A door trim panel includes a substrate member having a front surface adapted to face an interior compartment of a vehicle. A sealing member is integrally molded with the front surface of the substrate member and projects therefrom. The trim panel is adapted to be mounted to a door of the vehicle wherein the door is moveable between open and closed positions with respect to a vehicle body. The sealing member is adapted to engage a portion of the vehicle body so as to form a seal between the trim panel and the vehicle body when the door is in the closed position. A two-shot molding process may be used to make the trim panel with the substrate member being formed in the first shot and the sealing member being molded with the front surface of the substrate member in the second shot.

It is known to provide vehicle interiors with various trim assemblies to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the interior and to provide comfort, as well as convenience, to vehicle occupants. For example, automotive door constructions typically feature a metal door frame with a sheet metal outer panel or skin that defines the door's exterior and an inner sheet metal panel secured to the door frame. Various door components, including window regulator rails, audio speakers, latches, and the like, are fastened in openings defined in the inner sheet metal panel. Covering the inner door panel is a removable trim panel that provides an aesthetically pleasing facade viewed by occupants seated in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. Controls are provided on the trim panel for devices such as seats, door locks, mirrors and windows. The door latch may be connected by a cable to an inner release handle on the trim panel accessible to the vehicle occupant.
Automotive doors may be coupled with a vehicle body in a number of ways. For instance, the automotive door may be hingedly attached to the vehicle body so that the door may be rotated about the hinge between an open and closed position so as to allow passenger ingress and egress of the passenger compartment or to allow access to storage space within the vehicle. Automotive doors may also be configured as sliding doors where doors are opened by moving the door away from or outward of the vehicle body and then sliding the door along a track so as to allow passenger ingress and egress of the passenger compartment. In any event, when a door is in a closed position, a gap may exist between the door and vehicle body along a substantial portion of the door's periphery. These gaps are generally undesirable as the gaps provide pathways for the ingress of air, water or moisture, and road noise into the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
To reduce or eliminate the undesirable effects of air, water and noise within the passenger compartment, a resilient seal may be positioned along the periphery of the door so that when the door is closed, the seal contacts the vehicle body to fill the gaps between the door and the vehicle body and prevent the ingress of air, water and road noise. In many instances, the seal is coupled to the periphery of the door along the inner sheet metal panel as there is no part of the trim panel that forms a gap with the vehicle body when the door is in the closed position. In other instances, however, the trim panel covers the interior of the door such that a portion of the trim panel provides the portion of the door that forms a gap with the vehicle body. For example, the sliding door(s) on many minivans have a trim panel such that a lower portion of the trim panel forms a gap with the vehicle body, such as along the scuff plate on the vehicle body adjacent the sliding door. As before, the gaps between the trim panel and the vehicle body provide a pathway for air, water and road noise. Thus, a resilient seal is generally attached to the trim panel such that when the door is closed, the seal contacts the vehicle body to fill the gaps between the trim panel and the vehicle body and prevent the ingress of air, water and road noise.
Trim panels having a seal attached thereto have some drawbacks. One primary drawback is in the manufacturing of the trim panel. For instance, a trim panel may be formed by known methods, such as various molding processes. A resilient seal is generally formed through a process completely separate from that of making the trim panel. For example, the seal may be made through a known process, such as an extrusion process, at one location and then packaged and shipped to the manufacturer of the trim panel. The seal must then be attached to the trim panel in an additional processing step. For instance, the seal may be attached through an adhesion process, which involves an operator applying an adhesive onto the seal and/or trim panel and then manually locating the seal on the trim panel. Alternately, the trim panel may have a rail formed therein during the formation of the trim panel, such as through the molding process, and the seal configured such that an operator may slidingly engage the seal with the rail to secure the seal with the trim panel.
These above-described methods of constructing a trim panel having a seal not only require additional operating steps to form the trim panel, but also require additional parts which must appropriately supplied, tracked, shipped, inventoried and eventually assembled to make the complete product. Multiple manufacturing steps and multiple part assemblies lead to significant operating costs, administrative costs and labor costs, which increase the overall costs of production.
There is thus a need for an improved door trim panel having a seal and a method of making the same that reduces the number of manufacturing steps, number or parts, and the labor required for assembly thereof, thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs.

Automotive door trim panel having an integrated seal


Embodiments provide systems and methods for generating a street map that includes a position identifier that identifies a location on the street map. The method and system may also generate and display a plurality of images representative of the location of the position identifier. A user may interact with a position identifier or one of several scroll icons to view images of other locations on the street map and/or to obtain driving directions between two locations.

Various online directories and map services, such as online Yellow Pages and MapQuest®, are available for users to locate and find information about businesses and services and directions to those businesses. Typically, when searching an online business directory, a user is prompted to enter selection criteria, such as the general geographic location (e.g., state and city), and the type or category of business (e.g., restaurant) that the user is looking for, or perhaps the name of the business itself, if known. In response, listings for each of the businesses that meet the user's selection criteria are displayed. Each listing typically identifies the name, address, and phone number of the listed business. Further, each listing may be associated with icons that the user may click to obtain further information about the business, such as a map of an area around the business and driving directions to the business.
Current online directories, however, do not provide listings that can be displayed with an image of the physical location of the business featured in the listing. While some aerial or rooftop images are available online in correlation with addresses, such aerial or rooftop views are of limited value because they do not show, for example, business buildings in the manner actually perceived by customers (i.e., at the ground or street level). Additionally, online maps do not provide images of physical surroundings associated with points on a map. More particularly, what is lacking is an automated system and method for collecting and displaying images of objects at geographic locations, such as business storefronts and street views of structures, in online directories and maps.

Displaying representative images in a visual mapping system


A method of controlling a power consuming device includes receiving a control signal from a power supplying utility. The control signal signals a beginning of a control period. A length of time to operate the power consuming device during the control period is determined and an offset time is identified. A start time for operation of the power consuming device is identified as a function of the beginning of the control period and the offset time. A stop time for operation of the power consuming device is identified as a function of the start time and the determined length of time to operate the power consuming device.

The embodiments described herein relate generally to load management and, more particularly, to low-frequency synchronized pulse width modulation (PWM) randomization for coordinated load management.
Together, a growing world population and increasing use of electric vehicles create increased demand for electricity. Accordingly, the price of energy tends to surge during peak times.
Currently, at least some known utilities use demand response systems that enable customers to enroll in at least one demand response program to manage the consumption of energy by their customers in response to supply conditions. These load management techniques are used to modify power consumption by consumers to better suit energy supply conditions. Such known demand response systems are commonly applied to power consuming devices such as, for example, air conditioners, electric water heaters, washing machines, pool pumps, etc. Examples of demand response programs include a direct control program, a critical peak pricing program, and a time of use program. The initiation and/or implementation of a demand response program by a utility is known as a demand response event. A demand response event is initiated by a utility transmitting a plurality of signals to its customers. For example, a demand response event representative of a direct load control program, is initiated when the utility transmits a signal to a device within a building, such as an in-home smart device and/or smart thermostat, such that the utility is enabled to directly control the usage of energy consuming machines within the building. A demand response event representative of a critical peak pricing program occurs when the utility transmits pricing signals to its customers during peak demand times. The pricing signals enable the utility to apprise customers of heightened energy prices during peak demand time periods such that customers may limit their energy consumption during such peak demand time periods. A demand response event representative of a time of use program occurs when the utility transmits a signal to a customer that is representative of energy prices that correspond to a time range such that the customer may identify an optimal time of day and/or day of the week to consume energy to ensure a low energy price rate.
In some known demand response systems power consuming devices are controlled in groups receiving synchronized signals. This may result in many devices being turned on and off simultaneously causing large spikes of demand as many devices in a group are turned on simultaneously.

Synchronized PWM randomization for coordinated load management


A high power amplifier (10) includes intelligent independent fault tolerant amplifying modules (11). Each of the modules (11) includes a power amplifier (17) having a plurality of silicon carbide transistor circuits (27-30) coupled in parallel and driven by a silicon carbide transistor circuit (26). The module (11) also includes a dedicated hybrid controller (18) that monitors the operational conditions of the power amplifier (17) and optimizes these operational conditions in order to provide fault isolation and to avoid unwanted failure of the module (11) as a whole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to high power amplifier that is applicable for use in digital television systems using advanced silicon carbide transistor technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to intelligent high power amplifying modules, each of which includes a plurality of silicon carbide transistors and a dedicated hybrid controller for monitoring operational conditions within the module and optimizing the operational conditions to avoid unwanted failures. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a high power transmitter which includes a plurality of independent amplification modules, each of which having a dedicated hybrid controller that monitors the status of a plurality of silicon carbide transistors of the module, adjusts the gain level of the amplifying module according to the status of the monitored silicon carbide transistors, and maintains the gain level of the module at a predetermined value.
The present invention relates further to a high power amplifier having a modular structure and includes a plurality of parallel-coupled silicon carbide transistors driven by a driving silicon carbide transistor, wherein the status of all silicon carbide transistors and the amplifier's temperature is monitored by a digital controller portion of the dedicated hybrid controller located within the module, for providing optimized operational conditions for both the amplifying module as the whole, and for each of the particular silicon carbide transistors of the output stage taken separately.
2. Prior Art
A wide variety of different amplifier circuits have been developed to provide high levels of power output. Silicon bipolar transistors incorporated in densely packaged structures which can handle kilowatts of peak power, are widely used in high power amplifiers and particularly in radio frequency transmitters. Disadvantageously, the silicon transistors cannot operate at relatively high operating temperatures, and therefore are typically operated below their rated power output capability in order to keep them within required operating temperatures. Additionally, the silicon transistors in high power applications have to be spaced apart from one another by relatively large separation distances for the same reason, thereby impeding further miniaturization of the amplifiers.
As the state of the art of high power RF transmitters (amplifiers) has advanced, there has been a demand that amplifying transistors used in RF transmitters handle more power, operate faster, be smaller in size and lower in cost. In response to these demands, scientists and engineers have developed static induction transistors capable of operation at high frequency and power and applicable for use in digital and analog television transmitters and in electric power conversion equipment. Static induction transistors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,830 and are constructed using silicon carbide as the semiconductor material. Silicon carbide is a wide energy band gap semiconductor which is an attractive material for the fabrication of integrated power circuitry, and which offers high saturation electron velocity, high junction breakdown voltage, high thermal conductivity, and a broad operating temperature range (around 500.degree. C.). The energy band gap and the maximum operating temperature range of silicon carbide is at least twice that of conventional semiconductors. The static induction transistors are constructed using silicon carbide as the preferred semiconducting material, offer improved characteristics which include higher breakdown voltage due to higher field strengths, lower thermal impedance due to better thermal conductivity, higher frequency performance due to higher situated electron velocity, higher current due to higher field before velocity saturation, higher operating temperature due to larger band gap, and improved reliability particularly in harsh environments.
Disadvantageously, despite the benefits of high power, high operating temperature and other improved performance characteristics provided by silicon carbide transistors, silicon carbide power modules of the prior art, fail to be provided with intelligence which should bring the RF amplifying module to a much higher level of quality and performance, allowing fault tolerance, quick fault isolation of the module, and optimization of operational conditions of the high power amplifying module.

Silicon carbide high frequency high power amplifier


A foam control composition comprises a polydiorganosiloxane fluid comprising units of the formula

EP-A-1075683 describes a foam control agent comprising (A) an organopolysiloxane material having at least one silicon-bonded substituent of the formula X-Ph, wherein X denotes a divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group and Ph denotes an aromatic group, (B) a water-insoluble organic liquid, (C) an organosilicon resin and (D) a hydrophobic filler. The water-insoluble organic liquid (B) can for example be a mineral oil, liquid polyisobutene, isoparaffinic oil or vegetable oil. EP-A-1075684 describes a foam control agent of similar composition except that it does not contain water-insoluble organic liquid (B).
EP-A-578424 describes a foam control agent which contains an polydiorganosiloxane with alkyl side chains in which each alkyl side chain contains from 9 to 35 carbon atoms. The polydiorganosiloxane is used together with a finely divided hydrophobic particulate material, for example, hydrophobic silica, and optionally an MQ organosilicon resin. EP-A-1070526 describes such a foam control composition additionally comprising a stabilizing aid which is an organic compound having a melting point of from about 40 to 80° C., preferably a fatty acid, a fatty alcohol or an alkylphosphoric acid ester.
EP-A-210731 describes a particulate foam control agent comprising a silicone antifoam and an organic material having a melting point in the range 50-85° C. which comprises a monoester of glycerol and a 12-20 C fatty acid, for example glyceryl monostearate, optionally in self-emulsifying form. The glyceryl monostearate is said not to affect the effectiveness of the silicone antifoam when it is released into the washing liquor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,596 describes a particulate foam control agent comprising a silicone antifoam and an organic material having a melting point in the range 45-85° C. which is a fatty acid, fatty alcohol or a monoester of glycerol and a 12-20 C fatty acid, and a starch carrier.
GB-A-1523957 describes a foam control substance which comprises powdered or granular sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium sulphate or sodium perborate having on the surface thereof an organopolysiloxane antifoam agent which is at least partially enclosed within a mixture of a water insoluble wax having a melting point of 55-100° C. and a water insoluble emulsifying agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,490 describes a defoaming agent for bean curd manufacture which comprises not less than 90% glycerol fatty acid monoester with additives comprising a silicone which has defoaming activity and an inorganic substance such as calcium carbonate which has weak defoaming activity and can serve as a carrier.
EP-A-516109 describes a silicone defoamer comprising polydimethylsiloxane fluid, microparticulate silica, and polysiloxanes having vinyl and Si—H groups which are capable of reaction to form a crosslinked structure. The defoamer composition may contain a polyethylene glycol compound and a fatty acid ester compound to act as a surfactant.
There is still a need to provide more efficient foam control agents. We have now surprisingly found that if efficient foam control agents based on organopolysiloxane materials are combined with certain combinations of additives, an even more efficient foam control composition can be obtained.

Silicone foam control compositions comprising a siloxane fluid and a mixture of glycerol mono/di/triesters

Abstract: where each group R, which may be the same or different, is selected from an alkyl group having 1 to 36 carbon atoms or an aryl group or aralkyl group having up to 36 carbon atoms, the mean number of carbon atoms in the groups R being at least 1.3, and an additive composition having a melting point of at least 35° C. comprising 5-50 parts by weight of a non-polar component (A) and 50-95 parts by weight of a component (B) which is miscible with component (A) and is more polar than component (A), at least one of (A) and (B) being miscible with the polysiloxane fluid.


A method, by a multipath control entity, to control a transmission of a user data plane stream between a mobile entity and a proxy, wherein the user data plane stream is exchanged between the mobile entity and an application server connected to the proxy. In a split decision, it is determined that the user data plane stream is split into at least two stream parts and over which of the supported network technologies each of the at least two stream parts is transmitted between the mobile entity and proxy. A multipath connection module in the mobile entity is informed in a first control message which stream part is transmitted by which network technology in accordance with the split decision, and a multipath connection module provided in the proxy is informed in a second control message which stream part is transmitted by which network technology in accordance with the split decision.

Fixed and mobile applications are getting more and more bandwidth hungry. At the same time, the number of users of those applications is increasing. This leads to a dramatic overall increase in the amount of traffic which needs to be delivered between end-devices and internet servers or application servers.
Existing access technologies however reach their limits. For mobile access the problem could be solved by increasing the amount of spectrum allocated to wireless access technologies. However, finding additional spectrum becomes more and more difficult and usually takes several years to complete. Furthermore, the amount of spectrum which can be used in an economical way is fairly limited. Similar applies to fixed access technologies. It becomes more and more difficult to further increase the data rates which can be sent over existing copper lines (i.e. DSL, Digital Subscriber Line).
"Channel Bonding" has been identified as one way out of the current dilemma. Channel bonding includes all kind of methods which combine different channels (e.g. data transmission techniques) for creating a new logical channel which provides a bandwidth which is the sum of the bandwidths of each channel in the bundle.
Normally, "Channel Bonding" is applied to channels using the same physical access and data transmission technology. By way of example, bonding of several Ethernet connections, bonding of several DSL lines, bonding of several LTE carriers (multi-carrier aggregation) etc.
"Channel bonding" can happen on different OSI protocol layers. For instance, multi-layer PPP (Point to Point Protocol) is a technique to aggregate channels on OSI layer 2, MPTCP (Multipath Transfer Control Protocol) is a technique to aggregate channels on OSI layer 4. There are pros and cons of the different approaches. Which of the available techniques is best and how to utilize them cannot be decided a priori. It rather depends very much on the service running on top, the available access technologies, and other factors.
Accordingly, a need exists to further improve the traffic handling between end devices and application servers with the use of an approach which is transparent to existing application and application servers, so that there should be no change required to the application servers or client apps.


A method for power management may include collecting data related to resource utilization and process information from a server. The method may further include using the collected data to generate use and state models respectively based on use and state categories of the server. The method may also include determining a state condition of the server through use of the generated use and state models to manage power utilization of the server.

Data centers typically include diverse servers used for research, development, regression testing and hardware compatibility testing, which consume a significant amount of energy. The usage patterns of many of these servers often result in extended periods of non-use and idleness. In certain areas, such as, for example, research and development data centers, based on server usage patterns and the consequent wasted energy, powering down of such servers during periods of non-use or idleness can result in significant energy and cost savings.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A system to control fluid flow through a fluid passage includes a valve that is fail-safe closed to selectively control fluid flow through the fluid passage, and a hydraulic actuator operatively coupled to the valve to open the valve when hydraulic pressure above a predetermined amount is received. The system further includes an inlet to provide hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic actuator and open the valve and an outlet to vent hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic actuator and close the valve.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the presently described embodiments. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Oil and gas wells frequently require subsurface maintenance and remediation to maintain adequate flow or production. Intervention operations on subsea wells require specialized intervention equipment to pass through the water column and to gain access to the well. The system of valves on the wellhead is commonly referred to as the "tree" and the intervention equipment is attached to the tree with a well access or well intervention package. For example, a well access package may be used for a variety of services, including pumping fluids, such as chemicals, into the well, maintaining and testing the wellhead or the tree, performing slickline type operations, in addition to other types of services and operations.
Accordingly, well intervention may enable various treatment chemicals to be injected into the well, such as to reduce the build-up of substances in production flowlines as the product flows from the well to a topside production facility (e.g. corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, paraffin inhibitors, hydrate inhibitors, and demulsifiers), and also enable operations related to well stimulation, well kill, flow assurance, scale management, in addition to others.
A known method for well intervention involves the use of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and a subsea skid. Current state of the art methods require that the well access package and skid be assembled on the surface and then lowered to the seafloor with winches. When the well access package is in the vicinity of the tree, the ROV is used to guide the skid into position and locked to the tree. A control umbilical attached to the skid is then used to operate the various functions required to access the well. The umbilical provides control functions for the well access package and skid, as well as a conduit for various fluids, included chemical treatment fluids, circulated in or through the skid.
Existing skids typically have a direct hydraulic control or multiplexer (MUX) control system to operate valves on the skid. This requires there to be an electrical cable or hydraulic hose from the vessel at surface to the skid subsea. However, with subsea operations only moving to deeper waters and more remote locations, it remains a priority to maintain or increase the functionality of subsea skids and similar equipment while minimizing the burden of support and maintenance for such equipment.


A method for setting up a condition for a drive signal in a liquid ejection head that includes a plurality of linearly-arranged nozzles and driving elements provided for each of the nozzles, includes: calculating an average value or a median value of ejection rates for each nozzle relating to a supply of the drive signal under a plurality of conditions; classifying the plurality of nozzles into a plurality of groups based on the average value or the median value of the ejection rates; calculating a proper condition for the drive signal corresponding to each group based on a statistical value of the ejection rate relating to the group; and selecting one proper condition among proper conditions corresponding to the groups so as to set the selected proper condition for each nozzle.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for setting up a drive signal in a liquid ejection head.
2. Related Art
In recent years, it has been proposed to employ a liquid ejection head with a plurality of small nozzles in the production of a thin film. A liquid including a functional material is ejected from predetermined nozzles onto a substrate and then fixed to form a thin film.
An example of such a thin film may include an emitting layer for a color filter or an organic electroluminescence panel, or metal wiring.
In a method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-159787, it is required that a liquid is ejected from a plurality of nozzles in a uniform amount (hereinafter, referred to as "ejection rate") with no variation for the production of a high quality thin film.
Variation in the ejection rate may cause variation in the amount of the liquid placed on the substrate, which may lower uniformity in the produced thin film.
In a method using a liquid ejection head, for example, a method for manufacturing a color filter using a liquid ejection head, variation in the ejection rate may cause variation in the amount (i.e., the total ejection rate) of the liquid placed on the substrate. As a result, striped density unevenness appears in an obtained color filter.
Such striped density unevenness is easy to visually recognize and thus impairs the quality of the image displayed on the color filter.
A substrate with patterned, sectioned areas is used in the production of a color filter. Such a substrate includes areas between adjacent sectioned areas where no liquid is placed.
In this case, not all the nozzles are used at the same time.
Different models of the color filter may have differently-pitched sectioned areas. Accordingly, ejection patterns should be adjusted in the model.
A large substrate may be scanned several times for placing the liquid, which requires different nozzles for each scanning event.
Such a difference in frequency of use of the nozzles may cause variation in the ejection rate.
Variations in the ejection rate often occur even in a single nozzle if the same drive signal is used for ejection operation. This is because the ejection rate varies in a single nozzle due to differences in the patterns on the substrate or differences in relative positions of the substrate and the liquid ejection head.
In order to address this problem, a technique has been proposed to compensate for the variation in the ejection rate among the nozzles by setting up and supplying drive signals to the nozzles (i.e., drive elements) under several conditions in accordance with gradual changes in the ejection rate. Such a technique is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H9-174883.
However, the technique described above requires a determining of a variation in the ejection rate among the nozzles to appropriately set up the conditions (e.g., the voltage level) for the drive signals in order to compensate for (i.e., relatively correct) the variation.
Although it is ideal to set up the drive signals independently for each nozzle, the types (i.e., systems) of the drive signals that can be set up are limited due to a limited hardware configuration or due to limited controls.
Since distribution of the variation in the ejection rate is uneven among nozzle arrays and the heads, it is difficult to set up conditions for the drive signals for each nozzle appropriately in a single process.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A layer comprising cobalt (Co) is formed on a p+ layer by vapor deposition, and a layer comprising gold (Au) is formed thereon. The two layers are alloyed by a heat treatment to form a light-transmitting electrode. The light-transmitting electrode therefore has reduced contact resistance and improved light transmission properties, and gives a light-emitting pattern which is stable over a long time. Furthermore, since cobalt (Co) is an element having a large work function, satisfactory ohmic properties are obtained.

This application claims foreign priority from Japanese applications Hei. 8-334956 filed Nov. 29, 1996; Hei. 9-19748 filed Jan. 17, 1997; and Hei. 9-47064 filed Feb. 14, 1997, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device having a light-transmitting electrode and a pad electrode which are formed on a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional compound semiconductors, an ohmic contact is obtained by depositing metals on the semiconductor surface and heating the metals to convert the same to an alloy and to cause metal diffusion into the semiconductor, because an ohmic contact is not obtainable by the mere deposition of metals.
Even when p-type GaN related compound semiconductors are subjected to a treatment for reducing resistance, e.g., irradiation with electron beams, the thus-treated semiconductors still have higher resistivities than n-type GaN related compound semiconductors. Consequently, in such p-type GaN related compound semiconductors, the p-type layer has almost no current flow in lateral directions, and only the part thereof directly beneath the electrode emitts light.
Under these circumstances, a current-diffusing electrode having light transmission properties and ohmic properties has been proposed which is formed by depositing a nickel (Ni) layer and a gold (Au) layer, each having a thickness of several tens of angstroms, (xc3x85) and heating the metal layers (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 6-314822).
However, the electrode formed by depositing nickel (Ni) and gold (Au) each having a thickness of several tens of angstroms and heating the metals poses a problem that the light-emitting pattern quality deteriorates with the lapse of time, resulting in an increased driving voltage. However, the electrode has satisfactory optical and electrical characteristics in the initial stage.
The reason for the quality deterioration is believed to be as follows. Since the nickel (Ni) and gold (Au) deposited layers are extremely thin, part of the nickel (Ni) is replaced by gold (Au) during the heat treatment, and the nickel (Ni) exposed on the electrode surface oxidizes to form NiO. When current is caused to flow through the electrode in this state, the NiO reacts with an OHxe2x80x94group of water present in the surrounding atmosphere to form a substance comprising NiOOH, as shown by the following scheme (1). Since NiOOH has poor wettability by gold (Au) and by the GaN related compound semiconductor, the NiOOH aggregates. As a result, light-emitting pattern quality deteriorates with the lapse of time and the contact resistance of the electrode increases. Thus, conventional art devices employing the proposed electrode are believed to deteriorate in optical and electrical characteristics.
NiO+OHxe2x88x92xe2x86x92NiOOH+exe2x88x92xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
Further, since this current-diffusing electrode is thin, a pad electrode made of Ni/Au or Au is formed thereon for bonding.
However, the conventional art device described above has insufficient adhesion between the pad electrode and the current-diffusing electrode. Hence, if the surface of the current-diffusing electrode on which a pad electrode is to be formed has been soiled, there is a problem that the finally obtained device has problems such as the peeling of the pad electrode and a poor light-emitting pattern. In addition, even if the pad electrode has satisfactory adhesion to the current-diffusing electrode, the light emission occurring in the shade of the bonding pad cannot be directly observed, unavoidably resulting in a light emission loss.
Further, there is still another problem as follows.
In conventional GaN related compound semiconductors, low-resistivity p-type conduction is not obtainable by mere doping with a p-type impurity. It has hence been proposed to impart p-type low resistance to a GaN related compound semiconductor doped with a p-type impurity by irradiating the doped semiconductor with electron beams (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 2-257679) or by subjecting the doped semiconductor to thermal annealing (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 5-183189). It has also been proposed to conduct the thermal annealing for imparting p-type low resistance simultaneously with alloying for forming an electrode (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-51235).
However, in the method using thermal annealing described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 5-183189, the heat treatment should be conducted at a temperature not lower than 700xc2x0 C. in order to obtain a saturated low resistivity. Although this kind of semiconductor has conventionally employed aluminum as the main electrode material, use of a temperature not lower than 700xc2x0 C. for electrode alloying produces problems, such as the formation of aluminum balls resulting from aluminum melting, an impaired surface state, increased contact resistance of the electrode, and wire bonding failure.
Consequently, the heat treatment for electrode alloying should be conducted at a relatively low temperature of from 500 to 600xc2x0 C. It is, however, noted that the heat treatment for imparting p-type low resistance does not result in a sufficiently low resistivity when conducted at a temperature in the range of from 500 to 600xc2x0 C. It has hence been necessary to conduct the heat treatment for imparting p-type low resistance and the heat treatment for electrode alloying as separate steps, respectively.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-51235 proposes to conduct the impartation of p-type low resistance simultaneously with electrode alloying by performing a heat treatment at a temperature of from 400 to 800xc2x0 C. However, this method has the following problems. The impartation of p-type low resistance is insufficient in the low-temperature range where electrode alloying is achieved satisfactorily. In the high-temperature region suitable for the sufficient impartation of p-type low resistance, electrode alloying cannot be conducted satisfactorily, resulting in increased contact resistance and poor ohmic properties.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to realize a GaN related compound semiconductor light-emitting device which has light transmission properties and ohmic properties and retains a stable light-emitting pattern and a constant driving voltage over a long period of time, and to realize processes for producing the device.
Another object of the present invention is to impart p-type low resistance to a GaN related compound semiconductor through a heat treatment so that a saturated low resistivity value can be realized using a lower temperature for the treatment.
Still another object of the present invention is to realize the impartation of p-type low resistance at a lower temperature to thereby sufficiently impart p-type low resistance and obtain an electrode having low contact resistance and satisfactory ohmic properties, even when the heat treatment for imparting p-type low resistance and that for electrode alloying are conducted as the same step.
Still another object of the present invention is to improve the adhesion between a pad electrode and a current-diffusing electrode to thereby prevent the pad electrode from peeling off and, at the same time, to form a high-resistivity region under the pad so that current flows in the current-diffusing electrode selectively through areas other than that under the pad to thereby diminish light emission under the pad and attain effective utilization of light emission.
The above-described problem is eliminated with the light-emitting device of the present invention according to a first aspect of the present invention. This light-emitting device has a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer having formed thereon an electrode which transmits light to the semiconductor layer and which is a metal layer comprising a cobalt (Co) alloy, palladium (Pd), or a palladium (Pd) alloy. Since the elements constituting the electrode are unsusceptible to oxidation, not only is the electrode prevented from suffering the light-emitting pattern change with time caused by electrode oxidation to thereby give a stable light-emitting pattern over a long period of time, but also the electrode can have reduced contact resistance to thereby enable a constant driving voltage over a long period of time. In addition, since cobalt (Co) and palladium (Pd) each is an element having a large work function, satisfactory ohmic properties are obtained.
The metal layer comprising a cobalt (Co) alloy may be formed from one member selected from the group consisting of a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of cobalt (Co) and a second metal layer made of gold (Au) formed on the first metal layer, a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of gold (Au) and a second metal layer made of cobalt (Co) formed on the first metal layer, and an alloy layer made of cobalt (Co) and gold (Au), by alloying the one member through a heat treatment. This metal layer is free from the problem in electrodes made of cobalt (Co) alone that the light-emitting pattern changes with the lapse of time because of the susceptibility of cobalt (Co) to oxidation. Specifically, the electrode formed by heating a two-layer structure comprising a layer made of cobalt (Co) and a layer made of gold (Au) or by heating a layer of an alloy of cobalt (Co) with gold (Au) is prevented from undergoing cobalt (Co) oxidation, has reduced contact resistance, enables a stable light-emitting pattern over a long period of time, and has excellent light transmission properties.
An electrode which has reduced contact resistance, enables a stable light-emitting pattern over a long period of time, and has excellent light transmission properties is also obtained from a three-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of cobalt (Co), a second metal layer made of a group II element formed on the first metal layer, and a third metal layer made of gold (Au) formed on the second metal layer, by alloying the three-layer structure through a heat treatment, or obtained from a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of cobalt (Co) and a second metal layer made of an alloy of palladium (Pd) with platinum (Pt) formed on the first metal layer, by alloying the two-layer structure through a heat treatment. Effective examples of the group II element include beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd).
The metal layer comprising a palladium (Pd) alloy may be formed from either a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of palladium (Pd) and a second metal layer made of gold (Au) formed on the first metal layer, or a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer madeiof gold (Au) and a second metal layer made of palladium (Pd) formed on the first metal layer, by alloying the two-layer structure through a heat treatment. Thus, an electrode is obtained which has reduced contact resistance, enables a stable light-emitting pattern over a long period of time, and has excellent light transmission properties.
An electrode which has reduced contact resistance, enables a stable light-emitting pattern over a long period of time, and has excellent light transmission properties is obtained also from a layer made of an alloy of palladium (Pd) with platinum (Pt) by alloying the layer through a heat treatment.
A metal layer may be formed on a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer through a heat treatment conducted at a temperature from 400 to 700xc2x0 C. The metal layer formed can be a satisfactorily alloyed layer. Thus, an electrode having stable light-emitting properties and stable electrical characteristics can be obtained.
A metal layer having reduced contact resistance can be formed through a heat treatment conducted under low-vacuum conditions. The term xe2x80x9clow-vacuum conditionsxe2x80x9d used herein means a pressure of 10 Torr or lower.
A metal layer having reduced contact resistance can be formed through a heat treatment without reducing light-emitting pattern quality, by conducting the heat treatment in an atmosphere comprising at least oxygen (O2) or a gas containing oxygen (O), or by conducting the heat treatment in an inert gas atmosphere. The term xe2x80x9catmosphere comprising oxygen (O2)xe2x80x9d as used herein include 100% oxygen (O2). The term xe2x80x9cgas containing oxygen (O)xe2x80x9d means CO, CO2, etc. Effective examples of the inert gas contemplated by the present invention include nitrogen (N2), helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), and krypton (Kr).
Further, the above-described problem is eliminated with the process for producing a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor of the present invention according to a second aspect of the present invention. This process for producing a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor comprises subjecting a GaN related compound semiconductor doped with a p-type impurity to a heat treatment in a gas comprising at least oxygen.
Further, the above-described problem is eliminated by the process for producing a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor having a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer and an electrode according to a third aspect of the present invention. This process for producing a GaN related compound semiconductor device having a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer and an electrode comprises: forming a layer of a GaN related compound semiconductor doped with a p-type impurity; forming an electrode on the GaN related compound semiconductor layer; and subjecting the GaN related compound semiconductor layer having the electrode formed thereon to a heat treatment in a gas comprising at least oxygen.
Furthermore, the above-described problem is eliminated by the process for producing GaN related compound semiconductor having a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer, an n-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer, and two electrodes respectively for these layers according to a fourth aspect of the present invention. This process for producing a GaN related compound semiconductor device having a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer, an n-type GaN related compound semiconductor layer, and two electrodes respectively for these layers comprises:
forming a first electrode on the GaN related compound semiconductor layer doped with a p-type impurity, and forming a second electrode on the n-type GaN related compound semiconductor; and subjecting the resultant structure to a heat treatment in a gas comprising at least oxygen.
The term xe2x80x9cGaN related compound semiconductorxe2x80x9d means a compound which is based on GaN and contains one or more group III elements, e.g., In and Al, by which part of the gallium has been replaced. An example of the GaN related compound semiconductor is a four-element compound represented by the general formula (AlxGa1-x)yIn1-yN (0xe2x89xa6xxe2x89xa61, 0xe2x89xa6yxe2x89xa61).
The gas comprising oxygen used in each of the processes according to the present invention may be at least one member selected from O2, O3, CO, CO2, NO, N2O, NO2, and H2O or a mixed gas comprising two or more of these members. The gas comprising oxygen may also be a mixed gas comprising at least one of O2, O3, CO, CO2, N2O, NO, NO2, and H2O and one or more inert gases, or be a mixed gas comprising a mixture of two or more of O2, O3, CO, CO2, NO, N2O, NO2, and H2O and one or more inert gases. In short, the gas comprising oxygen means a gas containing oxygen atoms or a gas of molecules containing oxygen atoms.
The pressure of the atmosphere in which the heat treatment is conducted is not particularly limited as long as the GaN related compound semiconductor is not pyrolyzed at the temperature used for the heat treatment. In the case where O2 gas alone is used as the gas comprising oxygen, the gas may be introduced at a pressure higher than the decomposition pressure for the GaN related compound semiconductor. In the case where a mixture of O2 with an inert gas is used, the pressure of the whole mixed gas is regulated to a value higher than the decomposition pressure for the GaN related compound semiconductor. In this case, an O2 gas proportion not smaller than about 10xe2x88x926 based on the whole mixed gas is sufficient. In short, an extremely small amount of oxygen suffices to the gas comprising oxygen for the reason which will be given later. There is no particular upper limit on the amount of the gas comprising oxygen introduced from the standpoints of the impartation of p-type low resistance and electrode alloying. Any high pressure is usable as long as production is possible.
The most preferred range of the temperature for the heat treatment is from 500 to 600xc2x0 C. As will be described later, a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor having a completely saturated resistivity can be obtained at temperatures not lower than 500xc2x0 C. At temperatures not higher than 600xc2x0 C., the alloying treatment of an electrode can be conducted satisfactorily.
Preferred temperature ranges are from 450 to 650xc2x0 C., from 400 to 600xc2x0 C., and from 400 to 700xc2x0 C. The lower the temperature, the higher the p-type resistivity. The higher the temperature, the poorer the electrode properties and the higher the possibility for thermal deterioration of crystals.
The first electrode desirably comprises a metal layer which comprises a cobalt (Co) alloy, palladium (Pd), or a palladium (Pd) alloy and has light transmission properties and ohmic properties. This metal layer comprising a cobalt (Co) alloy is a layer formed from a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of cobalt (Co) and a second metal layer made of gold (Au) formed on the first metal layer, from a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of gold (Au) and a second metal layer made of cobalt (Co) formed on the first metal layer, or from a layer of an alloy of cobalt (Co) with gold (Au), by alloying the same through a heat treatment. Alternatively, the metal layer comprising a cobalt (Co) alloy is a layer formed from a three-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of cobalt (Co), a second metal layer made of a group II element formed on the first metal layer, and a third metal layer made of gold (Au) formed on the second metal layer, by alloying the three-layer structure through a heat treatment. The metal layer comprising a palladium (Pd) alloy is a layer formed from a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of palladium (Pd) and a second metal layer made of gold (Au) formed on the first metal layer or from a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of gold (Au) and a second metal layer made of palladium (Pd) formed on the first metal layer, by alloying the two-layer structure through a heat treatment.
The first electrode can be a layer formed by alloying, through a heat treatment, a two-layer structure comprising a first metal layer made of nickel (Ni) and a second metal layer made of gold (Au) formed thereon.
The above-described materials of the first electrode have been selected so as to result in satisfactory properties with respect to contact resistance with p-type GaN related compound semiconductors, light-emitting pattern, property change with time, junction strength, and ohmic properties.
The second electrode desirably comprises aluminum (Al) or an aluminum alloy. These electrode materials have been selected from the standpoints of contact resistance with n-type GaN related compound semiconductors and ohmic properties.
In the process according to the second aspect of the present invention, a gas comprising oxygen is used as the surrounding gas for the heat treatment. As a result, it has become possible to use a lower temperature for obtaining a GaN related compound semiconductor having p-type low resistance. As will be described later, use of temperatures not lower than 500xc2x0 C. resulted in a saturated low value of resistivity. The resistivity began to decrease at around 400xc2x0 C. At 450xc2x0 C., the resistivity was about a half of that at 400xc2x0 C.
In the processes according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, a saturated low resistivity suitable for practical use is obtained at lower temperatures as described above. Consequently, the heat treatment for imparting p-type low resistance and the heat treatment for electrode alloying can be carried out as the same step. As a result, processes for device production can be simplified. In addition, since the heat treatment can be conducted at a low temperature, thermal deterioration of devices can be alleviated.
With respect to the fact that the heat treatment in a gas comprising oxygen is effective in imparting low resistance at lower temperatures, the following explanation is given by the present inventors. A GaN related compound semiconductor cannot be made to have p-type low resistance by merely doping the same with a p-type impurity, e.g., magnesium. This is because the atoms of the p-type impurity are bonded to hydrogen atoms and, hence, do not function as an acceptor. It is therefore thought that upon the removal of the hydrogen atoms bonded to the atoms of the p-type impurity, the impurity comes to function as an acceptor. When a heat treatment is conducted in a gas comprising oxygen, the separation of the impurity atoms from the hydrogen atoms is thought to be catalyzed by the oxygen. As a result, semiconductor devices having a reduced resistivity are obtainable at lower temperatures.
Still further, the above-described problem is eliminated with the GaN related compound semiconductor device having a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor according to a fifth aspect of the present invention. This GaN related compound semiconductor device having a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor comprises: a current-diffusing electrode having light transmission properties which has been formed on the p-type GaN related compound semiconductor and a pad electrode for bonding which has been formed on the current-diffusing electrode and contains at least one metal reactive with nitrogen. The device further includes a high-resistivity region on the p-type GaN related compound semiconductor in its part located under the pad electrode, the high-resistivity region having been formed through an alloying treatment by the reaction of the metal with the p-type GaN related compound semiconductor.
According to this device, a current-diffusing electrode having light transmission properties is formed on a p-type GaN related compound semiconductor, and a pad electrode containing at least one metal reactive with nitrogen is formed thereon.
In an alloying treatment, the metal reactive with nitrogen which is contained in the pad electrode reacts with the p-type GaN related compound semiconductor. As a result, the adhesion between the pad electrode and the current-diffusing electrode as well as between the pad electrode and p-type GaN surface is improved and the pad electrode can be prevented from peeling off. The reaction between the metal reactive with nitrogen contained in the pad electrode and the GaN related compound semiconductor further produces an effect that since the reaction generates nitrogen holes within part of the GaN related compound semiconductor, the donor attributable to these holes in that part compensates for an acceptor to thereby form a high-resistivity region in that part of the semiconductor. Consequently, current flows from the pad electrode not downward but in lateral directions along the current-diffusing electrode. Since the region of a pad electrode originally has a large thickness and no light transmission properties, it is virtually impossible to take light out of the device through the pad electrode or to cause external light to strike on the semiconductor through the pad electrode. According to the present invention, only the part where light is effectively utilizable can have an improved current density and, as a result, the effective efficiency of electricity-to-light conversion or light-to-electricity conversion is improved.

Process for producing GaN related compound semiconductor


An apparatus and method for determining proper endotreachal placement is disclosed. The apparatus includes an audio receiver having a body, a microphone mount in a center thereof the body and an audio cavity, an audio processing unit; and a signal cable connected at a first end to the microphone and at a second end, where the receiver is adapted to be positioned in a suprasternal notch of a patient and the acoustic signal detected after inflation of a balloon associated with an endotracheal tube. The method uses the apparatus to detect and analyze an audio signal. The audio signal is then used to confirm endotracheal tube placement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for confirming proper endotracheal tube placement.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for confirming proper endotracheal tube placement, where the apparatus includes a microphone and an audio signal receiver and output unit capable of receiving sound produced by squeezing a pilot balloon of the endotracheal tube filled with a mixture of a gas (such as air) and a liquid (such as water) and the method includes placing the microphone on a suprasternal notch of a patient, inserting the endotracheal tube, filling the pilot balloon with a mixture of a gas and a liquid, squeezing the balloon and analyzing the sound generated by the balloon in a digital sound acquisition and localization unit to confirm proper endotracheal tube placement.
2. Description of the Related Art
The most important job an anesthesiologist does is to place an endotracheal tube (ET) in the trachea when general anesthesia with a secure airway is indicated. The inability to place the ET in the trachea or to misplace the ET in the esophagus can lead to disastrous results and even death. The ET has a pilot balloon that communicates with the cuff on the endotracheal tube. When the pilot balloon is inflated with air/gas, it inflates the endotracheal tube cuff. This produces a seal so the chances of gastric contents entering the trachea are minimized. The endotracheal tube cuff can be felt in the suprasternal notch when the pilot balloon is compressed. Presently there are three ways to confirm proper placement of the endotracheal tube: (1) water vapor mist in the endotracheal tube; (2) auscultation of bilateral breath sounds when oxygen or air is deliver through a reservoir bag or Ambu bag; and (3) detection of carbon dioxide either on a capnograph or a disposable CO2 monitor, which is today considered the gold standard by the American Association of Anesthesiologists. But none of these methods are 100% confirmatory.
United States Published Patent Application No. 20030018276 discloses a system and method for use in detecting an endotracheal tube location within a body electronically detects indigenous breath sounds emanating from a region of the body and processes the detected indigenous breath sounds to generate a parameter representative of an acoustic characteristic of the body associated with the endotracheal tube location within the body. The system and method generates an output indicative of the endotracheal tube location within the body based on the parameter representative of the acoustic characteristic of the body. The system uses a speaker to generate an input signal that is then detected by an microphone or other audio detector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,720 disclosed an endotracheal tube having an audio aid for indicating the accurate placement thereof. In a first preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a cuffed ETT having distal and proximal ends, the latter having a mechanical noise-making apparatus formed thereon that provides an audible signal when air passes therethrough. In a second preferred embodiment, the invention comprises the combination of a cuffed ETT having distal and proximal ends and an insertion rod for stiffening the ETT during insertion. The insertion rod is coupled to an electrically-powered noise maker formed upon the distal end thereof to produce an audible sound before air flow through the ETT is established. In both embodiments the correct placement is determined by the unaided ear hearing the noise coming from both sides of the chest. If sound is from one side only the insertion is too deep. If the sound is heard from the stomach the ETT is in the esophagus instead of trachea and should be pulled out and reinserted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,144 disclosed an apparatus and method for acoustically guiding a distal end of a tube within a body. The apparatus and method generates an incident sound pulse in the tube which propagates into the body, detects sound pulses resulting from the incident sound pulse and from reflected sound pulses from within the body, and processes the detected sound pulses to guide insertion of the distal end of the tube within the body. The apparatus and method provides an indication of the position of the distal end of the tube within the body conduit, estimates dimensions of the body conduit adjacent the distal end of the tube, and determines if the tube is obstructed.
Although these methods and their associated apparatus are known, there is still an need in the art for apparatuses and methods that improve the ability to confirm proper ET placement.

Digital endotracheal tube sound acquisition and localization device

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A vehicular distance to a preceding vehicle is controlled on the basis of a mixed combination of a longer range radar sensor and shorter range microwave sensors.

In general, apparatus for controlling distance between vehicles have progressed to the state of an adaptive cruise control (ACC) system, which can control the speed of a vehicle at high running speeds in the presence of a preceding vehicle a long distance away. However, the distance to a closely preceding vehicle has a dynamic characteristic at low speeds, that is, a following vehicle must frequently accelerate and/or decelerate. Considering such a fact, realizing stable control of a vehicle speed is more difficult when a vehicle is running at low speed than at high speed.
Furthermore, the sensor for detecting distance to a preceding vehicle, which provides a key factor to determine whether a vehicle should be accelerated or decelerated, usually does not cover distances from a short range to a long range. A typical long range radar sensor usually has an applicable range of 10–150 m, and a short range radar sensor having a range of 0.2m˜20 m is only under investigation. Currently, a stable short range radar sensor is hard to find. In aspects of price and/or weight, such a short range radar sensor is not appropriate to be mounted together with a long range radar sensor.
For reference, in order to enable obtaining of a relative distance, a short range radar sensor is required to provide features of measuring distance and angle. A feature of measuring relative speed is further preferably required for controlling distance to a close object. A required range of the measuring is, e.g., 0.2˜20 m with respect to distance, and ±20 deg with respect to angle.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Apparatus for controlling distance between vehicles


An electromagnetic vibrating diaphragm pump is provided with a draining structure which can easily drain water flowed into the pump without a separate member preventing inflow of water. A first communicating passage is formed at a bottom end of a partition wall between a suction chamber and a compression chamber. A bottom portion inside the suction chamber slopes down toward the passage, making its compression chamber side lower than the suction chamber side. A second communicating passage is formed at a bottom end of a partition wall between an exhaust chamber and the compression chamber. A bottom portion inside the compression chamber slopes down toward the passage, making its exhaust chamber side lower than the compression chamber side. A bottom portion inside the exhaust chamber slopes down toward the exhaust port to make the exhaust port side lower. The exhaust port slopes down to make an outlet side thereof lower.

The presently disclosed embodiment relates to an electromagnetic vibrating diaphragm pump, particularly to an electromagnetic vibrating diaphragm pump with a draining structure.
Electromagnetic vibrating diaphragm pumps allowing its pump action to be achieved by a reciprocating motion of an oscillator equipped with a permanent magnet are known as conventional electromagnetic vibrating pumps (See, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In these electromagnetic diaphragm pumps, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), pump action is achieved in such a manner that air taken in from a suction port 107 firstly enters in a suction chamber 102 and then is supplied, via a suction valve 100, into a compression chamber 104 where the air is compressed by means of a diaphragm (not shown). When a pressure is further applied in the compression chamber 104, the air moves, via an exhaust valve 101, to an exhaust chamber 103 provided with an exhaust port 108 and then is exhausted from the exhaust port 108 of the exhaust chamber 103. In such conventional electromagnetic vibrating diaphragm pump, the suction valve 100 and the exhaust valve 101 are, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), usually mounted nearly on the center of a partition wall 105 (See FIG. 4(b)) partitioning the suction chamber 102, the exhaust chamber 103 and the compression chamber 104, respectively. Communicating passages 106 for connecting the respective chambers for passing a fluid therethrough are formed nearly on the center of the partition wall 105. Additional background information may be found in Japanese publications JP 2005-273477 A and JP 2008-280970 A.


Disclosed herein is a pedal simulator. The pedal simulator includes a main housing, a piston provided within the main housing so as to be reciprocally movable in upward and downward directions, an elastic support portion disposed within the main housing to provide elastic force in the upward direction against one piston, and a damper including a first deformation portion and a second deformation portion having a volume greater than the first deformation portion which are vertically disposed within the main housing, the damper being made of an elastic material such that the first and second deformation portions are sequentially compressed and deformed while being pressed by the piston according to downward movement of the piston.

1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a pedal simulator capable of allowing a pedal feeling of a brake to be similar to an existing brake system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a brake-by-wire system performs braking of a vehicle in such a manner that, without mechanical connection between a driver and a braking wheel, an electric caliper located at each vehicle wheel receives a signal from an ECU of the brake-by-wire system and catches a disc located at each vehicle wheel.
Since this brake-by-wire system has a pedal effort characteristic as a pedal feeling felt by a driver during pedal operation of a hydraulic brake system mechanically connected, namely a characteristic which may not realize hysteresis depending upon reaction meaning a physical energy loss together with formation of a nonlinear pedal effort mainly caused by input/output characteristics generated from a booster, there is a need for a separate device to provide a driver with a proper pedal feeling.
Such a system is wholly equipped with an electric device capable of identifying pedal operation of a driver, together with, for example, a mechanical device to provide a driver with a proper pedal feeling, and is typically referred to as a pedal simulator.
Such a pedal simulator is aimed principally at providing a pedal feeling similar to an existing brake system.
Korean Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-2000-0048717 discloses a pedal simulator as a specific example of the conventional pedal simulator.
The pedal simulator buffers therein a piston using one coil spring as a buffer member. However, there is a problem in that such a single buffer member simply indicates a pedal feeling of a brake only as a one-stage linear form.
To improve this, there has been proposed a pedal simulator structure of realizing a nonlinear pedal feeling by applying a plurality of springs and a plurality of dampers corresponding thereto. However, this pedal simulator structure has many problems such as complexity of the structure, an increase of manufacturing costs, and the like.


The device includes two supports and a primary conductive strip. The primary conductive strip includes a neutral surface, a first side, and a second side. The primary conductive strip is connected one of directly and indirectly on the first side to the two supports such that the primary conductive strip is constrained in two dimensions and movable in one dimension. The device also includes a primary distributed feedback fiber laser. The primary distributed feedback fiber laser includes a fiber axis. The primary distributed feedback fiber laser is connected to the primary conductive strip along one of the first side and the second side such that there is a positive distance between the neutral surface of the primary conductive strip and the fiber axis of the primary distributed feedback fiber laser.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a magnetic field sensor and more particularly to a magnetic field sensor that makes use of the Lorentz force.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fiber-optic interferometric sensors have become an established technology for Naval underwater acoustic applications. Both platform mounted systems and seabed mounted systems have been developed. See, e.g., Dandridge A., Tveten A. B., Kirkendall C. K. 2004 Development of the fiber optic wide aperture array: From initial development to production, NRL Review (available at www.nrl.navy.mil); Davis A. R., Kirkendall C. K., Dandridge A., Kersey A. D. 1997 64 channel all optical deployable acoustic array Proc. of the 12th Int. Conf. Optical Fiber Sensors, Washington D.C., 616-619; and Cranch G A, Crickmore R, Kirkendall C K, Bautista A, Daley K, Motley S, Salzano J, Latchem J and Nash P J 2004 Acoustic performance of a large-aperture, seabed, fiber-optic hydrophone array Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 115 2848-58, each publication incorporated herein by reference. Fiber-optic sensor based seabed mounted hydrophone arrays offer the potential for very large area coverage with a lightweight, rapidly deployable system. The optical fiber link is capable of carrying information from a large number of fiber-optic sensors (several hundred), to a remotely located shore station or surface mooring. Passive target detection by acoustic signature measurement forms the basis of many sonar systems. However, detection of targets by other associated signatures such as electric or magnetic field is also possible. See, e.g., Bucholtz F, Dagenais D M, Villarruel C A, Kirkendall C K, McVicker J A, Davis A R, Patrick S S, Koo K P, Wang G, Valo H, Eidem E J, Andersen A, Lund T, Gjessing R and Knudsen T 1995 Demonstration of a fiber optic array of 3-axis magnetometers for undersea application IEEE Transactions on Magnetics 31 3194-6, incorporated herein by reference. This can be particularly advantageous in areas of high acoustic reverberation and noise where acoustic detection ranges are limited. An underwater array consisting of a combination of sensors may therefore, in certain circumstances, provide an improved detection capability.
Fiber-optic sensor based magnetometers have many favorable attributes for applications requiring multi-point, remote measurements of low frequency magnetic fields. An undersea magnetometer requiring no electrical power is highly desirable to improve reliability and to enable remote location of the sensors. The sensors are connected by a fiber-optic link free from electromagnetic interference and do not radiate any electric or magnetic fields of their own. A fiber-optic magnetometer has been previously demonstrated that uses a magnetostrictive material to convert the magnetic field into a strain, which is measured interferometrically. See, e.g., Bucholtz F, Villarruel C A, Davis A R, Kirkendall C K, Dagenais D M, McVicker J A, Patrick S S, Koo K P, Wang G, Valo H, Lund T, Andersen A G, Gjessing R, Eidem E J and Knudsen T 1995 Multichannel fiberoptic magnetometer system for undersea measurements Journal of Lightwave Technology 13 1385-95, incorporated herein by reference. The magnetostrictive material was a transversely annealed Metglass cylinder around which optical fiber is wound. This is placed in one arm of an interferometer which measures the strain generated in the presence of a magnetic field. The response of the Metglass to magnetic field is quadratic, such that by applying an AC magnetic dither field to the transducer (typically up to 20 kHz) the low frequency magnetic field of interest appears as modulation sidebands on a carrier at the dither frequency. Low frequency magnetic field resolutions of 3 pT/Hz1/2 at 10 Hz and 38 pT/Hz1/2 at 0.1 Hz have been demonstrated, which compares very well to high performance flux-gate magnetometers achieving low frequency resolutions around 1-10 pT/Hz1/2. See, e.g., Dagenais D M, Bucholtz F, Koo K P and Dandridge A 1988 Demonstration of 3 pt-square-root-(hz) at 10 hz in a fibre-optic magnetometer Electronics Letters 24 1422-3; Dagenais D M, Bucholtz F, Koo K P and Dandridge A 1989 Detection of low-frequency magnetic signals in a magnetostrictive fiber-optic sensor with suppressed residual signal Journal of Lightwave Technology 7 881-7; and Billingsley Magnetics, www.magnetometer.com, all publications incorporated herein by reference. However, magnetostrictive Metglass provides a far from ideal strain response. It has been observed that these materials can exhibit both a significant residual signal in the absence of a magnetic field, which can be equivalent to several μTesla as well as 1/f sideband noise associated with dynamic processes in the metglass. See, e.g., Dagenais D M and Bucholtz F 1994 Measurement and origin of magnetostrictive noise limitation in magnetic fiberoptic sensors Optics Letters 19 1699-701, incorporated herein by reference. Although methods based on choice of dither frequency and annealing conditions have been found to reduce these effects it is generally necessary to operate the sensor closed-loop, maintaining the magnetostrictive at its zero internal field point, to overcome hysteresis and the residual signal in the magnetostrictive. See, e.g., Kersey A D., Jackson D A., Corke M 1985 Single-mode fibre-optic magnetometer with DC bias field stabilization J. Lightw. Technol. LT-3 (4) 836-840, incorporated herein by reference. The fiber-optic interferometer must also be quadrature locked in order to achieve sub-μradian phase resolution. For a three axis magnetometer a total of four feedback loops are required resulting in a relatively complex sensor head when the associated electronics for the feedback loops are included. An array of eight three-axis magnetometers demonstrated magnetic field resolutions of 0.2 nT/Hz1/2 at 0.1 Hz limited by residual 1/f noise. See, e.g., Bucholtz F, Villarruel C A, Davis A R, Kirkendall C K, Dagenais D M, McVicker J A, Patrick S S, Koo K P, Wang G, Valo H, Lund T, Andersen A G, Gjessing R, Eidem E J and Knudsen T. 1995 Multichannel fiberoptic magnetometer system for undersea measurements Journal of Lightwave Technology 13 1385-95, incorporated herein by reference. Although laboratory-based sensors have demonstrated significantly improved performance, consistent improvement in sensitivity has not yet been achieved. The need to provide electrical power and feedback signals to the sensor head is a significant disadvantage, particularly when the sensors are to be located several kilometers from the interrogation system.
An alternative transduction mechanism for a fiber-optic magnetometer has also been demonstrated previously, based on the Lorentzian force generated in a current carrying conductor in the presence of a magnetic field. See, e.g. Okamura H, 1990 Fiberoptic magnetic sensor utilizing the Lorentzian force J. Lightw. Technol. 8 (10), 1558-1564, incorporated herein by reference. A variant of this sensing concept uses a distributed feedback (DFB) fiber laser strain sensor to measure the strain induced in a vibrating metal beam carrying an AC dither current in the presence of a quasi-DC magnetic field. See, e.g. Cranch G A, Flockhart G M H, Kirkendall C K, 2006 DFB fiber laser magnetic field sensor based on the Lorentz force Proc. 18th Int. Conf. Opt. Fib. Sensors, OSA Tech. Digest, ISBN 1-55752-817-9, Cancun, Mexico and Cranch G A, Flockhart G M H, Kirkendall C K, 2008 Optically powered DFB fiber laser magnetometer, SPIE 7004, paper 7004-44, incorporated herein by reference. The DFB fiber laser strain sensor provides an order of magnitude increase in strain resolution compared with the remotely interrogated fiber-optic interferometer, for very short lengths of fiber. See, e.g., Cranch G A, Flockhart G M H, Kirkendall C K, 2007 Comparative Analysis of the DFB Fiber Laser and Fiber-Optic Interferometric Strain Sensors 3rd European Workshop on Optical Fiber Sensors, Naples, Italy, 4-6 July, SPIE 6619, paper 66192C, incorporated herein by reference. This makes it ideally suited for this transduction mechanism where the interaction length is typically a few centimeters. Bending of the beam induces a flexural strain in the fiber in proportion to the Lorentzian force acting on the beam. This force is proportional to the product of the magnetic field strength and current, yielding an AC strain proportional in amplitude to the magnetic field. This transduction mechanism should yield no residual signal for zero applied field and is shown to exhibit no measurable hysteresis. Thus, it should be possible to achieve a stable, drift free magnetic field measurement with a sensor operating open loop. An added benefit is that the responsivity of the sensor is proportional to the current, thus an increase in current will yield a proportional increase in responsivity and sensitivity. The strain induced in the fiber laser modulates the laser emission frequency, which can be converted into an intensity modulation with an imbalanced fiber-optic interferometer located with the interrogation electronics. Thus, no feedback signal is required at the sensor head. The required dither current can be supplied optically removing the need to transmit electrical power to the sensor head.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


The systems and methods of the present disclosure are directed to ultrasound-based concentration measurement techniques in which both scatterer count and image volume are measured concurrently to provide absolute concentration measurements. In particular, through the techniques of the present disclosure, the effective thickness of an ultrasound beam can be determined based on the spreading of individual scatterers within ultrasound images. Based on the effective thickness of the ultrasound beam, the volume of the image and, thus, the concentration of particles in the image can be determined directly, without the need for estimation, approximation, or use of a reference sample.

Concentration measurement of particles in suspension is an important procedure performed in various industries including basic biology, pharmaceutics, and clinical medicine. In biological and biotechnological laboratories, cell concentration is routinely measured to monitor cell growth and the progression of experiments. In clinical laboratories, white blood cell (WBC) and red blood cell (RBC) concentrations are key parameters measured for blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples.
Commonly used methods of measuring the concentration of particles in suspension include using a hemocytometer, using a Coulter counter, and flow cytometry-based concentration measurements. A common weakness among these methods is that they are typically destructive in the sense that the sample is discarded after analysis. This can be disadvantageous when the sample volume is small and/or difficult to acquire, thus limiting the amount of sample that can be used for analysis, and lowering the accuracy, especially when concentration is low. Further, each of these methods requires extraction of the sample from the body through an invasive procedure, such as a venipuncture or lumbar puncture, which in itself creates risk of infection and/or complication. Further, with each of these methods, the sample is removed from its innate environment and placed at risk of contamination and degradation.
Ultrasound has been used to estimate concentration of scatterers when a material is dilute and a scatterer size is similar to the wavelength produced by ultrasound, so that individual scatterers can be distinguished in an ultrasound image. The actual shape of an ultrasound beam, however, may vary significantly based on the medium being imaged, the interface between an ultrasound transducer and the scanned object, and a variety of other factors. Because of these variations in the beam shape, the image volume is not known. Thus, while the number of individual scatterers can be counted in an ultrasound image, concentration determinations are limited by imprecise knowledge of the actual shape of the ultrasound beam and, thus, of the image volume. To address this limitation, a variety of techniques have been developed for estimating concentration based on overall backscatter energy and assumptions about the geometry of an ultrasound scan. These estimation techniques, however, are based on generalized assumptions about the shape of the ultrasound beam and the scan geometry, and/or require a priori calibration of the transducer before concentration estimates can be made. These techniques are therefore inherently imprecise and/or of limited applicability across a range of applications.
There remains a need for improved techniques for using ultrasound images to measure particle concentration.

Ultrasound image-based concentration measurement


In a display device having a plurality of organic electroluminescence devices arranged on a substrate, each of the devices including a lower electrode, an organic layer at least containing a light emitting layer, and an upper electrode in this order, the light emitting layer of at least some of the organic electroluminescence devices has a first light emitting layer formed by vapor deposition and a second light emitting layer formed by thermal transfer, and the first light emitting layer emits light whose wavelength is equal to or shorter than that of blue light.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a display device and a manufacturing method thereof and, more specifically, it relates to a display device capable of color display using an organic electroluminescence device and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In organic electroluminescence devices, organic layers such as a hole transporting layer and a light emitting layer are provided between a lower electrode and an upper electrode.
In full color display devices using the organic electroluminescence devices (hereinafter simply referred to as light emitting device), light emitting devices that emit respectively R (ref), G (green), or B (blue) are arranged on a substrate. In manufacturing such devices, it is necessary to provide a light emitting layer comprising an organic light emitting material that emits each color for each light emitting device. Each light emitting layer is provided, for example, by a shadow masking method in which a light emitting material is deposited or coated through a mask provided with a plurality of apertures, or by an ink jet method.
However, it is difficult to further refine or highly integrate the light emitting devices when using the shadow masking method because of the difficulty of refinement of the apertures of the mask due to the distortion of the mask, etc.
Further, patterning with high accuracy is difficult also in the ink jet method.
Then, as a new pattern forming method, a transfer method using an energy source (heat source) (that is, thermal transfer method) has been proposed. A display device is manufactured by the thermal transfer method, for example, as described below. At first, a lower electrode is formed on a substrate of a display device (hereinafter referred to as a device substrate). On the other hand, a light emitting layer is formed by way of a light absorption layer on another substrate (hereinafter referred as a transfer substrate). Then, the device substrate and the transfer substrate are placed in a state of opposing the light emitting layer and the lower electrode and a laser light is irradiated on the side of the transfer substrate thereby thermally transferring the light emitting layer on the lower electrode of the device substrate. In this case, by scanning a laser irradiated spotwise, the light emitting layer is thermally transferred with a good positional accuracy only to a predetermined region on the lower electrode (refer to JP-A No. 2002-110350).

Display device and a method of manufacturing the same


A method of manufacturing a display panel in which a sealing layer is formed so as to enclose an internal space created between a pair of opposite front and back substrates, and the sealing material is heated to soften at a predetermined temperature and fuse to the substrates to seal the internal space. A primary evacuation process for evacuation of the discharge space and an introduction process for introducing replacement gas into the discharge space undergoing the primary evacuation process are performed after a temperature for heating the sealing layer reaches a starting temperature for softening the sealing layer and before the sealing process for sealing the discharge space with the sealing layer is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a display panel.
The present application claims priority from Japanese Applications No. 2004-149521 and 2004-7085, 2003-356387, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the panel structure of a reflection-type PDP (Plasma Display Panel) driven by alternating current, as an example of display panels.
The PDP includes a front substrate 1. On the inner surface of the front substrate 1 are formed row electrode pairs (X, Y) each constituted of a row electrode X and a row electrode Y paired with each other, a dielectric layer 2 covering the row electrode pairs (X, Y) and a protective layer 3 made of MgO or the like and covering the dielectric layer 2. The row electrodes X and Y of each row electrode pair (X, Y) includes transparent electrodes Xa and Ya which are made of ITO or the like, and bus electrodes Xb and Yb which are formed of thick-film electrodes made of silver or the like.
The front substrate 1 is opposite to a back substrate 4. On the inner surface of the back substrate 4 facing toward the front substrate 1, column electrodes D extend in a direction at right angles to the row electrode pairs (X, Y) and form discharge cells C within a discharge space S in positions corresponding to intersections with the row electrode pairs (X, Y). On this inner surface, further, a column-electrode protective layer 5 is formed and covers the column electrodes D. Then, phosphor layers 6 colored red, green and blue for the individual discharge cells C are formed on the column-electrode protective layer 5. Then, a partition wall construct (not shown) is formed for partitioning the discharge space S into the discharge cells C.
The discharge space S is formed between the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 4, and sealed at the peripheral end by a sealing layer 7. The discharge space S is filled as discharge gas with a mixture of 5 to 10 percent xenon Xe and neon Ne.
The phosphor layer 6 emits light by being excited by vacuum ultraviolet light (wavelength 147 nm) that is emitted from the xenon by discharge.
FIG. 2 is a flow graph illustrating the process in a conventional method of manufacturing the PDP structured as described above. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between a change in temperature in a baking furnace and time elapsing in the process in the conventional manufacturing method.
Next, the conventional manufacturing method is described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
First, in step s1 for producing a front substrate in FIG. 2, the row electrodes X and Y are formed on the front substrate 1 by photolithography or the like. Then, the dielectric layer 2 is formed by screen printing techniques or the like. Then, MgO is deposited to form the protective layer 3.
On the other hand, in step s2 producing a back substrate, the column electrodes D are formed on the back substrate 4 by photolithography or the like. Then, the column-electrode protective layer 5 is formed by screen printing techniques or the like. Then, the partition wall construct is formed by sandblasting techniques or the like. After that, a phosphor paste is applied between partition walls of the partition wall construct and baked to form the phosphor layers 6.
Next, the peripheral portion of the inner surface of the back substrate 4 thus structured which will be placed opposite the front substrate 1 is coated with glass frit for sealing. Then, the back substrate 4 is temporarily burned at about 400 degree C. to form the sealing layer 7 (step s3).
Next, the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 4 with the sealing layer thus formed are placed opposite each other such that the row electrodes X and Y formed on the front substrate 1 are positioned at right angles to the column electrodes D formed on the back substrate 4 (step s4). While remaining in this position, the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 4 are placed in the baking furnace (step s5).
After that, as shown in FIG. 3, the temperature in the baking furnace is increased. When the temperature reaches a sealing temperature t1 (about 450 degree C.), the sealing temperature t1 is retained for a predetermined sealing-process period p1. During the sealing-process period p1, the sealing layer 7 formed on the back substrate 4 is fused to the front substrate 1 by the heating. As a result, the peripheral portion of the discharge space S created between the back substrate 4 and the front substrate 1 is sealed (step s6).
After the expiration of the sealing-process period p1, the temperature in the baking furnace is lowered to a predetermined temperature t2 (about 400 degree C.) lower than the sealing temperature t1, during which time the glass frit in the sealing layer 7 solidifies. Thereupon, the temperature t2 is retained for a predetermined evacuating-and-baking-process period p2.
Then in the evacuating-and-baking-process period p2, while the front substrate 1 and back substrate 4 are heated (baked) at the temperature t2, the discharge space S is evacuated so that a vacuum is produced in the discharge space S (step s7).
After the expiration of the evacuating-and-baking-process period p2, the temperature in the baking furnace is decreased to about room temperature. In this condition, the discharge gas is introduced into the discharge space Sat a predetermined pressure (400 to 600 Torr) (step s8). After completing the introduction of the discharge gas, an evacuation pipe, which has been used for gas-evacuating and introducing the discharge gas, is sealed with a burner or the like (step s9).
Then, drive pulses are applied between the paired row electrodes X and Y on the front substrate 1 to cause discharge for a predetermine time period. Due to this discharge, the protective layer 3 on the front substrate 1 is activated and discharge stabilization (i.e. aging) is performed (step s10).
Such a conventional method of manufacturing the display panel is disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2000-30618, for example.
In the conventional method of manufacturing the display panel as described above, during the sealing-process period p1 in the sealing step s6 in which the discharge space S is sealed by the sealing layer 7, atmosphere and an impure gas produced from the substrates by heating fill the space between the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 4. Therefore, the inner surfaces of the front and back substrates are exposed to the impure gas of H2O, CO2 and the like under high temperature conditions.
This is a significantly undesirable situation for the display panel under the manufacture process. A problem arising is the impairment of a process of degassing from MgO deposited for forming the protective layer 3 on the front substrate 1. Another problem arising is the deterioration of the phosphor materials forming the phosphor layer 6 on the back substrate 4.
There are some thinkable techniques that can be used to avoid producing such problems. In one technique, ample time for evacuating gases from the discharge space S in the evacuating-and-baking-process period p2 is provided in order to perform sufficient degassing from the protective layer (MgO) 3, thus allowing recovery of the deteriorating phosphor layer 6. Another one is vacuum sealing in which the discharge space S is sealed in vacuum environments.
However, providing for such a long time in the evacuating-and-baking-process period p2 to allow for sufficient gas-evacuation causes a considerable increase in the manufacturing time. Further, the vacuum sealing technique requires a large-scale apparatus. Accordingly, both the techniques become big factors that increase manufacturing costs.