The present invention relates to pesticidal compositions comprising an amount of a UV sensitive pesticide and a lignin as a UV sunscreen in an effective amount to protect the pesticide against inactivation by UV radiation for extending the persistence of the UV sensitive pesticide in the natural environment to control a pest and/or for reducing the amount of the pesticide typically needed to be a commercially effective pesticide. The present invention also relates to a method for protecting a UV sensitive pesticide against inactivation by UV radiation. The present invention further relates to a method for controlling a pest comprising exposing the pest to the pesticidal compositions of the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pesticidal compositions comprising a UV sensitive pesticide and a UV sunscreen, wherein the UV sunscreen protects the pesticide against inactivation by UV radiation. The present invention also relates to a method for protecting a UV sensitive pesticide against inactivation by UV radiation. The present invention further relates to methods for using the pesticidal compositions to control a pest.
2. Description of the Related Art
The efficacy of a pesticide against a target pest depends on the persistence of the pesticide in the environment. A number of factors, particularly environmental factors, are detrimental to a pesticide. One of the most important environmental factors is ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation may inactivate a pesticide if it possesses an absorption maximum in the range 300-380 nm.
For example, biopesticides including Bacillus thuringiensis crystal delta-endotoxins and spores, entomopathogenic viruses, entomopathogenic fungi, and nematodes are particularly subject to inactivation by UV radiation. Furthermore, some chemical pesticides including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, molluscicides, miticides, ovicides, algicides, larvicides, bactericides, and nematocides are also sensitive to UV radiation depending on the chemical structure of the particular chemical pesticide.
The art has strived to protect pesticides against UV radiation in order to economically provide a pesticidal formulation with extended environmental persistence and thus improved efficacy as a pesticide. Efforts have been directed to protecting pesticides by combining the pesticide with a UV sunscreen that protects the pesticide against inactivation by UV radiation and preserves the pesticidal activity.
An example of UV sunscreens is lignin (Pogwaite and Shapiro, in Samsonm Vlak, and Peters (eds.), Proceedings, Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Invertebrate Pathology, Foundation of the Fourth International Colloquium of Invertebrate Pathology, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1986). Martignoni and Iwai disclose that sodium lignosulphonate is useful as a UV protectant for Orgyia pseudotsugata NPV (1985, Journal of Economic Entomology 78:982-987). Allan discloses a method for controlling the release of pesticides using a lignin polymer by chemical covalent bonding of a pesticide to a lignin polymeric substrate (U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,236). Dimitri and Falkehag also disclose the physical bonding of a lignin polymer and a pesticide to form a controlled release system (U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,453). DelliColli et al. disclose the use of cross-linked lignin gels as pesticidal carriers in controlled release pesticide systems (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,184,866 and 4,244,728). Moss and Lim also disclose a process for encapsulating a pesticidal agent in lignin (WO 92/19102). Lebo and Detroit further disclose a method to provide resistance of agriculturally active substances to UV degradation by microencapsulating the active substances in a lignosulphonate covalently linked to a protein (EP 0 653 158 A1).
Lignin is a principal constituent of the woody structure of higher plants. Lignin products include, for example, lignosulphonates, alkali lignins, and oxylignins which may be obtained from sulphite, sulphate, and alkali waste liquors (Snook, 1982, Handbook for Pulp & Paper Technologists, TAPPI, Atlanta). The properties of lignin products vary significantly with regard to temperature limit for stability (e.g., less than 95.degree. C. to less than 230.degree. C.); salt tolerance (e.g., less than 0.1% precipitate in a salt solution containing sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride with concentrations of less than 70 ppm to less than 270 ppm total dissolved solids); surface tension (e.g., 45 to 65 dynes/cm for a 1% aqueous solution); molecular size (e.g., less than 20,000 to less than 100,000 based on a standard lignosulphonate having an average molecular weight of 34,000); sulphonic sulphur (e.g., less than 2.0% to less than 9.5% sulphonic sulphur expressed as % S on solids); pH (e.g., a pH from about 3.5 to about 11.0); reducing groups (e.g., 0 to about 22); and cation (e.g., Na, Ca, Mg, NH.sub.3, or Fe). The properties of some lignin products are described in the Borregaard Lignotech Bulletin entitled Specialty Chemicals for Pesticide Formulations.
While lignins have reportedly provided good results regarding the protection of pesticides against UV radiation, the results have not as yet made it possible to resolve critical problems necessary for obtaining commercially useful compositions which can be used in the field. Moreover, the art has not been able to identify the properties of a lignin material which provide commercially suitable protection of a pesticide against inactivation by UV radiation under field conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide pesticidal compositions with improved protection against UV radiation.

Ultra violet radiation lignin protected pesticidal compositions


A data management system for use in accessing a plurality of diverse and distributed data sources over a computer network. Within the system, data from the data sources is represented by common data objects that encapsulate the actual data along with the methods and properties needed for use of the data. The system includes a common data model, a plurality of service managers, and a data services coordinator that coordinates operation of the service managers in utilizing the common data model to instantiate the common data objects that represent the data being accessed. The service managers include at least one data access manager for creation of the common data objects and a plurality of ancillary service managers that each provide one or more data service functions such as, for example, meta-data management, data management, data versioning, data transport, data update notification, data security, data presentation, and data translation.

The engineering of an automotive vehicle involves the development, test, and integration of a variety of complex vehicle systems. Quite often, entire divisions of automotive companies and their larger suppliers are devoted to a single one of these vehicle systems. Powertrain, suspension, and chassis are three such examples; steering is another. Today, engineering of the vehicle and the integration of these systems is heavily reliant on the use of computers, with computer-aided engineering, design, analysis, manufacture, and test programs becoming more and more widely used. These computer-aided tools all use data, some of which may come from databases, and produce data, some of which may be used by subsequent computer-based tools to further the overall engineering process. As the quantity and diversity of data in this engineering environment continues to increase, and as the ability of these tools to utilize that engineering data continues to increase, the complexity involved in managing the data also increases, both in terms of accessing the data and converting the data structures (and formats) that are usable by any particular computer-based tool. This is especially true where the source data comes not simply from relational databases, but from other data sources such as spreadsheets, documents of all types, legacy databases, and proprietary files produced by computer-based tools and automated test equipment. Such data is not only diverse in its structure, but is often highly distributed over various networks that may only be connected together via a global public network such as the Internet or a VPN implemented across the Internet.
The problem is further complicated by the need to accommodate the different platforms available to the end users in running a particular engineering application. For example, particular computer-based engineering packages may be deployed both directly on user workstations and separately via a web interface. This requires the ability to deliver the same types of data through different user interfaces.

Data management system having a common database infrastructure


A metallic windscreen wiper connecting element comprising an elongate first part having screw connecting means for detachably connecting the first part to a straight wiper arm end portion having cooperating screw holes, a second part spaced from and generally parallel to the first part, detachably connectible to a wiper adaptor, and a reinforced connecting web joining the first and second parts.

This invention relates to a windscreen wiper connecting element for connecting a straight wiper arm end portion, provided with screw connecting means, in side-by-side relationship with a wiper yoke assembly.
Replacement wiper yoke assemblies are generally provided with a plurality of different adaptors for enabling them to be detachably connected to wiper arms having a variety of different end terminations. One particular type of wiper arm connection involves connecting the wiper arm end portion in side-by-side relationship with the wiper yoke assembly. Generally it is necessary to provide a separate wiper adaptor to accomplish such a wiper arm connection and examples of such known wiper adaptors are shown in GB-A-1586402, GB-A-1318978 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,200.
Providing separate wiper adaptors for each type of wiper arm end termination increases the cost of the wiper yoke assembly. It is therefore advantageous to design wiper adaptors which can be connected by themselves, or with the aid of a relatively cheap connecting element, to different types of wiper arm end terminations. In particular for the connection in side-by-side relationship with a wiper yoke assembly of a wiper arm having a straight end portion provided with screw-threaded holes spaced apart along its length, it has been proposed to use a relatively cheap-to-produce connecting element. Such a connecting element converts a conventional wiper adaptor, provided with the wiper yoke assembly for connecting a wiper arm end in the plane of the wiper yoke assembly, into a wiper adaptor suitable for connecting the straight wiper arm end portion in side-by-side relationship with the wiper yoke assembly.
The known connecting elements for converting existing wiper adaptors are metallic and are of the type comprising a first part of generally elongate form for connection to the straight wiper arm end portion, a second part spaced from and generally parallel to the first part for connection to the wiper adaptor, and a connecting web joining the first and second parts together. In use of the wiper yoke assembly, all forces from the wiper arm to the wiper yoke assembly are transmitted via the connecting element and in particular via the connecting web of the connecting element. Heretofore the connecting web has been designed as a planar part and, in order to have sufficient strength in use, it has been necessary for the metal from which the connecting element is made to be relatively thick.


An ATM signal generator generates packet signals by linking N data blocks that includes user data and a specifier byte containing a sequence number bit. A transmitter receives the packet signals, generates control signals containing length information, generates Nxe2x88x921 ATM cells accommodating one data block in the payload, generates one ATM cell accommodating one data block and a control signal in the payload, and transmits all of the ATM cells to a communications path. A receiver receives ATM cells from the communications path, detects the number of cell rejections using the sequence number bits extracted from the specifier bytes in all of the ATM cells, and detects the number of bit error occurrences using the length information extracted from the control signals. Sequence number bits are accommodated in all of the ATM cells, and length information is accommodated in the N""th ATM cell, wherefore bit errors and cell rejections can be detected from end to end and the number of cell rejections can be detected even when data containing control signals have been lost on the communications path.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) testing technology. ATM testing is performed for the purpose of verifying the reliability of data transferred in ATM communications systems.
2. Description of Related Art
ATM testing is testing that is performed to detect whether or not data have been properly transmitted through a communications path. In such testing, the presence or absence of bit errors in the data and the presence or absence of cell rejection are detected. Cell rejection refers to the rejection of cell signals of low importance in order to protect data of high importance during network convergence. Cell rejection is adopted for the VBR (variable bit rate) services in B-ISDN (broadband aspects of Integrated Service Digital Network). The importance of cell signals is determined by the user.
ITU-T Recommendation I.363 defines AAL (ATM adaptation layer) protocols types 1 to 5 in the B-ISDN reference model. In communications in which the AAL type 5 protocol is adopted, the entire 48-byte information field in the ATM cell is used as payload.
In communications wherein the AAL type 5 protocol is adopted, two general ATM testing schemes are used, as described below.
The first of these testing schemes is specified in ITU-T Recommendation I.610. This scheme employs OAM (operation and maintenance) cells. In ITU-T Recommendation I.610, an OAM cell is referred to as a performance management cell. The OAM cell is an ATM cell that is different from the cells used to send user data, and hence is configured so that it can be distinguished from user cells. The transmitter stores sequence numbers and cyclic code in the OAM cells. The OAM cells are sent by the transmitter over the communications path with a fixed period. The receiver receives the OAM cells from the path, and inspects the sequence numbers and cyclic code in the OAM cells. Based on this inspection, the receiver detects the bit error occurrence rate and cell rejection rate.
The second testing scheme is a scheme that, using the ATM cells, sends control signals together with the user data. The control signals contain lengths (coding that indicates the packet length) and cyclic code. With this scheme, the AAL of the receiver, upon reception of a packet signal from a higher layer, adds a control signal to that packet signal. Next, by line-coding the packet signal and control signal, the AAL generates an ATM cell. This ATM cell is sent via a lower layer to the communications path. At the receiver end, the ATM cell received from the path is sent to an AAL via the lower layer. This AAL, after line-decoding the received ATM cell, extracts the control signal. The receiver, upon detecting a length anomaly, judges that this anomaly has been caused by a cell rejection. The receiver uses the cyclic code to detect the number of bit error occurrences.
These testing schemes, however, have the following shortcomings.
The first scheme detects only bit errors and cell rejections that occur between the transmitter and receiver. It cannot detect cell rejections and bit errors that occur prior to transmission from the transmitter, being unable, for example, to detect cell rejections and bit errors that arise prior to line coding. Hence this scheme suffers the shortcoming of being unable to detect cell rejections and bit errors from end to end.
The second scheme suffers the shortcoming of being unable to detect the number of cell rejections when ATM cells containing control signals are lost in the communications path.
An object of the present invention is to provide ATM testing technology wherewith bit errors and cell rejections can be detected from end to end, and wherewith the number of cell rejections can be detected even in cases where data containing control signals are lost in the communications path.
To attain this object, the ATM communications system according to the present invention comprises: a signal generator for generating packet signals by linking N data blocks that include user data and a specifier byte containing sequence number bits; a transmitter that receives the packet signals, generates control signals containing length information, generates Nxe2x88x921 ATM cells wherein one data block is accommodated in the payload, generates one ATM cell wherein one data block and one control signal are accommodated in the payload, and transmits all of the ATM cells over the communications path; and a receiver that receives the ATM cells from the communications path, detects the number of cell rejections using sequence number bits extracted from the specifier bytes in all of the ATM cells, and detects the number of bit error occurrences using length information extracted from the control signals.
In such a system as this, sequence number bits are accommodated in all of the ATM cells. Also, length information is accommodated in the N""th ATM cell. Accordingly, the bit errors and cell rejections can be detected from end to end, and the number of cell rejections can be detected even in cases where data containing control signals have been lost on the communications path.
The ATM testing method according to the present invention comprises: a generation step for generating packet signals by linking N data blocks that include user data and a specifier byte containing sequence number bits; a transmission step for generating control signals containing length information, generating Nxe2x88x921 ATM cells wherein one data block is accommodated in the payload, generating one ATM cell wherein one data block and one control signal are accommodated in the payload, and transmitting all of the ATM cells to the communications path; and a detection step for detecting the number of cell rejections using sequence number bits extracted from specifier bytes in ATM cells received from the communications path, and detecting the number of bit error occurrences using length information extracted from the control signals.
In such a system as this, sequence number bits are accommodated in all of the ATM cells and length information is accommodated in the N""th ATM cell. Accordingly, bit errors and cell rejections can be detected from end to end, and the number of cell rejections can be detected even in cases where data containing control signals have been lost on the communications path.

ATM communications system and ATM testing method


A battery model and equivalent circuit that includes an ohmic resistance, a first RC-pair that models a battery cell charge transfer reaction and double layer processes and a second RC-pair that models battery cell diffusion. Each of the ohmic resistance, the charge transfer reaction resistance and the diffusion resistance in the model are variable resistances, where each resistance changes in response to a change in voltage potential across the resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a circuit model for estimating state-of-charge (SOC) for a battery on a vehicle and, more particularly, to a circuit model that estimates state-of-charge for a battery on a vehicle while the vehicle is operating, where resistances within the circuit model are variable based on voltage.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Electric vehicles are becoming more and more prevalent. These vehicles include hybrid vehicles, such as the extended range electric vehicles (EREV) that combines a battery and a main power source, such as an internal combustion engine, fuel cell system, etc., and electric only vehicles, such as the battery electric vehicles (BEV). All of these types of electric vehicles employ a high voltage battery that includes a number of battery cells. These batteries can be different battery types, such as lithium-ion, nickel metal hydride, lead acid, etc. The battery can include individual battery modules where each battery module may include a certain number of battery cells, such as twelve cells. The individual battery cells may be electrically coupled in series, or a series of cells may be electrically coupled in parallel, where a number of cells in the module are connected in series and each module is electrically coupled to the other modules in parallel. Different vehicle designs include different battery designs that employ various trade-offs and advantages for a particular application.
Batteries play an important role in powering electrical vehicles and hybrid vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries have proven to be promising for hybrid electric vehicles. The effectiveness of battery control and power management is essential to vehicle performance, fuel economy, battery life and passenger comfort. For battery control and power management, two states of the battery, namely, state-of-charge (SOC) and battery power capability, need to be predicted, or estimated, and monitored in real time because they are seldom measurable during vehicle operation. Battery state-of-charge and battery power can, however, be estimated from the measured battery current and voltage by solving for the parameters in an equation that describes an equivalent circuit model of the battery. These parameters include an ohmic resistance associated with the electron conductors within the cell, RC pairs to describe the electrochemical reaction at the electrode-electrolyte interface and the effects of diffusion in the solid and liquid states, and an open circuit voltage (OCV) that varies with the concentrations of reactants and products involved in the reaction. The OCV may be directly converted to an estimate of state-of-charge, and the circuit model equation may be arranged and solved for power capability when the values of the other parameters are known. Many battery state estimation algorithms based on the premise of circuit model representations have been developed in the art using different methodologies and some have been implemented in vehicles.
It is well known that battery dynamics are generally non-linear and highly dependent on battery operating conditions. However, for on-board battery parameter estimation, a linear model that has a few frequency modes is used to approximate a battery's dominant dynamics for a specific application, such as power prediction or SOC estimation. The reason for this is mainly due to limited computational power and memory available for on-board applications. In fact, even if there was unlimited computational power and memory, an accurate estimation of all battery parameters in a complex model with as many frequency modes as possible cannot be guaranteed because some information about the full range of dynamic behavior may be lacking from the measured terminal voltage and terminal current for any given level of observed excitation. Therefore, it is neither practical nor necessary to cover all frequency modes in one model as long as the estimation error caused by model uncertainties is within an acceptable range for a specific application.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/867,497, filed Oct. 4, 2007, now published as Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2009/0091299, titled Dynamically Adaptive Method For Determining The State of Charge of a Battery, assigned to the assignee of this invention and herein incorporated by reference, discloses a method for determining battery state-of-charge and battery power using four battery parameters, namely, the battery OCV, ohmic resistance, and the resistance and capacitance of an RC pair.
It is common practice to measure the voltage of a battery that has been at rest for a significant period of time and to convert this voltage measurement to an estimate of state-of-charge. In this situation, the measured terminal voltage is regarded as being equal to the open circuit voltage (OCV), and is directly observable, so the solution of a complex circuit model equation is unnecessary. However, if there are loads on the battery, which is normally the case when the vehicle is operating, it is necessary to remove or subtract from the measured terminal voltage the loss of voltage caused by those loads in order to estimate the OVC. For a battery SOC estimation model using an equivalent circuit, the model is complex and must be accurate so that the voltage losses attributed to various elements of the circuit model can be accurately removed from the terminal voltage to get a proper estimation of the battery SOC. The above mentioned simplified circuit model of the battery polarization is generally effective for calculating battery SOC. However, during certain operating conditions, such as low temperature, high or low battery SOC, etc., the complexity of the actual battery chemistry does not allow the simplified circuit model to accurately represent those conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,646,166 issued Jan. 12, 2010 to Koch et al., titled Method and Apparatus for Modeling Diffusion in an Electrochemical System, assigned to the assignee of this application and herein incorporated by reference, discloses a technique for modeling a vehicle battery circuit for determining battery SOC that includes a diffusion circuit element having a variable resistance to more accurately define the diffusion portion of the model circuit. The variable resistance is controlled in the diffusion circuit element based on the capacitance of a capacitor in an RC pair in that circuit element.

Battery state estimator with overpotential-based variable resistors


An advertisement supported entertainment collection, distribution, and library system accessible over a network. The system retains and manages contents, advertisements, user demographics, content viewing, etc. on a central server enabling collection of viewing metrics and audience member demographics. Contents are segmented and characterized by multiple indices. Production contents are generated by combining a series of production segments with advertising segments inserted between segments. Advertising segment placement criteria is compared to content indices and user demographics to determine placement of advertising segments. Metrics, including advertisement placements, content indices, viewing data, library placement, and user demographics are analyzed to optimize advertisement placements.

Entertainment distribution methods have been evolving over time. Recorded entertainment is generally parsed into two categories: (1) video productions and (2) audio productions. Video productions are commonly referred to as television productions, as that is the primary employed video distribution or viewing device. Audio productions are commonly referred to as radio productions, as that is the primary employed sound distribution device.
Productions are supported by user subscriptions and/or advertisements. User subscriptions support distribution of productions through cable, satellite, and Internet based distributions. Advertisements support more traditional broadcasting distribution, such as over-the-air television and radio.
Advertisers commonly place advertisements into productions that are associated with certain demographics. Although the demographics are helpful in increasing the effectiveness of the placement of each advertisement, the process is limited, as the current process is based upon statistics based upon limited surveys.
Broadcast distribution of video and audio includes inherent limitations. Broadcast productions are transmitted at predetermined times and are received by any of a variety of audience members. The audience member may or may not be within a demographic targeted by the advertiser. Consequently, the proposed system limits the advertiser's ability to fully optimize an advertising campaign to a specific target audience.
The advent of video cassette recorders (VCRs), and more recently, digital video recorders (DVRs) have added to a reduction of effectiveness of advertisements. Digital video recorders (DVRs) enable an audience member to view a production while fast forwarding or skipping advertisements or commercials.
The current state of the industry limits the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a more efficient production distribution method, which enables an improved optimization for placement advertisements directed towards each specific target viewing audience member.

Portal for collection and distribution of web-based audiovisual content blocks and creation of audience statistics


A semi-automatic shift implementation system (100) for a manually shifted, output-splitter-type compound transmission (10) having gear ratios selectively engaged and disengaged by jaw clutches (48, 50) selectively positioned by a shift lever (57). The system will sense a main transmission section (12) neutral condition, a master clutch disengaged condition, and a target gear ratio (GR.sub.T) and will automatically cause the splitter clutch (80) to disengage until the main section is reengaged and the system engine (102) to achieve or dither about a substantially synchronous speed for engaging the target ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semi-automatic shift implementation control system/method for semi-automatic shifting of a lever-shifted, splitter-type mechanical transmission. More particularly, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a splitter or combined splitter-and-range-type compound transmission is provided with a splitter clutch at the output end of the transmission and with controls and actuators for manually performed dynamic forward main section shifting, by lever shifting, without requiring manual throttle manipulation to synchronize for engaging the target gear ratio, as is done for shifting a manual synchronized transmission. In a preferred embodiment, an intent-to-shift sensor is provided, allowing the transmission to be manually shifted without master clutch manipulation, if desired.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Compound mechanical transmissions of the splitter and the combined splitter-and-range type are widely used for heavy-duty vehicles and very well known in the prior art, as may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,735,109; 4,754,665; 4,944,197; 5,193,410 and 5,390,561, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Semi-automatic shift implementation systems for compound mechanical transmissions wherein, upon manual shifting into a highest grouping of gear ratios, automatic shifting within only that highest grouping is provided, are known in the prior art and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,722,248 and 5,038,627, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Semi-automatic shift implementation systems for mechanical transmissions wherein the vehicle operator is required to manually cause a torque interruption and/or achieve synchronous conditions are known in the prior art and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,961, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
At least partially automated systems wherein engine fuel control, such as engine dither, is utilized to cause non-torque-lock conditions for shifting into neutral without requiring master clutch manipulation and/or to synchronize for the target gear ratio are known in the prior art and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,850,236; 5,105,357; 5,569,115; 5,523,477; 5,582,558 and allowed copending application 08/649,833, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,212, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a semi-automatic shift implementation system which, for each lever position, has automatic splitter shifting, which allows a "(2+1).times.(2).times.(2)" type compound 10-speed transmission to be driven with the ease of a 5-speed manual transmission.
Fully synchronized manual transmissions are well known and widely utilized for automobile, for light- and medium-duty trucks and, especially in Europe and Asia, for heavy-duty trucks. Examples of such transmissions may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,428,469; 4,989,706; 5,588,516; 5,390,561 and 5,267,636, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The above systems, as disclosed, were not totally satisfactory for certain applications, as the operator was possibly required to manipulate the splitter control and/or the throttle and/or master clutch for lever shifts, the systems may be more expensive and/or less reliable than desired and/or require excessive shift effort.
The systems for automatically synchronizing manual lever shifts as illustrated in aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,569,115; 5,573,477; 5,582,558 and allowed copending application 08/649,833 may be difficult to utilize for drivers accustomed to driving manual synchronized transmissions, as manually disengaging the master clutch will hinder or prevent proper operation of the systems.

Semi-automatic shift implementation with synchronized transmission emulation


According to a first preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided an efficient method of computing a 3D frequency domain waveform inversion based on 3D time domain modeling. In the preferred arrangement, 3D frequency domain wavefields are computed using 3D time-domain modeling and a discrete Fourier transformation that is preferably computed “on the fly” instead of solving the large systems of linear equations that have traditionally been required by direct frequency domain modeling. The instant invention makes use of the theory of gradient-based waveform inversion that estimates model parameters (for example velocities) by matching modeled data to field data sets. Preferably the modeled data are calculated using a forward modeling algorithm.

A seismic survey represents an attempt to image or map the subsurface of the earth by sending sound energy down into the ground and recording the "echoes" that return from the rock layers below. The source of the down-going sound energy might come, for example, from explosions or seismic vibrators on land, or air guns in marine environments. During a seismic survey, the energy source is positioned at various locations near the surface of the earth above a geologic structure of interest. Each time the source is activated, it generates a seismic signal that travels downward through the earth, is reflected or transmitted, and, upon its return, is recorded at a great many locations on the surface. Multiple source/recording combinations are then combined to create a near continuous profile of the subsurface that can extend for many miles. In a two-dimensional (2D) seismic survey, the recording locations are generally laid out along a single line, whereas in a three dimensional (3D) survey the recording locations are distributed across the surface, sometimes as a series of closely spaced adjacent two-dimensional lines and in other cases as a grid of source and receiver lines that are arranged to be at some other angle with respect to each other. In simplest terms, a 2D seismic line can be thought of as giving a cross sectional picture (vertical slice) of the earth layers as they exist directly beneath the recording locations. A 3D survey produces a data "cube" or volume that is, at least conceptually, a 3D picture of the subsurface that lies beneath the survey area. In reality, though, both 2D and 3D surveys interrogate some volume of earth lying beneath the area covered by the survey.
A seismic survey is composed of a very large number of individual seismic recordings or traces. In a typical 2D survey, there will usually be several tens of thousands of traces, whereas in a 3D survey the number of individual traces may run into the multiple millions of traces. (Chapter 1, pages 9-89, of Seismic Data Processing by Ozdogan Yilmaz, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 1987, contains general information relating to conventional 2D processing and that disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. General background information pertaining to 3D data acquisition and processing may be found in Chapter 6, pages 384-427, of Yilmaz, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference.
A seismic trace is a digital recording of the acoustic energy reflecting from inhomogeneities or discontinuities in the subsurface, a partial reflection occurring each time there is a change in the elastic properties of the subsurface materials. The digital samples are usually acquired at 0.002 second (2 millisecond or "ms") intervals, although 4 millisecond and 1 millisecond sampling intervals are also common. Each discrete sample in a conventional digital seismic trace is associated with a travel time, and in the case of reflected energy, a two-way travel time from the source to the reflector and back to the surface again, assuming, of course, that the source and receiver are both located on the surface. Many variations of the conventional source-receiver arrangement are used in practice, e.g. VSP (vertical seismic profiles) surveys, ocean bottom surveys, etc. Further, the surface location of every trace in a seismic survey is carefully tracked and is generally made a part of the trace itself (as part of the trace header information). This allows the seismic information contained within the traces to be later correlated with specific surface and subsurface locations, thereby providing a means for posting and contouring seismic data—and attributes extracted therefrom—on a map (i.e., "mapping").
The data in a 3D survey are amenable to viewing in a number of different ways. First, horizontal "constant time slices" may be taken extracted from a stacked or unstacked seismic volume by collecting all of the digital samples that occur at the same travel time. This operation results in a horizontal 2D plane of seismic data. By animating a series of 2D planes it is possible for the interpreter to pan through the volume, giving the impression that successive layers are being stripped away so that the information that lies underneath may be observed. Similarly, a vertical plane of seismic data may be taken at an arbitrary azimuth through the volume by collecting and displaying the seismic traces that lie along a particular line. This operation, in effect, extracts an individual 2D seismic line from within the 3D data volume.
Seismic data that have been properly acquired and processed can provide a wealth of information to the explorationist, one of the individuals within an oil company whose job it is to locate potential drilling sites. For example, a seismic profile gives the explorationist a broad view of the subsurface structure of the rock layers and often reveals important features associated with the entrapment and storage of hydrocarbons such as faults, folds, anticlines, unconformities, and sub-surface salt domes and reefs, among many others. During the computer processing of seismic data, estimates of subsurface rock velocities are routinely generated and near surface inhomogeneities are detected and displayed. In some cases, seismic data can be used to directly estimate rock porosity, water saturation, and hydrocarbon content. Less obviously, seismic waveform attributes such as phase, peak amplitude, peak-to-trough ratio, and a host of others, can often be empirically correlated with known hydrocarbon occurrences and that correlation applied to seismic data collected over new exploration targets.
Of course, the ultimate goal is to obtain a clear and undistorted image of the subsurface. To that end, there has been—and continues to be—ongoing research that is aimed at mathematically transforming a seismic section or volume into a true earth model that is consistent with the observed data. One of the more promising, if computationally intensive, approaches has been full waveform seismic waveform inversion. Broadly speaking, the "inverse problem" attempts to estimate physical properties of the Earth from the recorded seismic data. Such model properties might include 2D or 3D subsurface velocities, densities, etc., wherein the model parameters are to be estimated at each point of a subsurface grid or volume. In most approaches, an iterative procedure is utilized wherein the current subsurface model is used to generate a synthetic seismic data set. The model is then updated as a function of the difference between the recorded seismic data and the synthetic data set.
Of particular interest for purposes of the instant invention, frequency-domain waveform inversion is a technique that has been suggested as a way to determine the subsurface velocities from seismic data. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that this method traditionally requires the computation of frequency domain wave fields using forward modeling. However, because of the computational difficulties involved with solving the 3D frequency domain forward modeling problem, applications to synthetic and field data have been largely limited to 2D implementations. What is needed, of course, is a method of frequency-domain waveform inversion that can be applied to both 2D and 3D data.
The following publications, each incorporated herein by reference as if fully set out at this point, are examples of prior art approaches to wave field inversion.                S. Operto, C. Ravaut, L. Improta, J. Virieux, A. Herrero and P. Dell'Aversana, Quantitative imaging of complex structures from dense wide-aperture seismic data by multiscale traveltime and waveform inversions: a case study. Geophysical Prospecting, 52, 625-651, 2004,        Pica, A., Diet, J., and Tarantola, A., 1990, Nonlinear inversion of seismic reflection data in a laterally invariant medium: Geophysics, 55, no. 03, 284-292.        Pratt, R. G., Song, Z.-M., Williamson, P., and Warner, M., 1996, Two-dimensional velocity models from wide-angle seismic data by wavefield inversion: Geophys. J. Int., 124, 323-340.        Shipp, R. M., and Singh, S. C., 2002, Two-dimensional full wavefield inversion of wide-aperture marine seismic streamer data: Geophys. J. Int., 151, 325-344.        Sirgue, L. and Pratt, R. G., 2004, Efficient waveform inversion and imaging: A strategy for selecting temporal frequencies: Geophysics, Soc. of Expl. Geophys., 69, 231-248.        Song, Z. M., Williamson, P. R., and Pratt, R. G., 1995, Frequency-domain acoustic-wave modeling and inversion of crosshole data: Part ii: Inversion method, synthetic experiments and real-data results: Geophysics, 60, no. 03, 796-809.        Tarantola, A., 1984a, Inversion of seismic reflection data in the acoustic approximation: Geophysics, 49, no. 08, 1259-1266.
Heretofore, as is well known in the seismic processing and seismic interpretation arts, there has been a need for a computationally efficient method of waveform inversion that can be applied to both 2D and 3D data sets. Accordingly, it should now be recognized, as was recognized by the present inventor, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for a method of seismic data processing that would address and solve the above-described problems.
Before proceeding to a description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.

System and method for 3D frequency domain waveform inversion based on 3D time-domain forward modeling


An improved echo removing system by which it is possible to more effectively remove echoes which occur during a wireless communication between a mobile communication subscriber and a fixed communication subscriber in a CDMA type mobile communication exchange system, which includes a signal input unit connected between the remote network/station interface unit and the first time switch connection unit for receiving a transmitting and receiving audio signal, an echo removing processor for detecting a difference between the transmitting audio signal and the receiving audio signal outputted from the signal input unit and for removing an echo component from the receiving audio signal in accordance with the control signal from the time switch connection/disconnection controller, and a second time switch connection unit for time-switching in order for the output signal from the echo removing processor to be transmitted to the mobile communication subscriber through the system inside connection unit in accordance with the control signal from the time switch connection/disconnection controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an echo removing system, and in particular to an improved echo removing system which makes it possible to more effectively remove echoes which occur during a wireless communication between a mobile communication subscriber and a fixed communication subscriber in a code division multiple access (CDMA) type mobile communication exchange system.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Generally, in the CDMA type mobile communication exchange system, during a wireless communication between a mobile communication subscriber and a fixed communication subscriber, an audio signal of the mobile communication subscriber is transmitted to the fixed communication subscriber through the mobile communication exchange system and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) which is a public analog telephone network for an audio signal transmission, respectively. During this communication operation, the echo occurs due to a mismatch of a hybrid impedance of lines 2 and 4 of a matching section of the fixed communication subscriber. The audio signal is delayed by about 180 msec due to a voice coding of a base station controller (BSC) of a public land mobile network (PLMN).
When this delayed audio signal is outputted to the mobile communication subscriber, the mobile communication subscriber may hear his/her echoed voice after speaking, for causing inconvenience when communication takes place between the mobile communication subscriber and the fixed communication subscriber.
Therefore, it is necessary to remove the echo which occurs in the matching section between the mobile communication subscriber and the fixed communication subscriber for enabling a quality communication therebetween.
When all the access subscriber subsystems (ASS) having an echo removing system may remove the echo by controlling the echo removing system, removing the echo may be made easier and simpler.
However, if all the ASSes are removed in such manner, the communication quality is degraded, and the echo removing system has to be disadvantageously installed, all the ASSes then requires the echo removing system as well.

Echo removing system between a mobile communication subscriber and a fixed communication subscriber

Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.


A printing machine is providing including a transporter for transporting objects to be printed, a printing station including at least four printing units arranged to project ink on the objects to be printed, a transfer device for transferring an object to be printed from the transporter to the printing station and from the printing station to the transporter. The printing station includes a single mandrel corresponding to the maintenance of an object to be printed, the corresponding mandrel being rotatably movable around its axis so that the printing units project ink onto the object maintained by the corresponding mandrel, the printing station being arranged to print only the objects maintained by the corresponding mandrel.

The present invention relates to a machine for printing objects substantially having shapes of revolution of the type comprising:
means for transporting objects to be printed between at least one station for loading objects on said transport means and a station for unloading said objects from said transport means,
at least one printing station arranged between the loading station and the unloading station, said printing station comprising at least four printing units arranged to project ink on the objects to be printed so as to print said objects, each printing unit projecting ink of a different color so as to make up a four-color process,
means for transferring an object to be printed from the transport means to the printing station and from the printing station to the transport means.
Document EP-1 918 100 describes a printing machine in which a plurality of mandrels supporting objects to be printed are provided on a rotary plate to pass in front of a series of processing stations for the object to be printed, including a printing station. Each mandrel can move between a transfer position, in which the mandrel is moved with the rotary plate from one processing station to the other, and a printing position, in which the mandrel is positioned opposite printing units of the printing station and is rotated around its axis to expose a printing area of the object to be printed to the different ink jets coming from the printing units.
In the printing position, a handle for rotating the mandrel engages with a driving guide rotated by a drive motor so as to rotate the mandrel around its axis. Due to the mechanical and machining allowances of the mandrels and said driving means, it is very difficult to ensure identical positioning and a constant speed of rotation for all of the mandrels that pass in front of the printing station. Thus, from one mandrel to another, the positions of the objects supported by said mandrels and their rotational speed profile can be substantially different. Each printing unit comprises a plurality of inkjet nozzles arranged in two lines parallel to the axis of rotation of the mandrel and spaced apart by a small distance, for example 0.075 mm, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the mandrel. The two lines of nozzles must project ink onto a same line of the printing zone of the object to be printed, i.e. the inkjets of the two lines must converge on the surface of the object to be printed.


An anti-tamper enclosure system comprises an optical medium; at least one photosensitive sensor configured to measure at least one characteristic of a light wave transmitted in the optical medium; at least one logic circuit coupled to the at least one photosensitive sensor, the at least one logic circuit configured to initiate security measures when the at least one characteristic of the light wave changes; an enclosure coupled to the optical medium and configured to enclose the optical medium, the at least one photosensitive sensor, and the at least one logic circuit; and a plurality of attachment posts configured to be coupled to a printed circuit board, wherein at least one of the plurality of attachment posts is also coupled to the optical medium.

There is a threat to those who develop new technologies that others will reverse engineer their new technologies. The threat puts commercial businesses at risk that their competitors will reverse engineer their products to obtain proprietary technological or embedded information that is critical to maintaining the business's market share. Government system developers are at risk that enemy nations will use reverse engineering processes on government equipment, and use the stolen technology against them. For both, the economic costs can be substantial and, for governments, such reverse engineering can affect national security.
Hence, there is a need for a high reliability protection system at the card or board level to protect against the advanced techniques used to reverse engineer both software and electronic hardware systems.

Anti-tamper enclosure system comprising a photosensitive sensor and optical medium


An object is to provide an optical polyester film and a transparent conductive film that are superior in transparency, heat resistance, optical properties, and adhesion. The optical polyester film includes: a base material containing a polyester resin containing a unit (A) of the following formula (1); and at least one functional layer disposed on at least one surface of the base material, wherein the at least one functional layer is selected from the group consisting of a hard coat layer, a transparent conductive layer, an anti-reflection layer, a gas barrier layer, and an adhesive layer.

General-purpose PET is superior in various properties such as mechanical properties, dimensional stability, transparency, and heat resistance and is widely used as a base film in many applications such as in packaging materials. In particular, in recent years, there is an increasing demand for various optical films such as films for flat panel displays and transparent conductive films.
Biaxially-oriented polyester films conventionally proposed have a problem in that, when used to assemble liquid crystal displays or touch panels, the films produce interference color due to stretching-induced polymer birefringence, causing quality degradation of displayed images.
To address such a problem, reduction in photoelastic coefficient of a polyester material has been investigated (see Patent Literature 1, for example).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Optical polyester film and transparent conductive film


A wireless intercommunicative alarm doorbell comprising an outdoor bell and an indoor bell; the outdoor bell comprises an outdoor bell casing, an outdoor bell power supply, an outdoor bell loudspeaker, an outdoor bell microphone, an outdoor bell talk button, an outdoor bell antenna, an outdoor bell wireless transmitting and receiving integrated circuit, a door ring button and a door ring integrated circuit; the indoor bell comprises an indoor bell casing, an indoor bell power supply, an indoor bell loudspeaker, an indoor bell microphone, an indoor bell talk button, an indoor bell antenna, an indoor bell wireless transmitting and receiving integrated circuit and a door ring integrated circuit; the indoor bell further comprises an alarm button. The present invention provides an alarm which is easy for the person indoor to operate and can effectively call for attention on the basis of a wireless intercommunicative doorbell. It provides the solution of a single wireless intercommunicative alarm doorbell with the dual functions.

The present invention relates to a wireless intercommunicative doorbell and more particularly pertains to a doorbell having the dual functions of wireless intercommunication and alarming.
A typical wireless intercommunicative doorbell system in the marketplace generally comprises an outdoor bell located outdoor and an inner doorbell located indoor, each outdoor or indoor bell is disposed with a wireless transmitting and receiving device. When a visitor presses the doorbell, the outdoor bell transmits wireless signals instructing the indoor bell to ring, so as to inform the persons indoor that there is a visitor at the door. Besides, such a wireless intercommunicative doorbell also provides an intercommunicative function. When a person indoor knows that there is a visitor at the door, he can press the "Talk" button on the indoor bell and speak into the microphone on the indoor bell so as to communicate with the visitor outdoor ascertaining the visitor's identity and purpose of the visit. After the indoor bell microphone receives the audio signals, the audio signals are then transmitted to the outdoor bell outside by the wireless transmitting and receiving device which is disposed inside the indoor bell, and then the audio signals are played by a loudspeaker which is disposed inside the outdoor bell. Similarly, the visitor can also press the "Talk" button on the outdoor bell, and speak into the microphone on the outdoor bell so as to communicate with the person indoor. After the outdoor bell microphone receives the audio signals, the audio signals are then transmitted to the indoor bell inside by the wireless transmitting and receiving device which is disposed inside the outdoor bell, and then the audio signals are played by a loudspeaker which is disposed inside the indoor bell.
However, the wireless intercommunicative doorbells in the art generally do not comprise any alarming system. In case the person indoor has an accident, he has to call the police or his relatives or friends for help. In case of a critical situation, the person indoor may not be able to make the call for help. Therefore, the prior art does not provide an alarming system which is easy for the person indoor to operate and can effectively call for attention.

Wireless intercommunicative alarm doorbell


The invention belongs to the field of systems for provision of computer-supported transactions with the use of a mobile phone, more exactly to the field of enabling universal communication between a telephone device, different transaction terminals and different servers including bank servers for carrying out certain transactions, considering all the security requirements against unauthorized access to an individual bank account or other user account. The core of the wireless mobile transaction system and the procedure for carrying out transactions with the mobile phone according to the invention is in the fact that the transfer of the transaction data between the user's mobile phone and the transaction processing center is done using a secure connection based on GPRS or UMTS data package transfer, whereas between the user's mobile phone and the shop's POS terminal the data is transferred using sound-modulated data transfer through an acoustic coupling or on the basis of infrared data association (IrDA) or Bluetooth wireless data connection or NFC contactless short-range communication technology or wireless internet connection WLAN. This way the user's mobile phone becomes a simple, safe and handy transaction instrument for carrying out financial transactions, such as electronic payment and transfer of funds, as well as non-financial transactions, such as using bonuses, collecting loyalty points and allowing and/or controlling access to secured areas, premises, buildings and similar. According to the invention the system is using operator's existent dedicated wireless data-transfer technology, such as GPRS or UMTS, for transferring data between the transaction processing center and the mobile phone, and is performing identification of the user with the certificate which is securely stored on the user's SIM card or in another secure memory of the mobile phone.

The posed technical problem is the conception of the system and the procedure based on a telecommunication-computer solution, which would enable reliable and secure connection between the user of the mobile phone, web or standard shop and the bank account or the bank card with the aim of making a certain entry into the database of the customer, shop and/or the bank. During the conception problems occurring with transfer of sound-modulated signals through the speech channel of the mobile network must be eliminated, which results also in higher reliability and speed of transactions.

Wireless mobile transaction system and the procedure for carrying out transactions with a mobile phone


A roller bearing constructed in accordance with the invention comprises inner and outer rings and rollers therebetween as is known. The rings have no ribs, flanges or grooves but instead axial inner surfaces of the rings provide raceways which are substantially convex and the axial outer surfaces of the rollers are substantially concave to match. These concave and convex surfaces contact one another over contact zones. Each roller has an external surface which is asymmetrical relative to the center of the roller and the geometry is such that during use frictional moments develop at the contact zones between the rollers and the rings to generate a positive skew force on the rollers. This renders the bearing self-tracking.

Roller bearings with cylindrical, tapered or spherical rollers are composed of inner and outer rings with a complement of rollers usually spaced apart with a cage therebetween. Many designs of roller bearings have grooves or ribs or flanges on at least one of the rings to define a raceway which guides the tracking of the rolling motion of the rollers as the rings rotate relative to one another. Modifications of the shape or profile of the rollers can improve the performance of the bearings under thrust load.


The present disclosure is a backlight module including a light guide plate, a supporter, and a light source module. The light guide plate has a light incident side. The supporter has a bottom plate, a sidewall, and a top plate corresponding to the bottom plate. The bottom plate extends from a first end of the sidewall toward the light guide plate, and the top plate extends along a second end of the sidewall toward the light guide plate. The length of the sidewall is longer than the length of the top plate, such that the top plate corresponding to the sidewall forms at least one breach to expose the second end of the sidewall. The bottom plate, the top plate, and the sidewall together form an accommodating space, and the light incident side of the light guide plate is disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate. The light source module is disposed in the accommodating space and partially exposed through the at least one breach. The light source module has at least one light emitting unit and a printed circuit board. The light emitting unit is disposed on the printed circuit board, such that an emitting surface of the light emitting unit can face the light incident side of the light guide plate.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a backlight module. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a backlight module and a display device using the same which has a single supporter to position a light guide plate and a light source module.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Backlight module is one of the essential components in liquid crystal display panels (LCD panels.) Since the liquid crystal (LC) does not emit light itself, the function of the backlight module is to provide enough brightness and uniformly distributed light sources to enable the LCD to display images normally. As the LCD panel is now widely applied to consumer products such as monitors, notebook computers, digital cameras, protectors, etc., the demand for backlight modules and associated components is also increased rapidly.
As the technology of light emitting diodes (LEDs) progresses continuously with the LEDs characterized in, for example, low power consumption, environmentally conscious design (no mercury), long product life span, small in volume, high brightness, and high color reproducibility, etc., LEDs can provide the LCD with a better color performance. Accordingly, the LEDs are progressively applied to the backlight module of the LCD.
FIG. 1 shows an exposed view of a conventional backlight module 50. The backlight module 50 is composed of a housing 10, a light guide plate 16, a reflective plate 18, a set of light emitting diode module 20, and a set of L-shape plate 30. The light guide plate 16 and the reflective plate 18 are disposed on the bottom of the housing 10. The light emitting diode module 20 is composed of a plurality of light emitting diodes 24, which are disposed on a printed circuit board 22. When the conventional light emitting diode module 20 is assembled on the sidewall 12 of the housing 10, the L-shape plate 30 serves as a holder to allow the light emitting diode module 20 to be assembled in the slit 14 of the housing 10. Then a plurality of screws (not illustrated) screw the printed circuit board 22 and the L-shape plate 30 together.
In other assembly technology of the backlight module 50, the light emitting diode module 20 may be attached to the inner wall of the longer side of the L-shape plate 30 and then directly mounted on the sidewall 12 of the housing 10 to accomplish the assembly of the backlight module 50. However, no matter the light emitting diode module 20 is assembled by what kind of conventional methods, the light emitting diode module 20 and the light guide plate 16 cannot be assembled and positioned at the same time, adversely affecting the optical performance of the backlight module 50. Therefore, the present disclosure is provided to improve the aforesaid problems and achieve other objectives as follows.

Backlight module and display device using the same


A method for isolating a first active region from a second active region, both of which are configured within a semiconductor substrate. The method comprises forming a dielectric masking layer above a semiconductor substrate. An opening is then formed through the masking layer. A pair of dielectric spacers are formed upon the sidewalls of the masking layer within the opening. A trench is then etched in the semiconductor substrate between the dielectric spacers. A first dielectric layer is then thermally grown on the walls and base of the trench. A CVD oxide is deposited into the trench and processed such that the upper surface of the CVD oxide is commensurate with the substrate surface. Portions of the spacers are also removed such that the thickness of the spacers is between about 0 to 200 .ANG.. Silicon atoms and/or barrier atoms, such as nitrogen atoms, are then implanted into regions of the active areas in close proximity to the trench isolation structure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to integrated circuit fabrication and more particularly to an improved process of implanting excess atoms within active areas of a semiconductor substrate laterally adjacent to a trench isolation structure to enhance properties of the integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The fabrication of an integrated circuit involves placing numerous devices in a single semiconductor substrate. Select devices are interconnected by conductors which extend over a dielectric that separates or "isolates" those devices. Implementing an electrical path across a monolithic integrated circuit thus involves selectively connecting devices which are isolated from each other. When fabricating integrated circuits it is therefore necessary to isolate devices built into the substrate from one another. From this perspective, isolation technology is one of the critical aspects of fabricating a functional integrated circuit.
A popular isolation technology used for a MOS integrated circuit involves the process of locally oxidizing silicon. Local oxidation of silicon, or LOCOS processing involves oxidizing field regions of a silicon-based substrate between device areas. The oxide grown in the field or isolation regions is termed "field oxide". The field oxide is grown during the initial stages of integrated circuit fabrication, before source and drain implants are placed in device areas or active areas. By growing a thick field oxide in field regions pre-implanted with a channel-stop dopant, LOCOS processing serves to prevent the establishment of parasitic channels in the field regions.
While LOCOS has remained a popular isolation technology, there are several problems associated with LOCOS. First, a growing field oxide extends laterally as a bird's-beak structure. In many instances, the bird's-beak structure can unacceptably encroach into the device active area. Second, the pre-implanted channel-stop dopant redistributes during the high temperatures associated with field oxide growth. Redistribution of channel-stop dopant primarily affects the active area periphery, causing problems known as narrow-width effects. Third, the thickness of field oxide causes large elevational disparities across the semiconductor topography between field and active regions. Topographical disparities cause planarity problems which become severe as circuit critical dimensions shrink. Lastly, thermal oxide growth is significantly thinner in small field regions (i.e., field areas of small lateral dimension) relative to large field regions. In small field regions, a phenomenon known as field-oxide-thinning effect therefore occurs. Field-oxide-thinning produces problems with respect to field threshold voltages, interconnect-to-substrate capacitance, and field-edge leakage in small field regions between closely spaced active areas.
Many of the problems associated with LOCOS technology are alleviated by an isolation technique known as the "shallow trench process". The shallow trench process is particularly suited for isolating densely spaced active devices having field regions less than one micron in lateral dimension. Conventional trench processes involve the steps of etching a silicon substrate surface to a relatively shallow depth, e.g., between 0.2 to 0.5 microns, and then refilling the shallow trench with a deposited dielectric. The trench is then planarized to complete formation of the isolation structure. The trench process eliminates bird's-beak and channel-stop dopant redistribution problems. In addition, the isolation structure is fully recessed, offering at least a potential for a planar surface. Still further, field-oxide thinning is reduced in narrow isolation spaces, and the threshold voltage is constant as a function of channel width.
While the conventional trench isolation process has many advantages over LOCOS, the trench process also has problems. Because trench formation involves etching of the silicon substrate, it is believed that dangling bonds and an irregular grain structure form in the silicon substrate near the walls of the trench. Such dangling bonds may promote trapping of charge carriers within the active areas of an operating transistor. As a result, charge carrier mobility may be hindered, and the output current, I.sub.D, of the transistor may decrease to an amount at which optimum device performance is unattainable.
Further, during subsequent anneal steps (e.g., thermal oxidation for gate oxide formation), the irregular grain structure may provide migration avenues through which oxygen atoms can pass from the trench isolation structures to the active areas. Moreover, the dangling bonds may provide opportune bond sites for diffusing oxygen atoms, thereby promoting accumulation of oxygen atoms in the active areas near the edges of the isolation structures. It is believed that oxygen atoms present in active areas of the silicon may function as electron donors. Thus, inversion of subsequently formed p-type active areas may undesirably occur near the walls of the isolation trench. Further, the edge of a device may conduct less current than the interior portion of the device. Therefore, more charge to the gate of a transistor may be required to invert the channel, causing threshold voltage, V.sub.T, to shift undesirably from its design specification.
It is postulated that during the growth of a gate oxide across regions of the substrate exclusive of the isolation regions, the presence of foreign oxygen atoms at the surface of the silicon crystal lattice may lead to a relatively high defect density in the gate oxide. It is further postulated that foreign oxygen atoms accumulating within the active areas may result in regions of the substrate having a high defect density. For example, clusters of foreign atoms may cause dislocations to form in the substrate. It is also believed that low breakdown voltages in thin gate oxides correlate with high defect density near the surface of the substrate.
In a subsequent processing step, the active areas of the semiconductor substrate may be implanted with impurity species to form source/drain regions therein. The semiconductor topography may be subjected to a high temperature anneal to activate the impurity species in the active areas and to annihilate crystalline defect damage of the substrate. Unfortunately, impurity species which have a relatively high diffusivity, such as boron, may undergo diffusion into the isolation region when subjected to high temperatures. As a result, the threshold voltage in the isolation region may decrease and current may inadvertently flow (i.e., leakage) between isolated active areas.
It is therefore desirable to develop a technique for forming a trench isolation structure between active areas in which problems related to dangling bonds and to an irregular grain structure at the edges of the active areas are alleviated. Such a technique is necessary to inhibit charge carriers and oxygen donors from being entrapped in the active areas. It is also necessary that the trench isolation technique provide for the growth of a high quality gate oxide which does not easily undergo breakdown. Yet further, it is desirable that inversion of silicon within the active areas near the edges of the trench isolation structures be prevented.

Semiconductor fabrication employing implantation of excess atoms at the edges of a trench isolation structure


A method for dividing a semiconductor wafer into chips according to the present invention is a method for dividing a semiconductor wafer into a large number of semiconductor chips, the semiconductor wafer having a semiconductor layer formed on a substrate. A first method includes the step of forming a blast-resistant mask on a surface of the semiconductor wafer, the blast-resistant mask having a pattern for leaving a grid-like exposed portion as it is and the step of blasting a fine particular blast material to thereby form dividing grooves reaching a predetermined depth of the substrate in the grid-like exposed portion. A second method includes the step of forming first dividing grooves in a surface of the semiconductor wafer in which the semiconductor layer is formed, by dicing, etching or blasting, so that the first dividing grooves have a relatively narrow groove width, and the step of forming second dividing grooves in a surface of the semiconductor wafer in which the semiconductor layer is not formed by dicing, and in positions corresponding to the first dividing grooves, so that the second dividing grooves have a relatively wide groove width.

As a method for dividing a semiconductor wafer, there is generally adopted a method in which grooves are formed in the wafer by dicing or scribe lines are formed by scribing, and the wafer is then divided by breaking with the aforementioned grooves or the scribe lines as starting points and along the scribe lines. Dicing is a method for forming dicing grooves in the wafer by the relative movement between a rotary blade of a dicer (dicing saw) and the wafer. Scribing is a method for forming scribe lines in the wafer by the relative movement between a sharp-edged blade of a scriber and the wafer. Breaking is a method for pressing the wafer with a press blade or a press roller to thereby divide the wafer by three-point bending.
In a semiconductor wafer using a substrate made of a high-hardness material (e.g. sapphire, GaN, etc.), it is difficult to divide the wafer by breaking only if shallow dicing grooves or scribe lines are formed in the wafer. It is therefore necessary to do breaking after ingenuity such as dicing the wafer deep, scribing the wafer with the substrate thinned on a large scale, or the like, is added. For example, the following methods are known as methods in which a wafer having a gallium-nitride-based compound semiconductor laminated onto the surface of a sapphire substrate is divided into chips.
(1) A method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2765644 includes the following steps:
    1) the dicing step of cutting grooves deeper than the thickness of the gallium-nitride-based compound semiconductor layer by a dicer;    2) the grinding step of thinning the sapphire substrate by grinding;    3) the scribing step of forming scribe lines in the sapphire substrate with a scriber along the grooves formed in the dicing step; and    4) the dividing step of dividing the wafer into chips after the scribing step.(2) A method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2914014 includes the following steps:    1) the first step of thinning the sapphire substrate by grinding;    2) the second step of etching a p-type layer (gallium-nitride-based compound semiconductor) up to an n-type layer to thereby expose the plane of the n-type layer;    3) the third step of etching or dicing the plane of the n-type layer to thereby expose the plane of the sapphire substrate; and    4) the fourth step of dicing or scribing the thinned sapphire substrate, and cutting off the wafer in the plane of the sapphire substrate exposed in the third step.(3) A method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2780618 includes the following steps:    1) the step of forming first split grooves linearly into the shape of desired chips by etching on the side of the gallium-nitride-based compound semiconductor layer, while forming a plane in a part of the first split grooves so that electrodes can be formed in the plane;    2) the step of forming second split grooves (preferably scribe lines) in the positions corresponding to the first split grooves on the side of the sapphire substrate of the wafer so that the line width of the second split grooves is narrower than the line width of the first split grooves; and    3) the step of dividing the wafer into chips along the first split grooves and the second split grooves.(4) A method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2861991 includes the following steps:    1) the step of forming (by etching) first split grooves linearly into the shape of desired chips on the side of the gallium-nitride-based compound semiconductor layer of the wafer, while forming the first split grooves to reach a depth to an extent that the gallium-nitride-based compound semiconductor layer is penetrated and a part of the sapphire substrate is removed;    2) the step of forming second split grooves (preferably scribe lines) in the positions corresponding to the first split grooves on the side of the sapphire substrate of the wafer so that the line width of the second split grooves is narrower than the line width of the first split grooves; and    3) the step of dividing the wafer into chips along the first split grooves and the second split grooves.
In the methods using dicing and scribing together as in the aforementioned (1) and (2), first, there is a problem that cracking or chipping is apt to occur in the substrate and the semiconductor layer at the time of dicing so that the yield is not very high. In addition, it is necessary to form a large number of dicing grooves and a large number of scribe lines in the wafer. In the present circumstances, those lines have to be formed one by one. Thus, the machining time is so long that the efficiency deteriorates. Further, a rotary blade for dicing is expensive and does not have a very long lifetime.
Further, in the method in which grooves are formed by dicing on the semiconductor layer formation side so as to reach the substrate, and scribe lines are formed in the bottoms of the grooves by a scriber as in the aforementioned (1), the groove width of the grooves has to be made so large that a scribing blade enters the grooves.
On the other hand, in the methods using etching and scribing together as in the aforementioned (3) and (4), first, there is a fear that etching causes damage to the semiconductor layer. Japanese Patent No. 2780618 as in the aforementioned (3) says "Etching is the least efficient way to cause damage to the surface and side faces of the nitride semiconductor" and takes, for instance, dry etching such as reactive ion etching, ion milling, converging beam etching, ECR etching, etc., and wet etching using mixed acid of sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid. Such etching can indeed form a plurality of or a large number of grooves simultaneously, but the machining time is not short at all, so that the efficiency is poor. Further, equipment for etching, particularly equipment for dry etching is so expensive that the machining cost increases.
Further, the reason why the line width of the first split grooves on the semiconductor layer formation side is made larger than the line width of the second split grooves on the sapphire substrate side as in the aforementioned (3) and (4) is to prevent any cutting line generated in the second split grooves from reaching the semiconductor layer even if the line runs obliquely. Accordingly, in embodiments of the same applications, the line width of the first split grooves is made wide to be 80 μm. When the groove width of the grooves formed thus on the semiconductor layer formation side is made wide, there is a problem that the area of the semiconductor layer in each semiconductor chip divided is reduced so that the luminance becomes low. In addition, when the area is prevented from being reduced, there is a problem that the number of semiconductor chips yielded is reduced.

Method for dicing semiconductor wafer into chips


An automatic transmission includes first and second planetary gear sets, and a third planetary gear set which is closer to an output end of the transmission, and which is smaller in diameter than the first and second gear sets. One brake is disposed around the first and second planetary gear sets, and another brake has a pack of brake plates surrounding the smaller third planetary gear set. A transmission case is therefore made gradually smaller toward the output end. This planetary gear system makes it possible to arrange the brakes very compactly, and the tapered transmission case improves the rigidity of the automatic transmission.

The present invention relates to a planetary gear system of an automatic transmission.
A Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. 1-80853 shows an automatic transmission having three planetary gear sets. These three planetary gear sets are almost equal in diametral size, and accordingly the transmission case enclosing these gear sets is not tapered but cylindrical. Therefore, it is difficult to improve the rigidity of the transmission case, and to arrange brakes compactly around the planetary gear sets.

Planetary gear system for automatic transmission


The present invention provides a method for producing an ink jet recording cartridge provided with a recording element substrate on the bottom surface, wherein the cartridge can be integrated with the recording element substrate precisely without causing any damage on the substrate, has a high barrier capacity, and can work with various inks and wherein such characteristics of the cartridge are provided by including the steps of pressing a lid to the upper opening of an ink-holding container made of a resin material including glass fibers to cover the opening, and vibration welding the lid to the container where means for holding the lid is vibrated in the direction along the top surface of the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording cartridge in which an ink tank for holding an ink and a recording element substrate for discharging the ink are integrated, and to a method for producing the same.
2. Related Background Art
Recently, ink jet recording devices have been able to make finer ink droplets to meet higher-quality images, and is also required to print at a higher speed. As a result, the number of ink-discharging nozzles has been greatly increasing to meet these requirements. Increasing the nozzle number needs larger recording element substrates. Therefore, a recording element substrate, which includes passages for a recording solution, e.g., ink, to be directed towards nozzles, has an increased volume for hollow portions. At the same time, the ink composition is advancing year by year for improving color-developing capacity, light resistance or the like. Along with these developments, resin materials for ink jet recording devices are also required to have improved properties. Some of the resins now being developed include those for precision molding to precisely mount recording element substrates in ink jet recording cartridges in which an ink tank for holding an ink and recording element substrate for discharging the ink are integrated, those containing a smaller quantity of solute to prevent aging of ink, and those of higher barrier capacity, e.g., those including glass fibers, to prevent evaporation of ink.
The process of producing ink jet recording cartridges employs bonding such as adhesion, thermal calking and the like. Of these, a most commonly used method is ultrasonic welding, in which resin parts closely contacted by a jig are ultrasonically vibrated by a horn of aluminum or titanium to generate frictional heat, by which they are molten in the interface and fast bonded to each other, and then cooled, on account of its various advantages, e.g., capacity of bonding in a short time, and high precision, reproducibility, tightness and strength of the weld. For production of an ink jet recording cartridge having features shown in FIG. 1, the lid 7 pressed to the fixed ink tank 4 is subjected to vibration in the pressing direction (vertical vibration) to bond them to each other, because a production system can oscillate the lid 7 more easily in the pressing direction than in any other direction. In this case, the recording element substrate 2 is vibrated along (in parallel to) the ink discharging direction.
FIG. 13 outlines the ink discharging structure of the recording element substrate 2, provided on the bottom surface of the ink jet recording cartridge 1 having the ink tank 4, where 51: ink supply port, 52: heating element which generates energy needed for discharging an ink, 53: ink passage, 54: ink-discharging port, and 55: ink-discharging port plane. As shown, an ink is discharged in the direction, designed at a right angle to the plane 55 of the ink-discharging port.
However, ultrasonic welding causes problems, when used for the ink tank made of a noryl-based resin compounded with around 25% of glass filler for improved barrier capacity, described above. In the production step for bonding the lid to the ink tank to which the recording element substrate has been attached, high-frequency (20 kHz) vertical vibration, applied by the conventional method to the lid 7 in the pressing direction, is transmitted to the director 9 and, in turn, to the outer peripheries of the ink tank 4 of a filler-containing material, with the result that the bottom surface of the ink tank 4 oscillates at a high frequency. The vibration is further transmitted to the recording element substrate 2 attached to the bottom surface of the ink tank 4, to oscillate, at a high frequency, the ink discharging structures, e.g., a number of the ink passages 53 having hollows in the order of several tens to several hundreds microns and ink-discharging port plane 55 in the direction perpendicular to the ink-discharging port plane 55, i.e., in the ink discharging direction (arrowed direction shown in FIG. 13). Therefore, the vibration can fatally crack these structures and recording element substrate 2 itself.
A recording element substrate is the most important and expensive of the components of an ink jet recording cartridge. The method which can cause defects, e.g., cracks, in the substrates in the final stage of the cartridge production process will make it difficult to supply the cartridges to the users at a reasonable price.
One approach against cracking to reduce the defects is to increase a vertical vibration frequency to 40 kHz in order to halve the amplitude at the horn tip. However, it is impossible to completely avoid the cracking by increasing the frequency, because the gravity acting on the ink discharging structure, including the hollows, changes little whether the frequency is 20 or 40 kHz.
Use of ultrasonic horizontal vibration, as disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-16244, is one approach. This method takes out horizontal vibration from the side of a horn designed to vertically oscillate for ultrasonic welding. In the horn 62 shown in FIG. 14, the vertical vibration from the booster 61 oscillates the side 63 of the horn 62 in the horizontal direction, to be transmitted to the work 64. The vibration decay from the horizontal vibration 65 to the horizontal vibration 66 as it moves from the side 63 to the center 62. This limits applicability of this method to a practical part size of 10 mm or so (length of the welded region). In other words, it is applicable to very small parts, e.g., recording element substrate, as described in the patent document. When applied to ink tank production, the method may not secure a sufficient strength of the welded interface, resulting from uneven welding.
The vibration welding method disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H09-94973 is developed for production of ink tanks of large size and complex shape. The method disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-16249 is not intended to bond an electronic part, e.g., recording element substrate, to an integrated structure. The patent document is silent on problems including vibration transmission to the outer surface of an ink tank housing, although describing prevention of deformation of the ink tank itself.
Another method winds a vibration-absorbing material or the like around an ink tank box, which is made of a filler-containing material, to prevent transmission of the vibration from the upper side of the ink tank to which a lid is bonded to a recording element substrate on the bottom surface of the ink tank, via the box outside. This method, although capable of reducing the transmitted vibration, cannot sufficiently prevent cracking of the substrate, described above.
Therefore, various methods have been adopted to prevent vibration transmission. Some of these methods include reduction of glass fiber content; changing the material itself; bonding a recording element substrate after a lid is bonded; unitization of recording element substrates, which are bonded by calking under heating after they are incorporated; and fixing a substrate by an adhesive agent. A method which bonds a recording element substrate after a lid is bonded may have limited applicable adhesive agents. A method which unitizes recording element substrates may need substrates of larger size, which can push up the cost.

Cartridge for ink jet recording and method for producing the same


A method for manufacturing a glass substrate for magnetic disk, the internal strain of which is reduced without performing annealing treatment, is provided. The method includes a forming process of forming a plate-shaped glass blank by pressing a lump of molten glass using a pair of dies, wherein the method includes: a removing process of removing at least a part of a residual stress layer formed on the principal face of the glass blank press-formed in the forming process; and a process of forming a donut-shaped glass substrate by subjecting the glass blank after the removing process to machining.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a glass substrate for magnetic disk.
2. Background Information
Recently, a hard disk drive device (HDD) is incorporated in a personal computer or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recording apparatus in order to record data. Particularly, in the hard disk device used in an apparatus such as the notebook personal computer based on portability, a magnetic disk in which a magnetic layer is provided on a glass substrate is used, and magnetic recording information is recorded in or read from a magnetic layer using a magnetic head (DFH (Dynamic Flying Height) head) that is slightly floated on a surface of the magnetic disk surface. A glass substrate is suitably used as the substrate for magnetic disk because the glass substrate hardly plastically deformed as compared to a metallic substrate (aluminum substrate) and the like.
The magnetic head includes, for example, a magnetic resistance effect element, but such a magnetic head may cause a thermal asperity trouble as its specific trouble. The thermal asperity trouble is a trouble in which when a magnetic head passes over a micro-irregularly-shaped surface of a magnetic disk while floating and flying, a magnetic resistance effect element is heated by adiabatic compression or contact of air, causing a read error. Thus, for avoiding the thermal asperity trouble, the glass substrate for magnetic disk is prepared such that surface properties, such as the surface roughness and flatness, of the principal face of the glass substrate are at a satisfactory level.
So far, a vertical direct press method has been known as a method for manufacturing a sheet glass (glass blank) as a base of the glass substrate for magnetic disk. This press method is a method in which a lump of molten glass is fed onto a lower die, and the lump of molten glass (molten glass lump) is press-formed using an upper die (Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 1999-255521)
As a method for manufacturing a glass substrate for magnetic disk, a method is known in which a glass blank prepared by press-forming a molten glass lump is subjected to annealing treatment (Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2008-287779). The annealing treatment is treatment for releasing an internal strain of a glass blank by holding the glass blank prepared by press forming for a predetermined time period at a predetermined temperature around a strain point. By the annealing treatment, for example, the glass blank can be prevented from being broken by an internal strain when cutting lines (linear scratches or cutting lines) are provided for forming the glass blank into a donut shape. The strain point is a temperature at which the internal strain of glass disappears in several hours, and at which the viscosity of glass is about 1014.5 dPa·s.

Method for manufacturing glass substrate for magnetic disk