An intelligent status monitoring, reporting and control module is coupled to a SCSI bus that interconnects a cluster of SCSI-compatible data storage modules (e.g., magnetic disk drives). The status monitoring, reporting and control module is otherwise coupled to the cluster of SCSI-compatible data storage modules and to power maintenance and/or other maintenance subsystems of the cluster for monitoring and controlling states of the data storage modules and power maintenance and/or other maintenance subsystems that are not readily monitored or controlled directly by way of the SCSI bus. The status monitoring, reporting and control module sends status reports to a local or remote system supervisor and executes control commands supplied by the local or remote system supervisor. The status reports include reports about system temperature and power conditions. The executable commands include commands for regulating system temperature and power conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to redundant arrays of data storage devices. The invention relates more specifically to a RAID system that connects to a host computer by way of a SCSI interface and a diagnostics/control module that also connects to the SCSI interface.
2a. Cross Reference to Related Applications
The following copending U.S. patent application is assigned to the assignee of the present application, is related to the present application and its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference:
(A) Ser. No. 08/124,276 [Attorney Docket No. CONN8648] filed Sep. 20, 1993 by Larry Kibler et al and entitled, FULL-HEIGHT DISK DRIVE SUPPORT STRUCTURE.
2c. Cross Reference to Related Patents
The following U.S. patent is related to the present application and its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference:
(A) U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,432 issued to Gordon et al. and entitled ARRAYED DISK DRIVE SYSTEM AND METHOD.
3. Description of the Related Art
The use of RAID data storage systems (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disk-drives) is becoming increasingly popular due to economic and technical reasons.
Data storage strategies are being shifted away from having one large mainframe computer coupled to an array of a few, large disk units or a few, bulk tape units, and are instead being shifted in favor of having many desktop or mini- or micro-computers intercoupled by a network to one another and to many small, inexpensive and modularly interchangeable data storage devices (e.g., to an array of small, inexpensive, magnetic storage disk drives). One of the reasons behind this trend is a desire in the industry to maintain at least partial system functionality even in the event of a failure in a particular system component. If one of the numerous mini/micro-computers fails, the others can continue to function. If one of the numerous data storage devices fails, the others can continue to provide data access. Also increases in data storage capacity can be economically provided in small increments as the need for increased capacity develops.
A common configuration includes a so-called "client/server computer" sandwiched between a local area network (LAN) and a RAID data storage system. Remote users (clients) send requests for read and/or write access to data files contained in the RAID system over the network (LAN). The client/server computer services each request on a time shared basis.
As the client/server computer performs its client servicing tasks, the client/server computer is burdened at the same time with the overhead of attending to mundane tasks such as monitoring the operational status of each disk drive in the RAID system and taking corrective action, or at least issuing an alarm, when a problem develops.
A difficulty develops when the request-servicing bandwidth and/or storage capacity of such a RAID-based client/server system needs to be scaled upwardly. If the number of network users (clients) or request-load per user increases, the request-servicing burden that is placed on the client/server computer tends to increase correspondingly. At some point, the client/server computer bumps against the limits of its data processing speed and system responsiveness suffers.
System responsiveness is disadvantageously degraded by the burden that status monitoring overhead places on the client/server computer. In other words, the status monitoring overhead disadvantageously reduces the ability of the client/server computer to more quickly respond to the ever-growing number of service requests that it receives from the network. In addition, the status-monitoring overhead burden disadvantageously grows as more data storage drives are added to the RAID system. And accordingly, even though the addition of more data storage drives beneficially increases the system's storage capacity, it also tends to degrade system response speed.
The status monitoring function of the client/server computer is typically supported by customized hardware that is added to an expandable bus of the client/server computer. In one configuration, a serial and/or parallel I/O board is inserted into one of the expansion slots of the client/server computer and site-customized cables are routed from this I/O board to status sensors that are mounted on or in various components of the disk array. Monitoring software is loaded into the client/server computer to drive the I/O board, to query the various sensors and to receive status reports back from them. Such an arrangement is disadvantageous in that an expansion slot of the client/server computer is consumed for carrying out the disk-array monitoring function. It is also disadvantageous because of the customized nature of the sensor cables extending from the I/O board. Each RAID server tends to have its own unique configuration. A network having many such uniquely-configured servers is difficult to maintain.
Increasingly, there is a need within the industry for arranging the client/server computer as an off-the-shelf commodity item that can be quickly and inexpensively replaced in case of failure. There is a long felt desire in the industry to avoid customized routings of cables between a stand-alone computer and peripheral sensors. There is a need in the industry for disk drive arrays or other data storage arrays that can be quickly and efficiently serviced in the event of a failure. There is a growing desire in the industry to be able to control all operations of a networked RAID system from a remote control console without adversely affecting normal operations of the network.

SCSI-coupled module for monitoring and controlling SCSI-coupled raid bank and bank environment


A grease composition for EV/HEV driving motor bearing, containing a diurea thickener of the following formula (A):

The bearing for supporting a driving motor used in the EV and HEV is required to be operable within a wide temperature range because the bearing is used under various conditions, e.g., in low temperature atmospheres of cold regions and under the elevated temperature conditions due to running of the motor, transmission or reducer. In line with the rotation of bearing at higher speed resulting from higher output of the motor, the bearing is also required to have durability against high-speed rotation in order to improve the rotational performance.
In light of the operating conditions of high temperatures, the grease used for the bearings is required to have a long seizure life. The greases using mineral oil as a base oil and those using lithium soap as a thickener cannot meet the requirement of the seizure life under the high-temperature circumstances because of insufficient heat resistance of the base oil and the thickener.
To improve the seizure life under the high-temperature conditions, for example, JP 1-259097 A proposes a grease composition comprising an alkyldiphenyl ether oil as the essential ingredient, and a particular thickener. However, the above-mentioned grease composition cannot meet the low-temperature flowability because of high kinematic viscosity of the base oil.
For the purpose of satisfying the low-temperature flowability of the grease, it has been regarded as the usual measures to lower the kinematic viscosity of the employed base oil. For example, JP 2000-198993 A proposes a grease composition where a base oil contains an ester oil with a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. of 10 mm2/s or more. When the kinematic viscosity of the base oil is lowered, the low-temperature flowability can be satisfied, but the base oil exhibits poor heat resistance under the high temperature conditions, whereby satisfactory seizure life cannot be ensured.

Grease composition for EV/HEV driving motor bearing and EV/HEV driving motor bearing

Abstract: wherein R1, R2 and R3 are defined, with the ratio of the number of moles of the straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 16 to 20 carbon atoms to the total number of moles of the cyclohexyl group and the straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 16 to 20 carbon atoms, expressed as [((the number of alkyl group)/(the number of cyclohexyl group+the number of alkyl group))×100] being 60 to 80%, and a base oil which has a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. of 15 to 50 mm2/s and includes a trimethylolpropane ester oil in an amount of 80 mass % or more based on the total base oil mass. The grease composition can exhibit a long bearing lubrication life at high temperature and high speed, and satisfactory low-temperature flowability.


A gravity feed dispensing system for small animals in multi-level cages includes a rectangular hopper for containing a supply of animal feed and a number of multi-level cages. The system also includes a number of pipes with one pipe for each cage. The pipes are gathered together to form a pipe rack of upwardly facing open ends forming a planar array below the hopper. A first chute connects the hopper to the pipe rack for delivering food to the cages. A control plate having a small central opening is disposed in the chute between the hopper and the pipe racks. In addition, a pair of sliding gates is disposed between the control plate and the pipe rack together with a mechanism for opening and closing the pair of gates. The system also includes a mechanism for adjusting the vertical distance between the control plate and the pair of gates.

Feed dispensing systems are well known and have been used for a number of years. Such systems typically include an auger for conveying feed along a row of cages in essentially equal amounts. For example, a U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,700 of Richard H. Cobb discloses an apparatus for dispensing feed to a closed-loop trough for simultaneous distribution of the feed to selectively positioned feed stations. As disclosed a conveyor in the trough is used for displacing the feed from the storage hopper along the length of the trough to openings over the feed stations which are maintained covered by suitable means such as a sliding cutoff until feed is distributed uniformly throughout the trough. The openings are then uncovered in concert to simultaneously distribute feed from the trough to the feed stations.
A more recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,894 of Ray E. Swartzendruber discloses a feed distribution apparatus that includes a conveyor system for delivering feed to poultry cages. The cages are organized in an oppositely facing, multi-level array. The system comprises a first endless conduit extending along an upper conduit run past an upper level of cages facing in a first direction, and extending along a lower conduit run past a lower level of cages facing in a second or opposite direction. A second endless conduit extends along an upper conduit run past an upper level of cages facing in that opposite direction, and extends along a lower conduit run past the lower level of cages facing in the first direction. Displaceable driver elements disposed in these endless conduits carry feed in trough runs past the adjacent cages. An overhead delivery conveyor delivers feed to tubes and permits the level of feed fed in the conduits to be adjusted.
Finally, a U.S. Pat. No. Re. 33,456 of Gerardus J. Van Rooijen is directed to a Rotating Helical Conveyor System. The system delivers feed to a plurality of animal cages arranged in rows and has an endless conduit extending along a conduit run past at least one of the rows of cages and through a feed trough disposed adjacent the faces of the row of cages. An elongate, continuous, endless material moving element extends through the endless conduit run and is longitudinally movable therethrough, and a driver element advances the endless material moving element along and through the conduit run. The material moving element comprises an elongate helical member defining a longitudinal helix axis and bendable about this axis for following the endless conduit run. Cooperating structure on the driver element and on the helical member rotates the helical member about the helix axis thereof while simultaneously axially advancing the helical member along and through the conduit run.
Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential commercial market for a gravity feed dispensing system in accordance with the present invention. There should be a need because such gravity feed systems provide routine servings of feed to poultry, pigeons, birds and other small animals.

Gravity feed dispensing system for poultry and other small animals


A toothbrush includes a head having a prophylaxis polishing cup closely surrounded by cleaning elements in the form of a bristle ring extending above the upper surface of the cup. Alternatively, the cups could be in the form of arrays of densely packed cleaning elements. The area formed by these configurations retains toothpaste on the toothbrush during use. Additional cleaning elements may be arranged about the periphery of the toothbrush head. The toothbrush may be a powered toothbrush wherein the cups and/or bristle rings rotate, oscillate or reciprocate to better clean teeth.

The head of a conventional toothbrush usually has a flat or slightly altered surface to which cleaning elements are attached. Usually the cleaning elements are strands of plastic material(s) formed into tufts, bundles or other groupings. The strands are attached to the head either before or after forming the toothbrush.
Various approaches have been advanced in the prior art for orientating the cleaning elements in the toothbrush.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,083,217 issued Jun. 8, 1937 to E. I. Brothers, et al. discloses two or three circular brush sections which are arranged within cups 5 and 5′ that may be screwed into mating receptacles in the tooth brush handle so that they can be removed and replaced as needed (page 2, lines 52–70). Each brush section contains stiff cleaning elements and is spaced from the other along the longitudinal axis of the handle at a distance less than the thickness of a tooth so that the brush operates on both the lingual (inside) and facial (outside) surfaces of the teeth (page 2, column 1, line 71 to column 2, line 9).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,951 describes a toothbrush with a head containing a flexible, rubber-like prophylaxis polishing cup or "prophecy cup" similar to that used by dental personnel to professionally clean teeth. This prophy cup is loaded with toothpaste by the user and applied to the teeth. According to this patent, the "soft rubber-like prophy cup device follows the contours of teeth more effectively than bristles" (column 2, lines 23–26). This patent also discloses a ring of cleaning elements ("bristle tufts") placed about the periphery of the toothbrush head which coact with the prophy cups to clean the user's teeth and gums (column 2, lines 34–47).
Another approach to oral hygiene is described in the toothbrush described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,468 issued to the assignee of this application. The cleaning elements (bristles) of this toothbrush are arranged in a concave shape across the width of the toothbrush head (See FIGS. 3–5 and column 4, lines 1–22).
Design Patents illustrating circular groups of cleaning elements are U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 273,635 issued May 1, 1984 to Stocchi and D450,929S issued Nov. 27, 2001 to Angelina, et al.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An energy storage system supplies electric energy to consuming devices in a vehicle, particularly in a motor vehicle. The system includes a first power grid having a first energy accumulator and a second power grid having a second energy accumulator, the first and second power grids being electrically coupled such that electric energy from the first power grid is feedable to the second power grid for regenerating the second energy accumulator. The energy storage system is operatively configured such that it is detected when a number of conditions has been met, the number of conditions including at least that an external charging device is connected to the first power grid for charging the first energy accumulator. In the event that the number of conditions has been met, regeneration of the second energy accumulator is carried out.

The invention relates to an energy storage system for supplying electric energy to consuming devices in a vehicle, particularly in a motor vehicle, as well as to a method of regenerating an energy accumulator in such an energy storage system.
It is known to use two mutually coupled power grids with corresponding energy accumulators for each energy system for supplying electric energy to consuming devices in modern vehicles and, particularly, in automobiles. European Patent document EP 1 130 737 B1, for example, describes an electric energy supply system having a low direct-current grid and a high direct-current grid, which are mutually coupled by way of a DC-DC converter. In this case, the energy accumulators of the two grids are connected in series.
The energy accumulators of an energy storage system integrated in a vehicle and consisting of at least two energy accumulators are cyclically discharged and charged during the operation. Over a longer period of time, this leads to a deterioration of the performance of the energy accumulator or to a shortening of the useful life of the energy accumulators. Methods are therefore known from the state of the art by which an energy accumulator in an energy storage system can be regenerated in a suitable manner in order to thereby counteract the deterioration of the functionality of the energy accumulator or the shortening of its useful life.
International Patent document WO 2007/104325 A1 discloses a method of regenerating a capacitive energy accumulator in the form of a cell composite of series-connected cells consisting of double-layer capacitors. These types of energy accumulators are frequently also called supercaps and permit the accumulation of energy of a high power density. Here, it is problematic that, as a result of the cyclical charging and discharging of the cell composite, voltage drifts will occur between the individual cells which, in some cells, result in excess voltages and, in other cells, result in insufficient voltages. The regeneration described in International Patent document WO 2007/104325 A1 is based on a charging operation, which carries out a balancing of circuits of the cells, so that, by means of all cells, the same voltage is generated again. In this case, a so-called active bypass balancer circuit is used which, during the implementation of the balancing of circuits, ensures that when an excess voltage is too high in a cell, current is discharged by way of an electric resistor.
The methods known from the state of the art for regenerating an energy accumulator in an energy storage system of a vehicle have the disadvantage that impairments of the functionalities of the vehicle may occur when implementing the regeneration, particularly if the regeneration operation is started during the travel of the vehicle.
It is therefore an object of the invention to ensure in an energy storage system of a vehicle consisting of two energy accumulators that the operation of regenerating an energy accumulator is carried out without, or only with a slight, impairment of functionalities of the vehicle.
This and other objects are achieved by an energy storage system and method for supplying electric energy to consuming devices in a vehicle, particularly in a motor vehicle, comprising a first power grid having a first energy accumulator and a second power grid having a second energy accumulator. The first and the second power grid are electrically coupled such that electric energy from the first power grid can be fed to the second power grid for regenerating the second energy accumulator. The energy storage system can be operated such that it detects when a number of conditions has been met, the number of conditions comprising at least the condition that an external charging device is connected to the first power grid for charging the first energy accumulator. In the event that the number of conditions has been met, the regenerating of the second energy accumulator is carried out.
The energy storage system according to the invention comprises a first power grid having a first energy accumulator and a second power grid having a second energy accumulator, the first and the second power grid being electrically coupled—for example, by way of a converter or switch—such that electric energy from the first power grid can be fed to the second power grids for regenerating the second energy accumulator. The first power grid and second power grid preferably are direct-current grids which are mutually coupled by way of a DC-DC converter. The first and the second energy accumulator of the two power grids may be mutually connected in parallel or, if required, in series.
The energy storage system is characterized in that it can be operated such that it is detected when a number of conditions has been met, the number of conditions comprising at least the condition that an external charging device, which is not part of the energy storage system, is connected to the first power grid for charging the first energy accumulator. If the number of conditions has been met, the regeneration of the second energy accumulator will be carried out.
The invention is based on the recognition that, when a regeneration of an energy accumulator is carried out, the system functionalities of the vehicle, as a rule, will be impaired the least if the charging operation is carried out by an external charging device. The reason is that, when an external charging device is connected, usually no further functionalities or electrical consuming devices of the vehicle are used and the operation of the vehicle is therefore not impaired.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the energy storage system according to the invention, the number of conditions, in addition to the above condition that an external charging device is connected, may comprise one or more additional conditions which can be used, for example, for making it plausible that no additional consuming devices are used which are fed by the energy storage system. In particular, the number of conditions may further comprise the condition or conditions that the vehicle is stationary, the ignition of the vehicle is switched off, and/or no condition is detected that deviates from the normal state of the second energy accumulator. The last-mentioned condition has the purpose of ensuring that no faulty operating condition of the energy accumulator is present when the regeneration is carried out, which faulty operating condition, under certain circumstances, may lead to damage to the energy accumulator. Such a condition, which deviates from the normal state of the energy accumulator, may, for example, be detected by measuring the temperature of the second energy accumulator, in which case it is determined that a condition is present that deviates from the normal state if the temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold value. In this case, the regeneration of the second energy accumulator will not be initiated.
Analogous to the above conditions, whose fulfillment starts the regenerating function for the second energy accumulator, corresponding termination conditions are also provided in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, in the event of whose fulfillment, the regeneration of the second energy accumulator is stopped. When carrying out the regeneration of the second energy accumulator, it is checked in this case whether at least one termination condition out of a number of termination conditions has been met.
In a variant of the invention, the termination conditions are further developed such that a termination condition will have been met if at least one of the above conditions, according to which the regeneration was started, has not been met. In particular, the number of termination conditions may comprise one or more of the following termination conditions:
(a) the external charging device is terminated by the first power grid;
(b) the ignition of the vehicle is switched on; and/or
(c) a condition is detected that deviates from the normal state of the second energy accumulator.
In a further development of the energy storage system according to the invention, the regeneration of the second energy accumulator will be terminated after it was carried out successfully. As required, the regenerating may also still be continued for a predetermined time period, particularly until a predefined state of charge of the first energy accumulator has been reached, for example, until the first energy accumulator is fully charged.
In a further development of the method according to the invention, the regeneration is based on the initially mentioned balancing of circuits of the second energy accumulator, in which case any arbitrary balancing method can be used that is known from the state of the art. In particular, the balancing of circuits takes place by an active bypass circuit in the second power grid, which was described initially. The balancing of circuits is preferably carried out based on the method described in International Patent document WO 2007/104325 A1.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the energy storage system according to the invention, the first energy accumulator of the first power grid is a battery, particularly a 12V battery, for example, a lead battery or a nickel metal hydride battery. In this case, the first power grid preferably is the conventional on-board power system of a vehicle, by way of which the majority of the electric consuming devices of the vehicle are fed.
In a further development of the method according to the invention, the second energy capacitor of the second power grid is a capacitive energy accumulator, particularly the above-mentioned energy accumulator consisting of one or more cells of double-layer capacitors. In this case, the second power grid preferably is an expansion of the conventional on-board power supply system of the vehicle, which is used for feeding consuming devices which require a voltage deviating from the on-board power supply system or which consume a large amount of power in certain configurations and, for this purpose, require the aid of a second energy accumulator.
In a further development of the method according to the invention, the second power grid is the power grid of the electric motor of a hybrid drive which has a second energy accumulator for driving the electric motor. Since it can be assumed that the hybrid drive is not in operation when an external charging device is connected, the system functionalities of this drive are not limited thereby when the regeneration is carried out.
In addition to the above-described energy storage system, the invention relates to a method of regenerating an energy accumulator in such an energy storage system, the method being usable in combination with each variant of the above-described energy storage system. The method is thereby used in an energy storage system which comprises a first power grid having a first energy accumulator and a second power grid having a second energy accumulator, the first and second power grid being electrically coupled such that electric energy from the first power grid can be fed to the second power grid for regenerating the second energy accumulator. In this case, it is detected when a number of conditions has been met, the number of conditions comprising at least the condition that an external charging device is connected to the first power grid for charging a first energy accumulator. If required, the conditions may also comprise further conditions that were described above. In the event that the number of conditions has been met, the regenerating of the second energy accumulator is carried out, the regenerating especially being the above-described balancing of circuits. In this case, the method is preferably applied in energy storage systems in which the second energy accumulator is a capacitive energy accumulator, particularly a cell composite consisting of one or more cells of double-layer capacitors.
In addition to the above-described energy storage system and method, the invention also relates to a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, that includes the energy storage system according to the invention.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Energy storage system for supplying electrical energy to consumers in a vehicle

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A laser light control device for an image forming apparatus designed to improve the auto power control (APC) accuracy and to reduce the control time. A multifunctional optical element has a plurality of different optical characteristics. A detecting unit is adapted to detect laser light from the semiconductor laser. A control unit is adapted to perform control of the write start position of the laser light in the main scanning direction and control of the quantity of the laser light by detecting the laser light by means of the detecting unit after passage of the laser light through the multifunctional optical element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser light control device for an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The optical power characteristics of a semiconductor laser are sensitive to changes in ambient temperature. Therefore, the optical power of the semiconductor laser varies largely due to changes in ambient temperature or self-heat generation for example, even during constant-current drive. To cope with this temperature dependence of the optical power, a photodiode (PD) called a monitor diode is ordinarily incorporated in a package for a semiconductor laser. This causes the optical power from back light from the semiconductor laser to be monitored, thereby providing a control of the drive current to constantly maintain the optical power. A drive circuit having such a feedback mechanism to control the light quantity of a semiconductor laser is referred to as an auto power control (APC) circuit (automatic optical power control circuit).
In a drive circuit which turns on/off a semiconductor laser according to image data in a printer with a laser light control device, or the like, the auto power control (APC) is ordinarily performed by lighting a laser for a certain time period outside an image area, because the laser lighting time is irregular.
An arrangement using in an APC circuit for laser scanning device a photodiode-integrated-type laser diode having a photodiode integrally incorporated in a package has advantages mentioned below. That is, it is capable of reducing the disposition space, eliminates the need for independent wiring and is advantageous in simplifying the construction of the laser scanning device and reducing the cost in comparison with an arrangement in which the emission output from a semiconductor laser is monitored with a discrete photodiode arranged separately from the laser diode.
With the above-described arrangement, however, laser light quantity control of high accuracy has not been realized even by performing APC, because the quantity of back light from the semiconductor laser received by the photodiode in the package also varies slightly with changes in the temperature of the semiconductor laser.
A system is known in which forward light emitted from a package of a semiconductor laser is used for APC (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H09-321377).
In the above-described arrangement, however, there is a need to respectively provide a photodiode for detecting the main scanning position of laser light (image writing start reference signal: BD signal) and a photodiode for detecting the quantity of light.
It is preferable to use one photodiode as a photodiode for detecting the main scanning position of laser light (image writing start reference signal: BD signal) and as a photodiode for detecting the quantity of light. However, the region in which the position of the photodiode in the laser light main scanning direction can be set is so restricted that the area occupied by the light receiving surface of the disposed photodiode is small, and the time at which the quantity of laser light is detected is the time at which laser light passes the photodiode during scanning along one line. Therefore, the time period during which the quantity of laser light is detected with the photodiode is extremely short. With such an arrangement, the quantity of laser light cannot be accurately detected if the response of the photodiode is low or the time period required for convergence of APC control is long. In such a case, it is difficult to perform feedback control with stability.

Laser light control device for image forming apparatus, and image forming apparatus


A peripheral component interconnect-extended system that includes a bus bridge. The bus bridge includes an input queue adapted to receive a first request for data from a requesting device coupled to a first bus. The first bus is coupled to the bus bridge, and the first request containing a sequence identification information. The bus bridge also includes a data storage device to contain information to control the bus bridge, and a processor that associates a first unique identification code to the first request.

In a PCI-X system, a system in accordance with the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Special Interest Group's (SIG) PCI-Extended standard, master devices do not constantly send these queries or expect constant acknowledgements or responses from the slave device. Instead, once a master device sends a request to a slave device, the slave device becomes the master device and as a master device sends the requested data to the original requester. For clarity, the original master device will be referred to as a "requester" or "requesting device", and the original slave device will be referred to as a "responder" or "responding device".

Use of bus transaction identification codes


A motor unit having a drive motor, a control portion, and a base made of an aluminum die-casting product. The motor unit is fixed to a fixing stand of a sewing machine for driving a drive shaft thereof. The base has a pair of supporting brackets connected to the fixing stand for suspendingly fixing the base to the fixing stand. The base has a plate-like portion. The drive motor is fixed to one surface of the plate-like portion, and the control portion is fixed to an opposite surface thereof. A motor cover made of a synthetic resin is mounted on the one surface for covering the drive motor, and a protection cover made of a synthetic resin is mounted on the opposite surface for covering the control portion. The control portion includes a plurality of electronic components including heat generating elements. The heat generating elements are directly mounted on the base to release heat from the base.

The present invention relates to a motor unit having a drive motor and a control portion for controlling the drive motor, and more particularly, to a type thereof particularly useful as a drive source for an industrial sewing machine.
In a conventional industrial sewing machine, an induction motor used as a drive motor is provided separately from a control portion which controls the drive motor. The drive motor and the control portion are respectively attached to a fixing portion of the sewing machine.
Further, in an industrial machine such as the sewing machine to which an operator is directly accessible for its operation, housings are attached to the fixing portion for housing respectively the drive motor, the control portion as well as a power transmitting system so as to avoid danger to the operator. These housings are made to have a mechanically high rigidity such as a product of a aluminum die-casting product, otherwise the housing may be released from the fixing portion if the housing is made from a mere metal plate.
Accordingly, the conventional industrial machine increases its own weight due to the respective provisions of the housings made by the aluminum die casting product. The increased weight of the machine will lower the transportation of the entire machine, and increases its cost.

Motor unit having drive motor and controller


A method of forming damascene wiring without dishing and erosion employs a dummy layer to slow or delay polishing in selected regions and thereby prevent dishing and erosion of the damascene wiring. The dummy layer is above wide damascene regions and areas containing closely packed damascene regions. Therefore, non-uniform sheet resistance of the damascene metal wiring and electro-migration due to an increase in the local current density of the metal wiring can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and fabrication of semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to damascene metal wiring pattern and methods for fabricating damascene metal wiring.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent semiconductor device manufacturing technology uses copper (Cu) as a wiring material in semiconductor devices having small feature sizes because copper has low resistivity and high resistance to electro-migration. However, copper""s complicated chemical reactions makes copper difficult to pattern and use for metal wiring. For example, copper wiring patterns are easily oxidized when exposed to air. Such oxidation increases the resistance of the wiring pattern. Thus, to prevent oxidation, damascene wiring is frequently used when forming copper wiring patterns.
The process for forming damascene wiring forms and patterns an insulative layer to create damascene regions or depressions in the insulative layer. Next, a conductive material such as copper is deposited on the insulative layer, filling the damascene regions. Then, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) or an etch-back process planarizes the conductive layer to expose the insulative layer. As a result, a damascene metal wiring pattern is left in the damascene regions. However, the planarization by CMP can result in dishing or erosion of the damascene metal wiring pattern.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device including dished metal wiring. In FIG. 1, an insulative layer pattern 110 overlies a semiconductor substrate 100, and damascene metal wiring 130 is formed in insulative layer pattern 110 by the method described above. A barrier layer 120 is between damascene metal wiring pattern 130 and insulative layer pattern 110. Region xe2x80x98axe2x80x99 shows dishing of a portion of damascene metal wiring pattern 130. Dishing occurs because of the faster polishing rate at the center of metal wiring pattern 130 relative to polishing rate at the perimeter of metal wiring pattern 130. Thus, dishing is more severe when metal wiring pattern 130 is wider.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a semiconductor device where Damascene metal wiring pattern 130 has an eroded surface. Here, region b of FIG. 2 corresponds to the eroded portion of Darnascene metal wiring pattern 130. Erosion arises from CMP during Damascene processing and occurs where there is insufficient oxide area to act as a CMP stop during the CMP planarization. The CMP process has a higher polishing rate where the percentage area of metal is higher. Accordingly, CMP can erode oxide 110 and Damascene metal wiring pattern 130 in areas. such as region b. In particular, an area including closely packed regions of metal wiring pattern 130 separated by narrow portions of insulative layer pattern 110 is susceptible to the erosion.
The dishing or erosion thins the metal wiring and thus increases the sheet resistance of the metal wiring. Further, the increase in sheet resistance is not constant. The sheet resistance may increase by tens of percentage points depending on the circumstances and the layout of the metal wiring. The high or inconsistent resistance makes the operation of a semiconductor device difficult or lowers the reliability of a semiconductor device, especially of a high power semiconductor device. In the case of analog devices that demand accurate and constant resistance of the wiring patterns, the design rules for the damasecene metal wiring pattern are considerably restricted to prevent the dishing or erosion of the damascene metal wiring pattern.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, device fabrication process forms a dummy layer over portions of conductive layer before a CMP process. The dummy layer slows the removal of material from the covered portions of the conductive layer and thereby prevents overpolishing that could otherwise cause dishing or erosion in a Damascene wiring pattern. The dummy layers are typically removed completely when forming damascene wiring, but in some embodiment, portions of the dummy layer remain in the finished semiconductor devices.
A method according to one embodiment of the invention includes: forming an insulative layer on a semiconductor substrate; patterning the insulative layer to form a damascene region in the insulative layer; forming a conductive layer on the insulative layer, filling the damascene region; forming a dummy layer on a portion of the conductive layer that is in the damascene region of the insulative layer; and planarizing the semiconductor substrate by removing portions of the dummy layer and the conductive layer until the insulative layer is exposed. The pattern of the dummy layer is such that the dummy layer is above the wide damascene region, e.g., damascene regions that are 10 xcexcm or more wide.
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) planarizes the semiconductor structure. The CMP is less selective to the dummy layer than to the conductive layer. For example, the relative selectivity between the conductive layer and dummy layer is preferably 5 to 1. In exemplary embodiments, the dummy layer is a SiO2, Si3N4, TiO2, or TiN layer, having the thickness between about 500 xc3x85 and 5000 xc3x85.
In another method, the patterning of the insulative layer can form a number of damascene regions that are closely spaced. In this case, the dummy layer is formed on a portion of the conductive layer, under which the damascene regions occupy 20% or more of the area of the insulative layer. For protection of these areas during CMP, the selectivity of the dummy layer is the same as or lower than that of the conductive layer, preferably between 1:1 and 1:2. The thickness of the dummy layer is between 500 xc3x85 and 3000 xc3x85.
The method can further include forming a second conductive layer on the dummy layer and conductive layer after forming the dummy layer. In this case, the top surface of the portion of the conductive layer below the dummy layer may be lower than the top surface of the insulative layer, preferably by 500 xc3x85 to 1000 xc3x85 so that part of the dummy layer remains after CMP planarization.
In accordance with the present invention, still another method of forming a conductive pattern of a semiconductor device includes: forming an insulative layer; patterning the insulative layer to form a plurality of damascene regions in the insulative layer; forming a conductive layer that fills the damascene regions; forming a first dummy layer on portions of the conductive layer over wide damascene regions; forming a second dummy layer on portions of the conductive layer over closely packed damascene regions; and planarizing the semiconductor substrate by removing portions of the dummy layers and the conductive layer until the insulative layer is exposed. This method combines features of the two methods described above.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising: an insulative layer in which a damascene region is formed; a conductive layer which fills the damascene region; and a dummy layer overlying the conductive layer. The semiconductor device can further include a barrier layer between the conductive layer and the insulative layer.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device includes an insulative layer overlying a conductive layer or lower wiring layer. The insulative layer includes a damascene region and a via hole, and the via hole exposes the conductive layer through the damascene region. A second conductive layer fills the damascene region and the via hole, and a dummy layer overlies the damascene region.

Method of fabricating damascene metal wiring


Circuit fabrication methods are provided which include, for example: providing one or more gate structures disposed over a substrate structure, the substrate structure including a first region and a second region; forming a plurality of U-shaped cavities extending into the substrate structure in the first region and the second region thereof, where at least one first cavity of the plurality of U-shaped cavities is disposed adjacent in one gate structure in the first region; and expanding the at least one first cavity further into the substrate structure to at least partially undercut the one gate structure, without expanding at least one second cavity of the plurality of U-shaped cavities, where forming the plurality of U-shaped cavities facilitates fabricating the circuit structure. In one embodiment, the circuit structure includes first and second transistors, having different device architectures, the first transistor having a higher mobility characteristic than the second transistor.

Different semiconductor devices may have one or more different device characteristics, including, for example, power consumption levels, threshold voltages, performance characteristics, etc. Multiple different device architectures may provide optimization of one or more of these characteristics for devices intended to perform specific functions. For instance, one device architecture may optimize power consumption for devices providing, for example, storage or memory functions, and a different device architecture may optimize one or more performance characteristics for devices providing, for example, logic or arithmetic functions. A system using multiple discrete devices, having different device architectures, and optimized for different functions, may result in added complexity and cost. Therefore, it may be desirable to develop methods for integrating multiple devices having different device architectures into one circuit structure.

Fabrication methods facilitating integration of different device architectures


A method, system and device for registering with a Local Mobility Anchor (LMA) are disclosed. The method includes: receiving a message from at least one local device; selecting a new local device according to the message; and registering with the new local device. The present invention enables dynamic registration with the LMA based on the network. In the Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol (PMIP) domain, network sharing and load balancing are properly supported, the network is more reliable, and it is convenient for the operator to deploy the network massively.

In the prior art, a Mobile Node (MN) on the home network uses a Home Address (HoA) to communicate with a Correspondent Node (CN). When the MN moves to a visited network, the MN obtains an address, namely, a Care-of Address (CoA), from the visited network. The MN sends a binding update message that carries the CoA to a Home Agent (HA). Binding entries between the HoA and the CoA of the MN are created on the HA, and a bidirectional tunnel between the HA and the MN is set up. After receiving the registration request, the HA encapsulates the Internet Protocol (IP) packet that needs to be forwarded to the MN. The source address of the outer packet is the address of the HA, and the destination address of the outer packet is the CoA. The HA forwards the encapsulated packet to the MN through a tunnel. When sending a packet, the MN uses the CoA. The source address of the outer packet is the CoA, and the destination address of the outer packet is the address of the HA. The source address of the inner packet is the HoA, and the destination address of the inner packet is the address of the CN. The HA decapsulates the received packet, and forwards the inner packet to the CN.
The Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol Version 6 (PMIPv6) protocol is an extension of the Mobile Internet Protocol Version 6 (MIPv6): A Mobile Access Gateway (MAG) simulates the home link, and notifies a Home Network Prefix (HNP, HoA prefix) to the MN so that the MN believes that the MN is always on the home link; in place of the MN, the MAG sends a registration packet to the LMA. The LMA is equivalent to an HA in MIPv6. It creates binding buffer entries between the HNP and the MAG interface address (Proxy-CoA) on the LMA, and sets up a bidirectional tunnel for transmitting the packet of the MN between the MAG and the LMA. The process of receiving and sending the packet is as follows:
The peer node sends a packet to the HoA of the MN. The packet is intercepted by the LMA. Afterward, the LMA queries the binding list according to the HNP, and sends the packet to the MAG through the tunnel between the LMA and the MAG. The MAG de-tunnels the packet and sends the packet to the MN according to the destination address of the packet. When the MN sends a packet to the peer node, the MAG encapsulates the received packet, adds an outer packet (including the source address), and then sends the packet to the LMA through the tunnel between the MAG and the LMA. The LMA strips the outer packet, and forwards the inner packet to the peer node.
In the existing Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol (PMIP) domain, when the MN accesses the network, to enable the MN to support the mobility service, the MAG needs to perform Proxy Binding Update (PBU) registration. The registration process is as follows:
1. The MN accesses the network.
2. After the access authentication process is completed, the Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server returns a message to the MAG. The message carries MN configuration information, for example, LMA address, Network Access Identifier (NAI) of the MN.
3. In place of the MN, the MAG sends a PBU request to the LMA.
4. The LMA returns a Proxy Binding Acknowledge (PBA) message that carries the HNP of the MN.
5. The MAG sends a Route Advertisement (RA) that carries the HNP of the MN to the MN.
In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventor finds at least the following defects in the prior art:
The registration process is unable to support network sharing or load balancing properly. When the LMA returns a registration failure message due to overload or local management policy adjustment, the MN may regress to the simple Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) service or be rejected to access service, and is unable to support the mobility service of the MN properly.

Method, system, and device for registering with local mobility anchors


A retaining hinged connection, with a more simple assembly operation, having fewer components than does the conventional retaining hinges. An outside mirror is proposed to be engaged with such a retaining hinged connection. The connection is achieved in that the retaining axle component is designed with at least one retaining element and advantageously including a compression spring. This invention eliminates the use of bolts for securing the hinge assembly.

The invention is directed to a retaining hinged connection primarily for use with an outside mirror for vehicles.
Position retaining and pivotal connections for supporting external mirrors on commercial vehicles have been installed in multiple embodiments. In the most simple arrangement, such a retaining pivotal support encompasses a first and a second adjustable arm, which terminate in identical retention elements. The retention elements possess circular holding bodies, which face one another and are brought into a mutual holding contact by means of, for example, a bolt, which penetrates the two holding bodies. The bolt may be enhanced by a spring to bring about a compressed, but adjustable fit. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that with consideration given to the design, insufficient flexibility of positioning exists. Moreover, such hinged connections are comparatively large and of considerable weight. The two retentive arms extend from one another at an angle of approximately 180°.
Additionally, retentive hinged supports for an external, rear vision mirror on a commercial vehicle are known, wherein the first holding arm is constructed as part of the framing of the mirror and is directly connected to the body of the vehicle. On this first holding arm is provided a first retention element, which extends in a horizontal direction. Onto this first holding arm is placed a second holding arm, which is tubular in construction. The two holding arms are then joined together by means of a bolt which extends essentially in a vertical direction. A joint is provided with a spring furnishing a compressive contact between the arm supports. The tubular holding arm protects at an approximate right angle to the vertical axis of the said bolt. This design is also characterized by a comparatively large demand of space and the necessity for a custom-made spring covering of the pivoting axle.
EP 0 527 455 B1 discloses a retention hinge for the support of an external rear view mirror on commercial vehicles. This retention hinge support is made of a first and a second support arm, which are pivotal about a swinging axis and can be rotated in relation to one another. The second arm support includes a bearing block, which is penetrated by a hinge axle component, which has a bolt and a helical, compression spring. The hinge axle component is secured by an upper and a lower opposed bearing components in the first support arm.
A retention element, which is penetrated by the bolt, includes a first and a second frictional or profiled holding surface. The first holding surface is rotationally affixed to the bearing block. The bolt holds together the assembled retention hinge.
The disadvantage of the hinged support as disclosed by EP 0 527 455 B1 is a comparatively complex construction.

Retention hinge connection for use with an exterior rear view mirror


An apparatus and a system, as well as a method and article, may operate to control a bandwidth of a memory coupled to a plurality of data processing units responsive to protocol indications, such as a number of data processing units in use. In some embodiments, apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to select a memory access group size of about 2N memory banks responsive to receiving an indication of a change in a protocol type, wherein the group is selected from a number B of banks, and N is associated with the protocol type.

Computer system performance may be highly dependent on associated memory system operational efficiency. For example, processing that stalls when data is unavailable can render results at an unacceptably slow rate.
Many memory systems have been designed to support a fixed data bus width, with an implicit fixed data processing bandwidth. However, different applications may be able to use a variety of memory access data widths, such as 32 bits, 64 bits, and 128 bits, among others. As a result, there may be a disparity between the number of data bits available from memory and the number of data bits sought by the processor when executing a particular application. If the available bandwidth is too small, extra memory cycles may be required to process a given amount of data. If the available bandwidth is too large, the existing memory capacity may not be used efficiently.

Memory configuration apparatus, systems, and methods


This invention relates to an electrostatic field measuring device which incorporates the phenomena of floating electrodes. The invention has no moving parts and is based on the use of the discharge frequency of floating electrodes as a measure of electric field intensity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which incorporates floating electrodes and is adapted to measure electrostatic fields. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for measuring electrostatic fields, such as those present during thunderstorms. The preferred device incorporates the use of floating electrodes.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrostatic fields are measured in many industrial processes and are also measured in several types of research where DC voltages are applied or electrostatic fields are necessary. Presently, devices available for measuring electrostatic fields are rotating voltmeters or radioactive probes. These rotating voltmeters and radioactive probes are both expensive and require constant maintenance. Thus, what is needed is a relatively inexpensive device that is simple to use and requires little maintenance. The device should be able to measure electrostatic fields in industrial processes, the technology lab or during adverse weather conditions to help predict lightning strikes.
It is not unusual to have insulated conducting objects located close to the conductors of a lightning protection system. However, the separation of these objects from the lightning protection system could vary from a few millimeters to some centimeters. When the system is exposed to thunderstorm electric fields, discharge could be initiated between the lightning protection system and the floating conductive body. The critical field for the initiation of corona currents from a floating electrode, when a negative DC voltage is applied to the main gap electrodes, is detected by the discharge of the floating electrode to the earth electrode.
Several studies have examined the influence of a floating body on the breakdown voltage between a high voltage electrode and earth when the floating body is introduced between them. The reduction in the breakdown voltage and the increment in the time to breakdown caused by a floating electrode located approximately 1 mm from the earthed electrode have been investigated under the application of a negative impulse voltage in previous works. Furthermore, the reduction in the breakdown voltage caused by a floating body situated at about one-third of the gap distance from the earthed electrode was investigated by several authors under the application of a positive polarity impulse. The results were summarized in the CIGRE report of 1990. The influence of floating electrode corona sources on the observed reduction in the breakdown voltage of the complex gap was studied by Phillpott et al.

Electrostatic field measuring device based on properties of floating electrodes for detecting whether lightning is imminent


An optical instrument monitors PCR replication of DNA in a reaction apparatus having a temperature cycled block with vials of reaction ingredients including dye that fluoresces in presence of double-stranded DNA. A beam splitter passes an excitation beam to the vials to fluoresce the dye. An emission beam from the dye is passed by the beam splitter to a CCD detector from which a processor computes DNA concentration. A reference strip with a plurality of reference emitters emit reference beams of different intensity, from which the processor selects an optimum emitter for compensating for drift. Exposure time is automatically adjusted for keeping within optimum dynamic ranges of the CCD and processor. A module of the beam splitter and associated optical filters is associated with selected dye, and is replaceable for different dyes.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a process for amplifying or multiplying quantities of double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In a PCR apparatus, a thermal cycler block has one or more wells for holding vials containing a suspension of ingredients for a reaction to produce more DNA starting with "seed" samples of the DNA. The starting ingredients in an aqueous suspension, in addition to the a seed sample, include selected DNA primer strands, DNA elements, enzymes and other chemicals. The temperature of the block is cycled between a lower temperature extension phase of the PCR reaction at about 60° C., which is the phase where all of the DNA strands have recombined into double strands, and a high temperature denaturing phase at about 95° C., during which the DNA is denatured or split into single strands. Such a temperature program essentially doubles the DNA in each cycle, thus providing a method for replicating significant amounts of the DNA from a small starting quantity. The PCR process is taught, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,202.
Quantitative measurements have been made on the DNA production during the PCR process, to provide measures of the starting amount and the amount produced. Measurements and computation techniques are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,889 (Atwood), as well as in an article "Kinetic PCR Analysis: Real-time Monitoring of DNA Amplification Reactions" by Russel Higuchi, et al., Bio/Technology vol. 11, pp. 1026-1030 (September 1993), and an article "Product Differentiation by Analysis of DNA Melting Curves during the Polymerase Chain Reaction" by Kirk M. Ririe, et al., Analytical Biochemistry vol. 245, pp. 154-160 (1997).
Prior measuring techniques have utilized microvolume fluorometers (spectrofluorometers) and a simple arrangement of a video camera with illumination lamps. Such apparatus utilize dyes that fluoresce in the presence of double-stranded DNA. These techniques and instruments are not particularly adapted to PCR apparatus for routine monitoring of the reaction. There also is a need for greater precision during the monitoring and measurements. Previous instruments that allow real time acquisition and analysis of PCR data have been very basic devices without the required dynamic range, do not have built-in calibration means, do not allow operation with sample well caps, or are very expensive.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel optical instrument for quantitative monitoring of DNA replication in a PCR apparatus. Other objects are to provide such an instrument with improved dynamic range, automatic selection of exposure time to extend dynamic range, automatic adjustment for drift, simplified operation, relatively low cost, and easy changing of optics to accommodate different fluorescent dyes.

Instrument for monitoring polymerase chain reaction of DNA


A new and distinct cultivar of Sutera plant named ‘Danova912’, characterized by its outwardly spreading and low mounding plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; early and continuous flowering habit; large light pink-colored flowers with darker pink-colored centers; and good garden performance.

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Sutera plant, botanically known as Sutera hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Danova912'.
The new Sutera is a product of a planned breeding program conducted in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new uniform Sutera cultivars with large and numerous flowers.
The new Sutera originated from an open-pollination in August, 2002 of a proprietary selection of Sutera hybrida identified as code number BA-2-21, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unidentified selection of Sutera hybrida, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Danova912 was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny from the aforementioned open-pollination in a controlled environment in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel in March, 2003.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel since March, 2003, has shown that the unique features of this new Sutera are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A test station for testing a fluid pump and/or a fluid injector has a fluid-pump receiving device for accommodating a fluid pump, a fluid-injector receiving device for accommodating a fluid injector, a fluid line which hydraulically connects the fluid-pump receiving device to the fluid-injector receiving device and which enables a fluid flow from the fluid pump to the fluid injector during operation, a sealed cooling circuit through which coolant is circulating during operation, and a first heat exchanger, which is developed and disposed in the fluid line so as to have the fluid flow and the coolant flow pass through it during operation such that a heat transfer takes place between the fluid flow and the coolant flow.

When checking fluid pumps in a test station, especially high pressure fuel pumps, and fluid injectors (fuel injectors) as they are used in Diesel engines, for instance, the injection fluid (test oil) used for the testing heats up and the injection fluid must be cooled in order to compensate for such heating. Different methods are known for this purpose.
In one known method, tap water is supplied to the test station, which absorbs heat from the injection fluid and thereby cools it. The heated water is then routed to the sewer.
In an alternative method, the injection fluid is cooled by an air cooler and the heat is dissipated to the ambient air.

Test station for fluid pumps and fluid injectors


A soft custom ear mold (300) comprising: an inner ear mold part (100) consisting of a first bushing (101), a sound tube (102) and an ear wax guard bushing (103), and an outer ear mold part (200) that is adapted to fit an individual ear canal and comprises a sound conduit having holding means adapted to engage said inner part (100). The holding means defines the correct positioning of said inner part (100) in the sound conduit of said outer part (200) whereby a precise and stable positioning of the ear wax guard bushing (103) in the soft custom ear mold (300) is provided. The invention also relates to a hearing aid comprising such an ear mold (300, 900), a method for manufacturing such an ear mold and a tool for carrying out a part of said manufacturing method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hearing aids. The invention, more specifically, relates to a soft custom ear mold for hearing aids. The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing a soft custom ear mold. The invention, in particular, relates to a tool for use in the method.
In the context of the present disclosure, a hearing aid should be understood as a small, battery-powered, microelectronic device designed to be worn behind or in the human ear by a hearing-impaired user. Prior to use, the hearing aid is adjusted by a hearing aid fitter according to a prescription. The prescription is based on a hearing test, resulting in a so-called audiogram, of the performance of the hearing-impaired user's unaided hearing. The prescription is developed to reach a setting where the hearing aid will alleviate a hearing loss by amplifying sound at frequencies in those parts of the audible frequency range where the user suffers a hearing deficit. A hearing aid comprises one or more microphones, a battery, a microelectronic circuit comprising a signal processor, and an acoustic output transducer. The signal processor is preferably a digital signal processor. The hearing aid is enclosed in a casing suitable for fitting behind or in a human ear.
As the name suggests, Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing aids are worn behind the ear. To be more precise an electronics unit comprising a housing containing the major electronics parts thereof is worn behind the ear. An ear mold for emitting sound to the hearing aid user is worn in the ear, e.g. in the concha or the ear canal. In a traditional BTE hearing aid, a sound tube is used because the output transducer, which in hearing aid terminology is normally referred to as the receiver, is located in the housing of the electronics unit. In some modern types of hearing aids a conducting member comprising electrical conductors is used, because the receiver is placed in the earpiece in the ear. Such hearing aids are commonly referred to as Receiver-In-The-Ear (RITE) hearing aids. In a specific type of RITE hearing aids the receiver is placed inside the ear canal. This is known as Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
2. Prior Art
Basically two different types of ear molds are offered today. The first type may be denoted custom ear molds and are characterized in that the shape of a specific ear canal is obtained and that the ear mold is subsequently manufactured such that it corresponds to the specific ear canal. At present the shape of the ear canal is typically obtained using an ear impression but this need not be the case since e.g. various digital scanning methods can also provide the shape of a specific ear canal. The second type may be denoted instant fit ear molds and are characterized in that they have not been adapted to the shape of a specific ear canal. Instead this type of ear molds has been adapted to cover a wide range of ear canals. Generally the custom ear molds are advantageous compared to the instant fit type in that they provide a secure and precise fit in the ear canal, whereby the ear molds will not tend to fall out of the ear, and the leakage of sound around the ear mold will be small whereby the risk of acoustic feedback is reduced.
The respective custom and instant-fit ear molds may further be sub-divided into soft and hard ear molds. The hard custom ear molds may e.g. be manufactured using rapid prototyping techniques. Further details concerning such a method can be found e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,012.
Generally the hard ear molds are advantageous in that the hard materials provide high acoustic attenuation. This is important in order to control sound leakage, and hereby acoustical feedback, from an interior sound channel in the ear mold and towards the surroundings outside the ear mold. The hard ear molds may be disadvantageous in that the hearing aid fitter will typically have to send the ear canal impressions to a remote ear mold manufacturing site, which has the consequence that the hearing aid user has to wait a few days before he can obtain his new hearing aid with hard custom ear molds.
The soft custom ear molds are typically manufactured by a hearing fitter, who obtains an impression of a specific ear canal and uses a negative of the impression to mold a soft ear mold in e.g. silicone. The soft custom ear molds are advantageous in that they may provide an improved comfort relative to hard ear molds, in that they may reduce sound leakage—even compared to hard custom ear molds, and in that local hearing aid fitters can manufacture this type of ear mold in-house. The soft ear molds may be disadvantageous in that the acoustic attenuation of the available soft ear mold materials is low compared to the available hard ear mold materials.
As already disclosed the soft ear mold is preferably manufactured in silicone. A preferred silicone is the Biopor, which is biocompatible. However, other resilient materials, such as soft acrylic may also be applied. Generally, the soft ear mold should preferably be manufactured from a material having a hardness which is below 80 measured on the Shore durometer type A scale (see the standard ASTM D2240 for description of the test). This is often written as Shore 80A. Preferably, the hardness is below Shore 60A, and more preferably the hardness is in the range from Shore 20A to Shore 45A.
In order to solve the problem of the limited acoustic attenuation of the soft ear mold materials it has been proposed in the art to insert a sound tube of a highly acoustic attenuating material into the sound conduit of the soft ear mold. It has been proposed to use e.g. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polyurethane (PUR) as sound tube material. These materials are relatively soft and it has therefore been suggested to insert the sound tube into the soft ear mold by:                putting a hard mounting tool through the sound conduit of the ear mold such that the first end of the mounting tool is on the first side of the ear mold and the other end of the mounting tool is on the other side of the ear mold,        fixing the sound tube onto a hard mounting tool,        pulling the mounting tool, and hereby the sound tube, back through the sound conduit of the ear mold,        removing the hard mounting tool from the sound tube, and        trimming the ends of the sound tube to make them flush with the ear mold.
In order to keep the sound tube at the correct position inside the soft ear mold it has been suggested to achieve this by:                providing a soft ear mold wherein the sound conduit is adapted to accommodate a bushing,        putting a hard mounting tool through the sound conduit of the ear mold such that the first end of the mounting tool is on the first side of the ear mold (the side adapted to face outwards when inserted in an ear canal) and the other end of the mounting tool is on the other side of the ear mold,        fixing a hard bushing to a first end of the sound tube,        engaging the first end of the mounting tool with the second end of the sound tube,        pulling the mounting tool, and hereby the sound tube and the bushing, back through the sound conduit of the ear mold until the bushing is seated correctly inside the ear mold,        removing the hard mounting tool from the sound tube, and        trimming the second end of the sound tube flush with the ear mold.
The soft ear molds may be further be disadvantageous in that traditional ear wax guards, such as disclosed in e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 9,795,562, cannot be used. The main reason for this is that the soft ear molds are not capable of accommodating an ear wax guard or an ear wax guard bushing in the same manner as a hard ear mold. It has therefore become common practice to use the soft ear molds without an ear wax guard. A consequence of this is that the sound tube has to be cleaned regularly which is more cumbersome than simply replacing an ear wax guard.
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to overcome at least these drawbacks and provide a soft custom ear mold that permits the use of an ear wax guard.
It is another feature of the current invention to provide a method for manufacturing a soft custom ear mold.

Method of manufacturing a soft custom ear mold and a soft custom ear mold


A display pack for a consumer product is made of two sheets of corrugated cardboard and a clear plastic container with a flat insertion portion sandwiched between the cardboard sheets. The two cardboard sheets are adhered together in a peripheral area of the package by a heat-sensitive adhesive, and the corrugations of the cardboard sheets are crushed and flattened in the peripheral area. To seal the package, the peripheral area of the two cardboard sheets is subject to sufficient pressure to crush the corrugations inside the cardboard sheets and flatten them in that area. Heat is applied to the outer side of the cardboard sheets in the peripheral area and conducted to the adhesive material between the two sheets to activate the adhesive material. A sealer machine with a heated sealing press or parallel sets of heated rollers may be used to carry out the sealing process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to product packaging, and in particular, it relates to packaging for products suitable for store merchandising.
2. Description of the Related Art
A first type of conventional packaging for consumer products, shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) (which is a cross-sectional view along the direction of arrows 2-2), is made of two sheets of corrugated cardboard 101 and 102, and a clear plastic container 103 having a flat insertion portion 103a and a chamber portion 103b. The insertion portion is sandwiched between the two cardboard sheets 101 and 102, and the chamber portion 103b protrudes from the plane of the cardboard sheets via a cut (opening) on one cardboard sheet 101 and is used to hold the product inside. A second plastic container 103′ may be provided and protrudes from the other cardboard sheet 102 to form a continuous space for hold the product. The two cardboard sheets 101 and 102 are adhered together around the periphery with an adhesive 104. A commonly used adhesive is a hot melt glue. The front and back sides of the package are typically printed with product information and other information. (In these drawings, the spaces between the various layers are exaggerated to illustrate the relationship among the various layers.) One disadvantage of this type of conventional packaging is that the hot melt glue is typically applied by hand, and thus the seal quality is often difficult to control due to, for example, the varying drying speed of the glue, the placement of the glue, etc. Another disadvantage is that the corrugation of the cardboard is visible at some of the side edges of the finished packaging (see FIG. 6(c), a view of the bottom edge of the packaging of FIG. 6(a)), making the packaging aesthetically unappealing.
A second type of conventional packaging, shown in FIG. 7(a), is similar to the first type shown in FIGS. 6(a)-(c), but uses one sheet of corrugated cardboard 112 (typically the back sheet) and one flat sheet of paper 111 (typically the front sheet, i.e., on the side of the product chamber). Sometimes two flat sheets of paper 111 and 111′ are used, one on each side of the corrugated cardboard (see FIG. 7(b). The cardboard sheet 112 and the flat paper sheet 111 are adhered together by a heat-sensitive adhesive 114 to seal the package. The heat sensitive adhesive is pre-applied to the cardboard sheet and/or the flat paper sheet, and heat is applied from the paper side, conducted to the adhesive via the paper to activate the adhesive. Heat sensitive adhesives have not been used in the first type of packaging because corrugated cardboard sheets are poor heat conductors, and heat applied to the outer side of the cardboard cannot easily reach the area between the two cardboard sheets where the heat adhesive material would be applied.
A disadvantage of the second type of conventional packaging is that it sometimes lacks sufficient structural strength. Display packs are often transported in an assembly where a plurality of display packs are stood on their sides in a container with half-height walls (i.e. walls not as high as the packs themselves), and wrapped together to form a box-shaped bundle. When two or more of such bundles are stacked on top of each other, the weight of the top one is supported directly by the packs in the bottom bundle. The packs therefore must have sufficient structural strength and rigidity to prevent them from bending. The lack of physical strength also makes it difficult to make larger packages (e.g. larger than 10 by 15 inches), or to pack heavier items.

Display pack and packaging method and apparatus


An exemplary fuel cell device assembly includes: (i) an electrolyte sheet; (ii) a plurality of cathodes disposed on one side of the electrolyte sheet; (iii) a plurality of anodes disposed on another side of the electrolyte sheet; and (iv) a frame supporting the electrolyte sheet, the frame having a plurality of channels. Preferably the cross-sectional area of the frame has channel density of at least 20/in2 and channel wall thickness of 50 mils or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fuel cell devices, and particularly to frames for the fuel cell devices.
2. Technical Background
The use of solid oxide fuel cells has been the subject of considerable amount of research in recent years. The typical components of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) comprise a negatively-charged oxygen-ion conducting electrolyte sandwiched between two electrodes. Electrical current is generated in such cells by oxidation, at the anode, of a fuel material, for example hydrogen, which reacts with oxygen ions conducted through the electrolyte. Oxygen ions are formed by reduction of molecular oxygen at the cathode.
U.S. Patent Publication US2002/0102450 and 2001/0044041 describe solid electrolyte fuel cells which include an improved electrode-electrolyte structure. This structure comprises a solid electrolyte sheet incorporating a plurality of positive and negative electrodes, bonded to opposite sides of a thin flexible inorganic electrolyte sheet. One example illustrates that the electrodes do not form continuous layers on electrolyte sheets, but instead define multiple discrete regions or bands. These regions are electronically connected, by means of electrical conductors in contact therewith that extend through vias in electrolyte sheet. The vias are filled with electronically conductive materials (via interconnects).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,455 discloses thin, smooth inorganic sintered sheets. The disclosed sintered sheets have strength and flexibility to permit bending without breaking as well as excellent stability over a wide range of temperatures. Some of the disclosed compositions, such as yttria stabilized zirconia YSZ (Y2O3—ZrO2) would be useful as electrolytes for fuel cells. It is known that at sufficient temperatures (e.g., about 725° C. and above), zirconia electrolytes exhibit good ionic conductance and very low electronic conductance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,837 describes the use of such compositions to form thermal shock resistant solid oxide fuel cells.
U.S. Patent Publication US2001/0044043 describes solid electrolyte fuel cells utilizing substantially planar, smooth electrolyte sheet with a roughened interface surface layer. This publication discloses electrolyte sheet thickness below 45 micrometers. The ceramic electrolyte sheet is flexible at such thicknesses.
Furthermore, fuel cells endure thermal cycling and large thermal gradients, which induces thermal stresses in the electrolyte sheets. In addition, a mounted electrolyte sheet will expand at a rate that is different from the thermal expansion rate of its frame, which may cause cracking of the electrolyte sheet. A defect in an electrolyte sheet may necessitate a replacement of the entire cell or electrolyte device.
It is known that substrate type solid oxide fuel cells sometimes utilize metal alloys as separators. Such configuration is described, for example, in the article entitled "Electro-magnetic properties of a SOFC cathode in contact with a chromium-containing alloy separator", by Yoshido Matsuzaki and Isami Yasuda, Solid state Ionics 132 (2000) 271-278.
Solid oxide fuel cells may also be supported by a porous support structure, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,428. Inside the porous support structure are sealed corrugated ceramic plates that form passages for either oxygen or fuel. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,428 discloses fuel cell modules, each having a porous substrate supporting a plurality of electrodes. An electrolyte layer is situated over these electrodes and another electrode layer is situated on the electrolyte layer. The porous support structure forms an integrated whole with these layers and is inseparable from these layers. The patent discloses that the fuel cell layers are directly bonded to the porous support structure, therefore fabrication constraints limit fuel cell configuration. For example, the cell layers are generally fired at different temperatures. Typically the anode and electrolyte are sintered at temperatures of 1400° C. or higher, whereas the cathode is ideally sintered at a temperature of 1200° C. or lower. Hence the fuel cell layers must be deposited in decreasing order of firing temperatures. However, it would be advantageous to be able to have other design configurations of the fuel cell arrays, without concern for the fabrication constraints. Furthermore, the porous support structure is relatively thick, and therefore, expensive to make. U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,095 discloses fuel cell stacks containing fuel cell arrays formed on an electrolyte impregnated porous plastic dielectric sheets with the cell to cell electrical interconnections made through the electrolyte membrane. The disclosed design utilizes air flow manifold units as well as fuel manifold units assembled between the fuel cell arrays. Having additional air and fuel manifold units and assembling them between the fuel cell arrays increases the complexity and the cost of the fuel cell stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,057 discloses a coated alternating heat exchanger device and a method of making such. The heat exchanger comprises a plurality of passages situated within a ceramic body. This patent does not disclose the use of this device in fuel cell applications.


A plurality of key switches are disposed in a predetermined arrangement, such as a matrix arrangement, and a tone generator includes a memory for storing tone (waveform) data corresponding to the key switches. Sampling section acquires an audio signal from an external source, cuts out tone data from the acquired audio signal and writes the cut-out tone data into the memory in association with the key switches. Any one of the key switches is designated on the basis of switch operation by a user or on the basis of automatic performance information, so that, of the tone data stored in the memory, the tone data corresponding to the designated key switch is sounded, i.e. audibly reproduced.

The present invention relates to a performance apparatus which receives user's performance operation of a plurality of switches and executes a music performance in accordance with the performance operation, and a tone generation method and computer program for the performance apparatus.
Application called "TENORI-ON" has been know from, for example, 1) "Keitai News", [online], Jan. 16, 2002, ascii, [searched on Apr. 1, 2004], Internet <URL: http://k-tai.ascii24.com/k-tai/news/2002/01/16/632762-000. html?geta>, and 2) "World of Digista Curator", [online], Digital Stadium, Toshio Iwai, Exhibit=TENORI-ON, [searched on Apr. 1, 2004], Internet <URL: http://www.nhk.or.jp/digiata/lab/digista ten/curator.html>. In performance apparatus, such as portable telephones and game apparatus, executing the application "TENORI-ON", point-designating inputs entered by a user are received via a 16×16 grid arranged on a matrix in such a manner that the horizontal axis represents the timing and the vertical axis represents the tone pitch. Each of such performance apparatus sequentially generates, at predetermined timing, tone pitches corresponding to user-designated points from a leftmost row onward. In this way, the user can use the performance apparatus to compose and perform simple music pieces with high ingenuity.
The conventionally-known performance apparatus, which include a tone generator (e.g., MIDI tone generator), cause the tone generator to generate tones, using information indicative of tone colors of performance tones and tone pitches to be allocated to individual designating points on the grid, to thereby generate a tone pitch corresponding to each user-designated point with a predetermined tone color.
Therefore, the conventionally-known performance apparatus can only perform with tone colors of a predetermined pattern. Further, because given tone pitches are allocated to the designating points, the conventionally-known performance apparatus would unavoidably present performance limitations in terms of diversity of performance tones.

Performance apparatus and tone generation method therefor


Disclosed is a vacuum sucker device, including: a sucker body, configured to attach to a surface, and having an upwardly protruding mounting part at a middle portion of the sucker body, and the mounting part having a neck; a pressing cover, configured to press the sucker body, and having a plurality of outer bevel edges on an outer circumferential portion thereof and a plurality of inner bevel edges on an inner circumferential portion thereof; a rotatable cover, having a locking lug thereon matched with the neck of the mounting part, a plurality of outer pressing blocks therein matched with the outer bevel edges, and a plurality of inner pressing blocks therein matched with the inner bevel edges; and a mounting cover, mounted over the rotatable cover, connected to the mounting part, and having an object hanging groove.

A vacuum sucker can make use of negative pressure to enable a sucker body to attach to a smooth flat surface, such as glass or a ceramic tile, for hanging an object. The vacuum sucker has virtue of easy use, and can be easily removed from the attached object such as the glass or the ceramic tile without damage, it is widely used in daily life and work. For a vacuum sucker of the existing art, generally the negative pressure is generated by discharging the air between the sucker body and an suction surface by a user pushing down or rotating a cover body on the sucker to press the sucker body, to attach the sucker body to the suction surface. However, the structure of the existing rotatable vacuum sucker cannot thoroughly remove the air between the sucker body and the suction surface, and as a result, the generated adsorption force is lower, leading to insecure attachment.


A video magnifier includes a body including a base, a table on which an object to be read is placed, the table being disposed on the base, a video camera disposed over the table, an illumination lamp illuminating the object placed on the table and a pointer irradiating a part of the object photographed by the video camera, and a monitor television displaying a video image delivered from the video camera. In the video magnifier, in synchronization with irradiation of the photographed part of the object by the pointer, an illuminance of the illumination lamp is rendered lower than an illuminance of the pointer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a video magnifier provided with an irradiating pointer which irradiates a part of an object placed on a table with light thereby to point a location corresponding to a magnified image on a monitor screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
One type of video magnifier has been provided with an irradiating pointer which irradiates a part of an object placed on a table with light thereby to point a location corresponding to a magnified image on a monitor screen. JP-A-2000-333042 discloses such a video magnifier with a pointer. Video magnifiers are generally directed to use by weak-sighted persons. An object to be read, such as newspaper, is placed on a table and illuminated by an illumination lamp.
However, the illumination by the illumination lamp tends to dazzle eyes of the weak-sighted persons. Accordingly, when both irradiation by the pointer and illumination by the illumination lamp are carried out simultaneously, the weak-sighted persons have a difficulty to confirm the location on the object irradiated by the pointer. As a result, when the video magnifier is used so that an object is read or an entry is made into the object, it is difficult to confine the location to be read within a photographing range. Thus, the conventional video magnifier has a low convenience.
Further, since most weak-sighted persons also have defective color vision, it is unsuitable to require determination by a color for confirmation of the irradiation location of the pointer. In this case, it is useful to require the determination by change in the brightness by flashing.


The present invention relates to a system and method for cooling a combustion gas charge prior. The combustion gas charge may include compressed intake air, exhaust gas, or a mixture thereof. An evaporator is provided that may then receive a relatively high temperature combustion gas charge and discharge at a relatively lower temperature. The evaporator may be configured to operate with refrigeration cycle components and/or to receive a fluid below atmospheric pressure as the phase-change cooling medium.

Exhaust gas produced by an internal combustion engine may be recirculated through the engine, rather than discharged into the atmosphere, to reduce emissions and therefore pollution. Prior to recirculation, the exhaust gas may be cooled in an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler. EGR coolers, however, may not provide efficient heat transfer rates and may result in the exhaust gas having an unacceptable temperature upon reintroduction to the engine. Further, EGR coolers may not cool compressed intake air or mix exhaust gas with compressed intake air. Accordingly, it may be desired to provide a cooling system and method that may be used in addition to or in place of conventional EGR coolers.

System and method for cooling a combustion gas charge


The object distance display apparatus displays object distances according to actually measured object distance data entered in advance, matched with focusing lens positions acquired from a television lens device, and enables, when the apparatus is connected to the television lens device, any data entry error to be readily identified by graphically displaying the object distance data entered in advance. Actually measured object distance data entered in advance, matched with focusing lens positions, can be graphically displayed on an LCD panel with a touch panel function of the apparatus. If any abnormal datum such as an input error is detected, it can be deleted by touching a delete switch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object distance display apparatus, and more particularly to an object distance display apparatus for displaying the distance to the object that is focused on by a lens device for television camera use.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the present inventors has proposed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2001-85136 and 2001-285236 (which were, at the time the present invention was made, not published, not publically known, and assigned to the same assignee to which the present invention was subject to an obligation of assignment) object distance display apparatuses in television lens systems used in television cameras for broadcasting use or the like, which display the object distance by acquiring the focusing lens position in which the focusing lens of the lens device is currently set or the focusing lens position designated by a focus controlling device, such as a focus demand, to the lens device and figuring out and displaying the distance to the object that is focused upon in that acquired focusing lens position. Figuring out the object distance requires prior matching between the focusing lens position and the object distance, and the matching can be accomplished, for instance, in the following manner. First, a sample object is arranged in a certain position, the distance from the lens device to that sample object is directly measured, and the focusing lens of the lens device is driven to focus on that sample object. The object distance display apparatus acquires from the lens device the focusing lens position in which it is then set. Now, the actual measurement of the distance to the sample object is entered into the object distance display apparatus. The focusing lens position then set in the lens device is thereby matched with the object distance. By repeating this procedure at different distances of the sample object, a plurality of focusing lens positions and object distances can be matched with each other. According to this matching, a distance function representing the relationship between the focusing lens position and the object distance is figured out, and every position in the whole variable range of the focusing lens position is matched with one object distance or another.
In any of the object distance display apparatuses described above, it is impossible to check the accuracy of the already entered object distance data, and therefore, if a wrong distance is entered by mistake for instance, it is difficult to identify the wrong datum. Especially, unless the object distance displayed according to a wrong datum is evidently abnormal, it is difficult even to notice any error in entered data, and this would invite wrong estimation of the object distance. Even if something wrong in the entered data is noticed, it is impossible to identify the wrong datum, and accordingly there is a problem that the user of the camera would have to take the trouble of deleting all the entered data and enter correct data anew.

Object distance display apparatus to display an object distance based on measured object distance data