The circuit comprises:. converter means receiving an input train of control pulses and increasing the level of a control signal by a given increment each time it detects a new received pulse, the level of said control signal then decreasing progressively until the following pulse is detected; and PA0 threshold means suitable for producing said wake-up signal when the level of said control signal has reached a predetermined threshold value in such a manner as to produce said wake-up signal only when the number of control pulses applied to the input has reached a predetermined minimum number and providing the recurrence frequency of the pulses is not less than a predetermined limit frequency.

In such systems, which are to enable a driver approaching a vehicle to be recognized remotely, an on-board module integrated in the car sends out an interrogation signal to an "electronic label" which is generally implemented in the form of a badge or a flat card worn or carried by the driver, e.g. in a pocket. The card receives the interrogation signal, analyzes it by means of a microprocessor which is incorporated in the card, and generates an encoded identification (ID) signal specific to the card, which signal is transmitted back from the card to the on-board module which then performs various actions, e.g. unlocking the doors, and automatically adjusting the positions of the rearward mirrors, the steering wheel, etc.
One of the main difficulties encountered with this type of remote control lies in the fact that the card carried by the driver must be small in size (typically credit card sized) while nevertheless remaining operational for a long period of time (about one year), and as a result the energy consumption of the circuits it contains is a major constraint governing its design.
In addition, since identification must be capable of taking place "on the fly", i.e. without contact between the on-board module and the card and without even requiring the driver to take the card out of a pocket and press a button on the card, it is necessary for the card to be ready at an instant to receive and analyze an incident interrogation signal without any prior external action being taken by the driver (e.g. pressing a button on the card).
Further, given that the microprocessor consumes energy at a relatively high rate, it cannot be left switched on permanently in its normal active state. Use is thus made of the possibility of switching the microprocessor back and forth between an "awake" state in which it is active and a "sleep" state in which its consumption is tiny or zero. The microprocessor is switched from the sleep state to the awake state by applying a wake-up signal to an input of the microprocessor specially designed for this purpose, or else merely by applying the signal to the power supply terminal of the microprocessor (in which case the wake-up signal is constituted by the power supply direct voltage).
It can thus be seen that only a receiver circuit needs to be powered permanently (which receiver circuit transforms the received radiofrequency signal into a demodulated and amplified low frequency signal), together with an interface circuit disposed between the receiver and the microprocessor and capable of verifying that the demodulated signal satisfies a certain number of criteria, and if it does, then applying the wake-up signal to the microprocessor in order to switch it to its active state.
The present invention relates specifically to such a circuit (referred to below as a "power supply wake-up circuit") providing the interface between the circuit for receiving remote controlled signals transmitted by the on-board vehicle and the microprocessor in the ID card.
It should nevertheless be observed that the application to remote control of cards is not limiting and that other comparable applications could be envisaged without going beyond the scope of the present invention.
Similarly, the power supply wake-up circuit of the invention is perfectly capable of processing signals other than those produced by a radio signal receiver, and the present invention is thus equally applicable to waking up the power supply of a microprocessor from input signals that satisfy comparable conditions but that are produced by circuits other than a radio receiver.
Also, the term "microprocessor" should not be understood in its narrow technological meaning, but in a wide sense covering any circuit capable of performing digital processing, and thus extending equally well to circuits having a high degree of integration (such as microcontrollers) and to circuits having a lower degree of integration (circuits that need to be associated with discrete components). In any event, the function performed by the circuit of the invention is completely independent of the technology and the structure of the circuits to which it is connected, both upstream and downstream.
The present invention thus provides a power supply wake-up circuit capable of discriminating an effective interrogation signal produced by the on-board module of a vehicle from other signals that may be picked up by the radio receiver, and most particularly mains frequency interference (e.g. 100 Hz) that could, under certain reception conditions and unless special precautions are taken, be misinterpreted as a control pulse train of an interrogation signal.
More precisely, in order to perform such discrimination, provision is made for the interrogation signal message (i.e. a digital message encoded in the form of pulses) to begin with a header constituted by a succession of similar pulses (referred to below as "control pulses"), with there being a predetermined number of these pulses and with these pulses having a predetermined recurrence frequency.
After discrimination, this message header is intended to wake up the microprocessor so that once it has switched to its active state it can process the following pulses of the coded message per se contained in the interrogation signal.
Firstly, in order to discriminate sporadic interference, a first condition is provided requiring the control pulse train to be constituted by a minimum number of successive pulses, e.g. not less than sixteen control pulses.
Secondly, in particular to avoid the microprocessor being woken up uselessly by mains frequency interference, a second condition is provided requiring the recurrence frequency of the control pulses to be not less than a predetermined limit frequency that is considerably higher than mains interference frequency (e.g. 100 Hz); it would thus be possible to provide a typical recurrence frequency of 1 kHz, corresponding to control pulses having a recurrence period T=1 ms.
In contrast, it is not desirable to lay down conditions on the duration of each pulse (i.e. on the duty ratio of the control pulse train) since this parameter may suffer from relatively large dispersion from one on-board module to another and drift may also occur as a function of temperature variations and of component aging.
That is why only the above-mentioned two conditions are taken into account simultaneously, i.e. a minimum number of control pulses and a minimum frequency for the control pulses.
Further, given the above-mentioned energy consumption constraints and the fact that the wake-up circuit must be capable of being operational at any moment, the energy consumption of the wake-up circuit itself must be as low as possible so as to have no harmful effect on the lifetime of the battery powering the ID card.
EP-A-0 343 619 describes a microprocessor wake-up circuit situated on-board a vehicle for responding to signals coming from a bade or the like that is suitable only for transmission. This wake-up circuit is subjected to much less severe constraints on its electrical power supply because of the presence of the vehicle's own battery, and it is also complex and unsuitable for integration in a small-sized portable badge.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,271 describes a transistor "pumping" circuit, however this document neither mentions nor suggests in any way that such a circuit should be used in co-operation with threshold means and with a radio receiver circuit, nor does it make any mention of an application to waking up a microprocessor in a portable badge.

Circuit for "waking up" a microprocessor power supply, in particular for an ID card in a car remote control system


An automated guided vehicle for assembling a motor vehicle including a drivable base and a vehicle carrier coupled to the base and extending in a longitudinal direction, is configured and developed in terms of a flexible production using simple constructional means, in such a way that the vehicle carrier has actuatable receiving points for carrying the motor vehicle, the vehicle carrier can be moved along its longitudinal direction relative to the base by means of a guide device and can be tilted around an axis oriented orthogonally to the longitudinal direction, such that the at least partially assembled motor vehicle can drive off of the vehicle carrier on its own wheels when receiving points are released from the motor vehicle.

The present invention relates to a driverless transport device for assembling a motor vehicle comprising a drivable base and a vehicle carrier coupled to the base and extending in a longitudinal direction. The present invention also relates to a method for unloading a motor vehicle from a driverless transport device that functions to assemble a motor vehicle.
Transport devices for assembling a motor vehicle are known in the prior art. These are self-propelled movable assembly platforms that can carry a body of a motor vehicle for example and can transport said body to assembly stations.
Drivable assembly devices for vehicle units to be assembled are also known. For example, DE 10 2012 107 511 A1 discloses an assembly device comprising a carrier structure having a driving device, and a unit carrier for holding a unit, the unit carrier being raiseable. This allows a unit to be automatically transported and to be raised for assembly purposes.
A disadvantage of transport and assembly devices of this kind, however, is that additional handling means, for example lifting platforms or overhead conveyors, are required for handling the vehicles or vehicle components and in particular for unloading said vehicles or components. This limits the flexibility in production, since the movable transport devices have to approach fixed unloading stations. If there are not sufficient unloading stations available, a backlog results, which can impair production.

Driverless transport device for assembling a motor vehicle and method for unloading a motor vehicle from a transport vehicle of this type


One embodiment of an organic electroluminescent element of present invention includes a substrate, a first electrode on the substrate, an organic luminescent medium layer including an organic luminescent layer on the first electrode, a second electrode on the organic luminescent medium layer and barrier film formed on the second electrode. The organic luminescent medium layer is sandwiched between the first electrode and the second electrode. Film density of the barrier film changes in thickness direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an organic electroluminescent element. It is expected that an organic electroluminescent element is used for wide variety of applications. Applications of an organic electroluminescent element include a flat panel display used in a television, a PC monitor, portable units such as a portable telephone, a surface emitting light source, an illumination, and a light emission type advertisement body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because an organic electroluminescent element has the following merit, an organic electroluminescent element is expected as a flat panel display as a substitute for a CRT and a liquid crystal display.
1. Viewing angle is wide.
2. Response speed is fast.
3. Power consumption is low.
An organic electroluminescent element is explained below.
The organic luminescent medium layer is sandwiched between two electrode layers (an anode layer and a cathode layer). A cathode layer and/or an anode layer are transparent. An electric current flows by applying voltage between both electrodes. Then light emission occurs in an organic light emission medium layer.
As for the organic electroluminescent element, quality deteriorates due to influence of atmospheric water vapor and oxygen. Therefore, an organic electroluminescent element is shielded from the atmosphere by covering an organic electroluminescent element by a metal can or a glass cap containing a desiccant.
In late years a top emission organic electroluminescent element is proposed to improve takeout efficiency of light emission of an active matrix type organic electroluminescent element. In substitution for a conventional sealing by a glass cap containing a desiccant, a barrier film having barrier property is provided to an organic electroluminescent element. An adhesive and a transparent sealing substrate are further put on an organic electroluminescent element. (Patent Reference 1).
In addition, in an organic electroluminescent element using a plastic film as a substrate, a barrier film of which barrier property is excellent is needed to shield an organic electroluminescent element from the atmosphere.
A barrier film of an organic electroluminescent element must have superior barrier property. Therefore, an inorganic film made of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride or the like is generally used as a barrier film. However, while a film is influenced by a substratum, a film layers on a substratum. Film defects such as a cavity and a pinhole of a film inside or a crack of a film occur due to a projection of an electrode and a substrate, and a particle. Then even if a film is thickened, and another film is laminated on the film formed beforehand, film defects cannot be suppressed. In addition, an organic material included in a cathode and an organic luminescent medium layer is very easy to react with water or oxygen. As a result of occurrence of the reaction, a non-luminescent point as referred to as a dark spot occurs. Therefore a life time of an organic electroluminescent element shortens.
Unevenness of a substrate can be coated by inserting an organic resin layer between inorganic laminated films. In addition, a defect position of an inorganic laminated film can be shifted by shielding a defect occurring in an inorganic film by an organic resin film (Patent Reference 2).
However, it is necessary to prepare a film formation chamber for an organic resin film. Cleaning of an organic resin film formation chamber is difficult. A particle is easy to occur. Therefore, there is a problem in mass production.
In addition, in this method, a defect remains in each inorganic film. Therefore, if the number of layers of laminated films is less than about 5 or 6, barrier property of an organic electroluminescent element is not sufficient.
Generally, a thicker glass (this glass is named counterbored glass) of which central part is processed to a recess form is bonded to an organic electroluminescent element with an adhesive such as epoxy resin so that the glass covers the cathode upper part. (Patent Reference 3)
Then an organic electroluminescent element is shielded from outside water vapor or oxygen by a counterbored glass.
However, in technique with the use of this counterbored glass, thin organic electroluminescent element cannot be made.
On the other hand, a display unit having the following characteristic is hoped for as an information display terminal: large size; a great number of pixels; fast response speed; and low power consumption.
It is said that it is necessary to use the following organic electroluminescent element in order to make such a display unit: an active matrix drive (thin film transistor (TFT) is used.); and top emission structure (light is taken out from an opposite side of TFT substrate.)
In making this organic electroluminescent element of top emission type, when sealing by a metal can and a counterbored glass is performed, light cannot be taken out from a top face.
Thus a method how an electrode is coated by a polymer film with a transparent barrier film is proposed. (Patent Reference 4)
However, it is necessary to form a thin film on a polymer film to raise barrier property of a polymer film itself when an electrode is coated by a polymer film. Therefore, the number of the processes increases. In addition, when a polymer film is stuck on an electrode, a bubble remains in a boundary surface. An organic electroluminescent element suffers damage by active gas inside a bubble.
Therefore, as a protection plate, the member which an adhesive is applied to a flat glass is used. And an organic electroluminescent element is sealed by sticking a protection plate on a cathode. (Patent Reference 5)
In this organic electroluminescent element, the surface of an organic electroluminescent element is covered by a rigid glass plate. Therefore, this organic electroluminescent element is superior in mechanical strength. In addition, manufacturing this organic electroluminescent element is easy. However, water vapor permeability of an adhesive itself is high. Therefore, this sealing method is inferior to a conventional sealing method using a cap. Moistureproofness of an organic electroluminescent element can be improved by mixing a desiccant with an adhesive (Patent Reference 6).
However, it has not resulted in fundamental solution.
In order to solve the above mentioned problem, a method how a protective film is formed on an organic electroluminescent element before applying an adhesive on an organic electroluminescent element is proposed. From a good balance between transparency and barrier property, inorganic material such as Al2O3, SiO2 and Si3N4 is usually used as a barrier film.
However, an organic electroluminescent element deteriorates when sealing ability of a barrier film is not sufficient. In other words this barrier film is a barrier film which is insufficient for a protective layer of an organic electroluminescent element.
Therefore, the conventionally proposed protective layer of an organic electroluminescent element with the use of a flat glass is insufficient for a seal of an organic electroluminescent element.
The present invention provides a barrier film superior in barrier property without a defect. In addition, the present invention provides an organic electroluminescent element without the occurrence and enlargement of a defect for a long term with the use of this barrier film.
In addition, according to the present invention, a barrier film which has hygroscopic property and water-vapor-proofing property can be easily formed. In addition, the present invention provides an excellent thin organic electroluminescent element without aged deterioration and the manufacturing method.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-231443 Official Gazette
Patent Reference 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-103442 Official Gazette
Patent Reference 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-109482 Official Gazette
Patent Reference 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-79292 Official Gazette
Patent Reference 5: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-216950 Official Gazette
Patent Reference 6: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-303680 Official. Gazette

Organic electroluminescent element and the manufacturing method


A sensor including a sensing layer is disposed over an electrode or an optode and a layer-by-layer assembled mass transport limiting membrane disposed over the sensing layer. The membrane includes at least one layer of a polyanionic or polycationic material. The assembled layers of the membrane are typically disposed in an alternating manner. The sensor also optionally includes a biocompatible membrane.

Miniature biosensors utilizing enzyme-containing optodes and electrodes for monitoring biochemicals often include mass-transport controlling membranes. The membranes can affect some or all of the characteristics of the optodes or electrodes, including their sensitivity, size, apparent stability, dynamic range and selectivity. Micro-membranes for use with miniature biosensors typically cannot be easily cut to size from pre-formed membranes and if cut by a precision tool, such as a laser or an electron beam, their placement on and attachment to the surface of an electrode or optode can be difficult.
The reproducible casting of micro-membranes can also be difficult. For cast micro-membranes, the pore sizes and their distribution are typically determined by the relative rates of nucleation and mass-transport during generation of the membrane by phase separation as a result of solvent evaporation. The outcome of the simultaneously occurring nucleation and the mass transport processes depends on the evolution (meaning the time-dependence during the solvent evaporation) of the viscosity, the concentrations of the solvent and the non-solvent, and the membrane's leached phase and its residual phase. These are affected by time-dependent temperature gradients and by the time-dependent gradient of the partial pressure of the evaporating solvent over a droplet, the dimensions of which shrink and are a function of the time-dependent contact angle with the wetted surface.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electrodes with multilayer membranes and methods of using and making the electrodes


The present invention comprises a medical device having an underlying structure on which is disposed a fiber meshwork composed of one or more fibers of substantially uniform diameter. The fiber meshwork may optionally have a multi-layer structure disposed upon it. Either or both of the fiber meshwork or the multi-layer structure may have one or more therapeutic agents absorbed within it. The fiber meshwork is permeable to body fluids and thereby permits body fluids to contact the underlying structure to facilitate its controlled disintegration. The fiber meshwork degrades more slowly than the underlying structure thereby permitting release of the therapeutic agent over a timescale longer than that of the lifetime of the underlying structure, while also ensuring that the support function of the underlying structure is not abrogated by the disintegration of the underlying structure.

The body includes various passageways including blood vessels such as arteries, and other body lumens. These passageways sometimes become occluded or weakened. For example, they can be occluded by a tumor, restricted by plaque, or weakened by an aneurysm. When this occurs, the passageway can be reopened or reinforced, or even replaced, with a medical endoprosthesis. An endoprosthesis is an artificial implant that is typically placed in a passageway or lumen in the body. Many endoprostheses are tubular members, examples of which include stents, stent-grafts, and covered stents.
Many endoprostheses can be delivered inside the body by a catheter. Typically the catheter supports a reduced-size or compacted form of the endoprosthesis as it is transported to a desired site in the body, for example the site of weakening or occlusion in a body lumen. Upon reaching the desired site the endoprosthesis is installed so that it can contact the walls of the lumen.
One method of installation involves expanding the endoprosthesis. The expansion mechanism used to install the endoprosthesis may include forcing it to expand radially. For example, the expansion can be achieved with a catheter that carries a balloon in conjunction with a balloon-expandable endoprosthesis reduced in size relative to its final form in the body. The balloon is inflated to deform and/or expand the endoprosthesis in order to fix it at a predetermined position in contact with the lumen wall. The balloon can then be deflated, and the catheter withdrawn.
In another delivery technique, the endoprosthesis is formed of an elastic material that can be reversibly compacted and expanded (e.g., elastically or through a reversible phase transition of its constituent material). Before and during introduction into the body until it reaches the desired implantation site, the endoprosthesis is restrained in a compacted condition. Upon reaching the desired site, the restraint is removed, for example by retracting a restraining device such as an outer sheath, enabling the endoprosthesis to self-expand by its own internal elastic restoring force.
To support or keep a passageway open, endoprostheses are sometimes made of relatively strong materials, such as stainless steel or Nitinol (a nickel-titanium alloy), formed into struts or wires. The material from which an endoprosthesis is made can impact not only the way in which it is installed, but its lifetime and efficacy within the body.

Endoprosthesis having a fiber meshwork disposed thereon


According to one embodiment, a person image processing apparatus includes: an input processor configured to input a plurality of pieces of image data captured at different times by an image capture module; an extraction module configured to extract a person display area showing a same person from each of the pieces of image data captured at the different times; a feature detector configured to detect a feature point showing a feature of a part of a person from the person display area extracted from each of the pieces of image data and acquire reliability of the part shown in the feature point; and a correction module configured to, when correcting the person display area subjected to input processing by the input processor, perform weighting based on the reliability of the feature point included in the person display area.

Conventionally, image data captured by a security camera at an event has been visually checked. This has evoked a demand for acquiring image data that is easy to be visually checked.
For this purpose, techniques have been developed that improve resolution of a plurality of pieces of image data of the same person using the AAM, active shape models, the amount of motion, or the like.
Relating to that, a technology has been developed that changes parameters to improve resolution in accordance with attributes of a target person (for example, race and clothes).
In the conventional techniques, however, even if the resolution is enhanced by simply using a plurality of pieces of image data captured by a security camera, these pieces of image data may not be suitable for visual checking. In some cases, the face direction of a subject captured in image data by a security camera is not suitable for visual checking. In other cases, a mask, a pair of sunglasses, or the like worn on part of a face disturbs visual checking.

Method and apparatus for image detection and correction


An array comprises a plurality of ring elements and a plurality of mortar elements. The ring elements comprise polyhedroids interconnected to one another to form a closed ring shape, with the polyhedroids having a generally polyhedral shape. The mortar elements are configured to connect ring elements to each other.

In geometry, an icosahedron is a polyhedron that is comprised of twenty faces. In a "regular" icosahedron each of the twenty faces forms an equilateral triangle. The regular icosahedron is one of the five Platonic solids, which have long since been recognized and appreciated by mathematicians for their aesthetic beauty and symmetry. The other four Platonic solids are a regular tetrahedron (pyramid with all faces being equilateral triangles), a regular hexahedron (cube), a regular octahedron (eight-sided figure with all faces being equilateral triangles), and a regular dodecahedron (twelve-sided figure with pentagonal faces).
Applicant's prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/932,403 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/579,307, both of which are incorporated herein by reference, disclose arrays that are comprised of discrete icosahedral elements with interconnecting elements in tension or connection networks along bias directions that interconnect the icosahedral elements.
As discussed in the Applicant's previous applications, polyhedron-based structures, such as icosahedrons, have been recognized to have superior strength-to-weight ratios and other characteristics that make them, at least theoretically, suitable for structural applications. For example, Buckminster Fuller is a well-known geometrist who, among others, pioneered the use of polyhedron-based structures in certain architectural applications, including the geodesic dome.

Structured polyhedroid arrays and ring-based polyhedroid elements


A wireless communication device comprising a substrate, an antenna unit mounted on the substrate, and multiple conductive pads at one or more periphery regions of the substrate, one conductive pad among the multiple conductive pads being connected with and providing impedance matching to the antenna unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna apparatus and a portable terminal having the same, and more particularly, to an antenna apparatus capable of having an enhanced antenna function with minimal installation space, and a portable terminal having the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
A Bluetooth apparatus allows short-range wireless communication between electronic devices (e.g., a computer, a portable terminal, home appliances, etc.), and is generally installed in a portable terminal (e.g., mobile phone, PDA, etc.).
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portable terminal having a Bluetooth apparatus in accordance with the related art, and FIG. 2 is a frontal view showing a printed circuit board having a Bluetooth apparatus in accordance with the related art.
The related art portable terminal comprises a terminal body 110 having a key pad 102 for inputting information at a front surface and having a printed circuit board 104 on which circuit components are mounted therein, and a display unit 124 rotatably connected to the terminal body 110 by a hinge 120 and having a display 122 for displaying information.
A Bluetooth apparatus is installed at the printed circuit board 104. Also, a non-ground region 130 with a ground removed for mounting the Bluetooth apparatus is formed at the printed circuit board 104.
The Bluetooth apparatus includes a Bluetooth antenna 132 installed at the non-ground region 130 of the printed circuit board 104; a matching stub 134 electrically connected to one end of the Bluetooth antenna 132 and installed at the non-ground region 130 of the printed circuit board 104, for matching the Bluetooth antenna 132; and a Bluetooth chip set 136 for processing an electric signal from the Bluetooth apparatus.
In the related art portable terminal, sufficient space (i.e., an appropriate sized footprint) for the non-ground region 130 having a relatively large size that is needed for installing the Bluetooth antenna 132 and the matching stub 134 has to be obtained. However, this reduces the amount of available space for the Bluetooth apparatus and other elements on the printed circuit board 104 and thus a spatial utilization degree of the printed circuit board 104 is not optimal.
Furthermore, in the related art portable terminal, since the amount of non-ground region 130 is relatively large, the amount of ground region is relatively small, which thereby decreases the function of the portable terminal.
Additionally, in the related art portable terminal, the Bluetooth antenna 132 and the matching stub 134 are arranged relatively near a center portion of the printed circuit board 104. As a result, the Bluetooth antenna 132 and the matching stub 134 are easily influenced by external interference (e.g., caused by the user's fingers or head during use, etc.). This degrades the formation of a desired signal emission pattern, thereby degrading the function of the Bluetooth antenna.

Portable terminal having antenna apparatus


A system for automatically refilling the patient breathing circuit of an anesthesia system wherein the system detects the existence of a large leak in the patient breathing system and reduces the flow of the fresh gas to the patient circuit to minimize the amount of gas that is vented to the atmosphere. As the leak is corrected, the system automatically detects that the leak has been alleviated and increases the fresh gas flow to a high flow to refill the patient breathing circuit in a rapid time. Upon refill, the system detects that the circuit and the system has been refilled and automatically reduces the fresh gas flow back to a lower level desired by the clinician to maintain the anesthesia. The fresh gas flow used to refill the patient circuit is the same composition of gases and anesthetic agent as initially set by the clinician.

The present invention relates to anesthesia systems used to provide an anesthetic agent to a patient undergoing an operation.
In general, anesthesia systems are utilized in operating rooms and comprise various equipment necessary to anesthetize the patient and maintain the patient in that state until the operation is completed and it is possible to terminate the introduction of the anesthetic agent.
Such systems comprise various pressure regulators, flow control devices, gas mixing devices and vaporizers to vaporize a volatile liquid anesthetic and to introduce the anesthetic laden gases into the patient. The patient is connected to the system by means of a face mask or other device and which interfaces with the anesthesia system via a patient circuit that may typically have an inspiratory limb through which the gases are introduced into the patient and an expiratory limb that conveys the exhaled gases from the patient.
In one typical anesthesia system, the overall flow of gases to and from the patient may be in a generally closed circuit, commonly referred to as the circle system, that is, the patient is connected to a substantially closed volume supply of gases and rebreathes certain of those exhaled gases supplemented by fresh gas.
As the driving force to the circle breathing circuit, and, of course, to the patient, a ventilator is used and which basically breathes for the patient since the patient is under anesthesia and is unable to carry out the normal spontaneous breathing functions. The ventilator, therefore, provides a quantity of the gas containing a predetermined metered quantity of the anesthetic agent along with other gases such as nitrous oxide and, of course, a life sustaining percentage of oxygen.
That gas containing the anesthetic may typically be delivered through an intermediate mechanism such as a bellows. In such case, the driving gas from the ventilator does not contain the anesthetic agent but is used to simply power the bellows to collapse that bellows to deliver the aforementioned anesthetic containing gas from the bellows to the patient. Instead of drive gas, other driving means such as an electromechanical or mechanical means are also used.
In any of the aforedescribed systems, the anesthetic laden gas is delivered to the inspiratory limb of the circle patient breathing circuit and is introduced into the patient to provide anesthesia to that patient. That anesthetic gas to the inspiratory limb is provided by a source of gases, including fresh gas, oxygen and generally nitrous oxide, that is mixed to a predetermined mixture in a gas mixer and the mixed gases are then passed through an agent vaporizer where the anesthetic agent is introduced into those gases.
In the expiratory limb of the circle patient breathing circuit, as the patient exhales, the exhalation gases pass through the expiratory limb where they are recirculated back to the inspiratory limb where they are again inhaled by the patient. In this manner, the system is closed and which allows the optimum use of the rather expensive anesthetic agent. If the fresh gas added to the circuit exceeds the net of gases taken up by the patient or leaked from the circuit, the excess gases are popped off via a pop-off valve.
One difficulty with such system is that on occasion, there is a loss of gas within the system, that is, there may be a patient disconnect where one of the limbs to the patient becomes disconnected, or, alternatively, there may simply be a leak in the system such that the gas that normally is supplied to the patient is released to the atmosphere and the patient is not receiving the amount of gas intended by the clinician.
In such instances, it is incumbent on the clinician to recognize the problem and, commonly, the clinician continuously watches the movement of the bellows expansion and contraction as the patient is supplied with respiratory gases. If the bellows fails to expand to its full volume, that is, the expansion of the bellows is less than the clinician has been viewing, there is an indication that some gas is escaping from the system. Accordingly, the clinician may continually watch the bellows movement to see if there is a lessening of the expansion and note that indication as evidence of a leak in the patient circuit.
In such cases, when the clinician recognizes the problem, corrective action must be taken to reestablish the integrity of the breathing system and to restore the anesthesia machine back to the normal pattern of ventilating the patient. At the present, when the clinician does recognize the loss of integrity in the breathing system and makes the necessary correction to terminate the leak, the clinician then normally activates an oxygen flush that is present on all anesthesia machines and which sends a high flow of oxygen to the patient circuit. While that method may serve to reinflate the bellows and supply the needed gas to refill the overall breathing system, the composition of the gas then supplied is pure oxygen and the desired oxygen concentration to the patient that had been established to the patient by the clinician must be again reestablished to restore the original breathing conditions set by the clinician.


In an embodiment, a method of forming a stub-less via is provided. The method includes depositing a plurality of microcapsules containing a metal material in a via of a printed circuit board (PCB); rupturing the microcapsules and releasing the metal material; and sintering the metal material. In another embodiment, a method of forming a stub-less via is provided. The method includes forming a via in a printed circuit board (PCB); installing a plug in a portion of the via; depositing in the via a plurality of nanoparticles containing a metal material; and sintering the metal material.

The present disclosure relates to the manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCBs), and more specifically, to the creation of contact vias in PCBs and other substrates, such as interconnect substrates. Vias are typically formed in a PCB by drilling a hole through part or all of the board. A conductive material is then plated into the via to line the walls of the via, thus electrically connecting conductive structures at different levels in the PCB. These vias are commonly called "plated through holes" (PTHs). Often, it is desired to plate only a portion of the hole to reach a particular conductive structure in the PCB, but plating processes are not location selective so the entire hole is plated, resulting in a "via stub," which is a plated portion of the via beyond that which is desired to be plated. Typically, the via stub is a portion of the PTH from one surface of the PCB to the conductive structure that was to be reached by plating the PTH.
Via stubs can create severe distortions in high speed digital signals passing through the via. The signal travels down the via, reaching the conductive trace, but also travels down the via stub to the end thereof, reflecting back along the via to create a ghost signal at the conductive trace. The via stub can be eliminated through costly and time-consuming processes of "backdrilling," or drilling out the unwanted plating material. Other techniques to reduce via stubs are the use of micro vias, build up layers, and conductive joining layers. However, these techniques are complex and time-consuming processes
There is a need in the art for improved methods of making stub-less vias in PCBs and other substrates, such as interconnect substrates.

Method of manufacturing printed circuit boards

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and apparatus for delaying the display of a portion of audio and video broadcast signals received from a remote location. Received broadcast video and audio signals are placed in a first-in/first-out storage queue to enable the control of the playback of the signals. Signals may be placed in the tail of the queue while previously received signals are simultaneously routed from the head of the queue to a television monitor. Passing the signals through the queue creates the delay. The system may be controlled either by input to the receiver from the broadcast facility or by remote or manual control by the user. The control functions that are available to the user are pause, play, fast forward and replay. The control from the broadcast facility is through the ability to xe2x80x9cmarkxe2x80x9d segments of the video and audio program to be immune to the fast forward function, thus guaranteeing that those segments are viewed by the user.

The present invention relates to a television system for delaying the display of incoming video and audio signals. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for delaying the display of television programming by passing incoming video and audio signals through a queue before routing them to an output device.
Viewers of TV broadcasts have always suffered from interruptions and distractions. These interruptions take the form of telephone calls, visitors, children, meals, etc. The viewer often is unable to view television programming during the interruption. While broadcasted sporting events often show instant replays, such replays immediately follow the live event and cannot be seen at a later time. Similarly, when a viewer is watching a broadcasted movie, interruptions can cause the viewer to miss critical parts of the movie and leave the viewer confused for the remainder of the movie. This problem is more significant with the advent of on demand video offered to subscribers at a premium price, where interruptions experienced during the broadcast of the program translate directly into wasted money.
Videotaping or otherwise recording the broadcast is often an unacceptable solution. By the same token, interruptions are often spontaneous, and give the viewer no advance warning to record the broadcast. Interruptions are often brief, allowing the user to quickly return to viewing the broadcast. In order to view a portion of a broadcast recorded during the interruption, the viewer must wait until the broadcast terminates, or record the broadcast in its entirety and view the entire recording. Again, the viewer would be required to keep a recorder and recording media prepared during all viewing times, thus eliminating the capability to record one broadcast while viewing another broadcast.
To solve the dilemma of viewer interruptions occurring during TV broadcasts, a solution is required that delays the viewing of portions of the TV broadcast without the use of traditional, dedicated video recording devices.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus to delay the display of television programming broadcast from a remote location. Broadcast video and audio signals are placed in a first-in/first-out storage queue to enable the control of the playback of the original video signal. Signals may be placed in the tail of the storage queue while other signals are simultaneously routed from the head of the storage queue to a television monitor. A delay is created as the signals are passed through the queue. The system may be controlled either from input to the receiver by the viewer or by remote control from the broadcast facility. The control mechanisms that are available to the viewer are pause, play, fast forward, and replay.
The control from the broadcast facility is through the ability to designate segments of the video and audio program to be immune to the fast-forward function. The present invention may thereby guarantee that a commercial advertisement is shown. The present invention enables TV commercial advertisers to mark their commercials with a prevention instruction in the signal to insure their advertisements are viewed by the user. In other words, the user is prevented from fast forwarding past these commercials. Also, other required broadcasts which must be viewed by the user, such as warnings of severe weather or national warnings broadcast by the Emergency Broadcast Association, can be so marked.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when it is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method and apparatus for time shifting and controlling broadcast audio and video signals


Disclosed herein is a die for forming a part. The die comprises a base, comprising a heat-platen interface surface and a part interface surface, and wherein the heat-platen interface surface and the part interface surface are separated by a thickness of the base. The die also comprises inserts, embedded within and circumferentially closed by the base, spaced apart from each other, and extending in a first direction from the heat-platen interface surface toward the part interface surface. The base is made of a first material having a first thermal conductivity. The inserts are made of a second material having a second thermal conductivity. The first thermal conductivity is different than the second thermal conductivity.

Dies are heated and compressed against a material to form the material into a part with a desired shape. Due to thickness variations in the dies, uniform heating of the dies is difficult. Non-uniform heating of a die can lead to incomplete formation of the material into the desired shape or create excessive residual stresses in the formed part.

Dies for forming a part and associated systems and methods


The method and apparatus in one embodiment may have: a gyro housing containing a bias field; a bias field that generates a stable axial magnetic field; Xenon or other gas contained within at least a portion of the axial magnetic field, Xenon or other gas nuclear spins precessing at a constant angular rate with respect to the gyro housing in response to the axial magnetic field; wherein reversing a polarity of the bias field reverses a polarity of the magnetic field and a polarity of the precession of the Xenon or other gas nuclear spin, and wherein a reversing of the polarity of the gyro scalefactor thereby results without reversing a polarity of the gyro bias.

A number of approaches have been suggested in the prior art for creating a nuclear magnetic resonance gyroscope. In general, they use a nuclear magnetic resonance controlled oscillator. Rotational information is derived from the phases of the nuclear moment Larmor precession signals by phase comparison and magnetic field control circuits.
Such devices have significant problems which limit their use. For instance, some devices are limited by the relatively short relaxation times of the gases which they use. Also, typical strong direct coupling between the gases and the light, which is used for magnetic moment alignment or magnetic moment detection, limits both the relaxation times and the signal-to-noise ratio, and therefore limits usefulness of such instruments.
In a known type of gyro, the gyro bias polarity is reversed when the drive and sense axes are interchanged. This particular class of gyro is identified as Class II Coriolis Vibratory Gyro and is characterized by being inherently counterbalanced, symmetrical about the input axis and having orthogonal degenerate vibration modes. Self calibration of the gyro bias is achieved by employing two gyros to measure the angular rate and sequentially reversing the gyro bias. The sequence of data from the gyros may be processed in an algorithm to solve for the gyro biases and subtract them from the measured rate. The two self-calibrated gyro angular rate measurements are averaged to reduce the angle random walk.
Self-calibration of a gyro bias under dynamic operating conditions requires the simultaneous measurement of angular rate by, for example, a pair of Class II Coriolis Vibratory Gyros (CVG) or a single gyro with dual sensing elements. Class II CVGs have the ability to reverse polarity of the gyro bias by interchanging their drive and sense modes. An algorithm solves a set of four equations to estimate the gyro bias and subtract it from the measured angular rate. A Dual Resonator Gyro (DRG) may facilitate this simultaneous measurement of angular rate by a pair of gyros. System simulations have shown that the contribution of gyro bias uncertainty to the growth of position error of an inertial navigation system can be reduced by nearly three orders of magnitude using self calibration of gyro bias.
Gyro scale factor uncertainty is another source of error in inertial systems. The contribution to position error due to scale factor uncertainty is dependent on the magnitude of the angular rate experienced. Compensating for gyro scale factor uncertainty would further improve the performance of inertial navigation system.
There is a need in the art for improved self-calibrating nuclear magnetic resonance gyros.

Self-calibrating nuclear magnetic resonance gyro

Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Company, Inc.


A solid electrolytic capacitor element that includes a porous body, a dielectric layer on a surface of the porous body, and a solid electrolyte layer on a surface of the dielectric layer. The porous body is made from a sintered body of a Ti-alloy-containing grain having a Ti—Zr—X multicomponent alloy on a surface thereof, where X is at least one valve metal element selected from Si, Hf, Y, Al, Mo, W, Ta, Nb, and V, and a composition of the Ti—Zr—X multicomponent alloy is Ti: 50 atm % to 80 atm %, Zr: 8 atm % to 32 atm %, and X: 1 atm % to 20 atm %.

Solid electrolytic capacitors are produced, for example, by a method of forming a dielectric oxide film layer by chemical conversion treatment on the surface of an electrode body made from a valve action metal and having been subjected to surface roughing treatment by etching; thereafter separating into an anode portion and a cathode portion by sticking an insulating adhesive tape of polyimide or the like from the front and back surface sides; forming a solid electrolyte layer made from a conductive polymer on the cathode portion; and thereafter forming a cathode layer of a carbon layer and a silver paste layer.
The electrostatic capacitance of a solid electrolytic capacitor is dependent on a thickness of a dielectric oxide film layer and a relative permittivity of a dielectric oxide film. The value of the relative permittivity of aluminum oxide is not so high as compared with the value of the relative permittivity of the oxide of other valve action metals. Accordingly, attempts are made to improve the electrostatic capacitance of a solid electrolytic capacitor by replacing the aluminum with other valve action metals. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a solid electrolytic capacitor that uses, as a valve action metal, titanium whose oxides have the relative permittivity of 10 or more times that of aluminum.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-224036

Solid electrolytic capacitor element, solid electrolytic capacitor, and manufacturing method of solid electrolytic capacitor element


A light beam is irradiated to sinter powder layers into a plurality of cured layer which are superimposed to each other to fabricate a three-dimensional object. A portion forming an outer shell of the object is given by high-density cured layers, while the other portion is given by low-density cured layers. The high-density cured layer making up at least a side of the object is composed of a high-density primary cured layer obtained by irradiation of a primary irradiation to the powder layer, and a high-density secondary layer obtained by a secondary irradiation to a supplemental powder layer supplied on the high-density primary cured layer. Thus, the high-density cured layer is given a height in level with the low-density cured layer, which assures constant height of each cured layer which is a combination of the high-density cured layer and the low-density cured layer.

JP-A 01-502890 discloses a conventional process of fabricating a three-dimensional object. According to this process, the three-dimensional object is fabricated by repetition of a step of irradiating a light beam to a powder layer provided on an elevation stage to form a cured layer and a step of providing an additional powder layer on the cured layer and, then, irradiating the light beam to this powder layer to form a cured layer.
In consideration of problems concerning fabrication time, warp or crack due to an internal stress, and the like, preferably, the entire object is not finished under a uniform sintering condition at a uniform density, but only an outer shell of the object is formed as a high-density sintered portion under a high sintering condition while a remaining portion thereof is formed as a low density sintered portion under a low density condition.
A high-density sintered portion is formed by irradiation of a light beam to a powder layer under a high sintering condition, and has a density of nearly 100% in such a manner that the powder layer having a density in a range from 50 to 60% is melted and solidified nearly completely. After finishing, a surface of the high-density sintered portion becomes precise highly. However, the surface of the high-density sintered portion settles to be lower in height than that of a powder layer. Further, a degree of settling of the high-density sintered portion is higher than that of a low density sintered portion. Consequently, there is a difference in height between the high-density cured layer and the low-density cured layer. This difference in height is cumulated as a plurality of the cured layers stacked.
Such cumulated difference in height causes a significant problem when forming an inclined surface of the object. As shown in FIG. 12, an angle of the inclined surface is defined by a line K1 connecting upper end edges of stacked cured layers 20. As shown by dotted lines in FIG. 12, however, if each cured layer 20 becomes lower in height, a line K2 connecting the upper end edges of the cured layers 20 becomes gentler than the line K1. Consequently, an angle of inclination can not be obtained as designed, resulting in a problem that an object to be fabricated is degraded in precision.

Process of fabricating three-dimensional object


A hydrocodone composition, a hydrocodone dosage form, and a method of administering hydrocodone are disclosed and indicated for hydrocodone therapy.

This invention pertains to a novel therapeutic composition comprising hydrocodone. The invention concerns also a novel dosage form comprising hydrocodone. Additionally, the invention relates to a novel method of administering a dose of hydrocodone from a therapeutic composition, and to a novel method of administering a dose of hydrocodone from a dosage form that in both administrations are for producing antitussive and analgesic therapy.
Hydrocodone is chemically 4, 5-epoxy-3-methoxy-17-methyl-morphinan-6-one. The synthesis of hydrocodone and its pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,629 issued to Pfister et al, and in the Merck Index, 11th Edition, page 757, entry 4708 (1989). Hydrocodone is a narcotic antitussive and analgesic. The mechanism of physiological and pharmacological actions of hydrocodone is believed that it acts directly by depressing the cough centers for its antitussive therapy. At antitussive doses, hydrocodone exerts also analgesic effects. Hydrocodone exhibits a complex pattern of metabolism including O-demethylation, N-dimethylation and 6-keto reduction to the corresponding 6-xcex2-hydroxy metabolites.
The prior art administers hydrocodone in conventional tablet and syrup forms, which forms dose-dump hydrocodone thereby providing a concentration of hydrocodone followed by an absence of hydrocodone. This pharmaceodynamic variability with its fluctuation in hydrocodone availability to hydrocodone receptor sites produces uncertainty as it is unknown if a dose of hydrocodone is present for needed therapy. The prior art is deficient in providing controlled hydrocodone therapy to a patient seeking such therapy. The pharmacological properties of hydrocodone are known in The Pharmacological Basis of Therapy, by Gilman and Rall, 8th Edition, pg. 497, (1990); and in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Remington, 17th Ed., pg. 1104, (1985).
In view of the foregoing presentation, it is immediately apparent that a present and critical need exists for an improvement in the delivery of hydrocodone for its therapeutic antitussive and analgesic effects. The need exists for providing a novel therapeutic composition comprising hydrocodone, the need exists for providing a novel dosage form comprising hydrocodone, and the need exists for providing a novel method for administering hydrocodone to a patient in need of hydrocodone therapy. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a therapeutic composition comprising hydrocodone with means for enhancing the administration of hydrocodone over time. It is also an object of the invention to provide a dosage form with means for controlling the delivery of hydrocodone that overcomes fluctuation in hydrocodone therapy. It is an additional object of the invention to provide a method for administering hydrocodone for better hydrocodone therapy.
The drug hydrocodone, as embraced by this invention, comprises a member selected from the group consisting of hydrocodone and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Representative of hydrocodone pharmaceutically acceptable salts comprises a member selected from the group consisting of hydrocodone bitartrate, hydrocodone bitartrate hydrate, hydrocodone hydrochloride, hydrocodone p-toluenesulfonate, hydrocodone phosphate, hydrocodone thiosemicarbazone, hydrocodone sulfate, hydrocodone trifluoroacetate, hydrocodone, hydrocodone bitartrate, dihydrocodeinone bitartrate, hydrocodone bitartrate hemipentahydrate, pentafluoropropionate, hydrocodone p-nitrophenylhydrazone, hydrocodone o-methyloxime, hydrocodone semicarbazone, hydrocodone hydrobromide, hydrocodone mucate, hydrocodone oleate, hydrocodone phosphate dibasic, hydrocodone phosphate monobasic, hydrocodone inorganic salt, hydrocodone organic salt, hydrocodone acetate trihydrate, hydrocodone bis(heptafuorobutyrate), hydrocodone bis(methylcarbamate), hydrocodone bis(pentaflu oropropionate), hydrocodone bis(pyridine carboxylate), hydrocodone bis(trifluoroacetate), hydrocodone chlorhydrate, and hydrocodone sulfate pentahydrate.


A non-aqueous pigment dispersion includes a diketopyrrolo-pyrrole pigment, a polymeric dispersant, and a dispersion synergist in a dispersion medium wherein the dispersion synergist is a quinacridone derivative containing at least one acid group or a salt thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to stable diketopyrrolo-pyrrole dispersions and inkjet inks using specific dispersion synergists.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pigment dispersions are made using a dispersant. A dispersant is a substance for promoting the formation and stabilization of a dispersion of pigment particles in a dispersion medium. Dispersants are generally surface-active materials having an anionic, cationic or non-ionic structure. The presence of a dispersant substantially reduces the required dispersing energy. Dispersed pigment particles may have a tendency to re-agglomerate after the dispersing operation due to mutual attraction forces. The use of dispersants also counteracts this re-agglomeration tendency of the pigment particles.
The dispersant has to meet particularly high requirements when used for inkjet inks. Inadequate dispersing manifests itself as increased viscosity in liquid systems, loss of brilliance and/or hue shifts. Moreover, particularly good dispersion of the pigment particles is required to ensure unimpeded passage of the pigment particles through the nozzles of the print head, which are usually only a few micrometers in diameter. In addition, pigment particle agglomeration and the associated blockage of the printer nozzles has to be avoided during the standby periods of the printer.
Polymeric dispersants contain in one part of the molecule so-called anchor groups, which adsorb onto the pigments to be dispersed. In a spatially separate part of the molecule, polymeric dispersants have polymer chains compatible with the dispersion medium, thus stabilizing the pigment particles in the dispersion medium. Typical polymeric dispersants include graft copolymer and block copolymer dispersants.
In aqueous inkjet inks, the polymeric dispersants generally contain hydrophobic anchor groups exhibiting a high affinity for the pigment surface and hydrophilic polymer chains for stabilizing the pigments in the aqueous dispersion medium.
The preparation of good thermally stable dispersions with submicron particles is more difficult for non-aqueous inkjet inks, such as solvent based, oil based and radiation curable inkjet inks. The pigments are especially difficult to disperse when they have a non-polar surface.
These problems have led to the design of very specific polymeric dispersants wherein the anchor groups are pigment derivatives. For example, EP 0763378 A (TOYO INK) discloses a pigment composition including a non-aqueous type pigment dispersing agent having a portion which has a high affinity with a pigment and which has at least one type selected from the group consisting of an organic dye, anthraquinone and acridone only at a terminal end or at both terminal ends of at least one polymer selected from a linear urethane polymer and a linear acrylic polymer, and a pigment.
Another approach for dispersing pigments with non-polar surfaces in non-aqueous dispersion media is changing the surface to a more polar surface by addition of compounds known as dispersion synergists. A dispersion synergist is a compound that promotes the adsorption of the polymeric dispersant on the surface of the pigment. It is suggested that the synergist should possess the pigment structure substitued by one or more sulphonic acid groups or ammonium salts thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,647 (ICI) discloses a dispersion of a pigment in an organic liquid containing a water-insoluble asymmetric disazo compound including a central divalent group free from acidic and other ionic substituents linked through azo groups to two monovalent end groups wherein one end group, the first, is free from acidic and other ionic substituents and the other end group, the second, carries a single substituted ammonium-acid salt group.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,436 (ICI) discloses pigment dispersions in organic liquids using polymeric or resinous dispersing agents in the presence of a substituted ammonium salt of a colored acid wherein there are between 16 and 60 carbon atoms contained in at least 3 chains attached to the N-atom of the substituted ammonium ion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,655 (AVECIA) discloses the use of a diquaternary ammonium salt of a colored acid as a fluidizing agent wherein the diquaternary ammonium cation contains two or more nitrogen atoms.
Although these dispersion synergists work fine for some pigments, many other pigments cannot be dispersed to an acceptable quality in a non-aqueous medium. This is the case for diketopyrrolo-pyrrole pigments, for which it is difficult to obtain stable non-aqueous pigment dispersions, especially stable non-aqueous ink-jet inks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,334 (DAINICHISEIKA COLOR) discloses a surface modification of the diketopyrrolo-pyrrole pigments C.I. Pigment Red 254 and C.I. Pigment Red 255. The sulfonated particles are easily dispersible as an aqueous pigment dispersion, but no details are given on their performance in non-aqueous pigment dispersions.
U.S. 2004/0122130 (CHANG ET AL.) discloses a photocurable pigment type inkjet ink composition containing Pigment Red 254 but the ink requires the presence of water and a reactive surfactant.
EP 224445 A (CIBA) discloses pigment dispersions of pyrrolo-pyrrole pigments with dispersion synergists including sulphonic acid groups, carboxyl groups, phosphate groups and salts thereof on the phenyl ring of the pyrrolo-pyrrole pigment of which it is derived.
JP 2004-067714 (TORAY INDUSTRIES) discloses pigment dispersions including dispersion synergists including sulphonic acid groups, carboxyl groups and salts thereof on the phenyl ring of the pyrrolo-pyrrole pigment of which it is derived.
JP 2003-346926 (TOYO INK) discloses a sensitizing dye for photoelectric conversion used in a dye sensitized photoelectric converting cell wherein the sensitizing dye is a diketopyrrolopyrrole compound substituted on both nitrogen atoms with a monovalent organic residue.
For consistent image quality, inkjet inks require a dispersion stability capable of dealing with high temperatures (above 60° C.) during transport of the ink to a customer, jetting at elevated temperatures and changes in the dispersion medium of the inkjet ink during use, for example, evaporation of solvent and increasing concentrations of humectants, penetrants and other additives.
Therefore, it is highly desirable to manufacture pigmented inkjet inks using diketopyrrolo-pyrrole pigments in a non-aqueous medium exhibiting a high dispersion quality and stability.

Non-aqueous pigment dispersions using dispersion synergists


A cooling apparatus includes a magnetocaloric material, a magnetizing device, a converting device for applying pressure or tension to the magnetocaloric material, and a movement mechanism to move the magnetocaloric material. The magnetocaloric material changes its temperature when there is a change in an external magnetic field and when there is a change in an applied pressure. The movement mechanism moves the magnetocaloric material to expose it alternatingly to the external magnetic field and the change in pressure and to cause a periodic temperature change in the magnetocaloric material, whereby periods of lower temperature can be used for cooling.

In many technical fields it is important to cool materials or spaces as efficiently as possible. For example, air conditioners or refrigerators consume a considerable amount of energy. Therefore, we are constantly striving to improve existing cooling technologies or to use alternative cooling concepts for cooling.
Such a cooling method uses the so-called magnetocaloric effect (MCE), which is based on a temperature change of a material by applying a magnetic field. A variety of materials are generally suitable. However, known magnetocaloric refrigeration units require very large-scale magnets to generate the necessary magnetic field, whereby permanent magnets are used. For this reason, existing refrigeration units of this type are typically many times larger or heavier than conventional compressor-based systems. And in addition the associated material costs are not inconsiderable. Therefore, magnetic cooling is currently not competitive with conventional cooling technologies.
On the other hand, magnetic cooling methods promise high efficiency, since in these systems, among other things, no compressors or other hydraulic-pneumatic systems are required to achieve a cooling effect.
FIG. 5 illustrates the operating principle of a known AMR device (AMR=active magnetic regenerator). The magnetocaloric material 310 (MCE material), which changes its temperature when a magnetic field is applied, is rotatably arranged in the form of a ring between two magnetic units 320. The magnetic units 320 in this conventional AMR device are typically permanent magnets and designed so that the magnetocaloric material 310 is exposed to a sufficiently strong magnetic field to achieve a significant temperature change of the MCE material 310.
To operate efficiently, the MCE material 310 shown in FIG. 5 rotates. However, it is also possible that the magnet unit 320 rotates. There are two heat exchange phases: (1) dissipation of heat in the magnetic field and (2) absorption of heat without a magnetic field. When the MCE material 310 leaves the magnetic units 320, the temperature of the MCE material 310 has increased and the heat may dissipate. For this purpose, for example, an exchange fluid can be pumped through the annular MCE material 310. In order not to void the achieved magnetocaloric effect, the magnetic field is maintained throughout the pumping process. Only when the temperature of the MCE material 310 has adapted to the ambient temperature, the magnetic field (or the magnetic unit 320) is removed and the reverse magnetocaloric effect occurs. Since the magnetocaloric effect has caused magnetization heating, which can be released to the environment using the exchange fluid, the reverse magnetocaloric effect (when the magnetic field is turned off) achieves cooling (which can be used for cooling). Depending on the cycle where the system is located, the exchange fluid can be pumped in different directions.
In the conventional magnetocaloric aggregates, materials are typically used which have high reversibility. In order to enable the high reversibility and thus the lowest possible loss of cooling, materials are used in these refrigeration units, which have no or the least possible thermal hysteresis. Materials having these properties have been continuously refined and include, for example: gadolinium, La (Fe, Si, Co) 13, La (Fe, Si, Mn) 13Hx or Fe2P alloys.
As stated, this is a disadvantage of these systems with the large permanent magnets, which are required in order to allow the strong magnetic field to act on the MCE material 310 as extensively as possible. For example, half of the volume of the magnetocaloric material 310 was exposed to the magnetic field. The corresponding cooling units are therefore not only heavy, but they are also associated with enormous costs.
Therefore, there is a need for alternative magnetic cooling technologies that do not require large permanent magnets and make magnetic cooling cheaper.


A medical instrument includes a handpiece, a tank portion for housing a fluid, a plunger that changes a volume or pressure of an inside of the tank portion to suction the fluid into the tank portion or discharge the fluid from the tank portion, and an operating unit for operating the plunger. The handpiece includes a grip portion at the front end, and an operation member of the operating unit is disposed on a side of the grip portion.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a medical instrument.
2. Related Art
In recent years, regarding regenerative medicine in the field of ophthalmology, a treatment method including culturing retinal pigment epithelial cells in a sheet shape and implanting the epithelial cells under the retina in the fundus of a patient's eye has been proposed (see JP-A-1997-501303).
Also, according to a technology proposed in recent years, a sheet of retinal pigment epithelial cells as a graft is made by causing cells acquired from the patient or another person (donor) to differentiate into retinal pigment epithelial cells. This technology is discussed by, for example, Y. Hirami, M Takahashi, and six others in "Generation of retinal cells from mouse and human induced pluripotent stem cells", Neuroscience Letters, 2009 Jul. 24, Volume 458, Issue 3, p 126-131.
In the above technologies, it is not easy to perform surgery for transplanting (placing) the prepared transplant under the retina in the fundus of the patient's eye. U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,218 proposes a surgical instrument for facilitating such transplant surgery.


The present invention provides compositions and processes for the solid phase synthesis of polypeptides. In particular, the present invention provides solid supports and processes for preparing solid supports for the synthesis of polypeptides.

Polypeptide synthesis may be either solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) or solution-phase synthesis. Unlike ribosome protein synthesis, solid-phase protein synthesis generally proceeds from the C-terminus to N-terminus. There are several groups of peptides and peptidomimetic compounds characterized by derivatization at the C-terminus of the peptide chain. One of these groups includes peptides having C-terminus secondary amides. Within the category of peptides having C-terminus secondary amides, one of the most important families of pharmaceutical products is GnRH agonist analogues as well as antagonists. This family consists of various peptides such as Leuprolide, Deslorelin, Buserelin, Alarelin, Fertirelin, Histrelin, and other analogues.
Peptides with C-terminus secondary amides have traditionally been prepared by SPPS using Boc/Benzyl chemistry either directly on alkylated amino methyl resin (J. Rivier, et al, IJPPR (1985) 25:414-420) or indirectly on Merrifield resin followed by aminolysis where the C-terminus amino acid of the peptide is attached to the solid support by an ester bond (D. H. Coy et al., Biochemistry (1974) 13:303). Both the direct method and indirect method, however, are plagued with drawbacks. With the direct method, peptide yield is relatively low after acidolysis. The indirect method, in addition to slow reaction times, also can suffer from racemization, is cumbersome, and cannot be used with peptides containing protected glutamic acid and/or aspartic acid because their benzyl esters will also undergo aminolysis. Moreover, Boc-SPPS generally utilizes environmentally unfriendly reagents, such as hydrogen fluoride (HF).
To overcome the problems associated with Boc-SPPS synthesis of peptides, Fmoc-SPPS has gained in popularity because of its use of environmentally safer reagents and comparatively milder reaction conditions. In particular, Fmoc-SPPS peptide synthesis avoids the use of HF. One resin that can be utilized for the Fmoc-SPPS synthesis of peptides with secondary amides is a resin bound amine (A. A. Zompra, et al., Chemistry Today (2006) 24(4):49-51). This resin has also been successfully used for the synthesis of small organic molecules such as secondary amides, ureas, sulfonamides, and guanidines (K. G. Estep, et al., J. Org. Chem. (1998) 63:5300-5301). Amine bound resins, however, have several drawbacks for Fmoc-SPPS synthesis of peptides. For example, the synthesis of secondary amides has been reported to be difficult, while the synthesis of sulfonamides has been reported to be unsuccessful. These supports also require expensive intermediates, multi-step reactions, and/or longer reaction time. Taken together, currently available amine bound supports are generally not practical or economical for the large-scale production of peptides with secondary amides. A need therefore exists for a solid support that is economical to produce, and that can be used for Fmoc-SPPS synthesis of polypeptides in high purity and yield, and in particular, for the synthesis of peptides with C-terminus secondary amides.

Solid support for Fmoc-solid phase synthesis of peptides


A recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium for each unit of block, with a unit of block being image data representing one picture, comprising a compression circuit for variably setting a compression ratio in the compression processing which is applied to the image data, in accordance with the supply timing for the above unit of block corresponding to the continuous mode, and an error correction adding circuit for variably setting the way of attaching error correction codes which are added to the above data, in accordance with the compression ratio being set as above.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording video or other signals on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus is well known in which various digital signals such as video or voice signals are recorded on a magnetic tape contained in a small cassette, and in which the processings such as signal processing or recording/reproducing are performed by transmitting above information signals to a transmission system within the apparatus at a predetermined transmission rate.
By the way, the transmission rate of signals on the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus as above described is desirably lower in relation to the processing speed of various signals.
However, if the transmission rate is lowered, it takes a long recording time to record video signals having a large amount of information.
That is, if the transmission rate is set at about 768 Kbit/sec {2(ch).times.32(kHz).times.12(bit)} which is sufficient for the transmission of voice signals, it takes about 4.8 sec to record video signals of one frame 3.7M bit {640 (pixels).times.480(pixels).times.1.5(Y+C)}! which is not quite sufficient for video image.
Thus, for example, when the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus as above described is used as an electronic still camera, there is a disadvantage that as the shutter timing is restrained by the time required for recording, the continuous photographing function (continuous photographing speed) for recording video signals corresponding to a plurality of sheets in a short time is also restrained.
Further, in order to shorten the recording time, the above-mentioned transmission rate may be increased, but if the tape running speed is always increased to do so, the consumption power will be undesirably increased so that the battery life of a portable electronic still camera is shortened.
Further, for recording a relatively large amount of image data onto a recording medium, an applicant of the present application has proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2-13976 published on Sep. 25, 1991 as Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 3-218190, a continuous photographing function in which image data corresponding to a plurality of sheets are first recorded in a semiconductor memory (buffer memory), and then image data read from the above memory are recorded onto the recording medium after the continuous photographing operation is terminated.
However, in this recording apparatus comprising such semiconductor memory, there is a limitation in the capacity of the semiconductor memory even though the recording medium has a sufficient capacity. There is thus a disadvantage that the continuous photographing operation over a long period is difficult.
Further, as such a long time continuous photographing for such a long time is impossible. For example, when starting the continuous photographing operation at the earlier time, there was a fear that the shutter chance would be lost because the continuous photographing operation was terminated before being able to photograph a desired scene.

Recording apparatus having variably settable compression ratio


A digital medium environment includes an action processing application that performs actions including personalized recommendation. A learning algorithm operates on a sample-by-sample basis (e.g., each instance a user visits a web page) and recommends an optimistic action, such as an action found by maximizing an expected reward, or a base action, such as an action from a baseline policy with known expected reward, subject to a safety constraint. The safety constraint requires that the expected performance of playing optimistic actions is at least as good as a predetermined percentage of the known performance of playing base actions. Thus, the learning algorithm is conservative during exploratory early stages of learning, and does not play unsafe actions. Furthermore, since the learning algorithm is online and can learn with each sample, it converges quickly and is able to track time varying parameters better than learning algorithms that learn on a block basis.

Many problems in science and engineering can be formulated as a decision-making problem under uncertainty (e.g., personalized advertisement recommendation). Although many learning algorithms have been developed for these types of problems, most do not guarantee performance, especially at the early stages of learning. For instance, at the early stages of learning, since the learning algorithm has observed only a small amount of data, it has little knowledge about different strategies and solutions, and therefore may try (relatively) unknown strategies. As a result, during this early stage exploration, the learning algorithm may perform poorly or violate safety margins (e.g., by making an inappropriate recommendation to an online customer or performing an undesirable action). For applications where safety is required, such as online marketing, health sciences, finance, and the like, this shortcoming can prevent or cease deployment of the learning algorithm. For example, recommendation of an unsafe drug for a medical patient or dangerous investment for a financial client may cause termination of the learning algorithm.
Moreover, most learning algorithms learn in a batch mode, rather than in a sample-by-sample fashion. For instance, most learning algorithms use a fixed strategy for a certain time period, such as a week, day, or number of hours, collect data samples during the fixed time period, and then learn a new strategy that will be deployed for the next time period. Therefore, since learning occurs only at the end of a fixed observation period, convergence of the learning algorithm can be prohibitively slow. Furthermore, in time varying situations, the learning algorithm may be unable to track a time-varying optimal solution, be unable to converge to an optimal solution, or worse, diverge to an inappropriate solution (e.g., an unsafe solution that results in dangerous recommendations to a customer).

Conservative learning algorithm for safe personalized recommendation


A blade for an antitorque tail rotor of a helicopter, having a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite each other and elongated along a longitudinal axis of the blade; the trailing edge, in use, interacts with the air current after the leading edge; the blade also has two opposite surfaces extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a root portion extending from a radially inner first end, with respect to a rotation axis of the blade, towards a second end opposite the first end; and the root portion, when sectioned in a plane perpendicular to the leading edge and trailing edge, has a profile asymmetrical with respect to a chord joining the leading edge and trailing edge.

Helicopters are known comprising a fuselage; a main rotor fitted to the top of a centre portion of the fuselage; and an antitorque tail rotor for opposing the torque generated by the main rotor on the fuselage.
Tail rotors substantially comprise a drive shaft; a hub fitted to the drive shaft; and a number of blades fixed to and projecting radially from the hub.
More specifically, each blade extends lengthwise substantially radially, and is rotated by the hub in a plane perpendicular to the drive shaft axis.
Each blade is also movable in any plane with respect to the hub to manoeuvre the helicopter.
A need is felt within the industry to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the blades, and reduce the loads on the blades and the tail rotor control mechanisms, without increasing the radial size of the tail rotor.


The invention relates to a nucleic acid marker ladder which is a restriction endonuclease digest, wherein a nucleic acid restriction endonuclease digest is a collection of nucleic acid fragments resulting from complete digestion of one or more nucleic acids by one or more restriction endonucleases; the restriction endonuclease digest contains at least 3 fragments; and the size of the fragments in base pairs is a multiple of an integer, wherein the integer is 10 or more.

Gel electrophoresis of nucleic acid is a well known technique in molecular biology. Nucleic acid molecules are separated on the basis of size (length or molecular weight), and conformation (linear vs. nicked circles vs. covalently closed circles). For a given conformation, electrophoretic mobility is inversely related to size.
Conventional agarose gel electrophoresis is commonly used for the separation of nucleic acid fragments within a practical resolution limit of 50 kbp (Cantor, C. R. and Schimmel, P. R. (1980) Biophysical Chemistry, Vol. III, pp. 1012–1036, Freeman, San Francisco; and Maniatis, T. et al. (1982) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.). A method called pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has been developed to provide separation of DNA molecules up to 2 Mbp (Schwartz, D. C. et al. (1983) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 47:189–195.; and Schwartz, D. C. and Cantor, C. R. (1984) Cell 37:67–75).
A number of mixtures of nucleic acid fragments ("ladders") are commercially available that can be used as markers for determining or estimating the sizes of nucleic acid molecules during gel electrophoresis. One type of ladder is constructed by digesting plasmids or bacteriophage with one or more restriction enzymes. The size of the marker fragments will depend upon the natural location of the restriction enzyme site-within the molecule to be digested and will produce a quasi-random size distribution. For example digestion of bacteriophage λ (lambda) with HindIII produces fragments of 23,130, 9,416, 6557, 4361, 2322, 2027, 564, and 125 base pairs (bp) (See Cat. No. 5612SA, Life Technologies, Inc. 1992 catalogue, Gaithersburg, Md., p. 318).
Alternatively, a ladder may comprise fragments which vary linearly with molecular weight, i.e. adjacent bands may differ by about 1000 base pairs (e.g "1 Kb DNA Ladder", See Cat. No. 5615SA, Life Technologies, Inc. 1992 catalogue, Gaithersburg, Md., p. 323), 100 base pairs (e.g "100 bp DNA Ladder", See Cat. No. 5628SA, Life Technologies, Inc. 1992 catalogue, Gaithersburg, Md., p. 322), or 123 bp (e.g "123 bp DNA Ladder", See Cat. No. 5613SA, Life Technologies, Inc. 1992 catalogue, Gaithersburg, Md., p. 323). Some ladders have been constructed and sold that are logarithmically spaced ("GenePrint™", cat. no. DG1911, Promega, Madison, Wis.).
Nucleic acid is visualized in agarose gels following electrophoresis by staining with the florescent dye ethidium bromide (Sharp et al. (1973) Biochemistry 12:3055). Ethidium bromide contains a planar group that intercalates between nucleic acid bases. The fixed position of this planar group and its close proximity to the nucleic acid bases cause the ethidium bromide bound to the nucleic acid to display an increased fluorescent yield compared to that of ethidium bromide in free solution (See Sambrook et al. (1989) Molecular Cloning, 2nd edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., page 6.15). The molecular mass of a nucleic acid fragment can be determined following agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining by comparing the intensity of the fluorescence of a fragment of unknown molecular mass with the intensity of a similarly sized fragment of known molecular mass.

Nucleic acid marker ladder for estimating mass


An apparatus for color-dependent detection of image contents includes a light input coupling apparatus, carrier medium, measuring region, output coupling region, and camera apparatus. The light input coupling apparatus includes a light source to emit light at a first wavelength. The carrier medium receives the light and transmits the light by internal reflection to the measuring region. The measuring region includes a first diffraction structure that outputs light at the first wavelength. The first diffraction structure is formed as a multiplex diffraction structure to input light in a second wavelength range. The output coupling region includes a second diffraction structure formed as a multiplex diffraction structure that outputs light at the first wavelength and the second wavelength range. The camera apparatus captures light output from the carrier medium to the camera apparatus, and provides the light in a form of image data which correlates with the light.

Described herein is an apparatus for color-dependent detection of image contents, and to a motor vehicle and a computing apparatus having such an apparatus.
There currently are numerous recording systems which facilitate color-dependent recording of image contents by way of light sources at a different wavelengths and by way of color filters. By way of example, this can be used to extend the visible spectrum, for example to recognize surface details, diseases or a biometric identification feature such as a hand vein pattern, for example.
A disadvantage of the previous recording systems is that the light source cannot be overlaid on an optical axis of a camera and this results in oblique illumination which may lead to a displacement of the position of the image contents, corresponding to a displacement of the optical axis. This circumstance can occur with an increasing number of light sources. Optical elements, for example prisms, provide an option for compensating this displacement; however, these require increased installation space.
German Patent Application No. 10 2016 206 290 A1 describes a camera system having at least one camera module and at least one stray light trap, wherein the at least one stray light trap includes a stray light-reducing structure, for example on its inner side, wherein the stray light-reducing structure includes at least one holographic element, for example a volume hologram.

Device for a color-based detection of image contents computing device, and motor vehicle including the device


A process for obtaining β-glucan from cereal grain, such as barley and oats. A β-glucan product obtained by the process. Uses of the β-glucan product as a food ingredient and for treating various diseases or disorders. The process includes the steps of forming flour from the cereal grain, mixing the flour with water to form a slurry of a process for obtaining β-glucan from cereal grain including forming flour from the cereal grain, mixing the flour with water to form a slurry of an aqueous solution of β-glucan and a solid residue, separating the aqueous solution from the solid residue, and removing water from the aqueous solution by evaporation or ultrafiltration or combinations thereof to form a β-glucan containing gel or solid.

The term "β-glucan" refers to those polysaccharides which comprise D-glucopyranosyl units which are linked together by (1→3) or (1→4) β-linkages. β-Glucans occur naturally in many cereal grains such as oats and barley. The molecular weight of β-glucan molecules occurring in cereals is typically 200 to 2000 kiloDaltons.
β-Glucan is desirable as a food additive, for example, to impart texture ("mouth feel") to foods or useful as edible films for food coatings. β-Glucan may also be used to add bulk to foods and has the advantage of having a neutral flavour.
β-Glucan is also desirable as a therapeutic agent. There is evidence that β-glucan can lower serum cholesterol levels, heal wounds, moderate glycaemic response, and alleviate constipation. β-Glucan can actively bind to specific cell receptors and therefore may be useful for the treatment of a wide variety of disorders or diseases.
The known methods for extracting β-glucan from cereal grains, such as oats and barley, involve several steps. Firstly, the cereal grain is milled to a flour prior to extracting β-glucan from the flour using warm or hot water or an aqueous alkali solution. The milling step facilitates release of the β-glucan from the cereal. The aqueous extract of β-glucan is then separated from the solid flour residue. Finally, the β-glucan is recovered from the extract.
The known methods of recovering the β-glucan from the aqueous extract include precipitation of the β-glucan using a water miscible solvent, such as alcohol, or by freezing and then thawing the extract to give a precipitate of β-glucan which can be recovered by filtration or centrifugation. The extraction of the β-glucan itself from the cereal is not generally a costly process. However, the recovery of the β-glucan from the extract is costly. This is due to the large amounts of water that must be removed to give solid β-glucan.
In addition, it is difficult to control the molecular weight of the β-glucan product obtained from known processes. High molecular weight β-glucan is preferable for certain uses. For example, high molecular weight β-glucan is preferable for moderating glycaemic response and for lowering serum cholesterol levels. On the other hand, low molecular weight β-glucan may be preferable as a food additive. For example, low molecular weight β-glucan can form a gel having beneficial textural properties for processed foods.
In order to obtain a high molecular weight β-glucan product, previous methods of β-glucan extraction from cereals have required that enzymes present in the cereal be deactivated prior to the extraction step. The enzymes are responsible for lowering β-glucan molecular weight and are deactivated either by treating the flour with boiling ethanol/water mixtures or by treating the flour with an aqueous acid solution.

Process for extraction of β-glucan from cereals and products obtained therefrom


A device for making a master plate for printing braille includes a support table on which a master plate material is positionable. A punch is disposed on a first side of the master plate material. A punch die is positioned in alignment with the punch, and is arranged on a second side of the master plate material. A punch driver is connected to the punch, and is activateable to move the punch toward the master plate material. A shifter arrangement is provided for changing a relative position of the master plate material to the punch and the punch die. A controller is operatively connected to the shifter and the punch driver for controlling an operation of the shifter and the punch driver. A data supply arrangement is coupled to the controller, and supplies punching data thereto. The controller acts upon the punching data to cause the shifter to move the plate material relative to the punch and the punch die, and cause the punch driver to be actuated to punch the plate material at locations corresponding to raised braille dot positions.

The present invention relates to a device for making a master plate for printing braille. In particular, the present invention is directed toward a device for making a master plate for printing braille using inputted braille data.
Conventionally, a reusable master plate, capable of simultaneously printing a large number of braille characters, was made by etching a metal plate, such as a brass plate, using the process shown in FIG. 6. This etching process, however, required a special chemical liquid, special processing facilities, and a special processing technique. As such, the master plates were not easy to produce, and their manufacture was generally done by professionals. Further, the etching process disadvantageously produced harmful waste fluids, and required a long processing time.
However, demand for braille publications is increasing daily. As such, an easy-to-make master plate for printing braille has been needed. Such a master plate would facilitate the printing of braille. Thus, there is a need for a device for making a master plate, that does not require special knowledge or skills.

Device for making a master plate for printing braille


Embodiments of the invention describe a method for controlling etching in pitch doubling. According to one embodiment, the method includes receiving a substrate having a pattern thereon defined by spacers formed on sidewalls of a plurality mandrels, and transferring the pattern defined by the spacers into the substrate using a plasma etch process that etches the mandrels and the substrate, the transferring forming first recessed features in the substrate below the mandrels and second recessed features in the substrate between the mandrels, where the plasma etch process utilizes an etching gas containing O2 gas, and the relative amount of O2 gas in the etching gas is selected to control the depth of the first recessed features relative to the depth of second recessed features. According to another embodiment, the substrate contains a mask layer thereon and a pattern on the mask layer.

Pitch multiplication is a class of technologies for manufacturing integrated circuits (ICs), developed for photolithography to enhance the feature density. Pitch doubling or double patterning techniques where a conventional lithography process is enhanced to produce double the expected number of features is the simplest case of pitch multiplication. One problem that arises during etching of a substrate using pitch doubled patterns is how to control difference in etch rate between different regions on a substrate.

Method for controlling etching in pitch doubling