A clothes hanger constructed of plastic has an integral identification compartment formed by a tag frame. A hook section adapted to support the hanger in use is connected to one side of the tag frame. A pair of arms for supporting clothing are also integrally connected to the tag frame, each arm extending from the frame at an equal distance from where the hook section is connected. The outer ends of the arms are connected by a cross-member. A cover, connected by an integral hinge to the tag frame, has a series of peripheral projections each fitting into a slot on one side of the tag frame to hold the cover against that side of the frame. An identification tag is positionable between the tag frame and the cover such that information on the tag is visible in the window of the frame. The hanger may be utilized by an individual wishing to more easily identify his/her clothing, or by an institution wishing to reduce the number of hangers removed from its premises.

The clothes hanger of this invention has application to situations in which hangers need to be identified with a particular individual or institution. For instance, it is helpful for small children to have hangers that are easily differentiated from those of other small children in school surroundings. It would be an advantage to a hotel or similar institution to have its hangers carry identification to reduce removal by patrons. Although some institutions have identification tags on their hangers already, those tags often take the form of a permanent embossed symbol that is not easily modified; in contrast, the hanger of this invention allow easy and rapid modification of an identification tag carried on it.
The hanger of this invention has the further advantage that it allows an identification tag to be prominently displayed intermediate of a hook section used for mounting the hanger and the hanger's clothing support surfaces. As such the identification tag remains visible when the hanger is in use. A further advantage of the hanger of the invention is that the portion adapted to carry the identification tag contributes to the attractiveness of the hanger even if no identification tag is mounted.

Clothes hanger with identification compartment


In an integrated circuit device including a bipolar transistor, MOSFET, and protective diode for the MOSFET, all formed over a semiconductor substrate, the protective diode for holding an adequate electrostatic breakdown voltage for a gate oxide layer of the MOSFET is provided by forming a second conductivity type buried area continuous with, and in contact with, a second conductivity type region at a boundary between the first conductivity type semiconductor substrate and a first conductivity type second semiconductor layer. By doing so, a substantive junction depth Xj is made deeper as a whole with respect to the second conductivity type region. It is, therefore, possible to obtain a protective diode of adequate electrostatic breakdown-voltage characteristic which does not adversely affect the operation of the MOSFET even if a relatively thin semiconductor layer is employed. The resultant integrated circuit device equipped with the aforementioned protective diode can reveal an improved high frequency characteristic.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an integrated circuit (IC) device and, in particular, to an IC device of a BiMOS structure having a protective diode. Further, this invention is applied to an analog linear circuit operating at a VHF and UHF band in a high frequency region of 100 MHz to 800 MHz.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 2 shows one form of circuit diagram showing a conventional IC device. The IC device includes a mixer as its portion. As evident from FIG. 2, a bipolar transistor and MOSFET for an MIS device are employed in the mixer. The emitter of the bipolar transistor is connected to the drain of a MOSFET (MOS field-effect transistor). In the device using such a bipolar transistor and MOSFET, a protective diode is usually connected between the source and the gate of the MOSFET so as to prevent a breakage of the MOSFET caused by an abnormal voltage applied to that gate.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional semiconductor circuit device of a structure shown in FIG. 2. As evident from FIG. 1, a bipolar transistor and MOSFET are formed in and on a common semiconductor substrate. A first conductivity type epitaxial layer, that is, a second semiconductor layer 2 is deposited on the surface of a first conductivity type silicon semiconductor layer 1 that is, a semiconductor substrate and has an impurity concentration higher than that of the silicon semiconductor layer 1. Various parts are formed in and on the second semiconductor layer 2 to provide an IC (integrated circuit) device. The reason why the first semiconductor layer 1 is so formed as to have a lower impurity concentration than that of the first conductivity type second semiconductor layer 2 is that it is possible to reduce a capacitance between the collectors of bipolar transistors.
The semiconductor circuit device will be explained below in more detail. A buried area 3 is formed, by an ordinary method, at a predetermined place at a boundary between the first semiconductor layer 1 and a second semiconductor layer 2 and is of a second conductivity type having a high impurity concentration. That is, the N.sup.+ buried area 3 as set out above is completed by ion-implanting or diffusing Sb, a material exhibiting a second conductivity type, in the first semiconductor layer 1 at a predetermined place, depositing the second semiconductor layer 2 on the first semiconductor layer 1 and heat-treating the resultant structure to allow the Sb ion to be diffused in the first and second semiconductor layers at a predetermined place. A second conductivity type impurity is ion-implanted or diffused in the second semiconductor layer 2 at a location corresponding to the buried area 3 to provide a collector region 4 of a bipolar transistor and second conductivity type collector connection areas 5, 5 of low resistance.
A first conductivity type (P type) base region 6 is formed in a portion of the second conductivity type collector region 4 and a second conductivity type (N type) emitter region 8 is formed in the surface portion of the base region 6. It is to be noted that the second conductivity type emitter region 8 can be formed through the diffusion of impurities coming from an doped polycrystalline silicon layer 10 doped necessary impurities. A first conductivity type base connection area 7 of high impurity (P.sup.+) concentration is formed so as to lower an ohmic contact resistance and hence a base resistance. A molybdenum silicide layer 11 is provided on the doped polycrystalline silicon layer 10 and an Al electrode metal 20 is formed on the molybdenum silicide layer 11. The molybdenum silicide layer 11 permits ready connection to be made between the overlying Al electrode metal 20 and the doped polycrystalline silicon layer 10, enabling a connection resistance to be decreased and preventing a punch-through of aluminum. This type of bipolar transistor is well known in the art.
A MOSFET is formed adjacent the aforementioned bipolar transistor and a protective diode is monolithically formed adjacent the MOSFET. An isolation layer, that is, an LOCOS (local oxidation of silicon) layer 12 is provided between these devices.
A brief explanation of the aforementioned MOSFET being the same type as that of the known ones, will be given below.
Second conductivity type source and drain regions 14 and 15 are formed in the surface portions of the first conductivity type second semiconductor layer 2. A gate oxide layer 13 is formed on the surface of the second semiconductor layer 2 at an area corresponding to a channel region. A gate electrode 19 is provided on the gate oxide layer 13 and formed of a double layer comprised of a polycrystalline silicon layer 10 and molybdenum/silicide layer 11. A protective diode for preventing an electrostatic discharge damage of the gate oxide layer 13 for the MOSFET is constructed of second and third regions 17 and 18 of first conductivity type (P type) formed in a second conductivity type (N type) first region 16 and having a high impurity concentration, the first region 16 being formed on the surface portion of the first conductivity type second semiconductor layer 2.
Since the P.sup.+ type second region 17 and third regions 18 are provided in the N type first region to provide two diodes, these diodes are connected, cathode-to-cathode, in a series array. The second region 17 and third regions 18 are connected to the gate electrode 19 and source layer 14 in the MOSFET, respectively, as shown in FIG. 2, noting that this connection is not shown in FIG. 1. In this way, these two diodes are connected in parallel with a gate-to-source circuit of the MOSFET as shown in FIG. 2.
In order for the protective diode to exert no adverse effect on the operation of the MOSFET and to have an adequate protection capability for electrostatic discharge damage, the following characteristics are required for the protective diode:
(1) In order for the protective diode to exert no adverse effect on the normal operation of the MOSFET, the protective diode does not breakdown within a range of an input signal and has low leakage current.
(2) In order to prevent the damage of the MOSFET, the protective diode can breakdown with a smaller voltage than the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide layer.
That is, a breakdown voltage V.sub.R of the protective diode needs to satisfy the following condition EQU V.sub.i <V.sub.R <V.sub.P
where V.sub.i and V.sub.p represent the maximum value of an input signal and electrostatic breakdown voltage of the gate oxide layer, respectively. This is indicated in a graph shown in FIG. 5.
In order to satisfy the aforementioned condition, it is necessary to optimize the impurity concentration of the second conductivity type first region 1 and the depth X.sub.j of diffusion. It is, therefore, necessary that, in order to satisfy the condition (1), the diffusion depth X.sub.j be made considerably great to an extent exceeding 3 .mu.m. Since the second conductivity type first region 16 is formed through the ion implantation and diffusion process of the N type impurity, in order to set the diffusion depth X.sub.j to a level exceeding 3 .mu.m, heat treatment has to be performed at a high temperature for a prolonged period of time, for example, at a temperature of 1200.degree. C. for two hours. Since, with the thickness of the second conductivity type second semiconductor layer 2 conventionally set to be normally about 6 .mu.m, heat treatment of 2 to 3 hours was needed at a high temperature necessary to the ion implantation and diffusion processes for the formation of the collector region 4, even if the heat treatment was performed at a high temperature for a prolonged period of time in the formation of the second conductivity type first region 16 in the diode, no adverse effect has not been exerted on the characteristics of the bipolar transistors.
In the integrated circuit formed by the aforementioned method, it is possible to obtain a bipolar transistor whose gain band/width product f.sub.T is 2 to 4 GHz. It is important that, in order to improve the characteristic of the high frequency wave in the IC device, the bipolar transistor must be improved in terms of its characteristics. It is thus necessary, in the IC device shown in FIG. 2, to decrease the parasitic capacitance between the semiconductor structure and the collector region. It is also necessary to decrease the thickness of the first conductivity type second semiconductor layer. For the formation of a transistor of f.sub.T =7 to 10 GHz, the allowable thickness of the second semiconductor layer is of the order of 2 .mu.m.
With the second semiconductor layer smaller in thickness, for example, of the order of 2 .mu.m, the heat treatment for forming the collector region is conducted at a diffusion temperature of 1100.degree. C. for about 4 hours and, if this treatment exceeds that temperature, an impurity is thermally diffused from the second conductivity type buried area into the collector region and thus the impurity concentration of the collector region is increased, causing a fall in breakdown voltage and f.sub.T of the bipolar transistor. Since the second conductivity type first region of the diode is formed together with the collector region, the depth of a junction, X.sub.j, becomes about 1.2 .mu.m. Thus the breakdown voltage of the protective diode drops markedly down to 4 to 6 V, adversely affecting the normal operation of the MOSFET.


Vertical field-effect transistors are fabricated while controlling gate length by causing enhanced oxidation of silicon germanium regions on parallel semiconductor fin channel regions. Oxidation of the silicon germanium region is accompanied by volume expansion and condensation. Shared or non-shared gate structures are formed on the sidewalls of the semiconductor fin channel regions. A dielectric liner may be incorporated with self-aligned oxide regions to form a composite spacer for providing electrical isolation of the top source/drain regions.

The present invention relates generally to the electrical, electronic and computer arts and, more particularly, to vertical transistor structures.
Metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) include gate electrodes that are electrically insulated from operatively associated semiconductor channels by thin layers of dielectric material. MOSFETs having n-doped source and drain regions employ electrons as the primary current carriers while those having p-doped source and drain regions use holes as primary current carriers. Vertical field-effect transistors (VFETs) have configurations wherein the current between the drain and source regions is substantially normal to the surface of the die. A vertical field-effect transistor may, for example, include a semiconductor pillar or fin having top and bottom regions comprising source/drain regions, the portion of the pillar between the source/drain regions defining a channel region. Vertical field-effect transistors (VFETs) are characterized by doped, possibly vertical channel regions, p-n junctions on one or more sides of the channels, and ohmic contacts forming the source and drain regions.
Vertical FETs (VFETs) are a promising alternative to standard lateral FET structures due to potential benefits, among others, in terms of reduced circuit footprint. VFETs can potentially provide electronic devices comprising logic circuits with improved circuit density. Such logic circuits can be characterized by a lower-number CPP (cell gate pitch) versus comparable logic circuits comprising lateral FET layouts. Minimum wiring pitch can also be relevant for realizing denser vertical FET layouts.
Sidewall image transfer (SIT) is a widely used technique for tight semiconductor fin patterning, for example arrays of silicon fins with a pitch of 18-28 nm. Optical lithography (OPL) patterning can result in "fin pitch walking." Pitch walking refers to the presence of different periodicities in an array due to the lithographic process employed in forming the array. Fin pitch walking and iso-dense bias may lead to variable metal gate recess depth which may in turn lead to variable gate length and variable device performance.

Vertical field-effect transistors including uniform gate lengths

International Business Machines Corporation


A switching power source apparatus of a ringing choke converter system according to the present invention includes an amplifier for outputting a voltatge to be decreased with an increase in output voltage from a switching power source apparatus, an oscillator for generating a sawtooth wave voltage, a comparator for comparing the sawtooth wave voltage output from the oscillator with the detection output voltage from the amplifier, a first control transistor for controlling the oscillator, and a second control transistor for controlling the switching transistor. When the sawtooth wave voltage is lower than the detection output voltage, the first control transistor is turned on, and the oscillator is subsequently turned on. When the sawtooth wave voltage is higher than the detection output voltage, the second control transistor is turned on, and the switching transistor is subsequently turned on. As a result, the switching frequency is set constant by decreasing the duty ratio in the small load period.

The present invention relates to a system for controlling a switching frequency in a switching power source apparatus of a ringing choke converter system.
Generally, a switching power source apparatus of a ringing choke converter system includes a switching transistor. Self-excitation is caused by repeatedly turning on and off this transistor. Upon self-excitation, a current having a sawtooth wave is generated at the output of the switching transistor. The current is smoothed by a capacitor, and continuously supplied to a load as a DC current. In this case, when the switching frequency of the switching transistor is kept constant, an output voltage varies depending on the magnitude of a load to be connected. More specifically, when the load is small, the output voltage from the power source apparatus becomes higher than a reference voltage, whereas when it is large, the output voltage becomes lower than the reference voltage. For this reason, the switching transistor is controlled such that when the load is small, the switching frequency is kept high, and when it is large, the switching frequency is kept low.
In conventional systems, the frequency can be controlled to be set at a low level. However, problems have been posed in control for setting the frequency at a high level. More specifically, since the maximum frequency is solely determined by the characteristics of a switching transistor, control for setting the output voltage from the power source to be constant by increasing the switching frequency of the switching transistor is greatly limited. For this reason, in the conventional systems, a dummy resistor is connected in parallel to the output terminal of the power source apparatus so as to increase the magnitude of the load Output dummy resistor loss P is represented by the following equation. EQU Output dummy resistor loss P =(Vi.sup.2 .times.Ton.sup.2)/(2.times.L.times.T) (1)
where
Vi: input voltage PA0 L: primary inductance of transformer PA0 T: switching frequency PA0 Ton: minimum ON time of switching transistor
In the conventional systems, the ratio of the ON time to the OFF time (duty ratio) of a transistor is 1:1. Therefore, as is apparent from equation (1), if frequency T is raised, output dummy resistor loss P is increased, resulting in a decrease in output voltage. When the output energy is, e.g., 5 W, a 2.5-W resistor is used as such an output dummy resistor. As a result, efficiency of the power source is degraded. In addition, a cooling fan is required because heat is generated due to the dummy resistor loss.

Switching power source apparatus of ringing choke converter system


An information display device (100) is provided, which includes a distance setting module (20) configured to set a distance, a closest approach position estimating module (32) configured to estimate a closest approach position (Psa, Psb) of a first ship (S) and a closest approach position (Pa, Pb) of a second ship (Ea, Eb) at a time point when the first and second ships (S, Ea, Eb) approach each other the closest, based on navigational information of the ships (S, Ea, Eb), and a display controlling module (35) configured to cause a display screen to display the estimated closest approach position (Pa, Pb) of the second ship (Ea, Eb), a risk area (Aa, Ab), and current positions of the ships (S, Ea, Eb), the risk area (Aa, Ab) formed into a circle based on the set distance, centering on the estimated closest approach position (Psa, Psb) of the first ship (S).

Conventionally, ship navigation assisting devices are known, which track ships based on information from a radar, obtain and display vectors of movements of the ships, and obtain a collision risk between one of the ships and a target ship (second ship) and a collision risk range. JP2012-021947A, JP1976-032475A and JP2786809B disclose such type of devices.
The navigation assisting device of JP2012-021947A causes an operation unit to calculate Closest Point of Approach (CPA) and Time to CPA (TCPA) at each given location on an estimated course, by using a detected target object image obtained by a radar antenna part, first-ship information, second-ship information, and estimated course information. The navigation assisting device further determines based on a result of the calculation (based on an estimated collision position) whether an alarm is required, and causes a display unit to display a risk symbol according to a result of the determination.
The operation evaluating device of a movable body (particularly a ship) in JP1976-032475A displays relative positions of an estimated path of the ship (first ship) to a collidable point with a target ship (second ship) and a collidable region centering on the collidable point, the collidable point being calculated based on coordinates and velocity component data of the target ship with respect to the first ship.
The ship navigation assisting device of JP2786809B obtains vertexes of a polygonally-shaped safety navigation area set around a first ship and a collision point with a target ship based on a relative position and a velocity vector of the target ship and a speed of the first ship, and calculates, as first-ship mapping positions, positions of the first ship when the respective vertexes correspond to the collision point. The ship navigation assisting device connects each other the first-ship mapping position for each calculated collision point by a line segment, displays the range defined by the line segment as a collision risk range, and superimposes the first-ship position and one of a velocity vector and a target ship position thereon.
However, with the configuration of JP2012-021947A, regarding the estimated collision position, a risk of colliding with the approaching second ship is notified to a helmsman simply by a change in color of a symbol of the first ship on a display screen or an audio alarm. In other words, on the display screen of JP2012-021947A, only the information indicating the risk of collision with a currently-scheduled course of the first ship is displayed. As a result, when the helmsman performs a course change steering operation (to avoid the risk), it is difficult for him/her to determine whether to change a ship speed or a heading, and, in the case of changing the heading, which direction to change it to. Further, there is also a case where a plurality of second ships are in the risk of colliding with the first ship, and it may be difficult to grasp an order of risk occurrence with among the second ships in terms of time. In such a situation, the steering operation becomes more difficult.
In this regard, in JP1976-032475A and JP2786809B, the area where there is a risk of the first ship colliding with the second ship if the first ship enters (i.e., the collidable region in JP1976-032475A and the collision risk range in JP2786809B) are displayed. Therefore, the helmsman can easily steer the ship to avoid the risk by referring to the area.
However, both the collidable region in JP1976-032475A and the collision risk range in JP2786809B are obtained based on a course of the target ship and displayed on the course of the target ship. As a result, when a plurality of target ships exist, since each target ship has a different course from the other, the helmsman easily receives a disorganized impression from the plurality of displayed collidable regions (collision risk ranges), and it is not easy to grasp a priority order for the helmsman to focus on among the collidable regions (collision risk ranges). Therefore, it is difficult to say that the helmsman can suitably and accurately steer the ship to avoid the risk by using either of the configurations of JP1976-032475A and JP2786809B.

Method and device for displaying information


Interrupts are prioritized such that selected interrupts use shadow registers to save the current state of the machine, whereas other interrupts use a software implemented interrupt service routine (ISR) to save and restore the current machine state. Hence, the number of nested interrupts that can be serviced will not be limited to the depth of register shadowing.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional data processing system comprises a CPU 12 which may be implemented by a microprocessor, a system memory 14 which usually is in the form of dynamic random access semiconductor memory, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) 16 which develops appropriate electrical signals for testing and controlling the various hardware devices within the system before control is assumed by the operating system during initialization. An input/output (I/O) controller 18 contains basic resources, such as interrupt controllers and DMA controllers which relieve the microprocessor from involvement in every task that is performed by the system. Other controllers, designated by block 20, develop signals necessary for operating peripherals such as hard disk and floppy drives, video monitor and keyboard.
Computers perform complicated tasks by segmenting any task into many smaller task and executing those tasks repetitively or sequentially, and at very high speed, under control of fixed programming called an operating system (example: DOS) which interacts with the computer components themselves, and application software (example: spreadsheet) which interacts with the user and is customized for each user application. The computer system, while executing these programs, responds both to signals developed internally and those developed from the outside to interrupt its normal execution and attend to special tasks.
In any real-time microprocessor based system, the ability to efficiently handle these interrupts in a timely manner has a considerable effect on the overall performance of the system. When activated, interrupts temporarily or permanently suspend the operation of the microprocessor and redirect operation to an interrupt routine. Such interrupt routines may represent software driven routines, such as a subroutine calling a special task, or may be driven by an external input (e.g., keyboard interrupt).
Interrupt servicing is conventionally carried out as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2. Assume that a command to print a document is received from the keyboard (step 20). The application software generates an interrupt signal demanding immediate attention by the operating system (step 22). The value of the interrupt tells the operating system what service is being requested.
The interrupt signal is intercepted by the I/O controller that in turn notifies the CPU that an interrupt has occurred and requires immediate attention. The CPU saves the memory address of the current operation, reads from a data register, onto a "stack" in the memory 14 (step 24), and then reads the memory address associated with the interrupt to find an address vector to a location describing how to carry out the function defined by the interrupt (26). In this example, a BIOS routine takes over, sending the appropriate characters stored elsewhere in the memory to the printer. Assuming the BIOS controlled print routine is performed successfully, the BIOS sends an interrupt return instruction to the CPU, directing it to retrieve from the top of the memory stack the address of the application software routine that was being executed when the interrupt request was received, and restore operation.
Occasionally, a condition known as a "nested interrupt" arises, when more than one interrupt service are to be carried in sequence. This can result from interrupt service routines that require the service of other interrupt routines to carry out the function specified, or from multiple interrupts arriving independently.
Inefficiency in handling interrupts arises from the fact that a significant amount of time is expended by the interrupt service routine in order to handle each incoming interrupt by saving and restoring the state of the machine. For example, it may take 60 to 70 CPU clock cycles to save the contents of all data registers, and an additional 60 to 70 clock cycles to restore the contents of the data registers and continue processing.
To better cope with this situation, so-called "shadow" registers have been employed to save the contents of corresponding data registers upon an interrupt call. In shadow register architecture, each data register is provided with a corresponding "shadow" register. When an interrupt is generated the contents of all data registers, such as register DR, are each simultaneously stored into the corresponding shadow register SHR, as shown in FIG. 3. This simultaneous transfer of data may be accomplished in as little as one clock cycle. The interrupt routine is then executed. When the interrupt routine is completed, processing is returned to the point where the interrupt routine is generated by transferring the contents of the shadow registers back to their corresponding data registers. This simultaneous transfer of data can take place in as little as one additional clock cycle.
The use of shadow registers eliminates the time problem associated with the ISR approach. However, if only one shadow register is provided for each data register within the microprocessor, interrupt routines cannot be nested. In other words, if an interrupt routine is generated during the execution of an existing interrupt routine, the original status of the data registers will be lost. The first interrupt routine will force the contents of the data registers to be stored into the corresponding shadow registers. The interrupt routine is then executed. If a second interrupt routine is executed during the first interrupt routine, the contents of the data registers, as determined by the first interrupt routine, will be transferred to the shadow registers. The data in the shadow registers will then be lost. Thus, when the first and second interrupt routines are completed, processing cannot be returned to the original point where the first interrupt routine was generated as the original status of the data registers has not been preserved.
In order to overcome this difficulty, several shadow registers have been used, as shown in FIG. 4. By providing 2, 3, or more shadow registers, e.g., SH1, SH1a, SH1b, etc., for each data register, e.g. D1, a number of nested interrupt routines may be executed without the loss of register data. As each set of nested interrupt routines is generated, the contents of each data register is transferred to a corresponding shadow register. As there are a number of corresponding shadow registers for each data register, the contents of each data register for each interrupt routine may be saved. These groups of data registers are configured as a stack (e.g., in a LIFO format) such that the contents of the data register at the generation of the previous interrupt routine is always at the top of the stack.
While such an approach provides fast storage of the contents of the data registers and allows the nesting of interrupt routines, a large amount of hardware is necessary to implement such a design. In particular, a number of shadow registers equals to the permissible number of nested interrupts must be provided for each data register, increasing the complexity and cost of the microprocessor. However, it is still possible to overflow the stack if more than the prescribed number of nested interrupts are generated. Hence, shadow registering of nested interrupts is not cost effective as well as imposes a randomness to the design of the CPU per application
The conventional approach accordingly has been to ignore use of shadow registers, implementing instead the ISR technique, to service nested interrupts. However, this method wastes processor resources that are already imbedded in the hardware.

Selective shadowing of registers for interrupt processing


An article of footwear can include an upper. The upper includes a knitted portion having yarns partially fused to adjacent yarns and filaments of the partially fused yarns that are partially fused to adjacent filaments. Methods for manufacturing an article of footwear including an upper having a partially fused knitted portions include applying heat with or without pressure to form the partially fused knitted portions.

Consumers desire articles of footwear that are durable, lightweight, and breathable. Durable articles of footwear function properly for an extended period of time. For example, durable articles of footwear can be both stretch and abrasive resistant. Lightweight articles of footwear minimize the weight carried by a user's feet, and breathable footwear can help wick sweat and heat away from an individual's foot. Both lightweight and breathability improve the articles of footwear's comfortability. But durable articles of footwear tend to be neither lightweight nor breathable. For example, durable articles of footwear can include a sole and an upper attached to the sole that is made of multiple materials (for example, leather or synthetic material) that add weight and decreases breathability of the article of footwear. Moreover, uppers made of multiple materials take longer to manufacture, increasing the manufacturing costs.

Articles of footwear and apparel having a partially fused fabric portion and methods of making the same


A thermoformer apparatus having a press driving upper and lower platens by respective pairs of servo motors, each pair driving four toggle linkages to stabilize the platen against the forming pressures. Linear bearings are provided on four corner posts for precision guiding of the platen motion.

This invention concerns thermoforming apparatus, and more particularly presses used in thermoforming parts from preheated plastic sheet material. Thermoforming is in wide spread use as a manufacturing method, and involves preheating of thin plastic sheet material in an oven and then advancing the same into a thermoforming press having a mold located between the press platens.
The plastic sheet is drawn against the mold surfaces during the forming operation carried out by the application of a vacuum or air pressure causing the sheet material to be drawn against the mold surfaces. Relatively large articles are often manufactured this way and considerable press loads are generated by the fluid pressure forces acting over large areas, which must be resisted by the press platens and their supporting structure.
The forces required also may be increased by the use of plug assist tools in which complementary tooling is carried by one of the platens and driven into the forming surfaces on the other tooling piece. The weight of the tooling supported by the platens thus can become considerable. A large servo motor has sometimes been used, the size of the motor in turn resulting in a relatively slow response time of the platen drive mechanism. The relatively thin wall thickness of the part makes accuracy in the forming process more critical.
Presses used in thermoforming typically involve a pair of columns supporting the platens in their up and down motion and plain bearings are used in the linkages used to drive the platens up and down and to guide the platens on the machine frame. This construction has limitations in that the deflections of the platens under heavy loading is not sufficient to prevent inaccuracies in the thin walled parts formed due to slight tilting and bending of the platens and the structure supporting the platens under the heavy press loads described. In addition, a single large servo motor has considerable inertia increasing the cycle time required. This construction also absorbs a significant portion of the motor power to overcome the frictional losses. Where the apparatus is taxed to its utmost capability, these losses become critical, and the press may not be able to execute the operation required.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoforming apparatus having an improved thermoforming press in which the stability and precision movement of the platens is substantially improved over the prior art thermoforming presses.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a press for use in thermoforming operations in which the frictional losses are significantly reduced.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a servo motor operated platen mechanism in which the response capability of the servo motor drive is improved over the prior art designs for heavier duty presses.

Thermoforming apparatus with improved press


Multi-purpose apparatus having a single power-driven disc-like element to effect chipping of branches and related debris fed into a disc-mounted blade/aperture configuration on one side of the disc with a vacuum/volume reduction structure having fan blades disposed on the other side of the disc cooperating with a cylindrical screen. The disc and screen are located within a housing having an air inlet for air moved by the fan blades whereby debris can be drawn in from the front end of an air passageway connected to the air inlet and discharged with the chips and debris through the screen out of a single outlet. The outlet is located at the top of a generally volute housing and the apparatus can be mounted on wheels for walk-behind operation with handlebars supporting a debris collection bag attached to the outlet end of the housing. A passageway conducts air into the housing to which attachments can be affixed.

The disposal of lawn and garden debris for a homeowner has become a problem primarily because many areas of the country are closing landfills and prohibiting the burning of refuse and debris, thereby complicating the disposal issue for the homeowner. Some communities have undertaken to collect leaves, grass clippings, branches, etc. in an effort to provide central disposal facilities but the cost of such central facilities and the cost of collection from the homeowner's property is becoming prohibitive. It is even expected that such debris as lawn clippings and leaves will not be collected because the centralized community facilities no longer can accept such debris. Over the years many devices have been created to deal with such debris problems leading to the development of vacuuming devices and pulverizing devices such as chippers and shredders. Combination devices which attempt to place on a single frame the apparatus necessary for turning limbs and branches into wood chips to be collected along with leaves, grass clippings, etc., have also been developed using a variety of structures.

Combination chipper/shredder and vacuum apparatus for lawns and gardens


In a well using a lift pump operated by a tension string from the surface, the down stroke of the pump is accelerated by providing a plunger element secured to the pump operating string. The plunger has an upper end exposed to the high hydrostatic pressure in the tubing string above the pump, and a lower end exposed to the substantially lower hydrostatic pressure in the well outside the tubing string. This produces a net downwards force on the pump operating string allowing a higher pump speed and a higher volume delivery.

Liquids are commonly drawn from wells using lift pumps. For example, in the case of oil it is common to use a reciprocating pump having a plunger reciprocating in a pump barrel. An inlet check valve admits oil into the barrel below the plunger on the upstroke and a second check valve allows the liquid to flow past the plunger into a tubing string leading to the surface. The plunger is pulled up on the upstroke by a tension element, which is usually a rod, but may be some other type of element, sometimes the tubing string itself. This lifts the column of liquid in the tubing string towards the surface, and draws additional liquid into the barrel through the inlet check valve. On the down stroke of the pump, the plunger descends by gravity and oil that is captured in the barrel passes through the second check valve to be lifted by the plunger in the next upstroke.
A major limitation on the delivery flow rate of a pumping system of this sort is the speed at which the plunger and tension element will descend on the down stroke. Down strokes of the tension element can be resisted by viscous drag forces of a significant magnitude. This resistance cannot be overcome by large axial compression forces on the tension element without unacceptable bending. Consequently, the plungers and rods descend slowly, against the resistance of the liquid to be pumped. This resistance can be quite high. With heavy oils, it becomes the limiting factor on the rate of delivery from any given well.
The present invention therefore aims at the provision of methods and apparatus for mitigating this problem.


A tape printer for use with a detachably loaded tape cassette including a thermal printing head secured to a frame, and a platen roller mounted together with a tape feed roller in a platen holder rotatably mounted on the frame. When the tape cassette is loaded in the tape printer, an image source tape in the cassette is biased by a spring member outwardly of a head insertion recess. In a subsequent printing operation preparation, the spring member is engaged with a spring pushing piece on the platen holder to release the biasing to the image source tape and permit contact thereof with the printing head.

This invention relates to a tape printer, which comprises a printing head and a platen disposed such that they face each other, and in which an image source tape such as an ink ribbon and an image receiving tape are driven through a printing area between the printing head and platen for printing in the printing area an image on the image receiving tape from the printing head via the image source tape by, for instance, a thermal printing process or a thermal transfer process, the resultant image receiving tape being used as a label or the like.
Tape printers of the type noted are disclosed in European patent applications No. 0267890 and No. 0272232. In these disclosed tape printers, a thermal ink ribbon as an image source tape and a single-sided adhesive tape as an image receiving tape are accommodated in a tape cassette, which is loaded for use in a tape printer frame. A separable sheet is applied to the adhesive surface of the single-sided adhesive tape, the non-adhesive surface of which serves as a printing surface. In the frame, a thermal printing head and a platen are disposed such that they face each other and are movable relative to each other between an operative position, at which the head is urged against the platen, and an inoperative position, at which the former is spaced apart from the latter. When the tape cassette is loaded in the frame, the printing head is advanced into a head accommodation recess formed in the cassette, whereby the image source tape and image receiving tape are found in an overlapped state between the printing head and platen. When a printing operation is started, the thermal printing head is moved in the recess from the inoperative position to the operative position, and with both the tapes urged against the platen, an image is transferred from the head to the image receiving tape via the image source tape. The transferred image is a positive image when viewed from the side of the printing surface of the image receiving tape.
After the printing the image receiving tape is fed out from a tape outlet of the frame. At this time, it is cut by a cutter to a desired length, and the cut tape is used for usual display or as a label.
In the above prior art tape printer structure, however, the thermal printing head itself is movable between the operative and inoperative positions. Therefore, the tape cassette recess, into which the head is advanced, should have a large depth to sufficiently cover the range of movement of the head. This poses problems in the design of compact tape cassettes and layout of tape accommodation sections in the cassette housing The tape printer, in which the tape cassette is loaded, thus is inevitably increased in size.
The tape cassette recess should be made sufficiently large for the following reason as well. In the printing area, the image source tape such as an ink ribbon is found close to the printing head. Therefore, if there is looseness or sagging in the tape when the tape cassette is loaded, the tape is liable to be caught by the head and be broken or result in failure of tape running. In addition, it is necessary to load the tape cassette carefully, which is rather cumbersome. At any rate, the inoperative position of the printing head can not be set to be very close to the image source tape, and a certain minimum gap has to be provided with respect to the image source tape. The recess, therefore, is inevitably large.
As a further problem in the prior art tape printer, at the start of the printing operation the printing head is mechanically moved via a link mechanism to the operative position to urge it against the platen, which is stationary. That is, the operative position of the printing head is substantially fixed although the platen surface has a buffering action due to elasticity. Therefore, fluctuations of the accuracy of components directly influence the urging force of the head at the operative position and vary the printing pressure to disable uniform printing.


A method and device for thin-film ablation of a substrate of a workpiece, more particularly, for surface layer ablation of a thin-film solar cell. The device comprises a laser resonator for generating a light pulse machining beam having pulse durations smaller than 100 ns and a pulse energy density between 0.1 and 10 J/cm2, and a controllable positioner for positioning the workpiece relative to the machining beam such that an amount of energy impinging the surface to be machined is substantially constant for each unit of surface area. The device further includes an optical system arranged in a path of the machining beam, including an optical fiber cable and an optical imaging member for imaging an output of the optical fiber cable on a surface of the workpiece, the optical system being configured such that, in a plane of the surface to be machined, the power distribution is substantially homogenous.

Foreign priority benefits are claimed under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119(a)-(d) or 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7365(b) of German application number 19915640.9, filed Apr. 7, 1999, German application number 19927529.7, filed Jun. 16, 1999, and German application number 19933703.9, filed Jul. 19, 1999.
The invention relates to a method and device for thin-film ablation of a substrate, for example, in this case for delamination of laminated ceramics or glasses. More particularly the invention is intended for surface layer ablation of a thin-film solar cell. In addition the invention relates to a method for encapsulating a thin-film solar module comprising a thin-film laminated substrate.
Conventional solar modules of crystalline silicon are based on wafer fabrication with subsequent electrical wiring, resulting in relatively small power units of approximately 1 W, silicon wafers then needing, as a rule, to be circuited into 50-100 W modules.
As an alternative to these conventional solar modules thin-film solar cells have become known on the basis of micrometer film thicknesses. The substantial elements of a thin-film solar cell are shown in FIG. 2 and consist of a p/n junction between the absorber layer and the window layer.
Unlike conventional silicon wafer wiring, thin-film cells can have integrated circuitry. Following the individual coating steps on the total surface area, the back electrode, the sandwiched cell, and the front electrode are sliced into longitudinal strips. Staggering these three slices relative to each other forms an electrical connection between cells adjoining the front and back electrode. Slicing may be done by scribing or laser slicing, permitting cost-effective fabrication of a standard solar module for 12 V applications on a size of approximately 0.5xc3x970.5 m2, for example.
The useful life of such a solar module is substantially dictated by how well the thin-film layers are protected from the weather and environment. Achieving a long life of 30 years and more requires the thin-film layers to withstand extreme exposure to sunlight, moisture and air pollutants. The requirements as to moisture stability and voltage strength can thus only be satisfied when the thin-film solar cell is sufficiently encapsulated and the current-carrying components are adequately insulated electrically. For this purpose the current-carrying components of a thin-film solar cell are encapsulated and laminated. Encapsulation is achieved by coating the substrate with the current-carrying film layers, delaminating the surface portion of the substrate, and then depositing a laminate on the complete film-layer. This results in laminate and substrate being surface bonded and resistant to corrosion, thus reliably protecting internal portions from moisture degradation.
To make this clear, FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a section through an encapsulated solar cell, showing how patterned film-layers 3 deposited on the substrate 4 are delaminated in the surface areas 5 and encapsulated by a laminate layer 2. Deposited over the laminate layer 2 is a layer of window glass 1.
One problem in such an encapsulating of a thin-film solar cell is in delaminating the thin-film surface layers. Conventional methods of delamination, such as for instance sandblasting or delamination by grinding, unavoidably also result in damage to the substrate surface and in the formation of microcracks therein. The great differences in temperature in a thin-film module once in operation and the resulting tensile stresses add to the risk of fracture and ultimately to the solar cell being damaged due to cracks forming in the surface. Accordingly, surface delamination needs to be undertaken with particular care in a surface usually a few millimeters to centimeters wide.
Chemical methods of ablation are known in principle for machining solar cells which, however, have the drawback of lengthy machining times and involve complicated steps in machining.
This is why removing the surface areas as described continues to be done by mechanical methods such as grinding or sandblasting since these methods permit precisely defining material ablation. In addition to the damage done to the substrate surface and the formation of microcracks as already described, these methods have the additional drawback that the workpiece as a rule needs to be subsequently chemically cleaned in an ultrasonic bath since the plume of the ablated film-layers soils the module undesirably.
It is known to produce the steps as described above for forming integrated circuits for a thin-film solar module by a laser beam for interconnecting the resulting individual strips in series.
Known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,550 is a method for machining thin-film layers with a laser, one special application cited being machining photoelectric film-layers generated by thin-film technology. The objective of the machining method is to notch the thin-film layers by directing the machining beam on the surface of each workpiece so that the power distribution applied at the time remains as homogenous as possible. This is achieved by using a rectangularly focused beam having a flat intensity distribution. In addition, the beam is controlled and steered such that the overlapping portions of the rectangularly focused beam results in an intensity distribution as uniform as possible. This method is said to permit notching to a precise and even depth for series circuiting solar cells.
The objective of all methods for series circuiting solar cells is to attain a track width as narrow as possible for minimum electric power degradation of the solar module, track widths of the order of 50 xcexcm being cited, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,550.
Supplementary thereto, optimum power densities are cited in Nakano, S., et al., xe2x80x9cLaser Patterning Method for Integrated Type a-Si Solar Cell Submodules, in: Jap. J. of Appl. Phys. Vol. 25, No. 12, 1986, pages 1936-1943 for laser beam machining of solar modules in obtaining series circuiting. In this case, power densities of the order of 1.106 W/cm2 are cited as being suitable for obtaining a track width of 50 xcexcm.
Since, as aforementioned, the delamination methods for series circuiting has the objective of attaining a minimum track width, they are unsuitable for surface delamination of solar modules, since for this application surface strips a few millimeters wide need to be delaminated. This is why the aforementioned mechanical methods are used, now as then, despite the aforementioned drawbacks, for surface delamination.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,135 discloses a device for cleaning the surfaces of solar cells and other means, it comprises a laser resonator for generating a light pulse machining beam having a pulse duration smaller than 100 ns and a pulse energy density in the range of 0.1 J/cm2 to 10J/cm2, an optical system for imaging the machining beam generated by the laser resonator on the surface to be cleaned over a surface area in the range of 1 mm2 to a few cm2 with a substantially homogenous power distribution, a first positioner for a predefined relative movement between the surface to be cleaned and the machining beam, and including a controller for signaling the first positioner such that each unit of surface area is beamed with a substantially constant amount of energy.
Japanese Patent No. 10 052 780A discloses a device for tin-film ablation of a thin-film solar cell comprising a laser resonator for generating a light pulse machining beam, an optical system comprising a lens and a pin-hole diaphragm for imaging the machining beam generated by the laser resonator on the surface to be machined over a surface area in the range of a 1 mm2 to cm2 with a substantially homogenous power distribution, a first positioner for a predefined relative movement between the workpiece and the machining beam, and including a controller for signaling the first positioner such that each unit of surface area is beamed with a substantially constant amount of energy.
The invention is based on the object of providing a device and a method for thin-film ablation of a solar cell permitting cost-effective ablation of strips up to a few millimeters wide without damaging the substrate located beneath the layer to be ablated.
The invention is based on having discovered that, contrary to applications known hitherto, laser ablation can also be put to use, surprisingly, for obtaining ablation widths in the millimeter range. As compared to methods for series circuiting solar cells, the machining surface area of the laser beam is expanded via a suitable optical system, to a range of approximately 1 mm2 up to 1 cm2 (i.e. several magnitudes higher). Surprisingly, results have shown that even when expanding the machining beam to this extent, relatively thin-film delamination of a substrate is still possible when light pulses of the machining beam are generated with pulse durations smaller than 100 ns and a pulse energy density in the range 0.1 J/cm2 to 10 J/cm2. It appears to have been assumed that in such an expansion of the machining beam the irradiated energy can no longer be sufficiently absorbed. The ablation process is also still lacking a full explanation for the tracks widths used in series circuiting. It seems that the light pulses generate, in the topmost micrometers of the thin-film, a plasma whose expansion causes a shock wave. The heated material is thus subjected to a high internal pressure so that plasma particles are ejected from the irradiated site. In this respect it could not be anticipated that in expanding the machining beam several magnitudes larger similar good effects can still be attained when the remaining surface parameters are selected in suitable ranges. In addition, the power distribution in the machining beam is configured to be substantially homogenous. Although a Gaussian power distribution can usually be assumed for the machining beam, the invention teaches that the optical system needs to be configured so that an homogenous power distribution results in broad ranges over the surface area being machined. Otherwise no satisfactory ablation results could be achieved in expanding the machining beam in accordance with the invention.
To attain the ablation results in accordance with the invention it has furthermore been found out in the invention that the machining beam needs to be moved relative to the workpiece so that each unit of surface area of the workpiece to be ablated receives a substantially constant amount of energy.
With the device in accordance with the invention it is now possible to cost-effectively encapsulate a thin-film solar module comprising a substrate coated with thin-film layers. In this arrangement, the substrate is accordingly first coated over the full surface area with thin-film layers of the order of a few xcexcm. Then, using the device in accordance with the invention, effective surface delamination of the substrate is done in a first step. In this arrangement, the first positioner is signaled such that the machining beam ablates from the substrate, slightly overlapping film strips in a reciprocating movement. As a rule, the cross-sectional width of the machining beam is still less than the width of the site to be actually ablated, so that signaling the first positioner in such a way also enables surface layers a few centimeters wide to be effectively ablated. In addition to a reciprocating movement of the machining beam, there is also the possibility of employing a quasi-rotative movement with which parallel, slightly overlapping film-layer strips can be ablated. Where a rectangular or square thin-film solar module is concerned, it is conceivable, for example, that the machining beam ablates in one cycle one film-layer strip at a time within the cross-sectional width of the machining beam. In this way, it is possible to delaminate larger areas without the first positioner needing to implement abrupt changes in speed.
Where the substrate in thin-film solar cells consists of a material transparent to the laser light of the machining beam, it has been discovered that delamination is possible not only at the film-layer side but also, to particular advantage, at the substrate side, consequently allowing the substrate to be delaminated with even more care. For this purpose, however, a special tooling table having suitable cutouts needs to be provided, to permit delamination of all desired sites.
For thin-film solar modules, partial delamination of patterned film-layers has been discovered to be a further application. The patterned film-layers usually consist of a front electrode, an absorber layer and a back electrode, the latter needing to be exposed in specific sites for contacting. After the back electrode has been exposed, it can then be contacted by metal bands. Since in this case the substrate must not be totally delaminated, this eliminates the possibility of machining the substrate side and thus delamination always needs to be done at the film-layer side.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment, a second positioner is provided for setting a constant machining angle between the optical axis of the machining beam and a perpendicular to each unit of surface area to be ablated. Exhaustive trial and error experiments have indicated that setting the machining angle in delaminating a thin-film solar module can have two effects. First, optimizing the speed and effectiveness of ablation is achieved by suitably setting the machining angle. Second, where the substrate is coated with several film-layers, it is in addition possible to attain a certain selectivity in ablating the film-layers by suitably setting the machining angle. More particularly, in the case of a thin-film configuration as shown in FIG. 2 a machining angle was found, by mechanisms which are still awaiting satisfactory explanation, for permitting ablation of the film-layer of the front electrode and absorber layer with no degradation of the back electrode.
To permit reproducible settings of the machining angle as established by trial and error, it is provided for in accordance with a preferred embodiment, to enable the second positioner to be likewise signaled by the controller, it more particularly being provided for that the controller comprises a memory and input unit. An optimum machining angle is memorized for each type of delamination process in the memory and on inputting a type of a delamination process into the input unit, the corresponding control signals for an optimum machining angle are communicated from the controller to the second positioner.
In exposing a back electrode of a thin-film solar cell it has been discovered that, preferably, an angle in excess of 0xc2x0, more particularly between 5xc2x0 and 10xc2x0, needs to be selected. It is assumed that inclining the optical axis to the incidence perpendicular results in the film-layers located beneath the layer to be ablated having a lesser tendency to absorb the laser beams so that these film-layers remain totally free of degradation.
For total ablation of all film-layers it has been discovered to be good practice to select the so-called Brewster angle as the optimum machining angle, especially when the machining beam is suitably polarized, the tangent of the Brewster angle equaling the diffraction number of the layer to be ablated.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment, the light pulses are generated by modulating the pumping power. By modulating the pumping power for the active medium of a laser, the machining parameters in accordance with the invention can still be made available cost-effectively with pulse durations of just less than 100 ns. Shorter light pulses and higher power is achievable, however, by the Q modulation method. This enables light pulses to be made available of the order of 10 ns with sufficient power. For some applications, pulse durations of the order of 25 ns have also proven to be particularly of advantage. To achieve even shorter pulse times, recourse can be made to the so-called mode coupling method.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment, the machining beam for mode mixing is communicated via an optical fiber so that a power profile having approximately the shape of a truncated cone materializes for the power distribution. Mode mixing in the optical fiber translates the known Gaussian power profile into a trapezoidal or, as viewed three-dimensionally, truncated cone power profile.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment, the speed with which the relative movement advances, and the pulse repetition rate of the light pulses, are adapted so that a unit of surface area is no longer beamed by the machining beam as soon as the film-layer to be ablated has been removed. For example, the first positioner may be signaled such that the relative movement produces a traveling speed on the order of 1 cm/s for a pulse repetition frequency of the laser resonator of around 50 Hz.
It has been discovered to be particularly good practice to beam a unit of surface area substantially with a single light pulse or at least with only a few light pulses. The material of a unit of surface area to be ablated should thus be substantially xe2x80x9cspalledxe2x80x9d by a single light pulse with minimum degradation of the substrate underneath.
The wavelength of the laser resonator needs to be adapted to the film-layer to be ablated such that the light pulses are substantially absorbed thereby and not absorbed by the substrate material. In delaminating thin-film solar cells, good results have been obtained, for example, with a Nd:YAG-type laser resonator having wavelength of 1.064 xcexcm.
In yet another preferred embodiment, a suction exhaust device for exhausting resulting dusts and vapors is provided that protects personnel from the dust and vapors and, for example, avoids deposits thereof on the workpiece which could degrade the surface quality of the film-layer to be exposed.
In a final preferred embodiment, the first positioner consists of means for mechanically steering the machining beam, together with the optical system, over the workpiece. In this case the workpiece accordingly remains stationary whilst the optical means is movably steered. For this purpose, the machining beam is communicated via an optical fiber cable. As an alternative, it is, however, conceivable that the first positioner consists of adjustable deviating mirrors via which the machining beam is steered to the workpiece. The deviating mirror assembly may include, for example, two deviating mirrors, the axes of rotation of which are located perpendicular to each other so that the machining beam can be simply moved over a larger plane. In addition, it is also possible to keep the optical system stationary whilst the workpiece is guided, for example, on an xy table, relative to the fixed machining beam. In conclusion, combinations of the aforementioned systems are conceivable in which both the machining beam and the workpiece are movably guided.
In addition to being used for delamination of thin-film solar cells, the device in accordance with the invention may, of course, be put to use for the delamination of all thin-film coated glasses or ceramics. One application may be modern insulated window glazing. So-called xe2x80x9ck glassesxe2x80x9d comprise additional vacuum deposited layers to reduce the transparency of the glazing to thermal radiation. Typical insulated glazing comprises at least two panes bonded in a frame profile into a dual pane so that, here too, surface delamination is needed. A wealth of delamination processes are likewise involved in all aspects of display systems.
In conclusion, further applications come into consideration in which coated glazing needs to be further processed, one example of which are so-called xe2x80x9cswitchable windowsxe2x80x9d which change their transparency to light on application of an electrical field.

Method and device for thin-film ablation of a substrate


A display apparatus selects one of multiple wireless communication apparatuses and activates the selected wireless communication apparatus as a second access point of a second group. The activated wireless communication apparatus establishes the second group including multiple wireless communication apparatuses. After the second group is thus established, the transmission power of the wireless communication apparatus activated as the access point and the multiple wireless communication apparatuses included in the second group is controlled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system and a wireless communication apparatus that establishes a wireless communication network with other wireless communication apparatuses through a wireless access point apparatus, and a control method for controlling the wireless communication apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Products conforming to IEEE 802.11 standards, which are standards for wireless local area networks, are widely used in these years. Configurations of wireless LANs are broadly classified into infrastructure mode and ad hoc mode. An infrastructure mode network includes multiple stations (STAs, terminal stations) and access points (AP, base stations). An ad-hoc mode network includes multiple STAs, and wireless communication apparatuses directly communicate with each other without using an access point.
Educational institutions such as schools and cram schools are increasingly actively using wireless LANS. One example is a wireless communication system including a display that has an access point function and multiple client terminals used by students, each of which has a station function. In the wireless communication system, information of client terminals wirelessly connected with the display can be displayed on the screen of the display. A teacher or instructor operating the display can perform operations to identify students, establish groups, or divide students into groups through the wireless LAN while conducing classes or delivering a lecture.
An example of grouping is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-82990 in which one of arbitrary two mobile stations belonging to a cell functions as a secondary base station to form a new cell, thus dividing one cell into several cells.
However, the wireless communication system described above has the following problems:
(1) If many students access the teacher at a time in order to ask questions without arbitration, contention for a radio band occurs, which significantly degrades the response time.
(2) The manner of operation for dynamically dividing students into arbitrary groups according to a subject and time is cumbersome and complicated.
(3) Once students are divided into groups, the groups use their individual wireless channels. Therefore, radio interference occurs between neighboring groups.

Wireless communication system and wireless communication apparatus and control method thereof


Disclosed is a cold plasma seed treatment device, having a vacuum apparatus, an electric discharging apparatus, and a transport apparatus. The electric discharging apparatus and the transport apparatus are disposed in the vacuum apparatus. The vacuum apparatus is provided with a tube feeding hole and a tube discharging hole. The cold plasma seed treatment device further has a feeding apparatus and a discharging apparatus. The feeding apparatus comprises a first feeding hopper and a second feeding hopper, each of which is provided with a feeding cover, a vent valve, a discharging hole, and a vacuuming butterfly valve. Each of the discharging hole of the feeding hopper and the tube feeding hole are separately connected to a three-way pipe by using a butterfly valve. Each vacuuming butterfly valve is connected to a first vacuuming pump group. The discharging apparatus comprises a first discharging hopper and a second discharging hopper.

Plasma seed activation treatment and its applications emerged first in Russia. The State Institute of Physics of Russia pioneered to develop plasma seed treatment device for treatment of vegetable seeds, to improve sprouting and to increase yield. In USA and Canada etc., researches on sterilization of crop seeds with plasma were made, so as to inhibit the occurrence of crop diseases and pests. In Ukraine, Israel, Korea, and Japan, researches on plasma treatment for seeds and relevant applications have being started also. In China, the Institute of Dryland Farming, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences has made researches on plasma seed treatment technology since 1997, and has proved the yield increasing effect and application prospects of seed activation by plasma treatment. Subsequently, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences and some other research institutions made researches on the biological effects and agricultural effects of plasma treatment of various kinds of seeds successively. The test results have demonstrated that the plasma seed activation treatment has a remarkable stimulation effect to the germination, sprouting and growth of various kinds of crop plants, the germination ratio and germination potential can be increased by 5-18%, the root system can be highly developed, the incidences of disease can be reduced, the drought resistance ability can be enhanced, and the yield can be increased by 10-40% among food crops and 15-50% among vegetables.
In year 2002, a up-right type electromagnetic field plasma treatment machine was disclosed in invention patent application CN1383710A and utility model patent application CN2473865Y, wherein, a glass tube filled with mercury vapor was used as a plasma generator, and then is connected to an electro-magnetization chamber. In invention patent application CN1373983A, a method for processing different kinds of crop seeds with the processor disclosed in utility model patent application CN2473865Y was disclosed, including parameters such as treating dose, number of treatment, and appropriate seeding time, etc. In CN1363206A, a lying type plasma seed treatment machine and a treatment method were disclosed, wherein, inductive discharge and capacitive discharge were utilized, in conjunction with appropriate degree of vacuum, to generate plasma, and seeds were activated under a combined effects of low pressure, electric field, magnetic field, ions, electrons, and glow. In year 2004, in CN1500380A, a stationary chamber plasma seed treatment apparatus was disclosed, which employs high voltage discharge needles to produce sharp point discharge, so as to ionize a gas and generate plasma.
In year 2005, we found that cold plasma can interact with the bio-macromolecules of plant seeds and cause energy transition of the bio-macromolecule, i.e., transition from ground state to excited state, and thereby boost the plant seeds to create positive biological effects. The effects were embodied at significantly enhanced physiological activity and expression of potential resistance genes, the vitality and resistance performance of the crop plants were improved. Based on that finding, we invented a lying type "Cold Plasma Seed Treatment Instrument" (invention patent application CN1914972A) and a "Plasma Crop Seed Activation Treatment Apparatus" (utility model patent application CN2807733Y), wherein, a strong glow discharge area was created between two pole plates connected via radio frequency output wires to a radio frequency power source, and glow discharge between the pole plates and the inner wall of the chamber is inhibited through a metal shielding enclosure disposed around the pole plates, as a result, the seed treatment efficiency was greatly improved. In year 2010, a method for plant seeds treatment using plasma and an apparatus thereof were disclosed in invention patent application CN10166 9416A, wherein, cold plasma was generated by dielectric barrier discharge under atmospheric pressure in the air instead of a vacuum environment. A drawback in the invention patents and utility model patents described above is that the seed treatment efficiency is too low to treat seeds in a large quantity. Therefore, it is necessary to create a large-size cold plasma apparatus to meet the demand for mass production of food crops.

INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES


A sealed terminal block assembly (10) includes a harness assembly (78) having first electrical terminal members (30) terminated to wires (74) of a cable (72); a housing (12) molded around the harness assembly (78), with each first terminal member (30) associated with a cavity (18) of the housing; second terminal members (46) for electrically engaging a corresponding first terminal member (30) upon insertion of the second terminal member into cavity (18); and an actuator member for moving each second terminal member (46) into electrical engagement with a second wire (80) inserted into the first terminal member (30) from a wire receiving face (26) of the housing (12).

Terminal blocks are commonly used within the telecommunications industry to interconnect telephone wires coming from the phone company to individual telephone lines in a selected locality. Telephone wires coming from the telephone company may be either in the form of buried cable or aerial wires. The terminal blocks are mounted in an enclosed pedestal affixed to the ground or in an aerial mount enclosure or on a pole. Although the terminal blocks are in enclosures, there is still a need to provide environmental sealing for the terminal block to minimize effects of high humidity and corrosion caused by air borne contamination such as salt in coastal areas, acid rain, pollution or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,245, discloses a terminal block connector having a pluggable electrical connector secured in the bottom of the terminal block housing. The assembly is made by first forming a housing, inserting the stationary terminal members into respective silos of the housing, terminating wires of a cable to the connector and to the respective terminals and finally encapsulating the wires and interconnections in a potting material as known in the art. The potting material cooperates with the lower portions of the conductive stationary cylindrical terminals, the wires, and the electrical connector to provide an environmental seal. Even periodic flooding due to installation of the terminal blocking in diurnal coastal tidal flood plains is said to be successfully resisted by this design.
The potting material, however, typically has a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the materials normally used for connector housings and terminal block housings. Thus, when the terminal block is subjected to variations in heating and cooling, the potting material and housing material to become separated. Furthermore, the expense of additional materials, and the additional manufacturing steps associated with using potting material increase the cost of the resulting product.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a terminal block connector that provides an environmental seal without requiring the secondary manufacturing step of the use of potting compound or the like.


A connecting rod for connecting a reciprocating piston to a rotating crankshaft of an internal combustion engine includes a crankpin bearing designed to seize on a crankpin and stop the engine when the crankpin bearing is operating in a failure mode, as for example due to the loss of oil lubrication. The crankpin bearing design includes a pair of circumferential shoulders formed between the inner circumferential surface of the bearing and the end walls of the bearing which results in the inhibition of heat transfer from the inner circumferential surface toward the outer circumferential surface so that the crankpin bearing expands radially inwardly in a failure mode. Stopping of the crankshaft is also facilitated by varying the torque of each cap screw used to assemble the crankpin bearing.

The present invention relates to a connecting rod for a reciprocating piston of an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an improved crankpin bearing for such a connecting rod.
Connecting rods typically have two-piece crankpin bearings for connecting the lower end of the rod to a crankpin of a crankshaft. The two-piece assembly comprises an arcuate-shaped bearing portion integrally formed on the lower end of the rod, and a cap member which is assembled to the bearing portion by means of a pair of cap screws. In the past, these cap screws have typically been identical in size and shape with each screw torqued with substantially identical forces to assemble the cap member on the arcuate-shaped bearing portion around the crankshaft.
Under normal operation, a hydrodynamic oil film is provided between the outer surface of the rotating crankpin of the crankshaft and the inner surface of the crankpin bearing. Thus, friction is minimized resulting in relatively low heat generation. However, when running in a failure mode, for example when an engine runs out oil, there is a loss of lubrication between the crankpin bearing and the crankpin, and heat rapidly builds up in the crankpin bearing. The loss of oil film results in increased friction between the rotating surfaces of the crankpin and crankpin bearing which in turn increases the load on the engine. This increased load also further increases friction. As a result there is an exponential increase in the amount of heat generated between these two rotating surfaces which occurs in a very short period of time. The temperature of the bearing thus increases at an extremely rapid rate, and if the engine is not stopped will reach the yield temperature of the components of the crankpin bearing resulting in self-destruction of the bearing and massive damage to the interior of the engine. It is therefore desirable to provide some mechanism for stopping the engine when running in a failure mode of operation so that the temperature of the crankpin bearing never reaches the yield temperature of its components.

Crankpin bearing for connecting rod of internal combustion engine


A portable semiconductor data storage apparatus includes a memory for storing data, a plurality of input/output signal lines connected to the memory, the input/output signal lines being connected to a terminal machine when the data storage apparatus is inserted into the terminal machine, a removal detection circuit for generating a removal signal before disconnection of the input/output signal lines from the terminal machine when the data storage apparatus is removed from the terminal machine, and an access inhibition circuit for maintaining access to the memory until a read or write cycle during which the removal signal is generated by the removal detection means ends and for inhibiting access to the memory beginning from the next read or write cycle after the removal signal was generated.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable type semiconductor data storage apparatus and a method of protecting data stored in that data storage apparatus. Particularly, the present invention pertains to means for preventing erroneous writing in and reading out of data which may occur while data in the portable type semiconductor data storage apparatus is being accessed and the apparatus is removed from or inserted into a terminal machine.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
FIG. 6 shows the circuit configuration of a conventional portable type semiconductor storage apparatus. A cell 6 is connected to a volatile memory 1 through an internal power line 11 for supplying power from a power source, a reverse charge preventing diode 4 and a current limiting resistor 5. A power input line 10 is connected to the internal power line 11 through a reverse-flow preventing diode 2. An address bus 12, a data bus 13, an output enable signal line 14 and a write enable signal line 15 are also connected to the volatile memory 1. A chip enable signal line 16 is also connected to the volatile memory 1 through a three-state non-inverter 19a. A power control circuit 3 is connected between the power input line 10 and the three-state non-inverter 19a. In FIG. 6, reference numerals 7a and 8 denote pull-down resistors, and a reference numeral 9 denotes a pull-up resistor.
When used, the storage apparatus of the aforementioned configuration is mounted on a terminal machine (not shown). Once the storage apparatus is mounted on a terminal machine, power is supplied through the power input line 10 and the diode 2 to the internal power line 11. When the voltage on the power input line 10 is not higher than a predetermined value, the protect signal output from the power control circuit 3 to the three-state non-inverter 19a is at "L" level. Consequently, the non-inverter 19a is in a disabled state, and the terminal machine thus cannot gain access to the memory 1. Thereafter, the voltage on the power input line 10 gradually rises and reaches the predetermined value. At that time, the protect signal output from the power control circuit 3 rises to the "H" level, and the non-inverter 19a is thereby enabled. The memory 1 becomes accessible by the terminal machine.
When no power is supplied to the power input line 10 from the terminal machine because of completion of access or because of non-operation of the storage apparatus, the protect signal from the power control circuit 3 is at "L" level. Consequently, the non-inverter 19a is in a disabled state, and access to the memory 1 is inhibited. At that time, no power is supplied to the memory 1 from the power input line 10. However, power is supplied from the cell 6 to the memory 1 through the resistor 5 and diode 4, and the data stored in the memory 1 is not thus destroyed on the removal of the storage apparatus from the terminal machine.
However, when the storage apparatus is removed from the terminal machine while the terminal machine is accessing the memory 1, a chattering waveform is generated over a very long period of time as compared with the access time on the address bus 12, data bus 13, output enable signal line 14, write enable signal line 15 and chip enable signal line 16 connected to the memory 1. The period during which chattering is generated is in general about several tens of ms, whereas the access time to the memory 1 is 250 ns at the longest. Therefore, the memory 1 cannot be timed correctly, and erroneous writing in or reading out of data may occur. In other words, the accuracy of the data accessed during the chattering cannot be guaranteed.

Portable type semiconductor storage apparatus


A traction aid for a motor vehicle, comprising an elongated main body having a top and a bottom surfaces, the elongated main body having thereon a series of teeth and a sliding mechanism, a first securing member located at an end of the main body and projecting downwardly and a second securing member located at the bottom surface of the main body and attached to the sliding mechanism. The sliding mechanism allows movement of the second securing member towards or away from the first securing member along the bottom surface of the main body. The traction aid further comprises a securing mechanism configured to move the sliding mechanism and the second securing member towards the first securing member in order to squeeze a tire of the motor vehicle between the first and second securing members.

Motor vehicles can easily be stuck on a terrain that is unfit for vehicular travel, such as muddy, snow or ice covered terrain, or any other such difficult terrain. Traditional traction aids are limited in the aid they can provide. The user must position the traction aid under the tire, which is not always possible and practical. Furthermore, in use the traditional traction aid often turns into a projectile by the spinning wheel, which can be a hazard for anyone standing close by and may even damage the motor vehicle or get loss, for example in a snowbank.
Accordingly, there is a need for traction aid that alleviates these disadvantages.


An angle restriction filter that allows light incident thereon in a predetermined range of incident angles to pass, includes: an optical path wall section formed from a plurality of light shield members laminated in layers including a common material, thereby forming an optical path in a lamination direction of the light shield members; and a light transmission section formed in a region surrounded by the optical path wall section.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-075007, filed Mar. 29, 2010 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to spectrum sensors and angle restriction filters.
2. Related Art
Spectrum sensors are used in the medical, agricultural and environmental fields for diagnosing and examining objects. For example, in the medical field, a pulse oximeter is used to measure the oxygen saturation of blood, using light absorption of hemoglobin. Also, in the agricultural field, a saccharometer is used to measure the concentration of sugar content of fruits, using light absorption of sugar.
For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application JP-A-6-129908 describes a spectroscopic imaging sensor that restricts incident angles of light with an optical fiber that optically connects between a dichroic filter and a photovoltaic converter device, thereby restricting the transmission wavelength band of light to the photovoltaic converter device.
However, the spectrum sensors of related art entail a problem in that it is difficult to reduce their size. Therefore, placement of numerous sensors in a desired location or permanent placement thereof is difficult.

Spectrum sensor and angle restriction filter


By employing a pharmacodynamic dosing regimen, the effectiveness of a protocol for treatment of lupus nephritis with voclosporin can be maximized while minimizing undesirable side effects.

Lupus nephritis (LN) one of a number of proteinuric kidney diseases wherein an inflammation of the kidneys is caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) whereby up to 60% of SLE patients develop LN. LN is a debilitating and costly disease often leading to renal failure which requires dialysis, or renal transplant and often results in death. Indeed, patients with renal failure have an over 60-fold increased risk of premature death compared to SLE patients in general. A clinical sign of LN is leakage of blood proteins into the urine and the disease can be diagnosed by a number of factors, including urinary protein/creatinine ratio (UPCR) wherein a UPCR of greater than 0.5 mg/mg is indicative of the condition being in an active state. Further, certain markers in the blood can also be diagnostic—for example, complement 3 (C3), complement 4 (C4) and anti-dsDNA antibodies.
The standard of care for LN has not met with a great deal of success. The standard of care is use of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or intravenous cyclophosphamide. With these treatments partial remission was found only in approximately 50% of cases and complete remission was shown in less than 10% of the subjects. Thus, there is clearly a need for a treatment that improves these outcomes.
Voclosporin is an analog of cyclosporin A that has been found useful for treating autoimmune diseases and as an immunosuppressant in organ transplantation.
Mixtures of the E and Z isomers of voclosporin are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,998,385. Mixtures with a preponderance of the E-isomer are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,332,472. The '472 patent describes a number of indications which can be treated with the isomeric voclosporin mixture including glomerulonephritis. However, although some animal studies are described, no protocols in humans are disclosed.
Various formulations of voclosporin mixtures are also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,060,672; 7,429,562 and 7,829,533.
In October 2016, the results of a clinical study conducted on behalf of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals were published as an abstract. According to the abstract, the subjects, who were afflicted with lupus nephritis (LN), were dosed with 23.7 mg of voclosporin twice daily in combination with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and reducing cortical steroid dose over 24 weeks for which data were presented. Entry criteria for the study included determination of a urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR) of ≥1.0 mg/mg or ≥1.5 mg/mg depending on the classification of a renal biopsy and an eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) of ≥45 mol/mn/1.73 m2 as well as serologic evidence of LN. The results of this protocol showed complete remission or partial remission in a large percentage of subjects.
In addition, it was shown that subjects who achieved a ≥25% reduction in UPCR at 8 weeks were likely to maintain benefit throughout the 24-week protocol.
In a news release sent by Aurinia Pharmaceuticals on 1 Mar. 2017, the results of more extensive clinical study involving mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and reducing corticosterone dosages, but using in addition to 23.7 mg of voclosporin twice daily, a higher dose of 39.5 mg twice daily were described. The results of this study showed successful complete or partial remission in a large number of patients at 24 weeks and 48 weeks. It appeared that the lower dosage of 23.7 mg twice daily (BID) was even more effective than the higher dosage of 39.5 mg twice daily (BID).
It has now been found that successful results, including a diminution in the number and severity of side effects can be obtained by altering the protocols disclosed in these publications by providing a pharmacodynamic dosing schedule based on individual patient responses. In addition, it has been found that even lower dosages of voclosporin—i.e., 15.8 mg of voclosporin twice daily or 7.9 mg of voclosporin twice daily are effective.

Protocol for treatment of lupus nephritis