A semiconductor device has a plurality of wafers which are laminated to each other, wherein: each wafer comprises an lamination surface to which another wafer is laminated; the lamination surface is provided with an electric signal connecting portion that electrically connects to said another surface so as to form a semiconductor circuit; at least one of the electrical signal connecting portions facing each other is a protruding connection portion that protrudes from the lamination surface; and a reinforcing protruding portion that is insulated from the semiconductor circuit and is provided in an area where the protruding connection portion is not disposed on the lamination surface formed with the protruding connection portion so as to protrude from the lamination surface with a height equal to or larger than that of the protruding connection portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. In particular, the invention relates to a semiconductor device in which a plurality of wafers are laminated together and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-035164, filed on Feb. 15, 2008, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
A three-dimensional semiconductor integrated circuit device having a configuration in which two or more wafers are laminated and are electrically connected to each other through an embedded wiring line is known in the related art. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H11-261000 (hereinafter Patent Document 1) discloses a semiconductor device obtained by the following manufacturing method.
First, a trench (deep groove) is formed in one wafer to be laminated, the inside of the trench is thermally oxidized, and then polysilicon as a conductor is embedded into the trench to form an embedded wiring line. Then, the wafer is made thin until the embedded wiring line is exposed, and a bottom surface bump is formed at the position of a bottom surface of the wafer corresponding to the embedded wiring line. Then, the bottom surface bump of the wafer and a top surface bump formed on a top surface of another wafer to be laminated are laminated and an insulating adhesive is injected between the two laminated wafers, thereby manufacturing a three-dimensional semiconductor integrated circuit device.
In addition, an example of a semiconductor device that forms a desired semiconductor circuit by laminating a plurality of substrates together and electrically connecting semiconductor circuit portions formed on the substrates is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2007-59769 (hereinafter Patent Document 2). In the semiconductor device disclosed in the Patent Document 2, a semiconductor circuit portion of an upper substrate and a semiconductor circuit portion of a lower substrate are electrically connected to each other by being laminated in a state where a penetrating wiring portion exposed from a bottom surface of the upper substrate and a bump of a principal surface of the lower substrate are in contact with each other.
However, in the known semiconductor device in which a plurality of wafers are laminated together, the plurality of wafers are electrically connected to each other through an electric signal connecting portion, such as a bump or a penetrating wiring portion protruding from a lamination surface.
For example, in the technique disclosed in the Patent Document 1, the wafer disposed at the upper side and the wafer disposed at the lower side are electrically connected to each other through the bump formed to protrude from the wafer surface. In addition, in the technique disclosed in the Patent Document 2, the upper substrate and the lower substrate are electrically connected to each other through the penetrating wiring portion protruding from the bottom surface of the upper substrate and the bump protruding from the principal surface of the lower substrate.
When electrically connecting the plurality of wafers through the electric signal connecting portion protruding from the lamination surface as described above, the electric signal connecting portion was often damaged in laminating the wafers together. If the electric signal connecting portion is damaged, the electrical stability or reliability in the electric signal connecting portion becomes insufficient or the mechanical characteristics of the semiconductor device become unstable. Accordingly, there was a possibility that a semiconductor device with stable performance could not be obtained.
In view of the above situation, it is an object of the invention to provide a semiconductor device which is able to effectively prevent damage occurring in an electric signal connecting portion protruding from a lamination surface in laminating a plurality of wafers together and which has excellent reliability and stable performance.
In addition, it is another object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which is able to effectively prevent damage occurring in an electric signal connecting portion protruding from a lamination surface in laminating a plurality of wafers together and which has excellent reliability and stable performance.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing semiconductor device


A gas turbine engine includes a combustor having a fuel nozzle assembly for delivering fuel to a combustion chamber. A sensor is at least partially housed within the fuel nozzle assembly for sensing a parameter associated with the delivery of fuel to the combustion chamber. In one example, the sensor is an optical sensor coupled to an optical decoder for ascertaining the parameter. A trim valve is in communication with the fuel nozzle assembly. A controller is in communication with the sensor and is programmed to actuate the trim valve to adjust the amount of fuel delivered through the fuel nozzle assembly in response to the parameter. In one example, an end of the optical sensor is arranged near a fuel exit of the fuel nozzle assembly. The controller actuates the trim valve for the fuel nozzle assembly to achieve a desired air/fuel ratio and/or balance the fuel delivery of the fuel nozzle assembly relative to another fuel nozzle assembly within the gas turbine engine's combustor system.

The present invention relates to a gas turbine engine combustor system, and more particularly, the invention relates to a fuel nozzle having a sensor to provide feedback control for the combustor system.
Gas turbine engines typically include a combustor system having multiple fuel nozzles. It is desirable to balance the fuel delivered by the fuel nozzles relative to one another to achieve uniform combustion across the combustor system and improve fuel efficiency. To this end, feedback control systems have been proposed and used on industrial gas turbine engines. Industrial gas turbine engines that use feedback controls employ a separate sensor, valve and fuel nozzle. Such a solution is too heavy for an aircraft gas turbine engine. Furthermore, separate components require additional penetrations into a housing diffuser case in the combustor system. Industrial gas turbine engine feedback control systems also have not been employed in gas turbine engines used on aircraft due to elevated temperatures and pressures in the combustor system of these engines.
What is needed is a feedback control system for a combustor system of an aircraft gas turbine engine that does not significantly increase weight, reduce reliability, or compromise the structural integrity of the engine. It is also desirable that the feedback control system be robust and easily replaced.

Integrated fuel nozzle with feedback control for a gas turbine engine


A technique is described for generating error buffer that includes errors from both a program and event handlers called by the program. A program in an event-driven environment triggers an event. In response to the triggered event, the program calls event handlers related to the event. The event handlers are executed and error messages generated during the execution are stored in a local error buffer. Upon completion of the event handlers, the local error buffers are returned to the program and the program merges the local error buffers with an error buffer associated with the program.

An application is run on a processor for the purpose of performing one or more tasks on a system. The application, which is made up of computer code, contains application logic that dictates how the system processes different inputs in different scenarios. Errors that are generated during execution of the computer program are stored in an error buffer and subsequently reported to the user.
A computer program can be modularized and event-driven by implementing the application logic using events and event handlers. An event is an input (e.g., a user action or system occurrence) that can be detected by the computer program. Exemplary events include pressing a button on a mouse, pressing a key on a keyboard, or a threshold being reached. When an event is triggered (also known as raising an event), event handlers related to the event are called to process the event. However, errors that are generated during execution of an event handler have no way of being stored in the error buffer since there is no communication channel from the event handler back to the application. As a result, the application's error buffer does not provide a full representation of the errors that occurred during execution of the application.


A water-based hybrid ink that includes as components (a) water, (b) an UV-curing oligomer and/or polymer containing ethylenically unsaturated functional groups, (c) a humectant, (d) a radical-forming photoinitiator, wherein the hybrid ink additionally includes (e) a heat-curing oligomer and/or polymer containing complementary functional groups.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Water-based inks with UV-curing resins and acrylate monomers are an increasingly discussed topic in the printing industry. Such inks make it possible to create thinner cured ink films on a substrate in comparison to the typical acrylic-based UV inks, which consist largely of one or more monomers, whereby expensive acrylate monomer as a starting material can be saved.
EP1036831 A1, for example, discloses a water-based ink of this type with a UV-curing resin and an acrylate monomer, which is used in an inkjet printer. This ink comprises a urethane oligomer, a monomer with a trifunctional or higher reactive group, a photopolymerization initiator, a colorant, and an aqueous solvent, wherein the monomer is an acrylate monomer based on trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol, or dipentaerythritol.
Furthermore, in the examples provided in this document discloses a printing process wherein in a first step, droplets of this ink are printed on a substrate. In a second step, the droplets are dried at a specific temperature to remove the aqueous solvent, and subsequently in a third step, the droplets are irradiated with UV light to cure the UV components of the ink.
Additionally, this document discloses in the description a printing process wherein in a first step droplets of this ink are printed on a substrate. In a second step, the droplets are irradiated in UV light to cure the UV components of the ink, and in a third step the droplets are dried at a specific temperature to remove the aqueous solvent.
WO2013034880A2 describes a similar water-based ink comprising the components i) polyurethane with ethylenically unsaturated groups, ii) a water-soluble triacrylate, iii) a colorant, iv) a liquid comprising water and an organic solvent, v) optionally a photoinitiator, vi) optionally a surfactant, whereby the proportion of component iv) is greater than the rest of the components of the ink combined. Furthermore, the document discloses a method for printing a substrate with this ink, wherein in a first step the ink is dried and in a second step the ink is irradiated with UV light to cure the UV components of the ink.
DE602004006908T2 describes a water-based ink for an inkjet printing process comprising water, a water-miscible resin, and a water-soluble UV-curable humectant, which is chosen from a polyalkylene glycol acrylate, polyether acrylate, a highly ethoxylated derivative of acrylate, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, polyether triacrylate, ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate, or any combination of these. In accordance with this method, such inks are applied to the substrate to be printed in a first step, heated to remove water in a second step, and cured with UV radiation in a third step.
EP 1 792 956 B1 discloses a water-based mixture curable with electron radiation comprising: i) water, ii) an ethylenically unsaturated oligomer, iii) a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated resin containing neutralized acidic or basic functional groups, which is a surface-active material incorporating chemically hydrophilic or hydrophobic structures; wherein the resulting mixture is a single-phase solution containing no photoinitiator.
EP 2 703 459 B1 discloses a method for forming up a printing mechanism, wherein the method comprises the following steps: i) preparing of a photocuring ink mixture containing a colorant, water, a photoinitiator, a UV-curing polyurethane dispersion, a hydrophobically radiation-curing monomer, and a water-soluble or water-miscible radiation-curing monomer; ii) preparing of a substrate medium; iii) spraying of a jet of droplets of the photocuring ink onto the substrate medium; iv) pinning the inkjet mixture as soon as it is printed on the substrate medium; v) drying the ink mixture; vi) applying light energy to the ink mixture, wherein the light energy has a frequency- and energy-level suitable for curing the photocuring ink mixture.
The water-based inks described above indeed make it possible to create thinner hardened films. However, after curing, they usually retain a residual amount of unreacted—that is, uncured—photoinitiator and/or UV-curing monomer and/or UV-curing oligomer and/or polymer.
It would be desirable to have a water-based ink available which, on the one hand, utilizes the advantages of the aforementioned inks, and on the other hand makes possible the creation of ink films which, after curing, retain at least a lower amount of at least one unreacted UV-curing component.

Water-based hybrid ink, and method for the production of an article printed with said ink

DURST PHOTOTECHNIK DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY GMBH


A mixture formed from one or more alkyl disulfides, benzene, and at least about 1.5 equivalents of Lewis acid catalyst is heated to form alkanethiobenzene. Reaction in a mixture formed from excess benzene, dimethyldisulfide (DMDS) and AlCl.sub.3 in which the mole ratio of AlCl.sub.3 to DMDS was 2:1 was complete in 2 hours and afforded 98% conversion and 93% yield of thioanisole. In contrast, the same reaction when attempted using a 1:1 mole ratio of AlCl.sub.3 to DMDS after 6 hours achieved only 66% conversion and a thioanisole yield of only 35%. So far as is known, this is the first example of a highly efficient electrophilic aromatic substitution of the inactivated benzene ring by an alkanethio group.

Thioanisole is a useful pharmaceutical intermediate. A known method for production of thioanisole involves methylation of thiophenol with methyl chloride in aqueous base. Hiroshi, I. et al., Japan Kokai Tokkyo Koho 94-95830, April, 1994. However, thiophenol is a costly raw material for thioanisole production.
A variety of other synthetic reactions for certain arylalkylsulfides are known. See for example, Barrett, G. C. "Sulfides" in Comprehensive Organic Chemistry, Edited by Barton and Ollis, Pergamon Press, 1979, and references cited therein. These include: Lewis acid catalyzed alkanethiolation of arenes using dimethyldisulfide or its derivatives, nucleophilic aromatic substitution of aryl halides with alkanethiolate salt, acid catalyzed alkanethiolation of aryl alcohols using alkane thiols, Pd-catalyzed alkanethiolation of arylhalides with alkane thiols, nucleophilic aromatic substitution of alkanethiolate with diazonium salt of arylamines, etc. Many of these alkanethiolation reactions work well with activated arenes such as phenols or anilines, but have not proven suitably effective for alkanethiolation of inactivated benzene itself. Indeed, only a few examples of thioanisole synthesis from benzene are known. For example, in Brintzingher, L., Chem. Ber. 1953, 86, 557, 562, it is shown that methanethiolation of benzene with methanesulfenylchloride in the presence of one equivalent of AlCl.sub.3 produced a yield of about 50%. Xylene and mesitylene were methanethiolated with methanethiosulfonate in the presence of one equivalent of AlCl.sub.3, but not benzene or toluene. See Kloosterziel, H. et al., Chem. Comm., 1971, 1365. It appears that there have been no synthetic reactions reported enabling efficient alkanethiolation of benzene. This invention provides such a process.


A curved lamp manufacturing method including a curving process in which a straight glass tube sealed with reduced pressure inside is heated and curved. The curving process includes: a first step of holding a predetermined portion of the glass tube using a first chuck, and holding one end portion of the glass tube using a second chuck such that the second chuck can slide in a longitudinal direction of the glass tube; and a second step of, while heating a planned curved portion of the glass tube positioned between the predetermined portion and the end portion by a heater, curving the planned curved portion by moving the second chuck relative to the glass tube. The end portion is moved in the second step so that a weight of the end portion is applied to the planned curved portion that has been softened by the heater.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a curved lamp manufacturing method for manufacturing a curved lamp by curving a straight glass tube, a curved lamp, and a backlight unit.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (hereinafter referred to as fluorescent lamps) used in backlight units for liquid crystal display screens are one example of conventional curved lamps. The fluorescent lamps are in the shape of character "U" or "L". When they are used in a direct-below-type backlight unit, a plurality of fluorescent lamps in the shape of character "U" are arranged at the back of the screen. When they are used in an edge-light-type backlight unit, the fluorescent lamps in the shape of character "L" are attached to the rim of a rectangular optical waveguide.
In the fluorescent lamps, it is required that the bending radius (curvature radius) of the curved portion is as small as possible (as close to the right angle as possible). The following is the reason for it. In the case of the direct-below type backlight unit, the larger the curvature radius of the curved portion is, the less the number of fluorescent lamps to be arranged is. If a small number of fluorescent lamps are used, only low brightness is provided by the backlight unit. In the case of the edge-light type, the larger the curvature radius at the curved portion is, the greater the distance between the fluorescent lamps and the optical waveguide is. If there is a great distance between the fluorescent lamps and the optical waveguide, only a small amount of light enters the optical waveguide, the light distribution characteristics is deteriorated, and the backlight unit becomes large in size.
In the direct-below type, to average the light distributed to the screen, for example, the curved portion in the shape of character "U" is arranged at a position outside the screen display area. The larger the curvature radius of the curved portion is, the greater the length of the curved portion is. As a result, if the curvature radius of the curved portion is increased, the curved portion outside the screen display area is extended as much, and a large amount of light, among the light emitted from the lamp, is wasted (not illuminating the screen). Also, this makes the outer frame of the screen larger in width, making the monitor apparatus itself larger in size.
In manufacturing such a fluorescent lamp, first a straight lamp (hereinafter referred to as a straight-tube lamp) is manufactured by applying a fluorescent substance onto the inner surface of a straight glass tube, attaching electrodes to both ends of the straight glass tube, and filling the glass tube with mercury, a rare gas or the like. The manufactured straight-tube lamp is then curved into the shape of character "U" or "L". It should be noted here that the pressure inside the glass tube is kept to be lower than the atmospheric pressure.
The curving of the straight-tube lamp into the shape of character "U" or "L" is performed after the planned curved portion of the straight-tube lamp is heated and softened. As one example of the method for heating and softening the straight-tube lamp, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 6-243782 discloses use of a coil that is formed by winding a heating lead wire made of a nichrome wire or a Kanthal wire (hereinafter, the coil of the heating lead wire is referred to as a coil heater).
More specifically, while being held to extend in a horizontal direction, the straight-tube lamp is passed through the coil heater. One end of the straight-tube lamp is then fixed by a fixed chuck and the other end is held by a roller guide chuck in a manner that the roller guide chuck can move in the longitudinal direction of the straight-tube lamp. When the straight-tube lamp is in the above-mentioned state, the coil heater is electrified to heat and soften the planned curved portion, while rotating the fixed chuck along a horizontal plane around a predetermined axis.
Meanwhile, in recent years, as display panels of the liquid crystal display apparatuses have become thinner, glass tubes used in such displays have become narrower. Accordingly, glass tubes as narrow as 1-8 mm in the outer diameter have been used.
However, the above-described conventional method has a problem in manufacturing such narrow lamps. That is to say, the conventional method cannot be used to curve such narrow glass tubes, or such narrow lamps are manufactured at extremely low manufacturing efficiency. This is because the curving process makes the outer side of the curved portion thinner and weaker. As a result, when such a narrow glass tube is partially curved, the curved portion becomes weak, and by the negative pressure inside the glass tube and the atmospheric pressure, the weak portion is collapsed. In the conventional method, to prevent such collapses, a predetermined level of the curvature radius is required. This prevents the backlight unit from being made compact, and also prevents the improvement in the brightness and light distribution.

Curved lamp manufacturing method, curved lamp, and backlight unit

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


This present invention relates to interbody spinal implants and methods of using such implants. Certain embodiments of the present invention are particularly suitable for placement using an anterior surgical approach. Certain embodiments of the present invention include a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, opposing lateral sides, and opposing anterior and posterior portions. Interbody spinal implants, as now taught, further include roughened surface topography on at least a portion of its top surface and/or bottom surface. Preferred embodiments of the interbody spinal implant are substantially hollow and have a generally oval-shaped transverse cross-sectional area. Preferred embodiments of further include at least one aperture that extends the entire height of the implant body. This vertical aperture also defines a transverse rim having greater posterior thickness than anterior thickness. Certain embodiments also preferably include at least one aperture that extends the entire transverse length of the implant body.

In the simplest terms, the spine is a column made of vertebrae and discs. The vertebrae provide the support and structure of the spine while the spinal discs, located between the vertebrae, act as cushions or "shock absorbers." These discs also contribute to the flexibility and motion of the spinal column. Over time, the discs may become diseased or infected, develop deformities such as tears/cracks, or simply lose structural integrity, for example bulge or flatten. These impaired discs can affect the anatomical functions of the vertebrae, due to the resultant lack of proper biomechanical support, and are often associated with chronic back pain.
Several surgical techniques have been developed to address spinal defects, such as disc degeneration, deformity, or both. Spinal fusion has become a recognized surgical procedure for mitigating back pain by restoring biomechanical and anatomical integrity to the spine. Spinal fusion techniques involve the removal, or partial removal, of at least one intervertebral disc and preparation of the disc space for receiving an implant by shaping the exposed vertebral endplates. An implant is then inserted between the opposing endplates.
Spinal fusion procedures can be achieved using a posterior or anterior approach. Anterior interbody fusion procedures generally have reduced operative times, reduced blood loss, and do not interfere with the posterior anatomic structure of the lumbar spine. Anterior procedures also minimize scarring within the spinal canal while still achieving improved fusion rates, which is advantageous from a structural and biomechanical perspective. These generally preferred anterior procedures are particularly advantageous in providing improved access to the disc space, and thus correspondingly better endplate preparation.
Several interbody implant systems have been introduced to facilitate interbody fusion. Traditional threaded implants involve at least two cylindrical bodies, each typically packed with bone graft material, surgically placed on opposite sides of the mid-sagittal plane through pre-tapped holes within the intervertebral disc space. This is not, however, the preferable seating position for an implant system, since only a relatively small portion of the vertebral endplate is contacted by these cylindrical implants. Accordingly, these implant bodies will likely contact the softer cancellous bone rather than the stronger cortical bone, or apophyseal rim, of the vertebral endplate. The seating of these threaded cylindrical implants may also compromise biomechanical integrity by reducing the area in which to distribute mechanical forces, thus increasing the apparent stress experienced by both the implant and vertebrae. Still further, a substantial risk of implant subsidence into the softer cancellous bone of the vertebral body may arise from such improper seating.
In contrast, open ring-shaped cage implant systems are generally shaped to mimic the anatomical contour of the vertebral body. Traditional ring-shaped cages, however, are generally comprised of allograft bone material, harvested from the human femur, which restrict the usable size and shape of the resultant implant. For example, many of these femoral ring-shaped cages generally have a medial-lateral width of less than 25 mm. As such, these cages may not be of a sufficient size to contact the strong cortical bone, or apophyseal rim, of the vertebral endplate. These size-limited implant systems may also poorly accommodate related instrumentation such as drivers, reamers, etc. For example, these implants systems may lack sufficient structural integrity to withstand repeated impaction and may facture during implantation. Still further, other traditional non-allograft ring-shaped cage systems may be size-limited due to varied and complex supplemental implantation instrumentation which may obstruct the disc space while requiring greater exposure of the operating space. These supplemental implantation instrumentation systems also generally increase the instrument load upon the surgeon.
An implant system's corresponding surgical procedure should preserve as much vertebral endplate bone surface as possible by minimizing the amount of bone removed. This vertebral endplate bone surface, or subchondral bone, is generally much stronger than the underlying cancellous bone. Preservation of the endplate bone stock ensures biomechanical integrity of the endplates and minimizes the risk of implant subsidence. Thus, proper interbody implant design should provide for optimal seating of the implant while utilizing the maximum amount of available supporting vertebral bone stock.
Traditional interbody spinal implants generally do not seat properly on the preferred structural bone located near the apophyseal rim of the vertebral body, which is primarily composed of preferred dense subchondral bone. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for interbody spinal implants, as now taught, which better utilize the structurally supportive bone of the apophyseal rim.


A cap includes an upper cap portion to enclose an opening of a bottle and hold a dosage of fluid, a lower cap portion to extend into the bottle and increase the dosage capacity of the cap, and a skirt configured to engage the exterior surface of the bottle to secure the cap to the bottle. The upper cap portion includes a top and a first sidewall having one or more sections that protrude radially away from other portions of first sidewall.

Threaded caps are used in various industries as bottle closures. Threaded caps typically include a cylindrical-shaped wall and a thread disposed along the interior surface of the wall so that the cap may be securely received on a bottle neck via the application of torque. To ensure that threaded caps seal bottle openings reliably, the caps are designed to withstand impact forces that may dislodge and break the cap. One approach for strengthening the integrity of caps is limiting the caps' transverse dimension or a portion of the cap that rests above the end of the bottle neck (i.e., rest height).
Along with sealing the fluid held in the bottle, threaded caps may serve other purposes, such as receiving and holding a dosage of fluid dispensed from the bottle. Increasing the dosage capacity of the cap above the end of the bottle neck, however, may constrain the cap's impact tolerance, thereby compromising the cap's leak performance. Thus, threaded caps having larger dosage capacities have a tendency to break at the base of the upper area above the end of the bottle neck, even when exposed to minimal impact forces.
Some conventional threaded caps may also be used to enclose a dispenser received within a bottle neck. While having a dispenser disposed within a bottle neck may aid a user pouring liquid out of the bottle, the dispenser may disrupt proper placement of the seal between the bottle neck and the cap, thereby increasing the risk of leaking or unwanted rotational movement of the dispenser.


A shop horse pad of closed cell foam is cylindrical in shape and having a central radial opening provided therein. An axial slit is provided along the length of the pad that creates two axial edges. A strip of adhesive is arranged along at least one of the axial edges. A covering strip, of preferably cellophane, is provided on the strip of adhesive such that when it is removed, the two axial edges adhere together. In this manner, a user may simply force the pad over the horizontal work tubing of the shop horse and removes the covering strip. Thereafter, the axial edges of the pad are forced together to form a solid pad about the exterior of the horizontal tubing.

Generally, the invention relates to a pad for use with a shop horse in automotive repair shops, paint shops, and other types of repair businesses. More particularly, the invention is a foam pad that rests atop a working portion of a tube that forms a shop horse for preventing damage to parts that are rested upon the shop horse.
A shop horse is portable stand or bench having a horizontal surface, such as tubing, that rests atop a plurality of legs. The horizontal surface serves as an upper working surface upon which parts are rested. The shop horse typically comprises two pieces of u-shaped tubing that are coupled together to form a pair of legs on opposite sides of the pair of upper working surfaces of the shop horse. Each piece of u-shaped tubing includes a vertical leg each leg includes a rubber tip that engages a floor surface. A protective pad or cover is provided on the horizontal portion of the tubing. This horizontal portion of the tubing forms the working portion of the shop horse and the protective pad prevents damage to any articles that are rested on the shop horse. Mechanics, automotive technicians and painters typically use shop horses to rest car parts and the like thereon when performing automotive maintenance and painting services.
Shop horses are purchased from a retailer with a pad or cover already installed on the horizontal working surface. This cover protects the items placed on the stand during repair work so that no damage occurs to the item during the repair. Items that may be rested atop a shop horse range from light weight items, such as tools and small parts, to heavy weight items such as doors, fenders, hoods, and bumpers. The factory pads on the shop horses are typically one-half inch (½′) thick or less and wear out within a few months or weeks, depending upon the level of work performed on the shop horse. These factory installed pads provide minimal protection and quickly disintegrate during ordinary working conditions. The disintegration of these factory installed foam pads produces dust particles which can become impregnated in wet paint and other coatings that are being applied to the item resting atop the shop horse. This type of pad may include an adhesive that is provided between the pad and the working potion of the tubing.
The disintegration of the original factory pads also requires the user to repair or replace the original pad. Previously, the shop horse was simply covered with rags, towels, and bubble wrap, collectively referred to as replacement items. These replacement items were intended to provide protection for the items placed on the shop horse after the pad begins to disintegrate. This is an ineffective repair which causes the constant replacement of these rags, towels and bubble wrap. Moreover, if the replacement items are not properly secured to the working portion of the tubing, they may cause damage to objects on which work is being performed by allowing them to slide or drop from the work horse.


A pneumatic, liquid-dispensing gun includes: a central body (1); a pneumatic body (2); a needle (10) having a guide (6) and a conical tip; a nozzle (3) fixed in place with a nut (4); a sealing bellows (5) concentric to the needle (10); a pneumatic rod (9); a flow regulator (8) having a graduated scale, serving as a vernier scale; a retainer joint (16); a safety spring (17); an element (7) into which the flow regulator (8) is screwed, which at the same time is locked in by a flange (12); four screws (11) which connect the central body (1), the pneumatic body (2) and the flange (12); O-rings (13) and (14) inserted between the central body (1) and the pneumatic body (2); and a dovetail (18) disposed in the central body (1) and which is used to install and adjust the gun in machines and other devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pneumatically actuated gun for dispensing liquids, from among the various devices for applying gum used to seal containers.
This invention is applied to industrial processes in which speed of operation is a parameter as important as precision of the application, such as in packaging food products in metal tins.
The invention has a special construction of the gun that allows its installation in moving parts of machines or in industrial processes where the reduced weight and size are crucial.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many guns or liquid application devices available in the market, but most are not designed for installation in moving parts, or are not pneumatically actuated, or are not as small and lightweight, or do not have the speed of operation of the invention described in what follows.
Installations for applying gum to steel or aluminium lids of tins using a sealant gum are of the type of Patent GB8308721, of W.R. Grace Ltd., of 14.10.82.
Patent EPO 0736332 by Rieck & Melzian GmbH is for an "Apparatus for applying gum to the edge portion of non-circular lids", with a fixed nozzle and a revolving lid, synchronising a toothed wheel with a toothed disc having the form of the lid, so that the number of teeth of the disc is a multiple of that of the wheel, as well as having two control cams that adapt the position of the disc to that of the wheel maintaining the teeth engaged, while the other cam ensures that the opening of the injection nozzle is on the midline of the sealing band being deposited next to the edge of the lid.
Lastly, and more directly related, Patent PCT ES 02/00271 of the present applicant relates to a "Cutter-gummer for the edges of non-circular metal lids of containers" that incorporates among other elements a large revolving plate and a diversity of workstations housed in said plate and provided with edge-cutting and gumming devices, diametrically opposite each other, that works with any shape of lid or base, adapting to their geometry by revolving the lids in the workstations, in which the gumming apparatus inclines the gun with total precision to follow the top edge of the copying cam by a follower arm in any angular position with respect to the plane of attachment to the arm, fixed for each type of lid, directing the stream of gum towards the base of the lid and by centrifugal force to the inner face of the edge wing and to a substantial portion of the lower segment of its rounding, without producing any spillage of gum to the outside due to overflowing.
The applicant is not aware of any registrations of pneumatically actuated guns in which the operational speed, application precision, weigh and size parameters are decisive.


A hill descent system for a vehicle and a control method thereof comprising: wheels; wheel speed sensors used for detecting the speeds of the wheels; motors used for selectively driving or braking the wheels; a motor controllers, for controlling the working states of the motors; resolver sensors for detecting the rotational speeds of the motors; and a vehicle control unit for determining the actual downhill speed of the vehicle and adjusting the working states of the motors to control the descent of the vehicle.

In the related art, some hill descent systems are developed on the basis of an anti-lock braking system (ABS), but a hydraulic brake system has the disadvantages of low efficiency, slow response, high cost, etc. Moreover, the hill descent systems require repeated pressure brakes of a hydraulic pump, which will inevitably result in energy loss.

Hill descent system for vehicle and control method thereof


A main object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL element being excellent in light emitting characteristics, characteristics of an organic EL layer and current-voltage characteristic. To attain the object, the invention discloses—an organic electroluminescent element comprises a substrate, an anode layer formed on the substrate, an organic electroluminescent layer formed on the anode layer and—containing at least a light emitting layer, a semitransparent cathode layer formed on the organic electroluminescent layer, a transparent buffer layer formed on the semitransparent cathode layer and having an impact buffering function, and a transparent electroconductive protection layer formed on the transparent buffer layer and having an oxidation preventing function. A contact region in which the semitransparent cathode layer and the transparent electroconductive protection layer contact with each other is provided in a non-display area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent element in which a transparent electroconductive layer is formed on a light emitting layer by such as a sputtering method.
2. Description of the Related Art
The organic electroluminescent (which may be hereinafter abbreviated as EL) element in which the light emitting layer is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes and light is emitted by applying voltage between the electrodes has advantages such as follows: high visibility due to self light emission, excellent impact resistance because it is an entirely solid element unlike a liquid crystal element, a high response speed, less susceptibility to temperature changes, and a large viewing angle. Thus, the EL element is attracting attention for applications as light emitting elements in display devices.
The organic EL element fundamentally takes a laminated structure of an anode layer/a light emitting layer/a cathode layer. Conventionally, it is a general practice that the anode layer as a transparent electroconductive layer is laminated on a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate, and a light emitting layer and a cathode layer are subsequently laminated on the anode layer. Thus, a bottom emission type in which light is taken out of a side of the anode layer has been employed.
On the other hand, a top emission type in which a cathode layer is designed as a transparent electroconductive layer and light is taken out of a side of the cathode layer has recently been noted. With realization of the top emission type, if the cathode and the anode are designed as transparent electroconductive layers, an entirely transparent light emitting element can be obtained, which can realize light emission from both faces of the element. Since an arbitrary color can be adopted as a background color for such a transparent light emitting element, the element can make a display device which retains a colored state even at a time when it emits no light, and thereby enhance decorativeness. Further, since the emission of the light is not shielded in the top emission type by TFTs (thin film transistors) in case of an active driving display device, the display device having a high aperture ratio can be provided.
As an example of the top emission type organic EL element, an organic EL element is disclosed, in which an organic light emitting layer is formed between an anode layer and a cathode layer, the cathode layer is composed of an electron injecting layer and a transparent electroconductive layer, and the electron injecting layer is arranged on a side of the organic light emitting layer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) 10-1162959).
However, in the case of the top emission type organic EL element, a transparent electroconductive film layer made of ITO or the like is generally formed by a sputtering method. Therefore, when the transparent electroconductive layer is formed on the light emitting layer, members such as the light emitting layer, the electron injecting layer and the hole injecting layer are impacted with such as sputtered particles, Ar+ and ionized electrons at the time of the sputtering. Consequently, there was a problem that the light emitting characteristics are deteriorated (reduction in the current density, reduction in the light emitting efficiency, and the current leakage). In addition, when plasma is used to form the transparent electroconductive layer, there was a problem that the light emitting layer was exposed to a plasma atmosphere and the light emitting characteristics were likely to be deteriorated. Furthermore, there was another problem that when oxygen is introduced or oxygen is released from a target in forming the transparent electroconductive layer, there was a problem that a highly reactive metal contained in the electron injecting layer was oxidized, thereby deteriorating the characteristics of the electron injecting layer (reduction in the current density, reduction in the light emitting efficiency and the enlargement of dark spots).
In order to solve such problems, trials have been made to form various layers between the light emitting layer and the transparent electroconductive layer (upper electrode). For example, there are disclosed an organic EL element in which a sputtering protection layer made of gold, nickel or aluminum is formed between a light emitting layer and a transparent electroconductive layer (JP-A2003-77651); an organic EL element in which a cathode layer is designed as a two-layer structure and between first and second cathode layers is formed an electron transporting protecting layer made of an electron transporting organic material such as bathocuproin (BCP) doped with an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal (such as Li, Cs, Ba, Sr, Ca) (JP-A2004-127740); an organic EL element in which a cathode layer has a thin metal layer and this thin metal layer is covered with a protective layer made of a semiconductor (ZnSe or the like) having a wide band gap (JP-A10-223377); an organic EL element in which a hole injecting layer having a thickness of 30 to 1000 nm is formed between an organic light emitting layer and an upper transparent anode layer (JP-A2004-227943); and an organic EL element in which between an organic EL layer and a transparent electroconductive layer is formed a buffer layer made of a phthalocyanine compound doped with a metal such as Au, Pt or Ag (JP-A2004-296234).
However, when various layers are inserted between the light emitting layer and the transparent electroconductive layer (upper electrode) as mentioned above, obviously, transparency are required for those layers. Unless the electron transporting property and the electron injecting property of those layers are sufficiently high, there were problems that the electric resistance of the entire element became higher, that the current-voltage characteristic was deteriorated, and that balance between the holes and the electrons injected into the light emitting layer was disrupted, so that the light emitting characteristics were deteriorated.

Organic electroluminescent having a transparent electroconductive layer formed on a light emitting layer


It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a magnetostrictive element, capable of assuredly producing a magnetostrictive element by powder metallurgy. In a container for sintering 10, a compact 100 is sintered into a magnetostrictive element having a composition of SmFe2 while held by a support 20 of SmFe2 or Nb stable during the sintering step. The support 20 is composed of particles coming into contact with the compact 100 at multiple points, to control fusion-bonding between the support 20 and the compact 100 to a limited extent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a magnetostrictive element and a magnetostrictive element, more particularly a method for producing a magnetostrictive element which contains Sm and a transition metal element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetostriction is a phenomenon of a ferromagnetic material to undergo a dimensional change when magnetized, and a magnetostrictive material is a material which exhibits this phenomenon. Saturation magnetostrictive constant, which represents a dimensional change at saturation by magnetostriction, is generally in a range from 10−5 to 10−6, and a magnetostrictive material having a high saturation magnetostrictive constant is sometimes referred to as a giant-magnetostrictive material. These materials are widely used for vibrators, filters, sensors, and the like.
At present, a magnetostrictive material based on a laves type intermetallic compound of RFe2, which is a compound of R (rare-earth element) and Fe, is known to have a high saturation magnetostrictive constant (refer to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,949,351, 4,152,178, 4,308,474 and 4,375,372). These materials, however, involve problems of insufficient magnetostrictive value in an external magnetic field of low intensity, although exhibiting a high value when applied to a magnetic field of high intensity. Therefore, magnetostrictive materials based on a laves type intermetallic compound of RFe2 have been studied to have a higher magnetostrictive value even in an external magnetic field of low intensity, and it is proposed to orient the material along the [111] axis as an easy-magnetization axis of high magnetostrictive constant. Magnetostrictive materials based on a laves type intermetallic compound of RFe2 exhibit a high magnetostrictive value at a composition of Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe2.0 (atomic ratio), and this composition has been used exclusively.

Method for producing magnetostrictive element and container for sintering


The disclosed computer-implemented investment management process particularly in the field of high yield corporate bond financial market consists of five distinct process phases. In a first phase, the financial market under evaluation is researched in order to obtain all the market business information necessary for the following market evaluation phases. The next three phases, as marked by the dotted line, are all part of the central evaluation process that will be described in more detail hereinafter. The first evaluation phase is a filtering phase where the market business information obtained from the previous research phase are filtered in order to separate useful information from non-useful information. In a following phase, the filtered business information at first is input to a subscoring process and thereafter to a scoring process. Finally, the obtained evaluation results (scores) are presented to a user in form of a recommendation displayed on a monitor or printed in paper format.

The present invention generally relates to the field of capital market investment instruments and more specifically to a computer-implemented method and system for score based evaluation of investment decisions and strategies particularly in the field of high yield corporate bond financial market.
Generally speaking, bonds are loans to companies or governments. Purchasing a bond means lending money for that company's or government's survival, thus receiving regular interest payments for the use of your money.
High yield bond issuance recorded a dramatic growth during the last couple of years, not only in the US, but also in Europe and Canada. At the same time, default rates crept higher and investors' returns suffered from a sharp drop in liquidity during the third quarter. Looking forward, investors avidly desire the incremental returns provided by non-investment grade corporate debt. At the same time, they are concerned about the possibility of an economic slowdown and its potentially adverse impact on the equity values that provide the credit cushion beneath their bonds.
Nevertheless, an investment objective particularly in the field of high yield corporate bonds, e.g. using corresponding investment funds, is seeking maximum current income through investment in a diversified portfolio of high yield debt securities. Hereby capital appreciation is a secondary objective.
Knowing how a particular investment decision or strategy performed historically gives one the vital information one needs on its risk, variability, and persistence of returns. In the past, it took the combination of fast computers and huge databases to obtain an assessment for an investment decision or strategy. Often those decisions and strategies are made without use of a computer where it is almost impossible to determine what strategy guided the development of a capital market. The number of underlying factors, e.g. price-to-earnings ratio or dividend yield, that an investor could consider seemed endless. Thus the best one could do was look at portfolios in the most general ways.
There exist several capital market investment management approaches developed for manufacturing or services industries. In particular, investment instruments like securities such as high yield (HY) bonds are products with demand and supply factors only they are traded on financial markets. Unique to HY bonds is the very important role of financial institutions, who act as intermediaries to match the needs of lenders and borrowers. Their role is crucial for financial markets to operate efficiently. The product HY bond is provided by corporations in need of money, but the service 'Issuing and placing HY bonds' is inevitably linked to the financial advice and know-how of investment banks. Today no corporation could issue a HY Bond by itself; the issue is distributed for them to the lenders of money. These financial institutions are essential to re-package finance i.e. small amounts of savings from a large number of individuals and re-packaging them into larger bundles for lending to businesses, in order to reduce risk by placing small sums from numerous individuals in to large, well-diversified investment portfolios, such as unit trusts, to transform liquidity by bringing together short-term savers and long-term borrowers, e.g. building societies and banks, and to minimize transaction costs by providing convenient and relatively inexpensive services for linking small savers to large borrowers (Pike and Neale (1999), Corporate Finance and Investment, 3rd edition, U.K., Prentice Hall).
A known approach for analyzing a capital market is Porters five-forces analysis (Porter, M. E. (1979) "How competitive forces shape strategy", Harvard Business Review 52(2), 1979) which is applied as follows. The object for the analysis is the product-service package of HY bonds. The rivalry between these packages is amongst investment banks to be most the successful in issuing HY bonds. These HY bonds are supplied by corporations and the buyers are principally the above mentioned financial institutions. FIG. 1 visualizes the underlying relationships. The analysis considers only HY corporate bonds as a sub-segment of corporate bonds as part of the debt capital market. The emphasis is on the primary market from an investment bank's perspective.
In addition, financial consultancies such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, KPMG and Ernst & Young have already built up financial advisory services, including specialized corporate finance departments competing directly with investment banks.
To compete successfully in the HY bonds market, the reputation of the investment banks plays a crucial role. Datta, Iskandar-Datta and Patel (1997), for example, found that the degree of under-pricing for bond IPOs (Initial Public Offerings), like stock IPOs, is inversely related to the reputation of the investment bank. Fridson (1990) adds another line of competition—the liquidity in the secondary market. It is important to attract regular market makers in addition to the original underwriter. Only competing market makers ensure sufficient validity of price quotations, because price variability declines in a market for small, illiquid issues that trade only on a workout basis. Fridson mentioned a minimum size of about USD 60 m. Furthermore, investment banks must support their deals in the aftermarket, which in turn necessitates a well-capitalised secondary trading effort.
In conclusion it is important for an investment bank to find the right balance between maintaining liquid markets, profitably trading on their own and other issues, and reasonably constraining risks.
Another perspective relates to the individual type of investor. Datta et al. (Datta et al., "The Pricing of Initial Public Offers of Corporate Straight Dept, Journal of Finance, Vol. 52, Issue 1, March 1997) argues that investment grade issues are sold exclusively on bond rating to investors who are interested primarily in safety of the principal and not in appreciation of price. On the other hand, not unlike equity offerings, HY issues are sold based on stories that relate to future prospects of the firms. Generally speaking, three types can be differentiated: Trading oriented investor, long-term investor and retail investor. Retail investors, e.g. individuals and corporations, will mainly buy the HY bond and hold it until redemption. Long-term investors take typically a very long-term view of about 7-10 years. Insurance companies and pension funds are amongst them. Trading-oriented investors such as HY mutual funds, hedge funds, broker dealers and banks continuously observe the market looking for profit opportunities. Probably most mutual funds are managed actively trying to beat the market. They aim to prevent negative credit drifts (downgrades or defaults) and benefit from undervalued bonds, which have up-grade potential in one way or another. In order to achieve their goals enormous efforts to overcome information asymmetry against investment banks is undertaken. Datta et al. (1997) studies acknowledge that institutional investors are generally well-informed and informational asymmetry is expected to be limited. As a result these better informed companies are better able to bargain.
Considering the inability of insurance companies and funds to integrate backwards lowers their bargaining power. Furthermore the position of banks as advisors of HY issues, customers and main distribution channel is taking power away from other customers. Banks are already forward integrated giving them an advantage in bargaining. In addition, the many HY funds are specialized only in HY bonds, thus having virtually no substitutes. In favour of the customers is their huge size; sometimes hundreds of millions managed by only one fund. The bigger the purchases of buyers and the smaller their number, the greater the cost of loosing one customer.
Apart from the relative bargaining power the buyer's price sensitivity determines the strengths of buying power. Here the great importance of the HY issues to the performance of the HY funds etc. and the comparatively low differentiation of HY issues lead to a high degree of price sensitivity. Adding the fierce competition amongst funds to attract investment enlarges this trend.
In conclusion, the economic power of the customers compared to investment banks is relatively strong, thus lowering the profit potential for investment banks. In particular, HY funds drive already the European HY market and will grow stronger. While the European fund sector is estimated to be worth more than Euro 2,000 bn and is expected to triple by 2005 it is still fragmented. Wall Street Journal (Oct. 20, 1999) published that of the 12,000 funds in the EU only around 3,500 could be deemed to be truly cross border. 7,000 funds are pure domestic vehicles. Thus, the European HY market consists more of several national HY markets but as funds and other investors grow pan-European, the market will lose its borders immediately.
Summarizing, the few HY issuers face about two dozen investment banks. Because the banks cannot integrate backwards and the companies cannot integrate forwards, here the status quo in terms of bargaining power remains. On the other side, companies totally depend on the ability to place the issue and look after it in the secondary market. Furthermore, investment banks watch closely their market reputation and need to have successful HY issues, thus looking closer at the company's accounts and future prospects. Taking into account that there is growing competition amongst investment banks to enter or to retain a good position within this profitable area gives companies the opportunity to choose. On balance, companies with a good market position and good future prospects have considerable bargaining power with respect to choosing an appropriate investment bank. When it comes to pricing and placing the issue, these companies depend totally on the know-how of banks, lowering their influence considerably vis-à-vis ensuring the overall success of an issue.
The predescribed high-level assessment is based on a rough market analysis of the underlying market structure and the corresponding market players. Following to that is required a low-level evaluation of each player, the relevant market forces, etc. These market evaluation steps altogether required to come to an investment decision particularly in the field of HY bonds are very complex and thus require considerable resources (human, machines etc.) and time and cost efforts to be performed and, due to lack of any computer assisted or implemented solution, often do not reveal consistent and satisfying results.
In addition, the corporate bond market history disadvantageously shows that the traditional active management tools particularly for managing high yield corporate bond market investments does not work in an efficient and consistent way, in particularly over a longer time period. Since the magnitude of the sums involved and the complexity of the relevant investment information, it is very desirable to use an objective rule-based strategy for automating, to the extent practicable, the conduct of this decision making.

Computerized method and system for score based evaluation of capital market investment decisions and strategies

International Business Machines Corporation


A computer-readable medium stores a specification for a circuit layout. The specification includes: a configuration of rooms for placing devices, one or more room constraints for the configuration of rooms, one or more groups of devices for the rooms, and one or more device constraints for devices in a same room. The configuration of rooms may include a tree-structure for the rooms. The room constraints may include a common symmetry line for a first room and a second room. The device constraints may include a self-symmetry constraint for a first device about a symmetry line in a first room. The device constraints may include a symmetry constraint for a first device and a second device about a symmetry line in a first room. The devices may include analog or RF (radio frequency) devices.

The present invention relates generally to circuit layouts and more particularly to optimizing circuit layouts for analog and RF (radio frequency) circuits.
Circuit design for analog and RF circuits poses a number of unique challenges. In order for a circuit to perform correctly when manufactured using a semi-conductor process, several techniques have been employed when positioning devices (i.e., analog and RF devices) in the layout.
For example, a common technique involves matching the ratios of sizes, orientations and other properties between one or more devices in order to achieve electrical equivalence between these devices when manufactured. Additionally, in order to minimize the influence of process variations, certain groups of devices are placed in close proximity to each other. Another common matching technique involves positioning devices "symmetrically" by mirroring their orientations and usually aligning them in one dimension an equal distance from a specified symmetry line.
Analog and RF circuits often have several groups of devices, where each group must be individually arranged in proximity to one another as described above and where each group often requires local symmetry lines to position devices in symmetric arrangements within that group. Grouping of devices is also performed to isolate certain devices from other groups by surrounding them with a guard-ringed structure in the layout, or inserting them into a certain type of well in the semiconductor process. Once these devices are grouped, an additional requirement involves matching variations across these groups. This is accomplished by aligning the symmetry lines of these groups with respect to each other or by aligning the group boundaries with respect to each other. Sometimes, two or more devices that need to be matched very strongly may be combined into a single layout instance, often referred to as a "compound device." These devices may be combined using user specified patterns to ensure perfect matching.
An additional objective when arranging these devices is to minimize the lengths of various connections between the devices in the circuit. These connections are often implemented using metal wires, and minimizing their lengths reduces the amount of space and material needed for implementation. Further, the resistances and capacitances introduced by these wires can adversely affect the electrical behavior of the circuit, and these effects need to be minimized as well. Certain connections in the circuit sometimes have more impact on the performance than other connections. It is therefore desirable to reduce lengths of specific paths or connections depending on the flow of currents and signals through the circuit. These signal and current paths are often identified by circuit designers who perform simulations of the electrical behavior of the circuit. This information is then either conveyed to a layout designer, who arranges the devices in the layout, or is used by the circuit designers themselves if they implement the layout on their own. An example involves identifying DC current paths through the circuit from the current source (often the positive voltage source, VDD) to the current sinks (often the negative voltage source, VSS, or the ground connection, GND). The devices in the layout are then arranged to minimize the lengths of wires connecting from the current sources to various devices and then to the current sinks.
While accounting for these various considerations, it is also necessary to meet several process design rule criteria for successful fabrication. An example is the restriction imposed on the minimum spacing between geometry on a given mask layer. This further imposes restrictions on the distances between various devices in the layout. Another objective is to minimize the total area occupied by all the devices, in order to minimize the mask costs during fabrication.
In some contexts, circuit layout design is discussed in terms of cell layout design, where a cell is a device arrangement that can be used as a building block for larger circuits. Then the area of a given cell may also be constrained by how this cell is packaged along with other cells when finishing the block-level layout. These constraints may be captured as restrictions on the height and/or width of the cell layout. Sometimes, the shape of the cell area may also be restricted to a certain rectilinear arrangement to fit with other cells. For example, the cell may be L-shaped instead of rectangular. Certain regions in the cell layout may also be designated as "keep-out" regions where one may not place any other devices. This latter construct is useful to reserve space for inserting other devices and/or geometry at a later point in the design cycle.
Currently most designers implement their semiconductor layouts manually for analog and RF circuits. Positioning the devices for matching, symmetry, grouping, minimizing area, wire-length, lengths of signal paths, etc., is performed by hand. Information regarding matching requirements, symmetry, critical signal and DC paths, observed from electrical simulations, is often annotated as text or graphics on the schematic by the designers. The layout designer then uses this information as a guideline when positioning these devices. At other times, for simplicity, the layout designer may position the devices as they are observed on the schematic, assuming that the positions of these devices on the schematic are an indication of the proximity of devices and optimal with regard to minimum lengths of critical signal or current paths. Another simple approach involves looking at previous implementations of the circuit, for example, a layout performed for a similar schematic, or a layout performed for a different set of device parameters for the same schematic, or a circuit implemented in a different semiconductor technology for the same or similar schematic. The layout designer then arranges the layout to look similar to the previous layout, with regard to the positioning of certain devices and/or groups of devices.
Some constraints like matching, symmetry and design rules, however, are very difficult to precisely implement by hand. Further, since there are a large number of possible arrangements of devices in a layout, it can be very difficult to analyze the impact of multiple tradeoffs between objectives like wire-length, area and lengths of signal paths manually. To address this, some conventional tools automate the generation of Analog and RF layouts by capturing these requirements as analytical constraints, possibly represented on a discrete grid for placing devices. Some of these approaches are described, for example, in analog design articles. (A. Shah, S Dugalleix and F Lemery, "High-performance CMOS-amplifier design uses front-to-back analog flow", EDN design feature, Oct. 31, 2002.) However, these tools are typically limited in their ability to optimize performance features while imposing design constraints such as symmetry, matching and grouping. For example, a grid formulation may limit placement options such as the orientation of devices. Further, these tools are also typically limited in their ability to support "layout migration", where a previously determined layout is taken as a starting point for a modified set of constraints or optimization criteria.
Thus, there is a need for improved methods and systems for optimizing circuit layouts, especially in applications involving analog and RF circuits.

Optimizing circuit layouts by configuring rooms for placing devices


A connector assembly is disclosed and claimed. The male connector comprises at least one conductive terminal held by a male plug body including a head portion and a gripping portion, the head portion including a plurality of raised elements extending radially outward from the head portion. The female connector comprises at least one mating conductive terminal held by a female plug body including a receiving portion and a gripping portion, the receiving portion adapted to receive the head portion of the male connector and including a plurality of recessed areas adapted to interlock with the raised elements of the head portion. The male plug body is preferably made from a substantially rigid plastic and the female plug body is made from a flexible plastic.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention comprises a connector for connecting electrical conductors, and in particular, a connector for use in the tractor/trailer industry, so that the conductors are maintained in protected contact.
2. Brief Description of the Field
Many connector designs have been proposed for use in connecting electrical conductors. Many of these connectors are very effective in the applications for which they are designed. Unfortunately, a connector designed for connecting an electrical conductor to a household outlet is not likely to be effective when used as a connector for heavy equipment, such as, over-the-road semi-trailer trucks and the like. Connectors for such applications must be watertight and must be resistant to separation under conditions of vibration and the like. Further, such connectors must be rugged to withstand abrasion and other detrimental contacts during use.
Connectors used in semi-trailers or tractors are frequently used in the electrical harness assemblies of such vehicles. Such connectors are subjected to almost continual vibration and are exposed to water, salt water, abrasive materials and the like. It is vital that such connectors remain in effective electrical connection to ensure safe operation of the vehicles. Connectors of the type disclosed here are often used in so-called "semi-permanent" applications in the trucking industry where it is important that the connection stay securely connected for long periods of time, during often harsh conditions. However, it is also important that they be able to be connected without significant difficulty. It is preferable, then, that an electrical connector assembly require an insertion force which is substantially less than the force required for disengaging the female and male components of the connector.
Another deficiency of prior connectors is their size. Conventional connectors with seven 0.180 inch pins have typically been round and at least 1.25 inches in diameter. There exists a need, however, in the trailer industry for harness connectors having a smaller form factor, and in particular, for a connector with seven 0.180 inch pins that have a height of less than 1.1 inches, preferably less than 1.05 inches. The need for such a product has been well known in the industry for at least 15 months. Despite this need, until the present invention, limitations in conventional injection molding processes and connector designs have made it impractical to reduce the size of the connector body. For example, it was previously considered necessary to design connector bodies so as to provide a substantial buffer zone around the wires leading to the terminals in the connector. One reason for this is that the wires tend to become displaced during the injection molding process. If the wires move too close to the surface of the connector body during the molding process, the manufacturing process frequently leaves the wire exposed through a side wall of the connector, rendering the part defective and useless.
Another deficiency in prior art connectors is that the injection point for injecting the mold tends to leave a substantial protuberance, which must be removed, increasing the cost of manufacture.
And, while many attempts have been made to develop improved connectors for electrical conductors for use in semi-trailers or tractors and many processes have been used to make such connectors, all of the prior connectors used identical materials for both the male and female connector bodies. Typically, a polyvinyl chloride plastic ("PVC") having a hardness of 60 A to 75 A on the Shore hardness scale was used.
All of the major commercially used connector assemblies for the tractor/trailer industry require a separate clamp, pin or other device to ensure a strong, well-sealed semi-permanent connection. This is a serious drawback for those connector assemblies because the clamps are cumbersome and awkward to use and, frequently, are simply not used by truckers, resulting in a high risk of electrical failure. Thus, notwithstanding the availability of a variety of connectors, a need remains for an electrical conductor connector that can ensure reliable waterproof contact during use, as well as provides a viable semi-permanent connection, even when an external clamp is not used. A need also remains for connectors for harness assemblies having a reduced form factor.

Male/female connector assembly for connecting electrical conductors


A PCI Express system and a method of transitioning link state thereof. The PCI Express system includes an upstream component, a downstream component and a link. The upstream component and the downstream component transmit data to each other via the link. When at least one of the upstream component and the downstream component stops data transmission under a normal working state and if the system idle time period reaches a threshold idle time, then transiting the link into a second link state.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express system and a method of transitioning a power state thereof, and more particularly to a PCI Express system and a method of transitioning a link state (L-state) thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) interfaces are originally the mainstream of personal computers. With the progress of time, however, a higher transmission bandwidth required in future processors and output/input components has greatly exceeded the range of the PCI interface. A new generation of PCI Express has been disclosed to serve as the standard local input/output bus for various operation platforms. The maximum features include the enhancement of efficiency and the high one-way transmission rate of 2.5 GHz. Furthermore, the transmission rate can be increased as the number of lanes increases. For example, the transmission rate can be increased by four times when four lanes are used.
The ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) defines the power state of the component in various states and is referred to as D-state (Device State). The PCI Express further defines the power state of a link between components, which is referred to as L-state (Link State). Each L-state and each D-state have a corresponding relationship.
The D0 state (Full-On) represents that the component is under a normal working state. When the component is under the D0 state, the link between the components is under the L0, L0s or L1 states.
The D1 state and D2 state are not obviously defined in ACPI. In general, the D2 state saves more power than the D0 and D1 states, but can hold the states of fewer components. The D1 state consumes more power than the D2 state, but can hold the states of more components. The D1 and D2 states correspond to the L1 state.
The D3 state (Off) represents a shutdown state and includes D3cold and D3hot states. When the components are under the D3cold state, it means that the main power is not supplied to the components. When the components are in the D3hot state, it means that the main power is supplied to the components. When the power states of the components are under the D3cold state, the links between the components correspond to the L2 state if an auxiliary power is supplied to the components; and the links between the components correspond to the L3 state if no power is supplied to the components. The D3hot state corresponds to the L1 state.
The L0 state represents that the power states of the links between the components are under the normal working state. When data is transmitted on the links between the components, if a short idle represented, the link can be entered to L0s state to decrease the power consumption.
When the links between the components are under the L1 state, the components have no working request, and the power requirement of the links between the components is decreased. At this time, the clock signal doesn't trigger, and the PLL (Phase Locked Loop) also pauses.
The L2 state and L3 state are the shutdown states. An auxiliary power exists under the L2 state, and no auxiliary power exists under the L3 state.
However, it is found that the power consumption can't be save due to the L0s state cannot be properly entered or entered more frequently from L0 state, and thus the object of power-saving cannot be really achieved.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

PCI express system and method of transitioning link state including adjusting threshold idle time according to a requirement of data transmission


A microprocessor includes general purpose registers which may be accessed or updated in portions. Dependencies may be created between an instruction which updates only a portion of a destination register and a subsequent instruction which requires a larger portion of that destination register, inclusive of the smaller updated portion, as a source. To resolve such dependencies between instructions, a determination is made upon decode of an instruction whether it updates only a portion of a destination or the entire destination. If only a portion of the destination is updated by the instruction, a read of the destination is done prior to execution of the instruction and the data read from the destination is merged with the results of the instruction execution. The merged data is then conveyed as the results of the instruction execution.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of superscalar microprocessors and, more particularly, to handling data dependencies between instructions in a microprocessor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Superscalar microprocessors achieve high performance by executing multiple instructions per clock cycle and by choosing the shortest possible clock cycle consistent with the design. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cclock cyclexe2x80x9d refers to an interval of time accorded to various stages of an instruction processing pipeline within the microprocessor. Storage devices (e.g. registers and arrays) capture their values according to the clock cycle. For example, a storage device may capture a value according to a rising or falling edge of a clock signal defining the clock cycle. The storage device then stores the value until the subsequent rising or falling edge of the clock signal, respectively. The term xe2x80x9cinstruction processing pipelinexe2x80x9d is used herein to refer to the logic circuits employed to process instructions in a pipelined fashion. Although the pipeline may be divided into any number of stages at which portions of instruction processing are performed, instruction processing generally comprises fetching the instruction, decoding the instruction, executing the instruction, and storing the execution results in the destination identified by the instruction.
In order to increase performance, superscalar microprocessors often employ out of order execution. The instructions within a program are ordered, such that a first instruction is intended to be executed before a second instruction, etc. One hazard of out of order execution is ensuring the intended functionality of the program is not altered. When the instructions are executed in the order specified, the intended functionality of the program is realized. However, instructions may be executed in any order as long as the original functionality is maintained. For example, a second instruction which does not depend upon a first instruction may be executed prior to the first instruction, even if the first instruction is prior to the second instruction in program order. A second instruction depends upon a first instruction if a result produced by the first instruction is employed as an operand of the second instruction. The second instruction is said to have a dependency upon the first instruction.
As used herein, a source operand of an instruction is a value to be operated upon by the instruction in order to produce a result. Conversely, a destination operand is the result of the instruction. Source and destination operands of an instruction are generally referred to as operand information. An instruction specifies the location storing the source operands and the location in which to store the destination operand. An operand may be stored in a register (a xe2x80x9cregister operandxe2x80x9d) or a memory location (a xe2x80x9cmemory operandxe2x80x9d). As used herein, a register is a storage location included within the microprocessor which is used to store instruction results. Registers may be specified as source or destination storage locations for an instruction.
An additional difficulty which exists in the x86 instruction set architecture is the ability to update portions of registers. Typically, destination operands may be 8, 16, or 32 bits and the registers are 32 bits. Consequently, dependencies may be created when only a portion of a destination register is being updated. For example, when an instruction that updates only a portion of a destination occurs prior to a subsequent instruction which requires the entirety of the same destination as a source operand, the subsequent instruction must wait until the prior instruction has executed and produced results. In addition to the produced result, the subsequent instruction requires for its source operand the portion of the destination register that was not updated by the prior instruction. One possible solution is to wait until the instruction is retired and the result has been written to the register file. Then the subsequent instruction reads the source operand from the register file. However, if the subsequent instruction must wait until the prior instruction is retired so that it must read the entire updated register, processing delays are introduced. Alternatively, the microprocessor may include circuitry which treats 8, 16 and 32 bit operands independently. This may permit the microprocessor to update only that portion of the register which has been updated by the instruction. However, treating different portions of a register independently adds significant complexity to the microprocessor circuitry.
The problems outlined above are in large part solved by a microprocessor and method as described herein. When an instruction is decoded that updates only a portion of the destination register, a read is done of the destination register prior to execution of the instruction. When the instruction is executed, the result of the executed instruction is merged with the prior read data to form the full result register value. Advantageously, any instruction which is dependent on this result as a source operand will have its source operand provided by the prior instruction upon execution of the prior instruction. Further, since other portions of the microprocessor (e.g., load/store unit and reorder buffer) may treat all operands as 32 bits, the other portions may be simplified as they no longer need consider the size of operands.
Broadly speaking, a microprocessor is contemplated comprising a decode unit configured to decode an instruction and a functional unit configured to execute instructions. The decode unit is configured to detect when an instruction only updates a portion of a destination. In addition, the decode unit is configured to convey operand request information, a decoded instruction and operand size information. The functional unit is coupled to receive a decoded instruction, operand size information, and operand data. In addition to executing an instruction, the functional unit is configured to merge the contents of a destination of an instruction with the results of the execution of the instruction in response to detecting the instruction only updates a portion of the destination. Finally, the functional unit is configured to convey the merged data as the result of the executed instruction.
Further, a method is contemplated. An instruction is decoded. The decoding includes determining if the instruction updates only a portion of a destination. The instruction is subsequently executed to produce an execution result. If it is determined that the instruction only updates a portion of the destination, the execution result is merged with a first data. The merged result is then conveyed as the result of the instruction execution.
Further contemplated is a functional unit comprising an arithmetic logic unit, select circuitry, and a plurality of multiplexors. The arithmetic logic unit is coupled to receive operand data and size information and is configured to execute a decoded instruction to produce a first data. The select circuitry is coupled to receive destination operand size information and is configured to convey control signals. Each of the plurality of multiplexors is coupled to receive a portion of the first data, and a portion of a second data. Each multiplexor is also configured to receive a control signal from the select circuitry and are configured to convey the portion of the first data in response to detecting a first condition of the control signal, and are configured to convey the portion of the second data in response to detecting a second condition of said control signal. The conveyed portions are then merged to form a third data which is conveyed as the result of the executed instruction.
Still further contemplated is a computer system comprising a microprocessor, functional unit, and an I/O unit. The microprocessor includes a decode unit configured to decode an instruction and to detect when an instruction only updates a portion of a destination. In addition, the decode unit is configured to convey operand request information, a decoded instruction and operand size information. The functional unit is coupled to receive a decoded instruction, operand size information, and operand data. In addition to executing an instruction, the functional unit is configured to merge the contents of a destination of an instruction with the results of the execution of the instruction in response to detecting the instruction only updates a portion of the destination. Finally, the functional unit is configured to convey the merged data as the result of the executed instruction.

Merging narrow register for resolution of data dependencies when updating a portion of a register in a microprocessor


A method for tuning used in a broadcast data system having a receiving station with a memory, wherein the receiver station files data and real-time data is disclosed. The method includes storing the memory in a table having tuning information corresponding to a plurality of IP addresses and ports, receiving a download request based on a user input, and using the download request to identify download information including an IP address and a port. The method further includes using the identified IP address and port to open a connection to a socket, using the table to determine tuning information corresponding to the identified IP address and port, and using the tuning information to tune the receiver station to the identified IP address and port.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to entertainment broadcast systems that transmit and receive a wide variety of video, audio, software and other types of data. More particularly, it relates to a multi-channel broadcast system that transmits a video/text/graphic-based program guide data stream that is used at viewer stations to generate a user interface that facilitates a user's selection of various programs and services.
B. Description of Related Art
The use of electronic communications media to provide access to large amounts of video, audio, textual and data information is becoming more frequent. For example, the public switched telephone network (PSTN) is routinely used to transmit low speed digital data to and from personal computers. Cable television infrastructure is used to carry, via coaxial cable, analog or digital cable television signals, and may also be used to provide high speed Internet connections. In general, cable television infrastructures include many head end or transmission stations that receive programming from a variety of sources, then distribute the programming to local subscribers via a coaxial cable network. Large Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite communications systems transmit directly to viewers over one hundred fifty audio and video channels, along with very high speed data. DTH systems typically include a transmission station that transmits audio, video and data to subscriber stations, via satellite.
One particularly advantageous DTH satellite system is the digital satellite television distribution system utilized by the DIRECTV® broadcast service. This system transports digital data, digital video and digital audio to a viewer's home via high-powered Ku-band satellites. The various program providers send programming material to transmission stations. If the programming is received in analog form, it is converted to digital. The transmission stations compress the digital video/audio programming (if needed), encrypt the video and/or audio, and format the information into data "packets" that are multiplexed with other data (e.g., electronic program guide data) into a plurality of bitstreams, which include identifying headers. Each packetized bitstream is modulated on a carrier and transmitted to a satellite, where it is relayed back to earth and received and decoded by the viewer's receiver station. The receiver station includes a satellite antenna and an integrated receiver/decoder (IRD). The IRD may be connected to appropriate output devices, typically including a video display.
In general, DTH satellite(s) broadcast on several frequencies from multiple transponders at differing polarizations (e.g., left and right hand circular polarization), and each transponder bitstream includes the video and audio data packets (in a compressed format) for several different programs (or "viewer channels"). For example, transponder ONE may broadcast the digital video and audio data packets for ESPN, TNT, AMC, A&E, E!, STARZ and USA, in a statistically multiplexed fashion. Satellites or other distribution systems which require separate input processing (e.g., satellites at two separated locations requiring different antennas) may also be used. Accordingly, in order to receive a desired viewer channel, the receiver station must know the transponder frequency and the polarization at which the desired signal information is being broadcast by the satellite, along with the identifying header information for those data packets on that transponder that relate to the desired program to permit its isolation from the multiplexed bitstream.
Each satellite transponder broadcasts a program guide data stream, which typically includes not only broadcast schedule data, but also the aforementioned information that the receiver station needs in order to tune to a particular channel. The program guide data stream is broadcast on all satellite transponders so that channel selection information is always available to the IRD regardless of the channel to which the IRD is tuned.
The data packets are distinguished from one another by their header information, which is referred to as the packet's "service channel ID" (SCID). For example, if a viewer instructs the IRD to display ESPN, the IRD, via the tuning information in the program guide data stream, determines the transponder frequency and polarization at which the ESPN programming is broadcast, along with the SCIDs of the data packets that are needed to generate and display the video, audio, and data content of the ESPN program.
The scheduling data in the program guide data packets also provide channel and program-attribute information that is used by the IRD to construct and output as a viewable display (which may be a full or a partial screen) a text-based listing of programming channels, times, titles, descriptions, ratings, etc. In operation, a program guide display is typically presented as a grid having channels listed along the left, times across the top, and program titles shown within the grid squares. Users can scroll through the grid, either up and down (by channel) or to the left and right (by time). Channels can be selected by inputting the channel number directly using the number keys on a user's remote control, or channels may be selected from the program guide display by highlighting and selecting a currently broadcast program that is listed in the grid. In either case, the IRD tunes to the chosen channel by accessing the channel's transponder (frequency), polarization, and SCID information denoted by the program guide data stream.
An extension of known IRD equipment is a PC-based system that allows users to receive, directly into their PC's, the same digital video, audio, and related information signals received in conventional DTH systems. The receiver station in this PC-based system includes a local satellite receiver dish similar to that of a conventional IRD system, but the IRD functions are implemented within the PC architecture through the use of one or more circuit boards that are inserted into the PC. The decoded outputs from these boards are displayed on the PC's monitor, or may be output to a conventional video display (e.g., a television set) and/or other mass storage medium such as magnetic tape, digital video disk (DVD), optical or magnetic disk, video recorder (VCR), etc. Because the receiver station includes a personal computer, a large number of additional data and software-related services can also be downloaded directly to the PC, thereby offering a variety of services, including broadcast programming, pay-per-view events, audio programming, data services, webcasting, software downloads and other data or software-related services.
While known program guides have advantages, there is still room for improvement, particularly when considering the large number of data, software, video, audio, pay-per-view and other programming services available through present and future DTH satellite broadcast services. For example, the viewable display generated from electronic program guide data tends to be presented primarily as text laid out in a grid. The processing power of currently available IRD's, while appropriate for current DTH programming services, inherently limits how the program guide can be displayed, how much information can be incorporated into the guide, and how quickly and efficiently a user can move through the guide. These program guides are therefore essentially limited to conveying program availability and tuning information, and do not have the organization and flexibility to effectively support other services such as software downloads, webpage links and downloads, data services, and other functions.
Accordingly, for broadcast systems having a large number of services that deliver a large amount of data to relatively sophisticated receiver stations (e.g., a PC), there is a need for a broadcast electronic program guide and an associated viewable display format and content that significantly enhances how the program guide can be displayed, how much information can be incorporated into the guide, and how quickly and efficiently the user can move through the guide.

Method and apparatus for tuning used in a broadcast data system