An email client is configured to watch for attachment events and to automatically package a web page as a single-file attachment to an email note. When an attachment event is recognized by the email client, a determination is made as to whether the attached file is an HTML document. If the attached document is an HTML document, then a determination is made as to whether the HTML document has supporting resource files. If the HTML file has supporting resource files, then the registry is checked to see if the user has specified to include all supporting resource files with any HTML attachment. If not, then the user is prompted by a dialog box to select whether the supporting resource files should be attached. If the user expresses a desire to have the supporting resource files attached then the web page and all supporting resource files are packaged into a single file in Web Archive (e.g., MHTML) format. This single file is attached to the email note and transmitted with the email note to the recipient. The recipient will be able to unpack the attachment so that the web page can be displayed in its original form.

Electronic mail (email) processing is the primary use of the Internet today. Modern Internet users desire to send web page information to others via email. For example, a user may wish to send another person a web page that the user is constructing for the purposes of soliciting the recipient's comments. The attachment of a web page to an email note is difficult at best.
A typical web page consists of a main HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) source file and a host of resource files, such as graphics files, sound files, etc. Often, resource files are maintained within a predetermined folder structure and the main HTML source document includes links to the locations of the resource files within that folder structure. Because any given resource file may be in a folder that is different than the folder containing the main HTML document, the links in the HTML document will not be accurate, unless the resource files are maintained in the predefined folder structure. If the links are not accurate, then the web page will not function, because the aspects of the web page supported by linked content (e.g., graphics resource files) will not be supported by links to the resource files' actual locations.
When a web page is sent as an attachment to an email note, the folder structure and/or resource files may not be transmitted to the recipient. No currently available email client supports attaching a folder to an email note. Thus, if a user wishes to send a web page via email the user must attach the main HTML source file as well as each resource file corresponding to a link in the main HTML source file. Unfortunately, the folder structure of the web page will be lost and if the links point to resource files in folders other than that containing the main HTML document, then the web page will not be properly displayable. That is, the web page will not be functional.
Various approaches exist for packing web pages into a single file that can be attached to an email note, so that an email recipient can extract and display the web page in its original form. However, none of these approaches provides an automatic means for sending a web page via email.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a process for attaching a web page to an email note, so that the web page's resource file folder structure is maintained, such that the web page can be displayed in its original form. The process should be automatic, so that the user can attach the complete web page by simply dragging the main HTML document into the email note.

System and method for sending a web page via electronic mail


The present invention lowers energy loss while at the same time enhancing the responsiveness of a steering control system. When a steering controller is operated rapidly, the aperture area of a steering flow control valve 4 rapidly increases, and the differential pressure (Pp′-PL) across the steering flow control valve 4 rapidly decreases. When the differential pressure (Pp′-PL) across the steering flow control valve 4 rapidly decreases, a flow control valve 6 is biased by the spring force of a spring 6f and quickly moves to the side of a valve position 6b to increase the differential pressure (Pp′-PL) and make it correspond to a set pressure. Thus, the pressure oil of a surplus flow α, which up to this point has been flowing to a discharge oil line 7, is quickly supplied from the flow control valve 6 to a steering hydraulic cylinder 5 via the steering flow control valve 4. Thus, an output Q′ starts quickly relative to an input St.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a work vehicle, such as a wheel loader, forklift and so forth, and more particularly to a device for controlling vehicular steering.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wheel loader, forklift or other such work vehicle, the steering mechanism of the vehicle is driven and controlled, and the direction of travel of the vehicle is changed in accordance with the operation of a controller, such as a steering handle, lever or the like.
(Prior Art 1)
FIG. 6 shows a conventional steering drive control hydraulic circuit, which is employed in a work vehicle. In this hydraulic circuit, pressure oil of a fixed delivery capacity is delivered from a fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22.
That is, a fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22 is driven, for example, by an engine 1. An oil line 23a is connected to the discharge opening of the fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22. This oil line 23a is linked to the input port of a flow control valve 36. The output port of the flow control valve 36 is linked to an oil line 23b. The oil line 23b is linked to an input port of the upstream side, as seen from the hydraulic pump 22, of a steering flow control valve 24. The steering flow control valve 24 has valve positions 24a, 24b, 24c. Valve position 24a is the valve position for supplying pressure oil to the one oil chamber 5a of a steering hydraulic cylinder 5 and for discharging pressure oil of the other oil chamber 5b to a tank 9; valve position 24b is the valve position for supplying pressure oil to the one oil chamber 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 and for discharging pressure oil of the other oil chamber 5a to the tank 9; and valve position 24c is the neutral valve position for shutting off the supply of pressure oil to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5. The steering flow control valve 24 is equipped with pilot ports 24d, 24e, and hydraulic signals S1, S2 corresponding to steering drive command signals are applied to each of the pilot ports 24d, 24e. When hydraulic signal S1 is applied to pilot port 24d, the steering flow control valve 24 is positioned on the side of valve position 24a, and when hydraulic signal S2 is applied to pilot port 24e, the steering flow control valve 24 is positioned on the side of valve position 24b.
Input-output ports of the downstream side, as seen from the hydraulic pump 22, of the steering flow control valve 24 are linked, respectively, to oil chambers 5a, 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 via oil lines 23c, 23d. A tank port of the steering flow control valve 24 is linked to the tank 9 via oil line 23e.
A rod of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 is connected to the steering mechanism, and the steering mechanism operates in accordance with the telescopic motion of the rod of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5, changing the turning radius of the vehicle.
The operation of the steering drive control hydraulic circuit of FIG. 6 will be explained.
It is supposed that a steering controller, such as a steering handle, steering operating lever or the like was operated, and a steering drive command signal was generated. Here, a steering drive command signal is a signal that indicates an operators intention to change the orientation of the vehicle, and this signal is generated when an operation has been performed for changing the orientation of the vehicle from a straight forward state to a turning state, or when an operation has been performed for further increasing or decreasing turning from a steady turning state.
When a steering drive command signal is generated, either hydraulic signal S1 or S2 corresponding to this steering drive command signal is applied to either pilot port 24d or 24e of the steering flow control valve 24.
When hydraulic signal S1 is applied to pilot port 24d of the steering flow control valve 24, the steering flow control valve 24 is positioned on the side of valve position 24a. Thus, pressure oil delivered from fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22 is supplied to oil chamber 5a of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 as pressure oil required by the steering flow control valve 24 by way of oil line 23a, flow control valve 36, oil line 23b, steering flow control valve 24 and oil line 23c. Also, unnecessary pressure oil in the flow control valve 36 is discharged to the tank 9 via an oil line 23p. Further, return pressure oil of oil chamber 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 is discharged to the tank 9 by way of oil line 23d, the steering flow control valve 24 and oil line 23e. In accordance with this, for example, the left-turn turning radius of the vehicle changes.
Further, when hydraulic signal S2 is applied to pilot port 24e of the steering flow control valve 24, the steering flow control valve 24 is positioned on the side of valve position 24b. Thus, pressure oil delivered from the fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22 is supplied to oil chamber 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 as pressure oil required by the steering flow control valve 24 by way of oil line 23a, flow control valve 36, oil line 23b, the steering flow control valve 24 and oil line 23d. Also, unnecessary pressure oil in the flow control valve 36 is discharged to the tank 9 via oil line 23p. Further, return pressure oil of oil chamber 5a of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 is discharged to the tank 9 by way of oil line 23c, the steering flow control valve 24 and oil line 23e. In accordance with this, for example, the right-turn turning radius of the vehicle changes.
(Prior Art 2)
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a steering drive control hydraulic circuit that carries out capacity control by using a variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 instead of a fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22 is also known in the art.
That is, the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2, for example, is driven by an engine 1. An oil line 33a is connected to the discharge opening of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2. This oil line 33a is linked to an input port of the upstream side, as seen from the hydraulic pump 2, of a steering flow control valve 4. The steering flow control valve 4 has valve positions 4a, 4b, 4c. Valve position 4a is the valve position for supplying pressure oil to the one oil chamber 5a of a steering hydraulic cylinder 5 and for discharging pressure oil of the other oil chamber 5b to a tank 9; valve position 4b is the valve position for supplying pressure oil to the one oil chamber 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 and for discharging pressure oil of the other oil chamber 5a to the tank 9; and valve position 4c is the neutral valve position for shutting off the supply of pressure oil to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5. The steering flow control valve 4 is equipped with pilot ports 4d, 4e, and hydraulic signals S1, S2 corresponding to steering drive command signals are applied respectively to each of the pilot ports 4d, 4e. When hydraulic signal S1 is applied to pilot port 4d, the steering flow control valve 4 is positioned on the side of valve position 4a, and when hydraulic signal S2 is applied to pilot port 4e, the steering flow control valve 4 is positioned on the side of valve position 4b.
Input-output ports of the downstream side, as seen from the hydraulic pump 2, of the steering flow control valve 4 are linked, respectively, to oil chambers 5a, 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 via oil lines 33c, 33b. A tank port of the steering flow control valve 4 is linked to the tank 9 via oil line 33d.
A rod of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 is connected to the steering mechanism, and the steering mechanism operates in accordance with the telescopic motion of the rod of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5, changing the turning radius of the vehicle.
A swash plate 2a of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 operates by moving in response to the movement of a capacity control valve 10. When the valve position of the capacity control valve 10 moves to the left side in the figure, the swash plate 2a of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 moves to the side of the minimum inclined rotation angle MIN, and when the valve position of the capacity control valve 10 moves to the right side in the figure, the swash plate 2a of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 moves to the side of the maximum inclined rotation angle MAX.
A spring 10a for applying a set pressure is disposed on the capacity control valve 10. The pressure of the downstream side of the steering flow control valve 4, that is, the load pressure PL of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 can be detected as the pressure of outlet port 4f of the downstream side, as seen from the hydraulic pump 2, of the steering flow control valve 4. Outlet port 4f of the steering flow control valve 4 is linked by way of a pilot oil line 12 to a pilot port of the same side as the spring 10a of the capacity control valve 10.
The pressure of the upstream side of the steering flow control valve 4, that is, the delivery pressure Pp of the hydraulic pump 2 can be detected as the pressure inside oil line 33a. Oil line 33a is linked by way of a pilot oil line 11 to a pilot port on the opposite side of the spring 10a of the capacity control valve 10.
The operation of the steering drive control hydraulic circuit of FIG. 7 will be explained.
When a steering drive command signal is generated, either hydraulic signal S1 or S2 corresponding to this steering drive command signal is applied to either pilot port 4d or 4e of the steering flow control valve 4.
When hydraulic signal S1 is applied to pilot port 4d of the steering flow control valve 4, the steering flow control valve 4 is positioned on the side of valve position 4a. Thus, pressure oil delivered from the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 is supplied to oil chamber 5a of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 by way of oil line 33a, the steering flow control valve 4 and oil line 33c. Further, the return pressure oil of oil chamber 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 is discharged by way of oil line 33b, the steering flow control valve 4 and oil line 33d to the tank 9. In accordance with this, for example, the left-turn turning radius of the vehicle changes.
Further, when hydraulic signal S2 is applied to pilot port 4e of the steering flow control valve 4, the steering flow control valve 4 is positioned on the side of valve position 4b. Thus, pressure oil delivered from the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 is supplied to oil chamber 5b of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 by way of oil line 33a, the steering flow control valve 4, and oil line 33b. Further, return pressure oil of oil chamber 5a of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 is discharged to the tank 9 by way of oil line 33c, the steering flow control valve 4 and oil line 33d. In accordance with this, for example, the right-turn turning radius of the vehicle changes.
The capacity control valve 10 controls the inclined rotation angle of the swash plate 2a of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2, that is, the capacity, such that the differential pressure (Pp-PL) of the pump delivery pressure Pp that works via pilot oil line 11 and the load pressure PL of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 that works via pilot oil line 12 matches the set pressure corresponding to the spring force of spring 10a. A flow corresponding to the aperture area of the steering flow control valve 4 is thereby supplied to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 regardless of the load of the steering hydraulic cylinder 5.
The literature cited hereinbelow describes the general state-of-the-art related to the above-mentioned prior art 2.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-115780 discloses an invention, which provides a flow control valve for a working machine in addition to the steering flow control valve 4 shown in FIG. 7, increases the delivery capacity of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 (for steering) in accordance with the spool stroke (working stroke) of this working machine flow control valve, and supplies this increased portion to the working machine flow control valve.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-117402 discloses an invention, which enhances the operating feel of the control lever regardless of the load of the hydraulic actuator by setting the maximum delivery quantity of a variable capacity-type hydraulic pump in accordance with the revolutions of an engine.
FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the spool stroke d of the steering flow control valve and the pump delivery flow Q in the above-described prior art 1 and prior art 2. Furthermore, it is supposed that this figure shows the relationship when the number of revolutions of the engine 1 is constant.
Further, FIG. 4 shows, on the time (t) base, the output response relative to input when a steering drive command signal St is inputted and the flow passing through the steering flow control valve (supply flow to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5) Q′ is outputted.
As shown in FIG. 3 (1), in the case of prior art 1, because a fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22 is used, a fixed maximum quantity pump delivery flow is delivered regardless of the spool stroked of the steering flow control valve 24. However, because a quantity of this fixed maximum quantity pump delivery flow that is in excess of the amount needed for steering drive is discharged to a tank 9 without being used for steering drive, energy loss is great.
As shown in FIG. 3 (2), in the case of prior art 2, because a capacity control valve is used, and the delivery flow Q of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 increases in accordance with an increase in the spool stroke of the steering flow control valve 4, the flow required for steering drive is delivered from the hydraulic pump 2 and is supplied to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5, resulting in extremely low energy loss.
Next, the responsiveness of the hydraulic pump relative to a steering operation will be explained by referring to FIG. 4.
In the case of prior art 1, as shown in FIG. 4 (1), a constant maximum flow is delivered from the fixed capacity-type hydraulic pump 22 regardless of the spool stroke d. Thus, if it is supposed that a steering controller, such as a steering handle, is rapidly moved at a timing of t1, the steering flow control valve 24 will operate pursuant to the generation of a steering drive command signal St and the flow Q′ supplied to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 will rapidly increase. In other words, in the case of prior art 1, the output Q′ response in response to the input St, that is, the responsiveness of the steering control system is good.
By contrast, a capacity control valve is employed in the case of prior art 2. When a capacity control valve is used, the differential pressure (Pp-PL) across the steering flow control valve 4 varies pursuant to the generation of a steering drive command signal St. Then, the delivery capacity of the hydraulic pump 2 (inclined rotation angle of the swash plate 2a) varies in accordance with the differential pressure (Pp-PL) across the steering flow control valve 4. Then, the pump delivery quantity changes, and the supply to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 changes in accordance with the change in the delivery capacity (inclined rotation angle of the swash plate 2a) of the hydraulic pump 2. The steering flow control valve 4 operates in accordance with the steering drive command signal St like this, and the inclined rotation angle of the swash plate 2a of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 changes in accordance with this operation, and the supply to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 changes in accordance with this change in the swash plate inclined rotation angle. Therefore, the responsiveness of the steering control system is dependent on the responsiveness of the change in the delivery capacity of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 (change in the swash plate inclined rotation angle).
Here, the responsiveness of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump is not as good as the responsiveness of the valves. In particular, there is a big time lag at the startup of operation of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4 (2), a delay occurs between the time a steering drive command signal St is generated and the swash plate 2a of the variable capacity-type hydraulic pump 2 begins operating, and the increase in the supply flow Q′ to the steering hydraulic cylinder 5 is delayed in accordance with this, causing the responsiveness of the steering control system to deteriorate compared to that of prior art 1.
FIG. 5 summarizes the points made hereinabove.
That is, in the case of prior art 1, energy loss is great, but the responsiveness of the steering control system is good. Conversely, in the case of prior art 2, energy loss is small, but the responsiveness of the steering control system is poor.
With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the present invention to reduce energy loss while at the same time enhancing the responsiveness of the steering control system.


The semiconductor integrated device has a conductive region, for example, an external contact pad, configured to be traversed by a current to be measured. A concentrator of magnetic material partially surrounds the conductive region and has an annular shape open at a point defining an air gap area where a sensitive region is arranged, which is electrically conductive and is typically of doped semiconductor material, such as polycrystalline silicon. The device is integrated in a chip formed by a substrate and by an insulating layer, the sensitive region and the concentrator being formed in the insulating layer.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an integrated semiconductor device comprising a Hall effect current sensor.
Description of the Related Art
As is known, it is frequently desired to accurately measure currents flowing in conductors, e.g., in conductive wires or structures provided in integrated electronic circuits both for detecting appropriate electrical quantities, correlated to the current flowing in the integrated electronic circuit, and for monitoring correct operation of the electronic circuit.
To this end, various solutions have been proposed.
In particular, the use of Hall sensors has already been proposed for measuring the current flowing in a wire, such as a coil, the sensor being able of generating a magnetic field correlated to the current in the wire.
These sensors exploit the well-known Hall effect, whereby, if current flows through a conductor immersed in a magnetic field, a transverse force is exerted on the charge carriers in motion in the conductor and this force tends to "push" the charge carriers onto one side of the conductor. This effect is particularly evident in a thin flat conductor. Accumulation of charges on the sides of the conductor causes a measurable voltage across the conductor and thus represents a measurement of the current flowing in the wire.
Known solutions involve, however, large dimensions and thus cannot be integrated. Furthermore, they do not enable measurement of currents flowing within an integrated circuit.

Integrated semiconductor device comprising a hall effect current sensor


Disclosed is a data sharing method, including: building a trust alliance block chain, the trust alliance block chain comprising a main chain and at least one slave chain; each slave chain corresponding to a domain; and each domain comprising a leader node; establishing a virtual slave chain on the trust alliance block chain; designating, by the leader node in each domain, a node as a federated learning node; assigning, by the leader node in each domain, a virtual identity to the federated learning node to join the federated learning node to the virtual slave chain; and performing, by each federated learning node, a joint training on a local federated learning model using data generated in its own domain to establish a public federated learning model, through which data are shared among the domains. The present disclosure further provides a data sharing system, an electronic device and a storage medium.

With rapid development of various new distributed technologies, the concept of Internet of Things (IoT) has come into public's attention. Devices scattered in different geographic locations and application scenarios are connected through the Internet by sensors to realize data sharing, data exchange and collaborative work of IoT devices. In this way, the performances of the distributed systems and the resource utilization rate of the distributed systems can both be greatly improved. With the increasing number of IoT devices and application scenarios, the concept of "domain" division is put forward and collaborative work of IoT devices can be implemented through inter-domain data sharing. In this way, how to achieve secure cross-domain data sharing has also become a hot topic.
The traditional data sharing is completed in the form of encryption to avoid information leakage. One way of encryption is that two parties who share data directly exchange data through ciphertext. The other way of encryption is that data are encrypted and placed in a centralized manner. A data demander may request and decrypt the data for use. However, it can be seen that data are completely exposed in both the two ways. Moreover, the owner of the data may lose the control of the data, and the data may also be leaked in the sharing process. In addition, with the introduction of some data security bills, such as Data Security Law and General Data Protection Regulation, private data of IoT users are no longer allowed to be directly shared.
At the same time, the efficient operation of the IoT however requires a large amount of data analysis for supporting. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find a solution of data sharing that does not expose any data.

Data sharing method, system, electronic device and storage medium thereof

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications


Systems and methods for determining sound-producing characteristics of electroacoustic transducers are disclosed. According to an aspect, a system includes electroacoustic transducers configured to generate sound. The system also includes an acoustoelectric transducer configured to convert sound produced by the electroacoustic transducers into one or more electrical signals. Further, the system includes a computing device configured to apply one or more patterns of electrical signals to the electroacoustic transducers to test for one or more sound-producing characteristics. The computing device is also configured to receive, from the acoustoelectric transducer, electrical signals that resulted from application of the patterns of electrical signals to the electroacoustic transducers. Further, the computing device is configured to determine, based on the received electrical signals, the sound-producing characteristics of the electroacoustic transducers for use in controlling the electroacoustic transducers to generate one or more predetermined sounds.

An electroacoustic transducer (also commonly referred to as a "speaker" or a "loudspeaker") is an electronic device that converts an electrical signal into a sound. A common speaker type is the dynamic speaker which includes a coil of wire held in a circular space between poles of a permanent magnet. On application of an alternating current (AC) electrical audio signal to the wire coil, the coil moves rapidly back and forth. Movement of the coil causes a diaphragm attached to the coil to move back and forth and thereby pushes on air to create audible sound waves.
A piezoelectric speaker is a type of speaker that takes advantage of the piezoelectric effect for generating sound. Generally, a piezoelectric speaker operates when a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric material to cause motion of the piezoelectrical material. This motion is converted into an audible sound wave by use of diaphragms and resonators.
Piezoelectric speakers are often used for generating sound in small electronic devices such as smartphones, watches, and portable radios. When used in such small or portable electronic devices, the piezoelectric speaker or other suitable electroacoustic transducer is placed within a housing or other enclosure that is designed to protect it from its environment. For example, the housing is typically designed to protect the speaker from drop impact, moisture, and significant temperature changes. The requirements of these designs can affect the quality of sound produced by these speakers. Also, the design requirements for the housing can vary depending on the particular device with which the speaker is used. Accordingly, there is a need for systems that can adaptively control a speaker to produce high quality sound irrespective of requirements for its housing and even the particular design of the speaker.

Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A communication node of a multi-node communication network is disclosed. The communication node includes a communication interface and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a data packet, via the communication interface, from a first additional communication node, the data packet including a broadcast address indicative of a clustering status of the first additional communication node. The controller is further configured to determine a clustering status of the communication node, the clustering status based on a relationship between a number of gateway nodes and a number of clusterhead nodes communicatively coupled to the communication node. The controller is further configured to transmit the data packet, via the communication interface, to at least a second additional communication node if the determined clustering status is a gateway clustering status or a clusterhead clustering status, the data packet including a broadcast address indicative of the clustering status of the communication node.

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) are known in the art as quickly deployable, self-configuring wireless networks with no pre-defined network topology. Each communication node within a MANET is presumed to be able to move freely. Additionally, each communication node within a MANET may be required to forward (relay) data packet traffic. Data packet routing and delivery within a MANET may depend on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the number of communication nodes within the network, communication node proximity and mobility, power requirements, network bandwidth, user traffic requirements, timing requirements, and the like.
Currently, packet flooding is one of the only techniques which may be used to deliver a data packet to a particular destination without knowing the route or network topology. There are several types of flooding including blind flooding, multi-point relay (MPR), and efficient flooding with passive clustering (EFPC). However, each of these flooding techniques suffer from respective drawbacks.
For example, blind flooding inevitably results in unnecessary broadcasting, which results in rapidly increasing costs as the network density increases. Similarly, multi-point relay (MPR) results in increasing gain and overhead as the network density increases. With efficient flooding, the breaking of any critical communication path may result in the failure to deliver a data packet to all connected nodes. Additionally, due to the fact that EFPC utilizes dedicated two bits for packet flooding, it minimizes interoperability and may reduce the available media access control (MAC) address space.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method that cure one or more of the shortfalls of the previous approaches identified above.


The invention relates to a method for the stable expression of nucleic acids in transgenic plants, controlled by a parsley-ubiquitin promoter (PCUbi4-2). Said promoter, isolated from parsley (petroselinum crispum) exhibits in almost all transgenic plants an intensely constitutive expression in almost all vegetable tissue, including the seed. It also contains, among others, a potentially heat-shock inducible element (HSE). The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors and transgenic plants and to the use of the latter for producing foodstuffs, animal feed, seeds, pharmaceuticals or fine chemicals.

Various methods of introducing genes into the genome of plants are known (Halford N G, Shewry P R, Br Med Bull 2000; 56(1):62-73). The aim is the preparation of plants having advantageous, novel properties, for example to increase agricultural productivity, for improving the quality of foodstuffs or for producing particular chemicals or pharmaceuticals (Dunwell J M, J Exp Bot. 2000; 51 Spec No:487-96).
Moreover, the natural defence mechanisms of the plant, for example against pathogens, are inadequate. The introduction of foreign genes from plants, animals or microbial sources may enhance the defence, for example. Examples are the protection against insects feeding on tobacco by expression of the Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin under the control of the 35 S CaMV promoter (Vaeck et al., Nature 1987, 328, 33-37) or the protection of tobacco against fungal infection by expression of a chitinase from beans under the control of the 35SCaMV promoter (Broglie et al., Science 1991, 254, 1194-1197).
It is furthermore possible to achieve resistance to herbicides by introducing foreign genes, thereby optimizing the cultivation conditions and reducing crop losses (Ott K H et al., J Mol Biol. 1996; 263(2):359-368).
The quality of the products may also be improved. Thus it is possible, for example, to increase the shelf life and storability of crop products by inactivating particular maturation genes. This has been demonstrated, for example, by inactivating polygalacturonase in tomatoes (Hamilton A J et al., Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 1995; 197: 77-89).
It is furthermore possible, by introducing further genes, advantageously metabolic genes, into plants, to enable particular products and by-products of naturally occurring metabolic processes to be utilized for a wide range of industries, including the feed, food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. These molecules which are collectively referred to as "fine chemicals" include, for example, vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrates or lipids and fatty acids, one exemplary class of which are the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Polyunsaturated fatty acids are added, for example, to children's food in order to increase the nutritional value of these foods. PUFAs have, for example, a positive effect on the cholesterol level in the blood of humans and are therefore useful for protection against heart disease. Fatty acids and triglycerides have a multiplicity of applications in the food industry, animal nutrition, cosmetics and in the pharmaceutical sector.
A basic prerequisite for transgenic expression of particular genes in plants is the provision of plant-specific promoters. Various plant promoters are known. It is possible to distinguish between constitutive promoters which enable expression in various parts of a plant, which is only slightly restricted in terms of location and time, and specific promoters which allow expression only in particular parts or cells of a plant (e.g. root, seeds, pollen, leaves, etc.) or only at particular times during development. Constitutive promoters are advantageously used for expressing "selection markers". Selection markers (e.g. antibiotic or herbicidal resistance genes) permit filtering of the transformation event out of the multiplicity of untransformed but otherwise identical individual plants.
In all cases, it is necessary to control specifically expression of the genes to be expressed, depending on the function of said genes. Any expressed genes in any organisms have a promoter region 5′ of the coding sequence. This region is responsible for the start of transcription itself and for regulating transcription. Said regulation is carried out usually by transcription factors binding to regulatory sequences within the promoter region. Promoters are usually freely portable within a species, i.e. it is possible to use a promoter of one gene in order to control transcription of another gene. This control of the new gene is then usually identical to controlling the original gene from which the promoter is derived. Thus it is possible to control expression of any gene in a known manner, using a known promoter whose regulation is known. This generally no longer applies, as soon as said promoter is used in other species. Thus, for example, promoters from the bacterium Streptomyces are recognized in the bacterium E. coli only poorly, if at all. The same applies to promoters of animal or plant origin which cannot readily be used reciprocally or in microorganisms.
Constitutive promoters active in plants have been described relatively rarely up to now. Promoters to be mentioned are the Agrobacterium tumefaciens TR double promoter, the promoters of the vacuolar ATPase subunits or the promoter of a proline-rich wheat protein (WO 91/13991) and also the Ppcl promoter Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (Cushman et al. (1993) Plant Mol Biol 21:561-566).
The constitutive promoters which are currently the predominantly used promoters in plants are almost exclusively of viral or bacterial origin, for example from Agrobacterium. In detail, these are the nopaline synthase (nos) promoter (Shaw et al. (1984) Nucleic Acids Res. 12(20):7831-7846), the mannopine synthase (mas) promoter (Comai et al. (1990) Plant Mol Biol 15 (3):373-381) and the octopine synthase (ocs) promoter (Leisner and Gelvin (1988) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 85(5):2553-2557) from Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the CaMV35S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,605). The latter is the most frequently used promoter in expression systems with ubiquitous and continuous expression (Odell et al.(1985) Nature 313:810-812; Battraw and Hall (1990) Plant Mol Biol 15:527-538; Benfey et al. (1990) EMBO J 9(69):1677-1684; U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,472). However, the CaMV 35S promoter which is frequently applied as constitutive promoter exhibits variations in its activity in different plants and in different tissues of the same plant (Atanassova et al. (1998) Plant Mol Biol 37:275-85; Battraw and Hall (1990) Plant Mol Biol 15:527-538; Holtorf et al. (1995) Plant Mol Biol 29:637-646; Jefferson et al. (1987) EMBO J 6:3901-3907). A further disadvantage of the 35S promoter is, for example, a change of it in transgene expression in the case of an infection with cauliflower mosaic virus and its typical pathogenic variants. Thus, plants expressing the BAR gene (Bialaphos resistance gene, alanylalanylphosphinothricine) under the control of the 35S promoter are no longer resistant after infection with the virus which typically occurs in nature (Al-Kaff et al. (2000) Nature Biotechnology 18:995-99).
From the range of viral promoters, the sugarcane bacilliform badnavirus (ScBV) which imparts an expression pattern similar to that of CamV has been described as an alternative to the CaMV 35S promoter (Schenk et al. (1999) Plant Mol Biol 39(6):1221-1230). The activity of the ScBV promoter was analyzed in transient expression analyses using various dicotyledonous plants, including Nicotiana tabacum and N. benthamiana, sunflower and oilseed rape, and monocotyledonous plants, here in the form of banana, corn and millet. In the transient analyses in corn, the ScBV promoter-mediated expression level was comparable to that of the ubiquitin promoter from corn (see below). Furthermore, the ScBV promoter-mediated rate of expression was assayed in transgenic banana and tobacco plants and displayed in both plant species essentially constitutive expression.
Common promoters for expressing selection markers in plants are especially the nos promoter, or else the mas promoter and ocs promoter, all of which have been isolated from Agrobacterium strains.
The use of viral sequences is often met with great reservations on the part of the consumer. These doubts are fed not least by studies which question the safety of the 35S CaMV promoter, owing to a possible horizontal gene transfer due to a recombination hot spot (Ho M W et al. (1999) Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 11:194-197; Cummins J et al. (2000) Nature Biotechnology 18:363). It is therefore an aim of future biotechnological studies on plants to replace viral genetic elements by plant regulatory elements in order to keep as closely as possible to the plant system.
Owing to the prevailing doubts with regard to viral promoters, there are extensive efforts to replace said promoters by plant promoters. However, a promoter of plant origin, which is comparable to the viral elements, has not been described as yet.
What has been described, is a plant ubiquitin promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana (Callis et al. (1990) J Biol Chem 265:12486-12493; Holtorf S et al. (1995) Plant Mol Biol 29:637-747). However, some studies revealed that the Arabidopsis ubiquitin promoter is unsuitable for expressing selection marker genes.
Christensen et al. have described further promoters, namely the two corn ubiquitin promoters Ubi-1 and Ubi-2, which exhibit heat inducibility, in addition to constitutive basic expression (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,510,474; 6,020,190 and 6,054,574). The expression pattern of the two promoters Ubi-1 and Ubi-2 from corn is described in Plant. Mol. Biol., (1992), 18(4):675-689. While the Ubi-1 promoter has good expression activity in corn and other monocotyledonous plants, it exhibits in dicotyledonous tobacco plants only 10% of the activity which had been achieved in comparable experiments using the viral 35S promoter. The corn Ubi-1 promoter is thus suitable for overexpression of genes in monocotyledonous plant systems. In addition, it is sufficiently strong in order to mediate a herbicidal resistance via expression of selection markers [Christensen and Quail (1996) Transgenic Res 5(3):213-218]. However, the Ubi-1 promoter proved unsuitable for dicotyledonous expression systems.
WO01/18220 describes a ubiquitin regulatory system which lacks the heatshock elements, i.e. it is no longer heat-inducible. This regulatory system was developed, starting from the corn Ubi-promoter system, by removing the heat-inducible elements.
Ubiquitins are omnipresent proteins which have been found in all eukaryotes analyzed thus far. Thus, Kawalleck et al. [Plant Molecular Biology, 21, 1993: 673-684] describe two parsley (Petroselinum crispum) ubiquitins, ubi4-1 and ubi4-2. The promoter of ubi4-2 has been isolated. It was not possible to demonstrate any heat inducibility of ubi4-1 and ubi4-2 under the conditions studied by Kawalleck et al.
A comparison of the organ specificity and strength of various constitutive promoters was carried out by Holtorf (Holtorf et al. (1995) Plant Mol Biol 29(4):637-646) on the basis of stably transformed Arabidopsis plants. The study comprised, inter alia, the CaMV35S promoter, the leaf-specific thionine promoter from barley and the Arabidopsis ubiquitin promoter (UBQ1). The CaMV35S promoter exhibited the highest rate of expression. On the basis of using an additional translational enhancer (TMV omega element), it was possible to increase the rate of expression of the promoter by a factor of two to three with unchanged organ specificity. The leaf-specific thionine promoter from barley was inactive in the majority of transformed lines, while the UBQ1 promoter from Arabidopsis resulted in medium rates of expression.
McElroy and colleagues reported a construct for transforming monocotyledonous plants, which is based on the rice actin 1 (Act1) promoter (McElroy et al. (1991) Mol Gen Genet 231:150-1609). Overall, it was concluded from the afore-described studies that the Act1promoter-based expression vectors are suitable for controlling a sufficiently strong and constitutive expression of foreign DNA in transformed cells of monocotyledonous plants.
Another constitutive promoter which has been described is the promoter of an S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthetase (WO 00/37662). A disadvantage here is especially a dependence of the strength of expression on the methionine concentration.
WO 99/31258 describes chimeric constitutive plant promoters which are composed of various elements of various promoters with complementary expression patterns so that the combination of individual tissue specificities additively results in a constitutive expression pattern. This is a very complicated process for preparing apparently constitutive promoters.
Furthermore, promoters have been described which have specificities for the anthers, ovaries, flowers, leaves, stalks, roots and seeds. The stringency of the specificity and also the expression activity of said promoters is very different. Promoters which may be mentioned are those which ensure leaf-specific expression, such as the potato cytosolic FBPase promoter (WO 97/05900), the rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-carboxylase) SSU (small subunit) promoter, the potato ST-LSI promoter [Stockhaus et al. (1989) EMBO J 8:2445-2245], the mainly leaf-specific ferredoxin NADPH oxidoreductase promoter (FNR promoter) which has a light-inducible element [Oelmüller et al. (1993) Mol. Gen. Genet. 237:261-72] or the leaf-specific promoter of the triose-phosphate translocator (TPT).
Examples of further promoters are promoters with specificity for tubers, storage roots or roots, such as, for example, the patatin class I promoter (B33), the potato cathepsin D inhibitor promoter, the starch synthase (GBSS1) promoter or the sporamin promoter, fruit-specific promoters such as, for example, the tomato fruit-specific promoter (EP-A 409625), fruit maturation-specific promoters such as, for example, the tomato fruit maturation-specific promoter (WO 94/21794), flower-specific promoters such as, for example, the phytoene synthase promoter (WO 92/16635) or the promoter of the P-rr gene (WO 98/22593).
A promoter regulated as a function of development is described, inter alia, in Baerson et al. (Baerson S R, Lamppa G K (1993) Plant Mol Biol 22(2):255-67).
Promoters have been described which have tissue specificity for the mesophyll and the pallisade cells in leaves (Broglie et al. (1984) Science 234:838-845), the dividing shoot and the root meristem [Atanassova et al. (1992) Plant J 2:291-300], pollen [Guerrero et al. (1990) Mol Gen Genet 224:161-168], seed endosperm [Stalberg et al. (1993) Plant Mol Biol 23:671-6839, root epidermis [Suzuki et al. (1993) Plant Mol Biol 21:109-119], and for the root meristem, root vascular tissue and root knots [Bogusz et al. (1990) Plant Cell 2:633-641].
Other known promoters are those which control expression in seeds and plant embryos. Examples of seed-specific promoters are the phaseolin promoter [U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,200, Bustos M M et al. (1989) Plant Cell 1(9):839-53], the promoter of the 2S albumin gene [Joseffson L G et al. (1987) J Biol Chem 262:12196-12201], the legumin promoter [Shirsat A et al. (1989) Mol Gen Genet 215(2):326-331], the promoters of the USP [unknown seed protein; Bäumlein H et al. (1991) Molecular & General Genetics 225(3):459-67], of the napin gene [Stalberg K, et al. (1996) Planta 199:515-519], of the saccharose-binding protein (WO 00/26388) and the LeB4 promoter [Bäumlein H et al.(1991) Mol Gen Genet 225:121-128]. Said promoters control seed-specific expression of storage proteins.
Many of the abovementioned promoters exhibit, in addition to the primary activity, also "secondary activities" in other tissues.
Owing to the tissue-dependent expression pattern, the abovementioned tissue-specific promoters are poorly suited to expressing selection markers. Here, a selection in all tissue parts, if possible, is required in order to ensure efficient selection.
The "constitutive" promoters described in the prior art have one or more of the following disadvantages:    1. Inadequate homogeneity of expression:            The known "constitutive" promoters frequently display a different level of expression, depending on the type of tissue or cell. Moreover, the expression property is often highly dependent on the site of insertion into the host genome. This indicates that the effects to be obtained by heterologous expression cannot be achieved to the same extent homogeneously in the plant. Under or over dosages may occur. This may have an adverse effect on plant growth or plant value.            2. Inadequate time profile:            The "constitutive" promoters known in the prior art often exhibit a nonconsistent activity during the development of a tissue. As a result, it is not possible, for example, to achieve desirable effects (such as selection) in the early phase of somatic embryogenesis which would be advantageous, especially here, due to the sensitivity of the embryo to in vitro conditions and stress factors.            3. Inadequate applicability to many plant species:            The "constitutive" promoters described in the prior art are often not active in the same way in all species.            4. Gene silencing            If a plurality of expression cassettes with in each case the same "constitutive" promoter are present in an organism, interactions between said expression cassettes and even switching-off (gene silencing) of individual expression cassettes may occur (Mette et al. (1999) EMBO J. 18:241-248).            5. Viral and bacterial promoters            Promoters of viral origin may be influenced by virus infections of the transgenic plant and may then no longer express the desired property (Al-Kaff et al. (2000) Natur Biotechnology 18:995-99).        The public acceptance toward the use of promoters and elements from plant systems is higher than for viral systems.        The number of promoters suitable for expressing selection markers in plants is low and said promoters are usually of viral or bacterial origin.
An ideal constitutive promoter should have as many of the following properties as possible:    a) A gene expression which is as homogeneous as possible with regard to location and time, i.e. an expression in as many cell types or tissues of an organism as possible during the various phases of the developmental cycle. Desirable expression should take place as early as in the embroyo stage. Furthermore, an efficient selection in dedifferentiated cells (various callus phases) from a tissue culture and other developmental stages suitable for tissue culture is desired.    b) An applicability to various plant species, which is as broad as possible, and applicability to species in which it is not possible to achieve any expression using the "constitutive" promoters known to date.    c) In order to combine a plurality of transgenes in one plant, it is desirable to carry out a plurality of transformations in succession or to use constructs with a plurality of promoter cassettes, but without generating silencing effects due to the multiple use of identical regulatory sequences.    d) A plant origin in order to avoid problems of acceptance by the consumer and possible problems of future approval.

Method for the stable expression of nucleic acids in transgenic plants, controlled by a parsley-ubiquitin promoter


A vacuum interface valve is used in a vacuum sewerage system in which sewage is transported under the influence of vacuum to a wastewater treatment station or a public main sewer. The vacuum interface valve includes a casing having an inlet, an outlet and a valve seat, a valve member which is linearly movable between a position engageable with the valve seat and a position away from the valve seat, an element for urging the valve member into engagement with the valve seat, and a vacuum device for lifting the valve member under the action of a vacuum to cause the valve member to disengage from the valve seat. The inner wall of the casing is bulged outwardly from the vicinity of the valve seat in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of the valve member, and a space is defined in the vicinity of the valve seat in the casing so that foreign matters are not caught between the inner wall of the casing and the valve member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum interface valve, and more particularly to a vacuum interface valve for use in a vacuum sewerage system in which sewage drained from houses is transported under the influence of a vacuum to a wastewater treatment station or a public main sewer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, a vacuum sewerage system is becoming recognized as an economical alternative to a conventional gravity sewerage system including a network of underground pipes which is constructed at a relatively high cost. The vacuum sewerage system comprises sumps with a vacuum interface valve, vacuum sewers and a vacuum collection station.
In the vacuum sewerage system, downhill flow of sewage drained from houses is collected in the sump with the vacuum interface valve. When a control device detects a predetermined liquid level of the sump, the vacuum interface valve is opened to feed sewage in the sump into the vacuum sewer. After finishing the feed of sewage in the sump, the vacuum interface valve continues to be opened for a certain period of time, during which atmospheric air is sucked into the vacuum sewer. The sewage is mixed with the expanded air in the vacuum sewer to form a mixed flow and is conveyed to the vacuum collection station. When the sewage collected in a collection tank of the vacuum collection station reaches a certain liquid level, the sewage is fed to the wastewater treatment station or the public main sewer by discharge pumps.
Next, a conventional vacuum interface valve in the vacuum sewerage system will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The conventional vacuum interface valve V comprises a casing 21 having a substantially Y-shaped body, a valve member 22 which is moved up and down in an oblique direction with respect to an axis of the vacuum sewer, and a valve rod 23 for supporting the valve member 22. The casing 21 has an inlet 21i and an outlet 21o which extend in a horizontal direction. On the upper portion of the casing 21 there is provided a housing 25 in which a piston 26 is provided so as to perform a reciprocating motion. The valve rod 23 is formed, at the upper portion thereof, with a screw 23a. The piston 26 is fixed to the valve rod 23 by being held between a plate 27 and a nut 28 engaging the screw 23a.
A diaphragm 29 is provided between the piston 26 and the housing 25 to define two chambers, that is, a vacuum chamber 25a and an atmospheric chamber 25b. A compressive coil spring 30 is provided between the upper wall of the housing 25 and the piston 26 to urge the piston 26 obliquely downwardly.
According to the vacuum interface valve V thus constructed, in closing the valve, when the valve rod 23 is extended downwardly by the urging force of the spring 30, the valve member 22 engages a valve seat 21s formed in the casing 21 and prevents sewage from flowing from the inlet 21i to the outlet 21o.
In contrast, in opening the valve, when the vacuum chamber 25a is placed in communication with a vacuum source and the valve rod 23 is retracted by a pressure difference between the vacuum chamber 25a and the atmospheric chamber 25b, the valve member 22 is moved away from the valve seat 21s and sewage can flow from the inlet 21i to the outlet 21o.
However, in the conventional vacuum interface valve V, since a gap g between the valve member 22 and the inner wall of the casing 21 is small, foreign matters F such as gravel are caught between the inner wall of the casing 21 and the valve member 22 as shown in FIG. 7 and the valve member 22 is stuck at a partially opened position. Since the gap g is constant along a stroke of the valve member 22 to guide the valve member 22, there is a high possibility that the foreign matters F are caught everywhere during the actuation of the valve member 22.
Further, when the valve member 22 is stuck at the partially opened position by the existence of the foreign matters F, vacuum in the total sewerage system is lost, resulting in a malfunction of the system.


A carrier supports property-transferring material and includes a first portion exposed to a first property and a second portion exposed to a second property. The first property is different from the second property causing the property-transferring material to develop micro-cyclic property transfer between the first and second properties. The first and second properties each include at least one of heat and mass.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for transferring properties, such as heat and mass, between substances, such as fluids and/or solids.
2. Background of the Invention
Changing the energy content of a substance is often required in scientific experimentation and analyses and in air handling and management applications in which heating and cooling is provided. Changing the energy of a substance can involve changing the heat content of the substance, the mass or moisture content of the substance, or both. Such is the case with substances such as gases, liquids, and various types of solid material. In order to produce a desired change in the energy content of a given substance, the substance must be treated with a mechanical heat transfer device, such as a heating unit or a cooling unit, or a mechanical mass transfer device, such as a humidifier or a dehumidifier or selective membranes that operate with a sizable pressure differential. However, using such devices is expensive and requires large amounts of electrical power, which is not entirely acceptable and desired, especially in situations where such devices are not available or during periods of mechanical failure. Furthermore, heat transfer devices and mass transfer devices are bulky and not entirely practical in situations in which space is at a premium.

Micro-cycle energy transfer systems and methods


The invention relates to a semiconductor component with adjacent Schottky (5) and pn (9) junctions positioned in a drift area (2, 10) of a semiconductor material. The invention also relates to a method for producing said semiconductor component.

The invention relates to a semiconductor component with alternating Schottky and pn junctions and low-doped drift zones of a semiconductor material, which are arranged between the Schottky and pn junctions, as well as a method for producing a component.
In addition to pn diodes, Schottky diodes are also used as components for low operating voltages. Schottky diodes are distinguished through low on-state voltages and low switching losses. In order to reduce the field peaks occurring at the edge of the Schottky junction, so-called guard rings are frequently provided at the edge of the component. These guard rings reduce the field peaks occurring at the edge of the Schottky junction and advantageously contribute to the increase in the breakdown voltage of the component.
However, the series resistances in the component as well as the off-state leakage currents increase with an increase in the breakdown voltage of the diode, particularly with increased temperatures. A broader use of the Schottky diodes, which are in reality very simple technologically, is thus made more difficult.
The strong dependence of the off-state leakage current on the voltage, owing to the voltage-induced deformation of the energetic barrier of the Schottky junction, presents a particular problem. The Schottky barrier is reduced at the barrier by an applied off-stage voltage and therewith connected electrical field, so that the off-state leakage current increases strongly with the off-state voltage and can have very high values, even prior to the actual breakdown. In addition, the off-state currents show an exponential increase along with the temperature, owing to the underlying thermal emission mechanism, which results in an unfavorable rejection characteristic.
Schottky diodes made from different semiconductor materials are known. In the EP 380 340 A2, a Schottky diode made of SiC is described. In the article by L. Wang et al., xe2x80x9cHigh Barrier Height GaN Schottky diodes: Pt/GaN and Pd/GaNxe2x80x9d in Appl. Phys. Lett. 68(9), Feb. 26, 1996 1267-1269, Schottky diodes made of GaN are disclosed. The German Patent 42 10 402 A1 discloses Schottky diodes made of diamond lattice.
In literature, various approaches are described for improving the rejection characteristic, e.g. in B. M. Wilamowski, xe2x80x9cSchottky Diodes with High Breakdown Voltages,xe2x80x9d Solid-State Electronics, vol. 26(5), p. 491-493, 1983, and in B. J. Baliga, xe2x80x9cThe Pinch Rectifier: A Low-Forward-Drop High-Speed Power Diode,xe2x80x9d IEEE Electron Device Letters, EDL-5(6), 1984. It is assumed therein that a screening reduces the electrical field intensity at the Schottky junction. The component described therein is a so-called xe2x80x9cMerged-pn/Schottky (MPS) Rectifier,xe2x80x9d which has inside the guard ring arrangement alternating Schottky contacts and highly doped pn junctions with n-drift zones of a semiconductor material arranged in-between. To be sure, the rejection characteristic of these components is improved, but there are several disadvantages.
In addition to the loss of active surface for the Schottky junctions, in particular the injection of minority charge carriers from the highly doped semiconductor area is a disadvantage during the forward operation of the pn contacts. With a forward polarity of the MPS component, the current initially flows only over the Schottky regions. With further increasing forward voltage, the pn junctions also enter the passage range, wherein minority charge carriers are injected into the drift zone. In contrast to the components having only guard ring arrangements, this minority charge carrier injection cannot be neglected since the charge carrier injection can even result in the formation of electron-hole plasma, in the same way as for pure pn diodes. On the one hand, the passage properties are slightly improved while, on the other hand, the switching losses increase sharply.
Literature describes a series of measures for improving the switching behavior and rejection characteristic of the MPS components. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,669 A discloses arranging the pn junctions for MPS components in etched grooves, as well as adapting the geometry of the pn junctions to the barrier height of the Schottky junction or the space charge zone that forms at the Schottky junction. The technologies and arrangements used, however, are technologically very involved. For that reason, the MPS components are practically unimportant, despite their generally simple production technology and advantageous characteristics of unipolar diodes.
It is the object of the invention to provide a MPS component for which the switching losses are improved without the use of involved technological steps.
This object generally is solved by a semiconductor component with outer contacts as anode and cathode and a guard ring and comprising alternately arranged Schottky junctions and pn junctions arranged near the surface of the semiconductor component, as well as low-doped drift zones of a semiconductor material that are arranged between the Schottky junctions and the pn junctions; and wherein the energy difference (Egapxe2x88x92"PHgr"barrier) between the band gap (Egap) in the electronic excitation range of the drift zone semiconductor material and the energetic height ("PHgr"barrier) of the Schottky barrier is at least 0.8 eV in the non-voltage state of the semiconductor component and the band gap (Egap) is higher than 1.5 eV. Modified and advantageous embodiments follow from the description.
The invention concerns an arrangement with a junction between Schottky metal and drift zone of a semiconductor, as well as a screening of pn junctions, which screening is essentially embedded in the above junction. A minimum difference between energetic height of the Schottky barrier and the energy gap of the semiconductor material must be maintained here for the selection of materials for semiconductor and Schottky metal.
It is advantageous if the simple technology of the MPS components can be used and the rejection characteristics as well as the shutdown losses are improved.
It is particularly advantageous if semiconductors with high-energy gap, particularly so-called xe2x80x98wide-band gapxe2x80x99 semiconductors, are used. It is favorable if the material for the Schottky contact is selected such that it does not fall below a minimum barrier height. The rejection characteristics are thus improved.
In one preferred embodiment, the drift zone consists of silicon carbide, while in another embodiment, the drift zone consists of gallium nitride. In a further embodiment, the drift zone consists of aluminum nitride while that of another one consists of diamond lattice.
In one preferred embodiment, a drift zone with identical type of conductivity but lower doping is arranged on a highly doped substrate material of silicon carbide. It is advantageous if a substrate material doping of higher or equal to 1018 cmxe2x88x923 and a drift zone doping of 1014 to 1017 cmxe2x88x923 is used.
One advantageous embodiment has a drift zone with a thickness of between 2 xcexcm and 50 xcexcm.
The distance between adjacent pn junctions for one preferred embodiment is between 0.5 xcexcm and 20 xcexcm.
In another preferred embodiment, the pn junctions are arranged in grooves that are etched into the inner drift zone.
The Schottky junctions of one preferred embodiment are arranged adjacent to the pn junctions in the drift zone.
The highly doped regions in the drift zone of one preferred embodiment are formed by the drift zone semiconductor material with complementary doping.
In another preferred embodiment, the highly doped regions in the drift zone are formed by different semiconductor materials.
One favorable embodiment has aluminum and/or boron inserted into the doping region for the p-doped substrate material.
Nitrogen and/or phosphor are inserted in one favorable embodiment for the n-doped substrate material.
The cathode and anode of another preferred embodiment are arranged on opposite surfaces of the semiconductor component.
One preferred embodiment provides that the cathode and anode are arranged on the same semiconductor component surface. In particular, one outer contact encloses the other outer contact.
An essentially pointed contacting occurs between an outer contact and the drift zone of one preferred embodiment.
In another preferred embodiment, a highly doped semiconductor region is positioned in front of the cathode, which region has the same type of conductivity as the drift zone of the semiconductor.
It is particularly favorable that a component according to the invention can also be designed as complementary doped component.
A method according to the invention specifies the production of a silicon carbide component according to the invention. In one preferred embodiment, a particularly favorable temperature treatment is carried out. The advantage is that the surface roughness of the component is not made worse during the temperature treatment.

Semiconductor component and method for producing the same


A stencil-like plate with angled shapes cut through the plate surface. The plate is adapted to having a piece of flashing inserted perpendicularly into one of the angled shapes and pulled through the plate. A resulting elongated bend angle is formed in the pliable flashing strip.

This invention relates to sheet metal flashing, and in particular, to a tool for forming longitudinal angles in elongated flashing strips.
In the building trades sheet metal flashing is used to cover and protect certain joints and angles, as where a roof comes in contact with a wall, chimney, roof window, or the like, especially against leakage. To accommodate these tasks, flashing usually comes in elongated rolls of very thin metallic material. Flashing is typically made from tin, aluminum, copper, steel, zinc, and the like. Before being applied to a joint, a length of flashing is cut to a desired length, depending upon the length of the joint to be covered. The flashing is then longitudinally bent to an angle desired to accommodate the angle bend of joint to be flashed.
Since various lengths of flashing with various longitudinal bend angles are needed at a job site, it is typical to cut and form the flashing on site. Builders will usually jury-rig a wooden frame for forming the elongated bend angle needed for the flashing. This results in a flashing which only approximates the angle needed to cover a particular joint and often is not accurate enough to prevent leaks.


A scintillation crystal module having an epoxy seal which has a coefficient of thermal expansion which is substantially the same as the backcap of the gamma camera. Among the suitable epoxy systems, the CTE of the epoxy could be modified somewhat by choosing a different catalyst or by adjusting the resin:catalyst ratio. The presently preferred epoxy system is a STYCAST.RTM. 2850 FT system available from W. R. Grace & Co. Using "catalyst 9" or "catalyst 11" from that system, a CTE of approximately 17.33.times.10.sup.-6 to approximately 19.4.times.10.sup.-6 in/in.degree. F. can be easily achieved. It has been discovered through analysis using FEA that an epoxy with a CTE in the range of 9.0 to 20.0.times.10.sup.-6 in/in.degree. F. provides satisfactory results in preventing seal separation during .+-.40.degree. F. temperature cycles. A method of making a scintillation crystal module includes the preparation of an epoxy seal having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is substantially the same as the backcap of the module, and assembling the seal, backcap, glass, and crystal in a conventional manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to scintillation crystal modules. More particularly, the invention relates to a scintillation crystal module having an improved seal (adhesive gasket cement) which maintains hermeticity after exposure to repeated thermal cycling.
2. State of the Art
Scintillation crystal modules or "gamma cameras" are widely used in nuclear medicine to non-invasively observe the interior of the human body. A gamma camera generally includes a single relatively large scintillation crystal, typically about sixteen inches by eighteen inches, and an array of photo-detectors optically coupled to the crystal. A source of gamma radiation (e.g. an isotope) is introduced into a patient's body and the gamma camera is placed against the patient's body. As gamma rays are emitted from the isotope, they pass through the body of the patient and strike different areas of the crystal causing it to release photons (i.e. emit light). The array of photo-detectors senses the relative brightness of light emitted from different parts of the crystal. Signals from the detector array may be processed in different ways to obtain either a two dimensional representation of the location of the isotope or an image of the region where the isotope is located.
Gamma cameras are relatively expensive, costing on the order of $50,000. Moreover, the scintillation crystal is extremely hygroscopic and it deteriorates quickly if exposed to moisture. Therefore, the crystal must be housed in a casing which will protect it from moisture, yet still permit gamma rays to excite the crystal and permit light from the crystal to be detected by an array of photo detectors.
A state of the art gamma camera is shown in prior art FIGS. 1 and 2. The camera 10 generally includes a scintillation crystal 12, typically thallium doped sodium iodide, an aluminum casing (or backcap) 14, a glass window 16, typically soda lime (K+ glass or PYREX), and an epoxy seal 18. The crystal 12 is adhered to the glass 14 by a layer of gel 20 having an index of refraction close to that of the glass. The epoxy seal 18 forms an hermetic seal between the glass 16 and the casing 14 to protect the crystal 12 from moisture. An array 22 of photo-detectors is coupled to the glass window 16. In use, electrical outputs (not shown) from the array 22 are coupled to an image processor (not shown). The aluminum casing 14 is relatively thin (approximately 0.040") so that it has a low gamma ray absorption.
A problem common to all known gamma cameras is that the epoxy seal 18 is significantly weakened if the camera 10 is exposed to extreme temperature cycles. While such exposure and consequent weakening of the seal does not normally result in immediate hydration of the crystal, it does significantly shorten the useful life of the crystal. Most gamma cameras in use today have a useful life of one to two years. As the camera ages and the seal is weakened, the crystal becomes cloudy as it is hydrated, and its performance is reduced until it is unsuitable for imaging purposes.
It is generally understood in the art that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the aluminum casing is very different from the CTE of the glass window. The CTE of the K+ glass is approximately 5.times.10.sup.-6 in/in.degree. F. and the CTE of the aluminum casing is approximately 13.3.times.10.sup.-6 in/in.degree. F. It is also understood that this difference in the CTEs causes the glass and the aluminum to move relative to each other when the ambient temperature changes. It is generally believed that this movement induces stress on the epoxy seal and causes it to separate from the glass and/or the aluminum. If the ambient temperature change is sufficient (e.g. 40.degree. F.), the bond between the epoxy and the glass or the aluminum indeed can be broken. A 40.degree. F. change in ambient temperature is not uncommon when a gamma camera is being shipped to a location for use. Thus, many gamma cameras may actually be damaged before their initial use. As mentioned above, damage to the epoxy seal does not usually result in catastrophic failure of the camera crystal. However, as mentioned before, the crystal often begins a slow process of hydration after the initial damage to the seal.
The general understanding of the effects of thermal expansion on gamma cameras is illustrated in FIG. 3. Since the CTE of the backcap 14 is approximately 2.7 times that of the glass 16, for a given change in temperature, the backcap 14 will expand or contract approximately 2.7 times as much as the glass 16. FIG. 3 shows the relative positions of backcap 14 and the glass 16 at 70.degree. F. The phantom lines 14a, 16a show the relative positions of the backcap 14 and the glass 16 at 40.degree. F. The general understanding in the art, therefore, is that when the camera is cooled, the seal 18 is subjected to compression forces by the contracted backcap 14. Similarly, it is generally believed that when the camera is heated, the seal 18 is subjected to tensile forces as the space between the glass and the backcap increases.
Recognizing the effects of thermal expansion, several solutions have been proposed by those skilled in the art to reduce the stress exerted on the seal. Traditionally, the approach to increase seal performance was focused in two areas. The first approach involved the use of an epoxy with a higher tensile strength or lower elastic modulus (softer). The second approach attempted to reduce the difference, or mismatch, between the CTE of the backcap and the CTE of the glass window. It was believed that if the CTE of the glass and the CTE of the backcap could be closely matched, the stresses in the seal during temperature cycling could be drastically reduced. This second approach was never successfully implemented due to the limited availability of suitable materials and the difficulty of manufacturing a camera from materials other than aluminum. The current aluminum backcaps provide low gamma ray absorption by using 0.040" thick aluminum. Aluminum of this thickness is rigid enough to avoid damage during handling, and is easy to manufacture with hydroforming techniques. While a steel backcap would have a CTE more closely matched to glass, the thickness of a steel backcap would have to be reduced to 0.005" in order to maintain an acceptable level of gamma ray attenuation. Such thin steel would not be as durable as the thicker aluminum and would not be easy to manufacture.
More recently, efforts have been made to engineer the geometry of the seal and the aluminum casing to reduce the stress imparted on the seal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,029 to Persyk et al. discloses a gamma camera having an inner seal and an outer seal. The Persyk et al. disclosure is based on the assumption that the separation of the seal from the glass and/or the casing is "because the aluminum casing and the glass window have significantly different thermal expansion coefficients and the forces which are generated during temperature changes cause the seal to break free of the parts to which it is attached."
U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,613 to Pandelisev et al. discloses a gamma camera constructed from a stainless steel ring within which an x-ray window, a scintillation crystal, and a PYREX optical window are arranged. The two windows are sealed to the steel ring by laser welding or soldering using an Indium-Tin alloy or other suitable material. An annular cut is provided in the steel ring surrounding the optical window "to provide thermal relief to the outer ring and the transparent plate" and it is filled with a rubber filler. Rubber filler is also provided between the x-ray window and the steel ring. This complex camera avoids the use of an epoxy seal, but is still based on the assumption that the comparative thermal properties of the glass and the casing are the cause of seal separation.

Scintillation crystal modules and methods of making the same


An embodiment of the invention provides a chip package which includes: a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a first recess extending from the first surface towards the second surface; a second recess extending from a bottom of the first recess towards the second surface, wherein a sidewall and the bottom of the first recess and a second sidewall and a second bottom of the second recess together form an exterior side surface of the semiconductor substrate; a wire layer disposed over the first surface and extending into the first recess and/or the second recess; an insulating layer positioned between the wire layer and the semiconductor substrate; and a metal light shielding layer disposed over the first surface and having at least one hole, wherein a shape of the at least one hole is a quadrangle.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to a chip package, and in particular to a chip package formed by a wafer-level packaging process.
2. Description of the Related Art
A packaging process for chip packages is one important step in forming electronic products. A chip package not only provides the chips with protection from environmental contaminants, but it also provides an electrical connection interface for internal electronic elements and the chips packaged therein.
Because the demands for the size reduction of electronic products continue, finding ways to dispose more conducting routes in a limited space becomes an important issue. In addition, there is also a need to prevent the operation of the chip package from being affected by external light.

Chip package and method for forming the same


A window lifter device for driving a motor to control the up and down motion of an automobile window includes: a switch assembly; an up driving circuit for driving the motor to move up the window; a down driving circuit for driving the motor to move down the window; and a control circuit directly coupled between the switch assembly and the up and down driving circuits for controlling the up driving circuit to drive the motor to move up the window when the switch assembly is in a manual up operating state, and controlling the down driving circuit to drive the motor to move down the window when the switch assembly is in a manual down operating state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile window lifter device, particularly to a low cost automobile window lifter device capable of effectively achieving the basic up and down functions of the window.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, many automobiles have window lifter devices with analog input control. Generally, these window lifter devices control motors through analog input to move windows up and down. The user operates a switch assembly continuously by, for example, manual up or manual down operations to move the window up or down. Furthermore, the above-mentioned window lifter device is generally equipped with auto down function by which the user may move the window completely down through one time transient operation of the switch assembly.
However, the above-mentioned window lifter device is generally implemented by MCU (microchip unit), which leads to high cost.

Vehicle window lifting device and integrated circuit

Bosch Automotive Products (Changsha) Co. Ltd.


A method for treating via sidewalls comprising the steps of providing a substrate having a number of metallic wires already formed; depositing a liner oxide layer; depositing an organic spin-on-glass layer; and depositing a second oxide layer. The second oxide layer is planarized by a chemical-mechanical polishing method. Photolithographic and etching methods, employing oxygen plasma treatment as well as a wet etching removal method are used to form vias above the metallic layers. A hydrogen plasma treatment is performed for the via sidewalls to prevent the occurrence of out-gassing and to obtain superior electrical properties. A titanium/titanium nitride film is deposited, and aluminium or tungsten is deposited into the vias and to form aluminium or tungsten plugs, thus completing the manufacturing process according to this invention. A semiconductor device formned by this method is also described.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method for treating via sidewalls, and more particularly to a method of using hydrogen plasma to treat organic spin-on-glass (SOG) via sidewalls in a manufacturing process of inter-metal dielectric semiconductor devices (IMD). The invention also includes a semiconductor device resulting from this method.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional manufacturing processes for semiconductors, spin-on-glass is a fairly simple planarization technique. The main constituent of commonly used SOG is either a silicate or a siloxane. For a siloxane SOG, owing to the presence of organic functional groups, for example, methyl(CH.sub.3) or benzyl(C.sub.6 H.sub.5) groups from which the organicity for the SOG is derived, resistance against cracking of the SOG layer is very much improved, especially after the expulsion of residual solvent from the SOG layer through a heat treatment process (also known as "curing"). However, in practical applications, residual solvent and moisture can easily be retained leading to out-gassing in subsequent processes. For example, no matter whether an etched or non-etched process is used in the fabrication of IMD, subsequent heat treatment in the formation of aluminium or tungsten plugs will generate out-gassing. If the out-gassing from the SOG layer happens to be along the sidewalls of the vias, then electrical potential will be adversely affected by the change because of the increase in via resistance and poor connection with the metallic interconnects.
FIGS. 1A through 1D are cross-sectional views showing the progression of steps in a conventional treatment method for via sidewalls. Referring to FIG. 1A, in the manufacturing process for an inter-metal dielectric layer of a semiconductor, a liner oxide layer 104 is first deposited over a substrate 10 with metallic wires 102 already formed thereon. Then, an organic SOG layer 106 is deposited over the liner oxide layer 104, and making use of its good gap-filling ability, planarization of the area is achieved. Subsequently, a partial etching back processing of the SOG layer 106 may be performed to obtain a better planarized surface, or the partial etching back processing may be eliminated to save the corresponding production cost. Thereafter, a second oxide layer 108 is deposited above the SOG layer to form the whole inter-metal dielectric layer and a cross-sectional view as shown in FIG. 1B is obtained. The SOG layer 106 can be either fluidic or non-fluidic and a chemical-mechanical polishing operation can be further applied to obtain a better global planarization for the second oxide layer 108.
Next, via holes 110 are formed by suitable applications of photolithographic and etching processes. For example, etching can be carried out using an oxygen plasma treatment 112 and a wet etching removal method, and a cross-section as shown in FIG. 1C finally can be obtained. Thereafter, referring to FIG. 1D, tungsten or aluminium plug material 114 is used to fill up the via holes 110. However, owing to the out-gassing along the sidewalls of the via holes 110, defective portions 116 are formed in the via holes 110 and so a functionally inferior semiconductor product is obtained.

Method for treating via sidewalls with hydrogen plasma


A fuel cell electric vehicle that can secure a sufficient stroke of a rocked driving wheel, lowering the center of the gravity of the vehicle. A fuel cell is provided for generating electric power by reacting hydrogen and oxygen with a hydrogen cylinder for supplying gaseous hydrogen to the fuel cell and a motor for generating motive power supplied to a rear wheel which is a driving wheel based upon electric power generated by the fuel cell. The hydrogen cylinder is arranged above the rear wheel so that its longitudinal direction is along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle with an axis in the longitudinal direction of the hydrogen cylinder being located off a center line in a direction of the width of the rear wheel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the arrangement of a hydrogen cylinder in a fuel cell electric vehicle.
2. Description of Background Art
Heretofore, a fuel cell electric vehicle is known for driving a motor for propelling the vehicle based upon electric power supplied from a fuel cell wherein a hydrogen cylinder is arranged above a driving wheel so that the longitudinal direction is along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. See, for example, JP-A No. 130468/2001.
In the above-mentioned conventional type construction, the clearance between a driving wheel and a hydrogen cylinder must be considered to secure a sufficient stroke when the driving wheel is vertically rocked. However, when the hydrogen cylinder is merely shifted higher than the driving wheel, the relatively heavy hydrogen cylinder is arranged higher and it is difficult to lower the center of the gravity of the vehicle.


A material spreader attached to and towed by an agricultural vehicle for spreading material such as organic material and fertilizers over a ground surface. The material spreader having a containment box and a material expeller, the expeller having rotating flails positioned along a substantially vertical axis with one or more sets of paddles swingably connected to the flails and the paddles are axially spaced apart along the flail above and below the material spreader floor a desired distance to enhance flow-through of rocks, manure and other organic material and fertilizers.

Various machinery exists for dispensing and spreading bulk fertilizer material, generally organic fertilizers such as manure, over an agricultural field. In many commercial farming operations, organic material, including fertilizers such as animal manure, are stored in a holding area. The manure is at some point taken up and placed in a spreader of some sort and dispensed onto fields when desired. As a result of the great variety of materials used in agriculture and the differences in terrain, climate and culture, a variety of material spreaders have been developed over the years.
Box spreaders, as the name implies, include a wheeled box-like container having one or more generally horizontal screws aligned parallel with the direction of travel of the box spreader and running along the length of the bottom of the box spreader from front to back. As the screws turn the helical threads move the material towards a rear opening in the box spreader and out through the opening where the material is generally broken up and spread outwardly by rotating beaters, often referred to as expellers. Due to the discharge openings being located generally along a bottom rear portion of the box spreader, such spreaders are best employed with relatively dry materials, as any liquids would tend to leak out through the openings.
In order to accommodate materials having a higher liquid content, including slurries, sealed containers have been developed for preventing unwanted discharge of the material. Typical of these are tank spreaders including one or more generally horizontal augers for moving the material through the tank.
The present invention relates more particularly to material spreaders for drier materials, such as cattle manure. In addition to the augers which move the material through the spreader to a discharge opening in one end, these spreaders include a material expeller which disperses the material outwardly over the ground passing beneath the spreader. These material spreaders are generally some variation of either a rotating screw or a number of paddles affixed to an axle, with the screws and axles conventionally being mounted horizontally and being positioned below the floor line of the container. The paddles are rigidly secured to the screw or axle and extend out and around the axle in a helical shape. Material is drawn out of the spreader as the axle spins with the rigid paddles being highly susceptible to rock damage resulting in poorer distribution of material and higher costs for repair and replacement of paddles along the axle.
In addition to distributing the material over the ground surface, it is advantageous for the material spreader to break up the larger clumps of material. The more effectively the material is broken up and thrown to a distance away from the material spreader, the more uniform the coverage of the ground surface. Most known rotating systems of paddles or screws do not always provide an optimal level of material consistency and uniformity of dispersal where the throw acceleration is limited to the torsional speed of rotation of the screw or axel. Conventional spreaders also commonly use a hydraulic push assembly to force material into the screw expeller resulting in compression of the material and inconsistent field distribution patterns. Accordingly, there is a need for a material expeller for a material spreader resulting in improved material consistency and uniformity of dispersal.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The invention relates to a system for monitoring wind turbine components including an independent data processing environment adapted to: receive a first category of data input related to operation of the wind turbine, process the received data input by one or more component specific monitoring algorithms adapted to establish an estimated component value related to a component to be monitored based on received first category data input having at least indirectly impact on the component, wherein the component specific monitoring algorithm is adapted to establish a component residual as the difference between the estimated component value and received first category of data input of the component to be monitored, and wherein the component specific monitoring algorithm furthermore is adapted to establish a component specific health value of the component to be monitored based on the established residual and put the health value at disposal for data processors outside the environment.

Monitoring and predictive maintenance of wind turbine components has been of high interest in the resent years. One known way of monitoring wind turbine components is described in the DK178505 which describes a model based monitoring system. The residual described in DK178505 can be linked to component health and hence used in the control of the wind turbine.
SCADA systems are well known in the art for monitoring wind turbines. Known SCADA systems are all based on threshold values. Hence, if a threshold value is exceeded an elements changes status and a person has to interpret the change and determine how to react.

Independent monitoring system for a wind turbine


An apparatus is provided for illuminating the interior of an automotive passenger vehicle for ingress and egress. The apparatus comprises a lighting device integrated into the periphery of a sun visor or similar object. The lighting device is typically activated by a remote entry device, a door opening, or by an interior switch. The apparatus is particularly applicable where overhead interior lighting is impractical, such as in convertibles and other types of vehicles with removable tops. The lighting device may be customized for color and intensity, as well as for physical configuration. The apparatus can also be used in lieu of conventional interior roof lighting as a manufacturing cost reduction.

Present-day passenger automotive vehicles are generally equipped with at least two types of interior lighting. One type typically provides general illumination for ingress and egress, while another type usually provides focused light for reading maps and such. For general illumination, dome lamps are commonly located in a conventional roof interior, and/or roof rail lamps may be included along the side roof rail areas.
For unconventional roofs, such as convertible tops, targa tops, movable roofs and glass roofs, dome lamps and roof rail lamps may not be feasible. Typically, in these situations, other types of interior lighting are used for ingress and egress, such as rear view mirror reading lights. As previously noted, however, reading lights are typically focused, and do not generally provide a broad pattern of illumination.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an alternative lighting arrangement that would be appropriate for ingress and egress illumination in vehicles with either conventional (fixed) or removable roof configurations.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an interior lighting device that can illuminate a passenger automotive vehicle interior for ingress and egress, regardless of the type of vehicle roof configuration. In addition, it is desirable to provide an interior lighting device that is convenient and economical to install. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Ingress and egress lighting integrated to sun visor systems