability of the surface after removal of the oxide film. Along with the progress toward finer and higher-integration devices, no effective means has yet been found to stabilize the silicon surface after etching, but various problems have become more apparent.
And these problems have also become the same for the other various solid surfaces useful for fine semiconductor devices.
For the purpose of developing a dry-etching technique to form a fine pattern on semiconductor devices, there is naturally a demand for achieving a perfect dry-etching process in which removal of an oxide film on a solid surface such as silicon, GaAs and so on is accomplished by a dry-process. The present circumstances as described above however impose serious restrictions on achievement of a perfect dry-process. This is exerting an important influence also on practical development of the dry-etching technique itself for the formation of a pattern on the device material surface, and hinders efficient improvement permitting high-accuracy patterning.
The present invention was developed in view of the circumstances as described above, and has an object to provide a novel method for etching, which overcomes the restrictions in the conventional etching technique of solid surface, permits dry-etching at a high reproducibility by simple means also for an oxide film on a crystal surface, and allows achievement of a perfect dry-process.

Method for dry-etching using gaseous bismuth halide compound

Research Development Corporation of Japan


A docking station, serving as a digital hub and cable management platform, support a laptop computer (42) in an upright position with the laptop screen (43) in a comfortable viewing position relative to the working position of the user. The laptop (42) is positioned in an upright slot (4) in the docking station, with the connection ports easily seen and accessed. The surface of the laptop slot (4) is lined with non-slip surface (3) to ease insertion and control of the laptop (42) as it is lowered into the slot (4). An adjustable front cover (15) defining the front boundary of the slot (4) covers the keyboard of the mobile computer (42) so that the user does not need to view two keyboards, and the appearance of the docked laptop (42) is clean and aesthetic. Wireless data and power transmission into the laptop (42) is provided while the laptop (42) is in the slot (4) so that the laptop (42) can be used in the docking station without a need for cable connections (45, 46) at all.

A docking station is a hardware component that complements a mobile computing device, such as laptops, tablet pcs, ultra portables, desktop replacements and the like. Conventional docking devices for mobile computers are designed to connect directly to the mobile computer via ports on its back plane, or through a proprietary connector on the bottom of the mobile computer. Numerous approaches to docking stations have been tried in the past, with varying degrees of success.
A port replicator is a long device that pushes onto the back plane of the laptop. It simply extends the existing ports and when removing the laptop, the replicator remains connected to the cables of all the individual devices. This way, the user forgoes the need to connect these cables individually to the computer. However, the friction of connecting multiple ports can make this docking alternative difficult for the user, and the mobile computer and the dock need to be pushed together with proper alignment.
Some solutions include a proprietary docking port with very small pins that eases this connection. The port is usually at the bottom of the laptop. The docking surface is horizontal, and the connection is made by pushing the laptop onto the device. However, once again, most of these solutions assume the user will attach a second display, and the laptop display may not be used at all while docked.
Almost all docking stations position the portable computer parallel to the plane of the desktop working surface after physical connection to the dock, even though a full size auxiliary keyboard is used instead of the compact keyboard that is typically part of the laptop computer. Docking solutions that continue to use the laptop screen for viewing have the disadvantage that the laptop is in most cases connected on a horizontal plane relative to the desktop surface, and the laptop screen sits much lower than a traditional monitor when docked at the desktop, making the use of this docking solution very uncomfortable when used for an extended period of time. When a full size keyboard is connected, the laptop keyboard takes up space on the desktop between the docked keyboard and the laptop monitor.
Many docking stations and port replicators include a video port connection to a fixed monitor on the desktop surface. When the laptop is attached, the video signals are passed through either the laptop VGA connector or the proprietary docking connector to a full size monitor.
Many currently available external monitors now use LCD flat screens. This is the same technology used on laptop screens. Therefore, the necessity of the external monitor comes into question. Aside from the very small sub-notebook computers or the extra large screen requirements of graphics and design professionals, the external monitor brings little added value.
Most docking solutions are built for a specific mobile computing platform. They have a specific docking connector that works with a single laptop type. Furthermore, the power connection is also usually designed for single laptop. This means that every time the portable computing platform is changed, or a new model is introduced, a new docking solution must be procured. Even across single manufacturer's product lines, the docking solution is often specific to single model or group of models adding significant cost and inconvenience to the upgrade path.
An alternative is a universal approach that currently leans towards devices that perform a single or limited set of functions. This may include plugging in one device that creates a network connection and another that offers a serial port. This creates a need to use multiple 'docks' and inherently conflicts with many of the key benefits—ease of use, simplicity etc.
Another solution that is often used as a universal docking connection is a multi-port docking bar that connects the laptop via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection on the laptop computer. This sits loosely at the side or back of the laptop. Usually these devices connect the keyboard, mouse, parallel, serial, and ethernet ports via a single USB cable connection. A single USB connection docks the laptop. All of the cables are spread out on the desktop behind the laptop.
Current docking solutions include connections to the various peripherals on the rear of the dock. However, the cables simply extend out the back and on to the peripheral connection without a cable management solution. Most of the cables remain loosely arranged around the back of the docked laptop. Any cable management must be done with a separate device or with furniture.
However, a universal solution that adapts in dimension to fit the various shapes and sizes of laptops and uses a simple easy-to-use coherent docking approach is new to this industry. Furthermore, this innovation accomplishes the cable connections and positions the laptop for comfortable viewing. This advantage is greatly needed by the many users working longer than a few minutes per day on their portable computers.


A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant producing golden yellow flowers with an orange red center.

The present invention is directed to a new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum botanically classified as Dendranthema grandiflora. The varietal denomination of the new chrysanthemum is `Fire Time.`
The female and male parents of the new variety are undistributed, unpatented seedlings identified as P23-21 and P88- 19, respectivelly. The new variety has been asexually reproduced by vegetative cuttings in Ventura County, Calif. and the distinguishing characteristics are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.


A JTAG module (12) includes a master component (20) and any number of slave components (22). The master component (20) includes a TAP controller (24) and related control circuits. Through a control bus (35), the TAP controller (24) on the master component (20) controls boundary-scan registers (18) on the slave components (22). The boundary-scan registers (18) in the slave components (22) form a boundary-scan chain that originates and terminates at the master component (20). TAP controller circuitry may be omitted from the slave components (22). The boundary-scan registers (18) on the master and slave components (20, 22) are partitioned into external sections (26, 34) and internal sections (28, 36). The external sections couple to conductive traces (46) which are accessible from outside the module (12). The internal sections couple to conductive traces (48) which are substantially inaccessible from outside the module (12).

JTAG testing, also known as boundary-scan testing, refers to the testing of integrated circuit components and their interconnections through the use of a standardized serial test bus. In accordance with conventional JTAG architectures, JTAG components include internal circuitry dedicated to the JTAG function and four or five pins through which JTAG testers communicate with the components' JTAG circuitry. This internal circuitry includes a boundary-scan register and a test access port (TAP) controller. The boundary-scan register resides between the JTAG component's I/O pins and core logic circuits. Under the control of the TAP controller, the boundary-scan register may be substantially transparent to the normal operation of the JTAG component, may impress test vectors in lieu of logic states at the I/O pins and may sample logic states at the I/O pins. The boundary-scan registers of the various JTAG components within an electronic system are coupled together in series to make one long boundary-scan chain. A tester shifts out instructions and test vectors and shifts in control register contents and sampled test data through this boundary-scan chain.
Conventional JTAG test architectures fail to adequately manage and organize testing in many electronic systems and particularly in systems in which electronic components are arranged hierarchically. In hierarchically arranged systems, components are not independently or randomly interconnected. Rather, components are grouped together into modules, including hybrids, mother boards, daughter boards, other circuit boards, single in-line memory modules (SIMMs), multichip modules (MCMs) etc. Electronic systems are often constructed from an assortment of such modules.
The many benefits of modular construction include treating a single module as a unit rather than as a collection of individual components. Design, manufacturing and testing activities are all performed more quickly, more reliably and less expensively when a system is treated as a collection of a few modules rather than a collection of many components. However, conventional JTAG testing architectures fail to adequately support modular testing. In modular testing, testing is performed to a module level rather than to a component level. If a failure is detected in a module, then the entire module fails without regard to which components or interconnections within the module may be the cause of the module failure. Module-level testing is typically greatly simplified and much quicker than component-level testing for a given system. Simplification is highly desirable because it leads to quicker test design and debug along with more reliable test use.
Conventionally, JTAG components on modules are treated individually for testing purposes. Consequently, test vectors and circuitry descriptions become complex when the many individual JTAG components in a system are strung together. In addition, boundary-scan chains often become so long that serial data communication through the boundary-scan chains leads to slow test procedures. Increased reliability occurs because the signals internal to the module do not need to be accessed during testing in the higher-level assemblies. This is especially important when tri-state buffers share a common internal bus on the module. In this case, JTAG testing must ensure that multiple tri-state buffers with differing logic levels are not turned on simultaneously. By separating the internal and external boundary-scan paths, higher-level assemblies would not be manipulating the internal scan path, and would not be concerned with any potential damage to the module.
Furthermore, the requirement of including JTAG circuitry on many components of a module places an unnecessary burden on power consumption and the design task. If, for example, JTAG circuitry imposes an average 2000 gate burden on a JTAG component, then a component which cannot afford the 2000 gate burden due to a gate-limited design may be required to omit JTAG circuitry altogether. Moreover, if components are implemented using high power technologies, such as ECL, then the JTAG circuitry burden may cause power consumption to exceed acceptable levels.

Hierarchically managed boundary-scan testable module and method


Herringbone grooves are formed on an inner wall of a sleeve through which a motor shaft is inserted. Lubricating fluid is provided between a space between the shaft and the sleeve so as to form a relatively rotatable radial dynamic pressure bearing. A surface layer and the herringbone grooves on an inner wall of the sleeve, which are sliding regions with the motor shaft, have a different hardness from that of a base material of the sleeve. The hardness ratio of these two elements is set so that the shaft spins without wearing itself out as well as the sleeve surface layer. As a result, a highly reliable motor is achieved because the structure can maintain accurate whirling and suppress seizure due to abrasion powder between the shaft and the sleeve.

The development of disc driving apparatus utilized in the information processing field demands ever increasingly thinner dimensions and higher storage capacity. Specifically, higher performance, lower noise, longer life and higher shock-resistance are required. These requirements entail the same demands of motors that are to be employed in the disc driving apparatus for driving discs.
The bearing of a motor is one of the key elements that determine the above-identified specifications. Most of the conventional magnetic disc driving apparatuses have employed ball bearings in their motors, where discs of 5.25", 3.5", 2.5" or 1.8" diameters are mounted.
However, the technology of the ball bearing cannot meet the above demands any longer, and thus attention is drawn to a hydrodynamic bearing. Recently, the market has developed a demand for a thinner disc driving apparatus having a longer life span. Thus the employment of the hydrodynamic bearing is further extensively required.
The trend toward the hydrodynamic bearing and away from the ball bearing is described herein with reference to the magnetic disc driving apparatus (hereinafter called "apparatus".)
Because of the advancement of multi-media technology handling audio data and picture data, the apparatus must have a higher capacity among other things. The higher capacity requirement entails the higher recording density in the radius direction of the apparatus. The apparatus thus must accommodate a narrower pitch, which requires a lower NRRO (Non Repeatable Runout) of both a motor-hub spinning with a disc and the disc fixed to the hub.
The NRRO is an irregular shaft-run-out among run-outs of a rotary shaft. Two kinds of run-outs are available. One synchronizes with the shaft rotation, and the other does not synchronize. The NRRO is an unsynchronized run-out. The NRRO should be thus reduced in order to avoid producing errors in read and write operations. A specific NRRO demand of both the hub and disc has been approximately 0.4 .mu.m in a radial direction. However, 0.2 .mu.m is demanded recently because narrower track pitches are required due to higher storage capacities. Further, a demand of not more than 0.05 .mu.m is predicted in the future in order to accommodate the higher capacities.
It is well known that the NRRO of a conventional apparatus depends on the ball bearing that is one of the key parts of a disc driving motor. The ball bearing comprises an outer ring, inner ring, balls, holder, seal and grease.
A great dispersion on the NRRO can be produced by the following factors: (1) mechanical accuracy of a ball bearing, (2) a method of pre-loading the ball bearing, (3) control of the pre-loading thereof, and (4) assembling accuracy of the ball bearing into a motor. Among others, the following factors greatly influence the NRRO: mechanical accuracy of outer ring and inner ring, ball sphericity, and relative error of ball outlook when the ball bearing is incorporated into the motor. It is thus difficult to reduce the NRRO when the motor has been completely assembled.
Noises such as lathe noise are produced in the ball bearing by rolling on a track ring, and noise is produced due to self-induced vibration of a holder by itself. Further, a number of rotations of the motor are increased from 3600 rpm to 7200 rpm because the market demands a faster speed. As a matter of fact, a motor of 10000 rpm will a debut on the market. As such, the faster rotational speed of the motor produces larger noises, and the market demands lowering of the noises. In fact, the technology of the ball bearing hardly satisfies these demands.
According to a recent market trend, portable note-type personal computers have become disseminated in the market, and the apparatus therein employs a removable medium. This market trend requires that the motor be stronger against shock and drop. However, noise becomes greater when ca. 100 G acceleration due to shock or drop is applied to the ball bearing, because Brinell indentations are produced on a lathe face of the outer ring or inner ring. The technology of the ball bearing thus hardly meets the market demands, namely, a specific shock resistive value which is not less than 200 G.
The apparatus seals the entire motor assembly in a housing where the discs are mounted in order to always keep the apparatus clean. Because discs and magnetic heads are placed with extremely narrow spaces in between, when dust enters the space or hits either the disc or the head, the operation of read/write data is adversely affected. Therefore, the apparatus must be shielded from dust as mentioned above.
The space between the disc and head is presently ca. 0.1 m, however, it is necessary to reduce the space due to the demand for higher capacities. The construction of the motor does not allow the ball bearing to be lubricated, thus a grease-sealed type ball bearing is employed. The grease comprises base oil and thickener, both of which receive a shearing force due to spinning and start separating. The base oil and thickener spread to the discs, which damages the functions of the apparatus and resultant defects occur.
The above problems are caused by the ball bearings that the conventional motors employ. Therefore, employment of a hydrodynamic bearing in the motor can solve the above problems.
The hydrodynamic bearing comprises a cylindrical motor shaft and a hollow tubular sleeve in which the motor shaft is inserted with an annular clearance. On either the motor shaft or the sleeve, a plurality of herringbone-grooves are provided, and in the annular clearance or space between the shaft and sleeve is filled with lubricating fluid (oil or grease is often used). Driving of the rotor produces a pumping operation between the herringbone grooves and the lubricating fluid so that a dynamic pressure is generated in the radial direction. The dynamic pressure centers the shaft in the bearing, so that the rotating shaft is supported within the sleeve or the rotating sleeve is supported by the shaft, in a contact-free manner. On the other hand, herringbone grooves or spiral grooves are provided on at least either one of a thrust face of a thrust ring fixed to the shaft or a thrust face of the sleeve. The lubricating fluid is poured into the space between both of the thrust faces of the thrust ring and the sleeve, and thus dynamic pressure supporting the thrust load is generated axially. As a result, the rotating sleeve is supported by the thrust ring fixed to the shaft in a contactfree manner.
Recently, there has been a desire to produce a thinner magnetic disc driving apparatus which has a longer life. When the apparatus becomes thinner, the total height of the motor must be thinner because the height of the motor is restricted by the dimensions of the apparatus. An axial length of the sleeve, which lowers rigidity of the bearing, is difficult to obtain because the sleeve is a key element of the hydrodynamic bearing. As a result, mechanical contact is produced between the shaft and sleeve as well as between the sleeve thrust faces and the fixed ring thrust face due to starts and stops and overloading of the motor. These mechanical contacts cause abrasion and seizure at a sliding region between the shaft, which is made of stainless alloy, and the sleeve, which is made of copper system alloy, as well as between both of the thrust faces of the sleeve and the fixed thrust ring.
In the case of laser beam printers, a motor employed therein rotates only when letters or data are printed. The motor thus operates intermittently. Further, a function of power savings is incorporated into the motor, which halts the motor to eliminate consumption of electric power when the printer is not operated. As such, it has become a general trend for the motor to be used under a condition of repeating starts and stops.
When the laser beam printer becomes thinner in dimension, the height of motor is restricted to within the dimension of the printer, and therefore, the total height of motor must be lower. Then it is difficult to obtain an axial length of a sleeve, and therefore a bearing rigidity becomes insufficient.
The insufficient rigidity of the bearing entails mechanical contacts between a shaft and the bearing due to starts and stops, as well as over loading of the motor. As a result, abrasion and seizure are produced on a sliding region between the motor shaft made of stainless alloy and the bearing made of copper alloy.
Various proposals have been developed in an attempt to solve the above problems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,149 is one of the proposed solutions. This patent discloses the following advantages: a partial or entire bearing comprises self-lubricating resin such as polyacetal, nylon or the like, and this resin includes carbon fiber in a predetermined quantity so that electric conductivity is imparted to the resin. A motor shaft is plated with chromium (Cr), and thus the conductivity between the bearing and the motor shaft can be checked. This enables users to check whether metallic powder, which is harmful with regard to the width of clearance, exists between the motor shaft and the bearing, or whether contact exists between a fixed side and a rotating side.
However, since this bearing is formed partially or entirely by the self-lubricating resin, its hardness is lower than that of a regular bearing made of metal. The bearing disclosed by this U.S. Patent undergoes more abrasion than that experienced with the regular bearing. When the resin bearing is employed in a motor that rotates at a higher speed or undergoes frequent start and stop repetitions, a significant amount of abrasion occurs in the resin section. Therefore, this bearing is not recommended in motors which are employed in disc driving apparatuses and laser beam printers because of the life span of the bearing.
Another proposal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,710. This patent discloses a static gas bearing which includes a gaseous fluid discharging member that supports a shaft. In other words, the bearing member is made of porous graphite, and the shaft surface is processed by ion plating and coated by titanium nitride so that the quality of the sliding surface of the shaft is improved.
Japanese Patent Application non-examined Publication No. S59-89823 also discloses some measure of protection against abrasion which includes a contacting face of a bearing that is coated by hard composite material such as titanium carbon and tungsten carbon through the ion plating method in order to provide abrasion-resistance to the bearing, which prevents the bearing from being worn.
In addition, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,186 discloses an improved bearing which includes a thin film made of amorphous alloy formed on a hollow cylindrical bearing. The Vickers hardness of the thin film is set to be not less than 1000.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,710 and Japanese Patent Application non-examined Publication No. S59-89823, the surfaces of the bearing and the sleeve are coated by hard material such as titanium carbon, tungsten carbon or titanium nitride through the ion plating method, thereby raising the hardness and improving the abrasion-resistance. However, the ion plating method entails temperatures rising up to ca. 300.degree. C. in the process atmosphere. Materials having low fusing points such as the lead (Pb) included in the copper system alloy, which is a material of the sleeve, are deposited in this atmosphere. This deposition causes a failure of close contact between the coating layer and the surfaces as well as dispersion of a film thickness. This dispersion results in a reduced degree of precision with respect to the inner diameter of the sleeve. The ion plating method requires large equipment including a vacuum furnace, and further, this method takes well over half an hour to complete the process. Low productivity is, therefore, a disadvantage of this method.
The surface hardness of titanium carbon or tungsten carbon exceeds 2000 Vickers hardness. The hardness of the thin film made of amorphous alloy exceeds 1000 Vickers hardness as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,186. However, when the hardness of a bearing surface exceeds 1000 Vickers hardness, it is significantly harder than the surface hardness range of a shaft and a fixed thrust ring, i.e. 700.+-.100 Vickers hardness. Thus, when the bearing of this combination operates for a long time, the shaft and fixed thrust ring will wear out.
Japanese Patent Application non-examined Publication No. S61-112818 is directed to improved abrasion resistance and discloses a boron (B) composite electroless nickel plating which is provided on the contacting surface of a bearing, thereby providing abrasion-resistance to the surface. It is preferable that a thickness of the plating ranges from 10 to 20 m and the surface has ca. 600 Vickers hardness.
However, the boron composite electroless nickel plating uses boron chloride as a reducing agent, and the film comprises Ni, P and B. This plating is expensive, and its plating bath has a problem with regard to stability. Further, when plating becomes thicker, a width of the herringbone grooves formed inside of the sleeve becomes narrower, which produces less rigidity of the shaft than a predetermined rigidity. The thickness of plating is proportional to plating time, and therefore, a thicker plating lowers productivity. It is concluded that this boron composite electroless nickel plating is not practical in a productivity-oriented manufacturing operation.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A sample preparation and analysis system. The system includes a housing with a sample preparation station and a sample analysis station positioned within the housing. The sample analysis station is spaced away from the sample preparation station. A transport assembly is configured to move at least one sample within the housing and between the sample preparation station and the sample analysis station.

Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry ("LCMS") is a powerful analyte detection and measurement technique that has become the preferred method of detecting small molecule, amino acid, protein, peptide, nucleic acid, lipid, and carbohydrate analytes to a high accuracy for diagnostic purposes. However, the instrumentation required for LCMS is technically complex and not well suited to the typical hospital clinical lab or medical lab technician. These clinical labs have not adopted LCMS diagnostics and, instead, generally use alternative diagnostic techniques, including automated immunoassay. Alternatively, the clinical labs may send the samples out to a central laboratory for analysis.
Therefore, there is a need for sample preparation and sample analysis systems that are less complex to configure and use for preparing samples and conducting a variety of different analyte assays, without requiring the expertise of LCMS technologists, or the massive scale of a reference laboratory. There is yet also a need for a sample preparation and sample analysis systems that improve the efficiency of the time to result for a variety of different analyte assays.

System layout for an automated system for sample preparation and analysis


A shingling nip roll is added between an infeed conveyor and a reciprocating table. The nip roll slows the speed of the sheets thereby reducing bruising and buckling as sheets are ejected to the table. Further, the trailing end of a dropped sheet is overlapped by a leading end of the next upstream sheet which assists in maintaining control of the dropped sheet as it drops onto the reciprocating table.

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for batch feeding sheets.
A high speed method of batch feeding sheets is to serially feed the sheets onto a table until the desired batch size has been accumulated, whereupon the table is rapidly retracted to drop the batch onto a downstream stack handler. The table is then rapidly extended again so that the process may be repeated. Such a table may be referred to as a reciprocating table. This type of batch feeding apparatus may have endless belt conveyors which sandwich the sheets and eject them toward the reciprocating table. A difficulty with this arrangement is that if the sheets are large and thin, they tend to buckle when ejected by the belt feeders and may cause jams. Furthermore, the front of some paper stock sheets are bruised when they impact the table or a front stop for the table. Also, feeding at high speed tends to cause small transverse misalignments in the sheets which stack at the table. It is difficult to steer sheets at high speeds in order to avoid such misalignments without causing buckling.
This invention seeks to overcome drawbacks of known reciprocating table batch feeders.
The subject invention places a shingling nip roll between an infeed conveyor and the reciprocating table. The nip roll slows the speed of the sheets thereby reducing bruising and buckling. Further, the trailing end of a dropped sheet is overlapped by a leading end of the next upstream sheet which assists in maintaining control of the dropped sheet as it drops onto the reciprocating table.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a batch sheet feeder, comprising: a sheet feeding conveyor operating at a first speed; a shingling nip roll spaced downstream of a downstream end of said sheet feeding conveyor, said nip roll operating at a second speed slower than said first speed; a sheet support extending between said downstream end of said sheet feeding conveyor and said nip roll; a horizontally reciprocating table downstream and below said nip roll.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a batch feeding method comprising: feeding sheets travelling at a first speed through a nip roll travelling at a slower second speed such that said sheets are shingled; at a drop station, serially dropping sheets from said shingled sheets downwardly onto a reciprocating table such that a tail end of a dropped sheet is partially controlled by an overlapping leading end of a next upstream sheet.

Longford Equipment International Limited


A fixation method for fixing an optical member to a holding member using irradiation of a laser beam. The method includes the steps of inserting the optical member into the holding member, providing a fixing member, mounting the fixing member to the holding member having the optical member positioned therebetween, and irradiating laser beams on the holding member through the fixing member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixation method for an optical member, such as a photographic lens, in which the optical member is joined and fixed to a holding member using laser welding, and also relates to an optical unit having such an optical member fixed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional optical apparatuses, such as still cameras or video cameras, a variety of methods for fixing a lens have been employed. In recent years, since the size of a still camera or video camera has become smaller and a space usable for fixing a lens has also become smaller, a method for fixing a lens using adhesives is generally employed. Moreover, a method for fixing a lens using so-called thermal caulking in which a part of a lens holder is thermally deformed is also known.
However, in the case of the method for fixing a lens to a lens holder or the like using adhesives, which is generally employed, the adhesive may intrude into the effective diameter of the lens or may protrude from the lens holder, thus causing difficulty in production control. In addition, contraction of the adhesive being cured may distort the lens. Furthermore, the amount of applied adhesive may vary with the applied positions, thereby causing distortion of the lens, so that a desired optical performance may not be obtained. Furthermore, while an ultraviolet curable resin can be taken as an example of an adhesive usable for bonding an optical element, such as a lens, the time of irradiation of ultraviolet rays required to cure the ultraviolet curable resin is several seconds to several tens of seconds. It takes further time to completely cure the adhesive. Therefore, even if the position of a lens is adjusted, for example, by the correction for decentering, the lens position may gradually vary due to the unevenness of contraction of the adhesive until the adhesive is completely cured. Accordingly, the lens position may deviate from a desired position. Furthermore, in the case of a plastic lens, the lens may become yellowed by the intense irradiation of ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the color balance of the lens may vary.
In the fixation method using the thermal caulking, heat is also conducted to portions other than that required to be heated. Therefore, a portion of the lens holder other than a portion required to be heated may be deformed. If the lens or the lens holder is reduced in size and portions for mounting other parts are close to each other, the influence of heat further increases. If heat is excessively conducted to the lens, the lens may be deformed.
As a method for solving the problems with the bonding by the ultraviolet curable resin or with the thermal caulking for fixing a lens, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-20867 discloses a technique of fixing a lens to a part, such as a lens holder, using laser welding. In this technique, a laser beam is radiated to a lens holder, a viewfinder holder or the like, which is made of plastic, so as to fix a plastic lens thereto.

Fixation method for optical member and optical unit


In a control method of a differential pressure water electrolysis system, a reference water level of a gas-liquid separator for normal operations is set to discharge a liquid water stored in the gas-liquid separator to a discharge tube. A depressurization reference water level which is a lower water level than the reference water level is set to discharge the liquid water stored in the gas-liquid separator to the discharge tube upon depressurizing. A depressurization valve is opened to reduce pressure at a cathode side after operation of a differential pressure water electrolysis device has been stopped, in a state with voltage applied. A permissible water level upper limit value at which an open/close valve is opened is switched from the reference water level to the depressurization reference water level when the depressurization valve is opened.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a control method of a differential pressure water electrolysis system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, hydrogen is used as a fuel gas employed in power generating reaction in fuel cells. Hydrogen is produced by a water electrolysis device, for example. Water electrolysis devices use a solid polymer electrolyte membrane (ion-exchange membrane) to perform electrolysis of water and generate hydrogen (as well as oxygen). Both sides of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane are formed of an electrode catalyst, forming an electrolyte membrane-electrode structure. Feed conductors are provided to either side of the electrolyte membrane-electrode structure, making up a unit cell.
Multiple unit cells are laminated to form a cell unit. Voltage is applied to both ends of the cell unit in the laminar direction, and water is supplied to the anode side feed conductor. Accordingly, water electrolysis was performed at the anode side of the electrolyte membrane-electrode structure, by which hydrogen ions (protons) are generated, the hydrogen ions transmit through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and migrate to the cathode side and bind to electrons, thereby producing hydrogen.
Hydrogen derived from a cell unit is sent to a gas-liquid separator where liquid water is removed, and then supplied to a hydrogen purification unit, thereby yielding the product hydrogen (dry hydrogen). On the other hand, at the anode side, the oxygen generated together with the hydrogen is discharged from the cell unit along with excess water.
A differential pressure water electrolysis device (high-pressure hydrogen production device) is a type of water hydrolysis device where oxygen is generated at ambient pressure at the anode side, while high-pressure (generally 1 MPa or higher) hydrogen is generated at the cathode side. The differential pressure water electrolysis device at this time has high-pressure hydrogen filled in a channel of a cathode-side separator, and ambient-pressure water and oxygen in a channel of an anode-side separator, across the solid polymer membrane. Thus, when stopping operation (ending supply of generated hydrogen), hydrogen remaining at the cathode side may cross-leak to the anode side, so the pressure difference on the two sides of the solid polymer membrane needs to be removed to protect the solid polymer membrane.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-236089 discloses a method of stopping operation of a water electrolysis device. This operation stopping method includes a process to apply voltage after supply of oxygen from the cathode side has been stopped, and a process to depressurize (release pressure) at the cathode side at least, with the voltage applied. According to this arrangement, if hydrogen at the cathode side leaks to the anode side, the hydrogen becomes protons again due to the applied voltage, transmits the electrolyte membrane by the hydrogen film pump effect and return to the cathode side.
Accordingly, retention of high-pressure hydrogen which has leaked to the anode side can be suppressed after ending operation, thereby preventing reduction (deterioration) of the catalyst electrodes by the hydrogen.

Control method of differential pressure water electrolysis system


A development system that contains a developer carrier for carrying a developer on the surface thereof to a development region opposite to an image bearing body, and a regulating member biased into contact with the surface of the developer carrier by a predetermined pressure for regulating an amount of developer carried by a developer transport member. The developer carrier has a surface coated with fine particles with an average particles size of between 3 and 30 .mu.m which are bonded with the surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a development system for use in image forming apparatuses, such as copying machines, printers and the like. The development system is adapted to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearing body and more particularly, arranged such that a developer transport member carries thereon a toner to a development region opposite to the image bearing body for development of the image. A toner regulating member bears against the surface of the developer transport member for regulating the amount of toner carried by the developer transport member and also for triboelectrically charging the toner supplied to the development region.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the image forming apparatuses, such as copiers, printers and the like, have employed various types of development systems for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing body.
The development systems typically known in the art include a development system utilizing a two-component type developer comprising a magnetic carrier and a toner and a development system utilizing a one-component type developer containing no magnetic carrier.
The most common development system utilizing the one-component type developer is arranged such that the developer transport member carries thereon the toner to the development region opposite to the image bearing body for development of the image while the toner regulating member bears against the surface of the developer transport member for regulating the amount of toner carried by the developer transport member and also for triboelectrically charging the toner supplied to the development region.
Unfortunately, in the arrangement wherein the toner regulating member bears against the surface of the developer transport member for regulation of the amount of toner carried by the developer transport member, the toner becomes fixed to the developer transport member, forming a toner film thereon. Hence, an uneven amount of toner is supplied by the developer transport member. This causes a resultant image to suffer irregularities such as density variation.
If the developer transport member has too small roughness on the surface thereof, a reduced amount of toner is carried by the developer transport member. If the reduced amount of toner on the developer transport member is regulated by the toner regulating member, the toner is excessively charged. This causes the resultant image to suffer an insufficient image density or density variation, although the production of an image with defects such as all over fog is avoided.
On the other hand, if the developer transport member has too great roughness on the surface thereof, the developer transport member carries thereon an excessive amount of toner. If the excessive amount of toner on the developer transport member is regulated by the toner regulating member, the toner fails to be adequately charged. This results in an image containing fog all over or an image with toner particles scattered around characters.
Proposed solutions to the above problems include development systems wherein a developer transport member is provided with a layer of specific fine particles bonded to the surface thereof that also contains a nickel coating electrodeposited on the surface of the layer of fine particles, and development systems wherein a surface layer comprising a binder resin containing specific fine particles dispersed therein is laid over the developer transport member (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.7(1995)-306586), and the like.
In the developer transport member that contains the layer of fine particles bonded to the surface thereof and further contains the nickel coating electrodeposited on the fine particles, or the developer transport member that contains a surface layer comprising binder resin with fine particles dispersed therein, the fine particles are not adequately exposed to the surface of the developer transport member. This results in a failure of imparting a uniform roughness to the surface of the developer transport member. Thus making it difficult for the toner regulating member to suitably regulate the amount of toner on the developer transport member or to adequately charge the toner, particularly when high speed image development is performed. Consequently, the resultant images still suffer irregularities such as density variation, allover fog and the like. There also exists a problem of poor reproducibility of fine lines and dots.

Developing roller having another coating of fine particles


A static controlling system is provided for effectively and economically controlling static charge build up on a driven web member moving in contact with support structures. The static controlling system includes (a) at least one resistive contact member for contacting the surface of the driven web member, and (b) a bias source coupled to the resistive contact member for biasing the resistive contact member to apply to the surface of the driven web member a neutralizing bias, having a selected polarity and potential level, thereby effectively neutralizing and controlling static charge build up on the driven web member.

The present invention relates generally to static charge removing systems, and more particularly to a belt toner image or electrostatographic reproduction machines including an effective and economical static charge controlling system.
Static charges, as is well known, ordinarily are generated when two objects are rubbed together. In an electrostatographic reproduction machine that has a belt photoreceptor, it has been found that static charges ordinarily are generated during each revolution when such a belt photoreceptor is driven over objects such as backer bars and rolls. In fact, ordinarily such static charges actually build up revolution after revolution with undesirable machine failure consequences (to be discussed in detail below).
In a typical toner image reproduction machine, for example an electrostatographic printing process machine, portions of a rotatable photoconductive member in the form of a drum or a belt, is charged to a substantially uniform potential so as to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portions of the photoconductive member are exposed to a light image of an original document being reproduced. Exposure of the charged photoconductive member thus selectively dissipates the charges thereon in the exposed areas. Such exposure forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive member that corresponds to the informational areas contained within an original document to be reproduced.
After the electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductive member, the latent image is developed by bringing a developer material into contact therewith. Generally, the developer material comprises toner particles adhering triboelectrically to carrier granules. The toner particles are attracted from the carrier granules to the latent image forming a toner powder image on the photoconductive member. The toner powder image is then transferred from the photoconductive member to a sheet media. The toner particles are then heated to permanently affix the powder image to the sheet media.
The foregoing generally describes a typical black and white electrostatographic printing machine. With the advent of multicolor electrophotography, it is desirable to use a reproduction machine architecture, which comprises a plurality of image forming stations. One example of the plural image forming station architecture utilizes an image-on-image (IOI) system in which the photoreceptive member is recharged, re-imaged and developed for each color separation. This charging, imaging, developing and recharging, re-imaging and developing, all followed by transfer to a sheet, is done in a single revolution of the photoreceptor in so-called single pass machines, while multi-pass architectures form each color separation with a single charge, image and develop, with separate transfer operations for each color.
In either case, particularly where the machine includes a photoconductive or photoreceptive member in the form of a driven web or belt, the web or belt is typically driven over at least a series of rollers. In relatively large such machines, the photoreceptor belt can easily require running over a total of twenty or more backer bars and rubber rolls, during which as pointed out above, it generates static charge during every revolution. The charge generated thus has been found to cause the photoreceptor belt to tend to be attracted to the backer bars and rolls.
Such attraction is exhibited, and can be measured, as an increase in belt drag levels. If such generated static is left uncontrolled, static levels on the back of the belt can become so high, they can cause the belt drag to exceed the drive capacity of the drive rolls and/or of the drive motors. In addition, there are other associated failures that can range from (a) motion quality errors resulting from slip/stick conditions of the belt to the drive rolls, (b) increases in image misregistration, (c) drive motors running out of control and/or stalling due to an excessive motor current fault, and (d) significant charge levels on the photoreceptor belt that can interfere with or hinder a technicians efforts to remove and replace the belt during service.
Therefore there is a need for an effective system for controlling static charge build up on a rotating web or belt, for example, the photoreceptor belt of an electrostatographic reproduction machine.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a static controlling system is provided for effectively and economically controlling static charge build up on a driven web member moving in contact with support structures. The static controlling system includes (a) at least one resistive contact member for contacting the surface of the driven web member, and (b) a bias source coupled to the resistive contact member for biasing the resistive contact member to apply to the surface of the driven web member a neutralizing bias, having a selected polarity and potential level, thereby effectively neutralizing and controlling static charge build up on the driven web member.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a static controlling system is provided for effectively and economically controlling static charge build up on a driven web member moving in contact with support structures. The static controlling system includes (a) devices for sensing a level and a polarity of static charge build up on a surface of the driven web member, (b) at least one resistive contact member for contacting the surface of the driven web member, and (c) a bias source coupled to the resistive contact member for biasing the resistive contact member to apply to the surface of the driven web member a neutralizing bias, having a selected polarity and potential level, thereby effectively neutralizing and controlling static charge build up on the driven web member.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a static controlling system for effectively and economically controlling static charge build up on a driven web member, for example, a driven belt member moving in contact with support structures. The static controlling system includes (a) at least one conductive passive member contacting the driven web member, for example, a driven belt member for dissipating a first degree of static charge from the driven web member, for example, a driven belt member, and (b) an active static removing assembly for additionally dissipating a second and desired degree of static charge from the driven web member, for example, a driven belt member. The active static removing assembly includes a conductive contact member for contacting the driven web member, for example, a driven belt member, and a bias source for biasing the conductive contact member to apply a neutralizing bias, having a selected polarity, to the driven web member, for example, a driven belt member, thereby effectively controlling static charge build up on the driven web member, for example, a driven belt member.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrostatographic reproduction machine including (a) a series of belt drive and support members, (b) a closed loop belt image bearing member having an imaging surface for carrying a toner image and a backside in contact with the series of belt drive and support members, (c) a sheet supply and handling assembly for moving a copy sheet into a toner image transfer relationship with the closed loop belt image bearing member, (d) imaging devices for forming a toner image on the imaging surface of the closed loop belt image bearing member and transferring the toner image to the copy sheet, and a static controlling system is provided for effectively and economically controlling static charge build up on a driven web member moving in contact with support structures. The static controlling system includes (a) devices for sensing a level and a polarity of static charge build up on a surface of the driven web member, (b) at least one resistive contact member for contacting the surface of the driven web member, and (c) a bias source coupled to the resistive contact member for biasing the resistive contact member to apply to the surface of the driven web member a neutralizing bias, having a selected polarity and potential level, thereby effectively neutralizing and controlling static charge build up on the driven web member.

Static charge controlling system and a reproduction machine having same