A method for manufacturing a hybrid semiconductor substrate comprises the steps of (a) providing a hybrid semiconductor substrate comprising a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) region, that comprises an insulating layer over a base substrate and a SeOI layer over the insulating layer, and a bulk semiconductor region, wherein the SeOI region and the bulk semiconductor region share the same base substrate; (b) providing a mask layer over the SeOI region; and (c) forming a first impurity level by doping the SeOI region and the bulk semiconductor region simultaneously such that the first impurity level in the SeOI region is contained within the mask. Thereby, a higher number of process steps involved in the manufacturing process of hybrid semiconductor substrates may be avoided.

A semiconductor device, in which a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) region and a bulk semiconductor region are formed on an upper surface of a semiconductor base substrate, wherein the SeOI region comprises a buried insulating oxide layer (BOX) and a thin semiconductor layer, is known as a hybrid semiconductor device. Such a device may be used in memory cell.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a known hybrid semiconductor device 101 like, for example, disclosed in Yamaoka et al., IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 41, No. 11, pp. 2366-2372, Nov. 2006.
As shown in FIG. 1, the hybrid semiconductor device 101 includes a SeOI region 113 comprising a BOX layer 105 and a SeOI layer 107 formed on a bulk substrate 103 and a bulk semiconductor region 111 formed on the same bulk substrate 103. The SeOI region 113 and the bulk semiconductor region 111 are usually separated from each other by a shallow trench isolation (STI) 123.
Devices comprising SeOI regions offer several advantages over more conventional semiconductor devices. For example, SeOI devices may have lower parasitic capacitances and lower power consumption requirements than non-SeOI devices that perform similar tasks and thereby provide faster switching times for the resultant circuits. Since the SeOI region may be provided with an ultra-thin BOX layer, threshold voltage (Vt) may be controlled by changing the voltage of an underlying well and, hence, it enables back-gate control with low bias voltage. The back-gate bias is applied through a well contact formed through the BOX layer, wherein the wells within the SeOI region and the bulk semiconductor region are separated from each other by STIs.
However, the hybrid semiconductor devices such as the conventional device have the following drawbacks. Unlike the bulk semiconductor region, the body of the SeOI region is usually not connected to a specific reference potential that may allow minority charge carriers to accumulate in that region and, hence, a floating body potential may exist in the SeOI region. This phenomenon leads to a variation in the threshold voltage (Vt) of the semiconductor devices. In particular, for static random access memory (SRAM) cells, the threshold voltage fluctuations may result in significant instabilities of the devices, which may not be tolerable in view of data integrity of the memory cells.
Further, it is known to implant three different concentrations of dopants (n-type or p-type) in a given region to form a channel of a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) in a bulk substrate. The three different concentrations of dopants lead to three levels of doping: a shallow level called "Vt-doping," a deeper level called "ground plane" (GP) doping and an even deeper level called "well doping." On the other hand, doping in the SeOI region is used to form the back side electrodes of the SeOI transistors. Formation of the back side electrodes is achieved with different implant conditions, thus, also with a different mask.
Therefore, the fabrication of a hybrid semiconductor substrate, comprising a SeOI region and a bulk semiconductor region, requires different implant conditions for each region. The process cost and time for the fabrication thus increases due to the need of a plurality of different masks to be able to carry out the implant steps in both the SeOI region and the bulk semiconductor region and, thereby, a greater number of process steps.

Hybrid semiconductor substrate including semiconductor-on-insulator region and method of making the same

S.O.I.TEC Silicon on Insulator Technologies


The present invention provides methods for treating an individual having bladder cancer comprising intravesically administering to the individual an oncolytic virus. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions and kits for treating bladder cancer.

Approximately 77,000 new cases of urinary bladder cancer were diagnosed in 2016. Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (stages Ta, T1, or Carcinoma in situ) accounts for 70-80% of these cases while muscle invasive disease (stage T2 and above) and metastatic disease make up the remaining 20-30%. Bladder cancers are divided into 2 subtypes based on their distinct cellular growth patterns: papillary tumors and flat tumors. Carcinoma in situ is a flat tumor confined to the surface layer of the bladder. Compared to papillary tumors of the Ta and T1 stage, bladder CIS is more difficult to diagnose, and has a high risk of progression to muscle invasive bladder cancer.
Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the standard-of-care treatment for bladder CIS. Patients typically receive an induction course consisting of weekly intravesical installations of BCG for 6 weeks, followed by monthly maintenance treatments for 6 to 12 months. However, about 30-40% of patients do not respond to a single course of BCG treatment. In one study, the overall risk of progression among BCG-treated CIS patients with a median follow-up of 2.5 years was about 14%. See, Witjes, J. A. European urology 45.2 (2004): 142-146. Since the chance of progression in CIS patients failing BCG is significant, cystectomy, including partial and radical cystectomy, remains the treatment of choice. However, cystectomy is associated with severe side effects and adversely affects patients' quality of life. Moreover, the risk of recurrence after radical cystectomy for clinically localized bladder cancer is high and stage-dependent. See, for example, Bassi P et al. J. Urol. 1999; 161:1494-7. The elderly and patients with renal failure, who are less tolerable to surgery or chemotherapy, pose additional clinical challenges for treatment of bladder CIS.
The disclosures of all publications, patents, patent applications and published patent applications referred to herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A sealing station for a packaging machine comprises a sealing tool for sealing packages, an underpressure source for evacuating packages in the sealing station, and an overpressure source for providing compressed air so as to press the sealing tool against a package. A single drive is provided for the underpressure source and the overpressure source, the underpressure source and/or the overpressure source being a pump that is configured as a rotary vane pump or as a helical pump.

A packaging machine comprising a sealing station is known e.g. from DE 10 2006 018 327 A1, the packaging machine there being a tray sealer. In the sealing station of this packaging machine, a sealing film is applied to the trays which are open at the top and filled with the product in question. This sealing film closes and seals the trays. A corresponding sealing station is also used in thermoformer packaging machines or in chamber machines. Alternatively to sealingly applying a cover film, also a lid, which has already been preformed, may be sealingly applied to the tray or the packaging trough.
For the purpose of sealing, it will be of advantage when underpressure as well as overpressure are available. By means of the underpressure, the packages can be evacuated in the sealing station so as to increase the shelf life of the products. Optionally, the package may be flushed by or filled with an exchange gas after evacuation. The sealing itself is normally executed under the influence of pressure and temperature on the sealing film. To this end, an overpressure source is normally provided, which provides the compressed air used for pressing the sealing tool against the package.
Compressed air and underpressure are also used in other areas of a packaging machine. DE 10 2005 061 315 A1, for example, shows a packaging machine in which overpressure and underpressure are used not in a sealing station but in a thermoforming station. For generating these pressures, a claw vacuum pump is provided.
Such a claw pump is described e.g. in DE 19629174 A1.
Other devices making use of overpressure and underpressure for deforming packaging films, but not for sealing such packaging films, are disclosed by DE 3842135 A1 or CH 332587.

MULTIVAC SEPP HAGGENMULLER GMBH & CO. KG


Systems and methods for infrared detection are described. An optomechanical photon detector includes a semiconductor material and is based on measurement of a photoinduced lattice strain. A multicolor infrared sensor includes a stack of frequency specific optomechanical detectors. The stack can include one, or more, of the optomechanical photon detectors that function based on the measurement of photoinduced lattice strain. The systems and methods provide advantages in that rapid, sensitive multicolor infrared imaging can be performed without the need for a cooling subsystem.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of photon sensing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optomechanical photon detector and a multicolor sensor that can incorporate this detector. Specifically, a preferred implementation of the present invention relates to a multicolor infrared sensor that is based on a stack of frequency specific optomechanical photon detectors, each of which operates based on measurement of photoinduced lattice strain. The present invention thus relates to infrared sensors of the type that can be termed multicolor.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Detecting photons, especially infrared photons, is a challenging endeavor. There are two types of infrared radiation detectors currently used: photon detectors and thermal detectors.
Infrared photon detectors are usually based on semiconductor materials. Their operation is based on the conversion of photon energy to charge carriers. As is well known, these charge carriers include electrons and/or holes. These charge carriers can be detected as current or voltage. Some photon detectors can attain detectivities of approximately 10.sup.13 cm Hz.sup.1/2 /W but require the device to be cooled in order to minimize the dark current that interferes with the signal to be measured. However, this cooling requirement increases the complexity and cost of such devices.
Infrared thermal detectors are based on the conversion of photon energy to heat which results in temperature induced changes in the detector. The temperature of the detector is measured. This requires the device to have high thermal isolation. In addition, to maximize their sensitivity, their response times are unacceptably slow, on the order of a few milliseconds. Heretofore, these two factors have represented major obstacles to the wider implementation of thermal detectors as infrared imagers. The theoretical detectivity of thermal detectors is on the order of approximately 10.sup.10 cm Hz.sup.1/2 /W at room temperature. A value for detectivity of approximately 10.sup.9 cm Hz.sup.1/2 /W has already been demonstrated in this temperature regime.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved approach to infrared sensing that has high detectivity, but does not require cooling. What is also needed is an improved approach to infrared imaging that provides both a multicolor capability and a rapid response time. Heretofore, these requirements have not been met.
Within this application several publications are referenced by superscripts composed of Arabic numerals within parentheses. Full citations for these, and other, publications may be found at the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims. The disclosures of all these publications in their entireties are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application for the purposes of indicating the background of the present invention and illustrating the state of the art.

Uncooled infrared photon detector and multicolor infrared detection using microoptomechanical sensors

Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation


A method for collecting and treating small particulate pollutants typically found on the surface of streets in areas where the storm sewer and sanitary sewer are maintained separately. The method includes temporarily isolating a portion of the storm sewer in the immediate vicinity of the street to prevent any collected runoff from passing into the storm sewer, and then flushing the street with a stream of water to remove and collect the solid pollutants from the street surface. The flushing water containing the removed solid pollutants is collected and contained in the isolated storm sewer portion, and is then pumped into the sanitary sewer system for treatment in existing sewage treatment facilities.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pollution control, and more specifically to collection and treatment of solid pollutants which collect on the surface of streets.
2. Description of Related Art
Significant efforts and resources are being expended to identify and control various sources and types of pollution. Pollutants emitted from automobiles are among the most notorious and visible, and therefore have been the subject of extensive abatement efforts for more than 25 years. The primary focus in controlling automobile emissions however has been on controlling airborne pollutants such as unbumed hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, NO.sub.x, and sulfur containing compounds. Another significant, yet largely unrecognized form of pollution by automobiles occurs in the form of small particulates which collect on the surface of streets. Some of these particulate pollutants originate as solid or liquid combustion products which settle or condense on the street surface. Others are generated by the normal wear of frictional mechanisms such as brakes and clutches, or by the normal wear of tires and auxiliary drive belts fitted to most automobiles.
These particulate pollutants as a group contain numerous substances, some of which may be water-soluble, which are problematic if allowed to accumulate, including polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, oils, greases, rubber particles, solid carbonaceous combustion products, and metals such as copper, lead and zinc. If left to accumulate on the street surface, some of these pollutants are continually disturbed by vehicles using the streets and circulated in the form of airbome dust. If left to be finally carried off by the natural action of rain, the pollutants may end up on local bodies of water, which may themselves be the subject of extensive anti-pollution efforts.
The problem can be particularly acute in areas which experienced periods of little or no rainfall. The shortage of rainfall impacts this problem in more ways than one. First, if there is an extended period without rainfall, the pollutants will continue to accumulate on the street surfaces during that period. Secondly, it is often during these times of low rainfall that local bodies of water experience low flows, or reduced volumes. When rain does finally fall, a relatively large amount of solid pollutants which have been accumulated are then suddenly discharged into a relatively low volume of water, resulting in relatively high pollutant concentrations.
Up until now there has been very little effort devoted to control of these solid street surface pollutants, and no satisfactory solution to their removal and control has been found. Normal street sweeping is used to remove debris and larger particles. Sweepers may be equipped with vacuum cleaning equipment, but such equipment has not been shown to be effective at removing small particulate pollutants from the surface of the street. As a result, these pollutants normally end up being discharged untreated with storm water runoff. This is particularly true in areas where the storm sewer system is separate from the sanitary sewer system. In these instances, pollution treatment facilities are normally provided only on the sanitary sewer system, with no provision made for treatment of the storm sewer discharge. There is minimal treatment of collected street surface runoff in some cases, but mostly in the form of swirl concentrators or similar devices. Swirl concentrators typically remove 10-30% of the suspended solids, but are ineffective at removing extremely small particles and dissolved pollutants.
Efforts at education raise awareness of the problem, and may serve to reduce vehicle usage overall, but have no effect on controlling whatever quantity of pollutants which find their way to the street surface.
A need therefore remains for a method of collecting and treating small particulate pollutants from street surfaces which otherwise go untreated.

Method for controlling street surface pollutants


The invention provides a high density cement composition for preventing gas migration. The composition includes a silica sand component, a silica flour component, a hematite component, a manganese tetraoxide component, and an expansion additive component.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a high-density cement composition for preventing gas migration in deep gas wells.
2. Background of the Invention
Gas migration through cement columns has been an industry problem for many years. The most problematic areas for gas migrations are in deep gas wells. For instance, approximately 80% of wells in the Gulf of Mexico have gas transmitted to surface through cemented casings. In Saudi Arabia, the most problematic operations for gas migration are those involving deep gas wells. In such instances, drilling fluid densities as high as 163 pcf (pounds per cubic foot) are used to control gas or formation fluid influx. To control gas migration, cement densities for successfully cementing of the zone of interest can be as high as 170 pcf. As a cement slurry sets, hydrostatic pressure is reduced on the formation. During this transition, reservoir gases can travel up through the cement column resulting in gas being present at the surface. The permeable channels from which the gas flows cause operational and safety problems at the well site.
Causes of gas channeling include: 1) bad mud/spacer/cement design that allows passage of water and gas, resulting in failures in cementing operations, 2) high fluid loss from cement slurries, which causes water accumulation and results in micro-fractures within the cement body, and 3) cements not providing sufficient hydrostatic pressure to control the high pressure formation.
Good displacement practices with the use of stable, fast-setting, low-fluid-loss slurries are important in solving gas zonal isolation problems in many, but not all, cementing operations failures. The resulting slurry properties are affected by the slurry composition and the well conditions. The slurry composition effects include the dehydration of the liquid phase, gelation of the slurry, settling of the solid particles, and packing of the solid particles. The setting of cement starts when water is first in contact with the cement. Initially, the cement slurry column behaves as a pure fluid and fully transmits the hydrostatic pressure. As the cement starts to set, settling and packing of the slurry continues. Once the cement structure starts to gel, the pore pressure inside the cement column starts to decrease until it becomes equal to the pressure of the formation. As the cement pore pressure decreases, this allows the gas to invade the cement pore spaces. If the cement permeability to gas is high and gas invasion occurs, the gas can permeate throughout the cement matrix, charging it with enough gas (and pore pressure) to inhibit the hydration process from closing the pore spaces. When the gas pressure is higher than the hydrostatic pressure after the cement initially sets, a channel forms and gas continues to migrate even after decreasing the formation pressure.
There is a strong relationship between water separation in cement slurry and the loss of hydrostatic head of the cement columns. One way to improve gas migration control is by using fluid loss and expansion additives. Fluid loss additives retain the water needed for hydration of cement and slowly release it during the complete hydration process. In addition, fluid loss additives minimize the ability of fluids to flow though the cement porosity. Using expansion additives can improve bonding at the casing/cement and cement/formation interfaces.
Gas can migrate when the cement is in the slurry form, if densities are not well designed. Slurry setting will prevent hydrostatic pressure transmission, and consequently, will reduce pressure facing the gas zone. Slurries that minimize this transition time are desirable. Hardened cement should be resistant to mechanical and thermal stresses to avoid fractures, which would become an easy path for the gas. Optimizing slurry design includes designing compositions to have no free water and to minimize fluid loss. Adjusting cement properties based on conventional testing is not enough to confirm that the slurry will be gas migration resistant. Testing slurries on a gas flow simulator is a useful tool for the optimizing process.
The use of latex additives can help control gas migration in cement because cement pore pressure drop is delayed and the transition time between the liquid and set state is shortened. However, as long as the cement behaves as a true liquid, gas can channel up in the annulus when gas pressure is higher than cement hydrostatic pressure. Thus, density of the cement must be designed according to the formation pressure and the fracture gradient, and must be controlled during the entire cementing operation. Latex additives can assist in the prevention of gas/fluid migration during the setting of cement. For wells that have considerable fluid or gas flow, latex may be recommended. On wells with mud weights equal to or greater than 135 pcf, latex may be recommended. For wells with drilling fluid densities that are less than 120 pcf, conventional dry fluid loss additives may also be recommended. These wells with high mud density usually have had considerable flow from the formation. The time needed to build the mud volumes to obtain the proper mud weight is usually more than a day.
Expanding cement additives are useful for wells that will be drilled with mud densities that are less than 15 pcf from the previous hole section. The reduction of pressure from reducing the mud density can cause the casing to shrink. This shrinkage can cause the cement-casing bond to break, which will allow for gas flow. This situation is more likely to occur as the depth increases. Expanding additives are also generally recommended for cement jobs where a gas producing formation is being cemented and the depth is greater than 10,000 ft.
Cementing an unbalanced wellbore in high-pressure formations is challenging because the cement will migrate up in the cement column. One preferred procedure is to kill the well using mud and then perform the cementing operation to reduce the gas migration potential. In Saudi Arabia, the wells are generally killed before cementing operations, however, higher-pressure formations with higher gas migration problems require higher cement density.
The most common problem associated with heavy weight cement slurries using hematite is settling. Sometimes, settling can be controlled by anti-settling chemicals in the lab. However, controlling hematite settling in the field has historically proven difficult.
Portland cement has tricalcium silicate (C3S) and dicalcium silicate (C2S). When mixed with water, both hydrate to form calcium silicate hydrate (C—S—H) gel. The C—S—H gel can provide good compressive strength for the cement at temperature up to 230° F. However, at higher temperatures, C—S—H gel forms a phase called alpha dicalcium silicate hydrate (α-C2SH) which decreases the compressive strength and permeability of set cement. To prevent the formation of α-C2SH, the lime-silica ratio (C/S) is reduced by addition of silica-based materials. The addition of silica material to cement, when hydrated, will form a phase known as tobermorite (C5S6H) at 230° F. instead of α-C2SH phase and high strength cement results.
Despite these various approaches to cement compositions, current high-density cement formulations do not provide good gas migration prevention due to settling and increase in permeability. To solve the settling problem and reduce permeability, a new formula is needed to prevent gas migration problems in cementing high-pressure formations.

High density cement formulation to prevent gas migration problems


A servo device which simultaneously controls plural servo systems, using a digital signal processor (DSP). The servo device includes plural servo systems, plural control subjects, and plural sensors which determine control quantities of the respective control subjects. The servo device also includes a calculation processing device which finds operating amounts of the respective control subjects from the control quantities which have been detected. The calculation processing device measures the gain of each servo system, and during the gain measurement of a given servo system, drops the control band of other servo systems, or sets the other servo systems to OFF or HOLD.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to servo devices which simultaneously control plural servo systems, using digital signal processors (DSPs) and similar calculation processing devices; and more particularly, devices which set the gains of servos, such that each servo is maintained unchanged.
2. Description of the Related Art
Servos (closed loop control systems), by applying, to a control subject, a control input comparing a target value and a control quantity from the control subject, perform control such that the target value and the control quantity are in agreement. The performance of servo systems is determined by how rapidly the control quantity reaches the target value (termed "rapidity of response" hereinbelow) and also, how stably (termed "stability" hereinbelow), the servo systems can control. In particular, what determines rapidity of response is the magnitude of the loop gain of the control system, and what determines stability is the phase margin and gain margin of the control system. From such parameters, generally through a sensor detecting the control quantity, and accurately computing the sensitivity of the control subject, the performance of the control system is increased, by determining the three parameters of loop gain, phase margin and gain margin.
However, in the control of an actuator used in an optical disc drive device, even if the gain is set accurately by determining the resonance of the actuator and the sensitivity of each unit, due to the differences in optical characteristics which accompany a change of discs, the loop gain which has been set changes. As a result, the phase margin and gain margin which determine the performance of servo system change, and the servo system has instability. Thus, the predetermined accuracy of controlling the actuator cannot be maintained.
On the other hand, in servo devices which simultaneously control plural servos using a digital signal processor (DSP) and similar calculation processing devices, the control of the plural servos causes the execution of calculation processing programs by which the gain of each servo has been set. In cases in which the gain is unsuitable, gain adjustment has to be performed by substituting a gain setting value, which has been changed in the program.
Nevertheless, when a servo device includes a DSP which has the minimum limiting performance necessary to operate plural servos simultaneously, and the process of measuring the servo gain afresh and resetting it is performed, the load of this process exceeds the processing capacity of the DSP. A problem occurs that the servo device can not set the gain. This problem may be solved if a DSP of high capacity is used, but such a high processing capacity DSP is very expensive.

Servo device having plural servo systems


Compounds of the formula (I)

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aromatic compounds having antibacterial activity and methods for their synthesis and use.
2. Description of Related Art
The discovery of penicillin and other antimicrobials in the early and mid 20th century generated a period of optimism about the medical profession's ability to treat microbial infections. However, the evolution of drug-resistant microbe strains—with new ones being constantly discovered—has led to an appreciation of the continuing need to develop new antimicrobials, preferably ones that are structurally different from extant ones or
Exemplary recent disclosures of new antibacterial compounds include Ge et al., WO 01/74898 (2001); Baird et al., U.S. application Ser. No. 10/132,887, filed Apr. 24, 2002; Bürli et al., U.S. application Ser. No. 10/165,856, filed Jun. 6, 2002; McMinn et al., U.S. application Ser. No. 10/165,433, filed Jun. 6, 2002; Bürli et al., U.S. application Ser. No. 10/165,857, filed Jun. 6, 2002; Bürli et al., U.S. application Ser. No. 10/165,764, filed Jun. 6, 2002; and Bürli et al., U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/400,671, filed Aug. 2, 2002. The foregoing applications disclose antimicrobial compounds characterized by plural aromatic carboxamide units. The present invention relates to antimicrobial compounds also having plural aromatic carboxamide units, but with a distinguishable structural motif.

Antibacterial compounds having a (pyrrole carboxamide)-(benzamide)-(imidazole carboxamide) motif

Abstract: Compounds of the formula (I)

Abstract: where Ar and R are as defined herein, possess antibacterial properties.


Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and circuits for clock signal generation. For example, various embodiments of the present invention provide semiconductor devices that include a power source and a phase lock loop circuit. The power source provides a supply voltage to the phase lock loop circuit. The phase lock loop circuit includes and on-chip control voltage source and a voltage controlled oscillator. The on-chip control voltage source is capable of producing a control voltage that varies between a minimum voltage and a maximum voltage. The voltage controlled oscillator receives the control voltage and provides a clock signal with a frequency corresponding to the control voltage. The maximum voltage is greater than the supply voltage. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, the maximum voltage is more than double the supply voltage. As another example, in some embodiments of the present invention, the maximum voltage is more than six times the supply voltage.

The present invention is related to devices and circuits for synthesizing a clock, and more particularly to on-chip approaches for synthesizing a clock signal.
Clock synthesizing is a process whereby a clock signal of a particular frequency and phase is generated based on a frequency reference. Clock synthesizing may be done using a phase lock loop circuit as has become common in many circuit implementations. A typical phase lock loop application utilizes off-chip varactor diode based tuning elements that require large voltage swings to effect a large tuning range. In some implementations, an off-chip power source providing a potential much greater than that provided to the semiconductor device on which the phase lock loop circuit is implemented is used to facilitate the desired large voltage swings.
An example of one such implementation is depicted in FIG. 1 where a semiconductor device 100 includes a phase lock loop circuit 110 providing a clock signal 130. Clock signal 130 may be used to synchronize one or more functions implemented on semiconductor device 100. Semiconductor device 100 is powered by a low voltage power source 120. Phase lock loop circuit 110 includes an off-chip oscillator circuit 140 outlined by dashed lines and powered by a high voltage power source 150. Off-chip oscillator circuit 140 includes a capacitor 142, a capacitor 146, and a resistor 144. In one particular implementation, high voltage power source 150 is approximately thirty volts, while low voltage power source 120 is approximately three volts.
While the circuit of FIG. 1 provides an ability to synthesize a desired clock signal, the circuit requires an off-chip power source in addition to the power source used to drive semiconductor device 100. Such an off-chip high voltage power source is costly both in terms of board area and component cost.
Hence, for at least the aforementioned reasons, there exists a need in the art for approaches for synthesizing a clock signal.

Internal supply voltage controlled PLL and methods for using such


An antenna device suitable for short distance wireless communication is provided which can have a good symmetry of directional characteristics and increase a gain at both end sides in a longitudinal direction of a ground pattern. An antenna device is formed by patterning a metal conductor on a printed substrate. The antenna device is provided with a ground pattern of a rectangular shape, a power feed element arranged adjacent to one short side portion of the ground pattern, a correction pattern that projects from the short side portion and is located lateral to the power feed element, and a parasitic radiation element extending along the short side portion at a separation position facing the short side portion of the ground pattern through the power feed element and the correction pattern. An electrical length of the parasitic radiation element is set to be approximately ½ of a resonant length. When power is feed, the power feed element is excited to radiate electric waves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna device in which a ground pattern and a pattern antenna are parallel arranged on a printed substrate, and more particularly to an antenna device in which a pattern antenna is arranged in the vicinity of a short side portion of a ground pattern of an approximately rectangular shape.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, short distance wireless technologies of Bluetooth (trademark) and the like have been commercialized to perform wireless data communication between a plurality of electronic devices at home and the like. For example, when an image captured by a digital camera is downloaded to a personal computer (so-called PC) or printed by a printer if these short distance wireless technologies are adopted, the digital camera does not need to be connected to an opposite electronic device through a cable since desired image data can be transmitted from an antenna device embedded in the digital camera to an opposite PC or printer. For example, in a state in which a portable music player is put in a satchel, a bag, or the like when outside if these short distance wireless technologies are adopted, a remote operation of the player may be performed through an antenna device embedded in a terminal controller of a headphone and simultaneously a music reproduced by the player can be listened to through the headphone.
As the antenna device to be used in this short distance wireless communication as described above, a structure capable of being cost-effectively produced in a compact size is preferable. As an antenna device capable of satisfying these requirements, there is a well-known structure in which a ground pattern and a pattern antenna of a predetermined shape are conventionally formed by a metal foil or the like on a printed substrate. The pattern antenna is arranged adjacent to one side end portion of the ground pattern, and operates as, for example, an inverse F type antenna when a power feed signal is supplied to a feed point (for example, see JP-A-2004-343285 (Pages 3 and 4, FIG. 1)).
However, in the conventional antenna device in which the ground pattern and the pattern antenna are parallel arranged on the printed substrate as described above, a radiation element configures the pattern antenna, arranged in the vicinity of the one side end portion of the ground pattern, to which the power feed signal is supplied. However, when the pattern antenna is adjacent to the short side portion of the approximately rectangular shape of the ground pattern, an antenna gain is lowered at both end sides in a longitudinal direction of the ground pattern. This is because a high-frequency current easily flows into the ground pattern in the longitudinal direction when the pattern antenna is powered on and excited. If a casing for containing the printed substrate has an elongate shape, the ground pattern is mostly formed in an approximately rectangular shape.
However, the antenna device in which the casing has the elongate shape and the gain is low at both the end sides in the longitudinal direction of the ground pattern is not necessarily convenient for use. That is, when users holding the casing of the elongate shape perform short distance wireless communication (data communication) with an opposite electronic device, many users cause one end side in the longitudinal direction of the casing to be toward the opposite device. Accordingly, when the antenna gain is low in this direction, communication error may easily occur. For example, in the case of a conventional general antenna device in which a ground pattern 2 of a smaller rectangular shape and an inverse F type pattern antenna 3 adjacent to a short side portion of the ground pattern 2 are arranged on a printed substrate 1 of a rectangular shape and electric waves are radiated from the pattern antenna 3 by supplying a power feed signal to a power feed portion 3a as shown in FIG. 9, directional characteristics within a flat surface along the printed substrate 1 are formed as shown in FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, an azimuth angle of 0 degree is present in a side of the ground pattern 2 as viewed from the pattern antenna 3. That is, it can be seen that a straight-line direction connecting azimuth angles of 0 and −180 degrees corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the ground pattern 2 and a sufficient gain is not obtained in this direction.
As is apparent from a dip of the directional characteristics shown in FIG. 10, a gain of the antenna device shown in FIG. 9 is extremely lowered in a specific direction (at the azimuth angle of 120 or −90 degrees). Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is difficult to practically realize an omnidirectional antenna device available in any direction. For this reason, for example, there is a worry that a music being listened to is interrupted in mid course when the antenna device is in a specific direction in a headphone or the like in which the music is listened to through the antenna device.

Antenna device having good symmetry of directional characteristics


A composition is provided that can be used, for example, in a fuel processor for a fuel cell system. The composition includes a first material such as a catalyst, and a second material such as a desiccant. The second material is capable of sorbing and desorbing a heat transfer material such as water, and is present in an amount sufficient to sorb an amount of the heat transfer material sufficient to remove a portion of the heat generated when the first material undergoes an exothermic reaction.

The invention relates to a thermal regulating composition that can be used, for example, as a catalyst system in a fuel processor for a fuel cell system.
Fuel cells are an increasingly popular power generation technology, where chemical reactions are utilized to produce electricity. The reactants are typically hydrogen and oxygen. Along with the electricity generated, the sole reaction-product is water. Hydrogen for such fuel cells may be supplied by chemically converting a fuel such as natural gas, propane, gasoline, diesel, methanol, etc., into a hydrogen-rich stream. This process is typically referred to as fuel processing, and the hydrogen-rich stream is typically referred to as reformate.
The catalyst systems used in fuel processors generally include a dispersion of small catalyst particles on a support material. It is generally desirable to minimize the size of the catalyst particles that are used in order to maximize the surface area of catalyst that is provided to promote a given reaction. However, small metal particles, such as those typically used as catalysts, may tend to be pyrophoric, meaning that they will spontaneously and rapidly oxidize when exposed to oxygen or air. Oxidation is exothermic, meaning that the reaction releases heat energy. Pyrophoricity tends to increase as smaller particles are used, and some metals (e.g., non-precious metals such as iron and copper) may tend to be more pyrophoric than others. In some cases, the heat generated by this oxidation may pose a fire or other safety hazard, or may damage the catalyst configuration itself.
Catalysts subject to such concerns are typically pre-reacted with oxygen in a controlled environment before they are handled. For example, a catalyst may be oxidized slowly in a dilute oxygen atmosphere to avoid overheating, and may then be shipped in a relatively non-reactive oxidized state (referred to as the oxidized state). Since catalysts in an oxidized state generally have diminished catalytic effectiveness or no effectiveness at all, they are typically reduced or activated before they can be used (referred to as the reduced, or active state). This generally involves flowing hydrogen or another reducing agent across the catalyst at an elevated temperature (e.g., over 200° C.), in order to react away the oxidation layer. This reduction (activation) step is also exothermic, and may need to be controlled (e.g., by using diluted hydrogen) to avoid overheating.
One reason why catalyst overheating can be a problem, and thus why catalyst temperature control is important, is because some catalysts will lose their catalytic effectiveness if they are overheated. For example, when copper-based catalyst particles are heated to over 400° C., the particles may tend to sinter (also referred to as densification), meaning that small particles will tend to combine into larger particles. Thus, this temperature may be referred to as the sintering temperature of this material. Such sintering can reduce the surface area of the catalyst, thereby reducing its effectiveness. As known in the art, other catalyst materials are subject to similar concerns at other sintering temperatures.


A spring assembly in a throttle valve connection for control of combustion air to an internal combustion engine, in which a rotor is movable in opposite directions to control flow of combustion air. The spring assembly has a coil spring with first and second legs at respective opposite ends engaging housing and rotor parts. The housing and rotor parts are provided with respective oblique surfaces engaging one of the legs of the spring when the spring is relaxed to resist relative rotation of the housing and rotor.

EP 0 651 147 B1 discloses an arrangement in which the legs at the opposite ends of the spring jointly engage the rotor part and the housing part and if electrical drive of the rotor is shut off or fails, the throttle valve will be brought to a neutral or rest position corresponding to a start position or idle emergency position.
In this neutral position, the spring is relaxed and free of stress and it has been found that objectionable fluctuations of speed of the internal combustion engine occur.

Spring assembly in an engine air throttle control providing rotational blocking when relaxed


A tethered vehicle such as a missile system comprises a tethered vehicle body having a control system and propulsion system therein, a control station for the tethered vehicle located outside of the tethered vehicle body, and an optical fiber data link extending from the tethered vehicle control system to the control station. The tethered vehicle system further includes a GPS positioning system for the tethered vehicle, which comprises a positioning signal receiving antenna mounted in the tethered vehicle, and a positioning signal amplifier mounted in the tethered vehicle, which receives a positioning signal from the antenna and produces an amplified positioning signal. A transmitter transmits the amplified positioning signal into the optical fiber data link at its end within the tethered vehicle, and a receiver receives the amplified positioning signal from the optical fiber data link at its end at the control station. A signal processor analyzes the amplifier positioning signal received from the receiver. The signal processor is located at the control station. Preferably, there is imposed a time-shift correction to the positioning signal to negate the effect of the separation between the antenna and the signal processor.

This invention relates to tethered vehicles such as optical fiber guided missiles, and, more particularly, to the determination of the absolute location of such tethered vehicles.
Tethered vehicles are used in a variety of civilian and military missions. Such a tethered vehicle typically includes a self-propelled, unmanned vehicle that is linked to a central control station by a wire or optical fiber data link. Information is transmitted from the vehicle to a controller along the data link, and control signals are transmitted from the controller to the vehicle along the same data link. Examples of such tethered vehicles include missiles, boats, torpedoes, certain spacecraft, and explorer and salvage units. Optical fiber guided missiles are of the most interest to the present inventors, and will be discussed in greatest detail herein, but the present approach is applicable to other types of tethered vehicles as well.
An optical fiber guided missile system includes a missile, a control station, and an optical fiber data link extending between the missile and the control station. The missile is usually launched from the vicinity of the control station, which may be a fixed or mobile ground site or an aircraft. The optical fiber is initially wound onto a bobbin in the missile (or one bobbin in the missile and another at the launch site) and payed out from the missile as the missile flies. Optical fibers used in such missile systems are typically 5-30 kilometers in length or even longer in some cases, defining the radius of operation of the missile from its launch site. Optical fiber guidance has the important advantage over other types of guidance systems that it is highly resistant to jamming and other interference, and can bidirectionally transmit large quantities of information simultaneously from and to the missile.
As the missile flies through the air, a sensor such as a visible-light television camera or an infrared seeker produces a picture of the terrain. The picture is transmitted back to the control station on the optical fiber data link, where the operator or an electronic tracker uses the picture in selecting targets, performing reconnaissance, or other missions. Control signals are transmitted back along the optical fiber to the missile from the control station, responsive to the commands of the operator or tracker.
For many missions the absolute position of the missile must be known, particularly where the radius of operation takes the missile to great distances from the control station. In one type of mission, for example, the missile may initially fly at low speeds at various altitudes and headings to gather reconnaissance data and then, after identifying the target, switch to a higher speed attack at a previously defined location. When flying such a mission profile in the confusion of the battlefield environment, the operator or tracker may lose track of absolute position of the missile with respect to the control station, interfering with the targeting procedure and reducing the value of the data gathered during the reconnaissance phase.
It is therefore important to be able to determine the position of the optical fiber guided missile. Visual and radar methods cannot be relied upon, because the missile may be outside the line of sight and because the radar returns may be unavailable or unreliable when the missile is flying at a low altitude. Relative position of the missile calculated from heading and speed information may provide an approximation of the absolute position data, but there is always a substantial degree of uncertainty of the missile position computed in this way.
Another possible solution is to use the global positioning system (GPS) to determine the absolute position of the missile. GPS provides an array of satellites that transmit positioning signals. The position of a receiver of those signals can be determined by a ranging method, wherein the position is uniquely determined by the range of the receiver to three, four, or more satellite transmitters.
The use of GPS in an optical fiber guided missile is made complex by the need to establish the position of the missile very accurately and very rapidly, while working within the missile constraints of low weight and acceptable cost. A variety of GPS receivers are available. The faster, more accurate GPS receivers tend to be heavy and costly, while the lighter, less costly GPS receivers cannot make position determinations rapidly enough to be of tactical value. Many existing GPS signal processing units also cannot stand the demanding operational environments experienced by a missile.
There remains a need for a tethered vehicle positioning system operable with an optical fiber guided tethered vehicle. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.


The present invention is drawn to a 3-dimensional cell-produced scaffold construct comprising fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix that has been produced and arranged by these cells. The constructs promote the differentiation, dedifferentiation and/or transdifferentiation of cells and/or formation of tissue in vitro and in vivo, while at the same time promoting cell growth, proliferation, migration, and acquisition of in vivo-like morphology.

In the United States, millions of people are affected by tissue loss every year. Current treatments include tissue transfer from a healthy site in the same or another individual, use of medical devices to support the function of the lost tissue, or pharmacologic supplementation of the metabolic products of the lost tissue. Problems with these current treatments include potential tissue complications and imperfect matches including the possible dependence on immunosuppressants, limited durability of the mechanical devices, and the inconvenience and complexity of pharmacologic supplementation. Current approaches for developing living tissue substitutes make use of a "scaffold" that serves as a physical support and template for cell attachment and tissue development. These scaffolds are ideally designed to resemble, both in structure and composition, the extracellular matrix that the cells are exposed to in vivo, in order to simulate the in vivo conditions. An early and widely used natural scaffold is made of the extracellular matrix protein collagen, while more recently, mechanically stronger artificial scaffolds made of substances such as poly-glycolic acid (PGA) and poly-lactic acid (PLA) have been used.
Some cell-scaffold compositions have multiple layers of biocompatible materials including extracellular matrix materials such as collagen, fibril-forming collagen, Matrix Gla protein, osteocalcin, or other biocompatible materials including marine coral, coralline hydroxyapatite ceramic, and mixtures thereof, and some such scaffolds have been seeded with cells, and then placed within a bioreactor having a means for mechanically stimulating the cells at distinct frequencies (see U.S. Patent Application No. 0040005297 to P. R. Connelly et al., filed Jul. 8, 2002, published Jan. 8, 2004).
In addition, living tissue equivalents (LTEs), notably cell-seeded collagen and fibrin gels, have been used extensively as in vitro wound-healing models as well as systems for studying tissue remodeling. More recently, LTEs have begun to gain considerable attention as replacements for lost or damaged connective tissue (e.g., Apligraf™ from Organogenesis, Inc.). LTEs have several advantages over synthetic alternatives including being a natural cell substrate, allowing cellularity to be achieved directly, and being conducive to cell spreading and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation. LTEs are made by mixing cells with a soluble biopolymer solution (e.g., collagen, fibrin, and/or proteoglycans). The cells invade, rearrange and partially degrade the biopolymer scaffold over the next few days as well as synthesize new proteins throughout the culture period. However, LTEs generally lack the physical properties necessary to resist in vivo mechanical forces, and are not true "living tissues".
Over the last two decades, LTEs that are completely cell-derived have been developed. However, to date they have been very thin and taken a long time to grow, generally on the order of months, whereas collagen gels and fibrin gels can be developed in only a few days. There is a need for completely biological cell-derived LTEs, and living scaffolds for use in wound repair and tissue regeneration in vitro and in vivo.

Autogenic living scaffolds and living tissue matrices: methods and uses thereof


In order to save radio resources, the present invention provides a method for improving a multi-input multi-output, known as MIMO, procedure for a network of a wireless communications system. The method includes the following steps. Only two parameter values are used in a MIMO operation information element, also called IE, of a MIMO parameter IE, to indicate a user equipment, called UE hereinafter, to start or continue MIMO operation. The UE is indicated to stop the MIMO operation when the MIMO parameter IE is not included in an ACTIVE SET UPDATE, CELL UPDATE CONFIRM, or any reconfiguration message sent to the UE.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for improving a procedure for a wireless communications system and related communications device, and more particularly to a method for improving a MIMO procedure for a network terminal and a UE of a wireless communications system and related communications device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The third generation (3G) mobile telecommunications system has adopted a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) wireless air interface access method for a cellular network. WCDMA provides high frequency spectrum utilization, universal coverage, and high quality, high-speed multimedia data transmission. The WCDMA method also meets all kinds of QoS requirements simultaneously, providing diverse, flexible, two-way transmission services and better communication quality to reduce transmission interruption rates. Through the 3G mobile telecommunications system, a user can utilize a wireless communications device, such as a mobile phone, to realize real-time video communications, conference calls, real-time games, online music broadcasts, and email sending/receiving. However, these functions rely on fast, instantaneous transmission. Thus, targeting at the third generation mobile telecommunication technology, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) provides High Speed Package Access (HSPA) technology, which includes High Speed Downlink Package Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Package Access (HSUPA), to increase bandwidth utility rate and package data processing efficiency so as to improve uplink/downlink transmission rate.
To further increase the downlink data rate, 3GPP introduces a Multi-input Multi-output (MIMO) technology, with which a user equipment (UE) and a base station, known as a Node-B, utilize multiple antennas to transmit/receive radio signals. Besides, the MIMO technology can be further incorporated with spatial multiplexing, beam forming and spatial diversity technologies to reduce signal interference and increase channel capacity. In the prior art, the MIMO operation is mainly employed to the HSDPA system, doubling the peak rate of high speed downlink share channel (HS-DSCH). Concerning radio resource control (RRC) states of the UE, the MIMO operation is only applicable for the UE in CELL_DCH state.
To control MIMO operation of the UE, a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) can set configuration of MIMO operation in RRC messages with information elements (IEs) and send the RRC messages to the UE through corresponding RRC procedures. According to an RRC protocol specification of 3GPP, a MIMO parameter IE includes a MIMO operation IE, a MIMO N/M Ratio IE and a MIMO Pilot Configuration IE. The MIMO N/M Ratio IE includes information about the antenna numbers of the UE and the Node-B. The MIMO Pilot Configuration IE includes information about diversity, channelization code, etc. The MIMO operation IE is utilized to indicate the UE to activate, continue or stop the MIMO operation, and correspondingly includes three possible parameter values, which represent "start", "continue" and "stop", respectively.
The UTRAN can use an ACTIVE SET UPDATE, CELL UPDATE CONFIRM, or any reconfiguration message to include the MIMO parameter IE and then sends these messages to the UE. On the other hand, the UE contains a MIMO_STATUS variable to store the MIMO configuration data included in the MIMO parameter IE, i.e. parameter values corresponding to MIMO N/M ratio and MIMO pilot configuration.
When the UE receives any aforementioned RRC message, the UE clears the MIMO_STATUS variable if no MIMO parameter IE is included in the RRC message. If the MIMO parameter IE is included in the RRC message and the MIMO operation IE is set to "stop", the UE clears the MIMO_STATUS variable as well and further triggers lower layers to stop any operation about MIMO. If the UE is notified that the MIMO operation IE is set to "start", the UE stores the received parameter values in the MIMO_STATUS variable, and then triggers lower layers to start MIMO operation if all corresponding parameters are set. If the MIMO operation IE is set to "continue", the UE just stores the received parameter values in the MIMO_STATUS variable.
From the above, the prior art specification defines two ways for the UTRAN to stop the MIMO operation of the UE. One way is not including the MIMO parameter IE in the RRC message; the other is setting the MIMO operation IE to "stop". In the practice of the former way, the UTRAN requires no information bits; in the practice of the latter way, as the above, the MIMO operation IE requires two information bits for three parameter values related to the "stop", "continue" and "stop" operations. Thus, the latter way results in transmission of extra bits in the RRC messages for MIMO configuration.

Method and related apparatus for improving MIMO procedure in a wireless communications system


Carbohydrates as derived from plant biomass can be converted into mono-alcohols, diols, and/or bi-functional alcohols or into carboxylic acid derivatives. By catalytic transesterification of such carbohydrate derivatives, ester-type diesel-fuel blendstock components may be produced. More specifically, alkyl levulinates are catalytically trans-esterified with hydroxyl-functionalized compounds where both the alcohols and the alkyl levulinates are derived from biomass carbohydrates. Esters produced in this way show physicochemical characteristics that make them suitable for use as diesel fuel blendstock.

There is an increasing interest to derive compounds from biomass that may be used as fuel components in gasoline, jet fuel, or diesel fuels. For instance, ethanol is currently produced at large scale as a fuel component for gasoline. Ethanol is presently allowed to be blended into gasoline at a maximum of ten percent of the volume of the resulting gasoline fuel. Higher concentrations of ethanol are likely to cause corrosion issues for vehicles that were not designed for high ethanol fuels such as E85 (eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent hydrocarbon based gasoline). Most gasoline fuel sold in the US includes ethanol.
Biodiesel, as obtained from the transesterification of vegetable oils and animal fats, is a common blending component of diesel fuel and may legally and technically be added is high proportions. However, only low concentration blends of biodiesel-in-diesel are currently used due in part to the limited availability of biodiesel feedstocks. Renewable diesel is another biofuel that can be blended with diesel in high concentrations and is made from vegetable oils and animal fats. Renewable diesel faces the same limitations as biodiesel in terms of feedstock availability.
It is highly desirable to use lignocellulosic biomass (the most abundant form of biomass on the planet) as a source of fuel components for diesel. However, little success has been achieved in transforming lignocellulose components, i.e. lignin and carbohydrates for the most part, into compounds that can be used in blends with diesel. This lack of success is due in part to the nature of lignocellulose fractions. Lignin, for instance, makes for about 5-30% of plant biomass (lignocellulose). Lignin is a tri-dimensional, highly branched aromatic polymer with mainly ether-type linkages whose aromatic functions are single phenyl rings. Lignin is particularly difficult to process into compounds that could be used as transportation fuel components and, thus far, there is no commercial technology that converts lignin into fuel components. The other lignocellulose fraction, the carbohydrate fraction (70-95%), is mainly composed of cellulose and hemicellulose. These carbohydrates are biopolymers whose polymeric units are single sugars with five to six carbon atoms. Such sugar units are joined through glycosidic bonds, i.e., C—O—C bonds. When carbohydrates are thermally or biochemically processed for fuel applications, the products are oxygenates or hydrocarbons with two to six carbon atoms. These types of compounds (e.g. ethanol, butanol, pentane, hexane, and others) are suitable for gasoline blending, but they do not fulfill specifications for diesel blending. Thus, there is an opportunity for technologies that are able to convert carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicellulose, and corn starch and sugar cane carbohydrates) into compounds fungible with diesel fuel that meet diesel fuel characteristics.

Synthesis of diesel fuel blendstock from carbohydrates


A method of depositing an electrically conductive titanium oxide coating on a glass substrate, preferably by atmospheric chemical vapor deposition in a float glass manufacturing process, utilizes a precursor gas mixture including a halogenated, inorganic titanium compound, an organic oxygen containing compound, a reducing gas and one or more inert carrier gases.

Titanium oxide coatings are known to have many uses due to their resistance to physical and chemical attack. For example, TiO2 coatings are very resistant to abrasion and have thus been used as an overcoat in multi-layer thin film stacks. Likewise it is known that such TiO2 coatings can protect more delicate coatings from, for example, oxidation due to exposure to the elements.
Such attributes of TiO2 coatings as just described could be beneficially utilized in, for example, photovoltaic devices, if such TiO2 coatings could also be made moderately electrically conductive, so as to enhance the overall efficiency of conversion of solar energy to electrical energy in such photovoltaic devices. It would also be highly desirable if such coatings could be manufactured economically so as to be useful in the large scale production of, for example, solar panels.
Deposition of TiO2 films having a wide variety of different properties has been reported in the scientific literature, for example: Kurtz, S. R. and Gordon, R. G., "Chemical Vapor Deposition of Doped TiO2 Thin Films", Thin Solid Films, Vol. 147, pgs. 167-176 (1987) and Ginley, D. S. and Knotek, M. L., "Hydrogen in TiO2 Photoanodes", J. Electrochem Soc., Vol. 126, pgs. 2163-2166, (1979)
Deposition of TiO2 films having selectively enhanced properties also appears in the patent literature, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,306 describes an electrically conductive material of titanium dioxide crystal including at least one electrically conductive portion and at least one less conductive portion, and a method of producing the electrically conductive material, which includes the steps of applying a catalyst to the surface of the crystal and heating the crystal at a temperature of 300° C. to 600° C. in a gas atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas and a reducing gas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,543 describes a thin film, magnetic disk media having micro-texturing provided by hydrogen-treated, sputter-deposited titanium nodules.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,830 describes a physical vapor deposition sputtering process for enhancing the preferred crystalline orientation of a titanium layer by using hydrogen before or during the deposition process.

Method of depositing and electrically conductive titanium oxide coating


A clutch arrangement in an automatic transmission, comprising two axially adjacent multi-disk clutches (B, E) to each is assigned a piston/cylinder arrangement for axially actuating the clutch, a pressure compensation space for a dynamic clutch actuation pressure compensation and a mechanism for supplying lubricant or cooling medium. The aim is to reduce the axial overall length of a transmission of this type. The disk packets of both clutches (B, E) are placed one above the other in a radial manner, the pressure compensation space (25) for the radially outer clutch (B) is permitted to axially border on the pressure space (8) for actuating the piston (17) of the radially inner clutch (E), and the lubricant or cooling medium flow (30) for the radially outer clutch (B) is directly tapped from the pressure compensation space (25) for actuating the outer clutch (B).

Multiple examples exist for the arrangement of clutches and actuating devices thereof in automatic transmissions. U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,410 shows a clutch arrangement in an automatic transmission in which a part, designed somewhat cup-shaped in transverse section, is constructed as an outer disc carrier. Radially within the outer disc carrier are formed the inner and outer discs of two multi-disc clutches disposed axially adjacent on the same radial height, piston-cylinder arrangements having each one actuating piston for actuation of the two clutches, the same as pressure compensation spaces for a dynamic pressure compensation regarding the actuating force of the actuating pistons.
Also known from this publication is to form a pressure compensation space using one clutch piston and one so-called baffle plate, the same as to situate one recoil spring between the baffle plate and the piston. Lubricant is supplied to the pressure compensation space via a lubricant hole of the outer disc carrier.
Further known from the Applicant's unpublished DE-102 48 172 is an automatic transmission having a multi-disc clutch which has one serve device located within a disc carrier in the form of a piston-cylinder arrangement with dynamic pressure compensation for actuating a clutch. In addition, a planetary gearset, having one planet carrier, belongs to this automatic transmission.
The servo device of this transmission consists of one piston which, together with a suitably designed wall of the disc carrier, forms a pressure space. A pressurization of the pressure space, via a pressure-medium supply hole in the disc carrier, produces an axial displacement of the piston toward the discs after overcoming the recoil force of a spring.
Upon the side of the piston opposite the pressure space, a pressure compensation space is situated by way of a dynamic pressure appearing upon the clutch as a result of the clutch rotation is compensated at least approximately. To this end, the pressure compensation space is filled with a lubricant fed via a hole placed in a hub of the disc carrier. In this known transmission, at the same time, the pressure compensation space, located radially below the clutch discs, is formed by one streamlined spacer disc as an axially stationary baffle plate and by a cup-shaped section of the axially displaceable actuating piston.
Lubricant is supplied to the planetary gears and to the pressure compensation space, via a common lubricant supply situated in the area of the inner diameter of the streamlined spacer disc, and is fed by the already mentioned lubricant supply hole. On the radially inner lubricant inlet in the pressure compensation chamber, the lubricant flow from the lubricant supply hole is divided in two partial flows where one partial flow is guided to the pressure compensation chamber and a second partial flow is guided to a lubricant chamber near the planetary gears.
To obtain the shortest clutch arrangement length, this transmission provides for a streamlined spacer disc, which has axially, stamped corrugations of radial direction distributed over its periphery. The axially-formed, stamped grooves are connected either with a lubricant chamber for lubricating the planetary gears or with the pressure compensation space for the clutch actuating pistons.
Against this background, the invention is based on the problem of introducing a clutch arrangement for an automatic transmission which, with great saving of space, makes possible the supply with a lubricant or coolant of at least one pressure compensation space and of at least one multi-disc clutch possible.
The solution of this problem results form the features of the main claim while advantageous developments and other embodiments can be deduced from the sub-claims.

Clutch arrangement in an automatic transmission having an installation space-saving coolant supply


The present invention relates to a method and to a device (10) for producing a wheel rim (1) for a vehicle wheel (3), and to a method for producing a vehicle wheel (3).

Vehicle wheels or motor vehicle wheels are safety-critical components and must therefore be able to endure high mechanical and dynamic alternating stresses during driving. Conventional "steel wheels" of sheet-metal construction generally consist of a wheel disk, which ensures the connection to the wheel hub, and a wheel rim (rim strip), which accepts the tire. Nowadays, the wheel components are manufactured in several steps (up to eleven steps) on progressive presses by cold forming (deep drawing, flow forming, profiling). In this case, use has been made hitherto exclusively of micro-alloyed steels (structural steel, fine-grained steel) and dual-phase steels with a strength of 400 to 600 MPa. MAG welding in combination with press joining (drop center rim) is preferably provided as a joining technique.
As a mass that is moved in rotation, the weight of the vehicle wheels has a disproportionate effect on the energy consumption of the vehicles and additionally also on the unsprung masses. The aim is therefore generally to achieve a vehicle wheel weight which is as low as possible with, ideally, a high stiffness. Particularly in the case of commercial vehicles with several wheels and a unit weight of about 36 to 40 kg, a significant reduction in weight also has a positive effect on the payload. As compared with conventionally produced vehicle wheels, it is possible to exploit additional potential for lightweight construction with steel if, on the one hand, material with a higher strength or vibration resistance is used for reliable absorption of the operating loads and, on the other hand, geometric modifications, e.g. embossed features to compensate for losses of stiffness due to lower material thicknesses, can be implemented. With increasing material strength, however, there is generally also a decrease in the cold formability of conventional steels (carbon steel), and this has already been almost exhausted with current wheel disks. Thus, lightweight construction with cold-formable and higher-strength steels is reaching its technical limits on the basis of current manufacturing concepts for wheels. Apart from the weight of the wheels, design also plays a significant role in the case of passenger vehicles. The freedom of design and attractiveness of known steel wheels is therefore likewise severely restricted with conventional modes of construction and materials.
Apart from what is referred to as cold forming, other techniques used in vehicle body construction also include what is referred to as hot forming, also known among experts as indirect or direct hot forming. By using hot forming, it is possible to satisfy the requirement for a high degree of formability with, at the same time, high strengths of the fully formed components. Corresponding forming methods that include a prior heat treatment of the workpiece, e.g. in a separate furnace, in particular hot forming and press hardening of steel sheet, are sufficiently well known from the prior art. However, the use of hot forming for sheet-steel components subjected primarily to cyclical loads, e.g. control arms, wheels, axle beams, has not hitherto become established in motor vehicle construction.
As the prior art for the hot sheet forming of passenger vehicle wheels or the corresponding wheel disks, which can be press hardened, at least in some region or regions, reference is made to documents DE 10 2007 019 485 A1, DE 10 2013 114 245 B3 and DE 10 2014 108 901 B3. The focus of these documents is mainly on the local mechanical component properties of the wheel disks after hot forming or press hardening and corresponding method steps or devices for the production of wheel disks for standard steel wheels.
Hardening of a wheel rim, at least in some region or regions, on the assembled wheel is disclosed in US Published Application US 2004/0041458 A1, with the aim of increasing the resistance of the wheel in the case of a collision with a curb or in the case of a shock load. In the case of a standard wheel for passenger vehicles, the mass is predominantly concentrated in the wheel rim (> about 60%), and therefore an increase in the material strength in the wheel rim not only has a positive effect on resistance in the case of shock loading but, given appropriate design, can also allow a reduction in the rim weight, which is desirable especially in the case of commercial vehicle wheels. Local hardening of the wheel in accordance with the proposed method from US 2004/0041458 A1 is disadvantageous inasmuch as the procedure would lead to extreme distortion of the component, which has an unfavorable effect on dimensional accuracy and the truth of running of the wheel.
A standardized wheel rim is of rotationally symmetrical and/or annular construction and has geometrical areas that are undercut, particularly around the axis of rotation of the wheel, on the rim flange and/or the bead seat (hump, valve seat), making production by direct hot forming technically difficult to implement. Owing to the complex geometry of the wheel rim, it must furthermore be assumed that hot forming with the known tool components (punch, sheet holder, die) is not conducive to the aim.

Method and device for producing a wheel rim


A method for collecting and concentrating trace chemicals for subsequent analysis by virtually any type of chemical detector includes providing directed radiation to a sample, or a portion of a sample. An apparatus can include a sampling body for providing radiation.

Identification of low levels of chemicals found outside the laboratory can provide valuable information for counter-terrorism efforts, crime scene investigations, law enforcement, forensics, and environmental chemistry, among many others. An important element of trace chemical detection is the sampling method, which can be described as the interface between the chemical detector and the environment. Since many types of trace chemicals such as fire accelerants, explosive residues, narcotics, toxic pollutants, and chemical warfare agents exhibit very low vapor pressures, some form of energy must be applied to these molecules as part of the sampling method to ensure that their abundance in the gas phase as they exit the sampler and enter the detector is sufficiently high to be detected. Common forms of energy employed in existing chemical samplers include mechanical samplers, which utilize directed air flow and/or surface wiping (as in common airport portal sensors), or thermal energy samplers, for example, heat samplers.

Method of detecting analyte vaporized from sample with low-power UV radiation


In order to provide a sensor operating in a high sensitivity at a low cost and a radio sensor platform having a high energy efficiency, the sensor includes a detecting film which generates heat through incidence or adhesion of an object, a magnetic film which generates a spin current in a direction of a temperature gradient by the heat generated by the detecting film, and an electrode which convert the spin current generated by the magnetic film into an electric current.

The importance of the sensor network technique is increasing which has a radio communication function as an interface between a real space and a virtual space in a computer graphics in the ubiquitous society. In the sensor network, many radio sensor nodes carry out sensing operations to transmit the obtained data, respectively. The transmitted data are collected by a server. Thus, various situations in a wide range such as traffic jam and environments can be grasped.
As the sensor node (sensor terminal), there is the node which is provided with a sensor section which detects physical data, a signal processing section which executes analog-to-digital conversion, calculation processing of the physical data, a radio section which transmits the processed data, and a power supply section which supplies power to each of these sections (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).
As the sensor section, various types of sections are used according to the application. For example, an infrared sensor is extensively used in an information security field and a remote sensing field. The infrared sensors can be divided into a quantum type infrared sensor and a thermal type infrared sensor. The quantum type infrared sensor has a high efficiency in the sensitivity and the speed of response and so on, but generally needs the cooling and a high cost. Therefore, the quantum type infrared sensor is not too much used for a consumer use.
On the other hand, the thermal type infrared sensor does not need the cooling and is a comparatively low cost, because the sensor detects heat generation through absorption of infrared rays. As the thermal type infrared sensor, a pyroelectric type infrared sensor which detects heat generation due to the infrared rays by using the pyroelectric effect of ferroelectric substance, a bolometric type infrared sensor which detects heat generation due to the resistance change, and a thermopile type infrared sensor which detects thermoelectromotive force by using the thermoelectric effect and so on are exemplified.
A power supply section is often composed of primary battery. However, recently, a method of using radio power supply and a method of collecting power through the environment generation are used. As a method of the environment generation, photoelectric conversion using solar photovoltaic power generation, and vibration conversion which converts vibration into electricity by a piezoelectric element, thermoelectric conversion which converts heat into electrical energy and so on are used.
In the signal processing section, the analog-digital conversion of the obtained raw data, the integration, organization and conversion of the obtained data, and a control for radio communication and so on are mainly carried out. The signal processing section codes data for the radio communication according to the necessity. The signal processing section does not need a large-scale and high-speed processing unlike the personal computer. In the present situation, as the signal processing section, a comparatively small-scale microcomputer is used. The processing ability of the microcomputer is about 8 bits and the clock frequency is several MHz to tens of MHz. In this case, because the long life operation is important, a small power consumption amount than the conventional processor is strongly required. Also, although being different from the other information processing system, in the sensor, a standby time during which measurement and communication are carried out becomes long. Therefore, a sleep mode is also important in which a low power operation or an operation stop is carried out while an internal state is maintained.
The radio section communicates through use of a microwave oscillator and a receiver. However, high capacity communication and high power oscillation are not always needed unlike a mobile phone and a wireless LAN. As the radio communication method, Zigbee (frequency: the 2.4 GHz band, transmission rate: 250 kbps, maximum communication distance: 30 m) and so on are often used which is for a short distance communication and has a comparatively low power consumption amount. However, recently, further power saving method is proposed and studied.
Also, as a new technique which can contribute to the above ubiquitous sensor network, spintronics is remarkable in recent years. The spintronics is a technique that the degree of freedom of the spin is newly utilized effectively in addition to the degree of freedom of the electric charge, and is expected in a low power consumption amount of information processing and application to a new energy conversion. For example, an electric current is necessarily accompanied by the joule heat generation. On the other hand, the spin current which is a flow of spins, can realize information communication in a very small energy loss from the physical property (for example, refer to Patent Literature 2). Also, the spin current can be flow even in insulator in which electrons are restrained, and completely new utilization is expected for the information processing and the sensing (for example, Non-Patent Literature 1, and Non-Patent Literature 2).
Some techniques which convert the spin current into another physical quantity are known. For example, a technique which uses a spin Hall effect is known as the technique which converts an electric current into the spin current. The spin Hall effect has the effect that when applying an electric current into material, the spin current is generated in a direction orthogonal to a direction of the electric current (for example, refer to Non-Patent Literature 3). Oppositely, a reverse spin Hall effect is found in which the electric current is generated in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the spin current (for example, refer to Non-Patent Literature 4).
Also, as a technique which generates the spin current from a spatial temperature gradient, a spin Seebeck effect has been reported. The spin current generated by the heat can be taken out as the electric current through the reverse spin Hall effect (for example, refer to Patent Literature 3).


A semiconductor apparatus includes a control chip including a first selection unit configured to output one of signals which are inputted through a first normal port and a shared test port, in response to a test mode signal; and a second selection unit configured to output one of signals which are inputted through a second normal port and the shared test port, in response to the test mode signal, wherein the control chip is configured to transmit an output of the first selection unit to a first chip and transmit an output of the second selection unit to a second chip.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor apparatus, and more particularly, to a stacked semiconductor apparatus.
2. Related Art
In order to improve the degree of integration of a semiconductor apparatus, a 3D (three-dimensional) semiconductor apparatus, in which a plurality of chips are stacked and packaged to increase the degree of integration, has been developed. In the 3D semiconductor apparatus, since two or more chips are vertically stacked, a maximum degree of integration may be achieved in the same area. In the 3D semiconductor apparatus, instead of improving operating frequency, a band width is increased by allocating separate channels to stacked chips.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional semiconductor apparatus. In FIG. 1, the semiconductor apparatus includes first to fourth chips CHIP0 to CHIP3 and a control chip MCHIP. The control chip MCHIP may be a chip which is packaged along with the first to fourth chips CHIP0 to CHIP3 into a single package, and may perform the function of an interposer in a system-in-package including a controller.
The first to fourth chips CHIP0 to CHIP3 operate by being divided into planes. That is to say, respective chips are distinguished by planes so as to improve a band width, and separate channels are allocated to the respective planes. In FIG. 1, the first chip CHIP0 is divided into first and second planes Plane0 and Plane1, the second chip CHIP1 is divided into third and fourth planes Plane2 and Plane3, the third chip CHIP2 is divided into fifth and sixth planes Plane4 and Plane5, and the fourth chip CHIP3 is divided into seventh and eighth planes Plane6 and Plane7. The control chip MCHIP has first to eighth channels CH0 to CH7 for communicating with the first to eighth planes Plane0 to Plane7. In other words, the first channel CH0 is to communicate with the first plane Plane0 of the first chip CHIP0, and the second channel CH1 is to communicate with the second plane Plane1 of the first chip CHIP0. The remaining channels are provided to communicate with corresponding planes of corresponding chips, respectively.
The control chip MCHIP includes a plurality of ports. The plurality of ports receive signals for operating the first to fourth chips CHIP0 to CHIP3, from a controller (not shown) or a test equipment (not shown). The control chip MCHIP includes first to eighth normal ports NA0 to NA7 and first to eighth test ports DA0 to DA7. The first normal port NA0 and the first test port DA0 are connected with the first channel CH0, and the second normal port NA1 and the second test port DA1 are connected with the second channel CH1. The remaining ports are connected with corresponding channels, respectively.
The normal ports NA0 to NA7 are to receive signals for normal operations of the first to fourth chips CHIP0 to CHIP3, from the controller, and the test ports DA0 to DA7 are to receive signals for test operations of the first to fourth chips CHIP0 to CHIP3, from the controller or the test equipment. The signals include a plurality of signals such as address signals, command signals, clock signals, and so forth.
FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing the configuration of the control chip MCHIP of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the control chip MCHIP includes first to eighth selection units 11 to 18. The first selection unit 11 receives signals which are inputted through the first normal port NA0 and the first test port DA0, and outputs one of the signals to the first channel CH0 in response to a test mode signal TMDA. The second selection unit 12 receives signals which are inputted through the second normal port NA1 and the second test port DA1, and outputs one of the signals to the second channel CH1 in response to the test mode signal TMDA. The third selection unit 13 receives signals which are inputted through the third normal port NA2 and the third test port DA2, and outputs one of the signals to the third channel CH2 in response to the test mode signal TMDA. The fourth selection unit 14 receives signals which are inputted through the fourth normal port NA3 and the fourth test port DA3, and outputs one of the signals to the fourth channel CH3 in response to the test mode signal TMDA. The fifth to eighth selection units 15 to 18 output ones of the signals which are received through the respective ports, to the allocated channels. Since the control chip MCHIP includes the first to eighth selection units 11 to 18, the control chip MCHIP may transmit the signals inputted through the respective normal ports NA0 to NA7, to the channels CH0 to CH7 in the normal operations, and may transmit the signals inputted through the respective test ports DA0 to DA7, to the channels CH0 to CH7 in the test operations.
As described above, in the conventional semiconductor apparatus, all the selection units 11 to 18 should be connected with the normal ports NA0 to NA7 and the test ports DA0 to DA7 which are individually separated from one another. The reason to this resides in that, since the chips constituting the semiconductor apparatus operate by being divided into the planes and communicate through the separated channels, the normal operations and the test operations should be separately performed. As can be seen from the above descriptions, a large number of signals are inputted through the normal ports NA0 to NA7 and the test ports DA0 to DA7 from the controller or the test equipment. Therefore, the control chip MCHIP should have large numbers of ports and balls to receive the signals.

Semiconductor apparatus including plurality of chips being divided into plurality of planes


The present invention provides a gas meter fault prompting method and Internet of Things (IoT) system based on a compound IoT, and relates to the field of an IoT. Each of object sub-platforms is configured to check its own operation state information in real time for a fault; a management platform is configured to inquire a fault type and a fault solution according to the operation state information and preset fault inquiry table, and send the fault type and solution to a corresponding user sub-platform via the service platform to display, so that a user can know and view the fault type and solution of a gas meter at the user sub-platform in a timely manner and thus may repair some simple faults of the gas meter independently; and therefore, the time cost and the labor cost are saved.

A fuel for daily cooking of people has been transformed from a conventional energy with serious resource waste and serious pollution, such as firewood and coal, into a clean energy such as natural gas, coal gas or even electricity. However, concerning the use of fuel gas, a fault may occur in a gas meter due to reasons such as external magnetic interference and insufficient battery capacity. For a user without repair experience, when some simple faults occur, he/she still needs to make a call to invite a maintainer of a gas company to the site for repair. As a result, a lot of labor costs and time costs are wasted, and the efficiency is low.

Gas meter fault prompting system of compound internet of things (IoT)

Chengdu Qinchuan loT Technology Co., Ltd.