An electrophotographic printing device with a developer unit and a photoconductor. The photoconductor is either directly connected to a substrate to be printed in the region of a transfer zone, or is connected by an intermediate circuit of one or several transfer media. At least one charger is provided for the substrate and the substrate may be transported through the transfer zone by a transport device. According to this invention, an effective transfer of toner to the substrate surface can be achieved with such an arrangement, even with a poor electrically-conducting and thick-walled, sheet-like substrate, whereby a charger is arranged as the primary charger in the transport direction and a secondary charger is arranged in the region after the transfer zone and both primary and secondary chargers affect the surface of the substrate to be printed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrophotographic printing device, having a developer unit and a photoconductor, wherein the photoconductor is connected directly or with the interposition of one or several transfer media with a substrate to be imprinted, located in a transfer zone, wherein at least one charger is assigned to the substrate, and wherein the substrate can be conveyed through the transfer zone by a conveying device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A printing device is known from German Patent Reference DE 198 49 500 A1. There, a developer unit is used, in which a toner is stored. A photoconductor drum is assigned to the developer unit. The photoconductor drum can be activated on its surface by an exposure device, so that a toner application becomes possible. The photoconductor drum is in contact with a transfer roller via a contact line. The toner is transferred from the photoconductor drum to the transfer roller using coronas. The transfer roller rolls off on the surface of a substrate which is to be imprinted. In the process the toner is transferred to the substrate surface using a corona arranged on the underside of the substrate. Two transfer processes of the toner image take place with this arrangement. The first transfer process occurs during the transfer from the photoconductor drum to the transfer roller, the second transfer process occurs during the transfer of the toner to the substrate. No complete transfer of the toner takes place during each of the transfer processes. However, the greatest possible transfer of the toner should be attempted, so that clear print images with sharp contours can be generated. In this connection the design and arrangement of the corona in the area of the second transfer process is of importance. It is necessary to assure that the surface of the substrate to be imprinted is sufficiently electrostatically charged. With flat substrates of greater wall thickness in particular, insufficient charging occurs when the substrate is of a material which does not conduct electricity well.


This invention provides a superconducting magnet apparatus capable of preventing or restraining the heat invading into the apparatus and reducing the refrigeration load of an external refrigerator, at the time of changeover of a switch in transiting to a persistent current mode, and capable of quick changeover operation. In the superconducting magnet apparatus of the present invention (1), in transiting to a persistent current mode, a thermal superconducting switch (41) placed in a low-temperature domain and a mechanical switch (42) placed in a mid-temperature domain are turned on. Since the mechanical switch (42) is placed in the mid-temperature domain, even if a heat load is generated through the drive mechanism (60), it is not necessary to cool the mechanical switch to an extremely low temperature. In short, heat generated at the contact point of the mechanical switch (42) and heat invasion through the drive mechanism (60) are applied not to the low-temperature domain, but to the mid-temperature domain, so that an external refrigerator can easily absorb the heat load and the capacity of the refrigerator can be reduced.

Along with improvements in performance of the superconducting wires and advances in coil manufacturing techniques using such wires, as well as technical developments in related apparatuses such as heat-insulating containers and refrigerators, various types of superconducting magnets and application apparatuses employing such magnets have been created. Among these, there is a type which is operated in a persistent current mode. Superconducting magnet apparatuses for magnetic resonance imaging systems (MRI) and for magnetically levitated vehicles (Maglev) are examples of this type which have already been put into practical use. These superconducting magnet apparatuses supply an electric current from an external excitation power source to a coil that is cooled to an extremely low temperature. While a required magnetic field is produced, winding start and end portions of the coil are shunted by a superconducting switch, and this makes the apparatus run in a persistent current mode in which the electric current continues to flow into the coil without a power supply. FIG. 5 shows an example of an excitation circuit in these conventional superconducting magnet apparatuses.
As shown in FIG. 5, superconducting switch 140 is connected to each end of the winding start portion and the winding end portion of a superconducting coil 110 in a conventional superconducting magnet apparatus 101 and the superconducting coil 110 is placed in an extremely low-temperature area (about 4.2K) inside the superconducting magnet apparatus 101. A normal conducting current lead 132 having a low thermal conductivity is also connected to each end of this superconducting coil 110. The other end of this normal conducting current lead 132 extending to the outer surface of the superconducting magnet apparatus 101 is connected to an external excitation power source 151 in a normal-temperature domain (about 300K).
Conventionally, a thermal superconducting switch, whose resistance is zero when it is on and which has a simple structure, has been mainly used as an aforementioned superconducting switch 140. However, a mechanical superconducting switch, and a superconducting switch comprising a thermal superconducting switch 141 and a mechanical superconducting switch 142 connected in parallel as shown in FIG. 5, have been proposed (see patent document 1 and non-patent document 1, for example).
Patent Document 1
    Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-350148Non-Patent Document 1    "Handbook of Research and Development of Superconductivity", International Superconductivity Technology Center, published by Ohmsha, Ltd., P 160–163, (1991)
However, conventional superconducting magnet apparatuses have the following problems, when each superconducting switch is adopted in the excitation circuit.
In the case of using a thermal superconducting switch alone, there is a disadvantage that it takes time to cool or to heat between ON-state (superconducting state) and OFF-state (normal conduction state). In other words, it takes time to change from ON-state to OFF-state and vice versa, since it utilizes thermal phenomena. Especially in the case of using superconducting coils having a high superconducting critical temperature and also employing a material having a high superconducting critical temperature for a superconducting switch in order to keep the superconducting state in the persistent current mode, it takes a longer time to change from the ON-state to the OFF-state and vice versa, since the temperature difference between ON-state and OFF-state is larger and the thermal capacity is larger. As a consequence, during excitation when the superconducting magnet apparatus is switched into the persistent current mode, the energized time of the current lead becomes longer and the Joule heat increases, thus causing a problem of an increase in the load of an external refrigerator which cools inside of the superconducting magnet apparatus.
In the case of employing a mechanical superconducting switch alone, it is possible to turn it on and off instantly, but it is difficult to decrease contact resistance sufficiently in an ON-state, so the contact resistance causes problems such as current decay and heat generation when the switch is connected to the superconducting coil. Furthermore, there is a disadvantage in that considerable invasion heat from the drive mechanism that drives the contact in a contact or non-contact state increases heat load of the superconducting coil.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of connecting a thermal superconducting switch and a mechanical superconducting switch in parallel, as in the case of employing a mechanical superconducting switch alone, there is the same disadvantage that invasion heat from the drive mechanism that drives the contact increases the heat load of the superconducting coil. There also is a problem that the contact resistance of the mechanical superconducting switch causes heat generation until the thermal superconducting switch has completed switching when turned on.
One object of the present invention, which was made in view of the above problems, is to provide a superconducting magnet apparatus capable of preventing or controlling heat invasion into the inside of the apparatus at the time of changeover of the switching, thereby reducing the cooling load of the external refrigerator, and capable of quick changeover operation.


A reliable micromirror device for imaging applications is presented. The device includes a projection lens assembly and an array of micromirrors for fast and efficient color separation and projection. Each of the micromirrors simultaneously receives a plurality of light beams. The position of a micromirror in the array of micromirrors is adjustable such that the micromirror selects one of the plurality of light beams to direct toward the projection lens assembly. Each micromirror also has an “off” position where none of the reflected light beams is directed toward the projection lens assembly. An image is formed when each of the micromirrors in the array either directs one of the light beams toward the projection lens assembly or is turned “off.” The device may include a total internal reflection prism assembly that separates the light beams for improved contrast.

Image display systems using a spatial light modulator (SLM) have grown increasingly popular for use in projection systems. One common type of light modulator is that of a transmissive LCD (liquid crystal display) panel. In this type of device, polarization of light through a pixel is rotated to turn each one on or off. Typically, switching speeds of an LCD array of pixels is slow enough to require three separate light modulators, one for each of three colors, such as red, green, and blue. A projection system like this has a number of drawbacks. One is that the incoming illumination beam must be linearly well polarized. In most projectors, where the lamp is unpolarized, approximately half of the light flux is lost and total brightness of the projector is diminished. A few projector designs can use all the polarization of the light, but this requires costly optics and a complex setup.
Another problem with typical projectors is that each pixel is distinct in its cell of an array. This leads to a "screen door" effect in the resulting image with noticeable borders between the pixels. Although recent designs have improved upon this problem greatly, the effect can still be easily seen in the final image. One other problem is the general requirement for three SLM panels. Not only does this greatly add to the total cost of the projector, but it also complicates the optical setup and requires precision alignment and recurring adjustments to keep the three colors perfectly aligned with one another. Ultimately the materials involved may also limit brightness from the projector. Additionally, over time, the liquid crystal molecules can break down under the high intensity of the projection lamps used, causing brightness and contrast to degrade over the life of the projector.
Several types of reflective SLMs have been developed to overcome these difficulties. One such type of SLM employs Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS), a technique that uses similar technology to transmissive LCD displays except that the transmissive liquid crystal medium is laid over a metallic substrate and operated in a reflective mode. This technology also suffers the same burdens of requiring the incident light to be polarized and potential breakdown of the molecular structure of the liquid crystal materials.
A solution that has been quite successful in the last few years is the Texas Instruments DMD™. The DMD™ is an array of digital bistable mirrors that can be turned "on" to reflect the light to be imaged through a projection lens, or turned "off", to direct the light away from the lens. One limitation of this technology is that it can only modulate the light beam along one axis, usually in a digital bistable fashion. Accordingly, there must only be a single input beam of light coming from a single direction. Although various shades of gray are available through pulse width modulation (PWM) of the mirror, this is fundamentally a monochromatic process that would require additional equipment if color projection were to be achieved.
For high-end systems, a three-modulator system is used. FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion of a conventional three-reflective-panel projection system (specifically, a 3-DMD™ projector 100) including the prism assembly for color separation. An incoming light beam 102 from a very intense projector lamp can be split into three colors in a variety of ways; in the most common case, a prism assembly 104 is used to separate the red, green, and blue components to one of three separate micromirror arrays (106, 108, 110). Each colored beam is modulated appropriately and the three images are then combined as they exit the prism assembly into projection lens 112. A system such as this can exhibit extremely good color fidelity in its output. Because modulation speed of a digital micromirror is normally much faster than an equivalent LCD panel, a very high number of different colors can be produced at each pixel. In addition, this type of projector is very efficient in its use of the lamp intensity. Because much of the lamp's color spectrum can be used for each frame, the projector is brighter at a given lamp power than other similar technologies.
Such a system has a number of drawbacks, however. One is greater complexity. Similar to a 3-LCD projector, the 3-DMD™ projector must be precisely aligned and maintained to ensure that all of its imaged pixels overlap properly. Because the system modulates each signal very quickly, the electronics between each DMD™ panel must be synchronized with sophisticated electronics. Furthermore, the cost of an individual DMD™ chip is more than that of a corresponding LCD panel. All of this leads to an extremely expensive projector. Most of these have been used in cinema projection, as cost has so far been prohibitive for use in home or business.
Thus, the majority of projectors using a reflective SLM sold have been ones with only a single modulator. The DMD™ can be modulated quick enough so that a single mirror array can modulate several different beams of color. Color separation and production is a crucial yet is one of the most challenging areas for single panel reflective modulators. In order for a single panel to produce a full color image, the various color portions of the image share the mirror array either in time, space, or both. The most commonly used approach is time-sharing using a rotating color wheel. This common type of projector is illustrated in FIG. 2A. In this projector 114, an incoming light beam 102 from projector lamp 115 is focused through a rotating color wheel 116. The color wheel is composed of a plurality of different colored filters. Each segment may be repeated around the wheel, and there may be segments where no filtering of the light occurs. For simplicity, a simple color wheel with only three equal segments is shown, one each for red 118, green 120, and blue 122, a close up of which can be seen in FIG. 2B. After the color wheel, the beam is normally directed into an integrator rod 124, which is either a hollow tube with interior reflecting surfaces or a solid glass rod that uses total internal reflection to keep the beam within it. The intensity profile of most projector lamps is nonuniform; multiple reflections inside the integrator rod homogenize these variations. The shape of the exit port of the integrator is chosen to match with the shape of the SLM for maximal use of the light. The light is then focused onto the single panel modulator 126 which may be a DMD™ or some other type of SLM, and is then imaged by the projection lens 112.
Generally, the color wheel is spun at a high rate of speed to allow for high frame rates in the video image. As the red portion 118 of the color wheel intercepts the beam, the SLM modulates the appropriate intensity for the red component of each pixel. A similar procedure is repeated for the green portion 120 and the blue portion 122 of the color wheel. To achieve even a minimum 30 frames per second, this color wheel is spun to at least 1800 RPM. However, at this speed range, quality of the image may be degraded. Many people can see a distracting "rainbow" effect, particularly when colored images are portrayed in motion. This effect can be ameliorated by either increasing the number of colored segments around the wheel, increasing the rotation speed of the wheel, or both.
While these measures make the color transitions appear smoother, they also require a complicated feedback mechanism to synchronize the color wheel position with the light modulation timing electronics. At the transition between different colors of filter, there is an area called the "spoke" where the beam intersects both colors of the filter. This portion cannot be used easily without introducing visual artifacts in the image. Although some attempts have been made to use the "spoke" region to obtain brighter secondary colors, it is difficult to completely remove the artifacts, and this technique desaturates the colors. At increased rate of transition of the spokes, effectively less light from the lamp is used for the image resulting in dimmer displays.
One improvement that has been made by Texas Instruments to projectors using color wheels is by using Sequential Color Recapture (SCR). In a system using SCR, the color wheel of FIG. 2B is replaced by a spiral-pattern wheel of closely spaced dichroic filters shown in FIG. 2C. FIG. 2C shows the bands as being spaced farther apart than in an actual device for clarity of illustration. As this color wheel 128 rotates, several different colored bands impinge on the SLM surface at the same time and scroll smoothly across it in a linear fashion due to the shape of the spirals. At each filter section of the color wheel, a portion of the light not passed by that section is reflected back into the integrator rod and subsequently back toward the SLM through its correctly colored filter section. This can lead to an appreciably greater light throughput for a given lamp intensity versus a simple color wheel approach. In addition, as the color segments are spaced very closely together, the "rainbow" effect in the resulting image is lessened.
Though this spiral-patterned wheel works well in practice, it requires highly sophisticated techniques to synchronize the slightly curved colored bands on the surface with the control electronics of the SLM. As with a standard color wheel, some of the extra brightness gained using this technique must be sacrificed to prevent the mixing of light from adjacent bands.
There are a number of other designs that have been made to achieve proper color separation for a similar SLM that share the color in a spatial manner. One design includes the use of dichroic beamsplitters to separate a beam into three component colors. These separated beams are directed through a rotating prism that projects the three colors into scrolling bands on the SLM surface. Another method involves a technique wherein three separated color beams are reflected by a rotating polygonal mirror where the colored bands that similarly scroll over the SLM surface. In both of these techniques, most of the intensity of each of the three colors are concentrated within its own band. Thus, a projector using this illumination technique could potentially be very efficient in its use of the lamp power. One drawback of these techniques is that the color bands formed do not remain spatially uniform as they scan over the SLM surface, but change size. Precision synchronization of the SLM to the moving and changing color bands can be extremely difficult. Both of these techniques may also cause more artifacts in the resulting image than with a color wheel system, as the rotation rate of a prism or mirror cannot be as fast as the wheel.
Another approach uses color bands that do not move on the SLM surface but change colors. This approach may include the use of two rotating dichroic beam splitters arranged as color wheels that appear similar to FIG. 2B. The wheels are mounted to the same rotating shaft and are offset by 120°. In each case, three beams are created, one each of red, green, and blue. Over one revolution of the wheel, each of the single beams switches through all three colors in such as way that red, green, and blue are always present in one of the beams. The three beams may be directed into three parallel integrator rods that are output adjacent to each other. The ends of the three integrator rods are then precisely focused onto the SLM surface. Although greater power can be obtained from this arrangement, this is optically very complex. Diverging light from the end of each integrator must be very accurately directed onto the SLM into a precise region separate from the next region. If the beam overlaps onto the adjoining region, there will be a visibly apparent bright line at the interface. If too great a gap is left between the regions, the dark gap will also be noticeable in the projected image.
In an alternative, the three variable colored beams are separated, put through separate integrator rods, and directed onto three separate regions of the SLM. Each region of the MEMS device is constructed so that its axis of rotation is different from that of the adjacent region. The various beams are aimed at the surface such that the "on" state for its region will point the light hitting that region toward the projection lens. Precise alignment is not as important for this arrangement, since overlapping light onto the next region will be reflected away from the projection lens whether the micromirrors in that region are set "on" or "off," although overlap among the various regions is minimized to increase to total light intensity of the projected image.
Various improvements to micromirror display technology have been proposed, an example of which is depicted in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. FIG. 3B shows the micromirror of FIG. 3A without the mirror. In this example, the micromirror is supported not at its center, but along the corners of the mirror. This innovation decreases the amount of light scattering as compared to the DMD™ and strives to achieve higher contrast ratios. This method of support also allows the mirror size to be more readily decreased. Not only does this improve the resolution and pixel count of the mirror array, but it also allows the mirrors to tilt at steeper angle, further improving the contrast of such a projector. Nevertheless, this is still a bistable mirror. Thus, for a single panel system, some mechanical color separation technique such as a color wheel or others may remain necessary.
One common factor in all of these approaches is the requirement for rapidly moving mechanical parts to achieve color separation. These moving parts add complexity to the projector, requiring precise synchronization of the mechanical color separation system with the SLM electronics, while also exhibiting noise and reliability issues. Although heat buildup in projectors using high-intensity lamps requires the use of noisy cooling fans, motors to run the color separation element or elements add an appreciable amount of noise to the system themselves. Especially in the consumer market, a quieter system will always be preferable. In addition, these mechanical parts must always run during the use of the projector and be controlled very accurately. This reliance is problematic if the parts have a tendency to break down, or degrade in performance. Designing a projector to ensure reliability in this area increases costs. As such, there exists a need for a device that addresses the various deficiencies of the noted technologies.

Multiple beam-directing micromirror device


A gate structure in a transistor and method for fabricating the structure are disclosed. A gate structure is formed on a substrate. The gate structure includes three layers: an oxide layer, a nitride layer and a polysilicon layer. The oxide layer is located on the substrate, the nitride layer is located on the oxide layer, and the polysilicon layer is located on the nitride layer. The gate structure is reoxidized to form a layer of oxide over the gate structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuit devices and more specifically to field effect devices such as field effect transistors (FET) for use in integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In manufacturing transistors, reoxidation has been used in 5 μm to 1.2 μm technologies to improve transistor lifetimes and gate oxide reliability due to higher fields occurring at the etched polysilicon transistor edges. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,314 teaches using reoxidation to manufacture semiconductor devices. Typically, 3 μm and 5 μm technologies use reoxidation thicknesses from about 1200 Å to about 2500 Å depending on the particular device. In 1.5 μm and 2 μm technologies, reoxidation thicknesses from about 500 Å to about 1,000 Å are used.
In 0.8 μm technology, however, the reoxidation process has been discontinued because the lifetimes of transistors currently manufactured without the reoxidation process is better than with the reoxidation process. Such a situation is caused by the formation of asperities on the underside of the polysilicon layer of the transistor during the reoxidation process. These asperities are of little importance until the gate oxide thicknesses are reduced to below 200 Å as used in submicron technology. At this point, the asperities become a contributor to the increased field at the transistor edge and of hot carrier injection (HCI). These asperities are caused by (1) oxidant diffusion along polysilicon grain boundaries creating single crystal silicon protrusions and (2) oxide thicknesses under the polysilicon edge increasing during reoxidation, causing polysilicon grain boundary slip to occur and creating multiple edges, which results in an overall increase in angle geometries.
In addition, moving to device geometries below 0.8 μm technology has resulted in marginal lifetimes of the transistors. Thus, it is desirable to have a gate structure that has an increased lifetime during reoxidation under the gate edge but without the asperities caused by presently used reoxidation processes.

Transistor structure and method for making same


According to exemplary embodiments, a system and method for automated system power supply design is provided. The system and method enables circuit designers to quickly and independently design complicated single or multi rail power supply systems including multiple loads and sequencing requirements. The power solutions offered to designers may include all required power supplies to power up the loads including sequencers and load switches. The power supply design system may be implemented on a standalone processing unit, a distributed computing network, internet based web application, or among various other network applications.

Generally, complicated electronic systems include components that have multiple input power supply requirements. Some electronic systems include a single power supply and draw various voltage requirements for electronic components from the single power supply. Others may include multiple power supplies depending on the system requirements and design complexity. The power supply design of electronic systems may become complicated by various different design requirements of electronic components.
It is a very difficult task to manually design system power supply when not only technical factors but also business related factors (e.g., cost, footprint, etc.) affect the system design. The manual power system design process can take weeks or even longer to complete, making it difficult to effectively compare multiple solutions in a timely manner.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for designing power systems


A washing machine of the present invention comprises: a casing; a tub disposed inside the casing, for accommodating water; a drum rotatably provided inside the tub, for accommodating laundry therein; a gasket interposed between the casing and the tub, for preventing the water inside the tub from leaking between the tub and the casing; a gasket nozzle provided at the gasket, for circulating the water and spraying into the drum; a spiral nozzle provided at the gasket, for converting the water into a spiral flow and spraying into the drum; and a turbo wash button for setting or canceling a turbo wash for spraying water through the gasket nozzle when the drum is rotated or for spraying water through the spiral nozzle when the drum is rotated.

In general, a washing machine is an apparatus for removing a contaminant adhered to clothes, bedding, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as 'the laundry') using a chemical disintegration of water and a detergent and a physical operation such as a friction between water and the laundry. The washing machine has a basic structure in which a drum accommodating the laundry is rotatably installed in a tub. In addition, a washing machine having a nozzle through which water is sprayed into the drum has recently come into the market.
However, in the conventional washing machine having the nozzle, water is not sufficiently sprayed in the form of fine particles. Particularly, spray performance is rapidly lowered, and water is not sprayed directly to the laundry in a serious case. That is, the water is not sprayed through nozzles, but gradually filled in a tub from the bottom of a tub to the water level at which the laundry gets wet. Therefore, the water supply in the conventional washing machine is not different from that in a general washing machine.
Since water sprayed through the nozzles is bumped against mechanisms around the nozzles, the water is distributed in an undesired place, which is problematic in terms of sanitation. Further, the laundry again gets wet due to water drops falling from the undesired place.
In the conventional washing machine, water is sprayed in one place or direction, and hence there is a limitation in getting the laundry evenly wet.


An on-line, thermo-chemical process for the dewaxing of oil export pipelines with the aid of a Nitrogen Generating System is described, wherein the treating fluid to be employed as dewaxing fluid comprises: a) a solution of nitrogen salts activated by emulsified acetic acid and designed to yield nitrogen and heat, and b) a solvent, which is the petroleum oil being produced. The dewaxing treatment is effected at the same time as the petroleum oil is produced, this leading to great savings in costs and energy.

Depending on the physical-chemical characteristics of the petroleum oil being exported in subsea lines, there occurs the well-known paraffination phenomenon, with the consequent loss of charge and increasing costs. The paraffin deposition phenomenon basically means the gradual and progressive deposition of paraffin from organic compounds throughout the lines. Thus, produced oils having paraffin contents higher than 3 weight % show high paraffin deposition potential when submitted to the flow conditions and to the characteristics of the subsea flowscheme.
The deposition process is closely related to the low temperatures of the sea bottom, to the temperature gradient set between the oil and the seawater throughout the subsea line, to the flowrates of oil and gas, to the shearing dispersion and to a lesser extent to the gravitational segregation and to the brownian movement. The generation of paraffin crystals is associated to the WAT (Wax Appearance Temperature) defined as ". . . the highest temperature at which is initiated the generation of a solid phase in oil, whenever oil is submitted to a previous thermal treatment and to a controlled cooling rate under isobaric conditions . . . "
U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,230 teaches applying the reaction of heat and nitrogen generation to the dewaxing of hydrocarbon transmission lines with the aid of an oil-in-water emulsion and HCI as an activator of the nitrogen and heat generation reaction. The process requires further an organic solvent added of a crystalline modifier in order to keep as low as possible the cloud point of the parfins in order to avoid their re-precipitation in the line after cooling. The use of the process requires that the paraffin-containing portion of the line be isolated from the rest of the line. The way the process is effected can yield a situation where the paraffinic deposit is simply displaced within the line, without being effectively withdrawn. Also, the direction of the pumping of the treating solution can cause a plug to be formed at one end of the line, so that failure of the line can occur due to excessive pressure.
G-B-B2276218 of the Applicant and herein fully incorporated as reference relates to the dewaxing of lines of up to 4 inches in diameter and 10 km in length, with the aid of a Nitrogen Generating System/Emulsion using acetic acid as a delayed-action activator. The solutions of nitrogen and heat-generating salts are prepared in a process ship, each salt solution being prepared in a separate vessel.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/742,126 of Oct. 31, 1996 of the Applicant and herein fully incorporated as reference relates to the dewaxing of lines of up to 50,000 meters length and internal diameter of up to 12 inches using a Nitrogen Generating System where the delayed-action activator of the reaction of nitrogen and heat generation is a polyadipic anhydride of controlled hydrodegradability. In the process taught in U.S. Ser. No. 08/742,126 the solutions of nitrogen salts are prepared in one single vessel, on the production platform. The salt-containing solution is stabilized by the addition of NaOH and emulsified with an organic solvent. The delayed-action activator is added on flow to the nitrogen salts emulsion. The organic solvent is, for example, kerosene. The requirements of the process comprise emptying or otherwise displacing the whole amount of oil contained in the line. The treating fluid is then pumped into the line, either from a rig, the platform itself or through an auxiliary line; the fluid is allowed to act on the paraffin deposit for the period of time which is required for the development of the chemical reaction between the nitrogen salts and for the fluidization of the deposit. The spent fluids and the emulsified paraffin are recovered and well production is resumed.
Therefore, the state-of-the-art processes either require expensive ship services as in GB-B-2276218 or the interruption of the oil production as in U.S. Ser. No. 08/742,126, this representing serious drawbacks to the economics of the process. Further, those processes cannot be applied to oil export pipelines which are devoid of alternatives of discharge of produced oil during the dewaxing treatment.
Thus, in the art of dewaxing of lines there is the need of a thermal-chemical process using a Nitrogen Generating System for the dewaxing of large dimension oil export pipelines, where the solution of nitrogen and heat-generating salts be mixed with the as-produced oil. This would avoid interrupting the oil production as well as the need of expensive petroleum fractions as solvents, which represents great savings. Such a process is disclosed and claimed in the present invention.

On-line thermo-chemical process for the dewaxing of oil export pipelines


The present invention discloses esters of 4,9-dihydroxy-naphtho[2,3-b]furans and methods of making and using the same. The present invention also discloses conversion of the esters into therapeutically active 4,9-dihydroxy-naphtho[2,3-b]furans in vivo. The present invention furthermore discloses pharmaceutical compositions comprising the esters of 4,9-dihydroxy-naphtho[2,3-b]furans for the treatment of various indications including proliferative diseases.

One type of the naturally occurring compounds with broad therapeutic applications is quinone. Quinone compounds widely exist in microorganisms, plants and animals (Thomson R H Naturally Occurring Quinones IV: Recent Advances. Published by Springer, 1996). Quinone compounds are redox capable and exist in vivo in one or several chemical species. Coenzyme Q10 is one of a few quinone compounds with fully identified chemical species profile in vivo (Bhagavan H N, et al. Mitochondrion, 2007, 7S: S78-88). The circulating coenzyme Q10 in human is almost entirely in the form of hydroquinone and the conversion to hydroquinone of the orally administered ubiquinone (oxidized form of coenzyme Q10) occurs in the enterocytes prior to its lymphatic transport into circulation (Craft N E, et al. FASEB J. 2005, 19, A449; Bhagavan H N, et al. Int. J. Pharmaceut. 2007, 333: 112-117; Mohr D, et al. Redox Rep. 1999, 4: 79-87).
Approved anticancer quinone compounds include daunorubicin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin, valrubicin, and mitomycin. Their anticancer activity is mainly attributed to their ability to inhibit DNA replication in cancer cells by directly damaging DNA or interacting with proteins involved in DNA replication. Naphthofuran quinones have also a variety of biological activities. Some of them have been shown to have anticancer and other activities. For example, several natural occurring naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-diones with interesting biological activities have been isolated from plants (Rao M M, et al. J. Natural Products, 1982, 45: 600-604; Tisler M, "Heterocyclic Quinones in Advances in Heterocyclic Chemistry" Vol. 45, ed. Katritzky A R, Academic Press, London, 1989, 56-63), and their analogs have further been found to have cytotoxic activity (Ogawa M, et al. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2006, 70: 1009-1012; US20060142271; WO2009036059; WO2009036099; WO2009036101).
As cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 13% of all deaths according to 2004 World Health Organization statistics, there remains a need for novel compounds as active pharmaceutical ingredient useful for more effective treatment of cancer.

Esters of 4, 9-dihydroxy-naphtho [2, 3-b] furans for disease therapies

Zhoushan Haizhongzhou Xinsheng Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.


The invention includes devices and methods for reducing the appearance of cellulite in human skin. The device includes a belt having a tactile gripping portion for removably adhering to skin. When the belt is connected to a reciprocating vibratory massage device, the tactile belt grips the skin preventing substantial relative movement between the belt and the skin. On continued reciprocal movement of the belt through a stroke length and at a frequency, the outer layers of the skin are forcibly moved relative to the subcutaneous tissue layers thereby disrupting, stretching and/or tearing fat/collagen projections extending from the subcutaneous tissue into the outer skin layers thereby reducing the appearance of cellulite in the skin.

Humans, and especially aging individuals, are increasingly sensitive with physical appearances. Almost all female individuals, to various degrees, develop bumpy, fatty tissue deposits in the subcutaneous tissue layers deep under the skin which extend or project into the skin. These uneven and irregular fat cell/collagen projections from the subcutaneous tissue layers into the skin manifest in an undesirable dimpled or bumpy appearance to the skin which is generally called cellulite. Various devices and procedures have been proposed to reduce or eliminate this cellulite appearance or skin condition. The proposed devices and treatments include laser, topical creams, injections of homeopathic extracts, vitamins, vacuum rolling, radio waves, massage, subcision surgery, silicone injection, liposuction and skin kneading. These prior devices or procedures suffer from one or more disadvantages of either not being effective, require expensive equipment, or require administration by medical professionals in multiple procedures often costing tens of thousands of dollars.
It would be advantageous to develop a device and method which reduces or eliminates the cellulite appearance or skin condition generated in the subcutaneous tissue layers beneath the outer skin. It would be further advantageous if the devices and methods were able to be used and executed without the need for invasive medical procedures; expensive medical facilities, equipment or treatment or direct observation by medical professionals. It would further be advantageous for the devices and methods to be compatible with conventional exercise equipment, be relatively inexpensive and used by individuals in the comfort of their own homes.

Cellulite appearance reduction apparatus and method


The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for removing a coating material from a predetermined first portion of a container, while retaining the coating on a second portion of the container, or alternatively applying a coating to a predetermined portion of a container or other apparatus.

During the manufacturing of metal containers used in the beverage and food industry, certain coatings are often applied to internal and external surfaces of the containers. These organic and inorganic chemical coatings are applied to prevent cans from staining during retorting and other processes, as well as to prevent corrosion and "scalping", which is the alteration of the taste of a beverage or food stored in a container resulting from the beverage or food contacting the interior surface of the container.
One particular use of coatings involves the use of a "conversion coating", which is typically a zirconium-phosphate coating that is applied to the exterior of a container to prevent staining of the container exterior during retort operations. As described herein, "retort" refers to any operation wherein a beverage or food container is heated beyond 200° F., and more typically between about 250-300° F., and which typically includes exposing the container to steam or hot water having a pH equal to or greater than 7.0, i.e. basic.
Although the conversion coating provides significant advantages when applied to an exterior lower portion, or dome of the container, it has the adverse effect of causing ink and decorative coating adhesion loss on the "neck" or upper portion of containers during manufacturing and retort operations. Hence, the container becomes unfit for its intended purpose and is subsequently discarded, which is both time consuming, expensive, and disruptive to a manufacturing operation. As appreciated by one skilled in the art, in modern can manufacturing facilities with the capability of producing over 20 million containers a day any loss in production is disruptive and expensive.
Thus, there is a significant need in the container industry for a method and apparatus for removing a conversion coating or other similar coating from a predetermined portion of a container, while retaining the coating on another portion of the container. Furthermore, as appreciated by one skilled in the art, the invention is not limited to the selective removal of coatings from containers, but rather may be used in any type of operation when a selective portion of a coating is desired to be applied or removed from a surface or portion of an apparatus. The following disclosure describes an improved apparatus and method for efficiently removing a predetermined amount of conversion coating deposited on a container during production.

Selective removal or application of a coating on a portion of a container


A laminate type light emitting diode device having excellent heat radiation performance and high output capability is provided. A plurality of reflection type light emitting diode units 10 each of which includes a light emitting diode 2 and a dichroic mirror 3 in a hollow metal holder case 5 having high thermal conductivity so as to face each other are joined to one another through joint members 4 formed of electrical insulating material, thereby constructing the laminate type light emitting diode device 100.

There is known a projector device in which light emitted from a light source is modulated by using an optical modulator such as DMD (digital mirror device: registered trademark) or the like, and the modulated light is enlarged and projected onto a screen by using a projection lens. In this type projector device, a white discharge lamp such as a super-high pressure mercury lamp, a xenon lamp or the like is used as a light source (for example, see Patent Document 1). However, it is general in the projector device that images of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) corresponding to three primary colors are time-divisionally projected during one frame. When white light is used as a light source, it is necessary that a filter member for dividing the white light into three colors of R, G and B between the light source and the optical modulator, and the construction of the device is cumbersome.
Therefore, a projector device having a light source constructed by respective light emitting diodes of red, green and blue has been hitherto proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).    Patent Document 1: JP-A-2005-148298    Patent Document 2: JP-A-2003-186110

Laminate type light-emitting diode device, and reflection type light-emitting diode unit


A one piece electrical socket terminal is provided with an elongate socket comprising a tubular base. First and second contact springs extend forwardly from opposite side walls of the base, third and fourth contact springs projecting forwardly from the top wall of the base and fourth and fifth contact springs projecting forwardly from a bottom wall of the base. The contact springs on one side of a central longitudinal plane of the socket are connected to a first U-shaped strap, the contact springs on the other side of the central plane being connected to a second U-shaped strap. The first contact springs have opposite contact surfaces which are bisected by a central transverse plane of the socket, the contact surfaces of the remaining contact springs being equidistant from the transverse plane, for engaging respective faces of a square cross section electrical pin. The contact surfaces of the first and second contact springs are spaced forwardly from those of the remaining contact springs in order to reduce the insertion force of the pin.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a one piece electrical socket terminal for mating with an electrical pin.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,704, a one piece electrical socket terminal provided with an elongate socket having a central longitudinal plane and comprising a tubular base having a forward end, first and second contact springs on opposite sides of said central plane connected to, and projecting forwardly from, respective first and second opposite walls of the base, and third and fourth contact springs connected to, and projecting forwardly from, the base between said first and second walls of the base, the socket further comprising a forward portion to which the forward end of each contact spring is connected, each contact spring having an inwardly protruding contact surface intermediate the base and said forward portion.
This known terminal has four contact springs which are constantly angularly spaced form each other about the periphery of the forward end of the base of the socket. The forward portion of the socket is in the form of a single cylindrical piece. A contact surfaces of the first and second contact springs are spaced from those of the third and fourth contact springs axially of the socket.
European Patent Application No. 89901242.1 discloses an electrical socket terminal provided with a socket having a base having a forward portion, two L-cross section contact springs arranged in rotational symmetry and presenting orthoginal contact surfaces, extending between the base and the forward portion which is a single tubular structure.
The structure of the sockets of both of the known terminals described above, is such that no further contact springs could, even if it were thought to be desirable, be provided.
Such socket terminals are commonly used as connectors for mating with pin headers, especially in the automotive industry. Since such socket terminals, are, therefore, likely to be subjected, when in use, to a high degree of vibration, substantial contact surface redundancy should be provided for.


Reducing distortions in a digital-to-analog converter is a challenge for circuit designers. For current steering digital-to-analog converters (DACs), a quad switching scheme has been used to remove code-dependent glitching which is otherwise present in dual switching schemes. However, due to various impairments in the circuit, e.g., mismatches in the transistors, some code-dependent distortions remain even when a quad switching scheme is implemented. To address this issue, the quad switching scheme can be randomized to improve dynamic linearity while relaxing driving circuitry design and power constraints. Advantageously, randomization reduces the code dependency of the distortions and makes the distortions appear more noise-like at the output of the DAC.

Real-world analog signals such as temperature, pressure, sound, or images are routinely converted to a digital representation that can be easily processed in modern digital systems. In many systems, this digital information must be converted back to an analog form to perform some real-world function. The circuits that perform this step are digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and their outputs are used to drive a variety of devices. Loudspeakers, video displays, motors, mechanical servos, radio frequency (RF) transmitters, and temperature controls are just a few examples. DACs are often incorporated into digital systems in which real-world signals are digitized by analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), processed, and then converted back to analog form by DACs.
Present day digital circuit applications are becoming increasing sophisticated as the range of applications for these circuits increases. When signals are processed in the digital domain, the signal is often converted to the analog domain, e.g., for transmission, by a DAC. Many architectures exists for DACs, including delta-sigma DACs, R-2R DACs, String DACs, and current steering DACs. These architectures have varying advantages and disadvantages. For high-speed or high converter/sample rate applications, current steering DACs tend to be the best among the different architectures. Current steering DACs, have been moving to higher and higher sample rates as companies push to achieve high instantaneous bandwidth. The requirement of instantaneous bandwidth comes with the additional requirement that dynamic performance should not be sacrificed relative to existing lower bandwidth, lower frequency solutions. For instance, it is desirable to reduce distortions in high speed current steering DACs, but to reduce distortions is not trivial.


The invention relates to reflective features formed from multiple inks. In one embodiment, the reflective feature includes a substrate having a first region and a second region, the first and second regions having different surface characteristics; a first reflective element disposed on the first region; and a second reflective element disposed on the second region, wherein the first reflective element is more adherent than the second reflective element to the first region. In another embodiment, the reflective feature includes multiple layers formed from different inks exhibiting enhanced reflectivity and/or durability. The invention is also to processes for forming these features, preferably through a direct write printing process.

Recent advances in color copying and printing have put increasing importance on developing new methods to prevent forgery of security documents such as banknotes. While there have been many techniques developed, one area of increasing interest is in developing reflective features that cannot be readily reproduced, particularly by a color copier or printer.
One approach that has been taken is to formulate an ink for creating a printed image that is visually distinct from its reproduction. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,059,245, 5,569,535, and 4,434,010, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe the use of stacked thin film platelets or flakes. Images produced with these pigments exhibit angular metamerism. These pigments have been incorporated into security inks used, for example, in paper currency. These pigments have also been incorporated into plastics applications (see, for example, PCT Publication WO 00/24580, published May 4, 2000). Additional inks and reflective features are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,705,356; 4,779,898; 5,278,590; 5,766,738; and 6,114,018, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Another approach used to produce security documents has been to produce a "covert" image that contains a material which cannot be seen by the naked eye but which can be made visible under specific conditions. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,324,567, 5,718,754, and 5,853,464 disclose the use of Raman active compounds. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,944,881 and 5,980,593 describe fluorescent materials that can be used in an ink. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,084 discloses a document containing an information marking comprised of a first color that is at least partially opaque or visible in infrared light and a second color, which conceals the first color in the visible spectrum, but is invisible to infrared light.
While these efforts afford printed images that are difficult to reproduce, advances in color copiers and color printers continue to be made. Therefore, the need exists for new highly secure features and for methods for producing such features, particularly for security documents, which features cannot be easily reproduced, and which are visually distinct from their reproductions.
Additionally, the need exists for providing the ability to create reflective features that display variable information, e.g., information that is individualized for a specific product unit, such as a serial number, which variable information cannot be easily or readily duplicated or copied.
The need also exists for reflective features that are highly reflective. Highly reflective features, particularly reflective features that display variable information, are generally more difficult to reproduce than non-reflective features.
The need also exists for highly durable reflective features that can withstand the rigors of use, for example, the extensive handling involved with widespread circulation, or the repeated washing to which authenticated garments may be subject.

Printable reflective features formed from multiple inks and processes for making them


A method and apparatus is provided for inspecting material arranged within an annular recess such as weld beads, particularly weld beads between the shroud, core plate and support structures within a boiling water nuclear reactor (BWR). The apparatus comprises a track support, a generally arcuate track, a carriage, a sensor support and a sensor. The track is configured to correspond and align generally with an inner surface of a shroud or other encompassing structure with the sensor support and sensor configured to be extended into and then moved horizontally along the annular recess. The sensor may be configured with a plurality of sensor elements, such as ultrasonic transducers or eddy current sensors that may be configured to analyze different properties or different regions relative to the sensor location.

This invention relates generally to the in situ and non-destructive examination of large circumferential surfaces, particularly including welds, and more particularly, obstructed and recessed peripheral welds. Such surfaces and welds may be found throughout boiling water nuclear reactors and, in particular, welds between ring structures that support the core plate and the core shroud arranged above the ring structures, sometimes referred to as the H6A weld.
A reactor pressure vessel (RPV) of a boiling water reactor (BWR) typically has a generally cylindrical shape and is closed at both ends, e.g., by a bottom head and a removable top head. A top guide, sometimes referred to as a grid, is spaced above a core plate within the RPV. A core shroud, or shroud, surrounds the core plate and is supported by a shroud support structure. The core shroud is a reactor coolant flow partition and structural support for the core components. In most instances, the core shroud will have a generally cylindrical shape and surround both the core plate and the top guide. A removable shroud head is coupled to a shroud head flange at the top of the shroud.
Above the H6A weld, the core plate will typically be spaced from the shroud using a series of irregularly spaced core plate wedges set into a thin annular opening formed between the core plate and the inner surface of the shroud. The core plate wedges obstruct access to the welds and surfaces within the annular opening and the irregular spacing between the core plate wedges further complicates access. During operation of the reactor, however, the circumferential weld joints may experience intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) in weld heat affected zones which can diminish the structural integrity of the welds. In particular, lateral seismic/dynamic loading could cause relative displacements at cracked weld locations and may produce leakage and misalignment of reactor components that could compromise the safety or performance. Given the complex configuration of the attachment between the shroud and core plate, however, in situ examination of the welds has proven very difficult.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an apparatus and a corresponding method for inspecting the welds used to attach the shroud and the core plate to support rings arranged below the core plate that is reliable and is capable of examining the majority of the circumference of such welds and the associated surfaces. When using ultrasonic sensors to examine a weld, the focus point, direction and frequency of the ultrasonic beam may be selected to align with a predetermined fusion line between a weld and the attached structures. The ultrasonic beam may then be repeatedly refocused to move the focal point along the weld fusion line in discrete increments of about 0.25 to about 12.7 mm (about 0.01 to about 0.5 inch). One method for such incremental scanning is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,011, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
A variety of mechanisms have been devised for the examination of welds, particularly for use in hostile environments such as the interior of RPVs. One such apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,527, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, and provides a remotely operated apparatus with clamping, sliding, rotational and sensor mechanisms to scan an ultrasonic transducer over specific core spray "T-box" welds including the T-box to cover plate attachment the T-box to thermal sleeve attachment welds.

Method and apparatus for examining obstructed welds


For mesh widening of a hose-shaped knitted piece on a double bed flat knitting machine knitting a mesh row is knitted in a carriage direction from left to right on a front needle bed and subsequently a mesh row is knitted in the carriage direction from right to left on a rear needle bed. Then a mesh row is knitted in the carriage direction from left to right on the front needle bed and a loop is formed on a previously free edge needle of the front needle bed, a mesh row is formed in the carriage direction from right to left on the rear needle bed, the loop is transferred with a first knitting system in the carriage direction from left to right on an empty needle of the rear needle bed with a further knitting system knitting a mesh row on the front needle bed. Finally, a mesh row is formed in the carriage direction from right to left with cooperation of the edge needle with the loop, a mesh row is knitted in the carriage direction from left to right on the front needle bed, and a mesh row is knitted in the opposite carriage direction of the rear needle bed.

The present invention relates to a method of mesh widening of a hose shaped knitted piece produced on a two-bed flat knitting machine from two knitted pieces connected with one another at the edges, on one or both lateral edges.
The production of hose-shaped knitted pieces by edge connection of two partial knitted pieces on a flat knitting machine is used for so-called complete knitted pieces, such as pullovers or similar closing pieces. These completed pieces leave the knitting machine approximately ready to wear. No seams have to be closed. However, the thread ends must be cut. During this knitting it is necessary to produce for example the sleeves and body part of the knitted piece as hose-forming structures on the flat knitting machine. This can be achieved by edge connection of two knitted pieces which are suspended opposite to one another on the front and rear needle bed of the flat knitting machine. Depending on the section of the knitted piece to be produced, as a rule, mesh widening of the hose knitted piece on one or both edges is necessary. In closing pieces, the mesh widening in the edge region of the knitted piece is performed so that a tight knitted pattern is provided without disturbing holes and simultaneously the edge connection of both knitted parts remains elastic.
A method of broadening a tubular knitted fabric is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,766. The method of this reference needs several rackings of one of the needle beds. These rackings are illustrated in FIG. 3 in S14, in FIG. 4 in S15 and S17, and in FIG. 5 in S15b and S15c and in the corresponding parts of the description, for example in column 7, lines 7 and 8 of this reference. The racking of a needle bed is a time consuming procedure. Also, transfer of loops is needed in the method of the reference, and the hooks are twisted in the procedure disclosed in the reference.

Twin bed flat knitting machine method for widening a tubular fabric


The invention provides a controller for specifying a drive voltage for synchronous motors relative to a desired speed profile. The controller senses motor current and optionally senses motor rotational position. A motor torque reference is first determined to balance (a) an estimated motor load torque, (b) the reference speed profile, and (c) a filtered incremental friction. A reference torque is then determined for the operating speed, and a reference current is determined to produce the reference torque. A primary voltage module then determines a primary voltage as a function of the calculated motor torque and the reference motor current to create a reference current at the operating speed. An incremental voltage module determines an incremental voltage based on an incremental resistance and an incremental back EMF of the motor. The primary and incremental voltages are then summed specify the applied voltage to drive the motor to the reference speed profile. The speed profile can be stored, manually input to the controller, or it can be injected in real time into the control system. The controller also provides for adaptive control and for Sensor-less control.

It is well known that a synchronous electric motor converts AC electrical energy into synchronous rotational mechanical energy, i.e., shaft torque and rotation. Motor operation is based upon the motor effect, where a current carrying conductor experiences a force in a magnetic field. Control of such motors can be governed by motor controllers.
The motor controllers of the prior art include proportional-integral (PI) controllers such as illustrated in FIG. 2. Specifically, FIG. 2 depicts a standard, nested loop proportional-integral (PI) vector controller 100 of a PMSM. The outer speed loop 102 provides a reference for desired motor torque, immediately translated to the level of i.sub.q that would produce that torque. Two inner current loops 104, 106 are used to control the respective "d" and "q" current components. They each include a nonlinear feedback that removes the nonlinear back EMF of the static nonlinearity subsystem 108a, 108b, and thus decouple the two current components. PI compensators 110, 112, 114 are then used to drive i.sub.q to zero and i.sub.q to its reference value.
It is often desirable for the motor to change its speed in accord with a preselected speed profile. However, the controllers of the prior art--such as the controller 100 of FIG. 2--generally require that the current convergence rates of the controller are faster than the desired convergence rate of the motor speed reference. This often requires gain adjustments for operation over a wide range of speeds and torques.
It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a dissipativity-based, non-linear motor controller which processes and sets primary and incremental drive voltages for synchronous motor drives.
Other objects will become apparent in the description which follows.

Dissipativity-based controller for synchronous electric drives, and associated methods


A method of making a landscaping mulch, using as its primary ingredient, spent stable bedding which has its primary ingredient ripe de bois softwood shavings. The result of the method is a mulch, particularly for landscaping applications, having a relatively high pH value, between 6.5 and 7.5, which is also useful for neutralizing the effects of acid rain. The method involves the steps of mixing agricultural manure in the range of 5%-25%, softwood shavings from spent stable bedding in an amount of greater than 60%, and when necessary, to augment carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, other ancillary ingredients in an amount less than 25%; producing a result by the mixing of ingredients, which has a carbon-to-nitrogen range from 100 to 200 parts of carbon to 1 part of nitrogen. Thereafter, the mixed ingredients are used to form piles, which are then over-saturated with water. Thereafter, liquid is percolated through the mixed ingredients, which liquid is expressed from the bottom of the pile by gravity. Thereafter, the pile is resaturated with the expressed liquid, now rich in tannin liquors, in order to provide a natural coloring agent for the material. Then the water flow is halted in order to allow biological activity to generate heat. Heat bakes-in the color and releases more tannins for extraction when liquid saturation is resumed. The foregoing process, beginning with resaturation, is repeated until the desired color is achieved.

This invention relates to methods for making soil conditoners, and more particularly to a method for coloring and converting of softwoods shavings into a mulch for landscaping applications.
In the field of producing mulch for landscaping applications, it is highly desirable to produce a mulch with natural, dark color, and good moisture retention properties. It is known that many commonly produced mulches are artificially dyed to imitate natural colors. The dyes used for artificial coloration are known to shed water and/or inhibit water absorption. Furthermore, many of the dyes and emulsions used to artificially color mulch are known to contain ingredients which may be harmful when handled, or when leached into the soil and environment.
The attempt to produce mulch by artificially dying ingredients also incurs the use of specialty equipment, such as screeners, dryers, and the like. The costs of such equipment ranges upwardly from $60,000 to $200,000 and above. Mulch produced with such dyes, emulsions, and equipment adds as much as $4.20 per cubic yard of finished material.
Additionally, many commercially produced mulches contain undesirable ingredients, such as demolition debris, glass, plastic, creosoted wood, wood containing toxic preservatives, and some soil conditioners even contain sewage waste products.
Additionally, because of the manner in which ingredients are handled and processed, many mulches contain weed seeds which are undesirable in a landscaping product.
A superior mulch and soil conditioner will be produced by a process which uses only natural, organic ingredients, has a natural, permanent dark color, has an attractive texture, has good moisture retention properties, is free of toxic materials, is free of weed seeds, is safe for humans, pets, and other living things, and qualifies in any organic certification program.
The present invention embodies all of the aforementioned virtues in production and in the final product. A commonly used method for producing mulch which most closely resembles this invention, Zeager U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,790, is referred to in order to illustrate the drawbacks of that process and the improvements of this invention. In that patent, Zeager recommends, as an ingredient, 20% bark, preferably oak bark. Also, Zeager states a preferred temperature of 65 degrees to 85 degrees F (18.3 degrees to 29.3 degrees C) in order to produce the dark color for the mulch. Furthermore, Zeager finds faster processing in the summertime, and forms piles in long and low rows with a total volume ranging between 2800 and 9400 cubic yards. As may be seen from the foregoing, the bark used by Zeager is, of course, different than the combination of manure-softwood shavings recommended in the present invention. Also, the low temperature range used by Zeager is much too low to include biological activity as part of the manufacturing process. The recommendation by Zeager to perform his method in summer, avoids a more efficient processing during lower ambient temperatures with the present invention process. Furthermore, the conical shapes recommended in the present invention process accounts for the difference in the quantity of heat generated, 160 degrees to 200 degrees F (70 degrees to 93 degrees C) with the present invention, as compared to 65 degrees to 85 degrees F (18.3 degrees to 29.3 degrees C) noted by Zeager. Still further, the use of a crater and concentric troughs in the piles recommended in the present invention process, serves to increase the uniformity of saturation of liquid within the piles and proper compaction of the piles, when compared to the Zeager process. Lastly, the present invention produces a final pH value which is xe2x80x9csweetxe2x80x9d, and this is beneficial when used.with many types of landscaping plantings, whereas the same result is not achieved by Zeager.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing mulch which is safe, non-toxic, weed-free, is able to qualify in organic certification programs, and results in mulch which is natural and darker colored for land-scaping applications.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing mulch which is lower in cost for equipment and ingredients than the methods presently available.
A further and more particular object is to provide a method for producing mulch resulting from the use of proper moisture and temperature levels, wherein biological activity is promoted in order to kill weed seeds and bake-in the desired color, which ranges from brown to black.
These and other objects of the invention are featured in a method for producing mulch which utilizes ripe de bois, softwood shavings that have been used as a bedding in horse stables and/or cow barns. Spent bedding ingredients are mixed with approximately 10% to 20% agricultural manure, by volume, so that a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio ranging from 100 to 200 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen is. achieved. Other ancillary ingredients can be used in the mixture, but not to exceed 25% of the volume. Accordingly, the softwood shavings, by volume, constitute at least 60% of the mixture. Piles are formed of the mixed ingredients to achieve maximum compression, saturation, and optimal heat generation. The shapes of the piles are made in the form of cones, with concentric troughs and a crater truncating the top of the cone. The crater is formed so that approximately 25% of the full height of the cone is removed, with a pre-truncation height of 34 to 47 feet. The base diameter of the cone ranges from 68 to 94 feet, and a volume range of 1500 to 4000 cubic years.
After the piles are formed in such sizes and shapes, they are then over-saturated with water, which then percolates through the mixed ingredients and is expressed from the bottom of the pile by gravity, and pooled. The expressed liquid at the base of the cone, which is now rich in tannin liquors, is used to resaturate the pile and so provides the natural coloring agent for the material. Then, water flow is halted for inherent heat to generate by biological activity in the absence of water flow. The heat bakes-in the color and releases more tannins for extraction when liquid saturation is resumed. The process of resaturation and halting of the water flow to generate heat by biological activity is repeated until the desired color is achieved.


A semiconductor memory device according to embodiments of the invention includes N channels for interface with an outside. During a test mode where the semiconductor memory device is tested by a tester having M channels, K ones of the N channels of the memory device are connected to the M channels of the tester, N being more than M and M being equal to or more than R*K (where R is an integer).

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and in particular to a semiconductor memory device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various procedures including designing, processing, packing, and testing are required to make semiconductor integrated circuits. In addition, the testing is classified into function, parameter, and burn-in methods. In these methods, semiconductor integrated circuits may be tested at a wafer, die, or package level. Although packing was a relatively cheap procedure, semiconductor makers packaged devices before testing (or before appropriate operations of a semiconductor integrated circuit device were secured). But, in connection with the fact that the structure of semiconductor integrated circuit devices is becoming increasingly complicated, the testing of semiconductor integrated circuit devices is required at a wafer or die level in order to reduce possibility of packing abnormal semiconductor integrated circuit devices.
As in packing procedures, control, address and data pins are necessary for accessing a semiconductor memory device at a wafer level. Memory cells are accessed by proper row and column addresses. This addressing method is hereinafter referred to as "an absolute addressing method". This addressing method requires not only the control and the data pins but also all the address pins, even at testing of package and wafer levels.
As an integration degree of semiconductor memory devices increase, the required test time increases in proportion to the integration degree. Increases in test time leads to increased fabrication costs and decreased productivity. Thus, it is desirable to reduce the required test time. In general, there are several ways to shorten the required test time at a wafer state.
One method is to reduce the testing time, which increases the number of semiconductor memory devices under test per unit time. This method causes a quality problem due to under-screening.
A second method is to reduce the number of semiconductor memory devices under test per a unit time by increasing the number of semiconductor memory devices that are tested at the same time. This method is greatly dependent upon the performance of a tester.
Still another method is to improve a process, which is a managing or systematic problem rather than a technical problem.
A basic limitation to the second method is that the number of channels of a tester is fixed. In general, for example, a tester provides 50 channels to test one memory device. As described above, writing/reading data in/from a memory (e.g., DRAM) at a wafer level is made using 5 control pins (e.g., CKE, CLK, /RAS, /CAS, /WE), 15 address pins (e.g., A0-A12, BA0-BA1) and 8/16 data pins (e.g., DQ0-DQ7 or DQ0-DQ15). That is, about 28 to 36 pins are used to test a memory device at a wafer level. Consequently, only one memory device may be tested using a tester that provides 50 channels, leaving 14 to 22 pins unused.
To test more semiconductor devices at the same time using the same tester, a way to test all the devices using a reduced number of address pins is needed. Embodiments of the invention address these and other limitations of the conventional art.

Semiconductor memory device capable of accessing all memory cells


A ladder program creation apparatus may include a command listing table storage unit configured to store a command listing table, the command listing table registering standard command information and custom ladder command information, a custom ladder command information creation unit configured to create the custom ladder command information based on an operation by user, and a custom ladder command information storage control unit configured to register the custom ladder command information, which has been created by the custom ladder command information creation unit, and the standard command information in the command listing table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ladder program creation apparatus. Specifically, the present invention relates to a ladder program creation apparatus that sets a custom ladder command included in a ladder program.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-004235, filed Jan. 12, 2012, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
All patents, patent applications, patent publications, scientific articles, and the like, which will hereinafter be cited or identified in the present application, will hereby be incorporated by reference in their entirety in order to describe more fully the state of the art to which the present invention pertains.
One type of control apparatus is an indicating controller that has a sequence control function in a ladder language widely used for PLCs (programmable logic controller), as described in "New Product Introduction: UT Advanced Series Digital Indicating Controllers", Yokogawa Technical Report, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Mar. 8, 2010, Vol. 53, No. 1 (2010), p. 56.
By utilizing a sequence control function, it has been possible to implement, within a controller, not only the functionality of a controller, but also the functionality of compact PLCs, timers, and switches or the like that have been conventionally used as peripheral devices.
By doing this, it is possible to reduce the conventionally required peripheral devices and interconnections, thereby enabling a reduction of the overall cost.
By using a simple configuration and a familiar ladder language, it is possible to expect a reduction in the labor required for program development.
Additionally, because data within the controller can be used in a ladder program, utilization in various applications can be envisioned, such as input compensation, and the combining of PID control and sequence control.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a ladder program creation apparatus in which a ladder program is created in a controller in accordance with the related art. The ladder program creation apparatus includes an indicating controller 1, a personal computer 2, and a parameter setting tool program 3 installed in the personal computer 2. In FIG. 7, the personal computer 2 is connected to an indicating controller 1. The parameter setting tool program 3 is provided by the manufacturer of the controller, and is installed in the personal computer 2.
The indicating controller 1 is used by an engineer implementing a sequence control system, who operates the personal computer 2 in which the parameter setting tool program 3 is installed so as to create/input/set a desired ladder program such as shown in FIG. 8 corresponding to the sequence control system that is to be implemented.
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an example of a display screen of the personal computer 2 when creating a ladder program based on the parameter setting tool program 3 in accordance with the related art. As shown in FIG. 8, a ladder program creation display screen 21 is shown on the display screen of the personal computer 2. The ladder program creation display screen 21 includes a command display area 2a and a program editing area 2b. In the command display area 2a, a plurality of basic commands (for example, 13 types) and application commands (for example, 67 types) based on the parameter setting tool program 3 are displayed. In the example of FIG. 8, the basic commands are 13 types of LD.AND, LDN.ANDN, OR, ORN, OUT, SET, E_SET, RST, E_RST, TIM, CNT, DIFU, and DIFD. The application commands include comparison commands such as GT, LT, GE, LE, EQ, and NEQ and arithmetic operation commands such as ADD, E_ADD, and the like.
The engineer creating the ladder program selects desired commands from a plurality of basic commands and application commands displayed on the command display area 2a. The engineer creates/inputs/sets a desired ladder program by placing the selected commands at prescribed positions in the program editing area 2b.
FIG. 9 is a view representing each of the lines L1 to L7 of the ladder program displayed in the ladder program creation display screen 21 in the form of equations when the ladder program of FIG. 8 is created in accordance with the related art. As shown in FIG. 9, in the program editing area 2b included in the ladder program creation display screen 22, each of the lines L1 to L7 of the ladder program is represented in the form of equations. In the example of FIG. 9, each of the lines L1 to L7 of the ladder program is represented in the form of equations as follows.1st Line L1: DAT01+DAT02=DAT10→DAT01+DAT022nd Line L2: DAT03+DAT04=DAT11→DAT03+DAT043rd Line L3: DAT10÷DAT11=DAT10→(DAT01+DAT02)/(DAT03+DAT04)4th Line L4: DAT05+DAT06=DAT11→DAT05+DAT065th Line L5: DAT07+DAT08=DAT12→DAT07+DAT086th Line L6: DAT11÷DAT12=DAT11→(DAT05+DAT06)/(DAT07+DAT08)7th Line L7: DAT10×DAT12=DAT11→{(DAT01+DAT02)/(DAT03+DAT04)}×{(DAT05+DAT06)/(DAT07+DAT08)}
The parameter setting tool program 3 installed in the personal computer 2 is a program developed for the purpose of implementing as a software ladder program a circuit implemented on a relay board. Thereby, the parameter setting tool program 3 is capable with regard to coding expressions of input/output processing, and is not good at coding expressions of arithmetic calculation processing.
That is, when coding arithmetic calculation processing in a ladder program based on the parameter setting tool program 3, the coded program becomes complex, as shown in FIG. 8. Thereby, it is difficult from the coded program to read the original equations shown in FIG. 9 on which it is based.


A method of configuring a tuner includes scanning at least one range of radio frequencies, measuring a signal quality metric for each of a plurality of the frequencies, and selecting a set of operational frequencies for the tuner. The selecting step is dependent upon the measuring step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of configuring a radio including a digital AM/FM tuner, and, more particularly, to a method of configuring a radio including a digital AM/FM tuner for a particular tuner region of the world.
2. Description of the Related Art
With transportation of people and things around the world becoming increasingly easier and inexpensive, it is becoming more necessary to build smart devices that are able to automatically detect and adjust to the changing environment. Conventional digital AM/FM tuners cannot be taken from one part of the world to another because the different tuner frequencies, and different spacing between frequencies, used in different tuner regions of the world. That is, because a tuner is designed to operate with a certain set of frequencies, the tuner may be useless if taken out of the particular tuner region for which the tuner was configured.
Referring to FIG. 1a, in the FM band, North America (encompassing USA, Canada and Mexico) utilizes the frequency range of 87.7 to 107.9 MHz; Japan utilizes the frequency range of 76.0 to 90.0 MHz; and Europe along with the rest of the world (RoW) use the frequency range of 87.5 to 108.0 MHz for FM broadcasting. In the AM band (FIG. 1b), there is more commonality in the utilized frequency range, but the frequency differences or steps between adjacent frequencies vary widely across the globe. North America utilizes a 10 kHz frequency step; South America utilizes a 5 kHz step; and the rest of the world (RoW) utilizes a 9 kHz step.
Consumer electronics digital radio tuners include different versions of software depending upon which tuner region the radio is intended for. The selection of the version of tuner region software may be performed through a factory defined calibration during the manufacturing process. The software that tailors the tuner to a particular tuner region involves setting up the operational frequency range, the frequency step between adjacent frequencies, and other predefined variables to ensure proper operation.
Currently the end user would have to go to an automobile dealership or in order to have the radio configured to the appropriate tuner region. Likewise, second-hand foreign automobiles imported to Japan require importers to often fit a "converter" to down-convert the 87.5 to 107.9 MHz or 87.7 to 107.9 MHz band to the frequencies that the radio is configured to accept (76 to 90 MHz). Although this method works to an extent, there are disadvantages that can result in poor reception. The converter "compresses" the frequencies making the stations appear closer together.
Another radio convention or standard that differs between regions of the world is the use of Radio Data System (RDS) and Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS). RDS is a standard from the European Broadcasting Union for sending small amounts of digital information using conventional FM radio broadcasts. The RDS system standardizes the transmission format of several types of information, such as the time of day and identification of the track, artist and radio station. RBDS is the United States version of RDS.
Yet another problem is that the functions required of the controls on the user interface, i.e., the Human Machine Interface (HMI) of the radio are different across the various tuner regions of the world. More particularly, the operations triggered by pressing keys or pushbuttons, rotating knobs or dials, or by spoken commands require different configurations depending upon the conventions of the particular tuner regions. Thus, if a radio is moved from one tuner region to another, the controls of the user interface will not be able to perform the intended functions. In conventional radios, the setting of the tuner region and the HMI is performed through manual calibration, which is typically performed at the end of the assembly line during the manufacturing process.
Accordingly, what is neither anticipated nor obvious in view of the prior art is any method of enabling a tuner to be reconfigured when the tuner is moved from one tuner region of the world to another. What is also neither anticipated nor obvious in view of the prior art is any method of reconfiguring the user interface controls of a radio in correspondence with the conventions of the tuner region in which the tuner is disposed.

Method for automatic frequency range and step selection using region signature for a digital AM/FM tuner

Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, division of Panasonic Coproration of North America


A thin layer medication device and kit for various therapeutic uses are disclosed. The device includes at least one support sheet and at least one application strip attached to the support sheet, wherein the strip includes a polymer base and a therapeutic agent admixed with the polymer base. The kit includes a plurality of support sheets, a plurality of application strips attached to each support sheet; and a case containing the plurality of support sheets.

A wide variety of medication devices is currently available on the commercial market and an even larger number of these types of devices are known in the art of medication devices, for example, pills, elixirs, solutes, cocktails, powders, and hypodermic needle/syringes. Successful application of the various therapeutic components requires adsorption into the patient. Unfortunately, a number of difficulties hinder the successful application of these therapeutic compounds, such as the difficulty in swallowing pills containing these therapeutic compounds.
While all of the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a thin film medication device having at least one support sheet and at least one application strip attached to the support sheet, wherein the strip includes a polymer base and a therapeutic agent admixed with the polymer base. This combination of elements would specifically match the user's particular individual needs of making it possible to conveniently deliver a wide variety of medications into a patient via a moistened membrane tissue structure such as the oral mucosa by applying the dose strips onto the surface of the tongue or inside surfaces of the cheek or gums for maximum and efficient absorption. The above-described patents make no provision for a thin film medication device having at least one support sheet and at least one application strip attached to the support sheet, wherein the strip includes a polymer base and a therapeutic agent admixed with the polymer base.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved thin film medication device having at least one support sheet and at least one application strip attached to the support sheet, wherein the strip includes a polymer base and a therapeutic agent admixed with the polymer base. In this respect, the thin film medication device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a convenient means for delivering a wide variety of medications into a patient via a moistened membrane tissue structure such as the oral mucosa by applying the dose strips onto the surface of the tongue or inside surfaces of the cheek or gums for maximum and efficient absorption.