The present invention is directed to a method for hydroprocessing Fischer-Tropsch products. The invention in particular relates to an integrated method for producing liquid fuels from a hydrocarbon stream provided by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The method involves separating the Fischer-Tropsch products into a light fraction with normal boiling points below 700xc2x0 F. and including predominantly C5-20 components and a heavy fraction with normal boiling points above 650xc2x0 F. and including predominantly C20+ components. The heavy fraction is subjected to hydrocracking conditions, preferably through multiple catalyst beds, to reduce the chain length. The light fraction is used as all or part of a quench fluid between each catalyst bed.

The majority of combustible liquid fuel used in the world today is derived from crude oil. However, there are several limitations to using crude oil as a fuel source. For example, crude oil is in limited supply, includes aromatic compounds believed to cause cancer, and contains sulfur and nitrogen-containing compounds that can adversely affect the environment.
Alternative sources for developing combustible liquid fuel are desirable. One option is to convert natural gas to liquid fuel or other chemical products. The conversion of natural gas to liquid fuel typically involves converting the natural gas, which is mostly methane, to synthesis gas, or syngas, which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is an example of a hydrocarbon synthesis that converts the syngas to higher molecular weight hydrocarbon products. An advantage of using fuels prepared from syngas is that they typically do not contain nitrogen and sulfur and generally do not contain aromatic compounds. Accordingly, they have less health and environmental impact than conventional petroleum liquids based fuels.
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products tend to include a large amount of high molecular weight linear paraffins (wax), which can be hydrocracked to form lower molecular weight products, and optionally subjected to additional hydroprocessing steps.
Multiple catalyst beds with intermediate cooling stages are commonly used to control the extremely exothermic hydrocracking reaction. Multiple beds are used to introduce a cooling quench (typically a gas, most often a hydrogen-containing gas) and to allow re-mixing of the reactor gas and liquids to allow for more efficient catalyst utilization and smoother/safer operation. Numerous means are known for mixing the gas/gas, liquid/liquid and gas/liquid mixtures between catalysts beds, examples of which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,208 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,896, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
In typical hydrocracking reactions, a feed is preheated and introduced along with a significant stream of a hydrogen-containing gas at the top of the reactor. A stream of relatively cool hydrogen-containing gas is introduced between the beds to provide the desired quenching (cooling) of the exothermic hydrocracking reactions. Gas has been a preferred quench fluid because of the relative ease in distributing across the reactor cross-section, its function as a reactant in the upgrading process, and the availability at reactor conditions downstream of the plant recycle and/or make-up hydrogen compressors. A limitation of using gases as the quench fluid is its relatively low heat capacity. Additionally, the use of hydrogen requires the presence of relatively expensive recirculation pumps.
It would be advantageous to provide methods for using additional quench streams when hydrocracking FT synthesis products. The present invention provides such methods.
The present invention is directed to a method for hydroprocessing Fischer-Tropsch products. The invention in particular relates to an integrated method for producing liquid fuels from a hydrocarbon stream provided by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The method involves separating the Fischer-Tropsch products into a light fraction with normal boiling points below 700xc2x0 F. and including predominantly C5-20 components and a heavy fraction with normal boiling points above 650xc2x0 F. and including predominantly C20+ of components. The heavy fraction is subjected to hydrocracking conditions, preferably through multiple catalyst beds, to reduce the chain length. The light fraction is used as all or part of a quench fluid between each catalyst bed.
The products from the hydroprocessing reaction can be separated into at least a hydrogen-rich gas stream, a distillate product predominantly in the C5-20 range, and a bottoms stream. The bottoms stream can optionally be resubjected to the hydrocracking conditions to provide an additional light fraction, or used, for example, to prepare a lube base oil stock. When used to prepare a lube base oil stock, it can be subjected to catalytic dewaxing and/or solvent dewaxing conditions.
In one embodiment, the heavy fraction and/or the light fraction include hydrocarbons in the same range derived from other sources, for example, petroleum refining.

Liquid or two-phase quenching fluid for multi-bed hydroprocessing reactor


A bump forming apparatus includes a first tank storing fused solder, a cavity having an inlet for the fused solder, a nozzle arranged on a lower portion of the cavity, a pressure element formed by a diaphragm and a piezoelectric element, and a first heater heating the first tank, a pipe and the cavity. The bump forming apparatus further comprises a static pressure control part having a second tank storing solid solder, a second heater provided around a second opening, a level detector detecting the surface level of the fused solder in the first tank and a level control part controlling driving of the second heater on the basis of a detection signal from the level detector. Thus obtained are a bump forming apparatus and a bump forming method capable of properly avoiding defective discharge, increasing the speed of discharge, avoiding dispersion of an amount of discharge and stabilizing discharge.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bump forming apparatus and a bump forming method for forming a bump on a land of a substrate or a pad of a chip.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 15 is a sectional view typically showing the structure of a conventional bump forming apparatus (refer to Japanese Patent Laying-Open Gazette No. 3-60036 (1991)). An ink jet printer 121 has a head 123, which is provided therein with a paste chamber 124 and an air chamber 125. The paste chamber 124 is provided with a plurality of inner nozzles 126, while the air chamber 125 is provided with outer nozzles 127 on portions opposite to the inner nozzles 125 respectively. A plurality of control electrodes 128 are provided on a lower surface of the paste chamber 124 around the inner nozzles 126. A plurality of common electrodes 129 are provided on a lower surface of the air chamber 125 around the outer nozzles 127.
A method of forming bumps with the ink jet printer 121 shown in FIG. 15 is now described. First, a semiconductor element 130 is arranged oppositely to the head 123. More specifically, the semiconductor element 130, which is provided with a plurality of electrode pads 131, is so located that the plurality of electrode pads 131 are opposed to the plurality of outer nozzles 127 respectively.
Then, compressed air is externally supplied into the air chamber 125 as shown by arrow X. The pressure of the compressed air is set to about 0.5 kg/cm.sup.2 to several kg/cm.sup.2, for example. At this time, the paste chamber 124 holds conductor paste 122 therein. The conductor paste 122 consists of metal powder, a binder and an adhesive. The metal powder, which is chosen in consideration of the materials for bumps 132 to be formed and the electrode pads 131 or the like, is prepared from powder of solder, tin or lead. The binder, which is employed as a solvent, is prepared from volatile methyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol or methyl ethyl ketone. The adhesive is prepared that having a flux action. The compressed air supplied into the air chamber 125 forms air flows Y to flow out through the outer nozzles 127.
Then, voltage of about minus several 100 V is applied between the control electrodes 128 and the common electrodes 129. Due to electrostatic force resulting from this voltage application, the conductor paste 122 is extracted in a constant amount from the paste chamber 124 successively through the inner nozzles 126, the air chamber 125 and the outer nozzles 127. At this time, the air flows Y guide the conductor paste 122 to the outer nozzles 127 and quickly push out the conductor paste 122.
The conductor paste 122 discharged from the outer nozzles 127 splashes in the form of thin threads of about 10 .mu.m to several 10 .mu.m in diameter, for example, to adhere onto the electrode pads 131 of the semiconductor element 130. FIG. 15 sequentially illustrates conductive paste 122a starting to be discharged, discharged conductor paste 122b and conductor paste 122c starting to adhere onto one of the electrode pads 131. Finally a bump 132 is formed on each electrode pad 131.
However, the conventional bump forming apparatus, employing the ink jet printer 121 while simply using the conductor paste 122 in place of ink, has the following problems:
First, the inner and outer nozzles 126 and 127, which are readily clogged with the conductor paste 122 containing the metal powder of solder or the like and the adhesive, tend to defectively discharge the conductor paste 122.
Further, the conductor paste 122 has high viscosity due to the adhesive contained therein, while the air chamber 125 applies pressure of about 0.5 kg/cm.sup.2 to everal kg/cm.sup.2 to the inner nozzles 126. Therefore, it takes a long time after the conductor paste 122 is temporarily discharged from the inner nozzles 126 until new conductor paste 122 fills up the inner nozzles 126. Thus, it is difficult to discharge the conductor paste 122 at a high speed, while the amount of discharge is dispersed if the conductor paste 122 is discharged in a state incompletely filling up the inner nozzles 126.
Further, since pressure is applied to the inner nozzles 126 from the air chamber 125, air enters the paste chamber 124 from the air chamber 125 through the inner nozzles 126 when the conductor paste 122 is discharged from the inner nozzles 126 to form bubbles, which cause unstable discharge of the conductor paste 122.

Bump forming apparatus and bump forming method


Apparatus (200, 300, 400) for component positioning comprises at least one receptacle (212, 412) configured to receive a number of components (103) to be placed on a target substrate (108, 111), agitator (210, 410) configured to exert force impulses, such as abrupt force impulses, on the receptacle so as to cause the components to change their position inside the receptacle, inspection equipment (216, 316, 416) configured to verify the position of the components inside the receptacle, and pick and place equipment (206, 306, 406) configured to pick one or more components from the receptacle that fulfil a predefined position criterion and place the components on the target substrate. A related method for component positioning is presented.

During manufacturing of electronic products, a component such as an integrated circuit (IC), or 'chip', of semiconductor or other suitable material may be conveyed towards a destination substrate such as a conventional circuit board, or a flexible circuit board, e.g. a plastic film, paper or cardboard substrate, using a variety of methods. Depending on the scenario, such procedures typically comprise picking a chip from a source location, optionally changing the orientation of the chip and ultimately placing the picked chip at a target location on the substrate. Picking may be suction-assisted, for instance.
In FIG. 1, with reference to arrangement 100 one exemplary scenario is shown for further clarification. Flip chip packaging is nowadays often preferred over more traditional SMDs (surface mount device) requiring e.g. wire bonding due to evident cost, size, electrical performance, I/O connection flexibility and durability advantages. So, a plurality of e.g. solder bumped flip chips 103 may have been originally manufactured as portions of a common silicon wafer. The larger wafer defining the plurality of chips may have been then sawn or cut into individual chips during 'dicing'. Alternatively, dicing could take place during or at the beginning of a pick-and-place procedure reviewed more thoroughly below.
Reverting to the details of the figure, at 100A, a robotic manipulator arm 104 or other actuator is used to pick up each flip-chip 103 (notice the bumps 105 depicted on the top surface of the chips), one at a time, from the diced wafer located on a source substrate, such as a carrier membrane, or a container, such as a tray, 102. The arm 104 comprises a head for the purpose, optionally exploiting vacuum suction to hold the chip 103.
At 100B, the manipulator arm 104 rotates the picked up chip 103 upside down, the bumps 105 thereby facing downwards, and hands over the rotated chip 104 to a bonding or mounting arm 106 that, at 100C, aligns and disposes the chip to a target location on the destination substrate 111. The arm 106 may execute a so-called place-and-press function, which besides placing the chip at the right location on the substrate 111, also presses it against it so that both mechanical and electrical attachment is secured. The substrate may have been provided beforehand with a circuit layout including e.g. printed conductors and contact areas 108 for accommodating a number of chips. Further, flux may have been spread on the solder bumps 105 or contact areas 108 during the process, and/or provided in the material of the solder bumps 105 itself.
Publication WO2012049352 discloses a method and apparatus for chip picking and placement in accordance with the afore-explained procedure of FIG. 1. The surface area 108 of the substrate 111 on which the chips 103 are attached has been initially provided with material that has lower melting temperature than the chips 103 can tolerate without being damaged, with reference to low-temperature solder or similar material, whereupon each chip 103 can be safely heated to an elevated temperature that still induces no damage to the chip, but causes the material of the area 108 and/or solder bumps 105 of the chip 103 to melt and secure the bonding while the chip 103 is pressed against the surface 108 of the substrate 111.
The procedure disclosed in the aforementioned publication '352 is obviously highly advantageous as it generally accelerates the bonding procedure and the use of e.g. conventional surface mount reflow ovens can be omitted.
Notwithstanding the evident benefits the modern manufacturing and mounting techniques of components, such as the discussed flip chip solutions, offer to the state of the art, continued optimization of component assembly processes is still generally desired in terms of manufacturing costs, complexity, production times, and yield, i.e. multiple interrelated factors. Whether the optimization is worth the trouble depends, of course, on the scale of the manufacturing activity. As the related business grows, also the technical black spots arising from sub-optimum processes rise in importance and eventually form different types of actual bottlenecks in the production chain.
Accordingly, depending on the use scenario, certain operations regarding the handling of flip chips or other electronic or non-electronic components may be more problematic or simply more undesired than the rest, even if providing completely satisfactory results in terms of production accuracy or product reliability. With robotic manipulators such as aims for picking, treating and/or placing components, rotational movement particularly if to be combined with or succeeded or preceded by translational movement in three dimensions may be both technically challenging and costly to implement in a high speed production line with sufficient long-term reliability and accuracy. It may thus establish one bottleneck of the system.
For example, the arms 104 and 106 of the arrangement 100 may have been configured for both rotational and translational (sideways or vertical) movement to be able to comprehensively execute the required chip picking, chip flipping, and chip mounting procedures as contemplated hereinbefore. Such versatile aims 104, 106 are generally feasible, and in many contexts cause no real headache, but occasionally together with increase in the production output, the diverse 3d trajectories potentially involving both rotation and translational movement may at certain point begin to limit the process speed and make it unnecessarily complex, costly, inaccurate and even unreliable.

Apparatus and method for component positining


A fluid manifold may include a number of blades and a number of end pieces securing the blades in place wherein the fluid manifold interfaces between a printhead die and a number of fluid source slots. A method of manufacturing a fluid manifold may include arranging a number of metal blades to form a relatively larger pitch between blades on a bottom side of the arranged blades than on a top side the arranged blades and mounting the arranged blades to a mounting structure formed to receive each blade as arranged.

Printhead dies comprise a number of columns of nozzles that each ejects, in one example, a different color of fluid. Each of these columns are fed fluid with an individualized fluid feed slot. Because of the cost of the silicon used to manufacture the printhead dies, the distance between the fluid feed slots or the pitch and consequently the individual columns may be reduced. As the pitch decreases, however, the ability to provide fluid through the fluid feed slots is reduced.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.


A mechanical transmission (10) is disclosed which utilizes a plurality of sets of rollers (94-104) with associated rotating discs (74, 152, 170 and 196). The rollers (94-104) are ellipsoidally shaped with concentric rows of teeth thereon. The associated discs (74, 152,170 and 96) have concentric rows of holes aligned for receiving the roller teeth. The rollers (94-104) are caused to tilt about a center shaft (88) by a control link (216) to engage various of the rows of teeth on the rollers (94-104) with the associated discs (74, 152, 170 and 196). Tilting of the rollers (94-104) in differing directions to differing degrees produces varying input to output drive ratios.

In many applications where a power source is utilized to drive a mechanical apparatus it is necessary to couple the power source through a variable ratio drive mechanism to the driven apparatus. A transmission is most predominantly used in this manner for the transfer of power from the motor of an automobile to the wheels. The features most commonly sought in a transmission of this type are numerous drive ratios to achieve the maximum efficiency from the power source, substantial power handling capability, reliability, low cost and simplicity in design and manufacture.
The most common transmission in use for vehicular applications utilizes a plurality of shaft mounted gears. The gears and shafts are transferred from one configuration to another by means of a control linkage to vary the drive ratio. A transmission of this type requires the manufacture of a large number of differing but precisely machined parts.
Another general type of transmission has been developed in which a tapered roller is driven by discs with the disc or rollers relatively movable to produce contact at different points along the roller and therefore produce varying drive ratios between the rollers and discs. Such a configuration is often used when it is desirable to have a continuously varying drive ratio in which case a smooth roller is utilized. A transmission of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,917 to Bickenbrock.
There exists a need for an improved mechanical transmission having a large number of drive ratios, easily manufactured parts, and capable of handling a wide range of power levels.


Apparatus and methodology for applying catheters, dilators and occluders to mammalian genito-urinary and gastro-intestinal passages, using rotational manipulation of threaded or helically-formed catheters and threaded dilators and occluders. Threaded or helical catheters are inserted into the opening of the selected passage far enough to engage a thread segment, the other end of the catheter is then manually rotated to draw the catheter into the passage. Threaded dilators and occluders are similarly applied.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention most generally relates to the apparatus and methods of catheterization and related treatments of the genito-urinary and gastro-intestinal passages of mammals.
More particularly, the invention relates to a screw-based means of applying catheters, dilators and occluders to mammalian genito-urinary and gastro-intestinal passages.
2. Background Art
Urinary outlet problems most likely have been around for as long as humans.
The present state of the treatment of such problems leaves much to be desired. Intermittent catheterization must be done four to six times a day or more to service a normal rate of urine accumulation in the bladder. This repeated bodily invasion poses a high risk of infection. Patients who are determined to retain a normal degree of mobility must carry a spare catheter and cleaning supplies. They must be confident of finding greater privacy, better facilities and more time to attend to this function than non-affected persons.
The anatomy of the adult male urinary tract, as illustrated in FIG. 4, has a bladder 104 where urine is collected prior to exiting the body via the urethra 106. The bladder 104 converges into the urethra 106 at a muscular exit called the bladder neck 105. The first approximately one inch of the urethra lies within the prostate gland 107. The next approximately half inch passes through the sphincter 108, which is the muscular flow valve that controls the release of urine. The remaining six inches of the urethra lie in a spongy zone, exiting the body at the meatus 109.
The catheters of the prior art are large and stiff, difficult and uncomfortable to administer, and uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. The technique of pushing a catheter into the urethral passage requires an alternate pushing, waiting, and retracting slightly and renewing the push if the catheter is causing too much discomfort or spasmic reaction. There is a degree of skill, tolerance and patience required that takes much time, training and practice to learn. Also, long term catheterization can result in encrustation of the catheter in the bodily passage.
The difficulty, discomfort, risk of injury and infection, inhibition and inconvenience of the methods and tools of the known art results in the deprivation for many patients of the freedom to work, play and travel as do unaffected people.
History has the ancient Chinese using onion stalks to relieve people of acute urinary retention. Literature refers to such problems as far back as 206 B.C., more than 2000 years ago.
Romans used catheters, first invented by Erasistratus, a Greek doctor in the third century B.C. Roman catheters were fine tubes made of bronze. The Roman gynecologist Soranus describes how catheters could be used to push stones out of the way and back into the cavity of the bladder, and thus restore urine flow.
Excavations in Pompeii unearthed several bronze catheters. These instruments were well constructed but relatively simple and showed that designs changed little from the period 79 AD until 1700 A.D.
However, during the 17th and 18th centuries catheter construction became more complex with an intensified search for an appropriate substance that would be at once flexible, non-irritating and functional.
England, France, and the U.S.A. had individuals and companies deeply involved with urinary catheters during this period. Many variations were produced but they all caused much stress on the patient when these rigid devices were pushed into the urethra. The first practical breakthrough was by the French using gum elastic catheters--a catheter that would bend better in the urethral channel and not scour the mucosa so much in the process.
Charles Goodyear improved upon what the French produced when he successfully vulcanized crude rubber. The problem of manufacturing an instrument which was both sufficiently rigid to enable it to be pushed through the urethra into the bladder and yet flexible enough to negotiate the path, had at last reached the point of practicality, not withstanding its shortcomings.
At that time, and still to this day, a functional urethral catheter is defined as one that is flexible enough to negotiate the bends and stable enough to push through the length of the urethral passage.
The tradition use and continuing contemporary acceptance of push-to-advance catheterization may be attributed in part to the interior wall of the urethra being a series of longitudinal folds running the length of the urethra, effectively obscuring alternative means for placing the catheter.
The French urologist J. J. Cazenave, with the hopes that his country would regain leadership in the catheter field, dedicated 25-30 years of his life improving the flexible durable catheter. This was in the late 1800's and his catheter, made of decalcified ivory, was a dated device but shows the consistency of the state of the art wherein catheters are pushed into and negotiated along the urethral passage toward the bladder.
During the past 300 years or so, intensified development efforts were stimulated by professional pride, national pride and financial rewards. These efforts yielded many improvements, such as changes to size, curve shape, materials of construction, smoothness, lubricants, coatings, combinations of materials, physical properties, chemical properties and more, yet all subscribed to the basic principle of external push-to-advance.
The normal process of emptying the bladder can be interrupted by two causes. One is bladder outlet obstruction and the other is failure of the nerves linking the bladder to the brain. The most frequent cause of bladder outlet obstruction in males is enlargement of the prostate gland by hypertrophy or hyperplasia.
The prostate is a chestnut-sized gland lying inferior to the bladder and surrounding approximately the fist inch of the urethra. In older males, it is not uncommon for a progressive enlargement of the prostate to constrict the prostate urethra. This condition, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), can cause a variety of obstructive symptoms, including urinary hesitancy, straining to void, decreased size and force of the urinary stream and in extreme cases, complete urinary retention possibly leading to renal failure.
Females, and males with no benign prostatic hyperplasia condition, might also have the inability to empty their bladder because of the nerves linking the bladder to the brain. This condition is known as neuropathic bladder, may occur in a wide variety of conditions which include spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, spinal injury, slipped disc and diabetes.
A number of irritative symptoms may also be experienced with urinary incontinence, including urinary frequency, discomfort and humiliating accidents.
Efforts to treat retention-with-overflow incontinence fall into general categories of surgical and catheterization.
Outlet obstructions resulting from BPH and Prostatic hypertropy are commonly treated by a surgical procedure known as transurethal resection. The procedure is painful, recovery is long, (about 1 year), and success is uncertain (less than 80%).
When other problems prevent the bladder from emptying effectively, catheterization is usually a solution. The two common catheterization methods are continuous and intermittent.
During continuous catheterization an indwelling catheter is retained in the bladder by a water filled balloon. It drains urine continuously from the bladder via a connecting tube into a bag which is attached to the leg or bed. The bag has a tap so that the urine can be emptied at intervals. The catheter is usually inserted by a doctor or nurse and changed about every four to six weeks.
During intermittent catheterization a simple catheter made of plastic, rubber, or metal is inserted by the patient or a helper for just long enough to empty the bladder completely, which is typically about one minute. Most patients learn to catheterize themselves and thereby gain a large degree of independence. This process is repeated about every 3-4 hours during the day and occasionally as needed at night.
In most mammals, mucous membranes line all those passages by which the internal parts communicate with the exterior, and are continuous with the skin at the various orifices of the surface of the body. They are soft and velvety, and very vascular, and their surface is coated over by their secretion, mucus, which is of a tenacious consistence, and serves to protect them from the foreign substances introduced into the body with which they are brought in contact.
They are described as lining the two tracts--the genito-urinary and the gastro-intestinal; and all, or almost all, mucous membranes may be classed as belonging to and continuous with the one or the other of these tracts. Catheterization of any of these similar bodily passages may at times be useful or necessary.
With the exception of balloon catheters, the current art of dilators has also changed little over the passage of time. A shaft with an increasing taper, bulbus structure, or enlarged end is pushed from without the passage to advance the tool through the restricted passage, thus forcing by longitudinally-applied pressure the lateral expansion of the passage walls. This push-to-advance method necessitates a stiff shaft which has all the same liabilities as traditional catheters. Catheters inherently provide a degree of this dilatorial function to the extent that the passage is opened sufficiently to accommodate the catheter.
Occluders of the prior art are similar instruments with similar liabilities; basically a bulb or plug on a shaft is inserted within a passage to provide blockage, or driven all the way into the bladder and allowed to seat as a plug at the neck of the urethra to prevent the flow of fluid from the bladder.
In summary, there are problems in making present push-in catheters stiff enough for penetration and flexible enough to make the turns without undue risk of trauma to the wall of the passageway when being pushed in; and once installed, comfortable enough to wear for an extended period. Self-administration is inhibited by all of the short-comings of the present art, and further injury, infection and discomfort may result from the resulting improper self-care.
The long history of push-in urinary catheters and the longitudinal folds of the walls of the urethra and ureter have fostered a here-to-for untested assumption that any other approach would somehow be unworkable and possibly damage or scour the mucosa further, or otherwise cause pain or distress to the subject. The soft, moist, pliant wall quite simply does not suggest a capability for providing a longitudinal grip on a threaded or helical device while allowing the sliding passage of the threads without incurring damage, but rather suggests or leads back to the traditional push-in tools and methodology.


A geometry simplification apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine whether another component is in contact with a simplification target place, a simplification unit configured to simplify the geometry of the simplification target place, a determination unit configured to determine whether another component is in contact with the simplification target place of which the geometry is simplified, a comparison unit configured to compare contact relationship between another component and the simplification target place before and after the simplification of the geometry of the simplification target place, and a correction unit configured to correct the geometry of the component in which the geometry of the simplification target place is simplified to a geometry which does not interfere with another component according to comparison results by the contact relationship comparison unit.

Computer aided design (CAD) has been widely used to design a component and a product. An analysis using a finite element method can be taken as one of methods for utilizing a three-dimensional CAD model (hereinafter referred to as a CAD model) created by the CAD. If a complicated geometry and/or a minute geometry exists in utilizing the CAD model for analysis, much time is taken up, so that a geometry simplification (hereinafter referred to as simplification, for short) is generally performed in which the complicated geometry and/or the minute geometry is corrected to a simple geometry keeping a calculation accuracy to some extent. When a simplified model in which the CAD model is simplified is used as a numerical analysis model (hereinafter referred to as analysis model, for short), the change in a contact relationship between components made of a conductive material affects a calculation accuracy particularly in an electromagnetic-field analysis, so that an analysis model showing contact relationship similar to the CAD model needs to be created.
Until now, a technique has been known in which interference parts between components are automatically extracted and corrected to correct a geometry after simplification (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217709). The technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217709 is such that interference parts between components are extracted and the geometry of interference parts of the one of interfering components is deleted or the interference parts are divided to the number of the interfering components and an additional process is executed to components corresponding to respective divided parts. Another technique has been known in which clearance or interference between the components that does not exist in the CAD model and appears in creating the analysis model, is eliminated (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-185276). The technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-185276 is such that, in an analysis model in which the CAD model of each component is divided into a rectangular parallelepiped, if a face which has been brought into close contact in the CAD model is brought into non-close contact, a process is executed to eliminate the part where the face is not in close contact.
In the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217709, however, if the components not originally in contact with each other interfere due to the simplification, the components are in contact with each other even if the interfere parts are eliminated. In the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-185276, although components are not yet brought into close contact in the CAD model, if components are brought into close contact in the analysis model in which the CAD model of each component is divided into a rectangular parallelepiped, the components cannot be corrected to a state where the components are not in close contact, and the components are kept in close contact. There is a problem that much time is taken to create the analysis model because the user manually simplifies and corrects the geometry while visually checking the geometry to prevent change of the contact between the components when creating the analysis model for performing the electromagnetic-field analysis.

Geometry simplification apparatus, geometry simplification method, and program


An optical node system for an optical ring network reduces certain costs associated with current ring architectures by using at least a portion of the light from an incoming optical signal to transmit an outgoing optical signal. In accordance with certain embodiments, the node includes an optical multiplexer which receives optical signals having a plurality of wavelengths. The optical multiplexer can be configured to output optical signals having certain wavelengths and to route at least one optical signal from the ring of at least one particular wavelength (or wavelength band) to a corresponding optical transceiver. The optical transceiver receives the incoming optical signal of the particular wavelength routed from the optical multiplexer and transmits at least a portion of the light from the incoming optical signal having the particular wavelength. The optical transceiver can modulate user information onto the light of the particular wavelength and/or pass at least a portion of the incoming optical signal for transmission as an outgoing optical signal onto the optical ring network. Thus, the optical node system alleviates the need for nodes to have a laser tuned to the particular wavelength for transmitting an outgoing optical signal having the particular wavelength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical ring architectures in general and, more particularly, to an optical node system for an optical ring architecture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fiber optic systems have increasingly taken over the functions of their copper counterparts in the trunk network and between central offices due to their inherent low loss and high bandwidth. A typical central office ring configuration 100 is depicted in FIG. 1 and includes a plurality of central offices 101a-d. Each central office (CO) 101a-d is capable of transmitting calls to any of the other COs, either directly via direct connections 103a-d or indirectly through other COs as shown by logical connections 105a-b.
Typically, a CO 101a includes an add/drop multiplexer (not shown) which adds calls to the ring 103a-d destined for another CO 101b-d or drops calls from the ring 103a-d for the CO 101a.
FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed diagram of a ring architecture 106 of COs 101a-c. As shown, each CO 101a-c is capable of receiving and transmitting information over a plurality of optical fibers 107. Typically, each fiber 107 operates at a predetermined optical wavelength or wavelength band, but a single optical fiber 107 could carry traffic having multiple wavelengths. The optical fibers 107 can be unidirectional in either direction or bidirectional. Some of the optical signals on the optical fibers 107 will terminate at the CO 101a-c in that terminal equipment (not shown) in the CO 101a-c converts the optical signal to electronic form, while other optical signals will continue through the ring 106. In a typical example, an optical signal on a path 107 for destination equipment 110 is "dropped" from the ring by an add/drop multiplexer (not shown) in the CO 101a to terminal equipment (not shown) in the CO 101a. The terminal equipment (not shown) in the CO 101a may convert the optical signal to an electrical signal and pass the electrical signal along path 112 to destination equipment 110. The path 112 could be copper lines, and the destination equipment 110 is typically a terminal.
Calls can be "added" to the ring from source equipment for destination equipment 118. Source equipment 114 produces a signal along path 116 to the CO 101a. The path 116 could be copper lines for carrying electrical signals. In the CO 101a, the terminal equipment (not shown) receives the electrical signal and converts it to an optical signal. The add/drop multiplexer (not shown) in the CO 101a receives the optical signal and adds it onto a path 107. The optical signal added is routed along one or more of the paths 107 interconnecting one or more of the other COs 101a-c and is eventually "dropped," for instance, by an add/drop multiplexer (not shown) of the CO 101c which is connected to the destination equipment 118. The add/drop multiplexer (not shown) passes the optical signal to terminal equipment (not shown) in the CO 101c. As described above, the terminal equipment (not shown) in the CO 101c passes the signal along path 120 to the destination equipment 118. Each of the optical signals not being dropped at a particular CO 101a-c can be amplified and passed along to the next CO.
FIG. 3 shows a more detailed diagram of a CO 130 in a ring architecture. A CO 132 transmits over a path 134 a plurality of optical signals as a wavelength division multiplexed optical signal with wavelengths .lambda..sub.1 . . . .lambda..sub.n. Instead of using spatial multiplexing where one wavelength is in each fiber, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) can increase capacity or decrease costs because multiple wavelengths can be put on a single fiber. The optical signal is received by the CO 130, and a pre-amplifier 138 might be used to amplify the optical signal. In particular, an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) can be used to simultaneously amplify all of the optical signals having a plurality of wavelengths in a linear fashion. In this particular embodiment, an add/drop multiplexer 140 receives the optical signal. The add/drop multiplexer 140 includes wavelength selection devices 142 and 144, such as a wavelength grating routers (WGRs). An example of a WGR is disclosed in "Integrated Optics N.times.N Multiplexer On Silicon", Dragone et al., IEEE Phot. Technol. Lett., Vol. 3, pages 896-899 (1991).
The WGR 142 routes the incoming optical signals as a function of wavelength, to a particular output port of the WGR 142. For example, an optical signal at a wavelength of .lambda..sub.1 applied over the path 134 to WGR 142 is routed by the WGR 142 to path 146. Moreover, an optical signal at a wavelength of .lambda..sub.2 applied over the path 134 to the WGR 142 is routed by the WGR 142 to path 148. Optical signals having particular wavelengths can be "dropped" by the WGR 142. In this particular example, an optical signal having a particular wavelength .lambda..sub.n is routed onto path 150 by the WGR 142 and thereby dropped to terminal equipment 152. The terminal equipment 152 includes a receiver 156 that receives the optical signal from the path 150 and converts the optical signal to an electrical signal, thereby terminating the optical path for that particular wavelength. The receiver 156 outputs the electrical signal to electrical circuitry 158 for routing the electrical signal to the proper destination equipment 160. The electrical circuitry 158 can include a host digital terminal, switches and other electronic processors and circuitry. The destination equipment 160 can include subscriber telephones 162a-b, remote terminal equipment 164 connected to subscriber telephones 162c-d, or other local data networks.
If a call is placed by a subscriber telephone 162a, the electrical signal representing the call passes over path 166 to the CO 130. At the CO 130, the electrical circuitry 158 processes the call and sends the electrical signal to transmitter 170. The transmitter 170 outputs an optical signal having the wavelength .lambda..sub.n by using the electrical signal to modulate a laser that can produce light having the wavelength .lambda..sub.n. The transmitter 170 transmits the optical signal via path 172 to WGR 144, which multiplexes the optical signal onto the wavelength division multiplexed signal on path 174. On the path 174, the optical signal can be amplified by amplifier 176, such as an EDFA, before being output from the CO 130.
In current ring architectures, optical fibers corresponding to optical signals dropped at an add/drop multiplexer on the ring terminate at the add/drop multiplexer. For example, in FIG. 3, if an optical signal having wavelength .lambda..sub.n is dropped at the add/drop multiplexer 140, the optical fiber terminates at the terminal equipment 152 where the optical signal is converted to an electrical signal. For the add/drop multiplexer 140 to add the optical signal from the path 172 onto the path 174, the transmitter 170 must provide light having wavelength .lambda..sub.n from an optical source. As such, a relatively costly and accurately tuned laser and its supporting electronics is used for each wavelength of optical signals dropped at each add/drop node on the ring. Thus, current ring architectures can be costly and inflexible.
Accordingly, a node configuration is needed for a more flexible ring architecture which reduces costs associated with current ring architectures.

Optical node system for a ring architecture and method thereof


A system (10) having a processor, a memory, generates low frequency ultrasound signals to be applied to tissue (14) to generate a weighted sum of tissue ramp, step, and impulse signatures. The system (10) analyzes the tissue signatures to determine the low frequency target profile which is used to generate a graphic representation of the tissue as well as to estimate the volume of the tissue; to classify the tissue (14) as to type, and condition of the tissue using a set of stored tissue data. The classifier may include a neural network (34), and/or a nearest neighbor rule processor (36). The system (10) performs as a non-invasive acoustic measurement, an imaging system, and method which uses Synthetic Structural Imaging (SSI) techniques to provide unique information concerning the size, shape of biological structures for classification, visualization of normal, abnormal tissues, organs, biological structures, etc.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to medical imaging, and in particular to a system and method for imaging and determining body organs.
2. Description of the Related Art
The noninvasive visualization of the internal anatomy of organ systems, and the supporting vascular network, provide invaluable medical diagnostic information of the patient. There have been considerable studies over the past ten years investigating volume visualization techniques for representing anatomical structures, using direct volume rendering and surface-fitting algorithms. These volume visualization techniques have been applied to various imaging modalities, such as ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computer tomography (CT).
In the field of diagnostic ultrasound, the use of conventional 2-D images requires the operator to try to mentally reconstruct and visualize the 3-D properties of the anatomy and related pathology. However, the ability to xe2x80x9cthink 3-Dxe2x80x9d varies considerably among clinicians and depends on their experience and innate ability in spatial perception. It is sometimes very difficult for the radiologist to develop a 3-D xe2x80x9cpicturexe2x80x9d from the 2-D slices, to detect some lesions even with multiple views, and to visualize the supporting vascular system.
Three-dimensional ultrasound (3-D US) images are derived from two-dimensional contigous slices from conventional ultrasound scans. The tissue volume is spatially sampled, digitally stored and simultaneously displayed in a multiplanar array format to provide any three perpendicular anatomic planes desired, with rotation, thresholding and dissection (electronic scalpel), as needed, in order to optimally view the structures of interest. By maintaining the entire volume of data, analysis can be performed off-line, after the patient has left the clinic. This allows the multiplanar images to be reviewed in many arbitrary planes and with various processing options. For example, analysis can obtain specific region-of-interest statistics and their variation with time, merge information from multiple modalities, and allow for motion description and compensation.
3-D US imaging has been very effective in Ob/Gyn studies. It has been successfully used for detecting congenital abnormalities in fetal surface features (gestational ages 10 to 39 weeks), such as cleft lip and cleft palate, and for the early detection of chromosomal anomalies in the first trimester, distinguishing between cystic hygroma colli and physiologic nuchal translucency. 3D US has also permitted measurement of fetal organ volume for assessment of fetal growth and fetal abnormalities. For the first time, 3-D US permits the possibility of measuring the fetal lung volume and relating it to gestational age and fetal weight. 3-D multiplanar US can also be effective in identifying and assessing the standard cardiac planes from 14 weeks to term; clinical tests have shown that a 3-D measure of cardiac volume can be used to improve screening for fetal cardiac anomalies, with best results between 22 and 27 weeks gestation.
3-D US has also been effective in improving visualization of vessels and tumors in the prostate gland and breast, for visualizing the cardiac chambers, uterine anatomy, carotid artery and endoluminal structures. In recent clinical prostate studies, 3-D US gave a greater confidence level in identifying permanent transperineal radioactive seed implants, for the goal of real-time optimization of prostate brachytherapy. In breast studies, intraoperative and 3-D US are very effective in detecting and localizing areas of free silicone from ruptured breast implants when the ruptured implants are surgically removed. 3-D US gives a more accurate spatial localization of lesions for biopsy, compared to conventional 2-D US, and provides an accurate assessment of vascular structures and their related pathologies. In a broad range of clinical studies, 3-D endoluminal US provided unique information about spatial relationships of anatomic structures, such as the size and shape of the vascular lumen and the distribution, location and type of plaque, that could not be obtained with conventional 2-D imaging. 3-D US can present a more accurate distribution of tumor along the ureter, and its relationship adjacent structures, and provide a measure of the tumor volume. It can also greatly facilitate the visualization and staging of colorectal masses.
Some major limitations to 3-D ultrasound imaging are (1) the considerable number of xe2x80x9clooksxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cslicesxe2x80x9d that are required for image reconstruction (typically several hundred slices in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) and about 64 slices in ultrasound), (2) the long data acquisition time required for imaging, (3) the accuracy required for multi-plane anatomical registration (for example, resolutions less than about 0.5 mm), and (4) the requirements for large memory storage and rapid computation. There is a need for improved imaging technology to address such limitations; for example, a shortened acquisition time greatly minimizes the effects of target movement, such as fetal motion, and results in less exposure time with the accompanying less risk of bioeffects from normal biological activity or from sudden movements.
Other imaging techniques have been used for improved detection and classification of objects. For example, Synthetic Structural Imaging (SSI) techniques use low frequency transmissions for the successful detection and classification in both radar and sonar, of aircraft and of acoustic mines and submarines, respectively.
The SSI concept has been demonstrated to provide acoustical target identification and structural feature estimation in sonar applications. Test results have indicated that the acoustic transient response is uniquely characteristic of target identity, with features strongly related to simple geometrical shape features. It has been shown that such signatures may be used for a narrow bandwidth to provide pictorial information of sufficient quality as well as volume estimates of sufficient accuracy for substantially accurate target identification.
SSI employs ramp response analysis, which was developed in radar studies of airwing identification, and has also been successfully applied to imaging underwater (scaled) targets. Similar to conventional high frequency imaging, the SSI method is direction-dependent, but is considerably more robust. It has less resolution than conventional techniques but its correlation to shape is much stronger. SSI technology has been shown in previous experimental studies to be very promising for specific radar and sonar applications.
The application of SSI techniques to biological mediums may provide an estimate of the volume of biological organs, tumors and other structures. To date, there has been little progress in estimating the primary tissue classifiers of volume, size and shape in a clinical environment and relating them to tissue pathology. In addition, the discrimination of normal tissue from abnormal tissue has not been successfully accomplished using SSI.
A novel, non-invasive, acoustic measurement and imaging system and method is disclosed which uses SSI techniques to provide unique information concerning the size and shape of biological tissue structures for classification and visualization of normal and abnormal tissues, organs, tumors, etc.
The SSI system includes a processor and memory for generating low frequency ultrasound signals to be applied to a biological structure to generate a synthetic structural image of the structure. The SSI system analyzes the low frequency ramp response of the tissue structure which is used to generate a graphic representation of the tissue structure as well as to estimate the volume of the tissue structure and to classify the tissue structure as to type and condition of the tissue using a set of stored tissue data. The classifier may include a neural network and/or a nearest neighbor rule processor.
The disclosed system and method utilize low frequency ultrasound transmissions for detection and classification, in which the amplitude and phase information as a function of tissue type, target direction and frequency are stored as an acoustic database. The system exploits a correlation between target shape and low frequency signature features.
Low frequency imaging in combination with high frequency imaging requires considerably fewer imaging planes or xe2x80x9cslicesxe2x80x9d than conventional methods to realize real-time 3-D imaging of tissue structures. The system and method provide a unique measure of biological tissue volume as well as material composition, which may be used as inputs to a classifier for tissue classification. Predetermined tissue-specific signal waveforms, a priori information concerning the general properties and anatomical location of biological xe2x80x9ctargetsxe2x80x9d of interest, and temporal and frequency processing are used to minimize possible ambiguities and artifacts. The disclosed system and method may be integrated with existing high-end radiology or cardiology imaging systems, including the use of color flow imaging techniques.

Method and means for synthetic structural imaging and volume estimation of biological tissue organs


Disclosed herein is an apparatus for cutting a glass plate. The apparatus comprises a cracking means for forming a minute crack at a point on the glass plate where the cutting is started, at least one scribing means using a laser beam absorbed by the glass plate, at least one quenching means using a quenching fluid after irradiation of the laser beam, a breaking means using the laser beam. The breaking means comprises a laser oscillator, a reflection mirror and a focusing lens. The focusing lens has at least two or more focal lengths. The apparatus may further apparatus further comprise a photo mask formed with light transmission openings for transmitting a part of the laser beam to be irradiated on the glass plate instead of the focusing lens. With the apparatus of the present invention, the problems caused by the conventional lens, such as a reduced straightness of a cutting line or a rough cutting plane, can be prevented, thereby providing a clean cutting plane.

As a conventional method for cutting a glass plate, there are a method for cutting the glass plate with the application of a mechanical stress after forming a scribe line using an ultra hard material, such as diamond, and a method for forming the scribe line using a laser beam instead of the ultra hard material before applying the stress, as developed as an alternative to the above method.


A color synthesizing scanning electron microscope having a scanning primary beam of electrons directed toward a specimen, is configured to produce color images of high information content. The microscope comprises at least two wide energy bandwidth secondary electron detectors, arranged around the specimen at predetermined variable angles, for receiving electron emission from the specimen subsequent to incidence of the scanning primary electron beam. The wide energy bandwidth secondary detectors detect electrons with trajectory or positional differences and convert the positional differences to signals for synthesizing color. The signals from the wide energy bandwidth secondary electron detectors are combined to generate signals representative of different colors. Additional signals representing a difference between any two input signals from the wide energy bandwidth secondary detectors can also be generated.

Scanning electron microscopes are commonly used for observation and analysis of matter. Scanning electron microscopes have found broad application in the transistor industry to show voltage distribution in such devices. Other uses include industrial quality control and a broad range of industrial and biological research.
A scanning electron microscope typically includes a vacuum chamber, an electron optical system for generating and focusing an electron beam (referred to also as the primary electron beam) at a specimen, a deflection system for moving the beam across a specimen in a predetermined raster pattern, a detector system for detecting phenomena from the specimen caused by the impinging primary electron beam, and a display system.
When the primary electron beam strikes the specimen, a complex response is generated, including both short-lived and long-lived phenomena. The short-lived phenomena include secondary electrons (low energy), back-scattered electrons (high energy), x-ray characteristics of the specimen, "white x-rays", light (cathode luminescence), absorbed electrons, transmitted electrons, and auger process electrons (low energy). Detectors for each of the above phenomena are well known in the art.
In a conventional scanning electron microscope, typically at least one of the signals identified above is detected, amplified and displayed on a CRT (cathode ray tube). The amplitude of the signal is used to modulate the intensity of the beam of the CRT. The beam of the CRT is deflected in a raster pattern which corresponds to and is synchronized with the scanning primary electron beam of the SEM. A black and white image of the specimen is thereby presented to the operator of the microscope. The image thus created may be set to contain three types of information at each point on the CRT, two position vectors which identify the location of the primary electron beam on the specimen, and one brightness or intensity level vector which contains information about the specimen. The intensity level is usually derived from the secondary electron emission, which contains topographical (slope) information. The information thus presented is in a form which is readily accepted by the human operator who can rapidly assimilate the information. One or more of the many signals which are induced by the primary electron beam can be displayed in a conventional scanning electron microscope system at any one time.
Each of the various responses of the specimen to the primary electron beam includes unique information about the specimen. For example, the intensity of the secondary electron emission contains information about the slope of the specimen surface, with respect to the primary electron beam. This information can be used to generate an image of the specimen surface. As another example, the back-scattered (high energy) electron signal contains information about the atomic number of the specimen, and thus can be used to provide a profile having an intensity which is representative of the chemical makeup rather than the shape of the specimen under examination. In a conventional scanning electron microscope with display, the operator can observe any one or more than one of these images at a time.
Color synthesizers have been proposed in the prior art to enhance the display image of scanning electron microscopes. For the most part, these color imaging schemes have not increased the information content of the image but have been utilized merely to present a more aesthetically pleasing picture.
Color pictures have been produced photographically by means of multiple exposures of film through appropriately colored filters. One prior system utilizes three separate x-rays, each representative of a different element, which are used to modulate the three electron guns of a color kinescope. That is, each x-ray detector is associated with a different color and these elements are then displayed concurrently and in color. The resultant image defines the distribution of the elements in the specimen since each one is represented by a different color.
In addition, colored images are constructed in which different regions of the image are colored in accordance with a color coding scheme, in such a fashion that variations in a physical variable are represented by different colors in the image. While such colored images convey information in a fashion which can be readily assimilated, the information content is generally no greater than would be conveyed had the colors not been used and the image simply coded monochromatically such as by different shading patterns. This is in contrast to the images normally perceived by the eye where, because of the added mixed light impressions perceived, a variety of lighting effects can be differentiated, which impressions can hardly be adequately represented monochromatically. This arises because a colored image as perceived by the eye can be considered as being made up of three simultaneously perceived images, each of a separate primary color, and the eye is capable of differentiating regions in the image as to which of the relative proportions of the three primary colors vary.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,628,014, 4,041,311 and 4,560,872 propose techniques which generate color images from the information available in a scanning electron microscope and display the images on a color CRT. The images are continuous in hue and cover the entire color range. Such techniques, of course, generate color images in real time as distinguished from photographic images. However, these techniques are not useful for producing color images at the low voltages typically used during examination of biological specimens. Moreover, the images produced, although satisfactory, do not provide a substantial amount of information about the specimen.

Color synthesizing scanning electron microscope


In a device for providing heating energy to a gas-generating system by means of essentially complete catalytic combustion of a fuel on a suitable catalyst material, heat energy is transferred directly or by means of a heat-conducting medium from the catalytic burner to the gas-generating system. To improve the starting behavior and the exhaust emissions, the device comprises three components that are at least temporarily traversed by fuel, with a cold-start component having an electrical heating device. The central component is preferably designed as a filter press with an integrated heat exchanger. A third, unheated, stage is also provided for residual gas combustion.

The invention relates to a device for providing heat energy for a gas-generating system in which hydrogen gas is generated from a gas which contains hydrocarbons.
For example, in the operation of fuel cells for mobile applications, hydrogen is generated from a raw gas containing hydrocarbons, especially methanol, by reformation of steam or partial oxidation. Heat energy is required to heat the system for a cold start, for evaporation and superheating of water and methanol, and for covering the energy requirement of endothermal steam reformation.
In this technology, the energy for covering the heat requirement is provided for example by burning hydrogen and/or methanol with an open flame. However, such systems exhibit poor partial load behavior because of the lack of flame stability. In addition, because of the high combustion temperatures, heat oxides of nitrogen are formed, which is especially undesirable for mobile applications.
In addition, heat-generating systems based on catalytic combustion of gases containing hydrocarbons are known, in which the temperatures are kept significantly below 1000.degree. C. during combustion so that formation of thermal oxides of nitrogen is prevented. U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,808, for example, discloses such a device in which a fuel/air mixture is supplied to a combustion chamber to provide heat energy for steam reformation, and is oxidized therein catalytically.
In such devices, the required heat energy can be generated either directly in the consuming component or in a central component, with the heat being supplied in the second case by a heat-conducting medium. An example of the first embodiment is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,561. In this case, hydrogen is generated from methane by steam reformation in a plate reformer, with reaction chambers and catalytic combustion chambers alternating in the plate reformer. An example of the second embodiment is known from JP 4-164802 A. In this case, hydrogen is produced in a reactor by steam reformation of methanol, with the reactor being heated indirectly by a hot gas stream generated in a central catalytic combustion chamber. In order to ensure a rapid starting process, this Japanese document provides that, on starting the device, a mixture of methanol and preheated air is evaporated and supplied to the combustion chamber and a switch is made to a combustion gas with a higher ignition temperature only after a higher temperature has been reached.
The goal of the invention is to improve a device of the generic type described above for providing heat energy for a gas-generating system in terms of starting behavior and exhaust emissions, as well as providing a method for starting this device.
The device according to the invention has the advantage that cold-starting behavior is further improved and emission of unburned fuel can be prevented even in the partial load range. The provision of an additional component for cold-starting with an integrated heating device ensures rapid heating of the entire system. By using a residual gas component, especially in the cold-starting phase and in the partial load range, complete reaction of the fuel is ensured so that the undesired escape of unburned fuel is avoided. In the main combustion chamber, which is advantageously designed as a filter press, a heat exchanger is integrated to permit a compact design and good heat transfer.
By dividing the entire system into three components, with the cold-start component being designed for rapid response, the central component for high power density, and the residual gas component for complete reaction, a total system with rapid cold-start behavior, low exhaust emissions in all operating ranges, high maximum fuel concentration, and hence high load injection, and high dynamics during load changes is provided. In addition, the system can be readily regulated by adding fuel.
The claimed central component has a simplified design by virtue of the common supply of fuel and air. The possibility of adjusting a temperature profile deliberately over the length of the main combustion chamber makes it possible significantly to improve the efficiency, since the device can be operated with a high fuel concentration, high power level per combustion chamber, and a good distribution of the reaction over the entire length.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Central heating device for a gas-generating system


Systems and methods for creating and previewing a lighting effect, such as displaying an array of colors across a number of lighting fixtures are provided. A user may specify some of the colors for the array, as well as relative positions of the colors. A lighting management system determines transitional or intermediary colors and assigns the colors specified by the user, as well as the intermediary colors to the lighting fixtures. The resulting lighting effect may be displayed in a preview bar. The colors and the order of the colors may be edited to obtain a desired lighting effect.

Conventional lighting systems allow a user to define colors for lighting fixtures one fixture at a time. If the user wants to display an array of colors, such as the colors in a rainbow, across the lighting fixtures, then the user must define each color that will be displayed and assign each lighting fixture one of the defined colors. Depending upon the number of lighting fixtures and the colors that the user selects, the process can be fairly tedious. In the case of an array that follows a known color order, such as a rainbow, it would be simpler if the user could define a starting color and an ending color and have the lighting controller determine the intermediate colors and determine which colors to assign to which fixtures.

Systems and methods for providing a lighting effect


The present invention provides a process for production of starch sugars, wherein starch is subjected to liquefaction and saccharification to prepare a mixture containing 10-50% by weight, based on the total solid content, of glucose and 30-50% by weight, also based on the total solid content, of maltose and the mixture is concentrated so as to have a total solid content of 40-70% by weight; and the resulting mixture is subjected to component separation using a chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type capable of fractionating the mixture into at least three fractions, to produce a glucose fraction with a glucose purity of at least 97% by weight, a maltose fraction with a maltose purity of at least 80% by weight and a high-purity oligosaccharide fraction at a high efficiency in one operation. In the process, no strict control is required for the enzymatic reactions taking place in the liquefaction and saccharification of starch, and all the fractions obtained by the chromatographic fractionation can be made into marketable products.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for production of starch sugars wherein a high-purity glucose product and a high-purity maltose product are produced from a starch. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for producing starch sugars at high productivity, wherein by the use of a particular chromatographic fractionation technique, the liquefaction and saccharification of starch are simplified; a glucose fraction with a glucose purity of at least 97% by weight ("purity" hereinafter denotes a percentage by weight which a starch sugar such as glucose accounts for of all starch sugars present), a maltose fraction with a maltose purity of at least 80% by weight, and an oligosaccharide fraction can be produced very efficiently in one operation; and all the fractions withdrawn can be made into marketable starch sugar products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Glucose has conventionally been produced by liquefying starch milk with a liquefaction enzyme typified by .alpha.-amylase, saccharifying the liquefied starch with a saccharification enzyme typified by glucoamylase, subjecting the saccharified starch to purification steps such as filtration, decolorization, desalting and the like, and concentrating the resulting material. In order to produce glucose of high purity by this conventional process, the occurrence of oligosaccharides having polymerization degrees of 2 or more must be minimized during the liquefaction and saccharification steps. This requires strict control of the pH, temperature, salt concentration, reaction time, etc. in the enzymatic reactions and, in some cases, a debranching enzyme is also used in the saccharification step in order to minimize the occurrence of oligosaccharides of high polymerization degrees (the use of the debranching enzyme makes difficult the operation control). The purity of glucose industrially obtained by the above conventional process is considered to be about 97% by weight or less. When glucose is used for medicinal applications or for production of sorbitol (a starting material for vitamin C) requiring glucose having a purity higher than 97% by weight, it is a general practice to further purify, by crystallization, the glucose obtained by the above process, having a purity of about 97% by weight or less, and to use the resulting purer crystalline glucose for said applications.
In order to increase the glucose purity of the aqueous starch sugars solution with a glucose purity of about 97% by weight, obtained by the conventional process for liquefaction and saccharification, a method is known in which the portion other than glucose fraction is separated and removed as an oligosaccharide fraction by the use of a chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type for fractionation into two fractions [Japanese Patent Application Kokai (Laid-Open) No. 83991/1991]. In this method, however, since the feed for chromatographic fractionation is an aqueous starch sugars solution with a high purity of glucose which is obtained only via the complicated liquefaction and saccharification steps of conventional technique, the simplification of the liquefaction and saccharification steps is impossible; moreover, since the chromatographic fractionation is fractionation into two fractions, it is impossible to separate at any high purity the maltose which is assumed to be present in the oligosaccharide fraction.
On the other hand, maltose has conventionally been produced by liquefying starch milk with a liquefaction enzyme typified by .alpha.-amylase, saccharifying the liquefied milk using, in combination, .beta.-amylase and a debranching enzyme, subjecting the saccharified starch to purification steps such as filtration, decolorization, desalting and the like, and concentrating the resulting material. In order to produce maltose of high purity by this conventional process, the occurrence cf glucose and oligosaccharides having polymerization degrees of 3 or more must be minimized during the liquefaction and saccharification steps. This requires strict control of the pH, temperature, salt concentration, reaction time, etc. in the enzymatic reactions. Thus, while the above conventional process, when applied industrially, gives maltose having a purity of about 70-80% by weight, considerable technical and economic difficulties are encountered in order to obtain, by the process, maltose having a purity of 80% by weight or more.
In order to increase the maltose purity of the aqueous starch sugars solution containing maltose in a purity of about 70% by weight, obtained by the conventional process for liquefaction and saccharification, a process is known in which a maltose fraction is separated by the use of a chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type for fractionation into two fractions (Japanese Patent Publication No. 51120/1987). In this process, however, since the feed for chromatographic fractionation is an aqueous starch sugars solution which is obtained only via the complicated liquefaction and saccharification steps of conventional technique, the simplification of the liquefaction and saccharification steps is impossible; moreover, since the chromatographic fractionation is fractionation into two fractions, it is impossible to separate each of glucose and oligosaccharides in a high purity.
In order to produce maltose of an increased purity from a solution containing maltose with a purity of about 80-90% by weight and further containing glucose and oligosaccharides, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,198,120 and 5,223,143 assigned to the assignee of the present application state a process for producing high-purity maltose by separating and removing fractions other than maltose fraction in the forms of a glucose-rich fraction and an oligossacharide-rich fraction using a chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type capable of conducting fractionation into three or more fractions, at an efficiency far higher than that of the conventional chromatographic separator used for fractionation into two fractions (Example 2 of U.S. Patent No. 5,198,120 and Example 2 of U.S. Patent No. 5,223,143). This process enables fractionation into three fractions in one operation, thereby separating maltose at a high purity. However, the glucose fraction and the oligosaccharide fraction each contains other undesirable components, making it impossible to obtain high-purity glucose or high-purity oligosaccharides. Moreover, since the feed for chromatographic fractionation is a multi-component liquid in which maltose is highly concentrated only by the complicated liquefaction and saccharification steps, it is not possible to simplify the manufacturing process by doing without these complicated steps.
In each of the foregoing conventional processes, the product obtained is ordinarily high-purity glucose alone or high-purity maltose alone because the product is obtained by predominantly producing a target sugar with a minor amount of other sugars. Consequently, when glucose is produced, maltose and any other oligosaccharides become impurities and it is necessary to minimize the occurrence of oligosaccharides having molecular weights the same as or larger than maltose molecular weight, by strictly controlling the enzymatic reactions in the liquefaction and saccharification steps. Even by exercising such control, the maximum possible purity of glucose obtained is about 97% by weight. Hence, in order to obtain glucose of higher purity, the above-mentioned chromatographic fractionation or crystallization must have been used additionally.
When maltose is produced, glucose and oligosaccharides having molecular weights the same as or larger than maltotriose molecular weight become impurities and it is necessary to keep low the occurrence of glucose (a monosaccharide) and oligosaccharides having molecular weights the same as or larger than maltotriose molecular weight, by strictly controlling the enzymatic reactions in the liquefaction and saccharification steps. Even by exercising such control, the maximum purity of maltose industrially obtainable is about 80% by weight. Hence, in order to obtain maltose of higher purity, the above-mentioned chromatographic fractionation or crystallization must have been used additionally.
In the conventional chromatograhic separation process, since the fractionation efficiency is not sufficiently high, the intended component recovered is generally one component with the other components being impurities. Further, the feed for chromatographic fractionation is a solution wherein said intended component has been concentrated beforehand by some means so as to make it into a major component. Thus, it has been impossible at least industrially to obtain a plurality of fractions each containing a different component in a high purity, by the conventional chromatographic fractionation.
Of the hitherto proposed chromatographic separators, one considered to be most efficient is a chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type comprising a plurality of columns which are packed with an adsorbent and which are connected by fluid paths (pipes) so as to form an endless serial circulation channel. In the conventional chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type, however, separation of components is conducted merely by sequentially shifting the position for feeding the feed, the position for feeding the eluant and the positions for withdrawing eluates. Accordingly, the conventional simulated moving bed type separator is designed to separate a feed into two fractions. When fractionation of a feed into three fractions using such a separator is necessary, the fractionation must be conducted in two stages (two times), which is undesirable from the operational and cost standpoints.
As mentioned previously, there are disclosed a chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type capable of fractionating a feed into three or more components in one operation and a fractionation process using the separator, in U.S. Patent No. 5,198,120 and U.S. Patent No. 5,223,143 both by the assignee of the present application. The feature of the chromatographic separator lies in that a shutoff valve is provided at a particular position of an endless serial circulation channel and a feed feeding path is connected with the circulation channel at one position just downstream of the shutoff valve, that is, the position for feeding the feed is not shifted and the circulation channel can be shut off as necessary. This chromatographic separator, however, has the following drawbacks. Although this separator is designed to fractionate a feed into three or more components, there is no actual case wherein the fraction each of glucose, maltose and oligosaccharides having higher polymerization degrees than maltose has been separated in a high purity. In Example 2 of each of the U.S. Patent Nos. 5,198,120 and 5,223,143, for instance, a case of separation of high-purity maltose is described as mentioned previously; however, the glucose fraction and the oligosaccharide fraction each contain other components, and neither high-purity glucose nor high-purity oligosaccharides are obtained. Further, since the feed for the chromatographic fractionation is a multi-component solution wherein, the maltose concentration has been controlled at a high level beforehand by complicated liquefaction and saccharification steps, any simplification of the liquefaction and saccharification steps is no longer feasible.


Apparatuses and methods to mirror frames received at an input port or provided by an output port to a port not connected to the device performing the mirroring operation. A frame being sent to a diagnostic system has a mirror header added to allow the frame to be routed through any intervening switches in the same fabric. The final switch or the diagnostic system removes the mirror header. If the diagnostic system is attached in a different fabric, encapsulation and inter-fabric routing headers are added as needed to the frame containing the mirror header. This allows the frame to traverse multiple fabrics to reach the diagnostic system. The encapsulation and inter-fabric routing headers are removed as done normally. This allows a diagnostic system to be connected to any switch in the network, either in the same or a different fabric.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments according to the invention relate to a method and apparatus for frame mirroring in a network environment. More particularly, embodiments according to the invention relate to mirroring frames to a diagnostic system not connected to the device performing the mirror operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Effectively deploying multiple devices in a network environment becomes an increasingly complex task as transmission data rates, processor speeds, and storage capacities increase. Storage area networks (SANs) have been developed as specialized high-speed networks, referred to as fabrics, to connect computer systems, control software, and storage devices over the fabric. A SAN typically allows block level input/output (I/O) rather than file-level access. Thus, every device connected to a SAN fabric appears as a locally attached device to other devices on the fabric.
Data rates of the switches which form the SAN are currently very high, such as 8 Gbps. At these rates diagnostics become very difficult. This makes simple trace capture inside the switch difficult as the needed memory could easily exceed that needed for normal switch operations. Protocol analyzers are readily available, but their operation commonly requires that they be connected in series with the input or output port being tested. This makes connection of a conventional protocol analyzer troublesome in many instances. One approach that has been used to alleviate this problem is to mirror selected frames to a designated port connected to a diagnostic system. However, this approach has been limited because of a requirement that the diagnostic system be directly connected to the switch performing the mirroring. In a practical sense this meant that the diagnostic system had to be connected to either the same switch as the frame source or the frame destination. While better than being required to be in series, this direct connection requirement still limited the flexibility of the SAN configuration unduly, requiring reconfiguration should the diagnostic system not be connected to one of the necessary switches, assuming that the switches can perform the mirror approach.

Method and apparatus for mirroring frames to a remote diagnostic system


A semiconductor package includes a substrate, a ground circuit supported by the substrate, at least one semiconductor chip disposed on the substrate and a carbon-containing heat-dissipating part disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the ground circuit. The heat-dissipating part may include carbon fibers and/or carbon cloth.

Example embodiments of the inventive subject matter relate to semiconductor package and device, and in particular, to a semiconductor package with a heat-dissipating part and a semiconductor device with the same.
Higher integration of semiconductor devices is required to satisfy consumer demands for electronic devices. However, there may be technical difficulties in processes for fabricating highly integrated devices (e.g., reduced photolithograph process margin), which may make it difficult to realize highly-integrated semiconductor devices. To overcome such limitations, there have been studies of new technology for increasing integration density and performance of semiconductor devices.

Semiconductor package and semiconductor devices with the same


A method of authenticating a signature including the steps of sampling a signature and storing data representative of the signature, converting the data to high dimensions vectors, feeding the high dimension vectors to an unsupervised neural network, performing a high order principal component extraction process on the high dimensions vectors to thereby identifying clusters of high dimension points, and analyzing the clusters of high dimension points to determine, based on previously stored information, the authenticity of the signature. Also an apparatus for such authentication including a sampling device for sampling a signature and storing data representative of the signature, a converting device connected downstream of the sampling device for converting the data to high dimension vectors, an unsupervised neural network for receiving the high dimension and performing a high order principal component extraction process on the high dimensions vectors to thereby identify clusters of high dimension points, and an analyzing device connected to the unsupervised neural network for analyzing the clusters of high dimension points to determine the authenticity of the signature.

Various types of transactions require a party's signature as an indication of acquiescence to that transaction. For example, signatures are necessary for checks, credit cards and numerous types of legal documents. As a signature often is the only necessary indication of acquiescence to a transaction, forgery of signatures is of great concern.
Early anti-forgery schemes required comparison by a person of an original signature kept on file and a newly executed signature on one of the aforementioned documents. Of course, such human intervention is terribly time consuming and often not reliable.
With increasing computing power, electronic signature recognition and authentication systems have been developed. Such systems typically include an input device such as a digitizing pad or tablet to capture and digitally store the signature image and thereafter act on that stored image in various ways to compare the new signature to a previously-stored "authentic" signature.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,598 to Shaw et al. discloses a method whereby a discrete cosine transform or orthogonal transform of the stored signature image is executed. A sequence of global parameters is generated and the image is divided into a plurality of strokes according to segmentation parameters based on the properties of the discrete cosine transform or orthogonal transform. A sequence of feature measurements also are generated and, thereafter, the global parameters, segmentation parameters and feature measurements are stored as representative of the signature. Comparisons are made based on the stored representative characteristics. The method disclosed by Shaw et al., however, is intended to be particularly useful for storing a limited amount of data on, for example, a magnetic card such that verification of signatures can be accomplished at autonomous sites, such as automatic teller machines. Because of the reduced amount of data characterizing any signature, there is, by definition, less reliability in verification.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,895 to Lee et al., there is disclosed a writing pad with a graphics digitizer that converts the continuous lines of the signature into digitized dots. The digitized dots are then located with respect to a coordinate system, and horizontal and vertical coordinates are assigned to each dot. The dots are also assigned values with respect to time. The resulting data represent the simultaneous accumulation of both static and dynamic information. These data are used to calculate each feature of a set of features characterizing the signature. The database used to compare the current signature for the signatory (the person making the signature) consists of a mean and a standard deviation for each feature of the set. While such a system is an improvement over known electronic signature authentication/verification systems, this system is focused on the multi-terminal transaction problem and it too lacks, the reliability necessary for superior signature authentication and verification.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,698 to Platt et al. discloses a handwriting recognition system that includes a preprocessing apparatus that uses fuzzy functions to describe the points of a stroke. The final identification of each character is performed by a neural network which operate on "sparse data structures" to identify the character's features. The Platt et al. system is directed to overall handwriting recognition, not signature recognition per se, and thus is deficient in the reliability of recognizing and/or authenticating a signature.
Other systems for signature verification has also been devised in the prior art as well. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,715 to Gaborski et al. discloses a method and apparatus for cursive script recognition in which a digital signature is processed neural networks in a time series using moving windows and segmentation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,308 to Hutcheson et al. discloses a pattern recognition system where a two dimensional pattern is translated via Fourier transform into a power spectrum and the leading elements of this power spectrum are then used as a features vector and analyzed using a four layer neural network. U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,156 to Obata et al. discloses a complex signature recognition apparatus which utilizes stroke oriented preprocessing and a fuzzy neural network to recognize and verify signatures. U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,470 to Moussa et al. discloses a signature verification system and method in which a signature is preprocessed for test features which may be compared against template signatures to verify the presence or absence of the test features using conventional statistical tools. U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,772 to Kashi et al. discloses a method and apparatus for parametric signature verification using global features and stroke direction codes where the signature is decomposed into spatially oriented, time-ordered line segments. U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,906 to Obata et al. discloses a signature recognition system including a preprocessing subsystem which extracts feature vectors, a recognition network which recognizes patterns and a genetic algorithm used to decide which features are worth considering.
Other related technologies include Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems and hardware for use in verification systems. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,702 to Oki discloses a neural network for character recognition and verification which translates characters into a matrix and identifies the characters using a neural network. U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,571 to Marshall discloses a writing instrument with multiple sensors for biometric verification which includes pressure sensitive cells.
However, these prior art systems fail to provide an effective and particularly reliable signature authentication/verification system which may be readily commercially implemented. Furthermore, with the increasing use of the Internet for a myriad of applications and transactions, verifying accurately and reliably a signature on-line is particularly desirable.


A mountaineering stick comprises a plurality of segments, each of which can be detached and reassembled by means of eccentric structures. A lighting device of special design is affixed to the stick for lighting and warning purposes. Such stick can be easily carried by the mountain climber and is durable.

The present invention relates to a mountaineering equipment, and more particularly to a mountaineering stick having warning and lighting means and capable of being dismantled and assembled repidly.
The mountain climbing is an extremely exhausting and taxing outdoor activity. As a result, a variety of mountaineering equipments are made available to help the mountain climbers in such a way that the consumption of their body energy is effectively reduced. The mountaineering stick is one of the most important tools used by the mountain climbers and is generally provided with a handle fitted to a toothed pick intended for use by the climber to dig so as to remove the obstructions of topographic nature. In order to make the mountaineering stick easy to be carried by the mountain climber, the handle of such conventional stick is divided into segments, which are joined together by means of threaded joints and can be thus dismantled and reassembled. However, such conventional mountaineering stick is defective in design in that it takes time to join the segments making up of the handle and that the threaded joints are vulnerable to breaking apart.

Mountaineering stick having warning and lighting means and capable of being dismantled and assembled rapidly