Material is uniformly applied to the entire outer peripheral surface of a rotating object by using a robot. The material is discharged toward the rotating object from a nozzle (2) of a material discharging device mounted on the distal end of a robot arm, with the nozzle moved along the outer peripheral surface of the object, e.g., a truncated cone (1), rotating at a predetermined speed. A robot control device periodically calculates coordinates (x, R, 0) in a work coordinate system (P5-XwYwZw), including a target moving position (x) of the nozzle in the direction of the rotation axis and a corresponding target nozzle moving position (R) in the radial direction which are individually expressed as a function of the time elapsed after the start of the material applying process (S12). These coordinates are converted to a robot-base coordinate system (OB-XBYBZB) (S14) and converts the result to data for respective robot axes (S15). Then, a pulse distribution is executed in accordance with moving amounts for the respective robot axes in the present cycle which are calculated based on the above data and data obtained in the preceding cycle (S16-S18). As a result, the nozzle mounted on the robot arm is moved at a speed corresponding to the outer diameter of the rotating object which varies along its rotation axis, to uniformly apply the material to the entire outer peripheral surface of the rotating object to the target thickness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of applying a material, and more particularly, to a method of uniformly applying a material, by using a robot, to the entire outer peripheral surface of a rotating object which has an outer diameter varying along its rotation axis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, to apply a material such as paint to a surface of an object, the material is discharged (sprayed or ejected) from a material discharging device toward the object, while the device is moved relative to the object which is fixed, or while the object is rotated and at the same time the material discharging device is fixed or is moved relative to the object. The thickness of the material attached to the object can be made uniform, by moving the object and the material discharging device relative to each other at a constant speed if the surface of the object is a two-dimensional plane, or by rotating the object at a constant speed and at the same time moving the material discharging device along the rotation axis of the object if the object is cylindrical in shape. It is, however, difficult to uniformly apply a material to a rotating object whose outer diameter varies along the rotation axis thereof.

Method of applying a material to a rotating object by using a robot


A die set for press forming a metal sheet is provided, which comprises: at least a punch; and a die, wherein a punch-die clearance CL2 corresponding to a site to be formed immediately after the initial stage of press forming and a punch-die clearance CL1 corresponding to a site to be formed in the initial stage of press forming are set so as to satisfy the following expressions (1) and (2), respectively:0.8×t≦CL1≦1.2×t   (1)CL2≧CL1+t   (2)                where t denotes the thickness of the metal sheet to be formed. This configuration implements a die set for press forming capable of stably generating the reverse bending deformed portion due to overrun even when the die radius is large, minimizing the phenomenon such as wall warp, and enhancing the dimensional accuracy in press forming of a metal sheet, and a press forming method using the die set.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a die set for press forming a metal sheet such as a sheet steel or an aluminum sheet mainly applicable to an automobile body, and a press forming method using such a die set. More particularly, it relates to a die set for press forming and a press forming method, each capable of minimizing the occurrence of dimensional accuracy defect of a formed product caused by elastic recovery after release from the die set in press forming.
2. Description of Related Art
In the motor vehicle related industry, high strength materials tend to be increasingly used because of a growing demand for an improvement of the crash safety of an automobile body and environmental protection (improvement of fuel economy due to a reduction in weight). A large number of parts of an automobile body are generally manufactured by press forming metal sheets. However, when these parts are formed by press forming, the shape (dimension) of the resulting formed product varies from the designed value due to the elastic recovery behavior after release from the die set (taking out from the die set after forming), which may cause deficiencies at the time of assembling of parts or at the time of bonding (often, bonding by spot welding). Such deficiencies are generically referred to as dimensional accuracy defects. As such dimensional accuracy defects, various ones such as wall warp and angle change are known (see, e.g., "Press Forming Relative Difficulty Handbook" second edition (1997), pages 175 to 196, THE NIKKAN KOGYO SHIMBUN, LTD.).
In recent years, with the growing opportunities to use a sheet steel having higher strength, and an aluminum sheet having a smaller weight than that of a sheet steel, but having a low Young's modulus for an automobile body from the viewpoints of a reduction in weight and the stability of the automobile body, the foregoing dimensional accuracy defect has become a noticeable problem.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outside shape example of a hat channel member as an automotive part. Such a hat channel member is mainly formed by a draw forming method [FIG. 2A] and a bend forming method [FIG. 2B].
One example of the dimensional accuracy defect when a hat channel member was formed using a die set (a die set for draw forming) shown in FIG. 2A will be described by reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIGS. 3A and 3B each show a product cross sectional shape when a 980 MPa class cold rolled sheet steel (thickness t: 1.2 mm) has been formed. It is indicated that the shape after press forming [FIG. 3B] largely deviates from the objective dimensions. Namely, when the designed (objective) shape (axially perpendicular cross sectional shape) of the hat channel member is assumed to be the one shown in FIG. 3A, the flange surface to be bonded to other parts by spot welding or the like, and to be required to have a close dimensional accuracy springs up by as much as 48° (this spring up angle will be referred to as a "flange spring angle θ", below). This is considered to be caused by the effects of both the angle change defect at a punch shoulder and the wall warp defect at a sidewall portion [FIG. 3B]
It is explained that the occurrence mechanism of the wall warp arising at the sidewall portion of the hat channel member is due to the following mechanisms (1) to (3) (see the aforesaid document).
(1) The material (metal sheet) undergoes bending deformation when passing through the die radius portion;
(2) When this portion flows from the die radius portion to the sidewall portion, it undergoes bending-back deformation to be stretched in a straight line, and at this step, a difference between stresses of opposite signs occurs along the sheet thickness direction at the sidewall portion, so that the bending moment due to the difference in stress inherently exists; and
(3) When the resulting formed product is released from the die set after forming, elastic recovery is generated so as to release the bending moment, and as a result, warp occurs.
As techniques for reducing such a wall warp phenomenon, various proposals have been made heretofore. As one of such techniques, there is known a method utilizing the reverse bending in a die gap (between a die and a punch (see, the Non-patent Document 1)). The mechanism for wall warp reduction in the case where this method is applied is described as follows.
First, as with general forming, when a material passes through the die radius portion, it undergoes bending deformation. However, when this portion flows from the die radius portion to the sidewall portion, there may occur a phenomenon that the material does not completely wind around the die radius portion according to setting of the size of the die radius and the clearance (the gap between the punch and the die). This phenomenon is generally referred to as overrun. The material which has flown to the sidewall portion due to this phenomenon undergoes bending in a reverse direction to the foregoing bending direction (generally referred to as reverse bending).
Then, when the material is released from the die set after forming, elastic recovery occurs so as to release the bending moment as with general forming. However, the elastic recovery at this step acts in a direction to cancel out the foregoing resultant reverse bending. For this reason, when the curvature of reverse bending and the curvature generated due to elastic recovery become equal to each other, these cancel out each other. As a result, it becomes possible to set the curvature of the sidewall portion (=wall warp) to 0.
As a method for controlling the wall warp by utilizing the overrun, there is conventionally known a method in which the die radius and the clearance are properly controlled. However, with such a technique, the die radius and the clearance are required to be controlled accurately in order to entirely eliminate the wall warp. Particularly, the technique will not exert its effects unless the die radius (rd) is controlled at rd/t (t: thickness)=about 1.5 (see the aforesaid document) The thickness t of the sheet steel generally used for automotive structural parts is about 1 mm. Thus, in order for the technique to effectively exert its effects, it is essential that the die radius (rd) is set at about 1.5 mm.
However, when the die radius (rd) is reduced, unfavorably, the risk of the occurrence of cracking during forming increases so much, and tools become more likely to wear, which necessitates the maintenance of the tools to be frequently performed. These problems can also be said to be destabilizing factors in actual production. For this reason, the foregoing method is unfavorably less applicable to mass production.

Die set for press forming metal sheet and press forming method of metal sheet


A dicyclohexyamine salt of compound of formula I, namely perindopril, having an X-ray powder diffraction pattern with characteristic peaks (2θ): 8.462, 10.624, 18.693, 9.424, 17.272, 14.177, 19.499, 20.765, 21.409, and 14.540.

Perindopril(I), (2S)-2-[(1S)-1-carbethoxybutylamino]-1-oxopropyl-(2S,3aS,7aS)-perhydroindole-2-carboxylic acid of formula (I), known generically as perindopril, represented by the formula (I) is a valuable angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, a family of drugs used to treat high blood pressure and some types of heart failure.

Perindopril(I) is marketed under the brandname ACEON®. It is commercially sold as the erbumine salt (II) and was launched in France in 1987; Germany in 1989; Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, and the UK in 1990; and in Italy in 1992 for the treatment of hypertension. This drug, which is an invention of M/S Adir et Compagnie, France is marketed by M/S Solvay Pharmaceuticals in the USA.
Perindopril is disclosed in EP 0049658 for the first time, however the synthetic procedure for preparation of perindopril was not exemplified.
European patent EP 0308341 discloses process for preparation of perindopril. According to this process the compound of the Formula V is reacted with the compound of the Formula II in the presence of dicyclohexyl carbodiimide and 1-hydroxy-benzotriazole, whereafter the benzyl ester of is debenzylated to give perindopril of the Formula I, which is then converted into the salt by reacting with t-butylamine.

The drawback of this process is that the purity of the perindopril thus obtained is not satisfactory and for this reason a series of purification steps is required to provide a product which meets the severe quality requirements of pharmaceutical active ingredients. The reason of said disadvantage is that the coupling reaction of the compounds of the Formulae V and II is carried out in the presence of dicyclohexyl carbodiimide which results in the formation of a considerable amount of contaminations of the benzyl esters of the Formulae VII and VIII which are transformed by debenzylation into the compounds of the Formulae VII′ and VIII′. The removal of said contaminations is cumbersome.

Our copending application WO 2004/075889 teaches process for the preparation of Perindopril and salts thereof.
The process described therein comprises reaction of compound of formula A,
wherein X is chlorine or bromine with compound of formula B followed by catalytic hydrogenation to give the perindopril of formula I. Converting Perindopril to tert-butyl amine salt.

The Perindopril obtained from the above process contains 0.16% pharmacopoeial impurity-I (diastrereomeric impurity) of unknown nature.
Surprisingly the present inventors have found that Perindopril thus obtained when converted to dicyclohexylamine salts and then converted to its tert-butyl amine salts, all the unknown impurity found above in removed and the resulting Perindopril is more than 99.9% pure

Process for the purification of perindopril

Abstract: A process for preparation of the said salt of perindopril and its use in the purification of an impure perindopril and a process for purification of perindropril comprising formation of its salt with dicyclohexylamine. The present invention also relates to preparation of Perindopril tert-butyl amine salt directly from Perindopril dicyclohexylamine salt without isolating the free base.


A combined scheme of identification and torque control is provided for rotary hydraulic actuators. The composite controller consists of a dynamic feedback linearizing inner loop cascaded with a robust linear feedback outer loop. The proposed controller allows the actuator to generate desired torque irrespective of the actuator motion. In fact, the controller reduces significantly the impedance of the actuator as seen by its external load, making the system an ideal source of torque suitable for many robotics and automation applications. An identification method to extract the parameters of non-linear model of actuator dynamics and to estimate a bound for modeling uncertainty, used for synthesis of the outer optimal controller, is also presented. Results are illustrated experimentally on a pitch actuator of a Schilling industrial robot.

Hydraulic actuators are widely used to drive robotic manipulators in industry for tasks such as earth moving, material handling, construction and manufacturing automation due to their large power-to-mass ratio. However, precise control of hydraulic actuators is more difficult than control of conventional electric motors due to the presence of non-linear flow-pressure characteristics, such as: variations in the trapped fluid volume in each actuator chamber; fluid compressibility; friction between moving parts; variations of hydraulic parameters; presence of leakage; and transmission non-linearities.
Much of the work on hydraulic control relies on linear control design methodology that is based on local liberalization of the actuator dynamics about a nominal operating point. However, these methods suffer from two major drawbacks: First, since the actuator dynamics are highly non-linear, a single linear time invariant controller can be only tuned for a particular operating point and the performance degrades as the system state moves away from the operating point. Second, since the dynamics of actuator and load are coupled together, the dynamics of the load (which can be very complex) are implicitly embedded in the linearized model of the actuator, which complicates the treatment of the situation; it is then difficult to achieve precise control. As a result, these methods rely highly on the knowledge of the load characteristics and variation in those characteristics.
Mechatronics systems, such as electro-hydraulic robot manipulators, are essentially multi-dimensional non-linear systems composed of mechanical and actuator subsystems accounting for load dynamics and actuator dynamics, respectively. The control problem can be greatly simplified in many applications, if actuators behave as an ideal source of force/torque with low impedance, i.e. similar to electric motors. However, the force/torque generated by a hydraulic actuator is affected by its own motion resulting in a coupled dynamics of the actuator and load.
To account for parametric uncertainty of estimated and/or somewhat inaccurate parameters, non-linear adaptive control methods have previously been employed. An adaptive robust method can also be used, which takes the nonparametric unmodeled dynamics into account by assuming a known bound on the nonparametric uncertainty.
Dynamic feedback linearization has been used to attempt to cancel out the actuator non-linear dynamics. The advantage of this method is that for force control purpose, no knowledge of load dynamics is required because it cancels out the effect of velocity perturbation. However, in practice, exact cancellation of the actuator dynamics is not possible due to parametric and nonparametric modeling uncertainties. This problem has been addressed by transforming the linearized system into standard linear fractional uncertain structures; however, no method has been presented for computation of uncertainty bounds.
The control of a torque/force output is very different in nature from known attempts to control motion or position. When a controller is for controlling a system in which there is no motion, or negligible motion, much of the hydraulic behaviour is masked, and friction is the main observable factor affecting the system. This is one reason why many known systems seek to compensate for frictional components. It is also necessary to consider the dynamics of the whole system together, namely the combination of the actuator and the load. In torque/force control situations such as those discussed according to embodiments of the present invention, it is necessary to consider the effect of velocity on the system; as such, the torque/force control problem is quite different in nature from the motion and displacement control problems.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a procedure for identification of actuator non-linear dynamics and quantification of modelling error. Most existing adaptive methods deal only with parametric uncertainties and some robust adaptive schemes assume a known bound for non-parametric uncertainties in actuator non-linear dynamics. No method is known to estimate this bound, and attempts to account for non-linear dynamics have drawbacks.

Method and system for torque/force control of hydraulic actuators


A printed wiring board includes a core substrate having a cavity and having first and second surfaces, an inductor component accommodated in the cavity, a filler resin filling a gap formed between the substrate and component in the cavity, and a buildup layer formed on the first surface of the substrate and the component. The component has a coil layer, a second insulation layer formed on the coil layer, an electrode formed on the substance layer, and a via conductor formed in the substance layer and connecting the coil layer and the electrode, the component is accommodated in the cavity such that the electrode faces the first surface of the substrate, and the buildup layer includes an interlayer insulation layer formed on the first surface of the substrate and the component, a conductive layer formed on the insulation layer, and a connection via conductor connecting the conductive layer and electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inductor component and a printed wiring board incorporating the inductor component, and to a method for manufacturing an inductor component to be incorporated in a printed wiring board.
2. Discussion of the Background
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-16504, spiral patterns are formed in multiple layers of a multilayer substrate, and the spiral patterns in different layers are connected. The entire contents of this publication are incorporated herein by reference.

Inductor component and printed wiring board incorporating inductor component and method for manufacturing inductor component


A coupling system comprises a first coupling member having a tongue that projects axially a distance therefrom, and a second coupling member that is threadable attached to the first coupling member. The tongue is inserted within a groove disposed within a second coupling member body. The tongue is axially displaced within the groove by rotation of one of the first or second coupling member relative to the non-rotated coupling member to form a leak-tight seal therebetween. At least one of the first or second coupling member body includes a hollow passage that extends axially therethrough. An elastomeric member is disposed within the groove and is interposed between a base portion of the groove and an end portion of the tongue. The elastomeric member is sufficiently compressible to enable further axial displacement of the tongue within the groove after the leak-tight seal is achieved, thereby providing rotatable adjustment of the first and second coupling members vis-a-vis one another while maintaining such leak-tight seal. The elastomeric member enables the first or second coupling member to be rotatably adjusted from 1 to 360 degrees or more vis-avis the other, after contact between the tongue and elastomeric member, to achieve a desired orientation between the fluid handling members coupling members.

Coupling systems that are conventionally used to connect fluid handling or transport devices together make use of tubing that is routed between the desired devices, and that is press fit against a surface of the device using a flared- or swage-type fitting. Alternatively, fluid handling or transport devices can be coupled together through the use of cooperating coupling members that extend from the devices themselves. Such integral coupling members are desired for their compact design that allows two or more such fluid handling or transport devices to be coupled together in a space efficient manner.
The use of an integral coupling system is especially desirable in applications such as valve manifolding and the like, where it is oftentimes necessary to arrange multiple valves in fluid flow communication with one another in a confined area of space. In is desirable in such applications that the valves be arranged having a determined rotational orientation vis-a-vis one another to facilitate plumbing for actuation and for fluid transport to and from the valves. For example, to facilitate the routing of pneumatic lines among a plurality of such coupled together valves, it is desired that the valve be coupled together so that each actuation inlet port is positioned facing upwardly in the same direction.
However, the use of conventional integral coupling members to couple together such fluid handling or transport devices are designed only to provide a leak-tight fit when tightened a certain amount, and are unable to maintain a leak-tight fit when the members are untightened or loosened. By the nature of their construction, such conventional integral coupling members may only provide a leak-tight fitting when the coupled devices are in a nonaligned orientation, i.e., when the two devices are not rotatably aligned with one another. Since the orientation of the coupled devices vis-vis one another depends on whether a leak-tight fit is achieved by the coupling member, the use of such conventional coupling members make it difficult if not impossible to achieve both a leak-tight fitting and a desired aligned orientation.
It is, therefore, desirable, that a coupling system be designed that is capable of providing a leak-tight fitting between coupled fluid handling or transport devices, while at the same time providing an adjustment window to permit rotational alignment of the coupled devices to achieve a desired alignment orientation.


The invention discloses an iridescent intelligent bathroom mirror, including a glass substrate, a control module, and a lamp strip module, wherein a front face of the glass substrate is provided with a reflecting area and a light emitting area, and a back face of the glass substrate is provided with a coaxial connecting frame; a periphery of an outside surface of the connecting frame is provided with a mounting groove; the lamp strip module includes an inner lamp strip and an RGB outer lamp strip; the inner lamp strip is arranged on the back face of the glass substrate; and the RGB outer lamp strip is arranged in the mounting groove.

A bathroom mirror for intelligent home is a kind of mirror used in a bathroom for intelligent home. With the changes of technology in eras, requirements of people for the bathroom mirror for intelligent home become higher.
However, a lamplight display area of an existing intelligent bathroom mirror is limited, with a single display effect, and a color cannot be set according to a requirement of a user, so that a bathroom scene with a self-defined and iridescent change cannot be created, and needs of the existing market cannot be met.
Meanwhile, the existing bathroom mirror is not only low in strength and easy to be damaged, but also easy to have a black edge due to the oxidation of an aluminium membrane or a silver membrane on a surface of the bathroom mirror after being used for a long time, thus affecting a service life.

ZHONGSHAN CHENGJIANG GLASS CRAFT CO., LTD.


The present invention provides a method of forming a dual work function metal gate microelectronics device 200. In one aspect, the method includes forming nMOS and pMOS stacked gate structures 315a and 315b. The nMOS and pMOS stacked gate structures 315a and 315b each comprise a gate dielectric 205, a first metal layer, 305 located over the gate dielectric 205 and a sacrificial gate layer 310 located over the first metal layer 305. The method further includes removing the sacrificial gate layer 310 in at least one of the nMOS or pMOS stacked gate structures, thereby forming a gate opening 825 and modifying the first metal layer 305 within the gate opening 825 to form a gate electrode with a desired work function.

The ability to dope polysilicon gates to different degrees allows one to adjust the work function of gate electrode materials to particular types of metal oxide silicon (MOS) transistors. It is desirable to adjust the work function of a gate electrode (hereinafter, the gate), to be close to either the conduction band or the valence band of silicon, because this reduces the threshold voltage (Vt) of the transistor, thereby facilitating a high drive current at low operating voltages. For instance, dual work function gates, for example doped polysilicon are advantageously used in microelectronic devices, such as complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) transistor devices, having both pMOS and nMOS transistors. The use of doped polysilicon gates has become problematic, however, as the dimensions of gates and gate insulators alike have significantly reduced.
It is well understood that polysilicon gates can accommodate only a finite amount of dopants. This limitation can result in a depletion of gate charge carriers at the interface between the gate and gate dielectric, when the gate is biased to invert the channel. Consequently, the electrical thickness of the gate stack is substantially increased, thereby deteriorating the performance characteristics of the transistor, such as reducing the drive current and slowing switching speeds. For instance, the effective electrical thickness of a gate dielectric in some pMOS transistors can increase from about 1.0 nanometer during accumulation mode, to about 1.8 nanometers during inversion mode. Depletion of the polysilicon gate is a fundamental issue that limits further scaling of MOS devices.
In addition, when high-k gate dielectrics are used with polysilicon a Vt offset of up to 700 mV is observed for pMOS devices depending on the composition of the high-k gate dielectric. This large Vt offset is still not clearly understood but is believed to be associated with dopant (e.g., boron) diffusion and interaction with the gate dielectric and Fermi level pinning as a result of defect creation between the gate and the dielectric. At present, there is no effective way to control this Vt offset problem.
In view of the shortcomings of doped polysilicon in view of today's device sizes, metal gates are an attractive alternative to polysilicon because they have larger supply of charge carriers than doped polysilicon gates. When a metal gate is biased to invert the channel, there is no substantial depletion of carriers at the interface between the metal gate and gate dielectric. Accordingly, the transistor's performance is not deteriorated because the electrical thickness of the gate stack is not increased. In the manufacture of microelectronic devices, having independently adjustable dual work function metal gates has been troublesome, however.
Ideally, dual work function metal gates should be compatible with the type of device in which it will operate. If it is an nMOS gate, then its work function needs to be a work function that is compatible for an nMOS device. If on the other hand, the gate is intended to be a gate for a pMOS device, then its work functions needs to a work function that is compatible for a pMOS device. However, during fabrication processes and due primarily to the thermal budgets involved, the work function of each of these metal gates may shift or drift either up or down, thereby changing the work function and consequently, device performance.
Devices created using the conventional process flow that can also be referred to as gate first process flow allow a high quality gate dielectric to remain intact, but the gates manufactured under such processes suffer from potential work function drift because of potential degradation of the gate dielectric/gate interface upon exposure to high thermal budgets (e.g., those in excess of 700 degrees Celsius) to which it is subjected. To avoid the effects associated with these thermal budgets, manufacturers have developed gate last processes where the gate is formed after the high thermal budgets have been done. Unfortunately, however, during their fabrication, the gate dielectric is typically removed when the dummy gate is removed to form the metal gate electrode. In such instances, the gate dielectric has to be regrown or deposited but done so under lower formation temperatures so as not to disturb the source/drain implants that have already been formed. This process results in a lower quality gate dielectric. Thus, presently, the industry is left with the choice of either having a high quality gate dielectric and contending with work function drift or having a gate dielectric with a more stable work function but a lower quality gate dielectric. Neither of these choices are desirable in view of the demands for higher quality devices that operate at high speed and with greater efficiency.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a method of manufacturing microelectronic devices that avoid the disadvantages associated with the current manufacturing processes.

Process for manufacturing dual work function metal gates in a microelectronics device


Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for distributing a resource (such as electricity) using a resource allocation system. One of the disclosed embodiments is a method for generating a bid value for purchasing electricity in a market-based resource allocation system. In this embodiment, a desired performance value indicative of a user's desired performance level for an electrical device is received. Price information from an electricity futures market is received. A bid value for purchasing electricity from a local resource allocation market sufficient to operate the electrical device at the desired performance level is computed. In this embodiment, the computing is performed based at least in part on the desired performance value and based at least in part on the price information from the electricity futures market.

Demand response and dynamic pricing programs are expected to play increasing roles in the modern smart grid environment. These programs typically utilize a price signal as a means to control demand. Active markets allow customers to respond to fluctuations in wholesale electrical costs, but may not allow the utility to directly and completely control demand. Transactive markets, utilizing distributed transactive controllers and a centralized auction, can provide an interactive system that helps ensure that consumer demand is met, supply limits are not exceeded, and that price volatility is reduced. With the current proliferation of computing and communication resources, the ability now exists to create transactive demand response programs at the residential level.

Forward-looking transactive pricing schemes for use in a market-based resource allocation system


Each impact-absorbing member has an open cross-sectional shape that is open to a first side of a vehicle width direction. Each impact-absorbing member includes an upper wall, a lower wall, a side wall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall, an upper flange portion extending upward from the upper wall, and a lower flange portion extending downward from the lower wall. Curved portions curved in the vehicle width direction in a protruding manner are formed in the side wall. The upper wall and the lower wall include a plurality of plate-shaped flat portions adjacent in the vehicle width direction, and step portions connecting the adjacent flat portions while forming a step in a vertical direction, respectively.

Conventionally, a structure where one pair of front side frames or one pair of rear side frames installed in parallel in a vehicle width direction is provided in a front portion or rear portion of a vehicle body is known. Also, a structure where impact-absorbing members (so-called crash cans) that can absorb impact energy at a time of collision are provided at a tip of these side frames is known.
As the impact-absorbing member, a member formed of a metal material is mainly used. With this configuration, when vehicles collide, the impact-absorbing member absorbs impact energy by undergoing elastic-plastic deformation accompanied by buckling in an axial direction.
Here, with a view to weight reduction of the impact-absorbing member and eventually the vehicle body, it is also studied to form the impact-absorbing member with a fiber-reinforced plastic formed body. The fiber-reinforced plastic formed body is formed by using glass fiber, carbon fiber, metal fiber, or other fiber as a reinforcement and combining the reinforcement with a matrix. In particular, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has a characteristic having high specific strength (strength/specific gravity) and specific rigidity (rigidity/specific gravity), and having so-called lightness, strength, and rigidity. Therefore, using the carbon fiber reinforced plastic with such a characteristic as the impact-absorbing member makes it possible to achieve further weight reduction of the vehicle body while maintaining strength and rigidity.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a structure including: one pair of load energy absorbing materials made of fiber-reinforced plastic (impact-absorbing members); and a bumper reinforcement attached to tips of these load energy absorbing materials and extending in a vehicle width direction. In this structure, a cross-sectional shape of each of the load energy absorbing materials includes a plurality of substantial U-shapes that is open to the vehicle width direction. Specifically, Patent Literature 1 discloses the load energy absorbing materials each including four flat plates extending in the vehicle width direction and three flat plates connecting the four flat plates in a vertical direction.
If the impact-absorbing member made of fiber-reinforced plastic is used as in Patent Literature 1, when an impact load is applied to a vehicle along a front and rear direction, destruction occurs continuously in the impact-absorbing member from a side to which the impact load is applied (forward or rearward) to the opposite side (rearward or forward) (so-called progressive destruction occurs in the impact-absorbing member). This will increase absorption efficiency of impact energy by the impact-absorbing member. Also, as in Patent Literature 1, if the load energy absorbing material (impact-absorbing member) is made of fiber-reinforced plastic and has an open cross-sectional shape that is open to the vehicle width direction and includes a plate-shaped member, manufacturing will be easy.
However, if the impact-absorbing member includes a member having an open cross-sectional shape and a plate shape in this way, the impact-absorbing member easily undergoes buckling. Occurrence of the buckling will obstruct the progressive destruction. Therefore, there is a possibility that impact energy may not be absorbed appropriately by the impact-absorbing member.


The invention relates to a method for positioning a substrate relative to a substrate table, is presented. When the substrate is positioned on the substrate table for a first time, a first relative position of the substrate with respect to the substrate table is determined. When the substrate is positioned on the substrate table a second subsequent time, a second relative position of the substrate with respect to the substrate table is determined and the position of the substrate table with respect to the substrate is adjusted based on the first and second relative positions, so that the substrate is positioned with respect to the substrate table substantially equally to the first relative position.

1. Priority Information
This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 03077016.8, filed Jun. 27, 2003, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for positioning a substrate, a method for positioning a substrate relative to a substrate table, and an associated device manufacturing method.
3. Description of the Related Art
Lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In such a case, a patterning device may be used to generate a desired circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (silicon wafer) that has been coated with a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist).
The term "patterning device" as here employed should be broadly interpreted as referring to a device that can be used to impart an incoming radiation beam with a patterned cross-section, corresponding to a pattern that is to be created in a target portion of the substrate; the term "light valve" can also be used in this context. Generally, the pattern will correspond to a particular functional layer in a device being created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit or other device (see below). Examples of such patterning devices include:                a mask: the concept of a mask is well known in lithography, and it includes mask types such as binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. Placement of such a mask in the radiation beam causes selective transmission (in the case of a transmission mask) or reflection (in the case of a reflective mask) of the radiation impinging on the mask, according to the pattern on the mask. In the case of a mask, the support structure will generally be a mask table/holder/holder, which ensures that the mask can be held at a desired position in the incoming radiation beam, and that it can be moved relative to the beam if so desired;        a programmable mirror array: one example of such a device is a matrix-addressable surface having a visco-elastic control layer and a reflective surface. The basic principle behind such an apparatus is that (for example) addressed areas of the reflective surface reflect incident light as diffracted light, whereas unaddressed areas reflect incident light as non-diffracted light. Using an appropriate filter, the non-diffracted light can be filtered out of the reflected beam, leaving only the diffracted light behind; in this manner, the beam becomes patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-addressable surface. An alternative embodiment of a programmable mirror array employs a matrix arrangement of tiny mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted about an axis by applying a suitable localized electric field, or by employing piezoelectric actuation mechanism. Once again, the mirrors are matrix-addressable, such that addressed mirrors will reflect an incoming radiation beam in a different direction to unaddressed mirrors; in this manner, the reflected beam is patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-addressable mirrors. The required matrix addressing can be performed using suitable electronic means. In both of the situations described here above, the patterning device can comprise one or more programmable mirror arrays. More information on mirror arrays as here referred to can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,296,891 and 5,523,193, and PCT patent applications WO 98/38597 and WO 98/33096, which are incorporated herein by reference. In the case of a programmable mirror array, the support structure may be embodied as a frame or table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required; and        a programmable LCD array: an example of such a construction is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,872, which is incorporated herein by reference. As above, the support structure in this case may be embodied as a frame or table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required.
For purposes of simplicity, the rest of this text may, at certain locations, specifically direct itself to examples involving a mask and mask table/holder/holder; however, the general principles discussed in such instances should be seen in the broader context of the patterning device as set forth here above.
In general, a single wafer will contain a whole network of adjacent target portions that are successively irradiated via the projection system, one at a time. In current apparatus, employing patterning by a mask on a mask table/holder/holder, a distinction can be made between two different types of machine. In one type of lithographic projection apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion in one go; such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In an alternative apparatus—commonly referred to as a step-and-scan apparatus—each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate table/holder parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. Since, in general, the projection system will have a magnification factor M (generally <1), the speed V at which the substrate table/holder is scanned will be a factor M times that at which the mask table/holder/holder is scanned. More information with regard to lithographic devices as here described can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,792, incorporated herein by reference.
In a manufacturing process using a lithographic apparatus, a pattern (e.g. in a mask) is imaged onto a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). Prior to this imaging step, the substrate may undergo various procedures, such as priming, resist coating and a soft bake. After exposure, the substrate may be subjected to other procedures, such as a post-exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement/inspection of the imaged features. This array of procedures is used as a basis to pattern an individual layer of a device, e.g. an IC. Such a patterned layer may then undergo various processes such as etching, ion-implantation (doping), metallization, oxidation, chemo-mechanical polishing, etc., all intended to finish off an individual layer. If several layers are required, then the whole procedure, or a variant thereof, will have to be repeated for each new layer. Eventually, an array of devices will be present on the substrate (wafer). These devices are then separated from one another by a technique such as dicing or sawing, whence the individual devices can be mounted on a carrier, connected to pins, etc. Further information regarding such processes can be obtained, for example, from the book "Microchip Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing", Third Edition, by Peter van Zant, McGraw Hill Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 0-07-067250-4, incorporated herein by reference.
For the sake of simplicity, the projection system may hereinafter be referred to as the "lens"; however, this term should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection system, including refractive optics, reflective optics, and catadioptric systems, for example. The radiation system may also include components operating according to any of these design types for directing, shaping or controlling the projection beam of radiation, and such components may also be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a "lens". Further, the lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two or more substrate table/holders (and/or two or more mask table/holders). In such "multiple stage" devices the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposures. Dual stage lithographic apparatus are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,441 and WO 98/40791, both incorporated herein by reference.
During the lithographic process, a substrate is often subjected to multiple exposures or sets of exposures. In between successive exposures or sets of exposures, the substrate is taken from the substrate table and typically out of the lithographic apparatus to undergo further processing, such as a post-exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement/inspection of the imaged features, as already stated above. After such processing, the substrate is often transported back to the substrate table for a next exposure or set of exposures. The result of such a procedure is, for example, multiple layers on a substrate.
The substrate is transported to and from the substrate table using, for instance, a robot arm. The robot arm is arranged to grip a substrate at a certain position, move the substrate, and release the substrate at another position. When the robot arm hands over the substrate to the substrate table, the substrate should be positioned with great accuracy. Therefore, the position (rotation and/or translation) of the substrate with respect to the robot arm needs to be accurately determined.
The determination of the position of the substrate relative to the robot arm is typically done with the use of a pre-aligner. The pre-aligner measures the substrate position and the substrate is positioned with respect to the robot arm for transport to the substrate table. Thus, the pre-aligner ensures that the relative position of the substrate with respect to the robot arm is known, so that the robot arm can accurately deliver the substrate to the substrate table.
At the substrate table, the robot arm typically provides the substrate to one or more pins of the substrate table. The pins of the substrate table displace the substrate to the supporting surface of the substrate table. Consequently, the positional accuracy of the substrate on the substrate table surface are limited by the measuring accuracy of the pre-aligner and the hand-over by the robot arm to the pin(s) and by the pin(s) to the substrate table surface.
After the substrate is positioned on the substrate table surface, the positional error (translational, rotational) of the substrate orientation relative to the substrate table orientation is determined. This is typically done, for instance, by using an alignment system to measure the position of two marks provided on the substrate and two marks provided on the substrate table or a chuck, on which the substrate is supported. If the marks are out of the range of the alignment system, the substrate is removed from the substrate table and optionally replaced on the substrate table after a further pre-alignment. If the marks are within the measurement range of the alignment system, the positional error between the orientation of the substrate and the orientation of the substrate table is measured and determined. This positional error is used by the substrate table/chuck positioning and position measurement means to ensure that the patterned beam is projected correctly onto the substrate.
In some circumstances, the substrate table/chuck is rotated to adjust for the above-referenced positional error in order that the patterned beam is correctly projected onto the substrate. However, it will be understood by a person skilled in the art that a rotation of the substrate table/chuck can introduce errors in the measurement performed by an interferometer position measurement means, since the surface of a mirror mounted on the substrate table/chuck and used by the interferometer position measurement means may no longer be perpendicularly positioned with respect to the interferometer position measurement means. As will be understood, this can lead to overlay errors where the positional error is different between an exposure or set of exposures and a subsequent exposure or set of exposures.
Furthermore, despite the pre-alignment and hand-over described above, the positioning of the substrate on the substrate table may not be exactly the same for a next exposure or set of exposures, since the position of the substrate with respect to a support structure (e.g. a pimple pattern) on the substrate table may be different for the next exposure or set of exposures due to inaccuracies of the pre-aligner and inaccurate substrate-handling processes. Such differing positions can lead to overlay errors. For example, a local inaccuracy in the support structure of the substrate table could cause a local deformation in the top surface of the substrate. If the position of the substrate with respect to the support structure is different for a next exposure or set of exposures, the deformation in the top surface of the substrate may be different for such next exposure or set of exposures. This could possibly lead to overlay errors as will be understood by a person skilled in the art.

Method and apparatus for positioning a substrate on a substrate table


A resin composition for improving adhesion with polyurethane foam is disclosed which comprises:                (a) about 10 to about 80 percent by weight of at least one polyphenylene ether resin;        (b) about 20 to about 70 percent by weight of at least one polyolefin polymer;        (c) about 1 to about 20 percent by weight of at least one amine compound; and        (d) 0 to about 4 percent by weight of at least one adhesion promoter, wherein all percentages are based on the weight of the entire composition.

The invention relates to novel resin compositions having improved adhesion to polyurethane foam. The invention also relates to a method for improving adhesion between a resin composition and polyurethane foam.
Thermoplastic resins have become of interest in recent years as a replacement for metal in the interior parts of automobiles, such as the manufacture of instrument panels, top covers and arm rests in the interior of the car. In these applications one requirement of the thermoplastic resin is that it must adhere to the polyurethane foam that is often used as a covering. Resin compositions containing polyphenylene ether and polyolefins, e.g., polypropylene, as their primary constituents are generally known and are especially attractive for these automotive applications because of their excellent chemical resistance, high impact strength, low relative cost, and good dimensional stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,416 to Del Giudice et al. generally describes compositions comprising (a) a polyphenylene ether, (b) a thermoplastic polymer incompatible with the polyphenylene ether, and (c) a polymeric compatibility-promoting agent comprising one or more blocks of vinylaromatic monomer units compatible with the polyphenylene ether (a) and one or more blocks of monomeric units of the same nature as the thermoplastic polymer (b) or compatible with that polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,559 to Yamauchi et al. generally describes a composition comprising (a) a polyphenylene ether having a low degree of polymerization, with or without a styrene resin, (b) a polyolefin, and (c) a styrene compound/conjugated diene block copolymer or a hydrogenation product thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,997 to Shibuya et al. generally describes a composition comprising (a) a polyolefin resin, (b) a polyphenylene ether resin, and (c) a hydrogenated block copolymer of an alkenyl aromatic compound and a conjugated diene which contains 45–80 weight percent of a repeating unit derived from the alkenyl aromatic compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,508 to Shiraki et al. generally describes a composition comprising (a) 1–99 parts by weight of a specific hydrogenated block copolymer having at least one polymer block composed mainly of a vinyl aromatic compound and at least one polymer block composed mainly of a conjugated diene compound, and (b) 99–1 parts by weight of at least one thermoplastic substance selected from the group consisting of tackifier resins, thermoplastic resins, and bituminous materials. Thermoplastic resins include polyethylenes, polypropylenes, and polyphenylene ethers, among many others.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,912 to Furuta et al. generally describes a composition comprising (a) a polyphenylene ether, (b) a styrene-modified propylene polymer or a composition containing a styrene-modified propylene polymer and polypropylene, and (c) at least two rubbery substances, one being compatible with (a) and the other incompatible with (a).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,187 to Maruyama et al. generally describes a composition comprising specific amounts of (a) a polyolefin, (b) a polyphenylene ether, (c) a partially hydrogenated alkenyl aromatic compound-isoprene block copolymer, and (d) an alkenyl aromatic compound-conjugated diene block copolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,287 to Tanaka et al. generally describes a composition comprising (a) a polyphenylene ether, (b) a crystalline polyolefin resin, and (c) a graft copolymer where the backbone is a copolymer of (i) ethylene or at least one C3–C 2 alpha-olefin, and (ii) at least one chain non-conjugated diene.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,049 to Chino et al. generally describes a composition comprising specie c amounts of (a) a component composed of syndiotactic polystyrene and a polyolefin, (b) a block or graft styrene-olefin copolymer having a styrene content of 40 to 85% by weight, and (c) a polyphenylene ether.
European Patent Application No. 412,787 A2 to Furuta et al. generally describes compositions comprising (a) a polyphenylene ether, (b) a propylene polymer modified by grafting with a styrene-based monomer alone or in combination with another copolymerizable monomer, with or without an unmodified propylene polymer, and (c) a rubbery substance having chain A miscible with all or part of (a) and chain B miscible with all or part of (b).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,630 to Adeyinka et al. generally describes thermoplastic compositions that include specified amounts of poly(arylene ether), a polyolefin, a rubber-modified poly(alkenyl aromatic) resin, a hydrogenated block copolymer, an unhydrogenated block copolymer, and an ethylene/alpha-olefin elastomeric copolymer
Chao et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,196 disclosed a composition and method for improving the adhesion of compositions of polyphenylene ether and polystyrene resins to polyurethane foam using primary-amine or secondary-amine containing material.
However, achieving desirable levels of adhesion to polyurethane foam to compositions containing substantial amounts of polyolefins is difficult due to low reactivity and/or surface energy of the polyolefin in these compositions. Thus, there remains a need for compositions of polyphenylene ether and polyolefins, especially polypropylene, that retains the properties of the compositions and that will also provide improved adhesion with polyurethane foam.

Composition and method for improving the surface adhesion of resin compositions to polyurethane foam

Abstract: In preferred embodiments, the resin composition further comprises at least one member of the group consisting of polyphenylene ether-polyolefin copolymers, polystyrene-polyolefin copolymers, and polystyrene resins. Also disclosed herein is a method for improving adhesion between a resin composition and polyurethane foam.


The present invention provides methods for producing cotyledonary pine embryos. The methods of the invention each include the step of culturing embryogenic pine tissue in, or on, a medium including at least one gibberellin to yield cotyledonary pine embryos. In some embodiments, an absorbent composition, such as activated charcoal, is included in the medium to further promote production of cotyledonary pine embryos.

The demand for pine trees to make wood products continues to increase. One proposed solution to this problem is to identify individual trees that possess desirable characteristics, such as a rapid rate of growth, and produce numerous, genetically identical, clones of the superior trees by somatic cloning. These clones can be cultivated to yield stands, or whole forests, of pine trees that possess the desirable characteristic(s).
One method for cloning pine trees utilizes in vitro treatment of isolated, living, pine tissue under conditions that promote formation of pine embryos, and then whole plants, from the treated tissue. The isolated pine tissue may be cultured in the presence of one or more auxins and/or cytokinins to promote formation and multiplication of embryogenic tissue to form cotyledonary pine embryos. The embryos may then be germinated and grown to yield pine trees.
A continuing problem, however, is stimulating efficient formation of cotyledonary pine embryos that are capable of germinating to yield pine plants. Preferably the cotyledonary pine embryos, formed in vitro, are physically and physiologically similar, or identical, to zygotic pine embryos formed, in vivo, in pine seeds. There is therefore a need for methods for producing cotyledonary pine embryos from pine embryogenic tissue. The present invention provides methods that satisfy this need.

Methods for producing cotyledonary pine embryos utilizing a gibberellin


A location system for identifying locations of emitters in a cellular telephone service area. Searching identifies active emitters in the service area to find the coarse areas in which active emitters are located, using selection criteria to designate one or more of the active emitters as selected emitters. Emitter signals are measured with a plurality of sensors, each sensor at a different location. Groups of the sensors are tasked, one group of tasked sensors for each corresponding selected emitter. Each tasked sensor takes a measurement on an emitter signal transmitted by the corresponding selected emitter. The measurements are processed to determine the location of each selected emitter based on the measurements from the group of tasked sensors.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for locating emitters in a prescribed geographic area and more particularly to locating mobile cellular telephones operating within a service area.
In cellular telephone systems, cellular base stations are deployed throughout the region (service area) where service is provided to cellular telephones. A cellular telephone communicates with one or more base stations. The cellular telephone infrastructure coordinates the transmissions of the mobile cellular telephones. Cellular base stations send commands to the cellular telephones directing them to transmit at certain times and at certain frequencies. When a base station initiates communication with a cellular telephone, it sends the cellular telephone a mobile station control message with a page order on its forward control channel. The cellular telephone sends a page response message on the reverse control channel. After a call is setup and the cellular telephone and the cellular base station are communicating on the reverse and forward voice channels respectively, the cellular base station may send a mobile station control message to the telephone on the forward voice channel to order the telephone to a new frequency, change its power, or command it to respond to verify it is still communicating. The cellular telephone acknowledges receipt of the message by returning an order confirmation to the cellular base station on the reverse voice channel. For the AMPS protocol, an order confirmation message is a digital signal that FSK modulates an RF carrier for 54.4 ms and produces a 30-kHz bandwidth RF signal. There is an existing protocol to communicate with the cellular telephone and this protocol is used to make the cellular telephone perform prescribed actions and respond with deterministic digital messages.
Typical base stations use six directional receive antennas, three pairs of diversity antennas each pair pointing in one of three different directions or sectors. The use of diversity along with directional antennas improves the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by approximately 8 dB.
Call authorization and interfacing to the public switched telephone network is performed by the mobile switching center. When a mobile cellular telephone moves about in the service area, the call is handed off to other base stations as coordinated by the mobile switching center.
Prior art location systems deployed expensive hardware to locate each cellular telephone operating in the service area. They used wideband, high-dynamic range receivers with sub-band tuners to isolate each reverse control channel. There are 21 reverse control channels. Since the cellular telephone's transmission must be received at multiple cell sites, all 21 reverse control channels must be monitored and measured continuously by the equipment at the cell sites. To capitalize on the improvement provided by diversity and sectorized antennas, prior art systems must continuously monitor the 21 reverse control channels from six receive antennas; and consequently require a considerable number of receivers to intercept the transmissions from cellular telephones. Prior art systems have located all cellular telephones in an area and placed their locations in a database. Location applications then query the database to retrieve the location of a particular cellular telephone.
Prior art location systems forwarded to a central processor a representation of the 21 reverse control channels using a 1.536 Mbps T1 channel. A T1 channel is capable of carrying 24 voice grade channels. One encoding technique used a quantization of 1 bit per sample. To take advantage of the sectorized and diversity receivers, or to reduce the quantization noise by increasing the number of bits per sample, additional T1's are required which has the drawback of additional operating cost.
A further disadvantage of the prior art is that geolocation systems using angle-of-arrival techniques must also deploy specialized antennas. These antennas are in addition to the ones used by the cellular base station. The installation of additional antennas along with the requirement of receiving authorization from local zoning boards for installing the antennas makes angle-of-arrival systems costly.
In addition to the above background, the following references are useful in understanding the environment of the present invention.
J. R. Treichler and M. G. Larimore, "New Processing Techniques Based on the Constant Modulus Adaptive Algorithm, " IEEE Trans. Acoust., Speech, Signal Processing, vol. ASSP-31, pp. 349-472, Apr. 1983 PA0 J. R. Treichler and Brian G. Agee, "A New Approach to Multipath Correction of Constant Modulus Signals," IEEE Trans. Acoust., Speech, Signal Processing, vol. ASSP-31, pp. 459-471, Apr. 1983 PA0 Ohgane et al., "An Implementation of a CMA Adaptive Array for High Speed GMSK Transmission in Mobile Communications," IEEE Trans. on Vehicular Tech., vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 282-288, Aug. 1993 PA0 B. Widrow, J. M. McCool, and M. Ball, "The Complex LMS Algorithm,"Proc. IEEE, vol. 63, pp. 719-720, Apr. 1975 PA0 Ralph Schmidt, "Multiple Emitter Location and Signal Parameter Estimation," IEEE Trans. Antennas and Propagation, pp 276-280, Mar. 1986

Method and apparatus for mobile emitter location


The invention relates to a transmission system for the polarization insensitive transmission of signals over a signal path between a transmitter and a receiver, provided with high-order retarder. The retarder is a combination of a polarization-splitting coupling and a loop-type delaying transmission route. The retarder may be sited at the receiver end, with a suitably chosen angle between one of the principal axes of the retarder and the polarization of a local oscillator incorporated in the receiver. Advantages are reduction in size and number of components in the retarder, reduction in the number of retarders in such a transmission system and an increase of the capacity for integration.

Such a transmission system is disclosed by the paper entitled "Polarization-Switching Techniques for Coherent Optical Communications" which appeared in Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol.6, No.10, October 1988, pages 1537 to 1548.
It is generally known that, at the end of an optical waveguide or optical fiber, the polarization state of the light transmitted over the optical waveguide fluctuates. Various causes for this phenomenon can be identified, such as a mechanically twisted optical fiber, temperature variation, bends in the optical fibers and the like. The varying mismatching between the polarization of the received signal and the polarization of the signal from the local oscillator adversely affects the sensitivity of the receiver. In the paper mentioned above, a number of solutions are mentioned for obtaining a transmission over an optical fiber which is as insensitive as possible to the varying polarization. One of the solutions is the polarization-switching method, in which a high-order retarder making use of a birefringent medium is used.
A medium having a large birefringence effect can be simulated in a laboratory by means of optical devices. In these, light is applied to a polarization-splitting device, as a result of which the light is split into components having horizontal and vertical polarization, respectively. Said components traverse different distances and are then combined in a coupling device. One problem in this connection is that two polarization-splitting devices are necessary which, in a bulk or optical fiber construction lead to a high price, while, in an integrated optical construction, the total length of the high-order retarder can be a problem. An alternative method of construction is to use a birefringent fiber, as described in the abovementioned article. Such a fiber having birefringence has, however, the disadvantage that it is expensive while, in addition, a large length is necessary.
The paper by M. V. Andres et al. entitled "Optical-fiber resonant rings based on polarization-dependent couplers", published in Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 8, No. 8, August 1990, pages 1212-1220 discloses sensor configurations based on an optical fiber resonant circuit in which, in a particular case, a polarization-splitting coupling is used in combination with a loop of polarization-maintaining fiber.

Transmission system for the polarization-insensitive transmission of signals


A peripheral device for use with a data processing apparatus. The apparatus has a peripheral port with a set of terminal pins consisting of first to ninth pins disposed in a row. The first pin is assigned for one of a power source and the ground potential, the ninth pin for the other of the power source and the ground potential, the second, third, seventh and eighth pins for transmitting data signals, and the fourth to sixth for transmitting control signals. The apparatus has an element for selecting the communication mode of the peripheral device connected to the peripheral port, based on the data signals transmitted from the second, third, seventh and eighth pins. The peripheral device comprises a plug connector detachably connected to the peripheral port, the plug connector having a set of terminal pins consisting of first to ninth pins disposed in a row, a cable including a plurality of wires connecting the terminal pins of the plug connector with terminals on an internal printed circuit board, and an element for transmitting data signals including identification data representing the communication mode via at least one of the second, third, seventh and eighth pins in synchronization with a clock signal supplied from the apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in communication between a data processing apparatus and a peripheral device to be connected to the data processing apparatus, and more specifically, to a system for identifying communication modes of the peripheral devices connected to a game apparatus and connector configurations suitable to the peripheral devices with various types of communication modes.
2. Description of Related Art
An image processing system is known as a system which has a display such as a television set, (hereinafter, referred to as a "monitor"), on which images are time-dependently displayed. As is widely known for home use, a game apparatus is one representative of such image processing systems.
The game apparatus comprises a processing unit executing game programs and generating video and audio signals. To the apparatus are connected various types of peripheral devices (frequently, referred to as mere "peripherals") such as manipulating switching assemblies called joy pad, controller, or key board. The processing unit mainly performs not only a predetermined image processing therein but also a variety of processings including control of the peripheral devices. The peripheral devices are used, for example, for inputting necessary information from an operator into the processing unit and for displaying image data such as graphic and character data supplied from the processing unit. The peripheral devices thus typically include an operator controller and a monitor having a screen and speaker.
When the processing unit to which the monitor and operator controller are connected is activated by a player or an operator, the monitor is able to display images on its screen and to produce sound from its speaker, depending on instructions of a given game software sent from the processing unit. The player can enjoy the game with the game apparatus.
The game apparatus is normally required to be able to carry out various games. This means that there is much possibility that various types of peripheral devices are connected to the processing unit.
Various interfaces are arranged between the processing unit and the peripheral devices in aid of communication therebetween. Further, because communication modes are often varied depending on the peripheral device, the processing unit is required to obtain information (peripheral identification data) representing the type of a connected peripheral device. For this requirement, it is proposed that the type of a connected peripheral device can be identified using logical values acquired through data lines of the peripheral device when the processing unit sends twice the peripheral device a peripheral selection signal of logical values of "1" firstly, and then of "0". Such prior art is disclosed in Japanese patent Laid-open No.2-62618, for example.
However, the above identification method identifies in fact only the type of a connected peripheral device on the basis of logical values acquired though data lines of the device. In other words, this identification method does not give attention to the communication mode of a connected peripheral device. This results in a drawback that, frequently, connected peripheral devices cannot send data to the processing unit and also the processing unit cannot control the peripheral devices with preferable communication modes to those peripheral devices.

System for peripheral identification obtained by calculation and manipulation data collecting for determining communication mode and collecting data from first terminal contacts


A compound having the following general formula (I): ##STR1## where R is a hydrogen atom; a linear or branched C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group, unsubstituted or substituted by at least a phenyl group or at least a hydrogen atom; a benzyl group substituted by at least a linear or branched C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or alkoxy group or a nitro group; a silyl substituted by at least a linear or branched, unsubstituted or substituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group; n is 0 or 1; and Y is a radical of formula ##STR2## wherein A is H, OH, Cl, CH.sub.2, CH.sub.2 X, where X is F, Cl, Br, I, OH or OR' and R' is COCH.sub.3 or a linear or branched, unsubstituted or substituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group and - - - represents a single or a double bond, with the proviso that when n=0 and R is H, R' is not a methyl group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new cephalosporin intermediates, particularly to new 7-.beta.-glutarylamido cephalosporins and to processes for obtaining them, useful for the preparation of therapeutically, important cephalosporinic antibiotics.
2. Description of the Background
It is well known that the major part of semisynthetic cephalosporins is obtained from 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) by acylation reactions of the amino group in 7 and by nucleophilic substitution of the acetoxy group in 3'. 7-ACA is still industrially produced by chemical hydrolysis of cephalosporin C through a complicated process which involves reagents and solvents very toxic and polluting and extreme working conditions.
Enzymatic or chemical-enzymatic processes by glutaryl 7-ACA have been lately developed to overcome these shortcomings. Said processes provide two steps, in the first step cephalosporin C is transformed enzymatically in an aqueous medium in glutaryl 7-ACA, by oxidative deamination with D-aminoacid oxidase [(BE-A-736934 (Glaxo); JP-A-40588 (Asahi); EP-A-0496993 (Antibioticos)], or chemically, by oxidative transamination [U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,180 (Asahi)]. The glutaryl 7-ACA is then deacylated by the glutaryl 7-ACA acylase enzyme [JP-A-186599 (Asahi); EP-A-0496993 (Antibioticos)].
7-ACA cannot be used per se for the syntheses of the latest cephalosporins, for instance the 3-alkenyl- ones (Cefprozil, Cefdinir), and the quaternary 3'-ammoniummethyl ones (Cefepime), but it has to be first undergone to protection reactions of the amino group (for instance by acylation or transforming it in a Schiff's base) and of the carboxy group (for instance by esterification). Besides, using 7-ACA is expensive for preparing specific cephalosporins such as the 3-cephem-3-halo substituted (for instance Cefaclor) or the unsubstituted ones (norcephalosporins, for instance Ceftizoxime and Ceftibuten), and the industrial processes known hitherto for the production thereof use, as starting materials, compounds containing the penicillinic core, for instance penicillin G or V, and come to obtaining the desired final products by a complicated sequence of chemical reactions which may provide, subsequently, protecting of carboxyl, sulfoxidation, the opening of the penicillanic ring, the rearrangement to cephalosporanic ring, etcetera. See, at this purpose, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,052,387, 4,075,203, 4,081,440, 415,372, 4,031,084 and 4,346,218.
It is apparent that the glutaryl 7-ACA is not only cheaper than 7-ACA but it shows a variety of advantages, from a chemical-synthetic point of view, in respect with 7-ACA and cephalosporin C itself, the latter being sometimes used to produce cephalosporinic antibiotics. Yet, isolating glutaryl 7-ACA , given its high water solubility, is technically hard and expensive.
Other 7-ACA derivatives such as the known halomethyl derivatives, for instance the 3-chloromethyl or 3-bromomethyl derivatives, are obtained from 7-ACA by a complicated sequence of protection reactions of the amino and carboxy groups, or by esters--sulfoxides of penicillin G by sophisticated technologies (opening of the penicillinic ring, electrochemical chlorinating, rearrangement to cephalosporinic ring).
Also the 3-exomethylene--derivatives of 7-ACA have a key structure for obtaining important cephalosporinic antibiotics. A few methods are known for transforming cephem derivatives into 3-exomethylene cepham derivatives.

Glutaryl 7-ACA derivatives and processes for obtaining them


An imaging optical unit including a simple and small retracting mechanism and optical members having a small eccentric error and an image pickup apparatus will be provided. The imaging optical unit for guiding light to an image pickup device is structured so that a first holding member, for holding a reflection member for turning a light flux entering from the side of a subject along a first optical axis to a second optical axial direction almost at right angle, rotates freely about a rotating shaft between the retracting position where the first holding member is housed in a lens frame of the imaging optical unit and the using position where it is projected.

In recent years, in correspondence with the spread of personal computers, a digital cameral for easily reading images into a personal computer is in wide use. Further, incorporation of a digital camera into an information processor such as a mobile computer, a portable telephone, or a personal digital assistant (PDA) is generalized. In correspondence with the spread of such a digital camera, a smaller digital camera is requested, thus further miniaturization of an imaging optical unit is required.
Therefore, to make the imaging optical unit compact, proposals of bending the imaging optical system halfway the optical path, thereby realizing miniaturization thereof without changing the optical path length even if the magnification is changed are made (Patent Documents 1 and 2). According to the proposals, a reflection member is arranged on the optical path, and the optical path is bent about 90 degrees, and then an optical image is formed on an image pickup device by a rear lens group.
However, in the two patent documents aforementioned, the lenses are arranged on the side of an subject from the reflection member, so that the size of the digital camera in the depth direction is restricted by the distance between the reflection member and the lenses on the subject side.
To solve this problem, proposals of moving the reflection member and retracting the lenses into the space formed by movement of the reflection member, thereby making the apparatus compact when not in use are made (Patent Documents 3 and 4).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-131610
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-69808
Patent Document 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-43354
Patent Document 4: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-169236
In reality, in Patent Documents 3 and 4, when switching the reflection member from the usage state to the retracted state, the reflection member is moved to a position within the movable range of the rear lens group along the guide shaft and when switching it from the retracted state to the usage state, the reflection member is moved to a predetermined position on the optical axis, and the lenses are moved to predetermined positions on the optical axis by another moving means.
However, in this constitution, to ensure the movement distance of the imaging optical system due to zooming of the rear lens group, it is necessary to increase the overall length or to ensure the storage space of the reflection member, a complicated structure for collapsing the rear lens group is necessary. Further, in the usage state for imaging, the lenses and reflection member are moved by an individual moving means and the lenses and reflection member are held by an individual holding member, so that eccentricity occurs in the optical axis between the lenses and the reflection member, thus the image quality of the imaging optical system deteriorates. Furthermore, the lenses and reflection member are held by an individual holding member and an individual moving means is necessary, so that the number of parts is increased, and the structure is complicated, and the manufacturing cost is increased.

Imaging optical unit and image pickup apparatus


An absorbent garment includes a front body panel having a terminal waist edge and a terminal crotch edge and a rear body panel having a terminal waist edge and a terminal crotch edge. The terminal crotch edge of the rear body panel is longitudinally spaced from and forms a gap with the terminal crotch edge of the front body panel. An absorbent insert includes first and second longitudinally spaced end portions and opposite laterally spaced side edges. The absorbent insert bridges the gap between the front and rear body panels with the first and second end portions overlying and connected to the front and rear body panels respectively. At least one of the first and second end portions of the absorbent insert is connected respectively to a corresponding one of the front and rear body panels with at least first and second adhesive regions having first and second adhesive basis weights respectively. At least a portion of the second adhesive region is located adjacent the terminal crotch edge of at least one of the front and rear body panels. The second adhesive basis weight is greater than the first adhesive basis weight. In another aspect, the first adhesive region has a first peel strength and the first and second adhesive regions in combination have a second peel strength. In one embodiment, the second peel strength is greater than the first peel strength. In another aspect, a method of assembling the absorbent garment is provided.

The present invention relates generally to undergarments, and in particular, to a three-piece garment having an absorbent insert secured to a body panel with variable adhesive regions.
Disposable garments can be configured in many different forms. For example, disposable absorbent garments can be configured as a pant-type, pull-on garment, or as a diaper-type product that is drawn up between the legs and fastened about the waist with various fastening systems. Typically, the absorbent garment includes an absorbent insert connected to one or more body panels. Typically, the absorbent insert is connected to the body panel(s) with an adhesive having a relatively uniform basis weight. Accordingly, the connection between the absorbent insert and the body panel(s) may be susceptible to separation in those areas where higher stresses are introduced as the garment is worn by the user.

Three-piece garment having an absorbent insert secured with variable adhesive regions


A method and apparatus for retrieving information from household appliances are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request from a user of an appliance. The method then receives stored information from the appliance as one or more Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals.

Household appliances such as washers, dryers, irons, microwave ovens, gas ranges, blenders, dishwashers, refrigerators, lawn mowers, etc. are typically used for limited purposes, and are built without any capability to be connected to a communications network. As such, when a household appliance has a problem, the consumer has to call a telephone number to report the problem and/or to schedule an appointment for service. Generally, the service centers receiving calls from appliance owners have Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems that prompt for appliance information, e.g., a serial number, a model number, the manufacturing date, the purchase date, the purchase location, the problems with the appliance, and so on. Unfortunately, consumers often have problems providing the requested information. For example, the serial number, model number, etc. may not be easily accessible. In another example, the customer may not have registered the appliance when the appliance was purchased and the customer may no longer be able to locate the requested information.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus to retrieve information from household appliances.

Method and apparatus for retrieving information from appliances


A tool for embossing high aspect ratio microstructures is provided, wherein the microstructures provide decreased surface reflection and increased transmission through an optical component even at high incident angles. The tool is fabricated by a process that comprises anisotropic etching of columnar pits in a silicon substrate using inductively coupled plasma, followed by isotropic reactive ion etching of the columnar pits to create relatively pointed obelisks. The silicon substrate is then preferably rinsed to remove remaining photoresist prior to vapor depositing a conductive layer thereon. Finally, a metal is electroformed over the conductive layer to form the embossing tool. The embossing tool is then pressed against an optical coating, for example a polymer sheet, to create microstructures having aspect ratios from 1 to 5.

Optically active surface textures are typically employed in applications where surface reflections must be minimized in either the infrared (IR) or visible wavelength regions. The optical coatings with such surface textures generally comprise a dense array of microscopic features, which exhibit little or no diffraction or scattering of the incident light in the designed wavelength region. Generally, the dimensions and spacing of the microscopic features are smaller than the shortest wavelength of incident light in a particular wavelength region. In ideal cases, they should further provide a gradual transition in the effective index of refraction, i.e. a graded index of refraction from the textured surface to the ambient medium. Such microstructures are often referred to as having "moth-eye" surfaces because it has been observed that the eyes of moths reflect almost no light due to the presence of a microscopic texture.
The aspect ratio of the microscopic features is preferably high in order to provide minimal reflection at high incidence angles. In one known microstructure, an aspect ratio of greater than 3 to 1 results in reduced surface reflection and increased transmission through an optical component at incidence angles greater than 75 degrees. Unfortunately, fabrication of such microstructures is relatively complicated, and less complicated fabrication techniques such as standard micro-lithography have been incapable of producing the high aspect ratio microstructures. Additionally, known fabrication methods generally do not provide for a graded index of refraction, which is often required to provide minimal reflection for the incident light.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,342 to Harker et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, discloses a method of fabricating a diamond moth-eye surface wherein a polycrystalline diamond thin film is deposited on a substrate using micro-lithographic techniques. Generally, the moth-eye geometry is formed on relatively thick substrate materials rather than on a thin coating, and the geometry is formed on the substrate using a series of micro-lithographic patterning techniques, which may include dry and/or wet etching techniques. The diamond coating is then bonded to a substrate, preferably using a glass layer such as a low-temperature, refractive index-matched Chalcogenide glass.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,074 to Klocek et al. discloses a method of embossing a pattern into a sheet of polymeric material, however, the pattern is created using a mold that is formed using a conventional diamond lathe. Unfortunately, the conventional diamond lathe cannot produce relatively high aspect ratio patterns, and as a result, low reflectivity at high incidence angles may not be possible.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a relatively low cost process of forming high aspect ratio moth-eye microstructures using standard etching procedures. The process should further be capable of producing high aspect ratio moth-eye microstructures that provide a graded index of refraction and low reflectivity at high incidence angles in both the visible and infrared wavelength regions.

Process for fabricating high aspect ratio embossing tool and microstructures


It is possible to prevent an image processing amount from increasing and obtain excellent display characteristics. A stereoscopic image display apparatus includes: a flat display device having approximately square pixels arranged on a flat display plane in a square manner: and an optical plate which is disposed in front of the display device and has optical apertures which extend linearly in the same direction as a diagonal line of a rectangle obtained by connecting n pieces of the pixels vertically, for controlling directions of light rays from the pixels. The flat display plane of the flat display device are divided to elemental images, each corresponding to each of the optical apertures in the optical plate, and an average value of pitches of the elemental images is larger than m (m=1,2,3 . . . ) times a length of a diagonal line of a rectangle obtained by connecting n pieces of the pixels laterally and the pitch of the optical apertures in the optical plate is equal to m times the length of the diagonal line of the rectangle obtained by connecting n pieces of the pixels laterally.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display apparatus and a stereoscopic image display method.
2. Related Art
As a stereoscopic image or motion picture display apparatus which allows display of a motion picture, a so-called "a three-dimensional display", various ones employing different systems have been known. In recent years, particularly, a demand for a display device of a flat panel type employing a system where it is not required to use dedicated eyeglasses or the like is increasing. As a stereoscopic motion picture display apparatus of such a type, there is known one utilizing a principle of holography, which is difficult to be put in a practical use. A system where an optical plate or a beam controlling element is installed just in front of a display panel (a flat display device) whose pixel positions are fixed, such as a liquid crystal display apparatus of a direct view type or a projection type, or a plasma display apparatus is known as a system which can be realized relatively easily. In this connection, the optical plate serves to control beams from the display panel to direct them to an observer or viewer.
The optical plate is generally called "a parallax barrier", and it controls beams such that different images are viewed according to an angle change even at one or the same position on the beam control element. Specifically, when only lateral parallax (horizontal disparity) is applied, a slit array plate or a lenticular sheet (a cylindrical lens array) is used, and when an vertical parallax (a vertical disparity) is also included, a pinhole array or a lens array is used. The systems using the parallax barrier are also classified to a binocular system, a multiview system, a super-multiview system (super-multiview conditions in the multiview system), or an integral photography (hereinafter, also called "IP"). A basic principle common to these systems is substantially the same as that used in a stereoscopic photograph invented about a hundred years ago.
As described in SID04 Digest 1438 (2004), for example, the IP system of these systems has such a feature that the degree of freedom is high regarding a viewing point position and a stereoscopic view can be achieved easily. In the IP system which includes only horizontal disparity but does not include vertical disparity, a display apparatus with a high resolution can be relatively easily realized. On the other hand, in the binocular system or the multiview system, there is such a problem that it is difficult to see an image in a stereoscopic manner due to narrowness of a range of a view point position which allows a stereoscopic view, i.e., a viewing zone, but the simplest constitution can be adopted as a constitution for a stereoscopic image display apparatus and a display image can also be produced easily.
In a direct view type autostereoscopic image display apparatus using such a slit array plate or a lenticular sheet, moire or color moire occurs easily due to interference between a periodical structure about an aperture of an optical plate and a periodical structure about a pixel on a flat display apparatus. As a method for solving such a problem, a method where a direction in which the apertures extend is inclined obliquely has been known (for example, see JP-A-2001-501073).
However, when the apertures of the optical plate are provided obliquely, pixels at a stereoscopic image display (a stereoscopic display pixels) do not constitute a square arrangement but a parallelogram arrangement, so that when a stereoscopic image is composed by utilizing photographed images of multi cameras (multiview point images), it is necessary to perform arrangement conversion of the pixels. Such a problem arises that arrangement conversion based upon a simple processing caused degradation of image quality, arrangement conversion utilizing an interpolation or the like causes reduction in processing speed, and arrangement conversion based upon thinning of redundant data increases data amount. There is also such a problem that display characteristics bring discomfort to human vision characteristics due to that a higher direction of resolution becomes asymmetrical in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction, motion parallax causes up and down movement, and so on.
As described above, in the conventional stereoscopic image display apparatus including the optical plate arranged obliquely, there is a problem about increase in image processing amount or display characteristics due to that such a fact that the pixel arrangement at the stereoscopic display is not the square arrangement.

Stereoscopic image display apparatus having stereoscopic pixel with approximately square shape and stereoscopic image display method


A multi-surface blocker door system for a thrust reverser of an aircraft is provided. The system may comprise one or more first blocker doors coupled to the inner fixed structure. The first blocker doors may be configured to obstruct a fan duct area adjacent the engine. The system may also comprise one or more second blocker doors coupled to a translating sleeve. The second blocker doors may be configured to obstruct a fan duct area adjacent to an inlet of the nacelle.

Thrust reverser systems are typically employed on aircraft jet engines to provide rearward thrust during landing. These thrust reverser systems may generally comprise a fixed structure and a translating structure. The translating structure may generally comprise a blocker door that may be deployed by a mechanical linkage (e.g., a drag link system) to the fixed structure. The blocker doors rotate into at least a portion of the fan air duct during thrust reverser operation, and in response to the translating sleeve fore-aft motion.

Multi surface blocker door system and apparatus


A gondola carrying and dumping device with a frame pivotally carrying a sub-frame having a pair of lift forks with tines for carrying a gondola and a slidable cover over the gondola for controlling the dumping of workpieces from within the gondola. A pair of actuators pivotally move the sub-frame and gondola, and a third actuator retracts the cover to control dumping of workpieces from the gondola.

Previously, many devices have been used for carrying and dumping open gondolas filled with workpieces. In automated assembly and heat treating operations, dumping in bulk workpieces from gondolas by these devices often damages the workpieces as they are dumped onto a work site. For example, when threaded steel fasteners such as bolts or screws carried in gondolas are dumped in bulk onto a conveyor to be delivered to a heat treating operation to harden the fasteners the fastener threads are frequently damaged. Often times, tilting a gondola to pour out threaded workpieces damages the threads. The inventor has discovered that friction between the moving workpieces tends to interrupt the steady flow of workpieces from the gondola and they tend to pour in intermittent waves, resulting in increased contact of the threads during dumping and increased risk of thread damage.

Gondola dumper with lift tines engaging pins for pivoting the gondola