An RFID tag unit is constituted of a seal member part, a substrate material part layered on the seal member part, and a print member part layered on the substrate material part. An RFID tag that comprises an LSI chip, an antenna and an impedance adjustment part is formed on the surface of the substrate material part. Of the seal member part and substrate material part, a part positioned under the impedance adjustment part is cut off, and an impedance adjustment part cutoff part is equipped in the cutoff area. Cutting the impedance adjustment part cutoff part off the RFID tag unit cuts the impedance adjustment part, which has been connected to the antenna, from the RFID tag.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metal-suitable RFID tag and an RFID tag unit, and in particular to an RFID tag unit separable from a metal-suitable RFID tag and allowing a printing and issuing, and to a metal-suitable RFID tag comprising the aforementioned RFID tag unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently there is an increasing interest in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The RFID tag is a type of a wireless integrated circuit (IC) tag, and is constituted of components including a large scale integrated circuit (LSI) chip, an antenna, and an external resin for molding the aforementioned components. The external size of an RFID tag varies widely, e.g., from 0.3 mm (the size of a sesame seed) to 20 to 30 mm (the size of a coin) in diameter, the size of an IC card. Also, there is a battery built-in type and there is a non battery built-in type. The former is called an active type tag and the latter is called a passive type tag.
An LSI chip built in the RFID tag comprises an antenna, a transmission/reception unit, a control unit and a memory. The memory stores a specific identification code (i.e., a unique ID) which is read by an RFID tag-use reader/writer (simply noted as "reader/writer" hereinafter). The readout of the unique ID of the RFID tag by the reader/writer is carried out by a radio communication via an RFID tag-use antenna (simply noted as "antenna" hereinafter). The radio communication employs a radio wave method or an electromagnetic induction method.
The characteristics of an RFID tag are usually greatly altered when it is attached to a metal. As an example, in the case of an RFID tag of the electromagnetic induction method, an eddy current flows when a magnetic flux enters a metal so that the eddy current acts in negating the magnetic flux. As a result, the communication range is greatly decreased, and, in the worst case, communicating becomes impossible. In such a case, an impact of a metal is eliminated if the attaching position of the RFID tag is separated from the metal by a certain distance.
Meanwhile, in the case of an RFID tag of the radio wave method, a multi-pass phenomenon is generated as a result of a radio wave reflecting on a metal surface. The multi-pass phenomenon causes readout of information stored in the RFID tag to be unstable and a degradation of a power conversion efficiency of the antenna of the RFID tag, thereby degrading a communication ranges as in the case of the electromagnetic induction method.
Also in this case, an influence of a metal can be mitigated if the attaching position of the RFID tag is separated from the metal by a certain distance.
In the cases of a commercial products or other products, many are made from metallic materials. Therefore, there is metal-suitable RFID tag that can be put on the metal, and it has already been commercialized.
The metal-suitable RFID tag is configured to attach to a metal by keeping the antenna (i.e., the RFID tag antenna) clear of the metal in a suitable distance or sandwiching an RF absorption material between the RFID tag and the metal.
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section diagram showing a composition of a conventional metal-suitable RFID tag 100.
The metal-suitable REID tag 100 shown in FIG. 1 is configured so as to layer a metal reflection plate 101, a spacer 102, a substrate material part 103 and a PET(polyethylene terephthalate) material 104 in the aforementioned order.
The substrate material part 103 is incorporated with an RFID tag which is equipped with an LSI chip 111 at the approximate center thereof and an antenna (i.e., RFID tag antennas) 112 on both side surfaces. The RFID tag is constituted of the LSI chip 111 and antenna 112. The LSI chip 111 is integrated with a control part, a transmission/reception part, a memory and such. A dipole antenna is widely used as the antenna 112.
The metal reflection plate 101, being a thin plate attached to a metal via an adhesive (not shown in a drawing herein), reflects an RF reflected on the aforementioned metal. The spacer part 102, comprising a dielectric body and a Styrofoam, plastic or such, is for keeping enough space between the metal, to which the metal-suitable RFID tag 100 is attached, and the antenna 112 incorporated in the substrate material part 103. For example, a material having the function as an RF absorption member is used as a material for the space part 102.
The conventional metal-suitable RFID tag 100 as configured above needs to increase the thickness of the spacer part 102, therefore the thickness of the metal-suitable RFID tag 100 increase in size as a result, its handling is difficult and its usage is limited. Further it is bulky and poorly flexible, hence precluding a printing/issuing by using a label printer (i.e., an RFID tag-use label printer).
Here, an "issuing" means the process of writing data to an RFID tag (including a metal-suitable RFID tag) and of printing. Also an RFID tag-use label printer has a built-in reader/writer function and is capable of writing data to an RFID tag and printing it.
The conventional metal-suitable RFID tag requires a writing of specific data individually by using a reader/writer due to the above described reasons. A printing on the metal-suitable RFID tag is limited to a printing in a lump at the production thereof or attaching a printed label thereto.
Incidentally, a known invention similar to the present invention is a composite body installable to a metallic body by using a pressure sensitive resin material after forming a composite body comprising a layer including an RFID and a layer which is formed on the aforementioned layer and which has a printable surface and printing a surface of the composite body (refer to a reference patent document 1).
Another known invention is a data carrier which employs either an electromagnetic induction method or a microwave method and which is directly mountable onto a metal surface; and a data carrier-use adaptor which integrates an upper layer constituted of a ferrite layer and a lower layer comprised of a good conductive metal layer and which is mountable onto a metal by attaching onto the back of the data carrier (refer to a reference patent document 2).
Yet another known invention is a method capable of adjusting a tuning frequency of a data carrier by attaching a metallic seal of a prescribed size to a prescribed position of a coil operating synchronously with a predetermined frequency (refer to a reference patent document 3).
Yet another known invention is a noncontact type data carrier comprising an IC chip and an antenna, in which a resonance frequency of a resonance circuit is adjustable. The noncontact type data carrier is configured to suppress a variation of a resonance frequency caused by a variation of capacitance of an IC chip constituting a resonance circuit of the data carrier by adjusting inductance of the antenna that is a part of the components constituting the resonance circuit. The specific composition is to adjust the inductance of the antenna by placing components, such as a closed loop antenna, a conductor (such as a metal) and a separate resonance circuit near the antenna (refer to a reference patent document 4).
Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Translations of PCT Application No. 2004-510190
Patent document 2: Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-68916
Patent document 3: Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-271913
Patent document 4: Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-160124

Metal-suitable RFID tag and RFID tag unit therefor


The present invention provides a new and distinct variety of mango. The new mango tree, named ‘Leopold’, produces fruit distinguishable from other mango varieties by its quality of flesh which includes only a small amount of fiber attached to the husk of the freestone seed. The average weight of the mango fruit is about 13-18 ounces when ripe and has a smooth skin which is brightly colored. The new mango fruit has good storage and handling qualities.

A mango tree is a medium to large (about 30 to 90 feet) evergreen with a symmetrical, rounded canopy ranging from low and dense to upright and open. The bark of the mango tree is usually dark grey-brown to black, generally smooth, and superficially cracked or fissured. The mango tree forms a long unbranched long taproot plus a dense mass of superficial feeder roots. In deep soil, the taproot descends to a depth of about 20 feet. The profuse, wide-spreading feeder roots also send many anchor roots which penetrate for several feet.
The leaves of a typical mango tree may be about 4 to 12 inches in length and ¾ to 2 inches in width. The leaves may have a variety of shapes such as oval-lanceolate, lanceolate, oblong, linear-oblong, ovate, obovate-lanceolate, or roundish-oblong. Hermaphrodite and male flowers are produced in the same panicle. The flowers are usually yellowish or reddish in color and are borne in profuse, showy, erect, pyramidal, branched clusters in the fruits. The size of both the male and hermaphrodite flowers varies from about ¼ to ½ inches in diameter.
The mango fruit is generally a compressed, fleshy drupe. It varies considerably in size, shape, color, fiber content, flavor, and taste. The fruit may be nearly round, oval, ovoid-oblong, or somewhat kidney-shaped, and is usually more or less lop-sided. The fruit ranges from 2½ to 10 inches in length and from a few ounces to 4 or 5 pounds. The skin of the fruit is leathery, waxy, smooth, fairly thick, aromatic and ranges from light- or dark-green to clear yellow, yellow-orange, yellow and reddish-pink, or generally blushed with bright- or dark-red or purple-red, with fine yellow, greenish or reddish dots, and thin or thick whitish, gray, or purplish bloom, when fully ripe. The most characteristic feature of the fruit is the formation of a small conical projection developing laterally at the proximal end of the fruit, known as the beak. The beak may be prominent in some, less in others, and in some varieties it is represented merely as a dot.


A polarization imager is provided that includes a plurality of CMOS photodetectors and a plurality of polarization filters. Each of the plurality of CMOS photodetectors has a photodiode that is configured to operate in forward bias mode. Further, each of the plurality of polarization filters is monolithically integrated with a corresponding one of the plurality of CMOS photodetectors. Each of the plurality of photodiodes exhibits a logarithmic response to a flux of incident photons. The polarization imager achieves a dynamic range of at least 100 decibels with a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 60 decibels.

Polarization imaging can provide rich information about our surrounding world. The polarization state of light can "remember" the intrinsic properties of the media or objects that light has encountered in previous optical interactions. This modality of light encodes information such as three-dimensional shape, surface roughness, and material or tissue structural composition. Although nature did not favor the human eye with the ability to distinguish polarization of light, a vast number of animals have evolved to discriminate and utilize it in visually guided behaviors. For example, desert ants utilize polarization properties of the sky to navigate straight home after a long, random foraging walk. Birds also utilize the polarization properties of the sky to calibrate their magnetic compass, while the polarization patterns on the body of the mantis shrimp and swordtail fish provide conspecific channels of communication.
Among the various visual systems in the animal kingdom, that of the mantis shrimp has evolved to be one of the most complex, capable of detecting 16 spectral channels and four linear and two circular polarization channels. Furthermore, individual photoreceptors have logarithmic responses to incident light intensity, which equips these creatures with high-dynamic-range imaging capabilities. With these complex imaging capabilities, it is no surprise that the mantis shrimp is considered one of the top predators in shallow waters. Its exemplary visual system has been the motivation for several bioinspired color and polarization imaging systems. Although these bioinspired imaging sensors have enabled many biomedical and remote sensing applications, their imaging dynamic range is limited to about 60 dB due to the use of conventional active pixel sensors with reverse bias photodiodes.
A high dynamic range is necessary in various polarization applications due to the nature of polarized optical phenomena, such as specular reflections, celestial imaging, and polarization microscopy. For example, in the automotive industry, high-dynamic-range cameras are desirable to capture scenes where the illumination can easily vary by several orders of magnitude, such as exiting a garage or a tunnel. Additionally, polarization information can provide key cues for autonomous navigation. The addition of an inexpensive high-dynamic-range polarimeter can benefit the automotive industry by providing the automobile computer with polarization information about the road environment during the navigation decision-making process. In a similar fashion, the biomedical arena has strict illumination guidelines, particularly during surgical procedures. For a polarimeter to be integrated into the surgical workflow, to exploit the polarization benefits, it must be able to acquire significant and meaningful polarization data frames under highly dynamic lighting conditions.
Prior art polarization imaging sensors are realized by combining polarization optics with arrays of polarization-blind photodetectors. Depending on the imaging architecture chosen, the light intensity is polarization-modulated in either the time, light amplitude, or focal plane domain. Although polarization sensitivity has been added this way to a variety of imaging sensors, these polarimeters are still outmatched by digital color cameras on non-polarization-related metrics such as frame rate, resolution, noise, and dynamic range. These optoelectronic limitations of polarimeters hamper the efficacy of polarization-based applications. Among the shortcomings that polarimeter technology faces is the limited instantaneous dynamic range provided by prior art polarimeters. As such, there is a need for a high-dynamic range polarization imager.

Polarization imager with high dynamic range

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois


Method for adapting a downlink transmit power of a first base station adapted for serving a closed subscriber group. It is described a method for adapting a downlink transmit power of a first base station adapted for serving a closed subscriber group. The method includes scanning a neighborhood of the first base station for a second base station adapted for serving an open subscriber group, wherein the first base station and the second base station use the same carrier frequency, detecting whether the second base station is present within the neighborhood of the first base station, and adapting the downlink transmit power of the first base station depending on the presence of the second base station. It is further described a base station, a computer-readable medium and a program element for carrying out the method.

A typical mobile communication network comprises one or more base stations. In particular, such a mobile communication network may be a UMTS, a 3GPP Long-Term-Evolution (LTE) or 3GPP Long-Term-Evolution-Advanced network (LTE-A). The base stations may be a NodeB (NB) or enhanced NodeB (eNodeB, eNB), especially a Home NB or Home eNB (H(e)NB). Low transmission power base stations may have access restrictions. The 3GPP therefore has specified the closed subscriber group (CSG) services for example using home base stations H(e)NBs or for deploying enterprise networks, for example office solution formed from multiple pico base stations. A CSG is a private base station or a private network (multiple base stations) providing services to only a closed subscriber group (CSG) of users.
Compared to conventional eNBs for HeNB an important additional feature is the ability to select and indicate eNB access type by physical layer configuration. The two standardized types of cells are open (normal) ones (OSG, Open Subscriber Group) and CSG (Closed Subscriber Group) ones and the access types are called open and closed. According to 3GPP specification physical layer notification can be done by selecting physical cell IDs defined for open or closed access and to signal on the BCCH (broadcast control channel) of a wide area cell which physical cell IDs indicate open and which physical cell IDs indicate closed access. In an open subscriber group (OSG) scenario, any terminal or subscriber is served by the OSG node (for example eNB) and in a closed subscriber group (CSG) scenario, the CSG node, for example HeNB, serves only a limited number of terminals, which may be only subscribers that are allowed to access the given CSG node.
If the CSG network is operated at the same carrier frequency as an OSG or non CSG network, interference from CSG nodes to OSG nodes may arise. With CSG enabled for example the access of visiting user equipment to a HeNB or a pico NB is prevented. However on the other hand wide area dead zones are caused by the downlink interference from the CSG nodes, for example HeNB, which makes it impossible to the visiting user equipment to access neighboring OSG nodes, for example wide area networks, when visiting macro user equipments (UEs) are located close to a CSG HeNB or pico NB.
There may be a need for providing a reliable and computational inexpensive method for adapting a downlink transmitting power of a first base station adapted for serving a closed subscriber group, which reduces interferences between base stations.

Method for adapting a downlink transmit power of a first base station adapted for serving a closed subscriber group in the presence of second base station


A CMOS cell incorporated on an integrated circuit including a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor. The current terminals of the PMOS and NMOS transistors are coupled in series between a lower voltage supply rail and a reference rail. The well connection of the PMOS transistor is coupled to an upper voltage supply rail having a voltage level greater than the lower voltage supply rail. The CMOS cell has low voltage swing and low leakage current to reduce power consumption. A second PMOS and NMOS transistor pair may be included and coupled in similar manner and to the first PMOS and NMOS pair to form a non-inverting cell. The PMOS transistors may be implemented in an N-well that is conductively tied to the upper supply voltage rail to avoid isolation barriers. The cell may be used in a clock tree to significantly reduce power consumption of the integrated circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to reduced power consumption, and more specifically to a low leakage CMOS cell with low voltage swing for reduced power consumption and having a reduced footprint.
2. Description of the Related Art
As integrated circuit (IC) design and fabrication techniques continue to advance, operating voltages and device sizes have each scaled downward. Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry dissipates less power and is more dense than other types of integrated circuit (IC) technologies so that CMOS technology has become the dominant style of digital circuit design for integrated circuits. CMOS circuits typically use a combination of N-channel (NMOS) and P-channel (PMOS) devices (e.g., transistors) each having a threshold gate-to-source voltage based on design, scale, materials and process. As device sizes and voltage levels have decreased, the channel lengths and oxide thicknesses of each device have also decreased. Sub-threshold leakage current is the current that flows between the drain and source when the gate-to-source voltage is below the threshold voltage of the CMOS device. In such conventional configurations the sub-threshold leakage current may account for a significant amount of total power consumption of the IC especially at higher temperatures. Leakage current may consume a significant amount of power even when the IC is otherwise idle.
Many IC designs incorporate a significant number of CMOS cells (e.g., configured as buffers, inverters, gating devices, flip-flops, etc.) for performing a variety of functions, including a few non-limiting examples such as signal distribution, signal processing, maintaining digital signal integrity, etc. As used herein, the term "cell" is defined as any CMOS circuit incorporating any combination of PMOS and NMOS transistors for performing any suitable function, such as buffers, inverters, flip-flops, etc. Clock distribution involves a significant portion of the total circuitry and total number of transistors. Reducing the power consumption of the clock distribution network, therefore, is advantageous in reducing overall power. Buffer cells are often used for clock signal distribution within one or more clock trees. Low-swing clock tree design is a method used to reduce power in the clock tree. One method to achieve low-swing is to use a single lower voltage level in the IC design. In this method, a combination of transistors and/or other circuitry is used to shift the output swing to a lower voltage level due to inherent threshold voltage of the transistors. This method tends to substantially increase overhead cost in terms of additional design effort and increased area consumption.
Another method to achieve low-swing of signals, including clock signals, is to create a separate lower voltage level. The conventional approach to this method is to provide transistors operating in a lower voltage domain. The transistors operating in the lower voltage domain must be separated, however, from those operating in the higher voltage domain using well isolation. Well isolation means separating the semiconductor wells of low voltage cells from those of higher voltage cells by a sufficient isolation distance. During chip design, such well isolation creates issues in terms of well continuity and placement of well ties for the different voltage domains. Such well isolation, for example, consumes valuable area of the IC to isolate the different voltage domains. Layout design effort is substantially increased in an attempt to ensure proper isolation between the separate voltage domains while minimizing the area consumption of isolation barriers.

Low leakage CMOS cell with low voltage swing


The invention relates to the bis-hydrochloride of 4,4′-dithiobis-(3-aminobutane-1-sodium sulphonate) and the bis-trifluoracetate of 4,4′-dithiobis-(3-aminobutane-1-sulphonate of 2,2-dimethylpropyl). The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising one of said compounds and to the use of one of said compounds for the production of a medicament. The invention is suitable for use in a treatment method for hypertension and indirectly- or directly-linked illnesses.

The present invention relates to novel compounds, to methods for preparing the compounds, pharmaceutical formulations comprising these compounds, and the use of these compounds in therapy. In particular, the present invention relates to compounds that are useful in the treatment and prevention of primary and secondary arterial hypertension, ictus, myocardial ischaemia, cardiac and renal insufficiency, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, diabetic proteinuria, Syndrome X and glaucoma.
Arterial hypertension is a disorder whose causes generally remain unknown. Extrinsic factors which may participate include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol or salt intake, and stress. Intrinsic factors suggested to play a role include fluid retention, sympathetic nervous system activity and constriction of blood vessels. Arterial hypertension can contribute directly or indirectly to diseases of the heart, the peripheral and cerebral vascular system, the brain, the eye and the kidney.
Treatment of arterial hypertension includes the use of diuretic agents, adrenergic blockers, inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme, angiotensin receptor antagonists, calcium antagonists and direct vasodilators. It is desirable to identify further compounds to treat arterial hypertension.

Derivatives of 4,4′-dithiobis-(3-aminobutane-1-sulfphonates) and compositions containing same

Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM)


A bi-static optical system utilizing a separate transmit and receive optical train that are identically steerable in azimuth-over-elevation fashion while accommodating an autoboresight technique and function. Further provided may be a common elevation assembly with two opposite-facing elevation fold mirrors on either side that are controlled by the same motor assembly allowing for common elevation control without overlapping or combining the apertures.

Optical sensor systems, laser pointing systems, and/or Coudé mirror-type pointing systems have a wide variety of applications, including light detection and ranging (LiDAR) optical pointing systems, and optical communication systems, and the like. Many of these systems utilize a bi-static system, i.e. systems with separate transmit and receive apertures, integrated on a shared azimuth/elevation gimbal. These systems may be used for precision tracking and alignment of simultaneous transmission and reception of light beams as used in such applications. While most of these systems are highly efficient in isolating the transmit side of the optical train from the receiver optical system, it is difficult to both know and predict the location of the transmit laser beam after it leaves the azimuth mirror. This problem is exacerbated by the bi-static nature of these systems as they lack a common optical train.
Prior systems, therefore, tend to include a means to fold a portion of the transmit beam back into the receiver at the location where the two apertures are combined. This technique is commonly known as autoboresight and it assures that the receive end Tx signals are co-registered on the receiver and the receiver is then able to measure the transmit beam alignment prior to entering the common optical train of a pointer. This solution, however, can cause stray-light scatter from the transmitter source to reach and impact the receiver and may further suffer from additional imperfections due to comprises needed in the beam combining elements. As mentioned above, in bi-static systems, where there is no common optical train or common path transmit/receiver combiner, there are few ways to perform autoboresight without adding such a common optical element; however, adding a common element back into the system re-introduces the risk of stray-light scatter from the transmitter source reaching the receiver.
In systems with a common optical element, a transmit and receive path can be locked together so that they steer "identically", i.e. the mechanism steers them both simultaneously and notionally in the same direction. This is commonly accomplished by having 2 beamlines controlled by a common elevation assembly. This may introduce an additional error into such systems as it is usually difficult to be certain that the transmit and receive paths are aimed in the same direction with high precision, in addition to suffering the stray-light induced issues described above.
Thus, existing solutions commonly suffer from these stray-light induced problems, which not only compromise autoboresight functionality but may also affect other receiver functions negatively. For example, these prior solutions result in systems that lack in ability to limit diffraction of the autoboresight spot in cases where the transmit aperture is the same size or larger than the receive aperture.

Bi-static optical transmit receive auto-boresight technique comprising an elevation assembly operable to move first scan mirror and second scan mirror in unison

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


A ferrule has a cylindrical body constructed from a single piece of material and having an outer circumferential surface. A first insertion hole of the cylindrical body is bounded by a first inner surface of the cylindrical body and is configured to receive therein a first preselected portion of an optical fiber so that the first preselected portion of the optical fiber is in direct contact with the first inner surface of the cylindrical body. A second insertion hole of the cylindrical body is disposed in communication with the first insertion hole. The second insertion hole is bounded by a second inner surface of the cylindrical body and is configured to receive therein a second preselected portion of the optical fiber enclosed in a buffer coating so that the second preselected portion of the optical fiber is in direct contact with the second inner surface of the cylindrical body. A flange member separate and independent from the cylindrical body is connected directly to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ferrule as one portion of a plug side constituting an optical connector for making an optical connection.
2. Background Information
In the optical connector used in the optical connection of an optical fiber used in communication, etc., the optical fiber is inserted and fixed into the ferrule processed with respect to inside and outside diameters with high accuracy. Thereafter, the end face of a connecting portion of the optical fiber is polished in a convex spherical surface shape, and the optical connection is made by making the optical fibers come in physical contact with each other.
In the ferrule for inserting and holding such an optical fiber, there is a structure constructed by a cylindrical member, a cylindrical body for the ferrule arranged within the cylindrical member, and a flange member fixed to only the outer circumferential face of the cylindrical member.
Here, the conventional ferrule for inserting and holding the optical fiber will be explained in detail. FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the ferrule in the prior art.
As shown in FIG. 12(a), the ferrule 100 has a cylindrical member 110 having a through hole 101 extending therethrough in the axial direction, a cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule fitted to the side of a tip portion of the through hole 101 arranged in the cylindrical member 110 and inserting and holding the optical fiber, and a flange member 130 fixed to only the outer circumferential face of the cylindrical member 110.
For example, the cylindrical member 110 is formed by a metal such as stainless steel, etc., and the through hole 101 is formed in the cylindrical member 110 over the axial direction.
An insertion hole 102 of the cylindrical body for the ferrule for inserting and fixing the cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule by press fitting is formed on the tip portion side of this through hole 101. An optical buffered fiber insertion hole 103 for inserting and holding an optical buffered fiber formed by coating the outer circumference of the optical fiber is formed on the side of a rear end portion of the through hole 101.
The cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule fixed into the through hole 101 of the cylindrical member 110 is formed by hard ceramic and glass such as zirconia, etc. An optical fiber insertion hole 121 for inserting and holding the optical fiber is formed in the cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule over the axial direction. A taper portion 122 having an inside diameter gradually increased is arranged on the rear end portion side of this optical fiber insertion hole 121. No tip of the optical fiber inserted from the side of the optical buffered fiber insertion hole 103 abuts on the rear end face of the cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule, etc. by the taper portion 122 so that this tip is easily inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 121.
The cylindrical member 110 is constructed by a large diameter portion 111 having a large outside diameter on the tip side, and a small diameter portion 112 having an outside diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion 111 and arranged on the rear end side. A projecting portion 113 is projected in the small diameter portion 112 so as to have an outside diameter approximately equal to that of the large diameter portion 111 over the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential face.
The flange member 130 having a ring shape and fixed to only the outer circumferential face is arranged in this small diameter portion 112. For example, this flange member 130 is formed by a metal such as stainless steel, etc.
A through hole 131 is extended through this flange member 130 over the axial direction. A large diameter through hole 131a having an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the projecting portion 113 is arranged on one end portion side of the through hole 131. A small diameter through hole 131b having an inside diameter slightly larger than the small diameter portion 112 of the cylindrical member 110 and slightly larger than the outside diameter of the projecting portion 113 is arranged on the other end portion side of the through hole 131. Namely, a step difference portion 131c is formed within the through hole 131 of the flange member 130 by the inside diameter difference between the large diameter through hole 131a and the small diameter through hole 131b.
The flange member 130 is inserted from the large diameter through hole 131a side to the small diameter portion 112 side of the cylindrical member 110. The movement of the flange member 130 onto the large diameter portion 111 side with respect to the cylindrical member 110 is regulated by abutting the step difference portion 131c of the flange member 130 on the projecting portion 113 of the cylindrical member 110.
Thus, the movement of the flange member 130 onto the tip side with respect to the cylindrical member 110 is regulated. Accordingly, for example, when ferrules 100 are used in the optical connector, the tip faces of the ferrules 100 area butted on each other at a predetermined pressure by biasing the flange member 130 of each of the ferrules 100 optically connected by abutting their tip faces on each other on the tip face side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the flange member 130 from being moved onto the tip face side with respect to the cylindrical member 110.
For example, four key grooves 132 of a concave shape are arranged on the outer circumferential face of the flange member 130, and regulate the movement in the rotating direction when the ferrule 100 is assembled into an unillustrated optical connector, etc. by the key grooves 132.
Such a ferrule 100 can be formed by fixing the cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule to the cylindrical member 110 by pressing fitting and adhesion, and then center-grinding and processing an assembly body constructed by this cylindrical member 110 and the cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule, and further performing centerless finishing and then fixing the flange member 130 by the press fitting and adhesion.
However, a problem exists in that the number of parts is large and cost is high in such a ferrule 100.
A problem also exists in that the ferrule 100 is heavy in weight since the cylindrical member 110 and the flange member 130 almost occupying the ferrule 100 are formed by a metal such as stainless steel, etc.
Further, a problem exists in that the grinding amount is large and a long working time is taken to perform the finishing operation with high accuracy since the center grinding work and the centerless finishing are performed after the cylindrical body 120 for the ferrule and the cylindrical member 110 are assembled.
Therefore, a ferrule constructed by the cylindrical body for the ferrule and the flange member fitted to the rear end portion of this cylindrical body for the ferrule without arranging the cylindrical member 110 is proposed.
As shown in FIG. 12(b), this ferrule 100A has a cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule having an optical fiber insertion hole 121A for inserting and holding an optical fiber and extending through the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule over the axial direction, and a flange member 130A fitted to the rear end portion of the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule.
For example, the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule is constructed by ceramic such as zirconia, etc., and a taper portion 122A having an inside diameter gradually increased is formed in the rear end portion of the optical fiber insertion hole 121A extended and formed in the axial direction.
The flange member 130A is constructed by a metal such as stainless steel, etc., and an optical buffered fiber insertion hole 103A is formed so as to extend through the flange member 130A in the axial direction and be communicated with the optical fiber insertion hole 121A of the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule.
A flange portion 133 projected in the circumferential direction is integrally arranged in the outer circumference of the flange member 130A, and a key groove 132A is arranged in this flange portion 133.
Such a ferrule 100A can be fixed and formed by fitting and adhering the flange member 130A to the rear end portion of the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule by press fitting after the center grinding work and the centerless work are made with respect to the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule.
The ferrule 100A can be made light in weight and reduced in cost by constructing the ferrule 100A by the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule and the flange member 130A in this way.
Further, a time required to grind the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule can be shortened by grinding the cylindrical body 120A for the ferrule constructed by a single member.
Since the cylindrical body for the ferrule constructed by such zirconia ceramic is formed by extrusion molding, the optical fiber insertion hole formed in the cylindrical body for the ferrule can be formed over the axial direction approximately at only the uniform inside diameter. However, in recent years, a method for forming the cylindrical body for the ferrule by the extrusion molding of a zirconia compound is established, and the degree of freedom of the shape formation of the optical fiber insertion hole formed in the cylindrical body for the ferrule is increased. Accordingly, the cylindrical body for the ferrule having the inside diameter of a so-called precise nozzle shape can be manufactured.
However, a problem exists in that manufacture cost is high in the ferrule formed by press-fitting and fixing the flange member to the rear end portion of the above cylindrical body for the ferrule since the flange member is formed by cutting a metal such as stainless steel, etc.
A problem also exists in that the ferrule is heavy in weight since the flange member is formed by the metal such as stainless steel, etc.
In consideration of such a situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a ferrule made light in weight and reduced in manufacture cost.


A constant frequency pulse-width modulator that realizes various control schemes with trailing-edge, leading-edge or double-edge modulation is disclosed. This PWM modulator, which employs one or more integrator with reset stages, can be generally applied to implement feed-forward control of a family of converters, current mode control with linear or non linear compensating slope, and a family of unity-power-factor rectifiers at continuous or discontinuous conduction mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods of providing modulation signals to electrical circuits and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a generalizable pulse width modulation signal using either trailing edge or leading edge modulation.
2. Description of the Background Art
Switching converters are commonly used to provide DC to DC, DC to AC, AC to DC and AC to AC conversion of electrical waveforms. These converters are often categorized by applicable circuit configuration and/or capabilities, and include buck converters (where the load voltage is less than the source voltage), boost converters (where the load voltage is greater than the source voltage), buck-boost converters (which are capable of either), Cuk converters, Watkins-Johnson converters, and A, B, and C quadratic converters. All of these converters rely on switching control and, furthermore, the performance of electrical circuits, including converters, can be improved by closed loop control of a control variable selected by the designer.
Constant frequency pulse-width modulation (PWM) is a well-known method to control switching converters. Generally speaking, PWM allows a switching converter variable to be controlled by modulating the width of a control pulse in each switching cycle. Generally, output-voltage, output-current, input-current, or any other variable or combination of variables are eligible as controlled-variables for a specific control task.
Many methods are available to modulate the pulse-width including, but not limited to, comparing a modulation reference to a constant frequency linear or non-linear carrier, by current-mode control, or by one-cycle control as described in reference 1!. For each method, PWM may be performed on trailing-edge, leading-edge, or both edges of the output-pulse. These are referred to as trailing-edge, leading-edge, and double-edge modulation, respectively. These three modulation types differ little from each other at low frequency from a dynamics standpoint. However, it has been observed that their characteristics at high frequency may be distinct, as described in references 2! and 3!.
Most commercially available PWM control chips employ trailing-edge modulation but, for some applications, leading-edge modulation is more desirable, such as the secondary side PWM control chip described in reference 4!. Further, leading-edge modulation can sometimes result in simpler control circuitry.
However, while PWM control is often relatively simple in theory, it is not in application. While modulation equations describing the required mathematical relationship between the controlled variable and the modulation equation may be expressed in closed form, implementing these mathematical relationships in electrical circuitry to effect the desired control scheme is often a complicated, time-consuming, and expensive process, requiring extensive analysis, special electrical components, or additional circuitry.
Therefore, there is a need for a pulse-width modulator which allows the system and circuit designer to implement a wide variety of constant-frequency control schemes without the need for special circuit components or specially designed circuits requiring extensive analysis and design. The present invention meets this need, as well as others, with a generalized pulse-width modulator that allows modulation expressions to be easily and directly implemented in electronic hardware.

General constant frequency pulse-width modulators

The Regents of the University of California


Methods for preparing 3D integrated semiconductor devices and the resulting devices are disclosed. Embodiments include forming a first and a second bond pad on a first and a second semiconductor device, respectively, the first and the second bond pads each having plural metal segments, the metal segments of the first bond pad having a configuration different from a configuration of the metal segments of the second bond pad or having the same configuration as a configuration of the metal segments of the second bond pad but rotated with respect to the second bond pad; and bonding the first and second semiconductor devices together through the first and second bond pads.

One of the emerging chip architectures/technologies for both integrated circuits (ICs) and microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) is 3D integration based on bonding together semiconductor devices with pre-fabricated components. For example, a flip chip is a method for interconnecting semiconductor devices by flipping over one of the devices so that its top side faces down, aligning the bond pads to match with the other device's bond pads, and bonding the devices together. Prior to the flipping, aligning, and bonding, vias and bond pads are patterned on pre-processed wafers and filled by a copper damascene process. Specifically, dielectric layers, for example low temperature inorganic dielectrics such as silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and/or silicon carbide (SiC) are formed on the wafer and etched to form vias. Then, copper is deposited in the vias by plating or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of the copper. Since copper diffuses rapidly in dielectrics, a barrier material such as TiN is deposited as a liner before copper is deposited. Excess copper is then removed and the surface of the copper and dielectric layer is planarized by chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP). The preprocessed wafers are aligned and bonded together at or near room temperature using chemical or plasma activated fusion bonding processes compatible with back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) wafers. As the surfaces of the dielectric layers are physically bonded together, the planar copper layers come in contact and, after annealing, interconnects between the devices are formed through copper-to-copper bonds in the bond pads for both structural integrity and inter-wafer electrical interconnections.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a Si device (either a wafer or die) 101 having a dielectric layer 103 and copper bond pads 105, when subjected to CMP often results in dishing 107 of the bond pads. When two planarized Si devices 101 are joined, aligned and bonded together, dishing leads to voids 109 in the copper interconnect. Since even a few nanometers of dishing below the dielectric surface can prevent successful joint formation, the dishing of the bond pads needs to be controlled or minimized. (In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the top and bottom dies only show the top pad in a BEOL stack for illustration convenience. There may be multiple metal/dielectric layers in the BEOL stack.)
A need therefore exists for methodology enabling fabrication of 3D integrated ICs and MEMS with controlled and/or reduced dishing at the bond pads.

Bond pad structure for low temperature flip chip bonding


The present invention relates to a composition for treating and preventing benign prostatic hyperplasia, and a method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia using same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a composition comprising telomerase-derived peptides for effectively treating and preventing benign prostatic hyperplasia and a method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia using same. The composition comprising the peptide according to the present invention exhibits excellent effectiveness in treating and preventing benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composition for the treatment and prevention of benign prostatic hyperplasia. More particularly, the present invention relates to the composition comprising a peptide derived from telomerase and the composition is for the treatment and prevention of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Background
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common age-related disease of male which is accompanied by lower urinary tract symptom. Related symptoms began to appear from the age of 40, but the most clinical symptoms appear from the late age of 50. BPH can cause sexual dysfunction by reduced quality of life, and the treatment and surgery for BPH can affect sexual function.
The hyperplasia causing BPH is dependent on male hormones. Especially the male hormones are necessary for normal cell proliferation in prostate as well as for inhibition of normal apoptosis. The most known endogenous cause is aging. Prostate gets bigger by aging and normal testis function. As the male hormone that prostate is depend on, testosterone plays an important role in growing and differentiating prostate and is metabolized by 5-alpha-reducatse to make dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which plays an important role in growing prostate and expressing the genes of prostate.
As exogenous causes of growing prostate, there are male hormones, estrogen, glucocorticoid and materials related to internal secretion, enzymes which are induced by diet and circumstances. The physiological effects of these exogenous causes appears via many kinds of growth factor peptides.
BPH occurs in early 20s to late 40s caused by histological changes when the male hormones and estrogen work synergistically to induce BPH. With increasing age, the rate of estrogen/DHT and then BPH increase.
Also, it was commonly known that the prostate grows up until early 20s and then it keeps its size until 50, and it depends on the very complicated interaction such as endogenous growth factors, signal pathway, regulation of cell cycles, cell division and apoptosis that the prostate maintains its balance. If transform occurs to cell cycle regulation factors, BPH may be induced.
The genetic factor can be a major factor which affect BPH. It was reported that patients having a family history of BPH has shown increase of BPH by more than 60%, and it also reported that treatment by 5α-reductase inhibitor is less effective in a group of patients having a family history of BPH. This is because, in such cases, BPH depends on non-androgen dependent pathway.
For treating BPH, surgery and medical treatment can be used. For medical treatment, administration of drugs is adjusted depending on the age and clinical progress of a patient. Recently the number of BPH patients have significantly increased in Korea and worldwide and the disease rate in young patient has also increased. Various drugs are used for treatment but their uses are limited for side-effects.
Sulpiride is type 2 dopamine receptor antagonist, which is commonly used as a depression treatment drug. Dopamine, as an intermediate product made in synthesizing pathway of adrenalin and noradrenalin, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Sulpiride inhibits binding of dopamine and its receptor which inhibit prolactin secretion on as dopaminergic effect and elevates the concentration of prolactin in blood. Increased prolactin by continuous administration of sulpiride induces hyperprolactinemia.
It is reported that prolactin is related to proliferation of prostate, prostate cancer and development and regulation of BPH. Also it is known that prolactin in conjunction with androgen elevates proliferation of prostate. As another mechanism, it is also known that prolactin acts as a stress hormone to elevate expression of 5α-reductase and induces proliferation of prostate. Prolactin, which is one of nonsteroidal factors, relates to proliferation of prostate and induction of BPH. With age, prolactin increases but the level of testosterone declines. It is reported that prolactin induces BPH in elderly human. For rat and human, it is reported that prolactin is involved in proliferation and differentiation of prostate.
According to this report, prolactin is considered to be induced by receptors through signal transduction pathways.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Composition for treating and preventing benign prostatic hyperplasia


A hydraulic elevator with a pressure accumulator includes a pump fir conveying hydraulic oil between the pressure accumulator and a hydraulic drive, such that the direction of rotation of the pump can be changed. An electrically controlled cylinder line stop valve is installed on one side of the pump, and an electrically controlled accumulator line stop valve is installed on the other side of the pump. Both valves are ON-OFF valves. To prevent sudden disruptive pressure changes when the valves are opened before the start of travel of the car, the pressure in the section of the line between the pump and the cylinder line stop valve and in the section of the line between the pump and the accumulator line stop valve can be varied such that, when the car is at a standstill, the pressure differences are largely eliminated before the valves are opened.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a hydraulic elevator having a hydraulic drive with a pump connected for controlling the hydraulic drive and a method of controlling and automatically regulating the hydraulic elevator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
DE 40 34 666 A1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,419,411 and 5,349,142 disclose a hydraulic elevator in which oil is conveyed by a pump between the hydraulic drive for the elevator car and the pressure accumulator, which is called a counterbalance elevator drive in the cited document. Each of the lines from the pump to the drive and from the pump to the pressure accumulator contains a speed control valve, with which the operating curve can be controlled. It is also disclosed that the pump is driven by an electric motor, which is controlled by an inverter.
In EP 829 445 A1, a device is shown, in which, under certain conditions, the motor coupled with the pump acts as a generator, so that excess hydraulic energy is converted to electric energy and can thus be recovered.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,774 A describes a control device for a hydraulic elevator, in which the electric motor that drives the pump is controlled by an inverter.
A hydraulic elevator with a pressure accumulator is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,868 A. In one of the embodiments of this elevator, a first pump is connected between the hydraulic drive for the elevator and the pressure accumulator and is used to control the flow of hydraulic oil between the hydraulic drive and the pressure accumulator. The first pump is coupled with a hydraulic motor, by which a controllable split stream of the hydraulic oil flows to the tank, such that energy is produced from the pressure difference during the depressurization of the hydraulic oil from the hydraulic drive or pressure accumulator to the unpressurized tank, and this energy is used in the operation of the first pump. Hydraulic oil can be conveyed from the tank to the pressure accumulator to refill the pressure accumulator over and over again.
In WO 98/34,868 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,259, the pump for conveying hydraulic oil in a hydraulic elevator is operated by an electronic power regulating unit. Power regulating units of this type are also known as variable-frequency inverters.
Another device for operating a hydraulic elevator is known from WO 99/33740 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,515. In this case, a pump and four line branches, each with an electrically actuated valve, are installed between the hydraulic drive and the pressure accumulator. When the elevator is moving up, two of the valves must be opened, and when it is moving down, the other two valves must be opened. The pressure accumulator apparently has three pressure spaces, which is more clearly evident from the application FR 2 773 141 A, on which the priority of WO 99/33740 is based. How the speed is controlled remains unclear. It may be assumed that large pressure surges occur when the four electrically controllable valves are actuated.

Hydraulic elevator with valve for preventing discharge of pressure accumulator and method of controlling same


The invention provides a method useful for detection of genetic disorders. The method comprises determining the sequence of alleles of a locus of interest, and quantitating a ratio for the alleles at the locus of interest, wherein the ratio indicates the presence or absence of a chromosomal abnormality. The present invention also provides a non-invasive method for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus. The invention is especially useful as a non-invasive method for determining the sequence of fetal DNA. The invention further provides methods of isolation of free DNA from a sample.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for the detection of genetic disorders including chromosomal abnormalities and mutations. The present invention provides a rapid, non-invasive method for determining the sequence of DNA from a fetus. The method is especially useful for detection of chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus including translocations, transversions, monosomies, trisomies, and other aneuploidies, deletions, additions, amplifications, translocations and rearrangements.
2. Background Art
Chromosomal abnormalities are responsible for a significant portion of genetic defects in liveborn humans. The nucleus of a human cell contains forty-six (46) chromosomes, which contain the genetic instructions, and determine the operations of the cell. Half of the forty-six chromosomes originate from each parent. Except for the sex chromosomes, which are quite different from each other in normal males, the chromosomes from the mother and the chromosomes from the father make a matched set. The pairs were combined when the egg was fertilized by the sperm. Occasionally, an error occurs in either the formation or combination of chromosomes, and the fertilized egg is formed with too many or too few chromosomes, or with chromosomes that are mixed in some way. Because each chromosome contains many genes, chromosomal abnormalities are likely to cause serious birth defects, affecting many body systems and often including developmental disability (e.g., mental retardation).
Cells mistakenly can rejoin broken ends of chromosomes, both spontaneously and after exposure to chemical compounds, carcinogens, and irradiation. When rejoining occurs within a chromosome, a chromosome segment between the two breakpoints becomes inverted and is classified as an inversion. With inversions, there is no loss of genetic material; however, inversions can cause disruption of a critical gene, or create a fusion gene that induces a disease related condition.
In a reciprocal translocation, two non-homologous chromosomes break and exchange fragments. In this scenario, two abnormal chromosomes result: each consists of a part derived from the other chromosome and lacks a part of itself. If the translocation is of a balanced type, the individual will display no abnormal phenotypes. However, during germ-cell formation in the translocation-bearing individuals, the proper distribution of chromosomes in the egg or sperm occasionally fails, resulting in miscarriage, malformation, or mental retardation of the offspring.
In a Robertsonian translocation, the centromeres of two acrocentric (a chromosome with a non-centrally located centromere) chromosomes fuse to generate one large metacentric chromosome. The karyotype of an individual with a centric fusion has one less than the normal diploid number of chromosomes.
Errors that generate too many or too few chromosomes can also lead to disease phenotypes. For example, a missing copy of chromosome X (monosomy X) results in Turner's Syndrome, while an additional copy of chromosome 21 results in Down's Syndrome. Other diseases such as Edward's Syndrome, and Patau Syndrome are caused by an additional copy of chromosome 18, and chromosome 13, respectively.
One of the most common chromosome abnormalities is known as Down syndrome. The estimated incidence of Down's syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births. Each year approximately 3,000 to 5,000 children are born in the U.S. with this chromosomal disorder. The vast majority of children with Down syndrome (approximately 95 percent) have an extra chromosome 21. Most often, the extra chromosome originates from the mother. However, in about 3-4 percent of people with Down syndrome, a translocation between chromosome 21 and either 14 or 22 is responsible for the genetic abnormality. Finally, another chromosome problem, called mosaicism, is noted in about 1 percent of individuals with Down's syndrome. In this case, some cells have 47 chromosomes and others have 46 chromosomes. Mosaicism is thought to be the result of an error in cell division soon after conception.
Chromosomal abnormalities are congenital, and therefore, prenatal diagnosis can be used to determine the health and condition of an unborn fetus. Without knowledge gained by prenatal diagnosis, there could be an untoward outcome for the fetus or the mother or both. Congenital anomalies account for 20 to 25% of perinatal deaths. Specifically, prenatal diagnosis is helpful for managing the remaining term of the pregnancy, planning for possible complications with the birth process, preparing for problems that can occur in the newborn infant, and finding conditions that may affect future pregnancies.
There are a variety of non-invasive and invasive techniques available for prenatal diagnosis including ultrasonography, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), fetal blood cells in maternal blood, maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein, maternal serum beta-HCG, and maternal serum estriol. However, the techniques that are non-invasive are less specific, and the techniques with high specificity and high sensitivity are highly invasive. Furthermore, most techniques can be applied only during specific time periods during pregnancy for greatest utility.
Ultrasonography
This is a harmless, non-invasive procedure. High frequency sound waves are used to generate visible images from the pattern of the echoes made by different tissues and organs, including the fetus in the amniotic cavity. The developing embryo can be visualized at about 6 weeks of gestation. The major internal organs and extremities can be assessed to determine if any are abnormal at about 16 to 20 weeks gestation.
An ultrasound examination can be useful to determine the size and position of the fetus, the amount of amniotic fluid, and the appearance of fetal anatomy; however, there are limitations to this procedure. Subtle abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, where the morphologic abnormalities are often not marked, but only subtle, may not be detected at all.
Amniocentesis
This is a highly invasive procedure in which a needle is passed through the mother's lower abdomen into the amniotic cavity inside the uterus. This procedure can be performed at about 14 weeks gestation. For prenatal diagnosis, most amniocenteses are performed between 14 and 20 weeks gestation. However, an ultrasound examination is performed, prior to amniocentesis, to determine gestational age, position of the fetus and placenta, and determine if enough amniotic fluid is present. Within the amniotic fluid are fetal cells (mostly derived from fetal skin) which can be grown in culture for chromosomal, biochemical, and molecular biologic analyses.
Large chromosomal abnormalities, such as extra or missing chromosomes or chromosome fragments, can be detected by karyotyping, which involves the identification and analysis of all 46 chromosomes from a cell and arranges them in their matched pairs, based on subtle differences in size and structure. In this systematic display, abnormalities in chromosome number and structure are apparent. This procedure typically takes 7-10 days for completion.
While amniocentesis can be used to provide direct genetic information, risks are associated with the procedure including fetal loss and maternal Rh sensitization. The increased risk for fetal mortality following amniocentesis is about 0.5% above what would normally be expected. Rh negative mothers can be treated with RhoGam.
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
In this procedure, a catheter is passed via the vagina through the cervix and into the uterus to the developing placenta with ultrasound guidance. The introduction of the catheter allows cells from the placental chorionic villi to be obtained and analyzed by a variety of techniques, including chromosome analysis to determine the karyotype of the fetus. The cells can also be cultured for biochemical or molecular biologic analysis. Typically, CVS is performed between 9.5 and 12.5 weeks gestation.
CVS has the disadvantage of being an invasive procedure, and it has a low but significant rate of morbidity for the fetus; this loss rate is about 0.5 to 1% higher than for women undergoing amniocentesis. Rarely, CVS can be associated with limb defects in the fetus. Also, the possibility of maternal Rh sensitization is present. Furthermore, there is also the possibility that maternal blood cells in the developing placenta will be sampled instead of fetal cells and confound chromosome analysis.
Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein (MSAFP)
The developing fetus has two major blood proteins--albumin and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The mother typically has only albumin in her blood, and thus, the MSAFP test can be utilized to determine the levels of AFP from the fetus. Ordinarily, only a small amount of AFP gains access to the amniotic fluid and crosses the placenta to mother's blood. However, if the fetus has a neural tube defect, then more AFP escapes into the amniotic fluid. Neural tube defects include anencephaly (failure of closure at the cranial end of the neural tube) and spina bifida (failure of closure at the caudal end of the neural tube). The incidence of such defects is about 1 to 2 births per 1000 in the United States. Also, if there are defects in the fetal abdominal wall, the AFP from the fetus will end up in maternal blood in higher amounts.
The amount of MSAFP increases with gestational age, and thus for the MSAFP test to provide accurate results, the gestational age must be known with certainty. Also, the race of the mother and presence of gestational diabetes can influence the level of MSAFP that is to be considered normal. The MSAFP is typically reported as multiples of the mean (MoM). The greater the MoM, the more likely a defect is present. The MSAFP test has the greatest sensitivity between 16 and 18 weeks gestation, but can be used between 15 and 22 weeks gestation. The MSAFP tends to be lower when Down's Syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities is present.
While the MSAFP test is non-invasive, the MSAFP is not 100% specific. MSAFP can be elevated for a variety of reasons that are not related to fetal neural tube or abdominal wall defects. The most common cause for an elevated MSAFP is a wrong estimation of the gestational age of the fetus. Therefore, results from an MSAFP test are never considered definitive and conclusive.
Maternal Serum Beta-HCG
Beginning at about a week following conception and implantation of the developing embryo into the uterus, the trophoblast will produce detectable beta-HCG (the beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin), which can be used to diagnose pregnancy. The beta-HCG also can be quantified in maternal serum, and this can be useful early in pregnancy when threatened abortion or ectopic pregnancy is suspected, because the amount of beta-HCG will be lower than normal.
In the middle to late second trimester, the beta-HCG can be used in conjunction with the MSAFP to screen for chromosomal abnormalities, in particular for Down syndrome. An elevated beta-HCG coupled with a decreased MSAFP suggests Down syndrome. High levels of HCG suggest trophoblastic disease (molar pregnancy). The absence of a fetus on ultrasonography along with an elevated HCG suggests a hydatidiform mole.
Maternal Serum Estriol
The amount of estriol in maternal serum is dependent upon a viable fetus, a properly functioning placenta, and maternal well-being. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is made by the fetal adrenal glands, and is metabolized in the placenta to estriol. The estriol enters the maternal circulation and is excreted by the maternal kidney in urine or by the maternal liver in the bile. Normal levels of estriol, measured in the third trimester, will give an indication of general well-being of the fetus. If the estriol level drops, then the fetus is threatened and an immediate delivery may be necessary. Estriol tends to be lower when Down syndrome is present and when there is adrenal hypoplasia with anencephaly.
The Triple Screen Test
The triple screen test comprises analysis of maternal serum alpha-feto-protein (MSAFP), human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and unconjugated estriol (uE3). The blood test is usually performed 16-18 weeks after the last menstrual period. While the triple screen test is non-invasive, abnormal test results are not indicative of a birth defect. Rather, the test only indicates an increased risk and suggests that further testing is needed. For example, 100 out of 1,000 women will have an abnormal result from the triple screen test. However, only 2-3 of the 100 women will have a fetus with a birth defect. This high incidence of false positives causes tremendous stress and unnecessary anxiety to the expectant mother.
Fetal Cells Isolated From Maternal Blood
The presence of fetal nucleated cells in maternal blood makes it possible to use these cells for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (Walknowska, et al., Lancet 1:1119-1122, 1969; Lo et al., Lancet 2:1363-65, 1989; Lo et al., Blood 88:4390-95, 1996). The fetal cells can be sorted and analyzed by a variety of techniques to look for particular DNA sequences (Bianchi et al., Am. J. Hum. Genet. 61:822-29, (1997); Bianchi et al., PNAS 93:705-08, (1996)). Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) is one technique that can be applied to identify particular chromosomes of the fetal cells recovered from maternal blood and diagnose aneuploid conditions such as trisomies and monosomy X. Also, it has been reported that the number of fetal cells in maternal blood increases in aneuploid pregnancies.
The method of FISH uses DNA probes labeled with colored fluorescent tags that allow detection of specific chromosomes or genes under a microscope. Using FISH, subtle genetic abnormalities that cannot be detected by standard karyotyping are readily identifiable. This procedure typically takes 24-48 hours to complete. Additionally, using a panel of multi-colored DNA FISH probes, abnormal chromosome copy numbers can be seen.
While improvements have been made for the isolation and enrichment of fetal cells, it is still difficult to get many fetal blood cells. There may not be enough to reliably determine anomalies of the fetal karyotype or assay for other abnormalities. Furthermore, most techniques are time consuming, require high-inputs of labor, and are difficult to implement for a high throughput fashion.
Fetal DNA From Maternal Blood
Fetal DNA has been detected and quantitated in maternal plasma and serum (Lo et al., Lancet 350:485-487 (1997); Lo et al., Am. J. hum. Genet. 62:768-775 (1998)). Multiple fetal cell types occur in the maternal circulation, including fetal granulocytes, lymphocytes, nucleated red blood cells, and trophoblast cells (Pertl, and Bianchi, Obstetrics and Gynecology 98: 483-490 (2001)). Fetal DNA can be detected in the serum at the seventh week of gestation, and increases with the term of the pregnancy. The fetal DNA present in the maternal serum and plasma is comparable to the concentration of DNA obtained from fetal cell isolation protocols.
Circulating fetal DNA has been used to determine the sex of the fetus (Lo et al., Am. J. hum. Genet. 62:768-775 (1998)). Also, fetal rhesus D genotype has been detected using fetal DNA. However, the diagnostic and clinical applications of circulating fetal DNA is limited to genes that are present in the fetus but not in the mother (Pertl and Bianchi, Obstetrics and Gynecology 98: 483-490 (2001)). Thus, a need still exists for a non-invasive method that can determine the sequence of fetal DNA and provide definitive diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus.

Methods for detection of genetic disorders


A micro semiconductor bridge rectifier comprises a first and a second diode chips. The first diode chip comprises an N-type substrate on which two P-type regions are formed. The second diode chip comprises a P-type substrate on which two N-type regions are formed. One P-type region of the first diode chip and one N-type region of the second diode chip are connected to one electrode of a first lead frame, the other P-type region of the first diode chip and the other N-type region of the second diode chip are connected to the other electrode of the first lead frame. The N-type substrate of the first diode chip and the P-type substrate of the second diode chip are connected to respective electrodes of a second lead frame. The method for manufacturing the micro semiconductor bridge rectifier comprises the steps of (a) forming the first diode chip, (b) forming the second diode chip, (c) connecting one P-type region of the first diode chip and one N-type region of the second diode chip to one electrode of the first lead frame, and connecting the other P-type region of the first diode chip and the other N-type region of the second diode chip to the other electrode of the first lead frame, and (d) connecting the N-type region of the first diode chip and the P-type region of the second diode chip to electrodes of the second lead frame respectively.

The invention relates to bridge rectifiers, and in particular to a micro semiconductor bridge rectifier and the method of making the same.
Bridge rectifier is an electronic component well known in the art, which converts an input AC current into a DC current as an output. The structure of a known bridge rectifier is shown in FIG. 1, in which four rectifying diodes are connected in a specific arrangement to provide full-wave rectification.
ROC Patent Application No. 77212275, entitled "Improved Bridge Rectifier", discloses a bridge rectifier manufactured by semiconductor techniques. This prior art is incorporated herein by reference. In the prior art, four silicon diode chips connected with four electrodes are packaged to form a semiconductor bridge rectifier. FIGS. 2A and 2B respectively show the structure and schematic circuit arrangement of the prior art rectifier. The P-N junctions in the silicon diode chips limit the current to flow in one direction so as to provide the function of rectification.
In view of the fact that electronic products become more and more compact and surface mount technology has been employed during package process, it is a natural trend to downsize components. The method of manufacturing the known semiconductor bridge rectifier, however, requires connecting the four silicon diodes to electrodes and then packaging the diodes. Therefore, the size of the rectifier is not reduced and thus the requirement of downsizing cannot be met. Besides, the method is complicated and results in a poor yield rate.

Micro semiconductor bridge rectifier and method of manufacturing the same


A system, device, and method for camera placement based on access tier attributes is disclosed. The method includes correlating, by an at least one electronic processor, a geographical location and existing tiered camera deployments with electronically stored indications of crime rates across a geographic area associated with a security agency. The method also includes generating, by the at least one electronic processor, at least one new proposed security camera deployment at at least a first proposed location in the geographic area associated with the security agency having a proposed tier selected from one of a plurality of tiers determined as a function of the correlating.

Security cameras are increasingly being deployed, which may collect and store video locally and/or upload video to a central security database. However, visualizing the location and attributes of all cameras in a given area, as well as choosing where to place new cameras or choosing where to move existing cameras, is a time consuming and difficult process, prone to error based in part on a lack of visual relationships between existing cameras and gaps in camera access rights.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

System, device, and method for camera placement based on access tier attributes


An optical projection display member includes an optical focusing structure, an optical panel, and a light-absorbing layer. The optical focusing structure has a plurality of micro-optical focusing components. The light-absorbing layer is located between the optical focusing structure and the optics panel. The light-absorbing layer has a plurality of optical transmitting windows corresponding with the micro-optical focusing components. The optical transmitting windows are formed by an optical exposure-developing step.

(a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optical projection device, an optical projection display member and a manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to an optical projection device having high contrast, an optical projection display member and a manufacturing method thereof.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Current displays are developed towards trends as being light in weight while having large sizes. Accompanied with these trends, since projection displays have advantages of having small thickness and large sizes, projection displays are gradually replacing conventional televisions to become one of the predominant monitor products. Among various types of projection displays, back-projection displays are considered the most significant.
Monitors of present back-projection displays have the following main functional requirements:                (1) capability of expanding visible range for enlarging viewing angles of the monitors; and        (2) protective function over monitors for preventing effects that environment dust and humidity have on internal components of the monitors;        (3) capability of controlling reflections of external stray lights for elevating contrast of the monitors.
Existing techniques for manufacturing monitors are indeed competent as easily achieving the requirements (1) and (2). However, these existing monitors yet fail to perform satisfactory outcomes while both accomplishing the requirement (3) as well as maintaining relatively higher effective light transmissivity.
Conventional monitors of back-projection display type are generally made by the method as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,378,252. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a monitor 100 according to this prior technique has a light-absorbing substance layer 106 formed between an optical panel 102 and an optical sphere 104. Using the light-absorbing substance layer 106, external stray lights are absorbed and thus preventing reflections of the stray lights. Also, using the optical sphere 104 and the optical panel 102 to expand an angle of a light beam, so as to broaden the viewing angle.
However, this prior technique has inherent restrictions as described below. A Light beam incident from the back at a right angle, as shown in FIG. 1, it can easily penetrate through the entire screen. In addition, the light beam incident at an included angle θ, as shown in FIG. 2, it is prone to be absorbed by the light-absorbing substance layer 106, thereby lowering transmissivity thereof. It is observed from FIGS. 1 and 2 that, as the larger the incident angle θ of the light beam gets, a thickness of the light-absorbing layer 106 is increased from L1 to L2. Hence, efficiency of the entire monitor 100 is significantly lowered, or even homogeneity of the monitor 100 is also affected. Referring to FIG. 3, considering available techniques, an angle θ of a light beam incident to an optical projection assembly 108 can vary as high as from 20 to 30 degrees. Therefore, the difficulty as described above shall not be neglected.

Projection optics apparatus and thereof display device and thereof manufacturing method


A sectional door (20) having a plurality of panels (21) joined for moving between open and closed positions of the door and having pinch resistant panel-to-panel interfaces (41), said panels having a body portion (21′) spacing said interfaces, an inner surface (23) and an outer surface (22) of said body portion, and decorative components (31, 32) arranged in a patterned design upon said outer surface of said body portion, said decorative components being positioned on said panels proximate to said panel-to-panel interfaces and having portions that releasably engage said panels to provide a pinch resistant interface between decorative components on adjacent of said panels.

Sectional doors have long been employed in both residential structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. Sectional doors save space by retracting above, rather than into, the space they enclose. Decorative components have long been attached to the panels of sectional doors to enhance their aesthetic appearance. These decorative components approximate the appearance of wood trim or molding on the surface of the panels. Such molding or wood trim was originally arranged in various patterned designs on the panels.
The decorative components that have been attached to panels of sectional doors have been made of a variety of materials. Such decorative components have been glued, screwed, nailed, clamped, or otherwise rigidly fastened to the panels. However, in recent years, panels of sectional doors have also been designed to prevent objects or a user's fingers from being caught or "pinched" between the section-to-section interfaces of the panels. These pinch resistant designs have been successful in eliminating the pinching dangers associated with the moving section-to-section interfaces during the articulation of sectional doors when opening and closing. Some pinch resistant designs employ panels with contoured edge profiles along the section-to-section interface. These edge profiles minimize the space between the panels at the section-to-section interface throughout the range of motion of the sectional door, and thus effectively obviate their tendency for pinching.
Some other pinch resistant designs employ an L-shaped shield composed of a resilient sheet material that guards the gap between the upper and lower panels of a sectional door. For example, the foot portion of the L-shaped shield is attached to the upper edge of a lower sectional door panel, and the leg portion extends upwardly across the gap between the upper and lower panels. The L-shaped shield prevents objects and a user's fingers from being caught between the upper and lower panels at the section-to-section interface. Nevertheless, some objects can still be caught between the L-shaped shield and the upper panel.
Still other pinch resistant designs employ a flexible cover panel. The flexible cover panel is attached at either of its ends to the surfaces of the upper and lower panels of a sectional door by various connectors. These connectors are adapted to hold the flexible cover panel taut when the sectional door is in either the open or closed position. The flexible cover panel prevents obstacles from being caught between the panels at the section-to-section interface by effectively covering all of the section-to-section interfaces. Ideally, the flexible cover panel must be made of a rather flexible material so it can stretch as the sectional door articulates. However, if the flexible cover panel does not possess the required flexibility, then it will bind the movement of the sectional door, and if the flexible cover panel is too flexible, then it will ultimately sag. Furthermore, in the event of a storm, the flexible cover panel must be removed to prevent it from becoming damaged.
However complex these designs have become, they do not address the dangers posed by the addition of decorative components to the panels. Like the panels, the decorative components abutting one another along the section-to-section interface of the panels also pose a pinching danger. As a result, rather than using decorative components, the aforementioned patterned designs have been shaped directly into the panels themselves. The addition of the patterned designs to the panels themselves allows the pinch resistance embodied in the panels to be maintained. Furthermore, some of these sectional door designs provide for limited alteration of the patterned designs by allowing the aforementioned shaped panels to be rearranged. However, the use of shaped panels does not permit a manufacturer, or, for that matter, a consumer to substantially alter the appearance of the sectional door from time to time by adding, subtracting, or rearranging decorative components. As a result, decorative components attached to the sectional door panels are still superior at providing such design flexibility. Therefore, there is a need for decorative components that can be arranged in various patterns on the panels without presenting an additional pinch hazard, thereby effectively maintaining the pinch resistant features embodied in the panels themselves.

Pinch resistant sectional door with decorative components and method of attachment


Material such as chewing gum is treated to reduce its density by working it and feeding it through a twin-screw corotating extruder configured to provide flow at first and second longitudinal rates, pulling in a plane normal to the axis of flow, and further working and homogenization.

The present invention relates to the production of aerated material, especially chewing gum. By "aerated" is meant that the density of the material is reduced by the designed introduction of air, or one or a mixture of specific gases. The material can be any which is continuous and extrudible, such as gums and taffy.
Since such materials tend to be relatively viscous, the aeration of the material is not straightforward. It is all too easy to form voids in the product which render the product unsightly or otherwise of unacceptable aesthetic and/or performance characteristics. In addition, if the aeration forms voids which appear at the surface and break open, the desired reduction in density is prevented from occurring.
Attempts have been made in the past to aerate gums, as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,596 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,326. Such attempts have lacked the reliability, versatility and simplicity of the techniques described herein which comprise the present invention. Past attempts have been made as well to utilize twin screw extruders in the production of chewing gum, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,760, but such attempts have failed to recognize the effectiveness of properly equipped extruders in the reduction of gum density. Other patents disclosing modifications to twin screw extruders, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,156 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,002, have not recognized or suggested the advantages available in the techniques of the present invention, and indeed have not described the production of chewing gums.

Apparatus and method for making extruded chewing gum


A first hollow titanium MMC driveshaft portion is diffusion bonded to a third portion which in turn is fastened to a second superalloy portion via circumferentially positioned pins which are tightly fitted within aligned holed formed in the second and third driveshaft portions. The first, second and third portions are concentric with respect to the driveshaft centerline, and the pins are retained by means of a concentric retaining cylinder.

The present invention relates to the field of driveshafts and more particularly to driveshafts particularly useful in gas turbine engines.
Traditional fan shaft materials used in gas turbine engines are high strength steel and nickel-based superalloy which includes a spline and a thread in the forward end to hold a fan disk. It is desirable to employ a titanium metal matrix composite (MMC) fan shaft material due to its low density, high strength and high specific stiffness. However, this material cannot be threaded, turned or drilled due to fiber breakage and subsequent loss of load carrying capability or delamination. Joining of a superalloy end attachment to the MMC fanshaft becomes a major issue, particularly at temperatures above 800 degrees F, as brazing, diffusion bonding or inertia welding creates an unacceptably brittle intermetallic layer between the titanium composite and the superalloy shaft portion.

Titanium MMC fanshaft with superalloy end attachment

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


An electronic device is formed by depositing a thin film of high dielectric constant material on a silicon substrate, exposing the structure to plasma, and then forming the top electrode. The plasma substantially reduces the density of charge traps at the dielectric/silicon interface. Advantageously, the dielectric film is passivated with a nitrogen-containing material before forming the top electrode to prevent interdiffusion between the electrode and the dielectric.

Field effect devices, such as field effect transistors, are fundamental components in modem electronics. They are basic components in most digital and many analog circuits, including circuits for data processing and telecommunications. Indeed it has been surmised that field effect transistors are among the most numerous of human-made objects.
Field effect devices typically comprise a controllable-conductivity path, called a channel, disposed between a source and a drain. A gate electrode is formed on a thin dielectric film overlying the channel. For example, the source and the drain can be n-type regions of silicon, and the channel can be a p-type region connecting them. The gate electrode can be a conductively doped polysilicon layer formed on a thin layer of silicon oxide dielectric overlying the channel.
If no voltage is applied to the gate, current cannot flow from the source to the channel or from the channel to the drain. However if a sufficient positive voltage is applied to the gate, electrons are induced into the channel region, thereby creating a continuous n-type conductive path between the source and the drain.
Capacitors are also important components of integrated circuits. A typical capacitor comprises first and second conductive layers separated by a thin dielectric film.
The reliable operation of integrated circuits is critically dependent on the reliability of the increasingly thin dielectric layers used in circuit devices. As transistors have become smaller and more densely packed, the dielectrics have become thinner. Capacitor and gate dielectrics are often less than 80 angstroms in thickness. With the arrival of ULSI technology, gate dielectrics are approaching 50 angstroms or less. For integrated circuits to work, these thin layers in each of thousands of different transistors must provide sufficient capacitance to drive the device, protect the channel from migration of impurities and avoid production of charge traps at their interfaces. These demanding requirements may soon exceed the capacities of conventional silicon oxide layers. Silicon oxide layers less than 2 nm will have prohibitively large leakage currents.
Efforts to replace silicon oxide as the gate dielectric have thus far proved less than satisfactory. Because of its relatively low dielectric constant (.apprxeq.3.9), the largest capacitance obtainable with a thin layer of silicon oxide is about 25 fF/.mu.m.sup.2. This limits the scaling of transistors to smaller sizes because the capacitance will not be sufficient to drive the device. Higher dielectric constant tantalum oxide has been tried, but results are poor due to a high density of charge traps at the dielectric/silicon interface. Composite layers of SiO.sub.2 /Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5 and SiO.sub.2 /Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5 /SiO.sub.2 were tried, but the necessary resulting thicknesses limit the capacitance which can be obtained. Efforts have also been made to prevent charge traps by depositing a thin layer of silicon nitride between the silicon and the tantalum oxide. But the nitride layer also reduces the capacitance and thus limits scaling of the device. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,687 issued to D. Carl et al on Nov. 21, 1995 and Y. Momiyama et al, "Ultra-Thin Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5 /SiO.sub.2 Gate Insulator with TiN Gate", 1997 Symposium on VLSI Technology, Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 135-136. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method for making devices having thin layers of high dielectric constant.

Method for making field effect devices and capacitors with improved thin film dielectrics and resulting devices


A suspended ceiling assembly preferably formed of wood or wood-like material for aesthetic purposes. A ceiling panel grid is formed of ceiling panel support members that include runners and cross members arranged in intersecting relationship forming cells that support ceiling tiles. A plurality of parallel runners are installed between opposed room walls. Cross members are installed in perpendicular relationship to the runners and are intersected by the runners. The runners extend from wall to wall. The cross members extend between one runner and the next. The support members have a cross-sectional shape of an inverted “T” to provide a seat for a ceiling tile. A unique unibody connector at the intersection of the cross members and runners secures the cross members to the runners.

Suspended ceilings are popular. They are used in buildings where there are exposed rafters, duct work, pipes and electrical wiring. The suspended ceiling is positioned beneath such structure in order to provide an acceptable ceiling. In older homes with high ceilings that have fallen into disrepair, a suspended ceiling may be installed for aesthetic purposes.
Typically the suspended ceiling involves a framework which is suspended from overhead ceiling rafters or an existing ceiling. The framework has a grid work of long runner members and cross members which form individual rectangular openings. Drop-in ceiling panels are positioned in the openings. Light fixtures and vents and such as may be required are installed in openings in the ceiling panels.


A roller mill (1) for grinding particulate material such as cement raw materials, cement clinker and similar materials has a substantially horizontal grinding table (3) and a set of rollers revolving about a vertical shaft (5). The set of rollers includes a number of rollers (4) rotating about respective roller shafts (6) which are connected to the vertical shaft (5) via a hinged connection (7) which has a bearing shell (14) and a bearing journal (15) resting therein. The hinged connection (7) allows a free arcuate movement of the roller (4) in an upward and downward direction in a plane including the centerline (12) of the roller shaft. The set of rollers (4) is configured for interactive operation with the grinding table (3), and the bearing shell (14) of the hinged connection (7) has a diameter which exceeds that of the bearing journal (15) resting therein by a factor of at least 1 percent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roller mill for grinding particulate material such as cement raw materials, cement clinker and similar materials, said roller mill comprising a substantially horizontal grinding table and a set of rollers rotatable about a vertical shaft, said set of rollers comprising a number of rollers rotating about separate roller shafts which are connected to the vertical shaft via a hinged connection which comprises a bearing shell and a bearing journal resting therein, and allowing a free circular movement of the roller in upward and downward direction in a plane comprising the centreline of the roller shaft, said set of rollers being configured for interactive operation with the grinding table.
2. Description of Related Art
Roller mills of the aforementioned kind are well known. In the known roller mills the hinged connection which connects the roller shaft with the vertical shaft typically consists of a traditional slide bearing which may be lubricated using a suitable lubricant. The function of the hinged connection is to ensure that, independently of one another, the rollers will be able to follow the height variations occurring in the layer of material deposited on the grinding table during the operation of the mill. In terms of direction and magnitude, the force to be absorbed by the hinged connection is mainly constant relative to the bearing journal, the angular motion of which is produced by the variations in the thickness of the material layer, typically ranging within an interval of ±0.5 to 5 degrees. The frequency of the angular motion of the bearing journal will typically be within the interval of 0.5 to 1 Hz. When this known roller mill is used for grinding particulate material such as cement raw materials, cement clinker and similar materials, the hinged connection will be subjected to a relatively high pressure which subject to friction between the parts of the hinged connection will give rise to a detrimental generation of heat which cannot readily be reduced by means of a lubricant since the unilateral constant application of pressure and the very small angular motions back and forth of the bearing journal may preclude the lubricant from being drawn into the zone of loading. Of other commercially available bearing types may be mentioned a hydrodynamic slide bearing which cannot be used since the bearing journal is not continuously turned and hence does not build-up a hydrodynamic lubricating film, a hydrostatic radial bearing which from a technical viewpoint is an ideal bearing solution ensuring a full level of contact whether in static operation or subject to rotation, but being too complicated, sensitive and costly, and a rolling bearing which is not suitable since the small angular motions will prevent the journals from drawing lubricant into the zone of loading. So, the conclusion to be drawn is that none of the traditional, commercial bearing types have the characteristics required to handle the load situation described without entailing significant disadvantages.

Roller mill for grinding particulate material