A method of producing a top gate thin-film transistor in which an insulated gate structure (14) is formed over an amorphous silicon layer with upper gate conductor (16) directly over the gate insulator layers. The gate conductor is patterned to be narrower than a spacing to be provided between source and drain electrode contacts. Laser annealing of areas of the amorphous silicon layer (12) not shielded by the gate conductor (16) is carried out to form polysilicon portions. The gate insulator layers are formed as a gate insulator layer (14a,14b) of first refractive index, and an overlying surface insulator layer (14c) of second, lower, refractive index. The overlying surface insulator layer has been found to reduce fluctuations in the reflectance of the structure in dependence upon the specific thicknesses of the gate insulator layers. Therefore, the tolerances for the thicknesses of the gate insulator layers can be reduced whilst maintaining control of the laser annealing process.

This invention relates to a top gate (staggered or planar) thin-film transistor and a method for producing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a method in which a self-aligned gate is produced through the use of a laser annealing process. These thin-film transistors are suitable for use in flat panel display devices, for example active-matrix liquid-crystal displays, or in other large-area electronic devices.
Various methods have been proposed for defining self-aligned gate structures in top gate thin-film transistors. In some of these methods, the gate conductor has a width which is smaller than the spacing between the source and drain electrodes. This provides some freedom in the positioning of an insulated gate structure over the silicon body of the transistor. Various processes have been proposed for treating the silicon body of the transistor in those areas between the channel region (beneath the gate) and the source and drain electrodes. This is required to reduce the resistance of the silicon layer in regions other than the channel area of the transistor.
The use of the gate electrode in this process results in a self-aligned structure. One proposed method for reducing this resistance is by doping and laser annealing of the silicon layer on either side of the channel area of the transistor, using the insulated gate structure as a mask to protect the channel area. EP 0691688 discloses a method of manufacturing a top gate thin-film transistor using laser annealing and doping of the silicon layer to reduce the contact resistance to the source and drain electrodes.
The method disclosed in EP 0691688 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
The transistor is formed on a glass substrate 2. An insulation film 4 overlies the glass substrate to provide a more uniform surface than that of the substrate 2. Metallic source and drain electrodes 6 and 8 are formed over the insulation film 4. These electrodes may be formed of ITO (indium tin oxide), Molybdenum or a Molybdenum alloy. The source and drain electrode 6, 8 are spaced apart, and the silicon body of the transistor fills this spacing, as will be described below.
The entire face of the substrate is treated with a plasma to diffuse dopant atoms 10 into the surface. These dopant atoms are employed to reduce the resistance of the silicon body of the transistor in regions other than the channel area of the transistor.
An amorphous silicon semiconductor layer 12 covers the spacing between the source and drain electrode 6, 8 and also partially overlies those electrodes as shown in FIG. 1. Subsequently, a gate insulation film 14 and a gate conductor layer 16 are provided, and the gate conductor layer 16 is patterned to define the gate electrode as shown in FIG. 1.
Subsequent laser irradiation 18 causes the dopant atoms 10 to diffuse into the semiconductor layer 12. The gate electrode 16 acts as a shield so that this diffusion process is inhibited in the channel area of the transistor. The laser treatment also causes the amorphous silicon 12 to melt, and during subsequent cooling the silicon becomes crystallized to form doped polysilicon source and drain regions 12a, 12b, thereby reducing the resistance between the source and drain electrodes 6, 8 and the channel area 12c of the transistor. It is desirable that there is no high-resistance undoped semiconductor material to which no gate voltage is applied, since this increases the ON-resistance of the transistor. The laser annealing and doping as described in EP 0691688 therefore reduces the ON-resistance, to improve the response characteristics of the transistor. Furthermore, the use of a gate conductor 16 having a width less than the spacing between the source and drain electrode 6, 8 assists in reducing the parasitic capacitances within the transistor structure.
A problem with the method described above is that the laser annealing of the semiconductor layer 12, to form polysilicon source and drain regions 12a, 12b, may be difficult to control for reliable results. In particular, the laser annealing process conditions are selected with a specific expected reflectance during the laser annealing process taken into consideration. This is required because the laser annealing must be controlled such that there is crystallization throughout the full depth of the semiconductor layer, but without over exposure of the structure. Slight variations in the thickness of the gate insulation film 14 dramatically affect the overall reflectance of the structure during the laser annealing process, as a result of the interference of reflected signals from different boundaries.
An alternative approach is to crystallise the amorphous silicon layer immediately after deposition. In this case, the layer is already crystallised before the laser treatment process, and this laser process is purely for activation of the dopant atoms. There is still a desire to optimise the laser treatment process, in particular to reduce the exposure of the gate to the laser energy, which can result in damage to the gate structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,844 discloses a method of manufacturing a transistor in which laser annealing is used to convert regions of the amorphous silicon body of the transistor into polycrystalline silicon regions. The gate insulator beneath the gate conductor comprises a three-layer structure. Two of the three layers extend across the full width between the source and drain electrodes of the transistor, and laser annealing is carried out through these two layers. A third gate insulator layer is patterned beneath the gate conductor prior to laser annealing, and this third patterned gate insulator layer is substantially thicker than the first two layers, and provides the operating characteristics of the insulated gate transistor.
The two gate insulator layers of U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,844 through which laser annealing is performed are very thin to provide a very low reflectance, and they act as reflectivity reducing films for reducing the reflectivity of the underlying amorphous silicon layer with respect to the laser beam.
This process requires patterning of the thicker gate insulator layer which defines the operating characteristics of the transistor, and therefore introduces an additional etching step, which could otherwise be avoided.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of producing a top gate thin-film transistor, comprising the steps of: forming an amorphous silicon layer over an insulating substrate; forming an insulated gate structure over the amorphous silicon layer comprising gate insulator layers and an upper gate conductor directly over the gate insulator layers, the gate conductor being patterned to be narrower than a spacing to be provided between source and drain electrode contacts to the silicon layer; laser annealing areas of the amorphous silicon layer not shielded by the gate conductor, through all of the gate insulator layers, to form polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) portions, wherein the gate insulator layers are formed as a gate insulator layer of first refractive index, and an overlying surface insulator layer of second, lower, refractive index.
In the method of the invention, laser annealing is performed through all of the gate insulator layers, so that no additional etching steps are required.
The overlying surface insulator layer has been found to reduce fluctuations in the reflectance of the structure in dependence upon the specific thicknesses of the gate insulator layers. Therefore, the tolerances for the thicknesses of the gate insulator layers can be reduced whilst maintaining control of the laser annealing process.
The method may be applied to a staggered top gate transistor, in which case a source and drain electrode pattern is provided on the substrate before the formation of the amorphous silicon layer. Preferably, the substrate is subjected to plasma treatment to form a doped surface layer having impurity atoms diffused therein, with the laser annealing forming polysilicon portions having the impurities doped therein.
Alternatively, the method may be applied to a planar top gate transistor, in which case a source and drain electrode pattern is formed over the gate insulator, the source and drain electrodes contacting the silicon layer through wells defined in the gate insulator.
In either case, the gate insulator may comprise first and second gate insulator layers, with the first layer being patterned with the amorphous silicon layer to define the transistor body. The or each gate insulator layer may comprise silicon nitride, and the surface insulator preferably comprises silicon oxide.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of producing a top gate thin-film transistor, comprising the steps of:
forming an amorphous silicon layer over an insulating substrate;
treating the silicon layer to form a polysilicon layer;
forming an insulated gate structure over the amorphous silicon layer comprising gate insulator layers and an upper gate conductor directly over the gate insulator layers, the gate conductor being patterned to be narrower than a spacing to be provided between source and drain electrode contacts to the silicon layer;
implanting a dopant into the regions of the polysilicon layer not shielded by the gate conductor;
laser treating the regions of the polysilicon layer not shielded by the gate conductor to activate the dopant atoms,
wherein the gate insulator layers are formed as a gate insulator layer of first refractive index, and an overlying insulator layer of second, lower, refractive index.
In this method, the laser treatment is for activating the dopant atoms, and the silicon layer is already crystallised. The double layer gate insulator enables the reflectivity to be reduced so that the laser treatment process does not damage the transistor components. The thickness of the layers can be optimised for minimum reflectivity and also for minimum sensitivity of the reflectivity to thickness variations, as discussed above. In particular, the laser treatment process comprises exposing the structure to laser light of predetermined wavelength, the thickness of the gate insulator layers being selected depending on the wavelength, to reduce the effect of thickness variations in the gate insulator layers on the reflectance of the structure at the predetermined wavelength.
Preferably the gate insulator layers are formed as a lower gate insulator layer, the gate insulator layer of first refractive index overlying the lower gate insulator and the overlying insulator layer of second, lower, refractive index. This three layer gate insulator provides additional degrees of freedom to enable the optimisation of the reflective properties of the gate insulator.
The lower gate insulator may comprise silicon oxide, the gate insulator layer of first refractive index may comprise silicon nitride and the gate insulator of second, lower, refractive index may comprise silicon oxide. Each silicon oxide layer preferably then has a thickness of 8 to 15 nm and the silicon nitride layer has a thickness of between 15 and 30 nm.
The invention also provides a top gate thin-film transistor comprising:
a silicon layer provided over an insulating substrate;
an insulated gate structure over the silicon layer, comprising a gate insulator and an upper gate conductor, the gate conductor being patterned to be narrower than a spacing between source and drain electrode contacts to the silicon layer, the silicon layer in the region of the source and drain electrodes comprising polycrystalline silicon,
wherein the gate insulator comprises a gate insulator layer of first refractive index, and an overlying upper gate insulator layer of second, lower, refractive index, the gate conductor being provided over the upper gate insulator layer, the gate insulator layer and the upper gate insulator layer extending fully across the spacing between contacts of the source and drain to the silicon layer.
The silicon layer beneath the gate conductor may comprises amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon.

Top gate thin-film transistor and method of producing the same


A condensate water removing apparatus for vehicle air conditioners which quickly removes condensate water generated from a thermoelement assembly. The apparatus includes: a thermoelement assembly installed in an air channel that guides air sucked and blown by a blower fan for heating or cooling; a partition plate placed to come into contact with the thermoelement assembly so that it guides air when sucked air passes through the thermoelement assembly so as to become cooling or heating air, the partition plate partitioning the air channel into an air supply channel and an air discharge channel; and a moisture absorbing material covering the thermoelement assembly and extending from the air supply channel to the air discharge channel so that the moisture absorbing material absorbs condensate water generated from the air supply channel and guides the condensate water to the air discharge channel, thereby removing the condensate water in the air discharge channel.

A vehicle is generally provided with ah HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-conditioning) system that is an air conditioning apparatus, in which the HVAC system can perform a variety of air conditioning functions, such as ventilation, cooling and heating, in the vehicle when a driver operates the system, thereby providing a comfortable air-conditioned environment to a driver and passengers of the vehicle. The HVAC system can be actuated when a driver or a passenger manipulates a control switch that is provided in a lower part of a right side of a steering wheel. In the HVAC system, an air ventilation passage can be controlled and an air conditioner compressor can be started by operating an automatic temperature control unit.
Further, a vehicle seat that provides a comfortable sitting feel to a person by a cushion is also provided with a variety of handy functional devices. In recent years, a heating or cooling apparatus has been installed in the vehicle seat. In an initial stage, vehicle seat heating apparatuses are generally used in which a heating wire is installed in a vehicle seat and provides a comfortable warm environment to a driver who drives in a winter season. However, such vehicle seat heating apparatuses are problematic in that they cannot perform a cooling operation although they can perform an efficient heating operation.
To overcome the above-mentioned problem, a thermoelement assembly is used to selectively cool or heat the vehicle seat. In a vehicle seat air conditioning apparatus using the thermoelement assembly as a heat source, a functional mesh is provided in which an air passage or an air ventilation structure that can allow air to freely pass is formed and air generated by the thermoelement assembly used as the heat source is supplied (blown) to the functional mesh so that the surface of the functional vehicle seat can be retained at a temperature desired by a person.
However, the thermoelement assembly that has been generally used in the HVAC system or in the vehicle seat air conditioning apparatus is problematic in that the thermoelement assembly generates condensate water during operation.

Condensate water removing apparatus for vehicle air conditioners


A resizable user interface object on a touch sensitive display is resized based on detection of first and second contacts at first and second locations on the touch sensitive display. The object is resized based on detection of relative movement of the first and second contacts.

As interaction between users and computer devices continues to develop, new ways of facilitating user input have been developed. In recent years touch sensitive displays have become increasing popular. A touch sensitive display is able to detect the presence and movement of a finger or stylus on a surface of the display and it is thus possible for a user to interact with a graphical user interface by a series of hand gestures.

Re-sizing user interface object on touch sensitive display

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A labeler is supported on a frame and includes a waste liner rewind mechanism. The frame may be a two-piece frame, wherein each piece supports a plurality of labeler components. A waste liner rewind wheel is rotatably mounted on one of the frame members, and is capable of supporting the release liner of the label web after the labels have been removed and applied to items. A rewind drive is connected to the waste liner rewind wheel for advancing the waste liner rewind wheel to wind the release liner about the waste liner rewind drive wheel. The rewind mechanism actuates the rewind drive as a function of the amount of tension on the release liner. The labeler may also include a print mechanism positioned along the label web path for printing a desired printed information on the individual labels.

The present invention is directed to a labeler for applying labels to products, and more particularly to a labeler for indexing labels from a label web and tamping the labels onto the products.
Labelers are well known for applying labels to items such as fruits, vegetables or other consumer goods. These devices typically include a label wheel that receives and holds a roll of label web, including a plurality of labels supported sequentially on a release liner. The label web is advanced from the wheel through the labeler to an edge, typically called a peel plate. The web is pulled over the edge of the peel plate to separate the labels from the support liner, allowing the labels to be deposited onto the items.
Many labelers include a tamping mechanism that can extend to deposit a label onto an item. For instance, it is common for labelers to include one or more tamping bellows, which include a tamping face in communication with a vacuum source and a positive pressure source, and are moveable between a retracted position and an extended tamping position. The tamping face of the bellows may be moved to a position adjacent to the peel plate to receive a label as the label web is indexed over the peel plate. The tamping bellows may then carry the label, using the vacuum source to hold the label on the tamping face, to a position in which the bellows communicates with a positive pressure source to extend the bellows and tamp the label onto an item to be labeled.
Although prior art labelers are generally acceptable, problems arise in a number of aspects of these labelers. For instance, difficulties arise with the release liner after the labels have been removed. The amount of this waste release liner continues to grow as additional labels are deposited onto items, creating a messy "tail" of release liner that can obstruct the user and the labeler until the user tears off or moves the tail—only to have the tail quickly grow back again.
Additional problems with prior art label webs include the replacement of label webs for labelling different types of products. In most cases, the labels on each label web are provided in a roll and are all preprinted with the same printed material for identifying a specific type of product. As a result, each time the labeler will be used to label a different type of product, the label web must be removed and replaced with another label web with the appropriate printed material for the new product to be labeled. In situations where many different types of items must be labeled and many label web changes need to be made, this type of labeler becomes inefficient.
Finally, it can be difficult to repair or replace labeler components when service or maintenance is need. The multiple labeler components are typically mounted on a frame, with each labeler component precisely interfitting with other labeler components. Service of one labeler component may require removal of other labeler components, or in some cases, may not be possible, resulting in the need to replace the entire labeler.


The present invention provides a carbon dioxide-generating electrode apparatus made up of a carbon anode, the upper end part thereof being fixed to a terminal part, and a cathode disposed in a non-contacting relationship so as to face the carbon anode, characterized in that the distance between the carbon anode and the cathode is broadened relatively and continuously from the lower part toward the upper part. The distances between the carbon anode and the cathode are set to be an equal distance at positions on the same horizontal cross section, and the difference (W.sub.1 -W.sub.2) between a distance (W.sub.1) between the side face at the upper end part of the carbon anode and the inner face of the cathode from a distance (W.sub.2) between the side face at the lower end part of the carbon anode and the inner face of the cathode is preferably set to a range of 1.0 to 5.0 mm. A carbon dioxide-generating electrode apparatus according to the present invention provides the stable generation of carbon dioxide over a long period of time by an electrolytic operation with a fixed current.

In carrying out the rearing of water grasses and the synthetic culturing of algae in a water tank, the carbon dioxide necessary for photosynthesis has to be supplied and dissolved in water. In general, carbon dioxide is supplied to a water tank via a carbon dioxide bomb installed outside the tank, and it is difficult in this method to supply carbon dioxide evenly at a slow flow rate of 10 ml/minute or less. In order to rear ornamental water grasses, a method is employed in which carbon dioxide is filled in a diffusion cylinder with the one end thereof open in the water, and gas-liquid contact at the open end causes carbon dioxide to be dissolved in the water. However, the above method has the defect that the initial feeding supplying and stopping speed can not be controlled.
In order to solve such problems, one of the present inventors developed an apparatus for supplying dissolved carbon dioxide in which water is electrolyzed with carbon used as an anode in a liquid to which dissolved carbon dioxide is supplied as a mechanism for automatically supplying carbon dioxide without relying on the supply of carbon dioxide by an external supply source, such as a bomb, and has already filed a patent application thereon (JP-A-6-154760). In this invention, a specific embodiment comprises a cathode member formed by a perforated pipe made of cylindrical stainless steel, a carbon rod anode inserted in the cathode member in a non-contacting relationship, and a terminal fixed on the cathode member at the upper part thereof. According to the above structure, since not only the carbon anode can be compactly integrated with the cathode but also dissolved carbon dioxide and gaseous hydrogen formed on the cathode is emitted to a liquid from holes formed in the cathode member, it becomes possible to dissolve carbon dioxide into a liquid safely and efficiently.
However, continuing an electrolytic operation at a fixed current using the carbon dioxide-generating electrode apparatus with the structure described above has gradually increased the voltage between both electrodes while a considerable amount of the carbon anode remains and has sometimes resulted in causing a situation such that the current eventually does not flow between the electrodes and electrolysis is stopped.
Investigations repeatedly made by the present inventors in order to solve the cause of this problem have resulted in clarifying that the problem originates in the phenomenon that since in the existing structure described above, a cylindrical carbon anode having the same diameter throughout the length of the rod is inserted in a cylindrical cathode pipe having the same inner diameter in a longitudinal direction in a parallel non-contacting relationship such that the distance between the electrodes becomes fixed, the consumption of the carbon anode particularly in the vicinity of the upper part thereof connected directly to the terminal, proceeds dominantly to locally increase the insulation degree, and the carbon anode at the lower part thereof remains unreacted.

Carbon dioxide-generating electrode apparatus


The disclosure relates generally to a solid polymer electrolyte for use in electrochromic devices. The solid polymer electrolyte may include a framework of one or more polar crystalline polymers, one or more polar amorphous polymers, and one or more electrolyte salts.

Electrochromism generally refers to a reversible change in optical properties of a material upon application of a potential. In particular, electrochromic materials exhibit a reversible color change due to an electrochemical reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction caused by application of an electric field. Electrochromic materials may include both organic and inorganic materials.
Electrochromic materials are commonly used in electrochromic devices. A typical electrochromic device includes a four layer assembly: (i) a first transparent electrically conductive film, (ii) an electrochromic material (organic or inorganic) deposited on the first conductive film, (iii) a second transparent electrically conductive film spaced apart from the first conductive film, and (iv) an ionic conductive medium (electrolyte) disposed between the electrochromic material and the second conductive film. It has been found that the inclusion of only one electrochromic film may result in electrochromic devices with shortened lives. Accordingly, a second electrochromic material film may be deposited between the ionic conductive medium and the second conductive film noted above to facilitate completion of the redox process in the device and reduce or eliminate degradative reactions in the electrolyte. This five layer assembly may be used to obtain two mixed colored states or, may, using two materials with complementary optical characteristics, enhance the contrast between the previously defined states.
Currently, forming the electrolyte layer with suitable materials remains a huge challenge. The development of electrochromic devices has been greatly restricted by the development of highly stable and transparent electrolytes. Previous electrochromic devices may use liquid/gel electrolytes or inorganic solid ion conductors. Liquid/gel electrolytes, most of which are organic solvent-based (e.g., carbonate, acetonitrile, etc.) electrolytes, have leakage of the liquid electrolyte, evaporation and exhaustion of the organic solvent, and potential safety issues. Inorganic solid electrolytes (e.g., LiPON, etc.) need high vacuum pressure to evaporate/sputter and thus often have high cost. In addition, inorganic solid electrolyte has poor mechanical flexibility.
There are several problems associated with known electrochromic devices and/or the components thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,825 ('825 patent) discloses an electrochromic device utilizing two conjugated polymer coated ITO-coated glass electrodes, and an ionic liquid such as [BMIM][BF4] as the electrolyte. The [BMIM][BF4] liquid electrolyte of the '825 patent does not include a Lewis acid, which results in improved stability and lifespan of the electrochromic device. Further, the electrochromic device of the '825 patent may avoid, at least in part, issues arising with residual images after quenching and electrolyte decomposition that are typically found in devices using organic solvent-based liquid electrolytes and ionic liquid electrolytes containing a Lewis acid. However, the electrochromic device of the '825 patent is still subject to problems associated with leakage of the liquid electrolyte, and the inability to be formed into thin films and film-shaped products.
In order to complement such disadvantages of liquid electrolytes, solid polymer electrolytes have appeared recently. S. A. Agnihotry discloses a polymer electrolyte having a high ionic conductivity of 10−3 S/cm at room temperature, the polymer electrolyte being formed by adding a small amount of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) polymer and fumed silica to an electrolyte formed of propylene carbonate containing 1M LiCIO4 added thereto (see, Electrochimica Acta, 2004, 49: 2343-2349). However, because the above polymer electrolyte still uses an organic solvent as electrolyte, this device still has several disadvantages such as low quenching rate, residual images after quenching, decomposition and exhaustion of organic solvent-based electrolytes, or the like. In addition, because of the swollen states of the above polymers, the interfaces and the phases of the above polymers are relatively unstable. Over time, the interfaces of the above polymers may change easily, leading to the failure of electrochromic devices.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved solid polymer electrolyte suitable for use in electrochromic devices.

Polymer electrolyte and electrochromic devices including polymer electrolyte


An injection syringe having a body (12) bearing an injection needle (14), a reservoir (16) containing a liquid (42) to be injected and being movable relative to the body (12) for causing the liquid to be injected to circulate through the needle (14), and a needle shield (18) movably mounted relative to the needle (14) for movement, under the control of a spring (20), from a retracted position towards an active protective position. The syringe has complementary parts (54, 62) which, when engaged, retain a first spring (20) end cooperating with the shield (18), and which, when disengaged by further movement of the reservoir (16), release the spring (20) first end to displace the shield (18) to its active protective position. The second spring (20) end is pressed against the reservoir (16) for gradually compressing the spring (20) during injection.

The present invention relates to an injection syringe of the type comprising a syringe body bearing an injection needle, a reservoir containing a liquid to be injected, which reservoir comprises a moving part mounted so that it can move in sliding with respect to the body so as to cause the liquid to be injected to flow down the injection needle, and a moving needle protector mounted so that it can be moved with respect to the injection needle under the control of a spring, from a retracted position set back from the injection end of the needle to an active protective position in which the front end of the protector is forward of the injection end of the needle, the syringe further comprising means for, during injection, retaining a first end of the spring collaborating with the protector, and means carried by the said moving part for, at the end of injection, releasing the said first end of the spring to cause the protector to move into its active protective position.
Document EP-A-0 467 173, for example, discloses a syringe of the aforementioned type. In a syringe such as this, the needle protector is arranged around the syringe body, of which it constitutes a sheath. The spring that operates the needle protector is initially compressed between the syringe body and the sheath. The sheath is held onto the syringe body by elastic snap-fastening. The syringe piston comprises means for detaching the sheath from the syringe body, which releases the spring and moves the sheath into its active protective position.
As the spring is initially compressed, it has to be compressed during the manufacture of the syringe, which makes it tricky to fit. In addition, as the spring is kept compressed during syringe storage, this spring may experience premature ageing, reducing its performance over time.
The object of the invention is to provide an injection syringe equipped with a spring-loaded needle protector which does not exhibit the abovementioned drawbacks and which, in particular, is easy to produce and is reliable.
To this end, the subject of the invention is an injection syringe of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the second end of the spring is pressed against the said part of the reservoir that can move with respect to the body to gradually compress the spring during injection.
According to some particular embodiments, the injection syringe has one or more of the following features:
the said moving part comprises a cylindrical wall closed off by an end forming a reservoir in which there is mounted, so that it can slide, a piston through which the said injection needle passes, the body comprising means for immobilizing the piston at least during injection;
the injection needle extends over most of the length of the body;
the said spring is inserted between the said moving part and the protector and the said means for retaining the first end of the spring comprise means for immobilizing the protector with respect to the body, the said means for releasing the first end of the spring comprising means for releasing the protector against which the said first end of the spring rests;
the protector comprises an end ring extended by legs extending partially up inside the body, the said means for immobilizing the protector comprise complementing projecting and recessed locking profiles borne by the body and the legs, and the said means for releasing the protector comprise means for deforming the legs with a view to disengaging the projecting and recessed complementing profiles; and
the deforming means comprise, borne by the legs, cam surfaces designed to collaborate with the end of the said moving part.

Injection syringe with needle shield loaded with a spring


Disclosed herein are methods, non-transitory computer-readable medium, and systems for determining an estimate of fat within a volume of a subject by determining a parameter α from the signal intensities of at least three echo signals emitted from a region of the volume of a subject imaged by a magnetic resonance image scanner in response to an applied RF pulse, wherein the three echo signals are taken at a first opposing-phase echo time, a second opposing-phase echo time and an in-phase echo time; and determining a fat volume fraction, f, from the parameter α.

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy are well-known techniques for imaging tissue and particularly human tissue for the purpose of detecting lesions, cancers and other abnormalities.
The human liver is one organ that can be assessed using MRI. A condition of the liver known as fatty liver disease can lead to an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular death, and cirrhosis and to reduced effectiveness of anti-viral treatments and is also implicated in the development of diabetes. Currently, histopathologists assess liver fat through visual estimation of the fat content in a liver biopsy specimen. The histopathologist carries out an estimation of the percentage of hepatocytes containing intracellular fat vacuoles and grades the sample on a scale from 0 to 3 or on a continuous scale from 0% to 100%. However, a visual estimation is, by its very nature, subjective and can be potentially unrepresentative of the whole liver. Furthermore, the process is invasive as it requires a biopsy. The accumulation of fat in tissue is often referred to as steatosis.
In terms of methods for quantifying fat in the liver, a number of MRI based techniques exist but these techniques often require complex image processing and suffer from sub-optimal sensitivity and specificity.
With the above in mind, there is a need for improved non-invasive methods for quantifying fat, i.e. steatosis, in organs such as the liver and other organs that are impacted by non-ideal fat levels.

Resonance Health Analysis Services Pty Ltd


A method of controlling a tufting machine including preestablishing a selected stitch number and a selected yarn feed length for a predetermined unit feed length of ground fabric, determining stitch number and yarn feed length for the unit feed length of ground fabric by means of measured values respectively obtained from a ground fabric feed detector, a yarn feed detector and a stitch number detector, comparing the measured values with the preestablished stitch number and the preestablished yarn feed length, and automatically controlling the rotation speeds of a spiked roller and a yarn roller respectively to correct the ground fabric feed and the yarn feed to the preestablished values whenever the measured values depart from a predetermined tolerance from the selected values.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with a control method for a tufting machine used to weave carpets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally in the control of a conventional tufting machine, the number of stitches in a unit length of woven carpet is visually counted, the length of yarn to be fed is calculated from the weighted amount of yarn being used, and it is judged if the woven carpet is made to the required color pattern. These factors have then been controlled as necessary by changing a spiked roller or a yarn roller in the conventional tufting machine. However, such operations have led to very complicated control of the tufting machine, which are accompanied by the disadvantage of inability of making fine adjustment to cope with the requirements of color pattern, and the requirement of having higher highly skilled and experienced personnel for the operation of the machine.


A semiconductor memory device includes ferroelectric memory cells, cell transistors connected between first nodes of the memory cells and data transfer lines, the memory cells and the cell transistors being grouped into units each corresponding to one or more column addresses, global word lines, one of which is activated in response to selection of a corresponding row address, global plate lines, one of which is activated in response to selection of the corresponding row address, local word lines, each of which is provided and dedicated for a corresponding one of the units, and is connected to gates of the cell transistors, local plate lines, each of which is provided and dedicated for a corresponding one of the units, and is connected to second nodes of the memory cells, and a unit switch circuit which electrically connects the activated one of the global word lines to one of the local word lines in a selected one of the units so as to achieve the same potential therebetween, and electrically connects the activated one of the global plate lines to one of the local plate lines in the selected one of the units so as to achieve the same potential therebetween.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor memory devices using ferroelectric, and particularly relates to a ferroelectric semiconductor memory device with reduced power consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ferroelectric random access memory devices (FRAM) employ ferroelectric as memory cells, and are non-volatile memories that store information as a position of electron inside the crystal structure of ferroelectric.
In DRAMs (dynamic random access memories), either a HIGH voltage or a LOW voltage representing record data is applied to one node of a memory capacitor, so that electrical charge is stored as data between this node and the other node serving as a ground node. In contrast, FRAM data recording is not accomplished by merely applying a HIGH voltage or a LOW voltage to one node of a ferroelectric device. In order to store information, it is necessary to apply a positive-voltage pulse signal to a node of a ferroelectric device while applying a data voltage to another node of the ferroelectric device.
The node to which the positive-voltage pulse signal is applied at the time of data writing is referred to as a plate, which is connected to a plate line for controlling the plate voltage. When a word line is selected, a plate line corresponding to the activated word line is selectively activated, thereby writing data in the selected memory cell.
Data-write operation in FRAMs is substantially the same as data-write operation of DRAMs, except for control of the plate voltage. In brief, a work line is activated to make cell transistors conductive, so that data on the bit lines are written in memory cells through the cell transistors, followed by deactivating the word line after data writing so as to make the cell transistors nonconductive. In FRAMs, a plate line is selectively activated simultaneously with selection of a word line, thereby accomplishing data writing in the ferroelectric memory cells.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a typical ferroelectric semiconductor memory device.
An FRAM 510 of FIG. 1 includes an address processing unit 511, a data input/output unit 512, a control unit 513, a word decoder 514, a plate decoder 515, a column decoder 516, a cell circuit 517, and a sense amplifier unit 518.
The cell circuit 517 includes a plurality of cells arranged in a matrix form where the cells are based on ferroelectric memory devices. Further, the cell circuit 517 includes circuitry and wires used for specifying addresses and transferring data when 1-bit data is read from or written in each cell.
The address processing unit 511 is comprised of circuits such as address buffers, address pre-decoders, and so on. The address processing unit 511 receives address signals from an exterior of the device, and supplies the signals to the word decoder 514, plate decoder 515, and the column decoder 516 at appropriate timings.
The data input/output unit 512 is comprised of circuits such as data buffers, and supplies data to the sense amplifier unit 518 at appropriate timings as the data is received from the exterior of the device. Further, the data input/output unit 512 outputs data to the exterior of the device at appropriate timings as the data is read from the cell circuit 517 via the sense amplifier unit 518. The sense amplifier unit 518 amplifies the data to be written, and supplies the amplified data to the cell circuit 517. Also, the sense amplifier unit 518 amplifies data read from the cell circuit 517.
The control unit 513 includes circuits such as control-signal buffers, a command decoder, etc., and receives control signals and a clock signal from the exterior of the device. The control unit 513 decodes a command represented by the control signals, and controls operation and timing of each circuit unit provided in the FRAM 510. Namely, the control unit 513 supplies clock signals and timing signals to each circuit unit of the FRAM 510, so that each circuit unit operates at appropriate timing, thereby achieving data-read/data-write operation of the FRAM 510.
The word decoder 514 decodes a row address supplied from the address processing unit 511, and selectively activates one of the word lines WL corresponding to the row address. As a result, cell transistors connected to the activated word line WL become conductive, so that data-read/data-write operation is conducted with respect to the memory cells of the selected word address.
The plate decoder 515 decodes the row address supplied from the address processing unit 511, and selectively activates one of the plate lines PL corresponding to the row address. In FRAMs, data writing is carried out by applying a HIGH voltage to a node of a ferroelectric device connected to the plate line PL while applying a data voltage of either HIGH or LOW to the other node of the ferroelectric device. Concurrently with the word selection by the word line WL, the plate line PL is selectively activated at a position corresponding to the activated word line WL, thereby achieving data writing in the selected memory cells.
The column decoder 516 decodes a column address supplied from the address processing unit 511, and selectively activates one of the column lines corresponding to the column address. As a result, a corresponding column transistor becomes conductive, connecting a corresponding sense amplifier of the sense amplifier unit 518 to the data input/output unit 512.
In the case of data-read operation, data are read from memory cells connected to the activated word line WL, and appear on bit lines. The sense amplifier unit 518 then amplifies the data on the bit lines. The amplified data is read from a sense amplifier corresponding to the activated column line, and is supplied to the data input/output unit 512. In the case of data-write operation, in the manner reverse to the data-read operation, data is supplied from the data input/output unit 512 to a sense amplifier that is selected by the activated column line. When a word line WL is activated, a memory cell connected to the activated word line WL receives data through bit lines from the sense amplifier unit 518. When this happens, a plate line PL connected to the memory cell is selectively activated, corresponding to the activated word line WL.
In FRAMs, data is destroyed by data-read operation. Namely, when data is read from a ferroelectric device, this data-read operation destroys the data that has been stored in the ferroelectric device. In the same manner as in DRAMs, therefore, data writing must be carried out as part of data-read operation with respect to a memory cell after data is read from the memory cell connected to the activated word line WL. Namely, both the word line WL and the plate line PL need to be activated in both the data-write operation and the data-read operation.
In the configuration of FIG. 1, the word lines WL and the plate lines PL extend over a wide span in the cell circuit 517. At the time of data-read operation or data-write operation, therefore, the word line WL and the plate line PL are activated not only with respect to a cell that is accessed for data reading or data writing, but also with respect to cells that are not being accessed. Because of this, electric power consumed.by the word line WL and the plate line PL is wasted.
As a simple and straightforward measure, the cell circuit may be divided into a plurality of blocks in the column direction, with a word-line driver and a plate-line driver being provided with respect to each block. In this case, however, the numbers of word-line drivers and plate-line drivers increases, resulting in an undesirable increase of chip size.
Accordingly, there is a need for an FRAM with reduced power consumption.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor memory device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
Features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practice of the invention according to the teachings provided in the description. Objects as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will be realized and attained by a semiconductor memory device particularly pointed out in the specification in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a semiconductor memory device which includes ferroelectric memory cells, cell transistors connected between first nodes of the memory cells and data transfer lines, the memory cells and the cell transistors being grouped into units each corresponding to one or more column addresses, global word lines, one of which is activated in response to selection of a corresponding row address, global plate lines, one of which is activated in response to selection of the corresponding row address, local word lines, each of which is provided and dedicated for a corresponding one of the units, and is connected to gates of the cell transistors, local plate lines, each of which is provided and dedicated for a corresponding one of the units, and is connected to second nodes of the memory cells, and a unit switch circuit which electrically connects the activated one of the global word lines to one of the local word lines in a selected one of the units so as to achieve the same potential therebetween, and electrically connects the activated one of the global plate lines to one of the local plate lines in the selected one of the units so as to achieve the same potential therebetween.
In the semiconductor memory device described above, one or more column addresses constitute a unit, and a local word line is provided for each unit as a dedicated word line. Then, a local word line in a selected unit is connected to a global word line. Further, a local plate line is provided for each unit as a dedicated plate line. Then, a local plate line in the selected unit is connected to a global plate line. This makes it possible to activate a local word line and local plate line only in the selected unit, thereby avoiding excessive power consumption.
Moreover, it is another and more specific object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor memory device with a reduced test time. A need for such a semiconductor memory device will become apparent from the description of embodiments which follows.
In order to achieve the above object according to the present invention, a semiconductor memory device includes ferroelectric memory cells, bit lines which transfer data read from or written to the memory cells, cell transistors which connect between the memory cells and the bit lines, word lines which control on/off states of the cell transistors, word-line driving circuits which drive the word lines, precharge circuits which precharge the bit lines, and a timing control circuit which controls the word-line driving circuits and the precharge circuits to deactivate a word line prior to commencement of precharge operation in a first mode and to deactivate a word line after commencement of precharge operation in a second mode.
In the semiconductor memory device as described above, the word-line driving circuits and the precharge circuits are controlled so as to deactivate a word line after commencement of precharge operation in the second mode. When the cell transistors become nonconductive, therefore, the data voltages are already removed from the bit lines, so that the parasitic capacitance of the memory cells do not store electrical charge therein. An immediately following data-read operation can thus test the data-retention capability of the memory cells alone. There is no need to set aside a wait time after the data-write operation and before the data-read operation, being different from the case of the related-art test operation. This makes it possible to quickly conduct the memory cell test.

Semiconductor memory device with reduced power consumption and with reduced test time


A digital signal recording apparatus for recording a digital signal on a recording medium and a digital signal reproduction apparatus for reproducing the digital signal from the recording medium, wherein the digital signal contains a plurality of packets each having a plurality of bytes and a time stamp added thereto indicating the time of transmission of each packet. The recording apparatus comprises a circuit for generating a reference signal synchronous with an input digital signal, a circuit for generating a time stamp based on the reference signal, a circuit for adding the time stamp generated by the time stamp generating circuit to the input digital signal in place of the time stamp originally added to the input digital signal, a recording signal processing circuit for generating a recording signal in block form from the digital signal, and a circuit for recording the recording signal on the recording medium. The reproduction apparatus comprises an oscillator for generating a clock providing a reference for the operation of the reproduction apparatus, a circuit for reproducing a signal from the recording medium, and a time stamp conversion circuit for converting the time stamp added to the packet of the signal reproduced from the recording medium into a predetermined time stamp or removing such added time stamp.

The present invention relates a digital signal recording and reproduction apparatus for recording and reproducing a digital signal, or more in particular to a recording and reproduction apparatus suitable for recording and reproducing a digital compressed video signal.
In recent years, digitization of the broadcasting has been under way.
The use of the digital image compression technique has made it possible to transmit a plurality of programs at the same time in a frequency band that has conventionally been able to transmit only one program. In the digital image compression, the data format of the packets to be transmitted is predetermined. Data are transmitted, for example, in packets of 188 bytes.
On the other hand, standardization of the specification of the digital VCR (video cassette recorder) for recording the digital broadcasting is under way. In the case where the digital VCR is used, a program can be recorded and reproduced in digital form and image can be stored with high quality.
For example, JP-A-5-174496 discloses a digital signal recording and reproduction apparatus for recording a digital compressed video signal on a magnetic tape using a rotary magnetic heads.

Digital signal recording and reproduction apparatus suitable for recording and reproducing a compressed video signal


A thin film semiconductor layer (3) for serving as a photovoltaic layer is formed on a substrate 1 of a metal foil formed by electroforming. A surface of the metal foil of the substrate 1 is formed in a rough shape of approximately 0.1-10 xcexcm of mean roughness depth (Rz).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell device, particularly relates to a technology for manufacturing a solar cell device having high photovoltaic conversion efficiency at low cost.
2. Description of Prior Art
A solar cell device is expected to replace fossil fuel such as petroleum and coal and to be a new energy source because it can provide clean energy without depletion. In recent year, a solar cell device for generating power for household etc. has been developed and commercialized. A solar cell device, which uses a thin film semiconductor of such as an amorphous semiconductor, is easy to increase its area, and consequently research and development of such a solar cell device have been promoted.
A structure in FIG. 9 is proposed as an example of an element of the thin film solar cell device. In FIG. 9, a substrate 21 having a rough surface for scattering light can be a substrate formed by laminating a metal layer of such as Ag and Al on a flat glass substrate with tin oxide (SnO2), indium tin oxide (ITO), or zinc oxide (ZnO) interposed therebetween, a metal substrate having a rough surface, or a metal substrate coated with a metal layer having a rough surface. A photovoltaic conversion layer 22 composed of a thin semiconductor film containing mainly amorphous silicon, microcrystalline silicon or the like is formed on the substrate 21, and a transparent electrode layer 23 formed of transparent conductive material such as ITO is formed thereon. In this structure of the solar cell device, incident light such as sunlight is incident from a side of the transparent electrode film 23 formed of transparent conductive material such as ITO.
A thin film solar cell device provided with a fine rough surface on a surface of a transparent substrate capable of improving photovoltaic conversion efficiency by the aid of light confinement is also well known.
When transparent conductive material such as SnO2, ITO, and ZnO having a rough shape is used to coat the glass substrate to form the substrate 21, in the solar cell device with thin film, however, cost for forming the rough shape is high, resulting in increase in total cost for the substrate.
When a metal substrate such as stainless steel is used as the substrate 21, difficulty in forming a rough shape on the surface of the metal substrate prevents reduction of cost for the thin film solar cell. In addition, reproducibility of the rough shape is not good.
Furthermore, the substrate 21 of the solar cell device is heavy. When the solar cell device is made larger to generate power, the heavy weight of the solar cell module degrades workability.
It is an objective of the invention to solve the above existing problems and to provide an inexpensive and lightweight solar cell device while obtaining high throughput in forming the rough surface.
A solar cell device according to this invention includes a photovoltaic layer of a thin film semiconductor layer having semiconductor junction in an inside formed on a metal foil formed by electroforming.
The metal foil formed by electroforming has a rough shape of approximately 0.1-10 xcexcm, more preferably 0.1-5 xcexcm, of mean roughness depth (Rz) on a surface of the metal foil.
This invention can provide a solar cell device for power generation capable of reducing cost for manufacture because through put in forming a rough shape, and cost for the rough-shaped metal foil substrate which is electroformed is less as compared with a substrate of a glass coated with the transparent conductive material of such as tin oxide, indium tin oxide, and zinc oxide. Furthermore, the thin film solar cell device using the rough-shaped substrate formed of a metal foil is light-weighted. Therefore, even when the size of the solar cell module increases, the weight is relatively small and workability is good.
A transparent conductive material layer can be interposed between the metal foil and the thin film semiconductor layer.
A conductive material layer and the transparent conductive material layer of high optical reflectivity can be interposed between the metal foil and the thin film semiconductor layer.
A rough shape of approximately 0.02-0.5 xcexcm of mean roughness depth (Rz) can be formed on a surface of the transparent conductive material layer.
The transparent conductive material layer of such as tin oxide, indium tin oxide, and zinc oxide having a fine rough shape can be formed on the metal foil substrate. With this shape of the transparent conductive material layer, incident light such as sunlight can be effectively utilized and efficiency of the solar cell improves.


A windshield covering system including a covering that has a first end, a second end and an interior surface that is capable of lying adjacent to an exterior surface of a windshield. A retaining rod that has the first end of the covering attached. Included is a roller mechanism that has an axle rod. The axle rod is positioned through the roller mechanism and has an internal spring attached. The roller mechanism has the second end of the covering attached. Provided is a housing for the roller mechanism that has a top arm and a lower recoil spring. Also, a slot is positioned through the housing. The slot is capable of receiving the second end of the covering for attaching to the roller mechanism. Lastly, the cover is capable of winding around the roller mechanism when contained within the housing and in a closed position. The cover is capable of passing over the exterior of the windshield and two A-pillars of a vehicle frame to wrap completely around the frame for positioning within the interior of the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a windshield covering system and more particularly pertains to allowing a windshield cover to be positioned exterior and adjacent the windshield of the vehicle, and further securing the cover within the interior of the vehicle between the windshield and dashboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of windshield covers is known in the prior art. More specifically, windshield covers heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of protecting the vehicle's interior from sunlight are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,191 to Sheehan discloses a protective cover for the windshield of an automobile. U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,090 to Lehnhoff discloses a windshield cover for motor vehicles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,438 to Snow discloses a self-anchoring windshield cover. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 298,615 to Chidnuma discloses an automobile windshield cover. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 310,195 to Ruimi discloses a windshield cover.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe windshield covering system that allows the windshield covering to be mounted inside the vehicle near the side A-pillar of the frame and pulled from within, to extend over the exterior of the windshield and be positioned within the vehicle.
In this respect, the windshield covering system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing a windshield cover to be positioned exterior and adjacent the windshield of the vehicle, and further securing the cover within the interior of the vehicle between the windshield and dashboard.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved windshield covering system which can be used for allowing a windshield cover to be positioned exterior and adjacent the windshield of the vehicle, and further securing the cover within the interior of the vehicle between the windshield and dashboard. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


An air vent for a vehicle is provided. In particular, a diffusion air vent for a vehicle discharges air in a concentrated and diffused manner by controlling a discharge direction of the air. The air vent concentratedly and diffusedly discharges air by an air discharge mode change mechanism based on a dial rotation operation. Further, a damper is configured to be opened or closed based on the dial rotation operation to permit and interrupt air discharge.

(a) Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an air vent for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a diffusion air vent for a vehicle capable of discharging air in a concentrated and diffused manner by adjusting a discharge direction of the air.
(b) Background Art
Recently, a cluster and an audio, video, navigation (AVN) apparatus disposed within an inner of a vehicle have increased in size and a mounting position of an air vent through which air generated by an operation of an air conditioner and a heater is discharged has generally been disposed on a lower area of a center-facia panel. Accordingly, cooling or heating air discharged through the air vent is not uniformly distributed throughout the inner of the vehicle.
For example, when the air vent is positioned under a position of a driver's hand holding a steering wheel, the heated air is not directly discharged toward the driver's hand during the colder weather. As a result, a driver's hand may be subject to insufficient heating and a freezing problem may occur. Further, when the air discharged through the air vent is discharged straight and thus directly contacts a driver's and passenger's skin, xeroderma may occur. Therefore, a diffusion function of air discharged through the air vent, in other words, a diffusion function that uniformly spreads air over the inner of the vehicle, is required.
The above information disclosed in this section is merely 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.


An adsorptive process to separate the components of a solution of linear and branched hydrocarbons into a linear hydrocarbon portion and a branched hydrocarbon portion where the adsorbent is an aryl-bridged polysilsesquioxane has been developed. The hydrocarbon components to be separated may be alkanes, alkenes, or alkynes, and the aryl-bridging group of the adsorbent may be phenylene, diphenylene, terphenylene or anthrylene. A specific embodiment of the invention is one where the process is operated in the simulated moving bed mode.

Processes to separate alkane or alkene mixtures into their linear and branched component portions are an important necessity in industry. These separation processes generally use a solid adsorbent to selectively adsorb desired components from the mixture. The components are later desorbed and recovered. Typically the solid adsorbents used in industry are zeolites or other molecular sieve materials, and a wide variety of such adsorbents have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, the preferential adsorption of linear alkenes over branched alkenes using adsorbents such as ZSM-5 and silicalite was disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,309,281 and 4,061,724, respectively. The crystalline molecular sieve silicalite was also used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,618 to separate linear alkenes having six carbon atoms from branched and cyclic alkenes having six carbon atoms and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,444 to perform the similar separation of linear alkanes having six carbon atoms from branched and cyclic alkanes having six carbon atoms. U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,618 disclosed the use of the commercially available type 5A molecular sieve to separate linear alkanes from non-linear alkanes.
The present invention expands the range of useful solid adsorbents to effect the separation of hydrocarbons according to whether components are branched or linear to include aryl-bridged polysilsesquioxanes. Specific aryl-bridged polysilsesquioxane materials and their preparation have been disclosed in Shea, K. J., and Loy, D. A. Chemistry of Materials 1989; Shea, K. J., Loy, D. A., and Webster, O. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, pp. 6700-6710; Shea, K. J., Loy, D. A., Webster, O. Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol 180 Better Ceram. Chem 1990, pp. 975-980; Shea, K. J., Loy, D. A., and Webster, O. Polym. Mater. Sci. Eng. Vol 63 1990, pp. 281-285. This art teaches that organic groups can be introduced at regular intervals in an inorganic silicate framework, thus forming a three-dimensional organic-inorganic hybrid silicate-like polymeric material, also called an organically-bridged polysilsesquioxane. A two-dimensional representation of the well-known inorganic silicate framework is shown in I, and an analogous representation of the organically-bridged polysilsesquioxane where the represents the organic group is shown in II. Of course, frameworks I and II, in reality, extend to form a three-dimensional, continuous, amorphous solid. ##STR1##
The specific organic bridging groups disclosed in the art include phenylene, diphenylene, terphenylene, and anthrylene. Organically-bridged polysilsesquioxanes containing these bridging groups are termed aryl-bridged polysilsesquioxanes. One stated objective of the disclosed work was to provide molecular level control of the morphology of the framework, another was to provide a new chromatographic support, and a third was use in optical applications. However, applicant has found that these materials perform as adsorbents for linear and branched alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes at low temperatures. Furthermore, applicant has discovered that the adsorbed branched hydrocarbons may be desorbed from the aryl-bridged polysilsesquioxanes using environmentally preferred alkane desorbents.

Process for separating linear and branched hydrocarbons using aryl-bridged polysilsesquioxanes


A beer pong table is provided herein which, includes an elongated, planar member having a top surface. A hole extends through the top surface and at least partially through the planar member so as to define a first recess in the planar member, with a cooling arrangement being disposed in the first recess. Advantageously, with the subject invention, a beer pong table may be provided with a recessed cooling arrangement. The recessed arrangement provides flexibility in cup arrangement during play and facilitates cleaning.

Beer pong is a widely popular drinking game that utilizes a planar surface, cups at least partially filled with a beverage, and ping pong balls. Players on each side of the planar surface attempt to throw the ping pong balls into one of the cups at the opposite side of the table. If the player succeeds, his or her opponent must drink the beverage that is in the cup.
Typically, the game includes two teams of players and is played on a free-standing table approximately measuring 8 feet by 2 feet. Each team has a group of cups set up in a triangular pattern on each side of the table, typically beginning with 10 cups (in a 4-3-2-1 pattern) or 6 cups (in a 3-2-1 pattern). Each cup is at least partially filled with a beverage, and the beverage is typically alcoholic, most typically, beer. Although rules for the game may vary, the overall purpose of beer pong is for each team to eliminate the other team's cups by throwing or bouncing ping pong balls into the other team's cups.
The rules for each beer pong game may vary. Depending upon the particular set of rules adopted, the defending side may defend its cups. In one variation, no defense is permitted, yet in other variants, the defending side may use hands, one's breath, a paddle or the like. If a ball comes to rest in a defending side's cup, the defending side must drink the contents thereof and the cup is removed from the playing field. When two balls are used and the offensive side is successful in landing both in the cups, the defensive side may be required to remove an additional cup from play and drink its contents, or the game may be considered over. As cups are removed from play, some rule variations allow (or require) re-arrangement of the remaining cups. The side to remove all of the opponent's cups from the playing surface is the winner. Typically, the rules require that the losing team consume the contents of any cups remaining on the winning side's end of the playing surface. In tournament play, rules typically follow the "WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG"™ Full Rules and Regulations.
The preferred playing field for this game is from about six to about eight feet long, with a width in the range of from about two to about three feet. The cups are typically arranged within 18 inches from an end of the playing field, but usually no closer than about 1-4 inches from an end. The preferred playing field is similar in shape and size to that of the surface of a closet door. The playing field is usually placed in a flat horizontal position at the approximate height of a conventional table.
Beer pong is commonly played on a variety of improvised playing fields, including kitchen tables, closet doors, homemade tables, and random pieces of scrap wood, all of which are generally inadequate. This can unfairly affect the difficulty of the game. To promote fairness, it is important that cups are placed in the same starting and regrouping positions on each end of the playing surface, and that this placement is consistent from game to game.
In the prior art, the beverages may become warm during play and, thus, less enjoyable to drink. The length or difficulty of the game may lead to the beverage being warmed up, as well as, environmental conditions (e.g. playing in a warmer environment).
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0107460 describes a freezer pack usable for chilling multiple cups. This freezer pack may be used with a beer pong table to provide limited cooling during play. The freezer pack, however, is formed with cup holders. This limits the ability to move or re-arrange cups during play. Also, the freezer pack lays atop the beer pong table during use.


Apparatus and in vivo methods to distinguish normal and abnormal cervical tissue and to detect cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in a diagnostic cervical tissue sample. Induced fluorescence intensity spectra from known normal cervical tissue and a diagnostic tissue sample are obtained from the same patient. Peak fluorescence intensity values for normal tissue samples are averaged, as are slope measurements from predetermined portions of spectra induced in both known normal cervical tissue and the diagnostic tissue sample. Peak fluorescence intensities of diagnostic tissue spectra are divided by average peak fluorescence intensity values for normal tissue in the same patient to yield relative peak fluorescence intensity values. Normal and abnormal cervical tissues are distinguished using a predetermined empirical discriminant function of slope measurements derived from normal tissue spectra and relative peak fluorescence intensity measurements in the same patient. CIN is distinguished from tissue with human papilloma virus injection or inflammation using a predetermined empirical discriminant function of average slope measurements on spectra from known normal tissue and slope measurements on a diagnostic tissue spectrum.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to methods and apparatus to differentiate between histologically normal and histologically abnormal tissues, and to differentiate neoplastic tissue from histologically abnormal non-neoplastic tissue.
Screening for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN)
Although there has been a significant decline in the incidence and mortality of invasive cervical carcinoma over the last 50 years, there has been an increase in both the reported and actual incidence of CIN. As a result, it has been estimated that the mortality of cervical carcinoma may rise by 20% in the years 2000-2004 unless screening techniques for CIN are improved.
Present screening for CIN and cervical cancer is relatively inexpensive but labor intensive because it initially relies on the results of a Pap smear; a false negative error rate of 20-30% is associated with insufficient cell sampling and/or inexpert reading of Pap smears. Given an abnormal Pap smear, colposcopic examination of the cervix (with a magnifying lens) followed by colposcopically directed biopsy and histologic examination of the tissue sample can provide a diagnosis of CIN. Histologic confirmation of the diagnosis, while relatively time-consuming and expensive, is necessary because the accuracy of classification among abnormal tissues by colposcopy alone is limited, even in experienced hands.
Improving the predictive value of colposcopy in distinguishing CIN from other abnormal tissues (e.g., tissue infected with human papilloma virus (HPV) or inflammatory tissue) could reduce the required number of biopsies and thereby increase the speed and efficiency of the screening process. Diagnosis and treatment might be combined in a single office visit, with colposcopically directed treatments including loop electrosurgical procedures (LEEP), cryo and laser therapies, and chemopreventive agents. Further, explication of improved methods to classify tissue as normal or abnormal, while not leading directly to a diagnosis of CIN, would reduce costs by allowing performance of colposcopy by medical technicians less skilled than trained colposcopists (usually physicians).
Spectroscopic Methods in Colposcopy
Spectroscopic methods for differentiating cervical neoplasia from normal cervical tissue in vivo have been described. The methods rely generally on observations that the fluorescence of abnormal tissue is significantly weaker than that of normal tissue at several excitation wavelengths, e.g., 330, 350 and 450 nm. This property has been used for spectroscopic identification of histologically abnormal tissue. For example, in vitro fluorescence intensity comparisons at an excitation wavelength of 330 nm yielded positive predictive value, sensitivity and specificity of 86%, 88% and 75% respectively on colposcopically normal and abnormal biopsies from the same patient. Differences between neoplastic (CIN) and non-neoplastic abnormal tissues (inflammation and HPV infection) yielded the largest spectroscopic differences at an excitation wavelength of 330 nm.
Additionally, fluorescence spectra have been measured in vivo to detect neoplastic tissues in different organ systems. A variety of methods for making such determinations have been proposed. For example, ratios of autofluorescence intensity at two different emission wavelengths have been used by many groups, and scores based on multi-variate linear or non-linear regressions and fits to extract concentrations of various chromophores have been proposed by many others for inclusion in decision criteria.
In one application, 337 nm wavelength excitation was applied to colonic tissue. Multi-variate linear regression analysis was used to correctly distinguish adenomatous polyps from normal colon and hyperplastic polyps with positive predictive value, sensitivity and specificity of 86%, 86% and 80% respectively.
Tissue Classification Methods
Previous attempts to reliably distinguish CIN from inflammation or HPV infection in vivo using colposcopy alone have been unsuccessful. Fluorescence intensity may be useful in this regard, but is not sufficient in itself because analogous fluorescence intensity measurements of the same tissue type may vary by more than a factor of two from patient to patient, and by about 15% within the same patient. Methods relating fluorescence intensities from abnormal and normal tissues of the same patient, however, tend to be more predictable and therefore more diagnostically useful.
Thus, in general, each patient must serve as her own control. Considering cervical tissues in a given patient excited with 337 nm wavelength electromagnetic excitation, tissues with HPV infection are less fluorescent with than tissues with chronic inflammation, and tissues with dysplastic changes exhibit even lower fluorescence than those with HPV infection. The lowest level of fluorescence (relative to analogous fluorescence measurements on other tissue types in the same patient) is exhibited by tissues with the most abnormal form of CIN. Analogous relationships among tissue fluorescence intensity measurements in a patient may exist if excitation wavelengths other than 337 nm are used because the shape and intensity of cervical tissue spectra do not change substantially when the excitation wavelength is increased or decreased by less than 10 nm.
Additional information useful for tissue classification may be found in the peak emission wavelength of tissues with CIN, which is positively correlated with the peak emission wavelengths of normal tissue spectra from the same patient. This relationship, however, is not observed for tissue samples with inflammation or HPV infection.
Thus, a reliable method to spectroscopically classify tissue as normal or abnormal, and in the latter case to distinguish inflammation or HPV infection from CIN, is needed. Such a method could rely on one or more of the relationships described above, augmented with additional information indicative of the particular separation or classification desired.

Diagnosis of dysplasia using laser induced fluoroescence

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


An interface is for inputting data into a processor. The interface has a three-dimensionally shaped input surface and comprises an array of sensors responsive to forces applied to the input surface and providing an input to the processor capable of registering the magnitude of the forces applied to the array of sensors and interpreting the location of pressure on the input surface, and a three-dimensionally shaped layer of soft resilient material arranged between the three-dimensionally shaped input surface and the array of sensors and capable of transmitting forces exerted on the three-dimensionally shaped input surface to the sensors.

Currently, most user interfaces fall into one of two categories, which can be called "Discrete Control Interfaces (DCI)" which use a set of discrete switches which can register an on or off position to enable simple discrete inputs, and "Continuous Action Interfaces (CAI)", which register spatial, pressure-based, or gestural movement in time to enable more complex inputs based on continuous movement. DCI include keyboards, keypads, and other interfaces that use direct analog (usually switch-based) controls that usually simulate a mechanical action, while CAI include touch screens, touchpads, other two-dimensional touch sensitive interfaces, and devices like a computer mouse, which use a rolling ball or some other continuous action apparatus that allows for continuous input.
The advantages of DCI interfaces are (1) that they allow for clear discrete inputs, and (2) that they typically form a tactile input feedback system and thus do not rely on visual confirmation. In other words, they provide clear separate commands, and they give the user tactile information about which commands have registered, since the user can feel a responding pressure when he depresses a key, for example. These advantages relate not just to the kind of sensing device but also to the design of the input surface, the topmost part of the interface with which the user actually interacts. Here the springing quality of a typing keyboard allows the user to understand at the level of tactile perception that a key has been depressed, and the contours of the individual keys allows the user to make micro-adjustments to facilitate constant, fast, accurate typing without having to look at the keyboard. The various commands given by DCI can be memorised and can often be carried out without conscious thought and so information is usually faster and more accurately inputted than is the case with visually-based input control, especially when the DCI interface provides a tactile response. This can be seen by comparing the difference in speed between touch-typing (which depends on tactile-information feedback about finger location and activity, as well as habitual skill) and "hunting and pecking" typing (visually-based input control), or attempting to type on a touch screen interface. Another example is the difference between a virtuosic pianist (who uses tactile information about finger location and action, and habitual skill) vs. a beginner pianist who needs to look at the keys to orient himself as to which notes to play (visually-based tactile input control). These highly skilled activities depend on practice, and the reason practice is effective in these areas is that one can train one's muscular memory to repeat certain delimited tasks without conscious direction or control. In order for such training to be possible though, there are three requirements: a) the activity must not inherently require visual confirmation and direction (activities that require visual confirmation, like shooting a target, can of course also be practiced, but those involve a different form of practice involving hand/eye/body coordination); b) the physical interface must give positional tactile feedback (in the sense that a flat or merely decorated surface does not, and thus some kind of variation in surface, texture, or resiliency can consistently give the user something tactile to which to spatially orient his or her trained automatic muscular adjustments and correction); and c) these physical qualities of the interface have to be standardized and unchanging, so that they provide very similar tactile information in every instance.
The disadvantage of DCIs is that they are limited in the types of input that can be made, especially when the goal is to input quantitative or continuous information, as opposed to qualitatively separate, distinct commands.
On the other hand, CAIs have the advantage of allowing for continuous input and subtle or complex forms of information to be communicated very quickly. When, for example, a touch-sensitive interface is, or is connected to, a screen with changing information, it can be used to control a huge possible set of changing variables. The visual information can communicate innumerable options and then the pointer, whether one's finger or an arrow controlled by a mouse, can move to and select a particular set of movements and commands. Furthermore, this kind of input can simulate continuous human actions like handwriting or drawing in a way that would be impossible with a DCI. Their disadvantages however, are that (1) they are not as effective for processing a series of separate commands in rapid succession, in part because (2) they generally do not, in their current structure, provide a viable tactile feedback system in response to an input.
It is therefore unsurprising that these two types of interface are often used in conjunction the computer keyboard and touchpad on most laptops is one example. The DCI aspect of the interface allows for discrete commands and rapid input for regular commands, like typing, while the CAI interface allows for more general control of the digital environment and any functions that require motion or continuity. Of course, while interfaces like a touchpad or a mouse are primarily CAI designed to register movement in time, they do allow for discrete inputs through their clicking or selecting function, and this combination of functions into one interface explains their immense usefulness.
Multitouch gestures are well known, and these allow for other kinds of particular commands to be inputted into a CAI type interface, thus providing a further hybrid experience. A "gesture" signifies a single control of an interface, which may be a pattern simultaneously activated inputs such as the pressing of a letter key and the shift key to cause a capital letter to appear on a word processor screen.
A certain degree of complexity is added in the case of pressure-sensitive interfaces. A variable pressure-sensing interface can be continuous with respect to pressure in the sense that it can register a continuous flow of data about different levels of pressure, while being discrete with respect the spatial distribution of pressure sensitive areas, depending on how many pressure sensors are used and how they are arrayed.
Specific instances of relevant known equipment are:
US 2003/0079549 discloses a pressure-sensitive device for accurately localising point sources of pressure and a method for determining the location force of a point pressure source on a pressure sensitive surface. It introduces the use of a internal membrane between the topmost surface in which the user inputs information, and the lower level in which the sensors actually read the data. This internal membrane can be made of a range of different materials and shapes, and can enable more accurate and balanced locational detection using fewer sensors than would otherwise be possible. It does not relate, however, to variations in the topmost surface other than protrusions to increase its hardness. Since the focus of the document is providing for more efficient ways of creating two-dimensional pressure sensing devices, (both in the sense that it gathers pressure data on an x and y axis, and in that the topmost surface is two-dimensional, it does not provide solutions for creating hybrid solutions for multiple pressure and spatially based discrete and continuous inputs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,703,552 discloses an electronic musical keyboard having a two-dimensional playing surface, i.e. it does not include discrete keys such as those present on pianos and similarly configured electronic musical keyboards. The keyboard continually measures each of the player's finger's pressure as it is pushed down on the keyboard to produce a sound. Because the surface is flat, it uses a program that automatically 'guides' the pitch to one of the main twelve tone notes if the player is close to one, which means that it has a somewhat inorganic sound, and it is very difficult to play it in a virtuosic way in this setting, because the computer is doing too much of the work. Also, it is difficult for a player to know precisely where his figures are on the keyboard because he has no information about the exact location of his fingers in relationship to the keys. It is a continuous, variable pressure and spatial-sensing interface that uses software algorithms to generate somewhat discrete effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,394,010 discloses a musical instrument including an array of key switches for generating different tones. The switches are arranged in a two dimensional grid and sounds are produced by touching different key switches in the grid.
EP 1100069 discloses a keyboard; the object of the keyboard is to simplify the electronic circuitry to detect the depression of keys. The keyboard includes a number of different buttons, each of which includes a number of contacts. The depression of each button closes a predetermined combination of the contacts and the combination differs from button to button. Therefore, by scanning the contacts periodically it is possible to tell which button is depressed.
Electronic musical keyboards are, of course, very well known. They mimic a piano keyboard and include a number of different discrete notes. The notes can be modified to generate different sounds, e.g. a piano or an organ. However, the number of musical effects that is possible to achieve in real time with such a keyboard is limited.
"Rollup" piano keyboards are also known. These take the form of a flexible substrate having a surface showing a two dimensional outline of a piano keyboard. Underneath each key, there is a contact which, when pressed, will produce a signal that instructs a processor and loud speaker to output a sound corresponding the key pressed. However, the operator gets very little tactile feedback and it is often difficult to know exactly where the figures are on the keyboard.
Keyboard interfaces on touch screens are also well-known. They do not provide any tactile feedback that tells the user where his fingers are and so data entry will be done visually, i.e. not by touch typing. Also touch screens to not give a tactile feedback when the "key" is pressed sufficiently to register that the keystroke has resulted in the data being entered, although sometimes feedback is given in visual form (the key changes colour on the screen) or audible form (a "bleep" is sounded).