Polymeric dyes that comprise (a) segments that render the dyes soluble or dispersible in hydrocarbon solvents and (b) segments that impart color. The polymeric dyes can be introduced into hydrocarbon solvents or formed in hydrocarbon solvents to form stable colored dispersions, which can be used as toners for electrophotography. In these toners, the polymeric dye contains macromeric moieties that render the polymeric dye dispersible in hydrocarbon solvents. The polymeric dye may contain either a charge-directing chelating moiety or a surface-release promoting moiety or both of these moieties.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to liquid toners that are useful for electrographic and electrophotographic processes.
2. DISCUSSION OF THE ART
A general discussion of color electrophotography is presented in "Electrophotography, " by R. M. Schaffert, Focal Press, London & New York, 1975, pp. 178-190.
Electrophotographic systems are systems in which a toner is deposited on a charged surface and subsequently transferred to a receiving sheet. Electrophotographic systems employing liquid toners are well known in the imaging art. See, for example, Schmidt, S. P.; Larson, J. R.; Bhattacharya, R. in Handbook of Imaging Materials, Diamond, A. S., Ed.: Marcel Dekker, New York, 1991, pp. 227-252 or Lehmbeck, D. R. in Neblette's Handbook of Photography and Reprography, Sturge, J., Ed.: Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1977, Chapter 13, pp. 331-387. A liquid toner is a dispersion of colloidal particles in a dispersing medium having a low dielectric constant. The particles comprise a pigment and a film-forming resin and carry an electrostatic charge. The particles in the dispersion are capable of migrating under the influence of an electric field and being deposited on a surface bearing an opposite charge, thereby forming an image.
In most instances, the preferred dispersing medium has been a high boiling hydrocarbon that has both a low dielectric constant (e.g., less than 3) and a vapor pressure sufficiently high to ensure rapid evaporation of solvent following deposition of the toner onto a photoconductor drum, transfer belt, and/or receptor sheet. An example of such a preferred solvent that is commercially available is the family of solvents having the trade designation "ISOPAR" (boiling point range: 130.degree.-160.degree. C). Rapid evaporation is particularly important for cases in which multiple colors are sequentially deposited and/or transferred to form a single image.
Both dyes and pigments have been used as the colorant in toners for electrophotography. One of the advantages of pigments is that migration, or "bleeding" is minimized at the fusion step The primary advantages of dyes are their bright colors and transparency. Polymeric dyes offer the advantages of being both highly transparent and non-migratory, which make them well-suited in applications requiring high quality images, such as, for example, in proofing or business graphics. Another advantage of using polymeric dyes instead of pigments is that the polymeric dyes have the potential to be more conformable to the final image receiving layer. Conformability is particularly important when the final image receiving layer is plain paper, where abrasion resistance and adhesion are considerations. A further advantage of toners containing polymeric dye over toners containing pigments is greater stability of the dispersion, because flocculation, caused by desorption of the colorant from the toner, is not possible with polymeric dyes. A process advantage of toners using polymeric dyes is that the milling operation required to incorporate a pigment in a dispersion medium is avoided.
Polymeric dyes can be classified in two classes: (1) backbone polymeric dyes and (2) pendent polymeric dyes. In backbone polymeric dyes, the chromophore is a segment in the polymeric chain. A schematic diagram of a backbone polymeric dye is shown below: ##STR1## where D represents a chromophore. In pendent polymeric dyes, the chromophore is tethered to the polymeric chain either directly via the chromophore or indirectly via a connecting group, e.g., alkylene group. A schematic diagram of a pendent polymeric dye is shown below: ##STR2## where D represents a chromophore. A typical backbone polymeric dye can be prepared by reacting a dye containing two reactive groups, such as two acid chloride groups, with a colorless organic diol or diamine. Many backbone polymeric dyes are based on polyesters or polyamides. There are two general methods for preparing pendent polymeric dyes: (1) the polymerization of a monomer containing a pendent chromophore, and (2) the reaction of a pre-formed polymer with a reactive dye or reactive dye developer. Typically, dyes produced by method (1) are made by copolymerization of a free radically polymerizable monomer having a chromophore and a colorless free radically polymerizable monomer. Co-monomers are often incorporated to modify solubility or dispersibility properties of the resultant polymer.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A scroll compressor having a housing, a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll nested with each other to provide a pressure continuum of suction, intermediate and high pressure regions between said scrolls during compressor operation, the base of the orbiting scroll being axially slidably mounted on a thrust plate for allowing only axial motion of the orbiting scroll with respect thereto, a coupling device on the housing or fixed scroll and associated with cooperating coupling elements on one or both of the thrust plate or the orbiting scroll for preventing angular motion of the orbiting scroll with respect to the housing or fixed scroll, an axial compliance seal between and contacting the base of the orbiting scroll and the thrust member and defining an axial compliance pressure chamber, and one or more conduits connecting the chamber with one or more pressure regions.

In scroll compressors it is necessary or at least highly desirable to provide an axial compliance mechanism which effects proper sealing of the wrap tips against the adjacent scroll base even though pressures of several hundred psi are typically developed in the pressure continuum, i.e., the compression pockets which are continuously formed, compressed, discharged and reformed between the scrolls. This mechanism, most often comprises an axial compliance pressure chamber which is sealed to ambient pressures by one or more annular, elastomeric seals which bear and seal against portions of the orbiting scroll base and fixed portions of the compressor housing. This sealing structure necessarily requires an orbital rubbing of the seal against at least one of these structures. The said pressure chamber is designed to communicate with an intermediate pressure region of said continuum and thereby exert forces against the axially outer surface, i.e., low pressure side of the base of the orbiting scroll to significantly counteract the axial forces generated in the pressure continuum which tend to axially separate the scrolls. One of the greatest difficulties encountered with the use of such a chamber is the problem of maintaining its seal during the axial compliance and orbital movements of the scroll over the enormous number of orbital cycles of the compressor during its lifetime.
Also, in scroll compressors, the high pressure pockets of the pressure continuum are typically responsible for imparting strong forces, i.e., tangential, radial, or lateral against the wrap of the orbiting scroll which tend to tip the scroll on its longitudinal axis. Such tipping-can place the chamber seal in alternating compressed and relaxed conditions, which, in combination with a simultaneous frictional, orbital sliding contact of the seal with metal can lead to premature failure of the seal and loss of sealing between the wrap walls and between each wrap tip and the juxtaposed base of the other scroll, and thus a reduction in compressor efficiency.

Scroll compressor construction having an axial compliance mechanism


Embodiments disclosed herein provide for multi-layered assemblies comprising a carrier having opposed sides; a heat sealable layer disposed on at least a portion of one of said sides of the carrier, said heat sealable layer comprising a partially salt neutralized ionomer; and a polymeric film comprising polyurethane and having opposed sides, wherein one of said sides of the polymeric film is in at least partial contact with said heat sealable layer, methods of making the same as well as other variations.

Polymer films used, e.g., in medical dressings and drapes, referred to as dressings below, are conformable, i.e., the films are extremely thin, flexible and supple. They are typically supplied with a protective release liner, which covers a pressure sensitive adhesive layer coated surface of the film. When the protective release liner is removed, the adhesive coated film tends to wrinkle and adhere to itself, thereby interfering with the smooth, aseptic application of the dressing to, e.g., a patient's skin. Various delivery systems have been proposed to address this problem, wherein such delivery systems include a carrier which is applied to a side of the polymer film which is oppositely situated to the side of the polymer film to which the pressure sensitive adhesive layer is applied.
However, despite the improvement that such carriers have provided, such carriers are not able to maintain the integrity of the peel force between a carrier and a polymeric film.
The ability to apply a polymer film without creasing or wrinkling depends in large part on the peel force. It will be understood that control over the bonds produced during a heat seal portion of manufacturing can be affected by a number of variables including the materials heat sealed, the temperature of a heated roll, the speed of a web and the pressure between a heated roll and a nip roll. Furthermore, it will be understood that sterilization of the resulting products can also affect the bond strength. In particular, it is known that the strength of the bond between a backing adhesive and a patient's skin can be affected by gamma, electron beam or ethylene oxide sterilization. By way of example, ethylene oxide sterilization can in many medical dressing structures cause bond strength issues. For example, it can increase the strength of the bond between a urethane film and a heat sealed surface, which couples the film to a carrier, to such a high level that would make removing the film from the carrier impractical. Exposure to wide temperature fluctuations during transportation also affects the bond strength.
Accordingly, there is a need for an assembly that can substantially maintain the peel strength between a carrier and a polymeric film during assembly, sterilization, packaging, shipping, and storage of the assembly.

Multi-layered assembly with tight peel control


A solar energy conversion panel is provided by means of which solar energy is recovered as converted electrical energy and also thermal energy. An array of solar energy collectors direct solar energy received from the sun upon photovoltaic cells within the collectors. The photovoltaic cells convert a portion of this energy into electrical energy. The balance of the solar energy is recovered as thermal energy which is carried from the panel by a circulating fluid. Specific shapes and arrangements of energy collectors are disclosed by means of which the energy recovered may be maximized. A means for protecting the panel from wind damage is also disclosed.

Panels for absorbing and utilizing solar energy are well-known and in wide-spread use. Such panels employ the heat energy from the sun to warm liquids or gases for various heating and cooling purposes. Other panels employ photovoltaic cells to convert solar energy directly into electrical energy. The use of photovoltaic cells has been limited because of the high cost of said cells and the fact that only about twelve percent, more or less, of the solar radiation can be converted into electricity. Prior art devices have used reflectors for the purpose of concentrating the solar energy upon photovoltaic cells in an effort to improve their output. However, the increased temperature caused by the uneven distribution of the concentrated solar rays upon the cells together with inadequate cooling often leads to their rapid deterioration.
The curvature of the reflectors used throughout the art covers all the conic sections, but none of the dimensions associated with the sections produce a uniform distribution of energy over the surface of the cells, or a constant selected angle of incidence of the rays after a single reflection from the mirror surfaces.
Since only twelve percent of the radiation impinging on the solar cell is converted into electrical energy, the remaining approximately eighty-eight percent which must be removed from the cell to prevent their overheating is available for domestic purposes such as heating. Thus the calculations based upon the percentage of electrical energy plus the thermal energy utilized for domestic purposes, will bring the cost per watt of utilized solar energy within the cost per watt of energy derived from other sources.
To provide maximum concentration of solar radiation per unit area of concentrated rays, it is necessary to employ reflectors that fit together with a high degree of close packing while satisfying the conditions of uniform distribution of the reflected solar radiation over the photovoltaic cells, and a uniform angle of incidence of the solar rays after a single reflection from the reflectors. These conditions require cone-shaped reflector units of hexagonal shape.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an array of closely packed reflecors having a plurality of inclined reflecting surfaces which provide a uniform distribution of energy over the surface of the photovoltaic cells to achieve high energy conversion.
It is another ojbect of the invention to capture and use the energy in the fluid which cools the solar cells.
Still another object of the invention is to apply a pressure on the inner surface of a solar panel window which will equalize the pressure developed by the wind on the outer surface.


A module for use in a membrane biofilm reactor is described, and systems comprising such modules are described. The module comprises a fabric formed from a sheet of hollow-fiber membranes and a spacer material situated between adjacent membrane sheets, which are wound around a central core tube in the module.

The membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) has been described for use in the decontamination of wastewater streams. In a typical MBfR device, as described, for example, by Rittman in U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,262, a matrix of hollow-fiber membranes provides a growth surface for a biofilm of microorganisms capable of metabolizing contaminants in an influent stream. For example, for reductive elimination of high oxidation state contaminants, such as nitrate or perchlorate, hydrogen gas, typically under pressure, is introduced into the lumen of hollow-fiber membranes, where it diffuses through the walls of the membrane to contact a biomass growing on the external surface (outside) of the membranes. Alternatively, an oxygen-containing gas, such as air, enriched air, or oxygen, may be introduced into the hollow fiber membranes to fee the biomass made of organisms able to remove oxidizable contaminants, such as ammonia or various organic compounds.
High packing density of the hollow-fiber membranes improves the efficiency of MBfR, in principle, by increasing the operable surface area of biofilm growth. However, high packing density can also lead to biofouling, which increases operating costs by reducing influent flow and requiring periodic maintenance to the MBfR (e.g. backwashing, disassembly, cleaning, etc.). Biofouling is evidenced by an increased pressure drop across the MBfR device, which is generally accompanied by an increase in the residual contaminant levels.
Thus, the need exists for MBfR devices and systems that maximize packing density while minimizing biofouling.

Modules for use in and operation of a membrane biofilm reactor with reduced biofouling


A method and a transmitting station for transmitting data in a wireless local area network are discussed. The method according to an embodiment includes generating a physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU), the PPDU including a Very High Throughput Signal (VHT-SIG) field and a PLCP Service Data Unit (PSDU); and transmitting the PPDU to a receiving station. The VHT-SIG field includes a class type and identification information, the class type indicates that the PPDU is transmitted by an access point (AP) or a non-AP station, the identification information includes a partial identifier formed from a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), and the partial identifier has a length shorter than a length of the BSSID.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmitting a frame in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system.
Discussion of the Related Art
With the recent development of information communication technology, a variety of wireless communication techniques are being developed. From among the techniques, WLAN is a technique, enabling wireless access to the Internet at homes or companies or in specific service providing areas through mobile terminals, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, and a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), based on radio frequency technology.
Lots of standardization tasks are being carried out since Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802 (i.e., the standard organization for WLAN technique) was set up on Feb. 1980. The initial WLAN technique was able to support the bit rate of 1 to 2 Mbps through frequency hopping, band spreading, and infrared communication by using a 2.4 GHz frequency band in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, but the recent WLAN technique can support a maximum bit rate of 54 Mbps using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) method. Furthermore, in the IEEE 802.11 standard, the standardization of various techniques, such as the improvements of Quality of Service (QoS), the compatibility of Access Point (AP) protocols, security enhancement, radio resource measurement, wireless access vehicular environment for vehicle environments, fast roaming, a mesh network, interworking with an external network, and wireless network management, is put to practical use or being developed. Furthermore, in order to overcome a limit to the communication speed that has been considered as vulnerabilities in the WLAN technique, IEEE 802.11n has recently been standardized as a technology standard. The object of the IEEE 802.11n is to increase the speed and reliability of a network and to expand the coverage of a wireless network.
More particularly, the IEEE 802.11n standard is based on a Multiple Inputs and Multiple Outputs (MIMO) technique which uses multiple antennas on both sides of a transmitter and a receiver, in order to support a High Throughput (HT) having a data processing speed of 540 Mbps or higher, minimize transmission error, and optimize the data rate. Furthermore, the IEEE 802.11n standard may use not only a coding scheme for transmitting several redundant copies in order to increase reliability of data, but also an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) scheme in order to increase the data rate.
With the spread of the WLAN technique being activated and applications using the WLAN technique being diversified, there is a need for a new WLAN system capable of supporting the throughput higher than the data processing speed supported by the IEEE 802.11n standard. However, an IEEE 802.11n Medium Access Control (MAC)/Physical Layer (PHY) protocol is not effective in providing the throughput of 1 Gbps or higher. This is because the IEEE 802.11n MAC/PHY protocol is for the operation of a station (STA) having a single Network Interface Card (NIC). Accordingly, if the throughput of frames is increased while the existing IEEE 802.11n MAC/PHY protocol remains intact, overhead is increased. Consequently, to improve the throughput of a wireless communication network while the existing IEEE 802.11n MAC/PHY protocol (i.e., the single STA architecture) remains intact is limited.
In order to achieve the data processing speed of 1 Gbps or higher in a wireless communication network, there is a need for a new system which is different from the existing IEEE 802.11n MAC/PHY protocol (i.e., the single STA architecture). A Very High Throughput (VHT) WLAN system is the next version of the IEEE 802.11n WLAN system. The VHT WLAN system is one of the recent IEEE 802.11 WLAN systems which are being newly proposed in order to support the data processing speed of 1 Gbps or higher in a MAC Service Access Point (SAP).
The VHT WLAN system enables a plurality of VHT STAs to access radio channels at the same time in order to efficiently use the channels. To this end, the VHT WLAN system supports transmission of a Multi-User Multiple Inputs Multiple Outputs (MU-MIMO) method using multiple antennas. A VHT Access Point (AP) can perform a Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA) transmission method of transmitting spatially multiplexed data to a plurality of VHT STAs. If a plurality of spatial streams is distributed into a plurality of STAs and transmitted at the same time using a plurality of antennas, the entire throughput of a WLAN system can be increased.
Legacy terminals, supporting WLAN systems (e.g., IEEE 802.11 a/b/g) anterior to the IEEE 802.11n WLAN system, and HT terminals supporting the IEEE 802.11n WLAN system may be basically operated in an active mode and a Power Saving (PS) mode. A terminal which is stably supplied with power using a power cable is relatively less sensitive to consumption efficiency because the power is stably supplied. On the other hand, a terminal operated by the battery of a certain capacity may be sensitive to power consumption efficiency because it must be operated within the limited power. From a viewpoint of terminal mobility, a terminal which is supplied with stable power through a power cable may have a limit to mobility. On the other hand, a terminal supplied with power from the battery may be less sensitive to mobility. In order to increase the power consumption efficiency of a terminal, a terminal may be operated in the PS mode. A terminal operating in the PS mode repeatedly switches between an awake mode and a sleep mode in order to efficiently use limited power.
Consideration to power consumption efficiency may still be an important issue even in the VHT WLAN system. Accordingly, a new Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) frame format and a method of determining and transmitting control information to be transmitted through a PLCP frame need to be taken into consideration by taking power consumption efficiency into consideration in a WLAN system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for transmitting a frame in a wireless ran system


The present invention relates to a method and system for a label-free cell analysis based on Brillouin light scattering techniques. Combined with microfluidic technologies according to the present invention, Brillouin spectroscopy constitutes a powerful tool to analyze physical properties of cells in a contactless non-disturbing manner. Specifically, subcellular mechanical information can be obtained by analyzing the Brillouin spectrum of a cell. Furthermore, a novel configuration of Brillouin spectroscopy is provided to enable simultaneous analysis of multiple points in a cell sample.

Brillouin scattering is the phenomena of inelastic light scattering induced by acoustic phonon of a material. In order to separate the small (typically in the order of GHz) Brillouin frequency shift from elastically scattered light, high-resolution spectrometer such as a multi-pass scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer is usually used in conventional Brillouin spectroscopy (Lindsay S M, Burgess S and Shepherd I W, "Correction of Brillouin linewidths measured by multipass Fabry-Perot spectroscopy," Appl. Opt. 16(5), 1404-1407 (1977)). Since the dynamics of acoustic phonon is directly linked to the viscoelastic properties of a material, mechanical information can be acquired by measuring the Brillouin frequency shift of the scattered light (Dil J G, "Brillouin scattering in condensed matter," Rep. Prog. Phys. 45, 286-334 (1982)). However, this method is fairly slow due to the point-by-point scan of the spectrum. In addition, the throughput efficiency is limited to the finesse of the etalon. This bottleneck was overcome by using a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) etalon that can generate large angular dispersion (Xiao S, Weiner A M and Lin C, "A Dispersion Law for Virtually Imaged Phased-Array Spectral Dispersers Based on Paraxial Wave Theory," IEEE J. Quantum Electronics 40(4), 420-426 (2004)) and enables measuring all of the spectral components simultaneously by a CCD camera with high throughput. Using this type of spectrometer, laser-scanning confocal Brillouin microscopy in biological tissue was performed at low illumination power and integration time, where each point in the sample is illuminated sequentially. The Brillouin spectrum was analyzed to create Brillouin-based elasticity maps (Scarcelli G and Yun S H, "Confocal Brillouin microscopy for three-dimensional mechanical imaging," Nature Photonics 2, 39-43 (2007); Girard M J A, Dupps W J, Baskaran M, Scarcelli G, Yun S H, Quigley H A, Sigal I A and Strouthidis N G, "Translating Ocular Biomechanics into Clinical Practice: Current State and Future Prospects," Curr. Eye Res. 40(1), 1-18 (2015)).
Brillouin spectroscopy allows non-invasive measurement of mechanical properties by measuring the frequency spectrum of acoustically-induced light scattering within a sample. Brillouin microscopy at sub-micron resolutions enabled the measurement of cell physico-chemical properties (Scarcelli G, Polacheck W J, Nia H T, Patel K, Grodzinsky A J, Kamm R D, Yun S H, "Noncontact three-dimensional mapping of intracellular hydromechanical properties by Brillouin microscopy", Nat Methods. 12, 1132-1134 (2015)). In fact, cell mechanical properties critically regulate many cellular functions, e.g. proliferation, migration, gene expression as well as system-level behaviors, e.g. tissue morphogenesis, metastasis, and angiogenesis. As a result, "mechanical phenotyping", i.e. the ability to classify cells based on their mechanical properties, has emerged as a powerful approach to characterize cell state and physiological/pathological conditions. For example, decreased cell stiffness has been shown to correlate with increased metastatic potential and thus it has been suggested as a novel label-free marker for tumor detection and staging (Swaminathan, V., et al. Mechanical Stiffness Grades Metastatic Potential in Patient Tumor Cells and in Cancer Cell Lines, Cancer Research 71, 5075-5080 (2011); Cross, S. E., Jin, Y. S., Rao, J. & Gimzewski, J. K. Nanomechanical analysis of cells from cancer patients. Nature Nanotechnology 2, 780-783 (2007)).
Current setups of Brillouin microscopy are usually based on epi-configuration, where the backward scattering light is collected by the same objective lens for illumination. One drawback of this configuration is that strong back-reflections will be coupled into the spectrometer as a background noise so that a spectrometer with high extinction ratio (usually two-stage VIPA) is required (Scarcelli, G. & Yun, S. H. Multistage VIPA etalons for high-extinction parallel Brillouin spectroscopy; Optics Express 19, 10913-10922 (2011)). In addition, since only one point at the focal plane of the objective lens can be measured each time, point-by-point scanning is needed for imaging purpose.
For cell mechanics, it is very important to achieve probing the subcellular mechanics in a non-contact, non-invasive manner, with high-resolution and high-density mapping and high-throughput. In fact, cells are highly heterogeneous, and thus subcellular information is crucial to fully understand the cells' biological activities. For example, the different behaviors of nucleus and cytoskeleton are highly relevant for several processes such as cell migration, proliferation, and cancerous cell migration during metastatic progression. Due to its size and high rigidity, nucleus imposes a major physical barrier for cells migration. The cytoskeleton, on the other hand, is a dynamic and adaptive 3D structure that fills the cytoplasm, and thus maintains the overall shape of the cell. During migration through 3D tissue, the movement of the nucleus must be coordinated with the cytoskeletal dynamics, and, as such, undergoes complex changes in position, stiffness, and shape, which in turn will affect the migration efficiency. When a normal cell transforms into a cancerous one, both changes in the cytoskeleton and nucleus will affect the ability for cells to attach and move. Therefore, the ability to characterize the stiffness of cytoskeleton and nucleus can result in potent mechanical biomarkers for the metastatic potential of cancer cells.
Accordingly, there is a need to integrate Brillouin microscopy with microfluidic technology to create a cytometry platform that classify cells without fluorescent labels by using intrinsic physical properties of the cell as contrast mechanism. Specifically, it is desired to obtain subcellular mechanical information from the spectral analysis of Brillouin light scattering that is related to the acoustic properties inside the cells. It is also desired to be able to classify living cells based on subcellular mechanical properties obtained by analyzing Brillouin scattering spectra generated from within the cells.
Furthermore, there is a need for a new Brillouin microscopy setup allowing for hundreds of points in a sample to be measured simultaneously using line-scanned parallel detection of scattering spectra. In other words, it is highly desirable to provide a Brillouin spectroscopy setup to obtain a high-resolution two-dimensional Brillouin image in a matter of seconds by scanning the sample only in one dimension.

System and method of label-free cytometry based on Brillouin light scattering


A composite MOS transistor device for a semiconductor integrated circuit includes at least a pair of MOS transistors, or first and second MOS transistors, placed on the same board. The first and second MOS transistors are made up of first and second groups of equally divided transistors with an equal gate width, respectively. These divided transistors are arranged in parallel to each other in the gate longitudinal direction. The divided transistors of these groups are arranged such that the sum of coordinates of respective gates, measured from a centerline, is equalized between these groups along the gate longitudinal direction. Since the sum of errors of respective gates along the length thereof becomes zero in each group of divided transistors, the current difference between the two MOS transistors can be eliminated. Accordingly, in forming a differential amplifier or a current mirror circuit using this MOS transistor pair, high current gain can be obtained while maintaining an adequate balance in output current.

The present invention relates to a composite MOS transistor device, including at least a pair of MOS transistors, for a semiconductor integrated circuit, and also relates to an operational amplifier as an exemplary embodiment of the composite MOS transistor device including the MOS transistor pair.
FIG. 10 illustrates a mask layout for a conventional MOS transistor pair. As shown in FIG. 10, a first MOS transistor M1 is paired with a second MOS transistor M2. The first MOS transistor M1 includes gate G1, source S and drain D1. Similarly, the second MOS transistor M2 also includes gate G2, source S and drain D2. The MOS transistor pair shown in FIG. 10 is applicable to a pair of differential transistors shown in FIG. 6 and a pair of current mirror transistors shown in FIG. 7, for example. In FIGS. 6 and 7, B denotes a board. In the pair of differential transistors or current mirror transistors, the source is connected in common because of the circuit configuration thereof. Accordingly, as in a mask layout shown in FIG. 11, a single source may be shared between the first and second MOS transistors M1 and M2 of FIG. 10. FIG. 12 illustrates an example where the gate width of each of the first and second MOS transistors M1 and M2 is divided into three and where the divided transistors are arranged in parallel to each other in the gate longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 12, the first MOS transistor M1 is constructed from three divided transistors M1a, M1b and M1c, each of which includes gate G1, source S and drain D1. The divided transistor M1b, located at the center, shares its drain and source with the drain of the divided transistor M1a and the source of the divided transistor M1c, respectively, on the right- and left-hand sides thereof. Similarly, the second MOS transistor M2 is also constructed from three divided transistors M2a, M2b and M2c, each of which includes gate G2, source S and drain D2. The divided transistor M2b, located at the center, shares its source and drain with the source of the divided transistor M2a and the drain of the divided transistor M2c, respectively, on the left- and right-hand sides thereof.
Conventional MOS transistor pairs of another type for semiconductor integrated circuit are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Publications Nos. 4-73961 and 5-90516. In the MOS transistor pair of this type, two pairs of transistors M1a and M1b and M2a and M2b, formed by dividing the gate width of each of first and second MOS transistors into two, are arranged diagonally, i.e., symmetrically about a point, as shown in FIG. 13.
A conventional MOS transistor pair of still another type is disclosed , for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2-12929. In the MOS transistor pair, two groups of transistors M1a through M1e and M2a through M2e, formed by dividing each of first and second MOS transistors into five, are arranged regularly and alternately as shown in FIG. 14.
In constructing a differential amplifier or a current mirror circuit from a pair of MOS transistors for a semiconductor integrated circuit, high current gain should be obtained while maintaining an adequate balance in output current.
However, in a conventional MOS transistor pair of any of these types, current flowing through a first MOS transistor may be greatly different from that flowing through a second MOS transistor or has low current gain. Hereinafter, this drawback will be described in greater detail.
In general, a current value of an MOS transistor is given by
Id=kxc2x7W(Vgsxe2x88x92Vth)2/(2xc2x7L)
where Id is drain current of the MOS transistor, k is a current amplification factor of the transistor, W is the gate width of the transistor, Vgs is a gate-to-source voltage, Vth is the threshold voltage of the transistor and L is the gate length of the transistor.
The current balance between the first and second MOS transistors M1 and M2 in each of the MOS transistor pairs shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 will be considered. Since these MOS transistors M1 and M2 are not located at the same position on a chip, respective gate sizes of one of these transistors M1 and M2 may be different from those of the other because of various factors during the manufacturing process thereof. Herein, the width W and length L of the gate of the first MOS transistor M1 are supposed to be standard ones, and the respective differences in width and length between the first and second MOS transistors M1 and M2 are denoted by DW and DL, respectively. In such a case, the drain current Id of the second MOS transistor M2 is given by
Id=kxc2x7W(1+DW/W)(Vgsxe2x88x92Vth)2/{2xc2x7L(1+DL/L)}
Next, according to first-order approximation with DW/W and DL/L both supposed to be smaller than 1, the difference DId in drain current Id between the first and second MOS transistors M1 and M2 is given by
DId=Id(DW/Wxe2x88x92DL/L)
This current difference leads to deterioration in performance of a circuit and decrease in yield of a semiconductor integrated circuit. In order to avoid such a situation, the MOS transistor pairs shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are designed to have respective gate widths W and lengths L of large sizes. However, if the gate length L of an MOS transistor is increased, then the current can be amplified less by the transistor. Nevertheless, if the gate width W is further increased to compensate for such a low amplification factor, then the MOS transistor pair occupies a larger area on a semiconductor integrated circuit.
In the MOS transistor pair shown in FIG. 12, only the gate width W thereof is designed at a large size. However, the current difference between both transistors, resulting from the difference in gate length L, cannot be eliminated. In this case, the current difference between the two transistors M1 and M2 of the MOS transistor pair shown in FIG. 12 can be calculated as follows. The size precision of an MOS transistor in the gate longitudinal direction is approximately proportional to the distance from the centerline X-Xxe2x80x2 shown in FIG. 12. Each transistor is herein divided into three. Thus, supposing the difference in gate length in a region closer to the centerline X-Xxe2x80x2 is denoted by DL and the current value of each divided transistor is denoted by Idd, the current difference DId between these MOS transistors M1 and M2 is given by the sum of currents of the three equally divided transistors:
DId=Idd[{(DL+2DL+3DL)xe2x88x92(xe2x88x92DLxe2x88x922DLxe2x88x923DL)}/L]=Id(12DL/L)/3=4Idxc2x7DL/L
Thus, the current difference is large.
Similarly, the current difference between the two transistors cannot become zero in the MOS transistor pair shown in FIG. 14, either. In this case, the current difference between these two transistors can be calculated as follows. Each transistor is herein divided into five. Thus, the current difference DId between these MOS transistors M1 and M2 is given by
DId=Idd[{(xe2x88x924.5DLxe2x88x920.5DLxe2x88x921.5DL+2.5DL+3.5DL)xe2x88x92(4.5DL+1.5DL+0.5DLxe2x88x922.5DLxe2x88x923.5DL)}/L]=xe2x88x92Id(DL/L)/5=xe2x88x92Id/5xc2x7DL/L
Thus, the current difference does not become zero, either.
In the MOS transistor pair shown in FIG. 13, the transistors are arranged symmetrically about a point, and an adequate balance can be advantageously maintained between currents. However, since the gate length L is longer than usual, the current cannot be amplified satisfactorily. In addition, two pairs of divided transistors are arranged diagonally. Accordingly, if an interconnect, connecting together the gates of one pair of divided transistors M1a and M1b, is routed preferentially, then the interconnect, connecting together the gates of the other pair of divided transistors M2a and M2b, should be routed so as not to overlap with the former interconnect. As a result, the routing process is adversely complicated and the total area occupied by these interconnects increases. In order to avoid such a situation, two interconnection layers should be provided.
An object of the present invention is providing a composite MOS transistor device that can obtain high gain while maintaining an adequate balance in output current.
To achieve this object, in a composite MOS transistor device according to the present invention, each of a pair of MOS transistors is made up of a plurality of equally divided transistors with an equal gate width. These divided transistors are laid out in such a manner as to minimize the sum of errors in the gate longitudinal direction, thereby reducing or eliminating the current difference caused between these MOS transistors.
A composite MOS transistor device according to the present invention includes at least a pair of MOS transistors. The MOS transistor pair consists of first and second MOS transistors placed on the same board. The first and second MOS transistors are made up of first and second groups of divided transistors, respectively, which are arranged in parallel to each other in the gate longitudinal direction. The divided transistors of the first group are arranged to alternate with the divided transistors of the second group such that a sum of respective gate lengths is equalized between the first and second groups of divided transistors.
Another composite MOS transistor device according to the present invention includes at least a pair of MOS transistors. The MOS transistor pair consists of first and second MOS transistors placed on the same board. The first and second MOS transistors are made up of first and second groups of divided transistors, respectively, which are arranged in parallel to each other in the gate longitudinal direction. The first and second MOS transistors are arranged such that a sum of coordinates of respective gates is equalized between the first and second groups of divided transistors when measured from a predetermined reference coordinate along the gate longitudinal direction.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the divided transistors of the first group are arranged to alternate with the divided transistors of the second group.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the divided transistors of the first and second groups are arranged symmetrically about the same line to form the first and second MOS transistors, respectively.
Still another composite MOS transistor device according to the present invention includes: an MOS transistor pair consisting of first and second MOS transistors placed on the same board and constructing a current mirror circuit; and a third MOS transistor functioning as an output transistor. The first, second and third MOS transistors are made up of first, second and third groups of divided transistors, respectively, which are arranged in parallel to each other in the gate longitudinal direction. The first, second and third MOS transistors are arranged such that a sum of coordinates of respective gates is equalized among the first, second and third groups of divided transistors when measured from a predetermined reference coordinate along the gate longitudinal direction.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the divided transistors of the first, second and third groups are arranged symmetrically about the same line to form the first, second and third MOS transistors, respectively.
According to the present invention, a plurality of divided transistors of respective groups are arranged such that a sum of errors of respective gates is equalized among these groups or becomes zero in the gate longitudinal direction. Accordingly, the current difference caused between MOS transistors can be reduced or totally eliminated. In addition, since each MOS transistor is made up of a plurality of divided transistors with an equal gate width, the gate length of each divided transistor gets longer. As a result, a large amount of drain current flows through each divided transistor and the current can be ultimately amplified to a large degree.
Consequently, a MOS transistor pair that can obtain a high current gain while maintaining an adequate balance in output current is realized. And an operational amplifier with a less variable offset can be obtained using this MOS transistor pair.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A vehicle body side protector for protecting the side of a vehicle bodies from damage. The vehicle body side protector includes a row of panels having a pair of opposite end panels and at least one middle panel interposed between the end panels. Each of the panels is pivotally coupled to the adjacent panels in the row of panels. The row of panels is detachably mounted to a side of a vehicle to protect the side of the vehicle from dent and ding damage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for protecting the sides of vehicle bodies from damage and more particularly pertains to a new vehicle body side protector for protecting the side of a vehicle bodies from damage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of devices for protecting the sides of vehicle bodies from damage is known in the prior art. More specifically, devices for protecting the sides of vehicle bodies from damage heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,407; U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,145; U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,702; U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,583; U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,446; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,758.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new vehicle body side protector. The inventive device includes a row of panels having a pair of opposite end panels and at least one middle panel interposed between the end panels. Each of the panels is pivotally coupled to the adjacent panels in the row of panels. The row of panels is detachably mounted to a side of a vehicle to protect the side of the vehicle from dent and ding damage.
In these respects, the vehicle body side protector according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of protecting the side of a vehicle bodies from damage.


The present invention utilizes the output of a voltage regulator to control the drive voltage to the stepper motor driven transducer positioning system. This technique will significantly reduce the access time. More specifically, in this invention, the output of a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is used to control the output voltage level of a voltage regulator circuit which supplies the voltage of the stepper motor drive transistors. In order to optimize the drive voltage output from the voltage regulator to the stepper motor for each disc drive, circuitry is provided to determine the minimum settling time for a specific actuator movement resulting from the application of a given drive voltage. A detector circuit monitors the settling time of the head over the center of the target track. The data identifying the voltage regulator output which results in minimum settling time is stored and used from then on for that stepper motor disc drive system as the optimum access tuned voltage. This data will be applied by the microprocessor to a DAC, and output from the voltage regulator to the stepper motor drivers during each stepping sequence. Typically, this tuning process is originally accomplished when the disc drive is first powered on and is part of the normal power-on recalibration routine.

It is generally desirable to maximize the amount of data which can be stored on an information storage disc. Data is generally stored on a disc on concentric circular tracks. Obviously, it is desirable to fit as many tracks as possible on the disc surface, which means that the track should be as narrow as practical and as close together as practical. However, it is also necessary to position a transducer over the middle of any desired track, and to move it there as rapidly as possible from another track each time the data is to be accessed on the disc. As the tracks become ever narrower and are spaced closer and closer together, it becomes increasingly difficult to rapidly and reliably position the transducer. It is the ability to rapidly and reliably position the transducer over the center of a desired or target track while the disc is rotating, which limits the access time of the recording disc, access time being an extremely significant factor in the useability of any disc drive.
With magnetic storage discs, typically an open loop positioning system with no feedback control is used to coarse-position either one or an array of read/write transducers over a desired cylinder/track. With a flexible magnetic storage disc, this typically has been the only positioning system for the transducer. With hard magnetic storage discs, open-loop coarse-positioning is generally followed by closed-loop positioning using a positioning system with feedback control to precisely position the transducer over the center of the desired track. The closed-loop positioning system generally locks onto and follows a magnetic pattern of some kind recorded on a portion of each track. Most of these magnetic servo schemes use a significant portion of the recording surface for a magnetic servo pattern. Obviously, this reduces the amount of recording surface available for recorded data.
Thus, an objective of this invention is to reduce the access time to a given target track without the use of a closed-loop servo system. More particularly, an objective is to provide a disc drive with low access times without sacrificing disc surface space to servo data storage.
It is another objective herein to provide a simply-implemented system which can reduce the time necessary to accurately position a transducer over the center of the target track.
In the past, it has been identified as highly desirable in finally positioning a transducer to reduce the settling or ring-out time of the stepper motor. This is the time necessary to slow down and finally stop a transducer in its movement from one track to another. In order to achieve a reduction from about 65 milliseconds access time to below 40 milliseconds, open loop control methods were initially used wherein a minimum ring-out time was achieved by correctly timing the step input command pulses to a stepper motor. This open loop approach, however, has limited effectiveness, because motor parameters will vary due to manufacturing tolerances. Therefore, with such an invariant algorithm, the step response will not provide a minimum ring-out sequence for every motor. However, utilizing the principles of closed loop methods to minimize the step response ring-out time requires an external sensor and an extensive amount of electronics to produce the necessary feedback signal. Therefore, the problem is to reduce the settling or ring-out time of the stepper motor driven actuator without significantly increasing the overhead in software or hardware incorporated in the disc drive.

Stepper motor torque variance compensation using varied applied voltage


A method for machining a workpiece. The method includes the use of a rotary cutting tool mounted on the end of a movable arm. The arm is adapted to move in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cutting tool. The cutting tool has cutting teeth to cut chips of material off of the workpiece in a predetermined size and shape to facilitate better removal of the chips from the workpiece. The teeth can be of different type and length to permit the tool to both rough cut and finish cut the workpiece during machining. The total depth of cut is divided by the number of tool teeth, so that the longest tool always performs the finishing cut.

1 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to machining of a workpiece and, more particularly, to a method of accurately producing three dimensional shaped objects.
2 Prior Art
In the past, two tool path methods have been known and applied on turning systems for the production of hemispherical shells and other parts of rotation. One is commonly known as the X-Z method, where a single pointed tool is mounted about 45 degrees off the tool post, and two linear slides are used to guide the tool along a pre-programmed contour. Most commercially available turning systems today consist of numerous linear slides. Each slide can be controlled individually, permitting the tool to impose a predetermined shape onto the blank part. The second method, called R-Theta method, is far different from the X-Z method in that the tool is slowly rotated by a rotary slide. The tool is also mounted on a single linear slide, allowing for the tool to be re-positioned in distance from the center point of the rotary slide, thus accommodating different part sizes and shapes.
Each of these methods theoretically produces a metal chip that equals the surface area of the hemishell times the depth of cut, and therefore: 2.pi.r.sup.2 times the depth of cut. Since only a small portion of the total surface area of the part is machined away at one revolution of the part, the chip can be many feet in length, and often the chip forms into a ball or rolls around the tool or tool post. In many cases, if the chips are not removed by manual or mechanical force, this chip formation at or around the tool can damage the part surface.
In the X-Z method used in machining hemishells, since the tool is only located normal or perpendicular to the cutting surface at about the 45 degree area of the hemishell, the chip flow and the tool pressure against the surface of the part is changing continuously. On the other hand, a different area of the tool tip, or tool nose, is in contact with the part depending on the positioning of the tool during machining between the equator and the pole of the part. This imposes the tool nose radius error onto the contour of the part, whereby this tool error has been evaluated to be a major error in the manufacture of hemishell components.
The R-Theta method always keeps the tool perpendicular to the cutting surface due to its rotational motion, keeping the tool pressure at a constant. Since one edge of the tool, rather than a different portion of a radius as in the X-Z method, is interfacing with the surface to be machined, the actual tool nose radius has no influence on the part contour during R-Theta machining. Yet a large burden is placed on the tool by using the same edge to cut the entire part from equator to pole. Any tool wear at the tip of the tool results in a part contour error, where the radial distance of the hemishell gets smaller as the tool wears resulting in a change in the desired contour.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of machining a three dimensional object that can remove material from a workpiece in predetermined shapes and sizes and can produce several types of cuts at short intervals.

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


A data broadcast receiving apparatus includes a storage controlling unit and a reproduction controlling unit. The storage controlling unit stores data modules among a plurality of data modules included in received broadcast data, into a module storing unit and also stores storage information for each of the plurality of data modules into a storage information storing unit, the storage information showing the presence or absence of the data module in the module storing unit, a reason of the absence of the data module, and the like. When the user selects a data module as a reproduction target, the reproduction controlling unit judges whether the data module is stored unit, based on storage information of the data module. If the data module is not stored, the reproduction controlling unit displays a message informing the user of the fact and reason that the data module is not stored.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for receiving digital data broadcasts, and in particular relates to a technique of temporarily storing received broadcast data and later reproducing and outputting desired content.
2. Related Art
With digitization of broadcast systems, the development of data broadcast receiving apparatuses that provide a greater variety of functions than ever has been pursued in recent years. One type of such data broadcast receiving apparatuses is a storage-type apparatus. This apparatus temporarily stores received broadcast data in a storage medium such as an internal hard disk, reads user-selected content from the storage medium in accordance with link information included in the broadcast data, and reproduces and displays the content on a TV screen or the like.
With such a data broadcast receiving apparatus, the user can store a plurality of broadcast programs beforehand, and later reproduce a desired program at his or her leisure without concern for constraints such as a broadcast time.

Data broadcast receiving apparatus and method

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Methods, systems, and apparatuses are provided for controlling an environmental maintenance system that includes a plurality of sensors and a plurality of actuators. The operation levels of the actuators can be determined by optimizing a cost function subject to a constraint, e.g., having no more than a certain number of sensors that are out of range. A predictor model can predict whether certain operation levels of the actuators violate the constraint. The search for acceptable operation levels (i.e., ones that do not violate constraints) can be performed by analyzing points on lines in an N-dimensional space, where N is the number of actuators. The subset of acceptable operation levels along with a cost function (e.g., that incorporates energy consumption information) can be used to change operation levels of the modules to keep the temperatures within a desired range while using minimal energy.

The present disclosure generally relates to environmental control systems, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which can be used to control the temperature and humidity of common spaces, e.g., as can exist in data centers containing server computers. More, specifically the present disclosure relates to an optimization method for determining a change to the operation levels of actuators of the environmental control system.
Modern datacenters use HVAC or computer room air conditioner (CRAC) systems to control indoor temperature, humidity, and other variables. It is common to have many HVAC units deployed throughout a data center. They are often floor-standing units, but may be wall-mounted, rack-mounted, or ceiling-mounted. The HVAC units also often provide cooled air either to a raised-floor plenum, to a network of air ducts, or to the open air of the data center. The data center itself, or a large section of a large data center, typically has an open-plan construction, i.e. no permanent partitions separating the air in one part of the data center from the air in another part. Thus, in many cases, these data centers have a common space that is temperature-controlled and humidity-controlled by multiple HVAC units.
HVAC units for data centers are typically operated with decentralized, stand-alone controls. It is common for each unit to operate in an attempt to control the temperature and humidity of the air entering the unit from the data center. For example, an HVAC unit may contain a sensor that determines the temperature and humidity of the air entering the unit. Based on the measurements of this sensor, the controls of that HVAC will alter operation of the unit in an attempt to change the temperature and humidity of the air entering the unit to align with the set points for that unit.
For reliability, most data centers are designed with an excess number of HVAC units. Since the open-plan construction allows free flow of air throughout the data center, the operation of one unit can be coupled to the operation of another unit. The excess units and the fact that they deliver air to substantially overlapping areas provides a redundancy, which ensures that if a single unit fails, the data center equipment (servers, routers, etc.) will still have adequate cooling to maintain the temperature within a desired set point.
As mentioned above, the standard operating procedure for the HVAC units is to control the return air temperature into each HVAC unit. Such operation is not aware of the temperature of the air entering the servers and other computing equipment in the data center. Since this information is not available to the HVAC unit controls or to the data center operators, the extra HVAC units are typically run at all times, to ensure that the servers are kept cool. However, such precautionary measures waste energy.
While it is possible to manually turn off redundant HVAC units to save energy, doing so poses a risk of overheating that equipment. Also, some data centers have variable loads, in which case it may be necessary to stop and start several units throughout the day. Furthermore, the complex and tightly coupled airflow patterns in a data center make it difficult for an operator to know which HVAC unit will be the most effective to restart should a need be identified.
Additionally, current methods ignore the cost (e.g., energy usage or maintenance) of HVAC units when determining how to control the units. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/215,189 describes methods for incorporating costs of operating an environmental maintenance system to determine optimal operation levels of the actuators of the system. However, the determination of optimal operation levels can be difficult when there are many actuators and/or when there are many operation levels (e.g. many settings) for the actuators. This difficulty is compounded when the sensor values are constrained to be within a desired range.
Nelder-Mead (aka Amoeba) type generic search algorithms are well known and widely used. They comprise a multidimensional geometric simplex and a set of rules for moving and reshaping that simplex through the optimization space. These methods are not well suited for problems with a very large number of constraints and very large-dimensional optimization spaces due to the fact that the algorithm relies on a measure of distance between two points in the optimization space (e.g., a sum of squares of the Cartesian coordinate differences between the two points). When there are very many coordinates (e.g., 100), then the individual contribution of one coordinate difference becomes very small. As a result, small variations in the shape of the Nelder-Mead simplex are difficult to distinguish from each other and the simplexes can quickly degenerate into a nearly zero-volume simplex.
Another optimization method is a pattern search algorithm that uses a multidimensional cross that grows and shrinks as it is moved through the optimization space. The cost at each end of the cross is compared with the cost at the center of the cross to decide where to move the cross next and how to grow/or shrink it. The basic shape does not change unlike the Nelder-Mead simplex so that this approach works much better in large-dimensional optimization problems. However, the pattern search is not well suited to problems with a very large number of constraints, especially if these constrains can potentially carve out extremely complicated, and possibly disjoint, subspaces of allowable control value combinations.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide new methods and systems that can determine optimal operation levels for actuators of an environmental maintenance system, e.g., a method that can produce near-optimal solutions to optimization problems that are characterized by a very large number of controls and constraints on controls and sensor values, preferably in a predictable timeframe.

Multi-dimensional optimization for controlling environmental maintenance modules


A multiprocessor system can reduce a broadcast for cache memory consistency control with memory access from an I/O device. The multiprocessor system is provided with a cache memory identifier or an owner tag, and a block length table for recording a memory write block length of the I/O device. The cache memory identifier records that the cache has an exclusive copy. The owner tag records that there is no cache memory having an exclusive copy. If there is an exclusive copy during read through the I/O device, a read request is issued to both a cache holding the copy and a memory. If it is recorded that the copy is not present, data are directly read from the memory. Moreover, when a write block length is recorded in the block length table during write, whole blocks are collected to issue a request for invalidation from the cache and the request is directly written to the memory after the invalidation is completed.

The present invention relates to an effective technique to be applied to a multiprocessor system configuration method for carrying out consistency control of a cache memory and a cache consistency guaranteeing method wherein a multiprocessor system has a plurality of processors and a cache memory per one processor or more, and more particularly, wherein a sharing memory type multiprocessor system has a plurality of nodes which have respective processors and share a memory through a network.
Conventionally, a symmetrical multiprocessor (hereinafter referred to as an SMP) having a plurality of processors where shares a memory space is often used as a computer for simultaneously multi-processing a plurality of processing requests for a sharing resource such as a transaction processing or a large scale database processing. On the other hand, in a recent processor has an operating frequency thereof has a high speed. In order to solve the problem of a deterioration in performance due to an access time of a main storage (hereinafter referred to as a memory) constituted by a DRAM which is an element having a large capacity and a low speed, processors having a cache memory with a small capacity and a high speed are increased. In the SMP constituted by using a plurality of processors having such a cache memory, consistency between cache memories should be guaranteed. In a bus coupling type SMP, for example, there is used such a method that a memory reference request sent from each of processors is monitored by all the other processors and, thereby, consistency between cache memories is guaranteed. The method is referred to as a xe2x80x9csnoop bus methodxe2x80x9d (cited reference 1: see xe2x80x9cParallel Computer Architecturexe2x80x9d ISBN 1-55860-343-3, pp 277 to 301).
In such a snoop bus method, memory reference requests are transmitted from all processors through a snoop bus to a memory. Therefore, the snoop bus becomes a bottleneck of a system. As a method for decreasing the number of request issues sent from each of the processors to the snoop bus with a memory access, generally, a xe2x80x9cwrite back methodxe2x80x9d is used. However, even if the number of processors is to be increased to enhance the performance of the SMP of the snoop bus method, an electrical load to be applied to one bus is increased. Therefore, the maximum number of processors is limited. As a method of further increasing the number of processors, there is often used a xe2x80x9cswitch coupling type SMPxe2x80x9d for coupling each of the processors by means of a cross bus switch or the like in place of the bus. In such a switch coupling type SMP, there is used a xe2x80x9cswitch broadcasting methodxe2x80x9d for broadcasting a memory reference request sent from a certain processor through the cross bus switch to all processors in order to take over a feature of the snoop bus, that is, the feature being xe2x80x9call processors monitor a memory reference request sent to a busxe2x80x9d (cited reference 2: see xe2x80x9cParallel Computer Architecturexe2x80x9d ISBN 1-55860-343-3, pp 555 to 556).
On the other hand, an I/O device such as a disk device or a network interface, and a processor share a memory, thereby exchanging data. For example, in the case in which a file is to be read from the disk device, the processor addresses a memory (referred to as a buffer) for storing the data read out and activates a DMA write for the disk device. The disk device reads a file recorded in a disk and writes data to the addressed buffer. At this time, if the consistency guarantee of a processor cache is not carried out for data write from the disk device, the processor refers to old data in the cache memory despite the update of contents of the memory through the disk device. As a method for solving this problem, for example, there is used a xe2x80x9csnoop type coherent I/O methodxe2x80x9d applying the above-mentioned xe2x80x9csnoop bus methodxe2x80x9d to a memory access sent from the I/O device, or an xe2x80x9cexplicit flash methodxe2x80x9d for explicitly flashing the contents of the processor cache before the processor carries out DMA activation for the I/O device (cited reference 3: see U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,755 xe2x80x9cCache Memory Consistency Control with Explicit Software Instructionsxe2x80x9d.
In the SMP using the switch broadcasting method described above, however, the following problems arise from the application of the snoop type coherent I/O method. In the switch broadcasting method, a memory reference request sent from the I/O device must be broadcast to all processors by means of a switch in order to guarantee the cache consistency of all the processors in the switch broadcasting method. However, the broadcast of the I/O device through the memory reference request disturbs the memory reference request of the processor. Therefore, the memory reference of the processor is delayed so that there is the drawback that whole performance thereof decreases. Moreover, a cache becomes busy due to the execution of consistency guarantee check of the caches of all the processors through the broadcast. Consequently, a cache access sent from each of the processors is inhibited so that there is the drawback that a cache access latency thereof increases.
Furthermore, in the case in which the xe2x80x9cexplicit flash methodxe2x80x9d is to be applied, it is considered that the following problems arise. The explicit flash method utilizes the feature, xe2x80x9ca buffer region which an I/O device accesses is defined before DMA activation is carried out in a processorxe2x80x9d, and, in order to previously guarantee that a copy in the buffer region is not present in all caches, broadcasts a flash request to all processors through a switch only in this buffer region. In the processor receiving the flash request, if the state of the cache is xe2x80x9cupdatedxe2x80x9d, the newest contents are written back to the memory and the cache is set to be xe2x80x9cinvalidxe2x80x9d because the contents of the cache is the newest. If the state of the cache is not xe2x80x9cupdatedxe2x80x9d, the cache is simply xe2x80x9cinvalidatedxe2x80x9d. Referring to the DMA access sent from the I/O device, consequently, it is not necessary to carry out the broadcast for the consistency guarantee of the cache. In the present method, however, it is necessary to successively execute the explicit flash and the memory access through the I/O device. For this reason, there is the drawback that file access time is prolonged and system performance thereof accesses, for example.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a multiprocessor system capable of reducing a broadcast for cache consistency control for a memory access sent from an I/O device and implementing a high-speed I/O processing. In order to achieve the object, the present invention has a first problem to reduce a broadcast for cache consistency control related to a memory read request sent from an I/O device. Furthermore, the present invention has a second problem to reduce a broadcast for cache consistency guarantee related to a memory write request sent from the I/O device.
The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description and accompanying drawings in this specification.
The summary of the typical invention disclosed in the present application will be briefly described below.
In order to attain the first object, a multiprocessor of the present invention comprises a first means for recording one of both an identifier of the cache memory if the cache memory has an exclusive copy of a memory location capable of being cached and the report that no cache memory, otherwise, has the exclusive copy, wherein when one of the processor and the I/O device issues a read request for the memory location capable of being cached, the first means carries out one of: a first step of, if the identifier is recorded, transmitting a message for determining whether or not only the cache memory with the exclusive copy has a xe2x80x9cupdatedxe2x80x9d copy, and carrying out one of, when the cache memory with the exclusive copy has a xe2x80x9cupdatedxe2x80x9d copy, supplying data from the cache memory with the exclusive copy and of, otherwise, reading data from the memory; a second step of, if the report is recorded, reading data directly from the memory; and a third step of, if the identifier is recorded and a cache memory other than the cache memory with the exclusive copy has a xe2x80x9cupdatedxe2x80x9d copy, transmitting a message for determining whether or not all of the cache memory have xe2x80x9cupdatedxe2x80x9d copies, and carrying out one of, when at least one of all of the cache memory has a xe2x80x9cupdatedxe2x80x9d copy, supplying data from the at least one of all of the cache memory and of, otherwise, supplying data from the memory.
In order to attain the second object, the present invention of the present invention comprises a first means for recording a write unit to the memory per the respective I/O devices; and a second means for, when the I/O devices carry out a memory write to a memory block containing a plurality of cache lines, examining whether or not the memory write unit of the respective I/O devices is recorded in the first means, wherein if the memory write unit is recorded, the second means carries out the steps of: broadcasting a request for invalidating all caches relative to a continuous region shown by the write unit recorded in the first means from a starting address of the memory block to all the caches; invalidating the cache memory receiving an invalidation request of the caches when the cache memory receiving the invalidation request has a copy corresponding to the continuous region; and directly reading the cache to data for the memory block after all the caches memory are completely invalidated.
Effects obtained by the typical invention disclosed in the present application will be briefly described below.
According to the multiprocessor system of the present invention, it is possible to reduce a broadcast for cache consistency control related to a memory read request sent from the I/O device, and furthermore, to reduce a broadcast for cache consistency guarantee related to a memory write request sent from the I/O device. As a result, it is possible to reduce a broadcast for cache consistency control related to a memory access sent from the I/O device, thereby implementing a high speed I/O processing. Moreover, it is possible to reduce a memory reference latency through a processor to improve the performance of the whole system by reducing a broadcast to all the nodes.


Disordered carbons were synthesized at 700.degree. C. from methacrylonitrile-divinylbenzene precursors. The disorder, even at the free surface, was confirmed with TEM. These powdered carbons were subjected to rapid surface heating by a pulsed infrared laser (59 MW pulses). While the bulk structure remained essentially unchanged, there was substantial "surface reconstruction" to a depth of 0.25 .mu.m presumably due to ablation, re-deposition, and "recrystallization" of the surface carbon after heating by the laser. The surface ordering appears similar to the bulk microstructure of carbons isothermally annealed at 2,200.degree. C. (i.e., turbostatic). Improvements were observed in first cycle irreversible loss, rate capability, and coulombic efficiencies of the "reconstructed" carbons, relative to the untreated carbon.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved carbon for use in electrodes for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries and other similar energy storage devices. More particularly, it is concerned with an improvement in the electrode which includes an electrode active material being capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating lithium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention is drawn to intercalating carbon materials, generally. For many years manufacturers of batteries, especially high energy density lithium batteries, have searched for an electrode material which would allow them to produce safe, inexpensive, secondary cells having a high cycle life, high rate capability, and high voltage. Very early designs proposed using a material having a layered crystal structure which would allow lithium ions to migrate into and out of the interstices of the crystal lattice. The first of these materials to be successfully commercialized was a cell based on molybdenum disulfide. However, it soon became apparent that this material posed unacceptable safety problems.
Much later, carbons of various configuration were proposed as an alternative. These materials have been widely studied since. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,918, to Tanno, et al., describes a carbon material composed of a layered structure and a turbostatic structure obtained by graphitizing a coke carbon material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,393 to Denton, et al., teaches using an amorphous carbon material as an electrode material in a rechargeable electrochemical cell. U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,477 to Omaru, et al., describes a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte secondary cell which includes an carbon anode comprising graphitic and non-graphitic carbons. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,726 to Tanaka, et al., describes a carbon material comprising a crystalline core covered by an amorphous carbon layer. The carbon composite is formed by pyrolytically depositing carbon from an carbon containing carrier gas onto a carbon powder held in a closed vessel.
The use of ordered (crystalline and polycrystalline) carbons and true graphites has dominated production of lithium primary and secondary cells in recent years. However, multi-phase and disordered carbons are currently being investigated due to their observed superior reversible capacities as an active anode material comprising an inter-layer compound of a carbon material and lithium. In these inter-layer compounds, lithium enters into a space between the layers of carbon material during the charging process. Ordered-carbons are known to necessarily impose their structural order onto intercalated lithium due to the migration of the lithium into and between the carbon inter-layers as defined along the c-axis. This limits the overall electrochemical capacity of ordered carbon systems to 372 mAhr/g at standard temperatures and pressures (i.e. LiC.sub.6 formation). (The phenomenology and energetics of this interaction are reasonably well understood.)
Disordered (or crystallographically amorphous) carbons, on the other hand, lack the obvious "templating" which occurs in graphite and ordered carbons and have been shown to achieve reversible intercalation capacities in excess of 650 mAhr/g (e.g., on the 20th cycle). These disordered carbons seems to be behaving more like a sponge, picking up lithium irrespective of the influences, or lack of, local microstructural order.
This lack of crystallinity, i.e. disorder, however, can profoundly affect the rate of lithium loss at surface defects or functionalities. In these carbons, losses can vary from between 35% to 100% of the first-cycle reversible capacity due to irreversible electrolyte reduction at the surface of the carbon, as the result of parasitic surface reactions at the above mentioned surface defects, forming a solid-electrolyte interface (SEI), usually in the form alkyl lithium compounds and lithium salts. Similarly, particle microstructure can and does influence both intercalation and deintercalation rate capability of these carbons.
In order to better understand lithium insertion, transport, storage and trapping within the lithium secondary cell, disordered, "hard," carbons derived from polymerized methacrylonitrile ("PMAN")-divinylbenzene, have been uniquely processed to modify the surface microstructure of a large fraction of the disordered carbon powder. In particular, a technique herein identified as "laser-induced surface reconstruction" has been used to transform the surface of a PMAN disordered carbon into a more ordered, turbostatic state (herein defined as a carbon with a high degree of local correlation between adjacent ordered planes, i.e., with respect to Lc stack height, but whose orientational correlation with other similar grouping is low for length scales on the order of 2-3 times Lc). The modification is done because, as stated above, irreversible lithium losses associated with solvent decomposition and SEI formation are generally much lower for ordered carbons, whether turbostatic or fully graphitized.

Lithium intercalation carbon and method for producing same


An apparatus for manufacturing single-faced corrugated board by corrugating a core board, applying a paste to the corrugated core board and then facing the corrugated core board with a liner board on one side thereof, comprises an airtight chamber arranged on the back side of a top roll, a bottom roll and a press roll so as to enclose a pasting unit, air supply means for supplying air into the airtight chamber and exhaust grooves formed in the peripheral surface of the bottom roll, whereby a high pressure is established within the airtight chamber to thereby closely press the corrugated core board against the bottom roll.

This invention relates to apparatus for manufacturing single-faced corrugated board.
In the past, it has been the usual practice to produce single-faced corrugated board by passing a core board between a pair of corrugated rolls arranged one above another to rotate in the opposite directions to corrugate the core board, applying a paste to the tops of the corrugations in the core board by a pasting roll while holding the core board in close contact with the bottom roll by guide fingers arranged along the lower half of the bottom roll and facing the pasted core board with a liner board fed by way of a separate press roll rotated in the opposite direction to the bottom roll while passing them between the bottom roll and the press roll. In this case, the guide fingers guide the core board along the bottom roll while preventing the core board from slipping off the bottom roll due to the resilience of the core board and the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the bottom roll.
However, prior art single-faced corrugated board manufacturing apparatus of the type employing guide fingers to closely press a core board against the bottom roll, have the following disadvantages.
1. Due to the need to arrange both of the guide fingers and the pasting roll opposite to the lower half peripheral surface of the bottom roll, it is impossible to apply the paste to the portions of the core board corresponding to the guide fingers with the resulting deterioration of the strength of corrugated board boxes.
2. As the rotational speed increases, excepting the portions pressed by the guide fingers, the core board bulges due to the centrifugal force, thus deteriorating the application of paste and the formation of corrugations with the resulting reduction in the strength.
3. Due to the friction between the guide fingers and the core board, the corrugations get out of shape and the strength of the resulting corrugated board is decreased.
4. It is extremely difficult to arrange the guide fingers in a manner that the proper application of paste is not impeded and the core board is accurately guided along the bottom roll, and moreover not only a high degree of accuracy and skill are respectively required for the shape and mounting of the guide fingers but also considerable expenses and labor are required for the replacement of the worn fingers.

Apparatus for manufacturing single-faced corrugated board