A system and method is disclosed for using plasma to adjust the resistance of a thin film resistor. In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the resistance of a thin film resistor is increased to cause the thin film resistor to have a desired higher value of resistance. The thin film resistor is formed having an initial value of resistance that is less than the desired value of resistance. Then the thin film resistor is placed in an oxidizing atmosphere. A surface of the thin film resistor is then oxidized to increase the initial value of resistance to the desired value of resistance. The amount of the increase in resistance may be selected by selecting the temperature of the oxidizing atmosphere.

In the manufacture of semiconductor circuits resistor elements are commonly created using thin film resistors ("TFR"). Thin film resistors are usually made of a metal that is combined with another material to mitigate the resistance of the metal and make the thin film resistor material have a high resistance. One typical example of a thin film resistor material is silicon carbide chrome ("SiCCr"). Another typical example is tantalum nitride ("TaN").
Because a high resistance per unit area is generally desired for a thin film resistor, the thickness of a thin film resistor is usually very thin. For example, a thin film resistor may have a thickness from seventy five Ångstroms (75 Å) to one hundred Ångstroms (100 Å). This thickness range may also be expressed as a range from seven and one half nanometers (7.5 mm) to ten nanometers (10.0 nm).
The requirement that a thin film resistor be very thin presents manufacturing problems. During the manufacturing process it may be very difficult to accurately control the thickness of a thin film resistor. The deposition rate of a thin film resistor is relatively high. Any slight variation in the deposition rate will change the thickness of the thin film resistor and affect the value of the resistance of the thin film resistor. Variation in the resistance of the thin film resistors in a semiconductor circuit causes inferior integrated circuit device performance, leading to low yields, increased scrap, and lost market opportunities.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method to adjust the value of resistance of a thin film resistor after the thin film resistor has been manufactured. One prior art method for adjusting the value of resistance of a thin film resistor employs thermal cycles. However, the use of thermal cycles is not always practical. One problem is that a thermal cycle is not self limiting. It is possible that the thermal cycle method may introduce more variation in the resistance of a thin film resistor than it eliminates.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an efficient system and method for adjusting a value of resistance of a thin film resistor after the thin film resistor has been deposited in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

System and method for using plasma to adjust the resistance of thin film resistors


A lock core and key blank are disclosed. The disclosed lock core includes a core body, a core sleeve, a core plug, and a side pin assembly including a side pin, a region pin, and a spring.

The present invention relates to locks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a key and a lock core for a lock.
According to the present disclosure, several embodiments of lock cores are provided to facilitate retracting or extending of a latch bolt and/or deadbolt of a mortise lock, releasing of the shank of a padlock, or unlocking, locking, releasing or other movement of various locks. Additional disclosure of such locks is provided in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/610,639, to Hickman et al., entitled Mortise Lock, U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/635,839, to Strong et al., entitled Lock core, U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,693, to Best et al., entitled Key-Removable Lock Core, U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,001, to Foshee, entitled High Security Lock, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,606, to Russell et al., entitled Electronic Token Lock Core, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. The disclosure of previously filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/718,519, entitled "Key and Core", filed Sep. 19, 2005, to Strong et al. and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/845,647, entitled "Key and Core", filed Sep. 19, 2006, to Strong et al. are also incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
To unlock such a lock, a user inserts a key into a lock core. The lock core includes a set of pin tumblers (not shown) that verify the accesses rights of the inserted key. If the key includes the proper bitting, the pin tumblers of the lock core will properly align in the lock core to permit operation of the lock. Additional details of key bitting and pin tumblers is provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,424,693; 4,836,001; 5,136,869; and 6,668,606, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. According to the present disclosure, a secondary system is also provided to verify the access rights of the key.
According to the present invention a lock core and key combination is provided including a lock core including a sleeve defining an interior region and a finger-receiving notch and a core plug positioned in the interior region of the sleeve to permit rotational movement of the core plug relative to the sleeve. The core plug defines a longitudinally extending keyway and a side pin assembly passage. The side pin assembly passage is positioned adjacent to the keyway. The lock core further includes a side pin assembly including a side pin and a separate region pin positioned longitudinally adjacent to the side pin. The side pin assembly is positioned in the side pin assembly passage to move in a longitudinal direction between a first position blocking movement of the core plug relative to the sleeve and a second position permitting movement of the core plug relative to the sleeve. At least a portion of the region pin is positioned in the keyway. The side pin includes a finger positioned substantially in the finger-receiving notch of the sleeve when the side pin assembly is in the first position and positioned substantially out of the finger-receiving notch when the side pin assembly is in the second position. The combination further includes a key including a bow and a key shank coupled to the bow. The key shank includes a profile corresponding to a profile of the keyway, a longitudinally extending groove that corresponds to an exterior profile of the region pin and a shoulder that contacts the region pin upon insertion of the key shank into the keyway to push on the side pin to move the finger of the side pin substantially out of the finger-receiving notch of the sleeve.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a lock core for use with a key is provided. The lock core includes a sleeve defining an interior region and a finger-receiving notch and a core plug positioned in the interior region of the sleeve to permit rotational movement of the core plug relative to the sleeve. The core plug defines a longitudinally extending keyway and a side pin assembly passage. The side pin assembly passage is positioned adjacent to the keyway. The lock core further includes a side pin assembly including a side pin and a region pin positioned adjacent to the side pin. The side pin assembly is positioned in the side pin assembly passage to move in a longitudinal direction between a first position blocking movement of the core plug relative to the sleeve and a second position permitting rotational movement of the core plug relative to the sleeve. At least a portion of the region pin is positioned in the keyway. The side pin includes a body portion, an arm coupled to the body portion, and a finger coupled to the arm and positioned substantially in the finger-receiving notch of the sleeve when the side pin assembly is in the first position and positioned substantially out of the finger-receiving notch of the sleeve when the side pin assembly is in the second position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of providing a key blank is provided. The method including the steps of providing a key blank for use with at least one of the lock cores of either of the preceding two paragraphs and associating the key blank with at least one of said lock cores.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A system for recycling vented atmosphere gas discharged from a heat treatment chamber utilizing a protective atmosphere gas therein. The system includes an atmosphere recycling apparatus configured to receive the vented atmosphere gas. The atmosphere recycling apparatus includes a gas separator configured to separate the vented atmosphere gas into a purified atmosphere gas stream and an impure stream. The atmosphere recycling apparatus is configured to feed the purified atmosphere gas stream to the heat treatment chamber. A storage vessel can be provided to receive the purified atmosphere gas stream from the atmosphere recycling apparatus, and configured to supplement an atmosphere gas supply to the heat treatment chamber with the purified atmosphere gas stream.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recycling of vented atmosphere gas discharged from a heat treatment chamber utilizing a protective atmosphere gas therein.
2. Discussion of the Background
Metal parts are typically heat treated during the manufacturing process in order to achieve desired characteristics of the metal parts. Heat treating is usually conducted in a protective atmosphere in order to prevent adverse chemical reactions such as oxidation, carburization, hydrogen embrittlement, or nitriding. For most applications, an atmosphere that is chemically inert (e.g., argon, nitrogen for some metals) or chemically reducing (especially atmospheres that are partially or wholly hydrogen) is preferred. Hydrogen annealing, in particular, presents special advantages, as hydrogen has substantially better heat transfer properties and lower viscosity than other gases, and thus has allowed the development of the present state of the art high convection, bell annealing furnaces that mechanically circulate a hydrogen atmosphere around the metal being heat-treated to achieve even heating and freedom from chemical side reactions.
Since metals to be annealed have usually been mechanically-processed with oil lubricant, with or without subsequent washing, there is generally a large amount of contaminant in the form of oil and/or water present on the metal. Naturally, the annealing atmosphere is also initially inundated with atmospheric air, which contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide in large amounts, all of which can cause undesirable chemical reactions as the metal is heated to the desired temperature for annealing, stress relief, etc. In present heat treatment facilities, the atmospheric air is displaced by a first purging gas, which may or may not be the final atmosphere gas, in order to displace the air and some vapour contaminants. Safety usually dictates that this first purging gas is not flammable. Alternatively, a mild vacuum may be applied in alone or in combination with inert gas to achieve the same ends.
As the metal is heated, the first purging gas may be continuously added to carry away evaporating oils and water, and prevent the admission of air, or a second atmosphere (usually hydrogen) may be introduced. Because the level of hydrocarbon, carbon oxide, nitrogen and water vapour impurities otherwise rises in the furnace atmosphere as the liquid materials vaporize and chemically decompose, the atmosphere is continuously removed from the heat treating furnace. Some commonly used strategies for disposing of the atmosphere gas are combustion at the vent (often referred to as "flame curtains"), collection and combustion as low-value fuel, or simply venting the atmosphere.
These methods of removing the impurities from the heat treating atmosphere suffer several drawbacks. Foremost is that these methods are wasteful of the atmosphere gas itself, which is usually costly. Even if recovered as a fuel, the fuel value of the recovered atmosphere gas is usually far lower than the cost of the pure atmosphere gas that is consumed. In the case of venting the atmosphere gas, the volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide impurities in the gas are then dispersed in the ambient air, and form air pollution. At many locations, the emission of such pollutants is regulated, and extra emissions may be strictly prohibited, requiring the addition of expensive post-treatment equipment, such as thermal or catalytic oxidizers.
Methods to recycle metal treating atmospheres have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,242 (hereinafter referred to as "the '242 patent") to Krueger et al., proposes a system for hydrogen recycle where atmosphere gas is filtered, compressed, then supplied to a metal membrane hydrogen purifier. This method is limited in several respects. Because atmosphere gas is usually very hot, it is impractical to compress this gas to the pressures required in the '242 patent unless very small flows are contemplated. Further, the '242 patent provides no means for oil vapour removal before the separation step, meaning that the separator must operate while exposed to the mixed oil and contaminants from the decomposed metal forming oil, rinse solution, etc. Metal membrane purifiers are very sensitive to poisoning by sulphur, carbon deposition, etc., and thus are not usable for typical furnace atmospheres containing such compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,592 (hereinafter referred to as "the '592 patent") to Garg et al., presents another atmosphere recycling approach which is useful for removing water vapour and oxygen impurities only. Like the '242 patent, the '592 patent suggests that an adsorption gas dryer may be used to remove water vapor. In the case of the '592 patent, this water vapour is actually formed by catalytic reaction of trace oxygen with hydrogen as well as through pre-existing water vapour from the vented atmosphere gas. The catalysts used in the '592 patent are also very sensitive to deactivation by hydrocarbon vapors, by sulphur present in metalworking oils, and by carbon monoxide. Thus, the method of the '592 patent is not suitable for metallurgical atmospheres where these impurities are present. The '592 process is also incapable of ridding the vented atmosphere gas of unwanted inerts such as nitrogen, so is not capable of use when the atmosphere being recycled is desirably free of nitrogen, as in argon or hydrogen atmospheres.
Neither the '242 patent nor the '592 patent provide a means for excluding vented atmosphere gas during periods when impurity levels are such that they can not be effectively removed by the purification apparatus. Thus, during such periods, the vented atmosphere gas may cause equipment degradation or malfunction, or result in the recycle of substantial impurities to the heat treatment atmosphere.

Method and system for atmosphere recycling


A holder for a disk having a central opening and front and back surfaces includes a base having a planar panel and a forwardly projecting pedestal including a ring for supporting the disk, an inwardly extending disk member, a plurality of stem members for engaging the disk opening, and a corresponding plurality of U-shaped connector segments supporting the stem members in cantilevered relation to the disk member. Alternating ones of the stem members have outwardly projecting retainer members and inwardly projecting tab members, collectively forming a button surface for receiving downward pressure whereby the disk is releasable. Deformation of the pedestal in response to the downward pressure is concentrated in the connector segments and, to a limited extent, an innermost portion of the disk member, providing improved structural integrity for a given downward force required to release the disk.

The present invention relates to optical data disks such as compact disks (CDs) and video disks (DVDs) that have central circular locating openings, and more particularly to devices for holding and/or protectively enclosing such disks for storage of same.
Data disks such as compact disks and video disks typically have large amounts of digitally stored information that is optically readable through a transparent bottom layer of the disk by a movable head during rotation of the disk. The information is arranged in one or more tracks that are covered by a thin protective top layer of the disk that can have labeling applied thereto such as by silkscreening. Normal handling of the disk can result in scratching of the bottom layer, resulting in loss of data by interference with the optical path such as by loss of focus and/or lateral image displacement. Also, data can be lost by scratching of the protective layer which is typically very thin, on the order of 20 microns, resulting in removal of information from a vapor deposited metal layer that is only about 0.1 micron thick. Protective containers for the disks in common use have a central pedestal for supportively gripping the disc by engaging the central opening without contacting either side of the disk within data-containing regions thereof. Such containers typically have a ledge for contacting portions of an outer perimeter of the disk for stabilizing the disk against tipping on the pedestal. The disk is loaded into the container by lowering it onto the pedestal while gripping opposite perimeter portions, engagement with the pedestal being typically effected by simultaneous finger pressure against the disk proximate the central opening. Removal of the disk is similarly effected by finger pressure against the pedestal and simultaneous lifting at the perimeter portions.
Disk holders and containers of the prior art typically exhibit one or more of the following disadvantages:
1. They are ineffective in that the disk can easily become disengaged from the pedestal in normal and/or expected handling of the device;
2. They have structural components that are likely to be snagged or damaged during normal use and handling;
3. They are difficult to operate as to engagement and/or disengagement of the disk; and
4. They are excessively complex, involving high tooling costs, expensive quality control, and/or high rejection rates in production.
Thus there is a need for a protective disk container that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art.


A system and a method for recovering and increasing the pressure of seal leak gas for recycle or passage to further processing.

In many industrial processes it is necessary that gases be compressed. Typically turbine compressors, centrifugal compressors, pumps, screw compressors and the like may be used for this purpose. Such equipment is referred to herein generally as compressors. The compressors typically include seals for the passage of rotary components through sidewalls, ends or the like of the compressors. These seals are typically designed to permit leakage of small amounts of compressed gases through the seal. Many times the passage of the gas is due to wear of the seal but in many instances seals are designed to permit leakage of a selected quantity of gas in normal operation.
The seal leak gas in many instances may be harmful to the environment or constitute a valuable product which is desired to be recovered. In either event, it is typically recovered by positioning covers over the seal areas to sealingly contain the area around the seal with the cover positioned so that the seal leak gas is collected inside the cover. The cover may include a passageway, including a seal, for a rotary component passing through the cover into the compressor. Covers can be of a wide variety of configurations so long as they are effective to sealingly contact the unit containing the seal so that the gas is recovered in the cover. The cover typically has included a line for the passage of the gas into the atmosphere or more frequently to a stack or the like where the gas can be burned or passed to a gas processing system. The seal at the passageway does not present a leakage problem since the gas inside the cover is typically at a low pressure.
Since this seal gas is at relatively low pressures, it typically does not flow readily to further treatment. Usually the seal gas is vented or combusted at atmospheric or near atmospheric pressure. Accordingly, a pump or a fan system is typically required to move the seal leak gas to a treatment area, stack area, or the like if the system is at any level of positive pressure. It is difficult to economically recompress the gas for reuse, if it is a desirable gas. The economics dictate that the gases be sent to a flare for burning or the like even if they are valuable in view of the expense to recover the gases and pass them back for reuse.
Accordingly, a continuing search has been directed to the development of a method and system for economically collecting such gases and increasing their pressure so that they may be either reused or readily passed to further treatment.

System and method for collecting and increasing the pressure of seal leak gas


A DLL circuit includes a phase comparator configured to compare timing between a first clock signal and a second clock signal, a delay circuit configured to delay the first clock signal for output as the second clock signal by a delay length responsive to a result of comparison by the phase comparator, and a control circuit configured to suspend supply of the first clock signal to the phase comparator temporarily while the second clock signal is supplied to the phase comparator.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to DLL circuits, and particularly relates to a DLL circuit which generates a clock signal having a predetermined delay relative to a clock signal input from an exterior.
2. Description of the Related Art
A DLL (Delay Locked Loop) circuit serves to control the delay time of a delay element by a feedback loop, such that a delay clock signal derived by delaying an input clock signal by the delay element and the input clock signal have a predetermined delay time difference with each other.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the construction of a related-art DLL circuit.
A DLL circuit 10 of FIG. 1 includes a phase comparator 101, a charge pump 102, a loop filter 103, a voltage-controlled delay element (VCDL) 104, and a voltage-controlled delay element (VCDL) 105. A clock signal CLK input from an exterior is supplied to the voltage-controlled delay element 104. The voltage-controlled delay element 104 receives the output of the loop filter 103 as an input control voltage, and delays the clock signal CLK by a delay length responsive to the control voltage. As for the construction of the voltage-controlled delay element 104, provision may be made to reduce a delay length in response to a drop in the input control voltage, or may be made to reduce a delay length in response to a rise in the input control voltage. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the construction assumed here is such that the delay length is reduced in response to a drop in the input control voltage.
The delay clock signal that is output from the voltage-controlled delay element 104 is supplied to one input of the phase comparator 101. The other input of the phase comparator 101 receives the clock signal CLK input from the exterior.
The phase comparator 101 compares the timing of edges of the clock signal CLK with the timing of edges of the delay clock signal. When the timing of the clock signal CLK is earlier, the phase comparator 101 supplies a down-instruction signal to the charge pump 102. In response to the down-instruction signal, the charge pump 102 draws electric charge out of the loop filter 103, resulting in the output voltage of the loop filter 103 being lowered. Consequently, the delay time of the voltage-controlled delay element 104 is shortened.
When the timing of the clock signal CLK is later, the phase comparator 101 supplies a up-instruction signal to the charge pump 102. In response to the up-instruction signal, the charge pump 102 supplies electric charge to the loop filter 103, resulting in the output voltage of the loop filter 103 being raised. Consequently, the delay time of the voltage-controlled delay element 104 is lengthened.
Through such feedback control, the delay of the delay clock signal is adjusted in such a manner that the edges of the delay clock signal output from the voltage-controlled delay element 104 are aligned with the edges of the clock signal CLK input from the exterior. Specifically, the delay of the voltage-controlled delay element 104 is adjusted to be equal to once clock cycle of the clock signal CLK.
The voltage-controlled delay element 105 has the same circuit construction as the voltage-controlled delay element 104, and receives the same output voltage of the loop filter 103 that is supplied to the voltage-controlled delay element 104. With this provision, the voltage-controlled delay element 105 delays a data signal DATA by a delay length equal to the clock cycle of the clock signal. The delay length controlled by the DLL circuit 10 is stable regardless of the operating voltage of the DLL circuit 10 or ambient temperature. In this manner, a data path having a desired delay length is provided.
[Patent reference 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-163963

DLL circuit with delay equal to one clock cycle


A transmission arrangement includes a main transmitter (100) for transmitting a first broadcast transmission signal in a reception area (104), and a receiver apparatus (106) adapted to receive the first broadcast transmission signal (102) and to transmit a second broadcast transmission signal (110) in response to the reception of the first broadcast transmission signal. The first broadcast transmission signal (102) includes subsequent first information packets (IPMT1, IPMT2, IPMT3, . . . ) with subsequent first information packets (IPMTi) having at least two subsequent information blocks (IBMTi.1, IBMTi.2) having substantially the same information. The second broadcast transmission signal includes subsequent second information packets (IPRS1, IPRS2, IPRS3, . . . ) with subsequent second information packets (IPRSi) having at least one information block (IBRSi). The second information packets (IPRSi) of the second broadcast transmission signal (110) are of substantially the same length in time as the first information packets (IPMTi) of the first broadcast transmission signal and the information blocks (IBRSi) of the second information packets are of substantially the same length in time as the information blocks (IBMT i,j) of the first information packets. The receiver apparatus (106) is further adapted to transmit the second broadcast transmission signal such in time, that the formation blocks (IBMTi.2, IBMT i+1.2, . . . ) in the first information packets in the first broadcast transmission signal are correlated in time with the at least first information blocks (IBRS i, IBRS i+1, . . . ) in the second information packets in the second broadcast transmission signal. This results in an increase of the reception area of the main transmitter by the reception area of the receiver apparatus.

The media users often desire additional information on a currently running event, such as an international football match. This can be obtained e.g., via the Internet (P2P). If a large number of users call up the same content (in the same place) at the same time, a broadcast transmission is more economical.
If the spatial distribution (for wireless provision) can no longer be undertaken using a base station (a main transmitter), the radio broadcasting often utilizes SFN (single frequency network) in its networks, as also described in the above-mentioned patent application.

Transmission arrangement provided with a main transmitter and at least one receiver apparatus


To economically produce a polyacetal copolymer excellent in properties including thermal stability by copolymerizing trioxane as the main monomer through simple steps, a polyacetal copolymer is produced by copolymerizing trioxane as the main monomer using a nonvolatile protonic acid catalyst as a polymerization catalyst until the conversion reaches at least 60% (based on all monomers), and then vaporizing unreacted monomers to separate, remove, and recover the same from the polymerization system to thereby reduce the residual monomer content of the polymerization system to 5% by weight or lower.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the production of a polyacetal copolymer. More particularly, this invention relates to a process for economically producing a polyacetal copolymer excelling in such qualities as thermal stability by a simple procedure of copolymerizing trioxane as a main monomer and a comonomer copolymerizable therewith in the presence of a specific nonvolatile protonic acid catalyst as a polymerization catalyst thereby enabling unaltered monomers occurring in the latter stage or the final stage of the polymerization to be efficiently and economically removed from the polymerization system and recovered for reuse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a process for the production of a polyacetal copolymer, the cationic polymerization using trioxane as a main monomer and a cyclic ether or cyclic formal possessing adjoining carbon atoms as a comonomer has been known. As cationically active catalysts for use in the polymerizations of this class, Lewis acids, particularly halogenides of boron, tin, titanium, phosphorus, and antimony such as, for example, boron trifluoride, tin tetrachloride, titanium tetrachloride, phosphorus penta-chloride, phosphorus pentafluoride, bismuth pentafluoride, and antimony pentafluoride, and such compounds as complex compounds or salts thereof, protonic acids such as, for example, perfluoro-alkyl sulfonic acids and perchloro acids, esters of the protonic acids, particularly esters of perchloro acids with lower aliphatic alcohols such as, for example, perchloro acid-tertiary butyl esters, protonic anhydrides, particularly mixed anhydride of perchloro acids with lower aliphatic carboxylic acids such as, for example, acetyl perchlorate, or trimethyl oxonium hexafluoro-phosphate, triphenylmethylhexafluoroarsenate, acetyl tetrafluoroborate, acetyl hexafluorophosphate, and acetyl hexafluoroarsenate have been proposed.
Among other catalytically active catalysts mentioned above, boron trifluoride or a coordination compound of boron trifluoride with an organic compound such as, for example, an ether is most widely utilized on a commercial scale as the catalyst for the polymerization having trioxane as a main monomer.
No matter which catalyst may be adopted, the rate of polymerization decreases so suddenly in the latter stage of polymerization as to render it extremely difficult to obtain quickly a yield of polymerization approximating closely to 100%. The polymerization consumes a very long time and, therefore, proves inefficient. In the latter stage of polymerization, the catalyst rather predominantly manifests an action of promoting the decomposition of the formed polymer and results in not only decreasing the molecular weight but also degrading such qualities as thermal stability. When the amount of the polymerization catalyst is increased, the overall rate of polymerization is indeed exalted. This increase, however, does not necessarily prove a proper measure for the overall process of polymerization because the catalyst in the increased amount further aggravates the degradation of the quality of the produced crude polymer and calls for a complicated stabilizing treatment in the latter stage.
The production of a polyacetal copolymer, therefore, has heretofore resorted generally to a method which comprises stopping the polymerization at a stage of relatively low conversion by adding to the polymerization system a solution containing an agent for inactivating the catalyst, washing the unaltered monomer remaining in the polymerization system, recovering the monomer in a refined form, and putting the recovered monomer to reuse. Since the unaltered monomer washed in this method is recovered in the form of a solution containing the monomer at a relatively low concentration, the reuse thereof necessitates use of a complicated process and consumption of energy for the sake of separation and purification. When the recovery of the unaltered monomer is abandoned, the unaltered monomer is completely wasted. In any event, the unaltered monomer turns out to be an economic burden.

Process for producing polyacetal copolymer


An exhaust port liner, which may include a superalloy and may be manufactured by an additive manufacturing process, includes a monolithic structure including an outlet disposed an angle relative to an inlet, and a sidewall defining a cavity to provide enhanced thermal performance in reciprocating internal combustion engines. A cylinder head of an internal combustion engine may include a cylinder head frame, and the exhaust port liner may be disposed proximate the frame inner mounting surface, with an outer surface of the exhaust port liner conforming to an inner mounting surface of the cylinder head frame.

The cylinder head of modern reciprocating engines is subjected to extremes of loading, both in terms of high forces (imposed by gas pressures) and high thermal loads. Aluminum alloys are the favored material for many such engines, due to their combination of strength and light weight, plus casting ability.
A major problem within aluminum alloy cylinder heads is control of material temperature. Most suitable alloys have sharply decreasing resistance to yield above temperatures of approximately 260° C. The exhaust gases of such engines may reach 900° C. or more. These exhaust gases generally pass from the exhaust valve(s) through passages in the cylinder head (generally referred to as the exhaust ports) to the exhaust manifold or header pipes. Thus much effort is expended in designing the cylinder head, such that the material forming the ports is adequately cooled. The problem is particularly severe in air-cooled cylinder head designs.
In view of these problems, it is common practice to provide some form of thermal insulation or shield between the exhaust gases and the aluminum alloy which forms the exhaust port. Such so-called port liners are generally formed of ceramic material, which has very low thermal conductivity and hence prevents much of the heat flow from exhaust gas to the aluminum alloy. Such liners are generally placed into the mold prior to casting of the cylinder head. However, ceramic liners suffer from two major problems:                they are generally very brittle and hence prone to fracture both before casting, and during service; and        they have extremely low coefficients of thermal expansion, while aluminum alloys generally have relatively high coefficients of thermal expansion, resulting in high stresses being generated at the interface between the ceramic port liner and the parent material of the cylinder head, when the engine becomes hot.


Acrylic block copolymers are described which are inherently tacky. Also described are compositions of the copolymers which exhibit properties enabling their use as pressure sensitive adhesives, without addition of tackifiers and/or subsequent processing.

Pressure sensitive adhesives are well known in the art and can be based upon various polymeric components. Typically, pressure sensitive adhesives are rendered tacky by incorporation of one or more tackifiers into the adhesive and/or by subsequent processing of the adhesive components.
Although satisfactory in many respects; expenditures of material costs, time, and effort are typically associated with producing a pressure sensitive adhesive from its underlying adhesive components. Accordingly, it would be desirable to produce a pressure sensitive adhesive while reducing and ideally eliminating the attendant costs and burdens typically associated with producing such adhesives.


Disclosed is a manufacturing method of an integrated capacitor including: forming a hole in a semiconductor substrate; depositing a dielectric film on an inner face of the formed hole; heat-treating the deposited dielectric film; depositing a silicon film on the dielectric film; embedding a resist film in the hole except an upper portion of the inner face of the hole on which the dielectric film and the silicon film are deposited; etching the silicon film on the heat-treated dielectric film with the embedded resist film as a mask; removing the resist film; removing the heat-treated dielectric film by etching with the silicon film remaining after the etching as a mask; and embedding an electrode material in the hole having the dielectric film remaining after the removal by etching, and the integrated capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of an integrated capacitor to be integrated into a semiconductor device and such an integrated capacitor, more particularly, to a manufacturing method of an integrated capacitor having a high dielectric constant capacitor insulating film and the integrated capacitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor memory such as a DRAM which is an integrated circuit requires, as an integrated element, a capacitor (electrostatic capacitance element) for the accumulation of charge in addition to a transistor. With an increase in memory size from 256 Mb to 512 Mb and further to a gigabit-class memory size, an improvement in the degree of integration of elements is inevitably demanded. To improve the degree of integration, an integrated capacitor having a structure (trench capacitor) in which a hole is formed in a semiconductor substrate, a capacitor insulating film is formed on an inner face of the hole, and an electrode material is embedded in the hole is already used. The capacitor thus structured is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2003-282734 (Patent Document 1). According to this, it is possible to form a higher electrostatic capacitance capacitor with smaller dimensions as a plan view.
To enable the trench capacitor to cope with higher integration, measures to reduce an area in the plan view and secure an electrostatic capacitance as the capacitor are needed. As one of these measures, it is conceivable to use a high dielectric constant film as the capacitor insulating film. In this case, a point to consider is how the high dielectric constant film is formed at high quality in a desired region. The high dielectric constant film has a different property from a low dielectric constant film (such as silicon oxide), whereby a processing (etching) method different from a conventional one is needed. Incidentally, etching of a material which serves as the high dielectric constant film is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2003-234325 (Patent Document 2).                [Patent Document 1] JP-A 2003-282734        [Patent Document 2] JP-A 2003-234325
A point to notice when a high dielectric constant film is used as a capacitor insulating film is a reduction in leakage current. This is because, if the leakage current is large, a basic characteristic as a capacitor cannot be secured. It is understood here that to reduce the leakage current, it is useful that a high dielectric constant material is heat-treated and crystallized. However, the crystallized high dielectric constant film is very hard to etch in terms of processability. Accordingly, it is difficult to manufacture an integrated capacitor with a trench structure using the high dielectric constant film.

Manufacturing method of integrated capacitor


A drive positioning apparatus which comprises at least one motor for driving a seat or a steering wheel shaft, a preset memory for memorizing operating data of the motor, a memory drive circuit for actuating the motor automatically according to the memorized data, a manual switch for actuating the motor manually, an ignition switch provided with a KEY contact, an IGN contact and an ACC contact for supplying electric power to electrical equipment which is so structured as to change to its OFF-state interlockingly by an ON-operation of a ST contact used for actuating an engine starter motor, and a control mechanism for prohibiting the automatic actuation of the motor in a case where predetermined time elapses after the ACC contact changes to the OFF-state from its ON-state while the motor is being actuated automatically.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drive positioning apparatus used for driving a seat and/or steering wheel of, for example, an automotive vehicle back and forth, up and down, and so on, and for positioning them automatically in memorized positions suitable for a driver or drivers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there has been used a drive positioning apparatus as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, for example.
Namely, the drive positioning apparatus 100 is provided with a lift-motor for driving the seat up or down, a recliner-motor for adjusting a reclining angle of a seat back of the seat and the like in addition to a slide-motor 101 for sliding the seat in a front or rear direction, however the slide-motor 101 is only shown in FIG. 5 on behalf of the aforementioned motors since they have the same circuit configuration as that of the slide-motor 101.
A power terminal 101a of the slide-motor 101 is connected with a travelling contact rl1-1 of a relay RL1, and a normal-close side fixed contact rl1-2 of the relay RL1 is connected with a power source 50 and a relay coil rl1-3 of the relay RL1 through a node a.
The relay coil rl1-3 is connected to the collector of a transistor Tr1, a manual switch port 102a of a controller 102 and a front-slide manual switch 103, and a normal-open side fixed contact rl1-4 of the relay RL1 is grounded.
The emitter of the transistor Tr1 is grounded, and the base of the transistor Tr1 is connected to an output port 102b of the controller 102.
Another power terminal 101b of the slide-motor 101 is connected with a travelling contact rl2-1 of a relay RL2, and a normal-close side fixed contact rl2-2 of the relay RL2 is connected with a relay coil rl2-3 of the relay RL2 through a node b connected to the node a.
The relay coil rl2-3 is connected to the collector of a transistor Tr2, a manual switch port 102c of a controller 102 and a rear-slide manual switch 104, and a normal-open side fixed contact rl2-4 of the relay RL2 is grounded.
The emitter of the transistor Tr2 is grounded, and the base of the transistor Tr2 is connected to an output port 102d of the controller 102.
The controller 102 is provided with a microcomputer in which signals are input from a switch board (not shown) through an I/O interface circuit, and ports 102e, 102f and 102g connected with a key switch 105 for detecting insertion and extraction of an ignition key (not shown), an accessory switch 106 for supplying electric power to respective electrical equipment including this drive positioning apparatus and an ignition switch 107 for supplying electric power to a spark plug of an engine, respectively.
The ignition switch 107 is equipped with a start switch 109 for actuating a starter motor 108 in order to start the engine, and the accessory switch 106 is so structured as to be changed into its OFF-state while the start switch 109 is in its ON-state interlockingly in order to make easy to start the engine by cutting off the power supply to the electrical equipment inclusive of the slide-motor 101 and other motors of this drive positioning apparatus and thereby lightening load of the battery (power source 50).
In a case of shifting the position of the seat into a position suitable for the driver by a hand operation, the front slide manual switch 103 or the rear-slide manual switch 104 disposed on the switch board is switched on, thereby changing the travelling contact rl1-1 of the relay RL1 into the normal open side fixed contact rl1-4 from the normal-close side fixed contact rl1-2, or the travelling contact rl2-1 of the relay RL2 into the normal open side fixed contact rl2-4 from the normal-closed side fixed contact rl2-2. Consequently, an electric current flows to the power terminal 101a from the power terminal 101b of the slide-motor 101, or flows to the power terminal 101b from the power terminal 101a of the slide-motor 101, and the slide-motor 101 rotates in the forward or reverse direction during the operation of the front-slide manual switch 103 or the rear-slide manual switch 104, so that the seat is driven in the front or rear direction slidingly.
In a case of memorizing the seat position suitable for the driver, the front-slide manual switch 103 or the rear-side manual switch 104 is changed on, thereby rotating the slide-motor 101 in the forward or reverse direction and driving the seat into the suitable position for the driver, and then the slide-motor 101 is stopped by changing off the manual switch 103 or 104. A set switch on the switch board is operated preparatively.
Subsequently, by a setting operation of a memory switch disposed on the switch board in this state, the microcomputer detects the positional displacement of the seat by counting the number of rotations (pulses) of the slide-motor 101 until the seat arrives at the present position, and the present seat position is stored in the microcomputer as the number of the rotations of the slide motor 101.
After this, it is possible to drive the slide-motor 101 automatically until the seat arrives to the suitable seat position memorized in the microcomputer according to a signal output from the output port 102b or 102d of the microcomputer by only a positioning operation of the memory switch on the switch board.
When the start switch 109 is turned on at time E in order to start the engine while the slide motor 101 is being actuated automatically in response to the positioning operation as shown in FIG. 6A, the accessory switch 106 is designed so as to be changed interlockingly into the OFF-state for a time as long as the amount of time the start switch 109 is continued to be turned on, and the automatic actuation of the slide-motor 101 is suspended temporarily in order to lighten the load of the battery and make easy to start the engine. When the start switch 109 is turned off at time F and the accessory switch 106 returns to the ON-state interlockingly, the automatic actuation of the slide-motor 101 is resumed.
However, in the aforementioned conventional drive positioning apparatus 100, when the accessory switch 106 becomes impossible to return into the ON-state by some failure, such as a contact fault, the slide-motor 101 is kept in the state in which its automatic actuation is suspended in spite of turning off the start switch 109 at time F after turning on it at time E as shown in FIG. 6B. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the seat begins unexpectedly to move toward the memorized seat position if the accessory switch 106 returns to its ON-state at time G by some reason, such as vibration from the engine.

Memory drive positioning apparatus for seat or steering wheel shaft


A substrate is provided with a release surface by application of an emulsion of a vinyl-addition silicone system and catalyst therefor and a particulate component, preferably a resin. The vinyl addition silicone system is cured upon application of heat and removal of water.

This invention relates to release surfaces utile for release liners and adhesive contacting release surfaces for self-wound tapes among other applications.
A major utility of the invention concerns an improved release liner (or backing) for use in combination with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and a face stock preferably for label applications. In such combinations, the release liner protects the pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) prior to the label being used and is removed immediately prior to application of the label to another surface.
Additionally, the release liner serves to facilitate cost effective manufacture of rolls or sheets of labels. It also functions as a carrier of labels for dispensing in automatic labeling operations and for computer printing in EDP applications. The performance attributes of a release liner are critical to both the manufacture and end-use application of pressure sensitive adhesive labels.
In conventional practice, the release liner is provided as a silicone layer on a support layer having high holdout, i.e., the support layer on which the silicone layer is deposited is resistant to silicone penetration. Where the support layer is paper, a special and, therefore, expensive paper, such as a super-calendered or densified glossy paper, is required. One currently accepted way of applying a silicone release composition to a high-holdout support layer is by solvent coating. Growing concern over the environment has imposed stringent restrictions regarding recovery of the solvent used in applying the solvent based silicone to the high-holdout backing paper or other materials.
An alternative to this is to use 100% solids silicone release compositions. These are supplied with a viscosity (usually <2000 cps) suitable for roll-coating techniques. Application of these to porous substrates such as low cost papers, machine finished (MF) or machine glazed (MG) papers, finds these materials to soak into the paper (penetrate the paper surface) to give ineffective coverage of the paper fibers unless excessively high quantities of expensive silicone are used. Ineffective coverage of the paper fibers provides unsuitable release liners for PSA applications especially where high speed convertibility is an essential performance feature.
A major application for a release liner is as part of bulk rolls of laminate consisting of the release liner, a face stock between which there is contained an inherently tacky self-adhesive, or pressure-sensitive adhesive. The adhesive may be permanent or repositionable. The rolls are converted by printing label information on the face stock, die cutting the labels through the face stock and adhesive to the surface of the release liner, followed by removal of the matrix surrounding the labels thus leaving a plurality of labels on the release liner.
It is important that the force required for release be sufficiently low for the intended application, but not so low that the die cut labels will release or predispense from a moving web turning a corner or remove with the waste matrix during its removal. The release force should also be not so high that the matrix is broken during its removal.
It would be desirable to provide a release liner which can be manufactured in a more economical fashion under a condition which eliminates the risk of environmental pollution, and in which the release level can be controlled at a variety of peel rates so as to enable high-speed convertibility, i.e., die cutting, matrix stripping.
Some attempts have been made to formulate release liners under environmentally safe conditions. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,618,657 and 4,713,410 to Katchko, et al., propose the application of a reactive silicone as a component of an aqueous emulsion which also contains a blend of a fluid hydroxyl-functional resin, which is a fatty acid, or fatty alcohol-containing polyester, and a crosslinking agent for the hydroxy resin. The silicone portion is either a hydroxy- or alkoxy-functional polysiloxane, or a vinyl-addition type silicone.
The hydroxyl-functional polysiloxanes are reactive with the hydroxyl-functionality in the polyol-modified polyester resin. Alkoxy-functionality is also reactive with hydroxyl-functionality in the polyester resin, and a tin-based catalyst assists these condensation reactions. The crosslinker (hydrogen-functional polysiloxane) of the vinyl-addition type silicone can also react with hydroxyl functionality of the polyester resin or with unsaturation in the polyester resin, as well as the vinyl portion of the vinyl-silicone base polymer.
The polyester resins described in the '657 patent are said to be of low molecular weight and are further defined in the '410 patent to be free flowing liquids at room temperature. As such, they too can permeate into porous surfaces such as low cost, MF or MG papers in a manner similar to the 100% solids silicones. Their primary utility lies in the use of less-expensive polyester resins with silicone emulsions to reduce the overall cost of the release composition.
Among other difficulties with the systems described in the '410 and the '657 patents is that stratification must also occur, with the polyester resin stratifying to the paper and the silicone stratifying or "blooming" to the surface of the resin to form, in essence, a paper-resin-silicone laminate. Stratification takes time, and this results in liners having performance properties which are dependent upon processing speed.
The technology of the '657 and '410 patents has been evaluated, and the systems provided therein gave backings exhibiting excessive resin penetration into the machine-glazed paper backing and an appearance which would preclude acceptance in the marketplace. After two weeks at ambient temperature, these constructions developed a strong, offensive odor. Release values, when used in combination with a commercial emulsion acrylic adhesive, were too high (i.e., 50 to 55 N/m) at room temperature for all label applications. When the silicone constituent was varied, release could be lowered to 25 to 30 N/m at room temperature, but a greater amount of silicone was required. Appearance remained poor, with heavy streaking. Keil aging values were not obtained.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,833 to Mune, et al, describes a system where a condensation-curable, hydroxyl-functional emulsion silicone system is used in combination with aqueous resins having film-forming ability and bearing hydroxyl- and/or carboxyl-functional groups. The silicone content is high, 50-80%. In addition to having limited utility in respect to emulsion acrylic adhesives, condensation-curable silicones cure at an extremely slow rate, making them commercially unattractive for high-speed web processes.
Similarly, Japanese Patent Publication Sho 51-139835 to Vemura describes an emulsion, contained therein in a reactive condensation curable silicone, where the catalyst is an acid, alkali, amine, or organic metal salt (usually tin salt) used in combination with a resin emulsion. Where the resin may be inert, it is preferably reactive with the silicone. This technology would also be unsuitable for high-speed web processes.
The present invention relates to the improvement in the release surfaces utilizing aqueous-based silicone resin systems not heretofore contemplated in the art and adaptive to a broad-based utility in all phases where release surface is required, including all applications where controlled release is required.


Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for facilitating optimization of mobile application testing. In one embodiment, a mobile application testing system (MATS) allows simultaneous communication to a plurality of devices regardless of device type and operating system. Accordingly, the MATS performs mobile testing without “jail-breaking” or removing various components of the user device. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the MATS enables users to securely test mobile applications by supporting data routing behind a security firewall utilizing a transition of communications protocols. Further, various protocols provide a data tunnel allowing multiple concurrent testing sessions for multiple users via an authentication scheme. Additionally, concurrent testing sessions may include single app testing on multiple devices or a plurality of apps testing on a plurality of devices.

Advances in mobile devices and mobile device technology have increased user productivity in everyday life. These advances in mobile device technology and productivity have created a proliferation of mobile applications and software packages designed to be installed on a user's mobile device to provide a source of entertainment, easy access to certain content, or streamline common tasks associated with everyday living. Consumers who use mobile applications (also described herein as applications, app(s), and the like) have the expectation these mobile applications will be completely functional and user-friendly upon initial download and use. Therefore, application developers want to ensure, prior to the release of an application, the mobile application is tested and functions as intended.
Because the process of functional testing is typically arduous, many application development companies pay extra money to outsource functional testing to third-party application testing companies that possess the capability to perform such tests. Many third-party application testing entities facilitate application testing using various apparatuses and software designed to make testing easier. These apparatuses and solutions, however, often render various proprietary data (e.g., application source code, testing parameters, etc.) vulnerable to possible external attacks from hackers. Furthermore, providing developers user-testing authentication to further maximize security measures for proprietary information is typically not an available option for many third-party testing entities.
In addition, many of the apparatuses used for application functional testing use optical character recognition (OCR) to determine and view various embedded objects on a the device screen. However, this method is not as efficient as other object capturing methods; wherein OCR provides various object location deficiencies such as positional on-screen accuracy errors, visual errors, imprecise capture methods, etc. In particular, these deficiencies may not completely enable all objects present to be scripted for testing, which may prove to be difficult for a thorough application functionality test.
Further, most apparatus and software configurations offer limited testing capacity as many apparatuses can only support of limited number of devices for simultaneous testing, and in some cases only one device at a time. Many of the contracted third-party entities are only able to test one operating system platform (i.e., Android, iOS, Windows, etc.) at a time due to programming language and protocol constraints. Additionally, because of opposing platform constraints, some companies desire only to support testing on one solitary operating system. Further, some of the third-party testing entities have apparatuses and software that require opening or disassembling a portion of the phone to connect additional hardware (usually via soldering additional wires) to perform the testing process. Further still, most existing solutions require "jailbreaking" of the device to fully test all desired functionality.
Therefore, there is a long-felt but unresolved need for systems and methods that provide a unified application testing mechanism for testing various applications on various devices and platforms. In particular, there is a need for a system that enables application developers to seamlessly and simultaneously test a plurality of applications on a single apparatus regardless of operating system platform or the number of different tests running on the same apparatus. There is a further need for a system and method to provide an effective solution for secure application testing enabling proprietary data to remain private.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for testing mobile device applications


The system and method is directed to improved separation or clarification of solids from a solids-laden liquid, including the removal of low gravity solids. A liquid to be treated is introduced into the inlet of a solid-liquid separator modified to include one or more sources of vibrational energy. The liquid is directed through a conduit within the separator. This conduit can be configured into a tortuous flow path to assist in the separation of solids from the liquid, the tortuous path being interconnected between two separation towers. Vibrational energy and gas sparging is applied to the flow path. As solids fall out of solution, they are collected. The clarified liquid is also collected. A vacuum can be applied to the system to assist in moving the solid-liquid mixture through the system and to provide vacuum clarification. Electrocoagulation electrodes can also be employed.

The present invention is directed generally to a method and apparatus for removing solids from a solid-liquid mixture, as well as the removal of entrained gasses. Example solid-liquid mixtures include, e.g., drilling mud used in the oilfield industry, sewage, coal slurries, mining wastes, feed water for industrial applications, and other mixtures desired to be clarified. By way of one example, the method and apparatus of the present invention could be used alone or in combination with de-silters, de-sanders, de-gassers, shakers and shaker screens, and/or centrifuges used to treat drilling fluids in an oil field application.
The present invention is also directed to an apparatus and method (either as fixed installations, or as mobile systems for rapid deployment) for removal of low gravity solids (LGS) and low gravity colloidal material from liquids, such as, for example, drilling fluids, oil-base drilling fluids (mud), water-base drilling fluid (mud), and other liquids containing LGS or low gravity colloidal material. The systems and methods of the present invention can also be employed in various additional applications, including, for example and without limitation, treatment/separation of supersaturated brines, oil- or bunker fuel-contaminated water (fresh and sea water), offshore oil spill cleanup, slurrified contaminated soils, contaminated liquids, septic system fluids, environmental remediation, including onshore pipeline ruptures where contaminated soil must be cleaned, containment pond cleanups, and oil-contaminated sand (e.g., from oil spills contaminating the beach sand).


A fluid delivery device for delivering a substance to a patient by way of infusion delivers the preparation at a rate of flow which varies in steps from a substantially constant higher rate, to a stepped-down substantially constant lower rate or rates. The delivery device includes one or more reservoirs, and one or more Belleville springs for applying generally constant pressures to the substance contained in the reservoirs. Each reservoir will have a different constant pressure applied in a mid-range of operation. The reservoirs can be interconnected to each other and to an infusion device in a number of arrangements, including various manifolds and flow restrictors, such that the rate of flow is controlled in steps in accordance with the pressures applied by the springs of the plurality of reservoirs.

When medicinal doses are delivered to patients by infusion, it is sometimes desirable to deliver the medicinal dose at an initially high rate and then deliver the remaining dose at one or more stepped-down lower rates. For example, it is typically desirable for an initial flow for drug infusion to be substantially higher than the desired therapeutic rate, so as to rapidly increase the blood concentration into the desired therapeutic range. This initial high rate of flow is called the "bolus rate". Once the drug concentration has been increased into the therapeutic range, the flow rate is dropped to the rate necessary to maintain the concentration of the drug in the therapeutic range. This latter flow rate is called the "basal rate".
Prior to the present invention described below, to achieve a stepped adjustment of the flow rate automatically, an infusion device with an electronically-controlled pump was required. Accordingly, there is a need for a non-electronic infusion device of a simple mechanical construction which does not require a pump, and which can automatically deliver drugs to a patient by way of infusion at an initial high infusion rate, followed by one or more stepped-down lower infusion rates.

Multi-stage fluid delivery device and method


A flat base plate sits atop a motor-vehicle panel and is formed with a mounting pin extending downward through the panel. A flat antenna circuit board sits on the base plate, and a connector cable extends upward through the pin and through the base plate and is connected to the circuit board. A one-piece mounting element is unitarily formed with an upper face and latch legs projecting upward from the upper face and having barb ends latchingly engageable with the circuit board to retain the circuit board on the upper face. It is further unitarily formed with a lower face and latch legs projecting downward from the lower face through the base plate and roof panel and having barb ends latchingly engageable with the roof panel to hold the circuit board and base plate down against the roof panel.

As described in copending application Ser. No. 10/732,922 filed 10 Dec. 2003, an antenna assembly for mounting upon a wall of a vehicle body has a metallic base plate with a face adapted to be juxtaposed with the vehicle wall. A plastic housing encloses antenna elements mounted on the base plate. A seal between the plate-shaped portion and the wall seals the base plate relative to an interior of the vehicle body. A threaded mounting pin extends downward from the metallic base plate.
Here a cable extends through the base plate to the antenna elements, where it is normally soldered to traces of a circuit board. The circuit board in turn is formed with a plurality of holes matching threaded holes in the base plate so this circuit board can be secured in place by screws. Such mounting is fairly complex and requires quite a few parts. It therefore considerably elevates the cost of this mass-production item.
What is more the complex prior-art assembly often requires two people for installation. One must hold it in place atop the vehicle with its threaded mounting pin projecting down through the roof, while the other fits a washer and nut on this pin to secure it in place. This type of assembly further raises the installation costs for the device.
In the known devices an excessive pull on the cables extending from the circuit board down through the base plate can create problems. Since the cables are normally soldered directly to traces on the board, too much tension can rip them loose and even pull the traces off the board, ruining it beyond repair.


The present invention relates to fat free corn chips comprising corn masa and fat free filler selected from the group consisting of starch, protein and nondigestible fiber, and mixtures thereof; nondigestible fat substitute; and other essentially fat free ingredients selected from the group consisting of salt, emulsifiers and fat free seasonings and combinations thereof.

Salted snacks such as fabricated corn chips are popular consumer snack products. Many people who enjoy eating corn chips also want to or need to reduce the level of digestible fat in their diets. Corn masa and corn meal contain corn oil. Corn masa-based products are made by forming corn masa dough into the desired shape, e.g. chips, and cooking the shaped masa. These fabricated corn products are preferably cooked by immersing them in a frying fat medium that has been heated to temperatures of approximately 300.degree. F. to 450.degree. F. (148.9.degree. C. to 232.degree. C.). The fabricated snack pieces are fried or baked for varying lengths of time, typically on the order of about 10 seconds to about 3.5 minutes. During frying the pieces absorb a substantial quantity of the frying fat, generally on the order of from about 20% to about 50% by weight of the cooked and seasoned snack or chip. Typically, a digestible-fat, e.g., soybean oil, cottonseed oil or peanut oil is used for cooking. These oils have a caloric content of about 9 calories per gram of oil digested. A fried corn snack can contain from about 20 grams to 50 grams of digestible-fat per 100 grams of product which contributes from 180 to 450 calories per 100 grams of product. A single serving of regular corn chips weighs about 30 grams. Five grams of absorbed digestible fat in a regular corn chip serving contributes about 45 calories.
Prior art corn chips as well as chips made from corn blended with other grains that are cooked in reduced calorie fat or nondigestible fat substitutes are not fat free because many of the other corn chip ingredients and the corn itself contain significant levels of digestible fats. Thus, corn chips made with nondigestible fat substitutes contain too much digestible fat to be labelled as fat free fried corn chips and therefore are heretofore unknown.
Many people who enjoy eating corn chips also want to or need to reduce the level of real digestible fat in their diets. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a 30 gram serving of fat free corn chips. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a fat free corn chip.


A syringe device includes a syringe tube having a distal end with a passageway in fluid communication with a cavity thereof. A plunger rod slidingly and sealingly engages within the cavity of the syringe tube. The plunger rod includes at least one aperture in fluid communication with a hollow interior of the plunger rod. A plunger tip is engaged with a distal end of the plunger rod and interacts with an inner surface of the side wall of the syringe tube to separate the cavity into first and second areas. The at least one aperture fluidly connects the hollow interior of the plunger rod and the first area of the syringe tube cavity, such that the generally hollow plunger rod interior allows air to move between an outside of the syringe device and the first area of the cavity during sliding movement of the plunger rod within the syringe tube.

This invention generally relates to syringe devices and, more particularly, to a venting system for use with a syringe device that operates to lessen the likelihood of contamination of contents of the syringe device.
It is often desirable to store drugs in a concentrated or powdered form until just prior to administering the drug to a patient, at which time, the medicine is mixed with a solvent, diluent or rehydrant in a reconstitution process. Typically, a solvent from a syringe device is injected into a container containing the concentrated drug. Upon completion of the reconstitution process, the reconstituted drug is drawn from the container into the syringe device and then subsequently administered to a patient using the syringe device.
The syringe devices of the prior art typically have no seal between a plunger rod and an end of the syringe tube in which the plunger rod is inserted. It is because of this lack of a seal in conventional syringe devices that potentially contaminated air is able to access an upper area of the syringe tube during the reconstitution process, thereby potentially contaminating an interior wall of the syringe tube. When the mixture is drawn back into the syringe tube, the mixture comes into contact with the interior wall of the syringe tube, thereby potentially becoming contaminated. Some drugs take longer to dissolve than others, resulting in increased reconstitution process durations and an increased possibility of contamination.
It would therefore be desirable to have a syringe device for use in a reconstitution processes that inhibits contaminated air from entering a syringe tube to lessen the likelihood that the medicine mixture drawn back into the syringe tube will become contaminated.


A polishing method can process and flatten, in a practical processing time and with high surface accuracy, a surface of a substrate of a Ga element-containing compound semiconductor. The polishing method includes: bringing a Ga element-containing compound semiconductor substrate (16) into contact with a polishing tool (10) in the presence of a processing solution (14) comprising a neutral pH buffer solution containing Ga ions; irradiating a surface of the substrate with light or applying a bias potential to the substrate, or applying a bias potential to the substrate while irradiating the surface of the substrate with light, thereby forming Ga oxide (16a) on the surface of the substrate; and simultaneously moving the substrate and the polishing tool relative to each other to polish and remove the Ga oxide formed on the surface of the substrate.

As a chemical processing method which takes the place of mechanical processing and is capable of processing a surface of a substrate without producing a lattice defect, a so-called photoelectrochemical etching method is known, which performs etching of a surface of a substrate in an acidic or basic processing solution by irradiating the surface of the substrate with ultraviolet rays or by applying a potential bias to the substrate. The photoelectrochemical etching method, by the assistance of a light energy and an electrical energy, enables processing of a surface of a substrate only through a chemical action with little damage to the surface of the substrate. The photoelectrochemical etching method, however, is not generally suited for processing and flattening of a surface of a substrate because this method lacks a flattening reference and, in addition, involves defect selectivity, and the like.
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is also widely known which uses a polishing liquid containing an abrasive, such as SiO2 or Cr2O3, and performs processing of a surface of a substrate by denaturing the surface of the substrate and mechanically removing the denatured layer. Because CMP involves a mechanical action, such a denatured layer cannot be fully removed by CMP. Further, it is generally difficult for CMP to process and flatten a surface of a Ga element-containing compound semiconductor substrate at a sufficient processing rate.
The applicant has proposed a catalyst-referred chemical processing method which comprises disposing a substrate in an oxidizing processing solution, disposing an acidic or basic solid catalyst in contact with or in close proximity to a surface (surface to be processed) of the substrate, and dissolving surface atoms of the surface to be processed, in contact with or in close proximity to the solid catalyst, in the oxidizing processing solution, thereby processing the surface to be processed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-121099). In this catalyst-referred chemical processing method, oxidation of the surface to be processed can be promoted and the processing rate can be increased by irradiating the surface of the substrate (object to be processed), disposed in the processing solution, with light, preferably ultraviolet light, or by applying a voltage between the substrate and the solid catalyst. This catalyst-referred chemical processing method enables processing of a surface of a substrate only through a chemical action with little damage to the surface of the substrate. It is, however, generally difficult for this method to process and flatten a surface of a Ga element-containing compound semiconductor substrate at a sufficient processing rate.

Polishing method, polishing apparatus and GaN wafer


The present invention provides an image-forming method, including pseudo-halftone-processing an input signal corresponding to image information to generate an output signal; irradiating a radiation beam corresponding to the output signal onto a latent image-holding member to form a latent image; developing the latent image with a developer including a toner containing a binder resin and a colorant to form a toner image on the latent image-holding member; transferring the toner image onto a recording medium; and fixing the toner image on the recording medium to form an image, wherein: when a halftone image is formed as the image, the toner image formed on the latent image-holding member is composed of plural toner aggregates scattered like dots on the latent image-holding member; the diameter of the radiation beam irradiated onto the latent image-holding member is 35 μm or more; the pseudo-halftone processing results in the toner aggregates, which have been transferred onto the recording medium, having uneven sizes; and the toner satisfies the following Formulae (1) and (2):2.0×105≦G′(60)≦4.0×106  Formula (1)G′(60)/G′(80)≦40  Formula (2)

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrophotographic image-forming method and an image-forming apparatus using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrophotographic methods have been commonly used in forming images in, for example, copying machines and laser beam printers. Developers known for use in electrophotographic methods include two-component developers containing toner and carrier particles and one-component developers containing only magnetic or nonmagnetic toner particles. The toner particles contained in such developers are usually produced by a kneading and pulverizing process.
In the kneading and pulverizing process, desired toner particles are produced by melt-kneading a resin such as a thermoplastic resin, a pigment, a charge control agent, and a releasing agent such as wax, cooling the resultant mixture, pulverizing the mixture into fine particles, and classifying the fine particles. In order to improve the flowability and the cleaning property of the toner, particles prepared in the kneading and pulverizing process are used as mother particles, and inorganic and/or organic fine particles are adhered to the surfaces of the mother particles, and the resulting particles are used as toner particles in some cases.
In the electrophotographic image-forming method, an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image-holding member by an optical unit is developed with a developer in a developing step, giving a toner image. The toner image is transferred onto a recording medium such as recording paper in a transferring step, and the transferred toner image is finally fixed on the recording medium generally by application of heat and pressure in a fixing step.
Recently, electrophotographic technology has advanced rapidly from black and white technology to full-color technology. In a full-color electrophotographic imaging method, a full-color image is generally produced by using four color toners, one in black and three in three primary colors: yellow, magenta, and cyan.
Generally in the full-color electrophotographic imaging method, an original image is first subjected to color separation to obtain yellow image information, magenta image information, cyan image information, and black image information. An electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoconductive layer according to one image information, and the electrostatic latent image is then developed to give a toner image. The series of processes are repeated for the respective colors. The resultant toner images of different colors are aligned and superimposed on a recording medium so that the resulting full-color image coincides with the original image. The full-color image is then fixed on the recording medium.
The color toners used in the full-color electrophotographic imaging method should be mixed thoroughly in the fixing step. In this way, it is possible to improve color reproducibility and transparency of overhead projector (OHP) images and obtain full-color images having superior image quality. To improve color-mixing property, a low-molecular weight resin having a narrow melting temperature range is often used in the color toner.
To cope with the trend toward energy conservation, various toners having an improved low-temperature fixing property have been proposed (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 9-325520, and 8-234480, and Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-B) No. 4-24702). In particular, toners having a so-called core-shell structure, which have a core layer and a shell layer coating the core layer, can be superior in low temperature-fixing property (e.g., JP-B No. 4-24702). These toners generally have a melting temperature range narrower than that of other conventional toners to improve the color-mixing property in a low temperature-fixing step.
On the other hand, in an image-forming apparatus implementing an electrophotographic method, input image information is converted to an input signal by, for example, a scanner, and the input signal is then subjected to various image processings such as filtering and pseudo-halftone processing in the image-processor, finally giving an output signal. Subsequently, an electrostatic latent image is formed according to the output signal.
When the input image information is a pictorial image such as photograph, a datum for one pixel is a multivalued datum. In contrast, in an image-forming apparatus forming an image on a recording medium such as recording paper, the number of gradations expressed per pixel is substantially much smaller.
To solve the nonconformance between the datum and the number of the gradations per pixel, such an image-forming apparatus employs a method of forming a so-called pseudo-halftone image. In the method, each pixel is divided into plural sub-pixels to improve resolution, and image density in each sub-pixel is expressed by an area modulation method. Pseudo-halftone processing is the image processing performed in the step of converting an input signal to a pseudo-halftone image.
Pseudo-halftone processing enables an image-forming apparatus having a small number of displayable gradations per pixel to handle one-pixel data which are multivalued data and to form an image such as a full-color image therefrom. The pseudo-halftone processing can generally be divided into AM screening and FM screening.
Typically, AM screening is a dither method of expressing a halftone image by forming dots that are aligned at a certain pitch and changing the sizes of the dots, while FM screening is an error diffusion method of expressing a halftone image by changing the density of the dots.
Generally, AM screening or FM screening is selected and designed as appropriate for improvement in the graininess of a halftone image. AM screening has been used in electrophotographic methods for a long time. However, AM screening has often resulted in generation of output moire and a noticeable hexagonal rosette pattern in highlights and halftone portions, and noticeable density jump even at an area rate of approximately 50%, because dots are formed in the above-described manner. To solve these problems regarding image quality, use of FM screening was proposed (JP-A Nos. 2003-189103 and 2004-1260).
Recently, there has also been a need for power saving and improvement in image quality in electrophotography. To save power in electrophotographic methods and specifically, to reduce the energy consumption needed during operation of the device, there is a need for low temperature image fixing. For reduction of the energy consumption during stand-by periods, apparatuses are often used that have a function of reducing the power supply to the fixing unit and thus cooling the heater such as a heating roll to a temperature lower than that during fixing (hereinafter, referred to "power-saving function during stand-by period") when the stand-by mode where no image is formed is continued for a certain period.
To ensure efficiency of operation as well as power saving, it is preferable to use a fixing unit having a smaller heat capacity in apparatuses having such a function. This is because, when an apparatus containing a heater cooled to a temperature lower than that suitable for fixing by a decrease in energy supply to the heater in the fixing unit is reactivated to the state for image forming, it is desirable, from the viewpoint of efficiency, to heat the heater to a temperature suitable for fixing as soon as possible by increasing power supply.
However, when an image-forming apparatus containing such a fixing unit is reactivated, from the stand-by mode where the heater of the fixing unit is cooled to a temperature lower than the set fixing temperature of the heater to an image-forming mode, a great amount of electric energy is applied to the heater all at once to instantaneously heat the heater to the set fixing temperature, resulting in a phenomenon that the heater temporarily overheats to a temperature higher than the set fixing temperature (overshoot). Such an overshoot immediately after resumption of image forming is called "initial overshoot". When paper is fed into the fixing unit for image formation during overshoot, the paper in the fixing unit absorbs the heat of the heater and chills the fixing unit to a temperature lower than the temperature elevated by the overshoot.
When images are formed successively, the decrease in the temperature of fixing unit by paper supply, and the increase thereof by heating when the fixing unit has cooled to a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature, occur periodically, causing periodic overshoot (hereinafter, referred to as "periodic overshoot").
Such an overshoot may cause offsetting when it is significant or when it is not significant but a particular toner is used in the apparatus. In particular, when the offsetting occurs at high temperature, the offsetting becomes more obvious in areas where a halftone image is formed than in areas where a solid image is formed (hereinafter, offsetting of the halftone image is referred to as "halftone offsetting").
On the other hand, when an image is formed with a conventional toner having superior low-temperature fixing property and a narrow melting temperature range, increase in the temperature of the fixing unit during fixing tends to cause halftone offsetting more frequently.
Thus, there is a need for an image-forming method that allows low-temperature fixing and suppresses halftone offsetting even at a high fixing temperature and an image-forming apparatus using the same.

Image-forming method and image-forming apparatus using the same

Abstract: wherein G′(60) represents the storage modulus (Pa) of the toner as determined under conditions of a temperature of 60° C., a vibration frequency of 6.28 rad/sec, and a distortion factor of 0.1%; and G′(80) represents the storage modulus (Pa) of the toner as determined under conditions of a temperature of 80° C., a vibration frequency of 6.28 rad/sec, and a distortion factor of 0.1%.


The invention provides a semiconductor device which consumes less power in pending. The invention further provides a semiconductor device in which a gate electrode is provided over both sides of a semiconductor thin film which forms a transistor, a logic signal is applied to a first gate electrode, a threshold value control signal is applied to a second gate electrode, and a threshold value of a transistor which forms the semiconductor device is controlled by a potential of the second gate electrode, and a driving method thereof. Then, the invention provides a semiconductor device provided with a plurality of logic circuits formed of such a transistor with a back gate and a driving method thereof.

In recent years, a portable phone is widespread with the advance of communications technology. It is expected that a moving image will be transferred and more amount of information will be transmitted in the days ahead. Meanwhile, a personal computer for mobile use is produced due to the weight reduction. An information terminal which is called a PDA originated in an electronic data book is produced a lot and being widespread. In those portable information devices, a lot of semiconductor devices such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) are used.
There are various kinds of semiconductor devices. FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a CPU as an example. A CPU 1001 shown here is formed of a timing control circuit 1002, an instruction analysis decoder 1003, a register array 1004, an address logic buffer circuit 1005, a data bus interface 1006, an ALU 1007, an instruction register 1008 and the like.
Now, each circuit is briefly described. The timing control circuit receives an instruction externally, converts it into data for internal use, and sends it to other blocks. Further, in accordance with an internal operation, the timing control circuit gives an external portion an instruction such as a read and write of memory data. The instruction analysis decoder 1003 plays a role to convert an external instruction into an instruction for internal use. The register array 1004 is a volatile memory which stores data temporarily. The address logic buffer 1005 is a circuit which specifies an address of an external memory. The data bus interface 1006 is a circuit which puts data into and out of a device such as an external memory or a printer. The ALU 1007 is a circuit which provides an arithmetic operation. The instruction register 1008 is a circuit which stores an instruction temporarily. A CPU is formed by a combination of such circuits.
A semiconductor device such as a CPU these days use an insulator for a substrate instead of a silicon substrate. Such a semiconductor device is called an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) and presently being developed. By using an insulator as a substrate, a parasitic capacitance between a transistor and the substrate is reduced, thus a high speed and a power reduction can be achieved. In particular, it is used for a portable electronic device by virtue of the power reduction. An electronic device using a semiconductor device which consumes much power has problems that a large battery and a cooling fan are required, leading to a problem that an electronic device itself becomes large.
In view of the aforementioned, a composite type semiconductor device is suggested which has a structure that a wiring substrate and a package are attached so as to satisfy a high thermal conductivity and low modulus.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-74282
Moreover, FIG. 11 shows an example of a circuit having two stages of inverters of a semiconductor device using a conventional silicon substrate. In this example, the inverter circuits are formed of P-ch transistors 1102 and 1104, and N-ch transistors 1101 and 1103.
FIG. 12 shows an example of a circuit having two stages of inverters of a semiconductor device using an SOI substrate. In this example, the inverter circuits are formed of P-ch transistors 1202 and 1204, and N-ch transistors 1201 and 1203.

Semiconductor device, CPU, image processing circuit and electronic device, and driving method of semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A method for billboard advertising is disclosed. An advertising billboard device for use with the present invention comprises a server and a display controller adapted to receive, store, and display dynamic-content from the server. At least one content display unit is in communication with the display controller, wherein the content display unit visually displays the information from the dynamic-content. The advertising billboard display controller may also comprise a timing means, the display controller altering the visual display of the content display unit as a function of the time from the timing means. The display controller may be adapted to receive, store, and display dynamic-content from a plurality of servers, wherein the display controller comprises a heirarchical control scheme, the heirarchical control scheme adapted to select dynamic-content from one server of the plurality of servers for display on the content display unit. The advertising billboard device may also comprise a plurality of display controllers in communication with a plurality of content display units, each display controller from the plurality of display controllers having a type identifier, wherein each of the display controllers selects dynamic-content for display on its content display unit as a function of the type identifier.

Billboards are used to display various messages typically consisting of a combination of text and graphics. Traditionally, the message has been provided by way of fixed sheets that are pasted to a backing. This traditional approach suffers from the inability to quickly change the displayed message since it requires the use of a crew to change the message. Electronic billboards provide the advantage in that it is easier to change the displayed message. Electronic billboards include the dot matrix type utilizing many individual bulbs. Within stadiums, arenas and auditoriums there presently are electronic dot matrix display devices used for instant replays, advertising and customer information. While these electronic billboards are easily changed, they are difficult to manage and often require significant support resources to coordinate billboard content.
Loban et al. disclose a video billboard including a remote computer control with radio communications to the billboard display in U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,741 ('741 ). The '741 patent discloses that display information is communicated from a master computer to a receiver in the billboard housing which, in turn, controls the light valve display of the '741 invention. Commands may also be communicated via shared or dedicated landlines. The '741 billboard is capable of providing complex video graphics with high contrast ratios. It can provide message changes on command through landline, cellular phone, satellite relay or other wireless communication links. Within the commercial advertising billboard industry it will allow the use of computer video control to change graphics easily and quickly, as desired. Advertisements, public service announcements or traffic conditions can be displayed in near real time from remote locations since images can be downloaded via the communication links and displayed at pre-programmed time slots, if desired.
Gofman et al. disclose a system and method for serving local and global media content in PCT publication WO 00/52935 ('52935). The '52935 publication discloses a system and method for combining broadcast media content with additional content at a local site according to at least one locally determined characteristic of the audience to which the combined content is served. The '52935 publication discloses a template containing information concerning the type of data objects to be displayed, their size and location on the display, as well as the timing of display and transitions to the display, such that the template describes how to process and display the data.
New display materials are being developed that have the potential to expand advertising billboard technology, such as, for example, GYRICON a trade name of Xerox Corporation, Palo Alto Research Center, Palo Alto Calif. These new materials have the potential to expand the capabilities of billboard displays. Another new material for displays is E-INK, a trade name of E Ink Corporation 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, Mass. GYRICON technology is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,854. E-INK technology is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,588.
Although significant improvements are expanding the capabilities of billboard displays, as the capabilities expand the effort necessary to control the displays is expanding concurrently. It would therefore be advantageous to provide an improved method of billboard advertising that reduces the effort necessary to manage dynamic billboard displays. It would further be advantageous to provide an advertising device that easily controls multiple combinations of content display units. It would also be advantageous to provide easily manageable dynamic-content display. It would further be advantageous to provide a system capable of time shared display output from a heirarchical control structure.

Advertising method for dynamic billboards


A method for assembling a motor vehicle axle including suspension arms and a cross-member mounted between the arms. The method applys an adhesive element on at least one portion of the cross-member, mounts the portion inside a bore of one of the suspension arms to as to leave a clearance between the suspension arm and the adhesive element, and radially deforms one of the assembling elements of the cross-member and the suspension arm to obtain a contact between the adhesive element and the bore of the suspension arm.

The present invention relates to a method for assembling a motor-vehicle axle of the type comprising suspension arms carrying wheel supports, and a cross member mounted between the said suspension arms.
A motor-vehicle axle is generally equipped with two oscillating suspension arms, each carrying a wheel at one of their ends and which are articulated at their other end to the vehicle body. Elastic shock-absorbing means braced on the suspension arms support the body.
In the case of a motor-vehicle rear suspension, an axle additionally comprises a transverse bar that can be elastically deformed in torsion, rigidly connected via its ends to the two rear suspension arms.
The assembly of this cross member with the suspension arms not only must be particularly strong in order to efficiently transmit the forces undergone by the rear wheels of the vehicle to the body, but also must be constructed precisely in order to maintain the deflection of the axle during its spring movement.
In general, such assembly is achieved by press-fitting the cross member inside bores of the suspension arms, then welding these two elements to one another. More details can be found in the documents FR A3 2840854, WO A1 02/081239, US A1 2002/0005622, DE A1 19928537 and EP A1 0774369.
Such assemblies have the disadvantage that they do not withstand high induced stresses, thus making it particularly difficult to obtain axles comprising a cross member and suspension arms made with different materials, particularly with a view to reducing the total weight of the motor vehicle.
From document EP A2 0861744 there is known a motor-vehicle axle comprising suspension arms and a torsionally deformable transverse member constructed in the form of sections of design appropriate for being assembled merely by nesting.
In addition to the fact that the suspension arms and the cross member cause particularly laborious manufacture because of their design, the axle may have relatively poor operating reliability under conditions of large vibrations.
From document U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,697 there is also known a method for assembly of sections, in which method a first section is mounted in braced manner against a radial stop surface of a second section, in which there is machined an annular groove, then the first section is deformed radially by electromagnetic pulses so that its end becomes lodged in the interior of the said groove, and the sections are welded to one another.
Such an assembly method comprising steps of forming and electromagnetic welding has the disadvantage of consuming considerable energy.

Method for assembling a motor vehicle axle of the type provided with suspension arms and a cross-member mounted between said arms, and corresponding axle