A thermal printer in which a sheet of recording paper is held by and between a thermal print head includes a plurality of heat generating elements and a platen drum, the amounts of heat of the heat generating elements are selectively changed, and an image is printed onto the recording paper. In the thermal printer, a printing position is set just behind a clamp position at which a clamp clamps the leading end of the recording paper onto the platen drum. Therefore, the image printing can be started immediately after the clamp position passes through the thermal head, with the recording paper being in part wound around the platen drum by the thermal printer. As a result, the time taken from paper feeding to printing starting can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal printer and, in particular, to a thermal printer in which recording paper is held by and between a thermal print head including a plurality of heating elements and a platen drum, the quantity of heat of the heating elements is selectively changed while carrying the recording paper, and an image is recorded on to the recording paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thermal printer has been conventionally used as a printer of a medical image diagnostic system in a medical treatment field. In other words, in the medical treatment field, there are available various kinds of medical image diagnostic appliances such as an ultrasonic image projector, an X ray CT and the like which apply ultrasonic waves, X rays or the like to a patient to detect the change of the ultrasonic waves, X rays or the like to thereby obtain an image of the affected part of the patient, and displays the image, for example, on a CRT monitor as a visual image.
In the above-mentioned medical image diagnostic appliances, it is convenient if the image of the affected part to be displayed on the monitor can be provided in the form of a hard copy. For this purpose, there have been developed various kinds of printers including a thermal printer.
Also, besides the medical use, the thermal printer has been applied to the surface printing of an ID card, a prepaid card and the like.
As the thermal printer, there are known a heat transfer type thermal printer and a heat sensitive thermal printer. Here, referring to a thermal printer of a heat transfer type with reference to FIG. 17, for example, recording paper 2 is fed one by one from a paper feed cassette 1. A platen drum 6 clamps the leading end of the recording paper by a clamper 7 and is then rotated almost half way round to a printing part. In the printing part, there are disposed a thermal print head 4 including a plurality of heating elements 3 and an ink sheet cassette 5. The thermal print head 4 and the platen drum 6 cooperate in holding the ink sheet and the recording paper 2 fed between them. In this holding condition, the heating elements 3 are driven in accordance with an image signal supplied from a control device to thereby transfer the image from the ink sheet to the recording paper 2. In order to obtain a color image, areas Y, M and C are sequentially formed in the ink sheet, and to which areas three kinds of ink, that is, yellow (Y), magenta (M) and cyan (C) referred to as subtractive primaries for printing are attached. The R, G and B signals of a color image are respectively converted to YMC signals and are then applied to the thermal head 4, so that the three-color printing can be achieved.
After completion of the printing, the platen drum 6 is rotated reversely and the printing paper is passed through a paper discharge passage 8 and is inserted into a paper discharge tray 9 with the following end of the paper entering first.
In the above-mentioned conventional thermal printer, however, due to the fact that the platen drum 6 is rotated almost half way around and is positioned at the printing part after the the recording paper 2 is clamped by the clamper 7, it takes a long time from the paper feeding to the start of the printing.
Also, in the conventional thermal printer, after completion of the printing, in order to prevent mutual interference between the recording paper 2 and the ink sheet cassette 5, or to set the following end of the recording paper at the entrance of the paper discharge passage 8, the platen drum 6 is rotated at a given angle in the same direction as in the printing time and is then rotated reversely to thereby discharge the recording paper. This results in a long printing time.
Further, according to the conventional thermal printer, an exit of the paper discharge passage 8 is opened up in a paper guide wall around the platen drum 6 and thus the paper guide wall is cut off in this portion. For this reason, when the recording paper 2 is clamped and rotated by the platen drum 6 and is passed through an opening formed in a paper feed/discharge passage 8, the recording paper 2 is caused to jump up at the edge of the opening due to its rigidness or hardness, and this jumping problem adversely effects the printing producing a slit mark.
Moreover, according to the conventional thermal printer, in order to guide the recording paper 2 around the platen drum 6, several auxiliary rollers are pressed against the platen drum 6 or a wall-shaped paper guide member is used. However, the wall-shaped paper guide member is divided into several portions because of the necessity of the paper feed/discharge opening and due to the forming limitations, and the connecting parts of the divided portions are joined with one another in a smooth manner.
For this reason, the following end of the recording paper 2 is caused to jump up at the stepped portions and clearances between the connecting portions of the paper guide member to thereby produce load variations. The load variations adversely effects the printing.
In addition, in the conventional thermal printer, the thermal print head 4 includes a plurality of heat sensitive elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the carrying direction of the recording paper 2, and a voltage is applied based on an image signal to thereby drive the heat sensitive elements so as to be able to transfer a desired image from the ink sheet to the recording paper 2. Such a thermal print head is mounted at the two ends thereof to a arms. The thermal printer head 4 is disposed so that it oscillates pair of oscillatory arms, with respect to the platen 5 drum 6; and so that the thermal print head 4 may be brought into contact with the platen drum 6 when printing. A spring is mounted to each of the oscillatory arms and the springs press the thermal print head 4 against the platen head when the thermal print head 4 is in contact with the platen head.
However, in the conventional thermal printer, the pair of springs may sometimes have different spring forces from each other. Therefore, an even pressure cannot be applied to the platen drum 6, and an uneven pressure during printing may be produced.


The invention relates to a video coding method applied to a sequence of video frames and generating a coded bitstream constituted of video data that represent all the video object planes and are described in terms of separate channels. In said video data, each data item is described by means of a bitstream syntax allowing any decoder to recognize and decode all the segments of the content of said bitstream. The temporal resolution of the sequence is described by means of some specific syntactic elements. According to the invention, which finds an application for instance within the video compression standards of the MPEG family, the syntax also comprises specific flags for describing, in the coded bitstream, the maximum frame rate of each described channel.

In the first video coding standards (up to MPEG-2 and H.263), the video is assumed to be rectangular and to be described in terms of three separate channels: one luminance channel and two chrominance channels. With MPEG-4, additional channels have been introduced, for example the alpha channel (also referred to as the "arbitrary shape channel" in MPEG-4 terminology), the disparity channel, or the depth channel. The spatial and temporal resolutions of these channels are described at the sequence level (Video Object Layer, or VOL, in MPEG-4 terminology).
For the frame rate, only one description is given for all channels, as follows. The temporal resolution of the sequence is described by means of the following syntactic elements:                "vop_time_increment_resolution" (coded on 16 bits),        "fixed_vop_rate" (coded on 1 bit), and        "fixed_vop_time_increment" (coded on 1 to 16 bits),as defined for instance in pages 36 and 112 of the MPEG-4 document w3056, "Information Technology—Coding of audio-visual objects—Part 2: Visual", ISO/IEC/JTC1/SC29/WG11, Maui, USA, December 1999. These elements are now described in a more detailed manner.
The syntactic element "vop_time_increment_resolution" is a 16 bit unsigned integer that indicates the number of evenly spaced subintervals, called ticks, within one modulo time (modulo time represents the fixed interval of one second).
The syntactic element "fixed_vop_time_increment" represent the number of ticks between two successive VOPs in the display order. The length of a tick, given by "vop_time_increment_resolution", can take a value in the range [0, vop_time_increment_resolution]. The number of bits representing said value is calculated as the minimum number of unsigned integer bits required to represent the above range. This element "fixed_vop_time_increment" is only found in the bitstream if "fixed_vop_rate" is "1", and its value must be identical to the constant given by the distance between the display time of any two successive VOPs in the display order. In this case, the fixed VOP rate is given as the ratio "vop_time_increment_resolution"/"fixed_vop_time_increment", a zero value being forbidden.
The syntactic element "fixed_vop_rate" is a one-bit flag which indicates that all VOPs (pictures in MPEG-4 terminology) are coded with a fixed VOP temporal rate. Its value is "1" if and only if all the distances between the display time of any two successive VOPS in the display order in the video object layer are constant. In this case, the VOP rate can be derived from the "fixed_vop_time_increment" syntactic element. If the value of the flag is "0", the display time between any two successive VOPs in the display order can be variable: it is then indicated by the time stamps provided in the VOP header.
In either case (fixed VOP rate or not), the display time of each encoded VOP is retrieved from the bitstream by a syntactic element "vop_time_increment" coded on 1 to 16 bits in the VOP header (see pp. 40 and 120 of the MPEG-4 document already cited). It can take a value in the range of [0, vop_time_increment_resolution]. The number of bits representing said value is calculated as the minimum number of unsigned integer bits required to represent the above range. The local time base in the units of seconds is recovered by dividing this value by "vop_time_increment_resolution".
From the previous indications, it can be seen that, unfortunately, all channels have to share the same description. It is not possible to describe, for instance, a video sequence encoded at a frame rate of 30 Hz in luminance, 15 Hz in chrominance and 10 Hz in shape.

Video coding method and corresponding transmittable video signal


A swing performance analysis device (10) is described. The device (10) includes a sole single axis accelerometer securable to an entity (60, 70) to be swung to measure centripetal acceleration. The accelerometer is arranged to communicate with a processor (30). The processor (30) is arranged to accept one or more parameters on the swing to be analysed and measurement data on the swing from the accelerometer, the processor being operative to determine the radius of curvature of the swing calculate in dependence on the one or more parameters and to determine one or more attributes on the swing in dependence on the radius and measurement data.

Current systems of training for golfers are many and various. Some are purely mechanical, and help to train the user in technique by guiding the club into a motion thought to be preferable to achieve good results. Others measure some aspect of the player's performance during practice, and provide information which the player can use to improve their swing.
Many different schemes have been proposed for measuring and analysing various aspects of a golf swing. The depth of the analysis provided varies from a simple speed indicator to complex 3-dimensional motion and/or video analysis.
Speed indicators are typically either free-standing or attach to, or form part of, the club. Free standing indicators typically employ a sensor arrangement that uses magnetic forces, light beams or microwave radar to measure club activity and motion. More complex methods use gyroscopes and multi-axis accelerometers or video cameras/recorders connected to a computer for analysis.
Radar and light/laser devices are typically expensive, obtrusive, inaccurate, and can be difficult to set up. In the case of the radar devices, the point of measurement is not well defined. As the speed of, and therefore distance traveled by, the ball is dependent on the speed of the club head at impact, measurements at other times are not useful in this respect. Radar and laser devices also only produce speed information, which is, by itself, insufficient. More complex methods produce detailed results, but these require considerable skill and/or expertise to interpret, and so are not useful to the majority of golfers.
Speed measuring devices exist, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,427, which fix to the club typically use one or more accelerometers to derive club head speed indirectly, by combining centripetal acceleration with radius of curvature. However these tend to be inaccurate for a number of reasons.
Firstly, they do not properly take into account the radius of curvature of the swing at the point of impact. Secondly, if the device is not attached close to the club head, then accurate measurement will not be possible. One reason for this difficulty is the inability to take account of shaft flexion. All these problems may be overcome by building the device into the head of the club, but this is expensive and very inconvenient.
Some methods require knowledge of properties of the equipment, such as the weight of the club head, and/or the ball. Furthermore, none of the systems or devices known to the applicant take into account the slowing distance of the club (the distance traveled by the club head between reaching peak speed and the instant of impact with the ball) which clearly affects the accuracy of any measurements provided.


An object of the present invention is to provide a guide shoe that can prevent a shortage of lubricating oil and supply the lubricating oil onto a sliding surface of the shoe in a favorable manner. To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a guide shoe 120 that has a shoe surface 121 for slidably guiding a running chain CH. An oil guide part 124 with a pair of guide walls 124a is provided in the shoe surface 121. The pair of guide walls 124a are each formed such as to face a rear side in a chain running direction D and converge to each other toward a front side in the chain running direction D.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guide shoe that has a shoe surface for slidably guiding a running chain.
2. Description of the Related Art
A chain guide has hitherto been known, which is incorporated in a timing system in the engine room of a car to slidably guide the chain running between sprockets and keep an appropriate chain tension (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-242357).
This conventional chain guide includes a guide shoe that has a shoe surface for slidably guiding the running chain, and a base member that supports this guide shoe along the longitudinal direction of the guide.


Provided are a multi-bit memory device having resistive material layers as a storage node, and methods of manufacturing and operating the same. The memory device includes a substrate, a transistor formed on the substrate, and a storage node coupled to the transistor, wherein the storage node includes: a lower electrode connected to the substrate; a first phase change layer formed on the lower electrode; a first barrier layer overlying the first phase change layer; a second phase change layer overlying the first barrier layer; and an upper electrode formed on the second phase change layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and a method of manufacturing and operating the same, and more particularly, to a multi-bit memory device having resistive material layers as a storage node, and methods of manufacturing and operating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two types of memory: volatile memory, that loses the stored data when power is turned off, and non-volatile memory, that does not require power to retain its contents. With the advancement in Internet technology and increasing popularity of mobile communication devices, increasing attention is being directed toward non-volatile memory devices. While flash memory is now commonly used as a non-volatile memory, next-generation non-volatile memories continue to be introduced, including ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory, resistive RAM (RRAM), and phase change RAM (PRAM), some of which are being used for limited commercial applications.
RRAM or PRAM differs from other non-volatile memories in that it uses a resistor as a memory node. A storage node in a PRAM includes a phase change layer that changes between an amorphous and a crystalline phase according to a given condition. The phase change layer exhibits high resistance in the amorphous state and low resistance in the crystalline state. This resistance variation in the phase change layer allows the PRAM to write and read data bits.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional PRAM having a resistive material layer as a storage node. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional PRAM includes a field-effect transistor ('transistor') that is formed on a semiconductor substrate 10 and has a source 12, a drain 14, and a gate stack 16 containing a gate electrode. The transistor is covered by a first interlayer insulating layer 18. The first interlayer insulating layer 18 includes a first conductive plug 20 that penetrates through the first interlayer insulating layer 18 and is connected to the drain 14. The first conductive plug 20 is used as a lower electrode. A germanium-antimony-tellurium (GeSbTe, also referred to as 'GST') layer 22 is formed on the first interlayer insulating layer 18 to cover the top surface of the first conductive plug 20. The GST layer 22 is a phase change layer and is used as a memory node. An upper electrode 24 is formed on the GST layer 22, both of which are covered by a second interlayer insulating layer 26. A contact hole 28 which exposes a source 12 is formed in the first and second interlayer insulating layers 18 and 26 and filled with a second conductive plug 30. A bit line 32 is formed on the second interlayer insulating layer 26 and coupled to the top surface of the second conductive plug 30.
The operation of the conventional PRAM will now be described briefly.
When a phase change current is applied to the GST layer 22, a portion of the GST layer 22 changes from a crystalline state to an amorphous state. The resistance of the GST layer 22 increases after the phase change current is applied. Because the phase change current changes the resistance of the GST layer 22, a data bit 1 is considered to have been written to the GST layer 22 when the GST layer 22 has high resistance after the phase change current is applied. On the other hand, when the GST layer 22 has low resistance before the phase change current is applied, a data bit 0 is considered to have been written to the GST layer 22.
In the conventional PRAM, the state of the GST layer 22 varies according to the current applied. However, the phase change current applied to change a portion of the GST layer 22 to the amorphous state poses a major challenge to improving the characteristics of PRAM. The advancement of semiconductor manufacturing technology makes it technically possible to reduce the size of PRAM by reducing the size of storage node and transistor. However, as the transistor becomes smaller, its current supply capability decreases. Thus, when the current allowed through the transistor is less than that needed to cause the phase change of the GST layer 22, the PRAM is difficult to operate. This results in a restriction to the integration density of PRAM. Another drawback of the conventional PRAM is that it cannot write more than 2-bit data.

Multi-bit memory device having resistive material layers as storage node and methods of manufacturing and operating the same


The invention provides methods and apparatus for analysis of images of direct part mark identification codes to measure and assess a print quality. Methods to assess the quality of a direct part mark identification code are presented that provide diagnostic information of a code that cannot be assessed using verification methods that require the results of a valid decoding step.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for verifying identification codes used for part identification. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of verifying the quality of two-dimensional identification marks placed on the surface of a part or component. The overall grade, and diagnostic information is provided to assess the performance of the process used to place the mark on the part.
Description of the Related Art
Automatic identification of products using bar codes has been broadly implemented throughout industrial operations for many years. Traditionally, bar codes or symbols have been printed on labels placed on product packaging and/or material handling trays or containers. The encoded information on the label can be readily identified using various laser scanner or optical readers. Various business operations have come to rely upon the accuracy and availability of data collected from part traceability resulting from automatic identification.
Recent trends are to extend tracking through the full life of a part so that it can be identified from the beginning of its life to the end. To address full life cycle traceability, manufacturers are marking parts with permanent two-dimensional (2D) codes that are marked directly on the part itself, and automatically identifying the part throughout the manufacturing and supply chain operations. This process is known as Direct Part Mark Identification (DPMI).
DPMI is essential for tracking and traceability in highly complex and sensitive assembly systems, such as aerospace and defense systems, medical devices, and electronic assemblies. DPMI permits manufacturers to use traceability data to create a part history through the manufacturing process for later use in supply change management and repair depots.
Part traceability through DPMI improves quality by ensuring that the appropriate processes are performed in the correct sequence on the right parts. DPMI is essential for "error-proofing" initiatives. In addition to eliminating manual part number data entry errors during production operations, DPMI can also assist in data logging for safety, liability, and warranty issues, and to satisfy regulatory requirement for permanently identifying high-value parts that are subject to theft or counterfeiting.
2D codes are typically used for DPMI applications due to the compact size, inherent error correction capabilities, and the amount of information that can be encoded, in comparison to one-dimensional bar codes. In a DPMI application, a 2D code can be marked on the part using several methods, depending upon the material composition, part application, and environmental conditions. Common methods include dot peening, laser and electrochemical etch.
Despite the fact that industries are increasingly adopting DPMI using 2D codes and advanced marking technologies, high read rate DPMI has been difficult to achieve. A limitation to the widespread implementation of DPMI is the inherent difficulty in reading DPMI codes. DPMI codes can be extremely difficult to read, due to low contrast, variations in part surfaces, and partial damage or obliteration from processing and environmental conditions. The application of machine vision technology to hand-held and fixed-mount DPMI readers is essential for a successful implementation of DPMI.
In order to assure that the DPMI code applied to a part will meet the requirements for achieving the highest read rates, it is highly recommended that a code verification system be implemented at the processing station where the code is applied. Verification of a DPMI code is not only a critical factor for downstream reading performance, but it reduces costs associated with rejected parts due to unreadable codes. If a part loses its identity due to the quality of the mark, then the part can often not be used. A verification system will immediately detect a problem with the marking process, such as poor fixturing, damage to the machine, or incorrect settings during configuration or changeover.
A DPMI code verification system typically includes lighting, optics, an image acquisition system, such as a camera, and code verification software. Several verification standards are in use at the present time, such as the AIMI International Symbology Specification for Data Matrix, and the ISO/IEC 15415 International Standard. However, these specifications require an image of a code that can be successfully decoded. Accordingly, there exists a need for a verification method that provides an effective assessment of DPMI codes with diagnostics that provide useful identification of failure modes that can be applied to codes that cannot be decoded due to poor image quality.

Method and apparatus for industrial identification mark verification


Power supply system mounted in electric vehicle includes voltage measurement unit that measures a voltage of each of a plurality of cells to ensure both safety of an electric vehicle and convenience of a user. Current measurement unit therein measures a current flowing through the plurality of cells. Temperature measurement unit therein measures a temperature of the plurality of cells. Controller therein determines a current limit value defining an upper limit of a current for suppressing cell deterioration and ensuring safety based on the voltage, the current, and the temperature of each of the plurality of cells measured by voltage measurement unit, current measurement unit, and temperature measurement unit respectively, and that notifies a higher-level controller in electric vehicle of the determined current limit value.

In recent years, hybrid vehicles (HVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs), and electric vehicles (EVs) have become popular. These electric vehicles are each equipped with a power supply system provided with a secondary battery as a key device.
When the power supply system causes overcharging, overdischarging, or overheating, a protection function (hereinafter referred to as relay cut off) operates to open a contactor relay installed between the power supply system and an inverter that drives a running motor. The relay cut off is also activated when a measurement circuit for detecting overcharge, overdischarge, or overheat (e.g., a voltage measurement circuit, a current measurement circuit, or a temperature measurement circuit) has an anomaly (e.g., refer to PTL 1).

Power supply system and management device capable of determining current upper limit for supressing cell deterioration and ensuring safety


A flexible circuit board for a display, having a chip-on-film structure, is disclosed. A connection pattern which is selected as a first connection pattern among connection patterns connected to panel contact pads does not reach a cutting line and is confined within a product region. As a consequence, the connection pattern selected as the first connection pattern may be prevented from being exposed on a cutting section along the cutting line, and thus, may be prevented from being changed in its electrical property due to penetration of moisture.

A display device includes a timing controller, a driver and a display panel. The timing controller provides control data and display data to the driver, and the driver provides source signals corresponding to the display data to the display panel.
In general, the timing controller is mounted on a printed circuit board together with a power circuit, and the driver is mounted on a flexible circuit board in a chip-on-film structure.
Electrical connection between the printed circuit board and the flexible circuit board and electrical connection between the flexible circuit board and the display panel are implemented by an anisotropic conductive film.
The driver is generally manufactured to have a rectangular shape. Pads for communicating with the timing controller and pads for receiving input voltages are configured at one long side (hereinafter, referred to as an "input side") of the driver, and pads for providing source signals and output voltages to the display panel or receiving sensing signals obtained by sensing properties of pixels of the display panel are configured at the other long side (hereinafter, referred to as an "output side").
The flexible circuit board which mounts the driver in a chip-on-film scheme has contact pads for electrical connection with the pads of the driver, in an integrated circuit region which is defined on one surface of the flexible circuit board and in which the driver is disposed. Among the contact pads in the integrated circuit region, contact pads corresponding to the pads of the output side of the driver may be identified as integrated circuit contact pads.
Also, the flexible circuit board has panel contact pads for electrical connection with the display panel and test pads for testing of the driver, outside the integrated circuit region.
The integrated circuit contact pads and the panel contact pads are connected through connection patterns for routing on the flexible circuit board, and the panel contact pads and the test pads are connected through extension patterns for routing on the flexible circuit board.
In most cases, the connection patterns and the extension patterns of the flexible circuit board are formed on a base film and are protected by an upper cover film formed of a resin material.
The driver mounted in the integrated circuit region of the flexible circuit board is tested.
The flexible circuit board with the driver completely tested is cut along a cutting line between the panel contact pads and the test pads, for commercialization. At this time, a test connection region in which portions of the extension patterns and the test pads are formed is removed by the cutting.
By the cutting, end surfaces of the extension patterns are exposed on a cutting section.
The extension patterns are in a state in which they are connected to the connection patterns which route power, source signals and sensing signals.
In the case where the end surfaces of the extension patterns are exposed on the cutting section as described above, moisture may penetrate through the interfaces between the extension patterns and the cover film. The moisture may damage the extension patterns, and the damaged extension patterns may change electrical properties of the connection patterns.
Among power, source signals and sensing signals, the sensing signals are substantially sensitive to changes in electrical properties of the connection patterns. Thus, in the case where the extension patterns connected to the connection patterns which transfer sensing signals as important signals are damaged by penetration of moisture, changes in electrical properties of the connection patterns may be caused. In the case where the sensing signals are distorted by changes in electrical properties of the connection patterns, an influence may be exerted on an operation of the driver and a display operation.
Therefore, in the case of the flexible circuit board which mounts the driver, it is necessary to prevent electrical properties of the connection patterns from being changed by penetration of moisture through a cutting section.


A magnetic sensor is provided with a permanent magnet structure, a magnetically sensitive component and a transparent plate through which the magnetically sensitive component can be selectively trimmed by a laser beam through the transparent plate. The magnetically sensitive component is attached to an under surface of the plate which is provided with conductive runs, conductive circuit points and conductive pads. The magnetically sensitive component is provided with solder bumps that are soldered to the conductive circuit points on the under surface of the transparent plate. The magnetically sensitive component is rigidly attached to the permanent magnet structure by an epoxy or other suitable material. This disposes the magnetically sensitive component between the transparent plate and the permanent magnet structure. The magnetically sensitive component can be calibrated by laser trimming resistors on an integrated chip through the transparent plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic sensors and, more particularly, to a geartooth sensor which comprises a transparent plate through which a magnetically sensitive component can be calibrated by selectively trimming resistors on a semiconductor chip.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of geartooth sensors are known to those skilled in the art. Packaging techniques used in the manufacture of geartooth sensors vary significantly, based on the intended application of the sensor and the operational characteristics required for the application.
In certain magnetic sensors, two operational parameters are very important. First, the permanent magnet used in the sensor must be placed as close as possible to the target, which is generally a tooth of a gear that is positioned to move through a detection zone of the sensor. Secondly, accuracy requirements of the magnetic sensor often necessitate that internal stresses on the magnetically sensitive component be overcome to reduce the resulting offset signals and the sensor's sensitivity to thermal expansion.
It is known to those skilled in the art that magnetically sensitive components can be disposed on the pole face of a permanent magnet for applications in magnetic sensors. It is also known to those skilled in the art that magnetically sensitive components can be disposed directly on a lead assembly or other component that exhibits ferromagnetic characteristics. A ferromagnetic platform on which the magnetically sensitive component is disposed can serve as a pole piece for the sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,736, which issued to Gonsalves et al on Jun. 4, 1991, discloses a sensor calibration method with an angular adjustment of a magnetoresistive element. The transducer arrangement comprises a magnetoresistive transducer including a magnetoresistive element which is responsive to magnetic flux passing through it in a predetermined direction to change its electrical resistance as a function of the intensity of the magnetic flux in the predetermined direction. A magnet is used to provide the magnetic flux. The transducer can include a permanent magnet having a planar surface with a magnetoresistive element offset from the axis of the magnet and optionally at an angle to the planar surface. The transducer can also include a concave surfaced magnet with the magnetoresistive element at an acute angle to the parallel flux lines emanating from the concave surface. As a further embodiment, the magnetoresistive element can be tilted on the magnet surface in two directions to provide a bias field and calibration. As a third embodiment, a high permeability pole piece can be positioned on the magnet surface between the magnet and the magnetoresistive element to minimize field variation due to nonuniformities in the magnet. There is also provided a module including an aluminum bracket mountable at the fore portion thereof and containing a magnetoresistive transducer circuit at the aft portion thereof, the circuit being coupled to a semiconductor circuit disposed at the center of the bracket. An epoxy resin encases the transducer circuit and semiconductor circuit as well as an optional cable or electrical connector at the fore portion of the bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,405, which issued on Jun. 1, 1993 to Schroeder et al, describes a package for a magnetic field sensitive device. The package is intended for use with a magnetic field sensitive element, such as a magnetoresistor, and includes at least two planar layers of a relatively stiff ferromagnetic material which is also electrically conductive. The layers have opposed edges which are in closely spaced relation to form a narrow gap therebetween. A terminal tap is integral with and extends from each layer. A magnetic field sensitive element is on a surface of at least one of the layers and preferably extends across the gap to be on both layers. The magnetic field sensitive element has a pair of contacts each of which is electrically connected to a separate one of the layers. A permanent magnet is mounted on and insulated from the surface of the layers opposite the magnetic field sensitive element. A protective layer of an insulating material may cover the magnetic field sensitive element and the layers with the terminal tabs extending therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,097, which issued to Wu on Aug. 23, 1994, discloses an asymmetrical magnetic position detector. The geartooth sensor incorporates a magnet and two magnetically sensitive devices, such as Hall effect elements. The two magnetically sensitive devices are disposed in a common plane with each other with one of the devices being located at a position closer to the magnet than the other device. The common plane in which both magnetically sensitive devices are disposed is spaced apart from a central axis of the magnet by a predetermined distance. A divider is provided for determining a ratio of the magnetic field strengths that are imposed perpendicularly on the first and second magnetically sensitive devices. The ratio is used to distinguish between teeth and slots proximate the sensor wherein the common plane of the magnetically sensitive devices is generally perpendicular to the path along which the teeth and slots pass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,370, which issued to Wu on Aug. 22, 1995, discloses a magnetic angular position sensor with two magnetically sensitive components arranged proximate two target tracks having complementary magnetic and nonmagnetic segments. The sensor is provided with two target tracks arranged in generally parallel association with each other. Each of the target tracks comprises magnetic and nonmagnetic segments which are arranged in alternating patterns. First and second magnetically sensitive components are disposed proximate the first and second target tracks, respectively, and a source of magnetic field is disposed proximate the first and second magnetically sensitive components. Distortions of the magnetic field imposed perpendicularly on the first and second magnetically sensitive components are used to provide first and second output signals therefrom. A third output signal, which is a function of the first and second output signals, is used to determine the location of the first and second target tracks with respect to the first and second magnetically sensitive components. The magnetic and nonmagnetic segments of the first and second target tracks can be different sizes and arranged in a pattern which permits the specific and absolute location of a movable object to be determined.
The United States Patents described immediately above are hereby explicitly incorporated by reference in this description.
In view of the known types of magnetic sensors, it would be beneficial if a means were developed for manufacturing a magnetic sensor that disposes the permanent magnet at a location as close as possible to the path along which ferromagnetic objects of a target are intended to pass. In addition, it would be significantly beneficial if a means were developed that allows a magnetic sensor to be manufactured in a manner that permits calibration to be performed after all or most manufacturing steps which might induce stresses in the magnetically sensitive components of the sensor are completed.

Magnetic sensor with components attached to transparent plate for laser trimming during calibration


A mechanism is used to improve the efficiency of performing resource-to-path resolution. A hierarchical link structure contains entries and/or records (“link entries”) that each defines a parent-child link within an information hierarchy. A certain linking entry may have data that refers to another link entry representing a link to the parent—a link in which the parent is a child. This data allows resource-to-path resolutions to be performed more efficiently.

The approaches described in the BACKGROUND section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Humans tend to organize information in categories. The categories in which information is organized are themselves typically organized relative to each other in some form of hierarchy. For example, an individual animal belongs to a species, the species belongs to a genus, the genus belongs to a family, the family belongs to an order, and the order belongs to a class.
With the advent of computer systems, techniques for storing electronic information have been developed that largely reflected this human desire for hierarchical organization. Conventional computer file systems, for example, are typically implemented using hierarchy-based organization principles. For example, a typical file system has directories arranged in a hierarchy, and documents stored in the directories.
Information arranged in a hierarchy is referred to herein as an information hierarchy. An information hierarchy can be represented as a hierarchy of nodes. FIG. 1 is a directed graph that illustrates an information hierarchy 100. Information hierarchy 100 includes eight nodes. The highest node in the hierarchy is referred to as the "root" node. The nodes at the end of each branch in the hierarchy are "leaf" nodes. The nodes between the root node and the leaf nodes are "intermediate" nodes. In the illustrated hierarchy, nodes 1, 2, 3 and 6 are intermediate nodes, and nodes 4, 5 and 7 are leaf nodes.
In an information hierarchy, the nodes correspond to information. Typically, the piece of information associated with each node has some form of name and some type of content. Node 1 has the name a, node 2 has the name b, node 3 has the name c, and so forth.
In an information hierarchy that corresponds to a hierarchical file system, the nodes typically correspond to files or directories. Each file has a name and some form of content. Each directory has a name and content in the form of zero or more files.
A node is said to have a parent-child relationship with any node that is an immediate descendant of the node in the information hierarchy. The parent-child relationship between a particular parent node and child node is also referred to herein as a parent-child link or just simply link. In FIG. 1, directed edges between nodes represent parent-child links; edges go from the parent node to the child node. Thus, the root node has a link LINKR1 to node 1. Node 1 has a link LINK12 to node 2 and a link LINK13 to node 3. Node 2 has links LINK24 and LINK25 to nodes 4 and 5, respectively. Node 3 has links LINK36 and LINK37 to nodes 6 and 7, respectively.
In some information hierarchies, a child node may have multiple parents. Node 2 is not only a child of node 1 but also of node 6, and therefore not only has a link from parent node 1 but also has LINK6 from parent node 6.
Paths and Path Levels and Pathnames
Each node in an information hierarchy may be located by following a "path" through the hierarchy to the node. The path to a "target" node begins at the root node and proceeds down the hierarchy of nodes to eventually arrive at the target node. For example, the path to node 6 consists of nodes root, 1, 3 and 6.
Each node in the path corresponds to a path level. The number of levels in a path is the number of nodes in the path. Thus, the path to node 6 has four levels. The root corresponds to the first level, node 1 to the second level, node 3 to the third level and node 6 to the fourth level.
As mentioned before, a node may have more than one parent. Further, in some types of information hierarchies, nodes may have the same name. To unambiguously identify a given node, more than just the name of the node may be required. A convenient way to identify a specific node and/or its location within an information hierarchy is through the use of a "pathname". A pathname is a concise way of uniquely identifying a node based on the path through the hierarchy to the node. A pathname may be composed of a sequence of names of nodes in the path. One way to represent a pathname is separate the node names by a delimiter. Often, a '/' is used to delimit the names of nodes in the path. A leading '/' refers to the root. The pathname that identifies node 6 is '/a/c/f'. Standards for paths and pathnames are described in, for example, XQuery 1.0 and Xpath 2.0 Data Model, W3C Working Draft, 29 Oct. 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Relational Database Versus a Hierarchical System
In contrast to a hierarchical file system, in a relational database information is stored in tables comprised of rows and columns. Each row is identified by a unique row id. Each column represents an attribute or field of a record, and each row represents a particular record. Data is retrieved from the database by submitting queries to a database server that manages the database. The queries must conform to the database language supported by the database server. Structured Query Language (SQL) is an example of a database language supported by many existing database management systems.
Each type of storage approach has advantages and limitations. A hierarchical file system is simple, intuitive, and easy to implement, and is a standard model used by many application programs. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the hierarchical organization does not provide the support required for complex data retrieval operations. For example, the contents of every directory may have to be inspected to retrieve all documents created on a particular day that have a particular filename. Since all directories must be searched, the hierarchical organization does nothing to facilitate the retrieval process.
A relational database system is well suited for storing large amounts of information and for accessing data in a very flexible manner. Relative to hierarchically organized systems, data that matches even complex search criteria may be easily and efficiently retrieved from a relational database system. However, the process of formulating and submitting queries to a database server is less intuitive than merely traversing a hierarchy of directories, and is beyond the technical comfort level of many computer users.
Hierarchically organized systems and relationally organized systems have been implemented in different ways that were not compatible. However, a relational database system can be enhanced to incorporate features that allow them to emulate a hierarchically organized system. Such database systems are referred to herein as hierarchically enhanced database systems. Hierarchically enhanced database systems may store many kinds information hierarchies, including a file hierarchy, a hierarchy of XML documents, or even a hierarchy of objects. A node within an information hierarchy stored in a hierarchically enhanced database system is referred to herein as a resource. A resource may be, for example and without limitation, a file, an XML document, or a directory that holds either files or XML documents.
Database queries issued to a hierarchically enhanced database system may request data based on a path. Computing such queries may require two important kinds of path resolution operations. A path-to-resource resolution entails determining, given a path and/or path name, what resource or resources are located within a path or identified by the pathname. A resource-to-path resolution entails determining, given a resource, what path or paths a resource is located within and/or whether a resource is within a given path.
Hierarchically-enhanced database systems have been optimized to perform path-to-resource resolution but not resource-to-path resolution. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism to more efficiently perform resource-to-path resolution.

Efficient processing of path related operations on data organized hierarchically in an RDBMS


Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a photo mask comprising preparing mask data for a mask pattern to be formed on a mask substrate, calculating edge moving sensitivity with respect to each of patterns included in the mask pattern using the mask data, the edge moving sensitivity corresponding to a difference between a proper exposure dose and an exposure dose to be set when a pattern edge varies, determining a monitor portion of the mask pattern, based on the calculated edge moving sensitivity, actually forming the mask pattern on the mask substrate, acquiring a dimension of a pattern included in that portion of the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate which corresponds to the monitor portion, determining evaluation value for the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate, based on the acquired dimension, and determining whether the evaluation value satisfies predetermined conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a photo mask, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the manufactured photo mask.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, strict dimension accuracy has rapidly become required in photo masks; for example, the allowable range of dimension uniformity within the mask is less than 10 nm. In the photo mask manufacture, many items are given to determine whether the photo mask is a non-defective or defective product. In these items, if there exists even one item, which does not satisfy the specification, the photo mask has been conventionally determined as being a defective product. Therefore, the photo mask yield inevitably worsens under the present circumstances that the photo mask requires strict dimension accuracy.
Conventionally, the photo mask specification has been determined so that desired exposure latitude is obtained even if all of items are the lowest limit value satisfying the specification. However, in actually manufactured photo masks, it is extremely rare that all items have the lowest limit value satisfying the specification. In many cases, a certain item exceeds the specification value while other items are within an allowable range of the specification value with margins. For this reason, there exists photo masks satisfying the desired exposure latitude in photo masks disposed as defective product.
In order to solve the foregoing problem, JPN. PAT. APPLN. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-72440 discloses the following method. According to the method, exposure latitude is calculated based on the pattern dimension average value of the photo mask and the uniformity within the mask. From the calculation result, it is determined whether the photo mask is a non-defective or defective product. However, according to the method, it is possible to extract patterns having low exposure latitude, but it is difficult to extract portions potentially degrading the exposure latitude. Therefore, the method is not suitable for securely extracting a monitor portion used to determine whether the photo mask is non-defective or defective.
Conventionally, it is difficult to properly extract the monitor portion (dangerous portion) used to determine whether the photo mask is non-defective or defective. Therefore, it is desired to provide a method of manufacturing a photo mask, which can properly and readily determine whether the photo mask is non-defective or defective.

Method of manufacturing a photo mask and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device


An apparatus for transporting a container includes a lower enclosure adapted to accept and retain the container, an insulating lining disposed on an inner surface of the lower enclosure, an upper enclosure hingedly affixed to the lower enclosure and adapted to close upon and seal the lower enclosure, a handle assembly attached to the lower enclosure, and at least one pair of wheels operatively attached to a bottom surface of said lower enclosure, wherein the handle assembly is selectively movable between a deployed position and stowed position.

Slow cookers or CROCK-POTS® as they are commonly called, are frequently used to make a wide variety of dishes such as stews, chilis, soups, pot roasts, and the like. While these foods are perfect for meals at home, they also find a high percentage of use at picnics, tail gate parties, office functions, and pot luck dinners. These occasions mean that the slow cooker must be transported to a remote location where the cooking process continues, or for keeping the food warm for long periods of time. However, these slow cookers can weigh up to twenty-five pounds (25 lbs.) when filled with food. While they can be easily lifted and carried for a few feet, transport through large parking lots, or carrying into a large building becomes very difficult for even those in the best of physical shape. Those who may be elderly, of a small physical stature, or those suffering from an injury or disability find moving heavy slow cookers impossible. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which slow cookers can be easily moved and transported, without the disadvantages as described above.


A compact excavator includes a base frame, an upper frame and first and second track assemblies supporting the base frame. The compact excavator also includes a primary implement assembly coupled to the upper frame and a secondary implement assembly. The secondary implement assembly includes a lift arm assembly pivotally coupled to the base frame and an implement coupler pivotally coupled to the lift arm assembly. The implement coupler is configured to latch an implement to the lift arm assembly.

The present invention relates to compact excavators or mini-excavators. More particularly, the present invention relates to an implement assembly for a compact excavator.
Compact excavators (also known as mini-excavators) are currently in wide use. A mini-excavator is a tracked excavator having an operating weight of less than six tons. A base frame of the compact excavator includes an undercarriage frame that is supported by a pair of track assemblies. An upper frame of the compact excavator includes an operator support portion having a cab. The pair of track assemblies are powered by hydraulic motors and are controlled by an operator located in the cab.
Current compact excavators are equipped with a dozer blade that is pinned to the base frame of the compact excavator. Current compact excavators are also equipped with an implement assembly including a boom and arm that are pinned to the upper frame. In general the implement assembly includes a bucket or breaker coupled to the arm that is configured for excavating and trenching. In operation, the dozer blade is used for grading, leveling, backfilling, trenching and general dozing work. The blade can be used to increase dump height and digging depth depending on its position in relation to the boom and implement assembly. The blade also serves as a stabilizer during digging operations.
Attachment mounting plates for use in compact construction equipment (other than excavators) have become increasingly popular for ease in quickly attaching various tool attachments to a loader arm. An example attachment mounting plate is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,397. In general, attachment mounting plates are configured for manual operated latching of an attachment or configured for power operated latching of an attachment. More recently, attachment mounting plates are being used in conjunction with the boom that is coupled to the upper frame of the compact excavator to easily attach different attachments, such as a bucket and an auger.
Other than for quickly attaching the bucket and other earthmoving attachments to the implement assembly, other types of attachments have not typically been used in compact excavators. In one aspect, the compact excavators were designed for the sole purpose of earth excavation. In another aspect, the drive system in the compact excavators has historically lacked the required power to utilize different types of attachments to perform various types of activities. With the development of independent drive systems in compact excavators, the multi-function usability of a compact excavator is also becoming highly desirable.


A drive device to which a recording tape cartridge is loaded, and which can record information in a recording tape and playback information recorded in the recording tape, the drive device includes: a rotating shaft having a drive gear which meshes with the reel gear of the cartridge and rotates the reel of the cartridge; an operating member which pushes up the brake member of the cartridge to the reel rotation permitted position; and an adjusting mechanism which adjusts a projecting height of the operating member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive device which can record and playback information into and from a recording tape, and a recording tape cartridge is mounted in the drive device. The recording tape cartridge accommodating, within a case, a single reel on which is wound a recording tape, such as a magnetic tape, which is used as a recording/playback medium mainly for computers or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, recording tape cartridges (e.g., magnetic tape cartridge) have been known in which a magnetic tape, which is used as a data recording/playback medium for a computer or the like, is wound on a single reel, and the reel is accommodated in a synthetic resin case. The recording tape cartridges include a braking mechanism which prevents the reel from rotating in the case when the recording tape cartridge is not used.
That is, as shown in FIG. 10, a single reel 160 is accommodated in a recording tape cartridge 150. The reel 160 is provided with a reel hub 162, which is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and whose outer peripheral portion is wound therearound a magnetic tape T. A reel gear 170 is carved in an annular form on a lower surface (outer side) of a bottom portion 168 of the reel hub 162. The reel gear 170 can mesh with a drive gear 202 formed on a rotating shaft 200 of the drive device. An engaging gear 176 is carved in an annular form on an upper surface (inner side) of the bottom portion 168. A through hole 168A is formed in an axial central portion of the bottom portion 168. An annular reel plate 172 is fixed on the lower surface of the bottom 168 radially inward of the reel gear 170. The reel plate 172 is made of magnetic material, and is provided with a hole 172A, which substantially corresponds to the through hole 168A, at the axial central portion thereof.
A disc-like brake member 180 is inserted into the reel hub 162. The brake member 180 is provided with an annular brake gear 186 at a lower surface thereof which can mesh with the engaging gear 176. The brake member 180 is formed of resin, and an engaging projection 184 projects from an upper surface of the brake member 180. Rotation-restraining ribs 194, which are formed to project downwardly from an inner surface of the upper case 152, are inserted within an engaging projection 184, which stand erect at an upper surface of the brake gear 180. In this way, the reel 160 can not rotate with respect to the case but can move vertically. A releasing projection 188 projecting from an axial central portion of a lower surface of the brake member 180 enters into a through hole 168A of the reel hub 162 and faces a gear opening 156 provided in a central portion of the lower case 154.
A compression coil spring 190 is disposed between the upper case 152 and the brake member 180. One end of the compression coil spring 190 abuts against an inner side of an annular projection 192 projecting from the upper case 152. The other end of the compression coil spring 190 abuts against an annular groove 182 formed in an upper surface of the brake member 180. In this way, usually the brake member 180 is urged downwardly by an urging force of the compression coil spring 190, and the brake gear 186 meshes with the engaging gear 176. Thus, when the recording tape cartridge 150 is not used (e.g., when it is not mounted in the drive device), the recording tape cartridge 150 is brought into a rotation-locking state in which the reel 160 is prevented from rotating with respect to the case. The reel 160 is pushed toward to the lower case 154 side by the urging force, and the reel gear 170 is exposed from the gear opening 156.
A releasing ball 204 which engages with the releasing projection 188 of the recording tape cartridge 150 is provided on an axial central portion of the rotating shaft 200 of the drive device. The releasing ball 204 is formed of metal, and is rotatably provided in a recess 208A formed in an upper portion of a holder 208 formed of resin material. A bottom surface in the recess 208A rises upward and the releasing ball 204 is projected by a predetermined height (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,452,747, for example).
Therefore, when the recording tape cartridge 150 is loaded into the drive device, accompanying the movement of the drive gear 202 to mesh with the reel gear 170, the releasing ball 204 provided on the axial central portion of the rotating shaft 200 abuts the recess 188A formed in the releasing projection 188 of the brake member 180 and pushes the same. In this way, the brake member 180 is pushed upwardly against the urging force of the compression coil spring 190, and the engagement between the brake gear 186 and the engaging gear 176 is released.
In a state where the drive gear 202 and the reel gear 170 completely mesh with each other, the reel plate 172 is attracted by a magnetic force of the annular magnet 206 provided between the drive gear 202 and the releasing ball 204. In this way, the reel 160 maintains meshing with the rotating shaft 200 and can rotate within the case. That is, when the rotating shaft 200 rotates about the axis thereof, the reel 160 integrally rotates with the rotating shaft 200.
However, at that time, since the brake member 180 can not rotate with respect to the case, the recess 188A of the releasing projection 188, the releasing ball 204 and the recess 208A (especially bottom surface) of the holder 208 slidingly contact one another. Therefore, when the rotation speed is increased to high speed or the time of which the reel 160 rotates continuously is increased, the recess 188A and the recess 208A (especially bottom surface) are worn, and there is an adverse possibility that heights of the recess 188A, the releasing ball 204 and the recess 208A are varied. Further, when the holder 208 is assembled to the rotating shaft 200, there is an adverse possibility that the height of the holder 208 (projecting height of the releasing ball 204) is varied due to forming error or the like (i.e., there is an adverse possibility that variation is caused in products).
If such varieties in heights occurs, the reel 160 can not rotate. That is, if the recess 188A and the recess 208A are worn and the releasing stroke is reduced (if the projecting height of the releasing ball 204 from the recess 208A is reduced), the brake member 180 can not be sufficiently pushed upward to the releasing position. Thus, the reel 160 can not rotate, and if the height of the holder 208 (projecting height of the releasing ball 204) is increased, the reel gear 170 and the drive gear 202 can not sufficiently mesh with each other, and thus the reel 160 can not rotate.


A resilient mount including a first mounting member and a second mounting member is provided. The mount includes a first plurality of stiffening elements located between the first and second mounting members. At least a first stiffening element of the first plurality of stiffening elements is non-parallel to a second stiffening element of the first plurality of stiffening elements. Each of the first plurality of stiffening elements has a material thickness and an out-of-plane dimension that is greater than the material thickness. Each stiffening element of the first plurality of stiffening elements is substantially rigid so as to substantially limit the deformation of the stiffening element under load. The mount may also include a resilient material located between and coupled to adjacent stiffening elements of the first plurality of stiffening elements.

Mountings with both load bearing and deflection capabilities have been used in the suspension systems of vehicles for many years. In some applications, load bearing suspension mounts, such as elastomeric mounts, are positioned between two vehicle components. These elastomeric mounts are designed to carry compressive and tensile loads, while at the same time allowing the two vehicle components to translate and tilt relative to one another. Typically, an elastomeric mount includes a pad of an elastomeric material, for example, rubber, sandwiched between two mounting plates. The mounting plates are generally positioned between the axle and the vehicle frame such that movement of the axle relative to the payload frame is allowed while static and dynamic loads are transmitted. This type of load-bearing suspension mount may be used, for example, in articulated trucks of the type used at off-road construction sites.
One such known elastomeric load-bearing suspension mount is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,439 to Newman ("the '439 patent"). The suspension mount disclosed in the '439 patent has a series of parallel flat rings embedded in an elastomeric material and positioned between two rigid end members. The parallel flat rings increase the stiffness and load carrying capability of the mount as compared to a purely elastomeric mount by reducing the bulging of the elastomeric material in compression and the necking of the elastomeric material in tension. Thus, these elastomeric mounts may adequately carry pure compressive or tensile loads when the rigid end members are moved towards or away from each other. However, they are prone to premature failure in the highly elastomeric material to the embedded flat rings could result in the need to frequently replace these load-bearing suspension mounts. Replacement is typically difficult, time-consuming, and expensive.
In the suspension industry, particularly with respect to articulated truck suspensions, a robust, maintenance-free, load-bearing mount that has sufficient stiffness to transmit large compressive and tensile loads and sufficient flexibility to accommodate the mounting surfaces translating and tilting relative to one another may be beneficial. The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems or disadvantages associated with the prior art.


A gas turbine engine used in an aircraft includes a fan to provide a bypass flow through the engine. The fan delivers some airflow to the compressor for compression, and a fuel is mixed with the compressed air and delivered to a turbine to drive the engine and compressor and fan. The fan also delivers airflow to a central bypass passage located inward of the compressor. Guide vanes both upstream and downstream of the combustor each with cooling air passages therein, pass the bypass airflow from the inner bypass passage into an outer bypass passage located outward of the combustor and the turbine. The bypass flow through the guide vanes also cool the guide vanes and pass over and around the combustor to cool the combustor. The bypass airflow exits the engine at a location outward of the hot gas flow from the turbine. In an alternative embodiment, an inner bypass passage located inward of the central bypass passage also carries bypass airflow from the fan and through the engine to be mixed with the hot gas flow and the outward bypass flow.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas turbine engine having a fan bypass passage.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Modern gas turbine engines used for aircraft propulsion use a fan in addition to the compressor and turbine sections to produce power for propelling the aircraft. A typical aero gas turbine engine includes a fan blade connected to the rotor shaft of the engine, a compressor section having a plurality of rows of compressor blades also connected to the rotor shaft, a combustor section to burn a fuel with the compressed air supplied from the compressor, and a turbine section also having a plurality of rows of turbine blades that convert the hot gas stream from the combustor into rotary motion of the rotor shaft, which then also drives the compressor. The fan provides two flow paths. One flow path delivers air to the inlet of the compressor, while a second flow path bypasses the compressor and turbine sections to produce a driving force for the engine.
In a Prior Art gas turbine engine like the U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,201 issued to Dusa et al on Jun. 3, 1986 and entitled TURBOFAN MIXED FLOW EXHAUST SYSTEM, the bypass flow passes around the outside of the compressor, combustor, and turbine sections, and is joined with the combustion gas downstream of the turbine. This bypass flow also acts to cool the combustor and turbine section, as well as reduce noise from the high speed gas flow exiting the turbine.
Another type of gas turbine engine with a bypass flow is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,731 issued to Springer on Mar. 18, 2003 and entitled TURBOFAN ENGINE HAVING CENTRAL BYPASS DUCT AND PERIPHERAL CORE ENGINE, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,882 issued to Cavanagh on Nov. 28, 2000 and entitled TURBOFAN ENGINE CONSTRUCTION, which both show a gas turbine engine in which the bypass flow is through the center of the engine instead of around the outside like in the above mentioned Dusa et al patent.

Gas turbine having a single shaft bypass configuration


The present invention allows a configuration with elements inside the LSI, the elimination of manpower by using automatic adjustment, a reduction in the manufacturing cost, and control of the duty ratio in a wide temperature range and a wide dynamic range and includes: a TIA that converts an optical burst signal from a current signal to a voltage signal and that outputs the voltage signal as a differential signal; a peak detection/adder circuit that detects a peaking preamble signal of the differential signal, sets the peaking level to a normal phase and a reversed phase, and adjusts an offset signal; an ATCBUFFER that controls the duty ratio of the output signal by a threshold voltage; a duty detection circuit that detects the duty ratio from a burst signal; a threshold voltage adjustment circuit that adjusts the duty ratio by a new threshold voltage in accordance with the size of the voltage signal corresponding to the duty ratio; and a reset control circuit that can detect a burst signal of the duty detection circuit by a reset signal that confirms the arrival of the burst signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical burst receiver that adjusts the duty of an output signal. In particular, the present invention relates to an optical burst receiver and method capable of reducing the number of components and manpower in the duty adjustment of an output signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
External components other than the LSI (large scale integration) are attached to an optical burst receiver for manual adjustment in order to stably adjust the duty ratio (Duty) of an output signal without depending on the temperature and the optical input power.
A first problem in such an optical burst receiver is that since external components other than the LSI are required, the area where the external components are to be mounted needs to be large, and the miniaturization of the optical burst receiver is difficult.
A second problem is that much manpower is required for manual adjustment, and the cost of the optical burst receiver is high.
A technique related to the optical burst receiver for duty adjustment is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-343247.
The technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-343247 is for correcting the duty ratio of a received signal to 50% to allow accurate identification and reproduction of an electrical signal in a compact and low-cost system.
An opto-electrical converter/amplifier converts an input optical signal to an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to a differential wideband amplifier and a trigger generator. The trigger generator generates a trigger signal and transmits the trigger signal to a duty ratio correction circuit.
The differential wideband amplifier transmits an output signal to an identifier/reproducer, the duty ratio correction circuit, and a clock generator. Based on the output signals of the trigger generator and the differential wideband amplifier, the duty ratio correction circuit generates a control signal for correcting the duty ratio of the output signal of the differential wideband amplifier and transmits the control signal to the differential wideband amplifier.
The clock generator generates a clock signal and transmits the clock signal to the identifier/reproducer. Based on the clock signal, the identifier/reproducer identifies and reproduces the signal transmitted from the differential wideband amplifier.
Control is performed based on the duty in a preamble pattern in the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-343247. However, there is a problem in that the technique is not sufficient for further controlling the duty ratio in which a plurality of pieces of control information are included in the preamble signal.


In one embodiment, a method for fabricating a silicon-based device on a substrate surface is provided which includes depositing a first silicon-containing layer by exposing the substrate surface to a first process gas comprising Cl2SiH2, a germanium source, a first etchant and a carrier gas and depositing a second silicon-containing layer by exposing the first silicon-containing layer to a second process gas comprising SiH4 and a second etchant. In another embodiment, a method for depositing a silicon-containing material on a substrate surface is provided which includes depositing a first silicon-containing layer on the substrate surface with a first germanium concentration of about 15 at % or more. The method further provides depositing on the first silicon-containing layer a second silicon-containing layer wherein a second germanium concentration of about 15 at % or less, exposing the substrate surface to air to form a native oxide layer, removing the native oxide layer to expose the second silicon-containing layer, and depositing a third silicon-containing layer on the second silicon-containing layer. In another embodiment, a method for depositing a silicon-containing material on a substrate surface is provided which includes depositing epitaxially a first silicon-containing layer on the substrate surface with a first lattice strain, and depositing epitaxially on the first silicon-containing layer a second silicon-containing layer with a second lattice strain greater than the first lattice strain.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to the field of semiconductor manufacturing processes and devices, more particular, to methods of depositing silicon-containing films forming semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
As smaller transistors are manufactured, ultra shallow source/drain junctions are becoming more challenging to produce. According to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), junction depth is required to be less than 30 nm for sub-100 nm CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) devices. Recently, selective SiGe epitaxy has become a useful material to deposit during formation of elevated source/drain and source/drain extension features. Source/drain extension features are manufactured by etching silicon to make a recessed source/drain feature and subsequently filling the etched surface with a selectively grown SiGe epilayer. Selective epitaxy permits near complete dopant activation with in-situ doping, so that the post annealing process is omitted. Therefore, junction depth can be defined accurately by silicon etching and selective epitaxy. On the other hand, the ultra shallow source/drain junction inevitably results in increased series resistance. Also, junction consumption during silicide formation increases the series resistance even further. In order to compensate for junction consumption, an elevated source/drain is epitaxially and selectively grown on the junction.
Selective Si-epitaxial deposition and SiGe-epitaxial deposition permits growth of epilayers on Si moats with no growth on dielectric areas. Selective epitaxy can be used in semiconductor devices, such as within elevated source/drains, source/drain extensions, contact plugs, and base layer deposition of bipolar devices. Generally, a selective epitaxy process involves two reactions: deposition and etch. The deposition and etch occur simultaneously with relatively different reaction rates on Si and on dielectric surface. A selective process window results in deposition only on Si surfaces by changing the concentration of an etchant gas (e.g., HCl).
Although SiGe-epitaxial deposition is suitable for small dimensions, this approach does not readily prepare doped SiGe, since the dopants react with HCl. The process development of heavily boron doped (e.g., higher than 5×1019 cm−3) selective SiGe-epitaxy is a much more complicated task because boron doping makes the process window for selective deposition narrow. Generally, when more boron concentration (e.g., B2H6) is added to the flow, a higher HCl concentration is necessary to achieve selectivity due to the increase growth rate of deposited film(s) on any dielectric areas. This higher HCl flow rate reduces boron incorporation into the epilayers presumably because the B—Cl bond is stronger than Ge—Cl and Si—Cl bonds.
Currently, there are two popular applications for selective silicon-based epitaxy in junction formation of silicon-containing MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) devices. One application is the process to deposit elevated source/drain (S/D) films by a selective epitaxy. Typically, this epitaxial layer is undoped silicon. Another application is filling of recessed junction areas with epitaxial silicon-containing films. Often, the silicon-based films contain germanium, carbon and/or a dopant.
MOSFET devices may contain a PMOS or a NMOS component, whereas the PMOS has a p-type channel, i.e., holes are responsible for conduction in the channel and the NMOS has an n-type channel, i.e., the electrons are responsible for conduction in the channel. For PMOS, the film in the recessed area is usually SiGe. For NMOS application, the film in the recessed area may be SiC. SiGe is used for PMOS application for several reasons. A SiGe material incorporates more boron than silicon alone, thus the junction resistivity is lowered. Also, the SiGe/silicide layer interface at the substrate surface has a lower Schottky barrier than the Si/silicide interface. Further, SiGe grown epitaxially on the top of silicon has compressive stress inside the film because the lattice constant of SiGe is larger than that of silicon. The compressive stress is transferred in the lateral dimension to create compressive strain in the PMOS channel and to increase mobility of the holes. For NMOS application, SiC can be used in the recessed areas to create tensile stress in the channel, since the lattice constant of SiC is smaller than that of silicon. The tensile stress is transferred into the channel and increases the electron mobility.
Therefore, there is a need to have a process for selectively and epitaxially depositing silicon and silicon-containing compounds with an enriched dopant concentration. Furthermore, the process should be versatile to form silicon-containing compounds with varied elemental concentrations.

Methods to fabricate MOSFET devices using selective deposition process


Disclosed below are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for detecting particles, such as radiation or charged particles. One exemplary embodiment disclosed herein is particle detector comprising an optical fiber with a first end and second end opposite the first end. The optical fiber of this embodiment further comprises a doped region at the first end and a non-doped region adjacent to the doped region. The doped region of the optical fiber is configured to scintillate upon interaction with a target particle, thereby generating one or more photons that propagate through the optical fiber and to the second end. Embodiments of the disclosed technology can be used in a variety of applications, including associated particle imaging and cold neutron scattering.

Particle detectors have a wide variety of applications and functions. In radiation imaging systems, for example, particle detectors are often used to not only detect the presence of particles incident with the face of the detector, but also to identify the spatial position on the face where the interaction occurred and in some cases the energy of the particle. This spatial information can then be used as part of the image reconstruction process. In associated particle imaging ("API") applications, for instance, an alpha particle detector is used to "tag" an alpha particle with an associated neutron in both space and time. To increase the efficiency and accuracy with which associated neutrons are tagged, faster alpha particle detectors with higher spatial resolution are desired. High spatial resolution particle detectors are also desirable for use in other contexts, such as cold neutron and other neutron scattering experiments.


A system and method for processing a request by a first control service using a first control specification language, and a second control service using a second control specification language includes steps of: receiving the request from a requestor; providing the request to the first and second control services; receiving a decision on the request from each of the first and second control services; and comparing the decisions. The first control specification language is an access control policy.

Securing an organization's data is vital. In fact, it is quite possibly an information technology administrator's most important undertaking. Many tools have emerged to make this monumental task easier and less time-consuming. Access Control Lists (ACL) are widely used to control access to files. An ACL is basically an ordered list of rules governing data access. Configuring an access control system such as IBM's® RACF® to comply with a set of policies is an arduous task.
The standard procedure is for one or more security managers to be given a set of access control policies. These are often specified in natural language. The security manager must then use these policies to configure their organization's access control engine(s). This usually involves attempting to ensure that every relevant access request is covered by the configuration. This cumbersome task produces an access control configuration that is extremely large and complex. However, only a small percentage of access requests covered by this unwieldy configuration are ever actually received, which means that the large size and complexity of the ACL system's configuration is unnecessary.
It is also difficult, or, sometimes, impossible to determine the high level policy rules upon which a given ACL system's configuration was based. The configuration only deals with system objects, like files or applications. There are systems, like Consul, which take a given system's ACL decision logs and then provide high level translations. The drawback is that this only allows users to see the rules which were followed (based on logged access requests); it does not allow one to specify the high level rules themselves.
There is a need for an ACL system that overcomes the above-stated shortcomings of the known art.

Policy-based method for configuring an access control service

International Business Machines Corporation


A grinding machine for grinding foodstuffs, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly is located downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. The separator assembly includes a tapered, perforated separator chamber that receives the mixture of soft material and hard material, in combination with a rotatable separator screw located within the separator chamber. Rotation of the separator screw functions to separate the soft material from the hard material and force the soft material through the perforations in the separator chamber. An adjustment arrangement enables the axial position of the separator screw to be adjusted within the separator chamber.

This invention relates to a grinding machine for foodstuffs such as meat, and more particularly to a recovery system for an orifice plate-type grinding machine that includes a hard material collection arrangement.
A typical grinding machine includes a hopper that receives material to be ground and an advancement mechanism such as a rotatable auger that conveys the material away from the hopper toward a grinding head. The grinding head typically includes a discharge opening or outlet within which an orifice plate is positioned. A knife assembly is located between the end of the auger and the orifice plate, and is typically engaged with the auger and rotatable in response to rotation of the auger. The knives of the knife assembly cooperate to shear the material as it is forced through the orifices of the orifice plate.
Systems have been developed for the purpose of preventing hard material from passing through the orifices of the orifice plate. In a meat grinding application, for example, such systems function to route hard material such as bone, gristle and sinew away from the grinding orifices of the orifice plate. Representative hard material collection systems are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,461,800 issued Dec. 9, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,086 issued Sep. 6, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,979 issued Mar. 1, 1994; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,829 issued Oct. 12, 1993, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Typically, hard material collection systems of this type route the hard material to collection passages located toward the center of the orifice plate, where the hard material is supplied to a discharge tube or the like.
The hard material that is discharged through the collection passages is typically contained within a mixture that includes both hard material and soft, usable material. Various arrangements have been developed to recover the soft, usable material within the mixture, some of which are shown and described in the above-noted patents.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for recovering the soft, usable material in the mixture of hard and soft material that is discharged from hard material collection passages in an orifice plate-type grinding machine. It is another object of the invention to provide such a system that requires little or no adaptation of the grinding components of the grinding machine. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system that is capable of adjustment for accommodating different types of material.
In accordance with the present invention, a recovery arrangement for a grinding machine is in the form of a separator assembly located downstream of the orifice plate of the grinding machine. The separator assembly includes an upstream inlet that receives the mixture of soft material and hard material from the collection passages of the orifice plate, in combination with a separator chamber having a wall that defines an axially extending tapered separator passage. The separator passage receives the mixture of soft material and hard material from the upstream inlet. The wall of the separator chamber includes a series of perforations that communicate between the separator passage and an outer surface defined by the wall. The separator assembly further includes a separator screw disposed within the separator passage of the separator chamber. The separator screw is interconnected with the rotatable advancement member and is rotatable within the separator passage in response to rotation of the rotatable advancement member. Rotation of the separator screw causes separation of soft material from the mixture of soft material and hard material, and forces the soft material through the perforations in the wall of the separator chamber. The separator chamber defines a downstream end that includes an outlet for discharging hard material.
The separator assembly may include an open support extending outwardly from the grinding head, and the separator chamber is engaged with and supported by the support at a location downstream of the orifice plate. In one embodiment, a centering pin extends from the rotatable advancement member. The centering pin rotates with the rotatable advancement member and is engaged within a center opening defined by the orifice plate, and the separator screw may be engaged with the centering pin so as to be rotatable with the rotatable advancement member via engagement with the centering pin. Engagement structure is interposed between the centering pin and the separator screw for non-rotatably securing the separator screw to the centering pin. An adjustment arrangement is operable to adjust the axial position of the separator screw within the separator passage, and the engagement structure between the separator screw and the centering pin is configured to accommodate axial movement of the separator screw relative to the centering pin by operation of the adjustment arrangement. Representatively, the engagement structure may be in the form of a bore in the separator screw within which the centering pin is received, a transverse passage in the centering pin, a slot in the separator screw that overlaps the transverse passage, and a transverse engagement pin that extends through the slot and the transverse passage. With this arrangement, the slot accommodates axial movement of the separator screw relative to the centering pin.
In one embodiment, the support and the orifice plate are configured and arranged to prevent axial movement of the separator chamber. The adjustment arrangement may be carried by the support and interconnected with the separator screw for providing axial movement of the separator screw within the separator passage. The adjustment arrangement may be in the form of an axially extending threaded adjustment member that extends through the support and into engagement with a threaded passage extending inwardly from a downstream end defined by the separator screw.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and accompanying drawings, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.


An automated design process and apparatus for use in designing complex structures, such as circuits, to satisfy prespecified design goals, using genetic operations. The present invention uses a population of entities which may be evolved to generate structures that may potentially satisfy the design goals. The behavior of such generated structures is evaluated in view of the design goals, and those structures more closely meeting the design goals are evolved further until a structure is generated that either meets the prespecified design goal or some other process completion criteria. In this manner, a design complex structure may be obtained.

The automated design of complex structures that satisfy a designer's requirements is a challenging task that is ordinarily thought to require human intelligence.
Electrical engineers are often called upon to design circuits that satisfy certain design goals or requirements. Electrical circuits consist of a wide variety of different types of components, including resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, transformers, and energy sources. The individual components of an electrical circuit are arranged in a particular "topology" to form a circuit.
Various types of components may be inserted at each location within the circuit's topological arrangement. In addition, each component is further specified ("sized") by a set of component values (typically numerical). A complete specification of an electrical circuit includes its topology, the choice of component types to be inserted at each location within the topology, and the sizing of all of its components.
In designing a circuit, the goal is to attain certain desired values of one or more observable quantities (e.g., an observed pattern of voltages at certain times or at certain frequencies at a certain probe point in the circuit). Often there are one or more additional considerations (e.g., number of components in the circuit, cost of the components, etc.).
Similarly, mechanical and civil engineers are often called upon to design physical structures that satisfy certain design goals or requirements. Physical structures, like electrical circuits, consist of a variety of different types of components. These individual components may be arranged in a particular topology to form the overall complex physical structure. Various types of components may be inserted at each location within the topological arrangement. Each component in the overall structure may be further specified by a set of component values (typically numerical). For example, a mechanical engineer may want to design as truss consisting of components such as rigid load-supporting metallic beams and load-supporting flexible cables. The design goals may be to support a particular load or loads and of satisfying a requirement that the stress on each bar or cable is not so great as to cause the rigid bar or flexible cable to break. Finally, there may be an additional design goal that the entire physical structure meets some cost requirement, such as minimizing the total weight of the material contained in the truss. In order to design the desired truss, the designer must create an appropriate topological arrangement of components (i.e., the number of components and how they are joined), choose component types (i.e., rigid beams or flexible cables) to insert into the topological arrangement, and choose appropriate numerical values (i.e., their thickness) for each of the components.
Both the above electrical and mechanical design problems and many other design problems from many other fields share the common feature of requiring the designer to create an appropriate topological arrangement of components, to choose component types to insert into the topological arrangement, and to choose appropriate numerical values for each of the components in the overall complex structure.

Method and apparatus for automated design of complex structures using genetic programming