There are provided a method and an apparatus for continuously manufacturing a cross-linked thermoplastic resin foam arranged as follows. A resin composition, which contains at least a thermoplastic resin, a foaming agent, and a cross-linking agent, is extruded into a closed die, which includes at least a molding region, a heating region, and a cooling region, continuously arranged in the order named. The resin composition is molded into a desired shape in the molding region of the die, and is then heated in the heating region to decompose the cross-linking agent and also to decompose at least part of the foaming agent so that cell nuclei are produced, thereby forming a partially foamed product. In the cooling region of the die, the partially foamed product is cooled to a temperature lower than the softening point thereof to be increased in rigidity, and is extruded to the outside of the die while being subjected to a damping force as it moves in the cooling region. The partially foamed product, extruded from the die, is heated under the atmospheric pressure to expand the foaming agent fully, whereupon a final product is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a cross-linked thermoplastic resin foam, and more specifically, to a method and an apparatus for stably continuously manufacturing a thick cross-linked thermoplastic resin foam having a smooth surface and fine cells with uniform diameters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally known are various methods for manufacturing foams by the use of a resin composition which contains a thermoplastic resin, a foaming agent, and a cross-linking agent, as essential ingredients. According to one of these methods, for example, the resin composition is molded into a predetermined shape, such as a sheet, and the resulting molded product is heat-treated under atmospheric pressure, first to decompose the cross-linking agent therein, thereby promoting cross-linking of the thermoplastic resin, and then to decompose the foaming agent, thereby expanding the cross-linked product. In this method, however, the cross-linking and forming are effected in the atmospheric-pressure, high-temperature atmosphere, so that the cells of the resulting foam are coarse and uneven in diameter. Moreover, the foam is deteriorated and made poorer in appearance due to oxidation of the resin composition, and it is hard to obtain a thick foam.
There have conventionally been proposed methods in which a closed pressing machine or die is loaded with such a resin composition as aforesaid, and the composition is heated and expanded under pressure (refer to Published Examined Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 45-40436, 46-2900 and 45-29381, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,910). According to these methods, in contrast with the method using the atmospheric-pressure, high-temperature atmosphere, a thick foam having fine uniform cells can be securely obtained. In these methods, however, the resin composition, which consists mainly of the thermoplastic resin compounded with cross-linking agent, and foaming agent, is cross-linked and expanded by being heated under pressure by means of the pressing machine or die. Originally based on the batch system, therefore, these methods can hardly be applied to series production. Thus, the productivity cannot be improved, and it is difficult to manufacture elongated foams due to restrictions on the shape of the pressing machine or die.
Some improved methods have been proposed to solve these problems of the batch system (refer to Published Examined Japanese Patent Application No. 60-51416, U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,708, and Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 60-11329). In the methods disclosed in Published Examined Japanese Patent Application No. 60-51416 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,708, the resin composition is continuously extruded from an extruder into an elongated landed die, which is connected to the extruder, so that a cross-linking reaction is advanced in the first-half stage of the elongated landed die, and gas produced by pyrolytically decomposing the foaming agent is retained in the molten resin composition by dissolution or the like in the second-half stage. Finally, the resin composition is continuously extruded into the atmosphere to be swollen. In order to retain the produced gas in the molten resin composition, a back pressure is applied to the resin composition by means of a throttle die which is located near the outlet of the landed die.
In the method disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 60-11329, all processes, including complete cross-linking and complete decomposition of the foaming agent for the completion of expansion, are executed in an elongated landed die connected to an extruder. According to this method, therefore, the cross-linking and foaming can be finished before a cross-linked thermoplastic resin foam as a final product is continuously obtained from the landed die.
In the case of the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,708 and Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications No. 56-52548, No. 59-1232, No. 59-169825, No. 60-11329, No. 60-110424, No. 60-112418, No. 61-127324, No. 62-211122, No. 63-251437, No. 63-2514376, and No. 63-254142, a problem arises in that large-sized, complicated equipment is required to maintain high pressure. Further, the land die used must be significantly long because all necessary reactions must take place therein.
In the methods and apparatuses disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,708 and Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications No. 59-169825, No. 60-11329, No. 61-127324, No. 62-211122, No. 62-211123, No. 63-2514376, No. 63-251437, and No. 63-254142, the cross-sectional area of the long land die is gradually increased toward the downstream end, to thereby gradually reduce the internal pressure of the die such that the volumetric expansion resulting from the expansion of the resin composition is permitted. Consequently, the shape of the long land die becomes more complicated toward the downstream end.
Due to a wide application of cross-linked foams, foams of various types, thick, thin, soft, or hard, are required and also there is a demand for a wide range of expansion ratios. It is therefore very useful to provide a method of manufacturing a cross-linked foam which method can flexibly meet various requirements. In this regard, in the case of the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,708 and Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications No. 56-52548, No. 59-1232, No. 59-169825, No. 60-11329, No. 60-110424, No. 60-112418, No. 61-127324, No. 62-211122, No. 63-251437, No. 63-2514376, and No. 63-254142, when the thickness or expansion ratio of cross-linked foams to be produced must be changed, the long land die in use must be replaced with another die having a different shape, followed by attachment of the die to the extruder. Further, in these methods, the resin composition in the die is passed through the throttle die while it is in a molten state or its temperature is higher than the softening point thereof. Since the resin composition which is in a molten state or at a temperature higher than the softening point and thus the flowing state of which is liable to be disturbed is forced into a narrow passage having a small cross-sectional area, a uniform flow of the resin composition is disturbed due to a strong shearing force acting thereon or stagnation occurs at the throttle die, even if lubricating oil is supplied to the inner surface of the die, thus making the manufacture of foams difficult.
The method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,708 is capable of continuous production of a foam having a fine cell structure. However, the foam obtained at the outlet of the die is a final product and gases and air account for almost the entire volume of the final product. Thus, the obtained foam, of which the volume is very large in comparison with the weight, must be transported, which leads to high transportation cost.
Disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 58-134719, on the other hand, is a method for manufacturing a cross-linked thermoplastic resin foam, in which a polyolefin resin composition containing a cross-linking agent and a foaming agent is heated under a pressure of 1 to 10 kg/cm.sup.2 to decompose parts of the cross-linking and foaming agents, thereby forming cell nuclei, and is then heated under the atmospheric pressure to decompose the remaining part of the foaming agent. This manufacturing method is based on technical concepts previously disclosed in Published Examined Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 45-40436, 46-2900, etc. According to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 45-40436, for example, parts of the cross-linking agent and the foaming agent are decomposed by heating under a pressure of 5 to 50 kg/cm.sup.2 to form cell nuclei.
In Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 58-134719, moreover, there is a description of continuous formation of cell nuclei. Described in these patent applications, however, are only the so-called batch system means as specific means for pressurizing the resin composition and the following methods as means for continuous pressurization. The batch system means include pressurization of the resin composition by means of compressed gas, autoclave, pressing machine, pressure-heating oven, etc. The continuous pressurization means include a method in which the resin composition is sandwiched between two parallel plates to be pressed thereby from both sides, and a method (load-curing) in which the resin composition is wound around a roll face and pressed from the opposite side by means of a belt. In both these continuous pressurization means, moreover, a gas pressure or mechanical force is externally applied to the resin composition to pressurize it. Thus, these pressurization means require a very special complicated pressurization mechanism. Since the resin composition is melted by heating when it is pressurized, moreover, the pressurization is believed to be very difficult. If the melted resin composition is pressed from both sides, for example, it collapses in its thickness direction, so that it is hard to maintain a fixed thickness.
In order to solve these problems, the inventors hereof developed earlier a method in which endless belts are arranged individually on the upper and lower inside surfaces of a die having a cooling region immediately following a heating region, and a resin composition is supported by means of the belts when it is continuously moved in the die. This method has already been proposed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 64-24728. According to this method, partial forms having cell nuclei therein can be manufactured in series. During the manufacture of the foams, however, the endless belts moving in the die are always pressed against the upper and lower inside surfaces of the die under a pressure of 11 to 50 kg/cm.sup.2, so that the die surfaces and the belts wear out severely at their sliding contact portions. In consequence, the working life of the die and the endless belts is shortened, and the belts require a large-scale drive unit, inevitably entailing increased equipment cost.
Based on a discovery that decomposing a foaming agent in a closed space, such as a die, filled with a resin composition produces a high pressure of 1,000 kg/cm.sup.2 or more, the inventors hereof developed a method in which cell nuclei are formed in the resin composition by utilizing this spontaneous pressure, without externally pressuring the composition by separate means. This method has already been proposed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 2-283421. According to this method, a choke bar is disposed at the outlet of a heating region in a die, and a damping force is applied to a partially foamed product in the heating region by controlling the cross-sectional area of the choke bar. By doing this, a pressure produced by the decomposition of a foaming agent in the heating region is increased to a desired level, and a cross-linking agent and the parts of foaming agent are decomposed in this state.
In the case of this method, the internal pressure of the die is increased and maintained by operating the choke bar to change the sectional area of the partially foamed product passing the choke bar, and the choke bar is arranged at each of the boundaries between the molding region and the heating region and between the heating region and the cooling region. Thus, when the partially foamed product passes the individual choke bars, it is still at high temperature and soft, and therefore, when the passage is narrowed by the choke bars, the flowing state of the partially foamed product is disturbed or stagnation occurs at the choke bars. Accordingly, the partially foamed product extruded from the die may be bent or its surface may be cracked, thus causing a difficulty in the manufacture of foams.

Method for manufacturing a cross-linked thermoplastic resin foam


The disclosure discloses a display panel and a display device to thereby extend an area for recognizing a fingerprint or a palmprint instead of only a fixed area in which a fingerprint can be recognized as in the related art, so as to recognize a fingerprint or a palmprint throughout the screen while improving the precision of recognizing light rays. The display panel according to the disclosure includes: a base substrate; and, infrared light sources, pixel units, and infrared photosensitive sensors on the base substrate.

An Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED) panel characterized in high contrast, a wide color gamut, a high response speed, flexibility, etc., has been undergoing popular commercialization in the industry of flat panels, and is expected to be the most promising competitor among future display technologies.
The AMOLED panel is inevitably coming to being applied to a display of a mobile phone, and the display of the mobile phone is also becoming full-screen as pursued in the industry, so it is desirable to recognize a fingerprint or a palmprint on a front face of the mobile phone with the full-screen display during man-machine interaction. In the related art, only a fingerprint in a fixed area can be recognized, and an additional backlight has to be arranged separately, or an integrated micro light-emitting diode (LED) has to be configured, as a recognition light source, thus complicating an assembling process, discouraging the mobile phone from being low-weighted and portable, and hindering a fingerprint or a palmprint from being recognized throughout the screen.

Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


The system comprises a Digital Signal Processing module, a Power Supply Unit and an audio amplifier. In the Digital Signal Processing module, the level of the digital audio signal is detected for adjusting the rail voltage in the amplifier. The digital audio signal is delayed by the Digital Signal Processing module prior to transforming and feeding it into the audio amplifier for amplification in order to stabilize the rail voltage after adjustment of the rail voltage to an increased level. Further in order to decrease the power consumption, especially in battery driven amplifiers, an adjustment of the rail voltage to a reduced level is delayed by a second predetermined time length (S_Hold) of 1 to 5 seconds as this reduces the number of adjustments of the rail voltage.

More and more electronic equipment is portable and requires wireless power supplies for the comfort of the user. Thus, batteries or rechargeable accumulators, in the following called batteries for simplicity, are applied to power the equipment. To fulfill the demand for high output, i.e. high audio volume when active, the product should be energy efficient at the same time.
The idle loss in an audio amplifier is related to the amplifiers rail-voltage (supply voltage). To minimize this idle loss, it is generally known for amplifier systems to regulate the output rail-voltage from the amplifiers power supply. An adaptive rail-voltage regulation is enabled for analyzing the rail-voltage requirement based on the level of the audio signal, typically the amplitude level; thus, it is possible to adjust the rail-voltage high enough to avoid voltage clipping but not considerably higher than necessary, so that idle loss is minimized.
US patent application No. 2010/0164630 by Witmer et al. discloses a method reducing the average power consumption for an amplifier. A digital audio input signal is split into two parts, of which one is delayed before being fed into an amplifier for output to the loudspeaker, and the other signal is processed for determining signal amplitude information, which is used to adjust the maximum available supply current for the amplifier of least sufficient magnitude to avoid distortion of the delayed signal.
US patent application No 2009/0220110 by Bazarjani et al. discloses a system and method for power consumption for audio playback, where a signal envelop is evaluated for regulating the power for the amplifier.
European patent application No. EP1317105 by Melsa, assigned to Texas Instruments Inc. discloses a line driver using a class G amplifier and programmable peak detector. The peak detector analyzes the digital input signal which is used for adjustment of the rail voltage of the amplifier. Other amplifier systems are disclosed in European patent application EP2432120, U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,194 by Williamsen, US patent application No. 2003/0080816, and International patent application WO2009/019459.

Adaptive rail voltage regulation on power supplies


A method and apparatus for removing moisture from within an electronics enclosure is provided. In particular, dehumidification is accomplished by removing air from the enclosure, cooling the air thereby causing condensation of water vapor from the air, then heating the dehumidified air and returning the heated and dehumidified air to the enclosure. A single heat pump provides cooling and heating functions, effectively recouping heat extracted from the air to be cooled, and transferring the extracted heat to the air prior to its return to the enclosure. In this manner, electronics within the enclosure may be operated at temperatures below the dew point of ambient air surrounding the enclosure, without requiring a thermally insulated enclosure. Devices are provided to collect and purge condensate from the system, either in a continuous or periodic manner. Embodiments employing conventional vapor compression cycle heat pumps and thermoelectric heat pumps are described. A defrost cycle is provided to eliminate frost that may accumulate on the heat exchanger associated with the heat pump normally cold element. Defrost is accomplished by reversing heat pump polarity, heating the normally cold element. Control mechanisms and logic are provided to automate system operation. In preferred embodiments, dehumidification and defrost modes are activated by a controller monitoring the dew point within the enclosure, and the air pressure at the normally cold element. Dehumidification is performed intermittently, when the enclosure dew point exceeds a set point Substantially sealing the enclosure against ingress of ambient air reduces the system""s operational duty cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to the removal of moisture from within an electronics enclosure, and in particular to a method and apparatus employing a single heat pump to dehumidify and thermally condition the air within an electronics enclosure.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic devices, which are cooled to below ambient temperatures and which operate in an environment in which water vapor is present, are subject to condensation problems which may cause corrosion and short circuits. It is therefore desirable to remove water vapor from the environment in which electronic devices operate. While corrosion and short circuiting may be caused by water vapor within the environment surrounding the electronic devices regardless of the device or environment temperatures, the problems intensify for devices operating at lower temperatures, as water vapor may begin to condense on the cooled surfaces of the electronic devices.
As is known, CMOS circuit performance may be improved by reducing the temperatures at which the circuits operate, i.e. the chip junction temperature. As the chip junction temperature decreases, however, the outer surface temperature of the chip package also decreases. The package outer surface includes the electrical interconnections between the package and the next level of assembly, such as a board: the temperature of these interconnections also decreases as chip junction temperature decreases. Heat transfer through these electrical interconnections, therefore, decreases board temperatures. As chip junction temperatures decrease further, eventually the temperature of one or more portions of these exposed surfaces (package outer surface, interconnections, and board) falls below the dew point temperature of the ambient atmosphere surrounding the components. At this point, condensation forms on the module and board surfaces, including electrical interconnections, unless preventive actions are taken. Therefore, dehumidification is highly desirable for environments containing electronic devices operating at temperatures below ambient dew point.
Two basic approaches have been taken to eliminate condensation on cold module surfaces: maintain the external module surfaces at temperatures above room ambient dew point, or condition the atmosphere within the enclosure such that its dew point is lower than the electronic components"" external surface temperatures.
The first method, maintaining module surface temperatures above dew point, may be accomplished by providing sufficient insulation around each module, such that the external surface temperature of the insulation remains above room ambient dew point. This approach is discussed in a United States patent application entitled xe2x80x9cInflatable Sealing System for Low Temperature Electronic Module,xe2x80x9d Ellsworth et al., Ser. No. 09/360,727, having a filing date of Jul. 27, 1999, assigned to the same assignee as the present application and hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and which is not admitted to be prior art with respect to the present invention by its mention in this Background Section. As the chip temperature decreases, however, more insulation is required around each module to maintain external surface temperatures above the dew point. At some point, as chip temperatures are decreased far below dew point, it may also be necessary to provide auxiliary heaters at the external surfaces of the insulation in order to maintain the module insulation surface temperature above the dew point.
The second method, lowering the dew point of air within the enclosure below the external surface temperature of the cooled modules, prevents condensation without requiring insulation around the modules. This approach is discussed in a United States patent application entitled xe2x80x9cSub-Dew Point Cooling of Electronic Systems,xe2x80x9d Chu et al., Ser. No. 09/281,135, having a filing date of Mar. 29, 1999, assigned to the same assignee as the present application and hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and which is not admitted to be prior art with respect to the present invention by its mention in this Background Section. In order to lower the dew point temperature of the ambient atmosphere within the enclosure, some method should be employed to remove moisture from the atmosphere within the enclosure, preferably providing the ability to further remove the moisture from within the enclosure itself. Further, in order to decrease the burden on the moisture removal device, it may be desirable in some applications to provide an enclosure that is at least somewhat sealed against entry of ambient air. While sealing the enclosure may not be required in all applications, a well sealed enclosure requires less frequent (i.e. lower duty cycle) operation of the moisture removal device than would be required in a poorly sealed enclosure.
Depending upon the specific application and the moisture removal method used, the enclosure air temperature may be lowered as a byproduct of the moisture removal process. The temperature reduction may be caused by reduced heat transfer between enclosure air and ambient air, as a result of partially sealing the enclosure against ingress of ambient air. Heat transfer from ambient air to enclosure air tends to mitigate the effect of heat transfer from the enclosure air to the cooled surfaces within the enclosure. Alternatively, the temperature reduction may be caused by the use of a cold heat exchanger to dehumidify the enclosure air. For some applications, the presence of other mitigating factors may maintain the enclosure air temperature within acceptable limits. For other applications, however, continued system operation may result in enclosure air temperatures below room ambient dew point, eventually causing the temperature of the enclosure outer surface to drop below room ambient dew point, resulting in the formation of condensation on the enclosure outer surface.
In such applications, two methods have been employed in the art to prevent condensation from forming on the external surfaces of the enclosure. One method involves insulating the enclosure, such that the external surface remains above ambient dew point. A second method involves the use of an auxiliary heater to heat the enclosure air.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for methods and devices capable of preventing the formation of condensation on the cooled surfaces of electronic components, without insulating the electronic components or the enclosure. There is, therefore, a need for methods and devices capable of removing water vapor from the atmosphere within an electronics enclosure and further from the enclosure itself, without lowering the temperature of the atmosphere within the enclosure.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for conditioning the air within an electronics enclosure, without external condensation, and without the need to insulate the enclosure or to provide an auxiliary heat source. Toward this end, a recuperative environmental conditioning unit is proposed which dehumidifies the air within the enclosure by causing the air to pass over a heat exchanger in thermal contact with the cold element of a heat pump, and reheats the air prior to returning it to the enclosure by causing the air to pass over a heat exchanger in thermal contact with the hot element of the same heat pump. In this way, moisture is removed from the air within the enclosure, eliminating the need for insulation around the electronic components. Since the dehumidified air is warmed prior to returning to the enclosure, the enclosure temperature remains above the room ambient dew point temperature, eliminating the need to insulate the enclosure. Further, since the air is heated by the hot element of the heat pump, no auxiliary heat sources are required. By using the same heat pump to cool and heat the enclosure air, the heat extracted during cooling is recouped. Finally, the conduit forms a sump or collection area, from which the condensate is purgeable to the external environment.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a closed loop air conduit is formed beneath the electronics enclosure. A heat pump is situated beneath the enclosure, each element of the heat pump having a high thermal conductivity path to the air contained within a different portion of the conduit. An air moving device causes air to circulate from the enclosure into an inlet port of the conduit, through the inlet side of the conduit, through a sump or condensate collection section of the conduit, then through the outlet side and outlet port of the conduit, and finally from the outlet port back to the enclosure. Within the inlet side, the air flows through a heat exchanger in thermal contact with the normally cold element of the heat pump, cooling the air and causing moisture to condense on the normally cold heat exchanger. Within the outlet side, the air flows through a heat exchanger in thermal contact with the normally hot element of the heat pump, heating the air prior to its return to the enclosure. As condensate collects on the normally cold heat exchanger, it falls from the heat exchanger and is collected in the sump portion of the conduit. A mechanism, such as a valve or a wick, which allows periodic removal of the condensate is disposed near the bottom of the sump. A mechanism such as a baffle is provided within the enclosure to cause air entering the enclosure from the conduit outlet port to circulate around the enclosure before reentering the conduit inlet port.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the recuperative environmental conditioning unit is disposed entirely within the enclosure: only the mechanism which removes condensate from the sump area, or some portion of this mechanism, extends outside of the enclosure.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the heat pump device is a vapor compression cycle heat pump. In a preferred embodiment, the heat pump is a thermoelectric device.
In other embodiments of the present invention, air circulation within the enclosure is accomplished by extending the conduit inlet port or the conduit outlet port, or both, so as to cause air to return to the enclosure some distance away from the location where the conduit removes air from the enclosure. In this way, air entering the enclosure from the extended outlet port circulates through the enclosure prior to entering the conduit inlet port, thus eliminating the need for an airflow baffle.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, control mechanisms are provided to handle certain functions. In one aspect, a humidity or dew point sensor measures the humidity within the enclosure, and a controller monitoring the humidity sensor activates the heat pump and air moving device when humidity within the enclosure exceeds a setpoint. The controller continues to monitor the sensor, deactivating the heat pump and air moving device when the dew point is at or below a setpoint. In another aspect, a control mechanism operates the condensate removal valve when the condensate level reaches an upper threshold.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a defrost mode is provided to remove frost from the normally cold heat exchanger. The defrost mode may be initiated and terminated manually; however, in preferred embodiments a controller monitors a sensor to identify a restricted airflow condition at the normally cold heat exchanger, restricted airflow being indicative of frost accumulation on the heat exchanger. Upon detection of such a condition, the controller initiates the defrost mode. During defrost, the controller reverses the direction of heat flow through the heat pump, causing heat to flow from the normally hot element to the normally cold element. At the same time, the controller initiates a change in airflow at the inlet and outlet sides of the conduit. The conduit inlet side, normally in airflow communication with the conduit inlet port, is now sealed off from the inlet port (and therefore from the enclosure) and put in airflow communication with an ambient inlet vent, the ambient inlet vent being in airflow communication with the ambient air surrounding the enclosure. In analogous fashion, the conduit outlet side, normally in airflow communication with the conduit outlet port, is sealed off from the outlet port (and therefore from the enclosure) and is placed in airflow communication with an ambient outlet vent, the ambient outlet vent being in airflow communication with the ambient air surrounding the enclosure. As a result of these changes, air no longer flows to and from the enclosure, the enclosure being sealed off from the inlet and outlet sides of the conduit. During defrost, room ambient air enters through the ambient inlet vent, into the conduit inlet side, where it flows over the normally cold (now hot) heat exchanger, through the sump, over the normally hot (now cold) heat exchanger, and finally through the outlet side and ambient outlet vent, into the ambient environment. The controller terminates the defrost mode upon determining that the restricted airflow condition has been eliminated. The controller then returns the system to its normal operating state: the conduit is sealed off from the ambient, the conduit inlet side is placed in airflow communication with the inlet port, the conduit outlet side is placed in airflow communication with the outlet port, thereby restoring airflow between the enclosure and the conduit, and the heat pump is again reversed such that the heat pump causes heat to flow from the normally cold element to the normally hot element.
In preferred embodiments employing control mechanisms to initiate dehumidification and defrost, contention is managed by prioritizing the defrost process.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to remove moisture from within an electronics enclosure, without lowering the temperature of the air within the enclosure.
It is a further object of the present invention to accomplish the moisture removal with a single heat pump, heating the dehumidified air prior to returning the air to the enclosure, without the use of an auxiliary heat source.
It is a further object of the present invention to automate the moisture removal process, by monitoring the moisture levels within the enclosure and activating the conditioning unit when the dew point exceeds a threshold.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic mechanism for removing condensate from the enclosure.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an automated defrost cycle, to remove frost from the normally cold heat pump element, venting the resulting vapor to the external environment.
The recitation herein of a list of desirable objects which are met by various embodiments of the present invention is not meant to imply or suggest that any or all of these objects are present as essential features, either individually or collectively, in the most general embodiment of the present invention or in any of its more specific embodiments.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein, and are considered part of the claimed invention.

Recuperative environmental conditioning unit

International Business Machines Corporation


Electrical conductive adhesive tapes comprising at least one carrier web having a low-adhesion face bearing thereon an adhesive layer having substantially uniform thickness and a Lap Shear Value from aluminum of at least 0.2 MPa, said tape being formed having a plurality of perforations, each perforation containing a plurality of electrically conductive particles in contact with the adhesive layer which is otherwise substantially free from electrically conductive material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrically conductive adhesive webs and to methods of making them. In one embodiment, the invention relates to such web where the adhesive is normally tacky and pressure-sensitive, preferably aggressively tacky.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern electrical devices are becoming so small that it is frequently virtually impossible to interconnect electrodes of two such devices either mechanically or by soldering. For many years there have been attempts to devise electrically conductive adhesives, and numerous U.S. patents have been issued of such products.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,347,978 discloses electrically conductive joints and gaskets where an adhesive containing a mass of electrically conductive fibers is used to bond two metal members.
In the field of pressure-sensitive adhesives, U.S. Pat. No. 2,822,509 discloses an adhesive plaster having a conductive backing and an adhesive containing conductive particles. U.S. Pat. 4,606,962 describes a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer incorporating conductive metal-coated particles, which are somewhat thicker than the adhesive layer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,796 discloses a pressure-sensitive transfer adhesive containing chopped metal fibers to impart localized electrical conductivity.
Where it is important to have an adhesive that possesses both good electrical conductivity and good adhesion, most of the adhesive constructions discussed in the preceding paragraph have had serious problems. If a large quantity of conductive particles or fibers is blended with the adhesive, electrical conductivity is excellent, but adhesive properties are significantly reduced. Correspondingly, if a small quantity of conductive particles or fibers is used, adhesive properties are adequate, but the electrical conductivity is frequently too low to be acceptable. The problem is exacerbated where thick adhesive layers are required.
In a related nonadhesive development, U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,300 discloses a foraminous elastomeric film in which the perforations are filled with a hardened electrically conductive slurry that bulges beyond both faces of the elastomer. A major disadvantage of this film is that mechanical clamping is still required in order to maintain the electrical connections. When clamped between flat surfaces, lateral forcible expansion of the individual rods puts them under pressure, thus assuring that each rod electrically interconnects facing pairs of electrical terminals on the flat surfaces.
In certain industries, e.g., manufacture of heavy appliances and the like, metal panels are typically spot welded or riveted together to form the enclosure for the appliance. While these methods of joining the panels provide both mechanical strength and electrical continuity, skilled operators are required and the inevitable disruption of the metal surface requires an additional abrading step to restore a smooth surface. It has long been recognized that an aggressive adhesive construction having excellent electrical properties would be more convenient to use, but no such construction has actually been available.
It has now been discovered that an electrically conductive adhesive tape having good electrical properties may be formed using a very small amount of conductive particles which are contained in perforations in the tape.
It has also been discovered that such a tape can be made without sacrificing adhesive properties such as peel and sheer.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A separating element for a platform cabin comprises at least one leaf subjected to a return force toward its open position, and, for the or each leaf, a return member for returning the leaf toward its closed position and comprising a first end articulated at an articulation point movable jointly with the leaf. This return member also comprises a second end mounted movably relative to the partition between an active position and an inactive position, such that when the leaf is open and the second end is in the active position, the return member exerts, on the leaf, a return force returning the leaf toward its closed position, and when the leaf is open and the second end is in the inactive position, the return member is in a second configuration in which it does not exert a force returning the leaf toward its closed position.

Such separating elements are known. FR-A-2,978,121 for example describes a separating element of an aircraft cabin comprising two stationary partitions delimiting a circulation passage through the aircraft between them, and a door formed by a leaf. The leaf is mounted movably on one of the stationary partitions between a closed position, in which it extends across the passage, and an open position, in which it is arranged away from the passage, retracted inside the stationary partition. An articulation parallelogram makes it possible to guide the movement of part of the leaf between the open and closed positions of the leaf.
The separating element of FR-A-2,978,121 is motorized, so as to allow the opening and closing of the leaf by simple activation of a command. To that end, this separating element comprises a motorized actuator connected to the articulation parallelogram to drive the movement of the leaf between its open and closed positions. As a safety measure, in order to allow the movement of the leaf even in case of failure of the motor means or the power source, the motorized actuator is reversible: thus, the leaf can be moved manually in such an outage scenario.

Separating element for a platform cabin, platform comprising such an element and method for using such an element


An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device to form a toner image on a recording medium under a prescribed image forming condition, a fixing device to fix the toner image borne on the recording medium thereonto by heating the recording medium based on target fixing temperature, and a detector to detect a type of recording medium. The type is used in setting at least one of the image forming condition and the target fixing temperature. The inequality Tb>Ta is established when Ta represents a time period needed to reach a setting of fixing temperature allocated to the recording medium with its tip detected by the detector after detection of the tip and Tb represents a time period needed for the recording medium with its tip detected by the detector to reach the fixing device after detection of the tip.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a facsimile, a printer, a multifunction device prepared by combining these devices, etc., and a method of arranging a sheet detector implemented in the image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
A so-called image forming apparatus, such as a digital copier, a laser printer, etc., that employs electrophotography generally forms an image by transferring a toner image onto a recording medium such as a recording sheet, etc., and fixing the toner image onto the recording medium while pressing and heating the toner image under prescribed conditions.
In such an image forming apparatus, heat and pressure or the like must be adjusted to appropriately fix the toner image. Especially when a high-quality image is to be formed on the recording medium, a condition of fixing the toner image needs to be set differently depending the type of recording medium because the quality of the image printed on the recording medium is greatly influenced by the material, thickness, humidity, smoothness, and coating or the like of the recording medium, where coating generally means coating and printing with ink or paint and the like. The smoothness is represented by the time it takes (in seconds) for a prescribed quantity of air to flow through a gap formed between the sheet and a testing board tightly contacting each other.
Here, a smoothness and fixability of the recording medium (e.g., a sheet) are highly correlated to each other. This is because, a fixing rate of toner changes in a recess of irregularities of the recording medium depending on a degree of the irregularities. Therefore, not only a low-quality image is obtained, but also an unusual image such as defective fixing, etc., is produced in some cases if the smoothness is neglected in fixing the toner image.
Meanwhile, as image forming apparatuses have gotten better and as methods of representation have become more diverse, there now exists hundreds of different types of recording sheets (e.g., recording media). That is, there is a wide range of brands of each type of recording sheet, with different basis weight and a thickness or the like. Therefore, to form a high-quality image, fixing conditions need to be set in detail in accordance with the type of sheet and the brand or the like of the recording medium.
For example, as the type of recording medium, a plain paper sheet, a coated paper sheet, such as a gross coated paper sheet, a mat coated paper sheet, an art coated paper sheet, etc., an OHP sheet, and a special sheet prepared by embossing a surface of a sheet, etc., are exemplified. The special sheet is increasingly utilized in recent years. Furthermore, there exists media other than the recording sheet.
With current image forming apparatuses, it is extremely common to set fixing conditions in accordance with a basis weight of the recording sheet. Typically, recording media are classified by basis weight, such that a sheet having a basic weight of from about 60 g/m2 to about 90 g/m2 is a plain paper sheet, a sheet having a basic weight of from about 91 g/m2 to about 105 g/m2 is a medium cardboard, and a sheet having a basic weight of from about 106 g/m2 to about 200 g/m2 is a cardboard and so on. Subsequently, fixing temperature and conveying speed of the recording medium are varied by classification.
The basic weight of the recording medium is generally listed on the package of the recording medium or the like, thereby enabling a user to ascertain the basis weight easily. This information is important because generally the user needs to set the above-described basis weight information by himself or herself, thus adding an extra step to preparation for printing. In addition, if the user erroneously sets the above-described basis weight information, an intended high-quality image cannot be obtained. Accordingly, an image forming apparatus capable of detecting a thickness of a recording medium with a sensor and automatically selecting a given recording medium has been researched in the past.
By contrast, since the smoothness of the recording medium is not usually printed on the package, it is extremely hard for a user to ascertain the smoothness by himself or herself. For this reason, the user is forced to use a sensor, etc., to obtain the smoothness of the recording medium.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, the smoothness is highly correlated to the fixability. However, the smoothness is hard to detect within a short time period because the smoothness represents the time required for a prescribed quantity of air to flow through a gap formed between a sheet and a testing board contacting each other. Therefore, in the past, a sensor capable of detecting an amount of surface roughness or quantity of reflected light as alternative characteristics to smoothness has been employed because of the high correlation between surface roughness or quantity of light on the one hand and to the smoothness on the other.
As a known system to detect the smoothness of the recording medium, a light ray emitted from a light source such as a light-emitting diode (LED) is emitted onto a recording medium, and quantity of light reflected back from the recording medium is detected. According to the above-described reflection light system, since the smoothness can be detected without contacting the recording medium, the recording medium is not damaged.
As a known smoothness detecting method based on this type of a light reflecting system, quantity of light emitted and reflected in a regular reflecting direction from a surface of the recording medium is detected, and a smoothness thereof is calculated based on the detected luminous energy. Another known system includes multiple luminous energy detectors to detect not only quantity of light emitted and reflected from a surface of the recording medium in a regular reflective direction but also quantity of diffused light as well in order to identify the smoothness of the recording medium based on these two quantities of light.
The smoothness detected in these detecting systems is used in setting image forming and fixing conditions such as fixing temperature, etc.
A given time is generally needed from when image formation is started to when either an image is transferred onto a recording medium or the fixing temperature practically reaches a target level thereof. Accordingly, in an image forming apparatus that utilizes a detected smoothness of a recording medium in setting fixing and image forming conditions, the smoothness needs to be detected considering the above described given time as needed. Accordingly, positioning and detection timing of the smoothness detector are particularly important.
However, in the above-described image forming apparatuses, neither optimum positioning nor detection timing of the smoothness detector is determined considering a prescribed time period from when image formation is started to when either an image is transferred onto a recording medium or fixing temperature practically reaches a target thereof.
Some image forming apparatuses include a sheet thickness detector to detect a thickness of a recording medium, etc., and change one or more fixing conditions in accordance with the thickness of the recording medium. Even in these image forming apparatuses, however, to appropriately set a fixing condition, positioning and detecting timing of the sheet thickness detector are particularly important.

Image forming apparatus and method of arranging sheet detector


An MR method determines local relaxation time values (T1, T2) of an examination object (5). First, two or more MR images (3, 4) of the examination object (5) are recorded, each with different time parameter sets (TR1, TE1, TR2, TE2) of an imaging sequence. MR images (6, 7) of a phantom are likewise recorded using the same time parameter sets (TR1, TE1, TR2, TE2) of the imaging sequence. The phantom has a known spatial distribution of relaxation time values (T1, T2). The local relaxation time values (T1, T2) of the examination object (5) are determined by comparing image values of the MR images (3, 4) of the examination object (5) with image values of the MR images (6, 7) of the phantom and by assigning image values of the MR images (6, 7) of the phantom to relaxation time values (T1, T2) according to the known spatial distribution of relaxation time values (T1, T2) of the phantom.

The invention relates to an MR method of determining local relaxation time values in an examination volume.
Moreover, the invention relates to an MR imaging device for carrying out the method and to a computer program for such an MR imaging device.
In MR imaging, as is known, nuclear magnetization within the examination volume of the MR imaging device used is located by means of temporally variable, spatially inhomogeneous magnetic fields (magnetic field gradients). The MR signals used for image reconstruction are usually recorded as a voltage, which is induced in a high-frequency coil arranged in the region of the examination volume, under the effect of a suitable sequence of switched magnetic field gradients and high-frequency pulses in the time domain. The actual image reconstruction from the recorded MR signals usually takes place by Fourier transformation of the time signals. The scanning of the spatial frequency area (so-called "k-space") assigned to the examination volume, by means of which the field of view (FOV) to be imaged and the image resolution are determined, is defined by the number, the temporal spacing, the duration and the strength of the magnetic field gradients and high-frequency pulses used. The number of phase coding steps during scanning of the k-space and thus at the same time the duration of the imaging sequence are defined as a function of the respective requirements in terms of FOV and image resolution.
From the prior art, MR imaging methods are known in which the determination of the local longitudinal and/or transverse relaxation times of the nuclear magnetization (T1-, T2- or T2*-relaxation) is of particular importance. The visualization and also the quantitative determination of the spatial distribution of the relaxation times are important for example when contrast agents which affect the relaxation of the nuclear magnetization are used in the MR imaging. Such contrast agents, which are based for example on gadolinium or on iron oxide, have recently been used also to track marked cells by means of MR and to locate active substances within the examination volume. The spatially resolved determination of relaxation times is also useful in functional MR imaging (fMRI). On the one hand, it is known from the prior art to record T1-, T2- or T2*-weighted MR images in order to visualize the spatial distribution of the relaxation times. On the other hand, for some applications, it is desirable to be able to determine the local relaxation times as accurately as possible in quantitative terms. This is the case for example in perfusion studies in which the temporal progress of the passage of a contrast agent bolus through a specific anatomical structure is studied. Another example is the measurement of the dimensions of capillary vessels and the density thereof by means of MR. Quantitative MR relaxometry can also be used for the quantitative determination of the iron content in certain internal organs (e.g. liver, lungs, brain).
One problem with MR relaxometry is that, for the spatially resolved determination of relaxation time values using conventional methods, the image recording times are undesirably long. This is due to the fact that, in conventional MR methods, usually a large number of separate MR images are recorded, specifically with different time parameter sets of the imaging sequence used. For each individual image point, the time response of the corresponding image values can then be evaluated as a function of the time parameters of the imaging sequence, such as the repetition time or the echo times for example. It is usual to determine a relaxation time value for each image point by means of a fit procedure, wherein a corresponding exponential decay function is adapted to the image values recorded in a time-dependent manner. It is also known to record T1- and T2-weighted MR images for different time parameter sets at the same time. From the MR images reconstructed for the different time parameter sets, the local relaxation time values are then adapted to multiexponential fit functions. In this method, in many cases the accuracy of determination of the local relaxation time values is unsatisfactory. In any case, in the conventional MR methods, in order to determine the relaxation time values, complete MR images for 5 to 10 different time parameter sets have to be recorded in order that a sufficiently large number of image values for different repetition or echo times exist for the fit procedure for each image point. If T1 and T2 values are to be determined at the same time, it is usually necessary, in order to achieve sufficient accuracy, to use a greater number of different time parameter sets. The image recording time is very long as a result.

MR method of determining local relaxation time values using calibrated phantom


A substrate structure is provided. The substrate structure includes a number of traces, a substrate core, a number of first metal tiles, a number of second metal tiles, a number of first electrically-functioning circuits, and a number of second electrically-functioning circuits. The substrate core has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The traces, the first metal tiles, and the first electrically-functioning circuits are disposed on the first surface and add up to a first metal structure proportion, and the second metal tiles and the second electrically-functioning circuits are disposed on the second surface and add up to a second metal structure proportion. The difference between the first metal structure proportion and the second metal structure proportion is within 15%.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a substrate structure and a package structure using the same, and more particularly to a substrate structure having metal tiles for increasing structural strength and a package structure using the same.
Description of the Related Art
The two opposite surfaces of the substrate structure normally have different proportions in metal structure. For example, one surface of the substrate structure has a number of traces, and the opposite surface has a number of connecting pads connected to a number of conductive solder balls. As the two opposite surfaces of the substrate structure may differ widely in terms of the proportions of traces and connecting pads, the proportions of the metal structure of the two opposite surfaces also differ widely. Further due to the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion and in the metal structure, the substrate structure operating in a high temperature will generate stress and become warped. Such deformation may damage the substrate structure. For example, elements on the substrate structure such as traces, conductive solder balls and chips may break, crack, or come off.
An ordinary practice to reduce the deformation is achieved by adding a metal mesh layer such as a copper mesh layer on the two opposite surfaces of the substrate structure, so that the proportions of the metal structure between the two opposite surfaces of the substrate structure become closer to each other. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional substrate structure is shown. A surface 102 of the substrate structure 100 has a number of traces 110 and a number of metal mesh layers 104. The opposite surface (not illustrated) of the substrate structure 100 also has a number of metal mesh layers. With the disposition of the metal mesh layers, the proportions of the metal structure in the two opposite surfaces of the substrate structure become closer to each other and the deformation is reduced accordingly.
Referring to FIG. 2, the manufacturing of a metal mesh layer of FIG. 1 is shown. The shading region 112 of the mask 106 corresponds to the metal mesh wires 124 of the metal mesh layers 104 of FIG. 1. The metal mesh wire 124 is adjacent to the trace 110. The transparent region 108 corresponds to the hollowed portions 114 of the metal mesh layers 104 of FIG. 1. After portions of the photo-resist layer 116 of the substrate 120 is exposed by the light L passed through the mask 106, the portions of the exposed photo-resist is removed through subsequent developing process. Then, in the subsequent etching process, the metal mesh layers 104 and the traces 110 are formed on the metal layer 122 by way of etching.
As indicated in FIG. 2, in order to make the mask 106 flat, during the exposing process, the mask 106 is pulled to the two ends in two opposite directions D1 and D2, and the mask 106 is thus extended, making the transparent region 108 and 118 become wider along the directions D1 and D2. The widths of the transparent region 108 and 118 make the light L1 passing through the transparent region 108 and 118 diffracted wider. Thus, the interval S1 between the traces 110 and the metal mesh wire 124 adjacent thereto becomes wider due to the extension of the mask and the expansion of scattered light. As the interval S1 becomes wider, the distribution range of the metal mesh layer 104 becomes smaller accordingly, and the control of the proportions of the metal structure between the two opposite surfaces of the substrate structure becomes more difficult.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Substrate structure and package structure using the same

ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING, INC.


A surgical instrument for removing the cataractous nucleus from the eye. The instrument consists of a proximal handle and plunger. The plunger also acts as a screw-drive for an auger located at the distal end of the instrument. The screw-drive plunger is advanced exposing a nucleus encasing basket at the distal end of the instrument. The nucleus is completely encased in the distal basket and slowly ground up by the auger, removing the nucleus from the eye in its entirety. The use of unique internal gearing between the auger and encasing element results in a safe, efficient, controllable evacuation of the nucleus from the eye.

The invention relates to medical instruments, and more specifically, to surgical instruments for removing cataracts from the eye.
A cataract is defined as any opacity in the lens or as any lenticular opacity that interferes with vision. Once visual function has been compromised by cataract the only effective means of treatment is surgery to remove the lens. Cataract is the most prevalent, visually disabling eye disease in the world. It is estimated that 30 to 45 million people in the world are blind, with cataract accounting for as much as 45% of this blindness. Cataracts were treated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe by couching or reclination. Couching was performed by piercing the sclera with a sharp lancet and then inserting a blunt instrument used to depress the lens into the vitreous. Incisional techniques for cataract extraction were first reported in the mid 18th century. Such techniques involved making a large incision in the cornea and removing the entire lens from the eye with the capsule intact (intracapsular). Many methods of intracapsular cataract extraction were subsequently developed. All of these methods require large 180 degree (12 mm) incisions which were unstable and required prolonged recovery. The quest for small incisional cataract wounds, a safe scaffolding to hold intraocular lenses and decreased postoperative complications all led to the decline in intracapsular cataract surgery in the 1970's.
Several techniques are presently employed in surgical practice for removal of cataracts from the eye. Regardless of the technique, cataract surgery requires making a small incision in the eye, and removing the cataract from the eye through this incision. Experience has shown the incision size in cataract surgery to be important. Smaller incisions result in more rapid post operative recovery and a more structurally stable eye. Today, the preferred surgical method of cataract extraction is extracapsular, either by standard extracapsular extraction or by phacoemulsification.
Standard extracapsular cataract surgery involves making an incision (4-7 mm) and either removing the cataractous nucleus intact or fragmenting the nucleus and mechanically removing the pieces through the incision. In general the smaller the incision the more fragmentation of the cataract is required to remove it from the eye. Regardless of the instruments used, the production of multiple fragments is technically more difficult and more likely to cause intraoperative complications than simple removal of a cataract though a larger incision.
In an effort to overcome the problems inherent in removing a cataract though a small incision (3-5 mm) in a safe, technically simple and cost effective way, a number of medical instruments have been developed. Some of these instruments incorporate a screw-like rotating cutting tool to break up the cataract. Banko U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,858 discloses an apparatus for removing blood clots, cataracts and other objects from the eye. This apparatus consist of a central rotating cutting element surrounded by a housing with an open end. By controlling the relative movement of the outer and inner aspects of the cutting instrument, objects engaged in the cutting end of the instrument are ground up and removed from the eye. Engaging the material to be removed from the eye is aided by differential pressure developed by a pressure control apparatus.
Banko U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,375 discloses a surgical instrument for removing tissue including a rotating fluted cutter member housed in a probe adapted for insertion into a body cavity. The instrument can supply irrigation fluid and evacuate the material after being engaged by the cutter. The cutting tool includes a shaft, a fluted drill type cutter, and a shank whose end is fastened to a holder. The holder has a partial internal bore which fits over a motor shaft.
Baehr et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,954 disclose a surgical tissue macerating and removal tool with a high speed rotating cutting tip powered by an air turbine. A fluid pump is provided to evacuate macerated material and treatment fluid from the eye. Means are also provided for axially positioning the rotating cutting member.
Kerfoot, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,077 discloses a surgical device with a rotary shaft having helical threads terminating in a cutting tip. The shalt is rotated at high speed and fluid is supplied to the cutting tip to aid in the maceration of the material being removed by the machine. The macerated material and the working fluid are withdrawn from the operative site by the pumping action of the rotating helical threads of the shaft.
Baehr et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,146 disclose a surgical tissue macerating and removal tool having a rotating rod with a cutting member that resembles a screw. The tissue engaging end of the instrument also includes a tapering frusto-conical member which surrounds the rotating cutting tool. The frusto-conical member restricts rotation of captured tissue undergoing maceration.
These and other surgical instruments utilizing "screw-like" distal cutting elements have certain common characteristics. Each instrument consists of a small bore rotating cutting element whose cutting action depends on continuous physical contact between the tissue (cataract) and the cutting element. Without a secure method of capturing and holding the tissue (cataract), maintenance of continued contact between the cutting element and tissue (cataract) becomes very difficult. As a result, the unstabilized cataract can move about in the eye causing damage and lessening the efficiency of cutting. Fragments of the cataract are also free to float about inside the eye complicating their removal and increasing the likelihood of damage. Another common characteristic of these instruments is the use of a pressure differential or vacuum to aid in the removal of macerated tissue and aid in stabilizing the cataract. This arrangement can result in significant fluid flow through the eye with concomitant turbulence inside the eye with potential for intraocular damage.
Baehr et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,146 addresses the problem of stabilization of the cataract by adding a frusto-conical housing surrounding the cutting element. This results in improved stabilization of the cataract against the cutting element but still allows for fragments of cataract to be thrown around inside the eye by fluid turbulence. Kramer U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,661 discloses a surgical instrument including an open-topped net or bag (much like a fishnet) mounted on a flexible frame for containing and controlling the cataract within the eye. The net is inserted into the eye and the nucleus placed within the bag. The nucleus is then removed from the eye by withdrawing the net, with enclosed nucleus, from the eye. The insertion and withdrawal of the net is facilitated by a frusto-conical sleeve that inserts into the surgical incision. By withdrawing the basket with contained cataract through the end of the sleeve, the cataract is squeezed causing a major portion of the nucleus to fall into the anterior chamber of the eye and 25% to 30% of the nuclear material being removed from the eye. The fragmented nuclear material remaining in the eye is then removed by well know irrigation aspiration procedures. Although adequate initial containment and control of the nucleus is afforded by the Kramer patent, crushing very hard nuclei requires extreme force with little control or margin for error and leaves a significant percentage of the nucleus still in the eye after withdrawal of the instrument. For such reasons, a more controlled method of capturing and fragmenting the lens must be sought.
Many surgical instruments have been developed for very controlled capture and manipulation of tissues within body cavities. Some of these instruments incorporate wires that extend from distal ends to grab or contain objects. Itoh U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,739,784 and 3,791,387 disclose surgical instruments with distal single and multiple wire loops for capturing and cutting tissues within a body cavity. The multiple loop device has a wire with a pivotally attached loop allowing for longitudinal shifting of the wire in a tube. This permits the second wire to be bulged out from the loop to receive the tissue to be captured.
Dulebohn U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,688 discloses a surgical instrument with a single wire snare at its distal end. The distal end of the instrument is modified so that the cutting edges are not exposed to surrounding tissues, thereby protecting surrounding tissues from being damaged during insertion and while cutting with the instrument.
Grayhack et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,441 disclose an instrument for containment and removal of calculi. The surgical instrument consists of an extendible central grasping device of a conventional "stone basket" type of expandable multiple wire loop system. The grasping device is surrounded by a smooth expandable outer tube. The grasping device captures the stone which is retracted within the smooth outer tube forming a protective closure to prevent injury when the stone is extracted.
Wechler U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,441 discloses a lithotriptor with a plurality of outwardly curved catch wires. The wires are constructed in a stranded fashion to achieve large load transfers while handling calculi.
Narayan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,688 discloses a surgical instrument for removing calculi from the body with a catch basket consisting of a plurality of wires that surround a reciprocating shaft. The reciprocating shaft extends into the cavity of the wire basket breaking up the captured stone.
Clement U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,968 discloses a surgical apparatus consisting of an expandable wire catch basket with an anvil at the distal end of the basket. A reciprocating cutting member is positioned so that when it is extended, it passes through the basket cavity and impacts the distal anvil, thereby cutting the contained tissue. Suction then removes the cut tissue from the body.
Gibbs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,482 disclose a surgical device consisting of a composite wire construction extraction device. The composite construction of the wire is intended to extend the operating life of the wire catch basket.
Bates et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,330 discloses a surgical device for removing calculi. The device consists of a plurality of wires with pairs of wires formed along the turn of a helix. This construction allows for a greater number of contact points with the entrapped tissue.
These and other surgical extractors have certain common characteristics. Each retrieval basket comprises a plurality of wires which expand in a symmetrical fashion creating a retrieval basket. The expansion and contraction of the wire catch basket is controlled by means of a mechanism on the proximal end of the instrument.
Phacoemulsification is a more recent surgical method than standard extracapsular cataract surgery and utilizes ultrasonic energy to emulsify a cataract nucleus and aspirate the cataract from the eye through a smaller incision (2.5-3.2 mm) than extracapsular cataract surgery. The advent of foldable intraocular lenses to complete the surgery has resulted in sutureless surgery with virtually immediate visual and functional recovery. For these reasons phacoemulsification has become the most popular method of cataract surgery today. Nevertheless, phacoemulsification is very expensive and requires sophisticated equipment that demands significant expertise to operate safely, particularly in the setting of a mature hard cataract. Moreover, the equipment used for phacoemulsification is complex and expensive. For these reasons there remains a desire for simpler less expensive methods and devices for performing cataract surgery. Such a desired method would provide a surgical instrument for safe, controlled, uncomplicated, removal of the nucleus from the eye regardless of the maturity or hardness of the nucleus and could be inserted into the eye through a 3 to 5 mm incision and remove the nucleus, in its entirety, from the eye without enlarging the surgical incision.


The device comprises a first heat exchanger (22) for exchanging heat between the admission air and a heat-transfer liquid for regulating the temperature of the admission air, the heat exchanger being connected to a circuit (24) for cold heat-transfer liquid, the device further comprising a second heat exchanger (26) for exchanging heat between the admission air and a heat-transfer fluid likewise for regulating the temperature of the admission air and connected to a circuit (28) for very cold heat-transfer fluid that is colder than the heat transfer liquid of the cold heat-transfer liquid circuit (24). The cold heat-transfer liquid circuit (24) preferably comprises a heat exchanger (30) for exchanging heat between air and the cold heat-transfer liquid, e.g. carried by a front face (31) of the motor vehicle.

The invention applies in particular to regulating the temperature of the air admitted to a supercharged engine connected, where appropriate, to an exhaust system fitted with a particle filter.
It is desirable to cool the air admitted to an engine, in particular when the engine is supercharged by means of a turbocompressor unit provided firstly with a turbine located downstream from the engine and driven by the exhaust gas from the engine, and secondly with an admission air compressor arranged upstream from the engine. Because it is heated in the compressor, the air admitted to the engine must be cooled on leaving the compressor in order to optimize the performance of the engine and minimize polluting emissions.
In order to cool the air admitted to an engine, in particular at the outlet from the compressor of a turbocompressor unit, it is already known in the state of the art to provide a device for regulating the temperature of the air admitted to the internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, the device being of the type comprising a first heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the admission air and a heat-transfer liquid, serving to regulate the temperature of the admission air and connected to a circuit for cold heat-transfer liquid.
Such a temperature regulator device is described in particular in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,697.

Device for thermally controlling the intake air of the internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle


Embodiments described herein relate to thermal processing of semiconductor substrates. More specifically, embodiments described herein relate to laser thermal processing of semiconductor substrates. In certain embodiments, a uniformizer is provided to spatially and temporally decorrelate a coherent light image.

1. Field
Embodiments described herein relate to thermal processing of semiconductor substrates. More specifically, embodiments described herein relate to laser thermal processing of semiconductor substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
In semiconductor manufacturing, thermal processes are commonly used to melt, anneal, crystallize, and activate dopants in semiconductor substrates. High power levels are generally used to process semiconductor substrates, and lasers are frequently used to achieve the high power levels. Lasers produce coherent light that has a non-uniform spatial distribution of energy. Depending on the structure of the lasing medium, the distribution will have local maxima and minima that result in higher and lower energy intensity, which leads to non-uniform processing of substrates. Moreover, the shape of the laser energy field is often different from the desired shape of the processing region.
Much work has been devoted to improving the uniformity of a laser energy field and adapting its shape to a desired geometry, with improvement roughly keeping pace with the shrinking scale of semiconductor devices. Further improvement is still needed, however, as the trend of miniaturization continues.

Apparatus for speckle reduction, pulse stretching, and beam homogenization


A method and system of storing to an instruction stream with a multiprocessor or multiple-address-space system is disclosed. A central processing unit may cache instructions in a cache from a page of primary code stored in a memory storage unit. The central processing unit may execute cached instructions from the cache until a serialization operation is executed. The central processing unit may check in a message queue for a notification message indicating potential storing to the page. If the notification message is present in the message queue, cached instructions from the page are invalidated.

The present invention relates to caching the memory of a computer system and, in particular, to a cache with a temporal-spatial organization.
Many legacy architectures, such as S/390, permit the program to be self-modifying, meaning that a program may store into its own code, thus altering itself dynamically. This behavior is referred to as Storing To the Instruction Stream (STIS). Even architectures that do not directly facilitate dynamic code self-modification must still provide a means for flushing cached instructions whenever new code is loaded into memory, to maintain instruction cache coherency.
While methods do exist for handling STIS in the straightforward single-address-space single-processor case, the present invention addresses the additional complexity when multiple virtual address spaces and/or processors are involved. One such method for handling STIS in a single-processor case is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/992,130, filed on Nov. 14, 2001, and titled, "Processing of Self-Modifying Code under Emulation." The disclosure of this application, published on May 15, 2003 as Published Application No. 20030093775 is herein incorporated by reference.

Processing of self-modifying code in multi-address-space and multi-processor systems


A process is provided to prepare durable, high gloss titanium dioxide pigments by a continuous wet treatment process which involves curing of a silica coating at pH of between 7.0 and 8.5. Pigment prepared in this fashion is substantially free from Al(OH).sub.3 impurities and has excellent performance properties in high quality latex paint formulations.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved process for preparing titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) pigments by continuous wet treatment, The TiO.sub.2 pigments prepared by the process of this invention can be used to make latex paint formulations having improved properties such as gloss and zinc oxide (ZnO) stability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Processes to coat TiO.sub.2 pigment with hydrous oxide coatings are well known. These processes typically involve precipitating the hydrous oxide coatings onto the pigment from salt solutions by controlling the pH of the solution, hence they are referred to as "wet treatment". Wet treatment is most frequently performed in a batch process wherein considerable residence times are needed to achieve durable coatings on the pigment.
A first step in these processes often involves preparing an aqueous slurry of TiO.sub.2 pigment particles and adjusting the pH of the slurry to about 9 or above, as described in Brand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,162. Brand describes a batch process for preparing a TiO.sub.2 pigment coated with silica and alumina comprising the steps of: a) adjusting the pH of the slurry to at least 9.8 and heating the slurry to 75-95.degree. C.; b) adding a soluble silicate to the slurry: c) adjusting the pH in two steps, first, rapidly adjusting the pH to 9.2-9.4 to complete deposition and cure of silica and second, rapidly adjusting the pH to 2.8-3.2; c) adding a soluble aluminate to raise the pH to 5.5-6.5 to initiate deposition of alumina coating; and continuing aluminate addition at a pH of 5.5-6.5; e) adjusting the pH to 6.5-8.5; and f) recovering the coated TiO.sub.2 pigment.
West, U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,412, provides a continuous process for wet treatment of TiO.sub.2 pigments which comprises: a) heating a TiO.sub.2 pigment slurry to 80-100.degree. C.; b) adding sodium silicate to the slurry; c) adjusting the pH to 9 to 10.5 and adjusting temperature to 85-95.degree. C. for 15-60 minutes to provide a silica coating; d) simultaneously adding sodium aluminate and acid at pH 8 to 9 to provide an alumina coating; d) curing the aluminate treated slurry for up to 30 minutes; e) adjusting the pH to 7; and e) filtering, washing and drying. Optionally pH is adjusted to 9 to 10.5 prior to the addition of the sodium silicate to the slurry in step b). However, it has been found that the pigments prepared by the West process suffer from poor zinc oxide stability and certain latex paint formulations made with such pigments have low gloss.
Brand, EP 73340 A, describes a continuous wet treatment process which involves: a) adding a soluble silicate to a TiO.sub.2 pigment slurry at a temperature of at least 85.degree. C., and a pH of 9.8 to 10.1 to form a dense silica coating; b) neutralizing the slurry in at least 3 steps by adding acid to lower the pH to 9.6-9.8, then 9.2-9.4, and finally to 3-4; c) raising the pH of the slurry to 5.0-6.5; (d) adding an alumina source to form a hydrous alumina coating; and (e) neutralizing the slurry and recovering the pigment. This patent teaches that control of pH as described is a critical element to precipitation of the silica coating.
Prior to the present invention, pigments made via continuous wet treatment processes have been found to be inferior to those made in conventional batch wet treatment processes. It is well known that continuous processes are economically more attractive than batch treatment processes. In a continuous process, treatment times can be greatly reduced and thus increase productivity without the need for capital investment. The present invention provides a continuous process that raises the level of performance of the pigment product to those of batch processes.

Continuous wet treatment process to prepare durable, high gloss titanium dioxide pigment


A semiconductor memory device that may include output drivers, each of which varies a data swing width in response to a correction code, and one or more data swing width control portions. Each of the data swing width control portions may correspond to an output driver, may vary the correction code according to a data swing width of the corresponding output driver to change the data swing width to a correction swing width, and then varies the correction code again to the extent that data of the corresponding output driver are normally transmitted, which may reduce the data swing width.

1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor memory device and, more particularly, to a semiconductor memory device which can control a data swing width of an output buffer, a memory system having the same, and a swing width control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor memory device such as a DRAM, for example, should have a definite swing width of data transmitted through a wire line on a PCB substrate on which the semiconductor memory device may be mounted. For example, if a semiconductor memory device is mounted on a memory module, for example, a single in-line memory module (SIMM) or a double in-line memory module (DIMM), the swing width of a signal transmitted through a wire line above the PCB substrate should be in a range of 800 mV at 1.0 volt to 1.8 volt.
A conventional semiconductor memory device, as shown in FIG. 1, may include a data swing width controller to correct the swing width of an output data signal to maintain a desired and/or definite level. The data swing width controller may correct the swing width of the data so that the semiconductor memory device may perform a stable operation under poor operating conditions.
Referring to FIG. 1, a memory system may include a memory control device 1 and a semiconductor memory device 2. The semiconductor memory device 2 may include a single data swing width controller 10 and a plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n. The data swing width controller 10 may include an operation control portion 11 and a swing width correcting portion 12 and may substantially simultaneously correct the data swing widths of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n.
Functions of the components of the conventional semiconductor memory device illustrated in FIG. 1 are explained below.
The memory control device 1 may be arranged outside the semiconductor memory device 2 and may control an operation of the semiconductor memory device 2 like a chip set. The memory control device 1 may generate a command com to request a swing width correcting operation and may apply the command com to the semiconductor memory device 2 during a data swing width control operation.
The data swing width controller 10 of the semiconductor memory device 2 may correct the data swing widths of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n to match the correction swing width cswing.
For example, the data swing width controller 10 may include an operation control portion 11 and a swing width correcting portion 12. The operation control portion 11 may receive the command com from the memory control device 1 to enable a swing width correcting signal cctrl causing the swing width correcting portion 12 to perform the swing width correcting operation.
The swing width correcting portion 12 may include a comparator 121 and a correct code generator 122. The comparator 121 may receive data D01 from an output driver 21, compare a voltage level of the data D01 to a reference voltage Vref and generate a comparison signal cpsig. The correction code generating portion 122 may vary a code value of a correction code ccode according to the comparison signal cpsig to cause the data swing widths of all of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n to become equal to the correction swing width cswing.
The reference voltage Vref may be an average voltage value of a maximum voltage and a minimum voltage of the correction swing width cswing and may have a voltage value for determining the size of the correction swing width cswing.
Each of a plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n may vary the data swing width to be equal to the correction swing width cswing in response to the correction swing code ccode transmitted from the data swing width controller 10 during the swing width correcting operation. Among the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n, one output driver 21 may transmit the data D01 having a varied swing width to the comparator 121 in the swing width correcting portion 12 so that the data swing width controller 10 is aware of the size of the varied data swing width. A conventional technique of varying the data swing width in response to a predetermined-bit digital code, for example, the correction code ccode, is well known, and thus, a detail description of the conventional technique is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.
An example operation of the conventional memory system of FIG. 1 is explained below.
In this example operation, if the memory control device 1 generates the command com to request the swing width correction operation, the operation control portion 11 enables the swing width correcting signal cctrl causing the swing width correcting portion 12 to perform the swing width correcting operation.
Accordingly, if the data swing width of the reference output driver 21 is smaller than the correction swing width cswing so that the voltage level of the data D01 is higher than the reference voltage Vref, the comparator 121 of the swing width correcting portion 12 generates a comparison signal cpsig having a high level. The correction code generating portion 122 may increase (or decrease) the code value of the correction code ccode by one interval or step, for example, in response to the comparison signal cpsig. Accordingly, all of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n increase or decrease the data swing width by a desired and/or predetermined width in response to the correction code ccode.
The comparator 121 and the correction code generating portion 122 may perform the above operation repetitively until the voltage level of the data D01 is equal to the reference voltage Vref, thereby indicating that the data swing widths of all of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n are equal to the correction swing width cswing.
Conversely, if the data swing width of the reference output driver 21 is higher than the correction swing width cswing so that the voltage level of the data D01 is lower than the reference voltage Vref, the comparator 121 and the correction code generating 122 may reduce (or increase) the code value of the correction code ccode step by step, for example, to cause the voltage level of the data D01 to be equal to the reference voltage Vref. That is, the data swing widths of all of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n become equal to the correction swing width cswing.
As described above, the conventional semiconductor memory device 2 substantially simultaneously corrects the data swing widths of all of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n to the correction swing width.
However, the correction swing width is generally directed towards satisfying the worst possible operation condition of the semiconductor memory device and thus, there is a problem because the data swing width may be excessively increased under a normal operation condition.
That is, the conventional data swing width controller may excessively increase the data swing widths of the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n without considering the operation environment of the semiconductor memory device and the memory system, thereby increasing power consumption of the conventional semiconductor memory device.
Further, if data D01 to D0n output through the plurality of output drivers 21 to 2n are transmitted in the same direction, a simultaneous switching noise (SSN) phenomenon may occur due to the excessively increased data swing width and thus, the whole operation performance of the memory system may deteriorate. The SSN represents a noise which may occur when a plurality of data is transmitted in the same direction through adjacent signal lines and an electric current of data flows excessively.
Still Further, the conventional semiconductor memory device controls the swing widths of all of the output drivers 21 to 2n using the data swing width of the reference output driver 21. Thus, if the reference output driver 21 has the wrong data swing width, the rest of the output drivers 21 to 2n will also have the wrong data swing width. That is, a problem may occur in the conventional semiconductor device because the entire performance of the memory system depends on the data swing width of the reference output driver 21.

Semiconductor memory device, memory system having the same, and swing width control method thereof


Priority is given to handover calls over new calls in a mobile communications system using the CDMA method. This is achieved by rejecting requests for new calls in any one of the cases in which: an uplink interference amount estimated if the requested call is accepted exceeds an interference threshold level; a downlink total transmission power estimated if the requested call is accepted exceeds a downlink transmission power threshold; and an amount of spread code resources estimated if the requested call is accepted is lower than a spread code threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a call acceptance controlling apparatus and a method for controlling acceptance of new calls and handover calls generated in a cell where communication is provided by a radio channel between a mobile station in the cell and two or more radio base stations that form cells in a mobile communications system that employs a code division multiple access method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally a mobile communications system accepts a request for a call to be established by assigning a radio channel. However, in any mobile communications system, the number of available radio channels is limited and, thereby, the number of mobile stations (users) that can communicate simultaneously, i.e., subscriber capacity, is limited. For this reason, when a request for a call exceeding the subscriber capacity is generated, a radio channel cannot be assigned to the requested call, resulting in a so-called lost call.
In a mobile communications system that employs a frequency division multiple access method (FDMA method) and a time division multiple access (TDMA method), for example, fixed radio channels are assigned to each cell formed by a radio base station.
In this case, the number of mobile stations that can communicate simultaneously within a cell is limited by the number of the radio channels assigned to the cell. For this reason, when a request for calls in excess of the number of the radio channels is generated, a call loss occurs.
In a mobile communications system such as above, fixed radio channels are assigned to each cell, making it impossible to flexibly respond to an uneven traffic distribution, location-wise and time-wise. In order to solve the uneven traffic distribution, a method (dynamic channel allocation method) that assigns radio channels dynamically to each cell is sometimes used. In the mobile communications system using this dynamic channel allocation method, a radio channel that satisfies predetermined communication quality (for example, a radio channel with an amount of interference below a predetermined value and a radio channel with CIR being greater than a predetermined value) is assigned. However, when there is no radio channel available, or predetermined communication quality cannot be provided even if a radio channel is available, the radio channel cannot be assigned to the call. Thus, the call is lost.
On the other hand, in a mobile communications system using the code division multiple access (CDMA method), each mobile station shares the same radio frequency band, using a spread code. Under the CDMA method, the radio channel is constituted by the spread code and resistance against interference is strong compared with the narrow-band multiple access method of the FDMA method and the TDMA method. However, when an amount of interference exceeds a certain value, the CDMA has a property that the communication quality deteriorates. For a mobile station using a predetermined spread code, a signal of another mobile station using another spread codes can cause interference.
That is, the subscriber capacity in the mobile communications system using the CDMA method is limited by the amount of interference. For this reason, if a call that will cause the mobile communications system to exceed the subscriber capacity in a certain cell is accepted, communication quality of all mobile stations in the cell and its surrounding cells deteriorates. Here, the amount of interference caused by a communication using a certain spread code with another communication using another spread code is determined by a cross-correlation between these spread codes. For this reason, spread codes are designed so that cross-correlation values becomes sufficiently small.
As regards calls originated in each cell, the calls are classified as new calls that occur by a call origination and handover calls that occur by handover. In the mobile communications system, when a mobile terminal under communication moves from a first cell to a second cell, a radio channel has to be switched from a channel of the first cell to a channel of the second cell. At this time, the call in the first cell turns into a handover call of the second cell. When there is no radio channel assignable to the handover call, the call of the mobile terminal will be compulsorily disconnected in spite of the call being in progress. This forced release has adverse influence on the quality of service.
In order to lessen occurrence of forced disconnections, preparing radio channels exclusively for handover calls is practiced in the narrow-band mobile communications system using the FDMA method or the TDMA method. In the method presented by JP, 7-23449, a plurality of radio channels are divided into a small number of channels that are assigned exclusively to handover calls, a comparatively small number of channels that are assigned to handover calls preferentially, and the rest of a greater number of channels that are assigned to new calls and handover calls without preference. To the new calls, radio channels are assigned according to operating conditions of the radio channels. In this manner, the handover calls can be accepted preferentially and the quality of service can be enhanced.
However, in a mobile communications system using the CDMA method, the subscriber capacity is dependent on an amount of interference rather than available spread code resources. For this reason, the call acceptance method of the narrow-band mobile communications system using the FDMA method or the TDMA method proposed by JP, 7-23449 mentioned above cannot be applied to the mobile communications system using the CDMA method.

Call acceptance controlling apparatus and method thereof