A front vehicle body reinforcing structure includes: a shock absorber housing; a fender apron upper member connected to an upper end of an outer surface of the shock absorber housing in the width direction of the vehicle body; a front side member disposed inwardly in the width direction of the vehicle body at a lower portion of the fender apron upper member, and connected to a lower end of an inner surface of the shock absorber housing in the width direction of the vehicle body; and a fender apron member connecting the front side member and the fender apron upper member. The front side member and the fender apron member may form a three-dimensional box structure, and the fender apron member may be inserted into the front side member.

Generally, a front vehicle body of a vehicle is a frame structure that is positioned at a front side of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle while forming an engine compartment, and includes a front end module that forms a front portion of the engine compartment and accommodates a cooling module, a head lamp, etc.; a front fender apron member that forms left and right portions of the engine compartment and in which wheels are installed; and a firewall which is positioned at a rear portion of the engine compartment and partitions a passenger compartment and the engine compartment.
Further, front side members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle are disposed at left and right sides of an area below the engine compartment, respectively, to reinforce structural strength of the front vehicle body, and a sub-frame is disposed below the front side members so as to support the engine and a transmission at the engine compartment as well as a suspension system, etc.
At a front end of the front side members, a bumper beam extending in a width direction of the vehicle is installed so as to enhance the front collision response performance of the vehicle. The bumper beam is connected to the front end of the front side member in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle via a crash box.
When the vehicle provided with the front vehicle body having the above-described structure frontally collides with an object such as an obstacle or another vehicle in a small overlap while the vehicle is traveling, that is, when a collision object such as a small overlap barrier collides with an outer portion of the vehicle body in a state in which the collision object deviates to one side in a width direction of the vehicle, occupants cannot be safely protected because the collision object collides with an outer vehicle body portion with relatively weak rigidity in a state in which it deviates from the front side member and the front side member cannot effectively cope with the frontal small overlap collision of the vehicle, thereby causing an excessive collision damage to the vehicle.
To this end, methods for coping with the small overlap collision by reinforcing the outer portion of the vehicle body are being developed.
For example, extending a frontal front end portion of the front fender apron member to a frontal front end portion of the front side member, forming a structure in which connecting members are connected to each other or a structure in which a reinforcement member for preventing the collision object from breaking in is mounted on the outer side of the front side member, etc., are proposed, but it is not effective for coping with the front small overlap collision.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Front vehicle body reinforcing structure


The present invention relates to a motor drive device and a phase current detecting method for a three-phase brushless motor, and more particularly to a technique of detecting each phase current through A/D conversion that is carried out once per PWM carrier cycle, by use of a current sensor for detecting a DC bus current of an inverter. The control unit of the present invention calculates a phase current for one phase, an absolute phase current value of which becomes maximum at a detection timing that is set once per PWM control cycle, from an output of the current sensor, and estimates phase currents for the remaining two phases based on a peak value of a phase current detected at each detection timing, a motor angle, and a phase shift of an actual phase current waveform relative to the motor angle.

Patent Document 1 discloses, as a current detecting method for a converter that converts a direct current to three-phase alternating currents, a method of detecting two current values of different phases by a direct current sensor and calculating a current value of the remaining phase based on the two detected current values.

Motor drive device and phase current detecting method for three-phase brushless motor


The present invention is directed to a retaining panel of one-piece construction for a body of water. A preferred embodiment of the retaining panel comprises a central portion, two side portions, and two flanges. The central portion has a first end and a second end. One side portion is integrally connected to and extends at a first angle from the first end of the central portion. Similarly, the other side portion is integrally connected to and extends at a second angle from the second end of the central portion. It is preferred that the first angle and the second angle are approximately equal. It is further preferred that the lengths of the first and second side portions are approximately equal. One flange is integrally connected to and extends at a third angle from a rear end of one side portion, and the other flange is integrally connected to and extends at a fourth angle from a rear end of the other side portion. It is preferred that the third and fourth angles are approximately equal. Each of the flanges has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion of one of the flanges defines a female connecting portion, and the distal portion of the other flange defines a male connecting portion. The retaining panel is preferably adapted to be interlocked with a substantially similar, adjacent retaining panel by inserting its male connecting portion into the female connecting portion of the adjacent retaining panel.

The present invention relates generally to a retaining panel for a body of water and, more particularly, to a retaining panel that may protect against a bounding shore with its top preferably extending above ground level and its bottom preferably anchored down into the ground below the water bottom. A preferred embodiment of a retaining panel of the present invention may be adapted for use as a seawall, a ground erosion barrier, a barrier against land erosion caused by waterways such as rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, seas, and oceans, a shoreline bulkhead, a wave breaker, a retaining wall, a footbridge, or as a panel in a wall structure for any other suitable use. A retaining panel of the present invention may be made from a variety of materials using a variety of techniques which will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure. For example, a retaining panel of the present invention may comprised of extruded plastic or other similar material.
Over the years, there has existed the problem of land erosion caused by waterways such as rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, seas, and oceans. In order to limit and/or prevent the land erosion, efforts have been made to provide a series of seawall panels that are laterally aligned, interconnected, and anchored into the ground so as to provide a barrier against a waterway. The seawall panels may be subjected to enormous pressures and loads which may ultimately break the connection between adjacent seawall panels. Consequently, the barrier may become less effective over time, and individual seawall panels may have to be repaired or replaced. This may be expensive, and it may require the use of special heavy construction equipment.
In light of the costs of repairing barriers made from seawall panels, a need exists for seawall panels that are better adapted to endure various pressures and loads. Another need exists for minimizing the pressures and loads that are applied on the joints between adjacent seawall panels. There is also a need for minimizing the number of seawall panels required to make a barrier so that there are fewer joints that are subjected to various pressures and loads. Still another need exists for providing seawall panels that are easier to install and replace.
The present invention satisfies some or all of these needs. A preferred embodiment of the retaining panel comprises a central portion, two side portions, and two flanges. It is preferred that the retaining panel is of one-piece construction. The central portion has a first end and a second end. The first side portion is integrally connected to and extends rearwardly at a first angle from the first end of the central portion. Similarly, the second side portion is integrally connected to and extends rearwardly at a second angle from the second end of the central portion. The first flange is integrally connected to and extends from a rear end of the first side portion, and the second flange is integrally connected to and extends from a rear end of the second side portion. Each of the flanges has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion of the first flange defines a female connecting portion, and the distal portion of the second flange defines a male connecting portion. As a result, the retaining panel is preferably adapted to be connected to a substantially similar, adjacent retaining panel by inserting its male connecting portion into the female connecting portion of the adjacent retaining panel. It is further preferred that the retaining panel is adapted to be interlocked with the adjacent retaining panel by inserting the male connecting portion of the retaining panel into the female connecting portion of the adjacent retaining panel.
It is preferred that the first angle and the second angle are approximately equal. It is further preferred that the lengths of the first and second side portions are approximately equal. The first flange may extend from the first side portion at a third angle, and the second flange may extend from the second side portion at a fourth angle. The third and fourth angles are preferably about equal. It is preferred that the central portion is approximately parallel to the proximal portions of the first flange and the second flange.
A preferred embodiment of a retaining panel of the present invention may have a substantially uniform thickness. It should be recognized, however, that the thickness of a retaining panel of the present invention may vary. It is also preferred that an intermediate portion of the central portion has a substantially level outer surface approximately between the first end and the second end. Similarly, an intermediate portion of the first side portion may have a substantially level outer surface approximately between the first end of the central portion and the rear end of the first side portion, and an intermediate portion of the second side portion may have a substantially level outer surface approximately between the second end of the central portion and the rear end of the second side portion. Moreover, the proximal portion of the first flange may have a substantially level outer surface approximately between the rear end of the first side portion and the distal portion of the first flange, and the proximal portion of the second flange may have a substantially level outer surface approximately between the rear end of the second side portion and the distal portion of the second flange.
A retaining panel of the present invention may be made from a variety of materials. For example, a retaining panel of the present invention may be made from plastic, wood, steel, other sufficiently rigid materials, or combinations of these materials. A preferred embodiment of a retaining panel of the present invention is comprised of a plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A plastic material preferably prevents and/or withstands heat, cold, pressure exerted by the water, pressure exerted by the land, corrosion, and sunlight. A plastic material also preferably makes a retaining panel of the present invention relatively lightweight, easy to install, and easy to repair or replace. In addition, conventional extrusion or molding processes may be utilized to make a retaining panel of the present invention from a plastic material.


Novel 1-substituted 4-(diarylmethyl)piperazine derivatives having antianaphylactic and antihistaminic properties, in which the 1-substituent is optionally substituted 2(3H) benzimidazol-2-one, 2(3H) benzothiazol-2-one, or 2(3H) benzoxazol-2-one.

In the prior art there may be found a number of 1-[(heterocyclyl)alkyl]piperazines and a number of 1-substituted 4-(diarylmethyl)piperazine and 4-(diarylmethoxy)piperidine derivatives having pharmacological properties. Such compounds are described in the following references:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,956; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,854; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,022; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,271; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,328; and PA1 C.A., 64, 3499e (1966). PA1 m is the integer zero or 1; PA1 A is a member selected from the group consisting of >N-- and >CH--, provided that when said A is >N-- then said m is zero and when said A is >CH-- then said m is 1; PA1 n is an integer of from 2 to 6 inclusive, provided that when C.sub.n H.sub.2n repesents a branched alkylene chain, then at least 2 carbon atoms are present in the linear portion of the chain linking B with the piperidine or piperazine nitrogen atom; and PA1 B is a member selected from the group consisting of: PA1 Y is a member selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur and a substituted nitrogen of the formula >N--L wherein said L is a member PA1 selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkylcarbonyl, lower alkyloxycarbonyl-lower alkyl, carboxy-lower alkyl, phenyl, phenylmethyl, lower alkylaminocarbonyl, hydroxymethyl, and lower alkenyl; and PA1 M is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl, phenyl, phenylmethyl, mercapto, lower alkylthio, amino, lower alkylcarbonylamino, lower alkyloxycarbonylamino, and cycloalkyl having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms. PA1 (i) reacting a compound of formula (XXIII) wherein R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are as previously defined with a haloalkanol of formula (XXIV) by conventional N-alkylating procedures to obtain an alcohol of formula (XXV): PA1 (ii) converting the hydroxyl function of (XXV) into a reactive ester group in the usual manner as previously described; and PA1 (iii) eliminating the substituted ethenyl group of the thus obtained (XXVI) by acid hydrolysis as described hereinbefore for the preparation of (I-c) starting from (V).
The compounds of this invention differ from the foregoing essentially by the nature of the B--C.sub.n H.sub.2n --group, present in the 1-position of the piperazine or piperidine group, and/or by the nature of the diarylmethyl or diarylmethoxy group present in the 4-position of said piperazine, respectively piperidine group.


A voltage reference generation circuit is disclosed including a voltage reference generating stage and a voltage reference output stage, in which a depletion-mode MOS transistor and an enhancement-mode MOS transistor are connected in series, and the junction formed between these MOS transistors serves as an output terminal for outputting a voltage to be input to the voltage reference output stage. In the output stage, two enhancement-mode MOS transistors having the same channel dopant profile are connected in series between a power source and the ground, the gate of one MOS transistor is connected to the output terminal of the generating stage, the gate and drain of the other MOS transistor are interconnected, and the junction formed between these MOS transistors serves as an output terminal for a voltage reference. In addition, each of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors is provided with a floating gate having a different threshold voltage depending on, the coupling coefficient between the floating gate and a gate, the amount of charge input to the floating gate, the kind of dielectric material included in the gate, or the thickness of a gate oxide layer, which is suitably utilized to supply reference voltages with improved stability to fluctuations in operating temperatures or processing parameters.

1. Field
This patent specification relates to a voltage reference generation circuit comprising MOS or CMOS transistors, and an apparatus incorporating such generation circuit exemplified by a power source, which is suitably in use for relatively small electronic devices such as hand-held cellular phones, for example.
2. Discussion of the Background
As the use of hand-held apparatuses becomes more widespread, numerous efforts have been made to provide reliable power supplies for these apparatuses with appropriate voltage reference generation circuits.
It has been disclosed previously in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 56-108258 to provide a voltage reference generation circuit including a depletion-mode MOS transistor with its gate and drain interconnected to be utilized as a constant current source. In that disclosure, the gate and the drain of the depletion-mode MOS transistor Q1 are interconnected as shown in FIG. 1, in which a constant current from the MOS transistor is supplied to succeeding transistor circuits.
Namely, each having a gate and a drain interconnected, enhancement-mode MOS transistors Q12 and Q13 are further connected in series to be operated by the constant current supplied by the MOS transistor Q1. Reference voltages are then obtained from the voltages generated by these transistors Q12 and Q13.
Incidentally, the MOS transistors Q1, Q12 and Q13 are all of N-channel type. In addition, the portion of the transistors Q12 and Q13 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be displaced by either a single transistor (FIG. 6) or more than two transistors. Also shown in FIG. 1 are a couple of junctions and values of the potential voltages, V02 and V03, at respective junctions.
In the case of the above noted single transistor illustrated in FIG. 6, a reference voltage is obtained as the difference between the threshold voltage Vtxe2x80x94d of depletion-mode MOS transistor Q21 and the voltage at Vtxe2x80x94e of enhancement-mode MOS transistor Q22.
There is an embodiment in Application 4-65546 regarding to methods for forming MOS transistors Q21 and Q22 (FIG. 6) having different values of threshold voltage, in which the difference is affected by varying the impurity concentration in substrates and/or channel regions of respective transistors, that is achieved by, for example, changing the number of ions in ion implantation process steps.
Although no description is found in that disclosure for utilizing the above noted two transistors Q12 and Q13 (FIG. 1), it is noted that threshold difference in depletion-mode MOS transistor Q1, and enhancement-mode MOS transistors Q12 and Q13, such as described herein below, may similarly be effected by varying impurity concentrations in substrates and/or channel regions.
In addition to the voltage reference generation circuit of FIG. 1, a further voltage reference generation circuit may alternatively be formed as illustrated in FIG. 2, which includes a MOS transistor having its gate and drain interconnected so as to serve as a constant current source.
Referring to FIG. 2, there included in the circuit are the same depletion-mode MOS transistor Q1 as that of FIG. 1, an enhancement-mode MOS transistor Q2 having a low threshold voltage Vtl and another enhancement-mode MOS transistor Q3 having a higher threshold voltage Vth. In this construction of the voltage reference generation circuit, a reference voltage is obtained as the difference between these threshold voltages Vth and Vtl of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors Q3 and Q2, respectively.
FIG. 3 includes graphical plots of (Ids)xc2xd as a function of Vgs for the MOS transistors Q1, Q2 and Q3 at a saturated drain voltage, where Ids is the drain current and Vgs is the voltage between gate and source. The conductance factor K is assumed the same for respective transistors.
Since the gate and source of MOS transistor Q1 are interconnected and the value of Vgs is therefore zero and fixed, the constant current supplied by Q1 is found to be Iconstant as shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the values of Vgs for satisfying the relation Ids=Iconstant are found to be V02 and V03 for the transistors Q2 and Q3, respectively. The reference voltage VREF is subsequently obtained as the difference between these two values;                               V          REF                =                                            V              0                                    3                    -                                    V              0                                    2                                                  =                                            V              t                                    h                    -                                    V              t                                                  l              .
The VREF value is therefore obtained as the difference between two thresholds Vth and Vtl.
Several advantages may be noted in regard to the generation of the reference voltage VREF with this generation circuit, which follows.
(1) Since the VREF value is obtained as the difference between threshold values, as mentioned above, the dispersion VREF is relatively unaffected by the fluctuation of constant current, which is caused by the dispersion of the threshold voltage of the depletion-mode MOS transistor. As a result, the dispersion of VREF is relatively small.
(2) Because of the approximately same temperature characteristics of the MOS transistors Q2 and Q3, the dependency of VREF value on temperature is relatively small, and (3) since the present circuit may be formed consisting of as few as three MOS transistors, the present circuit can be fabricated with more ease in a smaller area than the bandgap reference circuit.
As is known, this bandgap reference circuit is designed with a PN junction so as to output a relatively small voltage reference VREF having a considerably reduced temperature coefficient, utilizing both its base-emitter voltage Vbe and thermal voltage Vt(=kT/q, where k is Boltzman""s constant, T the absolute temperature and q the electron""s charge). It may also be added in this context that these voltages Vbe and Vt have the opposite polarity of temperature dependence to thereby generate compensating resultant voltages, which are appropriately utilized in this circuit.
For the aforementioned single transistor case illustrated in FIG. 6, the relation between threshold voltages and voltage reference from the generation circuit may be considered in a similar manner, which follows.
FIG. 7 includes graphical plots of (Ids)xc2xd as a function of Vgs for the aforementioned MOS transistors Q21 and Q22 at a saturated drain voltage, where Ids is the drain current and Vgs is the voltage between gate and source. The conductance factor K is assumed same for respective transistors.
Since the gate and source of MOS transistor Q21 are interconnected and Vgs is therefore zero and fixed, the constant current supplied by Q21 is found to be Iconstant as shown in FIG. 7. Accordingly, the Vgs value of the transistor Q22 for satisfying the relation Ids=Iconstant is found as to be VREF,
VREF=Vtxe2x80x94exe2x88x92Vtxe2x80x94d.
As a result, the VREF value is given as the difference between two threshold voltages Vtxe2x80x94e and Vtxe2x80x94d.
Several advantages can also be noted in regard to the reference voltage generation with the present circuit, which follows. (1) Because of the approximately same temperature characteristics of the MOS transistors Q21 and Q22, the dependency of VREF value on temperature is relatively small, and (2) since the present circuit may be formed consisting of as few as two MOS transistors, the present circuit can be fabricated with more ease in a smaller area than the aforementioned bandgap reference circuit.
In addition, the present circuit can offer another advantage. Namely, after a slight modification thereof, exemplified by a wire connection change of the gate of MOS transistor Q21, another voltage reference generation circuit can be formed, which is capable of supplying relatively small reference voltages (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 8-335122). The thus formed generation circuit is illustrated in FIG. 8, in which the gate of MOS transistor Q21 is grounded, indicating the difference from the FIG. 6 circuit after the modification.
The above noted capability of this circuit for generating small reference voltages is explained as follows.
There assumed for the depletion-mode MOS transistor Q21 are a threshold voltage Vtxe2x80x94d, drain current Idsxe2x80x94d and source-gate voltage Vgsxe2x80x94d. Also assumed for the enhancement-mode MOS transistor Q22 are a threshold voltage Vtxe2x80x94e, drain current Idsxe2x80x94e and source-gate voltage Vgsxe2x80x94e. In addition, the conductance factor K is assumed the same for the both transistors.
The drain currents Idsxe2x80x94d and Idsxe2x80x94e for the MOS transistors Q21 and Q22, respectively, are given as follows,
Idsxe2x80x94d=K(Vgsxe2x80x94dxe2x88x92Vtxe2x80x94d)2,
and
Idsxe2x80x94e=K(Vgsxe2x80x94exe2x88x92Vtxe2x80x94e)2.
Accordingly, after the relations
Idsxe2x80x94d=Idsxe2x80x94e and Vgsxe2x80x94d=xe2x88x92Vgsxe2x80x94e,
a constant gate-source voltage Vgsxe2x80x94e is obtained as
K(xe2x88x92Vgsxe2x80x94exe2x88x92Vtxe2x80x94d)2=K(Vgsxe2x80x94exe2x88x92Vtxe2x80x94e)2
xe2x80x83Vgsxe2x80x94e=(Vtxe2x80x94exe2x88x92Vtxe2x80x94d)/2.
The VREF value is therefore given as VREF=(Vtxe2x80x94exe2x88x92Vtxe2x80x94d)/2, which is appropriately utilized for generating relatively low reference voltages.
In order to achieve higher accuracy in reference voltages VREF, however, the aforementioned generation circuits have several drawbacks, which follows.
For the two transistor construction shown in FIG. 2:
(1) Since threshold voltages Vth of respective transistors are determined by ion implantation process carried out individually for each transistor, dispersion in Vth is effected independently each other and this may result large dispersion of the difference in Vth values and hence in VREF. FIG. 4 includes graphical plots of (Ids)xc2xd versus Vgs for the transistors Q2 and Q3 affected by the dispersion, in which Vth is shifted to a lower value for the former transistor, while to a higher value for the latter, for example. Two dashed straight lines also included in FIG. 4 indicate the plots without the dispersion.
(2) Since the channel profile is different for respective transistors, the temperature dependence of threshold voltage and mobility is not strictly same each other. The improvement of temperature characteristics is therefore rather limited. FIG. 5 includes graphical plots of (Ids)xc2xd versus Vgs for the transistors Q2 and Q3 at higher temperatures, in which Vth is shifted differently for respective transistors. This is resulted from the change in slope due to the aforementioned difference in channel profile, among others. Two dashed straight lines also included in FIG. 5 show the plots prior to the increase in the temperature.
For the single transistor structure of FIGS. 6 and 8:
(1) In a manner similar to the two transistor structure mentioned earlier, since threshold voltages Vtxe2x80x94d and Vtxe2x80x94e of the transistors Q21 and Q22, respectively, are determined by ion implantation process carried out individually for each transistor, the dispersion in Vth is effected independently each other and this may result a large dispersion of the difference in Vth values and hence in VREF. FIG. 9 includes graphical plots of (Ids)xc2xd versus Vgs for the transistors Q21 and Q22 affected by the dispersion, in which Vtxe2x80x94e is shifted higher for the transistor Q22. A dashed straight line also included in FIG. 9 shows the plot without the dispersion.
(2) Since the conductivity type of implanted ions is different for respective transistors Q21 and Q22, the temperature dependence of threshold voltage and mobility is not strictly same each other. The improvement of temperature characteristics is therefore rather limited. FIG. 10 includes graphical plots of (Ids)xc2xd versus Vgs for the transistors Q21 and Q22 at higher temperatures, in which Vtxe2x80x94e for the transistor Q22 is shifted, that is caused by its slope change due to the aforementioned difference in conductivity type, among others.
(3) In addition, since there exists a limitation in the range of Vtxe2x80x94d value for the depletion-mode MOS transistor in the aforementioned modified voltage reference generation circuit of FIG. 8 (the Application No. 8-335122), a relatively large margin in device fabrication has to be allocated for the temperature change and the fluctuation of process parameters. In the voltage reference generation circuit shown in FIG. 6 (22), since the limitation in the range of Vtxe2x80x94d value is expressed by the relation |Vtxe2x80x94d| greater than VREF greater than Vtxe2x80x94e, the Vtxe2x80x94d value of the depletion-mode MOS transistor has to be adjusted smaller than that of the FIG. 2 circuit so as to satisfy the above relationship.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a voltage reference generation circuit and an apparatus incorporating such generation circuit having most, if not all, of the advantages and features of similar employed circuits and apparatuses, while eliminating many of the aforementioned disadvantages.
It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a voltage reference generation circuit capable of generating reference voltages that are stable to the change in the temperature and unaffected by the fluctuation of process parameters during fabrication steps. The reference voltages may be small enough depending the way of use.
The following brief description is a synopsis of only selected features and attributes of the present disclosure. A more complete description thereof is found below in the section entitled xe2x80x9cDescription of the Preferred Embodimentsxe2x80x9d
The voltage reference generation circuit of the present invention includes a depletion-mode MOS transistor configured to serve as a constant current source by having its gate and drain interconnected. At least two enhancement-mode MOS transistors are connected in series to the depletion-mode MOS transistor and configured to operate at a saturated drain voltage by the current supplied by the depletion-mode MOS transistor. The junction of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors and another junction of the depletion-mode MOS transistor and enhancement-mode MOS transistors are configured to serve as output terminals. The enhancement-mode MOS transistors have the same channel dopant profile and different threshold voltages.
The at least two enhancement-mode MOS transistors include two transistors having their gates interconnected, and the junction of these two MOS transistors serves as one of the output terminals. The gate and drain of each of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors are interconnected.
In addition, each of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors is provided with a floating gate to have a different threshold voltage depending on the coupling coefficient between the floating gate and the control gate, the amount of charge input to the floating gate, the kind of dielectric material included in the gate, and the thickness of a gate oxide layer included also in the gate.
According to another aspect, a voltage reference generation circuit disclosed herein includes a voltage reference generating stage and a voltage reference output stage, in which at least two enhancement-mode MOS transistors having the same channel dopant profile are connected in series between a power source and the ground, a gate of one of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors is connected to an output terminal of the voltage reference generating stage, a gate and a drain of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors other than the one are interconnected, and a junction formed between the enhancement-mode MOS transistors other than the one serves as an output terminal for a voltage reference.
In addition, each of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors may consist of a group of paired transistors formed in the common-centroid structure. Further, each of the enhancement-mode MOS transistors has the same beta value, and is formed so as to satisfy the following relation
TOX/(LW)xc2xdxe2x89xa61.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923,
where L is the channel length, W the channel width and TOX the gate thickness.
According to still another aspect, a power source is provided, including a voltage reference generation circuit and a detection circuit configured to compare a supplied voltage to the reference voltage generated by the voltage reference generation circuit, in which the voltage reference generation circuit is selected from those generation circuit embodied herein above.
The present disclosure and features and advantages thereof will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims when taken with drawings.

Voltage reference generation circuit and power source incorporating such circuit


Flower-inducing substances containing protein or peptide materials and obtained by extraction of plant materials with water.

The process in agriculture of cultivating plants and causing them to bloom and/or bear fruit directly affects the yield and is important for determining economical value. In crops, fruits, vegetables and decorative flowering plants, products are formed after flowering so that the flowering period determines the period for yielding and/or shipment. Accordingly, a technique for regulating the flowering of plants in an inexpensive way makes a planned agricultural production possible and brings about an innovation in agriculture. The present invention is directed to flower-inducing substances for carrying out the foregoing concept which can be widely utilized in general and to methods for producing the flower-inducing substances.
In many cases, plants change their mode of growth from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, depending upon daily periodicity, and form flower buds on meristematic tissue and finally bloom. A group of plants which flower when daytime becomes long and nighttime becomes short are called long-day plants and a group of plants which bloom when daytime becomes short and nighttime becomes long are called short-day plants. Cabbage and spinach are long-day plants and chrysanthemum, morning glory, strawberry, rice plants, wheat, etc. are short-day plants. In addition, there are plants which induce flower buds in response to temperature. Dendrobium, which is one species of orchid, is a typical plant which induces flower buds at a low temperature. In order to induce flower buds on cabbage or spinach, a low temperature is required, in addition to long days.
As stated above, plants form flowers and bloom depending upon environmental conditions inherent to their species. However, it is considered that a substance for inducing the reaction of forming flower buds would be common to any plants. Where plants are put under environmental conditions which are inherent to the respective plants but in which flowering is induced, a common substance is synthesized, acts on the meristematic tissue and induces flower buds there.

Flower-inducing substances and a method for production thereof


A vehicle anti-theft device includes remotely operated relays for disabling the vehicle ignition and starter activated by a remote control or signal source that transmits an encoded radio frequency or infrared signal. A receive, including a decoder, located in the vehicle receives the signal and provides electrical pulses to flip flop switches that transmit electrical signals to selected trigger circuits. The trigger circuits generate short duration electrical pulses that are amplified to actuate the relays. An optional digital keypad mounted inside the vehicle may be used to close the relays in the event that the remote device is misplaced or lost.

Increases in the frequency of vehicle theft, in particular, automobiles and trucks, have led to higher insurance premiums and the development of a number of devices and systems designed to deter vehicle theft.
Various automobile anti-theft and security systems used in the past including devices with audible alarms or sirens that are triggered when an attempt is made to enter or start the vehicle without disarming the system. These systems malfunction frequently and are thus generally ineffective as they malfunction frequently giving a false alarm that may be confused with an actual attempt to steal the vehicle.
Other device systems have been designed to disable a vehicle in order to prevent its theft. Such devices and systems have not proven totally satisfactory for a number of reasons. In some cases, the disabling device can be overcome by "hot wiring" the ignition or by using an external power source to start the vehicle. In other cases, the anti-theft device or system is expensive and complicated or requires the user of the system to access the engine compartment of the vehicle to operate the system or device. Thus there is a need for an effective, economical vehicle anti-theft device that is convenient to use and which overcomes the limitations of prior art devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,138, issued Nov. 20, 1973 to Killmeyer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,605 issued Mar. 31, 1987 to Goren, et. al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,736 issued Apr. 26, 1988 to Branco; U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,146 issued May 23, 1989 to Luby; U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,084 issued Sep. 18, 1990 to Carlo, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,406 issued Jan. 22, 1991 to Reid; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,670 issued Feb. 12, 1991 to Pastor, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. None of the foregoing references however disclose the unique vehicle anti-theft device of the present invention.
Remote control devices are well known in the art and are currently used to operate garage door openers, television sets, video recorders and other devices. Such devices typically utilize a hand held transmitter that transmits an encoded radio frequency or infrared signal to a receiver that includes a decoder and a power source for actuating a device such as a garage door opener. These transmitters typically have a limited range and thus must be in close proximity to the receiver in order to actuate the device. The present invention relates to the use of such a remote control device as part of a unique tamper resistant vehicle anti-theft system that effectively disables a vehicle to deter theft of the vehicle.


An inertial gas-liquid impactor separator has a de-icer for preventing ice accumulation at the acceleration nozzles. A heater heats a nozzle plate to minimize plugging of acceleration nozzles otherwise due to icing.

The invention relates to inertial gas-liquid impactor separators for removing liquid particles from a gas-liquid stream, including in engine crankcase ventilation separation applications, including closed crankcase ventilation (CCV) and open crankcase ventilation (OCV).
Inertial gas-liquid separators are known in the prior art. Liquid particles are removed from a gas-liquid stream by accelerating the stream or aerosol to high velocities through nozzles or orifices and directing same against an impactor, typically causing a sharp directional change, effecting the noted liquid separation. Such inertial impactors have various uses, including in oil separation applications for blowby gases from the crankcase of an internal combustion engine.
Under cold conditions, water vapor in the blowby gas can freeze, which in turn may cause restriction or plug the smallest cross-sectional area through the system. The acceleration nozzles may thus be susceptible to ice accumulation and freeze-up. It is known in the prior art to prevent icing by heating the incoming gas-liquid stream upstream of the nozzles, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,203, FIG. 10, at electrical heater 21 in inlet 11.
The present invention arose during continuing development efforts in the above technology, and provides various improvements, including another solution to the noted icing problem.


Forward and Reverse Channel Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) communication is described in which a Forward Channel Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) session between a first unit and a second unit is performed, in which a command is send to the second unit to start a forward channel ARQ session, where the command includes a message length field specifying the length of an ARQ message to be sent by the first unit to the second unit. The second unit may refuse the command because of the length of the ARQ message.

The present invention relates to the field of data communications; more particularly, the present invention relates to performing automatic repeat request (ARQ) sessions in a communication system.
A communication system transfers information between a source and a destination. Generally, a communication system includes a transmitter and a receiver which transmit and receive information signals over some media. This media may be cable wiring or atmosphere. When communications occur over atmosphere, or airwaves, they are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cwirelessxe2x80x9d communications. Examples of wireless communication systems include digital cellular, packet data, paging and digital cordless telephones, wireless modems, wireless local and wide area networks, digital satellite communications and personal communications networks.
Paging communication systems have typically been one-way communication systems. Recently, two-way paging systems have been introduced and are now commercially available.
One problem faced with current wireless communications systems is ensuring that the entire message is received by the mobile unit without errors. Some communication systems perform ARQ, or Automatic Repeat reQuest, as a way of providing reliable transmission of information over a lossy channel. In all ARQ schemes, the sender and recipient communicate with each other so that when some data arrives at the recipient having been corrupted or is lost, the sender retransmits that information until either the entire message is received reliably by the recipient or the message transfer is aborted.
ARQ has been used in wired communications systems in the prior art. More recently, ARQ has been used in GSM and cellular. For example, see the TIA/EIA interim standard, TIA/EIA/IS-136.2-A, October 1996 for cellular communication. However, the IS-136 implements symmetric forward and reverse channels and each unit is autonomously responsible for its own timing and actions.
Two-way paging channels have the characteristic of non-real time operation, limited reverse channel bandwidth (when compared to the forward channel), and the network device, or terminal, controls the allocation of the bandwidth.
When an ARQ session is started, there is no guarantee that the receiving unit will receive the entire message. The receiving unit may end up with a message with errors. This situation leads to another problem in that even if the receiving unit won""t be able to receive the entire message without errors, the receiving unit is still consuming valuable battery power in the process. It would be desirable to ensure that messages, once started, are received without errors and that no extraneous power consumption due to extraneous transmissions occurs.
In Forward Channel ARQ, because the ARQ message is sent in separately transmitted fragments, the device receiving the ARQ message may not be able to receive the entire message. This is because the receiving unit cannot determine whether it has enough memory to receive the entire ARQ message before some portion of the message is already received. Also the receiving unit cannot refuse an ARQ message.
In the Reverse Channel ARQ, once the system knows that a mobile unit wants to send a message, the transmissions are scheduled and an acknowledgment is sent by the network unit after receiving each fragment. Thus, the network unit knows when the message has been sent completely. If the network unit does not receive a scheduled transmission, it sends a message requesting the mobile unit to resend the last transmission. The mobile unit responds by transmitting the last fragment (that it understood was to be sent).
One problem associated with Reverse Channel ARQ is that after the network unit has indicated that the entire message has been received (because it knows when the entire message has been received), it sends the acknowledgment to the mobile unit. However, if the mobile unit does not receive this acknowledgment from the network unit, it will continue sending the final fragment. However, the network unit, operating as it had already received the entire message, is no longer looking for the last fragment from the mobile unit and, as far as it is concerned, believes that the ARQ session has ended. Therefore, the mobile unit will continue to send the last fragment, thereby consuming extra energy in continuing to transmit and continuing to wait for the network unit""s acknowledgment, even though the message has been completed or has been completely received by the network unit. It would be desirable to avoid this extra power consumption and ensure that both units know that the ARQ session has been completed successfully.
The present invention provides for performing ARQ in a manner that avoids the problems and limitations described above in the prior art.
Forward and Reverse Channel Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) communication methods and systems are described. The present invention provides a system having a mobile unit and a network terminal for two way communication with the mobile unit using forward and reverse channels with the network terminal controlling the timing and bandwidth allocation for the reverse channel.
This invention also provides a selective call receiver comprising a storage space and control operable to refuse to receive a message when available space in the storage space is not large enough to store the message.


A bank note handling apparatus of a circulating type utilizes bank notes deposited by customers as payable bank notes. The following devices are provided in the form of a loop in a conveying passage downstream from a paying-in and paying-out device for use in depositing or withdrawing bank notes by customers: bank note stacking devices for stacking circulated bank notes; a first discriminating device for discriminating bank notes; a bank note receiving device for receiving bank notes that are not to be circulated; a second discriminating device for discriminating bank notes; a device for properly arranging the obverse and reverse sides of bank notes; and a temporary receiving device for temporarily receiving bank notes to be deposited or withdrawn. Hence, the conveying passages for the paying-in and paying-out device and the respective stacking devices are shortened, reducing the processing time.

The present invention relates to a circulating-type bank note handling apparatus which utilizes bank notes that have been previously deposited by customers as payable bank notes, and more particularly to a bank note handling apparatus in which conveying routes for various units are formed in a linear configuration having few branch passages.
In a conventional automatic teller machine, an arrangement is adopted in which, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62-115593, usable bank notes among those deposited by customers are circulated for use as payable bank notes to be dispensed. In an automatic teller machine having such a structure, the denomination and authenticity of a bank note and the extent of any damage to which it has been subjected are checked, together with discrimination of its obverse and reverse sides and so on, by a single discriminating unit provided in a conveying passage. This checking and discrimination procedure is conducted at the time of depositing, return of deposited money, withdrawal, loading of bank notes, collection of bank notes, and similar transactions.
As a modification of this type of automatic teller machine, the machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62-67694 is arranged such that two discriminating units are respectively provided in a first position and a second position, and, in the former, the geometric nature of bank notes is the main item checked to allow those bank notes which cannot be identified to be discharged in advance, and information related to the authenticity, the denomination, etc., of bank notes is checked in the latter unit.
In such conventional systems, the arrangement is such that respective units such as the paying-in and paying-out means and the bank note stacking means are connected to each other by means of conveying passages with one or two discriminating units being used. Since the conveying passages tend to be long and have many curved portions, the efficiency of the assembled units is poor, and since there is substantially no linearity in the conveying passages, it has been difficult to remove bank notes when any trouble occurs.

Bank note handling apparatus of a recirculating type


A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge casing; and a liquid supply portion. The cartridge casing has a liquid storage chamber configured to store a liquid therein. The cartridge casing has an inner surface defining the liquid storage chamber. The liquid supply portion has a liquid supply hole extending in a frontward direction from the liquid storage chamber to an outside in an operational posture of the liquid cartridge. The frontward direction is perpendicular to a gravitational direction. The inner surface includes a side surface and a bottom surface in the operational posture of the liquid cartridge. The bottom surface has a curved region connected to the side surface.

A printer provided with a recording head for ejecting ink supplied from an ink cartridge through nozzles is known in the art. In general, one such ink cartridge has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-123905. Further, such an ink cartridge has an ink storage chamber for storing ink therein. The ink storage chamber has a shape similar to an outer shape of the ink cartridge. More specifically, the ink storage chamber has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Liquid cartridge capable of reducing remaining amount of liquid in liquid storage chamber


A thermal fuse reduced in size and thickness can be obtained. Further, the thermal fuse will not be degraded in characteristics, productivity, reliability, quality, etc. even after reduction in size and thickness. The thermal fuse includes a fuse main body including a substrate, a fusible metal and a cover, and paired terminals disposed protruding from the fuse main body. The other end of the first terminal has a first fusible metal connection, and the other end of the second terminal has a second fusible metal connection. The fusible metal is disposed between the first terminal and the second terminal, and one end of the fusible metal is connected to the first fusible metal connection, and the other end of the fusible metal is connected to the second fusible metal connection. The cover is disposed so as to cover the fusible metal, the first fusible metal connection, and the second fusible metal connection. Length L1 and thickness L3 of the fuse main body located between the first terminal and the second terminal are respectively in the ranges of 2.0 mm less than L1 less than 8.5 mm and 0.4 mm less than L3 less than 2.5 mm.

The present invention relates to a thermal fuse used to prevent equipment from being damaged due to overheat, and a battery pack.
Recently, the advance in technical development of secondary batteries is very remarkable. Particularly, as batteries used for equipment such as cellular phones, PHS, and notebook sized personal computers, secondary batteries which are compact and can be used for a long time per charge are developed and put to practical use. Specifically, batteries such as Nixe2x80x94Cd cells, Nixe2x80x94H cells, Li-ion cells, and Li-polymer cells are increasingly developed and put to practical use, enhancing the development of secondary batteries which are smaller in size and have a long service life.
However, with reduction in size of the batteries, heat is generated due to rapid discharge, for example, caused by short-circuiting between positive and negative electrodes. And it gives rise to a fear of damage or explosion of the batteries. In order to prevent such problem, a thermal fuse is used, which blows when heat is generated due to short-circuiting or the like, thereby assuring safety of the secondary batteries. As a thermal fuse like this, a thermal fuse using a fusible metal is commonly employed. Such fusible metal is attached via an insulating layer to a part which may heat in a battery or power source equipment. When a battery or power source equipment is heated, the fusible metal is melted to break the circuit before the temperature reaches a dangerous level. Thus, discharging or charging of the battery is discontinued to prevent overheating of the battery. Further, breakdown of the power source equipment due to heat can be prevented.
FIGS. 22, 23, 24 show a conventional thermal fuse. In FIGS. 22, 23, 24, the conventional thermal fuse used is a thin-type fuse, comprising lead conductors 40, 41, and an insulating plate 42. The conventional thermal fuse has an insulating plate 42 having a width greater than that of the lead conductor 40, 41.
Inter-terminal distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d between the lead conductor 40 and lead conductor 41 is less than the width of fusible alloy welding position 46. Therefore, the inter-terminal distance d is shorter than the fusing distance when the thermal fuse is normally fused.
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a conventional battery pack. The battery pack is used as a square battery pack whose thickness is identical with the width of the insulating plate 42.
The conventional battery pack ranges from 6 mm to 5 mm in thickness. However, with the recent reduction in size and thickness of cellular phones, there has been an increasing demand for pack batteries of smaller and thinner type ranging from 2.5 mm to 4 mm in thickness. However, in a conventional thin-type thermal fuse, there has been a problem such that the width of insulating plate 42 cannot be reduced without reducing the width of lead conductors 40, 41. Also, there has been a limit to size reduction with respect to the lengthwise direction of the insulating plate since the withstand voltage distance between terminals is the above inter-terminal distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d in an air atmosphere.
Also, in case the conventional thermal fuse is merely reduced in size, deterioration of various characteristics such as bonding strength of each member and thermal response will take place as a matter of course.
The present invention provides a thermal fuse and battery pack which ensure excellent reliability, high quality and low cost, with power less consumed by the wiring in the battery body, even after being reduced in size.
A thermal fuse of the present invention comprises:
(a) a fuse main body having a substrate, a fusible metal and a cover;
(b) a pair of terminals protruding from the fuse main body,
the pair of terminals including a first terminal and a second terminal,
one end of the first terminal protruding from one end of the fuse main body, and
one end of the second terminal protruding from the other end of the fuse main body,
wherein the other end of the first terminal includes a first fusible metal connection;
the other end of the second terminal includes a second fusible metal connection;
the fusible metal is disposed between the first terminal and the second terminal;
one end of the fusible metal is connected to the first fusible metal connection, and the other end of the fusible metal is connected to the second fusible metal connection;
the cover is disposed so as to cover the fusible metal, the first fusible metal connection, and the second fusible metal connection; and
length L1 of the fuse main body positioned between the first terminal and the second terminal and thickness L3 of the main body are in a relationship as follows:
2.0 mm less than L1 less than 8.5 mm
0.4 mm less than L3 less than 2.5 mm.
A battery pack of the present invention comprises:
(i) a battery;
(ii) a main boy to accommodate the battery;
(iii) a wire led out of the main body and electrically connected to the battery; and
(iv) a thermal fuse disposed between the wire so as to contact with the main body,
wherein the thermal fuse comprises the above mentioned structure.
Preferably, the width of the first fusible metal connection is less than the width of the first terminal, and the width of the second fusible metal connection is less than the width of the second terminal.
Preferably, the fuse main body further comprises an bonding film disposed between the substrate and the cover, and the bonding film has a third through-hole, while the fusible metal, the first fusible metal connection and the second fusible metal connection are located in the third through-hole.
Preferably, each terminal of the first terminal and the second terminal ranges from 3xc3x971010 Pa to 8xc3x971010 Pa in Young""s modulus, and from 4xc3x97108 Pa to 6xc3x97108 Pa in tensile strength.
A method of manufacturing a thermal fuse of the present invention comprises the steps of:
(a) manufacturing at least one substrate of a strip substrate and a plate substrate;
(b) disposing a first terminal and a second terminal opposed to each other on the substrate,
where one end of the first terminal includes a first fusible metal connection, and one end of the second terminal includes a second fusible metal connection,
the first fusible metal connection and the second fusible metal connection are opposed to each other on the substrate, and
the other ends of the first terminal and the second terminal protrude in the respective directions of the substrate;
(c) placing an bonding film on the substrate with the first terminal and the second terminal disposed thereon, then heating under pressures the substrate and the bonding film thus laminated, thereby bonding the bonding film to the substrate by first weld deposit produced by heating,
where the bonding film has a third through-hole, and the first fusible metal connection and the second fusible metal connection are exposed inside the third through-hole;
(d) disposing a fusible metal between the first fusible metal connection and the second fusible metal connection;
(e) disposing a cover film to cover the fusible metal and the bonding film, then heating the cover film and the bonding film positioned around the fusible metal except the zone where the fusible metal is disposed, thereby bonding the bonding film to the cover film by second weld deposit produced by heating; and
(f) forming a fuse main body by cutting off weld deposit zones, so as to include a part of the weld deposit zone between the cover film and the bonding film bonded by the second weld deposit,
where the fuse main body includes a rise portion and the weld deposit zone, and the fusible metal is located in the rise portion.
By the above configuration, a thermal fuse reduced in size and thickness can be obtained. Further, it is possible to obtain a thermal fuse and battery pack which ensure excellent reliability, high quality and low cost, with power less consumed by the wiring in the battery body, even after being reduced in size.

Thermal fuse, battery pack, and method of manufacturing thermal fuse

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A diagnostic tool that can communicate with a computing device such as smart phone is provided. The diagnostic tool can include a power management system that allows the dynastic tool to enter lower power state in order to prevent the power drain of vehicle battery. The diagnostic tool can also AutoID a vehicle or use a “fingerprinting” process to identify the vehicle. A crediting system is provided that can be used to credit a 3rd party for software purchased for use by the diagnostic tool or smart phone.

Onboard control computers (electronic control units) have become prevalent in motor vehicles. Successive generations of onboard control computers have acquired increasing data sensing and retention capability as the electronics have advanced.
Vehicle diagnostic tools report the data acquired by the onboard control computers. Diagnostic tools can detect faults based on Diagnostic Trouble Codes or DTCs that are set in the vehicle's onboard control computers. A DTC can be triggered and stored when there is a problem with the vehicle. A technician then retrieves the DTCs using a diagnostic tool, repairs the associated problem and then deletes the DTCs from the vehicle's computer.
The diagnostic tools and the associated software are often too expensive. Additionally, vehicles that are covered by the software cannot be purchased on a vehicle by vehicle basis or functionality basis (e.g. code definition or ABS) but rather are available only through comprehensive all vehicles and functionality coverage, thereby, making the software too expensive for a technician in a small garage to purchase. Thus, a garage that specializes only in BMWs cannot simply purchase vehicle coverage for only BMWs but must purchase software that includes all vehicles coverage regardless of vehicle or manufacture or year.
Diagnostic tools include software that can be separately purchased, however, typically dealers do not get a share of revenues stemming from software purchases or updates. Thus, the dealers only receive revenue based on the sale of the diagnostic tool.
Therefore, there is a need for a diagnostic tool that can be used with existing computing devices owned by a technician such as a smart phone and software that can be purchased on a vehicle by vehicle or functionality basis. Additionally, there is a need to share revenues with dealers so that the dealers are encouraged to sell more diagnostic tools requiring the technician to purchase software or updates.

Smart power management system and method thereof


The present invention relates to a method of forming an insulating film in a semiconductor device. The method includes forming a low dielectric constant insulating film containing a foaming agent on a semiconductor substrate, forming a contact hole or a trench in a low dielectric constant insulating film by means of a dual damascene process, and then making the low dielectric constant insulating film containing the foaming agent a porous low dielectric constant insulating film. It is therefore possible to prevent chemicals used in a dual damascene process from remaining in pores of the porous low dielectric constant insulating film. Consequently, the present invention has advantages that it can prevent metal wirings formed in a contact hole or a trench from being eroded and enhance reliability of the process and electrical properties of the device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming an insulating film in a semiconductor device and, more specifically, to a method of forming an insulating film in a semiconductor device by which an insulating film is made to be a porous low dielectric constant insulating film.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An insulating film is formed between metal wirings to electrically isolate neighboring metal wirings. In this case, the structure of the metal wiring/the insulating film/the metal wiring is similar to the structure of the top electrode/the dielectric film/the bottom electrode of the capacitor, a parasitic capacitor is formed. For this reason, there is a problem that the operating speed of the device is lowered due to RC delay generated by resistive components and parasitic capacitance of the metal wiring. In addition, as an electrical signal transferred through the metal wiring is affected, reliability of the device is lowered.
For this reason, in order to overcome the above problems, the insulating film formed between the metal wirings is made to be a low dielectric constant insulating film having a low dielectric constant. In this case, however, the distance between the wirings becomes narrow due to an increased level of integration. Therefore, there are limitations to preventing the parasitic capacitor for being formed by means of a method of lowering a total dielectric constant by forming an insulating film using a material of a low dielectric constant.
In recent years, in order to overcome this problem, a porous low dielectric constant insulating film in which air having the lowest dielectric constant is contained is formed. In the course of forming a contact hole (or a via hole) or a trench in the porous low dielectric constant insulating film through a dual damascene process, chemicals used to etch the insulating film are introduced into pores of the porous low dielectric constant insulating film and remain therein.
As such, if the chemicals remain in the pores, metal wirings formed in a subsequent process are eroded by the chemicals. This may cause fail of the device, etc. Accordingly, it is required to form a dense film on the surface of the porous low dielectric constant insulating film. For this reason, the process steps become complicated and the process time is lengthened.

Method of forming insulating film in semiconductor device


A visco-poroelastic elastomer-based capacitor type tactile sensor includes a first electrode, an active layer formed on a top surface of the first electrode and made of a visco-poroelastic elastomer, a second electrode formed on a top surface of the active layer, and a controller configured to provide an electric field generated orthogonal to an extension direction of the first electrode and the second electrode between the first electrode and the second electrode. In proportion to an external pressure applied to the tactile sensor, a concentration of effective ions present at the interfaces between the active layer and the first and second electrodes is increased.

In recent years, with the rapid development of electronic data devices, mobile data communication devices and mobile smart devices have rapidly propagated. Next-generation electronic systems are expected to be developed to the extent that they can be attached to or inserted into a human body beyond just being mobile. Particularly, an artificial electronic skin or a tactile sensor capable of being bent, extended and attached to the skin or body of a human or a flexure has been attracting attention.
According to a conventional pressure sensor technology, electric signal changes, such as a resistance, a capacitance, and a voltage (piezoelectric effect), of an active layer material caused by an external mechanical stimulus are converted into analog and digital signals to identify the kind and magnitude of the external mechanical stimulus. As a method for increasing the sensitivity of a sensor to a stimulus, the structure of the active layer material may be deformed to effectively recognize the external mechanical stimulus. Further, as a method for improving the mechanical properties of the device, a hybrid soft material may be used or the structure of metal and inorganic material may be controlled to be deformed by an external force. That is, such a pressure sensor recognizes a pressure as a change in electric signal caused by a change in contact area or a change in thickness during deformation of the active layer material.
However, if the pressure sensor recognizes a pressure using a change in electric signal caused by deformation of a material, a thickness change, and a contact area in response to an external mechanical stimulus in order to achieve high sensitivity, the pressure sensor shows a response only within a specific range depending on viscoelastic deformation of the material. That is, the pressure sensor recognizes a pressure only within a change in contact area and deformation of the material and thus shows a response in a narrow pressure range and is limited in application.
Further, a conventional flexible pressure sensor uses an active layer formed as continuous thin films, and, thus, it is difficult to perform patterning to a material of the active layer. As a result, there is a limitation to manufacture a high-density pressure sensor. That is, the high-density pressure sensor uses an inorganic material, and, thus, the mechanical properties of the sensor may be degraded or a process of patterning an organic material may be complicated and uneconomical.
In this regard, Korean Patent No. 10-1665191 (entitled "A multimodal tactile sensor emulating the perceptional mechanism and tissue structure of human skin") discloses a skin sensor that senses various tactile sensations by emulating the mechanism in the human tactile organ and mechanical properties of human skin.

Visco-poroelastic elastomer-based capacitor type tactile sensor

FOUNDATION OF SOONGSIL UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COOPERATION

INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY


Video data for two or more video streams are processed by a single background command list containing one or more background commands and a single foreground command list containing one or more foreground commands, where the foreground command list is implemented only during a vertical blanking interval of the display raster of a monitor. The processed video data are then displayed during the raster period. In a preferred embodiment, if the implementation of a background command has not completed by the start of a vertical blanking interval, the background command is interrupted, the state of the background command implementation is saved, the foreground command list is implemented, and then the interrupted background command is resumed. The background commands are preferably those that do not directly affect the display bitmaps, while the foreground commands are those that do directly affect the display bitmaps. The invention assures proper synchronization of video data processing and raster-based video display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to video processing, and, in particular, to computer-implemented processes and computer systems for processing video data for display on a raster-based monitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computer (PC) systems for capturing and compressing video signals and for decompressing and displaying compressed video signals on a computer monitor are known. Some such PC systems have a general-purpose host processor and a special-purpose video hardware subsystem. These PC systems may also have an application program, a general-purpose video software program, and a special-purpose video driver running on the host processor, and special-purpose video-processing microcode running on the special-purpose video hardware subsystem.
To process video data, the application program interfaces with the general-purpose video software program. The video software program in turn interfaces with the special-purpose video driver. The video driver also interfaces with the special-purpose video-processing microcode which runs on the video hardware subsystem.
For example, the host processor may be an Intel.RTM. 486 microprocessor, the video hardware subsystem may be an Intel.RTM. Smart Video Recorder card or other hardware based on an Intel.RTM. i750.RTM. Pixel Processor, and the video software program may be a version of Microsoft.RTM. Video for Windows. The video driver and the video-processing microcode may be delivered with the video hardware subsystem. The video-processing microcode that is provided with the video hardware subsystem performs compression and decompression of video data using specific video algorithms.
It is desirable for users of video hardware subsystems to be able to run microcode on those subsystems other than the video-processing microcode provided with the subsystems. For example, a user may wish to implement video compression and/or decompression algorithms different from those supported by the provided video-processing microcode. In addition or alternatively, a user may wish to perform data processing other than that supported by the provided video-processing microcode. This data processing need not even be related to the processing of video data.
Under the known PC systems described above, it is difficult for a user to process data on a video hardware subsystem other than by the algorithms supported by the video-processing microcode provided with the subsystem. For example, it currently is difficult for a user to program a pixel processor such as an Intel.RTM. i750.RTM. Pixel Processor to implement algorithms other than those supported by the video-processing algorithms provided with the pixel processor.
Furthermore, the special-purpose video hardware subsystems and special-purpose video drivers of the known PC systems constitute closed architectures. That is, the video driver is designed specifically for the particular video hardware subsystem and is not easily modified to support alternative hardware configurations. As a result, each generation of improved and upgraded hardware subsystem requires extensive modification to the video driver.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages and drawbacks of the known art and to provide a video driver that permits a user to program easily a video hardware subsystem of a PC system.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a video driver that permits a user to program easily a pixel processor such as a version of the Intel.RTM. i750.RTM. Pixel Processor.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a video driver that provides an interface between the video hardware subsystem of a PC system and a video software program running on a host processor, where the video driver permits a user to implement compression and/or decompression algorithms different from those already supported by the video driver and video-processing microcode that are provided with the video hardware subsystem.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a video driver that provides an interface between a pixel processor such as a version of the Intel.RTM. i750.RTM. Pixel Processor and a version of Microsoft.RTM. Video for Windows running on a host processor such as an Intel.RTM. 486 processor, where the video driver permits a user to implement compression and/or decompression algorithms different from those already supported by the video-processing microcode that is provided with the pixel processor.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a video driver that may be easily modified to support alternative video hardware subsystem configurations.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a video driver that is easily modified to support improved and upgraded versions of pixel processors.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide computer-implemented processes and computer systems based on the video drivers described above.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide computer-implemented processes, video hardware subsystems, and computer systems for displaying full-screen video images on computer monitors without having to create scaled bitmaps.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide computer-implemented processes and computer systems for processing video data for display on raster-based monitors.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment which follows.

Computer-implemented process and computer system for raster displaying video data using foreground and background commands


A method of testing a semiconductor wafer having a test structure performs an E-beam stress scan of the test structure in an E-beam system to electrically stress the test structure to produce a stress defect. An inspection scan is performed in the E-beam system to identify the stress defect.

Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are a well-known type of integrated circuit ("IC") that can be programmed to perform specified logic functions. One type of PLD, the field programmable gate array (FPGA), typically includes an array of programmable tiles. These programmable tiles can include, for example, input/output blocks (IOBs), configurable logic blocks (CLBs), dedicated random access memory blocks (BRAM), multipliers, digital signal processing blocks (DSPs), processors, clock managers, delay lock loops (DLLs), and so forth.
Each programmable tile typically includes both programmable interconnect and programmable logic. The programmable interconnect typically includes a large number of interconnect lines of varying lengths interconnected by programmable interconnect points (PIPs). The programmable logic implements the logic of a user design using programmable elements that can include, for example, function generators, registers, arithmetic logic, and so forth.
The programmable interconnect and programmable logic are typically programmed by loading a stream of configuration data into internal configuration memory cells that define how the programmable elements are configured. The configuration data can be read from memory (e.g., from an external PROM) or written into the FPGA by an external device. The collective states of the individual memory cells then determine the function of the FPGA.
Another type of PLD is the Complex Programmable Logic Device, or CPLD. A CPLD includes two or more "function blocks" connected together and to input/output (I/O) resources by an interconnect switch matrix. Each function block of the CPLD includes a two-level AND/OR structure similar to those used in Programmable Logic Arrays (PLAs) and Programmable Array Logic (PAL) devices. In some CPLDs, configuration data is stored on-chip in non-volatile memory. In other CPLDs, configuration data is stored on-chip in non-volatile memory, then downloaded to volatile memory as part of an initial configuration sequence.
For all of these programmable logic devices (PLDs), the functionality of the device is controlled by data bits provided to the device for that purpose. The data bits can be stored in volatile memory (e.g., static memory cells, as in FPGAs and some CPLDs), in non-volatile memory (e.g., FLASH memory, as in some CPLDs), or in any other type of memory cell.
Other PLDs are programmed by applying a processing layer, such as a metal layer, that programmably interconnects the various elements on the device. These PLDs are known as mask programmable devices. PLDs can also be implemented in other ways, e.g., using fuse or antifuse technology. The terms "PLD" and "programmable logic device" include but are not limited to these exemplary devices, as well as encompassing devices that are only partially programmable.
ICs use various sorts of devices to create logic circuits. Many types of ICs use complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor ("CMOS") logic circuits. CMOS logic circuits use CMOS cells that have a first-conductivity-type metal-oxide-semiconductor ("MOS") field-effect transistor ("FET") (e.g., a P-type MOS ("PMOS") FET) paired with a second-conductivity-type MOS transistor (e.g., an N-type MOS ("NMOS") FET). CMOS cells can hold a logic state while drawing only very small amounts of current.
The integrity of the gate dielectric ("gate oxide") is important for holding a logic state. Defects in the gate oxide can provide current leakage paths that corrupt the logic state stored by the MOS FET. Such defects are often called "soft defects". In some cases, defects in the gate oxide or other structures can cause a short circuit or open circuit between terminals of the device that destroys operability of the FET. Such defects are often called "killer defects".
Some defects in the FET are observable. Electron-beam ("E-beam") inspection techniques are typically used to inspect process wafers during a fabrication sequence for gate oxide and other defects. Such inspection is commonly referred to as "in-line" because the inspection step is incorporated into the fabrication process flow. In other words, process wafers can be inspected between fabrication steps without removing the wafer from the fabrication area, such as between front-end-of-line ("FEOL") processes and back-end-of-line ("BEOL") processes.
Some defects appear only after electrical stress is applied to the device. Defects arising from such stress tests are typically done off-line. That is, the wafer is removed from the fabrication sequence for stress testing. Techniques have been developed testing IC wafers that incorporate structures specifically designed to accelerate killer defects. Such structures are known for both accelerating and capturing defects occurring in the FEOL and in the BEOL. Generally, the scanning beam of an E-beam inspection system enhances contrast between good portions and defective portions of a test structure. An example of a technique for defect detection in the FEOL is described in Loop Before You Yield, by Akihiro Shimada et al., KLA-Tencor Yield Management Solutions, Winter 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Techniques for identifying defects of a semiconductor test structure in the BEOL processes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,445,199 B1, issued Sep. 3, 2002 to Satya et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirely for all purposes.
However, these techniques only detect processing (intrinsic) defects. In order to detect stress-related (also called extrinsic or reliability) defects, such as oxide reliability, electrical stress needs to be applied to the device. Techniques for in-line detection of extrinsic (stress) defects are desirable to provide improved processing feedback and improved device reliability.

In-line reliability test using E-beam scan


An in-cell touch panel, a method for driving the same, and a display device are provided. A plurality of first electrode plates is multiplexed as a pressure detection electrode which forms a capacitor with a conductive layer under the base substrate. When the pressure detection electrode is pressed, a distance between the pressure detection electrode and the conductive layer and thereby a capacitance therebetween change.

Pressure sensing technology refers to a technology for detecting an external force, and it has long been applied to such fields as industrial control and medical treatment. Currently, in the field of display, especially a mobile phone or flat-panel computer, an additional mechanism may be provided on a backlight portion of a liquid crystal display panel or a middle-frame of the mobile phone, so as to sense a pressure. For such a design, it is necessary to change a structure of the liquid crystal display panel or the mobile phone, and due to a large assembling tolerance, sensing accuracy of this design may be limited.
Hence, there is an urgent need to sense the pressure at high accuracy in the case of few changes in hardware of the display panel.

In-cell touch panel, method for driving the same, and display device

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to vertical transport field effect transistor devices and methods of manufacture. A structure includes: a vertical fin structure having a lower dopant region, an upper dopant region and a channel region between the lower dopant region and the upper dopant region; and a doped semiconductor material provided on sides of the vertical fin structure at a lower portion. The lower dopant region being composed of the doped semiconductor material which is merged into the vertical fin structure at the lower portion.

A vertical transport field effect transistor (VTFET) is a transistor in which the current between the drain and source electrodes is primarily normal to the top surface of the die. That is, a VTFET device is a device in which the current flow between the source and drain regions of the device is primarily orthogonal to the primary surface of the substrate. For example, in a VTFET device, the source and drain are provided at a top and bottom portion of the fin, with the channel along a vertical extent of the fin between the source and drain regions. The VTFET is advantageous in that it allows a more dense and integrated usage of FETs in the active area of the chip, which leads device scaling.
The bottom source region or drain region in VTFETs are formed very early in the flow process. Due to this, the bottom source or drain region see significant thermal steps from downstream process flow. This leads to dopant up-diffusion into the channel which can negatively impact device performance. For example, the dopant up-diffusion can negatively impact mobility, threshold voltage (Vt), short channel effect (SCE) and off-state current (Ioff).

Vertical transport field effect transistors


A vehicle power supply device including a battery and mounted in a vehicle capable of traveling by using a motor as a drive source includes an external charging terminal used to charge the battery from an external power supply or an external charger; an external output terminal used to discharge the battery to supply electricity from the battery to an electric device; and a mark display unit configured to display a charging mark indicating that the battery is being charged and a discharging mark indicating that the battery is being discharged to supply electricity to the electric device. The charging mark and the discharging mark each have a shape resembling a plug and respectively include terminals pointing in opposite directions.

A vehicle power supply device as follows has been conventionally proposed. A high-voltage battery is mounted in a vehicle and DC electrical power outputted from the battery is converted to AC electrical power by an inverter to supply electrical power to an accessory socket (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-276672). Mounting the power supply device in the vehicle enables an operation of an electric device in the vehicle. Accordingly, for example, a mobile phone can be charged in the vehicle by connecting a charger of the mobile phone to the power supply device.
However, when the fact that the battery mounted in the vehicle is being discharged to supply electricity to the electric device via the accessory socket is displayed, a user may confuse the display indicating that the battery is being discharged to supply electricity the electric device, with a display indicating that the battery is being charged by using an external power supply or an external charger, and make erroneous recognition.


A vehicle safety belt system with a retractor lock device which includes a retractor (40), a belt (50) terminating in a male buckle member (52), a female buckle member (60), and a retractor lock device (20). The retractor lock device (20) includes a lock member (30), a base member (21) having an anchor bolt (22) attached thereto, a spring (23) and a guide bolt (24). The lock member (30) is movable between a disengaged position and an engaged position, the spring (23) normally urging the lock member (30) into the disengaged position. When the male buckle member is inserted into the female buckle member, it moves the lock member (30) into engagement with the retractor (40), thereby preventing rotation of the retractor.

Seat belt systems exist in a wide variety of forms, the most common being that of a continuous belt retractor system. In this system, the belt is wound on a retracting shaft inserted in a housing, is unwound to lie across a user's lap, and has a male buckle member inserted in a female buckle member. A spring bias is provided in a retractor base so as to exert a back pressure on the belt to take up any slack and hold the user firmly on the seat. A toothed retractor gear (often referred to as a ratchet wheel) in combination with a pawl is provided with the retractor shaft to prevent further unrolling of the belt once the slack has been taken up.
Although the seat belt systems are effective in restricting passenger movement in a collision, often problems are encountered when the vehicle is operated over rough terrain. When these safety belt systems are used in off-road vehicles such as tractors and earthmoving equipment, a condition known as "cinch-up" can occur. As the vehicle is driven over rough terrain, the driver will be forced down into his seat thereby causing slack in the belt. This excess slack will be taken up by the retractor mechanism and the retractor ratchet wheel and pawl will prevent further extension of the belt thereby causing the belt to tighten about the driver. Such tightening may cause discomfort and impair the driving ability of the operator.
It is desirable to provide a retractor lock mechanism for use with the safety belt system. The incorporation of such a device in a safety belt system prevents "cinch-up" by locking the retractor in position, thereby preventing take-up of the belt.
The only safety belt mechanism known to applicants which includes means for preventing "cinch-up" is that of Boland U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,998.

Vehicle safety belt with retractor lock device


A safety cover 10 for automotive service pits 1 is constructed of square cross section hollow support members 11 welded to alternate links of double pitched roller chain segments 15. Cover 10 is divided into two halves wherein each half has support members 11 perpendicularly welded to two lengths of chain 15 at each end of support members 11. Support members 11 are further disposed in parallel spaced relation one to the other. Roller chain segments 15 are longitudinally supported at the top edges of the pit side walls 5 by opposing segments of C-channel 12. U-shaped bends 18 are provided in the lower lip 17 of opposing C-channel segments 12 and are disposed at, at least, one end which is adjacent an end wall 6 of automotive service pit 1. U-shaped bends 18 provide a receiving pocket for receiving the double pitched roller chain 15 and connecting support members 11 when cover 10 is slid into the open position.. C-channel 12 and double pitched roller chain 15 are constructed of suitable materials such that the relative coefficient of friction between roller chain 15 and C-channel 12 inhibits sliding of the cover with the addition of any weight, e.g. a person standing on the cover.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to safety covers for open pits and in particular it relates to safety covers for automotive service pits.
2. Background Art
Automotive service pits have become quite common in service stations, convenience lube shops, and the like. Non-coincidentally, the number of accidents resulting from uncovered pits has greatly increased.
Two solutions to this problem have been offered by the teachings of EYERLE, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,341,253 and 4,628,646. Both of the devices consist of flexible bands of pivotally connected support members which are supported by a longitudinal guide rails attached to the top edges of the sides of the automotive service pit. Both the covers are electrically operated via an electric motor, sprocket and chains. Both patents teach the use of friction reducing devices for slidably supporting the support members within the longitudinal rails, thereby facilitating the sliding of the cover from the open to the closed position and vice versa.
The main difference between the two devices is that U.S. Pat. No. '253 teaches compressible support bars while U.S. Pat. No. '646 teaches non-compressible support bars supported by a guiding web structure which insures that the band is positively guided and cannot buckle even during its pushing motion, since the covers are both pushed and pulled by the electric drive means.
Several disadvantages are common to both the Eyerle devices. One disadvantage and safety liability is that both covers can be operated regardless of an object or person standing on the cover. In use, the covers are closed between the servicing of subsequent cars. The pitman remains in the service pit during the exchange of cars and does not always check to make sure that there is nothing on the cover before opening or closing it. Obviously this is a serious safety consideration.
Additionally, since the pitman remains in the pit while the cover is in the closed position, the devices effectively shade the pit from natural or outside illumination. This is a problem since most pit lighting was designed without this consideration. A further disadvantage to the pit covers taught by Eyerle are that they are both unnecessarily complicated and require excessive maintenance.
What is needed is a simplified pit cover which has a weight responsive brake means whereby the risk of operating the cover with a person or object standing on the cover is greatly reduced and further to provide a cover which allows ample illumination to the pit when the cover is in the closed position.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a greatly simplified pit cover including a weight responsive brake means and spaced support members to provide adequate illumination to the automotive service pit.

Safety cover for automotive service pits


An incident optical signal is captured by an array of apertures and directed to pairs of fibers, each pair having a delay fiber with a unique length and a no-delay fiber. Each pair of fibers further has a unique transmission characteristic. Time interpolation is then performed using the transmission characteristic curve for each delay fiber and the duration from the time the optical signal arrives over the no-delay fibers and the time the signal arrives over the delay fibers to determine the wavelength. In a second embodiment, each pair of delay and no-delay fibers is replaced by a fiber splitter which directs light into a no-delay fiber and a delay fiber that have been split from the input of the splitter. In a third embodiment, two fiber splitters are used in place of the pairs of fibers. Each splitter has a number of branches for receiving light and an output end for guiding light onto the photodetectors. The propagation time of the delay optical signal, as compared against the no-delay signal, and other factors such as the length of the individual fiber and the transmission characteristics, are used to determine the wavelength.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a system for identifying an optical signal and more particularly, to a system for determining the wavelength of an optical signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
The emergence of the laser as a potent source of controllable optical energy has made the rapid and accurate determination of the wavelength of the optical source a necessity in many military and commercial applications. For instance, in certain electronic warfare applications, the jamming of enemy optical return signals beamed at a particular target requires the accurate and quick identification of the enemy's incoming signal so that a jamming signal having the same wavelength can be scattered back to confuse the enemy's weapon guidance systems. In some communication applications, the quick and accurate identification of particular optical wavelengths is important in high density optical wideband networks which need to closely control the wavelength or frequency of the transmitted signals. A rapid determination of wavelength is also needed in a communications network in which a number of sets of remote sources of radiation are synchronized to a central set of reference optical sources. Other applications that require quick and accurate identification of the wavelength of an optical signal include the spectral line identification of laser outputs and the monitoring of stimulated emissions from a process or material for quality control purposes.
Traditionally, the determination of the wavelength component of an incident optical signal is performed using narrow band filters. However, the resolution of prior spectral discrimination systems depends on the width of the filter bandpass regions. For instance, an increase in resolution of spectral discrimination requires that the bandpass regions for each filter be narrow, resulting in an increase in the number of filters in order to analyze the same wavelength spectrum. Thus, the traditional technique requires a large number of narrow band filters to cover every possible wavelength of the incoming signal transmitter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,894, issued on Jul. 6, 1993 to Nicholson, et al., hereby incorporated by reference, proposes a system for determining wavelengths using a limited number of broadband filters with overlapping bandpass regions to cover the wavelength spectrum of interest, but not with the resolution of a large number of narrowband filters. As asserted in the Nicholson patent, an array of apertures capture incident optical pulses and transport them either to broadband filters or directly to a photodetector. The output from the filters are then connected to optical delay lines before being directed to a photodetector, while the outputs from certain fibers (non-delay fibers) are connected directly to another photodetector. The time difference between when a signal arrives over optical delay lines from the filters and when a signal arrives over optical lines directly from the apertures are then reconverted mathematically into wavelength information.
It is desirable to eliminate the use of broadband filters to minimize the size, weight, and cost of the spectrometer. Further, the passing of an optical signal through the filters before going to the photodetector may cause the signal to be attenuated differently than the signal transported directly to the photodetector, as the filters are not made from the same material as the fibers that conduct the optical signal. Thus, certain compensation has to be made in the control electronics to handle the differential dynamic range of the delayed signal and the non-delayed signal. Thus, it is desirable that discrete filters be eliminated.

High spectral resolution fiber optic spectrometer