An image forming material is disclosed which comprises a support and provided thereon, an image forming layer and an image protective layer in that order, the image forming layer containing a colorant and a first binder resin, and the image protective layer containing fine particles in an amount of 2 to 150 mg/M.sup.2 and a second binder resin and having a thickness of 0.03 to 1.0 .mu.m, wherein an image is formed by exposing the material to a high density energy light to reduce adhesion between the image forming layer and the support and then removing the image forming layer at exposed portions.

The recording method is well known which comprises the steps of exposing to a high density energy light such as a laser light, an image forming material, whereby a part of the material is deformed, released, burnt or evaporated and removed. This method is a dry process in which a processing solution containing a chemical is not employed, and only the exposed portions are melt-deformed, released or evaporated, which has an advantage resulting in high contrast. This method is used for an optical recording material such as a resist material, an optical disc or an image forming material obtaining a visual image. This image forming method hereinafter is defined as an image forming method according to abrasion.
Such an image forming method according to abrasion is different from a heat-fusible image transfer image forming method in the following points: The heat-fusible image transfer image forming method comprises the steps of providing an image forming layer on a support, the image forming layer containing a colorant and a thermoplastic resin or wax having a low melting or softening point; imagewise heating the image forming layer directly or indirectly through the support to the melting or softening point or more, whereby adhesion between the image forming layer and the support is reduced; and transferring the image forming layer at heated portions to an image receiving sheet. In this method, when the heated image forming layer is cooled before transfer, the adhesion before the heating is recovered, which means a reversible heat property change. On the other hand, the image forming method according to abrasion shows an irreversible change that the image forming layer is destroyed or deformed.
Regarding the image forming method according to abrasion, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 59-5447, 59-10563, and 62-115153 disclose a method in which a binder resin is photodegraded by a pattern exposure to form a resist, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 55-132536, 57-27788, and 57-103137 disclose a method in which a thin inorganic compound layer provided by evaporation-deposit is exposed to record information by melt-deformation, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 64-56591, 1-99887, and 6-40163 disclose a method in which a colored binder resin is removed by light heat conversion to record information, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,003 discloses an image forming material comprising an image forming layer containing graphite or carbon black.
In PCT Patent No. 4-506709/1992, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 6-18290/1994, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,156,938, 5,171,650 and 5,256,506 is disclosed an image forming material comprising a light heat converting substance capable of converting absorbed laser light energy to heat energy and a binder capable of being degraded due to heat.
In PCT Patent No. 4-506709/1992, Japanese Patent O.P.I. and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,156,938, 5,171,650 and 5,256,506 is disclosed an image forming method which receives, on an image receiving material, an image forming layer to have been degraded and released. According to these, the scatter in air of fine powder of the image forming layer, which is produced due to abrasion, is solved.
However, the conventional image receiving material itself has an effect restraining the above abrasion phenomena, and in order to obtain an image with sufficient density and resolving power, high exposure energy is necessary, resulting in problems that an image forming apparatus is large-sized and increased in its manufacturing cost.
Further, in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 4-327982/1992 and 4-327983/1992 is disclosed an image forming method comprising the steps of (a) exposing to a laser light an image forming material comprising a support and provided thereon, a light heat converting layer, which is also an evaporation layer, containing a light heat converting substance, and a colorant layer in that order, (b) superposing an image receiving material having a heat fusible layer on the image forming layer, and (c) peeling the image receiving material from the image forming layer to form an image. However, this image receiving material has a problem in that on peeling the image receiving material, a part of a substance in the the fusible layer remains with abraded image forming layer on the support, resulting in stain in the image forming material. Further, there are problems in that image defects such as scratches occur on the surface of the image forming materials after forming an image, which occur due to friction among them, or components in the image forming layer are dissolved in an organic solvent contained in film cleaner for graphic arts film.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 60-255491, a technique providing an image protective layer on an image forming layer is known in order to enhance image durability. When the image forming layer is thick, the image durability is enhanced but high exposure energy for recording an image is necessary and resolving power is lowered. Further, there are limitations that when an image forming layer coating solution is coated on the image forming layer coated on a support employing an image forming layer coating organic solvent solution, the image forming layer coating solution must be a water soluble resin solution or a water dispersible resin dispersion. This is disadvantageous in selecting a resin for the image protective layer.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-25202 (support/recording layer/image protective layer), there is description of a technique employing a coating solution in which a thermoplastic resin is dissolved in a specific solvent whereby solvent resistance is improved. However, this technique does not solve a problem of sensitivity lowering.

Image forming material and image forming method employing the same


A method is disclosed that includes the operations outlined below. An effective current pulse width of a maximum peak is determined based on a waveform function of a current having multiple peaks within a waveform period in a metal segment of a metal line in at least one design file of a semiconductor device to compute a duty ratio between the effective current pulse width and the waveform period. A maximum direct current limit of the metal segment is determined according to physical characteristics of the metal segment. An alternating current electromigration (AC EM) current limit is determined according to a ratio between the maximum direct current limit and a function of the duty ratio. The metal segment is included with the physical characteristics in the at least one design file when the maximum peak of the current does not exceed the AC EM current limit.

Electromigration is the transport of material caused by the gradual movement of the ions in a conductor due to the momentum transfer between conducting electrons and diffusing metal atoms. The effect appears in applications where high current pulses are generated, such as in microelectronics and related structures. As the structure size in electronics such as integrated circuits (ICs) decreases, the effect becomes more apparent.

Metal lines for preventing AC electromigration

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A parameter of a first checker in a profile of the first checker is configured. The parameter comprises a restriction on contents of a modification to a dataset. The modification comprises a write to a portion of the dataset. The dataset is modifiable by a plurality of authors. The first checker has a first checker owner. A first modification to the dataset is validated against a restriction enforced by the first checker according to the parameter. The first modification has a modification owner. Responsive to the validating detecting that the first modification is acceptable, the first modification is allowed.

As used herein, a document includes any component of a set of data stored in a computer system. As such, a document includes both a file stored in file system and a unit of data stored in a database. A document has one or more authors. A document author, as used herein, is any entity that performs a write operation to a document. A document may also have one or more consumers. A document consumer, as used herein, is any entity that performs a read operation to a document.
For example, a team of co-workers working together on a project might choose to keep all project-related status information in a common human-readable document. Some members of the team are document consumers, because they view, but not modify, the document. For example, one of the document consumers might read the document to learn when the next version of the project is due for release. Other members of team are document authors, because they both view and modify the document. For example, one of the document authors might update the document with an additional set of tasks to be completed before release of the next version of the project.
Both a document author and document consumer can be human or non-human actors. For example, if the project co-workers are working on the next release of a software product, an automated system tracking bugs in a previous release of the product could act as a document author, adding each bug as a new task for the next release. Similarly, another automated system reporting project status on a number of projects could act as a document consumer, periodically accumulating this project's information into a report.

Consistency enforcement in multi-author documents

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A stereolithographic method which comprises irradiating the surface of a photohardenable resin composition with light through an image drawing mask capable of changing its mask image with the image drawing mask being moved in parallel to the surface of the photohardenable resin composition and the mask image of the image drawing mask being changed in synchronism with the movement of the image drawing mask according to the sectional shape pattern on the photohardened resin layer to be formed to form a photohardened resin layer having a predetermined sectional shape pattern and a stereolithographic apparatus therefor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional stereolithographic method and apparatus using a photohardenable resin composition. More particularly, the invention relates to a three-dimensional stereolithographic method and apparatus for producing various three-dimensionally shaped products having a size ranging from small size to large size from a photohardenable resin composition with a high shaping precision and a good productivity at a high shaping rate without causing uneven curing.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a stereolithographic method and apparatus which produces a three-dimensionally shaped product by curing a photohardenable resin according to data inputted in a three-dimensional CAD has been put in practical use. This stereolithographic technique has been highlighted because it can easily produce a complicated three-dimensionally shaped product such as model for verifying the external design in the course of design, model for checking the functionality of parts, resin model for producing a mold and base model for producing a mold.
In order to produce a shaped product by a stereolithographic method, a method using a shaping bath has been generally employed. In some detail, a process has been widely employed which comprises preparing a shaping bath filled with a liquid photohardenable resin, and then repetitively effecting a step of selectively irradiating the liquid photohardenable resin with spot ultraviolet laser beam which is controlled by a computer such that a desired pattern is provided on the liquid surface of the shaping bath so that it is photohardened to a predetermined thickness to form a cured resin layer, a step of moving vertically the cured resin layer in the shaping bath so that the photohardenable resin in the shaping bath flows onto the cured resin layer to form a photohardened resin solution layer, and a step of irradiating the photohardenable resin solution layer with spot ultraviolet laser beam to form a cured resin layer until a three-dimensionally shaped product having a predetermined shape and dimension is obtained.
However, the aforementioned related art method involving the use of spot ultraviolet laser beam utilizes a so-called dot drawing process which comprises irradiating the surface of a photohardenable resin with one spot laser beam which is moving along the surface of the photohardenable resin to form a two-dimensional photohardened pattern and thus is disadvantageous in that it takes much time to shape the material, giving a lowered productivity. Further, since the ultraviolet laser device used as a light source is extremely expensive, this type of a three-dimensional stereolithographic apparatus is expensive, too.
For the purpose of eliminating the aforementioned disadvantages of the related art technique, a three-dimensional stereolithographic method using a linear exposure mask having optical shutters arranged in a row therein capable of controlling the screening of light at minute dot area has been proposed which comprises controlling the optical shutters according to a predetermined horizontal sectional shape data while scanning the exposure mask in a direction perpendicular to the orientation direction of the optical shutters to form sequentially one layer of photohardened resin layer (JP-A-4-305438). In accordance with this method, it is not necessarily required that as a light source there be used an expensive ultraviolet laser device. An inexpensive light source such as ordinary ultraviolet lamp may be used. Further, the shaping rate can be raised as compared with the aforementioned related art technique involving the use of spot ultraviolet laser beam. However, in accordance with this method, a step of forming a linear photohardened portion one row by one row in the scanning direction of the exposure mask is repeated by a plurality of times to form one layer of sectional shape pattern. When the scanning speed of the exposure mask is raised, a thoroughly photohardened portion cannot be formed one row by one row, making it necessary that the exposure mask be scanned slowly. Further, this method comprises sequentially forming a photohardened portion one row by one row to form a two-dimensional photohardened layer and thus takes much time to shape the material. Accordingly, this method cannot give a sufficiently high shaping rate and thus leaves something to be desired in productivity.
As another method there is known a method which comprises disposing an image drawing mask formed by a liquid crystal shutter capable of screening and passing light at minute dot area fixed between the light source and the surface of a photohardenable resin composition, and then repetitively effecting a step of forming a mask pattern on the image drawing mask according to one layer of sectional shape pattern to be formed with the image drawing mask suspended, a step of irradiating the surface of the photohardenable resin composition with light through the mask pattern so that the photohardenable resin composition is cured to form one layer of sectional shape pattern, a step of supplying subsequent one layer of the photohardenable resin composition onto the photohardened sectional shape pattern, a step of forming a subsequent mask pattern on the image drawing mask according to one layer of sectional shape pattern to be formed with the image drawing mask suspended, and a step of irradiating the surface of the photohardenable resin composition with light through the mask pattern so that the photohardenable resin composition is cured to form subsequent one layer of sectional shape pattern to form a three-dimensionally shaped product.
In accordance with this method, the irradiation of the surface of the photohardenable resin composition with light and the formation of one layer of photohardened sectional shape pattern are effected two-dimensionally at one time, making it possible to raise the stereolithographic building rate as compared with the aforementioned related art method involving the use of spot ultraviolet laser beam and the method disclosed in JP-A-4-305438 involving the use of a linear exposure mask having optical shutters arranged in a row therein capable of controlling the screening of light at minute dot area.
In order to produce a three-dimensionally shaped product by this method, it is necessary that the distance between adjacent minute dot areas projected on the surface of the photohardenable resin composition from the image drawing mask be not greater than 0.1 mm from the standpoint of shaping precision (resolution). It is therefore necessary that the number of pixels be at least about 2,500×2,500 dots for a shaping area size as small as 250 mm×250 mm or at least about 6,000×6,000 dots for a shaping area size as large as 600 mm×600 mm. However, there are no existing liquid crystal masks (liquid crystal shutters) or digital micro mirror shutters which satisfy the aforementioned resolution requirements. Even such a product, if any, is extremely expensive.
In accordance with this method involving the irradiation with the suspension of the fixed image drawing mask, the fineness of the exposed shape pattern is determined by the fineness (roughness) of the image drawing mask and the enlargement/reduction ratio of the pattern projected onto the surface of the photohardenable resin composition through the image drawing mask. The smaller the enlargement ratio is (the greater the reduction ratio is), the smaller is the distance between light dots on the surface of the photohardenable resin composition and the higher is the fineness of the sectional shape pattern thus formed. On the contrary, the greater the enlargement ratio is, the greater is the distance between light dots on the surface of the photohardenable resin composition and the lower is the fineness of the sectional shape pattern thus formed.
Therefore, the aforementioned method involving the fixing of the image drawing mask can difficultly produce a large-sized three-dimensionally shaped product having an excellent fineness (shaping precision) and thus can be used only to the production of a small-sized three-dimensionally shaped product from the standpoint of fineness (shaping precision).
For the purpose of eliminating the disadvantages of the aforementioned method involving the fixed image drawing mask to allow the production of a large-sized three-dimensionally shaped product using a small-sized liquid crystal shutter, JP-A-8-112863 proposes a method which comprises disposing a liquid crystal shutter (liquid crystal mask) capable of selectively passing or screening light such that they can run in parallel to the liquid level of a photohardenable resin along a plurality of divisions, and then repetitively effecting a step of moving the liquid crystal shutter to a first range in the divided running ranges, a step of irradiating the surface of the photohardenable resin composition with light through the liquid crystal shutter suspended with the light source provided in the rear of the liquid crystal shutter being moved over the range of the liquid crystal shutter to form a cured portion corresponding to the first division, a step of moving the liquid crystal shutter to a second range in the divided running ranges, a step of irradiating the surface of the photohardenable resin composition with light through the liquid crystal shutter suspended with the light source provided in the rear of the liquid crystal shutter being moved over the range of the liquid crystal shutter to form a cured portion corresponding to the second division, and a step of effecting the aforementioned steps until one layer of predetermined sectional shape pattern is formed on the surface of the photohardenable resin composition, until a predetermined three-dimensionally shaped product is formed. In this reference, the linear light source is configured to move on the liquid crystal shutter so that exposures are performed in a divided manner over the photohardenable resin composition.
Further in JP-A-07-290578, it is disclosed that the divided exposures are performed with a linear liquid crystal shutter so as to form a predetermined pattern.
However, the method disclosed in the above cited JP-A-8-112863 involves the repetition of a procedure of movement of the liquid crystal shutter to the first division in the running range, irradiation with the liquid crystal shutter suspended (formation of a photohardened portion on the surface of the photohardenable resin composition), movement of the liquid crystal shutter to the second division in the running range, irradiation with the liquid crystal shutter suspended (formation of a photohardened portion on the surface of the photohardenable resin composition), etc. causing the formation of one layer of cured sectional shape pattern and the repetition of this procedure over a plurality of layers to produce a three-dimensionally shaped product. Thus, irradiation is not effected while the liquid crystal shutter is moving to the various divisions in the running range. Therefore, in accordance with this method, exposure is not effected continuously but intermittently, lowering the shaping rate. Further, this method involves curing of the photohardenable resin composition with the liquid crystal shutter suspended in the various divisions in the running range. Thus, the photohardenable resin composition can be easily cured discontinuously or unevenly at the border of these divisions in the running range. The resulting three-dimensionally shaped product is subject to the occurrence of entire intensity spot, reduction of strength and deterioration of external appearance and dimensional precision.
As for the other references, in JP-A-7-227909, it is disclosed that a planar exposure is performed with a masking device. However, it is not disclosed to move the masking device while exposing the light and to perform exposures in divided manner over the photohardenable resin composition. Japanese Patent No. 2624239 suggests using a cathode-ray tube and a liquid crystal device as the masking device.
An aim of the invention is to provide a three-dimensional stereolithographic method and apparatus which can produce a three-dimensionally shaped product regardless of the size thereof, i.e., even if it is small-sized, middle-sized or large-sized, with a high shaping precision at a high shaping rate and a good productivity while preventing the occurrence of uneven curing.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a three-dimensional stereolithographic method and apparatus which can produce a high quality three-dimensionally shaped product having a high shaping precision and free of uneven curing smoothly at a high shaping rate even if an inexpensive light source such as ordinary ultraviolet lamp is used instead of expensive ultraviolet laser device.


In an arrangement for inductive transmission of a data signal to the recording head (9) in a magnetic tape recording device, in which the data signal to be transmitted to the recording head is delayed by a bit period, the undelayed signal and the delayed signal are combined and applied to an inductive transmission arrangement (11, 13). After passage through the inductive transmission arrangement, the combined signal is rectified in a rectifier (21) and then subjected to a DC voltage shift (22). The resultant signal is then amplified (10) and applied to the recording head.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is based on a magnetic tape recording device for recording digital data signals in tracks to be recorded obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape, comprising a rotary drum on which at least two recording heads are installed, an inductive transmission arrangement for transmitting to the magnetic heads the data signal to be recorded, which transmission arrangement comprises a stator winding and a rotor winding, an input terminal for receiving the data signal to be recorded, a coding arrangement coupled with an input to the input terminal and coupled with an output to the stator winding, which coding arrangement comprises a delay arrangement for delaying the data signal to be recorded for the duration of a bit period in the data signal, and includes a signal combining stage, which signal combining stage is arranged for combining the data signal delayed by a bit period and the undelayed data signal obtain a ternary output signal.
The frequency spectrum of a square-wave data signal comprises spectral portions stretching out to infinity. Undistorted transmission of such a data signal requires a transmission channel that has an infinite bandwidth. A transmission channel having inductive coupling does not have such a bandwidth, however. For example, the transmission channel of a rotary scanning device for video magnetic tape recorders has only a band-pass character in which a top and a bottom cut-off frequency in essence depend on the transmission ratio of a rotary transformer.

Magnetic tape recording device having a rectifier installed on a rotating head drum for rectifying a signal being applied to the head


A packaging box includes a box and a cover. The box and the cover respectively have a plurality of concave folding lines in order for the packaging box to be collapsed and even recycled.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a packaging box, and more particularly, to a packaging box convenient for recycling.
2. Related Art
Many modern electronic devices (such as notebook computers, scanners, computer peripherals, etc) have become indispensable for our daily life. To prevent fragile precise electronic products from being damaged during transportation (e.g. by water, dusts and impacts), they are often put in a packaging box for packaging before shipment. Besides, most of the packaging boxes are made of paper board in view of environmental protection. Therefore, they are both environmentally friendly and protective.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional packaging box 1 is formed by folding a paper board. The packaging box 1 has four side boards 11, a bottom board 12 and a cover 13. After folding up the side boards 11, one can readily form a packaging box to accommodate an object (such as an electronic product). However, the conventional packaging box 1 is often discarded of without collapsing it, resulting in waste in piling space.
It is thus imperative to provide a packaging box that is convenient for consumers to be recycled.


A control device includes a reception unit that receives first operation information and second operation information different from the first operation information; and a process unit that instructs a robot to execute operations based on the first operation information and the second operation information using a plurality of captured images of an imaged target object, the images being captured multiple times while the robot moves from a first posture to a second posture different from the first posture.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a control device, a robot, a robot system, and a control method.
2. Related Art
Attention is paid to an assembly robot as production equipment that can handle small volumes of production in great varieties. For example, the assembly robot may execute an operation of inserting a part with a plurality of legs, for example, a capacitor, into an electronic substrate. It is necessary to determine a procedure in which the legs are inserted into the electronic substrate, when executing the insertion operation of the part with a plurality of legs.
JP-A-2013-154446 discloses a method of determining a procedure in which the plurality of legs are inserted into the electronic substrate, for example, a method of acquiring data of allowable deformation amount regarding each fitting leg of a first workpiece, and inserting the fitting leg of the first workpiece into a fitting hole of a second workpiece based on the data of allowable deformation amount.
However, JP-A-2013-154446 does not disclose a method of moving the workpieces to respective assembly positions. Since it is necessary to bring the fitting leg close to the fitting hole so as to insert the fitting leg into the fitting hole, it is necessary to determine how to move the workpieces to an insertion position.
For example, when the second workpiece is not accurately disposed at a determined position, and only the first workpiece is moved to a determined position, the workpieces cannot be placed at the insertion position. Alternatively, when the insertion legs have different lengths like the capacitor, it is necessary to determine a positional relationship between the legs of different lengths and two holes via the movement of the capacitor.

Control device, robot, robot system, and control method


A two-side image forming method apparatus and related method, the method including steps of: forming a multi-color image on one side of a recording material; heating the recording material, bearing the multi-color image on a side thereof, with a first amount of heat; forming a multi-color image on the other side of the recording material heated with the first amount of heat; and heating said recording material, bearing the multi-color images on both sides thereof with a second amount of heat larger than the first amount of heat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser beam printer and more particularly to an image forming apparatus capable of forming multi-color images on both sides of a recording material.
2. Related Background Art
In the image forming apparatus designed for forming a monochromatic (for example black-and-white) image, such as the copying machine, it is already widely conducted to form the images on both sides of the recording material, in view of saving the resources and the space for image output. In a two-side copying machine, an image is at first formed and fixed on one side of the recording material, and then another image is formed and fixed on the other side of the recording material.
On the other hand, with the increase in complexity, diversity, and amount of information in recent years, the use of colored image is spreading and there is emerging a demand for forming full-color images on both sides of the recording material. However, such formation of full-color images on both sides of the recording material will result in perturbation of the image if the conventional method for monochromatic image is applied.
More specifically, in the formation of a full-color image, the desired color is obtained by mixing, by fusion under heating with fixing means, powered toner images of plural colors provided on the recording material. If an image is formed with this method on the first side of the recording material and another image is then formed in a similar manner on the second side, the heat applied at the fixation of the image on the second side is transmitted to the first side, whereby the properly mixed image on the first side is excessively fused and becomes defective.
Also, even if an adequate amount of heat is supplied to the second side from the fixing device, the multi-color image already formed on the first side takes away a part of said heat, so that the color mixing and fixation of the image on the second side cannot be conducted sufficiently, and a satisfactory image cannot therefore by formed also on the second side.

Full-color image forming apparatus with two side capability and two-side full-color image forming method


An automatic and integrated mechanical and electrical accelerometer test system including a test fixture for holding the accelerometers to be mechanically and electrically tested; a handler subsystem for automatically feeding the accelerometers to the test fixture; a shaker subsystem for mechanically testing the accelerometers, the shaker subsystem linked to the test fixture, the shaker subsystem automatically vibrating the test fixture; and a tester for electrically testing the accelerometers while the accelerometers are vibrating.

Accelerometers have many different designs and are used for many different purposes. A monolithic accelerometer with signal conditioning, Model No. ADXL50 available from Analog Devices, Inc., of Norwood, Mass., however, has been successfully used in the automobile industry in connection with air bags. The Model ADXL50 is designed to have an output voltage directly proportional to acceleration. The manufacturers of the air bag systems design their air bag system to inflate the air bag when the output of the Model ADX150 reaches a certain voltage level. The specification for the Analog Devices ADXL50 is available from Analog Devices, Inc., One Technology Way, P.O. Box 9106, Norwood, Mass. 02062-9106.
Since the Model ADXL50 is actually implemented in automobiles, it must be able to withstand extreme temperature ranges and, because of its purpose, it must be highly reliable. Therefore, it is essential that each accelerometer shipped from the factory be tested. The ADXL50's specifications need to be guaranteed over certain temperature ranges (-40.degree. to 105.degree.), and power supply conditions (+4.75 volts to +5.25 volts) for the life of the accelerometer. The specifications are as follows: zero-g (DC bias without acceleration input) output voltage, sensitivity (output voltage to input acceleration scale factor), -3 dB bandwidth, linearity, output voltage high and low, noise, self-test input logic levels and input resistance, self-test output voltage swing, power supply rejection, quiescent supply current, and operating supply voltage. The zero-g output voltage and sensitivity parameters are key product characteristics when an accelerometer is used as part of an air bag system.
In the past, before the invention of this application, three different and physically separate test systems were used to test the accelerometers. In general, electrical tests were conducted on one semi-automated test bed. After the electrical testing was completed, the accelerometers were transported to a shaker test bed where the accelerometers were tested one at a time. The accelerometers were inserted into a fixture at the top of the shaker and a synthesizer was used to drive the shaker with a 7.5 g (amplitude), 100 Hz acceleration signal. A multimeter measured the RMS amplitude of the accelerometer output and a computer calculated the accelerometer's sensitivity by comparing the test device's output to that from the shaker's reference accelerometer. The shaker test bed only tested one specification, namely, sensitivity at +25.degree. C. and at 5 volts.
Another shaker test system was then used to mechanically test 400 devices at a time. The accelerometers were mounted on one of ten PCBs that hold up to forty devices. The loaded boards were inserted into a card cage mounted on the shaker. The top of the shaker was enclosed in a temperature chamber. Two different signals from each device (800 wires total) were routed out of the chamber to an external switch system (multiplexer). This system tested sensitivity over various temperature ranges; however, the test time was approximately eight hours for 400 accelerometers and the system was not capable of measuring the other accelerometer specification requirements.
The use of these three different and physically separate test systems raised a number of concerns. First, the test time was very slow. Second, the constant removal of the accelerometers and transporting them to the different test sites increased the likelihood of electrostatic discharge damage and lead integrity damage. Third, a special fixture was required for the electrical test bed and other special fixtures were required for the shaker test systems.
Most importantly, however, is the fact that there was no way to electrically test all of the accelerometers' specifications in a single test system under actual operating conditions, i.e., subject to acceleration forces.


The disclosure includes embodiments for providing disaster mitigation for connected vehicles having hidden vehicle functionality. In some embodiments, a method includes determining, by an onboard vehicle computer of a connected vehicle, that an extreme event is occurring. In some embodiments, the method includes automatically unlocking, by the onboard vehicle computer, hidden vehicle functionality of the connected vehicle responsive to determining that the extreme event is occurring.

The specification relates to disaster mitigation for connected vehicles having hidden vehicle functionality.
Modern connected vehicles include "hidden" vehicle functionality that can be "locked" or "unlocked" by wireless signals which are transmitted to the connected vehicles by their manufacturers. For example, a connected vehicle includes a set of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems ("ADAS system" if singular, or "ADAS systems" if plural) that provide ADAS functionality or automated vehicle functionality. A particular ADAS functionality (or automated vehicle functionality) provided by these ADAS systems may be locked so that, although all the hardware and software necessary to provide the function is present on the vehicle, the software of the vehicle is configured so that the ADAS functionality (or automated vehicle functionality) is not available to the driver of the vehicle.
Modern vehicles are also used by drivers to flee natural disasters and other extreme events (e.g., hurricanes, tornados, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami, an act of war, etc.) in order to reach safer locations. A problem is that some of these vehicles include hidden vehicle functionality that might assist drivers to flee natural disaster faster or more safely if only the hidden vehicle functionality were unlocked and made available to the driver of the vehicle.
Described herein is a mitigation system installed in a connected vehicle which is operable to detect natural disasters and other extreme events and then automatically unlock hidden vehicle functionality in the connected vehicle so that driver safety is maximized as the driver uses their connected vehicle to flee the natural disasters and the other extreme events.

Disaster mitigation system for connected vehicles having hidden vehicle functionality


A method for increasing cellular system capacity includes receiving a signal in a time slot and a frequency band and transmitting a signal in the same time slot and the same frequency band. An adaptive self-interference canceller is used to reduce the radio frequency self-interference created by receiving and transmitting signals in the same time slot and the same frequency band. The self-interference can be further reduced by using: (1) a circulator connected between an antenna, a receiver, and a transmitter; (2) separate antennas for receiving and transmitting signals can be used; and/or (3) an adaptive antenna.

In third generation (3G) wireless communication systems, particularly in the time division duplex (TDD) mode, the time axis is divided into intervals of equal durations called frames. Cellular systems employing the TDD mode divide frames into a finite number (NT) of intervals of equal duration, called slots, and allow a cell to use some or all of the slots for uplink (mobile-to-base) or downlink (base-to-mobile) transmissions.
The slot assignment of a cell defines how each slot is used by the cell. It is generally understood that there are three possible ways for a cell to use a slot: (1) for uplink transmissions, (2) for downlink transmissions, or (3) not used.
The assignment of slots within a cell can be varied by the system to conform to the long-term variations of offered traffic. For example, the system may modify the assignment of one slot from uplink to downlink if the intensity of offered downlink traffic increases while the offered uplink traffic decreases. In addition, different cells of a system do not generally need to have the same slot assignment. Thus, if offered traffic characteristics in one geographical area are different from another geographical area, the cells covering those areas may have different assignments so as to best adapt to local traffic conditions.
While the capability of varying the assignment of slots within a cell as described in the previous paragraph permits the system to adapt to varying traffic asymmetry conditions by trading downlink capacity for uplink capacity (or vice versa) within a cell, it does not permit the system to adapt very well to geographically inhomogeneous traffic conditions (i.e., it will not allow a cell to simultaneously support more traffic in both directions than its neighbors). This is because a slot in prior art arrangements is not allowed to be used for both uplink and downlink transmissions at the same time. Therefore, the system will fail to handle the following scenarios: (1) where many users are geographically concentrated in the same area; or (2) where there are several users in the same area, requiring high bit rates in both uplink and downlink directions.
To some extent, such scenarios can be handled by a load balancing mechanism whereby some users do not connect to the most favorable cell in terms of path loss, but rather to neighboring cells that are less loaded. However, this approach has limitations in that it requires higher transmission power for users connected to distant cells. This can be a significant problem particularly for high data rate users (i.e., scenario (2) above). As a result, some users in heavily loaded cells cannot be served even though there is spare capacity elsewhere in the system. This is a disadvantage.
It would be desirable to provide a method of increasing the uplink and downlink cell capacity without the disadvantages of the known arrangements.

System and method for increasing cellular system capacity by the use of the same frequency and time slot for both uplink and downlink transmissions


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for free-space optical communication. The method comprises the steps of receiving a receive optical beam through a narrow field of view, determining a receive power level, shifting an alignment, maximizing the receive power, and transmitting a transmit optical beam along the alignment, wherein the narrow field of view is less than a divergence of the transmit optical beam. The narrow field of view can be a narrow region of a multi-region field of view. The apparatus comprises an optical beam transmitter configured to generate a narrow diverging transmit beam, a narrow field of view optical receiver, wherein the field of view is less than the divergence of the transmit beam, and a controller configured to determine a power level of a receive beam and to determine adjustments to a direction of transmission maximizing receive power.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to free-space optical communication, and more specifically to alignment tracking control in free-space optical networks.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
For digital data communications, optical media offers many advantages compared to wired and RF media. Large amounts of information can be encoded into optical signals, and the optical signals are not subject to many of the interference and noise problems that adversely influence wired electrical communications and RF broadcasts. Furthermore, optical techniques are theoretically capable of encoding up to three orders of magnitude more information than can be practically encoded onto wired electrical or broadcast RF communications, thus offering the advantage of carrying much more information.
Fiber optics is the most prevalent type of conductors used to carry optical signals. An enormous amount of information can be transmitted over fiber optic conductors. A major disadvantage of fiber optic conductors, however, is that they must be physically installed.
Free-space atmospheric links have also been employed to communicate information optically. A free-space link extends in a line of sight path between the optical transmitter and the optical receiver. Free-space optical links have the advantage of not requiring a physical installation of conductors. Free-space optical links also offer the advantage of higher selectivity in eliminating sources of interference, because the optical links can be focused directly between the optical transmitters and receivers, better than RF communications, which are broadcasted with far less directionality. Therefore, any adverse influences not present in this direct, line-of-sight path or link will not interfere with optical signals communicated.
Despite their advantages, the quality and power of the optical signal transmitted depends significantly on the alignment between cooperating link heads.
It is with respect to these and other background information factors relevant to the field of optical communications that the present invention has evolved.

Method and apparatus for maintaining optical alignment for free-space optical communication


Genes coding for chimeric proteins activating polymerase III transcription, the chimeric proteins and the use thereof for detecting and analysing protein-protein interactions are described. The chimeric proteins are obtained by fusing a polypeptide which is a polymerase PolIII transcription promoter with a polypeptide which is a first member of a protein-protein interaction pair.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new means for detecting and analysing the interactions between proteins
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Protein/protein interactions are fundamental cellular mechanisms which are involved in the formation of multimeric complexes responsible both for functions such as transcription and translation, and for the transmission of signals, the response to pathogenic agents and the like.
To analyse these interactions, conventional biochemical techniques (cross-linking, co-immunoprecipitation, co-fractionation by chromatography) which are intended to isolate the proteins interacting with a target protein are generally difficult to use, especially when the interacting proteins are in a small quantity. In addition, they make it possible to identify the interacting proteins, but not to directly obtain the genes corresponding to the said proteins.
One procedure called: "double-hybrid method", which makes it possible to detect interactions between 2 proteins, has been developed by FIELDS and SONG FIELDS and SONG, Nature, 340, 245-246 (1989) and Patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,173!.
This procedure is based on the co-expression, in the same yeast cell, of the following genes:
one reporter gene expressing a detectable protein, whose level of expression depends on transcriptional activation by a polypeptide domain; and
two chimeric genes, encoding two hybrid proteins comprising respectively the sequences of the two proteins whose interaction it is desired to detect: one comprises, in addition, a transcription activation domain regulating the expression of the reporter gene, the other comprises, in addition, a DNA-binding domain, which recognizes a binding site situated on the reporter gene in the host cell.
When the two chimeric genes are expressed in the same cell, if an interaction occurs between the two proteins, it causes the transcription activation domain and the reporter gene to come into contact due to the attachment of the DNA-binding domain to its site situated on the reporter gene. The transcription of the latter is activated, and an increase in its expression product can therefore be observed.
In the system described in Patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,173, FIELDS and SONG exploited more particularly the properties of GAL4, a transcription activator in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
GAL4 activates the transcription by RNA polymerase II (PolII) of genes encoding enzymes involved in the metabolism of galactose. This protein comprises 2 functionally independent and physically separable domains: one DNA-binding domain, represented by the N-terminal domain (amino acids 1-147) which binds to specific sequences of the DNA (UAS.sub.G, for Upstream Activating Sequence for Galactose), and a transcription activation domain represented by the C-terminal domain (amino acids 768-881), which activates the transcription by PolII.
Two types of hybrid proteins can thus be produced from GAL4: one contains the GAL4(1-147) domain fused to a first test protein, the other contains the GAL4(768-881) domain fused to a second test protein. If the 2 test proteins are capable of interacting, they bring the two domains of GAL4 closer and trigger the transcription of the reporter gene (for example the lacZ gene encoding the .beta.-galactosidase of E. coli).
It is possible to simultaneously test several proteins with the aim of investigating their interactions with a given protein. For example, the protein whose partners are sought is fused with the binding domain GAL4(1-147) and it is tested against a library of proteins fused with the activator domain GAL4(768-881).
Numerous improvements have been made to the technique initially used by FIELDS and SONG: for example a system for cloning into .lambda. phages subsequently convertible to plasmids by recombination of lox sites, has been developed; a second reporter gene, consisting of a marker for auxotrophy, the HIS3 gene (involved in the metabolism of histidine), was used in combination with the lacZ gene in order to eliminate the false positives more efficiently DURFEE et al., Genes & Development, 7, 555-569, (1993)!.
Variants of this technique have also been proposed: thus the non-exclusive aspect of 2 interactions of a protein A with 2 other proteins B and C can be demonstrated by the difference in transcription activation between a system comprising only the 2 hybrids B and C fused with GAL4-(1-147) and GAL4-(758-881) respectively, and a system comprising the 2 hybrids B and C as well as the protein A non-fused but simply overexpressed, and which forms an intermediate between B and C LEGRAIN and CHAPON, SCIENCE, 262, 108-110, (1993)!.
A derived technique, called single-hybrid system, makes it possible to detect proteins attaching to DNA fragments (for example promoters or fragments involved in the replication of the DNA). In this case, only the hybrid proteins encoded by a library of cDNAs fused with GAL4-(768-881) are used. This library is introduced into cells containing a reporter gene (HIS3 or lacZ) placed downstream of the DNA fragment studied WANG and REED, NATURE, 364, 121-126, (1993); LI and HERSKOWITZ, SCIENCE, 262, 1870-1874, (1993)!.
Related strategies have also been developed for identifying the DNA sequences to which a given protein binds WILSON et al., SCIENCE, 252, 1296-1300, (1991)!, or for selecting functional mutations in protein domains which bind to DNA WILSON et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, 9186-9190, (1993)!.
The major limitation of this system is linked to the fact that the protein whose partners are being sought should not exhibit PolII transcription activating activity. This limit therefore excludes the study, by this technique, of the physiological PolII activators (involved in pathological or normal PolII transcription regulation mechanisms), and, in general, of the proteins which, fortuitously, possess activating properties. Now, such properties are not rare: PolII transcription activation by proteins which are not physiological PolII activators has been reported; it has also been shown that 1% of the E. coli genomic fragments randomly generated by digestion with Sau3A, when they are fused with the domain encoding GAL4(1-147), encode peptides which activate the PolII transcription MA and PTASHNE, Cell., 51, 113-119, (1987)!.
The inventors have undertaken the development of a system which does not possess this limitation. For this purpose, they had the idea of searching for a method based on the use of the PolIII system.
However, to achieve a double-hybrid system based on the use of polymerase III, it was necessary, on the one hand, to identify transcription factors for the PolIII system capable of being used for this purpose, and, on the other hand, to have an appropriate reporter gene.
The PolIII system transcribes "housekeeping" genes, whose products (tRNA, 5S rRNA, U6 RNA and the like) are necessary for the basic functions (translation, splicing and the like) of any active cell. The functioning of the PolIII system requires the presence of various transcription factors which ensure correct positioning of polymerase III. For example, the transcription of the tRNA genes involves, first of all, a factor called TFIIIC or .tau. which binds to intragene sequences called A block and B block. The attachment of .tau. onto the B block involves the subunit .tau.138 and its attachment to the A block, the subunit .tau.95. Once attached, .tau. then allows the recruitment of another factor, called TFIIIB, within the vicinity of the site of initiation of transcription. For its part, TFIIIB allows the recruitment and positioning of polymerase III on the gene.
In the case of the gene for U6 RNA (called SNR6), the PolIII promoter comprises an intragene A block, a B block downstream of the signal for termination of transcription of the gene, and a TATA box at position -30. A succession of steps analogous to that described for the tRNA genes makes it possible to initiate the transcription of SNR6. These steps are schematically represented in FIG. 1. The .tau.138 subunit of the .tau. factor first binds to the B block (1), then the .tau.95 subunit to the A block (2). The attachment of .tau. makes it possible to recruit TFIIIB via the .tau.131 subunit (3). The precise role of the other subunits (.tau.50, .tau.60 and .tau.91) has not yet been established. TFIIIB, which is composed of subunits of 70 kD (70), 90 kD (90) and of TBP (TATA-binding protein, a protein attaching to the TATA box) is positioned upstream of SNR6 (4) and then allows the recruitment of the polymerase PolIII (5). The binding of .tau.138 onto the B block of SNR6 therefore constitutes one of the first stages of the transcriptional activation of this gene. A mutation of the B block (deletion of bases +238 and +239 relative to the site of initiation of transcription of SNR6) which abolishes this binding prevents the transcription of the SNR6 gene BROW and GUTHRIE, Gene & Development 4, 1345-1356 (1990); BURNOL et al., Nature, 362, 475-477, (1993)!.
During previous studies, the inventors demonstrated that it was possible to re-establish the transcription of the SNR6 gene by inserting, inside the mutated B block of SNR6, UAS.sub.G sequences, and by using a chimeric transcription factor, GAL4-(1-147)-.tau.138, resulting from the fusion of the binding domain GAL4-(1-147) and .tau.138 MARSOLIER et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 91, 11938-11942, (1994)!. This transcription mechanism is schematically represented in FIG. 2. These experiments were carried out in the presence of a wild-type SNR6 gene, in order to produce transcripts in a quantity sufficient to ensure cell viability.

Chimeric proteins activating polymerase III transcription, use thereof for detecting and analysing protein-protein interactions and genes coding for said proteins

Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique-C.E.A.


In a semiconductor device connected to a mutual-inductive load, a voltage dividing diode is provided in series to an ST-MOS circuit so that an anode thereof is connected to a GND terminal and a cathode thereof is connected to the back gate of each of lateral nMOSFETs forming the ST-MOS circuit. This can inhibit parasitic transistors in the lateral nMOSFETs from malfunctioning to enable the voltage at an ST terminal to be reliably maintained at a normal voltage.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device with power semiconductor elements, controlling a load current flowing in a mutual-inductive load such as a stepping motor, and an integrated circuit, detecting an abnormality in the load for protecting the power semiconductor elements, being integrated in the same semiconductor substrate.
Background
FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the whole configuration of the principal part of a stepping motor. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the arrangement of a rotor 97 and coils 90 of the stepping motor. The stepping motor is provided with the rotor 97 and the four coils 90 (91 to 94) for rotating the rotor 97. As is shown in FIG. 7A, control circuits 501a to 501d are provided with their respective output stage nMOSFETs 51a to 51d. The output stage nMOSFETs 51a to 51d carry out control of currents flowing in the coils 91 to 94 connected thereto, respectively. In addition, the output stage nMOSFETs 51a to 51d have their respective parasitic diodes (shown without reference numerals) connected in parallel thereto. Furthermore, the control circuits 501a to 501d are provided with their respective various kinds of detection circuits (an overheating detection circuit and an overcurrent detection circuit etc.) and protection circuits (not shown). In addition, a battery B as a power supply becomes necessary.
As is shown in FIG. 7B, the four coils 91 to 94 are arranged around the rotor 97. The two opposed coils 91 and 93 are wound around one core 95 of iron, for example, to be iron-core coils having mutual inductance. Similarly, the two opposed coils 92 and 94 are wound around one core 96 of iron to be iron-core coils having mutual inductance. Thus, each of the iron-core coils 91 and 93 is referred to as a mutual-inductive load, and each of the iron-core coils 92 and 94 is also referred to as a mutual-inductive load. The output stage nMOSFETs 51a and 51c, connected to the two (a pair of the) coils 91 and 93, respectively, wound onto the one core 95, mutually carry out complementary operations (operations carried out between two so that when one is turned-on, the other is turned-off). Moreover, the output stage nMOSFETs 51b and 51d, connected to the two (a pair of the) coils 92 and 94, respectively, wound onto the one core 96, also mutually carry out complementary operations. The four coils 91 to 94 are arranged around the rotor 97 to give a rotating force to the rotor 97.
The one coil 90 and the one output stage nMOSFET 51 of the one control circuit 501 form one arm. Here, the reference numeral 90 is that used when the coils 91 to 93 are generally named, the reference numeral 50 is that used when the output stage nMOSFETs 51a to 51d are generally named, and the reference numeral 501 is that used when the control circuits 501a to 501d are generally named.
The stepping motor is controlled by four arms of first arm to fourth arm. In each of the first arm to the fourth arm, through its own one of the coils 91 to 94 as the mutual-inductive loads, a load current flows. Each arm is provided with one control circuit 501. The stepping motor provided with the arms is used for, for example, exhaust gas recirculation of a vehicle etc. Hence, in the following, each of the arms is referred to as an EGR. The term EGR is an abbreviation of Exhaust Gas Recirculation. Here, the first arm to the fourth arm are referred to as EGR1 to EGR4, respectively, and are formed with the coil 91 to the coil 94 and the output stage nMOSFET 51a to the output stage nMOSFET 51d, respectively.
The control circuit 501 has four terminals of an IN terminal (IN) as an input terminal, an OUT terminal (OUT) as an output terminal, an ST terminal (ST) as a status terminal (state output terminal), and a GND terminal (GND) as a grounding terminal.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the first arm EGR1 and the third arm EGR3 shown in FIG. 7A with the configurations thereof being made simplified. When the first arm EGR1 is turned-off and the third arm EGR3 is turned-on, in a transient state immediately thereafter, a current flows in a path shown by arrows in dotted lines in the direction of charging the battery B through the parasitic diode (shown without reference numeral) connected in parallel to the output stage nMOSFET 51c shown in FIG. 7A due to the induced electromotive force generated in the iron-core coil 93 as the mutual-inductive load. At this time, the polarity of an OUT3 terminal becomes negative. Thereafter, when the state becomes a steady state, a steady current flows in the iron-core coil 93 (inductive load) through the output stage nMOSFET 51c in the third arm EGR3 already in the turned-on state. Here, the control circuits 501a and 501c of semiconductor devices 500a and 500c explained later, respectively, are driven by signals from a timing generator.
FIG. 9 is a detailed circuit diagram of the control circuit 501 (501a to 501d) shown in FIG. 7A. The circuit configurations of all of the control circuits 501a to 501d are identical. The control circuit 501 is provided with voltage dividing resistors 64 and 65 dividing the voltage at the OUT terminal and the output stage nMOSFET 51 formed of an nMOSFET section 52 and a parasitic diode section 53. In addition, the control circuit 501 is provided with a dynamic clamp Zener diode 54 connected between the drain 52b and the gate 52a of the output stage nMOSFET 51. The dynamic clamp Zener diode 54 is formed of Zener diodes 54a and 54b in inverse-series connection to each other.
The control circuit 501 is provided with an nMOSFET 55a that is connected to the gate 52a of the output stage nMOSFET 51 to form a gate charge extracting circuit at protecting operation 55 that will be explained later. Further, the control circuit 501 is provided with a resistor 63 connected to the drain (shown without reference numeral) of the nMOSFET 55a and a gate charge extracting circuit at normal operation 56 connected to the resistor 63 and is formed of a constant current source 56a (depletion MOSFET 56b). In addition, the control circuit 501 is provided with a logic circuit 57 connected to a connection point 63a of the constant current source 56a and the resistor 63 and connected to each of an overheat detection circuit 59 and an overcurrent detection circuit 60.
To the ST terminal, a Zener diode 66b and an nMOSFET 58a, which is provided for detecting a state whether the load is normally connected or abnormally disconnected due to a break in a wire etc. (broken wire detection), are connected. To the ST terminal, an ST-MOS circuit 58 is further connected which is formed of an nMOSFET 58b transmitting an abnormal signal to the ST terminal when the abnormal signal is outputted from the logic circuit 57.
Moreover, the IN terminal is connected to the cathode of a Zener diode 66c and the logic circuit 57, the GND terminal is connected to the source of each of the nMOSFETs, and the OUT terminal is connected to the drain of the output stage nMOSFET 51 and the voltage dividing resistors 64 and 65.
The ST-MOS circuit 58 detects a break in a wire as follows. When no abnormality occurs in the load (coil 90), the turning-off of the output stage nMOSFET 51 increases the voltage at the OUT terminal connected to the battery B through the load. This increases the voltage taken out from the connection point of the two resistors in the voltage dividing resistors 65 to turn-on the nMOSFET 58a. Since the drain electrode of the nMOSFET 58a is connected to the ST terminal, a state detection signal when no abnormality occurs (under a normal condition) is outputted to the ST terminal.
While, when a break such as burnout of the load (coil 90) connected to the OUT terminal or disengagement of a connector occurs, the load is disconnected from the OUT terminal, by which the voltage of the battery B is held at the section of the load. This causes no increase in the voltage at the OUT terminal and also causes no increase in the voltage taken out from the connection point of the two resistors of the voltage dividing resistors 65 and given to the gate of the nMOSFET 58a through the lead of a broken wire detection line 69. At this time, the nMOSFET 58a is kept in a turned-off state, by which a state detection signal representing a broken state in which the load is disconnected can be outputted from the ST terminal.
In the same ST-MOS circuit 58, the operation of the nMOSFET 58b connected in parallel to the nMOSFET 58a is as follows. When the logic circuit 57 detects an abnormal state such as the overheating or the overcurrent of the nMOSFET 51, the logic circuit 57 outputs an abnormal signal (high logic level, H) to the gate electrode of the nMOSFET 58b. This makes the nMOSFET 58b turned-on, by which a state detection signal (abnormal signal) is outputted to the ST terminal.
To the ST terminal, an unillustrated control device (microcomputer etc.) is externally connected. The control device makes a decision as to whether the load connected to the OUT terminal is in a state without abnormality or in any one of abnormal states described in the foregoing by combining the logical value of the gate signal to the output stage nMOSFET 51, which signal is outputted from the timing generator shown in FIG. 8, and the logical value of the signal outputted from the ST terminal.
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view showing the principal part of a related semiconductor device 500 (500a to 500b) with the control circuit 501 (501a to 501d) shown in FIG. 6 formed on an n-type semiconductor substrate 70. All of the circuit configurations of the control circuits 501a to 501d in their respective semiconductor devices 500a to 500d are identical. The battery B forming the control circuit 501 is externally provided.
The semiconductor device 500 is provided with the vertical output stage nMOSFET 51. In the semiconductor device 500, a plurality of p-type well regions 71, 73 and 76 are also formed in the surface layer of the n-type semiconductor substrate 70. The semiconductor device 500 is provided with the logic circuit 57, the overheat detection circuit 59 (not shown), and the overcurrent detection circuit 60 (not shown), which are formed in the surface layer of the p-type well region 76 as one of a plurality of the foregoing p-type well regions. In the surface layer of the p-type well region 76, the lateral nMOSFET 55a in the gate charge extracting circuit at protecting operation 55 and the gate charge extracting circuit at normal operation 56 are further provided.
As an n+-type region connected to the GND wiring, an n-type source region 72 (source 52c) of the output stage nMOSFET 51 is provided in the surface layer of the p-type well region 71 as another one of the p-type well regions. Further, an n-type cathode region 74 of the Zener diode 54a (formed in the n-type semiconductor substrate 70) forming the dynamic clamp Zener diode 54 is provided in the surface layer of the p-type well region 73 as the remaining one of the p-type well regions. In addition, an n+-type region 75 is provided which is formed in the surface layer of the n-type semiconductor substrate 70 and is connected to the ground GND.
The ST terminal (ST) is connected to an n-type drain region 79 of the lateral nMOSFET 58b, formed in the p-type well region 76 to form the ST-MOS circuit 58, through a resistor 67e. The IN terminal (IN) is connected to the gate 52a of the output stage nMOSFET 51 through the resistors 67b, 63, and 67a by gate wiring 68. The OUT terminal (OUT) is connected to an electrode formed on the whole bottom surface of the n-type semiconductor substrate 70. The electrode formed on the whole bottom surface of the n-type semiconductor substrate 70 becomes the drain electrode of the output stage nMOSFET 51.
The GND terminal (GND) is connected to the n-type source region (shown without reference numeral) of the lateral nMOSFET 55a forming the gate charge extracting circuit at protecting operation 55. The GND terminal is also connected to an n-type source region 78 of the depletion MOSFET 56b to be the constant current source 56a forming the gate charge extracting circuit at normal operation 56. The GND terminal is further connected to the n-type source region (shown without reference numeral) of a lateral nMOSFETs 57a in the logic circuit 57, to the n-type source region (shown without reference numeral) of the nMOSFET 58b (58a) having the n-type drain region 79 connected to the ST terminal (ST), and to the p-type well region 76.
In addition, the n-type drain region (shown without reference numeral) of the lateral nMOSFET 55a and the n-type drain region 77 of the depletion MOSFET 56b are connected to the gate wiring 68. Moreover, a Zener diode 81 for surge protection connected between the IN terminal and the GND terminal and a Zener diode 82 connected between the GND terminal and the ST terminal are provided.
Both of the p-type well region 71 and the n-type source region 72 (source 52c) of the output stage nMOSFET 51 are also connected to the GND terminal. With the p-type well region 71 and the n-type semiconductor substrate 70, the parasitic diode section 53 of the output stage nMOSFET 51 is formed.
The overheat detection circuit 59, the overcurrent detection circuit 60, the logic circuit 57, the gate charge extracting circuit at protecting operation 55, and the gate charge extracting circuit at normal operation 56, all of which are shown in FIG. 9, are formed in the p-type well region 76 shown in FIG. 10 with each being kept at specified distances away from one another to be self-isolated.
FIG. 11 is a waveform diagram showing the waveforms of input voltages VIN1 to VIN 4 to the first arm EGR1 to the fourth arm EGR4, respectively, shown in FIG. 7A.
The phases of the input voltage VIN1 to the first arm EGR1, the input voltage VIN2 to the second arm EGR2, the input voltage VIN3 to the third arm EGR3, and the input voltage VIN4 to the fourth arm EGR4, respectively, have delays by a time one-half of the pulse width of the input voltage VIN for each thereof. The input voltage VIN is transmitted to the gate wiring 68 to become the gate voltage of the output stage nMOSFET 51. When the input voltage VIN is at an H level, a load current flows in the output stage nMOSFET 51 of the arm EGR to bring the arm EGR into a turned-on state. With the first arm EGR1 to the fourth arm EGR4 brought into turned-on states in order, the rotor 97 is rotated, by which the stepping motor formed of the coils 90 and the rotor 97 carries out a rotary operation. By the rotary operation of the stepping motor, the opening and closing of a valve (not shown) is carried out which is provided in a flow path through which an exhaust gas of a vehicle flows, for example, by which the recirculation of the exhaust gas is carried out.
The output stage nMOSFET 51a forming the first arm EGR1 and the output stage nMOSFET 53a forming the third arm EGR3 carry out complementary operations in which when one is in a turned-on state, the other one is in a turned-off state. That is, the operations of the first arm EGR1 and the third arm EGR3 are complementary to each other. Thus, the time at the falling of the input voltage VIN1 of the first arm EGR1 becomes the time at the rising of the input voltage VIN3 of the third arm EGR3 (at the time of C). The second arm EGR2 and the fourth arm EGR4 also carry out similar complementary operations.
FIG. 12 is a waveform diagram showing the waveforms of the input voltage VIN3, a voltage VST3, a voltage VOUT3, and a current IOUT3 in the control circuit 501c of the third arm EGR3, and the waveforms of the input voltage VIN1, a voltage VST1, a voltage VOUT1, and a current IOUT1 in the control circuit 501a of the first arm EGR1. Here, the input voltage represented by the sign VIN is an input voltage (also referred to as a gate voltage or a control voltage) to the IN terminal as an input terminal represented by the sign IN, the voltage represented by the sign VST is a voltage at the ST terminal as a status terminal represented by the sign ST, the voltage represented by the sign VOUT is a voltage at an OUT terminal as an output terminal represented by the sign OUT and the drain voltage of an output stage nMOSFET 51, and the current represented by the sign IOUT is a current flowing at the OUT terminal, that is, a drain current flowing in the output stage nMOSFET 51. The current IOUT is also a load current flowing in the coil 90 (mutual-inductive load) in the arm EGR.
As is shown in FIG. 12, suppose that a turning-on signal is inputted as the input voltage VIN3, and a turning-off signal is inputted as the input voltage VIN1 at the time t0. Then, the output stage nMOSFET 51a in the first arm EGR1 is made turned-off to bring the current IOUT1 to become zero at the time t1 after a time delay due to the presence of a Miller capacitance and to bring the voltage VOUT1 to be the voltage of the battery B as a power supply voltage. At the time t1 at which the state of the output stage nMOSFET 51a in the first arm EGR1 is changed from the turned-on state to the turned-off state, the state of the output stage nMOSFET 51c in the third arm EGR3 is shifted from the turned-off state to the turned-on state. This makes the voltage VOUT3 fall. In the process after the time t1, due to the influence of the mutual inductance between the coil 93 in the third arm EGR3 and the coil 91 in the first arm EGR1, a current (reverse current) flows in the coil 93 in the third arm EGR3 in the opposite direction from the ground GND toward the battery B. The reverse current lasts for a period determined by the value of the mutual inductance and thereafter, at the time t2 at which the forward current exceeds the reverse current, the current flowing in the third arm EGR3 is switched to a current flowing from the battery B to the ground GND (forward current). The reverse current charges the battery B as a regenerative current.
For preventing the influence of the reverse current explained in the foregoing, a free wheeling diode is sometimes provided for a mutual-inductive load. Moreover, a semiconductor device disclosed in JP-A-2010-110093 is provided with a power semiconductor element for carrying out switching control of a load device and a semiconductor integrated circuit detecting an abnormality of the load device. The semiconductor device further contains a voltage dividing circuit for pulling down, which divides the voltage at the output terminal of a power semiconductor element by resistors for pulling down arranged in series, a MOSFET fed with a power supply voltage from the voltage dividing circuit to detect the disconnection of the load device and a MOSFET carrying out a turning-on or turning-off operation according to an abnormal signal outputted from the semiconductor integrated circuit. In addition, the semiconductor device is provided with a status output terminal outputting the result of the detection of the disconnected state of the load device to the outside. With the configuration, a semiconductor device can be provided to detect a disconnected state of a load in a load driving system. For the load device in this case, a self-inductive load such as a solenoid or a coil is intended to be used.
In JP-A-2000-12853, a semiconductor device is described which has a first switching means turning-on and turning-off a current being made to flow in a load, a current detecting means detecting the current flowing in the load, a second switching means carrying out turning-off and turning-on for opening and closing, respectively, the connection between the current detecting means and the load, and a controlling means controlling the second switching means and the first switching means. In the semiconductor device, the controlling means turns-on the first switching means before turning-on the second switching means at start-up of driving the load and the current detecting means turns-off only the first switching means when an overcurrent is detected. Furthermore, it is described that the configuration can provide a semiconductor device that makes the semiconductor element reliably and quickly turned-off at the short circuit of the load to protect the semiconductor element from the short circuit of the load. Also in this case, a self-inductive load such as a solenoid or a coil is intended to be used.
In JP-A-2011-239242, it is described that when the potential of the ground GND becomes higher than the potential of the output of the semiconductor device due to the reverse current from an inductive load, a voltage is supplied from the drain of a depletion MOSFET always made turned-on to the back gate of a MOSFET so that no parasitic transistor of the MOSFET is made turned-on. In this case, a mutual-inductive load such as a stepping motor is intended to be used.
FIG. 13A is a cross sectional view of the semiconductor device 500c in the third arm EGR3 showing paths P1 and P2 of reverse currents flowing in the semiconductor device 500c with the nMOSFET 51c being turned-on in the turned-off period of the output stage nMOSFET 51a in the first arm EGR1. In the period between the time t1 and the time t2 shown in FIG. 12, reverse currents due to an induced electromotive force (counter electromotive force) generated by the presence of the mutual inductance between the coil 93 in the third arm EGR3 and the coil 91 in the first arm EGR1 flow in the semiconductor device 500c. A path P1 passing through the parasitic diode section 53 of the output stage nMOSFET 51c and a path P2 passing through the n-type semiconductor substrate 70 from the p-type well region 76 become the paths of the reverse currents flowing in the semiconductor device 500c in the third arm EGR3.
While, on the surface of the p-type well region 76, a plurality of n+-type regions are formed, a part of which are connected to an IN3 terminal through the gate wiring 68 or to an ST3 terminal through the resistor 67e. A part of the n+-type regions (n-type collector regions) form a parasitic transistor 88 together with the p-type well region 76 (p-type base region) and the n-type semiconductor substrate 70 (n-type emitter region). FIG. 13B is a schematic cross sectional view showing the operation of the parasitic transistors 88. By the induced electromotive force (counter electromotive force) generated in the coil 93, a forward bias voltage is applied to the p-n junction between the p-type well region 76 connected to the GND terminal at approximately 0V and the n-type semiconductor substrate 70 connected to the OUT3 terminal, by which a reverse current flows from the GND3 terminal to the OUT3 terminal. In this case, a voltage drop V1 is produced at the OUT3 terminal to the GND terminal by, for example, −0.6V which is a built-in potential difference (Vbi) at the p-n junction between the p-type well region 76 and the n-type semiconductor substrate 70. This makes holes injected from the p-type well region 76 to the n-type semiconductor substrate 70 as is shown in FIG. 13B.
Moreover, at the forward-biased p-n junction, electrons are injected from the n-type semiconductor substrate 70 to the p-type well region 76. To the IN3 terminal, a positive voltage of some kind is applied with respect to the GND3 terminal. Hence, a reverse bias voltage is applied to the p-n junction between the n+-type region connected to the IN3 terminal and the p-type well region 76. This allows a part of electrons injected into the p-type well region 76 (p-type base region) to reach the n+-type region connected to the IN3 terminal though the density of the injected electrons is being reduced. With the electrons reaching the n+-type region in this way, the collector current Inpn of the parasitic transistor 88 is to flow from the IN3 terminal to the OUT3 terminal.
Although the ST3 terminal has no voltage applied thereto unlike the IN3 terminal, electrons reach to an n+-type region connected to the ST3 terminal in the same way as that of the electrons to the IN3 terminal. This allows the collector current Inpn to flow from the ST3 terminal to the OUT3 terminal. By the collector current Inpn from the ST3 terminal, the voltage at the ST3 terminal becomes equal to the voltage of the n-type semiconductor substrate 70. Thus, in the period in which the reverse current flows, the level of the voltage at the ST3 terminal becomes an L level equal to the level of the n-type semiconductor substrate 70. In this way, the voltage at the ST3 terminal, coming to be at the L level in the period during which the voltage is originally to be at a high level, causes a microcomputer (MC), to which the voltage at the ST3 terminal is inputted, to perform an erroneous detection.
Moreover, the provision of the free wheeling diodes, as described in the foregoing, causes the number of components to increase to result in a high cost. Furthermore, in each of the semiconductor devices disclosed in JP-A-2010-110093 and JP-A-2000-12853, respectively, a self-inductive load is intended to be used. Therefore, no description is given with respect to the erroneous operation of a parasitic transistor caused when the polarity of the OUT terminal becomes negative in the previously described power semiconductor device connected to the mutual-inductive load.
In addition, in the semiconductor device disclosed in JP-A-2011-239242, the operation of the parasitic transistor in the depletion MOSFET is liable to become unstable when the distribution in the impurity concentration varies in the p-type well region, for example. Thus, when the parasitic transistor in the depletion MOSFET performs no operation, a parasitic transistor in a MOSFET, to which a self-diagnostic output is inputted, is erroneously operated to make it impossible to always maintain the voltage at the DIAG terminal (equivalent to the ST terminal) at a normal voltage.

Semiconductor device including voltage dividing diode


The present invention relates to a high-voltage battery charging simulation system that includes a simulation high-voltage battery pack, a simulation battery management system, a multi-party communication device, and a charging station. The voltage of the simulation high-voltage battery pack can be calculated and updated immediately by the simulation battery management system to simulate the feature of real battery pack, so that it can detect the operation of the multi-party communication device and the charging station.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a battery charging simulation system, and more particularly to a high-voltage battery charging simulation system and an operating method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that detecting processes can only be performed respectively for charging stations and communication devices. Thus, unpredictable errors may come out when the detecting processes are performed for the charging stations and multi-party communication devices in operation mode. During the detecting process, the charging stations and the communication devices have to be connected to battery packs. If the charging stations or the communication devices are in an unstable state, the battery pack may be damaged due to overheated or the battery pack may even cause explosion. Therefore, it is very important to use simulation devices to perform the detecting process.
In the disclosure of R.O.C Patent No. 1262382, the characteristics of the battery pack should be inputted to battery simulation devices. The battery simulation device then performs the simulation based on the characteristics of the battery pack. The aforementioned method not only wasted the time to input the characteristics, but also could not simulate changes of the battery pack when the battery pack was in a charging state. In other words, such simulation was not closed to real scenarios. As disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 7,764,066, the voltage difference was utilized to simulate the conditions that the battery pack needed to be charged or the open circuit was damaged. The aforementioned method was not capable of simulating the changes of the battery pack when the battery pack was in the charging state. Therefore, such simulation was not closed to the scenario when the battery pack was in the charging state.

High-voltage battery charging simulation system and operating method thereof


A fluorescence correlation spectroscopy analyzer 1 is equipped with an excitation light illuminating optical system 21, a fluorescence imaging optical system 22, a CCD camera 15, and a data analyzer 16. The excitation light illuminating optical system 21 illuminates excitation light onto a predetermined region of a measured sample S. The fluorescence imaging optical system 22 images the fluorescence generated at the measured sample S onto the photodetection surface of the CCD camera 15. The CCD camera 15 performs photoelectric conversion of the fluorescence made incident onto the photodetection surface in accordance with the respective pixels and outputs the charges generated by the photoelectric conversion as detection signals from an output terminal. The data analyzer 16 inputs the detection signals based on the charges generated at the pixels, and computes autocorrelation functions of the input detection signals according to each pixel.

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a method wherein the fluorescence fluctuations (variations of the fluorescence intensity in time) of fluorescent molecules in a measured sample are measured and autocorrelation functions are determined from the fluorescence fluctuations to analyze the translational diffusion motions, etc., of the fluorescent molecules. By FCS, for example, the binding and motion of a single protein molecule can be analyzed.
Examples of conventional analyzers that make use of FCS include those described in Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-166598), Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-272346), and Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-194305). With the analyzer described in Document 1, a point-like excitation light is illuminated onto a single point of a measured sample and the fluorescence emitted from the measured sample is detected by a detector, such as a photomultiplier tube (PMT) or an avalanche photodiode (APD). With the analyzer described in Document 2, pulse excitation light is illuminated onto a measured sample while scanning and the fluorescence from the measured sample is detected by a CCD camera.

Fluorescent correalated spectrometric analysis device


A rotor of a motor has a cylindrical magnet coaxially disposed with a shaft. The shaft and the magnet are bonded with thermosetting resin formed by injection molding. Since the molding shrinkage of the thermosetting resin is so small that a high preciseness is achieved in the motor structure. This precision structure can reduce vibration due to unbalance of a rotor. Also, an annealing process, in which a motor is left at a temperature higher than the limit temperature for operating the motor, can be eliminated. As a result, the efficiency of producing the motor can be improved.

The present invention relates to a stepping motor used mainly for a data processing apparatus, and, more particularly, the invention relates to the structure of a rotor for the stepping motor and material used for forming the rotor.
In recent years, under the circumstance that the performance of a data processing apparatus is improved, the improvement of the performance of a stepping motor used for the apparatus is also required.
In regard to the improvement of the performance of the motor, the decrease of the vibration and the noise of the motor, and the improvement of the efficiency of the motor are mostly required. At the same time, the improvement of the productivity of the motor having high performance is also required.
In general, a rotor for the stepping motor has the structure that a cylindrical magnet and a shaft are united with a molded-member, and, in a conventional motor, the molded-member has been formed of thermoplastic resin added fillers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).
In the following, the rotor for the conventional motor is described on reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 which are cross sectional views showing the rotors having respectively different structure.
In FIG. 7, a cylindrical magnet 119 having a plurality of magnetized poles along the circumference thereof and a shaft 118 are united in the state that the shaft 118 and the cylindrical magnet 119 are coaxially disposed, with a molded-member 123 formed by injection molding. The injection molding is performed in such a manner that the thermoplastic resin is injected into a space formed between the cylindrical magnet 119 and the shaft 118. The shaft 118 has a knurled portion 120 on the surface thereof for increasing the strength of uniting the shaft 118 and the molded-member 123.
In FIG. 8, a first cylindrical magnet 125 and a second cylindrical magnet 126, each of which has a plurality of magnetized poles along the circumference thereof, an annular spacer 129 which is disposed between the first magnet 125 and the second magnet 126, and a shaft 124 are united in the state that all of these components of the rotor are coaxially disposed, with a molded-member 131 formed with the thermoplastic resin in a manner similar to the above description on FIG. 7. The shaft 124 has a knurled portion 130 on the surface thereof for increasing the strength of uniting the shaft 124. and the molded-member 131.
However, in the conventional rotor in which the molded-member (123 or 131) is formed with the thermoplastic resin, the sufficient dimensional preciseness of the rotor is hardly obtained since the molding shrinkage of the thermoplastic resin in forming the molded-member and the shrinkage of the molded-member after the molding are large.
For improving the dimensional preciseness of the rotor, a proposal is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2640413. According to the publication, it is described that the vibration and the noise of the motor can be reduced by forming the molded-member with a liquid crystal polymer in place of PBT or metal which has been conventionally used, since the vibration damping characteristic of a liquid crystal polymer is superior than that of the thermoplastic resin or metal. Also, it is described in the publication that the vibration of the motor can be reduced because the inertia of the rotor is reduced by using a liquid crystal polymer in place of metal. Also, it is described in the publication that the dimensional preciseness of the rotor can be maintained after the molding process of the molded-member by using a liquid crystal polymer, and it is also described that the efficiency of producing the rotor can be improved because the fluidity of a liquid crystal polymer is superior.
It is known that a liquid crystal polymer is superior than the thermoplastic resin in the characteristics described above, such that the improvement from the conventional motor can be expected by using a liquid crystal polymer.
However, a liquid crystal polymer has a characteristic that the molding shrinkage largely changes depending on the flowing direction thereof in a molding process. That is, the molding shrinkage ratio of a liquid crystal polymer is 0.15% in the flowing direction, and 0.45% in the right angle direction of the flowing direction. On the other hand, the molding shrinkage ratio of thermoplastic resin such as PBT is as large as approximately 0.3%-1% though the directional dependency (i.e., the change of molding shrinkage due to the flowing direction) is not large. As the above figures show, although the molding shrinkage of a liquid crystal polymer is small in the flowing direction comparing with that of the thermoplastic resin, the molding shrinkage in the right angle direction of the flowing direction is considerably large. Therefore, in using a liquid crystal polymer for the molded-member which unites the components of the rotor, it is necessary to pay attention on the shape of a mold for forming the molded-member, and on the gating of the mold, also it is necessary to pay attention on the method for preventing the decrease of mechanical strength at the weld line of the molded-member.
Also, although it is described in the publication that the fluidity of a liquid crystal polymer is superior than that of the thermoplastic resin, the pressure required for forming the molded-member by the injection molding of a liquid crystal polymer is as high as 300 kg/cm2, which result in the occurrence of damage on the magnet, which is rather fragile, in the production process of the rotor. Due to the above disadvantage of a liquid crystal polymer, a rotor having a cylindrical magnet whose axial dimension is relatively large against the inside diameter of the cylindrical magnet is hardly produced by using a liquid crystal polymer.
Also, in the case where a rotor having large inertia is required, neither liquid crystal polymer nor the thermoplastic resin is hardly used due to the large molding shrinkage. That is, in the case where the material such as metal, whose specific gravity is large, is used for the spacer 129 for increasing the inertia of the rotor, the vibration of the motor becomes large since sufficient shaft balance of the rotor is hardly obtained by using a liquid crystal polymer or the thermoplastic resin due to the molding shrinkage characteristic described above.
The object of the present invention is to address the problems in the conventional stepping motor, and to provide a stepping motor having a rotor which has a good shaft balance for reducing the runout of the circumference of the magnet of the rotor, by which the vibration and the noise of the motor can be reduced and the efficiency of the motor can be improved. A further object of the present invention is to provide a low cost and high performance motor having a rotor which has relatively long axial dimension against the diameter of the rotor for improving the response characteristic of the motor by reducing the inertia of the rotor. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a low cost and high performance motor having a rotor whose inertia is large in the case where such a rotor is required.
For realizing the above object, the motor of the present invention comprises the following elements.
(a) a rotor including
a cylindrical magnet having a plurality of poles magnetized in a circumference direction; and
a shaft coaxially incorporated into the magnet with a molded member made of thermosetting resin,
(b) a stator facing to the rotor via an air space.
In the above structure, since the molding shrinkage of the thermosetting resin contained in the mixture is small, the dimensional preciseness of the rotor can be improved, also, the process for annealing the molded-member can be exempted. Also, since the mixture containing thermosetting resin has a superior fluidity characteristic, a motor having a long and narrow rotor (i.e., a rotor whose relative axial dimension against the inside diameter of the cylindrical magnet of the rotor is more than 0.3) can be produced efficiently, such that a motor having superior response characteristic and less vibration can be realized.
Also, for realizing the above object, the motor of the present invention has the following elements.
(a) a rotor including:
two cylindrical magnets having a plurality of poles magnetized in a circumference direction and disposed coaxially with each other;
a spacer having a section contacting with inner walls of the two magnets and a section separating the two magnets;
a shaft incorporated with the magnets and the spacer coaxially with a molded member formed of thermosetting resin; and
(b) a stator facing to the rotor via an air space.
In the above structure also, since the thermal shrinkage of the mixture containing thermosetting resin is smaller than that of the thermoplastic resin and that of a liquid crystal polymer, dimensional preciseness of the rotor can be improved, such that the shaft balance of the rotor is improved. As a result, in the case where a motor comprising a rotor having large inertia is required, such a motor can be obtained by using a spacer whose specific gravity is larger than that of the molded-member, in which the vibration of the rotor is reduced to a sufficiently low level.

Motor having rotor formed by using thermosetting resin

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.