An inverter for powering an electroluminescent lamp has a direct current supply terminal, a ground terminal, and a single output terminal. A high frequency pumping circuit stores electrical energy in an inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal. A switching circuit alternately connects the first and second terminals of the inductor to the output terminal at a low frequency. The output from the inverter is a high voltage, low frequency, alternating current.

This invention relates to inverters for electroluminescent (EL) lamps and, in particular, to an inverter which can be used with an EL lamp having one electrode grounded.
An EL lamp is essentially a capacitor having a dielectric layer including a phosphor powder which glows in the presence of a strong electric field and a very low current. The dielectric layer is held between two electrodes, one of which is transparent. Because the EL lamp is a capacitor, an alternating current (AC) must be applied to cause the phosphor to glow, otherwise the capacitor charges to the applied voltage and the current through the EL lamp ceases.
For wristwatches and other applications such as pocket pagers, an EL lamp is driven by an inverter which converts the direct current from a small battery into alternating current. The battery voltage, typically one to three volts, limits the voltage which can be applied to a lamp by the inverter. In order for the EL lamp to glow sufficiently, a peak-to-peak voltage in excess of one hundred and twenty volts is necessary. Converting from three volts to one hundred and twenty volts is difficult without a transformer and a transformer is too bulky and expensive for a wristwatch and for many other applications.
To increase the voltage across an EL lamp, the prior art teaches connecting the EL lamp across the AC diagonal of a bridge circuit and connecting the output from an inverter across the DC diagonal of the bridge circuit. The bridge circuit electrically reverses the connections between the EL lamp and the inverter, reversing the polarity of the applied voltage. The result is an approximate doubling of the voltage across the EL lamp and an alternating current through the lamp.
One technique for converting low voltage to high voltage uses a pump circuit in which energy is stored in an inductor. Typically, an inductor and switch transistor are connected in series across a battery. The junction of the switch transistor and the inductor is connected to one terminal on the DC diagonal of the bridge circuit. When the transistor shuts off, the collapsing field in the inductor generates a high voltage pulse. A series of such pulses charges the lamp and the lamp glows. The polarity of the applied pulses is reversed by the bridge circuit and the lamp then charges to about the same voltage but the opposite polarity.
The frequency of an alternating current through an EL lamp affects the life of the EL lamp, with frequencies below 1000 hz. being preferred. Too low of a frequency causes a noticeable flicker and low brightness. Thus, a frequency of 100-1000 hz. is preferred. Since the inductor and the lamp form a series resonant circuit, a large inductor is required for resonance at low frequencies. To overcome this problem, a high frequency (10-100 khz.) pulse train is combined with a low frequency pulse train and applied to the base of the switch transistor. By using bursts of high frequency pulses, the inductor can be made significantly smaller. If a bridge circuit is used, only the low frequency pulses are applied to the control electrodes of the switching devices in the bridge circuit.
A problem with bridge circuits is that the EL lamp must be electrically isolated in order to be able to connect the lamp to the AC diagonal of the bridge circuit. For many applications, e.g. watch faces, the lamp is nearly as wide as the package for the device, making isolation difficult. Being able to ground one electrode of the lamp simplifies construction of the device containing the lamp. More importantly, being able to ground one electrode enables one to drive a multi-segment display from a single inverter by individually grounding each segment through a series transistor. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,150 discloses a multi-segment display in which each segment is separately grounded through a transistor.
Another problem with bridge circuits is stability, particularly bridge circuits using SCRs instead of transistors. The high voltage pulses from the inverter are coupled to the control electrodes of the transistors or SCRs by the parasitic capacitance inherent in the device, causing erratic triggering. Occasionally, an EL lamp is discharged when it is supposed to be charged and vice-versa. Stability becomes more of a problem as the input voltage to the bridge circuit is increased.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide an inverter which can be used with an EL lamp having one electrode grounded.
Another object of the invention is to provide an inverter having a single high voltage terminal for connection to an EL lamp.
A further object of the invention is to provide an inverter having sufficient voltage to drive an EL lamp without using a bridge circuit to reverse the connections to the lamp.
Another object of the invention is to provide an inverter for EL lamps in which the inverter includes an inductor having two terminals that are alternately connected to a single high voltage terminal of the inverter.
A further object of the invention is to provide an inverter in which power consumption is reduced by recycling the energy within the inverter.

Three terminal inverter for electroluminescent lamps


The present invention relates to a passive device embedded in a substrate, which includes a laminate formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes and dielectric layers; a first external electrode covering one side surface of the laminate and having a first upper cover region, which covers a part of an upper portion of the laminate, and a first lower cover region, which covers a part of a lower portion of the laminate and is smaller than the first upper cover region; and a second external electrode covering the other side surface of the laminate and having a second lower cover region, which covers a part of the lower portion of the laminate, and a second upper cover region, which covers a part of the upper portion of the laminate and is smaller than the second lower cover region, and the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a passive device embedded in a substrate and a substrate with a passive device embedded therein, and more particularly, to a passive device embedded in a substrate and a substrate with a passive device embedded therein that can improve a structure of an external electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the trend of miniaturization of electronic products, the size and thickness of components are reduced according to the trend of the electronic products, and the components have been developed to be highly integrated and multifunctional. A PCB method according to this trend is a device embedded electronic circuit board.
Currently, a method of manufacturing a device embedded electronic circuit board embeds a device in a circuit board, forms layers by a layer lamination method which is a substrate manufacturing method, and electrically connects the layers using an interlayer connection method. As a typical interlayer connection method, there is a method of forming a via to conduct layers. As a via forming method, there is a laser or drilling method but a punching method using laser is most commonly used according to the trend toward precision.
A current interlayer connection method processes a via by a laser interconnection method and conducts layers by a plating method after an embedding process of embedding a device in a cavity and fixing and embedding the device by a lamination process which is a substrate process. In order to obtain a high yield in this process, laser processing deviation and accuracy when fixing the device in the cavity are very important.
In general, a via-hole is formed by laser and electrically connected to an electrode of an embedded passive device, for example, MLCC. In a technique of forming a via-hole by laser, a via size may be changed according to the thickness of laminated materials or post-processing after laser processing, but the bottom size of the via generally has a diameter of at least about 35 μm. According to the development trend of the substrate, since patterns get thinner and highly integrated, it is expected that the bottom size of the via is developed to a level of at least about 30 μm. It is because there may be problems with electrical connection when the diameter of the via is reduced to less than 30 μm.
FIG. 4 shows that a conventional passive device 6 is embedded in a conventional passive device embedded substrate. A circuit is formed after fixing the conventional passive device 6 by sequentially laminating insulating layers 4, a via-hole is formed by laser, and only an upper side is processed or vias 5a are processed on the upper and lower sides to electrically connect circuit patterns 5b and the passive device 6 as in FIG. 4. This conventional method could be applied without any problems since the size of the passive device 6 is large and the area of an external electrode exposed on the passive device 6 on the plane is sufficiently larger than the bottom size of the via 5a.
The conventional method shown in FIG. 4 is a technique that can be applied only to the passive device 6 having a sufficient pad size during laser processing. However, the size of the passive device 6, for example, MLCC is gradually reduced to a size having difficulty in processing an upper pad with laser.
Referring to FIG. 5, in case of the embedded passive device 6, for example, MLCC, as the size thereof gets smaller, a part of the bottom of the via 5a may deviate from the pad, for example, the external electrode due to an alignment deviation when connecting the vias 5a to the upper and lower pads of the external electrode of the passive device 6. At this time, an alignment deviation of the via 5a may occur and thus the device may fail to function due to impact applied to the device when punching the via-hole.

Passive device embedded in substrate and substrate with passive device embedded therein


A method has been discovered for controlling bacterial growth using a dry biocide. Tetra-kis-hydroxymethyl-phosphonium sulfate (THPS) is adsorbed on a solid, particulate substrate through a spraying technique. The THPS in a dry form eliminates or reduces risks involved in handling and shipping the normally liquid THPS.

Bacterial contamination of drilling fluids contributes to a number of problems in the oil field. First, many of the muds contain sugar based polymers in their formulation that provide an effective food source to bacterial populations. This can lead to direct degradation of the mud. In addition, bacterial metabolism can generate deleterious products, most notably hydrogen sulfide that besides being a toxic gas can lead to decomposition of mud polymers, formation of problematic solids, such as iron sulfide, and/or corrosive action on drilling tubes and drilling hardware.
Efforts to control bacterial activity in drilling fluids has been moderately successful. One of the more effective biocides to date is XCIDE 102 (XC 102) sold by Baker Petrolite, a glutaraldehyde-based biocide. However, XC 102 can be problematic because it is hazardous to handle and has environmental concerns.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,591 describes a biocide that is a mixture of 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one and 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one in a weight ratio of the former to the latter being about 94% to about 64%, adsorbed on a solid, particulate adsorbent. This biocide is sold as XCIDE 207 (XC 207) by Baker Petrolite.
One product that shows potential under these constraints is MAGNACIDE 575. MAGNACIDE 575 or tetra-kis-hydroxymethyl-phosphonium sulfate (THPS) is a quaternary phosphonium salt that can effectively control bacterial growth in a number of systems. MAGNACIDE 575 is available from Aquaness Chemicals (Baker Petrolite) in 75% active liquid form, as well as in a 35% active form. Liquids are difficult to apply in stimulation and drilling applications. Some customers are reluctant to use an expensive liquid such as MAGNACIDE 575 because of potential financial losses due to spills such as may occur during handling and shipping. For instance, it is difficult for a field fracturing operator to climb atop a 20,000 gallon frac tank carrying gallon jugs of liquid biocide. MAGNACIDE 575 has the significant advantage of being "environmentally friendly".
It would thus be desirable to develop a composition and method employing it which did not involve the use of a liquid biocide.


The present disclosure relates to a dual barrier laminate structure, particularly suitable for aggressive or moisture containing products. The present disclosure also relates to a plastic based laminate (PBL) or an aluminum based laminate (ABL) comprising the said dual barrier laminate.

Polymeric films are widely used in the packaging field for the packaging of products, especially pharmaceutical or food products. Films used for the packaging of food generally contain multiple layers, in which each layer adds certain desired physical or chemical properties to the completed film. For example, a "barrier" layer may serve to protect the packaged product from physical stresses caused by the normal handling of the product during packaging, shipping, or during commercialization. In addition, a heat sealant layer may be utilized to bond films together to form packages for products, such as pharmaceutical or food products. Further, the combination of layers may allow for a film that has favorable physical properties, such as, for example, strength, stiffness, abrasion and chemical resistance.
One such layer that may be utilized as a barrier layer and to increase the toughness of films made therefrom is a layer comprising polyamide. Polyamide is a high molecular weight polymer having amide linkages along the molecular chain structure. Nylon polyamides, which are synthetic polyamides, have favorable physical properties of high strength, stiffness abrasion and chemical resistance.
Aggressive products, for example, moisture-containing pharmaceutical products, such as liniment, are often packaged in a polyamide, such as nylon, film as the outer layer of a package, which offers a dimensionally stable print surface as well as barrier and flex-crack resistance. The combination of a polymeric coating applied to a nylon film, for example, a biaxially oriented nylon (BON) film, results in a structure that is softer and more formable than typical film laminations.
It is, of course, generally known to provide multilayer polymeric films that may have high strength, stiffness, abrasion resistance and/or chemical. Many such films may have a barrier layer of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) sandwiched by layers comprising a nylon polyamide. In some cases, these layers do not gel together, so a multilayer film would delaminate. To overcome this issue, small layers of special adhesive resins, which are generally known as tie layers, are used in between the nylon and EVOH. For example, a five-layer film comprises five different layers of film such as Nylon//Tie//EVOH//Tie//Nylon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,933 discloses a clear multilayer polymeric film of a structure, including a core layer of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) sandwiched between two nylon layers, or two nylon inner layers and a nylon outer layer, represents an improved multilayer thermoformable polymeric layer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,926 discloses a multiple layer packaging film, packages made therefrom and a method of opening the packages. The packaging film has the following layer structure:
Ionomer//tie layer//ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)//adhesive layer//polyethylene layer//tie layer//polypropylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,817 discloses a permeable membrane for volatile substances, such as a room air fragrance and other aromatic products, that satisfies the need for a permeable membrane which provides greater controlled release and increased permeation for a broad range of fragrances. US Patent Application 2010/0272869 discloses a coextruded multilayer film comprising a core layer including an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer; two polyamide layers; a first outer layer; a second outer layer; and two tie layers each adhering a polyamide layer to a respective outer layer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,926 discloses a polymeric film having the following structure:
Tie layer//nylon layer//ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) layer//nylon layer//low density polyethylene layer//primer layer//outer layer.
Unfortunately, mottling can occur when such nylon is used in packages for moisture containing products, for example, liniment. Moisture from the products diffuses through the package into the nylon layer. The nylon absorbs the water, creating the mottling and swelling in size to create a gap between the package and the products. Such mottling may appear over time, such as after the package is shipped for sale. Accordingly, absorption of water from moisture containing products results in a poor package appearance and increased potential for product mold, because mold is better able to grow when there is air in contact with a moisture containing product. Indeed, the tightness of a package around a moisture containing product may be more critical for preventing mold growth than the extent of the oxygen barrier characteristics of a package.


An injector for injecting fuel under high pressure into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine has an injector housing, a supply provided on the injector housing, a valve body, an actuator which imparts a vertical movement to the valve body in the injector housing, a closing element, a sealing seat for the closing element provided in the injector housing for releasing and for closing a supply from a high pressure collecting chamber, a nozzle chamber, a nozzle supply, a permanently acting throttle element branching from the nozzle supply to the nozzle chamber, and another throttle element regulatable by the valve body and branching from the nozzle supply to the nozzle chamber.

The present invention relates to a pressure controlled injector for high injection with a slider throttle.
An injection system for injection of fuel which is under high pressure into the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine must nowadays satisfy, in addition to other requirements, the following requirements: An injection pressure and an injection quantity for each operation point of the internal combustion engine must be determined independently from one another, to obtain an additional freedom for the of mixture. The injection quantity at the beginning of the injection must be as small as possible to take into account the ignition drag between the beginning of the injection and the adjusted formation of the flame front in the combustion chamber. For obtaining a constant injection pressure for all cylinders of the internal combustion engine high pressure collecting chambers (common rail) are used which serve as a common fuel distributor. Very high pressure acts in these chambers, so that during opening an injector the injection pressure for all other injectors can be maintained constant.
The German patent document DE 197 21 879 A1 discloses a fuel injection device for internal combustion engines. It is provided with a high pressure collecting chamber (common rail) which is filled with fuel through by a high pressure pump. This high pressure collecting chamber is connected via injection lines with injection valves which extend into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine to be supplied. Its opening and closing movements are controlled correspondingly by an electrically controlled control valve. The control valve is formed as a 3/2 way valve and connects a high pressure line which opens to an injection opening of the injection valve, with an injection line or a relieve line or an unloading line. A hydraulic working chamber which is filled with fuel high pressure is provided on the control member of the control valve. It is controllable, for adjusting the adjusting position of the control valve member of the control valve in an unloading passage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pressure controlled injector for a high injection with a slider throttling.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated in an injector of this type in which from a nozzle supply to a nozzle chamber, a permanently acting throttling element and a throttling element which is regulated by a valve body are branched off.
With the inventive solution it is possible in a simple manner to realize a pressure controlled injector for injection of fuel into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. Actually in the inventive solution through throttle points are associated with the high pressure side nozzle supply to the nozzle chamber which surrounds the nozzle needle, with which the shutoff can be regulated. One of the throttle points to which high pressure is applied through the nozzle supply is placed so that, it is closed by a slider which is displaceable vertically in the injector housing and can be opened by it, while a throttle point located underneath is positioned relative to the slider so that it is loaded permanently with high pressure. Since the first mentioned throttle point is located so that it can be closed or open by overlapping of the slider and the control edge in the injector housing, it is accessible for a regulation by controlling a piezo actuator.
With the inventive solution a fast closing of the nozzle needle in its seat is obtained, so that the fuel quantity injected for the beginning of the preinjection remains low and so that adjusting ignition drag can be taken into consideration. Depending on the desired injection end, it is possible by controlling the slider-side throttle element to provide an outflow of a greater quantity of fuel which is under high pressure from the nozzle supply through the further throttle point, so that the nozzle needle closes faster, so that the nozzle needle can close faster and can move back sealingly in its seat.
In addition to the throttle which is not closeable by the slider and therefore operates permanently, the further controllable throttle point provides for a possibility of acting on the pressure unloading in the nozzle supply, to perform a fast closing of an injection nozzle. What was mentioned before with respect to the preinjection phase is applicable for main injection or post injection phases of the injector, during the injection of fuel into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Pressure controlled injector for high injection with slider throttle


A fuel cell system (1) with a fuel cell unit (2) including at least one fuel cell (3), as well as an anode gas feed (11) including a reformer (12). A reduced deposit of hydrocarbons on an anode (5) of the fuel cell (3), especially in case of a cold start of the fuel cell system (1), is achieved when the anode gas feed (11) has a reduction device (14), which is arranged between the reformer (12) and the anode (5).

A fuel cell system produces an electric voltage and makes this available to electric users. The fuel cell system has a fuel cell unit, which usually comprises a plurality of fuel cells, for this purpose. The individual fuel cells have an anode and a cathode, whereby the cathode dissociates and ionizes oxygen and the ionized oxygen migrates through an electrolyte of the fuel cell to the anode and reacts with hydrogen ionized by the anode into water. Thus, an electric potential or electric voltage, which is made available to the electric user, forms at the electrodes of the fuel cell according to the Nernst equation. The chemical reactions essential for the functionality of the fuel cells and especially the conductivity of the electrolyte for ionized oxygen start from a certain temperature, which is usually a few 100° C. On the other hand, the anodes are supplied with an anode gas usually via a reformer of an anode gas feed means, which supplies the anodes with a reformate gas as the anode gas. The reformate gas essentially comprises hydrocarbons, whereby the reformate gas usually has a temperature of a few 100° C. If the anode has a temperature which lies below a critical temperature, i.e., especially in case of a cold start, i.e., in a state, in which the anode has an ambient temperature or room temperature, then this leads to a deposit of hydrocarbons of the reformate gas on the anode surface. This is especially the case if the fuel cell, and especially if the anode, is brought to operating temperature with the reformate gas. The deposit of hydrocarbons on the anode surface leads, however, to a reduction in the chemical reactivity of the anode, which may lead to a failure of the anode and thus of the fuel cell system.

Eberspächer Climate Control Systems GmbH & Co. KG


An aspect ratio converting apparatus and method convert a picture having an aspect ratio of 4:3 into a picture having an aspect ratio of 16:9. The cut mode or the wide mode is freely selected in accordance with the state of video signals. When the cut mode is selected, after both end portions of the picture are cut by a predetermined width, the picture is compressed. A side panel image having a predetermined luminance is added to both sides of the compressed picture, thereby producing a picture having a wide aspect ratio. When the wide mode is selected, a side panel image having a predetermined luminance is added to both sides of the compressed picture, thereby producing a picture having a wide aspect ratio. Furher, by detecting the available period in a horizontal scanning period of the picture in which picture information actually exists, it is possible to automatically set the region of the picture which is compressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aspect ratio converting apparatus provided in a TV picture display unit and, more particularly, to an aspect ratio converting apparatus adopting a side panel system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the NTSC system, the aspect ratio of a TV picture is 4:3. However, high definition television (HDTV) has recently been being put to practical use. In HDTV, a wide aspect ratio, namely, an aspect ratio of 16:9 is adopted. In order to display a picture having an aspect ratio of 4:3 in HDTV, it is necessary to convert the aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9.
However, if the the aspect ratio is converted at different compression ratios in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction, the picture is distorted. It is therefore necessary to convert the aspect ratio at the same compression ratio in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. For example, when there is a "round" pattern in the picture before conversion, the "roundness" must be maintained after conversion. This condition is sometimes called "maintenance of roundness".
FIG. 1 shows a picture 6 having an aspect ratio of 4:3 and a picture 8 having an aspect ratio of 16:9.
In the picture 6, a picture region 10 (surrounded by the broken lines) is a region in which picture information can exist as video signals. A display region 12 (surrounded by the solid lines) is a region in which a picture is actually displayed on a TV picture display unit, and an overscanning region 14 is a region in which a picture is not displayed on the display unit. In the display unit, the ratio of the horizontal width and the vertical width of the display region 12 is ordinarily set to be 4:3 as the picture region 10.
In the picture 8 having a wide aspect ratio, the reference numeral 20 represents an overscanning region. Among the picture information in a picture region 16, only the picture information in a display region 18 is actually displayed.
As a system for converting the picture 6 having an aspect ratio of 4:3 into the picture 8 having an aspect ratio of 16:9, a "side panel system" is conventionally known.
In this system, as shown in FIG. 1, the picture region 10 is first compressed equally both in the horizontal direction (H) and the vertical direction (V), as shown in FIG. 1. In this case, in the conventionally known "cut mode" in the side panel system, both ends of the picture region 10 in the horizontal direction are first cut by a predetermined width d, and the picture information in the remaining region (period) 100 is compressed.
It is because there are a few TV signals with a part of the picture information missing at both side ends of a picture at the start and end (right and left ends in the picture region 10) of one horizontal scanning period 104 that both ends of the picture region 10 are cut at the predetermined width d.
By the above-described compression of the picture, the picture information in a partial region 102 of the wide picture region 16 is obtained. However, there is no picture information in both side regions S1 of the region 102.
As a countermeasure, a side panel image having a predetermined luminance (generally gray or black) is inserted into the regions S1, thereby constituting a picture having an overall aspect ratio of 16:9.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a display in the cut mode in the side panel system. On both sides of a compressed picture 21, a side panel image 22 having a predetermined luminance is displayed.
In FIG. 1, the ratio of the horizontal width and the vertical width of the compressed picture in the horizontal direction in the actual displaying region (the overlapping portion of the region 18 and the region 102) is set to be 4:3 in most cases in the same way as the aspect ratio of the picture 6. In order to realize the ratio of 4:3 the cut width d is determined in correspondence with the amount of overscanning in the vertical direction.
FIG. 3 shows a conventional aspect ratio converting apparatus.
In FIG. 3, a video signal 200 and a horizontal synchronization signal 202 are input to an aspect ratio converting portion 30. The aspect ratio converting portion 30 inputs a picture having an aspect ratio of 4:3 and outputs a picture having an aspect ratio of 16:9 by compressing the picture and adding side panel images thereto.
A setting portion 32 is composed of a ROM, etc., and stores the set value of the horizontal width of the region 100 (see FIG. 1). A controller 34 composed of a microcomputer, etc. reads the set value from the setting portion 32 and controls the aspect ratio converting portion 30.
If a TV signal is a luminance and color difference system, two systems of aspect ratio apparatuses are necessary, and if a TV signal is an RGB system, three systems thereof are necessary.
The above-described side panel system, however, suffers from the following problems. In the above-described cut mode, the horizontal width of the side panel image is enlarged, as shown in FIG. 2. Although there are actually many TV signals for picture information in the region having the predetermined width d shown in FIG. 1, both ends of the picture are uniformly cut in the cut mode and the width of the side panel image is therefore enlarged by the width corresponding to the cut width. In addition, the important picture information existing in the cut region is discarded.
To eliminate this problem, the present inventors have devised a "wide mode". This is a method of displaying all the picture information in the horizontal scanning period 104 without cutting the ends of the picture region 10. By adopting this mode, it is possible to reduce the horizontal width of the side panel image.
In the wide mode, however, if there is no picture information at the side ends of the picture, the following problem occurs.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a display in the wide mode. In the wide mode, a side panel image 22 having a smaller width is inserted into a region S2. If there is no picture information at the side ends of the picture region 10, an offensive black line 24 indicating that there is no data is displayed on the boundary between the compressed picture 21 and the gray side panel image 22.
Conventional aspect ratio converting apparatus of the side panel system are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Hei 2-152380 and Hei 2-92077. In these apparatuses, the aspect ratio is converted without distorting the picture by adding a side panel image to the vacant picture region.
In neither of these apparatuses, however, is the case in which there is no information at the side ends of a picture or the case in which there is picture information at the side ends of a picture taken into consideration. Therefore, these apparatuses suffer from either of the above-described problems.
Another example of a conventional aspect ratio converting apparatus is that disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 2-107080. This apparatus allows a converting mode to be selected from a plurality of modes. When a first mode is selected (see FIG. 2(a) in the specification), the aspect ratio is converted with some distortion in the picture. When a second mode is selected (FIG. 2(b) in the specification), the aspect ratio is converted by the conventional side panel system. When a third mode is selected (FIG. 2(c) in the specification), the aspect ratio is converted with the upper and lower portions of the original picture partially cut.
In this apparatus, however, neither the case in which there is no information at the side ends of a picture not the case in which there is picture information at the side ends of a picture is not taken into consideration.

Aspect ratio converting apparatus and method


Provided are an MIT device-based oscillation circuit including a power source, an MIT device and a variable resistor, in which a generation of an oscillation and an oscillation frequency are determined according to a voltage applied from the power source and a resistance of the variable resistor, and a method of adjusting the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit. The MIT device includes an MIT thin film and an electrode thin film connected to the MIT thin film, and generates a discontinuous MIT at an MIT generation voltage, the variable resistor is connected in series to the MIT device, and the power source applies a voltage or an electric current to the MIT device. The generation of an oscillation and an oscillation frequency are determined according to the voltage applied from the power source and the resistance of the variable resistor.

Research into about insulators, the resistance of which varies according to an externally applied voltage, has been actively performed. In particular, the abrupt transition in a metal-insulator transition (MIT) material from an insulator to a metal has been researched through experiments (Hyuntak Kim, et. al., New Journal of Physics, vol. 6, p 52, 2004). An MIT material can be fabricated as a device having two terminals or three terminals by being deposited on a substrate and forming electrodes, and the MIT device can be applied to various electronic devices. For example, a patent disclosing an application of an MIT material as a field effect transistor (FET) has been registered (U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,463 B2, US registered patent, Oct. 23, 2003, Hyuntak Kim et. al.).
An MIT device shows a characteristic that an electric current increases abruptly and discontinuously (or a resistance reduces rapidly) when a voltage applied to the MIT device reaches a certain level (hereinafter, referred to as MIT generation voltage) or higher, and is transited from an insulator status to a metal status. The electrical characteristics of MIT devices can be applied in various ways and MIT devices can be used in various electric and electronic devices. However, there has been no instance of applying an MIT device to an oscillation phenomenon.
In this regard, research into oscillation characteristics of the voltage and current has been performed. That is, the oscillation characteristics of the voltage and current that is referred to as a Gunn effect in Group III-V semiconductor materials has been reported, and the oscillation has been described as being generated by a mobility of electric charges.
In addition, in a field of semiconductor oxides, when a circuit is constructed by connecting a material such as K03MoO3 and a resistor in series and a direct current (DC) voltage is applied to the circuit, an oscillation occurs in the electric current of the circuit. This phenomenon has been reported as being generated by a sliding motion of a charge-density wave. This oscillation characteristic is generated a low temperature around 20K, and the oscillation frequency is changed according to a magnitude of the applied voltage.
Recently, the oscillation of an organic material has also been reported, that is, when a circuit is constructed by directly contacting a conductive organic salt material, a resistance of which is greatly changed according to an external applied voltage, to a thin film resistor and an external voltage of a certain degree or higher is applied to the circuit, an oscillation occurs in the current flowing in the circuit. The change in the resistance of the conductive organic salt is caused by a change in a charge ordering.
The oscillation of the Group III-V material and the organic material is caused only when the external voltage is applied to the material, and a waveform of the oscillation is a sinusoidal wave that is continuously changed. In addition, the oscillation of the oxide material only occurs at a low temperature, while the oscillation frequency can be controlled. Moreover, the oscillation frequency generated from the oscillation device using the organic material is very low.
In addition, in order to realize a conventional oscillation device, for example, an inverter or an oscillator, an amplifier, a switching circuit, and a feedback loop should be constructed. In order to form the amplifier, the switching circuit, and the feedback loop, various electronic devices such as a transistor, a capacitor, and an inductor are required in addition to the resistor. Therefore, there is a limitation in minimizing a conventional oscillation device using the various electronic devices described above, and fabrication costs of the oscillation device also increase.

Oscillation circuit including MIT device and method of adjusting oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


This invention is directed to the crystal structure of Estrogen Receptor-β (ER-β) complexed with genistein, and to the use of this structure in rational drug design methods to identify agents that may interact with active sites of ER-β, which may be useful as novel chemotherapeutic agents.

The beneficial effects of estrogen on bone maintenance, blood lipid profile, and the cardiovascular system are well known and account for the widespread use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women (1). Estrogens and anti-estrogens affect several tissues, and the pattern of effects observed depends upon the particular ligand used (2). A major advance toward understanding the differential effects of various estrogenic compounds came with the recent discovery of an additional form of the estrogen receptor (3). The newly discovered receptor, named ER-β, is similar in sequence to the previously known form, now called ER-α. Mapping the distribution of ER-β and ER-α mRNA in normal and neoplastic tissues has provided an intriguing picture of differential expression patterns in different tissue types (4,5,6,7). The existence of clear-cut differences in receptor expression suggests that tissues could be targeted selectively with ligands selective for ER-α or ER-β.
Like all known nuclear receptors, estrogen receptors function as ligand-activated transcriptional factors and have a modular structure consisting of six discrete domains, named A-F. These domains mediate binding to DNA, ligands and co-activators (8,9,10,11). The E domain of ER-α binds ligands such as 17β-estradiol and the phytoestrogen, genistein. The E-domains of ER-α and ER-β are 59% identical in sequence and have a predicted mass of approximately 25 kD. The natural ligand, 17β-estradiol, binds both with similar affinity. In contrast, genistein is selective, having 30 fold greater affinity for ER-β than for ER-α ((3) and H. Harris, unpublished observations).
The ligand binding domains (LBDs) of all studied nuclear receptors change conformation substantially upon ligand binding (12,13,14,15), particularly in the positioning of helix 12 (H12). In the case of ER-α, the position of H12 induced by the ligand depends on whether the ligand is an agonist (estradiol or diethylstilbestrol (DES)) or antagonist (raloxifene or tamoxifen). In the agonist complex, H12 packs against helices H3, H5, H6 and H11, forming a lid over the ligand. In this complex, H12 forms a wall perpendicular with and at one end of the co-activator binding groove formed by residues in H3, H4, H5 and the turn between H3 and H4. Peptides derived from the NR box II region (16,17,18,19) of the co-activator, GRIP1 can bind in this groove (11), suggesting this is an important aspect of transcriptional regulation. In contrast, steric hindrance from a bound antagonist displaces H12 so that it now binds in a hydrophobic groove formed by residues from helices 3 and 5. In this position, H12 binds to and occludes the co-activator recognition site, mimicking the interactions formed by the NR box II with the LBD and probably preventing modulation by co-activators. From these results it is clear that the structure of the bound ligand affects the overall structure of ER-α and its interactions with co-activators.

Method using crystal structure of estrogen receptor-β complex


The invention produces data structure layout in a flexible manner that enables the data structures of a computer program to be layed out in a manner that conforms to constraints imposed by a particular computer system on which the program is implemented and that enables the produced data structure layout to be used with different computer systems having different constraints. Thus, the invention is particularly useful with systems that require close control of data structure layout and that have unique requirements for that layout. Embedded real-time systems, which are often implemented on hardware which is designed and optimized for a particular application, are one example of the type of system with which the invention can advantageously be used. The invention additionally allows a user to specify various parameters that control aspects of the manner in which data structure layout is achieved and, therefore, certain characteristics of the data structure layout. The parameters can be specified to achieve a data layout that provides a desired combination of program execution speed and required memory capacity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to layout of data structures and, in particular, to layout of data structures including bit-field data members.
2. Related Art
Computer programming languages generally support several types of data. For example, the C and C++ programming languages allow data to be of type "int" (integer number), "char" (character), "float" (real number) or "double" (double precision real number), among others. Related data is often collected together in a group. For example, in C and C++, the data (of any type) can be collected together into user-defined groups called "structs". Each item of data in a data structure is a "data member".
In C and C++, the data types listed above are called "basic types". (Other data types, such as arrays, also exist. Even a data structure can be a data type, i.e., a data structure can be a data member within another data structure.) Generally, associated with each basic type of data is a predefined number of bits of memory ("basic type size") for storing a data member of that type. Generally, the basic type size depends upon the architecture of the computer that is used for processing the data. For example, on most computers, the basic type size of the "int" basic type is 32 bits (4 bytes) and the basic type size of the "char" basic type is 8 bits (1 byte).
In addition to the above-listed basic types, C and C++ (as well as other programming languages) support another group of data types, called "bit-fields". Bit-fields are special cases of other basic types, bit-fields having a size that, unlike a typical basic type size, is not specified as a number of bytes, but rather as a number of bits that may or may not (typically, not) correspond to an exact number of bytes. Generally, bit-fields can have a size of any number of bits. Bit-fields can be of any integer scalar (i.e., subject to representation by a "count") basic type, such as "int", "short int", "long int", or "char". A data member may be specified as a bit-field, for example, when it is known that the data member will always require no more than a particular number of bits that is less than the number of bits of the basic type size of the corresponding basic type. A data member may also be specified as a bit-field, for example, to facilitate mapping of the data member to corresponding gobits of an external entity such as a control register of an I/O device.
In addition to defining the amount of memory allocated for storage of a data member, e.g., the basic type size, computer architecture can restrict the location of the beginning of each data member, i.e., the computer architecture defines an "alignment requirement" for each data member. Generally, the computer architecture defines an alignment requirement for each data type. For example, a 32-bit RISC CPU may require that all 32-bit data (e.g., data of type "int") begin on a 32-bit address boundary, i.e., at the first bit of the zeroth byte, the fourth byte, the eighth byte, etc. Or, a CPU (e.g., the Motorola 68000 processor) may require that such data begin on a 16-bit address boundary, i.e., at the first bit of the zeroth byte, the second byte, the fourth byte, etc. Further, some programming languages may place restrictions on the placement of data within a memory. For example, the C and C++ programming languages require that the address of each data member of a structure be higher than that of data members of the structure for which memory has previously been allocated.
"Data structure layout" is the process of allocating a portion of a memory for each data member of a data structure. Typically, this is done by defining the location in memory at which each data member begins. An initial address is established as the location of the beginning of a first data member of the data structure. The remaining data members are sequentially processed to determine a location of the beginning of each data member, expressed as an offset (data member offset) from the initial address.
In previous data structure layout methods, the data member offsets are determined, in the first instance, to adequately accommodate the size of each data member and to conform to the alignment requirement of the data type of each data member. To ensure that each data member is placed in memory at a location which satisfies the alignment requirement of the data member, unused bits ("padding bits") may be introduced between adjacent data members in memory. The largest alignment requirement of a data member of the data structure is defined as the alignment requirement of the data structure. After all data members are layed out, additional bits ("trailing bits") are added to the end of the data structure so that the size of the data structure is a multiple of the structure alignment requirement. This is done to ensure that, if the data structure is included in an array of other similar data structures, each of the data structures in the array will be properly aligned, i.e., conform to the structure alignment requirement.
Data structure layout for data structures including bit-field data members is more complicated than data structure layout for data structures that do not include bit-field data members. Most computer architectures allocate memory in bytes rather than in bits. Thus, a data structure layout method must account for the "non-standard" sizes (i.e., sizes not expressed in bytes) of the bit-field data members. Additionally, bit-field data members may be allocated to the unused portion of the allocation for a preceding data member. And, bit-field data members can begin at other than the beginning of a byte and end at other than the end of a byte.
Computer systems, particularly real-time or embedded systems, often impose particular constraints on the layout of the data structures of a computer program. For example, as indicated above, bit-field data members of a data structure may need to map to an I/O port layout or to a status register of the system. Further, it is desirable that the data structures of a computer program be capable of being layed out in a manner that is compatible with different computer systems so that data can be easily shared between the systems. For example, it is desirable that a data structure layout be compatible with different microprocessors having different data alignment requirements. Existing data structure layout methods have not adequately provided these capabilities.

Flexible data structure layout for data structure including bit-field data members


A rebar separator having a crossbar situated atop one or, preferably, two vibrational insulators which are preferably inflatable cushions. Preferably, there are two or more such crossbars on one or two inflatable cushions. At least one vibrational motor is in contact with at least one crossbar. And preferably each crossbar slopes from a first end to a second end. A source of fluid is in communication with each inflatable cushion. Preferably, the vibrational insulators are placed on top of first and second longitudinal channels of a horizontal rack.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for separating rebar from tangled bundles of rebar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rebar comprises the elongated cylindrical steel rods which are placed within concrete to reinforce such concrete.
The rods of rebar come in bundles and often become entangled with one another.
At a facility which cuts and, on occasion, bends the rebar to make it suitable for particular purposes, a bundle of rebar is placed upon a horizontal rack. Then, after removing the straps which hold the bundle together, an individual manually grasps and shakes one rod at a time until it is loosened from the other rods. Such rod is then moved to a portion of the horizontal rack which can have one edge lowered to dump the separated rod onto rollers to be transported for measuring and cutting.
The only prior non-manual separator for rebar of which the present inventor is aware is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,995. That separator utilizes a "blade-like member 55" that is moved longitudinally with respect to the rebar. Apparently, it is inserted between two intertwined pieces of rebar and then moved longitudinally.

Rebar separator with inflatable vibrational cushions and torsion bar vibration transferral


Disclosed is an easy-to-retrofit, electronically controlled door lock system designed to change or expand functions of a door lock without having to replace the door lock as a whole. The door lock system includes a door lock 100 for locking and unlocking a door in response to an input signal from a key means, the door lock having predetermined inherent functions, and a function expanding device 200 having additional functions other than the predetermined inherent functions of the door lock, the function expanding device being replaceably attached to the door lock.

Mechanical door locks for locking and unlocking a door with a metal key have mainly been used as door locking devices in an office, hotel, apartment, etc. However, the conventional mechanical door locks are poor in security because the metal key as a door locking and unlocking means is vulnerable to inadvertent loss and unwanted duplication. At present, in consideration of the vulnerability of the conventional mechanical door lock, use is made of a variety of door locks such as a door lock for locking and unlocking the door with a magnet card type or smart card type electronic key, a door lock for locking and unlocking the door by a key input of a secret number and so on. Moreover, active research and commercialization is conducted for door locks capable of locking and unlocking the door through a bio recognition of the inherent characteristic of a specified part of a human body such as a voice recognition, fingerprint recognition, face recognition, etc.
In the meantime, information communication technologies represented by the Internet and mobile communications have been changing the living patterns of the moderns. Specifically, Internet-feasible personal computers have been spread into almost all of the homes, schools and offices, allowing the user to acquire information using web sites, purchase goods through electronic transactions and exchange news through E-mails. Additionally, through the use of a mobile communication terminal, it has become to provide diversified services such as financial settlement, home automation, use of wireless Internet, etc., in addition to the voice call-oriented mobile communication service.
At an initial stage, the information communication technologies were separately developed depending on their purposes of use such as computers, mobile communications, broadcastings and the like. Nowadays, the technologies have a tendency to be developed in convergence. A representative example of the convergence of the information communication technologies may be a home network. Home electronic appliances begin to emerge that can interact with the Internet and/or mobile communications to thereby construct a home network. In other words, it was conventionally possible for a user to directly manipulate a TV receiver, a washing machine, etc. only inside the house, but at present, the user can control, even outside the house, various kinds of home electronic appliances such as a TV receiver, a washing machine, a lighting equipment and an oven through the use of a mobile communication terminal connected to the Internet.
Meanwhile, the conventional door locks are generally of a stand-alone type that can perform only the functions set by the hardware and software preliminarily equipped at their manufacturing process. This makes it impossible to expand the functions of the door lock unless the door lock itself is replaced as a whole, even if the user wishes to enjoy additional functions such as crime prevention, fire detection and home network.

Easy-to retrofit, electronically controlled door lock system


A system and method for informing users of a possible disruption in a communications link established between users traveling on a mobile platform and a fixed base station. In one preferred form, the invention enables a user on a mobile platform to log on to access a web server on the mobile platform and to obtain information on the availability/status of the communications link formed between the mobile platform and the fixed base station. In another preferred embodiment, the user is provided by the web server with a pop-up window which automatically appears on the user's computing device that is periodically updated with useful information concerning the performance of the network on board the mobile platform and/or the status of the communications link linking the mobile platform and a fixed base station, and the possibility of an imminent disruption in the satellite communications link.

There is a growing interest in the ability to provide high speed communications links between a ground-based communications station and a mobile platform, such as an aircraft, via one or more satellite-based transponders. With such systems, the satellite-based transponder relays data and other information between users on board the mobile platform and the ground-based communications station. One such exemplary system is shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/989,742, filed Nov. 20, 2001, assigned to the assignee of the present application, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such a system enables a satellite transponder, or a series of satellite-based transponders, to provide continuous radio frequency (RF) connectivity between the ground-based station and the computing devices being used on the mobile platform by the users while the mobile platform travels within a predefined coverage region. However, with certain forms of mobile platforms, and particularly with commercial aircraft, which can travel significant distances within a very short period of time, there are expected to be instances where the communications link being provided by the satellite-based transponder (or transponders) will be lost temporarily due to the changing location of the aircraft. Also, it is possible that other factors may arise that could affect the communications link formed with the mobile platform. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide some system of advance notification to the users on board the mobile platform that the satellite-based communications link which the user is using is about to be lost or temporarily interrupted. This would enable the user to conclude email sessions, chat sessions, or other activities without the risk of losing important information if the satellite link were to be suddenly interrupted without any advance notification.

Apparatus and method for providing satellite link status notification


The present invention relates to a rotor of a vacuum pump comprising a rotatable shaft and a plurality of spaced apart parallel rotor disks secured to said rotatable shaft, such rotor being provided with a corrosion-resistant protective coating formed by a layer of polymeric material.

As it is well known, a turbomolecular pump can schematically be regarded as comprising an outer casing in which a plurality of gas pumping stages are housed.
The gas pumping stages are generally obtained through an assembly of stator rings cooperating with rotor disks that are secured to a rotatable shaft driven by a pump motor.
The pumping stages comprise a space for allowing the gas flow, known at the pumping channel, where the surfaces of the rotor disk and the facing stator are relatively spaced away, and tight zones where the surfaces of the rotor disk and the facing stator are very near to each other.
The rotor disks can be either flat (plane) disks or disks that are provided with closely spaced apart inclined blades.
A vacuum pump of the turbomolecular type comprises both flat disks and bladed disks, and is capable of achieving pressure levels as low as 10.sup.-8 Pa.
In order to reach the above vacuum levels with the presently used pumps, the rotor must rotate at a speed as high as 100,000 rpm.
The vacuum pumps such as turbomolecular pumps is used in the field of Integrated Circuits (ICs) manufacturing. In the manufacturing cycle of ICs there are used gas mixtures such as HCl, Hbr, Cl.sub.2, Fl.sub.2, NH.sub.3, etc. that are well-known as highly corrosive gases.
One of the main problems when using turbomolecular pumps in the ICs manufacturing industry, is due to the accumulation of a certain amount of gas because of the flow through the pumping stages.
As a consequence, the surfaces of the internal components of the pump, particularly the rotor surface, come into direct contact with such gas mixtures and are subjected to the corrosive action thereof.
There are also known rotors for turbomolecular pumps provided with a metal or ceramic coating as a protection against the action of such corrosive gases.
The known protective metal coating is generally applied to the rotor by means of nickel-plating, zinc plating or anodizing processes.
As already mentioned, the rotor of a turbomolecular pump is rotated at very high speeds, usually not lower than 25,000 rpm. Due to the very high rotation speed of the rotor and to the extremely reduced gap between the pump rotor and the stator in the pumping stages, a mass distribution in the rotor body that is not homogeneous with respect to its axis of rotation can cause a force unbalance which jeopardizes the working of the pump up to a failure of its components.
Thus, an essential requirement in manufacturing a turbomolecular pump, particularly to be used with corrosive gases, is to achieve a substantially perfect rotational balance of the rotor body.
The known metal or ceramic coatings used until now have the drawback of being unsuitable for application onto objects that are to remain perfectly balanced while maintaining very smooth surfaces such as the rotor of a turbomolecular pump. Due to the complex geometrical shape and the small size of the areas in which the blades are attached to the rotor, the thickness of the metal or ceramic coating may be sufficient and easily corroded.
In order to prevent this from happening, the amount of the protective material deposited onto the rotor body it is often increased, but this countermeasure can lead to a non-uniform thickness of the protection coating of the flat surfaces of the rotor disks that sometimes results in being too thick.
Consequently, an additional finishing step becomes necessary in order to level the surfaces on which the deposited material has a not uniform thickness.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks by providing a rotor for a vacuum pump which is corrosion resistant while at the same time constructed easily and inexpensively.


A drill vacuum combination is provided including a drill having an inverted L-shaped configuration with a vertical handle including a trigger for generating an activation signal upon the depression thereof. The drill further has a horizontal upper extent with a rotating adjustable drill chuck rotatably mounted to a front face thereof and adapted to releasably receive a drill bit therein. The drill chuck is adapted to rotate during the receipt of the activation signal. A tube is situated in concentric relationship with the drill chuck. A vacuum assembly is mounted on the drill and in communication with the tube for generating a vacuum upon the receipt of the activation signal. Finally, a switch is mounted on the drill having a first orientation for only allowing the transmission of the activation signal to the drill chuck, a second orientation for only allowing the transmission of the activation signal to the vacuum assembly, and a third orientation for allowing the transmission of the activation signal to both the drill chuck and vacuum assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drill-mounted dust vacuums and more particularly pertains to a new drill and vacuum combination for collecting dust generated by use of a drill.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of drill-mounted dust vacuums is known in the prior art. More specifically, drill-mounted dust vacuums heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art drill-mounted dust vacuums include U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,501; U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,375; U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,499; U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,647; U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,230; and U.S. Pat. Des. 264,930.
In these respects, the drill and vacuum combination according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of collecting dust generated by use of a drill.


The present invention relates to an image processing device and method, and a program whereby a subject can be imaged in a simpler manner with a desired imaging range.

In recent years, with imaging apparatuses such as digital cameras and so forth, arrangements have been made wherein after a subject such as a person or face is detected by a detector, the subject is imaged in a more suitable manner using functions such as autofocus (AF), automatic exposure (AE), and so forth.
Incidentally, there has been an imaging apparatus for performing adjustment of an imaging range (angle of view) by a zoom operation, which tracks a subject, subjects the subject to zoom out when the subject enters the region of an edge of the imaging range, and subjects the subject to zoom in when the subject enters the center region of the imaging range (see PTL 1).

Image processing device and method, and program

Abstract: A size ratio calculating unit 553 calculates a size ratio between a region of interest that is a region of a subject of interest, and a partial region that is the region of a portion of the subject included in the region of interest with an imaged image that has been imaged, and a lens driving control unit 556 controls the zoom power of an imaged image according to a zoom operation by a user so that the size ratio calculated by the size ratio calculating unit 553, and a predetermined value match or generally match. The present invention may be applied to an imaging apparatus.


An apparatus burns tires in a horizontally rotating combuster. The tires are loaded into a rotating combustion chamber through a traveling air lock and burned until they are reduced to ash. Combustion is enhanced by tumbling the burning tires in the rotating chamber while adding preheated draft air. The intake draft air is controlled using thermal expansion of the rotary combustion chamber to activate the draft control valve. The inner surface of the chamber is tapered in order to prevent unburned debris from advancing prematurely; however, angled flights, positioned along the inner surface, cause the residual ash to advance with each successive revolution of the combustion chamber. The resulting combination of gases and ash are then forwarded to an afterburner for completion of the combustion and disposal of the ash.

1. Field of the Invention
The present apparatus relates to the disposal of tires through combustion. It has been shown that tire combustion is possible by using stationary incinerators. In such devices, tires are not mixed as they burn and the solid by-products of combustion are gathered in collection ducts. In contrast, the present apparatus differs from previous methods of tire combustion in that the entire combuster rotates. Tires are tumbled and retained in the primary burn zone for as long as possible. After tires have been reduced to ash, solid waste is forwarded to the exhaust area using a series of baffles, i.e. flights. Once the hot gases and solid debris have left the exhaust area, they enter the afterburner, where complete burning of the remaining volitiles is performed using a secondary enrichment of oxyzen.
2. Prior Art
The U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,946,680; 4,565,138; 4,551,051; 4,895,083; and 4,180,004 disclose various appratuses used for combustion of tires. This apparatus; however, differs from previous efforts at tire combustion in several ways.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,551,051 and 4,565,138, illustrate an inclined ramp and a ram, respectively, for loading tires into the primary burn zone, U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,004 teaches the step of shredding the tires before delivery to the combuster.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,895,083; 4,565,138; and 3,946,680, burn the tires as a resting pile.


A region of damaged silicon is exploited as a gettering region for gettering impurities in a silicon substrate. The region of damaged silicon is formed between source and drain regions of a device by implanting silicon atoms into the silicon substrate after the formation of a gate electrode of the device. The damaged region is subsequently annealed and, during the annealing process, dopant atoms such as boron segregate to the region, locally increasing the dopant concentration in the region. The previously damaged region is in a location that determine the punchthrough characteristics of the device. The silicon implant for creating a gettering effect is performed after gate formation so that the region immediately beneath the junction is maintained at a lower dopant concentration to reduce junction capacitance. Silicon is implanted in the vicinity of a polysilicon gate to induce transient-enhanced diffusion (TED) of dopant atoms such as boron or phosphorus for control of punchthrough characteristics of a device. A punchthrough control implant is performed following formation of gate electrodes on a substrate using a self-aligned gettering implant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process of a semiconductor fabrication system and for controlling the distribution of dopants or impurities in a device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for controlling punchthrough in a semiconductor device using transient-enhanced diffusion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Punchthrough is a phenomenon associated with merging of source and drain depletion regions in a short-channel device. As the device channel is reduced in size, the distance between depletion regions falls. Punchthrough occurs when the channel length is reduced to approximately the sum of two depletion widths. Punchthrough occurs when the gate voltage is lower than the threshold voltage V.sub.T and occurs as a result of widening of the drain depletion region when the reverse-bias voltage on the drain is increased. Punchthrough occurs if the electric field of the drain eventually penetrates into the source region and reduces the potential energy barrier of the source-to-body junction. The majority carriers in the source region increase in energy sufficiently to overcome the potential energy barrier and an increase current flows from the source to the body. Punchthrough is suppressed by limiting the total width of the two depletion regions to less than the channel length.
Subsurface punchthrough is a phenomenon occurring in submicron N-channel MOSFETs arising from a threshold voltage V.sub.T adjust implant for raising the doping of surface channel region above the lighter doping of the substrate. The implant causes narrowing of the source/drain depletion regions near the surface but does not help in the region beneath the surface of the substrate due to lighter doping beneath the surface. Accordingly, punchthrough first occurs in the subsurface region. One technique for preventing subsurface punchthrough is to increase the substrate doping, thereby decreasing depletion layer widths. A second technique for preventing subsurface punchthrough is implantation of a punchthrough stop implant at a depth near the bottom of the source-drain regions. The punchthrough stop implant reduces the lateral widening of the drain-depletion region below the surface without increasing the doping under the junction regions. The punchthrough stop implant is effective if the placement and dosage is tightly controlled and the punchthrough implant profile is prevented from spreading appreciably during annealing. A third technique for preventing subsurface punchthrough involves local implanting of substrate-type dopants under the lightly-doped tip region of the LDD in a "halo"-type implant. The halo implant raises the dopant concentration only on the inside walls of the source/drain junctions so that the depletion length is decreased without usage of a higher-doped substrate.
Conductive regions of N-type and P-type conductivities and N-P junctions at the boundaries of conductive regions are essential for providing electrical functionality of semiconductor devices and for determining operational characteristics such as punchthrough susceptibility. The conductive regions and junctions are formed in a semiconductor wafer by diffusion or ion implantation techniques. The N-P and P-N junctions in a semiconductor substrate form structures that provide the electrical functionality of transistors and diodes. A junction is a separation between a region called an N-type region having a high concentration of negative electrons and a region called a P-type region having a high concentration of holes. A junction is typically formed in a semiconductor wafer by thermal diffusion, or ion implantation and annealing.
The structure and concentrations of dopants and impurities in the substrate determine the punchthrough performance of a device. What is needed is a technique for implanting and diffusing dopants and impurities that improves the punchthrough susceptibility of semiconductor devices.

Method of implanting silicon through a polysilicon gate for punchthrough control of a semiconductor device


Novel boron/nitrogen compounds having the formula (1): ##STR1## and the products of the at least partial reduction thereof, are converted into BN ceramic materials by thermally polymerizing same, whether or not in the presence of suitable polymerization catalyst, and then pyrolyzing the boron/nitrogen polymers thus obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel borazine compounds and derivatives thereof, and to a process for the preparation of such novel borazines.
This invention also relates to the preparation of polymers based on boron and nitrogen from the subject novel borazine compounds thereof, as well as the production of ceramics based on boron nitride.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to this art that boron nitride is an especially valuable material, in particular by reason of its stability at high temperatures, its resistance to thermal shock, its high chemical inertness and its very good heat-conductivity.
Various techniques for preparing boron nitride are presently known to the ceramic arts.
One such technique entails, for example, reacting a trihaloborane with ammonia in the gas phase. A powder of boron nitride is thus obtained which can be sintered to produce solid components.
However, the microporosity of the resulting components present disadvantages for certain applications.
More recently, boron nitride has been prepared by pyrolysis of organometal polymers based on boron and nitrogen.
The significance of this latter process is that it provides a wealth of options for shaping this type of product, in particular in the form of a coating or fibers.
It is thus known to this art to prepare polymers based on boron and nitrogen by aminolysis of compounds comprising boron, such as for example the trihaloboranes and the haloborazines. The polymers thus obtained are pyrolyzed to produce ceramics essentially comprising boron and nitrogen.

Triethynylborazines and production of BN ceramics therefrom


A novel transplantation method for enhancing tolerogenicity in a host mammal to a transplant graft specimen from a donor mammal is disclosed. According to this method, immature mammalian dendritic cells propagated in the presence of a cytokine are administered to the host mammal in advance of transplantation. Tolerogenicity is enhanced in the host mammal when the immature mammalian dendritic cells concentrate in T-dependent regions of secondary lymphoid tissue of the host mammal, where the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II antigen by the immature mammalian dendritic cells is upregulated. Also disclosed is a novel method of effecting the maturation of immature dendritic cells in the presence of a cytokine and an extracellular matrix protein. These mature mammalian dendritic cells, which upregulate the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II antigen, can then be used to enhance the immune response of a host mammal.

Murine studies have demonstrated that liver grafts can survive permanently when transplanted into hosts that have not been immunologically suppressed (Qian, et al., Hepatology, 19:916 (1994)). Similarly, these transplanted liver grafts have also been shown to induce donor-specific acceptance of skin and cardiac grafts (Qian, et al., Hepatology, 19:916 (1994)). The inventors believe that such graft acceptance in a host depends on the presence of bone marrow-derived leukocytes in the transplanted specimen (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1992); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993); Starzl, et al., Hepatology, 17:1127 (1993)).
Following transplantation, the migration of bone-marrow derived cells from whole organs appears to result in a low level chimerism and donor-specific immunological non-reactivity (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1992); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993); Qian, et al., Hepatology, 19:916 (1994)). The inventors believe that cell migration and chimerism may be the basis for acceptance of all allografts (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1992); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993); Starzl, et al., Hepatology, 17:1127 (1993)). Thus, the exceptional tolerogenicity of the liver could mirror a comparatively heavy content of immature or progenitor DC within this organ (Steinman, et al., Hepatology, 17:1153 (1993)).
Additional studies by the inventors have shown that the propagation of myeloid lineage cells from normal mouse heart non-parenchymal cells (NPC) in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is difficult to achieve. The possibility that multiple hematolymphopoietic lineages participate in the leukocyte traffic occurring after an organ transplant has been suggested from observations in rats (Demetris, et al., Transplant. Proc., 25:3337 (1993)) and humans (Starzl, et al., Hepatology, 17:1127 (1993)), and demonstrated unequivocally in mouse liver transplant experiments (Qian, et al., Hepatology, 19:916 (1994)). These lineages may survive permanently without treatment in mice (Qian, et al., Hepatology, 19:916 (1994)) or subsequent to an immunosuppressive regimen in rats (Demetris, et al., Transplant. Proc., 25:3337 (1993)) and, in some cases, humans (Starzl, et al., Hepatology, 17:1127 (1993)). The probability of pluripotent stem cells and immature DC--amongst other lineages--in the bone marrow-derived interstitial population of non-lymphoid organs is inherent in the inventors' cell migration and chimerism explanation (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1992); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993)).
Once a graft specimen has been transplanted, the bone marrow-derived leukocytes, otherwise known as "passenger leukocytes," migrate from the donor specimen into the host's tissue (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1993); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993)). Once in the host's tissue, evidence exists that a complex of interactions between the donor's leukocytes and the host's immune system can lead to a decreased immune response in the host, and even to tolerance induction in certain situations (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1993); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993); Demetris, et al., Transplant. Proc., 25:3337 (1993); Starzl, et al., Hepatology, 17:1127 (1993); Yoshimura, et al., Transplantation, 49:167 (1990); Thomas, et al., Transplantation, 51:198 (1991); Van Twuyver, et al., N. Engl. J. Med., 325:1210 (1991); Barber, et al., Transplantation, 51:70 (1991)). Numerous reports also exist indicating that mature T-cells can be tolerized to allogeneic antigens outside the thymus (Murphy, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 86:10034 (1989); Miller, et al., Annu. Rev. Immunol., 10:51 (1992)). Accordingly, chimeric cells present in the periphery may play a key role in achieving allotolerance.
HLA-DR.sup.dim allogeneic donor bone marrow cells showing veto cell activity--inactivation of T-helper cells or cytotoxic T-cell precursors--have also been postulated to be immature DC (Thomas, et al., Transplantation, 57:101 (1994)). These immature DC were shown by the present inventors to have avid phagocytic activity in culture and might be expected, therefore, to elicit a deviant, or tolerogenic, local and systemic immune response shortly after injection thereof. The precise basis of the DC-T-cell interaction leading to tolerance induction is not known at this time. Nonetheless, such an interaction would logically depend on the relative affinity or avidity of the donor DC-T-cell receptors ("TCR"), and on the expression of adhesions and co-stimulatory molecules (e.g., B7-1 and B7-2) on the former cells.
An example of a thoroughly studied atypical or "deviant" cytokine-modulated immune response induced by bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells ("APC") is provided by Streilein et al. (Streilein, et al., J. Neuroimmunol., 39:185 (1992); Wilbanks, et al., J. Immunol., 146:2610 (1991)). Streilein and his colleagues studied class II.sup.dim APC with dendritic morphology, which are now believed to be variant DC in the iris, ciliary body, and other tissues lining the anterior chamber of the eye (Wilbanks, et al., J. Immunol., 146:3018 (1991); Streilein, et al., J. Neuroimmunol., 39:185 (1992)). After APC took up bovine serum albumin ("BSA") injected into the anterior chamber of test specimens, the BSA was presented ineffectively to local T-cells, and subsequently in the spleen when APC-peptide complexes arrived there. As a consequence, the test specimen experienced both a dampened systemic and local, or ocular, immune response when challenged with antigen. Although DC precursors appear to be concentrated in the liver, similar subpopulations presumably exist in all other tissues and whole organs, and particularly in the bone marrow, which constitutes a major source of leukocytes.
The liver, which is the most tolerogenic whole organ (Starzl, et al., Hepatology, 17:1127 (1993); Starzl, et al., Surgery, 58:131 (1965);
Calne, et al., Nature, 223:472 (1969)), possesses a relatively large concentration of DC. And across most mouse strain combinations, a liver can be transplanted without host immunosuppression (Qian, et al., Hepatology, 19:916 (1994)). Although interstitial liver DC have been characterized by immunohistochemical studies in both rodents (Hart, et al., J. Exp. Med., 154:347 (1981); Steiniger, et al., Transplantation, 38:169 (1984)) and humans (Prickett, et al., Transplantation, 46:754 (1988)), there is a dearth of published data concerning the in vitro properties of liver DC, and there have been no known attempts to propagate DC from a normal liver.
Reports indicate that the destination of the passenger leukocytes after whole organ transplant is lineage-specific, following the same routes taken by syngeneic cells of the same lineages (Demetris, et al., Transplant. Proc., 25:3337 (1993); Qian, et al., Hepatology, 19:916 (1994)). Moreover, the bone marrow-derived DC lineage is postulated to be the most important of the passenger leukocytes, providing variable degrees of donor-specific non-reactivity (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1993); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993); Demetris, et al., Transplant. Proc., 25:3337 (1993)).
Although it has previously been postulated that complex interactions between donor leukocytes and a host's immune system may lead to a decreased immune response by the host (Starzl, et al., Lancet, 339:1579 (1993); Starzl, et al., Immunol. Today, 14:326 (1993); Demetris, et al., Transplant. Proc., 25:3337 (1993); Starzl, et al., Hepatology, 17:1127 (1993); Yoshimura, et al., Transplantation, 49:167 (1990); Thomas, et al., Transplantation, 51:198 (1991); Van Twuyver, et al., N. Engl. J. Med., 325:1210 (1991); Barber, et al., Transplantation, 51:70 (1991)), and even to tolerance induction, reports of attempts to propagate DC lineage cells from a normal liver are not known to exist.
And despite the fact that DC progeny from mouse blood and bone marrow have been propagated and matured in the presence of GM-CSF (Inaba, et al., J. Exp. Med., 175:1157 (1992); Inaba, et al., J. Exp. Med., 176:1693 (1992)), attempts by the inventors to culture liver-derived DC in the presence of a cytokine alone, such as GM-CSF, failed to achieve appreciable differentiation of liver DC in vitro. The additional presence of tumor necrosis factor-.alpha. ("TNF-.alpha.") and/or interferon-.gamma. ("INF-.gamma.") was likewise found by the inventors to be ineffective in raising the level of major histocompatibility complex ("MHC") class II expression in mouse-derived liver DC. Prior to the present invention, no known means existed for maturing DC derived from an hepatic source.
The present invention provides a method of propagating immature or undifferentiated mammalian DC in the presence of a cytokine, which may then be used to induce donor-specific tolerance to grafts transplanted to a host mammal. The present invention further provides a method of producing immunologically mature mammalian DC in the presence of a cytokine and an extracellular matrix protein, which may then be used to enhance the immune response, including antibody production and cell-mediated immunity, of a host mammal.

Method of regulating dendritic cell maturation


A stereoscopic image display apparatus which reduces flicker and crosstalk, provides a viewing screen of high brightness without decreased resolution. The stereoscopic image display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display which has first and second image forming areas having horizontal rows of pixels, and an optical unit in which first and second polarizing areas associated with the first and second image forming areas are arranged. A right eye image is displayed on the first image forming areas and a left eye image is displayed on the second image forming areas, and these areas are alternately replaced or overwritten every time a frame is switched. Phase difference states are replaced between the first polarizing areas and the second polarizing areas of the optical unit, synchronized with replacement of the first and second image forming areas.

Recently, liquid crystal televisions using liquid crystal displays have been actively developed. Further, as an approach for achieving a higher function of liquid crystal televisions, development of a stereoscopic image display apparatus using a liquid crystal display is being advanced.
A plurality of types of schemes are proposed for this stereoscopic image display apparatus using the liquid crystal display apparatus. For example, a parallax barrier scheme, a lenticular lens scheme and a switch backlight scheme are known. These schemes provide an advantage that a viewer does not need dedicated glasses to view video images from a display apparatus. However, the parallax barrier scheme and the lenticular lens scheme have a problem that, the horizontal resolution decreases and therefore the resolution of image display decreases. The switch backlight scheme has a problem in that flickering of images occur.
Further, as a scheme using dedicated glasses, a shutter glass scheme is known. This scheme provides an advantage of widening a display view angle of an image display apparatus without decreasing the resolution. However, this scheme has problems that flickering of display images occur, the brightness of a display screen decreases and a time lag is produced between images visible to left and right eyes, and therefore natural images cannot be provided for the viewer.
Further, a stereoscopic image display apparatus is recently proposed which uses novel optical units to provide stereoscopic images. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-63199 discloses a stereoscopic image display apparatus which does not require dedicated glasses by using two polarization filters which are such novel optical units.
With the stereoscopic image display apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-63199, a right eye polarization filter and a left eye polarization filter having the polarization directions orthogonal to each other are arranged in the front left and right of a light source. Further, respective lights transmitted through these filters are converted into substantially parallel lights by a Fresnel lens and are radiated to a liquid crystal display. Furthermore, linear polarization filter lines in which polarization directions are orthogonal to each other are alternately arranged per horizontal line of polarization filters on the both surfaces of this liquid crystal display, and opposing linear polarization filter lines on the light source side and viewer side have polarization directions which are orthogonal. Still further, the liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display is configured to alternately display right eye video information and left eye video information per horizontal line according to transmittance lines of two polarization filters.
That is, all horizontal lines of a display screen are divided into odd lines and even lines and left eye and right eye images are displayed on the respective lines to sort these left eye and right eye images for the left and right eyes of the viewer by means of novel optical units and display stereoscopic images.
This apparatus does not cause stereoscopic images to deteriorate even if a viewing position of a viewer is moved more or less to the left or right. This apparatus can also avoid a phenomenon in which a horizontal resolution decreases by half which is the problem of the parallax scheme and the lenticular lens scheme.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-284873 discloses a stereoscopic image display apparatus which uses novel retarders as novel optical units which have two different areas which make polarizing axes of incident lights orthogonal to each other. This stereoscopic image display apparatus has a liquid crystal display which displays a right eye image and a left eye image on different areas, and the retarders corresponding to left and right image display areas, and provides stereoscopic images by projecting parallax images toward the viewer. Further, this stereoscopic image display apparatus is known to display images of a wider view angle.


The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device and a method for forming a semiconductor device with a graphene conductive structure. The semiconductor device includes a first gate structure disposed over a semiconductor substrate, and a first source/drain region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the first gate structure. The semiconductor device also includes a first silicide layer disposed in the semiconductor substrate and over the first source/drain region, and a graphene conductive structure disposed over the first silicide layer. The semiconductor device further includes a first dielectric layer covering the first gate structure, and a second dielectric layer disposed over the first dielectric layer. The graphene conductive structure is surrounded by the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

Semiconductor devices are essential for many modern applications. With the advancement of electronic technology, semiconductor devices are becoming smaller in size while providing greater functionality and including greater amounts of integrated circuitry. Due to the miniaturized scale of semiconductor devices, various types and dimensions of semiconductor devices providing different functionalities are integrated and packaged into a single module. Furthermore, numerous manufacturing operations are implemented for integration of various types of semiconductor devices.
In a semiconductor device, an interconnecting structure is used to electrically connect conductive elements in different layers or in the same layer of an integrated circuit. However, as the semiconductor device scaling-down continues, an interval between adjacent conductive elements is increasingly shrunk, which may decrease the process window of the interconnecting structure. Therefore, it is more and more difficult to manufacture the interconnecting structure in the semiconductor device.
This Discussion of the Background section is provided for background information only. The statements in this Discussion of the Background are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this Discussion of the Background section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this Discussion of the Background section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.

Semiconductor device with graphene conductive structure and method for forming the same