A package assembly includes a housing frame, a power module, a first heat dissipating module and a second heat dissipating module. The housing frame is fixed on the first heat dissipating module. The power module is disposed within a hollow part of the housing frame, and covers a first open end of the hollow part. The power module includes a first surface, a second surface and at least one pin. The first surface has a periphery region and a middle region. The second surface is attached on the first heat dissipating module. The at least one pin is disposed on the periphery region. The at least one pin is penetrated through the corresponding opening and partially exposed outside the housing frame. The second heat dissipating module is disposed within the hollow part and attached on the middle region of the first surface of the power module.

Recently, the general trends in designing electronic devices are toward small size, light weightiness and easy portability. Moreover, with the increasing development of electronic industries, the internal circuitries of the electronic devices are gradually modularized. In other words, plural electronic components are integrated into a single circuit module. For example, a power module is one of the widely-used circuit modules. An example of the power module includes but is not limited to a DC-to-DC converter, a DC-to-AC converter or an AC-to-DC converter. After the electronic components (e.g. capacitors, resistors, inductors, transformers, diodes and transistors) are integrated as a power module, the power module may be installed on a system circuit board.
A conventional package structure of a power module will be illustrated as follows. Firstly, plural power semiconductor bare chips, plural passive components and plural pins are disposed on a first surface of a substrate. Through the pins, the power module can be connected with an external circuitry. In particular, the power semiconductor bare chips, the passive components and the pins are welded on the substrate via solder paste. Then, the power semiconductor bare chips, the passive components and the pins are connected with each other through conductive wires by a wire bonding process. Consequently, an exposed power module is produced. Moreover, the power semiconductor bare chips, the passive components and the pins of the exposed power module are covered by an inverted U-shaped covering member. The covering member has plural openings corresponding to the pins. The pins are penetrated through the corresponding openings and partially exposed outside the covering member. Meanwhile, the package structure of the power module is produced. Moreover, the exposed pins may be inserted into corresponding insertion holes of a printed circuit board. Moreover, a heat sink is attached on a second surface of the substrate, wherein the second surface is opposed to the first surface. In case that the power module is operated at a high voltage, a great deal of heat is generated. The heat sink attached on the second surface of the substrate can facilitate dissipating the heat to the surroundings.
However, since the heat sink is disposed on the second surface of the substrate, the heat of the power module is only able to be dissipated to the surroundings by a single side cooling mechanism. Moreover, since the covering member has higher thermal resistance and is not contacted with the heat sink, the covering member cannot provide a good thermal conduction path. In other words, the heat dissipating efficiency of the conventional package assembly is not satisfied.

DELTA ELECTRONICS INT'L (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD


Method, system and computer executable instructions for controlling a process.

Process industries, which include mineral and oil refining, chemical and petrochemical production, fossil and nuclear power generation, parts of the food and pharmaceutical industries to name a few, are generally characterized by continuous fluid processing, with unit operations such as reactions, purification, and energy exchange. This stands in contrast with discrete parts manufacturing industries, such as electronics or automobile manufacture.
Process control systems generally consist of many direct control variables, such as flow controllers, temperature controllers, and pressure controllers, and also many indirect control variables, such as temperatures, pressures and flows that are not directly controlled, but which are affected by various process influences, including the direct controllers. The multiple interactions between the direct controllers (as well as other independent variables) and the indirect variables (or dependent variables) comprise the multivariable nature of most continuous processes.
Prior to the advent of computer-based process control systems, ca. 1980s, multivariable control, i.e. controlling direct and indirect control variables in a coordinated manner, was accomplished manually. It was part of the operator's job to adjust the direct controllers in order to keep them and the indirect variables within specified constraint limits, as well as to affect greater economic optimization, for example, to make incrementally more product, or higher quality product, or make more efficient use of raw materials and energy.
Due to the degree of unwieldiness of most industrial scale processes, their susceptibility to many sources of upsets, the often sharp safety and cost consequences of exceeding constraints, and in the absence of automatic multivariable constraint controls, process operation traditionally is kept well away from critical constraints. However, in most cases, operating away from constraints translates into additional operating expense, i.e. results in making less product or consuming more energy or raw materials. This is an essential aspect of operating most industrial scale continuous processes—keeping the process within a safe and reliable operating window, while pushing overall process economics.
With the advent of computer-based control systems and appropriate control methods in the 1980s, automated multivariable control became established as a viable and often important part of modern process control systems. With automated multivariable control, many processes are able to operate reliably closer to constraint limits and optimization targets, with potentially significant benefits in product quality, efficiency, throughput, reliability and safety.
In the process industries, the dominant method of multivariable control has been multivariable model-based predictive control (MPC). "Models" are mathematical descriptions of the process interactions between the direct control variables and the indirect control variables (or, between the independent and dependent variables). MPC uses models in its constraint control and optimization algorithms (along with cost and other factors). Since the 1980s, thousands of instances of MPC have been deployed in industry.
Its success aside, MPC has experienced several persistent shortcomings. The inventor has been a leading industry voice for understanding and improving MPC effectiveness, having published numerous trade journal articles on the topic, and has generally concluded that model-based control has a fundamental weakness in that models are inherently inaccurate (because actual process gains change dynamically), and moreover that the aggressive nature of model-based control is unnecessary and even undesirable from a process operation standpoint, where gradual constraint control and optimization is more prudent and assuring process stability is a high priority.
Multivariable control has been an active technology area in the process industries. However, to the inventor's knowledge all prior patents relate to methods of model-based control and/or optimization methods. The present invention is a method for multivariable control that is not model-based, and which is independent of any optimizer method employed. A search has revealed no other patents for a non-model-based approach to multivariable control.
In response, the inventor has developed the present invention, which inherently adapts to changes in process gain, yet is still predictive and accomplishes multivariable constraint control and optimization in a gradual manner that assures ongoing process stability, in addition to several other control and operating advantages that are described.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Rate-based multivariable control with stability assurance


A substrate processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber including a top plate, a rotary table rotatably disposed in the vacuum chamber, a first process gas supply part that supplies a first process gas to be adsorbed on a surface of a substrate placed on the rotary table, a plasma processing gas supply part that is disposed apart from the first process gas supply part in a circumferential direction of the rotary table and supplies a second process gas to the surface of the substrate, a separation gas supply part that supplies a separation gas for separating the first process gas and the second process gas, a plasma generator that converts the second process gas into plasma, and an elevating mechanism that moves at least one of the plasma generator and the rotary table upward and downward.

1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of this disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor device production process, a film deposition process is performed on a semiconductor wafer (which is hereafter referred to as a "wafer") according to a deposition method such as atomic layer deposition (ALD).
Research and development of a rotary-table film deposition apparatus for performing ALD have been conducted in these years. A rotary-table film deposition apparatus includes a rotary table rotatably disposed in a vacuum chamber. The rotary table has recesses where wafers are placed. The recesses have a diameter that is slightly greater than the diameter of the wafers. Above the rotary table, a supply area to which a reaction gas A is supplied, a supply area to which a reaction gas B is supplied, and a separation area for separating the supply areas are defined.
Also, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-161874, for example, discloses a rotary-table film deposition apparatus including a plasma generator. The disclosed rotary-table film deposition apparatus uses plasma generated by the plasma generator to form various films (functional films) on a substrate, modify a film formed on a substrate and including carbon, and etch a film formed on a substrate.
However, with the rotary-table film deposition apparatus disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-161874, it is difficult to control the intensity of active species generated by plasma and therefore difficult to obtain a film with desired quality.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method


A filter is disclosed that includes a cylindrical filter element having a longitudinal axis, an outer periphery, an inner periphery, and a plurality of longitudinal pleats arranged in a spiral configuration in close proximity to one another. Each of the pleats has a pair of legs, and the legs of each pleat are joined to one another at a root. The roots of adjacent pleats are radially spaced from one another about the inner periphery of the filter element.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is related to fluid filtration devices, and more particularly, to spiral pleated filters having unique pleat configurations that develop lower pressure drops than conventional spiral pleated filters.
2. Background of the Related Art
Over the years, the design of cylindrical pleated filter cartridges has involved efforts to maximize the amount of filter media or surface area that may be fit into a filter cartridge having a given outer diameter without adversely effecting flow or filter life. In a standard radially pleated filter cartridge such as that which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,184, the amount of filter media that may be packed into the cartridge is limited by the number of pleats that can be packed about the cartridge core. Consequently, there is a substantial amount of empty space between adjacent pleats at the outer periphery of the filter element.
A cylindrical filter element having a radially extending W-pleat configuration, such as that which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,354 represents an improvement over a standard radially pleated filter element. The radial W-pleat configuration provides added surface area about the outer periphery of the filter element by providing relatively short pleats that extend radially inward from the outer periphery of the filter element between adjacent pleats of standard height. These shorter pleats occupy the open space near the outer periphery of the filter element. They do not, however, maximize the amount of filter media that can be disposed within the cartridge, as some empty space still remains between the pleats. The radial W-pleat construction also suffers from the effect of pleat migration, in that the shortened pleats tend to move radially inward towards the central axis of the filter. This movement is undesirable as it can cause binding, blockages, increased pressure drops across the filter, reduced filter life and can damage the filter media.
A spiral pleated filter element is comparable to a standard radially pleated filter element in that it includes a plurality of longitudinal pleats disposed in a cylindrical configuration. In a spiral pleated filter, however, the ends of the pleats are rolled over to minimize the spacing between adjacent pleat surfaces near an outer diameter of the filter element. In this case, the pleat height is substantially greater than the distance between the outer periphery of the cartridge core and the inner periphery of the cartridge cage. Consequently, in a conventional spiral pleated filter, the pleats at the outer periphery occupy the excess volume that would normally represent empty space in a radially pleated filter element.
While both the spiral pleat and the radial W-pleat designs provide increased filter surface area as compared to a standard radial pleat configuration, the spiral pleat configuration does not have the pleat migration problems associated with the radial W-pleat configuration. As compared with a radial W-pleat filter, however, the rolled-over pleats of a spiral pleated filter provide fewer and less accessible radial flow paths near the outer diameter of the filter. These factors lead to a greater pressure drop across the filter. In addition, the rolled-over pleats of a spiral pleated filter provide longer flow paths and, therefore, a greater likelihood that the flow paths will become blocked in high load or large particle contaminant applications. This condition is often referred to as bridging, and can have an adverse effect on filter life.
It has also been found that conventional spiral pleated filter elements are more difficult to insert into a cylindrical cage than standard radially pleated filter elements, because the rolled-over pleats have a tendency to straighten out prior to being inserted into the cage. As a result, the filter element can experience frictional drag along the interior surface of the cage. This can cause damage to the filter media and can, as a practical matter, limit the axial length of a filter cartridge incorporating a spiral pleated filter element.
An example of a conventional spiral pleated filter element is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,047 to Stoyell et al., the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The spiral pleated filter element of Stoyell et al. comprises a three-layer composite of a filter medium, an upstream drainage layer disposed on the upstream surface of the filter medium, and a downstream drainage layer disposed on the downstream surface of the filter medium. The pleats of the filter element are dimensioned and configured in such a manner so that virtually all of the volume between the inner and outer peripheries of the filter element is occupied by the pleats. Consequently, there tends to be a high degree of pleat compaction and density at the inner periphery of the filter element, i e. at the roots of the pleats. This causes a significantly high pressure drop near the core of the filter.
In particular, the pleats of the Stoyell et al. filter element are configured such that each pleat leg abuts an adjacent pleat leg along the inner periphery of the filter element and the height of each pleat, measured in a direction along the legs and extending from the inner periphery at the root of the pleat to the outer periphery at the crown of the pleat, is greater than (Dxe2x88x92d)/2 and less than (D2xe2x88x92d2)/[4(d+2t)], where D and d are the outer diameter and inner diameter of the filter element at the outer periphery and inner periphery, respectively, and t is the thickness of each pleat leg. By dimensioning the pleats in this manner, the opposing surfaces of the pleats contact one another over substantially the entire height and axial length of the pleat legs, leaving substantially no empty space between adjacent pleats, and particularly in the region of the core. Indeed, the only space remaining at the core, are small triangular gaps that are located between adjacent pleat roots. Consequently, there is a relatively high pressure drop through the filter element.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide a spiral pleated filter design that maximizes the surface area of the filter media while having a lower pressure drop across the filter element than prior art spiral pleated filter elements, and which is easier to insert into a supporting cage than prior art spiral pleated filter elements.
The subject invention is directed to a new and unique spiral pleated filter that includes a cylindrical filter element having a longitudinal axis, an outer periphery, an inner periphery and a plurality of longitudinal pleats that are disposed in close proximity to one another. Each of the pleats has a pair of legs, and each of the legs has a height. In accordance with the subject invention, the height of a first leg of a first pleat is greater than the radial distance between the outer periphery of the filter element and the inner periphery of the filter element, and is also greater than the height of an adjoining leg of an adjacent pleat.
It is envisioned that the height of the adjoining leg of the adjacent pleat ranges from about fifty percent (50%) of the height of the first leg of the first pleat to about ninety-five percent (95%) of the height of the first leg of the first pleat. Preferably, the filter element is a composite having plural layers of material including an upstream drainage layer, at least one interior filtration layer, and a downstream drainage layer. A perforated cage surrounds the outer periphery of the filter element, and a perforated core is surrounded by the inner periphery of the filter element.
It is envisioned that the pleats can be configured in several different ways. For example, the height of a second leg of the first pleat may be equal to the height of the first leg of the first pleat. Alternatively, the height of a second leg of the first pleat can be less than the height of the first leg of the first pleat, or the legs of the adjacent pleat can be equal in height. It is also envisioned that the height of a second leg of the adjacent pleat may be greater than the height of the other leg of the adjacent pleat.
The subject invention is also directed to a filter that includes a cylindrical filter element having a plurality of longitudinal pleats arranged in a spiral configuration in close proximity to one another. Each of the pleats has a pair of legs, and the legs of each pleat are joined to one another at a root. In accordance with the subject invention, the roots of adjacent pleats are radially spaced from one another about the inner periphery of the filter element. Also, the adjoining legs of adjacent pleats are connected to one another at a crest, and in an embodiment of the subject invention, the crests of adjacent pleats are radially spaced from one another about the outer periphery of the filter element.
The subject invention is also directed to a filter cartridge that includes a cylindrical filter element having a longitudinal axis, an outer periphery, an inner periphery, and a plurality of longitudinal pleats arranged in a spiral configuration in close proximity to one another. Each of the pleats has a pair of legs, and the legs of each pleat are joined to one another at a root. A perforated cage or netting surrounds the outer periphery of the filter element, and a perforated core is surrounded by the inner periphery of the filter element. In accordance with the subject invention, the roots of alternating pleats abut the perforated core. Also, adjoining legs of adjacent pleats are connected to one another at a crest, and in an embodiment of the subject invention, alternating crests abut the perforated cage.
These and other aspects of the subject invention will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings described hereinbelow.


A polyimide-based composite according to the invention is formed using a precursor comprising (A) a polyimide component and (B) another polymer component, wherein the polyimide forms a continuous phase and the other polymer forms a discontinuous phase, and the elastic modulus is less than 10 GPa. This structure provides both the properties of insulation, etc. contributed by the polyimide and the properties of low elastic modulus and satisfactory adhesion, moldability, etc. contributed by the other polymer. The polyimlde-based aqueous dispersion of the invention has dispersed therein particles with a mean particle size of 0.03-5 .mu.m comprising the precursor of the polyimide-based composite, the dispersed particles including in the same particles the (A) polyimide component and (B) other polymer component comprising a hydrophilic polymer. This gives satisfactory storage stability to the aqueous dispersion.

The present invention relates to a polyimide-based composite formed using a precursor comprising a polyimide component and another polymer component, to electronic parts employing the polyimide-based composite and to a polyimide-based aqueous dispersion prepared by dispersing a precursor comprising a polyimide component and another polymer component in an aqueous medium.
1. Prior Art
Metal-clad laminates, which are prepared by impregnating a substrate such as glass fibers with a thermosetting resin solution and then laminating a prescribed number thereof which have been dried (prepregs), attaching copper foil or the like to one or both sides thereof and using heat contact bonding to harden the thermosetting resin, are used in printed wiring boards for industrial electronic instruments, OA devices, electrical appliances for public use, etc., and demand therefor has been increasing. In recent years, the trend toward smaller, lighter and more highly integrated electrical and electronic parts has accelerated efforts for greater stratification and higher density, and a strong demand has emerged for improvements in the adhesion, heat resistance and electrical properties of resin materials and the like used for such parts.
2. Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The most widely used thermosetting resins for electronic parts in the past have been epoxy resins which are mainly of the bisphenol A type. However, while such epoxy resins are superior in terms of the solubility of their uncured compositions in various solvents, their post-molding adhesion with metals such as copper foil and their chemical resistanc, heat resistance and electrical properties have been inadequate. In particular, the notable reduction in electrical properties after moist heat resistance testing has been an obstacle to their application for more highly integrated parts.
The use of polyimide resins has therefore been attempted in an effort to improve heat resistance.
Polyimide resins obtained by reaction between tetracarboxylic acid anhydrides and diamines have excellent electrical insulating properties, solvent resistance and mechanical properties and are used in many different fields including electric and electronic materials, aerospace technology, etc. However, in addition to problems such as poor solubility of their uncured forms in organic solvents making their impregnation into substrates difficult and the requirement for heat treatment at high temperature for curing reaction, they have generally been associated with other problems including low adhesion with various substrates, low water resistance and the tendency to cause deformation when coated onto metal thin films, because of the differences in thermal expansion coefficients.
On the other hand, with the recent downsizing and thickness and weight reduction of electrical products in recent years, there has been an increase in the use of flexible printed boards having metal foils attached to one or both sides of film-like resins, and metal-clad laminates (film laminates) for multilayer printed boards. There has also been an increased demand for electronic parts with resin layers formed using film-like resins. Currently, polyimide resins and polyester resins are primarily used as film-like resins. However, when a polyimide resin is used it is necessary to employ an adhesive at the interface with the copper foil, while polyester resins do not provide adequate heat resistance.
Moreover, increasing social awareness recently with regard to environmental safety in particular is creating a need to switch the media used from organic solvent systems to aqueous systems in the field of electronic materials as well. Yet, when it is attempted to supply a polyimide-based material with an aqueous medium the poor solubility of the polyimide in the aqueous medium makes it necessary to provide an aqueous dispersion form where the polyimide is dispersed in the aqueous medium. However, it has been very difficult to ensure sufficient storage stability for conventional polyimide-based aqueous dispersions.

Polyimide-based composite, electronic parts using the composite, and polyimide-based aqueous dispersion


A mechanical-hydraulic double-acting drilling jar includes an inner tubular mandrel telescopingly supported inside an outer tubular housing. The mandrel and the housing each consist of a plurality of tubular segments joined together, preferably by threaded inner connections. Upper and lower pressure pistons are slidably disposed within the housing, respectively closing upper and lower substantially sealed hydraulic chambers. Longitudinal movement of the mandrel engages the collet, which in turn, translates either the upper piston or the lower piston, depending on the direction of mandrel movement. As one of the pistons is moved, fluid pressure builds in the associated hydraulic chamber, retarding further movement of the mandrel, enabling potential energy to build in the drill string. The collet is restricted from expanding until the mandrel reaches a particular point in the housing, at which time the collet expands, releasing the mandrel to rapidly collide a hammer surface thereon with an anvil surface in the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to drilling jars and, in particular, to a double-acting mechanical-hydraulic drilling jar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Drilling jars have long been known in the field of well drilling equipment. A drilling jar is a tool employed when either drilling or production equipment has become stuck to such a degree that it cannot be readily dislodged from the well bore. The drilling jar is normally placed in the pipe string in the region of the stuck object and allows an operator at the surface to deliver a series of impact blows to the drill string via a manipulation of the drill string. These impact blows to the drill string are intended to dislodge the stuck object and permit continued operation.
Drilling jars contain a sliding joint which allows a relative axial movement between an inner mandrel and an outer housing without allowing relative rotational movement therebetween. The mandrel typically has a hammer formed thereon, while the housing includes an anvil positioned adjacent to the mandrel hammer. Thus, by sliding the hammer and anvil together at high velocity, a substantial jarring force may be imparted to the stuck drill string, which is often sufficient to jar the drill string free. For most fishing applications it is desirable that the drilling jar be capable of providing both an upward and a downward jarring force.
There are four basic forms of drilling jars: purely hydraulic jars, purely mechanical jars, bumper jars, and mechanical-hydraulic jars. The bumper jar is used primarily to provide a downward jarring force. The bumper jar ordinarily contains a splined joint with sufficient axial travel to allow the pipe to be lifted and dropped, causing the impact surfaces inside the bumper jar to come together to deliver a downward jarring force to the string.
Mechanical, hydraulic, and mechanical-hydraulic jars differ from the bumper jar in that they contain some type of tripping mechanism which retards the motion of the impact surfaces relative to each other until an axial strain, either tensile or compressive, has been applied to the drill string pipe. To provide an upward jarring force, the drill pipe is stretched by an axial tensile load applied at the surface. This tensile force is resisted by the tripping mechanism of the jar long enough to allow the pipe to stretch and store potential energy. When the jar trips, this stored energy is converted to kinetic energy causing the impact surfaces of the jar to move together at a high velocity. To provide a downward jarring force, the pipe weight is slacked off at the surface and, if necessary, additional compressive force is applied, to put the pipe in compression. This compressive force is resisted by the tripping mechanism of the jar to allow the pipe to compress and store potential energy. When the jar trips, the potential energy of the pipe compression and pipe weight is converted to kinetic energy causing the impact surfaces of the jar to come together at a high velocity.
The tripping mechanism in most mechanical jars consists of some type of friction sleeve coupled to the mandrel which resists movement of the mandrel until the load on the mandrel exceeds a preselected amount (i.e., the tripping load). The tripping mechanism in most hydraulic jars consists of one or more pistons which pressurize fluid in a chamber in response to movement by the mandrel. The compressed fluid resists movement of the mandrel. The pressurized fluid is ordinarily allowed to bleed off at a preselected rate. As the fluid bleeds off, the piston translates, eventually reaching a point in the jar where the chamber seal is opened, and the compressed fluid is allowed to rush out, freeing the mandrel to move rapidly.
Mechanical jars and hydraulic jars each have certain advantages over the other. Mechanical drilling jars are generally less versatile and reliable than hydraulic drilling jars. Many mechanical drilling jars require the tripping load to be selected and preset at the surface to trip at one specific load after the drilling jar is inserted into the well bore. If it is necessary to re-adjust the tripping load, the drilling jar must be pulled from the well bore. Other mechanical jars require a torque to be applied to the drill string from the surface in order to trigger the jar. The applied torque to the drill string not only represents a hazard to rig personnel, but torque cannot be applied to coiled tubing drill strings. Another significant disadvantage of mechanical jars is apparent in circumstances where the jar must be placed in a cocked position prior to insertion into the well bore. Thus, in those circumstances, the tripping mechanism is subjected to stresses during the normal course of drilling if the jar is run as part of the bottom hole assembly. Finally, many mechanical jars have many surfaces that are subject to wear.
Hydraulic drilling jars offer several advantages over purely mechanical drilling jars. Hydraulic drilling jars have the significant advantage of offering a wide variety of possible triggering loads. In the typical double acting hydraulic drilling jar, the range of possible triggering loads is a function of the amount of axial strain applied by stretching or compressing the drill pipe, and is limited only by the structural limits of the jar and the seals therein. In addition, hydraulic drilling jars are ordinarily less susceptible to wear and, therefore, will ordinarily function longer than a mechanical jar under the same operating conditions. However, hydraulic drilling jars also have certain disadvantages. For example, most purely hydraulic double acting drilling jars are relatively long, in some instances having a length exceeding 25 feet. The length of a particular jar is ordinarily not a significant issue in drilling situations where regular threaded drill pipe is utilized. However, in coiled tubing applications, it is desirable that the length of all the tools in a particular drill string be no longer than the length of the lubricator of the particular coiled tubing injector. Thus, it is desirable that the drilling jar be as short as possible to enable the operator to place as many different types of tools in the drill string as possible while still keeping the overall length of the drill string less than the length of the lubricator. A conventional hydraulic drilling jar may take up one-half or more of the total length of a given lubricator, thus leaving perhaps less than half the length of the lubricator to accommodate other tools such as a mud motor, an orienting device, or a logging tool.
Many hydraulic drilling jar designs also have a disadvantageously long metering stroke. The metering stroke is the amount of relative movement between the mandrel and the housing that must occur for the jar to trigger after it is cocked by application of an axial load. When an ordinary hydraulic drilling jar is cocked by application of an axial load, fluid is pressurized in a chamber to resist relative movement of the mandrel and the housing. One or more metering orifices in the jar allow the compressed fluid to bleed off at a relatively slow rate. As the fluid is bleeding off, there is some relative axial movement between the mandrel and the housing. The amount of relative axial movement between the mandrel and the housing that occurs after the jar is cocked, but before the jar triggers, is known as bleed off. The bleed off represents lost potential energy that would ordinarily be convened into additional jarring force. Many current hydraulic drilling jar designs have a relatively long metering stroke of 12 inches or more and, therefore, a significant amount of bleed off. A long metering stroke also leads to heat buildup in the hydraulic fluid, which may require costly intervals between firings and lead to degradation of fluid.
Mechanical-hydraulic drilling jars ordinarily combine some features of both purely mechanical and purely hydraulic drilling jars. For example, one design utilizes both a slowly metered fluid and a mechanical spring element to resist relative axial movement of the mandrel and the housing. This design has the same disadvantages associated with ordinary hydraulic drilling jars, namely length, long metering stroke, and fluid heating. Another design utilizes a combination of a slowly metered fluid and a mechanical brake to retard the relative movement between the mandrel and the housing. In this design, drilling mud is used as the hydraulic medium. Therefore, the string must be pressurized before the drilling jar will operate. This pressurization step will ordinarily require a work stoppage and the insertion of a ball into the work string to act as a sealing device. After the drilling jar is triggered, the ball must be retrieved before normal operations can continue.
The present invention is intended to overcome or minimize one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.

Mechanical-hydraulic double-acting drilling jar


A serial bus with pre-defined protocol may be used on the NIC to provide PC management functions. While these functions may be used with the PC powered up, they may further perform valuable tasks while the PC is powered down. With these new added functions, centralized control may be achieved which will lower the administrative cost and serve better for distributed computing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network interface cards. More particularly, the present invention relates to network interface cards having an alternate connection to the PC to allow more effective management of the PC.
2. Description of Related Art
Network interface cards allow a PC to be connected to and exchange information with a network.
In addition, network interface cards may perform additional duties such as perform management of the PC.
Typically, network interface cards are connected to the PC only through the host interface, such as an ISA or PCI bus.
Drawbacks include the inability to manage the PC when the PC is turned off.
What is needed is a network interface card which allows remote management of the PC even when the PC is turned off and there is no power to the host interface.
The present invention is directed towards a network interface card. The network interface card comprises a PCI bus interface for controlling data exchange between the network interface card and a PCI host, the PCI bus interface using a main power source and a PCI clock signal, and a serial bus interface for controlling data exchange between the network interface card and a serial host, the serial bus interface capable of allowing the serial host to access resources on the network interface card when the main power source is unavailable.

Method and apparatus for using serial bus for PC management


Calcium nitrate with low nitrate content is prepared by reacting in a series of absorption reactors lime slurry and nitrogen oxide gases. The lime slurry flows serially through the series of absorption reactors with a major portion being recycled to the inlet of a Venturi absorber in each reactor. Nitrogen oxide gases flow cocurrently with the slurry from each reactor to the following Venturi inlet and are contacted by recycle slurry in each Venturi with a molar ratio of calcium hydroxide to nitrogen oxides of at least about 20. Slurry from the last reactor with a calcium nitrite content of below about 22 weight percent and a calcium hydroxide content of at least about 2 weight percent may be freed of unreacted calcium hydroxide, for example by treatment with NO.sub.x gases, and then concentrated to the desired product concentration. The exit gases may be scrubbed with incoming lime slurry after passing through a holdup vessel which increases the ratio of NO.sub.2 to NO.

It is known to prepare calcium nitrite by reacting calcium hydroxide with a gaseous mixture of nitrogen oxide gases. Mixtures of NO and NO.sub.2, such as are produced by the oxidation of ammonia, are used with a preferred mol ratio of NO:NO.sub.2 of at least about 1.0, especially about 1.0 or slightly above. Excess NO.sub.2 causes calcium nitrate to be coproduced in substantial quantities. For the desired enduses, this coproduct is undesirable.
There are several problems in applying the above reaction to commercial operation. First, gaseous emissions of nitrogen oxide gases are severely limited by environmental considerations. Second, because of the limited solubility of calcium hydroxide in water, the reaction thereof with nitrogen oxide gases is far more rate-limited than the corresponding reaction of sodium hydroxide to form sodium nitrite. Third, attempts to reproduce reported experiments for the production of calcium nitrite result in substantial calcium nitrate impurity levels.

Manufacture of calcium nitrite solutions with low nitrate content


A magnetic field sensor, having a charge-coupled device formed in a semiconductor region is disclosed. The magnetic field sensor has first and second contact zones, made of a heavily doped semiconductor material of a first conductivity type, located on an outer surface of the semiconductor region which is made of a semiconductor material of a second conductivity type. The magnetic field sensor also has an insulating layer, located on the outer surface of the semiconductor region, which has passages for sensor connections associated with each contact zone. The charge-coupled device has a plurality of gate electrodes located on the insulating layer which are arranged perpendicularly to the desired direction of charge propagation through the charge-coupled device. One end of at least one centrally located electrode at least partially overlaps the first contact zone while another end at least partially overlaps the second contact zone.

Semiconductor magnetic field sensors have been disclosed in the prior art. See. e.g., European Patent No. 0148 330 A2. In this particular reference, a Hall element is disclosed having first and second contact zones which are both made of a semiconductor material of conductivity type P. These zones are located on an outer surface of a semiconductor material of another conductivity type N and are provided with a sensor connection S1 or S2. An insulating layer is provided on the outer surface of the semiconductor material of conductivity type N with passages for the sensor connections S1 and S2.
In the operation of Hall-effect components, the electrical current flow is known to result from charged-carrier drift or of charged-carrier diffusion. This form of charge transport depends on the properties of the semiconductor used and on the environmental conditions. Any change in the semiconductor properties or the environment causes a change in the output signal of the Hall-effect component. Hall-effect components are particularly sensitive to surface effects, encapsulation stress, light, temperature, changes in the material doping density, etc. Therefore, to obtain high-precision magnetic field sensors, the Hall effect component must be made of a special semiconductor material, including a special encapsulation, and by means of non-standard process steps. Furthermore, external temperature variations must be compensated for. For this reason, it is difficult to integrate a good Hall-effect component into a signal processing circuit.
An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic field sensor which is capable of measuring magnetic fields with high precision. An additional object of the present invention is to provide a high precision magnetic field sensor which can be manufactured using conventional standard integrated circuit MOS technology and which can be integrated without additional process steps into a complex conventional MOS circuit. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetic sensor capable of producing an output signal which is relatively independent of the properties of the semiconductor material and of environmental conditions.

High precision ccd magnetic field sensor


An adjustable intake pipe, especially for supplying combustion air to an internal combustion engine, which includes a collector chamber arranged in an essentially cylindrical control element. The collector chamber has a larger volume than required for the air supply, so the chamber is not used efficiently. In the invention, the collector chamber volume is used by arranging additional components of the intake tract defined by the intake pipe, i.e. of an internal combustion engine, within the collector chamber (11), for example, by arranging a resonance chamber (20) therein with the resonance chamber connected to the air supply system by through holes (19). This arrangement better utilizes the chamber volume and is particularly advantageous in motor vehicle engine compartments where limited space is available. The intake system also is more compact and has a lower overall weight.

The invention relates to an adjustable intake pipe, particularly for supplying combustion air to an internal combustion engine. Adjustment is ensured by a control element, which simultaneously forms the collector chamber of the intake pipe.
Such adjustable intake pipes are known, for instance, from published German patent application no. DE 36 08 310. In this device, the intake air is guided into a control element in the form of a hollow cylinder, which serves as a collector chamber. The outer wall of the control element together with the inner walls of the intake pipe housing forms the annular intake ducts leading to the cylinders. By rotating the control element, the angular position of the opening between the collector chamber and the intake ducts can be adjusted. This permits a continuous (i.e., stepless) adjustment of the intake duct length, so that the vibration conditions within the intake pipe can be optimally adapted to the load condition of the internal combustion engine.
If the intake ducts to the cylinders are arranged in the form of a ring around the collector chamber, the circumference of the collector chamber and thus also its volume are determined by the required length of the intake ducts. This mechanical interrelationship holds true irrespective of whether the cylindrical shell of said collector chamber is used as a control element. The volume created, however, is not required on this order of magnitude. This is a disadvantage since space is unnecessarily wasted even though engine space in motor vehicles is tight.
It is known in the art to use the cylindrical collector chamber for installing other components of the air conduction system. GB 10 12 425, for instance, proposes to install a round filter cartridge, which is supported against the end faces of the intake pipe housing to form a seal. Installing a round filter cartridge as described above, however, means eliminating the adjustability of the intake pipe. This is due to the problem that the round filter cartridge must communicate with the locally fixed air inlet of the intake pipe. In many cases, however, adjustability of the intake pipe cannot be dispensed with, due to the requirement for engine output or efficiency of the associated internal combustion engine.
Thus, despite the efforts of the prior art, there has remained a need for a space-efficient, adjustable intake pipe arrangement.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a intake pipe which makes it possible to adjust the intake duct length by means of a movable collector chamber shell and, at the same time, optimally uses the clearance required by the unit.
This and other objects are advantageously achieved by providing an adjustable intake pipe comprising a housing having an inlet which opens into a collector chamber defining a volume, the collector chamber having at least one intake duct branching off therefrom; the housing further having at least one outlet per intake duct, wherein the collector chamber is formed by a movably supported control element, and wherein at least one other component of an intake tract formed by the intake pipe is accommodated within the volume of the collector chamber; the at least one component comprising at least one resonance volume, the resonance volume being formed within the collector chamber by at least one partition which has at least one opening and which forms a closed volume.
The intake pipe according to the invention has a collector chamber into which the inlet for the combustion air opens. The collector chamber is formed by a control element having passages to the annular intake ducts. Rotating the control element causes the length of the intake duct to be adjusted. The intake ducts lead to the cylinder-side outlets where the combustion air is introduced into the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine.
In view of the air conduction requirements, the cross section of the collector chamber is overdimensioned. This volume is therefore used to install other functional components of the intake tract. Advantageously, the components can be fixedly connected to either the control element or the housing. To ensure support in the respectively other component, a flexible bearing must be provided. This is necessary particularly in components with relatively large dimensions, since they are located in a pulsating airflow in the collector chamber and are thus subject to vibration stress. The functional components may also be movably mounted in the intake pipe or in the control element.
This makes use of a volume, which must in any event be provided for the intake pipe. This saves space, which functional components would take up in the engine compartment if they could not be accommodated in the intake pipe. In addition, a higher integration density of the components of the engine unit is obtained. As a result, the complexity of the final assembly is reduced. The compact design also reduces the weight.
One advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for an air filter cartridge as the functional component. On the unfiltered air side the air filter cartridge communicates with the inlet of the intake pipe. After the intake air has passed through the filter medium, it reaches the actual collector chamber of the intake pipe. It is advantageous to provide a fixed connection between the intake end of the intake pipe for the unfiltered combustion air and the raw (i.e., unfiltered) air inlet of the preferably cylindrical filter cartridge. A rotatable support may be effected on the end face of the control element opposite the air intake. In principle, however, a fixed support of the filter cartridge in the control element is also possible, in which case a flexible connection is required between the filter cartridge and the air inlet.
According to a further embodiment of the inventive concept, the component may comprise one or more resonance volumes, which communicate with the intake pipe volume by means of an opening. The resonance volumes act as dampers for undesirable air oscillations which build up in the intake pipe. To that extent this measure can improve the acoustic behavior of the intake pipe.
It is advantageous to use parts of the control element wall for the resonance volumes. A fixed connection between the resonance volumes and the control element is therefore suggested. Through a corresponding support in the intake pipe housing, the openings connecting the resonance volumes and the intake pipe volume can be closed and opened. Here, the relative motion between control element and intake pipe housing required by the position of the intake duct length can be utilized. The resonance volumes required for damping the undesirable vibration conditions in the intake pipe can then be added as a function of the operating state of the engine. For a partial addition it is also feasible to incrementally open one or more openings to the resonance volumes. Accommodating additional functional components in the collector chamber of the intake pipe permits better utilization of the engine space.
These and other features of preferred further developments of the invention are set forth in the claims as well as in the description and the drawings. The individual features may be implemented either alone or in combination in embodiments of the invention and/or in other fields of application and may represent advantageous embodiments that are protectable per se, for which protection is hereby claimed.


A plurality of memory cells arrayed in columns with the memory cells within a column connected between precharged first and second output lines. An input line selects a memory cell within a volume causing the first output line to be pulled to a first voltage when the cell is programmed a true and causing the second output line to be pulled to a first voltage when the cell is programmed a "complement". A pair of cross-coupled transistors connected between the first and second output lines of a column causes the second output line to be maintained at the precharged voltage when programmed a "true" and causes the first output line to be maintained at a precharged voltage when the cell is programmed a "complement".

The present invention relates to fixed information content memories often referred to as read-only memories (ROM) and, more particularly, to such memories which are subject to charge generating disturbances.
Radiation can be loosely categorized into long-term global radiation, short-term global radiation, and short-term local radiation. Short-term global radiation is typically ionizing photon or electron radiation and is called "dose rate". The effect of the dose rate is to generate large photocurrents in silicon circuits. The photo currents are collected by circuit nodes and may cause an undesirable change in logic state by charging or discharging of the node.
Various circuit approaches are utilized to reduce the effects of radiation of the various categories. Among these approaches is the construction of memory circuits to minimize the effects of the large photocurrents due to dose rate radiation. For example, limiting the volume of circuit material exposed to dose rate can limit the photocurrent collection. Bipolar ROM operates at high speed and can be made quite small thereby limiting the volume of material exposed to dose rate. For example, a prior art bipolar ROM can be constructed as a vertical PNP device with the bitline connected to the P+ emitter and the word line connected to the N+ base. However, the bitline of the ROM just described will be at approximately 0.6-0.7 volts after being discharged and this will create a high power to ground current in data sensing circuitry.
The use of silicon on insulator (SOI) technology permits the design of circuits which have the charge collection volume reduced vertically by the buried oxide layer. SOI technology provides a dramatic increase in dose rate upset hardness when compared to bulk technology. Circuits such as the previously described vertical PNP ROM cannot be processed in SOI technology.
The one transistor N-channel or P-channel ROM cell available in the commercial market typically has the gate connected to the word line and the drain connected to the bitline when programmed in one state and not connected to the bitline when programmed in the opposite state. When subjected to dose rate, all the memory cells connected to the bitline will collect photocurrent and the bitline voltage will change contrary to what is desired from the ROM cell programmed by not being connected to the bitline. A load cell can be added to the bitline to compensate the bitline photocurrent to maintain a high or low state as required, but this solution will create high power to ground current when the selected ROM cell state (cell connected to the bitline) is the opposite of the load cell state since the ROM cell must overdrive the load cell state. Even when a ROM using MOSFETS is implemented in SOI technology, and other dose rate resistant circuit layout and packaging techniques are used, there continues to be a significant risk due to photo currents generated by dose rate radiation causing an unwanted change in the bitline voltage. This unwanted change in bitline voltage is referred to as bitline sag. Bitline sag can result in data output error condition in a ROM.
Thus a need exists for a ROM cell that will reliably provide a full rail output voltage during dose rate and does not cause excessive power to ground current loading.


A fastener comprises a fastener post, a clasping element and an elastic element. The fastener post comprises a head, a post body and a threaded portion. The post body has a first extension section connecting with the head, a second extension section connecting with the threaded portion and a recess section connected between the first and second extension sections. The clasping element comprises an annular clasping body, a first clasping portion axially extending from the clasping body and a second clasping portion extending outwardly and then downwardly from the clasping body. The clasping body encloses the post body, the first clasping portion engages with the recess section of the post body, and the second clasping portion engages with the heat sink. The elastic element is set around the post body and located between the head and the clasping body.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to heat dissipation devices and, particularly, to a fastener attached to a heat sink, and an electronic device including such a heat sink and a fastener.
2. Description of Related Art
With the miniaturization development of the computers, electronic elements mounted on the motherboards of the computers are ever more dense; and spaces to mount heat sinks become ever smaller.
Conventionally, a number of bolts are used to secure a heat sink to a printed circuit board. First of all, the bolts each are secured to the heat sink by an O-shaped ring. The heat sink has a bottom plate defining a number of through holes therein. The O-shaped ring has an inner edge and an outer edge, and the inner edge of the O-shaped ring defines a number of slits to render the O-shaped ring some elasticity. Each bolt extends through the through hole of the bottom plate of the heat sink from top to bottom; the O-shaped ring sets around the bolt from bottom to top and clips on the bolt to thereby secure the bolt to the bottom plate of the heat sink. Then each bolt extends through the printed circuit board to secure the heat sink to the printed circuit board.
However, spaces between the bolt and the adjacent electronic elements are relatively small, therefore, the outer edge of the O-shaped ring may contact and interfere the adjacent electronic elements. During the securing process, the O-shaped ring may rotate together with the bolt; thus, the O-shaped ring may collide and damage the adjacent electronic elements.
What is needed, therefore, is a fastener and an electronic device including such a fastener which can overcome the described limitations.

Fastener and electronic device having the same

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.


An apparatus for a near lossless compression scheme is described herein. The apparatus includes an image processing pipeline and a compressor. The image processing pipeline is to apply a plurality of processing stages to high dynamic range images to output a plurality of intermediate processed images, wherein each image comprises a plurality of pixel components. The compressor is to generate compression tiles of the plurality of intermediate processed images, wherein each output of the plurality of processing stages is compressed independently of the other processing stage.

Memory buffers may be used to store intermediate values along a processing pipeline. For example, high dynamic range (HDR) images may be written to memory at various stages within an image processing pipeline. In particular, images may be written to memory several times during block-based processing within the encoding process.
The same numbers are used throughout the disclosure and the figures to reference like components and features. Numbers in the 100 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 1; numbers in the 200 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 2; and so on.

Near lossless compression scheme and system for processing high dynamic range (HDR) images


A process for manufacturing high molecular weight polysiloxane copolymers by interfacial polymerization. The polysiloxanes may contain phenylmethyl siloxane blocks and dimethyl siloxane blocks, alternately polymerized together to form an (A.sub.m B.sub.n).sub.x type copolymer. The interfacial polymerization process is fast, proceeds smoothly at room temperature, and is not reversible, i.e., no cyclic siloxane species are generated. The polysiloxanes can be formed as thermoplastic elastomers suitable for use as sealants, fillers, and films.

This invention is directed to silicone copolymers prepared by nonaqueous interfacial polymerization, where polycondensation takes place at the interface between reactive starting materials dissolved in separate and immiscible solvents.
A major advantage of interfacial polymerization of silicon containing monomers is the ability to control the structure of the resulting polymer chain and the composition of the copolymer, without the need for a conventional catalyst, and without problems associated with rearrangement during polymerization.
Interfacial polymerization of certain organic monomers is a known polycondensation reaction wherein monomers are dissolved in immiscible solvents. Polymerization occurs when the monomer in one phase diffuses from the bulk of the solution into the interface, and reacts with the monomer from the other phase. The polymerization rate depends on the diffusion rate and reactivity of the functional groups on the monomers.
With respect to our invention, a nonaqueous interfacial polymerization can be conducted using a dihalopolysiloxane (preferably a dichloropolysiloxane) dissolved in one phase, and a potassium silanolate or other metal silanolate dissolved in the other phase. High molecular weight polysiloxanes and potassium chloride or other chloride salt are formed at the interface.
Since the inorganic salt by-product is not soluble in the organic solvent phases, it precipitates and does not interfere with the polycondensation. If the copolymer is insoluble in either solvent phase, it also precipitates and can be removed from the interface.
Among conventional interfacial polymerization reactions are the polycondensation of amines with acetyl chloride to form nylon (i.e., polyamides), and the reaction of alcohols with acids to form polyesters. Interfacial polymerization of these organic monomers typically provides faster polymerization rates than other types of polymerization reactions such as bulk or solution polymerization. Even more important is the fact that because stoichiometry between the monomers need not be precise, a higher molecular weight polymer can be obtained.
This is particularly critical for organic polycondensation reactions where an imbalance of a fraction of a percent causes the extent of polymerization to be greatly affected. Another advantage of interfacial polymerization is the formation of high molecular weight polymers at the interface, regardless of the overall percent conversion of the bulk amounts of the two monomeric reactants still in solution.
Among other of the advantages offered by interfacial polymerization reactions in the synthesis of organic polymers are (i) the ability to prepare infusible polymers; (ii) the ability to synthesize polymers with chemically active substituents as well as heteroatoms; (iii) controlled crosslinking of the polymer structure; (iv) the ability to use cis- and trans- conformation without rearrangement; (v) the ability to prepare optically active polymers without decomposition of the intermediates; (vi) the ability to use short-chain and ortho-substituted ring intermediates; (vii) the ability to use thermally unstable intermediates to form thermally stable polymers; (viii) the ability to form block and ordered copolymers; (ix) the ability to form synthetic elastomers; (x) a direct method of forming polymer solutions and dispersions; (xi) a direct method for the polymerization and formation of polymer coatings and encapsulants; and (xii) a direct method for polymerization of monomers into fibrous particulates, fibers, and films.
We have discovered that many of these advantages can be directly correlated and applied to the interfacial polymerization of silicon containing monomers in forming siloxane copolymers.

Preparation of polyorganosiloxanes by interfacial polymerization


In a cluster-structured disk subsystem, when creating a volume for an online backup separately from a volume for a normal I/O, it is desirable to be able to achieve such a creation for any volume under subsystem. Further, with an increase in the capacity of the subsystem, it becomes more difficult for a user to determine where to place a volume to which data is to be copied. Thus, a cluster-structured storage system is provided in which it is possible to reference/renew snapshot control information in shared memory of other clusters and achieve a snapshot between clusters via an inter-cluster connecting mechanism. In this system, control is performed inside/outside the cluster, and a control is performed inside/outside the cluster, and a volume to which data is to be copied is suggested to the user.

The present invention relates to a method of effecting replication of data in a computer system.
In recent years, there has been demands for shortening the time which is required to make a copy of data stored in a storage owned by a corporation (hereafter, called a "backup") and to store this backup copy in another storage. This is because, while the time required for backups is ever increasing in accordance with an increase in the amount of information owned by the corporation, the actual time assigned for such backups is being shortened due to the longer service hours of the corporation.
As a technique used to backup data stored in a storage without interrupting the daily operation of the corporation, a procedure called a snapshot has been proposed. A snapshot is a function in which a copy is made of the contents of a storage area in the storage at a particular moment without using a computer connected to the storage. With this function, the user uses an original storage area for business use and uses data stored in the copied storage area for a backup.
As a technique to enhance the scalability of a storage connected to a network, a cluster-structured storage system can be used. The cluster-structured storage system is based on a technique in which a conventional storage system, such as a disk array device, is regarded as one cluster, and a single storage system is constructed of a plurality of clusters.
So far, there are no documents in which execution of a snapshot in a cluster-structured storage system is suggested. Further, a simple combination of a cluster-structured storage system and a conventional snapshot technique merely results in a technique for copying storage areas within one cluster.
However, when copies of storage areas cannot be made between different clusters, there will exist a storage area to which another storage area can be copied and a storage area to which another storage area cannot be copied in one cluster-structured storage system, thereby ruining the scalability, which is the primary object of the cluster-structured storage system.
Further, if there are both a storage area from which data is copied and a storage area to which data is copied in the same cluster, the performance of such a cluster will not be improved. For example, when a storage area to which data is to be copied is created in the same cluster, an I/O of the operation is performed in the storage area from which data is copied and an online backup is made from the storage area to which data is copied, the cache memory contained in one cluster is shared by both the operation and the backup. Thus, the backup disturbs the normal I/O operation, which results in a delay in the operation. Further, if loads are concentrated on a particular cluster, the overall performance will also be deteriorated.

Computer system and a method of replication


An input signal from an antenna is level-adjusted by a first level adjuster and then frequency-converted by a frequency converter. The frequency-converted signal is further level-adjusted by a second level adjuster and then detected by a detector, and the detected output is displayed on a first display. A control signal for controlling the frequency of a local oscillation signal of a local oscillator, which is applied to the frequency converter, is adjusted to select the input signal to be measured. The control signal is applied to a compensating signal generator to derive therefrom a compensating signal for compensating for the frequency characteristic of the antenna. The compensating signal, a first set signal representing the set value of the first level adjuster, and a second set signal representing the set value of the second level adjuster are added together. The added output is applied to a second display to indicate the antenna input value provided at the time when the first display indicates a reference level of the first display, thus measuring the electric field intensity of the input electric wave.

This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the electric field intensity of an electric wave, such as a signal wave, a noise wave or the like, and more particularly to an electric field measuring apparatus which is simple in manipulation.
In a conventional electric field intensity measuring apparatus, the input side of a receiver is connected first to the side of an antenna, the oscillation frequency of a local oscillator is manually controlled to select an electric wave to be measured, the attenuation of a high-frequency attenuator and the gain of an intermediate-frequency variable gain amplifier are adjusted so that the received detected output of the selected electric wave is indicated in a predetermined proper value by an indicator, and the set values of these level adjusters are read out. Then, the receiver input side is switched from the antenna to the output side of a reference oscillator and, at the same time, the reference oscillator is caused to oscillate at the same frequency as that of the electric wave to be measured. The oscillator output is predetermined. This oscillator output is similarly level-adjusted to cause the indicator to provide an indication of the predetermined value of the oscillator output, and the set values of the level adjusters at this time are read out. Further, a coefficient for compensating for the frequency characteristic of the antenna is read out, for example, from a graph relating such coefficients to the frequency of the electric wave to be measured. Based on this coefficient, the abovesaid two level set values, and the output from the reference oscillator, the electric field intensity of the electric wave to be measured is obtained.
As described above, the conventional electric field intensity measuring apparatus is troublesome in manipulation. Moreover, since the coefficient for compensating for the frequency characteristic of the antenna differs with the various frequencies of electric waves to be measured, compensating coefficients are prepared in the form of a graph and selectively read out therefrom for each measurement of the electric field intensity.
There has also been proposed a measuring equipment designed for measuring the electric field intensities of both a continuous wave and a noise wave. The measurement of the noise wave is generally rated, and a detector is set to have a quasi-peak value detecting mode of operation. For measurement of the continuous wave, as opposed to a noise wave, the detector is switched to a mean value detecting mode of operation to detect an envelope of an intermediate-frequency carrier. In the case of the quasi-peak value detection, the envelope is converted to direct current form, that is, averaged to some extent, so that when the detector is changed over to the quasi-peak value detecting mode, the detected output decreases as compared with that in the case of the mean value detecting mode. Accordingly, when the detector is switched to the mean value detection mode from the quasi-peak value detection mode, in which the detected output has a reference value, that is, the indicator indicates its maximum scale value, the mean value detected output increases, resulting in the indicator "scaling over". Therefore, in order to obtain the detected output at a predetermined reference level, it is necessary that each stage preceding the detector be used at a level lower than a maximum level permissible for that stage.
In the quasi-peak value detection mode, the detected output is smaller than that in the mean value detection mode, for example, by about 40 dB. As a result of this, the measuring range, i.e. the dynamic range of measurement decreases approximately 40 dB as compared with that in the case of no noise wave being measured. In other words, it is impossible to make full use of the permissible level range of each stage preceding the detector.
It is an object of this invention to provide an electric field intensity measuring apparatus which is very simple in manipulation but capable of accurate measurement.
It is another object of this invention to provide an electric field intensity measuring apparatus which enables the full use of allowed levels of stages preceding the detector to the maximum extent possible in the measurement of the field intensities of both of a noise wave and a continuous wave, and which provides a wide dynamic range of measurement.

Electric field intensity measuring apparatus


A field-emission electronic device works as a field-emission electron source. The field-emission electronic device comprises an anode electrode, a first insulating member disposed on the anode electrode, a cathode electrode disposed on the first insulating member, a second insulating member disposed on the anode electrode at a distance from the first insulating member, and a gate electrode disposed on the second insulating member. Therefore, the field-emission electronic device can be formed to make the distance between the electrodes smaller than that of the known field-emission electronic device. Concretely, the distances between the cathode electrode and the gate electrode and between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode are allowed to be reduced. This results in lowering a gate voltage and an anode voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a field-emission type electronic device containing an electron source which is operated to emit electrons on the principle of field emission, and more particularly to a cold cathode provided in the field-emission type electronic source.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent days, a remarkable progress has been made about a technique for manufacturing the field-emission type electronic device for emitting electrons in a high electric field in vacuum as a result of developing a fining technique utilized in the field of an integrated circuit or thin film deposition. In particular, a field-emission type cold cathode having a quite fine structure has been manufactured. This type of field-emission type cold cathode is the most fundamental electron-emission device included in the essential parts of a micro electronic tube or electron gun.
The field-emission type electronic device or the field-emission type electron source containing a lot of electron-emission devices has been invented for an essential component for a micro triode or a thin display element, for example. The operation and the manufacturing method of the field-emission type electronic device or the field-emission type electron source have been known in the technical report: C. A. Spindt, et. of Stanford Research Institute, pp. 5248 to 5263, Vol. 47, December (1976) of Journal of Applied Physics. Further, they have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,307,507 and 4,513,308 invented by H. F. Gray, et.
Then, some of the related arts will be described later.
In a conventional field-emission electron source, a substrate electrode is formed of monocrystalline silicon having low resistance in order to keep compatibility with a fining technique in the field of an integrated circuit or thin film deposition, lower the cost, and make it monolithic. On the substrate electrode, a lot of conical cold cathode chip are formed. Each cold cathode chip is made of the same monocrystalline silicon as the substrate electrode or a high melting point metal such as tungsten (W) or molybdenum (Mo). An insulating layer is formed on the substrate electrode around the cold cathode chip. On the insulating layer, a gate electrode is deposited. An anode electrode is provided to cover those cold cathode chips and the gate electrode as keeping vacuum space between the anode electrode and the side of the cold cathode chips and the gate electrode.
In such a electron source, a voltage of about 100 to 200 V is applied as a gate voltage between each cold cathode chip and the gate electrode. The application results in causing a strong electric field of about 10.sup.7 V/cm between each cold cathode chip and the gate electrode, thereby allowing each cold cathode chip to emit electrons on the field-emission principle. The anode voltage of 300 to 500 V applied to the anode electrode causes emitted electrons to reach the anode electrode.
In the current techniques, the critical diameter of the conical cold cathode chip is about 1 .mu.m and the critical height thereof is about 1 .mu.m. Further, it is practically impossible to avoid variable electron-emission characteristics in those chips caused by the variations of the cold cathode chips. To overcome the disadvantageous matter, the anode electrode is made of a transparent material and a fluorescent material is coated on the transparent anode electrode. A trial is now being made for a thin display unit using the cold cathode chips as electron-emission sources only. In a case that this type of field-emission electronic device applies to the thin display unit, it is unnecessary to accurately control the emitted electrons. Hence, 1000 or more electron-emission cold cathode chips, which are arranged per one pixel in an array manner, are driven in parallel for the purpose of averaging the variation of the electron-emission cold cathode chips and obtaining the necessary amount of emitted electrons.
In a case that the field-emission cold cathode chips are used for a micro triode, the resulting triode may break the shortcomings and the limits entailed in the solid device such as a semiconductor device. The solid device has such a limit that the saturated traveling speed of electrons in the solid device is about c/1000 (c is a light speed). On the other hand, in the field-emission electronic device, the emitted electrons travel in vacuum. Hence, the traveling speed of the electrons may be faster than the traveling speed of the electrons in the solid device by one or more digits. Further, the field-emission electronic device is more endurable in high temperature and radioactive rays. For example, in a case that a voltage of 50 V is applied between the electrodes keeping a spacing of 1 .mu.m therebetween, the traveling speed of electrons is 2.times.10.sup.8 cm/s on average and the traveling time for a distance of 1 .mu.m is 0.5 psec.
The use of the triode having dimensions on sub-micron order, therefore, makes it possible to realize a super high-speed device having a response speed on tera-hertz level.
In the known field-emission type electron source, a field-emission type cold cathode chip is formed like a conical form on a substrate electrode made of a metal or semiconductor material as mentioned above. An insulating layer is formed to cover the substrate electrode around the field-emission type cold cathode. On the insulating layer, a gate electrode is deposited. When a voltage is applied between the field-emission type cold cathode and the gate electrode, a high electric field takes place between the cold cathode and the gate electrode so that electrons can be emitted from the field-emission cold cathode on the basis of the field-emission principle.
The field-emission cold cathode is made of silicon or metal such as tungsten (W) or molybdenum (Mo). Further trial is now being made for optimizing the form of the field-emission cold cathode in order to reduce an operating voltage on which electrons are emitted.
In another conventional field-emission electron source, like the foregoing composition, a field-emission cold cathode is formed like a conical form on a substrate electrode. An insulating layer is formed on the substrate electrode around the field-emission cold cathode. On the insulating layer, a gate electrode is deposited. The substrate electrode is made of semiconductor or metal. Unlike the foregoing composition, the substrate electrode is projected like a pyramid at the site where the conical field-emission cold cathode is to be formed. On the pyramid portion, a coating layer is deposited. The coating layer is made of a material having a low work function such as cesium (Cs) or lanthanum hexabolaide (LAB6). It means that the pyramid portion of the substrate electrode and the coating layer deposited thereon compose the field-emission cold cathode.
Next, the shortcomings of the conventional compositions will be described.
For the known field-emission electric devices, the following shortcomings take place. Since the distance between the cold cathode chip served as a cathode electrode and the gate electrode is not made so small, it is necessary to apply a large voltage between the cathode electrode and the gate electrode for obtaining the necessary electric field to allowing the tip of the cold cathode chip to emit electrons. Further, since the distance between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode is made larger, it needs a considerable time to travel electrons between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode.
The cold cathode chip has a cut-off frequency f.sub.T represented by the express ion: EQU f.sub.T =g.sub.m /(2.pi.C.sub.gc)
wherein g.sub.m is a mutual conductance and C.sub.gc is a capacitance between the gate electrode and the cathode electrode.
To realize a cold cathode chip enabling to operate at high speed, therefore, it is necessary to increase the mutual conductance g.sub.m but decrease the capacitance C.sub.gc. However, in the structure of the known field-emission electronic devices, the electron emission is made possible only at the tip of the cold cathode chip. Further, since it is difficult to make the spacing between the adjacent cold cathode chips small in light of the manufacturing technique, the area where electrons are emitted and the amount of emitted electrons are both small. Hence, it is difficult to increase the mutual conductance g.sub.m of the electronic device depending on the current density of the field emission. Further, the field-emission electronic devices has the structure where the gate electrode layer is opposed to the cathode electrode layer as keeping the insulating layer therebetween. The structure inevitably increases the value of the capacitance C.sub.gc between the gate electrode and the cathode electrode.
In turn, for the first conventional field-emission electron source, in a case that the field-emission cold cathode is made of a high melting point metal such as tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo) or titanium (Ti), those metals are thermally endurable and mechanically strong, but have so high work functions. For example, the work function of tungsten is about 4.3 eV and one of molybdenum is about 4.2 eV. They disadvantageously need high operating voltages.
For the second known composition of a field-emission electron source as mentioned above, the work function of the coating layer is so low such as about 2.1 eV in case of using cesium (Cs) and about 2.7 eV in case of using lanthanum hexabolaid (LaB.sub.6). Hence, the operating voltage is made smaller. The difference of thermal expansion coefficient between the material of the coating layer and the material of the substrate electrode causes the resulting cold cathode to be thermally unstable and mechanically weak. Since the material of the coating layer is chemically active, a shortcoming takes place that the work function is subject to change. Additional, since the material of the coating layer such as selenium has a far larger than the substrate electrode made of metal or semiconductor, the electric conduction between both is made worse, so that the electron emission is difficult to take place.


Computer systems and methods for generating portable and data-agnostic annuity datasets are disclosed where a central server generates multiple instructions to receive annuity dataset data records, participant attributes, and annuity attributes for a plurality of annuity datasets from employer servers and recordkeeper servers; integrates different annuity datasets by mapping the data fields of each respective annuity dataset and creating uniform data-agnostic annuity datasets; continuously monitors a performance value for each data-agnostic annuity dataset; and dynamically modifies recordkeepers when the performance value of annuity datasets do not satisfy a pre-determined threshold by modifying recordkeeper data records.

A lifetime income or a wrap investment is a series of equal payments at regular intervals as a form of financial investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums upon maturation of the investment. Examples of lifetime income investment include annuities, monthly insurance payments, and pension payments. The payments (e.g., deposits) may be made weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, lump sum, or at any other interval of time. Many institutions offer investment programs for their employees as a part of their benefit package. These investments are highly valuable because employee's income is deferred until the liquidation (e.g., the money is withdrawn, distributed, or matured by the plan sponsor), which reduces the current tax liability for the employee. Supplemental retirement investments provide the same tax savings when workers contribute to them through an employer with pretax income. As the processing power of computers allow for greater computer functionality and the internet technology era allows for interconnectivity between computing systems, many parties involved (e.g., employer, participant or the employee, the investment recordkeepers, and investment providers) utilize computer implemented resources to manage the investment accounts, provide information, and monitor the progress of their investment account. In today's world, non-computer investment management methods have been rendered obsolete because use of computer-implemented methods provides fast, accurate, and efficient results that are in-tune with consumer expectations.
Since the implementation of these more sophisticated online tools, however, several shortcomings in these technologies have been identified and have created a new set of impediments. For example, many recordkeepers do not have a method to make all the investment datasets uniform and transferrable. As a result, most recordkeepers (even when both recordkeepers manage annuities associated with the same participant) are not able to effectively communicate. Furthermore, investment accounts are not portable and may not be transferred when an employee changes jobs. In many instances, the employee must either wait to liquidate (e.g., cash out) the amount of money after maturation of the investment (which may include annuitized option) or pay heavy penalties in order to cash out and subsequently re-invest the money into another investment plan provided by employee's new employer. This discourages many from investing in investment income accounts, thus negatively affecting the industry's objectives. Furthermore, many recordkeepers may user different computer infrastructure, which creates technical difficulties when combining different datasets associated with different institutions.

Collaborative trust platform with portable files


A method for charging a lithium-sulphur cell, said method comprising: •determining the discharge capacity, Qn, of the cell during a charge-discharge cycle, n, •calculating the value of a*Q n, where a=1.05 to 1.4, and, •in a later charge-discharge cycle, n+x, where x is an integer of 1 to 5, charging the cell to a capacity Qn+x that is equal to a*Qn.

A typical lithium-sulphur cell comprises an anode (negative electrode) formed from lithium metal or a lithium metal alloy, and a cathode (positive electrode) formed from elemental sulphur or other electroactive sulphur material. The sulphur or other electroactive sulphur-containing material may be mixed with an electrically conductive material, such as carbon, to improve its electrical conductivity. Typically, the carbon and sulphur are ground and then mixed with solvent and binder to form a slurry. The slurry is applied to a current collector and then dried to remove the solvent. The resulting structure is calendared to form a composite structure, which is cut into the desired shape to form a cathode. A separator is placed on the cathode and a lithium anode placed on the separator. Electrolyte is then introduced into the assembled cell to wet the cathode and separator.
Lithium-sulphur cells are secondary cells and may be recharged by applying an external current to the cell. Typically, the cell is charged to a fixed cut-off voltage of, for example, 2.45-2.8V. However, with repeated cycling over an extended period, the capacity of the cell may fade. Accordingly, by repeatedly charging the cell to the selected cut-off voltage, the cell may eventually be repeatedly over-charged. This can have a detrimental effect on the longevity of the cell, as undesirable chemical reactions may take lead to damage to, for example, the cell's electrodes and/or electrolytes.
A method for terminating the charging of a lithium-sulphur cell is described in WO 2007/111988. Specifically, this reference describes adding an N—O additive, such as lithium nitrate, to the electrolyte of the cell. According to the passage at page 16, lines 29 to 31, of this reference, the additive is effective in providing a charge profile with a sharp increase in voltage at the point of full charge. Accordingly, if the cell voltage during charge is monitored, charging can be terminated once a rapid increase in voltage is observed.
The method of WO 2007/111988 relies on the voltage of the cell increasing sharply as the cell reaches full capacity. Not all lithium-sulphur cells, however, exhibit such a charging profile.

Method of charging a lithium-sulphur cell


A perforated fabric diffuser and perforated cushion deflector are sewn inside an outer shell, thus forming a diffuser system within an airbag. The diffuser contains a plurality of openings along a folded edge. The deflector contains a wall defining at least one orifice for attenuating gas flow upon airbag activation. The airbag contains an inlet that fluidly communicates with the deflector and diffuser upon airbag activation. The outer shell is preferably sewn in such a manner as to maintain a plurality of individual cell areas. The fabric diffuser system is disposed within the outer shell such that the diffuser openings are positioned generally over the individual cells. During deployment, the diffuser system thereby functions to facilitate substantially even inflation throughout the airbag.

As the automobile has developed, so have methods of ensuring passenger safety. Several methods of safety restraint systems have emerged during this development, including the airbag. Since the introduction of the airbag various degrees of implementing it have emerged including use in protecting passengers from side impact scenarios. To achieve this, vehicle designers have placed airbag systems in a number of locations including passenger seats, vehicle doors and vehicle roof frames. Various methods of improving airbag performance have also been developed. One example, pertinent to the present invention, is the use of a cylindrical metal diffuser that facilitates even deployment or inflation of the airbag.
It is an object of the present invention to make a significant improvement over side impact airbag systems through implementation of an improved diffuser system. Although effective, traditional metal diffusing systems often tend to be relatively expensive and may require an increased amount of packaging space. This has an overall effect of limiting the areas wherein diffused airbag systems can be implemented. The present invention replaces the traditional metal diffuser systems with a fabric diffuser. The fabric diffuser offers the same performance as the traditional diffusers, however, it boasts distinct advantages. Initially, a fabric diffuser is both lightweight and cost effective. Manufacture of a fabric diffuser is also less complicated than that of a metal diffuser. A more significant advantage is that fabric diffuser systems in accordance with the present invention have improved packaging characteristics over traditional metal diffusers and can disperse gas rearwardly into the cushion. A fabric diffuser, in contrast to a metal diffuser, can be tightly folded with the overall airbag in its initial packaging. As a result, more options are open to designers in locating airbag systems.
An airbag of the present invention comprises a sewn outer shell, and a diffuser system, to include a perforated fabric diffuser and a perforated cushion deflector, disposed within the sewn outer shell. As a result of the advantages described above, the airbag can be inconspicuously packaged in the upper trim running a distance along the front and rear passenger windows. The sewn outer shell is preferably sewn in such a way as to form individual cell areas. In a preferred embodiment, the diffuser incorporates a series of openings along its edge that are located at an area generally above each of the individual cells. Upon deployment of the airbag, the inflation gas initially inflates the diffuser system. The diffuser system then channels the gas to the individual cells, causing the airbag to be evenly inflated. Such a system offers a significant degree of protection for both front and rear passengers. The present airbag is particularly useful as a head side airbag, but not however thereby limited.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.