A photovoltaic (PV) module mounting system can have mounting clips that can be moved up and down a roof, and can allow the height of the mounting clips to be adjusted relative to the roof. At least a portion of the system can be made of a non-conductive material so that the system can be free of a grounding unit. The system can allow solar modules to be quickly installed, and can allow the solar modules to be removed quickly for repair or in the event of a fire.

As mankind continues to develop around the world, the demand for energy rises. Most energy used to power machines and generate electricity is derived from fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas or oil. These supplies are limited and their combustion causes atmospheric pollution and the production of carbon dioxide, which is suspected to accelerate the greenhouse effect and lead to global climate change. Some alternative approaches to produce energy include the harnessing of nuclear energy, wind, moving water (hydropower), geothermal energy or solar energy. Each of these alternative approaches has drawbacks. Nuclear power requires large capital investments and safety and waste disposal are concerns. Wind power is effective, but wind turbines require a windy site, often far away from grid connections and take up large footprints of land. This energy production system also requires continual mechanical maintenance, and can have an impact on the aesthetics of the surroundings and wildlife. Hydropower requires the construction of large, potentially environmentally harmful dams and the displacement of large volumes of flowing water. The number of such flowing water bodies is highly limited, both regionally and in an absolute sense. Geothermal power requires a source of energy that is relatively near the surface—a characteristic not common to a large portion of the Earth—and has the potential to disrupt the balance of forces that exist inside the Earth's crust. However, solar is one of the cleanest and most available forms of renewable energy and it can be harnessed by direct conversion into electricity (solar photovoltaic) or by heating a working fluid (solar thermal).
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology relies on the direct conversion of solar power into electricity through the photoelectric effect in a solar cell: solar radiation impinging on semiconductor junctions can excite pairs of conduction electrons and valence holes. These charged particles travel through the junction and can be collected at electrically conductive electrodes to form an electric current in an external circuit. A PV module can include at least one solar cell that can be a part of a solar laminate, and can include a supporting frame. A solar laminate can have at least one solar cell between two layers of encapsulant. A PV module can also have a supportive backing under the solar laminate and connected to the frame to provide additional support for the solar laminate.
Photovoltaic is one of the most promising technologies for producing electricity from renewable resources, for a number of reasons: (1) The photovoltaic effect in Si and other solid-state semiconductors is well understood and the technology fully validated; (2) PV power modules convert solar power directly into electrical power, have no moving parts and require low maintenance, and can be located on almost any surface due to relatively light weight and thin profile; (3) Solar radiation is quite predictable and is at a maximum during hours of peak electricity consumptions; and (4) The industry has been aggressively pursuing a performance improvement and cost reduction path, approaching market competitiveness with traditional energy resources in many parts of the world.
There are two measures of value to the customer that is utilized in the industry. The first is the installation cost of the system. The metric that is most widely used for comparison is the total system cost divided by the name plate power of the system in Watts. The unit for this metric is $/W. The second measure is the cost of energy delivered over the lifetime of the system. This is referred to as the Levelized Cost of Energy or LCOE. LCOE in dollars per kilowatt-hour ($/kWh) is calculated by dividing the system cost and maintenance costs by the energy produced by the system during its expected life. Customers decide whether or not to convert to solar energy based on LCOE and decide which vendor to use based in $/W. It is thus desirable to reduce both metrics.
As the price of photovoltaic (PV) modules continues to fall, the cost of ownership (both in terms of $/W and $/kWhr) of a PV system is increasingly being dictated by the so-called balance of system costs. For a rooftop installed PV system, these include the following specific items:
1. Power management hardware: These include parts such as inverters, optimizers and rapid shutdown electronics.
2. System installation hardware: All the racking, mounting, roof attachment, skirting, nuts and bolts, and other pieces of hardware that are required to secure the PV modules to a roof.
3. Labor costs: These include the labor to install the system installation hardware, attach the PV modules to the hardware, the electrical wiring of the PV modules to each other and to the power management hardware, the integration of proper grounding to all exposed metal and the upgrading of the roof if required.
4. Permitting: The act of receiving a permit from the town to operate the PV system. This requires adherence to local and national codes, including fire and electrical codes. Furthermore these systems might need sign-off from professional engineers, fire marshals and other professionals.
5. Supply chain logistics: The cost of keeping inventory of multiple parts, issuing, storing and carrying all these parts onto the roof. Ensuring that parts and personnel expertise match at the site etc.
6. Indirect Costs: Operating equipment such as vehicles, ladders, lifts and tools. Administrative costs such as payroll, insurance, warranty servicing, and management.
7. Cost of sales: This includes marketing and sales; the time and effort required to identify and obtain the customer. The cost of sale is often independent of the size of the system.
The first two items (1 and 2) on the list above are direct material costs to the system, while items 3 and 4 are direct costs, and items 5, 6 and 7 are considered overhead. This means that items 1 through 4 typically scale with the size of the system where items 5 and 6 are independent of the size of the system.
From the above it will be clear that it is desirable to minimize both the direct labor and material cost of any system in order to reduce the overall cost of the system and therefore increase the probability of selling and installing a system. In addition, minimizing the costs of each installed system will directly reduce the overhead costs attributable to each system. Furthermore, increasing the size of the installed system will proportionally reduce the indirect cost of the system.
Rooftop PV systems can be installed using a variety of existing mounting hardware. Existing mounting solutions can generally be categorized as "railed" or "rail-less". As the descriptive name indicates, the former includes long beams, or "rails", typically made of aluminum metal, that provide support to the array of modules. The rails are especially required in regions where the solar modules can be exposed to heavy snow loading because the module construction is not adequate to support the additional weight of the snow. The rail-less systems offered commercially by companies such as Pegasus Solar and Zepp have gained market traction because of the ease with which they can be installed. This reduces the installation time and therefore direct labor of the system. However, these systems cannot be used in regions of heavy snow or wind loading because they do not provide the additional structural support necessary to meet local codes and requirements. Both the railed and rail-less systems are attached to the roof using a large number (typically 30-50) of individual metal parts, including bolts, nuts washers, multi-part clamps and brackets, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,800,199, titled ROOF ATTACHMENT ASSEMBLY FOR SOLAR PANELS AND INSTALLATION METHOD, U.S. Pat. No. 9,496,820, titled PHOTOVOLTAIC MOUNTING SYSTEM AND DEVICES, U.S. Pat. No. 9,473,066, titled MOUNTING ASSEMBLIES FOR SOLAR PANEL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/054,807, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein as background information.
Although rail-less systems can be installed more quickly, current art unfortunately only teaches rail-less systems that cannot withstand all required snow and wind loads experienced around the world. Current options to increase load capabilities is to either increase the thickness of the module glass, or increase the stiffness of the mounting frame or utilize a framed system that mounts the PV module in such a way that high snow load conditions do not cause failure in the PV module components. These solutions come with the burden of added weight, size and installation time as will be known to those skilled in the art.
The use of metallic parts, in combination with the aluminum exterior frame that is part of a standard PV module construction leads to the requirement to electrically ground the rooftop PV system. Grounding often requires heavy copper cable that must be connected to a copper rod driven into the ground at the foundation of the building. Grounding is usually required to be done by a licensed electrician, further increasing both hardware and labor costs.
Overhead and indirect cost are not dependent on system size and contribute a significant portion of the total cost of the system. Cost-of-sales, or the cost of identifying and acquiring the customer, can be the single largest overhead item in a smaller, residential installation. Therefore it will be desirable not only to reduce the indirect costs by making the system easier to sell for instance, but it is also desirable to sell and install the largest possible system per costumer. Additionally it is desirable to make the installation process as efficient as possible. For example, doubling the speed of installation would allow the same installation crew to generate about twice as much revenue, reducing the fixed overhead cost allocated to each system by 50%, providing significant operating leverage for the installer.
A PV module can include a solar laminate that includes at least one solar cell, a supporting backing under the solar laminate, and a supporting frame around the perimeter of the PV module. The majority of solar PV modules utilize an electrically conductive aluminum frame that surrounds the entire module. This frame serves as a structural enforcement that assists the glass front face of the module to protect the fragile solar cells from the environment, including structural loads from wind and snow accumulation. The frame also serves as the interface between the module and the mounting system that secures it to a roof or the ground in an existing PV installation system.
Mounting systems that are structurally attached to the roof are typically made from conductive metal. The mounting systems typically consist of a multitude of parts that allow the installer of the system to connect the system to the rafters of the house or to a metal roof covering, provide structural stability, secure the module to the roof and provide the ability to adjust the installation so that it aesthetically aligns with features of the roof.
As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, there are a number of deficiencies with current PV module mounting systems. These can be summarized as follows:
1. Exposed metal on the modules require the modules as well as the mounting system to be grounded. This requirement has the drawback that a means of electrical conductivity must be established between the module frame and the earth ground. This increases the amount of material and labor required for a PV installation and thus the cost. Furthermore, the new NEC 2017 electrical code requires that all grounded PV systems have a means of rapid shutdown that disconnects the modules from each other electrically. These rapid shutdown systems are costly and take time to install, further driving up direct costs to the PV system. In addition, the voltages in modules are increasing to reduce power loss in the conducting wires. Having cells at high voltage while the frame is at ground is the driving force for Potential Induced Degradation (PID), a major contributor to the gradual loss in power generation capacity of a PV module
2. Mounting systems require a significant amount of assembly on the roof.
3. Mounting systems require precision layout, measuring and attachment to the roof.
4. Rail—less systems reduce the amount of assembly steps and thus decrease the time of installations. However, when utilized in conjunction with standard modules, they cannot withstand high snow and wind load conditions.
5. The large number of parts of mounting systems require significant resources to maintain inventory, schedule deliveries and issue parts to crews going to the job-site. This logistic burden increases the indirect costs of systems.
6. Inability to release the module from the roof without proper tools increases the time to repair units and can obstruct firefighters from performing their duties.

Photovoltaic module mounting system and method


Disclosed are immunologically active polypeptides, preferably antibodies or antibody fragments, and most preferably monoclonal antibodies, which are reactive with idiotypes of antibodies to human lymphocyte T4 protein and are reactive with the HIV virion in a manner allowing for in vitro and in vivo neutralization of HIV infectivity and detection of HIV particles in biological fluids. Presently preferred embodiments comprise monoclonal anti-monoclonal-anti-human lymphocyte T4 antibodies produced by new murine hybridoma cell lines JT4C8, JT4C12, JT4C16, JT1-1F3, JT1-1F3-E5, JT1-1D7 and JT2-N15. Also disclosed are active and passive vaccination procedures.

The present invention relates generally to methods and materials useful in the diagnosis and treatment of infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). More particularly, the invention relates to immunologically active polypeptides, preferably antibodies or antibody fragments, and most preferably monoclonal antibodies, which are reactive with idiotypes of antibodies to human lymphocyte T4 protein and also reactive with the HIV virion in a manner allowing for in vitro and in vivo neutralization of HIV infectivity. Moreover, the invention relates to immunologically active polypeptides useful in vaccine compositions for developing protective responses to HIV infection.
The state of the art with respect to the epidemiology and immunology of the causative agent of AIDS in humans is well summarized in: Laurence, "The Immune System in AIDS", Scientific American, December, 1985, pp. 84-93; Gallo, "The First Human Retrovirus", Scientific American, December, 1986, pp. 88-98; Gallo, "The AIDS Virus", Scientific American, January, 1987, pp. 47-56; Levy et al., Science, 225, 840-842 (1984); "Mobilizing Against AIDS", Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, Mass 1986); and, Lane et al., Ann. Rev. Immunol., 3, pp. 477-500 (1985). The role of T4 surface glycoprotein (sometimes referred to as "CD4" protein or determinant) of human T lymphocytes in infection by HIV has been extensively studied as represented by Dalgleish et al., Nature, 312, pp. 763-767 (1984); Klatzman et al., Science, 312, 767-768 (1984); Klatzman et al., Science, 225, pp. 59-62 (1984); McDougal et al., J.Immunol., 135, pp. 3151-3162 (1985); and, Maddon et al., Cell, 47, pp. 333-348 (1986). See also, Marrack et al., "The T Cell and Its Receptor", Scientific American, February 1986, pp. 36-45; and, McDougal et al., Science, 231, 382-385 (1986).
It has recently been projected that soluble forms of CD4 may have therapeutic utility in treatment of HIV infection. See, Fisher et al., Nature, 331, 76-77 (1988); Hussey et al., Ibid, at pp. 78-81; Deen et al., Ibid, at pp. 82-83; and Traunecker et al., Ibid, at pp. 84-86 all of which relate to in vitro neutralization of HIV infectivity by soluble CD4. Among the potential drawbacks to the projected use of soluble CD4 therapeutic agents is the known reactivity of CD4 with class II major histocompatibility complex ("MHC") molecules present on the surface of other immune cells including B cells, macrophages and monocytes, leading to the suggestion that CD4 may need to be modified (e.g., by truncation) prior to attempted therapeutic use.
Numerous reports appear in the literature relating to the potential of antibodies to neutralize infectivity of HIV in vitro and in vivo and specifically to attempts at active immunization for the purpose of developing protective immunity See, e.g., Matthews et al., Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. (USA), 83, pp. 9709-9713 (1986); Norman, "AIDS Therapy A New Push For Clinical Trials", Science, 230, pp. 1355-1358 (1985) and prior articles in this series; Newmark, Nature, 324, pp. 304-305 (1986); and notes appearing in Scientific American, February, 1987, at pages 86-88 under the heading, "AIDS: Hope . . . And Warnings", and in New Scientist, December 18, 1986, page 7, under the heading "Can Protein T Thwart The AIDS Virus . . . ?". See also, Mitsuya et al., Nature, 325, 773-778 (1987); Kennedy et al., Science, 231, 1556-1559 (1986); Chanh et al., EMBO Journal, 5(11), 3065-3071 (1986); Chanh et al., Eur. J. Immunol., 16, 1465-1468 (1986); Putney et al., Science, 4, 1392-1395 (1986); and, Matshushita et al., Abstract W.3.2, p.106, "III International Conference on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), June 1-5, 1987.
Of interest to the background of the present invention are the published results of investigation into the immunological role of anti-idiotypes. See, e.g., Kennedy et al., "Anti-Idiotypes and Immunity", Scientific American, July, 1986, pp. 48-56; Jerne, "The Immune System", Scientific American, July, 1973, pp. 52-60; Marx, "Making Antibodies Without The Antigens", Science, 228, pp. 162-165 (1985); Finberg et al., CRC Critical Reviews in Immunoloqy, 7, 269-284 (1987); and Kennedy et al., Science, 232, pp. 220-223 (1986). See, also, Norman, supra, relating to a potential correlation between anti-HIV-immunotherapy and production of anti-idiotypic antibodies to the HIV surface proteins.
Of particular interest to the background of the present invention is the work reported by McDougal et al., J. Immunoloqy, 137, 2937-2944 (1986) wherein it was noted that: " . . . rabbit anti-idiotypic sera raised against each of four candidate CD4 monoclonal antibodies [OKT4A, OKT4D, OKT4F and Leu3a (sometimes referred to as "anti-Leu3a")] did not react with [HIV] virus or inhibit virus binding to CD4.sup.+ T cells." This notation should be compared with the recent oral presentations of Ronald C. Kennedy at the 7th Annual DNA/Hybridoma Congress, San Francisco, March 1-4, 1987, as reported in Van Brunt, Bio-Technology, 5, 421-422 (1987), and at the III International Conference on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Washington D.C. June 1-5, 1987, (see, Abstract TH.9.5) as reported in New Scientist June 11, 1987 at page 26. In these presentations the development of polyclonal antisera against anti-T4 antibodies was noted, as was the capacity of such antisera to recognize HIV and partially neutralize HIV infectivity in vitro. The latter presentation also mentioned preparation of monoclonal anti-idiotype antibody and this development is also described in Chanh et al., Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. (USA), 84, 3891-3895 (June, 1987).
There continues to exist a substantial need in the art for new methods and materials for diagnosis for the presence of HIV particles and HIV-infected cells in biological fluid and tissue specimens and also a substantial need for new means for effecting in vivo neutralization of the infectivity of HIV and the development of vaccination procedures conferring immunological protection against HIV infection.


A convertible chair is provided. The present convertible chair includes three or more sections connected together in series. The sections include a chair section, one or more middle sections, and an end section. The middle sections are slidably connected to the chair section, allowing the middle sections to slide in and out from the chair section. The end section is hingedly connected to the terminal middle section. When in the extended configuration, the sections provide a contiguous comfortable support surface on which a user can lay down. When in the compact configuration, the present invention resembles and functions as a conventional chair suitable for sitting on. The convertible chair further include connectors disposed along its sides that allow multiple chairs to be connected together in series.

Chairs in airports, waiting rooms, and other such locations where people are expected to potentially wait for extended periods of time are very uncomfortable to relax in while waiting. Sitting in an uncomfortable chair for an extended period of time can be uncomfortable and potentially painful. Furthermore, the waiting individuals may wish to lay down when waiting, but there may not be a feasible option for doing so. Therefore, there is a need for a device that is adapted to be comfortable to sit or lay on for extended periods of time.


A system for storing and retrieving items to and from a storage receptacle which includes a track riding dolly carrying a robotic item handler for inserting and extracting items to and from storage The dolly also carries a multishelved caddy for receiving a plurality of items thereon. The item handler has the capacity to access each of the shelves of the caddy and may execute, under computer control, a selected sequence of item transfers between the caddy and storage during a single passage of the dolly from an on/off load point past the storage receptacle. A multishelved caddy loader queues a plurality of items received from an on-load device independently of the caddy, via vertical repositioning, and performs a bulk transfer of the queued items to the caddy when the caddy is available. A mass offloader device permits the bulk transfer of a plurality of items from the caddy to an offload receiver. A unit offloader sequentially offloads the offload receiver, via vertical repositioning of the offload receiver, onto an offload surface independently of the caddy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automatic storage and retrieval systems generally, and more particularly to computer controlled, high throughput, industrial storage and retrieval systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most industrial operations require on-site storage and retrieval of items. In the field of manufacturing, for example, a stock of the components of a manufactured item must be maintained on the premises and made available to a production or assembly line. For peak efficiency, component flow to the assembly line should be uninterrupted and should be paced to allow the assembly line to produce at their maximum capacity without having to wait for parts. The parts storage area must be space efficient, to minimize real property, building and heating and air conditioning costs, while, at the same time, being maximally accessible An inherent conflict exists between space efficiency and ease of access since the surface area of a particular storage configuration, through which access is provided to the items stored within the space, is inversely proportional to volumetric efficiency. In addition, there is a competition between personnel and functions within the manufacturing environment for access to the stored goods, but it is, however, also desirable to be isolated from the clutter and activity associated with storage and retrieval facilities and functions. The feasibility of a particular spatial configuration and location of a storage area further depends upon the means of storage, e.g., bins, shelves, hooks, drawers, etc., the means for placing an item in storage, e.g., by hand, with a crane, with a forklift, etc., the means for retrieving an item from storage and the nature of the item stored.
Numerous strategies have been employed over the years for providing suitable storage and retrieval systems. Many have utilized bays of storage shelves upon which goods are stored and retrieved by a person (stocker) Frequently, large shelving systems require ladders, gantries and catwalks to permit stockers to gain access to items stored at higher levels. If high item throughput is required, an increased number of stockers seeking access to the stored items and utilizing the same catwalks and access aisles must be employed. Machinery under stockers' control, such as forklifts, are frequently employed to assist stockers by providing them with increased lifting power. This machinery, however, also increases the stockers' profile in the access channels to the storage area and thus increases congestion, slows throughput, and creates a safety hazard. Dumbwaiters, elevators, conveyor belts and other item transport means save stockers' steps but limit throughput to the speed of the transport means, which is frequently shared by several stockers. The storage and retrieval of items by human stockers is a labor intensive task, is often dangerous and repetitive, and sometimes results in the breakage of items padding through the system.
Besides the physical arduousness associated with the transfer of items to and from storage, a prime consideration in the material handling field is the maintenance of inventory records. A count of items on hand must be kept to trigger reordering of items before they run out. Either a running tally must to be maintained, requiring the constant, contemporaneous recordal of storage and retrieval transactions in a common record, or an exhaustive periodic inventory, wherein all items are counted, must be conducted. Both methods require significant time and effort. A record of the location of stored items must also be kept, or the items must be stored in a predetermined order, to facilitate retrieval.
Recently, automated storage and retrieval systems have been devised for remedying the limitations of traditional storage and retrieval systems. One type employs independently moving tiers of shelves that move radially around an oval track enabling items, or spaces for items, to be brought into proximity to an on/off load point. This device allows access to a storage space or an item by moving it to the stocker for storage/retrieval (placing/picking) rather than the stocker going to the storage space or item. Frequently, a robotic stocker or item handler (inserter/extractor) is utilized for transferring items to and from the movable shelves (placing/picking) from and to the on/off load point, which can be any supporting surface--including another means of conveyance such as a conveyor belt. Modern automated material handling systems typically utilize a computer controller for controlling and coordinating each mechanism in the system. Optic, acoustic and tactile sensors are used to sense the position of items and material handling mechanisms and relay this data to the computer controller which may then direct the activity of system machinery based upon the sensory input. Optical sensors for reading bar codes affixed to items, as well as, key entry terminals, allow computer controlled automatic storage and retrieval systems to constantly maintain and update item location and inventory records as item transfers occur.
An automated material handling system designed by Stanley Vidmar, Automated Systems is representative of state of the art techniques pertinent to the present invention. This system, appearing in the January 1988 edition of AUTOMATION, includes parallel banks of stationary wire-rack storage shelves having a single aisle therebetween. A computer controlled robotic item handler (inserter extractor) travels on tracks down the aisle between the shelf banks for placing/picking items carried in standard tote boxes to/from the wire rack shelving. The robotic item handler can be elevated to varying levels to permit higher or lower shelves to be accessed. Upon retrieving a tote from the rack storage, the robot must travel down the track and deposit the tote at an on/off load point. After disposing of a carried tote at the on/off load point, the robot is then free to place or pick another tote. The time for each item transfer between the on/off load point and the place/pick point includes the travel time required for the robot to move from the on/off load point to the place/pick point and back again. This system has great utility in that it provides for high density storage which is accessed by a single robot riding in a single aisle, thereby avoiding the congestion, hazard and breakage associated with human stocker systems. This strategy, while very useful, requires substantial robotic travel time, energy and wear in order for the robot to service the storage area.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automated storage and retrieval system which is faster than presently known systems.
It is a further object to provide an automated storage and retrieval system which is more efficient then known systems in terms of energy and wear.
It is yet another object to provide the aforesaid advantages without a substantial increase in cost over, or substantial modifications to, known systems


A CATV center facility transmits, together with the television signals of a plurality of programs, display control data indicating program names and selection numbers of the respective programs and channel data indicating the numbers of channels on which the respective programs are being broadcast or to be broadcast. A terminal apparatus detects the program names, selection numbers and channel numbers from the display control data and the channel data, and makes a TV receiver display the detected program names and selection numbers in an associated manner. While looking at a picture thus displayed, a user selects a desired program by pushing a corresponding numeral button of a remote controller or a keyboard. In response to the program selection by the user, the terminal apparatus is tuned to the channel of the selected program.

The present invention relates to a CATV (cable television or community antenna television) system.
In CATV systems, a center facility provides own programs and commercial broadcast programs on the air to a plurality of subscriber terminal apparatuses via transmission cables. In recent years, services of CATV systems include data transmission. Further, bi-directional CATV systems are now operated in which each terminal apparatus can transmit a signal (i.e., an up signal) to a center facility. CATV systems limitedly operated in schools, hotels, etc. are specifically called "CCTV (closed circuit television) system."
In the conventional CATV systems, to select a desired program to see it on a TV receiver, a user needs to refer to a program table that is distributed in advance, find a channel of the desired program, and operate a channel selection switch of a controller to set his terminal apparatus to that channel. To make the TV receiver display a certain message transmitted from the center facility, all the message data are stored in a buffer memory of the terminal apparatus. The message data read from the buffer memory are provided to a character generator, and an output of the character generator is superimposed on a video signal.
In the above CATV systems, the center facility is required to prepare a program table and distribute its copies in advance, and to broadcast programs in accordance with the program table thus prepared. However, the preparation of program tables needs some cost, and the flexibility of program organization is reduced, for instance, the programs cannot be altered once the program table is prepared. On the other hand, on the terminal apparatus side, a user cannot know without referring to the program table whether a desired program is scheduled to be broadcast. In addition, a procedure of program selection is complex.
Further, in the above conventional CATV systems, because the number of broadcast channels is insufficient, it is a general procedure that the same chargeable program is rebroadcast in unfixed time periods rather than, for instance, every 30 minutes. Therefore, when a viewer previously stopped watching a certain program in the midst of its broadcast and wants to see in another time the remaining a part of the same program that he failed to see, he needs to wait for the next rebroadcast or to record that program by a VCR etc. by checking in advance the start time of the next rebroadcast. However, a cumbersome procedure is required to see the rebroadcast program, or such an attempt sometimes results in a failure.
Further, the above conventional CATV systems employ a charging system in which a viewer is charged for chargeable programs on a program-by-program basis, as this system is called PPV (pay per view). In this system, a viewer is charged a full charge even if he has ordered a program in the midst of its broadcast. Since viewing of a certain program can be ordered any time during its broadcast, a viewer is charged a full charge even if he has ordered it only a short time before the end of the program.

CATV system with transmission of program schedules, linked program broadcasts, and permissive ordering periods


In an electronic device in which a component connecting portion is mounted inside a case (1, 2), a protective cover (5) is mounted to the case to be rotatable and covers the component connecting portion. The protective cover has elastically deformable hooks (52) facing a direction (A1) parallel to a rotation center line thereof. On the other hand, the case has hook receivers (11a) engageable with and disengageable from the hooks. The protective cover may be removable from the case or may be loosely connected thereto.

In an electronic device, such as a digital camera or a portable music player, a memory card is used. In recent years, the memory card is also used in some mobile phones. In order to enable the use of the memory card, the electronic device has a memory card connector mounted therein. The memory card connector is covered by a protective cover. When the memory card is inserted into or removed from the memory card connector, the protective cover is opened.
The electronic device of this type having the protective cover is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2003-218549. Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device will briefly be described.
The electronic device includes an upper case 1, a lower case 2, and a protective cover 5. In a space between the upper case 1 and the lower case 2, a panel 3 is provided and a memory card connector (not shown) is mounted on the panel 3. A memory card (not shown) can be inserted into or removed from the memory card connector.
The protective cover 5 has a rectangular shape in plan view and a generally L shape in section. The protective cover 5 has insertion ribs 51 formed on both ends of a long side edge and generally L-shaped hooks 54 formed in the vicinity of both ends of short side edges.
The upper case 1 has hook receivers 14 formed inside one long side in correspondence to the hooks 54 of the protective cover 5, respectively. Between the hooks 54 and an inner upper end of the lower case 2, a space S is formed.
When the protective cover 5 is opened, an operation is performed as follows. First, a concave portion (not shown) formed on a right side surface of the protective cover 5 in FIG. 1 is pulled up by a finger. Consequently, the hooks 54 are disengaged from the hooks 14 of the upper case 1, respectively, and elastically deformed leftwards within a range of the space S. Subsequently, the protective cover 5 is rotated around the insertion ribs 51 in a direction shown by an arrow. Accordingly, the protective cover 5 is opened, so that the memory card can be inserted into or removed from the memory card connector on the panel 3.
In the above-mentioned electronic device, the hooks 54 of the protective cover 5 are elastically deformed in a direction perpendicular to a rotation center line (a line connecting the both insertion ribs 51) of the protective cover 5, so that the protective cover 5 is easy to be unintentionally opened from the upper case 1 when touched by hand.
In order to prevent the protective cover 5 from being unintentionally opened from the upper case 1, it is inevitable to deepen a depth of engagement between the hooks 54 of the protective cover 5 and the hooks 14 of the upper case 1. In this event, the space S in FIG. 7 must be widened so that the upper case 1 and the lower case 2 are increased in size in a left-to-right [transversal] direction in FIG. 7. Thus, the electronic device itself is increased in size.

Electronic device and a casing used therefor


In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a toilet seat lifting device (10), comprising a pneumatic system employing a piston (48) connected to the toilet seat (6), the system being adapted to lift the toilet seat (6) by applying mechanical force on the piston (48) in the corresponding direction (upwards, in the example herein), and to gradually lowering the toilet seat by gradually releasing air from the pneumatic system. The device may further comprise a valve (56), for causing a fall in air pressure in the pneumatic system, thereby causing an accelerated lowering of the toilet seat. The device may further comprise: a sensor, for sensing lowering of toilet seat (6); and a mechanism for activating flushing the toilet bowl upon detecting by the sensor that the seat has been lowered, such as a handle of a tap providing water to the flush tank (8) thereof.

The majority of men forget to lift the toilet seat, and as such, they urinate on the seat when the seat is in its horizontal state. The urination on the seat causes its contamination.
In order to lift and lower a toilet seat, the user thereof has to contact the seat physically, which many dislike and as such avoid touching toilet seats, especially in public toilet facilities such as train stations. Furthermore, men must raise a toilet seat to urinate. However, as they forget to lower the seat afterwards, preferring minimal contact with the seat, this task is left to the next female user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hands-free device for lifting and lowering a toilet seat.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a hands-free device for lifting and lowering a toilet seat, which is oriented for male use.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a hands-free device for lifting and lowering a toilet seat, which also automatically flushes the toilet after use.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.


An airfoil for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The airfoil may include a first portion including a first slot, a second portion including a second slot, and a biscuit disposed within the first slot and the second slot. The first portion and the second portion may be joined by the biscuit. A method for constructing an airfoil is also disclosed. The method may include making a first slot on a sheath, the first slot sized to fit a first part of a biscuit; making a second slot on a body, the second slot sized to fit a second part of the biscuit; and joining the sheath and the body together through a biscuit joint, the biscuit disposed within the first slot and the second slot.

Gas turbine engines may typically include a fan, a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine, with an annular flow path extending axially through each. Initially, the fan, which is powered by the turbine, draws ambient air into the engine. Part of the air flows through the compressor where it is compressed or pressurized. The combustor then mixes and ignites the compressed air with fuel, generating hot combustion gases. These hot combustion gases are then directed from the combustor to the turbine where power is extracted from the hot gases by causing blades of the turbine to rotate. The other part of the airflow from the fan is used to generate forward thrust.
Various components of the gas turbine engine, such as fan, compressor, and turbine airfoils, are subject to the impact of foreign objects. For example, fan blades may experience foreign object damage (FOD) from debris or birds, which may reduce the life of the fan blades. Accordingly, there exists a need for an airfoil design with reinforced strength and impact tolerance.
Furthermore, when increasing the strength of airfoils, there are added concerns of increased weight and thickness, which may decrease the aerodynamic performance of the airfoils and gas turbine engine as a whole. Therefore, there exists a need for an impact resistant airfoil that is also lightweight and aerodynamic. This disclosure is directed to solving these needs and others.


A mold for forming a magnetic tape cassette and a method for multi-color molding a magnetic tape cassette or the like. Sprue-runners connected to submarine gates used in making at least portions of the cassette are formed with notches near the submarine gates to reduce the cross-sectional area of the sprue-runners. As result, the sprue-runners can be easily cut off from the body of the cassette by breaking the notched portions.

The present invention relates to a mold for making a magnetic tape cassette and to a method for molding a magnetic tape cassette or the like. Particularly, the invention relates to an improved mold and molding method for forming a magnetic tape cassette whose body is produced using a multi-color molding process.
In a conventional magnetic tape cassette for audio or video equipment or the like, a pair of hubs on which a magnetic tape is wound are rotatably supported in the cassette body. The body is composed of upper and lower halves, each of which is usually manufactured by the injection molding of a plastic or the like.
The cassette body is provided with one or more transparent or semitransparent windows through which the winding state of the magnetic tape can be viewed from the outside. Even if the entire cassette body is made of an optically transmissive material, the windows are often separately formed of a different optically transmissive material. This is due to the fact that the windows should have a higher optical transmissivity than the cassette body itself to provide for ease of viewing therethrough. The windows may be shaped in desired forms to produce a desired design effect.
Each of the windows is manufactured by bonding a separate window member to the cassette body through the use of an adhesive or using a process of ultrasonic welding or the like. However, there is a drawback in that it is necessary to separately manufacture the window member and thereafter to bond it to the cassette body. If the cassette body is made of the same optically transmissive material as the windows, there is another drawback in that the bonded portion of the cassette body is made more visible, thus generally degrading its appearance.
In order to eliminate such drawbacks, a method of manufacturing a magnetic tape cassette using a two-color molding process has recently been adopted. However, forming the window using the two-color molding method also creates problems. When one or more windows having a relatively complicated form are to be provided, as illustrated by windows 3a and 3b in FIG. 6, after the injection molding of the cassette body, cores having the same forms as the windows are moved in the direction of thickness of the body 2 of the cassette so that openings having the same forms as the windows are defined. A plastic for molding the windows is then injected in the direction of the thickness of the cassette body 2 through a direct gate or the like. At that time, slender intermediate portions already molded in the body, such as portion 2a located between the openings 3a and 3b, undergo either deformation due to the pressure or heat of the plastic injected into the openings or a color change due to resin streaking so that a desired form or appearance cannot be obtained.
These problems were successfully solved by the method described in the specification of commonly assigned Japanese Patent Application No. 62-16202. In the method disclosed in this application, which relates to the formation of a magnetic tape cassette by multi-color molding, an initially formed opening in a mold is filled with a molten resin that is to form the body of the cassette. Thereafter, a plurality of cores movable to change the size of said opening are moved to positions so as to define a new opening that communicates with a submarine gate, and the new opening is filled with a resin different from the previously charged resin through the submarine gate so as to mold the cassette body in more than one color.
This method, however, was later found to have several problems. When a submarine gate is used, it is generally desirable for the gate portion to be cut off the molded part (i.e., either half of the cassette) at a point where the resin temperature is fairly high. However, in the process of two-color molding described above, the body of the cassette is first molded before the windows are molded, so that by the time the molding cycle is completed, the sprue-runner to the cassette body through which the first resin was injected will have undergone excessive cooling, causing the resin to solidify to an unduly great extent. The resin then becomes extremely rigid and causes several problems in the step of cutting off the gate from the cassette body.
First, the sprue-runner to the submarine gate which has undergone a high degree of resin solidification is so rigid that the gate cannot be cut off the cassette body 2 without producing a jagged and indented surface such as would occur if the gate were merely torn off. This may be typified by a gate mark 60 that is created on the body 2 as shown in FIG. 7.
Secondly, in order to cut off the submarine gate, the mold is usually opened and the molded part and the sprue-runner are pushed almost simultaneously out of the cavity in one die part, thereby allowing the gate to be cut off along one edge of the die part. Thus, as shown schematically in FIG. 8, when the sprue-runner S.sub.0 is pushed outwardly with an ejector pin 50, the frictional drag of this part on the mold M causes the central portion of the sprue-runner S.sub.0 (where the sprue-runner is in contact with the ejector pin) to be separated first, and then the end of the sprue-runner (i.e., the gate portion G) is separated. In other words, the sprue-runner S.sub.0 is deformed in the shape of an arch and the gate is torn off by the pushing force of the ejector pin 50. Furthermore, the warped sprue-runner after being separated from the mold M rebounds violently in the opposite direction and vibrates for a certain period of time. In this case, the end of the sprue-runner S.sub.0 is subjected to a very strong centrifugal force and impact, and hence the chance of this portion (i.e., the cut face that has hardened excessively and which has become fairly brittle on account of cracking and other flaws that have developed as a result of tearing) of flying into pieces is increased. These pieces are not only dangerous to the operator, but they can also damage the demolded cassette half by producing a bruise or other surface flaws. The equipment around the injection molding machine can also be damaged by the flying pieces. Moreover, if such pieces are left on the parting line (PL) on the mold or within the mold cavity, not only is the efficiency of the molding operation reduced, but also the quality of the molded part will be adversely affected.
The severity of these problems associated with the flying of the end of the sprue-gate into pieces increases if cracking and other defects occur in the area at which the gate is cut off the molded part. In addition, if the number of molding steps is increased (i.e., more colors are used in the multi-color molding process), the cycle time becomes correspondingly longer, thus increasing the extent of deterioration in the cutting property of the gate.
The effect of such a poor cutting property of the gate portion is not limited to poor workability of molded parts. The flying pieces (fine particles) of the gate-forming resin tend to be deposited on the surface of the newly produced cassette half, thereby degrading the performance of the assembled tape cassette in that problems such as dropout become more pronounced.
It has been proposed that the submarine gate be cut off the molded part after reheating the sprue-runner. However, this method requires precise adjustments of the heating temperature; if the heating of the sprue-runner is excessive, not only is the cutting property of the gate impaired, but also the sprue-runner becomes too soft to be efficiently removed from the mold cavity automatically by suction or other suitable means. A further problem that occurs with this method is that the balance of cooling the molded part can be easily disturbed, causing deformation in the molded part.

Mold for producing a magnetic tape cassette


In one implementation, a chemical mechanical polishing method includes providing a workpiece having a dielectric region to be polished. A first chemical mechanical polishing of the dielectric region is conducted on the workpiece using a polishing pad and a first slurry. Then, a second chemical mechanical polishing is conducted of the dielectric region on the workpiece using the polishing pad and a second slurry different from the first slurry. In one implementation, a chemical mechanical polishing method includes providing a workpiece having a dielectric region to be polished. The dielectric region has a thickness ultimately desired to removed by polishing prior to moving the workpiece on to a subsequent nonpolishing processing step. A first chemical mechanical polishing of the dielectric region is conducted on the workpiece using a first slurry. Then, a second chemical mechanical polishing of the dielectric region is conducted on the workpiece using a second slurry different from the first slurry. The second chemical mechanical polishing removes at least 15% of the thickness.

This invention relates to chemical mechanical polishing.
Chemical mechanical polishing is one technique utilized to process the outer surface of one or more layers formed over a semiconductor wafer. One principal use of chemical mechanical polishing is to render an outer wafer surface of a layer or layers of dielectric material to be more planar than existed prior to starting the polishing. Only some or all of the outermost layer being polished might be removed during such a process.
In chemical mechanical polishing, typically both the wafer and the pad which polishes the wafer are caused to rotate during the polishing action, typically in opposite directions. A liquid slurry is received intermediate the wafer and the polishing pad. The slurry comprises a liquid solution, typically basic, and a solid grit material, typically particles of a substantially consistent size (i.e., within 5 nanometers of the size selected from around 25 to 100 nanometers in diameter). The action of the liquid solution and grit within the solution intermediate the wafer and pad imparts removal of outer wafer layers utilizing both chemical and mechanical actions.
Although it is the intent of chemical mechanical polishing and other planarization processes to planarize a layer essentially completely flat, undesired finished topography can result depending upon the polishing conditions, the slurry and the materials being polished. It would be desirable in most instances to reduce the degree of residual topography remaining at the conclusion of a chemical mechanical polishing planarization process.
In one implementation, a chemical mechanical polishing method includes providing a workpiece having a dielectric region to be polished. A first chemical mechanical polishing of the dielectric region is conducted on the workpiece using a polishing pad and a first slurry. Then, a second chemical mechanical polishing is conducted of the dielectric region on the workpiece using the polishing pad and a second slurry different from the first slurry.
In one implementation, a chemical mechanical polishing method includes providing a workpiece having a dielectric region to be polished. The dielectric region has a thickness ultimately desired to removed by polishing prior to moving the workpiece on to a subsequent nonpolishing processing step. A first chemical mechanical polishing of the dielectric region is conducted on the workpiece using a first slurry. Then, a second chemical mechanical polishing of the dielectric region is conducted on the workpiece using a second slurry different from the first slurry. The second chemical mechanical polishing removes at least 15% of the thickness.


A display control apparatus for displaying medical image data generates a thumbnail for selecting medical image data, using a reduced image obtained from the medical image data. In the thumbnail, partial areas are set according to anatomical areas obtained from the medical image data. In response to an instruction to select the thumbnail that is displayed, the display control apparatus displays a medical image corresponding to the thumbnail. The display control unit determines a display content of the medical image that is to be displayed on the display unit, based on a designated position in the thumbnail in the instruction.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control apparatus and a display control method for medical images, an image display apparatus using the display control apparatus, and a program.
Description of the Related Art
In the medical field, medical image capturing apparatuses such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) apparatuses, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatuses, and positron emission tomography (PET) apparatuses are used to capture medical images. Medical image data obtained by capturing images is subjected to various types of image processing, and stored for a certain period of time in data servers in hospitals. When making diagnoses with images, doctors use a medical image display apparatus (sometimes referred to as a viewer) to search for target medical image data and display it on a monitor, while using various functions of the medical image display apparatus.
This sort of medical image display apparatus displays a thumbnail image (hereinafter, referred to as a thumbnail) corresponding to a medical image, and, upon accepting selection of the thumbnail by a user, displays the medical image corresponding to the selected thumbnail so that a diagnosis can be made from the medical image. The displayed medical image from which a diagnosis is to be made can be subjected to various functions of the medical image display apparatus, such as an enlargement and reduction function, a density value conversion function, a display position parallel movement function, a graphic drawing function, and a density value measurement function, on the entire image.
Meanwhile, medical image data has different optimum display conditions depending on anatomically classified areas (anatomical areas) even if they are areas displayed in the same image, and, thus, the images are displayed with their display condition being changed by a user according to an area that is to be observed, and are subjected to interpretation. For example, the user can change the display condition, using a known density value conversion function in the medical image display apparatus. The density value conversion function is a function of converting each pixel value in the gray scale according to a predetermined rule. Typically, a CT image is expressed in a Hounsfield unit (HU) value in 12-bit tones (4,096 tones) per pixel, and this HU value is stored as a pixel value. When a doctor observes a CT image, two density conversion parameters consisting of window level (WL) and window width (WW) as defined in the DICOM standard are used to convert a 12-bit tone pixel value (HU value) into an 8-bit tone value, and the image is displayed on a display screen. Accordingly, it is possible to easily see a difference in HU values (density difference) in a specific organ or tissue. Also in images (MRI images, PET images, ultrasonic images, etc.) other than CT images, density conversion as described above is performed in order to make it possible to easily see a difference in pixel values (density difference). More specifically, when observing in detail a lung-field region in a CT image showing a breast region, the WL is set to −600, and the WW is set to 1500. When observing in detail a mediastinal region in a CT image showing a breast region, the WL is set to 60, and the WW is set to 400. When observing in detail a bone region in a CT image showing a breast region, the WL is set to 500, and the WW is set to 2500.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-217947 (hereinafter, referred to as Document 1) describes a technique in which, when a freely selected area is designated in three-dimensional data, an image display condition is changed. With this technique, a CT image can be efficiently displayed in a display condition corresponding to a designated area, and, thus, the user effort can be reduced.
However, typically, a thumbnail is merely for specifying a corresponding medical image, and, thus, after a medical image corresponding to a selected thumbnail is displayed, the display condition has to be changed using the technique as shown in Document 1. Accordingly, there is a problem that it requires effort to perform interpretation.

Image display apparatus, display control apparatus and display control method using thumbnail images


A chassis conversion device including an elongated frame with a pair of ISO corner castings affixed to each of its front and rear ends. A pair of twist locks is affixed to each of the front and rear ends of the frame. An additional two pairs of twist locks are affixed to the frame adjacent its midpoint. The latter two pairs of twist locks are selectively retractable so that they may be lowered beneath the top of the frame. In use, the chassis conversion device may be positioned atop a gooseneck-type chassis to permit the chassis to carry either one full-length (40') ISO container or a pair of half-length (20') ISO containers.

Box-like containers are typically used to transport goods in interstate commerce. To ease burdens required in moving these containers by ship, train, truck, etc., the International Standards Organization (ISO) has required uniform dimensions. While many standard sizes have been approved by the ISO, containers having lengths of twenty feet and forty feet have gained widespread acceptance in the United States since they can be most easily and economically hauled over-the-road on trailers.
Commonly used to haul 40' ISO containers are trailers having a 40' gooseneck-type chassis with an elevated forward portions to accommodate the 5.sup.th wheel couplers of towing tractors. The elevated forward portion of the chassis carries a pair of rearwardly directed pins for attachment to specialized castings at the front of a 40' ISO container and the rearward portion of the chassis has a pair of vertically oriented twist locks for attachment to castings at the rear of the container. Unfortunately, this container attachment system does not permit a pair of 20' ISO containers positioned in tandem to be attached to the chassis thereby limiting its utility.


Techniques of reducing or eliminating artifact pixels in high dynamic range (HDR) imaging are described. One embodiment includes obtaining a first image of a scene at a first time with first exposure settings and obtaining a second image of the scene at a second time with second exposure settings that differ from the first exposure settings. The obtained images may be downsampled. The images may be compared to each other to assist with determining a number of potential artifact pixels in the scene. Depending on a relationship between the number of potential artifact pixels and a threshold value, the first image or second image may be selected as a reference image for registering the images with each other. A type of registration performed between the images may depend on which of the two images is the selected reference image. The registered images may be used to generate an HDR image.

In photography, a bracketing technique refers to a process of capturing a sequence of images that can be used, e.g., to generate an HDR image. Such a sequence of images can be referred to as a bracket. An example of a conventional bracket is represented as follows:[n(EV−),EV0,n(EV+)],                where EV0 refers to an image that is captured using an ideal exposure value (EV) given the lighting conditions at hand,        where n refers to a number of stops above or below the EV0 image,        where n(EV−) refers to an underexposed image that is captured at n lower stops than the EV0 image, and        where n(EV+) refers to an overexposed image that is captured at n higher stops than the EV0 image.
In the conventional bracket shown above, "EV" stands for exposure value and refers to a given exposure level for an image (which may be controlled by one or more settings of a device, such as an imaging device's shutter speed and/or aperture setting). Different images may be captured at different EVs, with a one EV difference (also known as a "stop") between images equating to a predefined power difference in exposure. Typically, a stop is used to denote a power of two difference between exposures. Thus, changing the exposure value can change an amount of light received for a given image, depending on whether the EV is increased or decreased. For example, one stop doubles or halves the amount of light received for a given image, depending on whether the EV is increased or decreased, respectively.
The "EV0" image in a conventional bracket refers to an image that is captured using an exposure value as determined by an imaging device's exposure algorithm. Generally, the EV0 image is assumed to have the ideal exposure value (EV) given the lighting conditions at hand. It is to be understood that the use of the term "ideal" in the context of the EV0 image herein refers to an ideal exposure value, as calculated for a given image capture system. In other words, it is a system-relevant version of ideal exposure. Different image capture systems may have different versions of ideal exposure values for given lighting conditions and/or may utilize different constraints and analyses to determine exposure settings for the capture of an EV0 image. The "EV−" image refers to an underexposed image that is captured at a lower stop (e.g., 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 stops) than the EV0 image. For example, a "1EV−" image refers to an underexposed image that is captured at one stop below the exposure value of the EV0 image. The "EV+" image refers to an overexposed image that is captured at a higher stop (e.g., 0.5, 1, 2, or 3) than the EV0 image. For example, a "2EV+" image refers to an overexposed image that is captured at two stops above the exposure value of the EV0 image.
A common approach to HDR image creation comprises: (i) sequentially capturing a bracket with different exposure settings (e.g., the EV0 image, the EV− image, the EV+ image, etc.); (ii) performing image registration on the bracket's images; (iii) performing image fusion on the registered images; and (iv) tone mapping the fused images. For the image registration and image fusion techniques, one conventional technique is to set the EV0 image as the reference image and then register, warp, and fuse other images (e.g., the EV− image, the EV+ image, etc.) to the EV0 image. One technique of image fusion in HDR imaging techniques is to replace pixels in the EV0 image having incomplete information (e.g., clipped pixels, etc.) with corresponding pixels from the EV− image that have complete information to recover some or all of the lost pixel information. This technique, however, may be suboptimal because it always assumes that pixels in the EV0 image having incomplete information will always have corresponding pixels from the EV− image that have complete information. In practice, this assumption is not always true. This is because, in some scenarios, pixels in the EV0 image that have incomplete information might not have corresponding pixels from the EV− image that have complete information due to motion and occlusion. In these scenarios, there are no pixels with complete information that can be used to replace or recover the pixels in the EV0 image having incomplete information. When image registration and image fusion techniques are performed on the bracket using the incomplete EV0 image as the reference image, the resulting HDR image may include one or more artifacts. Pixels affected by unwanted artifacts are also referred to herein as artifact pixels.
To reduce or eliminate artifacts, the EV− image (instead of the EV0 image) may be set as the reference image and then the other images in the bracket may be registered, warped, and fused with the EV− image. Here, the EV− image is used as the reference image based on an assumption that pixels from the EV− image have a lower likelihood of being pixels with incomplete information than corresponding pixels from the EV0 image. One limitation of this technique is that the EV− image is much noisier than the EV0 image, and as a result, the HDR image will be much noisier than an HDR image formed using the EV0 image as the reference image.

Reducing or eliminating artifacts in high dynamic range (HDR) imaging


A test system in an integrated circuit includes a boundary scan cell. The boundary scan cell includes a first storage element and a second storage element connected in series with the first storage element. The boundary scan cell also includes initialization logic connected between an output of the first storage element and an input of the second storage element. The initialization logic provides the output of the first storage element to the input of the second storage element unchanged during a first operating state, and provides an inverted version of the output of the first storage element to the input of the second storage element during a second operating state. A bi-directional element is connected to receive an output of the second storage element, the bi-directional element feeding the output of the second storage element to an input of the first storage element, such that capture of a state change at the output of the first storage element at the output of the first storage element is facilitated during the second operating state.

Many approaches have been developed to test and verify interconnects and functionality of integrated circuits (ICs). Existing testing can utilize circuitry external to an IC for a various types of testing, circuitry internal to the IC, or a combination of internal and external circuitry and test equipment.
For example, ICs can be tested both before and after they are assembled into packages (e.g. dual-in-line packages or DIPs, leadless chip carriers or LCCs, pin grid arrays, quad flat packs, etc.). Before assembly into a package, ICs can be probed by special machines utilizing special probe cards and test vectors which consist of sets of input signals, output signals and bidirectional signals. These test vectors are used to provide information to the probe machine such that the IC can be electrically stimulated and verified. Each vector contains a set of input signals (stimulus) and a set of output signals which are verified by the probe machine after application of the input stimulus for each test vector. Once the preassembled ICs are verified to be functional, they are assembled into a packaged part and retested using similar types of apparatuses, which is now equipped with a socket instead of a set of probes. The same set of test vectors is utilized to verify post assembly operation.
As a further example, IEEE standard 1149.1 (also known as the Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) Standard) establishes a boundary scan implementation for IC interconnect testing. The JTAG standard is a scan-based architecture disposed on the IC under test as a part of the circuitry. Such an IC includes a scan input (receives serial data at an input pin) and a scan output (receives serial data from the ASIC at an output pin). Integrated circuits have increasingly incorporated the JTAG (Joint Test Action Group) test port to facilitate testing and debug of integrated circuit chips mounted on a board. The JTAG standard can be utilized in verification of both the ASICs and board level interconnect after the IC has been mounted onto a circuit board.
Under normal operating conditions, the boundary scan cells simply let the input/output signals pass through them, into and out of the I/O pins. When the device is placed into a 'Test' mode, however, these boundary scan cells become 'active' to enable the capture or control of the signals propagating into and out of the IC, effectively circumventing the device's normal input and output connections.

System and method for input/output characterization


A printed circuit which may be highly flexible in configuration and design includes at least one uniformly thick, planar circuit layer including a conductive circuit pattern and an insulating circuit pattern of a cured, flowable insulating material. The printed circuit may include multiple circuit layers that are selectively electrically connected to other layers and may provide circuit patterns, mechanically supportive insulator patterns and windows in almost any desired configuration. The printed circuit may be bonded to a substrate in a high thermal transfer configuration, implemented as a film carrier having plated conductors extending from the surface to receive directly pads of integrated circuit chips or used as a high strength, low coefficient of thermal expansion flexible cable. The printed circuit is manufactured by forming a first conductive circuit pattern on a polished temporary substrate, forming a second conductive circuit pattern (which may be an interconnect pattern) on the first pattern if desired, laminating a flowable insulator material to the first and second conductive circuit layers and temporary substrate to form first and second insulator layers, sanding to form a smooth top surface coplanar with the top of the top conductive pattern, selectively adding additional layers and a substrate and stripping the printed circuit from the temporary substrate. The conductive patterns may be formed with high resolution using photolithographic techniques.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to printed circuits and methods of manufacture which permit the achievement of high density, multilayer circuits using photolithographic techniques and with a highly adaptable physical structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Printed circuits provide a quick, convenient and economical means of selectively interconnecting multiple circuit components which might include simple capacitors, inductors and resistors; active components ranging from simple diodes to complex integrated circuit chips; or even other printed circuits having components mounted thereon. As technology has advanced the need has arisen for printed circuits which may have more layers of more complex printed circuitry and which may have greater flexibility of physical structure while remaining economical.
One of the most common printed circuit arrangements is a phenolic resin, glass, metal or other substrate having conductive printed circuitry printed on one or both sides. However, such arrangements are limited in circuit density, require plated through holes for interconnection between sides and consume considerable surface area, thereby reducing the area available for desired conductive circuit patterns.
It is also known to form printed circuits on temporary substrates as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,692,190; 2,721,822; 2,724,674; and 3,181,986. However, the arrangements do not lend themselves to the high density, fine line resolution, multilayer printed circuits of the type taught herein. A multilayer printed circuit using a permanent dielectric substrate is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,498. However, this arrangement uses 70 mil thick circuit layers compared to circuit layers varying from 0.6 mil to several mils for the present invention and is not compatible with high resolution photolithographic techniques.

Method of manufacturing high density printed circuit


A protective package in an album format for a compact disc having a recording on one side thereof, the other side being unrecorded. The album is defined by interhinged rectangular front and rear cover panels of cardboard or other flexible material. Secured to the inner surface of the rear panel is a face panel having a circular opening die cut therein which is backed by the rear panel to create a well in which the compact disc is nested, with its recorded side lying against the rear panel, the unrecorded side being flush with the exposed surface of the face panel. When the front cover panel is folded over to close the album, the compact disc is then surrounded by the face panel and is sandwiched between the front and rear cover panel and is thereby fully protected. To remove the compact disc from the album, the front cover panel is unfolded and the rear cover panel is flexed to pop out the disc.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to packages for compact disc audio or video recordings and in particular to a compact disc package in an album format which serves to protectively store the disc.
2. Status of Prior Art
Digital techniques are now widely used to make sound and video recordings. Thus when recording music or speech, the analog signal output of the microphone amplifier is sampled and converted into a stream of digital bits that are recorded on magnetic tape and then transferred from the tape to a rotating master disc. The recording on the master disc is in the form of microscopic indentations in a spiral track on one surface of the disc. The master disc is used to create stampers for pressing vinyl records, called compact discs or CD's.
The player for a CD record uses a laser beam optical pick-up and makes no physical contact with the disc. A similar technique is used to make digital video recordings, the resultant video compact discs being referred to as VCD's. As used herein, the term "compact disc" encompasses both CD's and VCD's.
Compact discs are conventionally packaged in a so-called "jewel box" which consists of a rectangular casing having a hinged lid, the casing being molded of transparent, synthetic plastic material. The casing accommodates a plastic cassette in which the compact disc is held in place within the casing.
A conventional jewel box package, because of its relatively complex nature, is expensive to make and assemble. Moreover, the depth of the box for a compact disc is substantially greater than the thickness of the disc itself. This presents a problem; for in a typical retail establishment, shelf and counter space are at a premium, and the dimensions of a conventional jewel box compact disc package impose limits on the number of packages that can be kept in stock. This limitation also exists in home record libraries containing a multitude of compact discs.
Long-playing phonograph records whose diameter is much greater than that of a compact disc are often stored in an album. The album is provided with interhinged front and rear covers having paper sleeves bound between the covers into which the records are inserted. An album of this type is not only expensive to manufacture, but because of the sleeves they are somewhat difficult to load and unload, for each large diameter record must be inserted into a rectangular sleeve or removed therefrom. Since the sleeves are of paper, with continued use they tend to fray and tear.
In the package disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 821,062 for a compact disc having impressed on one side thereof a sound or video recording (CD or VCD), the disc is nested in a circular well formed in a rectangular card having a backing sheet adhered thereto.
Printed on the printable unrecorded surface on the other side of the disc and in the region of the card surrounding this surface is a picture of a character who is related to the subject matter of the recording so that a portion of this picture appears on the printable surface of the disc, and the remainder on the card. Printed on the inner surface of the backing sheet in the region thereof encircled by the well is the same portion of the picture.
Hence when the compact disc is removed from the well in the card, one still sees the entire picture. The disc-loaded card is inserted in a transparent plastic sleeve having matching dimensions to provide a card-like package. To play the disc in an optical player, the card is removed from the sleeve and the disc withdrawn from the card.
A compact disc is often roughly handled, in the course of which it may be subjected to shocks as well as being exposed to contaminants. Unless a disc is protectively packaged, its quality may be impaired. While the conventional jewel box package for a compact disc affords adequate protection, it is not only expensive but, as noted previously, its space requirements create storage and shipping problems. Also it is bothersome to a user to remove a CD from a jewel box and to return it to the box after the CD is played. This is why CDs are often just piled up on a shelf or scattered rather than stored in jewel boxes in an organized library.
Another drawback of a conventional, transparent, plastic jewel box for a compact disc, is that data identifying the performers and the pieces recorded on the disc is printed on a small folder which is contained within the box and must be removed therefrom to be read. In the course of use, this folder is often misplaced


A bipolar transistor is shown having a collector of one conductivity type, a base of an opposite conductivity type, and an emitter of the one conductivity type, which are formed in a semiconductor substrate. A major surface portion of the substrate is doped with an impurity of the one conductivity type to form a buried layer of the one conductivity type. An epitaxial layer is grown on an entire surface of a major surface portion of the substrate. A diffusion region of the opposite conductivity type is formed in an emitter formation region on a major surface portion of the substrate with the diffusion region serving as an intrinsic base region. An insulating interlayer is formed on the major surface portion of the substrate and covers the intrinsic base region. Portions of the insulating interlayer define an emitter electrode layer contact hole that reaches the diffusion region at an emitter region. Portions of the epitaxial layer define a collector groove that extends below the major surface portion of the substrate and is deeper than at least half of the width of the epitaxial layer. An impurity of the one conductivity type is diffused into the epitaxial layer at the bottom of the collector groove and into the diffusion region at the emitter region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to a bipolar transistor and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a bipolar transistor according to the first prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a p-type semiconductor substrate; 2, an n-type buried layer; 3, a p-type buried layer 3; 4, an n-type epitaxial layer; 5, a p-type well; 6, a field oxide film; 7, a p-type diffusion region; 8, a p-type base connecting region; 9, an insulating interlayer; 10, an n-type collector diffusion region; 11, an emitter electrode layer; 12, an n-type emitter region; 13, an insulating interlayer; 14, an insulating interlayer; 17b, a base wiring layer; 17c, a collector wiring layer; 17e, an emitter wiring layer; 101, an emitter electrode layer contact hole; 102b, a base contact hole; 102c, a collector contact hole; 102e, an emitter contact hole; and 201, an oxide film.
The bipolar transistor is arranged on the major surface of the p-type semiconductor substrate 1 and isolated from other elements by the p-type buried layer 3 and the p-type well 5. This bipolar transistor is constituted by an npn transistor having a vertical structure obtained by sequentially, vertically arranging the active regions of an n-type collector region, a p-type base region, and an n-type emitter region upward from the major surface of the p-type semiconductor substrate 1.
The n-type collector region is constituted by the n-type collector diffusion region 10, the n-type epitaxial layer 4, and the n-type buried layer 2. The p-type base region is constituted by the p-type diffusion region 7 serving as an intrinsic base region and the p-type base connecting region 8 externally connecting to a base. The n-type emitter region 12 is formed by diffusing an n-type impurity to the major surface portion of the p-type diffusion region 7 serving as the intrinsic base region. The emitter electrode layer contact hole 101 is formed by removing the insulating interlayer 9 on the n-type emitter region 12, and the emitter electrode layer 11 is formed in the emitter electrode layer contact hole 101. The emitter electrode layer 11 is constituted by, e.g., a polysilicon layer, and an n-type impurity is doped in the emitter electrode layer 11.
The base contact hole 102b is formed by removing the oxide film 201 and the insulating interlayers 9, 13, and 14 on the p-type base connecting region 8, and the base wiring layer 17b is formed in the base contact hole 102b. The emitter contact hole 102e is formed by removing the insulating interlayers 13 and 14 on the emitter electrode layer 11, and the emitter wiring layer 17e is formed in the emitter contact hole 102e. In addition, the collector contact hole 102c is formed by removing the oxide film 201 and the insulating interlayers 9, 13, and 14 on the n-type collector diffusion region 10, and the collector wiring layer 17c is formed in the collector contact hole 102c. The base wiring layer 17b, the emitter wiring layer 17e, and the collector wiring layer 17c consist of, e.g., an aluminum alloy.
The steps of manufacturing the bipolar transistor shown in FIG. 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
As shown in FIG. 2, an n-type impurity is doped in the bipolar transistor formation region of the major surface portion of the p-type semiconductor substrate 1, and a p-type impurity is doped in the isolation region of the major surface portion of the p-type semiconductor substrate 1. The n-type epitaxial layer 4 is grown on the entire surface on the major surface of the p-type semiconductor substrate 1. In the same process as this growth process, the n-type buried layer 2 is formed by the n-type impurity doped in the bipolar transistor formation region of the major surface portion of the p-type semiconductor substrate 1, and the p-type buried layer 3 is formed by the p-type impurity doped in the isolation region of the major surface portion of the p-type semiconductor substrate 1.
A p-type impurity such as boron is doped in a portion of the n-type epitaxial layer 4 on the p-type buried layer by ion implantation or the like to form the p-type well 5. The oxide film 201 is formed on the entire major surfaces of the n-type epitaxial layer 4 and the p-type well 5, and a nitride film 202 is formed on the entire surface of the oxide film 201. The nitride film 202 is selectively left in the base, collector, emitter formation regions of the bipolar transistor by a photolithographic technique.
FIG. 3 shows the step following the step in FIG. 2.
Subsequently, the major surface of the n-type epitaxial layer 4 is thermally oxidized using the nitride film 202 as an anti-oxidant mask to form the field oxide film 6. Thereafter, the nitride film 202 is removed.
Phosphorus is ion-implanted in the resultant structure at an acceleration energy of 70 keV and a dose of 1.times.10.sup.16 cm.sup.-2 using, e.g., a photoresist film as a mask to dope an n-type impurity in the collector formation region of the bipolar transistor in the n-type epitaxial layer 4, thereby forming the n-type collector diffusion region 10 for extracting a collector potential. Thereafter, the resultant structure is annealed in a nitrogen atmosphere at 950.degree. C. for 30 minutes to activate the n-type collector diffusion region 10 and to diffuse the n-type impurity to cause the n-type collector diffusion region 10 to reach the n-type buried layer 2.
FIG. 4 shows the step following the step shown in FIG. 3.
Subsequently, boron is ion-implanted in the resultant structure at an acceleration energy of 20 keV and a dose of 5.times.10.sup.13 cm.sup.-2 using, e.g., a photoresist as a mask to dope a p-type impurity in the emitter formation region of the bipolar transistor in the n-type epitaxial layer 4, thereby forming the p-type diffusion region 7 serving as an intrinsic base region. This p-type diffusion region 7 is formed to have a junction depth of, e.g., about 150 to 200 nm.
Next, BF.sub.2 is ion-implanted in the resultant structure at an acceleration energy of 70 keV and a dose of 5.times.10.sup.15 cm.sup.-2 using, e.g., a photoresist as a mask to dope a p-type impurity in the base formation region of the bipolar transistor in the n-type epitaxial layer 4, thereby forming the p-type base connecting region 8. The resultant structure is annealed at 900.degree. C. for 20 minutes to recover damage occurring in the above ion implantation and activate the doped p-type impurity.
FIG. 5 shows the step following the step shown in FIG. 4.
Subsequently, the insulating interlayer 9 is formed on the entire surfaces of the oxide film 201 and the field oxide film 6. This insulating interlayer 9 is constituted by an oxide film deposited by, e.g., a CVD method. The insulating interlayer 9 and the oxide film 201 in the emitter formation region of the bipolar transistor are etched by a photolithographic technique to form the emitter electrode layer contact hole 101. This etching is performed by anisotropic etching such as RIE.
A polysilicon film having a thickness of about 200 nm is deposited on the insulating interlayer 9 and in the emitter electrode layer contact hole 101 by, e.g., a CVD method. The deposited polysilicon film is patterned using a photolithographic technique, and the remaining polysilicon film is used as the emitter electrode layer 11.
Next, for example, arsenic is ion-implanted in the resultant structure at an acceleration energy of 70 keV and a dose of 1.times.10.sup.16 cm.sup.-2 to dope an n-type impurity in the emitter electrode layer 11. Thereafter, the resultant structure is annealed in, e.g., a nitrogen atmosphere at 900.degree. C. for 20 minutes to diffuse the n-type impurity doped in the emitter electrode layer 11 to the major surface portion of the p-type diffusion region 7, thereby forming the n-type emitter region 12.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1, the insulating interlayers 13 and 14 are formed on the entire surfaces of the insulating interlayer 9 and the emitter electrode layer 11. The insulating interlayers 13 and 14 are formed as a film having a two-layered structure obtained by sequentially stacking, e.g., an oxide film and a BPSG (borophosphosilicate glass) film.
In the base formation region of the bipolar transistor, the insulating interlayer 14, the insulating interlayer 13, the insulating interlayer 9, and the oxide film 201 are etched using a photolithographic technique to form the base contact hole 102b. In the emitter formation region of the bipolar transistor, the insulating interlayer 14 and the insulating interlayer 13 are etched using a photolithographic technique to form the emitter contact hole 102e. In addition, in the collector formation region of the bipolar transistor, the insulating interlayer 14, the insulating interlayer 13, the insulating interlayer 9, and the insulating interlayer 201 are etched using a photolithographic technique to form a collector contact hole 102c.
An aluminum alloy is deposited in the base contact hole 102b, the emitter contact hole 102e, and the collector contact hole 102c by, e.g., a sputtering method to form the base wiring layer 17b, the emitter wiring layer 17e, and the collector wiring layer 17c.
The collector electrode of the bipolar transistor obtained by the manufacturing method of the first prior art described above can be set to be 100 .OMEGA. or less because the n-type collector diffusion region 10 for extracting a collector potential is formed.
In addition, as a method of positively decreasing a collector resistance, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. Hei 3-49256 and Hei 4-269835, methods of forming a groove in the collector formation region of a bipolar transistor and burying the groove with a polysilicon film are proposed.
The semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 3-49256 is a BiCMOS device, having a bipolar transistor and a CMOS mounted on the same chip, in which the collector resistance of the bipolar transistor is reduced while the BiCMOS device is kept small in size. As the second prior art, this device will be described below.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 3-49256 as the second embodiment and the steps in manufacturing the semiconductor device.
Referring to FIG. 6, reference numeral 91 denotes a p-type silicon substrate; 92a and 92b, n-type impurity diffusion layers; 93, a p-type epitaxial layer; 94, an n-type well; 95, a gate electrode of a CMOS portion; 96, a source/drain of the p-channel transistor of the CMOS portion; 97, a source/drain of the n-channel transistor of the CMOS portion; 98, the emitter portion of a bipolar transistor; 99, the base portion of the bipolar transistor; 910, the collector portion of the bipolar transistor; 915, an insulating interlayer; 921, a collector groove; and 922, an n-type impurity diffusion layer.
FIG. 7 shows the step following the step shown in FIG. 6.
The same reference numerals as in FIG. 6 denote the same parts in FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 7, reference numeral 911 denotes a polysilicon layer.
FIG. 8 shows the step following the step shown in FIG. 7.
The same reference numerals as in FIG. 6 denote the same parts in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, reference numerals 96a, 97a, 98a, 99a, and 910a denote contact holes, respectively.
A method of manufacturing the semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 3-49256 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8.
As shown in FIG. 6, the collector groove 921 reaching the n-type impurity diffusion layer 92a is formed in the collector portion 910 of the bipolar transistor by the well-known photoetching method, an n-type impurity (e.g., phosphorus) is diffused to the side surface portion and bottom surface portion of the collector groove 921 by a thermal diffusion method to form the n-type impurity diffusion layer 922. Thereafter, the resultant structure is annealed at a temperature of 900.degree. to 1,000.degree. C. to anneal the insulating interlayer 915 consisting of PSG (phosphosilicate glass) and activate the n-type impurity diffusion layer 922.
As shown in FIG. 7, polysilicon is deposited by a CVD method to form the polysilicon layer 911. As shown in FIG. 8, the entire surface of the polysilicon layer 911 is etched to leave only the polysilicon layer 911 deposited in the collector groove 921 and to form the CMOS contact holes 96a and 97a and the emitter and base contact holes 98a and 99a of the bipolar transistor.
In the second prior art, according to the above manufacturing method, the collector portion 910 of the bipolar transistor is constituted by the collector groove 921 extending from the surface of the n-type epitaxial layer 94 to the n-type impurity diffusion layer 92a, the n-type impurity diffusion layer 922 formed along the side and bottom surface portions of the collector groove 921, and the polysilicon layer 911 buried in the collector groove 921.
As described above, according to the first prior art, the collector resistance of the bipolar transistor can be generally set to be 100 .OMEGA. or less because the n-type collector diffusion region 10 for extracting a collector potential is formed. However, as is apparent from the above manufacturing steps, the step of forming a photomask, and the step of implanting ions are required to form the n-type collector diffusion region 10. Therefore, in order to reduce the number of steps in manufacturing a bipolar transistor, as shown in FIG. 9, the step of forming the n-type collector diffusion region 10 is omitted, and the collector structure having no n-type collector diffusion region 10 is formed. In this case, however, the collector resistance becomes 100 .OMEGA. or more to be easily saturated, or other transistor characteristics are degraded. Reference numerals as in FIG. 1 denote the same parts in FIG. 9.
In the second prior art described above, the step of forming a photomask for forming the collector groove 921, the step of burying the polysilicon layer 911 in the collector groove 921, and the like are required, thereby increasing the number of manufacturing steps. In addition, since the step of forming the contact hole (collector groove) 921 in the collector portion 910 and the step of respectively forming the contact hole 98a and the contact hole 99a in the emitter and base portions must be performed as separate steps, the number of manufacturing steps cannot be reduced.

Bipolar transistor having a collector groove extending below a major surface of a substrate