The present invention provides an electroactive solid-state actuator, including a solid polymer electrolyte film having first and second main surfaces facing each other, and first and second conductive polymer layers infiltrated into the first and second main surfaces of the solid polymer electrolyte film. Further, a method of manufacturing the electroactive solid-state actuator is provided, the method including preparing a solid polymer film having first and second main surfaces facing each other, infiltrating a monomer of a conductive polymer into the first and second main surfaces of the solid polymer film, followed by polymerization, to form first and second conductive polymer layers, and immersing the solid polymer film into an ionic liquid or liquid electrolyte to be converted to an electrically conductive polymer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electroactive solid-state actuator, and, more particularly, to an electroactive solid-state actuator having a novel single layer structure, which is advantageous because it solves the problem of contact between a conductive polymer and a solid electrolyte.
2. Description of the Related Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, an electroactive actuator refers to an actuator using an electroactive polymer (EAP). The electroactive polymer is advantageous because it has larger variation and smaller density, as well as faster response properties, compared to those of shape memory alloys (SMA) or electoactive ceramics (EAC) as other small actuator materials. Thus, the electroactive polymer is known to have properties most similar to those of natural muscles, and, at present, is vigorously and thoroughly studied for application to various small robot actuators.
In addition, a conventional electroactive actuator which has used a liquid electrolyte has drawbacks, such as limited variation and a low current application range. Thus, in recent years, an electroactive solid-state actuator having a solid electrolyte substituted for the liquid electrolyte has been developed.
Conventionally, an electroactive solid-state actuator comprises a three-layer structure including an electroactive polymer sheet, made of a silicone rubber or an acrylic material, and a pair of compliant electrodes formed on opposite surfaces of the sheet, which is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, the electroactive solid-state actuator 10 includes a solid electrolyte film 11 and conductive polymer layers 13a and 13b formed on opposite surfaces of the solid electrolyte film 11. As such, the conductive polymer layers 13a and 13b, which are additional layers serving as compliant electrodes, are connected to two electrodes 15a and 15b of a voltage application part 17, respectively.
When the voltage is applied through the two electrodes 15a and 15b, respective conductive polymer layers 13a and 13b are caused to be polar. Further, the cationic component of the solid electrolyte film 11 is shifted to any one conductive polymer layer 13a or 13b as a cathode. Thereby, expansion occurs at the electrolyte portion adjacent to any one conductive polymer layer 13a or 13b, while constriction occurs at the electrolyte portion adjacent to the other conductive polymer layer 13b or 13a. Thus, curvature toward the other conductive polymer layer 13b or 13a takes place. Such actuation can be variously controlled in accordance with the polarity and magnitude of the applied voltage.
The conventional electroactive solid-state actuator 10 basically has a three-layer structure, that is, conductive polymer layer 13a/polymer electrolyte film 11/conductive polymer layer 13b. The three-layer structure is obtained by attaching the conductive polymer layers 13a and 13b to the opposite surfaces of the previously prepared polymer electrolyte film 11. Thus, the attachment process is complicated, and also, contact defects may easily occur. In particular, low adhesive strength may cause undesired detachment due to variation occurring upon actuation, whereby the actuator may become inoperative.
Hence, there is the need for a new technique of manufacturing an actuator having a more stable actuation structure while solving the problems of the three-layer structure of the conventional electroactive solid-state actuator.

Electroactive solid-state actuator and method of manufacturing the same


An electronic device has a touch screen comprising a transparent substrate having a first supporting side and an opposing second supporting side. The first supporting side of the touch screen has at least one electrically-conductive pattern, and a dry outermost polymeric coating disposed over at least part but not all of the electrically-conductive metal pattern. The dry polymeric coating has a dry thickness of less than 5 μm, an integrated transmittance of at least 80%, and a non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) that is equal to or greater than 65° C.

Rapid advances are occurring in various electronic devices especially display devices that are used for various communicational, financial, and archival purposes. For such uses as touch screen panels, electrochromic devices, light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, and liquid-crystal displays, electrically-conductive films are essential and considerable efforts are being made in the industry to improve the properties of those electrically-conductive films and particularly to improve metal grid or line conductivity and to provide as much correspondence between mask design with resulting user metal patterns.
Electrically-conductive articles used in various electronic devices including touch screens in electronic, optical, sensory, and diagnostic devices including but not limited to telephones, computing devices, and other display devices have been designed to respond to touch by a human fingertip or mechanical stylus. Typically, touch screen technology incorporates the use of resistive or capacitive sensor layers that make up part of the display.
Typically, touch screen technology incorporates the use of resistive or capacitive sensor layers that make up part of the display. There is a need to provide touch screen sensors and displays that contain improved electrically-conductive film elements. Currently, such resistive and capacitive touch screen displays use Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coatings to create arrays used to distinguish multiple points of contacts. Efforts are underway in the industry to find useful replacements for ITO coatings including the use of various other electrically-conductive metallic compositions. ITO is in limited supply and exhibits undesirable fragility, lack of flexibility, and low conductivity compared to other materials.
As noted, touch screens are often prone to damage due to the increased level of direct contact (touching) by the user of the display or from moisture or water in the environment. Both resistive and capacitive touch sensors can include translucent (or nearly transparent) electrically insulating covering materials disposed on the display structure in order to protect and isolate the touch screen sensors from environmental conditions (such as moisture), abrasion, oxygen, and any harmful chemical agents.
There is also a need to protect the electrically-conductive portions of the sensor from environmental damage (such as from moisture) and both environmental and physical damage during manufacturing and integration operations.
Such electrically insulating covering materials include glass or polyester layers as protective covers. Each of these materials has advantages and disadvantages. WO 2013/062630 (Petcavich) and WO 2013/063051 (Petcavich et al.) both describe the formation of crosslinked polymeric protective layers over touch sensors (and display screens) using photocurable compositions containing various photoinitiators and photocuring materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,569,250 (Nelson) describes a process for applying a protective coating to a flex circuit having conductive traces on one surface and by applying a protective coating in substantially a liquid state to the one surface from a roller including a protective coating in a patternwise fashion. Portions of the flex circuit are left exposed (uncoated) for connection to an electronic device such as a print head assembly. A protective coating can be applied to a surface of the flex circuit and then further treated for example by crosslinking or thermal curing.
While such materials can provide protective surfaces in touch sensors, it would be desirable to avoid crosslinkable materials because of the additional processing procedure that is needed as well as the potential problems associated with photoinitiators or other crosslinking agents that may remain chemically reactive in the final protective surface and that can cause yellowing if left as residue in the protective coatings.
In addition, residual photoinitiators used in photocuring operations used to prepare protective coatings can pose adhesion and shrinkage problems, at least partially due to their low molecular weight, high mobility, and likely high initial concentrations so that residual concentrations after photocuring can be as much as 15% of the final protective covering weight. These problems can be particularly apparent in photocurable compositions that are applied to electrically-conductive patterns using printing methods such as flexography at high curing and printing speeds.
Thus, there is a need for improved protection of electrically-conductive patterns especially when high concentrations of photocuring photoinitiators are present so that yellowing and other problems are minimized.

Devices with protected electrically-conductive metal grids


An active energy control circuit and method employing pulsewidth modulation for use with diode pumped laser systems. The active energy control circuit and method employs optical energy feedback sensing and output control of the electrical pulsewidth to pump diodes of the laser system. This creates an active energy control loop for maintaining diode pumped laser output energy at a desired level over different pulse repetition frequencies, time, and environmental conditions. The diode pumped laser output energy is controlled by varying the pulsewidth of the output energy pulse while maintaining a current amplitude set point. By using a pulsewidth-modulation-based control system, the current applied to the pump diodes is regulated at an efficient set point below their damage level, and the pulsewidth is adjusted to maintain a desired output optical energy of the laser system. The pulse width modulated output energy control scheme provided by the present invention is appropriate for all diode pumped laser applications including laser rangefinders, laser designators, laser radar systems, laser welding systems, and other low and high power laser systems.

The present invention relates generally to diode pumped laser systems, and more particularly, to an active energy control circuit and method employing pulsewidth modulation for use with such diode pumped laser systems.
Prior laser systems use flashlamp pumping and an associated active control of the laser output energy by increasing or decreasing the voltage and current to the flashlamp without changing the pulsewidth. Flashlamp pumped laser systems are less efficient than diode pumped lasers, requiring a larger power supply, and more thermal management in addition to requiring more input power to generate a similar laser output. The technique used in the flashlamp systems for active laser output energy control is inappropriate for a diode pumped system.
Diode pumped laser systems require keeping the current to the pump diodes below a maximum current damage level. The most efficient operating point however is near that maximum current level. In one laser development program of the assignee of the present invention, the actual setting for efficient laser operation is approximately 80 Amps, when the maximum current level is approximately 90 Amps. The approach previously used on this program was to use a current regulator (Buck converter) to keep the current regulated at an efficient set point below the damage level. The typical pump pulse to the laser diodes for a NdYag laser is on the order of 80 Amps for 200 microseconds. The active feedback for flashlamp pumping described above is not appropriate since increasing and decreasing the current to the pump diodes could result in damage to the pump diodes or loss in efficiency.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an active laser control system and method that employs feedback sensing of the optical output energy and output control of the electrical pulsewidth to pump diodes of the laser system to create an active energy control loop for maintaining diode pumped laser output energy at a desired level over different pulse repetition frequencies, time, and environmental conditions.

Active energy control for diode pumped laser systems using pulsewidth modulation


A method for measuring a height profile of a vehicle passing on a road, said method comprising the following steps: directing a monocular camera from a point above the road onto the road with an angle of aperture that captures a section of the road from above, recording at least a first image of the passing vehicle by the camera at a first moment in time, recording at least a second image of the passing vehicle by the camera at a second moment in time, generating a movement vector image of the vehicle from an analysis of the optical flow between the first and the second image, and creating the height profile of the vehicle from the movement vector image.

Technical Field
The present subject matter relates to a method for measuring a height profile of a vehicle passing on a road.
Background Art
The measuring of vehicles as they are travelling is of significance, for example, for height checks of vehicles or for toll road systems, said vehicle having to pay different toll fees depending on the vehicle form, for example vehicle size, body structure (passenger vehicle or lorry), presence of a trailer, number of axles, etc. To this end, a wide range of technologies are currently used, for example laser scanners or stereoscopic (binocular) cameras, in order to create a 3D image of the passing vehicles and to establish therefrom a height profile of the vehicles. Laser scanners are extremely complex however in terms of construction and maintenance, and stereoscopic camera systems require special, complex calibration at all times.

Method for measuring the height profile of a vehicle passing on a road


A microscope includes an optical element provided with an anti-reflection film applied thereto. The anti-reflection film has the following layered structure:                having first to sixth layers of films, in order from the surface of the optical element, formed of a high-refractive-index material for each of the first, third and fifth layers, a low-refractive-index material or a middle-refractive-index material for each of the second and fourth layers, and a low-refractive-index material for the sixth layer, with a range of the optical film-thickness nd of each layer in reference to the design wavelength λ being “(0.13˜0.35)×λ/4” for the first layer, “(0.18˜0.75)×λ/4” for the second layer, “(0.28˜2.31)×λ/4” for the third layer, “(0.26˜0.92)×λ/4” for the fourth layer, “(0.20˜0.37)×λ/4” for the fifth layer, and “(1.09˜1.18)×λ/4” for the sixth layer.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microscope having an optical element that is provided with an anti-reflection film applied to a surface thereof used in ultraviolet, visible, and infrared regions.
2) Description of Related Art
In general, surfaces of optical components such as lens and prism are processed with anti-reflection films. The main purpose of this treatment is to improve transmittance of an entire optical apparatus constructed of a number of optical components, specifically, to improve brightness and conspicuousness of images by staying reflection of visible-region light. Since many of the conventional optical apparatuses have been used in the visible region or wavelengths region narrower than that, it has been only necessary for anti-reflection films also to reduce reflectance in such a narrow wavelength region.
In recent years, however, upon emergence of optical apparatuses designed for use in wider wavelength regions, anti-reflection films for the corresponding wavelength regions are required for optical components used in such apparatuses. An example of the conventional anti-reflection film for a wider wavelength region is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2711697. In this Publication, by configuring an eight-layer structure using three materials, or TiO2, SiO2, and MgF2, a low reflectance as not being greater than 0.8% is achieved over a wide range from the visible region to the infrared region.
Besides, for recent optical apparatuses, there are required anti-reflection films or optical components that achieve high anti-reflection performance and high transmittance in the near-ultraviolet region (350 nm˜400 nm) also, in addition to the visible region (400 nm˜700 nm) and the infrared region (600 nm˜900 nm). In microscopy, for example, for the purpose of simultaneously proceeding the observation technique that uses light in the ultraviolet region or the infrared region as a probe, to be specific, for the purpose of observing light in the visible region and light in the infrared region emitted from a sample in response to excitation by irradiation with light in the ultraviolet region, in addition to the purpose of improving conspicuousness in the visible region for viewing by eyes, high transmittance and anti-reflection performance over the ultraviolet region through the infrared region has been much required.

Anti-reflection film and microscope having optical element with the same anti-reflection film applied thereto


A method for detecting flashback events in gas turbine is disclosed. The method employs periodic reference point checks to determine whether or not flashback damage has occurred. The method relies on the repeatability of exhaust profile and NOx as functions of precise turbine conditions. In combination with experience-based limits, changes in these values are used to determine if a flashback has occurred, even days later.

(1) Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the detection of combustion system malfunctions in gas turbines, and more particularly, to a method for the early detection of gas-turbine combustor damage due to flashbacks so as to minimize subsequent hot-gas path damage and leakage of combustible gas into the turbine enclosure.
(2) Background Information
In recent years there has been an increase in the regulatory requirements for low emissions of pollutants, such as Oxides of Nitrogen (called NOx) from gas-turbine power plants. One method for controlling gas-turbine emissions is the use of a combustor design which limits the formation of pollutants in the burning zone by using lean-premixed combustion technology.
A gas-turbine combustor is essentially a device used for mixing large quantities of fuel and air and burning the resulting mixture. Gas-turbines with combustion systems designed to reduce NOx emissions to levels below 40 ppm without water or steam injection employ a combustion process in which fuel is uniformly mixed with air prior to the combustion process. In the premixing zone, ignition of the fuel and air occasionally occurs. This event, regardless of its cause, is usually called a "flashback". Due to the design of most premix systems, the combustion of fuel and air in the premix section usually causes considerable damage to components. For various reasons, it is often not practical to design a low NOx combustor to operate satisfactorily with flame in the premix section. To prevent damage in the event of a flashback, it is necessary to quickly shut-off the premixer fuel and inject the fuel into another fuel nozzle passage, if provided, or simply trip the machine.
Flashback damage has historically been detected using NOx emission and exhaust temperature spreads as indicators. When a flashback occurs, NOx increases and exhaust temperature spreads often, but not always, increase. The NOx increase is typically proportional to the severity of the flashback. On the other hand, the exhaust temperature spread change can vary, either decreasing or increasing, depending upon the state of the combustors, which suffer flashback, prior to the flashback event. The unpredictable behavior of exhaust temperature spreads, coupled with the emissions data scatter, has made it difficult to determine whether or not a flashback has occurred using NOx and exhaust spread indicators. NOx or spread changes alone are insufficient to indicate a flashback event. Methods which rely on changes in NOx and exhaust profile over sequential instants of time to determine if a flashback has occurred are ineffective because changes in NOx and exhaust profile can occur during loading. Therefore, any loading may appear to be a flashback using this method.

Flashback event monitoring (FEM) process


A reciprocating metering device is disclosed. The metering device provides a mechanism for discharging a metered amount of material, such as rice seeds, into a reservoir formed by plunging the metering device into soil. The metering device operates in a reciprocating motion wherein, in a first position, the spear extends from the device to form the reservoir and the seeds are retained within the device and in a second position, the spear is retracted into the device and the seeds are able to be discharged out of the device and into the reservoir.

Rural farmers in certain areas of the world still plant their seeds by hand, sometimes on steep rocky slopes, resulting in chronic pain due to the repeated bending required to form a hole in the soil and deposit the seeds. It would be beneficial to provide a tool that can form a hole in the soil and deposit a metered amount of seeds in a single motion.


A wireless transceiver includes at least one antenna, a substrate, and a mechanical part on which the at least one antenna is disposed, wherein a relative position between the at least one antenna and the substrate is changed when an external force is applied to the mechanical part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless transceiver, and more particularly, to a wireless transceiver for keeping antenna performance at a certain level when its button device is pressed by a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wireless service calling system is an electronic product combining wireless communication technology with computer technology, and is widely used in restaurants, hospitals, household services, factory production lines, entertaining rooms, etc. The wireless service calling system may include a host and a plurality of wireless transceivers, wherein the host and the wireless transceivers may exchange wireless signals with each other via wireless communication techniques. The wireless transceiver is usually designed with a button for triggering the wireless transceiver to transmit a calling signal to the host once the button is pressed by a user, thereby a monitoring staff at the host end may be notified that there is a need to provide services to the user.
For different applications, the host may be further connected to the Internet by which to transmit the calling signal to another monitoring staff or user to achieve far-end monitoring. For example, for household services applications, the wireless transceivers may be carried by an elder people and a young child, and the host may be disposed in a living room or a front gate. The child may press the button on the wireless transceiver to transmit the calling signal to the host when back home, the host then forwards the calling signal to parents at the monitoring end to notify the parents that the child is safely home. Or, the elder people may press the button on the wireless transceiver to transmit the calling signal to the host when encountering an accident at home, the host then forwards the calling signal to family members or nearby medical centers to notify the appropriate people of the accident. Moreover, the host may distinguish specific uses of the calling signal by different coding schemes, e.g. long or short press on the button.
The wireless transceivers of the wireless calling system may be integrated into small electronic devices, such as wearable devices, key rings or switch devices, to be portable by the user or placed in interior decorations. Therefore, the wireless transceiver is designed to have a small size to be held in palms. However, when a human body or a relative large conductor approaches the small wireless transceiver, antennas of the wireless transceiver may be influenced significantly by the human body (e.g. signal block or frequency shift) to weaken a function of wireless communication of the wireless transceiver.
Therefore, an antenna performance of the wireless transceiver shall be kept at a certain level when the button device is pressed by the user once an emergency occurs, to prevent the calling signal from being delayed due to the bad antenna performance. Thus, how to keep the antenna performance of the wireless transceiver at a certain level when the button device is pressed by the user has become a topic of the industry.


A system for mounting an implement onto a vehicle includes a mounting plate with a first and a second bearing surface, a locator opening and a detent-receiving opening. A mounting fixture is configured to be attached to an accessory such as a snowplow blade. The mounting fixture includes a first hook configured and disposed so as to engage the first bearing surface and a second hook configured and disposed so as to engage the second bearing surface. A locator projection extends from the mounting fixture and is configured to engage and pass through the locator opening. A detent member extends from the mounting fixture and is configured to pass through the detent-receiving opening and releasably engage the plate.

Snowplows, as well as other vehicle-powered implements such as shovels, scrapers, rollers, and mowers are often used on a seasonal and/or periodic basis thereby necessitating their attachment and removal from their associated vehicles. Given that such implements are frequently used under high power/load conditions, any attachment system must be rugged and capable of transmitting and sustaining high levels of stress and strain. Furthermore, given the fact that connection of such implements to motor vehicles is frequently required under conditions of darkness and cold and in snowy, icy, or muddy environments, any such system must be relatively simple to use and maintain.

System for attaching an accessory such as a snowplow to a vehicle


A process is provided for removing sulfur compounds, such as carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide, mercaptans and hydrogen sulfide out of a gas, such as methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen and methane, by saturating the sulfur compound contaminated gas with steam; hydrolyzing any carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide and mercaptans in the gas stream into hydrogen sulfide by contacting the steam and sulfur compound contaminated gas with a catalyst containing an inorganic support uniformly impregnated with a mixture of at least one oxide selected from Group VI transition metals and at least two oxides selected from Groups I, II, VI and VIII transition metals at a temperature of about 20.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C.; oxidizing the hydrogen sulfide in the gas exiting the previous hydrolysis step by contacting the hydrogen sulfide containing gas together with at least a stoichiometric quantity of air and/or oxygen with the catalyst at a temperature of about 15.degree. C. to about 50.degree. C. to produce a sulfur loaded catalyst and a desulfurized gas. The sulfur loaded catalyst may be regenerated with steam.

This invention relates to catalysts for removing sulfur compounds from industrial gases, to a process for the production of these catalysts and to their use for removing sulfur compounds from industrial gases.
Sulfur-containing compounds, such as carbon oxysulfide, carbon disulfide and hydrogen sulfide, are frequent impurities in industrial gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane and natural gas. The sulfur-containing compounds are formed, for example, during the processing of sulfur-containing gaseous, liquid or solid starting materials, such as natural gas, petroleum, coke and coal.
In many cases, these sulfur-containing constituents have to be removed from industrial gases to prevent catalyst damage, corrosion, unwanted secondary reactions in organic and inorganic synthesis. Removal is also necessary in view of the high toxicity of the sulfur-containing compounds, even in low concentrations.
Hydrogen sulfide, the most common companion of carbon oxysulfide and carbon disulfide, can be removed from gases by a number of known methods. However, the simultaneous removal of carbon oxysulfide and carbon disulfide from gases is difficult.
It is generally known that adsorbents, such as active carbon, zeolites or silica gel, have only a very limited capacity for absorbing carbon oxysulfide and carbon disulfide. Gas purification processes such as washing with liquid basic media, involve considerable effort because the solubility of carbon oxysulfide and carbon disulfide in those media is minimal. In addition, working up of the spent solutions involves environmental problems.
There has been some acceptance of processes in which carbon oxysulfide and carbon disulfide are converted into hydrogen sulfide on solid media (generally zeolites, aluminum oxide and the like) and the hydrogen sulfide is subsequently removed from the gas mixture by known methods. The disadvantage of these processes lies in their high energy consumption. The conversion of carbon oxysulfide or carbon disulfide only takes place at high temperatures, generally on the order of 400 to 800.degree. C.
The process for converting carbon oxysulfide present in gases which is disclosed in DE-A-1 667 590 uses certain heavy metal oxides as catalysts on active carbon as support. The conversion reaction takes place at temperatures >20.degree. C. The abrasion of the carbon and its combustibility make this process disadvantageous.
DE-A-220 394 discloses that aluminum oxide containing molybdenum, iron, tungsten, nickel or cobalt or certain combinations of these metals can be used as a catalyst for the reaction of carbon oxysulfide with steam. The metals are generally used in the form of sulfides. However, the hydrolytic reaction of carbon oxysulfide and carbon disulfide requires uneconomically high temperatures of 250 to 400.degree. C.

Process for removing sulfur compounds from industrial gases


An instrumentation system (100) and an intramedullary femoral nail system (1) for antegrade or retrograde implantation with laterally inserted bone screws, the system comprising a nail stem (2) having a multi-featured proximal end (3), a distal end and a central conduit (22) configured to accommodate a fastener (4), wherein the multi-featured proximal end (3) comprises a plurality of holes (20) configured to accommodate at least two bone screws (50, 52), wherein the first bone screw (50) is at an angle that is horizontal relative to the central conduit (22) and is on a coronal plane, and the second bone screw (52) is at an angle of between 120° to 130° relative to the central conduit (22).

Fractures of the femur are among the most serious long bone fractures, due to their potential for non-union, mal-union, and long-term dysfunction, as well as their propensity for open injury. Intramedullary nails have been in use for some time as aids in healing bone fractures and are the gold standard treatment option for such fractures. Intramedullary nailing acts as an internal splint and permits early weight bearing along with fracture healing.
WO 2011/018778 describes an intramedullary nail comprising a first part (an insert) having a first opening to receive a first fixture for engagement with a first bone fragment; a second part (a nail stem) having a second opening to receive a second fixture for engagement with a second bone fragment; and a motion assembly (a spring) which allows limited axial relative movement of the inset and nail stem. The insert is constrained to move axially only within the nail stem.
WO 2017/178354 describes an intramedullary nail system comprising a nail stem having a multi-featured proximal end, a distal end and a central conduit configured to accommodate a fastener having a proximal end, a distal end and a central shaft, wherein the fastener comprises a stop extending laterally from the proximal end relative to a vertical axis of the fastener and which is configured to matingly engage with an internal wall of the multi-featured proximal end to provide control over rotational and distal movement of the system when secured with a bone screw.
US 2013/0116693 describes a straight intramedullary bone fraction fixation device comprising an elongate body with a longitudinal axis and having both a flexible and rigid state and a compression screw. The device has a driver engaged with a feature on the distal end of the nail to raise a feature on the outer surface of the nail to secure the nail to the bone. It achieves this by axially translating a member that runs through the central portion whose distal tip has a substantially circular feature. When the member is rotated it moves in a proximal and axial direction that pushes out the securement feature.
US 2002/0183750 describes a femur nail for insertion between the condylii of the knee joint. The nail comprises at least two fastening bores that cross the longitudinal axis of an end piece of the nail. This nail is for retrograde insertion only and the screw trajectories are not suitable for antegrade insertion.
The problems with intramedullary nails currently being used is that screw fixation is not optimised to treat the various type of fractures and clinical modalities presented from various patients. Further, the instrumentation devices currently being used do not deliver the intramedullary nails accurately and safely to ensure that the fixation is optimised to treat various type of fractures and clinical modalities. In addition, the following clinical effects are routinely seen from the implanted devices:                Unequal load spread over the femur particularly in the neck of femur to device;        Inability to compress neck of femur fractures;        Screws backing out from placed location;        Screws cutting out from the bone in the femoral head;        Multiple nail sizes required to treat antegrade vs. retrograde device insertion with the addition of many instrumentation steps and specific instruments.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the above-mentioned problems.


A device for holding an annular end plate against a radial face of a rotor disc, the disc having in the radial face an annular recess behind a collar extending radially outwards, and the end plate having, in its radially inner part, an annular base bearing against the radially outer wall of the recess and a foot extending radially inwards in the recess from the base, the device including a split annular retaining ring disposed in the recess. The ring is constituted by a snap ring interposed axially between the foot of the end plate and the collar and the peripheral surface of which butts against the base, the peripheral surface and the collar comprising, when joined, notches, which open radially outwards and are intended to receive compression tools for the snap ring, which tools retract into the contour of the collar during the assembly or disassembly of the end plate.

Such a device is known by virtue of FR A 2 485 117, equivalent to U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,523. In this document, the end plate is designed to prevent the axial displacement of blades of the fir tree root type, the feet of which are mounted in axial notches provided on the periphery of the rotor disc. In order to mount the end plate, the split annular ring is firstly placed in the recess in the disc, after which it is radially compressed towards the inside of the recess by means of tools bearing upon the peripheral wall of the ring, until these tools come to bear upon the collar of the disc. Next, the base of the end plate is slid along the radially outer wall of the recess.
An axial force is exerted against the end plate in order that the foot comes to bear against the inside radial wall of the recess. The tools which compressed the annular ring are then slackened and the latter expands radially outwards.
Next, the axial force exerted upon the end plate is relieved. The ring has at its axially inner end a peripheral rabbet, in which the radially inner portion of the foot finds accommodation. The outer diameter of the ring is less than the inner diameter of the base of the end plate in order to allow the disengagement of the compression tools during assembly and their introduction during possible disassembly. The diameter of the bore in the foot of the end plate is greater than the diameter of the collar to allow the introduction of the inside portion of the end plate into the recess around the compression tools bearing against the periphery of the collar.
Since the end plate is subjected to axial stresses in the event of impacts upon the blades resulting from the ingestion of debris, which stresses are absorbed by the retaining ring, shearing torques are generated upon the ring owing to diameter deviations between the bore in the foot and the collar. This requires the retaining ring to be solid, yet sufficiently flexible to allow its compression and installation in the recess. The manufacture of this ring calls for costly machining.
FR 2 812 906 has proposed a modified retaining ring which, on the periphery of its outside radial face, has a chamfer which allows the said ring to be automatically compressed as the foot of the end plate passes through in the course of assembly. This foot comprises notches to allow the introduction of compression tools for the ring for disassembly purposes. This ring is also solid and calls for costly machining.
It should be noted that the retaining ring remains in the recess whilst the end plate is disassembled for the repair or replacement of a blade, for example. This ring is thus different from a traditional circlip, which is expanded by means of a part in order to be fitted around a shaft and which retracts elastically into a groove made in the periphery of the shaft.


A receiver of a frequency-modulated signal is provided. The receiver includes a frequency-transposition unit for lowering the frequency of the frequency-modulated signal, and a digital demodulator for regenerating a digital signal from the frequency-transposed signal. The frequency-transposition unit includes a local oscillator for generating a local oscillator signal used in lowering the frequency of the frequency-modulated signal. The frequency-transposed signal is sampled in the digital demodulator at the rate of a sampling signal, and the sampling signal is generated by the local oscillator of the frequency-transposition unit. In a preferred embodiment, the local oscillator includes at least one frequency-divider circuit that delivers the sampling signal. Also provided is a method for regenerating a digital signal from a frequency-modulated signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radio communication systems, and more specifically to a frequency-modulated signal receiver with a digital demodulator.
2. Description of Related Art
The technique of frequency modulation or frequency shift keying is commonly used to transmit a digital signal from a transmitter to a receiver by associating a particular modulation frequency with each digital value of the digital signal. In the case of a binary signal, a frequency f1 is assigned to the value 0 and a frequency f2 to the value 1. The transmitter then has a modulator which, for each digital value, sends the modulation frequency associated with the value and the receiver has a digital demodulator whose task is to restore the binary values of the digital signal by discriminating between the modulation frequencies of the modulated signal that is received.
For example, the demodulation of such signals can consist of measuring the period of the received signal by sampling it at a very high frequency, and comparing the value of the period that is measured with period values corresponding to the different modulation frequencies. The precision of the measurement requires that the frequency of the sampling signal should be far higher than the modulation frequencies of the received signals (i.e., than the frequencies f1 and f2 in the case of a binary signal). The sampling frequency must be made greater as the frequencies f1 and f2 are made higher. The sampling frequency must also be made greater as the frequencies f1 and f2 are made closer to each other so that the demodulator can properly discriminate between them. Thus, in order that the necessary sampling frequency may not be excessively high, the frequency of the received signal is generally lowered to an intermediate frequency of lower value by a frequency-transposition unit placed upline from the digital demodulator in the receiver.
To generate the sampling signal, the receiver usually has a clock circuit assigned exclusively to this use. The presence of such a clock circuit has the following drawbacks: it takes up considerable surface area on the silicon, consumes current, and may also create parasitic noise for the other elements of the receiver.

Frequency-modulated signal receiver with digital demodulator


A connection system for a fifth wheel hitch assembly or other vehicle accessory includes a plurality of interlocking flanges are received in corresponding ports. Additionally, a plurality of fasteners are used in combination with friction bushings. This overall combination creates a synergistic effect that enables the connection of high load components along a single shear facing.

Fifth wheel hitches are used with a towing vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, to engage a towed vehicle for towing. In this context, the fifth wheel hitches involve universal products that are typically operated by untrained operators, and may be configured to connect trailers to pickup trucks. Significantly, load ranges have steadily risen over the years from 7,000 lbs. up to about 32,000 lbs. or even more. In fact, a relatively recent need for high load towing applications (i.e., loads over 20,000 pounds) has been spurred, in part, by improvements to vehicle towing capacity.
Fifth wheel and other high load hitches and applications are usually connected to the frame of the towing vehicle by way of specialized mounting systems. Owing to the excessive forces exerted by such loads, these mounting systems attach directly to unitary structures on the hitch itself, either on top of the load bed or underneath the body of the vehicle itself. The hitch assemblies necessarily possess a durable construction that is more expensive, especially in comparison to smaller loads, thereby making high load systems prohibitively expensive and difficult for untrained users to install.
Mounting systems can rely on a plurality of rails accessible in or under the load bed of the vehicle to ensures good distribution of load weight on the vehicle. In turn, the hitch assembly itself has a pair of legs attached to the rails, and a center section including a head or kingpin receiving assembly fits between the legs. To minimize shear and tension, the legs may be monolithically formed with the kingpin receiving assembly, or durable connections relying on a pair of U-shaped members have been used. The later connection arrangement gives rise to modular hitch assemblies with separately assembled components to simplify transportation and sale of the pre-installed assemblies.
An improved connection between the legs and center section that better distributes load, maximizes clamping force, and permits quick and easy alignment of the components during assembly would be welcome. More generally, a two part assembly that allowed for separate manufacture, packaging, and/or assembly of these components in a manner that may reduce costs and simplify installation of the hitch.


A massage chair has a seating surface, a backrest and armrests at the opposite left and right sides. A covering member vertically displaceable to be opened and closed is provided on the upper surface of an armrest main body of each armrest. A massaging device is provided on at least either one of the lower surface of each covering member and the upper surface of the corresponding armrest main body. The massaging devices are driven with hands and arms tightly held between the lower surfaces of the covering members and the upper surfaces of the armrest main bodies, and the upper surfaces of the covering member serve as arm resting surfaces with the covering members closed and the massaging means not driven. There can be provided a massage chair whose arm resting positions are not restricted when the massage chair is not used to massage the hands and arms.

The present invention relates to a massage chair which is provided with a device for massaging hands and arms of a user on armrests.
Massage chairs provided with a seating surface, a backrest and armrests and having a device for massaging hands and arms of a user provided on the armrests have been widely known (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2003-180773, 2003-180774 and 2003-153970).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-180773 discloses armrests having standing walls provided on the opposite sides of each armrest along the widthwise direction of the arms and capable of massaging the hands and arms of a human body through the expansion of air bags by means of compressed air. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-180774 discloses armrests having a standing wall formed at one side of each armrest along the widthwise direction of the arms and having an arcuate cross section, and capable of massaging the hand and arm of a human body through the expansion of air bags by means of compressed air. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-153970 discloses armrests having a standing wall provided at one side of each armrest along the widthwise direction of the arms and capable of massaging the hands and arms of a human body through the expansion of air bags by means of compressed air.
A problem residing in the prior art is that the standing wall(s) is/are provided at one or both sides of each armrest and the user feels tight and cannot relax because the user can place his/her arms on restricted positions of the armrests even when he/she does not use an arm massaging function. Further, since the massage is given by the standing walls defining grooves having a fixed width, the massage feeling differs depending on the thickness of the user's arms. Further, the massage feeling is soft because the hands and arms are massaged by surfaces and some users may feel unsatisfied. Furthermore, since the massage is given by the standing walls at the opposite sides, the massage feeling from the upper side of the arms is weak.


To prevent an influence from effecting on an oscillating state of a cantilever by firmly fixing a main body portion, there is provided a cantilever holder for attachably and detachably fixing a cantilever which is provided with a stylus at a front end thereof and a base end side of which is supported by a main body portion in a single-supported state, the cantilever holder including a base member having a mounting portion for mounting the main body portion in a state of being positioned at a predetermined position, a holding member made to be able to be brought into contact with at least a surface of the main body portion in a state of mounting the main body portion on the mounting portion and extended in a direction substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal direction (axis line A direction) of the cantilever, and pressing means for pressing both ends of the holding member to the base member by a predetermined pressure, fixing the main body portion to the mounting portion by way of the holding member and capable of separating the holding member from the surface of the main body portion by releasing depression, in which the holding member is formed by a resin species material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cantilever holder for attachably and detachably fixing a cantilever having a stylus at a front end thereof and a scanning probe microscope having the cantilever holder.
2. Background Art
According to SPM (Scanning Probe Microscope) of a type of using a cantilever of AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) or the like, in order to use an optimum cantilever in accordance with a sample, the cantilever is attachably and detachably fixed to and from a cantilever holder and is made to be able to be interchanged. In order to fix the cantilever to the cantilever holder, normally, a main body portion for supporting a base end side of the cantilever in a single-held state is set to an attaching portion of the cantilever holder, and the main body portion is fixed to the attaching portion by being held by various holding members.
Although various holding members have been proposed, normally, a wire (refer to, for example, JP-A-2003-121335) or a leaf spring (refer to, for example, JP-A-2000-249714) is adopted. Further, generally, a metal material is used for the wire or the leaf spring to ensure to be fixed to the cantilever.
However, according to the above-described cantilever holder of the related arts, the following problem is posed.
That is, in SPM, in order to further diversely observe a sample, various measuring modes are prepared, and an observer observes the sample by selecting an optimum measuring mode in accordance with an object thereof.
For example, there is an AC mode AFM for oscillating a cantilever by a predetermined frequency (resonance frequency or a vicinity thereof) and carrying out scanning while controlling a distance between the stylus and the sample to be constant.
In carrying out measurement by the AC mode AFM, there is a case in which a main body portion cannot firmly be fixed by the cantilever holder of the related art, as a result, there is a case in which an influence is effected on oscillating the cantilever by a predetermined frequency.
That is, although according to the method of fixing the cantilever by utilizing the wire, as shown by, for example, FIGS. 11A and 11B, a main body portion 4 is pressed to a cantilever holder 2 by a wire 43, since the wire 43 is a wire member made by a metal and having a hardness, there is a case in which the wire is not deformed along an outer shape of the cantilever holder 2 to bring about a state in which the wire is brought into contact with two points of both ends of the main body portion 4. Therefore, in this case, the main body portion 4 cannot be firmly fixed by being pressed to the cantilever holder 2.
Further, although according to the method of fixing the cantilever by utilizing the leaf spring, it seems that the cantilever is fixed in a state of apparently bringing the leaf spring and the main body portion into face contact with each other, surfaces of the leaf spring and the main body portion are constituted by shapes of small recesses and projections and therefore, there is a case in which the leaf spring and the main body portion are brought into a point contact state similar to the case of the fixing method utilizing the wire. In this case, multipoints contact is produced and therefore, the fixing becomes more solid than that in the two points contact in the fixing method utilizing the wire, however, it is invariably difficult to fix firmly the main body portion.
In this way, according to the methods of the related arts, the main body portion cannot firmly be fixed and therefore, in accordance with oscillation of the cantilever, also the main body portion is oscillated. Therefore, an influence is effected on a state of oscillating the cantilever and the cantilever cannot be oscillated by a predetermined frequency.
Further, there is a case in which oscillation of the cantilever holder is transmitted to the main body portion, also in this case, the main body portion is oscillated by the transmitted oscillation and the oscillation is further transmitted to the cantilever. That is, the main body portion is not firmly fixed and therefore, oscillation of the cantilever holder is transmitted to the cantilever by way of the main body portion and the cantilever cannot be oscillated by the predetermined frequency.
Therefore, in measuring a Q curve (resonance characteristic curve for determining an optimum value (operating point) of an oscillating frequency), an influence is effected on measurement (for example, a resonance point is shifted, a magnitude of an oscillation amplitude is changed or the like) to bring about a drawback that the Q curve cannot stably be measured. As a result, measurement by the AC mode AFM cannot accurately be carried out.

Cantilever holder and scanning probe microscope


A method for determining wind turbine location within a wind power plant based on at least one design criteria. A wind turbine layout including at least one wind turbine location is prepared and site conditions at each wind turbine location are determined. One or more plant design metrics are evaluated in response to the site conditions. The plant design metrics are analyzed in response to the site conditions. The method further includes applying constraints to the wind turbine layout and comparing the plant design metrics to the design criteria and constraints. Thereafter, the wind turbine locations are selectively adjusted within the layout in response to the comparing step until a stop criteria is reached.

Recently, wind turbines have received increased attention as environmentally safe and relatively inexpensive alternative energy sources. With this growing interest, considerable efforts have been made to develop wind turbines and wind turbine plants that are reliable and efficient.
Generally, a wind turbine includes a rotor having multiple blades. The rotor is mounted to a housing or nacelle, which is positioned on top of a truss or tubular tower. Utility scale wind turbines (i.e., wind turbines designed to provide electrical power to a utility grid) can have large rotors (e.g., 30 or more meters in length). In addition, the wind turbines are typically mounted on towers that are at least 60 meters in height. Blades on these rotors transform wind energy into a rotational torque or force that drives one or more generators that may be rotationally coupled to the rotor through a gearbox. The gearbox steps up the inherently low rotational speed of the turbine rotor for the generator to efficiently convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, which is fed into a utility grid. In other wind turbine configurations, the gearbox may be omitted and the generator may be directly driven or driven through some other type of coupling.
Wind turbine placement optimization within a wind power plant has traditionally been performed with the single objective of maximizing energy production. For example, wind turbine can be placed at the locations within the wind plant having the highest winds based on a wind resource grid and then manually adjusting the turbine layout according to constraints such as exclusion zones and/or minimum spacing constraint. A wind resource grid can be generated using commercially available wind resource assessment or modeling software such as WindPro™ (available from EMD International A/S, Aalborg, Denmark), WindFarmer™ (available from Garrad Hassan, Bristol United Kingdom), or WindFarm™ (available form ReSoft Ltd., Banbury, United Kingdom). There are other design objectives of importance such as minimizing the cost of the wind plant, maximizing financial metrics, and minimizing noise. Typically, noise is a constraint whereas a certain noise level cannot be exceeded at one or more locations. To address cost, financial metrics, and noise constraints, commercial software such as WindPro™, WindFarmer™, or WindFarm™ offer analysis modules that can be used to manually adjust the turbine layout as desired. Therefore, the process of optimizing a turbine layout is iterative and manual. To reduce the manual or trial and error component of optimizing a turbine layout, commercially available wind resource assessment software have an optimization algorithm allowing for the automatic maximization of energy production for a fixed number of wind turbines and a particular wind turbine model/configuration. Noise constraints as well as areas for which wind turbines cannot be installed can be enforced. Additional analyses are needed before the turbine layout can be finalized. One of these additional analyses is the calculation of the mechanical loads on each wind turbine to ensure that they are within the design limits of the wind turbine model(s)/configuration(s) of interest. This task is almost exclusively performed by the wind turbine manufacturer because of their detailed design information and proprietary wind turbine modeling capabilities. Detailed knowledge of the design load margins (site specific loads-design loads) allows the minimization of these load margins, which in turn can yield additional energy capture. Currently, no known method available provides multi-disciplinary optimization capabilities for multiple criteria and constraints that directly include the assessment of mechanical loads.
Therefore, what is needed is a multi-disciplinary method for determining wind turbine placement within a wind power plant that efficiently provides the desired plant design and operational goals according to multiple criteria and constraints including mechanical loads analysis to obtain detailed design load margins.

Method for wind turbine placement in a wind power plant


A device and a method for triggering at least one deceleration device and/or one output-determining actuator element of a vehicle propulsion system, in particular for automatic longitudinal vehicle regulation, a first surroundings sensing device being provided, which delivers longitudinal value-optimized measured values, a second surroundings sensing device being provided, which delivers object lateral dimension-optimized measuring values, and an analyzer device being provided, which receives the output signals of the first and second surroundings sensing devices and the measured values of the first and second surroundings sensing devices being used for object identification. The device and the method are furthermore suitable for initiating or performing vehicle deceleration for collision avoidance or for alleviating the severity of a collision.

The publication "A Small, Light Radar Sensor and Control Unit for Adaptive Cruise Control" by Olbrich, Beez, Lucas, Mayer and Winter, SAE-Paper 980607, presented at the SAE International Congress and Exposition, Detroit, 23, Feb. 23-26, 1998, describes a motor vehicle radar sensor, which detects objects in the travel path of a vehicle and controls the vehicle deceleration devices or vehicle acceleration devices as a function of the detected objects. If the radar sensor detects no object or only detects objects which are not identified as vehicles traveling ahead, the vehicle velocity is regulated as constant velocity regulation. However, if the radar sensor detects objects which are identifiable as vehicles traveling ahead, the vehicle velocity is regulated as constant distance regulation. For this purpose, a three-beam microwave transceiver is used, which emits a frequency-modulated continuous-wave signal and receives reflected partial waves.
German Patent Application No. DE 100 11 263 A1 describes an object detection system, which is provided for vehicles in particular, in which the object detection system has a plurality of object detectors and/or operating modes for different detection ranges and/or detection areas. A radar sensor which has a relatively great detection range and a relatively small angular detection area in a first operating mode and a comparatively small detection range and increased angular detection area in a second operating mode is preferably used as the object detector. This system uses different surroundings sensing devices, each surroundings sensing system covering a different detection area.
In the book "Handbook of Computer Vision and Applications," Academic Press, Boston, 2000 by Jähne, Hauβecker and Geiβler, in the section "Motion" on pages 307 through 392, methods for processing moving images are described, in particular methods for determining and processing the "optical flow."

Method and device for controlling at least one deceleration device and/or an output-determining actuating element of a vehicle drive device


In a planning model, a decision variable optimization process (200) generates a planning function (122) describing the planning model, the planning function (122) depending upon a set of decision variables (125). The planning function (122) is separated into independent planning functions, SPi, each of which depend upon different decision variables (125). Each of the independent planning functions, SPi, is independently optimized to obtain decisions for the different decision variables (125), and an outcome is presented that indicates the decisions. The planning function (122) further includes an embedded constraint function that introduces an embedded constraint to weaken the coupling between decision variables (125) in the planning model, thereby reducing an N-dimensional optimization problem into a lower order optimization problem.

Enterprise modeling is the process of characterizing a real-world enterprise, using mathematical representations, graphs, and/or pictures. An enterprise planning model often utilizes mathematical modeling techniques to analyze complex real-world scenarios, typically with the goal of improving or optimizing performance. Accordingly, an enterprise planning model can ideally provide insight into past, current, and future operating performance, enabling managers to spot trends, identify opportunities, and affect outcomes.
Multi-dimensional optimization entails determining a set of values that maximizes (or minimizes) a function of many decision variables. The types of mathematical relationships (for example, linear, nonlinear, or discontinuous) between the objective, the constraints, and the decision variables determine how difficult the optimization is to solve. The types of mathematical relationships also determine the solution methods or algorithms that can be used for optimization and the confidence that the solution is truly optimal. Such multi-dimensional optimization is problematic in that there is no known single multi-dimensional optimization strategy that can tackle all problems in a satisfactory way. In addition, the presence of constraints, even of simple ones, enhances this difficulty.
One known strategy for performing multi-dimensional optimization is an exhaustive search method in which an entire configuration space of scenarios (i.e., possible combinations of the variables) is performed to select an optimum out of all possibilities. The exhaustive search method will yield the global optimum. Unfortunately, this method is extremely computationally slow and therefore not applicable in practical situations.
Other strategies entail the iterative gradient search methods. These methods use information of the first and possibly second order derivatives of the criterion function to derive optimal search directions towards the optimum. Gradient search methods guarantee decreasing criterion values in successive iterations. The gradient search methods improve significantly over the exhaustive search method, but are still computationally slow and costly. A further disadvantage of these methods is that they are sensitive to the initial estimates of the unknowns if the criterion function has more than one optimum. As such, the gradient search algorithm may converge to a local optimum instead of the desired global optimum. A global optimum is one in which are no other feasible solutions with better objective function values. In contrast, a local optimum is one in which there are no other feasible solutions "in the vicinity" with better objective function values.
Much attention has been directed toward developing algorithms that circumvent convergence toward a local optimum. Two such algorithms are simulated annealing and genetic algorithms. The simulated annealing technique is essentially a local search, in which a move to an inferior solution is allowed with a probability that decreases as the process progresses. As such, there will always be a chance that a solution with a less good value might be retained in preference to a better solution. Thus, fine tuning of parameter settings is required.
Genetic algorithms are search techniques based on an abstract model of Darwinian evolution. Solutions are represented by fixed length strings over some alphabet ("gene" alphabet). Each string can be thought of as a "chromosome". The value of the solution represents the fitness of the chromosome. Survival of the fittest principle is then applied to create a new generation with slow increase of average fitness. Accordingly, genetic algorithms also have the facility of allowing some weak members to survive in the solution pool, but typically have mechanisms for favoring fitter solutions.
Both simulated annealing and genetic algorithms have a fair chance of circumventing convergence toward a local optimum. In addition, both methods are much faster than the exhaustive search method. However, both methods are still computationally expensive as compared with gradient search methods.
Another problem with conventional optimization algorithms arises when optimizing in the presence of coupled decision variables. As used herein, the term "coupled" refers to decision variables and other objectives within an enterprise planning model that are connected causally to influence one another. This coupling further complicates optimization problems, leading to even more computational expense.
Thus, what is needed is a technique, within an enterprise planning model, that can efficiently and cost effectively solve complex optimization problems.

Method and computer program for field spectrum optimization


A system and method are provided for determining an overlay of a first layer N-1 and a second layer N that are positioned one over the other on a substrate. The first layer includes a first overlay portion. The second layer includes a first complementary overlay portion. The first overlay portion and first complementary overlay portion are arranged to form an overlay mark for determining the overlay of the first and second layers. In the second layer a stitching portion and a complementary stitching portion are formed. The stitching portion and complementary stitching portion are arranged to form a stitching mark for determining a stitching overlay between the second layer and an adjacent second layer, with the adjacent second layer being positioned adjacent to the second layer.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. including part of, one, or several dies) of a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). The pattern is typically transferred via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the radiation beam through a pattern in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate in a direction that is parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
The target portion or die on the substrate typically contains product structures (for example, microelectronic devices) and a scribe lane surrounding the product structures. The scribe lane provides a sawing groove to be used during the separation of individual dies from the substrate. During the manufacturing process of the product structures, multiple marker structures are placed in the scribe lane to enable process verification, alignment and alignment verification.
Typically, devices on substrates are manufactured by a sequence of lithographic processing steps in which the devices are formed from a plurality of overlaying layers, each having an individual pattern. Between one layer and the next layer that overlays the previous one, the individual patterns of the one layer and the next layer must be aligned. A measure for the alignment is obtained by an overlay metrology tool which utilizes marker structures in the scribe lane. The overlay metrology tool basically determines a position of a marker structure which has been formed in the one layer and a second position of a second marker structure which has been formed in the next layer overlaying the one layer. One example for determining overlay is the box-in-box overlay measurement technique.
When using the aforementioned scanner techniques for exposing each target portion individually (and repeatedly across the substrate), the so-called zero layer (i.e., a base layer) of each target portion must be aligned with respect to its adjacent target portions. To measure this "die-to-die" alignment which is often referred to as stitching overlay (or stitching), the pattern for each target portion comprises stitching overlay mark structures which overlay with complementary stitching overlay mark structures from the adjacent target portions. Again, the overlay of stitching overlay mark structures and a complementary stitching overlay mark structure can be measured by the overlay metrology tool.
Overlay errors of product structures may originate from at least one of a plurality of error sources, which can not be distinguished by the measurement.
Such overlay error sources include an overlay error of a previous exposure tool, an overlay error of a current exposure tool, a matching error between the overlay errors of the previous exposure tool and of the current exposure tool, a process induced overlay error, and an APC thread induced overlay error (APC: Automatic Process Control).
The overlay error of a previous exposure tool relates to an overlay error that is caused by a previous lithographic apparatus that created a layer previous to the next layer created by the current lithographic apparatus.
The overlay error of a current exposure tool relates to an overlay error made by the current lithographic apparatus.
The matching error relates to mismatch between the previous exposure tool and the current exposure tool.
The process induced overlay error relates to processing steps in between lithographic exposure steps. Such processing steps include annealing, deposition, chemical-mechanical polishing, or other processing steps that may have various unpredictable effects on pattern layers placed on the substrate and thus cause overlay related errors.
The APC thread induced overlay error relates to errors originating from automatic process control (APC). An APC tool is introduced in a fab (i.e., the fabrication facility) and is designed to determine the overlay drift on one lot (or batch) of substrates and to correct for the overlay drift on a next lot. For optimum performance one should predict the drift per tool-set (i.e., the actual lithographic apparatus and other tools used) per product and per layer. This optimum situation is attainable if the fab would produce a single product without tool maintenance. In reality, customers may combine the information of multiple tool and or products into a single thread, due to a need to collect enough data for trend analysis. The drawback of this method is that only an average drift for the single thread can be corrected for.
For the most critical layers where the overlay error must be minimal for device portions with minimal feature sizes such as a width of a control gate in a MOSFET, some of these error sources should be eliminated. Because of this, currently a single exposure tool (lithographic apparatus) is selected for the most critical layers as both the "previous" and the "current" exposure tool for the successive exposure steps. Although beneficial for reduction of overlay error, this approach may create many logistics problems in a fab since the distribution of lots over the lithographic tools in the fab during the manufacturing process becomes strongly limited.

Method and system for overlay control using dual metrology sampling


A management system for determining the security measures of a plurality of vendors. An assessment is performed on a plurality of vendors at a discount. The assessment is placed into a database and is reviewable and accessible by clients who subscribe to the management system. The management system allows clients to review and assess the security information regarding a plurality of vendors without the cost of performing an assessment of each vendor.

Since the proliferation of the internet, organizations have been migrating to outsourced services as a means of cost reduction. The migration has created a large industry. It has also created a large internet technology (IT) security problem. For example, the recent passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GBLA) requires financial institutions to verify that their vendors maintain the appropriate level of IT security. The recent HIPAA regulations place similar requirements on the healthcare industry. Other industry segments are also adopting similar requirements for various standards.
Early in this process, security consisted primarily of password and physical access control. As businesses migrate toward the internet to provide connection between organizations and their outsourced service providers, the attention to IT security is growing rapidly in both scope and level of detail. Therefore, the requirement to verify the IT security of the outsourced service providers has also increased.
For example, financial institutions contract out a variety of services, such as loan processing, credit card processing, home equity services, line of credit services, etc. to outside service providers. However, in carrying out these services for the financial institutions, the outside service providers will necessarily have access and control over non-public information, such as the card holders' home addresses, bank account information, credit card information, investment holdings, etc. This non-public information is the focus of stringent security measures, which are designed to prevent unauthorized persons from having or gaining access to this information.
In response to the threat to this information, rules, regulations and procedures have been designed to ensure its protection. For example, virtually all financial institution regulations and major policies are developed and issued on an interagency basis under the direction of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). The FFIEC is made of the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration. The FFIEC has recently updated the IT security section of the IT Examiner's Handbook, the guideline for all financial institutions examinations. The guidelines have a wider and more technical scope than the previous version released in 1996. This, combined with the GBLA requirements, is placing an increased burden on financial institutions and their vendors regarding auditing and compliance.
Historically, outsourced service providers have been utilizing an SAS70 audit as their main source of proof that their handling of client information is appropriate for the level of security required. An SAS70 is the authoritative guidance that allows service organizations to disclose their control activities and processes to their customers and their customers' auditors in a uniform reporting format. An SAS70 examination signifies that a service organization has had its control objectives and control activities examined by an independent accounting and auditing finn. A formal report including the auditor's opinion ("Service Auditor's Report") is issued to the service organization at the conclusion of an SAS70 examination. The SAS70 was not designed as an assessment of IT security best practices. In addition, with the advent of the fast paced internet and increase in security breeches with quickly changing breeching techniques, the SAS70 is not adequate to provide the required level of information as quickly as the security procedures change.
Research shows that both clients and their outsourced service providers will incur greater costs as a result of this IT security focus. Considering that each client may have many outsourced service providers, additional requirements for manpower and financial resources to track, collect and verify the outsourced service provider's IT security information will increase overhead costs. From the outsourced service providers perspective there are cost increases as well. Larger outsourced service providers may have thousands of clients. Because each client is requesting IT security information, the outsourced service providers will be inundated with requests and burdens of proof. Because of these issues, overhead cost increases will be passed onto the end users.


A method for manufacturing magnetic recording media is provided, by which a magnetic recording medium that has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern, a sufficiently flat surface, and good recording/reproducing properties can be manufactured. The method includes the steps of: depositing a first filling material over a workpiece to cover recording elements formed as convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern, and to fill at least part of a concave portion; depositing a detection material over the first filling material; depositing a second filling material over the detection material; and irradiating a surface of the workpiece with a process gas to flatten the surface. In the flattening step, a component of the detection material removed from and flying off the workpiece is detected to stop the irradiation with the process gas based on a result of detecting the component of the detection material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium having a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional magnetic recording media such as hard disks have been significantly improved in areal density, e.g., by employing finer magnetic grains or alternative materials for the recording layer(s) and by advanced microprocessing of magnetic heads. Although further improvements in areal density are still being sought, these conventional approaches to the improvement of areal density have already reached their limits due to several problems that have arisen. These problems include the limited accuracy of microprocessing of magnetic heads, erroneous recording of information on tracks adjacent to the target track due to spread of a recording magnetic field produced by the magnetic head, and crosstalk during reproducing operations.
As candidate magnetic recoding media that could enable further improvements in areal density, discrete track media or patterned media have been suggested which have a recording layer(s) formed in a concavo-convex pattern and have recording elements formed as the convex portion of the concavo-convex pattern. On the other hand, for magnetic recording media such as hard disks, the flatness of the surface(s) thereof is important in order to stabilize the flying height of the head and thereby provide good recording/reproducing properties. In this context, use of filling material has been suggested to fill the concave portions between the recording elements to thereby flatten the top surfaces of the recording elements and filling materials (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-97419).
Dry etching, for example, can be utilized to form the recording layer in a concavo-convex pattern. There are several techniques available to fill the concave portion with a filling material and flatten the top surfaces of the recording element and the filling material, such as sputtering, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), and IBD (Ion Beam Deposition). These deposition techniques can be used to deposit the filling material on the concavo-convex patterned recording layer to fill the concave portions between the recording elements. Then, an excess part of filling material deposited above the top surface of the recording elements (the surface opposite to the substrate) may be removed by dry etching.
To provide good magnetic properties for the recording layer, the excess part of the filling material is preferably completely removed but the top surface of the recording element is not processed. That is, it is preferable to control the dry etching in the flattening step so that the endpoint of the etching is flush with the top surface of the recording element.
In the case of dry etching, a component of the recording element removed from and flying off the workpiece can be detected by secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) or quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS). The etching can thus be stopped upon detecting the component of the recording element, thereby keeping the extent of variation in the etching endpoint to within several nanometers of the top surface of the recording element.
However, in order to detect a component of the recording element by secondary-ion mass spectrometry or quadrupole mass spectrometry, it is necessary to etch not only an excess part of filling material but also the recording element. Accordingly, a several-nanometer portion near the upper portion of the recording elements will be unavoidably etched, causing degradation in its magnetic property.
In this context, a technique is known in the field of semiconductors for depositing a detection material over the corresponding portions of the recording elements that are to be protected against etching, and detecting a component of the detection material, thereby stopping the etching (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-078185).
This technique can also be utilized in the field of magnetic recording media to deposit a detection material on a concavo-convex patterned recording layer. Immediately after etching reaches the detection material and a component removed from and flying off the detection material starts to be detected, or alternatively, immediately after the component of the detection material once detected has disappeared, the etching may be stopped. This should allow for removal of the excess part of filling material without etching of the recording elements.
However, in the period immediately after the detection material has first started to be scattered, only a small amount of a component flying from the detection material is available. Thus, the secondary-ion mass spectrometry or quadrupole mass spectrometry sometimes cannot readily detect the exact point in time at which the etching has reached the detection material because the difference between noise and data indicative of the component of the detection material starting to be detected cannot be clearly is known.
Conversely, it is relatively easy to determine that the detection material once detected has substantially disappeared. However, the secondary-ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectrometry are intended to detect a component removed from and flying off the detection material. Thus, there will be a time lag between the point in time at which the detection material has actually been completely removed from the workpiece and the point in time at which the detection material is determined to have disappeared.
Accordingly, when the etching is stopped immediately after the detection material is determined to have disappeared, the detection material may have actually already been completely removed from the workpiece and the etching has proceeded further to etch the recording elements.
Furthermore, when the recording elements are etched, the filling material that fills the concave portions between the recording elements is also etched. Since the recording element and the filling material are formed of different materials and thus have different etching rates in general, the filling material in the concave portion may be etched further in conjunction with the recording element, thereby causing a several-nanometer step height between the top surface of the recording elements and the top surface of the filling material. Since discrete track media or patterned media of high areal densities are expected to have a flying height of the head as small as about 5 to 15 nm, even a several-nanometer step height could cause a problem such as a head crash. Incidentally, such a several-nanometer step height would also be produced in semiconductor manufacturing processes. However, semiconductors would never be subjected to such problems as head crashes and thus several-nanometer step heights are not generally problematic for them.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium


Methods and devices for polarizing light in a proton exchange polarizer where cross-coupling of unwanted modes of light is reduced with an integrated spatial filter. An optically transmissive substrate such as a substrate created from LiNbO3 or LiTaO3 has side surfaces, which reflect unguided TM mode light. The light originates from an input fiber. The input fiber is connected to the substrate at one end and an output fiber is connected to receive guided TE mode light at the opposite end. The spatial filter is positioned at the primary reflection position of the light with respect to the sides of the polarizer. To improve extinction further, the spatial filter can also be located at secondary reflection points in another alternate embodiment.

Optical wave guide devices fabricated by the Proton Exchange (PE) method provide some unique qualities. The process of proton exchange increases the refractive index only in extraordinary axis and thus will only guide one polarization state. The other polarization state is unguided and is eventually eliminated. This quality of Proton Exchange devices makes them naturally very high performance polarizers (60 dB or more). In addition, this quality makes them very attractive for use in Multiple Function Chips (MFCs) used in construction of fiber optic gyros (FOGs).
Now refer to FIG. 1A which shows a schematic diagram of a proton exchange polarizer with crosstalk. A proton exchange polarizer 10 includes a LiNbO3 or LiTaO3 material forming an optically transmissive substrate 16. The proton exchange polarizer 10 further includes a glass ferrule 20 as an input coupling for an optical fiber 12 and a glass ferrule 22 coupled to an output fiber 14. The optical fiber 12 receives light comprised of both a TE mode 24 and a TM mode 26. The TE mode 24 includes the solutions of Maxwell's equations with symmetric boundary conditions for an optical wave propagating within the waveguide (i.e. LiNbO3 at both sides of the waveguide) and the TM mode 26 includes the solutions of Maxwell's equations with non-symmetric boundary conditions for an optical wave propagating within the waveguide (i.e. LiNbO3 at one side of the waveguide and air at the opposing side of the waveguide). TE mode light 32 is substantially guided by a proton exchange wave guide 18 through the optically transmissive substrate 16. When light exits the fiber 12 the TM mode 26 becomes unguided TM mode light 30. The TE mode 24 becomes guided TE mode light 32 by the proton exchange wave guide 18.
Unguided TM mode light 30 propagates through the optically transmissive substrate 16. A portion of the unguided TM mode light 30 from the polarizer escapes. An angle of reflection 28 may be determined by the dimensions of the particular embodiment, specifically the distance between the glass ferrules 20 and 22.
The TM mode unguided light 30 is reflected as indicated by light 36 from a bottom 17 and sides of the substrate 16 and exits the substrate through fiber 14. The reflected unguided TM mode light 36 is unwanted in various applications such as fiber-optic gyros.
During the development of proton exchange devices it was discovered that some devices do not have very high extinction ratios (more than 60 dB) as expected. It was also found that the polarizer extinction ratio decreased with device length. After studying different devices, it was concluded that the crosstalk/modulator mechanism had TM light 30 that was unguided by the wave guide 18 and reflected from the bottom 17 and sides of the substrate 16. The reflected TM light 36 was then collected by the output fiber 14. It was believed that longer polarizer length results in a smaller angle of reflection, which increases this pickup. Several polarizers of different lengths were measured to confirm this theory.

Devices and methods for spatial filtering